Commentary
Picture this scenario: A group of individuals, enraged by U.S. foreign policies and government interference in the Middle East, decide to organize mass demonstrations across the United States and globally to commemorate and glorify the 9/11 attacks of 2001. They praise the “martyrdom” of the 19 “freedom fighters” who retaliated against imperialism.
While this may sound unbelievable, it is a reality considering the upcoming marches planned on Oct. 7 in the streets and on Canadian university campuses to “celebrate” the Hamas terrorist attack on southern Israel last year.
It is crucial to analyze this movement objectively without delving into personal attacks or political affiliations. Some individuals in Canada genuinely believe that it is commendable to admire Hamas members—a designated terrorist organization in Canada and many other countries—for their assault on Israeli civilians. They find it appropriate to applaud those responsible for heinous acts like rapes, sexual mutilations, and kidnappings of women and other hostages. They argue that extremist, misogynistic jihadists, who consider women as inferior beings, were acting in the name of “justice” and “equality.”
While it is valid to criticize Israel for civilian casualties and community destruction in Gaza and Lebanon, as well as for supporting “settler” violence in the West Bank, Hamas’s tactic of hiding in schools, playgrounds, mosques, and refugee centers is often overlooked. However, viewing the actions of terrorist groups as legitimate responses to decades of inaction regarding Palestinian statehood overlooks a critical point: Organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah are not concerned about the well-being of Palestinians or Lebanese people they claim to represent. Their primary goal is the destruction of Israel. They are not freedom fighters but Islamist terrorists aiming to impose their fundamentalist interpretation of faith on the populations they control (similar to the Taliban in Afghanistan).
It is understandable to feel anger and sorrow over the loss of life in Gaza and Lebanon over the past year, but glorifying Hamas’s actions from last October is twisted. You cannot demand an end to violence by celebrating the very act that triggered the subsequent events. Simply put, no Oct. 7 massacre would mean no Israeli invasion of Gaza, and no thousands of Hezbollah rockets launched into Israel would mean no invasion of Lebanon. This is a clear case of cause and effect.
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The Canadian government must take a decisive stance on these demonstrations. Any march that glorifies the acts of Hamas and Hezbollah, evident through the display of their flags or speeches praising their leadership, constitutes support for terrorism and should lead to arrests and charges under section 83.01 of the Canadian Criminal Code. Anything less than this implies acceptance of terrorism as legitimate in our society.
Allowing such demonstrations to proceed not only shows the government’s apathy towards terrorism but also indicates to our allies that Canada is not committed to combatting violent extremism.
There’s an old saying: Why did the Canadian cross the road? To get to the middle. It’s time for our leaders to take a principled stand against terrorism and cease trying to appease everyone. Terrorism is terrorism and must be denounced and prevented. It’s time to cross the street and take concrete action against this abhorrent behavior.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Please rewrite the following sentence: “The cat chased the mouse around the house.”
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