Shaikh and Speckhard answer questions about homegrown terrorism.
WASHINGTON – Canadian Mubin Shaikh, a former jihadist, knows all too well the allure of radical Islamic ideologies. “There was an ISIS in 1995. It was the Taliban. In the 2000s it was al-Qaida,” he said. “And yes I would have joined.”
He didn’t follow through. But the threat of homegrown terrorism is at the forefront of security concerns for Western nations, and speculation abounds about the attack Wednesday on a Parisian publication’s office. Groups such as the Islamic State attract and recruit people with North American and European passports.
Shaikh joined Anne Speckhard, his co-author for the book “American Jihadi,” in a discussion at the New America Foundation, a liberal-leaning think tank in Washington. The book is a biographical account of Shaikh’s journey through radicalization, “deradicalization” and participation in the Canadian security services.
Growing up in Toronto, Shaikh lived two identities, going to Canadian school during the day and a very traditional madrassa at night.
This conflict of identity and criticism from the local Muslim community led Shaikh to become more religious and delve into the world of extremism. While traveling in India and Pakistan, he had a chance encounter with the Taliban. The group’s rise to power in Afghanistan convinced Shaikh of its credibility.
He continued down the militant path, communicating with known extremist groups and recruiting others to the jihadi cause. It was not until the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 that Shaikh began to think he was on the wrong path.
“I thought, ‘what if I was in the office building?’ It’s not like they’re going to tell me, ‘hey get out.’ I’m down with the cause, but I realized I would have crumbled with everyone else,” Shaikh said.
A trip to Syria to study with a moderate religious leader helped Shaikh to “deradicalize.” Upon his return to Canada as a new man, he worked with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service to prevent attacks from a militant jihadist group known as the “Toronto 18,” which planned on carrying out three Oklahoma City-style attacks on buildings in Toronto.
Shaikh is now a national security and counterterrorism subject matter expert and closely monitors homegrown terrorist trends. Homegrown terrorism may seem like a daunting issue to tackle, but Shaikh claims the West does have some power to curb it.
“We have to stop empowering dictators in Muslim countries. Dictatorships remove the ability for peaceful resolution to their problems. Then it is only natural groups will turn to violence,” he said. “Domestic terrorism is largely fueled by perceptions of what happens in the Muslim world.”
Nobody denies that homegrown terrorism is something governments and intelligence agencies should always keep in mind. But Shaikh believes that the actual threat to the West is blown out of proportion due to terror attacks’ random nature, low probability and high impact.
“It’s the fact that it’s so random and intentional that is scary.”
