Angry in the Great White North

This is one of those stories that is destined to become a TV movie. But then perhaps the ending hasn't played out yet, so we'll have to wait.

Masoda Younasy is a woman who is willful, has business smarts, and is thinking about going into politics.

For that, she faces a death sentence, passed by her family in Afghanistan.  But thanks to Jason Kenney and his team, Masoda Younasy is safe in Canada:

Masoda Younasy's first mistake was her unwillingness to conform to the strict rules of conduct governing women in Afghanistan.

Her second was being fearlessly - some might say recklessly - willing to talk about her disdain for customs that render many Afghan women the chattel of their fathers or husbands.

For her perceived insolence, Ms. Younasy was forced to flee the country where her grandfather ruled as king for four decades. She arrived in Toronto Friday from Islamabad after obtaining an exceptional three-year permit to live and work in Canada.

Federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney signed the papers during a recent trip to Pakistan and India. It is the first time since the Conservatives took office in 2006 that this kind of protection has been extended to someone outside the country.

It took four days for her to resume contact with Canadian officials and to learn the good news.

During that time, her uncle had called the home in Kabul where she was staying to ask whether she was there. "My mom told me change your location and don't tell anyone where you are. So I changed my location and now I am in a hotel," she explained when she resurfaced.

It took a few days and some wrangling to get her a visa for Pakistan. Finally, on Monday, she flew to Islamabad to obtain the documents that allowed her to get on the plane to Canada Friday.

"These things are really extraordinary," Mr. Kenney said of the permit.

Now let's hear the cheers from both sides of the political spectrum in Canada.

From the right?  Yay!

From the left?  *cough* *cough* [udpate below!]

Oh well.

Still, check out the story, and think about the difference we're making in Afghanistan.  If it was up to Jack Layton, a social worker would arrange for a meeting in Afghanistan between Masoda Younasy and her male relatives with a group hug first on the agenda.  If it was up to Jack Layton, Masoda Younasy would in all likelihood be dead.

Thank goodness it was up to Jason Kenney.  Hopefully it'll stay that way for quite some time.

Credit given where credit is due: On the question of the "left" not recognizing Jason Kenney's actions, Kady O'Malley emailed me to point out that she had posted on this same story, and beat me to the punch on congratulating Jason Kenney.   In my defense, I was focusing on the silence emanating from the LibLogs and the folks who hang out at Rabble.ca, not from the main stream media (like Kady), who I expect to cover newsworthy stories in a responsible and even-handed manner, regardless of their personal politics (like Kady).