Its amazing the misguided delusion that convinces such people to act in this manner. I wonder what is accomplished by killing innocent people? Ironically, the whole extremist movement takes advantage of the very freedoms they seek to destroy. That such people were not kept from even entering the country outright is the reason they came so close to bringing harm upon one of the most peaceful nations on the planet. The proverbial clean slate extended to foreigners when they come to the west has often been the crucial advantage terrorists have employed to blend in with the population, until it is time to strike. The travesty then, is the struggle faced by those who come to the likes of Canada for the simple purpose of making a better life for themselves. They must deal with the suspicion and discrimination that follows these events.
Over the last three decades, extremism has destroyed the lives of many a people who have not the faintest of connections to any conflicts. It is nothing but cowardice that compels individuals to prey upon people who cannot fight back. Crimes committed in retaliation for perceived injustices in faraway lands not only rob those victims of legitimacy, they garner the kind of ill will and hatred that can only lead to more bloodshed. In the end, whether one agrees with the specifics of the war on terror or not, it is impossible to make a case for ending of hostilities, if every little while, scores of innocent people die or are on the verge of dying at the hands of people from that region.
The Pakistanis and other Muslims among us may be able to differentiate between the delusional few who strive for only destruction and those of us who want nothing more than a prosperous and peaceful life. But that is the perspective borne in us simply due to a life spanning two vastly different nations. Expecting a Canadian or an American to understand how Muslims want nothing but peace, all the while every other explosion can be traced to an Islamic extremist organization, is sheer folly. While a majority, those of us who condemn such actions aren't loud enough and fade into the background. And while a minority, those who live to inflict harm on the innocent will continue to vociferously promote their misguided ideals and come across as the majority.