Camp X - Ray

Hello!

Today a Swedish newspaper wrote about a prisoner at Guantánamo who had made a phone call to a TV network called al-Jazira. This is the first ever interview made with a person who is still in the prison. He was supposed to call his family but instead he called the TV network. In the interview he said that he was beaten regularly with batons by fully armed guards, and that this has happened after Obama became the new president. 

What struck me the most is that this prisoner by the name Mohammad al-Gharani, was brought to the camp at the age of 14. According to the UN-convention on the Rights of the Child this is not legal. Today Mohammad is 21, which means that he has spent 7 years at Guantánamo. 

The American Government claim that this boy was living with al-Qaida in Afghanistan, had been fighting in Tora Bora 2001, and that he was a courier for some important al-Qaida members. Though, keep in mind, today the district attorney Richard Leon says that these accusations came from two other Guantánamo prisoners, and no real evidence has ever found been found. 

The court has now decided that he is going to be released and sent back home to his family in Saudi Arabia or Tchad. 

There are two things about this story I would like to point out. 

1) As I mentioned it is not legal to inprison children according to the UN-convention on the Rights of the Child. The reson why the US believe they can do this is because they are one of the two nations in the world that has not signed and ratified the convention mentioned above. The other nation who has not signed the convention in Somalia. 

2) What does this kind of captivity do to a boy (a young man)? Seven years at Guantánamo probably have some kind of impact on how you turn out as a person. I can think of two possible options. A) You get so frightened by your previous experience you decide never to participate in any illegal activity in the future. B) You have lost so many years of your life based on false accusations which makes you feel angry and hopeless, and in desperation you look for revenge and eventually turn to terrorist related activities. 

I can be wrong. Maybe he starts fighting for Human Rights, starts school, or both, or....

A new law = A major set back for the women of Afghanistan - 'Worse than the Taliban'

This is very confusing, what's going on?, I don't really get it!

A new law has passed, but not yet published in Afghanistan. The new law will undermine women's rights and regulates the personal status of Afghanistan's minority Shi'a community members, including relations between women and men. The law denies these women the right to leave their homes except for 'legimitate' purposes. It also forbids women from working or receving education without their husbands permission. It allows marital rape, diminishes the right of mothers to be their children's guardians in the event of a divorce, and makes it impossible for wives to inherit houses and land from their husbands - even though husbands may inherit immoveable property from their wives.

How is this possible? I thought that parts of the purpose for the US coalition was to help restore human rights in Afghanistan. Or did they forget the oh so strong words that was used before the invasion of the nation? I guess so. Shameful!

The explanation for this as far as I can see it might be that Afghanistans current president Hamid Karzai is facing a new presidental election in August and now he is trying to win votes from the Hazara minority. Which apparently is considered the the most important bloc of swing voters in the election.

Mohammed Akbari, the leader of a Hazara party says that:
- "Men and women have equal rights under Islam but there are differences in the way men and women are created. Men are stronger and women are a little bit weaker; even in the west you do not see women working as firefighters."

And he added that the law gave a woman the right to refuse sexual intercourse with her husband if she was unwell or had another reasonable "excuse". And he said a woman would not be obliged to remain in her house if an emergency forced her to leave without permission.

Playing with the Big Boys!

Hello!

In the news today you can read about how the Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt get's petted on the head by Obama. This all played out during a meeting between the EU and the USA. Reinfeldt was there to speak about climate and energy related questions and he says:

- We were sitting next to eachother on the way to a press conferance and exchanged a few words. 

It is not without pride he adds that:

- Obama praised me, he said that it was very good that I brought up these questions and that we need to talk some more!

If he was nervous?

- I am more nervous when my kids are playing a soccer game. 

What a clown!

I can just imagine how he answered these questions, sort of like Kip in the movie Napoleon Dynamite. 

-'It's getting pretty serious now'.

Hejdå!

The Need To Be Alone

Hello!

I’m someone who often needs time alone so I can think and so I can manage my personality. If I don’t get time alone I feel like I’m drowning intellectually and, also, I get grouchy. Sometimes the desire to withdraw from the company of others is strong. I feel if I could just go a week without talking to anybody. If I never get enough time by myself it feels like my thought will be lost.

I am lucky, I have friends and I am surrounded by love and great things.
As my life is structured now, a week alone is not in the cards. Does everyone have this need for time alone? How do you ask for it without hurting someone's feelings?


Sanna

The Battle of Afghanistan's Women

Hello!

At the moment I am reading this book by Antonio Giustozzi called Koran, Kalashnikov, and Laptop - The Neo-Taliban Insurgency in Afghanistan. I am not done reading it and it is not the book itself I wanna write about, instead I would like to point the headlights at this amazing organization called Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA).

This organization has existed since the 1970's and was formed by one woman called Meena. It is an independent political/social organization of Afghan women fighting for human rights and social justice in Afghanistan.

The organization has shown a lot courage and you should go and check out their website at:
http://www.rawa.org/index.php


Sanna

A man was shot on my street last night

It is not the first time this happens in this area of Copenhagen.
When I moved here I was told that Vesterbro is the hipp area of Copenhagen. My first thought was: 'Ahh like the LES or Williamsburg in NYC'. I guess I don't have the same defenition of 'hipp' as others.

I would like to add that this picture was taken long before the crime. Just so you don't think that I look this happy everytime a crime is committed.

So long.

Hello!

After several months of hard work I finally finished my grad paper.
The paper is about American national identity. I call it 'The Fear of Amexica'


For anyone who has too much time on their hands, check it out here:

'The Fear of Amexica' - A Discourse Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security?s Construction of an American National Identity

XO

The man on the pictures is Guillermo Gómez-Peña, a Cool Mexican, performance artist, writer, activist and educator.