Mohammed Hashas, Oujda - AlJazeeraTalk - Morocco
 I intended to cite this short article for publication before the release of Aljazeera cameraman from Guantanamo clutches, but luckily Sami is free now to read Sarah’s words and her support for his cause. The article is written by Sarah Benmoussa, a 17 years old Moroccan high school student whom I have been tutoring in English for nearly a year now. She has always shown unrivalled interest in Arab and Islamic issues, and has always struck her class-mates with genuine ideas. I could have written few words myself about Sami, but to find a younger voice doing that at a time when our youth hardly think and care for national and world issues convinced me to let this female and young voice express her ideas. And since Aljazeeratalk is by the Arab youth and for the world, let us hear what Sarah has in mind. Her words speak well for her.
It's hard to know, but harder to ignore!
By Sarah Benmoussa
15/02/2008
There are always subjects which we rarely talk about and still don't know how we could neglect them, especially that they are so concerning. Really I had a fancy for weeping when I knew the conditions of Sami Al-Haj's life, especially when I read this sentence "...I ask you to tell my wife and my son that I love them very much indeed..." which was written in his third letter to his British lawyer Clive Stafford-Smith, but since tears don't change the bitter truth, I decided to write some words, hoping that the world will listen to me!
Sami Al-Haj was born in Sudan in Khartoum on 15th February 1969; he is married and has a son who is six years old. He is an Aljazeera journalist among those who fight for showing to the world how suffering the Sudanese are.
In 2002, exactly when his son was just one year old, Sami Al Hajj was detained while working as a cameraman on the war in Afghanistan. U.S detained him for reasons which are unknown until now. Sami doesn't know even for which crime he is there in prison where he can see all the kinds of torment and he still has traces on his knees from that. Not only do they harm him bodily but also they enjoy hurting his feelings and all what concerns his –our- religion.
He was interrogated more than 100 times, and was asked to validate wrong statements which he refuses to do even if it was the price of his freedom.
After suffering from cancer in 1998 in Sudan, Sami Al-Haj suffered again from several serious health problems, and in spite of that he still fought for freedom which he preferred to food and drink.
When everyone was enjoying his time, Sami was suffering there where life was really impossible to go on...
I think that no one could imagine what 2052 days, 4hours, 9minutes, and 15 seconds mean in a place where there is no food, no air mean! The U.S proves more and more that it believes in freedom and human rights to great extents...
I might just be writing some words on a paper, but at least I am writing words and waiting for deeds...
More pictures here: ( http://www.aljazeeratalk.net/portal/content/view/2787/ )
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