Ties that bind: Muslim community reaches out to other cultures in city

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This article was published 02/10/2015 (3145 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A month-long mission to get Canadians to know one another starts Sunday over a cup of tea in Winnipeg.

Tea Fest at the Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain celebrates tea, treats and fashion from 19 countries.

“The only way to break down barriers is by sitting down and having a conversation, sharing a cup of tea, sharing stories,” Shahina Siddiqui said.

The tea party is one of many events organized in Manitoba during Islamic history month in Canada (October), said Siddiqui, who is chairing it.

This year’s theme is taken from the Quranic injunction for different “nations and tribes” to “know, recognize, respect and understand each other.”

Siddiqui said the organizers chose the theme partly in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report on residential schools.

“So many in our community didn’t know the history of the aboriginal community,” she said. Hollywood westerns were all they knew. “That’s no way of understanding what reality is.”

The commission’s report said “Reconciliation requires that a new vision, based on a commitment to mutual respect, be developed.”

Right now, that’s missing, Siddiqui said.

“With all the fear and divisive politics going on… our ignorance (in not knowing each other) is being manipulated to turn us against each other.”

The Muslim and aboriginal communities have much in common, she said. The two demographic groups have the youngest median age in Canada, she said.

“There are common experiences — things we can learn from each other — and things that bind us.”

The federal government opposing a woman’s right to wear a niqab at a citizenship ceremony harkens back to an earlier edict, she said.

“There was a time when aboriginal men couldn’t wear braids.”

Many Muslims have roots in countries with a history of colonization. On Oct. 10, Siddiqui and indigenous activist and university professor Niigaan Sinclair will speak at an event dubbed Understanding our Shared History to Build a Collective Future. It’s part of a lecture series organized by the University of Manitoba’s Muslim Student Association.

On Oct. 23, the Friday night Meet Me at the Bell Tower gathering on Selkirk Avenue is celebrating Islamic History Month. Urban aboriginal youth hosting the event with the Canadian Muslim Leadership Institute are billing it as a chance to dispel stereotypes with honest conversation and sharing food.

The same aboriginal youth organized “our summit” — an alternative to the mayor’s national summit on race relations earlier this month — and invited Siddiqui to speak at it.

This month, Muslim women have invited aboriginal women to a sister-to-sister luncheon, sharing food and stories and getting to know each other.

“That’s the best way of reaching out to people,” Siddiqui said.

At Tea Fest, members of the Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, aboriginal and 15 other communities are showcasing their tea, treats and culture. Kids from all the countries and cultures will model their traditional dress.

“The children show us what the future of Canada is,” she said.

By 2031, the Manitoba government has said, more than 25 per cent of Winnipeg’s population will be people from “visible minority communities.”

“We truly are a global village,” Siddiqui said.

Tea Fest runs from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca