Bread and Roses has long been a theme song of International Women's Day, a song that reminds us to fight not only for daily needs but for beauty/art in our lives. Written to commemorate the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of 1911, Bread and Roses has become an anthem of the feminist movement.
Could we also sing for Samosas and Security? Since August 3, 2006, the Raza family of Pakistan has been in sanctuary in Crescent Fort Rouge United Church, Winnipeg. Kauser Sarfraz, her partner, Hassan Raza, and their six children took sanctuary to avoid a deportation order to Pakistan, which they fled due to sectarian violence in 1998. They went first to Brooklyn, New York, but the events of September 11 changed the climate from one of welcome to nasty suspicion of anyone Muslim. Having already fled faith-based violence, the family came to Canada, migrating from Montreal to Toronto and finally to Winnipeg, where Hassan was able to find work. Then came the bad news from Immigration Canada. The family's claim of refugee status due to sectarian violence (Kauser is a Sunni Muslim, Hassan is a Shia) was rejected. Family advocates began cold-calling churches, and Crescent Fort Rouge United Church (CFRUC) was the first to call back and say yes..
To say this was a life-changing decision would be an understatement. For me, as minister at CFRUC, it has meant a whole new job description, one that includes frequent media contact. For CFRUC, it has meant a loss of space for church activities and rentals, and a reduction of available time for "regular" church life as the congregation responds to the family's needs. An army of volunteers (mostly women) has been home schooling the children. Another group does the grocery shopping. Another, heads up the political lobby. Another attends to health and safety needs. And then there's fundraising.
During this time, women from across North America and Europe were demanding women's rights and suffrage. In 1910, an international conference of 100 Socialist Women from 17 countries met in Copenhagen, Denmark. They established a day to recognize and honour the movement for women's rights, including the right to vote. The first International Women's Day was celebrated the next year on March 19, 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.
Parts of the story have been happy and heartening. To date, there has been no backlash from church or community. Indeed, people have gone out of their way to offer support - moral, financial, tangible, lobbying, prayer. We were the Salmon Arm, B.C.'s congregation's Advent theme. Our own M.P., Anita Neville, has visited three times, and is doing her best to raise this issue in the House of Commons. The Moderator of the United Church has also visited to express his support. People from the neighbourhood who I don't know drop in periodically and press cash into my hand, and thank us for what we are doing. The media coverage has been supportive. The one-on-one home schooling of the Raza children is paying off as their academics improve.On March 25, 1911 a fire in a sweatshop in New York killed 145 female garment workers. Many of the fire escapes were locked to prevent the women from slipping out, even for a few minutes break. 80,000 workers marched through the streets to attend the mass funeral for the victims. A year later, 14,000 textile workers went out on strike with a rallying cry "better to starve fighting than starve working" Their courage inspired the song "Bread and Roses", symbolizing economic justice and quality of life.
Parts of the story are less happy. They are frustrating, and frightening. There are two avenues still pending for the family: a Humanitarian and Compassionate application, and the direct intervention of the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, (now) Diane Finley, on compassionate grounds. (The latter would supercede a negative decision of the former.) It is our position that the government did not follow its own rules in deciding to deport this family. Section 25 of the Immigration Act states that the well-being of any children involved shall be taken into account.Between 1913 and 1917, women in Russia and other parts of Europe held rallies to protest the war and to express solidarity with their sisters. With 2 million Russian soldiers dead in the war, on the last Sunday of February 1917, Russian women went on strike for "bread and peace".
The six children in this family, ages 1 to 13, will not be well-served by sending them to Pakistan. The eldest two, Rubab (girl) and Mohsin (boy) left while toddlers, and have no memory of the culture. The middle children, Zain (boy) and Farva (girl) were born in the USA; the wee ones, Massim (boy) and Seema (girl) are Canadian citizens. While the children are bilingual (Urdu/English), they are also thoroughly westernized. Kauser's home community was devastated by the earthquake two years ago, a quake in which some family members died, a quake the Canadian Red Cross is still helping to address with reports of huge amounts of work yet to be done. The recent Shia observance of Muharram saw a spike in sectarian violence - a bomb killed 34 people and wounded hundreds; in one community, the chief of police was killed. Child labour remains a reality: UNICEF estimates 3.6 million children under the age of 12 working in Pakistan. This is a byproduct of poverty. Pakistan's average annual income is $736 (US).International Women's Day has been celebrated in other parts of the world in February or March and sporadically in North America until the end of the 1960s, when interest was renewed with another rise of feminism and growing concern for the rights of women and children
Amnesty International asserts that women and religious minorities in Pakistan, including Shia Muslims, Ahmadis and Christians are routinely subject to discrimination. Domestic violence (including so-called "honour" killing) is widespread. Despite a legal marriage age of 16, forced marriage at a younger age continues to be reported.In 1977, two years after International Women's Year, the United Nations declared March 8 as a day to celebrate the rights of women and international peace.
Further, Pakistan is listed on the Canadian government's not recommended for travel web site. Status of Women Canada says "Over the years, International Women's Day evolved into an occasion to highlight the progress made, to celebrate the gains in the fight for women's rights and to consider future steps to improve women's equality. The celebrations also grew and often stretched over a week, with March 8 being the highlight. This year in Canada, International Women's Week will be celebrated from Sunday, March 5 to Saturday, March 11.
Financial donations are always welcome, although at this point I'm happy to say this is not an urgent need.It calls to mind the shortest verse in the Bible: "Jesus wept". And calls to mind the story of the widow and the judge, and the stories of so many persistent women who have risen up, pens and cheque books in hand, and made a difference in the world. The Canadian theme for 2006 is Beyond Laws: The Right to Be Me. This theme addresses women's rights, women's diversity and the need to put words into action. The laws guarantee women and men equal rights, opportunities and responsibilities in all aspects of Canadian life. In spite of the strong legal foundations, a gap remains between laws and the reality of women's lives. For example, many issues persist, such as violence and poverty."
More urgent is to politely and persistently lobby the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Diane Finley, and ask her to intervene on compassionate grounds for the sake of the six Raza children. You might refer to Section 25 of the Immigration Act, and you might ask why we are deporting our own citizens. And you might ask why we are deporting people to a country we are recommending Canadians not travel to. As Hassan's employer has guaranteed his job upon his release from Sanctuary, this family will not be a drain on taxpayers. This is an opportunity for the Federal government to make good on the family values they espoused during the last election (try to make it look in their own best interest to intervene!). Write to Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship & Immigration, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6.On IWD 2006, I invite you to have a cup of tea with another woman, or a group of women, and look at the events and issues that have led up to this day:
And hold Kauser, the worried mom, her daughters Rubab, Farva and Seema, her partner, Hassan, and her sons Mohsin, Zain and Massim in your prayers, if praying is your practice, or in your heart of hearts.
This is but one small piece of the quilt representing the fine, persistent work feminist women are about in our network and in the world. I hold you and your work in my heart, and thank you for your support of the Raza family, CFRUC, and the many volunteers.
Courage!
barb m. janes, for COG
Website maintained by
Laurel Beyer
and
Cathy Anderson
