Khadr Renounced Canada to Become Just Another Terrorist

At age 15, Omar Khadr was a member of an al-Qaeda family who fought against U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and is charged with killing one soldier with a grenade and wounding another medic who saved his (Khadr’s) life. As long as he is treated humanely, what happens to Omar Khadr is America’s business, not Canada’s.

It seems there is no escaping the Omar Khadr case which seems to taint all who come in contact with it. Now the Canadian SIRC (Security Intelligence Review Committee) is critical of how CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) agents interviewed Khadr in 2003. SIRC oversees CSIS , which replaced RCMP Security 25 years ago as Canada's principle security and intelligence body, but has maintained a lower profile than the RCMP endured. If you can believe it, CSIS supposedly should have taken into account Khadr’s youth at the time of his capture in Afghanistan. “It is well recognized... that youth are entitled to certain fundamental rights because of their status as a minor,” the critical SIRC report says. CSIS apparently thinks so too, and agrees it “has to adapt to the more recent phenomenon of youth radicalization.” What gives here? There’s nothing new in youths or children being used in war. Hitler Youth were increasing at the front when the Nazis were losing WWII; Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge gave 11-year-olds AK47s to indiscriminately kill; children in Sierra Leone were used as shock troops; Hamas conscripts children as suicide bombers. Hell, the British gave a Victoria Cross to a boy seaman (Jack Cornwell, 16) at the Battle if Jutland in WWI. There’s is no shortage of WWII vets who joined under age to go to war. So how is a CSIS interrogator supposed to question Khadr? Remember, at age 15 he was a member of an al-Qaeda family who fought against U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and is charged with killing one soldier with a grenade and wounding another medic who saved his (Khadr’s) life. A criticism of CSIS is that interviewers didn’t take into account that Khadr may have been mistreated at Guantanamo Bay – no, not waterboarding or physical pain, but long interrogations, bright lights, once being used as a human mop for his own urine. So what? As long as CSIS didn’t abuse him, how would that affect questions to him? Another complaint is that CSIS turned over videotapes of their interviews to the Americans. Jeepers, they’re on Canada's side! Rather, Canada's on their side. Why wouldn’t they share information? Khadr was caught on tape crying for his mommy – the same mommy who’s boasted how proud she’d be if one of her kids was a suicide bomber. Again, why on earth would CSIS want to assure Khadr that anything he told them would be confidential? CSIS interviewers are not journalists, promising to protect sources. They are agents of a country at war seeking to gain information that will save lives of their countrymen and their allies. If Omar Khadr isn’t a complete dolt, he’d understand this. SIRC, too. I suspect a lot of Canadians are weary of the Khadr soap opera. From all accounts, it’s far from being concluded, now that he’s apparently fired his U.S. military lawyers and opted for civilian lawyers, who’ll need time to be brought up to speed. Khadr is 22 and faces five war crimes charges, which I’ve always thought were nonsense - especially first degree murder for fighting back against those who were invading his chosen country and the cause to which he’d pledged his young life. By his (and his family’s) standards, he was behaving bravely and honourably. Let his lawyers plead his case, and after that see about him coming back to Canada. As long as he is treated humanely, what happens to Khadr is America’s business, not Canada’s. He made his choice, and Canadians should accept that.