Pipe bomb found in Brampton church, wow!

[cheapmeister]

A Peel police explosives unit is destroying a device that looks like a pipe bomb, found at a Catholic church in Brampton Tuesday morning.

Fire and police responded after an alarm went off at St. Jerome's Church, on Chinguacousy Rd., north of Steeles Ave. The road had been closed, but prior to noon it was reopened after the device was taken away by an explosives unit. The device was destroyed at a closed pit in Caledon, but it will take about a day to determine if it was a pipe bomb or a fake.

Const. Erin Cooper said the device could be a fake. “It will be exploded. After it's destroyed they will determine what it is.”

The device, described as looking like a pipe bomb, may already have gone off, as smoke was inside the church, setting of alarms. The emergency sprinkler system and a church custodian contained whatever was causing the smoke until fire crews arrived around 9 a.m. When what looked like a pipe bomb was found, the area was cleared and the bomb squad called in.

Cooper says the incident is being linked to another fire that started about an hour earlier at a nearby development site. Three townhouses under construction at 95 Presidents Choice Circle, near Mississauga Rd. and Steeles Ave. were significantly damaged.

“We can't confirm that they're connected, but we're treating them like they are,” Cooper said.

The area, in the western part of Brampton, is undergoing intense development, with numerous construction projects in a 10-kilometre radius of both incidents. The church, however, has been there for more than a decade.

The church custodian who discovered the device was treated for smoke inhalation.

Cooper said it's unclear if the device already went off or if it's a fake.

“Either way, it will be destroyed.”

http://i.thestar.com/images/ca/27/ce140c0f41ada75bc83ec40db1e1.jpg

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1202124--suspicious-device-found-in-brampton-church-fire?bn=1

Now I have driven this road many times and yes the whole west side of Brampton is being developed for some reason? Anyway, why bomb the church? What good will that do? Are they satan worshipers? Are the developers bombing this church or is it the opposition to the development that is doing this type of mischief? BTW why don't they build something intersting there, instead of making it the largest suburb in Canada? thx.

[D-Roc]

Pfffffttt. That is nothing compared to the foot found in the PC office in Ottawa. (no I am not wanting to talk politics FTR)

[kingrukus]

Yikes. Very close to my folk's house.

[rsasp]

Pfffffttt. That is nothing compared to the foot found in the PC office in Ottawa. (no I am not wanting to talk politics FTR)

+1

Receiving a human body part(s) is.............(you fill the rest)

[mech9t5]

i kinda hated that church cause when I drive by there, the cars are parked everywhere (side of road, on grass, etc.) and blocking traffic.

church people think they own the neighborhood. annoying. why can't they park in LEGAL spots and then WALK to the damn church? In that area in BRAMPTON, there are a ton of spots they can park in the residential streets. But no, they are too lazy. When I'm downtown toronto, I don't park on the side walk/boulevard to be closer to the restaurant I'm going to. I find LEGAL spots to park at and WALK the rest of the way.

my aunt used to live across from a church and they even had the balls to park in her driveway. we called to tow the car. the guy came out as the tow truck came and started getting all angry.

[UrbanPoet]

i kinda hated that church cause when I drive by there, the cars are parked everywhere (side of road, on grass, etc.) and blocking traffic.

church people think they own the neighborhood. annoying. why can't they park in LEGAL spots and then WALK to the damn church? In that area in BRAMPTON, there are a ton of spots they can park in the residential streets. But no, they are too lazy. When I'm downtown toronto, I don't park on the side walk/boulevard to be closer to the restaurant I'm going to. I find LEGAL spots to park at and WALK the rest of the way. my aunt used to live across from a church and they even had the balls to park in her driveway. we called to tow the car. the guy came out as the tow truck came and started getting all angry.

Well... Thats because you'll get a ticket once you turn your back for 5-10 minutes. :lol:

[kennyhohoho]

i kinda hated that church cause when I drive by there, the cars are parked everywhere (side of road, on grass, etc.) and blocking traffic.

church people think they own the neighborhood. annoying. why can't they park in LEGAL spots and then WALK to the damn church? In that area in BRAMPTON, there are a ton of spots they can park in the residential streets. But no, they are too lazy. When I'm downtown toronto, I don't park on the side walk/boulevard to be closer to the restaurant I'm going to. I find LEGAL spots to park at and WALK the rest of the way.

my aunt used to live across from a church and they even had the balls to park in her driveway. we called to tow the car. the guy came out as the tow truck came and started getting all angry.

How very un-Christian of him. You should've told him not to take something that wasn't his (your aunt's parking space) without paying.

Thou shall not steal. :lol:

[Supercooled]

i kinda hated that church cause when I drive by there, the cars are parked everywhere (side of road, on grass, etc.) and blocking traffic.

church people think they own the neighborhood. annoying. why can't they park in LEGAL spots and then WALK to the damn church? In that area in BRAMPTON, there are a ton of spots they can park in the residential streets. But no, they are too lazy. When I'm downtown toronto, I don't park on the side walk/boulevard to be closer to the restaurant I'm going to. I find LEGAL spots to park at and WALK the rest of the way.

my aunt used to live across from a church and they even had the balls to park in her driveway. we called to tow the car. the guy came out as the tow truck came and started getting all angry.

We found the suspect.

[WildWolf]

Church people think they are better then everyone. They are usually nasty pricks, I've said to one, you don't go to the church of god, you go to the church of satan.

[Hitman21]

This attack was payback for the Catholic school board taking a stand against the GSA's since it happened on the same day.

[nagasadow]

Guess someone wanted to celebrate something with a bang. New wedding gift?

[cheapmeister]

Church people think they are better then everyone. They are usually nasty pricks, I've said to one, you don't go to the church of god, you go to the church of satan.

You really said that, wow! You got some balls!

[Hitman21]

Church people think they are better then everyone. They are usually nasty pricks, I've said to one, you don't go to the church of god, you go to the church of satan.

Wow! real tough guy here, how about you say the same thing about other religious institutions?

[WildWolf]

Wow! real tough guy here, how about you say the same thing about other religious institutions?

Strictly talking about Christians. No spinning !

[Hitman21]

Strictly talking about Christians. No spinning !


What I meant to say was why your only going after Christians and not other religions, double standard?

[WildWolf]

What I meant to say was why your only going after Christians and not other religions, double standard?

Why do I have to go after other religions ? I know muslims, they have common sense. I've never had a muslim tell me crap like Christians have, in fact the opposite.

[Simaahoy]

What I meant to say was why your only going after Christians and not other religions, double standard?

:)

[feelthedeal]

Church people think they are better then everyone. They are usually nasty pricks, I've said to one, you don't go to the church of god, you go to the church of satan.

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120404161726/walkingdead/images/thumb/9/9b/Watch-out-we-got-a-badass-over-here-meme.png/620px-Watch-out-we-got-a-badass-over-here-meme.png

[Xpwmata]

Why do I have to go after other religions ? I know muslims, they have common sense. I've never had a muslim tell me crap like Christians have, in fact the opposite.
:lol::lol::lol:

[chriskanaan]

Did you see, recently terrorists, most likely from the Mississauga Mujahideen Society fire bombed a Coptic Church in Brampton.

I really hope they catch these... err, terrorists so we can charge with arson as well as treason (inshallah).

We, the Canadian people have had enough.

Time to charge that entire terrorist Khadr family with high treason and launch a special OP against Qaida boys in the GTA.

These jihadists here in Canada think they are still back home in Egypt, where you can blow up a Coptic church (with people inside) and get away/receive a medal.


Police investigating Brampton church blaze
Published on Saturday October 27, 2012


Peel Regional Police are investigating after an incendiary device was thrown through a window of a newly built Brampton church at around 4 a.m. Friday, causing a fire that damaged its furniture, walls and floors.

The Brampton Fire Department arrived on scene at The Coptic Orthodox Christian Church of Archangel Michael and St. Tekla and determined the fire was caused by a Molotov cocktail thrown through a basement window.

The two-storey church, which cost around $7 million to build, was opened to the public on Oct. 17. Damage is estimated at around $100,000.

“The physical damage wasn’t that much but the smoke damage was pretty severe,” said Alber Hanna, a member of the church’s board of directors. “The smoke permeated throughout the whole church, including the ground floor, second floor and the sanctuary.”

“We exceedingly thank God for his love and mercy that he saved his church from such a terrible deed,” said Father Morcos Hanna, who called the incident “a careless and cowardly act of vandalism.”

“We pray that the police may find those who caused or are behind this so that we get proper closure,” he said.

Peel police’s Explosive Disposal Unit has assessed the scene and investigations are currently underway. Police are also reviewing security camera footage.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1278654--police-investigating-brampton-church-blaze

[flashy_mcflash]

Not a word in that article or anywhere about the Mississauga Mujahideen Society, wingnut.

[chriskanaan]

Not a word in that article or anywhere about the Mississauga Mujahideen Society, wingnut.

Nope, because we live in a society of political correctness; the Toronto Star is notorious for that.

Well there is likely not a society by that name, there are groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir and even Al Qaida (Khadr + his friends) operatives who are known to work in the GTA.

Let's hope the security cameras reveal some sloppy mujahideen work and they are arrested and put on trial.

Just as local this Canadian-Coptic Egyptian man who lives in Toronto and has fears of being beheaded by fanatics after receiving threats:

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1260855--egypt-s-accusations-have-gta-coptic-christian-fearing-for-his-life

Egypt’s accusations have GTA Coptic Christian fearing for his life
Published on Friday September 21, 2012


Nader Fawzy has been living in fear this week, anxious on the streets of his Scarborough neighbourhood, cautious driving his car, vigilant even in the lobby of his highrise.

For the past several days, Fawzy hasn’t left his small apartment.

“Someone could come at me anywhere, maybe in my building, maybe in the car garage,” he said.

Fawzy, an unemployed single father who lives with his three children, learned this week that the Egyptian government holds him partly responsible for the sacrilegious video lampooning Islam’s Prophet Muhammad that has stoked violence throughout the Muslim world.

Egypt’s prosecutor general has included Fawzy and fellow Egyptian-born Canadian Jacques Attalla on a list of people he says were involved with the film’s production, promotion and distribution.

Fawzy, 52, and Attalla, a Montreal resident who said he is in his late 50s, said in interviews that they had nothing to do with the video.

The 14-minute trailer, called Innocence of Muslims, met with violent protests last week after a version dubbed in Arabic was posted on YouTube. Produced and directed in California, the video depicts the Prophet Muhammad as a fraud and womanizer.

The man behind the film is Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, who U.S. authorities believe used the alias Sam Bacile. Nakoula has been forced into hiding since the trailer began drawing attention.

The video has sparked outrage and violence in many countries including Libya, where U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others were killed in an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi on Sept. 11.

Fawzy and Attalla said the government in Cairo has targeted them to settle political scores because they both are Coptic Christian activists. They say they have spent years fighting to promote the rights of Egypt’s eight million Coptic Christians, who make up about 10 per cent of country’s population and are viewed as enemies of the state by conservative Islamists.

At least five other Copts, primarily based in the U.S., have been identified on the list.

Worse than the Egyptian government’s anger, Fawzy and Attalla have also drawn the wrath of prominent imams in Egypt who have issued fatwas on both of them, urging Muslims anywhere in the world to behead them.

Fatwas, or religious edicts, are typically issued by religious scholars based on the Qur’an and the teachings of Muhammad. They can be as trivial as a Saudi fatwa against Pokemon game cards or as serious as the death sentence issued against author Salman Rushdie in 1989.

Fawzy said his Member of Parliament, Liberal Jim Karygiannis, has promised to help him secure police protection.

“Of course, there is much reason to be worried and afraid. I’m not so much worried for myself as I am for my children,” Fawzy said. “I chose this life, they did not.

“We know I am a target and we know that these people are not afraid to do beheadings, even in a place like Toronto,” he said. “Look what happened in Holland with the filmmaker.”

In November 2004, filmmaker Theo van Gogh, a critic of radical Islam, was shot and had his throat slit on an Amsterdam street by a Moroccan-born Dutch citizen who called him an enemy of Islam.

Fawzy said the Egyptian government is angry with him for several reasons. In 2007, he filed a lawsuit against then-president Hosni Mubarak on behalf of the families of 22 Coptic Christian activists who died in police custody. That lawsuit remains active, even though Mubarak was ousted last year during the Arab Spring uprising.

Fawzy also left his opponents in Egypt seething the same year after he published a book called The Persecutions, a history of Coptic Christianity. He said he has shipped more than 10,000 copies for free to readers around the world, including those in Egypt, where his book is banned.

“My friends called me from Egypt on Tuesday to tell me the news of the fatwa and I thought, ‘What have I done now?’ ” Fawzy said. “I’m not surprised that they want me arrested, but I’m shocked they say I had anything to do with this video.

“I have nothing against Islam and would not have made a video like this, but I’m still in favour of free speech and I really don’t understand the huge response to something so small.”

Attalla said Islamic conservatives are angry with him because he hosts a weekly TV show via Skype from his Montreal home, called Updating the News in Egypt. The show, which is in Arabic and broadcast over a satellite TV channel called Coptic TV, is available on the Internet and via satellite.

“I tell people the real news about their country that they do not get even after Mubarak because the news media in Egypt is still censored,” Attalla said.

Attalla also said he was mentioned in an email that someone using the “Sam Bacile” alias sent to the Egyptian government about the video.

“He talked about Coptic Christians and mentioned our group, the Middle Eastern Christian Association, without our permission,” Attalla said.

Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird refused to discuss the case Friday.

“We don’t talk about these issues publicly,” he said. “We’ll certainly work privately on that issue.”

In a letter sent to Baird earlier Friday, Karygiannis wrote: “Canada must ask the Egyptian government for the evidence that caused these Canadians names to be placed on the list and, if the evidence is found to be insufficient, the Canadian government must demand that Fawzy’s and Attalla’s names be immediately removed from the list.”

With files from Richard J. Brennan

[ever1221]

This attack was payback for the Catholic school board taking a stand against the GSA's since it happened on the same day.

I question the location of your brain...thats ofcourse if you have one.

[ever1221]

Did you see, recently terrorists, most likely from the Mississauga Mujahideen Society fire bombed a Coptic Church in Brampton.

I really hope they catch these... err, terrorists so we can charge with arson as well as treason (inshallah).

We, the Canadian people have had enough.

Time to charge that entire terrorist Khadr family with high treason and launch a special OP against Qaida boys in the GTA.

These jihadists here in Canada think they are still back home in Egypt, where you can blow up a Coptic church (with people inside) and get away/receive a medal.


going by your logic, the us should charge the family of that guy who went into a seikh temple and killed 16 people in the US.

[roadrunner17]

going by your logic, the us should charge the family of that guy who went into a SIKH temple and killed 16 people in the US.

Fixed

[Piro21]

So how do they know it's an explosive? All I see in that article is the same "this looks remotely suspicious! Get the entire police force in here RIGHT NOW!" hysteria the Toronto cops pulled when they found that 'suspicious package' on the subway a couple weeks back. Is it too much to ask that they confirm it's an actual bomb before putting "BOMB FOUND IN CHURCH" in the paper?

[flashy_mcflash]

So how do they know it's an explosive? All I see in that article is the same "this looks remotely suspicious! Get the entire police force in here RIGHT NOW!" hysteria the Toronto cops pulled when they found that 'suspicious package' on the subway a couple weeks back. Is it too much to ask that they confirm it's an actual bomb before putting "BOMB FOUND IN CHURCH" in the paper?

Am I missing something? I don't see where they mention a bomb anywhere. chriskanaan says 'firebomb' which is the technical term for an incindiary device (i.e a molotov cocktail) being thrown into a building.

They did send in the explosive squad but that's standard protocol. Also, a molotov cocktail (if that's indeed what it was) is technically an explosive.

[ever1221]

Am I missing something? I don't see where they mention a bomb anywhere. chriskanaan says 'firebomb' which is the technical term for an incindiary device (i.e a molotov cocktail) being thrown into a building.

They did send in the explosive squad but that's standard protocol. Also, a molotov cocktail (if that's indeed what it was) is technically an explosive.


I think hitman and chriskanaan are bomb experts, maybe they can elaborate...since they are sure its a bomb.

[Piro21]

Am I missing something? I don't see where they mention a bomb anywhere. chriskanaan says 'firebomb' which is the technical term for an incindiary device (i.e a molotov cocktail) being thrown into a building.

They did send in the explosive squad but that's standard protocol. Also, a molotov cocktail (if that's indeed what it was) is technically an explosive.

It's just written in a very alarmist manner. Flour is technically an explosive, too, but using such a loose definition of the word doesn't really do anyone any good.

[flashy_mcflash]

It's just written in a very alarmist manner. Flour is technically an explosive, too, but using such a loose definition of the word doesn't really do anyone any good.

I am 99.9% sure they would not use 'explosive device' or 'firebomb' or anything like that if the object they threw in wasn't on fire.

[chriskanaan]

Am I missing something? I don't see where they mention a bomb anywhere. chriskanaan says 'firebomb' which is the technical term for an incindiary device (i.e a molotov cocktail) being thrown into a building.

They did send in the explosive squad but that's standard protocol. Also, a molotov cocktail (if that's indeed what it was) is technically an explosive.

I revived an old thread, as there was another attack against a Church in Brampton this week.

It was confirmed to be an incendiary device; which was confirmed to be a Molotov cocktail.

Over $100,000 worth of damage.

The Coptic community is always under siege and faces threats from Islamists.

Well we do not know for sure if it were Islamists or not, my probable reason to suspect them is very justified considering their track record, especially against the Copts. Many death threats and even fatwas (religious rulings by Islamic clerics) have been issued against them. Last year in Egypt, Islamists blew up their church while they were inside celebrating Christmas. Just over a year ago, they were massacred in droves by the Egyptian Army while they were subsequently protesting a church bombing. The violence against them is ongoing, there is a genocide campaign against them. The Islamist is not happy to see new Coptic churches being built, certainly not ones that cost 10,000,000...

[flashy_mcflash]

I revived an old thread, as there was another attack against a Church in Brampton this week.

It was confirmed to be an incendiary device; which was confirmed to be a Molotov cocktail.

Over $100,000 worth of damage.

The Coptic community is always under siege and faces threats from Islamists.

Well we do not know for sure if it were Islamists or not, my probably reason to suspect them is very justified considering their track record, especially against the Copts. Many death threats and even fatwas (religious rulings by Islamic clerics) have been issued against them. Last year in Egypt, Islamists blew up their church while they were inside celebrating Christmas. Just over a year ago, they were massacred in droves by the Egyptian Army while they were subsequently protesting a church bombing. The violence against them is ongoing, there is a genocide campaign against them. The Islamist is not happy to see new Coptic churches being built, certainly not ones that cost 10,000,000...

Nonsense. You're just speculating and you've already shown your bias by bringing up Omar Khadr. Stop being ridiculous and try to work with facts. It could just as easily been a bunch of kids as your phantom jihadist. I bet you see them behind every bush.

Oh, and also?


We, the Canadian people have had enough.

Quit that mess right now. I'm at least as Canadian as you are and you don't speak for me.

[Piro21]

I revived an old thread, as there was another attack against a Church in Brampton this week.

It was confirmed to be an incendiary device; which was confirmed to be a Molotov cocktail.

Over $100,000 worth of damage.

The Coptic community is always under siege and faces threats from Islamists.

Well we do not know for sure if it were Islamists or not, my probable reason to suspect them is very justified considering their track record, especially against the Copts. Many death threats and even fatwas (religious rulings by Islamic clerics) have been issued against them. Last year in Egypt, Islamists blew up their church while they were inside celebrating Christmas. Just over a year ago, they were massacred in droves by the Egyptian Army while they were subsequently protesting a church bombing. The violence against them is ongoing, there is a genocide campaign against them. The Islamist is not happy to see new Coptic churches being built, certainly not ones that cost 10,000,000...

So if it turns out to be a white guy like the dude that shot up that Sikh temple in the US then... what? Muslim mind control? I don't see how this article in any way justifies your "IT HAS TO BE THEM DAMN MOOSE LIMBS! I KNOW IT!" posts. I'm actually kinda surprised the mods have still left them here, actually.

[chriskanaan]

Nonsense. You're just speculating and you've already shown your bias by bringing up Omar Khadr. Stop being ridiculous and try to work with facts.

Oh, and also?



Quit that mess right now. I'm at least as Canadian as you are and you don't speak for me.

How did I show bias?

You have not had enough? You like it, you mean?

Hey, I support bringing back Khadr but I also support putting his family on trial for treason.

[chriskanaan]

So if it turns out to be a white guy like the dude that shot up that Sikh temple in the US then... what? Muslim mind control? I don't see how this article in any way justifies your "IT HAS TO BE THEM DAMN MOOSE LIMBS! I KNOW IT!" posts. I'm actually kinda surprised the mods have still left them here, actually.

I speculated that it was an Islamist due to their history of targeting the Coptic community.

[Piro21]

I speculated that it was an Islamist due to their history of targeting the Coptic community.

With the evidence we have you may as well have speculated it being Satan, lord of the underworld. His history of targeting you guys is longer, after all.

[Piro21]

********************

So you're basically going to twist everything anyone says into hate speech against muslims then, eh?

[chriskanaan]

So you're basically going to twist everything anyone says into hate speech against muslims then, eh?

I said I believe it was Islamists due to their long proven track record of targeting the Coptic community.

You should probably refrain from commenting when you have little to no idea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Copts) about what you are discussing.

[Rehan]

***************

Discussing a news story is one thing. Throwing around accusations and attacking other groups is something altogether. Quit the trolling.

Ikhwan = brothers, for those that don't know Arabic.
al-Ikhwan is the nickname of the Muslim Brotherhood, which chriskanaan obviously hates.

[chriskanaan]

Discussing a news story is one thing. Throwing around accusations and attacking other groups is something altogether. Quit the trolling.

Ikhwan = brothers, for those that don't know Arabic.
al-Ikhwan is the nickname of the Muslim Brotherhood, which chriskanaan obviously hates.

That's right. The Muslim Brotherhood has been targeting the Coptic Christians of Egypt for many years.

[Rehan]

That's right. The Muslim Brotherhood has been targeting the Coptic Christians of Egypt for many years. And you seem to stoop to pretty much their level in your behavior. Good job! :facepalm:

[Heero01]

That's right. The Muslim Brotherhood has been targeting the Coptic Christians of Egypt for many years.

lol... isthisreallife.jpg?

TF hat time guys! Anything that happens - it was the Muslims!

Just stop posting, you are giving coptics a bad name.

[chriskanaan]

lol... isthisreallife.jpg?

TF hat time guys! Anything that happens - it was the Muslims!

Just stop posting, you are giving coptics a bad name.

Learn the difference between Muslim and Islamist.

[chriskanaan]

And you seem to stoop to pretty much their level in your behavior. Good job! :facepalm:

Oh yeah, how?

I posted a story about how a Toronto Coptic man has a fatwa on his head and lives in fear of being beheaded.

I noted I believe it was local Islamists who targeted the Coptic church in Brampton.

I provided a brief insight as to why I believe this. Another strong possibility the Copts were attacked here in Toronto is that they have been accused of making the Innocence of Muslims film which was the subject of worldwide 'protests'.

Instead of throwing out gibberish to make yourself feel smart, or simply for the sake of posting, use your head... for God sakes. As I said, let's wait to see what the security tapes reveal and for the police to conclude their investigation. Let's hope the perpetrators are caught. Such incidents have no place in Canada and they will face justice, unlike back in Egypt where Copts make a tasty Happy Meal. Goodnight.

[Piro21]

I said I believe it was Islamists due to their long proven track record of targeting the Coptic community.

You should probably refrain from commenting when you have little to no idea (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Copts) about what you are discussing.

You should probably refrain from tossing out racist comments based on some regional dispute from halfway around the world. It bears as much relevance here as the dispute between Thailand and Cambodia.

[chriskanaan]

You should probably refrain from tossing out racist comments based on some regional dispute from halfway around the world. It bears as much relevance here as the dispute between Thailand and Cambodia.

Which racist comments are those...

The regional dispute is a religious war for these people.

Learn the history of the Coptic people and the security situation they face.

Canadian Security Intelligence has stated that Copts must be vigiliant all across our country, as the radicals in Egypt will send hitmen to deal with them here. Even in the United States and Europe they have been the target of terrorism based on fatwas issued back in Egypt.

It is not a joke.

[chriskanaan]

Last post! As I said, the situation facing the Coptic Community here is NOT a joke.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/910167--al-qaeda-affiliated-website-targets-arab-christians-in-canada

Al Qaeda-affiliated website targets Arab Christians in Canada

Al Qaeda-affiliated website targets Arab Christians in Canada
Published on Tuesday December 21, 2010
Share on twitter Share on facebook
Marten Youssef
The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER—More than 100 Canadian-Arab Christians are listed on an Al Qaeda affiliated website, apparently targeted because of their alleged role in attempting to convert Muslims.

Some of those named say concerned Canadian intelligence officials have contacted them.

The Shumukh-al-Islam website, often considered to be Al Qaeda's mouthpiece, listed pictures, addresses and cellphone numbers of Coptic Christians, predominantly Egyptian-Canadians, who have been vocal about their opposition to Islam.

In a forum on the website, one member named Son of a Sharp Sword, says "We are going to return back to Islam and all of the Mujahedeen (holy warriors) will cut off their heads."

Three pages of the fundamentalist, Arabic-language website titled "Complete information on Coptics" sets to "identify and name all of the Coptics throughout the world who hope to defame Islam," The website calls the Coptic Christians living abroad "dogs in diaspora," a derogatory reference in Arabic.

Among those named on the Shumukh-al-Islam website is Samuel Tawadrous, a Coptic Egyptian living in Quebec.

"This is a direct threat against our lives," Tawadrous said in an interview.

"They are trying to inform each other in hopes that someone can carry out this threat. They could be in Egypt and they could be here. Our names and our pictures are listed."

Tawadrous's picture and cellphone number were listed on the site.

One of the prominent figures listed on the website is Salim Naguib, who helped establish a Coptic organization in Canada. Naguib is described on the website as opposing Islamic Shariah and converting Muslims to Christianity. His picture, career background and cellphone number are listed on the website.

But he said in an interview he won't be frightened.

"I only fear God," said Naguib when reached by phone. "These websites mean nothing any more."

Coptic Christians are predominantly a part of the Orthodox Church. Coptics are synonymous with Egypt and make up the largest Christian community in the Middle East.

Sherif Mansour said he found out he was named on the website when intelligence officials called him.

"They asked me, 'are you afraid?' I said 'Should I be?'" said Mansour, who has run a business in Quebec for the past 22 years since emigrating from Egypt.

Mansour laughed at the threat, but said he recognizes the seriousness of the matter.

"These issues can't be taken lightly anymore...If they (Muslim fanatics) had the guts to fly a couple of planes into buildings and killing thousands of people, what would be the big deal with just one person? Nothing. Am I afraid of it? No, not really," said Mansour who is an active member of the Coptic church in Canada.

Mansour believes he is being targeted because of comments he made in an interview on CTV news where he was discussing the media's coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian war.

Mansour said the fact that his picture, cellphone number and comments are displayed on the Shumukh-al-Islam website is an indication that fanatics are keeping a close eye on what happens in Canada.

Shumukh-al-Islam lists more than 200 Arab Christians in Egypt, Europe and North America. More than 100 of them are listed as being in Canada.

According to two of the Coptic men listed on the website, Canadian officials from the RCMP and CSIS met with representatives from the Canadian Coptic Organization in October.

The two men, who asked not to be identified because they were asked not to discuss these details with the media, said the meeting was regarding security issues.

"They (CSIS and the RCMP) are concerned about what is happening," one of the men said.

"We have nothing to worry about. It's the Coptics in Egypt, whose names and numbers are listed, that have to fear," the other said.

A spokesman for CSIS was not immediately available for comment.

The struggle between the Coptic Christians and the Egyptian government has intensified in recent years over what they say are efforts by the government to curtail their religious freedoms.

While the existence of such websites is often criticized even by free speech activists, one security expert said they are a treasure trove of intelligence.

Michel Juneau-Katsuya, a former senior intelligence officer with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, said law enforcement officials are permanently monitoring radical websites like Shumukh Al Islam.

"They are watching 24/7 what is added, who is speaking to who, blogs and other forums," he said.

Intelligence agencies around the world are able to extract information on who is visiting such sites.

"In the world of intelligence there are various ways to conduct your business and stopping these (websites) is not always the right thing to do," Juneau-Katsuya said.

He said there isn't much concern that such websites turn moderate Muslims into radicals — the ones that visit are already radicals and use such websites only for communication.

For an organization that once opposed computers and technology, Al Qaeda has now converted to embracing the Internet wholeheartedly, Juneau-Katsuya said.

"The vast majority of people in the world don't go to these websites but the extremists do," Juneau-Katsuya said.

The problem is, he said, if threats turn to action.

"Potentially...they take matters into their own hands."

[Pro]

Pfffffttt. That is nothing compared to the foot found in the PC office in Ottawa. (no I am not wanting to talk politics FTR)

I would rather find a foot instead of a bomb. Wouldn't you be worried it could blow up in your face!?!


+1

Receiving a human body part(s) is.............(you fill the rest)

It is nasty and shocking but it isn't something that could hurt you (physically).

[Rehan]

Oh yeah, how? I'm saddened to see your community attacked. People of the same mentality have been killing far more of my Muslim brothers overseas than they have the Copts. But it's pointless to throw around accusations or call other Satanists; it just breeds further animosity and fuels the fire. Let the police do their investigation before you go around railing against others.

[Heero01]

Why have mods not closed/locked this thread?

[Needinghelp]

Learn the difference between Muslim and Islamist.

"Islamist" isn't even a real term and if it means anything, it means someone practicing Islam, which is a GOOD THING. Unfortunately, the supposed meaning of this term has been butchered by right-winged, biased western propaganda like Fox News that look to demonize Islam as a whole. The people who you describe are EXTREMISTS, and have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH ISLAM, as Islamic teachings actually GO AGAINST & CONTRADICT most of the actions that these extremists commit, which are considered grave sins within Islam. Therefore, the word "Islam" within "Islamist" shouldn't even be used at all. The correct term are extremists, and thus their actions have absolutely nothing to do with the teachings and actions of the beautiful religion of Islam.

And you appear to be a parrot and a puppet of the biased propaganda war machine of the west, mimicking what your right-winged slave masters like Mitt Romney and Steven Harper convey... We can all see through your pathetic attempt at being an EXTREMIST evangelist. Now shut the hell up.