Asim Qureshi
Human Rights lawyer and co-Director of Cageprisoners.
Linking Qur’anic and modern conflicts – the Poetry of the Taliban
“We Afghans are very emotional people. Even if these songs go against who I am and what I work for, I still feel something in my chest every time I hear those words being sung.” Felix Kuehn and Alex Strick van Linschoten’s latest contribution to the discussion revolving around the nature and role of the Taliban takes the form of a book of poetry which features work of the Taliban pre and post 11 September 2001. The above quote which they use near the beginning of their introduction, comes from an anti-Taliban government official, who recognises the emotion and sentiment…
Hypocrisy Continues to Fuel the Fires
Within the space of 18 days, the second West sponsored dictator in the Middle East succumbed to the will of his people. Comments filtered in from world leaders that this was a victory for the Egyptian people and how they wished that it would lead to a democratic rule. It was inevitable that the ‘d’ word would rear its head. However western governments should not mistake what has taken place here, this has not been about democracy – but rather about dignity for the people. For too long have the Middle East has been spared criticisms of its…
Know Your Rights: What to do when MI5 come knocking on your door
Since the start of the War on Terror, there has been consistent harassment of the Muslim community – and several non-Muslims too – by security agencies in the UK and abroad. There are many who will tell stories of how they were questioned by MI5, MI6, Special Branch and even the SAS while they were being tortured and mistreated by various security agencies abroad. Unfortunately in those circumstances, those people had absolutely no ability to exercise their rights in any way – for those who were complicit in their abuse, should have been the ones to protect them. For those…
Fool me Once, Shame on You; Fool me Twice, Shame on Me
On the 9th anniversary of Guantanamo Bay, the world is left wondering if we have not been deceived by the Obama administration’s promise to close the detention camps. That promise came two years ago, and since that time, Barack Hussain Obama has often referred to the closure of the base in the past tense, “I closed Guantanamo”. It turns out that for many around the world, the desire to believe that Obama would bring real change was all too strong. 10 years of Bush had left the world with a real sense of change. Unfortunately the detention camps still remain…
The ‘Obama doctrine’: kill, don’t detain
In 2001, Charles Krauthammer first coined the phrase "Bush Doctrine", which would later become associated most significantly with the legal anomaly known as pre-emptive strike. Understanding the doctrine with hindsight could lead to a further understanding of the legacy that the former administration left – the choice to place concerns of national security over even the most entrenched norms of due process and the rule of law. It is, indeed, this doctrine that united people across the world in their condemnation of Guantánamo Bay. The ambitious desire to close Guantánamo hailed the coming of a new era, a feeling implicitly…
Jihad – The Solution?
The counter-terrorism policies that are being suggested in the wake of the attempted attack by Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalib are indicative of a return to the Bush/Blair style policies that have led to the intense criminalisation and marginalisation of Muslims around the world. Instead of the question ‘why?’ being put forward, we are all dragooned into an iron fist response. Already motions have been made towards an ‘intervention’ in Yemen as well as an assault on our collective privacy with body scanners and techniques such as profiling, to be used in order to try and catch suspected terrorists. The rationale or…
Clarification on Counter-Terrorism Collaboration
This clarification has been written in the wake of a number of requests that have been received asking for clarification on the role of Muslim leadership in collaborating with the security services and police in counter-terrorism efforts in the UK. This document specifically analyses the political aspects of this issue and in particular the consequences that may arise from any form of cooperation. Cageprisoners has the specific remit of dealing with human rights issues in the ‘War on Terror’, with a specialisation on the detention of individuals held beyond recognised systems of law. As an organisation, we now have six…
Is halting Guantánamo trials enough?
Within hours of taking office, President Barack Hussein Obama has issued an order to stop the military tribunals at Guantánamo Bay in order to review and possible overhaul them. Many would have hoped that the decision would have gone well beyond a mere review of the Military Commissions' process. However there has been a clear message that justice will be provided to the detainees. The projected aim of the new administration to close the base has been declared a triumph from those in his camp. Although the human rights community has welcomed this position despite its delayed arrival, there are…
Maqasid and Mill: A Comparison of Basic Justice
Introduction Studies relating to the value of Muslims to British society have pushed forward one generally accepted paradigm: that the Muslim community has not accepted the value system of British society and thus does not subscribe to concept of Britishness. Serious questions can be raised regarding the worth of such an exercise, especially when the divergent views, evolution and demographics of the Muslim people are considered. The wave of anti-terrorism legislation only helps to promulgate such a fallacy by attempting to marginalise certain segments and communities of society. If general acceptance was, however, given to such a study, the next…
