Editor:
I was shocked and saddened by Mr.Clarke’s letter last week about democracy and Canadian values. The letter started off as a thoughtful contribution to the discussion and debate, but he then concludes with what I interpreted as a hateful racist comment against people of the Muslim faith. In bringing up the Shafia family murders it seems Mr. Clarke was attempting to make a generalization that this case was a reflection of “Muslim” values. The murder of these women was a horrific incident. The trial exposed disturbing evidence about honour killings, but to hold it up as some telling example is flawed, on many levels. The vilification of the “Other” is nothing new, and it makes me wonder, when we will learn that we are all citizens of the world? Dividing ourselves along the lines of religion, culture and geopolitics will only serve to feed hatred and violence. While we can discuss/debate the differences between religious and political systems, social structures and cultural practices along with the values they espouse, we have to remember that the civilians that exist within them embody an entire spectrum of ideas, beliefs and values. I just don’t believe one can make generalizations about billions of people in one “group”. There are about 1.6 billion Muslim people in the world, about 23 per cent of the world’s population. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, expected to surpass Christianity by the end of the century. It is time to learn all we can about each other, to come together and strive for peace and understanding.
Instead of placing blame and judgment on others, I suggest we all take a long hard look at ourselves. In looking at the Shafia family murders, I wonder if religion is the only lens through which to gaze, what if we were look through some other lens? What if we looked at Patriarchy: “a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded by it”. A global reality that transcends religion, culture and politics. It makes me think of other horrific crimes against women that have occurred in Montreal.
I looked up a few facts from the Canadian Women’s Federation; About every six days a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner (of 83 police reported intimate partner homicides in 2014, 67 were women); on any night in Canada 3,491 women and their 2724 children sleep in shelters because it isn’t safe at home; between 1980 and 2012 we have lost about 4000 missing and murdered indigenous women in Canada.
We could also explore the “Christian” values that the colonizing Europeans brought to claim and conquer North America, and eventually implemented in residential schools. “Indigenous peoples were cast as subhuman and “savages”. The settlers saw themselves as the great white saviours who would save the indigenous peoples from themselves.” (Active history.com, “Confederation comes at a cost: Indigenous peoples and the ongoing reality of colonialism in Canada. Gabrielle Slowey, July 8, 2016).
As a mother, I will do all I can to teach my child to look past the divisions imposed upon us, to see each person they meet as an individual with a unique story that is so much more than the sum of their parts. Evil, hate, greed and suffering exist in every corner of the world, but thankfully so do the basic human values of love and compassion. My sincere wish is for us all to spend a little time this holiday season reflecting on what connects us all rather than what divides.
Kieron Rupke,
Creemore.