Naseeha Olympics: For High School Students

For more information please visit: www.naseeha.net/olympics

Naseeha Muslim Youth Helpline Is In Search of 2,000 Heroes

visit www.naseeha.net/heroes for more information.

Example of Akhlaq

Asalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatahu

SubhanAllah, RasulAllah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam epitomized the concept of akhlaq (the practice of manners).  Try to study the simplicity of the hadith below… and lets try to mimic the practices of al nabi sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, habeeb Allah.

Narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar(Radhiallaho anho): 
Allah’s Messenger (sallAllaahu `alaihi wasallam) said :If anyone 
seeks protection in Allah’s name, grant him protection; if anyone 
begs in Allah’s name, give him something; if anyone gives you an 
invitation, accept it; and if anyone does you a kindness, recompense 
him; but if you have not the means to do so, pray for him until you 
feel that you have compensated him.
Sunan of Abu-Dawood 1668

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The Excellence of Knowledge and Teaching

 (taken from “The Purification of the Soul” – Compiled from the works of Al-Hanbali, Ibn Al Qayyim, and Al-Ghazali)

 

There are many proofs in the Quran concerning the excellence of knowledge and its transmission.  Allah, the Mighty and Glorious, says:

 

“Allah will raise up to high ranks those of you who believe and those who have been given knowledge” (58:11).

And also:

“Are those who know equal to those who do not know?” (39:9)

 

Also, in the hadith, the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam says, “When Allah desires good for someone, He gives him understanding of the deen.” (Al Bukhari and Muslim).  He also said, “Allah makes the way to the Garden easy for whoever treads a path in search of knowledge.” (Muslim 21/17).

Travelling on the path to knowledge refers both to waling along an actual pathway, such as going on foot to the assemblies of the ulama’, as well as to following a metaphysical road, such as studying and memorizing.

The above saying of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam probably means that Allah makes learning the useful knowledge that is sought after easier for the seeker clearing the way for him and smoothing his journey.  Some of our predecessors used to say: “Is there anyone seeking knowledge, so that we can assist him in finding it?”

This hadith also alludes to the road leading to the Garden on the Day of Judgment, which is the straight path – and to what precedes it ad what comes after it. 

Knowledge is also the shortest path to Allah.  Whoever travels the road of knowledge reaches Allah and the Garden by the shortest route.  Knowledge also clears the way our of darkness, ignorance, doubt and skepticism.  It is why Allah called His Book, “Light”. 

Al Bukhari and Muslim have reported on the authority of Abdullah ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said: “Truly, Allah will not take away knowledge by snatching it away from people, but by taking away the lives of the people of knowledge one by one until none of them survive.  Then the people will adopt ignorant ones as their leaders.  They will be asked to deliver judgments and they will give them without knowledge, with the result that they will go astray and lead others astray”.

When ‘Ubadah ibn as-Samit was asked about this hadith he said: “If you want, I will tell you what the highest knowledge is, which raises people in rank: it is humility.”

He said this because there are two types of knowledge.  The first produces its fruit in the heart.  It is knowledge of Allah, the Exalted – His Names, His Attributes, and His Acts – which commands fear, respect, exaltation, love, supplication and reliance on Him.  This is the beneficial type of knowledge.  As ibn Mas’ud said: “They will recite the Quran, but it will not go beyond their throats.  The Quran is only beneficial when it reaches the heart and is firmly planted in it”.

Al-Hasan said: “There are two kinds of knowledge: knowledge of the tongue, which can be a case against the son of Adam, as is mentioned in the hadith of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam: ‘The Quran is either a case for you or a case against you’ (Muslim, Kitab at Tahara, 3/99); and knowledge of the heart, which is beneficial knowledge.  The second kind is the beneficial kind which is absorbed by the heart and puts it right.  The knowledge that is on the tongue is taken lightly by people: neither those who possess it, not anyone else, act upon it, and then it vanishes when its owners vanish on the Day of Judgment, when creation will be brought to account.”

The Aafia Siddiqui I Saw

By: Abu Sabaayaa

“I want you to come to know of the concern and dedication that this woman had for Islam as described by those who knew her – a dedication that was manifested by way of actions that were very simple and easy, yet seldom carried out by those who are able.”

“She is a high security risk.”- Christopher LaVigne, assistant US attorney, on August 11th when trying to convince a judge to prevent Aafia from seeing a doctor for her gunshot wound

During the time of the Prophet (SAW), those who entered Islam were of two types: those who remained in their lands with the general populace practicing the basic tenets of the religion, and those who took it upon themselves to migrate and join the Prophet in his expeditions. There are ahadith that show that the Prophet treated these two groups differently from each other due to their difference in status.

For example, Muslim and at-Tirmidhi report that when appointing a leader to a battalion, he would instruct him on how to deal with those of the enemy who became Muslims, saying: “…invite them to migrate from their lands to the land of the Muhajirin, and inform them that if they do so, they will have all the privileges and obligations of the Muhajirin. If they refuse to migrate, tell them that they will have the status of the Bedouins, and will be subjected to the commands of Allah like the rest of the believers…”

This distinction was simply of one group deciding to take upon its shoulders certain responsibilities in contrast to the other whose inactivity limited them to a very individualistic, localized, benign practice of Islam. One can in essence say that the Prophet divided the practice of the Muslims at the time into two types: the religion of the Migrants (Din al-Muhajirin, whose adherents took upon their shoulders the responsibilities of aiding and giving victory to Islam), and the religion of the Bedouins (Din al-A’rab, whose adherents did not go beyond the basics).

Although the depiction is of a situation that existed over a thousand years ago, it is an eternal pattern that Muslims will be distributed amongst these levels in every era and in every place. So, one can notice this distinction even amongst the practicing Muslims of the East and West. The Din al-A’rab of the past can be compared to the Islam that is limited to the five pillars, eating zabihah, and keeping the local mosque clean. Considering how difficult it is in the West to come across even these Muslims, imagine what joy comes to the eye and heart to see those who go a step further and reach the level of adhering to Din al-Muhajirin – those whose concern spans the entire Ummah, driving them to get up and become active workers for Islam, to dedicate their every minute to the service of Allah however they can no matter what other responsibilities clutter their busy lives, to have their hearts beat with the rest of the Muslims – all this with their heads raised high and paying no regard to those around them who eat and live like cattle, as it was said:

Such are the free in a world of the enslaved…

Recently, the entire world has been speaking about one such person – a short, thin college student, wife, and mother of three small children. Her name is Aafia Siddiqui.

I want you to be drawn to the story of this woman and also understand why I was drawn to it. I want you to come to know of the concern and dedication that this woman had for Islam as described by those who knew her – a dedication that was manifested by way of actions that were very simple and easy, yet seldom carried out by those who are able.

Those who knew Aafia recall that she was a very small, quiet, polite, and shy woman who was barely noticeable in a gathering. However, they add that when necessary, she would say what needed to be said. She was once giving a speech at a fundraiser for Bosnian orphans at a local mosque in which she began lambasting the men in the audience for not stepping up to do what she was doing. She would plead: “Where are the men? Why do I have to be the one standing up here and doing this work?” And she was right, as she was a mother, a wife, and a student in a community full of brothers with nothing to show when it came to Islamic work.

When she was a student at MIT, she began organizing drives to deliver copies of the Qur’an and other Islamic literature to the Muslims in the local prisons. She would have them delivered in boxes to a local mosque, and she would then show up at the mosque and carry the heavy boxes by herself all the way down the three flights of very steep stairs. Subhan Allah, look at the Qadar of Allah: this woman who would spend so much time and effort to help Muslim prisoners is now herself a prisoner (I ask Allah to free her)!

Her dedication to Islam was also very evident on campus. A 2004 article from Boston Magazine mentions that “…she wrote three guides for members who wanted to teach others about Islam. On the group’s website, Siddiqui explained how to run a daw’ah table, an informational booth used at school events to educate people about, and persuade them to convert to, Islam.” The article continues to mention that in the guides, she wrote: “Imagine our humble, but sincere daw’ah effort turning into a major daw’ah movement in this country! Just imagine it! And us, reaping the reward of everyone who accepts Islam through this movement, through years to come. Think and plan big. May Allah give this strength and sincerity to us so that our humble effort continue, and expands until America becomes a Muslim land.”

Allahu Akbar…look at this himmah (concern)…look at these lofty aspirations and goals! As men, we should be ashamed to have to learn such lessons from a sister.

She would drive out of her way every week to teach the local Muslim children on Sundays. I was told by a sister that she would also drive out of her way every week to visit a small group of reverts to teach them the basics of Islam. One of the sisters who attended her circles described Aafia as “not going out of her way to be noticed by anybody, or to be anyone’s friend. She just came out here to teach us about Allah, and English wasn’t even her first language!”
Another sister who would attend her circles describes: “She shared with us that we should never make excuses for who we are. She said: “Americans have no respect for people who are weak. Americans will respect us if we stand up and we are strong.”"

Allahu Akbar…O Allah, free this woman!

But Aafia’s biggest passion was helping the oppressed Muslims around the globe. When war in Bosnia broke out, she did not sit back and watch with one knee over the other. Rather, she immediately sought out whatever means were within her grasp to make a difference. She didn’t sit in a dreamy bubble thinking all day about how she wished that she could go over to Bosnia and help with relief efforts. She got up and did what she could: she would speak to people to raise awareness, she would ask for donations, she would send e-mails, she would give slideshow presentations – the point I’m trying to make here is that Aafia showed that there is always something we can do to help our brothers and sisters, the least of which is a spoken word to raise awareness to those who are unaware. Sitting back and doing nothing is never an option. She once gave a speech at a local mosque to raise funds for Bosnian orphans, and when the audience was just sitting there watching her, she asked: “How many people in this room own more than one pair of boots?” When half the room raised their hands, she said: “So, donate them to these Bosnians who are about to face a brutal winter!” She was so effective in her plea that even the imam took off his boots and donated them!

There is much more to say about how passionate this sister was for Islam. However, the above gives you an idea of what she was like, and should hopefully serve as an inspiration for brothers before sisters to become active in serving Islam through whatever means are available. Remember that she was doing all of this while being a mother and a PhD student, and most of us do much less despite having much more free time.

So, having this image of Aafia in my mind, I was taken aback at what I saw when she was brought into court for what should have been her bail hearing. The door on the front left side of the courtroom was slowly opened to reveal a frail, limp, exhausted woman who could barely hold her own head up straight in a pale blue wheelchair. She was dressed in a Guantanamo-style orange prison uniform, and her frail head was wrapped in a white hijab that was pulled down to cover her bone-thin arms (the prison uniform is shortsleeved). Her lawyers quickly sat around her, and the hearing began.

The head prosecutor, assistant US attorney Christopher LaVigne, walked in with a group of three or four FBI agents, one of whom was a female who looked Pakistani (may Allah curse them). The defense began by announcing that the bail hearing was to be postponed because of Aafia’s medical condition. Essentially, Aafia’s lawyers reasoned that there was no point of her being out on bail if she was near death. So, they demanded that she be allowed a doctor’s visit before anything else. LaVigne got up and objected, saying that Aafia was a risk to the security of the United States. The judge didn’t seem to buy that, and the prosecutor continued arguing that “this is a woman who attempted to blast her way out of captivity.” As soon as this was said, I looked over and noticed Aafia shaking her head in desperation and sadness, as if she felt that the whole world was against her. By the way, Aafia was so small and weak that I could barely see her from behind the wheelchair. All I could see was her head slumped over to the left and wrapped in the hijab, and her right arm sticking out.

I got a better understanding of why she was so sad and desperate when her lawyer began listing details of her condition:
* She now has brain damage from her time in US custody
* One of her kidneys was removed while in US custody
* She is unable to digest her food since part of her intestines was removed during surgery while in US custody
* She has layers and layers of sewed up skin from the surgery for the gunshot wound
* She has a large surgical scar from her chest area all the way down to her torso

With all of this, she had not been visited by a single doctor the entire time of her incarceration in the US despite being in constant incredible abdominal pain following her sloppy surgery in Afghanistan – pain for which she was being given nothing more than Ibuprofen! Ibuprofen is purchased over the counter to treat headaches!

With all of this, the prosecutor had the audacity and shamelessness to try to prevent her from being seen by a doctor due to her being a “security risk.” When he was pressed by the judge as to why Aafia was sitting all this time in a NYC prison without basic medical care, the government attorney stuttered, said that it was “a complicated situation,” and capped it with the expected cheap shot that “it was her decision as she refused to by seen by a male doctor.” As soon as the prosecutor said that last bit, I saw Aafia’s thin arm shoot up and shake back and forth to the judge (as if to say ‘No! He’s lying!’). I felt so sorry for her, as she was obviously quite frustrated at the lies being spilled out before her very eyes. Her lawyer then put her hand on her arm and began stroking it to comfort her and calm her down.

When the hearing was over, one scholarly statement stuck in my mind, and it is where Ibn al-Qayyim said that a person rises in his closeness to Allah until: “…there remains only one obstacle from which the enemy calls him from, and this is an obstacle that he must face. If anyone were to be saved from this obstacle, it would have been the Messengers and Prophets of Allah, and the noblest of His Creation. This is the obstacle of Satan unleashing his troops upon the believer with various types of harm: by way of the hand, the tongue, and the heart. This occurs in accordance with the degree of goodness that exists within the believer. So, the higher he is in degree, the more the enemy unleashes his troops and helps them against him, and overwhelms him with his followers and allies in various ways. There is no way around this obstacle, because the firmer he is in calling to Allah and fulfilling His commands, the more the enemy becomes intent upon deceiving him with foolish people. So, he has essentially put on his body armor in this obstacle, and has taken it upon himself to confront the enemy for Allah’s Sake and in His Name, and his worship in doing so is the worship of the best of worshippers.”

And this was absolutely clear that day when looking at the scene in the court. Despite Aafia’s apparent physical weakness and frailty, there was a certain ‘izzah (honor) and strength that I felt emanating from her the entire time. Everything from the way she forcefully shook her hand at the judge when the prosecutor would lie, to how she was keen to wear her hijab on top of her prison garments despite horrible circumstances that would make hijab the last thing on most people’s minds, to the number of FBI agents, US Marshals, reporters, officials, etc. who were all stuffed in this small room to observe this frail, weak, short, quiet, female “security risk” – everything pointed to the conclusion that the only thing all of these people were afraid of was the strength of this sister’s iman (faith).

This is the situation of our dear sister, a Muslim woman in captivity…

What can I say…?

I will not close by mentioning the obligation of helping to free Muslim prisoners. I will not mention how al-Mu’tasim razed an entire city to the ground to rescue a single Muslim woman. I will not go back to the days of Salah ad-Din or ‘Umar bin ‘Abd al-’Aziz, who rescued Muslim prisoners in the tens of thousands. I cannot be greedy enough to mention these things at this point because what is even sadder than what is happening to Aafia Siddiqui is how few the Muslims were who even bothered to show up to her hearing in a city of around half a million Muslims (not counting the surrounding areas), and that not a single Muslim organization in the United States has taken up the sister’s cause or even spoken a word in her defense, and as Ibn al-Qayyim said: “If ghayrah (protective jealousy) leaves a person’s heart, his faith will follow it.”

Unfortunately, in a time where most of us are following Din al-A’rab, it seems that the best person to teach us a lesson in how to help Aafia Siddiqui would have been Aafia herself.

Source: al-istiqamah.com

Also see:

Protest for Dr Aafia Saddiqui/Speech by Yvonne Ridley:

A Letter from the “Toronto18″

Nineteen million, two-hundred eighty-four thousand, four-thousand eight hundred and three.
The number of times we inhaled injustice, the breaths that our lungs set free…
On the second of June, two-thousand and six, we were coerced out of lightness into dark…
Where cruelty was hired, where mercy was fired, where prejudice was the crowned monarch

Our deeply missed family, our dearly beloved friends, our honorable community of belief,
Allow us to share some words of honesty…some facts that may come to your relief.
While we have been pushed to the edge of the cliff, to the capacity that a human could bear…
We invite you to witness some blessings we were given, and we dare you to even compare.

When the hour glass of life started pouring down sand, seven hundred fifty-five days ago
Each one of us darted towards a goal to achieve, like arrows projected from a bow:
We extend our glad tidings, we hereby announce, that one of us has memorized the Quran.
In the span of this time, how high did you climb? By Allah, what deeds have you drawn?

Arms raised to the sky, never daring to ask why, we would stand before Allah for days,
Running empty on tears, losing all of our fears, praying desperately that it’s just a phase…
A pill you can not swallow, a well so dark and hollow; we long for our families, we long…
Our siblings, our parents, our wives and our children, hold on to His mercy, be strong.

When you saw us behind bars, you stared hard at our scars, and temporarily took a sneeze of our flu,
You felt our restrains; turned your watches into chains, and attempted to live through it too.
We thank you for your empathy, and your feelings of sympathy, even though we need not your awe:
Because a cell is not a cell, a cell is not a cell, when you sell your soul to Allah.

But we have one burning question inflaming our chests, torching our conscience from ease…
Why did you regret us, and eventually forget us? Please give us a good reason for this, please…
Please tell us the address to Benefit of Doubt, please give us a Google map to “Fair Trial”.
Please tell us where they wholesale “Friends-no-matter-What”, or if e-bay will auction off a smile.

Please tell us why you ran, as far as you can, avoiding us, ashamed and disgraced…
Please tell us why the steel you saw on our heel, ordered our great times from your memories erased?
Have you forgotten our Love, for The One who forbade, the killing of an innocent soul?
Then why did you stand by, without caring to testify, that your brothers do not deserve this hole?

When one of us earned trial, with a two-year olds’ smile, we would pray to be gifted with wings,
Not so we can fly out of this cage of ruin, but to intercede for our brother like kings.
If only you came out, to support your brother’s bout, maybe then the judge would have agreed,
That eighteen lives have been utterly destroyed, that it is about time that they are all freed.

It may seem unfortunate, and worthy of your pity, that our hours were converted into years,
That we missed watching our babies spill their food; or watching our fathers as their hair disappears.
But we hereby announce, that in the deduction of this logic, there has been one great flaw;
A cell is not a cell. A cell is not a cell, when you sell your soul to Allah.

 

Turning Away From Pointless Talk

Imam Al-Bayhaqi

The Seventy-Seven Branches of Faith [Summarized]

The Quilliam Press 1996 (© belongs to the translator A. Murad)

Allah Most High has said: Successful are the believers, who are humble in their prayers, and who turn away from pointless talk, [23:1-3] and: Those who do not bear witness to what is false, but when they pass by pointless talk, pass by with dignity, [25:72] and: When they hear pointless talk, they turn away from it. [28:55]

“Pointless talk” [laghw] is speech which is futile and irrelevant, and bears no relation to any true purpose. It brings no benefit to the one who utters it, and may well bring him misfortune instead.

Ali (r) related that the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said, “It is part of a man’s sound practice of Islam that he leave alone that which is of no concern to him.” [At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah]

Dhu’l-Nun said, “Whoever loves Allah lives truly, and whoever inclines to anything else damages his mind. A foolish man comes and goes, paying attention to what is nothing, while the intelligent man inspects his own thoughts scrupulously.”

The Wooden Bowl

Taken from Al-Qaria.net

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled,his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. We must do something about Grandfather,” said the son. I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor. So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” Just as sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food when I grow up.” The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

Allah mentions in Surah Al Isra 17:23-24

And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour.

And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: “My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small.”

 

 

Furthermore, al-Bayhaqi reports that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “Allaah opens two doors (to Paradise) for every Muslim that is dutiful to his (or her) two Muslim parents, awaiting the reward with Allaah alone, and one door if he (or she) had one surviving parents to whom he was dutiful. Furthermore, if one makes his parents angry, then Allaah will not be pleased with him until his parents forgive him. He was asked, ‘Even if they were unjust to their child?’ He said, ‘Even if they were unjust.’”

Who Cares For This Boy?

By: Moazzam Begg
Source: Cageprisoners

His hair has grown, his voice sounds a little deeper and his wounds appear to have healed somewhat. But what isn’t clear from the first ever Guantánamo interrogation video to be released for public consumption is that Omar Khadr is blind in one eye.

 

The Bagram airbase lies some 30miles north of the Afghan capital, Kabul. Inside the airbase is a prison, a converted machine-factory built by the Soviets during their occupation of Afghanistan. Inscriptions in Russian are still visible on the walls and doors. During the day, this place is usually deathly quiet. But at night, the sounds of soldiers as they patrol, chains clinking along the concrete floor as prisoners are frog-marched to and from interrogation rooms and screams of interrogators and interrogated usually keep you awake.  It is worse than Guantanamo. In this place I witnessed two separate killings by American soldiers – the subject of this year’s Oscar-winning documentary, Taxi to the Dark Side – before I too was sent to Guantanamo. It is here too that I first met Omar Khadr, a boy from Canada who’d just turned sixteen. 

I never really understood why but our military police guards would always refer to Khadr as ‘Buckshot Bob’ or simply ‘Buckshot’. His wounds didn’t seem to me as if they had been caused by the blast of a shotgun. They were much more horrific. Chunks of his chest and shoulder had been blown out – or so I’d assumed and, he was unable to see through one of his eyes because of the injuries he’d sustained, allegedly in a fire-fight with US troops. His chest looked like he’d just had a post mortem operation performed on him – whilst he was still alive. He was emaciated, fragile and quiet. But the rumour spread around about Khadr claimed that he’d launched a grenade-attack on unsuspecting US forces. Consequently, the military police units guarding us all treated Omar Khadr with open contempt and hostility. He was sometimes screamed at all night long; made to stack up crates of water bottles which were thrown down again; a hood placed over his head whilst his wrists were shackled to the ceiling. But, three years after my release from Guantánamo, and five since I last saw Khadr, I have come to realise the logic behind the name ‘Buckshot’.  Photographs released by the US military this year show Khadr when he was first captured. The missing chunks of flesh were exit wounds from shotgun rounds fired. Its is now clear, based on statements by the soldiers who captured him, that Khadr had been shot in the back – at point-blank range.

Khadr and I shared a communal cell where walking, talking, standing or simply looking in the wrong direction would earn us a few hours with our hands chained above our heads to the cage door and a hood placed over our faces. Still, I managed some whispered conversations with Khadr who, just like me, had begun to comprehend his ordeal had only just started.

Omar’s treatment varied according to the perception various soldiers and interrogators had of him: most of it bad. But a handful of them, who actually got to know him and speak to him like a human being, told me how bad they felt about having a child like him in custody. I recall the last words Omar Khadr said to me before he was shipped off to Guantanamo, ‘You’re fortunate, people here care about you. No one cares about me.’

Omar was later accused of causing the death of a US Special Forces operative with a grenade. Yet a report given by the soldier who shot him says that not only was Mr. Khadr alive there, an adult man was also alive at the time he, the U.S. soldier, rushed in shooting. This contradicts the testimony of another solider who said that only Mr. Khadr was alive at the time. Whatever the case may be, Omar is fast approaching the seventh year of his detention in Guantanamo. He is now twenty –one.

In January this year, a training document produced by the Canadian foreign ministry, which referred to Guantanamo Bay, listed the United States as a country known to practice torture. Despite this assertion, the only westerner remaining in the world’s most infamous prison at Guantanamo Bay is the Canadian, Omar Khadr. And his government, which accepts the abuses faced by others at such places are very real, will do nothing for its own citizen, who was bought there in chains as a child.

In the video that made headlines this week Khadr is heard repeating some words in a very distressed state. Whilst there is some dispute about whether he’s saying ‘help me, help me’ or ‘kill me kill me’, his family believe he’s simply saying, ’ya ummi, ya ummi’ – Arabic for ‘my mother, my mother’.  Although this video was recorded (in secret) over five years ago, the words I last heard from this gaunt, softly-spoken child all those years ago echo yet again. But this time the world can see and hear him: ‘No one cares about me.’

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