The extraordinary renditions of Maher Arar and Abdullah Almalki

87 Pages·2013·5.61 MB·English

by  Ian Geriant Lane

Ryerson University
Digital Commons @ Ryerson
Theses and dissertations
1-1-2009
The extraordinary renditions of Maher Arar and
Abdullah Almalki : Orientalism, Islamophobia, and
the erosion of citizenship and human rights
Ian Geriant Lane
Ryerson University
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Lane, Ian Geriant, "The extraordinary renditions of Maher Arar and Abdullah Almalki : Orientalism, Islamophobia, and the erosion of
citizenship and human rights" (2009).Theses and dissertations.Paper 579.
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THE EXTRAORDINARY RENDITIONS OF MAHER ARAR AND ABDULLAH
ALMALKI: ORIENTALISM, ISLAMOPHOBIA, AND THE EROSION OF
CITIZENSHIP AND HUMAN RIGHTS
by
Ian Geraint Lane, BA, University ofPrince Edward Island, 2008
A MajorResearch Paper
presented to Ryerson University
inpartial fulfillment oftherequirements forthe degree of
Master ofArts
in the Program of
Immigration and Settlement Studies
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2009
Ian G. Lane 2009
RYBR98NUMWKWTYLIBRARY
Author's Declaration
I hereby declare that I am the sole author ofthis major research paper.
I authorize Ryerson University to lend this paperto other institutions or individuals for
the purpose of scholarly research.
Signature
I further authorize Ryerson University to reproduce this paperby photocopying orby
othermeans, in total orin part, at the request ofother institutions orindividuals for the
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11
THE EXTRAORDINARY RENDITIONS OF MAHER ARARAND ABDULLAH
ALMALKI: ORIENTALISM, ISLAMOPHOBIA AND THE EROSION OF
CITIZENSHIP AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Ian Geraint Lane
Master ofArts, 2009
Immigration and Settlement Studies
Ryerson University
ABSTRACT
Extraordinary renditionhas gained significant notoriety as an inhumanepractice against
suspected terrorists in the "waron terror." It is ahighly controversial initiative whereby
many critics contend that thepurpose ofsuch renditions is to subject the suspects to
aggressivemethods ofpersuasion such as torture and otherhuman rights violations that
are illegal in Western liberal democracies. The CIA implemented the extraordinary
renditionprogram, but otherWestern states haveparticipated in therendering ofMuslims
to the CIA's global web ofsecret prisons. Canada was involved with the renditions of
two Muslims-Canadians, MaherArar and AbdullahAlmalki. Thispaperwill discuss their
respective renditions and theideological machinations that fuel the extraordinary
renditionprogram usingEdward Said's theoryofOrientalism and its relationship with
Islamophobia. A lexical discourse analysis will beintegrated into thepaper to evaluate
negativeMuslim identity construction in Canadapost-9/11.
Keywords: Maher Arar, Abdullah Almalki, TheRoyal Canadian Mounted Police,
ExtraordinaryRendition, waron terror, Orientalism, Islamophobia, Muslims.
in
Acknowledgements
I would liketo thank Dr. Anver Saloojee forhis guidance in this researchproject and for
his support throughout the duration ofthe ISS programme. I would also liketo thank Dr.
Tariq Amin-Khan forhis valuable feedback onmyMRP. I am especially appreciative of
Mr. AbdullahAlmalki fordonatinghis valuable time to this project. I am also grateful for
the support Ireceived from myfamily and my extended family duringmy studies.
Finally, I wish to extend amassive thank you to mywife Susan forherunwavering
support duringthe past year and especially in the research ofthis project.
IV
Table ofContents
Introduction 1
Methodology 7
Theoretical Framework
Orientalism 10
Islamophobia 14
Literature Review 20
Human Rights Concerns 26
Discourse Analysis 35
Canadian NewsprintReportage 39
Phase One 40
Phase Two 44
Phase Three 47
PhaseFour:Arar 49
Case Studies: Maher Arar and Abdullah Almalki 54
Conclusion 70
Bibliography 73
September 11 markeda decisive breakin respectforhuman rights. In the name ofa
"justwar" against terrorism, many infringements weresuddenlypermitted. The
defenders ofcivilliberties havegoodreason to be worried. Thegeneral trendofour
society towards increasingrespectforthe individualandindividualfreedoms has been
brought to a brutalhalt. And there is every indication thatwe are now driftingtowards
whatappears like more andmore aparanoidpolice state.
Ignacio Ramonet, LeMondeDiplomatique
LJ
At its core, this majorresearchpaperwill examinethe extraordinaryrendition program
and the ideologies that fuel its existence. This paperwill specificallyinvestigate two
naturalizedMuslim-Canadians: MaherArar and Abdullah Almalki, each ofwhom were
wrongfullyincarcerated in Syriadue to the explicit involvement ofUnited States
intelligence and immigration agencies in conjunction with the direct cooperation ofthe
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service
(CSIS). Accordingly, it is importantto considerhow these cases have affected the
settlementexperiences oftherespective individuals as well as the Muslim-Canadian
communityin general, which has become increasinglymarginalized with greater
emphasisto securitizationpolicies and overt negative identity construction bythe media
in Canada after September 11, 2001. Moreover, this researchpaperwill evaluate how
Canada's involvement withproviding intelligence on Arar and Almalki to U.S.
authorities, with no safeguards as to their treatment, affects Canada's ability to protect
rights associated with citizenship.
This examination and analysis ofextraordinaryrendition, theviolation of
citizenshipand human rightshappens in a liberal democratic societywhere it appears that
both the state and the dominant section ofthe populace is complicit inthese actions. To
get a senseofhow this happens, this research employs Edward Said's theoryof
Orientalism, and attempts to get abetterunderstanding ofthe phenomenon of
Islamophobia as well as a deeperunderstanding ofhow Muslims havebeenmade the
"other" since September 11, 2001.
Thisresearch paperwill be divided into fourmain chapters. The first chapterwill
identifythetheoretical lens inwhich the research will be evaluated. Since September 11,
2001, theWesternworldhas targeted Muslims as theprimary "enemycombatants" inthe
"waron terror" (Grey, 2006, p. 15). Therefore, Edward Said's theory ofOrientalism,
which shares a symbiotic relationship withthe emerging form ofracism known as
Islamophobia, will be employed to situate Muslims post-9/11 as the "other."
Islamophobia is a form ofreligious racial profilingthat has increased dramatically since
September 11 byWestern institutions thathave overtlytargeted Muslims and Arabs as
potential threats liberal democracies (Fekete, 2004). The term and its ramifications will
be addressed in a subsection ofthis paper. The second chapterwill review literature on
the extraordinaryrenditionprogram and its infringement ofinternational laws and human
rights. This literature review will provide a contextual understanding ofthe program and
link its connection to the first chapter on racism directed at Muslims from the Orientalism
and Islamophobiatheoretical lens. A lexical discourse analysis investigating Muslim
identitypolitics in theimmediate aftermath of9/11 from Canada's two national
newspapers, the Globe andMail and theNationalPost, will comprisethe third chapter of
thepaper to illustrate the increased marginalization ofMuslims. The fourth chapterwill
involve case study examinations oftwo Canadian-Muslims: MaherArar and Abdullah
Almalki who wererendered to Syria in 2002. This section will interpret the international f
i
law and humanrights concerns that thepaperdiscusses in the literature review.
Ithas become apparent that the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United
States induced amajorripple effect that have forced Western nations to adopt
increasingly stringentpolicies. Foreign affairs relationships, defence strategies, and
securitypolicies havebeen dramatically altered to ensure theprotection ofstates'
individual self-interests, and the safety oftheirrespective citizens. In addition, Western
governments attitudes pertaining to immigration havebeen affected by growing security
concerns, whichhavemanifested in greaterrestrictions to migrants ofcertain faiths and
countries oforigin. In the aftermath ofthe September 11 attacks, Arab Muslim migrants
haveparticularlybeen subjected to racial profiling atvariousports ofentry throughout
the world due to theirperceived association with acts ofterrorism. Consequently, the
United States has led the charge against Islam with its "waron terror", whichhas
replaced the ColdWar in thehearts andminds ofpeople across the globe (Welch, 2006).
In effect, the Islamic world has beenreduced to the twenty-first century's racial "other"
from a Eurocentricperspective, but this is not a new phenomenon, as the scholarwho
began to popularize the notion ofa "civilizational clash" and Muslims as the "other,"
claims that the division between Islamic and Western states has been in place for
centuries (Huntington, 1996).
The 9/11 attacks wereunequivocally orchestratedbythe Islamist extremist
terrorist cell al Qaeda, led by Osamabin Laden (Grey, 2006; Lewis, 2003). However,
instead offocusing its might on al Qaeda, American President George W. Bush and his
Hawkish administration in turn viewed the entire Islamic world as representative ofal
Qaeda's core fundamentalist values. According to Bernard Lewis, the American
inferenceis somewhat logical as "most Muslims are not fundamentalists, most
fundamentalists arenot terrorists, butmostpresent-dayterrorists are Muslims and
proudlyidentifythemselves as such" (2003, p. 137). Consequently, the Bush
AdministrationspecificallytargetedArabs and Muslims as theprimary "enemy
combatants" inthe "War on Terror" (McCoy, 2006, p. 171). Bush's flirtationwith the
idea ofan anti-Muslim crusadehas led to the West distinguishingbetween "good"