Muslim Prisoners

[Indefinable]

The Nature of Torture

Torture practices include beatings such as jumping on the victim’s stomach; falacca or falanga, which involves beating the soles of the feet with rods; telephono, where the torturer claps flattened palms over the victim’s ears rupturing the tympanic membrane in the process; the use of electricity, including tying victims to a metal bed before applying a current and the use of pointed electrodes placed on the victim’s genitalia; burning; submarino, the submersion of the victim’s head in dirty water until the point of suffocation is almost reached; rape and forced sexual assault; suspension in mid-air with knees bent over a rod and tied tightly to wrists; deprivation of water; fake executions; the forced witnessing of the torture of the victim’s family or children; being held incommunicado; sensory deprivation; the forced injection of psychotropic drugs or ‘faecal matter’.

Tortured in Syria by Italy

Mohammed Majid Shakir was tortured by the Syrians under the command of the Italians. He explains the torture methods used upon him by the Syrians.

“Their instruments of torture were :-

a. Blasphemy. They insulted Allah(swt), his messenger(saw), and tore up the Qu’ran

b. Beating with sticks. They attacked me with a hard stick, and if I tried to defend myself they attacked me harder. Whilst this was happening, I could hear the screams of the other brothers, and they haunt me still to this day.

c. In the winter, in the cell of torture the brothers were tied to a chair by their hands and feet, and into a cell that was freezing. They put an electric fan on us in our faces from morning to afternoon” (Help the Prisoners, 2010)

Tortured in Baghram

Moazzam Beg narrates his experience in Baghram prison, he states, “One particular month in May, I was subjected to some extremely harsh interrogation techniques, which included being – or having my hands tied behind my back to my legs like an animal, as they call in America ‘hogtied’, with a hood placed over my head so I was in a suffocating position, kicked and beaten and sworn at and spat at, left to rot in this position for hours and hours on end and taken again into interrogation, and this lasted over a period of over a month. That wasn’t the worst of it, of course. The worst of it for me was the psychological part, because all of this time I had no communication with my family at all. I didn’t know what happened to my wife or my children. For all I knew they could have done terrible things to them. And that was my biggest fear. (Moazzam Begg, quoted in Democracy Now!, 2006)

Torture in Abu Ghraib

In 2004, the world witnessed the shocking institutionally sanctioned torture of Iraqi prisoners by US soldiers in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison. The vile images of grinning American soldiers standing over shackled, naked and hooded Iraqi men in demeaning, sexually humiliating and contorted positions stunned the liberal conscience of the Western world. Rather than the aberrant behaviour of an isolated few, it became clear that the nine soldiers who were court-martialled for the crimes were indeed responding to orders issued from the highest levels of military government.

Death at Camp Delta

On June 9, 2006, three detainees died while in custody at Camp 1 of the Guantánamo Bay detention facility. Yassar Talal Al Zahrani, Mani Shaman Turki Al Habardi Al Tabi, and Ali Abdullah Ahmed were reported to have been found hanging in their cells at approximately 00:20 on June 10. According to descriptions from the guards, medics, and autopsy reports, all three detainees were cold to the touch, bluish in colour, and in a state of rigor mortis, indicating that each had been dead for more than two hours at the time of discovery. Their eyes were rolled back in their sockets and they had no pulse. Rigor mortis locked their jaws and impeded resuscitation attempts. In the case of one detainee, his jaw had to be pried open with a metal instrument that broke his teeth. At that time, medical personnel discovered that he had a cloth deep in his mouth and down his throat. The same condition was discovered in the other two bodies. The investigations did not explain why the detainees had rags in their throats (Death in Camp Delta, 2009).

Guantanamo Bay

Binyamin Mohammed recalls his experience of prison in Guantanamo Bay, “It is still difficult for me to believe that I was abducted, hauled from one country to the next, and tortured in medieval ways – all orchestrated by the United States government…There are thousands of other prisoners held by the US elsewhere around the world, with no charges, and without access to their families. And I have to say, more in sadness than in anger, that many have been complicit in my own horrors over the past seven years. For myself, the very worst moment came when I realised in Morocco that the people who were torturing me were receiving questions and materials from British intelligence (BBC News, 23rd February 2009)

Implications of Torture

There are a significant amount of detention centres around the world, specifically designed to torture victims. Cruel and callous methods of torture render the victims as helpless and in many cases, ultimately causing their deaths. The victims of torture are owed one thing above all else: justice. The perpetrators of torture must be exposed for who they are, and for what they have done. There is no statute of limitations on inhumanity. Those who designed and implemented the torture and illegal rendition programmes must be punished for their crimes or the laws forbidding these activities will be recognised as meaningless. These inhumane acts were committed against real people. Only the victims can forgive those who violated their human rights and stained the moral consciousness of humanity.

[azc]

Horrible ! Sister, I couldn't read this post on Ummah .com as well

[Huzaifah ibn Adam]

It is good that the sister has posted this. The world needs to be aware of how the Muslims who are languishing in prisons around the world are treated, and why that has resulted in groups that have one goal: The destruction of America and its allies wherever they may be. The extent of the hatred they have towards America and its allies cannot be fathomed by those who have not gone through the sufferings they have gone through.

[talibilm]

Tortures and punishments can never be the solution for the Problems the west fears. They have to find the root cause if they have to solve it.

Hate and such tortures creates NOTHING but more hate from the oppressed towards the oppressors , iow will create more terrorists . Even the Good people will be tempted to become one.

Good begets Good and bad begets bad.

Let them use their conscience than using unfruitful power.

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[Indefinable]

Horrible ! Sister, I couldn't read this post on Ummah .com as well

Subhan'Allaah

If this is how you feel about reading this, then imagine those who have to endure it?

I really am annoyed no one on Ummah replied to my post. Khair insha'Allaah.

[Indefinable]

Throughout history the oppressors have used incarceration as a means to silence the voice of Truth. As Ibn Taymiyyah is known to have stated, “What can my enemies do to me? My paradise and garden are in my chest, and do not leave me. My imprisonment is seclusion with Allāh, and my death is martyrdom, and my expulsion is tourism. If the people who imprisoned me were given the equivalent of this prison in gold, it would not do them as much good as what Allāh has given me with this prison.”

One of the most influential of Muslim scholars, Sayyid Qutb, was executed, and before his execution, he would repeat his famous statement: “Verily, the index finger that testifies to Allāh’s Oneness in the prayer rejects that it be used to write a single letter acknowledging the rule of a tyrant.” (‘Sayyid Qutb: Min al-Milād ilā al-Istishhād’ (p. 61-62, 462, 474, and 481))

[azc]

At least we should remember them in our dua; but we are too busy in our life

[Huzaifah ibn Adam]

One of the most influential of Muslim scholars, Sayyid Qutb, was executed, and before his execution, he would repeat his famous statement: “Verily, the index finger that testifies to Allāh’s Oneness in the prayer rejects that it be used to write a single letter acknowledging the rule of a tyrant.” (‘Sayyid Qutb: Min al-Milād ilā al-Istishhād’ (p. 61-62, 462, 474, and 481))

Sayyid Qutb رحمة الله عليه was unique. The Mujaahideen used to describe his words as "opium" on account of how addictive it could be. Sayyid Qutb was a genius, a master writer, an ideologue, a Daa`i, a Mujaahid, a defender of the Haqq, and a Shaheed. He performed that Jihaad which Rasoolullaah صلى الله عليه وسلم described in the Hadeeth as "Afdhal-ul-Jihaad":

Speaking the Haqq in front of a tyrant ruler.

And why is that? Because the person who does so knows with certainty that he is going to be imprisoned, tortured and killed for saying this, but he says it anyway, because his heart is filled with the love of Allaah Ta`aalaa, because he fears only Allaah and does not fear the Makhlooq (creation), because the Deen of Allaah Ta`aalaa is paramount, because the Haqq must - and will always - destroy Baatil.

Sayyid Qutb spoke the Haqq in the presence of the tyrant ruler, the Fir`own of the time: Jamaal `Abdun Nasr, and he revived the spirit of and love for Jihaad and Shahaadah in the hearts of Muslims around the world, and for that he was imprisoned, tortured, and eventually executed, and he gladly accepted all of that because he preferred the Aakhirah over the Dunyaa, and the Pleasure of Allaah Ta`aalaa over the pleasure of people.

Sayyid Qutb used to say that our words that we write and that we speak, they remain lifeless, dead, devoid of any movement, until we get killed as a result of those words, whereupon they will spring to life and bring life to the hearts that are dead, bringing them to life as well. Sayyid Qutb wrote a lot in his life, but it was after he was executed that his works truly became famous. Through his blood, his words "sprang to life"; but it is not our blood that makes our words spring to life, it is Allaah Ta`aalaa's acceptance of our blood, that He then allows that blood to give life to what we have spoken and to what we have written.

My Du`aa is that Allaah Ta`aalaa grants me Shahaadah in His Path, so that my words "spring to life" as well; up until that point in time, they will remain dead, lifeless, devoid of any movement.

Was-Salaam.

[Serinity]

I 100% sure if anyone witnessed what they witnessed, they'd too hate America for allowing this. America itself is inviting hatred. And they deserve whatever punishment and hatred that gets to them.

Those who allow this - may Allah give them a painful death, such that none can help them, and none will hear them, and those who heed these orders and tortures our brothers - I pray against them.

Just reading it makes me uncomfortable. To have the guts to do this, one must be the soldiers of Iblees.

Anyone who thinks it is ok for politicans to cover this and to beautify this war, needs to have a reality check.

NONE has the right to beautify such crude things.

If they die in the Torture, they'll die a shaheed. Bithnillah. I pray that Allah protects them.

I can assure you that the Kuffaar will belie Madhi like they belied The Prophet :saws: Lets not be fooled.

However, what to do??
may Allah release them ameen.

[Indefinable]

At least we should remember them in our dua; but we are too busy in our life

Some points which come to mind:

1) Ignorance: Some Muslims/General P6opulace is unaware of what's going on.

2) Lack of unity/brotherhood: Unfortunately Muslims just don't care. Why disturb the comfort of your lives for the sake of others? (Strangers you don't even know?)

3) Lack of empathy: Again, it boils down to this - if it's not affecting me, personally, then I won't react.

4) 'Out of sight - out of mind': This mentality of fearing the oppressors in case they incarcerate me too.

5) Blame Culture: So some Muslims, knowing the plight of other Muslims (in prison) - tend to blame them for their situation. They say, 'You must have done something to end up in prison, they won't just put you in there without a reason.'

The sad thing is - because it's become so common, and has been happening for such a long time, that we (the common people) have become desensitised to the plight of others.

[Indefinable]

Sayyid Qutb رحمة الله عليه was unique. The Mujaahideen used to describe his words as "opium" on account of how addictive it could be. Sayyid Qutb was a genius, a master writer, an ideologue, a Daa`i, a Mujaahid, a defender of the Haqq, and a Shaheed. He performed that Jihaad which Rasoolullaah صلى الله عليه وسلم described in the Hadeeth as "Afdhal-ul-Jihaad":

Speaking the Haqq in front of a tyrant ruler.

And why is that? Because the person who does so knows with certainty that he is going to be imprisoned, tortured and killed for saying this, but he says it anyway, because his heart is filled with the love of Allaah Ta`aalaa, because he fears only Allaah and does not fear the Makhlooq (creation), because the Deen of Allaah Ta`aalaa is paramount, because the Haqq must - and will always - destroy Baatil.

Sayyid Qutb spoke the Haqq in the presence of the tyrant ruler, the Fir`own of the time: Jamaal `Abdun Nasr, and he revived the spirit of and love for Jihaad and Shahaadah in the hearts of Muslims around the world, and for that he was imprisoned, tortured, and eventually executed, and he gladly accepted all of that because he preferred the Aakhirah over the Dunyaa, and the Pleasure of Allaah Ta`aalaa over the pleasure of people.

Sayyid Qutb used to say that our words that we write and that we speak, they remain lifeless, dead, devoid of any movement, until we get killed as a result of those words, whereupon they will spring to life and bring life to the hearts that are dead, bringing them to life as well. Sayyid Qutb wrote a lot in his life, but it was after he was executed that his works truly became famous. Through his blood, his words "sprang to life"; but it is not our blood that makes our words spring to life, it is Allaah Ta`aalaa's acceptance of our blood, that He then allows that blood to give life to what we have spoken and to what we have written.

My Du`aa is that Allaah Ta`aalaa grants me Shahaadah in His Path, so that my words "spring to life" as well; up until that point in time, they will remain dead, lifeless, devoid of any movement.

Was-Salaam.

:jz:

Indeed Sayyid Qutb (rahimahullah) has left his legacy and all-inspiring words behind. You are probably familiar with his book, 'Ma’alim fi’l-tareeq' - Milestones.

And these are the intellectuals we should honour, respect, look up to (amongst so many other Lions of Islaam, which Allaah subhanahu wa ta'ala has blessed us with).

Unfortunately, the case today, seems to be that we (and I use this term collectively) are too busy chasing a mirage, and neglecting our rights and responsibilities towards our brothers and sisters in need.

[Indefinable]

I 100% sure if anyone witnessed what they witnessed, they'd too hate America for allowing this. America itself is inviting hatred. And they deserve whatever punishment and hatred that gets to them.

Those who allow this - may Allah give them a painful death, such that none can help them, and none will hear them, and those who heed these orders and tortures our brothers - I pray against them.

Just reading it makes me uncomfortable. To have the guts to do this, one must be the soldiers of Iblees.

Anyone who thinks it is ok for politicans to cover this and to beautify this war, needs to have a reality check.

NONE has the right to beautify such crude things.

If they die in the Torture, they'll die a shaheed. Bithnillah. I pray that Allah protects them.

I can assure you that the Kuffaar will belie Madhi like they belied The Prophet :saws: Lets not be fooled.

However, what to do??
may Allah release them ameen.

It's not just America, or the West, the problems are deeper than that. We simply cannot blame others, for the flaws that we, as an Ummah, have.

In fact some supposed Muslim states are known to partake in this too.

I'm currently reading a book, by brother Yassin Aref entitled 'Son of Mountains' (and I would recommend this to every one) - it's not a philosophical, or theological book, it's not a book of fiqh or Islamic history, it's an autobiography of one man, who grew up in harsh conditions in Kurdistan, a Muslim brother in Islam who endured so much, and is currently residing in a prison in America (for something he didn't even do). If you look at his patience, and resilience, it's enough to make one wonder in awe.

May Allaah the Most Merciful, the Most Just, grant him and all our brothers and sisters, wherever in the world they may be incarcerated, freedom. Ameen.

[Serinity]

Allah will make the hearts of the Mumineen who are tortured, soft and full of love of Allah :swt: , in shaa' Allah. Allah :swt: tests whom He loves the most.

In shaa' Allah true mujahideen. Just reading makes me want to help the Muslims tortured. In shaa' Allah, their love of Allah will make other Muslims love Jihad in the cause of Allah. Cuz I want to help them. Makes me see purpose In Jihad - subhanAllah

Cant imagine the torture they go through.
May Allah rid the dislike and fear of death from us Muslims. Ameen
I love these brothers. Allahu alam.

[Indefinable]

I will keep updating this thread insha'Allaah.

[Huzaifah ibn Adam]

:jz:

Indeed Sayyid Qutb (rahimahullah) has left his legacy and all-inspiring words behind. You are probably familiar with his book, 'Ma’alim fi’l-tareeq' - Milestones.

And these are the intellectuals we should honour, respect, look up to (amongst so many other Lions of Islaam, which Allaah subhanahu wa ta'ala has blessed us with).

Unfortunately, the case today, seems to be that we (and I use this term collectively) are too busy chasing a mirage, and neglecting our rights and responsibilities towards our brothers and sisters in need.

To say that I am "familiar" with his books would be an understatement, ukhti.

I have studied his books all my life.

The very first Kitaab I ever read was "Milestones". (Very first Kitaab other than the ones we study in Madressah as children, I mean. Like, the basic Deeniyat, history, Masnoon Duas, basic Fiqh, etc. Kitaabs taught to children in Madressah. I'm excluding those, because you don't actually read those; the Ustaadh reads and teaches it. The first Kitaab I read and actually studied, I should say (and this was many, many years ago, at age 13) was "Ma`aalim fit-Tareeq" (Milestones), by Sayyid Qutb.)

It was after that that I started reading more and more, studying more, started debating with people, etc. I read - possibly - thousands of books after that, but "Milestones" had been the first. A masterpiece.

[Indefinable]

To say that I am "familiar" with his books would be an understatement, ukhti.

I have studied his books all my life.

The very first Kitaab I ever read was "Milestones". It was after that that I started reading more and more, studying more, started debating with people, etc. I read - possibly - thousands of books after that, but "Milestones" had been the first. Sayyid's magnum opus. A masterpiece.

It is a masterpiece. It is one of the first books I read too, alhamdulillaah.

:jz:

[Indefinable]

The silence of Aafia Siddiqui

The Pakistani prisoner dubbed 'Lady al-Qaeda' has not been heard from for a year, raising concerns about her well-being.

Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Aafia Siddiqui moved to the United States for school in 1990 and left for Pakistan in 2003, after attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and marrying a Pakistani man in Boston.

Shortly after returning to Pakistan, Siddiqui disappeared while en route to Islamabad with her three children - her family members say they believe she was abducted by the Pakistani intelligence agencies.

Little is known about what happened to her until she surfaced five years later in Ghazni, Afghanistan, when Afghan police arrested her on suspicions of being a suicide bomber.

As FBI agents and US military personnel arrived to interrogate her, they said she gained control of a rifle belonging to one of the army officers. In the struggle that ensued, the service member fired on Siddiqui , hitting her at least once in the torso.

For the next few days, Siddiqui underwent surgery, after which she was transferred to a prison in the United States - where she has been ever since.

A family 'mystified'

The last that was heard from the 43-year-old came in July 2014, when, in a surprising turn of events, Siddiqui withdrew what would likely have been the final appeal against her conviction.

In the letter she wrote to Judge Richard Berman, she stated that she had no faith in the American legal system and that she refused "to participate in this system of total injustice that has punished and tortured me repeatedly".

Her family and lawyers fear the worst.

"Letters have not gotten through," said Stephen Downs , her new defence attorney, who took over from Tina M Foster in January.

"Her family is mystified as to what is happening. There is a concern that she may not be alive," Downs told Al Jazeera.

The alleged jihadi has a pattern of looking askance at her legal team, which is paid for by the Pakistani government. Ever since her trial began, Siddiqui has gone through a number of lawyers, leery of some due to their Jewish ancestry.

Siddiqui's sister, Fowzia, a Harvard-trained neurologist now living in Karachi, has been relentlessly heading a campaign seeking her sister's release, but she said she is now losing hope.

Fowzia spoke to her younger sibling over the phone for the last time in April 2014.

"Then Aafia had agreed to the appeal," said Fowzia.

"I remember her telling us that she would never refuse any chance to talk to her family or anyone who could help her. She said we have no idea what goes on at that prison. The doctors are wolves disguised as sheep," Fowzia said.


Further unnerving the family were reports from two consular visits that the Pakistani embassy made to the prison this year.

On both occasions, a woman enveloped in a burqa sat with her back to the embassy officers. She refused to show her face and did not utter a word, making it difficult for the embassy officials to say they had definitely met Siddiqui.

"We are being presented with a person who is represented to be her, but we don't know if that really is the case. Maybe it is not her we are seeing," suggested Downs.

'I have met Siddiqui recently'

But US officials dispelled any suspicions of Siddiqui dying in American custody.

"I can confirm that Aafia Siddiqui is still alive," was the single-sentence email that Patrick Rodenbush, a Justice Department spokesman, sent on July 6, 2015 in response to Al Jazeera's queries about Siddiqui. Rodenbush divulged no additional details.

Authorities at the Federal Medical Centre, Carswell in Texas, where Siddiqui has been held since 2010, contend that the inmate is free to make her own choices.

"I have met Siddiqui recently," Patricia Comstock, the public information officer, told Al Jazeera.

"She has the capability to refuse or accept a correspondence, if she wants to. That is all we can disclose about her," Comstock stated.

Yet, it is still unclear why Siddiqui is unreachable.

Early in the trial process in November 2008, a court psychiatrist said she was hallucinating and unfit to stand trial - a determination the psychiatrist later retracted.

Aafia has now essentially been in solitary confinement for the last 12 years, and tortured for part of that time. And we know that this kind of confinement and torture can do a lot of things to the human mind.

Stephen Downs, defence attorney
"Aafia has now essentially been in solitary confinement for the last 12 years, and tortured for part of that time. And we know that this kind of confinement and torture can do a lot of things to the human mind," said Downs.

Siddiqui's children, who are now 17 and 19 years old, and living with their aunt in Karachi, have never travelled to the US to visit their mother.

The Afghan government handed over Ahmed, Siddiqui's son, to her sister in Karachi in 2010. The same year, Siddiqui's daughter, Maryam, mysteriously appeared outside the family home.

Siddiqui's third child, Suleiman, who was six months old at the time of her disappearance, is still missing and presumed dead.

Prisoner exchange?

Siddiqui is a high-profile prisoner whose detention has been a divisive issue.

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has called her the "daughter of the nation", requesting her release.

Her name has also repeatedly popped up as a bargaining chip. Armed groups including the Afghan Taliban, al-Qaeda, and the Islamic State have requested her release in exchange for American captives in their custody.

According to 2012 media reports, there have been talks between Pakistani authorities and the United States to swap her for Shakil Afridi , the Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA track down Osama bin Laden, and who is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence.

There are several reasons why the prisoner exchange never materialised. First, the recently drafted extradition treaty between Pakistan and the United States is still awaiting approval from Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Second, Pakistan may not be very keen on giving up Afridi, who is viewed as a scapegoat for the Pakistani military's ignorance of the US raid on bin Laden's compound.

In 2012, Pakistan's then-intelligence chief, Lt-Gen Zaheerul Islam, categorically denied media reports of a possible deal, adding: "Afridi will never be bartered for Dr Aafia Siddiqui."

US authorities insist that Siddiqui is an al-Qaeda sympathiser, based on evidence that her family and lawyers dispute.

She was said to have been in possession of documents describing how to make explosives and chemical weapons at the time of her arrest. It has also been reported that she married Ammar al-Baluchi, the nephew of al-Qaeda mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, after her divorce in Pakistan.

But her defence team, as well as Siddiqui's sister, deny the nuptials ever took place and argue that there is a lack of scientific and forensic evidence linking her to the documents and the shooting.

Although all legal proceedings are closed for now, Siddiqui's new team of lawyers is hoping to bring new evidence by the end of this year and have the case reopened - they declined to go into further detail.

But before that, the defence team has put in a request with the authorities to meet prisoner number 90279-054.

"She does not seem willing or able to meet with us," said Downs. "We are really not sure what issues are involved, and we are reviewing our options."

Link

[Indefinable]

Tortures and punishments can never be the solution for the Problems the west fears. They have to find the root cause if they have to solve it.

Hate and such tortures creates NOTHING but more hate from the oppressed towards the oppressors , iow will create more terrorists . Even the Good people will be tempted to become one.

Good begets Good and bad begets bad.

Let them use their conscience than using unfruitful power.

I'm a sister.

[Indefinable]

Prison Walls

Caged lions roar and you will never see
A true man of faith whimpering in captivity
The lion emerged slowly dragging the weight of his chains
And the years had exhausted his body of its strength
The chains had bitten into his flesh,

blood

stained
Sore, wounded, bruised, but with

fire

in his eyes
Passion instilled, and the desire to

rise

An abode for the hearts of gallant men
Unjust man-made laws for its citizens
Save those who refuse to submit to injustice
Darkness prevails but the light of his emaan
Provides a flame which burns the oppressors evil schemes

And ashes linger as the lion continues to remain firm
His deen, his salvation becomes the salve of his wounds
“And release the Waves of Justice and answer the call
The call from the Echoes of the Oppressed”*
Break free these Prison Walls.

*Line from a poem written by brother Rakan.

[Simple_Person]

Sister, what you mostly are referring are very recent events. I as a Kurd can tell you that we as Kurds have become without emotion, when many so called "Muslim"-brothers and sister throughout the DECADES have refused to listen to our cries.

You know many Kurds say, this is what the Arabs deserve. The decades of oppressing us, well you deserve it. This has become their mentality and even THEN you see the pain in their eyes of seeing the Arabs getting that punishment. I mean seeing people being killed and tortured, despite them having that done to you, you feel not wanting them to be hurt. So as a Kurd myself, it is very strange that we have such a big heart. We hate each other (Kurds among Kurds), but yet we forgive our enemies in an instant.

Everybody is shouting for free Palestine, yet we do not hear..free Kurdistan. Do not get me wrong, i do not pursue nationalism, but the same people who call themselves Muslims, stab me in the back for being a Kurd. In case of the Arabs in the Palestinian region their enemy does not say they are Muslim. In case of the oppression of the Kurds..everybody calls themselves Muslim. I think no Kurd has not felt a death within their family or witnessed the oppression themselves. Me as an individual, born without a father because of death in war with the Arabs. One could say i should hate the Arabs the most so to say, but i pity them. As they have the language of the Qur'an and have the knowledge to take them from ignorance, yet they embrace ignorance. Many are all so impressed with the English language and rather want to abandon the Arabic language =_=!.

Yet, although i myself have not lived under Turkish oppression, rather under Arab oppression, i resent the Turks instead the Arabs. Why? I have tried to logically and rationally talk with many Turks as Muslim to Muslim. As one human being to another. I have given them Qur'an, i have given them shaheeh ahadith, i have given them logical argument..yet you see this filthy dishonest behavior. Till this day, i have ONLY met 2 Turks, i truly can say i see them as my Muslim brothers. Both of them do not care of nationalism. While the rest, ..nationalism is DEEP..VERY DEEP. My only conclusion so far, is the destruction of Turkey. Turkey MUST ..MUST fall..for them to open their eyes. As long as Turkey does not fall, the Middle East will be in less stable situation. Why do i say this?

Turkey is the BIGGEST hypocrite country on the face of this earth. They attack PKK for wanting a independent Kurdistan, yet the logical and rational argument is ..WHY do the PKK want a independent Kurdistan? They say..this is because of Israel..but the Kurds have been oppressed BEFORE 1948 (creation of Israel). So they have no argument on this. I have argued that Constantinople belongs to Orthodox Christianity as it is taken over by force and it never belongs to the Muslims including Hagia Sophia..all you see is nationalism out of their mouth. They say, majority there are Turks/Muslims, i say..ooh if we follow that logic, then south-eastern Turkey ..majority is Kurd, so it does not belong to Turkey. They keep suddenly quite, as you revealed the their hypocrisy and dishonesty. They worship Mustafa Kemal. I have had discussion with a so called Muslim Turk. He was defending Mustafa Kemal as being the savior of Turkey =_=!. Changed the alphabet, introduced secularism, drank alcohol, was anti-Islam himself even some claim he was a literally a Zionist in disguise to start the dividends of the last Islamic Caliphate. When you suddenly reveale their dishonesty and false argument, they say "But we are Muslim". This has always been their way when you reveal the dishonesty of Turks, they suddenly want to forget the argument and say we are Muslim brothers =_=!.

I have also heard the argument of Kurds being nomads from the Asia (Inda/Pakistan/Afghanistan) and thus that land not belonging to them. However nomads you could say a few thousands..or saw couple of millions. But being over 40 million o_O!!?? Also, if some people can claim such a thing, then for sure it is ONLY the Persians, as the ORIGINAL Turks have only a 700-800 year origin in that region and the Arabs since the arrival of Islam. The majority of the current Turks originate from neighboring countries (Balkan region etc.).

Sub'han'Allah, look what Allah(swt) has made. The chaos now in the Middle East, the hypocrites are being shown. They cannot hide themselves. Erdogan is saying XY and Z, yet his actions do something else. He is saying Assaad this and that, yet using the foolish Arabs to fight the Kurds. ISIS had border with Turkey for such a long time, when the Kurds conquered it, he suddenly objected it. We know of the Turks doing business with them, while ISIS has been killing Muslims. AND STILL you see so called Muslims defending him.

So why the Muslims have been divided and also been tortured and killed, is because of our own doing. If nobody is speaking against oppression or corruption. If nobody is standing up against oppression or corruption. Well be sure of it, that the punishment will come. This EXACT same thing happened to the Kurds within the modern day Iraq. They were saved from poverty and become rich of oil 2003-2014. But i during holiday going there..you saw people defending the corrupt people in power, i saw people throwing garbage on the street, i saw SOOO MUCH food being wasted. I saw Islam, but no imaan. ISIS came and they were also humiliated by Allah(swt). Not getting paid, food became expensive.

[Indefinable]

@Simple_Person

I didn't really know much about Kurds/Kurdistan, and I haven't had the pleasure of meeting any Kurdish sisters online or offline, however, you're points are correct.

In fact, there isn't much information about what happened with Anfal or Halabja, and shamelessly the Muslim world remained silent when the massacres of millions was taking place, and the persecution of anyone who was considered Peshmerga. It is outrageous to say the least. Unfortunately, this is what happens when those in Power are corrupt, and away from Islaam.

[Rifqah]

Subhan'Allaah

If this is how you feel about reading this, then imagine those who have to endure it?

I really am annoyed no one on Ummah replied to my post. Khair insha'Allaah.

I read all of these posts on here and UF but I can never think of what to reply. Anything I think of seems trite so I make dua but don't post, I make donations but obviously wouldn't reply saying that (I did here but only to encourage you) and I think possibly some others do similarly Inshallah.

Be encouraged sister, your posts and reminders are valuable and appreciated barakallahu feeki sis

[Simple_Person]

I read all of these posts on here and UF but I can never think of what to reply. Anything I think of seems trite so I make dua but don't post, I make donations but obviously wouldn't reply saying that (I did here but only to encourage you) and I think possibly some others do similarly Inshallah.

Be encouraged sister, your posts and reminders are valuable and appreciated barakallahu feeki sis

The best thing sister we can do, is change what is in ourselves. Remove idle position when a so called person in power is being a Muslim, while reality is that he is just a dictator. Remove every trait of nationalism we might have. Remove every hateful feeling we have towards other people who just seek justice. Remove our disgusting behavior in saying ooh Allah protect the Muslims in such countries, while we throw food away in our own houses. Remove every disgusting trait of wasting water, while we do dua for Allah(swt) to safe others from poverty and hunger. I have come to know this world and the logic of this world is not only what is seen by the eye. For example throwing garbage in nature it is harmful to nature, but our harmful behavior is bring destruction upon ourselves.

So we need to look at ourselves critically as not much we can do. I still remember during last year Laylat ul-Qadr at the masjid. They brought food on large plates so everybody ate and some was left. I asked another older brother what will happen to this food? He said probably it will be thrown away..while standing in the masjid imam making dua for Allah(swt) to save the Muslims. If you experience such events ..you feel angered about the hypocrisy of us Muslims.

[Rifqah]

I don't agree it is the best thing we can do. Allah (swt) decides what is best for us and for others.

It is good to do all those things you said and it's also good to help those abroad directly too. I wouldn't consider one thing better than another only that we should be doing our best with both.

Alahu alam

[Simple_Person]

I don't agree it is the best thing we can do. Allah (swt) decides what is best for us and for others.

It is good to do all those things you said and it's also good to help those abroad directly too. I wouldn't consider one thing better than another only that we should be doing our best with both.

Alahu alam

I agree with you, that we that we should help the best we can, however often we think by donating ONLY..that will do. While we ourselves aren't showing through our behavior how it should be done.

1 (donating/helping) + 0 (changing our own behavior) = not Islam
0 (donating/helping) + 1 (changing our own behavior) = not Islam
1 (donating/helping) + 1 (changing our own behavior) = Islam.

We often always point at others but we forget many times that we are the cause of our own doings. For example if every one of us, always include this..work on ourselves, it is VERY VERY VERY hard for dictator to root in power. Or even western countries to influence those countries.

So i think we say the same think, but using different words and thus different understanding.

[Rifqah]

I agree. Jazakallah khayr

[Indefinable]

I read all of these posts on here and UF but I can never think of what to reply. Anything I think of seems trite so I make dua but don't post, I make donations but obviously wouldn't reply saying that (I did here but only to encourage you) and I think possibly some others do similarly Inshallah.

Be encouraged sister, your posts and reminders are valuable and appreciated barakallahu feeki sis

Alhamdulillaah. That's good to hear sister.

[Indefinable]

Write to Imaam Yassin Aref at:

Yassin Aref #12778052
Federal Correctional Institution
PO Box 33
Terre Haute IN, 47808

An amazing brother - so insightful and humble. From the mountains of Kurdistan to a prison in the US. Read about his journey and struggles which are still ongoing in his autobiographical book: Son of Mountains.

Sometimes they put innocent men in prison. Yassin Aref is one of those men. Originally published in 2008, but with renewed relevance for today’s international events, Son of Mountains is the story of a UN refugee who sought peace and freedom for himself and his family in America––and found just the opposite. It is the story of a Muslim imam entrapped in a phony “sting” concocted by the FBI, accused of aiding terrorism, and sentenced in 2007 to fifteen years in federal prison.

Link

[Indefinable]

Write to Brother Tarek Mehanna:

Tarek Mehanna #05315-748
4500 PRISON ROAD
MARION, IL 62959

[GodIsAll]

Almost brutal by ISIS and Boko haram standards.
....doesn't make any of this right....or patented by Muslims or non-Muslims.

[GodIsAll]

Astute and wise post, methinks.
All parties both guilty and victim to atrocities. Rising above is paramount.

[AbdurRahman.]

inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un

may Allah ease their situation :Emoji29:

[Aryeh Jay]

To see those that have been imprisoned by deceit and lies causes my heart to hurt. Allah (swt) know all and those who have told these lies and deceptions in order to imprison innocent people will have to account for them at judgment.

[Indefinable]

Almost brutal by ISIS and Boko haram standards.
....doesn't make any of this right....or patented by Muslims or non-Muslims.

It's unjust and inhumane.

[Indefinable]

inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un

may Allah ease their situation :Emoji29:

Ameen.

Remember them in your duas insha'Allaah.

[Indefinable]

To see those that have been imprisoned by deceit and lies causes my heart to hurt. Allah (swt) know all and those who have told these lies and deceptions in order to imprison innocent people will have to account for them at judgment.

I wonder more about the mentality of those who do this.

Do they not have hearts?

[Simple_Person]

I wonder more about the mentality of those who do this.

Do they not have hearts?

These are people have gone far far faaaar away from their fitrah. Power is a big responsibility. We know that the last ummah (of Muhammad (saws) ) will be taste the punishment on this world and not in the next. I have lately been thinking about it. And so far my conclusion is this.

If somebody kills you unjustly, they will carry your sins on the Day of Judgement. If somebody puts you in jail (unjustly), Allah(swt) is just on the Day of Judgement and these people who have done that will lose their good deeds or if they have not left get your bad deeds. So in the end, all that is happening currently and what is to come..from this perspective is like cleaning our slate of all the bad deeds we have done. The people who are oppressing us, will carry our sins.

If the people are AWARE of Islam being the truth but reject is ..this being a true kaffir. On the Day of Judgement with your bad deeds end up in hell fire. It is like saying filth belongs in hell fire together with your bad deeds. While you being clean and only having good deeds in your book.

How awesome would that be right? So for us day in and day out facing harsh reaction of people because of us being Muslims. They calling us names, but we keep on walking. Or ignoring them. Their good deeds slowly belonging to us on the Day of Judgement. If you look it from that point of view, suddenly the heart becomes calm..and you become very optimistic :).

By the way, i also thought of Rasullah(saws) and that he will get the highest place in paradise. We know if you call somebody filthy names, your good deeds will go to them. While sub'han'Allah in the present day everybody is calling Rasullah(saws) of all sort of filthy names. I mean..through out the world..day in and day out. Muslims sent blessings to Rasullah(saws) in the salah daily and non-Muslims are calling him names. Continuous hassanaat you could say that go to Rasullah(saws).

[Aryeh Jay]

I wonder more about the mentality of those who do this.

Do they not have hearts?

The mentality of these people is that Islam and Muslims are the enemy and must be defeated. The mentality is such that they will praise a Military member that dies in an attack in Yemen but say nothing about eight year old Nawar al-Awlaki who was killed in the attack and is a US Citizen.

The mentality will bomb a wedding and kill many innocent people by “mistake” trying to get one person but if the sons or fathers of the victims take up jihad then they become terrorists.

The mentality will lock up someone for decades without trial in GTMO because they may have driven someone or delivered a package to someone or just been at the wrong place at the wrong time. And if this person is freed and takes up jihad because of the treatment he has received then he becomes a terrorist.

They may have hearts but they are cold and black.

[Simple_Person]

The mentality of these people is that Islam and Muslims are the enemy and must be defeated. The mentality is such that they will praise a Military member that dies in an attack in Yemen but say nothing about eight year old Nawar al-Awlaki who was killed in the attack and is a US Citizen.

The mentality will bomb a wedding and kill many innocent people by “mistake” trying to get one person but if the sons or fathers of the victims take up jihad then they become terrorists.

The mentality will lock up someone for decades without trial in GTMO because they may have driven someone or delivered a package to someone or just been at the wrong place at the wrong time. And if this person is freed and takes up jihad because of the treatment he has received then he becomes a terrorist.

They may have hearts but they are cold and black.

I guess you have seen documentary "Dirty Wars (2013)" :). I would also recommend "War on democracy (2007)" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1029172/

[Aryeh Jay]

I guess you have seen documentary "Dirty Wars (2013)" :). I would also recommend "War on democracy (2007)" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1029172/

No, I have not yet seen that documentary “Dirty War” but I will watch them both.

[Simple_Person]

No, I have not yet seen that documentary “Dirty War” but I will watch them both.

Well, some other documentaries that i would recommend if you haven't seen them yet. To seen society and nature from a different picture.

- Propaganda (2012)
- Blackfish (2013)
- The Cove (2009)
- Food Inc. (2008)
- Waiting for 'Superman' (2010)
- Killing Us Softly 4 - Advertising's Image of Women (2010)
- The Forecaster (2014)
- Sicko (2007)
- Twin Sisters (2013)
- Twinsters (2015)
- AIPAC: The Israeli Lobby (2007)
- Clinton Cash (2016)

After seeing (Dirty wars (2013), (War on democracy (2007) )+ the list above i gave you..will endanger your worldview on many aspects ;).

[Indefinable]

Abu Umar: “He enjoyed hearing my screams”

Exclusive testimony of ‘Abu Umar‘ from the CagePrisoners Saudi Torture Project.

Background

Praise be to Allah and peace and blessings be on the Messenger Muhammad.

My name is Abu Umar. I was resident in Saudi Arabia lawfully and did not contravene any law of the country. I was arrested in the Prophet’s city Madinah by the Mabahith Security Service of Saudi Arabia in 2007 without reason.

Torture

I was arrested arbitrarily, through deception. I was arrested without being shown the identity of those arresting me and without being shown an arrest warrant. As soon as I was arrested I asked to be allowed to appoint a lawyer but they did not allow me to do that. On being detained I was placed in an old solitary confinement cell similar to a dungeon. I spent a few weeks there before being moved to another solitary confinement cell that was located beneath the ground. I remained in these isolation cells for approximately four months. I was not provided with even my basic rights; sanitary necessities, enough clothes and neither had I seen the sunshine during this period.

During my time in solitary confinement I was being interrogated day and night and tortured in various ways.

I was interrogated during this period by of four interrogators. I came to know their names later. There are other interrogators the names of whom I do not know:

1. Lt. Yusuf al-Barakaty
2. Lt. Bandar al-Hazmi
3. Captain Ghazi al-Husseini al-‘Awfi
4. Major Bakr al-‘Awfi

Note that Yusuf al-Barakaty is the individual pictured at the head of this statement. I am able to confirm that he is the interrogator I refer to Yusuf al-Barakaty.

During the interrogation sessions which lasted for more than 5 years I was exposed to various kinds of physical and psychological torture, especially during the first four months of my detention. I am able to confirm the names of two interrogators who in particular participated in torturing me physically; Yusuf al-Barakaty and Ghazi al-‘Awfi. There were others on whose hands I was tortured, but I do not know their names.

I will mention below what interrogators did with me;

What (Ghazi al-Husseini al-‘Awfi) did:

First: He left me without sufficient clothes. Clothing is provided on orders of the interrogator in charge of the case Ghazi al-‘Awfi was primarily responsible for interrogating me and it was he who ordered that I should be deprived of clothing and he in doing this robbed me of the simplest of my rights. This continued for a period of four months. I did not have enough clothes and was left in this condition throughout the severely cold winter months.

Second: Summoning for interrogation at random times at deliberately irregular intervals to cause mental and physical fatigue. At times I was taken from my sleep for interrogation in the middle of the night.

Third: The interrogator Ghazi al-‘Awfi ordered the military guards to stand me against the wall while I was blindfolded, handcuffed and bound in leg irons, for long periods of time; up to six consecutive hours. He was threatening to beat me severely if I tried to sit or move from where I was or did not follow his orders. My feet were swollen from periods of forced standing.

Fourth: he hung me by my hands with a chain fixed to a high place such that only the toes of my feet would touch the ground. He left me in this position for long periods of time and for a number of hours.

Fifth: He beat me with the following tools of torture:

1. Baton (also known in Arabic as ‘Khaizrana’). (This is well known tool in the Middle East specifically made for torture.) It is approximately 1.2 meters long and approximately 2 cm wide. It is round and light brown in colour. He beat me with this baton at full strength on my hands until they swelled and on my back. The bruises from this torture would remain on my body for long periods of time ranging from days to weeks.

2. Hose, similar to a water hose; Ghazi Al Awfi repeatedly beat me with this tool on a number of occasions. I was laid face down on the ground, with my eyes blindfolded, my hand and feet shackled. I am unable to describe the tool in further detail because I have not seen it, but I remember that the beating was very severe. I would scream in pain however he did not have any mercy and instead increased the beating because he enjoyed hearing my screams.

Sixth: Depriving me of sleep and at times allowing me very minute amounts of sleep. He would summon me for interrogation in the day and at night. Each interrogation lasted for several hours and often I was forced to stand during the sessions. When I was returned to my cell I could not sleep except very minute amounts. The sounds made by the military guards were very disturbing. This continued for a period of fifteen days and I became extremely exhausted both mentally and physically. I began to utter inappropriate words due to losing my senses.

Seventh: Ghazi al-‘Awfi always insulted me and treated me in the most degrading way. He would verbally abuse me and utter obscenities like ‘Oh bull’ and other terms which I do not remember.

What Yusuf al-Barakaty did:

First: He summoned me for interrogation day and night in a random manner without any predictable routine with the aim of causing me mental and physical fatigue. He did this at least 30 times or more.

Second: Yusuf al-Barakaty beat me without the use of any particular instruments; by using his hand and striking me with maximum strength on my back and my neck whilst screaming in my face “I am teaching you manners” and “I am rectifying your attitude”. He, al-Barakaty, then made me stand facing the wall with my eyes blindfolded and any hands and feet shackled for two hours. I remember very well that he would often enter the interrogation room while I was being tortured and would find it entertaining to stand and watch me being tortured. He would join in by hurling degrading verbal abuse in the worst forms at me. This occurred a number of times.

The first few months were the harshest times of my life. It was then that most of torture took place, those were dark days. On being returned to my cell following interrogation sessions I would find wounds on my body and my clothes would be stained with my own blood. During those months I was in a very bad psychological state. After being returned from interrogation sessions I would find pains in the places where I was beaten; for example in my stomach, in my thighs, legs, hands, fingers and even fingertips. I developed a phobia of interrogation and the interrogation officers. Whenever I came back to my cell my constant worry would be about when the next interrogation session might be. Not knowing when it would be caused enormous psychological distress and increased the effect and severity of my phobia of the interrogation sessions and the interrogator. I find it impossible to describe that period justly and words can hardly express those feelings.

I was cut off completely from the outside world. I was not allowed to contact my family, my sick mother or my pregnant wife. I was not allowed to appoint a lawyer to defend me legally or allowed to request my rights. I felt I was between life and death, and I was wishing that I had been dead and forgotten long before that time, than to have been subject to all this. I was either in a cell where no one could listen to me or I was in an interrogation room where it was even worse; I would scream, cry and shout in pain and agony but no one would have mercy, instead they would continue torturing me even more because they were beasts who found pleasure in that.

They prevented me from contacting my family for six months and I did not seen my family for the duration of my detention which lasted more than five years, except on approximately four occasions. I only saw my sick mother once during these years. I would not wish for anyone to go through such an ordeal. Whenever I remember it, it only increases my grief and sorrow.

It is worth noting here that I was not produced before any Court or charged with any offence throughout that period and I was not allowed to instruct a lawyer as stipulated in their code of procedure. The following are injuries and damages I suffered due to my detention:

Physical and psychological damage:

1. Severe pain due to severe physical torture
2. Deterioration of muscle due to forced inactivity resulting in lack of exercise over the years.
3. Deficiency in the level of vitamins due to a lack of adequate exposure to sunlight and poor nutrition throughout the years.
4. Irritable bowel syndrome
5. Weight loss due to malnutrition
6. Intense fear of the future and being constantly preoccupied with it.
7. Remaining very distant from the upbringing of my son throughout all these years, and him being brought up as a orphan without a father.

Material loss:

1. Huge material losses due to a complete halting of all business activities throughout the years.
2. The accumulation of debt as I am the only breadwinner for my family and I did not have a source of income during those years.
3. The loss of my property because my sudden disappearance from society.
4. Failure to return my possessions which had been confiscated when I was detained by the Mabahith in Saudi Arabia.

I was released in 2012. I was not compensated for the losses I incurred. I was not tried nor was I given any official or unofficial document explaining the reasons for my detention.

I ask everyone who reads this testimony to assist in taking legal action on behalf of the prisoners particularly those who were tortured at the hands of the mentioned interrogators. Indeed the majority of prisoners who were imprisoned at the Madinah Mabahith Detention Centre will have been tortured by the said interrogators. Those who are not able to do that may forward this to anyone who is able to raise complaints against these criminals. I also advise anyone who has suffered like myself not to remain silent and to raise complaints against their interrogators and to try and obtain arrest warrants against them via, for example, the international police – Interpol.

Written by Abu Umar
28/01/2013

[Zeal]

Abu Umar: “He enjoyed hearing my screams”

Exclusive testimony of ‘Abu Umar‘ from the CagePrisoners Saudi Torture Project.

Background

Praise be to Allah and peace and blessings be on the Messenger Muhammad.

My name is Abu Umar. I was resident in Saudi Arabia lawfully and did not contravene any law of the country. I was arrested in the Prophet’s city Madinah by the Mabahith Security Service of Saudi Arabia in 2007 without reason.

Torture

I was arrested arbitrarily, through deception. I was arrested without being shown the identity of those arresting me and without being shown an arrest warrant. As soon as I was arrested I asked to be allowed to appoint a lawyer but they did not allow me to do that. On being detained I was placed in an old solitary confinement cell similar to a dungeon. I spent a few weeks there before being moved to another solitary confinement cell that was located beneath the ground. I remained in these isolation cells for approximately four months. I was not provided with even my basic rights; sanitary necessities, enough clothes and neither had I seen the sunshine during this period.

During my time in solitary confinement I was being interrogated day and night and tortured in various ways.

I was interrogated during this period by of four interrogators. I came to know their names later. There are other interrogators the names of whom I do not know:

1. Lt. Yusuf al-Barakaty
2. Lt. Bandar al-Hazmi
3. Captain Ghazi al-Husseini al-‘Awfi
4. Major Bakr al-‘Awfi

Note that Yusuf al-Barakaty is the individual pictured at the head of this statement. I am able to confirm that he is the interrogator I refer to Yusuf al-Barakaty.

During the interrogation sessions which lasted for more than 5 years I was exposed to various kinds of physical and psychological torture, especially during the first four months of my detention. I am able to confirm the names of two interrogators who in particular participated in torturing me physically; Yusuf al-Barakaty and Ghazi al-‘Awfi. There were others on whose hands I was tortured, but I do not know their names.

I will mention below what interrogators did with me;

What (Ghazi al-Husseini al-‘Awfi) did:

First: He left me without sufficient clothes. Clothing is provided on orders of the interrogator in charge of the case Ghazi al-‘Awfi was primarily responsible for interrogating me and it was he who ordered that I should be deprived of clothing and he in doing this robbed me of the simplest of my rights. This continued for a period of four months. I did not have enough clothes and was left in this condition throughout the severely cold winter months.

Second: Summoning for interrogation at random times at deliberately irregular intervals to cause mental and physical fatigue. At times I was taken from my sleep for interrogation in the middle of the night.

Third: The interrogator Ghazi al-‘Awfi ordered the military guards to stand me against the wall while I was blindfolded, handcuffed and bound in leg irons, for long periods of time; up to six consecutive hours. He was threatening to beat me severely if I tried to sit or move from where I was or did not follow his orders. My feet were swollen from periods of forced standing.

Fourth: he hung me by my hands with a chain fixed to a high place such that only the toes of my feet would touch the ground. He left me in this position for long periods of time and for a number of hours.

Fifth: He beat me with the following tools of torture:

1. Baton (also known in Arabic as ‘Khaizrana’). (This is well known tool in the Middle East specifically made for torture.) It is approximately 1.2 meters long and approximately 2 cm wide. It is round and light brown in colour. He beat me with this baton at full strength on my hands until they swelled and on my back. The bruises from this torture would remain on my body for long periods of time ranging from days to weeks.

2. Hose, similar to a water hose; Ghazi Al Awfi repeatedly beat me with this tool on a number of occasions. I was laid face down on the ground, with my eyes blindfolded, my hand and feet shackled. I am unable to describe the tool in further detail because I have not seen it, but I remember that the beating was very severe. I would scream in pain however he did not have any mercy and instead increased the beating because he enjoyed hearing my screams.

Sixth: Depriving me of sleep and at times allowing me very minute amounts of sleep. He would summon me for interrogation in the day and at night. Each interrogation lasted for several hours and often I was forced to stand during the sessions. When I was returned to my cell I could not sleep except very minute amounts. The sounds made by the military guards were very disturbing. This continued for a period of fifteen days and I became extremely exhausted both mentally and physically. I began to utter inappropriate words due to losing my senses.

Seventh: Ghazi al-‘Awfi always insulted me and treated me in the most degrading way. He would verbally abuse me and utter obscenities like ‘Oh bull’ and other terms which I do not remember.

What Yusuf al-Barakaty did:

First: He summoned me for interrogation day and night in a random manner without any predictable routine with the aim of causing me mental and physical fatigue. He did this at least 30 times or more.

Second: Yusuf al-Barakaty beat me without the use of any particular instruments; by using his hand and striking me with maximum strength on my back and my neck whilst screaming in my face “I am teaching you manners” and “I am rectifying your attitude”. He, al-Barakaty, then made me stand facing the wall with my eyes blindfolded and any hands and feet shackled for two hours. I remember very well that he would often enter the interrogation room while I was being tortured and would find it entertaining to stand and watch me being tortured. He would join in by hurling degrading verbal abuse in the worst forms at me. This occurred a number of times.

The first few months were the harshest times of my life. It was then that most of torture took place, those were dark days. On being returned to my cell following interrogation sessions I would find wounds on my body and my clothes would be stained with my own blood. During those months I was in a very bad psychological state. After being returned from interrogation sessions I would find pains in the places where I was beaten; for example in my stomach, in my thighs, legs, hands, fingers and even fingertips. I developed a phobia of interrogation and the interrogation officers. Whenever I came back to my cell my constant worry would be about when the next interrogation session might be. Not knowing when it would be caused enormous psychological distress and increased the effect and severity of my phobia of the interrogation sessions and the interrogator. I find it impossible to describe that period justly and words can hardly express those feelings.

I was cut off completely from the outside world. I was not allowed to contact my family, my sick mother or my pregnant wife. I was not allowed to appoint a lawyer to defend me legally or allowed to request my rights. I felt I was between life and death, and I was wishing that I had been dead and forgotten long before that time, than to have been subject to all this. I was either in a cell where no one could listen to me or I was in an interrogation room where it was even worse; I would scream, cry and shout in pain and agony but no one would have mercy, instead they would continue torturing me even more because they were beasts who found pleasure in that.

They prevented me from contacting my family for six months and I did not seen my family for the duration of my detention which lasted more than five years, except on approximately four occasions. I only saw my sick mother once during these years. I would not wish for anyone to go through such an ordeal. Whenever I remember it, it only increases my grief and sorrow.

It is worth noting here that I was not produced before any Court or charged with any offence throughout that period and I was not allowed to instruct a lawyer as stipulated in their code of procedure. The following are injuries and damages I suffered due to my detention:

Physical and psychological damage:

1. Severe pain due to severe physical torture
2. Deterioration of muscle due to forced inactivity resulting in lack of exercise over the years.
3. Deficiency in the level of vitamins due to a lack of adequate exposure to sunlight and poor nutrition throughout the years.
4. Irritable bowel syndrome
5. Weight loss due to malnutrition
6. Intense fear of the future and being constantly preoccupied with it.
7. Remaining very distant from the upbringing of my son throughout all these years, and him being brought up as a orphan without a father.

Material loss:

1. Huge material losses due to a complete halting of all business activities throughout the years.
2. The accumulation of debt as I am the only breadwinner for my family and I did not have a source of income during those years.
3. The loss of my property because my sudden disappearance from society.
4. Failure to return my possessions which had been confiscated when I was detained by the Mabahith in Saudi Arabia.

I was released in 2012. I was not compensated for the losses I incurred. I was not tried nor was I given any official or unofficial document explaining the reasons for my detention.

I ask everyone who reads this testimony to assist in taking legal action on behalf of the prisoners particularly those who were tortured at the hands of the mentioned interrogators. Indeed the majority of prisoners who were imprisoned at the Madinah Mabahith Detention Centre will have been tortured by the said interrogators. Those who are not able to do that may forward this to anyone who is able to raise complaints against these criminals. I also advise anyone who has suffered like myself not to remain silent and to raise complaints against their interrogators and to try and obtain arrest warrants against them via, for example, the international police – Interpol.

Written by Abu Umar
28/01/2013

Subhanallah life is so easy for some us

[Serinity]

How can we even know if this is authentic?? I am not trying to dehumanize or make this case seem small - it is not.. But anyone could just write this. :/

This is outrageous.

[Indefinable]

How can we even know if this is authentic?? I am not trying to dehumanize or make this case seem small - it is not.. But anyone could just write this. :/

This is outrageous.

You know what the most horrific thing is - when you endure something as nasty as this - and no one believes you.

I can assure you though brother Serinity, this was taken from Cage. Cage is an advocacy/human rights organisation which focuses on injustices against Muslims in the name of 'The War on Terror'.

It's not made up, and neither is it something someone concocted for the mere 'fun' of it.

[Indefinable]

[Serinity]

You know what the most horrific thing is - when you endure something as nasty as this - and no one believes you.

I can assure you though brother Serinity, this was taken from Cage. Cage is an advocacy/human rights organisation which focuses on injustices against Muslims in the name of 'The War on Terror'.

It's not made up, and neither is it something someone concocted for the mere 'fun' of it.

Astaghfirullah. I didn't mean to sound cold hearted. But I did.

Sorry. may Allah free them. Ameen. Even if none believed their suffering, Allah is the Witness. So even if all of mankind was ignorant, none caring, etc. Allah would. And Allah :swt: is not ignorant. He :swt: knows everything. Nothing is hidden from Him :swt: and None can hide from Him :swt:

Allahu alam.

[Indefinable]

Astaghfirullah. I didn't mean to sound cold hearted. But I did.

Sorry. may Allah free them. Ameen. Even if none believed their suffering, Allah is the Witness. So even if all of mankind was ignorant, none caring, etc. Allah would.

Allahu alam.

It's okay. You don't have to apologise to me brother.

You've highlighted an important point - something like this is clearly unimaginable, and living in the West, safe from all this, we tend to question its authenticity. Unfortunately, the reality is - this does happen. Not just in the Non-Muslim countries, but Muslim countries too.

Watch the above video by Shaykh Ahmad Insha'Allaah. It's enlightening.

[Serinity]

It's okay. You don't have to apologise to me brother.

You've highlighted an important point - something like this is clearly unimaginable, and living in the West, safe from all this, we tend to question its authenticity. Unfortunately, the reality is - this does happen. Not just in the Non-Muslim countries, but Muslim countries too.

Watch the above video by Shaykh Ahmad Insha'Allaah. It's enlightening.

Seems like a blessing in disguise to be in prison. Especially when you can teach Islam.

Although I am not in prison. I still feel "limited". Because, I want too for myself to be taught tawheed. Like I have never in my life, sat down to read about Tawheed, and ask my questions.

Alhamdulillah, Allah granted me the understanding in my heart. But still, I want to learn more lol.

[Huzaifah ibn Adam]

Seems like a blessing in disguise to be in prison. Especially when you can teach Islam.

Although I am not in prison. I still feel "limited". Because, I want too for myself to be taught tawheed. Like I have never in my life, sat down to read about Tawheed, and ask my questions.

Alhamdulillah, Allah granted me the understanding in my heart. But still, I want to learn more lol.

Akhi, my suggestion is that you watch the full "Tawheed Series" by Shaykh Ahmad Jibril. It's in 37 videos, each one approximately an hour long. It's the best series available on Tawheed in audio or video form in the English language. You would benefit a lot from it, In Shaa Allaah.

[Serinity]

Akhi, my suggestion is that you watch the full "Tawheed Series" by Shaykh Ahmad Jibril. It's in 37 videos, each one approximately an hour long. It's the best series available on Tawheed in audio or video form in the English language. You would benefit a lot from it, In Shaa Allaah.

you know, I have no trouble in understanding Tawheed. my problem is, I many times obssess over words to the point I "forget" their meaning.

overthinking is bad. JazakAllah khayr. Is it on Youtube? Btw, I will probably take 1 video at a time. No need to rush it. Like 10-20 minutes, and then a break (while thinking about the lesson)

[Indefinable]

you know, I have no trouble in understanding Tawheed. my problem is, I many times obssess over words to the point I "forget" their meaning.

overthinking is bad. JazakAllah khayr. Is it on Youtube? Btw, I will probably take 1 video at a time. No need to rush it. Like 10-20 minutes, and then a break (while thinking about the lesson)

Invest in a new Notepad, and whilst listening to the lectures, write down the main points Insha'Allaah.

Don't rush it.

[Indefinable]

Seems like a blessing in disguise to be in prison. Especially when you can teach Islam.

Although I am not in prison. I still feel "limited". Because, I want too for myself to be taught tawheed. Like I have never in my life, sat down to read about Tawheed, and ask my questions.

Alhamdulillah, Allah granted me the understanding in my heart. But still, I want to learn more lol.

That video is really uplifting, the respected Shaykh is a real inspiration.

You know when a person says 'Alhamdulillaah 'ala kulli haal' - but they say it with a sigh, and a frown?

It's meant to be said with optimism and certainty. For there is wisdom behind everything.

But it's not to say we don't help our brothers and sisters who need our help.

[Indefinable]

Bismillah,

For those who make prayers for their brothers and sisters to have ease and thrive in success. I forward these lines.

The Honourable Supplication [to Allah (SWT)]

Zooming across the sky
Reaching to the Most High
Your prayer and cry
To the All-Mighty whose sky
To ignore or nullify
Your plea and try

I felt surely included
Never doubted or deluded
The gravity of a well lauded
With sincerity uncoded
Your prayers which unloaded
Many burdens, and rewarded
The oppressed and secluded

May Allah reward you best
And succeed you in every test
Not to flip nor twist
Not to the east nor the west
On His Path till you rest
Among the Honourable not the rest.

Ameen.


Abu Hamza al-Misri

[Indefinable]

O Prisoner


Be patient O prisoner
Think not of what lies behind that door

Because you are the rain that gives life to the barren
Because you are the sun that flowers yearn for

Go forth despite your shackles
Nothing holds your spirit at bay

By sabr and yaqin, Allah made you
A leader despite the boulders in your way

You are defiant, and you are like
A brilliant star guiding the multitude

Your truthful words burn every accursed rebel
A shining blaze in an era of servitude

You are the bold one leading falcons
Perverse crows mock you with false portrayal

Their black lies did cast you
In the prison of betrayal

I know that you’re tired
But forget not your bargain

Leave cowardly hyenas to laugh and play
For you are a brave lion

I know that you’re exhausted
The evil one whispers “no longer can you cope”

Remain firm, O servant of Allah
For you are the great hopes

I know that you’re weak
Dizzy, wanting to swoon

Night envelops the world with its darkness
But you are the shining moon

I know that you’re confident
O favoured son of the nation

You never doubted Allah’s promise
That victory is for the patient

We are surrounded by the petty
Whose only goal is to eat, drink and mate

But you in your solitude
Are with the Most High, the Great

So rejoice in your prison
Let others sink in the worlds mire

Continue to speak words of truth
A devastating sword on every arrogant denier

You display determination
In following the straightest of ways

You keep watch at every mountain pass
While the petty only sleep in haze

Time has stopped in front of your prison
Your nights and days are of constant motion

Heaven and earth will sleep at your passing
Amazed at your sincere devotion

You are the boldest
Because Allah made you cling to the pious word, the firmest.



– Ali At-Tamimi

[Indefinable]

.::New Letter by Tariq - "Black Magic"::.


As I listened to NPR the other day, a routine statement triggered a memory.
The guest on the show was a novelist from a Muslim country. For one of the questions, the host began by stating: "Many concerned Americans are saying that Trump's rhetoric is radicalizing Muslims who would otherwise be pro-America" - the implication being that either you're pro-America (the proper term for this is 'Americanism') or something is wrong with you. The guest seemed intelligent and was well-spoken. But his response was the standard reassurance that non-pro-America radicals constitute "only a fringe minority" of Muslims, everyone else is a moderate, and so forth.
While routine, this particular exchange triggered in me the memory of a young man I once lived with in another prison. I'd watch as he robotically paced the unit - back & forth, all day & everyday. He'd go weeks without showering or changing his clothes. Each day, he'd recklessly consume massive amounts of sugar despite being predisposed to diabetes. Anytime I'd try to intervene & advise him to snap out of it, he'd stare back at me as if I was the crazy one. What made it all the more bizarre was that I also knew him to be very intelligent & well-educated. He had studied to become an engineer. In fact, he once spent five minutes reciting to me from memory a very eloquent poem that he'd heard just one time in one of his dreams. After a few conversations & attempts at reciting the Qur'an over him, I came to understand that he was suffering from the effects of black magic that he'd been afflicted with since childhood.
The scholars explain that the effects of black magic generally continue so long as the object through which the spell was cast remains intact. During that time, black magic can muddle your mind and rob you of reason, even if you're otherwise intelligent. The NPR interview reminded me of that young man because this is exactly how many minds are affected by the dominance of a taghut. Once that dominance ends, the spell is broken. Example after example of this is scattered throughout the Qur'an, throughout history, and in the present day:
Read the story of Qarun to see how people's view of him completely changed between one day & the next: {"Those who desired the life of this world said: "Ah! If only we had what Qarun has been given. Indeed, he owns a great fortune!" But those who were given knowledge said: "Woe to you! Allah's reward is better for those who believe & perform good deeds..." So I caused the ground to swallow him & his home... And those who wanted to be in his place just the previous day now said: "Don't you know that Allah widens & restricts provision for those of His servants He wills? If not for Allah's grace, He would've caused the ground to swallow us! Don't you know that the disbelievers will never prosper?""} (28:79-82)
So once the taghut vanished, his spell over people was broken and they suddenly snapped out of it.
And long before Qarun, only after Prophet Ibrahim smashed their idols to bits did people snap out of it long enough to hear him out, and they even {"turned to each other and said: "Indeed, you are the wrongdoers!""} (21:64)
And long after Qarun, only after he found his idol thrown headfirst into a pile of filth with a dead dog tied to it did 'Amr bin al-Jamuh snap out of it and thank Allah for guiding him by composing poetry which included:
He is the One Who saved me * Before I could become imprisoned in the darkness of the grave...
And in modern history, only after the Soviet Union collapsed did many in the Ummah snap out of it and realize how delusional they'd been attempting to harmonize between Islam & socialism.
But today, many claimants to Islam don't yet realize their delusion in attempting to harmonize between Islam & Americanism. And when the "fringe minority" points this out and advises them to snap out of it, they stare back at them as if they're the crazy ones. As I mentioned above, the scholars explain that the effects of black magic generally continue so long as the object through which the spell was cast remains intact.
The scholars explain one more thing: the practitioners of black magic themselves realize that they're only truly effective against people with weak hearts, not those whom Allah has fortified with knowledge & Iman. This is why while those who were deluded about Qarun did eventually snap out of it, it was "those who were given knowledge" who never had to snap out of anything. Why? Because their knowledge & Iman protected them from the magic, allowing them to see Qarun for what he was long before he was swallowed into the ground.
Written by: Tariq Mehanna
Sunday, the 13th of Jumada al-Akhirah 1438 (12th of March 2017)
United States Penitentiary - Marion

[Indefinable]

[Indefinable]

[Indefinable]

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajioun.

[Indefinable]

The Cure by Brother Tarek Mehanna

One theme which defines prison life is that of opposing forces.
From the moment they first slap on the handcuffs, you enter into what's officially known in legal jargon as an 'adversarial relationship' with your captors. This continues in the courtroom, and onwards to prison. Here, guards oppose prisoners, prisoners oppose other prisoners, and guards sometimes oppose other guards.
This extends to societies, to governments, and to the entire planet. The world is a series of opposing forces against & amongst one another.
It extends to the sky above the planet, in which darkness & light incessantly repel one another at any given place & time.
It extends back in time to the moment Iblis first laid envious eyes on our father Adam.
It extends inwardly, as opposing forces incessantly battle one another within you. As you read this, just your blood is caught between opposing forces such as acidic & basic pH, systolic & diastolic pressure, glucose & insulin, and others - each hanging in a delicate balance precise enough to prevent disease.

And it extends all the way to your heart, as as-Sa'di wrote that "the sound heart is free of shirk, doubt, love of evil, and insistence on bid'ah & sin. Once you free your heart from these, you'll automatically possess their opposite: sincere devotion, knowledge, certainty, love & attraction towards good, a love & longing consistent with the love of Allah, and a desire consistent with what has come from Allah."

Ibn Muflih wrote that adversarial relationships are "from Allah's wisdom. It's known that when He tests you, He also helps you: He tests you with disease and helps you with the cure; He tests you with sin and helps you with tawbah; He tests you with filthy spirits (shayatin) and helps you with pure ones (Angels); He tests you with prohibitions and helps you by permitting their opposite."

Your heart is constantly caught between these forces of disease & cure, as the Prophet (sall Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said that "Allah didn't create a disease except that He created its cure along with it." In one narration, he added: "Whoever knows it knows it, and whoever doesn't doesn't."

Allah then scattered those cures about, leaving us to discover them in the most unlikely places: sunlight hits your skin, causing it to produce the vitamin D that metabolizes calcium; the vitamin K needed for your blood to properly clot is produced by bacteria in your intestines; there's even a commercially available diabetes treatment originally extracted from the venom of a Gila monster.

The ruling on treating the body's diseases has always been disputed over by scholars: some practically obligated it, some simply preferred it, some said it doesn't matter either way, and some preferred avoiding it altogether in favor of patience. But because "if it's corrupted, the entire body will be corrupted" in this world, and everyone is ruined {"except those who come to Allah with a sound heart"} (26:89) in the next, no such dispute exists regarding the heart.

So when Mu'adh bin Jabal was asked for advice on his deathbed, he asked to be sat up and then said three times: "Knowledge & Iman are in their places. Whoever seeks them will find them." He was teaching them that like all cures, Allah scattered these about for them to seek. And they went to the ends of the Earth doing so, as Masruq once travelled to Basrah seeking the meaning of a single ayah of the Qur'an. When he arrived, he was told: "The one who knows it has gone to Sham." So he rode from southern Iraq all the way north to Sham and learned it. And 'Ikrimah said: "I spent fourteen years seeking the name of the man referred to in the ayah {"and whoever leaves his home migrating to Allah and His Messenger..."} (4:100) until I finally found it."

These were the best generations of Islam, who saw jahiliyyah as a disease to eradicate from the world through the Qur'an, {"a cure for what is in the hearts..."} (10:57) Explaining this, as-Sa'di wrote that "the cure of the Qur'an means that it cures the heart of doubts, ignorance, corrupt ideas, terrible deviance, and despicable intentions. It contains knowledge that's so certain that it sweeps away all doubt & ignorance. It contains lessons that sweep away every desire contradicting Allah's commands. And it contains a cure for the body's pains & ailments."

Before him, ash-Shawkani wrote that it's a cure "because from it, you obtain the proper beliefs while seeing how baseless the false ones are." Elsewhere, he wrote that "the scholars have two opinions regarding how it cures. Some said that it cures the heart by sweeping away ignorance & doubt and uncovering the matters that teach us about Allah. Others said that it cures physical ailments as a ruqyah, a means of protection, etc. There's no reason why we can't accept both meanings."

Before him, Ibn Kathir wrote that "it sweeps away the diseases of the heart such as doubt, nifaq, shirk, confusion, and inclination towards falsehood. The Qur'an cures all of that. It's also a mercy from which you obtain Iman & wisdom & a desire for good. But this only applies to those who believe in & follow it - only for them is it a cure & mercy. As for the kafir who wrongs himself, listening to the Qur'an will only distance him and increase his kufr. The problem lies within the kafir, not the Qur'an."

Many claimants to Islam today reverse that last sentence, showing a willingness to abrogate as much of the Qur'an as they think will satisfy their masters, who until today demand that we {"bring a Qur'an other than this, or alter it."} (10:15)

Indeed, every cure is opposed by a disease. But despite the forces coalesced against it, the Qur'an will never be altered, Allah has scattered it into the most unlikely places, and He's made it easier than ever to learn. The Salaf would spend years and travel up & down continents seeking out a single piece of knowledge you can now instantly access from your smartphone. Even in prison - in a land 'Ikrimah didn't know existed - it took me seconds to find in a book the answer he'd spent fourteen years seeking: Damrah bin Jundub. He was an elderly man living in Makkah when he heard the ayah threatening those who choose to live amongst the enemy. So he told his sons: "Carry me! I'm not weak, and I can find my way. I won't spend another night in Makkah!" So they carried him and headed to Madinah. But on the way, he realized that he was about to die. So he grabbed one hand with the other while saying: "O Allah! This bay'ah is to You, and the other is to Your Messenger." He died before he could reach the Dawlah in Madinah, but while trying his best to implement the Qur'an.
May Allah be pleased with him & everyone like him... Indeed, as one hadith states, "for the one who recites & implements the Qur'an, it's like a pouch filled with musk that spreads its fragrance everywhere."

Ibn al-Qayyim wrote that "fragrances nourish the soul, which is the vehicle of your energy. They expand this energy, benefit the head & internal organs, and bring joy to the heart & soul. They're the best thing for the spirit and illuminate it more than anything else." Anatomy & physiology confirm this, explaining that what you smell is directly connected to how you feel because olfactory receptors at the top of your nasal cavity absorb scents, then convert them into nerve impulses that are carried to the limbic system - the part of the brain governing your emotions.

This effect made fragrances one of few things of the dunya beloved to the Prophet. And like all cures, Allah scattered them about, such that musk is obtained from a musk deer's abdomen, 'ambar (ambergris) from a sperm whale's intestines, 'ud (aloe wood) & kafur (camphor) from their respective plants, and so on.

And because every cure is opposed by a disease, Ibn al-Qayyim wrote that "fragrances possess a special quality: they're loved by the Angels and detested by the shayatin. The shayatin love repugnant odors more than anything else, as every soul inclines towards what suits it." This is why prior to their contact with Muslims, the Crusaders had an aversion to smelling good. In a chapter on the Crusades in his 'History of the World,' J.M. Roberts wrote that "wherever they encountered Islam, whether in the crusading lands, Sicily or Spain, western Europeans found things to admire. Sometimes they took up luxuries not to be found at home: silk clothes, the use of perfumes and new dishes. One habit acquired by some crusaders was that of taking more frequent baths."

Defeating the Crusaders in Sham was itself a cure that served to {"heal the chests of a believing people and remove the fury in their hearts..."} (9:14-15) Commenting on this, as-Sa'di wrote that "this is because their hearts are filled with fury & sadness from seeing these enemies wage war on Allah & His Messenger while striving to put out His light, and these are cured when they're fought & killed. This shows how much Allah loves & cares for the believers, such that He made healing their hearts and removing their fury an objective of the Shari'ah."

Just as this objective is met through bara', it's also met through wala', as Imam Ahmad said that "I never heard anything that strengthened my heart & reassured me during the Mihnah more than what a poor, blind man said to me: "O Ahmad! If you die, you die as a shahid. If you live, you live worthy of praise."" Allah has scattered such people throughout your life. Like every cure, you encounter them in the most unlikely of settings. They somehow float into your orbit, affect you, then vanish, as the Prophet said that "souls are conscripted soldiers: the similar attract one another, and the different repel one another."

And like every cure, this wala' is opposed by a disease that Ibn al-Jawzi warned about: "If you find yourself repelled by the righteous or attracted to the wicked, find the cause of this and remedy it so that you don't end up in the wrong group of souls."

The effects of the bonds you form in this life extend all the way to the next, as al-Hasan al-Basri said: "Befriend as many believers as you can, because they'll be able to intercede on the Day of Resurrection."

Only when you reach the Day of Resurrection will you appreciate this, as you watch everyone else turn on one another: {"Close friends will become enemies on that day, except the muttaqin."} (43:67) Commenting on this, ash-Shawkani wrote that "close friends who loved each other in this life will become enemies once the Hour begins. Their bonds will be severed, and each will be worried about himself. This is because they'll find that their friendships were based on what have now become causes of punishment, and this will turn them against one another. Allah then exempted the muttaqin, who are close friends in this life & the next. They'll find their friendships to be a cause of good & reward, so these bonds will remain intact."

Perhaps those who turn on one another in the next life will then grasp the lesson behind the pattern of opposing forces in this life, as Ibn al-Qayyim wrote that "when you ponder over the creation of opposing forces in this world - how they resist & repel & overpower one another - then Allah's power, wisdom, and perfection in what He does become perfectly clear to you. You'll realize that He's unique in His Lordship & Oneness, that He dominates everything, and that anything can be resisted by an opposing force - except Him."

All the while, those who grasped this from the start will be lined up to enter Jannah - with no opposition against or amongst them, free of disease, and displaying the very cures that gave them the sound hearts to make it to this point, as the Prophet said that "the first group to enter Jannah will resemble a full moon (i.e., in radiance).

They won't spit, blow their noses, or defecate...
They'll be burning 'ud, and their sweat will consist of musk...
No dispute or animosity will exist between them.
Their hearts will be united as if they're a single man.
And they'll be glorifying Allah day & night..."


Written by: Tariq Mehanna
Saturday, the 1st of Ramadan 1438 (28th of May 2017)
Marion CMU

Link

[Indefinable]

Make du'aa for the Prisoners during these blessed days of Ramadhaan In Sha Allaah.

[Simple_Person]

Make du'aa for the Prisoners during these blessed days of Ramadhaan In Sha Allaah.

Jazakallahu khairan for bringing this to our attention.

[Indefinable]

.....

[Indefinable]

​Make du'a for the Muslim Prisoners In Sha Allaah.

[Abz2000]

The CIA paid psychologists $81 million to devise brutal tactics for use on terror suspects, and they're suing


Erin Brodwin
Jun. 22, 2017, 1:30 PM


After a doctor X-rayed one prisoner's badly broken feet, his colleague gave interrogators the go-ahead to force him to stand for 52 hours.

They were employed in an $81-million dollar CIA interrogation program which ran for at least seven years under the Bush administration beginning in 2002.

Public documents suggest it was led by two military psychologists, John Bruce Jessen and James Mitchell, whose techniques are widely seen as torture.

A lawsuit filed in 2017 by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of former prisoners shines new light on the grisly details of the tactics the doctors approved for use on terrorism suspects in an attempt to extract information from them after the events of September 11, 2001. These tactics, which range from water-boarding to "walling" — a method that involves pushing a person into a flexible plywood wall so hard that it creates a disturbing sound that pierces the ear — are widely considered torture by experts.
Mitchell, Jessen & Associates

In 2002 after CIA officials approached them with a request for techniques to obtain information from potential terrorist suspects, Mitchell and Jessen met in a cubicle, sat at a typewriter, and typed out a list, they said in a new video deposition obtained by the New York Times.

The methods they listed included sleep deprivation and waterboarding, and were essentially reverse-engineered from techniques psychologists had trained US soldiers to use to resist interrogations.

Mitchell and Jessen also used a psychological theory outlined by Martin Seligman to make detainees more pliable, according to the 2014 Senate report. The theory, called "learned helplessness" describes how people who are subjected to pain and suffering give up trying to escape once they begin to see a situation as beyond their control.

In 2014, Seligman told The Times he was "grieved and horrified" to hear that his work had been used in connection with the brutal interrogations.
Other doctors embedded in the CIA program

While Jessen and Mitchell allegedly designed the program, dozens of other medical professionals oversaw and participated in it.
james mitchellJames Mitchell speaks on Fox News. Fox News
"The torture could not proceed [without] medical supervision," Atul Gawande, a surgeon and author, wrote on Twitter shortly after the Senate report on the CIA program was made public. "The medical profession was deeply embedded in this inhumanity."

Doctors, physician's assistants, and a team of medical officers were present for the interrogations throughout every step of the process, according to the Senate report.

The Office of Medical Services, the agency designed to advise the US State Department on health issues, was responsible for deciding when detainees' injuries were healed enough to allow interrogators to resume their brutal tactics. Physicians told CIA officers what temperature water they should use to waterboard detainees and suggested they use saline solution instead of plain water so as to not risk prisoners being killed by water poisoning.
Doctors' increasing involvement

Research suggests that since Sept. 11, medical professionals have been increasingly involved in assisting the government in crafting its violent interrogation techniques.

In a 2004 essay in the New England Journal of Medicine, Robert Jay Lifton, a Harvard trauma expert who served as an Air Force psychiatrist, wrote that American doctors were involved in the torture at Abu Ghraib, an US-run detention center in Iraq.

They "were part of a command structure that permitted, encouraged, and sometimes orchestrated torture to a degree that it became the norm — with which they were expected to comply," Lifton wrote. "Even without directly participating in the abuse, doctors may have become socialized to an environment of torture and by virtue of their medical authority helped sustain it."

Worse still, he wrote, is that "the participation of doctors can confer an aura of legitimacy and can even create an illusion of therapy and healing."

A 1991 review of torture by medical professionals in the Journal of Medical Ethics came to a similar conclusion. "Individual factors may have been of importance for motivation," the authors write, "but far more important seems to have been the organisation of the system."

In a book released in October, New York Times reporter James Risen said that the American Psychological Association worked with the Bush administration for years to provide cover for its torture methods. In 2015, the association released an official statement condemning the enhanced interrogation techniques and saying they were "independently reviewing" Risen's allegations.
Do brutal techniques help the CIA get information?

The Senate report firmly concluded that the abusive techniques outlined in the report did not help the CIA obtain reliable information, citing that out of 119 prisoners who were tortured, 26 were wrongfully detained.

Mitchell himself suggested in an interview with Vice News that the way the program was being applied meant that no intelligence came directly from the interrogation techniques themselves, but instead from a sort of game of "good cop, bad cop," that officials played with detainees.

"I would be stunned if they found any kind of evidence that would suggest that Enhanced Interrogation Techniques as they were being applied yielded actionable intelligence," Mitchell said in a video interview in 2014.


https://www.businessinsider.com/cia-...logists-2017-6

- - - Updated - - -

11 Popular Songs the CIA Used to Torture Prisoners in the War on Terror

By Tom Barnes
April 22, 2014

Imagine you are chained with your hands between your legs, crouching. You're isolated in a small, dark room with earphones you can't take off. Queen's "We Are the Champions" has been playing on repeat for 30 hours now at full volume, and you've lost your ability to think. It could go on for months.

Music torture has been common practice for the CIA ever since it began its "enhanced interrogation program" in the early 2000s. The process is designed to "create fear, disorient … and prolong capture shock" in prisoners.

Sgt. Mark Hadsell, a member of the U.S. Psychological Operations team, described the efficacy of the tactic: "If you play it for 24 hours, your brain and body functions start to slide, your train of thought slows down and your will is broken. That's when we come in and talk to them."

Any torture method is of debatable merit — music torture was, in part, popular because it seemed more palatable to the public. But to hear about the experience of people who've been subjected to these songs is to see just how terrible it is to have a beloved song turned against you.

Here are 11 songs that have been turned into torture devices.



1. "The Real Slim Shady" by Eminem

Binyam Mohamed suffered Eminem's "Slim Shady" for 20 days.

"I heard this nonstop over and over," he reportedly told Clive Stafford Smith, his lawyer and the founder and director of Reprieve, a U.K-based organization determined to end music torture practices. "The CIA worked on people, including me, day and night for the months before I left. Plenty lost their minds."

Mohamed said he could hear others in the prison "screaming and smashing their heads against walls."
2. “Take Your Best Shot” by Dope

British citizen Ruhal Ahmed described the process in a 2008 interview with Reprieve investigators: "I can bear being beaten up, it's not a problem. Once you accept that you're going to go into the interrogation room and be beaten up, it's fine. You can prepare yourself mentally. But when you're being psychologically tortured, you can't."

He said he had been exposed to the torture "numerous times" to a variety of music. "It makes you feel like you are going mad. You lose the plot, and it's very scary to think that you might go crazy because of all the music, because of the loud noise and because after a while you don't hear the lyrics at all, all you hear is heavy banging."
3. "Dirrty" by Christina Aguilera

Mohammed al Qahtani, the alleged 20th hijacker of the 9/11 attacks, reportedly received this torture as part of a much larger "musical theme" set up for him. The soldiers dubbed the "bad Muslim" theme.

The continuous cacophony of Aguilera's sexually charged pop anthem was one of several practices meant to make it impossible for him to be an observant Muslim man. Many inmates suffered humiliations like this: Female military personnel would go shirtless during interrogations, give forced lap dances and rub red liquids they identified as menstrual blood on detainees.
4. "Zikrayati (My Memories)" by Mohamed el-Qasabgi

As part of the "bad Muslim" theme, interrogators sometimes used more familiar music, hoping to exploit Muslim cultural taboos and guilt involved with enjoying music on certain ascetic holy days.

Interrogators played Arabic music for al Qatani on the first day of Ramadan on Dec. 7, 2002. Hearing the familiar instruments, he cried out "that it was a violation of Islam law to listen to Arabic music."

This actually isn't Quaranic law; it is more of a cultural precept. Investigators warned al Qatani that it was a sin "to add prohibitions not mentioned in the Qur'an (as he seemed to be doing)."

Al Qatani still insisted "music was forbidden" and broke down stating "he could do nothing about the music that was played in the [interrogation] booth."
5. "Babylon" by David Gray

Military personnel apparently used Gray's soft rock ballad in their tortures because of the biblical connotations of its title. While interviewing former prisoners, German musicologist Christian Gruny played this song for a Guantanamo inmate, who immediately burst into uncontrollable sobs.

Building off Gruny's research, Suzanne Cusick elaborates that music torture operates by stripping a prisoner of a safe, "interior space." It invades with the sounds and cultural expressions of one's captor and leaves a prisoners with nowhere to hide to "escape the pain."

This is the reason why U.S. soldiers used a lot of patriotic music like Neil Diamond's "America" or Don McLean's "American Pie."
6. "I Love You" by The Barney Theme

This one is especially sick. It's reportedly the most "overused" torture song in the CIA's arsenal.

Apparently, the song's creator Bob Singleton "just laughed" when he heard of its use: "It seemed so ludicrous that something totally innocuous for children could threaten the mental state of an adult. I would rate the annoyance factor to be about equal with hearing my neighbour's leaf blower. It can set my teeth on edge, but it won't break me down and make me confess to crimes against humanity."

Granted, he's never heard it blasted at ear-splitting volumes for weeks at a time.
7. "Saturday Night Fever" by the Bee Gees

Pakistani-Englishman Moazzam Begg, arrested by the CIA in Pakistan in 2002, wrote one of the most comprehensive memoirs describing the tortures he witnessed in the U.S. military prison system. During his stay at Bagram, Afghanistan, he suffered the Bee Gees.

He thought it was a joke at first: "Once they even played the Bee Gees' Saturday Night Fever soundtrack all night long. 'Hardly,' I thought,'‘enough to break anyone I knew.' ... 'We'll talk. We'll all talk,' I said in half jest when they played it, 'just turn that crap off please!'"

But as the torture began to stretch on, it became unbearable. "It was terrible, there was no light at all, it was so tight, so hot, sitting in there. You can't see or do anything, nothing to see, nobody to talk to, nothing to do but bang the walls. And then to have the music blasting ... I met several people who'd been in there ... [who were] ready to tell the Americans anything they wanted, whether it was true or not."
8. The Meow Mix theme

The whole idea behind music torture is to create a method of torture that does not seem offensive to the public.

The above "Saturday Night Fever" is some of this "publicly palatable" music. Investigative reporter Justine Sharrock also singles out the Meow Mix theme song: "You almost have to stop yourself from laughing because you realize this is actually torture." After a particularly long heavy metal session the sudden shift in dynamics this song heralds can be especially maddening.
9. “The Beautiful People” by Marilyn Manson

Begg, the man who was forced to listen to disco, said he was not as unnerved by the music torture as others. The men who suffered most were those coming from more rural parts of Afghanistan and Yemen, who had never been exposed to Western music before. They received the most horrifying introduction imaginable.

The worst part of the whole ordeal for Begg was the sleep disruption. "Sometimes it would stop at 3 a.m. or so, but your ability to sleep was already disturbed. You lose the ability to have a routine sleep. ... The other thing that they did was play the music at various times ... the random aspect of when it would start or end was frustrating, makes you tired, agitated, upset, on top of all the other situations of not knowing when you're going to be released, interrogated, or moved to those cells.

"Many people suffered from various kinds of anxiety attacks. People hyperventilated, losing control of their senses, hitting their bottle of water against the cell, against other people, trying to scrape their hands against the concertina wire, sometimes breaking down and crying."
10. "F#ck Your God" by Deicide

Music torture often had significant effects on U.S. military personnel as well.

Tony Lagouranis, a former U.S. Army interpreter, almost lost it one day while interrogating a prisoner who had been receiving some very heavy metal: "As Umar knelt, we took turns yelling our questions into his ears. His head twisted around as he tried to figure out where we were. After about a half hour, he started moaning. I imagined he was crying behind his sandbag. We pushed forward, getting harsher with our words. My throat was sore, my ears were ringing, and the lights were disorienting. I realized I wasn't going to be able to stand this much longer.

"The music and the lights were making me increasingly more aggressive. The prisoner, still not cooperating, was making me increasingly angry."

Another night: "Khalid was right where I left him, calm and serene. When I looked at him, the anger surged, amplified by the flashing lights and the booming noise. A thought flashed through my head: 'Chop his ----ing fingers off.'" Lagoruias was immediately revolted that the thought had even suggested itself. He left Khalid's fingers whole.
11. “We Are the Champions” by Queen

U.S. Navy veteran Donald Vance suffered this torture after the U.S. Army raided the Iraqi security firm he had been investigating as an unpaid FBI informant.

When all the employees were rounded up, he was treated as a suspect, taken to an unofficial prison camp and tortured with song.

Vance would catch himself singing along to songs he liked. "I can't remember how many times I heard Queen's "We Are the Champions.'"

Vance survived due to his military training. He started to talk to himself, telling himself jokes, trying to keep a rational train of thought going. He knew if he let the music completely "mask his thoughts," he would never get his mind back again. This method is likely what helped Vance emerge from this prison a "damaged" but not "broken" man.

https://m.mic.com/articles/87851/11-...-war-on-terror

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[BeTheChange]

Truth will always come out. Now or in another 100 years time. Patience is key.

[سيف الله]

Salaam

Another update

Children of Guantanamo



Children of Guantanamo: An exhibition of drawings, letters and soundscapes by the children of detainees held in Guantanamo Bay. This exhibition explores their experiences and how they have captured meaning from the indefinite captivity of their fathers. Children of Guantanamo focuses, for the first time, on the children whose voices are not heard in discussions on Guantanamo Bay.

For 16 years, while men have been detained at Guantanamo Bay, their children have grown in a world of uncertainty –never knowing if they can speak to their fathers or knowing if they will see them again. A number of these children were born after their fathers were captured, and in some cases despite a seventeen-year absence, have never met them. The fathers and their children communicate through letters and drawings that have to go through several layers of security checks before reaching their loved ones. Often, parts of the letter or drawing have been redacted with no explanation.

The drawings and letters in this exhibition are displayed anonymously. This is to protect the identities of the children and their families. This exhibition intends to spur discussion and thought about the children who are bound together by their common experience of having their fathers in captivity in the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay. This exhibition is not about their fathers, and it is not about the specificities of each father’s case. Children of Guantanamo is about the children who have been affected as a result of incarceration in the so-called War on Terror, as well as presenting an opportunity for all of us to consider the wider impact of indefinite detention.

Children of Guantanamo is the result of a collaborative effort between the John Adams Project of the ACLU and Postprint Magazine. The exhibition was curated by Charles Shields and Luz Damian. Special thanks to Angelina Dreem and Marium Begg.

https://www.childrenofguantanamo.com/about-2

[سيف الله]

Salaam

This is related. On the impact of drone warfare.

[سيف الله]

Salaam

Another update.

Embedded Tweet

Blurb

Episode 6 of our podcast 'Declassfied'. Here Moazzam Begg and I discuss his experience in the US Guantanamo prison, his torture experiences, his faith shaking moments, his faith building moments and more.

[Caplets]

السلام عليكم


Support the families of our imprisoned brothers & sisters.

https://www.hhugs.org.uk/


"... Helping Households Under Great Stress (HHUGS) is a UK registered charity that exists to provide financial, emotional, and practical support and advice to Muslim households impacted by counter-terrorism, national security and extremism-related laws, policies and procedures, in the UK and abroad.

Since 11 September 2001, 2,710 families have been impacted by a terrorism related arrest in the UK, of which 54% result in the detainee being released without charge. Some have never been never prosecuted for any specific criminal offence but are instead detained without charge or subjected to Terrorism Preventative Investigative Measures (T-PIMs), a regime under which suspects are placed under house arrest and have severe restrictions placed on their freedom of association, movement and ability to communicate with others, despite the fact they have not been charged.

For every arrest and detention, a home has been raided and ravaged and a family has suffered the loss of a loved one, a bread winner, a dear husband. a much loved son. These are homes where life will never be the same.

For many of these families, ordinary daily tasks become increasingly difficult as they struggle to make ends meet and maintain physical contact with their loved ones, often imprisoned hundreds of miles away. Moreover, due to the nature of the crimes for which their loved ones are accused, these families find themselves ostracized and marginalized from both the religious and ethnic communities that they belong to as well as the wider society. They are lonely, vulnerable, and desperate for help.

Our mission is to banish the ‘guilty by association’ label experienced by the wives and children of terror suspects. We believe that they should not be penalized and discriminated against on the basis that their loved ones are accused of involvement in criminal activity.

We strive to bring relief and support to households devastated by anti-terror raids by offering friendship in addition to emotional, financial, and practical support, advice and information through a country-wide network of dedicated volunteers.

Most importantly, we aim to empower these vulnerable women and children so that they develop the necessary skills and confidence to not only support themselves but to also become part of a support network for others in similar difficulties. The aim of our work with prisoners’ families is to help them achieve the outcomes below...."

https://www.hhugs.org.uk/about-us/

- Caplets

[Caplets]

السلام عليكم


Muslim Prisoners Channel (Telegram (web based) )

https://t.me/s/MuslimPrisoners1

[Caplets]

السلام عليكم

A Call To Justice

The wife of a detainee rings in to speak to the shaykh:

"...My husband is detained since 9 years, and , here i want to ask the shaykh in Allâh's name and you are now in front of millions. I ask you to say the truth in front of Allâh , subhânhoo wa ta'âlâ, and, clear yourself in front of Allâh 'azza wa jall..."


The shaykh explains some of the rights due to prisoners - how they should be held, treated etc. He goes on to say:

"... and one of the most extreme sanctities is detaining and keeping a father or mother from their sons and especially in prisons. Keeping the person away from his people without clear judgment. This case that this woman is talking about, which is the presence of detainees unfortunately - regrettably for a long time with no Islamic ruling. No doubt this is oppression, and, she asked me in the name of Allâh, 'azza wa jall, about his judgment. I say, that i make Allâh my witness and His angels and the people - that this is one kind of oppression and we fear punishment on the country and the people in charge and scholars if they keep silent..."


Clip length 10:58 mins.