Canadian teens being exposed to Islamic extremism in high schools: CSIS

A newly released intelligence report warns that teenagers are being exposed to Islamist extremism in Canadian high schools.

In an Intelligence Assessment, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service says that in two recent cases, suspects charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act “appear to have been radicalized in part while attending Canadian secondary school institutions.” While high school years are a time of “exploration and idealism,” the report says “exposure to violent ideologies at this potentially vulnerable stage can set in motion a series of developments that can lead to actual acts of violence.”

The report focuses on “Islamist extremism,” a conspiracy-driven narrative that claims the West is trying to destroy Islam and that Muslims are required to respond with violence. The appeal of this ideology among youths is a key concern to Canadian counterterrorism officials, particularly since the 2006 arrests of the Toronto 18, whose members plotted truck bombings in Toronto and an assault on the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa. Since then, a handful of youths have left — or tried to leave — Canada for Pakistan and Somalia to join terrorist groups.

The report says while Muslim high school students have a right to hold prayer services, CSIS is concerned “that individuals with extreme violent views could gain access to, or lead, these groups and thus help to radicalize others.”

The report, “The 4th ‘R’: Radicalization and Islamist Extremism in Canadian Secondary Schools,” was released under the Access to Information Act.

Source: National Post