A voice from Guatanamo`s darkness
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba — I AM WRITING from the darkness of the
U.S. detention camp at Guantanamo in the hope that I can make our
voices heard by the world. My hand quivers as I hold the pen.
In
January 2002, I was picked up in Pakistan, blindfolded, shackled,
drugged and loaded onto a plane flown to Cuba. When we got off the
plane in Guantanamo, we did not know where we were. They took us to
Camp X-Ray and locked us in cages with two buckets — one empty and one
filled with water. We were to urinate in one and wash in the other.
At Guantanamo, soldiers have assaulted me, placed me in solitary
confinement, threatened to kill me, threatened to kill my daughter and
told me I will stay in Cuba for the rest of my life. They have deprived
me of sleep, forced me to listen to extremely loud music and shined
intense lights in my face. They have placed me in cold rooms for hours
without food, drink or the ability to go to the bathroom or wash for
prayers. They have wrapped me in the Israeli flag and told me there is
a holy war between the Cross and the Star of David on one hand and the
Crescent on the other. They have beaten me unconscious.
What
I write here is not what my imagination fancies or my insanity
dictates. These are verifiable facts witnessed by other detainees,
representatives of the Red Cross, interrogators and translators.
During
the first few years at Guantanamo, I was interrogated many times. My
interrogators told me that they wanted me to admit that I am from Al
Qaeda and that I was involved in the terrorist attacks on the United
States. I told them that I have no connection to what they described. I
am not a member of Al Qaeda. I did not encourage anyone to go fight for
Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden have done nothing but kill and
denigrate a religion. I never fought, and I never carried a weapon. I
like the United States, and I am not an enemy. I have lived in the
United States, and I wanted to become a citizen.
I know that
the soldiers who did bad things to me represent themselves, not the
United States. And I have to say that not all American soldiers
stationed in Cuba tortured us or mistreated us. There were soldiers who
treated us very humanely. Some even cried when they witnessed our dire
conditions. Once, in Camp Delta, a soldier apologized to me and offered
me hot chocolate and cookies. When I thanked him, he said, “I do not
need you to thank me.” I include this because I do not want readers to
think that I fault all Americans.
But, why, after five years, is
there no conclusion to the situation at Guantanamo? For how long will
fathers, mothers, wives, siblings and children cry for their imprisoned
loved ones? For how long will my daughter have to ask about my return?
The answers can only be found with the fair-minded people of America.
I
would rather die than stay here forever, and I have tried to commit
suicide many times. The purpose of Guantanamo is to destroy people, and
I have been destroyed. I am hopeless because our voices are not heard
from the depths of the detention center.
If I die, please
remember that there was a human being named Jumah at Guantanamo whose
beliefs, dignity and humanity were abused. Please remember that there
are hundreds of detainees at Guantanamo suffering the same misfortune.
They have not been charged with any crimes. They have not been accused
of taking any action against the United States.
Show the world the letters I gave you. Let the world read them. Let the world know the agony of the detainees in Cuba.