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Opinion

Mourning the loss of Katimavik

by Alex Neville on

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Canadian identity has always been elusive; like a tentative adolescent, Canada seems unable to definitively grasp a self-image that resonates. But Canada, I sympathize. At only 21, I am more than familiar with that wrenching internal tension, swinging between the desire to conform while desperately seeking my own niche.

Luckily for me, however, I had the opportunity to step away from all of those stresses that make finding an identity so difficult. Pressure to succeed in school and choose a career path, family expectations, and the suffocating high school reputation all washed away when I stepped onto the airplane to embark on my journey withKatimavik.

Let me digress for a moment to clarify. ‘Katimavik’has been a bit of a buzzword in Canadian media these past few days. Axed on March 29 by the federal budget, there has been a small whirlwind of online petitions, commentary, and tweets opposing the federal government’s move.Katimavik is a federally-funded program aimed at promoting civic engagement in youth, ages 17-21. Each Katimavik group is composed of 11 youths from across the country, representing the geographic, socio-economic and ethnic diversity of Canadians. For six months, these young Canadians live and volunteer together at a variety of community development projects across the country. The federal government cut the program, citing its new austerity measures and “excessive per-person costs.”

It has been almost two years since I completedKatimavik, and I still am still reaping the benefits of the program. In the few months I spent inKatimavik, I worked at an animal shelter, volunteered at a seniors home, helped co-ordinate other volunteers at a youth community center, and participated in a literacy program at a francophoneelementary school. Beyond the actual volunteer placements, I got an education unlike any academic institution could offer. From the mundane—learning to balance a household budget—to the exceptional—managing ethnically charged inter-personal conflicts—I grew more as an individual in the few months I spent inKatimavik than in my entire high school career. Perhaps most significantly, through Katimavik, I met other Canadians whose tireless work to better their community, contagious optimism, and unconditional generosity have left an indelible impression on me, and have fundamentally shaped who I am and who I aspire to be.

Despite the success of my particular experience, and the bitterness I feel knowing that other young Canadians will not have such an incredible opportunity, this isn’t just about Katimavik. This isn’t even just about the annual budget or adversarial, partisan politics. Canada is at a pivotal moment in deciding how it wants to be perceived both internationally and by its own citizens. Beyond political rhetoric or token symbols, true Canadian values are reflected in the policies we choose. Over Katimavik’s 30-plus years of operation we have seen the tens of thousands of youth travel the country, contribute to local community development, and take the time to reflect on their values to make an informed choice about who they want to be and how they want to contribute. Canada is on the cusp of the same decision, and we need to collectively choose what kind of country we want to build. If Canadians agree that Katimavik no longer has a place in our society, I can abide by that choice. But we need to be aware that the recent decisions made by our federal government reflect more than just mundane number crunching; these are the decisions that inform who we are as Canadians. The time for tentative adolescence is past.

–Alex Neville

News

Seminar discusses sexual slavery in Asia during WWII

by Nadia Abramson on

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Last Friday, March 30, the McGill Golden Key Society and the East Asian Students’ Association hosted “Sexual Slavery and the Asian Holocaust: A Seminar on the Comfort Women Issue in EastAsia.” McGill East Asian studies professors BrianBergstrom and Adrienne Hurley provided historical background and demonstrated the importance of the ongoing issues facing “comfort women.”

These comfort women were the thousands of women from Korea, China, and other Asian nations were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II. The women were forced to travel across Asia, offering sexual gratification to Japanese soldiers. Male visitors lined up outside of comfort camps to repeatedly rape women as young as 12, assaults that resulted in venereal disease, injury, and death.

The system was conducted under the official supervision of the Japanese government, a reality that modern-day Japanese officials continue to ignore. Ever since Jan. 8, 1992, a group of the 61 registered survivors in South Korea meet every Wednesday on the steps of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to protest these atrocities that occurred over half a century ago.

“[The] Japanese have been firm on this issue,” Hyun-Soo Lim, Golden Key member and the leading co-ordinator of the McGill Comfort Women Lecture said. “The idea of shame for them is very different from Western or Korean culture. You would think apologizing would be a way to deal with that guilt, but that would implicate their ancestors, which is disrespectful.”

Surviving comfort women, or “grandmas,” as their supporters prefer to call them, do not think that cultural sensitivity is a valid excuse for crimes against humanity.

During the early 1990s, the women took their case to the international community, asking the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the UN Human Rights Commission to pressure the Japanese government with an official ruling on the comfort women issue. In 1995, the UN Commission and numerous other international bodies agreed that the Japanese should offer compensation and issue an official apology for their involvement in the recruitment and rape of these women.

As of today, over 20 years after the grandmas started protesting for an apology, there has still been no compensation or apology made. Japanese officials avoid the issue, stating that suffering is a natural part of war, and that rape is an inevitable occurrence in these circumstances.

“If the goal of having certain rules is to prevent harm, whose perception of harm is recognized as valid?” Hurley asked.

During the seminar, students could participate in a silent auction for a lunch date with McGill professors to raise money for the Shim-Tuh shelter in Korea, a home that provides assistance for the surviving Korean comfort women. Twenty-two professors volunteered from all faculties, including law, medicine, political science, and philosophy.

Although this seminar emphasized the specific issue of Japanese comfort women, it also aimed to place the decades-old issue into a modern perspective.

“This seminar is not just about the past, it’s about connecting these issues to today,” Lim explained. “This is the same system of injustice and silence that perpetuates all these crimes. We want a full, round picture that connects all similar international issues.”

In the introduction of the seminar, attendees viewed a short movie that included interviews with some of the survivors. One woman warned that Japan’s avoidance of the issue sets a dangerous precedent for similar situations in other countries.

Students who attended the seminar appreciated the opportunity to broaden their understanding of the Second World War.

“I had read about the rape of Nanjing, but I didn’t know much about comfort women,” Golden Key member Juliette Chausson said. “Usually when people talk about World War II, they focus on the Western Holocaust and don’t talk about Asia. [The seminar] was really eye-opening.”

Opinion

McGillLeaks are not worth a legal crusade

by James Gilman on

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Last month the anonymous group “McGillLeaks”published confidential documents from McGill’s office of Development and Alumni Relations. The administration has been seriously investigating the leak, even bringing in the police to help. Their response has been aggressive and effective, and the “McGillLeaks” website was quickly taken down. The university’s lawyers also sent letters to a number of individuals and media organizations, including the Daily Publication Society (which publishes the Daily and le Délit), asking them to delete any references to the leaked documents as well as to remove links to the now-defunct site.

The administration’s treatment of the DPS sparked a debate over the proper balance between an organization’s right to protect its privacy and the media’s freedom to publish stories dealing with leaked information. The DPS argues that since the Daily was not involved in stealing the confidential information, they aren’t legally prohibited from publishing stories on the documents once they’re made public.

The question of whether media outlets are allowed to use this information, even though it was made public illegally, could have been settled in the courts. Unfortunately, the DPS simply wouldn’t be able to sustain a lengthy legal battle with McGill. The DPS might have a case, but the courts have generally looked at these sorts of “media freedom” issues on a case-by-case basis.

The common sense, and hopefully the legal, standard for these cases is whether stories based on leaked documents contribute valuable information to the public. For example, if a government or organization is engaged in illegalbehaviour, then reporting using illegally leaked information can be justified, and both media organizations and whistleblowers should be legally protected. However, publishing stories based on stolen information simply for the sake of transparency, without any greater purpose, is not justified and, preferably, editors would keep such stories out.

The “McGillLeaks” case seems to be the latter. The leaked documents contained mainly personal information about donors. Some may argue that we all have the right to know this information. We don’t. They may also argue that the “McGillLeaks” documents reveal unethical behaviour by the university, and therefore reporting on them is justified. I don’t agree with this, and McGill certainly doesn’t. But, ideally, a court would decide who is right.

However, the Daily decided to comply with some of McGill’s demands by removing links to the “McGillLeaks” site and refraining from publishing material on the content of the documents. This was the right call. The “McGillLeaks” information just isn’t worth it. There wasn’t anything shocking or overly contentious in there. This may be a matter of principle for the DPS, and it would be interesting to see how much freedom media outlets have to publish stories based on illegally obtained information, but they would be foolish to risk so much in this case.

Of course, the worst that should happen to the DPS is that they are forced to remove any stories on “McGillLeaks.” The Daily did not steal the documents, and we’re only talking about whether they have the right to publish stories based on them only once they’ve been made public. Whoever leaked or stole these documents is the real culprit here, and hopefully McGill’s investigation will identify them. The content of the documents did not justify making them public, and whoever is responsible is not a heroic whistleblower, just a thief.

Arts & Entertainment

Prémices/Open-Ended clever but vacant

by Ilia Blinderman on

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Manuel Mathieu’s Prémices/Open-Ended, the solo exhibit by the young Haitian-born Montreal resident, comprises some dozen paintings dealing with the organic and mental reconstruction that follows a cataclysmic event.

Mathieu’s paintings depict scenes of a world violently squeezed into primordial swirls of aggression, inchoate shapes and forces, sometimes in an extension of the old, sometimes in conflict with their antecedents. This transmutation is not a step towards anything evil—from a frenzied clapperclawing creature, to what seems a somewhat lost hodgepodge of unformed will, passion, and nascent power.  In one of the more memorable paintings, an anthropomorphic swirl of greens, reds, and blacks, with bared vice-teeth, melts into a whirlpool of dark swathes. No surprise, from a man who has been compared to Francis Bacon.

In another, Mathieu cleverly plays with perspectives, depositing a humanoid figure on a large plot of stark white, tilted below the perfunctory desert backdrop of the painting. The shape seems to ooze unctuously down the canvas in a curious, and, perhaps unintentional manner.

The majority of the paintings, however, neither galvanize one’s thoughts, nor spur emotions, nor help find any hint of truth. Despite my repeated attempts to engage with the pieces, I felt like I was approaching glib prints, as evocative only as the confusion within first few moments of seeing them, before I fully grasped what I was staring at. The swirls and eddies of paint lie silently on the canvas, as paint is wont to do before it is given a voice through some artistic enterprise. This is all the more unfortunate since Mathieu seems to possess something worth saying. While I may be wrong, I suspect the devastation left by the recent Haitian earthquake is the source of his thick, resolutely applied brushstrokes.

Without the exhibition’s obligatory description, distributed to the public in a pamphlet upon entry, it is difficult to orient oneself enough to get much from the paintings. Thankfully, the show focuses on the description to a lesser degree than what has become the norm. The practice of describing the artist’s litany of intentions and thoughts subsumed by the creative process is now ubiquitous, and robs the gallery attendee of a singular pleasure. It is through this pleasure, which we acquire through visually tasting and digesting the work offered, that we achieve some manner of understanding and camaraderie with the artist. In reading a formulaic description, we are rewarded with a vacuum-sealed, ersatz satiety in regards to the piece, forgoing the necessary mental labour.

I am curious to see Mathieu progress over the next few years. In the meantime though, give me Bacon.

 

Prémices/Open-Ended runs from May 5 (Tuesday—Saturday, 12-6 p.m.) at the MAI (3680 RueJeanne-Mance, Local 103)

Opinion

U.S. university applications process is far from ideal

by Noah Caldwell-Raffery on

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Four years ago I sat down in my living room with a middle-aged woman who upon first impressions seemed kind and respectful. It was my Yale entrance interview.  Palms sweaty and nerves high, I plodded through the first 25 minutes before she stopped me and said, “You’re not being very articulate, you know.”  Needless to say, I didn’t get in.  I’m not telling this anecdote just to humiliate myself.  Rather, the comment serves to display the contrast between the student-university relationship in America and Canada—and the differences in what each side of the relationship expects from the other.

Differences can be seen almost immediately as the relationship is formed.  The American entrance process has 17-year-olds shaking in their boots for the better part of a year.  It is cause for momentous celebration when in late December the last of the “Submit” buttons are clicked. The litany of requirements for just one application can amount to three to five essays, an interview, recommendations from teachers, and letters from guidance counselors (on top of the SATs, SAT IIs,ACTs, and APs).

Not so for McGill.  Yes, the test scores are needed, but that was about it.  If your GPA is good, welcome!  And yet, the calibre of students at McGill is as high or higher than any American school, and McGill continues to produce some of the finest minds in North America. This, then, begs the question, how arbitrary is the rigorous dog and pony show that has become American college admissions? And what is McGill doing right in their expectations of young aspiring academics?

The answer to these questions explains my nightmare of an Ivy League interview and highlights the benefits of the unique university-student relationship which McGill has created. The McGill model assumes the student is an untapped reserve. Their admissions process is an instigation of this model, a beckoning which is underpinned by the presumption that academic aspiration is brimming from every pore. A sense of responsibility is instilled in the creation of this relationship, which is not incumbent upon the doctored presentation of a jaw-dropping second coming of Christ, nor is it decided through a nervous hour of chit-chat. Rather, the gumption behind such a student is assumed, placing full control and responsibility into the hands of the student once admitted.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with being thorough. American universities are the best in the world because of nit-picking. However, instilling responsibility and being given a token of trust, as McGill does, goes a lot further than telling an aspiring academic that life is about a never-ending demonstration of perfection, a beauty pageant from which we cannot run. It is this kind of attitude which breads pressure and anxiety—and which prompted 20 Long Island students to pay others to take their SATs for them, effectively ending their academic credibility before it got off the ground.

Despite what it looks like, this isn’t retribution for the smug interviewer’s comments. Rather, this column should serve to remind us all of the unique power bestowed upon us by McGill, where we’re treated as masters of our own destiny. There is an unprecedented amount of animosity toward the administration right now; as well-placed as such criticism may be, let’s not allow it to subsume the bigger picture. Of all places, we’re lucky to be here.

Sports

Major League Baseball Season Preview

by Hrant Bardajikan, Trevor Drummond, Josh Freedman, Josh Prizant on

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American League

East

1. New York Yankees

The Yankees bolstered their pitching rotation this year with the additions of Michael Pineda andHiroki Kuroda. Although Pineda is slated to open the season on the disabled list, the Bombers hold a slight advantage over the Red Sox rotation because of their ace, CC Sabathia. Despite the declining play of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez, the Yanks have a few big bats with CurtisGranderson and Mark Teixeira, who hammered 41 and 39 HRs, respectively, in 2011.

2. Boston Red Sox

Forget about the collapse, this team is loaded with talent and is poised to make Fenway’s centennial memorable. The lineup features several power hitters in Adrian Gonzalez, David Ortiz, andJaccoby Ellsbury. A healthy Carl Crawford should regain his All-Star form and put this team over the top. While not extraordinary, the starting rotation is respectable and enters the season with a chip on its shoulder. The same can’t be said about their mediocre bullpen, which will ultimately cost the Sox the division title.

3. Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays won’t reach the post-season, but they will be in the thick of the wildcard race leading up to the final games of the season. Jose Bautista is a wonderful player but this team needs to surround him with some big name talent to stay competitive within this division. Brett Lawrie is set to become a household name by the end of the 2012 season and his success will be a testament to the depth of the Jays’ farm team.

4. Tampa Bay Rays

Contrary to popular opinion, the Rays will take a major step back this season. Their demise will be their season opening schedule, which features three series against powerhouses: the Yankees, Tigers, and Red Sox. Also, their matchup against the emerging Blue Jays shouldn’t be overlooked. If they falter early, the Rays will have a difficult time surmounting losses at the hands of divisional opponents.

5. Baltimore Orioles

The laughing stock of the AL East, the Orioles have done little to give their fans even a sliver of hope. This team will undoubtedly miss out on the playoffs yet again as they concentrate on rebuilding for the future. They have some nice pieces in Matt Wieters and Adam Jones, but those two aren’t enough to survive in this ubercompetitive division.

Central

1. Detroit Tigers

The Tigers are coming off a solid season in 2011 and are the defending AL Central division champions. After scoring the fourth most runs in the AL in 2011, the team brought in big slugger Prince Fielder to further strengthen their batting. Look for Max Scherzer to compliment reigning AL MVP Justin Verlander in a young and talented pitching rotation.

2. Kansas City Royals

After more than twenty years of heartache, the Royals have assembled what may become one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the league. Billy Butler, Eric Hosmer, and Mike Moustakasform the young core of their offense. Don’t be surprised if the Royals are playing meaningful games come September.

3. Minnesota Twins

The Twins are coming off a horrible year that saw them finish 13th (out of 15) in the AL in both earned runs and runs scored, but a bouncebackyear isn’t out of the question. A healthy Joe Mauerand Justin Morneau will provide a much-needed offensive boost to an anemic offense.

4.  Cleveland Indians

The key to any success for the Indians in 2012 rests squarely on their pitching rotation. Justin Masterson is a legitimate number one, and the additions of Ubaldo Jimenez and Derek Lowe should help lower the earned runs against. Their offense boasts pretty good power, and catcher Carlos Santana is a bona fide star.

5. Chicago White Sox

An aging offense and a mediocre pitching staff should place the South Siders at the bottom of the AL Central for the first time since 1989. The biggest question marks are in their rotation, most notably Jake Peavy’s health and Chris Sale’s move from the bullpen, while their batting order is decrepit.

West

1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The off-season additions of Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson make the Angels a World Series favouriteheading into the 2012 season. Wilson joins a pitching rotation that already includes All-StarsJered Weaver, Dan Haren, and Ervin Santana. Albert Pujols will solidify the offense, but the healthy return of Kendrys Morales may be equally as important.

2. Texas Rangers

After losing C.J. Wilson to the Angels, Texas signed Japanese phenomenon Yu Darvish to be the ace of the pitching staff. Their offense is incredibly powerful, but Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz, and Adrian Beltré all carry injury concerns. The Rangers will likely make the playoffs as one of the wild card teams, but a third consecutive trip to the World Series may be wishful thinking.

3. Seattle Mariners

The Mariners traded rookie of the year finalist Michael Pineda to the Yankees in exchange for catcher Jesus Montero. Though Seattle now has a middle of the lineup bat to pair with their ace pitcher Felix Hernandez, the rest of the roster looks very weak. Ichiro Suzuki is on the decline and sophomore Dustin Ackley may not be ready to make an impact.

4. Oakland Athletics

The A’s may have had the busiest off-season in the division, but with much less fanfare. Oakland signed exciting Cuban prospect Yoenis Cespedes, while they also traded starting pitchers Trevor Cahill and Gio Gonzalez for a haul of prospects. The A’s are desperate for a new stadium, potentially in San Jose. Until then, they will be one of the worst teams in baseball.

 

National League

East

1. Atlanta Braves

With a lot of up and coming youngsters, the Braves were content to stay put this off-season. However, with a balanced rotation, bullpen, and lineup, the team should be able to ascend to their familiar place at the top of the NL East. A rejuvenated Jason Heyward and the continued dominance of the Braves’ flame-throwing pitchers should see the Tomahawk Chop performed late into October.

2. Philadelphia Phillies

When healthy, the Phillies are the best team in the division, but star sluggers Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are battling injuries. Combined with other aging veterans, the Phillies are looking vulnerable on offence, with Hunter Pence expected to carry the load. The Phillies’ playoff chances will rest on the dominance of top three pitchers—Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and ColeHamels. Winning is possible whenever any of these three pitch, so expect the Phillies to comfortably make the playoffs.

3. Washington Nationals

The Nationals are poised to make a playoff push this season. With a three-headed pitching attack led by Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmerman, and Stephen Strasburg, the Nationals seem ready to shut down their opposing offences. A full season of Ryan Zimmerman and a bounceback year from Jayson Werth should also help place the Nationals in position to finally play meaningful baseball in September.

4. Miami Marlins

Yes, the Miami Marlins made a big splash this offseason, getting a new stadium, jersey, and some needed talent in the form of Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, and Heath Bell. With the big bat ofGiancarlo Stanton and a returning Josh Johnson, there is a lot to be hopeful about. However, let’s not forget that this team was horrendous last year, winning just 72-games, and that a few splashy free agent signings won’t make up all the difference. Expect the Marlins to squeak over the .500 mark.

5. New York Mets

If there is any certainty in the NL East, it is that the Mets are going to struggle mightily this year. Their rotation is a mess led by a beat-up Johan Santana, who is expected to be the ace of the staff, and beside Ike Davis and David Wright, their offence is much below average. The only bright spot may be Lucas Duda, who should put up better than expected numbers in RF. The Mets will be lucky to crack 75 wins.

Central

1. Cincinnati Reds

The Reds offense looks to be loaded with JoeyVotto, Jay Bruce, and Brandon Phillips providing the power. Youngsters Drew Stubbs and ZackCozart should make an impact as well, but it’s the addition of starting pitcher Mat Latos that makes the Reds the division favourite. As long as Latoscan stay healthy, the Reds should be division champs.

2. Milwaukee Brewers

With the departure of Prince Fielder and the distractions surrounding Ryan Braun, most fans have dismissed the Brewers heading into this season. Their pitching remains very strong, led by Zack Greinke and Yovani Gallardo, and the addition of Aramis Ramirez at third base should help alleviate the departure of Fielder. At the end of the day, this is still one of the most balanced teams in the NL.

3. St. Louis Cardinals

The World Series champions lost their future Hall of Fame Manager Tony La Russa and future Hall of Fame first baseman Albert Pujols. However, not all is lost in Missouri. The addition of Carlos Beltran, the healthy return of starter Adam Wainwright, and the emergence of playoff hero David Freese provide hope for the Cards. They are still a good team, but they won’t match their magical 2011 campaign.

4. Chicago Cubs

The Theo Esptein era is underway in Chicago, as the former Red Sox GM tries to end baseball’s longest World Series drought (103 years). The rebuilding process will be long, but Epstein knows what he is doing. Starlin Castro, Matt Garza, andGeovany Soto provide a decent core, but years of bad management have ruined this ball club for the short term.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates

Signing outfielder Andrew McCutchen to a long-term deal was the first step towards becoming a legitimate franchise, but the Pirates have had 19 consecutive losing seasons and appear to be heading towards a 20th. Pittsburgh has a very weak starting rotation and has no offensive threat after McCutchen.

6. Houston Astros

The Houston Astros will be one of the worst teams in baseball in 2012. Trading Hunter Pence last season signaled the team’s commitment to a long-term rebuilding process, but there isn’t a lot of Major League talent on this roster. Second baseman Jose Altuve has some promise and pitchers Wandy Rodriguez and Bud Norris are dependable, but the Astros are a long way from the post-season.

West

1. San Francisco Giants

The Giants of 2012 resemble both their championship squad from two years ago, and the team that failed to make the playoffs last season—great pitching combined with mediocre hitting. While this problem still remains, the team should get a boost from a returning Buster Posey and an emerging Brandon Belt. They have the ability to win 90 games, which should be enough in the weak NL West.

2. Arizona Diamondbacks

Last season’s division winners should regress somewhat this season, although they will remain in the division hunt. Ian Kennedy and Ryan Roberts had uncharacteristically strong seasons last year, so don’t expect them to light it up once again. With a major star in Justin Upton and a slugging catcher in Miguel Montero, however, the D-Backs can’t be counted out.

3. L.A. Dodgers

Fresh off a new $2 billion ownership deal, the Dodgers are hoping to catch some ‘Magic.’ Anoffence bolstered by Matt Kemp and a healthy Andre Ethier should see them scoring runs in droves, however their playoff chances could be hampered by the lack of quality starters behind the amazing Clayton Kershaw. The X-Factor is their high-octane bullpen. If this strikeout-throwing crew can help the team pull out some close games, the Dodgers will vie for the division crown.

4. Colorado Rockies

There isn’t much to like about the Rockies this year. They were a poor team last season, and did not do much to improve in the off-season. Although the addition of Michael Cuddyer, along with proven stars Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez may help the club score some runs, the club’s awful pitching depth may ensure a lot of losses at hitter-friendly Coors Field. Expect the Rockies to struggle in this rebuilding year.

5. San Diego Padres

The Padres find themselves in the same boat as the Rockies—a weak team looking to rebuild for the future. The Padres have a laughably badoffence, with no real potential to generate any runs. Chase Headley, Cameron Maybin, and NickHundley don’t exactly scream Murderer’s Row. While the massive confines of Petco Park can help the Padres decent pitching crew keep the game close, the Padres will be lucky to crack 70 wins this season.

News

Qatar donates $1.25 million to Islamic Studies Institute

by Jimmy Lou on

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On Monday, March 26, Qatar’s Ambassador to Canada Salem Al-Shafi announced a sizable donation of $1.25 million to McGill University and its Institute of Islamic Studies, in commemoration of the institute’s 60th anniversary this year. Announced during Al-Shafi’s visit to McGill on behalf of the State of Qatar last week, the gift will be used to assist the institute in furthering the understanding of Islamic history and culture.

McGill’s Institute of Islamic Studies was established in 1952. In a statement released by McGill University, Al-Shafi praised the institute for its historic role in advancing research concerning the people, history, and civilization of the Islamic world.

“The institute shares our vision that knowledge and education are key to [meeting] the challenges of our changing world and [providing] the tools to better understand the ever-evolving relationship between religion and mankind and how it has contributed to our well-being and the coexistence of peoples,” he said.

Up until this point, the institute did not have a formal relationship with the State of Qatar, but the Institute of Islamic Studies has received many large donations in its 60 years of existence. Foundations such as the Rockefeller Foundation and Ford Foundation contributed large donations during the institute’s early years to support learning and teaching in the program. More recently, the State of Kuwait donated $350,000 to fund scholarships and prizes at the undergraduate and graduate level for students in Islamic studies programs in 2007.

“The success of the Institute of Islamic Studies is important to the State of Qatar because they share an interest in expanding the knowledge of … Islamic religion and culture,” Administrative Assistant Andrew Staples said on behalf of Professor Jamil Ragep, Director of the Institute of Islamic Studies. “The international reputation of the Institute of Islamic Studies is well known in the field and the institute is recognized for its unique character in focusing on more than just one region or facet of Islam.”

At present, the institute’s program offers training in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Urdu languages to both undergraduate and graduate students. Its strengths range from pre-colonial Islamic history, philosophy, theology, and law to Islam in South Asia, Ottoman and Turkish Studies, and Arabic and Persian literature.

The diversity of students’ ethnicity provides an international atmosphere that facilitates learning and active cultural interactions. Some of its most successful PhD graduates have landed top-ranking academic jobs at North American institutions such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton as well as many leading Canadian universities.

According to representatives of the institute, this funding will be used to fund conferences, events, and cultural expositions, such as Islamic art and music, in 2012-2013. In addition, a portion of the money will be set aside for graduate student funding so that the program can better sustain itself and support its students in the future.

“The institute is excited about this gift and how it will be used to celebrate both the 60 years of the institute’s existence and beyond, as it will continue to fund graduate students’ education into the future,” Staples said.

Arts & Entertainment

Will Ferrell makes his return en español

by Vanessa Salvo on

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If the idea of Will Ferrell in a Spanish movie isn’t enough to pique one’s curiosity, how about an 84-minute spoof of Mexican drug cartels, soap operas, and foreign drama, all while breaking down the fourth wall between actor and audience?

Casa de Mi Padre is a film about dim-witted rancher Armando (Ferrell) and his brother Raul (Diego Luna), who is clearly their father’s favouriteson. When Raul comes home to present his fiancé, Sonia (Génesis Rodríguez), Armando soon finds out that Raul is a drug dealer who is involved in a major territorial dispute with a Mexican drug gang, headed by the powerful drug lord Onza (GaelGarcía Bernal).

The film opens up with a vivacious musical sequence featuring songstress Christina Aguilera, singing the film’s title song over the opening credits.  The camera’s constant zooming in on her lips draws a clear connection with cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, in which its opening credits famously scroll over a pair of alluring lips singing the opening song.  The film immediately begins by teasing the portrayal of Mexicans in popular culture with a scene in which Armando and his buddies ride their horses through wasteland, having what seems to be a very normal, dry conversation. And although English speakers would dismiss this conversation as small talk, the subtitles illuminate a discussion on how Armando isn’t as obsessed with women as he is with cattle. Were it not for the subtitles, one’s inability to understand the language might cause the viewer to take these conversations as flat and trivial, but they’re actually the same hilarious and absurd discussions that are classic elements of Will Ferrell films. The story feeds the audience with an exaggerated screenwriting style and the occasionally incomprehensible sentences that one comes to expect in Ferrell’s work, much like Ron Burgundy’s description of San Diego inAnchorman.

A unique aspect of this film is its awareness of the audience, most notably during a fight scene depicted entirely with a stuffed white tiger fighting a real coyote.  Before the fighting ensues, the film cuts to a note written to the audience by the second camera assistant, who apologizes for cutting the scene for a variety of hilarious reasons.

In terms of performances, Luna and Bernal set aside their dramatic acting experience, playing comedic roles with just the right amount of tongue-in-cheek sarcasm that is necessary for their outlandish roles. As one of the few gringos in the film, Will Ferrell’s Spanish pronunciation is fantastic.

The writers understand the central purpose of the film: using Spanish-speaking actors to communicate various stereotypes to its English-speaking audience. The result is a unique and inventive comedy, but one might wonder what reaction Mexican audiences will have when the film opens there.

In the end, having an English-speaking audience pay to see a comedy that’s completely filmed in Spanish might seem slightly abnormal, but Will Ferrell demonstrates yet again that, if anybody is capable of making oddball concepts work, he possesses the comedic knack to make magic like this happen.

Opinion

Fighting for Internet freedom on two fronts

by Tara Richter Smith on

More in Opinion:

Never mind that public opposition shut down internet regulation laws SOPA and PIPA in the United States. Never mind that protestors in the European Union managed to delay the progress of their version, ACTA, through the courts so that (knowing European bureaucracy) the law may never in fact be enacted. Now it’s Canada’s turn to try to weasel punitive Internet laws through parliament that censor users  and infringe on personal privacy. Oh Harper, you sneaky one, you.

The two parliamentary bills are C-11 and C-30. While C-11 is benignly called the Copyright Modernization Act, C-30 has a catchier title: the Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act. According to Public Safety Minister’s Vic Toews, you “either stand with us or with the child pornographers.” There’s no question here about who the good guys are. Society, myself included, generally disapproves of child pornographers. According to Mr. Toews’ ultimatum, however, I will have to stand with the child pornographers on this one.

The majority of Canadians, according to an Angus Reid poll, also stand with the child pornographers, and for good reason: naming this bill the “Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act” is misleading, if not a flat-out lie. C-30, from what I understand, has less to do with cracking down on Internet predators than creating an Orwellian surveillance system. The bill includes a provision that allows the government to force Internet providers to disclose subscriber data without a warrant. These data are not simply names, addresses, and phone numbers, which the government already has. We’re talking about our email addresses, email and text message content, what websites we’ve visited, and what digital transactions like uploading and downloading we’ve made. And since global positioning systems have built-in tracking devices, police would be able to—again, without a warrant—activate these devices and find you, wherever you are, to figure out what you’re doing, whenever you’re doing it. If this isn’t Big Brother watching you, I don’t know what is.

Ironically, as this bill has been proposed by the Conservative government, the province that is offended most by warrantless citizen-stalking is Alberta, which, with its love of beef, oil, and conservatism, has always reminded me of the Canadian version of Texas. I find Alberta’s opposition to the bill comforting: if the most Conservative province in Canada does not support these acts, why is Harper’s government proposing it?

Scarily enough, if the government doesn’t pass these acts, Big Brother will still be watching us, just from a more capitalist platform. We are already user-profiled and monitored by social media giants like Google and Facebook. Google being the largest of my concerns, I recently deleted my entire account, losing Youtube and my blog in the process, only to discover that the smartphone I use for web-browsing purposes is an Android, which also belongs to Google. I comfort myself with the knowledge that Androids are composed of non-official open-source software, but the reality is that I really can’t escape Google’s clutches. They know where I am, whenever they want to.

Apparently this is for my convenience. Google has now secured a patent on a novel technology that allows them to monitor and broadcast environmental data from my phone. The idea, according to the patent document, is that if Google’s server discovers I am in the middle of Texas in summertime, I will receive a text message advertising air conditioners. If I am caught in downpour, I will be directed towards the nearest umbrella stand. If I am facing frostbite in Montreal winter, Google will kindly remind me to buy a winter coat.

Convenience, according to this example, is terrifyingly intrusive. I know mobiles can already be traced, making C-30’s provisions for citizen stalking possible, but the idea of a constant communication loop between Google’s server and my mobile as part of an advertising scheme is creepy. We have a right to privacy. We should be able to send emails without governments peeking over our shoulders and we should be able to step outside with our phones without our steps being monitored by multi-million-dollar organizations. Public opposition to similar laws shut them down in the US and the EU, and as the Conservatives put forward these bills, it’s Canada’s turn to speak up.

News

Faculty of religious studies holds discussion on whether sacred texts promote religious intolerance

by Kyle Ng on

More in News:

On March 28, the faculty of religious studies hosted an event co-sponsored by the Canadian Christian-Jewish Consultation to discuss the question: “Do our sacred texts promote religious intolerance?” Held in the Birks Heritage Chapel, the panel featured Rabbi Lisa Grushcow, Professor of Biblical Studies Ian Henderson, and Imam Habeeb Alli, who shared how their respective experiences and religious training has shaped their views of the potential relationship between sacred texts and religious intolerance.

“Understanding the various factors that contribute to intolerance and violence among and within religious traditions is an important research question in religious studies,” Ellen Aitken, dean of the faculty of religious studies, said. “In light of the central role of scriptures and sacred texts in many religions, it is essential to explore how such texts are used not only in ways that are beneficial but also [serve] to divide and harm.”

Throughout the evening, all three scholars highlighted the particular importance of interpretation by sharing passages from sacred texts that could be read as promoting intolerance depending on the interpretation. Grushcow shared the troubling story of Phinehas in Numbers 25, Henderson discussed early Christian-Jewish relations referenced in 1 Thessalonians 2, and Alli cited some violent passages of the Qur’an used to promote intolerance, war, and even wife-beating.

“It is how we choose to read that is key,” Grushcow said. The scholars agreed that in each of the cases presented the way in which the text is read is crucial to understanding its meaning and purpose.

Henderson encouraged the audience to address sacred texts like tools.

“[Sacred texts] are intelligently designed, and thus we need to discern their purpose [in order to understand them],” he said. “These texts cannot mean anything [we] want [them] to mean.”

One English literature and religious studies student, who could only be identified as Mark, thought this metaphor was the defining moment of the night.

“I think that Professor Henderson’s idea of ‘Sacred Texts’ being collections of tools, or implements that can be used in different ways, was especially insightful,” he said. “It’s not a matter of ‘sugar-coating’ a religion to find a more humane approach within the passages of its scriptures, but rather a matter of continuing the millennial tradition of discovering different meanings in its pages.”

Alli then described his work battling religious intolerance brought about by improper interpretations of the Qur’an. He explained the dichotomy between Salafists and rationalists, and how difficult verses such as “slay them wherever ye catch them,” have often been misquoted and misused.

Throughout the night participants in the discussion came to the consensus that the question of a link between sacred texts and religious intolerance is not a simple question to answer—it is still a very prominent dilemma that members of all three faiths face. However, scholars and students alike agreed that, while we should cherish tolerance, it should not be viewed as an end goal, but rather as the start of something better.

“As a Christian, I think there [are] definitely parts of the Bible where it does seem to suggest intolerance, but I am often reminded by peers to look at the bigger picture: what does God have in mind for these people?” Victor Lam, U1 in McGill’s sustainability, science, and society program, said. “Tolerance is a first step, but in tolerating others, we must also learn to accept others.”

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