"Most Dangerous Woman in the World"
I put that in quotes for a reason.
Thats what John Ashcroft, President Bush and the US government will have us believe is an applicable moniker for Aafia Siddiqui. She was supposedly a name given by Khaled Shaikh Mohammed, the supposed mastermind of 9/11. Her picture was on every evening news when John Ashcroft listed her as one of the 7 most dangerous people. She is currently incarcerated and charged with attempting to kill a US officer.
Is that the end of the story? Did we just capture and put away one of our most vile enemies? Hurrah to the war on terror?
Or is there more to it?
This story has so many question marks, it would be the most amazing suspense thriller. Even after the ending, we would have so many questions.
This MIT educated Phd, social activist, charity organizer, mother.
Missing for 5 years.
Her children missing or dead.
Our government disclaims involvement in her disappearance. But it was announced likewise on the evening news that she had been captured. And Pakistan acknowledged she was captured and handed over to the US. That was 2003.
Another case of illegal rendition?
Her defense claims she was held in solitary confinment for 5 years, no charges, no trial, only torture using her children who she is left to believe were killed. Then she supposedly grabbed the gun of a US officer and shot him with it.
Heck you hold me in solitary confinement based on no charges and no trial for 5 years, and use the threat of harming my children against me, there's no telling what state of mind I will be in. Or how desperate I will be. If in fact she did attack those guards, she would have one heck of a self defense claim under these circumstances.
She may have for all we know associated with some of those terrorists. We don't know. What is also intriguing is if she is such a dangerous person, and is involved in Al-Qaeda and 9/11, why not charge her with all that? Thats the beauty of our system of justice, we prove them guilty then punish them. Not the other way around. Innocent until proven guilty, right? The only charges she faces are related to those who held her, and seemingly those who held her did so against every right we claim as sacred.
I pray that the truth of these matters comes to us. I pray that if she is an innocent victim, that she be freed, and those who violated her and her family be brought to justice. I pray that if she is a criminal, that she be tried and brought to justice.
For more on the story, check out Spiegel:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,593195,00.html
1 comment:
You say that if she's an innocent victim, she be freed. Innocent in what sense, I ask. The only charges brought up against her are those of picking up an M4 rifle at random and firing two rounds from it. Do we really need a months-long court trial in order to judge whether this can be true or not? Expert opinion as well as common sense says that this is humanly impossible. No other charges have been brought up against her in ANY court of law, they are only being floated in the media to exploit the masses. The guilt or innocence of a person can only be judged with reference to charges brought up in a court of law, otherwise we are making a mockery of law. We are, in fact.
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