Letters to the Editor -
Dear editor:
Prior to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the Pentagon and the destruction of the World Trade Center, Muslim immigrants to Canada were no different than any other group, but since that date of egregious infamy and mass slaughter of innocents, Muslim immigrants have had to work harder to prove they are just like anyone else. The actions of the few religious zealots have cast a shadow over a whole range of persons, most of whom who are just like you and I - industrious , family centred and optimistic about our Canada.
Yet 9/11 has, for some, cast doubt on every Muslim immigrant despite the fact these people are very loyal Canadians who are also by choice devout and varied Muslims. I say varied because the practice of Islam, like the practice of Christianity, is not uniform beyond the very key beliefs that identify that religion.
Consequently, in a country like Canada, many Canadians now have two reasons or excuses for prejudices to deal with - the first being the terror and destruction of 9/11 and other acts of violence by the extremists from Muslim countries. The second issue is more muted. Muslims are part of a growing worldwide religious community. Many Canadians are uncomfortable with that because they are so used to Christianity being the dominant religion in the developed part of the world from the days of the Crusades up through the Spanish Armada to the Pilgrim Fathers to the Enlightenment controversies to the present day muted sectarianism in Ireland. The greatest irony here is that many of those Christians don't even practice Christianity. In any case, what can we do to solve or ease our concerns?
In a democracy, we must learn to accept the fact that things change. Power groups change, our belief systems change with scientific advances, and our religions may change. Yet, the choice is always yours in a democracy. You can be a member of a sedate Anglican Church in Oakville, Ont., a Hari Krishna in Greenwich Village or a whirling Dervish in India or an agnostic or confirmed atheist in Newfoundland and Labrador. That's what religious freedom is all about. Choice, freedom, lack of coercion, acceptance of others, and so on.
We have to accept the religious beliefs of other cultures because we ourselves demand freedom of conscience and must naturally allow every person on earth the same right.
The one caveat that would circumscribe all this freedom of conscience is that any actions emanating from our beliefs must fall within the prescribed legal system of that democratic country. This is not to be construed as forcing something on a citizen or restricting their free will. It is simply a practical and philosophical axiomatic truth that to be free we must also be bound to law. We can only appreciate freedom when it is tied to a common sense system of rules of conduct. Complete freedom is just anarchy wearing a mask.
Yet in a democracy like ours, that is not the end of the tale. True democracies are continually changing. We veer to the left or we veer to the right, but somehow we tend to find our middle ground again because w0e have a core group of commonsense minded and educated people who realize that when power becomes concentrated and devoted to selfish goals, problems develop because we are eliminating segments of that democratic circle.
But a democracy demands one thing more. Education. Education will open up minds and hearts and ears.
We should just keep right on doing what we are doing as a Canadian culture and welcome all newcomers who truly want to be part of our democratic system and legal system to create the society we collectively want.
Aubrey Smith
Grand Falls-Windsor
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