College Shooting Exposes Reality

by Shujaat Wasty ( shuj@b2b2c.ca )

Montreal September 14, 2006: As the shooting at Dawson College on September 13, 2006 in Montreal was happening, I was anxiously thinking about the safety of the students – particularly that of my cousin – and cringing, waiting for a description of the gunmen. Such is the state of Muslims nowadays that any time there is a criminal attack, they wait with great fear, hoping and praying that the criminal may not be someone of Muslim background. After all, the general pattern dictates that the only time faith of a criminal is associated with him is if he is a Muslim, with subsequent reprisals on the community at large.

In this specific incident, the confirmed perpetrator of the attack turned out to be a Caucasian male, though it is yet unclear whether there were accomplices. While we offer prayers and condolences to those affected by the shooting, either directly or indirectly, and hope that they will be able to get through this difficult time, let us, for a moment, paint a hypothetical situation: what if the shooters had been Arabs or Muslim?

Headlines across North America would have immediately declared this incident as a terrorist attack, thus prompting media outlets across the world to follow suit. Prime Minister Stephen Harper would come on TV with the same smug face he wore after the 17 arrests in Ontario in June [1], preaching the virtues of being Bush’s apprentice and rallying Canadians to embark wholeheartedly on the Neo-Con Crusade. Condoleezza Rice would also have flashed a gap-toothed smile on TV networks, reiterating Neo-Con philosophy with increased gusto. Perhaps the Dark Lord, Dubya himself, would have expressed some words with the very eloquence that has made him famous.[2]

Islamophobes would crawl out of the woodworks in droves, advocating profiling and harassment of anyone who "looks Muslim". The mainstream media would feature all kinds of so-called experts spewing venomous right-wing rhetoric. Islam would be attacked as a vicious, violent religion. Public support for the Canadian military mission in Afghanistan, which is extremely low currently, would potentially rise – not for particular support of the mission but more for "vengeance". Muslim groups would come out, tirelessly condemning the attacks, yet they would still be hounded by many for “not doing anything”. They would face a backlash in the form of mosque vandalism, hate and maybe even physical assault.

If the suspected killers would have been apprehended, they would be carted off to jail without due process, since the democratic principle of being innocent until proven guilty is scrapped when dealing with alleged terrorists under anti-terrorism laws – even if there is a lack of evidence substantiating this charge. They would remain imprisoned while the mainstream media would conduct character assassination of the suspects, more often than not by picking out attention-seeking members of the Muslim community, who would zealously paint the criminals as "fundamentalists". The entire circus would continue, and if any alleged killer happened to be found innocent, there would barely be any news coverage about his not being guilty. Those found innocent would find themselves marginalized in society at large and under constant suspicion.

But not to worry; the reality is that the shooter was not Muslim, so he remains a criminal whose faith will not be associated with his actions, whose ethnic background and beliefs will have nothing to do with his crime. If any other accomplices are caught, they will be given a fair trial and all of the other rights guaranteed by the Canadian constitution. People will see them as any other criminal – as psychotic individuals who represent no one but themselves.

Most of all, despite the students and their families being terrorized by the attack, Montreal police have already ruled out the crime being associated with terrorism [3], thus reinforcing the negative stereotype that terrorism is only when a criminal act involves Arabs or Muslims. This is the same mindset that is hardly reluctant in labeling criminal acts by any Arab or Muslim as terrorism, yet refuses to acknowledge the numerous acts of terrorism committed around the world by non-Muslims, as terrorism – despite the latter being in far greater number than the former.

As my thoughts go out to those affected by this tragedy, the fact is that whether we admit it or not, racism is deeply-rooted in society today in the vile – and, to an extent, accepted – form of Islamophobia. The horrifying attack on the students of Dawson College has contributed in exposing this harsh reality.

Shujaat Wasty is a member of CERAS (South Asian Centre)

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[1] O Canada! We Stand on Guard For Thee. June 9, 2006. http://www.montrealmuslimnews.net/ocanada.htm  

OR IN FRENCH:

Ô Canada ! Protégera nos foyers et nos droits. http://www.cyberpresse.ca/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060612/CPOPINIONS/60612112/5290/CPOPINIONS  

[2] Bushisms. http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/blbushisms.htm  

[3] Shooting at Montreal school. Sept 13, 2006. http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/09/13/1834543-cp.html