Terrorism in Canada: A Product of Multiculturalism or Military Operation?

The nation of Canada was surprised with a raid that produced several "terror" suspects who were going to bomb a place in downtown Toronto, Ontario. After the recent court issuing, etc., debates have since flared all over, with issues of religion and politics being brought into focus as Canada looks like it might enter the world political sphere proper. It's strange, though: Canada has a reputation for its tolerant society and an air of multiculturalism, with people hailing from all over the world. Canada's society is more like a cultural mosaic than a cultural "melting pot", where immigrants are forced to abide by the nation's values and incorporate them into their traditions (i.e. being forced to live the nation's culture instead of their own).

However, the issue here is whether the Canadians were being too acceptive or not. The rightwing pundits in U.S. media glorified themselves in criticizing Canada for its liberal laws, allowing more immigration into the country. These people went to the extent of accusing Canada of harboring Al Qaeda members unbenknownest to the Canadian government in Ottawa. Such accusations hint at borderline racism because it is assumed that "terror" is a part of the cultures or the alleged "terrorists". The point that these critics are making is that the Canadians have failed to incorporate the practice of melting pot assimilation, which, according to the Americans, is enforcing a "superior" culture on those who visit. Of course, such views are subjective to different opinions on the matter.

On the other hand, one could say that this small-time "terror" operation was probably a symptom of Canada's active support for the Afghan campaign, even though the Canadian Army is planning an early pullout from the country in a few months time. Despite the blindness of rightwingers to their actions, they still continued to lambaste Canada's acceptance for diversity amongst their midst. Of course, such issues are akin to nationalism, as in the case of illegal immigrants in the states, which sparked up furious debate. To answer all these accusations, Canadian freelance columnist Joshua Hergesheimer nailed the coffin with this article he wrote on Al Jazeera.net. He highlights the blindness of rightwingers in the so-called "war on terror", stating that "blaming extremism on social policies such as multiculturalism rather than on realities of war and occupation may be comforting for some Americans", meaning that the issue of culture and race brought into politics is okay for Americans as long as it consorts to their views. Such views are arrogant in nature, and should be avoided.

It is also argued that people who engage in terrorism are "anti-social", as Joshua writes that

Issues such as alienation and radicalisation of young people need to be dealt with in the community, in pool halls and youth clubs, with the support of social workers, teachers and parents, not on television talk shows or political soapboxes.

The issue of alienation from society is a tough one to tackle. You're talking about induced psychosis on one hand, and getting information from supposed "terror leaders" on the other, regarding, for example, illegal occupation abroad in Muslim nations like Afghanistan and Iraq. But think of it this way: Canada has not suffered from any such attacks before. It has been an accepting society and far from a breeding ground for "terrorists". There is the case, for example, of Maher Arar, the Arab and Canadian citizen who was arrested for supposed links to Al Qaeda that sprouted when he made a stopover in New York, after meeting a man who was, unknownignly to Arar, allegedly an Al Qaeda operative. Such an argument could add ammunition to those against multiculturalism.

But those are not the only issues. Again, highlighting the blindness of the right and its failure to accept accountability, Joshua continues to write,

The proposition that extremism is encouraged because of the attempt by multicultural states to accommodate diversity, rather than viewed as a reaction to the grim realities of war and occupation, takes the entire discourse to an even higher level of absurdity than the flimsy excuses used to justify linking the “war on terror” and the invasion of Iraq.

This is technically why rightwingers - well, a lot of them - resent political correctness, keeping discussion and debate defined within the political sphere. While I admit that some rightwingers stick to the issue of terrorism as a two-way street, a lot don't. The key here is that there is always an action that causes a reaction, and so forth. In the case of interventionism, take a look at the past 50 years and how the American administration supported puppet governments that abused their own people. Now, we're talking about supporting a "war on terror" where Afghans are being killed by occupation troops and a puppet government that has not met the demands of the people. So, technically, the idea that "terrorism" in Canada is a product of multiculturalism is ludicruous.

Joshua raises an excellent point here:

My fear is that the crucial issues have now been manipulated to such an extent that people may actually begin to believe that the values on which ostensibly liberal democratic societies are constructed – the acceptance of diversity and openness to alternative conceptions of citizenship and community – are the real catalyst for extremism.

An accepting society would not really catalyze extremism; on the other hand, a cultural melting pot would because it would polarize the views of the immigrants to the extent that they would cause actions like terrorist operations. However, seeing that multiculturalism, being the accepting society that it promotes, causes terrorism, I agree with Joshua that

Especially at this critical time, Canada needs to stand up for the values that set it apart from America. Multiculturalism and the acceptance of diversity is not the problem. But unless Canadians defend their social policies by living them out every day, in direct defiance of people who blame multiculturalism for the current problems, there may soon be nothing left to champion.

Amen.

Salaam, from
Saracen