On November 12, a pair of suicide bomb attacks in Beirut killed 43 people. The following day, more than 120 were killed in the deadliest attack on Paris since World War II. In the wake of these horrific attacks, we’ve seen an incredible demonstration of solidarity with the victims of terror, and a global outpouring of messages of love, tolerance, and peace.

The responsibility for both attacks has been claimed by ISIS, a small but highly organized militant group whose whole project depends on promoting a perverse worldview that paints the West and Islam as eternal enemies. ISIS wants to stoke anti-refugee sentiment, causing the West to overreact to its attacks and prove it’s “us versus them” worldview.

Let’s make sure that Canada doesn’t take the bait. In Canada, and across the world, we’re already seeing a backlash against Muslim communities, and calls to reject Syrian refugees — asylum seekers fleeing from the very violence that ravaged Beirut and Paris last week.

Prime Minister Trudeau has vowed to keep his campaign promise to welcome 25,000 Syrian refugees. But a number of pundits and leaders, including Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, are trying to take advantage of people’s fears to score political points with calls to turn away refugees in the wake of the Paris attacks – and there are multiple petitions with a total of more than 100,000 signatories to petitions calling for the same thing.

Let’s speak out now and counter the conservative messages stoking fear and division by publicly supporting Prime Minister Trudeau’s plan bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to safety in Canada.

Resources:

[1] Syrian passports found at Paris attacks scene were fakes made in Turkey.
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/syrian-passports-found-scene-paris-attacks-fakes-made-turkey-police-520642631#sthash.O6Uld0nF.dpuf

 

[2] Sask. Premier calls on PM to suspend Syrian refugee plan.
http://globalnews.ca/news/2341870/sask-premier-calls-on-pm-to-suspend-syrian-refugee-plan/

[3] “Not in my name” – Muslims speak out against Paris attacks conducted in the name of Islam. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11996902/i-am-a-muslim-paris-attacks-social-media.html