Pakistani Woman Marathoner Writes to Star-Telegram About Aafia

Following my running of the Fort Worth Marathon for political prisoner Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, I wrote the following letter to Fort Worth's main newpaper. Although I followed their guidelines to a "t," including number of words permitted (this is a slightly longer version of what I actually sent), they did not publish it.  -Nadrat Siddique

- - - - - - - - - - - 

To: The Editor

The Star-Telegram

I wonder how many Fort Worth residents realize their town houses a prisoner whom hundreds of thousands worldwide view as a political prisoner. Dr. Aafia Siddiqui is serving an 86-year sentence at FMC Carswell for a putative crime in which no one was killed or injured. This past Sunday, I ran the Fort Worth Marathon to draw attention to her case. It's a case which former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark (himself a native of the DFW area) characterized as "the worst case of individual injustice I have ever witnessed."

Like Aafia, I hail from Pakistan, a country which boasts few women marathoners. So, in that regard, I am a rarity. Leading up to the Fort Worth Marathon, I'd done 47 marathons in 14 different states. Previously, I'd done two Boston marathons, two Chicago marathons, and a Washington, DC marathon--all to protest Dr. Siddiqui's plight. Fort Worth was my 48th full marathon, and the 6th one which I dedicated to Aafia.

It seemed particularly appropriate, given that Aafia had been attacked 2 1/2 months prior by another inmate at FMC Carswell who smashed a coffee mug on her face, burning and cutting her. Afterwards, the prison administration did nothing to protect Aafia, placing her in solitary confinement, as if she were the one at fault.

Running in my "Free Aafia Siddiqui" tee, I placed #3 in my division, which came as a shock since I was quite sleep-deprived, and lacked "home court advantage."

The next day, a friend and I headed to FMC Carswell to deliver a petition bearing around 750 signatures calling for Aafia's release on humanitarian grounds. We attempted, but were unable to deliver the petition, because administrative offices appeared closed. We left, resolving to return another day.

Sincerely,

Nadrat Siddique 

Email: nadratsiddique@yahoo.com

© 2021 Nadrat Siddique

Fort Worth Marathon for Aafia

By Nadrat Siddique

November 8, 2021
Fort Worth, TX

This weekend, I ran the 26.2 mile Fort Worth Marathon (race) to call attention to the glaring injustice of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui's imprisonment in that town. For the crime of being an unapologetic Muslimah, she's serving an 86-year term. That means--if the authorities have their way--she may still be in prison after most readers of this post are dead.

Before her imprisonment, she was super-conservative; very family-oriented; and well known and active in her community, local mosques, and student organizations. And she was very focused on intellectual pursuits, earning advanced degrees from MIT and Brandeis in a short time.

I'm not sure how Aafia would view the enormity of my traveling 1,400 miles from the Washington, DC area to Texas to run a marathon in her name, and that, too, in funky red tights.

Some photos of my Fort Worth Marathon for Dr. Aafia Siddiqui are here.

The marathon, interestingly, is run on a portion of the Trinity Trail. This is part of a  huge system of trails- over 100 miles in total- called the Trinity Trails System. It is so expansive that you can basically travel the entire city on foot, bike, or rollerblade, relying solely on the trail.

During the marathon, an approximately 6.5 mile segment of the trail is traversed 4 times. Much of the route is flat and follows the Trinity River. I saw egrets, herons, and other waterfowl as I ran, repeatedly murmuring "subhanAllah" to myself. Along the way, there were water and Gatorade stops--and Saleema Gul.

What Gul Did

Saleema Gul, a staunch supporter of Aafia, came out to assist me in my marathon effort. In October, she'd helped organize a protest for Aafia (one of a five-city mobilization) outside the Pakistan Consulate in Houston, despite the strong objections of consular officials, including the CG, Abrar Hashmi. Seemingly in an attempt to disavow responsibility for the Pakistan government's essential role in Aafia's abduction from Karachi, and then her transfer to U.S. authorities for torture, the Consulate insisted that the protest not occur near their premises. "Any location but the Consulate" was the message. The Aafia Foundation and its coalition partners went ahead with the Pakistan Consulate protest anyway.

This time around, Gul again showed that she had more guts than most men. Fort Worth is nearly four hours from Houston. The Houston-based Gul woke up around 1:00 AM, chugged down some coffee, then jumped in her car and headed to Fort Worth. She was at the race with her "Free Aafia" sign well before me--and I was staying in a hotel literally 15 minutes away!

While I was running (sporting my "Free Aafia Siddiqui tee, prepared for me by an all-women's collective in Indiana), Gul was busily explaining Aafia's case to numerous bystanders.

As I passed by her, I was a bit concerned that she, a petite Pakistani hijabi, was standing in the midst of a largely White, largely pro-Republican crowd rocking a "Free Aafia" sign. And- Texas has an open-carry law. In other words, guns can legally be carried in plain view, on one's person in public places. Pro-Trumpers and others were known to use the provision to their advantage. Gul did not seem to be the least bit concerned. Afterwards, she told me the reception she got was generally positive, and that people were polite--even friendly--in some cases.

Torture in the Shadow of the Trinity

In the DFW area, everything seems to be about Trinity. As mentioned, there's the Trinity Trail, which runs along the Trinity River. Then, there's Trinity Park, Trinity Springs, Trinity High School, and Trinity Valley Middle School. There are churches of all denominations bearing the name Trinity. Then, there's Trinity Spine and Orthopedics, Trinity Valley School of Ballet, and Trinity Self Storage.

There is even a portion of the Trinity Trail a stone's throw from FMC Carswell, the prison where Aafia is held.

Although my understanding of the Trinity (in Christian belief) is limited, I do know that Jesus (AS) is a crucial component of this. To Christians, he is the Son (ouzo-billah). To Muslims, he is the revered messenger of God, sent to the people of his time to bring them to God's Word.

In either case, Jesus, like Aafia, was tortured horribly by the authorities of the time. And, like Aafia, he did not give up his faith under torture. 

As I left Fort Worth, I wondered what Jesus would say if he knew of an innocent Pakistani Muslim woman's continued abuse in an ostensible prison hospital, in the area popularly known as the "Bible Belt." Would he sanction Aafia being forced by her jailors, to walk on her holy book, Al-Qur'an?

#FreeAafiaSiddiqui #FortWorthMarathon #RunningForJustice #IAmAafia #FreeAllPoliticalPrisoners 

© 2021 Nadrat Siddique

-------

Nadrat Siddique is a Pakistani Muslim woman marathoner who lives in the Washington, DC area. She has done 48 marathons, frequently combining her twin passions of advocating for political prisoners and distance running by doing marathons to draw attention to political prisoners' cases. Previously, she did two Boston marathons, two Chicago marathons, and a Washington, DC marathon to draw attention to Dr. Aafia Siddiqui's case.