NewTrendMag.org
News
#
1389
[
Click on NEWS for back issues
][
OUR BOOKS
][
Previous Issue
]
Jamada al-thani 18, 1432/ May 22, 2011 # 22
Scroll down for Jamaat e Islami (Pakistan) Statement on
Osama's family
Scroll way down for a report on Malcolm X Day in Washington,
DC
Scroll to the end for Press TV misreporting on Syria (part 1
of 2)
Our America
May 21 Not the End of the World?!
This week, the longstanding claim by some (select) Christian
groups, conspiracy theorists, and others that May 21, 2011
would mark the end of the world was laid to rest. Supporters
of the doomsday forecast said the date was obtained through
calculations using Biblical verses, and prepared for 'the
End.' Others, who scoffed at the predictions, held 'Doomsday
parties,' drinking, dancing, and mocking those whom they
viewed as ignorant. The popularity of these kinds of
predictions, particularly among the U.S. working poor, are a
testament to the desperation and despair of people hit hard
by economic hard times.
Although many of the signs of the Last Day are are described
in verses throughout the Qur'an, Muslims believe that the
Last Day is known only to Allah (SWT), the All-Knowing. Here
is what the Qur'an says:
" It is Allah Who has sent down the Book in Truth, and the
Balance (by which to weigh conduct). And what will make thee
realise that perhaps the Hour is close at hand? Only those
wish to hasten it who believe not in it: those who believe
hold it in awe, and know that it is the Truth. Behold,
verily those that dispute concerning the Hour are far
astray." (Holy Qur'an, 42: 17-18)
Spotlights From Imam Badi Ali
Jamaat al-Muslimeen Shoora, North Carolina
Spotlight # 1. Muslim children in America are becoming
victims of hate and racial crimes every day. Most of the
time, this occurs through mass culture, media and other
propaganda tools oppressing the Muslim minority to the point
where it's becoming fashionable. By doing this, the majority
is abusing its strength. It is the responsibility of the
majority to protect minorities. If they don't, this can lead
to the fracturing of society's foundations.
Spotlight # 2. For Muslims, the protection of minorities is
part of our faith, culture and tradition. This can be seen
throughout history, as in the protection of the Jews by
Muslims in Spain.
Spotlight #3. A minority, if it is well-organized and
disciplined, will become equal to the majority. Ten million
Muslims live in this country, but they are ineffective
because they are not organized. If you look at the Jewish
minority, they have more power than the majority. Muslims
have a lesson to learn from this.
Spotlight #4. In this country, if you are an Arab or a
Muslim, and particularly if you're an activist, you have to
worry not only about what you say, since it might be used to
incriminate you, but you also have to worry about the
translator.
New Trend Congratulates Africa Liberation Day (ALD)
Organizers
ALD Draws Attention to Plight of African Nations and
Afro-descendants
May 21, 2011 - People of color all over the world celebrated
African Liberation Day today. African Liberation Day was
initiated by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, leader and statesman of the
West African Nation of Ghana, at a time when some African
nations were still under the yoke of colonialism. The event
is relevant today in its call for African people and their
allies to come together to oppose neo-colonial and other
insidious forms of oppression and exploitation of African
nations and Afro- descendants everywhere.
In Washington, DC, ALD activities were hosted by the
All-African Peoples' Revolutionary Party (Guineau-Conakry)
at the Emergence Community Arts Collective, a neighborhood
arts center used by artists, activists, and community groups
for a diversity of positive activities. The program included
panels featuring topics ranging from "Cointelpro to the
Patriot Act: Repression in the 21st Century" and
"Ideological, Cultural, and Sports Imperialism" to "Travel
Restrictions and Bans: Economic Sanctions, Blockades, and
War." It was followed up an evening diplomatic reception.
A second celebration, also in Washington, DC, hosted by the
African Peoples' Socialist Party, was originally scheduled
to be held at the 12th Street Church in Washington, DC, a
venue for which the organizers were paying. But, the church
broke their contract at the last minute, and disallowed use
of the venue, citing objections by patriotic congregation
members opposed to use of the church for an event whose
theme was "From Africa to the U.S. — Liberation through
Resistance! Stop the U.S. Wars on Africa!" Only the
determination of the organizers allowed the conference
activities to go on (at a nearby public charter school)
despite the church's malfeasance.
While there is no place for asabiyya, or division based on
race in Islam, New Trend recognizes the great importance of
supporting groups such as in these in their sincere efforts
at uplifting peoples who have been oppressed by the legacies
of colonialism and neo-colonialism. We do not have to wait
for them to conform to some "perfect" Muslim ideal before
extending to them the hand of solidarity. It is the duty of
a Muslim to stand by the oppressed, whether they are Muslim
or not. Accordingly, we send greetings and salutions to
African Liberation Day gatherings around the world. Such
events are important in bringing to light atrocities which
have targeted African nations from the colonial to the
neo-colonial period and into today.
76-Year Old Pakistani Imam Arrested in Miami
Charged with Helping Pakistani Taliban
This is what happens to you, if you send money to Pakistan
for the maintenance of a Girls School
Report by New Trend Staff
May 14 - Three people, including a 76 year old imam and his
son—also an imam—were indicted in Miami today. Three more
are at large in Pakistan. The charges include support for
the Pakistani Taliban. All six are of Pakistani origin. The
arrests appear to be another move by the government to
discourage any form of support for independent Islamic
movements in Pakistan through the use of labeling and role
reversal. The elderly imam is accused of helping funnel
$50,000 to the Pakistani Taliban for alleged terror plots.
But members of his mosque, in interviews with the Miami
Herald and other media, testify to the complete absence of
political content in his khutbas.
Yet Asad Ba-Yunus, speaking for the Muslim Communities
Association, which runs the mosque as well as several
others, said the Imam had been placed on indefinite leave
from the mosque. Ba-Yunus is a lawyer and ISNA Board member.
As exemplified by this case, "Innocent until proven guilty"
does not, in the opinion of this reporter, appear to be a
maxim espoused by ISNA, CAIR, or other Muslim organizations
claiming to represent Muslims in the U.S.
According to Associated Press reports, the imam ran a
Madrassa in Swat up until 15 years ago when he came to the
U.S. The school headmaster told AP that only about 100 girls
attended the school. Locals in the school vicinity said the
school did nothing but good for the local people. The AP
representative seemed vexed at seeing a few boys in some
classes. As anyone familiar with the Third World knows,
children in poor countries, who are unable to afford tuition
or who are left out of education for other reasons (eg lack
of seats) and thirsty for knowledge, sometimes "squat" in on
classes for which they are not officially registered.
It appears that the funds transferred to Pakistan were for
the payment of the madrassa's teachers. Clearly the message
seems to be that Muslims cannot send money to their home
countries, even for educational purposes. Considering that
U.S. and puppet Paki government air strikes have destroyed
hundreds of schools (and masajid) across in Pakistan's
northern areas, it seems that the only schools allowed to
exist will be ones run by—or at least approved by—the U.S.
and its lapdogs in Islamabad.
Florida imams arrested for aiding Pakistani Taliban
By Kevin Gray
Reuters [Excerpt]
Sat May 14
MIAMI - The imam of a Florida mosque and his two sons, one
also a Muslim spiritual leader, were arrested on Saturday on
charges of financing and supporting the Pakistani Taliban,
U.S. officials said.
The three Pakistan-born U.S. citizens were among six charged
in a U.S. indictment that accused them of "supporting acts
of murder, kidnapping and maiming in Pakistan and elsewhere"
carried out by the Pakistani Taliban, which Washington calls
a terrorist organization.
The indictment, announced by U.S. Attorney for the Southern
District of Florida Wifredo Ferrer and the FBI, charged the
six with creating a network that transferred funds from the
United States to Pakistani Taliban supporters and fighters
in Pakistan, including for the purpose of buying arms.
If convicted, each faces up to 15 years in prison for each
count of the indictment.
The charges were revealed as U.S. relations with Pakistan
are strained over the U.S. raid that killed al Qaeda leader
Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.
Pakistan's parliament on Saturday condemned the raid that
killed bin Laden and called for a review of relations with
the United States.
The indictment detailed money transfers totaling some
$50,000, but Ferrer said there was evidence more had been
sent. "This was just the tip of the iceberg," he told
reporters.
Two of the accused, Hafiz Muhammed Sher Ali Khan, 76, and
his son, Izhar Khan, 24, were arrested in south Florida
after prayer services at the mosques where they were
spiritual leaders, or imams.
Another son, Irfan Khan, 37, was detained early on Saturday
in a Los Angeles hotel room.
Hafiz Khan is the imam at the Miami Mosque, also known as
the Flagler Mosque, in Miami. His son, Izhar Khan, is an
imam at the Jamaat Al-Mu'mineen Mosque in Margate, Florida,
according to the indictment.
The other three charged, Ali Rehman, Alam Zeb and Amina
Khan, were living in Pakistan and are still at large. Amina
Khan is the daughter of Hafiz Khan and her son, Alam Zeb, is
his grandson.
U.S. Presidential Pardons Focus on Petty Crimes, Ignore
Suffering Political Prisoners
Despite a huge prevalence of Black and Muslim political
prisoners in this country, it doesn't appear that any of the
individuals pardoned by U.S. President Barack Obama on
Friday fit either description. While railing against the
holding of political prisoners in places like China and
Burma, the U.S. appears determined not to release any of its
political dissidents, and the calls of political prisoners
rights organizations for presidential pardons for political
prisoners—including some, like Hugo Pinell and Eddie Conway,
who have been held for decades, or others, like Dr. Omar
Abdel Rahman (the Blind Sheikh) and Mondo Langa, are very
elderly or sick, have, so far, fallen on deaf ears. The
thinking in Washington seems to be that alligator-hide
sellers are more worthy of pardon than those held for their
political beliefs and associations.
From Marijuana to Alligator Hides, Obama Pardons Eight
By Pete Yost
Associated Press [Excerpt]
Fri May 20
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama on Friday pardoned eight
people convicted of crimes ranging from conspiring to import
marijuana to selling alligator hides.
The action marked the second set of pardons Obama has
granted since becoming president. The first pardons, last
December, went to nine people whose crimes included
possessing drugs, counterfeiting and mutilating coins.
Like the earlier pardons, the latest did not involve anyone
well-known. The cases date back as far as 1975, when Randy
Eugene Dyer of Burien, Wash., was sentenced to serve five
years in prison in the conspiracy to import marijuana and
two related crimes.
Another pardon recipient was Bobby Gerald Wilson of
Summerton, S.C., sentenced in 1985 to 3 1/2 months in prison
for aiding and abetting the possession and sale of illegal
American alligator hides.
View From Barbados of the Osama Killing
"Let little Barbados accept this challenge of speaking truth
to the powerful, pompasetting, morally deluded USA"
The Emperor is Naked!
By David A. Comissiong
Over the past week, the political and economic leaders of
the United States of America (USA) and their multi-national
media corporations have been proclaiming to the world that
the assassination of Osama bin Laden is an act of national
greatness.
Well, we should all just pause for a while and soberly
consider precisely what message this proclamation is
imparting to impressionable children and adolescents all
over the world.
Our children are being told that it is the ultimate in
greatness for a large and powerful nation to send a team of
its most ferocious military warriors to invade the territory
of another much weaker country, to corner an unarmed
physically decrepit old man, and, in the absence of this man
ever having been subjected to any judicial process of trial
and conviction, to cold-bloodedly shoot him to death in the
presence of his wife and children! This, the youth of the
world are being assured, is not just national greatness, but
the ultimate in national greatness!
Some-body - some small and morally clear-sighted nation -
has to tell the "Emperor" that he is "naked", and that his
actions are a perversion and a repudiation of international
law, and of the sacred principles of justice and morality.
And so, acting on behalf of and in the name of the people of
Barbados, we say - let little Barbados accept this challenge
of speaking truth to the powerful, pompasetting, morally
deluded USA.
You see, the citizen of Barbados is the citizen of a country
whose government has never invaded any other country, never
bombed any foreign city, never carried out any political
assassination nor ever committed any other crime against
humanity!
Indeed, many of us in Barbados often wonder what it must
feel like to be the citizen of a country whose government
routinely murders and exterminates other human beings in
one's name. What, we wonder, does it feel like to be the
citizen of a nation that exterminated 3 million Vietnamese,
that dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
that wiped out hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, that has
carried out scores of illegal foreign invasions, and that
has assassinated foreign leaders ranging from Africa's
Patrice Lumumba to Latin America's Salvador Allende? How is
the average American citizen able to live with the
consciousness that such acts of barbarity are routinely
committed in his or her name?
But in addition to this, little Barbados is also qualified
to point out the Emperor's nakedness for another reason -
long before September 11, 2001, we experienced our own
version of 911!
We would like to remind the world that on the 6th of October
1976 - almost exactly 25 years before September 11, 2001 -
the 250,000 people of Barbados had to deal with the horrific
tragedy of having a Cuban civilian airliner, filled to
capacity with 73 passengers, blown out of our Barbadian
air-space, as a result of the machinations of a cabal of
anti-Cuban terrorists operating with the support and
complicity of the USA's Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA).
The people of Barbados were faced with the horrendous task
of retrieving the mangled, dismembered bodies of the 73
victims from the Caribbean Sea, and of coming to terms with
the shock and trauma that this unprecedented act of
terrorism generated in our small 166 square mile nation.
But in spite of the justifiable feelings of national
outrage, the primary instincts of the Barbadian people and
government led them to pursue a civilized approach of
legality and due process of law!
This manifested itself in the immediate and successful
efforts of the Barbadian authorities to secure the arrests
in Trinidad of the two Venezuelan functionaries who had
planted the bomb and their two CIA financed handlers in
Venezuela; the sending of Barbadian Police investigators to
Trinidad to interrogate these two malefactors; the setting
up in Barbados of a Commission of Enquiry into the tragedy;
the engaging with the governments of Cuba, Venezuela and
Trinidad and Tobago on determining the most appropriate way
of dealing with the captured terrorists; and the making of a
collective decision to put the four captives on trial in
Venezuela.
It should be noted that both Barbadian and Cuban Police and
intelligence personnel travelled to the locations in which
the culprits were being held in Trinidad and Venezuela - not
for the purpose of assassinating them, or attempting to
assassinate them - but for the purpose of ensuring that a
proper legal process was put in place!
This is how civilized nations, governments and people
behave! They do not succumb to the 'law of the jungle' nor
to the evil philosophy that "might makes right"
Almost 30 years after the tragic events of 6th October 1976,
Mr Ricardo Alarcon, the President of Cuba's National
Assembly of People's Power paid the ultimate compliment to
the governments and people of Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago
when he publicly stated that - "Barbados and Trinidad, it
must be said, acted with great dignity and honour" - and
acknowledged the "meticulous, rigorous, serious
investigation done by people who respect themselves, people
from countries that are small but which know how to respect
their sovereignty".
It is because of this history and background that we, the
people of little Barbados, can and must point at "the
Emperor" and tell him that he is naked!
David A. Comissiong is President of the Peoples Empowerment
Party of Barbados. He can be reached at:
clementpaynechambers [at] gmail [dot] com
Pakistan
Pakistan's Parliament condemns Abbottabad Raid, Calls for
re-examination of ties with U.S.
From New Trend's Pakistan Monitor
In an unusual action, Pakistan's Parliament condemned the
U.S. raid which killed Osama Bin Laden and drone attacks
which have killed multitudes of Pakistani civilians. The
move seems to signify increasing awareness on part of
Pakistan's rulers that the masses have tired of violations
of Pakistan's sovereignty, airspace, and subverting of the
Pakistan economy to serve U.S. war aims, as well as
violations of basic Islamic principles, such as the honoring
of guests (and not turning them over to the U.S. to be
torture). Pakistan's rulers may also be fearful that their
continuing unresponsiveness to their constituents' demands,
and the Pakistani masses observations of the possibilities
contained in uprisings such as those in the Middle East, may
send them down the same road as Mubarak and others.
Pakistan's parliament condemns U.S. bin Laden raid
By Zeeshan Haider
Sat May 14, 2011
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's parliament condemned on
Saturday the U.S. raid to find and kill Osama bin Laden,
calling for a review of U.S. ties and warning that Pakistan
could cut supply lines to American forces in Afghanistan if
there were more such attacks.
Pakistan's intelligence chief was cited as saying he was
ready to resign over the bin Laden affair, which has
embarrassed the country and led to suspicion that Pakistani
security agents knew where the al Qaeda chief was
hiding.
On Friday, two suicide bombers attacked a military academy
in a northwestern town killing 80 people in what Pakistani
Taliban militants said was their first act of revenge for
bin Laden's death on May 2.
The secret U.S. raid on bin Laden's lair in the garrison
town of Abbottabad, 50 km (30 miles) north of Islamabad, has
strained already prickly ties with the United States.
It has also led to domestic criticism of the government and
military, partly because bin Laden had apparently remained
undetected in Pakistan for years, but also because of the
failure to detect or stop the U.S. operation to get him.
"Parliament ... condemned the unilateral action in
Abbottabad which constitutes a violation of Pakistan's
sovereignty," it said in a resolution issued after security
chiefs briefed legislators.
Pakistan has dismissed as absurd any suggestion that
authorities knew bin Laden was holed up in a high-walled
compound near the country's top military academy.
The U.S. administration has not accused Pakistan of
complicity in hiding bin Laden but has said he must have had
some sort of support network, which it wants to uncover.
U.S. Senator John Kerry said the United States wanted
Pakistan to be a "real" ally in combating militants but
serious questions remained in their relations.
"But we're not trying to find a way to break the
relationship apart, we're trying to find a way to build it,"
said Kerry, a Democrat close to the Obama administration and
who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,
told reporters in Afghanistan.
Kerry is due to visit Pakistan in the coming days.
Members of the two houses of parliament said the government
should review ties with the United States to safeguard
Pakistan's national interests and they also called for an
end to U.S. attacks on militants with its pilotless drone
aircraft.
They also called for an independent commission to
investigate the bin Laden case.
BODY PARTS
Pakistan officially objects to the drone attacks, but U.S.
officials have long said they are carried out under an
agreement between the countries.
The legislators said U.S. "unilateral actions" such as the
Abbottabad raid and drone strikes were unacceptable, and the
government should consider cutting vital U.S. lines of
supply for its forces in Afghanistan unless they
stopped.
Earlier, a U.S. drone fired missiles at a vehicle in North
Waziristan on the Afghan border killing five militants.
It was the fourth drone attack since bin Laden was
killed.
Police in Charsadda said they had recovered for analysis
body parts of the two suicide bombers who killed at least 80
struck at a paramilitary force academy.
A Taliban spokesman said on Friday the attack was in revenge
for bin Laden's death and vowed there would be more.
The killing of bin Laden could trigger a backlash from his
supporters across a giant area surrounding Afghanistan, the
Shangahi Cooperation Council (SCO)regional security body
said.
Dominated by China and Russia, the SCO also unites the
mostly Muslim ex-Soviet Central Asian states of Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
"Craving for revenge, the supporters of al Qaeda, the
Taliban movement and other terrorist and extremist
organisations may cause a new wave of terror," Kazakh
Foreign Minister Yerzgan Kazykhanov told a meeting with his
SCO counterparts in Almaty.
CIVILIAN CONTROL
Pakistani intelligence chief Lieutenant-General Ahmad Shuja
Pasha, head of the military's main Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) agency, told parliament in a closed-door
briefing he was "ready to resign" over the bin Laden affair,
a legislator said.
Pasha, who was asked tough questions by some members of
parliament, told the assembly he did not want to "hang
around" if parliament deemed him responsible, legislator
Riaz Fatyana told reporters.
"I am ready to resign," Fatyana quoted the ISI chief as
saying.
Opposition leader and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif
said civilian leaders, not the security agencies, should be
deciding policy towards India, the United States and
Afghanistan.
"The elected government should formulate foreign policy. A
parallel policy or parallel government should not be allowed
to work," Sharif told a news conference.
(Additional reporting by Dmitry Solovyov, Bashir Ansari;
Writing by Robert Birsel; Editing by Daniel Magnowski)
Pakistan
From Jamaat e Islami's Islamic media service
Top Islamic Leaders Urge Regime not to Hand over Shaykh
Osama's Family to US
LAHORE, May 20: The Jamaat e Islami chief, Syed Munawar
Hasan, has impressed upon President Zardari and Prime
Minister Gilani to reciprocate the warmth shown by the
Chinese leadership during Prime Minister Gilani's current
visit in order to get rid of the US slavery.
Addressing the Friday congregation at Mansoora mosque here,
he said that the Chinese Prime Minister had extended all out
support to this country at this difficult hour and the
situation demanded that the Pakistani President and Prime
Minister also established their loyalty for the country
instead of the Americans.
Syed Munawar Hasan said that the entire nation wanted to
throw out the yoke of US slavery but the rulers were least
worried about the country as their sole concern was to
please Washington. The rulers in Islamabad were more loyal
to US President Obama than even the Americans but if they
did not mend their ways and continue to put the country's
independence and solidarity at stake in the on going US war,
millions of Pakistani would adopt the path of Osama bin
Laden, he warned.
The government must implement the parliament's resolution in
its letter and spirit and stop drone attacks and US
unilateral actions, he added.
Syed Munawar Hasan stressed upon the government not to hand
over Osama's wives and children to the US.
The JI chief maintained that the politicians who had their
bank accounts, properties and families abroad, could neither
stand against the US nor defend national interests. Only the
patriotic people who were loyal to the country could defend
the country while those steeped in corruption from head to
foot would always protect their selfish ends, he added.
Unfortunately, he said, the nation had been in the grip of
selfish and corrupt leaders so far. In the next elections,
he said, the people would have to get rid of self seeking
and corrupt leaders and elect a leadership that had the will
and the competence to solve their problems and also stand
face to face with the foreign powers.
Syed Munawar Hasan said that the parliament had adopted two
resolution on the present crisis. The foremost point in the
both was that the foreign policy be reviewed and reframed
in the larger national interest. Further, that the US
slavery and drone attacks be dispensed with and dialogue be
started with all the stake holders. But unfortunately,
neither the first resolution was implemented nor was there
any indication of the second one being put in force. In
fact, he said, US Senator John Kerry had shattered to pieces
the latest resolution but the rulers kept mum on that.
Letter
Zionist Jew, top financier, caught in Sexual Assault
I suppose you have just learned about the sexual accusations
held
against the above mentioned man who is Chief of the
International
Monetary Fund. He is Jewish and was planning on running for
president of France soon. Just thought I'd let you know
because
usually any crimes against Jews are swept under the
carpet...
Carolyn, Florida
Letter
American Muslims, the Osama Assassination, and the "We Sick
Massa" Syndrome
I've been thinking about the bizarre reactions across the
Muslim community, some of which you published, to the Osama
assassination. The only viable explanation for Muslims and
Muslim organizations endorsing an action which clearly
violates International law, Pakistani sovereignty (the
puppet Pakistani government's signing away of Pakistani
sovereignty notwithstanding), and the norms of human
decency, and for Muslims endorsing such an action (or coming
up with creative explanations for it and its target) is the
presence of a deep-seated self-hatred in the American Muslim
psyche. Muslims here can't seem to accept the fact that
highly effective, organized, and disciplined Muslim
opposition can—in the face of grave injustice and
genocide--arise. They must write off Osama to other factors:
he didn't really exist; he existed but he was a CIA
operative; he existed but only up till two years, no wait,
make that eight years ago; he existed but was on summer
vacation for the last five years in Pakistan, and so the
fairy stories go. It's getting to the point of hilarity.
Why not just ask the Saudi government (Osama's enemy is not
likely to embellish his character or motives), or consult
U.S. intelligence (with which some American Muslim leaders
are sufficiently mated that they might easily acquire the
inside scoop on this) as to whether or not he existed, and
if he did, who, if anyone, was paying him, how much, and
when?
I wonder why it is that we, politically-conscious Muslims
and friends, can see through the lies of the government and
its corporate media organs about Katrina. We see through
their lies about the Black Panther Party, George Jackson,
and Assata. We see through their lies about Kuwaiti
incubator babies, WMDs, DU (depleted uranium) and anything
else that stands in the way of the oil/U.S. hegemony in the
Middle East. We are even beginning to see through some of
their lies on Palestine. But, when it comes to Osama, we
accept their (White House, Pentagon, and corporate media's)
version of things about this man, and try to come up with
oddball theories to convince ourselves that the Muslim world
could not have produced the "monster" they say Osama was. We
act as if we are certain that the government is telling the
truth on this one, and our basic premises (about his CIA
links etc) spring from hence.
I don't claim to know all (or even most of) the answers. But
a bit of independent journalism or analytical thinking on
this would be a delightful change.
-Nadrat Siddique
Jamaat al-Muslimeen NEWS
DC Activists Commemorate Malcolm X Day
Discussions of Marable's Book: Scholarship or Smear
Attempt?
By Nadrat Siddique
Washington, DC - Malcolm X Day, which commemorates the birth
of the great Muslim leader, is an event ordinarily
commemorated by leftists and black nationalists. Seldom does
one see a remembrance of this brother, who made Islam and
its revolutionary spirit beloved among vast numbers of
Americans, at any mainstream mosque or Islamic Center, even
for symbolic purposes. This year however, Muslims were among
the organizers of events on May 17 - 18 to commemorate the
occasion.
Around thirty people crowded into Ras Café (Ethiopian
Restaurant & Lounge) for the May 17 event. Malcolm Shabazz,
the son of Shaheed Malcolm X, was originally scheduled to
speak, but did not make it to Washington, DC. Instead, he
delegated Br. Shaka to speak in his place. Also speaking was
J.R. Valrey of California's Block Radio
(www.blockreportradio.com). In spite of Shabazz's absence,
people seemed to appreciate the program.
Another 40 or so filled the seats at Sankofa Books the
following night to hear J.R. and Malcolm Shabazz, who was,
by then, in town.
According to Naji Mujahid, a lead organizer for both
events, much of the focus of Malcolm X Day 2011 was on the
recently released book, Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, by
Manning Marable. "Manning Marable's book is considered by
some to be a slander," said Mujahid. "We tried to provide a
platform to dispel points in Manning Marable book."
J.R. shared an excerpt from his own book where he'd
interviewed Hajj Malcolm Shabazz. Addressing the Sankofa
audience, the younger Malcolm analogized the Marable book
with the Bible. "Like the Bible, shrouding lies in truth,"
Marable's work probably contained good points and analysis
to draw people in, but it also contained some slanderous
lies, Shabazz said.
Parts of the book suggest that Malcolm engaged in homosexual
acts. Others suggest infidelity between Malcolm and Betty
Shabazz. Another important was brought up by Voxunion
producer and Morgan State University professor of
communications, Dr. Jared Ball in a conversation with
Mujahid. Ball pointed out that Marable claimed that Malcolm,
in his later years, said that the ballot could be used to
promote black people's interests and that the election of
Barak Obama was an expression of that. Ball also compared
Marable's book to Spike Lee's "X."
Some of the more controversial points in the Marable book
were devoid of reference, according to J.R. The book wasn't
aimed only at current audiences, but also to future ones,
who didn't remember Malcolm. And, as an attendee of the Ras
Café event pointed out, the further removed in time an
audience was from the discussion, the less likely they were
to dispute points in the book.
And, as Br. Shaka pointed out, the tenuousness of Marable's
claims are evident from the fact that if the allegations
against Malcolm were true, the FBI wouldn't have missed the
opportunity to use them against him.
Despite an exhaustive week of activities around Malcolm's
Birthday and political prisoner awareness work, Naji
Mujahid, who is also an organizer for the Black August
Planning Organization (BAPO), granted an extended interview
to New Trend. (BAPO is a political prisoner advocacy group,
primarily focusing on Black political prisoners held by the
United States for some of the longest periods of any U.S.
political prisoner.)
"I think it's important for people everywhere to see Malcolm
not only as exemplary of Blackness, but of Islam, and the
ability of Islam to affect people, particularly those living
under adverse conditions everywhere. Islam can provide the
inspiration in people to allow them to rise above their
circumstances. I think Malcolm is an excellent example of
that."
"Malcolm was certainly an exceptional figure. However, he
wasn't the only exceptional figure who developed out of that
period. While they were alive, people weren't big on
following Malcolm, Martin, or many of the personalities who
dominate our history, according to some elders I've spoken
with. Now that it's safe to do so, they elevate him to the
level they do. Part of the reason why Malcolm has taken on
this epic legacy is because he was assassinated. If he had
lived, and been brought in on trumped up charges like Eddie
Conway, or other political prisoners, he probably wouldn't
hold the stature he does. People should consider when they
idolize Malcolm that others, such as Sekou Odinga, who
worked with Malcolm in the OAAU [Organization of
Afro-American Unity], who have been buried alive, don't
enjoy his fame and acknowledgement. You ask people about
Odinga, and they say "Who's he?" [Sekou Odinga is a Muslim
and New Afrikan political prisoner, imprisoned on political
charges, since 1983 -Editor].
"Malcolm and Martin's family haven't enjoyed the material
support which should correspond to their level of celebrity.
If Malcolm's family had a dollar for every t-shirt created
to exploit his memory, they would be in a lot better
position."
"People who claim to love Malcolm should put it to some use.
They could, if they wished, tell this government, 'You
killed Malcolm, but we're not going to allow you to practice
a slow death against Sekou Odinga, Eddie Conway, Veronza
Bowers, and others.'"
Syria
With thanks to Br. al-Massari, London, England
(Rafidhi) Press TV
By Shahin
London, 16 May 2011
(Wikipedia: Rafi?ah (Arabic: ????
[r??fid?a]; pl. rawafi?)
is a collective noun which means "defectors" or "deserters".
The word is derived from the Arabic verb root ? ? ?, rafada,
which translates to, "to desert". The Arabic non-collective
singular form is rafidi (?????). This is an Islamic term
which refers in a derogatory way to those who, in the
opinion of the person using the term, reject so-called
legitimate Islamic authority and leadership.)
Rafidhi TV was my assessment of Iran's pro-Syrian regime
coverage of the recent freedom demonstrations in Syria. It
started as Syrians peacefully asking for rights after four
decades of 'emergency rule' by the Allawite-controlled
Baathist regime. The minority Allawite sect is an offshoot
the Shia faith which is the state religion of Iran. The
justification for emergency rule was the war footing against
Israel. The effect has been one party rule, achieved by the
suppression of Sunni Muslims, massacre of over 20,000 people
in Hama, mass arrests, torture, and a privileged lifestyle
of regime members and their supporters at the expense of the
majority.
Iran and Syria are close political allies. That fact became
obvious in its coverage of the anti regime demonstrations
when it acted as the English language propaganda department
of the Syrian government.
Here is an example of the type of news from Syria which was
ignored by Press TV:
Al Jazeera English
Assad's regime of torture
President Assad reaffirms his father's legacy by quelling
dissent with brute force.
Hugh Macleod and a special correspondent
15 May 2011
"Bashar is God! Bashar is God!" As the fists and boots and
sticks pummelled his body and bloodied his face, the college
student screamed out what he thought his interrogators
wanted to hear: The name of Syria's president, Bashar
al-Assad.
"Syrian security is now releasing detainees with unhealed
wounds caused by torture in order to spread panic and fear
among people hoping it will reduce the numbers participating
in demonstrations," said Wissam Tarif, Director of Insan, a
leading Syrian human rights organisation, which has
documented cases of torture."
The detained include a wide cross section of society, mainly
young men aged between 20 and 50, but including children and
elderly, especially activists and those involved in protests
or seen filming them, but also community leaders, imams and
students.
In Deraa alone, state news reported some 500 people were
arrested in one day, with security forces going door to door
and seizing any male aged between 15 and 40. A recently
leaked document, purportedly from Political Security,
appears to confirm the mass arrests of males, including
children, from Deraa.
The total arrests since mid-March are around twice the
number of political prisoners the Syrian Human Rights
Committee estimated were being held in Syria in 2006.
Human rights groups have documented hundreds more cases of
people who disappeared in and around protest marches, with
families left not knowing if their loved ones are dead or
alive.
Enforced disappearance, when the state refuses to
acknowledge the whereabouts of an arrested person, is a
crime under international law.
Amnesty International reported cases of detainees forced to
lick blood off the floor of a prison and others who also
drank toilet water after being starved for three days.
Insan said it has received numerous reports of torture where
detainees have been left naked in groups for hours, doused
in cold water before collectively being beaten.
During a campaign of repression against the Syrian Muslim
Brotherhood in the 1980s under late President Hafez
al-Assad, some 17,000 Syrians disappeared, according to
testimony to the United Nations Human Rights Council by
Radwan Ziadeh, head of the Damascus Centre for Human Rights
Studies.
And in a chilling parallel to the actions of his father, who
responded to the Muslim Brotherhood uprising by sending
tanks and ultra-loyal troops commanded by his brother to
raze Hama, killing between 10,000 and 30,000 civilians,
President Assad has laid siege to Deraa, Homs and Banias
with tanks and troops commanded by his brother, Maher
al-Assad.
Today, in two months of protests, Syrian security forces
have killed an estimated 850 people.
Residents fleeing Syrian town tell of arrests, terror
From the Washington Post
May 15
DAMASCUS, Syria — In the two-month-long uprising against
Syrian authorities, the southern town of Daraa has been at
the heart of the unrest, and the inspiration for many other
Syrians as protests have spread across the country.
But Daraa's defiance has come with a cost: Civilians who
have fled the town in the past week described scenes of
terror, with arbitrary detentions and snipers on
rooftops.
Videos apparently recorded in Daraa show far more horrific
scenes. The clips show homes that have been torched, and
cars flattened by tanks. The content of the videos, and the
accounts of witnesses, could not be independently verified,
but they are consistent with the claims of human rights
groups who have documented the violence in Daraa.
Death Toll Mounts as Syria Extends Crackdown on
Protesters
By Massoud A. Derhally
May 14, 2011 - Bloomberg.com
At least 10 Syrian protesters have died in the past 24 hours
as thousands took to the streets nationwide, defying mass
arrests amid an intensifying crackdown on dissent that began
about two months ago.
The security forces killed four protesters in the central
city of Homs yesterday, two in the southern city of Daraa
and three in the suburbs of the capital, Damascus, Ammar
Qurabi, head of the National Organization for Human Rights,
said in a telephone interview today.
Gunfire was heard in the Syrian town of Talkalakh near the
Lebanese border today. Tanks are positioned there and the
unrest has caused about 500 Syrians to flee across the
border to the neighboring country, Qurabi said. At least one
person from the town died as a result of their wounds after
fleeing to Lebanon, according to Qurabi and Nadim Houry,
Lebanon director for New York-based Human Rights Watch.
Security forces are conducting widespread arrests and
house-to-house searches, Qurabi and Mahmoud Merhi of the
Arab Organization for Human Rights, who also spoke by phone,
said.
Today's events follow protests yesterday in Hama, Banias,
Aleppo and Idlib as thousands took to the streets and joined
rallies. In Daraa, people were barred from attending Muslim
Friday prayers with "tanks outside every mosque," according
to Qurabi. Gunfire was heard in Barzeh, the port city of
Latakia and in Madaya, near the border with Lebanon, he
said.
Emergency Law
Syria's suppression of pro-democracy protests began mid-
March after popular revolts ousted leaders in Egypt and
Tunisia. The uprising drew initial pledges of reform from
President Bashar al-Assad, who lifted an emergency law in
place since 1963 and named a new government. He hasn't
repeated the assurances in recent weeks as security forces
stepped up their assaults.
More than 800 demonstrators have been killed since the
uprising began, according to Qurabi and Merhi, who have
compiled a list of the names of victims. As many as 10,000
people have been detained, according to their estimates.
Most foreign journalists have been banned from Syria and the
government has restricted media access.
The army and security authorities say they are pursuing
"terrorist elements" and have aired footage on state TV of
what they said were confiscated arms and ammunition, as well
as confessions of alleged members of terrorist or extremist
groups.
Press TV's version of Syria news
Press TV has established its credentials as the English
language version of Syrian regime TV.
Here is a laughable example of Syrian state propaganda from
Press TV's own website where it published an interview with
a mouthpiece from a Baathist regime-sanctioned 'newspaper'.
This infantile attempt at propaganda contradicts reality
which the rest of the world has seen with its own eyes from
video footage and interviews from independent human rights
activists:
Press TV Tue Apr 19, 2011 2:57PM
"An interview with Bassam Abu Abdulla from the Al Watan news
agency in Damascus"
In an interview with Press TV, Bassam Abu Abdulla, from the
Al Watan news agency in Damascus, tells us that the US and
Saudi Arabian governments as well as the Western media are
manipulating reports and supporting opposition groups in
Syria because the government has long been against the US
and Israeli policy in the region.
Abu Abdulla: Generally, everyone should know that what's
going on in Syria is usually not what's shown on the TV
channels. There are a lot of facts that all people should
know about what's going on in Syria.
We are referring between two tracks. The first track is when
we are talking about reforms. All Syrian people support
reforms. And I think that millions of people were in the
main cities, supported by what President Bashar had said,
for the reforms.
But what's going on now, what we could see yesterday in
homes and other cities - in [Pisa], Baniyas or in parts of
Daraa - are Salafi groups. These Salafi groups in the Syrian
society are very small groups because Syrian society is
generally in the middle of Islam. In Syria, extremism is
generally not accepted and because of that we are talking
about foreign factors reflected in the Syrian unrest.
Now, these Salafi groups are used as a tool by some foreign
factors for example by the United States, [Saudi Arabia's]
Bandar bin Sultan and some parts in Lebanon, to realize some
plans against the foreign policy of Syria.
We are talking about a conspiracy. It's a very high
percentage.
We are concerned about some TV channels like Al-Zajeera, Al
Arabiya, France 24, BBC, and others, all these channels are
now attacking Syria. There is a war against Syria with these
TV channels because the reality is that nobody will talk,
but the [news channels] are talking about a revolution.
There is no revolution in Syria. Millions of Syrian people
are sitting in their houses and watching what's going on.
The people [who cause upheavals], the Syrian Salafis, are
not from Syrian society.
Press TV: How's the situation in Syria compared with other
events taking place in the region?
Abu Abdulla: Now, about the role of the foreign factors.
Yesterday, I think, The Washington Post newspaper published
that the United States Department of State supported the
Al-Barada TV channel, a TV channel in opposition of Syria,
paying them USD 6 million to secretly support some so-called
opposition leaders.
I don't trust these kinds of people who are living in
Washington, Paris, or London.
The real situation is that because the Syrian position is
against the American plans in the region and against Israel,
and because Syria is supporting the resistance movements --
generally, Hezbollah and Hamas [that are] against the
American plans -- the conspiracy against the US is
continuing.
We are talking about different parties participating in
these conspiracies. We can watch these different groups. The
first group is the corrupted people inside Syria.
The second group is the Salafi group who is being supported
by [Saudi Arabia's] Bandar bin Sultan, the American CIA and
[Israel's] Mossad.
The third group is composed of some regional parties against
Syria.
The fourth group is the Muslim brothers in London, and now
they are in Saudi Arabia.
All these groups, besides the TV channels war, are working
against Syria now. The Syrian government will soon face this
situation because we are not talking about severe
demonstrations, but we are talking about the Salafi group -
those who speak a very strange language in the Syrian
society and who want to divide the Syrian nation, which is a
redline for all Syrians. Because of that we will soon see
the Syrian government deal with them in another way.
[Continued in next week's New Trend, inshallah]
2011-05-23 Mon 19:08:38 cdt
NewTrendMag.org