Americas

Aafia Siddiqui does not need tears or sympathy – she needs a Khaleefah to defend her honour

It comes as no surprise to hear that the daughter of the Ummah of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم has been sentenced to 86 years in prison in a Manhattan court. The leader of the ‘civilized’ world, the United States of America conjoined with its slave, Pakistan, has displayed an abysmal show of justice. One perhaps should not be wholly surprised at such a sentence, for this sham of a trial epitomises everything that is flawed with the War On Terror.  

The fact that Bagram airbase, Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib (amongst others) carried out systematic torture and rape amongst the prisoners is no surprise as Capitalism has a degenerate tendency and will refer to extreme measures to maintain its global stranglehold. The same can be said of other man made systems for Communist Russia was renowned for its brutal tactics against political and ideological opponents.  Furthermore, the Jahilliya of Quraishi society unleashed its wrath upon the noble Sahaba (RA) because there aspirations were to make the deen of Allah Swt the highest. Bilal ibn Raba (ra) would have huge rocks placed on his chest and yet would still shout, ‘Ahad! Ahad!’. Ammar ibn Yasir (ra) would be whipped with such ferocity that blood would flow out of his body. Upon seeing this scene, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم wept as he could not intervene but said words that softened his heart and strengthened his resolve.

‘Oh family of Yasir, have patience for your reward is Jannah!’

Therefore, one must not overlook the fact that the trials and tests that afflict the sons and daughters of this Ummah at the behest of the kuffar are of no fundamental difference to the actions taken by the Quraishi leaders all those centuries ago because, like the Quraish, the current rulers of today have been unable to intellectually counter the revival of Islam so the most horrendous and heart rendering forms of torture are employed.

Aafia Siddiqui (May Allah give her sabr) is not the first to suffer because she is a noble Muslimah, for the first martyr in Islam was Syeda Sumayyah Bint Khabbab (ra) who was tied to the floor and Abu Jahl killed her by stabbing her in the private parts, simply because she upheld the truth, that Allah سبحانه وتعالى is one and Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم is his Messenger.

It is therefore imperative that one views the farcical trial against sister Aafia as part of a global concerted effort against the deen of Allah سبحانه وتعالى – an effort that is designed to extinguish the light of Islam from this dunya. One doesn’t need to give countless examples of how the dictators of the Muslim World are backed by the West, how occupation of Palestine is tolerated and condoned, how squandering of Muslim wealth is overlooked and how hideous modes of torture are practiced under the guise of extraordinary rendition. As Muslims, we know our realities all too well, however, the sad fact is that there are countless men, women and children weeping in the dungeons of the tyrannical rulers because they have nobody to protect them and Aafia Siddiqui is suffering and experiencing the nasty brunt of having no protection.

Overview of events leading to her incarceration

In March 2003, Aafia was arrested by Pakistani agents and at the behest of the traitor Pervez Musharaf, was transferred to Bagram airbase in Afghanistan where she received American hospitality that included physical abuse, torture and rape which she endured for years. At this point, she came to be known as the ‘Grey lady of Bagram’ as her screams and sobs could be heard throughout the night due to rape and torture.

Her imprisonment was denied by both Pakistani and American agencies until media reports brought her case to the surface, at which point she was conveniently regarded as being involved in terrorism and a fictitious story was mustered against her claiming that she wrestled a rifle off a U.S soldier and attempted to shoot at American soldiers.

On 7th August 2008 an article in the The News exposed some of the treatment Aafia had been subjected to whilst in American custody.

  • one of her kidneys had been removed
  • her teeth had been removed
  • her nose had been broken, and improperly reset
  • her recent gunshot wound had been incompetently dressed, was oozing blood, leaving her clothes soaked with blood.

In August 11, 2008, a Reuters report stated that she had appeared at her court hearing in a wheelchair, and that her lawyers pleaded with the judge to make sure she received medical care. Elizabeth Fink, one of her lawyers, told the Judge:

“She has been here, judge, for one week and she has not seen a doctor, even though they (U.S. authorities) know she has been shot.”

Such accounts would bring tears to anybody with an ounce of Iman in their heart. However, the stark reality is that tears are not going to help sister Aafia. In order to understand this point better, one needs to deeply reflect upon a particular time in history when a Muslim woman was captured by the Romans in a place called Amuriyyah. Not content with only capturing her they tried to dishonour her as well. Frightened and alone she called out the name of the Khaleefah, “[Ya Mu’tasim] Oh Mu’tasim.” A man witnessed this incident and rushed to the Khaleefah informing him of what had happened. When he heard the plight of this woman he responded bravely, “Labbaik [I am here at your call].” It is narrated that he was drinking water from a cup and upon hearing the news that a woman was shouting his name, he immediately put the cup down and commanded to deploy a massive army to retaliate against the Romans.

Another profound example of such competence is the response of Hajjaj ibn Yusuf Ath Thaqafi to the cries of men, women and children who were captured by pirates as a Muslim merchant ship was sailing back from the Indian coast. They were taken inland to Sindh and imprisoned.  Hajjaj was the Umayyad governor of Iraq and when reports reached him of this incident, he wrote to Raja Dahir (ruler of the region) demanding that the captives be released and the responsible pirates punished but Dahir refused. This refusal led to warfare as it was the responsibility of the Khilafah to protect its citizens. Hajjaj dispatched an army of 7,000 seasoned cavalrymen under one of the greatest Generals, Muhammed bin Qasim, a man of the tender age of 17. Despite the fact that Hajjaj was well known for his tyranny, he still felt the need to send an entire cavalry to free the prisoners. It makes one wonder how down trodden the Muslim rulers have become, as they do not even utter a word of condemnation or threat at the appalling way sister Aafia has been treated.

We pray to Allah سبحانه وتعالى that he revives this noble Ummah once again and brings forth a man from amongst us who will carry the shield of Khilafah and protect the vulnerable and the oppressed amongst us. Ameen,

“The Imam is like a shelter for whose safety the Muslims should fight and where they should seek protection.” [Sahih Al Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 204]