Who
Will Free Aafia Siddiqui? US Turns A Muslim Lady Doctor
Into Almost A Ghost
24 January 2010By Abdul-Kareem
In March 2009
two female US Journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling
were seized by North Korean border guards while
reporting for California-based Current TV. They were
subsequently tried and sentenced to 12 years in prison
for "hostile acts" and illegal entry into North Korea.
After their imprisonment America worked tirelessly to
get the women released and in August 2009 dispatched
former US President Bill Clinton to speak with North
Korea's Kim Jong Il. The meeting was productive and
the two women were later released.
In March 2003 a women was also seized and imprisoned.
Her name was Aafia Siddiqui. Like the US Journalists
she was a women, she studied and worked in America and
her three children were American citizens. But unlike
the US Journalists captured six years later she was a
Muslim and she had no leader to take care of her
affairs.
This is her story.
Dr Aafia Siddiqui was born in Karachi, Pakistan, on
March 2, 1972. She was one of three children of
Mohammad Siddiqui, a doctor trained in England, and
Ismet. She is a mother of three and also a Hafiz-e-Quraan.
Aafia and her three children were seized by Pakistani
intelligence agents in March 2003 and handed over to
the Americans in Afghanistan where she was imprisoned
in Bagram and repeatedly raped, tortured and abused
for years. A report in the Pakistani Urdu press at the
time said that Aafia and her three children were seen
being picked up by Pakistani authorities and taken
into custody.
Moazzam Begg, and several other former captives of the
Americans reported that a female prisoner, "prisoner
650", was held at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan.
Yvonne Ridley of Cageprisoners.com wrote about
"Prisoner 650" (Aafia) her ordeal of torture and
repeatedly being raped for over four years.
"The cries of (this) helpless woman echoed (with such
torment) in the jail that (it) prompted prisoners to
go on hunger strike." Yvonne called her a "gray lady
(because) she (was) almost a ghost, a spectre whose
cries and screams continue to haunt those who heard
her. This would never happen to a Western woman."
Both the Pakistan government as well as US officials
in Washington denied any knowledge of Aafia's
imprisonment until her plight was brought out in to
the open and started to receive media attention.
Trumped up allegations were then brought against her
that she was involved in terrorism and a ludicrous
claim that she managed to wrestle a gun off a US
soldier and shoot at US officers.
On 4th August 2008, federal prosecutors in the US
confirmed that Aafia Siddiqui was extradited to the US
from Afghanistan where they allege she had been
detained since mid-July 2008. The US administration
claimed that she was arrested by Afghani forces
outside Ghazni governor's compound with manuals on
explosives and ‘dangerous substances in sealed jars'
on her person. They further allege that whilst in
custody she shot at US officers (none being injured)
and was herself injured in the process.
On 7th August 2008 an article in the The News exposed
some of the treatment Aafia had been subjected to
whilst in American custody.
•one of her kidneys had been removed
•her teeth had been removed
•her nose had been broken, and improperly reset
•her recent gunshot wound had been incompetently
dressed, was oozing blood, leaving her clothes soaked
with blood.
An August 11, 2008, a Reuters report stated that she
had appeared at her court hearing in a wheelchair, and
that her lawyers pleaded with the judge to make sure
she received medical care. Elizabeth Fink, one of her
lawyers, told the Judge:
"She has been here, judge, for one week and she has
not seen a doctor, even though they (U.S. authorities)
know she has been shot."
Aafia's Lawyer Elizabeth Fink told a federal judge in
New York that Aafia shows signs of having been
imprisoned and treated inhumanely for a long period of
time. According to documents described in court by
Fink, Aafia told prison staff that she feared her son
was being starved and tortured, and asked them to take
food off her tray and send it to her son in
Afghanistan.
Another of her lawyers, Elaine Whitfield Sharp, "We do
know she was at Bagram for a long time. It was a long
time. According to my client she was there for years
and she was held in American custody; her treatment
was horrendous."
Aafia remains in a US detention facility in New York,
in poor health, subjected to degrading and humiliating
strip searches and cavity searches whenever she
receives a legal visit or appears in court. She has
subsequently refused to meet with counsel. It has been
reported that she may suffer from brain damage and
that a part of her intestine may have been removed.
Her lawyers say her symptoms are consistent with a
sufferer of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The trial of Aafia Siddiqui will start this week.
In the absence of the Khilafah she along with every
other Muslim in the world is effectively stateless and
as prophesised by the Messenger
صلى الله عليه وسلم
we are like froth and scum that is carried down by a
torrent of water.
"The People will soon summon one another to
attack you as people when eating invite others to
share their food." Someone asked, "Will that be
because of our small numbers at that time?" He
صلى الله عليه وسلم
replied, "No, you will be numerous at that time: but
you will be froth and scum like that carried down by a
torrent (of water), and Allah will take the fear of
you from the breasts (hearts) of your enemy and cast
al-wahn into your hearts." Someone asked, "O Messenger
of Allah, what is al-wahn?" He
صلى الله عليه وسلم
replied, "Love of the world and dislike of death."
[Abu Dawud and Ahmad]
It's wahn that led the Pakistani authorities to kidnap
and handover a Muslim women to the Americans even
though the Messenger of Allah
صلى الله عليه وسلم
said, "A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim,
so he should not oppress him, nor should he hand him
over to an oppressor. [Bukhari]
It's wahn that prevented any ruler in the Muslim world
lifting a finger to help protect the honour of a
Muslim women and free not just Aafia but the thousands
of Muslims incarcerated in Guantanamo, Bagram, and
secret CIA detention centres even though the Messenger
of Allah
صلى الله عليه وسلم
said: "Indeed it is obligatory upon the Muslims to
free their captives or to pay their ransoms."
It's wahn that leads the rulers in the Muslim world to
imprison, torture and abuse hundreds of thousands of
sincere Muslims in their dungeons even though Hisham
bin Hakeem said; "I bear witness that I heard
the Messenger of Allah
صلى الله عليه وسلم
say; 'Allah will punish those who punish the people in
the Dunya.'" [Muslim]
We must remember that we were not always stateless.
When the Islamic State existed in the past the honour
of Muslim women was protected and the Muslim prisoners
were freed.
During the time of the Prophet
صلى الله عليه وسلم
a Jewish goldsmith of Banu Qaynuqa abused the honour
of a Muslim woman by tying the edge of her garment
causing her private parts to become uncovered. A
Muslim man happened to be there and killed the man.
The Jews then retaliated by killing that Muslim. The
man's family called the Muslims for help and the
Prophet
صلى الله عليه وسلم
sent an army against them and after a 15-day siege
expelled the entire tribe from Madinah.
Imam ibn Athir records in ‘Kamil' the famous story of
a Muslim woman who was captured by the Romans and held
in a place named ‘Amuriyyah. Not content with only
capturing her they tried to dishonour her as well.
Frightened and alone she called out the name of the
Khaleefah, "[Ya Mu'tasim] Oh Mu'tasim."
A man witnessed this incident and rushed to the
Khaleefah informing him of what had happened. When he
heard the plight of this woman he responded bravely,
"Labbaik [I am here at your call]." He
prepared a large army and set off for battle and to
rescue the woman. Mu'tasim's army conquered the enemy
and entered ‘Amuriyyah. After destroying the enemy
stronghold, they came to the woman and freed her.
Khaleefah Umar bin Abdul-Aziz sent a letter to the
Muslim POWs in Constantinople. He told them:
"You consider yourselves to be POWS. You are not. You
are locked in the cause of Allah. I would like you to
know that whenever I give something to the Muslims I
give more to your families and I am sending so and so
with 5 dinars for each one of you and if it wasn't
that I fear the Roman dictator would take it from you
I would have sent more. I have also sent so-and-so to
secure the release of every single one of you
regardless of what the cost would be. So rejoice!
Assalamu Alaykum."
Oh America and its allies!
Today you murder our men, women and children, torture
and imprison us and steal our resources. But you must
realise this is only a temporary situation. The
Islamic revival is gathering pace and the wahn is
slowly melting away through the interaction with the
strong Islamic thoughts. You know this which is why
you launched the war on terror and why you spend
$billions occupying our lands.
When the victory of Allah
سبحانه وتعالى
arrives and the Muslim lands unite under one Khaleefah,
be under no illusion that the Khilafah will utilise
all its political, economic and military might to free
the Muslim prisoners and protect the honour of our
women.
By the soul in the body (al-nafs) and what has
balanced it (given it form) and inspired [both] its
licentiousness and its intimate sense of God (its
piety). He who purifies it will certainly be happy and
he who corrupts it will certainly be lost (crushed).
Qur'an (Surah 91, Ayahs7-10)
Increase ourselves in the good and allowing it to
penetrate into our hearts as we know, whatever is in
the heart will eventually manifest upon the tongue and
the limbs. And if the heart is corrupt then your deeds
will be corrupt and if your heart is sound then your
deeds will be sound.
©
EsinIslam.Com
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