Guantanamo's Child: The Untold Story of Omar Khadr [Hardcover]

 

 

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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.

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.

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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4.0 out of 5 stars Facts that trigger compassion
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,... Read more

Published on May 9 2008 by Tarek Fatah

5.0 out of 5 stars History will judge us on the fate of Omar Khadr
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. Read more

Published on April 2 2008 by Hilary Homes

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