Rather interesting article.
Author writes a regular article in the Globe and Mail. She is part of CAIR Canada, i THINK. You need to know a little about some current Canadian issues in order to fully understand her article b/c she makes reference to two recent Muslim females who were in the Canadian political spotlight.
Facing new identities, Globe and Mail, 10 May 2004
At one level, it seems like an absurd sketch featuring Mary Walsh and Cathy Jones from This Hour Has 22 Minutes: normally placid Canadians forced to confront their fuzzy notions of identity by two outspoken Muslim women.
Stereotypes are turned on their heads as Canadians wax passionately about citizenship and passports, while each woman, speaking in her own name, discards the cloak of submissiveness too often associated with her religion. If only reality were as simple as fiction.
The Muslim women are Maha Elsamnah and Monia Mazigh – two very different individuals whose public ordeals have forced Canadians to reflect on fundamental values of this nation. They also represent two faces (among many) of Muslim participation in Western democracies, giving rise to a long overdue reflection on an ethic of citizenship.
Ms. Elsamnah has raised the ire of many Canadians. Some have called for the revocation of her citizenship. The anger is fuelled by her support of Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda mass murder of Sept. 11, 2001, her contempt for Canada’s social environment as a place to raise her children, and her gall in using the very system she professes to hate.
It has been pointed out that however objectionable her views, our laws do not strip individuals of citizenship for holding repugnant opinions. While it may seem galling to abuse the many privileges of citizenship (passports, access to health care, etc.), Ms. Elsamnah is certainly not alone in claiming these privileges as a matter of convenience. The list includes business investors and Florida snowbirds.
In contrast, Monia Mazigh has won widespread admiration for her tireless, dignified campaign to have her husband returned from Syria. She has made good use of democratic institutions to achieve justice, so that her children would not grow up bitter about their father’s ordeal.
Against insurmountable odds, she fought for basic democratic principles such as the rule of law and government accountability.
Following on her belief that Canada is a land of justice and opportunity, Ms. Mazigh has entered politics to contribute to the evolution of these ideals. It is a shame that Ms. Mazigh’s story has not been widely publicized in the Muslim world, for it reflects how our democratic institutions, with all their imperfections, can serve as instruments of change. The fact that a Muslim woman can engage, and win, a public campaign to have her husband’s wrongful deportation overturned (in the post 9/11 era); that her effort wins national respect; that alleged police wrongdoing in the deportation become the subject of a government inquiry; and that she is now a bona fide candidate in the next election – all such facts speak volumes about the fundamental nature of Canada as a place where an individual, regardless of gender, creed or ethnic origin can strive for justice, a claim few nations can make.
The divergent paths of Maha and Monia should give pause to Muslims living in Western democracies about their own participation in society. Does an oath of citizenship take precedence over allegiance to Muslim causes elsewhere, right or wrong?
(This issue isn’t confined to Muslims; a good friend related her discomfort with a family rabbi who asked her son at his bar mitzvah whether his primary allegiance lay with Israel or Canada.)
Islamic jurisprudence regards citizenship as a sacred contract between a Muslim and the state. Muslims who choose to make their homes in non-Islamic countries must honour the duties of this contract. The rights and duties of citizenship are not be taken lightly; rights should be demanded truthfully, duties discharged faithfully.
As well, it is a Muslim’s duty to strive for the preservation of belief, life and security in one’s immediate environment. That is combined with the Koranic directive that believers should be witnesses for God, standing up for justice, whether it is against oneself, one’s family, the rich or the poor. In fact, justice must be the overriding constant in every situation and in every encounter.
In the post 9/11 era, it is incumbent upon Muslims to implement these basic Koranic tenets. Canadian Muslims cannot and should not abide by the creed “my tribe, right or wrong,” but by allegiance to the principles of universal justice demanded by their faith. There are Muslims who are unjust, and Prophet Mohammed counselled to “help your brother whether he is oppressed or an oppressor,” explaining that one must help the latter by stopping his oppression.
Turning a blind eye to community members who exhort extreme views is antithetical to the Koranic exhortation to promote what is good and forbid the wrong, for extreme views create fear and insecurity. Canadian Muslims must continue to denounce those who advocate distrust, hate and violence; conversely, they must seriously consider how to take part in bettering society.
To care primarily for one’s own well-being, to be uninterested in wider public issues, is in stark contrast to the Koran’s universal message and the Prophet Mohammed’s example – to strive toward improving conditions for all of humanity.
Given the tremendous emphasis Islam places on education, charity and justice, there are ample opportunities to work towards a better Canada in order to fulfill one’s deep convictions, for example, on child poverty, aboriginal rights and the future of health care. It is high time for an internal debate. For a community whose faith emphasizes a universal rather than parochial world-view, will it be a “ghetto” or “get-go” mentality?