A debate is raging in Toronto this week about Muslim elementary students conducting Friday prayers at Don Mills public school. The issue at hand is whether the practice of girls praying behind boys is a discriminatory practice of Islam, and if so, is the school complicit in this discrimination by allowing its Muslim students to conduct prayers on school premise during school hours.

An example of the flame war can be found in this story by Toronto Star Columnist Heather Mallick. And yes, I do recognize that this is Toronto (Fox North) Star, so I won’t claim that this is the sentiment of the majority of Torontonians.

My partner brought the story to my attention. We have a unique relationship to this story: she’s a staunch agnostic feminist, while I would describe myself as a moderate or light-practicing Muslim, born in the Middle East to a moderate Muslim family (a match made in heaven! If she believed in the existence of one). Naturally, we indulge in frequent discussions about raising kids in such a dynamic, if we ever decide to have some.

As any inter-faith couple would attest, these discussions are often… intense. I’m yet to walk away from one feeling like I’ve won the argument properly articulated my point of view. Needless to say, this particular story initiated a similar discussion, and we (ehm!) agreed to disagree. But just to be safe, I think I should send flowers tomorrow.

So here’s what I think about this story.

Is this Gender Discrimination:

We can’t call Muslim prayer line-ups discrimination when those who wish to practice differently are not prevented from doing so. This isn’t Rosa Parks being prevented from sitting at the front of a bus.

I don’t think schools or governments should get into telling entire religious groups how they should practice their religion as long as they follow the law of the land. Just because a parent or even a minority group in the same social/religious group takes issue with a practice shouldn’t lead to the annexation of the wish of the majority. At the same time, the wish of the majority shouldn’t preclude the minority from practicing and engaging fully in what they think is right, within the confines of law/policy.

So, really, if someone has an issue with Muslims conducting their prayers according to the customs observed by over 1 Billion of them around the world, we should ask two questions. First: is the person with the issue a Muslim? If not, then that person is free to voice their opinions, but their individual inconvenience or distaste of the practice should not trump the rights of an entire social group to assemble and practice their religion according to their custom.

Second question is whether a minority of members of the same social group are taking issue and feeling like this practice is precluding them from full participation. If so, then I believe that one group’s practice shouldn’t stop the other from practicing as they wish. In fact, that right is guaranteed to them by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

If the liberal group would like to pray at a later/earlier/same time and have a co-ed prayer room with mixed rows, then this isn’t an issue of discrimination, it’s simply an issue of school policy. The school can decide to make accommodations for two prayer sessions, or not. The conservative group can come out to pray on-time following the teachings they believe in, and the smaller group of modern interpreters can have a co-ed session whenever they want.

Now, to me, this sounds like a lot of “accommodation” for a school to be making. If every religious group wanted similar arrangements this can get out of hand. My personal opinion, as a pragmatic ‘modern Muslim’, is that Friday prayers should not take place in schools of a Country that does not have existing policies to accommodate such interruptions to the school day. Islam has made an ‘accommodation’ for such cases as well, allowing Muslims to make-up for missed prayers at a later time if they are unable to practice their worship due to hardship or circumstances outside their control. Although, despite hardships, some Muslims would still go the extra mile for additional brownie points.

Kansas University junior Bazigha Tufail prays in the Spahr Engineering Library on Wednesday after her 1 p.m. structural engineering class. The Muslim student prays five times a day and often feels misunderstood by other students. Photo by Nick Krug

Therefore, the discussion should remain confined to policy. Should schools accommodate religious practices, for all religions, and how? A school shouldn’t attempt to determine whether a particular religious practice of a specific group is discriminatory. There are other avenues for that. These doctrines have been around for thousands of years and no school board should touch that land mine with a 10 foot pole.

The question in this case is not whether a particular religious practice is discriminatory or not. The question is whether prayers can happen at schools. You can’t piecemeal a religion and say “only that part of your prayer is OK with us non-Muslims, but the other part is weird and we don’t understand/like it, so you can’t do that one”. If some Muslims take offense to the way prayer line-ups are formed, they have the full right and freedom to worship as they wish (like I do), so I’m not sure how they’re being discriminated against if their rights are not withheld by anyone.

Policy or Social Engineering?

Canada is a multicultural melting pot where everyone can maintain their unique culture and religious practices while adopting Canadian values and way of life. That was the social contract that most Canadian Muslims were born or immigrated under, unlike France where the social contract clearly opposes multiculturalism when it comes to religious practice. It’s not fair to bait and switch on people who thought they can enjoy a certain amount of religious freedom and accommodation in this great country. These people are now faced with calls to change their practices, not so much because they’ve been proven as discriminatory, but because their practice has now crossed into the visible public domain and people are offended by its strangeness.

Talking in generalities is knee-jerk xenophobia. And flogging this particular religious practice as a means to score points on a larger discussion of morality, social values, student/child development, and gender issues is not fair to Muslims. Some folks are suggesting that this religious practice in Islam is an example of anti-social practices that engineer Muslim children along gender lines and affect their long-term development and integration into Canadian society, and that making accommodations for Muslims to pray in schools on a Friday assists in this negative social engineering.

There are many contributors and factors that affect the development of young adults in Canadian society, both girls and boys. Schools are but one factor. Home environments, peers, media, pop culture, and religious subscription are other factors along with many more. Weekends in Canada have been selected to accommodate Christian prayer practices, and those practices contribute to the development and social positioning of Christian teens just as much as practices of any other religious group in Canada affect the teens of that particular group.

And the hypocrisy of it all…

We don’t flog the government for instating Sunday as a holiday to allow the practice of a religion that discriminates against women even more than Islam does, and we don’t call on Catholics to abandon their subscription to the concept of “original sin” if they want to pray in publicly-funded areas like Muslims are being asked to change the way they line-up, and how they “think” about women, if they want to pray in public schools.

So why is Sunday a government-sanctioned holiday for a religion that doesn’t ordain female priests and dictates that men and women should be separated in Church? Because of Canada’s Christian heritage. And because subscribers to the faith are free to worship as they please: those who want to attend a conservative Church with separate seats for men and women can, and those who want to attend a Church the allows people to sit where they wish can do so as well. That answer is enough for me.

And why do Muslims pray the way they do? Because their heritage dictates it, and other Muslims who wish to do it differently can do so in Canada. That answer should suffice for the majority of those crying foul at how Muslims line up in their area of prayers.

Below is the report that was issued by the initiative to carry the voices of Yemeni youth to participants of the international summit on Yemen that was held in London, UK, on January 27.The report is titled “Combating Terrorism in Yemen — A Youth Perspective”. You can download an English or Arabic version of the report by clicking the appropriate image.

Midman International supported the initiative through consultations on campaigning, social media, and PR activities. A Facebook group was established and (within 10 days) became the largest Yemen-related group on the popular social networking site. Press releases were issued in English and Arabic, and were published on 7 news websites and three print newspapers.

An organized youth campaign beat the Yemeni government and was first to receive an official and comprehensive statement (in video!) from the British Secretary of State, Ivan Lewis, regarding Britain’s intent from the summit on Yemen called for by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkOk-gX7LrM

With increased attention on Yemen (following the failed 2009 Christmas Day bombing attempt of a US plane over Detroit), organizers of the initiative believe that discussions about combating terrorism in Yemen are missing a key partner. Since 70% of Yemen’s population are under the age of 25, there is a good argument that involving youth representatives is more than just good politics.

“When was the last time you heard of a 50-year old suicide bomber?” said Rafat Al-Akhali, the Canadian-based founder of the initiative. “Any serious discussions about tackling terrorism should always involve youth representatives from the problem regions.”

90 per cent of the September 11 hijackers were under the age of 30. The shoe bomber was 28 when apprehended, and the Christmas bomber is 23. The data overwhelmingly points to youth being the key target demographic for terrorist/jihad recruiters.

The report was delivered to The Yemen Forum at Chatham House, a center for international studies in London, the US Embassy in Yemen, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as a number of local and international NGO’s and journalists/researchers interested in Yemen. The report was also sent to officials in the Yemeni government who showed their interest and support for this initiative.

An interview about the initiative was published by the Yemen Times and can be viewed here.

CBC.ca reported yesterday (Feb 2, 2009) that Halifax Metro Transit has refused to allow Humanist Canada to place ads on Halifax buses that said “You Can Be Good Without God”.

CBC reported that Halifax bus transit spokesperson, Lori Patterson, said “the transit authority would reconsider its position if Humanist Canada toned down its message.”

The story has garnered close to 300 comments in less than 24 hours. A similar campaign launched in England late last year sparked an important debate across the UK. The controversy led to 326 complaints from the public to the UK Advertising Standards Authority, which issued a precedent-setting decision in favor of the campaign and closed the case (see ruling here).

This story is obviously of major interest to the public. So why the silent treatment from Halifax newspapers?

If local residents relied on local newspapers, they would have no idea that this debate is taking place, and would have no opportunity to express their opinions about how the transit authority, a publicly funded body, should deal with issues of freedom of speech and religion that are a given right to all tax payers in Halifax who contribute to subsidize the transit authority.

The media needs to ask the tough questions. Would the transit authority allow an ad to be placed on Halifax buses that advertise a ‘Three Wisemen’ or ‘Baby Jesus’ Christmas play at the local church? What if the local Muslim association wanted to run an ad to announce the opening of their new mosque and library and inviting all interested people to join them for an opening ceremony? What about free speech?

Where do we draw the line as to what is appropriate to say, and who gets to decide what a ‘toned down’ religious statement is? Lori Patterson of Metro Transit?

The answer is that unless there are clear bylaws (that were voted on by representatives of the people in this city) against allowing religiously-affiliated advertising in publicly owned facilities and services, then separation of church and state remains the defacto rule.

If Metro Transit was a private company, then they can decide to run whatever ads they want on their buses and no one but their shareholders (and the advertising authorities) can say anything. But the transit authority is publicly funded, and therefore it must conduct itself in the best interest of the public, following the established bylaws, and removing personal opinions and religious affiliations/preferences when determining what is appropriate to be shown on the buses to the public.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms lists that “Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms”:

• freedom of conscience and religion;

• freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;

• freedom of peaceful assembly; and

• freedom of association.

Are we going to see the appropriate attention and debate take place regarding this issue? Will our understanding of applied freedoms be enhanced by this event? This is a call to the Chronicle Herald and other media outlets in Halifax. Please give this issue the attention it deserves. (Edit: The Chronicle Herald published the story a couple of hours after this blog was posted).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rueFzxwXaxM

The Associated Press reported today that Judge Leon ruled that a man can be held in Guantanamo for no more a reason other than being a cook for the Taliban.

Al Baihani, a citizen of Yemen, says he never fired a weapon while serving with the Taliban in Afghanistan. He was an assistant in the kitchen.

Now, granted, these may just be lies spoken by a man (terrorist?) who, you know, has been imprisoned in a chicken coop for over 7 years without charge and he will say anything to get out.

But, I’d like to draw attention to the fact that the judge’s decision was not based on the possibility that the man may have been lying and was, infact, an enemy combatant who willfully held arms against the US Military in Afghanistan.

No, the judge made his ruling solely on the question of whether being a cook for ‘the enemy’ is a punishable offense. As noted below by the AP:

Leon said that Al Bihani’s work (cooking) supported the Taliban, nevertheless, and that the U.S. government has appropriately classified him as an enemy combatant. In his ruling, Leon quoted Napoleon as saying: “An army marches on its stomach.”

Ah, yes! You show them ter’rists! For some reason the theme song from Team America World Police jumps to mind.

Yet, with tragedy comes opportunity. In this case, the opportunity materialized in increased donations to organizations that help victims of this atrocious phenomenon. One such organization was able to afford this brilliant print ad campaign, done by JWT Dubai. Click to enlarge and read the brief.

Ad for Acid Survivors Trust International

From the brief:

“The idea is to show the damaging effects of an acid attack on the face of a victim. To do so, the consecutive pages of a magazine are purposely glued together. Unsuspecting readers try to separate the pages from each other, only to discover that the pages tear off at the face of a woman, creating a scarring effect.”

Seen on AdblogArabia and AdsOfTheWorld.

Volkswagen Ramadan Kareem Rear Lights

Volkswagen Ramadan Kareem Headlights

Advertising Agency: DDB, Dubai
Creative Director: Rishad Lawyer
Art Director: Guilherme Pecego
Copywriter: Rishad Lawyer

Seen on AdBlogArabia.

The copy translates:

”
You can’t stop them.
But you can protect yourself.
Your creator has your best interest at heart.
“

I’m not sure what to think of this ad. Ethically speaking, I don’t agree with its premise. As is typical in the Middle East, the male view in actions and thought is predominant. The issue of harassment and ‘unwanted attention’ is always presented as a function of what women are or aren’t doing, and therefore it some how excuses from responsibility the fly-brained slobbering men depicted in the ad.

Instead of covering the ‘lollipop’ (yet another sexist depiction of women as no more than an object of pleasure) and allowing the flies to roam, how about dealing with the fly issue for a change? Stop punishing the victim and deal with the assailants. Here is one quick solution:

Here are five leads into top business opportunities for businesses seeking to position themselves along growth sectors in the Middle East:

1. Finance and Banking ICT & Software: The Arab banking sector will invest $1.8 Billion in information and communication technologies in 2008, a 15% increase from what they already spent in 2007. Arab banks boast one of the highest rates of growth in technology investment in the world (mainly because they got on the boat a little later than everyone else). Ofcourse, being a late adopter in this sector also means that Arab banks are being fitted with the latest technologies in the industry, giving them an edge compared to banks using archaic systems. Canada has 83 ICT companies that specialize in the Financial industry. Please, at least one of you should go down there and grab a contract or two!

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1. Sharia-Compliant Hospitality Products: Aha! Read that again. It’s not Sharia-compliant Banking. This time, a new Islamic trend is set to launch, and with it a new need for niche products. This May, Dubai-based Al-Mullah Properties will announce plans to invest $2 Billion to develop an Islamically-compliant hotel brand portfolio appealing to lifestyle travelers – both Muslim and non-Muslim. A new chain of up to 90 international hotels (branded as Cliftonwood, Adham and Wings) will operate with universal Islamic codes such as no alcohol and Halal food only. If you are a manufacturer/exporter of luxury and fine food products for the hospitality industry, now is the time to think about new product lines or re-branding existing products.

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1. Cement and Construction Materials/Technologies: Everyone knows it. Dubai is the fastest growing city in the world, with anywhere between 15 to 25% of the world’s cranes working constantly on its towers. The real estate boom in the UAE is about to face a crisis. Cement is on back log! Zawya.com reported that “Companies that provide ready-mix concrete have issued their clients notices that they are not in a position to supply more than 45 percent of the ready-mix orders. In some cases, ready-mix companies have even ceased production.” If any company has a solution, get on the next plane to Dubai and bring home some goat meat! (sorry, no bacon in UAE)

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1. Recycling and Industrial Waste Management Solutions: With all that construction comes much industrial waste. Lots of it. Recycling and Waste Management technologies have an open opportunity here. (Edit July 13 2008: This recommendation has been confirmed here).

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1. Oil, Oil, and Oil: Duh! Oil services are still in high demand. Better, cheaper extraction technologies. Maintenance services for older wells. Training services for labour localization initiatives. It’s all there. This week Bahrain announced plans to add 700 new oil wells to meet increasing energy demands. This summer, Yemen will award its first round of contracts for off-shore operations, prompting a scurry by local firms to find international partners who have much needed expertise in providing offshore services in a market that traditionally relied on on-shore production.

And there you have it. If you are a company that found this advice helpful and was able to capitalize on it in any way, shape, or form… congratulations! You are one of very few smart chicks who found a crack in the shell of Canadian reluctance and broke out successfully!

1. The Super Bowl is upon us this Sunday, and
2. I will be watching it with a friend who is a member of the ill-fated Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Perhaps if he had promised me a goat, I could have done something about their odds.

”

Apparently we were wrong about head coach Kent Austin.

Austin, we’re finding out, wasn’t the main reason why the Saskatchewan Roughriders won the Grey Cup in 2007. He’s been getting most of the credit while the real secret for their success took place halfway around the world in Yemen — an oil-producing, Islamic state south of Saudi Arabia — where the country’s Muslims pray five times daily in Arabic.

Some of them were apparently praying for a Rough Riders victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

How did they know about that game in November? And why did they care?

Ask Michael Nagus, a drilling engineer for the Nexon oil company, who grew up in Saskatoon and has been wearing green Riders caps during the three years he has been working on drilling crews in the deserts of Yemen. Like most Roughriders fans, he calls his team “we” and keeps track of the storied franchise any way he can.

“When we won the West final against B.C., I told the crew that my team’s going to the big game,” said Nagus, 29. “And I told them if we won the Grey Cup, I would buy them goats for a feast.

“Goats are a delicacy in Yemen. We buy them from goat girls who come through the villages with their herds. Goats used to cost $25 each when I first came here. Now they cost $60 each — 60 American dollars! I hate goats. I hate the taste. I don’t like eating them, although I have had to eat goat at some special occasions. They make stew or soup and I’ve had some with hot bread. They’re very fatty for such a scrawny little animal.”

On Grey Cup day, Nagus pleaded with everyone to not tell him about the game. He wanted to watch the tape-delayed, shortened telecast afterwards in the camp. But his girlfriend called him with the good news about their favourite team. And the rest of of his crew couldn’t conceal their happiness. Nagus watched the entire game with some co-workers, including a guy from Scotland and another from Yellow Grass.

After Saskatchewan’s 23-19 victory was replayed on a Fox TV network, Nagus dispatched a radio operator with the required cash. He brought back two goats. A couple days later, a crew member who is evidently a competent goat dresser slit the animals’ throats and had them prepared within 10 minutes. A huge feast ensued.

“Even though I knew the outcome, I was doing a little praying during the game,” said Nagus. “I think some of the crew had been praying, too. They’re not supposed to pray for something like that. And I wasn’t overtly telling them to.

“They wouldn’t do it openly, but they told me they were going to pray for my team. We have 20 people per crew and we have two crews. Mostly they’re Yemenis, but a few are from Jordan. So there are 40-60 people praying at a time. And they wanted to have a goat feast. It was a bit of a treat for them. We had to time it, though, so everything was ready during our meal break.”

Nagus works for four-week stints in Yemen. Then he has four weeks off, during which he will return to his Calgary home. He has kept track of his football team’s offseason plight and knows that Austin left earlier this month to accept a job as the offensive co-ordinator at the University of Mississippi.

Nagus spent last weekend attending his brother’s wedding in Saskatoon. When he returns to work, Nagus flies from Calgary to Frankfurt to Dubai to Mukullah, followed by a 30-minute flight in a Twin Otter to the oilfields. It takes 11/2 days.

Yemen is supposedly a safer place these days. Fewer tourists are being kidnapped since the War of Reunification. But their laws remain strict — Nagus couldn’t have a celebratory drink of alcohol until he returned to Canada.

Nagus envisioned having his crews wearing green T-shirts proclaiming the Riders’ CFL championship. But shirts cost $25 apiece, he said, so he wasn’t too crazy about spending $1,000 on souvenirs. He’s been looking for Riders stickers for the drillers to affix to their hard hats. No such luck. The Riders don’t sell stickers, likely because they can be stuck on to anything for free. Maybe he could take back to Yemen the team’s furry mascot, who isn’t a scrawny little animal — Gainer the Goat-pher.

“

In Yemen’s rural areas, where 75 percent of Yemen’s 21 million population live, tribal sheikhs hold sway more than the government. They follow their own rules to solve citizens’ problems, although a constitution and law govern the nation. Sheikh Mohsen Bin Mohsen Al-Neni, 31, is the tribal leader of Bani Siham, one of seven tribes in the region of Khawlan. With 20 villages, Bani Siham has the largest population of Khawlan tribes.

Al-Neni shares his insight on a variety of interesting topics that showcase the intricate relationship that exists in balance between the law of country and the law of tribe. One little nugget of info that may throw readers into a loop is in regards to violence towards women. Apparently, men receive a much harsher punishment for beating or hurting a woman than they would if they attacked another man. On the other hand, men receive a lesser punishment for killing a woman instead of the normal verdict they would receive if they had killed a man. Go figure!

In Yemen, the constitution and all laws on varying issues are derived from the Qur’an, but some tribal norms are an exception; for example, those concerning murder and inheritance. If a man kills a woman, he won’t be executed, although this contradicts both the law and morals of Islam.

“Nothing is perfect in this world,” Al-Neni admits, “You’ll find errors everywhere and we confess that these two rules are real defects in tribal norms. However, I try to do my best in order not to be sinful before Allah when I issue a ruling.”

For example, he explains, “When I judge a murder case, I know that according to tribal norms, I can’t order the killing of a man for a woman, so I negotiate with the woman’s relatives to see if they’ll accept blood money. If they accept, then I issue the verdict; if not, I send the two parties to court.”

On the other hand, according to tribal norms, punishment for aggression against a woman is many times that of the punishment for the same aggression against a man.

Photo by: Michael Robert Powell - www.thecandytrail.com

“According to our norms, it’s a huge shame to attack or hurt a woman, for which the punishment for certain aggressions against women may be four, 11 or even 44 times that for such acts against a man. A man may be attacked or hurt, but it isn’t as shameful as it is against a woman,” the sheikh explains.

However, he adds, “Despite this, I admit that some tribal norms stand against some women’s rights, such as those regarding inheritance.” Many rural residents deprive their female relatives of their rightful inheritance. Often if they do agree to give them their fortunes, they oblige the women to take money instead of land or other assets.