December 30, 2007 @ 10:18
I had dinner with my friend Abu Hasan on Friday night.
Back in March Abu sent me an e-mail that led to a meeting at a local Tim Horton’s and we’ve stayed in contact since then through the website.
On Friday our schedules finally allowed us to get together again and we met at a Somali restaurant called “Hamdi” on Rexdale Blvd in Etobicoke.
The food was interesting and was best described by Abu, who said it’s like Indian food without the hot spices. We had chicken and beef over a bed of rice and we washed it down with Mango juice and it was quite tasty.
When we first arrived at the restaurant I asked for a beer but quickly found out there was no liquor served at this Muslim restaurant. Liquor is a no no.
Oh well, I can go a few hours without a beer so I settled in and enjoyed the meal and good conversation with Abu who frets over the reputation of Muslims in Canadian society.
The vast majority of Muslims in Canada are good people he says. They are people who want to live in a peaceful and prosperous country and have nothing but distain for extremists who promote hate and violence.
They’re not even real Muslims says Abu because it’s widely believed within the religion that to kill one person is the equivalent of killing all mankind.
Abu Hasan has some other concerns as well. He’s concerned that Canada is being infiltrated by radicals and he’s concerned with cultural problems that are not being addressed by South Asians in particular.
We talked about the young girl in Mississauga, Aqsa Parvez, who was murdered by her father and Abu maintains that violence against women and children in South Asian homes is common and not really considered a problem as it is a way of life.
Like any problem it can’t be addressed until it’s recognized and to this point, it’s simply not recognized.
Again, this is not to say that this applies to all South Asian homes or that it's exclusive to South Asian homes because that wouldn’t be fair. But according to Abu, who’s a Canadian of Indian heritage, it definitely is a problem within that culture in Canada.
Give him credit for admitting it.
Category: Friends | Stuff
December 31, 2007 / 11:23
What really puzzles me is that there are so many people from that region of the world that come to Canada as refugees and yet return to their native lands very year for vacation. If it was so bad there why would you go back? Oh yeah, I guess they come here for free health care, subsidized housing and a free education. What a bunch of suckers this country, Canada, is….
December 31, 2007 / 13:28
Argie - it could be that the people from that region are immigrants - not refugees. I believe only shiites are granted refugee status from that region.
Canada is only the "sucker" when people abuse the system when it goes beyond a safety net or becomes a pattern. It would be my guess that this is not most immigrants, it is other sects in our society that have learned to abuse our system.
January 2, 2008 / 07:20
Lew - you're dreaming.
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Is the booing of Sarah Palin on previous evening of 'Dancing With the Stars' inappropriate? just do not like Sarah Palin, don’t get her book. Don’t become her Facebook friend. Do not vote for her but be sure to incorporate some good manners, booing is just so irritating.
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October 9, 2010 / 19:02
A explosive device planted in a motor vehicle has erupted outside a shopping complex in Londonderry, inducing large damage to city shops, law enforcement department have said. So who needs Muslims?
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There was a bomb outdoors the Ulster Bank in Derry area.
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Sen. Graham calls Glen Beck a "positive force". Seriously is not that a tad like calling Rick Sanchez as being an authority on Judaism?
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