Welcome to Canada!

Part One

Here I am in the University of Manitoba, in Winnipeg Canada.

It’s the first day proper of the Muslim Students Association’s annual conference. The theme is “Return to the Deen.”

It’s been a busy day. I mean just a part of it would make an interesting article. Talks, coffee and cookies, lunch, dinner, meetings, questions, discussions with Muslims and non-Muslims…That’s one of the amazing things about coming for a conference like this, super intensive iman immersion!

All of this has been made all the more enriching due to the fact that I only got in here by the skin of my teeth!

I have learnt from experience that sometimes the very lectures and meetings that I feel the least like going to are the ones that end up being the most beneficial. Now thinking about this there is a simple explanation. Shaitaan and his armies spying everywhere know that this given place is really going to benefit from my presence, or that I am going to benefit from going there. So its big time wiswas.

I was tiered and really didn’t feel like coming to Canada. I mean. its like too to close to the US and the US is like too close to Guantanamo! On top of that I just don’t get excited about travelling like I used to. Travelling is a taste of punishment, said the Messenger (saws). You leave your family, and I really didn’t feel like leaving the family. You leave the comfort and familiarity of your home, the food you like, the bed you sleep in! Hey, I can understand why George Bush takes his favourite pillow with him! Why not? And then you sit in this cramped aircraft seat for hours, being served some pretty terrible food, and then at the end of it, you arrive at you destination only to be questioned by Canadian immigration for six hours!

Welcome to Canada!

Now I know that six hours of questioning is really pretty tame compared to what some have gone through, and at no stage could I say that any of the staff at immigration where rude, or threatening or anything short of what I would expect of someone trying to do their job. Still, by the fifth interview I was beginning to feel so mentally exhausted from answering the repeated questions I thought that I had been drugged! My answers were coming out without thought. Maybe that was the interview/interrogation method. But I had and have nothing to hide.

"Yes! I went to Afghanistan and fired some weapons during my two week stay with the Mujahideen during the mid eighties conflict against the occupying forces of the then Soviet Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, but I never killed anyone or even fired them at a person.

It was jihad approved by the Scholars of this Ummah and backed by virtually every Western country, in particular the USA. The mujahideen where heroes, at the front line against the evil communist empire! Now of course the word jihad and mujahideen has taken on a new and sinister meaning. Those same “heroes” have now been labelled “terrorists in training.”

This is what I had to explain to the Federal Officer (and three plain clothes secret service and customs officers) who was obviously trying hard to make sense of all of this!

When he read Afghanistan, jihad, mujahideen, martyr, what he was seeing was bin Ladin hide out and terrorist training centre, terrorism, terrorist and suicide bomber! I was trying to explain that it just wasn’t like that then.

"When I returned and told British Customs that I had been with the mujahideen, they didn’t even bat an eye lid. They were more interested in heroin smugglers!"

The other sticking point was last summers little incident when I was, for all practical purposes, refused entry to Australia, and the statements attributed to me by the Australian press claiming that Muslims and Westerners can never live in peace and the conflict between us is ordained in the Qur’an.

I suppose in retrospect I could have said that yes I did say stuff like that, and that was some time ago, and that’s not what I believe any more and that we can all live in peace and harmony and there really isn’t any difference between us as long as we are just good people and respect each other. I mean, in one way that wouldn’t be a lie, but it wouldn’t really be the truth either. What I said is simply a historical, civilizational fact, and for the vast majority of the last 1400 years it has been violent, but I had also clearly said that the conflict does not necessarily have to be a violent one. In others words the conflict between Islam and West is religious and ideological. That, of course, was not mentioned by the Australian media.

"Why not?" The federal officer wanted to know.

"Because that doesn’t sell news papers," I replied. "The media are masters at manipulating your words to make you say what they want, not what you want."

We went over this time after time after time. Five interviews, going over essentially the same things.

“Which countries did you visit?”

“ Who organised and paid for your tips?”

“ Do you get paid for this?”

“What weapons did you use in Afghanistan?”

“ How did you get there?”

“ Who organised it?”

“I can’t believe you just “turned up”! How can you go and fight for some people you don’t even know? There is no excuse for violence ever.”

“What not even to defend you home land? How about Hitler?”

“I’m asking the questions here.”

“The mujahideen were terrorists!”

“How can you say that?” I’m angry for the first time. “Are you telling me the US government backed, funded and support a terrorist organisation?”

“That’s politics and I’m asking the questions not you.”

“Terrorism is a crime, its not jihad.”

“So what would you do with Usama bin Ladin.” (secret service

question. They interject every now and then.)

Good question. Hard question, I think.

“George Bush should have accepted the offer of the Taliban to hand him over to a Shariah court in Pakistan or Saudia Arabia.”

Nods of approval from the secret service.

“What do you think of the Khalifa.”

“It’s a good thing for Muslims to be united under one ruler. Europe, the US are all seeking unity, why not the Muslims. When we had one Khalifa it was a glorious time for Muslim civilization.”

“Of course. How about Hizbut tahrir. Do you know them? Do you agree with them. Are they a violent organisation?”

“Yes, I know them.I agree with somethings they say and do and not others. They are definatly not a violent Organisation.” (The secret service guys know their stuff, not like the poor federal agent! He keeps asking me to write stuff down. "Can you spell that?")

“What groups have you been with? Have you belonged to any known terrorist oranisations. Have you, do you, give money to any such organisations.”

I answer negatve.

“Ok you can sit down.”

I move away from the interview area and sit and read. Toward the end the Secret service guys have gone. The customs officer takes me to have my bags searched. He’s a born again Christian, and it his opportunity to ask questions, but they are of a theological nature. He starts to look through my laptop.

Back to the Immigration Office. Sit down. Twenty minuets later I’m called again. More questions. Some the same, some clarifications., some new questions. Sit back down out side the interview area.

“Anthony (that’s what the call me, or Mr Green), can you come here please..”

“My concern is that you are going to go to the University of Manitoba and indoctrinate the impressionable youth with a call to violence.”

"No, no way. That’s not my message, that’s not what I’m about!"

"But you said, its right here, jihad is ordained, conflict prescribed?"

"But I explained that, that’s not necessarily what I meant.."

"It seems clear to me what you meant….."

I tell him agian that of course there is a conflict between the idea that we should live in accordance with God’s will and that that is the purpose of life and the almost purely materialistic ideals of Western society. Of course it’s a conflict, but I said, it doesn’t have to be violent.

"But you talk about jihad…."

"Now let’s look at this power point presentation on your computer here. Explain this!"

The customs officers swings the computer round. There was a sense of triumph!

I saw the heading:

“Du'a: Weapon of the Believer”

"Explain that!"

Of course, he had seen “weapon” but had no idea what du'a was.

So I explained. Dua was supplicating and asking God. It was the best weapon against adversity.

"Show me more."

So I go through the presentation. Slide by slide. His hand took over control of the keypad and he began to read, but by now I knew he had given up looking for “weapons” and he was genuinely interested as my presentation went on to explain what was du'a, and its benefits and how one should call to Allah and its manners and etiquettes. I could feel a change in his attitude, he seemed to have relaxed.

"You can go and sit over there and I’ll let you know my decision."

I waited. I didn’t really care. If they send me back, I’d be back home, if not then that’s what I came for. In fact I was really thanking Allah that he let me suffer this bit in his path.

Well after six hours and by the end of the fifth interview the Federal Officer told me his conclusion.

"You’ve been to Canada quite a few times before, you haven’t broken any laws, you gone some way to explain yourself, but I’m still not completely happy, but I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt."

"Thanks."

"There is no excuse for violence. The recognised armies of countries fighting, yes, but not some bunch of religious fanatics taking up arms. There is no excuse."

I was beyond argument. The French resistance in the second world war came to mind, and of course the USA itself was born out of resistance and revolt against the legitimate British government of the time, but I was just too tiered. The hundreds of volunteers from all over the world who went to fight with the communists against Franco in the Spanish Civil war (George Orwell and Ernest Hemmingway being amongst them) might offer an insight as to how someone could go and fight for people they didn’t even know for a cause in which they believed, but what was the point?

I thanked the officer, genuinely, and assured him that if he listened to my lectures he would not be disappointed.

I’m given leave to stay for exactly the days of the conference.

I had missed my connecting flight by four hours. I was re-booked and for the first time in a long time had a sound sleep on an aircraft. 

Comments

[Yahya]

wow, it makes me seriously wonder, do they do it on purpose? were they tryin 2 wear u down, till u 'slip up'? u did well tho bro, mashallah. may Allah SWT reward ur patience, and make it a source of ur salvation.

Yahya.

[Yahya]

oh, isnt the canadian flag sooooo much better than ours? we cant sport ours, can we? im prty sure its based upon the cross. if we had theres tho... GO LEAVES!!!

[Zimarina]

Oh wow ARG, they REALLY put you through it..mash'Allah- that's where your sabr and steadfastness kick in!

It'd make for an excellent script- I think any muslim could pretty much reel it off by heart without even glancing at it..

By the way:

'Yes! I went to Afghanistan and fired some weapons during my two week stay with the Mujahideen during the mid nineties conflict against the occupying forces of the then Soviet Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, but I never killed anyone or even fired them at a person.'

I did NOT know that! You went to Afghanistan to fight Jihad?

You learn something new everday..

Insh'Allah I hope you're well rested and on top form as always!

AsalaamuAlaiqum waRahmatullah brother!

[Abu Eesa]

Miskeen!
ARG comment:
....like me or them?

[Maher Abou Al-Sood]

Br. Abdel-Raheem,
This price that everybody working with Dawa’a usually pays especially nowadays! May ALLAH (Sobhanaho wa talaa) rewords you in the day of judgment and counts these terrible hours in your good deeds.
"GAZAKOM ALLAH KHAIREN"

[neocarvi]

Assalaam alaikum Bro, man its been a long morning for me and i am missing my pillow right now ( its amaze you honestly if you felt it, its some sort of latex spring foam plastic..basically words cant describe how comfortable it ) so yeah am so with taking that on holiday with me but yeah anywoo where was i yeah! as much as this pillow distracting me, the last couple weeks i been talking to my mom about the idea of her going to Amercia. I spent hours giving her reason why not to and one was just the idea that going on a flight and getting the Canadian 5 Star treatment as you did! Tiring it sounds and annoying but yeah it seem you got off lightly, i know on trips to South Amercia my Dad getting thrown about Venezuelan Police cause they thought he was "Gringo" ( Amercian to you and me ) and what puts me off travelling is just that, in the "Free" World (and i use that word loosely) i am a terrorist, and in South Amercia am seen as a dirty Amercian (*_*). This sort of trouble is what a black Muslim brother must face from Metropolitan Police walking outside of Brixton. Begs you to wonder, can the only way they attack Muslim not by challenging our ideas but rather waring us down with silly questions!
I for one, after reading this story, will not be leaving this country unless i really have to..i am to impatience to just sitting in a room for to long without taking a nap.

ARG comment:
...I've been stuck on delayed flight in the blistering heat in Cairo airport for 14 hours. A few questions wasn't too bad.
I have to emphasis that the Canadian Immigration were never insulting or abusive, and in my opinion perfectly reasonable. I could just do without it. And yes, it does put you travelling.
There is, however, another good reason to limit travel. Long haul flights are one of the largest contributers to global warming, the potentially greatest threat to humanity in the next 20 years. More on my views on Islam and the enviroment another time though.

[hoxzle]

wow mashAllah.. i can't believe u told all those guys all that stuff. i mean, if it was me i'd probably leave out the part with the Afghanistan training camp. brother, how come there aren't many of your new lectures available online?

ARG comment:
Well if I thought not telling would help maybe I wouldn't have mentioned it but they already knew, and its been public knowledge so there is/was no point in hiding it.
I was asked direct questions. If I lied this would be more likely to arouse suspicion, and I'm sure that's exactly why I was asked over and over, to see if my story was consistent.
I really believe in the effectiveness of speaking the truth. It may seem the hard option, but its always the best one in the end.

[wan]

:) Ahah, very interesting journey I must say.... and its cool how the guy was genuinely interested of the presentation.... If there is a part two, do post it soon.

[Fatima]

SALAM I JSUT HAVE TO SAY THAT I WAS AT MOST OF YOUR LECTURE SHERE IN MANITOBA AND ENJOYED THEM SO MUCH. I LEARNED MANY THINGS TAHT I WOULD NEVER HAVE THOUGHT OF AND HAVE ALSO SHARED THEM WITH FRIENDS WHO MISSED YOUR LECTURES. ALSO MAY ALLAH REWRD YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE

[Waranga]

As Salamalaikum,

That was hilarious when the interrogator found the 'weapon of the believer', he must have thought he scored the jackpot!! But it looks like his preconceived ideas was a benefit to him since he found it interesting. Lets hope he supplicates to be shown the truth inshAllah.
I didn't know we had our own home grown mujahid, I wonder did you sip green chai as the sun set over the snow peaked tora bora mountains? and if you didn't have your insides drowned in about 20 gallons of chai then you havn't had the full afghan experience!!

Waranga

ARG comment:
Oh yes, plenty of green chai. Small glasses half filled with sugar and then refilled again and again until the sugar is no more.
Anyway I was no "mujahid", I had terrible diahorrea that meant I had to run to the loo six times a day, and like I said never faught anyone. We were in a village at the base of Qunar valley, in front of plain, over the ridge of which was Jalalabad. The mujahideen called us "tourists".
Not one for mincing their words those Afghanis!

[Zimarina]

Erm, ARG- I hate to burst your bubble- that big romantic image of the blonde warrior and all that...but err, yeah Afghans NEVER drink tea like that-it's an A-Rab thing. But fear not, I think I have an explanation for this:

I think on your way out of work, you may have taken the bus down to Edgware Road, had a bit of a hallucination and imagined yourself in the snowy mountains atop Tora Bora..

It happens to the best of us (!?)- but I'm glad we've cleared it up now.

TAKBEER!!

ARG commnet: errrm...well these guys certainly drank tea like that, and I'm pretty sure they were Afghanis, and I pretty sure I was in Afghanistan..but then maybe I was hallucinating or....now I know what to say next time I'm stopped in an airport.
"I couldn't have been in Afghanistan because Zimarina said that Afghans NEVER drink green tea they way I did, so it MUST have been a conspiracy!"