TORONTO: A youngSaudi woman who caused a sensation by defying her family and seeking asylumabroad was welcomed with open arms in Toronto yesterday at the end of anexhausting international odyssey. Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland greetedRahaf Mohammed Al-Qunun, 18, after she landed in Toronto, wearing a blue ballcap and a gray hoodie emblazoned in red with the word "CANADA".Smiling broadly, she posed for photographers with Freeland at her side, butmade no statement. "She had a pretty long journey and is exhausted andprefers not to take questions for the moment," Freeland said.
Qunun capturedthe world's attention with a trail of Twitter posts that ignited a #SaveRahafmovement as she fled what she said was an abusive family in ultraconservativeSaudi Arabia. Thai authorities backed down on an attempt to deport her aftershe arrived in Bangkok on a flight from Kuwait a week ago, turning her over tothe UN's refugee agency instead. Then on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeaumade the surprise announcement that Canada would take her in.
The move is sureto further strain Canada's relations with the kingdom. That relationship wentsideways last August over Ottawa's rights criticism of Saudi Arabia, promptingRiyadh to expel the Canadian ambassador and sever all trade and investment tiesin protest. Canada also sparked fury in Riyadh by demanding the "immediaterelease" of jailed rights campaigners, including Samar Badawi, the sisterof jailed blogger Raif Badawi, whose family lives in Quebec.
Qunun's attemptto flee Saudi Arabia was embraced by rights groups as a beacon of defianceagainst repression. "Ms Al-Qunun's plight has captured the world'sattention over the past few days, providing a glimpse into the precarioussituation of millions of refugees worldwide," said Filippo Grandi, the UNHigh Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). "Refugee protection today is oftenunder threat and cannot always be assured, but in this instance internationalrefugee law and overriding values of humanity have prevailed."
Raif Badawi'swife Ensaf Haidar also praised Canada, calling Freeland on Twitter "thereal hero" behind efforts to prevent Qunun's repatriation to Saudi Arabia.Qunun alleged that she was abused by her family - who deny the allegations -and rights groups also said she had renounced Islam, risking prosecution inSaudi Arabia. Qunun first said she was aiming for Australia, where officialshad suggested they would give serious consideration to her claim for asylum,which was endorsed as legitimate by the UNHCR on Wednesday.
But late FridayThailand's immigration police chief Surachate Hakparn said a smiling andcheerful Rahaf was bound for Toronto and had left on a flight after 11pm (1600GMT). "She chose Canada ... (and) Canada said it will accept her,"Surachate told reporters at Bangkok's main airport. "She is safe now andhas good physical and mental health. She is happy." Qunun left from thesame airport where her quest for asylum began in a swift-moving process thatdefied most norms.
On Fridayafternoon Qunun posted a cryptic tweet on her profile saying, "I have somegood news and some bad news." Her account was deactivated shortlyafterward in response to death threats she had faced, her friends said. But shewas back online later in the day, tweeting: "I would like to thank youpeople for supporting me and saving my life. Truly I have never dreamed of thislove and support."
Qunun's skillfuluse of Twitter saw her amass tens of thousands of followers within a week,highlighting her plight at a time when Saudi Arabia's human rights record isunder heavy scrutiny following the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi lastyear. Her deployment of social media allowed her to avoid the fate of countlessother refugees who are quietly sent back home or left to languish in Bangkokdetention centers. She refused to see her father, who traveled to Thailand andexpressed opposition to her resettlement. Surachate said her father and brotherwere due to return home on a flight in the early hours of yesterday.
Although Qunun'sasylum case moved quickly, the final maneuvers that led to her flight to Canadaremain largely a mystery. Surachate had told reporters earlier Friday that"two or three" countries were ready to offer her asylum. TheSoutheast Asian country is not a signatory to a convention on refugees, andasylum seekers must be referred to a third country. - AFP