Six years after September 11, 2001 the majority of Muslims living in the West still dread this date. They feel a mixture of sadness and frustration. What about you?

It is a terrible day in history and I think it affected everyone and continues to do so today. But I don’t think Muslims should feel — or more importantly, be made to feel — guilty or responsible in anyway, about what happened that day. It is like demanding every Jewish person feels guilt for the continuing injustices against Palestinians, or holding every man to account for every single rape against a woman.

After you converted to Islam, the BBC News Online wrote; “it has been suggested [she] is a victim of Stockholm syndrome, in which hostages take the side of the hostage-takers.” Is this a valid assessment?

The Stockholm Syndrome thing always makes me laugh. I was the prisoner from hell. I spat, swore, threw things at my captors and even went on hunger strike. To suffer from SS you have to bond with your jailers in the first place. The only people I bonded with, and still keep in touch with to this day, were the other western prisoners. The syndrome thing is used by detractors and those who cannot explain why a professional western woman would embrace Islam.

Some converts (or reverts) to Islam or other faiths do it privately, quietly. You chose to be very public; why?

I actually did do it quietly. Check the newspapers around the time of July 2003 when I converted. This is yet another urban myth.

You are quoted as saying, “my faith is my nationality and when you attack it you are being racist.” Can you explain further?

What I am saying is nothing different to the views held by committed Christians and Jews. If you attack a nationality, you are being racist. You cannot attack someone for being an Indian, or Pakistani, or Chinese, Jamaican etc.

At a time when some Muslim women choose not to wear a hijab to avoid hostility and/or compromise their careers — an option endorsed by some Islamic scholars — you now thoroughly cover your hair with a very opaque headdress. Why? Is this preferable to wearing a hat, for example? Do you thrive on the challenge of being visually identified as a Muslim?

Wearing the hijab is an obligation under Islam. It is a requirement and is stated quite clearly in references in our Holy Qur’an. This is something I’ve looked into exhaustively and spoken at length with real scholars and sheikhs whose background, lineage and education cannot be disputed. I did not wear the hijab immediately; it took some time and I believe every committed Muslimah will get there in the end. These Islamic scholars you talk about cannot justify the hijab as an option. There are those who I call “scholars for dollars” who do push certain government lines. They know who they are and they know what they are saying is wrong. Having said that, I think a sister’s decision to wear the hijab is personal — she knows her responsibilities to God and will personally have to answer for her actions one day.

During your campaign as a candidate for the Respect Party, you presented a six-point plan for your constituency, which included the advancement of women. What did you intend to do for women?

I just want women, all women regardless of faith, culture or background, to know their rights and demand them. The only way they can do this is through education and, as Islam states quite clearly, education is vitally important. There are even Islamic references that if you can’t get knowledge at home then go out and seek it.

Did anyone tell you that the issue of women’s advancement conflicted with the perception they have of women in Islam (i.e. being submissive, etc.)

They only tell me once. I put them right and they don’t come back!

You have been very outspoken about the treatment of Muslims in Britain. Let’s compare notes. What is it that you deplore and denounce?

There are many characteristics I deplore and it is not just in Muslims. I deplore cowardice, I deplore men who bully women, I deplore men who use and abuse women. I deplore those who use and manipulate their faith. I get outraged at men who tell me I cannot go and pray in a mosque because it is men-only. And it still kills me inside when I think of the mosque committee in Blackburn UK, which forbids Muslim women from praying inside its mosque, yet were prepared to roll out the red carpet for Condoleezza Rice.

On June 7, 2006, The Daily Telegraph, reported: “Yvonne Ridley, the former journalist who was kidnapped by the Taliban, has said that Muslims in east London should stop co-operating with the police after last week’s terror raid in which a man was shot.” Please explain your position.

Interesting how I was called a “former journalist.” It was as though they were trying to isolate me. What I said was taken out of context. I knew those two young men who were arrested – one shot – were totally innocent of any wrongdoing. What I said was that the community should stop co-operating with the police until they were released. Interestingly enough, I was vindicated some months ago when the Metropolitan Police was forced to apologize to the two brothers, including the one who was shot in his own home by armed anti-terror officers. I am not an anarchist and the police do have a role to play, but this does not give them the right to tear into Muslim communities, tooled up and armed with misinformation. This particular force is still suffering from institutionalized racism and is deeply homophobic. Senior officers publicly invited me to contact them during a Radio 4 broadcast and when I did they failed to return my calls. It was weasel words for the benefit of spin and public image.

You said that the UK is the third most-hated country. Your sharp criticism of your government has lead some to suggest, “If you hate your country so much, why don’t you leave?” How do you respond to them?

Again this is being taken out of context. But, at the end of the day, I enjoy free speech in Britain so why shouldn’t I say what I want? Why am I suddenly being denied the right to exercise my right to freedom of speech? I love my country and I would not get so upset about its reputation abroad if I didn’t.

Britain’s new PM Gordon Brown prepares to depart from Iraq but to move even more heavily into Afghanistan. Your comments? How are Islamic organizations in the UK reacting to that announcement?

Gordon Brown is the man who signed the cheques for the war in Iraq — let’s wait and see on that score. On Afghanistan, we need to throw financial aid and help to the Afghan people, not arm soldiers and send them in to their deaths, which is what is happening. The British Army has never yet had a successful campaign in Afghanistan over the years.

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Upon my recent visit to the United States I have come across a unique observation which is beyond my imagination. We all talk about unity, tolerance, understanding, patience, and many other things. These are very easy phrases to talk about but very hard to translate into reality.

The Christian community of this great country has translated this into reality and I, as a Muslim, take my hat off to them. I would like to extend my sincere gratefulness and I salute the Christian community on behalf of the Muslims of Warrington City, UK for the wonderful gesture of religious tolerance and understanding.

This unique and wonderful gesture is allowing Muslims to perform their Friday afternoon prayers in some Churches where Mosques are unavailable is what I speak of and appreciate from the Christian community of America.

I wanted to express this profound gratitude to the Christian community of this great country through your paper.

Hasan Kazi
Chairman, Council of Faiths
Warrington, UK

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By Bob Wood, Muslim Media News Service (MMNS)

Many of you may have noticed that, while our domestic stock markets have been getting hammered after widespread discovery of the deplorable state of our housing and mortgage market, international and emerging markets stocks have fared even worse. I may be one of the few who sees this parallel as a short-term trend.

Students of stock market history and of failed investment theories — such as asset allocation and diversification — already know that a certain correlation exists between different types of investments or asset classes. Some asset classes are highly correlated; others are not.

The asset allocation and diversification theory suggests that one should build an investment portfolio using several different asset classes. While economic trends or investor sentiment will always favor one asset class or another, this investor ignores how different asset classes tend to move up or down simultaneously. Diversifying by including small cap growth and small cap value, for instance, will show similar returns in rising markets.

We saw in the bear market cycle of 2000 – 2002 that virtually all stock funds fell. Of course, some fell faster and deeper than others. Technology stocks suffered most, due mainly to the warning bell that finally rang, alerting those shareholders to the idea that valuations really do matter after.

At that time, international and emerging markets shares fell harder than domestic value shares. But this situation can be predicted rather successfully by using other tools of modern portfolio theory. A fund’s beta rating can help predict how that fund will probably perform in up- or down-market cycles.

Beta ratings, of course, have nothing much to do with the fundamentals of one asset class or another. However, they may have much more to do with the number of advisors and brokers who check such values and react to them accordingly. If one asset class is expected to be more volatile, thus having a higher beta than another asset class, investors expect it to rise more in an up market and fall faster in down cycles. So investors who understand modern portfolio theory and its aspects, like beta, reinforce the theory.

The stock market, as measured by the S&P 500, shows a beta rating of 7.35, using the Vanguard S&P 500 Index Fund as a proxy. Vanguard’s small cap growth fund sports a beta of 13.4, while its emerging markets index fund has a beta rating of 16.64. During the bull cycle of the past four years, the rating indicated just about what has happened, thus predicting what was coming.

So now, with domestic bond markets under pressure from enormous amounts of corruption in the mortgage markets, the stock market finds itself under a cloud of uncertainty about the depth of troubles in housing and sub-prime mortgage debt. What now becomes obvious — even to stock market promoters, who always see the sunny side of the street, even at midnight – is that troubles in housing and sub-prime debt are just beginning. The depth of these problems is yet to be divulged as central banks around the world try helping lenders and other holders of bad debts to buy time in an effort to minimize damage to their balance sheets, not to mention their credibility with investors.

With the announcement of each bit of bad news, domestic stocks can be expected to sell off. Investors relying on beta ratings will be quick to sell the riskier stuff, stocks with the highest beta ratings, and look for shelter in what are considered to be the safest asset classes, short-term bonds and cash.

But why should international and emerging markets shares fall in sympathy with our domestic stock markets when their economies are, for the most part, not at all involved in the sub-prime mortgage mess? Sure, I know the story, and there are elements of truth to it.

Many investors enjoy opportunities to invest globally, and troubles in a big economy like ours are bound to affect other economies. And investors who loaded up on holdings with bad mortgage debts may have also bought international shares as part of their equity allocations. Therefore, they may need to sell the good stuff to offset losses in their debt holdings. The idea also exists that lending in the U.S. will become subject to tougher scrutiny, therefore possibly making borrowing in other places more difficult or expensive.

Another aspect to this perception is that what matters here should matter there, too. An old saying predicts that ‘’When America sneezes, the rest of the world catches cold, too.’’ And, to a small degree, I guess that’s true. But to a larger degree, it’s not as true as it used to be. And that’s where I think many investors will be surprised by the “decoupling” of our home stock markets from those around the world.

Even in normal times, or during typical economic cycles, international shares are not perfectly correlated to our home market. In simpler terms, other markets do not always move in the same direction as ours. Review the table on page 115 of the book, Triumph of the Optimists, which shows the correlation coefficients for different markets. An investor who adds shares in the Canadian stock market can expect that those shares will rise and fall in tandem with our markets about 80% of the time. But investors in Japanese shares would see that market rise along with ours about 45% of the time. Think back to Japan in the decade of the 1990s to see what I mean. The difference in performance of emerging markets vs. our home markets in the 1970s provides another example.

In the past five years, the international markets ran together in up and down cycles about 85% of the time. In the five years that ended on June 30th of 1997, the international markets rose in step with ours only about 28% of the time.

So in normal times, or when no apparent reasons appear for concern about our domestic stock market, a certain degree of such decoupling can be expected. After all, economies around the world are always subject to forces of different types.

And I think the current time will prove to be one when markets go their own ways. Troubles bode ill for our economy, yet stock valuations are higher than those in many international markets. Why, for instance, would the stock market in The Netherlands, selling at about 10 times earnings and with no sign of a housing bubble, sell off in sympathy with our markets?

Sure, doubtless numbers of hedge funds and other portfolio managers who rely on those beta numbers shown above will dump international shares first in an effort to minimize losses. But over the longer term, why would our misfortunes affect economies that do little business with us?

Of course, I’m not talking about economies that do a lot of business with us! Surely China and other Asian exporting countries will feel the heat from our economic slump, right?

Hey, not so fast! I don’t see our troubles having nearly the effect on China and other Asian exporting economies as many others do. First, assuming that our economy falls into recession, and I think it might already be there, how much effect would that have on China?

A recession means negative economic growth rates. It does not mean that our economy comes to a screeching halt and that no one buys any imported goods from China. It does means that we will buy less, of course. But what we buy from China is, for the most part, unavailable from domestic producers.

But China also enjoys huge exports to other places like the European Union, which is about 50% larger than the U.S., and decidedly more conservative with finances. But then, whose isn’t?

China also benefits from the fact that it has not set up a safety net in the form of retirement savings plans like Social Security. So Chinese people have become huge savers, knowing they will need to rely on their own savings in retirement. And we all know that China is getting richer by the year and that internal demand for consumer goods is rising fast.

The potential also exists that China will allow the Yuan to rise against the dollar, maybe even, at some point, allowing it to float freely as our government leaders continue to demand. And don’t we have some nerve, telling our bankers what they should and should not do?

But with a rising Yuan comes stronger purchasing power of their earnings and savings for Chinese consumers. Surely that combination of positives will allow the Chinese economy to avoid catching the cold that will send our economy into recession!

Also, I believe strongly that other economies exporting food and other commodities to Chinese consumers will fare very well, too. For example, Brazil and Argentina export food, iron ore and other industrial metals to China. Nor does it hurt that countries like Brazil, Canada and Russia enjoy trade and budget surpluses and are paying down their external debt, providing another strong contrast to the economic idiocy affecting our situation.

Look for this “decoupling” to become apparent soon. In the short run, your foreign equity holdings will, no doubt, be affected by our falling stock market. But over the longer term, I find much less to worry about than most others do.

Have a great week.
Bob

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

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Adapted from a Digital Journal report by Adil James, MMNS

Dearborn–August 29–Life is difficult for LIFE, these days.

In the wake of the Mabarrat and GCO raids earlier this month, it would be easy to forget about another Islamic charity that went through an investigation very similar to that of Mabarrat–almost exactly one year ago.

Life for Relief and Development, during a September 18 morning meeting in 2006, was swarmed by FBI and IRS agents who combed their offices, taking computers and servers, and taking company documents that until today remain in the possession of the government. The FBI, in concert with the IRS, initiated synchronized raids against the home of Dr. Khalil Jassemm (President and CEO of Life), the Life offices, and two Life board members’ homes (one in Ann Arbor and the other in Minneapolis).

Ironically, FBI officials were at pains to mention that Life was not under investigation for terrorism-related charges, and yet they asked many questions of Life officials regarding their relations with Iraq.

After searching the offices, the FBI team seized computers and paperwork. The computers were returned shortly thereafter, but the papers, until today, are in the possession of the federal government.

The IRS presence and some statements of the investigators indicated it was a tax-related issue, but “Digital Journal,” an online media outlet, is inferring an investigational link to Life’s activities in Iraq.

TMO attempted to contact Life before filing this report but their press relations department did not return our calls.

A federal judge ruled August 23rd that the U.S. government must split the cost of photocopying records that were seized last September from the Muslim charity, Life for Relief and Development.

So far, the FBI had refused to copy and return the paper records, unless the charity can pay for the cost of the copying.

The FBI told Life for Relief if they wanted to get the paper records back they would have a copying bill for between $21,000 to $115,000, in regards to how many of the seized records they wanted back. The copy fees were quite high because the FBI demanded that a copying company with security clearance must be used.

Life for Relief needs the financial and personnel records back so they can file their tax return, complete audits, manage personnel matters, and perform other functions.

U.S. District Judge Nancy G. Edmunds ruled,

“This doesn’t take legal genius to work through. The charity “is entitled to get certainly their financial and employee records back and they should not have to bear the cost, at least not the entire cost.”

Edmunds is making the charity and FBI negotiate which records need copying and then they will have to split the cost. The Kinko’s in the non-classified section of the FBI headquarters will be used, which will now greatly lower the cost from what the FBI was insisting on before.

“Copying only the financial records should cost about $7,200, said Michael Taxay of the U.S. Department of Justice National Security Division in Washington, D.C. Copying the personnel records should cost less than that, he said.”

The lawyer for the Muslim charity said the compromise was satisfactory to his client.

Although no one has been arrested or charged with committing a crime as of yet, the FBI is still investigating and will need to keep the records they seized. Taxay from the Justice Department said eleven months was not a big amount of time for the “size and scope of the investigation.”

Life for Relief describes itself on its site as the largest US Muslim relief organization, founded in ‘92 in response to the crisis in Iraq following the 1991 Gulf War.

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By Ilyas Choudry

“Human-Beings Should Remove Ignorance – God Will Remove Hunger & Poverty”: Kader Khan At AFMI 17th North American Convention

The American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (AFMI) organized their 17th Annual USA Convention at Marriott West-Chase Hotel. As you may be aware, AFMI is a philanthropic charity organization founded by American Muslims from India in the year 1989. AFMI strives to improve the socio-economic status of the underprivileged Indian Minorities through education. Since it was founded, AFMI has remained steadfast in its mission to achieve 100% literacy amongst the Indian Muslims. To learn more about AFMI, please visit www.afmi.org

On this occasion, special guests and dignitaries from India included the Chief Justice (Retired) Dr. Rajinder Sachar, Chairperson for Prime Minister’s High Level Committee For Preparation of Report on the Social Economic and Educational Status of the Muslim Community in India & Kader Khan, a noted philanthropist / social worker / veteran cine artist. Various local dignitaries including Mayor of Houston Bill White, two Congresspersons AL-Green and Nick Lampson, the City of Houston Councilperson M. J. Khan, the City of Houston Councilperson Hopeful Zaf Tahir and Mr. Lutfi Hassan of Apex representing Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (who is on foreign visits) came to grace this convention.

Mayor and the two Congresspersons gave special proclamations certificates to Dr. Sachar, Kader Khan and Dr. A. S. Nakadar (Senior Founding Member and Trustee of AFMI), Dr. Shakir Mukhi (President of AFMI) and Dr. Aslam Abdullah (AFMI Trustee). These dignitaries saluted AFMI for their mission of eradicating illiteracy and bring the light of education in the lives of millions. They said rather than dividing the world population on the basis of sects and ethnic background and leaving the masses uninformed, the decision makers of the worlds should take heed from AFMI’s efforts of enlightening masses.

Incentives For Students

Dr. A. S. Nakadar gave the overview of AFMI and said their model is based on the fact that rather than depending on the Governments, people need to resolve their own issues, while the Governments provide better environment for this philanthropic work. AFMI gives incentives to students to vie for Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals in 28 States and get scholarships. Governmental figures and media are invited to propagate and encourage the students and affluent masses to contribute. Then establishment of schools are grassroots levels have been done to assist orphan children and those from less affluent background to go places in life. People can sponsor school buildings and students. Also there is need of mentors in India, who can change the mindset of the downtrodden public towards education through mass communication.

Limelight

The occasion was stolen by Kader Khan with his most powerful speech. He started off by saying that although he has been given honorary citizenship of Houston, he will speak in English, when he officially becomes resident of this country and as such would prefer to talk in Urdu. He said that after looking at AFMI and the passion of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), he has concluded that NRIs have more concern with the issues facing India than the Indians living in that great progressing country. He informed that his father Maulvi Abdur Rahman (an Islamic Scholar) and mother moved from Kabul Afghanistan to Bombay India after his birth, as his three other elder brothers died at early ages due to mysterious diseases. He lived in the worst ghetto of Asia in his childhood and when due to poverty and hunger, his parents got divorced, he was devastated, as he dearly loves both his father and mother.

Mothers’ Call To Education

Kader Khan decided to join several other kids in child labor market and as he was going out of the home the first day, he was stopped by his mother from his shoulder and said by becoming a child labor, their poverty will not get removed: How it can be eradicated will be if Kader Khan will learn and read. Mr. Khan said since his early days, his father had always told about the blessed incident of Arch Angel Gabriel saying to Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon him) to Read: He said when his mother grabbed him and said to get educated, he felt the same encouragement and that moment transformed his whole life, as after that he intensely studied, while his mother toiled hard so that he got educated.

Mothers’ Of Future With Remote Controls

Kader Khan showed much remorse on mothers’ of today, who spend most of the time in front of TV with remote control in hands than to think and work towards bringing up the future generation of the world. He said he has started a campaign against televisions at homes and many TV Companies are after him for doing this, but his intension is to make the mothers’ realize that upbringing of their children is much more important than mere few moments of entertainment. He emphasized on the role of mothers’ to come forward and build strong nation(s). That is why education of girls is crucial and must: Plus to encourage those girls to study, one thing is necessary and that is boys should also be well educated. He related the story of a top girl student with 97% marks not allowed by father to go for further studies because most of the boys in the family were not educated and where would she get married: Plus who will look after her safety going to college from home. Kader Khan eventually has got that girl to study at a college, but said there is much needed to be changed as far as attitudes and outlook towards studies is concerned.

Sectarianism To Terrorism

Kader Khan emphasized upon Muslims that they Believe in One Allah, Follow One Book Quran and Follow the Ways of One Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon him), then why should we divide into sects and weaken ourselves. People, who do not like world to have peace, said that Muslims you want to remain be divided: So keep dividing yourself based on sects and we would make the world call you terrorists.

Solution Of World Poverty Lies In Education

Kader Khan said that God will remove the poverty and hunger-ness in the world, if we the people eradicate ignorance from the world and make our people educated. He said usually we are working on the leaves and branches, but what we really need is to reach to the roots of ignorance and remove them. That is why he intends to start an Arabic Institute, so as to bring the true message of Quran to the people of the world.

Kader Khan said he knows the places in India, where these roots are and he would help AFMI in identification of those slumps, where we need to reach and educate people. He said he has seen people taking money to do acts of terrorism and reason for that is the menace of starvation and destitution: World Peace Without Education is not possible.

India Can Never Be A Hindu Country

In his keynote address, the Chief Justice (Retired) Dr. Rajinder Sachar, Chairperson for Prime Minister’s High Level Committee For Preparation of Report on the Social Economic and Educational Status of the Muslim Community in India, said that Muslims should not feel any inferiority complex in India: This great country belongs to all Indians and Muslims should voice their legitimate concerns with complete confidence to achieve their most justified rights. Education is for all and access to education should be provided for all.

Day-Time Seminars

The day long convention attended by more than 500 people had many short seminars and then the gala dinner. Themes of the day-time four seminars were: “What attitude / approach problems Muslim face in education?” – “Prospects of NRI contribution in overcoming these hurdles” – “Where do we want to be by 2020?” – “Promoting Education & Sustaining development for Global Affluence.” During these sessions, people got appraised as to why the world population needs to be well-educated, so as to have international richness.

Abizer Taybji, an IT Field Entrepreneur from Bohra Jamat, said it is important to scale the progress of organizations like AFMI, as then we can come up with affiliation and collaboration strategies. He and others like Fayyaz Merchant, Shaukat Khan and Dr. Azeem-ud-Din emphasized on the utilization of services of Youth and Women to bring about positive change in the education of Indian Muslims.

For further information about this convention and future plans of AFMI projects, please contact: Gaffar Vadgama; Vice-President; AFMI Houston Chapter; Phone: 832.964.4223; E-Mail: gaffar-vadgama@msn.com – Sharique Khan; Secretary; AFMI Houston Chapter; Phone: 832.477.1863; E-Mail: qaasid7@yahoo.com – & – Naseer Alam; Event Chair; Phone: 713.417.1556; E-Mail: naseeralam@msn.com

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The Theology of Empire

By Geoffrey Cook, Muslim Media News Service (MMNS)

Berkeley–Some time ago I heard an enlightening sermon by a priest at the local Episcopal Seminary. Basically, his words shed light on the errors of the Christian Fundamentalists, who make up about 20% of the American “Christian” population, and, unfortunately, they vote regularly to the Far Right (i.e., anti-Muslim). Besides their misinterpretation of the Prophet Issa’s comment on the necessity to be “Born Again” to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Gospel of Saint John), they base their argument on Revelations, the biblical chapter which describes the apocalyptic ending of the world.

The misunderstandings of these apostates have caused much suffering for Muslims and Palestinians in particular. Besides the learned priest above, I would like to base my thesis to you on the comments of Don Wagner, who is the leading expert on this Movement, and the response of Rrosemary Radford Reuther at the Sabeel Conference here in Northern California last weekend – both academics from the Chicago area who are expert on the Middle East.

The Priest/Professor from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in the city of Berkeley argued that the Fundamentalists believe that the reemergence of the State of Israel is a sign of the Second Coming of Christ. The Second Coming is a basic doctrine within all Christianity, but has nothing to do with a new Israel – besides the ability to read DNA patterns has presented confusion over the ancestry of the Ashkenazim a.k.a, Ashkenazi), the European Jews who founded their modern Levant State. As the Wikipedia Encyclopedia puts it:

“Both the extent and location of the maternal ancestral deme from which the Ashkenazi Jewry arose remain obscure. Here, using complete sequences of the maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), we show that close to one-half of Ashkenazi Jews, estimated at 8,000,000 people, can be traced back to only four women carrying distinct mtDNAs that are virtually absent in other populations, with the important exception of low frequencies among non-Ashkenazi Jews. We conclude that four founding mtDNAs, likely of Near Eastern ancestry, underwent major expansion(s) in Europe within the past millennium:

Note this quotes shows that the ethnic group that dominated the founding of contemporary Tel Aviv arose in the proto-historic-Near East – not the Middle East which demonstrates that the Palestines are the probable ancient mothers of the land.

Zionism has to be seen within the purview of contemporary Empire, and the centrality of the Jewish State is the material manifestation of the right to Empire by the Imperial powers – especially the United States where Zionism has willingly become its lackey. The States are a hegemony, and Israel is a big part of Washington’s “success.”

Theologically, a Zionist (Christian or Jewish) makes literal scriptural interpretations that split the world between good and evil. (Much of it comes out of a fanatic version of ancient Jewish tribal history that is attached to the land they violently snatched from the primordial residents after their [mythic?] Exodus from Egypt.) Since the Jews themselves were driven off their nation during the Babylonian Exile — and later during the late Roman period, there has been a Romantic longing for a return to that land — especially Jerusalem. This symbolism has resonated powerfully within the Orthodox and Nationalistoc Jews and Fundamentalist Christians (who are fullly conspirators). After the Roman purge of the Jews from the Holy Land in the late Roman period, some were able to remain, and curiously, their DNA is closer to their contemporary contesting Palestinians.

Unfortunately, this Zionism has slowly but steadily been seeping into fringe elements of American Christianity demonizing the rationality of the mainstream Churches – several of which are in active dialogue with Islam.

In the U.S. the theological doctrine of Rapture (which came from England, and is the basis of Christian Zionism) snuck into the U.S. religious vocabulary about a hundred years ago. The infamous Neo-Conservatives (Neo-Cons) are mainly Jewish Zionists trained at the University of Chicago, but their non-Jewish fellow travellers are often Cristian Zionists. The Christian Zionists become mighty tools for the pro-Israeli Lobby (AIPAC). The Arms Industry is very sympathetic to their cause, too, for they help promote their business interests. The Military are, further, linked to their ideology.

Christian Zionism cooperates closely with (the) Likud (Party). Further, most of American Christian Zionism advocates War on Iran! They also support the expansion of Settlements on the West Bank. They emphatically do not hold onto a two State solution. They believe Israel must fully occupy Palestine eternally. Ramallah must be wiped off the map as the ancient States that the Judaic clans overran in the First Millenium B.C. Empire must have a global reach! The ideology of Empire is based on perpetual War! This will lead to a loss of our democracies and bankruptcy of the (Metropole; i.e, the Imperial Homeland) itself!

The American non-Jewish Zionists are mainly Evangelicals, but, although they claim they are the entire Evangelical branch of the Protestant Church, they only represent a small minority of those – 20%. Yet they use the State of Israel as sort of a theology. Their average age is thirty-nine. Disturbingly, they are “mole-ing” their ideology into the mainline Churches. Now, the movement is emmigrating throughout the world alienating the indigenous within those nations, for “They feel they have to ‘rescue’ those there – both Christian and non-Christian [including Muslims].” This leads to the destructions of societies and religious structures. These missionaries believe this will lead to a Christian society abroad, and destroy native traditions.

Although he was an anti-Semite, Lord Balfour (the author of the agreement that permitted the Jews to make a State out of Palestinian territory) was an Imperialist Zionist himself. Former President Jimmy Carter, who probably has done more out than in office, has clearly stated that “The Palestinians have a right to a homeland!” This has turned the down-home Chiristian (Zionists) against him. Surprisingly, the amoral Ronald Reagan believed in the Rapture and Armageddon. Christian Fundamentalists hold to what is described very dramatically in Revelations will happen in the future wheras learned mainline Western religious theologians maintain what is described and prophesied in the book concerns the then contemporary Roman persecutions of the Second Century. In it, a massive final battle (between good and evil?) unfolds. This battle and the horrid yet poetic end is known as Armageddon, in which two thirds of the population of the earth are expected to perish. After this, according to Christian teachings, Jesus (as) will appear again, and God’s Kingdom on Earth will be established. Christians want to support Israel only in order to expedite these events. Politically, in the United States, the Christian Right is eating away at our First Amendment rights. The American Rightist Movement is definitely Islamaphobic and even anti-Semitic.

The respondent Rosemary Reuther stated that the treatment of the Palestinians is criminal. The spectre of the Holocaust makes it hard for the West to critize Israel, but we cannot repent of former generations anti-Semiticism. Therefore, we have been hijacked to not “Critize the State of Israel.” Thus, we are sacrificing Palestine for the sins of our “fathers.” Therefore, we have legitimized those Walls of Silence (a lyric reference to Tel Aviv’ towering fences through Ramallah’s land). We assume that Zionism and Judaism are one and the same: Not to accept this is to accept the Holocaust! The truth is there is a disconnection between Zionism and Judaism. (Most Jews do not endorse the policies of their religion’s State!) Regarding the relation between the Palestine crisis and the Holocaust, “You shouldn’t pay for one crime with another!”

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London, UK, August 23, 2007 -President Bush’s invoking of Vietnam – one of the biggest military disasters in US history – in support of keeping troops in Iraq, betrays desperation in attempting to justify a continued military presence in occupied Iraq.

In the speech to army veterans in Kansas City yesterday, President Bush said “One unmistakable legacy of Vietnam is that the price of America’s withdrawal was paid by millions of innocent citizens whose agonies would add to our vocabulary new terms like ‘boat people’, ‘re-education camps’ and ‘killing fields’.” He went on to hail the US military machine as the “The greatest force for human liberation the world has ever known”.

Dr Imran Waheed, media representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, said, “Invoking Vietnam is not merely an act of desperation but overlooks the facts of what his ‘force for human liberation’ has already achieved. “

“Bush recalls the millions of innocent Vietnamese who became ‘boat people’, and those who died in the ‘killing fields’ of Vietnam and Cambodia following the withdrawal of US forces, but seems to have forgotten the 2.2 million Iraqi ‘boat people’ forced into exile in Syria and Jordan. The invasion and occupation led by the US and British governments have produced their own ‘killing fields’ in Iraq, where over 650,000 civilians have lost their lives.”

“His description of the US military machine as ‘the greatest force for human liberation the world has ever known’ is only accurate in the sense that they have liberated the innocent civilians of Fallujah, Haditha, Abu Ghraib, Bagram and elsewhere in Iraq and Afghanistan of their security, dignity, property and their lives. In reality it is the presence of occupying forces that produce the violence, given that even the Pentagon’s report revealed that more than 60 per cent of the current attacks target these forces.”

“The initial neo-con reasoning of bringing ‘freedom and democracy’ to the Muslim world was no more than a supremacist argument for forcibly changing people’s values. Now, remaining in Iraq – under pretext of the ‘war on terror’ – is simply about salvaging age-old colonial interests and resources.”

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By Sumayyah Meehan, Muslim Media News Service (MMNS)

Kuwait City–This past Saturday, at approximately 1:46am, a mild earthquake shook Kuwait and some of its’ residents to their very core. Measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale the earthquake was measured by the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) at a depth of 7.3km and its’ epicenter was determined to be in the south of the country in Manageesh, which is just 50km away from the capital ‘Kuwait City’.

Earthquakes are very rare in Kuwait. The biggest one ever recorded was in 1993. It measured 4.7 on the Richter scale and it also occurred in Manageesh. However, tiny earthquakes do occur in Kuwait quite often. But since they usually only register at around 3 on the Richter scale they are not counted as real quakes, only as tremors, since they do not reach the surface of the land to move or shake it. Nonetheless, KISR does study these tremors extensively to better understand the occurrence of earthquakes in the region.

Many residents missed the effects of the recent quake because they were fast asleep. They only found out the next day as a result of the local newspapers and Kuwaiti blogs. However, there were several people who did feel the quake and got a pretty good scare. “I was watching TV and was just ready to fall asleep. I was laying on the floor and all of a sudden it started swaying and shaking,” says Abid Mohammad who is a Pakistani businessman, “I jumped up to my feet and looked outside to see if a plane had crashed. I did not find out that it was an earthquake until the following day.” A Syrian housewife, named Aisha, also got an intense jolt from the quake, “ I was up late with my sick daughter and I felt my building sway and the windows rattled. It was very scary.” Another Kuwait resident, Mumtaz Ahmed who is a local tailor, noticed that several dogs were barking in his neighborhood right before the quake. “I never even knew there were dogs in my neighborhood! But a few moments before the earthquake I heard at least four different dogs barking and howling. I knew something was wrong because animals always sense danger before humans do.”

The Kuwait blogs have also been abuzz with news about the quake and have helped people find others to share their experience and fears with. On one Kuwaiti travel blog Lucy Elbeheri wrote:

“I was physically wiggle-woggled out of my bed. I looked over to see my hubby snoring sweetly and my baby didn’t stir. I was standing by the bed with my heart pounding, things rattling and clanking around me. After a short while silence fell. I ran into the bedrooms of my 2 other children and they were both sleeping sweetly. My adrenaline was rushing and my eyes were WIDE open… nothing. Silence. No neighbor’s lights switching on from the windows, no one in the streets… I must have been dreaming. Was I?? I went into the lounge to check everything a last time before returning to my, now not shaking, bed. I turned to walk out and I saw the water in my fish tank sloshing from side to side. I wasn’t dreaming.”

The possibility of a larger and even deadly earthquake striking Kuwait in the future cannot be denied or ignored. Kuwait is strategically located just 350km from an active high-risk fault zone in Zargos, Iran. As a result of the danger earthquakes pose in the region, the research and development of a ‘Seismic Network’ is currently underway in Kuwait. Headed by the Professor of Geophysics at Kuwait University, Firyal Bu-Rabee, the network will be established on the campus grounds. It will be able to record and track any earthquake that occurs on the surface of the Earth irrespective of the size. Professor Firyal has also teamed up with Sheikha Amthal Al-Sabah in the development of a pamphlet entitled, “Are You Prepared for an Earthquake?” which has recently been published. Most residents in this tiny gulf state do not even know that earthquakes can occur in Kuwait let alone what to do incase one happens. The pamphlet educates the public about earthquake awareness and preparedness.

Earthquakes are the most unpredictable and devastating forces of nature. It is only through education and preparedness that countries in quake zones can protect their infrastructure and populace. Kuwait is just one country in the GCC that is setting an excellent example for which other countries can follow.

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