Binyam Mohamed is finally free.

“I am not asking for vengeance; only that the truth should be made known so that nobody in the future should have to endure what I have endured.”

- Binyam Mohamed

Are these the words of a terrorist?

6 years of his life are gone. He emerged gaunt and frail, hiding his face from photographers. And what did he have to say?

“While I want to recover, and put it all as far in the past as I can, I also know I have an obligation to the people who still remain in those torture chambers … I have a duty to make sure that nobody else is forgotten.”

The U.K. and U.S. governments try so hard to portray themselves as moral protectors yet this man – a representative of the people most profoundly affected by the moral crusade, by the ‘War on Terror’ – commits himself only to helping those he left behind. 6 years of Binyam Mohamed’s life, no charges remaining against him, and his first statement to the world is filled with more grace and sincerity than anything Cabinet speechwriters could ever hope to imitate.

A note to my 14 year old self.

Sam and I were wandering around Camden yesterday and it reminded me so strongly of being 13-15 years old. The subject of advice we would give to our 14-year-old selves came up. She’s already made her list, so I guess I should make mine! I’ve got the ‘Ten’ album by Pearl Jam playing to induce the nostalgia (lolz).

1. Don’t be so hard on yourself all the time. Your own standards will matter far more in a few years’ time when the number of people you’re actually concerned about will be far smaller.

2. Do NOT wear baggy jeans. Ever.

3. The bitchy hothouse of an all-girls private school is in no way representative of the real world. You won’t feel like a waste of space forever!

4. It’s okay to come from a not-very-well-off family. In fact, you’ll emphasise the fact that you got a bursary when you face prejudice against private education later on. Never forget where you came from. The posh accent you perfected at school is only half the story.

5. You are not academically incapable. Your school reports may make you feel dejected but private school teachers are shrewd and you’ll be moved (kicking and screaming) to all the top sets by the time you do your GCSEs.

6. The things you learn from living in a poor area will always be more valuable than what you get from a textbook.

7. You are not unique and music is, and will never be, your life.

8. Wearing such thick eyeliner does not make your eyes look pretty. It makes you look like a stoned panda.

9. Fashion design will never be your calling. You’ll come to your senses soon enough, but try not to be so bloody pretentious in the meantime.

10. Put. The. Pen. Down. You will cringe at your diary again and again and again every time you clear out your room and come across it. Cheer up, grunger.

A screening of Fitna? In the House of Lords? Did I wake up in an alternate universe?!

Baroness Cox and Lord Pearson have criticised the government for banning Geert Wilders from this country. There are outcries for ‘freedom of speech’ and ‘open debate’. What about the Muslim fundamentalists and ‘terror suspects’ silenced, thrown into prisons or put under strict house arrest? Should different rules apply because Wilders is of European descent?  It could be argued that Wilders does not advocate violence but it is not sinister enough that he is being investigated in the Netherlands for incitement of hatred and discrimination against Muslims? Where is the treasured open debate on British Muslims? Why will David Miliband not go beyond his copy and paste speeches on British citizens and residents detained in Guantanamo Bay? That is a real issue faced by British citizens and residents today, especially when the British National Party and other racist organisations condemn Islam and use it to rouse xenophobia on the growing fringes. The very idea of Europeanness being grounded in Christianity (and/or ‘whiteness’) is ridiculous and has been out of date since the age of European empires, but this idea is spreading because of the marginalisation of Muslim communities. Facebook groups (lolz source, sorry) such as ‘If you don’t like England then fuck off back to where you came from!‘ have over 100,000 members.

It’s about time this government acknowledged the fears of British Muslims and turning away Geert Wilders, a prominent anti-Muslim figure, sends out a strong message. I have to look at it cynically, though, and note that it is quite conveniently timed with the prospective release of Binyam Mohamed from Guantanamo Bay, with allegations of torture in tow. British Muslims must focus on the much more alarming issue of the rights of men like Binyam Mohamed who have been detained in Guantanamo Bay for over 4 years (only to have all charges against them dropped), not on ministerial lip service to the Muslim community.

I do not advocate violence from either side of the debate. In fact, I do not advocate violence full stop. However, as much as I may condemn violent jihad, history speaks for itself and it is from history that governments must learn their lessons on terrorism. There are so many examples of marginalised and oppressed populations who have used violence to promote their cause, and further oppression is not going to tackle the root causes of the problem. A Muslim citizen is still a citizen and the Muslim community’s interests must be considered carefully, if the UK is to have any chance of being taken seriously once more in the Muslim world.