“Feed the Hungry. Visit the Sick. Set Free the Captives.” – Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)
(Details on how to join the fast for a day or more are below, as are actions you can take even if you are not fasting!)
INTRODUCTION
Please pick a day to fast in support of immediately freeing and bringing home dozens of arbitrarily detained Canadian Muslim men, women, and children, including the longest-held detainee, Jack Letts. All of them are illegally held without charge in northeastern Syrian jails and prison camps under conditions the United Nations describes as meeting the “threshold for torture, cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment under international law.” Justice Henry Brown of the Federal Court stated in December: “Canadians are dying or at risk of dying every day this matter is adjourned.” Every moment of delay increases the risk for the children, men and women.
On January 20, 2023, the Federal Court of Canada ordered the government to repatriate 4 Canadian men illegally detained for as long as 6 years. The previous day, it agreed to bring home 19 women and children held under similarly appalling conditions. Almost two months later, none have been returned.
This should have occurred no later than February 15, 2023, the second anniversary of the Canadian-led Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention. But instead, the Government of Canada is appealing the decision, choosing to prolong the arbitrary detention under conditions akin to torture of Canadian children, women and men. It is also trying to forcibly separate some Canadian children from non-Canadian mothers instead of doing the right thing by keeping families intact, and issuing Temporary Resident Permits to those mothers.
Justice Brown declared in his January 20, 2023 decision that, as soon as reasonably possible, “Canada must make a formal request for their repatriation,” that the detainees “must be provided necessary travel documents,” and Canada be required to “appoint either a delegate or representative to accept their hand over.” He made these findings based on well-settled Supreme Court of Canada jurisprudence and Canada’s international treaty obligations “in the expectation the executive government will act in good faith as its counsel represented to the Court.”
BACKGROUND
President Joe Biden, Human Rights Watch, the United Nations, the US State Dept., leading United States generals, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Save the Children, and even a House of Commons committee have called for repatriation of all detainees. But a Canadian government long complicit in the torture of its Muslim citizens held abroad has refused to lift a finger to help, even as far smaller and less resourced countries from Kazakhstan to Bosnia and Herzegovina have had no trouble bringing their nationals home. Ottawa has rightfully invested $3 million towards the repatriation of Iraqi citizens detained in Syria, but when it comes to its own citizens, Ottawa’s only response has been to create a bureaucratic “framework” marinated with insufferable bafflegab that makes it impossible for anyone to come home.
As a result, it’s up to those of us who can speak up to do so with public actions like this chain fast.
The chain fast will run during the blessed month of Ramadan because, as the UK human rights group CAGE reminds us, "The history of Islam is replete with stories of men and women facing imprisonment and abuse at the hands of oppressors.”
Canada says it opposes Islamophobia, yet imposes institutional Islamophobia against these detainees. Among those imprisoned are mothers and fathers, as well as the sons and daughters of parents and grandparents who have worked for years to bring their loved ones home. In addition, the Canadian government, taking a page from its own history of genocidal violence against Indigenous people, is engaged in an insidious process by which it seeks to separate the imprisoned babies and young kids from their moms and dads. Family separation – especially based on racist lies – is never acceptable.
WHO IS DETAINED?
All of the Canadians who went to Syria have been unjustly tarred with the same “national security” brush. None have been given a chance to defend themselves against these false accusations. As is happening with Canadians flocking to resist the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a small number of young Canadians travelled to Syria during the Assad regime’s war against the Syrian people. Some went to fight; some went for humanitarian reasons to help people suffering as a result of the civil war; some were trafficked; and some went on a ‘grand adventure’ or to escape racism and Islamophobia at home. Most believed they were going to help build a non-violent, utopian, Muslim society – a dream that proved both false and lethal for many. Some, like Jack Letts, opposed ISIS in the streets and were prosecuted for opposing them – a fact the Western media refuses to acknowledge.
Canada must stop relying on the media-generated, Islamophobic myths about these detainees as an excuse to perpetuate their misery (see a detailed analysis of Jack’s case at http://homesnotbombs.blogspot.com/2022/03/canada-must-stop-monstering-jack-letts.html)
Compare the way in which Canadian officials mistreat this group of emaciated, tortured souls with the Two Michaels, Canadians who were also arbitrarily detained, but in China. Despite being charged with serious (though clearly bogus) offences, the Two Michaels enjoyed (as they should have) a presumption of innocence in the eyes of Ottawa and the media. But when it comes to Canadian Muslims detained abroad under conditions of torture, Canada has always assumed guilt and been a complicit partner in criminalizing and torturing them. Two judicial inquiries and numerous Federal and Supreme Court decisions have found Canada complicit in the torture of Canadian Muslims abroad over the past two decades.
WHY A FAST?
Fasting
has long been a tool to raise awareness both in our communities and within
ourselves. When you fast, and your body asks when nutrition will eventually
arrive, it is a reminder of a cruel reality. Unlike those of us who fast for a
day – and know that what we need for our health is coming soon – for many who
hunger for justice, they simply do not know when the decision that will soothe
their souls and provide peace of mind will arrive. That uncertainty, which can
be indefinite, produces anxiety and trauma. When you fast in support of the
Canadian captives, it provides moral support to the families of the detainees
and reminds them that they are not alone. It also sends an important message to
the Canadian government that you recognize the humanity and the rights of those
detained (the very things Canada wants us to dismiss). It also helps spread the
word about an injustice that needs to be remedied as soon as possible.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CHAIN FAST
a) Pick a day (or a series of days) to fast during Ramadan and email your name
and town to tasc@web.ca
b) A list of open dates and names is available at http://homesnotbombs.blogspot.com/2023/03/ramadan-repatriation-chain-fast-to-free.html
c)
More than one person can fast on the same date.
d) Fast according to your preferred tradition (a full 24 hours, liquids only,
sun up to sun down).
e) The fast is open to anyone (you can join even if you are not living in
Canada). Even if you cannot fast, we encourage you to do these actions
below!
On the day they fast we encourage you to:
1. take a selfie with a simple message (ie, #FreeThe44, Free the Canadian
Captives, Canada Complicit in Arbitrary Detention, Obey The Court Order, Free
the 40+ Canadian Captives, etc.) and share that image via social media,
explaining why you are fasting on that day. Email us the image at tasc@web.ca so we can share it too.
b. Write an email (sample below) to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Global Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino to explain why you are fasting and reinforce the demands listed above.
c. Write a letter to a local newspaper about why you are fasting.
d. Fast for an hour in front of your MP’s office.
e. Share this petition: You can copy and paste this link on your social media
and email it to your friends as well! https://www.change.org/p/canadians-are-dying-free-jack-letts-43-canadian-kids-women-men-in-syria
f. Attend the virtual appeal hearing on March 27 when Canada tries to stop the repatriation of its own citizens. Email tasc@web.ca for details.
Thanks for your support!
Stop Canadian Involvement in Torture
Sample email SAMPLE EMAIL (be sure to include the CC-ed MPs and add your own
MP if they are not already listed below!)
(Feel free to personalize with your own statement imagining what it would be like to know your loved ones are condemned to these brutal camps and prisons and the Canadian government is refusing to lift a finger for them. Use a creative subject line as well that does not make your email look like it is computer-generated!)
To: Melanie.Joly@parl.gc.ca, Melanie.Joly@international.gc.ca
CC: pam.damoff@parl.gc.ca, rob.oliphant@parl.gc.ca, marco.mendicino@parl.gc.ca, michael.chong@parl.gc.ca, yasir.naqvi@parl.gc.ca, sameer.zuberi@parl.gc.ca, Marty.Morantz@parl.gc.ca, Stephane.Bergeron@parl.gc.ca, Rachel.Bendayan@parl.gc.ca, Hedy.Fry@parl.gc.ca, tasc@web.ca, Heather.McPherson@parl.gc.ca, alistair.macgregor@parl.gc.ca , Randeep.Sarai@parl.gc.ca, Chandra.Arya@parl.gc.ca, Peter.Schiefke@parl.gc.ca, Kamal.Khera@parl.gc.ca, Salma.Zahid@parl.gc.ca, Iqra.khalid@parl.gc.ca, Joel.Lightbound@parl.gc.ca, Ruby.Sahota@parl.gc.ca, Majid.Jowhari@parl.gc.ca, pm@pm.gc.ca, ps.ministerofpublicsafety-ministredelasecuritepublique.sp@canada.ca , jagmeet.singh@parl.gc.ca
Dear Minister Joly,
I am fasting today as part of a Ramadan Chain Fast to free the Canadian captives illegally detained in NE Syria because you refuse to bring them home. You must drop your court appeal and make immediate arrangements to bring home these long suffering children, women and men.
The historic January 20, 2023 Federal Court ruling calling on you to repatriate four Canadian men illegally and arbitrarily detained in northeast Syria – and your own commitment made the day before to repatriate 19 women and children – means it is time to immediately bring everyone home (including the Canadians not identified in the lawsuit and the non-Canadian mothers of Canadian children). This should have occurred no later than February 15, 2023, the second anniversary of the Canadian-led Declaration Against Arbitrary Detention.
Every day you fail to bring these long-suffering Canadians home, you perpetuate their arbitrary detention, forcing them to suffer conditions the UN calls akin to torture. You also increase their exposure to the risk posed by the ongoing bombings of the area by Turkish drones and fighter jets.
Justice Henry Brown of the Federal Court stated in December: “Canadians are dying or at risk of dying every day this matter is adjourned.” Every moment of your delay increases the risk for the children, men and women.
Justice Brown declared in his January 20, 2023 decision that, as soon as reasonably possible, “Canada must make a formal request for their repatriation,” that the detainees “must be provided necessary travel documents,” and Canada be required to “appoint either a delegate or representative to accept their hand over.” He made these findings based on well-settled Supreme Court of Canada jurisprudence and Canada’s international treaty obligations “in the expectation the executive government will act in good faith as its counsel represented to the Court.”
You can show good faith by not dragging this out for months and months in the same manner your government has looked the other way for years despite being called on to enact repatriation by the world’s leading human rights organizations, the United Nations, your U.S. State Dept. allies, President Joe Biden, a Parliamentary Committee, the Kurdish authorities who hold the detained Canadians, and tens of thousands of Canadians.
Canada has already repatriated 7 of its female and child citizens from the region. It has the necessary contacts on the ground in northeast Syria. It has the support of the world’s most powerful military, American Forces who remain on the ground. Most importantly, it has the consent and clear request of Kurdish authorities who hold the Canadians.
As Global Affairs Minister, you have already made an agreement to repatriate 19 additional women and children originally identified in the lawsuit. Adding the four men in Justice Brown’s order – where as he stated "the legal principles applicable to the Canadian men are the same as those applicable to the Canadian women and children” – should pose no problems.
In addition, you must repatriate all the Canadians not identified in the lawsuit (as well as the non-Canadian mothers of Canadian children, since your notorious Policy Framework clearly states you will not separate children from parents. I was horrified to learn that Global Affairs Canada delivered an ultimatum to these mothers to either give up their children and possibly never see them again or to keep them in these camps where conditions are akin to torture.)
I am disappointed that the Canadian government has repeatedly used unsubstantiated “national security” concerns to justify its failure to assist these Muslim Canadians in coming home. Justice Brown clearly wrote, “Notably the [government] Respondents do not allege any of the Applicants [detainees] engaged in or assisted in terrorist activities. The Respondents affirmed this position at the hearing.” He also stated there was no evidence before the court that anyone had committed offences contrary to Canadian law.
“The primacy of the right to return to Canada is reinforced in Canadian law,” Brown writes in his decision. “This is also a critical factor in this Judgment. Simply put, there is no known offence in Canada that carries with it exile or banishment as a penal consequence,” yet both by Canadian actions and conscious inaction, exile or banishment were plainly the result for Canadians stuck in northeast Syria. Indeed, Brown carefully cited jurisprudence that Section 6(1) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms – whose 40th anniversary you celebrated last year – “forbids the executive from frustrating the rights of Canadians to enter and return whether by executive actions taken in Canada or abroad.”
For too long, you have frustrated and denied the
rights of these Muslim Canadians. The Court has called on you to bring these
Canadians home. I expect them to be home as soon as possible.
Name
Town/City
+++++++++++++++++++
SAMPLE Call (feel free to use your own wording)
Mélanie Joly
613-992-0983 (Ottawa office)
514-383-3709 (Montreal office)
You may or may not get an answering machine (if you do, please leave a message).
Hi, my name is XXXXXXXX and I'm calling from XXXXXXX. On January 20, the Federal
Court ordered Minister Joly to bring home four Canadian men arbitrarily
detained in northeast Syria under conditions akin to torture. Ms Joly also
agreed to bring home 19 women and kids. Two months later, they are still there
and your government has appealed this order. I wanted to let you know I am
fasting today in support of repatriation during the month of Ramadan. Given
that she has ignored all prior requests to bring these long-suffering Canadians
home, I am concerned that Minister Joly will do everything in her power to
delay, avoid, and ultimately disregard this clear court order. The judge in the
case said “Canadians are dying or at risk of dying every day this matter is
adjourned.” I am calling on Ms. Joly to immediately bring everyone home – all
Canadians and the non-Canadian mothers of Canadian children. Thank you.
++++++++++++++++++++++
List of Fasters and Dates
Thursday March 23: Julie Lovely, Martin, Georgia, USA; Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Jan Slakov, BC; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Friday March 24: Mary Cowper-Smith, Prince Edward Island; Connie Pike, St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador; Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar; Belinda Cole, Montreal, QC
Saturday March 25: Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Sunday March 26: Kim Koyama, Toronto, ON; Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Monday March 27: Maureen McGahey, Perth, Ontario; Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Tuesday March 28: Donna Morrison, Ottawa, Ontario; Murray Lumley, Toronto, ON; Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Wednesday March 29: Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Thursday March 30: Sandra Davies, Kingston, ON (on her 83rd birthday!); Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Friday March 31: Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Saturday April 1: Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Sunday April 2: Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Monday April 3: Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Tuesday April 4: Murray Lumley, Toronto, ON; Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Wednesday April 5: Amanda Moddejonge, Ontario
Thursday April 6: Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Friday April 7: Neal Marchak, Niigata City, Japan
Saturday April 8: Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Sunday April 9: Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Monday April 10: Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Tuesday April 11: Murray Lumley, Toronto, ON; Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Wednesday April 12: Ayman Ibrahim, Oxford, UK
Thursday April 13: Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Friday April 14: Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Saturday April 15: Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Sunday April 16: Maria Mars, Cookstown, Ontario; Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Monday April 17: Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Tuesday April 18: Murray Lumley, Toronto, ON; Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
Wednesday April 19: Maria Mars, Cookstown, Ontario;
Thursday April 20: Maryam Akram, Doha, Qatar; Lee Morales, Doha, Qatar
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