Poems from Guantánamo, the detainees speak

Jumah al-Dossari's poem is read here by Riz Ahmed, the actor who appeared in the film "Road to Guantánamo". Jumah al-Dossari, who was released in 2007, was held in Guantánamo for more than five years and had been in solitary confinement since the end of 2003. He tried to kill himself more than a dozen times.

This poem was written as part of a suicide letter Jumah al-Dossari left for his lawyer when he had given up hope of ever seeing his family again. He is now in Saudi Arabia completing what the Saudi Arabian authorities refer to as a reform and rehabilitation programme for returned Guantánamo detainees.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Amnesty
• International
• Riz
• Ahmed
• Guantanamo
• poems

[oclandestin]

Very good video. I recommend everyone buys the book 'Poems from Guantanamo: The Detainees Speak' edited by Marc Falkoff, published by Iowa University Press, 2007. It's a real triumph of spirit, will and faith in the face of great hardship and oppression. The poems are beautiful, moving and haunting. Buy it to remember all people imprisoned unjustly without charge or trial around the world. May Allah help them all, ameen.

[CRAPCANNONS]

Simply beautiful.

Makes me want to give him US citizenship and make him director of national security.

[Eladas334]

We expect Americans to be treated with fairness and compassion when they've been captured or convicted abroad, and we fly into a furor when that doesn't happen (Amanda Knox). Yet America straps people into a chair and electrocutes them to death. America kidnaps taxi drivers, and beats them to death. Hm.

[brandywineraceway]

Good point. Perhaps the case of another ex-detainee (Abdullah Al-Ajmi) is a little more concrete. After his release he drove an armored truck into a crowd killing 13 and injuring 42 others. For evidence please refer to the tape he left stating that he was going to commit the act. I don't think the tape was in iambic pentameter or any other fancy poetry form. The family members of the dead and injured are probably a little more saddened than you.

[Truthseeker81]

@ Brandy.

Was it the same official who told us that Iraq had WMD??

[SadSadDoomDay]

a beautiful poem.

[Politeama]

Bunch of crap!

Bunch of terrorists.

Bunch of liars.

[yttarts]

Brandy, if your neighbour was bad, would it be OK to assume you were too and treat you the same way as the world treated your neighbour? Post 'any cruelty any of us inflicts on anyone' blues is better shown by Mozart's requiem as far as I feel. They kill, We kill, None of us cares. That is some sad situation. Do you think so?

[brandywineraceway]

The only thing worse then being put in a cell in Guantanamo is being forced to listed to Riz Ahmed's "music". Yeah that Post 9/11 Blues rap is real funny. Why doesn't this artist go back to the home of his ancestors (Pakistan) and see if he can help improve the civil liberty issues there. Oh I forgot there are no civil liberties in Pakistan. I guess that is why Riz lives in the UK where he is safe despite all his whining.

[brandywineraceway]

FROM CNN ON 1/23/09. A Saudi national released from U.S. detention at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in September 2007 is believed to be a key leader in al Qaeda's operations in Yemen, according to a U.S. counterterrorism official. I guess this is just another case of a poor innocent poet whose actions before and after his detention were exactly the same.