Quebec Premier: “You cannot disconnect…terrorism from Islam in general”
( Muslims do not assimilate! They infiltrate! )
“Haroun Bouazzi, co-president of the Association of Muslims and Arabs for a Secular Quebec, said..expecting the community to detect a lone wolf who buys a knife and travels to Michigan is asking a lot…’This person had an understanding of his faith that allowed him to kill people.’…Bouazzi said that instead of dwelling on the responsibility of Muslim leaders to prevent extremism, Couillard’s government should be tackling the exclusion of young Muslims that can lead to radicalization. ‘If somebody has to take responsibility for prevention, it’s the government,’ he said.”
Bouazzi does not explain how Ftouhi got “an understanding of his faith that allowed him to kill people.” Was it in a mosque in Quebec? Nor did he explain why the government has the responsibility to do something about this, but the Muslim community doesn’t. How can the Quebec government, a non-Muslim entity, change Muslims’ understanding of their faith?
Note that his declaration that “Couillard’s government should be tackling the exclusion of young Muslims that can lead to radicalization” is based on the assumption that has been discredited in numerous studies, that poverty and lack of opportunity leads to terrorism. It is essentially a veiled attempt at extortion, an attempt to compel the Quebec government to shower millions of dollars on the Muslim community, in the vain hope that it will eradicated jihad terrorism by doing so.
Couillard is to be commended for speaking an obvious truth that few dare to enunciate. Let’s hope he stands his ground.
“After Michigan attack, Quebec Premier calls on Muslim community to play role in preventing terrorism,” by Graeme Hamilton, National Post, June 22, 2017 (thanks to Michael):
MONTREAL – When Islamist terrorists strike in the West, it has become standard for political leaders to stress that the actions of a few should not tarnish an entire community. On Thursday, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard chose a different approach.
Responding to the arrest of Amor Ftouhi of Montreal after a terror assault in Michigan, Couillard said the province’s Muslim community needs to do more to prevent terrorism.
“Unfortunately, you cannot disconnect this type of event – terrorism – from Islam in general,” Couillard said in Quebec City when asked if he was worried the attack would fuel anti-Muslim sentiment. He said he shares the position French President Emmanuel Macron expressed this week in a speech to Muslim community leaders.
“He told them, it’s also your responsibility to act on the theological front, to explain to your people that this (terrorism) is not part of the religion, that it is contrary to the teachings of the religion. There is a dual responsibility,” Couillard said….
Couillard said his government is “completely against” intolerance and discrimination, but there are fears among Quebec Muslims that the latest attack and the premier’s reaction will feed a backlash.
“With remarks like this, saying Islam cannot be disconnected from terrorism, Mr. Couillard is pouring oil on the fire,” said Eve Torres, co-ordinator of a group that works to integrate Muslim women into Quebec society. “He is premier, and not only is he saying Islam and terrorism are inseparable, he says the responsibility for terrorism falls also on the Muslim community. It endangers communities that are already stigmatized.”
Haroun Bouazzi, co-president of the Association of Muslims and Arabs for a Secular Quebec, said community members have for years been working to combat radicalization. When young Quebecers seeking to join the jihad are arrested, it is usually an imam or family member who has tipped off police, he said.
But expecting the community to detect a lone wolf who buys a knife and travels to Michigan is asking a lot, he said.
“This person had an understanding of his faith that allowed him to kill people. That is obviously the reality, and we cannot bring back the words of ‘Allahu akbar’ inside his mouth. He actually yelled that,” Bouazzi said.
“But to link this fact and the responsibility of Muslim communities to play a special role more than any normal citizen is actually stigmatizing.”
Couillard was inspired by a speech Macron gave before the French Council of the Muslim Faith Tuesday night at a meal to break the Ramadan fast.
“It is up to you, religious leaders, to fight toe to toe on theological and religious terrain, to expose the usurping of your values, the appropriation of your religion’s history, the negation of 15 centuries of interpretation work done by your scholars,” Macron said. He added, “The battle of thought and faith must be fought on the ground, especially among the younger generations.”
Last week, Statistics Canada published data showing a sharp increase in hate crimes against Muslims in Quebec — even before taking into account the January attack on a Quebec City mosque that killed six. Bouazzi and Torres were among a group of Muslim activists who called on the government to deliver promised programs to combat racism.
Bouazzi said that instead of dwelling on the responsibility of Muslim leaders to prevent extremism, Couillard’s government should be tackling the exclusion of young Muslims that can lead to radicalization. “If somebody has to take responsibility for prevention, it’s the government,” he said.
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