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For galore years, I person been asked whether I could forgive those who imprisoned, tortured, and dehumanised me. It is simply a loaded question; it is ne'er conscionable astir idiosyncratic forgiveness, but besides an invitation to talk connected behalf of each Guantanamo Bay prisoners. I usually reply that forgiveness is ne'er simple, particularly erstwhile justness has yet to beryllium served.
I was held successful Guantanamo for astir 15 years without charge, subjected to attraction nary quality being should ever endure. I was 1 of countless guiltless radical kidnapped during the planetary run of the United States of revenge and panic aft September 11, 2001, which justified the amerciable invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, unleashed and legalised torture programmes successful CIA achromatic sites and astatine Abu Ghraib, and turned Guantanamo into a laboratory of dehumanisation.
In my cell, I erstwhile opened a boxed repast to find the words “We Will Never Forget, We Will Never Forgive” scrawled connected the wrong of the box. I wrote back: “We Will Never Forget, We Will Never Forgive, We Will Fight For Our Justice.” For this, the campy medication penalised maine with “food punishment” and solitary confinement, claiming that my connection was a decease threat.
Today, connected the 24th day of the September 11 attacks, “Never Forget, Never Forgive” echoes erstwhile again. These words are presented arsenic grief and arsenic a tendency to honour the representation of those lost, but they besides transportation darker implications. As idiosyncratic straight affected by the aftermath of 9/11, I judge it is important to see what those words truly mean, particularly erstwhile they are utilized arsenic a rallying outcry for revenge, retaliation, retribution, oregon vengeance, alternatively than arsenic a thoughtful entreaty for justice, accountability, and meaningful reflection. Once again, the question of revenge and forgiveness circulates successful nationalist discourse, yet seldom bash commentators intermission to inquire what forgiveness genuinely entails.
In cases specified arsenic CIA achromatic sites, Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, and the galore different atrocities committed successful the sanction of warring “terror”, forgiveness cannot beryllium reduced to an idiosyncratic act. The harm was inflicted connected a planetary scale, touching tens of millions: those tortured, those killed successful drone attacks, the families near behind, and full communities successful Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, and Somalia, to sanction lone some. I stay unwilling to measurement guardant and accidental “I forgive”, due to the fact that forgiveness is not excavation unsocial to give. For it to transportation weight, it indispensable beryllium offered collectively, by victims, survivors, and adjacent the dead. And the dead, of course, cannot forgive.
Despite the standard of harm successful question, immoderate voices person emerged claiming to forgive the atrocities they endured astatine Guantanamo. While this whitethorn look noble, it is important to recognize that treating forgiveness arsenic a purely idiosyncratic prime ignores the immense harm inflicted connected tens of millions successful the alleged warfare connected terror. In different words, erstwhile individuals widen forgiveness for idiosyncratic summation — whether for fame, recognition, oregon nett — it becomes an enactment of betrayal.
To those offering specified forgiveness, I ask: Who precisely are you forgiving? Torturers who ne'er apologised? Governments that contradict their crimes? Has anyone adjacent asked for your forgiveness, oregon are you offering it freely to those who importune they person done thing wrong? Have you thought astir the families wiped retired successful US drone strikes, erased successful an instant and forgotten? Have you thought astir those who ne'er near CIA achromatic sites — whose names stay unknown, whose deaths were ne'er recorded, whose bodies were ne'er returned? When the machinery of unit remains untouched, what does forgiveness mean if not to comfortableness the blameworthy and erase the suffering of the victimised?
These questions constituent to a deeper problem: wherefore is it ever the wronged who are asked to forgive? Why indispensable the abused transportation the motivation load of healing a satellite that continues to brutalise them? Long earlier immoderate investigation, accountability, oregon adjacent acknowledgement of harm takes place, the wronged are urged to determination connected for the involvement of bid and others’ comfort. This signifier is wide successful the behaviour of the US, which marches guardant proudly, cloaked successful the connection of ideology and quality rights, portion the victims of its brutality are told to wait, to beryllium patient, and to forgive.
This motivation treble modular reveals everything astir who is recognised arsenic quality and who is not. When the US kills, tortures, oregon disappears people, specified actions are framed arsenic necessary, strategic, oregon adjacent heroic. But erstwhile survivors talk out, request accountability, oregon garbage forgiveness, they are portrayed arsenic bitter, vengeful, and ungrateful. This hypocrisy is nary accident; it is built into the precise architecture of oppression.
We cannot statesman a speech astir forgiveness earlier justness oregon reparations. To sermon forgiveness successful specified a discourse is thing much than an effort to whitewash and warrant crimes committed. Forgiveness is not a one-sided act, a acquisition from the wronged to the wrongdoer without immoderate anticipation of accountability. True forgiveness is inseparable from justice. Insisting connected forgiveness earlier justness is not a way to healing; it is simply a strategy to erase the truth. It demands soundlessness alternatively of memory, submission alternatively of resistance. It turns the speech astir forgiveness into yet different instrumentality of control, designed to absolve the blameworthy and shame the survivor.
True forgiveness cannot beryllium granted portion the systems of oppression successful question stay intact. The US has not officially ended the alleged warfare connected terror. Guantanamo remains open, and the machinery of detention, torture, and extrajudicial sidesplitting continues successful assorted forms. The authorities has neither taken work for the harm it caused nor acknowledged victims and survivors. There has been nary meaningful compensation, nary effort to marque amends.
How tin we talk of forgiveness erstwhile the aforesaid imperial powerfulness that claimed to beryllium defending the guiltless aft September 11 present enables and partners successful genocide, successful the sidesplitting of tens of thousands successful Gaza? The ethical failures that allowed Guantanamo to beryllium are mirrored contiguous successful the enactment for policies that taxable Palestinians to starvation and wide slaughter. Forgiveness is not a broad absolution for injustices committed. Some crimes whitethorn ne'er beryllium susceptible of earning forgiveness. Perhaps the lone principled effect to specified atrocities is to garbage to forgive and to garbage to forget. Never forgive. Never forget.
The views expressed successful this nonfiction are the author’s ain and bash not needfully bespeak Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
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