MOHAMMED AZHAR ALI KHAN

Canadian Muslim women’s drive for a better understanding of Islam by fellow Canadians and equal rights, justice and opportunities for women has received a big boost: a Muslim woman has been appointed to the Order of Canada, the country’s highest award, which is given for a “lifetime of outstanding achievements, dedication to the community and service to the nation.”



Alia Hogben of Kingston, Ontario, is the second Canadian Muslim woman so chosen. The late Lila Fahlman of Edmonton, who founded the Canadian Council for Muslim Women (CCMW) in 1982, was the first. Hogben has been executive director of CCMW for ten years.



Hogben calls the award a recognition of the contributions Muslim women are making to their families, community and country. She’s right. The CCMW encourages them to serve Muslim women and work with people of other faiths for social justice and similar goals. Its chapters across the country include 1,000 Muslim women. That’s not much in a Muslim population of around a million. But it’s a start - Muslim men have no similar national organization.



Hogben was honored for her social services, promoting the rights of women and interfaith understanding.



CCMW encourages Muslim women to participate in society. It works with educational institutions, government agencies and private groups. It seeks to project Islam to Muslims and non-Muslims as “humane, egalitarian and equality-driven.” It has several goals and proclaims that it is guided by “the Qura’nic message of God’s mercy and justice, and of the equality of all persons, and that each person is directly answerable to God.” It says it wants to work with all organizations and individuals.



Hogben, in addition, writes once a month for the Kingston Whig-Standard to explain Islam and the challenges facing Canadian women.



Last year, Queen’s University awarded her an honorary PhD for her contributions.



Her convocation address emphasized the human brotherhood that Islam preaches. She said that the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) initiated the treaty of Madinah to promote peace and good relations between the citizens of Madinah who were pagans, Jews and Muslims.



Then followed the Charter of Privileges with the Christians of the Monastery of St. Catherine of Mount Sinai for their protection and that of their property. Hogben states, as do other Muslims, that Muslims of Canada face increasing difficulties since 9/11 – being teased at schools, denied jobs and harassed at the border. But some Muslims have done things which have reinforced this, she stated, citing the Toronto 18 terror plot by some youth.



A study prepared by economist Daood Hamdani for CCMW based on the 2001 census reported that one in three Muslim women has a university degree, compared with one in five for other women. Muslim women holding master’s degrees and doctorates number twice the female population proportionately. Nearly two-fifths of Muslim women specialize in highly technical, cutting-edge disciplines such as engineering and medicine. Yet the unemployment rate among Muslim women was 16.5 percent in 2001 - more than double the national average. Only Aboriginal women fared worse.



One of the disturbing findings of the study was the low political participation among Muslim women. In the 2000 federal election, only 39 percent of Muslim women cast a ballot compared to 45 percent of men. In 2004, 43 percent of Muslim women voted compared to 50 percent of Muslim men.



Hogben is troubled by this vicious circle: The more Muslims are made to feel different or unwanted, the more they withdraw. The more they segregate themselves from society, the more likely they are to be seen as outsiders. More productive contact with fellow citizens will produce better understanding, she feels.



Hogben was born in Burma but her family moved to India. She lived in several countries where her father worked as a diplomat. He was the Indian high commissioner to Canada. Hogben married Dr. Murray Hogben, a respected journalist and lecturer who converted to Islam and was a pillar of the Kingston Islamic Society. They have three children. She has lived in Canada for more than 50 years. She worked for 20 years with the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services before she was drawn to CCMW.



The challenge for Hogben and CCMW is to encourage Muslim women to participate fully in society and at the same time convey to society at large that Muslims are no different from other Canadians and that the overwhelming majority of them are productive, loyal, hard-working and law-abiding.



Honors such as those won by Hogben and other Muslims are a double blessing. They send an unmistakable message to all Canadians, whatever their faith, that Canada welcomes everyone and cherishes its citizens and respects their diversity. The awards also produce role models for Muslim youth and women and inspire them to serve their community and faith with patience and determination. They also signal to other Canadians that Muslims are precious assets for Canada and deserve support.

— Mohammed Azhar Ali Khan is a retired Canadian newspaperman, civil servant and refugee judge. He has received the Order of Canada, Order of Ontario, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal.