Witness Against Torture Fast for Justice: Day Five

We are now five days into our Witness Against Torture (WAT) liquid-only fast (www.100dayscampaign.org).
When we began our fast on January 11th, we knew that at least thirty of
the 250 remaining Guantanamo detainees were engaged in a hunger strike;
we now know that number may be as high as seventy men. We have kept to
the fast and to our daily vigils and silent walks in black-hooded
orange jumpsuits through the streets of Washington, D.C. Though our
bodies are a bit weaker, our spirit, community life and commitment are
stronger than ever. What follows are the words that I spoke at a
January 11th WAT vigil to begin the fast. They point to what inspires
the work of the fast and our 100 Days Campaign to Close Guantanamo.

Seven years ago today, the United States government
opened the gates of Hell and plunged into an abyss of darkness. Within
the cover of darkness, it found fit to mock, humiliate, pummel, torture
and destroy our brothers held captive in the U.S. Naval prison at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In December of 2005, twenty-five friends decided
to get to the heart of the matter. We would walk seventy-miles to
Guantanamo and, in so doing, embody a narrative counter to the one
articulated by our nation's government. Quite simply, we set out to
resist the use of torture and to visit those in prison. We had decided
that the better course was to love those considered to be our enemies.

Over
the past four years in the work of nonviolent resistance that has taken
us from the Supreme Court to the United Nations we have tried to remain
faithful. We have tried to incarnate an insight expressed beautifully
by the Jesuit and poet Daniel Berrigan: in the Gospel-- "peace is a
verb." You make peace. You do not inherit it, or hoard it, or borrow
it, or sit on it. You make it.

In
the specific work that begins today, over 100 North Americans will
engage in a nine day liquid only fast. As we begin this work together,
we are mindful of 30 Guantanamo detainees who are now engaged in a
hunger strike; 25 of whom are being force-fed through the nose. As the
pangs of hunger bear down upon us these next nine days, let us be
mindful of the fact that those who are force fed in Guantanamo are
those who have refused to eat for over twenty-one days in a row or who
weigh less than 85% of their ideal body weight.

The United Nations contends that the practice of force-feeding is
akin to torture. The United States, however, sees it this way: We force
feed the detainees, said one official, because the "worst case would be
to have someone go from zero to hero." Is THIS really the worst case?

The
worst case scenario, I'll suggest, is when we forget that we are human,
neither "zero" nor "hero" but human. Jumah al-Dossari, who was released
from Guantanamo in July of 2007, offers us instruction on what "being
human" looks like. He writes, "I thought of the soldier who had offered
me compassion in Guantanamo. Her words reminded me that we all share
common values, and only by holding on to them can we ensure that there
is mercy and brotherhood in the world. After more than five years in
Guantanamo, I can think of nothing more important."

Simone Weil, the French philosopher and activist, commends to us
that "compassion ... a spiritualization of the suffering being
undergone is able to transfigure even the most purely physical
sufferings, such as cold and hunger. Whoever feels cold and hunger, and
is tempted to pity him/herself can, instead ... direct that pity toward
[others] ... compassion is able, without hindrance, to cross frontiers,
extend itself over all ... in misfortune ... without exception."

At this moment, we enter into the transfigurative work of
nonviolence: to endure suffer and never to inflict suffering upon
others. Let us give our full attention to the work of the fast. Let the
pangs of hunger serve to deepen our attention and open our hearts to
the truth of nonviolence. Let our failings, which often serve to hide a
vast reserve of unconditional love, be forgiven so that this love may
come roaring out.

Though the Pentagon defines "the whole world as a battlefield," we,
in Witness Against Torture, refuse to accept this definition. We make
our word good by this fast. The world is not a battlefield; the world
is where we learn how to love one another and how to be human. Let us
go now and continue the work that our brothers in Guantanamo have
already begun. And, when we connect our lives and work with their lives
and work, let us see clearly that the walls of Guantanamo are already
down.

For more information on the fast, including bios of many of the fasters for justice, https://www.100dayscampaign.org/fast. Half of the fasters are in Washington, DC and will be part of a public witness each day through Tuesday, January 20. The
rest of the fasters are participating from around the country. The fast
will be broken in a sunrise ceremony on Inauguration Day in McPherson
Square, DC. The fast is part of Witness Against Torture's 100 Days Campaign to Close Guantanamo and End Torture.

Join Us: News for people demanding a better world


Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place.

We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference.

Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today!

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.