My daughter is being taught about child soldiers from Africa and nothing about the horrors faced by a Canadian teen in Afghanistan and Cuba.
Monia Mazigh
Monia Mazigh was born and raised in Tunisia and immigrated to Canada in 1991. Mazigh was catapulted onto the public stage in 2002 when her husband, Maher Arar, was deported to Syria where he was tortured and held without charge for over a year. She campaigned tirelessly for his release. Mazigh holds a PhD in finance from McGill University. In 2008, she published a memoir, Hope and Despair, about her pursuit of justice, and in 2011, a novel in French, Miroirs et mirages.From Congo to Guantanamo: Omar Khadr, the invisible child soldier
Last week, when my teenage daughter came back from school, she proudly showed me her newly bought t-shirt. This t-shirt had an intriguing slogan: "The invisible children."
After asking her few questions and to my incredulous look, she told me the following: "An organisation from the U.S. came to our school and spoke to us about child soldiers in Congo and other African countries. This organisation is on a school tour in North America. It sells crafts and other items in order to help raise money that will be used to award these kids scholarships... Isn't that great?" She was very enthusiastic.
Who is the next terrorist? Your neighbour next door!
The recent arrest of four young men in Ottawa has been portrayed by the media and by some security analysts as a brand new threat: the radicalization of youth. The typical terrorist is no longer a sombre looking foreigner or an immigrant with a heavy accent immersed in martial arts -- instead he is a middle-class family man, funny, "well integrated," and well educated that you can never detect or almost never...
Why is the Canadian government afraid of Omar Khadr speaking?
About a week ago, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews overruled a decision made by the warden of Millhaven Institution, also known as Guantanamo North, and refused an interview request by the Canadian Press to speak with Omar Khadr over the phone.
This refusal was justified by the Minister's office because of security concerns.
I am still trying to figure out how speaking on the phone from a maximum security prison can pose a threat to Canadians. Does it insinuate that Khadr will speak in encrypted messages to the journalist and to some shadowy accomplices? Or does it mean the interview poses a threat to the intelligence of people?
Aaron Yoon: Another story of guilty by association?
Last week it was reported in the media that Aaron Yoon, who is currently detained in Mauritania on terror-related charges, might be connected to two other Ontarians who were involved in the terrorist hostage-taking in Algeria. This hostage-taking which ended up costing the lives of most of the hostage-takers, including the Canadian young people involved, took place only a few days after France invaded Mali to "liberate" its inhabitants from Islamists.
Corruption, tax evasion and terrorism: The case of Arthur Porter
Until a few years ago, Arthur Porter seemed to embody the perfect Canadian immigrant success story. Indeed, he symbolized the immigrant that Canada, and Immigration and Citizenship Minister Jason Kenney, would be proud of.
A prominent medical doctor, a cancer specialist, a businessman, a former head of the McGill University Health Centre, a member of the Queen's Privy Council, a Harper-appointed former chairman of the Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC). In brief, Mr. Porter didn't lack any more appointments to prove his credentials.
Getting it all wrong: Kenney proposes revoking Canadian citizenship in cases of terrorism
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Time and again, the Conservative government is getting it all wrong.
Jason Kenney recently announced that his government is exploring the idea of stripping Canadians of their citizenship if they were found to have gone abroad and committed acts of terror.
Why Obama is not a socialist
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The Economist, the famous British magazine, in its first issues of 2013, ran on its cover a picture of U.S. President Obama wearing a striped shirt and a beret. It was a joke and a criticism directed towards Obama's politics.
In simple words, The Economist was clearly saying that the U.S. was becoming another version of France, a country with a long and strong history of social programs.
Of course, it didn't take long to have all the French media unleashing their wrath against those bad 'English' people with horrible taste.
Before championing human rights abroad, Canada needs to look closer to home
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On December 10th, the world celebrated Human Rights Day. Of course, I didn't expect this celebration to be a joyful or a rosy one. Canada, with the trembling voice of its Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, added its fading voice to the international scene.
The decline of American democracy
Two days ago, the world watched the duel between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Who will win, people asked themselves? The "black Muslim Socialist," as Obama was often decried by his adversaries, or the "white Mormon capitalist," as Romney was often depicted by his detractors? Black vs. white? Modest origins vs. rich upbringing? Democrats vs. Republicans? Intellectual vs. popular education? Regardless of which side we were supporting, the two men represented the divide of a worn-out American society. They became, willingly or unwillingly, icons of their respective camps.