OTTAWA — With Canada turning a worrying blind eye towards Islamic extremism, a group of Imams are taking a stand against dangerous ideologies.
Speaking at a press conference on Parliament Hill on Thursday, Spadina-Fort York MP Kevin Vuong called on both government and community leaders to take a stronger stand against extremism in Canada.
“While there has been much discussion about fentanyl, there is something equally as dangerous being trafficked in Canada — and that’s extremism and extremist ideology,” Vuong said.
“In the last seven months, Canada has been either the target of or exporter of at least seven (alleged) incidents of terror.”
Examples cited by Vuong include last year’s arrest of Ahmed Fouad Mostafa Eldidi, 62 and his son, Mostafa Eldidi, 26 — bothaccused of planning an ISIS terror attack in Toronto; 20-year-old Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, arrested in Quebec while allegedly attempting to cross the border to carry out an attack against Jews in New York City; and Taha Sleiman, 21, who’s accused of constructing bombs inside a Niagara Falls home.
All the identified cases are before the courts. None of the allegations against the men have been tested in court.
Imam Mohammad Tawhidi, of the Global Imams Council, better known on social media as the “Imam of Peace,” said Canadian Muslim leaders have a large role to play in battling extremism.
“Doing so does not make you an Islamophobe,” he said.
“In fact, it makes you someone who cares about religion and cares about the reputation of Islam, and the future of Islam.
Canada’s anti-terror laws seem to be having little impact in halting Islamic extremism.
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Charlotte Kates — a leader of the Canadian-based terror organization Samidoun — travels extensively to spread her group’s message of hate, including to Sunday’s funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
As well, Canada’s largest public servant union has yet to comment on social media posts made by negotiator Hassan Husseini, whose public support of Hezbollah triggered alarm among the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s Jewish members.
As well, law enforcement across Canada have turned a blind eye to regular hate rallies perpetrated by anti-Israel extremists, who have spent the past few years publicly celebrating the murder of Israeli men, women and children during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack — pushing false narratives about Israel and parroting allegations of a so-called “genocide” in Gaza.
If left unchecked, Tawhidi said, extremist ideologies often infect the minds of impressionable youngsters, who carry the hate forward.
“I think this is very useful to have — Imams as well the authorities uniting their forces, resources and time to come to an understanding of how to protect the Muslim community and Canadian society from extremists who not only target the welfare of the Muslim community, but also the broader Canadian society.”
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