On the 6^th of December 2018, Channel 4 broadcast an interview with Adel al-Hassani, who used to be a commander with Yemeni forces that fought against Al-Qaeda and who fell foul, allegedly of UAE forces. His story and his alleged torture is highlighted in the Channel 4 documentary by Jonathan Rugman.

The documentary highlights alleged human rights abuses that are significant and which seem to point to sustained levels of torture. Indeed Al-Hassani suggests systemic torture was used against dissidents.

The Channel 4 documentary is important since it highlights a window on a war that is as dirty as is it is confusing. No party in this war comes out clean and what is clear is that many sides and interested parties are involved in a propaganda campaign that is deeply problematic. Yemen has become a battleground for a series of dirty tricks. The real impact and the victims are the poor and marginalized communities who pick up the pieces of this horrendous conflict inflicted on the Yemen population.

Which brings us to the following point. Adel al-Hassani, is described in the Channel 4 investigation as someone who fought al-Qaeda. No-one can doubt this or verify this apart from what is listed in the Channel 4 documentary. We simply want to highlight the fact that in the documentary, al-Hassani sings a Nasheed that has been repeatedly sung by Islamists as a rallying tune in their struggle against what they perceive against injustice. This is not to suggest that al-Hassani is an Islamist, though the song has been used by others as a rallying call for Islamists. It has therefore been used by others as a rallying call for an armed violent response.

The lyrics of the song can be translated into the following:

غرباء و لغير الله لا نحني الجباه
Ghurabaa’ wa li ghairillaahi laa nahnil jibaa
[We are] strangers and we do not bow the foreheads to anyone besides Allah

غرباء و ارتضيناها شعارا في الحياة
Ghurabaa’ war tadhainaa haa shi’aaran lil hayaa
[We are] strangers and we have chosen this to be the motto of life

إن تسأل عنا فإنا لا نبالي بالطغاة
Inta sal ‘anna fa inna laa nubaali bit-tughaat
If you ask about us, then we do not care about the tyrants

نحن جند الله دوما دربنا درب الاباة
Nahnu jundullaahi dawman darbunaa darbul-ubaa
We are forever the soldiers of Allah, our path is the path of the resistant

غرباء غرباء غرباء غرباء
Strangers! Strangers! Strangers!

لا نبالي بالقيود بل سنمضي للخلود
Lan nubaali bil quyuud, bal sanamdhii lil khulood
We never care about the chains, rather we’ll continue forever

فلنجاهد و نناضل و نقاتل من جديد
Fal nujaahid wa nunaadhil wa nuqaatil min jadeed
So let us make Jihad, and battle, and fight from the start

غرباء هكذا الاحرار في دنيا العبيد
Ghurabaa’ hakazhal ahraaru fii dunya-al ‘abeed
Ghurabaa’ this is how they are free in the enslaved world

غرباء غرباء غرباء غرباء
Strangers… Strangers… Strangers…

كم تذاكرنا زمانا يوم كنا سعداء
Kam tazhaakkarnaa zamaanan yawma kunna su’adaa`
How many times have we remembered a time when we were happy

بكتاب الله نتلوه صباحا و مساء
Bi kitaabillaahi natloohu sabaahan wa masaa`
with the book of Allah, reciting it in the morning and the evening

غرباء غرباء غرباء غرباء
Strangers… Strangers… Strangers…

غرباء و لغير الله لا نحني الجباه
Ghurabaa’ wa li ghairillaahi laa nahnil jibaa
[We are] stranger and we do not bow the foreheads to anyone besides Allah

غرباء و ارتضيناها شعارا للحياة
Ghurabaa’ war tadhainaa haa shi’aaran lil hayaa
Ghurabaa’ – we have chosen this to be the motto of life

In the Channel 4 documentary, the narrator states the following when Al-Hassani sings the Nasheed.

“We don’t care about tyrants, we only bend our foreheads to God.”

This is only part of the Nasheed and its context, and whilst Channel 4 were right in highlighting the human rights abuses that have so dogged the people of Yemen and which have also led them to pay such a high price, we believe that a better description of the Nasheed and its context could have been provided. Indeed, Channel 4 can simply make an addition on its web-site providing some context to the Nasheed in question, otherwise it can throw up a range of questions when shown in its current format. That song can therefore provide a dual meaning to various individuals watching the same film.

This contextualization is important since if we are to understand the nature of what is taking place in the Middle East, we need to understand the complexities and nuances. In this case, we sympathise with the case of Al-Hassani and his displacement from Yemen. We also are deeply aggrieved at the heavy price that the Yemeni population has paid through significant human rights abuses. They have suffered catastrophically because of proxy wars in the region. This is not acceptable, nor can it be excused.

We hope that this request is something that Channel 4 may consider, given that it takes pride in its journalistic reporting.

“We believe that tackling extremism within our own community and working with other groups is an essential part of tackling anti-Muslim hate crime. It is through partnerships like this and an enduring empathy around the human rights of others, which can help build alliances and stronger social cohesion. 

Our approach so far has been not to highlight divisions. This is contrary to groups whom Ware investigates in the programme entitled, “Who Speaks for British Muslims”.

The programme explains how some groups play on a divisive approach targeted at British Muslim communities.  But this agenda of tackling anti-Muslim hate and protecting social cohesion is too important to be left to those who would divide the community and ignore intolerance. This is why we chose to speak out and take part in the Dispatches documentary.

We will continue to fight for an inclusive approach to Islam, based on pluralism and where dissent is part of the cornerstone of healthy communities. We also know that colleagues in other programmes of work that we have set up, will continue to diligently tackle anti-Muslim hatred as they have done for over 6 years now. This means that we will continue to speak up where we see this approach being abused.

Faith Matters believe we have a better, more positive and, vitally, more effective approach to tackling anti-Muslim hatred than has traditionally been taken by some other organisations in this field. At the heart of our approach is a belief in universal human rights.

As a result, our approach is completely inclusive. We work with LGBT organisations, feminist campaigns, those tackling antisemitism, and groups tackling bigotry wherever it is found. We work with people of all faiths and none to tackle extremism in all its forms. We challenge intolerance within our own communities. We don’t pander to win support, but always go back to our founding principle of universal rights. We believe this approach strengthens our ability to combat anti-Muslim hatred.

We build alliances through the consistency of our approach. It is by building on this strong community of human rights allies; challenging communities when it does not adopt this approach and consistently arguing that anti-Muslim hatred has the same root causes as homophobia, anti-Semitism, sexism, racism and all other hatred-driven intolerances that we make our case.

We hope this explains why the decision was made to engage with the Dispatches programme entitled, “Who Speaks for British Muslims”.”

‘The State’ was shown over 4 nights. The work of Peter Kosminsky, it is a harrowing insight into how faith is used and manipulated to create a framework of deadly destruction and intimidation and it also highlights the naivety of people caught up in a belief that the ‘Caliphate’ is finally here.

‘The State’ highlights a number of things which includes demonstrating how young people are manipulated and how for some, the journey ultimately leads to violence and a brutal death. For others, it shows a manipulation of their ‘ideals’ that they believe will be reached through groups like the Islamic State and which lead nowhere but to the brutalisation of others. Yet, the show also highlights something of importance – the chaos that has bred groups like IS in the Middle East and how within chaos, groups that promote nihilism and fear, can take root.

The show makes uncomfortable viewing. It is uncomfortable since it shows how faith can be manipulated, decontextualised and made devoid of any human spirit. It also shows how easy it is for people to be sucked into a cult, the cult of IS murder and death that was so evident in the show.

Finally, the ending where Shakira Boothe returns to the UK with her soon, Isaac, only to be detained, points to one single over-arching conclusion. However much Shakira tried to protect Isaac from harm, in the end, by taking him to the so-called Islamic State, she had put them both directly in danger. The ending where the intelligence officer says that she has been a bad mother sums up the reality. Any parent putting their child in direct danger, is in effect, neglecting their parenting duties and giving their children a potential death sentence. ‘The State’ was therefore a welcome addition to the ongoing public discussions around extremism.