Dear friends,
The Victoria Multifaith Society was shocked and saddened at the horrific revelation of the mass graves of Indigenous children in Kamloops. We have now been again deeply dismayed at the news of the hate-motivated act of violence against an innocent Muslim family in London, Ontario.
No words are adequate in times of such pain. As members of the Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, New Thought, Bahá’í, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Indigenous communities, we would like our Indigenous and Muslim neighbours to know that we stand with them in solidarity and shared humanity.
We wish to call these acts of racism, past and present, what they are. They have underlined the need to work all the harder in our anti-racism work and increase our efforts to create a healthier society that celebrates both our essential unity and our immense diversity.
We all need to look at our hearts, our speech, our actions, to be constantly vigilant against hatred or prejudice towards any group or individual, instead seeking in whatever large or small ways we can to heal these social ills.
In many of our sacred teachings, the Creator is the source of all love. The sentiment is not uncommon that "...love is light, no matter in what abode it dwelleth; and hate is darkness, no matter where it may make its nest". No matter what our personal beliefs, may we all draw strength from our common spiritual values and seek to reflect that love.
Sincerely,
Sheila Flood, E.D.
Victoria Multifaith Society
