More on Mehdi Nemmouche and the Syrian Connection: What Can Western Countries Do With Those Who Return From Syria?

Does Canada Have the Answer?


Hat tip Vlad Tepes and Oz-Rita


The below link contains a video of a TV interview with a French writer, Samuel Laurent who recently spent time with Al Qaeda units in Syria. Laurent has written a book entitled, "Al Qaeda in France". In this interview, he claims that Mehdi Nemmouche, the man arrested in the attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels had (according to his sources) traveled also to Libya, where he met with a certain terrorist leader named Sheikh Bakri and more significantly, to London, where he allegedly met with Anjem Choudary. Laurent also quotes the philosophy of Bakri to the effect that European jihadists have a duty to continue the jihad when they return to the counties where they reside. The interview is in French, but Oz-Rita has supplied the English sub-titles.

http://vladtepesblog.com/2014/06/04/french-tv-interview-with-author-of-book-al-qaeda-in-france/

In addition, one reader of the above article in the comment thread supplied the below link that reports that the Canadian government is in the process of passing a bill that would strip such persons in Canada of their citizenship and deport them. The article is highly critical of the proposed law, but thinks it will likely pass.

http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/the-canadian-government-is-introducing-new-legislation-to-exile-and-banish-its-citizens

Very interesting. Clearly, the law is designed toward terrorists, and controversial as it is, I favor it. Ultimately, Western countries have to deal with the fact that we have a problem on our hands.  Nemmouche (who was born in France) is an example of the thousands of jihadists who are leaving to go and join the jihad in Syria. If they return, they are not coming back with the attitude that they have "done their time" and return to ordinary life where they can tell war stories to their grandchildren in their golden years. They are coming back with the skills they have learned to kill others on our soil.

To be sure, in democracies like ours, it is a steep mountain to climb to take away the citizenship of a naturalized immigrant and harder yet if someone is born here. The Canadian law reportedly contains a provision that there must be a connection to another country. Naturally, it should not be used as a tool to deport entire immigrant communities.

Given this latest development of returning jihadis, I think we have reached the point where every Western country has to use its law in any way to keep these jhadis from returning. If the laws are not there, we need to start passing some consistent with our Constituion. The recent bombing attack in Boston is an example of a case where we should have taken steps to get Tamarlane Tsarnaev out of the country. (Djokhar Tsarnaev is an American citizen, and as I recall, had not raised any red flags as did his brother.) As for those who have run off to fight in Syria (or Somalia), we should be clear: We don't want them back.

The cost of doing nothing will be more dead Americans on American streets.