KOZHIKODE: A poem included in the syllabus for third semester BA and BSc students of Calicut University has stirred a hornet’s nest along a familiar fault line: One man’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter. "Ode to the Sea" by Ibrahim al-Rubaish , a former Guantanamo Bay detainee, is part of the text Literature and Contemporary Issues.

Included along with poems of such venerated figures like Pablo Neruda, Sylvia Plath and Maya Angelou, the Ode is liberal in its tone and content, with the poet choosing to harp on the universal themes of exile, solitude, love and longing. First published in 2006 by Amnesty International in the anthology "Poems from Guantanamo: The Detainees Speak", the poem’s inclusion in the university's syllabus has led to resentment among a section of the English teachers there.

Unable to find fault with the content per se, the teachers allege that al-Rubaish’s credentials are suspect, that he could still be affiliated with al-Qaida. “The poem is an example how far a person will go for to express himself while in confinement. But the background of the poet is quite disturbing. There are any number of other poems that express similar sentiments,” said an English lecturer preferring anonymity.

Ibrahim al-Rubaish, a Saudi national, was arrested from Pakistan in 2001 and was in United States’ custody at the notorious Guantanamo prison for five years. He was later transferred to Saudi Arabia.Defending the decision to include the poem in the course, CR Murugan Babu, assistant professor at Government College, Challakudi, said it will enable discussions on a burning issue of the contemporary world.

“The curriculum was thoroughly revamped last year to make it more relevant to the contemporary world. The core issues we selected were human rights, gender and globalisation,” he said. The Guantanamo writings have shaken the world. We need not believe completely in the US version as it has been proved wrong many times,” he added.

