Twenty three year old Canadian Mohamed Kohail has been found guilty of murder while in Saudi Arabia and faces execution by beheading. His death is imminent and he will likely die for his crime within the coming weeks.
Kohail grew up in Saudi Arabia but moved to Montreal when he was a teenager. He, along with his family moved back to Saudi Arabia temporarily to attend a wedding intending to return to Canada where they own a home. While there, he (Kohail) became involved in a brawl after his brother Sultan, 16, called for his help at a local school where a group of youths armed with knives and clubs accused him of insulting a girl. Mohamed involved himself in the fight intending to defend his brother and after the bloody episode had ended, Syrian Haraki died.
The Kohail brothers were immediately arrested and taken to a prison in Jeddah. Friends and family allege that Kohail was the victim of an unfair investigation and trial. One family friend claims the court ignored important evidence that would have cleared Kohail of the charge against him. Other sources assert that the young man’s lawyers were repeadedly denied access to the courtroom.
Canadian politicians, human rights groups and government agencies are pressing hard to save Mohamed kohail’s life. Amnesty International has since sent a letter addressed to the Saudi ambassador to Canada urging him to intervene in the case, citing very serious concerns regarding the legal process to which the defendant was subjected. The Saudi embassy in Ottawa has not, as of yet, commented.
What is pointedly missing in this case is the lack of concern by Canadian Muslim organizations regarding the alleged mistreatment of Mr. Kohail at Saudi hands and his impeding execution. Certainly one would think that high profile Islamic groups such as CAIR-CAN, the Canadian Arab Federation and the Canadian Islamic Congress, all proponents of fair justice and the improvement in the quality of life for Muslim Canadians here and abroad, would have weighed in on this situation.
Yet none of their sites even mention the Kohail case.
Where are the denouncements and calls for ‘action’ on behalf of a fellow Muslim Canadian? Where are the letters of concern, the protests outside the Saudi embassy and the plethora of media communiques sent to major newspapers? Where are the calls aimed at Saudi officials requesting an investigation into the matter and calling for clemency? Where are the requests asking that Mr. Kohail be returned to Canada? Where are the numerous essays, columns and articles criticizing the Saudi government? Why is there no pressure put upon the Harper government to intervene in this case and repatriate Mr. Kohail by these organizations? And, where is the support for his family in this ordeal?
I have read nothing…….nothing.
Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that these groups are simply not concerned with the welfare of a Muslim Canadian such as Mohamed Kohail at all, preferring to concentrate their rabid obsession with asking the Canadian government to repatriate terrorists such as Omar Khadr. Or likely, time spent deeming themselves official intervenors calling for follow-up action on the recent Iacobucci report demanding that Canada apologize and compensate Abdullah Almalki, Ahmed Abon-Elmatti and Muyayyed Nureddin for alleged torture they suffered in Egypt and Syria.
Or maybe they are too busy to help Kohail, finding themselves consumed by their tremendous effort to monitor the alarming rise of Islampohobia in Canada accompanied by vigorous attempts to rid Canadian society of legitimate criticism of Islam via censorship through human rights commission complaints and prosecuting and ridiculing journalists and a Canadian free press. Or maybe they are too bogged down by hours spent constantly involved in heavy lobbying to defend and secure the implementation of sharia law in Canada?
I believe the neglect of Mohammed Kohail’s case indicates the simplicity of a brotherhood bond with Saudi whabbist principle, a twisted ideology that finds moral acceptability amongst the Islamists in Canada. What is there to rail against when one agrees?
Thirteen year old rape victim Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow was stoned to death for adultery on October 27 by a group of fifty men in a stadium in Kismayu, Somalia while 1,000 spectators looked on. Again, nothing denouncing this human tragedy appeared on any of these ‘moderate,’ peace-pushing, justice-for-all sites.
Why the silence?
Is this a tacit agreement in ideology?
Are these the kinds of legitimate questions that are more often than not considered blasphemous and Islampohobic to an extremist Muslim mindset where the priority of offense is to religious sensibility and replaces the collective moral outrage of the murder of a 13 year old rape victim?
I must be misinformed by a lying and ignorant world media reporting these horrors, as I am told repeatedly that Islam treats women, Muslims and all people with equality and dignity. The real bastards of such women’s oppression apparently are Western nations, as I’ve learned from reading an insightful essay entitled the liberation of women on the Canadian Islamic Congress website written by Mr. Canadian Peace and Justice himself Dr. Elmasry.
I do believe that Canada should intervene on behalf of Mohamed Kohail. I also believe that Canadians need to work far harder to show strong objection to the moral depravity of a Saudi social, cultural and legal system and to shame others like it, that continue to perpetuate such brutality, bigotry and backwardness. I also believe that countries which deploy the systematic and regular murder of rape victims accused of the crime of adultery should be criticized internationally as rogue establishments, unworthy of respect. Any group which supports, justifies, condones or excuses such extremism either openly or by silent applause should be condemned and ridiculed.
While Canadian Kohail awaits his execution and Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow lays dead, Islamism in it’s most perverse and hypocritical state continues in Canada.
Grace
Just a question. If Mr Kohail was born and raised in KSA, it means he is a Saudi national, regardless of what passports he holds. Even if I have resided in KSA (or any other country for that matter) for 10 years, I will not be a Saudi national. So why claim he is a Canadian? Is it just for the convenience?
my 2pence worth…
Interesting question but it crosses a number of seperate issues. For one, I agree that a big part of the problems in Canada is because our governments since Trudeau has held our citizenship cheap. When you dilute its meaning it becomes impractical to act on behalf of those with Canadian citizenship at home and especially around the world.
The second issue is the tit for tat. Because Japan for instance will never allow a non ethnic Japanese to enjoy full rights of citizenship despite perhaps multi generational residence in Japan does that mean we should reciprocate in kind for Japanese immigrants to Canada? Perhaps it’s that I do not understand your question. Care to detail?
Thanks. Vlad
Canada’s immigration policy regarding dual nationals is definitely a complex issue and circumstances surrounding such policy leave much room for abuse. For example in the summer of 2006 many Lebanese citizens holding Canadian passports who found themselves amidst the Israel/Hezbollah conflict in Lebanon demanded Canada come to their aid. As Canadian citizens they were entitled to such aid, although many had not set foot on Canadian soil for many years, preferring to reside in Lebanon. It was widely reported that as Canada sought to bring them ‘home’ safely, complaints were abound citing even the most mundane ills, such as a lack of bottled water provided on the rescue ship.
No doubt there are many who use Canada as a post of convenience with little if any respect or loyalty to this nation. I do not know for certain if Mohamed Kohail’s family is of this ilk. The basis of my article was to point to the absence of concern and activism by high profile Islamic groups regarding Mr. Kohail’s situation and to expose the hypocrisy of these organizations as the frauds for justice they clearly are.
Ask yourself this: Why has there been tremendous pressure from many of these groups to repatriate Omar Khadr to Canada, a known man with terrorist involvement and not one word said by these same groups of the alleged mistreatment, unfair trial and impending execution in Saudi Arabia? Both men are Canadian. Fair question to be asking
Citizen of whatever country does not appear to me to be the core issue. Yes, if he is Candian, has a Candian passport, then I agree that Canada should better stand up for the rights of one of their citizens.
But the bigger issue appears to be how this was handled by the Saudis? Was there a fair and impartial trail. Was all the evidence heard. From the accounts written, it sounds like a case of selfdefense, or at most aggrivated manslaughter. Problem is, is how do get the Saudis to review the case impartially remembering that to have a Saudi admit to an error is next to impossible … saving face is very important in Saudi Arabia.
No. Dual citizenship means that a citizen holding two passports belongs, legally, to two countries and he/she must respect the laws of both these countries.
If such an individual commits a crime in one ofthe two countries, the other country has no right to question the fairness or infairness of the trial.
Besides, pardon me, if a holder of a Canadian passport chooses to live in a Muslim country… some questions should be asked.
Read my opinions here : http://audaxnews.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/mohammad-momin-khawaja-is-not-canadian/.
These individuals are NOT Canadians.
Madi Lussier,
I agree with your frustration. However the question asked was if Canada should intervene on Mohamed Kohail’s behalf; at this point I believe we should, if only to criticize and denounce the Saudi position on how they conduct themselves culturally, socially and obviously legally. A good dose of collective ridicule against the Saudi’s wouldn’t hurt either, as Saudi Arabia is the breeding ground of sharia.
Whether we like it or not, Kohail is a Canadian citizen by virtue of his birth in this country and like any other Canadian is entitled to the same rights and protection under Canadian law. What is needed to end the abuse by the many who seem to use Canada as a country of convenience and a conduit for violent Islamism is a massive overhaul of our immigration policy. Mohamed Kohail, unlike Omar Khadr and Momin Khawaja is not a terrorist; he became involved in a school brawl, deprived of a fair trial, and sentenced to death, a case that would otherwise have ended much differently had he been charged and prosecuted in a civilized country.
It is also worth mentioning that many Canadians travel and spend time in foreign nations, many of which are employed by federal and international aid agencies, Canadian news outlets and various NGO’s. If one of these people were to be kidnapped, unlawfully held and unfairly tried in any these rogue states (as we have seen many times), Canada is rightfully obligated to and has on many occasions, negotiated for their safety and secured their release. Canadian women have been harassed, beaten, raped, jailed and murdered on trumped up charges mainly for being ‘too western’. Another common tactic is to nab journalists for high ransom (Daniel Pearle) only to execute them in the end. The United States did not hesitate to intervene, although Pearle was accused of committing a ‘crime’ in Pakistan. Again, another rogue, failed state. These people do need their home countries to intervene on their behalf. Where Canada should clearly stop short of intervention is on behalf of those known to have acted in terrorist activity or who have affiliated themselves with or supporting terrorists groups. They should not be afforded aid of any kind and their Canadian citizenship immediately revoked, stripping them of any rights, protection or legal recourse under Canadian law.
Not only do we have a right to question foreign nations, Canada has a duty to protect it’s citizens, even at times when the only recourse is a moral one, to expose the brutality of backward, hostile, ignorant countries. Khohail will no doubt be executed. Until we decide to rework our policies surrounding immigration and citizenship, the abuse and disloyalty by many will continue. I don’t however believe Kohail merits neglect and in his case, I think we are bound to intervene.
While Islamist groups in Canada lobby to have known terrorists repatriated to Canada, they support the Saudi’s by neglecting Kohail, a non-terrorist. This is where the real questions need to be asked.
Grace,
I also agree with you when it comes to those Canadians who have governmental jobs in other countries. Yes, our government must INTERVENE if their life is in danger.
Personally, I was referring to those new Canadians who, after obtaining the Canadian passport, choose to go back to “their” countries …