The Wall at the End of History

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Letter from Abu Dis, occupied West Bank

Courtesy Phyllis Bennis, The Nation

Today, the Silk Road stops in Abu Dis. The road no longer goes through Jerusalem, and can no longer reach the sea. That grimy, garbage-strewn dead end marks the end of 2,202 years of history.

Beginning around 100 BC, the fabled Silk Road brought goods and travelers from China and Central Asia, through the lands of Persia and Mesopotamia, and over to Palmyra in Syria. One branch of the road then turned south, crossing through Bethany, the biblical village on the outskirts of Jerusalem, as it headed west from Jerusalem to Yoppa (today’s Jaffa) and the Mediterranean Sea.

Today the town of Bethany is known as Abu Dis. It is still on the outskirts of Jerusalem. And the ancient road is still there. Dusty and pothole-filled, it winds through the center of the Palestinian town, with auto-parts yards and small dingy shops selling vegetables and furniture lining both sides. The road then comes to an abrupt stop, blocked by the towering, graffiti-covered cement slabs of Israel’s separation wall.

Today, the Silk Road stops in Abu Dis. The road no longer goes through Jerusalem, and can no longer reach the sea. That grimy, garbage-strewn dead end marks the end of 2,202 years of history.

When Israel first occupied the Palestinian territories in June 1967, Abu Dis was a small, crowded West Bank town outside of Jerusalem. After the war, Israel expanded the municipal borders, and soon expropriated and annexed huge swathes of West Bank Palestinian land into what quickly became known as “Greater Jerusalem.” The heavily populated Palestinian areas were excluded so Israel could insure a 70-30 percent Jewish majority in the city. Most of Abu Dis remained outside.

The Palestinians had long insisted on their right to establish the capital of their future state in Israeli-occupied Arab East Jerusalem. In 2000, in the run-up to the Camp David talks that year, then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak held out what he appeared to believe was a generous offer. Instead of a capital in Jerusalem (“al-Quds” in Arabic), Israel would allow Yasir Arafat to establish the Palestinian capital in Abu Dis. Barak added, as if it were a gift, that Israel would allow the Palestinians raising their flag over the fetid, arid town to “call it al-Quds.” It was as if, in negotiations over New York City, one side offered Newark, and said “we’ll even let you call it New York.”

As the New York Times reported at the time, “Abu Dis looks like a village and, with raw sewage flowing roadside, it smells like a village. No Palestinian will ever mistake Abu Dis for Jerusalem itself. If the Israelis intend it as an alternative capital for the Palestinians state, which is what Mr. Barak seemed to be saying last week, Palestinians find this an insult, a joke and a deal-breaker.”

When Israel began construction of the separation wall in 2002, one of the first sections was built in Abu Dis. Not between Abu Dis and Jerusalem, but within Abu Dis, dividing the town in two. Suddenly students and teachers could not get to school, patients could not get to clinics, no one could go to pray in the mosques of Jerusalem. At first the wall was only eight feet high; just where the road ends today was an unofficial crossing point, where international television crews filmed old women in thobes, or traditional embroidered dresses, being half helped/half hoisted over and across the wall. Today the wall in Abu Dis, as in all of the cities of the West Bank where it snakes through Palestinian land, is eight meters–twenty-four feet–high, and no one climbs over.

In the overall scheme of Palestinian life under occupation, things in Abu Dis could certainly be worse. After all, unemployment across the West Bank is only 49 percent; in the besieged Gaza Strip it tops 79 percent. After all, people in Abu Dis can still move around inside their town (even if they can’t cross the municipal border into Jerusalem), while the 5,000 or so Palestinians of Ni’lin, near Ramallah, recently endured four days and nights of closure and curfew imposed by the Israeli military during nonviolent protests against the separation wall. After all, most people in Abu Dis can at least leave their town most of the time; Qalqilya, a city of 40,000 in the northern West Bank, has been completely encircled by the wall for several years–surrounded, with only one gate.

It could be worse. But residents of Abu Dis were prescient. The separation wall only began construction in 2002. Two years before that, when Israel handed official control of Abu Dis over to the Palestinian Authority, the move “even raised fears among residents that a border fence would be built to separate them from Jerusalem, and that they and the Palestinian people would be left with their noses pressed against the slats–so close and so far away,” as the Times put it. “’We are today closer than ever to Jerusalem,’ said Abdul Rahman al-Shamali, the muezzin who calls Muslims to prayer at one of five mosques in the conservative, religious town. ‘But to be frank, I am sad. I fear that it will end here. I fear that my heart is going to be divided. Jerusalem is my heart.’”

They were right. The Palestinians of Abu Dis, or Bethany, are no closer to Jerusalem, despite being able to see al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock from high points within their city.

And dusty, tired Abu Dis is the place where history at last, at least the fabled Silk Road part of history, comes to its end.

10-33

Houstonian Corner (V10-I33)

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Tributes to Hashmat Effendi of the House of Charity at the Pakistan Center: Attended By Senate Chairman Mian Soomro

At the grand hall of the Pakistan Center (South Dairy Ashford at Bissonnet Street in Southwest Houston) and in the presence of several elected & governmental officials and dignitaries of the community, Chairman Senate of Pakistan Mian Mohammad Soomro garlanded Hashmat Effendi for getting the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, the highest Civilian Award given by the Government of Pakistan. Tamgha-i-Imtiaz was given to her in late April 2008 by the Consul General of Pakistan Aqil Naddem at the Houston Consulate of Pakistan.

On this same occasion, Mohammad Mamsa was given special recognition shield for community service. Also young Shuaib Bombaywala was given the plaque for having contributed the minimum $25,000 towards Pakistan Center Trust Fund and as such becoming the First Life-Time Trustee of Pakistan Center.
Earlier office bearers of the Pakistani-American Association of Greater Houston (PAGH) garlanded Mian Mohammad Soomro, who gave the garland to Dr. Joseph Agris (famous plastic surgeon, who has been named by the ABC News Channel as “Angel Doctor” and he goes on missions with the House of Charity), while Hashmat Effendi gave her garland of roses to Nurse Juan of Dr. Agris.

Everyone paid rich tributes to the House of Charity and Ms. Hashmat Effendi. They included Mayor Pro-Tem City of Houston and Candidate of Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia, the City of Houston Councilperson Jolanda Jones, Consul General of Pakistan Aqil Naddem, President of PAGH Ghulam Bombaywala, Commercial Attaché of Government of Pakistan at the Houston Consulate Dr. Zia Ahmed and Chairman Senate of Pakistan Mian Mohammad Soomro. Others present on the occasion were John Healey Fort Bend County District Attorney, Michael Bonner and Robert Deardorff of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Natasha Paracha Miss Pakistan World 2008, Hashim Badat of Vice-President the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH), Dr. Asaf Qadeer of the Association of Physicians of Pakistani-Descent of North America (APPNA), Nasru Rupani of Rupani Foundation, Major Syed Hasnain Haider Principal Staff Officer to the Chairman Senate and many more.

The House of Charity’s works in help cure the burn victims in Pakistan are most commendable. With their aid, these sufferers have now been able to return to customary existence. This organization goes on numerous yearly trips to Pakistan to provide medical help to the needy children. Its mission led by resolute. Hashmat Effendi and her compassion, has been duly recognized by the Government of Pakistan. In recognition of her diligent humanitarian work, she was rightly awarded the highest Pakistani civilian award at a ceremony earlier in late April 2008 at the Consulate of Pakistan.

For more information about the House of Charity, visit http://www.houseofcharity.com/

$450,000 & Two Months to Pakistani Chair at UT

Talking with our special correspondent from his office in Colleyville, Texas, Tom Slone, owner of the Touchtone Communications, informed that $450,000 are required to be raised by October 31, 2008 to have the First Pakistani Chair at the University of Texas. He will soon be visiting various cities for this purpose.
“Temple Foundation out of Temple Texas has given a matching Grant of $500,000 towards creating a Pakistani Chair at the University of Texas by October 31, 2008. $50,000 has been further raised. We are looking for Philanthropists’ from all backgrounds, especially the Americans of Pakistani Origin, to contribute another $450,000 towards the goal of $1,000,000 for this Chair’s position. The position will be brought under the College of Business, with emphasis on International Culture and Issues Related to Cross-Cultural Trade and Business Practices”: Said Mr. Slone.

Tom Slone informed that his company Touchtone Communications founded five years hires and trains educated and motivated talent with the management skills to excel in the global market. Touchtone Communications has a large Call Center in the Evacuee Trust Complex in Islamabad, Pakistan, with more than 600 employees. Several Pakistani graduates in IT field do not get jobs after their graduation. Those graduates are trained by Touchtone Communications to provide outsourcing opportunities to clients in USA and UK.

Tom Slone, who is also one of the Board of Directors at the University of Pittsburgh, has plans to open various vocational schools nationwide in Pakistan, to refine the talent for the worldwide market. As part of this effort, he has been working with Eric Stemberg of the University of Pittsburgh and Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the University of Texas Kevin Hegarty.

“With the Aga Khan Foundation’s signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with UT in April 2008, the opportunity to further the idea of Pakistani Chair at UT has become more real”: Added Mr. Slone.

For more information, call 832-275-0786.

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More Women Want to Carpool with Obama than McCain

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By Claudia Parsons

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Women would rather carpool or go on vacation with Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama than with his Republican rival John McCain, a new poll of U.S. women voters showed on Tuesday.

The poll showed Obama holds a strong lead among all women voters but McCain polls better with white women, seniors and stay-at-home moms.

“There’s no question that Senator Obama wins the likability contest,” said pollster Kellyanne Conway, adding that those who like Obama cited his personal attributes, while those who like McCain cited his experience and qualifications.

The poll, commissioned by Lifetime Network as part of its “Every Woman Counts” campaign to engage women in politics, showed Obama leading McCain by 49 percent to 38 percent.

“The race for women is not decided yet,” said pollster Celinda Lake, noting that 10 percent were undecided.

Asked who they would prefer to carpool with, 51 percent said Obama and 31 percent picked McCain. Asked if they would rather go on a summer vacation with the Obama family or the McCain family, 49 percent picked the Obamas and 26 percent the McCains. Eighteen percent said neither.

Asked who they planned to vote for in November, Obama led in all age groups except the over-65s, where McCain led by 46 percent to 37 percent. Women were split on racial lines, with blacks picking Obama by 89 percent to 4 percent and Hispanics by 62 percent to 21 percent. White women favored McCain by 47 percent to 38 percent.

Obama, who would be the first black U.S. president, led among professionals, white collar and blue collar workers, part time workers and retired women. The only occupation category where McCain led was “stay home,” 51 percent to 34 percent.

Both candidates have been competing for supporters of New York Sen. Hillary Clinton who may be angry or disappointed at her failed bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Asked who they voted for in the primary elections or caucus, 29 percent said they voted for Obama, 15 percent for McCain and 21 percent for Clinton, who would have been the first woman president of the United States.

Of those who voted for Clinton, 76 percent said they would vote for Obama while 18 percent would vote for McCain.

Asked when they expect a woman to be elected president, 44 percent said it could happen within eight years. Three in 10 said they still believe Clinton will be the first female U.S. president, even though she lost the nomination this year.

The national poll of 500 women was conducted on July 25-29 and the margin of error was 4.4 percent.

(Editing by Michelle Nichols and David Wiessler)

McCain Slams Obama as “Celebrity” Again in New Ad

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By Andy Sullivan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate John McCain isn’t letting Paris Hilton distract him from his new line of attack — that Barack Obama is more of a celebrity than a leader.

McCain on Wednesday released a second television ad that paints Obama as a celebrity, following an earlier ad that linked his Democratic rival in the November election to tabloid staples like Hilton and Britney Spears.

The new ad avoids any mention of Hilton or other Hollywood types, but covers similar ground.

“Is the biggest celebrity in the world ready to help your family?” the ad asks, over ominous music and slow motion images of Obama appearing before an ecstatic crowd. It says an Obama presidency would lead to higher taxes and fewer jobs while McCain would create jobs and energy independence.

The Obama campaign called the ad misleading and said Obama would provide tax cuts for a greater proportion of Americans than McCain.

“Another day brings another dishonest attack from John McCain,” Obama spokesman Bill Burton said. “It’s time to retire these old policies and bring new energy to America.”

McCain’s first ad, released last week, was widely panned by pundits and denounced as cynical by Obama. McCain staffers believe the approach has helped them wrest control of the news agenda after weeks in which Obama dominated media coverage.

Hilton herself mocked the 71-year-old McCain as a “wrinkly white-haired guy” in an online video in which she jokingly declares her own candidacy and outlines a plan to reduce dependence on foreign oil.

“I want America to know that I’m, like, totally ready to lead,” says a swimsuit-clad Hilton in the video, posted Tuesday on the Web site Funny or Die.

McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said: “Paris Hilton might not be as big a celebrity as Barack Obama, but she obviously has a better energy plan.”

(Editing by David Wiessler)

Are You On the Terror Watch List?

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Good Luck Getting Off It

By Ivan Eland, Consortium News

The TSA’s “no fly” terrorism watch list contains between 400,000 and 1,000,000 names. If you’re on the list by mistake, good luck getting off of it.

After having begun a series of investigative stories criticizing the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in May 2008, CNN reporter Drew Griffin reports being placed with more than a million other names on TSA’s swollen terrorism watch list.

Although TSA insists Griffin’s name is not on the list and pooh-poohs any possibility of retaliation for Griffin’s negative reporting, the reporter has been hassled by various airlines on 11 flights since May. The airlines insist that Griffin’s name is on the list.

Congress has asked TSA to look into the tribulations of this prominent passenger.

In a recent op-ed in the Washington Post, probably responding to the controversy over Griffin, Leonard Boyle, the director of the Terrorist Screening Center, defended the watch list, claiming that because terrorists have multiple aliases, the names on the list boiled down to only about 400,000 actual people.

If there are 400,000 terrorists lying in wait to attack the United States, we are all in trouble.

But wait a minute. There has been no major terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11 — almost seven years ago. Where are all these nefarious evildoers?

Boyle says 95 percent of these people are not American citizens or legal residents and the vast majority aren’t even in the United States. He rather sheepishly defends the size of the list by writing, “Its size corresponds to the threat. It’s a big world.”

That brings up a very important issue. The U.S. government regularly tries to police the world and combat threats to other nations — in the process, usually generating more enemies.

Examining the 44 organizations on the State Department’s highly politicized list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO), one finds that only a very few currently focus their efforts on U.S. targets. And the U.S. government has even flirted with one anti-Iranian group, the Mujahedin-e Khalq, which was put on the FTO list long ago.

Similarly, the State Department’s list of five state sponsors of terrorism has included Cuba and North Korea — neither of which has actively participated in terrorist attacks in decades. These two countries continued to be on the list for other reasons — namely U.S. government aversion to them.

On its Web site, the State Department even admits that, “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) was not known to have sponsored any terrorist acts since the bombing of a Korean Airlines flight in 1987.”

The Web site also contains an implicit admission that keeping selected countries on the state sponsors list can reap ulterior political benefits for the United States. The Web site notes that under the umbrella of the Six-Party Talks, the United States intends to remove North Korea from the list as that nation takes actions toward getting rid of its nuclear weapons program.

Even the remaining three nations on the list that do sponsor terrorism — Syria, Iran and Sudan — don’t support groups that focus their attacks on the U.S. Thus, the humongous terrorist watch list for airline travel and the excessively large FTO and state sponsors lists are a few more examples of the United States taking on other nations’ security burdens.

Trying to be the “big man on (the world) campus,” however, comes at a horrendous cost to American freedom at home.

The terrorist watch list is downright unconstitutional. Under the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, no warrants shall be issued unless there is probable cause that a crime has been committed.

If the government has such probable cause that a passenger is conspiring to commit a terrorist act on an airplane, it should not hassle that person at the airport when trying to fly or ban him or her from flying; it should arrest them.

But of course the government does not have the evidence to do that for the vast majority of the 400,000 people on the watch list.

And it’s apparently not easy to get yourself off the list once you are on it. Although Boyle claims that the TSA constantly scrubs the list for possible mistaken identities of people who have frequent “encounters” with the list, even if they don’t file a complaint, Griffin uncovered an innocent passenger with a common name — James Robinson — who has complained endlessly and has received no resolution of his case.

Senator Edward Kennedy — also with a common name — experienced endless hassles and red tape trying to get his name off the list. If such a well-known figure has such problems, the average misidentified traveler is in big trouble.

And as the economists would say, what about opportunity cost to real security?

The U.S. government should spend the time it devotes to scrutinizing 400,000 people on the watch list, and the vast majority of the 44 FTOs and all of the five countries who don’t sponsor anti-U.S. terrorism, on the again rising principal threat from Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and their tens of hard-core al-Qaeda followers operating out of Pakistan.

The American public would be much safer. As the famous Prussian military ruler Fredrick the Great (and closet economist) said, “To defend everything is to defend nothing.”

Moreover, under current government policy, we have neither liberty nor security.

10-33

Pakistan, Afghanistan and India

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By Geoffrey Cook, MMNS

Oakland–August 3rd–Recently, I talked about the accusations made by the Indians and Afghanis over the possible involvement over the possibility of Rawapindi’s ISI participation in the bombing of the prior’s Embassy in Kabul.  So much information has been going over the transit that there is enough information for yet another article.  I would like to go back over the Afghan-Pak tensions since I have uncovered new information regarding the Islamic Republics of Afghanistan and Pakistan both.  India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and another conflicted nation, Iran’s Islamic Republic–all form a singular geographical neighborhood, and could be considered a topographical unit.

Many Pakistanis have come to see Washington more as an enemy than a friend.  Recently, an American missile killed eleven of their jawans!  A majority of the population perceives the American-led "War Against Terrorism" as a War Against Islam piloted by non-Muslims.  There is not only anger along the border, but in the populous areas in the South, also.  The border issue goes back to 1893 when the Durand Line was demarcated during the Raj.  The boundary essentially divides a (tribal) nation, the Pushtoons.  Competition within this divided “Nation” after its separation.  After the British left the subcontinent, the Afghanis declared this frontier null and void in 1949.  Since they had no way to enforce their declaration, it had no effect upon Islamabad although there have been boundary clashes, and several only a short time ago.  This “subnationality” of recent has given a safe haven for militants.

Both Pakistan and Afghanistan depend upon the U.S. for aid.  Thus, a rivalry between the two Islamic Republics has arisen.  Further, Pakistan fears New Delhi’s growing influence in Afghanistan.  Renegade groups of the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence), who are sympathetic, may have been involved in the bombing.  Both our FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and the Pakistanis have agreed to investigate the bombing, but The New York Times has an August 1st article that maintains that American intelligence organizations already have proof of definite ISI involvement.  This has only increased the distrust between Kabul and New Delhi as well as with Washington.  Further, two weeks ago forty-nine bombs went off in the Indian city of Ahmedabad, and a Muslim terror organization has taken credit.  Now, it should be kept in mind that Gujarat was the State where the 2001-2002 genocide against the Muslims took place. 

The anti-Islamic Narendra Modi, largely personally responsible for the terrible Gujarat pogroms against Muslims, still holds office there, unfortunately. 

Security in Bharat is presently tight, for over 500 individuals have died in such attacks nationwide over the past year.  Although of most concern, Pakistan and India have skirmished of late at the LoC (Line of Control) in contested Kashmir again!

In Pakistan, the resentment has seeped into the Middle Classes in Karachi and its hinterlands as well as well.  The people’s anger is directed against their Armed Forces and the United States’ collaboration with President (and formerly General) Musharraf. 

To many in the Central Provinces, the Pakistani Army’s War against their clannish citizens is, in actuality, America’s conflict, and Islamabad’s Armed Forces have become merely remote-controlled mercenaries.

The American Forces have been bombing Pakistani targets without warning Rawalpindi, also.

Civilians have been killed by both American and Pakistani troops on both side of the Line.  As an American critic of U.S. strategies puts it, direct attacks are counter-counter-productive:  “We should wish to win the citizens hearts and minds” instead! 

A multi-level approach is required.  In both the Pushtoon regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan, economic and infrastructural (i.e. schools) projects should be initiated.  The majority of the tribal groups in the hills do not support the Taliban in the first place!

One of the greatest problems is that the new democratically elected government in Islamabad is weak, and the national economy is suffering from the Global downturn that is only given the belligerent forces’ sympathy and support.  Although the Democratic Government has tried, they have not been able to reign in the ISI.  This puts Prime Minister Gilani’s pledge to George Bush on his visit to Washington, “We’ll fight the terrorists” in doubt! 

10-33

To Gaza by Sea

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By Susan Schwartz, MMNS

When readers of The Muslim Observer access this week’s on line edition, more than 40 courageous and daring humanitarians will be on their way from Larnaca, Cyprus across the Mediterranean to Gaza in two wooden boats. The ships, if they reach Gaza, will effectively break the siege of Gaza initiated and perpetrated by the Israelis.The activists represent many different nationalities and religious persuasions, a number are elderly, but all are united in their desire to liberate the Gaza Strip which has become the world’s largest prison. The voyage is intended to show solidarity with the people of Gaza and to draw attention to their daily suffering and to the collective punishment Israel has inflicted on them.

The trip under normal circumstances would take less than a day. The boats, the SS Free Gaza and the SS Liberty, will spend most of their time under sail to conserve fuel. Those on board are prepared to spend weeks on the ships should Israeli intransigence render it necessary.

The event has been reported since its inception in the pages of The Muslim Observer. Passengers include Hedy Epstein, an 83 year old survivor of the Holocaust; ISM activists Greta Berlin, Paul Larudee and Mary Hughes; Lauren Booth, sister-in-law of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair; Musheir El Farra, brother to Dr. Mona El Farra, the groups contact in Gaza, and an 82 year old nun, Anne Montgomery.

The purpose of the trip is multifold. Israel, when queried, contends that it does not control Gaza, but reality speaks to a different answer. Israeli naval vessels patrol the coastal waters and enforce a six mile limit to Gaza fishermen. Fishermen are constantly harassed even when they observe that limit.

The travelers are aware that four possibilities exist as they approach Gaza. One is that they will be blown up by the Israelis; second, they will stopped at some point short of Gaza and not be allowed to continue; third, they will be stopped, boarded, the travelers arrested, and the boats towed. The fourth of course is that they will be permitted to enter Gaza. The ships carry water filters and batteries for hearing aids, currently forbidden by the Israelis because of supposed dual purpose considerations. They will also carry some medicines.

The SS Free Gaza and the SS Liberty will be in international waters as they leave Cyprus, and should the Israelis attempt any interdiction, they will be guilty of impeding an international humanitarian mission.

Both boats will have 24/7 communication with the outside world.

10-33

Announcement Re: Democratic Convention

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The Muslim Observer

A representative from TMDC (Texas Muslim Democratic Caucus), Br. Syed Fayyaz Hassan, visited Michigan to provide details of the planned activities during the forthcoming 2008 Democratic National Convention (Convention) from Aug 25-Aug 28 in Denver, CO.

TMDC was approached by the Democratic National Committee to organize an American Muslim Democratic Caucus during the Convention and made available for free the Majestic Ballroom in the Tower Building, in the Sheraton Denver Hotel–only a mile from the Pepsi Center where the convention will be held.

The event will be a gala luncheon/rception honoring over 50 Muslim delegates from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM, and will be emceed by Rep. (D-MN-5th) Keith Ellison.
A host of high placed congressmen, including members of the congressional black caucus, will be in attendance.

Br. Syed Fayyaz Hassan is seeking support from Michigan Muslims and is expecting sponsorship of at least one table by 10 persons from Michigan at $1200 per table.

He will try to secure passes for the convention for those who attend the convention as sponsors, but that is not guaranteed.

If you would like to support by making a donation but cannot attend, please contact The Muslim Observer.

Please reply back indicating if you would like to personally attend the historic first American Muslim Democratic Caucus gala luncheon/reception. Dr. Nakadar has made an offer to the Michigan Muslims – if any person writes a check of $120 to The Muslim Observer, that person would get one year’s subscription to the weekly newspaper and also get the AMDC gala luncheon ticket.

Please write a check to The Muslim Observer or AMDC and mail to TMO, 29004 W. Eight Mile Road, Farmington, MI 48336.

10-33

Malik Begins Hunger Strike, Protests in Srinagar

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By IANS

Srinagar : Pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik Tuesday began an indefinite fast here against alleged harassment of Muslims in parts of Jammu and “economic blockade against the Kashmir Valley”.

Malik began his fast near the JKLF headquarters at Maisuma where a 22-year-old protester died Monday when a tear smoke shell fired by the police hit him in the chest.

2008-08-04T140459Z_01_SRI22_RTRMDNP_3_KASHMIR-PROTESTS

Kashmiri people carry a coffin containing the body of a youth during his funeral in Srinagar August 4, 2008.       

REUTERS/Danish Ismail

The JKLF chairman Monday said he was concerned over the continuing violence in Jammu and alleged that the “administration was hand in glove with extremist elements”.

As Malik began his fast, parts of the summer capital of the state witnessed violent protests against the killing of the youth.

the police fired scores of tear smoke shells and resorted to repeated baton charges to quell violence in Maisuma, city centre Lal Chowk, Bohri Kadal, Hawal, Khanayar and Munwarabad in the old city.

Shouting anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and pro-freedom slogans, Kashmir’s bar association took out a procession here Tuesday afternoon.

Groups of youths also took out processions in parts of the uptown and old city areas.

Shops remained closed in most parts of Srinagar where police and paramilitary forces have been deployed in strength.

A report from south Kashmir Pulwama town said groups of stone pelting youths forced closure of shops and traffic in the town this morning.

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Malaysia’s Anwar to Be Prosecuted for Sodomy

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2008-08-06T104220Z_01_BAZ04_RTRMDNP_3_MALAYSIA-ANWAR

Malaysia’s opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim and wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail pose after a news conference in Petaling Jaya outside Kuala Lumpur August 6, 2008. Anwar is to be charged Thursday and his lawyers said he would be prosecuted under the country’s sodomy laws, potentially derailing his return to parliament.

REUTERS/Stringer

By David Chance and Jalil Hamid

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia’s best known opposition politician Anwar Ibrahim is to be charged with sodomy on Thursday, potentially derailing his return to parliament and his plans to push the government out of office.

Anwar, who had hoped to win a parliamentary seat at a by-election on August 26, denies allegations he had sex with a male aide and says they are aimed at derailing his political comeback in which he has promised economic reforms.

Malaysian police said in a statement issued on Wednesday that prosecutors had decided to prosecute Anwar for “carnal intercourse against the order of nature.”

A 23-year-old man has said that Anwar, 60, had sex with him on several occasions, something which is illegal in Malaysia. If found guilty, Anwar could spend up to 20 years in jail, effectively ending his political ambitions.

“I will be charged with sodomy,” Anwar told Reuters.

“This is a lie,” he told a press conference after the summons was issued. “The government’s institutions are being used and clearly the decision was made under the personal directive of the prime minister.”

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, however, rejected Anwar’s accusations.

“How could I insist that he be charged. If there is no evidence, the police are not stupid to charge. It is up to them to decide,” he told reporters.

News of the court appearance came just an hour after Malaysia’s Election Commission set a date for a by-election in a parliamentary constituency vacated by Anwar’s wife.

Anwar, who was once deputy prime minister, has only been allowed to seek elected office since April after he was barred from parliament in 1999 following convictions for corruption and sodomy.

The latter conviction was overturned, but he served a jail term until 2004 on the corruption charge.

Anwar said that regardless of the prosecution he would stand in the by-election, which would be a step towards leading the opposition coalition in a parliamentary vote in which he is seeking to oust the UMNO-led government by Sept 16.

“Whether I am denied bail or not, the campaign will continue,” Anwar said.

Anwar won the seat, Permatang Pauh seat in the northern state of Penang, in 1995 with a 20,000 majority when he stood as a government candidate.

“At this moment, Anwar has the upper hand in the campaign as everyone expects him to win,” said James Chin, professor of political science at Monash University Malaysia Campus. “But the Barisan (ruling coalition) strategy is to throw as much dirt as possible during the campaign, so that even if he wins, he will win with some tainted allegations.”

In elections in March, the opposition alliance won power in five of Malaysia’s 13 states and deprived the government of its traditional two-thirds majority in parliament, due in part to popular anger over rising prices.

Anwar has said he is sure he can get 30 MPs from the ruling party to support his move to become prime minister in a confidence vote he wants to force next month.

“We believe that a transition of sorts has begun (in Malaysia), but it is unclear how quickly things will change, or even the degree of change that will take place,” said James McCormack of Fitch Ratings in an emailed response to a question.

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Reply to Dr. Yomlu

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Editor Muslim Observer

Dear sir,

I thank Dr. Yomlu for reading and taking interest in our articles and for his remarks  published in Muslim Observer on July 26 2008. The main thrust of Dr. Yomlu’s letter, as I  see it, is to prove that the Theory of Evolution is not a scientific theory, rather it is just a belief. No sir, this theory is as sound as the theory of gravity, theory of continental drift or the theory of relativity.  When Charles Darwin proposed the Theory of Evolution, he almost did so in total ignorance of the disciplines we now know as genetics, cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, geology and paleontology. These branches of science have now gathered enormous amount of data  that clearly support the Theory of Evolution. No scientific theory has been tested  so thoroughly as the the theory of evolution by thousands of brilliant scientists all over the world.

Dr. Yomlu have discussed about the randomness or disorder in nature, he believes  every thing in nature is predetermined or in the state of order. His assertion that there is no natural mechanism to produce ordered life from disordered chemicals  is simply not true. The unique chemistry of carbon atoms makes it possible for these atoms to use free energy ( photons from the sun) to break and re-form chemical bonds and thus form long chains organic compounds; the genesis of  chemical basis of life, the first cell. Nothing mysterious about this, it is  simply a consequence of the laws of Chemistry and Physics (Made by God) as they apply to the atoms of carbon. These laws   that govern the formation of biological molecules are the same  that govern the formation of any other carbon compound.  

Deep down in the ocean floor  where there is no sun light, a special kind of bacteria has evolved which  drives the energy from hydrogen sulfide coming out of very hot vent (350c) and supports whole bunch of life. There is no photosynthesis going on at such a dark and deep ocean floor. This is a very recent discovery, which stunned the scientific community, because no body ever  thought that life can exist without the aid of photosynthesis and in such an inhospitable  environment. Dr. Yomlu should understand that life can evolve  even in the harshest condition if the source of energy and water is present, no matter, whether the source of energy is coming  from  a  highly toxic gas, like hydrogen sulfide.

Dr. Yomlu express the sense of surprise to see the verses from Qur’an in one of our article. I say, why not? Qur’an strongly commands the believers to use his or her God given intelligence to understand the universe, its elements and the surroundings. The Qur’an says: Say: Travel in the earth , then behold how Allah originated creation, then He produces a later creation: for Allah has power over all thing. (Qur’an 29:20) There are other verses in the Qur,an which is clearly pointing towards evolution.

By the end of his long letter Dr.Yomlu is suggesting the reader to purchase his book for more detail discussion, and I did. I don’t want make any comment about his book, but   I shall  have some remark about one chapter of his book, in which he has proposed a new theory of evolution based on quantum mechanics. He says, and I quote: I am going to assume that: Species exist as a wave in blueprints, and as the wave collapses corresponding to a species, the species appears on this earth as a result. Included in this scenario are the first cell. microbes, plants, dinosaurs, ape and yes, even humans. As the waves collapsed (decohered) in virtual world they appeared here in the real world. It is like the scene in the TV show of Star Track, the captain is saying “Beam me up, Scotty”. He further says: We can imagine each human organ such as heart, liver, kidney , brain and eyes are all available in the form of waves. Then the master plan assembles them to produce a human being.             

This is the abstract of Dr. Yomlu’s New Theory of Evolution. Well, I could not figure out the head or the tale of  his theory. I don’t understand why he is still using the word ‘evolution’ which he has condemned so much in his book  ; he should have used the title  ‘Wave Theory of Creation’ to present his  bizarre  idea, which he says based on true science.  

Aslamsyed1@yahoo.com

Re: Crimes of Individual Muslims

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Regarding the editorial which appeared in Vol 30, Issue 30, p. 5, “Living with the Crimes of Individual Muslims”

I commend Dr. Aslam for this editorial. Especially in cases of domestic abuse, we should rely on the expertise of social services. I have served on a masjid board. When a case of domestic abuse occurred, we (men) all knew the husband, which is a source of bias, and of course none of us had any training in social work. I think we mishandled the situation by not encouraging the wife to seek social service help and make sure she was not under any coercion in whatever decision she was to end up making.

Wassalaam

Ayman Fadel

3503 Lost Tree LN; Augusta, GA 30907; aymanfadel@comcast.net; (706) 284-3002; http://muslimmediareview.blogspot.com

Jackhammers

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ibntufail

A pneumatic drill or jackhammer is a portable percussive drill powered by compressed air. It is used to drill rock, break up pavement, and more. It works like a hammer and chisel, by jabbing with its bit, not rotating.

A drill driven by compressed air, which rotates its cutting bit is called an air-drill or familiarly, a windy-drill or rotary hammer.

The word jackhammer is used in North American English and in Australia, and pneumatic drill is used colloquially elsewhere in the English speaking world, although the word (road) “breaker” is used in the trade.

The portable pneumatic jackhammer is impractical for use on walls and steep slopes, as it relies on the inertia of the mass of its body to drive the bit into the work, and manipulating that mass when not supported by the work is difficult. Also, gravity is required to bring the mass back into contact with the work after each blow. Though it is unhealthy practice, the operator may lean on the tool to assist but is not really capable of overcoming the forces involved when not assisted by gravity. A technique developed by experienced laborers is the use of two man teams to overcome this obstacle of gravity. One laborer operates the hammer and the second assists by holding the hammer either on his shoulders or cradled in his arms. Both use their combined weight to push the bit into the workface. This method is commonly referred to as horizontal jackhammering. Another method is overhead jackhammering, requiring strength conditioning and endurance to hold a smaller jackhammer, called a rivet buster, over ones head.

Its pneumatic hose connections are designed so that any hose will connect with any other hose without attention to male and female hose-ends. see Gender of connectors and fasteners.A hydraulic jackhammer, much larger than portable ones, may be fitted to mechanical excavators or backhoes and is widely used for roadwork, quarrying and general demolition or construction groundwork. In mining, it is possible to use this against a vertical wall as the machine can be braced against the opposite wall of the gallery or some comparable device. Pneumatic tools are likely to be used in underground coal mines due to safety concerns.

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