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Posted by iqradotca | Feb 7, 2019

World Interfaith Harmony Week is being celebrated in Toronto this week with a series of multi-faith gatherings including a forum of Faith leaders held on Tuesday, February 5th to discuss the common experiences of religious communities around the issue of violence against women.

The event themed ‘Break the Silence’ was hosted by the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada (NCJWC) and organized by One Voicewhich is a recently formed group of multi-faith women working to create a guide for faith leaders to be able to respond to the issue of violence against women.

“We started this coalition called One Voice of multi-faith women working together to eliminate violence against women,” said Eva Karpati, President of the National Council of Jewish Women of Canada (NCJWC) Toronto in her welcoming remarks. “There was this instant bond of all of us working together, diverse faiths but with a similar compassion and with admiration for each other.”

“I think our group is a model for the UN and interfaith collaboration,” she added. “We come from a place of hope and this is why we are working on this project because we believe that there is something that we can do about it.”

“67% of Canadians know women who have experienced physical or sexual abuse,” said program moderator Reverend Michelle Singh in her remarks introducing the topic and speakers. “Six times more indigenous women are killed than non-indigenous women.”

“On any given night, 6,000 women and children are sleeping in shelters because it is not safe to do so at home,” added Singh. “Our panelists this evening come from diverse perspectives all who support the foundational value to end violence against women.”

Rabbi Sean Gorman who is actively engaged in addressing the issue of violence against women for over ten years spoke of the role of religious leaders.

“How should rabbis, priests and imams pro-act on the issue of violence against women?” asked Rabbi Gorman. “The first question that I would ask is this – has your clergy spoken about domestic violence from the pulpit. Has your clergy address this issue in writing?”

“Part of our job when we stand up there to give a sermon and teach is to disturb the comfortable and to comfort the disturbed,” added Rabbi Gorman. “To stand up at the pulpit and speak and write about domestic violence allows those who are experiencing this to understand and know that someone cares.”

Dr. Nazila Isgandarova, an adjunct faculty member at the University of Toronto, spoke extensively about the theories and reasons that lead men to be violent towards women.

“Abuse is abuse and does not recognize any ethnic, racial, cultural, social, economic background,” said Dr. Isgandarova. “All of us are also paying for the cost of domestic violence – for police for psychological and psychiatric support for women, for court hearings – this is a social problem and we need to tackle domestic violence at every level.”

The City of Toronto has proclaimed this week as Interfaith Harmony Week.

“I, Mayor John Tory, on behalf of Toronto City Council, do hereby proclaim February 1 – 7, 2019 as “Interfaith Harmony Week” in the City of Toronto,” reads the official statement from Mayor Tory.

“The City of Toronto acknowledges the valued contributions that the interfaith communities in Toronto make to strengthen our society and contribute to our city’s motto “Diversity Our Strength“,” adds the Mayor. “Toronto has become a model city where all religions, faiths and beliefs are respected and accepted.”

The World Interfaith Harmony Week provides a platform – one week in a year – when all interfaith groups and other groups of goodwill can show the world what a powerful movement the interfaith community is.

The week allows for people of various faiths, cultures and traditions to become aware of each other through activities designed to bring them together and recognize that the common values we hold far outweigh our differences.

Author: Nazila Isgandarova

A large number of government representatives, senior officials,  delegations from the NGOs, and experts have come from all around the  world to New York to attend the 57th session of the Commission on the  Status of Women that began on March 4th until March 15th.  They want to discuss and assess the status of the CSW’s work for gender  equality and the empowerment of women. The representatives of the  governments and members of the parliaments also share their experiences  and good practices. However, what is also remarkable is the  participation of the NGOs, who question their respected governments’  legislations and practices that push them further to achieve the new and  improved legal, socio-economic and political equality of women that  drastically help to eliminate all forms of violence against women

http://csw57.blogspot.com/2013/03/report-by-nazila-isgandarova-on-very.html

http://ccmw.com/ccmw-blogs/ngos-expectations-of-the-csw57-and-national-governments/

Hamilton Spectator (Ontario, Canada) August 3, 2004 Tuesday Final Edition

Finding richness in a new land; Canadians from the former Soviet state of Azerbaijan are contributing here while respecting their past 

Special to The Hamilton Spectator 

by Nazila Isgandarova 

Bitter territorial wars, people forced from their homes and made to be refugees, and a passionate struggle for democracy. These are the wounds of Azerbaijan. 

Strong black oil, Caspian caviar and a history that is vibrant with beauty and intellect. This is what Akbar Majidov thinks of as the pearls of Azeri society. The bitter and sweet of Azerbaijan is what Majidov and his Hamilton friends like to talk about when they get together. 

Majidov lives in Hamilton with his wife and two young sons. He is originally from Karabakh, a western region of Azerbaijan, a former Soviet state that hugs the Caspian Sea, sandwiched between Armenia to the west, Russia to the north and Iran to the south. He is a member of the Union of Azerbaijan Journalists. 

Recently, Majidov and his friends formed a new organization, the Azerbaijan Cultural and Education Centre, which operates in Hamilton and Toronto. 

The members of the centre hold meetings every Saturday in parks and the homes of members. 

There are about 1,000 people from Azerbaijan in Hamilton and the Greater Toronto Area. 

Majidov likes the cultural meetings. He says they help him learn the language and build communication with other members of society. He tries to contribute to Canadian society through facilitating the strength and skills of the members of the Azeri community. He is also an active volunteer in the Turkish community by representing their newspapers Sunrise and Zaman in Hamilton. 

Azerbaijan has a largely Muslim population. There are many problems. This country is split and has not resolved a conflict with Armenia over land issues. There are close to one million refugees. 

Several Canadian Azeri organizations have recently split over internal differences and shut down. But many members of the Hamilton and Toronto Azeri community have united with the education centre. 

Zeynalabdin Zeynalov, Ibrahim Aliev, Ilham Babayev and Sahib Hesenov are senior members of the Azerbaijan Cultural and Education Centre. It's easy to feel their enthusiasm for what is happening. 

Much of the area's small Azeri population lives in Toronto. Majidov says he likes Hamilton because it's a city that makes him feel welcome. 

He is proud that the area community celebrated Azerbaijan's independence day May 30 in Dundas at Webster's Falls. 

Majidov says the Azerbaijan community has made many contributions to Canadian society. Many prominent names are well-known in the field of technology, medicine and science. Among them Dr. Reza Moridi, the 2001 recipient of Canadian Nuclear Society's Education and Communication Award, Dr. Ilham Akhundov, professor in McMaster University and Yusif Savalan, the beloved musician of the Azeri community in Canada. 

But the centre stands on the shoulders of lay people such as Zeynalabidin Zeynalov, Ibrahim Aliyev, Zemine Zaynalova, Munira Babayeva and her husband, Ilham Babayev, Sanan Abbasov and his wife, Gulebetin Abbasova. 

Zeynalov and Aliyev are the inspiration for members. Zeynalov was trained as an economist and he manages the centre's affairs. Most of the time he opens his apartment to members for the weekly meetings. After every meeting his wife, Zemine, invites the participants to share delicious Azeri food. 

Majidov said one of his goals is to raise awareness about the relationship between Azerbaijan and Canada. He said he hopes Canada will support the development of civil society in Azerbaijan.