Thompson Rivers University must do the right thing. It must restore the display of an art assignment -- albeit a controversial one -- that depicts a woman wearing Muslim veils holding a bra while folding laundry.
Irate calls over perceived insults to Islamic culture, belief and practice have once again stifled freedom of speech and expression. The art student, Soorya Graham, is nonetheless fighting for her right by insisting her work be displayed once again at the school. Her photo showing the Muslim woman holding the bra was reportedly stripped off the wall by another student.
What addles the mind about the incident is the audacity with which fundamentalists impose their religiosity on others.
Graham, who also wears a head scarf, merely wanted to show the world that veiled women are the same as other women even underneath those sombre layers of clothing. Perhaps she thought the public was under the impression that women in Muslim veiling do not wear undergarments. Graham had hoped to dispel that impression and as a Canadian student she had every right to do so. But that right has been rudely snatched from her by bigots.
Her artistic expression undoubtedly offended them. But so what? This is Canada. People have the right to express their religious beliefs freely. And if the fundamentalists are unhappy with these freedoms -- they too are free to leave.
What they most certainly are not free to do in Canada is steal art and use it to impose their fundamentalist agenda on others. The perpetrator is allegedly another Muslim student. Her actions have sparked controversy over issues of free speech, the limits of artistic expression as well as the limits of multiculturalism.
She allegedly acted on behalf of an Islamic Education centre in Kamloops, B.C., that has expressed open opposition to the art work. The centre is funded by the Saudi Arabian embassy. Both the Embassy and the education centre feel the photo mocks Islam.
In Saudi Arabia, men are now technically banned from working at lingerie store. The demand for the law came from Saudi women themselves, who had previously felt a sense of shame and embarrassment in dealing with male salesmen while buying lingerie. Despite opposition from top clerics who discourage women from working in stores, the law that was appraised by King Abdullah in 2006 allowing female-only workers is now finally being enforced.
In Saudi Arabia, therefore, garments worn underneath the burka -- that symbol of Wahhabi-manufactured piety -- are meant only for the eyes of the husband. It explains Saudi chagrin over the controversial photo in Kamloops. Saudi Arabia, however, cannot impose its value system on Canadian citizens who enjoy the right to free expression.
Our civil liberties are enshrined in Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Included among these are freedoms that foster a range of artistic and intellectual expression. It is only in allowing this wide range of ideas that societies can evolve and progress. And while certain types of artistic expression may very well offend religious sensibilities, our artists and intellectuals must not be denied their full creative expression.
Canada is not answerable to Saudi Arabia.
Follow Farzana Hassan on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@FarzanaHassan1
In conclusion, Deal with it and if you don't like it I will personally pay for your one way ticket.
I've only been in Canada for a few years and I understand this concept . Why others who have been here for decades can't is beyond me.
And the one who took the photo down should be charged with theft.
Well said, Farzana ! Keep writing and educating all people, to the danger from fundamentalists of all colour.
it's an interesting situation that will continue to come up in canada for the forseeable future, i.e. religion scraping up against secularism.
yet, it's a good thing as long as it promotes dialogue, less so when it produces heated comments from both sides. no one limits my lifestyle or the rights of my fellow citizens to practice their diverse lifestyles; that is the beauty and allure of living in canada.
but the title is a bit annoying. "Hey, Islam"? C'mon now. You surely don't think that Islam preaches theft...or are you just trying to get everyone's attention here?
Definition of THEFT
1
a : the act of stealing; specifically : the felonious taking and removing of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it
The art work was stolen and that makes it theft... clear and simply.
As far as your question as to whether Islam preaches theft... Yes! Somehow that woman who "removed" the art got the idea from somewhere. At the end of the day, its another example of religion imposing its archaic and mean-spirited ideals on everyone else...
pluralism is the issue here, and that means sometimes restricting your actions to avoid offending others.