Tory Ads Put Security Efforts at Risk

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Tory Ads Put Security Efforts at Risk

[ http://thetyee.ca/News/2015/03/06/Tory- ... ign=060315 ]

Spate of Conservative Party messages are 'counterproductive,' advocacy group says.

By Jeremy J. Nuttall, March 6, 2015 TheTyee.ca

A series of Conservative Party ads that repeat terrorism propaganda and denounce some Muslim religious practices could counteract anti-terrorism efforts, says the director of a Muslim advocacy group.

This week, the Conservative Party Facebook page placed a post that quoted propaganda from the Somali terrorist group El-Shabaab, which appeared to encourage radicals to attack West Edmonton mall.

The message features a masked man with the El-Shabaab propaganda and added text saying Canada is under threat and needs protection.

"It's counterproductive," said Ihsaan Gardee, the executive director of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, a non-partisan group that advocates for equality for Muslims.

Gardee said the ads conflate Islam with terrorism, driving a wedge between Muslims, law enforcement and broader society.

"Using this kind of rhetoric undermines the efforts of security agencies," Gardee said.

The El-Shabaab ad is the most recent in a series of aggressive advertisements by the Conservatives.

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No link to Hamas

Last year, Gardee's group launched a lawsuit against Harper after a communications staffer said the advocacy group had links to Hamas, which Canada has labelled a terrorist organization. Gardee said there is not a "shred of evidence" to back up the claim. The case is still before the courts.

Gardee said the ads risk driving a wedge between Muslim groups and law enforcement agencies, and could lead to a reluctance among Muslims to work with agencies to prevent radical extremism. Muslim Canadians take this issue very seriously, he added.

"It's harmful in that it further alienates communities across Canada who are really working on the front lines to tackle the radicalization of violent extremists," Gardee said. "It's a battle for hearts and minds."

Devout Muslims in particular are an effective source to help law enforcement agencies because they have an understanding of the religion beyond the "cut and paste" interpretations used by violent extremists, Gardee said.

He said the Conservative's ads also lend credibility to extremists by giving them momentum and status with people who may be at risk of becoming violent.

"They're also able to use that to attract and recruit new people," he said. "They're able to say 'look, even our so-called enemy says what we're doing is jihad.'"

Instead, Gardee said the government should label violent extremists as criminals and murderers -- and leave out the religious aspect.

The Conservative campaign tactic also makes it harder for mosques and Muslims organizations to fight radicalization at a grass roots level.

For example, one way that mosques fight extremists is to offer a safe space for Muslims to talk openly, free from judgment.

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Meanwhile, vilification of Islam has made some Muslims fear for their safety here in Canada, according to Gardee.

He thinks the advertisements are a political effort to draw attention away from a sluggish economy. Canadians should be able pick up on that, he said.

"Overall, the sentiment I'm hearing is a lot of confidence in our fellow Canadians that they will see through this and see it for what it is," he said. "A cynical, populist and pandering ploy based more on electioneering calculus than on principle or practicality."