No Sharia Law or any religious arbitration in Ontario!

[Said1]

Way to use that spine McGuinty, now on to those 213 unfullfilled campaigne promises! OYE!

Sharia doesn't have a prayer in Ontario

By ANTONELLA ARTUSO, Queen's Park Bureau

TORONTO -- The Ontario government will introduce legislation this fall banning all faith-based arbitration, including Sharia.

Premier Dalton McGuinty and Attorney General Michael Bryant agreed in a meeting this week it was time to resolve the contentious issue.

"I've come to the conclusion that the debate has gone on long enough," McGuinty said yesterday. "There will be no sharia law in Ontario. There will be no religious arbitration in Ontario. There will be one law for all Ontarians."

McGuinty's government will rescind the 1991 Ontario Arbitration Act, which gave legal force to a long-standing practice of allowing faith-based tribunals to resolve family matters, such as divorce and custody.

Both sides in the dispute had to agree beforehand to abide by the tribunal's decision.


"Ontarians will always have the right to seek advice from anyone in matters of family law, including religious advice," McGuinty said. "But no longer will religious arbitration be deciding matters of family law."

Catholics, Mennonites, Jews, aboriginals and Jehovah's Witnesses, among others, have used the act to settle family law questions without resorting to the courts.

"We're disappointed at the apparent decision," Joel Richler, chairman of the Canadian Jewish Congress Ontario region, said last night. "We'd like the premier to meet with us so we can make our concerns known directly to him."

The Liberal government has been under growing international pressure since former NDP attorney general Marion Boyd issued a report last December recommending it allow Sharia in the province.

Richler said McGuinty's decision is "setting the clock back" on faith-based arbitration and flies in the face of Boyd's recommendations.

Proponents of Sharia say it is fair to women, and can be practised in a way that respects Canadian laws.

Muslim women's groups and their supporters around the globe were appalled that a system of law that has led to the mistreatment of women in many Islamic countries would gain a foothold in the western world.

'GREAT VICTORY'

Tarek Fatah, head of the Muslim Canadian Congress, called McGuinty's announcement "a great victory for all Canadians, but particularly Muslims in Canada, and a defeat for Islamic fundamentalists and those who are preaching it in Canada."

Homa Arjomand, a women's rights activist who organized protests across Canada last Thursday to convince McGuinty to abandon Sharia, was elated. "I think to make a ban is the biggest victory for us," she said.

The next step is to educate Muslim women not to go to informal tribunals where they could be pressured into giving up their rights, Arjomand said.

Link

 

[Nuc]

Said1,

Thanks for keeping us posted on this interesting topic. Glad it turned out this way.

 

[Said1]

Said1,

Thanks for keeping us posted on this interesting topic. Glad it turned out this way.

I'm wondering if this will not cause more conflict for Queens' park, considering the content of the Arbitration act. Might not be over yet.

Anyway, as this issue unfolded, I think the position of the Muslim community was a real eye opener for many Canadians, who for the most part do not feel multi-culturalism can cause problems.

 

[Nuc]

Anyway, as this issue unfolded, I think the position of the Muslim community was a real eye opener for many Canadians, who for the most part do not feel multi-culturalism can cause problems.

According to the article the Muslim community itself is divided on the issue.

 

[Said1]

According to the article the Muslim community itself is divided on the issue.

Sorry, should have said "Muslim community in support of the use of Sharia Law".

 

[Nuc]

Sorry, should have said "Muslim community in support of the use of Sharia Law".

Hopefully the ones against it are the "silent majority".

 

[dilloduck]

Way to use that spine McGuinty, now on to those 213 unfullfilled campaigne promises! OYE!




Link

3 texan cheers to McGuinty who has apparently seen that multi-culturalism did NOT make Canada a stronger country.

 

[Nuc]

3 texan cheers to McGuinty who has apparently seen that multi-culturalism did NOT make Canada a stronger country.

Beating the "Multicultural" horse again?

Canada has English, French and the various Inuit languages as official languages. If that's not multi-cultural, what is?

When they had the opportunity to become less multi-cultural by granting Quebec independence, they didn't.

Not to mention the strong Asian presence. Vancouver is basically run by Chinese.

Canada is multicultural at the core, like it or not.

 

[Said1]

3 texan cheers to McGuinty who has apparently seen that multi-culturalism did NOT make Canada a stronger country.

While Canada is in strong support of multi-culturalism, we are just recently seeing issues such as Sharia Law pop up. In the past, most culturally related conflicts have generally been French/English, but the muslim community has grown significantly over the last 15 yrs since religious arbitration was deemed an acceptable alternative in settling civil and family matters.

 

[dilloduck]

Beating the "Multicultural" horse again?

Canada has English, French and the various Inuit languages as official languages. If that's not multi-cultural, what is?

When they had the opportunity to become less multi-cultural by granting Quebec independence, they didn't.

Not to mention the strong Asian presence. Vancouver is basically run by Chinese.

Canada is multicultural at the core, like it or not.

No---actually it was in the article Said posted if you read it. McGuinty is not banning the speaking of French, closing down Mexican restaurants or melting igloos. You need to get your definition of multi-culturalism straight here.

Having ONE CANDIAN law as opposed to having several (depending on what culture you prefer) is stronger and takes priority. If one does NOT support multi- culturalism it doesn't mean they want to deport or destroy anything that is not Canadian. It merely creates a priority and helps create a bridge between cultures as opposed to having one country with 50 million "norms".

 

[Said1]

Beating the "Multicultural" horse again?

Canada has English, French and the various Inuit languages as official languages. If that's not multi-cultural, what is?

When they had the opportunity to become less multi-cultural by granting Quebec independence, they didn't.

Not to mention the strong Asian presence. Vancouver is basically run by Chinese.

Canada is multicultural at the core, like it or not.

Just french and english as official languages.

Canadians tend to not have a problem with multi-culturalism as long as they aren't given special rights.

Quebecers voted no on the seperation thing, and there is another referendum in the works for 2007.

Quebec believes in assimilation, they actually have language laws determining such things as the language in which you are allowed to educate your children. Quebec actually has language police on the look out for english lettering on signs. Quebec's language bill 101 is something out of Nazi Germany.

 

[Nuc]

No---actually it was in the article Said posted if you read it. McGuinty is not banning the speaking of French, closing down Mexican restaurants or melting igloos. You need to get your definition of multi-culturalism straight here.

Having ONE CANDIAN law as opposed to having several (depending on what culture you prefer) is stronger and takes priority. If one does NOT support multi- culturalism it doesn't mean they want to deport or destroy anything that is not Canadian. It merely creates a priority and helps create a bridge between cultures as opposed to having one country with 50 million "norms".

I agree with you here. But you ought to stop throwing around the word "multi-cultural" at each and every problem that bothers you. What you said was that McGuinty was against multiculturalism. Obviously he acknowledges multiculturalism or he would renounce his citizenship. Deciding to have one law just means putting a national norm above special interests.

 

[dilloduck]

I agree with you here. But you ought to stop throwing around the word "multi-cultural" at each and every problem that bothers you. What you said was that McGuinty was against multiculturalism. Obviously he acknowledges multiculturalism or he would renounce his citizenship. Deciding to have one law just means putting a national norm above special interests.

I don't----again--there is a big difference between accepting people form different cultures and multi-cultural -ISM. Please educate yourself.

 

[Said1]

I don't----again--there is a big difference between accepting people form different cultures and multi-cultural -ISM. Please educate yourself.

Quebec is the only province that openly promotes assimilation. Other provinces have granted major special rights based on religious culture. However, at this point in time, it seems as though government is seriously thinking about where to draw line.

 

[Nuc]

I don't----again--there is a big difference between accepting people form different cultures and multi-cultural -ISM. Please educate yourself.

Oxford English Dictionary:multicultural • adjective relating to or constituting several cultural or ethnic groups.

Seems like according to this definition the US and Canada are multicultural. There's nothing in this definition that indicates that the "several cultural or ethnic groups" must be demanding special treatment or even equality in order for multiculturalism to exist.

So I educated myself.

What's your definition and where did you get it?

 

[dilloduck]

Quebec is the only province that openly promotes assimilation. Other provinces have granted major special rights based on religious culture. However, at this point in time, it seems as though government is seriously thinking about where to draw line.

I'm afraid that if America actively promoted assimilation, it would be seen purely as an act of racial discrimination and repression. It most certainly would be called as such by the "leaders" of the varied cultures and races in America. The campaign to create white guilt and white responsibility for problems has been so highly successful in America that even most whites buy it.

 

[Nuc]

I'm afraid that if America actively promoted assimilation, it would be seen purely as an act of racial discrimination and repression. It most certainly would be called as such by the "leaders" of the varied cultures and races in America. The campaign to create white guilt and white responsibility for problems has been so highly successful in America that even most whites buy it.

I don't feel guilty. My ancestors moved here after slavery was abolished. If the blacks don't want to learn how to speak and read it's their problem. Hispanics came of their own accord. Women are the majority so if they wanted to they could write their own ticket. The fact that they're disorganized is their own problem, not mine. The only minority I feel slightly sorry for is the Asians. They suffer some discrimination and get no breaks. But I don't feel guilty about it, because I don't discriminate against them.
:scratch: :teeth:

 

[Said1]

I'm afraid that if America actively promoted assimilation, it would be seen purely as an act of racial discrimination and repression. It most certainly would be called as such by the "leaders" of the varied cultures and races in America. The campaign to create white guilt and white responsibility for problems has been so highly successful in America that even most whites buy it.

This has nothing to do with race, it's a culture thing. In order to attain nation-state status after they vote to seperate, they have to protect their language, which is one of the things that makes them distinct from the rest of Canada. In doing this, they have drafted bill 101. This determines the language immigrants must speak and what schools the province will fund. If you want your kids to go to english school, you must pay. If you want to immigrate to Quebec from China, you must learn french first, not english. This is not taking anything away from Chinese immigrants or other racial minorities, if anything it discriminates against anglos.

 

[dilloduck]

This has nothing to do with race, it's a culture thing. In order to attain nation-state status after they vote to seperate, they have to protect their language, which is one of the things that makes them distinct from the rest of Canada. In doing this, they have drafted bill 101. This determines the language immigrants must speak and what schools the province will fund. If you want your kids to go to english school, you must pay. If you want to immigrate to Quebec from China, you must learn french first, not english. This is not taking anything away from Chinese immigrants or other racial minorities, if anything it discriminates against anglos.

I think Canada and America have different problems with multi-culturalism and the type of impact it has on our countries. You are dealing with it cuturally though Sharia law and language issues. Our problem so far seems to fall primarily along racial lines but hey---I'm sure we can make it more complicated--just give us time. We got a lot more folks down here and making em all equal AND special at the same time is a tough job!

 

[Nuc]

I think Canada and America have different problems with multi-culturalism and the type of impact it has on our countries.

You still haven't defined what it is (to you). That would be helpful if we are to understand what you mean. Because it doesn't seem you are using the standard definition of multiculturalism.