What’s driving teen girls to jihad?

2015/03/10 Leave a comment

Michael Petrou trying to find explanations where there may be no satisfactory ones: why some are attracted to joining a cult-like organization and others not:

It may be true that anger about proposed polices regarding religious dress in Quebec, or what is perceived to be Canada’s insufficient support for Palestinians or Muslims elsewhere, contributed in some way to the decision of young Canadian women to join a genocidal death cult in Syria. But they seem like inadequate explanations.

Islamic State’s most notable characteristics, after all, are not vestmental liberty or practical support for Palestinians, but filmed decapitations, sexual slavery and mass murder. These elements of Islamic State’s approach to governance are all well-publicized, mostly by Islamic State itself. And they make the Canadian woman’s assertion that her sister—“the sweetest, most innocent, timid person I know”—joined Islamic State because she wanted to do something about the injustice in the world sound hollow.

They also ignore aspects of Islamic State’s attraction that we seem comparatively more ready to accept when it draws in men: the group’s Islamic supremacism, and its fetish for gore and extreme violence. “So many beheadings at the same time. Allahu Akbar [God is great], this video is beautiful,” tweeted one Western woman cited by ISD. Another, also cited by ISD, writes: “I was happy to see the beheading of that kaffir [unbeliever]. I just rewinded to the cutting part. Allahu akbar! I wonder what he was thinking b4 the cut.”

According to Jayne Huckerby, an associate professor of law at Duke University who has advised the United Nations on women in conflict, gender stereotypes distort popular conceptions of why Western women might join Islamic State. “We do still very much operate in a world where the idea that women don’t have agency—that they must be tricked or under the influence or brainwashed or they only joined to become jihadi brides—is very much still a dominant frame.”

There may be an element of brainwashing at work, something William McCants, a Brookings Institution fellow and author of a forthcoming book about Islamic State, describes as the group’s “cult-like pull.” It also appears that skilled recruiters can strongly influence young minds. But these are forces that affect men and women. And yet it is women whom we are more likely to describe as “lost” to Islamic State, rather than as willing partisans. This is comforting, but it is also illusionary.

No Western woman with access to the Internet or daily news can claim ignorance about Islamic State’s horrors, including those it inflicts on women it has captured. But young girls from Canada and across the West are joining the group by the hundreds just the same. “Many of them are going over joyously, with eyes wide open,” says McCants, “absolutely and completely understanding what awaits them there.”

What’s driving teen girls to jihad?.

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Aleksander Solzhenitsyn on What is Important

2015/03/10 Leave a comment

Always worth reading his quotes:

“What about the main thing in life, all its riddles? If you want, I’ll spell it out for you right now. Do not pursue what is illusionary — property and position: all that is gained at the expense of your nerves decade after decade, and is confiscated in one fell night. Live with a steady superiority over life — don’t be afraid of misfortune, and do not yearn for happiness; it is, after all, all the same: the bitter doesn’t last forever, and the sweet never fills the cup to overflowing.

It is enough if you don’t freeze in the cold and if thirst and hunger don’t claw at your insides. If your back isn’t broken, if your feet can walk, if both arms can bend, if both eyes can see, if both ears hear, then whom should you envy? And why? Our envy of others devours us most of all.

Rub your eyes and purify your heart — and prize above all else in the world those who love you and who wish you well. Do not hurt them or scold them, and never part from any of them in anger; after all, you simply do not know: it may be your last act before your arrest, and that will be how you are imprinted on their memory,”

– Aleksander Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956: An Experiment in Literary Investigation.

Quote For The Day « The Dish.

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Iconoclasm and Islamic State: Destroying history’s treasures

2015/03/10 Leave a comment

More on ISIS and other destruction of history and heritage:

Although its actions are abhorrent, IS poses a dilemma for Muslims. Many of the group’s beliefs are not disconnected from Islam, as some claim, but rather the product of an extreme interpretation of the faith. IS supporters justify their actions with verses taken from the Koran or examples from the life of the Prophet Muhammad. In Mosul the militants said they were shattering “idols”, the worship of which is forbidden in Islam. Muhammad himself cleared idolatrous statues from the Kaaba, the centrepiece of Mecca’s Sacred Mosque. This was in keeping with the tradition of Abraham, another prophet (sacred to several faiths) who destroyed the wooden gods being worshipped by his people.

Idolatry is taboo in many faiths, so the history of iconoclasm is multi-denominational. King Hezekiah purged idols from Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem, according to the Old Testament. Protestant reformers destroyed religious images in the 16th century. But the most ardent recent iconoclasts have been Muslims. In 2001 the Taliban, then rulers of Afghanistan, blew up two giant Buddha statues in Bamiyan that dated from the 6th century. The Saudi government has destroyed historic sites in Mecca, ostensibly to pursue development but also to prevent idolatry, say some. Abdel Moneim el-Shahat, a prominent Salafist in Egypt, has suggested covering the heads of ancient statues in wax.

Most Muslims find the destruction absurd. Islam says nothing about smashing statues that are not harming anyone, says Ahmed Hassan, a 33-year-old Cairene. This opinion is shared by Islamic scholars, and even some of the Taliban. Unlike the statues destroyed by Muhammad, the artefacts destroyed by IS “are nothing but stone and no one believes they are gods,” says Abbas Shouman, under-secretary of the influential al-Azhar University in Egypt. Mullah Muhammad Omar, the Taliban leader, said much the same about the Bamiyan Buddhas, which he once favoured preserving, since there were no Buddhists left in Afghanistan.

Iconoclasm and Islamic State: Destroying history’s treasures | The Economist.

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Canada stands with peaceful Muslims, Kenney says

2015/03/09 1 Comment

In contrast to the PM’s messaging and wedge politics on security, radicalization and Canadian Muslims, and the Conservative Party’s fundraising machine, Minister Kenney borrow from President Obama’s language:

Kenney, who is also Harper’s longtime multiculturalism minister, noted the cost borne by Muslims facing extremist elements around the world.

“The vast majority of the victims of this dystopian vision of the caliphate from Nigeria to the Philippines are innocent, peaceful Muslim people who simply want to raise their families in peace and security,” Kenney told the Manning Networking Conference, a conservative policy gathering.

“And we stand with them, we stand with them around the world, we stand with them in Iraq today, we stand in defence of the vast majority of Muslims who reject this cult of violence. Canadians are in solidarity with them.”

Since the attacks this winter in France and in Denmark by Islamic extremists, the Tories have spoken out about their fight against “barbaric cultural practices” and against women who would cover their faces with the niqab during citizenship ceremonies. “Not the way we do things here,” read one Conservative party online message.

Harper referred specifically to mosques as places of radicalization, and unlike U.S. President Barack Obama has offered no messages of outreach to the Muslim community in the past several months.

“The prime minister of this country has a responsibility to bring people together in this country, not to divide us by pandering to some people’s fears,” Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said recently.

Harper’s office pointed to a speech the Prime Minister made in December in which he expressed gratitude to those Muslim Canadians who spoke out against attacks that killed soldiers in Ottawa and Montreal last year.

Kenney also rejected the suggestion the party has alienated Canadian Muslims, pointing out he is a frequent visitor to mosques and islamic community organizations, and that his government has offered support against islamophobic vandalism and threats.

He also noted the help the community has offered in combating homegrown terrorism.

“We commend leaders and grassroots members of Canadian Muslim communities for having co-operated with police and intelligence services in reporting incidents or individuals who might be of concern,” said Kenney.

“Indeed our security and police agencies will confirm that potentially violent instances have been prevented, radicalization has been diminished thanks to the proactive co-operation of many in the Canadian Muslim communities so I think that message is clear.”

But it matters that this more inclusive language is made by a Minister, no matter how senior, rather than the PM himself, suggesting the triumph of wedge politics over the very real need, in any counter-radicalization strategy, to have the support of the Muslim communities.

Canada stands with peaceful Muslims, Kenney says – The Globeand Mail.

Interestingly, the Ottawa Citizen account of the speech neglected to mention any of these messages, focussing on Kenney’s hard-line messaging on the risks of further terrorist incidents (valid) and justification of C-51 (not).

Kenney says homegrown terrorism a ‘reality’ in Canada

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For A French Rabbi And His Muslim Team, There’s Work To Be Done

2015/03/09 Leave a comment

Good example of grass roots engagement and outreach in the banlieues:

“In these places they often have specific ideas about Jews,” says [Rabbi Michel] Serfaty. “And if they’re negative, we bring arguments and try to open people’s eyes to what are prejudices and negative stereotypes. We try to show children, mothers and teenagers that being Muslim is great, but if they don’t know any Jews, well this is how they are, and they’re also respectable citizens.”

Serfaty says people need to realize they must all work together to build France’s future.

The rabbi takes advantage of funding from a government program that helps youths without work experience find their first job. Serfaty takes them on for a period of three years, giving them valuable training in mediation and community relations. Serfaty’s recruits also study Judaism and Islam. And he takes them on a trip to Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp.

The rabbi takes advantage of funding from a government program that helps youths without work experience find their first job. Serfaty takes them on for a period of three years, giving them valuable training in mediation and community relations. Serfaty’s recruits also study Judaism and Islam. And he takes them on a trip to Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp.

Serfaty is looking to hire three or four new people. With his affable manner and easy laugh, the job interviews are more like a friendly conversation. He needs Muslim employees for his work, but French laws on secularism forbid him from asking applicants about their religion. So Serfaty draws out the candidates’ views and beliefs in discussion — and through provocative questions.

“What if I say to you Jews are everywhere and run the media and all the banks?” He asks one young woman. “What would you think?”

For A French Rabbi And His Muslim Team, There’s Work To Be Done : Parallels : NPR.

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Tony Clement concern about electronic information access queried – Politics – CBC News

2015/03/09 Leave a comment

Further to earlier news reports, further confirmation of a Minister not having thought things through, not to mention mixed messaging on the Open Data initiative:

Treasury Board President Tony Clement’s dire warning about why the government can’t release certain electronic data under access to information requests seems to have left his senior staff mystified, newly disclosed documents show.

In an interview late last year, Clement said that some database requests under the Access to Information Act can’t be released in their original electronic format because the numbers could be manipulated and “create havoc.”

At the time, Clement was responding to complaints that requests for electronic data often produced records in paper form that couldn’t  be scrutinized by a computer for patterns.

“That’s the balancing act that we have to have, that certain files, you don’t want the ability to create havoc by making it changeable online,” he told The Canadian Press in an interview.

But emails from Clement’s senior staff show the statement left them puzzled about why their minister would make the claim.

“It’s a headscratcher for me. Any idea what the minister is referring to?” wrote one staffer after checking the morning headlines on Dec. 23.

“It’s a speculative thing, no actual occurrence to date … I can’t think of what has not been released due to this perspective,” wrote another — Patrick McDermott, senior manager for open government systems at the Treasury Board secretariat. “What prompts this comment now is a mystery to me.”

For several years, Clement has been touting the Harper government’s proactive online posting of federal databases for free downloading, partly to encourage businesses to mine the data for profit. Canadian corporations trail their counterparts around the world in capitalizing on so-called “big data.”

‘I’m a bit surprised that the [minister] would raise this’

– email from Treasury Board official

The Open Data Portal now offers more than 240,000 free datasets, the vast majority from Natural Resources Canada, apparently without any concern that someone might use them to spread “falsehoods.”

At the same time as pushing this data, though, federal departments have come under fire for failing to deliver individual, non-published datasets requested under the Access to Information Act in their original format, often recreating them in censored paper versions.

Requesters asking for datasets under the Access to Information Act are sometimes given paper versions instead, making it impossible to use computers to sort data.

Departments have offered different explanations for delivering in paper format, but Clement’s comment was the first time a government official claimed the paper copies were designed to foil any statistical mischief.

“I’m a bit surprised that the [minister] would raise this — everyone in the OG (Open Government) community … is aware of the risk that data/info may be misused/applied/quoted etc. .. but that’s just the nature of the beast,” McDermott wrote.

“The trick is to rebut the ‘falsification,’ not speculatively prevent it from happening in the first place.”

In substance, completely silly and just making it hard for those of us who need and use government data on a regular or occasional basis.

Tony Clement concern about electronic information access queried – Politics – CBC News.

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Douglas Todd: Spiritual narcissism inflates ego

2015/03/09 Leave a comment

Douglas Todd on the writings and thoughts of Gerald May on spiritual narcisism:

We can all succumb to narcissism when we have a spiritual growth spurt or philosophical insight. It happens when we begin thinking we are pretty great because we have achieved a level of development others have not.

How it creeps in

Here are six examples of how spiritual narcissism can creep in:

Feeling Chosen: Spiritual seekers who believe they have been “chosen” can become narcissistic. Like being on the playground and getting picked early for a team, nothing boosts self-importance more than feeling one is among the Select.

Striving to be a master: Gerald May distrusts seekers who want to become God-like. Whether they’re Christians, neo-pagans or atheist existentialists, he cites how fearful people often struggle to “amass personal power and control over destiny,” rather than learn to let go and sacrifice.

Working to be good: While many indulge in vices, others strive to be highly moral. Sometimes they go too far. May says some people “so achingly long to be helpful that they are blinded.” The Tao Te Ching advises, “Give up sainthood … and it will be a 100 times better for everyone.”

Over-emphasizing spiritual levels: American ethicist James Fowler created a famous ladder showing how people ascend through stages of spiritual maturity. While May found some validity in it, he cautioned against making spiritual levels so concrete. May would have also critiqued the colour-coded developmental memes of Don Beck’s spiral dynamics. With ladders, it’s too easy to rank yourself on a higher rung.

Lacking forgiveness: It is right to yearn for justice. It is another thing to be unable to get over an injustice, particularly to oneself. The unforgiving, May says, separate themselves from others, and become captives of resentment and superiority. Psychologist Nancy McWilliams refers to people who can’t let go of an injustice as “hyper-vigilant narcissists.”

Brotherly and sisterly love: In discussing active “filial love,” May says there is a danger of doing so to bolster self-regard. Aiding others because of guilt can be spiritually narcissistic. Even though Christianity and Buddhism call for acts of compassion, May says over-helpful people can “lose their experiential connectedness with the divine mystery of life.”

Avoiding the trap

…. he taught the most direct way to discern whether we are surrendering to unconditional love, rather than to self-aggrandizement, is to check to see if our spiritual journey is “deepening our compassion and service to the world.”

Can happen in all fields.

Douglas Todd: Spiritual narcissism inflates ego.

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Les immigrantes veulent se faire entendre | Quebec Consultations

2015/03/09 Leave a comment

On the need for better gender-based analysis and the needs of women immigrants in Quebec:

Les femmes immigrantes ne l’ont jamais eu facile et leur situation ne s’améliore pas. Elles maîtrisent moins le français, sont moins présentes sur le marché du travail, occupent des emplois au bas de l’échelle et sont moins bien rémunérées. « On a l’impression que l’égalité entre les hommes et les femmes prônée au Québec ne s’applique pas quand il s’agit de personnes immigrantes », déplore Yasmina Chouakri, vice-présidente par intérim et ancienne présidente du Réseau d’action pour l’égalité des femmes immigrées et racisées du Québec (RAFIQ).

En février, l’organisme a publié une longue lettre ouverte où il réclame une meilleure prise en compte des besoins des femmes dans les politiques et les programmes d’immigration et d’intégration, de même qu’un financement adéquat pour lutter contre les inégalités dont elles souffrent. Signée par plus d’une vingtaine de groupes de défense des droits des femmes, la lettre se veut un moyen de se faire entendre par le gouvernement québécois, qui tient actuellement des consultations publiques pour son projet de nouvelle politique en matière d’immigration, de diversité et d’inclusion. « À notre connaissance, aucun organisme de femmes immigrantes n’y a été invité », explique Mme Chouakri.

Le RAFIQ demande au gouvernement de mettre en oeuvre une véritable « analyse différenciée selon les sexes », qu’on appelle communément ADS, une approche qui intègre les différences entre les hommes et les femmes au cours de l’élaboration de politiques, de programmes ou de toute autre mesure. Si le ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion fait déjà des efforts dans ce sens, tout reste encore à faire, selon Yasmina Chouakri. « Le gouvernement ventile toutes sortes de statistiques pour mettre en relief les disparités hommes-femmes, ce qui demeure important, constate-t-elle. Mais il ne propose rien de concret pour y remédier. »

Les immigrantes veulent se faire entendre | Le Devoir.

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10 Inconvenient Truths: Policy Arrogance or Innocent Bias: Resetting Citizenship and Multiculturalism Deck

2015/03/07 Leave a comment

10 Inconvenient Truths - 2015 Cover.001Finally getting around to post the standard deck I have been using to talk about my book, and summarize some of the key messages.

10 Inconvenient Truths: Policy Arrogance or Innocent Bias Deck

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Inside the shadowy world of birth tourism at US ‘maternity hotels’

2015/03/07 Leave a comment

More on birth tourism, US perspective. Still relatively light on the numbers (Canadian numbers are very small – see earlier post What happened to Kenney’s cracking down on birth tourism? Feds couldn’t do it alone | hilltimes.com):

Birth tourism companies have flourished in recent years, according to federal officials — and many of them prefer hard-to-track cash to fuel their operations.

That money, federal officials allege, is being pocketed by a group of individuals who have skirted tax law, flouted immigration laws and helped their clients defraud U.S. hospitals of tens of thousands of dollars for each baby born.

On Tuesday, federal agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the IRS, along with the Los Angeles Police Department, conducted a massive operation to raid more than 30 California locations operated by “birth tourism businesses.” Officials collected piles of evidence that will likely be used against some of the “maternity hotel” operators in future prosecutions.

The companies advertise their services online — and no foreign language skills are necessary to guess the subtext.

…According to court documents, birth tourists were told to avoid traveling directly to Los Angeles International Airport from overseas, to avoid raising suspicion. They might even consider studying U.S. culture and booking recreational visits in order to make their travel seem more legitimate, the company advised. Alternate arrival ports such as Hawaii or Las Vegas were preferable.

You Win paid more than $60,000 a year to rent Southern California apartments that housed the women, according to court documents. Federal officials believe that StarBabyCare operated a “maternity hotel” from at least 10 units at one complex.

via Inside the shadowy world of birth tourism at ‘maternity hotels’ – The Washington Post.

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