Zaynab Khadr

Infobox Person
name = Zaynab Khadr


image_size = 235px
caption = Zaynab Khadr in 2008
birth_date =
birth_place =
nationality = Canadian
other_names =
alma_mater =
employer =
home_town = Toronto, Canada & Peshawar, Pakistan
religion = Muslim
spouse =
children = Safia Khadr
parents = Ahmed Said Khadr Maha Elsamnah

The eldest child of the Khadr family, Zaynab Khadr was born in Canada to Maha Elsamnah and Ahmed Said Khadr. Following the 1992 injury that left Ahmed crippled, Zaynab became a "second mother" to the younger children. She has since been a stalwart defender of the family's legal rights to remain in Canada, and for her imprisoned brothers Abdullah and Omar.

Life

In July 1995, Ahmed arranged for the 15-year old Zaynab to marry an Egyptian man named Khalid Abdullah in December, and Maha began preparing an apartment for the couple in the family's house.cite book |title= Guantanamo's Child |last=Shephard |first=Michelle |authorlink=Michelle Shephard |year= 2008 |publisher= John Wiley & Sons|isbn= |pages= ]

On November 19 Ayman al-Zawahiri bombed the Egyptian Embassy in Pakistan, and Zaynab's fiancee went into hiding, named as one of the conspirators. When police arrived to arrest her father on suspicion of involvement eight days later, Zaynab took her father's rifle and held it over her head screaming, while her mother barricaded the door.

Zaynab recalled celebrating the engagement of Umayma al-Zawahiri at her family's house for an all-day party, and her father Ayman al-Zawahiri knocking softly at Umayma's door asking the two girls to please keep their singing and partying quiet as it was nighttime.Wright, Lawrence, "The Looming Tower", 2006]

Her fiance re-surfaced in Tehran in October 1997, and contacted the family to try and re-schedule the wedding he had missed. Ahmed agreed to bring his family on a long vacation culminating in the city for a farewell to the reluctant Zaynab as she started a new life with Abdullah.

Six months after the couple began living in a rented Tehran apartment, Abdullah phoned his father-in-law to report that Zaynab was inconsolable at being separated from her family, and the marriage wasn't working out. She returned to live with her family.

econd marriage

In 1999, Zaynab was introduced to the Yemeni Yacoub al-Bahr, who had fought in Bosnia although better-known as a wedding singer in Kabul. Her father asked the boys of the family to vote on whether he should give his consent for the two to marry, and did so after Abdurahman and Kareem voiced their enthusiasm - while Omar and Abdullah abstained. The wedding was in Kabul, and both al-Zawahiri and bin Laden attended, although Zaynab later explained that nobody was individually invited, and that word of mouth simply informed all interested parties about the open invitation to their upcoming wedding. [http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=5550 Daughter of alleged terrorist returns: RCMP meets her with search warrant] , February 27 2005] The couple moved into a separate wing of the Khadr household.

The following year, Zaynab and her mother returned to Canada for several months late in her pregnancy, and gave birth to a daughter, named Safia. After returning to Afghanistan and introducing her new child to Rabiyah Hutchinson, Zaynab was advised to have a doctor look into her daughter's enlarged cranium. Safia was diagnosed with hydrocephalus and required surgery, which Zaynab decided would be better performed at a Canadian hospital. Her husband disagreed, and insisted that a hospital in Lahore would be just as effective. When Zaynab insisted on taking her daughter home to Canada, al-Bahr left the household permanently.

Life in Post-invasion Afghanistan

In late 2001, Zaynab's father ran into al-Bahr in Kabul and told him that he should either return to his wife and daughter, or consent to a divorce. After receiving written reassurance from Zaynab that she would not seek any form of restitution, he agreed to a formal divorce.

In January 2002, she took Abdulkareem and Safia to Lahore for a stay at the hospital, where her daughter needed medical attention. Abdullah later joined them, since he required surgery to remove cartilage from his nose.

In 2003, Zaynab, her daughter and her mother stayed at a house in Birmal, Pakistan for two days, before their hosts grew wary of American jets overhead, and they moved further into the mountains of Waziristan.McGirk, Jan. The Independent, [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/married-to-the-jihad-the-lonely-world-of-alqaidas-wives-567789.html The lonely world of al-Qaeda's wives] , April 4]

Permenent return to Canada

. [http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=5550 Daughter of alleged terrorist returns: RCMP meets her with search warrant] , "cageprisoners.com", February 27 2005] [http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1152222610978&call_pageid=968332188492 Accused terrorists' families supply drama] , "Toronto Star", July 7 2006] Zaynab and her mother are both on passport "control" lists, meaning they will no longer be issued Canadian passports due to the frequency with which they reported losing their passports since 1999. [Shephard, Michelle and Tonda MacCharles. Toronto Star, "Shadow of CSIS will follow Khadr", December 3 2003]

When she returned to Canada, security officials, including Konrad Shourie, met her at the airport bearing a search warrant stating that "Zaynab Khadr has willingly participated and contributed both directly and indirectly towards enhancing the ability of Al Qaeda", and seized her laptop, DVDs, audiocassettes, diary and other files.cite news
url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20050303/khadr_zaynablaptop_20050303?s_name=&no_ads=
title=Khadr laptop seized at Toronto airport: report
publisher=CTV News
author=
date= March 3 2005
accessdate=2008-01-13] They claimed that they were able to determine the present locations of multiple al-Qaeda veterans, though were not able to produce any evidence to charge her. Zaynab offered the defence that she had purchased the computer second-hand seven months before her trip. [http://web.archive.org/web/20070810060330/http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/004720.php Canada Discovers AQ Information Trove] , Ed Morrissey, "Captain's Quarters", June 15 2005] After the expiry of the three-month limit on holding the items, the RCMP was granted a one-year extension on June 18th. [http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/06/18/khadr-zaynab050618.html RCMP can hold items of Khadr family member, judge rules] , "CBC", June 18 2005] [http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_PrintFriendly&c=Article&cid=1118700615668 Mounties uncover 'Al Qaeda' cache: Plans, tapes diaries seized at Pearson Zaynab Khadr denies they belong to her] , "Toronto Star", June 14 2005] [http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1119047709005 Toronto hearing a window on terror probe] , "Toronto Star", June 18 2005]

Although she has indicated a desire to one day return to Pakistan, her Canadian passport remains withheld, rendering her unable to leave the country.

Advocacy

gave the Americans an opportunity to feel the same pain that they inflicted on others around the world.

In 2004, Zaynab appeared in a documentary entitled Son of al Qaeda, during which she made the following comment concerning the September 11th attacks;

Most news stories arising from the documentary stated only that she had supported the attacks, and solidified public sentiment against the family. [Shephard, Michelle. Toronto Star, [http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/495694 Khadr family views won't help Omar, lawyer says] , September 9 2008]

A critic of the Invasion of Iraq, Zaynab has stressed that she does not try to force her opinions on others, and respects that others may disagree with her, even offering for those who disagree to contact her for discussion.

Zaynab has been involved in arranging support for other Canadians accused of militant actions in the War on Terror, notably attending the bail hearings and preliminaries for the accused men and youths arrested in Toronto in 2006. Her presence has caused a stir in the media, while she maintains that many of the accused were friends of the family. [http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1152222610978&call_pageid=968332188492 Accused terrorists' families supply drama] , "Toronto Star", July 7 2006]

References

External links

* [http://www.thekhadrlegacy.com/ The Khadr Legacy] , a website maintained by the family
* [http://video.citynews.ca/?fr_story=9fd3217371eae4f483b53b265df0a8a604c314df&rf=sitemap Video interview with Zaynab Khadr] on CityNews