Omar Khadr vs The Queen
August 19th, 2009 | Tikkun Daily
Criminal conduct in Canada is normally prosecuted by a Crown counsel representing the formal person of the Canadian state, this being The Queen.
This time the situation is reversed — it is The Queen on trial, and the prosecutor is a remarkably foolish young man named Omar Khadr, who is the last prisoner of a western nation at Gitmo. Omar Khadr was 15 years old when he allegedly threw a grenade and killed a US soldier fighting in Afghanistan.
Precisely why Omar Khadr is the last western prisoner at Gitmo is a tale that will come to define Canada in the 21st century. Barely 10 years into the century and Canada has used the ship of state to ram the lifeboats of six Canadian citizens. All of them are Arabs.
I cannot claim that the ship of state was steered politically. The Canadian citizens in question were victmised under both Conservative and Liberal administrations.
15 year old Omar Khadr
The most visible Arab victim is now the young man named Omar Khadr. Omar comes from a family of proudly fanatical Islamist Muslims. Omar is a victim twice. Canada has victimised him. So has his family of origin.
Omar has been allowed to languish in the military prison of a nation with a border running 4,000 km from New Brunsiwck to British Columbia. In American terms the border runs 2500 miles from Maine as far west as Washington State. There are few Canadians who do not live within two hours of the International Boundary.
Omar has been victimised by his family, and not due to the warped values the family espouses. Children grow up in such homes all the time and they either get over it as adults or they perpetuate the cycle. Omar’s family victimised him because they permitted a 15 year old to encounter combat.
Fighting in the field is terrifying for an adult. I simply cannot imagine what it feels like for an adolsescent. I can imagine what it feels like as the parent of an adolescent, the parent in question hating toy guns and banning them (without succ
The 22 year old Omar, still in Gitmo
ess). I can accept the fanaticism of the Khadr family. I cannot accept the child abuse: encouraging a 15 year old to fight is child abuse.
The response of the Canadian government in this matter is shocking. It is quite consistent with Canadian history, however, for the 20th century response to the admittance of Jews fleeing Hitler before the War began was an elegant phrase that chills me whenever I encounter it.
None is too many.
Tomorrow I will profile the six Arabs who have been targeted by the Canadian government.
