Letter to Prime Minister Steven Harper

Dear Prime Minister Steven Harper,

I am a Teacher from Scarborough Ontario. I became a teacher because I simply love kids. I feel eternally privileged to watch a new generation of Canadians grow and do my part in impacting their developmental stages positively. I groom their conscientiousness with love, good quality education and inspiration, in an attempt to make them focused and purposeful individuals for the future.  As a teacher it is also my responsibility to report child neglect and child abuse to the right authorities.  

For this reason, I like to humbly bring to your attention towards the murder of over 600 Palestinian children in their own homes, schools and hospitals, including UN shelters by Israeli Defense Force over the past seven weeks. Israel has one of the largest militarises in the world and a flourishing weapons’ industry financed by the US and Canada, which is being employed to to take the lives of innocent children. Many Canadian companies including Alphacasting Inc. based in St. Laurent Quebec manufacture key components for the weapons system used by the Israeli military to harm innocent Palestinian children. In 2012, the Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) invested $3 million in Israel corp.

IDF soldiers brag about killing children on instagram. This is on par with Senior government figure Feiglin advise to Prime Minister Netanyahu on his facebook page to annihilate the entire Gaza strip. Richard Falk, former UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian territories says, Israel is guilty of war crimes. Prime Ministers from many countries including Bolivia, El Salvador, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil have all withdrawn their ambassadors from Israel in protest.

The open-ended cease-fire agreement does not demilitarize Israel, which remains an ongoing threat to the safety and security of children in Palestine. I urge you to stop Canada from arming Israel and stop Jewish Canadians from leaving Canada to join IDF. The manufacture and sales of arms confirm Canada is not following its legacy of peacemaking in violent conflicts. Canada should help disarm Israel. I call on you to dissuade Israel  and Jewish Canadians from authorizing the use of force against unarmed kids and their parents. I urge you to work with the United Nations in support of economic and diplomatic measures towards peace and justice for all Palestinian.

As a new school year is starting and I am preparing my classroom, I cannot fathom, even in a nightmare, the mass destruction of my innocent students. It is the natural disposition of every teacher and human alike to care for and protect their young. I am sure as a parent, you are also troubled by the outlandish havoc the children of Palestine have endured in the last two months. I hope you can help Canada seek a non-military solution and peaceful compromise in this threatening time.

Sincerely,

Asfiya Irfan

August 27, 2014