Though I never worked with him directly, we were all watching what happened to our former coworker Maher Arar, who was illegally deported to Syria (which tortured him) and was yesterday cleared of all allegations. Justice Dennis O’Connor: “I am able to say categorically that there is no evidence to indicate that Mr Arar has committed any offence or that his activities constitute a threat to the security of Canada.”

Mr. Arar’s lawsuit against the U.S. was dismissed on national security grounds — it would have required the courts to, you know, judge the legality of extraordinary rendition and force the executive branch to admit that we farm out torture — but his testimony and the Canadian inquiry indicate willing complicity by many governments.

So in this post-9/11 world, several people around me have been negatively affected by US domestic policy while just minding their own business. A friend’s sister in Wyoming was assaulted for wearing a hijab; a coworker was deported for torture; my Pakistani coworkers felt especially singled out by the FBI in 2001; and I (least of all) was detained for photographing. I know the world isn’t exactly a small place, so I have to assume that there are lots of other people who have had similar stories. (Yet we seem to let this maltreatment of “other people” go on without comment.)

Do you have any similar stories to share?