Homegrown Terrorists In Toronto

So I wake up to get milk at 7am today and this is the front page of the newspaper:

In a stunning development yesterday, police made a sweeping terrorist bust within the GTA and expected to make several more arrests throughout the night.

…Though unconfirmed, sources have told the Sun police arrested a possible home-grown al-Qaeda terrorist cell operating in Toronto that had planned to bomb the subway as early as Monday.

Now the TTC (subway) was just on strike earlier this week, and it was unpleasently hot that day, so I figured at first that it was just a bunch of teenagers who were really pissed. I put aside the fact that I use the TTC almost every other day. Also the “Sun” tends to be a bit dramatic at times.

The Toronto Star reports:

A group of Canadian teenagers and young men in their 20s, accused by police of being members of a suspected homegrown terrorist cell, will appear in court this morning to face accusations that they plotted to attack Canadian targets, the Toronto Star has learned.

Some members of the group allegedly attended a “training camp” north of the city where they made a video imitating military warfare, and the suspects allegedly had acquired weapons and listed targets in Ontario, sources told the Star

The Star also quotes Imam Ali Hindi as saying:

“I think they have it wrong. Those guys have nothing to do with (terrorism),” said Scarborough Imam Aly Hindy.

Hindy has been a high profile critic of the RCMP and Canadian Security Intelligence Service, accusing the federal agency of targeting Muslims who criticize the foreign policies of Western governments. He believes this is what led to the arrests yesterday.

“Because they are young people, and they are Muslims, they are saying it’s terrorism,” he said in an interview last night. [source]

Now I don’t know what to believe exactly. So far it’s 17 people and they’ll be appearing in a Brampton court house. Brampton is a city on the outskirts of Toronto where I grew up actually. 3 tons of the fertilizer ammonium nitrate were seized in relation to the alleged plot, three times as much as was used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Problem is Canada has not had a whole lot of success in proving that people are terrorists. I’m not to keen on officials and the media using the term “homegrown terrorists” i.e. people who are citizens and never left the country to recieve training. They are being called “Al-Queda” when in reality these are people inspired by the group and not directly linked to it. This is why I’m not to fond of the Toronto Sun (or Star for that matter).

Why they would want to attack Toronto or Canada for that matter? I have no clue. That is probably the most illogical part about this. It would’ve made more sense to say they were smuggling weapons into the U.S. I am of course refering to “homegrown terrorists” and not Bin Laden. The question I am asking here is why would homegrown terrorists want to attack their own “home” so to speak. (it seems many people commenting in this post are unfamiliar with my blog and are under the assumption that I am asking why terrorists in general would want to attack Canada and for those people I would just like to point out that I understand extremism as well as why Canada can be a target, but that is not my question)

I’ll try and keep everyone updated if this develops further. I’m currently skeptical but also worried. Canada has avoided become post-911 America that is bent on scaring the hell out of its citizens and I’m hoping that this case won’t create the same atmosphere over here.

MINOR UPDATE:

They released the names and pictures of bomb-making materials. Most of those arrested are in their early 20’s and apparently “trained together” in Ontario.

“Our information is that they participated in training altogether,” McDonell said.

“For various reasons, they appear to have become adherents of a violent ideology inspired by al-Qaeda,” said Luc Portelance, Assistant Director of Operations for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).

…”These individuals were allegedly intent on committing acts of terrorism against their own country and their own people,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper said. [CBC News]

UPDATE #2

Toronto Mosque Vandalized After Terrorism Arrests

36 Comments

  • “Why they would want to attack Toronto or Canada for that matter? I have no clue. That is probably the most illogical part about this.”

    Are you serious? Canada has been named directly by Osama himself as a target. Are you forgetting about Canada’s very large role in Afghanistan?

    In addition to the US, Al-Queda have hit London, Spain, and indirectly Australia (The Bali bombing is sometimes called “Australia’s September 11” because of the large number of its citizens killed in the attack). Many believe Canada is next, and only a matter of time.

  • D, yes im serious. read the title of the post again. these are homegrown terrorists and not linked to the organization that is AlQueda which has orchestrated bombings in several cities. what i find odd is why homegrown terrorists in specific would want to attack.

  • I guess you simply lack insight into some critical aspects of the Islamic mind these days. Strange for a Canadian/Jordanian, don’t you think. Or is it just that you don’t want to look?

  • Yesterday, England, today a raid on terror groups in Canada. Why don’t Muslims stop and think about this? Why don’t they ask why?

    Perhaps it has something to do with Islam… It may be a matter of reading the Quran. On the other hand, it could be something to do with Muhammud and his life – a man that Muslims’ consider to be a great example. Sometimes I wonder if Muslims actually read their own writings. It is not a pretty story.

    Enought said.

    John Kactuz

  • Vanderleun, there is a substantial difference between the Islamic mindset and the Extremist mindset, and with all due respect, if you fail to recognise that different then perhaps you’re not looking at all 🙂

    John Arthur, why? why there are extremists in the world? or why they claim to follow Islam? it has less to do with religion than most give it credit for. religion is the icing on the cake that is based more on ideology and politics. But I’m guessing your more of the “blame Islam” camp. Well, I could spend the day changing your mind but I’ve found such endevours to be futile with some people in the past. Misconceptions are so hard to change these days.

  • Nas writes: They are being called â??Al-Quedaâ? when in reality these are people inspired by the group and not directly linked to it.

    It seems that al-Queda is becoming more a philosophy and less an organization these days.

  • Why they would want to attack Toronto or Canada for that matter?

    Because in the Islamist ideology, there is little practical difference between any non-Islamic society and another. Islamist do not attack in response to specific policies or historical events of any particular nation. Instead, they attack because they believe they have a sacred mandate to subjugate the whole world. The homegrown Islamist would attack Canadian targets because those are the non-Islamist targets they can reach not because they object to any specific action Canada has taken.

    There is an obsession among many that every negative in the world must be in response to something somebody in the West did at one time or the other. Completely missing from this concept is the awareness that other cultures possess complex and coherent world views that impel them attack regardless of the actions of others.

    The idea that only our own actions ultimately provoke attacks is really just a symptom of our own narcissism. Hard as it maybe for many to accept, other peoples have existences independent of us.

  • Isle 3: …and that’s the scary part

    Shannon, that’s true, but nevertheless we cannot ignore the fact the western world does has had it’s hands tied up in much of the world and most are not to keen on its intervention. more importantly I’ve never seen them appear to lack a reasonable understanding of geography, i.e. the west is not one big blur, but rather different countries following a particular foreign policy that is usually aligned.

  • on reading the comments to this article i’m actually quite surprised at how ppl confuse different ideologies. i’m dumbfounded at how easy it is for ppl to use ‘terrorism’ and ‘islam’ interchangeably.

    I’m Muslim and i try to practice to its full…but you dont see me wanting to blow up things now do u? Why do you suppose that is?

    Take Care All.

  • zee, well I struggle with this question as well. I think that those on the outside looking in take the handful of extremists as a sample of the 1.6 billion Muslims on this planet. The irony, as I’ve always said, is that extremists and Islamophobes share one major thing in common: they both agree on the same interpretation of Islam and will often cite the same verses for their own agenda.

    but these, I suppose, are arguements for another time

  • I willingly grant that most terrorism which goes under an Islamic banner is more tribal than religious, and uses Islamic ideas conveniently to cover darker motives. I think most violence and warfare in the world is tribal more than anything else, actually, and has been for centuries.

    Nonetheless, I am quite amazed that you can ask “Why Canada?” Because these are not reasonable people! Stop trying to tie this in to American interventionism or Canadian support for the war in Afghanistan (or Tony Blair or any of the other sins of the west). These are excuses that they use, hoping to appear semi-reasonable to people like yourself. Their list of grievances is bottomless, because they are moved by narcissism. There is not enough that Canada or any of the reasonable nations could do that would give satisfaction, because the dissatisfaction comes from within them.

    zee, people connect “terrorism” and “islam” because the terrorists openly make that connection. Observers need positive associations to counteract that, not just protestations “no, no, it is not thus.”

    I understand your frustration that many in the west do not even acknowledge that there my be legitimacy behind some of the claims, or that we have ignorance of the history of the region and do not make the necessary distinctions. Let me turn that around. No region of the world has much accurate information about other regions that is generally known by the population. The Syrians understand South America poorly. SE Asia does not have a clear idea why some European nations aren’t in the EU. There is, if you will, a narcissism that all of us have about our own cultures. Why should you expect to be exempt from the general misunderstanding? All of us understand mostly what forces itself on our attention. Don’t fall into their narcissism that Muslims have more right to be seen accurately than anyone else.

    In America there have been occasional violent groups which enjoyed more power than their numbers would suggest because of the excuse-making of those who were not allies but would not condemn. The Ku Klux Klan was never large, but they held legitimacy because of the large number of people who would make excuses: “Well, some of the Negroes are criminals and bother white women” or “they’re just making a statement so that outsiders will leave us alone.” Those excuses were true, but irrelevant. Don’t make the same mistake of excusing evil just because they might have some good points that their victims don’t acknowledge.

  • Nas,

    …the west is not one big blur, but rather different countries following a particular foreign policy that is usually aligned.

    Actually, for the Islamist the West and for that matter the East is pretty much one big blur. Their ideology/religion simply doesn’t distinguish.

    Think of the problem this way: When Islam first arose it went on an precedent conquest spree. All the lands touching the Mediterranean were once Christian but Muslims would end up conquering at one time or the other everything except southern France and northern Italy. Now, exactly what did the Western world do to provoke this attack? What did Persia, India and Africa do to provoke the attacks on them as well?

    In truth, Muslims conquered because they could, just like every other people of that era but they rationalized their conquest by claiming divine sanction. Islamist are throwback to this era. Unfortunately, the idea still has wide currency in the Islamic world. It is a central tenet of Wahabism for example.

    Because Islamist believe they have a divine obligation to rule, they will ultimately attack anyone they do not dominate. They believe that if they do not attack when the opportunity presents itself then they have failed in their obligations to God. People with such beliefs will attack all targets of opportunity and this exactly the pattern that we do see in Islamist attacks. At best, the particular polices of one nation or group will only change that nations priority as target, not whether it is attacked at all or not.

    Look at the behavior of the Pashtuns in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The US provided massive support to fend off the Soviet invasion. Osama Bin Ladin himself first went to Afghanistan to fight against the Soviets as a de facto American ally. Yet that support brought nothing but contempt from the Islamist because in their world view it did not matter that we had helped them defeat an Atheistic invader. It only mattered that we were not Islamic. Once, they had won they had no ethical problems with turning around and attacking us. Under the tenets of their faith, they have no ethical obligations to non-Muslims who do not submit.

    There is no magical combinations of policies or actions that anyone in the non-Islamic world can take that will convince the Islamist not to attack. Only the evolution of their faith will render them harmless.

  • For certain radicals your freedom is an effront. You ask why Canada, I say why not? I hope this is a wake up call. By the way, I agree with Shannon above.

  • Shannon, I really like your comment.

    Nas, in asking “why Canada?” you could easily end up justifying the actions of Mohammad Taheri-Azar, who drove an SUV through a crowd of his former classmates at UNC Chapel Hill this year. Hey, the kids were Americans. Taheri-Azar was an upset Muslim kid of Iranian origin who grew up in my old hometown. Do his actions make any more sense to you? Is one life more sacred than another? We can all agree that what most likely happened at Haditha was an affront to humanity, after all. But is what Taheri-Azar did somehow more rational or thoughtful?

    Why Canada? Indeed, as David said, why not? I’ve chatted with Canadian Muslim kids who told me that their non-Muslim female counterparts are “whores” and ought to be punished for walking around in shorts. They see the society they occupy as inherently corrupt and crave violent change. One of them bugged the crap out of mei when he told me that I deserve Allah’s vengeance for putting up a Renassance-era painting of a nude Venus on my site.

    Why Canada? Why take innocent lives at all?

  • Why they would want to attack Toronto or Canada for that matter?

    I saw an Egyptian blogger who is an immigrant to Canada (a LAWYER of all things!) say on Egyptian Sandmonkey’s blog that troops occupying Iraq and Afghanistan deserve to die. It’s not much of a stretch to go from that position to a position of supporting attacks on the countries who sent them there. I expect that sometime soon, countries will begin charging people with either espionage or treason, since that’s easier to prove than a terrorism plot. All you have to prove for either is an intent to harm national security.

  • Shannon, with all due respect, it is not “their faith” so much as it is their interpretation of that faith. blaming the religion is a senseless arguement. Also, when I said the west was not one big blur, I was refering to attacks on places like spain and the UK where they claim respsonsibility and cite specific reasons for that attack; those reasons are not based on the fact that the victims are non-muslim but rather on their foreign policies…involvement in Iraq for example. At least this is what I’ve seen based on my own observation.

    Natalia, knowing your thoughts from previous comments concerning Islam, I hope (and pray) that those “Muslim kids” are not your sample. Otherwise you should consider getting a new one or at least discussing such subjects with people a bit more knowledgable of the religion. 😉

    Craig, troops in Iraq are invading and occupying a country by all definition (including the American definition). Hence there is a difference between fighting combatants in a war and killing civilians half way across the world that are not involved. So it is a stretch. While extremists have a whole other interpretation that I’m sure lets them sleep sound at night, the ban on killing civilians, even during a war, is Islamic rules of engagement 101. But it can be argued that it’s most likely that extremists probably missed that class.

    as for charges, yeah you maybe right there. these people were charged with “terrorism-related charges” so we don’t know exactly as of yet what the specifics will be. i’m inclined to believe that people are still innocent in this day and age until they are proven guilty without a reasonable doubt. so we’ll have to wait and see how this unfolds in the courts.

  • Nas you really don’t get it. You think that you are a good person (and I bet you are), and Canadians are good people. Bad things shouldn’t happen to good people. You live in a fairy tale world where very violent people live to the south of you. They deserve terrorists, you as a nice person do not, nor do the very nice, nonjudegemental Canadians deserve this. So why do you have terrorists? I guess that will always be a mystery to you. Interestingly enough, to the best of my knowledge, in the west only Canada has Sihkh terrorism (India Air 182). Why is that?

  • David, perhaps you misunderstood. Im not saying Canadians are too “good” and they therefore don’t deserve to be killed. Nor did I say that those to the south of us deserve terrorists. What I’m saying is that it would’ve made more sense given the fact that the US is center stage right now especially with Iraq. What I’m saying is that being so close one would think that the U.S. would make for a larger target than say the CN Tower. I am personally and religiously anti-terrorism.

    There’s no need for judging and saying I live in a fairy tale world based on my opinion in this post. You don’t know me so there’s no call for it.

  • Nas, I don’t have any issues with Islam. My boyfriend’s folks are Muslim, and they don’t call me a “whore” or tell me that I should “burn in hell.” They adore me and I adore them right back. But people who do say these awful things exist, they’re as real as the KKK. They live in Canada, the UK, the U.S. And, like the KKK and Jerry Falwell, they haven’t internalized the concept of every life being sacred. The things such people are capable of are frightening.

  • Natalia, there are crazy people all over the place, they are not instructed by God or the Quran or anything else. They are sometimes victims of their own environments and sometimes now. What I’m getting at is that in the 1.6 billion of us on this planet, running into a few of them that call you a “whore” shouldn’t shock your world, they shouldn’t be considered a reflection of their religion. But more importantly it’s a quite a stretch to go from “burn in hell” to “lets blow something up”.

  • …it is not â??their faithâ? so much as it is their interpretation of that faith. blaming the religion is a senseless arguement.

    By “their faith” I mean that these are the sincerely held beliefs of the Islamist. Arguments about what is “real” Islam are pointless. What is important is understanding that they have their own detailed, self-consistant world view which impels them act regardless of what other may or may not do.

    It is neither fair nor accurate to lump all Muslims together with the Islamist but it is also not accurate to pretend that Islamist represent some microscopic minority with a recently invented ideology. Probably a quarter or more of the world’s Muslims believe as the Islamist do. This is not some kind of modern fad. The Islamist can rightfully claim theological justification from the Koran itself and all of their precepts have been supported by prominent Islamic theologians throughout the entire history of Islam. Indeed, it is the idea that Muslims can live in a pluralistic society which they do not dominate that is the radical modern interpretation of Islam. The roots of Islamist ideology/theology run deep. It represents a very old interpretation of Islam that once set off nearly 500 years of unprecedented conquest.

    We in the West have a near reflexive belief that in the end the world revolves around us. We have little awareness that others can act with out our prompting. Ironically, it is the supposedly multi-cultural Left who has carried this mindset to near pathological extremes. In case of the Islamist, people ignore that they attack not only the West but also the Chinese, Indian Hindus and the Animist of sub-Sahara Africa. They do not attack them because of perceived grievances but because they sincerely believe they have a divinely mandated obligation to do so. Anyone who does not cleave to their interpretation of Islam is subject to attack.

    Even though they are our enemies we do need to respect them on a fundamental level. We need to grant them their own sincerity and acknowledge that they have a history and culture of their own that lets them make choices different from the ones that we would make.

  • Natalia is more afraid of Jerry Falwell and the KKK than Islamic terrorism, apparently. Interesting. Not very realistic but interesting.

  • Probably a quarter or more of the worldâ??s Muslims believe as the Islamist do.

    woah. a whole quarter? now that’s something because I never seem to run into any of them. tell me shannon are you Muslim? Have you lived all over the Muslim world? Or did you just take a survey? I you think that a quarter of us are Bin Laden types then you’re greatly (and sadly) mistaken.

    In case of the Islamist, people ignore that they attack not only the West but also the Chinese, Indian Hindus and the Animist of sub-Sahara Africa.

    These extremists also attack Muslims who do not believe in their own interpretation of Islam. Case in point, the Amman bombings that killed 60 Jordanians of whom were overwhelmingly normal everyday Muslims. The majority of victims who are subject to death because of this takfiri culture today are Muslims.

  • It has been reported that the oldest person arrested was a board member at the local mosque and there are suspicions the mosque may have played a role in radicalizing the suspects. The older member may have been recruiting the younger people. If it is true, how does a character like this gain the legitimacy of operating from a mosque?

  • Isle 3, the oldest was a bus driver but it’s said he gave “fiery speeches” at the mosque every now and then. How he gained legitimacy, well most of these speeches are disguised as passionate ones that probably mention things like afghanistan, iraq and palestine…it’s only after the sermon is over that he will recruit teens. This is just my opinion given that I attend prayers every friday in mosques all over toronto. It’s very rare however, not as large scale as people might think (or hope). In the past 5 years I’ve maybe heard one such speech that I could consider a bit on the extreme side from out of the hundreds of prayers I’ve attended. But even then it’s just someone giving a speech and not something that’s constant. And this is also very subjective. It depends on whose saying that these speeches are considered extremist. If it’s the authorities well then I suppose the fact that every imam in toronto says on a weekly basis something like “lets say a supplication for our brothers in palestine and iraq etc” is considered extremist.

    On citytv today an imam was talking about the problem with imported literature and I think that’s a good source. Wahabbist organizations in Saudi Arabia do fund some of these mosques and with that funding comes ideology and propaganda. That being said I’ve also seen mosques who will fly in Saudi imams who are as moderate and educated as they come.

    either way, terrorism is terrorism, and if these guys actually get convicted then they should go to prison for treason. but none of this is an excuse to hold a religion or community responsible because that’s simply illogical. It’s not an excuse for hate crimes.

  • Isle, I was an immigrant in the Southern United States, recently an American citizen (at last!). Damn straight I’m going to be afraid of people like Falwell. He wants to take away my right to a safe and legal abortion, and justifies the invasion of Iraq with obscure Old Testament quotes. The man is a crazie. A lot of his statements actually mirror Osama Bin Laden’s. As for the KKK, they hold marches a few miles from here. And I know what they want to do to my black friends and, possibly, my Arab boyfriend. I fear for him these days more than I fear for myself.

    ***itâ??s a quite a stretch to go from â??burn in hellâ? to â??lets blow something upâ?.***

    Is it? If you see someone as undeserving of Allah’s love and mercy, it’s easy to dehumanize them. From there, it’s not a long stretch at all. All you need is a charismatic so-called sheikh to push you in the right direction.

  • Natalia, I’d like to think that there are a few steps between saying something stupid and doing something very stupid. indoctrination as you pointed out, is only one of those steps. otherwise we should be living in a world where people are prosecuted for their thoughts as opposed to their actions.

  • Here is something from the National Post. It concerns the reported training camp. You know there is something amiss when you hear automatic gunfire in your neighborhood at night.

  • isle 3, it’s not as amiss as one would think because I saw them interview some locals of this “training camp” and they all said they didn’t think anything of a group of men in camouflage firing guns in the middle of the woods because it was a hunting area where groups of people regularly go up there dressed in camoflage clothing and firing guns. It’s not exactly a couple of guys paying cash to learn just how to fly a plane without learning about the landing stuff. Suffice to say this wont be the strongest piece of evidence the prosecution will be presenting.

    There’s also contestation over the fertilizer, defence seems to be leaning towards claiming entrapment I believe since it was the RCMP that sold them the fertilizer ammonium nitrate in an apparent sting operation. So far that would be their strongest piece of evidence and if that’s dismissed then they’re in trouble. But who knows at this point.

    I guess we’ll have to see how it plays out.

  • Obviously I agree that persecuting someone based on “thoughts” is impossible. But do we not take legal action against people who make threats of violence? “Burn in hell” is not a threat of violence per se, but it is a stepping stone. Jerry Falwell thinks that certain people will burn in hell after death, which enables him to preach hate to a large support group, which then goes to the polls and re-elects Bush. There are similar examples of this on the Islamic side of things, not the least of which this current debacle in Canada. I’m not saying that a minute some bearded due tells me to burn in hell, he ought to be thrown in jail. I AM saying that there are problems in the Muslim communities in Canada, and one shouldn’t be surprised at the new revelation. I honestly hope it’s all a misunderstanding or, at worse, a political issue. But if it isn’t, I wouldn’t be surprised.

  • Natalia says: “Burn in hellâ? is not a threat of violence per se, but it is a stepping stone.

    I suppose lots of things can be interpreted as “stepping stones.” A dirty look or an unfriendly demeanor could be a “stepping stone.”

    Natalia says: Jerry Falwell thinks that certain people will burn in hell after death.

    Jerry Falwell again? You really are obsessed with that cornball.
    How many hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide feel that non-Muslims are destined for hellfire after they die? What does it matter? What are you ranting about exactly? Why don’t you ask Nas if he believes that non-Muslims will burn in hell after they die? I’m am fairly certain, as a practising Muslim, he probably does. Does that make him a terrorist?

    Natalia says: There are similar examples of this on the Islamic side of things, not the least of which this current debacle in Canada.

    No. I haven’t seen any fundamentalist Christians out to blow people up recently. I’m sorry but Jerry Falwell isn’t Osama bin Laden. Why do you consider the current situation a “debacle” exactly?

  • “In case of the Islamist, people ignore that they attack not only the West but also the Chinese, Indian Hindus and the Animist of sub-Sahara Africa. They do not attack them because of perceived grievances but because they sincerely believe they have a divinely mandated obligation to do so. Anyone who does not cleave to their interpretation of Islam is subject to attack. ”

    Shannon, with all due respect, do you have a clue about what you are talking about?

    Why are you silent when it comes to these terrorists attacking fellow Muslims? Is it because you don’t see normal Muslims as human beings? People like you are always so gung-ho about how Islamists hate the “kuffar”, yet stay silent when Muslims are also being killed by them.

    Can I ask why the double standard?

    “woah. a whole quarter? now thatâ??s something because I never seem to run into any of them. tell me shannon are you Muslim? Have you lived all over the Muslim world? Or did you just take a survey? I you think that a quarter of us are Bin Laden types then youâ??re greatly (and sadly) mistaken.”

    Nas, I’m beginning to think that she gets her preconceived notions of Muslims through some stupid radical Islamic forums and blankets the majority of Muslims as sharing those views. I honestly doubt she has ever took the effort to communicate with Muslims and see what they think. People like her only hear what they want to hear, and whenever you give them evidence debunking their garbage views, they close their ears and shut their eyes.

    And they call Muslims close-minded in the process? lol what irony.

  • Natalia, there are problems in every community, there’s no such thing as a perfect community. Muslims commmunities are therefore no different from any other.

    Isle 3, if Natalia were to ask me the question you posed I would say what I’m supposed to say as a Muslim based on our beliefs: that no Muslim is appointed judge over who goes to heaven or hell, be they Muslim or non-Muslim.

    Danial, I share your frustrations, moreso because Arab/Muslims have gotten the raw end of this deal: the radicals target them, and because the west believe that they too are radical they target them as well. So it’s a battle fought on two fronts. Iraq is the perfect example of that. But I’d rather not rush to judgement about Shannon, there’s always hope/room for opening communication and perhaps altering those preconceived notions or socially constructed realities.

  • Isle, calm down. Jerry Falwell is a whole lot more sinister than a cornball. If you were a woman living in the Bible Belt, perhaps you’d understand. Here’s a quiz that explores the similarities between Falwell, Bin Laden, and another dangerous wacko, Pat Robertson: http://www.funnystrange.com/quiz/

    If you think that there are no Christian terrorist organizations out there, you have another thing coming. The IRA is a good example of Christian terrorism. Also, if you travel to Russia and do some research, you will find a number of self-proclaimed Christian Neo-Nazi groups who are not above stabbing children, as well as people such as the current leader of the Black Hundred, an anti-Semitic Orthodox group that traces its origins to czarist times, when it used to bash the heads of Jews and their children and anyone else who stood in their way. The Black Hundred is fighting to gain legitimacy in Russia, and it is succeeding among the poor and disenfranchised.

    Personally, I believe any Christian who willfully encourages the wanton killing of infidels, a la Falwell, qualifies as a terrorist sympathizer. Same goes for Muslims.

    I know Nas and his writing well enough to not have to ask the kinds of questions that interest you.

    Nas, sure enough, problems exist in every community. But problems of a violent nature need to be addressed. So far, all I see is “multiculturalist” appeasement and Wahabbi-esque extremism and blockheadedness, exported by certain Saudi clerics and other bastards, to pit community against community. Once more, why Canada? Why the bugger not?

  • “If you think that there are no Christian terrorist organizations out there, you have another thing coming. The IRA is a good example of Christian terrorism. Also, if you travel to Russia and do some research, you will find a number of self-proclaimed Christian Neo-Nazi groups who are not above stabbing children, as well as people such as the current leader of the Black Hundred, an anti-Semitic Orthodox group that traces its origins to czarist times, when it used to bash the heads of Jews and their children and anyone else who stood in their way. The Black Hundred is fighting to gain legitimacy in Russia, and it is succeeding among the poor and disenfranchised. ”

    You forgot to list Serb militias who were steadfast in the gross slaughter of Bosnian Muslims and ethnic Albanians. Srebrenica ring a bell to anyone?

    But right-wing Islamophobes will try to justify the Serb slaughter as “defense against Islamic imperialism”.

Your Two Piasters: