KM was arrested in December 2002 ostensibly on immigration charges and detained in Belmarsh Prison for over a year. As he tells his story exclusively to Cageprisoners.com, KM reveals the conditions inside 'Britain's Guantanamo Bay' and the impact of his detention upon his family. He provides an insight into the lives of some of the Muslim detainees, held under anti-terrorist legislation, and how they cope with their day-to-day lives in captivity. His story exposes the absolute injustice behind detention without trial, based on "secret evidence", and how suspicions and lies led to the loss of fourteen precious months of his life behind bars.

CAGEPRISONERS: Can you begin by describing to our readers the circumstances of your arrest?

KM: Al-hamdu-lillah – all praises be to Allah. I had returned from Africa to visit my family and to sort out business, family affairs and all that. I came back to the UK, and I had spent about roughly three days at my home. One morning, around 11am on the 22nd of December 2002, when I was just outside my house in the parking area and just about to enter into a van, two cars pulled up. Plain clothed policemen came out of the car and asked me if I was so-and-so, and I said, “Yes I am.” and they say to me, “You are under arrest.” I said to them, “Why you arresting me?” and they said, “Just get into the car, we’ll let you know.” So I said to them, “I need to inform my family I’m being arrested”. They said, “Don’t worry, they’ve already been informed.” So I was immediately brought into a car, a Ford Mondeo, a metallic green colour, with three men, two in the front seats and one in the back seated along side me. They didn’t ask me any questions and they took me to…first they took me to Clapham police station. They didn’t say anything to me. Then they took me to Kennington Police station where they arrested me and said they suspected I was an illegal immigrant.

CP: Was that SO14 or was that different?

KM: SO13.

CP: How did your family know then? Did you ring them from the police station?

KM: Yes, when I got to the police station, I asked to ring my family, but then they didn’t allow me to make any contact, because they were still searching my house. So after a while, later that evening, I got to speak to my family. Then they said to me, the police said to me, that I would be interviewed by the immigration officer. So an immigration officer later came – a woman, by the name of Monica Johnson. A black woman. She came to me, and they took me out of the cell, and she showed me the letters of decision to make a deportation on that because the Home Secretary decided to deport me, as he felt that my presence in the UK was not conducive to the public good; stating that, ‘in view of the fact that you have got close links to individuals and organisations involved in terrorism, the Home Secretary has decided to deport you from the UK’ - that was on the document they showed me. I was then interviewed by SOFATI, the immigration services. They tried to take a photograph of me, to which I declined. They physically restrained me and then took me into my cell and left me in there.

CP: Did they give you access to a solicitor at the police station?

KM: Not at that particular instance, they didn’t. I asked them to call a solicitor. Only after that, a few…after my wife had contacted a solicitor and then the solicitor had phoned the police station. That’s only how I got access to a solicitor, but I wasn’t given access before that.

CP: What was the behaviour of the police towards you?

KM: The police, they were not very friendly, I know that. They were very rude, but they didn’t really use any words. They handed me over to the immigration. The behaviour of the immigration officer was really, really bad. She was very, very rude there. She also alleged that I kicked her in the stomach. So then the police put in the report that I was a very dangerous person.

CP: Ok, when were you transferred to Belmarsh then?

KM: I was transferred to Belmarsh on the 28th December, after spending 4 days in Kennington. A white van came, the immigration service came in a white van, so they handcuffed me and then put me into this van and I was driven straight to Belmarsh.

CP: So did you know you were going to Belmarsh?

KM: I didn’t know, they told me they were transferring me to a detention centre. An immigration detention centre. I didn’t know I was going to Belmarsh. When I got into Belmarsh, the standard procedure was, you know, they put me in the holding room, and then they took all my details, took all my belongings, wrote it down, I signed for them. Then I got to get photographs taken, then a full strip search was done, and they checked to see if I had anything, hidden, whatever. Then afterwards I was given a prison number and I was taken to the cell. I was given my first meal there.

CP: What was it?

KM: I think it was some chips and peas.

CP: For those of us who haven’t been to Belmarsh, describe to us what a cell is like in Belmarsh.

KM: There are two types of cells. There are single cells, there are doubles and there are triple cells. Single cells are much smaller and can only contain one inmate; double and triple cells are the same size. It was only after a shortage of prison space that some double cells were converted to threesomes by adding an additional bunk bed on top of one of the beds. It’s a bit crowded but is much better when sharing with brothers.

In a single cell you have a bed, just enough to fit your body on, and then you’ve got a small table and a chair, some cells have television, and then you have a sink and next to the sink there’s a toilet, and that’s right next to the entrance of the cell. There’s a solid steel door with a small flap and a small glass, through which the guards will just come and make checks. Next to the door there is a bell which you can use to call the prison officers which is hardly effective because they rarely show up.


CP: Did you have any natural light?

KM: Some cells, you can get some natural light. There’s a window, they all have windows, but it depends on which position you are in. So some cells give good natural, some cells don’t.

CP: In light of that description, what must it feel for those detainees who said they spend up to 22 hrs a day in their cell? It must be very constricting and very damaging to their bodies.

KM: It is, yeah, it is very damaging, because the problem is, time doesn’t move when you are staying still. It’s very tiring; an hour seems like a year. It’s very long and being in a place not communicating with anyone, just being by yourself and you have all kinds of thoughts crossing your mind. It’s very, very depressing. The time I got to Belmarsh was in the night, so at least I got to sleep; it took me some time to get to sleep, but then afterwards I got some sleep. But I made a lot of prayers. And then in the morning masha’Allah, I got up. I felt much better, I felt that Allah (SWT) strengthened me so, Al-hamdulillah. But then it’s very difficult because for 22 hours - nobody is there.

CP: What is it like in terms of cleanliness, hygiene and health? Do you get to shower and change clothes and change sheets etc?

KM As soon as you get in, they give you a set of prison clothes, which is a maroon jogging set.

CP: Is that standard for everyone?

KM: Yeah, that’s standard. You can wear your own clothes if you’re not convicted, and if you’re convicted then you can only wear prison clothes.

CP: So you could wear normal clothes then?

KM Yeah, you could, but at that time, I didn’t have normal clothes so I had to wear a set of prison clothes. It’s just a set of maroon top and maroon bottoms. Just a cheap jogging suit and some trainers, which they call Adidas – one stripe ‘Adidas’. Rubber trainers. They give you bed sheets and green bed covers, like the ones in hospital. The hygiene was alright because you’d have a change of sheets once a week, and then you could have a shower if they offered you, during 'association', which is infrequent, whenever they feel like it, whenever the authorities feel like it.

CP: How often could you have a shower, twice a week or something?

KM: You could have a shower anytime there was 'association', and let’s say you’d have an average of about 3 'associations' or 4 in a week, because they always complained that they did not have enough staff.

CP: Is that like an assembly?

KM: No, 'association' is time when they usually open you up so you can mix and mingle with the other prisoners. And then you can do your own stuff - you can clean yourself, you can go and have a shower, you can have a haircut, you can go and play pool, drafts, etc. You could sit and chat to other prisoners or you could visit one another's cells.


CP: What are the prison guards like there?

KM: There are two types of guards. There are those guards you cannot approach; nobody approaches them, because they're a pain; their face just looks racist. They look very miserable, so it’s not worth asking them for anything, because you know the answer is negative all the time. And there are some friendly officers who tried to help as much as they could. If you ask them for things, they try to help you, they try to get you things, try to assist you.

CP: It’s good, alhamdulillah, you’re giving a just picture, because for example, when you hear about America describing Guantanamo Bay, it claims every single person is a terrorist caught on the battlefield, which is not true.

Did you experience any verbal or physical abuse from them?

KM: On one occasion, I did experience verbal abuse. That was towards the end. There was one officer, his name was Officer Shepherd. I had an incident in prison where I used a telephone without permission, and that was because my family didn’t show up for visit and then, what happened is, I was ‘nicked.’ What happens in prison, if you commit an offence, they nick you - they give you a nicking sheet. And then you’re taken for adjudication.

CP: What does ‘nicking’ mean?

KM: It means that your booked, you’re in prison but you get a sheet that you have to go. They have a court within the prison, adjudication, which the governors of the prison preside over. So whenever a prisoner misbehaves, the officers nick you and take you there, then you get punishments within the prison. Which can mean solitary confinement, to many, many other different forms of punishments; such as suspension of association, no access to the canteen, reduced exercise time in the yard and solitary confinement in segregation unit for periods up to 28 days, depending on the seriousness of the offence.

So what happened is, this officer came one early morning and took me to the segregation room, that’s where there they hold the adjudication. And just before we got there he became abusive and started swearing at me. And then I said to him, “an officer isn’t supposed to swear.” Then he became mad, his face turned red, and he went to the Bubble and got three other officers and came and….

CP: Went to the what?

KM: There’s a bubble, they call it the bubble. The bubble is where the prison officers watch the whole wing from. It’s a room with glass windows which has officers on standby or on guard. Every wing has its own bubble where they can see outside at a vantage point and can easily monitor the whole houseblock. So he went into the bubble, which is inside the segregation room and came with the other officers, one’s name was Officer Green. This Officer Green, I had a copy of the Quran with me, which he snatched from me, then they started restraining me, so they really hurt me, they put me on the floor, put my face on the floor, pushed me hard, wringing my wrists, really hard. I was feeling the pain, in my knees as well. They put me in that position, and then they got the Crack team.

CP: What’s the ‘Crack team'?

KM: Crack team is a team which whenever there is some kind of problem with the prisoners, they come with the dogs, that sniff-search you, and they’re all dressed in black. These people, they did a full strip-search on me, and then they put me in solitary confinement after that. That’s what happened to me. Then I complained to the governor, but the governor said that he’s going to investigate the matter.

CP: How long were you held in solitary? What were the conditions like? How did you feel?

KM: In solitary confinement, you are segregated in a room by yourself with no bed, in the segregation unit; just a hard wooden bench. No radio, or tv. All your privileges are withdrawn - no use of the phone, no association, solitary exercise in the yard for less time and being fed a basic diet.- which is a prison within the prison. Alhamdulillah, I did not stay there for long as it was the end of Ramadan. I spent half a day there before the Governor presided over my adjudication; it was adjourned until after ‘Eid because I requested for my solicitor to be present. But towards the end of my imprisonment most of the privileges were withdrawn from me. I wasn’t allowed to shower or use the phone unless I had made a written application. This continued for about three weeks and the brothers made me feel optimistic as they said it could be a sign that you are about to be released.

CP: Were those officers suspended while the investigation was going on?

KM: Nothing was done to them. In fact, after that, the situation became even worse so I was moved from that house block I was in, and I was taken in another cell with two other people. A smoker’s cell. I don’t smoke. I was kept in that situation for three days until my health was not good. And then they kept on moving me, and they psychologically tried to break my spirit.

CP: We’ve heard that some prisoners were not given halal meat. What were the circumstances like regarding diet? What was the food like there?

KM: See, the diet is a bit confusing, sometimes we had…there’s a menu, and we had on this menu, some things were suitable for Muslims and some were not suitable for Muslims. But then there was always this doubt that it was not halal, so even though they said it was halal, the brothers always had veg. Then we asked Sheikh ‘A’ (he is referring to one of the foreign nationals detained under the ATCSA 2001). He said, as long as it’s halal, you can eat the meat. So we used to have meat, we used to have lamb, some beef, some very thin strips of beef. Depends on how you feel. Some brothers didn’t want to eat the meat because they doubted it, because now and again, the issue would come up, but now alhamdulillah, the deen of Allah is easy. The Sheikh said that when you are in prison, a lot of things are lifted from you and you are not accountable for things you do not know, so you have to take things on face value.

CP: What’s it like? Is there a type of breakfast, lunch and dinner? How does it work?

KM: You have three meals in a day. You have lunch and you have dinner. During dinner time, they give you a breakfast pack which you use for the next morning, which is cereal, 250mls of milk, in a packet. And then sugar, whatever. That’s what we had for breakfast. And then you could take some bread. There was a lot of bread that you could take in abundance. Bread was not a problem. When you first enter prison, it was basic, everything is basic. They would be stricter, the diet was less, everything was less, but when you stay in prison longer, then things become a bit relaxed - depends which house block you’re in. Some house blocks are very generous, you could eat till you’re full, but some house blocks were very scanty, they gave very little.

CP: So did you eat together or did you eat in your own cell?

KM: You don’t eat together, you usually take the food back to your own cell, and you eat. You can eat with your cell mates, or you can eat by yourself. Sometimes people don’t feel like eating, they give you your portion. But it was not really something to look forward to; it was cooked with nothing really. Plain food. When you eat the greens, you could think you’re eating it from a tree.

CP: Were you allowed to get your own food and buy your own food?

KM: Yeah, we had canteen that we could do once a week, where you could buy something, something we could use to spice up the food like ketchup, hot pepper sauce. You could buy noodles, that was very popular, two, three tins of tuna fish, to supplement the diet.

CP: So if you spend money to brothers in Belmarsh, that’s what they’d spend the money on?

KM: Yeah, they would spend it on that to supplement their diet. They would probably abandon the prison food and eat most of what they buy. Some brothers even used to make couscous in their own cells. They would boil the kettle. You can buy small packets of couscous. Boil the kettle, make some noodles, make yourself a cup of soup. Those sorts of things were always popular with the brothers.

CP: In Iraq and Guantanamo, the religious beliefs of the inmates were used to abuse and humiliate them. Did you encounter any instances of this?

KM: If you gave the prison officers a chance to abuse and humiliate you, they’d take that privilege. If you were wise and you avoid confrontation in the beginning, avoid asking them, depend very little on them, then you wouldn’t put yourself in that position, but if they had a chance to humiliate you, they would not hesitate. They would love to.

CP: Did you personally encounter any instances of this?

KM: Well in the beginning, yeah, because I used to ask the officers for things, I realised that they had too much hatred for us, so my strategy was to avoid asking for anything from them. If I wanted something, I’d get it through somebody else.

CP: What about the other detainees? Did they complain of any kind of problems?

KM: Yeah, they would complain. When you’d ring the bell and you tried to get assistance, they would ignore you, many times. This was very common. Brothers would complain a lot about the officers, how they behaved. But then the brothers came to know that the best way to deal with these people is just to ignore them. Once you ignore them, and you don’t ask them for anything, they feel very humiliated themselves. Because they feel that ‘these people don’t need me’. That was the reverse psychology that we used.

CP: What happens about Jumuah (the Friday prayer)?

KM: Yeah we had a few incidences where Jumuah was stopped because they said the Imam didn’t come, or they had some reason that they had shortage of staff, so every time they used to look for excuses. But alhamdulillah, we had a good imam who made sure that he came regularly, and he used to visit the prisoners and made sure that their concerns are heard by the governors. Some of the governors were co-operating and they really made sure that the Muslims got all their rights fully; some of the governors just wouldn’t bother. Alhamdulillah, there were only a few incidences where Jumuah was stopped, and I don’t think they would do it again, because there was a lot of friction when that was attempted. At one time, they had to withdraw their decision to stop Jumuah because there was a hassle, a bit of fuss.

Once, they tried to stop us from Jumuah prayers whilst we were in the holding rooms and tried to send us back to our cells. There was a collective sit-in, led by Shaikh Faisal. The prison had to give in to our demands but then we were later cautioned, starting with Shaikh Faisal.

CP : Where did you pray Jumuah?

KM: We used to pray in the chapel. It was used by the Christians on Sundays and used by the Muslims on Fridays.

CP: And who gave the Jumuah?

KM: There used to be a brother called Imam Yunus, but he left. He was a very good Imam. Now at the moment it is , Sheikh Ihsanul, who is the Imam in Tooting Mosque. Alhamdulillah, he is doing his best.

CP: What’s it like in terms of your daily Salah? How does one pray five times a day?

KM: Well, all your Salah, you pray in your cell. If you’re lucky to be in a cell with a few brothers, you pray together. But if you are by yourself, you pray by yourself. You can make wudu, (ablution before prayer),in the sink there.

CP: What about in terms of Ghusl (ritual bath to purify oneself) and stuff?

KM: Ghusl was only done during association time; you get access to the showers.

CP: Ok, if you needed Ghusl in the morning, it wouldn’t be possible?

KM: If you needed Ghusl in the morning, some brothers would use the sink if they were in a single cell, and use a towel and wipe themselves. But if you were not in the position, then you could do tayammum, (ablution using dust when water is not available) in case you had an accident. Tayamum was done on the wall as there was no dust in the cells.


CP: What was Ramadan and iftar and Suhoor like (breaking of the fast and the pre-dawn meal)?

KM: First of all, when Ramadan is about to start, you feel this sense of sadness because you remember your family and all your friends etc, but alhamdulillah, when Ramadan starts and you’re with the brothers in prison, although you don’t break the fast together, but alhamdulilah, we get to do Jumuah, and a lot of brothers would make things for other brothers in the cell, like fruit salad and all that, and distribute it amongst the brothers. They would be very generous and share things.

CP: What kind of provisions did you get for Iftar and Suhoor?

KM: Well alhamdulillah, we got some food from outside which was made for us during the week days. Alhamdulillah we got some food that was brought in especially for the Muslims. We got some curry and rice.

CP: Who provided that?

KM: Outside caterers. And then only on the weekends, we would get prison food.

CP: Muslim detainees – were they allowed access to a Quran?

KM: Yes, we had access to Quran, we had access to Islamic books, and there were no restrictions as such.

(NB: Since --- was released there has been a restriction on literature in foreign languages such as Arabic and now on sending in any books, even those in English. There is possibly soon be to a ban of Islamic audio cassettes).

CP: How did you occupy your time? Did you make yourself a program?

KM: Most of the time, I would go for education, and then I would try to read as many books as I can, to increase myself in knowledge.

CP: How did other people occupy their time?

KM: Most brothers would read in their cells, if they get access to good books, although there was a shortage of good books that you could read. From the library, they didn’t have much selection, but now, when I left, they had a whole volume of Ibn Kathir, so there are a lot of books coming in. When I was there, there wasn’t many books, more leaflets and things like that.

CP: What was ‘Eid like?

KM:‘Eid, alhamdulillah, they had some special food come in from outside, it was very good and this was organised by the Imam, and the food was beautiful alhamdulillah, it was a very special time for us. That was known, it was known that food would come from outside, and it was an excellent time.

CP: Did you all pray ‘Eid together?

KM: Yeah, we prayed ‘Eid together, and we had all these extra drinks and extra stuff that we’d take up to our cells and share with other prisoners.

CP: How did the inmates keep their iman (faith) strong?

KM: The inmates would keep their iman strong – people go through levels, you know. Sometimes, their iman would be high and sometimes it would be low. Sometimes you’re frustrated, you go through all these emotions when you’re in prison, so when the brothers would see that one brother is feeling low, they would try to encourage him, and speak to him, getting him to be patient and telling him about the Companions (of the Prophet, an exemplary generation for Muslims) and all this. We used to encourage each other and then you’d feel the spirit go up again. So it was like that, during association, we’d stick together, walk together, and talk about these things. Always try and help each other, that was what was helping us then.

CP: Were you ever questioned throughout your time in Belmarsh? Released detainees claim that none were questioned or aware of their charges.

KM: I was never questioned, although I had an informal visit from SOFATI, which they had a few questions for me. They didn’t come back again. They asked me if I knew certain people, and some I knew, some I didn’t, so they never came back again. I was never formally charged. Six months after my arrest, they say to me that they are not going to charge me, but I was still held under immigration (offences).

CP: Could you describe your interaction with other prisoners? How often would they interact in particular? What was the attitude of non-Muslim inmates towards you or them?

KM: Alhamdulillah, I didn’t have much problem with the non-Muslim inmates, because alhamdulillah, I managed to develop a relationship with them and I used to discuss many issues with them alhamdulillah. I used to try and give them dawah (propagation of Islam), tell them about Islam, some of them alhandulillah, they accepted, some became Muslim alhamdulillah. All the time, we’d have discussions with them during association, and alhamdulillah. So I didn’t have much problem with the other prisoners. They had respect for Islam, which was a good thing and they had respect for Muslims, despite what was going on, most of them respected us. They would look out for each other and the Muslims, so we didn’t have many problems with them.

CP: Do you have any examples of that?

KM: They would ask if you’re Muslim and then they would say that I have respect for Muslims. They would even say that they don’t believe all this rubbish in the media, that they knew what was going on.

Another instance, there was someone – one of the brothers who is a scholar - and they would look out for him and say that they’ll take care of him, you know. So they would have respect for him. They would have respect for the Muslim inmates.

CP: How many people accepted Islam during your stay there?

KM: I know about six people who accepted Islam and about three of them were English and the others were not English.

CP: Would you describe the conversion of some of them?

KM: Yeah, I remember a particular one conversion which happened in my early days of being in prison. He was this Vietnamese boy called Loh. He entered just before me, his number was just before mine, so the next night we were put together, but he had a problem, he had just been taken off drugs. He was really shivering and shaking and all that. And he asked me about Muslims and I saw his situation. So I told him I would try something on him. So I tried to do some ruqyah on him (prayers to ward off harm), so I held his forehead and I read Surah Fatiha (the opening chapter of the Qur’an) seven times, and he felt very good and he relaxed and went to sleep. I went to sleep as well. Then he woke up again and he asked me, “What was that you were reading?”, so I told him, “it was the Quran I was reading.” He said “I saw very visual things when you touched my forehead. Can you do it again?” So I did it again, and alhamdulillah, he went to sleep again. After a while he got up and then I said to him, if you want this problem to stop, you have to have faith. I am reading the Quran to you, and you have to have faith in the Quran. I explained to him briefly what Islam was, and then he took his Shahadah, alhamdulillah (i.e. he accepted Islam). And then he slept throughout the night, and the next morning, he woke up with so much energy, he felt so good. So he stuck with me for a while. Then he was released on bail. A few other people became Muslim. He declared his Shahadah in front of everyone on Jumuah, and all the brothers did the Takbir (i.e. said Allahu Akbar – Allah is the Greatest).

CP: What was health care like at Belmarsh? What was the quality like? Did you have 24 hour access? Did conditions improve or did they exacerbate problems?

KM: The health care is very poor in Belmarsh. I must have had a problem in Belmarsh, on the 30th of January; I had my knee dislocated in the gym, so I had to be taken for treatment off site, Queen Mary’s hospital. I was taken using an ambulance, but I was handcuffed on top of the stretcher. So I was taken in the position to Queen Mary’s Hospital, then after they put my knee back into place, they handcuffed me to my bed in hospital, and then they had to take me back to prison, but they didn’t have the ambulance to transport me, so they ordered the prison van, which was illegal, which they called the ‘Passion Van’; o even though I was using crutches and wheel chair, I had to use that. I was taken back to Belmarsh, and I was taken straight to the Hospital unit. It’s a very filthy place, and I was kept in the mad area, for mad people. I was given one room, and I couldn’t have access to the toilet which was next to the bed, because my leg was in plaster, so I felt very frustrated. I had to shout for help. They moved me to the ward which I shared with other sick inmates one of whom was the chain saw massacre where I stayed for a few days in the hospital. Then I asked if they would take me back to my cell, so they brought me back in my wheel chair which was broken, with flat tyres. I was taken to my cell. It was a bit better there, because I was given a single cell, and the brothers would come during association, and would help me clean my cell, and every lunch time they would bring food for me, so I was given better care in a normal cell than I was given in the hospital. In the hospital, the nurses would do nothing. The hospital was really rubbish.

CP: There’s lots of reports of some of these Muslim detainees committing self harm and having psychiatric problems. What’s psychiatric care like and what has been the response of the Belmarsh authorities towards these suicide and self harm attempts?

KM: Actually they’ve done very little. In Belmarsh, they have a unit called a CASS unit, that deals with people with psychiatric problems, so you get to see psychiatrists and there are some activities that you do there, but there’s nothing much. All you do is talk to people about your problems, how you suffered etc. So really and truly yes, the longer you stay in Belmarsh, the more the psychological pressure goes on. After I had my incident with the officers, when I was beaten up, I had to go to the CASS unit, because I felt really depressed, then I went there. It’s basically a unit where you speak to the psychiatrist and they make a report and send it. There’s not really much they can do. Not much help. So it’s just about talking and they try to reassure you that things will get better. At the end of the day, in Belmarsh, psychologically, the brothers are slowly, slowly becoming mad. It’s true, you see some of the people, the way they speak, its not normal, you know. They’re losing it. They have a lot of pressure. It’s not because of being in prison. A lot of the pressures the brothers are feeling because of their families. Their families, their wives and their children, it’s very very difficult for them. Although being in prison, being held indefinitely does affect you.

CP: How often were you able to communicate with your lawyers?

KM: My lawyers would make appointments with me, and then they would be given a slot. I didn’t have any problems communicating with my lawyers. Apart from initially, when I would ask to make a legal call, sometimes the officers would not give you the chance, they would say they are understaffed. They would make all sorts of excuses. The access wasn’t very good, it wasn’t excellent but then you have to push to get it. I had an advantage because I could speak the English language, but the other brothers, it was very difficult for them.

CP: Gareth Peirce is referred to by many of the Muslim inmates as ‘Mum’. How does she assist and support the prisoners and families?

KM: Gareth Peirce not only represents those prisoners legally, but she gives them a lot of emotional support. And she plays a lot of roles, you know. She’s also running a campaign, to free them, so she is really, really helping out. I think, genuinely, from the bottom of her heart. I don’t think she’s doing it for financial reasons or anything like that. She really feels for them, and she has developed relationships with most of the inmates. So I can understand them calling her ‘Mum’. She’s playing a lot of roles. I met her, but she wasn’t my solicitor.

CP: Regarding family, how often were you allowed to contact and to meet your family?

KM: During association, I would try and phone them. I had a lot of contact with my family. My wife would be my supporter. We used to encourage each other. I used to write to her. She used to write to me. I used to send her Eid greetings and all that. Alhamdulillah, we managed to pull through.

CP: What was the main nature of communication?

KM: The main nature of communication – I used to write, I used to phone as well. Most of the time, I would phone.

CP : Regarding the phone calls, did they have specific duration?

KM: Every call was eight minutes, and if you cut off, you’d have to queue again at the end.

CP: How often were you allowed to make them?

KM: During association; you’d queue up - there’s a queue and you make phone calls. At first, they had two phones for every house block, but then they improved things and they put three phones, and the queues gradually became smaller.

CP: Were the calls monitored?

KM: Yes, they say they monitor all calls, because it’s a high security prison.

CP: Did you receive the letters from your family?

KM: Yes, I received them.

CP: How often were you able to write to them?


KM: I would have two letters given to me every week, so I would write to them once in a while, because I was communicating by phone, it was much easier.

CP: Did they receive your letters?

KM: Yes, they did receive my letters.

CP: Were they able to visit you, and for how long and how often?

KM: They could visit for about an hour and they would come about once a month, because she had lots of commitments with the children and all that. So we would arrange for once a month. She would come with the children. At first, it was very emotional for the children, they were all crying, but then gradually, we all became used to it.

CP: How many children do you have, and how old are they?

KM: Three children. My first daughter is just about to turn nine now. My son is six and my other one is about three and a half.

CP: How did your incarceration affect your family?

KM: My incarceration added a lot of pressure on my children, especially my son and my elder daughter. My son used to cry a lot when he was at school and wasn’t really performing very well, and my younger daughter, she had eating problems. There was a lot of pressure on my wife, she had a lot of pressure but eventually, she would cry by herself, many times she would be crying, and you know, I just tried to be patient and pray, and told her to be patient and pray a lot. But alhamdulillah, in the end, Allah brought our family back together.

CP: How did your wife manage to bring up the three children? Was she working, or was she receiving help from the Muslim community?

KM: Unfortunately, she didn’t receive a lot of help from the community, because not a lot of people knew about my being in prison. It’s only recently that the Muslims are becoming more aware. At that time, when I was being held in Belmarsh, very little was known about Muslim detainees. Alhamdulillah, now a lot is being done, campaigns, and a lot is being said about the brothers in Belmarsh.

She did receive help from some brothers who knew about me, and they did help her with shopping and would come and help with some financial assistance, but alhamdulillah she managed to maintain the family by herself.

CP: How aware were you about the outside world? Did you have access to news, internet etc?

KM: I was aware because I used to read the newspapers, if I had the chance to read newspapers, and I had access to television which was in my cell, and we would watch news etc. As for internet, we were not allowed access to internet.

CP: Did you receive letters from other people apart from your family?

KM: I didn’t receive any (other) letters because a lot of Muslims were not aware about me being in prison.

CP: Did you want to keep it low-key?

KM: Yes, because I didn’t know the nature of why they arrested me in the beginning, so it was probably best for me to minimise contact with anybody, because I didn’t know why I was arrested in the first place.

CP: Did you have any significant dreams while you were in prison?

KM: Yes, I remember having one dream. I saw in this dream, I saw Buckingham Palace, and on the top where the flag stands, I saw a flag saying ‘Laa ilaaha illa Allah…’ (There is no deity worthy of worship but Allah). Then I saw in the same dream, the White House and where the flag usually stays, on top was ‘Laa ilaaha illa Allah’…’ That was the most significant dream I had. I was so happy you know.

CP: Can you tell us about some of the other Muslim detainees. How many Muslims do you think there are in Belmarsh?

KM: At that time, we’d estimated about 40 brothers. But others were being held under immigration and things like that. But the ones that are being held under these Anti-terrorism laws were about 13. I actually happened to stay with one brother, he was Algerian. He was certified, whilst I was in Belmarsh, and this brother, he was caught in Georgia. They sent him back to Britain and they detained him on immigration, so the MI6 decided to detain him, even though he was not intending to staying in this country; he was travelling, so they detained him here, and because they wanted to deport him. This brother fought his deportation because he knew that one of the people who had previously been detained in the UK had signed that he wanted to voluntarily return to Algeria, and apparently he was captured in Algeria and he was killed by the government security services. He was tortured and a lot of information was used to hold the others in prison in the UK was extracted from him under torture. So this Algerian was detained and the reason that David Blunkett had given him was saying that they suspected that he was from a group of Mujahideen in Algeria and that they suspected he was going Chechnya to assist the Arab Mujahideen there. So that’s what they accused him of, and that’s why they have decided to detain him indefinitely.

CP: Are you able to go through some of the stories of brothers that you knew?

KM: There are some sad stories. There is one brother called ‘X’ (NB: there is a court order prohibiting the publication of the identities about the foreign nationals detained in 2001). This brother has no arms, and his story is the saddest because he has suffered a lot. But he came to Belmarsh and was put in a cell. He needed to be with a brother to help him of course, because of the situation he is in, and he has been suffering very much. You can see it on him. He doesn’t speak the language, and he is arrested indefinitely under this Anti-terrorism law and he is the one who is most sad of all the cases that I know. And then there was another brother who was released because of his health.

There is one very inspiring story, that would put a lot of hope in brothers. His name’s ‘One Brother Wonder’, Rashid Ramda. He has been in Belmarsh for nearly nine years now. And he, masha’Allah, is an inspiration to the brothers because he is the one everybody would look up to because he is a very calm, collected person, a very responsible person masha’Allah. May Allah release him from prison, because he’s a very nice brother masha’Allah. He is about thirty something now. He doesn’t have any family.

CP: Did you meet Sheikh ‘A’?

KM: Sheikh ‘A’ – yes, I met him a few times. He’s learning English. He comes to the education room and learns English. And masha’Allah, he’s alright. He goes to the gym regularly. He’s lost a lot of weight. He’s lost half his body weight. And masha’Allah, he’s encouraging the brothers to be patient, to look forward to rewards and all that, so we ask Allah to give him patience as well.

CP: Does he play any pastorial roles amongst any other detainees?

KM: No, he’s in prison. He’s just like any other person. He’s restricted. He cannot give speeches. He can’t do much. He’s just like any other prisoner. But alhamdulillah, if you get the chance to ask him any questions on Islamic matters, he would try to help you and give you answers.

CP: Were there any hunger strikes in Belmarsh?

KM: Yes, there were some hunger strikes, which I witnessed. Some brothers had been held there a long time, they tried to go on hunger strike; and one brother, he lost a lot of weight, but not that much was done. He was being represented by Gareth Peirce, so she told him, it’s best he should try and eat, because they didn’t really do much. One thing I know, as a foreign national, they have no rights. If a British guy went on hunger strike, people would do something. They don’t care if you die in prison. There was one guy, he was a Moroccan guy who killed himself in prison but he wasn’t held under the terrorism law, he was held under the immigration law. Nothing much was done, didn’t even phone the family, or anything.

CP: Why did that first brother go on hunger strike?

KM: The first brother went on hunger strike, because nothing was forthcoming on his case because he was frustrated and all that, and he was trying to get them to focus on him. He stayed on hunger strike for about 30 days. He lost a lot of weight.

CP: These foreign nationals, do they get visits from their families?

KM: Yes, they get visits from their families. In the beginning they were a bit restricted, but now they are relaxing a bit.

CP: Did you know a detainee ‘D’ – an Algerian?

KM: I cannot know him by initials, there are lots beginning with D, but I know a few Algerians. Masha’Allah, one brother, he was a very good brother. I cannot mention his name, a very patient brother, very good brother. His face is full of radiance. Everytime (he met you), he would give you words of encouragement. He’s a young brother, about the same age as me, early thirties.

CP: Why is he in Belmarsh?

KM: He’s in Belmarsh, for the same thing – suspicion for international terrorism. He’s been in Belmarsh for now nearly three years.

CP: Did you meet this Egyptian?

KM: Yes, I think he had nearly been here for nearly five years. He is released now, I think on medical grounds.

CP: How long did you think you would be in Belmarsh?

KM: At first I thought it would be six months, because my solicitor told me that if they hold you for six months and they don’t charge you, they just release you. But unfortunately, after six months - that’s when my case actually started, that’s when they made their statement, the first official statement, because they were under instructions from the commission to do so, because they hadn’t filed any statements about why I was detained. So when the statement came and some of the information came out to me, this is when I realised that the information they had about me was from some people that didn’t like me.

CP: Yes, one of the unique aspects of your case is that much of the so-called ‘evidence’ used against you was based on false information, provided by your local place of worship – Brixton Mosque, and in particular, their head, Abdul Haq Baker. Can you describe your relationship with them, what role they played in your arrest and detention? What words of advice do you have for the members of that mosque and their leader?

KM: In the beginning, when I was attending Brixton mosque, I was a very active member of the mosque. I volunteered, I laid the carpet down, I did a lot of good. I intended good for the community. But some politics happened. The leader was there - the original one - and the community rejected him and Abdul Haq became a transitional leader. He had lasted there for some time, and he was due to have some elections in Brixton Mosque. Once Abdul Haq ascended to power, he became a tyrant; he put his friends around him, and he wouldn’t listen to anyone. He had this thing that they were the saved group and everyone else was different. So I didn’t like this approach, so I tried to advise them many times, but things didn’t go quietly. So we decided to move from Brixton Mosque, and so we set up in the Town Hall. We used to do Jumuah (Friday congregational prayers) there, and alhamdulillah, the numbers started increasing. But they didn’t like that. So initially they banned me from the mosque; they said I was a deviant, because few numbers they had. Eventually, an incident happened; one of their members followed me one time - that was in ’95 - outside the mosque after evening prayers and assaulted me, beat me up. I made a report to the police and they went to look for him. So as a result they came to me and asked me to drop the charges because he was a Muslim brother etc. So I told them, ‘Ok, we do everything according to Islam’. I dropped the charges and we made arbitration. They had agreed that they were at fault, and they were supposed to pay me compensation according to Shari’ah. They never paid. Alhamdulillah that was the last time I left Brixton Mosque. So I went, I was doing my own activities, doing my work, minding my own business, since ’95. So I was very surprised to hear in the year 2002 that Abdul Haq had written a letter to the Home Office stating that I had close links to individuals and organisations involved in terrorism. He mentioned some individuals who prayed at Brixton Mosque, but I had never met these people at Brixton Mosque. So I don’t know how he put me together and how he was trying to link me with the activities of those individuals. It seems it was from maliciousness, trying to make me a scapegoat. Alhamdulillah, during the process of the hearing, it was established that the Home Secretary had received the letter on the 22nd June 2002 from officials of Brixton Mosque, stating that I was a supposed threat to national security, and he was acting on that information, and that’s why I was arrested in Belmarsh. So alhamdulillah, it was understood that if there was to be a proper hearing, they would have to appear in court, and of course, they would have to be cross-examined. But somehow it feels that none of them had the guts to come in front of the court, and to substantiate whatever allegations that they made, and that is how the case was dropped. Allah knows best. So this is basically what happened to me.

CP: Would you have any kind of words for them?

KM: I wouldn’t have any words for them because they are deaf, blind and dumb [alluding to the Qur’anic verses describing hypocrites] but I would have words for people who go to Brixton Mosque. They should be aware of those leading them, and who they are following, that these people are not sincere to Islam and to the Muslims. That all their dawah involves them being agents and being subservient to non-Muslim governments.

CP: Did you ever appear before the SIAC (Special Immigrations Appeal Court)?

KM: I never appeared once before any court.

CP: What events led to your release?

KM: It’s very ambiguous. I don’t know, I cannot really say. What happened is, a lot of allegations were in the case that was made against me. So the only way I could refute this was by giving full details about my life, what I’ve been doing in UK throughout, so I gave full detailed account of where I’ve been, and all that with evidence. But then a lot of information they had about me was missing, and when they realised they were missing some, there was no way they could take me to court. As soon as they realised, they just released me.

CP: And when did you come it know you would be released?

KM: I was told the same day I was released. That was on the Thursday, I went through my usual routine, went to ‘education’. When I was coming back from ‘education’ that Thursday - it was on 26th February - and when you come back from education, you go the ‘Bubble’, and they tick your name and you go back to your cell. So alhamdulillah, when I came, the officer called my name out and asked me to stay behind. Once everyone was in, he told me, “Pack up your stuff, you’re going home.” I said to him, “you’re pulling my leg.” I wouldn’t believe them. Then I was so happy, and went back to my cell and started packing my stuff And then during association, I got to say goodbye to some of the brothers there. But I felt sad that I was leaving them all behind. I was released at night, and I just took the bus with another inmate to Woolwich station, then caught a train from there and went straight back home.

CP: Were there any significant encounters when you were saying goodbye to the other brothers?

KM: There was a brother, F, he was one of the ones who was accused of being involved in the ricin case. Have you heard of the ricin case? He was one of them. He was supposed to be taken to trial, but for some reason, the trial’s been delayed. He’s a very young, nice brother masha’Allah. I just said to him that I’d make dua for him, and told him to tell the rest that I’ve been released.

CP: Back home: How did it feel to be reunited with your family?

KM: It felt very good, alhamdulillah. I was so happy, so excited, but yet again, I felt like a stranger in my home, ‘cause I’d been away for so long, from my children. So the first few days was exciting, at school, and then, from Saturday, with my children – they didn’t know me, so I had to bond again with them, and that was a difficult task. It’s difficult, an ongoing process until now. And after prison, I’ve changed. I’m not the same anymore, because psychologically, it really affected me, but alhamdulillah, I was happy to be home. I’m lucky, alhamdulillah, that I’ve got a patient wife, who can put up with all the things I’m going through at the moment.

CP: How have you come to adjust to life as a free man? What has been it’s long term impact, psychologically, physically, financially and in your relationship with others?

KM: Well, the impact it’s had on me is tremendous. At the moment, it’s very difficult for me to adjust to normal life. I cannot walk into a place with confidence and say I’m looking for a job or anything. I still don’t know what to put in my C.V. for that one year and two months I was in Belmarsh. There’s a gap in there. Another thing is I always have this fear of being re-arrested, so I’m being over-cautious. I’m afraid to speak. I’m very afraid who I meet with. The fear has really set in. So I don’t socialise much, I don’t see people that much. I spend most of my time staying at home. I tried to go to a course, I thought I could keep myself busy, but the courses finished, and I didn’t know what to do about it. So I stay at home. My wife’s decided to go to college now. She’s learning. So I haven’t got the full confidence to go back out there, go back into society.

CP:Have you been in touch with any other former Belmarsh detainees? How are they coping and adjusting to life as free men?

KM: I have met a few of them but have not really kept in touch with them. I think they are in similar situations to mine and prefer to lie low because of the stigma that has already been created by these unlawful detentions.

CP: Can you tell us about your efforts to campaign for the detainees since your release? What prompted you to get involved? What responsibility do you believe former detainees bear to those they have left behind?

KM: Unfortunately, I have not done much but I have tried to liase with some organisations campaigning for the detainees, Muslim and Non-Muslim. It’s been difficult with my present circumstances because I am often discouraged by individuals who are concerned about my situation, not to involve myself too deeply because I am still vulnerable. But Allah protects and I put my trust in Him; especially in these times where laws are being made weekly, seeking to incarcerate even more Muslims.

CP: Do you feel that the Muslims are doing enough for the detainees?

KM: No, they’re not doing enough for the detainees. Because once you’re detained in Belmarsh, most Muslims look at you in a different way, even though you’re Muslim, the only difference is you’ve been in Belmarsh. But then they look at you in a different way. So that’s a problem, when its non-Muslims, it’s alright, but for Muslims to be suspicious of their brothers, no, that’s not right. I feel that the Muslims have too much fear, they should reach out more to their brothers, they should do more, do more for their families, and they should not associate with the people who get us into trouble.

CP: In light of what you said regarding moments of low faith for some of the detainees and the inadequate psychological care, how important is it for Muslims to write letters and send cards to these brothers, especially for the coming ‘Eid?

KM: Yes, at times you are very low and thoughts cross your mind, like, ‘See how the Muslims have abandoned you’; ‘there is no hope for you’. Desperation leads to anger and this could lead you to feel resentment of the Muslims, Allah forbid. This is why the letter writing campaign is very important because it gives the prisoners a sense of belonging and most importantly, hope and the feeling of not being abandoned; and that once they are released, they can easily be integrated within the Muslim community which they know cares about them after establishing relationships through communicating in this way. But if this campaign wasn’t there, imagine what would happen to the brothers incarcerated for over three years and then being abandoned by their brethren soon after their release.

CP: How important do you feel it is for Muslims to supplicate for brothers in prison?

KM: It’s very important and it is the minimum all Muslims can do. If they can't do this, then they should check their iman (faith). How can one be a true believer if he doesn’t love for his brother what he loves for himself? We wish we could do more for our brothers but supplicating is the least we can do and very important. Moreover, the brothers keep asking their Muslim brothers and sisters to keep praying for them. We never know whose prayer it is that Allah will accept.

CP: Many British Muslims have the attitude that ‘there is no smoke without fire’, these detainees must have been doing something suspicious to merit their incarceration – what do you say about that?

KM: You have to understand the history of the da’wah movements in the UK and the many different groups and their methodologies. We ask Allah to unite the Muslims. Unfortunately, some bitter rivalries and ignorance led others to transgress the limits and inform on their brothers, thinking that they are doing good for the Ummah; but to the contrary, the effects of their actions did not improve their situation nor their image in the eyes of others, because it doesn’t matter - to them we are all the same, no matter how many differences we have. For this reason, Muslims should stick to Allah's advice in the Qur’an, "And if you differ in anything, refer the matter back to Allah and His Messenger, if you are indeed believers".

CP: What more do you think that the mosques around Britain can be doing for the prisoners in Belmarsh and Woodhill?

KM: Unfortunately, the mosques are as good as Holiday Inns, with very little benefit for the people who go there. The Muslims receive more information on the suffering of their brothers from other channels, including Non-Muslims, than from their Imams on the pulpits. They have buried their heads in the sand, under the guise that they are protecting the communities, by keeping quiet about the affairs of the Muslims. These mosques are not serving the purposes they were intended for. They have become voluntary information bureaus for the MI6 and MI5, so what do we expect them to do for our brothers?

CP: Did you receive any compensation or support from the government?

KM: I got absolutely no support from the government. I was just given discretionary leave from the Home Secretary which lasts for six months and has already expired. I have made a further application. Up to now, even though I was denied the chance to have a full hearing, so I would have had a chance to clear my name, from all the false allegations that were made against me. But I was denied that chance, and I was still being accused and being called a threat to society, even though I was allowed to mix freely with society.

CP: So your current status is – you’re British registered?

KM: At the moment, I have no status, absolutely no status, I’m just in limbo. I’m not Kenyan, I’m not British, I’m not nothing.

CP: Don’t you have a Kenyan passport?

KM: I don’t have. I can’t go back to my country, I can’t stay here with full rights, so I’m just hanging in the air. This is the thing. I don’t have full rights so they can easily re-arrest me, so I’m under a lot of pressure.

CP: Is that a huge fear, the fear of being rearrested?

KM: My biggest fear is my family and my children, to bring them up as proper Muslims. That’s what makes me worried about being re-arrested, more than anything else. And I’m sure, that’s what’s worrying most of the brothers in prison, is their families; their children being brought up and their fathers are not being able to play a role. That’s what puts the most pressure on the brothers. Allah knows best, whatever happens is whatever Allah wills.

CP: So those charges that were brought against you, were they finally dropped?

KM: They weren’t dropped, I was just released. They still held the view that I was a threat to national security, even though they released me. As long as they have this opinion, I cannot leave this country or stay in this country feeling safe. That means my situation will always be under review. So I don’t know when they feel that I do not pose a threat anymore. As long as I am a Muslim, and I pray and I fast, I will always continue being a ‘terrorist’. I don’t know when they will stop considering me a threat.

CP: Would you tell us what happened in Kenya with your brother?

KM: My brother was arrested in Kenya, because the Kenyan police, after being phoned by the British government, came to raid my house and they tried to arrest me. As I wasn’t there, they arrested my brother. They held him there for three days and then they released him. He’s a lawyer and runs his own business. There are many people that have been arrested in Kenya under the same suspicion, because some of them are relatives of suspected people that are involved. So just because of that, they are being arrested. Alhamdulillah, some of them have written letters about what is happening, and insha’Allah, we can forward them to Cageprisoners.com.

CP: When did your brother get arrested?

KM: It was in October 2002, just because they were looking for me. They didn’t say on what grounds. It all started with Brixton Mosque…

CP: Have your experiences altered your perception of the British government?

KM: It hasn’t altered my perception of the British government, because I come from a country which is a British colony, and the treatment that we got is something that we learnt from our history that we expect to get. But what surprised me was how the British government has returned back to the colonial measures. How they went back to the dirty history that they had discarded before. And they’re going back to the dirty history and they’re repeating the same mistakes like before. This is what really surprised me. They’re not learning from their history.

CP: What are your expectations are regarding the current High Court appeal for the Belmarsh detainees?

KM: As Muslims, we have to be optimistic but this High Court appeal or the House of Lords, no one can tell what the outcome will be. But I am optimistic in the sense that the anti-terrorism legislation has failed miserably and has not produced the results from the public that the Government wanted. They are starting to cave in by proposing tougher laws and releasing bits of information on ‘acts of terror’ that are purportedly being planned, creating a media hype and sensation which amounts to nothing. But all this unsubstantiated rubbish does, is to increase the Public’s mistrust of the Government’s handling of this issue, which is only growing. I am hopeful that they may insha’Allah release the brothers some time soon in the near future, having made tougher legislation that they think will prevent them from assisting in any way other oppressed Muslims in other parts of the world or from areas they fled from - and Allah knows best. I must give credit to those members of the British public who have displayed firmness and understanding and who have campaigned against the Government’s use of fear as a political tool.

CP: What has prompted you to tell your story?

KM: What prompted me to tell my story was that I feel that if we speak out, then I’m sure it will help our people in similar circumstances to come to their senses, to come forward, and it will also highlight the injustice that goes on in this country. I had an option, to be silent, but then the problem doesn’t go away. So I chose to speak out, to tell the Muslims, make them aware of what’s really going on.

CP: What message do you have for the readers of our website?

KM: I hope my case, my story would make them more aware, and I hope they would have a deeper understanding of the nature of the treatment of the Muslims at the hands of the disbelievers. They should always refer back to the Qur’an, and they should always know that whatever Allah says to us is the truth. We should always refer back to the Qur’an in these kinds of situations, and we’ll find clear answers in there. I would like to tell the readers that they should not be tired about trying to help and trying to spread information about the brothers who are suffering - that is part of the struggle for the truth.

CP: And finally, could you comment on our website?

KM: Alhamdulillah, I was very happy when I came out of prison, which was the first time I came across ‘Cageprisoners.com’. I felt so good, I was so happy that alhamdulillah, there were people that were speaking out for the oppressed and the weak, and trying to publicise their stories. So immediately, I made contact with them, and tried to help them in any way. This is a unique website and it’s really serving it’s purpose. May Allah reward the brothers and sisters involved.

Source : CagePrisoners.com
Date : 01 Dec 2004