Hope and Despair
Hi peeps...
I just want to share this book, I cried and really feel the heartache when I read it. Such a good story and we all can learn from it. Never loose your hope!!!!
The inspiring story of Monia Mazigh’s courageous fight to free her husband, Maher Arar, from a Syrian jail. On September 26, 2002, Maher Arar boarded an American Airlines plane bound for New York, returning early from vacation with his family because a work project needed his attention. He was a Canadian citizen, a telecommunications engineer and entrepreneur who had never been in trouble with the law.
His nightmare began when he was pulled aside by Immigration officials at JFK airport, questioned, held without access to a lawyer, and ultimately deported to Syria on the suspicion that he had terrorist links. He would remain there, tortured and imprisoned for over one year.
Meanwhile his wife, Monia, and their two children stayed on visiting family in Tunisia, unaware that their lives were about to be torn apart. Upon her return to Canada, Monia was horrified at the media’s and public’s willingness to assume that the Canadian police and intelligence agencies, and their American counterparts, take on her husband as a terrorist was correct. She began a tireless campaign to bring public attention and government action to her husband’s plight, eventually turning the tide of public opinion in Arar’s favour, and gaining his release and return to Canada.
Of her willingness to speak out, she has said that she was never afraid: “I had lost my life. I didn’t have more to lose.” This is a remarkable story of personal courage, and of an extraordinary woman who lets us into her life so that other Canadians can understand the denial of rights and the discarding of human rights her family suffered. Candid, poignant, and inspiring, this is the most important book of the season.
More details
Hope and Despair: My Struggle to Free My Husband, Maher Arar
By Monia Mazigh
Published by McClelland & Stewart, 2008
Hello my love I have read this story about the Syrian...
the gov that does the torturing is the one that is also guilty.
I have a friend who was hauled in for questioning whilst in transit in US
he is white Afrikaaners dutch reformist....
he is an engineer in mozambique...and due to that visa - he got heavy questioning about Al Qaeda, Pakistan etc...
he missed his flight and had to pay 1,500US to get home.
As for the Aussie chick... sorry my love...but they all say that someone put drugs in my luggage and i didnt know.
I know a journalist who started a freedom campaign for an English woman. he told me of course she was guilty but 'innocent victimised female' sells papers.
If we are capturing a person on "suspicion", then we know that he/she may be innocent.
To then hand that person over to a regime, that we know doesn't respect human rights is moraly wrong..
Would you not agree ??
Even though these things happened to me, I would still fight for the right of a person being "presumed innocent, till found guilty"..
I do not support extra renditions and the holding of prisoners at Gitmo..My own government has been involved in this and I have written to newspapers and marched against this sort of thing..
If a person is a suspected terrorist, then they must be tried, but with due process...
By such actions, we are lowering ourselves to the level of terrorists (IMHO) and there is no place for this in a civilized society.
I was in one of the compounds hit by the terrorists in Riyadh..
My wife's friend and her family died (all muslims), one family lost two adorable kids, my own house and car were badly damaged, my son was injured and I trid to protect my family during the firefight and explosions..
Remember it all vividly to this day :)
You are missing the point here....
The initial "screwup" was by the RCMP ...
Well, after dragonfly's comments, I would like to know other stories on how the east mistreat you with their torturing.
Oh hang on, no I don't. Because I'm not a small minded person who immediately thinks all people in the same country are automatically evil because of where they live.
Gotcha, Dragon. Have a nice weekend!
thats not what i meant, i want to know other people story on how they survived in this kind of deal.
Everybody is right everybody is wrong, it depend where you stand
Come on, Dragon. You made a very biased request with "how the west mistreat you with their anti-terrorist work". I just wanted to remind you that the East does the same. So why are you trying to stir up??
hey i never said The torture in Syria is not the fault of the Syrian government? of course they get self to blame.
Everybody is right everybody is wrong, it depend where you stand
The torture in Syria is not the fault of the Syrian government? Then who does torture in Syria? Private people?
how the east mistreat you? we can put marijuana in your luggage and arrest you :P lol
ever heard the story of an australian girl got arrested in bali accused of smuggling drugs??? that just one of the example, am sure you know more.
Everybody is right everybody is wrong, it depend where you stand
this is totally not the fault of syrian government, the american should get blame then the canadian for neglected him.
Everybody is right everybody is wrong, it depend where you stand
"I want to know how the west mistreat you with their anti-terrorist work". Now you know. But I want to know, actually I already know, "how the East mistreats you with their anti-terrorist work."
They "torture" in Syria??
Obviously the story could have also been titled:"How Syria mistreats her citizens." Right?
MD, he is canadian citizen and the syrian government follow the rules you are guilty until proves otherwise.
He is been tortured in syrian jail and they dont allowed anybody to visit him.
Everybody is right everybody is wrong, it depend where you stand
Cynbob you are right,
please people listen to cynbob and share your story here
Everybody is right everybody is wrong, it depend where you stand
you read the book brit? yes in the end he is free and back to his family. I cannot imagine what life ahead for them as a family after all this tragedy. Will the people still look at him differently (questioning is he really not a terrorist?) will they trust him again to be functional in the community (work wise)???
just horrid think about it.
Everybody is right everybody is wrong, it depend where you stand
Why would he not return to Syria? Does this country mistreat their citizens?? Syria is in the East, I guess.
Instead of asking about "how the west mistreat you with their anti-terrorist work" perhaps you would get more responses from people who have had to show their strength and courage in facing incredible odds. ;)
A sad story, but at least he came back alive and well..An oficial enquiry found him to be an innocent victim of inaccurate RCMP intelligence reports.
This case should have been a rallying call against enditions and similar actions carried out by our governments, but sadly it wasn't to be :(
anyone with same story please share it here. I want to know how the west mistreat you with their anti-terrorist work.
Everybody is right everybody is wrong, it depend where you stand