Alan Johnston is free.

By now, you have heard the news that BBC correspondent Alan Johnston (left) has been released by his captors, ironically, with the aid of one of our sworn enemies, Hamas. Was its gesture genuine? Was it a publicity stunt? Who knows? Getting down to brass tacks, though, it seems Hamas has accomplished what Fatah, Israel and the West could not. I could go on, but this is beside the point I want to make.

As delighted as I am to see Mr. Johnston return home to his loved ones, as touching as it was for him to receive an outpouring of support during his captivity, I can't help but wonder where the public outcry is for Sami al-Hajj (right), an al-Jazeera correspondent detained in December 2001 by American forces who has been since held captive at Guantanamo Bay to this day. Should I be surprised at the lack of support demonstrated by the Western public? How many of us have even heard the name Sami al-Hajj? Surely, his life isn't worth any less than that of Mr. Johnston.

What am I saying? America can do no wrong, thus there must be a valid reason for its detention of Mr. al-Hajj. After all, he was a henchman for the "evil" al-Jazeera broadcasting network, who stops at nothing to spread vicious lies about how American forces are killing and maiming civilians indiscriminately, or how they are detaining and torturing Muslims at will without charge. Perhaps Mr. al-Hajj was carrying a "dirty bomb" in his camera case.

Or, perhaps he saw what America doesn't want you to see.

If Alan Johnston is worthy of our support, certainly, Sami al-Hajj is as well.