By Susan Schwartz, TMO

On May 31, 2010, a well-armed Israeli commando group stormed a flotilla of civilian ships seeking to break Israel’s draconian blockade of Gaza. These commandos boarded all six of the ships of the Freedom Flotilla I and murdered nine passengers on the Mavi Marmara, wounding over 150 on board all ships. All of the ships, passengers and crew were unarmed and were sailing in international waters.

The Mavi Marmara was sailing under the flag of Comoros and had been purchased by the Turkish group, Humanitarian Aid Foundation – IHH using the Turkish acronym. Comoros is a group of small islands located between Mozambique and Madagascar. Comoros has the legal authority to bring the case to the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands since that nation was a signatory to the Rome Statute(s) that established the Court.

Israel’s act of piracy shocked the humanitarian instincts of people throughout the world. Peace activists were not content to let the matter rest without shining the bright light of truth on Israel’s actions and bringing justice to the dead and to their families and friends.

Numerous attempts have been made to demand restitution and to indict Israel for its actions.

Following the attack legal and peace groups throughout the world held hearings on the event and demanded that Israel be held to account for halting the mission of Freedom Flotilla I and for its unconscionable assault on the Mavi Marmara and the other five ships.

In December 2012 the IHH through its Commission on Human Rights and Law issued an indictment against four Israeli top commanders who were in the forefront of those responsible for the attack on the Mavi Marmara. They are being tried in absentia.

Greta Berlin is a name familiar to readers of The Muslim Observer as a veteran peace activist with her primary focus on the people of Gaza. She was one of the co-founders of the Free Gaza Movement and was a passenger on the first ship that broke the Israeli blockade of Gaza in late August 2008. Ms Berlin is still on the Board of the Free Gaza Movement and has been intimately involved in its activities. Ms Berlin travelled to Istanbul recently to attend the IHH hearing on the events of May 31, 2010 and to speak at the lawyers’ conference there.

She travelled  with Audrey Bombse, the attorney for the Free Gaza Movement, and several Free Gaza passengers, some of whom had already testified before the Turkish court, as they had been on board one of the six ships the morning of the attack.

Ms Berlin has consented to an interview with The Muslim Observer to discuss her trip to Turkey in the context of the fight for freedom in Palestine and the fight to bring Israel into a position of accountability for its actions.

The Muslim Observer: Ms Berlin, thank you for your time on behalf of myself and my newspaper. My first question is this: would you synopsize your efforts, which I assume are synonymous with the efforts of the Free Gaza Movement, to bring Israel to justice for its massacre aboard the Mavi Marmara.

Ms Berlin’s answer: Many of the passengers who are working to bring Israel to justice have taken the time to testify at the Mavi Marmara criminal trial in Turkey. But, the case is not just being heard in Turkey. There are ongoing cases in South Africa, the UK and Spain. Even if none of them come to trial, Israel has been put on notice that it no longer can murder, maim and steal with impunity. 

TMO: In a previous interview you mentioned a trip to Istanbul to visit the offices of the IHH after one of your trips to trips to Gaza. Could you tell us more about the trip and what your impressions were of the IHH?

Ms Berlin’s answer: IHH is a charity, similar to Catholic Charities and does great work around the world, whether people are Muslim or not. For example, IHH is still in Haiti working on projects there, unlike Israel, who came in for a photo op, then left two weeks after the earthquake. They are working in Bosnia/Herzogovenia right now. Anyone who is interested in this excellent charity can find more information at http://www.ihh.org.tr/en. 

TMO: On this most recent (March 2014) trip to Turkey, could you, assuming you do not break privilege, tell us about your presentation at the lawyers conference?

Ms Berlin’s answer:I was asked to speak about Free Gaza and the first trips, so I spoke for about ten minutes about the fact that we were the first ones to organize boats to Gaza and we got into Gaza successfully five times. I was the second speaker in the morning.

TMO: Have you travelled to other nations and worked with other groups to prepare a case against Israel?

Ms Berlin’s answer: I have not, but others have. Free Gaza has certainly provided background information for various cases, plus the Free Gaza board has written an extensive brief against Israel for the ICC case that is currently being considered. Israel has established a pattern of violent behavior prior to the attack on the Flotilla, so Free Gaza is part of that petition as an organization.

TMO: During your most recent trip to Turkey, were you able to get a sense of what the Turkish people feel now about the Israeli attack on the Mavi Marmara – has the anger abated absent real justice?

Ms Berlin’s answer:On the day of the hearing, several of us went across the street from the court house to participate in a huge action there in support of IHH and of the ongoing hearings. I’d say that, although the raw anger I saw a year after the attacks is gone, the memory of what Israel did continues to rankle with the people of Turkey.

TMO: The reaction of the U. S. government immediately after May 31st, 2010 and continuing to the present has certainly not been supportive. Have you met American officials who have offered you support in your quest for justice.

Ms Berlin’s answer: No, but that is not surprising. The US government is not even pursuing answers on the death of Furkan Dogan, an American citizen who was on board the Mavi Marmara. They have paid no more attention to his death than they have to the deaths of 34 sailors on board the USS Liberty more than 47 years ago.

TMO: Were you active in preparing the case that the Turkish court used?

Ms Berlin’s answer: No, but Audrey Bomse, the attorney for Free Gaza, and I solicited and prepared the files for the possible case at the ICC

TMO: What is the next step?

Ms Berlin’s answer: There are ongoing hearings in several countries as I mentioned. The next hearing in Turkey is scheduled for May 26 when we hope the court will issue arrest warrants against the four Israeli officers.

TMO: Do you have a message you would like to leave with our readers?

Ms Berlin’s answer:In August, 2008, we made a pledge to the Palestinians of Gaza that we would return in boats as often as we could. To date, Free Gaza has successfully entered Gaza five times before being attacked. But the boats have not stopped trying to enter. We are now part of an initiative called Gaza’s Ark (www.gazaark.org). A boat leaving Gaza with products from the West Bank and Gaza will be loaded and will set sail in September. This boat was attacked on April 29, a hole blown in its engines. I have my own suspicions who is responsible, but the important thing is that this vicious attack has not stopped the boats.

When we arrived that first time in August of 2008, we made the Palestinians three promises; 1. That we would return, 2. That we would take Palestinians out when we could and 3. That we would tell the world about what Israel is doing to a blockaded and occupied people, trapped in an outdoor prison. We have honored all of those promises, but we are not finished. We will continue to insist the port of Gaza open. Gaza is the only port on the Mediterranean that has no access to its own sea.

That is outrageous.

TMO: Ms Berlin, on behalf of my newspaper and myself, let me thank you for the brave and essential work you have done to liberate Palestine over many years.

Note:  There are now ten, not nine victims of the Israeli attack. On Friday, May 23rd, Ugur Suleyman Soylemez died of injuries received during Israel’s attack on the Mavi Marmara. He had been in a coma for these past four years.

16-23

By Asiya Khan

If you’re Pamela Geller, Bill Maher or Ayaan Hirsi Ali, then you’re most likely obsessed with stereotyping them, stirring fears about them and making blanket statements about a rather large and varied group of people.

And if you look to the mainstream media, it might be easy to see why this oversimplified version of Islam persists: Particularly after 9/11, Islam is usually coupled in coverage with references to terror attacks and political groups, as well as ridiculous calls on Muslims to apologize for terror attacks (as if there’s a spokesperson).

While terrorism in the name of Islam is an unfortunate reality of today’s world, it is ignorant to paint all Muslims — more than one billion people — with the same brush.

Muslims come from all walks of life all over the world and perhaps it is time to understand what that really looks like. Here are 50 facts about Muslims today that show that it’s not just offensive but also inaccurate to assume that all Muslims are the same.

1. Worldwide, there are 1.6 billion Muslims. That number is expected to increase by 35% in the next 16 years, rising to 2.2 billion in 2030.
2. Sixty-two percent of the world’s Muslims live in the Asia-Pacific region and only 20% live in the Middle East and North Africa.
3. Even though Indonesia boasts the world’s largest population of Muslims right now, Pakistan is expected to surpass that number in the coming years.
4. Most Muslims aren’t actually Arab. In fact, fewer than 15% of the world’s Muslims are Arab.
5. America comes in 84th place in a global ranking of women elected to government cabinet positions. It comes after Muslim-majority nations like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Sudan and Saudi Arabia.
6. Edible Arrangements, with close to 1,200 locations worldwide, was founded by Tariq Farid, a Muslim American entrepreneur.
7. The fastest-growing religion in Ireland is Islam.
8. Malaysian pop star Yuna has garnered fans from across the globe and the talented singer is taking the U.S. music industry by storm.
9. Zaytuna College is the first liberal arts college built on Islamic principles and it’s located in Berkeley, Calif. Its first-ever class just graduated.
10. The world’s youngest female president, Atifete Jahjaga, is the current leader of Kosovo and her country’s first female Muslim president.
11. A counterpart to the Miss World pageant, Miss World Muslimah, held annually, judges participants from around the world on piety, smarts, health, beauty and ability to be role models. Last year, a contestant from Nigeria won.
12. Many modern surgical instruments are of exactly the same design as those invented in the 10th century by a Muslim surgeon called al-Zahrawi.
13. The first Muslim to reach outer space, in 1985, shattered a few stereotypes: He was a Saudi sultan.
14. In 2006, the first Muslim woman made it to space — and she was the first Iranian female space tourist.
15. Laleh Baktiar wanted to clear up gender misconceptions that appeared in previous translations of the Quran, so in 2007 she became the first woman to translate the Quran into English.
16. At 20 years old, Iqbal Al Assaad is the youngest medical doctor. She graduated from high school at 12.
17. The Sears (now Willis) Tower in Chicago was designed by a Muslim American architect.
18. In the UK, Muslims are the country’s top charitable donors.
19. In fact, Muslims give the most out of the world’s religions.
20. Bollywood’s biggest maestro, A.R. Rahman, converted to Islam in 2006.
21. The pioneer behind microcredit and microfinance, Muhammad Yunus, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize that year too.
22. Muslims are Happy in the UK, Gaza, Istanbul, Lebanon, Egypt and Sudan.
23. The name “Muhammad” is the most common name in the world.
24. Shirin Ebadi, Iran’s first female Chief Justice, was the first Muslim woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
25. Some researchers argue that Muslims came to the Americas before Christopher Columbus, in the 700s.
26. The world’s second-largest Muslim congregation is the Bishwa Ijtema, which gathers in Bangladesh. The largest is the Hajj in Saudi Arabia.
27. America’s most popular food cart in 2013, with almost 50,000 Foursquare check-ins, is The Halal Guys in New York City.
28. The global Muslim fashion industry is estimated to be worth $96 billion dollars.
29. This has meant a surge in Muslim female designers and entrepreneurs globally have ensured a thriving hijab (Muslim headscarf) fashion market.
30. The show Little Mosque on the Prairie was the first to show a balanced representation of a dysfunctional Muslim community in Canada. We’re still waiting on a similar show in the U.S.
31. There’s an increasing market for meat that’s both halal and organic.

32. UMMA Clinic, the first Muslim-American-founded community-based clinic in the U.S., provides health care and treatment to all and was started by medical students.
33. Muslim women from countries like the U.S. and Bahrain have competed in the Olympics, taking part in competitions like tennis, fencing, taekwondo and archery.
34. Dr. Oz not only has our hearts with his medical advice, but he’s a Turkish-American Muslim too.
35. Shaquille O’Neal announced he was going on the Muslim pilgrimage in 2010.
36. And let’s not forget Akon or T-Pain, who came from Muslim families.
37. Coffee was a Muslim invention.
38. So was the modern check.
39. The thing that makes selfies possible was invented by Muslims, too.
40. Albania is the only European country whose population is more than 90% Muslim.
41. Pakistani youth decided to break a Guinness world record in 2014 by forming the world’s largest human national flag. By official count, 28,597 people showed up to take part.
42. Muslims have been living in China for the last 1,400 years. They live in every region of the country.
43. Amid distrust for Muslims and Islam, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and George Washington argued that America should be open to Muslim citizens, office-holders and even presidents.
44. The new Ms. Marvel is a Pakistani-American teenager from New Jersey — and she isn’t afraid of her identity.
45. Hijab isn’t something all Muslim women wear and it certainly doesn’t define them.
46. Everyone’s favorite singalong, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, includes the word “Bismillah”, Arabic for “In the Name of God.”
47. Ten percent of all American doctors are Muslim. That’s beside the fact that the hospital is the invention of Muslim-majority nation Egypt.
48. Ann Osman is the first female Muslim pro MMA fighter.
49. In China, the oldest all-female mosque has existed for the last thousand years — and the leader is a woman too.
50. This should be obvious by now: Muslims aren’t monolithic.

16-23

Don’t Throw Them into the Lion’s Den

By Courtney Pennington-Krygier

You’ve sent off your bundle of joy to join the collegiate masses.  Congratulations!  This is the time when your little sprout learns what it means to be independent, to solve problems, to make wise choices.  If you look at it another way, you’ve just tossed your baby into a lion’s den.

Before you begin the journey through college, there are a few realistic things you should know.  I graduated this May summa cum laude, having dodged every drug offered and illegal activity possible.  Let me walk you through the steps.  I feel somewhat qualified to speak on this.  Forgive my bragging, but along with my academic accomplishments, I secured a full-time job (with benefits!) in my career before graduating, as well as racking up several internships, hundreds of hours of volunteer work, a leadership position in a club, and lots of work experience.  I went through the same scary maze of potential failure that your sweet darlings are about to enter.

First off, here’s something that may be truer at ASU than other state colleges: your child will be pressured to drink.

When someone says ‘party,’ in college, it means ‘drinking with lots of strangers.’  Or ‘drinking with large crowds of people I slightly know.’  There are exceptions.  Perhaps your freshman is socially isolated and is not invited out, or so introverted that he avoids gatherings.  I have heard rumors of pocket cultures which actually abstain until they’re legal.  These little law-abiders are probably as rare as albino zebras.

Alcohol is there.  It is everywhere.  Many people do go to parties and choose to abstain.  If they are lucky no one will pressure them to do otherwise.  But if your child does not recognize the smell of alcohol, or have the self-esteem to resist peer pressure, he may end up in a bad situation.  Many people drink something they believe is just soda or juice and wind up accidentally drunk, or worse, drugged.  Which leads to my next point.

College is one of the most dangerous places for women.  Statistics vary, but your daughters have up to a 25% chance of being sexually assaulted while in college.  Give them pepper spray.  Show them how to use it.  Show them how to kick.  Make sure they get in the habit of keeping their phones on.  ASU has highly visible blue police lights where students can press a button to call the police instantly.  Teach all of your kids to be aware of these.

If your child doesn’t know how to cook, he or she will probably gain weight.  Dining halls don’t limit portions, so students can eat buffet-style or order fast food.  Neither of those is going to be good for your waistline.

Your child will be surrounded by people who use drugs.  Especially if they are hanging out with art or English majors.  This is not a stereotype.  Okay, it is a stereotype, but it is also very true.  No matter how hard your child tries to stay clear, it’s hard to tell until their buddy from Sci-Fi Literature 101 offers to share some special brownies with them.  (This is a joke.  Freshman rarely bother with brownies and usually just go straight to the smoking.)  Your child may be offered illicit substances.  Teach him about them, or at least about their names, so that he knows when to say no.  Teach your child to walk away when he sees them being used, even if no one is pushing them on him.

Textbooks are ludicrously expensive.  Buy an older edition if it saves you some money. It rarely matters which edition as long as it’s only a few years apart from the recommended or ‘required’ one.  Renting the textbook is even better savings.

Your child will be juggling infinite sources of stress. Learning to live independently, study, work, distance from family and old friends, entering new social spheres, and learning to handle freedom… it’s amazing anyone graduates.

If your child makes mistakes, forgive him.  If she starts comfort eating, tell her she’s beautiful anyway.  If he starts playing video games too much to relax, try to be happy that he has an online community.  The poor freshmen are probably just as worried about themselves as you are.

16-23