A security expert says Canada needs to go beyond screening for terrorists landing on our shores and consider the religious beliefs of some prospective immigrants.
Scott Newark says Canada should be concerned about “Islamist” immigrants.
Newark served as executive officer of the Canadian Police Association and also worked as a security and policy advisor to both the Ontario and federal Ministers of Public Safety.
“We need to think hard about what I would call ‘Islamism’, the political Islam that has absolutely no interest whatsoever in integration, that is intolerant and unyielding and absolutely committed to eradicating Western values,” he said in an interview.
Newark, unsurprisingly, is a fan of Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, who has made significant changes to the immigration system to keep more undesirables out.
“We’re bringing in biometric visas on January 2nd and information sharing with the U.S. so that we can screen out the people who represent a security threat,” Kenney recently told reporters.
Dr. Salim Mansur, a political science professor at London’s Western University, wants Kenney to go a step further and introduce a moratorium on immigration from Muslim nations.
“This is not racist,” Mansur said, referring to Newark’s comments. “Their values, ideologies, politics and culture is completely incompatible with the values of Canada as a liberal democracy.”
See also “Kenney says screening immigrants for ‘Islamism’ not part of plan”, QMI, 19 December 2012