ruqiyya
10-01-08, 09:23 PM
It is almost a month since the Islamic pilgrimage, the Hajj took place. I was one of the people who was fortunate enough to perform Hajj this year. This amazing event takes place every year. Millions of people from around the globe converge on the city of Mecca. All are seeking to attain spiritual fulfilment whilst completing one of the pillars of their faith. It is truly a fantastic sight to observe approximately 3 million people from different cultures and walks of life, who speak different languages, all doing exactly the same thing. Unity of faith and aim prompts people to co-operate in a manner that is rarely, if at all, seen anywhere else.
Hajj involves numerous hardships. For some these hardships prove too much whereas others tackle them with patience and fortitude. The nature of the hardships varies. They can be things such as sitting/standing in the same place and position for hours on an extremely long journey or having to tolerate extreme weather conditions. People may find themselves trapped in a claustrophobic situation, surrounded by hundreds of people or perhaps they may have to go without food for a length of time.
Whilst observing and experiencing many such situations, I realised that no matter how difficult the hardships associated with Hajj, for most people they are short-lived. Once a person has performed their Hajj they can return to their previous lifestyle and all the comforts associated with it.
Compare this to the situation of the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere around the world. They also may have to sit/stand in the same position for hours. Sometimes the positions they have to remain in are extremely uncomfortable and cannot be called sitting or standing. They do not have the freedom to get off a coach to walk about and stretch their legs. They often don’t even have the ability to move their limbs as they are shackled into these positions. Furthermore, for them this experience is not a one off but can be an everyday occurrence.
Many prisoner accounts have detailed interrogation techniques which involve them being placed in a room where the temperature is either extremely cold or extremely hot. They are not told beforehand what the conditions inside the room will be like and thus cannot prepare appropriately. On the contrary, when on Hajj, although the weather can get very hot (and sometimes very cold at night) people are able to prepare for either scenario accordingly. Air conditioning is the norm in many hotels and even in many tents, so there is generally very little discomfort. No such luxury is afforded to prisoners who end up in a sweltering hot room for interrogation! In addition to this, some prisoners are often subjected to sensory deprivation where they do not know if it is night or day; sometimes for years on end.
Claustrophobic situations can indeed be frightening, but during many of the rites of Hajj there is generally enough space around a person for them to be safe. Although the crowd can be somewhat uncomfortable, it is a far more preferable situation to be in than being held in solitary confinement in a cell smaller than a standard English box room. The crowd will last, at most, for a few hours. The solitary confinement in that cell can last for years; for some possibly the rest of their life.
Unfortunately, though the prisons and the interrogation/torture techniques still exist, the news of the prisoners is virtually non-existent. Guantanamo Bay has reached its sixth anniversary and some of its inhabitants have been there for just as long. These prisoners long for freedom and we should be at the forefront in helping them to attain it. It is our responsibility to raise and maintain awareness of the situation of the prisoners and keep campaigning for their release.
It is entirely possible for people to have a goal and unite through faith to achieve that goal, as I witnessed during Hajj. We need to recreate that unity of faith and aim once again, with the goal this time to be the closure of Guantanamo Bay and the immediate release of all the political prisoners.
Hajj involves numerous hardships. For some these hardships prove too much whereas others tackle them with patience and fortitude. The nature of the hardships varies. They can be things such as sitting/standing in the same place and position for hours on an extremely long journey or having to tolerate extreme weather conditions. People may find themselves trapped in a claustrophobic situation, surrounded by hundreds of people or perhaps they may have to go without food for a length of time.
Whilst observing and experiencing many such situations, I realised that no matter how difficult the hardships associated with Hajj, for most people they are short-lived. Once a person has performed their Hajj they can return to their previous lifestyle and all the comforts associated with it.
Compare this to the situation of the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere around the world. They also may have to sit/stand in the same position for hours. Sometimes the positions they have to remain in are extremely uncomfortable and cannot be called sitting or standing. They do not have the freedom to get off a coach to walk about and stretch their legs. They often don’t even have the ability to move their limbs as they are shackled into these positions. Furthermore, for them this experience is not a one off but can be an everyday occurrence.
Many prisoner accounts have detailed interrogation techniques which involve them being placed in a room where the temperature is either extremely cold or extremely hot. They are not told beforehand what the conditions inside the room will be like and thus cannot prepare appropriately. On the contrary, when on Hajj, although the weather can get very hot (and sometimes very cold at night) people are able to prepare for either scenario accordingly. Air conditioning is the norm in many hotels and even in many tents, so there is generally very little discomfort. No such luxury is afforded to prisoners who end up in a sweltering hot room for interrogation! In addition to this, some prisoners are often subjected to sensory deprivation where they do not know if it is night or day; sometimes for years on end.
Claustrophobic situations can indeed be frightening, but during many of the rites of Hajj there is generally enough space around a person for them to be safe. Although the crowd can be somewhat uncomfortable, it is a far more preferable situation to be in than being held in solitary confinement in a cell smaller than a standard English box room. The crowd will last, at most, for a few hours. The solitary confinement in that cell can last for years; for some possibly the rest of their life.
Unfortunately, though the prisons and the interrogation/torture techniques still exist, the news of the prisoners is virtually non-existent. Guantanamo Bay has reached its sixth anniversary and some of its inhabitants have been there for just as long. These prisoners long for freedom and we should be at the forefront in helping them to attain it. It is our responsibility to raise and maintain awareness of the situation of the prisoners and keep campaigning for their release.
It is entirely possible for people to have a goal and unite through faith to achieve that goal, as I witnessed during Hajj. We need to recreate that unity of faith and aim once again, with the goal this time to be the closure of Guantanamo Bay and the immediate release of all the political prisoners.