Having an open mind to diversity creates inclsusivity

http://www.diversityinc.com/news/ibtihaj-muhammad-fencing-olympics/?

Hijab-wearing Soccer Team

It started as a friendly game of high school soccer in Aurora, Colorado, until Samah Aidah was benched for wearing her hijab. The refs deemed it “dangerous.” Their call came on the heels of a ruling from world soccer’s governing body, FIFA, which had lifted a seven-year ban on players wearing turbans and hijabs after a two-year trial period. Players had been allowed to wear “sport-specific head scarves” during that time as a test — no one was ever injured.
http://www.chatelaine.com/living/real-life-stories/wearing-hijabs-how-a-girls-soccer-team-changed-the-rules/?DFIX

Racism rears its ugly head in Montreal

The hijab-wearing woman was unfortunately was allegedly killed when her scarf got stuck on a subway was the target of hateful comments by some people in Montreal. This does not sound like Canada at all, land of the multicultural mosaic.   This is very sad day indeed.
Read this article please:


http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/02/04/quebecs_xenophobic_moment.html

Knowledge is Power - Be powerful

A reminder that IIWR-Manitoba welcomes you to a general meeting on Monday, February the 10th, from 5:30 pm to 9:00, Room 2M 70 at the University of Winnipeg. We are pleased that Diane Redsky will be joining us to speak on "Sex Trafficking in Canada - an Update from Diane Redsky". Ms Redsky is the executive coordinator of the National Task Force on Trafficking of Women and Girls in Canada. All are welcome.

There will be an opportunity to catch up too on the work of IIWR-M and hear about plans for the future. IIWR-M is a member of the steering committee for the UN Safe Cities initiative, and we will update you about that work. We also have an Advocacy Committee, and we will report on what they have been up to. Looking forward to seeing you there!

There are other programs planned - a Conversation Cafe at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, from 6 to 9 pm, February 20th,  in conjunction with a special exhibit - Off the Beaten Pat: Art and Violence. IIWR-M will be part of the panel. You must register in advance by calling 204.789.1290 or email education@wag.ca. There are refreshments, and it is free of charge.

February 24th promises to be a very interesting program on "What the Niqab Bans Tell Us About Sex and Secularism", with Dr. Jennifer Selby. At the U of W, Eckhardt-Gramatee, from 7:30 to 9:00. All are welcome. Lots of time for questions and discussion.
This program is in conjunction with IIWR Global College, IIWR Manitoba, and the Department of Religion and Culture.

The list of programs with dates are attached. Note the very special Local to Global 2014: A New Age is Dawning for Every Mother's Daughter - with Sally Armstrong, May 9th, 7 to 9, at the Viscount Gort. This promises to be a wonderful evening and we hope you will be part of it.

Reminder - check us out on facebook - https://www.facebook.com/InstituteInternationsalWomensRightsManitoba

Thanks everyone for your interest and support,

Mary

IIWR-Manitoba
971 Corydon Ave.,
PO Box 273,
Winnipeg, MB., R3M 0Y0.
facebook: https://www.f acebook.com/InstituteInternationsalWomensRightsManitoba

Cultural Sensitivity at the 2012 Olympics

Home > Update: Female Saudi Athlete Allowed To Compete in Olympics With Headscarf

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Update: Female Saudi Athlete Allowed To Compete in Olympics With Headscarf

Submitted by Alyssa Figueroa on Tue, 2012-07-31 20:11

Headline: 

Update: Female Saudi Athlete Allowed To Compete in Olympics With Headscarf

As we previously reported [1], the International Judo Federation told Wojdan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani, one of the first Saudi women to compete in the Olympics, that  she could not wear her hijab last week. The IJF said they wanted their sport to remain nonpolitical and then also cited safety concerns, despite the fact that Asian judo federations have previously allowed Muslim women to wear hijabs during major competitions.
Today, however, an agreement was reached after the International Olympic Committee fostered talks between the International Judo Federation and the Saudi Olympic Committee.
Mark Adams, an International Olympic Committee spokesman, told AP [2]:

They have a solution that works for both parties, all parties involved … The athlete will compete.

He added that the agreement meets Asian judo rules and is "safety compliant but allows for cultural sensitivity."
Still, Shahrkhani won’t be allowed to wear her own hijab, which she has always worn while competing. She will wear an acceptable version of a headscarf decided by the committees when she competes in the women’s heavyweight judo tournament this Friday.
Today, fellow female judo fighters came out in support of Shahrkhani competing in her hijab. France's Gervise Emane told Reuters [3]:

We all want judo to be more democratic and it would be a good thing if more women were allowed to practice judo.