Canadian Minister of Women and Gender Equality Maryam Monsef called the Taliban “our brothers” in a message to the extremist group during a Wednesday press conference, later saying it was simply “a cultural reference.”
Monsef used her time in the press conference to speak directly to the Taliban and pleaded with them to end the violence, saying: “I want to take this opportunity to speak with our brothers, the Taliban. We call on you to ensure the safe and secure passage of any individual in Afghanistan out of the country.”
Monsef, who was born in Iran but raised in Afghanistan, said the term did not mean the administration was softening its stance against the Taliban. Instead, Monsef said that it was common for Muslims to refer to people as brothers and sisters.
“The Taliban are a terrorist group, and yet, they claim to be Muslims,” she said in response to questions on her word choice, CTV News reported. “The reference to brothers is a cultural reference, of course, but let me be very clear, we do not support the Taliban. We are horrified the hard-won gains of the past 20 years are at stake.”
After the press conference, the reference to “brothers” went viral as people questioned the use of the term to refer to a terrorist group.
Mustafa Farooq, the CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, told Global News Canada that although he would not use the term to refer to the Taliban, other Muslims use the term more broadly.
“It’s important to recognize that the Muslim community is not monolithic, and so, there are a variety of different folks who have different approaches to how we would conceptualize the term brother or sister,” Farooq said. “I think there’s a way in which many folks think about the term brother and sister, think about brothers and sisters in humanity — whether or not we agree with them.”
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Despite Monsef’s clarifications of the term, critics remain outraged. After the press conference, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole slammed Monsef, calling the language “unacceptable.”
“I think of the women and girls in Afghanistan who are at risk with the Taliban regime once again coming into place. Canadians deserve a government that will always stand up for our values,” O’Toole said, according to CTV News.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the administration is working with the global community to put pressure on the Taliban and that he has “no plans” to recognize the terrorist organization as a legitimate government.
