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Rajab 13,1430/ July 6, 2009, # 33
5 Important items about OUR AMERICA.
Please scroll way down.
Second Anniversary of Red Mosque-Jamia Hafsa tragedy in Islamabad.
Scroll way down.
Islamic women are the core of the ummah. See below Dr. Kaukab
Siddique's interview with Umm Hasan, the woman who led the women's
seminary. This interview was taken before the tragedy and helps us to
understand the issues which led to the war now going on in Pakistan.
A comprehensive Hadith of Prophet Muhammad, peace be on him
[Sent by Sis. Aqsa.]
Narrated by An-Nawwas ibn Sam'an
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "A creature is not to be
obeyed when it involves disobedience to the Creator."
Jami' Al-Tirmidhi. Hadith 3696. It is transmitted in
Sharh as-Sunnah.
From Imam Badi Ali, [North Carolina], National Islamic Shoora,
Jamaat al-Muslimeen:
Spotlight #1
Think about it: There is no place in the world without Muslims. It's
a natural support network through which our Islamic message can
be projected. We can reach any corner of the world. Why are we not
doing it? False "leaders" are busy dividing the Muslims. Remember, we
are ONE Ummah, from Pakistan to America, from Norway to Nigeria, from
Xinkiang to Indonesia.
Spotlight #2
Why do Muslims project their enemy's message? Recently, during the
publicity against Iran, Israeli terrorist Shimon Peres was in
Kazakhstan preaching peace and claiming that he is willing to meet King
Abdullah anywhere for peace, be it in Jerusalem or in Riyadh. No Muslim
is going to be fooled by Peres' message because we all know he is a
hypocrite and a liar. However, when Muslims very naively start talking
peace and interfaith, we are inadvertently picking up the propaganda of
the enemy. Our lands are occupied, our people are being killed. What's
the relevance of "peace!"
Spotlight # 3
According to the New York Times, Russia has decided to let the U.S.
transport its weapons and supplies across its lands to fight the
Islamic resistance in Afghanistan. Whatever differences USA and Russia
might have, they are united against the Islamic powerhouse of resistance
in Afghanistan. Thus it's a mistake for any Islamic movement to see
Russia as an ally. They have done in Chechnya what USA did in
Iraq. They also betrayed Iraq.
Jamaat al-Muslimeen [News]
P.O. Box 10881
Baltimore, MD 21234
Outreach #1: Jamaat Literature Given to 200 People at Philadelphia's
43rd street Masjid
To Join Jamaat al-Muslimeen in Philadelphia:
Contact Br. Aquil or Br. Tariq
Phone: 215-900-3828 or 215-900-1135
July 3, 2009: The 43rd street masjid had a larger than usual crowd
owing to the holiday. After Juma' salat, Jamaat al-Muslimeen volunteers
gave important literature to 200 people. The literature included a
report on the case of Black Panther leaderJack Johnson at whose appeal
case after 39 years, the court had lost the date! Other items
were: French President Sarkozy's attack on Islamic dress, analysis of
President Obama's interview in which he called for total destruction of
Islamic resistance ["extremism"], U.S. drone attack on a Muslim funeral,
links for Urdu songs showing mass support for Taliban in Pakistan,
a note about the passing of Pak Islamic leader Mian Tufail Muhammad, and
Karzai's admission that Taliban are winning.
The literature went like hot cakes. The crowd was very mixed:
Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Malaysian, African American, Sudanese, Somalis
and even a couple of Euro-Americans.
Outreach #2. Distributing Report on Dr. Shabazz Amazing Trip to
Ethiopia. Contrast with ICNA
June 26, 2009: At a mosque run by ICNA in Queens, New York, the khutba
was about praise for Michael Jackson. After the Juma' a sister
distributed a report about the extremely successful trip by Dr.
Abdulalim Shabazz to a university in Ethiopia. The contrast was stark.
ICNA looking for cheap popularity, Jamaat al-Muslimeen urging Muslims
to think and to connect with Africa.
Theme of Jamaat al-Muslimeen's Shoora Meeting: July 25, 2009
The National Islamic Shoora announced July 5 that the theme of the
Shoora meeting will be:
"Muslims' Crucial Role in a Fast Changing World."
Delegates have confirmed, inshallah, from: New York, Pennsylvania,
Maryland, Washington, DC, North Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana,
Colorado and California. The Shoora will be presided over by
Dr. Kaukab Siddique [
ksidd37398@aol.com
].
Letter: Ethiopia's Muslim "Rock Star" in Education: Slight
Corrections on Dr. Abdulalim Shabazz' trip to Ethiopia
With regards to your wonderful article on the graduation exercises of
2020 Open University College in Adamu, Ethiopia on 23 May 2009, here
are some slight corrections/additions: Professor Bumedin Abdulwahab Ali
is a mathematician and he taught mathematics for 7 and a half years at
Morehouse College, where he was a very popular, effective and in great
demand teacher. Yes, it may appear unbelievable, but all 3000 members
of the graduating class had jobs before they received their diplomas.
The motto of the University College is "Education for All", and it
appears from what we see and have seen that Professor Bumedin and his
able helpers are doing just that for the people of Ethiopia. Finally,
this leader in educating excellently all his students is easily
recognized in the streets of Ethiopia because of his work and his many
appearances on Ethiopian TV. Indeed, he is somewhat of a "Rock Star"
in education. He is a humble lover of his people, a deep lover of
teaching, and he recognizes the generous, essential help of Allah.
Thus, his rapid success is no mystery.
Abdulalim Shabazz
[
DrAAS.info
]
Sent by Dr. Ismail Zayid, Canada.
Vice President Biden indicated that the U.S. is opening the way for
Israel to strike Iran. He pretended that Israel is a sovereign
country and can do what it wills. [Don't laugh: We are just reporting
Biden's comment.] This is worth reading.
Please scroll all the way down.
China Slaughters Unarmed Muslim Demonstrators: Chinese Tanks used in
Muslim Province [July 5]
Unarmed Muslim protestors came out in Urumqi following the murder of
two Muslim workers by Chinese supremacists. The murders in late June
did not elicity any legal action by the Chinese authorities as has
happened many times before. These murders were the last straw and the
Muslim population came out in their thousands to protest. The Chinese
rushed in armed police and then military forces with tanks. They shot
down Muslim demonstrators indiscriminately. The enraged demonstrators
then attacked Chinese supremacist properties and automobiles,
setting many on fire. The Chinese military went on the rampage and
slaughtered hundreds of Muslims.
The Chinese are controlling the information. This is the way it came
out, minimizing the massacre:
"July 6: Chinese authorities announced today that some 140 people had
been killed and over 800 wounded in protests that roiled Urumqi, the
capital of China's far western Xinjiang province, on Sunday. According
to the official news agency Xinhua, Urumqi police chief Liu Yaohua told
a press conference that the number of dead was still rising and that
there had also been extensive damage to property."
[New Trend comment: China probably forgot that this is the era of
Islamic resurgence. China won't be able to get away with such terrible
crimes against humanity. China might have to pay all the way from
Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines to Pakistan, the Middle East
and Africa. The Chinese have flooded the Muslim province of Xinjiang
with Chinese Han supremacists not unlike what Israel did with Jews
in Palestine.]
Israel Kidnaps African American woman leader Attempting to Deliver
Relief Goods to Children in Gaza
U.S. Department of State Middle East Digest 01 Jul 2009 briefing on the
kidnapped passengers (with the U.S. State Department). The sheer
stupidity of the answer boggles your mind.
QUESTION: Erin Connors from Press TV. Former congresswoman Cynthia
McKinney and members of the Free Gaza Movement were intercepted by
the Israeli army when they were on a humanitarian mission over there.
What's being done about that? Are they on their way home? Will they be
deported? What's the next step there, and will their supplies ever get
to where they're going?
IAN KELLY: On that last question, I don't know the answer, actually. I
think I have to refer you to the Government of Israel. We can confirm
that the Israeli navy did arrest those on board this - the ship which
is known as Spirit. We can't comment on any of the individuals or the
number of individual American citizens on board because of Privacy
Act concern.
Can you *imagine* what would happen if Iran intercepted a vessel and/or
incarcerated a former congressperson and Nobel Prize winner?
Greta Berlin
Free Gaza Movement
357 99 284 102
www.freegaza.org
www.flickr.com/photos/29205195@N02
Letter: ling all Africans: Re Cynthia Mckinney
Cynthia McKinney is in an Israeli Jail
The following phone numbers are associated with their Consulate
212 499 5000
5600
5300
Tell them what time it is
James McIntosh [New York]
[Ed. note: She has just been released, July 6, but the Israeli atrocity
must still be protested.]
Letter: ai cult Supporting Zionist Moves Against Iran
Note the "Samimi" origin of the e-mails supporting the "protesters" who
lost the election by eleven million votes and otherwise supporting US
and Zionist intrigues in Iran.
The Samimis are a well-known clan of the traitor Iranian-origin Baha'i
cult who were sent packing along with their patron the Shah in 1979 and
have been plumping for a restoration of the monarchy and/or a state
subservient to US Imperialism and Zionism ever since.
They enjoy friendly and mutually supportive relations with the Jewish
state and appear on Jewish calendars such as those released by the ADL
("Anti-Defamation League") in recent years. The Baha'i world
headquarters are located on Mt. Carmel in Haifa, Palestine. They claim
to not be involved in politics but have persistently and openly lent
themselves to Imperialist intrigues in the Middle East and elsewhere.
al-Ustadh Husayn Farajallah Zaki Al-Kurdi
Chicago
Strategic Studies
An outline by Dr. Kaukab Siddique
Obama Deeply Frustrated and disappointed by the Solid Unity of the
Iranian People behind the "Line of the Imam."
Plus a note on the Ahmadenejad vs Rafsanjani confrontation
Disappointment in Iran: The post election disturbances revealed the
U.S.-Israeli hand. The U.S. was waiting to pounce. President Obama was
cautious when the big rallies against Ahmadinejad began. He seems to
have been advised that the opposition led by Mousavi had the upper hand.
The westernized Iranian groups were noisy and sounded ambitious. Obama
thought the situation was ripe and he need not say anything. Iran would
fall into his lap like a ripe plum.
Once more the CIA appears to have blundered on Iran.
Ayatollah Khamene'i spoke with great wisdom to the Iranians and they
understood. Unfortunately Mousavi did not understand and carried on
with attempts to gather crowds, with little success. He got one crowd
of 5000 and then one of 300 and that was it. The Islamic forces had won
in the streets too with hardly any bloodshed.
Obama now felt frustrated and condemned the Islamic government, to no
avail. The disappointment felt by the Zionist president of America
could be seen on the TV screens of America. The ones most supportive of
Obama were shrill and sometimes hysterical. Rachel Maddow, Keith
Olbermann and Wolf Blitzer were now behaving as O'Reilly and Glenn Beck
used to act out during the Bush presidency.
Why is America unhappy? Iran has done everything it could to
help America, just short of giving up its own independence. Iran stood
by the U.S-U.N. sanctions on Iraq when Saddam defied the imperialists.
Iran, through the Northern Alliance, helped the U.S. defeat the Taliban
and corner Al-Qaidah in 2001. Then the U.S. attacked Iraq and again
Iran helped the U.S. by its sheer passivity, by joining the demonization
campaign against Saddam and then by funding the Shi'ite groups working
for the U.S.
It was one Iranian strategic blunder after another. Iran saw the
tactical results and was pleased. Both the Taliban-al-Qaida and Saddam
were down and Iran was standing tall. That was indeed the depth of
Iranian inability to see the strategic results. It was also a
deep violation and negation of the teachings of Islam.
The Americans now wanted to work with Iran to control the entire Muslim
world. Discreet meetings turned into open contacts. The Iranian foreign
minister visited Iraq, subjugated by the U.S., and poured a BILLION
dollars into the puppet regime installed by the U.S.
Iran did not realize that U.S. foreign policy is controlled [some would
say, dictated] by Israel and by Jewish Americans. Israel made a big
thing of the nuclear program in Iran. It was a game meant to incite the
U.S. and the European governments against the Iranians who have not
even one nuclear weapon and won't have the capacity to get one for at
least five more years.
The Israelis apparently convinced the Bush administration that if Iran
were to lose Hizbullah as the source of its influence in the Arab world,
Iran would work with the U.S. but from a weakened position.
Hence the Israeli onslaught on Hizbullah and the destruction of the
economy of Lebanon. Unfortunately for Israel, Hizbullah put up
unexpectedly strong resistance. Israel failed to destroy Hizbullah and
received global condemnation for its aggression.
In the dying days of the Bush administration, Israel went after Hamas
and destroyed the entire Gaza enclave. Again, it failed to destroy
Hamas in spite of the lack of heavy weapons in the hands of Hamas.
The destruction of Gaza seemed to have Obama's approval. He
didn't say a word of disapproval as Israel went about its terroristic
attacks. It was a SEAMLESS TRANSITION of imperialism from Bush
to Obama.
After the twin Israeli failures, it looked like Obama was in a fix.
Iran stood tall and Israel hecame a dirty word globally. Hence Obama
made his seemingly open minded statements about talking to Iran if only
it would unclench its fist.
In that context, the Iranian elections came as a "godsend" for Israel
and the U.S. Mousavi had lost but had received millions of votes.
Iranians usually squabble over a contest and know how how to differ
without fighting. But into this mix jumped the westernized fringes of
Iran's America-linked enclaves. As if at a signal, America's notoriously
Zionist media went on a binge of Ahmadinejad-bashing. Right away the
comparisons with Hitler came up [who too was elected!], a sure sign of
the Jewish hand behind the propaganda.
It was meant to be a coup. That became very clear when America and its
Iranian supporters started attacking Ayatollah Khamene'i and comparing
their own disturbances to the revolution of 1979! This was a serious
attempt to put an end to the Islamic core in Iran. It failed
miserably because the revolution still has huge support among the
working classes and the women. Can one hope that Ahmadinejad will think
of Imam Khomeni's teachings now more than ever not to have any relations
with the U.S.? Remember he called it The Great Satan!
A Note on the Class Conflict in Iran. Re: Ahmadenejad vs Rafsanjani
People often forget that most of the ORIGINAL leadership of the Islamic
revolution inspired by Imam Khomeini was decimated by a terrorist group
known as MKO. About 75 leaders were killed in ONE night.
After that the elected President and Prime Minister were also
assassinated by the same group. [MKO had/has widespread support in the
U.S. Congress.]
The leadership thus more or less fell into the hands of Rafsanjani,
Mousavi, Khatami etc. [Imam Khomeini had spoken against Muta'
{temporary marriage}, one of the abominations of Shi'ism, but
Rafsanjani went back to the pre-revolution traditional Shi'ite view
of muta']
Rafsanjani represents the VERY rich merchant class. His thinking
on international matters is foggy. During the Iran-Iraq war, after
Iraqi forces were drven out of Iran, he kept up the rhetoric of war and
Iranian forces then entered Iraq. He and others like him assured Imam
Khomeini that Iraqi Shi'as would rise up and join Iran. They did not.
Iraqi nationalism was very strong. Thousands of Iranian youths were
killed trying to storm Basra. Thus the revolutionary forces of Iran
were weakened while the well-to-do traditional religious people gained
both economically and socially as well as politically.
Ahmadinejad is not acceptable to the Rafsanjani types because he is on
the KHAT-e-IMAM [the line of Imam Khomeini]. He lives a very simple
life and has tremendous support among the working classes. He has
criticized the corruption in Rafsanjani's camp much to
Rafsanjani's chagrin.
This election reflected the determination of the religious establishment
to oust Ahmadinejad. When the opposite happened, they became bitter and
started making wild accusations. It was this situation which the
GHARABZADAH [westernized] enclaves in Iran tried to use. They thought
they could ride the reactionary religious groups' uproar to strike at
the foundations of the revolution, which is Islam.
The U.S. and western powers and the westernized Iranians have been
implacable in their desire to somehow destroy the revolution. Every
mistake by the revolutionaries is magnified and used to its maximum.
I saw this right in the beginning of the Islamic victory when I
interviewed Imam Khomeni in Qum [before he moved to Tehran]. Some
copies of my book about those times might still be available with
Amazon. It includes a very rare photo of the Imam which I took at the
home he was staying in Qum. The book is called KHOMEINI'S IRAN. Only
days into the revolution, U.S. media were "predicting" that the
revolution would fizzle out!
Kaukab Siddique, Ph.D
Associate Professor of English & Mass Communication
Lest We Forget: Reminder of a Zionist Terrorist Crime
Reminder from: ILM-publication Yahoo! Group
Title: 4th of July in Palestine....
Date: Saturday July 4, 2009
Time: 3:00 am - 4:00 am
Repeats: This event repeats every year.
Notes: 4th of July in Palestine....
In the early hours of the 4th of July 2006 the zionist entity bombed
the university of Gaza.
David Irving Set to Speak in 17 US Cities in July
http://www.focal.org/speaks/index.html
David Irving will be in the western USA in July, addressing meetings in
17 cities, including Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Costa Mesa, and
Kansas City. His topic will be "Hitler, Himmler and 'Enigma':
Re-writing World War II history using Nazi messages decoded by the
British Secret Service." The best-selling British historian will also
have available copies of his prison memoir, which tells of his
headline-making arrest and harrowing prison ordeal in Austria, 2005-06.
War News: Afghanistan
Senior British Commander Killed in Taliban Attack
4,000 U.S. Marines Launch offensive in Helmand province backed by
British and Karzai troops
July 6, 2009: AFP is reporting 7 U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan today
in various Taliban guerrilla activities. Four of them were killed in
Kunduz which is in the north and where they were training Karzai's troops.
July 5, 2009: Two British troops were killed inTaliban attacks near
Lashkargah, the northern part of Helmand province. The guerrilla
fighters used a ine in the first attack and in the second, a mujahid
hit a British vehicle with an rpg.
July 1, 2009: At the start of a U.S.-NATO offensive in Helmand province,
the Taliban blew up this sophisticated British armored vehicle, the
Viking, [see graphic below] killing the commander of the Welsh Guards
[1st batallion] and one other British soldier and wounding 4. The Lt.
Colonel is the most senior Brit killed since the Falkland war. British
power structure is in mourning today.
June 30: In Paktika province, a U.S. soldier soldier, probably drunk,
wandered outside his base. He was grabbed by some civilians and allegdly
"sold" to the Taliban. [New Trend observers say, this soldier managed
to bring food to Afghan children in a weird kind of way.]
Daily Mail Graphic, UK, July 4.
By July 6, the U.S. offensive has gained only the little town of Khan
Neshin in south western Helmand province. As the marines advanced, the
Taliban withdrew in guerrilla maneuvers. At one point SIX Taliban held
up the U.S. advance. Unable to advance, the marines called in an air
strike. A 500 pound bomb was dropped on the Taliban position killing
all six. Hit and run Taliban attacks have killed one U.S. marine and
wounded 17.
Woman Bomber Hits Karzai troops: June 30: At the Afghan-Pakistan
border, Torkhum check point, [on the Afghan side] when Karzai troops
wanted to check a burqa clad woman, she threw a grenade and then blew
herself up killing 5 Karzai troops. Unfortunately 5 civilians were also
killed in the explosion. Afghan news first said it was a man hiding in
a burqa but later reports confirmed that it was a mujahid woman.
War News: Pakistan
June 14-July 6, 2009: The Pakistani offensive against the Islamic
fighters in South Waziristan has failed. After 22 days of bombing
and shelling, the U.S.-backed military has been unable to advance.
Taliban have also returned to Swat, Dir and Buner where new fighting is
reported. Pak army says it killed an aide of Maulvi Fazlullah. The
homes of 21 Taliban have been burned down by the army in Swat. The army
says 3 troops were killed and 6 wounded in the latest clashes.
[Editor's note: If the Taliban's homes are being burned down, what
happens to the army's claim that Pak Taliban are outsiders! This sounds
like Israel in occupied Palestine, burning people's homes.]
Pak Army Copter Shot Down: 41 Troops Killed
July 4, 2009: On the Orakzai-Khyber agency border, Pak Taliban brought
down a Pak MI17 helicopter killing 41 Pak military forces including
the pilot. Pak Taliban representative named Muhammad called news
agencies from the Darra Adam Khel area to confirm that it was their
revenge for the assault on South Waziristan.
According to Urdu daily Khabrain, Pak army wanted to claim that it was
a mechanical failure but then admitted that the MI17 was coming under
ground fire when it crashed.
Protest Rallies Across Pakistan Condemn Suffering of Masses: 150%
increase in prices. No electricity for the poor.
July 3, 2009: Protest rallies were held in Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan,
Islamabad, Mansehra, Karachi, Jacobabad, Kandkot and various cities in
the province of Sind including Hyderabad, Badin and Thatta. The protests
were organized by Jamaate Islami at a call from Ameer of JI Syed
Munawar Hasan to highlight the suffering of the masses.
Protestors condemned the extended cut offs of electricity in every city
during the intense heat of summer. Speakers blamed the government for
the increases in prices of consumer goods and gasoline ["petrol"] as
well as lawlessness and police atrocities.
Many Pakistanis think the ruling clique in Islamabad is deliberately
depriving the people of electricity to keep them focused on their
own misery.
Obama: Day 164
U.S. Drone Attacks Islamic School and 2 villages in Pakistan: 17
Civilians Killed 27 wounded
July 3: South Waziristan: U.S. drone attacked two villages, Kokut Khel
and Mantui on Friday morning [the day of prayer] killing 17 civilians
wounding 27. The missiles fired by the U.S. completely demolished an
Islamic school in Mantui After the attack a representative of Baitullah
Mehsud named Noor Syed called news agencies and said that three of those
killed were Taliban and the rest were civilians. He added that such
attacks cannot weaken us.
Obama: Day 161
Iraq: The Withdrawal which Wasn't
June 30: The Obama administration declared with much fanfare that it
has kept its promise to withdraw from Iraqi cities by June 30. American
troops, 131,000 of them, have simply decided to stay inside their
garrisons which surround major Iraqi cities. In fact this "stay inside"
tactic is saving U.S. troops from more losses. Even then the U.S. lost
15 troops in June, including 4 on the day of the "withdrawal."
The puppet al-Maliki "government" held a parade to celebrate the
occasion but very few people noticed that the parade was held WITHIN
the heavily guarded "green zone."
U.S. General Odierno admitted that U.S. troops had withdrawn from
western cities more than 8 months back [as New Trend was the first
to note.].
The situation now is that most of central south Iraq is under Shi'ite
control. However the Shi'ites are in serious murderous conflict with
each other. In June they blew each other's civilians up in random
bombings for which no one took credit.
Western Iraq, from Ramadi to Tal Afar is under the control of President
Saddam's supporters, including the resistance fighter al-Douri. Some
pockets of al-Qaidah remain in western Iraq. [A part of Baghdad is in
Al-Qaida control believe it or not.]
The biggest chunks of Iraq under al-Qaida [formally known as Islamic
State of Iraq] are the Mosul area [400 miles north west of Baghdad] and
Diyala province.
On July 6, several police officers brought in from Baghdad, were killed
by snipers in Mosul.
The situation in Kirkuk is very tense and has given al-Qaida a chance
to put down its roots.
Thus the correct situation of U.S. troops in Iraq is that they are
STUCK in IRAQ and will need some bold steps by Obama to bring them home,
which doesn't seem likely till 2011. Thus the war will continue.
[Think about it: Did the Nazis ever stop Jewish children from having
crayons?... Editor New Trend]
Letter from an Israeli Jail
By Cynthia McKinney
This is Cynthia McKinney and I'm speaking from an Israeli prison
cellblock in Ramle. [I am one of] the Free Gaza 21, human rights
activists currently imprisoned for trying to take medical supplies to
Gaza, building supplies - and even crayons for children, I had a
suitcase full of crayons for children. While we were on our way to Gaza
the Israelis threatened to fire on our boat, but we did not turn around.
The Israelis hijacked and arrested us because we wanted to give
crayons to the children in Gaza. We have been detained, and we want
the people of the world to see how we have been treated just because we
wanted to deliver humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza.
At the outbreak of Israel's Operation Cast Lead [in December 2008], I
boarded a Free Gaza boat with one day's notice and tried, as the US
representative in a multi-national delegation, to deliver 3 tons of
medical supplies to an already besieged and ravaged Gaza.
During Operation Cast Lead, U.S.-supplied F-16s rained hellfire on a
trapped people. Ethnic cleansing became full scale outright genocide.
U.S.-supplied white phosphorus, depleted uranium, robotic technology,
DIME weapons, and cluster bombs - new weapons creating injuries
never treated before by Jordanian and Norwegian doctors. I was later
told by doctors who were there in Gaza during Israel's onslaught that
Gaza had become Israel's veritable weapons testing laboratory, people
used to test and improve the kill ratio of their weapons.
The world saw Israel's despicable violence thanks to al-Jazeera Arabic
and Press TV that broadcast in English. I saw those broadcasts live and
around the clock, not from the USA but from Lebanon, where my first
attempt to get into Gaza had ended because the Israeli military rammed
the boat I was on in international water ... It's a miracle that I'm
even here to write about my second encounter with the Israeli military,
again a humanitarian mission aborted by the Israeli military.
The Israeli authorities have tried to get us to confess that we
committed a crime ... I am now known as Israeli prisoner number
88794. How can I be in prison for collecting crayons to kids?
Zionism has surely run out of its last legitimacy if this is what it
does to people who believe so deeply in human rights for all that they
put their own lives on the line for someone else's children. Israel is
the fullest expression of Zionism, but if Israel fears for its security
because Gaza's children have crayons then not only has Israel lost its
last shred of legitimacy, but Israel must be declared a failed state.
I am facing deportation from the state that brought me here at gunpoint
after commandeering our boat. I was brought to Israel against my will.
I am being held in this prison because I had a dream that Gaza's
children could color & paint, that Gaza's wounded could be healed, and
that Gaza's bombed-out houses could be rebuilt.
But I've learned an interesting thing by being inside this prison.
First of all, it's incredibly black: populated mostly by Ethiopians who
also had a dream ... like my cellmates, one who is pregnant. They
are all are in their twenties. They thought they were coming to the
Holy Land. They had a dream that their lives would be better ... The
once proud, never colonized Ethiopia [has been thrown into] the back
pocket of the United States, and become a place of torture, rendition,
and occupation. Ethiopians must free their country because superpower
politics [have] become more important than human rights
and self-determination.
My cellmates came to the Holy Land so they could be free from the
exigencies of superpower politics. They committed no crime except to
have a dream. They came to Israel because they thought that Israel held
promise for them. Their journey to Israel through Sudan and Egypt was
arduous. I can only imagine what it must have been like for them. And
it wasn't cheap. Many of them represent their family's best collective
efforts for self-fulfilment. They made their way to the United Nations
High Commission for Refugees. They got their yellow paper of
identification. They got their certificate for police protection. They
are refugees from tragedy, and they made it to Israel. Only after they
arrived Israel told them there is no UN in Israel.
The police here have license to pick them up & suck them into the black
hole of a farce for a justice system. These beautiful, industrious and
proud women represent the hopes of entire families. The idea of Israel
tricked them and the rest of us. In a widely propagandized slick
marketing campaign, Israel represented itself as a place of refuge and
safety for the world's first Jews and Christian. I too believed that
marketing and failed to look deeper.
The truth is that Israel lied to the world. Israel lied to the families
of these young women. Israel lied to the women themselves who are now
trapped in Ramlea's detention facility. And what are we to do? One of
my cellmates cried today. She has been here for 6 months. As an
American, crying with them is not enough. The policy of the United
States must be better, and while we watch President Obama give 12.8
trillion dollars to the financial elite of the United States it
ought now be clear that hope, change, and "yes we can" were powerfully
presented images of dignity and self-fulfilment, individually and
nationally, that besieged people everywhere truly believed in.
It was a slick marketing campaign as slickly put to the world
and to the voters of America as was Israel's marketing to the world. It
tricked all of us but, more tragically, these young women.
We must cast an informed vote about better candidates seeking to
represent us. I have read and re-read Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's
letter from a Birmingham jail. Never in my wildest dreams would I have
ever imagined that I too would one day have to do so. It is clear that
taxpayers in Europe and the U.S. have a lot to atone for, for what
they've done to others around the world.
What an irony! My son begins his law school program without me because
I am in prison, in my own way trying to do my best, again, for other
people's children. Forgive me, my son. I guess I'm experiencing the
harsh reality which is why people need dreams. [But] I'm lucky. I will
leave this place. Has Israel become the place where dreams die?
Ask the people of Palestine. Ask the stream of black and Asian men whom
I see being processed at Ramle. Ask the women on my cellblock. [Ask
yourself:] what are you willing to do?
Let's change the world together & reclaim what we all need as human
beings: Dignity. I appeal to the United Nations to get these women of
Ramle, who have done nothing wrong other than to believe in Israel as
the guardian of the Holy Land, resettled in safe homes. I appeal to the
United State's Department of State to include the plight of detained
UNHCR-certified refugees in the Israel country report in its annual
human rights report. I appeal once again to President Obama to go to
Gaza: send your special envoy, George Mitchell there, and to engage
Hamas as the elected choice of the Palestinian people.
I dedicate this message to those who struggle to achieve a free
Palestine, and to the women I've met at Ramle. This is Cynthia McKinney,
July 2nd 2009, also known as Ramle prisoner number 88794.
Cynthia McKinney is a former U.S. Congresswoman, Green Party
presidential candidate, and an outspoken advocate for human rights and
social justice. The first African-American woman to represent the state
of Georgia, McKinney served six terms in the U.S. House of
Representatives, from 1993-2003, and from 2005-2007. She was arrested
and forcibly abducted to Israel while attempting to take humanitarian
and reconstruction supplies to Gaza on June 30th. For more information,
please see
http://www.FreeGaza.org
Archive
NT Editor Dr. Siddique's Interview with Umm Hasan, Principal of Jamia
Hafsa, Islamabad, Pakistan . April 10, 2007
Why Did Islamic Women Decide to Risk their Lives to Defy General
Musharraf in his Stronghold?
New Trend: Sis. Umm Hasan, I decided to interview you after I saw that
the forces opposed to Islam are busy trying to discredit Jamia Hafsa on
the Internet. It is obvious that your Islamic university is having a
tremendous impact on the situation in Pakistan, located as you are in
the capital of Pakistan. BBC interviewed you ....
Umm Hasan: BBC gave a totally distorted picture of our struggle. It
said that we wanted to use violence and throw acid on the faces of
women who do not wear Islamic covering. That would be totally unislamic
and against Shari'a [Islamic Law]. BBC tried to defame us.
New Trend: I have also heard that your university [Jamia] is facing a
threat of military action by General Musharraf which could happen at
any time. Is that true?
Umm Hasan : Yes, Musharraf has prepared a strike force known as Triple
One. It is heavily armed. We only have lathis [wooden staves] to defend
ourselves, but we will defend ourselves. We have heard that a special
gas has been prepared by Musharraf's forces which would put people
to sleep.
NT: I don't think that will be easy for Musharraf. I have read that
Islamic volunteers from all over the country are coming to your defense
and many have assembled in Lal Masjid which is in the same complex as
Jamia Hafsa. But how did all this start? Why are the young women in
your care coming out to fight?
UH: Women of Islam have been terrorized by General Musharraf for much
too long. We won't take it any longer. We are sick and tired of his
anti-Islam policies and actions. To give you some idea, our university
was attacked first by Musharraf in the year 2004 during the night of
August 16-17. In the police rampage, our young women were terrorized
and attacked by the SWAT teams of Musharraf.
NT: That is indeed shameful!
UH: Then in 2005, in the aftermath of the London bombing of 7/7, after
11 days, Tony Blair called on Musharraf to attack the Madrassas.
Hardly had Blair spoken, then on the very next day, July 19,
Musharraf's Special Forces raided Jamia Hafsa. They were shelling us
with tear gas and firing plastic bullets at the girls.
NT: You mean right there in Islamabad? What a dastardly act! The
general is a bloody coward!
UH: In this attack, Musharraf's forces injured 150 of our girls. One of
them had to spend three months in a clinic. When Musharraf learned that
a number of our students were in hospital and were being given oxygen,
he ordered that the oxygen be turned off.
NT: What an accursed coward!
UH: The raids of 2004 and 2005 emboldened Musharraf so much, he
decided to start demolishing mosques in Islamabad. Hamza masjid
was actually demolished along with 8 others. We received notice that
Jamia Hafsa, along with another 80 [eighty] mosques and religious
schools and establishments, were to be demolished and that we should
leave. This was the immediate cause of the uprising of our young women
and the occupation of a small library as the symbol of our resistance.
NT: I have read that the occupation of the library and the young women's
open defiance of the regime had good results. The government announced
that it would rebuild Masjid Hamza and stop the demolition process.
Then why did your struggle continue? I have heard that the young women
kidnapped a "madam" who was running a prostitution den.
UH: Let me explain!
NT: Isn't that a violation of law and due process of law? [Benazir
Bhutto's] Peoples Party is making a big noise, calling on Musharraf to
crack down on Jamia Hafsa for this "violation of law."
UH: There is no "rule of law" in this country. No woman can appeal
to the police for help. Any woman who falls into the hands of the
police is liable to be raped or at least assaulted.
NT: What happened in the case of this "madam?" I read somewhere that
her name is "Shamim Naqvi" [a Shi'ite].
UH: She is known as "Auntie Shamim." Our girls had been watching her
activities for over a month. The neighbors are sick and tired of her
procurement of women for men in the government and the crime and noise
which goes along with it. She was very confident of her power. She told
anyone who objected to the presence of thugs in her area and the
activities related to procuring women that she has protection right
from the top and that no one will dare to touch her and survive. She
was openly working as a procuress. She was increasing her business with
government support, even sending girls to other cities.
NT: Then what happened?
UH: Our Islamic girls went to talk to her and begged her to stop her
activities, gave her the teachings of Allah and His messenger, pbuh.
The Islamic girls reminded her of the Hereafter. Instead of relenting,
at this advice she became very angry and took out a knife. She cut one
of our Islamic girls. Then the young women picked her up and brought
her over. She was kicking and screaming and used her mouth to bite two
of the girls. She left tooth marks. She was not hurt and was brought
without injury,
NT: All praise belongs to Allah! And then?
UH: She was told that Islamic women mean her no harm and only want to
stop her shameful and sinful activities of procurement of women for
government officials. At first she threatened and said that she has
"long hands" and we will not survive. However, when she realized that
the Islamic women were not going to let go easily, she repented and
wrote a full confession of her misdeeds.
NT: Who were her clients?
UH: She did indeed have long hands. She gave us the list of her
"customers." Among her clients or customers are Shaikh Rasheed and his
nephew Rasheed Shafiq.
NT: You mean the Shaikh Rasheed who is the closest publicist of
Musharraf? He is Railway Minister perhaps, isn't he? The one who keeps
giving press statements about how great Musharraf is ? Are you sure?
UH: The very same. Top government women are also involved in
this corruption.
NT: Such as?
UH: Nilofar Bakhtiar and Zubaidah Jalal.
NT: You might get into a lot of trouble. You are mentioning top people
including Shaikh Rasheed by name. He is a powerful man, very close to
Musharraf. Aren't you afraid?
UH: We have been taking names right from the time "Auntie Shamim"
confessed. We want the people of Pakistan to know how corrupt and
degraded this government is. Thus when Musharraf tries to get these
people "elected," Pakistanis will know who is being "voted" into power.
Musharraf is going for new "elections."
NT: You are challenging the power structure. Your girls have long
sticks [lathis]; the government has machine guns and tanks. Why do you
feel so strong? Who is on your side?
UH: Allah and His messenger, sal Allaho alaihi wassalam, and the believers.
NT: How many young Islamic women are holding on to the library?
UH: 150
NT: What's the total enrollment of Jamia Hafsa?
UH: We have a total of 6,000 female students. Of these, 3,000 are at
the middle school and matric level. The rest are at the university level.
In addition to regular courses, we teach Hifz Qur'an and at the senior
level we teach Fiqh [Islamic Jurisprudence] and Study of Hadith.
NT: How many of the students are on campus at this time?
UH: About 1,500.
NT: How many teachers?
UH: 175.
NT: Since when have you been the Principal?
UH: Since we began in 1991.
NT: Thank you for the interview. I'll come back to you with more
questions. May Allah keep you safe and strong in Islam.
Our America: next 5 items only
Legally blind ba-hijab Muslim student delivers commencement address
at prestigious US College in Massachusetts
Courtesy: CIS [Canadian Islamic Congress.]
(June 29, 2009) – On June 5, Mona Minkara stood before 600 fellow
members of the class of 2009 at graduation from Wellesley College and
delivered the commencement address.
Mona Minkara is legally blind.
"It's an honor," said Minkara. "I hope disabled students around the
country can realize you can make it even though you might be blind, or
deaf, or whatever your story might be."
A devoted Muslim who has worn the hijab head cover since sixth grade,
she sometimes felt different and isolated from other schoolmates due to
her blindness and minority status. But that didn't crush her drive
to succeed.
"It's made me stronger and taught me to be who I am," said Minkara.
At Wellesley, Minkara has served as president of Al-Muslimat, Wellesley's
Muslim student group, where she has focused on interfaith
outreach.
A chemistry and Middle Eastern studies double major, Monkara will
continue this summer at Wellesley as a researcher with assistant
professor of chemistry Mala Radhakrishnan through a grant from the
Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
The daughter of Lebanese immigrants Fida El-Jamal and Samer Minkara of
Hingham, Mass., Minkara spoke Arabic before learning English. Her
sister Sara, who also has vision problems, has followed in her
footsteps and is a junior at Wellesley.
A devoted Muslim who has worn the hijab head cover since sixth grade,
she sometimes felt different and isolated from other schoolmates due to
her blindness and minority status. But that didn't crush her drive
to succeed.
Since 1875, Wellesley College has been a leader in providing an
excellent liberal arts education for women who will make a difference
in the world. Its 500-acre campus near Boston is home to 2,300
undergraduate students from all 50 states and 68 countries.
"I hope one day I can give back to others because so many people have
helped me, especially my parents," said Minkara, whose mother strongly
encouraged her to apply to Wellesley, one of the eight colleges that
accepted her.
Source: www.wellesley.edu
With thanks to Sis. Rabia
Black Male Teachers [South Carolina]
Do you know any Black males who are seniors in high school who want to
go to college out of state for "FREE" ? Several Black
Colleges are looking for future black male teachers and will send them
to universities/colleges for 4 years FREE.
The 'Call Me MISTER' program is an effort to address the critical
shortage of African American male teachers particularly among South
Carolina's lowest performing public schools . Program participants are
selected from among under-served, socio-economically disadvantaged and
educationally at-risk communities.
The program is a collaboration between Clemson University and four
historically black colleges in South Carolina : Benedict College,
Claflin University, Morris College and South Carolina State University.
The project provides:
Tuition for admitted students pursuing approved programs of study at
participating colleges.
An academic support system to help assure their success.. A cohort
system for social and cultural support.
Visit http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/index.htm for more details
and the online application or call (800) 640-2657.
Please join us and help pass the word.
20th Pastors for Peace Cuba Caravan
Beans & Rice Dinner
Speaker: Claudia de la Cruz
Suggested Donation: $5 per person
Friday, July 10, 2009: 6:30 – 9:00 p.m.
The Meeting House (In the Oakland Mills Village Center)
5885 Robert Oliver Place
Columbia, Maryland 21045
This event is open to the public
Join us to welcome the "caravanistas" on their way to Cuba. They will
challenge the U.S. blockade by bringing humanitarian aid, solidarity,
and friendship to our friends in Cuba. The speaker, Ms. Claudia de la
Cruz is an experienced community organizer, who has dedicated her life
to the promotion of peace with justice around the world. The
"caravanistas" will spend the night of July 10th in our homes in Howard
County. Please let us know if you can provide a bed or a space for a
sleeping bag in your home!
For more information, contact: Leslie at 410-381-4899 or Francine at
410-992-7679; Email:
FrancineMSW@aol.com
or check our web site at:
www.friendsoflatinamerica.org
With thanks to Sis. Ajir Khadija
GSU Professor Resigns over "Bomb" Comments to Muslim-American Student
Atlanta, Georgia, July 1, 2009
The director of the Middle East Institute at Georgia State University,
Dona J. Stewart, has resigned citing the university's failure to
address incidents of anti-Muslim bias by a senior faculty member, Dr.
Mary Stuckey. In August 2008 a Muslim-American doctoral student, Ms.
Slma Shelbayah, was repeatedly asked if she was 'carrying any bombs'
underneath her Islamic headscarf, or hijab. Ms Shelbayah was also
employed as a Visiting Instructor of Arabic in the Middle East Institute.
She holds a Bachelor and Masters degrees from Georgia State University.
In her resignation, Dr. Stewart cited retaliatory actions taken by the
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Lauren Adamson and her
office after Ms. Shelbayah requested that the incidents cease. The dean's
office demanded that Dr. Stewart remove Ms. Shelbayah from her visiting
instructor position, cancelled Ms. Shelbayah's registration in her
classes, demanded Ms. Shelbayah choose between her job and higher
education and declared Ms. Shelbayah ineligible to lead a study abroad
program to Egypt previously approved by the president of the university.
Dr. Stewart refused to meet the Dean's demands, believing they violated
Ms. Shelbayah's constitutional rights and lacked due process. As a
result, Dr. Stewart was subjected to numerous hostile comments and
retaliatory actions by the dean that has impaired her ability to
fulfill federal grant commitments.
No disciplinary action was taken towards the senior faculty member. The
EEOC is currently investigating formal complaints files by Stewart
and Shelbayah.
Dona Stewart is a former Fulbright scholar to Jordan. In 2006 she
received GSU's Exceptional Service Award and is the 2009 faculty
recipient of the Sparks Award that recognizes GSU's 'unsung heroes'.
She has led the Middle East Institute since 2002.
Slma Shelbayah, 25 years old, is a former television reporter. In 2002,
Ms. Shelbayah began her studies at GSU as an accelerated undergraduate
student, finishing a Journalism BA degree in 2 years. She continued her
Masters degree in Applied Linguistics. In 2007, she was hired as a
Visiting Instructor in the Middle East Institute and the following year
Ms. Shelbayah was accepted into the Communication PhD program at GSU.
For further information contact:
Attorney James E. Radford Dona J. Stewart, Ph.D. Slma Shelbayah
Parks, Chesin and Walbert, P.C. (404) 918-2306 678-429-8111
75 Fourteenth Street, Atlanta, GA, 30309 donastewart@hotmail.com
sshelbayah@yahoo.com
(40..., JRADFORD@PCWLAWFIRM.COM www.gsu.edu/mideast
Violence Against Women: Very Common in America
18-year-old shot, killed in California
College student's boyfriend, 21, charged with murder
By Nadine Parks
The Post and Courier
Monday, July 6, 2009
When Ayesha Thomason graduated from Goose Creek High School in 2008 and
moved to California for college, her family couldn't have imagined she
would be killed less than a year later.
Thomason, 18, was shot the morning of June 16 at her sister's home in
Oakland, Calif., and died about an hour later. Her boyfriend, Jesse
James Blue, 21, is charged with murder, the Oakland Tribune reported.
Ayesha Thomason
Blue and Thomason were students at Merritt College in Oakland. They had
been dating about six months.
Thomason's mother, Amalia Thomason of Goose Creek, said her daughter
was a Muslim, and the couple had disagreed about religion, among other
issues. Thomason tried to end the relationship, she said.
Ayesha Thomason was a former member of the Goose Creek High School
track team, and she took flying lessons in Moncks Corner before she
moved out of state. She dreamed of becoming a pilot, her mother said.
"She had a spirit that people were drawn to," Amalia Thomason said.
The teenager was buried in Oakland. Driscoll's Mortuary of San
Francisco handled the arrangements.
Survivors include her mother and father, Leon Thomason of Goose Creek;
a brother, Jeremiah Thomason of Goose Creek; and two sisters, Patricia
Thomason of Goose Creek and Athena Gonzalez of Oakland.
Obama: Day 166
Biden: U.S. won't stop Israeli strike on Iran
By Haaretz Service
July 5, 2009
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Sunday that the Obama
administration would not stand in Israel's way should the latter chooses
to take military action to eliminate Iran's nuclear threat.
Israel has the right to determine its own course of action with regard
to the Iranian nuclear threat regardless of what the Obama
administration chooses to do, Biden told ABC reporter
George Stephanopoulos.
When asked whether the Obama administration would restrain Israeli
military action against Iran, Biden responded:
"Israel can determine for itself - it's a sovereign nation - what's in
their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else."
Stephanaopoulos posed the question three times, and each time Biden
repeated that Israel was free to choose its actions.
"If the Netanyahu government decides to take a course of action
different than the one being pursued now, that is their sovereign right
to do that. That is not our choice."
During the interview, Biden hinted that President Barack Obama was
looking to take a harder line toward Iran over the latter's contentious
nuclear program.
He said that Obama's offer for dialogue with Tehran remained on the
table, but rejected the notion that the U.S. would make concessions for
such negotiation to take place.
"The ball's in their court," Biden said. "If they choose to meet with
the P-5 under the conditions the P-5 has laid out, it means they begin
to change course. And it means that the protestors probably had some
impact on the behavior of an administration that they don't like at all."
Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sunday,
when asked about Biden's comments, that the U.S. position on Iran and a
military strike involves a political decision.
"I have been, for some time, concerned about any strike on Iran. I
worry about it being very destabilizing, not just in and of itself but
unintended consequences of a strike like that," Mullen said on CBS'
Face the Nation.
"At the same time, I'm one that thinks Iran should not have nuclear
weapons. I think that is very destabilizing," he said.
2009-07-07 Tue 19:22:26 cdt
NewTrendMag.org