By Tariq Choudry-Florida

It was in the summer of 2007, some academics, professionals and community members met to review the prevalent misconcepts about educational status of Muslims in the US and to assess academic performance of the next generation of Muslims in the US. The starting point of discussion was the 2006 survey conducted by CAIR (American Muslim Voters, A demographic Profile and Survey of Attitudes) which amongst other things, stated that 62% of Muslims in the US had at least a bachelors degree. However, it was felt that this assessment may be true for the 1st generation of American Muslim’s, who for the most part, had obtained their first degrees overseas and had migrated to the US in pursuit of higher education or economic goals. All were in agreement; the same assessment can not be categorically made about the 2nd generation of Muslim Americans as well as the Afro American Muslims, who form the bulk of the Muslim presence in the US. There was preponderance of anecdotal evidence suggesting that for every one, 2nd generation academically high achieving Muslim student; there were at least another 19 who were not meeting their full academic potentials.

If this evidence was correct, all participants to these discussions agreed, that there will be serious consequences for the Muslims presence, not only nationally, but also globally. Lacking credible academic achievements, in a challenging and highly competitive economic ambient, such as now a days, the next generation of Muslims will end up being either underemployed or even unemployed, with serious social and economic repercussions not only for the society at large, for the Muslim community, the family but most importantly, for the individuals themselves.  This scenario, if it was to materialize, would result in dangerous marginalization of Muslim presence in the US, economically, socially and politically.  Lack of parental awareness and apathy, majority of whom were educated overseas and without direct exposure to the US’s educational system, lack of students awareness and motivation, lack of community focus and sensitivity towards excellence in education and above all, lack of awareness of the significance of achieving higher standards in education were all seen as the root causes of this dismal performance of the young Muslim Americans.

This group of Muslim Academics, professionals and the community leaders felt reminded by the blessed Qur’an, in  Surah Raa’d ( V. 11), where in Allah (SWT) tells the believers,

“Verily, never will Allah change the   condition of a people until they change it  themselves”

So rather then burying their heads like the proverbial ostrich i.e. leave the things as they are, or to recognize the problem, but being too busy with other ‘good’ things in life, this group of academics, professionals and community members decided to consult and organize other like-minded community members, those who care to understand the nature and extent of the problem Strategize and devise practical solutions.

This effort led to the formation of Excellence in Education Initiative (EEI) in Central Florida in spring of 2008.  EEI organized its 1st Annual “Recognizing and Rewarding” reception to honor and to motivate the graduating Muslim High School seniors (Class of 2008) on behalf of the Muslim Community of Central Florida which was a success. Graduating seniors were given general recognition and cash rewards and there were also recognition and higher rewards for super achievers, students who were declared as Valedictorians, or those who achieved the highest SAT scores, or the highest accumulative GPA,  or the most improved GPA from junior year to senior year.  EEI also announced the launching of their 2nd component of the program i.e. SAT Workshop and Chemistry tutoring, starting in Oct 2008, at the end of Ramadhan.

To continue this noble  and in many ways, ground breaking initiative for the Muslim Communities across North America, EEI will be holding the 2nd Annual “Recognition and Rewarding” reception for the Class of 2009, on 7th June, 2009 at  the University of Central Florida (UCF).  This event will also provide recognition and rewards to the high school students who participated in the EEI organized SAT I workshop and the Chemistry tutorials

The fundraiser for this event was held on 16th April, 2009 at the Muslim Academy of Greater Orlando (MAGO). The occasion was held to raise funds for the event and to raise awareness among parents, community members and student body to encourage and participate in the program.

Although it was a successful event in which many parents were present and showed their support, however, not as many general body members of the community at large participated, which remains a matter of deep concern.   The whole idea of EEI is to prepare Muslim students for the highly competitive and important SAT examination which holds the key to a student’s future and defines the path towards success and failure.

The members of EEI are highly educated, genuinely dedicated professionals and academia deeply concerned about the wellbeing of the community’s growing next generation.  As was stated by Br. Asif Javed, representing the general feeling of the EEI members, theirs is labor of love, where the EEI team of academics and professionals, devote immense amount of their personal time and financial resources voluntarily to enable our next generation to successfully compete in a highly competitive educational world. Academic success of the next generation of Muslim Americans will be the defining moment of the Muslims presence in the US for generations to come. If the next generation of Muslims grow up to be highly motivated, committed and confident Muslims, coupled with attainment of highest possible academic and professional standards, the Muslim Americans will be able to play their role mandated by Allah (SWT) Himself, in the blessed Quran, i.e. to be the leaders of the nations.

In his opening remarks at the Fundraiser, Br. Asif Javed, representing the EEI board, noted, “if we are to maintain a position wherein Muslims can have social, economical and political impacts on the larger society in the US, our next generation must be given all the tools, encouragement and motivations towards academic success, then as a community, we must invest in and support programs such as the EEI program and we must not turn away from it”.  He continued to note, other ethnic and minority groups have devoted enormous time, resources and have produced quality teaching environment for their next generations and have furnished them with tools and techniques needed to compete and succeed in academic challenges.  Dr. Nakadar, the visiting host, also stressed the facts about learning and importance of higher education.  He also encouraged parents to participate in these types of activities and encouraged others to participate vehemently to promote this worthy cause.&nb sp; All children’s are alike and their should be no distinction whether someone’s children attend the EEI supplemental tutoring or not is beside the point.  The purpose must be to keep this program of high value at the top of everyone’s agenda because of its sheer intent and strategic objectives, which are worthy of devotion and promotion by all sincere Muslims.

Content and narration edited and approved by Br. Asif Javed, Florida.

11-23

By Dr. Mohamed Elmasry, The Canadian Charger

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (R) reviews a U.S made tank with Lebanese Defence Minister Elias al-Murr during a ceremony to review U.S. Military weapons donated to the Lebanese army at Beirut international airport May 22, 2009.                     REUTERS/ Jamal Saidi

On May 22, Vice-President Joseph Biden arrived in Lebanon for a seven-hour visit just two weeks before the parliamentary elections on June 7.

On that same day, The Canadian Charger published my editorial “Hezbollah Lebanon’s Next Government? Very likely!” in which I showed that the rank of a U.S. envoy to a developing country is directly proportional to the urgency of sabotaging that country’s popular will. Biden is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit that country in more than 25 years, so this visit is of the utmost urgency!

The possibility of a national coalition of political parties, including Hezbollah, replacing the pro-U.S. government is indeed real, so the U.S. is trying to blackmail Lebanese voters into not voting for Hezbollah candidates. As Biden said: “We will evaluate the shape of our assistance programs based on the shape of the new government.”

The U.S. has committed some $400 million in military and security assistance to Lebanon since 2006 as a result of Israel’s aggression, but an opposition victory would put an end to it. For what it’s worth, this aid is next to useless because the U.S. makes sure that the Lebanese army is not capable of defending against an Israeli attack.

Because Biden cannot publicly state that he’s been sent to meddle in Lebanon’s elections, he offered up this lie for public consumption: “I do not come here to back any particular party or any particular person. I came to back certain principles [like Lebanon’s sovereignty and independence.]”

The trouble with Biden is that, like all U.S. politicians, he thinks that the leaders and people of developing countries are less intelligent than Americans.

The government lies to both, but somehow it thinks the people of developing countries are more likely to believe them. These people may be poor, but they aren’t stupid. As I noted in my coincidental editorial:

“Following Israel’s war with Lebanon in the summer of 2006, there was an 18- month political deadlock in nominating a president. Without a president, fears of a return to civil war were real. At the time, I happened to be having dinner with some Lebanese journalists, and I said to them:

‘Every time when I thought your leaders are about to reach an agreement, they fail and go back to square one. I am disappointed. I know many Lebanese. They are smart and are politically savvy. What is going on?’ Their answer was clear:

‘The U.S. sends its envoy as soon as the different parties are close to a solution to sabotage it. The closer the different parties are to a solution the higher the rank of that envoy.’”

If these Lebanese journalists were right in their analysis and given the fact that the U.S. had sent the Secretary of State to Lebanon, then the U.S. strongly feels that the current opposition including Hezbollah will become the majority and form the next government.

All that’s left is for Obama to show up before or after his visit to Egypt on June 4 to send a last message to the Lebanese voters: “The U.S. respects your democratic rights but vote for those who we would like.”

Would he show up in Lebanon three days before the election? Bet on it!

Dr Mohamed Elmasry is Professor Emeritus of Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo; Founder, The Canadian Islamic Congress; and member, editorial board, The Canadian Charger. He can be reached at elmasry@thecanadiancharger.com

11-23

By Donna Abu-Nasr, AP

RIYADH: Sukaina al-Zayer is an unlikely beauty queen hopeful. She covers her face and body in black robes and an Islamic veil, so no one can tell what she looks like. She also admits she’s a little on the plump side.

But at Saudi Arabia’s only beauty pageant, the judges don’t care about a perfect figure or face. What they’re looking for in the quest for “Miss Beautiful Morals” is the contestant who shows the most devotion and respect for her parents.

“The idea of the pageant is to measure the contestants’ commitment to Islamic morals… It’s an alternative to the calls for decadence in the other beauty contests that only take into account a woman’s body and looks,” said pageant founder Khadra al-Mubarak.

“The winner won’t necessarily be pretty,” she added. “We care about the beauty of the soul and the morals.”

So after the pageant opens Saturday, the nearly 200 contestants will spend the next 10 weeks attending classes and being quizzed on themes including “Discovering your inner strength,” “The making of leaders” and “Mom, paradise is at your feet”—a saying attributed to Islam’s Prophet Muhammad to underline that respect for parents is among the faith’s most important tenets.

Pageant hopefuls will also spend a day at a country house with their mothers, where they will be observed by female judges and graded on how they interact with their mothers, al-Mubarak said. Since the pageant is not televised and no men are involved, contestants can take off the veils and black figure-hiding abayas they always wear in public.

The Miss Beautiful Morals pageant is the latest example of conservative Muslims co-opting Western-style formats to spread their message in the face of the onslaught of foreign influences flooding the region through the Internet and satellite television.

A newly created Islamic music channel owned by an Egyptian businessman aired an “American Idol”-style contest for religious-themed singers this month. And several Muslim preachers have become talk-show celebrities by adopting an informal, almost Oprah-like television style, in contrast to the solemn clerics who traditionally appear in the media.

Now in its second year, the number of pageant contestants has nearly tripled from the 75 women who participated in 2008. The pageant is open to women between 15 and 25. The winner and two runners up will be announced in July, with the queen taking home $2,600 and other prizes. The runners up get $1,300 each.

Last year’s winner, Zahra al-Shurafa, said the contest gives an incentive to young women and teens to show more consideration toward their parents.

“I tell this year’s contestants that winning is not important,” said al-Shurafa, a 21-year-old English major. “What is important is obeying your parents.”

There are few beauty pageants in the largely conservative Arab world. The most dazzling is in Lebanon, the region’s most liberal country, where contestants appear on TV in one-piece swimsuits and glamorous evening gowns and answer questions that test their confidence and general knowledge.

There are no such displays in ultra-strict Saudi Arabia, where until Miss Beautiful Morals was inaugurated last year, the only pageants were for goats, sheep, camels and other animals, aimed at encouraging livestock breeding.

This year’s event kicks off Saturday in the mainly Shiite Muslim town of Safwa, and mostly draws local Shiite contestants. But it’s open to anyone—and this year, 15 Sunni Muslims are participating, al-Mubarak said. “This is a beautiful thing,” she added.

There have long been tensions between the two sects in the kingdom. Hard-liners in the Sunni majority consider Shiites infidels, and the Shiites often complain of discrimination and greater levels of poverty.

Al-Zayer, a 24-year-old international management student, said she signed up because she is the “spitting image” of her mother. “I’m proud of my devotion to my parents,” she said.

What does she think of Lebanon’s beauty contests?

“It’s a matter of cultural differences,” she said. “In Saudi Arabia, they are Islamically unacceptable.”

Awsaf al-Mislim, another contestant, said if she does not win the crown, she will have won something more important.

“I will be proud to show everyone that I competed with the others over my devotion to my parents,” the 24-year-old said.

11-23

By Bob Wood, MMNS

Last week, an acquaintance of mine, one who’s fairly well versed on the financial markets, asked me why the fundamentals of our economy aren’t being considered by investors who seem bent on piling their money into a rising stock market. I told him that as far as I could tell, the state of our economy doesn’t seem to be much of a concern to the ones doing the buying. So how can you use that information to appropriately allocate your savings in the markets?

Perhaps a better question to ask is whether you should consider that point or not. Let’s face it, when investors ignore the basic tenets of investing success, it’s no longer investing; it’s gambling. The dynamic that we’re seeing at work is scarcely discussed in classic investment texts. Today’s investors are simply betting on which stocks will rise the most, a replay of the 2003 “beta trade” when shares that exhibited the most violent price swings were the most sought-after.

This has nothing to do with investing for the long run as advocated by famed investor Warren Buffett. You can throw out all of those old Peter Lynch books, too. Today’s market environment bears little resemblance to those quaint old days when basic investing fundamentals were considered meaningful.

I’m sure you know which important fundamental considerations the old school investors emphasized when deciding which risky assets to purchase for their portfolios. For most of us, valuation would obviously top the list. After all, it’s what you initially pay for an investment that determines how much, if anything, you’ll make over time.

Oddly, today’s investors appear oblivious to the historically high average price-to-earnings ratios posted for the major averages. In my latest copy of Barron’s, which is read by most investors, the P/E for the S&P 500 is listed at 122, and the Dow is selling at 41 times earnings. Does that look cheap to you?

Of course, the people promoting stocks and mutual funds tell us to ignore those numbers since they represent trailing earnings, including lots of bad stuff like massive balance sheet losses by the banks, insurance companies, and automakers. They ask you to accept on faith that earnings will rebound strongly, and based on their best guesses for operating earnings minus the bad stuff, stocks look cheap.

Is that rationale good enough for you to risk your savings? If you said yes, perhaps you should go lie down and take a nice nap until you regain a little clarity. First, operating earnings disregard meaningful events sometimes classified as “one-time losses.” Exactly how many “one-time losses” has General Motors declared over the past five years?

Those earnings estimates are also based on optimistic assumptions about the health of our economy. We hear that every year, though, don’t we? We were told that the housing mess would be contained, and to expect nothing worse than a soft landing in home prices. We were also assured that the economy wouldn’t sink into recession territory. Now that we’re about 18 months from the officially recognized beginning of the current downturn, can you think of any reason to listen to today’s rosy predictions? From the same people that fed us that nonsense a couple of years ago?

When the price of oil began falling from its old highs of about $145 per barrel, we were assured that the decrease would be a good thing for both the economy and corporate profits. That didn’t happen, either. Profits are in the tank, and GDP numbers are far worse than anyone suggested they might be a year ago. And now the price of energy is again on the rise, but no recommendations on how an already struggling economy might adapt to higher fuel costs appear forthcoming.
The jobs market is worse than anyone predicted a year or two ago, and continues to offer fresh rounds of bad news each week. This trend is important, since it suggests consumer spending won’t rebound (in any meaningful way) any time soon. Shouldn’t that have an impact on corporate profits and those high P/E ratios for the major averages? Yes, it should, but it doesn’t.

California, our largest state, is now bankrupt, and hoping to borrow billions of dollars despite a credit rating that’s already the lowest of any state, meaning their costs to borrow money are rising and constraining economic activity. Given California’s size, and the amount of economic activity usually observed there, shouldn’t that make us more bearish than bullish?

Again, those and many other fundamentals of our economy suggest that stocks are still overvalued and poised for a nasty meeting with reality. Of course, by the time you read this, the big Spring rally of 2009 may have ended under the weight of worsening news about our economy.

And that’s what secular bear markets are all about. Once the economy spots trouble, stock prices fall (some by significant amounts,) and then the promoters work their hardest to convince us that the worst is over, and that we’ll miss the big rebound if we don’t buy at the day’s low prices. Then reality sets in again and share prices fall, and on and on it goes.

Stock rallies fail, and investors grow frustrated enough to sell and raise cash, just in time for the next bull cycle to begin. This has much to do with the relatively small number of investors who’ve managed to make money investing in stocks, even in long-running bull markets!

So what should you do if you remain committed to your investments? I ask myself that very question at times like these, knowing that it’s my job to aim for growth and profits in any and all market cycles. And while I can easily tell you what I’m doing personally, that doesn’t mean you should follow my lead.

Remember that with the markets, you are ultimately on your own. Everyone on the other side of your trades is after your money, and the best managers will, in time, get it. In secular bear markets, individual investors pay to play. And since I’ve already established that this is not an investor’s market, it must therefore be a gambler’s market, and you aren’t investing, you’re playing.

You already read in this space a few weeks back that I have gotten out of the domestic markets on both the long and short sides. I just don’t want to have anything to do with a market that’s dominated by gamblers and short-term traders, especially given the horrific fundamentals of our economy.

This strategy is working out quite well, as foreign and emerging markets are outperforming the domestic markets by a very wide margin. And while I’m enthusiastic about the prospects for the foreign markets to continue proving themselves the most profitable to invest in, I’m still concerned about a potentially large drop in the domestic markets that might drag all markets lower in sympathy.

So I’ve been adding cash to all of my managed accounts like never before. My target allocation is to hold roughly half of each portfolio’s assets in cash, with the usual allocation, about 15% in gold shares, a small allocation in energy shares, and the rest in foreign shares. Those long side allocations are hedged against downside market movements with small share amounts in inverse index funds for those foreign markets, leaving me with only about a 30% exposure to upside potential.

In this type of market environment, there’s little reason to think that a sustainable move higher is in the cards. It’s the worst of times for investors, and caution is well warranted. There will surely be better times in the future, and it’s important that you’re around to participate. That means preserving your capital until then, and holding plenty of cash is the safest way to get there. If you’re going to pay to play, don’t pay much. It just isn’t worth the risk of being taken out of the markets when a real rally ensues.

Have a great week.
Bob

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

11-23

TMO Stringer

Farmington–May 27–Imam El-Amin announced last Thursday evening that he is running for Detroit City Council.  This is another indication of a growing trend–the silver lining that followed the years of difficulty after 9/11–of Muslims seeking political office to remedy the lack of political clout that Muslims feel in the US.

In an email press release titled “My Plan for Detroit,” Imam El-Amin explained his vision for Detroit’s future. 

A long-time columnist who helped found The Muslim Observer, Imam El-Amin is a strong voice of conviction, conscience, and principle who has an ability to cross cultural and religious lines in order to sow the seeds of peace–with Christians, Jews, and Muslims, with Americans and Africans. 

His own mosque reflects this uniquely, as it is a crossroads frequented by people from the African American community and also the African Gambian community, not to mention people from many other ethnicities, including Malaysians, white Americans, Indians, Pakistanis, and Arabs. 

This is no accident–Imam El-Amin has made a deliberate and conscious effort over decades to reach out to different communities of peoople.  You may find him at his mosque, warmly welcoming the many partners he has found with whom to build peace in the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities.  He has also accomplished much within his own community–not least among his accomplishments are the mosque he has helped to put into place, the Muslim Center of Detroit on Davison Hwy.

Speaking of his own candidacy he shows the confidence of a successful candidate, “we’re going to win, but I need a lot of help.”

Following is the press release which announces his candidacy:

Announcement of Candidacy

“Making Detroit Great…Again

“Never doubt that a small, group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

– Margaret Mead

In times of hardship, it is easy for people to lose hope, to feel that all good is gone.  Detroit is on hard times but we are not lost, and we are not out of the game.   Our city is blessed to have thoughtful, committed citizens who are willing to work hard and tirelessly to see our community improved.   I am running for City Council because I am committed to putting in the time and hard work necessary to realize the true revitalization of the City of Detroit.  As your councilman, there are several things I feel are vital for this to occur.  Below is a partial list.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts and to working together to formulate a full plan.   Together, we can make Detroit great… again!

DETROIT “VILLAGES”

o    Rebuild a “village” mentality where neighbors look out for each other’s well being and property.  
o    Support the construction of new Neighborhood Block Clubs throughout the city.
o    Strengthen existing block clubs by linking with funders to provide “mini-grants” for clean ups and other neighborhood projects

    DETROIT JEWELS

o    Detroit’s image has been tarnished throughout America.  We need to bring attention to our Detroit Jewels like Eastern Market, Greektown, our beautiful Waterfront, Auto Show and Historic homes to improve our image and increase tourism.
o    When we repair our image, we will be able to increase international and regional support for investment in the City of Detroit

    WORK FOR DETROIT, LIVE IN DETROIT

o    Each person that is paid by Detroit tax dollars should live in Detroit.  I will work to create legislation that would require city residency for police, firemen, political appointees, and other city employees.   We must begin to infuse good peoples back into our neighborhoods and that begins with our employees.

    CLEAN SWEEP

o    Take a strong stand against littering and illegal dumping in the City of Detroit.   If you litter, you are ticketed.  If you dump, you are heavily fined and prosecuted.  We will not tolerate the denigration of our community.  Increase requirement for visible community service for breaking the laws of littering and illegal dumping in the City of Detroit
o    Encourage neighborhoods to organize regular neighborhood cleanups
o    Provide cleaning supplies for those who engage in cleanups.

    DETROIT BUSINESSES GET DETROIT CONTRACTS

o    Detroit businesses should be given priority for contractual work with the city.  Choosing to locate your business within the City of Detroit is a plus for our community.  Those who invest in Detroit should reap the benefits first.
o    Encourage Detroit residents to enter into small business entrepreneurial ventures such as grass cutting, snow plowing, plumbing, drywall installation, etc.
By implementing this basic plan, our pride in the city will be enhanced.    When people are prideful, they think twice about denigrating or allowing others to denigrate it!

THANK YOU AND VOTE FOR EL-AMIN

Leadership with Integrity for Detroit’s Future!

11-23

CT school district considers Muslim holidays

PROSPECT, CT–A Connecticut school district is considering a proposal to close schools on two Muslim holidays. The Region 16 Board of Education is expected to take up the Student Council’s proposal this week.

The board represents the towns of Prospect and Beacon Falls, Conn. The resolution asks the board not to hold classes on Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha.

Jewish-Muslim Interfaith Directory Launches to Foster Dialogue

New York, NY — JewishMuslimDirectory.org today announced the launch of an online interfaith directory to facilitate dialogue between Jewish and Muslim communities in the United States. The website’s central feature is a comprehensive directory of organizations and individuals involved in interfaith dialogue across the country.

The site’s founders, members of both the Muslim and Jewish faiths, were spurred to create a comprehensive directory of interfaith organizations after successfully engaging in dialogue activities during their time as students at the University of Pennsylvania. Struggling to match the depth and frequency of engagement outside of their university experience, the founders saw the need for a single site that could direct interested parties to appropriate groups across the country.

“By cataloging many of the organizations approaching the interfaith space, JewishMuslimDirectory.org hopes to increase access to interreligious and intercultural organizations across the country” said Samir Malik, the site’s co-founder and a former president of the University of Pennsylvania’s Muslim Students’ Association. “Interfaith works. As students, we were surrounded by open-minded peers immersed in a culture of isolation and self-segregation. By taking steps to bridge the gap between the Jewish and Muslim communities at Penn, we helped to foster an environment of dialogue and mutual respect” Malik said.

Aiming to extend those efforts beyond the college environment, JewishMuslimDirectory.org allows visitors to search for organizations and share feedback about successful programming with other users. Intended as user friendly and participatory, users can add organizations to the directory by submitting contact information through a simple web interface.

“Though the site is primarily a tool for finding relevant organizations nearby, it is also a forum for exchanging ideas” said co-founder Sam Adelsberg, who also leads LendForPeace.org. “We actively encourage visitors to add and update their organization information and to participate in constructive discussion about successful interfaith programming” he said.

With this launch, JewishMuslimDirectory.org hopes to contribute to the broader effort of improving relations between the United States’ Muslim and Jewish communities.

Islamic college proposed in Berkeley

The proposed Zaytuna College would be a first: a four-year, accredited, Islamic college in the United States.

“Part of the process of indigenizing Islam in America is for the community to begin to develop its own leadership from inside the country, develop its own scholars,” said Hatem Bazian, chair of the management board for Zaytuna College and a senior lecturer of Near Eastern studies at the University of California at Berkeley.

“There is a growing need in the Muslim community to provide a variety of trained specialists to fulfill a growing and diverse community infrastructure and institutional framework,” Bazian said — to work as imams, as chaplains, or within the growing network of Islamic non-profit organizations. Currently, Bazian said, American students who seek a high-level Islamic education must study in the Muslim world.

The proposed college would be built out of an existing institute with significant influence in the Islamic community. The Zaytuna Institute and Academy, an Islamic educational institute founded in 1996, is transitioning into Zaytuna College; the Berkeley-based institute already offers classes, but not for university credit.

Interfaith ride of discovery in New Jersey

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ–Adherents of the Christian, Muslim, and Jewish faiths in New Jersey went on an innovative ride last week–a ride of discovery.

The participants in the May 17 Interfaith Ride of Discovery traveled from Temple B’nai Shalom in East Brunswick to St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in East Brunswick and ended at the Islamic Society of Central Jersey in Monmouth Junction.

Many participants rode together in buses draped with large banners bearing a star of David, a crescent, and a cross.

The event was the result of an initiative proposed last year by Rep. Rush Holt (D-Dist. 12), whose district includes parts of Monmouth, Middlesex, and Mercer counties.

11-23

‘Work for us or we will say you are a terrorist’

By Robert Verkaik, Law Editor, Independent UK

Five Muslim community workers have accused MI5 of waging a campaign of blackmail and harassment in an attempt to recruit them as informants.

The men claim they were given a choice of working for the Security Service or face detention and harassment in the UK and overseas.

They have made official complaints to the police, to the body which oversees the work of the Security Service and to their local MP Frank Dobson. Now they have decided to speak publicly about their experiences in the hope that publicity will stop similar tactics being used in the future.

Intelligence gathered by informers is crucial to stopping further terror outrages, but the men’s allegations raise concerns about the coercion of young Muslim men by the Security Service and the damage this does to the gathering of information in the future.

Three of the men say they were detained at foreign airports on the orders of MI5 after leaving Britain on family holidays last year.

After they were sent back to the UK, they were interviewed by MI5 officers who, they say, falsely accused them of links to Islamic extremism. On each occasion the agents said they would lift the travel restrictions and threat of detention in return for their co-operation. When the men refused some of them received what they say were intimidating phone calls and threats.

Two other Muslim men say they were approached by MI5 at their homes after police officers posed as postmen. Each of the five men, aged between 19 and 25, was warned that if he did not help the security services he would be considered a terror suspect. A sixth man was held by MI5 for three hours after returning from his honeymoon in Saudi Arabia. He too claims he was threatened with travel restrictions if he tried to leave the UK.

An agent who gave her name as Katherine is alleged to have made direct threats to Adydarus Elmi, a 25-year-old cinema worker from north London. In one telephone call she rang him at 7am to congratulate him on the birth of his baby girl. His wife was still seven months’ pregnant and the couple had expressly told the hospital that they did not want to know the sex of their child.

Mr Elmi further alleges: “Katherine tried to threaten me by saying, and it still runs through my mind now: ‘Remember, this won’t be the last time we ever meet.’ And then during our last conversation she explained: ‘If you do not want anything to happen to your family you will co-operate.’”

Madhi Hashi, a 19-year-old care worker from Camden, claims he was held for 16 hours in a cell in Djibouti airport on the orders of MI5. He alleges that when he was returned to the UK on 9 April this year he was met by an MI5 agent who told him his terror suspect status would remain until he agreed to work for the Security Service. He alleges that he was to be given the job of informing on his friends by encouraging them to talk about jihad.

Mohamed Nur, 25, a community youth worker from north London, claims he was threatened by the Security Service after an agent gained access to his home accompanied by a police officer posing as a postman.

“The MI5 agent said, ‘Mohamed if you do not work for us we will tell any foreign country you try to travel to that you are a suspected terrorist.’”

Mohamed Aden, 25, a community youth worker from Camden, was also approached by someone disguised as a postman in August last year. He alleges an agent told him: “We’re going to make your travelling harder for you if you don’t co-operate.”

None of the six men, who work with disadvantaged youths at the Kentish Town Community Organisation (KTCO), has ever been arrested for terrorism or a terrorism-related offence.

They have repeatedly complained about their treatment to the police and to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, which oversees the work of the Security Services.

In a letter to Lord Justice Mummery, who heads the tribunal, Sharhabeel Lone, the chairman of the KTCO, said: “The only thing these young people have in common is that they studied Arabic abroad and are of Somali origin. They are not involved in any terrorist activity whatsoever, nor have they ever been, and the security services are well aware of this.”

Mr Sharhabeel added: “The se incidents smack of racism, Islamophobia and all that undermines social cohesion. Threatening British citizens, harassing them in their own country, alienating young people who have committed no crime other than practising a particular faith and being a different colour is a recipe for disaster.

“These disgraceful incidents have undermined 10 years of hard work and severely impacted social cohesion in Camden. Targeting young people that are role models for all young people in our country in such a disparaging way demonstrates a total lack of understanding of on-the-ground reality and can only be counter-productive.

“When people are terrorised by the very same body that is meant to protect them, sowing fear, suspicion and division, we are on a slippery slope to an Orwellian society.”

Frank Dobson said: “To identify real suspects from the Muslim communities MI5 must use informers. But it seems that from what I have seen some of their methods may be counter-productive.”

Last night MI5 and the police refused to discuss the men’s complaints with The Independent. But on its website, MI5 says it is untrue that the Security Service harasses Muslims.

The organisation says: “We do not investigate any individuals on the grounds of ethnicity or religious beliefs. Countering the threat from international terrorists, including those who claim to be acting for Islam, is the Security Service’s highest priority.

“We know that attacks are being considered and planned for the UK by al-Qai’da and associated networks. International terrorists in this country threaten us directly through violence and indirectly through supporting violence overseas.”

It adds: “Muslims are often themselves the victims of this violence – the series of terrorist attacks in Casablanca in May 2003 and Riyadh in May and November 2003 illustrate this.

“The service also employs staff of all religions, including Muslims. We are committed to recruiting a diverse range of staff from all backgrounds so that we can benefit from their different perspectives and experience.”

MI5 and me: Three statements

Mahdi Hashi: ‘I told him: this is blackmail’

Last month, 19-year-old Mahdi Hashi arrived at Gatwick airport to take a plane to visit his sick grandmother in Djibouti, but as he was checking in he was stopped by two plainclothes officers. One of the officers identified himself as Richard and said he was working for MI5.

Mr Hashi said: “He warned me not to get on the flight. He said ‘Whatever happens to you outside the UK is not our responsibility’. I was absolutely shocked.” The agent handed Mr Hashi a piece of paper with his name and telephone contact details and asked him to call him.

“The whole time he tried to make it seem like he was looking after me. And just before I left them at my boarding gate I remember ‘Richard’ telling me ‘It’s your choice, mate, to get on that flight but I advise you not to,’ and then he winked at me.”

When Mr Hashi arrived at Djibouti airport he was stopped at passport control. He was then held in a room for 16 hours before being deported back to the UK. He claims the Somali security officers told him that their orders came from London. More than 24 hours after he first left the UK he arrived back at Heathrow and was detained again.

“I was taken to pick up my luggage and then into a very discreet room. ‘Richard’ walked in with a Costa bag with food which he said was for me, my breakfast. He said it was them who sent me back because I was a terror suspect.” Mr Hashi, a volunteer youth leader at Kentish Town Community Organisation in north London, alleges that the officer made it clear that his “suspect” status and travel restrictions would only be lifted if he agreed to co-operate with MI5. “I told him ‘This is blatant blackmail’; he said ‘No, it’s just proving your innocence. By co-operating with us we know you’re not guilty.’

“He said I could go and that he’d like to meet me another time, preferably after [May] Monday Bank Holiday. I looked at him and said ‘I don’t ever want to see you or hear from you again. You’ve ruined my holiday, upset my family, and you nearly gave my sick grandmother in Somalia a heart attack’.”

Adydarus Elmi: ‘MI5 agent threatened my family’

When the 23-year-old cinema worker from north London arrived at Chicago’s O’Hare airport with his pregnant wife, they were separated, questioned and deported back to Britain.

Three days later Mr Elmi was contacted on his mobile phone and asked to attend Charing Cross police station to discuss problems he w as having with his travel documents. “I met a man and a woman,” he said. “She said her name was Katherine and that she worked for MI5. I didn’t know what MI5 was.”

For two-and-a-half hours Mr Elmi faced questions. “I felt I was being lured into working for MI5.” The contact did not stop there. Over the following weeks he claims “Katherine” harassed him with dozens of phone calls.

“She would regularly call my mother’s home asking to speak to me,” he said. “And she would constantly call my mobile.”

In one disturbing call the agent telephoned his home at 7am to congratulate him on the birth of his baby girl. His wife was still seven months pregnant and the couple had expressly told the hospital that they did not want to know the sex of their child.

“Katherine tried to threaten me by saying – and it still runs through my mind now – ‘Remember, this won’t be the last time we ever meet”, and then during our last conversation explained: ‘If you do not want anything to happen to your family you will co-operate’.”

Mohamed Nur

Mohamed Nur, 25, first came into contact with MI5 early one morning in August 2008 when his doorbell rang. Looking through his spyhole in Camden, north London, he saw a man with a red bag who said he was a postman.

When Mr Nur opened the door the man told him that he was in fact a policeman and that he and his colleague wanted to talk to him. When they sat down the second man produced ID and said that he worked for MI5.

The agent told Mr Nur that they suspected him of being an Islamic extremist. “I immediately said ‘And where did you get such an idea?’ He replied, ‘I am not permitted to discuss our sources’. I said that I have never done anything extreme.”

Mr Nur claims he was then threatened by the officer. “The MI5 agent said, ‘Mohamed, if you do not work for us we will tell any foreign country you try to travel to that you are a suspected terrorist’.”

They asked him what travel plans he had. Mr Nur said he might visit Sweden next year for a football tournament. The agent told him he would contact him within the next three days.

“I am not interested in meeting you ever.” Mr Nur replied. As they left, the agent said to at least consider the approach, as it was in his best interests.

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By Fareed Zakaria | NEWSWEEK

Everything you know about Iran is wrong, or at least more complicated than you think. Take the bomb. The regime wants to be a nuclear power but could well be happy with a peaceful civilian program (which could make the challenge it poses more complex). What’s the evidence? Well, over the last five years, senior Iranian officials at every level have repeatedly asserted that they do not intend to build nuclear weapons. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has quoted the regime’s founding father, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who asserted that such weapons were “un-Islamic.” The country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a fatwa in 2004 describing the use of nuclear weapons as immoral. In a subsequent sermon, he declared that “developing, producing or stockpiling nuclear weapons is forbidden under Islam.” Last year Khamenei reiterated all these points after meeting with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei. Now, of course, they could all be lying. But it seems odd for a regime that derives its legitimacy from its fidelity to Islam to declare constantly that these weapons are un-Islamic if it intends to develop them. It would be far shrewder to stop reminding people of Khomeini’s statements and stop issuing new fatwas against nukes.

Following a civilian nuclear strategy has big benefits. The country would remain within international law, simply asserting its rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, a position that has much support across the world. That would make comprehensive sanctions against Iran impossible. And if Tehran’s aim is to expand its regional influence, it doesn’t need a bomb to do so. Simply having a clear “breakout” capacity—the ability to weaponize within a few months—would allow it to operate with much greater latitude and impunity in the Middle East and Central Asia.

Iranians aren’t suicidal. In an interview last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the Iranian regime as “a messianic, apocalyptic cult.” In fact, Iran has tended to behave in a shrewd, calculating manner, advancing its interests when possible, retreating when necessary. The Iranians allied with the United States and against the Taliban in 2001, assisting in the creation of the Karzai government. They worked against the United States in Iraq, where they feared the creation of a pro-U.S. puppet on their border. Earlier this year, during the Gaza war, Israel warned Hizbullah not to launch rockets against it, and there is much evidence that Iran played a role in reining in their proxies. Iran’s ruling elite is obsessed with gathering wealth and maintaining power. The argument made by those—including many Israelis for coercive sanctions against Iran is that many in the regime have been squirreling away money into bank accounts in Dubai and Switzerland for their children and grandchildren. These are not actions associated with people who believe that the world is going to end soon.

One of Netanyahu’s advisers said of Iran, “Think Amalek.” The Bible says that the Amalekites were dedicated enemies of the Jewish people. In 1 Samuel 15, God says, “Go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.” Now, were the president of Iran and his advisers to have cited a religious text that gave divine sanction for the annihilation of an entire race, they would be called, well, messianic.

Iran isn’t a dictatorship. It is certainly not a democracy. The regime jails opponents, closes down magazines and tolerates few challenges to its authority. But neither is it a monolithic dictatorship. It might be best described as an oligarchy, with considerable debate and dissent within the elites. Even the so-called Supreme Leader has a constituency, the Assembly of Experts, who selected him and whom he has to keep happy. Ahmadinejad is widely seen as the “mad mullah” who runs the country, but he is not the unquestioned chief executive and is actually a thorn in the side of the clerical establishment. He is a layman with no family connections to major ayatollahs—which makes him a rare figure in the ruling class. He was not initially the favored candidate of the Supreme Leader in the 2005 election. Even now the mullahs clearly dislike him, and he, in turn, does things deliberately designed to undermine their authority. Iran might be ready to deal. We can’t know if a deal is possible since we’ve never tried to negotiate one, not directly. While the regime appears united in its belief that Iran has the right to a civilian nuclear program—a position with broad popular support—some leaders seem sensitive to the costs of the current approach. It is conceivable that these “moderates” would appreciate the potential benefits of limiting their nuclear program, including trade, technology and recognition by the United States. The Iranians insist they must be able to enrich uranium on their own soil. One proposal is for this to take place in Iran but only under the control of an international consortium. It’s not a perfect solution because the Iranians could—if they were very creative and dedicated—cheat. But neither is it perfect from the Iranian point of view because it would effectively mean a permanent inspections regime in their country. But both sides might get enough of what they consider crucial for it to work. Why not try this before launching the next Mideast war?

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The science of recording and analyzing the electrical activity of the brain. Electrodes, placed on or just under the scalp, are linked to an electroencephalograph, which is an amplifier connected to a mechanism that converts electrical impulses into the vertical movement of a pen over a sheet of paper. The recording traced by the pen is called an electroencephalogram (EEG). Readings may be obtained for a particular brain site by coupling a single electrode with an indifferent, or neutral, lead (monopolar technique) or between two areas of the brain through two independent electrodes (bipolar technique). The combination of impulses that are being recorded at any one time is called a montage.

The electrical activity of the brain was first demonstrated in 1929 by the German psychiatrist Hans Berger. The scientific professions were slow in giving proper attention to Berger’s discovery of the brain rhythms he named alpha waves, but since then at least three other standard brainwave patterns have been isolated and identified. Alpha waves are fast, medium-amplitude oscillations, now known to represent the background activity of the brain in the physically and psychologically healthy adult. They are most characteristically visible during dream-sleep or when a subject is relaxing with eyes closed. Delta waves are large, slow-moving, regular waves, typically associated with the deepest levels of sleep. In children up to the age of puberty the appearance of high-amplitude theta waves, having a velocity between those of alpha and delta rhythms, usually signals the onset of emotional stimulation. The presence of theta waves in adults may be a sign of brain damage or of an immature personality. Beta rhythms are small, very fast wave patterns that indicate intense physiological stress, such as that resulting from barbiturate intoxification.

By observing abnormalities in recordings and determining the area of the brain from which they originate, the physician’s ability to diagnose and treat such conditions as epilepsy, cerebral tumor, encephalitis, and stroke, is greatly enhanced. Electroencephalograms have also proven valuable in the general study of brain physiology and in the particular study of sleep. Various types of Eastern meditation, e.g., yoga, use techniques that increase alpha and theta wave activity. Because of concomitant physiological changes during meditation, e.g., lessened anxiety, the techniques have recently become popular in the West. Using EEGs to enhance biofeedback, a subject can be taught to monitor and regulate his or her own brain waves; the technique has been used experimentally in control of epilepsy. EEGs are also used to determine brain death.

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