Security experts are urging the federal government to crack down on Islamic extremists who may be preaching hatred in Canada's mosques, following the stunning arrest of 17 Toronto residents on terrorism-related charges. "That is, not allowing extremists to come here so easily, and asking those who are preaching extremism to get out of here -- making sure they are removed," Martin Collacott, an immigration analyst, told CTV News.The Conservative government is looking into the possibility, said Immigration Minister Monte Solberg. Such a change would bring Canada's system in line with American and British immigration laws, which allow for the swift deportation of radicals who incite hatred or glorify terrorism. The British law was changed after the London suicide bomb attacks last July that killed 52 people.
However, many Muslim leaders argue that such a proposal unfairly targets them, and that there is no evidence any imams are preaching violence. "Do any of our imams teach terrorism at the mosques?" questioned Imam Salam Elmenyawi of the Muslim Council of Montreal. "Is there any proof that there is an imam doing such work?"
At the mosque where five of the suspects prayed, Imam Aly Hindi denied teaching them any form of hatred or extremism. "We are not radicalizing anybody," he said. "Mosques are used as places of worship, but also we cannot speak only of how to pray -- we speak about current affairs from time to time when drastic things happen. We speak out. This is our right as Canadian citizens."
Hindi, who also opined that the government did not seem to have a strong case against the suspects, said it is the duty of imams to raise the standard of morality in Canada. He argued that sometimes imams must talk about major current events, including debating foreign policy and other issues, but that this is not the same as trying to overthrow the system.
But a report released Wednesday by the Asia Pacific Foundation, an international policy assessment group, said Canada needs to be aware of radicals recruiting young men who feel alienated. "The foiled plot has raised questions in Canada about the threat that exists from within its own society," the report said.
Another concern is people traveling to Pakistan to learn from extremists, the group warned. Mohammad Momin Khawaja, the first person charged under Canada's Anti-Terrorist Act, spent several months in Pakistan. However, it's unknown whether he spent any time with extremists. Khawaja was arrested in Ottawa in March 2004, and has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.
Meanwhile, officials are also concerned about radicals surfing the Internet for material that incites hatred, and finding others who share their fanaticism. Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said the Toronto group may have found inspiration on the Internet for their alleged bomb plot. "Some were born here, some were not and we are facing an international phenomenon in terms of people availing themselves of information on the Internet to fuel their own extremist ideology," said Day.