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EDITORIAL: Standing up to hate in Squamish

The images sicken the stomach and burden the heart. The terrorist attack that killed 50 worshippers on March 15, precisely because they were worshipping Muslims, is almost too much for the brain to comprehend.
Mosque editorial

The images sicken the stomach and burden the heart. 

The terrorist attack that killed 50 worshippers on March 15, precisely because they were worshipping Muslims, is almost too much for the brain to comprehend. 

An apparent white supremacist has been charged for the carnage, which he used social media to livestream.

But what does that have to do with Squamish, readers may ask. 

Everything.

According to Canada's 2011 National Household Survey, about 3.2 per cent of Canada's population is Muslim.

It is the second most followed religion after Christianity in this country. 

Several locals head down to North Vancouver to attend Masjid Ar-Rahman, Imam Petrit Decani told The Chief.

Further, there are at least 55 New Zealanders who make their home in the district, according to the 2016 census.

So, yes, this tragedy impacted some in our community directly. And it should hit close to home for everyone here. 

The Quebec City mosque shooting on January 29, 2017, showed us that these things can happen anywhere.

It can be easy to say that this New Zealand horror was a rogue action taken by a lunatic. 

But, that is not what studies show.

"Radicalization is social. You don't come to these conclusions by yourself," Stephanie Carvin, an assistant professor at the Norman Patterson School of International Affairs and former CSIS analyst, told The Toronto Star after the attack. 

We have heard anecdotal stories just this month of racist comments made to visible minorities in Squamish. 

On online forums, anti-immigrant comments abound. 

Sometimes racism is blatant, other times it hides behind arguments like immigrants take residents' jobs or behind criticisms of government as too "immigration friendly." 

These are Trojan horse arguments. 

Meanwhile, national Chief Perry Bellegarde, of the Assembly of First Nations, immediately after the Mosque attacks released this statement with a drastically opposite sentiment on Twitter: 

"The disturbing news out of New Zealand is tragic and disheartening. Humans should be free to worship whoever they'd like without fearing for their life. #FirstNations in Canada firmly stand with our Muslim brothers and sisters in New Zealand."

The way to defeat hatred is to stand up to it and beside those being attacked. 

Instead of being a bystander when bullies attack fellow commenters online, intervene. Too often we see bullies and victims, while potential protectors stand by. The tone of a thread can change drastically when one poster intervenes. We see this on The Chief's website. 

And rather than feel helpless, how about we put pen to paper — old school style and tap into that community caring spirit Squamish has in spades when it wants to. 

Let's write to Al Noor Mosque, the New Zealand mosque that suffered the most deaths in the attack. 

[101 Deans Ave, Riccarton, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand.]

And to the mosque in North Van: info@northvanmasjid.ca. 

Let's tell them Squamish stands with them and will stand up at home and abroad for the rights and dignity of others. 

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