http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/story.html?id=645e0a5a-8a8b-40a6-bdf0-baf 2a753df92 <http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/story.html?id=645e0a5a-8a8b-40a6-bdf0-ba f2a753df92&k=90652> &k=90652
Muslim's poem inflames immigration debate Verse accuses Quebec women of drinking, being promiscuous Jeff Heinrich, The Montreal Gazette Published: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 MONTREAL - A poem in which a Muslim woman praises the wearing of the hijab and suggests those who fear her are godless people who've led lives of debauchery, has sparked angry reaction in Quebec. The poem, written in French by a young male Lebanese Montrealer for an Arab-language newspaper and posted on the Internet, is being called an outrage and the work of hypocritical fanatics. The 22-year-old poet wrote it in response to the town of Herouxville's controversial guidelines for immigrants. Herouxville's council made headlines last month after proclaiming a "code of life" that prospective immigrants should abide by -- for example, by not stoning women or forcing them to wear veils. The poet, Haydar Moussa, was part of a Muslim delegation that went to Herouxville on Sunday to plead for mutual respect and an end to ethnic stereotypes. Mr. Moussa defended his work as merely a made-up cry of pain by what could be any devout Muslim woman hurt by anti-Islamic prejudice in Quebec. "She's criticizing anyone who tries to bring her down, who tells her 'Your veil is bad for our society'," said Mr. Moussa, who came to Canada from Lebanon when he was eight years old and speaks for the Association of Young Lebanese Muslims. The poem, titled Letter to You, reads in part: My veil is not a kerchief, It's my skin, My modesty, my dignity, my respect. And if you, old-stock immigrant women, You have neither faith nor law, And you spent your youth drunk, And went from one male to the next, That's not the case for me." The poem was published Jan. 23 in the Montreal biweekly Sada Al Mashrek. The village is at the centre of a debate in Quebec society over how far to "reasonably accommodate" the demands of traditional religious minorities. "I'm not a woman, but I'm an immigrant, and it was hurtful" to hear Herouxville's declaration and see it supported by a section of Quebec public opinion, said Mr. Moussa. "I was hurt, and I wanted others to get a taste of what I got -- you understand?" Posted on several Quebec and French websites critical of Islamic fundamentalism, including the blog of well-known Quebec commentator Richard Martineau and a Jewish site called Judeoscope.ca, the poem has drawn a flood of criticism, much of it anti-Arab. "The friends of Hezbollah thank Quebecers by calling their daughters sluts," is the headline of one comment posted to the online forum of LibertyVox.com, a French site. But Mr. Moussa says the poem is about individual feelings, and is not a blanket statement about Quebecers and their values. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
