Editor, The Times:
One has to wonder, when people in Mesopotamia heard rumours of a terrible bunch of invaders who simply destroyed everything in their path coming from the East, did they pay much attention?
After all, times were very interesting as it was. Muslims allied with Christians, Crusaders fought other Muslims. Jerusalem was sacked (how many times was that?) in 1244. There was plenty of raping, robbery and murder already in progress, so could it get much worse?
Then the Mongols did arrive and things did get worse, much worse.
Today, of course, we have instant communications not just horseback riders, rumours and gossip.
And indeed considering such an entity as ISIS intent upon establishing a rigid caliphate in that area of northern Iraq and Syria – and if you listen to them carefully all around the world if they could get away with it! Even considering such religious fanatics as Al Qaeda and Boko Haram, things have gone downhill on a very slippery slide.
So, why should Canadians be concerned? Well at least 20 and probably more young Canadians have gone off to join either ISIS or the Free Syrian Army. A number came from Calgary, which has a Muslim mayor who many say is the best mayor Calgary has ever had.
From such countries as France and England, not to mention the U.S. of A, hundreds of young Islamists are now part of these super-fanatics fighting in the Middle East. If they stay there or die (yes, this does sound cold) there will be no problem. However, these young men could, with their twisted ideology, well return to this country plotting all manner of attacks and in the end causing a terrible backlash (that would make post 9-11 look like a tea party) against Muslims here in Canada and in the U.S. of A.
As an agnostic I must confess I find all this religious worming and squirming very perplexing. Does anyone remember the politically correct pooh-poohing about the Party Quebecois’ proposed Charter of Rights and Freedoms?
That particular charter actually had a lot going for it. As Theo Van Gogh (and he paid the ultimate price) put it, tolerating the intolerant does not pay.
Dennis Peacock
Clearwater, B.C.
