Islamophobic terrorism

The decision of a Canadian judge to convict a white nationalist on terrorism charges for the killing of four Muslims in 2021 is a reminder of how a nation of laws should operate. White nationalist ideology and terrorism is on the rise in several countries, and opportunistic politicians in several countries have been quick to attach themselves to these groups. Canada, however, is an outlier. Although it has also seen a rise in white nationalist chatter, Canada has unusually large foreign-born and non-white populations. This provides a bulwark against the rise of any Trumpesque leaders, but it also provides a large target pool for those with violent inclinations.
The white nationalist who used his pickup truck to run over and kill four Pakistani-origin Muslims — a married couple, their daughter, and the man’s mother — intended for his actions to scare Muslims into leaving the country. But despite the heinous nature of the crime, Canadians came together to support the Muslim community and the surviving victim — the couple’s son, then just 9, was seriously injured in the attack but has since physically recovered. To their credit, the judge and jury also did not let the terrorist hide behind a mental health defence, and ensured that the killer will spend at least 25 years in jail before becoming eligible for parole — the maximum time allowable. The judge also described the case as “a textbook example of terrorist motive and intent”.
We must also credit the Canadian government for not trying to gloss over Islamophobia. A government statement noted that “incidents of Islamophobia have been on the rise. Canada has had the highest number of targeted deadly attacks against Muslims of any G7 country”. At the same time, the government assured that “targeted, heinous, and hate-motivated attacks like this one are acts of terrorism, and perpetrators will and must face the full extent of the law”. While responsible governments must try to nip xenophobia and bigotry in the bud, it is also important to assure victims, as Canada has done, that justice will be forthcoming.