Theologies of word and state: Some reflections on the Ottawa Shooting

• Main Authors: TSE, Justin Kh, SHEEDY, Matt
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2014
• Subjects: Ethics and Political Philosophy; Political Science; Religion
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3358; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/4615/viewcontent/Ottawa_2014_av.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

The shooting in Ottawa on 22 October 2014 has uncovered the remarkable way that the Canadian state remains theologically constituted. In some ways, this is a relatively uncontroversial argument. The White House press conference immediately following the attacks made a link between the Canadian support for military action against the Islamic State and the deaths of both Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent on October 20 in Quebec and Cpl. Nathan Cirillo of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders on the October 22. When one says that Ottawa shootings have a religious dimension, the gut response is that my argument will be about Muslims in Canada and the potential for radicalization.