A Bunch of Pages

Yom-e-bey-daari (Day of Awakening)

2006-12-05T21:08:00.000-05:00

On this day ....

Gifts from Israel

2006-07-18T00:38:00.000-04:00

Israeli children sends gifts to Lebanese children:

Israeli girls write messages on a shell at a heavy artillery position near Kiryat Shmona, in northern Israel, next to the Lebanese border, Monday, July 17, 2006. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

Lebanese children receive them:

(AP)

Source

The Sound of Tradition, and the Road of Culture

2006-06-11T22:36:00.000-04:00

I recently acquired a great CD of Sufi Chants. Interestingly, this is quite different from the confused ware coming out of the qawwali-sindhi-punjabi soup of South Asia or the new-age medley out of California. Nesidul-Huda has some interesting, orthodox (I mean that in a good sense), poems in Arabic, Turkish, Bosnian, and Farsi. The accompanying lyrics in English (and French) are good, and the voices soothing but not freaky.

I have also been thinking of and followed discussions over at my workplace with Indian, Jewish, and Persian immigrants about culture and success. Umar Lee also had some posts about similar stuff. The argument basically is, that some ethnic/racial/cultural groups in modern societies like USA, Europe, or many parts of Asia do better than others because of cultural issues that impart certain values to kids. I have some thoughts on this issue and I think that growing up culturally secure is very important. Marcus Garvey wrote that if you free men from mental slavery, they will free themselves of physical slavery. Growing up with the right values, which tells you that you are good enough to compete with anyone, but only if you work hard enough, is a big help. Imam Benjamin Kareem, the erst-while Assistant Minister Benjamin 2X, writing in his book "Remembering Malcolm", says that brother Shabazz used to lay a lot of emphasis on education. Every Tuesday (I think), he would rent a documentary to be viewed in his centre and hold a discussion. He would discuss anything and everything from geography, to genetics, history, or physics. He would also love to take the kids out on weekends to the Metropolitan Museum, or some such place and enthrall them with his live narrative and lectures. His biggest regret from his earlier life as Detroit Red, was that otherwise intelligent young men and women had fallen to crime, drugs, prostitution, etc., when they could have gone on to become scientists, teachers, and lawyers. Another thing that I have noticed is that many Muslims when we rightly frame our ideas of intellectual purity, and try to rid 'our' culture of hearsay and vanities, we leave out a lot of arts. This is more about the modernist, Islamist everyday Muslim. While I think that this is in a way good, because there's a whole load of junk out there, both modern and ancient should not corrupt pure education. But since, people don't live without entertainment, it means that we then finally break out and imbibe any and all bull out there, Woody Allen, Britney Spears (yuck!), and what not.

Finally, so what is the good stuff out there. There's a whole lot of popular science and math books, that our cousins, mostly the East Europeans, Indian Brahmins, and Ashkenazi Jews have written and used all their life. I used to wonder in college how and why do so many of these kids, who are otherwise only as smart as me or anyone else, have this specific knowledge which they used to build an almost cultic group identity. Then there's a great treasure of more serious, and contemplative stuff, in the writings of Ghazali, Rumi, Hafez, Taymiyya etc. A lot of times we get frustrated with one end or the other. I think Ghazali is just about the best out there, because of how he has tied the different ends together. If you get too confused, take a look at Ghazali.

And here's one more post of confused words, some interesting ideas, releasing some steam. Enjoy the summer if you live in the northern parts of the world. If you are in one of usually hotter parts of the Afro-Asiatic heartland, have some patience.

Hirsi and Cosby

2006-05-15T23:30:00.000-04:00

Ayan Hirsi Ali has just been exposed as a fraud. She made up stuff like the story a forced marraige, and an escape from Somalia to get asylum in the Netherlands. She later used these same stories to win a seat in the Dutch parliament. After her expose, she plans to come down to Washington and work for the American Enterprise Institute. In other news, the US pumps money to some Somali warlords to fight other worlords.

On the other side, Bill Cosby says what needs to be said. I havent followed him too closely, but my impression is that he's not been another one of those Republican Black conservatives. He's done a lot for his community, and is now brave enough to call a spade a spade. You rock, Bill! Today, great Black Power icons need to be intelligent, hard working young men and women who are politically aware and strong willed enough not to fall for any Condi-style sell-outs, and decent and sociable enough to be well liked and respected members of the larger community.

Two endorsements

2006-03-23T14:19:00.000-05:00

The Council on American Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim civil rights body in North America, appeals for the release of Afghan Christian Abdul Rehman (via Abu Sinan). Also, an appeal for the release of Jill Carroll, a reporter for the Christian Science Monitor (arabic video here).

Islam, America, and Freedom

2006-03-08T02:50:00.000-05:00

So there's this huge brouhaha about Wafa Sultan, an LA psychologist on Al-Jazeera taking on an Algerian Islamist professor. It seems that a million atheists are praying for her. Of course, there's a million things wrong with many of the groups calling themselves Islamist, and Wafa almost touches on some of them.

However, her whole diatribe was about how you Muslims do this and do that. I am going to take a few pieces out of it and see where we go.

My colleague has said that he never offends other people's beliefs. What civilization on the face of this earth allows him to call other people by names that they did not choose for themselves? Once, he calls them Ahl Al-Dhimma, another time he calls them the "People of the Book," and yet another time he compares them to apes and pigs, or he calls the Christians "those who incur Allah's wrath." Who told you that they are "People of the Book"? They are not the People of the Book, ....

This was about the whole offending your religion bit. Now let us see what she is saying. I guess most civilisations allow me to use appropriate language if it intends to carry objective meaning in a dialogue. Sure, the whole monkeys and pigs bit is used in speeches by the looney fringe, and I sure as hell don't subscribe to their views. However, appropriate language is needed. I don't think it is disrespectful to tell my Catholic friend that I consider him to be following something which has the origin of God's religion. Now you could say that is because I have a soft spot for normal, religious people of political left-liberal tendencies that I share. For Wafa of course, it is a different story and she is an elitist western bourgeois mouthpiece. That is how I'd usually put it. However, when it is a legal free for all, it is possible for her to be called an imperialist pig (she is out there trying to white-wash the native American genocide). That's not the sort of language I actually use - but take it as an argumentative device for now.

So where do we end up with on the whole offending people issue? As a Muslim, I will always be offended and will never welcome mockery of any figure from Islam, Christianity or Judaism. Within an Islamic society, if such expressions are criminalized (and there's to be a debate as to if they ought to be), then my biggest issue is to see that legitimate debate about ideas is not hindered. In societies that do not wish to limit expressions here, well then, in a legal sense of course you ought to live with it. This is an issue that a lot of supposed religious people really need to understand, that we can only have free faith and its discussion if the both parties can bring stuff to the table. It seems many of us are learning our faith from those dusty orientalist books or the ebbing news about lack of freedom in the ME. Since people are free to take or reject faith, of course they will sometimes act in very abhorrent ways. The bottom line of course comes down to: in a society where there is freedom of speech, the blasphemers should be safe from physical violence or threats. Boycott their publications, and attack their hypocrisy, and move on!

So three cheers for freedom, for a free society can see its errors, and people are free to leave Falsehood, and move to Truth. Of course, the elitist songs of freedom are fairly hollow and bankrupt because unless injustice is also attacked, much of nominal freedom is meaningless. So class, race, gender, historical privilege, faith, objective truth are also needed. (Translation : Hell yes, they are important, and people are going to take to the streets if needed.)

But the bottomline is, let us use the freedom of expression in a positive sense, and have a real dialogue about everything. Vile racists, and fundamentally anti-Islamists will abuse it and there can't be a legal challenge to it. Of course, it is a real issue as discrimination and prejudice gains ground, but then we'll just have to fight them. However, many institutions, and those constitutional guarantees which have not been revoked have helped to limit these things.

There's a lot more which is wrong with Wafa's statements - which only underscores the need to build more open, mature, and caring Islamic movements. She was only able to get away with it because many groups are doing horrible things and getting away with it far too easily in our community.

I am angry

2006-02-23T01:02:00.000-05:00

Iraq - sectarian riots claim a Shia shrine with the tombs of two Imams, 90 Sunni mosques, the tomb of Talha (RA), 3 Imams, 11 prisoners, among others. All right, so if we really love God and His Prophet so much, how come the very places where His Name is celebrated are attacked - in Iraq - right in the middle of the Muslim heartland?

You know what, at least get serious. I have committed a lot of mistakes in my life, and most of us have. We can at least not use our vilest actions to malign Islam. You want to have your selfish power struggle, you want to have your racist anti-Arab or anti-Kurd orgy, well at least be man enough to claim you're just another hedonist, not some idealist revolutionary.

The same old, ad nauseum

2006-02-16T20:45:00.000-05:00

The cartoon protests in Pakistan have turned horrible. Obviously, I think it is wrong, counter-productive and should stop. However, since Pakistan is indeed part of the Muslim world, I think it is important to understand and form a voice regarding it. Alt.Muslim has a column on how the Muslims of the past reacted to verbal and written attacks on the Prophet, by reacting in a "intellectual, secure, and civil" way. It can be argued that the reaction then was a reality of the existing socio-political order, and the Muslim civilisation could react that way. While I would agree with that if the goal was simply to understand the crisis, I think our goal here is to act, and take care of ourselves as individuals and as an ummah. In such a case, I think it is clear that such reactions will not change any opinions, and are not mandated by faith.

CAIR has reacted in a much more productive and pro-active manner by initiating a program of outreach and education regarding the Prophet Muhammad pbuh (information courtesy Abu Sinan). As to those who have taken a more confrontational approach, it can be argued that the political reality necessitates taking on the power structures that are implicated in this campaign of assault and attack on Muslims in general. However, I do not think that the argument finally holds much sway. For one, conflating a whole nation or continent with the actions of individuals, even if they be many and powerful is problematic. Secondly, the real power structures perpetuating the conditions are poverty, confusion, corruption, and lack of political fairness, etc. are not being attacked this way. There is no rhyme or reason in attacking KFC outlets in Pakistan while the real battle is in managing food procuction, economic opportunities and creating a secure cultural matrix, where KFC outlets would lose any signifacance. Further, the revolutionary rhetoric of attacking the power structures is incomplete at best, since it is useless to attack something unless you can create a more just, natural, and beautiful alternative. And that alternative in practice will have to be more than just a slogan of "Islam is the solution".

Ziauddin Sardar and the quest for Paradise

2006-02-12T15:37:00.000-05:00

Ziauddin Sardar's autobiographical Desperately Seeking Paradise : Journeys of a Skeptical Muslim is delightful reading. Sardar is described as a gross liberal distortion of Islam, and a grave threat to real understanding by much of the mainstream Muslim opinion and blogosphere. However his work is refreshing and he represents a very broad and existent Muslim opinion. I will attempt to offer my own thoughts on the subject and highly recommend the book. I am not a literary critic and this is not an academic review. As my views on Art in this paradigm follow those of the South African poet Willie Kgositsile, I am more interested in the issues than the language.

Sardar traces his relationship and understanding of many of the Islamic and Muslim movements, from the tablighis, to the Ikhwan, the Kemalist secularists and the Neo-Salafi. With his brilliant pen and British wit, he spares none. More interestingly, his criticism on many counts is representative of how many Muslims (even those sympathetic to the movements) feel.

The critical writing however, is not polemical and I felt that it is rather a necessary part of a process of review and judgement. Sardar had been part of the UK Muslim youth group FOSIS, which gave him the chance to interact with many of the defining personalities and thoughts. He describes dining with Malcolm X, and discussions with Ikhwan ideologues. His thoughts are those of a Muslim searching for real world answers, broadly devoted to the cause, but very critical. The "Paradise" being a metaphor for the goals of a socio-political Islamic ideal.

His personal encounters give deliciously simple details from a souk in Fez, a dream on Hodja Nasruddin's tomb, a street in Dubai, or a basement khanqah in London. The only issue that I will publicly take with his stories is his description of a proposal by a Chinese Muslim academic. I think it was in bad taste for Sardar to write about that episode and harm the privacy of a Muslim lady, or anyone else for that matter.

Broadly, his is a defence and championing argument for the pluralist and liberal faction of the Islamic movement. Towards the end of the book, you can smell the blood and the feel the crush as this faction is thrown out of its last trenches, and still see a new beginning as it settles down again, may be wiser and more determined. On one count however, I challenge Sardar's thesis, or at least one implication. In reviewing Imam Ghazali's work, Sardar offers his thoughts on the Mutazila, almost showing the Mutazila movement as a lost answer. The themes of Paradise, peace, and the Muslim sub-conscious memory of Andalus as a lost Paradise do play to favour the Mutazila symbols in Sardars book. However, I think that the Ash'ari phiosophy has been widely accepted by Muslims today, and I feel that theologically it is where I feel comfortable. I do not mean to say that Sardar writes a Mutazilite propaganda material, it is better if you read and find out for yourself. From within the secure and theologically sound fortress of mainstream Muslim, Ash'ari thought should arise a moderate, humane and liberal Islamic movement. Overall however, it is a song of justice, love, and revolution that I hear in Sardar's book, immensely enjoy.

ps. Another good work is his co-authored Distorted Imagination: Lessons from the Rushdie Affair.

Ashoora

2006-02-07T22:48:00.000-05:00

Thursday, Feb 9 2006 is Ashoora, the 10th of Muharram. It is sunnah to fast on the 10th of Muharram, and the Prophet expressed a wish to fast on the 9th and 10th. The early Muslims observed the 10th as a mandatory fast. Ashoora is also the day when Hussein (R.A.) was martyred. A common perception is Ashoora being a Shi'a thing. The love of the Ahl-al-bayt is not a sectarian issue however, and the ashoora marks a turning point in Muslim history. There were no Shias, Sunnis, Sufis and Salafis in the 1st century Hijri, only a lot of Muslims shocked to see Madinah being sacked, Makkah bombed, and Hussein martyred in the frontiers. I think it is a good time to reflect on where we are headed collectively, and to draw inspiration from Hussein (R.A.)'s martyrdom as a muslim idealistic struggle against injustice and fitnah in the world.

To all my Muslim readers - Wednesday and Thursday are great days to fast. Take some time to think, and devote your energies to building yourself and cleaning up your world, and remember the old Urdu saying "Har Karbala ke ba'd zinda hota hai Islam". Roughly translated, Islam rises again after every catastrophe.

Civlity and Legalism

2006-02-04T14:34:00.000-05:00

As much as I hate to talk about it, it seems that the situation has been forced upon many Muslims. The Danish cartoons controversy is escalating. I think it is good to explain a few things. Muslims believe in an absolute truth, and we believe that humans have a choice to personally explore for it, and to reject or accept it. The mission of Prophethood and dawa is to explain to humanity the truth of Islam. The most fortunate among us will believe in it whole heartedly, and will be willing to put their wealth, their lives, and anything they hold dear on the line for it. Some of us will believe it, and try to live accordingly, but also make blame-worthy mistakes in the way. And Allah is the best of Judges, the most Merciful, and the most able Enforcer. There will be others, and Allah is the best of Judges. The most unfortunate among humanity will understand the truth, but still ridicule and deny the truth. It is with regards to the worst of humanity, that we believe God tells us:

Can ye entertain the hope that they will believe in you?- Seeing that a party of them heard the Word of Allah, and perverted it knowingly after they understood it. - Chapter 2, Verse 75 (Yusuf Ali rendering of the meaning.)

To you be your Way, and to me mine. - Chapter 109, Verse 6. (Yusuf Ali rendering of the meaning.)

In short, the message of Islam to all, Muslim or not is alike. You have been given an intellect and signs around you. It is up to you to accept or reject the message. The cartoonists who chose to draw or publish them meant to offend. If they accept the message it is for their own soul, and if they chose to reject, deny, and ridicule, it is for their own soul. Islam explicitly forbids Muslims from insulting the divine that others believe in. No amount of physical force can explain the truth. If that had been the divine plan, all of humanity would be believing in one faith, for God is All-Powerful, and well capable of infinite force.

Now, all Muslims love and respect our Prophet, and all of the other Prophets like Adam, Abraham, Noah, Moses, and Jesus (peace be upon them all) more than ourselves, our families, and our nations. It is a logical construct that those who do not believe, will not feel the same way. However, we believe that as a matter of civility certain manners should be observed. Just because I do not love your family the way you do, it does not mean that I should pronounce all manners of obscenities towards your family, or employ racial slurs against your community. However, if one does so, then the understood law of the land should be employed. Slandering, or speech that directly incites violence is a crime in many systems of law. For those systems of law in which sacrilegious insults are not a crime, we can, and should, only employ the better, and more civil of approaches. One can not expect everyone to have the same moral compass. However, if the message we have is better, it will shine in its own light. I do not think that violence or threats of violence are legitimate, or positive for the message of Islam, or for the harmony of nations.

We believe that there is a difference between conveying information in a good manner, and insulting someone. We Muslims believe that Jesus was a man, born of a virgin mother, and not God. This does not mean that we insult Christians. Similarly, Jews believe that Muhammad (pbuh) was not a Prophet of God. This is a truthful account of the beliefs, not an insult.

Addendum/Update

It is good to see a lot of the muslim blogosphere calling for an end to this fiasco and madness, eg., Abdusalaam, Eteraz, Chan'ad, Abu Sinan etc. However, I think I want to draw a fine line here. Muslims can and should feel strongly about this issue. Loving our Prophet, his family, and all the other Prophets is common to all Muslims - Shi'a, Sunni, liberal, conservative etc. So I think Muslims do, and should feel attacked when any of the above are mocked and attacked. I previously wrote against that excuse of an argument, MWU!, initially for playing around with these sensitive issues in the Sex and the Ummah columns. I don't think the trade boycott against Denmark can last, or that a complete and permanent one is even justified. The 57 member nations of OIC can't even make cheese or insulin, and they can't live without the crumbs that Europe throws at them. This is why the cartoons even hurt so much in the first place. The EU has threatened to launch trade wars, presumably against Iran or KSA. A cynical part of me roots for EU on this. May be a baptism in fire will give us a lesson. The conservatives need to know that some things will have to change if they even want to survive today. And the rich spoilt brats making up the uber-white, ultra-liberal wing in glitzy Tehran U figure out what some in Europe think of them. Unless the masses and poor in the heartlands have been absorbed in a vibrant economic system, we will continue to be humiliated. I am not so sure anymore if I want to say that Scandinavia is great.

The most shameful act so far : a Catholic priest in Turkey was killed. The Turkish police have arrested the suspect. Justice ought to be served. This is blasphemy too, and it is a sad day for Muslims.

Sexuality, Power, and Culture

2006-01-31T19:56:00.000-05:00

Al-Jazeera reports on Laylat Suqout Baghdad (The Night Baghdad Fell), a political fantasy film from Cairo. It plays in the backdrop of Arab, and Egyptian fears of a US invasion, and the quest of two men to create a deterrent weapon for Egypt. The Abu Ghraib photos provide a prominent backdrop, portraying how the sexual abuse was a way of subjugating, and claiming superiority over the Iraqi population. One of the men fantasizes about having sex with Condoleeza Rice.

I think it will be a good film to watch. Some excerpts from the Jazeera review:

"These aren't sexual scenes," explains Amin. "They're sexual meanings. It's a universal language that everyone understands: The active partner - in this case Tarek - in a sexual act is always in the dominant, more powerful position. Tarek hates US officials so he defeats them in bed in the form of Rice."

... In a scene where Tarek's deterrence weapon falters, Shaker's hopes fade and are replaced by a nightmare that his daughter is raped in Abu Ghraib.

I think it provides a good example of how violence is sexualised in Arab and American culture. If our conservarive values are really for promoting for healthy, natural and strong family values, why are these sort of ideas not attacked by the cultural vanguards? I am not attacking the artistic expression in the film, for it only portrays an already prevalent mindset. Is it any suprise then, that women are the principle victims of ethnic or national conflicts? How is it possible to have healthy, and positive relationships in this atmosphere?

Just what I wanted to hear!

2004-09-24T15:35:00.000-04:00

I have to hand it to Pres. Maskhadov. Noy only did he condemn the Beslan massacre (good, but not enough), he has publicly called for trying Shamil Basayev in a court of law for the murder of the innocent children in Beslan, once the war is over. He has also called on the international community to try all war criminals from all sides.

Yes, the overwhelming majority of muslims, (not just extreme lefties at MWU!, or GOP sell-outs like Nawash), but also moderates, traditionalists, political pan Islamists, and nationalists like Maskhadov are as horrified by Beslan as anybody else. We just hope that the Chechen people also get some sort of justice - stop the genocide! Basayev's actions and remarks were offensive, irresponsible and immoral.

Stories carried by Al Jazeera, and yahoo - both sourced from chechenpress.

Today - 22 years ago

2004-09-17T16:18:00.000-04:00

Today is the 22nd anniversary of the Sabra and Shatila Massacre.

Conservative, yeah right!

2004-09-12T19:05:00.000-04:00

Unmasked: The George W Bush the President Doesn't Want the World To See

Chechen Republic of Ichkeria loses one

2004-09-08T19:46:00.000-04:00

When the second Russian-Chechen war started, I hoped that the Independent Chechen Republic would survive. I criticised the Sunni scholars of Chechnya for rallying against Khattab's "Wahhabism" while working for Putin and his cronies in the Kremlin. I argued for the Chechen cause, even at the cost of being looked on as an extremist by my non-Muslim friends.

All that has changed. Pres. Maskhadov should publicly censure Khattab and other generals who were involved, strip them of their military designations and citizenship, and schedule court martial proceedings for war crimes if and when Russia withdraws. The excuse that their services are needed is futile. He's not getting independence this way. And the Chechen Republic has lost well meaning friends in the east and west. We do not want a Muslim Israel. I do not want a Muslim Israel. This just won't do, you don't go and storm schools, and expect the world to listen to you. This is a sad day for the Chechen people.

Bait and Switch: Ariel Sharon, the Bush Administration, and the West Bank

2004-09-03T01:58:00.000-04:00

"Much attention has focused recently on Ariel Sharon’s travails in Israel where a majority of his Likud Party oppose his intent to withdraw all Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip as part of his Disengagement Plan. At the same time, though less noticed, President Bush has declared that Israeli realities on the ground in the West Bank, in the form of large settlement complexes, should remain in any future peace arrangement between Israel and the Palestinians.

"Bush’s stance and tacit support for expansion of Israeli settlements, not merely their retention, contradict the Road Map to which he proclaims his ongoing commitment as the basis of the peace process What is occurring is a bait and switch. Most commentators, and the Palestinian leadership, have seen the Gaza withdrawal plan as the first step in a broader reduction of settlements that will eventually include most of the West Bank, setting the stage for a negotiated Palestinian state. In fact Sharon and his allies in the White House and Defense Department envision Sharon consolidating Israel’s ongoing control of the West Bank, thwarting any possibility of a future Palestine, a development ignored by commentators who concentrate on Sharon’s domestic political troubles over opposition to the Gaza withdrawal.

"The roots of Sharon’s confrontation with Likud lie in his own actions in April, 1982 when Israel handed back the final sector of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt to fulfill the 1979 Israel-Egypt peace treaty. This sector included the Israeli settlement town of Yamit. As defense minister in the Menachem Begin government, Sharon oversaw this withdrawal in the face of militant settler complaints that no land settled by Jews should be given up. Having removed the Yamit inhabitants, he facilitated occupation of the deserted town by settlers from the West Bank in order to stage a confrontation between them and the troops he sent in to oust them. He then declared that this simulated clash between settlers and soldiers, which he had arranged, was designed to send a message: any future proposed withdrawal from land considered truly Israeli, including Gaza as well as the West Bank at that time, would be met with legitimate armed resistance by settlers.

"In short, defense minister Sharon threatened civil war. Now his own Likud Party attacks prime minister Sharon for proposing such a withdrawal from Gaza. Although Likud Party platforms have always stressed the need for permanent control of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) and blocking of a Palestinian state, Gaza settlements are mentioned as inviolable. Sharon appears to be gambling that he can abandon Gaza, but retain the West Bank and block creation of a Palestinian state, his major goal, while paying obeisance to Bush’s Road Map; his Likud opponents insist on realization of all platform objectives.

"Evidence of Bush’s collusion with Sharon can be found in the fact that Bush’s statement accepting Israeli retention of West Bank settlements came after Sharon had given him his Disengagement Plan. In addition to the full dismantling of Gaza settlements, Sharon’s plan envisages Israeli withdrawal from four settlements in the northern West Bank (Samaria); all other settlements will remain. Palestinians would have territorial contiguity only in this northernmost sector with Israel promising to “improve the transportation infrastructure” elsewhere; this means that Palestinians would have contact with each other by bridges and tunnels. Although Israel would remove its “permanent military presence” from the northern area, it would retain that presence elsewhere, including checkpoints and barriers. Significantly, the words “Palestinian state” appear in the first version of Sharon’s plan, submitted in April, but a second version, issued after Bush’s public acceptance of Israeli retention of settlements, omits that reference and alludes to the West Bank as part of Israel.

"The point person for the Bush people is Elliott Abrams, head of Middle East issues on the National Security Council. He like Douglas Feith, number three in the Defense Department, is an ardent backer of Likud expansion. Reports from Israel indicate that the Bush administration will permit settlement construction and expansion to continue, as is now happening in Maale Adumim but deplores any publicity given to the venture; with that in mind, Israel can act as it wishes with Washington issuing a “standard protest” from time to time which can be easily ignored. This cynicism is matched by Washington’s acceptance of Sharon’s assurances that the security barrier/fence now being built is only “temporary.” Items that cost over $1 billion are rarely temporary and Sharon clearly intends to keep the vast majority of settlements on the eastern side of the barrier, not just those adjacent to the 1967 border.

"In sum, the Bush administration is quietly abandoning the Road Map and the possibility of a Palestinian state despite denials to the contrary. It is doing so to fulfill Likud Revisionist goals of an Israeli state extending from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River, goals shared by Christian evangelicals who are a key part of Bush’s reelection strategy. The U.S. press has ignored the implications of these developments which the administration has sought to obfuscate, proclaiming its adherence to the Road Map while referring to ongoing Israeli settlement expansion as “unhelpful.”

"As this process unfolds, Palestinian protests will be ignored and continuing attention paid to Likud opposition to withdrawal from Gaza, not a threat to Sharon’s plans for the West Bank, but a definite and apparently unexpected challenge to the stability of his government. Indeed, the major threat to Sharon’s gamble to get all of the West Bank will likely not be the U.S., but Sharon’s own party whose ambitions for Gaza may finally focus attention on what is at stake.

"As a State Department spokesperson told a reporter in Tel Aviv recently, “We don’t think that it serves any purpose to lay this out to the public.” One can see why!"

Charles D. Smith
University of Arizona

Thank you, master.

2004-09-03T01:44:00.000-04:00

I'm watching the RNC coverage right now. And I am thanking the Republican party for the freedom that they defend and have brought to us in Palestine and Haiti.

Oh well, whatever. I don't think they are even talking to me. Don't get me wrong, I wish traditional Americans the best. But I don't see how these policies are helping anyone.

ps ... relieved, none of the people I know were arrested.

Not in the name of Islam!

2004-08-31T02:26:00.000-04:00

The Iraqi insurgents holding Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbruno ought to release them.

"Today we live a sad moment for all the Muslims of France, because he who touches a human life touches the life of humanity as a whole ... I make a call of the hostage takers, in the name of Islam and God the gracious, not to betray the principles of Islam," says Fouad Alaoui of UFMO.

They do not care for French Muslims. Instead, just like the Jewish Agency, they grudge any normalisation and assimilation. They want to instigate Islamophobia in Europe by murdering these journalists. (Of all people, French journalists!!).

In solidarity with all France.

Dandi March and Jalianwala in Palestine?

2004-08-30T11:46:00.000-04:00

Rueters reports : "Gandhi's Grandson Urges Palestinians to March Home"

RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - The grandson of Mahatma Gandhi urged
Palestinian refugees Sunday to march home from Jordan en masse, even if the Israelis "kill 200 people," to shock the world into taking notice. Arun Gandhi, whose pacifist grandfather helped end British control over the Indian subcontinent, proposed to the Palestinian parliament a peaceful march of 50,000 refugees across the Jordan River and said lawmakers should lead the way. "What would happen? Maybe the Israeli army would shoot and kill several. They may kill 100. They may kill 200 men, women and children. And that would shock the world. The world will get up and say, 'What is going on?"' he said.

Interesting. I want to say I support it. But how can I - can I ask 200 people to go get killed? Ask the yuppy elite Indians in the US what they think of Gandhi - it's not very flattering.

Anyways, I'll return to our discussion later Heraclius.

Palestine in the eyes of an aware American

2004-08-29T18:12:00.000-04:00

Heraclius writes in a comment on a DailyRnR post

The author of the comment had earlier said that Palestine was a Roman invention. Even the Old Testament in the form preserved by the Jewish world talks of a continuous non-Jewish presence in the land. Who was the priest at Jerusalem who greeted Abraham. The population of Jericho, Moses's midiani wife. The non-Roman gentiles in Maimonides (spelling?) record of the time of Jesus? A small number of Jews who converted to Christianity or Islam. They are the Palestinians. Neither them, nor their land is a Roman creation.

I quote Heraclius:

Now, does this mean Palestinians need to be shunted aside? No. Does this mean they have to resign themselves to their fate? No. But it does mean they have to be realistic about it. Thomas Friedman, Michael Oren, Edward Said, and Said K Aburish have all made the same points in their various books...namely, that the Palestinians have been used as pawns by successive decrepit Arab regimes as an excuse...a distraction for their populations. Hafez Assad was brilliant at this! Everytime a crisis came, let's fight for the Golan Heights. Arafat is the same way, overplays his hand, overstays his welcome in an Arab capital, then starts the cycle over again.

This is the essence of the misunderstanding between the the non-Jewish, thinking, but still pro-Zionist/pro-Establishment world and the Arab/pro-Justice Third World. Whie it is recognised that Palestinians do need a solution, the acceptable form of it is weak and distorted and even that form is unrealisable in the real world. I heard a similar remark from a slightly pro-peace Jewish professor a couple of months ago.

You see, 'realism' is a relative concept. While I am all for moderation, understanding, and a sense of compromise, I am not so sure what is being asked of me here. The way I see it, it means you've got to expect these crumbs because I am weak. I am also supposed to be emotionally and mentally weak because I can not labor under oppression the way the Jews did. Being mostly brown and non-european, a lower position is natural for us. If the world says that the a 70-year Israeli kingdom can be re-established after a gap of 2,000 years on Palestinian corpses, why is the Palestinian supposed to surrender and love his oppressor, while he represents a pluralistic tradition including pre-Abrahamic populations, the local Christian kingdoms, the Caliphic and Ottoman province of Palestine, and now, an Arab, Islamic, Socialist, and Orthodox Christian identity - a heritage of thousands of years. The Jewish claim of the land has nothing to do with what the world believes or supports. The reasons lie elsewhere.

The fact is, that Palestinians do not have money, might, military, corporations. The Palestinian 'elite', if there remains one, is not married into the business and political aristocracy of the West. There are no Rothschilds, no Einstein, no Leo Strauss from Palestine. Palestine does not have kids devoting their life and education to make WMDs, or be spies. There are no blonde haired American Palestinians to make Mordechai Vanunu go to Italy with them so he can be kidnapped. For a Palestinian academic, we have Edward Said - honest and powerless, rather than an illiberal Leo Strauss subverting american liberalism for his own ends. For committed women, there is Laila Khaled who rather let her Nicaraguan comrade get killed than fire a shot. This is the weakness, and lack of vigour that Palestinians are to suffer for.

The Palestinian will either look up to the world if the world believes in a sense of justice, or will look up to his oppressor and learn from him. The second is what horrifies me. Not just Palestinians, but many other nationalities and people actually look up to the Zionist enterprise as something to learn from and emulate. I was one of them. And I'll tell you what I 'learnt', when I believed in the Zionist enterprise.

* There is no such thing as morality, just a facade that you have to build. It doesn't matter how many Palestinians Haganah massacres, you just have to make the right noises about American and Jewish lives.

* There are no friends, it is ok to use and abuse the West and Europe, as long as you keep their elite friendly to yourself. Who cares about German and Russian victims of the War, but make sure there are Holocaust museums everywhere.

* Duplicity, racism, and sexism - display an image of intelligence, brilliance, and victimhood to blend in, and make the white European population love you inspite of your Khazar or Asian self. But make sure there are enough noises against black, arab, or socialist/catholic latino minorities.

* Tribal identity.

I am sorry if I sound too anti-Jewish. That is not my point, I do not believe that all or however many Jews actually do the above. My point is, that these are the reasons that speak for the Israeli success. And the rest of the world is learning from it, just like Strauss learnt from the Nazi party.

Non-assimilationist, and nationalist Jews need a home. The question today is whether the "world powers", as Herzl called them - will make other stateless and minority populations adopt the practices of the Haganah, Stern, Irgun, and Jewish Agency. No, I hear - because what Muslims experience is nothing like what Jews experienced. But Harzl wrote before anyone had heard of Hitler. No again, I hear - because you are weak, stupid, megalomanic, lazy, cammle jockey, brown, and incapable of it.

The palestinian has no choice but to fight, and keep on fighting, adopt Straussianism or something different, because there is no alternative. Herzl believed what he wrote can be fulfilled. If the Palestinian believes he cannot fulfill his destiny, he has lost the battle before it starts. Palestine and Israel are only names. The question is whether the world believes in justice or not. Do we have legal and moral questions or political and military issues. The issue is not legal, but political, I heard the professor say.

I refuse. I refuse to surrender to their Zionism. And I refuse to adopt my own Zionism and tribalism.

No racism, no inhumanism. We will prove Strauss wrong. There will be peace of the living, rather than peace by getting rid of the people you don't like.

I don't accuse Heraclius of actually being racist, or dishonest. But I am saying that many people do not understand the Palestinian situation, give too little importance to justice, or fail to see how they would react in the same shoes.

Blogshares

2004-08-29T15:43:00.000-04:00

Blogshares performance

Blogshares is a fantasy game where a stock market consisting of all blogs is simulated. You can buy stock, trade, buy artefacts and use them to influence the market etc. Pretty interesting. Blogs classified in industries, tracked by indices etc.

Understanding the American Right

2004-08-27T17:00:00.000-04:00

The Right, as understood today, is mostly led and ruled by the neo-Conservatives. What exactly are they? It is easy to confuse them with the Christian Religious Right. But if you take a deeper look, the Christian Religious Right is a very weak force, in most of America. The neo-Conservatives, are actually the people who control and lead the Christian Coalition, the Libertarian, the Zionists, the Capitalists, and many others who today control the Republican, and parts of the Democratic Party.

The neo-Conservatives are mostly students (literally) and disciples of Leo Strauss. Most of you have probably heard/read about him. But if you haven't, it really is recommended reading. AlertNet's article here. A better International Herald Tribune article here.

The trouble with Leo Struss is that he is a moral pervert. While he makes a rational and strong case for moral clarity - he does not beieve in morality. He is himself a nihilist and atheist, but unlike the ethical skeptic/agnostic, he uses religion and tradition, or the dominant civil order for the benefit of his own elite. Hence, at the core, he comes out uglier than both the religious fundamentalist and the committed atheist. His strength lies in his use of fear to sell his ideas as workable and necessary truth.

This is un acceptable

2004-08-27T08:30:00.000-04:00

"The group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq said they executed the Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni because Italy did not respond to their demand to withdraw troops from Iraq within 48 hours," Aljazeera reported.

A journalist, European, Italian, volunteering for the Red Cross, critical of Bersuloni and the US war, a 56 year old man with a family, to be executed. This is simply un-acceptable. The only way one can argue for it is by skewed, chauvinist rhetoric ("what about abu ghraib?", "Europeans are the same as Americans" or some similar stupidity). The same rhetoric, I guess, may be even milder rhetoric can thus justify torture, detaining Muslim immigrants and converts, or bombing Iraq.

If they (self proclaimed Islamic Army in Iraq) want to make their own rules, then they should suffer for their actions themselves, not the civilian people of Iraq, Palestine, or the Muslim minorities in the East and West.

Arundhati Roy on the Empire

2004-08-24T16:49:00.000-04:00

Arundhati Roy comments in an interview about the Empire.

Where are the cracks in the empire? What are its vulnerabilities that can be exploited?

WELL RIGHT now it’s overstretched, isn’t it? In Iraq, the people are engaging it directly. The U.S. cannot afford another Iraq or another Afghanistan. So, in a way, these two countries have engaged the military front of empire, and are keeping it busy. That’s a huge crack, which is why I think it’s very important for us to understand that this fight is not their fight alone. They’re keeping U.S. troops busy on behalf of the rest of the world. While it has tremendous military might, I think the project of corporate globalization leaves its economic outposts vulnerable. These are other cracks that we must be exploring.

Now I don't think all of the Iraqi and Afghan resistance is fighting for the rest of us, many of them are. While democratisation of Iraq and Afghanistan is good, we a know the real aims and values of the Empire buiders. Such a comment from a moderate Indian socialist, however says a lot about the frustration of people with where the Cabal is taking us.

Free for all?

2004-08-24T16:25:00.000-04:00

Pentagon report says Rumsfeld and leadership only indirectly to blame for abuse.

CNN reports:

There was chaos at Abu Ghraib," Schlesinger said, and "sadism on the night shift." The report said the direct responsibility lay with commanders in the field rather than in Washington. Pentagon leaders, however, had an indirect role.

But if the Sudanese government is to be blamed for the reported actions of janjaweed (as it should, for its state machinery is superior to any armed group, and it has a duty and reasonable means to stop or substantially reduce atrocities), why is the neo-con leadership of the US exempt for the blame?

But, that is almost as much honesty as I can expect from the Pentagon today.

Getting caught up

2004-08-22T16:06:00.000-04:00

Qawukzi's been silent for a long time, is it the lull before (or after?) the storm? Well, mostly I've been caught up in a number of things. Never fulfilling deadlines at work, moving near downtown, and having my vehicle stolen.

Most political discussions I have been having for the last few days have been offline, with my friends in person and email. Not very pleasant sometimes. I have noticed a negative trait in myself, and to a smaller extent in other people. We assume too much about each other, and try to read thoughts which are never said. It is so easy to "label" and "classify" people so we can respond easily, without thinking or trying to understand.

So, what do my few readers on this blog think? Am I communist, fundamentalist, anti-Western, assimilationist, subversive, confusing, liberal, conservative in liberal garb, hedonist in conservative garb, Green, socialist, jew-hater, muslim-hater, capitalist, globalist, anarchist, or just following the order of the day? I have no idea, but I think I have been called (or thought of) all of the above and more.

Reflections

2004-08-14T21:32:00.000-04:00

When I first started blogging, my immediate aim was to be able to say things which I desperately needed to, to be able to vent out my anger and sense of desperation, mainly at the attitudes of many fellow Muslims.

The closed conditions kept all hope of dialogue - nay, even clear thought an impossibility. For one thought of resentment, however petty would close the door for any other thought, until it was said. My good blogger friend Abdusalaam al-Hindi introduced me to MWU!, a forum I thought whose time has come. Since then, I have experienced a much more mature and smoother intellectual experience. Having said difficult things, and having heard them from others, I can now critically examine them. I would, therefore like to remain at least nominally anonymous so I can really say difficult things, without the heavy burden of immovable personal conviction. I thought the sometimes almost eerie "neo-conservative" attitude I had to witness from some self-proclaimed Salafis was turning me into a neo-liberal. To my good fortune, a free atmosphere of expression and a support system of sympathy has kept me (I'd like to think) somewhere in the space between centrist, traditional, conservatism and liberalism.

The other thing I have done at this blog is to think aloud and proclaim my political ideas, and publicise on issues of liberation - Palestine, of course being a central symbolic theme, but certainly not any more "special" than that of any other people.

Having given an outlet to this personal urge of mine to speak out - nay scream, I think I am ready to actually try some sort of dialogue with other bloggers, albeit still a highly opinionated one.

"Free Palestine" Song on NPR

2004-08-14T20:01:00.000-04:00

S.O.N. - Son of Nun

Listen to "Free Palestine", and vote for it, in the NPR : All Songs considered: open mic. A brave powerful hip-hop by Son of Nun (S.O.N.). Consider supporting these brave American artists - buy a CD, if you keep a personal collection.

The Idea is important

2004-08-14T17:46:00.000-04:00

All movements for liberation and people's rights start in the mind. The idea that people can be free, that everyone has inalieanble human rights, and that we can achieve it, together, and in solidarity with each other, that justice will prevail, faith in God, and that God will deliver justice.

Palestinian Team

Here's to the Palestinian olympic team. They are there not just for themselves but for all people, Palestinians and Iraqis, Tibetans and Irish, Afro-Americans, and Latinos, the teeming, suffering masses of the world.

Why so?

2004-08-14T04:48:00.000-04:00

I realised that it is impossible to understand a situation without understanding the view from the view of it's characters. I have decided to read and try to understand one of the original arguments for the State of Israel.

Judenstaat

I am trying to read Der Judenstaat - The Jewish State by Theodor Herzl. It's english translation is available online here. I think I am gaining a new perspective. However, it is only fair that I read a diverse european view, and I guess I will follow on something else later. But Judenstaat certainly makes interesting reading. Isn't this the same skewed reasoning many other minorities wish to apply. May be.

2004-08-13T14:43:00.000-04:00

India Celebrates Independence Aug. 15th.

N American Tour and Concerts

2004-08-11T16:42:00.000-04:00

Al Awda, a folkoric musical band from Palestine will have live concerts in major North American cities. Get your tickets now, have a blast, and meet like-minded people in your city.

Al Awda Band

The schedule is something like this.

MONTREAL

SATURDAY AUGUST 21st, 2004
Time: 7pm, 20$
D.B. Clarke Theater
Concordia University
1455 De Maisonneuve West
(Metro Guy-Concordia)

For More Infomation:
Phone: 514 591 3171
Email: refugees@riseup.net
Web: http://refugees.resist.ca
http://www.al-awda.org

OTTAWA

Date : Sunday August 22nd, 2004
Place: Carleton University, Alumni Theatre, Southam Hall, 1125 Colonel by Drive Ottawa, Ontario
Time : 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Ticket: $20

For More Infomation contact us through: Phone: 613-261-9391, 613-866-9808
Email: carleton@sphr.org
Web: http://www.al-awda.org/ or http://www.sphr.org

TORONTO

Thursday, August 26, 2004 - 7:00 PM
University of Toronto, Medical Sciences Bldg., Auditorium1 Kings College Circle
(near Queens Park Subway Station)
FOR TICKETS AND INFORMATION CONTACT: 416-858-9314
WWW.AL-AWDA.ORG

WASHINGTON, DC

Friday, August 27th, 2004Time: 7:00pm, Tickets: $20St.
Peter & Paul Orthodox Church - Party Room,
Potomac, MD 20854
To purchase tickets contact: Samia Saleh at 703-599-1184
alawdatroupes@yahoo.com

New Jersey

Saturday, August 28
Doors Open at 7:00 PM, Show at 7:30 PM
Al-Solimanya 2877 J.F. Kennedy Blvd. 2nd Floor at Journal Square, Jersey City, NJ

http://www.newjerseysolidarity.org/awdabandtickets.html
or call (973)954-2521
or email: info@newjerseysolidarity.org!

NEW YORK

Sunday, August 29, 2004 @ 7 p.m Alwan for the Arts16 Beaver Street 4th floor NYC
http://www.alwan.org/info/

Iranians refuse to meet Israeli team in Karate Tournament

2004-08-08T22:18:00.001-04:00

Karatekas Refuse to face Israeli team: "TOKYO (IRNA) -- Two Iranian karatekas Saturday avoided facing their Israeli rivals at the world shotokan meet as a gesture of opposition to the Zionists' crimes in Palestine.
Talking to IRNA, Ahmad Saafi heading the Iranian team said Hadi Bakhshi edged past his opponents and reached the final of the 17-18 age group.
The karateka won the silver as he refused to clash against the Israeli finalist, added the official."

Crumbling on Itself?

2004-08-07T15:46:00.000-04:00

I've been reading an old novel for some time. I was introduced to this by William Dalrymple's City of Djinns - which is an even more interesting book.

Novel

"Twilight in Delhi", written in 1912, and first published in 1940 is set in the early colonial period in India. Publishers refused to print it initially because it was critical of the British during the 1857 war.

It is supposed to be a love story between a Saiyyed boy - Asghar, with a Mughal girl - Bilqeece. It tells of a time and situations, so far away, and yet so close to the reality of today. A people calling themselves the aristocracy of Mughals, Syeds, and Khiljis, struggling with the sad truth of their demise as a productive nation. However, it tells beautifully the story of a people mourning their decline, and of an image of beauty and accomplishment. The following lines from a poem by the last Mughal King capture the spirit.

Bahadur Shah Zafar?

I'm the light of no one's eye
The rest of no one's heart am I.
That which can be of use to none
- A handful of dust am I.
-- Bahadur Shah Zafar

However, I really like the novel, because it is different from what you'd hear from an old nostalgic person. It also shows the details, which mesmerize you - the small inconveniences, the failings, demystified.

Towards the end, our protagonist, Asghar is lonely and thinking -

Shame to poetry

Afterwards, Ashgar himself reflects on the shallow, almost vulgar level of poetry. After all the memories, stories of bravery and nobility, lineages to kings, and everything else - the truth is that of a simple people being grinded in the wheels of time.

Women in conflict - the forgotten cause

2004-08-05T15:39:00.000-04:00

Torture Continues on Outside for Iraqi Ex-Detainee: "'My relatives, my neighbors and even my sister have not stopped by my house since my release because one believes here that a woman who spent any time in jail is a prostitute,' says Al Huseyni. She now experiences the continuous psychological torture outside. "

2004-08-05T15:16:00.000-04:00

Isn't the world beautiful?

US Military promotes democracy?

2004-08-05T00:45:00.000-04:00

Does the US military promote democracy around the world? What are its effects in, say Japan?

Watch this extremely scholarly and academic interview with CHALMERS JOHNSON, president of the Japan Policy Research Institute.

US Aid to Israel - do Egypt and KSA figure?

2004-08-03T18:59:00.000-04:00

The campaign for stopping economic, military, and technological aid to Israel, while popular in sections of progressive Europe, is almost non existent in the US. I had personally come across various arguments against such a campaign. The most oft-repeated one was that American aid to Israel, while substantial is by no means one-sided, as it is offset by the aid to Egypt, Jordan, the peanuts thrown in Palestine, and military sales to these countries along with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. While this is true, and not recognizing it would be lying, there is more to it.

Let us actually see closely what the arguments are. I am browsing the Jewish Virtual Library - Myths and Facts page. I quote

After Israel's victory in its War of Independence, the U.S. responded to an appeal for economic aid to help absorb immigrants by approving a $135 million Export-Import Bank loan and the sale of surplus commodities. In those early years of Israel's statehood (also today), U.S. aid was seen as a means of promoting peace.

By promoting the settlement of one people on the land which was forcibly taken from another is hardly a method of promoting peace. I hope to talk about the issue of immigration some other time, however.

In 1951, Congress voted to help Israel cope with the economic burdens imposed by the influx of Jewish refugees from the displaced persons camps in Europe and from the ghettos of the Arab countries. Arabs then complained the U.S. was neglecting them, though they had no interest in or use for American aid then. In 1951, Syria rejected offers of U.S. aid. Oil-rich Iraq and Saudi Arabia did not need U.S. economic assistance, and Jordan was, until the late 1950s, the ward of Great Britain. After 1957, when the United States assumed responsibility for supporting Jordan and resumed economic aid to Egypt, assistance to the Arab states soared. Also, the United States was by far the biggest contributor of aid to the Palestinians through UNRWA, a status that continues to the present.

Most of the region was backward, emerging from the trauma of colonial occupations. To say, there was no use for American aid would be a great folly. I have not had time to research, but I guess the Syrian rejection was probably because it was being forced to recognize Israel, or transfer the Palestinian population out of Palestine. The aid given to Jordan and Egypt at that time was dismal compared to that of Israel, considering also the size of Egypt and how much development work needed to be done. The US aid to UNRWA! Anyone who has seen the camps in Lebanon or Gaza will testify that the sort of poverty, lack of even basic facilities like clean water and sanitation is appalling. This is the direct result of forced exile of a whole nation, supported and abetted by the US. In the words of Malcolm X, "don't stick a knife in me ten inches, pull it out six, and tell me you've made progress."

Israel has received more direct aid from the United States since World War II than any other country, but the amounts for the first half of this period were relatively small. Between 1949 and 1973, the U.S. provided Israel with an average of about $122 million a year, a total of $3.1 billion (and actually more than $1 billion of that was loans for military equipment in 1971-73) . Prior to 1971, Israel received a total of only $277 million in military aid, all in the form of loans as credit sales. The bulk of the economic aid was also lent to Israel. By comparison, the Arab states received nearly three times as much aid before 1971, $4.4 billion, or $170 million per year. Moreover, unlike Israel, which receives nearly all its aid from the United States, Arab nations have gotten assistance from Asia, Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union and the European Community.

Yes, the aid to Israel during the first period was substantial, before it became enormous! What is conveniently forgotten, is that during this period, Europe under the guilt of the Holocaust was supporting and aiding Israel as zealously as the US. Stalin too had understandings with the Zionist State, as the transfer of the Jewish population from SU to Palestine suited the racist ideologies of both Stalin and the Jewish Agency.

Israel did not begin to receive large amounts of assistance until 1974, following the 1973 war, and the sums increased dramatically after the Camp David agreements. Altogether, since 1949, Israel has received more than $90 billion in assistance. Though the totals are impressive, the value of assistance to Israel has been eroded by inflation.

The 1973 war was hardly a loss for Israel to necessitate huge military aid to save a weak state. The 1973 war was, rather the decisive war in which Soviet and American military equipment, especially electronic warfare equipment competed in a real situation. The Soviet advantage in this field that was displayed in the early stages of the war was effectively beaten down very quickly. While the Arab states depended on military purchases from a closed entity, the Israeli side had access to the latest stuff right out of American labs. How the value of assistance has been eroded by inflation is anybody's guess. I thought 1973 dollars were worth more according to inflation.

Arab states that have signed agreements with Israel have also been rewarded. Since signing the peace treaty with Israel, Egypt has been the second largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid ($2 billion in 2002, Israel received $2.8 billion). Jordan has also been the beneficiary of higher levels of aid since it signed a treaty with Israel (increasing from less than $40 million to more than $225 million). The multibillion dollar debts to the U.S. of both Arab nations were also forgiven.

This is where the real argument for Israeli aid starts. But this is exactly we are saying. US aid to Egypt and Jordan, is dependent on their recognition and support of Israel, while the aid to Israel is used for further expansion. So the aid given to Israel as well as Egypt is actually for Zionist expansion on Palestinian land. The direction of US aid should be towards peace and justice for ALL, Jew and Arab alike, not for a racist ideology and state!

Also, the military aid to Egypt and Jordan are some times viewed as aid to a repressive regime rather than to the people or to their national interest. While I refuse to buy the Arab opposition argument blindly, according to which every state is evil, and all opposition movements, however totalitarian or repressive are good - let us still think about it. The sort of aid is mostly not used for the good of the Egyptian and Jordanian people. The US could have done a better job at it if this aid was used for education, healthcare, responsible and local industrialization. Rather, while the Israeli aid is used for construction of an artificial state on the corpse of Palestine, Egyptian aid is mostly used to further the sick addiction, to induce dependency, and to encourage waste. Most importantly, the fact that rich self righteous Egyptians and Saudis can visit US and Europe in luxury, while looking down at Muslim Palestinians, Africans and Indo-Pakis, or even blaming Palestinians for their lot on their irreligousity DOES NOT help Palestinians at all. It is totally irrelevant, if not humiliating for Palestinians.

After the Oslo agreements, the United States also began providing funding to the Palestinians. It now provides $80 million in humanitarian assistance via the U.S. Agency for International Development. It provides no direct aid to the Palestinian Authority because it is viewed as corrupt. President Bush specifically warned the Palestinians that they must change their leadership and embrace reform to obtain future assistance. "I can assure you," Bush said, "we won't be putting money into a society which is not transparent and [is] corrupt."

80 million dollars for a people who do not have schools, hospitals, colleges, or even decent and safe homes. While you are the cause for it! Shame!

Ashcroft Tells Libraries to Destroy Citizen-Friendly Publications

2004-08-03T15:58:00.000-04:00

Buzzflash News Alert

The topics addressed in the named documents include information on how citizens can retrieve items that may have been confiscated by the government during an investigation. The documents to be removed and destroyed include: Civil and Criminal Forfeiture Procedure; Select Criminal Forfeiture Forms; Select Federal Asset Forfeiture Statutes; Asset forfeiture and money laundering resource directory; and Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 2000 (CAFRA).

Military Offers Free Breast Impants

2004-08-03T12:41:00.000-04:00

CHEST OUT, STOMACH IN ALL THAT YOU CAN BE:

"It is true: personnel in all four branches of the military and members oftheir immediate families can get face-lifts, nose jobs, breast enlargements, liposuction, or any other kind of elective cosmetic alteration, at taxpayer expense. (For breast enlargements, patients must supply their own implants.)"

Free Ingrid Betancourt

2004-07-31T15:44:00.000-04:00

The United States has waged a campaign of war in Colombia under different pretexts - the fight against Communism, Drugs, Rebels, civil war, and what not. Colombia represents one of the longest conflicts in South America. American military aid to Colombia is one of the reasons for this perpetuating cycle of violence. Of course, the systematic repression of human rights, lack of freedom and civil rights, and economic exploitation of the people and its land are the reasons on the ground. US citizens can write to their representatives to change the direction of aid from military to social causes and help solve some problems for Colombia. Link to Amnesty International's Colombia actions.

Ingrid Betancourt

A socially responsible popular government in Colombia will help to cool down the fighting. In February 2002, Ingrid Betancourt the Green Party Presidential candidate for Colombia was kidnapped by Colombian guerrillas. The Colombian government, a close ally of the US, has refused to negotiate with the rebels for her release. Instead, military action against the rebels has caused the execution of many hostages. The Colombian government has conveniently forgotten the more than 3,000 hostages currently being held. The Campaign to Free Ingrid Betancourt has actions and committees around the world to help free her.

Solidarity with the people and workers everywhere. No occupation! No repression! Freedom and dignity for all people! Link to Green Parties around the world.

Grand Theft America

2004-07-31T15:25:00.000-04:00

Watch Grand Theft America - how the GOP stole the Florida election. It's nice.

Grand Theft America

Be sure to forward it to friends.

Answering AIPAC

2004-07-30T17:14:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine asked me what were the arguments in favour of Israel. "Beats me!" I wanted to say. However, to do a better job at it, I am browsing the AIPAC site. Lets see what they have to say.

They descirbe key points about Israel:

Israel is the only country in the Middle East with true free elections, a free press, freedom of religion, protection for individuals and minorities and other safeguards typical of a free society.

Yes, elections are held in Israel. But only "certified citizens" - i.e. immigrant Jews from other countries and the few Arabs remaining within Israel proper are allowed to vote. Political stiffling of dissent and minorities is not uncommon - see, for example the Azmi Bishara case. The most horrific of this is, of course, the treatment meted out to Palestinian people who reside in the Occupied Territories.

Israel is the only country in the Middle East rated "Free" by Freedom House’s report on democracy and human rights in the Middle East.

Oh sure - Palestine is certainly not free. Iraq is occupied by USA. A few others are occupied through a combination of despotic rulers, foreign (western) interference etc. What does that have to do with anything. Another country that holds elections, though highly controlled is Iran.

Independent Judiciary - Similar to the U.S. and in stark contrast to other Middle East nations, Israel has an independent judicial system, which protects the rights of individuals and operates under the principle of "innocent until proven guilty."

Yes, the judiciary is independent, but the laws themselves are biased and unfair towards the native Palestinian population.

Freedom of Religion - The Declaration of the Independence of the State of Israel guarantees freedom of religion to the entire population. Each religious community is free, by law and in practice, to exercise its faith, to administer its own internal affairs, and to visit its holy sites.

Muslim and Christian holy sites have been vandalized, destroyed and taken over to some extent. Yes, the relative restraint of the Israeli government in contrast to the extremist Jewish view towards an all out genocide or destruction of Al Aqsa, or the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is appreciated. However, most Arab, Orthodox and Catholic christians suffer in access to the holy sites, like permits etc., while the Christian Zionists, mainly from USA are welcomed.

Women's Rights - Unlike any other Middle Eastern nation, Israeli women are
guaranteed equal rights and equal pay. Women are at the forefront of many
aspects of Israeli society. Israel has always had at least one woman on
its Supreme Court and Israel is the only country in the Middle East to
elect a woman, Golda Meir, to the position of Prime Minister.

This hardly means anything when Golda Meir herself has justified genocide and expulsions. Pakistan was ruled by a woman, Banazir Bhutto, India by Indira Gandhi, Turkey by Tansu Ciller.

Immigrant Society - Israel, with a current population of only 6.3 million, has taken in over 2.9 million refugees from more than 80 countries since its independence.

Sure, but these immigrants have been settled on land illegally confiscated from its native inhabitants in the settlements, or on villages ethnically cleansed (Deir Yassin).

Israel, like the United States, is a country of immigrants. Over 45% of Israelis today were born outside of Israel.

Just like the US, they sit on land taken illegally, through genocide, and campaings of massacres, murder and rape from its earlier inhabitants. Unlike the US, Israeli immigration is racist (Jews only), and furthers an excluvism in other countries (the doctrine that all Jews, from all countries belong to Israel.

Unlike many countries, Israel not only welcomes these refugees and
immigrants without limitation, it also helps them adjust to Israeli life through
a comprehensive process of “absorption.”

Hardly without limitations - only Jews are allowed. The Palestinian refugees languishing everywhere from the camps in OT, Lebanon, Syria, to the farthest corners like Scandinavia, Canada, Malaysia, Australia, Pakistan are not allowed to return. Also, potential immigrants have to prove their ethnic origin to "recognised Jewish communities". Many Jews from small communities in Africa, India etc. have to go through humiliating blood and DNA tests, and dig up old records. Intermarriage among Indian and African Jews with non Jews would therefore render them less Jewish, while "white" Ashkenazi Jews are always welcome.

The Israeli government, assisted by private contributions from world Jewry, provides housing, Hebrew language classes, job training, jobs, and other social services for new immigrants.

At the cost of the natives, and through destroying the relation of Jews with their neighbours in other countries (France, Russia, Morocco) as they are told that they belong to world Jewry rather than their own countries.

Israel was established three years after the Holocaust, at least in part to provide refuge for Jews from all over the world.

It should not be forgotten that Arab countries to0 have provided safe haven to persecuted peoples. The Armenian poulation of Lebanon escaping the Ottoman wars in Armenia, the Chechen population in Turkey and Jordan, escaping Tzarist persecution, and the Jews, escaping the Nazi progroms who were welcomed to live as Jewish Jordanians prior to 1948 by King Hussein. While safety for Jews, just like the Goyim, should be provided, it has to be in cooperation and understanding, rather than through genocide of another population.

The U.S. directly assists Israel in the great humanitarian effort of bringing refugees to Israel. This year, Congress provided $60 million for the resettlement of immigrants inside Israel.

Of course. It has to stop. Not because Jews should not live in safety, but Jews, Arabs or anyone else should not be artificially transplanted, and certainly not at the cost of exiling another population.

Finally!!

2004-07-30T12:43:00.000-04:00

I just heard that we have indeed suceeded, and peace has broken out! Well, it's just not here, yet. But the moon is not at war.

Non violence in the Promised Land

2004-07-30T01:23:00.000-04:00

I just got back from an ISM meeting. A local student and a lady from a nearby city had returned from Tulkarem. It was moving. I'll try to put down whatever I brought back from the meeting.

Someone asked if ISM was trying to promote ideas of non violent resistance among the Palestinians also. Well, under the harsh conditions that exist where your land and is being taken away from you inch by inch, you are under an illegal occupation where you are humiliated everyday, where you are unsafe even in your own home, just living each day and coming back home is an act of non violence.

Someone mentioned how living under the Nazi, and the subsequent Soviet occupation of Poland made them hate and despise occupation so much, and that is why they sympathise so much with Palestinians.

Conditions in Gaza are just so bad and horrific that the UN has no international staff in the Rafah refugee camps. With the intense Israeli harrassment, they have simply given up and all relief work is done by Palestinian employees. An american ISM volunteer in Gaza said shops would simply empty out if she went in - that was the height of distrust everybody had with americans. However, once people got to know her, her hosts were so protective of her that they won't let her venture out alone. The paranoia that exists in the huge ghetto called Gaza is simply insane. Life in the West Bank is a little different. There, you have isoated closed villages and towns. The wall is simply monstrous. One volunteer had an interesting story. Near the town of Biddu, one Palestinian family managed to stay put in their home even as the land around them was confisicated for settlements. The Israelis have built a 12 feet high wall encircling the house, with a narrow wak-way leading to it, also bounded with a high wall, enclosing them in their own little prison. A huge watch tower of the settlement stands overlooking their house.

However, there is hope, and a lot of Palsetinians say that they are ready to live with Jews if things get better. The occupation has to go! And the least Americans can do is stop the aid that feeds this occupation.

Triple Talaq and Muslims in India

2004-07-29T13:10:00.000-04:00

Triple Talaq

Jewsish Extremists planning to destroy Al Aqsa?

2004-07-28T13:58:00.000-04:00

Aljazeera.Net - Hardline threat to al-Aqsa Mosque

This is a very serious development, and could lead to war. I guess, Sharon and OBL would be delighted.

A different sort of movie

2004-07-27T14:28:00.000-04:00

I just watched "Rambing Rose", a 1991 movie starring Laura Dern. On the face of it, it is simply silly and wierd - but beautiful. Once you think about it, there's so much that it captures. I think it is supposed to be feminist and libertarian propaganda. But what the heck, it's a beautiful movie - so I tell myself for a moment "shut up, and watch it".

Rambling Rose

Certainly recommend it if you want to watch something interesting, different, and enjoyable.

Using Darfur against Sudan?

2004-07-25T14:44:00.000-04:00

Aljazeera.Net - Sudan: Darfur issue being used against it

What crap is this? The Palestinian issue is being used against Israel? How can the Arab media repeat the official Sudanese propaganda like this?

On Saturday the Sudanese paper quoted al-Bashir as telling supporters in the central region of Gazira the campaign against Sudan was aimed at derailing the growth of Islam in the country.

Derailing the growth of Islam? How does the growth of Islam in Africa relate to tribal ethnic cleansing and violence? The growth of Islam occurred in Rwanda, when Muslim Hutus and Tutsis refused to fight in mindless genocides. The fact that the Sudanese govt., is resorting to these tactics, is all the more reason for American Muslims need to speak out.

MPAC statement on Darfur

2004-07-22T00:46:00.000-04:00

I think MPAC has come out with the strongest statement so far by a mainstream muslim organization on Darfur. So far, they are the only one to have responded to my emails. I quote

---------------------

Humanitarian Crisis in the Sudan
MPAC Calls on American Muslims to Assist in Relief to Murder Victims in Sudan
July 20, 2004 – The tragedy unfolding in the Sudan demands the attention of all people of conscience. At least 30,000 Sudanese have been killed in Darfur, and human rights groups report that the number could reach as much as 350,000 if aid does not reach 2 million people in the region soon. Rights groups and aid workers also report that with the spread of cholera, malaria and other infectious diseases, almost 1 million people could be killed in Darfur by the end of the year.
Human Rights Watch said yesterday it had evidence that the government of Sudan has armed the militia called the "Janjaweed", who are responsible for the killings and the mass rapes of "black Africans" in the South. Arab tribes have been in conflict with the "black Africans" in the south over resources such as land and water in the Darfur region.
Both parties in this conflict are Muslim.
Reuters reports that militants are using mass rape as a weapon against the people of Darfur. Amnesty International wrote, "Arab militants in Sudan are gang-raping and abducting girls as young as eight and women as old as 80, systematically killing, torturing, or using them as sex slaves"
Reporter Declan Walsh, writing for ZNet on April 27, 2004, describes the scene in Darfur this way:
"Aging Russian Arnovs sweep over the remote Sudanese villages, dispatching their crude payload of barrel bombs [spent oil drums now packed with explosives and metal shards] next come the Janjaweed, a fearsome Arab militia [which the government insists on calling "soldiers"] mounted on camels and horses, and armed with AK-47 rifles and whips. They murder the men and boys of fighting age, gang-rape the women--sometimes in front of their families--and burn the houses."
The following is another report of the atrocities as told by a villager to Amnesty International in August of 2003:
"It was early in the morning, people were sleeping. About 400 armed people cordoned the village, with military uniforms, the same ones worn by the army, with vehicles and guns. A plane came later, to see if the operation was successful. At least 82 people were killed during the first attack. Some were shot and others, such as children and elderly, were burnt alive in their houses."
MPAC decries the fact that since the perpetrator of this crime is indirectly the Sudanese government, it has escaped criticism from the Arab League and from the OIC. The Arab League and the OIC, joined by the international community, should publicly and loudly condemn this violence and call for a war-crimes tribunal.
The Sudanese government is responsible for this gruesome tragedy, and MPAC calls on the government of Sudan to halt the violence and compensate the victims to the fullest extent possible. Refugees should be returned to their homes, humanitarian goods should be allowed to flow freely into the country, and all those responsible for this human catastrophe should be punished to the full extent of the law.
MPAC is asking fellow American Muslims to write to the Embassy of Sudan, expressing concern about this terrible humanitarian catastrophe. From a human rights and an Islamic perspective, the situation in Darfur is reprehensible and can not go unchallenged.
Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan, 2210 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008, Tel: (202) 338-8565, Fax: (202) 667-2406
To donate money to help the relief effort, visit Islamic Relief at:
http://www.islamicrelief.com/
And click on "donate here" on the left.

---------------------

Though we should have done more earlier, it is better late than never. So please write to the Sudanese embassy. Also, try to pressure your mainstream muslim organization to do more.

What we all knew about Dick Cheney

2004-07-21T01:09:00.000-04:00

"Cheney Faces Criminal Indictments; Other Illegal Actions Raise Warning Flags at White House

The Vice President is currently under investigation by French authorities for bribery, money laundering and misuse of corporate assets while at Halliburton and also faces a U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission probe of a $180 million 'slush fund' that may have been used to pay bribes."

After the Revolution

2004-07-20T16:16:00.000-04:00

This David Rovics guy is amazing!

"After the Revolution"

It was a time I'll always remember
Because I could never forget
How reality fell down around us
Like some Western movie set
And once the dust all settled
The sun shone so bright
And a great calm took over us
Like it was all gonna be alright
That's how it felt to be alive
After the revolution

From Groton to Tacoma
On many a factory floor
The workers talked of solidarity
And refused to build weapons of war
No more will we make missiles
We're gonna do something different
And for the first time
Their children were proud of their parents
And somewhere in Gaza a little boy smiled and cried
After the revolution

Prison doors swung open
And mothers hugged their sons
The Liberty Bell was ringing
When the cops put down their guns
A million innocent people
Lit up in the springtime air
And Mumia and Leonard and Sarah Jane Olson
Took a walk in Tompkins Square
And they talked about what they'd do now
After the revolution

The debts were all forgiven
In all the neo-colonies
And the soldiers left their bases
Went back to their families
And a non-aggression treaty
Was signed with every sovereign state
And all the terrorist groups disbanded
With no empire left to hate
And they all started planting olive trees
After the revolution

George Bush and Henry Kissinger
Were sent off to the World Court
Their plans for global domination
Were pre-emptively cut short
Their weapons of mass destruction
Were inspected and destroyed
The battleships were dismantled
Never again to be deployed"

They're buiding a Wall

2004-07-20T15:08:00.000-04:00

They're Building A Wall (David Rovics) : "From Warsaw to the West Bank, the parallels are absolutely chilling."

Darfur - Act NOW!

2004-07-20T12:48:00.000-04:00

If anything can be called an emergency, it is now! We need to act now to
- let the Sudanese govt. and the rest of the world know that what is going on today is UNACCEPTABLE to us!
- the Janjawid militia's actions have nothing to do with the larger Arab and Muslim nation
- help the refugees in terms of food, shelter, medical aid, and safe repatriation

MWU! has compiled a list of aid orgs and an email you can send to the Sudanese govt.

Please do whatever you can. Also, write to ICNA, ISNA, and CAIR to come out openly in the defense of all Sudanese citizens, and for peace in Sudan.

France bars Sharon, cancels visit

2004-07-19T19:01:00.000-04:00

Aljazeera.Net - France bars Sharon, cancels visit

French President Jacques Chirac has informed Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon "he is not welcome" in Paris after he urged all French Jews to leave the country immediately.

This is why it is very important to act with tolerance and molarity, and not inflame your friends. France has, on most principles acted with admirable courage. The muslim community in France and beyond needs to live in France in peace and contribute very effectively, rather than depend on welfare. Most importantly, we show that we mean to live peacefully, repsecting each others rights. The 'my way or highway' is a Zionist, imperialist concept, and not a Muslim or European idea. France is safe and pleasant for Jews, Muslims, and Christians.

Random Cartoon

2004-07-19T02:53:00.000-04:00

No comments

With the nation and Abu Ammar under siege, Palestine implodes

2004-07-18T16:59:00.000-04:00

Zionists must be celebrating at the breakdown in Gaza, as a PA under siege seems powerless to control the chaos.

Abbu Ammar

US and Israel have been blaming Pres. Arafat for the breakdown in the peace process, saying they can not negotiate with him. Nothing could be farther from the truth, Arafat still enjoys more popular support as a symbol of the struggle than any other individual leader. He is also one of the leaders who can actually come to a settlement, if the Zionist leaders were actually serious about peace.

With the PA gone, the nation will be in a state of dangerous chaos, like the refugee camps in Lebanon when the PLO withdrew, or Back September in Jordan. While corruption seems to be a real problem in the PA, the overwhelming majority of Palestinians do not accuse Arafat of personal corruption, but the yea-men around him. For anyone who has seen weak Muslim/Arab institutions at close range, he would understand exactly what's going on. The problem is, that Israelis have imprisoned Arafat, and destroyed the PA infrastructure, making it impossible to hold elections, or meet different leaders and devote energy on anything else other than maintain a facade of normality.

The more chaos and violence that emerges in Gaza, (or WB if it were to spread), the more Israelis will think they can divide Palestinians and confuse them. Foreign support to the PA has also been dwindling, job creation, overhaul of the official machinery has been stalled. Unless we can maintain a working PA, open enough to work with every faction, but still united under a strong, recognised leadership to take stands and talk for the majority, things will look very bleak. We cannot let the US/Israelis punish the old guard for their heroic fight in the last 30 years. Whatever change there needs to be should come from the ballot and mutual understanding. Arafat should invite the opposition and come to some policy changes that will satisfy them. But this violence and chaos are not helping the nation in any way.

Audio ... just for the heck of it

2004-07-17T19:39:00.000-04:00

I just tried out audioblogger, so here is Sinatra's "I've Got You Under My Skin".

Why Kerry?

2004-07-16T15:15:00.000-04:00

Haaretz reports - Cam Kerry promises support for Israel, on brother s behalf:

This is why a vote for Nader is so important, and narrow political maneuvering will fail

"Cam Kerry promises support for Israel, on brother's behalf

By Shmuel Rosner

During his visit to Israel, Cameron Kerry, brother and political adviser to Democratic senator and presumptive presidential nominee, John Kerry, said he is mostly 'learning a lot.'

The life of an Israeli prime minister is not easy, as he tries to navigate his contacts with the rival presidential candidates in the United States. It is especially delicate for Ariel Sharon, where one candidate is George Bush, the supporter who is in electoral difficulties, and his challenger, John Kerry, who promises his support if elected and enjoys the majority of most American Jewish voters.

Cameron Kerry is therefore the most senior envoy of the Kerry camp that Sharon is likely to meet until the November elections.

'He [John Kerry] was here a number of times and he has strong links with Israel,' Cameron Kerry told Haaretz yesterday.

'He is very clear in his statements: the security of Israel must come first, and Israel needs to be able to protect itself,' Kerry says of his brother. 'President Kerry will be a loyal friend to Israel,' he promises.

"There is no Palestinian partner at this time," he says. "It is not the place of the U.S. to pressure Israel to reach an agreement with the Palestinians," he added.

Kerry also promises that "the Kerry administration's policy toward Israel will be such that it will enjoy the support of the Republicans and the Democrats."

Why do they Hate Us?

2004-07-14T22:59:00.000-04:00

My criticism of the MWU! column seems to have attracted the attention of the usual conservative crowd. A reader refers me to a 'must read post' by a 'Modern Muslima'. My criticism was the conscience of one among the disaffected liberal Muslim reacting to what MWU! was indirectly projecting as the views of all liberal and progressive Muslims.

What you will find there is a long drawn criticism of the progressives and liberals. While I agree with the substance of most of the arguments presented there, I still need to speak out as to why there is a need for a liberal forum. I will also clearly spell out that I am not demonising the Sunni Sister - Modern Muslima, as she is certainly not the most dangerous conservative that sparked the need for an alternative forum like MWU!, she rather appears nearer to the moderate Islamist, moderate liberalism that I would like to identify with.

The need for an alternative forum exists because when otherwise "centrist" groups like ICHR, CAIR, ICNA, bring up Muslim issues, they are seen as hypocritical, either because they are, or because they are simply associated with other groups that are. While many of these organisations claim they are for the protection of human rights of everyone, they chose to bring up and act on issues only when Muslims are persecuted by non-Muslims (Palestine), or conservative Muslims persecuted by secular Muslims (Turkey). They are effectively silent for example, when Black African Christians and Muslims are killed by Sudan, or when Pakistani Christians are killed by Pakistani Muslims or when Kurd Muslims are persecuted by Arab Muslims. The logical conclusion that the world draws is that we are nothing but the surrogates and apologists for one or the other totalitarian regimes or opposition movements, and we are trying to fool the Western democracies when we talk about for example, the wrongs of banning hejab in French public institutions or bombing a non-threatening Iraq. Now I am not even talking about the fringe like Muhajirun or GIS which openly take lines reminiscent of the Zionist movement. Then there are the peaceful cousins of these groups which say that only by going to the true path as defined by them, will the Ummah change its condition. On the face of it, this argument is all right. But what they do not say as openly are the implications of their attitudes. It would be all right if they had devoted their energies to telling us about the true path and why it is needed, or helping people attain it. But they also want to occupy the political space of Muslims, be telling us how it is wrong to vote, or organise with non-Muslims on specific issues. Since non-Muslims are nowhere near the true path, their persecution neither concerns them nor bothers them. Secondly, the mundane and secular rights of 'other' Muslims, like non-Salafi Sunnis, Shi'as etc. will never be protected. In effect, they justify the vilest and basest of fascists like Ann Coulter and Daniel Pipes. That is because Muslims are seen as people who will kill you if given a chance, and the only reason your next door friendly immigrant neighbour doesn't kill you is because he doesn't think the time has come yet. Once he has outnumbered you through procreation and immigration, you will have to submit, and you will not be accorded any of the rights he demands from you, because civil libs are the characteristic of the West and Jahiliya, responsible for such evil as single white mothers who can support their family without a man.

What is ironic is that they will use the very same vitiated and hateful atmosphere they help to create, to tell us how the world is evil and hates us for what we are. Just like how the Zionist poisoned american 'conservatives' tell their poor rabble that the US is hated for what it is, rather than what it does, we are told that we are hated for what we are, rather than what some of us do to others, our minorities, or our women. Because these things are not written elsewhere, that is why some Muslims need an alternative forum and voice. If there weren't these negative perceptions and apprehensions about us, the French parliament would never have bothered to care as to what school kids wear on their heads.

We are the equivalent of the conscientious objectors, the refuseniks! While I might be wrong on specific issues, and I am open to change for the better as I realise it, we have the right to a voice and some breathing space.

MWU! has interesting columns on the relations between Jews and Muslim immigrants in France, and the French hejab issue.

Arguments no more?

2004-07-13T15:00:00.000-04:00

A lot of people seem to disagree with a previous post of mine, a commentary on an MWU! column.

Taken from The Anti Establishmentarian

Any more arguments, or ideas you want to share? Go ahead and write your own criticism here.

Lord's Song in a Strange Land

2004-07-13T01:09:00.000-04:00

The Dome of Rock Mosque

How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand be forgotten. Let my tongue cleave to my throat, if I remember thee not, If I set not Jerusalem above all other, as at the heads of my joy.

Psalm 136

Church of the Holy Sepulcher

I just watched a great film by Nick Dembowski. Go ahead and watch it online.

The oppression, murder, and genocide carried out under the pretext of religion is the greatest blasphemy against the Abrahamic faith. Watch the movie, share it with friends. I am still trying to figure out if it can be bought somewhere on DVD.

If you're in New Jersey, come watch it on Wednesday, July 14, 2004 at 7:00 PM in the Community Room, New Brunswick Public Library, 60 Livingston Avenue
New Brunswick, NJ

There will be a Film Screening, Presentations and Discussion. Sponsored by the New Jersey Solidarity - Activists for the Liberation of Palestine.

Donations welcome!

Towards a Muslim Scientific Community

2004-07-12T16:51:00.000-04:00

Tehran Times runs Brain Drain story

According to statistics compiled in the United States, 105,000 Iranians immigrate to the U.S. annually, putting the country in the third place after India with 228,000 immigrants and China with 165,000 immigrants.

The extremely qualified and well trained muslim scientists from Iran, Turkey, and Egypt, and a sprinkling from Indo-Pak migrating to the United States are a huge intellectual asset. The problem, however remains that excellent universities like Sharif University of Technology, Bogazici, Koc, Cairo University, and Gazi do not have the same brand value or research output commensurate with the intellectual talent of their students. Abysmal funding, lack of official patronage, and importance attached to research are some reasons. Similar universities elsewhere like Tsinghua University, HUJI, Technion, or KAIST on the other hand are much more well known and respected, both for the contributions of its alumni and the research output of its groups.

Another sad fact is that there is lack of a community and camaraderie that exist among similar communities like the Jewish, Chinese, Korean, and Indian scientists, tech entrepreneurs, and researchers. While this is good for the openness that exits in Muslim led groups compared to Jewish and Oriental groups which tend to be highly biased in their ethnic composition, it leaves a vacuum for brand value and a sense of belonging. Ah well, on second thoughts may be being more open and fair that comes with this is better.

Literature, debate, or just cheap school boy fiction?

2004-07-11T20:25:00.000-04:00

MWU! Sex and the Ummah Column

Some times I wonder whether this is just the rantings of a frustrated guy. There are a few issues raised, dealing more with refusal to abide by ritualistic rules.

Not to mention shallow name-calling bordering on blasphemy which I will not even discuss.

I still want to comment on the column, and throw out my own subversive ideas. This will only make sense if you've read the column.

So she went to a masjid in the suburb of Amherst and took shahadah. They gave her a hejab but were nice about it. They were nice about everything; those guys could say the meanest, most ignorant things but still use a gentle voice and try to sound rational and loving through it all. Told her she had to break up with her then-boyfriend, get rid of her dog, throw away old kufr clothes and cover it all except the face and hands, take a nice Arabic name, stop listening to her favorite artists, give dawah to her family or else their brains would burn and boil like Abu Talib, the whole nine. Eventually Lynn gave up on it, kept to her Rumi and stopped going there.

Sure, I get it. A barrage of orders, most of them negative, all of them at once, with no ideas on how to live your life really. Too much pressure ... go slow, man! But the point is, sometimes you just have to do things you don't like. It's called discipline. It differs from ascetism because, you know the right way to do those things. It's the difference between a balanced diet (which is healthy), and starving (which is not). May be she is being told to starve, withoutbeing toldd how to be balanced and not waste her life. How not to be a punk junky. But that doesn't mean you don't try to be a better person. Did she talk to her boyfriend about her faith. Did she consider engagement and marrying him, or just going it slow meanwhile - non-physical. The point of spiritualism and soft sufi-ism is to concentrate on your higher senses so you can easily control baser ones.

“I’m a spiritual person,” she said. “I believe in Allah, you know, though I don’t always call It ‘Allah’ and I pray the way I want to pray. Sometimes I just look out at the stars and this love-fear thing comes over me, you know? And sometimes I might sit in a Christian church listening to them talk about Isa with a book of Hafiz in my hands instead of the hymnal. And you know what, Yusef? Sometimes, every once in a while, I get out my old rug and I pray like Muhammad prayed. I never learned the shit in Arabic and my knees are uncovered, but if Allah has a problem with that then what kind of Allah do we believe in?”

Whoa!! What kind of spiritual person are you, if you can't change one little bit for your God? I still have all the sympathy with the character of Lynn, but please don't justify your weakness. Sure, liberal muslims should accept people like her into the fold, but accept that not being the perfect person is weakness. Weakness should be sympathised with, but not glorified!

“As-salaamu alaikum!” she said with a huge smile and matching hug.

“Wa-alaikum as-salaam,” I replied. “Good to see you.” With her face outlined in cotton hejab, a certain positive energy beamed from Lynn’s expression; but it was also obvious that she had strayed from her natural character.

The narrator has a crush on Lynn. Nothing wrong with that, its nice, beautiful and cute, but don't disguise it as something else, call it what it is.

“Sometimes I don’t know where I feel more out of place.” I looked at the floor, slowly making my way up to her eyes. I did not know what to do with our eye contact. She crinkled her eyebrows. I clumsily leaned toward her and it happened. I could not tell you really how it happened—I can’t remember making any conscious decision to go for it, and I have no memory of her taking the initiative. The kiss came of its own volition without asking for help from either of us.

Likewise, it continued and demanded more of us, like tongues and hands. Then her shirt was off and we cascaded onto my mattress. I opened my eyes briefly and looked at her shoulder, deciding the bra should come off and soon realizing I was out of my element tugging on the hooks. She reached behind herself and it was off.

The problem here is one of control and discipline. I don't mean to be condescending here, but see it for what it is. They like each other, that's cool. How old are they? Old enough, I guess. If that is so, why don't they consider marrying? If people will object, then I guess that's where practical liberal Islam comes in. To make marriage for two consenting individuals easier than fornication, adultery, whoredom and everything else that demeans people.

“Because I led you astray, wearing a tight little shirt so you could see my shape, right?”

“No!”

“And I’d lean over so you could see right down…” As she said it she did just that, but almost in caricature of what the intention would have been.

“It’s all me, I’m the—”

She is talking about the hypocritical, double standard of blaming everything on the woman. She has a point.

There are some interesting and subversive comments by a reader there. One g.l. writes :

i see lust for white flesh is still a mainstay with muslims. this story proves it! funny how the "white" muslimah in this fiction story throws herself at whatever man passes by... typical occidentalist stereotype!

Lust has nothing to do with being muslim or white or whatever. But the story tries to say something about muslims and liberalism but if its really liberalism and equality and all that how come the protagonist was not african american? There are certainly more african american muslims, aren't there? If it is true that Lynn is more attractive than most Muslimas the narrator has met, then this should be said so openly. But the point here is that many Asiatic people find Caucasian, or specifically blonde people more attractive, it has got nothing to do with ideology or Islam, liberal or conservative. What it does have to say a lot about is the hypocritical stance of many asians who complain of racism but are even more racist towards africans and others. And even this supposedly liberal piece of fiction by a white american has that subtle racsim against the white woman. The "throwing herself at any man ..." thing.

I might add more on this, but I'd love to hear criticism.

Azeri Govt. action not helping

2004-07-11T01:55:00.000-04:00

Baku Juma Mosque under attack

Harrassing moderate muslims isn't going to help the country. Let the people pray, and do something good for your country, Mr. Ilham Aliyev!

World court tells Israel to tear down illegal wall

2004-07-11T01:37:00.000-04:00

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | World court tells Israel to tear down illegal wall

Will the UN do something? Or are they effectively going to tell us that might is right, and the only way to defend oneself is to have bigger bombs than your enemies?

Taken hostage, again

2004-07-10T18:45:00.000-04:00

It was said, after 9/11 that what was taken hostage on the airplanes was the faith of Islam. Regardless of who said it, and what their intentions were, the statement did ring true. It did to me, at least.

After being horrified at the events after 9/11 and how the things have taken a turn for the worse, especially the extremist view prevalent among many I talked to, I was thrilled to see a liberal Muslim space emerging, at least on the internet. I am taking about Muslim WakeUp!.

However, I feel that the liberal Muslim view has been taken hostage here. I may be overreacting, or may be not. I had always thought that liberal Muslims were about giving each other some breathing space, being sympathetic to each others so as to help them be better Muslims, and being able to see fault in oneself too. It was about being closer to the essential spiritual path and faith, and freeing it of stereotypical, regional, chauvinistic, and national shackles. Mostly, about being better and humble people who could help each other out even when they are not perfect, in order to escape greater evil if we left each other alone, and made Muslims feel excommunicated.

I have been sadly disappointed. What is emerging is a community which tries to justify its wrongs, and rather put the blame on those who advise against it. I thought decent liberal muslims were about caring about the sinner, so as to help him/her get away from sin, not encourage it! I think the movement is nascent, and I hope the sane elements emerge victorious.

Musharraf makes sense

2004-07-09T20:02:00.000-04:00

- DAWN - Latest Stories; 09 July, 2004

I think he makes quite a lot of sense as a military leader here.

Musharraf for closing of fronts against Muslims: BAKU, Jul 9: Calling for the closing of fronts against Muslims, President Pervez Musharraf declared that political issues concerning Muslim Ummah must be resolved with justice to ensure global peace and harmony. "When we talk of resolution of political disputes we feel that too many fronts all involving Muslims have been opened. It is time to be closing fronts now," he said while addressing Milli Majlis, the national Parliament of Azerbaijan today.

Money Talks

2004-06-19T22:22:00.000-04:00

This is what Nestle had to say when I contacted them telling them of my intention to boycott their products for their investments in Kiryat Gat on ethnically cleansed land.

Nestlé has invested money in Israel, as well as in Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Dubai and Pakistan. Investment decisions are based on economic reasoning, not on a political agenda. We do not believe that boycotts will contribute to the economic development of the Middle East.

What do I care if they have invested in Saudi Arabia and Egypt! The point is they place profits over human rights .... well, at least they are honest (I hope).

First Post

2004-06-19T22:20:00.000-04:00

I'm gonna be posting almost everything over here. Whatever I am upto, interesting stuff I run into .... different links etc.