Forty thousand (40,000) runners and I lined up to run the
Chicago Marathon. It was my 49th marathon, and the eighth
one I'd used to call for the freedom of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui.
Running is all about freedom. Some people ride a motorcycle
or drive a Corvette for the purpose. Others snort cocaine.
Still others ski the Swiss Alps, or climb Mount Everest. I
run for the elation, the ebullience, the high that comes
with prolonged exertion.
In prison, there is no runner's high. Dr. Aafia Siddiqui is
held in a tiny prison cell in Fort Worth, Texas. She is
barely allowed out on the yard one hour a day, let alone
permitted to run. She is a diminutive figure, who even the
CIA agents who saw her categorized as "stick thin." And she
is accused of snatching a heavy duty assault rifle, an M-4,
placed on the ground by a soldier at a U.S. army base in
Afghanistan, and assaulting three big, burly U.S.
servicemen. And if you believe that official U.S. government
version, I have a bridge to sell you in California.
Lies and More Lies Against a Hafiza-e-Qur'an
If Aafia had shot at the servicemen, there would have been
bullet casings at the scene. There were none. Aafia was the
only person shot. In fact, she was shot three times in the
stomach, and almost died from it, due to delayed or
non-existent medical treatment.
Bullet casings aside, there were not even any proper bullet
holes to tie Aafia to the case. Yes, there was a bullet hole
in the wall where Aafia ostensibly fired at the soldiers.
And yes, the prosecution did its best to attribute the
bullet hole to Aafia's putative firing of the firearm. But
the incident occurred in a fort, which is a secured
building, and thus has video-monitoring. And- the video
clearly shows the existence of the bullet hole in
question—prior to Aafia's arrival at the fort.
But, the video was not available to the defense at the time
of the trial, appeals of the verdict were (suspiciously)
dropped by Aafia, and the 86-year sentence, which included a
terror enhancement added by the judge (for a non-terror
trial!), stuck. That's even though (excepting Aafia) not one
person was killed or even injured. Talk about
Kafkaesque.
The Real Victim of the Victimless "Crime"
Later on, while in prison, Aafia lost part of her intestine.
And one of her kidneys was removed. When she appeared in
court in New York, she was in a wheel chair. Her condition
was resultant from the injuries sustained during her capture
and detention, as well as the dearth of proper medical care.
All of this was a clear violation of the Geneva
Convention.
A Bit of Background About Me
(Skip to next section if you know me)
I am a Pakistani woman marathoner, one of very few. Leading
up to today's race, I'd run 48 full marathons. Today would
be Marathon #49. As far as I know, I hold the Pakistani
women's record in terms of sheer numbers of full marathons
run (keeping in mind that a marathon, by definition, is 26.2
miles or 42.16 km). And I may possibly hold the Pakistani
women's time record for the event as well. According to the
Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP), the Pakistani record
was set by one Sadia Parveen, who managed a 4:12 marathon
finish at the Hong Kong Marathon in 2002. My PR (record) is
3:41, achieved in 2015 at the NCR Marathon (Maryland,
USA).
Sidebar: Women and Athletics in Pakistan
Although women are starting to run more and more in
Pakistan, there are tremendous obstacles. There are stray
dogs in many areas, which make it physically dangerous. The
heat is stifling much of the year in many regions, with
temperatures up to 120 degrees not uncommon.
Then, too, community support for women running long
distances is scant. The reason for this may be the long-held
and misplaced view that distance running interferes with
women's fecundity. And, since children are considered the
greatest wealth of a community in many traditional cultures,
anything interfering with conception is frowned upon. Hence
I received many warnings early on to ease up on the
running.
In addition to myths about running's interference with
childbearing ability, Pakistani female athletes face far
more serious obstacles. In the Land of the Pure, women
runners risk everything from character assassination,
heckling, groping, threats, intimidation and assault while
running outdoors. And unfortunately, hijab is no protection,
as I can personally attest. While this is purely anecdotal,
I was assaulted by a man I'd never met while running in
loose fitting shalwar-kameez and dupatta (head cover) in
Pakistan. And I have heard similar stories from other female
athletes in Pakistan. Many who persist in the sport resign
themselves to indoor running at the gym. But this, too, is a
limiting solution, because in a poor country with no Planet
Fitness, and gym fees being beyond the reach of many
ordinary Pakistani women, the gym is frequently the domain
of Pakistani upper class women.
All of that to say: Recognizing the privilege of my
circumstance, I don't think it fair to compare myself to
Sadia Parveen or other athletes who have trained on
Pakistani soil under extremely harsh conditions.
Why Run for Aafia?
I was in Chicago at my own expense. No one was paying me to
run for Aafia. Nor was she a blood relative, despite the
similarity in our surnames. I would gain neither fame nor
fortune by running for a Pakistani Muslim woman political
prisoner, unapologetic in her love for Islam, and who been
labeled with the worst possible pejoratives. I ran for Aafia
because I was absolutely certain of her innocence. But it
was not all about Aafia. I ran in her name, too, because of
what she symbolized: a completely innocent person rendered
(kidnapped) by vicious security forces during the U.S. "War
on Terror," her life shattered through no fault of her
own.
Many Aafias
Hundreds of such innocents were kidnapped, including
children. Many of these were captured in Pakistan, by the
government of then-dictator Pervez Musharraf, a staunch U.S.
ally. They were taken to Guantanamo Bay, frequently after
detention and torture at one of seven U.S. black sites
("secret prisons"). Of the 779 prisoners originally held at
Guantanamo, 734 were released or transferred, with even the
CIA admitting that they were completely innocent.
Tragically, nine of the detainees died in Guantanamo, never
to return home to the families who waited for them day after
day.
Following their ordeal, a few of the released detainees
somehow found the courage to write their story. For
example:
Their health, sanity, and sense of safety in the world
destroyed, the Guantanamo detainees struggled to rebuild
their lives. Some detainees, of Arab origin, were returned
to Arab countries ruled by dictators. In these cases, the
regime continued to hound and harass them, as the label of
"terrorist" had been smeared on them. While the British
government paid restitution to a small number of the
detainees who were British citizens, in no case was
restitution made by the United States to the former
detainees for the illegal, lengthy detentions, separation
from their families, and tortures endured. This was despite
the fact that the "War on Terror," in the course of which
the detainees (including Aafia Siddiqui) were captured, was
instigated by the U.S.
A great book which powerfully documents the "War on Terror"
and its terrible impact on Muslims is:
It is race day, and I rise to say the fajr prayer. I don my
"Free Dr. Aafia Siddiqui" tee, and grab the few essential
items I laid out the night before: Power Bars, water bottle,
gloves, hotel room key.
The starting line is two miles away from the downtown hotel
where I'm staying. There's a free shuttle with a nearby
pickup point, which could get me to the start, but I elect
not to take it. I'm not a morning runner, and I need to wake
my legs up, preferably before I'm surrounded by throngs of
people. The streets are dark as I jog toward the start line.
Luckily, I've walked the area in the previous days, and
recognize various cross streets.
The race starts in Chicago's renowned Grant Park. This is a
huge city park, spanning many blocks. Numerous side streets
lead up to it. The race is so large that the organizers, to
avoid complete pandemonium, have assigned each runner a
specific side street from which to access the starting line.
This is based on how fast the runner was in a previous
marathon, which she documented on her Chicago marathon
application. On her assigned street (which race organizers
call a "gate") is the security checkpoint through which
she—and all runners in her starting group—must
pass. The runner must display her bib (race) number, which
is unique to her. It is worn on the front of her shirt, and
contains a timing device to record her exact start and
finish time, which are later used to calculate her finish
time. (This is done to ensure fairness, since, with 40,000
people running, everyone cannot possibly cross the start
line at the same time.) Non-runners are not permitted into
the area.
My assigned street is Ida B. Wells Drive. The symbolism does
not escape me. My "gate' is named after an extremely
prominent, fearless Black woman leader. Originally a teacher
in segregated schools in the American South, she fought
against lynchings and for black women's rights. And I am
running for a Pakistani woman, Aafia, a brilliant orator,
scholar, and visionary in her own right, who sought to
revolutionize the Pakistani education system to benefit all
Pakistani children, including those with autism and other
learning disabilities—until she was kidnapped by
Pakistani intelligence and handed over to the U.S. for
torture.
My wave starts at 8:00 AM, one hour after the elites
(professional athletes and other very fast runners). So, I
wait, praying, stretching, observing.
The Race Starts
The race started, as usual, after the singing of the
National Anthem. Unlike some of the marathons I've run, this
city's mayor, Lori Lightfoot, did not come out to kick off
the race. Perhaps it was just not a Chicago thing. Or it may
have been that she, an openly gay woman who frequently leads
Chicago's annual Pride (LGBTQ) Parade, was too busy with her
wife?
As a middle of the pack marathoner, I view marathoning as an
opportunity to see a new city on foot. It is very
empowering, and often changes one's view of the city. In
this case, I'd run Chicago twice previously, and had a
general sense of the city's layout.
According to the organizers, the Chicago marathon traverses
twenty-nine of the city's neighborhoods. Unlike some
marathons, eg Baltimore and Washington, DC, which take
runners through a variety of neighborhoods, including both
affluent and downtrodden areas, the Chicago race seemed not
very representative of the city. For example, it avoided
large swathes of Chicago's South Side, reputed to be poor
and crime-ridden. It did, however, provide interesting
glimpses into Chicago's ethnic diversity.
For example, approximately 40% of Chicago's population is
Latino, a fact I'd been completely unaware of prior to my
first Chicago Marathon in 2018. And evidently, the Windy
City is home to a very large population of Latino distance
runners. On top of this, runners from all over Latin America
converge on Chicago just to participate in the race.
Accordingly, marathon coverage by the sports channels was
provided in both English and Spanish, the Spanish language
coverage by Telemundo. Latinos lined the roads all along the
route to cheer on their family members who were running the
marathon. Perhaps the largest group of these was near Mile
18. They were playing beautiful, energizing Spanish music,
waving the flags of various Latin American countries, and
chanting "Si se puede," and other words of encouragement
entirely in Spanish. I noted with some amusement that they
would yell out in Spanish not just to the Hispanic runners,
but also to those who were clearly non-Hispanic.
As I ran, an old friend in Brownsville, TX, came to mind. He
is a Mexican convert to Islam, and a long-time Aafia
supporter. Prior to becoming seriously ill, he'd worked
diligently to educate his community both about Islam, and
about the Aafia case. His daughter, Aisha, frequently
sported the "Free Dr. Aafia Siddiqui" tee distributed by our
campaign several years ago. I also thought of Nahela
Morales, a Latina convert and social justice activist with
the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Council on American
Islamic Relations (CAIR), who'd spoken passionately at a
rally for Aafia outside of FMC Carswell (prison where Aafia
is locked up), and then launched the "#IAmAafia" campaign,
which reached thousands of people over social media.
I wondered if many Chicago-area Latinos were aware of Dr.
Aafia's case. Given the xenophobia, racism, and sometimes
extreme hate directed at them, could they relate to her
experience at the hands of the U.S. government? Or were they
more likely to swallow the government propaganda against
her?
A few miles down the road, we ran under a gargantuan, ornate
arch, and suddenly all of the signs were in Chinese. It was
the famed Chinatown Arch. For some reason, perhaps because
it occurs around Mile 22, by which time I am heavily
fatigued, I didn't remember running under it during my
previous two Chicago marathons. A member of my support team
was there, and shouted words of encouragement to me. We ran
through Chicago's Chinatown. A Chinese band, complete with
traditional Chinese gong and other instruments, was playing.
Chinese restaurants, furniture stores, acupuncture shops,
and herbalists—abounded. We left Chinatown, and headed
back toward downtown and Grant Park.
In the course of the approximately four hours I was running
for Aafia, fellow marathoners would pass and gave me fist
bumps, thumbs up, or verbal kudos. The last, and most
emphatic of these was a young Caucasian female runner. "Yes,
yes, free 'em all!" she said. She, like most of the other
runners interacting with me during the race, was responding
to the back of my shirt, which read "Free all political
prisoners!"
I was aware that the front of my shirt, featuring a graphic
of Dr. Aafia, and the words, "Free Dr. Aafia Siddiqui!"
unfortunately, could not easily be read by other runners
during the race. That is because it is a serious tripping
hazard, to turn to read another runner's shirt in such a
large crowd. However, the message was visible to spectators.
These lined every road we ran. And the shirt, with its
message, was visible to other runners during the lengthy
waiting period to start the race, as well as during the rest
period afterwards, when exhausted runners who had completed
the marathon lounged about the "Recovery Area" reserved for
them in Grant Park.
All along the course, spectators held their national flags.
I recognized those of India, Mexico, Canada, Britain,
France, Norway, Spain, Italy, and many other countries. But
there were no Pakistani flags. And certainly no "Free Aafia"
placards. It was late in the race, and I was starting to get
tired. I turned a corner, and saw a group of spectators
holding a large Palestinian flag. Several of them were also
wearing kaffiyahs (traditional Palestinian scarves). They
were there to cheer on the runners from Team Palestine,
which participates in the Chicago Marathon each year, to
raise funds for the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF).
As they had their eyes peeled for their own team mates who
were running (ie Palestinians), and I was still moving
pretty quickly, they didn't see me at first. As I went past,
I yelled as loud as I could "Viva Viva Palestina!" And they
smiled and raised their fists. I have no idea why I yelled
out in Spanish. But, it gave me a much needed surge of
energy, which propelled me across the finish line a few
miles away.
As one crosses a marathon finish line, one encounters a
battery of volunteers. The first set of these give the
runner water. The next one puts a finisher medal around the
runner's neck. The next volunteer places a heat shield
(tin-like blanket) around the runner. I had been noticing
all along the course that there were numerous volunteers of
Pakistani appearance. Then, after I crossed the finish line,
I encountered the volunteers (a different group) giving out
finisher medals. A Caucasian male volunteer handed me a
medal. I ordinarily don't allow the medal to be placed
around my neck, as do most runners, as I think it will
obstruct the message of the Aafia shirt. The man
congratulated me. Standing right next to him was a young
Pakistani man. He looked me straight in the eye and said,
"Great job! And by the way, I support your cause. Free Aafia
Siddiqui!"
It was my third time running the Chicago Marathon, and the
slowest of the three. My times were 4:04 in 2018; 4:18 in
2019; and 4:22 this year (2022). So, perhaps I was slowing
down with old age. Or not. Either way I could see the
movement to free Aafia growing on many different fronts. And
I was sure that the youth, who naturally gravitate to
justice, would take the lead.
DHAKA - Thousands of party activists in Bangladesh have been
hit with "fake" charges of violence in a widespread
crackdown by the authorities, the opposition said on Monday
as an international rights group expressed concern.
Opponents of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina - whose government
faces a general election next year and is accused of rights
abuses - have held protests across the country in recent
months over power cuts and demanding a poll under a neutral
caretaker government.
Some of the demonstrations have been marred by violence.
War News
Sudan
Heavy tribal fighting is reported from Chad and Southern
Sudan. Big losses but no details.
Syria
October 22
Three Assad soldiers were killed in clashes with Islamic
group Fath al-Mubeen. Assad troops opened heavy artillery
fire. [Idlib frontline,]
Daraa province : Two soldiers who had reconciled with Assad
regime were killed.
Israel fired several missiles at Damascus airport but most
were shot down by regime defenses.
We get so scared sometimes,
afraid of all that can go wrong.
all that can be lost.
but in our debilitating fear, we lose focus.
we see the sickness, but not the cure.
The storm, but not the shelter.
Yes, there are armies and Red Seas.
Yes, there are flames.
But remember, the sickness, the storm,
the fire, the armies and the sea,
are all creations in the hands of the Sovereign.
He saved Ayyub (A.S.) from the sickness,
Nuh (A.S.) from the storm,
Ibrahim (A.S.) from the flames,
and Musa (A.S.) from the armies and the Sea.
It wasn't that they didn't face these hardships.
They did...!
They were surrounded by them.
But Allah kept them safe,
even while in the belly of the calamity.
our focus is wrong.
We fear the storm...
because we don't see the Shelter.
we fear the Red Sea...
because we don't see
the One who can split it in two...!
It is not the storm we should fear
but the distance from Shelter.
'Subhanak Allaahuma wa bihamdika Ash-hadu anlaa illaaha illa
anta
Astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk'.
[Exalted and Glorified is my Lord (ALLAH) and all prayers
and praises are due to HIM (alone)
and I bear witness that there is no other Lord or God except
YOU (ALLAH)
I seek your forgiveness and I repent unto YOU...
[Allah Humma 'Aameen']
"Never Despair Of The Mercy Of Allah"
**************************************
Say, 'Indeed, my Prayer, my Rites of Sacrifice,
my Living and my Dying are for ALLAH, Lord of the
Worlds'.
{'Qur`an'~Surat Al-'An`am -# 6-162.}
Pakistan
Malala Sneaking Support for Transgender into Pakistan
Most Muslims dont known this, as MSN reports:
Malala Yousafzai, who heads her own film and TV production
company, Extracurricular Productions, is joining "Joyland,"
Pakistan's Oscar submission in the international feature
category, as an executive producer.
What is the movie about?:
The tale of sexual revolt sees a patriarchal family yearn
for the birth of a baby boy to continue the family line,
while their youngest son secretly joins an erotic dance
theater and falls for an ambitious transsexual starlet.
Yousafzai said: "I am incredibly proud to support a film
that proves Pakistani artists are among the best in global
cinema. 'Joyland' invites us to open our eyes to the people
closest to us — to see our family members and friends
as they are, not colored by our own expectations or societal
bias."
After the Catastrophic Floods
Volunteers are hard at Work
Pravalli Welfare Trust.
Flood Relief
Update 17 Oct 2022
We have divided support to flood effected folks in three
phases. Since first phase is almost over, therefore, it goes
to end of this progress report.
Phase 2
.....payment of Rs 25000.
Rs 25000 have been paid to 488 families so far, whose
houses were damaged. 20 more families will be paid by the
end of this month. Photos of distribution with donor names
on it are shared with donors.
Phase 3
.....In third phase we are building houses for widows
and poor folks. We have started work on 25 such houses in 6
different Tehsil of Baluchistan, Sind and DG Khan+ Rajan Pur
in Punjab. These will be bricks / blocks houses, instead of
old mud houses, for protection against floods. Donors will
be sent step by step progress on these houses. Each 10x18
feet room with open kitchen will cost around Rs. 165,000
Same is being done in Sind where water has receded.
Phase 1
.... Rs 5000 being given for immediate relief to buy
thing they need + tent + mosquito nets+ food packages +
Temporary Toilets.
In that 826 families were given Rs 5000 each to meat
immediate needs in Balochistan, Sind and Punjab. Photos of
distribution with donor name on it are shared with the
donors.
In addition 960 food pkgs were distributed.
149 tents and 200 mosquito nets distributed.
One medical camp held.
3 temporary toilets made
This was not my money. Cooperation and support of our worthy
donors has made all this possible. Thank you very much.
Jazak Allah khair.
--Col Mushtaq Ahmad (R)
www.pravalli.org
Palestine
Why Israel?
Owing to the Balfour Declaration [November 2, 1917] and the
allied victory against Germany in 1945, Israel was created
as a bastion of the West in the heartland of Islam.
Palestinians were victims of genocide. Today they live in
refugee camps and tiny strips of Palestine known as Gaza and
the West Bank.
Supporters of Israel control key positions in America and
the western powers. Israel has been turned into the most
powerful military force in the Middle East.
Islam does not allow Muslims to let anyone take over a
Muslim country and keep it.
Israel has no right to be there. However until a Muslim hero
like Salahuddin turns up, Israel will retain its power in
occupied Palestine. Erdogan could have been the liberator
but turned out to be another clever politician.
The west is cleverly giving us the sop of a two-state
solution.
Muslims must learn that Israelis have to return where they
came from.
Don't be fooled. All of Palestine belongs to the
Palestinians.
[Kaukab Siddique.]
[Churchill's role in the creation of Israel is most
important. Churchill's official biographer, Martin Gilbert,
sums it up:
"Winston Churchill's commitment to Jewish rights, to
Zionism, and ultimately to the State of Israel never
wavered." [ Churchill and the Jews: A Lifelong Friendship.
Published in 2007.]
Jamaat Al-Muslimeen News
Jamaat Al-Muslimeen's National Shoora
by Zoom held on October 23
One of the longest standing Muslim organizations in North
America, Jamaat Al-Muslimeen, held its National Shoora by
Zoom on the topic "Oppression of Muslims in
India and Africa," on October 23.
The chairperson was Br. Salahuddin Abdullah
Dr. Firoz Kamal addressed the question "What is Hindutva?"
Br. Shoaib Qureshi spoke on Hindutva in the UK.
Sis. Khadija Latavia spoke on "How to help prisoners." Sis.
Ashira Naim spoke on "Children in Ethiopia."
Comments and resolutions were offered by the Jamaat
Al-Muslimeen Ameeer, Dr. Kaukab Siddique.
Book Review
Nuremberg: The Last Battle
By David Irving
Using the unpublished diaries and papers of the principal
actors David Irving takes a close-quarters look at the trial
which finally ended World War Two.
There would be few crimes listed in the indictment at
Nuremberg of which one or other of the four prosecuting
powers was not guilty of itself.
In the cause of defeating Adolf Hitler, civilian populations
had been burned and blasted, murdered, brutalised,
intimidated, deported, and enslaved; aggressive wars had
been launched, neutral countries occupied by pretext and
deceit, and the unalterable paragraphs of international
conventions flagrantly violated.
Africa
Ethiopians Given TPS
21 Oct 2022
Ethiopians living in the United States will get work permits
and be shielded from deportation for 18 months, the Biden
administration has announced, as the African nation is
embroiled in a deadly armed conflict.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Friday
that it was extending what's known as Temporary Protected
Status (TPS) to Ethiopians due to the "extraordinary and
temporary conditions" that make it too dangerous for them to
return to their country safely.
