::An Audience with Moazzam Begg::













Moazzam Begg was arrested by the CIA in Pakistan in 2002. He was initially held at Bagram Airbase and then transferred to Guantanamo. He was released without charge in 2005. I managed to get in touch with Moazzam Begg through cage prisoners, an organisation that campaigns for the fair treatment of prisoners currently held on terrorism charges. Since his release he has been vociferous about his experience in Guantanamo and has spoken ardently against the treatment of people held in places like Guantanamo. I initially contacted cage prisoners a while ago without any results and after a few more emails and phone calls and explenations of who, what and why I managed to arrange to see him in Birmingham for a couple of hours. I met Moazzam at Birmingham Central Mosque. I had had a brief encounter previously at a conference in London at the end of last. My first impression then was that of a man who was to a certain degree 'going through the motions' of dealing with people related to the media; accurate, to the point and well versed and conscious of the issues at hand. I was interested in his ideas and views on issues related to identity, being a 'british muslim' and his cultural ties to Afghanistan and Pakistan. I didn't want to really get on to the issue of Guantanamo which has, to a large degree been covered already. His thoughts on identity were pretty clear ..."Yes, I am a British Muslim'... as were his views on some of the issues related to the alienation of the Muslim communities.