Former Muslim Chaplain for Guantanamo Bay Prison tells his story at Meramec
Carlos Restrepo
– Editor in Chief –
James Yee, former Muslim chaplain for Guantanamo Bay Prison, served his country for almost a decade. Soon after being recognized with high honors from the military he was falsely accused of spying and aiding alleged Taliban and Al-Qaeda prisoners.
Yee spent 76 days in solitary confinement.
At 11 a.m., April 2, Yee, who recently wrote the book “For God and Country: Faith and Patriotism Under Fire,” will tell his story at STLCC-Meramec.
Yee was contacted by Gulten Ilhan, a philosophy professor at Meramec, who as a Muslim American, said she finds Yee’s story fascinating.
Ilhan heard his story from the news and followed his trial and the aftermath.
After witnessing one of Yee’s speeches in St. Louis, Ilhan said she realized every human being should hear about his experiences, especially Meramec students.
“It’s a historic moment that Obama signed the executive order of closing the Guantamo [prison] and I want our students to know what is going on in our society,” Ilhan said. “I want them to have a better understanding of such things as Guantanamo: the experiences and tortures.”
During his presentation, Yee will discuss his incident as depicted in his book.
“I don’t know how many people do not even know exactly where Guantanamo is, or what’s going on over there,” Ilhan said. “So I want them to understand the current political and historical aspect of this issue.”
Yee is a third-generation Chinese American who converted to Islam in April of 1991. He served in the aftermath of the first Gulf War as a Patriot Missile Fire Control Officer, traveling to Damascus, Syria studying the Arabic language and the traditional Islamic sciences. He studied for four years to get a Certificate of Islamic Studies equivalent to a graduate degree.
An endorsement from the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council brought Chaplain Yee back to active duty as a U.S. Army Muslim Chaplain in January 2001, according to http://www.justiceforyee.com, his official support website.
Yee was given numerous recognitions for his work as U.S Army Muslim Chaplain at Guantanamo Bay Prison. When he was about to leave Guantanamo, false accusations linking him with terrorist groups were brought up against him. He was subject to the same treatments other prisoners of war received there.
“His family was waiting at the other side of the airport, and they never saw him or knew what had happened,” Ilhan said. “They only heard about him on the news.”
Ilhan said she wishes for the government to be more open about their procedures.
“If somebody is accused of a certain crime, whether it’s political or criminal, we have to have open books,” Ilhan said. “I want to know if I am accused of something what my crime is. That’s what we need now.”
Ilhan said students need to learn more about these kinds of situations.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Ilhan said. “We usually think that atrocities happen outside the United States and never in our land. Our students need to realize that these things can happen in our present society.”
The event will take place in the Student Center, room 200. Admission is free and a book signing will take place immediately following the lecture.
