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Zulq'idah 3,1427/November 25, 2006 #79
Please scroll way down
for prominent Baltimore Muslim Br. Salim Khatib's friendly letter
to CAIR: Any Islamic source for CAIR's behavior, he asks?
Personal
The Tragedy and Triumph of a Bangladeshi Professor
by Kaukab Siddique
Ali Reza had a brilliant mind. As a university man living in
Gopalganj, Bangladesh he was respected by both faculty and students,
including secularists opposed to his staunchly Islamic viewpoint.
Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland awarded him a
scholarship to carry out Ph.D level research in Physics. His
family used up all its resources to get him the air ticket to
fly across the oceans to Baltimore.
When I met Br. Ali Reza in 1988, he was a live wire kind of human
being, a slim young man with a small bone frame: very peaceful and
brimming with love of Islam. He put in a maximum effort to learn
his research tools at Johns Hopkins. He would go to the school in
the morning and return late at night. His was quite innocent about
America and saw only its brilliance. He ignored the evil which lurked
in the shadows. When I urged him to stay away from certain areas on
the way to Hopkins, he smiled and said he had nothing which anyone
would want to rob him of nor any enemy who would want to hurt him.
Then in 1991, late one dark night, while he was asleep in his bed, he
was attacked and his head was bashed in. It was a bestial act coming
from the bowels of America's fetid soul. The doctors thought he would
not survive. They found my phone number in his personal effects and
called me as the only "relative" he had here. They told me to call
his blood relatives because things did not look good. He barely
survived after multiple surgeries and went into prolonged comma.
Months passed and Ali remained in comma. His relatives made it to
Baltimore but did not or could not stay. His newly married wife in
Bangladesh asked for divorce. He seemed to have been abandoned. And
then, after just about everyone had given up, and I prayed for his
recovery not with any distinct hope but like one prays only because
Allah is Omnipotent, the miracle happened: Ali woke up!
It was a slow, painful and at times frustrating revival. The doctors
pointed out that he would have to start his academic career from
scratch. HE HAD LOST THAT PART OF HIS BRAIN WHERE HIS PHYSICS WAS
STORED. As the months passed, he was moved to a top-of-the-line
rehabilitation center. Johns Hopkins, perhaps out of a sense of
responsibility tinged with guilt, took care of all his medical bills.
Ali was a real fighter, as minute by minute, inch by inch, he retook
his individuality. He learned to sit up, and then to stand up, and
then take the first few steps, like a child does.
Every time I would visit him, he had made more progress and was now
able to talk to me as he used to. Unfortunately, he could not remember
anything about the attackers and the attack. First I thought, the
terror in his mind was the cause of his inabilty or lack of desire
to remember his assailants. A neighbor had told police of a large
man coming out of Ali's room. The police found the rock with which
Ali's head had been bashed in, but the police case went nowhere in
spite of several years of investigation. Gradually we realized that
in fact Ali had lost the part of his brain in which the horrific
impressions of the attack were stored.
Gradually Ali started walking and was moved out of rehab to a low
priced apartment. Months later, he could go and buy his groceries
without my help. But he was very alone.
For some time, he lived with me. During the time he lived with me, I
urged that he should return home to Bangladesh so that the family
atmosphere available there would rehabilitate his mind and soul. A
very Islamic person like him found the individualism of American
society irksome because he was always looking for community and love.
His brilliant mind was always looking. for an outlet. During his stay
with me, he was constantly discussing the issues facing the Muslim
world and ignoring the difficulties facing him. It was not easy to
discuss matters with him because he often saw aspects of a situation
which ordinary mortals could not see.
THE REAL MIRACLE:
Finally, Br. Ali Reza returned to Bangladesh. A long silence intervened.
He was not telling us what was going on, though he had learned all over
again to be a computer whiz. [What a tragedy for a Ph.D Physics
candidate to have to learn computers all over again.] Then came the
great news: A woman had accepted him. He was once more a married man.
A woman's love can do more for a man than any number of doctors can.
Another year passed and then came the best news of all. Ali Reza is now
the father of a child, alhamdulillah.
Some of the Bangladeshi community, led by Dr. Shahjahan Khan,
recognizes Br. Ali Reza's great struggle to survive as a human
being, as a Muslim and as a scholar and researcher. An effort is
underway to build a house for him in Bangladesh. If you would like
to help, please write a check in the name of ALI REZA and send it to:
Kaukab Siddique, P.O. Box 356, Kingsville, MD 21087
Jamaat al-Muslimeen News [3 items only]
P.O. Box 10881
Baltimore, MD 21234
Outreach to Muslim Community: The Suffering and Striving of
Imam Warith Deen Umar
On November 23, 2006 Jamaat distributed a two-sided card about
Imam Umar at the 96th street masjid in New York City [Manhattan]
after Juma' salat. The card which summarizes the U.S.
government's terroristic attacks on Imam Umar and his family was
given to 215 Muslims. This was at the front entrance of the masjid.
At the back entrance, the small Jamaat card summarizing the businesses
which support Israel was given to 74 people. The card urges Muslims to
boycott businesses such as Coca Cola and Starbucks which are
documented to be linked to Israel.
During the distribution, we talked to a number of people about
Imam Umar. The impression we came off with is that Muslims in
New York, though full of Islamic spirit and faith, lack organization
and leadership [thus confirming the earlier report by Br. Abu Talib
from Brooklyn's Jamaat al-Muslimeen].
The basic question is: Why has Imam Umar suffered so much:
Basically because he is Muslim and African-American.
Who are his enemies? The Zionist Jews.
[It all started with the slanderous front page attack on him in the
Wall Street Journal, the flagship of Zionist-capitalism].
Ahmed 'Abdel Sattar
to be sent to Supermax in Colorado
Our sources indicate that Br. Ahmed 'Abdel Sattar, an opponent of
the Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, will be sent in the near future
to the supermax prison which was set up in Colorado. A U.S. citizen
of Egyptian descent, Ahmed has the unique distinction of being
sentenced to almost two decades in prison for the crime of talking
on the phone to opponents of America's pet dictator.
Ahmed believed that a country which gives top importance to freedom
of expression would never punish him for simply talking, mostly
listening, to opponents of a dictator who has committed atrocities
against human rights which boggle the mind.
Lisa, his long suffering wife, and their children, cling to their
faith in Allah and wonder what the future will bring when decent
people are treated like criminals. [They are still innocent of the
Zionist evil which has taken over America. The basic reason why
Ahmed could so easily be sentenced was that he issued a "fatwa"
against the Jews of Israel when they killed a Palestinian child and
the photos of the child being murdered by the Zionist Jews was
caught on camera.]
Then the police also found that among Ahmed's hundreds of books was a
copy of the "Protocols of the Elders Zion."
When will this night of injustice end, Muslim children around the
world are asking.
Ask yourself, why is Ahmed suffering? Is the desire to overthrow
Hosni Mubarak a crime? Why is Ahmed in prison? because he is a
Muslim and an Egyptian-American. Who made sure he would be convicted?
The Zionist Jews.
Prof. Sami al-Arian:
Another Dove flutttering in the Jewish-Zionist Trap
After most terrorism-related charges against Prof. al-Arian could
not stand up in court, he plea bargained that instead of the trial
continuing on the remaining charges, he should be deported. However,
as Shakespeare wrote, the Jew will have his pound of flesh. The
Zionist-friendly court still decided to hold him in prison till
April 2007!
Still not satisfied with the suffering they have mposed on him,
the oppressors dragged him off as Ramadan approached to grill him
further in front of a grand jury. His defense pleaded that he not
be forced in shackles to be transported from Florida to Virginia in
the month of fasting. The Zionist prosecutor jested that such an
excuse [Ramadan related] would amount to the "Islamization" of the
justice system!
Prof- al-Arian's faith is very strong. He said that further grilling
would be a violation of the plea bargain the government had agreed
to, and refused to testify. Result: His prison stay will now extend
to October 2007.
Try to understand what the Zionist Jews have done to this university
professor. He has never been an opponent of the U.S. government. He
is not Jose Padilla. First he was subjected to bogus charges in
which supporters of Israel played an important role. Then, the
charges having proven fake, as a "favor" to him, the regime decided
to deport him. Step three, they keep extending his stay in prison.
Meanwhile, imagine an innocent man, a scholar being shunted around
from prison to prison, shackled, humiliated. Why? because he is
a Muslim and a Palestinian. Who are his opponents? The Zionist Jews.
Turkey used to be the sword arm of Islam. Perhaps again....
Turkey: More Islamic, Less European
Der Spiegel (Germany)
http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,446163,00.html
Is Turkey really becoming more Islamic? And particularly now, after
coming so far on the way towards Europe? What is undeniable is that,
one year after the opening of accession talks with the EU, the
atmosphere in Turkey, with its 99 percent Muslim population, is
increasingly anti-European, anti- Western and more nationalistic.
Only one third of Turks support membership in the European Union,
according to a survey published last week in the daily Milliyet --
a dramatic change for Turks, who have been big fans of Europe
for so long.
not worthy: A blind spot for Islam
A Critique of the Left from the Left: Total focus on Lynne Stewart,
None on Ahmed Abdel Sattar!
This has been heavy on my mind for a bit.
Lynne Stewart, a civil rights activist was recently convicted and
sentenced to 28 months for providing "material support" to terrorists,
by allowing or smuggling messages from Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman out
to Egypt while he was on trial. The details of the case are available
on the web.
In addition to Lynne Stewart, there were two other men charged
alongside her. Ahmed Abdel Sattar, the paralegal, and Mohammad
Yousri, the translator. Sattar got sentenced 28 years, and Yousri
got 20 months.
Now, I am truly happy that Lynne Stewart got a reduced sentence. She
has been an amazing lawyer for civil rights, and in particular, in
support of grassroots movements for many years. The government
targeted her to make an example out of her. There has been a long
running campaign in support of Stewart, and on the day of sentencing,
almost 200 protesters and supporters turned out outside the court.
The reduced sentence of Stewart was proclaimed as a "victory."
Where was the support for Sattar? Where was the defense committee
for him? Would this be a victory if Sattar had gotten 28 months, and
Stewart got 24 years? Is this where our "movement" is at? Or as a
brown Muslim man, I must ask, is this even "our" movement?
The open and explicit racism of the right-wing I am used to. But
this recurring pattern of marginalization within left circles is
disheartening. The sentencing of Sattar and Yousri was mentioned
as side note at the end of ALL the articles. In fact, some reports
are saying that people in Stewart's defense team, actively distanced
and even blamed Sattar for Stewart's situation.
Would Sattar's case have garnered more attention if he was white? A
"professional" lawyer? Non-Muslim?
Is Madeline Albright saying that the lost lives of 500,000 Iraqi
children due to sanctions was "worth it," any different than the
sections of the anti-war movement that focuses more on deaths of
US soldiers than on their (now around 650,000) Iraqi victims? Is
there any other group of people or Resistance movements that the
left champions the cause of while actively distancing itself from
the actors themselves (Hamas/Hezbullah/Islamists/Muslims)? Are any
other Resistance movements asked to run through the gamut of a
checklist about where you stand on secularism, women's rights,
minority rights, religion, armed struggle, etc, before grudgingly
being given a stamp of (semi-)legitimacy? Are Muslim lives equally
as much pawns for the left's struggle against the Empire - useful
for propaganda and protests, but not allowed voices (and thoughts
and ideas) of their own?
The "movement" is in a sad state of affairs. Whoever it belongs to...
Some similar sentiment by Noah Cohen:
On April 9 of 2002 Lynne Stewart was arrested for vigorously
defending Muslim cleric Shiek Omar Abdel Rahman. Many progressive
lawyers expressed outrage, above all because the action targeted a
member of their own community. Equal support has not been extended
to her two assistants, Mohammed Yousry and Ahmed Sattar, arrested
at the same time. Though Stewart herself has said that she, her
client, and her two assistants have all been subject to the violation
of the same basic right to freedom of speech, leading civil
libertarian David Cole would write instead:
"So how did the prosecution meet its burden [against Stewart]? With
classic McCarthy-era tactics: fearmongering and guilt by association.
First, it tried Stewart together with Ahmed Sattar, an Egyptian-born
US citizen against whom it had thousands of hours of wiretaps of
communications with a terrorist group. Among other things, Sattar
had issued a fake fatwa urging followers to "kill [Jews] wherever
they are." By trying Stewart and Sattar together, the government
could taint Stewart with Sattar's sins, even though, as was the case
with the fatwa, she had nothing to do with them and no knowledge of
them." ("The Lynne Stewart Trial," The Nation, February 17, 2005)
Notice that Cole takes Sattar's "sins" at face value; he describes
telephone conversations as "communication with a terrorist group,"
adopting the government's language. He objects not so much to
trying all three defendants for their speech, but rather to
Ashcroft's "tainting" of Lynne Stewart by association.
Another, more articulate view, by activist Lana Habash:
I read with sadness today the news that Ahmad Abdel Sattar one of
the co-defendants in the "Lynne Stewart" case was sentenced to 24
years in prison. The other two co-defendants Lynne Stewart and
Mohammed Yousry are free pending appeal of relatively shorter
sentences: one year and eight months in the case of Yousry and
2 1/2 years in the case of Stewart.
It is strange to me that this is being celebrated as a "victory" in
the movement.
As someone who is glad that there are lawyers like Stewart who
defend their clients vigilantly, I am of course relieved and happy
for Stewart as well as for Yousry that they are free and facing
substantially shorter sentences than anticipated.
But would the movement be celebrating Sattar's release pending appeal
if Stewart had been sentenced to 24 years in prison?
The sadness and anger regarding these recent events arise not only
from the situation for Sattar-- which is horrific, but also the
embarrassment regarding our lack of organization as a movement to
defend Sattar in any significant way. There was no significant
public defense committee support from the left for Sattar or
Yousry (that I am aware of) as there was for Stewart. There was
no linking of the cases in a political and public sense by our
movement. In fact, it appeared that there was an effort (within
the movement) to distance Stewart's case from that of Yousry and
especially that of Sattar. Rather than the Angola 3 or the Cuban 5,
we heard about the case of Lynne Stewart and if one knew enough to
ask, they might get an update on the status of Yousry and Sattar.
This treatment of Arabs and Muslims reveals the racism and
discrimination against Islam that continues to be a persistent
force in the movement today.
In a movement that claims that we are anti-racist and pro-working
class, why wasn't there mobilization on the left to defend the rights
of the Arab men who were being attacked as there was for the defense
of Stewart, a white woman in the professional class? I am not putting
this forth as a critique of Stewart who has vigilantly defended people
of every class and race, but rather as a critique of our movement as
a whole and how far we have to go.
The case of Sattar is only one example of the double standard applied
by our movement to Muslims and Arabs. Even people in the radical
movement who recognize the right of colonized people to defend
themselves with arms, in most cases, still fail to openly defend
and more importantly support the rights of Arabs and Muslims to
fight vigilantly by any means necessary against American empire
and the Zionist settler army that continues to carry out genocidal
policies against people in the Arab world.
Acts of resistance by Arabs and Muslims to defend themselves is
labeled extremist, not just by the Western press and the right, but
by our own movement. It is sometimes difficult to tell the difference
between the right and the left when it comes to Islamic resistance--
the term "Islamofascist" is just as likely to be used by an American
Marxist as it is by a right wing Republican.
None of the concerns that I am raising now are new. In fact, the
observations are getting old and for that reason progressively
more disturbing.
Our movement in the "US" needs to deal with this problem, not only
on principle, but because it is affecting our ability to join the
rest of the world as it resists American empire.
In Brazil, pictures of Hassan Nasrallah filled the streets this past
year as a mark of support and an acknowledgement of the heroic
resistance of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Chavez and Venezuela expressed
solidarity with Arab and Islamic resistance to empire this past
year. The Iraqi resistance continues to carry the world's fight
against US empire on its back with honor (and they're winning)
despite little support from anyone but the Arab world. At the same
time, people here on the left and in the American feminist movement
engage in petty attacks that invoke stereotypes about Islam that are
not far from those depicted on FOX news. Even as "Israel" was
dropping thousands of cluster bombs on Lebanon and devastating
Gaza, the American anti-war movement could not even summon unified
lip service to support the Islamic resistance in Palestine, Iraq
and Lebanon.
In no other part of the world, save Europe perhaps, are the resistance
tactics of people suffocating under the boot of American Empire,
debated, discussed and dissected as thoroughly as they are here.
How ironic. Despite all our relative privileges as "Americans",
mainstream dissent on this continent resembles a parade far more
than it does resistance. Save our relatively few current and former
political prisoners and the movements that they represent, there is
no resistance in the "US" today in the sense that people in other
parts of the world understand it.
The treatment of Sattar's case by our movement is just a small example
of how far we have to go.
We cannot continue to live a life here of any integrity if we do not
join the fight and unconditionally support those who are already in
the battle.
Malangbaba
Letter: Re: NT report on Iraq and Sunni Genocide
Greetings
Why is this idea such a bad idea?
"The U.S. seems intent on permitting a Shi'ite state to emerge in
the area from Baghdad to Basra linked to Iran."
"Leo Tolstoy"
Quite a different Viewpoint
Who is the main culprit in the Shiia-Sunni Civil War?
While every one is concentrating on Shiia or Sunni militia and
blaming them for the horrific murders that are killing hundreds
every day, it has blind sided our eyes from the real killers. The
real killers may be the Kurdis! Kurdis were oppressed for decades
by Saddam and even before by the Iraqis, Iranians and Turkish and
still are. They had been the victims of the nerve gas that Saddam
used. The Kurdish have very little love for Shias or Sunnis. They
had been the object of love and affection of the Western powers for
a long time. Most recently by the Americans. The US has been courting
the Kurds for a long time. They know that they can be used to initiate
a civil war between the Sunnis and Shias. So, what is the evidence?
In the most recent book, Bob Woodward writes in the State of Denial,
"BLACKWILL KEPT IN CLOSE CONTACT with the Kurds in the north. Masoud
Barzani, one of the two chief Kurdish leaders, told him that the
United States had made a terrible mistake trying to draw the Sunnis
into the political process. This Sunnis, so used to ruling in Iraq,
had to be defeated and crushed. They had to be told they were going
to pay a price for their brutality against the rest-the Kurds and
Shiites. After Sunnis were totally defeated and isolated, then and
only then could the United States afford to be magnanimous,
Barzani said."
The conversation between Masoud and Blackwill is depicted in the
following way in the book.
"Masoud, what was the answer?" Blackwill inquired.
"The pesh merga," he said, referring to the formidable Kurdish
militia of some 50,000 or more fighters. "you should have asked
us to send 30,000 pesh merga to Fallujah. If your Marines couldn't
do it, let the pesh go."
"Well," Blackwill replied, "sounds to me like a recipe for civil war,
the Kurds clean up Sunni Fallujah."(page 301, itialics added)
Therefore, I believe that Kurds have been willing to kill off Sunnis.
It is my hypothesis that after several unsuccessful attempts to
destroy the Sunni strongholds in Fallujah and other places the US
decided to let the Kurds initiate a civil war between the Sunnis
and Shiites. Divide and Rule is the major tool of colonialism. The
US has been trying to start a civil war between these two major
groups so they can withdraw the major portion of the army and can
still rule Iraq. One can explain the bombing on Askariya Mosque on
February 22, 06 that destroyed one of the holiest Shiite shrines
and started the full blown civil war, most likely started by the
Munafakin- and you know who I am referring to?
Aba Omar
South Carolina
A friendly letter to CAIR
Is there any authentic Islamic Source for CAIR's behavior?
Dear Brother Ibrahim c/o CAIR
Washington DC 20003-2604
Asalamu Alaikum
A while ago we had a long conversation after your Jumuah Khutba at
the Islamic Society of Baltimore [Masjid-arpRahmah]. I am writing to
you to touch on the highlights of that conversation and to request a
response personally if not n CAIR's behalf. Please do not take it in
the spirit of a tirade or a complaint.
* CAIR is a modern organization founded circa 1994 based on modern
American principles. Note "Islamic" follows "American" in its name,
denoting the relative importance of the two or, more simply, the
acronym was invented first to rhyme with CARE [Co-operative for
American Relief Everywhere]. This is usually the case with modern
organizations like, for example, ANSWER, HOCAFOLA, etc. A few
like-minded Muslims got together, did the legal paperwork to create
CAIR out of the blue.
* Financially, CAIR is heavily dependent on direct donations from
Muslim and non-Muslim individuals and organizations and volunteer
(=unpaid) services and internships" from gullible people. It also
conducts an annual rag-tag event called a convention which is a
thinly disguised fundraiser charging an arm and a leg for tickets
for this circus. Several pets show up including "Imam" Siraj Wahhaj,
Congressman David Bonior (D-MI). Mr. Bonior is at the mercy of his
majority Muslim/Middle Eastern constituency for his re-election.
Hence his "support" to CAIR. CAIR also has an American-style
stand-up comic at this road-show!
* Recently CAIR claims to represent ALL Muslims in the North American
continent without ever asking or receiving any such mandate from the,
approximately eight million Muslims living here.
* CAIR's "officers" are suited, booted and "tied" the American way.
The men sport a beard which is more a fashion statement than an
exhibition of inner piety [Allah knows].
* A few "top" executives regularly appear on TV, in the print media
alongside with Presidents, Senators and other VIPs. Recently, they
traveled to Baghdad, Iraq to save a fellow American's life without
speaking a word of sympathy to the millios of Muslims who are
suffering all over the world.
* CAIR carefully dissociates itself from violence of any kind or any
sticky issues that can land its fat cats in a situation like
Abdurrahman al-Amoudi. It makes a lot of noise on petty issues
like Hijab in the workplace, time off for Juma, religious beards,
Allah's name on Nike shoes etc. These do not need a dedicated
organization to be resolved. CAIR is thus re-inventing the wheel.
* In one tract, CAIR maintains that America is our "ummah" and it is
our Islamic duty to study its corrupt political processes and
participate in them. While I agree that we follow the laws of
this land and our immigration or other visa must be legal, our
first allegiance is to Allah and His Prophet, pbuh, without
advocating violently overhrowing the U.S. or any legally
constituted government. Other than that, Muslims should not
support a regime which is bent on repudiating and annihilating
Islam with their wealth, energy and approval.
* The "top" bosses at CAIR get invited to the White House for an
"iftaar party" along with other elitist organizations like ISNA,
AMC etc. The one year CAIR was excluded, they registered their hurt
by holding a "Protest iftaar" across from the White House the
same evening.
* My question to you, and CAIR, is: From which authentic Islamic
sources you/CAIR derive these behavior patterns? My sincere advice
to you and all other organizations is to disband and forge a single,
solid Muslim bloc (not Caliphate) and speak with one voice and
follow it with action. It may take time and energy but is better
than frittering Muslim resources in opning McCAIRS all over the U.S.
Was-Salaam
Your brother in Islam
Salim Ibrahim Khatib
The writer, of Indian origin, has been active in the efforts to
improve standards at the Islamic Society of Baltimore, ISB.
2006-11-26 Sun 15:25:09 cst
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