Guantanamo Detainees' Most Requested Books From Prison Library: Harry Potter, Don Quixote, And Obama's Dreams From My Father

juancole.com:

Journalist Besan Sheikh recently visited the Guantanamo Bay prison facility run by the US, where al-Qaeda and other prisoners from Bush's 'war on terror' are held. (Many of the prisoners appear to have been sold by the Taliban or swept up indiscriminately in the vicinity of a battlefield). Sheikh told the pan-Arab London daily, al-Hayat [Life], that the facility's library now has 13,500 books.

Read the whole story: juancole.com

Comments

[Fairfield]

Quite an extensive library for prisoners when we have so many American schools starving for books for school children.

There's something wrong with our priorities methinks.

[Zen0469]

How about "How I r the Edikashun przidnt" by Duhbya.

[BartRoberts]

What??!! Not one request for "My Pet Goat," Dubya's personal favorite?

[colorperdaughter]

beat me to it!

[Peacein09]

Might as well read fantasies. I guess asking for a copies of the Declaration of Independence, US Constitution, US Code, and Bill of Rights might be denied. Guantanamo administrators probably consider these documents subversive literature that might lead to the recovery of their human dignity and a desire to fight for their own rights.

[TJCole]

Throw in The Magna Carta, Black's Law Dictionary, and Irvin's Rules of Law, in that mix too Peacein09..

[Grim Truth]

That makes sense. Obama is about as real as Harry Potter.

[Domenica Iacovone]

Maybe it was the list of the most wanted books to be banned and burned by the radical Christian Right?

[Grim Truth]

I'm not following the connection... Obama being a big phony has what to do with what you said?

[amalfedup]

Keep living in your alter universe and leave the rest of us alone so we can actually live in a democratic and just reality!

[Grim Truth]

You mean a democracy? You realize the US is a republic, right?

[Pema]

lets see magic, tilting at windmills and a positive obama book. gee anyone else see the thread here?

[YewNeekId]

Why do these terrorists have a library? Bread and water should be all that they get

[OneTop]

Why haven't they been charged with something / anything and why haven't they had their day in court ?

If they indeed are terrorists, it should be easy enough to prove in court.

Oh ... wait, it's the U.S. the country that condones torture and therefore holding people for years without charges is fine.

[Pema]

you need a trial to detirmine evidence these people havent gotten one, but they have been tortured.

[Alonso Quijano]

No fact is meaningful without context. I wonder what the three most-read books would be in a typical U.S. prison. I also wonder what the alternate choices were. Saying Harry Potter is the most read is meaningless unless you know that there were real choices available to read something else. Maybe if the novels of Saddam Hussein had been available, THEY would have been number 1, 2, 3. Somehow I doubt that they were available.

The other crucial fact is, what language were these books in? What are the languages of the prisoners? My assumption is that these prisoners do not have English as a first language.

Quoting "facts" without context is a typical trick of people who want to deceive.

[OneTop]

My money was on

Dante's Inferno

[jbrantow]

I bet they read more than the misinformed and clueless teabagging zealots across this country.

[wrender]

Where's the proof? I find it extremely difficult to believe that out of 13,500 books, 229 people would be reading ANY of those 3 books, let alone frequently enough to make them the top 3. Unless they have 450 copies of each book at that library, this seems highly suspicious and propagandist to me. Also, no reason was given for those choices except for in the case of "Dreams from my Father". -

"They are said to be fascinated that the new president of the United States has African and Muslim roots."

I wonder how fascinated they are at the fact that they are STILL at Gitimo with no end in sight. I wonder if they find fascination in the fact that those responsible for illegal torture in OUR name have not been held accountable.

[wrender]

Check that - 4500 :)

[madisonhack]

Yes, the article is bent slightly right, wouldn't you say?

[pros54]

I think you are being too objective. The most frequently read books I assume are the most frequently checked out from the library. To estimate the most frequently read books by assuming the library contains only the three books will make all three books equaly read. By using the most frequently borrowed books you of cause have the error inherent that a borrowed book does not equate to a read book. The frequency of most read book does not mean anything as analyzed in the dicsuss except to say these books are now being read more than religious books where a meaning can be read into it.

[Pema]

wrender..... excellent post. well put.

[vkobaya]

Actually, the Gitmo detainees are reading Harry Potter to learn magic spells and ally themselves with Voldemort so they can take over the world.

Come on people! Stop reading things into items like this. They like Harry Potter because it is good fun, escapist entertainment.

[BambooHarvester]

They should each be given a large house in the Better part of Dallas !

[wildbil546]

These men should be released asap.

[AtheistUS]

"These men should be released asap." - said wild Bil #546.

[eShirl]

' "These men should be released asap." - said wild Bil #546. ' - quoth Atheist US.

[Swankie]

What a shock, they love reading Obama's book. Like minds must think alike. Maybe they should get a few copies of Keith Olbermann's book. I know the publisher has a few million copies still sitting in the warehouse.

[AtheistUS]

Flagged for this: "they love reading Obama's book. Like minds must think alike".

Anyway, you can apply same logic to our religious extremists that try to give bible to criminals in prisons.

In so twisted head the claim about "same minds" should apply also to other authors listed in the article.

[beautyontheinside]

you flagged someone for saying this...are you serious?
C'mon, pick your battles.