Interview with Sabah El Banna

With five children, the youngest of whom has never met her father, Sabah El Banna speaks to Cageprisoners about her plight in the War on Terror. Her husband, Jamil El Banna, is one of eight British residents still being held in Guantanamo Bay. After allowing for his illegal detention and subsequent rendition to Guantanamo Bay, the British government has failed this family who are denied the support of their husband or father, in constant anxiety over whether or not he will return..

CAGEPRISONERS: Could you introduce yourself to our readers?
SABAH EL BANNA: I am Sabah El-Banna, Jamil El-Banna’s wife. I am a Muslim woman who is proud of her faith alhamdulillah (all praises due to Allah). I lived a normal, happy life with my husband and my children in North London until November 2002, when my husband was kidnapped. Since then, it’s been a nightmare.

CP: How long has your husband now been in Guantanamo Bay?
SB: Just over three years now – since March 2003. He was kidnapped in Gambia in November 2002 and was taken to Afghanistan first.

CP: Previously you were not so keen on coming out openly and working for the release of your husband, what has changed that you have been forced to become more active on his behalf?
SB: It’s a long process and we’ve been focusing on a legal solution so far, such as the judicial review last month. I’ve done more interviews with the media recently to increase awareness about my husband’s situation. Of course, my children are growing up as well and now understand more about what is happening and what Guantanamo is. They are also taking an active part now in trying to bring their father home. We can only hope that inshaAllah he is released soon.

CP: Why do you think the Americans still want to keep him in Guantanamo Bay? Surely his innocence is something easy to prove?
Your guess is as good as mine. If you know something, please let me know.
CP: Could you comment on the relationship that Jamil had with Abu Qatada?
SB: They are friends. Their relationship is an ordinary relationship between friends.

CP: Were you aware of MI5 agents requesting your husband to act as an intermediary between Abu Qatada and themselves?
SB: No.

CP: Is your husband British?
SB: No, he is a Palestinian with Jordanian nationality.

CP: What has the Foreign Office told you regarding the possibility of him returning to the UK?
SB: They said that he is not British and so they cannot do anything to help him.

CP: When was the last time you heard from Jamil?
SB: I got a letter from him last month. It was the first letter in six months. He told me that he is well and told me not to worry. He asked about me and the children.

CP: What affect did this have on you?
SB: It had a great affect on me, but to be honest, I am always more worried about my husband and my children. I am exhausted and worried by all of this and I worry more about the affect that all of this has on all my children. My husband is being treated unjustly for no reason.

CP: Do you know his current condition?
SB: No. I only hear about his condition sometimes from his lawyer when he visits him, but nothing specific. I know that he has lost a lot of weight and that his diabetes is bothering him.

CP: Could you please say a few words regarding the character of Jamil and what it is about him that made him so special to you?
SB: My husband is a very good person. He loves helping people for the sake of Allah, he used to help everyone. He is very friendly and gets on very well with everyone. He is a very loving and patient father. He lost his own father when he was very young and he is his mother’s favourite. He is also a very good and patient husband. I thank Allah for blessing me with a husband like Jamil. He has a lot of wonderful characteristics.

CP: Have you experienced any significant dreams since his imprisonment?
SB: Of course, I dream about my husband very often. I saw him in a dream when he was taken to Afghanistan – I saw him wearing Afghani clothes in my dream – this was before I knew that they took him there. This dream made me feel afraid.

CP: How are your five children dealing with life without their father?
SB: It is really hard for them. They constantly ask about him and why he was taken away from them, especially on Eid and other special occasions. They always remember their dad. They write letters to him and make posters and draw pictures which we have hung up in my house so that they don’t forget their dad. They really want him to come back and always ask when he will come back.

CP: Out of all your children, who do you think has been the most affected by the absence of their father and have there been any psychological manifestations of the loss?
SB: My two oldest children, both boys, are the most affected. This is probably because they remember their father better than their younger brother and sisters. They have more memories. Anas gets angry quickly and is very nervous. He also worries a lot. He doesn’t like to hear other children at school talk about their dads. It makes him cry. Mohammed likes to be alone, he likes to work alone and play alone. He doesn’t like team sports. He is a thinker. He likes drawing and always draws pictures of his dad. Often he is in the picture too but they are separated. He has been doing this since his father was kidnapped.

CP: Your youngest daughter has never met her father. What are her impressions of him and how do you think she is dealing with growing up in a world without having known him?
SB: At first, she thought that any man who came to our front door was her father or any man she saw on television. When I made my children T-shirts with their dad’s picture on it, she said it was her uncle, but now she has learned that this is her father.

CP: 16th March 2006 saw the launch of the London Guantanamo Campaign of which you are one of the founding members. Why do you think it was important to start such a campaign?
SB: This campaign is important for people to get to know the truth, to know the families, how we are coping, especially the children. It is important that people know the issues involved, what happens there, and we want everyone to call for justice and human rights in Guantanamo.

CP: What is the next stage in the campaign?
SB: This is the beginning but I hope inshaAllah all the prisoners are released soon so that they can go back to their families. We want to raise awareness and make people know about them and their families and the injustice.

CP: An All Party Parliamentary Meeting was held for Jamil El Banna and Bisher Al Rawi. What was the purpose of this meeting and what was the result of it?
SB: This meeting was for the MPs in the committee to ask questions about the rendition of my husband and Bisher to myself, Wahab Al-Rawi, Gareth Peirce and Brent Mickum so that they know what happened to them and what the role of the British government was.

CP: What do you think about the way in which the meeting went?
SB: I think it went very well. There were some points that they weren’t aware of and they wanted to establish exactly what happened. I hope inshaAllah this means that they will take some action soon.
CP: What has been the response from the media?
SB: Some of them are interested in my husband’s case and others aren’t. Victoria Brittain was the first person to write about my family in the Guardian and she did a very good job. The best media response has been from Paul Keilthy from my local newspaper. He has been very supportive. He is honest and sincere in his work and his support is genuine. He has started a campaign in the local paper, “Justice for Dad” and is constantly in touch with my family. He writes regular articles about my husband’s case.
CP: What would you urge the British public, the Muslims and non Muslims to do for Jamil’s case?
SB: Firstly, I urge all Muslims to make du’a (supplication) and to remember my husband and the other brothers in their prayers. I also ask everyone – Muslims and non-Muslims – to write to their MPs to put pressure on them to act on this injustice and abuse of human rights. I also ask everyone to sign the “Justice for Dad” petition http://www.wbtimes.co.uk/petition/justicefordad.aspx Also, if they can give us any ideas of how we can campaign effectively for his release.
CP: Could you comment on our website?
SB: It’s a very good website. Many people aren’t aware about the issues your website talks about and these are issues that they need to know about. Cageprisoners is also very good at presenting these issues.

CP: Mrs El Banna, thank you for speaking to us.