One of four British Muslim men serving life sentences for their part in an alleged terrorist bomb plot collectively known as the Birmingham 4 has written about their campaign. Khobaib Hussain, Naweed Ali, Mohibur Rahman and Tahir Aziz claim to have been fitted up by undercover police officers – see here for the full story.
‘It’s been almost a decade now, and me and my co-defendants are still fighting for justice,’ writes Hussain in a letter written to mark Ramadan. ‘With the truth on our side, we are instilled with an unwavering conviction that one day that truth will expose the lies and fabrication for all to see, and we shall one day ان شاء الله be free.’ The letter appears on CAGE’s website (here). The photo was taken at the launch of PROOF issue 6 and features Moazzam Begg of CAGE’s.
‘The truth is powerful and always prevails over falsehood,’ writes Hussain. ‘There have been many miscarriages of justice in the UK criminal system and across the world. A few stood out to me and I found them to be a source of inspiration and drew lessons from them.’
He mentions the experience of Adnan Syed in the US wrongfully convicted for murder for 23 years and whose case featured in The Serial podcast. ‘Eventually new evidence came to light and he was freed. They tried to offer him deals to admit guilt and do less time, but he declined as he was an innocent man and content with his Lord’s decree.’
Khobaib signed off with a quote from the film Just Mercy, a true story about innocent men in America who were put on death row: ‘Hopelessness is the enemy of justice. Hope allows us to push forward even if the truth is distorted by the people in power, it allows us to stand when they say sit and to speak when they say be quiet’.
Read about the Birmingham Four in PROOF issue 6
