LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Artist deserves praise

Bravo to Shelagh Culley, who was featured in The Chronicle last week (‘Overcoming challenges to create beautiful art’).

We have purchased four paintings and a lovely embroidery from Shelagh during the past five years. Her work is colourful and completely full of joy. People who have visited our home have mentioned how special her work his.

Victoria Jonas

Beaconsfield



Pool good

for neighbourhood

This letter is a retort to Wayne Gass’s letter (The Chronicle, Aug.15) in which he states that “Valleycrest Community Swimming Pool is guilty of lowering the quality of life in our neighbourhood” mainly because of a couple of incidents when the noise was too much for him to bear.

Let me begin first of all by listing the ways in which having a community pool actually improves the quality of life in our neighbourhood, mainly for our children.

First off, it offers summer job opportunities for our young lifeguards as well as opportunities for youth and adults to volunteer their services (such as fundraising, managing the snack shack...).

Secondly, it offers the chance for residents of all ages to participate in lessons from swimming to water polo to synchro, diving, acquafit and more! Participants are also given the chance to take part in friendly competitions against other pools in neighbouring communities.

All these activities, as well as the opportunity to come and enjoy an afternoon or evening at the pool with family, allow our children to engage in an active lifestyle that enhances their self-worth and helps to develop a sense of attachment to their very own community. Who can argue with that!

As for the occasional times when the noise is just a little too hard to ignore, I invite Mr. Gass as well as all residents to join the party. It’s a whole lot of fun!

Cinzia Allocca

Pierrefonds



Double standard

Shaheen Ashraf’s well-intentioned call for Muslims to denounce the violence of Islamic extremists regretfully lacks sufficient analysis (‘Thinking Muslims need to wake up,’ Pubic Forum, The Chronicle, Aug. 15). On the surface, asking Muslims to denounce the violence committed in the name of their religion appears not only logical but commendable. A closer look, however, suggests otherwise. Is the Christian community repeatedly asked to excuse itself for the horrendous carnage committed by the self-described “Christian” administration in Washington? Are Jews constantly asked to distance themselves from the ongoing injustice and ethnic cleansing committed by the self-declared “Jewish state” of Israel?

That only Muslims are singled out to condemn the crimes of their co-religionists testifies to an insidious racism that permeates the discourse on Muslims and Arabs. The Canadian Council of Muslim Women should not fall into the trap set for them by the neoconservatives and their ideological partners.

Having said that, I do appreciate Shaheen Ashraf’s columns and hope to read more of her thoughts.

John Dirlik

Pointe Claire 