Business Beat by Heather Robertson
Financial analysts and economists have been trying to predict the impact that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will have on an already unsteady economy.
Although world central banks, including the U.S. Federal Reserve Board and the Bank of Canada, have taken steps to stabilize the global financial system, many experts believe that the economic impact of the terrorist attacks will still be severe. This has led several analysts to confirm the secret fear the business community has been harbouring for some time: if we are not yet experiencing a recession, we soon may be.
While the effects of an impending recession will undoubtedly affect businesses around the world, it is important to consider other consequences that Tuesday’s attacks may have on the Ottawa business community. Anti-terrorist sentiment has in some cases been transformed to a backlash of racial discrimination and violence against many Middle Eastern communities and people in Canada and the United States.
In New York, there have been threats made to Muslim children and mosques have had to increase their security. Police say the killing of a Sikh man in Arizona was racially motivated, and the FBI has already opened 40 hate-crime investigations since the attacks. On this side of the border, there were reports of violence and vandalism at a Hamilton Mosque and of arson at a Hindu temple in Glanbrook. These and other actions have prompted Muslims in Canada to fear for their safety. Fear of retaliation and condemnation has prevented many from appearing in public. The week of the attacks, a Muslim man in Ottawa had his house vandalized with messages saying “Go Home.”
As citizens in a multicultural society, we must not encourage or tolerate this kind of behaviour. Citizens of Ottawa must remember that there are several businesses owned and operated by minorities that are an integral part of our community. While it is easy to assume that we are safe from such prejudice simply because we are Canadian, we must all still make a concerted effort to try to prevent those types of discrimination that are less discernible.
It is much more difficult to prevent the boycotting of certain stores than it is to condemn people for harassing and threatening Muslim or Arab business owners.
Remember that we all have an influence on business in this community. It would be a serious tragedy for Ottawa to lose respected members of the business community because of racial prejudice.