Canadian politicians respond to recent threats from ISIS
September has seen a number of countries congregate to discuss a solution to the growing number of atrocities committed by The Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS). Inevitably, these countries decided to join forces with the U.S in its campaigns against the radical group. One of the many countries to make the decision at the end of the month was Canada, which has seen some of its citizens commute to Syria to join the terrorist group.
“This situation…with a terrorist caliphate occupying in the open wide…slaughtering and threatening to slaughter hundreds…this phenomenon is a direct threat to the security of this country,” said Prime Minister Stephen Harper in a recent statement, declaring that the Canadian military will be deploying CF-18 jets in upcoming airstrikes on the area.
Of course, ISIS did not stand by quietly as this made headlines. Following Harper’s declaration to support the U.S in the fight, ISIS uploaded their latest video, in which Abu Muhammed al-Adnani, a masked militant, is seen shouting, “You will not feel safe in your bedrooms” – a threat which has left many in a state of fear.
Al-Adnani also protests the alliance of Canada with the United States, urging all jihadists to kill disbelievers.
“Rely upon Allah, and kill in them in any manner or way however it may be. Do not ask for anyone’s advice and do not seek anyone’s verdict,” said al-Adnani. “Kill the disbeliever whether he is civilian or military, for they have the same ruling.”
Now that ISIS has posed a direct threat to Canada, police forces have been reportedly monitoring radicalization in cities such as Calgary and Scarborough, where accounts of Canadian citizens leaving the country to fight with the terrorist group have been recorded in recent weeks.
In face of the threats and the fear that many Canadians are feeling, one particularly clever Canadian politician has come up with a humorous solution.
Michelle Rempel, Member of Parliament for the Calgary Centre-North riding, tweeted a picture of herself in her bedroom, captioned, “I’m feeling pretty secure right now – b/c of hard won freedoms #securebedroomselfie.” While Rempel may not have realized she just sparked the next big social networking trend, a number of other Canadian citizens took part in the MP’s twitter phenomenon – among them, the Liberal Party strategist Alise Mills.
As amusing as the trend may be, the ISIS issue should not be taken lightly, considering recent action from the group. However, social media appears to be a popular avenue for banding together, as many Muslims have also begun fighting against the group via social accounts, such as “Muslims_against_ISIS” on Instagram.