Moazzam Begg, hero of our time

Far from being a terrorist, Moazzam Begg's principles actually exemplify that for which we should all be fighting.

With some heroes, their bravery is lauded, their principles are admired, and they are invited to Buckingham Palace where honours are heaped upon them. Moazzam Begg, on the other hand, can expect to be hounded and harassed by people with power for the rest of his life. Moazzam is British, and was held in Guantánamo Bay for two years before being released without charge, but the Bush Administration’s mighty PR machine is still intent on denying any mistake, and proving that he is an Islamic extremist. Upon his return, the British government took his passport without a hearing, based on what the US military tortured out of him in Bagram Airforce Base.

Well, as so often of late, Bush and Blair are wrong. Moazzam is an extremist alright – he believes passionately in charity and justice for all. In 2001, he wanted to help the destitute in Afghanistan. Before September 11th, this would have been admirable. Instead, it earned him a cage in Bagram. Then he spent almost two years in an isolation cell the size of your toilet in Guantánamo – where I first met him.

Moazzam lives his beliefs, and made friends with the Guantánamo guards, so that even those who had been taught to despise him ended up sharing their e-mail addresses. Sighing with relief as he arrived back in Britain, he could have faded quietly back into his family. Rather, he has campaigned tirelessly for his friend Shaker Aamer, and 490 other prisoners left behind.

He will continue on this path, and sadly the Special Branch will probably continue to attend all his speeches. One can only hope they learn something.

Too many people, untouched by terrorism, nevertheless hate those they mistakenly believe to be terrorists; Moazzam refuses to hate even those who tortured him. His actions exemplify the principles we should all be fighting for.

This article also appeared in the New Statesman.