Guns and grenades. (The Immigrant Experience--Terrorism).

Most, but not all, immigrants are law abiding.

With so many people coming to Canada from troubled parts of the world, we shouldn't be surprised to find a few troublemakers in our midst. Since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, the presence in Canada of the supporters of violence has been brought into sharper focus. The terror network known as al-Qaeda pulled off the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. But, some seemingly innocent organizations in Canada may have leant a helping hand. Many groups have been busy collecting money in Canada for hospitals, food, clothing, and other necessities back in their homelands. Most people are happy to donate a few dollars to such causes. But, some of these organizations are not what they appear. The money doesn't go for blankets and bread, it's spent on guns and grenades.

By November 2002, the federal government had acted against $333 individuals and groups active in Canada that were either involved in terrorism or were raising money in support of terrorism. The bank accounts of these organizations have been frozen and they've been told to end their activities.

Among these is the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam. The group began fighting against the government of Sri Lanka in 1983 and, by 2002, there were at least 65,000 bodies to show for it. The Tamil Tigers wanted a separate homeland in the northern part of Sri Lanka, where minority Tamils would live. During the time of conflict, tens of thousands of Tamils came to Canada as immigrants and refugees, and the Tigers found this community a good source for the money they needed to keep their war going. But it wasn't just the Tamil Tigers who were collecting money. According to documents filed with the Supreme Court of Canada the Federation of Associations of Canadian Tamils have also collected funds to support the guerrilla fighters.

Fortunately, at the time of writing, a peace agreement is being worked out, but the Tamil Tigers are still a group to be watched carefully. It is on the federal government's list of terrorist organizations, along with the Irish Republican Army, al-Qaeda, and many others.

FACT FILE

In December 2001, Canada's Anti-Terrorism Act became law when it received Royal assent.

AHMED RESSAM

The so-called Millennium Bomber was caught by an alert U.S. customs official in December 1999. He was trying to slip into the U.S. from British Columbia with the trunk of his car stuffed with bomb-making materials. Ahmed Ressam was carrying a valid Canadian passport and was planning to explode his bomb in Los Angeles Airport on New Year's Eve.

Mr. Ressam came to Canada from France in 1994. He carried a French passport and said his name was Tahi Medjadi. Then, he changed his story, said his name was Ahmed Ressam and applied for refugee status. He claimed he faced persecution and torture by police in his native Algeria. He failed to show up for his refugee status hearing and was ordered deported. However, he managed to stay in Montreal for four years, supporting himself by petty theft. He was arrested a couple of times and fingerprinted.

In 1998, using a fake baptismal certificate, Mr. Ressam applied for a Canadian passport. Little or no cross checking was done and he was given a genuine passport in the name of Benni Noris. It was with this document that he tried to enter the U.S.

The episode has been enormously embarrassing for Canada. The loopholes that Mr. Ressam got through with such ease have been plugged, but the suspicion is strong in the United States that Canada is a haven for terrorists.

Canada's Anti-Terrorism
Act--http://canada.justice.
gc.ca/en/news/nr/2001/
doc_28217.html