Mourning fellow Canadians and others who died

Heartbreaking tragedy in faraway Iran has brought solidarity — still, there’s fear of backlash if a war erupts

The new decade is off to a terrible start. The fires raging in Australia have left us feeling sad and helpless. Then, there was the shocking assassination of Qassem Soleimani by Donald Trump, sparking rumours of an impending Third World War that have been circulating through schoolyards and around water coolers.

Now, there is the mistaken missile attack on a Ukraine Boeing airliner after takeoff from Tehran killing all aboard, a crash that, while occurring far away, is among other things a Canadian tragedy. Most of the passengers were headed to Canada. Among those killed were 57 Canadian citizens.

I have been reading posts by friends sharing stories of how they knew of or went to school with someone on that flight. Several families and young couples were travelling home together, making the loss that much more unbearable for their surviving loved ones.

In the globalized, connected world we live in, information is available at record speed. People are sharing stories, pictures and videos of victims, including text messages that were sent right as the flight took off. That makes the finality of death feel so much more real. Newscasts have been featuring interviews with the loved ones of those who perished. So many of them were bright and well-educated professionals with their entire future ahead of them.

I do not know very much about Iran as a country other than the fact that it has a rich history and culture. I do know several people of Iranian background, from peers I went to CEGEP with to local hairdressers, estheticians, taxi drivers and engineers, and the ones I know

Now is the time to appeal to calm and level-headed thinking and not ... suspicion or division

are friendly, kind-hearted, generous people who tend to be passionate about higher education and family. To say they are reeling from this tragedy would be an understatement. My heart breaks for all those who lost loved ones.

As war clouds seem to be gathering, Iranians, in Iran and abroad, are on edge, and understandably so.

I am also concerned for Canadians of Iranian descent, or those who immigrated here recently, about what could happen if war erupts between the United States and Iran and the role that Canada might assume if that were to happen. I am afraid of the backlash, discrimination and suspicion to which they may be subjected.

However, it is at least somewhat reassuring to see that the reflex in the media coverage was to cover the loss of the victims as being a loss of Canadians. After the Air India crash in 1985, the reflex was different; it took a little while for the fact to sink in that most of those aboard were Canadians.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s empathetic comments also were welcome. When situations like the one we are witnessing unfold, it shines a light on just how stark a contrast our leadership is to that of our southern neighbour.

It should also make us realize just how important it is for us to hold on to our core Canadian values, values that include — but are not limited to — our respect for others and respect for law. We, as people, are inclined toward living in peace with all those around us, regardless of where they are from or how they look.

As the world teeters on the brink of what has the potential to become a major war, now is the time to appeal to calm and level-headed thinking and not give in to warmongering propaganda, suspicion or division.

As for the families and loved ones of the victims of this horrible tragedy, they should know that we stand with them shoulder to shoulder.