Unjustifiable Prison and Inhumane Torture: "CIA Torture Report Reveals Disturbing Practices"

The US senate’s intelligence committee released a report on CIA’s inhumane torture practices on prisoners who were captured without being involved in a regular war. The treatment meted out to the prisoners includes water-boarding, drilling on body parts, sleep deprivation and sexual assaults to name few.

The torture was organized and supervised by the Bush Administration and its cabinet justified these practices on the pretext of ‘securing valuable information’. The fact of the matter is, however, it was vengeance against helpless people. The real culprits were long gone, while those whoever got fetched to the airplanes in Afghanistan and Iraq were treated worst then KGB of USSR was once notorious for.

Contrary to the 21st Century’s war ethics practiced in the West, Islamic teachings on war and treatment of prisoners of war are far advanced and civilized. The Holy Quran says, “And when you meet in regular battle those who disbelieve, smite their necks; and, when you have overcome them, by causing great slaughter among them, bind fast the fetters - then afterwards either release them as a favor or by taking ransom - until the war lays down its burdens.”

The Prophet Muhammad lived according to the teachings of the Holy Quran. He commanded the prisoners be only taken when regular war is fought and only those who took up arms are the ones who could be taken as prisoners. When prisoners of war are put under guard, those closely related should be placed together. The least possible losses should be inflicted on the enemy (Abu Daud). Prisoners should live in comfort and Muslims should care more for the comfort of their prisoners than of their own (Tirmidhi).

The teachings which was given to Muslims 1400 years ago cannot be comparable to today’s moral and ethical standards of any society and especially of CIA’s enhanced interrogation program. Islam, the religion of peace, has established such ground rules that fit into the natural instincts of human beings and promotes peace in the only possible way.