A reader emailed to suggest that I acknowledge when Muslim leaders explicitly condemn terrorism, pointing out this statement by the Muslim Canadian Congress expressing relief at the anti-terror arrests in Toronto.

TORONTO - The Muslim Canadian Congress has expressed relief at the arrest of suspected members of a terror cell in Toronto.

In a statement released today, the MCC said the Muslim Canadians are in a state of shock to learn that young members of their community would contemplate carrying out terror attacks on fellow citizens.

“Thank God these men were stopped before they could carry out their alleged plot,” said Niaz Salimi, President of the MCC.

“We would like to commend the RCMP for pre-empting this action by apprehending the suspects, but we hope that those accused will be tried with due process, the presumption of innocence, and with full guarantees that their constitutional rights and will be protected,” she added.

Very nice words. But as always, it’s a good idea to read the whole thing:

Commenting on the news of the alleged terror cell, El-Farouk Khaki, Secretary General of the MCC said, the disclosure of this terror cell is a sad reflection of the fact that five years of the so called War on Terrorism has failed in all its objectives and has brought terror to our very doorsteps. “Canadians need to wake up and realise the recipe offered by George Bush and Tony Blair, and now being adopted by Stephen Harper, has only led to an increase of terrorism fuelled by the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan.” he added.

The MCC is determined to fight the extremists at all levels, while maintaining its resolve to expose the agenda of the United States and neo-liberalism.

Tarek Fatah, communications director of the MCC said, “It is ironic that Muslim extremists are portraying themselves as anti-imperialist, when in fact Al-Qaeda and the Taliban are nothing more but a creation of the CIA.”