Socialist Voice

The following statements, by the International Socialists and by the Toronto Coalition to Stop the War, were issued in response to the recent highly-publicized arrests of 17 Toronto-area men.

Islam Is Not the Enemy War and Racism Are Not the Answers

by Socialist Worker (newspaper of the International Socialists)

The Canadian media is on the rampage. “Face of a Terrorist?” screams the front page of the Toronto Star. “The Friendly Zealot” screams the front page of the Globe and Mail, followed the next day with “Storm, Seize, Behead”. Pages and pages and pages are devoted to the fact that 17 people, five too young to be identified, have been arrested on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks in Canada.

You would think we had never seen this before. But we have. August 14, 2003, Toronto police kicked in the doors of 19 young men from South Asia. The total arrested later rose to 22. At least one government official said that they had uncovered “an al-Qaeda sleeper cell”. The press was full of reports of plans to topple the CN Tower and blow up the Pickering nuclear reactor.

The CN Tower is still standing. The Pickering nuclear reactor is still functioning. All talk of “al-Qaeda in Toronto” has disappeared. No charges were ever laid. No one ever went to trial. No one was ever convicted. All the “evidence” turned out to be bogus.

All that happened was that most of the accused, immigrants from Pakistan and India, were deported — after spending months in detention — with their reputations in ruins, and their lives turned completely upside down. There was no official apology delivered. There was no huge front page in the Toronto Star or the Globe and Mail saying “Sorry, we were wrong.” The stain of Islamophobia remained long after the unfortunate victims of what was called “Project Thread” were forgotten.

We must demand that history not repeat itself. These men are innocent until proven guilty.

We should condemn the press for sensationalist coverage which is, in effect, convicting these men in advance of a trial. We get pious editorials saying that of course, they have the right to fair trial, while the front pages say “Zealot” and “Terrorist” with screaming headlines. This is irresponsible and the very stuff that makes a fair trial almost impossible.

And then there is the matter of the demands being put on the Islamic community to “account” for the “creation” of young terrorists.

First of all, we have no idea whether these 17 are terrorists are not — nothing has been proven.

Second, what does this have to do with the Islamic community?

Were young white accountants called to account for creating a culture of violence after Paul Bernardo was found guilty of a string of horrific rapes and murders?

Were angry young sexist men called to account after Marc Lepine murdered 14 women engineering students in Montreal?

Were white Christians who were members of the Republican Party and the National Rifle Association called to account after Timothy McVeigh murdered 167 in Oklahoma City?

The targeting of the Islamic community is racism, pure and simple.

Stephen Harper will use these arrests as an excuse to try and come out looking great during the upcoming mandatory five-year review of Canada’s “anti-terror” laws.

He will also use them to try and bump up support for the war in Afghanistan — support that has been steadily declining as the body bags come home, and news of atrocities committed by NATO forces begins to surface. But the real source of terror is Canada following the lead of George Bush and engaging in wars abroad — wars which at the end of the day are not about democracy, but about oil and gas. The real terrorism is the practice of racist detentions, and the suspension of civil liberties. The real terrorism is assisting the US to deport Maher Arar to detention and torture abroad.

There is a way to end all this nonsense and bring us closer to a world of peace and human rights.

· Remove the troops from Afghanistan.

· End all secret trials.

· Free the four Islamic men still detained on “security certificates”

To subscribe to Socialist Worker, send a cheque for $30 to Socialist Worker, P.O. Box 339, Station E, Toronto, M6H 4E3. The International Socialists will hold a public meeting on the arrests on Thursday, June 22, at 7pm, at OISE, 252 St. George St., Toronto

Statement on Anti-Terror Arrests

by the Toronto Coalition to Stop the War

The recent wave of “anti-terror” arrests in Toronto has sparked a national debate about the threat of terrorism in Canada and the issue of security. In response to this debate, the Toronto Coalition to Stop the War would like to put forward the following points:

1. All those arrested must be treated as innocent until proven guilty. This precept is the cornerstone of our justice system and, in order to guarantee a fair and open trial, must be consistently applied to all those now facing charges;

2. What has been reported in the press are alleged acts and not proven facts. Only a trial by the public courts system — and not the media — can determine the difference. All media has a responsibility to report on the case fairly and accurately and without resorting to sensationalism;

3. Members of government and other public officials should not publicly comment on the case in any way that undermines the precept of “innocent until proven guilty” or that compromises the integrity of a fair and open trial. So far both Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Minister of Public Safety Stockwell Day have already suggested that those charged are guilty;

4. The Muslim community and the Islamic faith should not in any way be held responsible for the alleged acts of individual suspects. Every effort should be made to ensure the safety and security of Muslims and to prevent any kind of backlash against the Muslim community. All acts motivated by Islamophobia and hate should be opposed and condemned;

5. Canadians should bear in mind that this recent wave of arrests is not the first. Two years ago, as many as twenty-six Muslim men were arrested in Toronto in a sweep called “Project Thread” that received widespread international attention and that, according to at least one government official, had uncovered “an Al-Qaeda sleeper cell” in Canada. This statement was proved to be false, not one of the men were ever formally charged (or convicted) of committing a crime, and most were deported from Canada. No effort was made to clear their names or restore their reputations.

Please circulate this statement in order to help defend civil liberties and to stand in solidarity with the Muslim community against any kind of backlash. It is critical that this recent wave of “anti-terror” arrests and the media coverage about it not be exploited to perpetuate divisions between Muslims and non-Muslims and that relationships of solidarity and support between communities be expanded and deepened. The arrests should also not be exploited in order to justify Canada’s deeply unpopular participation in the occupation of Afghanistan or the use of repressive measures that curtail civil liberties in Canada such as secret trials and security certificates.

The anti-war movement in Canada has an important role to play in defending civil liberties, opposing racism and Islamophobia and supporting the Muslim community. We hope that you will join us in this effort.

Toronto Coalition to Stop the War
TCSW is Toronto’s city-wide anti-war coalition, comprised of more than fifty labour, faith and community organisations, and a member of the Canadian Peace Alliance. www.nowar.ca / stopthewar@sympatico.ca / 416-795-5863

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