When a country produces its own homegrown terrorists, it’s always a disaster and shameful for such a country. Following the arrests of 17 would-be terrorists in Toronto this past week, the media devote lots of time to pundits and experts who tried to find out why Canadians, or people who came to Canada when they were five years old, would turn against their own country in such a barbaric way.
Islam, in itself, is a peaceful religion, but it is used by fanatics as a means to recruit people to commit terrorist acts. Just as Catholics are shocked and aghast when a priest is found to have committed terrible acts such as sexually abusing a child, Muslims must show that they are offended by terrorist acts committed in the name of their religion. While a large number of Muslims in the West condemn terrorism, there are an almost equally large number of Muslims who either tacitly condone such barbarism or even support them in some way.
The press conference in Toronto, where Muslims and Muslim leaders had a chance to meet with the chief of police of Toronto, was a sad example of the latter rather than the former. Muslims wanted to know from the police chief what he intended to do to protect the Muslim community in Toronto and not what he planned to do for all residents of the city. Amidst the questions, which revolved around this common theme, one person stood out: an engineer who works for an auto company and who immediately let loose an anti-American tirade. Thankfully, he was cut off before he could do even more damage.
Only the most narrow-minded among us would paint all Muslims with the same brush. There are good and bad in any group of people, regardless of religion, race, or origin. I still have fond memories of a group of truckers in Toronto who were all devout Muslims from Somalia. We’d spend hours at the local coffee shop discussing everything under the sun.
Right after 9/11, we had long discussions about terrorism and its connection to Islam into the wee morning hours. Those Somali truck drivers were as outraged at the events of the time as any other American or Canadian. One of them kept saying, “If you kill only one person, it’s as if you kill all of humanity.” Indeed, this is what it says, more or less, in the Koran.
Article comments
1 - Arch Conservative
Being canadian is kinda like being a moped owner. It's pretty fun and cool until someone finds out.
2 - JP
As always, find a problem--blame a liberal..
3 - Deano
Re: Comment 1 - Until someone finds out what? Mopeds are still cool....
Re: The post - The Liberal's approach to immigration is certainly politically motivated to a signficant degree. The Liberal's have long cultivated the use of a broad and unrestrictive immigration policy partially for the purely selfish reason that most of the immigrants tended to vote Liberal and tended to settle in major metropolitan areas - it was a "cheap" way to ensure a strong urban Liberal support. Indeed, the immigrant vote back in the last Quebec Referendum probably made the difference between the PQ winning and losing. The declining Quebecois birthrate and the large influx of immigrants and higher immigrant birth rate have been contributing factors in the ongoing separatist drama.
However it should be noted that it is very difficult to close off your youth, immigrant or not, from ideas and ideologies, particularly in the wake of the Internet. Logging onto a chat room or even a site like Blogcritics allows groups of like-minded individuals to connect, commisserate and plan. The sad reality is that out of any given population group (Islamic, Christian, communist, ...or even Albertan) you will have a small portion that may be radicalized and follow a radical philosophy, particularly if events such as the ongoing Iraq occupation is hitting the news nightly.
So while I understand the desire to "regulate" the problem, I suspect that it is a much more problamatic thing then just restricting immigration to the "right-minded" people.
The other point to bear in mind is that the US critics have their own political axe to grind. The American government is often quick to cite the events of 9/11 while blithly ignoring the actual fact that the 9/11 hijackers didn't enter through Canada. Throw in the Arar case and the circumstances behind that piece of idiocy and the lofty superior pronouncements of the US government can be seen in a slightly different context.
Overall a major review of the immigration policy is probably in order but I suspect you will still have the potential for political radicalization no matter how tightly your close the immigration door. The genie is already out of the bottle... good luck stuffing him back inside.
4 - Shawn
Peoples opions about one topic or another can change in an instant. A person with anti-american veiws may actually want to live in Canada because it isn't the US aswell. A terrorist doesn't show up at immigration with documents stating that he is a terrorist either. It's the enviroment that these people are growing up in mostly the suburbs. These areas have to change since they are welcome mats now for immigrants. These areas have to develop into a tolerant, engageing neighbourhood with more oppurtunities for young adults. Not the typical Suburban desert of houses.
5 - Arch Conservative
Well to be fair JP liberals do caus emost of society's problems. While they are busy in thier world of theorys and social engineering by rule of state life is going on around us. They have no new ideas to solve any of society's problems, just rehashed failures.
6 - Arch Conservative
Apparently some sources are saying that this group of terrorists found in Canada was actually caught in part by the domestic spying program of the Bush admin.
3 Tons of ammonium nitrate would make an awfully big bomb or a lot of small ones. Most likely these terrorists were going to kill American or Canadian civilians and lots of them.
I am sure though that the left will stick up for these guys and heap more scorn upon the spying program that may have just saved the lives of American civilians. The ACLU will probably step in to file a lawsuit on behalf of these scumbags. I'm sure that the typical anti-american groups like answer, code pink, not in our name etc etc etc will speak out against the injustice of actually arresting these guys. I am sure the mainstream media won't mention that the spying program had anything to do with the capture of these terrorists. The American left has no shame and put's it's own interests and self promotion above all o thers, even above the lives of American civilians!
7 - zingzing
didnt "officials" say that the target was not the us?
8 - Arch Conservative
I didn't hear that but obviously there was a target right zing? If it was canadian civilians I'm just as glad the spying program worked aren't you?
9 - zingzing
i think it was the canadian pm, and i've not heard anything about our program helping them. but maybe its true.
10 - Clavos
What they're saying on the MSM is that there was a plan to behead the Canadian PM.
11 - Arch Conservative
Why the hell would they need 30 tons of ammonium nitrate to do that?
And why the hell would islamic terrorists want to attack canada when canada has remained relatively nuetral in the war on terror, refusing to help us in Iraq?
Hmmm why oh why?
Oh could it be that radical islam is at war with the world and that the sooner we admit it and take the kid gloves off the better we will be?
Or could it be the standard leftist rhetoric "these guys are freedom fighters who have been opressed and are justified in their actions"? Yeah Canada really oprreses a lot of people in the world huh. Refusing to export hockey pucks, back bacon, alannis morissette cd's and molsen to the mideast muslim nations? damn it the pm of canada must die!
12 - troll
*And why the hell would islamic terrorists want to attack canada when canada has remained relatively nuetral in the war on terror, refusing to help us in Iraq?*
maybe it's the 2,000 troops in Afghanistan
troll
13 - Arch Conservative
that still pales in comparison to iraq.....
the fact is that these islamic terroists pose a threat to anyone who doesn't adhere to their fundamentalist, totolatarian brand of islam the world over... this threat needw to be exterminated with extreme prejudice
14 - Deano
Re comment # 11 - Canada has not remained relatively neutral in the war on terror, it has remained relatively neutral on the US war in Iraq, there is a distinct difference, although it may not be apparent to you.
Canadian troops have been serving in Afghanistan for a number of years, both in overt roles in Kabul and Khandahar, and in covert roles with JTF2 working hand-in-hand with other special forces teams, both US and British. Canadian sniper teams worked very effectively with US forces during Operation Anaconda in the Shah-i-kot Valley back in 2002. Among other achievements they shattered the world record for the longest recorded sniper kill - 2,430 metres.
15 - zingzing
oooh exxxtreeeeme prejudice. read the news. they wanted to kill the pm, storm parliament and blow up several buildings in canada. they wanted to do this because of canada's troops in afghanistan.
maybe you should have your homepage as cnn international so that you get at least an idea of a perspective. or something.
oh yeah, just for you, they were justified in their actions. yep. sure. you're so full of crap.
16 - zingzing
that was for bing