From Sahih Muslim
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira, r.a. that
the Messenger of Allah said to his uncle at the time of his
death: Make a profession of it that there is no god but
Allah and I will bear testimony (of your being a Muslim) on
the Day of judgment. But he (Abu Talib) refused to do so.
Then Allah revealed this verse: " Verily thou canst not
guide to the right path whom thou Lovest. And it is Allah
Who guideth whom He will and He knoweth best who are the
guided" (28 56).
India Illegally Populating Kashmir with Hindu Migrants
by Habib Yousafzai [Toronto, Canada]
It is a grave mistake and a violation of the UN resolutions
on the part of India to place Pakistan refugees in occupied
Jammu Kashmir. The Hindu
migrants who left Azad Kashmir or other parts of Pakistan
are the liability of India.
These people cannot be placed in occupied Kashmir which is
a
Pakistani territory fraudulently and forcibly held by
India.
Occupied Kashmir is an integral part of Pakistan as the
inhabitants already gave their verdict on July 19, 1947, and
due to the formula of partition
plan which clearly states that Muslim majority areas of
sub-continent will constitute Pakistan.
The facts remains, the Hindus leaving Azad Kashmir in
1947 never claim themselves as Kashmiris; rather they assert
that they are Indians.
There is no need to construct "composite townships" for
Kashmiri Pandit returnees as they can always go back to
their respective homes which they left on their own. This is
creating animosity between Hindus and Muslims.
It is as an Israeli-style policy to change the demography of
the state from the Muslim majority to a Hindu majority
state. Everyone is welcoming the Kashmiri Pandits come back
into the Kashmir Valley as if this is actually their
home.
Therefore, United Nations must intervene and stop India from
setting up these illegal settlements in order to protect
escalation of war between India and Pakistan.
India
The Condition of Ordinary People: Lack of Basic
Facilities
The village has nearly 275 homes, but most do not have
toilets. Hence, almost all the residents of the village go
outdoors and many squat along the main road.
"The road is 10ft wide, but because of excreta along the
sides of the road, we find it impossible to walk on it,"
complained villager Sudama Prasad.
More than half a billion people in India have no access to
latrines and they are forced to defecate in gutters, behind
bushes or in open water bodies, according to the World
Health Organisation.
Indian women chase away defecators with sticks
A group of village women in the northern Indian state of
Bihar have been using sticks to chase away people trying to
defecate near the main road in their village.
The group of 16 women say they are encouraging people to go
into the fields for defecating, away from the homes and the
main road in their village in Nalanda district.
Shoora
Jamaat al-Muslimeen will hold its National Islamic Shoora on
May 16, InshaAllah.
Sis. Ashira who has returned from a three month trip to
Ethiopia will address the Shoora.
The Shoora is a planning and study group which looks at key
issues like:
Palestine.
Political Prisoners in USA
Africa
Police Brutality in USA.
Women's Rights & Opposition to Exploitation.
Effective ways of giving the message of Islam.
NEPAL
Israeli Homos & their Surrogate Babies in the Rubble of
Nepal's Earthquake
Communication with the Oppressed, Opposition to Oppression
is required of Muslims: Baltimore
Class System Extolling the Rich is anti-Islam: Behind
Drowning of 1200 Migrants from Africa to Europe.
On May 1, 2015 Br. Kaukab Siddique gave the juma' khutba in
central Baltimore. The small masjid was packed with people
including brothers and sisters who had participated day
after day in the anti-police brutality rallies. After the
juma a number of people asked Br. Kaukab about issues
related to marriage and divorce.
These are the main points of the khutba. As its probably the
only khutba of its kind in America, inshaAllah it will be
distributed in numerous communities who are concerned about
Baltimore.
Text #1:
["...no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of
another....] The Qur'an 6:164
Text #1:
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, "Faith consists of more than sixty
branches. And Haya is a part of faith."
[Sahih Bukhari. Vol. 1, Bk. 2. #8]
Comment: (This term "Haya" covers a large number of concepts
which are to be taken together; amongst them are self
respect, modesty, bashfulness, and scruples.)
For the first time during the recent cycle of police
brutalities across America, the government has admitted that
the police committed murder, though how it will work out is
not clear.
There is no justice here when it takes an entire city to
struggle and suffer day after day to get a little
justice.
During the Israeli attack on Gaza, in a khutba here, I
pointed to the fearless children of Palestine. I also said
that our children in Baltimore too are fearless but they
need leadership and guidance. We are proud of our children
but have we tried to show them how to win?
Allah Almighty has obligated us to speak out the truth
and to oppose evil. Why don't we do it?
We must communicate with our people, the oppressed and
the downtrodden, and help them to win. We must also use all
the means of communication to oppose and defeat the
oppressors and wrong doers. This process is as important as
prayers and fasting, as the verses of the Qur'an
indicate.
The evil in this country is immense, traceable from
slavery times and the destruction of the native American
people. Racism and Zionism are the foundations of evil in
America.
The Black community often does not realize that
oppression in Baltimore and the denial of people's rights is
connected to the Zionist-Jewish power structure. They
control the media and can easily show good as evil and evil
as good.
They try to make excuses for the murders of unarmed Black
men by the police. They hide the billions of dollars and the
links with the Jewish entity known as Israel. Most Black
people don't even know what is Zionism though that is the
evil power which is throttling human rights here and in the
Muslim world.
The corporate Zionist media present the burning of a drug
store and scores of cars and some businesses as the major
news item while ignoring the poverty, disenfranchisement,
mistreatment, torture and humiliation of an entire race
which is the majority of the people of Baltimore.
Part !!.
Muslims are often coopted by the culture of wealth and
celebrities. Singers, dancers, entertainers and sportsmen
who don't have the foggiest idea about the dialectics of
oppression but are presented as role models to our
children.
As Muslims, our behavior should be based on issues of
right and wrong, not on rich and poor. America has projected
its images of wealth, comfort and hierarchy around the
world, cleverly telling us that the world's Muslims are not
as good as Americans because they don't have the wealth we
have.
Allah punishes us for thinking in these class oriented,
hierarchical terms. Look at what has happened to migrants
fleeing from Africa for Europe. More than 800 of them were
drowned in ONE incident in the Mediterranean and more than
400 in another tragedy. of these 400 were Syrians, 400
Eritreans and 200 Senegalese 200 Nigerians, Ghanians
etc.
I was very saddened by these horrors happening so
suddenly and in such numbers, but then some facts came
out.
These people paid between $1000, $5000 and $10,000 each
to be smuggled to Europe. In these countries very few
people, hardly any, can afford to pay such amounts. These
were well to do people. By investing this money in their own
communities, they would have helped themselves and their own
people.
Instead, they wanted the comforts of Europe. What they
had was not enough for them. Islam teaches SADAQA and ZAKAT
so that the wealth may be equitably distributed.
Look at Somalia: About 600,000 Somalis are crammed into
refugee camps on the Kenyan border, living off the charity
of the United Nations. They are dying slowly and steadily
with no future for their children.
By contrast, the areas of Somalia controlled by the
mujahideen are reasonably well to do and starvation there is
unknown. Those in the UN refugee camps could have changed
the history of their nation by joining the mujahideen.
Instead they opted for slow death and charity in the hope
that they would finally go to Europe.
These are harsh facts and many people will not like them
but I am not here to please anyone other than Allah.
Du'a: May Allah give us jobs, health, honest business,
regular study of Qur'an and Hadith and Islamic spouses and
children. Pray for compassion, forgiveness, peace and
justice. Pray for the victory of Islamic battle groups. Pray
for the defeat of the Jews in Israel. Pray for the unity of
the Muslims of Baltimore and America on Quran and hadith.
Ameen. Summa amen.
Pakistan
Medical Management and Research in Free Kashmir.
by Dr. Anwarul Haque [Islamabad, Pakistan]
Bismillah hir Rahman nir Raheem
Assalamo alaikum
Al-hamdolillah we are holding 3rd Annual Symposium at Azad
Jammu Kashmir Medical College (AJKMC) Muzaffarabad, Azad
Kashmir, Pakistan this year on 6th-8th May 2015. This
symposium has many unique features such as 11 very useful
hands on training workshops on various aspects of medical
management and research!
Muslims were the founders of all modern sciences without
whom the world still would have been in dark ages and
without industrial development. That great scientific
development had very strong moral and ethical basis which
was generated by Quran e majeed and teachings of the Prophet
Muhammad p.b.u.h.
Effects of these teachings were not limited to the
scientists but to the rulers and the entire society! There
was great serene, stimulating and encouraging environment
with most nourishing ingredients required for the science.
There was an atmosphere of justice, honesty, peace and
intellectual stimulation. The rulers and conquerors became
the most sincere generous guardians of the scientists! The
thieves because of ethical magnetism became founders of
modern engineering, automation and clocks! The rulers
established universities, hospitals and industries!
Unfortunately many "Muslims" have drifted away from hard
work, research and even ethics! This has not only harmed
them but to the world as well because their due share of
most healthy scientific growth is missing!
Symposia at AJKMC is our humble effort to spark the flame of
genuine and healthy research in Pakistan! The symposium will
have many original research papers both by faculty and the
students! Oral and posters presentations are the hub of
symposium. There will be inshallah Allah two very useful
panel expert discussions focusing on "Genesis of Research in
Pakistan" and "Effective Teaching & Research
Strategies"!
The outstanding students' papers will be awarded medals!
Success of the symposium will be judged by how much we are
able to achieve our objectives of sparking the sprit of
research and imparting useful knowledge and skills!
I am grateful to the principal, all faculty members,
consultants at both hospitals, staff and students who
together made our efforts worthwhile!
Anniversary of Shaykh Osama bin Laden.
May 2 was the 4th anniversary of the martyrdom of Shaykh
Osama who was killed in a top level US special forces raid
on his home in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Osama led the Islamic resistance against America and
influenced the entire Muslim world. Fighting groups today in
Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, Nigeria, Mali and
Pakistan consider him their ideological leader. He was a
top level scholar of Qur'an and Hadith and was able to
challenge the rulers of Arabia.
On May 1, Saudi Arabia arrested 93 people allegedly working
along the lines he taught to topple the regime in
Riyadh.
War News
Pakistan
The Pak Taliban are back, attacking Regime forces.
On April 30, Five Pakistani troops, including a senior
officer, were killed in a clash with Pakistani Taliban, in
the Tirah valley, adjacent to the strategic Khyber area near
Afghanistan
On May 1, in Bajaur frontier area, a militia member working
for an armed "peace committee" formulated by the Pakistani
army was killed in an IED attack.
Also on May 1, in the Gulshan-e-Hadeed area of Karachi, hit
and run attackers fired 22 shots at a police vehicle hitting
its three occupants including a senior officer. All three
died in hospital.
According to the daily Dawn, all three attacks have been
claimed by the Pak Taliban [led by Maulvi Fazlullah].
Iraq
Beiji Oil Refinery on Verge of Capture by Islamic State
Forces
May 2: According to western sources, Islamic State fighters
have broken through the outer defenses of the Beiji oil
refinery in spite of bombing raids by the US. About 150
Iraqi troops inside the refinery are desperately calling for
reinforcements and more bombing raids. [Latest is that 60%
of the refinery area is now in Islamic hands. This could be
a disaster for the US installed Shia regime in Baghdad.
May 3. On the outskirts of Ramadi, IS has flattened 4 Iraqi
military barracks with heavy losses to the troops
inside.
In Baghdad there have been Shia Sunni attacks with numerous
losses.
Syria
US Air Attacks on Islamic State Area caused Massacre of
civilians.
May 1. "The number of civilians who were killed by the U.S
led coalition air strikes on Ber Mahli near Seren town
northeast of Aleppo has raised to 52 including 7 children
and 9 women, civilians from the area confirmed to SOHR that
the dead were from 6 different families. the number is
likely to rise because of 13 missing civilians.
We in SOHR condemn in the strongest terms this massacre
committed by the U.S led coalition under the pretext of
targeting the IS in the village, and we call the coalition
countries to refer who committed this massacre to the
courts, as we renew our calls to neutralize all civilians
areas from military operations by all parties." {SOHR is a
human rights group.]
Syria #2:
Mujahideen groups in Idlib Province Unite & Advance on
Shiite - Alawite Stronghold.
May 1-3. Numerous air attacks by Bashar al-Assad's air force
failed to stop the mobilization of mujahideen groups of
great variety including from Saudi oriented to Turkish to
al-Qaida affiliated al-Nusra.
Hizbullah, Iranians and Afghan shias supporting Assad have
failed to stop the mujahideen advance to Latakia province
which is the Alawaite-Shi'ite heartland. The fighting is
fierce because from here Assad got the Shabiha death squads
which have tortured, raped and killed thousands of Sunni
civilians including children
Just outside Damascus, Assad's troops are trying to cut off
the Islamic supply line to east Ghouta which Assad must
capture to stop the threat to his capital.
Our America
Atlanta, Georgia
Support for Prisoners During Ramadan: Easy Process we can
all Follow
by Sis. Sharmin
As Salamu Alaikum,
I hope this message finds you all well and blessed. May
Allah (SWT) keep you stronger and rewards you for all your
work that you do for our communities. We are very grateful
for your support of our work at NCPCF and appreciate your
help with our Ramadan Letters to Prisoners Campaign, which
we hope to continue this year as well.
As you all know we have a lot of Muslims in US prisons. Many
don't hear or see their families for years and suffer from
inhumane conditions and obstacles inside prisons. Many don't
have money to buy any amenities from the prison or receive a
letter or post card of hope or encouragement from the
outside world.
****We are hoping you and others you know can help us with
this. We'd greatly appreciate your support and let me know
your availability to do this activity over the month of
Ramadan as soon as possible***
The process is very easy and this is how it will work:
I will send volunteers 20-50 pre-addressed envelopes to you,
instructions and directions, and a sample letter for folks
to follow or copy when they write letter. The letter need to
be hand written.
The volunteer (that is, you) has to do the following:
Find a time and place (in mosque, community centers,
home, or anytime or place during Ramadan (June-July), talk
to local supporters about this to set up time and date and
location) Ramadan is perfect time for this communal
activity.
Provide paper and pen to writers (with instructions and
sample letter which I can send to you)
Place their letter in envelopes, stamp and mail
Take a photo of your activity and email it to me
ssadequee@gmail.com so we can share with the rest of the
community as a way to encourage others to write letters
Would you all let me know your availability for this in
Ramadan? If so, please email me your address so I can send
you the pre-addressed envelopes.
I look forward to your community writing letters to
prisoners this Ramadan, insha-Allah!
Sharmin
Newport News, California
[Mr. Irving withstood the united Might of Israeli & Zionist
power: Went down with flags flying- NT Editor]
David Irving's Final Address in the Lipstadt Libel Trial
The Journal of Historical Review (IHR)
http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v19/v19n2p-9_Irving.html
On March 15, 2000, British historian David Irving rose
before the High Court of Justice in London to deliver his
Closing Statement in a dramatic legal battle that had
generated enormous media attention. At the center of the
case is a 278-page book by Jewish- American scholar Deborah
Lipstadt, Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on
Truth and Memory, a detailed polemic against Irving and
other revisionists who dispute familiar Holocaust claims ...
Irving's final address provides astonishing details of the
concerted global campaign by Jewish organizations to destroy
his career and silence him. He traces the secretive
activities of this widely feared but little-understood
international cabal.
Boston
Government Agents Targeting Court Activists
by Sis. Karin Friedemann
On Thursday, April 23, 2015 yet another Jahar supporter was
approached by the FBI. This time it took place inside the
Boston courthouse. The woman from New York, who has appeared
on multiple occasions to attend court hearings told the
female agent that she would not talk to her without a
lawyer. She was then told she could not sit in the
courtroom. However, she was still permitted to watch the
proceedings in the overflow room.
According to the FBI agent, what raised eyebrows is when
Goddessina approached Carlos Arrendando in the hallway last
month, the famous "man in the cowboy hat," who was a witness
during the guilt/innocence part of the trial.
"How much did they pay you to lie?" she said to him
directly.
Taken aback, he answered, "Nothing, nothing!"
The FBI warned her not to make anymore statements about
"victims." She had never made any statement about victims.
Carlos was not a victim, he was the hero of the government
story. The government repeatedly brings up straw man
arguments against people who question the official
narrative, by accusing them of not believing that there were
actual victims. When I was verbally assaulted by a victim
outside the courthouse in October of 2014, my sign
questioned the FBI. Not whether or not that guy lost his
foot. I can plainly see that he has suffered. Unfortunately,
the news footage of him shaking his empty pant leg at me
screaming "How's this for proof?" made it onto the national
news. But this is not the only occasion where the straw man
"victim" argument has been used. In other words, the
government paints anyone who disbelieves the government
story as someone who disbelieves that anyone was hurt or
maimed. Unfortunately it works.
Another Jahar supporter from Vermont who was in town at the
end of March reported that the FBI was following her car and
subsequently interviewed her family members who live in
suburban Massachusetts without appointment. She was
intimidated enough to quit all the facebook discussion and
support groups.
A Harvard medical student whose boyfriend was arrested in
relation to this drama was also surprised by the FBI and
(working overtime!) federal prosecutor Aloke Chakravarty on
a Saturday in the university library late 2014! They put her
in a private room to interrogate her without a lawyer.
She asked them, "How did you know I was here?" and they
answered, "We are the government. We know everything."
Please be aware that your smartphone can track you
anywhere.
The FBI also approached her boyfriend in prison and told her
a bunch of lies about how she had gone overseas and become
"radicalized" and he should stay away from her because she
was now an Islamic jihadist. They also told him not to tell
her what they said. She was the only person visiting him and
sending money. Luckily he did not trust them and he talked
to her. The reason the government had become alarmed was
because she was encouraging him to pray, and to straighten
up his life.
The woman in Texas who designed the posters for the October
2014 hearing protest was similarly approached by the FBI
last year at her home and asked what she knows about the
innocence of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. She did not have a lawyer at
hand, but she made them talk to her in a public place and
recorded the entire conversation then transcribed the
conversation.
If the FBI decides to approach you, do not panic. Never ever
lie about something. If you don't feel comfortable
discussing something, say "I prefer not to answer that
question." If they accuse you of lying you could be looking
at decades in jail.
If you ever find yourself in a locked in intimidated
position, always ask: "Am I under arrest?" and "Am I free to
go?" This is very important because in the court hearings
that I have been following, even when a SWAT team came to
the house and was aiming at a woman's head, and they made
all the men strip their clothes and took away their phones
and wallets. This was in order to intimidate them of course.
But when these FBI agents testified in court they claimed
under oath that all they had to do was ask and they would
have been free to go. I challenge anyone to make use of this
right under the law! Whether or not you are under arrest,
you have no obligation to answer any questions.
Anything you do say will be held against you and twisted in
the most sadistic manner. Whatever you say to them will be
torn apart and interpreted in the most amazing way. So
please do not even go there. The best defense is to be super
active in social media so that nothing could ever happen to
you without people noticing. Even someone as famous as
author Susan Abulhawa was visited by Homeland Security the
day after her column criticizing Hirshan Ali. Luckily she
was in the shower and didn't hear the doorbell, just found a
business card.
In general the best thing to do is just don't answer the
door, or else take their card and tell them "don't call me I
will call you,' and then quickly contact local attorneys
with civil rights creds. In the majority of cases that I am
aware of, the FBI conducted their little interview or
attempt of it, and there was no further action. However, if
the person is a foreigner, or has some weakness to be
exploited, they are likely to come under pressure to become
a government witness or informant.
Baltimore
Citizens for Legitimate Government [CLG]
Man who filmed arrest of Freddie Gray 'taken into custody at
gunpoint' after claiming he has been harassed by cops ever
since footage was released
--It is not clear why Moore was arrested or whether he faces
any charges. | 01 May 2015 | The man who filmed Freddie
Gray's arrest has been arrested at gunpoint, according to
reports. Kevin Moore claims to have been the subject of
police harassment and intimidation since filming the moment
Gray, 25, was hauled into a police wagon on April 12,
Counter Current News reported. And on Thursday, Moore, 30,
was reportedly taken into custody with two members of Cop
Watch, a group that documents police work in communities
across America.
Philadelphia
Tension rises in Philadelphia as protesters clash with
police during fourth night of demonstrations over death of
Freddie Gray
--Four people were arrested while one protester claimed he
had been hit over the head by a police club | 01 May 2015 |
Tensions between police and protesters caused clashes in
Philadelphia during the fourth night of demonstrations over
the death of Freddie Gray. Officers pushed back members of a
march who surged on a police line outside City Hall on
Thursday, with police saying four arrests had been made. One
protester told the Philadelphia Inquirer, while a senior
police officer was said to have suffered a blow to the
lip
New York City
Examples of how the Media Want to influence Protestors About
their Children.
by Sis. Aisha
New York City - The following parents were chosen by me and
the White media because their behavior counteracts unity
against oppression in the Black community. These mothers
worked for the oppressor's cause.
Corporal punishment or spanking a child is legal in all 50
states but, many White Middle Americans have very strong
opinions against it and have caused problems for those
parents who use it as a basic form of discipline. There have
been efforts made by Hollywood and the White media to cast a
negative view on corporal punishment. Children have been
removed from homes and decent parents arrested because an
anti-corporal snitch decided to call child protective
services. This has affected people from many cultures and
races in America.
So, when I saw and read White Middle Americans vociferously
supporting a Black woman knocking her son senseless on
television, for demonstrating against savage police
officers, I was miffed. Typical White hypocrisy. The only
reason why this Black woman was being celebrated is because
she stopped her son from voicing his anger toward criminal
police officers! The struggle against oppression in America
has been a long and bloody one for Black people but, those
Black children throwing rocks at police reminded me of our
young Palestinian brothers and sisters who do the same
thing.
But, not everyone can have a Palestinian mother who beams
with pride over her son's decision to fight for his own
freedom! Satan's spawn Golda Meir even stated that, "Peace
will come when the Arabs will love their children more than
they hate us." Spoken like a true barbarian! Of course, the
oppressor wants to paint the oppressed as the war mongers
when it is really the other way around!
It is this Baltimore mother's prerogative to protect her son
and want to keep him alive. Any parent or guardian would
make every effort to do so.
That is your son or daughter and you don't want him or her
hurt. But, there has always been division among those who
fought against this government's oppression and those who
stood by as spectators. This division has nothing to do with
generation gaps.
Black self-preservation is something that our enemies have
counted on for keeping them in control. But, just like Allah
(swt) says in the Holy Qur'an : "Oppression is worst than
slaughter." (2:191). This woman beat up on her son so badly
I thought he was one of the looters, who are the real
criminals alongside the police!
Sweet Black Child Handing Out Water to Police Officers
Next, there is the supposedly heart melting image of a Black
child handing out water to police officers standing around
waiting to crack open Black skulls. The White media depicted
it as a heart warming gesture. White people love ramming the
act of forgiveness down our throats. It is done to depict
those of us, who are rightfully angry with police corruption
and oppression, as malcontents! This is a very common
practice in the media hence, the undeserved terms Angry
Black Male and Angry Black Female. These terms indicate that
we are angry for no reason at all just because we choose to
be angry.
Where were this boy's parents anyway? Standing on the
sidelines gushing?
Black Mother Calls The Police On Her Own Son
A Georgia mother, fed up with her 10 year old son's
disrespect, calls the police on her son! The White officers
arrive, cuff him and place him in the back of the squad car
for five minutes, after which the boy starts sobbing. This
reminds me of numerous episodes of Judge Hatchet dealing
with some tough talking, disrespectful teenager, who is
later reduced to tears inside a correctional facility!
Chiquita Hill felt very comfortable calling the police on
her son with no fear that they'd exacerbate the situation.
When Blacks deal with police, no one knows what to expect.
Something as harmless as calling the police to help with a
bipolar relative or someone locked in the bathroom with a
knife can end up being a fatality for the mentally ill loved
one. Police officers have shot and killed children with toy
guns without ever trying to determine if the gun was real or
not.
Chiquita Hill claims that since that day her son's behavior
has improved but, how must he feel realizing that if he
angers his mother she can call the police on him, anytime? I
take issue with parents allowing the government to
discipline their children. This is worse than child abuse.
It can damage a relationship between a parent and child by
causing distrust.
(Source: Yahoo! News)
Baltimore
Most Outstanding Activist: Sis. Ayesha from Richmond
Sis. Ayesha is a Jamaat al-Muslimeen from Richmond,
Virginia. Her heart is with the people of Baltimore. On
April 25 and again on April 30, May 1 and 2 she spent entire
days, along with her husband, protesting against the murder
of Freddie Gray.
She wears full hijab and stood out in the crowds. As a
result she was interviewed by several news media outlets and
was photographed by scores of protestors and observers.
She wrote about her experiences and sent numerous photos to
New Trend, two of which we publish here.
Silver Spring, Maryland
African American scholar explains the Root of the Problem in
Baltimore: What the Media did not Understand.
The Baltimore Rebellion and Newton's Third Law of Motion
By Dr. Wilmer J. Leon, III
"When one body exerts a force on a second body, the second
body simultaneously exerts a force equal in magnitude and
opposite in direction on the first body." Or, as it is more
commonly stated, for every action, there is an equal and
opposite reaction. - Isaac Newton's Third Law of Motion
1687
Sparked by the not so mysterious April 19th death of Freddie
Gray at the hands of the Baltimore police, citizens of West
Baltimore and other outside agitators took to the streets in
yet another seemingly endless display of urban unrest.
Reporters from mainstream media outlets such as CNN are
unable to place the unrest in any substantive historical
context. "I don't remember seeing anything like this in the
United States of America in a long time" —
@wolfblitzer and CNN's Don Lemon refuses to engage in any
substantive analysis of the basis of the outrage in
Baltimore. He prefers to simply state, "...the city is
burning because someone in essence set it on fire."
Let's try to use what we do know to figure out what it is
that we "don't" know. A 25 year old Baltimore man named
Freddie Gray made eye contact with a police officer and took
off running. Gray was pursued by the police. There is no
known video of the pursuit. There is video of a handcuffed
Gray being lifted to his feet, seemingly unable to walk and
screaming in pain. He is dragged by police to a van and
placed into it by the police because it appears that he is
unable to get into it under his own power. Within one hour
of being in custody, Gray arrives at the police station in
medical distress, unable to walk or talk. He later lapses
into a coma and dies of his injuries a week later. The
preliminary report is that Freddie Gray's spinal cord was
80% severed and his voice box was crushed.
Many are asking "why did he run?" Maybe the question should
be, "why did they pursue him?" When did it become illegal to
look at a police officer and then take off running?
According to CNN, "Police Commissioner Anthony Batts told
reporters there are no excuses for the fact that Gray was
not buckled in as he was transported to a police station."
That's a factbut it does not appear that failing to buckle
Freddie Gray into his seat was the problem. The video
indicates that Gray's inability to use his legs and his
inability to get into the van under his own power are
evidence that his neck was broken during the take down and
subsequent cuffing. As an eye witness says on the tape,
"hey, that boy's legs look broke..." His injuries are
consistent with a knee being placed against the back of his
neck with tremendous force as he laid on the ground and was
being restrained. That is also consistent with police
tactics and training.
Initially, people in Baltimore took to the streets with
peaceful protest but those protest turned violent; resulting
in looting, burning, and total mayhem. When asked why she
did not use a show of force much earlier in the protest,
Mayor Rawlings-Blake said, "We also gave those who wish to
destroy space to do that as well." It is now apparent that
Mayor Rawlings-Blake got what she allowed and much more. She
finally called for and Maryland Governor Larry Hogan
activated the National Guard.
So, the people who she allowed to "destroy space" are now
the same people Mayor Rawlings-Blake is condemning as
"thugs". But this reaction in the streets should have been
anticipated. Actually, it follows the natural laws of
physics. Newton's Third Law of Motion states, ""When one
body (the police) exerts a force on a second body (the
community), the second body simultaneously exerts a force
equal in magnitude and opposite in direction on the first
body." More simply put, when police officers treat a
community that they are sworn to protect and serve as enemy
combatants, the community will rebel. When a people see a
police force that is supposed to protect and serve them turn
into an occupying force, they will revolt.
This is not to in any way shape or form condone the
rebellion, but before you can solve a problem you must
understand and address its root cause. In his speech, "The
Other America" Dr. King said, "...I am still committed to
militant...non-violence as the most potent weapon in
grappling with the problem from a direct action point of
view...But it is not enough for me to stand before you
tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible
for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the
contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our
society...These conditions are the things that cause
individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than
to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must
say tonight that a riot is the language of the
unheard..."
When Baltimorean's return home from their stint in the
pre-school to prison pipeline with no skills and no vote; no
one is listening. According to Business Insider, "Baltimore
has lost nearly a third of its population since its peak of
about 950,000 residents in the 1950s; an estimated 16,000
buildings are vacant or abandoned while more than 4,000
people are homeless" and no one is listening. When Freddie
Gray, Eric Garner, Victor White, III, et al are shot down,
choked out or have their necks snapped in the street by the
police; no one is listening. But a new Attorney General
Loretta Lynch's first priority is to "restore the morale of
police forces" not use all of the power of her office to
protect the citizens who have become their victims. She's
obviously not listening.
The rebellions in Ferguson and Baltimore are no more
un-American than Bacon's Rebellion in 1676 or Shay's
Rebellion in 1787. The issues are basically the same. As
Howard Zinn writes in "A People's History of the United
States, "Were the Founding Fathers wise and just men trying
to achieve a good balance...They certainly did not want an
equal balance between slaves and masers, propertyless and
property holders, Indians and white." That's what we have
today.
The Baltimore Rebellion follows the natural laws of physics,
Newton's Third Law of Motion and it is the language of the
unheard. Hey America, can you hear me now?
