As salaamu alaykum, Indiana—
I just needed to make sure you saw this:
President Biden has said he intends to permanently close the prison at Guantánamo Bay, but those words must match with urgent action before another year comes and goes.
Since 2002, the U.S. has imprisoned nearly 800 Muslim men and boys at Guantánamo.
Today, 40 men remain. Most have never been charged with a crime, and none have had access to a fair trial.
Torture has been a common experience. All have suffered from the physical and psychological effects of indefinite detention for over a decade. A number of men have even been approved for transfer by the government, yet political delays have kept them languishing behind bars.
Below is a message we sent earlier this year from Mansoor Adayfi, a survivor of the Guantánamo Bay military prison who spent 14 years there. It tells you all you need to know about why this is so important — if you still haven't added your name, please keep reading.
Thank you for everything you do.
In solidarity,
Sijal, Lau, Linda and the MPower Change team
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Mansoor Adayfi, via MPower Change <info@mpowerchange.org>
Date: Mon, May 10, 2021
Subject: Sign the petition: Urge Biden to take action to close Guantánamo prison
As salaamu alaykum, Indiana—
I'm Mansoor Adayfi, otherwise known as "441"-- my internment serial number (ISN) at the Guantánamo Bay military prison where I spent over 14 terrible years of my life.
I wrote more about my story in my forthcoming book, Don't Forget Us Here: Lost and Found at Guantánamo.
I was sold to the U.S.for a bounty and sent to Guantánamo where I was imprisoned from 2002 to 2016. To this day I still don't know why I was imprisoned and haven't seen justice. My story is just one of many. Nearly 800 Muslims have been imprisoned there since Guantánamo opened. Forty men remain.
I always think of my brothers who are still imprisoned, especially so during this holy blessed month of Ramadan. I know firsthand their struggles.
At Guantánamo, the men are cut off from their families and the world. They have no rights, and are not even recognized by some as human beings. Within Guantánamo's cages and its bare cells, I grew from a young boy of 18 years old into a man who starved for freedom: I always wondered: Has the world forgotten us here? Is there justice left in this world? Will I see it one day?
Add your name: Urge President Biden to keep his promise to close Guantánamo prison.
The world is ugly and dark without justice. Justice is the beauty of this world and of this life. At Guantánamo "justice" means hope, freedom, and being able to fully live one's life.
The long years of isolation and torture corroded the word "justice" for us, so much so that we almost lost touch with its meaning. Justice may seem like a simple word, but it's a critical balance for our lives, for this world, and the whole universe. Blindly tipping the balance of justice one way leads to destruction, death, and chaos.
Guantánamo opened nearly twenty years ago, and has become a stark symbol of torture, injustice, lawlessness, indefinite detention, a death sentence, and the abuse of power. President Biden has said his administration is committed to closing the prison. Join me in urging him to take the steps to do so.
Your voice can go a long way: Call on Biden to shut down the military prison once and for all.
Thank you for taking this action.
May Allah bless you.
Mansoor Adayfi
P.S. - You can learn more about my story here: Don't Forget Us Here: Lost and Found at Guantánamo
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