Harper Refuses To Work For Release Of Afghan-Canadian Held At Gitmo

Ottawa, Ontario (AHN) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is sticking to his position that Omar Khadr, the Afghan-Canadian youth detained in Guantanamo Bay, must be tried by the American justice system.

Despite a call Monday from former Prime Minister Paul Martin for Ottawa to work on the repatriation of Khadr, Harper is not moving.

Harper's hardline position has prompted Mohamed Elmasry, president of the Canadian Islamic Congress, to criticize the prime minister for keeping his stand to gain political points with Washington.

In an article published Sunday, Elmasry said Harper showed "shocking indifference" to Khadr's situation. "Harper is playing politics because of the backdrop of Islamophobia in this country... he has to rise above that," Elmasry wrote.

He attributes the refusal of Harper to act to the fact that Khadr is a Muslim. Elmasry cited how the Liberal government in 2003 handled differently the case of William Sampson, a dual Canadian-British citizen. Pleas by the Canadian government led to the release of Sampson from a death sentence in Saudi Arabia.

"It's painfully obvious: William Sampson is a white Westerner while his fellow Canadian citizen, Omar Khadr, is brown-skinned and a Muslim," Elmasry concluded.