Sheikh Younus Kathrada is the strict adherent of an idea central to extremist groups like ISIS that disavows anything deemed un-Islamic.
At the same time, the South African-born imam is an almost obsessive enthusiast for that most western of phenomena, social media.
Kathrada, who operates the Muslim Youth of Victoria Islamic centre in British Columbia, hands down his great thoughts almost daily to his flock.
Take this recent example. Muslim youth “are so brainwashed and taken by the kafir (unbeliever) societies we live in… we refuse to teach our children of al-wala and al-bara (loyalty and disavowal) and that Muslims are different from kuffar.”
Kuffar, needless to say, is the broader Canadian society that allows him to practice his religion and spout his repugnant views.
Being obnoxious is not illegal but radicalizing young Muslims by glorifying martyrdom certainly should be.
Kathrada has posted two videos on his Facebook page in recent months that discuss the supposed beauty of dying in the name of the faith. Martyrs will be forgiven all sins and shown their place in paradise, where they will be married to “72 black-eyed houris,” he said.
As an aside, one German scholar has argued that this is a mistranslation, and that, if the Koran was translated into Syriac-Aramaic rather than Arabic, the heavenly rewards offered to martyrs would consist of “sweet white raisins,” not virgins.
In another post from last month, Kathrada urged his followers not to be sad for martyrs but to be sad for themselves because “Allah chose them but did not choose us.”
“We beg Allah to honour us and place us among the martyrs,” he said.
It is small wonder that the number of radicalized Muslim youth attempting to commit terrorist atrocities is on the rise when this is the kind of instruction that they are getting from their community leaders.
As Stewart Bell and Jeff Semple at Global News reported this week, Canadian police have disrupted a growing number of terror plots of late, with 20 suspects arrested this year and last, compared to just two in 2022.
They cited the case of one Calgary-based would-be jihadi who was caught with an ISIS flag, knives and bomb-making instructions. He was convicted of, among other things, sending a text to Alberta’s United Conservative Party threatening to “blow you guys up with explosives.”
Global reported that devotees are young and immersed in social media platforms. The algorithms used by platforms like TikTok and Facebook bear a large share of responsibility: the RCMP told Global that once a person goes to a certain site, the algorithm ensures a steady feed of similar content.
TikTok’s personalized homepage shows more explicit and radical videos over time, based on previous interactions.
Canada’s Online Harms Act, which is currently before Parliament, aims to hold the online platforms accountable for content that invites violence. It has many shortcomings: the parliamentary budget officer estimates the legislation could cost upward of $200 million over five years to establish the ranks of bureaucrats the government believes are necessary to police the online world. But at least it should make some of this content inaccessible.
But in the real world, it would not stop characters like Kathrada telling impressionable young Muslims that martyrs are “winners” who will be permitted to intercede on behalf of 70 of their relatives in the afterlife.
He is scheduled to deliver a lecture to the University of Victoria’s Muslim Students Association this Sunday and it is safe to say that he will not be arguing that diversity is our strength.
Should he be banned, or at least denounced by the university, or would doing so equate to the worst of the cancel culture that has dominated campuses in recent years?
Yes, he should. This is qualitatively different from the academic environment where there is only one righteous path — the equality of outcomes for “oppressed groups” — and where political diversity is a threat to social justice.
As John Stuart Mill asserted, individual freedom should only be infringed to prevent harm to others.
Kathrada’s history suggests his glorification of martyrdom could encourage those listening to emulate the acts of the martyr.
In a sermon last December, Kathrada prayed for the annihilation of “the plundering, transgressor Jew.” He has previously praised the October 7th terrorist attacks for humiliating Israel.
Hate speech, as defined by the Supreme Court, expresses detestation or vilification of an individual or group that goes beyond disdain or dislike. Incitement occurs when a person is actively encouraged to commit or threaten physical violence.
Section 319 of the Criminal Code bans both of those things.
However, Kathrada has a “stay out of jail” card in the form of an exemption included in the Criminal Code that says if the person bases his or her opinion on a religious subject or religious text, he cannot be prosecuted.
Jewish groups have called for new legislation that would outlaw the glorification of terror acts and symbols. But Kathrada’s exemption would likely still apply.
Richard Robertson, director of research and advocacy at B’nai Brith Canada, said Parliament should clarify the limitations on the religious exemption under the Criminal Code.
However, what is clear is that Kathrada’s “kafir society” is passive, if not paralyzed, in the face of the exploitation and abuse of its good will.
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