Following the recent fatal attacks on soldiers, a Montreal teen has taken to social media to renounce the hate and to distance himself from the actions of the 'lone wolf' terrorists.
A Muslim of Lebanese descent, 17-year-old Ali Chebli created a Faceook page in which he held up a sign that read: "#Pas en mon nom," which translates to "Not in my name."
In the wake of jihadists attacks, Chebli is one of many Muslims who feel the need to publicly speak out against ISIS.
For a country whose national pride has long thrived, even hinged, on multiculturalism, terrorism is admittedly not something we are used to. While I would like to assume that as Canadians we ought to know better than to paint an entire people with the same brush, evidently we are not.
In Cold Lake, Alberta, vandals scrawled the words "Go home" on a local mosque. Mercifully residents responded with their own graffiti messages that read: "You are home" and "Love your neighbour."
As for Chebli, the teen's posting has gone viral, prompting other young Muslims to post similar statements that echo the idea that Islam is not synonymous with terrorism.
At a time when our nation is mourning, now more than ever we must rally together and remember that diversity—not divisiveness—is what makes our country great. This is the Canada we know and love.
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