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 Follow this and additional works at:http://digitalcommons.ryerson.ca/dissertations Part of thePolitical Theory Commons Recommended Citation 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. This Major Research Paper is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ Ryerson. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Ryerson. For more information, please [email protected]. r 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 purpose of scholarly research. Signature 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"