Canadians John Greyson and Tarek Loubani are home at last.
The two were in an Egyptian jail for more than seven weeks.
They were never charged with any crime. Egyptian security held them in jail under terrible conditions.
Many people fought for Greyson and Loubani’s release. Canadian politicians, friends and family members, Canadian officials and even people Greyson and Loubani will likely never meet—tried to convince Egypt to let the pair go.
The two were in Egypt so Loubani, a doctor, could volunteer at a hospital there. Greyson, a filmmaker, was going to film his work.
Before Loubani’s volunteer work began, however, the pair came across a violent clash between protesters and the government’s military. During the violence, Loubani treated some wounded people and Greyson filmed the incident.
Afterwards, Loubani and Greyson were jailed by Egyptian authorities.
The region where the two were was very tense. Some people believe the authorities may have been worried that the two Canadians were actually terrorists or intended to cause trouble, which is not true.
While the two were in jail, their friends and family members tried to get the media to spread the word about the situation. They also tried to get Canadian government officials to put pressure on the Egyptian government to send the two home.
Finally, about 10 days ago, Loubani and Greyson were released.
They tried to board a plane to come home, but because their paperwork still needed to be processed, they had to stay a little while longer in Egypt. A few days later, the two finally boarded a plane bound for Toronto, Ont.
When they got to Toronto, they held a “media conference” to tell reporters and the public more details about what had happened to them. The two thanked many people who had helped them.
Later, they did an interview with CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi. Tarek Loubani said he does not regret having helped the wounded in Egypt. He said he had a responsibility as a doctor to help the people who were injured.
“There’s so much love for you guys,” Ghomeshi told the pair, referring to the concern Canadians have been expressing towards them. “There’s so much celebration about having you back.”
Greyson told the radio host that the two men were grateful for the support they’d received, “from (Stephen) Harper’s letter to the kids’ drawings, which we celebrate equally.”
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
By Jonathan Tilly
Writing/Discussion Prompt
Sometimes, when people arrive home from a trip, their families make signs for them and greet them at the airport. Create a sign welcoming Mr. Greyson and Dr. Loubani back to Canada.
Reading Prompt: Comprehension Strategies
Did you know that Teaching Kids News has written two other stories about Dr. Loubani and Mr. Greyson? If so, what questions did you ask yourself to activate your prior knowledge? If you didn’t, search this site, read the articles, and explore how this new information adds to your understanding of the issue.
Junior
Identify a variety of reading comprehension strategies and use them appropriately before, during, and after reading to understand texts (OME, Reading: 1.3).
Intermediate
Identify a variety of reading comprehension strategies and use them appropriately before, during, and after reading to understand increasingly complex texts (OME, Reading: 1.3).
Grammar Feature: NM
Today’s article refers to both the Canadian and Egyptian governments, but did you notice what a tricky word “government” is to spell? That’s because “government” is a compound word. It is made from two parts: “govern” meaning “to guide,” and the suffix “ment” meaning “process” or “action.” The result is an irregular consonant blend of “nm”
What tricks can you think of that might help others spell this difficult word?
