Jacqueline Ramirez

23 January 2018
Terrorist Are the New Witches

“The Crucible” is a play set in Salem, Massachusetts during the time of the Salem Witch Hunt. the pl

exposes the true cruelty of the accusations made in the Salem Trials. This event was made to stay in the

past, but history is a repeating occasion. From the travesty of McCarthyism to present day America, we

live in a society that isolates the different and unique. Coming back to present day America, our people

have been dealt with a hand much peculiar than before. New legislation has kept us trapped in a cage

from potential terror attacks. Guantanamo Bay was born after the attacks of September 11​th​. From a

political lens, there could be vast connections made between “The Crucible” and Guantanamo Bay. With

a large scale of accusations made throughout the play without proof, we could see this work of fiction

come to life through sentencings made in Guantanamo Bay on behalf of the American government.

Tituba is threatened with a harsh punishment if she refuses to confess to her interaction with

witchcraft, so she confesses that she has, indeed, communicated with the devil. In order to avoid further

punishment, Tituba and Abigail begin to name other witches in Salem and are then followed by Betty

who has just awoken from passing out. Soon enough, more women are being accused of witchcraft.

Proctor and Elizabeth are notified by their servant, Mary Warren, who is also being accused of being a

witchcraft, that Elizabeth has been named as a possible witch. Elizabeth pleads Proctor to expose Abigail,

but he refuses. The proctors are investigated and soon Elizabeth is arrested. Proctor demands that Mary

expose Abigail and her entourage as frauds and threatens to confront Abigail. Abigail and the girls take

the moment in order to claim that Mary is attacking them with spirits. In order to protect herself, Mary

joins in and claims that John Proctor is an ally of the devil. John Hale however believe Proctor and speaks

against the actions in the court. “You must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he

must be counted against it, there be no road between. This is a sharp time, now, a precise time—we live

no longer in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the world. Now, by
God’s grace, the shining sun is up, and them that fear not light will surely praise it” (Miller 87). Under

such scrutinous time any arguments against a court of law could be seen as scrutinous. In such light it

proves that word of law often relies on word of mouth. In this instance false accusations can often become

life threatening sentencings for the innocent.

Following the case Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, detainees in Guantanamo Bay were given limited protection

under article 3 of the Geneva Convention.The detention camp was used to harbor persons potentially

dangerous to the United States. Often times these detainees were held prisoners without trial. In May

2004, Khaled Masri was wrongfully imprisoned on terrorist charges. The Washington Post released an

article in 2005 exposing the conflict. It is stated, “The Masri case, with new details gleaned from

interviews with current and former intelligence and diplomatic officials, offers a rare study of how

pressure on the CIA to apprehend Al-Qaeda members after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has led in some

instances to detention based on thin or speculative evidence. The case also shows how complicated it can

be to correct errors in a system built and operated in secret” (Priest 2005). Under the pressure to avoid the

next major terrorist attack, the CIA did what people n Salem did, falsely accused individuals in order to

meet their quote and find the truth. Furthermore, this was not the only case of wrongful imprisonment. In

2015, Mustafa Al-Aziz-al was confused for a trainer of incoming Al-Qaeda member because the two had

a similar name. An article by BBC states, “The 37-year-old Yemeni, who has been held without charge,

appeared before a board on Tuesday. [...] A detailed profile of him finds he was an Islamic fighter who

fought for jihadists in Afghanistan and was associated with al-Qaeda members, but US officials said they

were wrong in thinking he was a trainer for the group, confusing him for someone else with a similar

name” (BBC 2015). This is one case in which the falsely accused were kept from the right to a trial. Such

an instance elucidates the idea that in order to preserve the safety of the greater nation our “protectors” are

willing to put the innocent’s lives on the line.

 Our nation has been fueled by fear from the start. Much like salem, our modern representatives have

turn the nation into a frenzy of witch hunts. Although the nation has the best intentions it has come to a

great cost for protection. There could be vast connections made between “The Crucible” and Guantanamo

Bay. Accusations made throughout the play without proof are an example of a work of fiction coming to

life through sentencings made in Guantanamo Bay on behalf of the American government.

Sources

N.A. “Guantanamo Bay prisoner victim of mistaken identity, says US” ​BBC​. 2 Dec. 2015. Web.

<​http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34987558​>

Priest, Dana. “Wrongful Imprisonment: Anatomy of a CIA Mistake” ​Washington Post​. 4 Dec. 2005. Web.
<​http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/03/AR2005120301476.html​>