Our lovely MP, Mohammed Khalid, has been running around for a while pushing efforts to free our Bahraini captives in Guantanamo Bay. All good and dandy. We appreciate your efforts, and I don't think anyone should be subject to the cruel trial-less ordeals of Guantanamo.
Now that five of them have been freed and back to Bahrain, life isn't exactly easy. I'm sure finding a job is difficult; considering a large number of degree holding energetic graduates find it hard to find a job here, a previously detained prisoner must find it even harder. I'm also sure some of them have families and need to financially support them. Great. Give them a small basic salary for now until they manage to secure a job, or save up enough to launch a small business to support themselves, and so on.
But Mohammed Khalid decides that, for all their suffering, they should each recieve BD50,000. That's 5 of them. Thats a total of a quarter of a million BD. Oh, and I guess he's also having thoughts about providing them with a job, as well as a car.
Well excuuuuuuuse me? I understand they have been subjected to torture and hard times, I understand they've been through a lot. I'm glad they're back, and I figure the government should have a hand in helping them support themselves until they manage to stand on their own feet. I figure a reasonable salary is good to help them out. Perhaps even some sort of housing, if needed.
Sure, some people went out and studied hard, paid for an education, can't find a job to support themselves, and remain unemployed for months. Some families have been waiting 10 years or more and still don't have permanent housing (let alone a subsidy from the government to help them out with rent and so on). But still, the released prisoners have suffered enough, and they should get all that; but not only that, they should get BD50,000 each. Many of our working population recieve 300 or 400 dinars a month. Let's even say 500; the total amount equates to around 8 and a half years of that salary. That's not exactly a small amount, and i'm sure there are a lot of other people out there who deserve this amount a lot more than some of these detainees.
Now, don't get me wrong, but i'm sure that at least some of these people were captured for a reason; emoodz.com talks about one of the detainees in more detail. Now, we're not even certain why they were captured, or very clear on their background and whether they are totally innocent. And they are suspected terrorists after all. I don't think they should be subjected to Guantanamo; I think they should be subjected to a fair trial, where all evidence is brought up, and then a decision is made. Now that they're back in Bahrain, everything they've ever done wrong, if any, will be ignored and they'll be treated like heroes, and given ridiculous sums of money they really didn't deserve in the first place. Especially if they did have some sort of involvment in terrorist activities (which we still aren't sure of).
I guess i'm angry here because i've had to work my butt off looking for a good job, save up enough money to build my own place, watch people around me (family and friends) deal with low salaries, increasing costs of living, housing problems, knowing that all of these people are very hard workers, who actually deserve a lot better. And i've worked on the front lines in banks where I see lots of poor people; citizens of this country who earn 200 dinars a month, 150 dinars a month, and some who recieve subsidies of only 60 dinars once every two months. And now we have MP's who, after doing very little to improve the welfare of our citizens, are planning on throwing comparatively huge sums of money at people who may or may not have had any involvement in certain terrorist activities?
Gimme a break! This was not why we voted for you!
Bay victims may get BD50,000
23 August 2007
FIVE Bahrainis released from Guantanamo Bay may each soon receive a BD50,000 grant from the government. MP Mohammed Khalid, who has been at the forefront of efforts to free the captives, plans to raise the issue in the next session of parliament, which begins in October.
It is crucial the men receive compensation for the suffering and torture they were forced to endure in the US prison camp and so they are able to financially support their families, he told the GDN.
"The government must give them something," said Mr Khalid.
"Look at what the government of Saudi Arabia has given Juma - a car, monthly allowance, help to find a job and get married."
Full Article
10 comments:
I certainly hope you did not vote for him.
The reality is that these people are all terrorists or at the very least have endorsed the barbaric acts of those who committed 9/11 and brought us all shame.
They are a liability to the country from a security perspective and a reputational one. The fact that there were Bahrainis at Guantanamo is a disaster! These people have no idea how they have dragged our name in the mud - if you were an investor would you put money in a country that breeds the likes of this crowd!! They are bad for business and bad for our image!
They should have been disowned by the government and left to rot in Guantanamo. Bahrainis are not terrorists and not extremists.
I refuse for a few bad apples to act in my name or even be associated with me or my citizenship! No to them and no to the cell that has just been caught!
I didn't vote for him or any of these other idiots claiming to represent what the people want; I meant the people of Bahrain general who voted for this person thinking he will ultimately benefit them. And yes, its a disaster!
The easiest answer to any issue in our parliament is money. Devising a way to compensate people with lots of money always seems to be the answer. When will these MP's start to really work with an objective. One thing I know for sure, in the next elections we will be seeing a lot of faces leaving and witnessing a new set of faces.
I believe it is a game played by the lawyers of those accused. When the group were arrested back in 2004, their pictures alongside the weapons confiscated were published in all local newspaper the very next morning..needless to say.. the gates of hell broke loose when they were found innocent later on, calamining compensation and attacking the "neutrality" of our local press.
This time, the newspapers didn't publish any names, but as soon as they wrote about the arrests the lawyers went public with them hence cornering the authorities..
It's either that, or what the lawyers are claiming is true.. the authorities do not have a case still, and the accused are still being held without official charges..
We'll have to wait and see!
There is no smoke without fire. How can you be accused of something as serious as terrorism unless you have had some exposure or some interaction with the concept?? These are not random people picked up and accused of something. I am sure something led the authorities to them and I can only commend the authorities for handling this so robustly without a flinch.
How can you be accused of something as serious as terrorism unless you have had some exposure or some interaction with the concept??
Very easily using the current Law Against Terror and Terrorist Activities in Bahrain!
That's the real danger. And these jokers have happily let that legislation pass into law without batting an eyelid.
Guys, let's put in mind that these six men left families behind while they were in Gitmo.
I do feel that it is unfair to judge them as terrorists, these men were locked up for five years without trial and I think that every person is innocent until found guilty.
This may well be a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, many people go to Pakistan for treatment, studying and also for humanitarian efforts, maybe some of us remember that a few years ago Pakistan faced some of the worst storms in it's history including a massive earthquake so like all Arab and Muslim countries, Bahrain sent humanitarian aid (food,blankets,tent,medicine etc..)to Pakistan and these sort of things are sent by hand...
Anyways back to their families, they have been without their main bread-bringer for five years and in Bahrain even with bread-bringers in the family life is pretty tough, so I believe that some sort of support should be given to these six men who are at the end of the day Bahraini citizens...
I'm glad you covered this story.
By the way, I track our "ally" Saudi Arabia and their three decades-long, global expansion of militant, extremist Wahhabi Islam. http://wahaudi.blogspot.com
so if they are that concerned, why didn't they just provide some sort of support to the families over the past few years, as opposed to giving them a lump sum now?
msb; exactly what I was thinking. Mohammed Khalid wants any event to make him look like a hero, but in reality he's just sinking deeper and deeper into a hole he's digging for himself
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