The City of Ottawa has advanced religious privilege over human rights
Eric Adriaans, the Executive Director of CFI Canada, wrote an open letter to the mayor and council of Ottawa about their “Celebrate Hijab” day.
To the Mayor and Council of the City of Ottawa
It has come to the attention of Centre For Inquiry Canada (CFIC) that the City of Ottawa is hosting a celebration of the hijab on February 25, 2016. As an organization which represents views of the non-religious and secularists members of the community, CFIC – including our Ottawa Branch members – opposes this initiative.
Centre For Inquiry Canada (CFIC) supports and promotes the human right to freedom of religion which includes freedom from religion. CFIC does not denigrate those who wish to express their personal freedom by wearing of articles of clothing; we do however, assert that there are others who are forced, coerced, pressured and otherwise manipulated into submission to religious oppression – that their freedom of thought, expression of their individual agency is daily violated. For these people, the hijab is not a symbol of choice, but a symbol of victimization.
CFIC is an advocate of secular human rights as well as secularism. From the perspective of a modern secular democracy,
- government should not endorse or favour the religious rites or practices of any religion
- government should never celebrate practices which are clearly connected to human rights violations
- government should not favour one religious practice or perspective over other practices and perspectives
In celebrating the hijab, the City of Ottawa is demonstrating a favouring of one religious perspective over other perspectives. The perspective of those atheists, humanists, ex-Muslims, Christians, Muslims and others who object to the hijab have effectively been rejected by the City of Ottawa. Just as the City of Ottawa should not host “anti-hijab” demonstrations, neither should it host “pro-hijab” activities. By sponsoring Hijab Day, the City of Ottawa has advanced religious privilege over human rights. That is not acceptable.
From the perspective of human rights, the hijab is recognized as a symbol and practical tool for the oppression and victimization of women. Consider the following comments from Muslims, Ex-Muslims, atheists, secularists and humanists that have been submitted to CFIC in response to this activity (names withheld to respect confidentiality):
- And just as the hijab, Female Genital Mutilation is defined by policing female sexuality. As an immigrant, I can’t even begin to understand ”why” Canada is endorsing such blatant sexism and misogyny in the name of “tolerance”. It’s a step back in the fight for universal human rights.
There are a bunch more comments; read on.
H/t Theo Bromine
Ottawa’s City council should be bombarded with photos, videos and stories of those women killed in Canada for not wearing the hijab. Why are we celebrating a garment for which women can be killed if they refuse to wear it?
Ottawa is chock full of paleo-progressives with diversity-perversity fetishes.
Good point. The Shafia family for example.
One brief mention that in the Mid-East this is forced on women. Aqsa Parve,z the 17 year old Canadian girl murdered for refusing the hijab, sought help from school authorities when she felt her life was threatened. Those authorities then ‘helped’ her by bringing in the local Imam and having him talk with her.
And in the article Ottawa’s chief of police keeps asking people to report incidents of islamophobia. Islamic misogyny appears to be a myth.
The non-Muslim women in this article are creepy. They’re like turkeys cheering on the arrival of Thanksgiving.
http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/women-pack-city-hall-for-ottawa-hijab-solidarity-day
Oh, but there are some people, gynecologists, even, who think a little FGM may be better than none:
and
So protecting women against involuntary mutilation is discrimination against women.
Doublethink much?
source:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/female-genital-mutilation-legal-1.3459379
I wrote my column for the Freethinker about that. In a white-hot fury.
How many today can remember the protests in Iran at the end of the 70s
http://www.torontosun.com/2016/02/23/why-is-ottawa-honouring-the-hijab
It is the CAWI that may have damaged the Ottawa’s reputation “by appearing to favour one religion over others” and by advancing “religious privilege over human rights.”
Please see http://www.atheology.ca/blog-068/
To celebrate the hijab as a symbol of “diversity” is a shameful betrayal of women in Islam-dominated countries who have fought so hard, and continue to fight — risking their personal safety and sometimes their lives — against this archaic and misogynistic article of clothing.
We should not be celebrating the hijab. We should tolerate it for anyone who wants to wear it in their private life, but we must never accept it. The hijab, and all religious symbols worn by public servants on duty, should be banned in public (i.e. state) institutions. As for face-coverings such as the niqab, we should be even less accepting of them: they should be banned even for recipients of public services (such as citizenship ceremonies).
http://www.atheology.ca/special/declaration-secular-public-service/
http://www.atheology.ca/blog-062/face-coverings-directors-position/
It is true that pretty much any group or organization is able to book space at City of Ottawa facilities, and there was no official proclamation of a “Hijab Day” by the City of Ottawa.
However, the event was announced on the mayor’s official Twitter account. In response to that tweet, CAWI (City for All Women Initiative) sent a tweet in reply thanking Mayor Watson “for his support”, to which Watson replied in turn “my pleasure”. CAWI publicized the event as Ottawa Hijab Solidarity Day, and though city officials said that it was incorrect for people to assume that the event was officially endorsed, they declined when asked to issue a public statement to clarify.