Dear Mr Stephen Harper,

Perhaps the reason why Canadians should be even more embarrassed is because they indirectly support the lack of freedom for women in the Muslim world.

For the last several decades a version of Islam that is directly promoted by the Saudi monarchy has swept all Muslim countries.

As a child I did not see as many women in veils as I do now.

In the interpretation of religion which these people ascribe to, a woman must not have freedom to show her face, to protect the sanctity of the social contract, where men must provide for women.

They believe that showing a woman’s hair or face will create sexual feelings in men and distract both genders from their first duty to god, rather than themselves. In this belief system, women lose their self-respect, freedom and dignity by being visible. Seriously, if you were a woman from that part of the world, you’d much rather become invisible, then be considered a bad and disobedient person.

Since there is a lot of oil money that supports such ideas, as you know promises of job and money attracts followers, this version of religion has become quite popularly associated with Islam. People get so occupied with what is appropriate and what is inappropriate in their religion, that they have little time or energy to fight for democracy or justice. That’s how oil has been sold for centuries and the money has been spent at the whim of the Arab Sheikhs for their own aggrandizement.

Yet, the ‘free’ world has supported such monarchies.

If you or Canada really want freedom for Muslim women, then there is a very simple solution. Reduce the consumption of oil, and stop buying oil from states that are run by monarchies. This would be a moral thing to do.

But your government doesn’t do that. They don’t even talk about the real issues about the environment that Canada is facing. If Canadian policy was directed towards creating local alternatives to the current addiction to oil, it would create a lot more jobs than the import led policy. But of course, large corporations that are dependent on foreign resources would not be able to make as much money.

Imagine more Canadians and Americans working for a living. Actually making the stuff that we need ourselves. It will end all the wars in the Middle east. No more ISIS, no more issues with Palestine or Israel.

And quite likely, no more hijab at oath taking ceremonies. It will mean that your vote bank will have to invest in the economy, rather than take whatever they can for themselves, because of the global exchange rate disparity.

Now that’s liberty and freedom to me.
What do you think?

Kind regards
Saima Shah