Signs of our times: 38 Year Old Muslim-Canadian Elected Mayor of Calgary (In Redneck Country), page 1

Probably the biggest stunner in Alberta election history happened last night when Naheed Nenshi was elected Mayor of Calgary.

www.calgaryherald.com...

Political newcomer Naheed Nenshi won a dramatic see-saw battle to become Calgary's mayor Monday night, capping a stunning rise that saw the business professor climb from the pack's fringes to the city's top job. Nenshi, 38, originally considered a long shot, defeated longtime alderman Ric McIver and former TV anchor Barb Higgins in a race that attracted voters in droves.

A son of immigrants who graduated from the prestigious American university of Harvard, Nenshi is Calgary's first visible minority mayor. He has also become the first leader of Muslim faith to head a major Canadian city.

Political observers were stunned by his meteoric rise. "It's a Cinderella story," said Lori Williams, a political scientist at Mount Royal University. "A lot of people thought he was too different . . . I think, though, that this reflects the diversity of the city."

Not only is Naheed Nenshi the first elected Muslim mayor in Canada, but the first one elected in Calgary- arguably the most conservative "Red-Neck" region in Canada.

I see this as a great step forward for Canada. Canada has always considered itself a multi-cultural nation; vigorously defending the rights of all citizens, regardless of where they came from, what they practice, and what they believe. Although there have been Muslims who have been elected to municipal, provincial, and even federal positions, this is the first time one has been elected as head of a government of a major city.

Of course, there are a lot of people in Calgary who are appalled and see this as the end of the world, but what do you expect?

60 years ago, anyone who was a European immigrant would have held the same controversy, and only 30-40 years ago, the same could be said for women.

Indeed, times are changing

reply to post by Daniyal

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I love my country too!

I couldn't imagine living anywhere else but right here, where people all seen as being a part of one nation- regardless of who they are or what they believe in.

Of course, we do have problems as any country does, but unlike other countries that tend to intensify these problems or sweep them under the rug, we do our best to work at and solve them!

Go Canada!

reply to post by ImAnAlienOnMyOwnPlanet

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I agree

reply to post by Mapleleaf_Messenger

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Your right that "redneck" does have negative connotations... however regardless of whether or not it is true, it is how a lot of Canadians see southern Alberta, Alberta, and even western Canada in General.

A good example of this was my friend who went to Ottawa to participate in mock forums where students from all over Canada got to debate political issues and learn about the way the government works. The first thing she told me was how everyone was calling the Alberta kids "red-necks" and commenting on how all the kids are driving there parents SUV's and are "oil rich, cowboy-hat wearing crazies". I could only think of Texas when I heard it . It was all said jokingly of course, but she did feel the sting of stereotyping.

I view this just the same way you do; this is a great step forward in ridding Alberta in general of those negative connotations.

reply to post by Monts

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Three cheers for our Canadian neighbors.

Though to be fair, we do have an U.S Senator that is Muslim (Keith Ellison).

reply to post by The Sword

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Actually he is a member of the House of Representatives.

en.wikipedia.org...(politician)

Canada generally keeps religion out of the public eye. It doesn't mix with politics.
Another noticeable minority that made it big in Canadian politics is Ujjal Dosanjh, who is a Sikh. He has been politics here since the early 1990s.
en.wikipedia.org...

Now, when elections come up for the Prime Minister, we need someone a little more interesting than the chubby white guy, the skinny white guy, and the other white guy...

Having been raised in Vancouver, and now living in Saskatchewan, I happen to think the "rednecks" are the fun people.

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