From the CPC:
I see no valid reason why kids should be banned from playing soccer because of their religion. If you agree retweet. bit.ly/135yiS4Not bad, but a back-bencher? Where's the big guy, the leader?
— Bal Gosal, MP (@BalGosal) June 4, 2013
Justin responded as I knew he would...
Wearing a turban shouldn't stop you from playing soccer or participating fully in any other activity. The #QSF must drop its ban now.
— Justin Trudeau, MP (@JustinTrudeau) June 4, 2013
Subtle and yet vigorous. Plain spoken and yet diplomatic.
Oh yeah, and this from the NDP:
The Opposition New Democrats say they've already urged FIFA to clarify its policy on turbans and have not heard back.
"If they (FIFA) would get their act in gear and respond, everyone would be able to move forward with this," said sports critic Matthew Dube.
Blaming FIFA? Word to my commie brothers: are you trying to court Que. voters or grovel before them? It makes a difference if you want to rule in the name of the whole country.
Fix your grammar mistake in the first sentence please.
ReplyDeleteThere are four largish federal parties. Do you know if the smaller of the Quebec separatist parties had any comment?
For a party claiming to advocate Canadian unity, you are a bit quick to embrace the language of Reform - "grovel before Quebec" -an "obviously racist" decision, launching a polemical assault against Quebec society as a whole for a decision by the Quebec Soccer Federation pertaining to its adherence to uniform dress code requirements in a dispute with a religious and cultural minority community seeking exemption on religious grounds.
ReplyDeleteBefore you stereotype the sides in the dispute and attach labels to them such as "obviously racist", you may wish to examine what they are actually saying, such as the following media contributions to the discussion in Le Devoir:
"L'uniformisation des équipements imposée par les règlements que se donnent les fédérations sportives en fonction de l'intérêt de l'ensemble des joueurs est une affaire de régie interne et ne regarde ni les juges, ni les instances religieuses."
"Ceux qui n'acceptent pas ça n'ont qu'à s'en prendre qu'à eux-mêmes dans leur refus de s'intégrer."
or
"Un code vestimentaire n'est pas une valeur religieuse. Celui-ci fait partie des mythes et des superstitions engendrées par les croyances et mise en pratique par les parents. Et les enfants ne sont pas la propriété de leurs parents. Donnez la chance aux enfants de choisir librement les activités qu'ils veulent faire sans avoir à subir la tyrannie d'une culture dépassée. Le libre arbitre à toujours meilleur goût dans une société démocratique.
De grâce, laissez les enfants jouer sans leur turban et ils pourront s'intégrer à la très accueillante société québécoise. "
or
"Ce que le Québec devrait faire, c'est d'associer sa culture, sa langue et son identité pour en faire une religion afin d'affirmer ses droits et donc de cette manière, le tout serait sanctifié par notre grande Charte canadienne des droits et libertés. Ou bien, tout simplement introduire la Charte de laïcité tant promise par le gouvernement."
"En passant, je n'ai jamais vu quelqu'un porter un turban aux jeux olympiques. Même pas Alexi Grewal, lorsqu'il compétitionnait en cyclisme et a gagné une médaille d'or aux olympiques de 1984."
or
"Approchons-nous du jour où un juge obligera une équipe olympique canadienne à garder dans ses rangs un athlète, sélectionné pour ses performances, qui déciderait ultérieurement d'adhérer à une religion dont les obligations nuiraient à la performance."
"Peut-on jouer au football (américain ou canadien), au hockey, au water polo, dans des ligues organisées, ou encore pratiquer le ski de descente ou de saut acrobatique, le plongeon, la natation, etc, en portant le turban sikh? La réponse est non. Les sikhs désireux de pratiquer ces sports doivent faire les compromis nécessaires, et personne ne crie à la discrimination."
or
"La position de la FSQ est d'interdire à tout les joueurs de porter quoi que ce soit sur la tête. Cette interdiction ne vise donc pas spécifiquement les sikhs et n'est aucunement discriminatoire."
"On ne cesse de déplorer que certains parents manquent de fermeté avec leurs enfants et ne soutiennent pas leurs professeurs lorsqu'ils les punissent mais en multipliant les accommodements religieux, qu'apprenons-nous aux enfants appartenant aux minorités religieuse sinon qu'ils n'ont pas à respecter les mêmes règles que les autres?"
Now if you want to seek "obvious racism" with respect to the decision by the Quebec Soccer Federation with respect to uniform dress code, you have to look no further than the media discussion blogs in Yahoo Canada and similar sites where there is a mass cheerleading for the soccer federation decision by Reform anglo bigots, who every other day of the week insult Quebecers in every manner conceivable, rejoice in every auto accident involving fatalities or any flood, earthquake of disaster involving Quebec and endlessly call on the Canadian government to give Quebec the boot. They cheer the decision by the Quebec Soccer Federation with language dripping with hate and contempt, not on any rational grounds but merely because the hate immigration, immigrants and cultural minorities, period, without much thought given to the actual issues in dispute, or who has proper jurisdiction in a final decision.
ReplyDeleteSo exactly what are you attempting here, are you seeking to rally the bigots of English Canada - such as those described above - to intervene in such dispute on some alleged moral high ground, seeking to berate Quebec and lecture Quebec on its obligations towards cultural minorities. From what I can judge from the media exchanges, they are well aware of such obligations.
Before you stereotype the sides in the dispute and attach labels to them such as "obviously racist", you may wish to examine what they are actually saying, such as the following media contributions to the discussion in Le Devoir:
ReplyDeleteTranslation:
"Those who do not accept it have to blame but themselves in their refusal to integrate."
"A dress code is not a religious value. This is one of the myths and superstitions caused by beliefs and practiced by parents. And children are not the property of their parents. Give a chance to children freely choose the activities they want to do without having to suffer the tyranny of an outdated culture. Freewill always taste better in a democratic society.
"Please, allow children to play without their turbans and they can integrate into Quebec society very welcoming. "
"What Quebec should do is to combine its culture, language and identity into a religion in order to assert their rights and thus this way, everything would be sanctified by our great Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Or simply introduce the Charter of secularism as promised by the government. "
"By the way, I've never seen anyone wearing a turban at the Olympic Games. Alexi Grewal Not even when was competing in cycling and won a gold medal at the Olympics in 1984."
gold
"Let us approach the day when a judge will require a Canadian Olympic team to keep its ranks an athlete selected for its performance, which later decide to join a religion whose obligations would interfere with the performance."
"Can we play football (American or Canadian), hockey, water polo, in organized leagues, or skiing downhill or acrobatic jump, diving, swimming, etc, with the Sikh turban The answer is no. Sikhs wishing to play sports must make the necessary compromises, and no cries of discrimination. "
gold
"The position of the FSQ is to prevent all the players to wear anything on the head. This prohibition is not intended specifically Sikhs and is not discriminatory."
"We are constantly complain that some parents lack of firmness with their children and do not support their teachers when they punish but multiplying religious accommodation, what do we learn to children belonging to religious minorities if they don ' not to follow the same rules as the other? "
So, it's not racism... it's cultural chauvinism?
Hey, did you know "[t]urbaned players were happily and safely playing soccer in Quebec for a decade before the ban mysteriously arose last summer."
ReplyDeleteAlso the Canadian Soccer Association "urged its provincial counterparts to allow turbans."
"As for the FIFA justification, it’s true that turbans are not included along with cleats, socks, shorts and a shirt on the list of equipment players are allowed to wear during a FIFA-regulated match. That amounts to a ban on turbans, but FIFA recently began letting female Muslim players wear headscarves without explicitly adding them to the list of permitted gear. FIFA’s message has lately been one of open-mindedness, not one of strict adherence to rules at the expense of players’ religious obligations.
"And anyway, why is a provincial soccer federation that governs children’s and recreational leagues obsessing over FIFA rules? FIFA requires regular blood-doping tests: Will the QSF implement those this summer when 10-year-olds get together to play soccer?"
Head-thump.
I note the google translation of comments by contributors to Le Devoir translated my English "or" between comments as "gold".
ReplyDeleteTake the rough translation in the same vein.
On this issue, the Conservatives have embraced it, judging by recent media articles and statements by Toews and Kenney, as it suits the Conservatives for a variety of purposes. It distracts from ongoing scandals and gives them an opportunity to direct their fire at Quebec by trying to escalate a dispute with the Quebec Soccer Federation ruling into something broader. They don't have much to lose in terms of current support in Quebec, while they calculate it will win them points with the rest of Canada, appearing as champions of multiculturalism.
As for their base, which hates immigration, Sikhs and Quebec equally, there is not much to lose, as their anti-immigrant base will ignore the fact their government is advocating a position they find offensive in other circumstances -
advocating a notion of minority cultural or religious concerns which trumps all other considerations - with that of launching an offensive against Quebec, which they are always eager to engage in.
It is a different matter for the Liberals, or for the NDP, as you are seeking constructive dialogue with Quebec with the goal of moving forward towards resolution of such issues, and not simply seizing on any issue, be it the ongoing corruption enquiry or the Soccer Federation dispute to create a political diversion or stir up antagonism between French and English Canada, that you would consider the matter and weigh your word before jumping into such dispute.
I note the google translation of comments by contributors to Le Devoir translated my English "or" between comments as "gold". Take the rough translation in the same vein.
ReplyDeleteI'll grant that, but am I crazy or is there a bit of xenophobia in a few of those comments?
Still, there's a lively and balanced debate on Devoir.
On this issue, the Conservatives have embraced it, judging by recent media articles and statements by Toews and Kenney, as it suits the Conservatives for a variety of purposes. It distracts from ongoing scandals and gives them an opportunity to direct their fire at Quebec by trying to escalate a dispute with the Quebec Soccer Federation ruling into something broader. They don't have much to lose in terms of current support in Quebec, while they calculate it will win them points with the rest of Canada, appearing as champions of multiculturalism.
Oh sure, it does that. It's soccer, and we're talking about a kids league. It's become a cultural flashpoint obviously for everyone. And maybe that's the problem.
Still, I don't understand the NDP's reluctance to criticize the QSF. It's not as though the QSF = Quebec.