Who...Us!?

Al-Qaeda-linked support out of Iran is cited as having given direction to the two Canadian residents, Chiheb Esseghaiuer in Montreal and Raed Jaser in Toronto, in their plot to cause an explosion aboard a Via rail train. 30-year-old Tunisian-born graduate student in nanotechnology, Chiheb Esseghaiuer whose brilliant scientific mind was deranged by violent jihad, and 35-year-old Palestinian-born Raed Jaser, who had lived with his family for two decades in Canada.

Those two decades of Canadian experience did not imbue Raed Jaser with any Canadian values, however. As for fitting into Canadian society and culture, nothing could be further from reality. He gave no civil notice to anyone who was not Muslim, completely ignored his neighbours, as he and his wife maintained a strict separation, as orthodox Islam dictates. And he was, evidently, very orthodox, to say the least, until he finally slipped over into radicalism.

Some prefer 'radical' to 'jihad', or to 'Islamist' or to 'terrorist'. His behaviour was errant enough to alarm his father, who approached his local imam for direction in turning his son around, and away from his fundamentalist version of strict Islam. Little might his father have imagined that it was too late and the rot had set in too deeply. Or that the imam might eventually take the anonymous step of alerting Canadian authorities.

Who, though grateful to the Muslim community for this instance of issuing an alert, still maintain that the investigation was well underway before receiving that much-appreciated alert. A little factoid that is reassuring to say the least. Two men, with experience of Canada and its culture and its values, and who found them to be utterly lacking, and the country disgustingly degraded as a nation. How could it be otherwise as a non-Muslim country?

They found their salvation in restorative honour; while availing themselves of Canadian society's generous welfare systems in health and academic support, they plotted with the aid of al-Qaeda in Iran to inflict pain and suffering on Canadians. Iran, it will be recalled, was given diplomatic assurance by Canada not more than a week ago that its diplomatic missions would be protected from legal action, as per the Vienna convention.

Iranian military parade Photo: REUTERS/Stringer Iran  

 

Iran now rejects the very notion that any intelligent nation's security units might consider it to be giving safe haven to al-Qaeda. Why would they, when it is Shia Islam that is the true religion, and al-Qaeda is comprised of apostate Sunnis, at virtual war with Shiism? Besides which, Iran is a respectable country that would never harbour nor support terrorism.

Gary Clement/National Post

There is the little indiscreet matter of Hamas, Hezbollah and al Quds, state-sponsored satellite terrorist militias, but this is an internal matter for Tehran alone; none other need speculate. Despite the export of Hezbollah jihad activities. And Hamas being Sunni putting the lie to an unwillingness to accommodate Shia Iran's principles to the Sunni-led activities of al-Qaeda.

The neat little arrangement between al-Qaeda and Iran is simply that they have haven as long as they take pains not to launch plans for attack against foreign targets from Iran, and that they respect the sovereignty of Iran, and not plan any attacks against their host, as well.  As for the differences between Sunni and Shia, they certainly do exist as lethal antagonisms, but it is well to reflect that such arguments can be laid aside when facing a common enemy.

Common enemy No. 1: The United States of America, otherwise known as the Great Satan, requiring punishment for its arrogance and domination of the world scene, not least for its oppression of Muslims and its economic rape of Islamic countries' natural resources, and its support of Middle East tyrants for whom the Iranian theocratic dictatorship has a deep aversion.

Common enemy No. 2: The State of Zionists, otherwise known as Israel, requiring punishment for daring to place itself within a geography consecrated to the sacred presence of Islam, for taking el Quds as its state capital, for vulgarizing Jerusalem by  their presence, for oppressing the Palestinians, for daring, in point of fact, to exist as a Jewish state.

Common enemy No.?: The Dominion of Canada, otherwise known as the country that severed diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and whose prime minister and minister of foreign affairs are both on record as making unforgivably pejorative statements impugning the honour and integrity of a state that god himself smiles upon urging it to arm itself with atomic devices the better to respond to its enemies.