After a Somalian World Cup referee was turned away by U.S. border security, Canadian politicians immediately extended a hearty welcome for him to come officiate in Canada. Only after Canadians had rolled out the red carpet, however, did it emerge that the referee, Omar Artan, was rejected because of alleged terror ties.
Alleged Terror Links Surface
In a statement issued to multiple U.S. media outlets, the White House wrote that Artan had been rejected due to “association with suspected members of terror organizations.” Although the specific terror organization wasn’t specified, it would only take a few hours until Somalia’s largest single terror group appeared to speak out in Artan’s defence.
“The case of Omar Artan serves as the latest and most damning proof that American policy extends beyond security concerns to encompass broad ethnic discrimination,” reads a statement allegedly issued Wednesday by the Somali terror group Al Shabaab and published by the Somali Guardian. The statement added “Artan’s case demonstrates that U.S. decision-making is driven not by security concerns or the imperative to counter ‘extremism,’ but rather by racial and ethnic prejudice targeting Somalis as a whole.”
Al Shabaab has been on Canada’s official registry of terror entities since 2010. A description calls it the “strongest, best organized, financed, and armed military group in Somalia,” and cites its links to al-Qaida.
Artan’s Journey and Reception
On June 6, Artan was questioned for 11 hours by U.S. Customs and Border Protections at Miami International Airport before ultimately being put on a plane to Turkey, via which he returned to Somalia. On Wednesday, Artan arrived in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, where he was given what was widely reported as a “hero’s welcome,” including an audience with Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
A statement issued to Postmedia by U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that Artan “was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns and was denied entry.”
Canadian Political Reactions
“In British Columbia, (Artan) would be welcomed and celebrated for his accomplishment. We would be thrilled to have him refereeing games here,” B.C. Premier David Eby told a Wednesday press conference in response to news reports about Artan’s inadmissibility. “In British Columbia he would be considered gold, not garbage.” In the same statement, Eby identified Artan as a “refugee” who had overcome “incredible hardships and persecutions.”
Except Artan is not a refugee, nor has he ever been displaced from his homeland. He is a resident national of Somalia who came up as a referee for the Somali National League and the Confederation of African Football.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow also publicly invited Artan to officiate at World Cup matches in Toronto; the opening game is set for Friday afternoon. “Toronto believes in fairness, inclusion and giving talent the opportunity to shine. He would be welcome to referee here in our city,” she said in an official statement, adding “I will be writing to FIFA to let them know he is welcome to referee here.”
As a CTV report on Chow’s invitation noted, “Chow would not have been privy to the reasons U.S. officials denied Artan admission to the U.S.”
Even if he had been granted entry to Canada, however, Artan would still be ineligible to officiate at the World Cup, given that FIFA has headquartered its referee operations out of Miami. Artan had been en route to a 10-day, Miami-based referee training session along with 51 other referees designated for the tournament.
Neither Chow nor Eby has any power over the admissibility of foreign nationals to Canada, and it’s also not a guarantee that Artan would pass the screening protocols of the Canada Border Services Agency.
