Village Journals
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Resonate your identity with Naseeb journals. Express your opinions, share your thoughts, post your writings and connect with like minded people through the power of expression.
Quebec village tells Immigrants
Don?t ask for halal meat, Quebec village tells immigrants
Published: Friday, 2 February 2007, 01:04 PM Doha Time
HEROUXVILLE, Canada: A Quebec town has banned stoning, female circumcision, wearing of burqas and even halal meats, in a controversial signal to immigrants about the limits of Canada?s renowned tolerance.
This town of 1,338 souls, fearing a loss of its ?identity? in the face of mounting demands by minority and religious groups in the francophone province, has faced accusations of xenophobia since unveiling its code of conduct for immigrants this week.
The initiative comes as debate rages in nearby Montreal, a multicultural metropolis 200km west, about what lengths Quebec society should go to accommodate unfamiliar religious or ethnic traditions.
Henceforth, newcomers to Herouxville are forbidden from requesting Halal meat, which are prepared in the manner prescribed by Islamic Law, from a local butcher.
They must not ?publicly stone women to death? nor ?burn women with acid? nor circumcise them and wearing a veil is strongly discouraged, the municipality declared.
Unlike Montreal or Toronto, in neighbouring Ontario province, both with large ethnic populations, the number of recent immigrants settling in Herouxville can be counted on one hand.
But townsfolk firmly believe these measures will someday attract a wave of likeminded immigrants who ?wish to escape what they left behind,? said Andre Drouin, a municipal magistrate who authored the document.
?It?s written clearly in black and white in the document that all are welcome, we want to welcome you,? he insisted.
Drouin explained he is launching a crusade against ?reasonable accommodation? of religious or ethnic demands because Canada?s human rights laws are being misapplied in court battles, and thus misunderstood overseas.
Canada?s constitution first obliged handicapped persons in 1980s, but has since been used to justify demands for special prayer rooms at universities for Muslims, and Sikh children wearing kirpans, a religious knife, in schools.
In November, the installation of frosted glass at a Montreal sports club to prevent religious school boys from seeing women in tight spandex doing aerobics pitted club members against Hasidic Jews in a rights feud.
?I realised that people were misinformed about our lifestyles before leaving their country because of these reasonable accommodations,? Drouin said.
?If a judge takes decisions that seem unreasonable to us, we have to ask why. A judge says an accommodation is legal, but people say it doesn?t make any sense,? he said.
Drouin?s house, covered in snow on the outskirts of town, has become a hotbed of activity since the weekend.
Television and radio journalists jostle for position outside while his phone rings off the hook. The town website has been assailed by the curious and emails have come in from all over.
?People in Japan, Costa Rica, Australia, and the US have checked out the site and we received more than 2,000 supportive emails,? town webmaster Bernard Thompson said.
The issue is far from settled, however, with some accusing townsfolk of racism and xenophobia.
?We are neither racist, nor xenophobes,? countered retired schoolteacher Roger, 62, leaning on the counter at the only restaurant in town.
The townsfolk had to act because Quebec?s nationalist political party, now in opposition, was failing to safeguard local traditions, he lamented. ? AFP -
www.gulf-times.com
Published: Friday, 2 February 2007, 01:04 PM Doha Time
HEROUXVILLE, Canada: A Quebec town has banned stoning, female circumcision, wearing of burqas and even halal meats, in a controversial signal to immigrants about the limits of Canada?s renowned tolerance.
This town of 1,338 souls, fearing a loss of its ?identity? in the face of mounting demands by minority and religious groups in the francophone province, has faced accusations of xenophobia since unveiling its code of conduct for immigrants this week.
The initiative comes as debate rages in nearby Montreal, a multicultural metropolis 200km west, about what lengths Quebec society should go to accommodate unfamiliar religious or ethnic traditions.
Henceforth, newcomers to Herouxville are forbidden from requesting Halal meat, which are prepared in the manner prescribed by Islamic Law, from a local butcher.
They must not ?publicly stone women to death? nor ?burn women with acid? nor circumcise them and wearing a veil is strongly discouraged, the municipality declared.
Unlike Montreal or Toronto, in neighbouring Ontario province, both with large ethnic populations, the number of recent immigrants settling in Herouxville can be counted on one hand.
But townsfolk firmly believe these measures will someday attract a wave of likeminded immigrants who ?wish to escape what they left behind,? said Andre Drouin, a municipal magistrate who authored the document.
?It?s written clearly in black and white in the document that all are welcome, we want to welcome you,? he insisted.
Drouin explained he is launching a crusade against ?reasonable accommodation? of religious or ethnic demands because Canada?s human rights laws are being misapplied in court battles, and thus misunderstood overseas.
Canada?s constitution first obliged handicapped persons in 1980s, but has since been used to justify demands for special prayer rooms at universities for Muslims, and Sikh children wearing kirpans, a religious knife, in schools.
In November, the installation of frosted glass at a Montreal sports club to prevent religious school boys from seeing women in tight spandex doing aerobics pitted club members against Hasidic Jews in a rights feud.
?I realised that people were misinformed about our lifestyles before leaving their country because of these reasonable accommodations,? Drouin said.
?If a judge takes decisions that seem unreasonable to us, we have to ask why. A judge says an accommodation is legal, but people say it doesn?t make any sense,? he said.
Drouin?s house, covered in snow on the outskirts of town, has become a hotbed of activity since the weekend.
Television and radio journalists jostle for position outside while his phone rings off the hook. The town website has been assailed by the curious and emails have come in from all over.
?People in Japan, Costa Rica, Australia, and the US have checked out the site and we received more than 2,000 supportive emails,? town webmaster Bernard Thompson said.
The issue is far from settled, however, with some accusing townsfolk of racism and xenophobia.
?We are neither racist, nor xenophobes,? countered retired schoolteacher Roger, 62, leaning on the counter at the only restaurant in town.
The townsfolk had to act because Quebec?s nationalist political party, now in opposition, was failing to safeguard local traditions, he lamented. ? AFP -
www.gulf-times.com
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