In his bit to save the lost in the mid-term election that gave more seats to the Republicans, Obama is on a crusade to clean the image of America by taking the CIA to task for the excesses done in the name of protecting Americans from, what is increasingly seen as, the self-concocted threat. He has called for accountability that falls short of taking full responsibility for the criminality committed under the pretext of defending national security. Is Obama sincere in his call or is he playing to the stage?
While one may contest both the legality and morality of torture committed by the country touted as the beacon of hope for the world oppressed, I have been disturbed by the use of torture by Muslim states since the post-Rashidun caliphate time, as there was no incident of torture during the Prophetic era and that of his successors. But when one reads on the spectacle of revenge that followed these two periods, it will only dwarf the torture of water boarding and other dehumanizing acts committed by the CIA in Guantanamo or Abu Gharib or even in Baghram. The descriptive details of the perversion sends chill down the spine of the reader on the brutality of such inhuman treatments done by one man, or a group of men on another individual or group all in the name of keeping oneself and his gang in power.
In their studies on torture both D. M Rejali's The Birth of Modern Torture and Christian Robert Lange's scholarly work on Punishment Under the Saljuqs there were severe punishments meted out by the State against those who were considered as threats to the State or to the Ruler. Among the Public Executions Lange lists down [a] execution by sword, [b] gibbeting, [c] stoning, [d] drowning, [e] burning, [f] throwing down from heights, [g] suffocating, and [f] trampling by elephants. Among the Corporal Punishments he lists further categories which include: [a] maiming of [i] body parts or [ii] face], [b] torture be it [i] investigative or [ii] punitive, [c] flogging or beating with [i] whip or [ii] switch or [iii] crop, [d] shaming, and [e] imprisonment or banishment.
Of course all these creatively destructive ways of punishing people were in vogue when the modern Universal Declaration of Human Rights were not even formulated let alone enforced. It was left to the discretion of the rulers and their subordinates whom they appointed. This does not mean that Islam did not give any guidance on punishments. It has given punishments that are swift and just. Most of these punishments were aimed at decapitating the criminals, but it was not done to humiliate him or to to degrade him. But what has happened now after the so-called declaration of Human Rights is that human being are deliberately degraded and dehumanized with all sorts of sexual perversions committed in the name of investigative torture so as to extract and exact information from the one who is under police custody. Not only that even the criminal authorities do exercise psychological pressure by hurling insults at his family aimed at morally weakening him. These are not methods that will result in confession. What is obtained from such unfair treatment is coerced statement that amount to nothing but criminal violation.
The zionist did various forms of physical torture against the Palestinians including pulling the finger nails slowly or using electric rod in their private parts. The torture endured by the Africans under the colonialists for their independence and the humiliation of Indian Muslims under the colonialists and their successors are well documented and awaiting justice. Some even make use of chemicals to maim and even kill the opponent by making him suffer a slow and painful death. The cases are the zionists attempt on Khaled Meshaal (Hamas leader) and the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko. These show that how modern science is being abused to harm mankind. They are the people who supplied the dictators with chemical weapons to be dropped on innocent citizens just because they stood to differ and defy the criminal regimes. One may argue that such "non-brutal" way of ending a man's life is better than spilling his blood and that he is given a dignified death. Well, dignity has become a very subjective word.
There are also other forms of torture perpetrated by some sophisticated criminal entities which pride themselves as the champions of the free world and are considered as the darlings of those criminal forces. Their torture is subtle. They engage in psychological pressure with those who dare to differ in opinion. They target not only the person himself but his entire family by denying them decent livelihood and expecting them to kowtow to these criminals for their worldly needs. They even make his relatives look down on him as they exercise absolute control over the system, and the pariahs who headed such criminal entities were decorated as heroes and even given the highest accolade.
So where should the victims go for justice? Should they retaliate physically or resort to violence? or should they name these criminals and shame them internationally? What should be the course of action for these criminal entities? What we are seeing in the International Court of Justice is nothing but travesty of justice that exonerate criminals who have done crimes against human rights to go free for want of proper evidence. How to get evidence when these criminals have kept evidences to themselves or intimidate those who have the evidence with punitive actions? Where is justice? Should those victims suffer in silence for crimes they did not do? All they did was to stand against the evil committed by criminals in the name of national interest. Should these criminal entities be called to account for the crimes they have done? Is Obama action against CIA justified? What will happen to those whose lives have been destroyed by false imprisonment?
I think it is time to rein in these criminal entities and to scrutinize their procedures and hold them accountable under international law. It is time America leads this cleaning up and start paying the compensation for the crime they have done against humanity. Let us give voice to those who lost their voices or whose voices have been silenced by criminal dictators who escape the international justice and those who are still hiding behind official impunity, no matter how high they fly!
READ: OBAMA CONDEMNS CIA TORTURES
While one may contest both the legality and morality of torture committed by the country touted as the beacon of hope for the world oppressed, I have been disturbed by the use of torture by Muslim states since the post-Rashidun caliphate time, as there was no incident of torture during the Prophetic era and that of his successors. But when one reads on the spectacle of revenge that followed these two periods, it will only dwarf the torture of water boarding and other dehumanizing acts committed by the CIA in Guantanamo or Abu Gharib or even in Baghram. The descriptive details of the perversion sends chill down the spine of the reader on the brutality of such inhuman treatments done by one man, or a group of men on another individual or group all in the name of keeping oneself and his gang in power.
In their studies on torture both D. M Rejali's The Birth of Modern Torture and Christian Robert Lange's scholarly work on Punishment Under the Saljuqs there were severe punishments meted out by the State against those who were considered as threats to the State or to the Ruler. Among the Public Executions Lange lists down [a] execution by sword, [b] gibbeting, [c] stoning, [d] drowning, [e] burning, [f] throwing down from heights, [g] suffocating, and [f] trampling by elephants. Among the Corporal Punishments he lists further categories which include: [a] maiming of [i] body parts or [ii] face], [b] torture be it [i] investigative or [ii] punitive, [c] flogging or beating with [i] whip or [ii] switch or [iii] crop, [d] shaming, and [e] imprisonment or banishment.
Of course all these creatively destructive ways of punishing people were in vogue when the modern Universal Declaration of Human Rights were not even formulated let alone enforced. It was left to the discretion of the rulers and their subordinates whom they appointed. This does not mean that Islam did not give any guidance on punishments. It has given punishments that are swift and just. Most of these punishments were aimed at decapitating the criminals, but it was not done to humiliate him or to to degrade him. But what has happened now after the so-called declaration of Human Rights is that human being are deliberately degraded and dehumanized with all sorts of sexual perversions committed in the name of investigative torture so as to extract and exact information from the one who is under police custody. Not only that even the criminal authorities do exercise psychological pressure by hurling insults at his family aimed at morally weakening him. These are not methods that will result in confession. What is obtained from such unfair treatment is coerced statement that amount to nothing but criminal violation.
The zionist did various forms of physical torture against the Palestinians including pulling the finger nails slowly or using electric rod in their private parts. The torture endured by the Africans under the colonialists for their independence and the humiliation of Indian Muslims under the colonialists and their successors are well documented and awaiting justice. Some even make use of chemicals to maim and even kill the opponent by making him suffer a slow and painful death. The cases are the zionists attempt on Khaled Meshaal (Hamas leader) and the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko. These show that how modern science is being abused to harm mankind. They are the people who supplied the dictators with chemical weapons to be dropped on innocent citizens just because they stood to differ and defy the criminal regimes. One may argue that such "non-brutal" way of ending a man's life is better than spilling his blood and that he is given a dignified death. Well, dignity has become a very subjective word.
There are also other forms of torture perpetrated by some sophisticated criminal entities which pride themselves as the champions of the free world and are considered as the darlings of those criminal forces. Their torture is subtle. They engage in psychological pressure with those who dare to differ in opinion. They target not only the person himself but his entire family by denying them decent livelihood and expecting them to kowtow to these criminals for their worldly needs. They even make his relatives look down on him as they exercise absolute control over the system, and the pariahs who headed such criminal entities were decorated as heroes and even given the highest accolade.
So where should the victims go for justice? Should they retaliate physically or resort to violence? or should they name these criminals and shame them internationally? What should be the course of action for these criminal entities? What we are seeing in the International Court of Justice is nothing but travesty of justice that exonerate criminals who have done crimes against human rights to go free for want of proper evidence. How to get evidence when these criminals have kept evidences to themselves or intimidate those who have the evidence with punitive actions? Where is justice? Should those victims suffer in silence for crimes they did not do? All they did was to stand against the evil committed by criminals in the name of national interest. Should these criminal entities be called to account for the crimes they have done? Is Obama action against CIA justified? What will happen to those whose lives have been destroyed by false imprisonment?
I think it is time to rein in these criminal entities and to scrutinize their procedures and hold them accountable under international law. It is time America leads this cleaning up and start paying the compensation for the crime they have done against humanity. Let us give voice to those who lost their voices or whose voices have been silenced by criminal dictators who escape the international justice and those who are still hiding behind official impunity, no matter how high they fly!
READ: OBAMA CONDEMNS CIA TORTURES
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