Dear Editor & fellow neighbours, Today, our MP Marilyn Gladu posted to her official Facebook page remembering 9/11. The post contained an image of two beams of light where the Twin Towers once stood and is captioned “We Remember 9/11.” Marilyn writes, “Today, we remember the lives lost on 9/11 and honour the resilience shown in […]
Dear Editor & fellow neighbours,
Today, our MP Marilyn Gladu posted to her official Facebook page remembering 9/11. The post contained an image of two beams of light where the Twin Towers once stood and is captioned “We Remember 9/11.” Marilyn writes, “Today, we remember the lives lost on 9/11 and honour the resilience shown in the face of tragedy. May we always stand together with compassion, and work toward a world where peace triumphs violence.”
I respond to her with the following letter:
“Marilyn,
Today, Israel is unabashedly bombing civilian dwellings, high rises, hotels, you name it in Gaza City with zero accountability from Canada and our Western allies as innocent families suffer.
Palestinian families and Israeli hostage families are reeling from this escalation and, if anything, these families share more with 9/11 families then we could possibly understand, and far worse.
Let’s honour the lives of those tragically lost on September 11th and the devastating void it left for many American and Canadian families by actually learning from it, condemning all violence on innocent people, and doing better today and always when the opportunity arises. If we continue to be selective about who receives compassion and who gets silence in the face of violence, then we’ve truly learned nothing and the aching heartbreak and loss of 9/11 is cheapened to political play.
The Opposition’s role is to hold the government to account and call them out when they fail. If you truly remember those lost in 9/11, then speak up for the ones who stand to suffer today and speak up for peace and compassion over violence, always.
I challenge you consistently, Marilyn, not because I hate you (I do not), but because I believe in you. Every day that you wake up as our Member of Parliament, you have the chance to be bold and use your platform to speak up when it matters most.
Be bold, Marilyn.”
In Marilyn’s own words – and I mean this sincerely truly- let us always stand together with compassion, and work toward a world where peace triumphs violence.
– Yasmeen Ibrahim
