What do you think?
Rate this book
The General: The Ordinary Man Who Challenged Guantanamo
A revelatory and necessary survival memoir of five years of illegal detainment and torture in Guantánamo Bay On September 11, 2001, in a café in London, Ahmed Errachidi watched as the twin towers collapsed. He was appalled by the loss of innocent life. But he couldn't possibly have predicted how much of his own life he too would lose because of that day. In a series of terrible events, Ahmed was sold by the Pakistanis to the Americans in the diplomatic lounge at Islamabad airport and spent five and a half years in Guantanamo. There, he was beaten, tortured, humiliated, and very nearly destroyed. But Ahmed did not give in. This very ordinary, Moroccan-born London chef became a leader of men. Known by the authorities as The General, he devised protests and resistance by any means possible. As a result, he spent most of his time in solitary confinement. But then, after all those years, Ahmed was freed, his innocence admitted. This is Ahmed's story. It will make readers rethink what it means to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. It will also make readers look anew at courage, survival, justice, and the War on Terror.
208 pages, Paperback
First published March 28, 2013
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 25, 2018
So I knew that what was going on in Guantanamo was bad, I deplored it, I silently shook my head as stories sneaked out. But, after all, I reasoned, there must be good reason, surely there must be good reason why those people were there.... Even if there was no good reason for denying them access to justice.
I was so wrong....
I guess many people were like me, we did not want to see, did not want to believe, really believe that such abuse could go on on such a scale for so long unchallenged. It's also true that 9/11 was so shocking that, while not sanctioning retribution on the innocent there was a sense of need to see something being done....
Something needs to be done....
How often has that rationale been used to justify atrocity, war, torture and all manner of abuse that degrades the individual human being and their life, their story into some sort of demonised monster or vermin.
Ahmed Errachidi's strength of will and character enabled him not only to survive abuse that even some Nazi's and warders of the Stalin order would have balked at, but also enabled him to inspire his fellow sufferers to find ways to protest even when it seemed they had nothing and no power to do anything.
While hundreds of prisoners were eventually released having been locked away and subjected to systematic and barbaric abuse for years for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time the US still has people in Guantanamo it refuses to bring to trial...
This is a very important book. Read it.
I was so wrong....
I guess many people were like me, we did not want to see, did not want to believe, really believe that such abuse could go on on such a scale for so long unchallenged. It's also true that 9/11 was so shocking that, while not sanctioning retribution on the innocent there was a sense of need to see something being done....
Something needs to be done....
How often has that rationale been used to justify atrocity, war, torture and all manner of abuse that degrades the individual human being and their life, their story into some sort of demonised monster or vermin.
Ahmed Errachidi's strength of will and character enabled him not only to survive abuse that even some Nazi's and warders of the Stalin order would have balked at, but also enabled him to inspire his fellow sufferers to find ways to protest even when it seemed they had nothing and no power to do anything.
While hundreds of prisoners were eventually released having been locked away and subjected to systematic and barbaric abuse for years for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time the US still has people in Guantanamo it refuses to bring to trial...
This is a very important book. Read it.
April 28, 2013
This book should come with a cautionary note attached. If you want to keep on believing in a 'free' and 'just' West than you are better off not reading this very moving tale. How someone as innocent as this author undergo such heinous and demeaning treatment by the all mighty United State of America is a very bitter pill to swallow. Indeed, this makes Osama Bin Ladin a most merciful dispatcher in comparison! I once read a book which was eventually made into a movie as well called 'The men who stare at goats' by Jon Ronson which seemed like complete fantasy stuff, with Pentagon funding huge projects in phys-ops projects designed to overcome enemies by playing heavy metal music, sleep deprivation, water boarding etc. The full extent of which can be read in this very lucid tale of Ahmed's incarceration. Why the might US and British intelligence agencies not able to find out Ahmed's innocence early through his ordeal is proof for me that these Arabs and Muslims were there as an example. What they signified to the US is beyond my comprehension though. were they meant to send a message to the Muslim fundamentalists or their Western sympathizing heads of state?
What especially moved me were the tales of torture by ordinary American soldiers, doctors, lawyers who willingly and passionately cooperative in the daily routines of prisoner torturing. As a Muslim reader, I was thrilled with the very noble reaction and fightback by the brother Muslims in the face of such a determined and all powerful adversary. Ahmed and his fellow prisoners are not only wonderful ambassadors for Islam, but for the spirit of humanness as well. How they managed to deal with the constant torture is indeed a great testament of the human spirit's determination and adaptability. Actually the vicious treatment displayed by American soldiers is an exact opposite, signifying the dredge of human beings. So Gitmo seemed to have opposite effects, Bush's good guys turned out to be evil and his evil people turned out to be good.
As a Pakistani I felt very ashamed at the way Arabs were maltreated in my country during the USA bombing of Afghanistan. It fully explains the strange comments I received (upon finding out that I belonged to Pakistan) when I went to Tangier as a tourist last year.
I would highly recommend this book to all so that the real dangers which propaganda can induce even in a democratic countries like USA and UK. The book is summed up pretty well when Ahmed makes a straight inference to President Bush's speech and the same sort of comments made by Ahmed's interrogator's and soldiers in Gitmo which again shows how much an impact a leader can make in even free democratic societies like USA.
For me, the real lesson to take away is always foster a healthy dose of skepticism when it comes to media and government narrative. Its not always easy to do so, but till we know for sure we should not give government and media the benefit of doubt automatically.
Democracy died a death for me after reading this very touching story. It needs to be reincarnated again, and Gitmo needs to be converted into a tourist site like Auschwitz.
What especially moved me were the tales of torture by ordinary American soldiers, doctors, lawyers who willingly and passionately cooperative in the daily routines of prisoner torturing. As a Muslim reader, I was thrilled with the very noble reaction and fightback by the brother Muslims in the face of such a determined and all powerful adversary. Ahmed and his fellow prisoners are not only wonderful ambassadors for Islam, but for the spirit of humanness as well. How they managed to deal with the constant torture is indeed a great testament of the human spirit's determination and adaptability. Actually the vicious treatment displayed by American soldiers is an exact opposite, signifying the dredge of human beings. So Gitmo seemed to have opposite effects, Bush's good guys turned out to be evil and his evil people turned out to be good.
As a Pakistani I felt very ashamed at the way Arabs were maltreated in my country during the USA bombing of Afghanistan. It fully explains the strange comments I received (upon finding out that I belonged to Pakistan) when I went to Tangier as a tourist last year.
I would highly recommend this book to all so that the real dangers which propaganda can induce even in a democratic countries like USA and UK. The book is summed up pretty well when Ahmed makes a straight inference to President Bush's speech and the same sort of comments made by Ahmed's interrogator's and soldiers in Gitmo which again shows how much an impact a leader can make in even free democratic societies like USA.
For me, the real lesson to take away is always foster a healthy dose of skepticism when it comes to media and government narrative. Its not always easy to do so, but till we know for sure we should not give government and media the benefit of doubt automatically.
Democracy died a death for me after reading this very touching story. It needs to be reincarnated again, and Gitmo needs to be converted into a tourist site like Auschwitz.
December 9, 2021
Harrowing, brutal, and extremely enraging - as one would expect given the subject matter. And of course, as I write this, fucking Guantanamo is still open and still holds detainees, some for almost two decades by now, who one can only surmise the US government fervently hopes will just keel over and drop dead of natural causes some time soon so they won't have to bother trying to put on some semblance of a trial after all this time and torture. Have I mentioned that this shit makes me absolutely livid?
Read
January 17, 2014Really humbling. A honest account of human nature and how the will of a few can change the world for many. A must read for anyone interested in what happens behind closed doors.
January 27, 2016
First posted on 5Pillars: http://5pillarsuk.com/2016/01/27/book...
Asim Qureshi shares his thoughts on Ahmed Errachidi’s book “The General”, where the author recounts his time in Guantanamo Bay.
There is no such thing as “just another” Guantanamo Bay detainee account; each book provides a completely unique take on the experiences of those detained at the detention camps. Central to Moazzam Begg’s account is his struggle with identity and place, for Abdul Salam Zaeef it was the wider politick, while Oud Slahi speaks with the voice of one still incarcerated. There is only one very obvious theme that runs throughout Ahmed Errachidi’s book “The General”, and that is resistance.
the generalWhether he is accounting the desecration of the Qur’an, other forms of religious abuse, sexual humiliation or deprivation of food, Errachidi is never a victim of the horrors being perpetrated by his captors. In her book “Trauma and Recovery”, Judith Herman speaks of how such individuals form tactics of resistance,
“Political prisoners who are aware of the methods of coercive control devote particular attention to maintaining their sense of autonomy. One form of resistance is refusing to comply with petty demands or to accept rewards. The hunger strike is the ultimate expression of this resistance. Because the prisoner voluntarily subjects himself to greater deprivation than that willed by his captor, he affirms his sense of integrity and self-control.”
What Herman describes is perfectly summarised by Ahmed Errachidi, when he says,
“Even after all this time I can’t find words to adequately describe what a terrible state I soon was in. If I could have, I’d have brought an end to my suffering. But what I feared more than their torture was becoming their man. That’s what kept me strong.”
It is in this regard, that the book’s title becomes even more significant, as it is the name that was given to him by the US military personnel detaining him. Aside from the irony of the military nature of the nom-de-guerre “The General” that was placed on him, it speaks to the way Errachidi not only resisted himself, but organised others around him to stand up for themselves in the most difficult of circumstances.
Resistance
For Errachidi, the resistance was not just a political act; there was a spiritual element that was connected to his desire not to be overwhelmed by the abuse he was receiving. From as early as his detention at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan, he was cognisant of the ease, with which he could fall into despondency,
“I decided to pull myself out of the darkness that was enveloping me and also to try and save the others drowning with me. So I began to recite some short chapters of the Koran, and as I did, with the help of God, the fear in me subsided. My heart rested and I came back to myself. I think my recitation also had the same effect on the others. So I recited some more. Nobody stopped me — it was as if the lounge had been emptied of the guards. Calm prevailed.”
Bagram to Kandahar to Guantanamo Bay – a familiar route for many of the detainees. During that process, some would not survive, such as Habibullah and Dilwar, having been beaten to death by the Americans at Bagram. While it is such torture that immediately offends the senses, it is the strength with which Errachidi and his companions fought for the most basic dignities that are so stark. It is almost as if he is saying to us that the torture I can take; just don’t humiliate me by forcing me to go to the toilet in front of my fellow brothers, guards and in particular female guards,
“Just as in Bagram, our open bucket toilets were used to humiliate us. If someone was using the toilet when the time came to call the numbers, that was no excuse; and if someone due for interrogation was found on the toilet, they wouldn’t wait for him but would shout at him to get off and immediately lie on the ground. Thus did our captors try and sow terror in our hearts. They also played horrible games with us. Sometimes, in the evening, they’d order us to carry toilet buckets around the tent. Once they called on me to tell four prisoners to carry the buckets, in quick succession, and in circles, around our tent. This was a great humiliation for my comrades but I felt it was even more humiliating for me because I was having to translate the orders into Arabic and watch them being carried out. When the soldiers told me that, as translator, I wouldn’t have to carry any buckets, I shouted at the top of my voice that I wanted to take part. When they told me to stop shouting, I picked up a bucket and began running. Round and round in circles I went, as they’d made the others do, shouting at the top of my voice as if I’d lost my mind. In fact, I almost did lose my mind, being degraded in this manner. However, after that, they didn’t try to make us play that particular game again.”
Autonomy and empowerment through solidarity
What is incredible about the forms of resistance taken by the detainees was not only the way that it empowered them to retain some degree of autonomy, but in fact, how it disempowered their captors. Often the key to their successes, lay in one word: solidarity. Errachidi recounts that during one phase of punishment at Guantanamo Bay, the guards were forcefully removing the clothes of detainees for 24 hour period, but due to the lengthy process, could only do four or five a time,
“We fought back and so they only managed to strip four or five of us a day, returning the next day to do another batch. Because new prisoners kept joining the block and then, seeing what was happening, also joining in our protest, it took over seven days to remove all our trousers and many prisoners sustained injuries in the process. It was so exhausting; after seven days we no longer had the energy to resist, with the result that newcomers started voluntarily giving up their clothes. Even so, we prisoners found ways round this imposed nakedness. At times of prayer we’d take off our shirts and wear them round our legs while others would pray in their shorts. But there was nothing we could do about the toilet: prisoners on punishment would have to use it naked and without a veil while soldiers, including women soldiers, stared and jeered.”
It is here, that Errachidi’s nom-de-guerre as “The General” becomes clearer. He came up with an idea which seemingly might have been perceived to be counter-intuitive, but in reality, proved his role as a leader among the brotherhood of detainees,
“I’d already been working on an idea for a few weeks – pacing my cell, three steps one way, three steps the other, figuring out my reasoning – so I was prepared. I proposed that we rip up our orange shirts.
“Since the main thrust of our protest was to put an end to the punishment of having our clothes forcibly removed, this must have sounded like a peculiar idea. But I laid out my arguments in a methodical manner, I told my fellows that one of the reason, we were prohibited from removing our clothes was because they were visible and helped the soldiers to identify us. If, I argued, we managed to get the bulk of the prison population to join in the removal and destruction of up to five hundred shirts this would not only confuse them but also send a strong signal about our refusal to put up with punishments, and it would undermine the camp authorities who’d given us the orange kit. Since, I continued, it was compulsory for them to clothe us (I told my fellow prisoners that this was written into the Geneva Convention – I didn’t know if it was but thought it might be), a prisoner being escorted to interrogation or clinic without a shirt would be an embarrassment to the army. Although we never met them we knew journalists and their like paid frequent visits to the prison and if they were to see us dressed only in our trousers this would make a huge impression. The orange clothes were also a visible sign that we were their prisoners: by removing our shirts we would be sending the administration a message that we were no longer prepared to be their captives. And finally, I argued that if every one of us tore up our shirts at the same time, and if we then tore up any new shirts issued to us, they’d have a serious problem, not least because the Pentagon would start asking why they were spending so much money on shirts.”
Often we refer to those who have been through torture and trauma as being survivors, however Ahmed Errachidi is much more than a survivor. An innocent man who had not committed a crime against any country, he refused to not only accept the allegations against him, but also challenged every single abusive condition against the detainee population.
Asim Qureshi is the Research Director at advocacy group CAGE.
You can follow him on Twitter @AsimCP
Asim Qureshi shares his thoughts on Ahmed Errachidi’s book “The General”, where the author recounts his time in Guantanamo Bay.
There is no such thing as “just another” Guantanamo Bay detainee account; each book provides a completely unique take on the experiences of those detained at the detention camps. Central to Moazzam Begg’s account is his struggle with identity and place, for Abdul Salam Zaeef it was the wider politick, while Oud Slahi speaks with the voice of one still incarcerated. There is only one very obvious theme that runs throughout Ahmed Errachidi’s book “The General”, and that is resistance.
the generalWhether he is accounting the desecration of the Qur’an, other forms of religious abuse, sexual humiliation or deprivation of food, Errachidi is never a victim of the horrors being perpetrated by his captors. In her book “Trauma and Recovery”, Judith Herman speaks of how such individuals form tactics of resistance,
“Political prisoners who are aware of the methods of coercive control devote particular attention to maintaining their sense of autonomy. One form of resistance is refusing to comply with petty demands or to accept rewards. The hunger strike is the ultimate expression of this resistance. Because the prisoner voluntarily subjects himself to greater deprivation than that willed by his captor, he affirms his sense of integrity and self-control.”
What Herman describes is perfectly summarised by Ahmed Errachidi, when he says,
“Even after all this time I can’t find words to adequately describe what a terrible state I soon was in. If I could have, I’d have brought an end to my suffering. But what I feared more than their torture was becoming their man. That’s what kept me strong.”
It is in this regard, that the book’s title becomes even more significant, as it is the name that was given to him by the US military personnel detaining him. Aside from the irony of the military nature of the nom-de-guerre “The General” that was placed on him, it speaks to the way Errachidi not only resisted himself, but organised others around him to stand up for themselves in the most difficult of circumstances.
Resistance
For Errachidi, the resistance was not just a political act; there was a spiritual element that was connected to his desire not to be overwhelmed by the abuse he was receiving. From as early as his detention at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan, he was cognisant of the ease, with which he could fall into despondency,
“I decided to pull myself out of the darkness that was enveloping me and also to try and save the others drowning with me. So I began to recite some short chapters of the Koran, and as I did, with the help of God, the fear in me subsided. My heart rested and I came back to myself. I think my recitation also had the same effect on the others. So I recited some more. Nobody stopped me — it was as if the lounge had been emptied of the guards. Calm prevailed.”
Bagram to Kandahar to Guantanamo Bay – a familiar route for many of the detainees. During that process, some would not survive, such as Habibullah and Dilwar, having been beaten to death by the Americans at Bagram. While it is such torture that immediately offends the senses, it is the strength with which Errachidi and his companions fought for the most basic dignities that are so stark. It is almost as if he is saying to us that the torture I can take; just don’t humiliate me by forcing me to go to the toilet in front of my fellow brothers, guards and in particular female guards,
“Just as in Bagram, our open bucket toilets were used to humiliate us. If someone was using the toilet when the time came to call the numbers, that was no excuse; and if someone due for interrogation was found on the toilet, they wouldn’t wait for him but would shout at him to get off and immediately lie on the ground. Thus did our captors try and sow terror in our hearts. They also played horrible games with us. Sometimes, in the evening, they’d order us to carry toilet buckets around the tent. Once they called on me to tell four prisoners to carry the buckets, in quick succession, and in circles, around our tent. This was a great humiliation for my comrades but I felt it was even more humiliating for me because I was having to translate the orders into Arabic and watch them being carried out. When the soldiers told me that, as translator, I wouldn’t have to carry any buckets, I shouted at the top of my voice that I wanted to take part. When they told me to stop shouting, I picked up a bucket and began running. Round and round in circles I went, as they’d made the others do, shouting at the top of my voice as if I’d lost my mind. In fact, I almost did lose my mind, being degraded in this manner. However, after that, they didn’t try to make us play that particular game again.”
Autonomy and empowerment through solidarity
What is incredible about the forms of resistance taken by the detainees was not only the way that it empowered them to retain some degree of autonomy, but in fact, how it disempowered their captors. Often the key to their successes, lay in one word: solidarity. Errachidi recounts that during one phase of punishment at Guantanamo Bay, the guards were forcefully removing the clothes of detainees for 24 hour period, but due to the lengthy process, could only do four or five a time,
“We fought back and so they only managed to strip four or five of us a day, returning the next day to do another batch. Because new prisoners kept joining the block and then, seeing what was happening, also joining in our protest, it took over seven days to remove all our trousers and many prisoners sustained injuries in the process. It was so exhausting; after seven days we no longer had the energy to resist, with the result that newcomers started voluntarily giving up their clothes. Even so, we prisoners found ways round this imposed nakedness. At times of prayer we’d take off our shirts and wear them round our legs while others would pray in their shorts. But there was nothing we could do about the toilet: prisoners on punishment would have to use it naked and without a veil while soldiers, including women soldiers, stared and jeered.”
It is here, that Errachidi’s nom-de-guerre as “The General” becomes clearer. He came up with an idea which seemingly might have been perceived to be counter-intuitive, but in reality, proved his role as a leader among the brotherhood of detainees,
“I’d already been working on an idea for a few weeks – pacing my cell, three steps one way, three steps the other, figuring out my reasoning – so I was prepared. I proposed that we rip up our orange shirts.
“Since the main thrust of our protest was to put an end to the punishment of having our clothes forcibly removed, this must have sounded like a peculiar idea. But I laid out my arguments in a methodical manner, I told my fellows that one of the reason, we were prohibited from removing our clothes was because they were visible and helped the soldiers to identify us. If, I argued, we managed to get the bulk of the prison population to join in the removal and destruction of up to five hundred shirts this would not only confuse them but also send a strong signal about our refusal to put up with punishments, and it would undermine the camp authorities who’d given us the orange kit. Since, I continued, it was compulsory for them to clothe us (I told my fellow prisoners that this was written into the Geneva Convention – I didn’t know if it was but thought it might be), a prisoner being escorted to interrogation or clinic without a shirt would be an embarrassment to the army. Although we never met them we knew journalists and their like paid frequent visits to the prison and if they were to see us dressed only in our trousers this would make a huge impression. The orange clothes were also a visible sign that we were their prisoners: by removing our shirts we would be sending the administration a message that we were no longer prepared to be their captives. And finally, I argued that if every one of us tore up our shirts at the same time, and if we then tore up any new shirts issued to us, they’d have a serious problem, not least because the Pentagon would start asking why they were spending so much money on shirts.”
Often we refer to those who have been through torture and trauma as being survivors, however Ahmed Errachidi is much more than a survivor. An innocent man who had not committed a crime against any country, he refused to not only accept the allegations against him, but also challenged every single abusive condition against the detainee population.
Asim Qureshi is the Research Director at advocacy group CAGE.
You can follow him on Twitter @AsimCP
January 23, 2017
This is required reading. The author's tale of torture is a facet of the War on Terror that everyone must at least know. Whether you agree with the war or not you have to know what actions are consequences of your position. For hawks that means reading this book.
The detail of the struggles that Errachidi goes through at Bagram, Kandahar & Guantanamo Bay is so vivid you end up forcing yourself to put it down to ensure you don't get as wound up as he is. You will initially get very angry with the treatment of these prisoners. Just remember that if they weren't innocent, would you be this angry? That's a point often made by hawks that doves do not respect.
The struggles he went through also weave will with the times that he tries to find hope and the times he tries to scheme to make life better for those who share his struggle. As a result you are seeing the torture of humans, not just the list of grievances of prisoners. That's where I choked up the most, when he describes his empathy for the hunger strikers or how he tells stories of great feasts to his cellmates.
There is probably a dual book to this, one that describes how torture helped get bin Laden. But for now this book has planted me firmly on one side of the interrogation debate.
The detail of the struggles that Errachidi goes through at Bagram, Kandahar & Guantanamo Bay is so vivid you end up forcing yourself to put it down to ensure you don't get as wound up as he is. You will initially get very angry with the treatment of these prisoners. Just remember that if they weren't innocent, would you be this angry? That's a point often made by hawks that doves do not respect.
The struggles he went through also weave will with the times that he tries to find hope and the times he tries to scheme to make life better for those who share his struggle. As a result you are seeing the torture of humans, not just the list of grievances of prisoners. That's where I choked up the most, when he describes his empathy for the hunger strikers or how he tells stories of great feasts to his cellmates.
There is probably a dual book to this, one that describes how torture helped get bin Laden. But for now this book has planted me firmly on one side of the interrogation debate.
January 2, 2021
This account has just brought to light the blatant and utter hypocrisy of the US in its fight for ‘freedom’ whilst simultaneously imprisoning Muslim men in Guantánamo, the ultimate graveyard of freedom. I feel as though the US gov has exerted so much energy and effort into misconstruing Muslims as terrorists, whilst committing more acts of terrorism than anyone else in the world- The running of Guantánamo being just one example.
With regards to the bombing of Afghanistan- ‘you can’t terrorise 29 million people and claim you are fighting terrorism’
My favourite passage- ‘I got down on my knees and looked more closely at this tender green grass. I picked and crushed one blade which was so fragile and yet had a life force strong enough to push through tarmac. This experience kept coming back to me during my imprisonment. I felt that I was that weed and the tarmac was my jailer and that it was my destiny to survive.’
Errachidi is an inspiration to us all to challenge the system- ‘his fierce pride and his resolve to stand up to injustice meant that he didn’t choose the easy way.’ ‘I’d rather be beaten than be a willing instrument in their humiliation of me.’
With regards to the bombing of Afghanistan- ‘you can’t terrorise 29 million people and claim you are fighting terrorism’
My favourite passage- ‘I got down on my knees and looked more closely at this tender green grass. I picked and crushed one blade which was so fragile and yet had a life force strong enough to push through tarmac. This experience kept coming back to me during my imprisonment. I felt that I was that weed and the tarmac was my jailer and that it was my destiny to survive.’
Errachidi is an inspiration to us all to challenge the system- ‘his fierce pride and his resolve to stand up to injustice meant that he didn’t choose the easy way.’ ‘I’d rather be beaten than be a willing instrument in their humiliation of me.’
June 18, 2013
This book is a memoir and an important one. It is appalling to read about a modern day gulag still in operation. US President Barack Obama is heckled during a counter-terrorism speech in Washington on Thursday by a protester demanding he close Guantánamo. Out of 166 men kept in Guantánamo, 86 have been cleared to leave, but US officials have cited security concerns in effectively suspending any releases. The US president cannot close Guantanamo without support from Congress.
The book gives you a first-hand experience of what it is like inside Guantanamo. Shocking, surreal and brutal, the story needs to be told and I suspect more stories will be told in the future.
Please read the full review at:
http://bibliojunkie.wordpress.com/201...
January 2, 2014
"America wanted the world to know they were giving assistance to the Afghani people, and yet they couldn't accept that I'd been doing exactly the same thing."
This really sums up this book. Was it really a war on terror? Or a war on Muslims?
I can't say I enjoyed reading this book as much as ' enemy combatant' (moazzam begg). I think the reason for that is Moazzam knew the names of the guards and explained the types of 'relationships' he had with them. However if anything The General had even less of a reason to have been taken prisoner and seems a more likeable character to me. I thank Allah he finally got his freedom back.
As an extra note, i happen to know the man who translated this book from arabic and he said that Ahmed Errachidi is innocent. I believe him.
This really sums up this book. Was it really a war on terror? Or a war on Muslims?
I can't say I enjoyed reading this book as much as ' enemy combatant' (moazzam begg). I think the reason for that is Moazzam knew the names of the guards and explained the types of 'relationships' he had with them. However if anything The General had even less of a reason to have been taken prisoner and seems a more likeable character to me. I thank Allah he finally got his freedom back.
As an extra note, i happen to know the man who translated this book from arabic and he said that Ahmed Errachidi is innocent. I believe him.
October 14, 2022
The Truth
American administration could be described as the biggest Terrorists in the world. American people are lovely. They just have no control over their military and agencies.It is terrible what they do to others in the name promoting democracy. The way they treat others is a main reason for much of the world disliking America.This book portrays American military in a very poor light. Why can’t they see this and close down such prisons immediately?????????
American administration could be described as the biggest Terrorists in the world. American people are lovely. They just have no control over their military and agencies.It is terrible what they do to others in the name promoting democracy. The way they treat others is a main reason for much of the world disliking America.This book portrays American military in a very poor light. Why can’t they see this and close down such prisons immediately?????????
March 30, 2013
With an introduction by Gillian Slovo, The General tells the story of an innocent Moroccan captured in Pakistan and flown to Guantanamo Bay for a 5 year imprisonment involving officially sanctioned degradation and torture. The story is beautifully told and well translated into English from the original Arabic.
April 23, 2013
I guess seeing is no longer believing. Great book
July 11, 2015
a shocking, terrifying testimonial and memoir of a hidden dark world!
April 12, 2017
It’s hard to know where to begin with this. It reads like something from a third world country or oppressive dictatorship but no, almost unbelievably this is the behaviour of a so called democracy, the land of the free. I think it’s fair to say that the author’s presence in Afghanistan at the time of invasion was dubious at best and clearly dumb and naïve and is certainly enough to justify reasonable suspicion as it wasn’t the actions of someone rational. Nevertheless that is in no way to condone any of what the Pakistanis or US military did to him. His presence merited questioning but none of the series of criminal horrors that followed. The extent of the dehumanising treatment is truly vile and disgusting and all of it fully state sponsored too.
This is a deeply sad and disturbing account and throws up the same old questions about Guantanamo. Why is still allowed to thrive, making up its own laws and answering to no one?... I’m sure the vast majority of Americans would be horrified and disgusted to read what is being done in their name. It appears to be apparent to everyone apart from the US government that the continuation of their abysmal foreign policy, as well as reinforcing their reputation as one of the most hated nations in the world, is only creating a whole new generation of enemies.
One thing that seems to have been clearly established is how incredibly dumb, ignorant and dangerous the US military can be, and each and every one a product of the American education and recruitment system. Obviously there are some very smart people in the US military doing great work for the right reasons, so where are they, who are they and what are they doing whilst the rest of these people so lacking in education or humanity are given so much power without responsibility?...It’s terrifying. They are taught to obey not think and that comes across loud and clear. What do you think will happen if you train an army of poorly educated cowards and bullies, put them into uniforms, fool them into believing they are fighting for their country, hand them guns and send them into a war zone?...They clearly have no idea what they are doing. Like too many Americans they are totally oblivious or insensitive to any other culture outside their own, let alone one so vastly different.
One of the very few guilty men mentioned by name is one General Geoffrey D. Miller. We should be asking what kind of regime allows a man guilty of such crimes not only to be kept out of jail, but actually reward him instead, giving him a Distinguished Service Medal on his retirement. General Miller continues to be banned from entering the Russian Federation on account of his human rights violations.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews