Saudi teen Rahaf Mohammed fled her family and religion - claiming it was a matter of life or death if she returned to Saudi Arabia.
She found refuge in Canada - a country known for freedom of religion and welcoming asylum seekers.
Her escape to Canada has sparked international attention and debate over extremes in religion.
Phil Robertson is the Asia Deputy Director for Human Rights Watch. He received an urgent call to help Rahaf after she landed in Thailand and had her passport seized by Saudi officials. He shares the tense moments that brought her to safety in Canada.
Is Rahaf’s experience religious or cultural? Military chaplain Barbara Helm Lois and columnist Sheema Khan respond to Rahaf’s story and share their own experiences with being Muslim women.
Extremes exist in all religions. South of the border the lines between religion and politics are melding. Jonathan Walton, author of 12 Lies that Hold America Captive, shares how identity issues have intertwined with faith.
And here in Canada, faith leaders respond to extremism within their own religions.
Plus, pastors discuss how to keep their congregations engaged as church attendance is on the decline.
This week on Context we explore how to respond when people run from religion.
Up Next in 2019
-
Context - June 12, 2019 - For Your He...
Ontario doctors were at the Ontario Court of Appeal this week saying their freedom of conscience is under attack, and their charter rights are being violated when it comes to medical assistance in dying.
At issue: the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) require doctors to give...
-
Context - June 5, 2019 - Protecting O...
The new docu-series, Surviving R Kelly has resurfaced allegations against R&B singer R. Kelly that he sexually abused children.
The documentary has sparked a new investigation into the singer’s alleged sex abuse of girls.
Is justice being served for these young girls, who are now women?...
-
Context - May 29, 2019 - Fan Culture ...
But when many of us began stepping out of our physical communities and into the online digital personas and communities we’ve created – well everything community became unreal.
Or did it? Is online belonging and the digital personas we project the real deal?
Fantasy, escape, and the t...
