To work for change in trying times or not? I was born in South Africa and lived there for more than 20 years. I know that change for the better can be perilous business. As a matter of fact, idealism could be criminal – punishable with the stigma of being a terrorist, a kangaroo-court sentence, open-ended prison time and possibly even a looming death sentence. Beg to differ? Don't. Ask my dear friend Khaled Al-Qazzaz.
Khaled is a permanent resident of Canada and father of four young Canadian children. He has been unlawfully detained in Egypt without charge for 334 days in one of Egypt's most notorious prisons. On June 3, Khaled's unlawful detainment was extended for an additional 45 days. He spends his days and nights in an insect-infested cell. If I was in his place, I'd be regretfully re-tracing the steps that landed me there.
Those fateful steps began when Khaled signed up as a civil servant and staffer of Mohamed Morsi's democratically elected government in Egypt.
I knew Khaled when we were both in university. I was in law school and he was studying to be an engineer. It was impossible not to be drawn to his wellspring of goodness, kindness and relentless pursuit of social and economic justice. He wanted his life to be spent in helping others. He was an observant Muslim with a teddy-bear, roly-poly frame and a Santa Claus smile. My eldest daughter, then 3, adored him.
He relished the fact that I was born in South Africa – and he deeply admired Nelson Mandela. In Mandela, we found a shared icon whose revolutionary élan was devotion, sacrifice, forgiveness and justice. And, of course, an irrepressible sense of idealism.
Khaled would often probe me: Planning to go back and work in Africa or planning to stay? For those of us who have made our home Canada and hail from countries of origin that need the skills, commitment, and talents we have gained, going back is a difficult choice. Not so for Khaled. There was much to be done in Egypt: poverty, lack of educational opportunities, rampant institutional corruption, and suffocating political repression had long been eroding Egypt's societal foundations. Khaled felt that the opportunities afforded to him through his education in Canada had placed an enormous responsibility on his shoulders.
With a masters degree in engineering and his status as a permanent resident in Canada, he could have carved out a comfortable life in Canada. But in Egypt, Khaled struggled as an educational administrator, a field he saw as critical to his country.
Before he took a position in Morsi's government, I saw him a number of times while travelling through Egypt. He was generous to a fault and would often lament "there is still so much more left to do." I was always incredulous at his energy and his optimism – which peaked with the popular revolution in Egypt. He entered government quickly. I might have advised more circumspection. See what happens. Give it time. Wait for the country to stabilize.
On July 3, 2013, on Khaled's 34th birthday, the military coup was a fait accompli and Khaled's dreams were shattered with violent and unlawful detention.
Since that day, his friends and family have lived in a prison of paralysis. Khaled's wife, Sarah, has worked tirelessly to free her husband. She has travelled to Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom to speak to politicians and the public.
Thinking of Khaled disables me. I find myself frozen by the injustice of his imprisonment, the complicity of silence the world-over, the irrelevant and inconspicuous little that I can offer him and his family.
On March 15, his wife brought back a handwritten note from Khaled when she met him at the Prosecutor General's office after his imprisonment was renewed once again without charge.
Khaled never really got the chance to make big changes. He tried with all his heart to do his part, to do what he could. He may not have changed much in Egypt, but his words have forever changed me. And I hope they will change you. We must never forfeit the fundamental right to make a difference; we must never lose our hope; we must never surrender our love.
Our world desperately needs hearts that dream in such vivid goodness. Our world desperately needs more Khaleds. He is a prisoner of our conscience. Every country, including Canada, should demand his immediate release.
Riad Saloojee is a Canadian-South African lawyer and teacher. He is the former executive director of CAIR-CAN (Canadian Council on American Islamic Relations).