BODY POLITICS: BELONGING & BANISHMENT -March 31, 2011- Flyer

BODY POLITICS: BELONGING & BANISHMENT

March 31, 2011, 6:30-9:30pm

Venue: Downtown Toronto Location TBD

A workshop presenting the complex issue of the niqab, outlining the case of Quebecs Bill 94, and related events and issues, such as the banning of the hijab on Quebec soccer fields, and bans in other parts of the world. The presentation will also relate some of the issues to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom, and parts of a documentary by Pacinthe Mattar, which follows a Canadian Muslim woman who chooses to wear the niqab entitled Tempest in a Face Cloth, will be screened.

Please join us for an evening filled with insightful dialogue and discussion about belonging and banishment. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to toronto@ccmw.com by Sunday, March 27. (An email will be sent upon confirmation of the exact venue shortly).

REPORT ON THE TORONTO CHAPTER - 2010

• In November 2010, the Toronto Chapter underwent a change in leadership. Rehana
  Begg stepped down as President, while maintaining her influence as Treasurer and Past
  President, and Safa Zaki was appointed as President of the Chapter.
• With the leadership change, was a new focus for CCMW Toronto: essentially, to revive
  the chapter. To this end we have been very successful.
• In December, 2010, CCMW Toronto participated at RIS, a convention which brought
  over 20 000 Muslims to the GTA. Our presence at RIS allowed for us to strengthen the
  brand of CCMW, engage with the local community, gain over 100 new members to our
  listserve, introduce new members to the Toronto executive, and raise funds for a charity.
  A full evaluation report of RIS is available on the website.
• After RIS, we held a follow-up luncheon and thank you for the volunteers. This lunch was
  a meeting where we discussed the pros/cons of RIS, as well as brainstormed ideas for
  activities and programs that CCMW Toronto intends to implement.
• Two weeks later, we met again to set dates for the activities/programs that we had
  brainstormed. Currently we are working on a 3-Tier Mentorship Program which would
  pair high-school aged girls with girls in post-secondary school, or who have recently
  graduated and are entering their careers, and we would pair those girls with seasoned
  professionals. This type of program would allow for the involvement of three different
  generations within CCMW while directly influencing the success of Muslim women.
• We are also organizing the CCMW Toronto Chapter General Election on March 11,
  2011. Nuzhat will be moderating this process, we will make official the executive
  positions, I will be presenting the BCWM educational tool kit and we will be hearing from
  Barbara Siddiqui about inter-faith dialogue and civic engagement, to kick off the Toronto
  Speakers Bureau Series.
• We are aiming to have an Interfaith dialogue and dinner event in April, with an
  organization called Sadaqah-Tezadakah.
• We are aiming to have a spoken word poetry night in July in combination with an iftaar.
• In 2009 the Toronto Chapter expanded its scope of activities with the development of
  a Toronto Youth League. Led by Sana Rohksefat, the CCMW-Toronto Youth League
  aims to reach out to young women and young men in its effort to provide a platform
  for civic engagement, outreach and mentorship, while valuing CCMW's guiding
  principles.
• Members of the Chapter continue to network and foster awareness of CCMWToronto
  by supporting community events and activities, such as membership on
  advisory committees (Muslim Women in the 21st Century project), supporting
  documentary screenings (such as Pacinthe Mattar's documentary on the niqab at
  The Centre For Women and Trans People at U of T) and poetry festivals (Rumi Fest
  2010), among others.
• Ongoing, active recruitment of new members.
• Facebook pages for the Toronto Chapter and CCMW-Toronto Youth League.

CCMW, Toronto Chapter, is pleased to announce that it will be showcasing itself at the "Reviving the Islamic Spirit" Convention on December 24, 25, and 26, 2010, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

We encourage you to come visit CCMW, Toronto Chapter's booth at the Grand Bazaar of the RIS convention!

For more information about RIS, visit: www.revivingtheislamicspirit.com