Izzeldin Abuelaish is an Associate Professor of Global Health at the University of Toronto, and author of I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey
Canada is on the threshold of an exciting and new hopeful era. By flatly rejecting a politics of division and discord, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau liberated the better aspect of our Canadian identity and Canada has been returned to its true self.
With our new government, with a Prime Minister who is focusing on who we are and not whom we are against, a new mood of positive expectation has enveloped Canada, including a reawakening of our previous generosity to those afflicted by war and conflict. Mr. Trudeau has stated that positive politics with a platform, a team and a hopeful vision can make things happen. He reminded us that Canada was built by people from all corners of the Earth, of every faith, every language and every culture.
Clearly we live in dangerous times. Terrorism, violence, fear, hatred, poverty and social injustice are the societal diseases that afflict too many. Hateful demagoguery is erupting in Canada and elsewhere. We must not point fingers or build walls but unite and work together to protect the gorgeous social, ethnic and cultural mosaic that is the great nation of Canada. A joint effort is needed to defeat, control and eliminate these evils to protect and immunize ourselves from future threats. As Canadians, we must not only protect our nation but also open hearts to those who are suffering beyond our borders in too many refugee camps.
As a physician, I am familiar with disease. As a human being, I know that societal disease is as contagious as biological disease. Societal diseases are putting all of humanity at risk. Conflict arises when others' dignity and honour are violated. Conflict leads to violence. We must not remain silent in the face of global suffering. On the other hand, we must not allow fear mongering to influence us. We must reject anger and retaliation.
We must as a society adopt a policy of peacefully solving problems. We must become committed to achieving security, freedom and justice for all in order to protect all of humanity. We must recognize others as a family of all mankind. Martin Luther King Jr. said that "man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."
To establish hope for tomorrow, we must change today. We need to be brave and bold. The human race is like one body; if any organ complains or suffers, the rest of the body will suffer, complain and react with fever. Let us dialogue with one another, not confront. The Lebanese-born poet Kahlil Gibran said: "Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair, but manifestations of strength and resolution."
If we all want to be compassionate, we must stop looking at other groups as "the other." Empathy disappears in the face of "the other."
So how do we restore compassion and empathy?
First in our immediate neighbourhoods: Have an open house and invite everyone on your street to get to know one another. From that we can enlarge our reach to include more and more people.
Second: Make opportunities for schools to interact with other schools – Jewish schools with Catholic, Muslim with others. My daughter Bessan attended a U.S. peace camp before she was killed in Gaza. Her take-home message from the camp was how similar we all are, Jews, Christians and Muslims!
Third: Places of worship need to establish outreach programs to other faiths.
Fourth: Community leadership of all types – political, religious, academic – and NGOs need to engage in interventions that will enhance our understanding of each other.
As Canadians, we can smash the mental and physical barriers that divide us. We can build bridges. We can recognize that rejection of others is painful and destroys hope. We all began with Adam and Eve, developing into tribes and nations. We should be kind and open to each other. Abraham, who is the father of all prophets, came with a message of unity, light and freedom for all.
Let us use this unique opportunity with our new government and our new leader to re-establish generosity in our country and to give hope to the people of the world. We must value, protect and respect our own nation. In my case, Canada opened its arms and welcomed me and my children. This is our home. I want in turn to protect Canada from harm. To achieve that we must do more than watch events. We must be engaged. We all are responsible.