RSS

Tag Archives: babar ahmad

Babar Ahmad: The Earliest Recorded Extradition Request in History

British politicians frequently boast about how the foundations of ‘modern’ British law are rooted in the Magna Carta declaration of 1215.

The logic being that the world did not know justice until King John put his seal on the Magna Carta on 15 June 1215 and so ‘modern’ British laws derived from the Magna Carta deliver justice even today and they remain a shining example to the rest of the world, especially the ‘backward’ African and Asian countries. The Magna Carta essentially states that no man shall be deprived of his liberty (i.e. imprisoned) or exiled from the land (i.e. extradited) without the lawful judgement of his peers (i.e. a fair public trial in which he is allowed to give his side of the story). For medieval 13th Century England that was still deep in savagery and barbarism it can be said that the Magna Carta was a big achievement.

Yet the truth is that some 600 years earlier an advanced civilisation in East Africa had been practically implementing the principles of justice found in the Magna Carta. But you wouldn’t know it because black African ‘savages’ teaching justice to ‘sophisticated’ white earls does not look too good in a school History textbook. The basic principle of justice that this 7th Century black African civilisation realised is that you cannot punish someone without giving them a fair trial in which you allow them to give their side of the story.

One of the earliest recorded extradition trials in international case law is Jafar bin Abi Talib and others vs Government of Quraish in the Royal Court of Justice of Abyssinia, 615 C.E. In the year 615 of Christian era, a group of Muslims fled torture and religious persecution in Makkah and migrated to Abyssinia (modern day Ethiopia) to seek sanctuary in the kingdom of the righteous Christian King Negus. The 16 Muslims were led by Jafar bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). They had only just arrived in Abyssinia when the Government of Quraish sent an extradition request seeking the return of the group to Makkah. Amr bin Al-Aas QC (Quraish Counsel) with junior counsel Abdullah bin Abi Rabia were sent to Abyssinia to advocate for the men’s extradition.

The Negus of Abyssinia by Nayzak

The court convened one morning in the packed Royal Court of Justice of Abyssinia and presiding over the matter was the Honourable King Negus himself due to the seriousness of the matter. Amr bin Al-Aas QC, opening for the prosecution, laid out the basic facts of the case against the Muslim group. He stated that they were apostates who had abandoned the religion of their forefathers and so should be extradited back to Makkah.*He further added that since the Tribe of Quraish and the Kingdom of Abyssinia were major allies, under the terms of the Extradition Act 2003 Category 2 legislation no prime prima facie evidence had to be presented in order to seek the group’s extradition.*     Read the rest of this entry »

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on May 23, 2013 in Letters from Babar Ahmad, Risala

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Babar Ahmad: July 2008 (No Man, Let Alone a Prisoner, Can Live Without Hope)

I have now spent nearly an eighth of my life in prison. Life in prison is a journey into the unknown. Unlike other journeys it is one of those things that you can never plan ahead for. You don’t plan to have a car accident. You don’t plan to get cancer. You don’t plan to die. And you don’t plan to go to prison. Prison is just one of the many tests that you must pass in order to succeed in life.

The Prophet (saw) said, There is some magic in words.” Tyrants use the magic in words to control people’s thoughts and deeds by making evil appear acceptable to them. So kidnap is known as “arrest”, brutality becomes “reasonable force” and torture is nothing more than “enhanced interrogation”. When an innocent man is kidnapped from his home by bearded Arab gunmen and locked indefinitely in a room he is a “hostage”. But when an innocent man is kidnapped from his home by uniformed white gunmen and locked indefinitely in a room he is a “terrorist”. The world causes uproar over the former but is silent over the latter. “In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends,” observed Martin Luther King.

Fear is a disease that consumes the soul of the one who embraces it. Man’s total capacity to fear is fixed: the more he fears one thing the less he fears another. People fear standing up to a tyrant because they are afraid of some harm that he may cause them, even though that harm is limited to the life of this world. Such people have little or no fear for any harm that Allah will cause them in the Hereafter. However, if these same people were to fear the Day when they shall return to stand before the Lord of the Worlds, they would not fear any tyrant on the face of the Earth. {Do they fear them? Allah is more worthy for you to fear if you are indeed believers.} (Quran 9:13)

We survive in life by wearing a variety of faces that disguise our true inner selves. We have one face for our families, a face for our friends, a face for our colleagues, and a face for strangers. Since we are always switching between faces others hardly get to see who we really are. Sometimes we ourselves forget who we are. The harsh reality of prison life relentlessly files away at your external faces and personae to reveal the true you. There are no secrets in prison. Sincerity, hypocrisy, bravery, cowardice, good, evil, all are laid bare. Prison brings out the best, and worst, in people.

Read the rest of this entry »

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on May 21, 2013 in Letters from Babar Ahmad, Risala

 

Tags: , , ,

Babar Ahmad: One Day

One day…

The sun will shine again.
The flowers will blossom again.
The birds will sing again.

One day…

The rain will fall again.
The rivers will flow again.
The gardens will be green again.

One day…

The lips will smile.
The tears will dry.
The prayers will be answered.

One day…

The shackles will break.
The darkness will end.
The doors will open…

and justice will prevail

-Babar Ahmad, HMP Long Lartin
2012

 
2 Comments

Posted by on November 9, 2012 in Habsiyya, Poems by Babar Ahmad

 

Tags: , ,

Babar Ahmad and Talha Ahsan: End the Silence!

It has now been one month since Babar Ahmad and Talha Ahsan were extradited to the US. Without being permitted to even make one final telephone call to their loved ones, they were transferred into the custody of US marshals and flown to Connecticut, where they are now in 23 hour solitary isolation.

Since their extradition, neither Babar nor Talha have been able to telephone their families or write to them despite sufficient funds having been transferred to them to do this. Furthermore, letters which the family members have sent to the men have not been given to them, increasing their isolation. The families have no idea what condition Babar and Talha are in or why they have been unable to communicate.

We request all campaigners and supporters to write to the British Foreign Secretary, the British Ambassador to the US and and your own Member of Parliament to request that they urgently intervene to ensure that regular contact is established between the men and their families.

Sample letters are below for your convenience (please do not forget to insert your name and and full address) but it is always more effective to use your own words. It is also possible to send your comments using Twitter and Facebook.   Read the rest of this entry »

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on November 7, 2012 in Campaigns

 

Tags: , , , ,

Babar Ahmad: I Will Always Live Free

Winner of 2012 Koestler Trust Highly Commended Award

A matchstick model of a pair of hands grasping cell bars from inside a dark prison cell with the words, “I Will Always Live Free” written at the bottom. The model is made out of approximately 5000 matches and took 3 months to build. Its dimensions are A4 size (300mm x 210mm) with a thickness of approximately 20mm.

How The Model Was Built

The base was built out of 2000 matches, comprising three criss-cross layers for strength.

The main section of bars and hands was designed on computer and then traced onto plastic so that the matches could be built onto it. Six layers were built of this main section out of 3000 matches and then sanded down extensively using sandpaper wrapped around various objects to get the circular effects. Once the main section was complete it was glued onto the base layer.

Each finger on the hand was built separately and then sanded down before being glued onto the hands.

The space inside the cell was stained dark mahogany to give an impression of darkness. The bars and walls were stained wood colour and the hands were left unstained to represent skin colour. After staining, the whole model was coated with five layers of clear water-based varnish and fine-sanded with 400 grade sandpaper for the smooth finish.

Finally, the phrase, “I Will Always Live Free” was written in black permanent marker pen under the hands.

Why Did I Choose the Phrase “I Will Always Live Free“?

This phrase was chosen to give the impression that although captivity may imprison my body, my soul will remain free. Though captivity may physically restrict me, mentally and spiritually I will always live free and no-one can take that away from me.

-Babar Ahmad, HMP Long Lartin

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on November 6, 2012 in Sketches

 

Tags: , ,

US & UK Mailing Lists Updated: Fraternal Sacrifices and Familiar Solitude

Yet another Eid has passed without hearing the sacred words of praise, feeling the customary hug from family members, or smelling the familiar foods. This month’s update brings its share of sorrow for many mothers.

We ask Allah to ease the hearts of the prisoners and their families and bestow on them His Mercy and to strengthen them with patience.

On November 1, 27 year old Rezwan Ferdaus, was sentenced to 17 years for two counts of terror-related charges in an entrapment case. He faced a possible 35 year sentence if he had opted to go to trial. Rezwan appreciated the support of family and friends, smiling as they shouted “We love you, Rezwan!” Tariq Mehanna’s parents were also present in a show of support. Rezwan’s mother, strong yet distraught, was visibly angered, “Investigate your government…They’ve been lying a lot,” she instructed the press.

Also on November 1, Shkumbin Sherifi and Nevine Elsheikh pleaded guilty to one count of murder for hire. They face a possible ten years and $250,000 fine when sentenced in February 2013. Without this plea, they faced near life sentences but are now government witnesses in Skumbin’s brother’s, Hysen Sherifi‘s, upcoming trial, set to start on Monday. Hysen, sentenced to 46 years for terror-related charges earlier this year, now faces a life sentence. Weighing the astronomical odds of fighting another entrapment case, the Sherifi family elected to have at least one son possibly return to see his dying father and live some semblance of a normal life.

The recent forced pleas remind us of the true nature of “terror” prosecutions; that in no way do they attempt to uncover truth or relegate justice. Despite destroying lives, families and communities, convictions and pleas are meaningless with respect to establishing guilt, which is why supporting our incarcerated brothers and sisters is a moral obligation, especially when they may be innocent in more ways than one.

It has been one month since the extradition of five British Muslims to the US, and families have not received any verbal or written communication from their loved ones. It is presumed that Adel Abdel Bary, Babar Ahmad, Khalid al-Fawwaz, Mustafa Mustafa, and Syed Talha Ahsan are being held incommunicado, sending a loud message to the international community of what American justice sounds like; oppressively silent.

Ahmed Ajaj, Adham Hassoun, and Randall Royer (currently in transit), who were removed from ADX Florence last month, have all been returned to the supermax prison. Abdulwali Muse (the Smiling Somali) is back in Terre Haute, and those who sent cards or letters to Adnan Mirza or Gregory Vernon Patterson last month may want to consider resending as they may have been in transit and have possibly not received mail.

The Supreme Court rejected the final appeal of the Holy Land Foundation Charity, a dismal but not unexpected decision for Shukri Abu Baker, Ghassan Elashi, Mohammad el-Mezain, Mufid Abdulqader, and Abdulrahman Odeh, serving a cumulative 180 year sentence for sending aid to Palestine.

There is a possibility that Wadih elHage (not listed) may have his life sentence commuted after lawyers present evidence from Fazul Abdullah Mohammed’s autobiography.

In the UK, Irfan Nasser, Irfan Khalid and Ashik Ali are undergoing trial for an alleged bomb plot for which they had been under surveillance since 2010.

It is feared that Mahdi Hashi is the latest victim of torture and detention by proxy or rendition after the Home Office mysteriously revoked his British citizenship following his refusal to become a government informant. Friends and family are demanding answers to his disappearance and evidence for the claims of “extremism” made by Home Office.

Courts in Canada have given the green light for the extradition of Sayfildin Tahir Sharif, an Iraqi born Canadian, to the US allegedly for connections to suicide bombings in Iraq.

As always, remember them and their families in your duas, and be sure to let us know of any returned mail, incorrect addresses, missing prisoners, or updates you would like to share.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on November 3, 2012 in News Items

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Babar Ahmad: You

You are the tides that propel every lost vessel,
You are the shining stars that enlighten the path of every wayfarer,
You are the springs that irrigate every barren land,
You are the pillars that strengthen every crumbling edifice,
You are the flags that signal every impeding victory,
You are the rays of sunlight that shatter every dark night,
You are the helping hands that aid every drowning soul,
You are the gusts that oxygenate every suffocation,
You in your orange jumpsuits are the signposts upon the road to salvation,
You are the proof that faith can overcome mountains,
You are the proof that Allah is still worshipped in
the world today.

.

- Babar Ahmad, HMP Woodhill
March 2006

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 15, 2012 in Habsiyya, Poems by Babar Ahmad

 

Tags: , , ,

From Arrest to Release: An Overview of the UK Prison Experience

“Muslims are breaking records with the judicial system in ways that are not imaginable.”

In 2007, Abdul Muhid was arrested along with three other Muslims for protesting the infamously racist Danish cartoons a year earlier. Convicted and sentenced to six years of imprisonment, he shares his experiences about the British justice system.

His talk covers the minutia involving pre-dawn raids, stop and search laws, repressive bail conditions, unfair trials, faulty evidence, imprisonment, release and probation. Additionally he addresses issues of freedom of speech, rampant racism within law enforcement, physical and psychological torture and abuse directed at Muslim prisoners, as well as the risks of suicide and the importance of sending letters.

The ex-prisoner also inspires with his recollection of Muslim solidarity and brotherhood behind bars and spiritual elevation achieved under such oppressive conditions. Especially touching is Abdul Muhid’s account of the serious tragedy of David English, the chilling horror faced by 17 year old Zahid Mubarak, the remorse inducing gratitude of Khalid al-Fawwaz, Dr. Mohammad Syed Alam’s delicate condition, and the beautiful Omar Khayam’s request to all of you.

For more information on how to fulfil your obligation of writing to and supporting prisoners, please see muslimprisoners.com (UK) and freedetainees.org (US). Prisoner listings can be found in the resources section of the aseerun website.

 
1 Comment

Posted by on October 14, 2012 in Campaigns, Videos

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Babar Ahmad: The Promised Land

Wave after wave batters me,
With brine, dark and cold,
But I will get through this stormy sea,
So my story will be told.
Fate tastes bitter on my lips
My will is sapped, but not yet dead
I breathe life in painful sips
For destiny weighs heavier than lead.

From time to time a boat appears,
That some day I will board,
Even if it be a few more years,
For the Pleasure of my Lord.
At the rising sun the night will clear
Its rays will shimmer on the sand.
So I will face my every fear
Until I reach the Promised Land.

- Babar Ahmad, August 2012
HMP Long Lartin

Find out more how to help Babar see his family.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 11, 2012 in Habsiyya, Poems by Babar Ahmad

 

Tags: , , ,

Babar Ahmad: As Long as You are Not Angry with Me |(إن لم تكن غاضباً عني فلا أبالي)|

As long as You are not angry with me then I do not care
For me is the model of Musab bin Umayr
The best dressed man in the city
But that was for him a state of pity
Until there came to him the Message
All did he leave of his privilege
For the sake of Allah and His Beloved

As long as You are not angry with me then I do not care
For I think of Bilal when his chest was bare
On the burning sand did they make him lie
Until he thought he was going to die
They crushed him with rocks in the blazing sun
And begged him to reject the Almighty One
But never did he give in to the wicked

As long as You are not angry with me then I do not care
I remember Khabbaab when they pulled his hair
In the blacksmiths of his evil mistress
With burning rods did she cause him distress
She twisted his neck and burnt his skin
Until his fat dripped into a tin
But he remained firm to his belief as long as he lived

As long as You are not angry with me then I do not care
For I picture Khubaib when he was there
Tied and bound to an immovable tree
With no chance of him being free
Their spears and arrows did they fling
Yet grapes to him did his Lord bring
Until his noble soul was lifted

As long as You are not angry with me then I do not care
I think of Yasir, Sumaiyah and their heir
Even when placed on sizzling ember
None but their Lord did they remember
Patience you all when paying this price
Indeed your abode is Paradise
As a reward for all that you did.

As long as You are not angry with me, then I do not care
My example is Your Beloved when struck from the rear
By the sticks and stones of Taif’s crowd
Yet he did cry in a voice so loud:
O Lord! Forgive my people for they do not know,”
And even though I am feeling so low…
As long as You are not angry with me, then I do not care.

- Babar Ahmad, HMP Woodhill
August 19, 2004

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on October 9, 2012 in Habsiyya, Poems by Babar Ahmad

 

Tags: , ,

 
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 256 other followers