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Dr Kaukab Siddique | Editor-in-Chief

Ramadan 1,1435/June 29, 2014 # 26

Breaking News: Iraq

June 28: ISIS has captured 20 towns and cities in western and central Iraq. Some attacks south of Baghdad show attempts to encircle Baghdad. The captured towns include two border crossings on the Jordan border and two on the Syrian border.

Iraqi Shi'ite forces are counterattacking the oil refinery in Baigi and the center of Tikrit but with little success.

130 American advisers have arrived and US drones, now armed, are preparing an attack plan. Iranian planes have also been spotted.

What do Americans say about ISIS' danger. How does ISIS answer. Michael Scheur speaks with wisdom.

Check this link from Jamaat al-Muslimeen Virginia:
http://youtu.be/fK7MMjTQzB0

See important report below about ISIS plans for Jordan and then Israel. Thanks to Sis. Aamira in Philadelphia.

Breaking News: Syria:

June 28: The entire Syrian side of the Golan Heights is now in the hands of al-Nusra. Only Quneitra facing Israeli occupied land is in Assad hands. An entire Syrian brigade fighting the mujahideen has disappeared, leaving weapons behind.

At AbuKamal on the Iraq border, al-Nusra fighters have joined ISIS, thus reducing the infighting.

Obama's Sec. Gen. Kerry has $500 million for the secular section of the Syrian opposition, NOT to fight Assad but to fight ISIS. Kerry thinks this will destroy ISIS.

Assad's regime has apologized to "Israel" for firing at a vehicle in Israeli occupied territory in which a Muslim contractor was killed. Israel has accepted the Syrian regime's explanation.

Cease fire has been declared in Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp to help the starving people blockaded for months by Assad.

Assad's air force bombed a border town next to Iraq killing 51 civilians including women and children.

Breaking News: Genocide in Pakistan.

Pakistani army has forced about 500,000 civilians to leave the area and become refugees. About 80,000 have gone to Khost and 20,000 to Paktia, two provinces in Afghanistan; the rest to barren areas near Bannu.

The military is using its heaviest weaponry, including jet fighters, helicopter gunships, heavy artillery and tanks. It claims to have killed about 300 "militants" but these were probably civilians. Fast moving jets cannot spot civilians and separate them from "militants."

[We thank Br. Shamim Siddiqi of Long Island and Maulana Hussain Khan of Tokyo for distributing our RED ALERT about Pakistan.

Scroll to end for photo of mosque hit by Paki air force.

Passing of Dr. Abdulalim Abdullah Shabazz '49 & Former Lincoln Professor of Mathematics

The Lincoln University received word from Grambling State University of last night's passing of Dr. Abdulalim Abdullah Shabazz, where he was the Endowed Chair of Mathematics.

Dr. Shabazz earned a B.A. (1949) in Math. and Chemistry from The Lincoln University, an M.S. (1951) in Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Ph.D. (1955) in Mathematics from Cornell University. He had a stellar career in higher education having taught at Clark Atlanta University, Lincoln University, and Grambling State University. Dr. Shabazz is credited with training nearly half of all African Americans who have earned doctorate degrees in mathematics in the United States.

Dr. Shabazz joined the Grambling State University family in 2007. He was active in the Grambling community and a mentor for many junior faculty. He represented the university well as an invited speaker at national and international events that recognized his contributions to mathematics education. He has received numerous awards, including the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring in 2000.

Eric Christopher Webb '91
Director
Office of Communications & Public Relations
Institutional Advancement
The Lincoln University

DrAAS.info

Top Palestinian Islamic Leader in USA writes about Dr. Shabazz..
He was a man of Struggle, Master Teacher against Zionism and Racism
by Imam Badi Ali

I met him more than two decades ago.

He was a spiritual man, where you benefit from his spirituality and such a quality will last sometime with you.

He was well-known in the science community and in the business of math and there was a lot of profit from such business but his focus was, not just to enhance the science of math, but also to advise and guide people in how to improve their lives with science.

He was a successful, dynamic and inspirational Muslim leader. You could feel and recognize his leadership, whether he belonged to your organization or not. Even if you didn't agree with him, he would work with you and enable you and others to act by encouraging your heart and mind to model the Islamic way - he was a servant leader.

He was a man of struggle. He was known to me and to my brothers and sisters in J.A.M. to be the master teacher on Zionism and Racism. He encouraged us to confront and expose Zionism and Racism.

He understood slavery and oppression and the effect of it on human beings and he knew that the solution was in Islam - a profound answer to all forms of oppression.

Dr. Shabazz will be missed for his wisdom, struggle, the quiet demeanor, his compassionate listening skills, his unique understanding of Islam and his bias and humbleness.

He will be missed.

'O Allaah, forgive and have mercy upon him, excuse him and pardon him, and make honorable his reception. Expand his entry, and cleanse him with water, snow, and ice, and purify him of sin as a white robe is purified of filth. Exchange his home for a better home, and his family for a better family, and his spouse for a better spouse. Admit him into the Garden, protect him from the punishment of the grave and the torment of the Fire.'

'O Allaah, forgive our living and our dead, those present and those absent, our young and our old, our males and our females. O Allaah, whom amongst us You keep alive, then let such a life be upon Islaam, and whom amongst us You take unto Yourself, then let such a death be upon faith. O Allaah, do not deprive us of his reward and do not let us stray after him'. [Hadith]

DrAAS.info

Islamic Woman Leader explains what made Dr. Shabazz Great
A Man of Honorable Discipline
by Sis. Ashira Nai'm

Dr. Shabazz was truly a man of many virtues. What I will remember him for most is his ability to remain calm, serene, and intelligently on point when faced with and challenged by arrogant, insulting IGNORANCE.

Most of us, self included, have not become that self aware and self controlled, yet. Such discipline is what Allah has asked us to develop and given us the potential to do so. With all his knowledge, yet he was humble but strong in his fight against the LIE that Allah has made superior and inferior humans. During the past 10+ years that I have heard him speak, he has always spoken: "Allah, The Creator, has created one race--the human race--from black mud and from that black mud all people have emerged; and all humanity is one."

May Allah reward His Soldier, forgive him his sins, have mercy on his soul and admit him to Jinnah al Firdous. Ameen.
DrAAS.info

Activist for Palestinian rights, author and Shoora leader writes from Los Angeles
We know that all on earth will perish ..............
From Sis. Karen English

As Salaamu Alaikum, Brother Kaukab,
I know that all on earth will perish and we will all taste death. Still, it's difficult. I know the brother was exceptional, inspiring, and a steady supporter and worker for Jamaat al Muslimeen. I will miss knowing that he is in the world.

Your sister in Islam,
Karen

New media activists & shoora leaders from Virginia
May Allah accept him into al-Jannah!

joint letter

My heart is so saddened for the loss of Dr. Shabazz....
He will be truly missed... He always gave me good news to take back to Richmond, Va!!!
The five times we met with him felt like an eternity...
I adore Dr. Shabazz...his knowledge truly enlightened me!!!
May Allah be pleased with him...
May Allah accept all of his good deeds....
May Allah accept him into Jannah.....
May his grave be spacious...AMEEN
From Brother Ali and Sister Ayesha

The Struggle Dr. Shabazz went through to achieve Excellence.
He was misunderstood and hurt by those who would not listen to what he actually said.
by Kaukab Siddique

When I first heard Dr. Shabazz speaking to a faculty gathering, I could not believe my ears. His English was perfect, every word in its right place as if he were reading from a book. How could a professor of mathematics be so good in English, I thought.

Over the years, we became close friends. A reader of New Trend in Canada had described Dr. Shabazz as a revolutionary in mathematics. His style with students was extraordinary and many of his students went on to achieve PhDs. His pedagogy was based on the principle that there is no such thing as a weak student. A good teacher can bring out the best in any student. Now many professors accept this radical idea though years back when he first spoke of it, he received criticism.

Dr. Shabazz was superb in his research on slavery and racism. No one could come anywhere near the quality of his research. His attack on racism was devoid of rhetoric or any kind of bitterness. It was simple: He had the knowledge!

Then, in his later years he applied his research tools to study Zionism. He found that Zionism is a natural extension of racism. The way racists treat people of color in America can be seen replicated in occupied Palestine ["Israel"].

He received his degrees at some of America's finest universities and had experienced the suave and subtle forms of racism and open expressions of Zionism in the halls of America's academe.

He had to pay the price for his incisive criticism of the established order, The biggest Zionist-Jewish organization in America, the ADL [so-called Anti-Defamation League] attacked him on its web site and came near to calling him a terrorist!

That was to be expected from the Jews. After all they had gone after Prof. Tony Martin and Min. Farrakhan for much less offense. But what really hurt was prejudice against him coming from "white" people. They thought he was attacking them when he was simply describing historic events and tendencies. He was not attacking any person. History cannot be changed. What is a scholar to do but tell the truth.

More insidious in their hatred of Dr. Shabazz were Black people who were mentally "white." This is a widespread phenomenon in America's Black universities. They love "massa" and hate the person who teaches people to be what God has made them : Black.

Dr. Shabazz' history is the history of the awakening of oppressed people in America. Not only was he developing his own knowledge of Islam, in addition he knew just about all the Black personalities who had embraced Islam over decades. Among them was W.D. Muhammad, the son of Elijah Muhammad.. As part of the W.D. group, Dr. Shabazz was Imam of one of their mosques in Washington, DC which still exists.

As his fame and a sense of his abilities grew, W.D. Muhammad saw him as a threat to his leadership. There was no intellectual equivalence here. The rest of the story I got directly from Dr. Shabazz. The stalwarts of that group threatened him, probably at the behest of their leader. His life was in danger. He left the country and went to Makka where he taught at a university till things calmed down in America.

In later years, the younger ones from W.D.s group continued to be rude to him.

Overall, he had to face animosity and difficulties because people tried to drag him down to their own level.

His years with Jamaat al-Muslimeen were his great years. He would not miss any shoora [Central Committee} meeting of the Jamaat. This is where activists listened to him and absorbed his wisdom. Through New Trend, his teachings were transmitted to the Muslim world. His understanding of the Qur'an was amazing. He led the shoora group in prayers. His supplication at the end of the 10 hour long meetings was sura al_asr: The Words of Allah enshrined in a few sentences which can guide our entire lives.

He left Lincoln University for Grambling University after suffering tremendous hardships from an administration which was dead set against connections with Africa. He returned in triumph to Lincoln as keynote speaker at a Convocation in November 2013.

His swan song was at the Jamaat al-Muslimeen shoora held in Baltimore on May 3, 2014.

He left this world with flying colors.

There is much more to say but this is it for now as my eyes are filling with tears!

May Allah accept his sacrifices and his efforts. May Allah forgive his sins and give him al-Jannah.

Our America: Baltimore
Opposing Police Brutality.
From Nadrat Siddique

The people of Baltimore are fighting back against police brutality: The family of Tyrone West, who was beaten to death by nine police officers, and Br. Abdus Salaam, who narrowly escaped the same fate, have filed civil suits against the BPD. Please support these brothers and sisters.

Family of man who died in Baltimore police custody files lawsuit

www.baltimoresun.com

Two families who say they are linked through police brutality filed separate lawsuits against the Baltimore Police Department on...

Our America: Greensboro, North Carolina
Imam Badi Ali's latest Spotlights
The Issue of Israeli occupation is central to our cause.
Islamic Resistance can win global support by entering Palestine.

The mass aggression by "Israel" on the West Bank which has brought several thousand young Palestinians, including children, into brutal Israeli detention is a test FIRSTLY for Egypt. Will Egypt with Israel or will it refrain?
The false image is being created that this is the "Age of Israel" ,
Israel is pushing and stoking the conflicts in the Muslim lands.
Israeli air and land strikes are meant to give the upper hand to Mahmoud Abbas.
The past two years of conflict in the Muslim world against tyrant rulers
have brought out the fact that ,the boundaries between Muslim countries are artificial and were created by the western powers backed by Israel.
If Muslims of focus on Palestine, they can unite because Palestine is dear to all Muslims because of Masjid al-Aqsa and because it is the land of Islam.
There is no excuse now for the resistance not to retaliate seeing the horrific oppression of the Palestinian people.
This is the time for the resistance to enter Palestine and defend the people.. Such action will go down into the hearts and souls of the entire ummah and win support for the resistance from the entire Muslim world.

Our America: Washington, DC
Protests at the White House and nationwide demand no war on Iraq
Actions across the country oppose all U.S. intervention

White House demonstration against Iraq war

Photo: Matt Murray

Opponents of the U.S. war machine rallied outside the White House June 21, joining national days of action held throughout the week. The demonstration was attended by members of the ANSWER Coalition, Veterans for Peace, Military Families Speak Out, CODEPINK and others.

On the same day, actions were held in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Eureka, Aubern and Fresno in California; Tallahassee, Fla.; New Haven, Conn.; Boston, Mass.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Pittsburgh, Penn.; and Las Vegas, Nev. Altogether, over 20 actions were held across the country in response to the call for the days of action.

Protesters were responding to the increasingly aggressive posture of the U.S. government towards Iraq, especially the threat of a bombing campaign. The previous Thursday, President Obama announced that up to 300 U.S. military "advisers" would be sent to Iraq.

But the anti-war movement is not fooled by this label. Speaking at the White House rally, ANSWER National Coordinator Brian Becker said, "We recognize that when President Obama says he's sending military advisers, this is the unmistakable path towards escalation."

Our America: Boston
Bail Denied Matanov, Two More Tsarnaev Friends Dragged Into Net.
"Muslim communities are living in fear of unfair persecution"
by Sis. Karin Friedemann

On June 23, a thin and weary looking Khairullozhon Matanov from Kyrgyzstan, a friend of the late Tamerlan Tsarnaev, went before Judge Marianne Bowler to revisit the issue of his release on bail, now that multiple persons have offered him their homes.

"The conditions he is held in now at Plymouth are really draconian," Matanov's attorney, Edward Hayden told the judge.

Hayden argued that Matanov does not deserve to be locked up in solitary confinement for selling cell phones to Russia. Matanov cooperated with the FBI over an extended period and met with them five times.

"This court has heard no evidence of how he obstructed this investigation or how he intended to obstruct this investigation."

Matanov earned $71,000 over 3-4 years working 15-18 hours a day, 7 days a week. Matanov used aliases to send money both domestically and internationally to avoid tax issues. Hayden made it clear that absolutely none of Matanov's money was being used to finance terrorism of any sort.

Matanov sent money to friend in Virginia who had lost his job. Matanov paid for his bus fare to move to Boston and find work. He also sent money to Russia to for his 15 year old brother's heart surgery. $6500 was sent to his grandfather who goes under a different last name. Two Uzbek cousins under different last name also received money. The money Matanov sent to Greece was for his employers at a pizza shop.

Hayden further argued that too much unnecessary force was used in Matanov's arrest.

The government conceded that they agree Matanov isn't dangerous, but argued that he poses a flight risk, and therefore should remain detained. The prosecution argued that the money Matanov sent internationally, although derived from lawful activity, assures him of places to stay if he were to flee the US.

Bowler said she's satisfied that the government met its burden in proving that Matanov poses a flight risk.

While this is unfortunate, the hearing, called by the defense, was still useful because it provided a chance to clarify Matanov's alibis. Hayden successfully clarified beyond the shadow of a doubt that the FBI was making innuendos regarding the money transfers being related to terrorism related charges.

Matanov, dressed in a bright orange prison uniform, audibly sighed as a U.S. marshal handcuffed him again.

Konstantin Morozov jailed for refusing to wiretap Chechen friend

The same day of Matanov's hearing, the Boston Globe broke the news that there is yet another friend of the Tsarnaevs being held at Plymouth County Correctional Facility!

Konstantin Morozov was interviewed by the FBI on May 30, 2014, the exact same day Matanov was arrested. Morozov, 28, from Russia, had not spoken with Tamerlan Tsarnaev since 2011, but FBI agents asked him to secretly wiretap conversations with a mutual friend, who had received a phone call from Tamerlan a couple days before the bombings, but never picked up the call. The Chechen friend had already been interrogated by the FBI and had insisted he knew nothing about the bombing plot.

Morozov told his attorney, Carlos Estrada, that the FBI told him that if he cooperated with their plan, his application for political asylum might be approved.

"You have an opportunity to stay and live in this country if you do this," Morozov quoted one of the agents as saying.

Morozov told the agents, "I don't want to do it."

Morozov was immediately detained on immigration charges. Ironically, Morozov was awaiting decision on his request for US asylum based on being persecuted in Russia for having Chechen friends.

"Agents have interrogated many friends of the brothers, looking for ANY evidence against the Tsarnaevs," writes firedoglake blogger lauraw.

"This targeting of increasingly distant 'friends of friends' of the brothers is beginning to look a bit desperate."

She notes that the FBI is having a hard time finding anyone willing to say something even remotely negative about the Tsarnaev brothers, and wonders why their friends, who are born US citizens, white and not Muslim, have not yet been approached.

Morozov reportedly met Tamerlan Tsarnaev through other Russian-speaking friends living in the Boston area. They socialized a few times a week for several years until 2009. Morozov said at that time, Tsarnaev was not particularly political or religious.

Sarah Wunsch, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, insisted that the targeted Chechen man is a law-abiding citizen of the United States. He obtained political asylum a few years ago. She said he has been fully cooperative with federal agents, and she believes that this man is completely innocent of any unlawful activity. Muslim communities are living in fear of unfair persecution, Wunsch said.

"There are FBI agents turning up on their doorsteps multiple times."

Our America: From our Christian friend Ms. Carolyn
ADC Denounces FX's "Tyrant" for Racial Stereotyping

Washington, DC | www.adc.org | June 25, 2014- The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) denounces FX's new television series "Tyrant" for its deeply entrenched racism against Arabs and the Middle East. The series premiered on Tuesday evening and portrayed Arabs in a bigoted and stereotypical caricature that is not only offensive to millions of Arabs, but also contributes to anti-Arab racist sentiment worldwide.

Last night, ADC livetweeted the pilot around the hashtag #TyrantFX and wrote out many concerns about the aired content. The show, set in the fictional Middle Eastern country of Abbudin, mimics oriental elements from different Arab countries, catering to the Western audience's limited understanding of the Middle East, and presents them as an overarching, generalized depiction of an indistinct Arab culture.

The main character is played by a British actor, effectively promoting the use of brown-face in mainstream television. Arabs are portrayed either as faceless, loud, angry mobs normalized to violence, or as rich, sex-hungry, corrupt warmongers. The Arabs are constantly portrayed as backwards and barbaric, in sharp contrast to the lead actor's Westernized character and family. This portrayal only seeks to reinforce racist Western stereotypes and misunderstandings of the Middle East.

Arguably most offense were the three sexual assault scenes that took place within the first episode. Not only do they serve the purpose of reasserting the negative stereotypes of Arab men, but they are also incredibly tasteless and offensive to women who are sexual assault survivors and victims. The use of these vile scenes to paint a picture of an entire people and insensitively dismiss the real struggles of those that had to endure such events, purely for the sake of catering entertainment to a television audience, is impetuous.

Though FX seeks to tell the story of the family of an Arab despot, its portrayal of Arabs in "Tyrant" will unfortunately be received by audiences as a depiction of an entire region. This ceaseless negative portrayal of Arabs in the media is not only offensive and immoral, but results in very fatal real-life actions of hatred and racism against the Arab community.

ADC demands that FX gives this important matter proper attention and cancel "Tyrant" immediately. ADC will continue to work with community members and civil rights leaders to address this issue. We encourage all ADC members to take action by tweeting @TyrantFX and writing to FX at user@fxnetworks.com to demand the cancellation of the show.

Justice Delayed: Finally Prof. Sami al-Arian's Nightmare Ends.
FEDERAL COURT DISMISSES ALL CHARGES AGAINST DR. SAMI AL-ARIAN

1, June 27, 2014 by jonathanturley

It is with a great sense of relief and thankfulness that I can now report that all charges have been dropped against my client Dr. Sami Al-Arian. Minutes ago, United States District Judge Anthony J. Trenga signed the order dismissing the indictment against Dr. Al-Arian. The case was before Judge Leonie M. Brinkema, but it was Judge Trenga who signed the order on Friday afternoon.

I have represented Dr. Al-Arian for roughly eight years as we fought against his deportation and the dismissal of these charges. We have litigated the case from the 11th Circuit to the 4th Circuit to the Supreme Court and back again. It has been a long and difficult road for the Al-Arian family.

In September 2004, Dr. Sami Amin Al-Arian was charged, along with various co-defendants, in a 53-count Superseding Indictment. Following a highly publicized six-month trial in 2005, Dr. Al-Arian was acquitted on eight counts and the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the remaining nine counts. There were only two jurors who voted against acquitting Dr. Al-Arian of all of the remaining counts.

As the government considered whether to bring charges against Dr. Al-Arian on the remaining counts, the parties began to negotiate a plea agreement. As a result of these negotiations, Dr. Al- Arian executed a written plea agreement on February 28, 2006. Pursuant to this agreement, Dr. Al-Arian committed to pleading guilty to Court 4 of the Superseding Indictment. The narrative of this count largely dealt with a statement that Dr. Al- Arian made to a reporter and his support with an immigration matter for a person "associated" with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). The count notably did not admit to any of the core terrorism charges levied against him regarding alleged leadership in PIJ and the other terrorism acts. Dr. Al-Arian was sentenced to a 57-month term of imprisonment on May 1, 2006.

In fact, as evidence of the high-profile nature of the case, then-Attorney General Ashcroft called an unorthodox press conference to announce Dr. Al-Arian's arrest. Ashcroft had publicly and repeatedly cited the prosecution as a major victory in his administration. See, e.g., Paul Lomartire, Professor Says Terrorism Arrest 'All About Politics,' Cox News Service, Feb. 20, 2003. A movie has since been made of the trial and hundreds of articles have appeared in local and national publications regarding the case.

The trial loss and plea agreement was viewed as a significant defeat for the Justice Department. In the immediate aftermath of the settlement and public criticism, prosecutors set out to call Dr. Al-Arian to a grand jury despite his prior insistence that he would not cooperate in such an investigation as a condition of his plea agreement.

The result was a highly abusive incarceration of Dr. Al-Arian and eventually this indictment for criminal contempt (for refusing to testify) in 2008 by the Justice Department. He was indicted despite my producing a polygraph showing that he could offer nothing of the matters under investigation by the grand jury and a sworn detailed declaration of his lack of knowledge. We filed a series of motions contesting the indictment for selective prosecution, errors in the indictment, and a clear violation of the agreement made by the Justice Department.

A few years ago, we were able to have Dr. Al-Arian released from jail and later we were able to have his home confinement conditions lifted. He has lived with his family in Virginia.

This case remains one of the most troubling chapters in this nation's crackdown after 9-11. Despite the jury verdict and the agreement reached to allow Dr. Al-Arian to leave the country, the Justice Department continued to fight for his incarceration and for a trial in this case. It will remain one of the most disturbing cases of my career in terms of the actions taken by our government. However, despite our often heated hearings in this case, I thank those at the Justice Department who agreed to the dismissal of the indictment. This family has been put through over a decade of grinding, unrelenting litigation. It is time to bring closure to this matter once for all.

I am very thankful to the many law students who have assisted me on this case as well as the help of the law firm of Bryan Cave as local counsel in the case. We have represented Dr. Al-Arian pro bono because of the important constitutional and ethical issues raised by his case. The core values underlying this defense ultimately prevailed but only due to the extraordinary effort of Dr. Al-Arian, his loyal family, and a wide array of supporters. It is often said that Justice delay is Justice denied. However, despite this delay, justice did ultimately prevail for not just the Al-Arians but our legal system.

Jonathan Turley
STATEMENT FROM AL-ARIAN FAMILY
June 27, 2014

We are glad that the government has finally decided to drop the charges against Sami Al-Arian. It has been a long and difficult 11 years for our family in what has ultimately been shown to be a political case. We are relieved that this ordeal finally appears to be at an end. We hope that today's events bring to a conclusion the government's pursuit of Dr. Al-Arian and that he can finally be able to resume his life with his family in freedom.

We are so grateful to our brilliant attorney, Jonathan Turley and his legal team for their tireless efforts and advocacy on our behalf. Thank you to all of our supporters around the country and across the globe, who have stood behind us throughout the years.

Our America: Via Khalid Baig from Alternet.
Recruiting Black and Latino University students for Spying & Intelligence services.

The following is an excerpt from The Imperial University: Academic Repression and Scholarly Dissent edited by Piya Chatterjee and Sunaina Maira. Reprinted with permission of University of Minnesota Press.

In July 2005, a select group of fifteen- to nineteen-year-old high school students participated in a week-long summer program called "Spy Camp" in the Washington, DC, area. The program included a field trip to the CIA's headquarters in Langley, Virginia, an "intelligence simulation" exercise, and a visit to the $35 million International Spy Museum. According to the Spy Museum's website, visiting groups have the option of choosing from three different "scavenger hunts," in which teams are pitted against one another in activities ranging "from code-breaking to deceptive maneuvers. . . . Each team will be armed with a top secret bag of tricks to help solve challenging questions" that can be found in the museum.

On the surface, the program sounds like fun and games, and after reading about the program one might guess that it was organized by an imagina- tive social studies teacher. But for some, "Spy Camp" was more than just fun and games—it was very serious business. The high school program was car- ried out by Trinity University of Washington, DC—a predominantly African American university with an overwhelmingly female student population—as part of a pilot grant from the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to create an "Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence" (or IC Center).

According to the Office of the DNI, the goal of the IC Center program is to increase the pool of future applicants for careers in the CIA, the FBI, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and the dozen or so other organizations that make up the U.S. "intelligence community"—in less euphemistic terms, America's spy agencies.

The idea for IC Centers came about in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks, when both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives held hearings about how the country's spy agencies missed clues that might have foiled the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. As part of the response, Congress passed a sweeping law called the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (S 2845). In the House Intelligence Committee hearings prior to the bill's passage, California representative Jane Harman (Democrat from California and chair of the House Intelligence Committee) put it bluntly: "We can no longer expect an Intelligence Community that is mostly male and mostly white to be able to monitor and infiltrate suspicious organizations or terrorist groups. We need spies that look like their targets, CIA officers who speak the dialects that terrorists use, and FBI agents who can speak to Muslim women that might be intimidated by men" (emphasis added).

For this reason, the IC Center program wasn't aimed at students attending Harvard, Yale, Princeton, or other Ivy League schools or internationally renowned universities like Stanford or Berkeley or the University of Chicago. The program's architects consciously directed it at schools where minority students are the majority—predominantly African American and Latino universities, which are chronically underfunded. Perhaps this reflects the shape of "multiculturalism" in a militarized society: the government's spy agencies and armed forces recruit minority students from low-income regions in order to "monitor and infiltrate" people ("targets") that look and speak like them.

Since 2005, Trinity's IC Center has had its funding renewed, and "Spy Camp" has continued every summer since. In fact, beginning in 2006, the director of National Intelligence dramatically expanded the IC Center program (of which the "Spy Camp" is only one part), and today there are a total of twenty-one such centers throughout the country. These are located at California State University, San Bernardino; Carnegie-Mellon University; Clemson University; Clark Atlanta University; Florida A&M University; Florida International University; Howard University; Miles College (Alabama); Norfolk State University (Virginia); North Carolina A&T University; Pennsylvania State University; Tennessee State University; Trinity University; University of Maryland, College Park; University of Nebraska; University of New Mexico; University of North Carolina, Wilmington; University of Texas, El Paso; University of Texas, Pan American; University of Washington; Virginia Tech; and Wayne State University (Michigan). Significantly, most of these universities have large numbers of minority students, which corresponds with the original objectives of the IC Center program's architects. Tens of millions of dollars have been appropriated for the programs, with some centers receiving individual grants of up to $750,000. According to the Washington Post, the DNI planned to expand the program to twenty universities by the year 2015. Apparently, it has met this goal far ahead of schedule. (Since 2008, the DNI has included universities with significantly higher percentages of "white" students. It appears that the DNI quickly exhausted its supply of predominantly Hispanic and African American universities.)

[Islamic fighters are preparing to enter Jordan --- Editor]

Israel vs. ISIS?

By Eli Lake The Daily Beast

Israel vs. ISIS?

The terror group that's taken over major portions of Iraq and Syria won't be content with roiling those two countries, senior Obama administration officials told Senators in a classified briefing this week. The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) also has its eyes on Jordan; in fact, its jihadists are already Tweeting out photos and messages claiming a key southern town in Jordan already belongs to them.

An ISIS attack on Jordan could make an already complex conflict nightmarishly tangled, the officials added in their briefing. If the Jordanians are seriously threatened by ISIS, they would almost certainly try to enlist Israel and the United States into the war now engulfing the Middle East.

"The concern was that Jordan could not repel a full assault from ISIS on its own at this point," said one senator, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Another Senate staff member said the U.S. officials who briefed the members responded to the question of what Jordan would do if they faced a military onslaught from ISIS by saying: "They will ask Israel and the United States for as much help as they can get."

If ISIS were to draw Israel into the regional conflict it would make the region's strange politics even stranger. In Iraq and Syria, Israel's arch nemesis, Iran, is fighting ISIS. Israel, on the other hand, has used its air force from time to time bomb to Hezbollah positions in Syria and Lebanon, the Lebanese militia aligned with Iran. If Israel were to fight against ISIS in Jordan, it would become a de facto ally of Iran, a regime dedicated to its destruction.

But Jordan is also an important ally for Israel. It is one of two countries (along with Egypt) to have a peace treaty with Israel. Jordanian security forces help patrol the east bank of the Jordan River that borders Israel and both countries share intelligence about terrorist groups in the region.

For now the one thing Iran and Israel do agree on is that U.S. intervention in Iraq is risky. Khamenei has told Obama to just stay out. Netanyahu was more subtle, warning that Obama should not promise Iran anything in the nuclear negotiations that might entice their cooperation in Iraq. His advice was for Obama to weaken both sides.

But behind the scenes, Israeli diplomats have told their American counterparts that Israel would be prepared to take military action to save the Hashemite Kingdom.

Thomas Sanderson, the co-director for transnational threats at the Center for Strategic and International Studies said Israel and the United States view the survival of the Jordanian monarchy as a paramount national security objective.

"I think Israel and the United States would identify a substantial threat to Jordan as a threat to themselves and would offer all appropriate assets to the Jordanians," he said.

Sanderson, who is a former contractor for the Defense Intelligence Agency, said those assets would include air power and intelligence resources, but he stressed whatever Israel and the United States offered Jordan would be tailored to the kind of threat ISIS posed. "It's impossible to rule out boots on the ground from Israel or the United States, but that is the least likely scenario. Amman would have to be under siege for that to happen," he said.

While the U.S. intelligence community estimates that ISIS today only has 3,000 to 5,000 fighters who are full members of the organization, the group is nonetheless a potent force. In its military campaigns in Iraq and Syria, ISIS has seized millions of dollars worth of cash and advanced military equipment from bases abandoned by the Iraqi and Syrian armies.

That said, Jordan's special operations forces are considered by military experts to be professional and competent. The tiny country that borders Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Iraq has survived terrorism, insurrection and regional war since it gained independence in 1946.

A spokeswoman for the Jordanian embassy in Washington, Dana Daoud, said the country's military and security forces were fully capable of meeting the ISIS threat. "We are in full control of our borders and our Jordanian Armed Forces are being very vigilant," she said. "We have taken all the precautionary measures. So far, we have not detected any abnormal movement. however, if anything threatens our security or gets near our borders it will face the full strength of our Jordanian Armed Forces." Earlier this week, Jordan closed a major border crossing with Iraq.

Rep. Adam Schiff, a Democrat who serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and is a co-chair of the Congressional Friends of Jordan Caucus, said in an interview that the threat from ISIS could draw the United States into the conflict. But he also said he had more confidence in Jordan's military than he did in Iraq's.

"I don't think there is any sense that the rank and file Jordanian forces will melt away the way the Iraqis did," he said, "It's a different context in Jordan. If the need arises, they will provide more than a match for ISIS."

In the last two decades Jordan has made a strategic decision to ally closely with America. Today the country is one of America's closest partners in counter-terrorism. After U.S. forces lost access to Iraqi military bases in 2011, Jordan emerged as the most important base for the CIA in the region. The CIA for example trains Syrian rebels from positions inside Jordan. On Thursday, the White House asked Congress to authorize an additional $500 million for military training and equipment for those opposition forces.

At times, the close partnership with Jordan has resulted in tragedy. A triple agent provided to the CIA by Jordanian intelligence ended up detonating himself and seven other CIA operatives at one of the agency's outpost in Khost, Afghanistan in 2009.

In the last year, the U.S. military has also positioned batteries of Patriot missiles and a fleet of F-16s inside Jordan along with a contingency of U.S. soldiers known as Centcom-Forward Jordan. That group is led Brig. General Dennis McKean and one of his missions is to help plan for Jordan's defense in the midst of the chaos that has enflamed the region.

"Jordan is a very close partner to the United States, and we have shared their concerns about violence spilling across the border for some time," said Commander Bill Speaks, a spokesman for the Office of the Secretary of Defense. "We are committed to supporting Jordan's security and continually assess the situation and how best to support our friends in the region."

One of those threats today is coming from the southern Jordanian city of Ma'an. Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, a Shillman-Ginsburg Fellow at the Middle East Forum who specializes in jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq said, "Jordan is a part of the Sham, the Levant states that also include Lebanon, that ISIS aims to control as part of its near term ambitions. But Jordan is a more viable target for them than Lebanon at the moment and the signs of local support, like in Ma'an, will embolden them."

Even before the ISIS offensive in Iraq, supporters of the group had tweeted maps showing the city of Ma'an in southern Jordan, as part of a regional Caliphate. Last week, a photo from Ma'an showed ISIS supporters holding a banner declaring the city, "the Fallujah of Jordan," comparing it to the city in Western Iraq fell to ISIS in January. "After the takeover of al-Rutba, ISIS has its eyes on Jordan and Saudi" "Some ISIS supporters envision an ISIS emirate of Ma'an in southern #Jordan" - "#Jordan: banner in support of ISIS from Ma'an; Ma'an as the 'Fallujah of #Jordan'" -

With the threat to Jordan rising, Secretary of State John Kerry met Thursday with Jordan's Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh in Paris in a group that also included Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed.

"The reason that he pulled them together is because, one, the threat of (ISIS) is not just to Iraq. It's to the region," said a senior administration official.

But Kerry and the Arab foreign ministers didn't discuss any specifics of how to work together to fight against ISIS, the official added. They talked generally about the situation on the ground, the formation of the new Iraqi government, and their shared frustration with Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, but not about direct security cooperation.

"As a sort of frontline state in the fight against (ISIS), Jordan is certainly one of the countries that we are directly referencing when we talk about the potential of a threat," the official said. "That said, the current focus of (ISIS) activity is inside Iraq, is inside Syria, and to the extent that (ISIS) has sort of designs on other places, that was not directly discussed today."

The threat to Jordan is on the minds of many lawmakers though in Washington. Schiff said that if the Kingdom of Jordan were in danger of falling, "we would be prepared to provide a whole different level of material support than anything we are talking about in Iraq." He added, "I still don't think there are many foreseeable circumstances for American boots on the ground, nor do I think the Jordanians would ask for them. But the willingness to provide greater material support, greater intelligence support and the willingness to stand behind the Jordanian government is an order of magnitude greater than what we have done for Iraq."

Perhaps that's one of the reasons why the Senators who emerged from this week's briefing on ISIS were so grim.

"We have to be concerned no longer simply about what's happening in Iraq, but the risk it poses to Jordan and other countries in the region as well," he said. "We need to work closely with our allies in the region, particularly Jordan, to protect them from the growing risk that this poses."

-- with additional reporting by Josh Rogin and Jacob Seigel

Syria via Britain
Islamic Women Joining Mujahideen Despite Stringent Restrictions
[This from the Scotsman. The headline is ours. The text is British with loaded language ---editor NT]
•by DAVID MADDOX
Published on the 25 June 2014

BRITISH women are travelling to Syria to fight alongside hardline extremists in a bloody holy war, the Home Secretary has said.

Theresa May said last night that radicalised women were among an estimated 400 Britons to have left the UK to fight for an Islamic state.

Speaking at the Lord Mayor's security and defence dinner, the Conservative minister also said that al-Qaeda-inspired terrorists in Iraq are "just a few hours' flying time" from striking Britain "and want to attack us".

She said Islamist fighters had carved out a "safe haven" in the Middle East, with "advanced technology and weapons" capable of threatening the UK.

Mrs May promised to revive government efforts to put forward laws to give MI5 and MI6 greater powers to deal with the "real and deadly" threats emerging from Syria and Iraq.

She told the audience: "The threats we face are considerable: the collapse of Syria; the emergence of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant [Isis]; Boko Haram in Nigeria; al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen; like-minded groups in Libya; al-Shabaab in East Africa; terrorist planning in Pakistan and Afghanistan; industrial, military and state espionage practised by states and businesses alike; organised crime that crosses national boundaries; the expanding scope of cyber.

"All these threats and many more should remind us of an obvious old truth: The world is a dangerous place and the United Kingdom needs the capabilities to defend its interests and protect its citizens."

Highlighting what she believes is a need to allow MI5, MI6 and GCHQ access to private e-mails and online activity in the event of a security threat, she warned that the UK government is currently unable to deal with the threats the country faces.

She said: "The real problem is not that we have built an over-mighty state, but that the state is finding it harder to fulfil its most basic duty, which is to protect the public."

Mrs May also rejected arguments that the security services are currently engaged in unaccountable mass surveillance of the British public, or that intelligence agencies are breaking the law to trawl online communications.

She said the growth of social media created three major problems. She said: "We are living more of our lives online, using an array of new technology - IP telephony such as Skype and FaceTime, social networking such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, chat rooms, anonymising services, and a myriad of mobile apps.

"This is hugely liberating and a great opportunity for economic growth, but this technology has become essential not just to the likes of you and me but to organised criminals and terrorists."

The second problem she said was that the new technology is owned and operated by private companies. And she added: "Third far from having some fictitious mastery over all this technology we, in democratic states, face the significant risk of being caught out by it."

Pakistani air force is bombing North Waziristan.
Mosques are not spared.
This photo was taken before the all out assault on North Waziristan.

2014-06-29 Sun 19:00:14 cdt
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