Thank God for that! This whole case has been an eye-opener for most Canadians. Here was a man who not only committed no crime, but rather was tried, along with his British co-accused, for the crime of trying to aid a severely wounded nurse at a highway bombing. The act was no doubt committed by one of the extremist Wahhabi sects. This truth was never to be allowed to see the light of day. Guilt must be deflected to some supposed Western alcohol mafia. Torture was used extensively to extract guilty pleas.
As time goes by, the degree of Saudi association to the entire Al-Queda network becomes more apparent. It extends from the Saudi princess, who financed some of the 9/11 atrocities, to the Wahhabi religious schools that spew out anti-western sentiments--even in our own backyard. The denial of the ugly truth carries over into our Arab community, whose spokesman wants Canada to set up separate laws for the different religious segments. Soon we will hear:
***Female infantcide, genital mutilation, suttee--hey, this is a diverse society. How dare you inflict your filthy western values on us?***
It scares me to think how our newest Supreme, Judge Fish, described as a liberal's liberal, will deal with this issue down the line.
LONDON -- Details emerged yesterday of Prince Charles' key role is securing the release of Canadian William Sampson and six other men who were imprisoned and tortured in Saudi Arabia for bombings they say they did not commit. Repeated demands by the Prince of Wales to senior Saudi officials ultimately proved crucial in releasing the men, two of whom, including Sampson, faced the death penalty, Britain's Observer newspaper said.
Prince Charles is thought to have used his connections with Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Britain, Prince Turki al-Faisal, a controversial figure who ran Saudi Arabia's intelligence for almost a quarter of a century, the paper reported yesterday. Prince Charles has been criticized for his continued friendship with high-profile Saudis but his intervention was welcomed by the men's families. "I know he cannot get involved politically, but the Saudis love our royal family and his involvement will have helped tremendously," Mary Martini, the former wife of one of the freed men, James Cottle, told the Observer.
As Sampson recovered from his ordeal yesterday in England, a family spokesman said his feelings toward the Canadian government were less warm.
"Let's be honest, he's been in prison for 31 months and he feels they didn't do enough to get him out," Sampson's cousin Billy said yesterday in an interview from his home in Liverpool.
"Thirty-one months is a long time, an awful long time to let quiet diplomacy run its course
