By Susan Schwartz, Muslim Media News Service (MMNS)

The ongoing war in Iraq and the brutal occupation captures front pages daily in virtually every newspaper and is headlined in the other media as well. While focusing on the war and the occupation, reports often miss other occurrences in Iraq such as the brutal repression of trade unions under the Nouri al-Maliki government.

Iraq’s powerful Oil Worker’s Union has been under attack by the Iraqi government since the early morning of June 4. At that time workers struck the pipeline company in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. The action resulted in the immediate issuance of arrest warrants for the union’s leaders and a statement by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that such resistance would not be tolerated and would be countered with “an iron fist.” The union has made demands which include improvements in wages, health care and other working and living conditions.

The union also opposes a newly proposed oil law and has asked to be consulted in relevant discussions.

The Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions (IFOU) has 26,000 members. The strike was called when al-Maliki failed to meet any of the demands he had agreed to in a previous meeting held in mid May.

The arrest warrant which charges the union with sabotaging the economy, names the President Hassan Juma’a Awad and three others.

Two union members toured Los Angeles in early June as part of a 12 city tour. Faleh Abood Umara is a founding member of the oil workers union and has worked for the Southern Oil Company in Basra for 28 years. He is one of the union’s leaders named in the arrest warrant and serves in the post of General Secretary. He has been a leader in opposition to outsourcing to foreign workers and in privatizing the oil sector. Hashmeya al Hussein is the first woman to head a national union in Iraq. She is president of the electrical utilities workers. She has worked tirelessly to secure her members better living and working conditions. One of the Los Angeles venues was the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) headquarters where they addressed an excited crowd that gave both standing ovations and contributed generously to their cause.

“The occupiers must leave” said Umara. He urged Americans – as he has urged Iraqis – to put pressure on President Bush. “The occupiers have destroyed everything beautiful,” Mr. Umara continued. He said that the war has replaced a tyrant with a devastating occupation.

Mr. Umara said that the United States started the war when it entered Iraq. The occupation is for oil and seeks to control the oil industry. He insisted.

He asked for and received labor solidarity.

“As Muslims we love peace and want to spread it over the globe.”

Hashmeya al Hussein said that Iraq suffered many dark years under Saddam Hussein. “The embargo hurt us” she said. Saddam created rubber stamp unions that hurt workers. After the occupation began matters actually got worse.

“’We did not want the occupation to substitute for Saddam.” Iraq, she continued, is living a miserable reality without basic needs. The media gives a distorted view of the situation in Iraq. She and Mr. Umara came here to spread the truth, to tell their story, and to ask for labor solidarity and the help of the American people.

After the question and answer session Andy Griggs of Los Angeles Labor Against the War (LAUSLAW), the primary sponsor of the event, called for contributions. He pledged solidarity with Iraqi labor, particularly the oil workers union. He proposed a standing group within USLAW which would visit Iraq and bring union leaders to the United States establishing unbreakable bands of solidarity.

Emma Rosenthal, an activist and advocate for disabled rights, the founder of Cafe Intifada, and a former leader in the UTLA read a moving poem that she had composed and spoke eloquently of labor solidarity.

USLAW was founded with a mission to promote the following: a just foreign policy; an end to occupation of foreign lands; a redirection of United States resources; supporting the troops and their families by bringing the troops home; protecting the rights or workers, protecting civil rights, protecting civil liberties and protecting immigrant rights.

USLAW may be accessed at: _www.uslaboragainstwar.org_ (http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org) . The Los Angeles affiliate may be reached at: _LAUSLAW1@aol.com_ (mailto:LAUSLAW1@aol.com) . Andy Griggs may be reached by telephone at: 310-704-3217.

9-25

Letter-writing campaign by neocons to save Scooter Libby from the long arm of the law (letters include some for and some against Libby).

click here to see pdf of letters (big 18 MB file, 373 pages!)

By Susan Schwartz, Muslim Media News Service (MMNS)

The suffering of the Palestinian people under the boot of Israeli occupation has captured the attention of all those who prize justice and compassion.

Bringing to light the situation of the Palestinians has been an uphill battle with a media that is largely driven by Islamophobia and pro-Israeli biases. The situation in Palestine was the focus of an event at the UCLA campus with activities that spanned a week and coincided with the 40th anniversary of the Occupation. The event was titled: Live Free! Palestine Awareness Week.

The oppression of the Palestine people by the Israeli occupying forces which includes, but is not limited to, killings; property destruction; arbitrary imprisonment of adult male Palestinians; harassment at checkpoints; road closures, and limited access to school, jobs, places of worship and medical facilities–were discussed and illustrated.

The event began with education seminars which addressed the issues of the Consequences of Zionism; the Misuses of AntiSemitism; the Nature of Israel as an Apartheid State, and the progress of the University Divestment Program.

“I was shocked to hear some of the things that Palestinians are subject to” said one young woman, a UCLA student, who attended the opening session attracted by the display on the commons.

The meeting hall began to fill to near capacity as passersby, intrigued by the outdoor display and the information the staffers provided, chose to spend a pleasant Sunday afternoon learning about Palestine.

In the opening forum, harassment by Israeli police against visitors trying to enter Palestine was forcefully detailed by one of the presenters, Dr. Laila al Marayati presently of KINDERUSA and MPAC and past President of the Muslim Women’s League. She spoke of her ordeal when she tried to visit Gaza with much needed medical equipment. She was refused entry and tried without success to petition the State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Jordan. She told the audience of a lawsuit she has undertaken with the services of an Israeli attorney against the apartheid government.

When asked to comment on the proposal by King Abdullah of Jordan on a joint Palestinian/Jordanian state, she replied: “Jordan is Jordan and Palestine is Palestine. Displacement is a racist concept.”

A representative from Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at UCLA told of the group’s project which they have named Live Fire. Their long term goal is university divestment from Israel.

The plight of the smallest victims, the children of Palestine, was addressed during a banquet/fundraiser titled: Branch out to Palestine. Comedians Mason Zayid and Ray Hanania entertained the attendees. In addition there were raffle prizes, cultural performances and Palestinian gift baskets.

Later in the week an exhibit on campus illustrated what life is like for Palestinians who live on the wrong side of the Apartheid Wall. Lectures on media bias and what the media does not tell about the oppression of the Palestinian people were also part of this week-long event.

The problem of refugees – displaced populations–is another underreported tragedy, and it affects Palestinians disproportionately though not exclusively.

At a campus park area people learned about refugee populations and the causes of their plight.

“I have learned so much about Palestine” said one young student.

The week-long event both educational and entertaining was a fitting commemoration for the 40th anniversary of the Occupation.

The Campaign to End Israeli Apartheid Southern California Chapter (CEIA-SC) is a diverse group which seeks to achieve peace with justice in the Middle East. CEIA has joined with a Palestinian initiated campaign of boycott, divest and sanction (BDS) against the apartheid state of Israel similar to the successful campaign launched in the latter part of the last century against South Africa. Their actions are aimed at bringing about the end of Israel’s immoral and cruel policies toward Palestinians both within Israel and in the Occupied Territories.

CEIA sponsored the opening event with SJP as co sponsor. The remaining events were sponsored by SJP and the Muslim Student Association (MSA) with CEIA as one of the co sponsors.

CEIA may be accessed at its web site: (http://www.ceia-sc.org/).

Students for Justice in Palestine is little more than a year old. It began on the campus of UC Berkeley and has since spread to 25 colleges and universities. It is a grass roots effort which seeks to educate the campus as to the nature of Israel as an apartheid state – the new South Africa. SJP also seeks to achieve boycott, divestment and sanctions until Israel complies with international standards of law.

The group may be access on the web at: _sjp@ucla.edu_ (mailto:sjp@ucla.edu) .

The event received diverse support. The co-sponsors included among others: The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR); the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California; American Friends Service Committee (AFSC); Palestine Aid Society (PAS) and the Committee in Support of the People of El Salvador (CISPES).

9-24

By Roze Kadri

I recently came across an announcement for Dawah packages: available marketing material that helps increase the efficacy and rate of conversion to Islam. I welcome and encourage conversion, as we all should, and realize that conversion is a reality of living and being in this country. Nonetheless, our future depends on retaining Muslims, both who are born to Muslim parents and those who embraced Islam as adults and then themselves have children. In other words, our future depends on the children of all Muslims. I, therefore, put to you the idea of a Retention Package that can by applied to converts and children alike.

We should not think that once a convert “signs on” we, as an Ummah, have completed our mission. Our ability to successfully work with converts is not dissimilar to and is a measure of how well we will deal with our own children. A second or third generation Muslim presents with almost the same issues as a convert to Islam does.

So many Muslim groups and publications proudly tout our number strength in America- ranging in number from 4 – 6 million. This number does not reflect Muslim growth as much as it reflects Muslim immigration to America. Large numbers of Muslims immigrated to the US especially from the 1900’s on. Where are their descendents? The high conversion reversion rate combined with the low Muslim retention rate underscores the need and importance of working harder to retain our people. Our surrounding American society does not provide directional support for young Muslims (be they converts or children); therefore, we must.

My views come from a historically relevant context because my Islamic consciousness goes back four generations. The following story epitomizes of the state of Muslims in America. My grandmother’s uncle was educated in a Damascus university where he studied religion (Islam). By all accounts, he was a wonderful, intelligent, Islamically motivated man. He emigrated to North Dakota and was an Imam and married an Arab Muslim woman from the area.

In addition to being a farmer, he served as the Imam for the “local” community. Sadly, his efforts resulted in all six of his children marrying out of Islam and converting to the religion of their spouses. Even though the first masjid in America was established in North Dakota in the early 1900’s, the Muslim communities living there were not large enough to maintain and sustain themselves. Those families that did not move away to areas with larger Muslim populations (like mine did) lost their religious identity. All that remains of that first masjid in America is the door, which is on display as an artifact at the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn!

American Muslim generations prior to our own (most of which were ethnically Arab) were a psychologically healthier, happier group and did not suffer from the culture shock that new Muslim immigrants to America feel. Earlier American culture and social norms were more conservative and less divergent with Muslim values: issues involving social conduct, attire, and sexuality were more uniform and morally based than they are today. Additionally, Islam was not so politically involved or popularly disputed as it is today. Although not much was known about Islam in everyday society decades ago, whatever was known was not frightening or threatening to mainstream America.

The other reason for the heightened culture shock of the newly immigrated may be the variation that exists among practicing American Muslims with respect to their religious positions and observances. Suddenly, adherents feel that the “right” way is being attacked not from without but from within. There seems to be an intransigent polarity amongst our people and that instead of embracing the variety, many choose to cling to extreme positions that do not serve us well (Quran prescription for moderation 4:17). Orthodox Islam recognized and respected the variant positions without debunking one for another. Variance is lately being inappropriately equated with deviance. The Prophet (s) considered such a variance in his Ummah to be a source of strength (Hadith).

Islam is a universal religion meaning that it can easily exist in America. Even though I consider the East to be the heart of Islam, maintaining with tenacity a displaced culture will effectively disenfranchise us and render us vulnerable to attack and discrimination.

Lest we think of ourselves as immune from situations involving a loss of faith that the earlier generations faced, the following comparisons are made between the older Muslim generations and our own. Our own current situation may improve by examining them.

Similarities:

a.. Although our knowledge of Islam is improving, the community’s overall knowledge of Islam is weaker than it should be. We need to broaden and deepen that knowledge base both inside and beyond the American Muslim community.
b.. The people that came before our time were as proud of their Islamic heritage as we are and did much to preserve it but the communities were small in comparison with the surrounding larger community.
c.. A third similarity is that previous generations had trouble connecting with their youth and difficulty transmitting an Islamic identity to them. Those communities with more Muslims had a higher retention rate; those communities that had isolated Muslim families had a lower retention rate. Our present retention rate is probably higher because of the greater presence of Muslims in our society and the existence of Islamic institutions (more masajid, Islamic schools, Islamic organizations, etc.), a variety of communication means (Internet, telephones), and an ease of travel. Nevertheless, our failure to retain our people must be addressed and remedied. We must be ever vigilant of the situations and circumstances that our children find themselves in and the actions and choices that they make. We have no fear of losing our own Islamic identity, but there exists a very real and historically proven danger that our children’s Islamic disposition will be diluted with each successive generation.

Differences:

a.. Our Muslim numbers are much greater overall than previous generations enjoyed. These numbers provide us with an Islamic safety net.
b.. Previous generations were more complacent about their situations – we are not. Recent Muslims have a stronger sense of urgency regarding our societal situation. We are very cognizant of the relevant realities and the pressures we all are under.
c.. There is now more hypocrisy in terms of our actions and positions than existed in previous generations. Hypocrisy is our biggest failing; the onus is on us to walk the talk. If it is not attended to and remedied, hypocrisy will be our undoing.
The importance of working to retain Muslims is that Islam and Islamic practice will make our lives easier in this world and in the hereafter. (see Quran 4:134, 47:2, and 49:17) Secondly, we are responsible for teaching Allah’s (swt) laws to our children and we will be held accountable for such instruction. Our young Muslims are troubled and seek to block out their complicated identity. Understanding Islam and knowing is laws and injunctions (what to do and when to do it) will ameliorate their confusion. Lastly, so much of our religion is based on social interactions: zakat, prayer, neighborly actions, laws of inheritance, etc. We cannot adequately perform our Islamic duties in a vacuum without an Islamic societal presence.

The following suggestions could constitute a Muslim Retention Program:

a.. Inculcate an Islamic ethos in all developing Muslims.
b.. Teach and learn Islam and the lessons of our Islamic heritage and Islamic history at an early time and continually reinforce those lessons throughout a person’s life. Religious observance and religious knowledge are not hereditary- they must be taught.
c.. Encourage involvement in healthy and supportive outlets (sports, music, service groups).
d.. Involve youth in mixed age gatherings, governing boards, etc.
e.. Involve adults in traditional youth activities (sports venues, etc.).
f.. Become active in shaping society (political, educational, social, etc.).
g.. Establish a support group of like-minded people for developing Muslims and their spouses.
h.. Increase the number of Imams and their real knowledge in terms of Islam, its history, and their communication skills.
i.. Be sincere in our faith and actions – evaluate all actions and cleanse ourselves of hypocrisy.
j.. Build a masjid on every corner.

9-24

By Nilofar Suhrawardy, Muslim Media News Service (MMNS)

NEW DELHI- Despite being in existence since 1985, the diplomatic significance of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) has till recently been largely confined to more of a stage show. Of late, however, SAARC countries have begun giving a new importance to implementing values shared by member-nations of developing this organization into a strong cooperation to benefit the entire region. The past week has been marked by SAARC member nations voicing their stands at various levels on measures necessary to making the organization more effective. Having hosted the 14th SAARC Summit this April, India is at present chair of the organization. SAARC members include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives, Bhutan and Afghanistan.

What is noteworthy is that member nations have started considering forming a South Asian Parliament, to realize the full potential of South Asia. South Asian Parliament: Evolving South Asian Fraternity, was the theme of the concluding session of the two-day conference (June 2-3) of parliamentarians from SAARC region, held in Shimla (Himachal Pradesh), organized by South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA).

Addressing this session, Indian Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee said: “India is convinced that on foundations of its civilizational and commercial interlinkages, South Asian countries can work together to emerge as a major powerhouse of economic creativity and enterprise.” Emphasizing India’s aim to carry forward the theme of connectivity, he said: “We would try to focus on improving regional connectivity through upgrading trade, transport and telecommunication links; address issues relating to trade facilitation such as harmonization of customs procedures and standards; increase understanding through greater people to people contact, particularly among the youth, the civil society, cultural personalities, academics and parliamentarians.”

Earlier in the week, at the two-day meeting (May 29-30) of officials from SAARC countries, the subject was setting a South Asian University (SAU), to be housed in Delhi–aimed at creating a regional center of academic excellence. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has reportedly directed the Delhi government to allot 200 acres of land for the proposed university–SAU is likely to become a reality from the summer of 2009 with its first batch of enrolled students.

The importance of “connectivity” within SAARC was elaborated on at several levels at a two-day conference organized by the Indian Council of World Affairs and Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Delhi (June 1-2). The issues discussed included: — physical and infrastructural connectivities; economic connectivity; SAARC development fund; people-to-people and cultural connectivity; and the role of civil society in development of SAARC. During the session on people-to-people and cultural connectivity, chaired by Madeeha Gauhar, Artistic Director of the Lahore Ajoka Theatre, the formal inclusion of “culture” in SAARC agenda at the 14th summit was welcomed. It was, however, also expressed that informally, people had been engaged in interaction at the cultural level for a long time. Ajeet Cour, Founder-President of the Foundation of SAARC Writers & Literature (FOSWAL) said: “Our organization FOSWAL realized it long back, in 1986, and launched the first ever cultural initiative in the region with the first Indo-Pakistan Writers’ Conference in 1987.”

Highlighting the potential of cultural interaction in bringing the people of SAARC together, Gauhar observed: “Securing visas is still a problem, though it has eased a little compared to what it was like 20 years ago.” Manik de Silva, Editor, Sunday Island, Upali Newspapers Ltd. Colombo (Sri Lanka) pointed to the role played by the English language in bringing the SAARC members together while at home it was regarded as the language of the elite. Fearing the risk of

SAARC’s potentially being exploited by external powers, indicating that this should not be allowed, he said: “If we South Asian nations spend our money in doing things we are doing with other people’s money, things would be more constructive.” He also pointed to a SAARC visa exemption scheme, initiated in 1988, “still nowhere in stage of implementation.”

Emphasizing that SAARC should “not be lost to [the] smoke of politics,” Nasrine R. Karim, Columnist, Secretary General, Commonwealth Association of Bangladesh, Dhaka suggested a SAARC channel, SAARC schools…. Highlighting the importance of understanding each other’s culture, Phuntsho Rapten, Center for Bhutan Studies, Thimphu said: “We must not try to impose our culture on others. No culture is inferior.”

The economic connectivity of SAARC still has a long way to go, with intra-regional trade being less than 2% in South Asia. While there were no differences on exploiting the potential of SAARC as an economic bloc, opinions varied on how that goal should be pursued. Integration would be faster and result-oriented if the private sector was given more importance, in opinion of Hamidullah Farooqi, CEO, Afghanistan International Chamber of Commerce, Kabul. Public interest would suffer and so would the common man, which would be against the spirit of “genuine cooperation,” if the private sector was given importance, according to Rubina Saigol, Educationist and Social Scientist, Islamabad.

Seeking to give greater importance to cultural diplomacy, Indian Council of Cultural Relations invited 25 painters from SAARC countries to a camp in Jaisalmer, this January, where they stayed, worked and painted together. India intends to host the first SAARC cultural festival this November. Also planned are: the inauguration of SAARC Museum of Textiles and Handicrafts later this year; the development of a SAARC Food Bank; and addressing issues related to the empowerment of women. Besides, initiatives such as SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Agreement) and the SAARC Development Fund (SDF) are expected to strengthen cross-border economic linkages. The varied activities that SAARC member nations seem engaged in send a simple message, they are keen on moving together. Accepting that economic connectivity will still take some time, they are taking constructive steps in implementing what is possible, signaling SAARC is not indulging in cosmetic diplomacy!

9-24

Courtesy Chris Hedges, The Philadelphia Inquirer

link to Jeremy Scahill/The Nation article about Blackwater in New Orleans

Armed units from the private security firm Blackwater USA opened fire in Baghdad streets twice in two days last week. It triggered a standoff between the security contractors and Iraqi forces, a reminder that the war in Iraq may be remembered mostly in our history books for empowering and building America’s first modern mercenary army.

There are an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 armed security contractors working in Iraq, although there are no official figures and some estimates run much higher. Security contractors are not counted as part of the coalition forces. When the number of private mercenary fighters is added to other civilian military “contractors” who carry out logistical support activities such as food preparation, the number rises to about 126,000.

“We got 126,000 contractors over there, some of them making more than the secretary of defense,” said House defense appropriations subcommittee Chairman John Murtha (D., Pa.). “How in the hell do you justify that?”

The privatization of war hands an incentive to American corporations, many with tremendous political clout, to keep us mired down in Iraq. But even more disturbing is the steady rise of this modern Praetorian Guard. The Praetorian Guard in ancient Rome was a paramilitary force that defied legal constraints, made violence part of the political discourse, and eventually plunged the Roman Republic into tyranny and despotism. Despotic movements need paramilitary forces that operate outside the law, forces that sow fear among potential opponents, and are capable of physically silencing those branded by their leaders as traitors. And in the wrong hands, a Blackwater could well become that force.

American taxpayers have so far handed a staggering $4 billion to “armed security” companies in Iraq such as Blackwater, according to House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Henry Waxman (D., Calif.). Tens of billions more have been paid to companies that provide logistical support. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D., Ill.) of the House Intelligence Committee estimates that 40 cents of every dollar spent on the occupation has gone to war contractors. It is unlikely that any of these corporations will push for an early withdrawal. The profits are too lucrative.

Mercenary forces like Blackwater operate beyond civilian and military law. They are covered by a 2004 edict passed by American occupation authorities in Iraq that immunizes all civilian contractors in Iraq from prosecution.

Blackwater, barely a decade old, has migrated from Iraq to set up operations in the United States and nine other countries. It trains Afghan security forces and has established a base a few miles from the Iranian border. The huge contracts from the war – including $750 million from the State Department since 2004 – have allowed Blackwater to amass a fleet of more than 20 aircraft, including helicopter gunships. Jeremy Scahill, the author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army, points out that Blackwater has also constructed “the world’s largest private military facility – a 7,000-acre compound near the Great Dismal Swamp of North Carolina.” Blackwater also recently opened a facility in Illinois (“Blackwater North”) and, despite local opposition, is moving ahead with plans to build another huge training base near San Diego. The company recently announced it was creating a private intelligence branch called “Total Intelligence.”

Erik Prince, who founded and runs Blackwater, is a man who appears to have little time for the niceties of democracy. He has close ties with the radical Christian Right and the Bush White House. He champions his company as a patriotic extension of the U.S. military. His employees, in an act as cynical as it is dishonest, take an oath of loyalty to the Constitution. But what he and his allies have built is a mercenary army, paid for with government money, which operates outside the law and without constitutional constraint.

Mercenary units are a vital instrument in the hands of despotic movements. Communist and fascist movements during the last century each built rogue paramilitary forces. And the appearance of Blackwater fighters, heavily armed and wearing their trademark black uniforms, patrolling the streets of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, may be a grim taste of the future. In New Orleans Blackwater charged the government $240,000 a day.

“‘It cannot happen here’ is always wrong,” the philosopher Karl Popper wrote. “A dictatorship can happen anywhere.”

The word contractor helps launder the fear and threat out of a more accurate term: “paramilitary force.” We’re not supposed to have such forces in the United States, but we now do. And if we have them, we have a potential threat to democracy. On U.S. soil, Blackwater so far has shown few signs of being an out-and-out rogue retainer army, though they looked the part in New Orleans. But were this country to become even a little less stable, outfits like Blackwater might see a heyday. If the United States falls into a period of instability caused by another catastrophic terrorist attack, an economic meltdown that triggers social unrest, or a series of environmental disasters, such paramilitary forces, protected and assisted by fellow ideologues in the police and military, could ruthlessly abolish what is left of our eroding democracy. War, with the huge profits it hands to corporations, and to right-wing interests such as the Christian Right, could become a permanent condition. And the thugs with automatic weapons, black uniforms and wraparound sunglasses who appeared on the streets in New Orleans could appear on our streets.

Chris Hedges (hedgesscoop@aol.com) is author, mostly recently, of American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America. Hedges is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School and won a Pulitzer Prize as a foreign correspondent for the New York Times.

9-24

By Bob Wood, Muslim Media News Service (MMNS)

In today’s America, we have access to news programming virtually 24 hours a day. So there is obviously no shortage of information for us to take in when trying to learn about what’s going on in the world. Some find it strange that so many younger people here say that they get their news from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. And no one laughs at that any harder than Jon Stewart himself.

What Jon tries vainly to tell us is that his is not really a news show at all, but is more of a fake news show, pretending to do serious news but mostly merging real news with satire and sarcasm to get the end product. As Stewart has felt the need to remind us in the past, the show that comes on before his on Comedy Central features puppets making crank phone calls.

But fake news or not, that’s where so many younger viewers go for what they feel is real news not available anywhere else. And spending as much time as I do watching what passes for serious news, I can readily see their point!

For investors, there is also plenty of fake news. The problem is that the sources of fake financial news want us to think they are bringing us the real thing. ‘Serious’ financial media outlets like CNBC and the Fox Business Block purport to educate viewers on what is going on and how to profit from recent developments–but for the most part, there is little or nothing coming from those sources that holds any value at all.

The biggest problem is that so much of the news repeated in the financial media is taken from government sources, which may now be putting out more false information than anyone would believe if they didn’t know better. Instead of taking steps to verify or validate government news releases, they are simply taken at face value and repeated endlessly.

An excellent case in point are the new jobs numbers announced this morning (6-1), announced at 157,000 new jobs generated by our “just right” economy in May. The only problem with this number is that it isn’t true! In fact, it’s not anywhere close to being true!

At the BLS, where those job creation numbers are tallied each month, they also issue revisions to their reports at a later date in an effort to improve accuracy. One of those reports is called the Business Employment Dynamics report, and thanks to Barrons and the folks at The Liscio Report for bringing this to our attention.

According to the initial job creation news releases, there were 507,000 new jobs created in the private sector in the third quarter of 2006. The BED report was just released and showed that after time had allowed for some clarity to those initial reports, that job creation number was reduced and only 108,000 new jobs were created in that three month period.

Of course, this was released long after the people on CNBC and traditional media sources had repeated the higher jobs numbers ad infinitum, and well after investors had acted upon those numbers.

It turns out that the discrepancy was credited to the BLS’ use of a statistical model called ‘’the birth/death model’’ where failed businesses are assumed to have been replaced by new ones and those who lost jobs at the failed companies must have found new jobs at newly created ones. Those jobs were assumed to have been created since they were not actually identified and counted in time for the jobs report issued on the first Friday of every month.

One problem, of course, is that investors had acted upon the much higher numbers and most of those investors never hear about the big downward revisions issued months later. Oh, and of those 157,000 new jobs announced this morning, which is generating calls on CNBC that the economy is in a “sweet spot,” 203,000 of those jobs were not actually identified and counted, but merely assumed in using the birth/death gimmick. No, I didn’t transpose those numbers.

Here’s another piece of fake news to keep in mind when you hear mention of it again soon. It has to do with what a great job the Bush administration is doing with their economic policies. Now, on the face of it, that should look rather strange. The idea that the Bush troupe can do anything right should alert you to something fishy going on when the truth is later revealed.

But they now tell us that the Federal budget deficit for 2007 will shrink to only about $200 billion, another sure sign that their disastrous tax cuts actually worked. This past week, USA

Today reported on analysis done by them that shows that last year’s deficit, reported by the Bush team at only $248 billion was actually closer to $1.3 trillion if proper accounting methods were used.

You know, like if they included the costs of the wars and other expenses, and how they spend the surplus Social Security contributions sent in by workers every year.

Also left out was how obligations for future Social Security and Medicare payments are increasing annually but are not counted until the government actually has to write the checks, allowing some future president to have to announce huge deficits not of his own making.

The fake news gets even funnier than bits on The Daily Show when you learn how the government compiles data that result in inflation figures, especially as to the “core rate” of inflation. Of course there is almost no inflation to be found at the “core” rate, since virtually everything that is rising quickly in price today is simply excluded from the calculations!

The most obvious flaw in this number is that food and energy are not counted, dismissed as being “too volatile” to be reliably used. Okay, on the face of it, that sounds right. But if something like food and energy costs are steadily rising year after year, they are no longer volatile; they are in a strong trend upwards!

Of course, when lower inflation is assumed, GDP growth is magnified. So one bad number begets another, and the fake news crews in the financial media offer them as proof that our economy is strong and growing at a steady pace, with little inflationary concerns to get in the way.

The chairman of the Federal Reserve has gotten into the fake news business lately too. He recently told us that the housing market was nearing a bottom and should recover soon.

A small chorus of sorts was formed when he was joined by Hank Paulson, our Treasury Secretary. Now if anyone had good data on the housing market and was in a position to know we were close to a bottom, it would be those two, right?

Someone with better information is Robert Toll, of Toll Brothers, one of the nations’ largest home builders. He seemed confused at what he had been hearing from those two housing optimists.

“I was taken by surprise when the secretary of the Treasury said that the hard times were behind us…I wondered where he got that information. The bad times are not behind us yet.”

Now how is that for conflicting information? Of course, the first thing we should do is ask why anyone might have a reason to lie about the state of the housing market. If anyone had a reason to paint a rosier picture than reality agrees with, I would think the CEO of a home builder would be at the top of the list.

But then, the Fed chairman and the Treasury Secretary are aligned with all the other fake news too on job creation, inflation, GDP growth and other economic data. Now, why on earth might they feel the need to lie? One reason might be that if economic policies sold to us as being in our best interests turned out to be anything but, saving face and keeping their jobs– not to mention Republican control of the White House–might be a factor.

A very good book helps explain a lot of what is being passed off today as real news, only to be strongly disproved later when few are watching. Get a copy of Peter Schiff’s recent book, Crash Proof, for a primer on how the government spins bad economic numbers into good ones, and why they do that.

For extra credit, make it a habit to go to the BLS’ web site every month and read past the headline numbers announced breathlessly on CNBC. If you are going to make investing decisions based on economic data, so much the better if you rely on real news, and not the fake news so prevalent in the advertised government data which is then repeated in the media.

And check out The Daily Show. When it comes to fake news, nothing else comes close!

Have a great week.
Bob

Bob Wood ChFC, CLU Yusuf Kadiwala. Registered Investment Advisors, KMA, Inc., invest@muslimobserver.com.

9-24

Car rental company must pay Muslim woman for banning scarf

PHOENIX, AZ–A federal jury has ordered Alamo Rent A Car to pay a Muslim woman $287,640 (€214,081) for firing her because she refused to remove a head scarf she was wearing during the holy month of Ramadan.

The firing of Bilan Nur, then 22, came just four months after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued the company for what it termed a “post 9/11 backlash,” alleging that the Somali native was fired because of her religious beliefs in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn O. Silver ruled last year that the government had proven religious discrimination and Alamo had shown no proof that it had taken reasonable steps to allow Nur to follow her beliefs before firing her.

That left the jury in the trial that ended Friday with only the question of how much damages to award, said Mary Jo O’Neill, the regional attorney for the EEOC.

The jury in the three-day trial awarded Nur $21,640 in back wages, $16,000 in compensatory damages and $250,000 in punitive damages.

Maria Khalil among top ten students in Texarkana High School

TEXARKANA, TX–Maria Arshad Khalil, ranked ninth among the graduating class of Pleasent Grove High School. She is the daughter of Drs. Arshad khalil and Rakhshi Hydari. Maria is a member of the President’s Education Awards, Texas Scholars and Gifted and Talented programs; National Honor and National Art Honor societies; Muslim Students’ Association; Students Against Drunk Driving; Rangers Against Drunk Driving; Interact Club; and Red Cross. She completed the Gifted and Talented Mentor Program, is editor-in-chief for “The Edge” newspaper, is a People to People Student Ambassador and serves as a board member on the editorial board of an international American-Pakistani Magazine. She participated in a medical internship, shadowing physicians and EMTs to learn about fitness and medicine practices. Maria holds a red belt in Tae Kwon Do martial arts and competes in workouts and tournaments.

She is a religious studies teacher and is fluent in English, Urdu, Spanish, Arabic and French. Maria is a Visual Arts Contest Regional Award winner with advancement to the state competition, a VASE State Double Gold Medal recipient, East Texas INTEL Science Fair participant and recipient of the Navy Award. She is a University Interscholastic League Scholar, receiving academic recognition in mathematics, english, science and social studies and was the winner of the District and Regional UIL Editorial Writing Award. She received the USAA U.S. History Award, the Academic Pentathlon Award, the Golden Triangle UIL Ready Writing Award and the Genesee County Republican Party Lincoln Day Essay Contest Award. Maria serves her community by being a member of the Youth Advisory Board with the YWCA, helping with community service projects and mentoring younger girls in positive decision-making. Maria received an Achievement and President’s Scholarship to Baylor University, a Foundation Scholarship to Southern Arkansas University, an Academic Excellence Scholarship to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and an Academic Distinction Scholarship to the University of Texas at Dallas.

Credit Union Award for Samina Haq

The Public Service Credit Union in Romulus recently presented 14 scholarships, each worth $1000 to anyone planning to further their education. Samina Haq has won the award twice.

In addition to her $1,000 scholarship this year, she won the Dedicated Romulus High School Scholarship when she graduated last year.

The scholarship committee didn’t know it was her when they chose her for the award, according to McGraw. The committee didn’t know anyone’s names when they were going through the applications.

Haq, who currently attends University of Michigan-Dearborn, was “very excited” to receive a scholarship from the credit union for a second year.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Haq said.

She is currently undecided on her major, but is leaning toward biology. She is involved in many activities on campus, including the Pakistani Students Association, the Muslim Students Association and the Student Activities Board.

Haq also spends a lot of her free time volunteering in the community. She recently completed a walk for mental illness and said that she volunteers wherever is needed.

Her tremendous amount of volunteering and her high grade point average were two of the reasons she was awarded the scholarship, according to McGraw.

MacArthur Invests $26 Million in Chicago Community

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced a new $26 million investment to support the nation’s largest community and economic development effort, which is focused on 16 of Chicago’s lowest-income neighborhoods. MacArthur’s grant is expected to help generate $500 million in new investment in these neighborhoods over the next five years and significantly improve the quality of life for residents.

“Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods, even its poorest, are significant assets, holding tremendous untapped human and economic potential,” said MacArthur President Jonathan Fanton at the Auburn Gresham Center for Working Families. “The work of many dedicated community groups and individuals to turn around these neighborhoods is already showing early signs of success, and MacArthur is today reaffirming our support for comprehensive community revitalization and improved quality of life for residents.”

The New Communities Program, run by the Chicago office of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), seeks to rejuvenate challenged communities, bolster those in danger of losing ground and preserve the diversity of areas in the path of gentrification. Participating neighborhoods undertake a community planning process, engaging local residents and leaders in the creation of strategies to improve the community’s quality of life. Creating local and citywide partnerships, communities address issues including employment, parks and recreation, health care, housing affordability, commercial and retail development, child care, schools, neighborhood aesthetics, and safety.

“Chicago is a city of neighborhoods,” said Mayor Richard M. Daley, who joined Fanton for the announcement, “and the way to keep our city moving forward is to make our neighborhoods even stronger. Each of these projects has the potential to be a catalyst for future developments that can dramatically improve the quality of life in a community. Chicago is the greatest city in the country because it has so many people who are willing to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work that’s necessary to turn their dreams into reality.”

“This is a tremendous investment in Chicago’s neighborhoods, underscoring again the Foundation’s deep commitment to the people of Chicago and to the thousands of neighborhood residents who are working so hard to preserve and develop their communities,” said Andrew Mooney, Senior Program Director for LISC/Chicago.

Since 2002, MacArthur has committed $21 million to LISC for the program in Chicago; that early support has already leveraged more than $255 million in overall investment in the 16 targeted neighborhoods. Examples of successes made possible by the New Communities Program include:

a.. The Greater Southwest Development Corporation partnered with the Inner-City Muslim Action Network to build a new neighborhood health clinic.

b.. The Logan Square Neighborhood Association helped 54 families keep their homes in the face of redevelopment plans.

c.. Quad Community Development Corporation is establishing a vibrant commercial district on the city’s mid-south side that will include shops and residences.

Chicago’s New Communities Program is studied around the world and is being replicated in 10 locations: Detroit, Duluth, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Washington (DC), the Bay Area, rural Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.

This announcement is just one component of MacArthur’s overall $150 million, 10-year investment in improving conditions in Chicago’s neighborhoods, including transforming public housing, enhancing community safety, and increasing the income and economic security of residents.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is a private, independent grantmaking institution dedicated to helping groups and individuals foster lasting improvement in the human condition. With assets of more than $6 billion, the Foundation makes approximately $225 million in grants annually.

9-24

Censorship at Barnes and Noble

Bayside, NY– May 24, 2007–Barnes and Noble hosted author Susan Abulhawa to talk about her book The Scar of David, which was first published in December, 2006. A book signing followed.

The original event was to have included a reading from the novel, but Rabbi Bruce Goldwasser of Temple Beth Sholom in Flushing encouraged a call-in to the bookstore as intimidation. He claimed, “It’s an historical novel based on made-up stuff. The made-up stuff is that Israelis were forcing the Arabs out of their homes.”

Temple Beth Sholom is taking part in the Terror Free Oil campaign of Joe Kaufman, who is the Chairman of Americans Against Hate and CAIR Watch.

The incitement against Ms. Abulhawa and her book started three weeks ago when Queens Jewish Community Council President Jan Fenster and Executive Director Cynthia Zalisky circulated a memorandum throughout the Queens Jewish Community that stated the following.

“QJCC does not want to add to the publicity of this book with rallies or newspaper articles/letters to the editor, but suggests a letter writing/phone calling campaign to the Bayside Barnes and Noble stating displeasure with this author’s appearance and the lack of balance of Israel’s point of view.”

According to a Barnes & Noble spokeswoman, the store received about 15 phone calls a day, many negative, and four Queens rabbis faxed a joint letter of condemnation. CAIR faxed a complaint about the pressure tactics and asked that the scheduled reading take place.

When the Ms. Abulhawa and her literary agent Mark B. Miller arrived, they found that the space for an audience had been filled with display tables.

Ms. Abulhawa’s book is a tear-jerker in which the metaphor of the scarred stolen child stands for the theft of Palestine. Ms. Abulhawa wanted to “show the Palestinian narrative in a human light.” She said, “Art is about finding common human ground and making the connections.”

When asked why CAIR attempted to intervene, she stated, “I am a Muslim and a big supporter of CAIR. They are a civil rights group. They saw a violation.”

Ms. Abulhawa stated that the historical backdrop of her novel was accurate and some of the story–like the orphanage chapter–was drawn from her experiences.

She said, “My friends cursed me for making them cry so much.”

A Dutch studio has shown interest in producing a movie based on the book.

Sackler Museum displays Islamic tiles and metalwork

Cambridge–June 5–Everyday objects are transformed into highly decorative works of art in an exhibition called “Overlapping Realms: Arts of the Islamic World and India, 900-1900” at Harvard University’s Sackler Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Designed to be both visually and intellectually pleasurable, the majority of the objects are for eating, drinking, writing or storage. The items originate from Northeastern Iran, Southern Iran, Turkey, Spain and India, and the Muslim master craftsmen who produced them use similar design themes common in the Islamic world. Their use of geometry, interlacing, stylized leaf and floral designs, and Arabic calligraphy creates intricate and balanced designs.

The ceramic objects are decorated with rich colors such as red, royal blue, green and gold. Most of them have been inscribed with passages from the Qur’an such as a 14th century cobalt blue ceramic panel that was part of mihrab from Iranian mosque. The mihrab is a niche in the wall of a mosque, often highly decorated, that indicates the direction of Mecca. A wide band around the panel’s edges is inscribed with Arabic calligraphy proclaiming La `ilaha `illal Lah.

The metalwork, such as pouring vessels, basins, and boxes, are made of bronze or brass and inlaid with copper, silver, and gold. Two brass pen boxes, inlaid with silver, from 16th century Iran have designs that are so small and intricate, it is clear that writing was an important occupation. The one weapon on display is a highly polished steel dagger from Northern India, dating from the 17th century, with a curved jade handle.

An early 16th century hexagonal tile from Turkey, decorated with stylized blue flowers on a white background, is an example of the repeating stylized floral pattern known as arabesque. In between the blossoms are swirling clouds reminiscent of Chinese designs. Indeed the trade routes that stretched from China through Southern Europe were responsible for bringing Asian designs to the attention of Muslim artists. Other Turkish tiles from the late 16th century are decorated with a more naturalistic floral design. Tulips, roses, and carnations painted in blue, yellow, and tomato red look as though they were picked from a whimsical fantasy garden.

For those interested in Islamic art and history, a visit to this exhibition is both awe-inspiring and educational. The exhibition runs until Spring 2008.

Spring Carnival at Islamic Center of New England

Quincy–May 28–TMO attended the Spring Carnival and Flea Market of Mutanafisun Academy, an Islamic school that goes up to 7th grade located on the premises of the Islamic Center of New England in Quincy, Massachusetts. It was a hot, sunny day.

Quincy, a popular tourist destination, is one of the oldest cities in America and the birthplace of two American presidents, John Quincy Adams and John Adams.

The entrance to the mosque was decorated with balloons on this Memorial Day Monday. The many activities for children included a Moonwalk, Bungee Run, dart toss, face painting, squirt guns, ball toss, and a hammer that rings a bell. Children were given the opportunity to frost their own cupcake.

The brothers were busy on the grill outside, cooking up Pakistani style chicken and hamburgers. The sisters were busy piling the meat with rice and salad onto Styrofoam containers for families inside the masjid, along with egg rolls, and Greek spinach pies. They had a bake sale going on across the room as well as an X-Box tournament for computer game enthusiasts. The carnival offered popcorn, slushies, and cotton candy.

Firefighters showed off their fire truck to the children. There was a flea market with clothes, household rummage, and some handicrafts.

An anonymous supporter said, “The community gave us perfect support. Stop ‘n Shop, Roche Brothers, BJ’s and Brother Salim’s International Food Co. helped us.”

To play a game, the children had to buy green tickets for $1 each. Usually, they would win a pink ticket as a prize. These could be redeemed inside the masjid for candy and other prizes.

Mutanafisun Academy is a conservative Islamic community with an assortment of African and Arabic immigrant groups as well as some Bosnians and American converts.

Jessica Allison of Cambridge, MA said, “It’s neat to see old faces here.”

When asked if she was having a good time, Aicha Belabbes, the daughter of Jessica said, “I keep running out of tickets. I have to ask my Mom for more money.”

9-24

Courtesy Josh Catone

In his first interview as the chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party, Dennis Milligan told a reporter that America needs to be attacked by terrorists so that people will appreciate the work that President Bush has done to protect the country.

“At the end of the day, I believe fully the president is doing the right thing, and I think all we need is some attacks on American soil like we had on [Sept. 11, 2001],” Milligan said to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, “and the naysayers will come around very quickly to appreciate not only the commitment for President Bush, but the sacrifice that has been made by men and women to protect this country.”

Milligan, who was elected as the new chair of the Arkansas Republican Party just two weeks ago, also told the newspaper that he is “150 percent” behind Bush in the war in Iraq.

In his acceptance speech on May 19th, Milligan told his fellow Republicans that it was “time for a rediscovery of our values and our common sense.”

The owner of a water treatment company, Milligan was a relative unknown in Arkansas politics until being elected the party chairman. He had previously served as the party’s treasurer and the Saline County Republican chair.

9-24