Skip Navigation | HOME | UK Indymedia | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Support Us

manchester Indymedia

Freedom from Nightmare in Iraq

Anjool Malde | 28.12.2003 04:39 | Bush 2003 | Indymedia | World

An interview with Urslaan Khan, the Manchester University student arrested in Iraq accused of trying to fight coalition troops.

It was surreal to see Urslaan Khan, a guy I often walked to school with back in Teesside, making the headlines earlier this month, arrested in Iraq on suspicion of trying to join a group fighting coalition troops. An inquisitive individual with a philosophical outlook on life, he finally returned safely to the United Kingdom for the Christmas vacation, able to give his side of the story outside the walls of an Iraqi cell or prisoner of war camp where he had been held for seven weeks.

So why would anyone, yet alone a British Muslim student, wish to travel to Iraq at such a time? This was certainly a question that appeared to stump Dermot Murnaghan when speaking to Khan on BBC News. On a break from studies at Egypt’s University of Alexandria, he had initially travelled to Jordan at the start of a planned pilgrimage to find the Saudi embassy closed. “So I considered Iraq as an alternative and took a £7 coach down there. I was there for tourism”, he calmly says. “I wanted to see how the people of Iraq were coping with the new situation.”

Whilst it appears unanimous since his return that his intentions were pure and far from the Kurdish officials’ accusations that he was attempting to join Ansar al-Islam, Khan is perhaps guilty of naivety. “Once I figured out that they were convinced that I was some kind of terrorist who had come to fight against coalition forces and weren’t bothered about what I had to say, only then did I think it wasn’t a good time to come to Iraq. It didn’t matter that I knew I hadn’t done anything because they were adamant I was guilty.”

He found the atmosphere tense and uncomfortable in the Iraqi city. “In the short time I spent in Baghdad, it was quite clear to me that the American presence had done little to reassure anyone of their personal security.” He disagrees that perhaps such stability would be a long-term process. “The coalition presence is a destabilising factor. I think when America starts appointing members of the interim government and Iraqi governing council, one finds it hard to believe that it will just disengage from the political process if and when all guns fall silent. The presence of a foreign occupying army surely cannot help people to breathe freely, and live in an atmosphere without fear”.

During his several interrogations by the Kurdish Democratic Party, questions asked, including ‘Do you love Osama bin Laden?’, were centred around allegations of Khan entering the country as someone wanting to fight against coalition troops. “I had to be careful in the way I answered the simplest of questions. I was aware of the fact that every response would be treated with suspicion. Knowing my innocence, I felt the best way to respond to the interrogation was to communicate the truth of my story and circumstances in a calm and balanced manner.

Remarkably laid back following almost seven weeks in various Iraqi prisons, Khan was held by Kurdish and later American military officials. “Throughout my imprisonment, my beliefs were the bedrock of any strategy I had of how I dealt with prison life. Different people respond to similar circumstances in a variety of ways. I don’t feel my response was the best or the worst way of responding to the circumstances I was in. I dealt with it as best as I could, in the best way I knew how”.

Initially reported in The Times earlier this month as a suspected terrorist unable to give an explanation to military officials of his whereabouts, he attacks the inaccuracy of the media. “I think any press organisation which manipulates a story in a way which inevitably perpetuates prejudicial ideas amongst society is acting irresponsibly in terms of its role which is to communicate the truth. Responsible reporting is about relaying the facts and explaining a story, not about empty sensationalism”.

Being an integral member of Manchester University, last year representing the arts faculty in the student union, Khan believes that all Muslims are able to enrich and contribute to the society in of which they are part of. "In no way have I ever found my Islamic beliefs pointing me towards anything other than helping those around me and in fulfilling my duties as a citizen”.

It is known that life has become increasingly difficult for many British minorities in the last years. “After September 11th, the Muslim community in the West were put under greater scrutiny and allegiances and loyalties were questioned.” He says that profiling in itself is a source of discrimination, resulting in a system where there’s more bad than good as a result. “For example, look at how young black men in the UK are constantly stopped and searched by police. Profiling propagates the assumption of stereotypes. That’s all it’s based upon, on the belief that certain groups are more likely to be guilty of something than others. If you follow this route you’ll arrive at a position where you end up holding everyone guilty to the crimes of a few.

“I’m not naïve enough to assume that law enforcement authorities will give up the system of profiling because it offends a few people. But I think what’s worrying now is the extreme confidence they put into this system and the high levels of injustice it leads to. It’s almost as though being from a certain ‘category’ acts as a waiver in terms of the rights you hold. For example, if white British citizens were being held abroad without any access to legal advice, in direct contravention of international law, there would of course be outcry. The fact that there’s Muslims in Guantanamo Bay being held in America means many turn a blind eye. When the unacceptable becomes acceptable for a certain group of people, you are in danger of a two-tier justice system.

“I’m concerned by the number of people detained by the British police on the basis of suspicion of terrorism. I think it’s reached the level where allegations of scapegoating the Muslim community can no longer be shrugged off by the government. The continuation of this policy runs a serious risk of not only alienating British Muslims but seriously damaging community relations in this country. If you infringe on the basic human rights of any individual within a society, you have effectively opened the door to injustice for the whole of that society”.

Moving on, I ask for his opinion on wearing of the Hijab recently being banned in France. “The involvement of the French government in determining what is acceptable or not in the realm of personal belief and restricting freedom of action is a dangerous step. It is in itself a great irony, going against the values of ‘Liberte, Fraternite, Egalite’. I am concerned about President Jacques Chirac’s recent comments, as an infringement on personal freedom in any EU country, in particular with regard to minority groups, cannot bode well for Europe as a whole."

As for the war on Iraq? “If we have international laws amongst nations we must abide by them. There’s no question in my mind that US foreign policy over the past century is tarred with hypocrisy. I recognise there are those that argue for a strong interventionist strategy on behalf of western nations around the world to further an ideology which they believe to be the best way forward for all of humanity. Personally, I feel people should have the choice over how they wish to live. But it is a sad reflection on our world, that the USA, the nation recognised by many to be the greatest liberal democracy on the planet is hell-bent on occupying other nations.”

Khan’s release saw significant effort from many bodies, with Stockton South MP Dari Taylor highlighting his plight at Prime Minister’s Questions, to be told by Blair that the British office in Baghdad were looking at the case seriously. “I thank my MP wholeheartedly for her efforts, as well as the Foreign Office and the consular staff, especially in Baghdad but also those working for my case in London”, he finishes with. “I’d like to thank my family and friends, in particular the wide support I received from the student body at Manchester University”.

Oh, and the Americans still have his mobile.

- Anjool Malde is News Editor at The Oxford Student
- Interview not necessarily exclusive to Indymedia and may be published shortly in the student press.

Anjool Malde
- e-mail: mail@anjool.co.uk
- Homepage: http://www.Anjool.co.uk

Download this article in pdf format >>

Email this article to someone >>

Submit an addition or make a quick comment on this article >>

Comments

Hide the following comment

Hooray

28.12.2003 20:49

Woohoo, welcome back Urslaan. Just remember, when filling out the visa application forms, when it asks you 'Are you here to commit acts of terrorism', tick the NO box.

Seriously, well done for getting through several weeks of hell and making it back. I hope it doesn't deter others from trying to see the truth. Careful planning is needed, though, so this sort of thing doesn't happen again, and personal safety is assured.

Please be careful next time.

Hermes


Publish

Publish your news

Do you need help with publishing?

Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

Manchester Topics

Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

Manchester Actions 2010

Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands

Manchester Actions 2009

COP15 Climate Summit 2009
G20 London Summit
Guantánamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
University Occupations for Gaza

Manchester Actions 2008

2008 Days Of Action For Autonomous Spaces
Campaign against Carmel-Agrexco
Climate Camp 2008
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Smash EDO
Stop Sequani Animal Testing
Stop the BNP's Red White and Blue festival

Manchester Actions 2007

Climate Camp 2007
DSEi 2007
G8 Germany 2007
Mayday 2007
No Border Camp 2007

Manchester Actions 2006

April 2006 No Borders Days of Action
Art and Activism Caravan 2006
Climate Camp 2006
Faslane
French CPE uprising 2006
G8 Russia 2006
Lebanon War 2006
March 18 Anti War Protest
Mayday 2006
Oaxaca Uprising
Refugee Week 2006
Rossport Solidarity
SOCPA
Transnational Day of Action Against Migration Controls
WSF 2006

Manchester Actions 2005

DSEi 2005
G8 2005
WTO Hong Kong 2005

Manchester Actions 2004

European Social Forum
FBI Server Seizure
May Day 2004
Venezuela

Manchester Actions 2003

Bush 2003
DSEi 2003
Evian G8
May Day 2003
No War F15
Saloniki Prisoner Support
Thessaloniki EU
WSIS 2003

Languages

english

IMCs


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech