聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 Apparently I like addressing the controversial topics lately and I鈥檒l carry it on today.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Scrolling through Facebook I鈥檓 bombarded with my friends鈥� shares and likes of photos essentially saying Canada should limit refugee intake.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 On the refugee topic I鈥檓 divided because those people need help and they should get it, on the other hand ISIL has released statements that they will infiltrate these refugees and bring terror to the western world, which is a legitimate concern, however, people don鈥檛 have to be refugees to be terrorists.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Canadian-born terrorism exists. On Oct. 14, 1982, an anarchist group called Squamish Five bombed a factory in north Toronto. They were activists who decided to go one step further because traditional passive methods weren鈥檛 working. They had bombed a BC Hydro substation on Vancouver Island earlier that year as well.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In the 1920s the Sons of Freedom targeted Doukhobors and government buildings.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The Front de lib茅ration du Qu茅bec (FLQ) was active between 1963 and 1970, while Quebec nationalist groups continue to come in and out of the limelight as domestic terrorists, resurfacing in 1984, 2000, 2001, and 2012.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Yes, there have been issues surrounding Islamic extremists, but not just ones from overseas, a lot of time it鈥檚 people who have converted. Approximately a year ago, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau attacked people at a War Memorial in Ottawa killing Cpl Nathan Cirillo. Zehaf-Bibeau was a recent self converted Islamic extremist, he had grown up in Canada.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In 2013 Canadian Muslims helped to foil a plot to derail a New York to Toronto train on the Canadian side of the border when Chiheb Esseghaier and Raed Jaser of Montreal and Toronto planned the attack.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 So, I don鈥檛 think looking at refugees as being the enemy is necessarily the right way to go. What is the right action to take? Do you deny the many in need to potentially prevent a few ISIL members or do you welcome refugees who have nothing and absolutely nowhere to go?
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The fear created is not something that just affects Canada either. Europe, Australia, and the United States are all currently living with this question: deny refugees to potentially protect the country or vet them well and welcome people in need?
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In the United States, Daryl Grisgraber, a senior advocate for Refugees International told Al Jazeera News, 鈥淭he short answer is that the issue is overblown. The detailed answer is that the U.S. has been resettling refugees for over 50 years now, and ever since 9/11, there鈥檚 been an even more rigorous vetting process. It is slow and thorough, and, frankly, for the refugees, it can be quite painful.鈥�
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Refugees are registered and referred by the U.N. refugee agency, here biographic and biometric data is taken including iris scans for refugees coming from the Syrian crisis. Only once the U.N. feels their story checks out are they approved to be sent to a country taking refugees. The government of that country then conducts their own security checks, interviews with each family member, and if any doubt is cast on their story a red flag is put up.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 No one denies there鈥檚 a security risk, but to what extent can that risk be exploited? If we take in refugees and then a terrorist attack occurs will we automatically point fingers even if they weren鈥檛 responsible?
