Life in Belmarsh Dungeons

Based on eye-witness testimony

Sadly, the world has witnessed some of the worst torture and abuse of Muslim captives in prisons such as Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, Bagram Airbase and countless jails around the world. Indeed, mistreating Muslim captives is part of the western culture and the norm for non-Muslim armies and police forces. It should come as no surprise to any Muslim who can hardly expect fair treatment or justice at the hands of non-Muslim captors. Allah (swt) warns us in the Qur’an,

“How is it that when they gain the upper hand over you, they respect no ties of kinship or covenant …?” [9:8]

Furthermore, despite ardent claims of ‘freedom’ and‘multiculturalism’, the experience of Muslim hostages in Belmarsh prison reveals a different agenda. The plight of the majority of ‘terror suspects’would seem unbelievable to many who are in awe of the Hollywood view of western ruling, prisoners such as Khalid Fowwaz, Adel Bari and Rasheed Ramda held for over a decade without charge; others such as Sheikh Abu Qatada similarly held for six years and countless detainees held indefinitely without charge, trial or explanation. Prisoners tried on secret evidence without any option to defend themselves.

Moreover, the majority of terror trials that do take place are based almost entirely on ‘ideological evidence’, in other words, Muslims are tried purely for what they think, believe or their religious and political views and never for anything that they have actually done. The entire process is designed to punish Muslims who are not western enough and to pressure them into changing their beliefs. Allah (swt) says,
 

“If they gain power over you they will become your enemies and extend their hands and tongues with evil and they wish for you to disbelieve.”[60:2]

And,

“If they gain the upper hand over you they will stone you and force you back to their religion, and if you do that you will never succeed.” [18:20] 

It is astonishing that a police state like Britain ever managed to fake a reputation of ‘justice’ or ‘equality’ while Muslim prisoners in Belmarsh prison face continuous intimidation and provocation, guards frequently attempt to aggravate Muslim prisoners hoping that they will respond with even the slightest hostility so that they can justify both beating prisoners and claiming there are ‘Muslim gangs’ attacking staff.

Prisoners who teach each other to read will be recorded as ‘radicalising’ inmates, those who pray in Jama’ah are called‘gangs’, when a non-Muslim embraces Islam, the Muslims who spoke to him are punished for ‘bullying’.

Furthermore, Muslims are not allowed to pray outside their cells at all, but at the same time if they are taken away from their cell, they are not always given facilities or time to pray. On many occasions when Muslims in this situation have attempted to pray, guards will shout at prisoners during pray to stop, stand nose to nose with prisoners who refuse to stop and even on one occasion physically pick them up from the Sujud to prevent them.

Some Muslim are also regularly prevented from attending Jumu’ah and when one such Muslim prisoner protested regarding this, half a dozen guards took him away on his own and beat him in a room uncovered by CCTV, the marks of which remained on his body for weeks afterwards.

When one Muslim complained that he was being given less food than everyone else, he was told “you should have chosen a different religion”.

Muslims who request that female guards do not frisk them are given ultimatums either to waive their right to leave their cells for exercise or to allow a woman to search them.

Cells are searched with the utmost disrespect, inmates strip searched while guards joke with each other, on one occasion an inmate returned to find graffiti on his wall swearing and insulting Allah using words such as “f***” and “pig”, another inmate had his copy of Bukhari ripped in front of him and then confiscated for being ‘damaged’. In another incident, a guard brought in a dog calling it ‘Allah’. Another Muslim was told during a search, ‘I will kill you with this dog’.
 
Verily, to support, defend and release Muslims in captivity is a duty upon every Muslim man and woman and the least we can do is to make Du’a for those Muslims held in such horrendous conditions. May Allah release and return them to their families-AMEEN YA RAB!!!