Belt Drive Betty's Blog

My Canada, changed forever

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Yesterday my Canada changed forever, but it is far from the first time that Canada has changed due to  homegrown terrorism.<br />
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During a discussion with friends over the shooting of an unarmed Canadian soldier, Cpl. Cirillo, at the tomb of the unknown soldier near Parliament Hill and the running down of a Canadian soldier in Quebec, Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, we talked about the FLQ crisis and how that homegrown terrorism had changed Canada.<br />
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From 1963 to 1970, the Front de libération du Québec, the FLQ, terrorized English speaking Canadians in Quebec through a series of bombings, kidnappings and murder.<br />
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They were our first true homegrown terrorists and how the Liberal government of the day under Peirre Elliot Trudeau handled the FLQ crisis was to invoke the War Measures Act (today that act is called the Emergency Preparedness Act) at the request of then premier of Quebec, Robert Bourassa and Mayor of Montreal Jean Drapeau.<br />
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From October 16th 1970 until January 5th 1971, much of the province of Quebec and the city of Ottawa were in lock down, virtually a war zone.<br />
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The removing of civil liberties that transpired during those days saw many people arrested wrongfully and police officials were heavily criticized for their abuse of authority and detaining people without cause.<br />
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<b>The FLQ crisis is an important lesson in home grown terrorism, not just how it starts but how government deals with it.</b><br />
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There will always be people who want to FORCE their viewpoints, their religious or political ideals on others. There will always be people looking for the vulnerable, the angry; to convert and further their causes, to do their dirty work.<br />
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Radical Islam, while a huge problem around the world, is but an outlet that teaches us how broken our systems are world wide. The disenfranchised of our country and others, those looking for a place to belong are finding the outlet for their anger, frustration and hopelessness in radical groups like IS, the Islamic State.<br />
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It is the same scenario that plays out with street gangs and who and how they recruit.<br />
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<b>Islam is, in my view,  far more than a religion. It is a political, societal, economic, justice, crime and punishment system.  In other words, a religious government.</b><br />
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<b>Islam is very tribal with various sects, none of whom can agree on Islam's principles, history or ideology. </b>(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam)<br />
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Sunni - The largest denomination in Islam is Sunni Islam, which makes up 75%–90% of all Muslims.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam#cite_note-Sunni-11">[9]</a> Sunni Muslims also go by the name Ahl as-Sunnah which means "people of the tradition [of Muhammad]" </div>
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Shi'ite - Shia Islam has several branches, the largest of which is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelvers">Twelvers</a>, followed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaidiyyah">Zaidis</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ismaili">Ismailis</a>. </div>
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Sufis - Sufism (Tasawwuf) is a mystical-ascetic approach to Islam that seeks to find divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God. </div>
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Salafi - Self-described Salafis believe they are Sunni Muslims, while traditionalist Sunni critics claim that Salafis are the same as Wahhabis </div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmadiyya">Ahmadiyya</a> is an Islamic reform movement (with Sunni roots) founded by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirza_Ghulam_Ahmad">Mirza Ghulam </a></div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirza_Ghulam_Ahmad">Ahmad</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam#cite_note-231">[229]</a> that began in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India">India</a> in 1889 and is practiced by over ten million<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam#cite_note-ahmadi-232">[230]</a> Muslims around the world. </div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-denominational_Muslims">Non-denominational Muslims</a> are Muslims who do not restrict their religious affiliation to any particular branch of Islam. </div>
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The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibadi">Ibadi</a> is a sect that dates back to the early days of Islam and is a branch of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kharijite">kharijite</a>. Unlike most Kharijite groups, Ibadism does not regard sinful Muslims as unbelievers. </div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahdavia">Mahdavia</a> is an Islamic sect that believes in a 15th-century mahdi, Muhammad Jaunpuri </div>
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The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quran_alone">Quranists</a> are Muslims who generally reject the Hadith. </div>
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yazd%C3%A2nism">Yazdânism</a> is seen as a blend of local Kurdish beliefs and Islamic Sufi doctrine introduced to  <br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurdistan">Kurdistan</a> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh_Adi_ibn_Musafir">Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir</a> in the 12th century. </div>
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There are also black Muslim movements such as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation_of_Islam">Nation of Islam</a> (NOI), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-Percent_Nation">Five-Percent Nation</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moorish_scientists">Moorish scientists</a>.<br />
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The sad truth is that these people have been fighting and disagreeing, creating divisiveness and killing each other since the dawn of time. Peace is not something these people are familiar with, nor are they familiar with the concepts of acceptance, or tolerance.<br />
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The hatred, misunderstandings, differences in opinions and values in countries where Islam is part of the fabric are too great of a chasm to bridge. They have gone on too long and run too deep. Generation after generation of the peoples in these countries have only known hatred and fighting.<br />
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Like others who are disenfranchised, who are vulnerable to radical ideas, the two Canadians who reportedly converted to Islam and then carried out crimes against our country are no different in their weakness and illness than the young man who killed the mounties in Moncton or the young man who killed fellow students in Calgary.<br />
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They are no different than the young men who created the FLQ Crisis.<br />
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Sadly, there are people who are born in this country who feel marginalized, left out, forgotten and hopeless.  Mental illness is one of the biggest challenges this country, this world faces.<br />
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We need to get far better at helping the mentally ill and the disconnected youth of this country.<br />
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These people are vulnerable to radical ideologies.  <br />
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As a nation, we cannot falter in protecting our citizens and the rights and freedoms we hold dear as Canadians. <br />
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I believe it is time to get smart about terrorism, world wide and home grown.<br />
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If a Canadian goes to fight with IS or any other terror group, they should not be allowed to return to Canada to spread their hate.  They should loose their Canadian Citizenship.<br />
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Our government should never allow Sharia Law in any form, no matter how watered down, to be adopted or accepted by any court in our country as it goes against everything we as a nation have evolved to.  The treatment of women under Sharia Law in particular, should never be written into the fabric of our national laws or our constitution.<br />
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It is divisive and barbaric and it makes the advances of women and their rights as humans in this country null and void unless the protections for the rights of women are available to all women in this country. If one wants to follow Sharia Law, they should live in countries that accept that law.<br />
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If they want to live in Canada, they need to follow the laws that govern Canada and Canadian citizens.<br />
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My heart breaks for the families and friends of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent killed in Quebec and Cpl. Cirillo killed in Ottawa.  My heart goes out to our military and their families.<br />
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<b>O Canada!</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/cf/Flag_of_Canada.svg/1280px-Flag_of_Canada.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/cf/Flag_of_Canada.svg/1280px-Flag_of_Canada.svg.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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Our home and native land!<br />
True patriot love in all thy sons command.<br />
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,<br />
The True North strong and free!<br />
From far and wide,<br />
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.<br />
God keep our land glorious and free!<br />
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.<br />
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.<br />
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The changes Canada will experience this time because of the acts of two Canadians will hopefully make Canada a stronger and better country, at least that is my prayer.</div>
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That's how I feel today, what say you?<br />
<br />
Belt Drive Betty<br />
Editor & Rider<br />
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