The Role Of Terrorism In Canada

In Western society today, one of the most misconstrued topics that is discussed in the news is terrorism. The Criminal Code of Canada defines terrorism as, “an act committed, in whole or in part, for a political, religious or ideological purpose, objective or cause with the intention of intimidating the public” (Government of Canada, 2015). Despite the clarity of this definition, the general North American population has misconceived the usage of this word, and instead, labels acts of terror as different – and often, less harsh – words. This error is especially prevalent in the United States, where political leaders now lead the country into believing that terrorism is exclusive to Islam. This ideology continues into Canada as more people question,

However, in recent times, Muslims within Canada have faced terror as they are being mislabelled as terrorists, despite not provoking hate. Of course, ideologies from America have spread to Canada, but all people are meant to be safe within Canada. Terrorism within Canada does exist, but it is not nearly as much of an issue within Canada as it is in America. Despite this, Muslims within Canada now face terrorism from other citizens because people are afraid of their religion. Just recently, a terrorist attacked a mosque in Quebec City, killing six people, for no apparent reason. He started shooting within the mosque – a clear sign of hatred and terrorism against another culture. In addition, there are even acts of hate against Muslims within Toronto. A Ryerson University student was on Toronto’s public transit system when a woman told her to go home, pulled her hijab, and spat on her (Kohut 2017). She was extremely terrified and had never experienced a hate crime like that. It is instances like these where people must ask themselves what terrorism truly

Within the USA, the government is exclusively calling people of Islam as terrorists, a mislabelling of a whole culture. Within Canada, Islamophobia is only growing to the point where terror acts are being directed towards Muslims. As humans, we are forced to confront terrorism and battle it by being aware that terrorism exists in all forms. It is prevalent amongst all cultures, and must be treated equally for it to disappear. Hate towards Muslims specifically must end. In order for North America to grow as a beautiful and safe nation, unity must exist amongst all belief