ummtawhid
11-01-2007, 02:05 AM
TORTURE IN SAUDI PRISONS EXCLUSIVE REPORT147[147]
This is an exclusive interview with one brother who spent some time in a Saudi prison within the last few
months. He was arrested when he returned from a land of Jihaad, but Alhamdulillah, he was released and fled
the country before the latest crackdown.
We would like to say that what you are about to read is not a fabricated or second-hand account. This account
was taken DIRECTLY from the mouth of the brother who underwent this torture. Defenders of the Saudi
regime will nonetheless try to say that this is a made-up story or that it is lies.
In the Name of ALLAH, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind
“I don't know what to say in the beginning and how to start the story, but I find myself forced to speak the truth
and to let the world know about the biggest hypocrite regime on the face of the Earth. Words are not sufficient
for me to describe what happened. I returned from the Jihaad in Afghanistan, where I had gone to help the
oppressed Muslims and fulfil my duty to Allah . One night I was sleeping with my family at my home in Al-
Khubar148[148], in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. My family heard a loud knocking on
the front door, which frightened them. My brother went to open the door, and as soon as he tried to open the
door, the visitors forced their way into the house and put him up against the wall. They also got my other family
members up against the wall. They forcefully woke me up from my sleep, dragged me by my clothes and put me
against the wall as well. They started to swear at me:
‘You son of an adulteress! You dog! Where are the weapons in your house? ’
“ I told them that I did not have any weapons in my house. Then they started to beat me, in front of my family.
They began searching my house and went through my things. Then they handcuffed me and took me in a car to
the headquarters of the intelligence services.
“When we reached the headquarters, they forced me out of the car and took me to one of the rooms. In that
room, they removed all of my clothes and started to laugh whilst commenting on my 'awrah (private parts).
147[147] This story was published by `Azzaam web site and approved by other trustworthy brothers.
148[148] Al-Khubar is the city where the explosion against the Americans took place.
When I asked them why they were doing that, they said that it was part of the search procedures. They gave me
back my clothes, took me to another room and told me to wait there The room was very cold and I waited for
eleven hours before anyone came. I had gone to sleep in a chair, and was woken up by a slap across my face.
Then someone said to me:
‘How dare you sleep, you dog! ’
“ Then he started to swear at me, calling me a homosexual, a fornicator with my mother and a fornicator with
my sister. I said to him:
‘Don't say that. It is not Islamically permissible. ’
“He gestured to two guards to hit me. They hit me a number of times. Then he
said:
‘Don't teach us our Deen. We know it better than you. ’
“ Then three officers entered. Their names are as follows:
Ahmad Muhammad Al-Ba'aadee
Nida Al-Oteibi,
Samir Rashid Al-Qahtani
“ They had all been educated in the USA. They sat down and, when they saw me, they said:
‘His face does not suit interrogation, as there is not enough blood on it. ’
“ Then a large soldier came and slapped me across my face a number of times until blood appeared. After that
they asked me:
‘Where did you learn to be a mujaahid? ’
“I told them, ‘From the Book of ALLAHand the Sunnah of the Messenger of ALLAH (Peace and Blessings of
ALLAH be upon him). ’
“Then they said:
‘Liar! Liar! The Book and the Sunnah did not tell you to disobey the wali ulamr ( ruler of the Muslims) and to
fight the Islamic State. ’
“I told them that I had not fought the Islamic State. They said:
‘You don't speak, only we speak! ’
“Then they asked me hundreds of questions over nine hours. During the questioning, the subject of Shaikh
'Abdullah `Azzaam- the shahid (martyr) scholar of the Mujaahidin in Afghanistan, came up. I told them that the
Saudi government portrayed a good image of him in the media. Then one of the officers, Ahmad Muhammad Al-
Ba'aadee said:
‘We know the truth about 'Abdullah `Azzaam. He called all the young beardless boys to Afghanistan in order to
carry out homosexual acts with them under the guise of Jihaad. ’
Eventually I asked them:
‘Why am I here? I want to know! ’
I wished I hadn't asked. They said:
‘It seems as if you didn't have a good tarbiyyah (upbringing). ’
They then ordered the guards: ‘Teach him some manners! ’ And the guards beat me until the officers said:
‘Enough! ’
“I was then taken and thrown in the cells. The next day they returned and asked me:
‘Why did you go for Jihaad? ’ I told them that I went for Jihaad to help the Muslims and gain victory over the
kuffar (unbelievers).
They said:
‘Liar! You want to overthrow the Saudi regime. ’ I said that that wasn't true.
“ Then they questioned me for six hours. They asked me where I had hidden the weapons and the explosives. I
told them that I did not have any of these things. They asked me more questions and I told them that I didn't
know.
“ They ordered the guards to take me to a room and make me stand until further notice. I thought I would be
made to stand only for one day, being provided with food. In actual fact, they made me stand for eight days
giving me only water but neither food nor a moment's sleep.
“When I used to make Salah (prayer), I used to make long prostration in order to rest. One of the officers used
to come and kick me, lifting my neck with his foot. He would say:
‘Don't make long prostration! Get up! ’ and he would swear at me. He used to do this whilst I was in Salah!
“ After the eighth day, I felt I was near to my death, since I had had neither food nor sleep for eight days. Then
one of the officers came and called me.
“ They gave me food and drink and said:
‘Now that we have saved you from death, you will speak and tell us where the weapons and the explosives are. ’
“I told them that I did not know because I did not have anything. They said:
‘It seems that you have still not learnt any manners. ’
“ They took me to a room, sat me on a chair and attached electrodes to my hands and legs. The officer turned
the switch on to 30V. He asked me where the weapons and the explosives were. I said to myself that I would not
reply except with 'La ilaha ill ALLAH'. He started to increase the voltage to 60V, 90V then 120V. When he
reached 150V, I fell unconscious. I awoke after one day. They took me to the same room, and poured cold water
over me in preparation of more electric shocks.
At that point I said:
‘OK! I'll tell you where the weapons and the explosives are. ’
"They asked me where, to which I replied:
‘I left them in Afghanistan ’
They then started to beat me and swear at me again.
For two days I was not given any food. Then one of the officers asked me whether I wanted to eat. I replied in
the affirmative. He asked me which restaurant would I prefer to eat from. I replied:
‘Masha-ALLAH, you have five star service here! ’
“He said: ‘In fact, you'll see that we have ten star service here. ’
“Then he began to laugh and I wondered why he laughed. He took me to a room and asked me what I wanted to
eat. I thought he was serious.
“ I said: ‘A cheeseburger from Hardees ’. He said:
‘What else? ’
“ I said: ‘French Fries. ’
“He asked: ‘And what else? ’
“I said: ‘A Pepsi. ’
“He asked me if I wanted anything else, and I replied that that was sufficient. Then he said:
‘What do you think if we also get you an Apple Pie? ’
“ I said: ‘Yes, yes, bring that too! ’
“He told me to wait there and he left the room. After a while, he returned with four well-built men. He pointed
to the men and said:
‘This is Cheeseburger, French-Fries, Pepsi and Apple Pie. They will serve you your meal Insha ’allah. ’
“ I was sat in a chair, with my hands laid out flat on a table. The man he named 'Cheeseburger' came and with a
long cane, he struck the backs of both of my hands until they became blue. The officer asked whether I had
eaten my fill with the 'Cheeseburger'. I wanted to say yes, but I was in so much pain that I couldn't reply.
“ Next came 'French-Fries ’. He brought with him three canes and said:
‘These must be broken today! ’
“He started to beat me across my back. By the Mercy of ALLAH , all three canes broke very soon. I don't
know how many times he had struck me, since after the third strike, I stopped feeling any pain. ”
“ Then came 'Pepsi' and 'Apple Pie'. They laid me on my back on a table, and brought something known as a
'falakah'. This is like a short, thick, wooden log with a short rope stretching from one end to another. They
inserted my feet through the rope, and rotated the log against my shins, winding the rope and tightening my feet
together. Each person held an end of the log and raised it, so that my feet were up in the air.
“Then a third person came and with a long, thin cane, beat the soles of my feet until they were covered in blood
(as a result I wasn't able to stand for about six days, since the soles of my feet had become torn).I pleaded with
them to stop but they did not listen and continued to beat me. After four hours of torture, they stopped and left
the room.
“The officer returned and asked me if I wanted any other food. I said:
‘No I am full. ’
“He asked if I would like some cake as a dessert after my meal. I was extremely angry and replied:
‘Get lost you kaafir! You dog! You dajjaal! You American agent! You Israeli agent! You cross worshipper. ’
“He clapped his hands twice and three men entered with three glass tanks. In each tank there was a snake. He
teased me:
‘Shall we release these, leave you and go? Shall we? I'm a kaafir am I? I'm a dog am I? We will release these
and also bring some scorpions. ’
“One of the snakes was as thick as my arm and one was a cobra.
‘They will entertain you! ’ he said and he gave the order for the glass cases to be opened. I became very
frightened and I called him. I started to cry and said:
"I'll tell you everything, and I won't hide anything from you. Just take these snakes away."
“The officer became very happy. He stroked my beard and my head, saying,
‘Masha'ALLAH. You are a good boy now. You have become well-mannered. ’
“He started to wipe my tears, saying:
‘Don't cry little boy. I'm like your father. ’ I marvelled at Allah ’s patience with this man.
“They unshackled me and I told them I couldn't walk. The officer said:
‘Don't worry. We are at your service, ’ and he ordered the others to carry me to the interrogation room.
“By now I was psychologically destroyed. I gave them information about the brothers, but I didn't tell them
everything. And ALLAH knows that I didn't tell them anything, until after I had reached a state of
psychological destruction. For the one who is reading this account of mine is not like the one who has been
through it. I ask ALLAH to excuse me on the Day of Judgement.
“ I was then taken to the prison's clinic where they treated an injury to my eye, my back, my feet and my heart,
which had been affected by the electric shocks. I stayed in the clinic for six days and I didn't receive any
physical torture after that- only mental torture. For instance, they would play loud music in my presence and
swear at me with the worst swear words imaginable. Then they took me to a normal cell to join three other
Mujaahidin brothers.
“ After meeting with my brothers in the cell, I knew that what had happened to me was light compared to what
they had been put through. One of them was locked in a corpse freezer and left for two days. He knocked and
knocked and pleaded with them to let him out. By the time they had taken him out, he had become
psychologically destroyed and he even confessed to things he had not done. During this period he also acquired
a continuous chest infection.
“ Another brother was placed in a hot room and fed some very salty food. For three days he was not given any
water to drink. Then they came and asked him if he wanted any water. He was so thirsty and his mouth was so
dry that he could not even speak, and he merely gestured that he needed water. They brought him the best
mineral water and allowed him to drink to his heart's content. When he wanted to go to the toilet to relieve
himself, they tied his hands behind his back, removed his lower garment and sealed his private part with black
tape. Then they laughed and said:
‘Go on, urinate! ’
After a number of hours he cried and screamed and said:
‘Bring a blank sheet of paper and I will sign it. And you can write a confession to every crime above my
signature. I killed Sadat (President of Egypt), I killed King Faisal (Saudi Arabia), I killed John F. Kennedy (US
President). ’
“It was as if he had become mad. Then he started to give them information regarding every possible thing. Even
things they did not ask him about. Then finally, they allowed him to urinate.
“ Once one of the brothers returned from a torture session with a big smile on is face. Upon being asked the
reason of his smile, he joyfully told us that he was happy because he had now seen open proof of the Saudi
regime's collaboration with the US government. He said that during his interrogation, American officers whose
identity cards read had also questioned him: 'FBI Saudi Arabia Branch.' Afterwards I was to find out that the
FBI even has an office in Al-Khubar.
“ I stayed in the prison for a further two months and ten days. One morning, one of the officers - 'Abdul Ghani
Ash-Shareef' - came to the cell and called one of the brothers, addressing him as,
‘You son of an adulteress! You fornicator with your mother! ’
“The brother cautioned him to fear ALLAH. The officer replied:
‘Are you trying to teach me about my Lord? I know my Lord better than you! Cursed be your Lord! Cursed be
your Deen! ’
“Once I said to this same officer:
‘Why do you torture me, when we are both from the tribe of Quraysh? ’ He replied:
‘Yes, but you are from the lineage of Muhammad, and I am from the lineage of Abu Jahl. ’
“Dear reader, you might not believe me if I told you that these were the most beautiful days of my life. We all
used to pray during the night and fast everyday following the words of Ibn Taymiyyah ﮫﻤﺣر ﷲا :
‘What can my enemies do to me? My Paradise is in my breast; wherever I go, it is with me. My murder is
Shahaadah (martyrdom). My imprisonment is solitude with ALLAH . And my exile is tourism. ’
“Some of the brothers even wrote this famous statement on the cell walls with their own blood.
“ And whilst in prison, we used to constantly repeat a slogan of which we were proud and felt we were acting
by:
" ﷲا ﻻإ ﮫﻟإ ﻻ ﺪﻤﺤﻣ ﻰﻘﻠﻧ ﺎﮭﯿﻠﻋو ﺪھﺎﺠﻧ ﺎﮭﻠﯿﺒﺳ ﻲﻓو تﻮﻤﻧ ﺎﮭﯿﻠﻋو ﺎﯿﺤﻧ ﺎﮭﯿﻠﻋ ﷲا لﻮﺳر ﷲا
La ilaha ill ALLAH Muhammad Ar-Rasulullah! Upon it we live, and upon it we die. And in its path we make
Jihaad, and upon it we will meet ALLAH. ’
“ All the brothers in all the cells used to chant this together in one voice over and over again. The guards used
to come and kick the doors, telling us to shut up. They would say:
‘May ALLAH either cut your tongues, or we will put our boots in your mouths. ’
“But this would only increase the volume of our voices. And we would frequently utter cries of ALLAHU
AKBAR (ALLAH is the Greatest), since we felt that this prison was a test from ALLAH to purify us from our sins
and to strengthen our Iman (faith), just as had happened to Bilal bin Rabah, the family of Yasir, 'Abdullah bin
Mas'ud, Khabbab bin 'Arrat, Abu Dharr Al-Ghifari, and before all of them, the Messenger of ALLAH (Peace
and blessings of ALLAH be upon him).
“We used to feel that when this punishment was combined with Iman in ALLAH, it became a blessing from
ALLAH and not a misfortune. The voices of the brothers were constantly engaged in the remembrance of
ALLAH and recitation of Qur'an. We felt that these voices in the future would become war and weapons against
the oppressors. Every time we saw a tyrant increasing the torture, we became more certain that their end was
becoming nearer - because ALLAH gives respite, but does not disregard.
“Then after many intercessions, ALLAH favoured me to leave that prison and that country. And here I am
writing this actuality to all the Muslims in the Islamic world, so that they know the reality of this apostate
regime; that they know that it is a regime of lies, pretending to represent Islam, whereas Islam is innocent of it.
“And to let those know who defend this regime and describe it as 'Salafi' (upon the example of the first three
generations of Muslims), saying that it is established on the 'Aqidah of Tawhid (the creed of the Oneness of
ALLAH) whilst its soldiers punish the Muslims for raising the word of Tawhid.
A Mujaahid Brother
A SISTER’S STORY
“The women and children of the household rushed frantically upstairs. At the top, there were two small rooms
and a narrow landing, where the spare room, of a similar size, was empty. It was in this room that all 24 of us,
together with the 8 children, hid.
“ Steps were heard outside the door and then there were two or three male voices. For the seconds before the
door was flung open, we tried to pray while standing… but then we saw scowling faces staring at us.
“The children were torn away from us, screaming. What were we to do? Stay calm! Hope! Pray! Oh Allah,
please protect the children.
“I watched silently, as havoc was wrought. The destruction was just a normal part of their intimidation tactics.
At some point, we were dragged and pushed down the stairs and some of us were taken outside. It must have
been around 3pm and the sun was scorching hot. Al Anba ’een was “simmering ”
“Nadia ’s clothes had been ripped off and she had no shoes on her feet – her hair was all over the place! She
was still clutching her baby tightly, and tears were streaking her now soiled face. Large horrible hands were
reaching for her and she was begging for the life of her baby! I suddenly felt cold. I began to edge carefully
towards Nadia, with my hands out-stretched. Somewhere in the depths of my tormented mind, I had the idea
that I could perhaps at least take the child. In the time it took me to glance at Nadia ’s face, they had impaled
the child on one of their fixed bayonets. Its mother let out the most haunting yell, before she was thrown to the
ground! Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! Blood trickled from her many wounds. Her eyes were black and she
ceased to be. Her soul was free.
“It was my turn now! They were suddenly distracted by something that I couldn ’t yet see. I shuffled to the right
quietly and realized that Najla was on one of the balconies on the 6th floor. She had nothing on, but her qamis.
She climbed up, on to the edge and perched there, as if in a trance, her naked legs trembling and bruised. As
she stepped off, she asked Allah to forgive her.
“I began to run, towards the main road, but it was futile. I was bundled into the back of a military vehicle,
where there were already 11 other women, Muslim sisters. All of us had been separated from our outer
garments which were our modesty!!!
“The under-ground ‘Holding Camps ’ in the desert, are possibly one of the closest things to hell on earth. They
are dark, always grossly over-crowded and the stench is vile. They watch us 24 hours a day, taking perverse
enjoyment from our varied predicaments and attempted privacy. Our food was usually one small plate of
“bubbling ” lentils, and a piece of stale bread, daily. The lentils were bubbling because they had been cooked 3
or 4 days previously and left in the sun to ferment.
“Rape and beatings are a normal part of the daily routine of these ‘holes of hell ’. But the worse scenario was
when we were frog-marched to ground level, stripped and manacled to the bars of what looked like more cells
and our brothers brought in to witness the ‘daily sport ’!!!
“What crime did we commit, you may ask! Were we terrorists? Were we guilty of treason? Had we murdered
others? ” No we had done none of these things! Our only crime, if it could even be classified as such, was the
fact that we were (and still are) practicing Muslimaat (Muslim sisters), al hamdu lillah. Some of us also
happened to be the women of practicing Muslimin (Muslim brothers).
“We were not out-spoken in public, but we did meet each evening for communal prayer and to read a little
Qur ’an, we did ask our children not to miss their salat while at school; and our girls, like us, wore the hijab.
“Our men just disappear without trace, our children are bullied and ridiculed and sometimes banned from
school. We are subject to any and all of the afore-mentioned barbarity, and this today is Egypt.
“As tired but faithful practicing Muslimaat (Muslim sisters), On behalf of all the other sisters I demand the
protection of our brothers, which after all, Allah says, is our right. We plead for you all. ”
CONCLUSION
In the end result, we are able to see that the obstacle in front of us is large. Our task to remove it is formidable.
By facing the truth of the situation that we are looking at and being willing to soil our hands in the process of
changing it, we bring all the rewards that Allah promises to those who strive in His cause.
During this small effort, all those involved in this research hope that the reader will understand that although the
force we are fighting is monolithic, it is made up various moving parts, some of which have friction with
eachother, thus there are some Khawaarij who would never pay any mind to their ideological counterparts due
to differing opinions in certain matters.
But if we look carefully at the general characteristics, we are able to notice a pattern that occurs with all groups
like this one. In the beginning, those involved mean well, but in the process the objective becomes blurred, and
as disillusionment sets in, incongruent ideas with Islam become commonplace, as the evidence is left and
opinions take precedence. Thus, it is of great use of the reader to know that some of the Khawaarij will rebel
against the ruler as well as the Shari`a. Other Khawaarij, if the ruler of their time is not legitimate, they will
rebel against the Shari`a.
There are also some Khawaarij who have worship like prayer, but there are others who have no worship but are
pure enemies of Islam and Muslims.
Other Khawaarij are Khawaarij Murji’a, who can call some people kuffar and they don’t follow their own rules
with regard to others,
It is also noticeable that the Khawaarij divide among themselves and they always branch out from one another,
as well as differing amongst themselves, not to mention others.
The Khawaarij could mix with other bid`a as well, which suits some of their thinking, like the Mu`tazila
Khawaarij, Shi`a Khawaarij, the Murji’a Khawaarij, all branches of the original Khawaarij who differed in
judgement. The only way to impede their advance is to fight them and to remove them from the area.
Some times the Khawaarij are less of a danger than the apostates or outside intruders. It is then up to the Sunni
Muslim Imaams to treat them as a second enemy and delay to fight them, or deal with them and the other groups
simultaneously, like the situation in Algeria, in which the Mujaahidin are fighting the government and the
Khawaarij at the same time.
Some extremist people do not kill for their belief, but argue and call people kuffar, without actually killing
Muslims due to what they believe. These are the Takfiriyyah. It is then advisable to then expose them without
fighting them. And if they are the only people who are fighting an enemy to Islam more dangerous than them,
then fighting under their leadership is permissible. It is known in history that some of the tabi`iin fought some
Shi`a under the leadership of the Khawaarij. When they were asked to justify their action, they answered, “We
fight the enemies of Allah under the leadership of the enemies of Islam. ”
The danger of the Khawaarij is less than the Murji’ a of our time, as the Khawaarij exaggerate matters in the
religion and obligations, whereas the Murj’a let go of the principles of Islam, one by one, without safeguarding
Islam whatsoever. Following the Murji’a scenario, Muslims could follow the scenario of the Muslims in
Kosova, Albania and so forth. This is when the people are far removed from Islam and only turn back to Islam
after a major catastrophe.
We pray and rely on Allah that after the disasters of the loss of our Khilaafah system, our Shari`a, our
honour, our dignity and our courage in the face of oppression that we turn back to His religion for no one’s sake
but His alone, establish the proof on the arrogant ones and take the appropriate steps to restore our strength and
dignity in the sight of Allah .
This is an exclusive interview with one brother who spent some time in a Saudi prison within the last few
months. He was arrested when he returned from a land of Jihaad, but Alhamdulillah, he was released and fled
the country before the latest crackdown.
We would like to say that what you are about to read is not a fabricated or second-hand account. This account
was taken DIRECTLY from the mouth of the brother who underwent this torture. Defenders of the Saudi
regime will nonetheless try to say that this is a made-up story or that it is lies.
In the Name of ALLAH, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind
“I don't know what to say in the beginning and how to start the story, but I find myself forced to speak the truth
and to let the world know about the biggest hypocrite regime on the face of the Earth. Words are not sufficient
for me to describe what happened. I returned from the Jihaad in Afghanistan, where I had gone to help the
oppressed Muslims and fulfil my duty to Allah . One night I was sleeping with my family at my home in Al-
Khubar148[148], in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. My family heard a loud knocking on
the front door, which frightened them. My brother went to open the door, and as soon as he tried to open the
door, the visitors forced their way into the house and put him up against the wall. They also got my other family
members up against the wall. They forcefully woke me up from my sleep, dragged me by my clothes and put me
against the wall as well. They started to swear at me:
‘You son of an adulteress! You dog! Where are the weapons in your house? ’
“ I told them that I did not have any weapons in my house. Then they started to beat me, in front of my family.
They began searching my house and went through my things. Then they handcuffed me and took me in a car to
the headquarters of the intelligence services.
“When we reached the headquarters, they forced me out of the car and took me to one of the rooms. In that
room, they removed all of my clothes and started to laugh whilst commenting on my 'awrah (private parts).
147[147] This story was published by `Azzaam web site and approved by other trustworthy brothers.
148[148] Al-Khubar is the city where the explosion against the Americans took place.
When I asked them why they were doing that, they said that it was part of the search procedures. They gave me
back my clothes, took me to another room and told me to wait there The room was very cold and I waited for
eleven hours before anyone came. I had gone to sleep in a chair, and was woken up by a slap across my face.
Then someone said to me:
‘How dare you sleep, you dog! ’
“ Then he started to swear at me, calling me a homosexual, a fornicator with my mother and a fornicator with
my sister. I said to him:
‘Don't say that. It is not Islamically permissible. ’
“He gestured to two guards to hit me. They hit me a number of times. Then he
said:
‘Don't teach us our Deen. We know it better than you. ’
“ Then three officers entered. Their names are as follows:
Ahmad Muhammad Al-Ba'aadee
Nida Al-Oteibi,
Samir Rashid Al-Qahtani
“ They had all been educated in the USA. They sat down and, when they saw me, they said:
‘His face does not suit interrogation, as there is not enough blood on it. ’
“ Then a large soldier came and slapped me across my face a number of times until blood appeared. After that
they asked me:
‘Where did you learn to be a mujaahid? ’
“I told them, ‘From the Book of ALLAHand the Sunnah of the Messenger of ALLAH (Peace and Blessings of
ALLAH be upon him). ’
“Then they said:
‘Liar! Liar! The Book and the Sunnah did not tell you to disobey the wali ulamr ( ruler of the Muslims) and to
fight the Islamic State. ’
“I told them that I had not fought the Islamic State. They said:
‘You don't speak, only we speak! ’
“Then they asked me hundreds of questions over nine hours. During the questioning, the subject of Shaikh
'Abdullah `Azzaam- the shahid (martyr) scholar of the Mujaahidin in Afghanistan, came up. I told them that the
Saudi government portrayed a good image of him in the media. Then one of the officers, Ahmad Muhammad Al-
Ba'aadee said:
‘We know the truth about 'Abdullah `Azzaam. He called all the young beardless boys to Afghanistan in order to
carry out homosexual acts with them under the guise of Jihaad. ’
Eventually I asked them:
‘Why am I here? I want to know! ’
I wished I hadn't asked. They said:
‘It seems as if you didn't have a good tarbiyyah (upbringing). ’
They then ordered the guards: ‘Teach him some manners! ’ And the guards beat me until the officers said:
‘Enough! ’
“I was then taken and thrown in the cells. The next day they returned and asked me:
‘Why did you go for Jihaad? ’ I told them that I went for Jihaad to help the Muslims and gain victory over the
kuffar (unbelievers).
They said:
‘Liar! You want to overthrow the Saudi regime. ’ I said that that wasn't true.
“ Then they questioned me for six hours. They asked me where I had hidden the weapons and the explosives. I
told them that I did not have any of these things. They asked me more questions and I told them that I didn't
know.
“ They ordered the guards to take me to a room and make me stand until further notice. I thought I would be
made to stand only for one day, being provided with food. In actual fact, they made me stand for eight days
giving me only water but neither food nor a moment's sleep.
“When I used to make Salah (prayer), I used to make long prostration in order to rest. One of the officers used
to come and kick me, lifting my neck with his foot. He would say:
‘Don't make long prostration! Get up! ’ and he would swear at me. He used to do this whilst I was in Salah!
“ After the eighth day, I felt I was near to my death, since I had had neither food nor sleep for eight days. Then
one of the officers came and called me.
“ They gave me food and drink and said:
‘Now that we have saved you from death, you will speak and tell us where the weapons and the explosives are. ’
“I told them that I did not know because I did not have anything. They said:
‘It seems that you have still not learnt any manners. ’
“ They took me to a room, sat me on a chair and attached electrodes to my hands and legs. The officer turned
the switch on to 30V. He asked me where the weapons and the explosives were. I said to myself that I would not
reply except with 'La ilaha ill ALLAH'. He started to increase the voltage to 60V, 90V then 120V. When he
reached 150V, I fell unconscious. I awoke after one day. They took me to the same room, and poured cold water
over me in preparation of more electric shocks.
At that point I said:
‘OK! I'll tell you where the weapons and the explosives are. ’
"They asked me where, to which I replied:
‘I left them in Afghanistan ’
They then started to beat me and swear at me again.
For two days I was not given any food. Then one of the officers asked me whether I wanted to eat. I replied in
the affirmative. He asked me which restaurant would I prefer to eat from. I replied:
‘Masha-ALLAH, you have five star service here! ’
“He said: ‘In fact, you'll see that we have ten star service here. ’
“Then he began to laugh and I wondered why he laughed. He took me to a room and asked me what I wanted to
eat. I thought he was serious.
“ I said: ‘A cheeseburger from Hardees ’. He said:
‘What else? ’
“ I said: ‘French Fries. ’
“He asked: ‘And what else? ’
“I said: ‘A Pepsi. ’
“He asked me if I wanted anything else, and I replied that that was sufficient. Then he said:
‘What do you think if we also get you an Apple Pie? ’
“ I said: ‘Yes, yes, bring that too! ’
“He told me to wait there and he left the room. After a while, he returned with four well-built men. He pointed
to the men and said:
‘This is Cheeseburger, French-Fries, Pepsi and Apple Pie. They will serve you your meal Insha ’allah. ’
“ I was sat in a chair, with my hands laid out flat on a table. The man he named 'Cheeseburger' came and with a
long cane, he struck the backs of both of my hands until they became blue. The officer asked whether I had
eaten my fill with the 'Cheeseburger'. I wanted to say yes, but I was in so much pain that I couldn't reply.
“ Next came 'French-Fries ’. He brought with him three canes and said:
‘These must be broken today! ’
“He started to beat me across my back. By the Mercy of ALLAH , all three canes broke very soon. I don't
know how many times he had struck me, since after the third strike, I stopped feeling any pain. ”
“ Then came 'Pepsi' and 'Apple Pie'. They laid me on my back on a table, and brought something known as a
'falakah'. This is like a short, thick, wooden log with a short rope stretching from one end to another. They
inserted my feet through the rope, and rotated the log against my shins, winding the rope and tightening my feet
together. Each person held an end of the log and raised it, so that my feet were up in the air.
“Then a third person came and with a long, thin cane, beat the soles of my feet until they were covered in blood
(as a result I wasn't able to stand for about six days, since the soles of my feet had become torn).I pleaded with
them to stop but they did not listen and continued to beat me. After four hours of torture, they stopped and left
the room.
“The officer returned and asked me if I wanted any other food. I said:
‘No I am full. ’
“He asked if I would like some cake as a dessert after my meal. I was extremely angry and replied:
‘Get lost you kaafir! You dog! You dajjaal! You American agent! You Israeli agent! You cross worshipper. ’
“He clapped his hands twice and three men entered with three glass tanks. In each tank there was a snake. He
teased me:
‘Shall we release these, leave you and go? Shall we? I'm a kaafir am I? I'm a dog am I? We will release these
and also bring some scorpions. ’
“One of the snakes was as thick as my arm and one was a cobra.
‘They will entertain you! ’ he said and he gave the order for the glass cases to be opened. I became very
frightened and I called him. I started to cry and said:
"I'll tell you everything, and I won't hide anything from you. Just take these snakes away."
“The officer became very happy. He stroked my beard and my head, saying,
‘Masha'ALLAH. You are a good boy now. You have become well-mannered. ’
“He started to wipe my tears, saying:
‘Don't cry little boy. I'm like your father. ’ I marvelled at Allah ’s patience with this man.
“They unshackled me and I told them I couldn't walk. The officer said:
‘Don't worry. We are at your service, ’ and he ordered the others to carry me to the interrogation room.
“By now I was psychologically destroyed. I gave them information about the brothers, but I didn't tell them
everything. And ALLAH knows that I didn't tell them anything, until after I had reached a state of
psychological destruction. For the one who is reading this account of mine is not like the one who has been
through it. I ask ALLAH to excuse me on the Day of Judgement.
“ I was then taken to the prison's clinic where they treated an injury to my eye, my back, my feet and my heart,
which had been affected by the electric shocks. I stayed in the clinic for six days and I didn't receive any
physical torture after that- only mental torture. For instance, they would play loud music in my presence and
swear at me with the worst swear words imaginable. Then they took me to a normal cell to join three other
Mujaahidin brothers.
“ After meeting with my brothers in the cell, I knew that what had happened to me was light compared to what
they had been put through. One of them was locked in a corpse freezer and left for two days. He knocked and
knocked and pleaded with them to let him out. By the time they had taken him out, he had become
psychologically destroyed and he even confessed to things he had not done. During this period he also acquired
a continuous chest infection.
“ Another brother was placed in a hot room and fed some very salty food. For three days he was not given any
water to drink. Then they came and asked him if he wanted any water. He was so thirsty and his mouth was so
dry that he could not even speak, and he merely gestured that he needed water. They brought him the best
mineral water and allowed him to drink to his heart's content. When he wanted to go to the toilet to relieve
himself, they tied his hands behind his back, removed his lower garment and sealed his private part with black
tape. Then they laughed and said:
‘Go on, urinate! ’
After a number of hours he cried and screamed and said:
‘Bring a blank sheet of paper and I will sign it. And you can write a confession to every crime above my
signature. I killed Sadat (President of Egypt), I killed King Faisal (Saudi Arabia), I killed John F. Kennedy (US
President). ’
“It was as if he had become mad. Then he started to give them information regarding every possible thing. Even
things they did not ask him about. Then finally, they allowed him to urinate.
“ Once one of the brothers returned from a torture session with a big smile on is face. Upon being asked the
reason of his smile, he joyfully told us that he was happy because he had now seen open proof of the Saudi
regime's collaboration with the US government. He said that during his interrogation, American officers whose
identity cards read had also questioned him: 'FBI Saudi Arabia Branch.' Afterwards I was to find out that the
FBI even has an office in Al-Khubar.
“ I stayed in the prison for a further two months and ten days. One morning, one of the officers - 'Abdul Ghani
Ash-Shareef' - came to the cell and called one of the brothers, addressing him as,
‘You son of an adulteress! You fornicator with your mother! ’
“The brother cautioned him to fear ALLAH. The officer replied:
‘Are you trying to teach me about my Lord? I know my Lord better than you! Cursed be your Lord! Cursed be
your Deen! ’
“Once I said to this same officer:
‘Why do you torture me, when we are both from the tribe of Quraysh? ’ He replied:
‘Yes, but you are from the lineage of Muhammad, and I am from the lineage of Abu Jahl. ’
“Dear reader, you might not believe me if I told you that these were the most beautiful days of my life. We all
used to pray during the night and fast everyday following the words of Ibn Taymiyyah ﮫﻤﺣر ﷲا :
‘What can my enemies do to me? My Paradise is in my breast; wherever I go, it is with me. My murder is
Shahaadah (martyrdom). My imprisonment is solitude with ALLAH . And my exile is tourism. ’
“Some of the brothers even wrote this famous statement on the cell walls with their own blood.
“ And whilst in prison, we used to constantly repeat a slogan of which we were proud and felt we were acting
by:
" ﷲا ﻻإ ﮫﻟإ ﻻ ﺪﻤﺤﻣ ﻰﻘﻠﻧ ﺎﮭﯿﻠﻋو ﺪھﺎﺠﻧ ﺎﮭﻠﯿﺒﺳ ﻲﻓو تﻮﻤﻧ ﺎﮭﯿﻠﻋو ﺎﯿﺤﻧ ﺎﮭﯿﻠﻋ ﷲا لﻮﺳر ﷲا
La ilaha ill ALLAH Muhammad Ar-Rasulullah! Upon it we live, and upon it we die. And in its path we make
Jihaad, and upon it we will meet ALLAH. ’
“ All the brothers in all the cells used to chant this together in one voice over and over again. The guards used
to come and kick the doors, telling us to shut up. They would say:
‘May ALLAH either cut your tongues, or we will put our boots in your mouths. ’
“But this would only increase the volume of our voices. And we would frequently utter cries of ALLAHU
AKBAR (ALLAH is the Greatest), since we felt that this prison was a test from ALLAH to purify us from our sins
and to strengthen our Iman (faith), just as had happened to Bilal bin Rabah, the family of Yasir, 'Abdullah bin
Mas'ud, Khabbab bin 'Arrat, Abu Dharr Al-Ghifari, and before all of them, the Messenger of ALLAH (Peace
and blessings of ALLAH be upon him).
“We used to feel that when this punishment was combined with Iman in ALLAH, it became a blessing from
ALLAH and not a misfortune. The voices of the brothers were constantly engaged in the remembrance of
ALLAH and recitation of Qur'an. We felt that these voices in the future would become war and weapons against
the oppressors. Every time we saw a tyrant increasing the torture, we became more certain that their end was
becoming nearer - because ALLAH gives respite, but does not disregard.
“Then after many intercessions, ALLAH favoured me to leave that prison and that country. And here I am
writing this actuality to all the Muslims in the Islamic world, so that they know the reality of this apostate
regime; that they know that it is a regime of lies, pretending to represent Islam, whereas Islam is innocent of it.
“And to let those know who defend this regime and describe it as 'Salafi' (upon the example of the first three
generations of Muslims), saying that it is established on the 'Aqidah of Tawhid (the creed of the Oneness of
ALLAH) whilst its soldiers punish the Muslims for raising the word of Tawhid.
A Mujaahid Brother
A SISTER’S STORY
“The women and children of the household rushed frantically upstairs. At the top, there were two small rooms
and a narrow landing, where the spare room, of a similar size, was empty. It was in this room that all 24 of us,
together with the 8 children, hid.
“ Steps were heard outside the door and then there were two or three male voices. For the seconds before the
door was flung open, we tried to pray while standing… but then we saw scowling faces staring at us.
“The children were torn away from us, screaming. What were we to do? Stay calm! Hope! Pray! Oh Allah,
please protect the children.
“I watched silently, as havoc was wrought. The destruction was just a normal part of their intimidation tactics.
At some point, we were dragged and pushed down the stairs and some of us were taken outside. It must have
been around 3pm and the sun was scorching hot. Al Anba ’een was “simmering ”
“Nadia ’s clothes had been ripped off and she had no shoes on her feet – her hair was all over the place! She
was still clutching her baby tightly, and tears were streaking her now soiled face. Large horrible hands were
reaching for her and she was begging for the life of her baby! I suddenly felt cold. I began to edge carefully
towards Nadia, with my hands out-stretched. Somewhere in the depths of my tormented mind, I had the idea
that I could perhaps at least take the child. In the time it took me to glance at Nadia ’s face, they had impaled
the child on one of their fixed bayonets. Its mother let out the most haunting yell, before she was thrown to the
ground! Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! Blood trickled from her many wounds. Her eyes were black and she
ceased to be. Her soul was free.
“It was my turn now! They were suddenly distracted by something that I couldn ’t yet see. I shuffled to the right
quietly and realized that Najla was on one of the balconies on the 6th floor. She had nothing on, but her qamis.
She climbed up, on to the edge and perched there, as if in a trance, her naked legs trembling and bruised. As
she stepped off, she asked Allah to forgive her.
“I began to run, towards the main road, but it was futile. I was bundled into the back of a military vehicle,
where there were already 11 other women, Muslim sisters. All of us had been separated from our outer
garments which were our modesty!!!
“The under-ground ‘Holding Camps ’ in the desert, are possibly one of the closest things to hell on earth. They
are dark, always grossly over-crowded and the stench is vile. They watch us 24 hours a day, taking perverse
enjoyment from our varied predicaments and attempted privacy. Our food was usually one small plate of
“bubbling ” lentils, and a piece of stale bread, daily. The lentils were bubbling because they had been cooked 3
or 4 days previously and left in the sun to ferment.
“Rape and beatings are a normal part of the daily routine of these ‘holes of hell ’. But the worse scenario was
when we were frog-marched to ground level, stripped and manacled to the bars of what looked like more cells
and our brothers brought in to witness the ‘daily sport ’!!!
“What crime did we commit, you may ask! Were we terrorists? Were we guilty of treason? Had we murdered
others? ” No we had done none of these things! Our only crime, if it could even be classified as such, was the
fact that we were (and still are) practicing Muslimaat (Muslim sisters), al hamdu lillah. Some of us also
happened to be the women of practicing Muslimin (Muslim brothers).
“We were not out-spoken in public, but we did meet each evening for communal prayer and to read a little
Qur ’an, we did ask our children not to miss their salat while at school; and our girls, like us, wore the hijab.
“Our men just disappear without trace, our children are bullied and ridiculed and sometimes banned from
school. We are subject to any and all of the afore-mentioned barbarity, and this today is Egypt.
“As tired but faithful practicing Muslimaat (Muslim sisters), On behalf of all the other sisters I demand the
protection of our brothers, which after all, Allah says, is our right. We plead for you all. ”
CONCLUSION
In the end result, we are able to see that the obstacle in front of us is large. Our task to remove it is formidable.
By facing the truth of the situation that we are looking at and being willing to soil our hands in the process of
changing it, we bring all the rewards that Allah promises to those who strive in His cause.
During this small effort, all those involved in this research hope that the reader will understand that although the
force we are fighting is monolithic, it is made up various moving parts, some of which have friction with
eachother, thus there are some Khawaarij who would never pay any mind to their ideological counterparts due
to differing opinions in certain matters.
But if we look carefully at the general characteristics, we are able to notice a pattern that occurs with all groups
like this one. In the beginning, those involved mean well, but in the process the objective becomes blurred, and
as disillusionment sets in, incongruent ideas with Islam become commonplace, as the evidence is left and
opinions take precedence. Thus, it is of great use of the reader to know that some of the Khawaarij will rebel
against the ruler as well as the Shari`a. Other Khawaarij, if the ruler of their time is not legitimate, they will
rebel against the Shari`a.
There are also some Khawaarij who have worship like prayer, but there are others who have no worship but are
pure enemies of Islam and Muslims.
Other Khawaarij are Khawaarij Murji’a, who can call some people kuffar and they don’t follow their own rules
with regard to others,
It is also noticeable that the Khawaarij divide among themselves and they always branch out from one another,
as well as differing amongst themselves, not to mention others.
The Khawaarij could mix with other bid`a as well, which suits some of their thinking, like the Mu`tazila
Khawaarij, Shi`a Khawaarij, the Murji’a Khawaarij, all branches of the original Khawaarij who differed in
judgement. The only way to impede their advance is to fight them and to remove them from the area.
Some times the Khawaarij are less of a danger than the apostates or outside intruders. It is then up to the Sunni
Muslim Imaams to treat them as a second enemy and delay to fight them, or deal with them and the other groups
simultaneously, like the situation in Algeria, in which the Mujaahidin are fighting the government and the
Khawaarij at the same time.
Some extremist people do not kill for their belief, but argue and call people kuffar, without actually killing
Muslims due to what they believe. These are the Takfiriyyah. It is then advisable to then expose them without
fighting them. And if they are the only people who are fighting an enemy to Islam more dangerous than them,
then fighting under their leadership is permissible. It is known in history that some of the tabi`iin fought some
Shi`a under the leadership of the Khawaarij. When they were asked to justify their action, they answered, “We
fight the enemies of Allah under the leadership of the enemies of Islam. ”
The danger of the Khawaarij is less than the Murji’ a of our time, as the Khawaarij exaggerate matters in the
religion and obligations, whereas the Murj’a let go of the principles of Islam, one by one, without safeguarding
Islam whatsoever. Following the Murji’a scenario, Muslims could follow the scenario of the Muslims in
Kosova, Albania and so forth. This is when the people are far removed from Islam and only turn back to Islam
after a major catastrophe.
We pray and rely on Allah that after the disasters of the loss of our Khilaafah system, our Shari`a, our
honour, our dignity and our courage in the face of oppression that we turn back to His religion for no one’s sake
but His alone, establish the proof on the arrogant ones and take the appropriate steps to restore our strength and
dignity in the sight of Allah .