The Canadian government seems determined to thwart the return to the country of a Canadian youth who was convicted of murder by the US military. Omar Khadr was 15 when he was captured in Afghanistan in 2002 in a firefight with US forces. He was accused of hurling a grenade that killed Sergeant Christopher Speer, a medic and an armed combatant in the US Delta Special Forces. Khadr was shipped to Guantanamo Bay, where he remained without trial until October 2010 and was tortured. He entered a guilty plea to murder which many believe he did to avoid a sham military trial and a possible life sentence. He was expected to serve a year in the US and seven in Canada. The Canadian government has since balked at his return to Canada. Two recent books illustrate Canadians' feelings. One is by commentator Ezra Levant, who is hostile to Muslims. “The Enemy Within: Terror, Lies and Whitewashing of Omar Khadr” paints Khadr as a threat to Canada. The other book, “Omar Khadr, Oh Canada”, is edited by Janice Williamson, a University of Alberta professor, and includes contributions by 30 Canadians who describe the government's handling of the case as shameful and unjust. Khadr is the son of Ahmed Said Khadr, who migrated to Canada and became a citizen. Khadr later took his family to Afghanistan and Pakistan and became a senior Al-Qaeda functionary. He was killed in a shootout with the Pakistani military in 2003. Ahmed Said turned his sons into followers of Osama Bin Laden. Omar's younger brother Kareem was wounded in a battle and returned to Canada for treatment. His sister Zaynab told a TV station that she wished that she had become a suicide bomber. The Khadr family portrays to Canadians the worst about Islam and immigration. The family came to Canada to find a better life but used the country largely as a convenient refuge and bread basket. Reports suggest that some Khadr family members disliked their father's militancy and want only to live normal lives. That is the impression of many who have met Omar Khadr, including Canadian journalist Michelle Shephard who went to Guantanamo and wrote a fascinating book, “Guantanamo's Child.” Canadian authorities have the duty to protect Canadians, given 9/11 and terrorist plots in Canada for which some youth have been convicted after a fair trial. Khadr, however, never received a fair trial. He was charged with murder by a military court of a country which killed thousands of combatants and civilians when it invaded Afghanistan and Iraq and which has used drones to kill innocent Pakistanis. Western citizens who were taken to Guantanamo received help from their countries - except for Khadr. When the US asked Canada to take Khadr, Canada stonewalled. Now Public Safety Minister Vic Toews has asked for Khadr's psychiatric video interviews with Michael Welner and Alan Hopewell. Khadr's lawyer John Norris says it is “unfortunate” that the minister is seeking Dr. Welner's “utterly spurious” opinions. He said that other psychologists have reached completely different conclusions about Khadr. Dr. Welner testified at Khadr's sentencing and called him a “remorseless, unrepentant murderer.” Dr. Welner has also praised illegal Israeli settlers in Gaza, saying they “provided a buffer zone for Israel, stemming the tide of Islamo-chaos.” This is the man whose opinion the Canadian government is seeking. Alex Neve, secretary-general of Amnesty International Canada, attended the Khadr trial and called it a farce. He wrote in the Globe and Mail: “One particularly memorable witness was psychiatrist Michael Welner, who concluded after just eight hours of interviews that Mr. Khadr was a violent jihadist beyond redemption. His analysis was based on the ravings of a discredited, bigoted Danish psychologist who believes Muslims are genetically defective. Anyone who has spent extensive time with Mr. Khadr, including a child psychiatrist who is also a retired US brigadier general and a Navy captain and was a senior legal officer at Guantanamo for two years, has come to precisely the opposite conclusion.” The Canadian Supreme Court said in 2010 that the government had violated Omar Khadr's Charter rights. It told the government to respond to its judgment in the light of current information, its responsibility for foreign affairs, and in conformity with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The government continues to stonewall. Numerous Canadians have criticized the government's stand. Dan Gardner of the Ottawa Citizen wrote: “.... the government has disregarded the Constitution and ignored the Supreme Court. Arguably, it has even been contemptuous of both. “Omar Khadr is a citizen of this country. What you think of him doesn't matter. He is a citizen. And if the government can do this to him, it can do this to any citizen. “That's why this isn't about Omar Khadr. It's about you, me, and every Canadian.” Gardner spoke for all Canadians who believe in human rights, the rule of law, and equality of all citizens.
— Mohammed Azhar Ali Khan is a retired Canadian newspaperman, civil servant and refugee judge. He has received the Order of Canada, Order of Ontario, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal.
