Transcript

Our special Sunday panel takes a hard look at radicalization

2015

Overview

I'm joined by our special guests tonight. Hamid Slimi is an imam and founder of the global campaign Muslim Messengers for Peace. He was appointed by the court to counsel three of the young accused after the Toronto 18 terror plot of 2006. Alia Hogben is the executive director of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women and initiated the Common Ground project, a campaign designed to bring together youth of different faiths and cultures. And Mia Bloom is a Canadian professor now teaching in the U.S. and a leading expert on women and terrorism. She briefed the White House on that very subject at the anti-terror summit in Washington two weeks ago. Hamid and *, I'll come to you in just a moment, but I want to bring in Mia, with your experience in Canada and the United States. The numbers are extremely rough. We hear about 130 Canadians now volunteering overseas for ISIS and al-Qaeda. Almost the same number in the United States, even though they have ten times our population. Rough estimates. But what do you think it is? What is it about Canada that makes our numbers so high? I think there are a number of reasons. We should separate those who are going over there to fight and those trying to do harm in Canada itself. I think there is no particular one profile of anyone who joins. Each one has their own specific reasons. I think we need to be aware of that. I think secondly, I think, we don't like talking about it. In Canada, I don't know about the States, we really need to look at the foreign policies that we are pursuing. Canada used to be seen as a very impartial, compassionate country in foreign affairs and the role we played there. Now I think it is not quite as impartial and fair. So I think Muslims also feel a little bit let down or disheartened by that. Also, of course, the thing is about one's identity and what it is. I don't think it is to do with multiculturalism or not being, but I think it is to do with one's culture and identity and so on. If we are talking about these girls going from Quebec, there has been a lot happening sort of anti-Muslim feelings happening in Quebec in the last year and a half or two years. So I think that is also a factor. I agree with [Mia] on some points. Let's contextualize this. What is happening for the youth in general, we do have a serious issue in North America with mental health. We know that youth are going an identity from 16 to 21, 22, they can be easily lured. They are looking for a sense of belonging. They want to join. Either they join a gang or drugs or some world. So, unfortunately with the Muslim youth, they may be very vulnerable through the internet, as we see now, internet seems to be taking all the blame, rather than mosques or places that are traditional. So these youth, especially these women, we don't see them, these youth in general and the women from the mosque's perspective, we don't know them. We don't know why this is happening. What we found is that internet, as you heard, websites, they are promising all these young girls to be married. A lot of young girls just want to be married and settle and have children, find someone to love. There is this sense of adventure, going overseas and leaving home. There is the impetus behind just leaving parents. You don't want to be under the authority of the parents at 16 or 17. You are told to do things. Now it is a chance to be somewhere free. This is how they are lured.

• Publisher: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
• Subject: ALIA HOGBEN / HAMID SLIMI / MIA BLOOM / STEPHEN HARPER / TONY ABBOTT / WENDY MESLEY