The Tale of Two Canadians

By: Mohamed A. Suleiman

Recently, there have been two high profile cases of Canadians incarcerated in foreign countries. The cases of Brenda Martin, who was detained by Mexican authorities in February 2006 on charges of money laundering, and Bashir Makhtal, who was detained at the Somali-Kenyan border in January 2007 and flown to Ethiopia on what is clearly a case of extraordinary rendition, grabbed the attention of Canadians throughout the country.

The way that the Canadian government handled the incarceration of these two citizens heightened concerns among all Canadians about the ability of the government to protect its citizens in the global village. In both cases, the government got involved only after the media reported on the plight of the two individuals.

In the case of Brenda Martin, the government initially ignored pleas from family and friends and reluctantly intervened only after the CTV News Program W-Five aired Brenda’s plight. Canadians from all walks of life were shocked by the horrendous condition under which Brenda was being held. Without judging her guilt or innocence, Canadians who were outraged by her suffering called upon their government to do whatever they could to get her out of the miserable situation that she was in.

Several things worked toward Brenda Martin’s advantage. She happened to be a mainstream Canadian. Her family and friends therefore escalated her case’s profile and pressed the government for action. This was coupled with the fact that the government came under fire from critics and the opposition parties who demanded that the government take an active role in ending Ms. Martin’s plight.

In fact, former Prime Minister, Paul Martin, got involved and expressed his concern to the Mexican authorities.

Eventually, the federal government used its influence and started intervention at the highest possible levels. Fortunately, Brenda Martin is free today and, despite her horrendous ordeal, is home in Canada with her loved ones.

In the case of Bashir Makhtal, the government also ignored pleas from family and friends and reluctantly started low level contacts with his Ethiopian captors only after the popular CBC News Program “The Current” broke the news of his incarceration to Canadians.

It appears that several things worked against Bashir Makhtal. He happened to be a new Canadian, a person of African origin, and a Muslim. He also happened to belong to a community of recent immigrants who have no political or economic clout in the Canadian landscape.

Paul Dewar, an NDP MP for Ottawa Centre who is one of the few politicians who voiced their concerns about Mr. Makhtal’s incarceration in Ethiopia told a CBC reporter a few weeks ago that the difference between Brenda Martin’s case and that of Bashir Makhtal is the fact that: “Mr. Makhtal is a person of color and a new Canadian”.

There is another element to the equation that complicates Bashir Makhtal’s case that no one seems to want to talk about. It is the fact that Bashir Makhtal is a Muslim. And judging from the Canadian government’s track record on protecting its Muslim Canadians in the post 9/11 era, there appears to a double standard in the way even the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is interpreted or enforced.

We all know how the Canadian government and its institutions that were trusted with safeguarding the rights of its citizens colluded with the United States authorities in the infamous rendition of Maher Arar to the torture chambers in Syria. We also know the case of the young Omar Khadar and the fact that Canada now enjoys the dubious distinction of being the only western democracy that has a detainee in Quantanamo Bay.

While Brenda Martin’s freedom from the Mexican jail could largely be credited to the political action that was started by her family and friends and supported by ordinary Canadians, the continuing incarceration of Bashir Makhtal in the gallows of the filthy Guantanamo Bay style dungeon in the Ethiopia proper is largely due to the inaction of the Somali and Muslim community.

This inaction, apathy, or complacency on the part of the Muslim community is not without its root causes, however.

Canadian Muslims are disillusioned about their status as citizens in the post 9/11 era. The government’s handling of the cases of Maher Arar, Omar Khadar, and now Bashir Makhtal continues only to add to their disillusionment.

While some in the mainstream media are quick and eager to blasphemise and smear the image of Muslims, the Muslim community is rendered helpless by the fact that the so-called “security certificate” is felt to be hanging over the neck of each one of its members. Therefore, they could not talk, write, or organize simply because their efforts and/or actions could be construed in such a way that it may put them in harms way.

It is plainly obvious that there is a double standard in the way that even something as basic and universal as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is exercised or interpreted.

The Harper government’s inefficacious and arrogant attitude towards the plight of Bashir Makhtal adds insult to the injury. It is a stark reminder that the conservative government continues to harbor anti-Islamic and anti-immigrant tendencies.

How else could we explain the fact that Bashir Makhtal is languishing in a dungeon in a country that receives one hundred million dollars annually in foreign aid from the Canadian government?

It defies logic that the federal government could not use its leverage with the Ethiopian authorities, if nothing else, to press Ethiopia to respect the universal principles of the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. Anything short of that would mean that the federal government is once again colluding with a foreign entity to deny one of its citizens the due process with which the justice system of this nation is founded.

Canadians should be concerned about their safety and security in the global village and should demand more from their government. Muslim Canadians in particular should not be paralyzed by the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy. They should be vocal, demand equal treatment under the law, and take their rightful position in this uniquely multicultural country of ours.

Bashir Makhtal’s life is in a real danger. He was forced to appear in a kangaroo military court and confess to some serious charges that could result in summary execution. The Ethiopian government’s dismal human rights record makes this scenario that much too real.

A group of concerned Canadian citizens has started lobbying the federal government on behalf of Mr. Makhtal. They are committed to bring the plight of this Canadian citizen to the forefront so that his case should be afforded the attention that it deserves.

Canadians from all walks of life should come together and rally behind this group and should bring Mr. Makhtal home just as they did bring Brenda Martin home from Mexico. Anything less than that will perpetuate the existing perceptions.

Yayacanada