Already a fire was deliberately set at a mosque in Peterborough, Ontario. Police believe that this may represent a hate crime. Some prominent Canadians are increasingly questioning the Canadian Government’s stated intention to try to bring in 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of the year. Critics are concerned that radicals may be allowed to enter under the program, despite the Government’s assurance that all potential refugees will be adequately screened. For the most part, they will be selected from refugee camps in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Many will be families with women and children. Remember that the horrible war in Syria has left more than 250,000 people dead and has displaced half of that country’s population. Despite the hard work of numerous agencies, many refugees have been living in difficult conditions for several years.
Given the recent tragic events in France and elsewhere, including ISIS-related attacks in Lebanon and Turkey, this is not the time for “fear mongering” when it comes to providing humanitarian aid to these refugees. It is also not the time for attacking Muslim communities in Canada, even if they are isolated events. If this occurs, we are giving the radicals exactly what they want. Such actions by Western countries will be used in ISIS propaganda as examples of why their so-called causes should be supported. This in turn could very likely lead to a further radicalization of certain individuals who are already susceptible to such propaganda.
We need to work within our communities to ensure that inclusive policies and programs are in place to combat radicalization. We need to be better informed about the complexity of the issues creating the Syrian situation and the general unrest in the Middle East. We need to combat ignorance, extreme forms of backlash and xenophobic policies. The best way that Canadians can combat extremism at home and abroad is by continuing to promote our finest traits as a caring, inclusive and diverse populace.
