Friday, November 16, 2007

The manual for Guantanamo has now been relased and is available for download on PDF format. I've only glanced through various segments and it is interesting how even the most minute of details have been documented. These include everything from how to "reward" detainees, to how to manage their behaviour as well as shower routines, Islamic customs and bizarrely enough, a section on how to handle Christian detainees and a brief breakdown of Christian practices and customs. I have no idea why this was included as I never heard there are Christian detainees. The document is peppered with military abbreviations and reference numbers to obscure forms and procedures, as any standard military document. It even has a "Detainee Behavioral Tracking" sheet (with an American spelling for behavioural of course).

It's basically got everything one needs to run a concentration camp at a base level. Fun for all the family I guess.

6 comments:

saint said...

By the way Wassim, do you know of any Arab or Islamic country complained about the detainees in Guantanamo?
And which is worse to stay there or send them to their own countries?
I wonder?
Second, can we hope for some Arab country to apply those measures, may be it would be a relaxation from the current ones? )

Maysaloon said...

Hello Saint,
It's interesting how you see things, I'm not particularly interested in countries per sec but I do know plenty of Arabs and Muslims who complained about it.
As for which is worse, I'm sure someone as yourself would be terrified of these prospects, but for some of those in there, I don't imagine it makes a difference either way, they're committed to a particular path. So carry on wondering.

With regards to your query on Arab countries applying such measures, well as they say, the dog always wags the tail, the tail never wags the dog, so perhaps your wish might come true. I know you imply the United States is "better" than the Arab countries morally and that we are not in a position to criticise these things. You are wrong. Those petty Arab countries which even I despise, I have more respect for than the United States. They don't pretend to be anything than what they are and in fact, people like yourself and others infatuated with the United States and Western notions of human rights need these countries to make you feel better about yourselves. You need to be able to point your fingers somewhere and say, look, those are the bad guys. So what does that make you? Good? I don't think you are. You just haven't the courage to be who you are.

saint said...

It is interesting how people like you lecture others about right and wrong, and it seems that some convictions and actions are not for questioning, take it or leave and there is no place for disagreement. So, sorry for interrupting you stream of thoughts and your comments on the Guardians.

Thank you sir for enlighten me about the dog and the tail. And who is me to extend your post with insinuation of others more close to us doing the harm and protecting the harm and even doing worse for their own people as you remember Arrar story. And who is me to think that if you want to clean, you should start with your own home first, No, let keep talking about others dirty homes and forget about ours. Next time I will ask for you permission before any comment on your forum, if I dare to write one. But may be I have been taken with the western media, and as you suggest only to feel better about myself, because I’m just a sick person, thank you again sir. But it seems that Taboos and red lines do not allow us to even hint for those ills. I’m going to keep reading the western media, till your organization get big enough to cover the globe and replace the AP.

Maysaloon said...

Saint,
You don't need to get defensive and hurt everytime I attack your ideas, this isn't personal. The fact is that while you perceive the perspective you add as crossing some taboo or redline, it is in fact, the unquestioned and established dialogue against which I don't wish to conform. Far from lecturing you, I'm only trying to understand the perspective of the other which you seem to take for granted as something other than this.

What is your position on Guantanamo, on the subservience of the Arab world to the United States and on issues such as Israel and Iraq. Why shouldn't I comment on an article about Guantanamo when it's very existence negates the very possibility of having a clean home anywhere. How can you tell what a "dirty" house is when you have never seen a "clean" one? How clean should clean be and based on whose standards?

Habibi, the taboo and red lines you mention are still very far away from you, you have much running ahead of you before you can even see them.

Dubai Jazz said...

Saint, I hate to make this sounds like we are ganging up against you; but after reading your two comments, I would really like to know what's your stance on Guantanamo. As far as I am concerned, and since I am fully aware of the not-so-bright track record of the Arab Countries on human rights, I would say that two wrongs doesn't make right. What bad is bad, regardless of who's perpetuating it...

And I am sorry to say this, but your saying that Arab Countries are better off applying these measures is just appalling...

It's the same logic of some Americans when they opined that Iraqis shouldn't complain about Abu ghraib because it was still much better than what they had under Saddam...

nadia said...

I'm not really sure why you wouldn't expect Christians to be detained but yes I have read about it from time to time