Intellectual Terror In Canada: Abid Ullah Jan Fears Arrest
Apr 27, 2004, By Abid Ullah Jan

I had a meeting with CSIS once against on April 22nd. I was called to 200 Catherine street. I was told that I have a meting with immigration but it turned out to be a meeting with CSIS agents. I had no problem volunteering myself for interview because of my previous two interviews with them. However it is mid-night 2:57 am and thinking about he questions in the interview and the kind of response the agent had really scares me to death. Due to the severe problems I am facing at home, here in Canada and as a whole in life, I could not sleep well the night before, I was fasting and I cried all the way from my home to the meeting place with the CSIS officials, asking for help from Allah. You can imagine how disturb and stressed I would be at the time of interview to judge the agents reactions.

Now as I think about his reaction and emphasis on some points, I am scared to death. I do not rule out the possibility of an arrest right now or any time from now. But before I go, let me summaries the points which scare me so much that I am all shivering at the moment despite all my trust in Allah and his protection to the innocents.

I have my Masters degree in Chemistry from University of Peshawar and later worked as a lecturer in Chemistry for about three years in a secondary college. Although I hve the next Master degree in Environmental Management and all my life I worked in fields out side Chemistry, the previous CSIS agent also discussed this point seriously. But there I had the opportunity to explain how much disinterested I was in chemistry and how my father forced me to take Chemistry and my Master’s thesis is a proof in that regard, which would show anyone how much qualified I was in Chemistry. Regardless of that, the previous agents insisted, but Master Degree is Master degree. Anyway I was satisfied because I gave my part of the explanation. But yesterday I was asked which course I had for BSc and for Master. Although in Bachelor I had Botany, Statistics and Chemistry but the emphasis of the agents was clearly on Chemistry. Similarly in Masters and my first and last teaching job from 1988 to 1991.

Secondly, he had, like the previous agents, collected a bundle of my articles and there in he zoomed in to few sentences and words. Of course anything can mean differently when read out of context but in some cases the words are right there and ignored, which leads of a totally different meaning.

He had a copy from the page http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp
?pwb=1&ean=9780807002292, where an unknown reviewer criticized my contribution to the Book “The place of tolerance in Islam.” I just checked my piece and I didn’t fine what that reviewer is trying to conclude from my contribution. Furthermore, the agent was not comfortable with my idea, expressed somewhere, that “all resistance” to occupation and oppression is not terrorism. Same was the case with Jihad. Since he was totally unaware of the concept of Qital. He took every reference to Jihad in my write ups as war, killing and terrorism. I tried to explain but I don’t think it was effective.

Finally there was stressed on a person who is known to me since 1982 as our sports team mate when were part of the Athletic team. His name is Sohail Shehzad, later on he moved to Afghanistan and started calling himself Sohail Farooqi there since his sisters were married to the Taliban. He was a good friend of mine but since my moving out of Pakistan in 1992 and going back in 1997 I had no contact with him at all. When I went back to Pakistan, he was in Afghanistan.

He established an NGO in Afghanistan, called Afghanistan Humanitarian, Rehabilitation and Development Organisation (AHRDO). He had a registration and references from the Taliban government and the ambassador of Pakistan in Kabul. He approached me in 1998-99 for linking his organization to UNDP for possible assistance in launching a poverty alleviation programme in Afghanistan. I arranged the Taliban officials meeting with a senior advisor to UNDP. The senior advisor to UNDP then send me as a team members on official visit to Afghanistan in July 1999. Detailed report of the assessment mission is available at the top on http://www.pragmaticpublishings.com/Development/Reports.htm

The last time I met Sohail Farooqi was in August 2001 when he helped me reached Osama for a discussion and possible comments on my book through his neighbour in Kabul who was an Arab. Then came September 11 and the fall of the Taliban and since then I do not know what happened to that Sohail Farooqi as he was a Pashtoon, part and parcel of the Taliban, and in Kabul. So, I do not know about his fate.

I was asked if I describe Sohail Farooqi as my friend and I said yes because I know him since 1981 and as far I know he was not involved in any kind of violence or terrorism. However, when I recall the interview moments and the repeated question: “how did you describe Sohail, your friend?” I get scared. Of course he was my friends but I am not responsible for any of his actions that I do not even know.

Then there were questions about an organization that the Pakistani nuclear scientist, Bashir ud din Mahmood had established in the name of Ummah Tameer-e-Nao. I heard it in passing from Sohail Farooqi about it that Bashir ud din Mahmood has established this organisation for helping the poor and war affected people in Afghanistan and that’s it. I was not taking interest in these things because I was working with development organizations which were well-organized, working according to very strategic and planned programs and I was taking attempts, such as AHRDO and Ummah Tameer-e-Nao, as emotional and unplanned attempts at what UNDP, etc are doing in a more scientific manner.

Anyway since September 11, Ummah Tameer-Nao, is considered as a terrorist organisation, or as far as I can conclude from my meetings with CSIS, because I didn’t hear such things when I was in Pakistan.

Founder of Ummah Tameer Nao, Bashir ud Din is a free man in Pakistan, I believe. But I am asked, Dr. Israr wrote a post-word on your book but is he linked to Umma Tameer-e-Nao? For me this is a joke because I met Dr. Israr not more than a couple of times, how could I know his personal details. All I know is his philosophy of life which nowhere promote unjust, violent actions for no reason at all. I don’t know about Ummah Tameer-e-Nao in detail but if was a “terrorist” organisation, why is its founder at large and why look with suspicion at Dr. Israr Ahmad?

I do not even know if Dr. Israr had ever met Basheer ud Din. Even if so why and how could he be responsible for any misdeed, if any, of the not even fully established and known Ummah Tameer-e-Nao? And why should, by the same vague connection, Dr. Israr’s writing a post word on my book make things suspicious?

Very very interesting is the point and proof of the fact that if one tries to find fault and nothing but fault, he can find it any way. I was working with one of the government established NGO in Peshawar. Other NGOs do not like it because they do not consider it totally free from government’s influence. It is known as Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP). I was told by the CSIS agent that they have come to know that SRSP also has links to Ummah Tameer-e-Nao. For a person who worked in SRSC for three years, it is like telling him, we have come to know that the sun has risen from the West today.

I was also told that some portions of my write ups could be called as “hate speech” and challenged in the court.

In total contrast to my interviews with other CSIS agents on the same questions before, I feel really and extremely uncomfortable this time. The more I think about his responses: “Hummmm Chemistry,” and his repeated questions such as: “So you called Sohail you friend????????” the more I get nervous.

If I know a person from the school days, of course he was my friend but I am not responsible for his deeds. Since 1992, I met him twice. Does it make me responsible for what right or wrong he has done during this time?????????????? Or, I met Dr. Sahib a couple of times; does it make us responsible for each other’s deeds? If I do something wrong, would the police go and get him because he has written a few words for my books?

These are very straight forward questions but when it comes to twisting the reality and exaggerating concerns, it proves my previous statements wrong. I thought there must be something that the CSIS arrested some other Muslims. I thought they do not just make up hypothetical links but yesterday’s repeated “Hummmmmmm…” from the CSIS agent are keeping me sleepless. It is now 4:07 am.

I just wanted to take down these notes and sent out to well-wishers so that everything is known. Lastly, I swear to Allah that in Pakistan I had problems but I had the peace of mind that worse come to worst, I will leave and settle down in Canada until the situation gets normal. Now, not only I feel extremely un-secure but also I find all doors closed on me.

Let me admit that I never lived so tense and feeling unsecure in Pakistan as I feel it today in Canada. I could have stopped writing and that would have been the end of my ordeal. Here even exercising this option seems not to be the solution.

I am closing down this rather longer note (on what discussion took place between me and the CSIS agents on 22nd of April) with the request that as I fear arrest by the CSIS, if I am arrested please look after my wife and three kids. I came for protection in Canada, if I cannot be protected, I should please be allowed to go with honour together with my family. If anything happened to me afterwards, I will never blame the Canadian government for that. I just do not want to get deported which will turn my problems from bad to worse in Pakistan as I would not be able to even make it outside the airport.

At the moment, I am all dependent on the mercy and protection of Allah SWT. However, if something happened to me, I need your assistance then, if you can extend any. I know you are as helpless as myself, but at least you can transmit this final plea of mine to the concerned authorities that I request for leaving Canada voluntarily and with honor. I came here in an honourable way, let the Canadian government not send me back humiliated and labeled with worse accusation than I faced in Pakistan. It should let me and my family leave together voluntarily.

I am going for an immigration hearing on 26th and I do not even have a lawyer. It will be me and my Allah with me before the immigration and IRB. I had a legal aid lawyer but I could not avail his services because he was in Montreal and the government refused to move my case to Ottawa so that I could have another legal aid here.

I think the decision has already been taken in my case.

Abid Ullah Jan

abidjan@sympatico.ca
2220, 190 Lees Avenue
Ottawa, ON K1S 5L5, Canada
613-234-5377

Source:
www.jihadunspun.com
Jihad Unspun