www.newsandletters.org
|
|
NEWS & LETTERS, January-February 2005Shari'a law in CanadaDespite fierce opposition by women’s organizations across Canada, former Ontario Attorney General Marion Boyd recommended to the Ontario government that the 1991 Arbitration Act allow settlement of family legal matters based on religious laws. Homa Arjomand, coordinator of the International Campaign Against Shari'a Court in Canada, states that this will encourage the spread of political Islam "pushing women’s rights in Canada back 1,400 years." Shari'a courts put women in danger because they are victimized by male-dominated legal decisions based on sixth century religion and tradition. (See November 2004 N&L.) She said the Campaign will mobilize a strong force to oppose shari'a and called for the Ontario government to hold a public hearing giving people the opportunity to speak. The Canadian Council of Muslim Women also expressed outrage, citing the "negative impact on vulnerable women and children..." Heather McGregor, executive director of YWCA Toronto, said Boyd’s decision "counts on the willingness of those required to give up power to be cheerfully educated to give up their advantage. Nowhere in the world did women wake up one day to find enlightened men in positions of power handing over equality. We have always had to fight for our own rights." Tarek Fatah of the Muslim Canadian Congress called the recommendation "racist and unconstitutional." The Canadian Council of Women predicted that recent immigrants from Islamic countries will be pressured into arbitration where rulings might include spousal payments that last only three months beyond separation." The fight for freedom for all women in Ontario and Canada has just begun. --Mary Jo Grey |
|
Home l News & Letters Newspaper l Back issues l News and Letters Committees l Dialogues l Raya Dunayevskaya l Contact us l Search Published by News and Letters Committees |
