Episode 178 – What is the link between blasphemy and Islamist terrorism?
Blasphemy was once a common crime in many lands and those accused /found guilty of it were killed, often in horrible ways. This being 2023, many would think think this way of thinking has been consigned tot the ash heap of history. And those many would be wrong. Violence against blasphemers continues and has been dominated in recent decades by Islamists (including extremists). Is there a link to terrorism? What should nations where freedom of speech is sacrosanct do about this? A conversation with Liam Duffy, author of a recent paper on the topic for the Counter Extremism Project.
Violence Against Perceived Blasphemers in the West_July 2022.pdf (counterextremism.com)
About my guest
Liam Duffy is a strategic advisor for the Counter Extremism Project based in the United Kingdom. He is a regular contributor for UnHerd on extremism, and has written on the subject for The Spectator, The Times Educational Supplement, The Jewish Chronicle, and CapX, among others. Liam is also a Fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminar.
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. 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, and as a multilingual analyst at CSE (Communications Security Establishment) from 1983-2001. 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.
