Re: The real lesson to be learned from the suffering of Maher Arar

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Posted by CCD in Al-Jazeerah? on 18:01:04 2006/12/13

In Reply to: The real lesson to be learned from the suffering of Maher Arar posted by CCD Press Release

Your browser does not support inline frames, or it has been configured incorrectly. If page does not display on your browser, please <a href="http://canadiancoalition.com/AlJazeerahINFO20061213/CCDStatementOnMaherArar.html.htm">CLICK HERE</a>. The real lesson to be learned from the suffering of Maher Arar: A Statement by the Canadian Coalition for Democracies Opinion Editorials, December 2006, To see today's opinion articles, click here: www.aljazeerah.info ÇáÌÒíÑÉ Al-Jazeerah.Home News Arab Cartoons News Photo Documents Editorials Opinion Editorial letters to the editor Human Price of the Israeli Occupation of Palestine Islam Israeli daily aggression on the Palestinian people Media Watch Mission and meaning of Al-Jazeerah News Photo Peace Activists Poetry Book reviews Public Announcements Public Activities Women in News Cities, localities, and tourist attractions The real lesson to be learned from the suffering of Maher Arar A Statement by the Canadian Coalition for Democracies Ottawa, Tuesday, December 13, 2006 – As Canadians, we are deeply distressed by the suffering of Maher Arar, whose ordeal was, in the judgement of Justice Dennis O’Connor, triggered by sub-standard police and security work on the part of the RCMP. We recognize the difficulty in compensating Maher Arar and his family for the ordeal that followed his deportation to Syria. Certain RCMP officers made a serious mistake. The government has recognized the fallibility of its security forces by undertaking an independent investigation into how such a mistake was made. We cannot expect a democracy to be perfect, but we can expect it to recognize its mistakes, to compensate the injured parties, and to take concrete steps to prevent a recurrence. But in dealing with the mistakes of the RCMP, we must assure that we do not press for changes that will weaken our security forces and create an advantage for our enemies. It is likely that our security forces this past June prevented thousands of Canadians from being slaughtered in a terrorist act that could easily have exceeded the bloodshed of 9/11. In preventing another injustice such as that suffered by Maher Arar, we must assure that we do not expose Canadians to damages for which there can be no compensation and no opportunity to be made whole. The most important lesson to be learned from Mr. Arar’s case is not the shortcomings of our own security services, but the barbarism of our radical Islamist enemies who brutalized an innocent Canadian. The real lesson is the treatment of Bill Sampson, a Canadian tortured and sentenced to death by beheading in Saudi Arabia. The real lesson is the torture and murder of Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi under Iran's chief prosecutor, Said Mortazavi, who was subsequently welcomed at the inaugural session of the UN Human Rights Council. The RCMP fumbled, but the real lesson is in recognizing the Islamist supremacism that threatens to do to us all what was done to Maher Arar, Bill Sampson and Zahra Kazemi. We must not allow the tragic case of Maher Arar to be exploited by certain Canadian organizations to weaken our security forces against Islamist terror for which these organizations are often apologists. The government must assure that increased vulnerability to terror is not an unintended consequence of changes to our security procedures. As Canadians, we believe that Maher Arar deserves justice from those who were responsible for his suffering. But Canadians likewise deserve protection from those whom we know are planning to inflict far greater suffering on all of us. Our security forces must be strengthened, not weakened, to assure that the real terrorists are defeated. For more information, please contact : Alastair Gordon, President, CCD 416-963-8998 David Harris, Senior Fellow for National Security, CCD 613-233-1220 If you would like to comment on this statement or other topics relating to foreign policy, please visit our public message forum and post your comments: <a style="font-weight:normal" href="http://canadiancoalition.com/forum/messages/20475.shtml">http://canadiancoalition.com/forum/messages/20475.shtml</a> For an index of CCD in the Media, please visit: <a style="font-weight:normal" href="http://canadiancoalition.com/media.shtml">http://canadiancoalition.com/media.shtml</a> Founded in 2003, the Canadian Coalition for Democracies (CCD) is a non-partisan, multi-ethnic, multi-denominational organization of concerned Canadians dedicated to national security and the protection and promotion of democracy at home and abroad. CCD focuses on research, education and media publishing to build a greater understanding of the importance of national security and a pro-democracy foreign policy. <a style="font-weight:normal" href="http://canadiancoalition.com/">http://canadiancoalition.com/</a> Earth, a planet hungry for peace Apartheid Wall The Israeli Land-Grab Apartheid Wall built inside the Palestinian territories, here separating Abu Dis from occupied East Jerusalem. (IPC, 7/4/04). The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank, like a Python. (Alquds,10/25/03). Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent Al-Jazeerah's. editor@aljazeerah.info

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Follow Ups:

Re: Don't let RCMP/CSIS 'accountability' pave the way to Canada's 9/11 - CCD's David Harris in Ottawa Citizen 17:59:20 2006/12/16 (1)
- Re: More bureaucracy or more security? - CCD's Al Gordon on AM940 Last Angry Man 22:17:31 2006/12/20 (0)

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