Concerned Youth!
Soumaya ElSolh

I am a Canadian Muslim raised to respect my fellow citizens, regardless of their religion and ethnic background. Muslim values are centered on respect, tolerance, solidarity and peace .I am now in my first year of college; major in law. I have been exposed to many criticism and offending comments immediately after the terrible tragedy of NY and Washington.

As Quebecer have never felt insecure in my life. My insecurity is based upon my fear where my freedom of expression and my integrity is threatened by offending comments and down looking stares from some of my fellow citizens. Muslim Quebecers and Canadians have been subject to acts of prejudices and finger pointing. Despite the fact that we have been assured from our Canadian prime minister that we wouldn’t be subjected to racisms anymore. But alas, we are still facing a lot of racism, campaign of stereotyping and smearing from certain media outlets inciting people into hatred or acts of violence.

I would like to bring the attention of every citizen that our civil rights can be threatened is specific circumstances if we allow any political, racist or extremist view to prevail at the expense of any society. And in this case, Muslim Canadians and Quebecrs are facing this kind of behavior by our fellow citizens.

I invite my fellow Canadians and Quebecers to raise there voices so we could all together, regardless of faith and race, to stand for and hold on our basic democratic values of respect, peace, solidarity and justice. Instead of directing our feelings of prejudice and acts of violence, our energy should be focused on supporting the victims of this tragedy and to question ourselves why this act of violence has occurred in order to prevent further similar acts from occurring again.