Canada’s new Minister of Immigration is a former Refugee


By Tarek Fatah, Author and Columnist, Canada
On Jan. 10, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a decision that made ripples throughout the world. From Singapore to India, to the BBC and beyond, the only news from Canada that made headlines was about Ahmed Hussen, a Somali-born refugee who arrived on our shores in 1993 and rose to become our Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. For spotting talent and lifting a backbencher into the Privy Council, I tip my hat to Trudeau. For hundreds of thousands of African-Canadian boys and girls, Ahmed Hussen’s story is a beacon of hope.
(Readers should know Hussen is a close friend, though we disagree on much.)
He first came to my attention at the height of Ontario’s historic (and successful) fight rejecting the use of Sharia law in family law arbitration matters in 2004-2005. On one side was the mosque establishment and many Islamic clerics who had set up quasi courts and appointed “Qazis” to invoke Islamic Sharia in settling family disputes. Opposing them was a much smaller group of secular and liberal Muslims – including yours truly – for whom this was a do-or-die moment. We knew how the UK had let this happen many years before, only to discover, too late, the Muslim community of Britain being held hostage by Islamic clerics. At the time, Hussen was a Liberal staffer with ties to then Ontario cabinet minister George Smitherman.
Along with another Muslim staffer, Hussen helped us connect with Smitherman, where we made our case to ban Sharia courts in Ontario. While Hussen supported our goals, he never crossed the line to help us more than what was appropriate, transparent and above board. That same year, the Toronto Star listed Hussen as a “Person to Watch”. People were already noticing the lanky lad from Regent Park, but I am not sure Hussen knew that at the time. When asked by the Star if he had political ambitions, the future immigration minister said, “I don’t think I could handle the life of a politician . . . I don’t want to be front and centre.”
A community organizer in Regent Park, when the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) tried to pigeonhole Canadian-born kids of Somali ancestry as “Somali kids” in 2014, Hussen led the fight against this paternalistic orientalism, denouncing attempts by the board to segregate in the name of integration. He told the TDSB: “Do you need to stigmatize and marginalize people to help them? … In the name of ‘help’ you can actually do a lot of damage if you don’t do it the right way.” Canadians concerned about the global and Canadian rise of Islamism and jihad should be reassured they have an ally in Hussen.
Here is what he told the U.S. Committee on Homeland Security hearings in Washington in July 2007, in criticizing the idea of treating terrorism only as a criminal offence:
“The strategy of Canadian officials as they confront this phenomenon in my community has been to view this serious matter only through the prism of law enforcement …  There has not been a parallel attempt to counter the toxic, anti-Western narrative that creates a culture of victimhood in the minds of members of our community.” Hussen is already showing his mettle. On Monday, he told CBC News he was committed to bringing non-Muslim Yazidi refugees, victims of ISIS, to Canada, a group that has been largely excluded so far.



Wellicht is mijn boekenblog ook interessant: http://dutchysbookreviews.blogspot.nl/l
Interessant artikel? Deel het eens met uw netwerk en help mee met het verspreiden van de bekendheid van dit blog. Er staan wellicht nog meer artikelen op dit weblog die u zullen boeien. Kijk gerust eens rond. Zelf graag wat willen plaatsen? Mail dan webmaster@vreemdelingenrecht.com In verband met geldwolven die denken geld te kunnen claimen op krantenartikelen die op een blog als deze worden geplaatst maar na meestal een dag voor de krantenlezers aan leeswaardigheid hebben ingeboet terwijl wij vreemdelingenrecht specialisten ze soms wel nog jaren gebruiken om er een kopie van te maken voor een zaak ga ik over tot het plaatsen van alleen het eerste stukje. Ja ik weet het: de kans dat u doorklikt is geringer dan wanneer het hele artikel hier staat en een kopie van het orgineel maken handig kan zijn voor uw zaak. Wilt u zelf wat overnemen van dit weblog. Dat mag. Zet er alleen even een link bij naar het desbetreffende artikel zodat mensen niet alleen dat wat u knipt en plakt kunnen lezen maar dat ook kunnen doen in de context.


Subscribe to Vreemdelingenrecht.com blog by Email

Reacties

Populaire posts van deze blog

𝗪𝗼𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗱𝗮𝗴 𝟭𝟳 𝗷𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗶 𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗮𝗸 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗷𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗷𝗸𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗮𝗻 ‘𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀’

Stichting LOS schreef boek "Post Deportation Risk" over de mensenrechten situatie na terugkeer

VACATURE: Programma manager bij Forum voor Programma Immigratie & Burgerschap (Migratierecht)

Oude (groot)ouder naar Nederland willen halen kan soms

Immigratiedienst: Minder vaak voordeel van twijfel voor asielzoeker

VACATURE Hoor- en Beslismedewerker IND

Met je buitenlandse partner naar Nederland: 20 tips (artikel van Gart Adang op zijn verzoek geplaatst)

Jurisprudentie van deze week zoals besproken in het advocatenoverleg van 18 januari 2024

UItspraak: Artikel 8 EVRM bij volwassen gezinsleden (moeder bij dochter)

Boek geeft gezicht aan vluchtelingenproblematiek - hoe een Koerdische Irakees kapper in Leiden werd