“Everyone has to speak up against this and we, as Muslims, need to be more proactive by presenting a counter narrative. And also by telling the youth in particular how far these radical jihadists are from the true teachings of Islam.”
Source/Credit: Metro News
By Joe Lofaro | January 29, 2015
When the imam of the Ahmadiyya mosque, Imtiaz Ahmed, announced last November he was embarking on a lecture series in Ottawa on preventing youth radicalization, the city had not yet been exposed to the problem he warned could potentially become a “crisis.”
Fast forward two months later and four suspected cases of young, terrorist sympathizers from the Ottawa area have dominated headlines and appear to have brought the threat home to the national capital’s doorstep.
Earlier this month, the RCMP arrested three Ottawa men in an anti-terror probe, whose charges include participating in the activity of a terrorist group and attempting to leave Canada to participate in terrorist activity abroad. Before Christmas, John Maguire of Kemptville, Ont. appeared in an ISIS propaganda video threatening more attacks on Canadians.
Still, Ahmed doesn’t think radicalization has reached crisis level. But he said it is an “alarming” threat that needs to be curbed.
“Everyone has to speak up against this and we, as Muslims, need to be more proactive by presenting a counter narrative,” he told students at Carleton University Wednesday evening during his second Stop The Crisis lecture.
“And also by telling the youth in particular how far these radical jihadists are from the true teachings of Islam.”
The campaign launched across Canada in November and is designed to prevent radicalization among Canadians, particularly among youth.
Approximately 40 people attended the talk Wednesday in Carleton’s Kailash Mital theatre, which has a capacity of 444 people.
They were shown videos of an Alberta man who converted to Islam as well as quotes from the Qu’ran.
In a fallow-up Q & A session the group seemed more curious about the Ahmadiyya movement rather than understanding radicalization and how to identify it.
The first couple of questions from the crowd asked Ahmed about his religion’s position on topics like the right of Israel to exist, women being equal to men, and sharia law.
After the session ended Katie Gingrich, a third-year student studying social work, said she attended the talk to gain a better understanding of Islam and was less interested in learning how to spot a radicalized person.
“I think that the motive to look out for suspicious behaviour could be dangerous in promoting (discrimination) against minority populations in Ottawa,” she said.
“I think it’s more important to gain an understanding of the disconnect between Islam and terrorism. It’s not synonymous. I want to concrete that in my mind so I can pass that message on and to reduce any potential hate crimes or discrimination.”
Read original post here: Canada: Radicalization not a crisis in Ottawa despite terror arrests, says local imam
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