{"id":6550,"date":"2015-11-27T13:07:30","date_gmt":"2015-11-27T17:07:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/?p=6550"},"modified":"2015-11-27T13:32:30","modified_gmt":"2015-11-27T17:32:30","slug":"dear-prisoners-a-thanksgiving-letter-to-those-in-guantanamo-bay-prison-in-cuba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/altmuslim\/2015\/11\/dear-prisoners-a-thanksgiving-letter-to-those-in-guantanamo-bay-prison-in-cuba\/","title":{"rendered":"Dear Prisoners: A Thanksgiving Letter to those in Guantanamo Bay Prison in Cuba"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Delegates<\/a>
Delegates from Witness Against Torture, including Dr. Maha Hilal, hold Thanksgiving with a symbolic prisoner of Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. Photo by WAT\u2019s Justin Norman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

By Dr. Maha Hilal<\/strong><\/p>\n

The U.S.-lead \u201cWar on Terror\u201d in response to the 9\/11 attacks lead to a myriad of disastrous policies that largely and indiscriminately targeted Muslims and Muslim Americans. One of the biggest stains on the American legacy in this regard is the Guantanamo Bay prison to house an exclusively Muslim male population.<\/p>\n

Guantanamo Bay began housing the first prisoners on January 11, 2002. Located on occupied Cuban land, the prison has housed close to 800 detainees. Most recently, British citizen Aamer Shaker was released<\/a>. At present, there are 107 prisoners remaining; 47 have been cleared for release.<\/p>\n

As a Muslim American professor and researcher, I traveled this week to Cuba to attend the fourth International Seminar for Peace and the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases. My goal in attending this conference is to express solidarity for the Cuban call for sovereignty. I also am attending the conference in order to get close to the notorious prison that is Guantanamo.<\/p>\n

I went to Cuba with a group of delegates from Witness Against Torture<\/a>, not only to participate in the conference, but to also conduct a series of actions as close to the United States Naval Base as we can get.<\/p>\n

Thus on the third day of the conference, we left our hotel to camp at an overlook point where we could see the prison and where we were told prison officials could see us. In recognizing this fact and in preparing for our actions, I have written this open letter to speak directly to the prisoners in hopes that they would learn about our presence and our goal of challenging their ongoing detention and abuse.<\/p>\n

**********<\/strong><\/p>\n

To my dear Muslim Brothers detained in Guantanamo Bay Prison,<\/p>\n

I want you to know that today I\u2019m coming to you, that I\u2019m walking to the naval base to find you. I want you to know that your lives transcend borders and that your spirits exist above law. I want you to know that my liberation is bound up in yours; that none of us are free until you are.<\/p>\n

I want you to know that I\u2019ve carefully looked through your pictures and read your stories; that I examined your pictures closely and tried to fathom your pain and suffering. That I tried to do so, in hopes of alleviating just a small piece of your torture.<\/p>\n

I want you to know that I pray for you every day. That I can\u2019t wear the color orange without knowing and feeling that there exists, on the edge of a small country, a prison that tortures you.<\/p>\n

I want you to know that I\u2019m here until the end and until you are free. I want you know that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, but that I count none except those that bring you closer to freedom and justice.<\/p>\n

I hope that one day, Insha\u2019Allah<\/em>, we will greet each other at the mosque, saying Assalamu Alaikum<\/em>, knowing that you are my protector and that I am yours.<\/p>\n

Until then, dear brothers, be well and rise up, knowing that you are not alone. We hear you, see you, and will never let your lives be in vain.<\/p>\n

Your sister in Islam,<\/p>\n

Maha<\/p>\n

Dr. Maha Hilal is the Executive Director of the National Coalition to Protect Civil Freedoms.\u00a0 She is also an Adjunct Professor at George Mason University.\u00a0 Dr. Hilal earned her PhD from American University and holds a Master\u2019s degree in Counseling and a Bachelor\u2019s degree in Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Dr. Maha Hilal The U.S.-lead \u201cWar on Terror\u201d in response to the 9\/11 attacks lead to a myriad of disastrous policies that largely and indiscriminately targeted Muslims and Muslim Americans. One of the biggest stains on the American legacy in this regard is the Guantanamo Bay prison to house an exclusively Muslim male population. 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