+ "Americans Are Vampires"

7 October, Sana'a
From Marcela Gaviria

There are 109 men suspected of belonging to Al Qaeda who are being held in jails across Yemen. None of them have been charged with a crime. That is simply because belonging to Al Qaeda is not a crime according to Yemen's constitution.

Muhammad Najji Allaw, a lawyer for those men detained in Yemen and in Guantanamo told us that in the eyes of the law, these men are simply freedom fighters. "Yemen has a long history of sending young men to fight jihad in Afghanistan. It was not a crime in the late eighties to fight in Afghanistan, and it is not a crime today. Belonging to Al Qaeda is like belonging to Hamas. These men are not terrorists, they are freedom fighters."

President Ali Abdullah Saleh hasn't figured out a way around the law. And so, in order to placate G.W., he has placed these men behind bars and has yet to decide if to charge them or release them.

We know little of these men. A tally shows that most were caught in November of 2001 in large cities like Sana'a, Taiz and Ibb. A few were caught in Oman. Most of the men are in their early twenties, have families, and worked at various trades like "driver," "carpenter," "electrician," and "preacher."

One Tuesday afternoon, we head to the outskirts of Sana'a to meet a journalist who has managed to interview many of the detainees held in prison. This was done under the radar of government authorities by posing as a family member of a detainee.

We hope this journalist will tell us about these men, their background, their views on America, their allegiance toward Al Qaeda. We don't have many expectations; it is another routine call hoping to find a few more pieces of information that will help us discover the background of so many foot soldiers for Al Qaeda.

We arrive to discover that the intrepid journalist is a woman covered in black and wearing a loose fitting gotra, which reveals a beautiful face. Rahma Hugira is a feisty 25-year-old woman, with a young son about seven years of age, whom she calls her "little Osama."

Yemeni journalist and activist Rahma Hugira.

We sit on the floor, barefooted, and listen to this petite woman fill the room with her powerful voice. Rahma tells us things that would make most American's blood boil. "Americans are vampires that want to suck us of all our wealth." "Americans deserve to die after all the death we have inflicted on Muslims around the world." "Osama bin Laden is my hero and I hope my son will grow up to be just like him." Rahma's blunt anti-Americanism is delivered with such warmth, grace, and charm, that it's disarming. And confusing.

She tells us that it is her duty as a Muslim to defend the men who are being held in jail because she knows they are innocent. "I will do anything in my power to help them. I know they are just innocent men paying the price for this war." As we leave, Martin asks her if she has any questions for us.

"I want to know what the mother's of all these American soldiers tell their young boys when they send them off to kill Muslims? Don't they know that we are also human beings?"

For more on Rahma, read the transcript of her interview, and this essay she wrote for FRONTLINE, "The United States and Us -- Who is Attacking Whom?"

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