UstaadKhan Blogs

The Canadian Red Cross is asking for funding to help flood victims in Pakistan.

It is estimated that six million people are in need of immediate assistance, including food, medicine, nutrition and clean drinking water, with a high epidemic risk.

Pregnant women, children and the elderly are most vulnerable.

Jan Brunschot, the Chatham branch’s community service co-ordinator for disaster management, said that some local donations have been coming in.

“We’re having trouble really pinpointing the extent of the damage, because we can’t get to some of the people,” she said on Friday.

On Monday, the Red Cross deployed a new field clinic. These clinics provide immediate curative, preventive and community health care.

Those wishing to donate may give online, call 1-800- 418-1111, or contact the local Canadian Red Cross office at 519-352-2510.

Cheques should be made payable to the Canadian Red Cross, earmarked “Pakistan Floods 2010″ and mailed to the Canadian Red Cross National Office, 170 Metcalfe Street, Suite 300, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 2P2.

Donate $5 by texting REDCROSS to 30333. A onetime donation of $5 will be added to your mobile phone bill. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider.

 Hate crimes in Canada increased 35 percent in one year, with more than half of them motivated by race or ethnicity, government figures show.

Police departments reported 1,036 hate crimes in 2008, 35 percent more than in 2007, with 55 percent motivated by race, 26 percent by religion and 16 percent by sexual orientation, a report released Monday by Statistics Canada showed. While all three categories of hate crime increased in 2008, the biggest jump was in crimes motivated by sexual orientation, which doubled from 2007 to 2008. The category also had the most violent hate crimes, with 75 percent motivated by sexual orientation.

Police-reported hate crimes refer to criminal incidents that, upon investigation by police, are determined to have been motivated by hate toward an identifiable group. The incident may target race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, language, sex, age, mental or physical disability, or other factors such as profession or political beliefs, the report said.

About two-thirds of religiously-motivated hate crimes were committed against Jews. There were 165 hate crimes targeting the Jewish faith in 2008, up 42 percent.

Police reported 30 hate crimes against Catholics, double the total in 2007. The 26 incidents against the Muslim faith represented a slight drop from 2007.

Among the hate crimes motivated by race or ethnicity, almost 40 percent were committed against blacks. Police reported 205 hate crimes against blacks in 2008, up 30 percent over 2007, but still lower than the 2006 total of 238.

‘Sultans of science’ is an ongoing exhibition on inventions and discoveries by Muslim scientists being held in Canada, and aims to highlight the Muslim civilization’s contribution to science.
Held at the TELUS World of Science Center from May 19 to Sept. 7, the exhibition – brought to life through more than 40 magnificent interactive exhibits and giant functional replicas that uses cutting-edge technology to recreate the ingenuity of a golden age – is being enjoyed by visitors of all ages and backgrounds.
The exhibition celebrates the contribution of Arab and Muslim scholars to science and technology during the first Golden Age of the Islamic World (700-1700 CE) and the influence of their discoveries and inventions on contemporary society. It  covers Arab and Muslim scientific endeavors in architecture, the arts, astronomy, engineering, exploration, flight, mathematics, medicine, instrument making, fine and utilitarian technology and optics researched and manufactured by MTE Studios.
MTE Studios is a specialized consultancy firm focused on themed architecture and interactive learning experiences. The firm claims that it “designs, prototypes and manufactures inspiring interactive exhibits for science centers, museums, shopping malls and corporate environments.”
“Sultans of Science’ is a unique exhibition, which not only provides visitors with insight and the rediscovery of missing history, but also sends a powerful and positive message to the world about the way we evaluate history, bridge cultural gaps and realize the need to embrace multi-cultural knowledge,” said Ludo Verheyen, the CEO of MTE Studio’s in an email message to Saudi Gazette.
This is the second time the inventions and discoveries of Muslim scientists has been put on display in Canada. “The exhibition drew record crowds at the Ontario Science Center, hence leading to increased interest in the exhibition by other Science Centers in North America. The exhibition is at the venue for 3 months and travels to another North American venue thereafter,” Verheyen explained.
The ‘traveling exhibition’ has already been to the Cape Town Science Center  in South Africa, the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey and the Ontario Science Center. (more…)

The niqab flickered briefly for Sheema Khan as the logical next step in her effort to rediscover Islam.

The Muslim face covering, which reveals only the eyes, appealed to the then Harvard grad student as a symbol of piety and fidelity to the religion increasingly asserting itself in her life.

But Khan’s experiment with the niqab lasted only a few hours and she settled instead on the hijab.

“I tried it and I hated it,” says the author of “Of Hockey and Hijab: Reflections of a Canadian Muslim Woman.”

“I couldn’t breathe.”

Yet her own unwillingness to don the niqab hasn’t stopped her from offering a biting critique of the Quebec government’s proposed law that would prevent women wearing the covering from receiving government services.

“It’s abominable,” Khan says. “I can’t believe this is Canada.” (more…)

A sign marking the future site of a mosque in the Barrhaven area was spray-painted with racist graffiti sometime overnight Thursday.

“I don’t know what to think. I guess some people don’t want us here,” said Wais Sidiqi, an administrative officer with the South Nepean Muslim Community.

Someone wrote “F— Muslims,” and “Ragheads Go” with what appears to be a poorly drawn swastika, which makes it read more like “Ragheads Golf.”

Sidiqi said the group paid $1.2 million for 1.3 hectares of land at 3020 Woodroffe Ave.

They’re trying to raise another $1.9 million for the second phase of their plan, which includes beginning construction in 2011.

Sidiqi said he called police to report the vandalism Friday morning but was told several people had already reported it.

The Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the act Friday.

“Such acts are offensive, hurtful and intimidating to local citizens,” said executive director Ihsaan Gardee.

Gardee said there have been several similar cases reported to CAIR-CAN in the past four months.

“Mosques in Hamilton, Calgary, and Waterloo were vandalized and hate messages were spray-painted outside a mosque in Pickering earlier this week,” said Gardee.

The organization is calling on the Ottawa police to conduct a swift investigation and bring those responsible to justice.

Police are investigating.

Law 94 is veiled identity politics

By Sana Saeed
Published: 6:00 am

After demands escalate, woman gets ultimatum: Drop class or headwear

MONTREAL–After months of balancing a woman’s religious beliefs with her desire to learn French, the Quebec government stepped into her classroom to offer an ultimatum: take off the niqab or drop the course.

The woman opted to keep her Islamic face-covering and has filed a human rights complaint against the government.

In a province where the government frequently faces accusations of doing too much to accommodate minorities, these actions have prompted a fair bit of praise.

The woman began taking a French course designed for immigrants at a Montreal college in February 2009 but she refused to remove her niqab while men were present.

The college was initially willing to accommodate her, but eventually balked as her demands escalated.

According to a report in Montreal’s La Presse newspaper, she was allowed to give a presentation with her back to the class and asked men to move so they wouldn’t face each other.

The breaking point occurred when the woman again refused to take off the niqab, though teachers had stressed it was essential they see her face to correct her enunciation and facial expressions.

In what appears to be a highly unusual move, provincial Immigration Minister Yolande James intervened. Officials from her department, acting with the minister’s knowledge, met with the woman to discuss her options. (more…)

All I have to say about this is the same thing I had to say here: This will cause an international uproar, with mountains of blather about intolerance. Few, if any, in the mainstream media will note how severely the rights of non-Muslims are restricted in Saudi Arabia and in Sharia states in general, and few, if any, will even entertain the notion that France has a right to stand up for its cultural integrity and set some standards accordingly.

“Niqab for Muslim women banned in Canadian province,” from IANS, March 25 (thanks to Block Ness):

TORONTO: After France, Muslim women have been banned from wearing niqab in Canada’s French-speaking Quebec province.A bill tabled Wednesday will not allow government services to women wearing the niqab.

The bill comes after protests triggered by an Egyptian immigrant’s refusal to remove her niqab in her French languages classes in Montreal, forcing the school and the provincial government to throw her out.

The college says the Muslim woman was given the front seat in the class so that all male students sat behind her. She was even allowed to make presentations from the rear of the classroom with her back to the class which had three male and 17 female students.

However, students and the college authorities were shocked when one day the woman asked male students to move away from her and refused to sit with them around a U-table to converse and learn French pronunciation.…

The government last week ordered that every niqab-clad woman must uncover her face to confirm her identity when applying for her medicare card. Wednesday’s bill will be the first such step in North America to curtail any religious dress.

According to the bill, women seeking medical and auto insurance services will have to remove their veil, adding that face coverings will not be tolerated in people’s dealings with government officials.

Speaking to the media, Quebec premier (equal to chief minister in India) Jean Charest said the step was needed for maintaining gender equality and secular character of public institutions.

“This (bill) is a symbol of affirmation and respect – first of all, for ourselves, and also for those to whom we open our arms. This is not about making our home less welcoming, but about stressing the values that unite us.

“An accommodation cannot be granted unless it respects the principle of equality between men and women, and the religious neutrality of the state,” the premier said….

 Posted by Robert on March 25, 2010 11:04 AM