Spirit Quest

Our freedoms guaranteed by the Magna Carter are being
trumped because of our paranoia about security

'I would dare to believe that the spirit of the Magna Carta is not dead but only dormant and like the leaves that are breaking forth on the branches of the trees, it will spring to life and action soon'

By The Reverend Doctor Hanns F. Skoutajan

Penn & Teller, two Las Vegas based magicians aren’t plumping for more thorough security searches at airports; they believe the current system already infringes on civil liberties. "We're just against the idea of people allowing themselves to give up freedoms when confronted with fear." They make their point in a presentation that lampoons security proceedures and entertains the public.

Once it's established that the metal detector is working, Teller walks through it and sets off no alarms. But then, from somewhere inside his coat pocket, he pulls out a metal pan that's on fire. Next, he produces a fire extinguisher and, after that, a full-size shovel. "The point we're making," says Penn, "is that if two goofball magicians can slip this stuff by with full lights shining on them and the full attention of the audience, then what could a really bad person do?"

But go back some nine centuries: On an island upstream from the city of London, England, on a bright June morning in the year 1215, a group of noblemen gathered with John I, the king of England, to present him with a document which he dutifully signed and by which his powers and that of his successors was severely limited.

The Latin name of the document is the Magna Carta or Great Charter. It has withstood many challenges over the centuries but still stands today as the cornerstone of human rights. Though much celebrated it is often broken or circumvented by the subterfuge of what St.Paul called "principalities and powers."

The main term was numbered XXIX and reads: No Freeman shall be taken or imprisoned, or be deseised of his Freehold, or Liberties, or Free Customs, or be outlawed, or exiled, or any otherwise destroyed. Nor will we not pass upon him, nor condemn him, but by lawful judgment of his Peers, or by the Law of the Land. We will sell no man, we will not deny or defer to any man either Justice or Right.

Wow! That was indeed a powerful statement, with almost unimaginable consequences in that day for the freedom of the Freeman. It was a brave act on the part of the barons that confronted the king. His Divine Right stood challenged. The terms of this great charter and its spirit have often throughout history been under attack, even today.

Today the freedom won by charter for Freemen has been trumped by our desire for security. In the name of security hard won freedoms have been put aside, especially since 9/11 in the year 2001.

The audacious attack on the World Trade Centre, the Pentagon and the thankfully failed attack on the White House, has roused a claud of fear that hovers not only over the United States but also much of the rest of the world including Canada.

I recall the prevailing opinion shortly after that attack that "Everything has changed." No longer can we presume to be innocent until proven guilty. Security systems at airports, government buildings and other places where crowds gather, individuals are watched and made to prove their innocence. We tolerate long lineups, humiliating searches of our possessions and bodies, and interrogations all in the name of security.

Our governments have instituted security certificates which when applied on individuals can rob them of their freedom without revealing cause or evidence. It is a radical infraction of the Magna Carta and the Habeus Corpus.

That there is no massive uprising against this infringement of our rights can only point to a paranoia that has reached pandemic proportions. The press, unfortunately, has abetted the government and police in spreading fear.

When the date 1984 was reached many recalled George Orwell’s prophetic novel of that name. Orwell predicted a society of fear and suspicion. The term "Orwellian" became common in describing the climate of anxiety. I recall that in that year, 25 years ago, we prided ourselves that Orwell’s predictions failed to materialize, that his novel was indeed fiction. Today it seems that Orwell was not so much wrong as too early.

These thoughts stirred when I read the news of the invasion of the home of Mo Harakat ten days ago. The Ottawa Citizen wrote: On Tuesday more than a dozen Canadian Border Security Agency officers, aided by several members of the Ottawa police and sniffer dogs raided the Harakat home. They searched for 6 hours.

Harakat’s lawyer stated that , "They do not have the right to go into this house to try to discover defence of the case. That’s not a right they have."

So far the only objections I have noted were those of the lawyer, undoubtedly there are others. They need to be heard. We are afraid.

Recently my wife visited a friend living on Wolf Island near Kingston. After leaving the ferry she discovered a strange community where no one seems to lock their homes or cars. Situated between Canada and the United States, connected to the mainland north and south by ferries, the people seem to enjoy a lack of paranoia but which they quickly rediscover upon stepping off the boat in Kingston.

What will it take for citizens to rediscover a hunger for what the barons on the island of Runnymede fought 800 years ago?

My concern is that we will be only too willing to continue to surrender our freedoms for the promise of security. We are only too willing to spend enormous sums of money on arms to secure peace. Efforts will continue to be made to persuade us to surrender our hard won freedoms.

I would dare to believe that the spirit of the Magna Carta is not dead but only dormant and like the leaves that are breaking forth on the branches of the trees, it will spring to life and action soon.

I believe that it is the prerogative of institutions of faith and spirituality, to embolden people in their struggle for freedom. It requires sacrifice and courage. The Spirit demands it.

Hanns Skoutajan is author of Uprooted and Transplanted, and The Road to Peace, both available at Canada Books on Line. A documentary film: Hitler's German Foes is based on his first book. He is currently Ecumenical Associate at The Anglican Church of St. John the Evangelist, Ottawa. — Mike Heenan, Literary Editor

22 May 2009 — Return to cover.
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