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Rabi ul Awaal 3,1442 Oct 21, 2020
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n Canada we are all equated fundamental rights that are unquestioned (free speech, religion) – rights that don’t exist in Iran. In Canada we have a judiciary that is autonomous from the government – something that isn’t the case in many nations around the world. But most importantly, in Canada we have the right to freely vote in an election (once we turn 18, of course). You can moan and groan about the electoral system we possess, there do exist flaws in it, but
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The Importance of Voting what you can’t deny is that you have the right to cast a ballot on a number of different occasions: be it federal, provincial, and municipal. And that right is uncontested. Your vote counts. Often what I hear from my fellow Canadians about voter turnout is “well, we’re better than most places.” First off, no we’re not. Federally in 2011 61 per cent of voters cast a ballot. Provincially (B.C.) in 2009 only 51 per cent and the average for municipal elections in 2011 was a dismal 29 per cent.
Secondly, saying that Canada is better than most places is like explaining to your parents that you’re better than the students who failed when you come home with a C- on your last paper. This isn’t something to be content about. Whenever I came home with a bad grade, I sat down and thought to myself “how can I do better, what can I do to be better.” That is the mentality that Canadians should have. Voting is important. Regardless of your political ideologies or beliefs, voting is a right that
you are afforded as a Canadian citizen and you should do your best to exercise it. Take the time to get educated on the political parties and options that are available in the next election, and make a decision that you feel comfortable with. Don’t let exterior factors dissuade you from voting. And if you feel that it is in your right to not exercise your right, so be it. It is not compulsory and no one should shame you for not doing it. The pessimistic view that your vote won’t count is simplistic.Courtesy by: DH Vancouver
After the PDM rally in Pakistan
HE Pakistan Democratic Movement jalsa in Gujranwala on Friday has set the stage for a charged few weeks ahead. The inaugural event of a lengthy anti-government campaign promised by the opposition alliance saw a galaxy of leaders addressing a large crowd that had, by most accounts, filled up the venue by late evening. The leaders of the PML-N, PPP and JUI-F among others took their time in reaching the city which led to a delayed start of the event. The presence of sizeable crowds inside and outside the stadium and the tone and tenor of the speeches suggest that political temperatures will continue to rise as opposition parties keep upping the ante against
‘DemocracyFreedom & Voting’! By: Gulshan Aalani ubhanAllah! We are lucky that we can ‘Vote’. Due to the Democracy, and Freedom, we can proudly declare that we are given all kinds of goodies on a Silver platter, including Islam that we never knew about. We don’t need to fight about anything, especially for our (Women) rights of ‘Voting’ for which the Women of Suffragette worked so hard to get the voting rights for Women. We are all grateful to them. Although, the Voting rights for men and women was established in 14th.C. by the final Prophet Muhammad SAWS on order of Divine Authority. He was the first one to practice the democratic rights by leaving it to the community to choose the leader after his demise. We should take a full advantage of this freedom of ‘Voting’ rights and choose the best leader who is honest, truthful, not a liar, or concealing any wrong doings, protecting other’s criminal activity, caring, has soft point for the poor, down trodden, believe in equality, justice, anti-racist, has high Biblical ethics and moral values, must not compromise its law and is brave enough to stand up and speak up like any ‘Human Rights Activist’ and is good for the whole world. Choosing such person is the most difficult task but we must try hard and stand up with the good leader and for our country we adore, stand Guard for it, only possible by ‘Voting’ for the right leader who stands guard for humanity and the Divine Law.
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South Asian Colourism By: Zoya Siddiqui ’ve always been called ‘Gori’. It’s been thrown around me my
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the PTI government. However, it is the speech by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif that has set the national discourse ablaze. In directly blaming the army chief and the head of the ISI for the removal of his government, and saying they will have to answer for all they have done, Mr Sharif has brought Pakistani politics into uncharted territory. By doing so, he has amplified in the public domain what was hitherto fodder for whispers and innuendos. While the other speakers at the jalsa did not go as far as Mr Sharif did in his accusations, they did refer repeatedly to the role of the establishment in bringing Imran Khan and his PTI to power. The government spokesmen reacted
predictably by ridiculing the opposition for a ‘flop show’ but the fact is that with the Gujranwala event the opposition and its red-hot narrative have taken centre stage. But the big question remains: what now? The PDM is all set for its Karachi jalsa which would essentially be a PPP show. Therefore, it will not face the administrative hurdles that the Gujranwala event did. What will matter more than the size of the crowd will be the content of the speeches. With PPP playing host, it may not be surprising if the criticism is directed more at the PTI government than the establishment. It is yet to be determined if Mr Sharif’s line of attack remains his alone or whether it will determine PDM policy.
entire life. Passed around by the mouths of my family and their friends, rolling off their tongues as a compliment. It’s said lovingly, with admiration and a strikingly palpable sort of jealousy that takes the form of meaningful glances thrown at younger children who are too often told to stay inside so that their skin doesn’t tan darker. “Your skin tone is so pretty,” my mother would sigh, holding her arm to mine as I struggled to fathom how my own mother could ever dislike the tone of her skin, how anyone could. Before I ever had the decency to be grateful for being white-passing, I was angry that it was something to be grateful for in the first place. How can my mother, my grandmother, and my cousins see their skin and not see shades of molten copper, warm chocolate, and smooth caramel? How could they possibly be unable to see that the tones of their skin can rival the prettiest autumnal colours that nature can create? Though I cannot wholly identify with their struggles, I will not allow my family to bring themselves down for the colour of their skin. The concept that darker-skinned people are inherently inferior and unattractive is sickening, and its perpetuation is only a confirmation in my belief that the South Asian community has a massive ideological problem that must be dealt with immediately. Colourism is deeply rooted in South Asian culture, as it traces back to the ideology of the ancient Indian caste system and a legacy of European colonialism. It has continued to fester into the worst form of psychological damage, especially when it comes to dark-skinned women. Skin lightening companies leech directly off of its prominence in our culture, much to the point where the global market size for skin bleaching products is pro-
jected to reach “13.7 billion” United States dollars by 2025 (Grand View Research). Following the surge of Black Lives Matter protests, however, these companies have fallen under extreme backlash. Multinational company Unilever has since renamed its best-selling “Fair and Lovely” bleaching cream to “Glow and Lovely”, a move that came nowhere near American tycoon Johnson and Johnson’s resolve to pull its bleaching products from the market altogether. Changing the name of the product, though, does not change its function. Regardless of what it is called, it is still a bleaching cream. It is a step in the right direction, but I am asking for a leap because the bare minimum should not be celebrated. The renaming of a product strikes me as something designed only to placate those who have chosen to boycott the brand. Had it been a genuine effort to make progressive change, the brand would have stripped the product and all of its variations from shelves immediately. Skin lightening products are not the only reminder of the age-old idea that paleness is a measure of beauty. Bollywood and much of South Asian media continue to feed directly into colourism via their idealization of whiteness. There is a notable lack of dark skinned actors in main casts, as they are typically shoved into backup dance crews while light skinned actors are given main parts. The industry has no problem with making their colourism clearer, it seems, as the upcoming Bollywood romantic comedy film, Khaali Peeli, came under fire in early September for a song lyric that promoted anti-blackness. The lyric, that has since been changed, was originally “ho tujhe dekh ke goriya Beyonce sharma jaayegi” (by looking at you, fair lady, Beyoncé will feel shy). The lyric was a testament to just how deep white ide-
The government for its part is not brimming with options. It can unleash a wave of arrests and other obstacles to undermine the jalsas scheduled for the coming weeks in Peshawar, Multan and Lahore, but administrative solutions to political problems are usually not very effective. The government will somehow need to address the inflationary pressures bearing down on the citizens. One can expect a barrage of press conferences and statements combined with a degree of administrative repression from the government, but the real issue is how the establishment will react to the PDM campaign after the latest salvo by Mr Sharif. Action will speak louder than words, but lack of action may speak even louder.
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alization runs in South Asian culture. It can be deemed even more shocking when it is taken into account that only a few weeks prior to the song’s release, Beyoncé released the music video for her song “Brown Skin Girl” in which there is a clip that celebrates a dark-skinned South Asian woman. The main community that is able to emphasize with our struggle with colourism has done nothing but uplift us, yet we have done nothing but put them down. It is shameful, the way we treat others, the way we treat each other, the way we treat ourselves. While the black community has made amazing strides towards the eradication of racism and colourism, we have done nothing. There is a disgusting amount of comfort surrounding the way in which dark-skinned people are treated in our culture. It is not talked about, it is not recognized, it is not ever seen as something to be fixed. I am both untouched by colourism and surrounded by it, and I do not want to sit and stay comfortable in a community so wrought with the worst form of internalized hatred. Centuries of damage cannot be undone, but that does not mean that its legacy should continue. Tell your daughters that they are beautiful, tell your children that they can play in the sun, and make strides towards forsaking the labels of “gori” and “kaalee” altogether. Before you do that, though, tell your mother that her complexion is beautiful because you do not know how many treatments and creams she has slathered onto her skin in hopes that they would make her pretty. My reassurance for my colored skin friends and family is always on the tip of my tongue. Is it on yours?
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