I would respectfully suggest to Mr. Hannaford that many of these men likely do feel like they have nothing to lose. They deserve our empathy, compassion, and support- so that conflict resolution can help them to see that they, too have a stake in what is a marvellous and beautifully structured society. Western societies really do have it all: they have law and order, a tradition of literacy, numerous outlets for fun and recreation, arts and rich culture. They have an amazing code of fashion, with a wonderful industry that centres on this tradition. They have people speaking out on all fronts and all issues. They have cooperation between myriad groups. They have theatre and the opera and cleverly scripted acts on television. They have some of the world's greatest novels.

What they don't have, and critically need, is a way to work with certain people. A way to say, hey, you're like me, and I'm like you, and fundamentally, even though you're a bit of a square peg, I'm going to teach you to find a round hole and fulfill some critical need of mine. I'm going to milk your knowledge, and let you give me the full benefit of your knowledge and enthusiasm. What they are currently failing in is the win-win approach.

There are other ways to do things, that would lead to radically different results. It is no good vitally crippling people, then having bitter reactions to what transpires. Wouldn't it be better to enable people to be our close friends? To motivate them to love us, to inspire each other, to make things work at long last?

There have been some awful failures in human history. Its your choice to see the reason in this, and the sense behind it. There is an awful lot.


Roots that grow gangs and terrorists are similar


By Nigel Hannaford, Calgary HeraldJune 30, 2009Be the first to post a comment

It was three years ago that a group of young Muslim men, mostly born in this country, hatched a plot to--among other things --attack the Parliament building and behead the prime minister. It had not been that long since London had suffered a series of bomb attacks on public transport, perpetrated by young Muslim men, born in Great Britain. Meanwhile, NATO troops in Iraq and Afghanistan were routinely picking up prisoners who were fighting for the Taliban, or for al-Qaeda, but who had been born and raised in a liberal democracy. Canada has its own case in the person of Omar Khadr, born in Toronto in 1986 to immigrant parents.

Naturally, the question asked was "Why?"

That is, one could understand how a person raised in squalor and perceiving themselves as having nothing to lose, might sign up for a radical cause.

But, why would anybody raised in the liberty and comfort of a country such as Canada, or Great Britain decide to give it all up and either fight for their country's enemies in a foreign field, or detonate themselves at home in an attempt to kill as many of their fellow countrymen as they could?

No doubt there is more than one reason. Young Khadr seems to have been pointed in that direction by his family at an early age, and is thus something of a special case.

Still, almost by definition these young men are alienated from society. A frequent contributor to these pages, Pakistan-born college professor Mahfooz Kanwar, told me a few years ago the problem actually began when a young man felt he didn't belong to the old country culture, but felt he couldn't fully embrace the new culture chosen by his immigrant parents. It was a recipe for confusion, and the urgent desire for simple clarity opened the way to radical voices prepared to offer it.

Right now, one could hardly say it was a problem out of control.

However, at last week's Alberta Gang Crime Summit, Calgary Police Chief Rick Hanson made the disturbing observation that there are similarities between what makes young men join criminal gangs, and the attractions of radical politics. It's a serious matter: Criminal gangs are a problem we have already and if not quite out of control, it is certainly eating up a lot of law-enforcement resources. Now terrorists?

One commonality is that both criminal gangs and terrorist radicals offer certainty. They also offer --crucially--identity, and the satisfaction of being chosen to belong to a small in group. For young men, these are keys to personal significance. "Greed," observed Hanson in an interview later, "is usually the last reason somebody gets involved in a gang."

It would also be the last reason somebody signed up to be a terrorist, an occupation in which life expectancy is too short to lend much point to accumulation.

Hanson presented a strong case that Canadian law-enforcement officials should be studying trends in Great Britain, Europe and the U. S., usually reliable predictors of what is coming next in Canada.

Specialists in the field welcome Hanson's frank warning, but offer cautions.

"It is a vast problem, and it is a relief to see the police addressing themselves to it," comments David Harris, president of Democracy House, a former chief of strategic planning for CSIS, and a longtime commentator on national security issues. "They need to be realistic, though. They're not theologians and if they're going to do outreach to religious groups, they need to make sure they pick the right ones." Harris says there are serious questions to be asked, for instance, about RCMP patronage of the Muslims of Tomorrow 2009 conference in Surrey, B. C. earlier this month. "There are serious doubts about the RCMP's own outreach approaches, that suggest some of those people who in the past have been in charge of such initiatives have had the full capacity for distinguishing between those sympathetic to radical ideology and those who genuinely reject radicalism."

For now, Hanson's approach to early detection of terrorist tendencies mirrors that of police strategy to spot criminals early on. "It's all about watching for signs. Too much money, too young, secretive behaviour, the kind of things parents once put down to a kid going through a phase. And we have to start early, even in elementary school."

He adds that ethnic communities seem genuinely anxious to get help, to keep their kids from heading down the wrong path, and to use the help the police can offer.

The bad news is that it is a formidable task. It will not be easy, and all the programs in the world don't help when a young man is searching for some reason to believe that he, like a hero in a book, is endowed with some special significance beyond his peers.

The good news however is that city police are at least prepared to admit they have a job to do. A few years ago, we couldn't even get them to admit there was a gang problem or to name criminal associations.

Now, Hanson has named the issue. It is the important first step, and he deserves kudos for doing so.

nhannaford@theherald. canwest.coM

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