Write to Eesa Barot

Please write to brother Eesa Barot. The following information MUST be included in any correspondence (Eid cards etc), otherwise mail is sent to the prison which Eesa is unable to receive.

1) Name and prisoner number

2) Address of prison

3) A return address and the name of the sender

Eesa Barot A6317AC

HMP Full Sutton
E Wing
Moor Lane
Stamford Bridge
York
YO41 1PS

The Story of the Brown Box

by Dr. Aafia’s brother.

This is the true story of a Brown Box.  An ordinary cardboard box. Not too big, not too small. Nothing special. It was the kind of an everyday box used to package every thing from priceless objects to toilet paper.

A few months ago, I came home one evening to find this box waiting at my front door. It was odd.  I had not ordered anything by mail and was not expecting any other delivery. Unfortunately, these days, finding an unexpected box is more cause for fear than curious excitement.

But then I noticed on the side it had printed in large writing a name and a number in one of the best examples of penmanship I have seen in years.  The name was one I recognized. I was momentarily paralyzed.  How or why would someone send this package to me.

I took the Box inside and did not know what to do with it.  I was both apprehensive and curious.  I checked with lawyers and friends. But for some time I just let it sit there in the entry way in my home and every day when I came home the box stared at me and I knew I wanted to open it.  I mention this dilemma this only to illustrate how the events of the past 6 ½ years have shaped our lives and how routine, simple actions can become a complex ordeal filled with suspicion, apprehension, anxiety and anticipation all rolled into one.

Getting back to the box. Finally, one day I decided to open the box.  Nothing special or auspicious about the day.  Just another day but it seemed that it was time.  With camera and video in witness, the tape sealing the box was cut and the lids carefully opened.

Inside the box the contents were sloppily thrown in – a marked contrast to the neatness of the handwriting that adorned the front of the box.  Surely different people must have handled the contents and the labeling.  No one could be both that rash and sensitive at the same time.

As I slowly removed the contents, one by one, my hands trembled.  There were two folded white scarves, several envelopes, writing pads with half written thoughts as if the pads were snatched in mid sentence.  There were letters from people from as far afield as Australia and Hawaii, from Pakistan and Arkansas.  And there were partially written letters to people who would now never get them even though the stamps were right there. And incomplete poems for which we would not know the ending. There were articles from magazines carefully clipped to highlight what? It would not be known. In the middle of this there was a Quran thrown in the pile.  It had been meticulously tagged by its reader who would no longer be able to use these references.

The rest of the box contained items of food – from tea bags to cookies, sealed fish and snacks. Sustenance no longer destined for the person who stored it.

I went through the items carefully at first, almost scientifically, as if handling a lost treasure, cataloging what I found.  But soon, as the items became personal, the reality of what I had in my hands hit me – and it hit hard.

You see the box had come from Carswell Medical Center in Fort Worth Texas and the name on the side was that of my sister Aafia, # 90279-054
This box contained all that remained of the worldly belongings of Aafia’s life. This is what she accumulated during the 8 months at the institution known as the “House of Horrors”. It hit me that without warning, one day someone took her away.  She had no time to complete tasks, letters, consume a special treat or send a last letter.  All her belongings, both of her scarves and her beloved Quran were all left behind.

She was strip searched naked and taken away with nothing but her body.

And I was reminded of what it must be like to die.  All the things that are left undone.  The things we think we will finish the next moment or the next day.  The favorite clothes, the favorite book, the favorite meal. In the end when they take you, it is you alone they take.

For a while, I could think of nothing else.  And then I realized that for Aafia, this was probably just another case of dé jà vu.

Back in March 2003, Aafia had her whole life snatched away when she and her three young children were summarily disappeared from the streets of Karachi.  How must that have felt?  You lose the “things” most precious to you – even more precious than your own life? – Your children, the youngest only 6 months old.

We don’t know much of what Aafia endured between then and when she suddenly emerged in Ghazni in July last year.  But there again, she was shot and everything in her possession taken from her –  and for a second time she lost her son – a son whom she was not sure was even alive anymore and had been reunited with only a short time earlier – and who did not recognize her as his mother.

So you see, Aafia has experienced the feeling of “death” over and over again. No wonder she says they have “killed” me. Every time they “transfer” her, it is akin to dying. Only she is forced to wake up and the nightmare continues. <Edit> When is it enough? Or is this all a lesson for others to see?

I used to think Aafia meant the phrase “killed me” in a metaphorical sense but now I see it as a much more physical expression. Just imagine how many times this may have happened over the years of her captivity when we have witnessed it at least three times in the “open” non-secret captivity of the past year. And there is the brown box that testifies to it.

Yes, back to the Brown Box.  Because the story does not end here.  That Box stayed in the entry, contents placed back inside. Then one day I saw the box and thought of the Pharaohs and how they built Pyramids to carefully store the contents of the world that they would take with them on the journey beyond death.  How meticulous the exterior architecture but equally haphazard the interior chambers and the storing of the food… clothes… ornaments…

So too the brown box – simple clean exterior with meticulous writing and an interior haphazardly packed with the tools of life.

But there was a difference – a big difference between the pyramids of the pharaohs and the Brown Box of Aafia.  The one was planned. The other reflects reality of how life ends abruptly.  In reality, even the Pharaohs would have had a brown box that collected their daily unfinished business because while they could prepare for death, they could not predict its time.

By now the Brown Box was becoming an eyesore in the entry and the kids were asking too many questions so I took it up to the attic to store it. Here it found company among many other brown boxes that contained pieces of my life, forgotten memories and material possessions that I had not seen in years and probably will not even remember until and if I see them again.  But I hang on to them as if they and I will someday re-live the “good old days.”

And it struck me that I had dozens of brown boxes and they only filled the forgotten pieces of my life and here was Aafia’s one Brown box that was now representative of her entire life. But she is alive so she will accumulate more “stuff”.  But how many more times will these be taken away? How many more deaths? How many more Brown boxes?

I left the Brown Box in the Attic but had trouble sleeping until one morning I woke up and brought it back down and placed it in my study – out of the way but in full view of where I sit every day.  You see, I could not just put away Aafia’s life in the Attic and let it become another forgotten piece of my life.  I have to see it every day because my sister is in my thoughts every day and as long as she is alive the Brown Box will be waiting so she may complete those letters, those poems and drink that tea.

So, for now, the story remains incomplete, waiting for an ending… with a prayer that God will make it a happy one.

Source: Freeaafia.org

The Abandonment of Tarek Mehanna

When Tarek Mehanna was arrested, many muslims online rightly felt that this was a sham arrest, full of inconsistencies and a blatant attempt to “stitch up” a practising muslim brother whose only crime was to speak the word of tawheed and adhere to the sunnah. I say “many muslims” rather than “all” because there was a small minority who did not. It saddens me to say that one of those minorities was “muslim matters”, a blog of American muslims closely aligned to the Maghrib Institute and Yasir Al-Qadhi. In their vile diatribe, there were many falsehoods and accusations present, as well as subtle associations being made between Tarek and terrorism. In particular, the following paragraph :- “While Tarek might have argued for the differentiation between legitimate resistance and terrorism against innocents, it is quite clear that he chose to ignore defining what differentiates the two groups.” This statement could have been written by the district attorney in their affidavit, rather than a professedly muslim organisation. What is far worse is that some on muslimmatters actually know Tareq personally, and to commit such a cowardly attack is surely the lowest of acts. They then state :- “We at MuslimMatters have always refused to let our emotions cloud our objectivity. Many people the world over are skeptical of the foreign policies of the superpowers, but we believe that the best and most effective way to change those policies is through education and dialogue, not violence and terror.” This again implies that Tarek on the contrary believes that terror changes the world! Could anyone possibly make a more damaging statement when the brother is falsely accused of terrorism charges? Is it so hard to remain silent if one does not have anything good to say? What is worse is that Muslimatters will know completely of all his good deeds. They know his work for muslim prisoners, including Aafia Siddiqui, who would undoubtedly still be rotting in a secret detention centre were it not for the hard work that both Tareq and others did in publicising the case so that it was brought into the public domain. They will know of his work translating the great works of the past into English language, for those who do not know Arabic and thus face a dearth of knowledge were it not for brothers like Tareq. They will also know more of his work helping those with fantastic naseehah of Hajj, Ramadan, and general heart-softeners. I could go on, but they know the brothers good deeds far more than I do, as they had befriended him, then they abandoned him in his hour of need. It was all the more disgusting that the author of the article chose to hide behind the name of the organisation, which to me and others indicate that this is nothing more than untrustworthy slander, and reminds one of the Pravda news agency in the USSR, who would release false statements against their dissenting voices in order to discredit their fellow citizens. I would also point to their own praise for journalists in the west from a previous article on muslimmatters:- “In fact, principled journalists are some of the best sources of real information about these issues. They write under their own names, with a sincere commitment to objectivity, with their professional reputation at stake for any missteps.” How sad it is that Muslimmatters whilst praising the journalism of the west in theory, resort to the gutter press in reality, hiding behind a label as if it is a cloak to save one from accusations of slander. In the Quran, it states :- “O you who believe! be maintainers of justice, bearers of witness of Allah’s sake, though it may be against your own selves or (your) parents or near relatives; if he be rich or poor, Allah is nearer to them both in compassion; therefore do not follow (your) low desires, lest you deviate; and if you swerve or turn aside, then surely Allah is aware of what you do” ( Chapter 4, Verse 135 ) “And do not incline to those who are unjust, lest the fire touch you, and you have no guardians besides Allah, then you shall not be helped.” (Chapter 11, Verse 113) I now close with words and naseehah with regards abandonment of muslim brothers and sisters from those who truly strived for the deen, the prophet(saw) and the companions (ra), and finally quotes by those who truly deserve to be labelled scholars, rather than those pretenders and charlatans at Muslimmatters :- ‘The Muslim is the brother of Muslim he neither oppresses him, nor does he fail him..” (Muslim) “Whoever protects the honour of his brother, Allah will protect his face from hell on the Day of Judgment. (Ahmad) “If you see my Ummah afraid of addressing the oppressor as an oppressor, then bid farewell to it.” (Ahmad) “He who amongst you sees something abominable should modify it with the help of his hand; and if he has not strength enough to do it, then he should do it with his tongue, and if he has not strength enough to do it, (even) then he should (abhor it) from his heart, and that is the least of faith.” (Muslim) “Allah commands His believing servants to stand up for justice and fairness and not to deviate from it, right or left. They should not fear the blame of anyone or allow anyone to prevent them from doing something for the sake of Allah.” Ibn Kathir “Ibn Jarir said that Ibn `Abbas said, “Do not side with those who do wrong.” This is a good statement. This means, “Do not seek assistance from wrongdoers, because it will be as if you are condoning their actions (of evil).” Ibn Kathir I pray that Muslimmatters recant their false statements, support their muslim brother Tarek Mehanna, and press for his release as any other muslim will be. Umar Abdullah Source: helptheprisoners.org // <![CDATA[// // <![CDATA[//

You Need To Read This

For just a moment, I’d like to ask you to place yourself in my brother’s situation. You have a bright future as a pharmacist earning six figures. You come from a cushy life, no debt, and you have a pretty comfortable future to look forward to. The FBI approaches you and gives you this choice: “help us by informing on people in your community and we’ll reward you very well. Refuse to help us and we will make your life a living hell.”

Think about that for a second. Imagine if you had it made, and all of a sudden your entire future was threatened. My brother is facing life in prison now and his pending conviction means he can never work as a pharmacist in the states again. All he has to do is agree to inform and ALL OF THIS will DISAPPEAR. And yet he CONTINUES to refuse to, because it is flat out wrong. Who knows, maybe if he agreed, it would be YOU that got screwed from it, because as my brother’s case should show you, informants are really good at making stories up. After all, the FBI pays them $60,000 a year + housing and relocation to do it. It really doesn’t matter if you did anything wrong or not anymore. It’s all politics for the FBI, and they’re looking for glory.

My brother’s behavior is the exception in this type of situation. A lot of people end up making deals with the FBI. They figure, who cares, i’ll help them bust somebody I don’t even know, what do I care… it’s my future, gotta look out for #1. I want you to ask yourself if you would have the strength to make the right decision there. My brother did. And it could have been you, one of your close friends, or your family members that was spared this type of experience because my brother made the right decision. But now, he needs you to make the right decision. He needs you to do the responsible thing, and support him for what he is enduring as a result of protecting you. Because if people do not show their support for him after all of this, then the next guy that gets approached by the FBI like this will figure, “Why should I do the right thing? Last guy that did the right thing was thrown to the dogs. I gotta look out for myself.” We simply cannot afford to encourage that kind of behavior in our community. We need to help each other and protect each other. The FBI is not out for justice; they are out for blackmail and their favorite strategy is to turn people against one another. We simply CANNOT afford to be afraid to support each other.

One way or another, Allah will be the final adjudicator in this case, as He is in all cases. I trust in Allah and believe that He will have mercy on us. You just need to decide where YOU stand on things. Tariq has made his choice, and anybody with greater intellect or reasoning capabilities than a 1st grader can see through the RIDICULOUS story that the FBI “alleges.” You need to make your choice now. I urge you to make the right choice, and for the sake of my brother and the good of our communities, whether they be Islamic or non-Islamic, to support us at the upcoming hearing in person. Thanks for reading this.

Source: Tamer Mehanna (Free Tareq Mehanna)

Free Tareq Mehanna Official Facebook Group:

Tariq Mehanna is a 27 year old Muslim Egyptian American born and raised in the United States. Highly educated, Tariq holds a doctorate in pharmacy from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. He is a devout and tolerant Muslim who is not only respected in the local Islamic and interfaith communities, but who also gives back to his Islamic community by fulfilling the roles of brother, educator, mentor, scholar, and friend. Tariq is described by those who know him well as humble, reserved, warm, peaceful, intelligent, knowledgeable, reflective, pragmatic, dedicated, and straightforward. He is a person with strong ethical values who refuses to compromise on them regardless of the circumstances. It is unfortunate then that this customarily admirable trait plays a role in his current situation.

Several years ago, the Boston FBI began to approach Tariq. They recognized that he was a religious Muslim who was active in the local Islamic community, had earned the respect of many, and was beloved to the youth. The FBI recognized in Tariq an individual who is intelligent, charismatic, influential and trusted by many in the local Islamic community. They decided that they wanted Tariq on their side, and began to approach him in an effort to recruit him as an informant. Their objective was to secure Tariq as a tool to corroborate any FBI claims or accusations against members of the community that might arise, at the discretion of the FBI. Of course, Tariq flat out refused to backstab his fellow Muslim brothers and sisters, a decision that did not sit well at all with the FBI.

The FBI then proceeded to repeatedly approach Tariq over the coming months, each time pressuring him more and more to collaborate with them. This pressure most often came in the form of blackmail; Tariq was told that unless he consented to cooperating with the FBI, they would continue finding new ways to disrupt his life and to deprive him of a sense of security. He was told outright by interrogators that they knew he was innocent, but that they would not be satisfied with his refusal to cooperate. Regardless of whether their methods were unethical, coercive, or failed to respect his civil rights, the FBI were quite fortunate in catching an opportunity to arrest Tariq in 2008 based on a weak accusation of issuing “false statements” to a federal officer. After two months of imprisonment, his court-appointed attorney, Jay Carney, jr., was able to negotiate a bail settlement of $1,250,000. Tariq was subsequently released after this absurdly inflated amount was paid by his parents, who were desperate to have him return home safely.

Tariq did return home for nearly a year, living a quiet life, restricted by a court-ordered curfew, and monitored by FBI investigators. In the meantime, the case against him, based on “false testimony” charges, began to stagnate, and court dates were far and in between with no advances made by the FBI. Over time, the Mehanna family began to finally feel a sense of restored normalcy and stability in their lives. This feeling was suddenly and violently shattered during the fajr hours of September 21st, 2009, when FBI agents showed up at the Mehanna home doorstep at 5:00AM in the morning. Despite the lack of ANY new evidence since the prior arrest, the agents came with an arrest warrant. According to Dr. Ahmed Mehanna, Tariq’s father, the agents were visibly excited and enthusiastic about their invasion of the Mehanna private household and the seizure and arrest of Tariq. The situation facing Tariq now is one where his second arrest means that there is no chance for bail. Tariq is currently incarcerated at the Plymouth Correctional Facility, where he is expected to remain for the several year duration of a new trial based on outright FALSE AND LUDICROUSE accusations of aiding and abetting terrorism. He currently faces LIFE IN PRISON if convicted guilty in a trial by grand jury. We must offer our greatest support and most dedicated effort if there is to be hope of Tariq’s release. Thank you for taking the time to read this history, and we are confident that you will share our knowledge of Tariq’s innocence. In addition, it is our sincere hope that the United States justice system remain true to its “innocent until proven guilty” origins, and for Tariq to receive a fair and just trial.

Source: Tamer Mehanna (Free Tareq Mehanna)

Holy Land Foundation defendant’s family unhappy with prison treatment

Noor Elashi, daughter of Ghassan Elashi (pictured at right), who was sentenced to 65 years in prison earlier this year for supporting Hamas through the formerly Richardson-based Holy Land Foundation, says that a guard at the Seagoville federal prison has treated her father unfairly.

According to Noor, the guard has recommended Elashi’s family visits be suspended for a year and that he be placed in what amounts to solitary confinement because of an incident during a family visit last month.

Jeff Butler, a spokesman for the Seagoville prison, declined to comment. “We can’t discuss an inmate’s disciplinary history.”

HOLY LAND POLITICAL PRISONER MISTREATED BY PRISON GUARD

In a blatant display of authority abuse, a prison guard at the Seagoville Detention Center near Dallas, Texas abused his power this weekend by requesting to terminate one of the Holy Land Five’s family visitations for one year. Ghassan Elashi, a Palestinian-American post-9/11 political prisoner who’s serving a 65-year-sentence for giving charity to needy Palestinians, is being punished for hugging his son earlier this month.

As visitation ended on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009, correctional officer T. Thomas told inmates to stand on one side of the room and their families to stand on the other side. As the group began dispersing, Mr. Elashi’s 9-year-old son Omar ran to his father to give him one final hug. Officer Thomas immediately spewed, “That goes for you too Elashi. What, you think you’re an exception?”

Mr. Elashi’s son Omar has Down syndrome, which is a chromosomal disorder characterized by delayed physical development and mental retardation. That said, officer Thomas should be the one penalized for his actions, which were not only highly offensive but outright immoral, says Mr. Elashi’s daughter Noor, a Creative Writing MFA student in New York City.

“Instead, he’s painted himself as the victim, claiming that my dad did not obey him,” Noor said. “We live in a time in this country where a man gets thrown in prison for feeding orphans and then further chastised for giving his son a hug.”

Officer Thomas also requested that Mr. Elashi be allowed to make only two phone calls a month and that he be placed in the SHU, or Special Housing Unit, for an unknown period. The SHU was designed to make inmates physically and physiologically crack by placing them in a cold, dark, tiny cell for 23 hours a day.

Observers familiar with prison conditions and rules have asserted that the treatment meted out to Mr. Elashi is extremely unusual, harsh and inhumane.

Background on the Case

The Holy Land Foundation was the largest Muslim charity in America until the Bush administration shut it down three months after Sept. 11, 2001. They Holy Land Five were tried in 2007 and almost vindicated with a trial that ended in a hang jury. But in November 2008, after being tried a second time, a Texas jury convicted the Holy Land Five of giving material support in the form of humanitarian aid to Palestinian charities that were allegedly controlled by Hamas–these are some of the same charities to which the United Nations and USAID sent money.

William Neal, who served on the first jury, said, “They never proved — they kept trying to show us stuff around the case, not the case. They presented to the jury, you know these committees, these organizations controlled by or on the behalf of Hamas, but they kept showing us blown-up buses and they kept showing us little kids in bomb belts reenacting Hamas leaders,” he said. “It had nothing to do with the actual charges. It had nothing to do with the defendants.” To learn more about Holy Land Foundation case, visit www.freedomtogive.com

TAKE ACTION

Call the South Central Regional Office of the Federal Bureau of Prisons: 214-224-3389. You can also write them: 4211 Cedar Springs Rd, Dallas, TX 75219 or email them: scro/execassistant@bop.gov. Ask that Mr. Elashi regain his family visitations and daily phone calls and that he be released from the Special Housing Unit. Ask why Mr. Elashi is being punished for hugging his son.

Organize protests to free the Holy Land Five, who were falsely convicted in November of sending humanitarian aid to Palestinian charities allegedly controlled by Hamas. The Holy Land Five are the poster children for post 9/11 injustice. Source: Dallas News