"It is our responsibility to tackle the issue of extremism through education and sound spiritual and ethical training," said Sheikh Kutty (C).

TORONTO – Prominent Canadian Muslim scholars have described the arrest of seventeen Muslims on terror charges as a wakeup call, asserting that if they are proven guilty Canadian Muslims would need to do more to educate the younger generations about the true tenets of Islam.

"If God forbid, they are proven guilty as alleged, then it is high time that Muslims get their act together to ensure that such elements in the community are stopped in their tracks," Sheikh Ahmad Kutty told IslamOnline.net.

"It is the religious and civic duty of every concerned Muslim leader, including scholars, teachers and others, to ensure that the people who preach such violent ideologies do not influence the new generation," he averred.

Sheikh Kutty, with over three decades of service to the Muslim community, stressed that "as Muslims we are to ensure that law, order, peace and security prevail in this country so that our children and grandchildren can continue to live in peace."

On Friday, June 2, members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and partners of the country’s Integrated National Security Enforcement Team (INSET) arrested 17 individuals on terror charges.

The group comprised twelve adults, ranging in age from 19 to 43, and five teenagers, most are Canadian citizens or residents.

The suspects have been charged under Canadian anti-terrorism laws but details of the charges were not likely to be made public until a bail hearing Tuesday in Brampton, Ontario.

The twelve adults were sent to a high-security prison outside Toronto while the five youths were dispatched to area jails.

Educating Muslims

Kutty’s views were echoed by Hussein Patel of the Canadian Council of Muslim Theologians, which groups more than 100 scholars.

"The accused are innocent until proven guilty, but if they are proven to be guilty after given due process, then this is a wake-up call, especially for Muslim leaders and parents, that more must be done to ensure that our children do not get involved in activities that are contrary to the teachings of Islam," he said in a statement.

"A long-term strategy needs to be discussed and adopted, but for the time being, council members will try to educate the Muslim public through Friday sermons and youth programs," he added.

Sheikh Kutty, who is considered an authority to issue religious rulings, blames extremism on a number of factors.

"One factor is the growing despair and despondency among Muslims in the face of the increasing humiliation and dehumanization of Muslims in many parts of the world; another is the lack of authentic Islamic education," he maintains.

Most people in 33 out of 35 countries worldwide believe that the US-led invasion of Iraq has increased the threat of terrorism, according to a recent survey for BBC World Service radio by Canadian pollsters GlobeScan and the US Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA).

"In the face of such feelings of despair, it is important that they are taught that Islam never allows us to tackle such problems through violence - for violence will only breed further violence," averred the Muslim scholar.

"It is our responsibility to tackle the issue of extremism through education and sound spiritual and ethical training."

Sheikh Kutty said Muslim scholars, teachers and leaders must ensure that there is only a single consistent message coming from every mosque, center or school.

"Islam’s essential message of peace, tolerance of religious diversity, and emphasis on the sacred bond of humanity that binds all people, regardless of their religious or racial differences."

He added that Muslims must strive to forge a common and united alliance with all those who are for peace in the world, by stressing dialogue rather than war and violence to solve the problems, whether internationally or locally.

The number of Canadian Muslims has increased dramatically over the last decade, according to a national census.

Canadian Muslims make 1.9% of Canada's some 32.8 million people, according to the CIA online world facts book.

Islam has become the number one non-Christian faith in Canada.