News in Review – September 2014 – Teacher Resource Guide HOMEGROWN TERRORISM The threat of terrorism has escalated in recent
months throughout the world. An alarming
new trend is that some Canadians are taking up
extremist views. They choose to risk their lives
in order to further their new beliefs. This story
looks at what motivates these individuals and
how many go from an average middle class
lifestyle to planning death and destruction.
MINDS ON 1. What makes a group a terrorist
organization? What are their motives and
tactics? Why do you think they choose
violent actions over non-violent ones?
Muslim youth leaders in London, ON speak with a CBC journalist and share their dismay over extremists in their city. 5. Think about your own bias and perception
of terrorists. What experiences and
information has led to your point of view?
2. What groups would you predict have been
identified as terrorist organizations by the
Canadian government?
DIGGING DEEPER Go to the Canadian Government's Public Safety
site: publicsafety.gc.ca
3. What do you think would motivate a
Canadian citizen to join a terrorist
organization based in another nation?
Go to the National Security tab, choose Counterterrorism and then search for Listed Terrorist
Entities (Canada has listed 40 terrorist groups).
Complete the following chart on two terrorist
entities, one example of a radical Islamic group
and one example of a non-Islamic group.
4. Is there a serious risk of a terrorist attack in
Canada? Why or why not? What makes you
think so?
Name of Terrorist Entity Location Objectives Actions Total Casualties News in Review ∙ CBC Learning ∙ newsinreview.cbclearning.ca
Frequency of Attacks 4 SEPTEMBER2014–HOMEGROWNTERRORISM
VIDEOREVIEW
PreͲviewing
1. What recent terrorist groups and activities are you aware of from the news and/or social media?
2. Why do you think terrorism is on the rise and who are its main victims?
3. Why do you think a young person raised in "middle class" Canada would want to leave Canada to
join a terrorist organization in another country?
4. How do you think terrorist organizations "reach out" to young people in other countries?
5. What negative impact do you think Islamic extremism has on Canadian Muslims?
Whileviewing
1. Why did the "Toronto 18" pose a serious security threat in 2006?
2. The three young men who attended high school in London, Ontario were recent converts to Islam.
† TRUE
† FALSE
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3. What is the viewpoint of the members of London's Muslim community who were interviewed
regarding extremist views?
4. What alternative viewpoint does the politics professor Salim Mansur give regarding extremism in the
Muslim community?
5. What role could parents play in preventing the radicalization of youth?
6. What Canada Day plot was uncovered and prevented in B.C.?
7. How does the internet fuel extremist views?
8. Canada is unique in having the problem of homegrown terrorism.
† TRUE
† FALSE
9. What was the motivation of former terrorist Saad Khalid?
PostͲviewing
1. Do you think a person who has committed violent terrorist acts can be "de-radicalized"?
2. What do you think are the root causes of radicalization?
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3. What do you think can be done to prevent it?
4. What would you say/do for a friend who became increasingly "radicalized" in their thinking?
Whatisradicalization?
AccordingtoWikipedia,radicalizationisaprocessbywhichanindividualorgroupcomestoadopt
increasinglyextremepolitical,socialorreligiousidealsandaspirationsthatrejectorunderminethe
statusquoorrejectand/orunderminecontemporaryideasandexpressionsoffreedomofchoice.
RadicalscanchoosenonͲviolentandviolentmeanstoachievetheirgoals.
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HOMEGROWNTERRORISTS:ARecentThreattoCanadianSecurity
The face of terrorism is changing for Canadians. What was once largely considered a security issue of
other nations is now hitting closer to home. Threats of terrorism in Canada and acts of terrorism
committed by Canadians in other nations are growing concerns.
In 2013, Canada's intelligence service estimates that 130 Canadians left Canada to fight for terrorist
groups in the Middle East and Africa. The problem of young men (and to a far lesser extent, women)
joining the ranks of terrorist organizations is one Canada shares with the United States, England,
Australia and other nations. In addition to people that leave the country to commit violence in other
countries, some "homegrown" terrorists threaten Canadian people directly.
The following summaries list some of the more recent cases of Canadian citizens planning terrorist
actions against Canadian targets or cases where Canadian terrorists have committed violent acts in other
nations. One of the shared characteristics of terrorists, whether they work within Canada or abroad, is
their hatred of the characteristics and/or actions of Western democracies, and in some cases Western
beliefs and lifestyles. They believe that an alternative system, one that is more just and legitimate, is
required and that this new political and cultural system can only be attained through violence.
2002:MohammedMansourJabarah
July2012:Bulgariabussuicidebombing
MohammedMansourJabarahmovedto
St.Catherine's,Ont.,fromKuwaitwhenhewas
12yearsold.HeandhisbrotherjoinedalͲ
QaedaandwereplanningattacksonWestern
embassiesandaU.S.warshipintheSingapore
harbourwhenhewasdetainedandbrought
backtoCanadaforquestioning.Hewas
extraditedtotheUnitedStatesandsentenced
tolifeinprisonin2008.
AsuicidebomberkilledfiveIsraelis,abusdriver
andhimselfinBurgas,Bulgaria.Oneofthetwo
suspectsisbelievedtohaveusedaCanadian
passporttoenterBulgaria.Canadian
ImmigrationMinisterJasonKenneyhassaid
thatthesuspectwasborninLebanonand
movedtoVancouver,B.C.,whenhewaseight
yearsold.HehadnotresidedinCanadaforover
10years.
2006:"TheToronto18"
January2013:GasplantsiegeinAlgeria
Policearrested14Torontomenandfouryouths
forplanningtwoterroristattacksinCanada,
includingontheTorontoStockExchange.Seven
adultspleadedguiltytocrimesrangingfrom
participatinginaterroristgrouptoplanning
violentattacks.Fourmoremenfromthegroup
wereconvicted,includingayouthwhowas
sentencedasanadult.Sentencesrangedfrom
2.5yearstolifeinprison.Chargesagainstthe
remainingsevenmembers,includingthree
youthsweredroppedorstayed.Thiscasemade
theCanadianpublicmoreconsciousof
Canadianvulnerabilitytoterroristactions.
TwoyoungmenXristosKatsiroubas,22,andAli
Medlej,24,formerlyofLondon,Ont.,were
killedwheninvolvedinanalͲQaedaͲlinked
attackonanAlgeriangasrefinerythatleft
dozensofrefineryworkersdead.Athirdfriend,
AaronYoontraveledtoNorthAfricabutdidnot
participateintheattack.Heisnowinaprisonin
theIslamicRepublicofMauritania.Howthe
youngmengotinvolvedintheattackinAlgeria
isnotyetclearnorisitclearwhythethreemen
convertedtoIslamandbecameradicalizedin
theirthinkingandactions.
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2014:AhmadWaseem
July2014:HasibullahYusufzai
AhmadWaseemofWindsor,Ont.,iswantedby
theRCMPforhisconnectiontoterroristattacks
inSyriaandIraq.SalmanAshrafi,afriendof
WaseemfromCalgary,wasasuicidebomber
responsibleforkilling46peopleinIraq.
InJuly2014,HasibullahYusufzaiwascharged
withtravellingforthepurposeofterrorism.The
RCMPallegesthattheB.C.residenthadleft
CanadainJanuarytojointheIslamicStateof
IraqandalͲSham(ISIS),aterroristgroupin
Syria.
2014:MohamedHersi
MohamedHersiwasthefirstpersonconvicted
(andsentencedto10yearsinjail)undernew
CanadianantiͲterrorlaws.Thelawsmakeit
illegaltoattempttoparticipateinaterrorist
activityandtocounselanotherpersontodothe
same.SomeCanadiansquestionthisnewlaw
thatallowsprosecutionofpeoplewhomaynot
haveevencommittedaviolentact.Inthecase
ofHersi,thejuryruledtheyoungSomalianͲ
CanadianwaspreparingtojoinalͲShabab.Hersi
wascaughtduetotheworkofanundercover
TorontopoliceofficerofEastAfricanheritage
whoposedasHersi'sfriend.Hersiandhisfamily
denytheallegationsandclaimhewas
"entrapped"bytheundercoverofficer.
August2014:TheGordonbrothers
TwobrothersinCalgaryhavebeenidentifiedas
membersofISIS,CollinandGregoryGordon.
Thebrothersdisappearedfromtheirfamilyin
late2012,whentheyarethoughttohave
travelledtoSyria.Expertspointtothegrowing
influenceandimportanceofsocialmedia
propagandainluringnewmemberstoterrorist
groups.LikeotherWesternjihadis,Collinis
activeonsocialmediatopromotehisbeliefs.
Furtheryourinquiry
1. Think of inquiry questions on the topic of homegrown terrorism from at least two different
perspectives (e.g. political, cultural, sociological, legal, economic, psychological, national security).
Be sure your inquiry questions are effective in that they have the following qualities.
A good question:
x
Makes you think (not recall or summarize)
x
Comes from curiosity and confusion about the topic
x
Invites both deep thinking and deep feelings
x
Is open-ended with no final, correct answer
2. Continue your inquiry based on one of your questions.
CheckouttheinquiryquestionsandresearchthattheCanadianfederalgovernmenthasfundedtohelp
answertoughquestionsonhomegrownterrorismatKanishkaProject:
publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/ntnlͲscrt/cntrͲtrrrsm/rͲndͲflghtͲ182/knshk/rsrchͲthmsͲeng.aspx
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RADICALIZATION: A MUSLIM THING? It is hard to avoid the stereotype of the fanatical Muslim terrorist. Is this stereotype pure myth or based in
reality? Below is an excerpt from a June 2008 RCMP document, “Radicalization: A Guide for the
Perplexed,” that addresses the connection between radical thought and Muslims.
“
In a contemporary context, radicalization is most often discussed with reference to young Muslims who are influenced, to one degree or another, by Islamist thought. Islamism (the practical application of Islamist thought), a term that is NOT a synonym for Islam, is a set of ideologies that holds that Islam is not simply a religion, but also a political system. This system is exemplified by the various Caliphates — political dynasties that combined political with religious hegemony — that ruled the medieval Islamic world. The basic tenets of Islamist thought hold that modern Islam must return to its historic and theological roots, that this “proto‐Islam” must become a political unifying factor for Muslims the world over, and that a truly Islamic society must be governed by law derived from traditional Islamic sources. “There are many different proponents of Islamism, and many different schools of Islamist thought. Many of these, like the Muslim Brotherhood, are not terrorists, nor do they necessarily advocate violence (although Hamas, among others, has its ideological roots in the teachings of the Muslim Brotherhood and some senior al‐Qaeda associates are linked to it). By far the best known and most problematic Islamist group, however, is al‐Qaeda and all of the groups and individuals that are associated with it. Moreover, most recent radicalization leading to terrorism in Canada, in the United States, in Europe and elsewhere has been driven by al‐Qaeda, its ideology, or by groups or individuals who are either associated with or influenced by al‐Qaeda. “Radicalization can occur due to a multitude of factors and influences. There is no single group that seeks out vulnerable and impressionable young people. Nor is radicalization limited to any single ethnic or interest group. Historically, violent factions of various political ideologies have employed similar recruiting strategies and targeted similar demographics.
„
– Radicalization: A Guide for the Perplexed, RCMP, National Security Criminal Investigations, June 2009 (celarc.ca/cppc/228/228966.pdf)
1. How does this “guide for the perplexed” distinguish between Islam and Islamism? Do you think this
distinction is helpful?
2. Read the remainder of the RCMP document, “Radicalization: A Guide for the Perplexed,” and
summarize the conclusions regarding why radicalized people can become terrorists.
3. Research another radicalized group that has engaged in terrorist actions (e.g. environmental and
animal rights activists, neo-Nazis, FLQ, Air India Bombing). Note differences and similarities
between terrorist groups.
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FurtherResearchActivity
Read the article, “Radicalization of Youth as a Growing Concern for Counter-Terrorism Policy,”
Margarita Bizina and David H. Gray, Global Security Studies, Winter 2014, Volume 5, Issue 1
(globalsecuritystudies.com/Bizina%20Youth-AG.pdf)
Consider why the radicalization of youth is viewed as a problem of community. How does the article
suggest that community engagement could help eliminate the problem of homegrown terrorism?
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