Hiva Alizadeh — arrested in Project Samosa — pleads guilty to terror plot

2014/09/19 1 Comment

Conviction of one of the Ottawa-based cell members, Hiva Alizadeh, demonstrates that the court system can be effective in addressing serious radicalization and terror plots.

Relatively little in mainstream press on his background but it appears to be Iranian Kurdish and he came to Canada as a young adult, not as a child:

And if on Wednesday the slim, bearded man renounced that desire, telling an Ottawa court in a soft voice that “I realize how much mistakes I have done,” his guilty plea and expressed regret did little to ease the court’s abhorrence at his actions.

“You have effectively been convicted of treason,” said Justice Colin McKinnon, telling Alizadeh he had “no hesitation” in sentencing him to the 24-year prison term recommended by Crown and defence lawyers.

With his surprise plea, Alizadeh avoided a trial and possible life sentence under Canada’s toughened terrorism laws. With credit for the time served since his arrest, his term for possessing explosives with an intent to injure works out to a maximum of 18 years. He will not be eligible for parole for nine years.

Public Safety Minister Steven Blaney issued a statement Wednesday, lauding the authorities’ efforts in the case as well as Canada’s counter-terrorism strategy.

“Today’s outcome is a clear sign that the work and the dedication of professionals prevented Canadians from potential harm,” he said.

Will the Government seek to revoke his citizenship? Or will it decide safer to keep him in prison rather than revocation and deportation?

Hiva Alizadeh — arrested in Project Samosa — pleads guilty to terror plot | Ottawa Citizen.

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New course in entrepreneurship and multiculturalism at Ryerson 

2014/09/19 Leave a comment

Interesting program and a practical way to leverage Toronto’s (and Canada’s diversity:

Q:  Is this about marketing to specific ethnic segments?

A:  No, we are talking about educating people to be able to adapt to any of the markets they choose. We are not specifically profiling different demographics. We are giving people the tools to understand to test their ideas with that demographic.

Q:  Any other specifics about the course that you would like to share?

A:  One of the greatest things about it is that it takes the best of Ryerson’s different pieces. You learn about business plans, evaluating opportunities and apply it to a setting that you already want to work in. It’s widely impactful and I look forward to talking to the first group of students to hear if they are getting the impact that we had hoped.

There are six courses– the four required courses build skills in ideation, opportunity evaluation, business intelligence, and venture planning within a multicultural context. Additional electives allow students to enhance their skills in areas that suit their specific needs e.g., accounting or communication.

New course in entrepreneurship and multiculturalism at Ryerson | CanIndia NEWS.

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Ismaili Centre: place of prayer, cradle of friendship – Aga Khan

2014/09/18 Leave a comment

The Aga Khan’s speech at opening of the Ismaili Centre in Toronto:

What we dedicate today is what we identify as an Ismaili Centre – a building that is focused around our jamatkhana, but also includes many secular spaces. These are places where Ismailis and non-Ismailis, Muslims and non-Muslims, will gather for shared activities – seminars and lectures, recitals and receptions, exhibitions and social events. These meeting halls and lounges, work offices and conference rooms will serve the organizational needs of the Ismaili community. But they will also, we trust, be filled with the sounds of enrichment, dialogue and warm human rapport.

Soaring above it all is the great crystalline dome that you have observed, through which light from the prayer hall will provide a glowing beacon, symbolizing the spirit of enlightenment that will always be at the heart of the centre’s life.

In its origins, in its design, and in its programs and activities, the complex we inaugurate today is animated by a truly pluralistic spirit. In this respect too, it reflects the deep-set Ismaili values – pluralistic commitments that are so deeply embedded in Canadian values.

Ismaili Centre: place of prayer, cradle of friendship – The Globe and Mail.

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Report offers rare peek into Canadian gang life and high-risk youth

2014/09/18 Leave a comment

Good study on motivations behind joining gangs. Sheema Khan has looked at anti-gang initiatives as a way to reduce “honour crimes (Canada looks to Chicago to reduce ‘honour’ crimes) and there are some similarities with attraction to extremist and fighting abroad:

That’s when the unassuming Hieu Ngo would go to work. He would tell them his story, how he went from being a Vietnamese refugee tempted by street life to a University of Calgary associate professor whose research on gangs and their behaviour has produced a pivotal study entitled The Unravelling of Identities and Belonging: Criminal Gang Involvement of Youth from Immigrant Families.

It’s a unique report driven by Prof. Ngo’s life experiences. He conducted interviews with more than 30 gangsters or former gangsters; some of whom were born abroad, others who were first-generation Canadians. Prof. Ngo chose this demographic as his subject matter because their numbers are increasing nationally and because not enough research has been done on what pulls these youth into gangs.

“It’s about the unravelling of who they are,” Prof. Ngo said. “In extreme cases, young people I talked to had people chasing them with a baseball bat. And for a 12-year-old who just came from a refugee camp, had traumatic experiences in Burundi where people were being killed, then comes to Canada thinking we have a safe place and he gets chased by other teenagers because he’s a black kid? That takes away their sense of identity and a chance to be a Canadian.”

The youth in that story ended up joining a gang for safety. Prof. Ngo’s approach is based on preventative action. He wants immigrant youth to stay clear of gangs and to choose other options. He arrived in Calgary at the age of 18 after being sponsored by a local church. He attended high school, learned to skate and cleaned downtown office buildings to make money. It not only helped him assimilate to Canadian culture, it kept him off the streets where his vulnerability and stature – he’s five-foot-six, 125 pounds – would have attracted gang recruiters.

Report offers rare peek into Canadian gang life and high-risk youth – The Globe and Mail.

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Unindicted co-conspirator in 1993 World Trade Centre bombing deported to Canada

2014/09/17 Leave a comment

Understand why not welcome in many places:

Mr. Philips did not respond to requests for comment. But in an “official statement” on Facebook, he wrote that, “I have never had any links nor have I ever been accused of having links to any terrorist group.”

He said there was nothing to the U.S. allegations against him. “In normal language, ‘unindicted’ simply means ‘no charges have been filed against me due to lack of evidence,’ and ‘co-conspirator’ means ‘guilty by association,’ that someone who the authorities arrested had my name in their telephone book, or they were seen shaking hands with me, or they prayed next to me in a mosque, etc…”

He vowed to clear his name and return to the Philippines. “In banning and demonizing us, they have created a vacuum of information which continues to be exploited and filled by extremist elements who easily recruit youthful impressionable followers with emotional messages to their savage, violent and merciless unIslamic methodologies and ideologies.”

Unindicted co-conspirator in 1993 World Trade Centre bombing deported to Canada

From the Globe, not a model of integration:

However, Mr. Philips is seen with suspicion by authorities because he advocates a staunchly orthodox, literal form of Islam.

“If Salafi means that you’re a traditionalist that follows the scripture according to the early traditions, then yeah. I’m not a modernist. I’m not a person who makes his own individual interpretations according to the times,” he said.

He has in the past been accused of inciting hatred for saying that, under sharia law, homosexuality is punishable by death. And he believes Muslims owe allegiance to their religion first, before their country. “My message … really is for Muslims to be Muslims first, and then nationalist after, whatever their nationality is. So you’re a Muslim first and you are a Canadian second. You’re a Muslim first and an American second,” he said.

“This is looked at as some kind of fifth-column movement; we’re creating a group of people whose first allegiance is not to their country.”

Controversial imam Bilal Philips says banning him won’t stop his message

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Canadian Museum of Human Rights: Letter Regarding Portrayal of World War 1 Internment

2014/09/17 4 Comments

The ongoing challenge in satisfying (or not) everyone at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights as seen in this campaign:

We will be asking our affected communities to refrain from partaking in the opening ceremonies or any subsequent activities at the CMHR until this matter is resolved fairly.

While we welcome the development of a national museum outside the capital region, it is regrettable that the CMHR’s exhibits were developed without sufficient attention being given to key Canadian stories. An enlarged photograph and one short film clip buried in a documentary film does not, in our view, constitute an acceptable treatment of Canada’s first national internment operations.

If your goal is to have a truly inclusive national museum then you must reflect the nation’s multicultural history. The insignificant attention given to First World War era internment operations represents a slight to all of the internees, enemy aliens and their descendants, including Canadians of Ukrainian, Hungarian, Croatian, German, Austrian, Polish, Slovak, Czech, Serbian, Slovene, Bulgarian, and other origins.

Earlier controversies, spearheaded by some of the same people, included the relative portrayal of the Holocaust compared to the Holodomor (starvation of Ukraine under Stalin) – see Discontent remains on CMHR, Holodomor.

As to the portrayal of the internment camps, the Museum has to balance this against other Canadian stories such as the Chinese Head Tax, the “continuous journey” and other immigration restrictions, Japanese Canadian internment and dispersal, and other groups affected during World War II.

I don’t envy the Museum in the choices and decisions it must make.

The Government endowed $10 million to the World War I Internment Fund (more than any other group under the Community Historical Recognition Program) along with a Parks Canada $3-4 million project at Banff (Cave and Basin) to educate visitors about the or one of the first internment camps in Canada.

Picking on one aspect while not acknowledging the broader picture, while legitimate, seems a bit excessive.

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At a landmark Berlin rally, Merkel vows to fight anti-Semitism

2014/09/16 Leave a comment

Given the history of the Holocaust, resurgence of antisemitism in Germany worrisome, with political leaders responding with appropriate strong messaging:

“That people in Germany are threatened and abused because of their Jewish appearance or their support for Israel is an outrageous scandal that we wont accept,” Merkel said. “It’s our national and civic duty to fight anti-Semitism.”

Merkel only rarely attends demonstrations, but she joined German President Joachim Gauck and Jewish community leaders for the rally at the Brandenburg Gate in central Berlin.

“Anyone who hits someone wearing a skullcap is hitting us all. Anyone who damages a Jewish gravestone is disgracing our culture. Anyone who attacks a synagogue is attacking the foundations of our free society.”

The rally itself, organized by the Central Council of Jews in Germany, was extraordinary. Jews in Germany generally keep a low profile, but community leaders have said Jews were feeling threatened by anti-Semitism after the Gaza conflict.

More than half a million Jews lived in Germany when the Nazis took power in 1933. That number was reduced to about 30,000 by the Holocaust. The population has since grown to about 200,000 – a source of pride for Merkel and many Germans.

At a landmark Berlin rally, Merkel vows to fight anti-Semitism | Reuters.

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Not everyone who went to fight in Syria goes on to live life as a Jihadi: Some return fed up with the experience

2014/09/15 Leave a comment

A caution that some policies meant to reduce radicalization can be counter-productive:

“The whole jihad was turned upside down,” the militant recently told Shiraz Maher, a senior researcher for the International Center for the Study of Radicalization at King’s College London. “Muslims are fighting Muslims. I didn’t come for that.”

The fighter’s disillusionment, experts say, has become a recurring theme among some of the thousands of young men and women from around the globe who have answered ISIS’s call for holy war but have found the reality is significantly less glorious than what they were promised.

For those trying to stanch the flow of fighters and combat extremism here in Britain, it’s a perspective that could be the perfect antidote to ISIS propaganda. And yet it’s one that is seldom if ever heard here, in part because of government policy that focuses on keeping Brits who have gone to war from returning home — and locking them up if they even try.

“A lot of them feel trapped by [ISIS] not letting them go, and by the British government not letting them back,” said Richard Barrett, a former counterterrorism director with Britain’s foreign intelligence service, MI6. “But if you want people to understand that it’s bloody terrible out there, you have to hear from these people.”

Not everyone who went to fight in Syria goes on to live life as a Jihadi: Some return fed up with the experience

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How political correctness erodes support for multiculturalism | CanIndia NEWS

2014/09/13 Leave a comment

From CanIndia News, Pradip Rodrigues on the culture of silence within the Canadian South Asian community, drawing uncomfortable parallels with the UK’s Rotherham scandal (Sexual exploitation: See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil):

Political correctness is  a mortal enemy of multiculturalism and is responsible for leeching away support for it. In Canada the South Asian community, both Indian and Pakistani are grappling with issues of domestic violence, spousal abuse, elder abuse, a growing drug and gang problem. Yet you hardly hear about these sort of things in the media, there are no statements put out by politicians, there are no leaders with plans to deal with these issues.

When it comes to our view of women, South Asians here share a lot of similarities with a section of Pakistani Muslim men in Britain.The sheer scale of domestic abuse that occurs behind closed doors should be a scandal. But yet we stubbornly refuse to acknowledge it or discuss it openly.

And when a case of domestic abuse results in death of a woman or a case of honor killings make front page news, the community commentators who are invited on air to discuss it on national media use it as an opportunity to do damage control and deflect attention away from the community.

For instance following one horrific case of honor killing a couple of years ago, the South Asian head of a women’s organization refused to admit that honor killing and violence against women was an issue affecting a particular ethnic community. The guest on that radio program insisted that honor killing was no different from the problem of violence against women where the perpetrators and victims come from every segment of society.

I met her months later and asked her privately why she always took such a defensive position. According to her, mainstream interviewers are always looking to sensationalize news and bring down the community. She believed like so many in positions of authority in Rotherham, UK that it was the crime that should be discussed not the ethnicity.

…Few community leaders can be counted upon to be brave enough to stand up and draw attention to a problem facing the community without being brought down by the very community he or she loves and is trying to save. While no one wants to provide a stick to racists who will use it to beat up the community, it is time community members pick up their own stick and do the needful before someone else comes and does it for us.

How political correctness erodes support for multiculturalism | CanIndia NEWS.

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Salafist patrol sparks new debate on Islam in Germany

2014/09/13 Leave a comment

German Islamist extremists cross over the line by having a “Salafist patrol” like the Mutaween in Saudi Arabia or the Pasdaran in Iran (less active now):

The “PR gag by a group of young hooligans” has blurred the “clear definition between extremism and religion,” warned Aiman Mazyek, the head of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany ZMD. The activists are doing all Muslims in Germany a disservice, he said, adding that many young extremists had long bowed out of Muslim society.

“They say, this is a mollycoddled Islam, we want to go the hard way,” Mazyek said – and suggested fighting Islamism with Islam.

Strengthen the mainstream and support Muslim organizations, he urged. “Unfortunately, the current political climate doesn’t indicate that that has been understood,” the ZMDs Secretary General told DW. “Instead, were being marginalized, which in turn strengthens the radical fringes.”

On September 19, Muslims across Germany have the opportunity to demonstrate for peace and against extremism. Under the motto “Muslims stand up against hatred and injustice”, the four leading German Islam organizations are calling for solemn vigils and peace demonstrations in seven German cities.

Salafist patrol sparks new debate on Islam in Germany | Germany | DW.DE | 10.09.2014.

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