Christian university would welcome Omar Khadr, but not necessarily on campus

Former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Omar Khadr is shown in an undated handout photo from the Bowden Institution in Innisfail, Alta. (Bowden Institution / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

A Christian university in Edmonton is offering admission to Omar Khadr, even though he is unlikely to ever set foot on its campus due to safety concerns.

Dan VanKeeken, the vice-president of King’s University, told CTV News Channel that the school would accept Khadr, 28, as a “mature student” if he is free on bail and able to come up with the tuition fee.

However, “for the safety of our students, we don’t see him coming on our campus for a long time, if ever,” VanKeeken said Friday.

A judge in Edmonton granted Khadr bail on Friday, after accepting evidence that he poses a low risk to public safety and has been a model prisoner. The federal government immediately said it would appeal the decision, saying the former Guantanamo Bay prisoner is a convicted terrorist and must serve out the duration of his sentence in Canada.

Five years ago, the Toronto-born Khadr pleaded guilty before a U.S. military commission to war crimes he was accused of committing as a 15-year-old in Afghanistan in 2002. He has been serving out the rest of his eight-year sentence in Alberta.

VanKeeken said six King’s University professors have already been helping educate Khadr in prison on a volunteer basis.

“He’s pretty close now to a high school equivalency and that’s why we would accept him,” he said. “If he applies, we would accept him as a mature student.”

However, VanKeeken said the university has concerns that someone “who has a grudge with Omar” could show up on campus and cause trouble. The school is also worried about the media attention Khadr would inevitably draw if he were to begin attending classes in person.

VanKeeken said King’s University doesn’t have “an official position” on Khadr – it just wants to offer him an education. He said it was King’s students who first organized a conference on Khadr’s case that led to some professors getting involved with him.

VanKeeken said the professors who have spent time with Khadr describe him as a “very good student” and a “gentle soul.”