“Let’s assume for a minute that everything we’ve heard so far about the foiled Toronto terror attacks is true as reported …”
Canada’s perceived immunity from terrorist threats (FLQ Crisis notwithstanding) came crashing to the ground last week, as 17 suspects spread around Kingston and the Greater Toronto area were arrested for planning to blow up several targets around Southern Ontario. Led by 43-year old Qayyum Abdul Jamal, the group was apprehended after attempting to import 3 tonnes of ammonium nitrate and other assorted firearms for terrorist activities. The 12 adults (Abdelhaleen, Qayyum Abdul Jamal , Fahim Ahmad, Zakaria Amara, Asad Ansari, Shareef. Mohammed Dirie, Yasim Abdi Mohamed, Jahmaal James, Amin Mohamed Durrani, Saad Khalid Abdul Shakur and Ahmad Mustafa Ghany) are in court facing a variety of charges while the youths (who cannot be named) are still being held. Suspected terrorist targets include the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa and the CSIS Office on Front Street in Toronto. Because the amount of fertilizer purchased was roughly three times what was used in the Oklahoma bombings, collateral damages would likely have been very high.
And so ends our delusion about not being involved in “Bush’s warâ€.
Canadian moderates –ever weary of the right’s endless battle cries- no longer have the luxury of dismissing the war on terror as a Christian crusade or war for oil. While business interests and Evangelical fundamentalism no doubt factor in the zeal of some war proponents, this war –as seen through our enemies’ eyes- is ideological at its core. Western affiliation aside, Al Qaeda’s targets are fairly indiscriminate: the 9/11 bombers apparently had few qualms about attacking a large building that contained business interests from all over the world – including their homelands. Similarly, the British bombers who attacked the London Underground were well aware of the diversity among their targets – a war weary city whose casualties surely included people heavily opposed to military intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq.
As the next planned target, Canada has reached a turning point. Our nation is no longer on the sideline playing quiet cheerleader, nor is our military presence in Afghanistan being labeled “peacekeeping†or some other palatable euphemism. The role of the political moderate in the war against terror should be to make sure this war –though defensive in nature- is nonetheless waged in a focused and ethical manner:
- Actively monitoring and reporting suspicious activities or behavior within the Muslim community is necessary; terrorizing and intimidating Muslim communities is unacceptable
- Supporting our troops overseas is fundamental to boost national morale; excusing criminal behavior by troops should be avoided
- Supporting the right of Israel -permanently on the front lines of this “culture warâ€- to self-defense against militant Palestinian attacks falls under basic ethics; Support for expansionist or apartheid policies under such pretenses should be shunned.
- Allowing police and national security officials more legal freedom for [targeted] surveillance and interrogation may be a [short-term] necessary evil; Allowing police and the government trample our basic rights to free speech and freedom of information under the guise of “security†would be both ironic and tragic
Most of all we must not lose sight of who our enemies are. These enemies cross all geographic, racial, cultural and age barriers. While all would refer to themselves as “Muslimsâ€, their actions ultimately harm more Muslims than any other identifiable group. Similarly, the Islamacist rarely distinguishes demographic differences or political adversity among his/her prey. We are all “evil Westernersâ€.
Canada as a whole must help defeat Islamism, rather than merely copy and invert it. The ideal response to Western society can provide to those who would deny us our freedoms and (relative) tolerance is simply to exercise those freedoms with even greater zeal. Most of all, regular Canadians/Americans/Brits must be vigilant against fundamentalists among us who may seize the opportunity unleash their own totalitarian agendas amid growing insecurity.
What Others Had to Say:
- Steve Janke pondered the RCMP’s claims concerning the size of the reported bomb, based on the often-reported 3 tonnes of ammonium nitrate: “Using the 94% ratio and the size of the overall bomb, and ignoring the RCMP stated amount of ammonium nitrate used, the Oklahoma bomb used 4700 pounds of ammonium nitrate, or 2.1 metric tons. That means the size of the bomb being imagined by the Toronto terrorists was somewhat larger than the Oklahoma bomb, but not as large as suggested at the news conference. Closer to 50% larger, and not 200% larger.”
- Red Tory is highly skeptical of the notion that “freedom” is what’s under attack. “Such naïve sentiments have since been a cornerstone of faith for right-wing ideologues and a mixed bag of others from across the political spectrum that refuse to acknowledge the obvious connection between radical Islamic terrorism and the long, dark history of self-serving American foreign policy in the Middle East. Whether through ignorance or obduracy, they remain willfully blind to the historical fact that America has in the past toppled legitimate governments, propped up brutally repressive dictatorships, and even condoned mass murder and atrocities in order to facilitate its own “national security interests†in the region.”
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