Meeting hate with tolerance
The following is an excerpt from an editorial in the New York Times: No society is immune to acts of terrorism, especially by a lone wolf driven by deep hatreds. When they strike, the measure of a wounded society is how it responds.
On Sunday, Quebec City was struck when a man walked into a mosque and killed six people.
The shock across Canada was immediate and tangible: Tolerance is a proud theme in Canadian identity — the country has taken in nearly 40,000 Syrian refugees since late 2015, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took office.
Now Canadians were wondering how this could have happened and what it means — a question made more acute by their widespread revulsion at President Donald Trump’s actions to block Muslims from the United States.
The response of Quebec’s premier, Philippe Couillard, is worth noting.
“Every society has to deal with demons,” he said.
“Our society is not perfect. None is. These demons are named xenophobia, racism, exclusion. They are present here. We need to recognize that and act together to show the direction we want our society to evolve.”
That was what Canadians sought to do. Thousands gathered at memorial services across the country. Speaking to Parliament, Trudeau addressed the more than one million Muslim Canadians.
“Thirty-six million hearts are breaking with yours,” he said, referring to the population of Canada. “Know that we value you.”
In sad contrast, the reaction from Trump’s White House was to use the shootings to justify its anti-immigrant policies. The attack was a “terrible reminder,” said press secretary Sean Spicer, of why America’s actions must be “proactive, rather than reactive.” The logic, or illogic, seemed to be that if Muslims had been kept out of Canada, they would not have been killed.
Canada is not perfect; it, too, has its demons, as Couillard said. But the response of a democratic society must be to reaffirm its fundamental faith in freedom, including the freedom to practice one’s faith and cultural traditions. In Quebec, the demons took a terrible toll, but Canada’s commitment to inclusion was, if anything, strengthened.