By Mazhar Farooqui, Jay B. Hilotin and Bobby Naqvi

Dubai: “Yeh kapde nahi chalenge,” (these clothes won’t do) says our contact disapprovingly. He knows better. In our formal attire, we stick out like sore thumbs amidst the sea of Asian construction workers in soiled overalls trudging back to their camps in Jebel Ali Industrial Area, not far from the comfortable suburbs of Dubai.

It’s a Tuesday evening, 7.15pm to be precise, and we are here to uncover what is arguably the country’s biggest and most organised illicit alcohol sale racket. “You won’t believe what you will see here,” the man who tipped us off had said.

It’s not an idle boast. As we drive around the narrow streets between the camps, we see scores of people queuing up at various spots to buy liquor — near the Labour Power Supermarket, behind a row of buses on a sandy patch and on a large expanse of land which the workers fondly call the ‘big ground’.

The spotters

From behind our car’s tinted glasses, we also see the spotters — well-built men from the Indian state of Punjab, positioned strategically to keep surveillance and alert the gang if they find anything suspicious. A spotter watches our car restlessly. A worrisome expression creases his face as we slow down to observe the clandestine operation.

“The first queue is for beer, the second for whiskey,” our contact explains as we speed past. “On weekends, the queues are so long they spill onto the streets. There are far more spotters on such days. Be careful if you want to come back,” he cautions.

The warning is not lost on us. We are on dangerous terrain. Housing some of the biggest industries in Dubai, Jebel Ali is also home to over 1,50,000 expat labourers – prime targets for bootleggers and illegal alcohol traders. A staggering 374 crimes were reported from here last year. The dubious distinction ranks Jebel Ali among the most crime-prone areas of Dubai.

The gangs who run the bootlegging business here are ruthless mercenaries.

A savage sword battle with a rival gang left 30 people injured here in March 2008. “Anyone who crosses their path is assaulted,” a police officer told the Dubai Court of First Instance in February last year. He was investigating the murder of two men who had posed a ‘threat to the business’. They were gang-raped and buried alive in the desert not far from where we stood.

It’s not a nice feeling.

Yet we return at sundown on Thursday. This time we try to look the part. Wearing worn-out T-shirts and trackpants, we wait for our contact at the nearby Parco Supermarket – the labourer’s nerve centre and also our rendezvous.

“Much better,” he says, nodding approvingly at our dishevelled looks.

Just then a police patrol car shows up. Police crackdowns on bootleggers in Jebel Ali are routine. Last year, Jebel Ali police seized 148 tonnes of illegal alcohol from this area. This year’s figure, though, is modest – 36 tonnes so far. “The spotters have wisened up,” an intermediary would tell us later that evening.

Finding nothing amiss, the patrol car leaves. Twenty minutes later, the booze bazaar springs to life. It’s a surreal spectacle.

Orderly queues

Orderly queues are beginning to form at all the three places we saw on Tuesday, only they are much bigger now – each with over 250 people by our conservative estimate.

Standing atop an overturned diesel canister near the Labour Power Supermarket, a young clean-shaven man wearing a Jack Daniel T-shirt and Reebok shoes addresses the milling crowd: “Patience, brothers, there’s enough for all of you, stand in line, don’t break the line. This one for is for beer, this for whiskey,” he shouts, gesticulating.

Nearby, a young spotter keeps strict vigil. “Red car approaching, turning left… gone now,” he says over a cellphone.

Fear is an indigestible ball in the stomach as we join a queue in the sandy patch behind a row of white labour buses. To overcome it, we strike a conversation with those ahead of us in the queue. “What if they run out of supplies?” one of us asks.

“Oh, don’t worry, that’s not going to happen. See those manholes, they have more stocked inside there. It takes them no more than five minutes to replenish the stock,” a man who claimed to be a regular buyer tells us.

The queue inches forward slowly. As we wait for our turn, we notice that the illicit trade has also spawned a lucrative business of snacks to accompany the drinks. Omelettes, boiled eggs and salted peanuts sell as briskly as the liquor itself. “It supplements my income,” says a Bangladeshi worker sitting on the ground with a small gas stove. In one corner dozens of people are huddled around an ironing board. We take a closer look. It’s a gambling table.

Finally, our turn arrives.

We buy a bottle of French brandy and three cans of a popular Philippines’ brand of beer. The brandy costs us Dh20 and the beer cans Dh5 apiece. The men who handed them to us from a huge black plastic garbage bag are Punjabis, not much older than some of the 17 Punjabi men convicted of bootlegging and who face the death sentence in Sharjah for killing a Pakistani man over a territorial dispute last year.

As we handed them the money, we cast a quick glance to our right. Stacked alongside the wall of an adjoining labour camp are at least 20 garbage bags bulging with hundreds of liquor bottles. We also see several crates of an Indian brand of whiskey. A man in a pair of faded denims and white vest is standing guard as he counts a huge wad of notes.

Could he be the ringleader?

Night has fallen on Dubai as we head to the big ground, a large swathe of dusty land the size of three football fields that can only be approached by foot. Here, as far as the eye can see, are hundreds of people consuming alcohol under the open skies. We squat beside a group of four. Photography is a risky proposition as spotters patrol the area. Yet our photographer manages to click a few pictures. To muffle the whirring noise made by the camera our team makes coughing and sneezing sounds. Labour buses block the access road to the sandy patch. Whether or not this is deliberate we don’t know.

In the distance, we see the city’s bright skyline. It’s well past midnight. Dubai is asleep. But in this open-air bar, the party has just begun.

Liquor syndicate

The elaborate network of illegal alcohol import and distribution in the UAE is believed to be run by a cartel of Iranian, Baloch and Indian businessmen. Certain transport companies that run private taxi services, and buses for labourers handle alcohol movement from ports to distribution points in Sharjah and Dubai, according to a source. Unofficial estimates reckon illegal liquor worth over Dh35 million enter the UAE every year. Lieutenant Colonel Abdul Qadir Al Bannai, Director of Jebel Ali police station, said there are over 150,000 workers in the area and most of these who are involved in criminal acts are busted, adding that the remaining will be dealt with soon. A comment from Dubai Police Headquarters was not immediately available.

* 148 tonnes of illegal alcohol was seized from Jebel Ali last year

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Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, i.e. elevated levels of hydrogen ions (low pH). It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure through the process of wet deposition. Acid rain is caused by emissions of compounds of ammonium, carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur which react with the water molecules in the atmosphere to produce acids. Governments have made efforts since the 1970s to reduce the production of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere with positive results. However, it can also be caused naturally by the splitting of nitrogen compounds by the energy produced by lightning strikes, or the release of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere by volcano eruptions.

The corrosive effect of polluted, acidic city air on limestone and marble was noted in the 17th century by John Evelyn, who remarked upon the Arundel marbles “miserably neglected, & scattred up & downe about the Gardens & other places of Arundell-house, & how exceedingly the corrosive aire of London impaired them”. Since the Industrial Revolution, emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides to the atmosphere have increased. In 1852, Robert Angus Smith was the first to show the relationship between acid rain and atmospheric pollution in Manchester, England. Though acidic rain was discovered in 1852, it was not until the late 1960s that scientists began widely observing and studying the phenomenon. The term “acid rain” was generated in 1972. Canadian Harold Harvey was among the first to research a “dead” lake. Public awareness of acid rain in the U.S increased in the 1970s after the New York Times promulgated reports from the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire of the myriad deleterious environmental effects demonstrated to result from it.

Occasional pH readings in rain and fog water of well below 2.4 have been reported in industrialized areas. Industrial acid rain is a substantial problem in Europe, China, Russia and areas down-wind from them. These areas all burn sulfur-containing coal to generate heat and electricity. The problem of acid rain not only has increased with population and industrial growth, but has become more widespread. The use of tall smokestacks to reduce local pollution has contributed to the spread of acid rain by releasing gases into regional atmospheric circulation. Often deposition occurs a considerable distance downwind of the emissions, with mountainous regions tending to receive the greatest deposition (simply because of their higher rainfall).

An example of this effect is the low pH of rain (compared to the local emissions) which falls in Scandinavia.

In 1980, the U.S. Congress passed an Acid Deposition Act. This Act established a 10-year research program under the direction of the National Acidic Precipitation Assessment Program (NAPAP). NAPAP looked at the entire problem. It enlarged a network of monitoring sites to determine how acidic the precipitation actually was, and to determine long term trends, and established a network for dry deposition. It looked at the effects of acid rain and funded research on the effects of acid precipitation on freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems, historical buildings, monuments, and building materials. It also funded extensive studies on atmospheric processes and potential control programs.

In 1991, NAPAP provided its first assessment of acid rain in the United States. It reported that 5% of New England Lakes were acidic, with sulfates being the most common problem. They noted that 2% of the lakes could no longer support Brook Trout, and 6% of the lakes were unsuitable for the survival of many species of minnow. Subsequent Reports to Congress have documented chemical changes in soil and freshwater ecosystems, nitrogen saturation, decreases in amounts of nutrients in soil, episodic acidification, regional haze, and damage to historical monuments.

Meanwhile, in 1990, the US Congress passed a series of amendments to the Clean Air Act. Title IV of these amendments established the Acid Rain Program, a cap and trade system designed to control emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Title IV called for a total reduction of about 10 million tons of SO2 emissions from power plants. It was implemented in two phases. Phase I began in 1995, and limited sulfur dioxide emissions from 110 of the largest power plants to a combined total of 8.7 million tons of sulfur dioxide. One power plant in New England (Merrimack) was in Phase I. Four other plants (Newington, Mount Tom, Brayton Point, and Salem Harbor) were added under other provisions of the program. Phase II began in 2000, and affects most of the power plants in the country.

During the 1990s, research has continued. On March 10, 2005, EPA issued the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR). This rule provides states with a solution to the problem of power plant pollution that drifts from one state to another. CAIR will permanently cap emissions of SO2 and NOx in the eastern United States. When fully implemented, CAIR will reduce SO2 emissions in 28 eastern states and the District of Columbia by over 70 percent and NOx emissions by over 60 percent from 2003 levels.

Overall, the Program’s cap and trade program has been successful in achieving its goals. Since the 1990s, SO2 emissions have dropped 40%, and according to the Pacific Research Institute, acid rain levels have dropped 65% since 1976. However, this was significantly less successful than conventional regulation in the European Union, which saw a decrease of over 70% in SO2 emissions during the same time period.

In 2007, total SO2 emissions were 8.9 million tons, achieving the program’s long term goal ahead of the 2010 statutory deadline.

The EPA estimates that by 2010, the overall costs of complying with the program for businesses and consumers will be $1 billion to $2 billion a year, only one fourth of what was originally predicted.

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Japanese artist Isao Hashimoto’s "1945-1998" is an animated map showing the 2,053 nuclear explosions that took place around the world during the 20th century, from the detonations at Alamogordo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 to the tests conducted by India and Pakistan in 1998.

MONCTON–Mohammed Ahmed, who will be a sophomore this fall at the University of Wisconsin, finished fourth in the 10,000-meter run at the IAAF World Junior Championships held last month.

Ahmed, competing for his native Canada, registered his second straight top-10 showing in the event with a time of 29 minutes, 11.75 seconds.

“It was a tough race, I got forced and I got lapped,” Ahmed said. “It showed I have a long way to go to be at the top of the world.

“I had to give everything I had, and the crowd got me through.”

The effort continued a strong year for Ahmed, who finished 27th for Canada at the IAAF World Junior Cross Country Championships in March, won the Big Ten Conference title in the 10,000 and earned All-America honors with a fourth-place finish in the event at the NCAA outdoor championships in June, when he set the Canadian junior record in the 10,000 (28:57.44).

Ahmed also claimed his third consecutive Canadian junior national title at 5,000 meters earlier this month.

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By Stephanie Mencimer

The Six Flags amusement park chain has had its share of bad press lately, what with kids getting decapitated or having their feet chopped off on roller coaster rides, filing for bankruptcy and other Dan Snyder-related disasters. But the latest flap is more political. Tea partiers and other anti-Islam activists are freaking out about a Muslim Family Day planned for several Six Flags parks around the country on Sept. 12, the day after the World Trade Center attacks. The event, sponsored by the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), offers Muslim families a chance to hang at the amusement park and be catered to by modestly dressed employees and halal food vendors.

While Six Flags has been holding these events since 2000 for the 42-year-old Muslim nonprofit, apparently this year, it’s getting more attention, both because it falls on the weekend of Sept. 11 and also because of the ongoing controversy about the Muslim center planned a few blocks away from Ground Zero in New York. Naturally Glenn Beck, who mocked the event on his show last week, and Fox News have stoked the paranoia and opposition, giving the day ample coverage. Last week, Fox hosted guests who have suggested that the ICNA is a front for Hamas and other terrorist groups. Now, tea partiers are in a full froth about the event and there are already calls to boycott the bankrupt amusement park chain.

On the Tea Party Patriots website, a member posted an item entitled, “Stop Six Flags Muslim Family Day” which includes a missive from Annie Hamilton, an L.A. woman leading the charge against the park. She writes:

Muslim Day at Six Flags is inappropriate for a multitude of reasons and I’m saddened and shocked by the ignorance of the Corporate folks and by the action that now must be taken by the rest of us.

First, Islam is NOT a religion, it is an ideology – the religious portion only encompasses 11 % (the qur’an) the rest is the Sira and Hadith and the closest parallel to Islam is the Ku Klux Klan – if that is Six Flag’s idea of ‘appropriate’ then by all means, hold your day on September 12th but don’t plan on expanding any time soon because not only will we ensure that you don’t grow, we’ll make sure that your parks become a thing of the past…

STOP THE SILENCE. STOP THE NONSENCE. STOP THE MUSLIM DAY – THEY ARE NOT AMERICANS. THEY DO NOT ABIDE BY OUR CONSTITUTION – THEY ARE NOT ONE OF US – YOU ARE EITHER WITH US OR AGAINST US – MAKE YOUR DECISION.

None of the tea party commentaries mention that one of the men who first established the Muslim Family Day event in 2000 was himself killed in the attack on the World Trade Center. Nor do they seem to understand that the scheduling issue has far more to do with the Muslim calendar than any intentional desire to link the event to 9/11. The event is designed to celebrate the end of Ramadan, which ends on Sept. 10 this year. ICNA obviously didn’t want to have its festivities on 9/11, so scheduled it for the next day. (Some tea partiers, meanwhile, have actually scheduled a big political rally on the National Mall for the anniversary of 9/11, but they don’t see a big problem with that.) And far from being a “Muslim Brotherhood” front, ICNA’s president is Muhammad Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work pioneering microlending through the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh.

Those nuances seem utterly lost on the tea partiers. So far, though, their freakout hasn’t yet persuaded Six Flags to cancel. The company is either nobly standing firm in their commitment to diversity, or is in dire need of the 50,000 customers the day typically brings to their parks. Either way, a Six Flags spokeswoman told Fox News last week that the day would be nothing more than a “fun-filled family outing that typically coincides with Eid, the end of the Ramadan holiday.”

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Part two of a two-part article

By Geoffrey Cook, MMNS

Alameda–There is no question that Saddam Husain was a cruel and vulgar dictator. His invasion of Kuwait was a gross violation of global norms, and was a flagrant and a horrendous violation of International law, and the United Nations was quite right in permitting the “liberation” of that dry land.

(Of course, the question has been posed why the invaders of oil-rich Kuwait were driven out while the human tragedy and misery in Ruanda was ignored?)

At least, George Bush Senior had the wisdom and “good taste” not to invade the Land of the Two Rivers even though the “highway” to Baghdad was a green light, but, instead, he had the foresight to perceive a “can of worms”–which vision his son lacked.

When one nation conquers an alien land, they have to administer a hostile and resentful population under the constraints of International law (which the Israelis have refused to do with Palestinians). This became the challenge of the American-led Coalition after 2003.

Nevertheless, as Hussein tyrannically held onto power, his party was a Baathist Socialist one. This brought many benefits to the average person who did not belong to one of the “threatening minorities.” Forty years ago your writer wrote a review of an enthusiastic book (written by a journalist who had lived in the capital and married an Iraqi woman), and was quite praiseful of the Baghdad regime of that time period and the Baathist government of the time. For instance, Mesopotamia had universal education to those who had the talent to benefit from it. The rights of women were respected and were the strongest in the Arab world.

Iraqi labor delegations from Basra, visiting this country (i.e., the U.S.A.) five years ago, stated that before Saddam, Iraq was the wealthiest state in the Middle East. Further, the author of the 1970 book claimed that Iraq had about the same theoretical per capita wealth as Sweden, but because of a legitimate security threat (again Israel) much of this oil-based wealth (forty years past) was diverted into their military.

Still, there was near universal education through college – for those who had the talent — which included girls who were more free to pursue their goals more than in most of the Arab World. In the aforementioned inquiry of the late pre-mentioned Washington Post report of the previously cited Gallup investigation of the same year on Iraqi public opinion, it was stated that “the current strife…have [has]…eclipsed any…grievances of past regimes…[vis-à-vis] to the current conflict…”

Oil has [had] a profound influence upon the War and its aftermath. Iraq has, of course, the third largest known reserves of oil on earth. Ever since the petroleum embargo of the oil-rich Arab States’ Oil States — in response to the United States’ support of Israel in the 1971 War, wherein the West Bank was captured — fueled much anger over the Palestinian-Israeli conflict over the Arab world — Washington has been attempting to corner a reliable supply of oil to keep the American economy expanding. (In fact, after the invasion of the Mesopotamian oil fields, the Americans permitted that commodity to be sent directly to Haifa, too!) Instead of spilling the blood of their youth and polluting the world’s environment, the American Federation should have used the resources employed to protect oil interests over the past forty years rather to develop alternative sources of energy!

The Union leaders reported that the oil sector was the only fiscal section of the economy that was receiving attention by the occupying government in Iraq. The first American civil administrator, Paul Bremer, shaped Iraq into what is probably the most Capitalistic State in the world. (Neo-Conservative theory saw liberal [or Neo-Ricardian] Capitalism and Jeffersonian democracy as one and the same. The Bush government and the ideology behind it were dedicated to promote Jeffersonian democracy upon the Iraqis.) Democracy is a positive, and there are many types of democracy, but it has to evolve in relation to the history, customs and religion of the society from which it devolves out. This is one thing that is askew in Neo-Conservative political theory.

Working toward closure, the War the United States initiated upon Iraq was one of the conquest of a stronger nation upon a weaker one. That the Baghdadi regime before 2003 was tyrannical is undeniable, but the Franco-Anglo-American isolation of Iraq after the (First Gulf War) of (1990-1991) was working although, as with almost all embargos, the weakest and most vulnerable citizens were suffering the most. Strides were being made to keep the Revolutionary Guards away from minority regions (Kurdistan, etc.) through air power and not occupation. The Iraq War was a terrible tactical blunder for America’s “Imperial Homeland” (to use the World War II Japanese terminology), for, as Hans Blix, the U.N.’s weapons inspector to Iraq just before the War stated in Berkeley a year after the initial aggression, The effects of the “…War has spread…” terrorism rather than to have destroyed it. According to Dr. Blix, the War against Iraq was ill-conceived. (Further, the wrong entity was attacked, leaving the States to still have to pick up the pieces in Afghanistan whence an actual aggressive attack had emanated against the American Metropolis [Center]!) — not Iraq!

Both in the United States and in Iraq, public opinion is disgusted. Those in Baghdad and Washington are faced with financial and infrastructure reconstruction on an immense scale!

The Obama Administration is doing the best it can do while reorganizing an American foreign policy better respecting the Muslim world. In Iraq, since the fall of the King over fifty years ago, Baghdad has had historically “strong” governments. By forcing a type of democracy upon the populace that has not developed from the culture of the region, a weak government has arisen upon the occupied that may force them to rely on a the Neo-Colonialist State for survival for quite some time provided Mesopotamia itself can remain as a unified nation, and not devolve politically along its ethnic boundaries.

Further, America’s fate in the Arab and the larger Islamic terrain, and, ultimately, the rest of the planet depends upon a fair and equable settlement of the Arab-Israeli imbroglio.

It was more in Tel Aviv’s interest than in Washington’s for regime change in Baghdad and the Iraqi hinterlands; therefore, America’s “special relationship” with Israel must be jettisoned for one that is more in North America’s long term strategic interests: Succinctly, an Israel capable of defending itself without the U.S; next to a viable independent Palestinian State!

Your researcher’s final point, the American Neo-Conservative ideology broke the American diplomatic strategy of depending upon Sunni rulers to maintain U.S. regional interests.

Further, this War has definitely strengthened Shia and, especially, Iranian influence! That, right or wrong, has weakened America’s influence and position in the Middle East!

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By Imran Khan, The Times UK

Before the West invaded Afghanistan my country had no suicide bombers, no jihad and no Talebanisation

There is now a general recognition that the war in Afghanistan cannot be won militarily. All the Taleban have to do to win is not to lose. The Americans won’t stay and everybody knows that.

The focus has come to rest on the inevitable need to talk with all the militant groups in Afghanistan. While most important players are ready to talk peace, the US remains confused and has still to straighten out its policy. This confusion is once again taking its toll, especially on Pakistan.

As the US and Nato realise the failure of their military policy in Afghanistan, they are seeking to shift the centre of gravity of the war into the north west of Pakistan, the region known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). One of the fears raised in the West at the prospect of withdrawing troops from Afghanistan is that it will lead to a Taleban-controlled nuclear Pakistan. That fear betrays a total ignorance about the evolution of the Taleban movement as well as the impact of the War on Terror on Pakistan.

Remember, there was no Pakistani involvement in 9/11. Nor throughout the period of the Taleban regime in Kabul was there Talebanisation in Pakistan.

When the Americans were drawing up their military response to the 9/11 attacks, they drew up a list of seven conditions for Pakistan to meet to attract US support. The assumption was that General Pervez Musharraf, the former President of Pakistan, might agree to three or four. Instead he unilaterally signed up for the lot. These conditions were a total violation of the human rights of the people of Pakistan and the sovereignty of the country.

This was a leader with whom President Clinton had refused to shake hands when he came to Pakistan before 9/11, for fear of being seen to support a dictator. It was quite shameless how the Pakistani leadership capitulated and how the US gave Musharraf the embrace of legitimacy. This was reminiscent of the Cold War era when tinpot dictators were routinely supported by the US.

In 2004 Pakistan’s Government sent troops into Waziristan, where al-Qaeda was allegedly present. I was one of the only politicians from outside the tribal areas who had been to Waziristan and I opposed the move in Pakistan’s Parliament. Anyone who knows the region and its history could see it would be a disaster.

Until that point we had no militant Taleban in Pakistan. We had militant groups, but our own military establishment was able to control them. We had madrassas, but none of them produced militants intent on jihad until we became a frontline state in the War on Terror.

The country is fighting someone else’s war. We never had suicide bombings in our history until 2004. Now we have 30 to 40 deaths a day from shells or bombings and the suicide attacks continue to increase. While we have received about $15 billion in aid from the US, our own economy has lost about $50 billion.

We have borrowed a record amount of money from the International Monetary Fund, which was only given to us because of our role in the war, not because we could afford to pay it back. Our social and economic fabric is being destroyed because of the conditions that the IMF has imposed.

Millions of our people have been displaced and a massive radicalisation of our youth has taken place as they see the Pakistani state becoming a puppet doing US bidding. The military operations by Pakistan in FATA have led to 40,000 casualties in indiscriminate aerial bombardment and ground fire.

The attacks by US drones, in which the Government of Pakistan is complicit, have also killed thousands of civilians, leading to a growing hatred becoming embedded among the local population. There is deep resentment of the war in the frontier regions, where high unemployment feeds the discontent.

The war in Afghanistan is justified as a stabilising force for Pakistan, whereas in truth the country is collapsing under the pressure. We are like Cambodia in the Vietnam War. After the Wikileaks revelations yesterday reports are being floated that the ISI, Pakistan’s intelligence service, is aiding the Afghan militancy. The fact is that the ISI is not that powerful, but certainly in an environment of chaos and uncertainty Pakistan will need to protect its interests through all means necessary.

It is unfortunate that the US was unable to use the window of opportunity that it had in the immediate aftermath of the removal of the Taleban Government in late 2001. It could have brought in a truly broad-based Afghan government and invested in the development of the country. Instead, it continued its military actions and brought corrupt and criminal elements into power in Kabul.

Pakistan, supposedly an ally of the US, is bearing the brunt of American failure in Afghanistan. A recent poll showed that 80 per cent of Pakistanis consider the US a bigger threat to their country than India. Nor is this view about the US solely because of the “War on Terror”. Pakistanis also blame the US for brokering the “National Reconciliation Order”, which was intended to sustain Musharraf in power while also bringing rogue Pakistani politicians back into the political landscape.

The result is a total collapse of governance in Pakistan today. There is no danger of Talebanisation in Pakistan but there is a very real threat of chaos and radicalisation, especially of the youth.

There is only one solution to this chaos. This is to implement an immediate ceasefire and commence talks with all militant groups in Afghanistan. Either America leaves or Pakistan withdraws from this war.

The US should not worry about Pakistan. Once the bombing stops, it will no longer be jihad and the suicide attacks will immediately subside. About 18 months ago the former head of the CIA’s Kabul station, Graham Fuller, wrote in the International Herald Tribune that once the US leaves the region Pakistan will be stable.

Political leaders in the US and UK should realise that people in the streets of New York and London are not threatened by the people in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan but by the growing radicalisation of their own marginalised Muslim youth.

Imran Khan is the founder and chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (the Movement for Justice Party)

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By Musa Odeh

Journalist. Author. War correspondent.  These are a few of the titles that can describe the work of Pulitzer Prize winner Chris Hedges.  He is a journalist who says what he believes about controversial subjects, fearing neither reprimands nor consequences. 

Now the TMO foundation has invited Hedges to speak to journalism students and pass on his wide advice to them.  Hedges will touch on the effects of war and explain why he describes war as “the most potent narcotic invented by humankind.”

“I have read three of Hedges’ books and I’m really looking forward to hearing what he has to say.  It will definitely be an exciting night,” said Abbass Hammoud, a 21-year-old student who attends Henry Ford Community College.

Hedges will find a receptive audience at the TMO Foundation dinner, where Muslim journalism students will listen to his views and analysis.  This stands in contrast to previous speaking engagements where he found his audience unreceptive, for example a 2003 experience at Rockford College in Rockford Illinois, which made national headlines. 

The incident in 2003 began when Hedges was invited to give a commencement address at Rockford College, shortly after the war began in Iraq.  He told the graduating class “We are embarking on an occupation that, if history is any guide, will be as damaging to our souls as it will be to our prestige, power and security.”  He also stated “This is a war of liberation in Iraq, but it is a war of liberation by Iraqis from American occupation.”  These statements caused an uproar as the audience began to boo him.  Hedges’ microphone was cut and a couple young men rushed the stage in an attempt to silence him.  Shortly after, he was escorted off campus by security–before the ceremony was over.

“I became very angry when I read about Chris Hedges getting booed at Rockford College for speaking the truth about the Bush Administration.  It’s an honor to sit in the same room as a Pulitzer Prize winner and I will make sure my cheers are heard on Friday,” said Mariam Bazzy, a 23-year-old journalism student at Wayne State University.

The TMO foundation encourages Hedges’ views and thoughts and unlike the incident in 2003, Hedges can expect a warm welcome and plenty of group support when taking the stage at Byblos Banquet Hall in Dearborn on Friday, August 6th.  TMO Foundation’s First Annual Award Banquet will begin at 6:30 p.m.

The night is dedicated to honoring Muslim journalism students, and to present awards to the few selected winners of the national essay contest. 

There will also be a book signing where Hedges will present his most recent book, Empire of Illusion.

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By Nargis Rahman, MMNS

below:  Rep. John Conyers speaks at the MUNA conference.

The Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA), North Zone’s yearly Educational Conference was held on 07/18/2010, Sunday at Al-Falah Auditorium, Detroit, Michigan.

At 11:00am the first session was started with guest speaker Barrister Hamid H. Azad from the UK and Mr. Abu A. Nuruzzaman from New York, the National Vice President of MUNA.   

At 03:30 p.m. the conference’s second session was held and the chief guest was 14th district’s Congressman, Mr. John Conyers, Jr. 

Also, some other guest speakers were Imam Abdul Latif Azom, Detroit, MI, Mr. ASM Kamal, President of the NAACP, Hamtramck chapter, Ms. Olivia Baykins, MI State Senator (Runner), Mr. Abu Mahfuj, MI State Rep (Runner), Mr. AKM Rahman, MI State Rep (Runner), Mr. Shahab Ahmed, Councilman Hamtramck City, MI State Rep (Runner), Mr. Kazi Miah, Councilman, Hamtramck City, and Mr. K. Hassan, Councilman, Hamtramck City, in the conference.

The topic of discussion was working hard to achieve peace and justice in society.

Nearly 500 people attended the event.

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