Amira Elghawaby

Finding the right moment to intertwine progressive movements

rabble staff — Tue, 05 Apr 2016 14:10:31 +0000

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Amira Elghawaby reports back with a snapshot of the Broadbent 2016 Progress Summit including Gloria Steinem's keynote speech, the need for intersectionality, and xenophobia in Canada.

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We sometimes take for granted, just how easy it is for well-meaning people to work in silos.

But, by the same token, we must also appreciate that sometimes movements must take time to find their voice, to understand their motivations and to articulate their demands.

Harper's litany of abuses must compel Canadians to fight for change

rabble staff — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 20:47:03 +0000

October 15, 2015

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"News is what someone wants suppressed. Everything else is advertising." -- Katherine Graham, American journalist.

Many, many people have warned Canada that Harper's time in power has been awful. But what happens when a non-partisan observer starts saying the same thing?

Watch: Suitably dressed? How women's choices become symbols of belonging or exclusion

amirael — Thu, 20 Aug 2015 21:17:36 +0000

Is this show currently playing?

August 21, 2015

Prime Minister Stephen Harper famously said women who wear the face veil while taking their citizenship oath should know that it "isn't the way we do things here" in Canada. Amira Elghawaby explores.

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Prime Minister Stephen Harper famously said women who wear the face veil while taking their citizenship oath should know that it "isn't the way we do things here" in Canada. Amira Elghawaby explores.

Amira Elghawaby is Communications Director, NCCM and rabble.ca contributing editor.

This week in progressive film: Bikes vs. Cars

amirael — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 19:40:03 +0000

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Treadmill-worthy.

That's become my quick and easy way to identify whether or not a film or documentary is truly engaging.

Here's why Harper's vicious attack on democracy and media matters

rabble staff — Thu, 07 May 2015 19:20:03 +0000

Stephen Harper's attack on democracy and Canadian media has been vicious and systematic. Here's why it matters.

Oh, Canada: Harper's systematic attack on democracy and media

rabble staff — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 19:55:53 +0000

May 7, 2015

If the state of Canada's democracy doesn't already reduce you to tears, it will once you get your hands on Mark Bourrie's latest book, Kill the Messengers: Stephen Harper's Assault on Your Right to Know. This book would be worth the time under any circumstances; in an election year, it's absolutely essential reading.

Does the state of Canada's democracy reduce you to tears? If it doesn't, it will once you read Mark Bourrie's 'Kill the Messengers: Stephen Harper's Assault on Your Right to Know.'

The new Canada: A paradox of citizenship and belonging

rabble staff — Wed, 07 Jan 2015 15:07:58 +0000

January 8, 2015

I suspect many of us share Adrienne Clarkson's vision of what Canada is and should be: a place where everyone can belong.

Her latest book Belonging: The Paradox of Citizenship, based on the 2014 Massey Lectures she delivered on CBC Radio, offers plenty of philosophical and evidentiary reasons for promoting the admirable concept of shared citizenship.

Yet, somehow, I also suspect that many of us couldn't help wonder whether this grand vision she describes so convincingly is fading away into a past we are already beginning to lament.

By 2030, Canada's growth will be entirely based on immigration. So it seems it is in everyone's best interest to welcome newcomers, but you wouldn't gather that by the current laws and changes.

Now Playing in Progressive Film: Top picks for the holidays

amirael — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 20:26:36 +0000

The holiday season is upon us once again. Time for friends, family, food and thought-provoking flicks.

For those of you who prefer smarts over sexy, here's a great selection of films and documentaries that will leave you feeling more informed and more energized to bring positive change to your world. These films are available on either YouTube or Netflix and are worth watching with loved ones, or simply on your own!

Films about economic inequality

Here are a handful of films that taken together will make you both wiser, and angrier, about the North American economic system gone awry.

What has Canada become under the Harper government?

rabble staff — Fri, 12 Dec 2014 18:18:29 +0000

Harperism has been sweeping Canada! You know that blend of neoliberal politics, mixed with swift denial and blatant lies. How did we get here, and more importantly, will we ever get out?

Harper's Canada: What have we become?

rabble staff — Tue, 25 Nov 2014 16:42:56 +0000

December 11, 2014

Does it ever feel like you've just woken up and found yourself living in a country you don't recognize? How did Canada get to where it is today -- a more militaristic, nationalistic, free-market-at-all-costs place that seems to have shed its world-renowned reputation as a land of peacekeepers, multiculturalism, social responsibility and scientific advancement?

It hasn't been by accident. In fact, as Donald Gutstein points out in the opening phrase of his book, Harperism: How Stephen Harper and his Think Tank Colleagues Have Transformed Canada, this is exactly what Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised he'd do.

And he did it with a little bit of help from his friends.

Harperism has been sweeping Canada! You know that blend of neoliberal politics, mixed with swift denial and blatant lies. How did we get here, and more importantly, will we ever get out?

rabble.ca in conversation with Glenn Greenwald

rabble staff — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 17:56:22 +0000

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Glenn Greenwald spoke Saturday at an event in Ottawa. Before his lecture he was interviewed by rabble.ca's Amira Elghawaby. Here's their conversation.

Glenn Greenwald gave a lecture in Ottawa on Saturday night. The event was held in a week where two soldiers were killed in separate incidents in different parts of the country.

Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent was killed in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. by Martin Couture-Rouleau. In a separate incident, a Cpl. Nathan Cirrillo was shot on Parliament Hill by Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, who then entered Parliament Hill Centre Block firing more shots. He was shot dead by the Sergeant-at-arms and RCMP.

Now Playing: Meltdown -- The secret history of the global financial crisis

amirael — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 20:50:50 +0000

ICYMI: Here’s a fantastic documentary series produced by CBC's Doc Zone and worth viewing as we mark the sixth anniversary of the 2008 financial crisis that hit global markets in August of that year.

It's also timely to watch this four-part series considering we've just observed another Labour Day in North America.

After all, the economic crash was as much about the trampling of workers' rights as it was about the greed and lawlessness of capitalists on Wall Street and around the world.

Narrated and produced by the Canadian filmmaker Terrence McKenna, the series is as thorough as it is accessible in explaining how and why many parts of the world suffered immense losses following the collapse of major banking institutions in the U.S. and abroad.

Canadian spy agencies are running reckless

rabble staff — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 15:15:07 +0000

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

How much does it concern you that your emails, texts, social media and phone calls might be monitored? Probably a lot, right?

How much does it concern you that your emails, texts, social media and phone calls might be monitored?

If recent polling from both around the world and here at home is any indication, it probably concerns you quite a bit.

Earlier this month, the Pew Forum published the results of a global survey that shows a significant majority of people from around the world find it unacceptable that the U.S. monitors both foreigners and its own citizens. The same poll shows that a wide margin of those polled in 43 countries disapprove of the U.S.'s monitoring of the communications of other world leaders.

Monia Mazigh explores the interconnected stories of Muslim women's lives

rabble staff — Tue, 29 Jul 2014 04:06:36 +0000

July 31, 2014

Monia Mazigh's debut novel, Mirrors and Mirages: a Novel, has enriched Canadian literature.

This lyrical work, exploring the lives and motivations of six Muslim women living in Canada, is a testament to the multicultural fabric that continues to influence the country's character and global reputation.

Woven effortlessly throughout the interconnected stories are the scents, flavours, sounds, sights and emotions evoking faraway lands, as well as neighbourhoods just around the corner.

'Mirrors and Mirages' has enriched Canadian literature. Mazigh's lyrical work brings new voices to the mainstream and deftly explores issues of identity, religion and feminism.

Now Playing in Progressive Film: Blackfish

amirael — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 18:14:28 +0000

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School's out and parents know what that means.

"I'm bored!" will be ringing in their ears if they don't figure out how to keep the little munchkins entertained.

For those of us who can scrounge up some dime to take the crew somewhere fun (happy kids = happy parents), a marine park of some kind may be on the itinerary.

Or not.