A decision is expected in two weeks on the case of a Palestinian family who spent the last 18 months taking shelter in a Toronto church to avoid deportation, according to the Toronto Star. The 71-year-old Nadim Bahsous took shelter in Our Lady of Lebanon church with his four other children, three of whom have heredity disabilities due to
cerebellum atrophy, which confine them to wheelchairs.
The lawyer for the family, Mendel Green, argues that the family should be allowed to stay in Canada on humanitarian grounds. Green claims his clients, Nadim Bahsous and his four adult children, should be granted asylum in Canada where they have family members. Bahsous’ son Akram and daughter Olivia are both landed immigrants in Canada, where the law entitles them to sponsor family members. Akram and Olivia legally immigrated to Canada in September 1996 and February 1999, respectively and show financial statements, the combined total of which is in excess of 1.5 million cash, and other assets in the United Arab Emirates and Canada. The siblings provided this information to the Refugee and Appeal Board in an attempt to further their plea that their family should remain in Canada. Derek Taylor, lawyer for the Canadian minister, challenged the Bahsous children’s dependence on their father, and argued that they could not qualify as dependants on his application. The family’s lawyer argues, however, that in the Arab culture, family ties are a serious responsibility.
This argument may challenge the North American view of dependency. The 71 year old father and his four children, Jamal 44, Anwar, 34, and Faten, 36, and Elham, 31 have seen their case rejected at two previous hearings. Albawaba.com
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