June 27, 2006
Kamloops Daily News


Eye View

The 17 men arrested in southern Ontario are not Islamic
terrorists any more than the members of the FLQ were
Catholic terrorists.

The Quebec nationalist group Front de Liberation du Québec
(FLQ) carried out more than 200 violent crimes in the 1960s,
including several bombings that resulted in the deaths of
six people. They bombed the Montreal Stock Exchange in1969,
injuring 27 people. They stole tons of dynamite and plotted
to kidnap the American consul.

Were they Catholic terrorists? The FLQ terrorists were
raised in Catholic culture and schools but their actions
were revolutionary, not religious.

The 17 arrested men were similarly immersed in Islamic
culture but to call them Islamic terrorists suggests that
they were motivated by their faith. Their Jihadism is
related to Islam as much as the invasion of Iraq is linked
to Christianity.

Canada's 700,000 Muslims deplore violence and stress
obedience to the laws of Canada. Hamid Slimi, imam of a
Toronto Muslims organization said "These attacks have not
done anything but emphasize our commitment to this beautiful
country of ours that we love and respect, and we're
committed to the security of this country."

The 17 men arrested can't even be called terrorists. They
are presumed innocent until proved guilty in an open and
fair trial. And unlike the FLQ crisis of the 1960s, nothing
actually happened thanks to the diligence of police. If
convicted, their worst crime would be conspiring to do
terrorist acts.

You can't fault police and intelligence agencies for being
diligent. They don't want a repeat of Canada's greatest
terrorist attack. On June 23, 1985, Canadians on Air India
flight 182 were blown out the sky. The bomb killed 280
Canadians, 82 of them children. The U.S. was relatively
unconcerned about a Canadian terrorist attack that was
proportional to September 11. Instead, we are accused by
the U.S. administration of being complicit in creating
terrorists.

The diligence of Canadian police has had the opposite effect
than intended. Instead of being seen as routing out
suspected terrorists, Americans see the arrests as evidence
that Canada is swarming with them.

There is a danger that Canadians will view Muslims as
Americans view us - - as harbouring terrorism. Canadians
must vigorously resist that lure. Canadian Muslims are
understandably nervous. As a visible minority with
distinctive dress and customs, they are easy targets of
misguided fear.

If the alleged plots are true, we can only imagine what
motivated the 17 men and youths to conspire against their
own country. Rik Coolsaet has a pretty good idea. The
director of security at the Royal Institute of International
Relations in Brussels has studied six similar trials in
which Muslim youths were charged with terrorist activities.

Belgium has played a leading role in fighting Islamic
Jihadism at home. "The phenomenon is quite similar in
Canada," Coolsaet explained on CBC radio. "The second
generation of immigrants is searching for identity."

The pattern is common among immigrants. Parents embrace
their new country but their children remain confused. As
part of a visible minority, they feel alien in Canada's
culture. Yet, if they return to the homeland of their
parents they don't feel part of that country either.

"They are torn between identities," says Coolsaet. Their
feelings are compounded by the universal need of teenagers
to feel part of a group.

Lacking any other strong identity, the only thing they feel
is Muslim. Their search for idealism leads them to Jihadism
that originated in Saudi Arabia and has spread around the
world through the internet. They are vulnerable to the
heroic propaganda.

Youths easily fall prey to a scenario in which Muslims are
portrayed as downtrodden by the hedonistic and evil western
world. Its goals are similar but "It's not an Al Qaeda
movement," warns Coolsaet.

Misguided Muslim youths image themselves at the vanguard of
an Arab world liberation movement. They envision themselves
as new Che Guevaras, igniting the spark of revolution that
breaks the chains of their tormented brothers.

Canadians must work hard to channel the idealism of youth to
useful goals. It won't be achieved through materialism.
Every case of discrimination must be fought. Politicians
and journalists must develop a lexicon of inclusive
language. Bonds must to be built between society and
youths.

Canadians value the contribution that immigrants make in
enriching our lives. "There is a good base to work on in
Canada," concludes Coolsaet.

David Charbonneau is the owner of Trio Technical.
He can be reached at dcharbonneau13@shaw.ca

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