Re: Editorial: `The al-Qaeda is a western phenomenon’, June 8, 2006
There are many dysfunctional lunatics in our world. Although the democratic process, albeit flawed, has demonstrated unequivocally that it is superior to any alternative, there will always be some who attempt to bypass it with mindless violence and disruption. However, what they are practicing is vandalism - the wanton destruction of life and property - not terrorism.
It is not possible for someone to be a terrorist unless somebody else is terrorized, and if we choose not to be terrorized, we are dealing with simple ignorant hooliganism. It is important not to glorify these lowlife perpetrators of public disorder by letting them think we are quaking in our boots!
Tony Routledge
In your editorial you say that al-Qaeda "has become a way of life for the alienated, disenfranchised and disillusioned in the west."
You also say that "our war on terror . . . should also be about attacking the social dimensions that give rise to the al-Qaeda influence in the west."
I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you, but I would find it very worthwhile if you could further explain because editors of newspapers are expected to do so, just why, "the way we treat our minorities and new Canadians" is causing neighbour to scorn neighbour and fellow citizen to consider killing fellow citizen.
Perhaps Canada is not the "perfect" place for either native-born or new Canadians to live, but surely this country has at the very least opened its doors and offered some chances to hundreds of thousands of human beings from places throughout the world where apparently things are also not perfect.
I'm a native-born Canadian who has always welcomed our immigrants and valued our multicultural way of life. I want to know how I can help promote actions and policies which will encourage all persons in Canada to live and work and thrive together, not attack each other.
Graham Potter
Marketing Director
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
These large cities are targeted as the large bastions of western civilization, open to immigrants, including the disaffected, where immense infrastructures of culture and commerce exist for targeting. Such terrorists are already alienated by choice, within their own xenophobic cultures. Else why isn’t the multitude of other cultures in Canada committing terrorist acts? They're busy working to achieve. Too many of these youth feel entitled to status and prosperity without working for it. This reminds me of some of our politicians.
Sibley McGrath
As a born and raised Canadian Muslim, I take the greatest pride in my country; I proudly wear the maple leaf whenever I travel abroad, I am fluently bilingual in both of our national languages and can sing the anthem in both as well (albeit not as well as Lyndon
Slewidge of Ottawa, but few can claim that) and I am as avid of a hockey fan as can be. In short, I am both a patriotic Canadian and a practicing Muslim; the identities are not different or incongruent, rather both are complementary to one another.
Yet some questions plague my mind: why is it that when a Canadian Christian or Canadian Jew or Canadian Hindu or Canadian Sikh commits a crime, their fellow members in faith are not asked to apologize for him or her, but when a Canadian Muslim commits a crime, all Muslims are expected to do so?
Why is the faith of a criminal associated with him or her only when it is a Muslim?
Why is it that when Muslim community leaders and members speak out against terrorism tirelessly and unequivocally condemn it, it often goes unreported?
In light of the recent Ontario arrests, it is rather unfortunate that much of the mainstream media is carelessly whipping up anti-Muslim hysteria and neglecting the fact that the suspects are presently accused of a crime and as per our democratic principles, they are innocent until proven guilty by a fair trial. The accused are yet to be brought to court, but the media circus has already pronounced specific places of being targets of terrorist strikes, based on sensationalized concoction and nothing substantial from the accused or the authorities.
Similarly, it is utterly irresponsible for government officials, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper (who could hardly mask his glee when pronouncing his statement following the arrests), to make misleading statements and insinuations of "us" versus "them."
Such fear-mongering will only serve to negatively reinforce sentiments and stereotypes in society and lead to more isolation and polarization of communities. Prime Minister Harper could do well by learning how to be a responsible public figure, as exemplified by Gilles Duceppe of the Bloc Quebecois, many NDP MP's and others. This same advice can be given to Liberal MP Wajid Khan, whose remarks on TV and on radio have borne frantic overcompensation.
On the other hand, it is a relief to see that statements by CSIS, RCMP and the Mayor of Toronto put the arrests into proper context as criminal activities by suspects and explicitly declared that in no way do they implicate the Canadian Muslim population. If the accused are proven to be guilty by a court of law, then I am extremely grateful to our security forces and applaud them for their vigilance.
Shujaat Wasty
Board member, South Asian Research Center
Montreal
Re: Editorial: `The reality of a perception in Jassi’s murder’, May 25, 2006
The culprits should be behind bars for their brutal crime they did. This is ridiculous.
If they kill their own daughter, they can go and commit any crime. We wish the mother and uncle of Jassi should be tried in a Canadian court .
Rajnish
Government worker
Ottawa
Re: The Justice for Jassi Online petition (www.justiceforjassi.com)
What has happened to our justice system, to our society that this flagrant, brutal murder continues to remain unpunished? I am 79 years old and very disappointed in our Canadian officials.
Eldon Yundt
Walkerton, Ontario
This is a sad and tragic Canadian story. As a Canadian woman who has visited India many times and has a great affection and respect for both countries, this is particularly upsetting. My closest friend is a Sikh woman now living in England so she is obviously better informed on traditional matters. But I believe we are both equally alarmed that justice has eluded Jassi and her husband. Especially here in Canada – a country I had hoped was no so corrupt and even racist. I cannot even imagine Jassi’s fear and ultimate end, of her final moments and thoughts of familial betrayal. What could be worse? She knew true love only to lose everything for it. It is diabolic in the extreme at the hands of her own family. She deserves justice now or she’ll never rest in peace. It is all our shame otherwise.
Paula Bryce Buchanan
Vancouver, BC
Re: The political situation in the Philippines
It is hard to convince the Filipino people that Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Noli de Castro won as president and vice-president in the last 2004 national election honestly.
In the Autonomous Regions of Muslim Mindanao provinces where the election results showed that Arroyo won "overwhelmingly," her rival the late Fernando Poe Jr. was respected and admired by the Muslim populace. In some municipalities he got zero votes. That is statistically impossible.
In a country where everybody including goat herders own cellular phones with texting capabilities, it is hard to swallow that it took one month for the Commission on Elections to gather all election results and declare the winner of the elections. There was no parallel results from the citizens group called NAMFREL which was active in previous elections.
For now the armed forces seem to be on her side. It has its own rank and succession problems. During previous administrations, it was rumored that presidents personally asked those generals who have become too visibly rich based on their army or police pay, to retire immediately. Now it seems one general charged of stealing millions from the armed forces could get his charges reduced.
If she can be president for four more years the first family and its coterie of associates stand to make billions of pesos in the illegal numbers game called "jueteng". PAGCOR which oversees the gambling establishments in the country answers to the president. It was one of the government ministries which disbursed money for the president's election fund. The office of the president has become a clearing house for control of anything that makes money.
Alphonse Augustus Caezar DeMaio
Re: `The great Chinese love tour’, May 25, 2006
I agree with this article because nowadays people are busy with their jobs or studies and have less time to make new friends. They have no time and fewer opportunities to find their Mr./Ms.Right. On the love tour, you can not only release the pressure from work like a normal vacation, but you also have a chance to meet someone with the characteristics which you prefer. Moreover, people who join the tour are not just looking for a "temporary lover," so you can trust the quality of the tour. I think this will be a trend in the future especially in Asia.
Mei-hui Hsu
