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Khadr was captured in Afghanistan in July 2002 at the age of 15. Accused by the Pentagon of throwing a grenade that killed U.S. soldier Sgt. First Class Christopher Speer, Khadr faces charges of conspiracy and murder. His case is set to be the first war crimes trial since World War II.
In Guantanamo's Child, veteran reporter Michelle Shephard traces Khadr's roots in Canada, Pakistan and Afghanistan, growing up surrounded by al Qaeda's elite. She examines how his despised family, dubbed "Canada's First Family of Terrorism," has overshadowed his trial and left him alone behind bars for more than five years. Khadr's story goes to the heart of what's wrong with the U.S. administration's post-9/11 policies and why Canada is guilty by association. His story explains how the lack of due process can create victims and lead to retribution, and instead of justice, fuel terrorism.
Michelle Shephard is a national security reporter for the Toronto Star and the recipient of Canada's top two journalism awards.
"You will be shocked, saddened and in the end angry at the story this page turner of a book exposes. I read it straight through and Omar Khadr's plight is one you cannot forget."
—Michael Ratner, New York, President of the Center for Constitutional Rights
"Michelle Shephard's richly reported, well written account of Omar Khadr's trajectory from the battlefields of Afghanistan to the cells of Guantanamo is a microcosm of the larger "war on terror" in which the teenaged Khadr either played the role of a jihadist murderer or tragic pawn or, perhaps, both roles."
—Peter Bergen, author of Holy war, Inc. and The Osama bin Laden I know
Guantanamo's Child is a sweeping narrative that reconstructs the life of Omar Khadr, from his childhood spent traveling between a Canadian suburb and Peshawar at the height of the jihad against the Soviets, and into Afghanistan and the homes of Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda's elite. Based on extensive research and interviews with those connected to Khadr's case throughout Canada, the United States, United Kingdom and Pakistan, as well as intensive research at Guantanamo Bay, Michelle Shephard tells the unknown stories of the lives of the U.S. soldiers whom Omar fought and those who knew him in custody. Shephard also delivers an intimate portrait of Khadr's parents and siblings, once called "Canada's First Family of Terrorism," and their escape from Kabul after the 9/11 attacks.
From a U.S. interrogator who screamed the ingredients of a cereal box to scare detainees who didn't understand English, to a ferocious Chechen commander who raised rabbits, to the Scottish-Canadian lawyer who wore cufflinks that read "Old lawyers never die," Shephard brings unprecedented intimacy and insight into the players who have helped shape history and impacted Khadr's life.
But more than just a story of a young Canadian's life, Guantanamo's Child goes behind the scenes in Washington and Ottawa to reveal how Canada has supported Khadr's detention while countries worldwide have condemned the offshore prison and demanded the repatriation of their citizens. Shephard also dissects how the United States has flouted its own and international laws to create Guantanamo's military commissions for its own singular ends.
Omar Khadr is about to make history as the youngest defendant ever to be tried for war crimes. Guantanamo's Child is an essential read for those wanting to understand how the world changed after 9/11, how fear has trumped fundamental rights, how overzealous American policies have turned alleged terrorists into victims, and why so few have cared about a Canadian teenager--perhaps until now.
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Most helpful customer reviews
7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Canada's Problem Child,
By
This review is from: Guantanamo's Child: The Untold Story of Omar Khadr (Hardcover)
Canada's Problem Child
Guantanamo's child is about to become Canada's child. The nearly six year old case against Omar Khadr is imploding in slow time as each new revelation exposes false information, accusations of torture and tampering. It is a legal process so appalling that the US Supreme Court, dominated by Republican appointees, declared the entire "Military Commissions" process unconstitutional in 2006. Whatever the outcome, it is becoming clearer by the day that Omar Khadr will be back in Canada in less than a year. How Canada deals with this problem when he arrives is not clear. The newly launched book by reporter Michelle Sheppard, Guantanamo's Child, gives the reader a direct insight into Omar Khadr and how he became the world's most (in)famous child soldier. Contrary to the views of many in government agencies, the interest of Canadians is best served when national security matters are intelligently discussed in the public eye. It is ironic that in Canada, it is reporters such as Stewart Bell, Kim Bolan, Nazim Baksh, and Ian MacLeod who have the most knowledge and long term experience in critical matters such as terrorism and extremism. This work by Michelle Sheppard adds further to that body of knowledge. The book reveals Omar Khadr's life voyage as extraordinary by any standard. From Toronto to the means streets of Jalalabad Afghanistan, and then to primitive mountain shelters in Pakistani Waziristan, Omar Khadr travelled more in his first 15 years than most people do in a lifetime. Omar Khadr has also brushed shoulders with the famous and the infamous. He met Prime Minister Chretien, lived with Osama bin Laden and worked as a translator for Abu Laith al Libi , who would become an Al Qaeda spokesman. The question must arise. Is Omar Khadr a dedicated and dangerous jihadist who fought US Special Forces soldiers, or is he a 15 child whose life was laid out for him when he was born? One thing is clear. His father, Ahmed Said Khadr, wanted to build a puritanical Islamic-inspired state in Afghanistan, and he was determined to shape his sons to be a part of that plan. Jim Gould, a DFAIT official working in an intelligence capacity, met with Omar Khadr in the prison at Guantanamo Bay. He describes Khadr by saying that "All those persons who have been in a position of authority over him have abused him and his trust for their own purposes." To truly understand Omar Khadr's current situation, it is necessary to look into the murky world of terrorism, intelligence, high politics and law. What is really behind the trials is the laundering of evidence gained by torture, the structures of the intelligence community, and the policies of the Bush Administration. The so-called "trials" will not have any rules that resemble a judicial proceeding. Much like the Soviet show trials of the 1930s, confessions will be allowed, no matter how they were obtained. The presumption of innocence has been inverted to a presumption of guilt, and the rules of the Commissions are "flexible" to allow the presiding authorities to admit or exclude whatever evidence they want - including third party hearsay. However, some of the lawyers who have worked for Omar Khadr see the case as a legal one in which the forces of law need to be marshaled. In other words, they believe that they are engaged in a legal struggle. As the book makes clear, this is a political struggle, with the experience gained in past criminal trials of only modest value. To be a lawyer in these case is to fight in the "the wilderness of mirrors" that is world of intelligence. Ultimately, it appears as this case will be determined by those lawyers who can best understand and then undermine the complex political and intelligence systems involved. It is an unwitting Omar Khadr who has become a global symbol of all that is wrong with the so-called "war on terrorism." The attacks on the World Trade Centres killed almost 3,000 innocent victims. However, a series of incompetent policy decisions means that the USA has lost the moral high ground it could have controlled and exploited. As one of the Guantanamo staff put it, we have "lost the high ground, we cashed in our principles for a piece of information - and it did not work." Omar Khadr could have been a major victory in the ongoing struggle against extremism and terrorism. As a child soldier, captured at the age of 15, he would have been an excellent case for rehabilitation and return. Like his brother Abdurahman, there is no indication that Omar really wants to continue in the role of his father. Now, Omar Khadr and the entire Guantanamo Bay process have become a glowing symbol for further radicalization which is being exploited by Al Qaeda and its inspired followers around the world. The reviewer is Tom Quiggin. He is a Canadian court appointed expert on jihadism and is currently assisting in the training of the defence lawyers for the Guantanamo Bay Military Commissions.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An important book,
By
This review is from: Guantanamo's Child: The Untold Story of Omar Khadr (Hardcover)
I was a little tentative about the subject matter of this book but quickly changed my thinking as I read Michelle Shephard's work; it was surprisingly easy to become engrossed by the life Omar Khadr was obligated to live given his parentage and, no doubt, the inherent propaganda passed on by this family to a young, impressionable mind. The treatment he received and the inaction of our government are both shameful and indefensible. Neither bodes well for any Canadian who may need help from the people we pay to protect and defend us. One can only hope for a good ending but in this instance it doesn't look good.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Apologist's rubbish,
By photo guy "europa333" (Carp, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Guantanamo's Child: The Untold Story of Omar Khadr (Hardcover)
If you want to know how the western media can be fooled by even a 16-year old terrorist, then this is the book for you. If, you want the truth about this young man and his family (who should all be thrown out of Canada), then read Ezra Levant's new book.
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