Published: July 23, 2009
Op-Ed Contributor
al-Qaeda Prisoner Denied Access to Uplifting Books in US
By A.M. Jams Heed Basha
Why Were Fundamental Rights of a Prisoner Violated in US Maximum Security Prison?
It sounds strange but true. Al-Qaida prisoner Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, a US citizen currently undergoing a 30 year prison term in the US, was denied access to President Obama's two books viz.," THE AUDACITY OF HOPE" and "DREAMS FROM MY FATHER" on the grounds that some of the matter in the Books was potentially damaging to national (US) security, according to a spokesman of the Federal Government Maximum Security Prison in Florence (Colorado), rejecting the inmate's request to read the Books.
Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, a US national was arrested and sentenced to a prison term of 30 years for joining Al-Qaida and plotting to assassinate President George Bush. The prisoner had requested the jail authorities to allow him to read the two Books of Barrack Obama in August, before he was elected as president.
Following the rejection of his request by prison officials, Abu Ali complained that this had violated his fundamental rights under "First Amendment Right". However, prison officials pointed to certain pages as inappropriate but did not specify what the problem was. Most of the pages they cited were comments on foreign affairs.
A broader question arises here. How could a prisoner, undergoing a 30 year term in a maximum security prison, become a potential threat to national security, by just reading the books of President Obama? Whether it is cussedness or paranoia of some sorts, is not clear. But one thing is clear, the prison officials were not prepared to risk the country by allowing a potentially dangerous prisoner who belonged to notoriously dangerous Al-Qaida, to read some of the objectionable passeges from the books and become a threat. Why were these passages not removed from the book or the book banned or removed from the shelves of book stalls all over the world?
Both of President Barrack Obama's books are available in book stalls all over the world and millions of copies of these books have been sold. Then what prevented the prison officials in Florence from providing copies to the prisoner? Is it possible that after reading these books, the prisoner might have a change of heart and turn into a saint? Obama's journey to the US presidency is the story of a great struggle that is inspiring to millions of people all over the world.
That access to these books has been denied to the serving prisoner is bordering on stupidity. What kind of action the state should take is best left to the law of that state.
It seems strange that the state could violate the fundamental rights of the people even when serving a long prison term. When a country like US assumes the role of Global Policeman enforcing democracy and rule of law all over the world - other than Myanmar - it should not violate the rights of its own people. I would call this sheer hypocricy, as the US does not practice what it preaches. Shuch things can cause a loss of credibility.
Jai Hind.
A.M. Jams Heed Basha is a Chennai-based columnist, who writes at www.newageislam.org and NewsBlaze.com
* The views of Opinion writers do not necessarily reflect the views of NewsBlaze
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