Canada is off to war again, although we don't seem to want to call it that. The cowards and killers of IS, ISIS, ISIL -- so many letters!-- are the target. This decision of parliament is tied to the debate about national security, the possibility that terror could come to our cities and towns. In the words of Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird:
“This is not just another conflict. The struggle is not against a state or even a foreign dictator. This is a struggle against a group of terrorists that rape and pillage and slaughter anything and anyone that stands in their way. These terrorist are creating a proto-state, a place where they can train for attacks against Canada and the West.”
I don't disagree with Mr. Baird about the terrible crimes committed by this group. I am not so sure that even a concerted military action will be the answer. While some of them will be "degraded and destroyed" there isn't a scrap of evidence that terrorism can be extinguished this way. I realize that I am in the minority of Canadians in this regard.
I am also trying to think and pray my way through the "fear factor," the notion that we must destroy these terrorists in Iraq and Syria to keep them from our shores. I have no doubt that people, mostly young men, are being radicalized in Canada and contemplating terrorist acts. But how does killing terrorists in the Middle East stop "born and bred" terrorists doing their worst here? And are we being manipulated into compliance by fear?
I have two daughters who work in Toronto and so do their partners. One of them works very close to the site where an incendiary device was detected and detonated in downtown TO last November. I try not to be anxious about where they go about their daily lives and what might happen. I also do my best not to have my opinions shaped by the unfocussed rhetoric of "security." We know that in the past this has led individuals and nations into decisions which weren't based on reality. We have incarcerated whole groups of people without good reason and we have entered into conflicts with no clear purpose and at huge cost, including the loss of our military personnel.
I hope we will engage in prayer for decisions based on facts and truth, not fear.
Thoughts?
There is a new Groundling blog entry for you to read today http://groundlingearthyheavenly.blogspot.ca/2014/10/monkeys-in-heaven.html
2 comments:
I completely agree with you on a couple of key points. I do not believe you can eradicate terrorism by military action. It's akin to a game of "Whack A Mole" - you get rid of one, and another one pops up. I do believe our greatest fear should be from "homegrown" terrorists.
As disturbing as foreign terrorists are, it really infuriates me that there are "Canadians" who enjoy all the good things our country offers, then will commit acts of terrorism against it and its citizens.
Meanwhile, the poor people in Syria, Iraq and other countries in the Middle East continue to suffer. As with most situations in that region, there are definitely no easy answers.
Thanks Roger.
I am baffled by young people raised in this country who are radicalized so readily. Parents are usually horrified whether they have been here for generations or are immigrants. Most of the newcomers came to Canada for peace and a new life and the choices of their children are contrary to their reasons for coming here.
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