More 9/11 Recollections

Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
by Christopher Guly

There is no doubt the world has changed as a result of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. On that day nearly 3,000 people, including 24 Canadians, were killed in a series of barbaric acts. Their families still mourn their loss. Sept. 11 taught Canadians that our commitment to freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law must remain unwavering. After all, the greatest threat to global terrorism is our steadfast belief in our values, and our ability to defend them and to promote them around the world. Ten years on, Canada is standing taller on the world stage because we have made the investments in both our military and our foreign aid levels to help promote our values around the world. In Afghanistan, where 9/11 was conceived and planned, our brave men and women in the Canadian Armed Forces have helped to bring stability and security. Thanks to their efforts thousands of young girls are now going to school and Afghanistan is no longer for terrorist training. Canada is making a difference. And the world is better for it.

Tarek Fatah
Author of Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State, and founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress
By Jordan Himelfarb

I would argue that things have not yet turned for the better, because we've not yet understood the ideology we are fighting. In fact, I would argue, we wasted 10 years. Even now the West cannot understand the threat that it faces. It was clear how to combat Communism or Nazism, but the concept of jihad and the war on western civilization – we don't have the courage to face it. I thought the world would declare war on Islamism, that we would not hesitate to say that we would defeat the ideology of jihad, but there was a fear of speaking the truth. We feel guilty. No one wants to appear to be harkening back to the colonial period. In the House of Commons the opposition is more interested in speaking about the torture the Taliban faces at the hands of Pakistan’s army. We are too frightened and too ignorant about this ideology; we are dealing with an enemy that doesn't need life to sustain itself. The enemy wants to die to begin; it’s a death cult that we can't begin to understand.