Guantanamo’s Child: Omar Khadr

A Film by Patrick Reed, Michelle Shephard

In July of 2002, Toronto-born 15-year-old Omar Khadr was wounded and captured by US forces in Afghanistan and sent to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Considered by some to be a child soldier and accused by many others of terrorism, Khadr would find his next 13 years to be a long, torturous battle for freedom. It took the relentless work of lawyer Dennis Edney to have Khadr repatriated to Canada and ultimately released last spring in the face of the Harper government’s attempts to overturn his bail. Featuring unprecedented access to family members, government officials, and Khadr’s former fellow inmates, Patrick Reed and Michelle Shephard’s documentary acquaints us with an incredibly resilient youth who grew up in a tragic and mind-boggling situation. It also analyzes the political implications of Khadr’s case: the first instance since World War II where a US war crimes trial convicted someone for acts allegedly committed as a child.

Journey into Europe

A Film by Akbar Ahmed

Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, a world-renowned anthropologist, Islamic scholar, and filmmaker, explores Islam in Europe and the place of Islam in European history and civilization in this unprecedented study. In the film shot across the continent in countries such as Germany,the U.K., France, Spain, and Bosnia, we hear from some of Europe’s most prominent figures, including presidents and prime ministers, archbishops, chief rabbis, grand muftis, heads of right-wing parties, and every-day Europeans from a variety of backgrounds.

The film has received praise from some of Europe’s most prominent leaders. Rowan Williams, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, states, “It is hard to exaggerate the importance of this work.” Dr. Haris Silajdzic, the former President and Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, writes, “Ambassador Akbar Ahmed’s latest project on Muslims in Europe is yet another illustration of his vision by offering us understanding of, commitment to, and hope and compassion for humanity.” And Paul Smith, the USA Director of the British Council here in Washington, writes, “Your film is a compelling, gracious, thoughtful study and we’re proud to be involved in it.”