The Damned

It sounds like a good, high-minded decent initiative. For a country with an outstanding reputation for treating all its citizens equally, one that guarantees by law and its constitution freedom of religion. This, at a time when particularly through the medium of refugee and immigration migration, diversity in religion echoing that of ethnicity, culture and ideologies is making Canada ever more diverse in its citizenry.

It is a change in population structure that Canada and Canadians have taken on willingly, glowing in its culturally enriching pluralism status.

The current government had promised it planned to institute an Office of Religious Freedom. That sounds rather quaint, truth to tell. Does Canada need such an office, after all? Particularly at a time when that same government is heavily involved in cutting back federal expenditures for all its existing and over-taxed arms of governance. All government departments have been engaged in their own required search to abandon programs that seem redundant, and diminish staff accordingly.

But then the argument is made that research has linked religious freedom with democratic rights, not the least of which is the manner in which it impacts on social well-being. In a free and open society religious rights are guaranteed. One way to combat closed societies that oppress their populations is to register disagreement with their policies on religious disenfranchisement. And nowhere is that disconnect between human rights and government obligations more evident than in Muslim countries.

Syria, Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and others are all countries where not only are heritage Christian populations in existential danger, but ongoing sectarian violence takes its bloody toll on Muslims themselves. Sunni majorities oppress Shia minorities and the compliment is returned with vigorous atrocities. And then there are the powerful minorities among Muslims who oppress the less powerful majorities.

In most Arab countries their once-thriving Jewish populations have long since been absent, the traditions of their presence seen as a modern-day scourge, their properties confiscated by the state. In Iran the Baha'i community is oppressed and violated by restrictive and punishing law. Tolerance between Hindu and Muslim populations in India with its immense Muslim demographic flares into butchery as both sides turn on one another.

In China, Buddhists and Muslims and Christian communities are under constraints, let alone the persecuted Falun Gong. These are global, international issues of state-sanctioned and-ordered bigotry and persecution. It is not quite clear how the opening of an office in Canada for the purpose of defending religious freedom globally will have any impact on foreign countries.

But Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird's office is clear on commitment, if not exactly on the manner in which that commitment will be conducted, nor the mandate of the office itself. An office which is described as "a priority for our government, and is a part of our principled foreign policy." Clearly, those countries with a dismal record in pursuing an agenda of religious tolerance are not meant to be blackballed or blacklisted by Canada.

Canada's economy depends on trade. And Canada is anxious to grow its free-trade alliances. Even with, and sometimes especially with countries like China whose human rights record on religious freedom represents a model of intolerance. "The potential is great", according to Katheryn White, executive director of the United Nations Association of Canada.

"But there remains lots of potential pitfalls in terms of how the office actually conducts its mandate." The pledge of a $5-investment over the first four years is not a great financial burden, although there has been no clear public announcement on method or procedure. A formal announcement by Prime Minister Stephen Harper is scheduled to take place the at the Muslim Ahmadiyya community Tahir Hall. A minority Muslim community scorned by mainstream Islam.

Perhaps we might question how tolerant religions are of one another to begin with. Each generally claiming to be pre-eminent among others. Islam, many of whose precepts are taken from predecessor religions, specifically Judaism and Christianity, believes implicitly that Islam represents the culmination of the search for communion with God launched by its predecessors, leaving the other two redundant.

What this initiative by the Government of Canada, though the mission has not been clarified, seeks to do, is alter human nature. A basic flaw in human nature representing the belief that whatever one's own group represents is the height of perfection; others may apply and may be encouraged through evangelism to become 'one among them' but those who do not are designed to suffer the hellfires of damnation.

Cordially, yours.