Ramadhan Washington, Selfless Community Worker

There are many people in the Muslim community who are working hard to improve their communities and large. Their selfless services, however, go unrecognized. One such person is Ramadhan Washington of St.Joseph’s, Missouri. who was recently profiled in the Lifetsyles section of The News-Press.

Mr.Ramadhan, 60, began his community work during the civil rights era.

From that point forward, Mr. Washington dedicated himself to making his community a better place through grassroots organizing. He started working with Joyce Raye Patterson back in 1965 and was involved with the creation of the East Side Human Resource Center, now the Bartlett Center.

Today, Mr. Washington is involved in a variety of activities and organizations. His main priority is serving as chairman of the steering committee of St. Joseph’s annual Juneteenth celebration. He also works to boost membership and promote activities for the NAACP and is collaborating with the Youth Alliance to organize St. Joseph’s first-ever Martin Luther King celebration and parade. A pressing issue for Mr. Washington is the alarming incarceration rates of African-Americans and their return to society, so he volunteers with the Department of Corrections to assist offenders during the re-entry process to help them get back on their feet. Mr. Washington also is working with the his community to purchase land to build St. Joseph’s first mosque. As a Muslim, Mr. Washington says a lot of his work in the community is driven by his faith.

“It’s spiritual,” Mr. Washington says. “That’s a mandate of Islam. Before you go anywhere else, your community comes first.”

But for Mr. Washington, it’s also about giving information, effort and care to those who need it.

“I’m not seeking high office or anything. I’m dealing with grassroots… whatever brings peace and stability to the community,” Mr. Washington says.

Hagerstown Muslims urged to break new ground

Hagerstown Muslims were urged to break new ground where they live and reach out to others during the Eid ul Adha khutba in Hagerstown.

The Islamic Society held a morning service at the Grand Venice Hotel in Hagerstown for Eid al-Adha, a three-day festival. More than 200 people attended.

There are about 75 Muslim families in and around Hagerstown. Muslims from Waynesboro and Chambersburg in Pennsylvania and Martinsburg, W.Va., also attended the service.

Mahvish Rukhsana Khan’s book selected for outstanding award

American lawyer Mahvish Rukhsana Khan’s book has been selected as one of the ten outstanding books for 2008 by the Myer’s Centre. Her book is titled My Guantanamo Diary: The Detainees and the Stories They Told Me and focuses on the plight of the detainees.

The Myers Center Panelists selected these books from approximately 400 nominations this past year. Established in 1984, the Myers Center is in its twenty-fifth year of continuous operation promoting ways we can become more active in co-creating an equitable world for all. 

Pak-American physicians convention to begin from Dec.21

THE Association of Physicians of Pakistani-descent of North America (APPNA) is organising its 29th Annual Winter Convention 2008 at Hotel Pearl Continental, Lahore, from December 21 to 24, 2008. The convention is a collaborative activity of APPNA and alumni associations of King Edward Medical University (KEMU), Allama Iqbal Medical College (AIMC) and Fatima Jinnah Medical College (FJMC).

While speaking at a press conference at a Lahore hotel on Saturday, the APPNA representatives in Pakistan, including Dr Hafiz Ijaz Ahmad, Dr Faheem Butt, Dr Tanveer-ul-Hassan Zubairi and Farooq Bhatti, said the Association was dedicated to fostering scientific development and education in the field of medicine.

APPNA saves lives and relieves suffering through its participation in medical relief and other charitable activities both at home and abroad.

Established in 1976, APPNA is one of the largest ethnic medical societies in the nation representing more than 15,000 physicians and healthcare professionals of Pakistani-descent serving across the United States and Canada.

They said the 29th Annual Winter Convention was accredited with Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide Continuing Medical Education (CME) for physicians. This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Area and Policies of the ACCME.

APPNA played a significant role for disaster relief for 2005 earthquake. Over $1.7 million had been collected to be disbursed for earthquake relief work. Medical and surgical supplies valued at several million dollars had been collected and distributed and over 559 tents worth $84,000 were distributed within weeks of the disaster. APPNA donated 2,645 galvanized tin roofs worth $26,000 used for shelters before winter 2005. Over 200 APPNA doctors traveled on their own expense.

In the year 1989,  APPNA became the first organization to endorse Imran Khan’s cancer hospital. Allama Iqbal Medical College Alumni Association raised $175,000 for Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore, at its annual dinner during APPNA Summer 2006 meeting in Chicago. This hospital is a charitable cancer hospital, which treats most patients free of cost.

APPNA had coordinated with Child Aid Association and the National Institute of Child Health to establish a genetic diagnostic laboratory in Karachi. The APPNA members donated time, expertise and money for a genetic diagnostic laboratory called National Institute of Child Health (NICH), Karachi.

Last month,  APPNA hosted a dinner in honor of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry during his visit to USA and presented him award for his struggle for the independence of judiciary in Pakistan. “The APPNA team is interested in projects of community development in Pakistan through health and education sector reforms,” they added.

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Courtesy The Arab American News, Khalil AlHajal

DEARBORN, Mich. – Three outstanding Arab-American students are heading to Oxford on Rhodes scholarships next year. Abdulrahman El-Sayed (previously reported by TMO), who delivered the commencement address as the top graduate of the University of Michigan in 2007, was among the three. El-Sayed was accepted into a M.D./Ph.D. program, was Phi Beta Kappa and on the lacrosse team. Aisha Saad, a graduate of the University of North Carolina, had a dual major in health science and Spanish and will study for a master’s degree in nature, society and environmental policy at Oxford. Kyle Haddad, a Harvard University graduate, studied history and Near Eastern languages and civilization and will pursue a doctorate in oriental studies.

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In exclusive interview, he says he plans to be sworn in like every other president, using his full name: Barack Hussein Obama

Courtesy Christi Parsons, John McCormick and Peter Nicholas, Tribune staff reporters

Barack Obama says his presidency is an opportunity for the U.S. to renovate its relations with the Muslim world, starting the day of his inauguration and continuing with a speech he plans to deliver in an Islamic capital.

And when he takes the oath of office Jan. 20, he plans to be sworn in like every other president, using his full name: Barack Hussein Obama.

“I think we’ve got a unique opportunity to reboot America’s image around the world and also in the Muslim world in particular,’’ Obama said Tuesday, promising an “unrelenting” desire to “create a relationship of mutual respect and partnership in countries and with peoples of good will who want their citizens and ours to prosper together.”

The world, he said, “is ready for that message.”

In a wide-ranging interview with Tribune reporters, Obama discussed his strategy for his first year in office, vigorously defended his choice for attorney general and reflected on his role as the first African American to be elected president.

He also made it clear that, even as he plans his move to Washington, his heart will remain in Chicago. His “Kennebunkport” will be the South Side, Obama said, and he pledged to return at least every couple months for some family down time.

The conversation was his first with a newspaper since his election on Nov. 4, and it came just hours after Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on a federal conspiracy complaint. The complaint alleges that Blagojevich essentially tried to auction off the appointment to replace Obama in the U.S. Senate, but the president-elect declined to speak about any discussions between his representatives and those of the governor, a fellow Democrat.

Obama said he never has spoken personally to Blagojevich about his possible replacement, either before or since his victory. Shortly after the interview ended Tuesday afternoon, Obama’s transition office released a statement saying top adviser David Axelrod misspoke last month when he said Obama had talked with Blagojevich about the Senate vacancy.

Citing an “ongoing investigation” into the matter, Obama said he considered it “inappropriate” to talk further about the situation.

As the Blagojevich drama unfolded across Dearborn Street in the federal courthouse, Obama lounged in an armchair in his spare black-and-gray office, a scattering of peanut shells from his afternoon snack littering the floor.

Obama said the country must take advantage of a unique chance to recalibrate relations around the globe, through a new diplomacy that emphasizes inclusiveness and tolerance as well as an unflinching stand against terrorism.

“The message I want to send is that we will be unyielding in stamping out the terrorist extremism we saw in Mumbai,” Obama said, adding that he plans to give a major address in an Islamic capital as part of his global outreach.

Though world events and economic winds have made his agenda all the more challenging, Obama kept close counsel on how he plans to move forward.

He would not commit to specific plans on matters as varied as free trade, unionization and illegal immigration. Instead, he said, his nominees and advisers are studying the issues and will report back with recommendations.

Asked if he would support the extension of the fence between the U.S. and Mexican border, Obama deferred to his nominee for the Homeland Security Department, Janet Napolitano.

In similar fashion, he sidestepped questions about whether he would move quickly on promises to rework the North American Free Trade Agreement or push the so-called “card-check” law making it easier for unions to organize.

“My economic team is going to put together a package on trade and on worker issues,’’ he said. “That will be presented to me. I don’t want to anticipate right now what sequences will be on these issues.’’

Likewise, he offered no hints about future Cabinet appointments, but voiced strong support for Eric Holder, his nominee for attorney general, by batting away concerns about his role in the controversial pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich at the end of Bill Clinton’s presidency.

“Everybody who looks at his record says the guy was an outstanding attorney, an outstanding prosecutor, an outstanding judge, an outstanding number two at the Justice Department,’’ Obama said. “And Eric has acknowledged the Rich pardon was a mistake on his part, not having caught that earlier.

“I agree with him,” Obama said. “I think it was a mistake. But when you look at the totality of his experience, there’s no doubt he’s going to be an outstanding attorney general.’’

Some liberal supporters have expressed disappointment over some of Obama’s choices, like the one to retain Robert Gates as secretary of defense, but Obama said supporters have no cause for concern.

He is steadfast on his “agenda of change,” he said.

“On all the promises that I made during the campaign there has been no sense I’m backing off,’’ he said. “What I’m putting in place is a Cabinet of extraordinarily qualified, competent people who would not have accepted my offer for them to join my administration unless they believed in my vision.’’

Obama is planning his administration mostly in a suite of offices in the federal building, spare in décor but replete with comforting remnants of his two years on the campaign trail. On his book shelf are two basketballs, and there’s a third by the door. Just outside his personal office sits Reggie Love, the former college athlete who does double duty as personal assistant and basketball partner.

Most of the transition team is at work in Washington, so Secret Service agents outnumber staff members in Chicago.

From this Spartan suite, Obama contemplates issues both great and small.

One simple matter comes down to three little words, and on them he has made up his mind: he won’t shrink from using his full name when he takes the oath of office.

During the campaign, Obama’s detractors would often invoke his middle name, Hussein, in an attempt to falsely paint him as a Muslim. Obama, a Christian, doesn’t care.

“I think the tradition is that they use all three names, and I will follow the tradition,” he said. “I’m not trying to make a statement one way or another. I’ll do what everybody else does.’’

And then there are the grand issues, like the burden placed on him by history. As the first African-American president, he acknowledges, he thinks about it.

“The biggest challenges we face right now in improving race relations have to do with the universal concerns of Americans across color lines,” he said. “If we are creating jobs throughout this economy, then African-Americans and Latinos, who are disproportionately unemployed, are going to be swept up in that rising tide.”

“I think that more than anything is going to improve race relations,” he said, “a sense of common purpose.’’

Though he hasn’t taken on a singular spiritual adviser, months after the controversial parting with his former pastor, Obama said he has found inspiration in a “prayer circle” of supportive clergy leaders.

Pastors on that regular prayer phone call toward the end of the campaign included T.D. Jakes, of the Dallas-based mega-church The Potter’s House, Saddleback mega-church pastor Rick Warren and Joseph Lowery of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

“I’m reliant on the pastors who are friends of mine, and who I talk to for support, and my own prayer life at home,” he said.

Obama said he and his wife, Michelle, haven’t gone church-shopping in Washington yet, mainly because they are trying to pull off a massive move “without losing anything”–especially, he joked, either of their two children.

Even in the White House, though, he doesn’t plan to sever ties to home. He made reference to former President George H.W. Bush’s White House getaway–Kennebunkport, Maine.

“Let me explain to you, my Kennebunkport is on the South Side of Chicago,” he said. “Our friends are here. Our family is here. We are going to try to come back here as often as possible . . . at least once every six weeks or couple months.”

Nicholas and Parsons are members of the Tribune Washington bureau. McCormick is a Tribune reporter.

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Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latinname aurum) and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal, having been used as money, as a store of value, in jewelry, in sculpture, and for ornamentation since the beginning of recorded history. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, underground “veins” and in alluvial deposits. Gold is dense, soft, shiny and the most malleable and ductile substance known. Pure gold has a bright yellow color traditionally considered attractive. It is one of the coinage metals and formed the basis for the gold standard used before the collapse of the Bretton Woods system in 1971.

Modern industrial uses include dentistry and electronics.

Gold dissolves in mercury, forming amalgam alloys, but does not react with it. Gold is insoluble in nitric acid, which will dissolve silver and base metals, and is the basis of the gold refining technique known as “inquartation and parting.” Nitric acid has long been used to confirm the presence of gold in items, and this is the origin of the colloquial term “acid test,” referring to a gold standard test for genuine value.

A single gram of gold can be beaten into a sheet of one square meter, an ounce into 300 square feet. Gold leaf can be beaten thin enough to become translucent. The transmitted light appears greenish blue, because gold strongly reflects yellow and red.

Because of the softness of pure (24k) gold, it is usually alloyed with base metals for use in jewelry, altering its hardness and ductility, melting point, color and other properties. Alloys with lower caratage, typically 22k, 18k, 14k or 10k, are made, with other metals. Copper is the most common base metal, yielding a redder color. 18 carat gold containing 25% copper is found in antique and Russian jewelry and has a distinct copper cast, it’s called rose gold. 14 carat gold-copper alloy is nearly the same color as some bronze alloys, and both are used to produce police and other badges. Blue gold can be made by alloying with iron. Blue gold is more brittle and therefore more difficult to work with when making jewelry. 14 and 18 carat gold alloys with silver alone appear greenish-yellow and are referred to as green gold.

The Japanese craft of Mokume-gane exploits the color contrasts between laminated colored gold alloys to produce decorative wood-grain effects.

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By Sameh A. Habeeb, MMNS Gaza Correspondent

With the last Israeli maneuvers’ of tightening the siege imposed on Gaza, more life necessities vanished. The key power plant shut down 25 days ago, resulting in tremendously dire outcomes. More than 75% of the Gaza strip faces severe power cuts and some areas are completely plunged into darkness.

Power cuts and daily blackouts resulted in hindering of all facilities depending on power. The remaining power shares provided by Israel and Egypt are not enough to cover the whole coastal strip. Pumped fresh water is not reaching all living places, farms and central water wells. Sewage and water treatment machines are halted. Additionally, around 77 million liters of sewage water leak into the Mediterranean contaminating it and damaging fish resources on a daily basis.

According to the Popular Committee against Siege (PCAS), basic food stuff like milk, flour, food oils, meat, rice and legumes are not available in big quantities. Other needs are not available, like raw materials needed to operate small food factories.

Estimates for daily consumption of the following food products in the Gaza Strip are: 867 tons of flour, 153 tons of sugar, 110 tons of rice, 75 tons of different kinds of oil and 49 tons herbs and vegetables. According to the crossing administration, only
15 % of Gaza needs get in.

A severe shortage of basic medicines is up to 40%. Medicines for diabetes, heart, asthma and other chronic diseases are completely unavailable in Gaza. Additionally, other kind of medicines for Cancer, Lennar and liver failure face sharp shortages. Sterilization and Disinfection and medical equipments and clothes face a decrease up to 30%. There is a severe shortage of solutions and pigments, and laboratory tools. These shortages leave 40% of patients directly affected.  -Some Medical Machines are in bad need for spare parts and maintenance. Due to the siege, none of the needed aid is being received. Medical machines for gas measurement, and children’s incubators, are being blocked as well. The power cuts and continued blackouts damage medical machine parts and programming systems. C.T and X.Ray departments at al Shifa’ and European hospitals are damaged. These are so crucial to diagnosing tumors and other diseases. Even spare parts for medical TVs are not available!

Israel should have opened commercial crossings completely during the calm. But Israel didn’t abide by that condition–only partially opening them. But within the last week; Israel totally closed the crossings, causing a huge humanitarian crisis. According to UNRWA, around 750,000 of its beneficiaries don’t get their devoted share of food parcels. With the Israeli ban on UNRWA aid, it is ensuring that a dire humanitarian crisis will occur within days. As UNRWA is also under siege from assisting Palestine in humanitarian causes, long term projects like housing are halted to the loss of $350 million.

Farming is one of the most negatively affected areas. Farm animals are not receiving food, under the blockade.  Gaza needs 150 tons of animal fodder a day for its livestock, yet for 4 weeks none of it has entered. More than a million chickens have been killed due to lack of fodder.

Losses amounted to 20% due to lack of vaccinations, serums and lack of fodder. The fishing sector lacks natural gas needed for fishing, and also the process of incubation is being halted. Agricultural tools like insecticides, seeds and fertilizer are not available. This negatively affects the sector and already did with the start of the siege. Agricultural products are being held in Gaza as Israel prevents any kind of exportation since a year and a half.

The people of Gaza are outraged by the Israeli collective punishment. I spoke to some Gazan residents and I observed some differences amongst them. Mr. Muhammad, who refuses to give his full name, said that this siege is unjust and it’s a way to pressure people to give up their rights.

“We have been patient for 60 years now. We passed more cruel time than this. Thus, why to give up this year. We have to be adamant and patient and the siege will be lifted eventually,” he said.

I spoke to a jobless resident from Al Shati’ refugee camp. Mr. Khalil Barakat, who is in his mid 50’s, says he is outraged by this siege.

“I’m fed up; bored, I feel we are caged like animals in Gaza. If I could get a chance to immigrate to live my remaining years in peace, then I would love to,” He said, angrily.
Accidentally, I met an old friend of mine, Um Muhammad Abu Ouf; a mother in her twenties. It was good for me to explore her views about the siege as well. As a mother and a woman, her perspective is most important. We met at 6 pm at Al Omar al Moktar Street, which was plunging into deep darkness.

She had her outstanding comments about siege. I asked: “How badly you are affected by the siege?”

“Well, the siege became a … nightmare midday and night. Electricity cuts off and that frightens my 11-month infant. It makes conditions unsafe for him. … I’m trying to get some fortified food for him. I went to many stores and shops but in vain. I could not find any food nor needed supplies for my son, as there is a shortage in a lot of the basic products needed to care for infants such as milk, diapers and so forth.”

Another pessimistic Gazan, Nahed Deeb,  told me that a famine is looming, as no one is giving a helping hand for Palestinians.

“We are slowly dying and no one is taking actions. I lost my work 8 years ago and I’m dependant on irregular aid. This is applicable on tens and hundreds of thousands in the normal time. Nevertheless, no longer more poor like me are getting any kind of support.”

The Israeli Defense Ministry announced that Gaza crossings would remain closed til further notice. Gazans are to expect more mayhem as time advances. Palestinians want a ceasefire and a complete lifting of the siege imposed more than a year ago. Clearly, the aspirations of Palestinians are minor considerations, since there is no stability in the Israeli political arena. Every Israeli politician is promising and threatening Gaza of  a brand-new way of torture. 

Israelis prevented a Libyan boat loaded with 3 thousand tons of food stuff from arriving off the Gaza shore. The Israeli refusal came under a pretext that the boat carries weapons for Palestinians. Within two days, a Qatari boat would set to sail from Cyprus to Gaza carrying more humanitarian aid. Additionally, Turkish, Kuwaiti, Yemani and Jordanian boats are planned to sail for Gaza soon.

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By Dr. AS Nakadar, TMO CEO

A Muslim pays homage to the victims of the Mumbai attacks during a special prayer meeting at a mosque in the northeastern Indian city of Siliguri November 29, 2008. Commandos ended a three-day rampage by Islamist gunmen in Mumbai on Saturday, gunning down the last of the militants who killed nearly 200 people in a strike on India’s financial heart. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri

We absolutely condemn the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, and lament the senseless loss of life that resulted from these tragic attacks.  We mourn all the victims.  According to the Times of India, Muslims comprised 40% of the victims of the tragedy.  We offer condolences to all of those of any religion who lost loved ones and to those who were injured, those who suffered property damage, and we pray for those whose lives were lost in the tragedy.

Unfortunately, the responsibility for this incident was laid at the door of Muslims before the guns had cooled, before the fires had been put out, and before any real investigation could have begun.

Yet even mainstream papers have asked important questions about the official story of these attacks.  The Christian Science Monitor questioned the identity and the origin of the lone survivor, Azam Amir Qasab. No one has yet been able to identify him in Faridkote, the village he is supposed to be from in Punjab-Pakistan. 
Rumors were spread by Indian police of Muslim involvement, and these rumors were immediately picked up and run by otherwise respected and responsible media outlets. 

What was the motive behind this terror act, and who benefits? Was it to create a rift between India and Pakistan? Was it to warn Pakistan to fall in line with US policies on the NW frontier lest India may open hostilities with Pakistan? Was it to create a further chasm between the Muslims and Hindus of India? Or was it to serve an indigenous political agenda?

These and many other questions continue to work inside the minds of those who love India. And the reasons are obvious. Why was there no ransom demand from the terrorists, after they took hostages? This is most unusual. The taking of hostages is usually done to obtain ransom; but in this case despite holding some hostages for three days no ransom was forthcoming.

Terrorists usually take the maximum possible hostages as a bargaining chip, but in Mumbai the terrorists killed mercilessly anyone they came across. This is what mercenaries do, or as might do the goons of mafia dons Chota Rajan or Dawood Ibrahim; irrespective of their religion or their origin.

People could not comprehend how only 10 terrorists were able to carry out such a heinous crime at 10 places spread over the space of more than 12 miles, almost simultaneously, within 15 minutes of one another.

Is it possible instead that a large number of mercenaries were hired to do this job, and they had safe passage before the conclusion of the operation? Were they battle hardened terrorists or were they mercenaries? If the number of terrorists involved was higher, then what happened to the rest of them?

It is alleged that one of the hostages who escaped from room # 630 following his brief captivity said that there was huge stockpile of arms in that room, and the room had served as a communication center. How did that happen without the knowledge of the authorities?

Quoting his captors’ conversation in his interview with Aaj Tak, a TV news channel, he says in broken Hindi/Urdu “One terrorist asks the other: “How much amount of money these Indian politicians have?” The other terrorist answers, “You have received your payment isn’t it, then why are you worried?”

Who benefits from all this? And how is it that ATS Chief Hemant Karkare, his associates Ashok Kamte, Vijay Salaskar and his entire team of about seven were gunned down in a narrow lane near Cama hospital about 12.5 miles away from the Taj Hotel? How is it that they happened to be by the Cama hospital? Why were they there? The Marathi papers in Mumbai have reported that the killers of Hemant Karkare and his associates spoke to them in Marathi before killing him and the others.

The hard and dedicated work of ATS chief Hemant Karkare had led to the arrest of Lt. Col. Purohit for serial bomb blasts at the Malegaon and Samjhuta Express trains.

Initially the blame had been laid on Muslims, but he proved the culprits were non Muslims. The real terrorists were Lt. Col Purohit, a Sadhivi (A Hindu religious preacher) Miss Praggya Singh, a religious head of Hindus, Swami Asimanand, and others of higher political and law enforcement officers. It is said that he was about to announce the names of people in higher offices of BJP, RSS and Chota Rajan, a mafia don of Mumbai.

He was also investigating the bomb blasts at Thane, Vashi and Panwel (all in greater Mumbai). He had indicated of stunning revelations but he was silenced before his disclosures.  On November 26 his ATS office in Pune had reportedly received threatening phone calls of blowing up the residence “within a couple of days.”

Who are his killers/terrorists? Why were they so selective in eliminating Karkare and all his trusted office staff? Where did they disappear to? Why has his mother refused to take the one Crore Rs. compensation announced and offered by Modi?

Is it because Hemant Karkarey and his team had unearthed the unthinkable? Is it because his team had proved the involvement of Hindus in terrorist acts? Many feared that his investigations would further implicate many religious leaders, law enforcement personnel, and politicians.

Indian politicians have not hesitated in employing any tactics to win the elections. The Gujarat mayhem is still fresh in our memories. The terrorist attack on Mumbai occurred on the eve of the state elections in MP, Rajasthan and Delhi. And the announcement of national general elections is just a couple of months away.

Why was the security at the Taj Hotel reduced just a few days prior to this terrorist attack? Mr. Ratan Tata, the owner of the Taj hotel, recently acquired land for his Nano car in Gujarat, after his failure to acquire factory land in Bengal. Could there be any connection? Is it feasible that the same tactic used in Gujarat is being used to acquire political power for BJP in as many states as possible, and in the national government? 

I am not sure we will ever know the truth.  But Indian democracy is strong and resilient, and the majority of its people are tolerant and peaceful. The Congress party and its allies must seize this opportunity to expose the real culprits.

The people responsible for this horrific act must be brought to justice, no matter who they are.

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Courtesy Arab News

The reported crackdown by Hamas on Palestinians wanting to perform the Hajj highlights the depth of the bitterness Hamas and Fatah have sunk to. That Hamas police may have set up checkpoints across Gaza to prevent pilgrims from leaving for the Hajj simply because the pilgrims coordinated their journey with the Palestinian Authority instead is serious as it is ironic. The ban on the Hajj is unbecoming of an Islamic movement. What is the problem in agreeing on national aspirations and a common strategy? Why does inter-Palestinian dialogue run into one obstacle after another? One reason is that Hamas is trying to create a new organizational, ideological, and political frame of reference for the Palestinian people that the PA rejects.

Meanwhile, as PA security forces in the West Bank continue to round up Hamas activists, a halt to the detention of Hamas members and the release of those currently held is a precondition to agreeing to accept any invitation to host inter-Palestinian dialogue talks. Detentions will force Hamas into making concessions, especially with regard to the extension of Mahmoud Abbas’ term of office. And detentions will only reinforce the Hamas belief that the PA is in cahoots with Israel. When a Palestinian security agency arrests a political leader who has just been released from an Israeli prison where he had been detained on the grounds of threatening Israeli security, is this not a flagrant effort on behalf of Israel? It appears that the Egyptian government is still upset at Hamas for turning down its invitation to attend Palestinian reconciliation talks in Cairo. But the smart thing Egypt and all other Arab countries should do is not to take sides in the internal Palestinian factional dispute and refrain from apportioning blame.

That is an important codicil. It would be a serious mistake if outside parties take it upon themselves to determine which Palestinian faction is responsible for the failure of national dialogue.

It is possible to come up with creative formulas for bridging the gap between the two sides in a manner that will enable both to feel that their interests will be met. Hamas and Fatah each claim to be legitimate and their wrangle over who has the authority to send Gaza pilgrims for the Hajj is a test of how sovereign they want to appear to their constituencies. But their claim of independence means they will never unite for the good of their one cause: An end to the occupation and a single state.

There are many reasons why inter-Palestinian dialogue is difficult, yet even when combined they are insufficient to explain why a compromise solution cannot be found. Even the most pessimistic Palestinians would not have imagined that acrimony between Fatah and Hamas could have reached its current pitch of vehemence. The war of words, recriminations and suspicions, and the insults and accusations hurtling back and forth seem to form an impenetrable wall between the Palestinian people and the national reconciliation they long for. Only strong, serious, fair and objective intervention stands a chance of persuading the two sides to resume dialogue.

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By Susan Schwartz, MMNS

Muslim organizations in America have a dual purpose. First they must address the faith and the spiritual needs of Muslims in this country, providing leadership, guidance and planning for the future. Secondly, they must present the message of Islam to those outside the faith and to foster unity between Muslims and non-Muslims. The Muslim American Society (MAS), which traces its roots to an Islamic revival movement at the beginning of the 20th century, has succeeded in both arenas.

The Muslim American Society held a well attended and highly informative convention in Long Beach, Ca. this past Saturday. Titled: “Sharing the Guidance & Standing for Justice”, the event marked the 12th convention held by MAS.

The convention began at 9:00am with registration and ended in the late evening with entertainment. Sandwiched in between were well attended workshops which explored questions relevant to Muslims in the 21st century in America. Each session addressed an aspect of guidance, justice and compassion in Islam.

Included as a workshop topic in the morning was: “Bridging Divides through Compassion.” Three well-known and revered Islamic spokespersons were the presenters. Dr. Maher Hathout, a retired physician, told his audience that groups which cannot cope with change marginalize themselves. Muslims must not do that. Muslims must build coalitions by finding common ground. This is the way in which America is structured, he continued. This is the way in which Senator Barak Obama won the election.

Dr. Hathout ended his presentation by saying: “View one another with goodness.”

Br. Hussam Ayloush, the Executive Director of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) said “We must know our rights and our duties.” He told his audience not to let anyone silence them and to fight against government abuses and corporate greed. Br. Ayloush said that we have to educate others. When the news of Koranic abuse at Guantanamo became public, CAIR responded by offering free copies of the Koran to all. CAIR chose to respond to this travesty by education. Muslims, he continued, are a victim group. We have to challenge civil rights violations, stand for health care and for justice for low income workers.

Dr. Ahmad Azam, the President of the Board of Trustees of the Islamic Center of Hawthorne, was the final speaker. He said that we have to fit into this society.

r. Azam reminded his audience that the Prophet Mohammed (s) served Mecca. “Islam is for the whole of humanity.” Every Muslim can be a community activist and set an example that non-Muslims will want to emulate. This can be done by students, by employees and by simply being a good neighbor.

“I never realized how much I as an individual could do” said one young woman in the audience.

Two parallel youth sessions were also held.

After prayer and a luncheon, the convention continued. Again the audience was able to enjoy two revered Muslim elders, Dr. Hassan Hathout and Dr. Jamal Badawi, speak on “And Justice for All.”

Dr. Badawi spoke of the concept of justice in Islam, a concept much broader and deeper than the English definition which tends to focus on legal justice when protocol is observed.

Dr Hathout told his audience that the materialism that has captured American society and to which Muslims are not exempt, troubles him. Also troubling is the impetus in modern society to accept the homosexuality as just another lifestyle choice. He reminded his audience that Islam does not accept homosexuality, and he reminded them that people have the choice to make and are mandated by Islam to reject homosexuality.

The lively conversations that took place during meals indicated that the speakers gave their audience much to think about.

Other workshop topics included: “Compassion in Action;” “Sharing the Guidance in our Communities,” and “Fixed and Changing Attributes of this Guidance.”

A bazaar was held in the lobby and featured booths with Islamic merchandise. Also featured were such groups as CAIR, MPAC, Islamic Relief and Amana Financial.

The Muslim American Society promotes family values in accordance with Islamic teachings; promotes the human values fundamental to Islam such as brotherhood, equality, justice, compassion, mercy and peace; fosters unity among Muslims and Muslim organizations, and promotes understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims.

To find out more about MAS and to keep abreast of its numerous activities, please access them on line at:  www.mas-la.org and www.masoc.org. for the Los Angeles and Orange County chapters. The web site of the national office is: www.masnet.org

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Courtesy New America Media, Jalal Ghazi

Editor’s Note: In opposition to comments by Al Qaeda’s second-in-command Ayman as-Zawahiri maligning president-elect Barack Obama and America, a recent Al Jazeera documentary series argues that Muslim Americans have more freedom than in most parts of the world. Jalal Ghazi is the associate producer of the Peabody Award-winning show “Mosaic: World News from the Middle East,” and writer of the column Eye on Arab Media for New America Media.

Last week, Al Qaeda’s second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri unfavorably compared U.S. president-elect Barack Obama to assassinated civil rights leader Malcolm X and referred to Obama and former Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice as “house slaves.” The edited video clip, featuring images of Malcolm X praying and Barack Obama with Jewish leaders, generated a wave of condemnation by the Muslim American community.

Muslim American leaders released a statement, read during a news conference at the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Center, stating: “We find it insulting when anyone speaks for our community instead of giving us the dignity and the honor of speaking for ourselves.”

The outrage by Muslim Americans mainly stems from the misrepresentation of their faith by al Zawahiri. Listening to his diatribe, one might be misled into thinking that there are irreconcilable differences between America and Islam. In reality, however the opposite is true. According to a recent documentary series aired on al-Jazeera, many Muslims in America feel that they have more freedom and acceptance than in most of the world.

In his two-part documentary, The American Crescent and Islamic Stars & Stripes, Al Jazeera’s Rageh Omaar surveyed the views of American Muslims across the country about America and what it means to them.

Muslim Americans made a number of surprising revelations, even to Omaar.

“I had come to America with my own prejudices and misconceptions,” Omaar said on Al Jazeera. “I thought that being Muslim in America is a story of widespread fear of discrimination and stereotyping. But in the short time I’ve been here, what I’m hearing from Muslims is about opportunity – constitutional rights, due process – about having a stake in this country and being made to feel that they belong.”

One Muslim American after another told Al Jazeera that, despite negative perceptions of Muslims since 2001, they still feel that they can live and practice their religion more freely in the United States than they can in Europe and, ironically, in many Muslim countries.

The first Muslim elected to the U.S. Congress had some thoughts as to why Muslims are assimilated more easily in the United States than they are in many other Western countries.

“In the European context, what it means to be British or Norwegian is tightly defined,” Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., told Al Jazeera. “In America, we come from all cultures, colors and races.”

Ellison led Al Jazeera’s camera crew to the Library of Congress to see the Koran he held when he was sworn into office two years ago. The copy, now more than 200 years old, once belonged to Thomas Jefferson.

Scott Harrop, a recent Jefferson fellow at Monticello’s Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies, writes about Jefferson’s Koran on Iranian American web portal Pavyand: “Then a 22-year-old student preparing for his bar exams, Jefferson’s favorite legal texts included Samuel Pufendorf’s “Of the Law of Nature and Nations,” a 1672 classic that cites the Koran as precedent on a wide variety of civil and international legal issues.”

Harrop writes that Jefferson’s “interest in the Islamic holy book led him to learning about Islam and a sustained study of the Koran’s original written language, Arabic.”
This founding father’s interest is not the only connection to Islamic civilization found in America’s capitol. Inside the Supreme Court’s courtroom, there is a frieze of the “great lawmakers of history.”

18 lawgivers–ancient and modern–are included in the piece, which was finished in 1932. Moses, Confucius, Charlemagne and Justinian are among the stone sculptures, as is the prophet of Islam: Muhammad (s).

Some Muslim groups have demanded that the image of Muhammad (s) be removed, saying Islam bans such depictions. The court however has rejected this demand, and has explained that that the frieze was “a well-intentioned attempt by the sculptor to honor Muhammad.” (s)

Omaar agrees. The frieze, he says, is evidence that “America knows it’s indebted to Islam for its own citizens’ inalienable rights.”

Muslims recognize the similarities between fundamental freedoms guaranteed under Islamic law and American governing values, especially pertaining to religious tolerance, justice and equality. Omaar believes this is why Muslim Americans love and admire the US Constitution.

America also offers Muslims an opportunity that Muslims abroad do not always have; the right to dissent in the way one interprets the Koran and Hadith (the oral traditions relating the Prophet Muhammad’s words and deeds). As a result American Islam is developing more progressively.

Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar, a classical Arabic scholar and author of 30 books on Islam, has published reinterpretations of the Koran and Hadith that would not be allowed in some Islamic countries.

“The voices of women have been silenced for 1400 years (in the Middle East),” Bakhtiar, who lives and works in Chicago, told Al Jazeera. “They are not open to women’s interpretations.”

The freedom to dissent in America is also deeply appreciated by another Muslim in Chicago: Wallace Deen Muhammad, the son of Nation of Islam supreme minister and black separatist leader Elijah Muhammad.

In 1975, when W.D. Muhammad assumed leadership of the Nation of Islam, he played a key role in persuading most of the membership of the Nation of Islam to turn to mainstream Islam and abandon the extreme ideologies advocated by his father.

“Even 20 years ago, maybe we’d have a lot of doubts,” Muhammad said. “But in 2008, I don’t think that we have much room to doubt that America is the best place … for Muslims to establish the life that we want and that God wants us to have.

“America has survived slavery, and it has survived racism,” Muhammad told Al Jazeera.

The overwhelming majority of American Muslims share Muhammad’s hope. The American Muslim Task Force on Civil Rights and Elections released a poll on November 7, reporting that 89 percent of respondents voted for Obama, versus 2 percent for McCain. This was a turning point, especially when considering that the country’s 8 million Muslims have traditionally voted Republican.

But what about the hundreds of Muslims that the U.S. military and intelligence have detained without due process? What about Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba, or the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq?

How can Muslim Americans overlook these grave violations of Muslim human rights?

Muslim Americans told Al Jazeera that these violations are un-American, pure and simple.

Former U.S. Army Chaplain James Yee, a Muslim, said that he decided to speak out against the mistreatment of Guantanamo Bay prisoners in order to defend the American values which he holds dear.

Yee, whose family’s history of military service dates back to World War II, told Al Jazeera that his experience made him appreciate America more.

“I’m even more patriotic today,” he said, “because I am spending more time and engaged even further in doing what’s best for my country: Promoting these certain values. And that’s my goal in life – that is, to improve the society that I live in.”

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By Dr. Aslam Abdullah, TMO Editor-in-chief

Fascists typically seek to form a mass movement of militants who are willing to engage in violence against their perceived enemies. Fascism opposes communism, religion, conservatism, democracy, individualism, liberalism, materialism, pacifism and political pluralism.

Those who orchestrated and engineered the Mumbai Carnage were fascists. They were neither Muslims, nor Hindus, nor Jews nor Christians nor atheists. They did not believe in human dignity. They violated every principle that is upheld by religion and by philanthropic ideologies. They were not concerned with the sanctity of human life.

They did not care about children who lost their parents, mothers who lost their children and people in general who had nothing to do with the many conflicts going on in our world today.

One can blame whomever one wants for Mumbai. But giving blame will not define the problem nor offer any solution.

Terrorism in the garb of fascism is a phenomenon that must be studied separately. Its roots are not in any religion. It is founded on the ideology of hatred, chaos, anarchy and social disorder.

Fascists and terrorists might use a religious or political label or claim to be part of a religious group. But they are essentially anti-human as they are driven by hatred and bigotry, and their own shortsightedness as to the importance of treating non-combatants as such.

Some foolish people, also tricked by the false beliefs of terrorists, may consider such deluded people as champions, whether of a faith or of democracy or of freedom, but in reality such people are unfortunately merciless and deluded into believing in structures of thought which are inherently illogical and inane–even the Muslims who believe in terrorism have changed Islam to suit their own political ambitions. 

Those who blame religion for this phenomenon neither understand religion nor fascism.

God in His ultimate mercy and grace does not intend to cause harm to anyone. People harm each other and blame God for that.

God wants everyone to live and enjoy the bounties he has created. People deprive each other of the most essential aspects of religion and blame God. God does not want people to kill each other.

The struggle against terrorism and fascism is indeed a struggle against those tendencies and ideas that refuse to accept human dignity as the fundamental principle of human existence.

We Muslims must not shy  away from taking a strong stand against fascists and terrorists without being defensive. 

There is no justification for murdering people. An act against innocent people in Afghanistan and Iraq as as heinous as an attack on people in Mumbai or Islamabad or Thailand.

We cannot have two principles to analyze acts of terrorism.

The Mumbai Carnage must bring people of all faiths closer not only to pray but to take a strong stand against fascists and terrorists.

Let no one be in doubt–we who believe in Merciful Almighty God and His way and oppose all those who kill and spread chaos and confusion in His name. 

And we stand by the innocent victims, and we will do what we can to prevent further senseless violence and to help to support the innocent people of any and all religions who face murder at the hands of those who might call themselves our brothers.

We wish that God’s creation might remain in harmony, and that the lives of those others who share our time on this planet are able to continue to live, in peace and happiness.

We reject the Mumbai atrocities as acts of terror and fascism, whether they were done in the name of Islam or of any other religion or ideology.

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