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Book Review: For God and Country by James Yee (4 of 5)
Not surprisingly, this role put Yee in many very difficult situations. He found that military personnel began to treat him worse and worse, trying to intimidate and bully him, acting suspicious and hostile, and accusing him of being too sympathetic to the detainees. The U.S. Muslim military personnel often gathered together for meals and prayer, forming a small community (which would later be termed a “spy ring”) and sometimes discussing concerns not only about the hostile environment towards them, but also about the mistreatment of the detainees which often was clearly anti-Islamic in nature. For example, the guards would mock the detainees while they were praying, drop their Qur'ans on the ground, or pass around photos depicting Muslims nude or in sex acts.
Physical abuse was also common, and Yee often heard about or witnessed assaults, beatings, and IRFings (Initial Response Force) where six to eight soldiers in riot gear would “subdue” a detainee and drag him to solitary confinement. Yee began to keep a journal where he documented these incidents so there would be a record of what really went on in Guantanamo. Conditions in the prisons grew steadily worse as more and more detainees suffered from major depression, some refusing to move or eat, and many attempting suicide.
After six months at the detention center, Yee applied for a two-week leave to visit his family and take a much needed rest. Not only was the leave approved, but Yee received a glowing evaluation shortly before he left. However, on his way home, Yee was arrested. He was apparently not the only Muslim personnel who suffered this treatment.
Thus far the book had been very engaging, but here I found it to start dragging a bit, perhaps because of the tedious nature of the case, but also because I think the reader is looking for some kind of transformation in Yee that does not seem to happen. Day by day the “evidence” against Yee grows more egregious. He is accused of carrying classified documents, buying plane tickets to London, associating with the Syrian government, and being affiliated with al-Quaeda and the Taliban. Not only was the evidence fabricated, they even found individuals to testify to these lies under oath. For two and one-half months, Yee is held in solitary confinement, and treated in some ways worse than detainees at Guantanamo, yet Yee seems more bewildered than angry or indignant.
