Guantánamo hunger strike: US to force-feed detainees during Ramadan
The US government has refused to stop force-feeding detainees prisoners on hunger strike at Guantánamo Bay during the holy month of Ramadan. In court papers rejecting a petition by four of more than 100 detainees prisoners said to be refusing food, the US said the feedings provided "essential nutritional and medical care" and would not interfere with religious observance of Ramadan, which begins on Monday. Observant Muslims fast daily from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan. Last month, Obama gave a speech in which he promised to work towards closing the base, and to allow the release of many of the 86 prisoners held there who have been cleared for transfer. He described the camp as a moral problem for the nation [not for Obama] that had to be solved.