Last week, some puerile moron crawled out of his/her prehistoric cave and left a racist message taped to a van outside the SISO office.

The hate message was scrawled on a page of the Hamilton Spectator, where Hamdani writes a freelance column. His eyes were X-ed out, and the incident is now being investigated by the Hamilton Police hate crimes unit.

I hope they find the person who did this. I’d really like to get a gander at what someone of this misguided ilk looks like.

The note attached to the column contained numerous swear words and attacks against immigrants.

Ironically, Hamdani’s column was about Remembrance Day, and he paid tribute to the country’s “willingness to stand up to protect human rights, freedom and justice remains one Canada’s defining characteristics in the eyes of the world.”

That someone would warp that tribute to Canada’s war veterans into an attack against immigrants leaves no doubt as to the culprit’s mental capacity.

Hussein Hamdani is a shining example of how immigrants are making a positive contribution to our society.

Not only does he volunteer at SISO, a model agency that assists newcomers adapt and succeed in Canada, but he also has a law degree, and sits on several local, provincial and national boards of directors and executive committees. At the national level he serves on the Government of Canada Roundtable on Security, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and is Vice-Chair of North American Spiritual Revival Committee. Provincially he serves with the Special Investigations Unit, the Muslim Youth of North America Advisory Committee and is an executive member of the Ontario Bar Association’s Information Technology and E-Commerce Committee.

As if that wasn’t enough, he also serves as the secretary for the board of the Dundurn Community Legal Clinic, the Mayor of Burlington’s Inclusivity Committee, Hamilton’s Centre for Civic Inclusion, Hamilton Chief of Police’s Advisory Committee, Hamilton Immigration Strategy Committee, and Hamilton Muslim, Arab and Jewish Dialogue Committee.

Few of us can boast a resume with such community involvement. I feel privileged to have a person of this character and commitment as a fellow Canadian.

It seems that incidents abroad tend to bring out the worst in people. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 saw numerous incidents of racism committed in Hamilton, including an arson that destroyed the Hindu Samaj Temple.

I would suspect the murder spree in Texas a few weeks back, in which an American soldier is accused of killing 13 people, has been misconstrued by those looking for a convenient platform to unfurl their flags of hatred. Nidal Malik Hasan, who stands accused in the bloody rampage, may claim to be Muslim, but his actions do not represent that faith.

People tend to fear what they do not understand, or refuse to embrace.

That leads to generalizations, and can be converted into a dangerous weapon in the hands of racists.

I am shocked and angered by the attack on Hamdani, and I pray this is an isolated incident.

Every day we continue to move forward in creating an inclusive society in Canada. The vast majority of Canada’s immigrants are helping to build this country. They are not extremists, or radicals. They came to Canada to escape chaos and zealotry.

The vast majority of Canadians are tolerant and accepting of diversity.

Let’s not let the knuckleheads spoil the wonderful country we are building together.