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Understanding the Impact of Surveillance and Security Measures on Muslim Men in Canada

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Understanding the Impact of Surveillance and Security Measures on Muslim Men in Canada Understanding the Impact of Surveillance and Security Measures on Muslim Men in Canada Understanding the Impact of Surveillance and Security Measures on Muslim Men in Canada Tabasum Akseer Centre for International and Defence Policy, Queen’s University Kingston, Ontario, Canada 2018 This project has been financed through the Community Resilience Fund of Public Safety Canada. Opinions expressed in this document do not necessarily represent official policy of the Government of Canada. Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Title: Understanding the impact of surveillance and security measures on Muslim men in Canada / Tabasum Akseer. Names: Akseer, Tabasum, 1984- author. | Queen’s University (Kingston, Ont.). Centre for International and Defence Policy, issuing body. Series: Martello papers ; 42. Description: Series statement: Martello papers, 1183-3661 ; 42 | Includes bibliographical references. Identifiers: Canadiana 20189065117 | ISBN 9781553396079 (PDF) Subjects: LCSH: Muslim men—Canada—Attitudes. | LCSH: Muslim men—Canada—Social con- ditions. | LCSH: National security—Canada. | LCSH: Terrorism—Prevention—Government policy—Canada. Classification: LCC FC106.M9 A58 2018b | DDC 305.6/97071—dc23 Abstract This study explores the effects of national security measures, in par- ticular security certificates, on the Canadian Muslim male population. While the constitutionality and use of certificates have been widely debated, few studies have explored the impact of security certificates and other national security measures on the Muslim/Arab population in particular. This Martello Paper explores the perceptions of surveil- lance experienced by this group and notes significant quantitative and qualitative differences on Muslim men compared to non-Muslim men. Survey data (50n) illustrate a “chilling effect” among Muslim men in the study, who are significantly less likely to exercise their civil liber- ties. Through open-ended interviews, Muslim male respondents (20n) describe the consequences of the “chill” in their daily lives, on their religious identity, practices, and perceptions of belonging. These con- sequences, according to participants, lead to feelings of insecurity, vul- nerability, and disenchantment and possibly even to radical views. This research offers suggestions for understanding Muslim subjectivity and the role of dialogue in contributing meaningfully to the state’s efforts towards understanding and countering terror. Findings and implica- tions from this research offer practical and timely insight into an issue confronting Canada and other Western liberal democracies. About the Author Tabasum Akseer is Director of Policy and Research in The Asia Foun- dation’s Afghanistan office. She oversees a portfolio of multiple projects including the Foundation’s annual Survey of the Afghan People. Taba- sum leads the design, planning, and implementation of other smaller project-related surveys, as well as a data analysis training program to build Afghan capacity. She is responsible for building the Department’s national staff and contributing to the Department’s growth through proposal writing, donor relations, and skill-based development oppor- tunities for national staff. Prior to her work at The Asia Foundation, Tabasum consulted on projects intersecting gender, peace, security, and human rights. Most recently, she was a post-doctoral research fellow and consultant at the Center for International and Defence Policy, at Queen’s University in Canada. At Queen’s, Tabasum was a teaching fellow and assistant in the School of Religion, Department of Languages, Literatures and Cul- tures, and the Gender Studies department. Her work has been presented at various national and international conferences and published in journals including, Forced Migration Re- view, the Canadian Journal of School Psychology, the Alberta Journal of Ed- ucational Research, and the International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education. Tabasum earned a doctoral degree in Cultural Studies from Queen’s University, in addition to a master’s degree in Education, and bache- lor’s degree (Honours) in Political Science from Brock University. Contents 1. Introduction to the Study ..........................................................................................................................1 2. Literature Review and Theoretical Considerations ..................................................7 3. Methodological Considerations .................................................................................................... 37 4. Results and Data Analysis .................................................................................................................... 45 5. Implications and Conclusions ......................................................................................................... 87 Bibliography ..............................................................................................................................................................103 Appendix 1: Phase 1, Survey ................................................................................................................121 Appendix 2: General Research Ethics Board Clearance......................................131 Appendix 3: Phase 2, Open-Ended Interview Guide. ...........................................133 Appendix 4: Phase 1, Demographic Information for Phase 1, Survey Participants ...............................................................................................................................135 Appendix 5: Table 2, Comparison of Results and P Value for 2015/2016 MM and NMM .............................................................................................................139 Appendix 6: Table 3, Results Table and P Value for Temporal Shift in Muslim Men ..............................................................................................................................143 Appendix 7: Table 4, Results Table and P Value in Non-Muslim Men ............................................................................................................................................................................147 Appendix 8: Table 5, Comparison of P Value for Temporal Shift in Muslim and Non-Muslim Men ........................................................................................151 Appendix 9: Table 6, Demographic Information for Phase 2, Open-Ended Participants ..............................................................................................................155 1. Introduction to the Study Background In a post-9/11 context, the “war on terror” climate has contributed to the introduction and implementation of a variety of laws, policies, and approaches that are aimed at securing the nation. This monograph will disseminate the results of a study which explored the “chilling effect” of national security measures, in particular security certificates, on the Canadian Muslim male population. While the constitutionality and use of certificates have been widely debated, few studies have explored the impact of security certificates and other national security measures on the Muslim/Arab population specifically. Current security strategies often “cast the net as widely as possible, identify suitable enemies, [and do] not worry about false positive iden- tifications” (Ericson 2007, 48 as cited in Muller 2010). Simultaneous- ly, there is an increase in the routine surveillance of citizens (Ball and Webster 2003; Lyon 2003), particularly travellers, on the one hand, and non-citizens (asylum seekers, refugees, and migrant workers) on the oth- er (Lyon 2007). The use of techniques including surveillance as “social sorting” act “to plan, predict, and prevent by classifying and assessing … profiles and risks” (Lyon 2003). Social sorting is based on categories of risk to help identify those who belong or do not belong. The process involves “the sorting of people into categories on the basis of surveil- lance data and using these categories in social, political and economic decision-making … involved complex discriminatory technology” (Bar- nard-Wills 2012, 29). In particular, it is individuals from suspect ethnic groups who can anticipate differential treatment (Valverde and Mopas 2004). This differential treatment enables securitization of the politics of borders and bodies and has been facilitated by the vast expansion of technologies of control and strategies of exclusion (Nyers 2003, 169). 2 Tabasum Akseer Detention procedures, for example, function as technologies of con- trol, while deportation is a strategy of exclusion. Both are key compo- nents of security certificates, an immigration procedure that allows for the indefinite detention and deportation of non-citizens deemed threats to Canadian national security. While studies focusing on the intensified securitization of borders are relatively well documented (see for example Andreas and Biersteker 2003; Drache 2004; Konrad and Nicol 2008; Salter 2004; Tirman 2004), fewer studies have addressed the specific impact this has had on con- temporary citizenship practices (see for example Jacobsen 2010; Muller 2004; Nyers 2009). Shifting away from the empirical, I draw attention to ethical concerns raised by David Lyon, who has argued that, in a post- 9/11 world, “an appropriate ethic begins by hearing the voice of the Other” (Lyon 2003) and also draws our attention to the consequences of immigration policies and anti-terrorism on human
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