Democracy Deity and Death: A Discussion by Four Arabs

 Democracy Deity and Death is a book that gives perspective on politics, Islam and significant issues in the Middle East. Although the subject is not new, what makes the book stand out is its perspective storytelling. Author Qais Ghanem masterfully uses the narratives of four very different Arab characters to present

Legislating Protection for Faith Spaces

 By Andrew Bennett, CARDUS Law program director Sometimes Parliament works just the way the textbooks say it’s supposed to work. One recent example is in the way the House of Commons justice committee dealt with Bill C-51, which aims to erase “outdated” parts of the Criminal Code. The committee held

Reformation 2017: Can’t Buy Me Love

 By Catherine E. Clifford, professor of theology at Saint Paul University in Ottawa On Oct. 31, 1517, a young Augustinian monk hung a note on the community bulletin board inviting colleagues and church leaders to challenge and reform the corrupt preaching of his day. When Martin Luther posted his 95 theses

On Faith, Mystery and Nothingness

 By Larry McCloskey   “There’s only one story: the story of your life.” N. Frye My father had it, though I know at times he doubted. My aunt--a devout nun of 65 years--had it more than my father. Still, both my father and my aunt deferred to my mother as the

A Lament for Prayers Unsaid

 By Larry McCloskey   I grew up, a doubter, serving mass at the cloistered convent on Richmond road in Ottawa. I remember being filled with trepidation walking to Les Soeurs de la Visitation on cold dark mornings, the echo of my boots crunching on snow still on my mind as I

This is Canada. Faith matters.

 For centuries, faith has shaped the human landscape of Canada. From literature and art to social infrastructure and social research, faith has and will touch almost every surface of this country’s past, present and future. What if faith was forgotten? What if we could no longer remember the importance of

O God Brings Spirituality to the Stage at the Ottawa Fringe Festival

 Audiences are encouraged to turn their phones off at most Ottawa Fringe festival but at O god they’ll be told to keep them on. Cast members of the interactive play, put on by Ottawa Faith and Arts, encourage the audience to tweet their thoughts on heaven and prayer before and

Are you ready for Canada’s largest independent literary celebration?

 By Clayton Andres When his father Neil first came up with the idea of a writing festival in Ottawa, Sean Wilson thought his dad was insane. “At the time, I had been noticing that just about everyone I knew in the creative community had the sense that they had to

To Veil Or Not To Veil

 Quick, what do the words "Muslim woman" bring to mind? Is it the austere beauty of a face untouched by make-up, framed by a sober headscarf? What about the fresh-faced girl celebrating the end of exams over coffee with her friends, their shining hair swinging free? Could she be a

Sometimes Compensation is the Road to Closure

 For more than 150 years, the Government of Canada attempted to assimilate aboriginal children by placing them in residential —otherwise known as boarding — schools. Since it was too difficult to change adults, they began "Christianizing" children as early as age five. But over the years, tens of thousands of

A vision for Canada’s foreign policy in the next millennium

 By: Lloyd Axworthy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs  Around the turn of the last century, Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier made the bold statement that the 20th Century would belong to Canada. While there are others with greater economic or military assets, in many ways we have achieved Laurier's vision, and become