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Dear Canadians,

I'm writing this open letter to want the best for our great country. As you may know there will be a lot of refugees coming to Canada. I know a lot of you worry about the masses of people entering our country in the next couple of months. You may or may not agree with the decision to bring allow them to enter Canada in the first place. You may be okay with them coming but through a slower, even more careful security process. However once the government allows them in. Let us not protest the government by treating the displaced souls like they are beneath us. This is an issue that you have between yourselves and the government. These people do not want to leave their homes but are helpless to do anything else. They gave up their homes, their family and their livelihoods.

I'm just a university student you don't have to listen to me but do listen to your hearts. Imagine yourself in the same situation as them. That you had militia running with weapons taking over our oil sands. Militia running through your farms, your forests, our suburbs, your fisheries, your apartments, your condominiums killing and raping in the name of Canadian supremacy. This does not sound Canadian to you and I. They defame your culture, your values and your beliefs. Now you have to evacuate to a remote nation with a completely different atmosphere, climate and language barrier.
There is a fear of ending up with a take over by foreigners. When you have had so much happen to you,  would you want to wreck the stability for your family and face the past over again. They are not any different from us. Even referring to them separately is degrading and I feel guilty.

We are all human beings. The guests that have joined Canada include Mennonites, Quakers, Vietnamese, Jewish, Armenians, Ukrainians, Estonians, Hungarians, Palestinian, Scottish, Chinese, Americans, Cambodians, Tibetans, Ismaili Muslims, Czechs, Ugandans, Chileans, Sikhs, Former Yugoslavians, Italians, Tamils and the list goes on. If you find a friend in one of those groups know they are know different but Canadian. They are the definition of what Canada is today.

This is not meant to be propaganda but an appeal to Canadians that when refugees enter our nation we not despise them but welcome them. Integrate them into our society. Show us how welcoming to minorities we are. Our National flag has the colours of red and white but our map is coloured with all 64 crayons in the box. I encourage students, adults, seniors, and children to help people feel welcome.

Daesh(ISIS) are the scum of this planet who have anti-Canadian values. They cannot accept others for who they are. They prey on innocent people and those who plot against them. That is why we have more in common with the refugees than Daesh. In order to defeat them and their tyranny we must unite together. United States and Russia putting their differences behind them just to get rid of this pest problem. The word 'humanity' must get redirected to your country's Wikipedia page and the only way it can do that is if we put our differences behind may it be borders or political stripes.

Do your role in your neighbourhood to help the helpless. This is not just for this instance but in any situation you can. The slacktivism runs rampant on the internet but you must act to make a change. Ignite compassion by joining a non-profit organization. Feed the homeless. We often blame the government because we often hold them responsible for all the problems in our country. If you have lost hope in them, go feed the homeless on your own time. Protect and serve the community.

Most important of all, “There is no Hindu, there is no Muslim”(Guru Nanak Dev ji). Let us keep all of humanity in our prayers.


Sincerely,
Jasakarn Singh Malhi

 

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