Canadian Muslims condemn ISIS video calling for terror attacks

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A Canadian Muslim organization is rejecting the latest ISIS video and its message featuring former University of Ottawa student John Maguire, also known as Abu Anwar Al-Canadi.

In response, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Canada has launched a national de-radicalization campaign opposing ISIS called Stop the Crisis.

Safwan Choudhary with the group says ISIS is recruiting frustrated and restless people from all over the world, ready to give their lives for an unjust cause.

He says the activities of ISIS and groups like it are entirely un-Islamic. “Citing that Canada is at war with Islam so it’s important for all Muslims to fight back which is absolutely not the case. To make it religious to have Canadian Muslim to turn on Canada is just an obnoxious idea.”

He adds it’s unfortunate that Canadian citizen John Maguire has been radicalized and fallen prey to the extremist ideology of ISIS. “When you see some of these converts, especially Caucasian converts who have recently converted, who for sure don’t know Arabic and they just read text and literature that they are given. If they have never read the Koran in its actual language, don’t be misguided by somebody who is polished in front of a camera reading a script and posing to be somebody that Islam just isn’t.”

“It is very very misleading and frankly any Muslim in Canada who was born and raised Muslim and understands the basics of Islam would almost find that video comical because of how misleading, out of context and you know propaganda style it was, which is almost starting to become a trademark of a lot of these ISIS videos so hence we felt it was necessary to not only address the video but request Canadians to look at the Muslims they know in their neighbourhood, look at the Muslims they go to school with or work with and they will immediately realize that these [terrorist organizations] are not the Muslims that live next door, or that [you] work with or go to school with,” he explains.

“You start to realize and see a pattern that [these are] very specific, scripted videos where the individual comes on and tries to relate to [to people] and says hey I am a hockey playing Canadian who plays the guitar and this is what I believe all of a sudden. We felt it was important as Muslims that we raise our voice to address this issue.”

The aim of the Stop the Crisis campaign is to confront radicalization head-on, identify the symptoms and present preventative measures.

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