Ottawa Attack Is Canada's Fault Says Leading Muslim Journalist

Afghan-Canadian journalist Nelofer Pazira has told the Independent that yesterday’s attack in Ottawa happened because the country’s Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper “pushed Canada into joining the US-led war in the Middle East”.

She claimed that the country had “become divided” when the government put a group of Muslims on a watch list, and suggested the running over of a soldier earlier this week was in retaliation.

Paziri said: “Harper’s pro-American policies appear to have turned Canada – and indeed the seat of political power in the capital Ottawa – into a target. Now Canadians will not only be worried about travelling to Europe, America or the Middle East – but wondering if they’re even safe inside their own homes.”

She was dismissive of uncovered plots against the Canadian state and instead focused on Muslims who had volunteered for the security services. She then went on to suggest that unless Canada dropped its opposition to ISIS the Muslim community might change its allegiance.

“Will Canada’s Muslim community – which has existed for more than 100 years – now have to ‘re-prove’ it is loyal to a country which is fighting in the Muslim world? There have been plenty of ‘plots’ uncovered in the past – in one of which Muslim extremists were apparently threatening to kill MPs,” she said.

“Since 9/11, many Muslims in the country have offered to work in government security in order to prevent incidents like those this week. How long this co-operation will continue now that Canada is in action in Iraq is another question.”

Her comments are likely to cause outrage as they both blame Canada for what has happened and also suggest that Muslim members of the security services might change sides unless the country drops its opposition to ISIS. 

Although Paziri is generally accepted to be a moderate she did try to return to Afghanistan when the Taliban were in charge.