Exclusive: Interview with Zaynab Khadr, sister of Omar Khadr, 'Guantanamo's child'

Omar Khadr was taken in to US custody at the age of 15 - horrifically wounded, emaciated and unconscious. Almost nine years later he remains the only western national held in Guantanamo Bay. Cageprisoners speaks to his sister, Zaynab, about the extraordinary plight of Omar Khadr and his family. Omar Khadr was captured by US forces in Afghanistan during the summer of 2002 after a shoot-out that left several people dead, including a US forces operative. Omar received crippling shrapnel wounds to his eyes and feet and was shot twice in the back as he lay on the floor wounded. After surviving at unimaginable odds Omar was taken to the Bagram Theater Internment Facility and interrogated continuously until his transfer to Guantanamo later that year. During his time in custody, especially the first year, he endured torture, cruelty and degrading treatment - including threats of rape. He was not afforded protection under international regulations of children at war and has spent almost his entire adolescent life growing up in the cages of Guantanamo. The US military accuses Omar of being responsible for the death of the US soldier and has charged him under the farcical and highly criticised system of the Military Commissions.   During his time in captivity he learned about death of his father, the paralysis of one brother and the imprisonment of another. Cageprisoners spoke to his sister in Canada, Zaynab, about the extraordinary trials faced by Omar and the Khadr family. Cageprisoners: Asalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu Zaynab. Can you please introduce yourself? Zaynab Khadr: wa`alaykum assalaam wa rahmatullaah wa barakatuh. I'm the sister of Omar and Abdullah Khadr.   CP: How did your family first find out that Omar had been captured? ZK: I was in Lahore and I was speaking to my uncle online and he asked me about my family, how they were doing, etc. He particularly asked me about Omar, and I said I was sure everyone was okay. He said he was informed by the Red Cross that Omar was with Abdul Rahman in Guantanamo. I told him that it seemed as though everything was okay from the letter I had received from my family.    This happened in August 2002. When I went back to my mother, they still were not aware of Omar's whereabouts, but they knew that he has been taken by the Americans along with a brother who was a translator. Eventually word would come from ex-prisoners in Bagram that they had seen Omar but nothing concrete. I kept what I heard from my uncle to myself. Around November my father took me aside and told me that there is a chance that Omar has been transferred to Guantanamo. He worried about how we would tell the news to my mom. And so we would come up with all these different scenarios of where Omar could be, whenever his name was mentioned in front of my mom so that she would get used to the idea and then we eventually told her since it was already in the news by then.   CP: How did your mother handle the news? ZK: We had been speaking about it for a while now and so I think she was more prepared for it. She took it quite well. At least now she felt that there was perhaps a chance of communication through the Red Cross. But she was also very upset because it made the chances of him coming home very distant.  Her reaction was not of alarm, just because we had tried to get her used to the idea of Omar being in Guantanamo.   CP: When did you learn about the charges against Omar? ZK: Since late 2003 we were aware that charges were going to be laid, we were also aware that he was being accused of killing an American soldier but we didn't know more than that.    CP: When did you first hear from him? It was in March 2006.   CP: Around this time, your other brother Abdullah, had gone missing in Pakistan, when did you first learn about his whereabouts?  ZK: We didn't know his whereabouts, we didn't know if he was alive or dead until he showed up at our door in December 2, 2005.   CP: How did you and the rest of the family deal with the imprisonment of both of your brothers, who were held without any charge and trial? ZK: We just accepted the will of Allaah subhanahu wa ta`ala. We knew that we were going to be tested. It was difficult in the beginning but the support from community helped as they were going through similar trials [in Pakistan]. But when we came to Canada, it became more difficult due to the political situation and lack of support from the community. We just tried to take it one day at a time, and tried to hold onto our deen[religion]. It was very hard as we had come from a very male oriented society and coming here, we realized we had to fill in many shoes, and do a lot on our own due to absence of [family] men around us.    CP: In 2006, Abdullah was released, but within two weeks of his release he was arrested again. How was that for you and your family? ZK: It was one of the most difficult times we had to go through since after his release. I guess we all subconsciously thought that finally this episode had ended and that now we had only Omar to focus on. But when it happened again it was very unexpected and hit us all very hard.    CP: Why was he arrested? Was he charged with any crime? ZK: He was arrested because of a warrant that was issued from a courthouse in Boston. He was facing extradition to the US due to charges of selling and buying weapons. CP: What kind of conditions was Abdullah held in? ZK: We could visit him twice a week for 40 minutes combined. His living conditions were not very good. He was in a range that was built for 20 people and sheltered 40. He spent most of his time sleeping on the floor due to the number of inmates in a cell. He had trouble getting halaal food. He was also harassed and mistreated by guards due to his name and background. They would aggravate him whenever they got the chance.   CP: Was Omar aware of what was going on with Abdullah and what you and your family were dealing with?  ZK: Omar was pretty much aware of what was going on but we didn't tell him a lot of the details because we didn't want him to worry. Most of what he knew was from his lawyer who was also defending Abdullah.   CP: How often did you hear from Omar? ZK: For the first 2 years after the first call, we would get two calls a year and the first two times we had to travel to Ottawa to speak to him because the calls were organized through the Department of Foreign Affairs. But after that the calls were made through the Red Cross and recently they have also become more frequent. So we get to talk to him 3-4 times a year. We were also able to have a video call with him once. CP: Can you describe how he sounded?  ZK: His voice had matured and he sounded a lot older. He also had developed a very different dialect than we were used to. He would say things that sounded so foreign to us and then he would say things that would remind us of the same 15 year old Omar that we knew. He was the same person, yet he wasn't.   CP: How would you describe his morale, his spirit? ZK: He had very high morals and spirits. He was very calm and had completely submitted to the Will of Allaah. He also did not want to upset my mother so he would sound very cheerful. Sometimes he would be a little too cheerful and we would wonder why. He would remind us to pray and stay strong. He seemed to be stronger than the rest of us.   CP: With the limited communications you've had with Omar, can you describe how he's changed over these 8 years of imprisonment?  He's become a man in a time when we weren't there. He seems so much more mature. We still share history but we don't really recognize the person he is now. We just get glimpses of the old Omar when we talk to him. He's very eloquent when he talks. He also seems older than the rest of us.    CP: His trial is set to resume October 18th of this year. What are your feelings and thoughts about it? ZK: We have no faith in the system and neither does he. We put our faith in Allaah subhanahu wa ta'ala and we hope for the best from Allaah. We try our best to do what we can but we don't expect much from anyone except Allaah.  CP: How is your mother dealing with this? Where do you and your family draw strength from? ZK: My mother's doing okay. She has her bad days and misses him very much but she has faith that he is protected by Allaah and that he knows where he stands. Mainly we draw our strength from Allaah and our religion where we are taught to be patient, and we pray that these are signs of Allaah's love for our family.    CP: Have you received much support for Omar, especially with his trial coming up?  We don't have much support from our community but there are some families and individuals who have shown amazing support and who have opted to take the more difficult choice of staying by our side during these rough times. In accordance with the hadeeth of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wassalam that the Muslims should be like one body to each other. Even though the support or presence of it may be far apart but it has made a huge difference in our lives.  CP: The Canadian government seems to very persistent in making sure Omar stays in Guantanamo. How has that affected you?  ZK: Again, this just emphasizes the fact that we have no faith in the justice system. It has actually strengthened our faith and trust in Allaah rather than in people and the government.    CP: Recently you received some good news about brother Abdullah, can you share that with us? ZK: He was released by the judge due to mistreatment and torture he faced in Pakistan during interrogation and thus the information obtained through these interrogations were rendered void by the judge. However the government has now appealed the decision.   CP: How has his release affected you?   ZK: It’s brought hope to our family and has revitalized us. It was a huge surprise, and it made him very happy obviously. He's starting to plan for a future and its giving us hope that insha'Allaah these trials would be coming to an end soon.   CP: How is Abdullah doing now?  ZK: He's looking forward to finally settling, and he's working on upgrading his education and finding a job. He's mostly looking forward to living a normal life.   CP: When was the last time you heard from Omar? ZK: Two days before Eid al Fitr, September 8th.    CP: What is your opinion on Omar's decision to fire his lawyers and represent himself? ZK: First of all, Omar is not representing himself he has kept his American military lawyers. But he has fired his civilian lawyers. I guess I might not really understand his perspective but we have learnt with time to respect his decisions since the time and difficulties he's gone through has given him a perspective that we all lack. I pray that Allaah guides him to make the best decisions and we will support him no matter what he decides. CP: People often assume that the families of prisoners - and even the prisoners themselves - are constantly depressed, lack morale and generally very solemn. Is that an accurate assumption in your experience?   ZK: No it’s not true; I think these families go through as many emotions as anybody else. They go through ups and down like everybody else. Having support and having people around us affects our morale and helps us get through. When families are feeling isolated, and don’t get any support from their community, it makes them very depressed and sad. But when there is support, even if it very limited, and that itself becomes a source of happiness. Also it depends on morale, the spirit and the conditions of their loved ones in prison, but when their morale and spirit is well, they are also well.   CP: There must be things that you all laugh at when speaking to Omar - and Abdullah before - on the phone?   ZK: Mostly old memories, memories of things that took place with our father. We would tell Abdullah or Omar how I have to drive and they would joke about how our mother didn’t like fast drivers, and if ever any driver drove fast, she should tell them to ‘slow down, slow down’. My mom also tells him how nobody has taken care of her as he did and how she misses him so much. CP: It's a very slow process but people are being released from Guantanamo regularly. How do you feel when you hear about the releases?   ZK: Alhamdulillah, we are very happy for the release of our brothers, for they are all to us as one family. We love them all the same. Release of one is like the release of our brother, we feel joy and we wish the best for them.    What percentage of support in you campaign do you receive from Muslims and non-Muslims?              People who show interest in Omar’s case are predominantly non Muslim women, that’s not to say there is no support from Muslims, but there are not visible, they seem to be sticking to du’aa in secret only. An art exhibition recently featured paintings from Guantanamo, which included some by Omar. What goes through your mind when you see his work?    How amazing it is that he has become so artistic and creative since he never showed any interest in art when he was younger. Also, his ability to create such beauty when he lives in such a horrible, dark, insensitive and inhumane place. It reflects his soul and his heart- that is full of beauty and hope. CP: What do you think we can do more to support your family and your brothers? ZK: Spread more awareness about the status of the detainees and remind people about the situations families of detainees have to go through. And also remind them that we have to stand by each other regardless of guilt or innocence. Lastly, we request that you keep us in your du`aas for it is the greatest tool we have.   CP: If you could give advice to others who may be going through similar trials, what would you say? ZK: I would tell them to be strong, not give up hope or faith. Never take the side of the disbeliever against a believer no matter what we hear. To have faith in our Muslim brothers and sisters. And that no matter how difficult the trial or test, we should not let it affect our deen. To support each other regardless of what situation we're in. To always remember that what’s not meant to harm us, will never harm us. And to find good support because even if it’s little, it can go a long way.   You're aware of the case of Aafia Siddiqui, recently found guilty in the US courts of attempted murder and sentenced to 86 years. What are you feeling towards her?        A great feel of loss and humiliation belonging to this ummah who allows one of its own, a woman, to be treated in this way. A huge amount of shame to belong to a race that would stoop so low as to inflict so much injustice on a single person and yet affect so many as a result of it. I love her for the sake of Allaah and I ask Allaah to give her strength to continue to stand up, for as long as we need, as an ummah to stand up and take our place in this world and I pray that Allaah uses her as instrument for that.   CP: Finally, what advice do you have for Cageprisoners and others campaigning for prisoners? ZK: I really appreciate their efforts of awareness and I pray that Allaah keeps them steadfast and guides them. I would advise them to keep their goal of supporting prisoners and their families as their main focus and not be side-tracked by other issues. To also remember that a brother who's in jail or a family dealing with a loved in prison all suffer the same regardless of the guilt or innocence and deserve the same support. To also remember that their acceptance of guilt does not make them guilty in the sight of Allaah and so we should take that into account when supporting families or their imprisoned brothers. They should also remember their slogan, that they are the voice for the voiceless, regardless of guilt or innocence. If we don't support each other there will be no one else to support us. And I hope the new site can be as accessible as the old one especially when it comes to information on detainees.   CP: Jazaakum Allahu khairan sister Zaynab for sharing your thoughts so frankly with us