But there is a silver lining of progress that keeps hope alive for the advancement of women’s rights in the Arab world. Last month, the Inter-Parliamentary Union ranked Algeria 37^th worldwide in its percentage of female parliamentarians, with Tunisia 40^th and Iraq 56^th. Notably, The Inter-Parliamentary Union ranked Canada in 60^th place with only 26% female parliamentary representation. According to the United Nations, 30% female representation is the threshold for affecting real policy change, which some countries in North Africa have already surpassed. After the protests in Algeria in 2011, two elections saw an unprecedented number of female parliamentarians taking more than 30% of the seats in the Algerian lower house. Furthermore, upon his re-election in 2014, Algerian president Bouteflika reshuffled his cabinet and appointed seven female ministers, an act hailed by the United Nations as a “milestone for the Arab world.”

Gender is increasingly protected in law as well. Algeria has committed to gender parity in employment in its new constitution. Following the revolution in Tunisia, new enactments sought to advance gender equality in all elected assemblies, the workplace, and in marriage and divorce.

In Egypt, the 2013 constitution prohibited discrimination on the basis of gender, guaranteed equality between men and women in all civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights, and assigned a 25% quota in local councils (though not for Parliamentary seats). The constitution also included a provision incorporating the concepts of tolerance, and non-discrimination in education, resulting in mandatory human rights classes in universities.

Even the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has enacted changes, extending a municipal vote to all of its citizens and allowing women to run for municipal office. This was only the third time that Saudi citizens have voted in municipal elections. In 2015, 20 female municipal councillors were elected out of the 2,100 seats available. Although significant work remains, the fact that women were allowed to participate is a small step in the right direction.

These modest achievements towards equality are a consequence of strides in women’s rights in other spheres of civil society. This past year, several Arab states achieved gender parity in educational enrolment. In some instances, women outnumbered men in the pursuit of higher education.

According to the Global Gender Gap Report published by the World Economic Forum in November 2015, Oman and Saudi Arabia have achieved gender parity in educational enrolment in primary, secondary, and tertiary education; Jordan, Qatar, and Kuwait in secondary and tertiary education; and Tunisia, Algeria, Syria, and Bahrain in tertiary education.

By advancing educational rights for women and girls, more opportunities are afforded to women to contribute to society, including in the political sphere. A highly skilled Arab female workforce can inject a new perspective when participating in the economic, social, and political facets of Arab societies, advancing human rights in other spheres.

While there is a hard road ahead for the women of the Arab world, the achievements of recent years are even more inspiring in the face of increased violence and conflict. These small steps should be consolidated as women in the Arab world continue to struggle for equality.

Photo: Algerian woman at a gathering. Wiki Commons

The post Because It’s 2016: Small Strides in the Arab World on International Women’s Day appeared first on National Council on Canada-Arab Relations.

  The National Council on Canada-Arab Relations (NCCAR), a non-profit that educates Canadians about social, economic, political and cultural issues of the Arab world and the Middle East, is delighted that Canada has reached its initial target of welcoming 25,000 Syrian refugees. “We truly appreciate the tremendous work by civil servants, volunteers and community organizers,” said Rula Odeh, NCCAR’s Executive Director. “While more work lies ahead to integrate the newest members of our Canadian family, Canadians can be proud of our ability to protect some of the most vulnerable members of our global community.”

As Canada builds on its recent successes and lessons learned, NCCAR looks forward to the next bold target for welcoming refugees. NCCAR is confident Canadians will rise to the challenge again with our time-tested values of generosity and openness.

The National Council on Canada Arab Relations (NCCAR) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to build knowledge and ties between Canadians and the people of the Arab world in order to develop stronger relations and cooperation between them as well as raise an appreciation of their common values. NCCAR’s goal is to advance education in Canada by a)  providing seminars, conferences and workshops and b) providing leadership training in relation to the social, economic, political and cultural history and current issues of the Arab world and Middle East. NCCAR is a member-driven organization supported by Canadians of diverse backgrounds across Canada.

For further information on the National Council on Canada Arab Relations (NCCAR) please visit our website at www.nccar.ca or write to us at 1 Rideau Street, Suite 700, Ottawa, ON, K1N 8S7.

Contact: nccar@nccar.ca |  NCCAR Office: 613-238-3795

Twitter: @NCCARCanada | Facebook: NCCAR | www.nccar.ca

Communiqué Le CNRCA se réjouit de l’accueil de 25 000 réfugiés syriens par les Canadiens et attend avec intérêt le prochain objectif ambitieux pour protéger les réfugiés syriens

  Le Conseil national des relations canado-arabes (CNRCA) – un organisme sans but lucratif visant à éduquer les Canadiens sur les enjeux sociaux, économiques, politiques ainsi que culturels dans le monde arabe et le Moyen-Orient – se réjouit de l’atteinte de l’objectif de 25 000 réfugiés syriens accueillis au Canada. “Nous apprécions réellement le travail considérable effectué par les agents publics, bénévoles et organisateurs communautaires”, a affirmé Rula Odeh, la Directrice exécutive du CNRCA. “Alors que davantage de travail se présente afin d’intégrer les nouveaux membres de notre famille canadienne, les Canadiens peuvent être fiers de notre capacité à protéger ceux parmi les plus vulnérables membres de la communauté mondiale”.

Alors que le Canada bâtit sur ses récents succès ainsi que les leçons tirées, le CNRCA attend avec impatience le prochain objectif audacieux pour accueillir les réfugiés. Le CNRCA a confiance en la capacité des Canadiens à relever le défi encore une fois, avec nos valeurs éprouvés de générosité et d’ouverture.

Le Conseil national des relations canado-arabes (CNRCA) est un organisme à but non lucratif dont la mission est de tisser des liens entre les Canadiens et les peuples du monde arabe pour créer des relations et une collaboration plus étroites entre eux, et pour mieux apprécier leurs valeurs communes. L’objectif du CNRCA est de promouvoir l’éducation au Canada en a) fournissant des séminaires, conférences et ateliers ainsi qu’en b) offrant des formations en lien avec les aspects sociaux, économiques, politiques et culturels du monde arabe et du Moyen Orient. Le CNRCA est un organisme dirigé par ses membres et appuyé par des Canadiens de divers horizons dans l’ensemble du Canada.

Pour plus de renseignements sur le Conseil national des relations canado-arabes, veuillez visitez notre site Web à l’adresse www.nccar.ca ou écrivez-nous au 1 Rue Rideau, Suite 700, Ottawa, ON, K1N 8S7.

Contact: nccar@nccar.ca  |  NCCAR Office: 613-238-3795

Twitter: @NCCARCanada | Facebook: NCCAR | www.nccar.ca

The post Media Release: NCCAR is Delighted with Canadians’ Welcome of 25,000 Syrian Refugees appeared first on National Council on Canada-Arab Relations.

BDS is a non-violent campaign that supports proven methods of conscientious objection to encourage Israel to respect international law. In the past, Canadians have supported BDS aimed at several countries. Canadian churches, NGOs, universities and labor organizations were significant participants in BDS movements against South African apartheid. Such legitimate scrutiny and action by citizens can encourage countries that violate human rights to change their policies and no country should be made immune to these.

At its core, the vote on the anti-BDS motion would go against the spirit of Freedom of Speech, a right enshrined in Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Democratic governments do not ordinarily attempt to dictate the political views of their citizens. NCCAR Chair, Gabriel Fahel, reminds us that “freedom of speech and conscientious objections to buying products from countries that contravene international law are core values of a free and democratic society.”

NCCAR believes that Canadians’ free speech should be protected and put first when considering a position for or against BDS.

The National Council on Canada Arab Relations (NCCAR) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to build knowledge and ties between Canadians and the people of the Arab world in order to develop stronger relations and cooperation between them as well as raise an appreciation of their common values. NCCAR’s goal is to advance education in Canada by a)  providing seminars, conferences and workshops and b) providing leadership training in relation to the social, economic, political and cultural history and current issues of the Arab world and Middle East. NCCAR is a member-driven organization supported by Canadians of diverse backgrounds across Canada.

For further information on the National Council on Canada Arab Relations (NCCAR) please visit our website at www.nccar.ca or write to us at 1 Rideau Street, Suite 700, Ottawa, ON, K1N 8S7.

Contact: nccar@nccar.ca |  NCCAR Office: 613-238-3795

Twitter: @NCCARCanada | Facebook: NCCAR | www.nccar.ca

Communiqué Le CNRCA exhorte à considérer en priorité la liberté d’expression des Canadiens durant les débats sur le BDS A la lumière d’une motion aujourd’hui au Parlement appelant le gouvernement canadien à “condamner toute tentative d’organisations canadiennes, groupes ou individus visant à promouvoir le mouvement BDS [Boycott, Désinvestissement et Sanctions]” en lien avec Israël, le Conseil national des relations canado-arabes (CNRCA) invite les Canadiens à se référer à l’histoire louable que leur pays entretient avec les mouvements BDS et à la relation de longue durée entre ces mouvements et les principes canadiens démocratiques. 

Le BDS est une campagne non-violente soutenant des méthodes éprouvées d’objection de conscience afin d’encourage Israël à respecter les normes internationales. Précédemment, les Canadiens ont encouragés les mouvements de BDS visant de nombreux pays. Les Églises, ONGs, universités et unions canadiennes ont été des acteurs importants des mouvements BDS contre l’apartheid sud africain. Aucun pays ne devrait être à l’abris de tels examens publics légitimes et de telles actions pouvant encourager les États contrevenant aux droits humains à changer leurs politiques.

Dans ces fondements, le vote sur la motion anti-BDS irait contre l’esprit de liberté d’expression, un droit inscrit dans la Charte des droits et libertés du Canada. Les gouvernements démocratiques ne tentent pas communément de dicter des visions politiques à leurs citoyens. Le Président du CNRCA, Gabriel Fahel nous rappelle que “la liberté d’expression et d’objection de conscience d’acheter des produits provenant de certains pays contrevenant aux normes internationales sont des valeurs fondamentales dans une société libre et démocratique”.

Le CNRCA soutient que le droit à la liberté d’expression des Canadiens inscrit dans la charte doit être protégé et considéré en priorité dans les débats en faveur ou contre le BDS.

Le Conseil national des relations canado-arabes (CNRCA) est un organisme à but non lucratif dont la mission est de tisser des liens entre les Canadiens et les peuples du monde arabe pour créer des relations et une collaboration plus étroites entre eux, et pour mieux apprécier leurs valeurs communes. L’objectif du CNRCA est de promouvoir l’éducation au Canada en a) fournissant des séminaires, conférences et ateliers ainsi qu’en b) offrant des formations en lien avec les aspects sociaux, économiques, politiques et culturels du monde arabe et du Moyen Orient. Le CNRCA est un organisme dirigé par ses membres et appuyé par des Canadiens de divers horizons dans l’ensemble du Canada.

Pour plus de renseignements sur le Conseil national des relations canado-arabes, veuillez visitez notre site Web à l’adresse www.nccar.ca ou écrivez-nous au 1 Rue Rideau, Suite 700, Ottawa, ON, K1N 8S7.

Contact: nccar@nccar.ca  |  NCCAR Office: 613-238-3795

Twitter: @NCCARCanada | Facebook: NCCAR | www.nccar.ca

The post Media Release: NCCAR Urges Putting Canadians’ Right to Free Speech First When Considering BDS Position appeared first on National Council on Canada-Arab Relations.

As part of the Your Voice voter education campaign, the Canadian-Arab Institute, in partnership with the National Council on Canada-Arab Relations, continued their webinar series with a special webinar on national security and civil rights.

Watch this webinar to learn about legislation and cases that have impacted Arabs and Muslims over the past year. To what extent does Bill C-51 threat Canadian’s rights? Whose citizenship is in danger of revocation following the passage of Bill C-24? Did you know that Canada has a law that is called Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act?

Our Presenters

Faisal Kutty

Faisal Kutty is an associate professor and director of the International LL.M. Program at Valparaiso University Law School in Indiana and an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School of York University.

He is a co-founder and currently serves as counsel to KSM Law, a Toronto-based law firm. During his 18-year legal career he has represented dozens of individuals and institutions caught up in anti-terror investigations and national security matters.

He co-founded and served as general counsel for the Canadian Muslim Civil Liberties Association (CMCLA) while still a law student.  He also co-founded and served as vice-chair and legal counsel to the Canadian Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN) now known as the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM).

He is a regular commentator on anti-terrorism law, national security, Islamic law, constitutional law, human rights and Muslims. He has been quoted in numerous academic and non-academic publications and by media outlets around the world.  His Opeds have appeared in The Toronto Star, The National Post, The Globe and Mail, Al Jazeera, Arab News, Al ahram, Indian Express and numerous other publications. He also blogs at the Huffington Post.

Raja Khouri

Rula Odeh 

The post Watch our Webinar on National Security and Civil Rights appeared first on National Council on Canada-Arab Relations.

NCCAR’s Media and Policy Analysis team will be developing non-partisan, educational “Key Points and Backgrounders” accessible to the public on a series of topics such as Canadian policy on Syrian refugees, potential impact of “security” policies as well as foreign policy in the Middle East and the Arab Word. NCCAR will also provide its perspectives on these issues.

These “Key Points and Backgrounders” are featured as part of Your Voice voter education campaign which NCCAR is a partner in along with the Canadian-Arab Institute.

Issue:

The Antiterrorism Act, 2015 (Bill C-51) was passed by the Government of Canada earlier this year to expand Canada’s anti-terror laws.

Background:

As a result of a lone gun man’s terrorist attack on Parliament Hill on October 22, 2014, the government introduced legislation to expand the powers of CSIS and the RCMP, increasing information sharing and creating new Criminal Code for offenses such as promoting terrorism.

Considerations:

What have politicians been saying?

NDP leader Mr. Thomas Mulcair strongly opposed Bill C-51 and has called into question the necessity of many of these measures, suggesting that Canada’s new security legislation is an unnecessary infringement on the civil liberties of Canadians and an overreaction to an isolated attack. Mr. Mulcair offered several amendments to the bill, including oversight of CSIS powers by a body of elected officials. Liberal leader Mr. Justin Trudeau voted in favour of Bill C-51 and specified that his party, if elected to government, would introduce legislation to amend the law to heighten protections for the individual rights of Canadians. Green Party leader Ms. Elizabeth May also said she would present amendments but strongly opposed the bill as it moved Canada towards a police state.

What have commentators and experts been saying in the media?

The concerns expressed have been in the following areas:

1. The use of broad and undefined terms leaves a disproportionate amount of unchecked discretion in the hands of law enforcement.
2. The limits on Charter rights are likely to be challenged in the courts and distract from genuine efforts of law enforcement officials to protect Canada.
3. Community-based programs such as the RCMP’s new counter-extremism initiative, among other progressive programs will likely be undermined and create additional challenges for law enforcement to identify and prevent terror threats.
4. The Antiterrorism Act, 2015 is likely to be selectively applied with the potential to alienate and marginalize Arab Canadians while turning a blind eye to a range of threats to Canada’s national security.

NCCAR’s Perspective:

The implications of the Antiterrorism Act, 2015 as adopted concerns NCCAR. National security and the protection of all Canadians is essential for a thriving democracy. However, national security must be balanced with democratic freedoms while ensuring law enforcement are provided with effective tools which comply with the Charter. Absent time-tested judicial checks and parliamentary oversight, the Antiterrorism Act results in a Faustian bargain that trades away core Canadian values with the potential to alter the fabric of Canada’s democracy by moving towards unchecked state and police powers.

To read the complete document with the Key points and Backgrounder, click here.

The post NCCAR’s Key Points on C-51 appeared first on National Council on Canada-Arab Relations.

As part of the Your Voice voter education campaign, the Canadian-Arab Institute, in partnership with the National Council on Canada-Arab Relations, continue their webinar series with a special webinar on Canada’s Party Platform on Mideast Policy.

This webinar examines what the three major Canadian political parties, Conservatives, Liberals, and NDP, have posited about their future Mideast policies.

Thus far, the parties have provided positions on how to combat ISIS, Syrian refugees, humanitarian commitments, and relations with Iran. Dr. Momani discusses how these policies compare and the potential challenge and merits of these competing policy platforms.

Our Presenters

Bessma Momani

Dr. Bessma Momani is an Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo and the Balsillie School of International Affairs, and Senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance and Innovation (CIGI). She has been a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., a visiting scholar at Georgetown University’s Mortara Center, and at the Amman Institute in Jordan. She has authored and co-edited over six books and over 55 scholarly, peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters that have examined the IMF, the World Bank, petrodollars, regional trade agreements in the Middle East and economic liberalization throughout the Arab Gulf & the Middle East.

Dr. Momani has received a number of Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council awards and prizes for her research on global economic governance & political economy of the Middle East. Dr. Momani has been a public commentator and analyst on the Global Economy, Middle East and the Arab Spring. She is a regular contributor to CBC radio and is a Middle East analyst on CTV News, CBC’s The National, Al-Jazeera English, Bloomberg TV, BNN and TVOs the Agenda. She has also published numerous op-eds on the Arab Spring in Canadian & international news outlets as well maintaining her own blogs on the Huffington Post, Open Canada, and CIGI.

Raja Khouri

Rula Odeh 

The post Watch our Webinar on Canada’s Party Platform on Mideast Policy appeared first on National Council on Canada-Arab Relations.

Your Voice is a non-partisan voter education and motivation campaign aiming to inform Canadian Arabs across the country about their right and responsibility to vote, and encourage them to engage in the country’s democratic process.

To learn more and take part in the campaign, click here.

The post Take 90 seconds to discover the power of YOUR vote! appeared first on National Council on Canada-Arab Relations.

Your Voice is a non-partisan voter education and motivation campaign aiming to inform Canadian Arabs across the country about their right and responsibility to vote, and encourage them to engage in the country’s democratic process.

To learn more and take part in the campaign, click here.

The post Your Voice has launched #yourvoiceCAN appeared first on National Council on Canada-Arab Relations.

Embassy is Canada’s only newspaper that exclusively covers the country’s international portfolios of diplomacy, defence, immigration, trade, and development. Since its launch as a weekly and online newspaper in 2004, it has earned a reputation as the meeting place for some of Canada’s top foreign affairs experts, and a regular source of breaking international issue news and insider analysis.

The article is reprinted below with permission from Embassy where it originally appeared in the May 26th, 2015 issue . The original article can be found by clicking here. Subscription is required to access certain articles

Public Safety Minister Stephen Blaney recently declared that Canada will show “zero tolerance” towards the so-called BDS movement, which encourages boycotting Israel. In correspondence with Neil Macdonald of the CBC, Public Safety spokesperson Josée Sirois implied that the minister feels that Canadians who endorse the BDS movement are guilty of “hate crimes.”

Of course, few Canadians will disagree that hate crimes should be punished by law. Expressing hatred toward any group of people based on religion, nationality, gender or ethnicity is totally unacceptable.

But criticizing behaviours of political actors, including our own government or the governments of other countries, is a totally different matter. Already over 90 Canadian civil society organizations, from the BC Civil Liberties Association to the Canadian Labour Congress to Amnesty International to Independent Jewish Voices, have raised strong objections to what appear to be threats to our Charter-protected right of freedom of speech.

The BDS movement was launched in 2005 by 170 Palestinian civil society organizations, representing Palestinian refugees, Palestinians under occupation and Palestinian citizens of Israel. It was conceived of as a peaceful, non-violent way to bring international pressure on Israel. It was also endorsed by all the major Christian churches in Palestine in addition to Muslim religious leaders.

BDS stands for a program of boycotting Israeli products, financial disinvestment from Israeli companies, and government sanctions against the state of Israel until it meets certain conditions.

But what is it, exactly, that the BDS movement is asking for? What is it asking Israel to do?

The BDS movement has three simple, democratic demands, all of which can be met by the Israeli government. Ironically, as it turns out, all three of the BDS demands are also completely consistent with official policy of the Canadian government.

The first BDS demand is “ending its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands.”

This is completely consistent with Canada’s existing policy as stated on the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development website:

“Canada does not recognize permanent Israeli control over territories occupied in 1967 (the Golan Heights, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip)…As referred to in UN Security Council Resolutions 446 and 465, Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.”

The second BDS demand is “recognizing the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality.”

The promotion of equality and democracy around the world is one of Canada’s fundamental principles – from China, to Iran to Sri Lanka. See, for example, this from the DFATD website:

”Canada has been a consistently strong voice for the protection of human rights and the advancement of democratic values, from our central role in the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1947/1948 to our work at the United Nations today.”

The BDS demand for equality for non-Jews living inside Israel is completely consistent with our promotion of democracy in other countries.

The third BDS demand is “respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.”

This too, is already in our existing policy:

“Canada believes that a just solution to the Palestinian refugee issue is central to a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as called for in United Nations General Assembly resolution 194 (1948) and United Nations Security Council resolution 242…This solution should respect the rights of the refugees, in accordance with international law.”

While these reasonable and democratic policy demands have been the official Canadian position for the last two decades, we have been spectacularly unsuccessful in persuading Israel to adopt them.

An international campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions is now developing to bring pressure on Israel. What would be the rationale for criminalizing it?

Peter Larson is the chair of National Education Committee on Israel/Palestine, a committee of the National Council on Canada Arab Relations.

editor@embassynews.ca

PMO Photo: Jason Ransom

Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife Laureen, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara during Mr. Harper’s first official visit to Israel in January 2014.

The post Israel boycott demands consistent with official Canadian policy – Published in Embassy Magazine appeared first on National Council on Canada-Arab Relations.

• “Security, Rights and Freedoms – Canadian Perspectives”
• “Identity Politics – Canadian Perspectives”

Our team curates commentary and analysis from The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, National Post, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, iPolitics and more on a daily basis.

Security, Rights and Freedoms – Canadian Perspectives

What are Canadian commentators and analysts saying about this topic? How about Canadian parliamentarians and parties? Flip through our magazine – click here or on the image below – and give us your feedback! Let your network know about this valuable resource.

Identity Politics – Canadian Perspectives

The latest debate about identity politics involving Canadians of Arab or Muslim background. Click here or on the image below. Your feecback is appreciated. Share widely!

Disclaimer: The views expressed in articles are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect the views of NCCAR. We encourage readers to share their own opinions directly with any media outlet they would like to connect with.

The post NCCAR Launches Two New “Perspectives” Magazines on Timely and Important Issues appeared first on National Council on Canada-Arab Relations.