My letter to editor published in Ottawa Sun, Edmonton Sun, Edmonton Journal and The Barrie Examiner
This is with reference to the Taliban beheading 17 party-goers in Afghanistan earlier this week, attributed by some news reports to “ultra-conservative Islamist” insurgents. If ultra-conservative means someone who does not follow the peaceful teachings of Islam found in the Koran, then surely they are not “Islamists,” a word which in reality should describe someone who is a living model of Islam. Should we start calling every thief and murderer by their religious affiliation? What part of beheading innocent people comes from Islam? None whatsoever. Therefore, they can’t be called Islamists. Just because the Taliban claim they’re Muslims doesn’t make them representatives of Islam. Please stop referring to terrorists and murderers as ‘Islamists’.