Outside Reading #6

This is my final post on "Enemy Combatant". In this post I will include the ending of the book, my thoughts on the ending and my thoughts on the whole book in general. So the book ends with Moazzam Begg finally being released. the government releases him from Guantanamo without charge, compensation or an apology. Basically Begg doesn't find out why he just lost three years of his life, he can only except the fact that he was in captivity because, he was muslim and most people think that muslims equal terrorists. The book ends with him reuniting with his family and then meeting with people from M15 and talking about what ahs happened to him. He says that even though what he has been through was terrible, it made him a better person and realizes what can happen in this crazy world. I really enjoyed reading this book and that is a surprise because I don't like that many books. But it really opened my eyes to how you can be punished based on the color of your skin our your heritage, even if you did nothing wrong. I mean I know how we mistreated blacks because of their skin color, but I thought that the nation was past that and we accepted everyone. This book shows how one act of violence by a few people can ruin the life of someone who looks similar to them but is completely innocent. I would recommend this book to anyone, because it gives people a good understanding on the other side of the war on terror.

Outside Reading #5

Now that Begg has been in Guantanamo for some time, escaping seems more of a dream or fantasy than a reality. He has developed a routine in Guantanamo, but he still wants to get out. Even though he has a routine there are things like the occasionally beatings, interrogations and tribunals. The tribunals are something new. The Bush administration chose Begg and five other men in Guantánamo to face military tribunals. He declined to participate and was told that the tribunal would continue without him. It may seem stupid for Begg to refuse because there might be a way out if he does it. But at this point Begg has realized that there really isn't anyway to see freedom and the tribunals would help them more than him. All the Moazzam can do now is wait and pray for them to realize their mistake and release him. There is really nothing more to say about this section of the book, he is still imprisoned and the U.S. is not believing him when he says that he is innocent.

Outside Reading #4

So in the previous post I was confused about why the United States didn't realize their mistake. But now I know that even if they did realize their mistake they couldn't do anything about it. If the U.S. was to release Begg recently after his capture it would look really bad on the United States and Bush. Even though his capture tales place during the height of the war on terrorism, it wouldn't look to good if they released someone who is wrongly accused. I can see where the U.S. government is coming from but it all seems pointless because he is imprisoned there for two years and then rights a whole book about it and makes the U.S. government look even worse. if we released him back in 02 or 03, probably wouldn't have written a book about it. But then again I don't know this and I am assuming this which is what the U.S. did and that didn't really work out for them. Anyways in the book Begg is in Guantanamo and he is still be interrogated and he is still telling the truth, that he doesn't know anything. Also he now knows nothing about his family and we are left to assume that they know nothing that has happened to him.

Outside Reading #3

In this part of the book Moazzam is being transfered from the Pakistanis to Guantanamo. Even though he is being moved he still has not been told why he is in captivity. Begg assumes that his detention was based on fundraising that he did to help Bosnian Muslims in the 1990's, including going on aid caravans to the war-torn region, and a short 1993 visit to a military training camp in Afghanistan.Also Begg ran an Islamic bookstore and was under surveillance by the M15, since the mid-1990's. Still none of this means that he is a terrorist or did nothing wrong. This is very frustrating because. when you read the novel you are on Begg's side and want him to be released so he can go back to his family. Begg has mostly been confronted by Pakistanis up to this point, but now he is being confronted by Americans. Even though we know that they won't help him, Moazzam does and a little part of me does also. I still don't understand why the United States has realized that they got the wrong guy and just let him go. I thought that we were better than this.

Outside Reading #2

This post is pages 1 to 30. Right from the get go this book makes you dislike the U.S. government. The U.S. government with help from the Pakistani government, seized Begg in February of 2002. According to the United States, they arrested him on assumptions that he had relations with Al-Qaeda and he was recruiting other civilians into the group. Begg was kidnapped from his home in the middle of the night and taken to a strange prison like building. He was interrogated many times and each time he told the truth and said he had no connections to Al- Qaeda. All he wanted to know was how his family was doing. they gave him no answers to this question. So far I like this book because the U.S. is so biased and makes us think that most muslims are bad and terrorists. But this book shows us the other side of the war on terror and how the U.S. makes decisions based on assumptions instead of cold hard facts. I think it is scary how the U.S. will kidnap someone based on their thoughts of that person. they should always be a hundred percent positive on who and what they are accusing.

Outside Reading #1

the book that I chose to read was "Enemy Combatant" by Moazzam Begg. this book shows us the story of the other side on America's war on terror. The book is the story of Moazzam Begg, a muslim who was wrongly accused of being a terrorist. Moazzam was placed in Guantanamo Bay and stayed there for two years. He was realeased in 2005 after suffering through over three hundred interogations and witnessess the killings of two detainees. When he was released, he was given no apologizes or reason for release, they just let him go. As soon as I saw the book it sparked an interest in me. And just reading the inside cover intrigued me more. I look forward to read this book and learn about how the American government accused many wrong people and what is wrong with the United States detention system.