Comments on: What About Aafia Siddiqui?

By: “Why [is] a Pakistani national on trial in New York for a crime committed in an Afghani police station?” « Problem Chylde

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 06:01:33 +0000

[...] Are you clear on what she did to deserve being detained? I’m not. I’d like to say I understand why people may have forgotten about her remaining detained in New York while incompeten…. I’d like to say I understand why people want to [...]

By: Kaleem

Kaleem — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 22:15:11 +0000

Thankyou for summarizing all points about this case. It’s very important to get to the bottom of this subject. Dr. Aafia is now in Texas. Could someone confirm if she is being treated well there. Can the Pakitsani Community make sure that she is not given the same type of “american hospitality” she got at the MDC in NewYork and before that in Afghanistan. All actors whether from US agencies or others should be held accountable if the the accusations prove to be true. So far the burden of proof is with the US which has yet not proven even a single non-terror related accusation against her. It’s a shame that as a nation we haven’t even been able to lodge a meaningful protest.

By: jim reed

jim reed — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:59:53 +0000

Very good roundup of media coverage, showing the disparities and some of the contradictions in the various accounts of Dr. Aafia’s situation.

One point however…I believe her degree from M.I.T. was in biology. Her doctorate from Brandeis was in a branch of behavioural science.

By: sheilanagig

sheilanagig — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 23:32:47 +0000

I am delighted that so many women bloggers have picked up on Aafia’s story. Hopefully, together we will not allow this horrendous fabrication of the USA to go unchallenged.

You article is very good; much better than mine. Still I hope that we can keep this issue in the public eye for the sake of all those ‘unknowns’ who have suffered a similar fate at the hands of USA mercenaries.

My very best.

By: INAL

INAL — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:14:59 +0000

“The author is very obviously critical of the allegations against Siddiqui. She presents Siddiqui as a human, a woman. Not as some terrorist, or alleged terrorist, as other media pieces have. She reminds us that Siddiqui is a human after all, a mother, a daughter (though both her parents have since passed away), and a sister.”

In the end that is what we all are -humans, one race- yet consciously or unconsciously we may be prescribing to the conversation that pits Men and Women into two races, or two species within a race-this then allows for one side to dehumanize the other. And when you dehumanize a person -they are easier to get rid of; batter, and discriminate against them than those you call your own.

By: Rchoudh

Rchoudh — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:26:49 +0000

I don’t believe for a second that she just simply “disappeared” of her own will five years ago. How could she do that with three children in tow, the youngest being six months old at the time? I believe she was kidnapped and held captive for five years until the Pakistani public became aware of her case. I don’t know who exactly may have kidnapped her but it’s definitely either coalition troops or its allies in Pakistan. I wonder if we’ll hear anymore about her case now that it’s out there. The less people care the less coverage we’ll receive unfortunately. It’s really awful to think that even women and children could get locked up simply for being suspected as terrorists. It’s bad enough they do it to men.
Speaking of children, it seems that they separated her from her kids because just recently in the news they showed that her son was discovered in juvenile detention and revealed to be her son through DNA analysis. There’s no info yet as to where her two other kids are being held captive.