Heroic deeds come at a cost

Re Montrealer helps free Iraqi girls from ISIS, Aug. 15 It is a welcome change from the daily reports of global violence against hapless victims of terror to read about one committed Canadian who is succeeding to free young women from sexual captivity by the Islamic State — with his shoestring campaign.

While Canadian-trained Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq have benefited from Canada’s large humanitarian aid, it is good to see the fine results of such “under the radar” initiatives for helping save human lives by this caring individual.

But paying for the release of captives can sometimes lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy that may end up in the capture of more victims for release at a later date for cash. However, one can see that in this unruly area of conflict that has defied conventional wisdom, Steve Maman may well have found an effective way to save precious lives from humiliation, torture and death.

I hope this fine humanitarian initiative will spur other people of goodwill to use similar creative methods to help Yazidi and Christian girls, the forgotten victims of this Iraq conflict, one that no longer benefits from the attention of the global press. M. Fernandes, Mississauga The desire of Steve Maman to help is commendable. But paying ransom is not the way to do so. It rewards these deeds and will lead to more kidnapping. Only long-term diplomacy by the world’s major powers to encourage political and economic reform can lead to positive change in the Middle East. Emotional reaction gives strength to action but is not a good basis for deciding what actions should be taken. Rational analysis of a problem and possible solutions is the proper way to decide on a course of action.

This article is a triumph of emotion over reason. Please follow up with a look at the implications of Steve Maman’s project. Jacques Soucie, Newmarket