Judge bans female guards from touching Muslim men in Gitmo

A US military judge confirms his previous decision to temporarily ban female guards at the Guantanamo Bay prison from touching a male Muslim inmate.

A US military judge confirms his previous decision to temporarily ban female guards at the Guantanamo Bay prison from touching a male Muslim inmate.



Navy Capt. J.K. Waits announced on Tuesday that he still upholds his previous injunction requiring the prison officials to only employ male guards while transferring Abdul Hadi al-Iraqi, an alleged al-Qaeda commander.



Iraqi is awaiting trial at the Guantanamo Bay prison on charges of committing war crimes, attacking US-led coalition forces and murdering civilians in Afghanistan.



The military judge also stated that the final ruling over the controversial case of female guards at the Guantanamo Bay prison will be issued in January.



The dispute over the case rose after Iraqi refused to cooperate with a female guard who wanted to shackle him after his meeting with attorneys on October 8.



After the incident, the inmate’s attorney, Marine Lieutenant Colonel Tom Jasper, filed a lawsuit, demanding restrictive measures over the employment of female guards for escorting Muslim men.



Jasper argued that Islam forbids any direct physical contact between men and women out of wedlock, thus deeming the issue as a violation of Iraqi’s creed.



On November 7, Judge Waits ruled over the lawsuit and banned the employment of women for escorting Muslim men in the prison.



Government prosecutors objected to Waits’ ruling, saying it “ignores established precedent requiring deference to prison administrators” and thus would cause “unintended and dire consequences,” read their lawsuit filed on November 10.