Grosse Pointe peace group discusses Bethlehem dilemma
GROSSE POINTE WOODS — News reports around Christmas-time told about a resurgence of tourists and pilgrims visiting Bethlehem as a result of relative stability in the ancient city over the past two years.But just before Christmas, a group of about 35 Christian peace activists gathered in a Grosse Pointe Woods Presbyterian church to...Should Lebanon become a neutral country?
Should Lebanon become a neutral country? That is the question addressed by André Patry, professor emeritus of international law at Laval University, in an article appearing in the French-language Quebec magazine "Forces." To begin, Patry distinguishes between two kinds of neutrality.Neutrality can be either perpetual or...Terror prosecutions shed more heat than light
NEW YORK (IPS) — The U.S. government's spotty record in obtaining convictions of people charged with providing "material support" to terrorist organizations is adding new impetus to the efforts of prominent constitutional lawyers to seek substantial changes in the law.The latest failure in a terrorism-financing prosecution came late in...Security hurts trade
Canadian Minister of International Trade David Emerson charges that "Some of the rigid mindsets of the security establishment are really starting, I think, to threaten the special relationship that used to be there." He spoke of companies having to warehouse inventory on both sides of the border, "a just-in-case supply chain rather...Dubai sheik pardons Canadian
Vancouver native Bert Tatham was working for an American company under contract to the State Department to assist the Afghan government in eradicating opium poppies. On arrival in Dubai, he was found to be in possession of 0.6 grams of hashish and two poppy bulbs. A urinalysis found traces of hashish. The judge in Dubai was...Arar book scheduled
Monia Mazigh, wife of Maher Arar, the Canadian who was rendered to Syria by American authorities, where he was tortured, has a deal with publishers to write a book about the family's experiences. The book, scheduled to appear in 2009 in both English and French, will be written in French and then translated. ...General: Banning prisoner transfer wrong
In response to efforts of Canadian human rights organizations to get a court-ordered halt to the transfer of Taliban prisoners to Afghan authorities, Brigadier-General André Deschamps predicted serious consequences should such a ruling be made. The groups bringing the case to court are concerned about the mistreatment of those who...Interfaith dialogue
Earlier this year, I attended the Ottawa convention of the Islamic Society of North America. One session was on interfaith dialogue, with presentations by Abdul Rashid, an Islamic scholar, and Sister Jean Goulet, a Catholic nun. Rashid emphasized the Qur'anic basis for the practice of dialogue: "O mankind! We created...Honor killing in Canada needs denouncing
On December 10, a man in Toronto's suburb of Mississauga called 911 to report that he had just killed his daughter. Muhammad Purvez, the father, has been arrested, along with his son Waqas, who has been charged with obstructing police. Sixteen-year-old Aqsa Purvez had been in constant conflict with her family over matters such...
Arabs and Muslims do Christmas too!
December 23rd, 20070 DEARBORN — As much as parsley and tomatoes match traditional Christmas colors, giant bowls of tabbouli are not the only holiday trimmings found in the average Arab American household this season. Both Christian and Muslim Arab Americans decorate for Christmas with the best of them. The East Dearborn home of Haysam and Kelly Sleiman, who...ADC outlines achievements, challenges
Organization honored as it honors others DEARBORN — At its annual fund-raising gala Dec. 7, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's Michigan chapter received as many honors from government officials as it presented to activists and leaders. As it offered awards to six different people, the group accepted six certificates and...Sorry performance by Quebec unions
It was not the unions' finest hour. Quebec union federations made their presentations to the Bouchard-Taylor hearings on "reasonable accommodation." The presentations of the two largest union organizations reflected a lack of tolerance for diversity. Claudette Carbonneau, president of the Confédération des syndicats nationaux...Canadian census immigration statistics released
Canadians use a bit of jargon that would typically be part of a linguist's vocabulary. There are anglophones, francophones, and allophones. Then, there are saxophones — an ill wind that no one blows good. Anglophones and francophones are speakers of English and French, and allophones speak another language. On December...Darkness over Islam
As a take-off on the title of the popular CBC program "Little Mosque on the Prairie," the Toronto Globe and Mail entitled its article "Little mosque on the tundra," all about Muslims in Yellowknife, in the Northwest Territories. Because of the very limited amount of sunlight during the winter months, prayer schedules are taken from...No-fly list stops Muslim
Back in May, 2004, Shahid Mahmood was prevented from boarding an Air Canada flight from Vancouver to Victoria because a name similar to his was on a no-fly list. This was before Canada's official list was put in place this year. Just last month, he filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission, as he believes......
Imam lectures on terrorism
Dr. Syed Soharwardy, who heads the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada, a Sufi organization located in Calgary, is traveling to several cities across Canada on a monthly basis to give lectures on behalf of Muslims Against Terrorism (MAT). According to Soharwardy, "Islamophobia is the fastest growing irrational fear in the world."...Socialists hedge on voting bill
The socialist New Democratic Party (NDP) is hedging on its support of the Conservative minority government's bill to forbid people to vote without showing their faces. The NDP joined the MPs from other parties in Parliamentary committee in badgering the Chief Electoral Officer for refusing to bar people from voting while hiding...Asylum agreement hit by court
The United States and Canada have an agreement providing that people applying for refugee status must seek asylum in the first country they reach. That agreement, the Safe Third Country Agreement, was challenged in court by the Canadian Council for Refugees, and Federal Judge Michael Phelan ruled for the Council. Phelan pointed...Hamtramck fails to pass anti-profiling ordinace
The Hamtramck City Council did not pass an ordinance brought to vote Tuesday that would prohibit police from profiling people based on their appearance, immigration status or other factors, because they said what they had in front of them was the wrong version of the measure they intended to vote on. City attorney Jim Allen told the......
Collecting goods for Gleaners
Dearborn — Over 1350 pounds of non-perishable food was collected at a recent food drive held at Henry Ford Village, a full-service retirement community, in Dearborn. Residents and staff alike gave generously to the Food Drive that was held between November 27 and December 1, 2007. Cash donations were also accepted and...Dearborn residents reminded about city’s snow plowing policy
DEARBORN — As the season of winter snow arrives, Dearborn residents are reminded about the details of the city's official snow plowing policy. The key fact to remember is that when the City determines that snowplowing is necessary, Dearborn's emergency warning sirens will be sounded. The siren noise is a distinctive alternating high and......
Derborn Public Schools Winter Break Will Start On December 19
Originally scheduled to start on December 20, 2007 the Dearborn Public Schools will now start the Winter Break on December 19, 2007. On Monday, December 10, 2007 district administration learned that the start of Eid Al-Adha (holiday of sacrifice) would be on December 19, 2007. Due to expected low attendance, the district will...LIFE provides emergency relief to victims of cyclone in Bangladesh
Southfield — As part of its ongoing efforts to alleviate human suffering, the American-based relief organization, Life for Relief and Development (LIFE), is currently working on the ground in Bangladesh to provide food and other essentials to some of the hundreds of thousands who survived the devastation of Cyclone......