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Zulqidah 9, 1432/ October 18, 2010 # 41
Verse of the Week
For
the Wrong-doers, their portion is like unto the portion of their
fellows (of earlier generations): then let them not ask Me to hasten
(that portion)! Woe, then, to the Unbelievers, on account of that Day
of theirs which they have been promised!"
Holy Qur'an 51:59-60
-Submitted by Sis. Abigail
For books which are not easily available in the market, please scroll to end.
Late News: October 16: U.S. sources say that they were misled by an informant into thinking that the Pakistani Taliban were preparing an attack on America. The informant, according to the US, lied "knowingly and willfully." His name is Syed Omair Ali
and he will be charged. (Source: Fox TV) (New Trend comment: The name suggests a
sectarian person. Sectarians have been in conflict with the Pak Taliban
and any info coming from them should be suspect. Why is the U.S. taken in
so easily?)
#2. October 16. Israel has started the construction of 140 new Jewish own houses in East Jerusalem.
At the height of Pakistan's tragic floods, a look at Pakistan's rulers by Angelina Jolie.
Scroll way down.
From Imam Badi Ali, National Shoora Leader, Jamaat al-Muslimeen North Carolina
Spotlight
The U.S. corporate media committed to the support of Zionism is
increasingly taking a form of mental dictatorship in which ideas
opposed to it are strictly left out. In this context, the
event of 9/11, like the story of the Holocaust, has become sacrosanct.
In addition, 9/11 continues to be used a way of generating hatred for
Muslims. Unless it is opened to rational discussion, it will be an
ongoing source of incitement against Muslims.
Congratulations to President Ahmedenejad of Iran
for his historic visit to Lebanon and particularly for his trip to Bint Jbeil near the border of Israel. He received a huge welcome on October 14th, and Israel could do nothing despite its long-distance threats against Iran.
The Hezbullah resistance to Israel seems to have been a good lesson against thoughtless aggression.
Final Reminder:
Jamaat al-Muslimeen National Shoora on November 6, 2010
Host: Imam Badi Ali
Secretary General: Sis. Ashira
Ameer: Kaukab Siddique
Please
bring fresh, creative ideas with you. Our peaceful movement depends on
deep thinking, unusual ways of looking at things, boldness in front of
oppressors and love of people. We must respect women because they are
our twins (Hadith says so). Women and men must work together within
Islamic modesty and respect.
Readers are welcome to send papers or topics which should be studied by the Shoora of Jamaat al-Muslimeen. Email to: badi323 [at] aol [dot] com
Topics currently on the agenda:
-
Unite Against Zionism
-
Boycott Movement (plus addition to boycott suggested by Jeff Archer, see below)
-
High Profile political prisoners like Imam Jamil, Shaikh Omar, Dr. Timimi, al-Turki
-
Understanding why some Christians support Zionism (Input from Sis. Abigail)
-
Africa and Zionist Moves: Somalia, Nigeria, South Africa
Outreach
Jamaat al-Muslimeen Literature to 63 people after Juma'a: Laurel, Maryland
October
15, 2010: After Juma' at the Islamic Center in Laurel, a suburb of
Washington, Islamic literature was given by Jamaat al-Muslimeen to 63
Muslims, mainly from Pakistan and several African countries. The
articles were on the coming Jamaat Muslimeen shoora, political
prisoners (with details on Saudi prisoner Homaidan al-Turki), a report
on the Red Mosque tragedy in Islamabad, Taliban's battlefield moves,
and a report on Yom al-Quds Day.
(The mosque here has a bida' of its own: A long lecture in English separated from and followed by a very brief khutba
in Arabic. The speech was totally irrelevant and veered erratically
from fabricated narrations about the Prophet's, pbuh, creation before
Adam, not accepted by Sihah Sittah, to the stars falling down
at his birth, to attacks on evolution, to convoluted stories of
miracles. The
khateeb has a huge beard and a turban.)
With thanks to Br. Mauri Saalakhan, Silver Spring, MD
New Hearing Set in Dr. Al-Arian's Case for Friday, October 29, 2010
Judge to Decide Whether Charges Should be Dropped, or Trial Date Set
Alexandria, VA - October 13, 2010
- A
new hearing in the case of Dr. Sami Al-Arian has been set for Friday,
October 29, 2010. The government recently filed a motion requesting
federal Judge Leonie Brinkema of the Eastern District of Virginia to
deny the pending defense motion, filed 18 months ago, to dismiss the
criminal contempt charges against Dr. Al-Arian.
In
the latest motion, the government not only asked the judge to deny the
dismissal request, but it also calls on the judge to reverse her
decision allowing Dr. Al-Arian to present a defense in the event of a
trial. This marks the fourth time that the government has attempted to
prevent the defense from presenting evidence at the trial. The judge
denied all prior motions by prosecutors. At the upcoming hearing Judge
Brinkema is expected to rule on whether Dr. Al-Arian should stand trial
or whether the charges against him should be dropped altogether. The
Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace calls upon all supporters to
attend this very important hearing that will determine the course of
this case and whether justice will be served.
Dr.
Al-Arian is being represented by a distinguished legal team led by
George Washington Law professor Jonathan Turley, and P.J. Meitl of
Bryan Cave.
For previous press releases go to: freesamialarian [dot] com.
Letter: Re: Dr. Siddique's Khutba: New Trend October 11 issue.
Economic Boycott of anti-Muslim Bigots Can be Most Effective
As a non-Muslim reader of your publication
(I've had several articles published in New Trend), I would like to
comment on this issue. There was one sentence that stuck out and is
crucial for any Muslim in the US who wants to be treated as a human
being, not a dastardly enemy: Boycott businesses which support Israel. Even this is not enough. Any business in the US that has had a hand in denigrating Muslims must also be boycotted.
This seems to be the only thing that works in the capitalist system of
the US. Only when this happens, will business leaders and other
citizens sit down with Muslims and make changes. It worked with black
Americans. Despite all the laws passed in the 1960s and the
demonstrations, only when blacks in the 1970s began a campaign to
boycott businesses did real change occur.
Sadly, I look at Muslims in the US (not all,
but many in the mainstream), and I see a group of people who don't want
to "rock the boat." With this attitude, no change will come. US Muslims
should not want to rock the boat, they should try to sink the boat.
But, they must be willing to take a stand. If not, the opposition takes
this acquiescence as weakness and exploits it.
In 1992, while I was editor of a
weekly newspaper, a Muslim woman called me and told me a disturbing
story of her daughter being forced to play the Virgin Mary in a school
play. The school denied the allegations; however, the woman had someone
videotape the event. I got a lawyer friend of mine to complain to the
San Diego School Committee about not only this incident, but how
religion was practiced in schools (Christianity) against the law. The
San Diego School Committee changed 30 parts of its regulations because
of this case and apologized to the woman. When it was all over and I
had written a major investigative piece on the case, she called me up
and thanked me for my taking such an interest in the case. Then, she
said, "I tried to get help from the Muslim community and no one had the
nerve to step forward and help. Yet I called you, an atheist, and you
straightened things out." Her last statement made me very sad, but it
is true. I have been involved with quite a few Muslims in the San Diego
area who were afraid to step forward on issues that concerned them. The
time has come for some kind of stronger actions by Muslims in the US
against those anti-Muslim bigots. An economic boycott would be an
excellent first step.
Sincerely,
Jeff Archer, President, Atheist Coalition of San Diego
Letter from Sis. Aaliya in New York City
Imam Talib Uses Khutba to preach against Islam's universalism. [Taalib is a close associate of ISNA man Siraj Wahhaj.]
I went to jumah at the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood. Imam Taalib's khutba was very pro-American. He said that it is time for Muslims to be counted as Americans. He even bragged of his student/teacher relationship with Imam Warith Deen Muhammad. Imam Taalib also rejected certain Muslim leaders who encourage Muslims not to vote or assimilate. He said that if we pay our taxes then, we must participate as citizens. He stated that we should stop that "taxation without representation nonsense."
He never came out this pro-American before but,
as I stated before, he has never really spoken out against local or
international oppression strongly. His arguments for assimilation were rather weak. Assimilation
means buying into the oppressor's power structure and the belief that
they have something we NEED when Allah tells us what we REALLY need and
guides us to it. Imam Taalib's attitude is based on the
fact that African Muslims and Native Americans were here long before
the European oppressors came here and we have even more of a right to
this land than they do. I strongly disagree with claiming America under the oppressor's moniker and policies. This should be an even stronger argument for NOT assimilating!
He is misguided.
Our America
Philadelphia news
Why Can't Muslims do this for Imam Jamil or Shaikh Omar?
Why not an investigation of Imam Luqman's murder?
Black Activist in Philadelphia Wins Against Police Accusations
Text below excerpted from
Uhuru News.
Philadelphia-On
October 13 the movement for social justice throughout the world won a
critical victory for the democratic rights of African people, oppressed
and freedom loving people everywhere when Diop Olugbala, International
President of the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement
(InPDUM), walked out of his sentencing hearing in a Philadelphia
courtroom with two years probation. He could have been sentenced to up
to ten years in prison.
Diop's
co-defendant Shabaka Mnombatha was sentenced to 12 months of
unsupervised probation. In a courtroom packed with about 50 supporters,
neocolonial judge Roxanne Covington handed down the sentences despite
the prosecutor's insistence that Diop do prison or jail time.
Today's
victory followed months of demonstrations, letters, call-ins, mailings,
and emails to the judge from hundreds of supporters from throughout the
US and as far away as Sierra Leone, Peru and Spain.
During
today's sentencing, Diop gave an eloquent statement in his own defense,
in which he refused to apologize for his actions protesting the
conditions facing African people in this country. Diop stated that he
was not a violent person, rather that his work is intended to "end the
violence that the African community suffers."
Today's sentencing followed Diop's August 24 framed-up felony conviction on an assault of a police officer.
The
charges stem from a March 2009 Philadelphia city council meeting
discussing neocolonial mayor Michael Nutter's proposed city budget,
which involved massive cutbacks to needed services in the deeply
impoverished African community.
At
the same time the budget proposed to spend 1 billion dollars beefing up
the terroristic police force responsible for the reign of terror of
murders, violence and imprisonment faced by black people daily.
Diop,
along with Shabaka Mnombatha and other Uhuru Movement comrades and
supporters, joined hundreds of other groups and individuals who were
holding signs and protesting the budget cuts inside the city council
chambers that day.
During the council hearing plain-clothed police agents singled out Diop, attacking him and putting him in a chokehold.
Diop was known for previously serving mayor Nutter with a people's
subpoena to appear at a Tribunal on Reparations for African people held
in December 2008.
With thanks to a sister in Georgia.
The Changing Face of Europe. It's not Germany Alone.
Excerpted from the Independent, UK. Sept.25.
Roman Catholic primary school in the heart of an Asian community in
Lancashire looks set to become the first in the country to convert to
an Islamic faith school.
Just
a decade ago, Sacred Heart RC Primary School in Blackburn was a
flourishing Catholic community, with 91 per cent of its pupil intake
professing the faith. Now that number has dwindled to no more than 3
per cent.
a result, the Diocese of Salford - which is responsible for the running
of the school - has concluded it is no longer "appropriate" for the
Catholic Church to remain in charge. Instead, its future is the subject
of a consultation, with the local mosque a leading contender to take
over the day-to-day running of the school.
Book Review
Pakistani suffering does not Register. Here is why.
Why do the American People have little Understanding of Pakistanis?
By Kaukab Siddique, PhD
The Most Dangerous Place
by Imtiaz Gul
282 pages, copyright 2010 by Penguin Group, $26.95 HB.
About
the time when General Musharraf completed his slaughter of Muslim
youths and young women in the Red Mosque and the women's seminary Jamia
Hafsa, a Christian Science Monitor journalist called me. She
had heard of my publications in support of women's rights in Islam. She
wanted me to talk about the suffering of Pakistani women. I
said, you are right on time because hundreds of young women have just
been slaughtered by General Musharraf's troops in Islamabad. She said
she had heard nothing of it. I asked, how is that possible. It has
happened in the capital of Pakistan, not some remote mountain area.
Don't you have a reporter there? She said she was very surprised
because CSM does have a reporter there. She had not heard a word of the
assault on Pakistani women's place of worship.
This
book review is part of my research to uncover the reasons why the
Pakistani people's suffering finds no resonance among the American
people.
Imtiaz
Gul is one of a group of secularized Pakistanis who feeds American
policy makers and the US media a very negative view of the Pakistani
people. Najam Sethi, a friend of Gul, is one of the secularized
Pakistani journalists often interviewed by NPR (National Public Radio,
strong supporters of Israel), as is Ahmed Rashid, who strongly endorses
Gul's book and is known for his demonization of the Taliban.
Gul is the kingpin of Pakistan's secularized opinion makers. His writings circulate through Friday Times
among the tiny groups of Pakistani elites who live in the affluent
areas of the big cities. His visceral hatred for Islam as a history
making force informs Gul's writings. Private religion is acceptable for
Gul, but not Islam as a decisive force.
The
demons Gul and his friends have created have become the stereotypical
norm of American news reports and commentaries on Pakistan. The
labeling of Pakistanis by this group has made Islam in Pakistan OPAQUE
for American audiences. Jamaate Islami brings thousands of people into
the streets to protest US policies but nothing of it is reported in the
US media. Here is why.
Pakistanis
who pray and fast and have beards (and women who wear hijab) are
labeled FUNDAMENTALISTS (or more colloquially as FUNDOS).
Pakistanis who are FUNDOS and in addition agitate and rally against American policies are labeled EXTREMISTS.
for those who pick up arms to resist the unlawful and unjust military
movements of the US and Pakistan are labeled TERRORISTS.
An overarching label which Gul (and his cohorts) has invented for his Islamic opponents is:
MILITANTS.
Mujahideen are described as "jihadists." Sincere Muslims are called "islamists."
US or Pakistani air raids kill civilians, the dead are described as
"militants" or more circumspectly as "suspected militants." The victims
of air raids are thus dehumanized.
Attack on FATA against Quaide Azam's Promise
Imtiaz
Gul ignores issues of Pakistan's integrity and Islamic identity. He
conveniently forgets that the founder of Pakistan Mohomed Ali Jinnah
had pledged to the people of FATA (the northern areas of Pakistan) that
Pakistan would not intervene in its internal affairs, let alone send the military in to crush its people.
Under
pressure from the United States, General Musharraf sent 80,000 troops
into the pledged area to stop Pakistani and Afghan Muslims from helping
each other. Thus the core values of Pakistan were violated by a general
who was more American than Pakistani.
Is it an Evil conspiracy if Muslims help each other in Resistance to Occupation?
Gul
is a reductionist when it comes to explanation of the motivations for
resistance. He has convinced himself that every act of resistance, be
it in Afghanistan or Kashmir, originates with and is organized by the
Pakistani intelligence services known as ISI. This is a convoluted
conspiracy theory which Gul brings up ad nauseum in his book.
has no understanding of Jihad and lacks the mental equipment to ingest
the fact that Muslims will fight back. Is it strange that there might
be Islamically oriented persons in the Pakistani military and
intelligence services who would like to and who would find the means to
help Muslims in other countries?
After all the unity of the Muslims and the requirement that Muslims must stand together against
Invading forces and their collaborators are central to the Qur'an and Hadith.
Imtiaz Gul's Dismissal of the Red Mosque tragedy is part of the Secularist Viewpoint.
his preparations to attack the Red Mosque and the Women's Seminary (Jamia Hafsa), General Musharraf's military PR machine launched a well
coordinated smear campaign against the Islamic people resisting his
power. Gul picks up Musharraf's accusation that the mosque was "built
illegally on state land" (p.67). After Musharraf left Pakistan, the
case of ownership was brought to court and this accusation and other
accusations against the mosque were dismissed by the judge as
fabrications without merit.
Gul
tries to minimize the carnage inside the mosque and the women's
seminary to "Ghazi, his mother and dozens of others were killed." He
tries to mitigate the destruction by claiming that more than a dozen
Pakistani troops were also killed.
Actual
estimates of Muslims killed by the army range from hundreds to a few
thousands including large numbers of devout young women whose bodies
were thrown into the garbage, Ghazi's mother was burned alive by
phosphorous (a crime under international law) which was used liberally
by the invading troops. The army used every weapon it had, including
artillery. Smoke from the stricken places of worship could be seen from
miles away.
does not discuss why the army was used against a mosque whose people
had killed no one. The resistance came on only when the army tried
forcible entry. Muslims have the right to defend their mosques
especially against an army supported, armed and funded by the US (which
is run by Israel).
Is the Islamic Resistance Against Education and do they destroys Schools?
Gul pushes the anti-education
propaganda line. Only parenthetically does he notice that Islamic
schools have been targeted by both the US and Pakistani military. For
instance, in 12 words he mentions the massacre of eighty three Islamic
students in a US air strike on a Pakistani school in Chenagai. (p.137)
When he comes to Taliban counter attempts to stop the flow of western
cultural imperialism, Gul confuses hotels and schools without noticing
that not one person was killed in these "outrages" when the Taliban
closed them down. (All westernized hotels were closed down by the Pakistani Taliban.)
Devastation of Swat by General Kayani.
The
US government was alarmed by the mass support for the Pakistani
Taliban. Shari'a or Islamic Law is anathema for US policy makers. They
did not care that the Taliban drew mass gatherings of people in Swat in
support of Shar'ia. Most sources agree that General Kayani, most loyal
servant of America in the Pakistani military, entered Swat with a free
fire policy. terrorized people fled their homes. Again,
the secularist control of Pakistani news in English did not allow the
American public to know that Kayani had committed genocide. Try to
imagine how the media would react if America were to evict even one
million Mexicans by peaceful and "legal" means.
Army Propaganda to create a sense of Distance from USA
General
Kayani visits the CIA in USA. General Kayani plans jointly with NATO in
Brussells. Holbrook visits Islamabad. General Petraeus visits
Islamabad. The interlocking tactics and strategies are quite obvious.
This is where the US and Kayani need Imtiaz Gul types to create the
impression that Pakistani military is independent and is fighting for
Pakistan by killing the Islamic people. Pakistan, thinks Gul along with
Ms. Clinton, is threatened by the Islamic fighters, not by the USA.
Islam is a danger for Pakistan!
The
Pakistani army doesn't attack all of the areas of resistance at one
time. Gul gives the impression that Kayani is being drawn slowly into
the conflict by Pak Taliban excesses. However American generals are
quite satisfied that Kayani is doing what America wants. In Swat,
Pakistani military suffered heavier losses than Musharraf did in FATA.
The Pakistani ambassador disclosed that 600 Pakistani ISI officers have
been killed in Swat. Maulvi Fazlullah put up resistance which will go
down in Islamic history as brilliant.
Why
is Kayani shy about attacking North Waziristan? Imtiaz Gul's line is
that Pakistani army does not want to take orders from America. Nothing
could be further from the truth. The military is bogged down in Swat,
Orakzai, Khurram and South Waziristan. A clear indicator is that
journalists are not permitted into the areas occupied by the army. A
Fallujah type "reconstruction" is taking place in Mingora (the capital
of Swat).
Conclusion
Pakistani
and American people are disconnected from each other. The news in
English from Pakistan is processed by people like Imtiaz Gul and are
picked up in the US by pro-Israeli media.
is a challenge to Pakistani Americans to break the secularist-zionist
cycle of news fabrication and distortion. If we care for Pakistan's
people (as opposed to the military and the government cliques) we must
bring the hopes and aspirations of ordinary Pakistanis to Americans.
Those who want an Islamic Pakistan are not "militants" but Muslims.
Footnote
Imtiaz Gul's book was first published in India by Penguin books (Salman
Rushdie's publishers). He has a special note of thanks for "Jaishree
Ram Mohan and Ranjana Sengupta" for the original edition. He sees no
problem in quoting ISPR, the military's propaganda wing, as a source
and for his admission that they took him to the battle areas. In
American language, he was "embedded" with the army, and thus a reporter
with no credibility. (See pp.223-224 for the two admissions.)
From a pro-Military site
General Kayani, Qureshi to attend upcoming US-Pak strategic dialogue in Washington DC
The
third round of US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue will be held in
Washington DC on October 22, 2010. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood
Qureshi will lead Pakistani delegation and US Foreign Secretary Hillary
Clinton will head US delegation. Chief of Army Staff (CAAS) General
Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani will also attend the meeting. General Kiyani will
hold separate talks with Pentagon and National Security Council
Officials. Diplomatic sources told media the issues of mutual interest
concerning with growth in energy sector, education and stepping up
security measures will feature the dialogue. Security will be key issue
on the agenda
"Imam"
Magid is the New President of ISNA, the so-called Islamic Society of
North America. He was recognized by the FBI as a valuable asset as far
back as 2005. Here he is in the FBI office receiving his award. (Published for educational and non-profit purposes only)
Subverting the Disney Legacy
How Michael Eisner Has Transformed the 'Magic Kingdom'
By Mark Weber
For more than 40 years, the company founded and
built by Walt Disney offered popular, well-crafted entertainment that
upheld American values and traditions. Its films and television
programming -- even if sometimes sugary -- epitomized, to use the
much-mocked phrase, wholesome family entertainment.
It was the work largely of one man, Walter
Elias Disney (1901-1966), a gifted illustrator, brilliant filmmaker and
genial entrepreneur who left a lasting mark on American popular
culture. His cartoon characters, animated films, and amusement parks,
are recognized around the world.
In 1928 he launched the beloved Mickey Mouse
character in an animated film, "Steamboat Willie," that became an
immediate hit. In the decades that followed, Disney dominated animation
art with such innovative and hugely popular films as "Snow White and
the Seven Dwarfs" (1937), "Pinocchio" (1940), "Fantasia" (1940), and
"Bambi" (1942). He also oversaw the production of such enduring feature
films as "Treasure Island" (1950), "Robin Hood" (1952), "20,000 Leagues
Under the Sea" (1954), "The Swiss Family Robinson" (1960), "The
Absent-Minded Professor" (1960), and "Mary Poppins" (1964).
Politically conservative and ardently
anti-Communist, the hard-working Disney was habitually involved in
every stage of production and management. He and his work were honored
with 39 Academy Awards, and hundreds of other awards and tributes.
Under New Management
A period of stagnation that followed the
founder's death came to an end in September 1984 when Michael Eisner
became the Disney company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Eisner moved quickly to install fellow Jews in top positions throughout
the Disney operation, and soon Hollywood's last gentile-run studio
passed into Jewish hands.
As media critic Michael Medved has pointed out,
"The famous Disney organization, which was founded by Walt Disney, a
gentile Midwesterner who allegedly harbored anti-Semitic attitudes, now
features Jewish personnel in nearly all its most powerful positions."
("Jews Run Hollywood. So What?," Moment magazine, August 1996.) Under
the new management, Disney company sales and profits soared, and the
revitalized company reclaimed a leading place in the entertainment
world.
A Mighty Media Empire
With its acquisition in 1995 of Capital
Cities/ABC, Disney became the world's largest entertainment company.
The Walt Disney Company today is a sprawling and highly profitable
international business empire. (Revenue for fiscal year 1998 was $23
billion, and net income $1.9 billion.) With major holdings in film,
television, radio and publishing, the company has a tremendous impact
on the mindset and behavior of hundreds of millions around the globe.
Through Walt Disney Pictures (headed by Joe
Roth), Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax (run by the
Weinstein brothers), and Caravan Pictures, it is one of the world's
largest film producers and distributors.
Through the 1995 merger, Disney acquired the
ABC Television network, which owns ten television stations outright. It
also has 225 affiliated TV stations in the United States, and is part
owner of several European television companies. Among its other TV
holdings are Walt Disney Television, Touchstone Television, and Buena
Vista Television. Disney also controls three major cable television
networks with more than 100 million subscribers: ESPN (headed by Steven
Bornstein), Lifetime Television, and Arts & Entertainment (A&E
and the History Channel).
Through its 1995 ABC acquisition, Disney owns
26 AM and FM radio stations, and has more than 3,300 ABC radio
affiliates. The company also owns daily newspapers and glossy consumer
magazines (including Discover), and Hyperion Press book publishers.
In addition to Disneyland -- the "Magic
Kingdom" amusement park in southern California opened by Walt Disney in
1955 -- the company today owns Disney World (Florida), Epcot Center,
Tokyo Disneyland, and Euro Disney (France), as well as the "Mighty
Ducks" hockey team and the "Anaheim Angels" baseball team. Each year
Disney also sells well over a billion dollars worth of consumer
products -- toys, books and clothing -- through more than 500 Disney
stores.
Wealthy and Machiavellian
Michael D. Eisner, born in 1942 into a
well-to-do Jewish family, was raised on Manhattan's Upper East Side and
educated in private schools. His father was a Harvard lawyer who served
as a high-ranking official in President Eisenhower's administration.
As Disney chairman, Eisner has been fabulously
-- some might say obscenely -- compensated. His annual base salary of
$750,000 is only a small portion of his Disney income, which is mostly
from stock option profits. In 1993, for example, Eisner's total
compensation was a staggering $203 million, while in 1997 he exercised
options on 21.9 million shares for a profit of $550 million.
Since 1984, chairman Eisner has received nearly
$1 billion from Disney, including base salary, bonuses, and stock
options (Los Angeles Times, Dec. 4, 1997). In January 1997 he signed a
ten-year extension contract with the company valued at some $200
million.
Eisner has cultivated a public image of himself
as friendly, trustworthy, and even boyish. But those who know him well
regard him as treacherous and Machiavellian. David Geffen, a fellow
Hollywood mogul who has known Eisner well for years, said of him in a
1995 interview: "Michael is a liar. And anyone who has dealt with him,
genuinely dealt with him, knows he's a liar."
Cultural Revolution
Since 1984, Michael Eisner and his colleagues
have refashioned Hollywood's most culturally conservative and
family-oriented studio into one of its most culturally seditious and
anti-traditional. In doing so, they betrayed the founder's legacy,
degraded his values, and demeaned the company's defining spirit.
Under Eisner's direction, the Disney company
has turned out motion pictures packed with graphic violence and killing
(such as "Pulp Fiction"), as well as rock music albums loaded with
gross obscenities (such as "Insane Clown Posse" by "The Great Malenko"
"hip hop" band).
Even Commentary, the magazine of the American
Jewish Committee (March 1998), was moved to lament: "If the old Disney
tells us something inspiriting about who we were not so very long ago,
the new and even more hugely lucrative Disney is just another signpost
marking our long, steep cultural descent."
'Pink Triangle' Disney
While support for homosexuals has been
widespread in Hollywood for years, under Eisner the Disney company --
in the words of the American Family Association -- has become "one of
the leading promoters of the homosexual lifestyle, as well as the
homosexual political and social agenda in America today." Eisner
himself is a board member of "Hollywood Supporters," an influential and
aggressive homosexual advocacy organization. The Disney company
advertises in homosexual publications such as Out magazine, and has
given financial support to at least one benefit for the "National Gay
and Lesbian Task Force."
In 1996, actress Ellen DeGeneres "came out" as
openly homosexual, both personally and as the lead character on the
"Ellen" sitcom series, broadcast on the Eisner-controlled ABC
television network. Eisner introduced insurance benefits for
same-gender partners of Disney's homosexual employees. For some years
now, he has sanctioned "Gay Day" at Disney World, an event that each
year draws throngs of boisterous "in your face" homosexuals.
"In the interest of full disclosure," quipped
Boston Herald columnist Don Feder, "Disney should change its corporate
logo to show a pink triangle flying over Cinderella's castle." He went
on to refer to Disneyland as "The Magic Kink-dom."
Assault Against Chritianity
Under Eisner, the Disney company has waged a
"cultural war" against Christianity, scorning the religious
sensibilities of the vast majority of Americans.
In a 1995 statement, the American Catholic Lawyers Association indignantly declared
We all remember the Disney Company from the
days when it produced films your children could actually watch without
losing their innocence -- films which showed a decent respect for
Christianity and Christian values. But that was before Mr. Michael
Eisner took the helm of the Disney conglomerate. Now the Disney Company
has joined the rest of Hollywood in obsessively attacking the Catholic
Church and pumping R-rated filth into our culture -- under cover of its
subsidiary, Miramax Films, whose co-chairmen are Bob and Harvey
Weinstein.
A particularly offensive example of the
Eisner/Disney assault is "Priest," a 1995 motion picture released by
the company's Miramax subsidiary. It tells the story of four Roman
Catholic clergymen: one is homosexual, another is alcoholic, a third
has a mistress, and the fourth is insane.
One of the strongest voices protesting this
movie, and Disney's anti-Christian productions generally, has been that
of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, a New York-based
civil rights organization. "Priest," said League president William
Donahue, "displays the most profound hostility to the Catholic Church
that I have seen in the last 15 years of reviewing movies." Eisner,
Donahue added, would never approve a film that similarly portrays
depraved Jewish rabbis or morally bankrupt homosexuals, or which
contains cruel caricatures of African-Americans.
Anti-Arab
Reflecting the Zionist sentiments of its top
management, the Eisner-run Disney company has produced a number of
anti-Arab motion pictures in recent years. In a 1994 movie, "The Return
of Jafar," for example, hook-nosed Arabs are referred to as "desert
skunks." "The Father of the Bride, Part II" (1995), includes a
loathsome Arab-American character named Habib (played, ironically, by
Eugene Levy). "Kazaam" (1996), produced by Disney's Touchstone
pictures, includes an assortment of villainous Arab characters,
including a black marketer named Malik. Other recent anti-Arab Disney
films include "In the Army Now" and "GI Jane."
In August 1996 the American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee organized a demonstration outside the
Disney studios to protest the company's pattern of anti-Arab
productions.
White America Under Fire
For some years now, Hollywood and American
television have churned out numerous films and television productions
that distort European-American history and disparage white America's
racial-cultural heritage. Under Eisner, Disney has moved to the
forefront of this "politically correct" assault.
Among the recent Disney films that misrepresent
and malign America's European heritage has been "Pocahontas," a 1995
animated film that portrays Indians ("native Americans") as liberated,
nature-loving, wise and noble, while depicting Europeans as
narrow-minded, ignorant, bigoted and greedy.
Under the "Hollywood Records" label,
Eisner/Disney has issued CD albums with anti-white lyrics, including
one by black "rap" singer "Prince Akeem," who blames black poverty on a
"white conspiracy." In April 1996 Eisner fired New York City's most
popular radio talk show host, Bob Grant, from his job at Disney-owned
WABC for allegedly white racist rhetoric.
'Economic War'
Some of the millions of Americans whom Eisner
and his colleagues have affronted are fighting back. Most notably, the
nation's two largest Christian groups -- the Roman Catholics and the
Southern Baptists -- have declared "economic war" against Eisner/Disney.
In 1996 the Catholic League for Religious and
Civil Rights announced a "nationwide charge against Disney, making use
of every legal means available -- from boycotts to stockholder
revolts," to pressure the company into ending its hostility to
Christianity and Catholicism. Roman Catholic dioceses across the
country and the Catholic fraternal association Knights of Columbus sold
off millions of dollars in Disney stock.
The Southern Baptists -- with 16 million
members, the largest Protestant denomination in the United States --
voted overwhelmingly in 1996 and again in 1997 to boycott Disney films
and products. The group cited the company's trashing of traditional and
family values, and in particular its support for homosexuality.
The Assemblies of God church -- an evangelical
Christian denomination with 2.5 million members -- launched its own
anti-Disney boycott campaign in 1996. It criticized the company for
"abandoning the commitment to strong moral values."
Such boycott efforts seem to have had little
lasting impact, however, because Disney company products and services
are so widely available, often under non-Disney labels, because
pre-Eisner Disney images are still so beloved, and, more generally,
because of public apathy.
Seductive and Dangerous
Because Eisner and the others who run the
motion picture and television industries are able to shape the public's
barely conscious basic assumptions about life and society, thereby
profoundly influencing the thinking and actions of millions, they wield
greater power than even our elected lawmakers.
A lust for profits does not adequately explain
the social-cultural agenda of Eisner and the others who control the
American media. Rather, they seem driven by priorities that are
fundamentally hostile to this nation's most vital traditions and basic
values.
Precisely because the Eisners of Hollywood and
New York beguilingly pose as friends, they are more insidious, and
ultimately more dangerous, than even a military threat from a foreign
power.
Eisner's transformation of Disney parallels,
and contributes to, the cultural, social and political transformation
of the United States as a whole. Like America's political leaders,
Eisner and his Disney colleagues reassuringly display familiar symbols
and trademarks from an earlier era, exploiting reputations and
good-will painstakingly built up over decades. Those who patronize
Disney are reassured that such beloved symbols as Mickey Mouse and Snow
White are still in place, just as millions of credulous Americans are
reassured about the future of the United States because such icons as
the American flag and the US Constitution are still in place. But in
each case, the spirit that gave life to these venerable symbols has
been driven out by a very different one -- a spirit that has not yet
dared to show its real face, or speak its real name.
With thanks to Br. Shoaib (England)
Angelina Jolie Not Happy With Her Visit to Pakistan
By Z.R.
The
philanthropist, soft-hearted world's number one female actress,
Angelina Julie is not
at all happy with her visit to Pakistan to see
the flood victims. She came here, held the hands of the victims, made
donations, stood up with the miseries of the people, denied any photo
sessions, met with the aid agencies, but then she talks about the
darker side of the things.
She is not happy with the attitude
of the authorities and the government, who were more interested in
toeing her line, watching her make movements, trying to please her
while pushing the flood victims. She was also perturbed at the Prime
Minister's wish that his family wanted to meet him.
Prime
Minster's family was especially flown down all the way from Multan to
Islamabad and they presented expensive gifts to Jolie and had a
sumptuous meal with her.
She said that she was feeling awful
at that time to see so much food at the table, which would suffice for
hundreds of flood victims who were fighting like crazy to get a small
bag of flour and a small bottle of water. She was ill at ease when she
saw the interior of lavish Premier house and some of the government
buildings and the chartered planes and other such luxuries, when there
was so much misery outside.
In her report to the United
Nations, she has recommended UN to ask Pakistani government to first
cut down on their expenses and to first cut down their luxuries before
asking the aid from the world.
Jundullah Strikes Back At Iran after Rapid Executions of its Leaders and arrests of Islamic Activists
October
11: TEHRAN: A militant group in Iran has claimed it kidnapped a man
working at a nuclear facility and has threatened to spill his secrets
if members of the group held by Tehran are not released.
Jundallah said on its website late on Saturday that it was holding
hostage Amir Hossein Shirani, an "employee at a nuclear plant" in
Iran's central province of Isfahan.
"Mr Shirani has important
information, especially about senior Iranian nuclear experts... and
release of his confessions will cost the Iranian regime dearly," it
said in a statement, without adding when Mr Shirani was abducted.
Jundallah has demanded that Tehran free what it said were more than
200 Sunni and Baluch political prisoners and members of the group held
in Iranian jails, the statement added.
It warned that failure
to do so "within a week" would lead to "releasing to the public the
information gathered from Mr Amir Hossein Shirani, so the world finds
out more about the Iranian regime's secret nuclear activities." The
website said Mr Shirani was being held in the mountains of the
southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province bordering Pakistan and
Afghanistan, an area known for drug smuggling and tribal unrest.
Iranian officials confirmed the kidnapping but downplayed it.
"Amir
Hossein Shirani worked as a welder for a short period and then as a
driver for one of the companies contracted with" the Iran Atomic Energy
Organisation, said Hamid Khadem Qaemi, a spokesman for the nuclear
body.
"He is not employed with Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation" any
more, Mr Qaemi was quoted as saying by Farhang-e Ashti newspaper on
Sunday, adding that the abduction was a "personal matter and not linked
to the nuclear issue."
Gholam Reza Ansari, the judiciary chief in Isfahan, also confirmed
that Mr Shirani had been kidnapped, but said the "abduction was related
to a financial dispute with a drug cartel in Sistan-Baluchestan."
Jundallah's
claim comes after Iran admitted on Friday that western nations had been
spying on its controversial nuclear programme, but that Tehran had
managed to halt it.
Jundallah says it is fighting for the interests of
Sistan-Baluchestan's large ethnic Baluch community. In the past decade,
Jundallah has admitted responsibility for many deadly attacks on
Iranian security forces as well as assaults that have led to civilian
deaths in Sistan-Baluchestan.
In July, it launched twin suicide bombings at a mosque in the
provincial capital Zahedan, reportedly targeting members of Iran's
elite Revolutionary Guards Corps, killing 28 people.
The
authorities have cracked down hard on the group, arresting many
suspected members and executing its leader Abdolmalek Rigi in June.
Rigi was captured in a dramatic operation in February while on a flight
from Dubai to Kyrgyzstan, when Iranian warplanes forced the aircraft he
was on to land in Iran.
A month before his execution, his brother Abdolhamid was also executed on charges of "terrorism."-AFP
Books Sold and/or Recommended bt New Trend:
1. Israeli Exceptionalism by Dr. Shahid Alam.
(Now available in paperback)
2. Al-Fateha and its Significance by Shamim Siddiqui
3. Return to Pakistan by Kaukab Siddique
2010-10-21 Thu 19:59:27 cdt
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