Executive Director of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women (CCMW), recipient of honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Queen's University and Member of the Order of Canada
There were questions in both morning and afternoon sessions regarding the difference between Muslim and Islam. Alia advised that Islam is the religion (like Christianity), while the term Muslim refers to the people who practice the religion Islam (like Christians, Buddhists, etc. Islam and Muslim do not refer to the ethnic culture of the practitioner or the country in which Islam is practiced.
The Canadian Council of Muslim Women was formed in 1982 to address the concerns of Muslim women in Canada. The goals of CCMW are similar to those of CFUW, working to achieve equality for women and advocating for human rights according to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Alia pointed out that "equality" is sometimes misunderstood to mean "sameness." CCMW is a small organization of roughly 1000, with chapters across Canada. The volunteer Board of Directors does most of theheavy lifting, while the chapters are connected to communities.
Alia commented that CCMW always evaluates the results of their efforts in terms of their reach, press coverage, and whether or not their actions resulted in change.
One of their successes, and one that CFUW joined forces with CCMW, was the advocacy efforts of the No Religious Arbitration Coalition, comprised of more than 100 women's and community agencies that came together to advocate against the use of religious arbitration in family law in Ontario. The Coalition's position was that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guaranteed all women in Ontario the right to access public family law to resolve their family law disputes. Alia emphasized that the coalition was not formed to fight against Sharia Law, but against all forms of faith based (religious) family arbitration. For more information on this, visit: http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/english/family/arbitration/faith-based.asp.
The outcome of this collaboration is Family Law Education for Women (FLEW). From the FLEW website: "The government heard the voices of the Coalition, along with the many other groups and individuals across the country who spoke out on this important issue, and amended the law to require that arbitration awards follow Canadian or Ontario family law. Several other new and important provisions, related to family law arbitrations, were also introduced at this time."
Other projects that CCMW has taken on include their work with youth discrimination in schools. In 2009, with financial support from the Government of Canada, they sponsored the Muslim Youth Canada Project. Part of this program is targeted toward Somalia youth, and focuses of giving them a sense of identity and belonging in their new community. Other projects include My Canada, Finding Common Ground, for which they produced a toolkit (opens as a PDF) aimed at university aged youth. The answer is to bring together individuals from different backgrounds to work together in person.
CCWM's work on the issue of Violence against women focuses on four issues:
domestic violence
forced marriage
FGM/FGC
Femicide (sometimes inappropriately referred to as "honour killings")
Alia emphasized that Muslims have resided in Canada since confederation. They have come here from all parts of the world, and contribute to the diversity of our country today.
Pressures on Canadian Muslims are both internal and external. The former include pressures to adopt a single interpretation of Islam which is rigid and conservative, and usually money-driven. External pressures include discrimination that can be triggered by a person's name, which triggers anti-Muslim sentiments and contributes to differences in class, poverty and lack of opportunity for economic development. Fundamentalist Muslims are no different from other religious fundamentalists - they teach tribal patriarchy where women and children are subjects to be ruled.
Alia says we have two choices when we find ourselves in a situation that makes us uncomfortable - we can quit, or we can work to change it.
The discussion that followed covered a range of topics, including:
the proposed revisions to the Quebec Charter of Values and studies into why some Muslim women choose to wear the hijab or even the niqab (complete face covering) (spiritual reasons, feelings of empowerment)
the role of imams (chosen to lead prayers, but often have no formal religious training)
modern mosques and Islamic centres in which women and men pray together
the effects of funding Islamic centres by fundamentalist Saudi Arabian and other oil-rich countries.
FGM/FGC, of concern in Canada as well as in other countries. Because any doctor performing it would lose their license, it is women, often mothers, who are performing it on their own daughters.
Interracial marriages are becoming more common, but it is important to know that foreign laws protect the rights of the husband, and a woman stands the risk of losing her children if her husband leaves the country with them.
Increase in conversion to Islam can be explained because it is a nice simple religious that emphasizes mercy. Alia commented that in many cases, that is not how Islam is being practiced.
Submitted by Cheryl Ambrose
Status of Women & Human Rights Committee
Topic: Muslim Women--Immigrants, Refugees, New Canadians
Speaker: Alia Hogben, Exective Director of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women
Submitted by Joanne Jamieson
Alia Hogben joined us after lunch for 45 minutes, as she needed to leave to get a train back to Kingston. We moved our introductions and advocacy "reports" to the end of the meeting to maximize our time with her.
Alia asked the group, "How do we assess ourselves and how do we count our successes?"
She told us that the Canadian Council of Muslim Women has done some navel gazing and has asked similar questions:
What was our reach?
Did we get any change?
What press did we get?
And she talked about internal and external challenges to their organization.
After Alia left, we went around the room and each member told the group what her individual club had done the past year with respect to advocacy.
Teri Shaw has a list of what we have accomplished on the advocacy front and the CFUW annual report lists all its submissions to the government.
The point was made that it is important to work with other women's' groups whose funding had been cut.
The discussion turned to how we should look at MADD and how successful it was in changing attitudes towards drinking and driving and perhaps we could do the same with Violence Against Women (VAW).
(Note from chair - it was challenging to keep up with note taking, and catching all the details, so I've asked that each delegate send me a summary of the advocacy efforts of their clubs. While I was very impressed with Alia's recount of the actions of CCWM, I was blown away by what I heard from our clubs after she left in the afternoon. I wish she would have been there to hear it in person. We should all be very proud to call ourselves members of CFUW.)
Legislation
The session began with club representatives reporting on their advocacy initiatives, which included work on child care, poverty, aboriginal issues, transportation, human trafficking, elimination of the long-form census, immigration and water. Fundraising and other activities provided support for women's shelters, scholarships and bursaries, Crown Wards, a teacher in Afghanistan and a young girl in Haiti. The range of Club level work is impressive.
Our guest was Michelle Chibba, Director, Policy and Special Projects, Information and Privacy Commissioner's Office of Ontario, (IPC). Michelle spoke about privacy and safety, including cyberbullying, in the digital world.
IPC's mandate is to
ensure that government organizations comply with Ontario's freedom of information and privacy laws,
investigate privacy complaints and resolve appeals for refusals to requests for government information,
conduct research on and raising awareness of privacy issues.
Michelle focused on the last function in the context of the increasing sophistication of digital technology. It is reassuring that IPC consults with both legal and technical experts to keep on the cutting edge.
Privacy
The public has become increasingly comfortable with sharing information online and divulging information in ways that seem innocuous. However, personal data is being mined without consent through means such as computer (IP) addresses, encrypted ID cards, and apps used to collect information from social media and databases created for routine purposes by government, political parties, business. Any information in a local law enforcement database could find its way to CSIS and ultimately the US National Security Agency (NSA). Once on such a database, is one ever removed? With every positive innovation risks and challenges must be anticipated and dealt with.
The dynamic discussion that took place during the meeting raised awareness that most of us are concerned about our privacy. For me, it was a wake-up call that, in our advocacy work, which is increasingly done online, there is the possibility we could be targeted or misinterpreted as information can be taken out of context.
Cyberbullying
Young people using social media are more concerned with constant social contact than privacy. They are savvy, concerned about their online reputation and often use pseudonyms, but remain unaware that their data could be available to the five 'P's: parents, police, predators, professors, peers and forget it could be around forever. Nova Scotia's recent Cyber-Safety Act makes parents accountable for their children's actions and places more responsibility on schools. IPC and legal experts caution that this could lead parents to spying on their children instead of parenting, and that schools might collect more behavioural / personal data on students. The speaker feels that policy to ensure privacy and safety must be developed first, before moving to legislative responses. Michelle Chibba recommended that CFUW "encourage coordination of resources regarding privacy so that they are used effectively."
Recommendations As a result of this session we are presented with some strategies.
Add IPC (www.ipc.on.ca) to our contacts as a resource for information and advice regarding privacy.
Use the CCSO Cybercrime Working Group report, Cyberbullying and the Non-consensual Distribution of Intimate Images, to support our advocacy work regarding cyberbullying for legislation change at the federal level. There are recommendations for changes to the Criminal Code. It also recommends that all levels of government be involved, for a multipronged approach.
Do more exploratory work regarding advocacy efforts in Ontario. Suggestions will be forthcoming. The Safe Schools Act has been amended to address bullying and cyberbullying but this is limited to the school system.
Please contact me if you would like a copy of Michelle Chiba's slide presentation or if you would like additional information or assistance with advocacy work concerning this issue.
Speaker: Dr. Darlene Ciuffetelli Parker, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education, Brock University.
On September 28, 2013, Dr. Darlene Ciuffetelli Parker, Associate Professor, Faculty of Education at Brock University spoke to us on the topic of Poverty and Education. Her presentation called, "Poverty and Schooling-Narrative Reveal, Revelation and Reformation" was outstanding. Her presentation was based on her 4 years of research with 11 schools in Ontario covering different areas of the province-the north, urban, rural etc. Parents, teachers, students and community agencies were involved.
Dr. Ciuffetelli Parker's project sought to answer 2 questions about poverty and education in schools. The first question "What did the schools do to build positive school experiences?" and the second, "How did those strategies come to be?" Schools located in needy neighbourhoods with a large number of high risk students were chosen. The first step was to examine what poverty was. Her findings were that poverty was a complex issue. Poverty is not a culture. There are many myths about poverty. We must examine our own bias when dealing with students and families living with poverty. Educators and the community need to avoid viewing students and families as lacking. Poverty is not a destiny.
Dignity and hope for every child is our responsibility. Children are filled with hopes and dreams. An excellent teacher is one who understands children and good pedagogy. She reaches outward to establish relationships with students and their parents. Collaboration, a welcoming climate and a respectful culture in our schools must be promoted.
Dr Parker found 4 themes emerged from the research and projects to answer the key question," How can we work to improve Education for these students?"
1. The School Climate and Culture must be welcoming.
2. School and community leadership are key.
3. Collaborative inquiry needs to be used by teachers.
4. Making community connections with other professional groups and community resources.
CFUW Stratford asks clubs across Ontario to join their campaign for Integrated Public Transportation. Reductions in VIA Rail service to their community highlighted the economic, environmental and social service impacts on the community. These impacts can be seen in communities across Ontario, where public transportation may not be adequate. CFUW Stratford invites your club to join their campaign. Information for Southwest Ontario and information for all clubs is available.
Ontario Council President Brenda Robertson has written Premier Wynne urging passage of Bill 88 which would permit 16 and 17 year old youths to voluntarily access child welfare support services on their own behalf.
Thanks to the efforts of Theresa McKeemun andCFUW Guelph, Ontario Council has made a submission to the Consultation on Poverty Reduction.
Annivesaries and Gatherings
CFUW Clubs Celebrate Anniversaries in 2013
CFUW Thunder Bay 80 years
CFUW Kingston 70 years
CFUW Mississauga 60 years
CFUW Sudbury 65 years
CFUW Markham Unionville 30 years
CFUW Ajax Pickering 25 years
CFUW Muskoka 20 years
CFUW Barrie & District 15 years
REGIONAL FALL GATHERINGS
"Pathways to the Future . . Utilizing Opportunities in Our Communities"
An Invitation to Beautiful Muskoka In The Fall
Greetings CFUW Members
On behalf of CFUW-Muskoka, I would like to invite you join us at the Ontario North "Fall Gathering" to be held at the Muskoka Boat and Heritage Centreat the Gravenhurst Wharf on Lake Muskoka on Saturday October 26th, 2013.Our organizing committee has worked diligently planning a program that addresses the questions and issues that our relevant to our northern clubs.
Fall Gatherings provide CFUW members an opportunity to get together in a casual way to share ideas. The theme we have chosen: "Pathways to the Future . . . Utilizing Opportunities In Our Communities" identifies common issues we all share. Wencourage outreach, and partnerships to enhance our visibility in our community and to inspire younger women to join CFUW. We will also discuss how our advocacy makes a difference and the importance of being a part of the International Federation of University Women.
Let's start now! Please join us for a day of fun and inspiration!
Sincerely,
Jo-Anne Bruce
President, CFUW Muskoka
ONTARIO HURON REGIONAL GATHERING
CELEBRATE WOMEN: WE CAN, WE WILL
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Keynote Speaker: Nicole Moore
In January 2011, Nicole Moore, an Orangeville nurse, was almost killed in a shark attack while on vacation in Cancun Mexico. Pain, multiple surgeries and eventual amputation of her left arm have never dampened her spirit and today, though still in recovery mode, she has returned to her nursing career at Headwaters Health Care Centre.
Nicole's story is one of perseverance, strength and courage and demonstrates the enormous obstacles that an individual can overcome if you "keep moving forward," whether in leaps and bounds or in small baby steps.
After hearing Nicole's remarkable story, you will have no doubt that, "we can, we will."
Ontario East Regional Fall Gathering
We invite you and your CFUW club members to attend this year's Regional Fall Gathering in Ottawa on October 19, 2013.
The theme of this year's Regional Fall Gathering is, "Healthy, Wealthy and Wise - Taking Care of Ourselves Financially, Physically and Legally".
Bearing in mind that CFUW members are good about looking after others, this gathering is designed to help us take care of ourselves. The dynamic day that we have planned for you is meant to be informative and fun.
The whole day, including presentations, entertainment, lunch and refreshments throughout the day is only $35.00 ($40.00 after October 1st.)
To reserve a spot you can register on-line at www.cfuw-ottawa.org and follow the links on the home page.
Please join us on October 19th.
Leila Metcalf Regional Director, CFUW Ontario East
Nancy Simmons-Wright Chair, Regional Fall Gathering Local Arrangements Committee
Find more information about Regional Gatherings at: cfuwontcouncil.ca
