Detainees are being treated humanely
Staff editorial
The Tiger
CLEMSON, S.C.
In the past week, talk has been heard from overseas and our own country about the possibility of unfair treatment and inhumane conditions at Camp X-Ray, the detainment camp in Cuba where 158 Afghan detainees are being held. These accusations are ridiculous and unfounded, coming from people who are obviously thirsting for something to protest. These detainees, who are either al Qaeda members or Taliban officials, were responsible for ending the lives of thousands of innocent American citizens.
They don't deserve a stay at the country club. One of the biggest problems for protestors, in Britain and at home, is the classification of these people. The United States does not want to label them POWs because that will cause problems with the Geneva Convention. If they were to be so labeled, our officials could not interrogate them to get valuable information about future attacks and other terrorist networks. Furthermore, the detainees would have to be let go after the war was over. The detainees have been given four options for their fate: they can be tried in a military trial or in the U.S. criminal courts, sent to their home countries for prosecution, or they can remain in detention. Although this would be a perfect opportunity to test the U.N.'s world court, the options given sound pretty fair to us.
As far as conditions in the actual camp go, they're definitely better than the conditions these men had when they were living in caves in Afghanistan. Detainees are given a medical exam upon arrival, along with soap, shampoo, jumpsuits, flip-flops, thin mats for sleeping, a sheet and a blanket, a canteen, a toothbrush and toothpaste and two towels — one for showering, another for prayer. They are fed three meals a day, with choices ranging from bagels and cream cheese to rice and beans. They are allowed daily exercise and showers. While they live in chain-link-surrounded cells with metal roofs and concrete floors, the place is meant for their detainment, and not their vacation.
Their religious concerns have been addressed. Daily calls to prayer are made over a loudspeaker, signs are posted to show them the direction of Mecca and a Muslim cleric is being sent to the camp. Some protestors have raised questions about their beards being shaved off, but that was done simply for treatment of lice. Considering all the attention that has been given to their religious beliefs, protests about their beards are simply ridiculous.
We, and other nations, have to remember that these men have caused a large amount of damage to our country, psychologically and physically. Some of them have already threatened to hurt us again. Considering what they have done to us, we're being more than fair to them. It's pretty safe to say that the treatment an American would get in an Afghanistan prison would pale in comparison. It's true that inhumanity exists in the world, but it's not happening in Guantanamo Bay.
This editorial first appeared in the Jan. 25, 2002 issue of The Tiger, the campus newspaper at Clemson University. It is reprinted here courtesy of U-WIRE.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Viewpoint Stories for Monday, January 28, 2002
