DON’T LET FEAR WIN
Monday dawned with dark, cold weather that matched the news breaking in the world. Prairie residents were still wrapping their minds around the fact that a terrorist attack took place in Edmonton on Saturday night. At an Edmonton Eskimos game-day blockade near Commonwealth Stadium, Somali national Abdulahi Hasan Sharif is alleged to have run people down and stabbed a police officer. There were four injured pedestrians with injuries ranging from broken limbs to brain bleeds.
An ISIL flag was discovered in the vehicle the suspect was driving, and police had been aware of the suspect’s extremist views.
Then, on Monday morning, we woke to news that the worst mass shooting in U.S. history had taken place at a country music festival outside the Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas is a familiar playground for so many in Saskatchewan, a warm and fun haven from cold weather and the daily grind. There were many Saskatchewan residents attending the country music festival where the attack took place. Canadians and Saskatchewan residents are among the dead and the injured. Those not physically hurt will still be living with the trauma of the senseless bloodshed.
One of the festival performers, Kane Brown, tweeted out words many were thinking: “This world is sick.”
How do we respond to such darkness? The local Muslim community led the way on Sunday, as statements were issued condemning the terrorist act in Edmonton.
“We stand together with all Canadians and residents of our country in resolutely opposing all acts of violence and condemning all messages of hate. Those that seek to sow dissension and divide our country will utterly fail,” a press release issued by the Islamic Association of Saskatchewan read.
We echo the words of Edmonton Journal columnist Paula Simons, who wrote praising the local heroes at work on that terrible night in her city:
“The terrorist’s true goal isn’t to kill a lot of people. It’s to hold a community hostage to fear.”
We will leave you with the inspiring words of Saskatoon’s Glenda Bell, who wrote this in a Facebook post shortly after surviving and witnessing the shooting in Las Vegas. Her approach is one we can join in embracing.
“I will continue to live life to its fullest and enjoy every minute. And more importantly, I will make sure my family and friends know how much I love them, for in the blink of an eye I might not get another chance.”