There have been hostilities against Christians and Muslims in Arab countries, but the United Church of Canada has never declared any boycotts because of such crimes (“Community ‘outraged’ at United Church,” Aug. 23). Possibly, the intention of the church’s decision to boycott products from Israeli settlement is to harm Israeli exports and to punish Israeli Jews because of the Israeli settlements that are built on a few square miles in the West Bank.

The United Church has always ignored the occupation of Kurdistan’s territories by Iraq, Syria, Iran and Turkey. The Kurds are a nation of Sunni Muslims of Indo-European origin. Many Kurds have been killed during long-running rebellions and fierce fights for Kurdish independence. In 1988, in Halabja, the Iraqis killed thousands of Kurds by using mustard gas. The question is: when will the United Church declare a boycott of products made in Iran, Syria, Iraq and Turkey, the occupiers of Kurdistani territories?

Menashe Hirshfeld

Montreal

 To read additional letters, see the September 6 print issue of The CJN