The Cadre -

10 March 1998

Irshad Manji: Risking utopia

Empathy, agency, and accountability in today's scociety

BY SARAH K. MURPHY

Irshad Manji, said to be one of tomorrow's 100 leaders by Maclean’s magazine, was a guest of this year’s Third Annual Interdisciplinary Un- dergraduate conference on women’s issues at UPEI.

Author of Risking Uto- pia, and host of CBC radio'sIndex , Manji bom- barded her audience with pro- vocative thoughts and exam- ples to reinforce the notion that everyone should “ap- proach life with the idea that everything is possible.”

This was Manji's second visit to UPEI. In 1992-93, Manji witnessed and assisted the establishment of the UPEI Women’s Centre.

“Real change starts with awareness," she said. "The centre brought the issues home.” She gave the centre rave reviews, adding that she believes that now young women on campus are giving honest and straightforward in- put about events that may and do occur on campus during September's Orientation Week, including sexual har- assment. This education is re- sulting in a somewhat safer environment.

Many topics were brought forward during her presentation, intended more as a dialogue with the audience than as a monologue by the speaker. The discussion re- volved around empathy, agency accountability, social insecurities, and labels.

“I’m a Muslim, a femi- nist, and a lesbian,” Manji re- marked. “Labels reduce us. We therefore become less than who we are.”

Manji suggested that these labels only tell us of her, not about her. Manji believes that we have to care about one another to move beyond labels which can lead to torment and violence.

“Radical democracy starts with the individual and ripples out to others. It sheds

light on the marginal line to the mainstream,” Manji said when explaining her views on under- standing radical democracy. She claims that an improved democracy would be one with accountability, agency, and empathy at its core. “Negotiation is the only none negotiable,” she said, and added that we must make the best of what we have. Manji observed that PEI is the only province without a right to information law. Because of this, she says

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“Islanders are at a major dis- advantage when it comes to accountability.”

This point raised several ae and reactions from the audience. Several seemed worried at the lack of interest of their fellow Islanders and the lack of effort from their provincial government to im- prove on the present condi- tions.

Enhanced by a video re- port, her most striking and touching story of empathy,

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agency and accountability was that of the Food for Thought program. This program was put together by Norman Edwards, who is HIV positive, and his . Russell Conley, both of Vancouver.

The video featured the story of Edwards and Conley, who had realized that the lower income of HIV itive and AIDS patients often resulted in poor eating habits and life- styles. They decided to put together a Cafe/Bistro-style

itable.

This summer, the Labatt People in Action

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free restaurant where these people could come together to eat a healthy meal and discuss their affliction.

“The pill can’t work if they have no food to work with,” claimed Edwards who believes that programs like his will save “big bucks” to the health care system.

After the video, Manji closed with “that is my utopia in action. We all want to live life with passion and that is what radical democracy is.”

This summer, ayS to be

program will fund 120 students to work

at registered charities across Canada.

You can gain valuable work experience, do something good for your community, and still be able to pay next year’s ition. For an application form or more information please call 1-800-334-2627 or visit our website at www.ipia-itao.com. Deadline for applications is April 3, 1998.

Developpement des

Development Canada ressources humaines Canada

Ges é@tudiants