هنئونا انتصار جديد على قوى الظلام في ولاياتنا ONTARIO !!!!

Quote: OPEN LETTER TO ONTARIO PREMIER DALTON McGUINTY Don't ghettoize women's rights Margaret Atwood, Maude Barlow, June Callwood, Shirley Douglas, Michele Landsberg, Flora MacDonald, Margaret Norrie McCain, Maureen McTeer, Sonja Smits, Lois Wilson In support of the “No Religious Arbitration Coalition” Saturday, September 10, 2005 Dear Mr. McGuinty: An important tenet of Canadian democracy hangs in the balance of your response to the matter of religious arbitration in the province of Ontario. While many Canadians may assume that we are all governed by one system of laws, created by publicly elected officials who are accountable to the electorate, your government is poised to shift the ground under this cornerstone of liberal democracy. While our public system of law is not always perfect, it is designed to recognize the realities of all citizens and is open to public scrutiny and improvement. Such is not the case with private systems of law, such as religious laws. The public may identify this issue from media reports as "Sharia law in Ontario," but they, and you, need to understand that this is a matter of the formal separation of all religious matters from the business of the state. This is in no way an infringement on religious freedom, which we endorse as an equally important tenet of Canadian democracy. Religion should simply remain an important part of the lives of citizens but not of public law. Surely the separation of church and state is understood by today's politicians to be the fertile ground upon which modern, rights-based democracies such as that in Canada have flourished. Arbitrariness, petty theocracies and selective -- rather than universal -- access to public law await us if we simply treat this issue as a detail in the daily business of government. Ontario's commitment to religious freedom, anti-racism and multiculturalism are very important to us and to all Ontarians. Some have argued that to deny arbitration based on religious laws is a breach of these commitments. We do not agree. Allowing the use of religious arbitration will lead to divisiveness, the ghettoization of members of religious communities as well as human-rights abuses, particularly for those who hold the least institutional power within the community, namely women and children. We urge you to speak strongly in favour of Ontario's commitment to one system of laws for all, as well as for freedom of religion and anti-racism. Prohibit the use of religion in the arbitration of family law disputes through appropriate amendments to the Arbitration Act. The eyes of the world are quite literally watching Ontario at this time to see if we have the courage to move forward on this issue in a way that preserves our common bond and is inclusive and respectful of all. Sincerely, Margaret Atwood Maude Barlow June Callwood Shirley Douglas Michele Landsberg Flora MacDonald Margaret Norrie McCain Maureen McTeer Sonja Smits Lois Wilson In support of the “No Religious Arbitration Coalition” The Hamilton Spectator Pubdate:September 12, 2005 Page: A01 Section:Local Edition:MET Length:873 Grits to outlaw shariah and all religious courts Byline/Source: Keith Leslie The Canadian Press Dateline: Toronto Premier Dalton McGuinty says Ontario won't allow the use of shariah law to settle Muslim family disputes such as divorce. And his government will move to prohibit all religion-based tribunals, including existing ones used by Jewish and Christian families. "There will be one law for all Ontarians," McGuinty said yesterday. And he added: "I've come to the conclusion that the debate has gone on long enough." McGuinty said: "There will be no shariah law in Ontario. There will be no religious arbitration in Ontario. There will be one law for all Ontarians." McGuinty said religious arbitrations "threaten our common ground," and promised his Liberal government will introduce legislation "as soon as possible" to outlaw them in Ontario. "Ontarians will always have the right to seek advice from anyone in matters of family law, including religious advice," he said. "But no longer will religious arbitration be deciding matters of family law." Last December, a report from former NDP attorney general Marion Boyd recommended the province allow and regulate shariah arbitrations much the same way it does Christian and Jewish tribunals, setting off a firestorm of protests. Homa Arjomand, the women's rights activist who organized a series of protests across Canada and Europe last Thursday to convince McGuinty to abandon shariah, was elated when she heard the news yesterday. "I think our voice got heard loud and clear, and I thank the government for coming out with no-faith-based arbitrations," said Arjomand. Tarek Fatah, head of the Muslim Canadian Congress, which has called for reforms within Canada's more traditional Muslim organizations, called McGuinty's surprise announcement "a great victory for all Canadians, but particularly Muslims in Canada, and a defeat for Islamic fundamentalists and those who are preaching it in Canada." In Hamilton, Muslim leaders expressed disappointment at the announcement. "We respect the law of the land," said Imam Abdul-Rauf Sanni of Hamilton mosque. "But shariah law does not go against Ontario law. We help families." Shuja Qureshi, a mosque member, said: "There's nothing wrong with shariah law. "The government cannot force us not to use it. It will be used and it will be used effectively." Rabbi Morton Green of the Adas Israel Synagogue, said: "The type of arbitration I have been involved in for the last 48 years has never violated the law of the land." Another representative from Ontario's Jewish community also expressed disappointment. "We're stunned," said Joel Richler, Ontario region chairman of the Canadian Jewish Congress. "At the very least, we would have thought the government would have consulted with us before taking away what we've had for so many years." Richler said the current system -- in place since 1992 -- has worked well and he saw no reason for it to be changed. "If there have been any problems flowing from any rabbinical court decisions, I'm not aware of them," he said. Despite calling for an end to all religious arbitrations, Ontario's New Democrats were not happy with the way McGuinty handled the debate. "By merely sitting on the issue, and by hiding his head in the sand, McGuinty allowed the debate to in fact fester and grow pretty ugly," said NDP justice critic Peter Kormos. Opposition leader John Tory agreed with the NDP's position that McGuinty mishandled the debate. "One of the tests of leadership in a diverse society is that you not allow issues like this -- which are complex -- to boil over into angry, polarized debates. By letting it go on, and suddenly ending it mysteriously on a Sunday afternoon, is not probably the best kind of leadership that one could show." Currently, Ontario's Arbitration Act allows civil disputes ranging from custody and support to divorce and inheritance to be resolved through an independent arbitrator, if both parties agree. Catholics, Mennonites, Jews, aboriginals and Jehovah's Witnesses, among others, have -- until now -- used the act to settle family law questions without resorting to the courts. But those who opposed permitting sharia family arbitration argued that the reforms would give legitimacy and an unenforceable appearance of oversight to a legal code they say is -- at its heart -- unfair to women. McGuinty said the debate gave his government time to "step back a little bit" and look at the original decision. "It became pretty clear that was not in keeping with the desire of Ontarians to build on common ground ... of one law for all Ontarians," he said. With files from Dana Borcea, The Hamilton Spectator STORYID=200509121222005 DeleteReplyForwardSpamMove...