Source/Credit: The Nugget
By Maria Calabrese | May 25, 2011
Immigration is changing the demographics of Northern Ontario, and that's an opportunity for residents rooted in the region to rethink what makes them comfortable, says a North Bay educator.
Nathan Colborne is the interim chair of Nipissing University's department of religions and cultures who researches religion in violence and politics. He will join other speakers at an upcoming public conference about loyalty to country as part of one's faith.
It's a broad topic that hits home as the city continues its efforts to boost immigration at a time when it's seeing a surge of retirements in an aging population and faces the dilemma of trying to replace those positions.
"It's an opportunity for us to rethink what that identity means, what our commitments are," Colborne said.
The conference featuring discussions about Christian, Jewish and Islamic perspectives of loyalty to country is being hosted by the Toronto chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at, a minority peace-loving group that aims to dispel myths about Islam.
Colborne said he has noticed the Northern cultural shift just by looking at the demographics of his students since moving to North Bay six years ago.
Those differences in culture and practice raise challenges about living together in a community, he said.
Being loyal to country doesn't mean unthinking obedience to political authorities, and it sometimes means opposing particular laws or leadership, he said. Commitment to faith can sometimes contradict with obligations to career, family and friends, he added.
"The two great commands that Jesus mentions for Christians are love the Lord your God firstly, and secondly love your neighbour," Colborne said, suggesting the tension between those two commitments can be productive and creative as Christians consider how to do both.
Marty Brown, a member of the Sons of Jacob synagogue in North Bay, is scheduled to speak on the Jewish views of loyalty to country, and Mubarak Nazir will speak from the Islamic perspective.
Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at were in North Bay in 2009 as part of a tour through Northern Ontario to gauge interest in interfaith seminars in a post 9-11 society.
The group, which is persecuted in some countries, rejects Sharia law which places women in subservient roles.
The free public conference will be held May 29 starting at noon at the Elks Lodge.
mcalabrese@nugget.ca
Read original post here: Immigration can create good tension, professor says
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