I have been discussing the case of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi who was released from jail as he has terminal prostate cancer with a few friends on Facebook, and like Kenny MacAskill believe giving someone a little compassion and Christian love is the way forward. I have been slated for believing this and saying so publicly.
Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi in many circles is believed to not even to have been the bomber of the Pan-Am flight but a scape goat for Gaddafi who wanted to enter the world market again. His accomplice was found not guilty and sent home again. The second reason is, I have been in a jail, not as a prisoner but as a teacher. Jails are horrid places at the best of times, inmates are on their guard 24/7. They are under threat of bullying, violence, rape and murder. Most have to share a cell and you don't choose your cell mate. Prison is a place of rehabilitation, a place to change peoples mindsets about life. Hopefully to make people accept society and conform to a way of life that is acceptable to the majority and not the minority. Prison can work, but it is far to overcrowded and people are just banged up and then let out, try as the education and work systems do there isn't enough time and people to make it work, so inmates go in and out most without changing, Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi is dying and has little or nothing to gain from being in prison, he has little time left and is a very long way from his home and his family.
Anyhoo back to the decision to send Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi home. In the possible 3 months left in his life what would keeping him in a Scottish jail achieve? I don't think it will achieve anything. He has a short time left and this will not be good for him at best. He will have a lot of pain and will for the most of it be under very heavy sedation. Sending Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi home will give him time to think why? if he really did the murders and planted that bomb, he will have to face God very soon.
Showing a little of Compassion and Gods love now and letting him die with dignity will afford him a little comfort in his last days. Lets hope Libya has the palliative care we offer in the UK.
If you want to look at it in another way, sending Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi home will save the UK taxpayer a heck of a lot of money, it costs roughly £3000 a day to keep and inmate in jail who is healthy, once they become ill and need to go to hospital that can easily go up to and over£10,000 a day as he will need transportation, 2 permanent guards and his own room at the hospital, plus all of the medications.......
