Canadian Terrorism Database Shows Weak Link Between Violent Extremism and Religion

The Canadian newsweekly Embassy published an article in its most recent edition about the Canadian Incident Database.

The Database is an open source database describing terrorism and violent extremism since 1960 with a Canadian connection, including incidents occurring overseas involving Canadian perpetrators, targets, and victims.     

According to the article in Embassy:

"Though recent discourse from Canadian politicians has focused on religious motivations for terrorism, and ISIS in particular, events that occurred in Canada have tended not to be religiously motivated. Of the 1,405 incidents, 255, or about 18 per cent, were religiously motivated, according to the database, and only two per cent of attacks labelled as violent extremism were perpetrated by religious groups."

5 university partners – University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Carleton University, University of Waterloo, and Université de Montréal - have compiled the information in the database. Funding comes from Public Safety Canada and Defence Research and Development Canada.