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Buddha, I love this country ...
this article truly illustrates the canadian POV
From Windsor Star, Monday March 15
Muslim woman finds naval reserve good fit
She's a pioneer in Canada's military
By Don Lajoie Star Staff Reporter
Monday, March 15, 2004
Sub Lieut. Wafa Dabbagh stands next to other officers at the HMCS Hunter.
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If the navy ever needed a poster to promote "diversity" in the forces, Wafa Dabbagh would make the perfect model.
You can see the "welcome aboard" in her broad smile and eyes that shine with the pride of two traditions, one embodied in her navy blue uniform, the other in the hijab, or head covering, she wears on duty from her religious convictions as a Muslim woman.
And, most importantly, Dabbagh would not be a model paid to play the role.
She is, in fact, Sub Lieut. Wafa Dabbagh, logistics officer at HMCS Hunter of the naval reserve and the first "covered Muslim woman" in the Canadian military.
Growing up in Egypt and Kuwait, the Palestinian-born Dabbagh says, the idea she might one day set sail as an officer aboard a Canadian warship never entered her mind.
And it might not have come to pass had she not made a wrong turn at the Canada Employment office on University Avenue eight years ago.
Dabbagh had just come to Windsor from Montreal, where she had emigrated from Kuwait in 1990, and was looking for work.
But when she arrived at the federal government building on University Avenue, she walked in the east entrance rather than the west and found herself in the Canadian Forces recruiting office.
"I was told Employment Canada was at the other end of the building," she recalled. "I turned around to walk out. Then I stopped and asked, ?what do you have here?' The recruiter told me about the services and the different trades. I said ?i'm interested. Count me in.'"
At first, her brother and sister did not believe that Dabbagh, a 34-year-old single woman with a bachelor of science and master's of business administration degrees, aspired to be a swabee.
"They thought it was a phase I was going through," she said. "But when I went for basic training the third time, they knew I meant what I said."
She said her first training was as a non-commissioned member. To become an officer, she had to undergo 12 weeks training that stressed leadership. But while on the obstacle course, she fell from the rope ladder and fractured a rib. When that healed, she returned.
"The captain said he'd never seen anyone who figured out what they had to go through in basic training come back for more."
But Dabbagh had never been one to conform. As a 17-year-old living in Kuwait, she made the decision to wear the hijab against the wishes of her father, a pediatrician who, though religious, feared her choice would make her rigid and intolerant. But Dabbagh argued her decision was "liberating."
She said that according to her religious beliefs, a woman who uses makeup, wears figure-hugging clothing and a stylish coif risks becoming a sexual object despite her other qualities. By covering her body and head, she forces the world to judge her on intellect, ability and character.
"To me that's freedom."
Her convictions have never interfered with her service in the military, she said. But she acknowledged that, at first, the military was uncertain. Dabbagh recalled being called into the commanding officer's office after she received her commission.
"He closed the door and said, ?we don't know what to do with you. We checked the records in Ottawa, all the commands, navy, army, air force, regular and reserve.' But they'd never had a covered muslim woman before.
"I replied ?I can't drink or eat pork. But I can do anything. What you see is what you get, sir.'"
Since then, the navy has proved accommodating.
First, they found her a uniform that is not form fitting, consisting of maternity smocks and calf-length skirts. She wears the hijab on duty. When it comes to dietary strictures, the galley goes out of its way to provide meals that do not include forbidden ingredients. She is free to pray in privacy.
"I cannot stress how much the military has been accommodating and respectful," she said. "Once I came in the galley and they were having chicken. When I took some the cook said ?that's not for you, it was wrapped in bacon. We have something special.' It was touching, overwhelming really."
After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S., Dabbagh received e-mails from Navy personnel across Canada telling her if she experienced "any problems" to let them know.
Lieut. Chris Gagnon, of HMCS Hunter, said that's because Dabbagh "fits in very well" despite minor adjustments of uniform and menu. "She's a great colleague, always enthusiastic and pitches in with all of us. There are 70 people in this unit and she gets along with everyone."
Dabbagh has served aboard warships on both coasts and on bases across Canada. The proudest day of her life was when she stood, trembling and holding back tears to become a Canadian citizen. She has lived everywhere from Egypt and Kuwait to the U.S. But her family chose Canada because it's respected in the Middle East.
"I left Palestine at 18 months and haven't been back, except for one week when I was three," said the Leamington resident, whose regular job is as a weather monitor at Windsor Airport. "Canada is where I belong."
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