Interview with Wife of Ahcene Zemiri

CAGEPRISONERS.COM: Can you please provide some basic information, to introduce your husband to our readers?

KARINA ZEMIRI: My husband's name is Ahcene Zemiri and he was born in Algiers, Algeria on 8th September 1967. He is presently thirty-six years old. He was living in Canada from 1994 to 2001 which is where we met, and married in 1996. In 2001 we left Canada together for Afghanistan.

CP: Could you tell us the circumstances behind your husband's capture? Could describe how you felt at the moment of his arrest?

KZ: In November 2001, my husband urged me to leave Afghanistan due to the fall of the Taliban. I was to go to London and obtain a visa for Algeria, then travel to Algeria until he came or until I received news that he had died. At the time I was two months pregnant with our first-born. So I left my husband mid-November and did what he had told me to. I encountered problems in London and had to stay longer than I had anticipated.

On the day of Eid al-Fitr of that year (mid-December 2001) my husband was apparently captured by the Northern Alliance/Pakistani army along with many other Algerians (I assume) whilst trying to enter Pakistan. I was devastated for sure, because I remembered my husband telling me before leaving, "If you hear that I have died, say 'Al-Hamdullilah' (an Arabic expression meaning 'Praise be to Allah'), much better than suffering in a kafir prison, and if I hear that you have died I will say the same, 'Al-Hamdulillah, she escaped from the dunya (the worldly life)'."

Apart from being devastated, I felt an optimism in my heart, having the complete faith in Allah that we would meet again - a feeling which persists to this day insha'Allah.

With time, for various reasons, I ended up returning to Canada in February 2002. I never heard from my husband and began to think that he had died. I gave birth to my son Abdul-Karim in June of that year, still with no news. As I gave birth, my tears were a mixture of sorrow and joy. One month later, on July 15, 2002 the first postcard from Guantanamo Bay arrived. I felt the world had come crashing on my head when I saw the return address.

CP: How much communication have you had with your husband during his detention?

KZ: During this time, the letters came once a month. Slowly the number of letters started increasing to 2-3 letters per month. The last letter I received was on the 15th September 2003. Since then I haven't received any others and I am increasingly worried as to why my husband is not writing us.

CP: What did your husband say about the conditions inside Guantanamo Bay?

KZ: My husband never talked about his living conditions apart from saying that the food was a disaster and he went out twice a week. He is not crazy and he is healthy, he even makes jokes and told me that the Ramadhan he spent there was the best one in all his life. He says he occupies his time with Qur'an and tajweed (the science of reciting the Qur'an correctly).

CP: Can you tell if he has been subjected to any physical or psychological torture?

KZ: I don't know about physical and/or psychological torture. I assume so but I don't know to what extent. I always ask Allah to heal him if he has been hurt and to nourish him if he is hungry, so I have faith that my husband is okay, insha'Allah. Ironically, I think I am the one who tortures him the most by sending pictures of Abdul-Karim in my letters. I cannot resist the urge for my husband to see his son even if it is hurting him.

CP: Does the family have a lawyer - how has your husband's legal case been progressing?

KZ: I contacted Dr. Najeeb al-Nuaimi (former Minister of Justice in Qatar who has, since the detention of 600 Muslims at Guantanamo Bay, organised a coalition of lawyers, campaigning on behalf of the detainees and their families) and I speak with him once in a while, or send emails. As of late, Dr. Najeeb hasn't got much to say except that he is struggling with this issue and we must wait and see. Al-hamdulillah.

CP: What has been the response of the Canadian / Algerian Governments?

KZ: The Canadian and Algerian Government have no response. I suspect the Algerians are embarassed by having their nationals there.

CP: What is the public opinion within Canada about the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay?

KZ: The public opinion in Canada about Guantanamo Bay is that they disagree but that is where it ends. There are two Canadians imprisoned in Cuba and we don't know what the Government is doing, if it is doing anything.

CP: Could you share with us a little about the qualities and interests your husband possessed that made him unique?

KZ: My husband's most underlying quality is the extent of his generosity and compassion for the oppressed and the poor, for women and children. He has a sense of duty to right the wrongs of the Muslim world and to abolish the tyranny and opression that our Ummah faces. He would like to see the wealth of the Ummah re-distributed justly and rightly. He is a man who seeks guidance and answers and in the face of clear proofs, he accepts the truth without hesitaion and without last attempts to impose his convictions. These are qualities that my husband has maintained throughout all the years I have known him, which appeal to me as being the characteristics of a very special person.

CP: You mentioned that your two year old son - Can you tell us how he has been affected by what has happened?

KZ: My son is growing up nicely and fast, masha'Allah, yet I know he knows something is missing. However hard I try, I am not able to do for him what his father does. I can't, and my husband is irreplacable. My son knows that. It is not easy but we manage the best we can, and I always tell Abdul-Karim to make du'aa for his father. Even though he can't speak, I know in his heart he is asking Allah to release his father. Insha'Allah Allah will have pity on His small servant Abdul-Karim and release his father.

CP:What has been the response of your husband's family and how have they dealt with the situation?

KZ: My husband's family is just waiting for the day when Ahcene will call. They receive letters once in a while, but a while ago, my husband wrote to them and said he wouldn't write to them anymore because he wanted to write me and Abdul-Karim as much as he was allowed to.

CP: Have you or your husband's family had any dreams since he was captured?

KZ: While I was pregnant (before she knew of his detention in Guantanamo), I dreamt that I entered a prison cell where my husband was being kept. He was thin and sitting on a stone bench, and he looked very dirty. I was wearing a white dress and had full cheeks and I went up to him and said, "Ahcene, bi'ithnillah (By the Permission of Allah) will you get released?". He answered, "Bi'ithnillah (by the Permission of Allah), I will get released." I have had other dreams about my husband which I don't want to discuss at this time. My husband wrote to me once to say that Abdul-Karim and I were in one of his dreams but he did not explain further.

CP: Now that you have an opportunity to send a message to the Muslims across the Ummah, is there any advice or request you would like to make of our readers, particularly in this month of Ramadhan?

KZ: I ask you to make du'aa for our brothers who are in prison, the ones we know about and the ones we don't know about. May Allah reward you for raising awareness within the Ummah and bless you with the finest of dwellings in Paradise. Jazakallah Khair.

To read more about Ahcene Zemiri, his letters and to view photographs of his son, look in our Prisoners Gallery, or click