A NEW EXPERIENCE by Elsa Torre

I am delighted with the launching of the magazine "Cross Cultures" especially because this community hosts an enormous diversity of ethnic groups, and Cross Cultures will provide an excellent way to communicate with everyone, and help us all know and understand each other better, and that is why I am writing to tell everyone about the organization I am working with: the K-W Intercultural Women's Group. It was created by a committee of dedicated volunteers who felt many immigrant women's needs were not being totally addressed. Our goal is to help them integrate into mainstream Canadian society.

We have organized support groups for those women. Each group is formed of a few members who are encouraged to interact, to be self motivated and to direct the program according to their own needs. Our groups are headed by volunteer leaders who have a genuine interest in helping these women adapt to their new country. Many of the leaders are immigrants themselves, and are well aware of the obstacles faced by newcomers. Others are volunteers who wish to put their time and skills to a worthy cause. Together they form a very cohesive team.

A few of the short term goals we wish to achieve: * Provide an atmosphere where the members feel free to talk and express their ideas and concerns. * Implement those ideas into programs. * Organize activities in which members get better acquainted and develop lasting friendships and acquire broader

knowledge and understanding of other cultures, races and points of view. * Develop a program that is flexible, dynamic, creative, educational and recreational. * Inform members of community events and services available for them and their families. * Provide as many learning experiences as possible, through group members or by hosting speakers. * Provide a comfortable atmosphere to practice their English skills. The groups meet regularly. Babysitting is at no cost. Groups meet at different locations: Multicultural Centre 62 Queen St.South, Wednesday evenings 7 - 9 pm First Mennonite Church 800 King St.East (at Stirling) Thursdays 1:15-3:15pm Welcoming Centre in Waterloo 653-6311 St. Louis Adult Learning Centre: 75 Allen St.East. Wednesdays at 12 noon.

If anyone wishes to join the groups, call Elsa Torre the Program Co-ordinator at 571-1943 62 Queen St.South, 2nd FloorTHE STATUS OF WOMEN IN ISLAM Dr. Mohammad Elmasry is the President of the K-W Islamic Association. He is also a professor of computer and electrical engineering and Director of the VSLI Project at the University of Waterloo. This article is excerpted by permission of the author, from his essay in Al-Islam (Summer 1991) The status of women still seems to be an important issue in the public conscience in the 1990's. Issues of equality, role of motherhood, women's rights, lack of women in the field of sciences and engineering are constantly discussed. The subject was an important one for thousands of years and it appears that it will stay with us as long as men and women constitute the two basic building blocks of any society.

As a Muslim Canadian, I would like to put to rest the stereotyping by presenting how Islam deals with the status of women, it is an integral part of the Islamic world view, value system and the rights and duties of men and women.

Over 1400 years ago, Islam established spiritual equality by categorically stating that men and women will receive equal reward for their efforts. Islam also teaches that men and women are born free from sin. Adam committed the first sin, his wife is not blamed for his sin. Intellectual equality comes next. "The search for knowledge is a duty for every Muslim, male or female". Knowledge is not divided into sacred and secular, it is comprehensive; making a living is a byproduct not an objective. Man and woman should pursue his or her education as far and as long as it is possible "from the cradle to the grave". As a result of this teaching, throughout history, many Muslim women became famous religious scholars, writers, poets, doctors and teachers. Today, in many Muslim countries women are half of the university student population in most areas of study, including medicine, sciences, engineering and law. Women can take any career they choose, as long as it is moral. This also applies to men; no double standard. Thus women were given the independence to learn and to work. Women's relationship with men in Islam is one of interdependence. Both men and women have rights and duties; his or her obligation to be kind, to love, to cherish: is first, second and thirdly towards the mother, fourthly to the father, and then to the wife/husband, and so on. As a result, a Muslim mother has a great feeling of fulfilment and considers that being a full-time mother is a great blessing. She feels secure about the care she can expect from her children when she reaches old age. The relationship between women (as wives) and men (as husbands) within marriage is one of mutual care, consideration, respect and affection. It is one of co-operation, not of confrontation. The rights and duties of the husband and wife is aimed at preserving the family unit in such a way that the atmosphere of tranquillity, love and mercy can develop to the benefit of husband and wife, their children and society at large. A Muslim woman keeps her legal identity and maintains her surname after marriage. Anything a wife earns is her own, either to use it herself or to contribute it to the family budget in all or in part, if she wishes. The man has full responsibility for the maintenance of the family. Meanwhile, the wife is responsible for the welfare of the family and management of the household. The husband is the head of the family unit and should consult his wife in all matters to reach a consensus; If consensus cannot be reached, he is responsible for making a decision, and his wife has an obligation to follow that decision for the harmony of the marriage relationship. More than 1400 years ago, Islam advanced the rights of women, giving them political rights: to vote, to nominate and to run for public office. Women were also given full rights to refute the legitimacy and constitutionality of the laws, to own property, to be full partners in trade and commerce, to sell and buy and to sign legal documents .. all without referring to any man. Women in Islam are entitled to inherit, without a will, half of the share given to a male counterpart. This may appear to be unfair, if taken in isolation. However, it must be remembered that men in Islam have moral and legal responsibilities towards the maintenance of all the women in their families. The half share that a woman inherits is her own without any financial obligation at all, moral or legal. Now what is the relationship between women and men, other than their husbands and close relatives? Islam teaches men to look upon women as sisters, and sex outside marriage is not only a sin but a crime against society; both men and women held accountable. Dissolution of marriages through divorce is allowed only when all methods of reconciliation have been exhausted. Some types of divorce are husband-instigated, others wife-instigated, still others are the result of mutual agreement or judicial process. Islam allows man to have more than one wife, up to four, requiring full equal treatment between wives and their knowledge and consent as necessary conditions for the marriage to continue, allowing the marriage to end in divorce if equality is not fulfilled. Thus monogamy is the norm and polygamy is the exception. (Polygamy, or more precisely polygyny or plurality of wives was practised long before Islam but without limits or assurances). Although the practice has been abused, it may be considered as the lesser of two evils. If Muslim women's status has been compromised in any Islamic society, for any period of time, it is because that society has not followed the Islamic teachings.THE REAL SICILIANS ! Maria Insalaco

What is your first thought when I tell you I'm originally a Sicilian? The reaction I've been getting is something like: "Do you have Maffia connections, relatives..?" as if jokingly. The truth is, most Sicilians do not condone the actions of the Maffia, because of the reputation it gives the rest of us. It's amazing how such a minority can give an entire culture such a bad name.

Sicily is a country with a Mediterranean climate, which is very warm and moderate. The warmth of its people reflects the climate of their country. They are loving, hospitable and highly emotional.

I might stress that they are very demonstrative in expressing their emotions. I'm sure anyone who has ever been at Pearson Airport when a flight from Sicily arrived would agree. It is not uncommon to see groups of teary eyed families kissing and hugging and talking, with everyone doing these things simultaneously. It might appear as just a lot of commotion to the onlooker. Sicilians also demonstrate a strong love for the land. They are very attached to it; Probably because their entire way of life has always revolved around farming.

It is so picturesque to see the olive groves, the almond and pistachio trees, and the grape vines. The countryside is very scenic and panoramic.

The family unit is very important and family ties are very strong among the Sicilian people, with each member taking a keen interest in the others' affairs.

Most Sicilians have a great love of life, preferring to live a simple, uncomplicated lifestyle. The types of things they would consider to be important are good friends and good food. Religion plays a key role in the life of the average Sicilian, with Catholicism predominating. They pay homage to their saints by holding feasts in the town and village squares, and also by having religious processions.

Honour and respect seem to be the order of the day when friends deal and interact with one another. WEIHNACHTSMANN WEIHNACHTSBAUM Part of Our Christmas Tradition This article was presented by Marcia J. Shortreed of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo's Heritage Resources. Telling the story of Christmas is like peeling away centuries of wallpapers. Here in Canada, extra layers have been added as the traditions of the various European nations have been accepted into the way of life. To residents of Waterloo Region of German ancestry, Christmas is Weihnachten symbolized by the Christkindl, Advent wreaths and calendars and the beautiful Christmas tree.

Germany is land of forest and the German character in literature and music has always been linked to the mysteries of the woodlands. It is no wonder that the evergreen tree became linked to the nativity of Christ. Legend has it that Martin Luther brought a small tree into his home and decorated it with candles and glittering decorations to teach his children about the shining starry skies on the night when Christ was born. The first actual written description of a Christmas tree came in 1605 from Strasburg, "they set up fir trees in the parlours and hang theron paper roses, apples, wafers, gold foil and sweets". Later the Christmas tree became part of the literature of Goethe and Schiller. The Weihnachtsbaum Christmas tree became part of every German home by the nineteenth century. In the towns throughout Germany, Christkindlsmarkts in the marketplace were set up at the beginning of Advent. Hundreds of fir trees were offered for sale by women wearing their treasured regional costumes. The surrounding stalls offered all manner of candles, wooden toys, glass ornaments and sweets to hand on the tree. The Nuremberg market was famous for its gingerbread made into shapes to hang on the tree; And the gold angel who greeted visitors to the market became a tradition. The lifesize angel was always played by a child, but the angel was reproduced by the toymakers and became a traditional ornament to hang at the top of the tree in countless homes. It is believed that the gold angel represents the Christ child in the nativity and miracle plays of medieval times. German Canadians often put a candle in the window on Christmas Eve to welcome the Christkindl who will bring presents to the children. As time went on in North America and as popular literature became widely read, the figure of the Christkindl became confused with other gift bearing figures such as the Dutch Sinterklaas and the English Father Christmas. Pennsylvania Germans had a Belsnickle or Peltznickle who wore a fur coat, a mask and a beard and rattled chains or jingled bells and chased children who have forgotten to say their prayers. Saxon Germans in Kitchener had the Weihnachtsmann, a green coated figure with a beard who carried a small fir tree on his shoulder. By the early twentieth century all of these had been distilled into the American Santa Claus whose figure came to life in the drawings of Thomas Nast in Harpers Weekly (1863-1886). YESTERDAY AND TODAY A note of acknowledgement and appreciation is due here, to the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Ottawa .. specifically to the Cultural Attache : Dr. Al Jasser for providing this wealth of information and his willingness to share it. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia enjoys a long and rich history. The region's ancient nomadic peoples developed a deep love for the land as well as a strong sense of independence.

The Arabian peninsula has supported agricultural, herding and hunting cultures for thousands of years. Living on important ancient trade routes, the ancestors of the Saudi Arabians were touched by diverse civilizations, including those of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Byzantium, India, Persia and China.

It is one of the regions that historians know little about. However it is rich in old historical monuments narrating the history of the old man. The first studies or excavations started only in the sixties; and although there are some different evidences, it is clear that the region known today as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was populated for intermittent periods since earliest human history. Permanent settlement dates back to 5000-4000 B.C.

In prehistoric times, the Arabian peninsula was very different from what we know today. There were lakes and inland streams, where now, there is desert and saline rocky plains. Stone age implements found on the edge of the great desert, the Rub Al-Khali, indicate that hunters and fishermen once reached the area.

The people of the Arabian peninsula were a mixture of various semitic tribes who used each others' customs and dialects. Trade exposed them to many different ideas and sciences, most important of which were mathematics and the alphabet. This tradition of accepting, and promoting human achievements was especially useful to the Arabs as they entered the next major period of historical development, the Islamic Era. With the advent of Islam in the 7th century, the various tribes and clans were unified under the new religion.

The Qur'an (Kuran), the holy book of Islam, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in the western Arabian cities of Makkah (Mecca) and Madinah (Medina) beginning about 610 A.D.

Islamic rule had flourished in many countries throughout the 16th century, and it had significant cultural, artistic, and scientific impact.

The Muslim Arab civilization remained vigorous for centuries, providing stability and advancing human knowledge. The Arabs made extensive and original contributions to chemistry, physics, optics, astronomy, medicine, mathematics literature, and philosophy. They invented Algebra, they also transmitted the number system, called Arabic numerals, to the West.

In the 13th century, the Mongol invasions dealt a devastating blow to the Arabs' eastern lands, and their empire began to decline.

The modern Saudi Arabia begins with Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, known in the West as Ibn Saud. The Al-Saud family had reigned over much of Arabia in the early 19th century. It lost part of its territory to the Turks later in the century, however, and was driven from its capital, Riyadh, by the rival House of Rashid.

In 1902 Abdul Aziz recaptured the city and began to reconquer and reunify the country, which he completed some three decades later. In 1927 he was officially proclaimed king, and the country was named the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932.

Since the discovery of oil (petroleum) in commercial quantities in 1938, rapid economic development and rising prominence in world affairs have dominated the most recent chapter in Saudi Arabia's history.

This article was originally published in Cross Cultures Magazine in Volume 1 - Issue 2 - 1992. Unauthorized copying, distribution or other usage without express written permission of the publisher is prohibited.