Mahvish Rukhsana Khan whose parents migrated as doctors to the USA from Afghanistan in the 1970s is a Muslim lawyer who first became interested in Guantanamo when studying international law.
At the heart of the Guantanamo Bay debate is whether the detainees should be imprisoned without charge or the right to defend themselves in a fair and impartial trial.
The argument against this is that " enemy combatants" aren't entitled to the protection of US law. However, the author of My Guantanamo Diary believes a full and fair hearing should be used.
For most Australians the first knowledge of Guantanamo Bay may have been through the much-publicised David Hicks case.
In My Guantanamo Diary we learn there are up to 750 detainees in this detention centre. Some have been there for many years without any trial.
Within the book there are details of mainly Afghani detainees. Many see themselves as innocent and only caught up in detention due to the rewards offered by the USA.
The USA air-dropped leaflets in Afghanistan offering rewards of up to $25,000 if anyone turned in members of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. In 2006 the per capita income was $300 so it could be very easy to see why some men were sold into captivity not just in Afghanistan but also in neighbouring Pakistan.
The book has gruesome descriptions of torture, suicides and hunger strikes so it is not for the faint-hearted. This is balanced by the authors visit to Afghanistan and the beauty of the countryside that she beholds. "There were flowing rivers, turquoise lakes, flowers, trees and in the distance staggering snow-covered mountains that made Aspen seem like a collection of bunny hills," she writes.
The book is useful as it gives a Muslim Afghani perspective on Guantanamo. Whether their lives and how they are portrayed is accurate, it is hard for the reader to tell.
It is important for Christians to distance ourselves from some US polices when we are speaking to Muslims. We do not have to defend USA polices. It is far better to get to know the person and what they believe and understand their world view than try to defend policies which may or may not be accurately portrayed in this book.
As Sydney Anglicans we can pray for all those in detention around the world, for the Bible studies that go on within our Villawood detention centre and for the detainees when they are released, for ourselves that we will love Muslims and seek to share God's love with them and for missionaries who are doing that who are sent with organisations such as CMS, Interserve and SIM.
