News round-up

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Stories about religion in Quebec:

Quebec City archbishop asks forgiveness for church's past sins
The archbishop of Quebec City has issued a wide-ranging mea culpa that seeks forgiveness for the Catholic Church's handling of sex scandals and its treatment of minorities. In an open letter published in Quebec newspapers Wednesday, Marc Cardinal Ouellet says "errors were committed" in the past by certain Catholics and other church officials.
Canadian Press, November 20

Quebec's accommodation hearings attacked for increasing racial tensions
Quebec's public hearings on the integration of immigrants came under fire Tuesday night for promoting negative images of the province's newcomers. Several participants at the commission's first stop in Montreal suggested it has done more to make them feel uncomfortable than to ease racial tensions.
Canadian Press, November 20

Top Roman Catholic's appeal for forgiveness dismissed by church critics
An apology from Canada's top Roman Catholic official for the failings of the church means little to some of those he admitted have been hurt by the church's abuse of power. Marc Cardinal Ouellet admitted in an open letter published in Quebec newspapers Wednesday that scandals have tarnished the image of the church in Quebec and that "we must humbly ask forgiveness."
Canadian Press, November 21

'We're living in a time of hysteria'
For weeks, they had bitten their tongues and listened to others portray them as a threat to the future of Quebec. Last night, the much talked about minorities of Montreal got a chance to unburden themselves. In an evening in one of Montreal's poorest, most diverse districts, the Bouchard-Taylor Commission heard of the frustrations and bewilderment minorities have felt since the province plunged into a contentious debate about religious accommodation.
Globe and Mail, November 21

Earlier: Stories about religious minorities in Quebec

Stories about Islam and the West:

Liberals back off criticism of veiled voting
Liberals have lost their enthusiasm for forcing veiled Muslim women to show their faces if they want to vote in federal elections. Some Grit MPs now admit the party was wrong to jump on the bandwagon two months ago, joining the three other federal parties in demanding that Elections Canada insist all voters uncover their faces.
Canadian Press, November 15

Judo Manitoba refused to allow Muslim girl to compete for wearing hijab
A Judo Manitoba official reduced an 11-year-old girl to tears Saturday when he refused to allow her to compete in a tournament wearing a hijab, or Muslim head scarf. While other children squared off in the match at a Winnipeg gym, Hagar Outbih could only watch from the sidelines and wonder why she was singled out.
Canadian Press, November 18

Muslim woman claims discrimination over uniform skirt
The country's airport security agency is reviewing its dress code after a Muslim screener complained to the Canadian Human Rights Commission that she had to wear a uniform she deemed immodest. The Teamsters union and the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations announced Monday that they filed a religious discrimination complaint on behalf of Halima Muse.
Canadian Press, November 19

'Little Mosque in Wisconsin?' Strike-bound U.S. networks eye Canadian shows
The ongoing screenwriters strike in the United States has had an undeniable impact in Canada - American shows filming here are shutting down due to a lack of scripts, throwing hundreds out of work amid fears that a prolonged strike could damage the entire North American film and TV industry. But there's been one bright spot on an otherwise bleak horizon: American broadcasters are eagerly eyeing Canadian shows as diverse as "Little Mosque on the Prairie," "Durham County" and "The Border," a new CBC drama that premieres in January.
Canadian Press, November 19

Compromise reached in dispute over Muslim woman's uniform skirt length
A compromise has been reached in the case of a Muslim woman suspended from her job at Pearson International Airport because of the length of her skirt. Halima Muse was suspended in August from her job as a screener with a security firm for wearing a skirt longer than the knee-length one supplied with her uniform.
Canadian Press, November 21

Earlier: To veil or not to veil

Stories about the polygamous cult at Bountiful:

A battle for Bountiful's children
In mid-September, Teressa Wall Blackmore walked confidently to the witness stand in the St. George, Utah courtroom to testify against fundamentalist Mormon prophet Warren Jeffs. Dressed in a smart suit with attractively styled hair, Blackmore clearly no longer belonged to the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. What Teressa had no idea about was the truth of the adage, "No good deed goes unpunished."
Daphne Bramham, Vancouver Sun, November 17

U.S. polygamist leader gets 5 years to life for role in arranged marriage
The leader of a Utah polygamous sect faces five years to life in prison for arranging the marriage of teenage cousins. Warren Jeffs was convicted in September of rape as an accomplice for his role in the marriage of a 14-year-old follower and her 19-year-old cousin in 2001. The Utah parole board will decide how long Jeffs remains in jail. The 51-year-old faces similar charges in Colorado.
Associated Press, November 20

Continue article >>

Fundamentalist gets maximum jail term
Mormon polygamous prophet Warren Jeffs sentenced for part in 2 rapes of 14-year-old girl pressured into marriage to cousin
Daphne Bramham, Vancouver Sun, November 21

Polygamist 'Prophet' Gets 5 Years To Life
Warren Jeffs, the leader of the largest polygamous group in North America, was sentenced yesterday to consecutive terms of five years to life for the role he played as an accomplice to two rapes of a 14-year-old girl.
CanWest News Service, November 21

Earlier: Stories about the polygamous cult at Bountiful

Stories about CBC's documentary on Falun Gong:

Approving Falun Gong film 'a mistake': CBC
The CBC made a mistake in approving a controversial documentary on the Falun Gong spiritual movement without proper vetting, the executive vice-president of CBC Television said yesterday. Richard Stursberg acknowledged the public broadcaster decided to review Beyond the Red Wall: The Persecution of the Falun Gong after receiving calls from Chinese diplomats. However, he said that concerns about the film's editorial quality -- not pressure from the Chinese government -- ultimately prompted CBC to delay the documentary's air date.
National Post, November 15

CBC makes more cuts to Falun Gong film
CBC Newsworld made its own last-minute changes to a documentary on the Falun Gong before airing it last night, after the film's producer refused to help make additional cuts to his controversial film. . . . After reviewing the film, the CBC requested a series of tweaks from producer Peter Rowe. He agreed, but became frustrated last weekend when the public broadcaster requested a second round of changes, including minor cuts to interview footage.
National Post, November 21

Earlier: Stories about CBC's documentary on Falun Gong

Other stories from the past week:

Seeking solid ground in a pluralistic world
Having trouble sorting through all the 'isms' today? Bottom line: What we need is the transcendent power of love
Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, November 17

Disaster-relief charities breaking the rules, probe finds
Most Canadian charities that provide disaster relief at home and abroad are breaking the rules, suggests a new probe by the Canada Revenue Agency. More than half of the 27 disaster-relief charities randomly picked for close scrutiny by the agency's charities directorate failed to meet standards - including some that handed over donations to "non-qualified" recipients abroad.
Canadian Press, November 19

Christian crack
If Rudy Giuliani wins the Republican nomination, evangelicals may prefer a third party to voting for a pro-choice New Yorker
Charles Lewis, National Post, November 19

A man bedevilled by God
Writer Shalom Auslander has worked hard to leave behind his Orthodox Jewish background. But the Deity is not co-operating
Globe and Mail, November 20

Sixty Years Of Commitment
Sixty years ago today a young Princess Elizabeth, future Queen of Canada, married a minor Greek royal, Prince Philip Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg. That was going to be quite a mouthful for a future consort, a styling even more continentally baroque than Albert Saxe-Coburg-Gotha brought to his marriage to Queen Victoria. It was easily remedied; just as the royals transformed themselves into Windsors, the bridegroom arrived at the altar as Philip Mountbatten.
Fr. Raymond J. De Souza, National Post, November 20

Style, design, and your Purim questions answered
It may have taken 5,000 years, but Jews finally have their own lifestyle magazine. Focusing on themes largely overlooked by the Old Testament prophets - entertaining, decorating, personal style - the Canadian husband-and-wife team of Dan Zimerman and Carol Moskot have created Jewish Living, a glossy publication to rival Martha's more goyish version of the good life.
Globe and Mail, November 21

Opponents of Sikh terrorism felt isolated, abandoned, says Dosanjh
Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh says he and others who spoke out against Sikh extremism in the 1980s faced a "reign of terror" that included beatings, arson and threats of kidnapping and death - and the rest of Canadian society didn't seem to care. Testifying at the Air India inquiry Wednesday, Dosanjh said most mainstream politicians and police officers viewed the problem as an internal dispute among immigrants, with no consequences for anybody else.
Canadian Press, November 21

The college campus: Anti-Semitism's last North American refuge
The new Jew-hatred isn't characterized by brutal government-sponsored Kristallnachts. It is covert and "respectable." Indeed, wearing the fig leaf of anti-Zionism, Israel hatred in Europe is more than respectable; it is fashionable. But make no mistake: Organized and aggressive anti-Zionism is, effectively, anti-Semitism filtered through an ideological spellcheck. Scapegoating Jews for the world's ills, once a tactic of the right, is today a global left-wing phenomenon.
Barbara Kay, National Post, November 21

November 22/2007