Canadian Intelligence Eh! – Episode 173: When terminology fails us in categorising terrorism
When we think of religion and terrorism our minds usually go immediately to Islamist, or jihadi, extremism. And yet Islam is not the only faith to be (mis)used to justify killing. A recent attack in Australia has been described by officials as having been inspired by “Christian extremist ideology” but also ‘politically-motivated violent extremism (PMVE). Huh? What does that mean and how prevalent is it? Is it really religious or is it more complicated by that? A conversation with Peta Lowe.
Wieambilla shooting: Australia police ambush deemed religious terror attack – BBC News
Director-General’s Annual Threat Assessment | ASIO
About my guest
Peta Lowe is the Principal Consultant with Phronesis Consulting and Training. She is the former Director, Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) for Juvenile Justice in the NSW Department of Justice. Peta graduated from Newcastle University in 2005 with a Bachelor of Social Work (Honours Class I), from Charles Sturt University in 2010 with a Masters of Social Work (Advanced Practice/Couples and Family Therapy Specialisation), from Queensland University of Technology in 2016 with a Graduate Certificate in Business (Public Sector Management) and most recently in 2018 from Charles Sturt University with a Masters in Terrorism and Security Studies (Postgraduate University Medal).
Canadian Intelligence Eh
In a world of multiple voices and opinions it can be very hard to know where to turn. One choice is to look to those who actually worked in counter-terrorism in the national security world. In these half-hour podcasts, 30-year Canadian intelligence veteran Phil Gurski is joined by a fascinating array of individuals with something meaningful to say about these issues as they provide insight into what they mean and what we need to do about them.
About Phil Gurski
Phil Gurski is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Distinguished Fellow in National Security at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specialising in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation. He is the author of six books on terrorism, including the second edition of The Peaceable Kingdom: A history of terrorism in Canada from Confederation to the present, published by Double Dagger in February 2023.
