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<html> <head> <meta name="Generator" content="Corel WordPerfect 8"> <title>MR. KILGOUR - ADDRESS TO A SYMPOSIUM MARKING THE LAUNCH OF CANADA AND SEPTEMBER 11TH: IMPACT AND RESPONSES "A BEDROCK OF STRENGTH AND AN AFFRONT TO A NATION: UNCOVERING CANADA POST-9/11" - CALGARY, Alberta</title> </head> <body text="#000000" link="#0000ff" vlink="#551a8b" alink="#ff0000" bgcolor="#c0c0c0"> CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY NOTES FOR AN ADDRESS BY THE HONOURABLE DAVID KILGOUR, SECRETARY OF STATE (ASIA-PACIFIC), TO A SYMPOSIUM MARKING THE LAUNCH OF CANADA AND SEPTEMBER 11TH: IMPACT AND RESPONSES "A BEDROCK OF STRENGTH AND AN AFFRONT TO A NATION: UNCOVERING CANADA POST-9/11" CALGARY, Alberta September 18, 2002 It's an honour to be a part of this symposium to reflect on the impact that September 11 has had on our nation and how we have responded to its challenges. Congratulations must first go out to Karim-Aly Kassam, George Melnyk and Lynne Perras for taking the initiative to publish a uniquely Canadian perspective. There appear to be close to 1,500 American books on the subject, and, to the best of my knowledge, the book we're launching here today is one of only three Canadian ones. (Of the other two, one deals with the story of 9/11 as told through the eyes of a resident of Gander, Newfoundland, and one profiles our post-9/11 relationship with the U.S.) While researching my chapter, I discovered a glaring lack of publicly available information on the effect that 9/11 has had on a variety of groups in Canada. A few key news stories and magazine articles provided information, but significant primary research was still needed. Many of the individuals and groups contacted were surprised that someone was even asking how they had been affected, and all were highly enthusiastic about the idea of creating a permanent record of 9/11's uniquely Canadian impact. Thanks to this book, future generations of Canadians now have a source to which they can turn for documented responses to and thoughtful analyses of the events and their impacts in Canada--a source courageous enough to include the good, the bad and even the ugly. Like you, I remember the day vividly. At 7 a.m. "Alberta" time, I was attending a Special Assembly of the Organization of American States [OAS] in Lima, Peru, as a follow-up to the Quebec City Summit of the Americas. That morning, representatives from 34 OAS countries unanimously passed a Democratic Charter about an hour after the attacks. Many of us there thought that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell would leave immediately, but after a dignified statement to the delegates about what had happened, he said that he would not leave until the Charter--the first of its kind for the hemisphere as a whole--had been adopted. As I watched that morning, in disbelief at the devastation that unfolded, a wave of emotions began to flow. As you must have done also, I asked myself: Is this really happening? The image of United Airlines Flight 175, carrying terrified passengers and crew, heading toward the World Trade Center's south tower, is one that will stay embedded in everyone's mind for decades to come. Ensuing scenes of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the Pennsylvania crash site, and the surreal sight of the twin towers crumbling to the ground, made one's heart ache. Like all Canadians, I felt a deep sense of grief and loss for America and for the world. We all sensed in one defining moment that our lives would never be quite the same. Acts of terror, war and bloodshed that we were so accustomed to reading about in the news always occurred somewhere else--somewhere "far" from home. On September 11, 2001, it hit close to us. Terror had not just knocked on America's door. Instead, like an intruder, it had invaded our neighbour without warning and struck its fatal blow. As we mourned, we wondered whether we would be next. To say that it was a rude awakening would be an understatement. Whither Canadian Society? The events of September 11 brought about a variety of responses. Some made me proud to be Canadian, such as Gander's welcoming of more passengers than it had residents. Others, however, made me sick to my stomach: one of the immediate consequences of 9/11 was an increase in hate crimes against Muslims, Sikhs, Arabs and Jews across this country and the world. These senseless acts stemmed entirely from ignorance and resulted in more innocent people being harmed and even killed. Many Canadians of Muslim faith felt uneasy about leaving their homes or going to their place of worship for fear of being harassed or assaulted. They felt under siege in their own country, where many were born and raised. Similarly, members of the Sikh community were subjected to contempt, suspicion, verbal abuse and unprovoked assault. Members of the Jewish community also came under renewed attack from a relative handful of domestic Osama bin Laden supporters. Overnight, Canadians whose skin tone or facial features resembled the stereotype terrorist images that flooded our newspapers and television screens were suddenly looked at with distrust and suspicion. These Canadians, who are as patriotic as anyone else, were intimidated and fearful--in a country that is their own, in a nation that has long been proud of its inclusiveness and cultural diversity. One of the ultimate ironies is that we are home to such a strong Muslim community because Canada was chosen by many Muslims fleeing persecution in their own countries. These were Muslims who thought that Canada reflects many of the values that Islam itself holds dear. Media "Islamaphobia" was partly a result of irresponsible media reporting the world over. Terms unnecessarily linking faith practices with crimes--terms such as "armed Islamic group," "Islamic terrorist" and "Muslim militant," to name a few--were used frequently, perpetuating the phobia and feeding the paranoia in vulnerable minds during that period. Haroon Siddiqui in his chapter in the book wrote that, with some exceptions, much of the mainstream media echoed the American jingoistic discourse against Islam and Muslims; it was difficult to convey the message through the media that law-abiding Muslims and Arab Christians were no more responsible for 9/11 than Japanese-Canadians were for Pearl Harbor or German Canadians were for the Nazis. Riad Saloojee of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Canada) noted that Canadian Muslims agree that coverage of Islam following September 11 was better than during the Gulf War. The media have, he said, attempted to include the Canadian Muslim voice and understand Muslim perspectives. He noted, however, the resurgence of "old themes" such as "Islamic terror" and "Islamic fundamentalism" in some media outlets and that some outlets reacted cynically to press releases from the Muslim community saying that Canadian Muslims faced a stiffer test of patriotism than other Canadians. Gordon Legge from the Centre for Faith and the Media thinks our media were poorly prepared to cover the events of September 11, particularly in terms of religion. He asserts that coverage of the events ought to provoke soul-searching on the part of the news media and that we need to equip journalists to better understand what people believe, why they believe it and how to report fairly and accurately. While Kirk Lapointe, Senior Vice-President of CTV News, watched the World Trade Center towers burning on monitors in his newsroom, a thought occurred to him: there were no Muslims in his newsroom. He simply didn't have an in-house resource person on the issue. It was only then that it dawned on CTV that diversity in the newsroom didn't just mean race, gender and sexual orientation. The concept involves spiritual diversity as well. Speaking at a forum organized by Faith and the Media with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Winnipeg Free Press, Lapointe said that this--accepting religion as another element of diversity--is one of the changes in the way the media think about faith. Although there have been some improvements in the way the media cover matters related to religion, the process is a slow one. A recent poll of 296 Muslims across our country, conducted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Canada), showed that fully 56 percent believe that the media have grown more biased against Islam and Muslims. Other survey results included the following: • 82 percent of respondents said they knew of a fellow Muslim who had experienced discrimination; • 33 percent said their lives had changed for the worse, 39 percent said they had experienced no change and 22 percent said their lives had changed for the better; and • those who indicated that their lives had changed for the worse said they felt disliked by fellow Canadians, were subjected to rude and hostile behaviour and were concerned about their safety and that of their families. These results are painful for most Canadians to hear. I hope our collective outrage will force vigilance and deliberate care both in the way our media cover issues related to religion and in the way we reach out to fellow Canadians. Walking the Talk September 11 forced Canadians to do some soul-searching. Do we act out of fear and paranoia? Do we let this event sever the seams binding the fabric of our multicultural society together and slowly let it rip us apart? Fortunately, incidents of hate crimes were not the norm. The overwhelming majority of Canadians saw an opportunity in the events of 9/11 to "walk our talk" about being a strong democracy, to hold on to our values and to unite in a stand against the "real" terrorists--not to help their causes by turning on one another. Our response as a nation was to draw from the strength of our diverse society. While being proud of our own individual backgrounds, many of us opened our hearts and minds, seeking a better understanding of Canadians from differing faiths and backgrounds. As Globe and Mail Editor-in-Chief Edward Greenspon has noted: "The evidence suggests that Canadians, rather than stomping on the multicultural flag, rallied around it." This view was illustrated in part by the various interfaith services that were a direct result of 9/11. One major interfaith service was held on Parliament Hill and, despite short notice, the response was overwhelming. The largest room on Parliament Hill was filled to capacity by hundreds of people from a range of faiths sharing their grief and united in prayer. Groups that had before been mutually respectful but never directly engaged were now relying on one another in ways few would have anticipated before 9/11. University of Calgary Dialogues At the University of Calgary, you organized several "Dialogues on Terrorism" to educate students, staff and community by eliminating misunderstandings and dispelling myths and stereotypes about Islam. These helped to ease tensions and open the minds of those who attended them. As Joanna Buhr wrote in her chapter, a religious studies professor here was impressed by the fact that many participating students affirmed their support for one another and denounced the mistreatment of any specific group of students. Following 9/11, the Canadian Teachers' Federation [CTF] urged its members to take a proactive role in countering anti-Muslim and anti-Arab sentiments. The CTF president rightly stated that the Federation believed the fight against religious and political extremism started in the classrooms and in our communities. Teachers play a pivotal role in the lives of young Canadians (as they do in young people's lives the world over), and it is their professional responsibility to help children and youth cope with this tragedy by encouraging discussion in the classroom and to correct inaccuracies in how they view other cultures and religions. WEBB, which stands for Women Engaging in Bridge Building, is an example of an organization that was established after 9/11. The idea of WEBB germinated at a conference in Milan last year, three weeks after 9/11. Professor Riffat Hassan, a Pakistan-born Muslim, was at the conference to talk on the subject of religion and contemporary trends. With 9/11 dominating the thoughts of many, Hassan felt the need to share her perspective about public disclosure in the U.S. regarding Islam and Muslims. Her presentation evidently generated much interest and discussion among participants. There was broad agreement to work toward establishing a network of women of all faiths with centres in different countries; these centres would work with Hassan and other like-minded persons to implement projects in Western and Muslim countries. Members of WEBB will attempt to build bridges across the schisms and chasms of misperceptions and misconceptions that separate non-Muslims from Muslims and marginalized groups of Muslims from ones with privilege and power. One year later, many civil society groups are optimistic that the post-9/11 climate of distrust can be overcome and are willing to focus on the unexpected positive outcomes. Facing the Century A lot of things have been said about September 11 in the past year--both wise and foolish. Let me share only a couple of items for your consideration: • Our 23-year-old daughter, Eileen, wrote to our family last December from Thailand saying that 2001 was a year in which poverty, violence, HIV/AIDS and human rights had all worsened in many countries. • Someone made the same essential point that if the so-called developed world does not go to communities that support bin Laden around the world, he and his friends will visit more of our neighbourhoods. • National Post commentator Andrew Coyne felt that 9/11 provoked something of an existential crisis among many Canadians. He re-ignited a burning debate regarding the difference between Canada and the U.S. and our constant need over the years to illustrate who we are by highlighting the differences between us. He wrote: "Surely we can come up with some higher argument for our existence than 'to be different.' 9/11 may have the beneficial effect of a different line of inquiry, one that focuses not on identity as the defining quality of nationhood, but on the moral purposes to which that nation is dedicated." He concluded that it is irrelevant whether we choose a path that makes us more or less like the Americans. Instead--we as a nation must aim not to be unique but to be the best: to be the highest example of ideals that are common to all societies. • Charles Krauthammer, a Washington-based columnist, wrote in the National Post: "A nation's character does not change in a day. September 11th did not alter the American character, it merely revealed it. It allowed--it forced--the emergence of a bedrock America of courage, resolve, resourcefulness and, above all resilience." I believe the same can be applied to Canada. The good news, according to many of the contributors to the book, is that apart from the most infantile incidents of harassment, discrimination and violence against some Canadians of Muslim, Sikh and Hindu faith, our population's commitments to respecting diversity, inclusiveness, human dignity and spirituality have all gone up. Conclusion Karim-Aly Kassam aptly describes "us" in the conclusion of his chapter. He states that the Canada of the 21st century, through the long history of coexistence of its Indigenous peoples and immigrants from the world over, has manufactured its own unique ideas and ideals that have withstood the test of time and can be shared with communities across the globe. Canada, he says, is an illustration to the world (specifically Afghanistan) that a pluralistic civil society is not just a hope but a reality. The majority of Canadians want the same things: to enjoy continued peace and stability in our nation, to coexist with understanding and acceptance, and to respect our fellow Canadians for what they are, regardless of their faith and origin. September 11 was a tragic day, but it has, I hope, proven that when a nation shaped by an immense bedrock of strength is faced with an assault on its unity, its people do not let the challenges they face destroy their faith in one another. Thank you. </body> </html>

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