Where did Afghan-Canadian loyalties lie on Remembrance Day? - New Canadian Media
NCM Anonymous
November 15, 2012
“Canada will burn, praise Allah,” someone wrote on the walls of the Victory Peace memorial in Toronto. We do know for sure that two Afghan-Canadian ladies, Suraia Sahar and Laila Rashidie, were holding a banner in the anti-war protest outside the Remembrance Day ceremony which took place at an Old City Hall last Sunday morning.
The banner both ladies were holding reads “We Remember Operation Medusa. 512 Afghans Killed by Canadian Military.” They were showing the same banner on their Facebook page as well.
Both ladies were participating in the anti-war protest, chanting during the two minutes of silence. Later, they were seen in a scuffle that broke out amongst the protesters and anti-protesters.
The whole saga of this scuffle on Remembrance Day recalls a fundamental question that being Canadians are we loyal to Canada or the country where we come from? This question is more critical to ask to people of my Muslim heritage.
For instance, these Canadian-Afghan ladies seem to be only concerned about the situation back home and don’t appear to give Canada a chance.
Operation Medusa was a Canadian-led offensive in which The Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group participated, supported by the Afghan National Army. Its goal was to take control of Panjwaii town that could strengthen Afghan government over Taliban in the province of Kandahar. In this operation 12 Canadian soldiers died according to Wikipedia and over 200 suspected Taliban were killed. There were reports of dead civilians and Afghan troops too.
Now, Suraia Sahar and Laila Rashidie raised the banner on our Remebrance Day: “We Remember Operation Medusa. 512 Afghans Killed by Canadian Military.” The statement doesn’t even differentiate between Taliban and civilian Afghans. It simply implies to all Afghans as if there is no difference between Taliban and Afghans.
Also it clearly shows Ms. Sahar and Ms. Rashidie’s lineage towards Afghanistan, not to Canada. In choosing their loyalty they even forgot that Canada is not the primary country that has invaded Afghanistan.
If there is any foreign involvement to be blamed in Afghanistan then Pakistan, former Soviets and the US are the top countries on such a list. Also warlords in Afghanistan are not lesser culprits than anyone who has hosted Arab, Chechen, Pakistani and other Islamic terrorists.
But the Canadian-Afghani ladies are quick to blame Canada over their home country, Afghanistan. The situation unveils the failure of our multicultural model which is made of political correctness.
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