Love & Courage: My Story of Family, Resilience, and Overcoming the Unexpected

by Jagmeet Singh

whenever I’ve been faced with Islamophobia, my answer has never been “I’m not a Muslim,” because hate is wrong, no matter who it’s aimed at. When it comes to stopping fear and division, all of us, no matter who we are, have to stand together.

The founding principle is a belief in oneness—or Ik Oankar. It’s a belief that deep down we are all connected. In fact, it’s a belief that everything is connected: each of us human beings alongside the life forms and forces we share this planet with.

Canada’s multiculturalism appealed to him most.

My parents speak English fluently, but you can connect with someone on a completely different level when you speak in the language in which they feel most comfortable expressing themselves.

There aren’t any guidebooks on how to build a new life in a brand-new country in a language you’ve only ever studied in school.

If you love someone’s language, truly love it, then you’ll find a door to their culture, identity, and what makes them who they are.

We were safe. We were alive. In the years after the massacre at the Golden Temple, any time a news report about the incident resurfaced, they would hug us tight and say, “We’re so happy that Canada is our home.” Even as a young boy, I could sense that they didn’t mean that lightly. They were thankful just to be alive and that we were all safe in a country that respected human rights and the dignity of life.

Everyone who experiences pain and trauma wants healing and reconciliation. The first step to healing is receiving acknowledgement of the harm done. With no outlet for the pain and no acknowledgement of the trauma, those harmed often internalize the suffering and endure it in silence.

“Good laws can hold us together while bad laws can tear us apart. I like exploring how we form bonds with each other to build a framework for cooperation,

Life is so fragile and violence so unpredictable. I told myself I would find ways to project confidence without aggression, power without peril. Violence is no path to solving a problem.

My father wasn’t the one I grew up with, and I was no longer the insecure teenager unable to voice his fears, as I once was. We’d become new people. That’s why I believe in reincarnation; I’ve seen it with my own eyes.

I said that the daily meditation of a Sikh is not to ensure justice and betterment for Sikhs alone. I explained that our mission is to ensure the betterment of all people, and that’s what we would continue to do.

Ignatieff’s comments were offensive and seriously damaging.