Conservative Analysis of the Violent Jihadist Attacks in Canada

           I extend my sympathy and support to all Canadians for the deaths of two of their countrymen in two separate incidents this week in which two soldiers were murdered by Canadian Islamists in Canada.

            These acts of treason were acts of violent jihad (Islamic holy war), but not acts of terrorism.  As I have posted repeatedly, terrorism is a strategy of illegitimate warfare that targets innocent civilians in order to intimidate the populace to give into the demands of the terrorists.  These acts targeted soldiers, not civilians. 

Although these jihadists have been described as “lone wolves,” like their fellow American jihadists who beheaded a co-worker in Oklahoma or attacked policemen in New York, these individuals may not have conspired with anyone else and acted alone in carrying out their attacks, but were certainly converted to militant Islam by those who believe it the duty of all Muslims to kill infidels who refuse to submit.  Even if some of these individual jihadists have a degree of mental illness, they are nonetheless vulnerable pray for Islamists.  As in the United States, many violent jihadists, such as the two Canadians, were converted to Islamism while incarcerated.

The acts of violent jihad in Canada were not in retaliation for Canada’s support of the international coalition against the “Islamic State” in Syria and Iraq, as these jihadists both had been inclined toward militancy for a long time before Canada joined the coalition – or even before the U.S. started to lead it.  The “Islamic State” provided a convenient excuse for those who believe it their religious duty to kill by encouraging such attacks against coalition partners.  In other words, these individuals’ violent jihad has been co-opted by terrorism, but the violent jihad is the root of the evil.  Canada was a soft target because of its lesser security precautions and a belief on the part of some Canadians that they would never be targeted, especially by fellow Canadian citizens.  

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a strong statement against being intimidated by such acts and reiterating his continued support for fighting the “Islamic State,” as indeed, the attacks validated Canadian the Government’s concern that the enemy was Islamicizing Canadian citizens domestically and even training those who volunteered to join the fight in the Levant and return to threaten Canada, which is why it was among the foreign states denying passports to those who would travel abroad to join the terrorist army and was monitoring suspected domestic Islamists. 

I am confident that Canada will strengthen its security measures and will remain a steadfast ally in the War on Terrorism, as it has been.  May God keep Canada glorious and free.