The Marie Gèrin-Lajoie Room at the Université de Quebec à Montreal was full to capacity this past Friday as the crowd eagerly anticipated the arrival of Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, a revered North American Islamic Scholar. Yusuf was to give his opinion on the debate surrounding reasonable accommodation in Quebec, arguing the need for Quebec to implement societal changes to suit the religious beliefs of immigrants. Yusuf argued that the integration of minority groups such as Muslims, Sikhs and Jews into Canadian culture should not be seen as a threat to the preservation of national identity. He also talked about recent immigration policies and their effect on minority groups, particularly Muslims.
The night started with a recital of a few verses from the Quran, followed by a poetry recital by Canadian poet Sophia Baig, whose poem, "Daughter of the Sand," received cheers from the audience as she spoke about the misconceptions and false impressions that people have when observing a veiled Muslim woman.
Yusuf reminded the audience that Canada is a country of immigrants and said, "Society is going to be affected by immigration, undeniably."
He also asked them to consider that, apart from the native aboriginal Canadians, their ancestors were also once immigrants to this country, who came to Canada "seeking a better life," and expected them to show understanding of those incoming immigrants.
"Citizenship in Canada is actually quite recent, and I think people tend to forget that," he said.
He went on to state that Westerners are living in a bubble and that the problems present in Canada seem insignificant compared to problems in other countries.
Yusuf also expressed understanding of Canadian citizens who have a sense of belonging and commitment to this country, using his own Canadian heritage as an example. He mentioned that a considerable number of immigrants live abroad while having the Canadian passport as an asset in their drawers. It is one that they only use when there is civil unrest in their home country. He empathized with Canadians that view these citizens disdainfully.
Yusuf also stated that Islam is a very recent presence in the West and that there is a lot of fear concerning Islam.
Finally, he humorously told the crowd that he saw into the future and that it was "brown," stating that he was impressed with the diversity of Canadians.
"It is a stunning testimony to the future of Canada," Yusuf said.
Yusuf's speech was well received by the crowd and U1 McGill student Khaled El-Badawi agreed with Yusuf's statements, "especially when he asked both affected parties to show understanding of the other as well as some compromise."
2008 Woodie Awards
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Anela
posted 1/09/08 @ 8:55 PM EST
If this is the same Sheikh Hamza Yusuf that we saw at the Reviving the Islamic Spirit in Toronto in December, then I am delighted. Br. Yusuf was very passionate when he spoke about immigrant parents at the RIS conference. (Continued…)
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