There’s a danger when you’re talking about people – be it in an opinion column, during a water-cooler conversation or on the drainer of common sense, Facebook – to paint everyone with the same brush.
All Muslims are terrorists. All refugees are would-be terrorists. All Canadians are peace-loving Christians. Each of the foregoing statements is false.
Yes, there are extremists who practise the Islamic faith. But there are millions more who decry their beliefs being touted as the reason to murder fellow human beings.
One of the kindest, gentlest people I ever met was a follower of the Aga Khan. She was a Muslim who had come to Canada when one of the most evil men who ever lived, Idi Amin, ousted many people of Indian descent from Uganda. While they supposedly lived by the same tenets, Amin was intimidated and jealous of the superior education and skills of the Khan Ismailis. Suddenly decent, hard-working people were, if they were lucky enough to survive the despot’s rampages, left with no homes. Many came to Canada. We were fortunate to get them.
Right now there’s a bitter controversy waging over allowing a large number of Syrian refugees into our country. We harden our hearts to the plight of families fleeing their world for a better one – one where their children don’t hear bombs or see their friends blown to bits before their eyes. We, the suddenly pious, can now see all the social ills in Canada. How can we afford to welcome strangers when our own people are being so neglected? Yesterday it didn’t bother us so much when Canadians slept on benches in freezing weather or First Nation reserves had no source of decent water. But offer to let in foreigners with a different religion and language, and boy, can we suddenly see all the social ills that need correcting in our homeland.
And at this time of year, there also wages a giant controversy about holiday greetings. Folks who haven’t seen the inside of a church for years for other than rites of passage are outraged that a retailer pours coffee in a plain red cup and an ad for a local store says Season’s Greetings instead of Merry Christmas. It’s probably not all the love in their hearts or the caffeinated beverage that’s giving the self-righteous acid indigestion. Here’s the cold, hard truth – we live in a free country. If you want to say Merry Christmas, do so. You won’t offend me whether you do or don’t. But don’t put “hate” in the same sentence as, “I hate people who don’t say Merry Christmas.” An oxymoron, wouldn’t you say?
If you’re annoyed by my brush strokes, ask yourself why. It’s time to give peace a try.
