SpeakNews

In this issue: + Local Community Action + U of A students send delegation to tar sands + Head coverings and neckties

No. 6 | Winter/Spring 2010

Quarterly | Always Free

W r i t e s f o r R i g h t s

+ Editor’s Message AJ Reitsma

+ Covering is Oppression Khalida Tanvir Syed

+ Community Action Jon Lai

+ With my own Eyes. Students Travel to Fort Mac. AJ Reitsma

+ Voices from the Lubicon Edited: AJ Reitsma

+ Questioning Muslimah Khalida Tanvir Syed

+ Reclaim

Ruby X

2

3

8

11

16

18

20

In This Issue

I

t

h

Welcome to the Winter/Spring 2010 issue of SpeakNews!

It was a long time coming but here it is!

I definitely learned a great deal in the publication of the last issue and this one!

Before she left, Jackie and I had discussed how we hope to transform Speaknews into

a more community-based and focused paper. This is not to say that we do not want to

focus on all sorts of issues; as always, our audience and our writers direct us.

However, in this issue, there is definitely a more local focus. Check out Jon’s article to

learn more about how a community can work together in the interests of human

rights. Learn much about the oil sands, which rest right in our ‘own backyard’ and are

the subject of so much debate.

SpeakNews comes to you four times a year, brought to you by dedicated journalists

from the University of Alberta campus, the Edmonton community, and around the

world. In each issue, we strive to bring you the most relevant under-reported news

and views at the local, national and international levels. Subscribe or volunteer by

emailing jhr.speaknews@gmail.com. Then, spread the word to your fellow writers,

photographers, and activists - let's do this thing together.

Thanks for reading!

Your editor,

AJ Reitsma

Get In Touch 780.232.6744

jhr.speaknews@gmail.com

http://speaknews.wordpress.com/

Care of Alberta Public Interest

Research Group (APIRG),

Hub International Mall,

University of Alberta,

9111 112th St.

Edmonton, AB T6G 2C5

Volunteer for SpeakNews! We’re always looking for new additions to our team, and one of our

most important goals is to provide a welcoming and constructive

environment where you can develop and enhance your media skills.

Whether you’re a wordsmith, a photographer, or a Photoshop

junkie, if you’ve got passion for media and human rights, give us a

shout – we’d love for you to join us.

Editor’s Message

2

As a women of Muslim origins and born in the

East, I am often dismayed by developments in

Canada and in many other Western nations concerning Muslim women‘s use and choice of

dress styles and head-coverings such as Hijabs,

Niqabs, and Burkas. These have become the

subject of significant controversy and debate. In

some countries, the coverings and the women who choose to wear them are deemed so dangerous

that legislation has been enacted to restrict or limit

the use of such coverings in schools, the

workplace, or other public settings.

When is Choosing to Cover Your Body Oppressive: Is the Tie a Symbol of Male Oppression in the West?

Khalida Tanvir Syed

In my circle, some think that all the controversy is

result of ordinary Joes or Joans ignorant of

Muslim practices and the reality of Muslim women‘s choices clamouring for legislation and

rallying against these ‗dangerous‘ and ‗oppressive‘

coverings. Often in the process forgetting that, it is

they who are limiting women‘s choices. In some

extreme cases, such as an incident in Australia, all

the clamour-leading gangs of men to chase down and corner women who choose to wear Hijabs so

that they can forcibly remove these ‗offensive‘

coverings from women‘s heads all in the name of

women‘s liberation and rights. 3

Women praying dhuhr (on jummah) at the Islamic Society of Akron & Kent. Beth Rankin (BohPhoto) from Kent, OH, USA.

Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain.

do some basic research and reflection. It is far easier to assume that what ‗we‘ do in the West is

always advanced and right and what ―they‖ do in

the East is always primitive and wrong or to simply

rely and accept without question common

stereotypes, misinformation, and misconceptions about other groups.

It is so ironic that in West there is so much

concern being expressed for Muslim women‘s

rights and yet many of these same people fail to

notice the continued sexism and oppression of women in Western societies. When I look around

me, I can‘t help wonder how they fail to note how

women are mistreated. I see women being

objectified and treated as sexual objects in the

media and in popular culture. Yet I hear and read

statements such as ―Eh well, Muslim Women are oppressed because they cannot choose their dress

code.‖

Equally problematic, is the notion that ―Show me

your face otherwise there will be no school or other public services for you‖. If we followed this logic

that one‘s face must be seen to have service, to

show identity, then we should shut down all

universities distance education programs, stop

using telephone radio services and internet

because you cannot see the face of the persons involved. If you want to see my face for security or

identification: Hire more females in workforce,

because a woman who chooses to cover her face in

public, will be happy to show her face to female

public servants, female teachers, female customer officers, female medical doctors and of course

female police officers but not to men. NO MORE!

Why is a piece of cloth so dangerous? Why do we

not pass legislation that outlaws the use of

balaclavas? I can guarantee you that balaclavas

are far more often used in crime and other illicit operations than are the Niqabs or Burkas. When

was the last time you heard of a bank being held

up by a woman in a Hijab, Niqab, or Burka?

The willingness of many politicians to jump on the campaign against Niqab/Hijab shows that they are

too willing to exploit any issue for power and do not

hesitate to waste taxpayers‘ money and their own

time and energy to limit Muslim women‘s rights to

choose how to dress. Do they really think that they can stop women wearing what women choose to?

Let them waste their time and energies, and our

money! But beware, sometimes these negative and

aggressive actions do more damage than good. 4

I too held this view for a while, but sadly soon discovered that such biased views are held by

many in all occupations, even those whose job it is

to prepare teachers to work with students from

diverse backgrounds. When does one person‘s

choice of clothing and coverings become controversial and oppressive because it conforms

to practices or the norms of a group one identifies

with and not another‘s? Let me explain what I

mean:

In the fall of 2007 I was sitting in a PhD Seminar in a Canadian University with eight white graduate

students and a white middle class professor all of

European origins. At one point in the class, the

professor directed his attention to me and to my

surprise asked: ―Do Muslim women feel oppressed

because they have to cover their bodies and heads to conform to their faith and cultural norms?‖ The

question and the way that it was posed angered

and shocked me. I was not expecting that lack of

sensitivity and knowledge from a professor who

was supposed to be an expert on diversity education and a member of the University‘s

diversity institute research team.

Left speechless, I could only look at him in shock

and disbelief. There I stared a man who himself

willingly had covered himself from neck to toe in conformity with his culture‘s norms and

expectations, but who had the audacity to ask me

if I felt oppressed for willingly doing the very same

thing. After a few moments, I found myself

addressing him and managed to say,‖ If women willingly choosing to cover their bodies is sign of

oppression, then I think men like you in the West

are as equally oppressed as are these women.‖ It is

not logical to wonder why men who cover their

bodies to conform to their culture‘s norms of

‗appropriate business dress‘ are not considered oppressed, but women from the East who make

similar choices are? In his mind, why was I

oppressed but he was not, when we were both

exercising our right to choose our ‗dress‘? If I am

oppressed for choosing to conform to my faith and culture‘s dress code, is he not equally oppressed

for doing so? To my surprise, the professor did not

like my question and chose to move on to other

subjects.

This incident and others since have led me to

conclude that the problem with many in the West, well educated or not, including my former

professor, are unaware of their biases, lack

cultural knowledge and have limited cross-cultural competency. They lack either the time or the will to

5

―There I stared a man who himself willingly had covered himself from neck to toe

in conformity with his culture‘s norms and expectations…‖

The Quran says, ―Ignore the fools!‖ Well, women

will keep wearing Niqab/ Hijab because we choose to do so. Many women will be encouraged to do so

as an act of defiance and resistance. As Martin

Luther King, one said, ―Injustice anywhere is a

threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an

inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly,

affects all indirectly. ―(Martin Luther King, Jr.,

1990)

On May 6, 2010, I attended a Public Teach-in Café:

What is a Hijab? Why Niqab? The promotional material for the event stated,

“Are you wondering about what Muslim women wear and why? Come to a Public Teach-in Café and listen to Muslim women tell their stories in their own words. Ask questions so we can understand each other in the spirit of an inclusive Canada.”

The event was organized by Islamic Social Services

Association (ISSA), and sponsored by several local

and national Muslim agencies such as CAIR-CAN and held at the Carol Shields Auditorium,

Millennium Library in Winnipeg. Almost 150 people

attended the majority of them non-Muslims. The

stories the Muslim women that were featured in

the panel were motivational and insightful and

Sister Shahina Siddiqui answered questions with wisdom and humor.

The stories that young and adult women shared

were so powerful and I was impressed that they

had the courage to speak out and speak loudly. Their message was clear and loud:

No more! Be quiet! We will not be dictated to by Muslim or Non-Muslim political leaders. Stop stereotyping Muslim women. Stop limiting our right to choose.

I was inspired by the sight of Muslim women

standing in solidarity against injustice. Although

none on the panel chose to wear a Niqab, they were

speaking up and speaking loudly in solidarity with those who choose to wear the Niqab. I applauded

their courage, and harmonious voices. I am

reminded of The Holy Quran, Verse, 135, Surah 4,

entitled, Al-Nisa- The women:

Oh ye who believe.◦ Stand out firmly. ◦ For Justice,

as witness. ◦To God, even if it may be against. ◦ Yourselves, or your parents Or your kin. ◦ (Chapter, Women, Quran).

Sitting in the audience, listening to their powerful

stories and but still wondering why these women

had to be there in the first place, why did they need

to defend their choice of dress? I could not help but feel a deep sense of sadness. Why do we in the

West defend the right of women to make dress

choices that allow them to uncover, expose

whatever body part they wish, they wish, pierce

belly buttons and other extremities, wear bikinis,

mini and micro-skirts, and yet fail to defend the right of women who make other choices?

My mind turned back to that day in that day in

Doctorial seminar when my choice of dress was

questioned, wondering why men who choose to conform to society‘s notion of ‗appropriate men‘s

business dress‘ were not being asked to defend

their decision to ‗cover-up.‘ I kept looking

throughout the night for one such man, covered,

tied, and buttoned-up from toe to head to stand up

in solidarity with these women. Why wasn‘t the media demand an explanation from these men as

to why they choose to conform and cover up?

Islamic Hijab Veil Headscarf.

Mohamed Ibrahim. http://www.clker.com/clipart-

23621.html

6

Red and green Tie. Alfonso Pierantonio (kruder396 on flickr) Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

Why were they not being chased and having their ties and suit jackets torn off their bodies, their

shirts unbuttoned in the name of male liberation

and freedom from oppression? Why is it that when

women choose to uncover it never seems to be

questioned or cause such a furor? Why it is when men choose to cover never seems to be questioned

or cause such a furor? Why are their choices and

their dress codes not questioned in the media,

in legislatures, in parliaments and in public

meetings?

I refuse to let Muslim political leaders and others

dictate to me what to wear and how much to cover!

Similarly, I refuse to let non-Muslim political

leaders and others what to wear and how much

and what I uncover! From my perspective, both limit my rights and my freedom. I must have the

right to choose how to dress and to decide what

and when I choose to expose or not to expose.

Perhaps it is just me, but I wish that our political

leaders turn to and address much more important

issues bigger like poverty, health, education, social justice, and peace for all. We have heard enough!

Stop discussing women‘s dress codes, wardrobes,

and their choices in legislatures, parliaments and

in media.

I call for my sisters and brothers in the Muslim

community and fair-minded people of all

backgrounds to stand together and resist against

those who would limit women‘s choices. If Québec,

or France or any other jurisdiction or state is not

respectful of us, who we are and our culture, then let us take our human and financial

resources to the places, cities and countries where

we are welcomed and where no one is questioning

our dress codes or faith and dictating us how

much to cover or uncover.

Let us live and support those nations and places

where we will be recognized and respected as

women and citizens. Let us reject the objectification of women and their treatment as sex

objects, available to all and sundry. I call for

Muslim women, to ―Be Strong. Be Yourself.” This

universe is so big. When one door closes, ten will

open and if ten are closed, 100 will open. As Rumi

said:

I’m like a bird from another continent, sitting in this aviary. The day is coming when I fly off, But who is it now who hears my voice? Who says words with my mouth? There is a community of the spirit. Join it and feel the delight Of walking in the noisy street, and being the noise. (Rumi, pp. 2-3) We need to resist domination and dictation. We

need to stand up and say no. Women have a right

to dress, as they like/choose to do. This is our

right. It is a personal issue and a personal choice.

Acknowledgement

I would like to acknowledge the input and editing

of this article by Tony Tavares. Thank you very

much Tony for your encouragement and support!! Peace!

7

Two young Muslim women in the heart of Istanbul are having "an Apple" for lunch. This photo was taken on a sunny day in April 2007. Chris Schuepp, Public

Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

Community Action in Edmonton: Cell Phone Tower Dilemma

Jon Lai

8

This past October, the Finnish government

declared broadband internet access to be a legal

right. Telecommunication companies in the

country are required to provide a connection speed that runs at least 1 megabit per second for

every citizen. And by 2015, the plan is to ensure

a speed of 100 megabits per second. As all forms

of media converge on the internet, such a

development is essential.

The internet, among other forms of electronic

media, has minimized the time it takes to transfer

information around the world. This electronic link

between people has made everyone more aware of other societies and this association is called the

global village. But consider how our connection

within the village is evolving. Mobility is becoming

an integral part of the relationship. It must be

possible for individuals to access information and other people wherever they are located. Wireless

access has become a necessity. The

communication infrastructure of the global village

will expand to meet these needs with the mandate

to do so left in the hands of telecommunication

companies.

Service providers are required by law to ensure a

certain level of connectivity to users and risk

losing their license if they do not meet that criteria. To support ever-growing wireless

networks, more cell towers must be erected. As

the networks grow and locations in commercial

and industrial zones become exhausted, it is

inevitable that tower placements within residential

zones will have to be considered.

There are health concerns with these towers as

they emit electromagnetic radiation (EMR). The

long term bodily effects caused by EMR are not

known, but there is belief that such exposure over long periods of time can have devastating effects

on a person. As well, the range of these

microwaves can affect people up to an estimated

450 meters away. This past January, my

community protested a planned tower site by Rogers Communications based on the potential

health risks associated with these structures. This

article is an account of my community‘s political

movement to prevent the construction of a cell

phone tower in our neighborhood.

The notice given by Rogers was a letter distributed to a few homes in the neighbourhood, which

outlined where the tower would be built, its

height, reason for its installment, and a date for

an open house with representatives of the company.

It is a strange regulation as a telecommunications

firms only have to inform households within 6 times the height of the tower about its proposed

construction (in this case, families within 180

meters were notified). The letter was dated

January 4th, with the public open house slated for

January 28th. This open house, a public

consultation, was one of the final steps before the construction could proceed. The weeks in between

would be something of a political scramble among

my neighbours and family. I had not spoken with

most of my neighbours beyond greetings, but now

a few of us were dropping by each other's house to discuss the situation. In the days that would

follow, several of us would put a great amount of

time and effort to rally the community. To get as

many people as possible to the open house was

crucial.

We were fortunate with the timing of the matter.

While we all joked that Rogers had timed this

great—a notice just after Christmas, a simple white

envelope delivered to just a few homes—in a

tactical sense, we held a few cards ourselves. With parliament prorogued, my MP Laurie Hawn

returned to the city to host a town hall meeting.

We were able to bring up our concerns about the

tower and inform the other people who attended.

My neighbour, who I shall call Jack here, came with my mother and I to the meeting. Jack had

already attended a meeting with the Westmount

Community League a couple days prior with this issue and got their backing to oppose the

construction of the tower. The mention of the

league‘s support showed that the community

would work to stop the tower‘s construction, and

Mr. Hawn committed to meeting with community

representatives before the open house. He had the ability to direct the community‘s concerns to the

Minister of Industry, Tony Clement, but first Mr.

Hawn wanted to see that the community would be

unified in protest before voicing on our behalf.

Using the internet, Jack found—would there be

any other way?—an established movement against

the construction of cell phone towers near

locations where people reside. The Canadian

Initiative to Stop Wireless, Electric, and Electromagnetic Pollution (WEEP) provides

contemporary perspectives on EMR and guidelines

for communities to stop a proposed tower. You

might have guessed that this involves meeting with

the neighbours at their doors.

Going door-to-door is always a nervous activity,

but after a few conversations you start picking up

in stride. Our supplies for this included:

photocopies of the Rogers letter, an email contact list of government officials along with a dedicated

email for the movement, a small summary of

collected quotes surrounding EMR concerns,

sketches of the planned tower (produced by Rogers

after Jack hounded them for it), and a petition.

There will be those who won't be interested, but polite enough to hear you speak—which far

outnumber those who shut the door in your face

for this matter. What makes it really worthwhile is

that people recognize that their neighbours, who

are not affiliated with any formalized political group, are trying to gather support and motivate

the community. I don't often receive praise for

what I spend my time doing and it‘s really

something that helps in January. Sometimes they

let you warm up inside their houses too. Another

surprising thing is the few people that offer to help door knocking when you show up at their homes.

Our community network expanded by just by

having a presence on the sidewalk. We met

teachers who were able to send newsletters home

at two elementaries and a junior high in the area. A man was also able to get a poster up for us in the

public message board at the nearby Safeway.

Awareness of this issue spread further than we

realized.

In the end, we were able to bring about 150 people to the meeting. The Inglewood gymnasium was

packed at the designated start time for 5:30 pm. It was laid out like an open house; there were Rogers

representatives scattered at the booths to take questions with posters outlining the process of a

tower's construction and how it will benefit the

community. It was the photoshopped image of the

tower in July that irked the most people. Jack

had set up an opposition table outside the front

door with loads of information about EMR concerns along with petitions for those against the

tower. Since Rogers had rented the space, they

did not have to share with any independent

vendors. What Rogers offered as a public

consultation dissolved within the first 15 minutes I was there. A frustrated woman stood on a chair

and shouted, "this isn't working. Who here wants

a Q & A session?!" Everyone raised their hand—

and forced Rogers to engage in something they

sought avoid. The demand was met and, as she

descended from the podium, another man took her place.

A representative from Certus Strategies was

present to moderate the session. It was a grueling

couple of hours as the crowd kept the fervor in their protest. Citing every concern was exhausting,

but yielded results. We poked holes in the

procedure Rogers had taken to have the tower

built. A city planning and development officer took

quite a tongue lashing as he fielded some questions. The buzz attracted both Ward 4

councilors Jane Batty and Ben Henderson. Ms.

Batty would address the crowd and urged everyone

to send out letter to the city and Rogers. There

was no guarantee from the councilors that the

tower would not be built but they left saying they would double their efforts to push for a movement

of non-concurrence.

Political activity has halted in the neighbourhood since the meeting. There has been no further

communication between Rogers and my

community even though we have stressed more

dialogue with them in the future. Both Mr. Hawn

and my MLA, Heather Klimchuk, have insisted to

the Ministry of Industry and Rogers that they cannot support the construction of the tower at

this location. The Ministry of Industry though,

does have the final say on the go-ahead for

construction. Although with this amount of

support, I feel confident that the tower will not be constructed.

9

―What makes it really worthwhile is that people recognize that their neighbours,

who are not affiliated with any formalized political group,

are trying to gather support and motivate the community.‖ 10

A cell phone cite on a self support tower in Oregon. Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

To see it with our own eyes. A group of University of Alberta students visit the oil sands.

AJ Reitsma

I was born in Edmonton and have lived here all

my life. Yet, despite Alberta having one of the

largest known oil sands deposits – about 140,000

square kilometres of it, which is estimated to be able to produce 175 billion barrels of recoverable

oil – I must admit to having had a terrible

ignorance about them and the surrounding issues.

Certainly, I was aware of some of the issues- of the

environmental and social destruction of the area, of

the difficulties in finding solutions... Although I had something of an interest in these issues,

especially when one of my good friends became an

Amnesty International field worker, I had never truly actively sought to research or engage with

them. Somehow, my full attention was always

diverted elsewhere.

In January, I was invited to join the inaugural

University of Alberta (U of A) Oil Sands Student

Delegation and their U of A Oil Sands Education

Trip 2010. Seeing this as an opportunity to improve my knowledge and to visit the oil sands, I

readily confirmed my attendance. It was on this

trip that I was able to witness first-hand the true

mind-boggling difficulty in unravelling all the

issues, ideas, perspectives inextricably woven into

the ‗oil sands‘ as a topic of discussion. Despite a wish to write this article to attempt in some way to

draw thoughtful attention to the oil sands and its

galaxy of issues, I found it excruciatingly difficult

to mould all the ideas and discussions which took

place in one busy weekend into any semblance of

coherence. Here I have attempted to report on the event and offer some of my own personal

impressions.

The oil sands are known by many names—most

commonly either oil or tar sands. This ‗name game‘ is one of political power struggles that forms but a

singular small part of the oil sands discussion.

During our stay in Fort McMurray, the ‗correct‘

terminology and its undeniable correctness were

pointed out to us, especially during presentations

given by Suncor officials and the presenter at the provincially run Discovery Centre. In the oil sands

(a term that is rather misleading) oil is not

extracted in the same fashion as the oil most

people think of—conventional oil, that black fluid

substance, with which many of us are familiar. Instead, oil is extracted through a number of

energy-intensive processes from the oil sands, a

mixture of water, sand, and a heavy hydrocarbon,

bitumen. It is this bitumen that may be converted

into oil. The extraction and conversion processes are documented to be damaging both to the

environment as well as the social and cultural

conditions of the inhabitants of the area. Many

may be familiar with some of the health issues in

Fort Chipewyan, in which there are documented higher-than-average rates of cancers and health

conditions.

The delegation and trip was arranged by a team of

individuals who are associated with a number of

different organizations including Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Council of Canadians.

The stated purpose of the trip was to have

―Student leaders...take a proactive stance on major

issues regarding tar sands development...the Fort

McMurray trip [is] to foster open-minded and critical discussion that serves to strengthen our

own understanding of oil sands issues so we can

begin the process of consensus building and

solution development.‖ Talking to a couple of the

organizers, the goal of the trip was two-fold: one, to

gain knowledge about the oil sands and, two, to create and foster connections between various

student leaders and their associated groups.

Before the trip itself there were a few orientation

and information meetings. In addition to presenting some information on the oil sands,

these meetings served as the initial contact

between the students attending. During the

session, each attendee introduced themselves and

their own reasons for participating. At the session I

attended, for many the main reason was the same: to see the oil sands with one‘s own eyes.

The trip was very ambitious. Tours, discussions,

presentations, a film viewing were all to be tucked

within two days –not to mention the travel time between Edmonton and Fort McMurray and back.

Gathering in the early hours of Saturday, January

30th to board a yellow bus, the group was full of

excitement and energy. This only increased as we

played a sort of musical chairs in order to get to

know other delegation participants. The diversity of the groups was truly amazing and their various

goals all reflected singular facets of the larger ‗oil

sands discussion.‘

11

Touring the oil sands. AJ Reitsma. Speaknews.

13

The first activity after swiftly checking in to our hotel, was to tour the oil sands. This was not an

official tour. From my understanding, Suncor, the

main company with whom we interacted while

there, had been unwilling to allow us one. I

surmise that this may have been both due to the size of the group and, quite possibly, a lack of

trust. We were ferried by our bus between various

points of interest. En-route, students huddled

around windows, trying to make out the oil sands

landscape through perpetually frosting windows.

However, the blanket of snow on the ground made it difficult to see exactly what the area looked like.

All the while, we were followed by trucks, driven by

individuals in clothes branded with Suncor. Where

ever we stopped, so too did they.

One place we stopped was a sort of mini outdoor

museum where a few of the machines used in the

mining process in the past rest to be observed.

Hopping off the bus, gargantuan machinery

towered above us while on the horizon, a factory emitted a dark swirling mass from its chimneys. I

cannot begin to describe the immensity of the

machines. Certainly I have seen them in film and

would see them so again in that weekend, but I

was unprepared for the great monstrosities they

were; perhaps they are best described as being almost sublime. Their size and the destruction they

are capable of is admittedly impressive— if in a

heart-wrenchingly terrifying way. And what was

more scary was that these machines were now

largely obsolete.

Many students took to exploring the area like a

band of tourists, moving around excitedly, having

their pictures taken with the equipment or with the

towering grey mass of smoke hanging behind them.

A few, I think, were more harshly struck by what the machines represented, by their destructive

power. One member of the delegation was

physically moved. She stood in the snow, gazing at

the landscape of shades of grey and eventually

retired to the bus.

Suncor was the only company willing to engage

with us; thus is it was that they were the only

representatives of industry with whom we

interacted. Throughout the weekend, Suncor

presented itself as being very ‗progressive,‘ constantly pushing the limits of what a company

can do for a community, reclamation efforts, etc.

The fact that they were willing to engage with us

could be considered a sign of this. If I were to take

a more pessimistic view, I might argue that they are simply being very smart ‗politically.‘

We eventually made our way to a Suncor building

in order to have a discussion with Suncor representatives. Entering the building, a few

adjectives, which immediately came to mind were:

slick, modern...sterile? Greeted by a young woman,

we were made to remove our shoes and/or wear

little booties.

While the Suncor representatives were preparing,

we sat in a cafeteria area to discuss and write

down what sorts of questions we would like to ask.

Even in this activity there was some tension

already present. The questions reflected the varied interests of the members of the delegation. There

was also a certain tension among members who

possessed strong views and feelings about the oil

sands issues. Indeed, for one individual, it was

even described as "entering the house of the

enemy."

When at last we were invited into a sort of

conference room, we were greeted with doughnuts,

muffins, beverages. I think, for some, whether or

not to accept this food was seen as a certain symbolic gesture about how one felt about the oil

sands development. We were then made to hear

three presentations with Suncor employees, who as

we were to continue to hear through the weekend,

emphasized how innovative and progressive Suncor

was, especially in its reclaimation projects with such efforts as including plants that are of

importance to the Aborigianl peoples of the area

and their investment in alternative energy such as

wind power. At the same time, they expressed their

goals to increase their production.

When they were done their presentations, we were

permitted to question them. When asked about

dangers of leaking from tailings ponds, etc the

Suncor members denied such claims. Additionally,

they claimed ignorance of many reports and were quite well versed at avoiding answering questions

regarding the health, environmental and social

issues of oil sands development.

Leaving Suncor late in the evening, we made our

way to the home of an individual who lives and works in Fort McMurray. Their family had kindly agreed to feed us and allow us to view H2Oil. Like

any other film, any group, any individual, this film

had a very particular agenda. At the same time,

though, it certainly raises questions about the

effects the oil sands are having on people.

The next day was just as packed as the last. We

first headed for the Discovery Centre. Here a

presenter, who seemed, although well-meaning,

not well informed of much beyond what she was to

present. During the presentation, we were regaled

by the history of the oil sands. All of it was

presented in a very positivist manner, sharing in

the trials and tribulations of the earlier attempts made to separate the oil from the sands and the

triumphs of recent technologies.

After the presentation, we wandered the Centre.

Everywhere were signs proclaiming that it was sponsored by the government of Alberta. According

to the Centre's website it is "a provincial facility,

operated and maintained by the Alberta

government, Department of Culture and

Community Spirit, Historic Sites and Museums

Branch." The Centre seems to market itself as an educational area. Certainly, it is informative about

the scientific and technological processes and

innovations involved in obtaining oil from the oil

sands. However, there is little attention paid to

educating people on the environmental, social or health impacts of the oil sands development.

The final event in Fort McMurray before returning

to Edmonton was perhaps the most intense,

involved and incredibly worthwhile discussions of

the whole trip. We arrived at the Salvation Army, where we had lunch. Before our panel presented, a

Salvation Army representative gave us a brief

history both of the organization generally and the

Fort McMurray one specifically. Within her

presentation it became very clear just how pervasive the industry is in Fort McMurray. The

Salvation Army receives almost all of its support

form the industry there and, as the representative

told us, most initiatives are work-based.

The panel was composed of a few Aboriginal representatives from the area, each of whom had a

unique perspective to offer, and Martin Kelly, a

Suncor representative. The interactions between

the panel members themselves and with the U of A

Oil Sands delegation members were very involved and, in some instances, quite emotional. I cannot

begin to give a full synopsis of the speeches and

question periods nor of all the issues raised.

Instead I will try to give a brief overview of some of

the prevalent issues brought forward by each

individual.

We first had Alice Martin present to us. A woman

possessing a remarkable sense of humour, she

personally believes in traditional Aboriginal

peaceful ways. Yet, she expressed a lack of understanding and coherence both within the

Aboriginal community and between the Aboriginal

community and the non-Aboriginal community.

Within the Aboriginal community, she seemed to

feel that there were those, like herself, who wanted

to have discussion and use a traditional peaceful

approach and those who were angry or who were

trying to use non-Aboriginal systems, such as the

courts. Until communication takes place that is

conducive to both members, Martin could see little hope of solutions being found.

Martin Kelly is in Stakeholder Relations for Suncor

and works in the area of Fort Chipewyan. He was

somewhat of a refreshing difference from the representatives of the previous day. Martin started

his career working for NGOs in Southeast Asia.

Although he, like the previous representatives

touted examples of Suncor‘s progressive nature, he

seemed more readily willing to engage with the all

present. He expressed a genuine wish to have relations improve between the Aboriginal groups

and Suncor. From what he said, he seemed to hope

that there might be a way to change companies

from within. However, in his statements and his

replies to the questions of those present, it appears that his role is rather ineffectual in regards to

Suncor‘s activities.

A couple difficulties, which Kelly brought forward,

were that different Aboriginal groups or leaders

often had conflicting wishes. Additionally, Kelly pointed a finger at the government. The

government is required to consult with Aboriginals

before any sort of development takes place on their

land. As Kelly describes it, the government has

outsourced their duty to consult to the companies. Additionally, the land is sold to the companies

before the Aboriginal people within whose treaty

lands it falls are fully consulted. He believed the

government is also the point from which change

must be initiated since companies are meant to

make money and compete with one another. Even if a company wants to do things in a more

environmentally friendly fashion, it may mean a

decrease in profits compared to their competitors if

the government is not enforcing particular

regulations or providing funding.

Following Kelly, we were addressed by Simon

Reece, a member of the Keepers of the Athabasca.

He presented an emotionally moving presentation,

which drew our attention to the very real everyday

difficulties facing many of the people who live in the area. As he noted, many who come to Fort

McMurray are only there temporarily to make some

money before returning home. The people who live

in the area of the oil sands are often in a

particularly difficult bind. Their traditional ways of living are being affected by pollution and the

disruption of wildlife, yet they are often unable to

raise their voices as the only way for them to make

a living is to work for these companies.

14

15

Additionally, like Martin, he noted that there is a

lack of recognition of Aboriginal tradition. He noted

that the councils and chiefs were colonial inventions.

Finishing off the discussion was an individual who

is both a representative for Greenpeace and an

Aboriginal from the area. She was able to provide

us with some facts about the amount of energy being used in the creation of oil and some of the

truly devastating statistics. Additionally, she

allowed us to view a film to show us what we could

not see of the land beneath the snow. Surface

mining operations go up to about 100 metres; this obviously causes great disruptions in the

environment. So do the tailings ponds, which as

she pointed out, really are ―lakes,‖ not ponds. Like

Reece, she also mentioned some of the social and

cultural issues of the area. Even when the land is

not being completely ravaged by surface mining, the in situ extraction processes which involve

using great amounts of steam underground to

bring bitumen to the surface, still disrupt the

wildlife making trapping and hunting far more

difficult. As well, she noted that despite the great revenue made by oil companies, families, such as

her own continue to lack running water.

Reece had admonished us to do our own research.

And, leaving Fort McMurray, this was at forefront

of my mind. I was restless to return to Edmonton and begin to find more about these issues.

A month or so later, I met with one of the

organizers, Keerit Jutla.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks many of the delegation members found during the weekend

trip, which was brought up multiple times by

members and presenters, was how to go about

finding viable solutions to these issues. Just as there is such a lack of unity and innate trust

between industry and the various aboriginal

groups involved, so too is there between many

student groups and industry (and government.)

One might even observe this in my article.

Given the sheer immensity of the issues in regards

to the oil sands, the pervasiveness of industry in

the area and the lack of coherent voice in

attempting to find solutions, I found myself with a

sense of impending disaster. I had seen the barren landscape and Reece‘s description of the area as

being ―death, complete death.‖ Both Martin and

Kelly when asked whether there were any major

victories in the voices of the stakeholders being

heard both admitted there were not.

Many of the student delegations members admitted

to a concern about how we would maintain our

newfound energy and connections and how we

would function as a group. The participants

represented so many different organizations with so many different foci that developing any sort of

mandate or specific goal in future trips would

prove incredibly difficult. I think Keerit put it well

when he said he hopes that the groups might take

what they learn and do what is within their power

and within their mandates to do. I think this might be a good way to utilize knowledge gained and

connections formed within the delegation. I only

hope that it will be enough to enact some sort of

change for the better.

Touring the oil sands. AJ Reitsma. Speaknews.

Voices of the Lubicon. Lubicon Cree Students go to the UN. Essay excerpts originally published by Amnesty International.

http://www.amnesty.ca/lubicon/?p=11#more-11

At the end of March, I was invited to attend the

send-off of a group of three students from Little Buffalo School who were going to New York to

attend a meeting of the United Nations. They won

their trip through essay submissions on human

rights. Please find excerpts from the admissions

below.

AJ Reitsma

What Does Human Rights Mean to You?

Daphne Ominayak, age 16

If you were asked, ―what are human rights?‖ you

would get all kind‘s of answers. Human Rights are

the rights to which everyone is entitled, no matter who they are or where they come from. But simply

because they are alive.

What I will be talking about is why we should have

the rights to running water and health aids in my

home town known as Little Buffalo. I will also be talking about how us people cope with these

issues.

The school, health centre, band office and very few

houses are the only places that actually do have the running water supply, and those places still

have a limited supply which has to be trucked into

the community. Like the school for example is

based on if there is enough supply, and if there

isn‘t school is usually shut down for the following

day. This issue is pretty big but it‘s not un-bearable. The people have been trying to fix the

problem for a while now but the goal of it has not

yet been achieved…

This issue of no running water can be hard to deal with, no doubt but I just hope that the with the

people that keep fighting for their rights, eventually

this problem of no running water will be solved.

The people no matter who it is, they just need to

stay confident and stand out if they believe that

running water and health aid is what we need. People who are fighting are what will make them

recognized not only in this situation. People like

this are who should and hopefully will be

recognized. Even if it means doing things alone you

can definitely still be recognized. So here I am trying to recognize my home town,

though I am not a very recognized person through

out my home town. Being confident and not so shy

is something I am working on. I‘m standing up for

what I believe in. This is place that I come from.

My People, My Community and Me: How Our

Human Rights Are Repeatedly Being Violated

and Ignored

Leticia Gladue, age 15

Human Rights mean different things to different

people, but the question here is what does Human Rights mean to me and how does this affect me, my

family and also my community? I have to consider

how my rights and my people‘s rights have been

violated over hundreds of years. As a fifteen year

old teenager taking grade ten in a little reserve

called Little Buffalo I see our rights constantly violated. Little Buffalo has no recreation nor any

indoor plumbing, no gas station, or grocery store,

not even a health facility! The people of Lubicon

have to travel about an hour and a half just to get

to the nearest hospital and grocery stores. This is what really grinds my gears and disappoints me.

Why can‘t my people and I just have a nice clean

healthy little happy community?

At the end of the day, we the Lubicon people and

myself are affected because here in our community

we don‘t have indoor plumbing and the water we use we haul it by trucks from a central water plant

to our homes. We don‘t have grocery stores; we

don‘t have a recreation centre; we don‘t have a

health facility not to mention 90% of the people

here are forced to get income through welfare because there are no jobs here. Even families here

don‘t have enough room for their children because

the houses are so small. This affects me and my

community by not having the right to be safe and

the right to have and live a healthy life.

So here some kids run to drugs and alcohol for they feel that there is nothing here for them. Even

my friends say this repeatedly that why can‘t our

community have something here for us to be

interested in to keep us out of trouble? Not to

mention the health. Here we don‘t have paved roads for we have dirt roads and in the summer we

get this type of mixed oil that just reeks but is used

to keep the dirt down but yet this still causes

respiratory problems for our elders and kids and

other people period….

This is our land, we the people have more than rights to make a difference and we will. We don‘t

have much but we will fight for what we want and

need for our little community …. So I hope that by

writing this essay about our human rights we will

be respected so we can finally have the life we want and deserve!

16

This exploitation has really affected my life

because this is just inhumane and unnecessary

living conditions such as no indoor facilities, unhealthy lifestyles, families depending on

welfare, traveling one to two hour distances just

to hunt and trap, and most importantly, not

being able to develop our own community. I‘m

appalled by this violation because I believe that

every individual should have their rights fully respected and honored!

Living in the Third World? Nobody Should be

Living Like This!

Dawn Seeseequon, age 17

This is our land, not the governments! They come

in here and take our resources which include oil

and gas which gets them an abundance of money. We, as owners of this land, only get informed of the

violation and either receive very little out of it or

nothing at all. How would you, the people of the

government, like it if other governments went onto

your land and took away what you valued most

without your permission and denying your rights to the land?…

My grandmother and mother have a trap line of

their own on which they go hunting and snaring

but it is rare that they will bring any rabbits, moose, deer, prairie chickens, or even bears back

home…With all these roads, semis, loud

machinery, and cutting down of the forests, wildlife

has been scared. This has affected our way of life,

the Aboriginal peoples of Lubicon Lake Nation.

Simply because our tradition is to hunt and bring home moose meat, chicken, and rabbit for the

family to feast on and to make moose and squirrel

hide to sell and get money in exchange. But by not

having the right to change this intrusion, it is rare

that this will happen and our tradition will eventually fade away…

We, Lubicon Lake Nation members have the right

to control our land, live our way of life without it

being destroyed in anyway, develop our

community, use our territories without any exploitation from the government, and live healthy

lives. My family, myself, as well as the other

families in the community deserve better.

Especially the elders, this is their home and has

been for decades, this is their settlement Little Buffalo. They have been fighting and continue to

fight for the benefit and healthier lifestyle for the

families and upcoming generations.

A distant elder family member who died by the

disease called tuberculosis in 2003 was due to the governments exploiting our land and also causing

other respiratory problems, such as asthma, to the

people of Little Buffalo. Now this is something I do

not want other family members to go through,

suffering and having their lives shortened, causing grief and mourning to the community. The

government should really think of the health

problems and damages they are creating for the

people of Lubicon Lake Nation.

17

Touring the oil sands. AJ Reitsma. Speaknews.

Questioning Muslimah. Women’s Rights and Men’s Responsibilities in the West/East?

Khalida Tanvir Syed Tour Diary originally published on website maintained by her supporters: http://yvonneridley.org/yvonne-ridley/articles/justice-for-aafia-us-tour-diary-final-day.html

International Women‘s Day and the United

Nations Day for Women‘s Rights and International Peace. Monday March 8t.h Celebrated by citizens

across the globe, should serve as a reminder of the

contributions and struggles of women throughout

history and presently.

In the past few decades, Western Media as well as Western Political Leaders, are so much concerned

about Muslim Women rights in the Muslim World,

Like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, to name

a few. But my question is what kind of facilities,

support and opportunities they offer to Muslim

women in Canada, France, United States of America, United Kingdom, etc? Are Muslim Women

allowed to wear what ever they like to wear and

cover how much they like to cover? If Taliban can

not tell how much to cover then do you think it is

appropriate for Western political leaders to tell Muslim Women how much they should uncover?

What is the difference in both Muslim and non

Muslim males in powerful positions give dictations

to Muslim women? Is it possible that both Muslim

Political leaders and Western Political leaders give

Muslim women to Right to chose?

In the West/Europe they can not play soccer or

hockey because they cover. They can not sit in

French classes or take public positions because

they cover. They can not teach in school if they do

not show their faces. Is it possible to have women police to check identity of women instead of Men

looking at the faces? Is it possible women can

teach women? Is it a way to accommodate the need

of those they want to cover and respect their rights

to play, to educate and protect their self to be

treated as object.

Western/European Political leaders should stop

using Internet, listening to Radio and all other

activities where the other can not see the face of

the other. Is it possible? If covering is oppression

then my argument is women are oppressed in the east and Men are oppressed in the Wes/Europe as

Men in the West/Europe are covered from neck to

toe usually wearing three piece suits with a tie.

What do you think? Do you know how Muslim

Women are treated? Here I would like to share

story of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui written by a U.K journalist Yvonne Ridley.

Speaknews Editor‘s Note:

Yvonne Ridley is a British journalist who converted

to Islam 30 months after being captured by the

Taleban. She is well-known for defending Islam

and trying to fight prejudices and misconceptions

about Islam, especially ideas about Islam‘s view of women.

Justice for Aafia US Tour Diary: Final day

Written by Yvonne Ridley

Saturday, 24 October 2009

I have never met Dr Aafia Siddiqui but I feel as though I know more about her now having

embarked on a six-state tour of the USA to

promote awareness about the injustices of her

case. Last night marked the final event and for me

it was probably the most significant because of the

people who turned out in their hundreds. I learned so much more about the personal side of Aafia last

night than I have since I began investigating her

kidnap and disappearance from her home city of

Karachi way back in March 2003. You see many of

those who turned up for the final leg of my tour with the Muslim Legal Fund of America simply

wanted to show their support and solidarity for the

mother-of-three because they know Aafia so well.

She moved into their community in Texas in 1990

to be near her brother, and after spending a year

at the University of Houston, transferred to MIT in Boston. But throughout her time in the USA she

was a frequent visitor to her brother's family home

where she was hugely respected and admired by

the neighbours. One took to the stage of the Taj

Hall near Savoy Drive, Houston last night to share his memories of Aafia Siddiqui and the rest of her

family he had gleaned over 25 years. He said it was

as likely that she was a member of al-Qaida as his

own mother who, he added with a smile, was a

good Roman Catholic lady. He examined in

forensic detail all the media speculation, planted stories and rumours killing each one off with his

own personal facts and observations giving us an

insight into the woman many of you only know as

the Grey Lady of Bagram, Prisoner 650. We also

learned about Aafia's favourite uncle in Islamabad - a man with a gift for spinning the most mundane stories into extravagant, amusing vignettes.

18

According to the uncle, Aafia visited him during a

period when she had disappeared and he told gullible journalists how she had appeared to him

wearing a full face veil. At one stage she let her veil

slip to reveal a new look as a result of extensive

cosmetic surgery performed to change her facial

appearance. Enjoying the attention from the media, he embellished his story in details as each

journalist arrived at his home. Of course this does

not explain how Aafia looks today. Did she really go

to the bother of cosmetic surgery only to have the

surgeons undo and reverse all of their work? No

one doubts the uncle did have a female visitor to his home posing as Aafia but it is quite clear to all

now that she was working for the intelligence

agencies to try and muddy the water over Aafia's

whereabouts when she was in the hands of the US.

In fact a lot of people have gone to a great deal of trouble to cover up her disappearance and I believe

this is for many different reasons ... not least of all

two of her three children are US citizens who have

rights under US law and it appears those rights

have indeed been violated by - US lawmakers of all

people. The time has come for transparency and the clock is now ticking against all of those

involved in the kidnapping, rendition and shooting

of Aafia. An entire community in Houston knows

the case against her is a tissue of lies. The majority

of Pakistani people have also seen through the

picture of Aafia Siddiqui from her wanted poster at the

FBI Website http://www.fbi.gov/terrorinfo/siddiqui.htm

Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons.

the deceit and now the Muslim world is beginning to peer closely into the case with growing shock

and disbelief. Only the US Ambassador in

Islamabad Anne W. Patterson - a relic of the Bush

Administration - is in complete denial about Aafia's

case ... time to give it up Anne you are beginning to

look increasingly ridiculous by claiming she was never held in Bagram. We have the evidence.

You've already had to retract statements about

women in Bagram and your credibility really is on

the line. When the US Embassy in Islamabad sent

a series of letters to the local Pakistan newspapers to try and refute my story about Prisoner 650, the

Grey Lady of Bagram I knew there was a sense of

panic. The steps taken by the US Ambassador and

her staff was without precedent. But the folk I feel

more pity for are the lawyers on the prosecution

team who have to peddle the lies and misinformation given to them by the FBI. They've

already asked for two trial adjournments - well you

can't fire a gun when you've no ammunition, can

you?

Or, as my great Uncle Vern from Minnesota once

observed: "You can't soar with eagles when you work with turkeys." And this trial is not a secret

military tribunal in Guantanamo hidden away from

the world's media. Aafia's case will receive global

attention when it opens next January and while

the New York judge appears to be doing his best to be fair and even handed, the prosecution is flailing

around with a pig in a poke. At the end of the day,

it doesn't matter how much lipstick the FBI uses

on this pig it will still be a pig when the trial opens.

And it doesn't matter how many threats or

intimidation are used in an attempt to stop me or others like me from revealing the truth, we will

continue to demand justice and continue to fight

for justice for as long as it takes. The US

authorities can end this charade now by showing

compassion and returning Aafia to her family immediately. Surely the time has come for damage

limitation - retrieving just a little dignity has to be

better than continuing with deceit and acts of

desperation.

19

20

Reclaim. Claim again. To take back from wrong or improper conduct to demand the return of nature, what you stole and now want to give back in kind to take again for your profit colonization, the third round of conquest of all that's been lost that we haven't even noticed has gone missing highway of tears families our men to make a killing to raise their little families of a generation that won't know a forest instead lines of trees waiting for the last conquest you've taken everything now.

21

this is not yours. this is not yours to sell to hold to take to lease to cede too much. How did you take them from under our feet from the peoples who were here before you how did you take the air out of our lungs and claim it as yours to offset your emission of lies? How is it that they have taken everything from us and we refuse to believe what's in our hearts? what is left in our hearts?

RECLAIM

Ruby X