Local impact of the ISIS attacks in Beirut and Paris
Two weeks ago, on Friday, Nov.
13, Paris suffered a terrorist attack;
something so unthinkable the first
time, but no less devastating, disturbing
or terrifying this time.
Their wounds and emotions still fresh only to have the human spirit unfairly tested once again. This appalling act claimed by terrorist group ISIL resulted in the loss of 130 lives, 368 injured and countless others whose lives are forever changed. Only the day before, on Nov. 12, Beirut, Lebanon was the stage of a suicide bombing, also orchestrated by ISIL leaving behind in its wake 43 lost and 240 wounded.
With the belief that these events, for most of us, are worlds away, we are now experiencing a national impact.
The Muslim community has been the victims of multiple hate crimes in the time since the Paris attacks. In Peterborough, a mosque was set on fire and in Calgary, a mosque was broken into and robbed.
A Hindu temple in Kitchener and the Centre Islamique de l’Est de Montreal were vandalized.
In Toronto, a woman was beaten outside of an elementary school, a University of Toronto student was spat on and insulted, and two women were accosted and verbally assaulted on a subway train.
A resident of Ottawa received hate mail at her home. An arrest was made of a Montreal man who took to social media to spread his threats of killing one Arab per week.
Abd Alfatah Twakkal, Imam of the London Muslim Mosque, said that they have not witnessed or heard of any attacks happening within London.
They have received messages of support from a large part of the community. When speaking to the congregation in the Friday night sermon, Twakkal told members to remain vigilant but that “[they] don’t have to live in a state of fear and anxiety”.
Twakkal expressed that the actions of ISIL are “unequivocally condemned” by Islam, which is a religion that aims to be in a “perpetual state of peace”.
He encouraged his congregation to remain strong in their faith and to be good people; to show Canada what Islam is all about.
Matt Farrell, professor in the School of Language and Liberal Studies at Fanshawe College, said that the people who are committing these acts against Muslims “know very little about how the world works”.
Farrell said that events like these “change the lens people see the world through” and sometimes need an event to happen to raise their consciousness.
Society’s ignorance of the Islamic culture and religion cause people to vilify Muslims. Farrell said that it is difficult to point to one reason why these attacks are occurring.
“It feels good for people to express themselves and it is easy to go along with the tide,” Farrell said.
Farrell had some words of comfort for Muslims enduring these attacks. “The ship always comes back on course.”
He spoke about the awful things that were said of the Irish during their migration in 1847 and of the Jews in the ’30s. People do not like change, but will eventually come to accept it.
The double standard that is applied to Muslims is not fair and “hurts the congregation”, said Twakkal.
When terrorist attacks occur in the name of Allah, all of Islam is implicated. Twakkal said that it is important to recognize the difference between the terrorists’ acts being ‘condemned’ and apologizing for them.
“We cannot apologize for something that we did not do,” Twakkal said.
As for the Paris attacks receiving more media attention than the attack in Beirut, Twakkal stated that the media needs to be more critical of themselves.
“Is the blood of a Parisian worth more than the blood of a Lebanese or Nigerian?” Twakkal asked.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke up in a statement on Wednesday about the attacks against Muslim Canadians saying that “these vicious and senseless acts of intolerance have no place in our country” and that “our focus must be on stopping the people responsible for the terror, and continuing to fight hate by embracing Canadian values.”
Their wounds and emotions still fresh only to have the human spirit unfairly tested once again. This appalling act claimed by terrorist group ISIL resulted in the loss of 130 lives, 368 injured and countless others whose lives are forever changed. Only the day before, on Nov. 12, Beirut, Lebanon was the stage of a suicide bombing, also orchestrated by ISIL leaving behind in its wake 43 lost and 240 wounded.
With the belief that these events, for most of us, are worlds away, we are now experiencing a national impact.
The Muslim community has been the victims of multiple hate crimes in the time since the Paris attacks. In Peterborough, a mosque was set on fire and in Calgary, a mosque was broken into and robbed.
A Hindu temple in Kitchener and the Centre Islamique de l’Est de Montreal were vandalized.
In Toronto, a woman was beaten outside of an elementary school, a University of Toronto student was spat on and insulted, and two women were accosted and verbally assaulted on a subway train.
A resident of Ottawa received hate mail at her home. An arrest was made of a Montreal man who took to social media to spread his threats of killing one Arab per week.
Abd Alfatah Twakkal, Imam of the London Muslim Mosque, said that they have not witnessed or heard of any attacks happening within London.
They have received messages of support from a large part of the community. When speaking to the congregation in the Friday night sermon, Twakkal told members to remain vigilant but that “[they] don’t have to live in a state of fear and anxiety”.
Twakkal expressed that the actions of ISIL are “unequivocally condemned” by Islam, which is a religion that aims to be in a “perpetual state of peace”.
He encouraged his congregation to remain strong in their faith and to be good people; to show Canada what Islam is all about.
Matt Farrell, professor in the School of Language and Liberal Studies at Fanshawe College, said that the people who are committing these acts against Muslims “know very little about how the world works”.
Farrell said that events like these “change the lens people see the world through” and sometimes need an event to happen to raise their consciousness.
Society’s ignorance of the Islamic culture and religion cause people to vilify Muslims. Farrell said that it is difficult to point to one reason why these attacks are occurring.
“It feels good for people to express themselves and it is easy to go along with the tide,” Farrell said.
Farrell had some words of comfort for Muslims enduring these attacks. “The ship always comes back on course.”
He spoke about the awful things that were said of the Irish during their migration in 1847 and of the Jews in the ’30s. People do not like change, but will eventually come to accept it.
The double standard that is applied to Muslims is not fair and “hurts the congregation”, said Twakkal.
When terrorist attacks occur in the name of Allah, all of Islam is implicated. Twakkal said that it is important to recognize the difference between the terrorists’ acts being ‘condemned’ and apologizing for them.
“We cannot apologize for something that we did not do,” Twakkal said.
As for the Paris attacks receiving more media attention than the attack in Beirut, Twakkal stated that the media needs to be more critical of themselves.
“Is the blood of a Parisian worth more than the blood of a Lebanese or Nigerian?” Twakkal asked.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke up in a statement on Wednesday about the attacks against Muslim Canadians saying that “these vicious and senseless acts of intolerance have no place in our country” and that “our focus must be on stopping the people responsible for the terror, and continuing to fight hate by embracing Canadian values.”
