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Moazzam Begg

Enemy Combatant: My Imprisonment at Guantanamo, Bagram, And Kandahar Hardcover – August 1, 2006

by Moazzam Begg (Author), Victoria Brittain (Author)

63 ratings

The searing story of one man's years inside the notorious American prison—and his Kafkaesque struggle to clear his name.

"Under the hood I felt I couldn't breathe properly….Flashing lights—obviously from soldiers' cameras taking trophy pictures—came and went in front of me, despite the hood's darkness. From beside me a voice said in Arabic, 'Shall we pray, brother?' A guard came and screamed in my ear, 'Shut up, motherfucker, if you speak again I'll kill you.'"—from Enemy Combatant

Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, has become a worldwide symbol of the dark side of America's War on Terror. Here, for the first time, is a powerful and moving story from the other side, the first detainee's account of life inside the notorious prison. A highly educated British Muslim, Moazzam Begg spent three years in U.S. custody, nearly two of them in Guantánamo, before being released without charge in January of 2005.

Enemy Combatant, written with respected UK journalist Victoria Brittain, is the wrenching narrative of Begg's detention, including his eighteen months in solitary confinement. Secretly abducted at midnight from his home in Afghanistan, held incommunicado in Kandahar and Bagram Air Force base, Begg was eventually flown to Guantánamo, where, like more than 800 Muslim men and boys—550 of whom remain in custody—he was held in shackles and the now-trademark orange prison uniform, subjected to relentless interrogations and abusive and degrading conditions.

A riveting, personal story by a thoughtful and eloquent man, Enemy Combatant is a uniquely personal indictment of America's establishment of a global gulag that flouts the Geneva conventions—one of the great miscarriages of justice in our time.

Print length

397 pages
Language

English
Publisher

New Press, The
Publication date

August 1, 2006
Dimensions

6.46 x 1.38 x 9.2 inches
ISBN-10

1595581367
ISBN-13

978-1595581365
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. In a fast-paced, harrowing narrative that's likely to become a flash point for the right and the left, Begg tells of his secret abduction by U.S. forces in Pakistan, his detainment at American air bases for more than a year and at Guantánamo for two more years as an enemy combatant. A British Muslim of Pakistani descent, Begg grew up in Birmingham and excelled at school before becoming involved with Islamic political causes and later moving to Afghanistan to become a teacher. After fighting broke out in Kabul, he and his wife and children moved to Islamabad in 2001, where U.S. operatives seized him. In March 2004, Begg was released from Guantánamo under pressure from the British government, but over the objections of the Pentagon, which still considers him a potential terrorist. Despite considerable media speculation over what Begg may have left out of this memoir, it's a forcefully told, up-to-the-minute political story. Whether Begg is describing his Muslim and Asian friends fighting white supremacist skinhead street gangs in Birmingham, or telling how he shared poetry with a U.S. guard at Guantánamo, his tone is assured. His work will be necessary reading for people on all sides of the issue. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

... serious indictment of the USA for eroding ... rule of law by disregarding habeas corpus, as did ... apartheid regime in South Africa. -- Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Publisher : New Press, The; 1St Edition (August 1, 2006)
Language : English
Hardcover : 397 pages
ISBN-10 : 1595581367
ISBN-13 : 978-1595581365
Item Weight : 1.67 pounds
Dimensions : 6.46 x 1.38 x 9.2 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,448,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,789 in Human Rights Law (Books)
- #1,972 in Law Enforcement Biographies
- #2,219 in Law Enforcement Politics

Customer Reviews:
63 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		77%
4 star		9%
3 star		4%
2 star		6%
1 star		5%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Matt Hollingsworth

Everyone should read this book

Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2014

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It's a familiar story and it is not about the United States. It documents the dangers of unthinking tribalism which lurks within each of us and is only overcome with experience, age, patience and self control. I have seen no rebuttal or claims of inacurracy by anyone depicted in the book. It's really important to read the reviews of those who rated this book poorly on Amazon. They just "know" he is guilty of unstated crimes because of his behaviors. Those people shouldn't have passed their high school civics and government classes. What sets this country apart is our belief in laws and human rights and support for individuals to work hard and be rewarded without unreasonable threat of persecution. These ideas are not just part of American law for Americans. They are a belief in the fundamental rights of people worldwide. Many people died on foreign soil fighting to protect these rights. It's not about a flag or "you're with us or against us". It's about what we stand for. And the world has in the past looked up to the US as the land of opportunity and righteousness. The response to the horror of 911 was to jettison many of the things we defend in the name of a tribalistic might makes right approach that included a lot of guilt by association. Forget innocent until proven guilty. Forget charging people with crimes or a jury of your peers. Forget prohibition against torture. Forget the right to privacy. Etc. This was a dark period in history. What this book brings to life is the experiences of an intelligent British young man who got caught up in this orgy of tribalism. While I've been reading this book I've also been watching the CIA destroy the tapes of the torture and withhold the evidence from the oversight committee chaired by the stern old Dianne Feinstein (a usual friend of the intelligence community). This has been an embarrassing time in the history of the US. If you've ever been bullied, you'll see the patterns in this book. Again, check out the people on Amazon who rated this book poorly. They often cite his intelligence as though it is incriminating. Exactly what bullies do - beat up the smart kids. I've watched the gang scene a bit over the years and I've come to the conclusion that the whole war on terror was a gross overreaction that damaged the righteousness of this country. We could have approached AQ like what they were - a gang. We don't eviscerate US law when going after street gangs. They are innocent until proven guilty. They get a lawyer. Some guilty people go free in order to avoid an innocent person going to prison. We don't let people invade a home or station soldiers in a home without a warrant. Remember the founding of this great country? Read the book. It's well written and an easy read. Ask yourself who is more threatening to the US and what it stands for: AQ or the people who advocated this approach to suspects of AQ?

Helpful

Gary Taylor

Kandahar Afghanistan

Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2020

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Book was ok, I guarded the author when he was a detainee in Afghanistan(2002)

Helpful

Black Dog

arrogant, self-righteous, and narrow minded

Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2009

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First, I am the exact demographic that this book is targeted for. That is liberal and anti-war. With that being said, this book is not very good. If you are already a defendant of American policies, nothing said in this book will change your mind. If you are critical of American policies, this will add nothing to your arguments and at best, simply preaches to the choir.

This book is poorly written, lacks substantial evidence, and the author comes across as arrogant and narrow minded. Many times, he asserts his intelligence (simply telling us how smart he is), but it is rarely demonstrated in his writing. His own history as narrated in this book is a chronicle of suspicious behavior and can almost justify him being targeted. This book is shameful and actually can be used as evidence to those who are proponents of the intelligence gathering community's policies that are being criticized.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

ensiform

Eloquent... maybe dangerously eloquent?

Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2008

The author, either a pious bookseller and humanitarian or a supporter of al-Qaida, depending on who you ask, was abducted from his house in Islamabad and spent three years in the titular prisons. Begg is, by other accounts, a reasonable and charming man, and was a model prisoner who got along with several of his guards. His personality shows through in his prose, which is readable, clear, and impassioned without veering into needless vitriol (though he does not bother to hide his disdain for American culture and political ignorance). There are two ways to read the book: the unrepentant apologia of a liar who got caught funding terrorism, or the clarion call of an innocent man nearly destroyed by an unjust and unthinking system. Personally, I think there's a bit of truth to both. Begg leaves out an earlier arrest in his memoir, and even at times condemns himself from his own mouth. It isn't just a post 9/11 America that suspected him; he was investigated by MI5 as early as 1998. He also defends the Taliban, claims that he was allowed to build a girls' school under them, hints that 9/11 was known ahead of time by US authorities who let it happen, and thinks that Afghanistan was attacked because it was a "purist Islamic state" (which is ludicrous). But at the same time, the outrage of this book is that even if Begg was as bad as Bush and company said, he should have gotten a trial. The charges against him should have been made public and plain. He and all the others should have been treated with a modicum of humanity (which is not the same as respect or complacency). And certainly, US and British intelligence should have conducted interrogations with intelligence and coordination, not the repetitive, unhelpful sessions by any number of alphabet agencies vying with each other instead of sharing information. At the very least, Begg's memoir shows that the aftermath of the War on Terror is as badly handled in the prisons as it is in the White House.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Martin Usher

An excellent introduction to the War on Terror

Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2006

This book is among the first published material describing the "War on Terror" from the perspective of the other side. Mr. Begg -- who isn't a terrorist, he just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time -- is able to humanize the events, we see the people involved, captors and detainees alike, as real people rather than the stylized "us (good) and them (bad)" that we're fed by most of the mass media. Mr. Begg does not judge people but by dispassionately describing them and their actions he makes a very powerful indicitment of the system that has created this mess and justifies it day to day.

Mr. Begg is English and one of the interesting facets of the book is the way that certain events and actions unfold using a logic that's utterly mysterious to him but obvious to an American. I hope that the US edition of this book, due to be released later this year, is not changed to alter this.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Amelia

One of the most thought provoking books I have ever read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 26, 2018

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One of the most thought provoking books I have ever read. It is a tragic account of rendition and torture, a terrible dark stain on our history. You read each page with shock and horror, yet it is also a story of resilience and determination. The author even manages to find humour in his situation and the agencies he came into contact with.
One of the reviewers said Moazzam Begg came across as arrogant. I didn't see that, for me he comes across as an intelligent man who can't resist a debate, with a highly inquisitive mind and I found his musings/reflections very interesting if not sometimes darkly humorous. Seriously couldn't put it down.

2 people found this helpful

Reading Ummi

A gripping read indeed

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 10, 2021

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Moazzam Begg, who is now a well known public figure in the ummah today, writes his story of how he was kidnapped from his then home in Pakistan, then taken to Kandahar and then to Guantanamo Bay, the notorious prison in Cuba.
Simply the way he was treated in each place was utterly disgraceful and shameful but i would say he was treated better in pakistan to some extent whilst imprisoned, they gave him some dignity and decent food and wasnt as rude to him although the whole kidnapping by them was wrong from the start.

The conditions of each prison are decribed in great detail, the food given, the way they spoke to him, how they treated him, it was just like something you would watch out of a horrible movie.

Because so much detail was given in each place its hard to recall it all as I write, but there were times he would be stripped naked, when being moved from one place he was always chained and shackled, ears muffs, eyes covered, sometimes completely hooded on the face.

Just not knowing why your being imprisoned was enough torture, then on top of that the abuse, physical and verbal, further to that, he was always interrogated by various individuals, both CIA and mi5. At one point he was forced to sign a false confession which he eventually did because he thought it could move things forward and maybe he could fight his case. The allegations against him were absurd and pathetic about being part of alqaeda and so fourth.

His hardest time was when he was put into isolation on his own for I believe 2 years. Subhaan allah we are in lockdown 2021 right now and we are going crazy. This made me think so much about what on earth we are complaining about. We have a warm house, we have our family, we have food and water, we have electricity, gas, internet, tv, books, our phones and soo much more, yet we are complaining we are in isolation at home. Even if we dont see our friends and family, we can still video call and see them! We have a whole house to walk around in, we are not confined to a tiny cage.

Moazzam was so inspiring, he was so patient and remained firm, strong and even humorous despite being isolated. I was just thinking how i would deal with living in a cage, with no outside contact, horrid food, mistreatment subhaan allah. He even managed to get himself into some kind of routine in isolation, such as reading Qur'an, exercise and so on.

What also stood out a great deal was Moazzam's remarkable character. He was extremely intelligent and well spoken and had vast amounts of knowledge of various topics. This stood out a great deal when he would have very intellectual discussions with the guards. (And again made me think, the more knowledge you have, the better you can explain something).
His character stood out more so because he built intimate, friendly relationships with many of them. This is reminded me of the prophet (saws). His (saws) character was so remarkable that non-muslims would become muslim just by his kindness, generosity, trustworthiness, humility and honesty.

I also learned from his story how generous, kind, caring and how much concern for the ummah he had. He didnt want to just sit and watch people suffer and go through opression. In the beginning of the book he has dedicated chapters to his whole life from his birth onwards, his mother passing away, his father, the racism and abuse, his gang Lynx and many stages in his life which moulded him into the person he was. He became a man who did a lot of charitable work, raising money for various causes and ended up traveling to places and physically helping there like for example bosnia and pakistan. He would also raise money for the destitute in Afghanistan, for wells and hand pumps.

Though incarcerated and treated brutally, he was always positive. The time Moazzam enjoyed the most, was when he was taken out of isolation and put amongst other prisoners. He befriended many of the prisoners there. Another thing in his favour was he spoke arabic and so was able to communicate with others and translate and so on. (Again a plus point, to be able to speak another language).
You could also feel the brotherhood and love in his words which is one thing which shines in Islaam. No matter which part of the world you are from, you are all brothers and sisters to each other.

I would say his family, wife and kids suffered the most in this ordeal, as they were without husband and father for 3 years. His child was born while he was away from them.

I must be honest i was moved to tears throughout this book, but cried like a baby when he made it back to England and was reunited with his family. What a test subhaan allah. But Allaah is the Most Just and never wrongs his slaves. The same Rabb who reunited Musa (as) with his mother, Yusuf (as) with his family, Ayyub (as) with his family, reunited Moazzam with his family once again.

Although this is an old book, its a great read indeed and exposes you to the fact that the world isnt a very nice place and those who think are superior than others will always mistreat, oppress and bully those below them. Guantanamo is open now till today, there are prisoners in there still till today. May Allaah hasten their release in the earliest possible time. Aameen.

A gripping read indeed which I would highly recommend.

R. K.

More people in the West should read this book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 29, 2019

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This is an amazing story. I wonder how I would have coped if I had been in his situation. I don't think it would be with the love of all humanity that Moazzam still has. It is ironic to think that he probably would not have survived 2 years in isolation were it not for the guards that he used to converse with.

One person found this helpful

jas.M

Is it new???

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 20, 2017

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Says its new but i dnt think it was and consequently havnt bothered to return it its been so long, and so unhappy with the quality i havnt bothered to read it either- even though i been dying for this book.

ZAB-K

very good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 31, 2014

Verified Purchase

Really entertaining book about religion, justice and war told from a personal perspective. Definitely an eye opener on the tactics employed by the secret services of Western countries, all in the name of the war on terror.

At times it felt like some situations were described in more detail than required as the story didn't develop further.

It was a little tricky to follow the characters as they were mainly referred to by first names with little descriptions about them (possibly due to security reasons).

The quality of the book was good and had some sign of wear and tear which is expected from a second hand book. The library sticker covered a picture on the inside back cover which wasn't ideal.

One person found this helpful

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