Disowned, How Unfair

"For three years we have not been allowed to talk about our case, or counter lies that have been printed about Jack, because of contempt of court rules [charges of funding terrorism filed by British authorities against himself and his wife, Sally Lane]."
"I want everyone here to know what we know — that Jack worked with others in the religious opposition to ISIS in Raqqa. He condemned ISIS on social media and he wants to spend the rest of his life living peacefully and bearing witness against ISIS."
"Unfortunately, I do not have any other choice than to speak out because I love my son and I think he's innocent. In fact there's a very good chance I'll be sent to prison again when I fly back [from Ottawa to Britain] tomorrow."
"He felt he had a religious duty to help others who were suffering."

"Other countries, including the USA, have brought their citizens home, so why can't Canada? I need your [reporters] help to save my son's life."
John Letts, dual Canadian citizen living in Britain

Jack Letts at age 20. His family insists he went to Syria to help refugees. (Facebook)

Jack Letts, whose father John is so anxious about his enforced stay at a Kurdish prison for captured members of Islamic State, never lived in Canada himself. He was born and he grew up in Oxford, England. He, his parents and his siblings have dual citizenship; British and Canadian. The British government once expressed the sentiment that they would prefer their citizens who travelled to Syria to fight with Islamic State remain there, imprisoned, executed, whatever, rather than be allowed to return to Britain.

This British family with dual Canadian citizenship for convenience' sake, has hired a British lawyer to represent the interests of the parents charged 'attempting to fund terrorism' by making an effort to forward to their son about $2,900 which he said he was in desperate need of while in Syria; ostensibly to find passage out of Raqqa where he had ensconced himself before the Islamic State headquarters was lost to the Kurds who removed it from the grasp of caliphate.

Islamic State terrorists were proud of their imaginatively atrocious acts of murder, producing elaborately staged, gruesome executions by beheading, drowning in cages, setting people afire in cages, blowing explosives up in their faces, crucifixion, to showcase their barbaroc skills in slaughter through videos posted online to horrify the international community and cement their ruthless reputation as fearsome 'warriors' of Islam.

Islamist jihadists who supported and became an integral part of Islamic State well knew what the agenda was; to conquer greater tracts of territory in Syria and Iraq, to continue terrorizing minority populations like Yazidis and Christians and Shiites and the while it was only the Kurdish YPG (Peoples Protection Units) with their ferocious determination to stop the carnage that was effectively able to counter their surge.

In taking Islamic State terrorists into custody to await the extraction of those with Western roots, the YPG never dreamed they would be left holding them indefinitely.

A militant Islamist fighter waves a flag and gestures as he takes part in a military parade along the streets of northern Raqqa province June 30, 2014. Credit: REUTERS/Stringer

See any similarity in convert-to-Islam Jack Letts' hand signal and that of the 'militant Islamist fighter' above? That index upward-pointing finger is just the same as the flag he's holding in his other hand, both symbolizing the death cult of martyrdom and vengeance and terror that is Islamic State, still busy in places like Afghanistan, blowing themselves up with suicide vests and in the process taking hundreds of innocent civilian lives with them as a tribute to Allah.

So much for John Letts' pleading that his son Jack was not really interested in ISIL, just 'helping' other Muslims.

John Letts and Sally Lane, Jack Letts' mother and father, are anxious to have their son come to Canada, since Britain will not accept his presence there. Britain is his home base. Despite dual Canadian citizenship he has never lived in Canada, likely never even visited. The Liberal government was all for 'rescuing' this man who voluntarily joined a terrorist group, lived in Iraq, married there and became part of the caliphate, then moved to their capital, Raqqa. Until it was liberated. 

Resistance from Canadians reacting to this plan forced the Liberals to suddenly remember how difficult it is for them to access the fairly peaceful enclave in Syria controlled by autonomous Kurds. The question is why have these Western terrorists been left for the Kurds to continue to handle? They should in fact, be brought back to their countries of origin and there fully prosecuted for their crimes against humanity.

There is a sense that it is not merely the push-back from the Canadian public against bringing a member of Islamic State to Canada; there are some returnees already living in Canada freely walking the streets of the cities where they emanated from before heading off to Syria to commit themselves to terrorism in the name of jihad. Their free presence is an indictment against the commitment of the government to serve and protect Canadians from the presence of threats and their presence certainly represents a threat.

It would appear that communications between the British and Canadian governments has persuaded Canada that Britain would be extremely displeased if, having denied entry to this Brit, Canada would show it up by taking him in, and so the Liberal government withdrew its consular efforts on this man's behalf. The British lawyer acting on behalf of the parents of Jack Letts claims he was informed by a Canadian political source the UK government had asked that Ottawa "do nothing [about Letts] without British consent".

"As a British citizen myself, I have to apologize to the Canadian people for that kind of paternalism, and encourage you not to bow to British pressure", messaged the human-rights lawyer. Obviously representing the wrong side of the spectrum of right and wrong in human rights defence. But there is another avenue being explored by Foreign Affairs' consular services; to aid Jihadi Jack to transition to Turkey. Actually, Turkey supported Islamic State, so it's the right place for him to end up, in essence.

However, Jihadi Jack's parents are quite, quite disappointed that Britain has persuaded Canada to do nothing for their son, innocent of any dalliance with Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, wanting only to do what's right in helping other oppressed Muslims, after all. Canadian Foreign Affairs last statement: "There have been no Canadian officials in Syria since 2012. Our ability to provide consular assistance in Syria is extremely limited" whiffs of essence of British direction.

Jihadi Jack Facebook posts: "Would not dare put a France flag on my profile pic. The same country who fines your mothers and sisters for wearing the veil. You bloody fools. What muppits you are."
"Saudi helping America against muslims who attack its embassies is Kufra Akbar according to the quran, the sunnah and consensus of the scholars. Whoever is pleased with it is a disbeliever, kaafir. Make tawbah if you support this puppet regime. Ask Allah for the truth. (I don’t include the filthy shi’I scholar that was killed when I use the term ‘muslims’ so don’t get confused)."
"I was sent before the hour with the sword until Allah is worshipped alone without partners."