Sunday 10 April 2011

Guantanamo Bay Rant #2

The CIA water boarded Khalid Sheikh Mohammed 183 times and Obama gave immunity to those responsible. That apparently is American justice, the kind of justice they want to spread in the Middle East. Apparently torture is acceptable if its a western government (Gadaffi and Mubarak should have taken notes!) 


America has got away with kidnapped 779 men and taking them to Cuba, thats rights ladies and gents, CUBA! Rather than hold them in the country they were found and arrested in, they took them far far away...why? The answer is pretty darn simple, they do not have to abide by the Geneva Convention. They can do what they want with these human beings, regardless of what crimes they MAY have committed surely nothing justifies such a violation of human rights. Most of these victims of the American "justice" system  have been released without charge. 

Here are some stats as of January 17th 2011 :
  • 779 acknowledged prisoners held in Guantánamo Bay to date (there are indications that various prisoners were held in Guantánamo Bay in secret from 2003 until June 2004 when the US Supreme Court ordered that the prisoners be allowed access to courts, but these prisoners have never been identified.
  • 535 men reviewed by Combatant Status Review Tribunals.
  • 497 men designated Enemy Combatants by CSRTs.
  • 38 men designated No Longer Enemy Combatants by CSRTs.
  • 173 men left in Guantánamo.
  • 89 of these men cleared for release by the US authorities.
  • 14 British nationals and residents released to date.
  • 38 habeas petitions granted (one subsequently reversed by DC Circuit Court).
  • 20 habeas petitions denied (one susbsequently vacated by DC Circuit Court).
  • 6 prisoners who have died at Guantánamo, one from cancer, five suspiciously.
  • 16 Guantánamo prisoners who are known to have been held at CIA-run facilities. 
Omar Khadr
 There are known cases of sexual, physical and psychological abuse. Omar Khadr was only 15 years old when he was captured, but 8 years later he still resides there. In the early spring of 2003, Khadr was told "Your life is in my hands" by a military interrogator, who spat on him, tore out some of his hair and threatened to send him to a country that would torture him more thoroughly, making specific reference to an Egyptian Askri raqm tisa ("Soldier Number Nine") who enjoyed raping prisoners.
Everything about his story suggests he SHOULD have been tried as a minor, however the US had no mercy. What does this sentence mean for other child soldiers? Why is the United Nations so quiet about such a ridiculous sentence? Why is the world silent on the blatant torture this child has been through??????

I leave you with this question - The crimes that Gadaffi/Mubarak committed, are they really that different to the crimes that the US has committed? Ask the mother in Iraq who lost her entire family because soldiers were bored, ask the man who was arrested by US forces and sexually humiliated, ask the Palestinian father who witnessed his son being blown to bits by weaponry supplied by the US...

Saturday 9 April 2011

The trials of wealth...

The title says it all.

Is money the root of all evil? No. But boy does it tempt people into it! The Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him) said that he feared the trial of wealth for his people and I understand why.

I was raised in a pretty poor household. Poverty teaches you humility, creativeness and appreciating the small things in life. If it was my birthday and my mum brought us cake it was a pretty awesome moment! I'm not saying wealth does not teach these things but it depends on how your raised in it.


Having wealth is a vicious cycle, you learn to live with objects you dont really need but become use to therefore you want more. However, if you've never had them, you'd like them but can also live without and thats where the difference lies. All we as humans need is warmth, shelter and food to survive but the people have become so materialistic that they no longer see it like that. People want houses with too many rooms, or cars that do speeds they can't legally do on the average street. I'm not saying they shouldn't want these things, by all means get them, but don't lose sight of the bigger picture. I read of a man who had a billion dollar business due to the recession he lost half of it and was left with half a billion dollars, he killed himself because of the losses he occurred. He was so blinded by his huge losses he couldn't see that he still had half a billion dollars!!

Money brings out the competitiveness and it gets ugly. Why do you think our leaders can be so ruthless? The war in Iraq was a money making opportunity, therefore it was quick and merciless. The rich got richer and the poor got poorer. Look at Blair, making millions working in the middle east after f***ing it all up! Leaders cling onto power because of the abundance of wealth at their finger tips! Let me tell you about an amazing man - Umar ibn al Khattab. Umar was the leader of the most powerful nation of that era. His army was spreading far and wide. His army had captured many spoils of war therefore the nation was experiencing wealth like never before!

Once Umar (RA) was going on his usual round towards Harrah (a suburb of Madinah) with his slave Aslam, when he saw a distant fire in the desert. He said:

"There seems to be a camp. Perhaps, it is a caravan that could not enter the town due to night fall. Let's go and look after them and arrange for their protection during the night."

When he reached there, he found a woman and some children. The children were crying. The woman had a pan of water over the fire. Hadhrat 'Umar (RA) greeted her with salaam and, with her permission, went near her.

Umar: "Why are these children crying?" The Woman: "Because they are hungry." Umar: "What is in the pan?"

The Woman: "Only water to soothe the children, so that they may go to sleep in the belief that food is being prepared for them. Ah! Allah will judge between Umar (RA) and me, on the Day of Judgement, for neglecting me in my distress."

'Umar (weeping): "May Allah have mercy on you! How can Umar know of your distress?"

The Woman: "When he is our Amir, he must keep himself informed about us."

Hadhrat 'Umar (RA) returned to the town and straight away went to treasury to fill a sack with flour, dates, fat and clothes, and also drew some money. When the sack was ready, he said to Aslam:

"Now put this sack on my back, Aslam."

Aslam: "No please, Amir-ul-Mo'mineen (leader of the people)! I shall carry this sack."

'Umar refused to listen to Aslam, even on his persistent requests to allow him to carry the sack, and remarked:

"What! Will you carry my load on the Day of Judgement? I must carry this bag, for it is I who would be questioned (in the Hereafter) about this woman."

Aslam most reluctantly placed the bag on Umar's (RA) back, who carried it with a swift pace right to the woman's tent. Aslam followed at his heels. He put a little flour and some dates and fat in the pan and began to stir. He blew (with his mouth) into the fire to kindle it. Aslam says:

"I saw the smoke passing through his thick beard."

After some time, the pottage was ready. He himself served it to the family. When they had eaten to their fill, he made over to them the little that was left for their next meal. The children were very happy after their meal and began to play about merrily. The woman felt very grateful and remarked:

"May Allah reward you for your kindness ! In fact you deserve to take the place of Khalifah instead of 'Umar."

'Umar consoled her and said: "When you come to see the Khalifah, you will find me there."

He sat for a while at a place close by and kept on watching the children. He then returned to Madinah. On his way back, he said to Aslam:

"Do you know why I sat there, Aslam? I had seen them weeping in distress; I liked to see them laughing and happy for some time."
Whether your muslim or not - Umar is recorded in the history books as a great leader and his achievements speak for themselves. I look forward to the day we have more leaders like him, who when their people don't have food to eat they also refrain from food. Did you know, that he would not eat fat because it was not a dish all the people had access to. His people pleaded with him to eat it a his health was declining but he refused saying that who was he to have the porviledge of enjoying such a dish when his people couldn't.

On that note I end with "He who went to the kings to seek favors went away from God." Wealth weakens the heart when used for the wrong purposes...be wise with it. Give in charity and give openly!


"In the eyes of God he is the best ruler who has secured prosperity and comfort for the people." - Umar Ibn al Khattab.

Sunday 3 April 2011

Changing your outlook...

I've had enough of the negativity surrounding me. I've had enough of the hate. I've had enough of the constant bickering!! I"VE HAD ENOUGH!!! If you think you've got it tough, then always remember there is always someone out there with it MUCH worse (A reminder for myself first and foremost and then you guys) 

To say March was one of the toughest months of my life is no exaggeration. My young able bodied cousin had a stroke, aged 28. To say it was tough to hear is an understatement, this young man was burnt at the age of 4 and spent most of his life in hospitals having skin grafts, and corrective surgery. He finally decided enough was enough and never went back for more. To say he's had it tough is putting it lightly. At age 14 he lost his father to cancer - becoming the man of the house. He has 2 younger sisters who see him as their father figure, he is literally their world!

Why am I telling you this?
Its easy to start questioning God, why me? Why him? Haven't this family been through enough?
I'm going to be honest, I was surprised I didn't hear that once from my fragile aunt. Seriously, to mention the stuff she's been through would be way too long and too tough. Here's the thing, positivity can help you through any situation in life. There is nothing that can extinguish the positive attitude you have no matter what your facing.

We were told that he had 24 hours that were critically, we'd pretty much lost hope. Yes, we cried. But then we started praying - Remove the harm, O Lord of Mankind & heal Khalid, for You are the Healer & there is no healing execept Your healing, & a healing which does not leave any disease behind. Once the 24 hrs had passed we were overjoyed that he was still among us! We are well aware that he may never speak again and may never be able to move his right side, but guess what, who cares!! We're a tough bunch no matter what happens we'll deal with it. 


Simple things like him putting the volume up on the TV give us soooooo much joy its actually bonkers! When we found out he tried updating facebook (using my young bros phone) we were ecstatic!! That's how we should live our lives...the simple pleasures are never overlooked. When you whack your leg on the table, or your arm into the door be grateful you can sense pain. Im not kidding when I say that. My cousin tried speaking the other day, I've never known what it feels like to have a broken heart, but hearing the sounds from his mouth as he attempted to speak caused me such physical pain I cannot even describe it! But once again, yea he could speak perfectly 2 weeks ago, but this is just a test of our patience and God Willing we will get through it. As long as he keeps up the positivity, that he will improve, then anything is possible! 


The point of this blog? Well, I guess I'm just trying to remind you that even though you may be healthy and able bodied as of this moment in time, your health can be taken away at any moment. Death does not ask permission before it enters your life, so make sujood to the One who created you. Give thanks and treat those close to you in way that if anything was to happen to them you would have no regrets. As a muslim I've had to deal with plenty of hatred towards me, but I really don't care. I have such a precious gem locked up within me, that InshaAllah, nothing and no-one can take away - my Islam!