Muslims want a safe Canada, too.
That's what Muhammad Robert Heft, a Muslim community leader in Scarborough, wants his fellow Torontonians to know as the RCMP arrested a Muslim man in the GTA for allegedly plotting a rail attack that would have taken innocent lives. Not only do Muslims in the city condemn the attack, they turned over information in a bid to help foil it.
"There is going to be backlash," he said, alluding to those who will blame the Muslim community. "But I want to reiterate. Who was the one who tipped the RCMP off? It was our community."
Heft said Muslim leaders are often criticized for not speaking up or not turning over information about radicalized community members. They are cooperating, he said.
"We have to be on the front lines," he said. "To either nip it in the bud in the very beginning or co-operate with authorities so they can be brought to justice."
Heft himself runs an out-reach program for youth who are at risk of being radicalized.
"At the end of the day, it's not how you dress, it's how you think," he said. "In our community we may look a little different, but in our hearts we love Canada. It's our country. It's our tribe. We want safety for all Canadians regardless of their religion."