Dual citizenship, working and travelling in two more more countries, paying taxes? Maybe.
Upholding the culture, values, traditions and beliefs in which country? Which one?
UPDATE: Now that they have been convicted, the testimony held back has been revealed.
The Shafia honour-killings trial heard from plenty of Afghan witnesses prepared to vouch for the parents and son accused of murdering four female members of their family.
The Shafia case is a supreme one. There are cultures, traditions, religions and races where polygamy, lying, are permissible. Canada is not one of them.
I have followed the case closely, the inconsistencies, the inadmissible evidence revealed after the jury ws sequestered.
This reporter has been a good read:
I became keen on understanding Islam when I had classrooms graced with the presence of some 80% multicultural rainbows. I learned what I could, e.g., had some delightful Lebanese students explain which dishes to order on a dinner date!
We shared mutual practices, faith-based notions. We practiced equality, and treated one another with dignity and respect.
They were a broad mix of kids and we had some interesting discussions. One time, during a discussion when a student's friend had lost an ill sibling, we were talking about the chronic ill health of the young brother. The pregrieving was hard on the family. The discussion continued about death and dying.
One student chimed in with, "
Suicide is OK if you are defending your peoples! My uncle was a suicide bomber." I declared that this was not acceptable in Canada. It was shocking.
In some cultures, in some parts of the world, you tell 'permissible lies'. In Islam it is called
Al-taqiyya, and it means that the "concealing or disguising of one's beliefs, feelings or opinions to save oneself from injury." I faced this when dealing with some of my students. I would catch them in an act and they would tell me "
I swear I didn't do it, Miss!"
As long as dual citizenship is allowed, those holding beliefs contrary to Canada's laws, will be torn. Perhaps not torn, but making a cultural choice. Those with assets have been welcomed into Canada, like the Sharia family. Perhaps, while there was a financial means test, perhaps there should have been a values test. Women are equal in Canada.
I am so shocked when I read about this Shafia case.
I am further shocked when I read that an NDP candidate for leadership has dual citizenship.
Andrew Coyne reported,
At bottom, the question of Thomas Mulcair' s dual citizenship has nothing to do with him, and everything to do with us. The NDP leadership candidate was within his rights to take out French citizenship some years ago. He did nothing shameful...
Again, the unbearable lightness of being Canadian.
According to Coyne, to become a citizen of another country you will lose your citizenship in Denmark, Japan, Norway. You cannot acquire citizenship in another country outside of Germany.
The US doesn't do it formally, but their oath says that new citizens must "renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity." In Australia, you may not be a member of parliament if you are a citizen of a foreign power.
Either this is your home, or it is not.
Either you uphold the beliefs of Canada or you do not belong here.
Many of my readers have made comments on the winters we face. I like snowshoeing, walks in the woods.
Then you drive your truck over. Get the kids and the dog out of the truck, having driven them up and down the lake several times!
We checked out the beach –closed.
