Bambi decided to take on an online tour, reading the platforms of our political parties (ahead of our provincial elections on September 14, 2020).
With all due respect, and sometimes much admiration (for Mr. David Coon, especially… and at times his whole team), she began reading the platform of the party that she will be the least likely to vote for (unless she falls on her head before election day): Our Green party of NB.
Well, she now definitely has a concrete reason not to vote for this naively dangerous party. Here is why.
All the platform of this party looks well articulated, nice, moderate, and clever… all except for that one picture meant to illustrate an NB school student (http://greennbvert.ca/platform/). It shows us a young girl (likely not having reached puberty) with a hijab on her head. Is this the average NB kid?
This picture is a symptom of a society in Canada, with its obsession to be the most progressist possible, at all costs, even if sometimes we do not even question so-called progressist trends in the world (some political parties even include the term “progressive” in their official names, next to a word, that may sound contrary. Why? Likely because it sells well ?).
Does this beautiful yet veiled young girl look like Ms. Megan Mitton’s daughter or Mr. Kevin Arsenault’s niece or neighbour? No and mind you, Ms. Megan calls herself feminist. Is a girl as young as the one in the picture able to provide an informed consent about her will to wear the hijab, Ms. Mitton?
How could she? She is not even dressed like Bambi’s relatives and friends, those who are secular and those who are more religious. Not even like the own daughters of Bambi’s veiled friends in both NB and NS ?.
Perhaps the Green party is so taken by its noble and well-meaning diversity concern, like the rest of North America, that it forgot the following: Such an image, with a title of “Educating for the future” seems to represent the dream come true of Islamists (radicals within the beautiful/moderate religion of Islam. The one Bambi knows well and respects much).
They likely forgot or naively do not know that many young and older women like this cute veiled girl in the picture are prevented from getting an education or simply killed, if they do not wear a hijab. Yes, this happens daily in some countries of the Middle or Far East. Many boys and girls are literally thrown to their death (from a height) because they are gay in some countries. Islamism is not fun and flirting with it can backfire on everyone one day.
So, in sum, the choice of such a picture is not just unwise. Despite the good intentions, it is somehow insulting to both girls from the so-called ethnic or Muslim minorities in NB and girls from of the vast majority of the 745,000 citizens, who do not recognize themselves in it.
If the Green party, along with other parties, want to be truly inclusive, perhaps it would be a good idea not to exclude the silent majority when wanting to embrace diversity.
To conclude this post, here are earlier posts by Bambi on related topics, one with one of our federal banks (the CIBC) and the other with politicians from the provincial NDP in Alberta and the federal Liberal parties.
