Omar Khadr, Oh Canada


Book Description

Diverse insights into the life and legal case of a Canadian child soldier.




Guantanamo's Child


Book Description

A prize-winning journalist tells the troubling story of Canadian Omar Khadr, who has spent a quarter of his life growing up in Guantanamo Bay. 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




Un-Canadian


Book Description

Un-Canadian: Prejudice and Discrimination Against Muslims in Canada is a provocative warning to Canadians that the values they cherish are being eroded through a pattern of political, legal and social prejudice directed towards Muslims in Canada since September 11, 2001. Featuring never-before-published interviews with key politicians and journalists, influential Muslim leaders and ordinary Canadians who have suddenly found themselves thrust into what might become a full-fledged culture war, this book sounds the alarm about our politicians, our commitment to the rule of law and the changing value of our citizenship. Spanning settings from dark prison cells in Guantanamo Bay and Syria to the gilded corridors of power on Parliament Hill, this book centres on fundamental notions of social cohesion and the value of Canadian citizenship—issues which continue to make headlines. Canadians who are worried about the direction our country is headed will consider this a must-read.




Protecting Multiculturalism


Book Description

In a post-9/11 sea of social and political discord, one state stands apart. As an increasingly powerful anti-Islamic social movement rises in the West, Canada alone remains a viable multicultural state. Employing survey and statistical data as well as a series of interviews conducted with religious leaders and policy officials, Protecting Multiculturalism explores public safety and security concerns, while pointing out the successes, pitfalls, and sometimes countervailing effects of government measures on Muslims in Canada. Engaging with debates surrounding the cultural accommodation of diverse communities, John McCoy focuses on two inter-related themes at the heart of the crisis of multiculturalism: social integration and national security. Even in Canada, McCoy argues, Muslims can face acute xenophobia and racism, problematic national security practices, inimical politicians, and other troubling warning signs. Yet, despite these challenges, these diverse communities continue to display remarkable resilience. An open-minded and substantive reflection on the day-to-day realities for Muslim communities, Protecting Multiculturalism seeks a way forward for the Canadian multicultural experiment - a future that is marked by dignity and diversity in an increasingly fraught era.




Ethical Oil


Book Description

Canada's "no. 1 defender of freedom of speech" and the bestselling author of Shakedown makes the timely and provocative case that when it comes to oil, ethics matter just as much as the economy and the environment. In 2009, Ezra Levant's bestselling book Shakedown revealed the corruption of Canada's human rights commissions and was declared the "most important public affairs book of the year." In Ethical Oil, Levant turns his attention to another hot-button topic: the ethical cost of our addiction to oil. While many North Americans may be aware of the financial and environmental price we pay for a gallon of gas or a barrel of oil, Levant argues that it is time we consider ethical factors as well. With his trademark candor, Levant asks hard-hitting questions: With the oil sands at our disposal, is it ethically responsible to import our oil from the Sudan, Russia, and Mexico? How should we weigh carbon emissions with human rights violations in Saudi Arabia? And assuming that we can't live without oil, can the development of energy be made more environmentally sustainable? In Ethical Oil, Levant exposes the hypocrisy of the West's dealings with the reprehensible regimes from which we purchase the oil that sustains our lifestyles, and offers solutions to this dilemma. Readers at all points on the political spectrum will want to read this timely and provocative new book, which is sure to spark debate.




United States of America


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Understanding Terror Networks


Book Description

For decades, a new type of terrorism has been quietly gathering ranks in the world. America's ability to remain oblivious to these new movements ended on September 11, 2001. The Islamist fanatics in the global Salafi jihad (the violent, revivalist social movement of which al Qaeda is a part) target the West, but their operations mercilessly slaughter thousands of people of all races and religions throughout the world. Marc Sageman challenges conventional wisdom about terrorism, observing that the key to mounting an effective defense against future attacks is a thorough understanding of the networks that allow these new terrorists to proliferate. Based on intensive study of biographical data on 172 participants in the jihad, Understanding Terror Networks gives us the first social explanation of the global wave of activity. Sageman traces its roots in Egypt, gestation in Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan war, exile in the Sudan, and growth of branches worldwide, including detailed accounts of life within the Hamburg and Montreal cells that planned attacks on the United States. U.S. government strategies to combat the jihad are based on the traditional reasons an individual was thought to turn to terrorism: poverty, trauma, madness, and ignorance. Sageman refutes all these notions, showing that, for the vast majority of the mujahedin, social bonds predated ideological commitment, and it was these social networks that inspired alienated young Muslims to join the jihad. These men, isolated from the rest of society, were transformed into fanatics yearning for martyrdom and eager to kill. The tight bonds of family and friendship, paradoxically enhanced by the tenuous links between the cell groups (making it difficult for authorities to trace connections), contributed to the jihad movement's flexibility and longevity. And although Sageman's systematic analysis highlights the crucial role the networks played in the terrorists' success, he states unequivocally that the level of commitment and choice to embrace violence were entirely their own. Understanding Terror Networks combines Sageman's scrutiny of sources, personal acquaintance with Islamic fundamentalists, deep appreciation of history, and effective application of network theory, modeling, and forensic psychology. Sageman's unique research allows him to go beyond available academic studies, which are light on facts, and journalistic narratives, which are devoid of theory. The result is a profound contribution to our understanding of the perpetrators of 9/11 that has practical implications for the war on terror.




The Enemy Within


Book Description

A controversial look at the headline-making story of the last Western prisoner at Guantanamo Bay and the larger implications to national security, justice, and international relations. Omar Khadr is the last Western prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre. He has been held at the American naval base since October 2002, accused of killing a U.S. sergeant in Afghanistan. Khadr was fifteen at the time. His defence team argued that their client was a child soldier and should be treated as a victim. After several years of procedural wrangling, Khadr went before a U.S. military court. In October, he pled guilty, in an agreement that allows him to be transferred to Canada after one year. This controversial new book will be published to coincide with Omar Khadr's return to Canada in late 2011. It will include shocking information about the Khadr family, Khadr's psychological assessment, and his trial that has often been ignored in the mainstream media. Challenging the conventional wisdom about the Khadr case, The Enemy Within is a provocative look at the definition of "child soldier," life at Guantanamo Bay, the media coverage of the case, a tainted plea bargain, and the Canadian government's plan for Omar Khadr's rehabilitation upon his return to Canada. In this hard-hitting book, Ezra Levant also uses Khadr's story to address larger questions about how Canadians view immigration, terrorism, law and justice, and Canada's relationship with the United States.




Immigration, Racial and Ethnic Studies in 150 Years of Canada


Book Description

Canada’s history, since its birth as a nation one hundred and fifty years ago, is one of immigration, nation-building, and contested racial and ethnic relations. In Immigration, Racial and Ethnic Studies in 150 Years of Canada: Retrospects and Prospects scholars provide a wide-ranging overview of this history with a core theme being one of enduring racial and ethnic conflict and inequality. The volume is organized around four themes where in each theme selected racial and ethnic issues are examined critically. Part 1 focuses on the history of Canadian immigration and nation-building while Part 2 looks at situating contemporary Canada in terms of the debates in the literature on ethnicity and race. Part 3 revisits specific racial and ethnic studies in Canada and finally in Part 4 a state-of-the-art is provided on immigration and racial and ethnic studies while providing prospects for the future. Contributors are: Victor Armony, David Este, Augie Fleras, Peter R. Grant, Shibao Guo, Abdolmohammad Kazemipur, Anne-Marie Livingstone, Adina Madularea, Ayesha Mian Akram, Nilum Panesar, Yolande Pottie-Sherman, Paul Pritchard, Howard Ramos, Daniel W. Robertson, Vic Satzewich, Morton Weinfeld, Rima Wilkes, Lori Wilkinson, Elke Winter, Nelson Wiseman, Lloyd Wong, and Henry Yu.