Critics charge Y event everything from sexist to an attempt by Muslims to bring in Sharia law via the back door

It appears some would like nothing better than to sink female-only swims, recently launched at the Sault Ste. Marie YMCA.

Critics charge the concept, geared to cultures and religions that forbid mixed-gender pool outings, is everything from sexist to an attempt by Muslims to bring in Sharia law via the back door.

Kim Caruso is not amused. The YMCA CEO has shouldered a number of e-mails, phone calls and face-to-face encounters with opponents of the Sunday afternoon, one-hour swims, which debuted earlier this month.

Complaints began coming in as soon as The Sault Star and other local media profiled the event weeks ago. More anger erupted following a more recent television report, which aired Wednesday and Thursday.

Caruso began receiving e-mails early Wednesday evening while the broadcast was still in progress, and her office phone began to ring following the noon report Thursday.

A male caller was civil, while a female screamed through the line.

“I thanked her very much and hung up,” Caruso said. “I put an end to the conversation because it wasn’t going to get anywhere.”

Then there’s e-mails.

“Why did you cave in to these people? What do they contribute to this community besides nothing?” one e-mail received Tuesday night read, in part.

“I don’t want to give up anything to these third-world backward thinking people just because of their religious (or cult) beliefs. You have opened up a can of worms ... You make me sick. You are nothing but a weak money grabbing bunch of panderers. The silent majority will speak out on this I’m sure.”

Another read, in part:

“You are pushing women back into the dark ages when we had to fight for equality. When my family came to canada they assimilated and became canadians . What’s next Sharia’s Law or whatever its called. I am a Canadian and I want my grandchildren to be raise as Canadian. Please don’t start that crap over here.”

Caruso said she expected disagreeable feedback, but concedes she’s somewhat shocked at the tenor of some responses, most of which have come from women.

“It’s amazing the people who consider us to be a melting pot, similar to the States rather than a mosaic,” she added. “All through elementary school and high school and into university taking geography and studying different cultures, I’ve always been taught that Canada is a mosaic. For people to believe that’s not the case and when you come to Canada you should be ‘Canadian’ and get rid of all your heritage and cultural ways is a little surprising to me.”

Then there was the “gentleman” who stormed into the McNabb Street facility Wednesday night demanding to sign a protest, launched by about a dozen “older” female Y members.

“He was angered and said his buddies outside were prepared to sign the petition, as well ... Just the way he carried himself,” Caruso said.

“It was just the nature. He just kind of ran in the door, yelled at the front desk, ‘Where’s the petition?’ That kind of shocked us.”

Caruso, who wasn’t present, praises her staff for handling the matter calmly — as she did when a member asked her if the facility planned to change its name to YMMA, replacing Christian with Muslim.

“My message to the staff has been not to engage in any kind of conflict or conversation regarding values or morals and culture and that sort of thing,” said Caruso, adding the police haven’t “yet” been called to such encounters or to examine e-mails. “Just thank them very much and explain that it’s a women and children swim and give them my business card.”

To ensure privacy, the pool-viewing gallery is blocked off, windows covered and doors locked on the pool deck.

All staff are female. Children are permitted; males must be six and under.

Caruso said the event serves many purposes.

“Some women who are overweight might not feel comfortable swimming in mixed company, so this is for them as well,” she added.

The swim was the brainchild of Jane Omollo, co-ordinator of the Sault Community Career Centre’s New to the Sault program.

Omollo, of Kenyan descent, moved to the city eight years ago. She said given the recent influx of immigrants, thanks to Essar Steel Algoma, not to mention the many foreign students attending both Algoma University and Sault College, the city’s ethnic makeup is getting a mix-up.

Female-only swims are not a foreign concept in many larger centres and Omollo sees no reason why the idea can’t blossom here — but is dismayed, not surprised, by naysayers.

“Change is not easy,” she said.

“It does not matter what type of change it is, you always have people who are opposed to it and people who are for it. For me, it’s just part of that whole complex area of something new that is being introduced that people are not used to. We’ll have a few people who will say what they need to say because of freedom of speech.”

Sault Community Career Centre has received e-mails voicing displeasure with the swim, but Omollo believes the more hostile comments far from reflect the majority of Saultites, themselves inhabiting a city whose population has been rich in ethnic diversity for decades.

“To me, it draws a picture in my mind of somebody who is not well-travelled, not aware that change is happening, not only here in the Sault but everywhere in Canada and everywhere in the world,” she said. “There are people living in their own bubble.”

Michael-Lee Valois doesn’t believe he’s living in a bubble, but a country that must stand on guard against influences that could alter its core values.

“If it’s a Sharia law thing coming from these lovely ladies of the Muslim community, then it should not be done,” said the Mattawa, Ont., resident, who caught the television news clip and called The Sault Star newsroom with his concerns.

“If it’s based for safety for reasons that they have concerns that women and children must be alone, that’s different. But if it’s based on religious reasons, then I feel truly that Sharia law should not be entering the into the YMCA as it hasn’t entered Ontario government law.

“They’re trying to sneak in, indirectly and quietly, Sharia law. I don’t agree with that. I don’t agree religion, it doesn’t matter whose religion, should be entering the YMCA, a public kind of institution.”

Valois said the notion now of faith-based groups, such as the Orange Lodge or Knights of Columbus, marching through communities, as they once did, seems so much a thing of the past — and should remain as such.

“What are we trying to do, go back to that?” he said. “And even though this is a small thing in a small city, why are we going back to that?

“Let’s keep things neutral, not start sneaking in activities that belong to one particular belief over another.”

Caruso doesn’t see it that way. In fact, she hails the female-only swim, open to all females regardless of race and religion, as the height of inclusively.

“I think it’s really important to promote cultural diversity and to welcome people to Sault Ste. Marie and I’ve said over and over again, the Y’s core values are respect and inclusion and caring for all people … I stick to that.”

Caruso is determined critics won’t throw cold water on future swims, the next being Sunday, noon to 1 p.m.

“It’s easy to shy away from this situation, easy to not do anything and not be public about what we’re doing,” she said. “But I think in our values at the Y we have a responsibility to help improve the situation and, really, cultural diversity is good for everybody.”

Caruso cites her husband, Pat, who is of Italian descent, describing the discrimination his forefathers likely endured at the hands of those already established here at the time.

“I’ve listened to the stories about not crossing the tracks. I kind of feel it’s time for us to move on.”

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