Canada’s Liberal government has finally decided to recognize the actions of ISIS against the Yazidis to be genocide, and is now stating it will act with urgency to bring them to Canada. While this is a step in the right direction, they still have not recognized the genocide taking place against Christians, nor offered to take immediate action on offering them refuge.
Unlike Muslim refugees, these people have no country nearby in which they will not face further persecution and discrimination. The religious minorities of Iraq and Syria are facing extinction. Under similar circumstances in WWII, Canada, and many other nations did nothing to help the Jewish people, who were being tortured and murdered by the Nazi’s. If we don’t do something soon,
Historically, Canada has held a world renowned reputation as nation with a magnanimous ideological approach to providing asylum to those individuals subjected to marginalization and persecution in their homeland – regardless of their nation of origin (Ismaili, 2011, p.89 & 92). Indeed, providing sanctuary to refugees who would otherwise experience significant hardships ranging from blatant discrimination and racism to torture and genocide, has very much become an institutionalized aspect of Canadian society. However, recent changes to Canada’s immigration policy delineated in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and Bill C-31 may have perhaps put this ideology in peril (Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, 2001).
...a’s immigration policy becoming fairer. From 1991-1997, 607 Rwandan refugees were allowed into Canada. From 1992-1997, close to 13,000 thousand Bosnian refugees were allowed into Canada. The acceptance of these refugees from Bosnia and Rwanda show how much Canada’s immigration policy has changed since 1914, when many immigrants and refugees trying to enter Canada were rejected.
Some Canadians even agree with President Trumps Refugee ban. Canadians are scared of what the Sunni Muslims are associated with. That association is between the Sunni Muslims and ISIS, as some members of ISIS are radical Sunni Muslims. According to a 2015 statistic (Donnelly, 2015) 54% of Canadians are moderately to strongly against the government's plan to letting 25 000 Syrian refugees into Canada. According to another (Kanji, 2016) an online petition to stop resettling Syrian refugees in Canada had around 50 000 signatures, most people that signed it were under the impression that the Syrians were terrorists. These events that have happened in the past show us how some Canadians may be thinking right now in the present.
Throughout Junot Díaz's novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, the text poses concerns with narrative viewpoints, familial history of the Dominican Republic, and most importantly, specifies characters. Díaz introduces characters who are present throughout the entire novel, and others who appear only briefly. Isis, in particular, holds a special place in the novel. Before Díaz introduces Isis, we are introduced to many of her family members who maintain family traditions in both the United States and the Dominican Republic. The order of the text enhances our understanding of Isis as a character. Isis stands out as the next generation of her family by living in a familiar place, New York. Isis, a minor character in The Brief Wondrous Life
Downey, Michael. “Canada’s ‘Genocide’: Thousands Taken from Their Homes Need Help.” Acting on Words: An Integrated Rhetoric, Research Guide, Reader, and Handbook. Ed. David Brundage, Michael Lahey. Toronto: Pearson Canada Inc., 2012. 445-448. Print.
Genocide: The Holocaust and Holodomor Genocide is a huge problem in today’s society. While there are laws set down to handle cases where genocide occurs, the idea and premise of genocide and all that it entails is still widely debatable. It’s difficult to put a label and definition on a term that, while it has a long history of existence, is very rare and unknown to the common man. When I say rare, genocide only occurs in very extreme cases and situations, but it doesn’t make it any less of a horrible crime. By definition, genocide is the mass extermination of a whole group of people, or an attempt to destroy an entire group of people, either in whole or in part.
There are many ideas of what genocide is, but, according to Webster’s Dictionary, the official definition of genocide is “The deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group”. However, the more realistic and practical definition is “The unnecessary and unjustified killings of tens of thousands of innocent people all because of hate”. This was most defiantly the case in the Kurdish Genocide, which took place between 1986 and 1989. The result of this mass murdering left thousands of people without loved ones, and even more wondering why it had to happen.
Vincent Massey (Governor General of Canada) once said,“Canada is not a melting-pot. Canada is an association of people who have, and cherish, great differences, but who work together because they can respect themselves and each other.” In other words, he describes how Canada is a very diverse place and how we should work together despite our differences in religion. Immigration poses opportunities for citizenship: for building a society in which all Canadians belong. Although, to what extent should immigrants continue to promote culture and religion? Some may argue that we need to put restrictions on promoting religion like the code adopted in Hérouxville; which forbade women from being stoned alive
The holocaust was the reason for about 6 million people to have lost their lives but what if you found out the much more torture and terror was created than just in 1933-1945. Almost 2 million people perished in the 3 major genocides that occurred after the holocaust.The Kurdish Genocide took the lives of almost 200,000 people by Saddam Hussein. The East Timor Genocide, when Indonesia invaded which resulted in 400,000 deaths. The Rwandan Genocide although was very short it killed about 1 million people of the Tutsi tribe. were all very saddening and horrific much like the holocaust but do you ever think where the people who decided to wipe out 100,000’s of people got the idea? Hitler brainwashed many people in WW2 but he also made the
It is without a doubt that Canada is considered one of the most welcoming and peaceful countries in the entire world. Individuals fleeing conflicts from different continents, on opposites sides of the planet, view Canada as a safe haven, a place to thrive, succeed, and safely live life to its fullest potential. Excellent healthcare, education, and proper gun control are just some of the many priviledges freely given to those who are lucky enough to call Canada their home. The Rights and Freedoms of Canadians are incomparable to those of individuals living in other countries, and with freedom of religion being one of them, it becomes crucial that we respect and show acceptance of different religions. However, it is saddening to see that in
During the month of October, Canada’s political scene was very busy due to the 2015 federal election held on the 19th. Throughout the previous months, the public held great interest towards the campaigns of each party as well as their platforms in order to choose the party that the public wanted as the new government of Canada. In the campaigns, a major topic that was included in every party’s plan was the Syrian refugee crisis that is currently an issue in many countries around the globe. This crisis has taken the media by storm and is a concern for many citizens in Canada. As a country known to be peaceful and generous, many people would assume that Canada would be one of the first to step in and help those in need but that is not the case. The general population does not know that the current laws in place make becoming a refugee in Canada a long and unfair process. Acquiring refugee status in Canada, protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act, health care for refugees and the current stance of Canada in regards to the refugee crisis are all factors that the general public must be more aware about. The current laws regarding refugees of Canada must change.
Kofi Annan’s life experiences that influenced him to work for the UN started when he went to a Methodist Boarding school, he was taught that "suffering anywhere concerns people everywhere." He then went on to study at four different colleges and got a masters degree in International Relations. He got a job with the UN as a budget official, and slowly worked his way up. For 9 years, he was an assistant Secretary General for 3 different organizations. While doing so, the Rwandan Genocide took place, and Annan was highly criticized for the way he handled it. He took responsibility for his actions. This lead to him finally being voted in to be the new Secretary-General, where he stayed for 10 years.
While Syrian refugees are often labeled as terrorists, they are actually the opposite. Through research, - Lauren Gambino, Patrick Kingsley, and Alberto Nardelli - three writers from an English Newspaper, “The Guardian”, have found interesting results. They admit, “Syrian refugees are generally afraid of exactly the same thing that Americans are: Islamist terrorism” (Gambino 3). Considering that the Syrians are seeking an escape from the same exact thing that Americans are, why have they not been accepted into America? Like many of the 70,000 refugees who are accepted into the United States every year, Syrian refugees search for shelter from wars and hope of a prosperous future (Welsh 1). Teresa Welsh, a writer for the “U.S. News and World Report”, describes in her article “Why the U.S. Can’t Resettle Syrian Refugees” that “the U.S. should be doing more to help resettle those fleeing conflict and repressive governments in the Middle East and Asia” (Welsh 1). The Syrians desire escape from a repressive government with no chance of rebuilding a better future; therefore, they seek support from outside countries, like the United States and other European
Currently, the largest cause of refugees is the Syrian civil war, which has displaced over 2.1 million people. As a country of relative wealth, the United States should be able to provide refuge for many refugees, as well as provide monetary support to the refugees that they are not able to receive. Countries surrounding Syria, such as Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq have taken in the vast majority of Syrian refugees. In some countries, such as Lebanon, Syrian refugees make up over a quarter of the population. This causes extreme economic strain on a country, and can greatly increase the amount of poverty that is seen there.
has always been there for its allies. An example is when the Indonesian tsunami occurred in 2004, and the U.S. donated $6.25 billion to the UN relief fund to 14 other countries as well. This type of assistance is essential when dealing with these type of tragedies. We can’t prevent natural disasters from happening, but we can at least try to prevent certain terror attacks. And in addition to that, the U.S. can also help the victims of terror attacks, such as Syrian refugees. This may seem a bit risky because ISIS members can easily sneak into the groups of selected refugees. But to avoid a similar situation, like during the time of the Holocaust, we can be more selective. For example, limiting the number of refuges that we allow to enter the United