Proximity + Diversity = War (Quebec Edition)

       It appears that the backlash against Muslims that the left has been wishing for has finally occurred, but the media coverage seems rather muted on the topic. Perhaps because the backlash was in Canada.

       As most of you are probably aware, yesterday evening, one or two gunmen entered the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Center (a mosque) in Quebec City and opened fire, killing six men and injuring 17 others. The Canadian government has designated the incident as a terrorist attack, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has reiterated that "Diversity is our strength, and religious tolerance is a value that we, as Canadians, hold dear."

       However, it may have been the very diversity that Trudeau extols that lead to this attack. Two suspects, Alexandre Bissonnette and Mohamed el Khadir, a Moroccan, were taken into custody after the attack. Only one of the two men (Bissonnette) is currently being treated as a suspect; Khadir is currently considered as only a witness. Nevertheless, early reports from witnesses seemed clear that there were multiple attackers. One witness reported: "It seemed to me that they had a Québécois accent. They started to fire, and as they shot, they yelled, 'Allahu akbar!' The bullets hit people that were praying. People who were praying lost their lives. A bullet passed right over my head."

       Police also reported that the attacker used an AK-47, a weapon that is banned under current Canadian law. Interestingly, Bissonnette had two AK-47 style weapons and an handgun in his possession, and his vehicle was rigged with explosives.

       For sake of argument, I will assume that Bissonnette was motivated by an anti-Islamic animus, although whether from a general dislike of Islam or due to particularized incident(s) we do not know. (I would note that the shooter attended University not far from the mosque). As Islam pushes further into the West, there is going to be stronger push back. Given the violence that Islam perpetuates wherever it spreads, it should be no surprise that some of the push back will also involve violence. Because conflict is the ultimate fruit of diversity, the contagion of Islam will reach a point where a similar incident of push back will trigger a preference cascade instead of the dhimmitude we currently see.