This is a happy story because the people of Antigonish are what a caring community can be. But it strikes me that this is not enough. I am happy that the Hadhads settled in Antigonish where it seemed everyone in the small town did their best to make this new family feel that this was their new home, that they could feel comfortable wearing a hijab, where they could worship freely, they could start a new business, go to school and have friends, and feel like there was a hope filled future.
But what about you and me? The Hadhad family members are also in the bank queue ahead of you in your town, talking Arabic to each other. Their daughter works at Tim Hortons and mixes up your order. Their son plays on the same baseball team as my grandson and doesn’t know the rules. The mother is ahead of me in the grocery checkout and can’t get her bank card to work in the credit card reader and the clerk is getting annoyed. Are we still in Antigonish or are we somewhere else entirely?
When we strive to be Antigonish the world is transformed. Salaam/Shalom is possible.