The dreaded happened in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, a quiet historic town in Quebec. Many years ago I stayed there for a couple of weeks trying unsuccessfully to learn French. When I walked the streets in the town looking for a good pub or an eatery people smiled at me and at each other. In that town of smiles Martin Rouleau attacked two Canadian soldiers. He was pursued and shot dead by police. Rouleau was what Canadians have come to dread the thought of: a home grown radicalised fanatic ready to do violence to Canadians. Rouleau was a recent convert to the Muslim faith. This was not the first time a radicalised fanatic attempted to do harm in Canada. Toronto Eighteen of some years ago were an example of this sinister breed: the home grown terrorists. Since then unfortunately there have been others.
Lest people forget before 9/11 the largest act of aviation terror was planned and carried out from the Canadian soil: the bombing of Air India flight 185 on June 23, 1985. Vast majority of the victims were Canadians. The perpetrators were Canadian citizens too, radicalised in Canada under the very noses of our intelligence agencies. We bungled that investigation so badly that despite the fact that most of us know who the culprits are we were not able to bring them to justice. Although most Sikhs would brand them anti Sikh cowards the perpetrators of the Air India bombing claimed to belong to Sikh faith. These cowards have so far successfully thumbed their noses at the impotence of the machinery of the Canadian state.
Radicalisation including self radicalisation of Canadians follows a pattern in other western countries. Rouleau's story is not unique among the home grown terrorists. He converts. He starts attending the Al Imane mosque in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu. He radicalises. Of conversion, attending the mosque and radicalising, what happened first, second or last is irrelevant. His life including conversion, mosque and radicalising ended in the murderous assault upon those who are regularly called upon to sacrifice their lives for ours and they do so without any hesitation. He attacks two unsuspecting Canadian soldiers who were where they were supposed to be.
We know as much that Rouleau wanted to go join ISIS, a group that literally follows the Salafi version of Islam. It brutally kills Muslims of orientations other than their own and of course non Muslims. At the time of this writing there is no evidence that the Al Imane mosque played any role in radicalising Rouleau. He may have radicalised all by himself. Others may have had a role in it. If others were involved, who were they? Did the mosque teach anything that led him astray? Did any mosque attendees have a role in radicalising him? Or was it simply the internet? Could anything have been done by us to prevent this tragedy? These are important questions. We need to ask these hard questions. Political correctness inspired by the fear of offending won't do. We owe answers to these questions to all Canadians including the peace loving Canadian Muslims.
Home grown terror is a very dangerous phenomenon. Internet may be the worst culprit where one can inhabit the worst ghettos in the world without being discovered and dissuaded. I have always decried the isolated neighbourhood ghettos as potential brewers of alienation, hate, anger and violence. These ghettoes do exist all over Canada, particularly in some major urban centers. The politicians are either not aware of their existence or are too busy ingratiating themselves with all and sundry in the pure pursuit of electoral wins. Now the online ghettos have added a new dimension to the already existing frightening reality. There is no escaping the now combined and even more unsettling truth of the physical/psychological/online ghettos afflicting our country.
Martin Rouleau's violent act has once again brought us face to face with the sad truth of hate, not in some distant land but in Canada. It is that hate that we need to fight. The Air India bombing, the Toronto Eighteen, the Rouleau madness and all the others in between show that we are losing the values war. The enemies of a civilised, socially just, egalitarian and compassionate Canada and a peaceful world seem to be winning over the Rouleaus. Politicians and public leaders of all stripes: wake up and speak up!