Abandon hope, all who enter here
In These Times
by Moazzam Begg
10/16/06
It is considered a sin in Islam to despair, but in Bagram, during the worst days of May 2002, I had been unable to hold despair at bay. Here in Guantanamo, in this steel cage with its mesh sides, steel roof and floor, steel bed, steel toilet, all inside a white, new-looking brightly lit room, I felt despair returning as I took in my surroundings for the first time. All I had in the cell was a sheet and a roll of toilet paper, not even my glasses. I asked for something that I could use as a prayer mat, and they brought a thin camping mat, which became my mattress for the next two years. I wanted to pray immediately. I asked the MPs which direction was east, but they weren't sure. That told me there were no other prisoners here, otherwise the guards would have known, since all the detainees would have asked the same question. Or was it that they feared my knowledge of directions could allow me to calculate my position on the island -- a potential breach of security?
http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2864/
Informant: Thomas L. Knapp
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Guantanamo
by Moazzam Begg
10/16/06
It is considered a sin in Islam to despair, but in Bagram, during the worst days of May 2002, I had been unable to hold despair at bay. Here in Guantanamo, in this steel cage with its mesh sides, steel roof and floor, steel bed, steel toilet, all inside a white, new-looking brightly lit room, I felt despair returning as I took in my surroundings for the first time. All I had in the cell was a sheet and a roll of toilet paper, not even my glasses. I asked for something that I could use as a prayer mat, and they brought a thin camping mat, which became my mattress for the next two years. I wanted to pray immediately. I asked the MPs which direction was east, but they weren't sure. That told me there were no other prisoners here, otherwise the guards would have known, since all the detainees would have asked the same question. Or was it that they feared my knowledge of directions could allow me to calculate my position on the island -- a potential breach of security?
http://www.inthesetimes.com/site/main/article/2864/
Informant: Thomas L. Knapp
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Guantanamo
rudkla - 17. Okt, 15:49
