January 28, 2002

Muslim chaplain sent to Guantanamo
___WASHINGTON (RNS)--The U.S. military has decided to send a Muslim chaplain to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to help meet the religious needs of Taliban detainees.
___The military base at that location has an on-site Catholic chaplain but no Muslim one, the Washington Post reported.
___Air Force Maj. Eddy Villavivencio, a spokesman for the U.S. Southern Command, said a Muslim chaplain in the U.S. Navy arrived at the site during the week of Jan. 20.
___"There are not that many Muslim chaplains in the U.S. military," he said. "One is being provided should any of the detainees wish access to a minister of that faith."
___The action follows stated concerns by rights groups about U.S. treatment of the al-Qaida and Taliban detainees.
___The prisoners are being held in open-air, 6-by-8-foot cells under extreme security. They are allowed to pray several times a day. Photographs have shown them kneeling on the ground wearing handcuffs.
___U.S. defense officials have said they are treating the detainees humanely, under conditions that conform with the Geneva Convention.

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