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.

Michelle Shephard tells the story of a young man few Canadians feel any sympathy for. However, only a cold-hearted person would not be affected by the tragedy of this young boy, who lost his childhood to his late father's dream of a global jihad. Shephard takes on a huge challenge and accomplishes her goal admirably. As I put down the book, I could not help but feel deep compassion for Omar Khadr. The book has left me feeling that I should do something to help him. This despite the fact I have a lifelong distaste for jihadism and nothing but contempt for the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Omar Khadr deserves a second chance in life, and if he ever wins freedom, he will owe it partly to Michelle Shephard's fine book. For making me look at the young man as a fellow human being, "Thank you Michelle Shephard."

As a long-time human rights campaigner who has followed the case of Omar Khadr since 2002, I think some people may be surprised by Michelle Shephard's timely book. Amidst a polarized debate, this book simply tells the story so far from a variety of perspectives and lets the intelligent reader do the rest. And that's a hard thing to do: try to unwind the spin that has dominated the discourse around the so-called "war on terror".

For most people, the story of Omar Khadr begins and ends with a firefight in Afghanistan in the summer of 2002. Both he and soldiers involved are symbols of a post-9/11 context dominated by "us" and "them". The now-famous Department of Homeland Security colour-coded National Threat Advisory does not contain a level where safety actually exists. The best you get is green for "low risk of terrorist attacks". The price for this approach - which has all too often falsely cast human rights and security as opposing concepts - has been high. From black sites, torture and indefinite detention to the intentional targeting of civilians, it's all bad. No "side" in this "war" has clean hands.

In Guantánamo's Child, the story of the Khadr family, and Omar's eventual capture and detention in Guantánamo Bay, are set in the context of history: personal histories, the decades of successive armed conflicts in South Asia, and the pre and post-9/11 national security policies of the USA and many of its allies. Also brought to life are the soldiers, lawyers, interrogators, fellow detainees, politicians, bureaucrats, and others who populate the landscape of this complex case. We see how the various players are drawn in one way or another, both willingly and unwillingly. What comes back into focus is the humanity of all the people involved, and the "war on terror" machine that is now grinding them all down.

There are many reasons to read this well-written book: the people, the history, the politics, the legal drama, the elements of who-done-it (or didn't-do-it as the case may be). You won't find all the answers or a seamless narrative, but the gaps and contradictions are part of the story itself.

How we respond to challenging or unpopular cases is the measure of all of us. Human rights are by their very nature universal. And that's a tougher stance than many may realize.

History will judge us on the fate of Omar Khadr. Read Guantánamo's Child and judge for yourself.

Hilary Homes is the security and human rights campaigner with Amnesty International Canada.