Resources for Journalists – Islam, Civil Liberties, Militarization

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Who’s watching CSIS? Not the government and not the media:
http://www.ipolitics.ca/2015/03/16/whos-watching-csis-not-ottawa-not-the-media-either/2016 Documentary Film “Confession” with Moazzam Begg:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2zusq-BDbM
How the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) affects the national and religious identity of Muslims in Canada – Thesis paper by Omnia Helbah: 
8 min video
Mohamed Hoblos is a famous international Muslim speaker who tries his best to take youth in the right direction.
He talks about his experiences with authorities in Australia, Norway, and Canada:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6088_Sl7yF0

CAGE UK:
-Press conference and how intelligence agencies actually can sometimes isolate Muslims youth:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2bIXCenmt8
-Moazzam Begg’s book: Enemy Combatant available on Amazon

-Moazzam Begg tries to save Alan Henning: http://www.youtube.com/results?q=moazzam+begg+alan+henning

 

TED TALK: how the FBI sometimes actually creates terrorists
The Secret Trial 5 Documentary Filmed in Canada:
Amar Wala – won the Hot Docs award here in Toronto for this film:

Glen Greenwald on privacy, speaking from Ottawa:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD2LIOUT1Q0

Muslim news site 5 Pillars UK:

John Thompson and NATOCanada*: Canadian-intelligence so-called “expert” believes Deobandis and Tablighis are extremist movements that are militarizing the youth:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkq5_PmLtcE#t=49m

*Ironically, in the Muslim community, Tablighi Jammat are seen as a pacifist, apolitical sufi organization. If they’re being miscategorized and misprofiled as extremists…how many other mistakes is the intelligence community making?
Evidence of torture, CSIS, RCMP, etc.
CSIS Canada and the Muslim Community:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su4LIxN1UeY
Muslim Students Association (MSA) contacted by CSIS:
Terminology
Paying attention to the external factors:
Terminology like “Islamic Extremism,” or “Radicalization” seek to put the microscope on the Muslim community and blame on Islam. I.E. If we kept hearing the word “Jewish Extremism” in the media, eventually people would associate Judaism with extremism/terror/fundamentalism. Moreover, terms like “grievances” are used to downplay the military and economic invasions, and massive civilian losses in the Muslim world. Can we really say that thousands of dead are just a “grievance?” This word is used deliberately to downplay and treat civilians like collateral damage, and also to avoid reforming imperialistic policies.
Dr. Tariq Ramadan (he’s been to Toronto’s RIS Muslim conference many times), is one of the most balanced Islamic scholars. Coincidentally, he was also banned from the USA temporarily (and so was Cat Stevens AKA Yusuf Islam). After the ban was lifted, he was interviewed and explains why he was banned.

Specialists and Resources in Canada:

Ottawa:
Mathhew Behrens, Activist and Freeland writer
Paul Champ, Civil Liberties Lawyer, Ottawa
Maher Arar, Ottawa, victim and activist
Independent Jewish Voices of Canada (www.ijvcanada.org) and Tyler Levitan, Ottawa

Monteal:
Adil Charkaoui, Montreal, Islamophobia expert and Imam
Collectif Québécois contre l’islamophobie:
http://www.facebook.com/Collectif.Contre.Islamophobie.Quebec

 

Toronto:
Eric Margolis, Author and Journalist, Toronto
Amar Wala, Filmmaker for the Secret Trial 5
Ken Stone, Activist and Writer
Andrew Mitrovica, Professor of Journalism, Writer
Lorne Waldman, Lawyer
Anser Farooq, Lawyer
Rocco Galati, Lawyer
Atif Malik, Lawyer
Mohamed El Rashidy, Lawyer

 

Western Canada:
Khurrum Awan, Lawyer, Saskatchewan
Muhammad Mustafa, Analyst, Saskatchewan
Faisal Bhabha, Lawyer, British Columbia
Paula Kirman, Jewish-Canadian, Edmonton Activist
Dennis Edney, Lawyer for Omar Khadr, Edmonon
David Kolinsky, Lawyer, Edmonton

Maritimes:
Mohamed Yaffa, Islamic Center, Coordinator

Media: The Intercept and Vice News – Canadian Branch
Torotno Star, CBC, CanadaLand, etc.

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The Rise of ISIS and American Foreign policy
By Dr. Yasir Qadhi, Yale University graduate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y8i3hVtUYw

Journalist Jeremy Scahill on Virginia Tech, the Iraq War, and the Media:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3kQXs-KMIQ
(I had the privilege of hearing him speak when he came to Toronto)

Muslim Matters is one of the top blog websites in the English speaking world and features Muslim personalities from around the world: Article – Occupation not Islam breeds terror
http://muslimmatters.org/2010/01/11/occupation-not-islam-breeds-terrorism/

Noam Chomsky:
Book and documentary film: Manufacturing Consent
Documenting oppression against Muslims (DOAM):

The Deen Show – Based in the United States – this website and TV show clarifies many misconceptions about Islam and they use traditional Islamic sources.
(Muslim Beliefs, terror, jihad, women, gender equality, LGBT, shariah, etc.)
http://www.thedeenshow.com/

Upfront with Mehdi Hassan:
How religious are extremists? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vop1ZNIc_j8
Sh. Hamza Yusuf and Dr. Noah Feldman*:
*Dr. Noah Feldman is an American-Jew and wrote a book called “the Fall and Rise of the Islamic State” (this was way before Daesh). In this book he speaks objectively (even some Muslims might disagree with what he said). However, he was criticized by staunch secular-liberalists for speaking of “Shariah” in a favourable manner.
Civilian casualties are never deemed terrosim…but isn’t this sometimes equivalent to terrorism or worse than terrorism itself?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_Iraq_War

Understanding Islamic movements that are often blamed by the media for inspiring terror:

 
Muslim Brotherhood and Political Islam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_4CoWxBeEY
Comedian Russell Brand on Gaza, Terror, etc.
 
Author CJ Werlman quote:
“You see how one terrorist shooting can radicalize Americans like Trump, but you can’t see how 10,000+ US bombs might radicalize Muslims?”
American-Muslim scholar Dr. Jonathan AC Brown:
Sut Jhally
Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land Documentary” on Palestine & Israel
(a film made by Sut Jhally, Israelis, and American Jews)Courageous news organizations:
Theintercept.com, Democracy Now, Truth Dig with Chris Hedges, Rabble.ca, CanadaLand

Resources for achieving a better understanding of Islam for both Muslim-Canadians and non-Muslim-Canadians:
The Qur’an with translation (book)
The Biography of the Prophet (book)
The 40 Hadeeth (book)
The life of the last prophet by Yusuf Islam (formerly known as singer Cat Stevens) – also available in audio book
Positivity, Spirituality, Islam and personal development for everyone: www.productivemuslim.com
Purification of the Heart by Hamza Yusuf (book)
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley

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