Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Understanding religion could help West bridge ties with Muslim nations
MADRID: The West and Muslim nations must find solutions to arrest the slide in relations between them, Prime Minister of Malaysia Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said yesterday.
Telling the West to understand that Islam is a religion respected for its cultural and religious diversity, Abdullah said the teachings of Islam could not be faulted for the discord between the Muslim world and the West.
“The problems which continue to fester in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Golan Heights, Lebanon and Palestine are vestiges of the projections of power by the centres of world power.
“The resulting humiliation being felt by Muslims is the main cause of their loss of trust and confidence towards the West.
“But we have to acknowledge that finding solutions to these strategic issues have now become intertwined with the problem of managing cultural and civilisational diversity. The way forward for arresting the slide in relations is to resolve these two sets of problems in tandem because they are inter-dependent,” he added.
Telling the West to understand that Islam is a religion respected for its cultural and religious diversity, Abdullah said the teachings of Islam could not be faulted for the discord between the Muslim world and the West.
“The problems which continue to fester in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Golan Heights, Lebanon and Palestine are vestiges of the projections of power by the centres of world power.
“The resulting humiliation being felt by Muslims is the main cause of their loss of trust and confidence towards the West.
“But we have to acknowledge that finding solutions to these strategic issues have now become intertwined with the problem of managing cultural and civilisational diversity. The way forward for arresting the slide in relations is to resolve these two sets of problems in tandem because they are inter-dependent,” he added.
Addressing world leaders and foreign ministers at the First Alliance of Civilisations (AoC) Forum here yesterday, Abdullah said Western governments should not feel uneasy that Muslims were seeking to live in accordance with the principles and values of the Quran and the example set by Prophet Muhammad.
“They should acknowledge that there are civilisations today that continue to uphold religious values in the public sphere even if many Western governments and societies do not.
“Accepting diversity demands an open and accommodative attitude towards religion, and specifically towards religions other than one’s own,” he added.
The Prime Minister said a Muslim who was true to his religious teachings would not separate the principle of accountability from political governance simply because he wanted to perpetuate his power.
“Neither will he subordinate justice to the creation of infinite wealth and defend it in the name of economic growth.
“He will not abdicate the principle of fairness in managing ethnic relations even if it makes him somewhat unpopular within his own ethnic community.”
The AoC was created in 2005 on the initiative of Spain and Turkey under the auspices of the United Nations.
The two-day forum is the first major event of the alliance. It aims to tackle fear and suspicion, bridge gaps and overcome prejudices between Islam and the West.
“They should acknowledge that there are civilisations today that continue to uphold religious values in the public sphere even if many Western governments and societies do not.
“Accepting diversity demands an open and accommodative attitude towards religion, and specifically towards religions other than one’s own,” he added.
The Prime Minister said a Muslim who was true to his religious teachings would not separate the principle of accountability from political governance simply because he wanted to perpetuate his power.
“Neither will he subordinate justice to the creation of infinite wealth and defend it in the name of economic growth.
“He will not abdicate the principle of fairness in managing ethnic relations even if it makes him somewhat unpopular within his own ethnic community.”
The AoC was created in 2005 on the initiative of Spain and Turkey under the auspices of the United Nations.
The two-day forum is the first major event of the alliance. It aims to tackle fear and suspicion, bridge gaps and overcome prejudices between Islam and the West.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
The poets of Guantanamo
By Tom Ackermann
It has been over five years since the US began locking up prisoners at its military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The about 355 detainees have never been brought to trial, so not much has been heard from inside the jail.
But a book of poems written by Guantanamo inmates has been published, revealing some of their innermost thoughts.
A poem by Moazzam Begg, one of 17 Guantanamo detainees whose work is gathered in the slim volume:
Freedom is spent, time is up –Tears have rent my sorrow's cup;Home is cage, and cage is steel,Thus manifest reality's unreal. Some of the poets, like Begg and Martin Mubanga, have been released.
'A special risk'
Most, however, like Sami al-Hajj, a cameraman for Al Jazeera, are still detained indefinitely.
Marc Falkoff, who represents 17 Yemenis at Guantanamo, collected the poems with the help of other defence lawyers.
The about 355 detainees have never been brought to trial, so not much has been heard from inside the jail.
But a book of poems written by Guantanamo inmates has been published, revealing some of their innermost thoughts.
A poem by Moazzam Begg, one of 17 Guantanamo detainees whose work is gathered in the slim volume:
Freedom is spent, time is up –Tears have rent my sorrow's cup;Home is cage, and cage is steel,Thus manifest reality's unreal. Some of the poets, like Begg and Martin Mubanga, have been released.
'A special risk'
Most, however, like Sami al-Hajj, a cameraman for Al Jazeera, are still detained indefinitely.
Marc Falkoff, who represents 17 Yemenis at Guantanamo, collected the poems with the help of other defence lawyers.
At first, the poets were denied regular use of paper and pen, some resorting to scratch their words with pebbles onto Styrofoam cups.
For years, the Pentagon refused to declassify any of the writing.
They described poems as "a special risk", because they could contain coded messages.
The passages in Poems from Guantanamo were cleared before the Pentagon realised they would wind up in a book.
Falkoff, who is also the editor of the book, said the Pentagon has refused to clear any additional poems in the last year or so.
He said: "We believe that they've made an effort just to keep this book from coming into print."
Commander JD Gordan, a Pentagon spokesman, said the detainees "have attempted to use this medium as merely another tool in their battle of ideas against Western democracies".
The 22 poems in the book were approved only in their English versions, and translated only by security-cleared linguists. "The result is that we have workmanlike translations that are not ideal. This of course is due to the Pentagon's restrictions," Falkoff said.
Expression
The poets, like in this excerpt of Death Poem by Jumah al-Dossari, a 33-year old Bahraini, speak of love and suffering:
Take my blood,Take my death shroud andthe remnants of my body.Take photographs of my corpse at the grave, lonely.
Other Guantanamo inmates have used poetry to express their anger with the US government that holds them captive.
Falkoff said: "There's some strong language, though, and I did not excise that. It's included in here."
An excerpt from Humiliated in the Shackles, by al-Haj, reads:
America, you ride on the backs of orphans,And terrorize them daily.Bush beware.The world recognizes an arrogant liar.
Whatever their artistic merit, Falkoff says the poems shed light on the prisoners' humanity, and give the outside world rare insight into their hopes and fears. --(AlJazeera)
For years, the Pentagon refused to declassify any of the writing.
They described poems as "a special risk", because they could contain coded messages.
The passages in Poems from Guantanamo were cleared before the Pentagon realised they would wind up in a book.
Falkoff, who is also the editor of the book, said the Pentagon has refused to clear any additional poems in the last year or so.
He said: "We believe that they've made an effort just to keep this book from coming into print."
Commander JD Gordan, a Pentagon spokesman, said the detainees "have attempted to use this medium as merely another tool in their battle of ideas against Western democracies".
The 22 poems in the book were approved only in their English versions, and translated only by security-cleared linguists. "The result is that we have workmanlike translations that are not ideal. This of course is due to the Pentagon's restrictions," Falkoff said.
Expression
The poets, like in this excerpt of Death Poem by Jumah al-Dossari, a 33-year old Bahraini, speak of love and suffering:
Take my blood,Take my death shroud andthe remnants of my body.Take photographs of my corpse at the grave, lonely.
Other Guantanamo inmates have used poetry to express their anger with the US government that holds them captive.
Falkoff said: "There's some strong language, though, and I did not excise that. It's included in here."
An excerpt from Humiliated in the Shackles, by al-Haj, reads:
America, you ride on the backs of orphans,And terrorize them daily.Bush beware.The world recognizes an arrogant liar.
Whatever their artistic merit, Falkoff says the poems shed light on the prisoners' humanity, and give the outside world rare insight into their hopes and fears. --(AlJazeera)
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Guantanamo protesters arrested
A worldwide day of protests calling for the closure of Guantanamo Bay has ended with 81 people being arrested at the US supreme court in Washington DC.
Demonstrators mobilised outside US embassies across the world on Friday to mark the sixth anniversary of the opening of the US-run detention camp for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
Activists from Amnesty International, the human rights organisation, and others gathered in cities such as London, Sydney, New York and Manila to demand the camp's closure.
Demonstrators in Washington were heard chanting "Shut it down", whilst others kneeled on the plaza in front of the court.
Demonstrators mobilised outside US embassies across the world on Friday to mark the sixth anniversary of the opening of the US-run detention camp for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
Activists from Amnesty International, the human rights organisation, and others gathered in cities such as London, Sydney, New York and Manila to demand the camp's closure.
Demonstrators in Washington were heard chanting "Shut it down", whilst others kneeled on the plaza in front of the court.
Many protesters wore orange jumpsuits intended to simulate prison garb.
Those arrested face a maximum penalty of 60 days in jail, a fine or both, for violating an ordinance that prohibits demonstrations of any kind on the grounds of the court.
Those arrested inside the building were charged under a provision that makes it a crime to give "a harangue or oration" in the supreme court building.
Officials briefly closed the court building during the protest.
The supreme court is considering whether prisoners still detained at Guantanamo Bay have a right to challenge their confinement in US courts.
Lawsuit dismissed
Earlier on Friday, a US court of appeal ruled that four former Guantanamo prisoners from Britain have no right to sue top Pentagon officials and military officers for torture, abuse and violations of their religious rights.
Those arrested face a maximum penalty of 60 days in jail, a fine or both, for violating an ordinance that prohibits demonstrations of any kind on the grounds of the court.
Those arrested inside the building were charged under a provision that makes it a crime to give "a harangue or oration" in the supreme court building.
Officials briefly closed the court building during the protest.
The supreme court is considering whether prisoners still detained at Guantanamo Bay have a right to challenge their confinement in US courts.
Lawsuit dismissed
Earlier on Friday, a US court of appeal ruled that four former Guantanamo prisoners from Britain have no right to sue top Pentagon officials and military officers for torture, abuse and violations of their religious rights.
Shafiq Rasul, Asif Iqbal, Rhuhel Ahmed and Jamal al-Harith were released from Guantanamo in 2004 after being held for more than two years.
The three-judge panel from the District of Colombia Circuit rejected the law suit in which the former detainees sought $10 million in damages and named Donald Rumsfeld, the then US defence secretary as well as 10 military commanders.
The men claimed they were subjected to various forms of torture and were harassed as they practiced their religion.
The court cited a lack of jurisdiction over the claim and ruled that the defendants qualified for immunity for acts taken within the scope of government jobs.
"The alleged wrongful conduct was incidental to the defendants' legitimate employment duties," Judge Karen Lecraft Henderson wrote in the ruling.
Eric Lewis, the lawyers who argued the case for the detainees, vowed to appeal to the US supreme court.
"It is an awful day for the rule of law and common decency when a court finds that torture is all in a days' work for the secretary of defence and senior generals," Lewis said.
The prison, which has been widely criticised by human rights advocates, now holds about 275 prisoners.
George Bush, the US president has acknowledged the prison has damaged the reputation of the US and has said he would like to see it closed eventually.
Small demonstrations against Guantanamo Bay were also held in Rome; Prague, Czech Republic; Brussels, Belgium; and Budapest, Hungary. --(AlJazeera, 12 Jan 08)
The three-judge panel from the District of Colombia Circuit rejected the law suit in which the former detainees sought $10 million in damages and named Donald Rumsfeld, the then US defence secretary as well as 10 military commanders.
The men claimed they were subjected to various forms of torture and were harassed as they practiced their religion.
The court cited a lack of jurisdiction over the claim and ruled that the defendants qualified for immunity for acts taken within the scope of government jobs.
"The alleged wrongful conduct was incidental to the defendants' legitimate employment duties," Judge Karen Lecraft Henderson wrote in the ruling.
Eric Lewis, the lawyers who argued the case for the detainees, vowed to appeal to the US supreme court.
"It is an awful day for the rule of law and common decency when a court finds that torture is all in a days' work for the secretary of defence and senior generals," Lewis said.
The prison, which has been widely criticised by human rights advocates, now holds about 275 prisoners.
George Bush, the US president has acknowledged the prison has damaged the reputation of the US and has said he would like to see it closed eventually.
Small demonstrations against Guantanamo Bay were also held in Rome; Prague, Czech Republic; Brussels, Belgium; and Budapest, Hungary. --(AlJazeera, 12 Jan 08)
Free Sami Al-Hajj
Sami Al-Hajj, prisoner 345 at the United States Detainment Centre in Guantanamo Bay Cuba, has been on hunger strike since 7th January, 2007.
Sami was arrested in Pakistan in December 2001 whilst travelling with a legitimate visa to work in Afghanistan as a cameraman for Al Jazeera. But he is being held as an ‘enemy combatant’.
prisoner345.net is dedicated to empowering Sami’s family, friends and colleagues, together with all supporters of human rights around the world, in the campaign to set him free.
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