CBC News summarizes the principal recommendations for the RCMP coming from the Maher Arar commission:
Arar Recommendations | CBC News
Arar has accomplished so much already just by having his name cleared. He was just one person up against an entire government agency, and he's winning. Truly inspiring.
Assalaamu'alaykum
ReplyDeleteAllahu Akbar! Abdullah Almalki, among others, are working hard to achieve much of the same.
Assalamu alaykum brother,
ReplyDeleteYour blog has kept me busy for the last hour, mashallah. I haven't felt the need to comment much though. Sometimes it's better to receive than give.
We seem to have a lot in common (other than our gender, location and writing ability - the last one was a compliment to you!).
Would it be OK if i linked to your blog? I'm not sure why i need to ask your permission but i've noticed other people doing so on other blogs and thought it might be a legal thing!
Anyway, i look forward to reading more entries. I especially liked the litterbug post. You have a somewhat violent imagination - perhaps it is best you vent it here. The isti-car-a one was interesting, but please don't show it to your fiance! I would like to ask why you think North American (or in my case British) cars need more maintenance?
Wa'salam
P.S. Sorry for the "irrelevant" comment, but i'm not familiar with the case you mentioned.
Farzeen: Wa'alaykum assalam. Yes, Abdullah Almalki's situation is much the same, though I believe it was the persistence of Maher Arar, and particularly that of his wife Monia Mazigh, that have given voice to people like Abdullah Almalki. May Allah be with all of them.
ReplyDeleteiMuslim: Wa'alaykum assalam. Feel free to link! I don't think I have a violent imagination, but I do enjoy absurdity; that absurdity will manifest itself in different ways. Isti-car-a was also absurdity, though of a different sort. I just find that imports are often more efficient; Japanese cars like Toyotas tend to be very fuel-efficient and don't need frequent repairs, costing a lot less for people like me.
To summarize the whole Arar affair, basically this man, a Canadian citizen of Syrian origin, was detained in the US while in transit and deported to Syria where he was tortured and forced to confess to lies. His wife, back in Canada, managed to fight for her husband's freedom, reaching the highest levels of government and pressuring them to engage Syria and release him. Eventually, they did, alhamdolillah. When Maher returned, he fought hard to have his name cleared, exposing the complicity of Canadian law enforcement in his arrest. It turns out that Canada provided inaccurate information which lead to his arrest. He pressured the government into a complete public inquiry into why he was detained so that no one else would have to go through what he suffered. The article I posted describes the recommendations for Canadian law enforcement that the inquiry brought to light, so that no other innocent people would fall victim to the same circumstances.
Subhanallah, what an amazing story, one that is becoming too common these days, but sadly the "happy" ending is a rarity. It reminds me of Babar Ahmed, who has been threatened with extradition to the US.
ReplyDeleteWrt the isti-car-a entry, i think i have missed the point of it... i got the impression you were talking about marriage??
Oh, jazakallah for your comments about my header image. I've modified it... please tell me what you think.
Wa'salam
No, you didn't miss the point, I just have a tendency of stretching my metaphors a bit too far sometimes.
ReplyDeleteErr... so was this:
ReplyDelete"I just find that imports are often more efficient; Japanese cars like Toyotas tend to be very fuel-efficient and don't need frequent repairs, costing a lot less for people like me."
part of the metaphor or were you really talking about cars???
*Confusion*
I was reading the paper about a week ago, and apparently there are at least 4 other men who went through the same terrible experience that Maher Arrar went through... and if they are the only ones we know about, Allah alone knows how many *others* have suffered similarly!
ReplyDeleteAssalamualaikum...
ReplyDeleteAlhmadullilah, this is indeed very inspiring. I always had faith in Canadian Justice syste. I have not lost that faith. Although one thing that saddens me about the case was Arar's statement in one interview of him I watched. He said, initially no one wanted to help him him. Even the Muslims in his ownn community were afraid to assist him. InshaAllah, this needs to change. And we must take steps to change this fear we have of speaking out for justice.
iMuslim: I don't even know what I'm talking about anymore. Sometimes, I confuse myself.
ReplyDeleteAnonyMouse: Yes, there must be others. I'm sure there are dozens, if not hundreds, of American Muslims in similar predicaments, which is what made the efforts of sister Monia Mazigh so much more meaningful. Maher would have been another one of those nameless victims that we'd ignore were it not for the strength of his wife.
Yusuf: It's definitely true, I think we failed as a community to support him and those like him. I used to live in the same neighbourhood as Maher. I would see him at the local musalla often. But when he was taken, I and those around me hardly noticed until it made the news, and it was only because of his wife that anyone noticed at all. Even then, the protests and rallies in his support at Parliament Hill were quite empty.
Even then, the protests and rallies in his support at Parliament Hill were quite empty.
ReplyDeleteAnd the only people to show were students and non-muslim social activists, right?
And the only people to show were students and non-muslim social activists, right?
ReplyDeleteYep, you guessed it. It seems like things are much the same in England as they are here.
I thought i posted a comment but i can't see it!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, what i said was something like...
It's always been that way, bro.
The youth have the most energy and "free" time and the least to lose when campaigning and standing up against the powers-that-be.
It might not matter so much as long as the older generation are willing to help out financially!