Francis Chartrand for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles

Telegraph: The execution of a couple accused of adultery by the Taliban is filmed

They had a sordid death, riddled with bullets by the Taliban in a field near their home, their execution was filmed with a mobile phone.

In these images that the Pakistanis have watched with horror, the couple tried to escape after he realized what was about to happen. But a gunman slaughters nonchalantly man and woman in a burst of gunfire in the back, leaving them bloody in the dust.

Moments later, when individuals present at the execution shout they are still alive, the gunman returned and complete coldly by other bursts.

Their "crime" was an alleged liaison in their remote village in the mountains controlled by militants in a region that until recently was under government control. Such barbarism has increased across Pakistan with the rise of the Taliban.

But now that the men in black turbans are almost on the outskirts of Islamabad, the images showed few Pakistanis living in cities which could now expect.

Admiral Mike Mullen, Chief of the major arms of the United States, warned that Islamic extremists could take over the country.

In recent days, the images were circulated among the Pakistanis, who normally showed little interest in the brutal practices of the remote border regions.

They are now beginning to wake up to the fear that rebels in those regions that are linked to Al-Qaeda could take control of their nation.

The execution occurred in the district of Hangu, in the province of North West Frontier (PFNO), about two hours drive from Peshawar, the regional capital. The couple was executed by a local group of Pakistani Taliban, the Islamic militia that swept the PFNO in its march towards the capital Islamabad.

"The Taliban are strong and confident, the government is weak and hesitant," said Pervez Hoodbhoy, a professor at Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad and one of the leading intellectuals of Pakistan.

"A victory for the Taliban reduce our women to slavery, destroy the rich historical and cultural heritage of Pakistan, will make education and science impossible, and the lives of citizens will be incredibly difficult. Some are already planning an exodus. "

Pakistan is now on the verge of the abyss and risk anarchy. The agreement signed with the desperate Taliban in Swat appears near collapse. The result will almost certainly be violence. Saturday morning, an army convoy en route to Swat was arrested by the Taliban and forced to turn in an open demonstration of their power.

The peace agreement appears to have only emboldened them. Many people think that a bloody military operation now seems inevitable.

Those living in the regions fell into the hands of the Taliban are terrified by the cruelty of their administration.

A text message sent SOS Friday terrified by a resident of a region called Swat Bahrain, said that the Taliban have established full control. Asking not to be named for fear of reprisals, he said they have set up checkpoints at the entrance to Bahrain where they kidnap who they want, including young women.

"They even warned the schools to close classes for girls, otherwise the consequences would be terrible. But the government says it has jurisdiction over Swat.

Another resident of Swat, said: "Every day I see armed Taliban movement. At the time of prayer, if they see someone in his shop or walking on the street, they strike with a stick."

The Pakistani Taliban, clones of the extremist movement in Afghanistan, has long controlled the tribal region along the Afghan border, a haven for militants, including al Qaeda. But it is progressing towards the center of the country which has shocked ordinary Pakistanis and the world. And the threat comes not only from the Taliban to the west. Islamic extremists, who are not part of the Taliban movement, are already firmly established in Islamabad and across the Punjab, the most populous province, apparently ready to show their time.

Islamabad's defenses were fortified emergency and paramilitary troops have been stationed on the Margalla hills overlooking the city from the west. In the capital, the radical Red Mosque has thousands of followers, and there are now open calls for Islamic revolution in Friday sermons.

"The Taliban will not stop in Swat. They will go to Islamabad," said Hasan Askari Rizvi, a military analyst based in Lahore. "If the army is taking action against them, it will be a bloody battle. And the civilian government will be aside."

"Extremist groups based in Islamabad will emerge from the inside and they (the Taliban) will increase the pressure from outside."

The video Pakistanis watching their shows what they can expect. A local journalist was invited to attend the execution, and he filmed with his mobile phone to the Pakistani channel Dawn News. The Sunday Telegraph shows the sequence to the West for the first time.

The two victims are not named.

"The use of media is part of their (the Taliban) psychological warfare," said Imtiaz Gul, president of the Center for Research and Security Studies, an independent think tank in Islamabad. "In this way, they spread fear in the minds of those who would oppose them, reducing the majority of people to silence."

After the couple was killed, families were told to remove the body for burial. The punishment was administered by a local group linked to Pakistani Taliban warlord Baitullah Mehsud.

Source: Taliban gunmen shooting dead for adultery couple caught on camera, Telegraph, 26 April 2009

Labels: Francis Chartrand, Islam, Pakistan, Religion and fanaticism, Sharia

# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 10:53 AM 0 Comments

The blurred images appear to show a girl aged 17 being beaten by radical Islamists in the Swat region of northwest Pakistan where Sharia has been introduced after the conclusion of a truce with the Taliban in February.

A local commander of the Taliban in Matta, a militant stronghold 25 miles from the regional capital, Mingora, ordered that the girl was whipped a week ago after being accused of adultery, according to local reporters.

But some residents of Matta have accused the commander had ordered that the girl was beaten to avenge she refused his proposal of marriage, told reporters at the Times.

"Please! Enough! Enough!" implored the girl in Pashtu, the language of the tribes that dominate the north-west Pakistan, now the main hub of Taliban and al Qaeda.

At another point, she exclaimed: "I repent, my father repents, what I did, my grandmother repent for what I did ... "

The man who insults the flagellum his colleague who is struggling to control the girl and to prevent him from protecting his back with his hands.

We hear: "You must keep it tight so it does not move."

The President Zardari stressed that the truce was signed with "moderate"....

Link

Labels: Islam, Marie-Êve Marineau, Pakistan, Sharia

# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 11:22 AM 0 Comments

The British know that the protests we have seen in Ontario in 2005 after a government commission has recommended the introduction of Sharia law. This attempt failed thanks to the efforts of the Toronto Homa Arjomand who orchestrated an international campaign to combat it. In Britain, the former Muslim Maryam Namazie who coordinates the campaign.

Recently, the Globe and Mail shamelessly opened its pages to a review of the Islamist Sheema Khan, who called - again! - for the introduction of sharia law in Ontario. Across the West, obsessed with Islamic Sharia, they never let go.

A law for all! ...legal pluralism, it's racism!

Hundreds of people from all backgrounds and ethnicities gathered on Saturday 7 March 2009 in Trafalgar Square for a rally against the sharia. This event was to celebrate the International Year of Women, and many women were present to take a stand against this system of unjust and discriminatory laws.

After several eloquent speeches, the rally ended and the event began. Many curious have proclaimed their approval, and many of them chose to join the march. This illustrates how widespread the dissatisfaction with politics islamophile Labor. There is a larger groundswell of opposition to sharia law among citizens and the political elite should pay attention to the fact that the barbarism of Sharia will never be tolerated in Britain, and that parties who are the lawyers and the government does now, are doomed to political failure.

It is really amazing that people are forced to protest against Sharia law in Britain in the 21st century. This is the terrible reflection of the policy of a government that has claimed so long as it modernized Britain. It seems that the idea of modernization meant a return to an era of medieval barbarism.

The march ended at Conway Hall and was followed by a public meeting. The most positive message that is out of this day was that of a left that had awakened, begins to question the idea of multiculturalism, and to the extent of the damage that this ideology has led to 'social harmony and the institutions of Britain. See the sacred cow of multiculturalism be rejected by some of its former supporters is a very positive development. It was said at that meeting that multiculturalism is a big step towards a society of apartheid and that this can not be canceled only by a single law that applies equally to all.

Link

Labels: Iba Bouramine, Islam, Religion and fanaticism, Sharia, United Kingdom

# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 11:12 AM 0 Comments

Sheema Khan, Islamist by his own words, the founder of CAIR-CAN, would like to see the issue of Sharia discount on the agenda. It is a true obsession ... After a first unsuccessful attempt to introduce sharia law in Ontario in 2005, which was blocked by the international campaign launched by the Toronto Homa Arjomand, is that Sheema Khan fights back!

Also note the approach of Mrs Khan: Muslims need sharia because of the malice of Canadians! In fact, she seeks to spread the ideology of Saudi Arabia in Canada. It was his purpose in life. Ms. Khan, if you want to live under sharia law, why do not you move in a Muslim country?

In the U.S., the FBI has cut all contact with CAIR because of its links with the terrorist organization Hamas.

The atheist Pat Condell: Stop sharia law in Britain. The first clip on the subject was censored by YouTube, and then republished. He produced it afterwards:



In December 2006, the Environics polling firm interviewed 500 Muslim adults across Canada on issues related to their experience of life in Canada.

The majority think they are better treated here than in any other Western country, that the quality of life of Muslim women is better here than anywhere else (including most Muslim countries), that Canadians are less hostile to 'Islam as European citizens, and they are willing to adopt Canadian customs.

Yet 44% of Canadian Muslims believe that Canada should accommodate their beliefs, while 81% of the population believe that immigrants should adopt Canadian values. In particular, 53% of Muslims believe that Sharia should be recognized as the legal basis for resolving family disputes, while the overwhelming majority of the population as a whole does not agree.

Among those surveyed, 55% Muslim and 59% of Muslims aged 18 to 29 have indicated their preference for Shariah. These figures suggest that the question of the use of Sharia in Canada is far from dead, even if the courts of arbitration of Shariah are considered illegal in several provinces.

Here the underlying question: Why this growing affinity for sharia? Since 9 / 11, Muslims in Canada have experienced an increase in discrimination. This has a direct impact on identity and how a minority perceives its acceptance by the majority. The acerbic, sometimes racist, the controversial debate on sharia law in Ontario has forced many Muslims to focus on sharia as part of their identity, with the result that a plurality wants to respect the Islamic principles in the law the family.

Making illegal Islamic Courts will not remove the problem. In the absence of court supervision informal sharia, it risks being confused with the situation prevailing in Britain.

Link

Labels: Canada, Iba Bouramine, Islam, Religion and fanaticism, Sharia, United Kingdom

# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 7:24 PM 0 Comments

For example, Muslims could choose to submit their disputes marital or financial contributions to Shariah courts.

He said that Muslims should not have to choose between "dark alternative loyalty to their culture or the state."

(...) Dr Williams argued the need for Shariah is better understood.

He said that currently, "sensationalist reports on opinion polls mask the problem.

He stressed that "no sane person would want to see in this country the kind of inhumanity sometimes associated with the application of Sharia in some Islamic States; punishment extreme attitudes towards women also".

The Reverend John Packer said during a debate on the rule of law in the House of Lords that it is important not to deny the religious communities, including Islam, "the right to apply its ethical standards and moral where they do not infringe human rights. "

Mr Sarwar, Gordons, Pitsea, also supported applications for the Shariah is enforced in Britain and said that we should carry out public floggings in inner cities.

Great Britain - Another preacher calls floggings, amputations and executions

Glané on Bivouac-ID

He launched his appeal for such Islamic punishments while still raging controversy around the support for Sharia recently expressed by the President of the High Court of Justice.

Zahra belongs to the Islamic trend lasts Hizb Ut-Tahrir, which has previously suffered a ban. In his sermon at the mosque in Regent's Park in London, he denounced the British democracy as criminal.

The Conservative MP Philip Davies said: "It is unacceptable"

Source : Yahoo News, The Sun

Source : 1 2 3 4

Labels: Iba Bouramine, Islam, Secularism, Sharia, United Kingdom

# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 8:00 PM 0 Comments

A photographer from the agency AP films the murder of two women by the Taliban. The AP photographer Rahmatullah Naikzad has witnessed a murder by the Taliban. Both women were prostitutes serving western customers.

On the evening of July 12, 2008, two unidentified Afghan women talk among themselves a few minutes before being executed by the Taliban in the province of Ghazni, Afghanistan

Sunday, July 13, the locals watch the two women killed by the Afghan Taliban

(AP Photo/Rahmatullah Naikzad) (original here)

This page of the AP suggests that Rahmatullah Naikzad also shot a video of the killing of two women. [Update: Yes, he did. Video added to the end]

We wish to remind AP that the Taliban have invited a journalist in the assassination means that they wanted the news is disseminated. AP has clearly been used as a tool of propaganda by the Taliban.

Does this fact of the photographer or an accomplice only a witness to the crime? When you know that a crime is about to be committed, did not you a moral and ethical obligation to try to prevent this crime? Even if you are a journalist? Even if all you do is try to alert authorities - in this case, someone in the Afghan government or NATO?

A quick search of Rahmatullah Naikzad photos on Yahoo News seems to indicate that it is very friendly with the Taliban. Most of the photos show Taliban fighters posing for the AP photographer. Par exemple : For example:

(AP Photo/Rahmatullah Naikzad) (original here)

Naikzad seems to have been incorporated into the Taliban during the day, before the two women were murdered. The photo below, taken by Naikzad, this legend:

Some Taliban militants face covered train before they have executed two women in the Afghan province of Ghazni, Afghanistan, Saturday, July 12, 2008 (original here)

You will notice by the caption under the photo first on top of this page that has clearly been taken at night a few minutes before the two women were murdered. The second photo above, showing the bodies of two women, was clearly taken the day after the murder of two women. This means that Rahmatullah Naikzad has spent at least 24 hours with the Taliban!

What did Rahmatullah Naikzad to prevent the murder of two women? Or, what does it now to help find the killers? I would be surprised if the answer is something other than nothing.

Again, AP provides assistance and encouragement to the enemy. This time, a group on the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations and to which several Security Council resolutions prohibit providing any assistance.

AP receive there a Pulitzer Prize this time?

Thanks to Phyllis Chessler for reporting the photo.

UPDATE: If you remember, AP had tried to excuse the photos that Bilal Hussein had taken two "insurgents" laying on the body of murdered hostage Salvatore Santoro claiming he had been forcibly taken by the terrorists who showed him the body after Santoro was killed. This time, AP has no such excuse.

If we accept the version of AP about the photos of Santoro by Bilal Hussein, then photos of Rahmatullah Naikzad are clearly worse than those of Hussein! He witnessed the murder of two women!

UPDATE II: It is getting worse. A video was produced by Naikzad (below). It's terrible. The two women were murdered overnight, then it's not visually graphic, but the sound is terrible. You can hear one of the women scream after the first bullets have been fired.

It's official: The AP has now replaced al Jazeera as official media to disseminate videos of terrorists.

UPDATE III: AllahP great case of violation by AP of its own ethical standards. Also note his views on the difference between the anti-Jihad websites showing these images and territory "neutral" by AP showed.

The essential point here is the context in which photos / videos are shown.

In the context of this blog, it is clear that the photos are intended to demonstrate this terrible evil that we are fighting. But when AP decides to use neutral terms to contextualize the photos, a limit is crossed to a moral relativism which is more than merely unpatriotic. It is downright disgusting!

Instead of calling the Taliban what they are - criminals of war and unlawful combatants primae faciea - they refer to simply as "militants". Worse, they allow the Taliban to choose words to describe the horrible murder of two women - an execution.

The more I think about it, this suggests that AP is worse than al-Jazeera. Remember when we were all outraged by Al-Jazeera showing videos produced by terrorists? The video was filmed terrorist by the AP.

UPDATE IV : Drew M : No word yet on whether AP will continue if the Taliban are using photos or extracts from its history on their sites to recruit jihadists.

UPDATE V : Pirate’s Cove raises the final question: Are all these feminist groups left that we never hear about the plight of women in Islam denounce what the AP did?

WARNING: AP explicit video showing the killing of two women by the Taliban

See online: The Jawa Report, by Dr. Rusty Shackleford, July 14, 2008

Labels: Afghanistan, Islam, Noémie Cournoyer, Secularism, Sharia

# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 3:18 PM 0 Comments

R. Spencer et les musulmans modérés
par Tazda


R. Spencer and moderate Muslims
by Tazda

R. Spencer and moderate Muslims
sent by Tazda
Here is the transcript of the video resulted in Pistache l'insoumise. We also invite you to fly over the excellent blog Pistache.

The Islamic reformers are often targeted as qu'apostats (people who left Islam) by jihadists.

Farzana Hassan Shahid, the new president of the Muslim Canadian Congress (MCC), is the latest victim of this phenomenon.

After his liberal views on many issues islamicly "hot" have begun to be known, she began to receive threats from Muslim supporters of strong-arm tactics, which saw its positions signs of his desertion of Islam. One of them called "the little sister of Satan", while another accosta her husband in a mosque in Ontario and demanded that he "control his wife."

Farzana Hassan Shahid explained itself, there is a latent fear all the time… this sense of unease is part of my daily life. I have been declared apostate twice, having opposed the Shariah (Islamic law).

Hassan Shahid is not the first representative of the MCC to be covered by the Jihadists. Until recently, Tarek Fatah was the communications director of MCC .. But in August he abruptly démissiona.

Fatah had long been a leading voice parte Muslims in Canada. And as communications director of the CMC, he never avoided controversy, adhering to certain views about the rights of homosexuals and other issues that deviate from Islamic orthodoxy. Opposing views that Hassan Shahid has now occasions.

Fatah had even opposed the campaign in 2005 to introduce the Canada room arbitration based on Sharia. But instead of receiving congratulations from the Canadian Muslim community, Fatah became the target of an email campaign initiated by a group of étudians, the Islamic Canadian Congress. The ICC said that Fatah does not represent the majority of Canadian Muslims.

Fatah commented, "this is what the issue may have closer to a death threat, since this class me as an apostate and blasphemer." And Fatah, like Farzana Hassan Shahid, has received death threats very clear.

The voices of moderation or reform within the Islamic community are clearly disadvantageous position, because the Jihadists can very effectively use the Quran and Sunnah against them. In addition, all schools of law of Islam explain a MUST apostate be killed, a command rooted in the teachings of Muhammad, who said:

"If somebody (a Muslim) abandons his religion, kill it. "

Thus, threatening to kill someone can become an act of piety.

It is ironic that Western non-Muslims observers, who know nothing or very little of Islam, presume that the voices or liberal reformers are predominant in the Islamic communities of the West and by the way, whereas the reality is that people like Farzana Hassan Shahid and Tarek Fatah had very little influence among Muslims, and over all, they are hunted people.

The Muslim reformers deserve all the support we can give them, but we should stop deluding us into thinking that they are a majority.

And most importantly, government representatives and the law should stop designing policies based on the assumption that people like Farzana Hassan Shahid and Tarek Fatah are really the majority.
Link Via Marc Lebuis

Labels: Anne Humphreys, Arab World, Canada, Islam, Religion and fanaticism, Secularism, Sharia

# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 7:04 PM 0 Comments

B2. the managers of public institutions step up their efforts to:

• adapt to their milieu and express in concrete directives the key guidelines governing the management of adjustment requests;
• pursue the implementation of the so-called contextual, deliberative and reflexive approach;

B3. in keeping with the objective of dejudicializing the handling of accommodation requests, the government foster the accountability of interveners in institutions by ensuring that they have received adequate training. Some examples are the modification of the training program for future teachers to include additional instruction time devoted to intercultural questions and the organization of specialized sessions for current teachers;

B4. the government ensure that health care establishments have sufficient funds to cover their needs for interpreters’ services;

B5. the government implement the necessary mechanisms to:

• establish in each institution practical expertise in the realm of the handling of adjustment requests;
• disseminate in each establishment, in particular among new employees, the knowledge that interveners have accumulated;
• implement exchange and cooperation initiatives between units in a given establishment or between establishments in the same sector;
• better inform newly arrived immigrant parents about adjustment practices and the operation of the school system.

B6. The Co-Chairs approve of the initiative now under way in the National Assembly to introduce into the Québec Charter an interpretation clause that establishes gender equality as a core value of our society.

Moreover, the Co-Chairs recommend that:

B7. the government establish an Office d’harmonisation interculturelle, a paragovernmental body that reports to the Conseil des relations interculturelles, which works in tandem with other agencies in related fields. This body would, in particular, play a role with respect to information, training, coordination, advice, and research centred on intercultural harmonization practices, including interdenominational practices, in our society.

B8. Religious holidays:

The Co-Chairs recommend that:

• the government encourage public and private administrators to adopt paid leave with compensation accompanied by possibilities for adjustment;
• the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse produce an advisory opinion that establishes practical reference points for managers in all work environments, including an explanation of the legal framework, the elaboration of tools to rule on requests for religious holidays and the proposal of an array of formulas in keeping with previous court decisions and adaptable to each workplace;
• as regards problems stemming from the system of religious holidays in force in the school boards, i.e. extra paid leave, that the government set up a select panel to find a fair solution that conforms to the current legal framework of the system of religious holidays, following consultation with the key interveners concerned;

B9. the government highlight excellence in the realm of harmonization practices in the workplace by:

• encouraging big government-owned corporations to assert leadership in this field;
• publicly honouring public- or private-sector employees who have distinguished themselves through their integration and harmonization efforts.
  

C) The integration of immigrants

The Co-Chairs recommend that:

C1. from the standpoint of the planning of immigration rates, the government make sure that the number of immigrants admitted corresponds to the reception resources available, especially in respect of labour market integration and francization;

C2. in order to overcome a serious deficiency that is now apparent, the government increase funding for community groups and other front-line organizations devoted to welcoming and integrating immigrants, in particular to consolidate and develop the existing network of organizations while avoiding a piecemeal approach;

C3. the government step up its efforts in respect of the francization and integration of immigrants by:

• ensuring better coordination between the government departments concerned of francization programs for immigrants;
• establishing a task force to review the entire question of the under-representation of members of the ethnic minorities in positions in the public administration and designing a more effective approach in this respect;
• achieving more concerted management of government integration programs and measures, more specifically between the ministère de l’Immigration et des Communautés culturelles, the ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport, the ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, and the ministère de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale;
• better aligning immigration and integration policies with Québec’s economic and social development objectives;
  
• seeking vigorously to reduce the extremely high unemployment rate among Quebecers born in Africa and who have lived in Québec for less than five years;

C4. the government step up measures to accelerate the process of recognizing skills and diplomas acquired abroad. Among the urgent measures, we recommend:

• the establishment of an independent fact-finding committee with a mandate to shed light on the practices of the professional orders with respect to the recognition of diplomas;
• the establishment of an independent body to which immigrants can submit complaints and request reviews of the decisions reached by the professional orders;
• the clarification of relations between the Conseil interprofessionnel du Québec, the Office des professions du Québec and the professional orders, on the one hand, and universities, Cegeps and the Office québécois de la langue française, on the other hand, to resolve the stalemates that are hampering efforts to follow up on the retraining requirements imposed on immigrants;

C5. the government step up its efforts to foster the regionalization of immigration. In this spirit, it would be advisable to:

• implement incentives for businesses that recruit immigrants, such as fiscal measures, in order to foster the regionalization of immigration;
• provide ad hoc funding to the municipalities and the many organizations that welcome and support immigrants that have been established outside Montréal to bolster the existing network;
• pay special attention to the Capitale-Nationale to make it a second urban reception centre for newcomers;
• ask the regions to make known their needs and elaborate projects that rely on immigrant workers;
• encourage and broaden agreements governing student training sessions and exchanges such as those between France and Québec, which bring foreign students to Québec's regions;
• delegate broader responsibilities to regional authorities;

C6. to facilitate the integration of newcomers, the ministère de l’Immigration et des Communautés culturelles create for them an interactive portal in order to centralize all information on resources and institutional services, including municipal and community resources and services, with respect to employment, housing, health, education, and so on;

C7. the government increase funding for organizations that support immigrant women;

C8. the ministère de l’Immigration et des Communautés culturelles adopt the appropriate measures to make the most of Québec volunteer work for the purpose of welcoming and integrating immigrants, in particular to enable them to gain access to social networks;à

C9. the government department now responsible for immigration be renamed the ministère de l’Immigration et des Relations interculturelles.

D) Interculturalism

The Co-Chairs recommend that:

D1. the government launch a vigorous campaign to promote interculturalism in Québec society to broaden awareness of it;

D2. to better establish interculturalism as a model that prevails over intercultural relations in Québec, the government enshrine interculturalism in a statute, a policy statement or a declaration and that this initiative include public consultations and a vote in the National Assembly;

D3. the government encourage all forms of intercultural contact as a means of reducing stereotypes and fostering participation in and integration into Québec society. In this spirit:

• implement immersion, mentoring and tutoring programs and sponsorship and twinning, in particular based on the model of the former program devoted to exchanges of students between Montréal and the regions. In the same spirit, broaden intercultural educational practices, municipal initiatives and existing programs;
• encourage all forms of intercommunity action;
• emphasize efforts to promote regional tourism among members of Montréal's ethnic minorities;

D4. a Fonds d’histoires de vie des immigrants be established, to be managed by the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec;

D5. the government pay close attention to testimony presented concerning so-called ethno-denominational schools.

E) Inequality and discrimination

The Co-Chairs recommend that:

E1. the government seek to better understand and combat the different forms of racism, especially ethnism, found in our society. In this spirit:

• special attention should be paid to the fight against hate crimes and the protection of all individuals subject to multiple discrimination, e.g. homosexuals and the disabled;
• the Québec Charter should prohibit public incitement to discrimination;
• exceptional measures should be taken to combat Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and the discrimination to which all racialized groups, especially Blacks, are subject;
• the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse should be given more extensive resources and means;
  

E2. government mandataries and agencies be responsible for their results in respect of the fight against racism and discrimination and that accountability mechanisms be introduced for this purpose based on performance indicators;

E3. the National Assembly follow up on a recommendation made by the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse aimed at strengthening the economic and social rights recognized in sections 39 to 48 in the Québec Charter:“The Commission recommends that the economic and social rights recognized in sections 39 to 48 of the Charter be strengthened in light of:

• the inclusion of a general provision, before section 39, stipulating that legislation must respect the essential content of economic and social rights;
• the extension to sections 39 to 48 of priority over legislation stipulated in section 52 of the Charter;
• the gradual coming into force of such priority, initially limited to subsequent legislation then extended to existing legislation.”

F) The French language

The report does not contain any formal recommendation since the CCPARDC deemed this theme to be on the margin of its mandate. That being the case, the Co-Chairs have reviewed the situation in their report.

G) Secularism

The Co-Chairs recommend that:

G1. the government draft a white paper on secularism in order to:

• define secularism in light of its four principles, two of which reflect its profound purposes (the other two are reflected in essential institutional structures);
• review the major choices that Québec has made in respect of secularism;
• defend the conception of open secularism adopted and implemented by Québec;
• clarify and submit for public debate questions on which a consensus has yet to be reached;

G2. with regard to the wearing by government employees of religious signs:

• judges, Crown prosecutors, police officers, prison guards and the president and vice-president of the National Assembly of Québec be prohibited from doing so;
• teachers, public servants, health professionals and all other government employees be authorized to do so;
  

G3. measures be adopted to bring certain practices in public institutions into line with the principles of open secularism. Consequently, in the name of the separation of the State and the churches and in the name of State neutrality, we recommend that:

• the crucifix above the chair of the president of the National Assembly be relocated in the Parliament building in a place that emphasizes its meaning from the standpoint of heritage;
• municipal councils abandon the saying of prayers at their public meetings;
  G4. the government vigorously promote the new ethnics and religious culture course that is to be introduced in September 2008;

G5. the government produce and disseminate every year among the managers of institutions and public or private organizations a multidenominational calendar that indicates the dates of religious holidays.

H) Research to be conducted

The Co-Chairs recommend that:

H1. the government free up additional research funds that would be earmarked, in particular, for the study of:

• the state of interculturalism;
• the dual relationship among immigrants to their culture of origin and the host society’s culture;
• changes in ethnocultural concentrations and their meaning in terms of integration or compartmentalization;
• the state and impact on integration of intercommunity action;
• the elaboration of indicators that measure the impact of numerous government programs pertaining to reception, employment, the fight against discrimination, and social and cultural integration;
• the situation and path followed by disadvantaged sub-groups such as young people from racialized minorities, immigrant women, and others;
• the change in the social bond in neighbourhoods where immigrants are heavily concentrated;
• forms of Islamophobia and the remedial measures to be adopted;
• displays of anti-Semitism and the remedial measures to be adopted;
  

H2. the government set up a special grant fund reserved for universities and Cegeps in the regions to fund applied research devoted to the general theme of immigration and integration in the regions.

The Commission

At the request of Premier Jean Charest, the CCPARDC took stock of accommodation practices, conducted a public consultation throughout Québec and examined the attendant questions.

Individuals, groups and associations submitted over 900 briefs and 241 people testified during the 31 days of hearings. All told, 22 regional forums attracted 3 423 participants and over 800 people took part in four province-wide forums. Moreover, 13 research projects conducted by specialists from Québec universities were commissioned and 31 focus groups were organized throughout Québec in which participants came from varied backgrounds.

When it concludes its activities in June, the CCPARDC will have spent $3.7 million of a total budget of $5.1 million. The final report and related documents can be consulted online (www.accommodements.qc.ca).

Labels: Arab World, Bouchard-Taylor, Canada, Hijab, Human mistake, Islam, Israel, Judaism, Palestine, Québec, Religion and fanaticism, Secularism, Sharia

# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 2:19 PM 0 Comments

Labels: Arab World, Bouchard-Taylor, Canada, Hijab, Human mistake, Islam, Israel, Judaism, Québec, Religion and fanaticism, Secularism, Sharia, Zionism

# posted by Francis Chartrand @ 2:10 PM 0 Comments