On Monday, January 16, more than 35 students with personal, family or community connections to the Middle East gathered at Toronto’s York University to participate in another session of the year-long inter-community dialogue about the Middle East that was organized by the university’s “UofMosaic” chapter. The event, entitled Middle Eastern Identity in a Canadian Cultural Mosaic, was a discussion about how young people with connections to the Middle East perceive their own identities as both Canadians and as people who belong to diasporic communities. The evening featured presentations by Omar Alghabra, former MP and Opposition Critic for Citizenship and Immigration, and Professor Nergis Canefe of York University.
The participating students were notable for the wide variety of ethnocultural and faith-based communities to which they belong. As they shared a snack of hummus, pita and veggies, Professor Canefe provided a panoramic overview of both the Middle Eastern and Jewish diasporas in Canada, outlining their various cultural, religious, and ethnic dimensions. Mr. Alghabra took a more personal approach to the topic, and recounted his own story as a Syrian-born, Saudi-raised immigrant to Canada, his personal sense of identity as a Canadian of Middle Eastern background, and how that identity informed his decision to pursue a life of public service. After the panelists’ presentations, the students launched into full dialogue mode, openly sharing their differing insights and points of view on what it means to be a “hyphenated” Canadian, the meaning and promise of multiculturalism in this country, and the way in which differing notions of identity can be all-too-easily manipulated to divide Canadians through “identity politics.”
For the first time, two student leaders, Sara Zeitoun and Maxa Sawyer, Co-Presidents of UofMosaic@York University, moderated a UofMosaic session, under the supervision and guidance of Noel Badiou, York’s Director of the Centre for Human Rights. They both did a superb job.
The UofMosaic@ York University will hold its last session of the year on February 13th, when the topic will be Bridging Gaps for Peace and Development. Anticipation is also growing for our upcoming “Citizen Summit: Young Canadians’ Day of Dialogue for Peace in the Middle East”, which will be held on March 16th. That all-day event will bring together participants of our three UofMosaic chapters at York, Ryerson, and the University of Toronto to discuss current issues in the Middle East and the role that they, as young Canadians, can play in making peace a reality for people across the region.
The “UofMosaic” (www.uofmosaic.ca) is an initiative of The Mosaic Institute (www.mosaicinstitute.ca) to encourage Canadian university students to confront old conflicts, become purveyors of peace on campus, and help strengthen their fellow Canadians’ commitment to fostering peace, pluralism and good government around the world –starting right here at home. The work of the “UofMosaic” is made possible by the generosity of private and corporate donors. Special recognition is due to the BMO Financial Group for its multi-year support of this groundbreaking initiative.
For more information on the UofMosaic Initiative, contact Lorenzo Vargas at lv@mosaicinstitute.ca.