GOLDSTEIN: War in Iran threatens safety of Canadians at home
· Toronto Sun
The greatest threat to Canadians emerging from the war in Iran is domestic terrorism.
While all Canadians are vulnerable given that Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of global terrorism, two groups are the most vulnerable.
Visit milkshakeslot.com for more information.
They are Canadians of Iranian origin who oppose the Islamist dictatorship in Iran, and Jews.
Attacks on both groups have already started just one week into the war and the longer it goes, the greater the threat will become.
Within hours of the death of Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28 following the joint U.S.-Israel attack on Iran, the Saliwan Boxing Club in Richmond Hill , owned by Salar Gholami, a prominent Iranian human rights activist, was sprayed with 17 bullets.
Three synagogues have already been hit by gunfire since the war began – Beth Avraham Yoseph in Thornhill and Shaarei Shomayim in Toronto, sometime between March 6-7, and Temple Emanu-El in North York, on March 2.
No one was hurt but we all know this is just the start of what’s coming.
Explosion of hatred against Jews
The terrorist attack by Iranian-funded Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 led to the worst explosion of hatred against Jews in Canada since the 1930s.
Its evil purpose was to isolate and blame Jews living in Canada for the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza, and now, Iran.
This is textbook antisemitism, using the same twisted logic as blaming Muslims in Canada for Islamist terrorism.
Until our governments, judges, Crowns and police services crack down on antisemitism, not by mouthing platitudes that antisemitism is wrong and “not who we are,” but by jailing antisemites, nothing will change.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says we must distinguish between things we can control and things we can’t.
He should follow his own advice now.
World isn’t waiting to hear Canada’s views
Canada can’t control the outcome of the war in Iran and the debate in Canada about to what extent the federal government should or should not support it, is an internal one confined to Canada.
Beyond our borders, the world isn’t waiting to hear Canada’s views and won’t be until we rebuild our military after years of neglect, because what counts in wars is hard power, not soft power.
What politicians at all levels of government can control is the steps they take to protect Canadians from domestic terrorism.
For the protection of the Iranian diaspora, our government needs to get serious about deporting agents of the Iranian regime operating in Canada, with concerns many more will be trying to find safe harbour here as the war in Iran intensifies.
In 2023, an investigation by Global News reported that upwards of 700 operatives of the murderous, Islamist dictatorship are living in Canada.
Canada’s foreign interference inquiry identified Iran as a security threat to Canadians.
Our own government says Iran is a perpetrator of transnational repression of Canadian citizens of Iranian origin, in which “Iranian intelligence services act indirectly through agents, contacts and sympathizers, including individuals in Canada associated with organized crime groups.”
It says Iran engages in “coercive practices” against Canadians, “including monitoring, harassing and intimidating members of community groups or those critical of the regime … to neutralize foreign-based criticism and dissent in support of regime preservation.”
CSIS identified credible death threats by Iran against Canadian citizens
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service has identified credible death threats by Iran against Canadian citizens, including a failed attempt to assassinate former Canadian justice minister Irwin Cotler.
While the federal government has imposed sanctions on pro-Khamenei organizations and individuals and in 2022 banned senior Iranian officials from entering Canada, only one agent of the regime has been deported.
That’s not just unacceptable, it’s alarming.