This past week or so has understandably been one of the hardest weeks for humanity. A terrorist attack in Paris shook the world collectively, as it got an eery glimpse of ISIS’ vile capabilities- one which has devastated the Middle East and parts of Africa for several months. The week to follow would mark a series of unfortunate events which would dehumanize and intimidate Western Muslims, Sikhs who presumably were thought to be Muslim by bigots, and refugees who are trying to seek an asylum in the face of great hardship.
I personally embarked on a week of unintentional, self-inflicted physiological torture which mainly consisted of me sprawled in my room reading tons articles (including the comment sections, which I would NOT recommend because they are a troll’s safe haven), only to find them expectedly filled with outrageous anti-Refugee and anti-Muslim rhetoric. I read a plethora of social media posts about individuals who have endured physical and emotional abuse simply because of their faith. I watched countless of videos of politicians and media pundits who have made outrageously inappropriate comments in order to sensationalize and capitalize on the fear and mistrust that seemed to divide communities locally, nationally, and abroad. I temporarily lost faith in humanity. Like many, I was upset, angry, and confused at the state of our collective humanity. Needless to say, this distress threw me into an emotional tailspin and left me debilitated for the first time in my life, unable to go about the rest of my week.
But what I had yet to notice was the overwhelming pour of compassion and love that had seeped in the cracks in the wake of these calamities. We may have a long way to go as a global community, but at least we’re making an effort.
Here’s a short list of how Canadians, locally and nationally, used kindness to combat hate:
1) HATE: A day following the Paris terrorist attack, Peterborough’s only Mosque was intentionally set on fire, leaving the community devastated.
LOVE: An online fundraising page was almost immediately set up by community member Duane Rousselle, which fundraised a whopping $110 536 to date. This, coupled with the nation’s financial support and condolences was able to mend the spirits of Muslims living in Peterborough and assists in the repair of the physical building which had suffered $80,000 in damages.
2) HATE: There was a sharp rise in hate motivated attacks on Muslims, particularly visibly Muslim women, and even made a nasty appearance in Toronto. Two Muslim women were physically attacked on a the TTC; anti-Muslim graffiti was found on a GO train; Muslim women was physically attacked by two males while they shouted profanities at her, telling her to “go back to her country.”
LOVE: Local Torontonians launched an online campaign called #IllRideWithYou designed to reach out to Muslims who felt unsafe for fear of abuse following the tensions after the Paris attacks. CP24’s Breakfast show stood up for Muslim people, calling out islamophobia and addressing it as the issue it is. Even the Muslim community launched an effort to dispel the fear and sadness by serving homemade pancakes and breakfast courtesy of the Ryerson Muslim Student Association; the event was such a success, it received local attention all the while reaffirming the city’s commitment to equality and compassion for ALL.
3) HATE: There has been an unfortunate mistreatment and misinformation regarding the Syrian refugee crisis, many have taken to social media to explain their discomfort or unease to Prime Minster Justin Trudeau’s commitment to bringing in 25,000 Syrian refugees. Unfortunately some media pundits and politicians have taken advantage of this fear and misunderstanding to spew their hate in order to receive unequivocal support.
LOVE: Newly weds Samantha Jackson and Farzin Yousefian cancelled their plans for an expensive wedding and used that money to donate to the ongoing struggle that many Syrian refugees have to endure. It was a selfless act of kindness and warmed the hearts of many around the world. In addition Ian Gillespie a Vancouver real estate magnate offered a building to temporarily hold Syrian refugees in the wake of the crisis. As a human being, I am in complete awe.
While I may have spent the week in an unofficial lockdown, I certainly was able to recompose myself. I feel like writing this piece is somewhat therapeutic because it had allowed me to see the good in people. It’s true that tragedies may bring the worst in people, but it most certainly brings out the best in them as well.
Where ever you go, make sure you never lose your ability to empathize because it will never be a character of the weak. Make sure you stand up for others regardless of your differences because it’s 2015 and I am, like many, quite frankly sick of the hate and violence that has plagued this world thus far. May we all live to see a world filled peace, happiness, and tranquility. Remember to take care of others, but most importantly take time for yourself.