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Jamada Al-awwal 2,1435/March 2, 2014 # 9
Breaking News: Ukraine
On March 1, elite Russian troops entered Ukraine in the
Crimea. Weeks of demonstrations in Ukraine led to the
dismissal of the pro-Russian deeply corrupt president. He
tried to crush the demonstrators, killing 77 in one day.
When the people prevailed he fled to Russia.
If the Russian military intervention continues and the
Ukrainians resist, Russia msy have to reduce its aid to the
tyrant of Syria, Assad.
Russia has diluted the Ukrainian population by bringing in
large numbers of Russians into the areas adjoining Russia.
Ukrainians were targeted for genocide by Stalin with the
secret police led by Jewish Comissars. When Hitler sent the
German military into the Soviet Union, large numbers of
Ukrainians joined the German forces and took revenge on the
Jews who had devastated Ukraine under Stalin. [The Germans
were blamed for these revenge attacks.]
Breaking news: Pakistan
Feb. 28: The Pak Taliban have decided to cease fire for the
next month. Pakistani jet fighters are continuing to bomb
North Waziristan with the death toll now almost 100.The Pak
Taliban said that the bombing will not hurt their forces but
will do serious damage to the tribal populations who are
fleeing the area in large numbers.
Pak Taliban blew up a police unit trying to enter the tribal
areas, killing 10 police, which was bringing medical
anti-polio supplies. Pak Talibs consider the anti-polio
teams as if they are bent on sterilization of the people.
On February 24, a martyrdom operator sent by Hizbul
Mujahideen hit the Iranian Consulate in Peshawar, killing
two Pakistani troops guarding the building and wounding 10.
Earlier on February 18, Iran threatened to invade
Pakistan's south western border after an Islamic group known
as Jaish al-Adl captured 5 Iranian security forces. Iran
says they were taken into Pakistsn but Pakistan says it
wants to find them but can't..
Top Islamic leader Syed Munawar Hasan addressed the women in
Jamaate Islami's shoora and spoke on US imperialism and
Karachi's fascist group MQM's links with the army after MQM
urged the army to take over the country. Please scroll way
down to this important statement by Hasan.
Imran Khan decided to end the blockade of NATO supplies.
Breaking News: Africa rejects Obama's Homosexual invasion
On February 27, the President of Uganda signed into law
severe punishments for homosexual acts. He defied the World
Bank's threat to cut off $90 million to this poor country.
[The Ugandan government was worried that millions of people
would embrace Islam if the "Christian" government were seen
as supporting homosexuality.]
Much more severe was the rejection of homosexuality by
Gambia, in West Africa, a little and extremely poor country,
but with a Muslim population and Muslim President.
Please scroll down
to the report from Gambia [with thanks to Br.
Rich from Nebraska.]
Looking Ahead
Amazing Message for Women from Prophet Muhammad, pbuh.
by Kaukab Siddique
One of the greatest female companions of the Prophet, pbuh,
was Umm Hurum bint Milhan. She was his foster aunt and was
always in the forefront of the Islamic struggle. Often he
would go and rest in her home after a long day of preaching
and teaching. Once when he was asleep in her home, he awoke
laughing happily and said that he had seen the Muslims
advancing forth on the ocean. She appealed to him to pray to
Allah that she be one of them. He went back to sleep and
again awoke and laughed happily and talked about the Muslims
going forth on the oceans. Umm Hurum again asked him to pray
that she be one of them. He prophesied to her: "You will be
among the first of them, not the last of them." Then he
blessed the mujahideen who would go forth on the oceans:
"The first force which will go forth to fight on the oceans
is promised paradise. Again Umm Hurum asked: O messenger of
Allah, will I be one of them. He said: Yes, you will be
among them." [Sahih Bukhari kitab al-Jihad].
The prophesy was fulfilled years later during the caliphate
of Usman, r.a., the third rightly guided Caliph of Islam.
When the united naval fleets of Europe approached Muslim
lands, Usman, r.a., sent forth an Islamic naval fleet to
stop the European forces. In the battle which followed, the
ENTIRE European armada was destroyed in one day. The
illustrious commander of the fleet appointed by Usman, r.a.,
was Muawiyya, r.a.
Umm Hurum, r.a., and Muawiyya's wife Fakhta were part of the
naval warriors.
Later the Muslims pursued the Europeans to the island of
Cyprus where in an accident Umm Hurum died. Her grave in
Cyprus is visited by both Christians and Muslims. The
Christians call it "the grave of the Good Woman" and some
even seek blessings by visiting there.
[We do not know if the grave has survived into our times.]
National Islamic Shoora
Jamaat al-Muslimeen Planning Committee: May 3, 2014
Inshallah the Shoora of Jamaat al-Muslimeen will meet on May
3, 2014.
Agenda is being prepared.
Major issues facing the Muslims of America are being ignored
by organizations which identify themselves as American
Muslim or even Islamic.
The ummah in America has become like a ship drifting on the
ocean without direction.
The Shoora will be addressed by top leaders of Jamaat
al-Muslimeen including:
Dr. Abdulalim Shabazz
[
DrAAS.info
]
Sis. Ashira Naim
Br. Robert Solano
Sis. Ayesha
Br. Ali Randall
Br. Abu Talib
Br. Kaukab Siddique
Confirmations from others are awaited.
We are willing to accept a couple of observers if they are
interested in learning from our experience of many years.
Outreach: Wow!
Jamaat al-Muslimeen's Message Given to 200 Muslims in
Virginia after Juma'
It was risky.
February 28, 2014: Dar al-Hijra is a fancy masjid in Falls
Church, Virginia, attended by large numbers of Pakistanis,
and some Arabs and African Americans. It has a mediocre lick
spittle Uncle Tom imam known as Johari Abdul Malik. So it is
risky to distribute Jamaat al-Muslimeen's literature there.
Alhamdulilah, it was done successfully with many positive
responses.
Six pages were given to 200 Muslims, which comes to 1200
pages. Thank you and jazakallah khayr.
The articles distributed were:
-
Dr. Kaukab's khutba on Da'wa and against sectarianism.
-
Appeal of Muslim Brotherhood leader al-Shater's daughter
against Egypt tyrant's attempt to criminalize him.
-
Br. Abdul Hannan's article on Pakistan's Founder Qaide
Azam's message to the Bengali people, squashing the myth
that he was against the rights of Bengalis.
-
Analysis of slaughter of Muslims in Egypt by Sisi, in
Syria by Assad and in Bangladesh by Hasina Wajed. Democracy
is being tragically smashed and this will bring Muslims to
the jihad movements.
Outreach 2:
Khutba on the Radical Stance of the Prophet, pbuh, in Makka.
Also on February 28, while literature was being distributed
in Virginia, Dr. Kaukab Siddique gave the Juma' khutba in
Baltimore, Maryland at Masjid Jamaat al-Muslimeen. The
masjid was packed in spite of 14 degrees temperature. Here
are the main points of the khutba:
-
The beginning of revelation [wahy] in the cave of Hira.
-
Prophet's, pbuh, appeal to his relatives got support only
from a little boy named Ali, r.a
-
Persecution of the Prophet, pbuh, and his Companions by
the oppressors. He remained peaceful but did not compromise.
-
Support came from: Intellectuals like Abu Bakr, r.a. and
Usman, r.a., women like Khdija, r.a., and Sumayya, r.a.,
[the first martyr], and slaves like Bilal, r.a., and Yasir,
r.a.
-
Persecution reached its height and the first hijra took
place to Africa, led by Usman, r.a., and the Prophet's
daughter, Ruqayya, r.a.
-
Severe mistreatment of the Prophet, pbuh, when he reached
out to the city of Taif, yet he did not pray against them,
declaring that he was sent as a mercy to mankind, but he
remained uncompromising in his message.
-
His message reached Madina and delegations from there met
him secretly pledging all out suport unto death.
-
Total loss of his worldly support with the passing away
of Khadija, r.a., and Abu Talib, who was his tribal shield.
-
The attempt to kill him, and his hijra to Madina, yet
leaving Ali, r.a.,behind to give the people the goods they
had left in his trust.
-
We must remain peaceful. Be creative and active in giving
the message but NEVER compromise on the message. STAND FIRM
AGAINST THE OPPRESSORS but be compassionate to the
oppressed.
Syria
Most of Syria is in Islamic hands but infighting provoked by
government agents is causing Serious Losses.
Slow but steady advances by the mujahideen have driven Assad
out of most of Syria. The Alawites are working hard to keep
open their supply line and line of flight from Damascus via
Homs to Latakia. Without help from Iran and Lebanon's
Hizbush, they couldn't have done it.
In the big cities where entire populations rose up against
Assad, the Alawites are using tanks, long range artillery
and the air force to stop all food and medical supplies. The
people are starving and Assad contnues to throttle the
lifeline of food and basic requirements.
On February 26, civilians sneaking out of the Ghouta suburb
of Damascus were ambushed by Assad's troops. At least 75
people were killed. Assad's Sanaa media declared it a great
victory over "terrorists" but the photo of bodies issued by
Sanaa shows that almost all those killed were civilians.
The westernized coalition opposing Assad suddenly attacked
the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant [ISIL] killing
scores of people. ISIL overreacted and started attacking all
opposition groups. On February 25, some agent who had
infiltrated ISIL killed a long time associate of Shaykh
Osama known as Abu Khalid Suri. At this all the opposition
forces turned against ISIL and stormed its headquarters in
Aleppo. ISIL is unable to keep agents and agents
provocateurs out of its ranks. The result is that on
February 28 al-Nusra warned ISIL to stop infighting or face
expulsion from Syria. Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, global leader
of al-Qaida, has said that mujahideen should not be held
responsible for any of the actions of ISIL.Reports indicate
ISIL is starting to listen and is withdrawing from contested
areas..
Assad, in spite of heavy weapons superiority, has not been
able to advance even where ISIL was fighting other Islamic
groups. Assad has not collapsed owing to daily re-supply by
Russia and Iran with reinforcements on the ground from
Hizbush of Lebanon.
Read the map carefully. The blue areas atl in Islamic
hands.The areas near the major cities are contested. In the
west, Latakia, areas west of Damascus, south of Homs and
near "Israel" are in Assad's hands. [We do not recognize
Israel but could not change the word "Israel" on the map.
Africa's response to Homosexuality
From Gambia
http://news.yahoo.com/gambia-39-jammeh-calls-gays-39-vermin-9-185834391.html
New York
Opposition to Obama & Gays:
But he also hates Muslims
by Sisa. Aisha
Also, here are some pics of a Harlem church that puts
antagonistic messages on its billboard. It is Atlah
Ministires and they are the most ignorant and antagonistic
towards Muslims. They spew or regurgitate many lies about
Islam with the intention to mislead but, today, ABC News was
outside off this church because they have found a new group
to attack --- THE GAYS!
I have posted two pictures. Mind you, my sister called me
from Maryland to tell me about the ABC News report, a few
hours ago! Maryland?! Why the need to broadcast this
church's message as far as Maryland? Also, there is a
report that the U.S. Cities Mayors will be boycotting the
St. Patrick's Day Parade, a Catholic Parade, because of its
refusal to allow gays to march in it. Barring homosexuals
is a tradition that has never, seriously, drawn anyone's ire
until now.
https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=394872d906&view=att&th144759baaac4abe9&attid=0.2&disp=safe&zw
From Afghanistan to Jerusalem
by Shaukat Khan [North Carolina]
From the time of Alexander's great adventure
Failing to conquer Afghanistan
The utter ruthlessness of Imperialism has found a match
In the simple barefooted men from the caves of Afghanistan
Just defending their honor and family
Over time these barefooted men were gifted by Allah
With hearts s shining with the spirit of Islam
A character of simplicity, a personality shining with
dignity
As they became students of the Quran, The Taliban
Their quality of life and desires became gift-wrapped in
simplicity
Because Allah was preparing these Taliban
For a destiny with Palestine
Blind to spirituality The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan
But the barefooted men had a new energy
That the world can stop no more
Hearts glowing with the Light of The Quran
With that weapon of Spirituality they split the Evil Empire
America thought it was their Imperial Power
That scared away the Evil Empire
So they wanted to add Afghanistan as a colony to it's Empire
Ah! but Afghanistan has never knelt to power
So came the 'terrorist' to challenge the 'Mighty' America
The very same 'terrorist'
That America created to fight the Soviet Union
Now demanded that America too be on it's way
But America foolishly refuses to leave her 'colony'
Playing into a new reality
In which America, Israil, and Afghanistan
Have date with destiny
A destiny that will liberate Jerusalem, Insha-Allah
So while America wants to enslave Afghanistan
It is in Reality
Preparing Afghanistan for that date with destiny
A destiny foretold by Prophet Mohammad
That an unstoppable army will come from Khorassan
Which will liberate Jerusalem
Khorassan is an area in the mountains of Afghanistan
So the battle for the soul of humanity will start in
Khorassan
Humanity's soul will only be free with the Liberation of
Palestine
Which will soon be a Reality, Insha-Allah
Britain
Moazzam Begg arrested: Human Rights Activist supports Syria:
Earlier he was falsely accused & Tortured.
Rights Group 'Outraged' After Director Arrested on Suspicion
of Terrorism 25 Feb 2014 A British human rights group
expressed "outrage" today after one of its high-profile
directors, former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg, was
arrested in London on suspicion of terrorist activity in
Syria. "We are disgusted that Moazzam Begg is being
re-traumatized with the same guilt by association
accusations that resulted in his unlawful incarceration in
Guantanamo Bay. We fully support our colleague and see his
arrest as politically motivated and as part of a campaign to
criminalize legitimate activism," Asim Qureshi, a senior
official at CAGE, said in a statement.
Ex-Guantanamo Prisoner Arrested on Suspicion of Terrorism 25
Feb 2014 A former Guantanamo Bay detainee who has written a
book about his time in Gitmo and campaigned for the rights
of terrorism suspects was arrested today on suspicion of
attending a terrorist training camp and involvement in
terrorism in Syria, British police told ABC News. Moazzam
Begg was arrested by specialist counter-terrorism police in
the city of Birmingham, England, in an operation stemming
from unspecified intelligence. Two other men and a woman
were arrested in the operation and suspected of
"facilitating terrorism overseas," according to police who
say there was no immediate risk to public safety. None of
the four have been charged.
Government set to make payments to former Guantanamo Bay
prisoner Moazzam Begg 25 Feb 2014 Birmingham Guantanamo Bay
prisoner Moazzam Begg is set to receive a compensation
payout totalling millions of pounds from the British
government. Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke said details of
the out-of-court settlement to around a dozen UK citizens
would remain confidential. Among those expected to receive
p-yments, thought to run into millions of pounds, is
father-of-four Moazzam Begg, from Sparkhill, who was accused
of being a member of al-Qaeda and held at Guantanamo Bay
for almost two years before begin released without charge.
Several former detainees have complained of mistreatment
during their detention, including allegations the Government
knew they were being illegally transferred to Guantanamo Bay
but failed to prevent it, and that British security and
intelligence officials colluded in their torture while they
were held abroad.
ACTION ALERT: Free Moazzam Begg!
Moazzam Begg, Outreach Director of CAGE, (an independent
advocacy organisation working to empower communities
impacted by the War on Terror), and former Guantanamo Bay
detainee, who suffered three years of torture and abuse by
the US government with the complicity of the British
security services, was arrested on the morning of Tuesday
25th February 2014 on alleged Syrian-terror related
charges.
Moazzam is an internationally recognised figure on issues
relating to due process and human rights. His advocacy on
behalf of the Guantanamo Bay detainees has been recognised
across the world, resulting in various governments accepting
detainees who could not be returned to their countries of
origin.
Reports says he was arrested with three other people in the
West Midlands (UK); a man aged 36 from the Shirley area of
Solihull and a 44-year-old woman and her 20-year-old son,
both from Sparkhill in Birmingham, on suspicion of
facilitating terrorism overseas. At the time of writing, all
four are being held at a police station in the West
Midlands.
This latest action is designed to ensure that any travel to
Syria is deemed suspicious. It follows a concerted campaign
of harassment against Muslim individuals and charities
involved in providing humanitarian aid to the victims of the
Syrian crisis. Moazzam Begg is just the latest individual
drawn by the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria who has been
labelled a terrorist .The purpose is to intimidate and
vilify the wider Muslim community so that they are prevented
from delivering much needed aid to the Syrian people. (CAGE)
Pakistan: Bold statements by Munawar Hasan
Top Islamic Leader talks to women: Condemns Drone attacks:
Uncovers MQM's military links.
US has been attacking Mosquies & Medressas. Traitors within
Pakistan help USA.
by Anwar Niazi
LAHORE, Feb. 28: Ameer, Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Syed
Munawar Hasan, has said that the European Parliament's
condemnation of the civilian killings in drone attacks
should be a matter of deep consideration for the Pakistani
rulers who could not stop this massacre.
Addressing the newly elected Shoora of the JI women's wing
at Mansoora on Friday, he said that the US drones had killed
thousands of innocent men, women and children on the pretext
of targeting terrorists. He said the whole nation had been
protesting against these killings but the rulers remained
indifferent and acted as US agents.
Syed Munawar
Hasan stressed upon the government to project the US tyranny
on this score to the world community and press for the
payment of compensation on the civilian deaths. He said the
drones had been violating Pakistan's air space with
impunity, and targeted mosques and Madrissahs, causing the
deaths of seminary students and teachers. Marriage parties
as well as funeral processions were targeted. The patriotic
parties and leaders had repeatedly raised voice against
drone attacks but the cowardly rulers defended the US
stance. A former Foreign Minister and the present Interior
Minister of the country had even stated at the floor of the
assembly that the drones were only killing the terrorists.
He said that now that the US Congress, the UN General
Assembly and the European Union had condemned the drone
attacks, the Pakistani rulers should shed US fear and adopt
a bold stance in this regard.
The JI chief
referred to the statement of the Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court that Karachi was under the control of the
mafias and terrorists , and said this should be an eye
opener for those who were demanding action in North
Waziristan and were leveling serious allegations on those
advocating dialogue. He said the operation in Karachi had
failed and bloodletting was going on all around as had been
the situation before the operation.
He said the
Supreme Court had already declared the MQM as a terrorist
body. The MQM had flourished under the umbrella of Martial
law and had always been black mailing the rulers. He said it
was the responsibility of the government to move a treason
case against MQM chief Altaf Husain for calling for military
take over.
The JI chief called for a thorough
probe into the allegations of independent MNA Jamshed Dasti
at the floor of the house as this was a highly serious
matter
India
Understanding the Issues facing India and the causes of
Indian Muslims' Plight.
Critique of Capitalism and Marxism.
Interview with top Indian Muslim Intellectual Dr. Javed
Jamil:
Intro by Shamim Siddiqi
Mohtram Javed Bhai, Salaam, Allah Ap ku Sada Khush Rakhey
and gives you
abundance of Tawfeeq and stamina to pursue your life long
goal to its
desired end.
Shukrun for re-sending it in a bolder fond. It is so
impressive, full of truth and the eternal facts of this
cosmos and of the human abode that I "strangely" finished
this entire fascinating interview, Alhamdulillah, in one
sitting.
May Allah give Barakah in your health, ILM and Rizq.
In fact, it covers the entire spectrum of human society, its
complexities with the ever increasing Global Corporate
hegemonies and the most significant part that Muslims have
to play for its inevitable revival latest by the middle of
this 21 Century.
In its wake, it covers all your theories, pur suasions and
exhortations to transform the Corporate India into a
truthful democratic society where all the minorities,
including Muslims do prosper harmoniously - a dream, I wish,
India could strive hard for its attainment.
Equally, it covers all the basic thrusts of all your
writings about Economic inequalities and exploitations at
each level of human society. Hence I request you to PUBLISH
this magnificent INTERVIEW in a Booklet Form AS IT IS for
distribution in every nook and corner of India in millions
and requesting all your well wishers to arrange funds for
this project hurriedly. Insha Allah, it will work
efficiently well in awaking the Muslims both at Indian and
global levels. This is the need of time.
I humbly request all the addressees of this letter to read
this Interview in depth in its TOTALITY, ponder over its
contents as what Muslims ARE TO DO FOR THE REVIVAL OF THEIR
FATE at this juncture and share it POSITIVELY with their
friends at hand and at global level for better understanding
of this world and its complexities and the greed of global
Corporate interests
REQUEST, KINDLY TO CONFIRM RECEOPT
Allah will bless you all immensely, I am sure of it
Shukrun wa Jazakallah
Shamim Siddiqi
WWW.dawahinamericas.com
I a message dated 2/27/2014 9:33:26 A.M. Eastern Standard
Time, doctorforu123@yahoo.com writes:
A Talk with Dr Javed Jamil
Islamic Scholar and Director PEACE and Executive Chairman,
International Centre for Applied Islamics as well as Editor
monthly Islam Muslims and the World, Dr Javed Jamil in a
conversation with Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander, about his
early life, writing, Economic Fundamentalism, Science,
Islam, Communalism and various social issues
Tell us something about yourself?
I studied medicine at the Lucknow Medical College. I am a
physician specialist and practiced medicine for thirty years
before devoting my complete time and energy to Islamic
scholarship and the cause of humanity.
As you stated that you were trained professionally as a
Doctor, so when did you switch over to Islamic
Scholarship?
I was involved with the Islamic scholarship from the very
beginning. In the school I was trained in the Hindi
background rather than in Urdu or English that I mastered
later on. My letter to the Editor was published in the
reputed Indian Express when I was still studying in school.
I then started writing in articles in various journals like
Impact, Radiance etc. Even some of my articles were
published outside India in the Arab world.
What were the reasons that compelled you to write?
It was an inner urge and passion that burned bright and
compelled me to write. I was not from an Urdu background and
was studying Medicine, but due to my multi dimensional
attitudes and inclinations I was able to balance both my
studies and extra co-curricular writings. I was also a
theatre activist, Ghazal singer and captain of my college
cricket team. I took a lot of interest in extra
co-curricular activities besides my formal studies.
You started writing as a novelist and poet in Urdu or you
were initially writing in English on Islam too?
As I stated earlier that I was not trained in Urdu or
English, but I self studied and developed some command on
them. I was deeply influenced by Islam since my childhood.
So I started writing about Islam. The writing in both
languages was going on simultaneously. Regarding my Urdu
novel, it was inspired by my college events and conceived
during my student days. It deals with the story of a college
student, the turbulences of his student life that ultimately
ends with suicide. As far as my poetry is concerned, my
collection of ghazals, "Rahguzar" has been published by the
Urdu Academy of the government of Uttar Pradesh (U.P). I
must add here, that I never had any Ustad (teacher) for my
poetry.
You are not only a Writer but an Activist too. What were the
reasons that inspired your activism?
The Shah Bano Movement became the cause of my activism. I
was among the pioneers of the movement in U. P. though being
just twenty three years old. The first public demonstration
against the Supreme Court verdict was organized in
Saharanpur at my call in which more than 50000 Muslim
marched against the court intervention in Personal Law. From
1984-1991 I was quite active in community affairs. I was
also Chairman of Majlis e Tahafuz that was formed during the
crises in Madrasa Mazaharal Uloom. Then people began to pull
me towards electoral politics and I was not ready. The
activism was also hampering my medical practice. Hence in
early 1990s I was compelled to give up activism and
concentrate on my medical practice and writing.
So how did you organize support for Shah Bano case and
became a pioneer of a movement that was to rock whole
India?
On the very next day of the verdict, I gathered a few
concerned people. We decided to bring out a juloos the bery
next Friday. Those days mass demonstrations by Muslims were
uncommon, but I along with others organized huge protest
demonstration against the Shah Bano case verdict. The Ulama
of all sects participated and the demonstrations then
spilled to other parts of India.
In the aftermath of Shah Bano case verdict that was then
revoked due to the strong protests of Indian Muslims, we
witnessed that Rajiv Gandhi gave permission for reopening
the Babri Masjid gates in order to appease the Hindu
majority. This led to Babri-Masjid Ramjanmbhoomi controversy
flare once again, that ultimately led to demolition of the
Babri Masjid by Hindutva Fanatics on 6th December, 1992. Do
you think that Shah Bano movement was the precursor for
demolition of Babri Masjid?
I don't think these two have any links with each other.
Babri Masjid controversy started when idols were placed
inside it during one night in 1949. The communal problem was
raking India much before Shah Bano movement and that was
responsible for the demolition of Babri Masjid not the other
way round.
So what is your reading of the Communalism?
Since the privatization started in India, it was supposed to
face a reaction. Leftist Forces were strong in 1980s and
were resisting the privatization project. In order to break
the resistance against privatization, communal riots were
orchestrated in various parts of India. The leftist parties
too got entangled in the communal problem, leaving the field
open for Privatization. At that time media also played an
important role in giving hype to the communal problem. Today
if a Muslim religious leader delivers some speech or issues
a press note it will rarely be carried by the media, but
those days they got full coverage.
So it means that communal problem has economic roots?
Yes, certainly it has. The communal riots were orchestrated
to divert attention from larger elite economic goals.
Your answer may be partially correct, but the major communal
riot in India after partition was the Jabalpur 1961 riots.
Then there was no privatization?
Then it was a partition legacy, but after that communal
riots were orchestrated to accomplish larger economic
goals.
What about massive Gujarat 2002 communal riots?
Gujarat riots are a blot of Indian Democracy and Secularism,
but now the trend is to contain communalism. First the
Corporations and those associated with privatization Project
got hold of the Hindutva Forces and they started to support
them. They used them to orchestrate the communal riots and
achieve their economic goals, but now they too are not in
favor of communal riots.
So you mean to say that Communalism will show a negative
trend with more privatization and Globalization?
Yes definitely.
One of the concepts that frequently crops in your writings
is that of Economic Fundamentalism. What does the term
mean?
It is the crux of most of my writings and a central theme
too. It means the supremacy of the Economics in the world.
The world is governed by Economics and all other matters
come under its purview. This Economic Fundamentalism is much
more dangerous than it is being considered till now. I am
trying to create awareness about the demon of Economic
Fundamentalism.
So are you of the opinion that the struggle for power among
the countries and the hegemony all are related to the
greater control on Economy?
Yes, ultimately all are related to economy. Economic
Fundamentalism and hegemony of West over the rest world are
the ultimate goals of big powers.
So can Marxism be an answer to this onslaught of hedonist
capitalism, what you call as Economic Fundamentalism?
Marxism and Capitalism both are the manifestations of the
Economic Fundamentalism. In capitalism few control the
economy and in Marxism you have a state control. In both
cases the ultimate aim is the same.
But still can't Marxism as a tool be used to understand the
capitalism and be an alternative to it?
No. When it comes to Economic Fundamentalism both are the
same. The difference only is that Marxism tries to create a
forced equality. But in terms of moral values, family
values, negation of religion and tendency to hegemonies the
world, both are the same.
So how can Islam offer a remedy and alternative to Economic
Fundamentalism?
In Islam there is no Economic Fundamentalism. The ultimate
aim of Islam is to inculcate a Holistic concept of Peace.
Everything has to change according to the same. Islam
doesn't permit commercialization of human weaknesses like
Sex, liquor, pornography, prostitution etc. It is this
concept "Dangerous Economics" that Islam rules out. In
Islam, ,oral values, integrity of character, godliness and
true equality are important with no room for hegemony.
If Islam is the answer to Economic Fundamentalism, why has
Islamic World failed to protect itself from this demon?
I have discussed in my new book, how Islam has provided the
answer to Economic Fundamentalism. I have depicted with
practical examples and statistics that wherever Islam is
being followed it is having a good impact and the problem is
not as worse as in other Nations that are non Muslim.
But the Economic Fundamentalists have created an elite in
Muslim world too, who are implementing their programmes?
Yes, I agree with you. But still on the Societal and
individual level the economic fundamentalists haven't been
as successful as they have been in other nations. Still
Islam is offering a resistance and being an impediment
towards achievement of their nefarious economic goals, which
they have been successful to accomplish in other non Muslim
nations.
Do you then witness Clash of Civilizations doctrine as
factual?
No, there is just clash of interests not civilizations.
Initially there was clash of interests among the Christians
between Catholic (practicing) Christians and Economic
Fundamentalists. Now there is clash of interests between
Economic Fundamentalists and Muslims. Hence they are
occupying Muslim lands.
So the War on Terrorism is a camouflaged war for furthering
Economic Interests?
Since 9/11 attacks we have been discussing terrorism not
tyranny. Tyranny has annihilated millions and terrorism is
the by product of Tyranny. I condemn all forms of violence,
but there needs to be a balance in condemnation. It is
alleged that Al Qaeda is responsible for killing of more
than six thousand people, but U.S till now has killed more
than two million people. Hence I need to condemn U.S two
million times for their crimes against humanity.
Can Inter-faith Dialogues help in narrowing the divide among
people?
They too have become a victim of Economic fundamentalists.
Inter Faith needs to change its face and unite to fight
against economic fundamentalism. Westernization and economic
fundamentalism are the enemies of Christianity too. All big
religions i.e. Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam
need to form a united alliance against economic
fundamentalism
Are the insurgencies that go in the name of Naxalism and
Moaism in India, bitter fruits Economic fundamentalism?
Yes, I am myself concerned about their plight but they are
using wrong tactics while struggling for a just cause.
Instead they should use mass non violent demonstrations as
tools for realization of their genuine goals.
So where do you see India in the face of Economic
Fundamentalism?
India is a country run by Corporates. All laws are made in
the Corporate Houses. It is a Corporatocracy not a
democracy.
Then how should we resist these corporate houses and their
economic fundamentalism?
A multi pronged strategy is needed for an effective
resistance. In the country, 90% of the tax revenue is coming
from the common people, despite the fact the wealth is
confined in a few hand only. The commercialization of human
weaknesses like sex is continuing unabated. The economic
disparities are growing wider with each passing day. The
need is to work and resist at every level. We need to
generate awareness about economic fundamentalism and the
host of issues related with it. Along with it mass campaigns
need to be organized. Then we need to have legal amendments.
Every constitution of every country needs to have a list of
"Fundamental Prohibitions" that can tackle the economic
fundamentalism.
You are also the Editor of a monthly magazine, Islam,
Muslims and the World. What were the reasons that led you to
publish this magazine?
It is my way of entering the activist field once again. The
idea behind issuing this journal is that it is based on new
offensive ideology unlike the one ushering from Inferiority
complexes, that we Muslims have. It is an initiative by
Muslims to reach out to the global audience. Its concerns
are Universal not Muslim centric only.
There are numerous magazines, journals and newspapers
published by the Muslims in India. So how is your magazine
different from others?
Others aren't discussing the issues, concerns and problems
of Mankind but Muslims only. Islam is not for Muslims only
it is for the whole mankind. Hence every problem in any part
of the world is the problem of Muslims and it needs to be
addressed and tackled by them. We want to remove the Muslim
centric complex among Muslim, and present them as
Universalists.
Don't you think that Muslim Ulama are the impediment as far
as Universalism of Islam is concerned? They have retrograded
Islam and made it synonymous with sectarianism?
The Muslim Ulama are unaware of the present. They don't know
the challenges of the present world and the issues related
with it. They only react when some problem crops up.
So it means that Ulama are reactionary?
Not all Ulama, but most of them are, as they don't know what
the world and Muslims around them need. They are still
occupied with the medieval mindset as formed and reinforced
by their madrasa education.
You have recently published the document Muslim Vision of
Secular India: Destination and Roadmap. So what does your
Muslim vision of Secular India comprise?
My vision is for better, tolerant, plural and peaceful
India. My other books are meant for the whole world but this
document is particularly meant for India. My vision is for a
comprehensive and holistic education of Muslims. The Muslims
need to empower themselves educationally, ideologically, and
above all, economically; only then they can affect the
course of things. They must develop an opinion and have a
say on every issue. Every matter facing the mankind must be
dealt by them.
But don't you think the tag of terrorism manufactured by the
State and reinforced by the stereotypical mainstream media
against Muslim youth are the biggest impediments and
obstacles for Muslims of India to play a bigger role in
Nation and PeaceBuilding?
The opposite can also be true. Muslims are the most backward
and poor people of India. Though there are certain
structural biases and prejudices against them, but they
themselves have given up the struggle that could lead to
their betterment and progress. Muslims have media like Peace
Tv and Etv Urdu and scores of journals and newspapers in
print, but it is an apathy that Muslims never discuss
National Issues, confronting the whole country. The minority
syndrome is so deeply embedded among Muslims that they can't
think beyond smaller community issues confronting them. The
need of the hour is to develop media that can be an
alternative to the mainstream media and discuss national
issues. Till then the stereotyping by media will continue
and Muslims will suffer.
I agree with your opinion, but Muslim Media howsoever small
or flawed being it's approach, it is suffering from the
apathy by Muslims, especially the Muslim middle class. They
are too individualistic and not concerned with the issues
facing Muslims. They don't subscribe to the Muslim journals
or magazines that are essential for their survival. What do
you have to say about this apathy?
If we change our approach and start talking, it will slowly
start impacting their lives too. The middle class would then
come forward and help in development of a vibrant Muslim
media.
You have also written about Science and Islam. Do you see
them in confrontation or conciliation with each other?
The true science and Islam have no reasons to be in
confrontation with each other. Islam is the truth, and
sciences too find and explain the truth through observations
and experiments. But the current sciences have two faces:
Practical sciences, which are very successful and
philosophical sciences, which are nothing but a farce
created under the patronage of forces of economics. The
theories like those related to the creation and governance
of the universe and mankind have been purposely designed to
keep God and godliness out of the world. All scientific
institutions are funded directly or indirectly by the
corporate; they can't allow theories than can give a boost
to religion. So, developing theories of Physics and origin
that do not need any external hand or design are the
ultimate aim of the atheistic world of science today. This
situation cannot change unless the forces that sustain this
approach are not uprooted. When atheism and atheistic
secularism rule the world with total domination of all
international institutions, scientific philosophies cannot
be expected to support the concept of God. Even health
organizations like WHO cannot come up with a call for
campaign against promiscuity, prostitution, homosexuality,
alcohol and gambling despite the fact that they have killed
more than 1 billion humans in last 25 years.
Do you believe that all the theories of Science are present
within Quran, like Big Bang Theory?
Big Bang theory is a false theory. Unfortunately some
Islamic scholars have described it as consistent with Quran
because they do not know the ultimate implications of the
Big Bang. Moreover, Big Bang is not a theory of creation. It
is theory of rearrangement of already existing mass-energy.
My coming work, "Quran's Paradigm of Theoretical Physics"
tries to develop a new theory, called "Universal Theory of
Relativity".
You are also director PEACE and executive Chairman,
International Centre for Applied Islamics. What are their
activities?
I have been working at the Global and National level. I
believe in the comprehensive empowerment of Muslims. I have
envisaged establishment of Applied Islamics University.
Though the dream is still in paper only, but I want to see
it in practical terms too. Many people are supporting me
morally but none is coming forward for supporting the
project materially. All my publications have the same goal
of realization of dream project of establishing Applied
Islamics University. I also wish that the subject of Applied
Islamics be included in madrasa curriculum too.
But the Ulama are too rigid for any inclusion in their
curriculum of Dars e Nizamiya?
The Ulama need to play the biggest role for empowerment of
Muslims. It is our duty to make them understand the real
issues and problems confronting the Muslims. If they
understand the real challenges and demands then they will
leave behind narrow sectarian goals and have larger aims.
The snake of Economic Fundamentalism needs to be recognized
and killed by our joint efforts.
Any message for humanity?
The humanity must understand their ultimate goal: Peace.
Peace of this life and peace in Hereafter. The humanity must
learn to differentiate between friend and foe. Their biggest
enemy is the devil of economic fundamentalism which has made
the mankind slave of their desires. Once they uproot it, the
true peace will prevail.
Dr Javed Jamil can be contacted at
doctorforu123@yahoo.com
Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is Writer-Activist based in
Srinagar, Kashmir and can be reached
atsikandarmushtaq@gmail.com
Holocaust in Egypt.
With thanks to Sis. Zakira Hibatullah
What really happened on the day more than 900 people died in
Egypt
The story of a massacre.
The bodies of Morsi supporters lie on the floor of the Rabaa
al-Adaweya Medical Center. (Ed Giles/Getty Images)
Editor's note: The names of some individuals present at the
sit-in have been changed for their protection.
It began with the sound of whistles in the dark. Civilian
guards on the makeshift barricades had seen armored vehicles
rolling toward the sleeping protesters, and raised the
alarm.
Then, an announcement from the vehicles: "The security
forces ask residents of this neighborhood to close all
windows and balconies. Stay inside your houses during the
clearance of this sit-in."
Two streets away from east Cairo's Rabaa al-Adaweya Square,
where she'd spent the night with tens of thousands of
others, 31-year-old Asmaa Shehata saw a young man on foot
pelting toward her car. "It's started," he bellowed. It was
6 a.m.
By the end of the day on Aug. 14, 2013, more than 900 people
would die inside the encampment, plunging Egypt into
turmoil. It was the deadliest day in the history of Egypt's
republic.
The fallout from the massacre has poisoned the country's
post-revolutionary politics, locking Egypt's military-backed
authorities and the Muslim Brotherhood into a battle for
survival that has devastated families, hardened sectarian
tensions, and facilitated the rise of Islamic militancy.
But six months later, the truth about what happened in Rabaa
al-Adaweya Square is hotly contested.
This GlobalPost reconstruction — based on eyewitness
interviews, visits to the scene, first-hand observation on
Aug. 14, and an examination of video and photographic
evidence — shows that thousands of peaceful demonstrators
were trapped inside the camp as security forces mounted
often indiscriminate attacks on the crowds.
From coup to sit-in
The sit-in had begun in July, with the military's overthrow
of President Mohamed Morsi, a member of the Muslim
Brotherhood. His opponents cheered the removal of what they
saw as an authoritarian theocrat. But his supporters felt
desperately aggrieved that their greatest achievement of
Egypt's 2011 revolution — the election of an Islamist
president — had been snatched away.
By August, a smattering of tents in Rabaa had morphed into
an entire community, complete with stage, a market place,
and table tennis. The square was surrounded by residential
buildings in the heart of east Cairo.
Human Rights Watch calculated that Rabaa and its environs
housed at least 85,000 protesters in early August. Muslim
Brotherhood families thronged the square. Many had travelled
from across the country to be part of the labyrinthine
encampment, which stretched for almost a kilometer east to
west.
Morsi supporters at the Rabaa sit-in in late July and early
August, prior to the clearance. (Top left: Fayez
Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images; top and bottom right: Khaled
Desouki/AFP/Getty Images; bottom left Ed Giles/Getty
Images).
This was the Morsi supporters' stronghold. They said they
would not leave until they had achieved the impossible:
their president's reinstatement.
More than 100 demonstrators died during police attacks on
the site on July 8 and July 27, hardening their resolve to
fight against the authorities. Afterward, their numbers
swelled.
Many of the neighborhood's permanent residents wanted the
camp dispersed. There were rumors about what was happening
inside — that the square was awash with weapons; that
passers-by had been kidnapped, tortured, and accused of
espionage. Speeches blaring from the Rabaa stage were often
sectarian, blaming Egypt's Christians for the misfortune of
Islamists.
In the weeks leading up to Aug. 14, Egyptians officials
warned that Rabaa was soon to be cleared, but promised a
gradual and controlled dispersal with safe exits provided
for the thousands staying at the square.
A statement issued by Egypt's interior ministry as the
clearance began said the ministry was moving on both Rabaa
and a second smaller encampment in west Cairo "to protect
citizens' security. ... It will provide safe exit for
protesters and will not pursue them, except those who are
wanted by prosecutors. The ministry is keen not to shed any
Egyptian blood."
But police warnings that the clearance was about to start
were delivered only minutes before the tear gas. Within ten
minutes, the live-fire started. The promised safe exits were
often unreachable due to heavy gunfire.
The demonstrators were mostly unarmed. A small group of men
launched a fight back with a limited supply of guns, as well
as Molotov cocktails and stones, from an unfinished building
on the camp's southern flank, and in response, police
unleashed lethal and indiscriminate force on the sit-in as a
whole.
It is unclear who fired the first shots. But evidence
gathered by GlobalPost indicates that security forces
disproportionately deployed live ammunition against
protesters rather than tear gas, water cannons, or other
standard crowd-clearing tools.
When Human Rights Watch interviewed eyewitnesses and health
workers a week after the attack, the organization found no
evidence to suggest that firing by protesters justified the
quick resort by police to massive lethal force against
largely unarmed protesters. It described the clearance as
"the most serious incident of mass unlawful killings in
modern Egyptian history."
This is the story of how those ten hours unfolded. In
addition to the deaths of more than 900 protesters inside
Rabaa Square, the clearance would spark retaliatory
sectarian violence against Christians across the
country.
No safe exits
For Mohamed Salem, the clearance started with frantic
whistling and the banging of metal shields on each
barricade.
Standing by his tent on Tayaran Street, the camp's northern
exit, the 19-year-old student heard police reassurances at
6:30 a.m. that demonstrators would be granted safe exit
through two routes.
But within minutes, the sound of bullets cracked down the
street.
GlobalPost illustration / Google Earth image
The first exit security forces had promised, Tayaran Street,
was on the southern side of the sit-in. The second ran along
the western section of Nasr Road. But it quickly became
clear that police had little intention of making it easy for
protesters to leave.
Intense tear gas and gunfire from security forces made
moving toward Tayaran Street impossible for many, and the
exit on Nasr Road difficult to reach.
But there was also pressure to stay put. From the camp's
central stage, Brotherhood leaders shouted that the promise
of safe exit was a trap.
Tayaran Street was in an uproar, Mohamed remembers. Most
people ran back toward the center of the square. Others
ducked into the tents that lined the road or broke shards of
pavement to throw at the phalanx of troops standing behind
armored bulldozers and personnel carriers.
(Mosaab El-Shamy/AFP/Getty)
Moving through one of the few side streets not lined with
troops, Asmaa Shehata re-entered the square. At points, she
remembers, white tear gas turned the air almost opaque.
Sit-in leaders continued to shout from the stage. "Do not
leave! Do not leave!"
Amid the chaos, Mohamed saw an old man rooted to the spot
where he stood. "We screamed at him to move, but he stayed
where he was," the student remembers. "When I ran forwards
to grab him, I realized why he'd stopped."
In front of the old man lay the body of his son. He had been
shot in the head.
As of the beginning of the clearance, police had sealed all
entrances to the square. Journalists were barred from
documenting the melee. Many did not manage to enter until
mid-afternoon, accessing the site through the neighborhood's
maze-like side-streets. Four were killed, including veteran
Sky News cameraman Mick Deane.
A doorway filled with corpses
By 7 a.m., the first fatalities had reached Rabaa's
makeshift field hospital, in the center of the encampment.
There, the job of documenting the dead fell to Asmaa, who
usually worked as journalist.
"Early on when there were only a few martyrs, I took many
photographs of each person," she says, "but then the
floodgates opened."
Bullets had drilled large holes through the skulls of dozens
of protesters. In one of Asmaa's photographs, a man's brain
has slipped out across the field hospital's bloodied
floor.
Yet the interior ministry still claimed that live ammunition
wasn't used. In a statement that evening the ministry
insisted that police had used only tear gas against
protesters.
Asmaa Shehata photographs medical workers sewing up the
wound of aMorsi supporter in Rabaa's field hospital. Egypt's
interior ministry initially claimed tha t no live ammunition
had been used in dispersing the protesters.
When questioned by GlobalPost last week, the interior
ministry modified its account, saying that live ammunition
had in fact been used, but on a limited scale and only
against those carrying automatic weapons.
As she photographed the 39th corpse, Asmaa's camera battery
ran out. Seeking an electrical socket and a moment of
solace, she crossed the narrow passage from the triage tent
to Rabaa's media center, a space from which the camp's
spokesmen had launched a media war against Egypt's new
military-backed authorities.
A medical worker looks up. Asmaa Shehata, mentioned above,
captured this image in between photographing the corpses in
Rabaa's field hospital as the violence progressed.
She remembers hearing, as she moved, the continuous sound of
bullets slamming into walls and trees in the surrounding
streets.
Asmaa pushed, but the media center door wouldn't open at
first. Too many bodies were stacked against it.
Inside, it was chaos. "Wherever I looked, I could see people
holding bandages for others as they tried to stitch people
on the floor. Other people were just kneeling there, holding
hands with the casualties until they died," she said.
The unfinished building
Back on Tayaran Street, 19-year-old Mohamed joined the fight
on the side of the protesters.
His tent at Rabaa was stationed in front of an unfinished
building, known to protesters as the Muneyfa building. Seven
stories high, this concrete skeleton was the nerve center of
the resistance.
Mohamed joined a gathering crowd at the entrance, smashing
sections of the pavement with which to arm themselves. They
threw chunks of concrete rapidly, and in waves. "Even if the
man next to me was shot, I knew we couldn't stop," he
says.
The claim that a significant number of protesters were
heavily armed lies at the center of the interior ministry's
justification for what happened inside Rabaa on Aug. 14.
"This was a proportionate response, just targeting those who
used live ammunition against policemen," General Hani Abdel
Latif, the ministry spokesman, told GlobalPost last week.
The interior ministry has repeatedly insisted that the
clearance took place in accordance with internationally
accepted crowd control standards.
By contrast, testimonies from inside the Muneyfa building
and publicly available video evidencesuggest there were no
more than a dozen guns in the hands of the protesters.
Across the rest of the square, testimonies and video
evidence show that some protesters carried clubs and several
fired guns at the security forces.
But the vast majority were unarmed.
(Mosaab el-Shamy/AFP/Getty)
The disproportionate nature of the police response is clear
from the numbers alone.
Egypt's forensic authority says 726 bodies were brought to
the official morgue or hospitals. That number excluded
bodies buried directly by their families. The Egyptian
Center for Economic and Social Rights has compiled a list of
904 names of people killed in the dispersal. Some NGOs
believe the number to be higher still.
Early health ministry figures suggested that only eight of
those killed in side Rabaa al-Adaweya were policemen. Human
Rights Watch later raised the number to nine.
The fight intensifies
Shortly after midday on Aug. 14, an exchange of heavy
gunfire between police and those at the Muneyfa building
shattered a lull in the fighting. From his vantage point in
an alley on the western entrance, a local resident watched
the fighting as it intensified.
Across the street, he saw a young police officer sink to the
pavement and stare blankly at the carnage.
When the resident tried to enter the sit-in to help carry
out the wounded, another officer shrieked that he must stay
where he was. The look on the officer's face was one of
shame, the resident said. He was shaking.
Images taken by Asmaa Shehata, mentioned above, show men
rushing injured demonstrators to medical care.
As the fighting wore on and police continued to advance,
women and children huddled under tarpaulin tents.
The Egyptian media would later say that Brotherhood
leadership had encouraged families to stay in the square
until the last minute, rendering them human shields.
Rabaa's mosque became a hiding place for hundreds more,
although the space grew increasingly cramped as makeshift
morgues overflowed and fresh corpses were moved to the
prayer hall.
But in the center of the camp, 34-year-old Yasmine Abdel
Fattah refused to find shelter. The mother of three was
searching for her husband, Ahmed. He'd been missing for
three hours.
Moving quickly, she snatched a glance at the notional safe
exit on the western stretch of Nasr Road. Armored bulldozers
crept past burning tents. Some had been lit by protesters;
others burst alight when blisteringly hot tear gas canisters
made contact with the flammable awnings.
"Muslim Brothers were shouting at me to move fast and find
shelter," says Yasmine. "But I kept stopping to ask if
anyone had seen my husband. I felt frantic. No one knew
where he was."
Under a white shroud on the third floor of the Rabaa medical
center, she found him. He'd been shot three times.
Ahmed, an engineer, was with colleagues when he died. They
say he was shot at point-blank range by a police officer.
Forensic officials confirm that he was hit in his back and
side with live ammunition, fired within close quarters.
Yasmine was allowed only the briefest of goodbyes to her
husband's lifeless body. New corpses needed to be laid to
rest in the space where she stood.
By mid-afternoon, Rabaa's volunteer doctors had been
overwhelmed. Equipment and drugs were in short supply, and
ambulances had stopped entering the encampment after a
paramedic was shot dead.
For those inside the medical center, moving the injured to
safety now involved braving a corridor of gunfire, to reach
the ambulances stationed on the sit-in's southern flank.
For some, the desperate gamble paid off. Others were not so
lucky. Standing behind the medical center on Mohamed Mandour
Street, this reporter saw three casualties shot dead on
their makeshift stretchers. In a fourth incident, a
stretcher-bearer took the bullet.
As his wounded charge rolled to the ground, he too was shot
in the head. The bullets appeared to be coming from the
surrounding rooftops.
Cleared
(Hassan Mohamed/AFP/Getty)
Shortly after 3:30 p.m., police finally took control of the
Muneyfa building. They made arrests on every floor, and
multiple eyewitnesses inside the building allege that
beatings followed.
Mohamed was on the second floor when police entered. He
remembers the screams of his fellow fighters. "They were
writhing, screaming as if they were dying," he says. In
fact, they were. "Almost no one survived on the ground
floor."
With resistance from the Muneyfa building extinguished and
Tayaran Street secured, police swept easily into the center
of the sit-in, entering the mosque, field hospital and
medical center.
Asmaa, the journalist, was inside the medical center when
police entered. She describes how men and women were ordered
into separate lines, then escorted outside with their hands
above their heads.
After hours spent sheltering indoors, she was ill-prepared
for what she saw next. Charred bodies scattered the
blackened ground like driftwood. Police escorted ragged
groups of protesters away from the carnage.
Along Nasr Road streamed a constant flow of protesters, many
limping, others crying. Some people carried corpses. "As we
carried out the dead, the residents were laughing," says
Asmaa. "They were cheering and chanting, some were
ululating."
Over the months, the sit-in had grown deeply unpopular among
locals. Many were scared by the trouble and disruption it
brought to the neighborhood.
But Asmaa was surprised, nevertheless: "After all that
killing, I couldn't believe that our countrymen could have
grown so estranged that they would take pleasure in such a
tragedy," she says.
Morsi supporters display the four-finger symbol, used to
remember those killed in the crackdown on the Rabaa
al-Adaweya camp, during a demonstration against the
military-backed government in Cairo on September 13, 2013.
(Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images)
After the massacre
Thousands emerged from the square to learn that the killings
had triggered spasms of retaliatory violence across the
country. Mobs chanting sectarian slogans torched and
ransacked Christian establishments — 65 churches and
monasteries were attacked. Pro-Morsi demonstrators,
sometimes heavily armed, clashed with police for hours.
By nightfall, a curfew was in place in 14 governorates
across Egypt. Inside Rabaa, the mosque, field hospital and
medical center were engulfed in flames.
The events of Aug. 14, 2013 ruptured Egypt's
post-revolutionary politics. They marked the end for
prospects of reconciliation between the embattled and
intransigent Muslim Brotherhood and the increasingly
repressive military-backed authorities that pushed Morsi
from power.
The Egyptian authorities have yet to establish a public
record of what occurred that day. The prosecutor's office
has not prosecuted a single member of the security services
for excessive and unjustified use of lethal force.
Over the past six months, Morsi supporters have adopted a
four-fingered salute, often depicted as a black hand on a
yellow background, to remember those who died inside Rabaa
al-Adaweya. In Arabic, Rabaa means "fourth."
As part of a far-reaching crackdown on the Brotherhood,
displaying the sign is now a punishable offense.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/40221/what-happened-rabaa-square
2014-03-02 Sun 10:53:20 cst
NewTrendMag.org
