On middle east foreign policy Trudeau mostly follows in Harper's footsteps

Stephen Harper the 22nd Canadian prime minister of Canada and long time leader of the federal Conservative Party has announced that he is retiring from politics after a nearly 18-year political career.

Harper was prime minister from 2006 until November of 2015 when Justin Trudeau and his Liberal Party won a majority government. Harper intends to move to the private sector. A spokesperson for Harper said that he has formed a consulting group to provide advice to international clients. The company, “will work in tech, finance, energy, infrastructure and manufacturing along (with) other files, in the US, Europe, Middle East and Asia".

Harper left with little fanfare. His handlers often worried about his lack of charisma as a leader and tried various stunts to make him more appealing. This includes Harper at the piano singing along with an orchestra and Yo Yo Ma the famous cellist. The video is appended. Harper was very fond of cats and there are a number of photos of Harper with kittens. An example can be found here.

A recent article traces Harper's influence on Canadian policy in the Middle East. Much of this policy is little changed by our new prime minister Justin Trudeau. Most prominent was Harper's unconditional support for Israel. Avigdor Lieberman, an Israeli minister on the far right spoke of Harper as a "true friend of Israel". Harper's government cut funding to the UN agency that supports Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and to domestic organizations working for Palestinian human rights.

In 2014 the Canadian and Israeli governments signed a memorandum to oppose “boycotts of Israel, its institutions, and its people,” as the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (BDS) gained prominence globally. Yet Trudeau and most of his Liberals supported a resolution against BDS moved by the opposition Conservatives. Normally, a ruling party would not support a motion coming from the opposition. The Liberals obviously want to show that they too want to protect Israel from the BDS movement.

The Harper government not only supported Israel but also tried to strengthen relations with countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council, particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE. A Canadian company may have been involved in breaking the UN ban on military shipments to Libya from the UAE.

The Harper government signed a $15 billion contract with the Saudis to provide light-armoured vehicles. This is the largest deal in Canadian history. Did the Trudeau government decide to stop the deal from going through? Not at all, Stephane Dione, the relevant minister approved the deal. The spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, Joseph Pickerell said: “The Minister of Foreign Affairs has signed the export permit for Light Armoured Vehicles … to be sold to Saudi Arabia,. " Many had criticized the deal due to human rights issues. Many argued the vehicles could be used against civilians. While in some other areas of foreign policy Trudeau may be diverging considerably from those of Harper, with respect to the Middle East the Liberals have acted much as the Harper Conservatives did.

In other areas, the Liberals also have yet to change Harper policy. The draconian anti-terror law Bill C 51 was actually supported by the Liberals. The Liberals are promising a wide review of the bill and security issues in general but it remains to be if the Liberals end up making any positive changes. The Rebel Media whose video on Harper is appended is actually conservative politically.

Quebec wants to reunite jailed Saudi blogger with his family in Quebec

The Canadian province Quebec is offering imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi an immigration selection certificate. The certificates are issued in exceptional circumstances to foreigners in need of protection, Quebec's Immigration Minister said.

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Badawi received a 10-year jail sentence, 1,000 lashes, and a large fine of $266,600 for promoting liberal ideas such as introducing more democracy in the Saudi kingdom, but also for being critical of Islam. He received his first 50 lashes of 20 planned sessions in January. Subsequent floggings have been postponed perhaps because of the international outcry or for health reasons. He was imprisoned in 2012 and sentenced two years later.

Just last week the Saudi Supreme Court upheld the ruling. His flogging was scheduled to resume on Friday June 12 but did not take place. The sentence can now only be overturned by a pardon from the country's new King Salman.

Badawi's wife, Ensaf Haidar, and his three children already live in Quebec after fleeing Saudi Arabia. The immigration selection certificate has been issued on humanitarian grounds. The certificate would allow Badawi to emigrate more rapidly to Quebec if he is set free. Quebec Immigration Minister Weil said: “By obtaining the selection certificate from Quebec, Mr. Badawi will be able to pursue immigration procedures with the federal government." The certificate will be given to Haidar at a ceremony in Montreal next week.

Mirelle Eichacar, an Amnesty International official from Sherbrooke in Quebec where Haidar and her children live said: “The federal (government) is not moving sufficiently in our opinion. We want Canada to do more . . . The ball is in its court and it can take stronger steps for Mr. Badawi to be reunited with his family.”A spokesperson for the family, Elham Manea, said the family was very happy that there had been no flogging of Badawi on Friday. The family again called on King Salman to pardon Badawi and allow him to be reunited with his family in Quebec. The family also expressed thanks to all those who had campaigned to have Badawi freed and gratitude that the Saudi authorities had not resumed the floggings.

Photo removed from public display for depicting reality

Some Muslims are quick to take offense even if the offensive items depict reality. Of course the Pentagon takes similar offense. Recent photos of troops posing with parts of bodies or urinating on corpses should not be published according to many officials.

However the recent outcry about the photo by an art student in Canada who wears a Muslim headdress seems relatively innocuous but is apparently something that should be hidden. So what was the subject of the photo?

The photo in black and white shows a woman in the full Islamic scarf and cloak holding a flower embossed bra while she is folding her laundry. The photo was removed from public display. An education center funded by Saudi Arabia has also gone on record as opposed to the photo. So do Muslim women shy away from buying sexy and attractive lingerie. Not at all.

Banker Reem Assad in Jeddah Saudi Arabia says the market for lingerie in Saudi Arabia was one billion U.S. in 2010. In fact the lingerie industry is thriving more in the Middle East than in North America.

An ad for Motexha which is the largest trade event for garments, textiles, etc. claims that the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia account for 77 per cent of Europe's total lingerie exports.


According to the article here the lingerie portrayed in the photo is quite tame compared to what is worn under the niqab in some parts of the Muslim world. In Syria for example there are Tweety Birds on the crotch that light up, feathers, and buttons to press to hear music. No doubt Syrians have other issues at present that overshadow such frivolities. For more see this article.

Canada: Canadian Imam returns home from detention in Saudi Arabia

  Usama Al-Atar is an Edmonton imam who was arrested and allegedly beaten by the religious police in Saudi Arabia. He was on a pilgrimage at the time and speaking in a cemetery in Medina.
   Al-Atar is expected to speak about his ordeal today. He called his detention horrid. He was held for almost 36 hours before his release. A British member of the group who was with Al-Atar said that the police virtually strangled Al-Atar.
  Al-Atar is a relatively liberal Muslim and a peacemaker. No doubt this is why the Saudi religious police attacked him. Here are a few words from his website:
   I am a Human
 I am a human.
 I have a mind, and I have a heart,
 I want to live in peace, equality and justice.
 ....Can I not speak about freedom, or call for communication?
 I see people, standing in peace, with a flower in their hands,
 Requesting their governments to meet their demands.
 Demands for justice, for equality, for respect,

   Obviously a subversive type of person judged by Saudi standards. For more see this article.

Discrimination against women in Saudi Arabia

This is exactly the sort of thing that was screamed about when the Taliban were in power in Afghanistan. When allies are involved the response is more muted and no one expects regime change. In fact Afghanistan has recently just reinstated its Dept of Virtue and Vice. Of course there are some neo-cons who would like to see regime change in Saudi Arabia but it probably has more to do with oil although discrimination against women may be a publicly given reason.



Virtue police remove women at Canadian education booths

CAROLINE ALPHONSO

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

May 8, 2007 at 2:17 AM EDT

Toronto — A Canadian embassy booth and another for a private Montreal college were shut down at a Saudi Arabia education fair last week because they were being run by women.

Organizers for the Canadian contingent say three women staffing the booths were forced to leave the fair by the country's religious police, the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, even though they had received permission to be there.

George Chrysomilides, president of the Canadian Education Network, said there hasn't been an incident like this in the 10 years Canada has attended the event, and he plans to get to the bottom of it.

“From what I hear … the religious police were very rude. They shouted at them in a way that was disrespectful and they shut down the booth, the Canadian embassy booth as well as the LaSalle College booth,” Mr. Chrysomilides said in an interview Monday.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Bernard Nguyen said he was waiting to hear details of the incident that took place last Wednesday.

But the Canadian embassy in Saudi Arabia put out a statement over the weekend, protesting against the actions of authorities in the region.

“Such unprofessional incidents are very damaging to Saudi Arabia's international reputation,” the embassy said.

“Prior to the event, we specifically inquired whether women staff would be permitted at the exhibition and we were told by the organizers, the Al-Harithy Company, that they would.”

Women in Saudi Arabia are expected to cover themselves in public and are not allowed to work in mixed environments in the ultra-conservative kingdom.

Mr. Chrysomilides said Canadians attending the fair have always followed the rules. When he took his wife three years ago, she donned an abaya, a long, shapeless gown worn over the clothes.

In the past, both men and women from various universities and colleges have jointly staffed the booths in the Canadian pavilion.

This year, there were about 15 postsecondary institutions, including the University of Manitoba and Simon Fraser University, attending the fair in the city of Jeddah in the hopes of wooing Saudi students. Many Saudi women interested in a postsecondary education abroad attended with their families.

Mr. Chrysomilides said because women were running two booths alone this year, the Canadian organizers decided to keep them detached from the main pavilion to show respect for Saudi customs.

“We did everything that Saudi rules require. Why did they have to close it down?” Mr. Chrysomilides asked. “I want to get to the bottom of this.”

According to Arab News, several other participants at the exhibition, including the Ministry of Education of Malaysia, had women at their booths. But the Canadian embassy booth was the most visible because it was at the front of the exhibition.

Mr. Chrysomilides believes that religious authorities acted on their own, and Canada should not necessarily pull out of the annual fair. There are about 2,000 applications a year to universities and colleges from Saudi students, he said.

“There are many Saudi students who want to study in Canada. There are many Canadian universities that welcome them,” he said. “I think this is just an overreaction by the local religious police to the presence of women.” With a report from AFP