My hero is a Muslim named Faraz Hossain

Quote, from the New York Times:

Early in the morning, the gunmen released a group of women wearing hijabs and offered a young Bangladeshi man, Faraz Hossain, the opportunity to leave, too, said Hishaam Hossain, Mr. Hossain’s nephew, who had heard an account from the hostages who were freed.

Mr. Hossain, a student at Emory University, was accompanied by two women wearing Western clothes, however, and when the gunmen asked the women where they were from, they said India and the United States. The gunmen refused to release them, and Mr. Hossain refused to leave them behind, his relative said. He would be among those found dead on Saturday morning.

In the coming days – when ISIS et al. commit yet more mass murder (as they did on an extraordinary scale in Dhaka and Baghdad), and as Donald Trump et al. actively recruit for ISIS (as they do every single day, by whipping up hatred against moderate Muslims) – remember that name: Faraz Hossain.  I have been thinking about him all weekend.  He left me in awe.

He was a Muslim, and he was free to go.  But he stayed to die with two women who the killers hated, simply because they wore Western clothing, and because they came from somewhere else.  He stayed with them, knowing he was going to die.

Remember him, not just because he was extraordinarily brave.  Remember him because Faraz Hossain is quite literally the kind of person we need if we are ever going to save the world from itself.

Let his memory be for a blessing, my Jewish friends always say.  I’ll bet Faraz Hossain would be okay with that.

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Pride

Didn’t make it to the parade in time (damn traffic), but made it to a photo booth in Brighton with Son Two, who – like all six of them – are the most LGBT-friendly kids you’ll ever want to meet. 


Mike Robinson

Sad to hear about his sudden passing. 

Last time I saw him was on election night at Global TV in Toronto. He got up and shook my hand and was very friendly. Those who know the back story will know why I remember (and appreciated) that. 

My condolences to his family. 


The former Minister of Curry in a Hurry should Worry

…because his prospects are blurry.

Jason Kenney, who I genially detest, is apparently heading back to Alberta, because he knows his flavour of conservativism – socially, fiscally and politically antediluvian conservativism – is dead as a proverbial doornail in Ottawa.

He apparently thinks that his political future is found in Alberta. I think he’s wrong about that. Reasons:

Will he run anyway? Of course he will.  He’s never held a job in the real world, and he thinks he’s a genius.

I therefore look forward to his humiliation in the next Alberta provincial election.

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Impressed

I’m not naming names. But I can tell you one ministerial office in Ottawa received one ticket to Obama’s speech. 

And you know who they gave it to? Not the Chief of Staff. Not the head of comms or the LA. 

They gave it to the Summer intern. 

I cannot tell you how great that is. It says plenty about that Minister’s staff – all of it good. 

Impressed. 


Obama who?

Here are the top online stories for the major media outlets right now:

  • Globe: Real estate industry in BC
  • Star: billing by doctors
  • Post: mass murder in Texas
  • Sun: Mississauga house explosion 
  • Times: Boris Johnson exits 
  • Any other US media: something stupid Donald Trump said

Rule of thumb: if Ottawa decides something is important, it probably isn’t.