Detainees in the Guantanamo Bay prison are refusing to eat in protest. Many of these prisoners are Muslim, and it is the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, when believers pray and fast. In response to the hunger strike, the guards, who are in charge of the well-being of the prisoners, are force feeding the inmates to prevent sickness and starvation, but force feeding Muslims during Ramadan would violate religious practices.
Guantanamo Bay is a controversial subject in American and international politics. Technically a military detention camp, not a prison, this Cuban facility holds individuals deemed important enemies in the Global War on Terror. Many prisoners are Afghani or Iraqi citizens and devout Muslims. Many of the detainees are being held without formal charges or a trial. Some international bodies, including the United Nations, have criticized Guantanamo for ignoring the Geneva Conventions and torturing prisoners.
In 2005, over 50 detainees organized a hunger strike to demand the Geneva Conventions be followed and to protest the ongoing disrespect towards Islam. The strikers complained that guards would play loud music during prayer meetings and only allow four daily prayers instead of five. Several of these prisoners were forcibly fed, but the hunger strike drew attention to the conditions at the camp.
Prisoners organized a second hunger strike in 2013. The detainees claim that a new officer confiscated personal items like photographs and communication with attorneys and also disrespectfully searched Qurans. To Muslims, the Quran is a holy book and must always be treated with utmost respect.
The United States military denies that the prisoners were disrespected and is fighting back against the hunger strike. As in 2005, many of the detainees are being forcibly fed by prison officials. For the detainees, this force-feeding violates the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a time that exists to help Muslims focus on Allah and overcome bodily desires; it requires the faithful to refrain from eating or drinking during daylight hours. Prison officials are following this schedule for force-feedings, but the spirit of the holy month is still being violated. Strapping a prisoner down and forcing them to eat takes away the self-control they are required to exercise during Ramadan.
The Universal Life Church believes that all people should be free to practice their religious beliefs without interference from government or military forces. The prisoners at Guantanamo Bay are not being allowed to follow the sacred rites of Ramadan. This important holiday is a chance for the faithful to reflect on their relationship with Allah, family and themselves during the long fast and nightly iftar, a meal held at the end of each day to break the fast. This holiday is vitally important, even to striking detainees, and should be respected.