This is Sami al-Hajj.
Sami was once held at Guantanamo Bay for nearly seven years. During his time in detention, he endured horrors that we cannot imagine.
Even for me, the hell that is called Guantanamo sounded like a distant place, until I came face-to-face with a man who survived it.
He had been subjected to more than 200 interrogations, saw the Holy Quran torn and desecrated in front of him. He has been subjected to beatings and torture. He went on a 480-day hunger strike, and came close to suicide. He was force-fed food with a hose that's too big, with no lubricant or anaesthetic, and dirty to boot. Psychiatrists at Guantanamo even suggested methods of suicides to inmates.
How can anyone belonging to the medical profession do that?
Instead of feeling hatred for his captors, he feels pity for them. "How will they face their families and friends when they return?" For a man who has gone through so much, you would think that he would speak in torrential anger. He has every reason to hate his captors, who have not charged him with a single crime all the time he was there.
But no. He speaks in an almost monotone voice. That is because his heart is truly cleansed of hatred and anger. "We are seeking justice, not revenge," he stresses. "I am grateful because I have gathered so many stories." He has made it his mission in life to expose the injustice in Guantanamo, and of war.
My colleagues at Cosmic magazine and I had the honour of interviewing him at the Perdana Global Peace Organisation (PGPO) Anti-War Conference and Exhibition. He also gave his testimony at the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission.
I have a profound respect for this man. He is not only a beacon of journalism, he is also a champion of humanity. Because of people like him, our dreams of eternal peace is not just a dream, but a reality within our reach.
No comments:
Post a Comment