Remaining hopeful almost a decade on - Khobaib Hussain of the Birmingham 4
- The Birmingham Four are four Muslim men, serving life sentences after being set up by corrupt undercover officers. Nine years on, they remain in prison. They are Naweed Ali, Khobaib Hussain, Mohibur Rahman and Tahir Aziz.
- The defence said that officers from the unit perjured themselves and fabricated evidence in court, allegedly planting evidence in Ali’s car (partially constructed pipe bomb).
- One of the officers referred to his intended testimony in court as an “Oscar performance”.
- Their families, lives and homes have been destroyed by police corruption, deceit and state-led Islamophobia.
Last Ramadan, I was requested to write about my own Ramadan experience in prison for the Filton 24, who were in prison for the first time. I’m happy to hear that they have been granted victory Alhamdulillah, and free from incarceration on bail. Their only “crime” was to stand up and speak out against a genocide, and to stand defiant in the face of oppression. Their actions without a doubt have saved many innocent lives - after all, what good is a bow without an arrow to shoot? May their sacrifice and prison time weigh heavy on the scales of their good deeds, Ameen.
It’s been almost a decade now, and me and my co-defendants are still fighting for justice. 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 truth is powerful and always prevails over falsehood. 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.
The brother Adnan Syed wrongfully convicted for murder for 23 years, he reached such a state of contentment that he was happy with the decree of Allah, even if it meant he died in prison. 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. The brother Marcellus Williams who was given the death penalty for a crime he did not do, his last statement was Alhumdulillah all praise be to Allah in every condition! Allah SWT gave him the death of a Shahid, and his message reached many people across the world. There’s no strength and might except with Allah and Allah SWT gives you the strength to remain firm and steadfast, as we have the truth on our side.
We continue our quest for justice to be done and remain ever hopeful as the believers do not despair. I’ll leave you 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”
Alhumdulillah for another Ramadan, even if it is inside prison. As-salamu alaykum from your brother, Khobaib Hussain, of the Birmingham Four.
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