Monsef under fire for calling Taliban ‘our brothers’
It is ‘completely unacceptable,’ says O’toole
OTTAWA • Liberal MP Maryam Monsef drew outrage Wednesday for calling the Taliban “our brothers.”
“I want to take this opportunity to speak to our brothers, the Taliban,” Monsef, the women and gender equality minister, said during a press conference on the Canadian military evacuation efforts in Afghanistan. “We call on you to ensure the safe and secure passage of any individual in Afghanistan out of the country.”
A reporter asked Monsef if the reference indicated a softening government stance towards the Taliban.
“The Taliban are a terrorist group and yet they’ve claimed to be Muslims,” said Monsef. “We are calling on them to immediately cease the violence, the femicide, the genocide, the rapes, the lootings and to return immediately to the peace negotiation table in an inclusive and meaningful way.”
She added, “The reference to brothers is a cultural reference, of course.”
When asked if she would like to take back the comment, she said that members of the Muslim community often refer to each other as “brothers and sisters.”
“Rest assured I continue to believe deeply that the Taliban are a terrorist organization,” she said.
But Monsef’s comments met with a strong backlash, intensifying the public criticism of the country’s response to the Afghanistan crisis.
“There aren’t a lot of Muslim political journalists in Canada so I have to (regrettably) say something about Maryam Monsef,” tweeted journalist Fatima Syed. “FALSE: Muslims call the Taliban ‘brothers’.”
And Zahra Sultani, an Afghan refugee and political analyst, wrote, “If you think ppl of Afghanistan — even
JUST TAKE A MOMENT AND THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS.
the most illiterate — are OK with calling Taliban ‘brother’ and it’s not a big deal, you’re a bigot.”
She added, “Taliban is our enemy not our brother.”
Several people, outraged by Monsef ’s comments, wondered what that meant for the lives of Canadians lost fighting in the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
“’Our BROTHERS the Taliban.’ Just take a moment and think about what that means to our troops and allies who fought and died in Afghanistan over the last 20 years,” wrote David Jacobs, a doctor and chair of the Ontario Specialists Association.
The comment even attracted international attention with Hillel Neuer, the director of United Nations Watch, saying, “158 Canadian soldiers died fighting the Taliban. Thousands wounded, Taliban not our brothers.”
Asked about the comment, Conservative Leader Erin O’toole said, “The language used by the Trudeau government is completely unacceptable. I think of the women and girls in Afghanistan who are at risk with the Taliban regime once again coming into place. Canadians deserve a government that will always stand up for our values.”
Just two days ago, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada regards the group as a terrorist organization and would not recognize the Taliban as the official government of Afghanistan.
Asked whether Monsef should retract the comment, Trudeau said, “The minister has expressed her views and explained herself.”
Monsef was born in Iran to Afghan parents during the height of the Soviet Union’s occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. Her family came to Canada as refugees in the 1990s after having fled Afghanistan once the Taliban came to power in Herat, where they had returned to live at the time.