Guantanamo Bay Rant #1

I just don't get how the US has got away with this atrocity!!

Haji Nasrat, 77 - Relaeased in 2006 after 3 1/2 years in Gitmo

Haji Nasrat was one of the eldest prisoners held. Partially paralyzed for more than 15 years and illiterate, Nasrat says he does not know why the Americans detained him. In his statement to American authorities Nasrat said, "When (the Americans) came to Afghanistan everybody was waiting for America to help us build our country. We were looking for you guys and we were very happy that you would come to our country. The people who hated you were very few, but you just grabbed guys like me. Look at me. Our very happiness, you changed it to (bitterness)." Bravo!! Well done America you REALLY won hearts and minds! This kind of shit really pisses me off!! HOW DARE THEY DETAINEE THIS OBVIOUSLY INNOCENT MAN! GET REAL! PARALYSED FOR 15 YEARS - YEA IM SURE HE CAN RUN AROUND SHOOTING PEOPLE!

There are men with families, INNOCENT MEN, rotting away in a place I can only imagine to be like hell on Earth! There's generous souls like Fayiz Al-Kanderi rotting away in there when there's absolutely no need, Kuwait wants him back, he CAN go home but why won't the US let him go? It 'll save them costs but no! They just want to squander the taxpayers money and go against all the principles they try so hard to force on the people of the Middle East - hypocrisy seeps through the Government, hardly suprising!

Then there are men like Ali Abdullah Ahmed, Mani al-Utaybi, Yasser al-Zahrani, Abdul Rahman Ma'ath Thafir al Amri and Mohammad Ahmed Abdullah Saleh Al Hanashi who died in the most cruel place on Earth. I can only imagine the desperation, the humiliation, the self helplessness these men felt that they felt they had to take their own lives to be at peace. May God have mercy on them.

Do I actually believe they killed themselves - maybe? I can't judge them and their situation, I'd rather believe that then the other possibility which doesn't bear thinking about.

"The government’s investigation is slipshod, and its conclusion leaves the most important questions about this tragedy unanswered. Taking the military investigation’s findings as truthful and complete, in order to have committed suicide by hanging, the detainees had to:

• Braid a noose by tearing up their sheets and/or clothing
• Make mannequins of themselves so it would appear to the guards they were asleep in their cells
• Hang sheets to block the view into the cells, in violation of SOPs
• Stuff rags down their own throats
• Tie their own feet together
• Tie their own hands together
• Hang the noose from the metal mesh of the cell wall and/or ceiling
• Climb up on to the sink, put the noose around their necks and release their weight, resulting in death by strangulation
• Hang dead for at least two hours completely unnoticed by guards"

With the above info you can come to a pretty fair conclusion that the guards must have been pretty dappy to have not noticed any of the above!

There's awesome men and women out there defending and fighting for these illegal detainees to have the rights and the freedom that we are currently blessed with . Here's a list of a VERY few:

• Lt. Col. Barry Wingard <--- Fayiz Al-Kanderi
• Dennis Edney <---- Abdullah and Omar Khadr
• Gareth Peirce <---- Tipton Three, Moazzam Begg & Richard Belmar
• Joshua Colangelo-Bryan <--- Juma Al Dossary & Abdulla Majid Al Naimi

I pray that On the Day we are Judged by the Almighty He humiliates our failed leaders, the oppressors, the tyrants, the false Kings - the ones who betrayed their oaths to serve their people and to be fair and just! I pray the victims of this obvious injustice remain patience and steadfast - May Allah keep their hearts and minds strong!

Japan

May God grant the people of Japan patience in times of such hardship. May He grant them patience and courage to get through and may He instil in the people of the world generosity and love to give to this cause.

What we've seen in Japan is absolutely devastating to say the least. But I'm going to try and put a positively spin on it because we're all aware of the heartache and horror the people of Japan are going to be feeling. Dwelling in the sadness leads to darkness, thinking of the good brings back light into even the darkest of situations.

The whole world has united for the people of the world, we've had so many natural disasters but still the generosity of the people never wanders. It's at times like this we ignore the differences and unite for one cause - the safety and protection of fellow earthlings. The Japanese have taught us a lot. Their investment in preparing for such a natural disaster shows their commitment to their people & most definitley made this far less tragic than it could have been! As much as other nations are trying to sensationalise the issues with the nuclear power plants, the Japanese government has remained calm and in control. There is no doubt that their calm demeanour is going to have a positive affect on the people, no-one wants to see their leaders/protectors frantically trying to put a positive spin on everything.

Natural disasters are one of the most scariest things to have to face. Nature has no limits. When it strikes, it strikes hard - New Orleans, Christchurch, Swat etc are all victims of nature. But its the people that can limit the impact. Donations are a great way of helping, but not just in the first week of the event - donations are needed for months, sometimes even years, to help rebuild lives.

I'm going to go slightly of topic now. What we need to learn from this is that life is incredibly short and we don't control certain aspects of it i.e. death. As much as you may eat healthily, exercise, take your daily vitamins, death can come for you when you least expect it. So prepare yourselves! Make your peace with God, let go of the grudges you hold, ask forgiveness from those you've wronged. I'd rather die knowing I have sought forgiveness - whether it's accepted is another issue - but I tried and that's what counts. If your wasting your days away on computer games or the internet then stop! Go do something that benefits someone else - even if its just writing a thank you letter to your postman!! (Yes, I have done that!) One act of kindness can be imprinted onto a person for a lifetime - although most will say so can a bad one, forgiveness helps glaze over it.

If your reading this and know what I'm saying makes sense then do something about it. Your pride/ego is probably telling you to not take the first step in calling your estranged parent/sibling, but wouldn't you rather give it a go and have a chance at a relationship (if not that, then at least forgiveness) with someone you loved or would you rather carry the bitterness for the rest of your life. Life's too short to let the ugliness of hate have a part in it.

Pakistan & Cricket

This sounds crazy to some, not to all, but winning the Cricket World Cup would help the nation.

Pakistan and cricket have always had  a love/hate relationship. We win some, we lose some (most!) but we love it no matter what. It gives the people a chance to escape their normal lives, full of sorrow and pain, and focus on something that the whole nation is anticipating. Sounds corny and totally unreal - let me explain further.

Shahid Afridi being embraced by team mates

Pakistan Cricket has some AMAZING characters - you have Afridi (The Stud), Shoaib Akhtar (The Bad Boy) and you have loads of others I cant be bothered to go on about. The average Pakistanis life is one of struggles and hardships. Food prices are soaring and the peoples worries are increasing. Their leader is a man that has no clue what he's doing. When they watch cricket, it's a chance to escape and take pride in their ailing nation. Most other cricketing nations will admit that the Pakistan Cricket Team is one that is unpredictable in the best of ways! We come back in games everyone's written us off in, and we lose games we're predicted to win. We have style, charisma and most importantly FUN on and off the pitch.We, the pakistani people, take great pride in knowing all other cricket teams respect us for the way we play our game. Finally, we have something that we can call our own. Our government does not own it, it can not interfere in it - IT IS OURS!

If we won the world cup the ENTIRE country would be united in celebrating a great achievement for the nation. The one thing they take absolute pride in, their team, would have finally put their country in the headlines with a positive story behind it, rather than all the tragedy that so often follows it.

I'm going to be honest, I was born and raised in good ol' blighty! I had no attachment to my parents country until I watched a cricket game in Year 10. The Pakistani team had character something I thought no one raised in Pakistan could have. We were on an international platform and actually respected for our game! Who'd of THUNK it! For me, it was something I could enjoy and connect with my country of origin without having to over think it or over do it.

Cricket is a gentlemen's game, there is no hooliganism unlike football. Whether your Pakistani, Indian, West Indian, Australian, South African, Kenyan etc when you play cricket your treated with equality. The best moment that sums this feeling up is when Monty Panesar (England Spinner) made his debut on the field, there were up to 7/8 English men with false beards and turbans on to show their support for him. It may seem like I'm stereotyping, but from my experiences normally that wouldn't happen.

England's James Anderson (L) and Monty Panesar (R)

I love cricket because it's truly a great sport uniting all the nations and giving those that are considered deprived or developing a chance to take pride in something home grown :) And lets be frank, Pakistan is the best team out there!! :P Teehee!!