From Inside Story on Al Jazeera English, 2 May 2011. The future of the complex, multi-layered and multi-faceted group remains uncertain following Osama bin Laden’s death.
Senegalese soccer player Birahim Diop welcomed a new Muslim teammate to Sporting Kansas this season with the arrival of heralded striker Soony Saad. But Diop himself has been in Major League Soccer (MLS) for three seasons now. He originally began his career in Senegal with US Rail de Thiès. In one year at the club he appeared in 25 matches scoring 15 goals. He then went on to ASC Jeanne d’Arc and scored 12 goals and added 7 assists in his one year at the club.
In 2001 Diop moved to the United States and joined the New York/New Jersey MetroStars reserve squad. He then impressed the coaching brass to move up to the senior squad appearing in 4 league matches in 2002. Following his stay in New York, Diop moved to Colombian side Deportivo Pereira, before being re-united once again with his former coach in New York Octavio Zambrano at CS Tiligul-Tiras Tiraspol in Moldova. In his first season with CS Tiligul-Tiras Tiraspol Diop appeared in 15 league matches and scored 3 goals playing as a holding midfielder. In 2008 Diop returned to the U.S. and played for FDR United in New York City’s amateur leagues, scoring 19 goals in 25 matches.
On March 17, 2010, Diop joined the Kansas City Wizards, as an addition to their midfield. Diop was reunited with coach Octavio Zambrano once again, as he was now an assistant coach for Kansas City. Diop scored his first two MLS goals on August 21, 2010 in a 4-1 victory over the New England Revolution. Diop than recorded the first hat trick of his career on October 23, 2010 in a 4-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes. Diop enjoyed his best year in Major League soccer in 2010 with the Kansas City Wizards appearing in 14 league matches and scoring 5 goals.
This season, the 22 year old midfielder has yet to score a goal in 18 games played with Kansas City. He has, however, started eight games, and has recorded an assist. At 6’3†and 175 pounds, Diop is an imposing figure in the Sporting Kansas City midfield. And as a result of his size he often plays as a striker. But with Soony Saad part of the strikeforce nowadays, he and Diop could have the makings of quite a scoring pair moving forward.
British-Pakistani boxer Haroon Khan has been told by the International Boxing Association (AIBA) that he cannot represent Pakistan in international competition. Khan’s father, Shah Khan, told the BBC that they intend to appeal the decision, which if supported, would prevent Haroon from representing Pakistan at the 2012 Olympics in London.
Khan, age 20, is the younger brother of WBA and IBF light welterweight boxing world champion Amir Khan. Their father told BBC Radio Manchester, “The Pakistan boxing federation got an email that Haroon can’t represent them as he represented England as a youth. We sent letters out to AIBA and we’re hoping that they’ll accept all this.â€
Haroon Khan was originally scheduled to represent Pakistan in the upcoming World Boxing Championships in Azerbaijan, which act as an Olympic qualifying even. Khan represented England as a youth in 2009. He initially hoped to box for England in the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, but after being overlooked, opted instead to fight for Pakistan, and won a bronze medal.
“Their rulings say when a boxer becomes a national in more than one country then he has decided which country he wants to represent,†Shah Khan added. “He became a national of Pakistan in 2010, now that was after he’d boxed for England. Then he decided he wanted to box for Pakistan, which he did in the Commonwealth games, where he won a bronze medal. If you go by that rule he did decide to box for Pakistan so he should be entitled to box for Pakistan. There is another qualifier in February and we’re keeping our fingers crossed he’ll be going there.â€
Hopefully this can be resolved so that Khan can box for the country of his heritage. It would make especially great theater for it to take place in in his newly-adopted country of England.
Nigerian forward Yakubu Ayegbeni’s found himself back on the national team’s radar after scoring two goals in Blackburn’s 4-3 victory over Arsenal in the English Premier League this past weekend. The Nigerian national coaching staff has reportedly taken note of this accomplishment and is considering bringing Ayegbeni back into the fold.
Yakubu had a forgettable World Cup in 2010 where he only managed a goal from the spot and missed a very important opportunity to get his country a second round ticket in the game against South Korea. Since then, the big striker has been frozen out of the team and many of his countrymen thought the worst of him. Yakubu is now playing great football with Blackburn and is being considered for a recall.
“Yakubu had a bad time in the national team but we are happy that he has taken the right step to resolve his career,†national team assistant coach Simon Kalika told SuperSport “ Coach Siasia is considering the two of them [Ayegbeni and team-mate Obefemi Martins] for call-ups to the team. They are very good players that will add quality and experience to the side.â€
Whether they will return to the Super Eagles for their African Cup of Nations clash with Guinea next month is not certain, but they will surely be delighted to know that their new found form has not gone unnoticed.
A girl, displaced by floods, carries pots as she walks on the trunk of a tree floating in the water near her home in the Badin district of Pakistan’s Sindh province September 23, 2011. The latest floods, triggered by monsoon rains, have killed more than 230 people, destroyed or damaged 1.2 million houses and flooded 4.5 million acres (1.8 million hectares) since late last month, officials and Western aid groups say. More than 300,000 people have been moved to shelters. Some 800,000 families hit by last year’s floods are still homeless. Aid groups have warned of a growing risk of fatal diseases.
REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
Houston, Texas: Sindh Pakistan has been devastated by the most destructive floods in more than 51 Years. This calamity is even bigger than the Pakistani Floods 2010.
There are many “Blessings in Unityâ€. Keeping this in perspective, a united effort has been launched in the Greater Houston region to serve Sisters & Brothers in humanity in dire needs. More than thirty organizations and media partners have joined in the efforts and others are being encouraged to join this Alliance.
As the 1st phase of these efforts, collection of In-Kind donation items for Pakistan Floods 2011 victims started on Friday, September 23rd, 2011, and will continue every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday till October 16th, 2011 (can be extended if needed). Monetary Fundraising event(s) will be held sometimes in October 2011.
Mian Nazir, Coordinator of the In-Kind Donation Drive, can be reached at 1-713-922-8458. Following is the In-Kind donation items that patrons of humanity need to graciously bring (NO CLOTHES PLEASE):
High Energy Biscuits – Small Bags of Rice / Lentils / Beans / Salt / Sugar – Small Bottles of Cooking Oil – Snacks items like Chips, Natural Valley Trial Mix, Natural Oats ″N Honey, etc. – Family Tents (both normal and winterized) – Brand New Blankets & Comforters – Brand New Towels – Brand New Plastic Sheets – Mosquito Nets; preferably Long-Lasting Insecticides Treated Mosquito Nets (LLINs) – Hygiene Kits (each kit should include at the minimum one 10-litres water container like bucket for storage, two 250-grams bathing soap, two 200-grams laundry soap, one toothpaste 75-ml/100-g, four tooth brushes, etc.) – Water Purification Systems (preferably family water filter straw) – De-Watering Pumps – Water Purification Tablets – Medicines (over the counter pain, fever, & similar; iron supplements; vitamins; creams for rash & itch; bandages; etc.) – Oral Rehydration Solutions (ORS) – Storage Box Size 16-Inches x 12-Inches x 12-Inches (from Home Depot or U-Haul).
Also appeal to all the persons bringing the In-Kind donations to please contribute some amount like $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $200, or any amount that will help with the logistics of this In-Kind donation drive and will be used to send all of the In-Kind donation items to Pakistan.
Many volunteers are needed. Community Service Volunteer Hours Certificates and Refreshments will be provided to all the volunteers.
WHERE TO COME TO VOLUNTEER & BRING THE IN-KIND DONATION ITEMS
Pakistan Center, 12638 Bissonett (at South Dairy Ashford), Houston, Texas 77099
IN-KIND DONATION COLLECTION & VOLUNTEERIG SHIFTS
Fridays, September 30th, October 07th, & 14th, 2011: 5:30pm.-8:30pm. – Saturdays, October 01st, 08th, & 15th, 2011: 9:30am.-12:30pm / 1:30pm.-4:30pm. / 5:30pm.-8:30pm. – Sundays, October 02nd, 09th, 16th, 2011: 12-Noon-3:00pm. / 3:00pm.-6:00pm.
Everyone needs to volunteer and encourage others to volunteer, donate the In-Kind items, and give some monetary assistance to properly run this In-Kind donation drive. Involvement of members of all of Alliance’s organizations; and all Houstonians, including organizations’ patrons, other community-based organizations, honorable elected officials, mainstream media, and others; everyone’s participation is needed for this crucial humanitarian cause.
Corporate stores like Wal*Mart, Sam’s Club, Pharmaceutical Companies, and others can be approached and encouraged to participate and donate generously to assist the humanity in dire needs. For more information, one can reach Saeed Sheikh, Coordinator of Alliance of Pakistan Floods Relief Efforts, 1-281-948-1840 / Talat Talpur, Treasurer of Alliance of Pakistan Floods Relief Efforts, 1-832-594-2159 / ILyas Choudry, Secretary of Alliance of Pakistan Floods Relief Efforts, 1-832-275-0786;
Alliance Members as of Monday, September 26th, 2011 are (in alphabetical order): 1) Pakistan Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund 2011 – 2) Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) South Texas Chapter – 3) Hashoo Foundation USA – 4) Helping Hand [USA] For Relief & Development (HHRD) – 5) HOPE – 6) Houston-Istanbul Sister City Association (HISCA) – 7) Houston-Karachi Sister City Association (HKSCA) – 8) Muslim Council of USA – 9) Pakistani-American Association of Greater Houston (PAGH) – 10) Pakistan Association of Golden Triangle (PAGT) – 11) Pakistani-American Society of Texas (PAST) – 12) Pakistan Chamber of Commerce USA (PCC-USA) – 13) Raindrop Helping Hands – 14) Raindrop Turkish House – 15) Red Cross – 16) Shifa Healthcare – 17) Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) – 18) Sindhi Association of North America (SANA) – 19) Sun Charity – 20) The Citizens Foundation – 21) Voices Breaking Boundaries (VBB)… Media Partners: 1) Pakistan Chronicle – 2) Pakistan Journal – 3) Pakistan News – 4) Pakistan Post – 5) Pakistan Times – 6) Radio Houston – 7) Radio Light Of Islam – 8) Radio Music-in-the-Box – 9) Radio Naya Andaz – 10) Radio Sangeet…
Muslim Society of Central California free health care
FRESNO,CA–There was a big turnout at Fresno’s Manchester Center last week, where dozens of doctors joined together to offer free medical services to the public.
The Muslim Society Of Central California hosted its second health clinic of the year, giving free medical care to both children and adults, ABC News reported.
Patients walked in to see 40 Doctors and 100 other workers who volunteered their time Sunday.
Organizers say the need for basic healthcare is great, with many people uninsured or unable to pay. “We have everything from pediatrics to general medical, to blood draws, podiatry, dermatology, EKG’s, blood testing. We have everything,†said Brenda Alvarez with the Muslim Society Of Central California.
The Muslim society holds two health clinics each year. Sunday’s clinic also included dental and vision screenings.
Man disrupts Princeton MSA event
PRINCETON,NJ–A man claiming to be part of the Knights Templar was arrested last Saturday night after allegedly interrupting Princeton University Muslim Student Association welcome back dinner, the student newspaper reported. The man, Adam Pyle, 26, of Princeton Township, had apparently been present for part of the actual dinner at Campus Club, said Sohaib Sultan, the University’s Muslim life coordinator.
Public Safety officers arrested Pyle and charged him with bias intimidation, criminal attempt, disorderly conduct, harassment and defiant trespass.
Public Safety ordered Pyle to stay away from campus for the next 90 days, and the department intends to ban him permanently.
Interfaith reception held in Reno
RENO,NV– In a remarkable interfaith gesture, clergy belonging to different religions and denominations held a reception for Meredith Cahn, new Rabbi of North Tahoe Hebrew Congregation in Tahoe Vista; Evon J. Yakar, new Rabbi of Temple Bat Yam in South Lake Tahoe and Abdelwahed Ali Awad, new Imam of Northern Nevada Muslim Community Center in Sparks, Nev.
The reception, organized by Nevada Clergy Association, was held at India Kabab & Curry Restaurant.
Imam Awad, born in Upper Egypt, started studying Islam and memorizing Quran when he was 15. He holds bachelor of science degree in geology from Egypt’s Assiut University, and besides Egypt, has traveled to Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Niger, Benin, Burkina Faso and Ghana lecturing on Islam. Mission of Northern Nevada Muslim Community includes “to promote the values and teachings of Islam†and its activities include Friday prayer, monthly potluck dinner, and Sunday school.
Muslims, Christians, Interfaith Cooperation
DALLAS,TX– North wood Church and Islamic Center of Frisco sponsored a joint program at North wood church to promote trust and compassion between the two communities. More than three thousand Muslims and Christians attended the program.
Addressing the gathering Pastor Right emphasized on mutual cooperation and promotion of understanding between two faiths, for which we need to cultivate resources and provide opportunities to have awareness of each other’s faith.He said that we are not gathered here to change each other’s faith but to learn from each other. He said that he has never seen this many people in his church. Muslim community leader Azhar Aziz while addressing the gathering explained that Hazrat Mariam is the only woman who is mentioned by name and a whole chapter is designated on her name in which her chastity and high morals are discussed.
He said Muslims believe in brotherhood and peace.
Pastor Josh during his address stressed upon this type of gatherings to promote understanding between communities and this can send a message of peace and love to the rest of the world. While relating the gesture in Tennessee where a church had given Muslims a portion of their church to Muslims, while the construction of a mosque was underway, he said he received calls from residents of Kashmir that they had wanted to help build a church in Kashmir the same way and they did built a church.
Lunch for 3,000 attendees was arranged with Zabiha Halal food for Muslims. People attending the event said that they have never seen any event like this before and they are very pleased to be here. Christian volunteers greeted Muslims in this occasion.
Bloomfield Hills–September 25–A new era has begun, quietly, in the past year, as the first Muslim university has begun its work on the West coast of the United States.
Zaytuna is important because traditional religious education in a legitimate format in the United States has thus far not been available. The best way to achieve a religious education has been to travel outside of the United States to Muslim nations, and in fact many have done that, including some of those who now contribute to Zaytuna, such as Imam Zaid Shakir.
While there are other Muslim universities, Zaytuna is at a level above them in part because of its adherence to traditional Islamic knowledge, in part because of its cherishing of high quality in instruction, students, and in the manner of the running of the institution, and in part because of the quality of its relations with major American universities. For example, Zaytuna students now carry UC Berkeley library cards because their university has a relationship with that prestigious university.
Zaytuna also maintains relations with the Graduate Theological Union, Princeton University, Imagine America, and the University Consortium (Claremont College). The university is based in Berkeley California, and now provides a full bachelor’s program leading to a degree. The first class of students matriculated during the last school year. In support of Zaytuna’s effort to build into the future, it conducted a fundraiser at the Muslim Unity Center Sunday.
The fundraising banquet was attended by several hundred guests, who were provided a very good introduction to the activities of Zaytuna over the past year.
Zaytuna has a full time staff of professors for its student population of 186, supplemented by frequent visits from prestigious professors. Every week the university invites speakers, many of them Muslim and many of them the preeminent voices in their fields.
Of the 186 students at Zaytuna, 23 are from Michigan–105 are women, 84 are men. The population is very diverse, which accurately reflects the demographics in this nation, with African American, Arab, Hispanic and South Asian populations all well represented.
The 186 students came to Zaytuna with an average GPA of 3.6.
A Zaytuna professor and spokesman explained that while Muslims may fear to send their students to Zaytuna because they might not build the careers there that their parents want for them, in fact such students will be the future leaders of the community, in education, business, graduate study, nonprofits, and in the professions of law and medicine, not to mention public service and community service.
He cited the need of American not-for-profits for Zaytuna’s graduates. ISNA, CAIR, and the many other Muslim insitutions need people knowledgeable in Islam and well connected within the Muslim community to grow and develop our community.
The professor cited the urgent need for education among all people, saying that the cost of education is absolutely minimal compared with the cost and opportunity cost of caring for people who for example in the worst case end up as inmates in prison.
“Our graduates are ready to be successful in the next world first, but also in this world.â€
The students also endorse the university enthusiastically. One student traveled from Ohio to Michigan, interrupting her studies for the LSAT to drive several hours to Michigan; she gushed at length about her gratitude to Zaytuna for what it had given her.
“This project is for all of us, not just California,†explained one of the professors at the Bloomfield event.
Zaytuna in fact is extremely cheap relative to other universities. Tuition is only $11,000 per student per year, with generous financial aid available. “Lack of funds will never prevent you from study at Zaytuna,†said the professor.
Compare this $11,000 tuition with the $52,000 per year for tuition alone (not room and board) at Stanford University.
Many if not most universities and colleges in the United States were started as religious institutions. Harvard, Yale, Georgetown, Earlham, Haverford, Cornell, Swarthmore, Johns Hopkins, all started as religious institutions.
In fact the building of universities reflected the broader trend that each community engaged in by building houses of worship, business communities, and hospitals.
Imam Zaid Shakir spoke at length at the event, emphasizing our familial relationship with one another, saying “believers are like bricks in a wall, they strengthen one another.â€
“This institution is a source of pride in our community.†He emphasized the importance of getting in on the possibility of donating now, at the ground floor, while the institution must still be hammered out of the metaphorical jungle.
We all as Muslims hope that there will be even better and even more prestitious universities built by our community in future years, but for now at least we can take pride in having one.
The event ended with a very effective fundraising effort which collected approximately $200,000 in donations and pledges–as this fundraiser reflects only a single episode in a broader nationwide fundraising campaign, we can expect that the fundraising effort will collect millions in only a short time–a worthy effort to support a traditional moderate Islamic institution.
The inaugural class at Zaytuna began in 2010, and expects to graduate in 2014. The second school year began in 2011. Zaytuna hopes to have bought its own campus by 2014 (currently it rents space for classes).
The university has deep funding needs; it will need tens of millions of dollars to establish self-sustaining faculty chairs, funding for scholarships and study materisals, and an annual fund.
Perhaps the most moving aspect of the fundraiser was the speech by an older doctor in the audience who came from Syria to the United States; he studied and worked to become a doctor, but while in Syria he had helped to physically build an institution which was to be a school for Muslims to attend from around the world, to learn about the traditional knowledge of Islam. He would come home dirty from head to toe, to scoldings for being dirty. “We were volunteers to move tiles, bricks.â€
Little did he know that 20 years later a man we now know as Zaid Shakir would attend classes inside the very walls he helped to build with his hands; “20 years after that I met him.â€
“Don’t underestimate what you do at any stage of your life. I believe this is one of the best things I have done in my life.â€
Farmington–September 28–Ahmar Iqbal is contesting for a school board seat in Ann Arbor. There are six contestants for two seats that are up for reelection, including the two incumbents.
Mr. Iqbal seemed to exude some confidence and certainly a lot of knowledge of the Ann Arbor School District in an interview Wednesday with TMO.
Unfortunately there is no polling in School Board elections, and so it is difficult to estimate one’s impact.
“It’s hard to say,†he explains, “there is no polling, a lot of candidates, it’s hard to establish name recognition–but I’ve been going to school board meetings, knocking on doors, meeting community leaders.â€
Iqbal’s knowledge of the school district is the most impressive feature of his campaign, showing his seriousness in seeking one of the available seats.
He rattles off the relevant facts, for instance that there are 3 high schools, 16,000 students in all grades, with a budget of $185 million.
He speaks about his plans for the future, emphasizing plans to build on the Jewish community’s Hebrew instruction program that is available to Ann Arbor students-similar programs for other languages should exist, he argues.
He trades on his strength in finance–his main focus, he says, is to more responsibly manage the district budget. “We have to get all the resources that are our due. We have to be more prudent in other budget areas so we can hire more teachers, reduce class sizes.
He speaks of his own children’s experiences at the public schools, explaining that their class sizes are from 30 to 39 students.
Following are some of the key points from Mr. Iqbal’s promotional brochure:
Why I am running for the school board?
My finance experience involving over $2 billion of projects, gives me a chance to address the biggest challenge facing Ann Arbor schools — how to fund a great education. I want to use my finance expertise in exploring how we can more responsibly manage our school system to provide a great education for all our kids.
My goals if elected to the school board?
I want to move the discussion from the current “survival†and “community reactionary†mode to how can we provide a great education to all our students. How can the “Educated in Ann Arbor†brand be recognized as a world leader in providing a robust, diverse and challenging education?
I would like us to find the money to (1) hire more teachers and reduce class size; (2) explore a longer school calendar; (3) commence foreign language from grade one.
At the same time, we must maintain equity for all students and approach education as a holistic development including character and confidence. School busing should be available for all students including 7th hour.
Summer online education programs should be encouraged. In collaboration with parents and mentors, an actual education plan should be developed for each student and visited regularly. This plan should not only include student expectations, but also input from parents and teachers as well as mentors.
My 100 day plan if elected to the school board?
1. Create advisory committees on issues concerning the parents and the community.
2. Competitive bids on all school contracts. In the most recent school board meeting on Sept. 14, two contracts worth over $400,000 were approved without multiple bidding. We must be prudent with all of the district’s money.
3. Regular “coffee hours†by the administration, board members and principals to engage the community and explore collaboration opportunities.
4. Actively advocate Lansing lawmakers on keeping the school aid fund for K-12 only as well as reforming local funding options for school districts.
5. Celebrate our successes and positive attributes. Not only student achievements, but faculty and community recognition as well.
U.S. soldiers from Charlie Battery, 321st Field Artillery Regiment fire a 155MM M777 howitzer at a Taliban enemy position from Forward Operating Base (FOB) Bostic, in Kunar province, eastern Afghanistan September 28, 2011.
REUTERS/Erik De Castro
Useful advice can be found in the past. Gordius, King of Phrygia (in modern Turkey), tied an intricate knot, ever since called the Gordian knot. An oracle told Alexander the Great that whoever could untie it would master Asia.
Alexander drew his sword and slashed the knot. He then conquered the lands between Persia and Afghanistan, pushing on as far as the Punjab.
There his exhausted troops rebelled, and his retreat from Asia began.
The oracle should have known that the mastery of Asia ultimately belongs to Asians.
Barack Obama has promised a withdrawal of many or most American troops from Afghanistan in the months to come. He has not promised the departure of the enormous State Department and mercenary force of state-builders and democracy-creators and defenders already there.
This, at least, is the plan—a bad and dangerous one that can be relied upon to fail because it refuses to face reality.
The Gordian knot by which this American project is bound is the simultaneous conflict and collaboration of the United States and nuclear Pakistan, certain to end in a wounded American withdrawal, if only because Pakistan lives, and has lived since antiquity, in this particular place in Central Asia, and the United States lives in a different world—geographically, psychically and morally—having arrived in Central Asia yesterday, and being destined to leave tomorrow.
The Gordian knot may be described as follows: The United States and Pakistan are formally allies. They are both at war in Afghanistan, the United States officially, to defeat (or come to a settlement that cannot be interpreted as a “defeatâ€) the Taliban, radical Muslim nationalist and fundamentalist fighters, and members of the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan, the Pashtuns, who live on both sides of the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier. The Taliban are held responsible by Washington for collaboration with al-Qaida (or what is left of it) against America-in-Asia. At the same time, Washington is held responsible by the Taliban for invading and attempting to control their country, which they want to control themselves.
The United States and Pakistan are actually enemies, with opposed national interests. The Pakistani army clandestinely supports the Taliban, and has done so for many years, so that Afghanistan can eventually be ruled by their clients. Pakistan’s leaders look upon Afghanistan as furnishing strategic depth to their army in case of war with India—their great enemy since the partition of British India in 1947. The United States, in recent years, has been cultivating close relations and nuclear cooperation with India.
The United States and Pakistan are even close to declaring their enmity. The New York Times and The International Herald Tribune reported as much on September 27. There have been repeated Pakistani attacks on U.S. troops, “incidents†considered to be retaliation for American drone attacks inside Pakistan. The drones have targeted individuals and assets thought to be linked to the Taliban or enemies of the CIA.
Civilians have also been killed. The American command says civilians killed in drone attacks are accidental victims. The target selection system for the drones reportedly functions on visual- and radio-surveillance of suspected sites, which identifies everyone connected with these sites, including innocents. The drones are reputed to be considerably less accurate and discriminating than advertised. The Haqqani network, another target, once part of the Northern Alliance in the war against the Russians, is currently described by some Americans as a group of criminals exploited by Pakistani army intelligence. The Haqqani have been accused of responsibility for the September 13 assault on the U.S. Embassy inside its fortified compound in Kabul. Last Sunday, there was also an attack, fatal to one victim, on Americans inside the CIA annex to the Embassy, by “an Afghan employee†of the CIA.
What is all of this accomplishing for the American taxpayers who are paying millions to finance both Afghan and Pakistani governments, while supporting their own expeditionary force, plus the Afghan army, and part of the NATO force which is inconclusively warring with the Taliban?
What American or Western interests are served in this Gordian entanglement of conflicting interests and useless casualties?
Obama has not dared to challenge the Pentagon because it holds him hostage politically due to his lack of military service. The military will not break off the war because they will not accept “defeat,†and they are driven by a confused geo-strategic notion of America’s need to dominate global energy resources for the future. Even a Republican president could find himself in Obama’s position, for which Republican politician has served in combat?
I can only imagine a noble self-sacrifice by a president, to save his country and people. Who will seize Alexander’s sword and slash the knot, ordering American troops, ships, spies, mercenaries, diplomats, aid workers and democracy promoters all home?
The United States since the Cold War has stubbornly resisted the principle that people must be responsible for themselves. The Afghans must settle their own national destiny. Pakistan and India know their own interests and must be responsible for them. An American president is accountable to the American people.
Visit William Pfaff’s website for more on his latest book, “The Irony of Manifest Destiny: The Tragedy of America’s Foreign Policy†(Walker & Co., $25), at www.williampfaff.com.
The bureau has reached out to Muslim organizations in the wake of embarrassing revelations about its counterterrorism training materials. Critics say that’s not enough.
By Adam Serwer
After reports emerged last week that the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s counterterrorism training included materials that depicted Muslims as inherently radical and violent, the bureau moved quickly to reach out to a number American Muslim groups in an effort to smooth over relations. FBI officials promised to take the problem seriously and vowed to conduct an internal review of the materials, which included assertions that mainstream American Muslims were sympathetic to terrorism and that the more devout a Muslim is, the more likely he is to be violent.
“There was acknowledgement that what happened is wrong and what happens needs to be addressed immediately,†says Abed Ayoub, the legal director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC). “It was a good first step in rectifying this.â€
But Ayoub and other Arab and Muslim leaders add that more still needs to be done to repair the damage caused by the FBI’s offensive training materials.
The problem, Muslim and Arab groups argue, is that this isn’t the first time they’ve complained about the FBI’s counterterrorism training. In August 2010, several organizations sent a letter to FBI Director Robert Mueller after Islamophobic writer Robert Spencer, who believes “that there is no distinction in the American Muslim community between peaceful Muslims and jihadists,†was invited to give two seminars to Virginia’s Tidewater Joint Terrorism Task Force in July. Spencer was also invited to give a presentation to the US Attorney’s Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council, which is cohosted by the FBI in Norfolk.
The FBI didn’t take the outside groups’ complaints particularly seriously. In its response to the letter, the bureau defended Spencer’s appearance on the grounds that he was a “best-selling author.†A little over a year later, the FBI would try a similar tactic, dismissing the controversial elective training offered by FBI official William Gawthrop as an innocuous one-off. But Wired’s Spencer Ackerman soon revealed that recent FBI training materials depicted Muslims—not terrorists or extremists, but Muslims generally—as collectively bent on world domination.
The FBI’s previous efforts to dismiss the issue of anti-Muslim training materials, says Farhana Khera of Muslim Advocates, are one reason the FBI’s promised “internal review†won’t be enough. “We’re pleased that this very serious issue is finally receiving the attention of the FBI leadership, but we still believe that an internal FBI review is insufficient at this stage,†Khera says.
On a conference call with several Muslim and Arab organizations, the FBI took pains to note that several agents had registered complaints about Gawthrop’s training materials, and others had walked out of a session in disgust. But the FBI’s excuses left many on the conference call with more questions: If FBI officials had raised concerns about Gawthrop’s work, why was the issue not addressed immediately? A report from an independent inspector general “is the only way to ensure that the FBI is [addressing the issue],†Khera adds.
The FBI missed opportunities by not taking the potential for cooperation with Muslim groups more seriously, other critics say. If FBI officials had asked for the Muslim American community’s input, they could have stopped the scandal before it happened. “Why did they not ask for the community’s advice on the [training material]? Why didn’t they use the resources at their disposal?†asks the ADC’s Ayoub. “There was no outreach done. That’s disappointing.â€
The revelations about the training materials also damaged existing relationships, argues Mohamed Elibiary of the Freedom and Justice Foundation. “You really need very substantive community relationships and partnerships if you want to get to the point where you have community-based interventions and lessening of violent extremism and radicalization,†Elibiary says. “They need to be able to feel like they can call the FBI when there’s a problem with their kids.â€
In the future, Elibiary warns, FBI headquarters has to follow the example of its best field offices and do more to reach out to Muslim communities beyond the DC area. “There’s a difference between engaging with the leadership in DC and the leadership across the country,†he says. “You need to engage with both. For what you say in DC to have an impact in Des Moines, you need to be talking to someone there.â€
Adam Serwer is a reporter at the Washington, DC bureau of Mother Jones.
It is not the quantity, but the quality of time spent attempting to follow the guidance of ALLAH that ensures success. ALLAH says in Qur’an that “everything is a sign – for those who reflect.†Each day, if we just take 10 minutes of quiet, quality time in carefully selected thought procedures, we can improve our life by achieving a greater measure of happiness, increased efficiency, and a feeling of spiritual, mental, and physical well-being.
So many things whiz by us each day that it is virtually impossible to reflect while you are on the go. You will possibly see these “signs of ALLAHâ€, but not will reflect on them to get the full benefit. So many miraculous things occur during the course of our going about our daily activities. They are happening whether you realize it or not. The key is to first know that ALLAH is in the blessing business and then key in on your blessings by being one of those who “reflect†on the signs of ALLAH.
This 10 minute formula I am sharing with you has been proven scientifically over time and it is right in sync with the ALLAH’S word to “reflect.†The plan is to spend the 10 minutes every day in quiet submission. It must be regular. To do it for a day or two and then skip a day or two will lessen the impact on the results.
ALLAH is real, and He will guide you as you submit your mind to His. Don’t go into this process with the idea “I want to do this—or do that. Instead, wait on an answer to enter your mind. You have now made your mind susceptible to Divine wisdom.
This is in the same vein as the Istikara prayer Muslims say in the early reaches of the night. The difference is, in the istakara prayer, we ask ALLAH to examine our particular situation. It may be a particular relationship or maybe a career move or something similar. We make two rakah and ask ALLAH to make it easy and possible to attain— if it is right for us. If it is not right for us, we ask Him to remove it from us. Istakara is a powerful tool of connection and help from ALLAH.
This time of reflection is also special because we stop what we are doing, go to a quiet place with no distractions and wait for thoughts to enter your mind. They might not be what you expect or even what you want. They may be far from what we are accustomed to thinking. But if you are a believer and have submitted yourself to be an instrument of ALLAH, you will be on a higher wavelength of righteousness in which there is no error. The time can vary. It may be before salat or after salat—or an hour or so after salat. It doesn’t matter. The main thing is quietness, relaxation, and submission of your mind to ALLAH.
There are many tools and avenues to connect spiritually to our Creator. This is only one. Sometimes while offering salat, solutions and answers come to our minds. I take it as ALLAH choosing a time to communicate with me. Some people think they are sinning if your mind wanders during salat. But it is not necessarily so. It depends on what your mind is wandering to.
This human mind we have is special and it has a special way of communicating with its Maker. Reflect on the “Signs†of ALLAH. You will be richer for it.
“Corporal punishment is as humiliating for him who gives it as for him who receives it; it is ineffective besides. Neither shame nor physical pain have any other effect than a hardening one.â€
~ Ellen Key
You hop in the car, fumble with the keys, start the engine and prepare to take that first sip of coffee as you back out of the driveway. This is the way that many Americans start their morning as they set out to work for the day. For most people, getting on the road safely and reaching your destination on time are the primary concerns. However, for the women of Saudi Arabia, there is a new concern to be considered before getting behind the wheel.
This past week Saudi Arabian national Shaima Ghassaniya was found guilty of driving without the permission of her government. Her punishment, which would be a mere slap on the wrist in America for the same “crime,†is flogging. By definition the word flogging means, “To beat severely with a whip or rod.†Ghassaniya is to be flogged a total of ten times with her punishment to undoubtedly serve as an example for other women in the kingdom that dare to drive.
There is no law on the books in Saudi Arabia that says women are legally barred from driving. However, there is a law that states anyone driving on the roads of Saudi Arabia must have license. The catch is that women are not issued drivers license. Denying a woman the right to drive means that she must rely on a male relative, or sometimes even a male chauffer, in order to travel. For women who are single, getting around without a car is often a nightmare.
The driving laws seem archaic compared to the full driving rights that women enjoy in neighboring Arab countries, like Kuwait and Oman. “I would be lost without my car,†laments Raina Ahmed who is a schoolteacher in Kuwait, “I have to drive myself to and from work every day. I also use my car to take my children for all of their doctor’s appointments.†Female drivers in other Arab countries share the roadways with their male counterparts and are often safer drivers.
The news of the Ghassaniya’s flogging punishment comes on the heels of another announcement that could have been promising for the women in the region. King Abdullah recently announced on state-run television that Saudi Arabian women have been granted the right to vote and run in local elections. However, they will have to wait until the year 2015 to exercise these newly given rights. Perhaps, by then, they will be able to drive themselves to the ballot box.
Recently, I was approached by a client who was interested in starting a business, however he was curious to learn about the different business structures available, and which would be most suitable for him. Considering this was not the first time I have addressed such an inquiry, I felt it prudent to elaborate on the various structures and explain the differences between each.
Please be aware that this is not a comprehensive description of the structures and it is always advised to speak to an attorney who would better be able to provide sound advice on which structure is most suitable for your particular needs, expectations and business.
One of the most common misconceptions when it comes to creating a business is that many feel that an incorporation is automatically the best structure to use; however, that is not always true. In order to fully understand why, or why not, an incorporation is most applicable, it is important to get a basic understanding of the other available business entities.
In Michigan, there are three common business structures that owners can typically choose from: Partnership/Sole Proprietorship, Corporation, and Limited Liability Company.
1. Partnership/Sole Proprietorship: The major difference between a partnership and a sole proprietorship is in the number of owners. In a sole proprietorship, there is essentially only one owner; hence the word “sole.†On the other hand, in a partnership, it is comprised of two or more owners who come together with the intent of advancing their mutual interest.
Depending on the specific type of business you are operating, creating a sole proprietorship or a partnership is not always recommended. Under either of these structures, you, the business owner, are responsible for all taxes. However, the method in how you file your taxes does not differ from your current procedure, as the income received by your company would simply be inputted in your personal tax returns.
However, probably the biggest drawback with a sole proprietorship and partnership is that in the event your company is involved in any legal action, you are ultimately responsible for any and all judgments, whereby your business assets and your personal assets can be seized to satisfy any judgment.
2. Corporation/Limited Liability Company (LLC): One of the biggest benefits of setting up a corporation or an LLC is that it reduces the exposure of the owners and their assets in the event of a legal action. Because corporations and LLC’s are considered separate entities, requiring a separate tax ID number, a separate tax return, the only assets that can be seized for judgment are the assets owned by the corporation/LLC; therefore, the owners are not held personally liable, and thus have their assets safeguarded from potential liability.
With respect to the taxes, the profit obtained by a corporation/LLC is taxed to the company when earned, and if the shareholder (under a corporation) decides to distribute dividends, the shareholder would also be taxed individually. Thus, this creates a double tax, which is not always appealing. This double taxation can be avoided through the use of an LLC, where there are no shareholders, but rather members to the company. Please speak to an expert for further information in how to reduce your taxes through the set-up on an LLC.
As indicated above, it is always best to rely on the expert opinion of an experienced attorney who would be able to discuss in more depth the differences between each respective structure and determine, based on your specific needs, which structure is most efficient for you. Although starting a partnership/sole proprietorship is the easier and cheaper selection, it may not always be the most optimum, as you could be opening yourself up to unnecessary liability.
Adil Daudi is an Attorney at Joseph, Kroll & Yagalla, P.C., focusing primarily on Asset Protection for Physicians, Physician Contracts, Estate Planning, Business Litigation, Corporate Formations, and Family Law. He can be contacted for any questions related to this article or other areas of law at adil@josephlaw.net or (517) 381-2663.
SIRTE (Reuters) – Libya’s new rulers said on Wednesday they believed fugitive former leader Muammar Gaddafi was being shielded by nomadic tribesmen in the desert near the Algerian border, while his followers fend off assaults on his hometown.
Intense sniper and artillery fire from pro-Gaddafi fighters has so far prevented National Transitional Council (NTC) forces from taking Sirte despite more than two weeks of fighting and two full-on assaults.
One of Gaddafi’s last two bastions, it has withstood a siege, NTC tank and rocket fire as well as NATO air strikes, and the United Nations and international aid agencies are worried about conditions for civilians trapped inside.
More than a month since NTC fighters captured the capital Tripoli, Gaddafi remains defiantly on the run pledging to lead a campaign of armed resistance against the new leaders.
Gaddafi himself may be holed up near the western town of Ghadames, near the Algerian border, under the protection of Tuareg tribesmen, a senior NTC military official said.
“There has been a fight between Tuareg tribesmen who are loyal to Gaddafi and Arabs living there (in the south). We are negotiating. The Gaddafi search is taking a different course,†Hisham Buhagiar told Reuters, without elaborating.
Many Tuaregs, nomads who roam the desert spanning the borders of Libya and its neighbors, have backed Gaddafi since he supported their rebellions against the governments of Mali and Niger in the 1970s and allowed them to settle in Libya.
Buhagiar said Gaddafi’s most politically prominent son, Saif al-Islam, was in the other final loyalist holdout, Bani Walid, and that another son, Mutassem, was in Sirte. Lack of coordination and division at the front-line have been hampering NTC attempts to capture Sirte and Bani Walid.
Fighting continued on separate eastern and western fronts in Sirte on Wednesday and commanders said they would try to join the two fronts together and take the city’s airport.
“There is progress toward the coastal road and the airport…. The plan is for various brigades to invade from other directions,†NTC fighter Amran al-Oweiwi said.
Street-fighting was under way at a roundabout 2 km (1.5 miles) east of the town center, where anti-Gaddafi fighters were pinned down for a third day by sniper and artillery fire.
As NATO planes circled overhead, NTC forces moved five tanks to the front but were immediately met with Grad rockets fired from inside the town, missing the tanks by only yards.
A Reuters crew at the scene saw several NTC fighters flee the front-line under heavy fire while others stood their ground.
“If I die, I’ll die proud,†one fighter shouted as he left a group of hiding comrades and ran back to the front.
“At the buildings! At the buildings!†an NTC commander ordered fighters manning the tanks, in an apparent attempt to target snipers, as thick black smoke rose over the town.
On the western front, fighters leapt into pick-up trucks mounted with machineguns and anti-aircraft guns and raced in the direction of the airport.
Medical workers said 15 fighters were killed in Sirte on Tuesday, the highest single-day death toll. Two more, including a senior NTC field commander, were killed on Wednesday. More than 100 fighters were wounded, many from sniper fire.
NTC fighters captured 60 African mercenaries in Sirte on Wednesday. They said most had come from Chad and Mali to fight with Gaddafi loyalists.
A commander leading the attack on Sirte said on Tuesday he was in talks with elders inside the city about a truce, but the head of an anti-Gaddafi unit on the east rejected negotiations.
In Tripoli, a senior NTC officer said his fighters, on entering Sirte two days ago, had found and seized a helicopter under camouflage that appeared to have been made ready for a swift departure. He told Reuters he suspected the helicopter was assigned for the use of a senior official of the ousted Gaddafi government, possibly one of Gaddafi’s sons.
GADDAFI CLAN STILL VOCAL
As the fighting continues, humanitarian organizations are sounding the alarm about the possibility of civilian casualties in the town. Gaddafi’s spokesman has said NATO air strikes and NTC shelling are killing civilians.
NATO and the NTC deny that. They say Gaddafi loyalists are using civilians inside Sirte as human shields and have kidnapped and executed those they believe to be NTC supporters.
“Our main worry is the people being displaced because of the fighting,†said Jafar Vishtawi, a delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), near Sirte.
Civilians fleeing the town have said there is no power, little water and that the local population is terrified.
Taking the last two Gaddafi strongholds and finding the toppled leader would bring the NTC closer to establishing their credibility as the country’s new rulers.
A Syria-based television station that has been broadcasting audio speeches by Gaddafi, reported on Tuesday that Gaddafi had addressed his supporters and urged them to fight in a speech broadcast on a local radio station in Bani Walid. The report by Arrai television could not be independently verified.
In a separate development, NTC justice minister Mohammed al-Alagi said he was ready to work with Scottish authorities to probe the possible involvement of others in the Lockerbie bombing apart from the sole Libyan convicted for the attack.
His remark reversed a position he took only on Monday, when he said that as far as Libya was concerned the case of the bombing of the U.S.-bound airliner over the Scottish village of Lockerbie with the loss of 270 lives was closed.
Scottish prosecutors had asked Libya’s NTC to give them access to papers or witnesses that could implicate more suspects in the attack, possibly including Gaddafi himself.
(Additional reporting by William MacLean and Alexander Dziadosz in Tripoli, Emad Omar in Benghazi, Samia Nakhoul in London, Christian Lowe and Hamid Ould Ahmed in Algiers; Writing by Barry Malone; Editing by Peter Graff and Louise Ireland)
The Southern California chapter of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) held its annual “Healing Hands†banquet/fundraiser this past weekend at the Hilton Anaheim in Anaheim, Ca. Internationally known and acclaimed Canadian-Palestinian attorney, Diana Buttu, was the keynote speaker.
During her address Ms Buttu exposed the fallacy of the so-called Peace Process. The 1993 Oslo Peace accords were a ploy by Israel which gave the Palestinians nothing and permitted Israel to triple its illegal settlements in the West Bank and in Arab East Jerusalem.
While the Palestinians suffer under the continued yoke of occupation, Israel, using the illusion of a peace process, has tricked 34 other nations into establishing diplomatic and economic relations leading to considerable economic benefit to Israel.
The Palestinian Authority (PA), the successor to the pre-Oslo Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) has become Israel’s surrogate, subcontracting for Israel in imposing the occupation and doing Israel’s all around dirty work. This has often been called “outsourcing the occupation.â€
Ms Buttu said that there were advantages and disadvantages to submitting an application for statehood to the United Nations. For example, of course it would bring renewed attention on an international scale to the suffering of the Palestinian people. But she asked her audience to consider as a considerable disadvantage the wording of President Mahmoud Abbas’ application in which he used the tern “Jewish Stateâ€. Is this de facto recognition?
Ms Buttu suggested the following remedies: We need to demand better representation; we need to demand democratic representation so that our leaders are not tools of the occupation and represent the will of the people. Useless negotiations should be replaced with world wide boycott and divestment of Israel.
Ms Buttu is a Fellow at Harvard Law School and the Kennedy School of Government. She currently resides in Palestine and served as a legal advisor to the Palestinian negotiating team. In 2004 she was part of a legal team that successfully challenged Israel’s Apartheid Wall before the International Court of Justice. She holds degrees from the University of Toronto, Queens University, Stanford University and Northwestern.
Ms Buttu has appeared on television news shows and is valued for her knowledge, experience and sense of fair play.
Nurse Asma Taha of Loma Linda University Hospital received the Huda Sosebee award for her humanitarian work. She has made numerous trips to the Middle East with the PCRF and has supported the PCRF in the United States.
Huda Sosebee, the late wife of PCRF CEO Steve Sosebee, was the lead social worker for the PCRF and one of its leading humanitarians during her all too brief life. She was known as the “heart†of the organization.
The Southern California chapter’s leader, Lily Karam, spoke movingly of the children who have been helped and of the need to continue PCRF’s work.
The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund is an internationally known and acclaimed children’s charity, specializing in the Middle East. PCRF is perhaps best known for its medical missions which send teams of doctors and associated medical personnel to countries in the Middle East to treat needy children there. The teams also train Middle Eastern doctors on site.
If a child cannot be adequately treated in his or her home site, the child is transported, at no cost to the parents, to a country where optimum medical care is available.
PCRF announced at last year’s banquet that it would enter the field of pediatric oncology. Plans are progressing in that arena.
PCRF also runs summer camps; has a Woman’s Empowerment Project; has distributed eyeglasses and wheelchairs to children, and does emergency relief.
The accomplishments and projects of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, of which the foregoing is but a brief part, can be found at their web site: <www.pcrf.net.> The web site also has provisions for making donations.
CHAMPAIGN,IL–Shahid Khan, president of Flex-N-Gate Corporation in Urbana, Illinois, and his wife Ann Carlson Khan, have continued their generous support of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign by making a gift of $10 million to fund the new north addition of Huff Hall. The addition, known as the Khan Annex, houses programs of the College of Applied Health Sciences, including the Center on Health, Aging, and Disability and the Master of Public Health program. The Khan Annex was formally dedicated at an event on Thursday, September 22.
“We wanted to invest in a facility that would support the mission of the College of Applied Health Sciences: education and outreach that will promote health across the lifespan and will improve the self-sufficiency and quality of life of all people,†said Ann Khan. “This facility will provide a modern environment for faculty and students to collaborate in their education and research.â€
The Khan Annex provides over 24,000 square feet of state-of-the-art of laboratory, instructional and professional collaboration facilities. The Center on Health, Aging, and Disability includes a conference room, a project development “Collaboratory,†a video conferencing room, and a graduate student resource center. The new addition also will house the James K. and Karen S. McKechnie Laboratory, classroom facilities, and faculty offices. The addition to this iconic building completes the architectural design envisioned nearly 90 years ago when Huff Hall was still on the drawing board. The original design called for two wings, connected by a central structure to form a Block I in the heart of this historic campus. The Khan Annex completes the original vision.
Shahid and Ann Carlson Khan are longtime supporters of the University of Illinois. Beneficiaries of their generosity include Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, the University Library, the College of Business, and the College of Applied Health Sciences, where they have funded five endowed Khan Professorships. The Khans have also funded the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex at the University of Illinois, home to the University’s men’s and women’s tennis teams.
Saudi monarch grants kingdom’s women right to vote, but driving ban remains in force
By Associated Press
Veiled Saudi women take photos of their children during a ceremony to celebrate Saudi Arabia’s Independence Day in Riyadh in this September 23, 2009 file photograph.
REUTERS/Fahad Shadeed/Files
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, considered a reformer by the standards of his own ultraconservative kingdom, decreed on Sunday that women will for the first time have the right to vote and run in local elections due in 2015.
For the nation’s women, it is a giant leap forward, though they remain unable to serve as Cabinet ministers, drive or travel abroad without permission from a male guardian.
Saudi women bear the brunt of their nation’s deeply conservative values, often finding themselves the target of the unwanted attention of the kingdom’s intrusive religious police, who enforce a rigid interpretation of Islamic Shariah law on the streets and public places like shopping malls and university campuses.
In itself, Sunday’s decision to give the women the right to vote and run in municipal elections may not be enough to satisfy the growing ambition of the kingdom’s women who, after years of lavish state spending on education and vocational training, significantly improved their standing but could not secure the same place in society as that of their male compatriots.
That women must wait four more years to exercise their newly acquired right to vote adds insult to injury since Sunday’s announcement was already a long time coming — and the next local elections are in fact scheduled for this Thursday.
“Why not tomorrow?†asked prominent Saudi feminist Wajeha al-Hawaidar. “I think the king doesn’t want to shake the country, but we look around us and we think it is a shame … when we are still pondering how to meet simple women’s rights.â€
The announcement by King Abdullah came in an annual speech before his advisory assembly, or Shura Council. It was made after he consulted with the nation’s top religious clerics, whose advice carries great weight in the kingdom.
It is an attempt at “Saudi style†reform, moves that avoid antagonizing the powerful clergy and a conservative segment of the population. Additionally, it seems to be part of the king’s drive to insulate his vast, oil-rich country from the upheavals sweeping other Arab nations, with popular uprisings toppling regimes that once looked as secure as his own.
Fearing unrest at home, the king in March announced a staggering $93 billion package of incentives, jobs and services to ease the hardships experienced by some Saudis. In the meantime, he sent troops to neighbor and close ally Bahrain to help the tiny nation’s Sunni ruling family crush an uprising by majority Shiites pressing for equal rights and far-reaching reforms.
In contrast, King Abdullah in August withdrew the Saudi ambassador from Syria to protest President Bashar Assad’s brutal crackdown on a seven-month uprising that calls for his ouster and the establishment of a democratic government.
“We didn’t ask for politics, we asked for our basic rights. We demanded that we be treated as equal citizens and lift the male guardianship over us,†said Saudi activist Maha al-Qahtani, an Education Ministry employee who defied the ban on women driving earlier this year. “We have many problems that need to be addressed immediately.â€
Mike Quigley knows about cheap shots on ice. Now he’s an expert on being blindsided on the Internet and cable TV.
Congressman Mike Quigley, (D-5th-IL)
Mr. Quigley, a Democratic Chicago congressman, had a relatively light Saturday recently. He played ice hockey in the morning, did a beach cleanup with the Sierra Club and hit four block parties in the 32nd, 43rd and 44th Wards. Along the way he surfaced at a conference held by the American Islamic College. It was a quick in-and-out, with remarks to perhaps 100 attendees about the strengths of American pluralism, the sort he makes to many groups. They included:
“Forms of discrimination come in many forms, many shapes and many guises. You have my pledge to work with you to fight them, and I think that it is appropriate for me to apologize on behalf of this country for the discrimination you face.â€
He then bicycled to the first block party. The Islamic College audience was apparently grateful but didn’t find his appearance especially notable as they returned to the business of their meeting.
Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, found the address nice and patriotic. “What we’d expect of a congressman,†he said.
Neither he, Mr. Quigley nor anybody else there was prepared for the response initiated in the conservative blogosphere, then intensified on radio and TV.
The congressman was attacked harshly, with at least one death threat on a Fox News site that by week’s end was still not taken down despite requests.
Andrew Breitbart, a conservative activist, blogged that Mr. Quigley made a “surprise appearance†before “the primarily Muslim audience. He rambled on about the typical racism and discrimination that the liberal left is so convinced America is rampantly infected with.â€
The appearance was not a surprise, even if not on the formal program.
But the nefarious implication was repeated on blogs and the Fox News Channel. Video links included the lines above but not related comments about the legacies of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others.
Social media posts and hundreds of nasty calls, e-mails and faxes poured in to his offices, which deleted profane and violent posts and passed direct threats to law enforcement.
But the conservative echo chamber was in high dudgeon. Bill O’Reilly, the Fox News host, decided that Mr. Quigley’s remarks were a story and thus conferred high-profile legitimacy to the bloggers’ vituperation on Tuesday. Mr. Quigley could not appear, but Mr. Rehab did, initially nonplused that the remarks were deemed newsworthy.
With “Questionable Apology†emblazoned on the screen, Mr. O’Reilly repeated the same two sentences Mr. Quigley had uttered and declared:
“Wow! What discrimination?†Statistics don’t support claims of bias against Muslim Americans, he said.
Much data and polling contradicts him. As an unabashed Mr. Rehab told him, “You’d have to be living under a rock†to miss the overarching reality.
Mr. Rehab cited federal figures on rising workplace complaints of anti-Muslim discrimination and polls showing both that 39 percent of Americans would require Muslims to carry special identification and that one-third don’t think Muslims should be allowed to run for president.
“O.K., those stats bolster your argument,†Mr. O’Reilly conceded. “But in economic realms, Muslim Americans are doing well, pretty well,†he said. “We don’t want anybody to be anti-Muslim. Thank you for coming on here,†Mr. O’Reilly concluded brusquely, with Mr. Rehab having clearly failed to fulfill a role of self-righteous liberal piñata.
But Fox wasn’t done.
On Wednesday, its morning “Fox and Friends†show saw Mr. Quigley, 52, called a “silly old fool†by Ralph Peters, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and advocate of aggressive military actions. He belittled Muslims with a series of mock apologies like “We should apologize for preventing them from beating their daughters to death for flirting.â€
Eboo Patel, an Indian-born Muslim and former Rhodes Scholar who runs the Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Corps, found the response offensive.
But he noted a Gallup poll finding that American Muslims remain very optimistic despite facing discrimination.
He mentioned that his nephew in Houston was hassled when, for religious reasons, he wouldn’t eat school pizza with pork.
Well, at least we occasionally try to curb school bullies. We clearly don’t when it comes to the bullies who can drive our public dialogue.
Historic and culturally important landmarks are being destroyed to make way for luxury hotels and malls, reports Jerome Taylor
A general view is seen of the Grand Mosque during the Muslim month of Ramadan in the holy city of Mecca August 20, 2011. Saudi Arabia has begun the biggest expansion yet of the Grand Mosque, to raise its capacity to 2 million pilgrims, the state news agency SPA said.
REUTERS/Hassan Ali
Behind closed doors–in places where the religious police cannot listen in–residents of Mecca are beginning to refer to their city as Las Vegas, and the moniker is not a compliment.
Over the past 10 years the holiest site in Islam has undergone a huge transformation, one that has divided opinion among Muslims all over the world.
Once a dusty desert town struggling to cope with the ever-increasing number of pilgrims arriving for the annual Hajj, the city now soars above its surroundings with a glittering array of skyscrapers, shopping malls and luxury hotels.
To the al-Saud monarchy, Mecca is their vision of the future–a steel and concrete metropolis built on the proceeds of enormous oil wealth that showcases their national pride.
Yet growing numbers of citizens, particularly those living in the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina, have looked on aghast as the nation’s archaeological heritage is trampled under a construction mania backed by hardline clerics who preach against the preservation of their own heritage. Mecca, once a place where the Prophet Muhammad (s) insisted all Muslims would be equal, has become a playground for the rich, critics say, where naked capitalism has usurped spirituality as the city’s raison d’être.
Few are willing to discuss their fears openly because of the risks associated with criticising official policy in the authoritarian kingdom. And, with the exceptions of Turkey and Iran, fellow Muslim nations have largely held their tongues for fear of of a diplomatic fallout and restrictions on their citizens’ pilgrimage visas. Western archaeologists are silent out of fear that the few sites they are allowed access to will be closed to them.
But a number of prominent Saudi archaeologists and historians are speaking up in the belief that the opportunity to save Saudi Arabia’s remaining historical sites is closing fast.
“No one has the balls to stand up and condemn this cultural vandalism,†says Dr Irfan al-Alawi who, as executive director of the Islamic Heritage Research Foundation, has fought in vain to protect his country’s historical sites. “We have already lost 400-500 sites. I just hope it’s not too late to turn things around.â€
Sami Angawi, a renowned Saudi expert on the region’s Islamic architecture, is equally concerned. “This is an absolute contradiction to the nature of Mecca and the sacredness of the house of God,†he told the Reuters news agency earlier this year. “Both [Mecca and Medina] are historically almost finished. You do not find anything except skyscrapers.â€
Dr Alawi’s most pressing concern is the planned £690m expansion of the Grand Mosque, the most sacred site in Islam which contains the Kaaba–the black stone cube built by Ibrahim (Abraham) that Muslims face when they pray.
Construction officially began earlier this month with the country’s Justice Minister, Mohammed al-Eissa, exclaiming that the project would respect “the sacredness and glory of the location, which calls for the highest care and attention of the servants or Islam and Muslimsâ€.
The 400,000 square metre development is being built to accommodate an extra 1.2 million pilgrims each year and will turn the Grand Mosque into the largest religious structure in the world. But the Islamic Heritage Foundation has compiled a list of key historical sites that they believe are now at risk from the ongoing development of Mecca, including the old Ottoman and Abbasi sections of the Grand Mosque, the house where the Prophet Muhammad (s) was born and the house where his paternal uncle Hamza grew up.
There is little argument that Mecca and Medina desperately need infrastructure development. Twelve million pilgrims visit the cities every year with the numbers expected to increase to 17 million by 2025.
But critics fear that the desire to expand the pilgrimage sites has allowed the authorities to ride roughshod over the area’s cultural heritage. The Washington-based Gulf Institute estimates that 95 per cent of Mecca’s millennium-old buildings have been demolished in the past two decades alone.
The destruction has been aided by Wahabism, the austere interpretation of Islam that has served as the kingdom’s official religion ever since the al-Sauds rose to power across the Arabian Peninsula in the 19th century.
In the eyes of Wahabis, historical sites and shrines encourage “shirkâ€â€”the sin of idolatry or polytheism–and should be destroyed. When the al-Saud tribes swept through Mecca in the 1920s, the first thing they did was lay waste to cemeteries holding many of Islam’s important figures. They have been destroying the country’s heritage ever since.
Of the three sites the Saudis have allowed the UN to designate World Heritage Sites, none are related to Islam.
Those circling the Kaaba only need to look skywards to see the latest example of the Saudi monarchy’s insatiable appetite for architectural bling. At 1,972ft, the Royal Mecca Clock Tower, opened earlier this year, soars over the surrounding Grand Mosque, part of an enormous development of skyscrapers that will house five-star hotels for the minority of pilgrims rich enough to afford them.
To build the skyscraper city, the authorities dynamited an entire mountain and the Ottoman era Ajyad Fortress that lay on top of it. At the other end of the Grand Mosque complex, the house of the Prophet’s (s) first wife Khadijah has been turned into a toilet block. The fate of the house he was born in is uncertain. Also planned for demolition are the Grand Mosque’s Ottoman columns which dare to contain the names of the Prophet’s (s) companions, something hardline Wahabis detest.
For ordinary Meccans living in the mainly Ottoman-era town houses that make up much of what remains of the old city, development often means the loss of their family home.
Non-Muslims cannot visit Mecca and Medina, but The Independent was able to interview a number of citizens who expressed discontent over the way their town was changing. One young woman whose father recently had his house bulldozed described how her family was still waiting for compensation. “There was very little warning; they just came and told him that the house had to be bulldozed,†she said.
Another Meccan added: “If a prince of a member of the royal family wants to extend his palace he just does it. No one talks about it in public though. There’s such a climate of fear.â€
Dr Alawi hopes the international community will finally begin to wake up to what is happening in the cradle of Islam. “We would never allow someone to destroy the Pyramids, so why are we letting Islam’s history disappear?â€
Prophet’s (s) Wife’s House
The house of the Prophet’s (s) wife Khadijah was destroyed and replaced with a public toilet block. After lengthy negotiations the site was briefly excavated with artefacts found dating back to the Prophet’s (s) time.
Expansion of the Grand Mosque
In order to accommodate the ever growing pilgrim numbers, the authorities have begun a £690m expansion. Houses have been pulled, and it is likely the old Ottoman and Abbasi columns will also go.
The Prophet’s (s) Birth House
The building where the Prophet (s) once lived lies just a few hundred yards from the Grand Mosque. Currently a library, the fear is that it could suffer the same fate as his wife’s house when the mosque expands.
Royal Mecca Clocktower
In order to build the clock tower and its surrounding skyscrapers–most of which house luxury hotels–the Saudi authorities approved the destruction of an entire mountain and the Ottoman Ajyad Fortress that lay on top.
Also under threat
Bayt al-Mawlid
When the Wahabis took Mecca in the 1920s they destroyed the dome on top of the house where the Prophet Muhammad (s) was born. It was then used as a cattle market before being turned into a library after a campaign by Meccans. There are concerns that the expansion of the Grand Mosque will destroy it once more. The site has never been excavated by archaeologists.
Ottoman and Abasi columns of the Grand Mosque
Slated for demolition as part of the Grand Mosque expansion, these intricately carved columns date back to the 17th century and are the oldest surviving sections of Islam’s holiest site. Much to the chagrin of Wahabis, they are inscribed with the names of the Prophet’s (s) companions. Ottomon Mecca is now rapidly disappearing.
Al-Masjid al-Nawabi
For many years, hardline Wahabi clerics have had their sites set on the 15th century green dome that rests above the tomb holding the Prophet (s), Abu Bakr and Umar in Medina. The mosque is regarded as the second holiest site in Islam. Wahabis, however, believe marked graves are idolatrous. A pamphlet published in 2007 by the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, endorsed by Abdulaziz Al Sheikh, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, stated that “the green dome shall be demolished and the three graves flattened in the Prophet’s (s) Masjid.â€
Jabal al-Nour
A mountain outside Mecca where Muhammad (s) received his first Koranic revelations. The Prophet (s) used to spend long spells in a cave called Hira. The cave is particularly popular among South Asian pilgrims who have carved steps up to its entrance and adorned the walls with graffiti. Religious hardliners are keen to dissuade pilgrims from congregating there and have mooted the idea of removing the steps and even destroying the mountain altogether.
Pres. Bill Clinton says that Netanyahu now rejects the deal that all others, including Israel’s past leaders, wanted.
By Josh Rogin
Palestine’s Pres. Mahmoud Abbas holds up a copy of the letter that he had delivered to UN Sec. Gen. Ban Ki-moon requesting full UN representation for a Palestinian state, September 23, 2011.
REUTERS/Mike Segar
Who’s to blame for the continued failure of the Middle East peace process? Former President Bill Clinton said today that it is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — whose government moved the goalposts upon taking power, and whose rise represents a key reason there has been no Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
Clinton, in a roundtable with bloggers today on the sidelines of the Clinton Global Initiative in New York, gave an extensive recounting of the deterioration in the Middle East peace process since he pressed both parties to agree to a final settlement at Camp David in 2000. He said there are two main reasons for the lack of a comprehensive peace today: the reluctance of the Netanyahu administration to accept the terms of the Camp David deal and a demographic shift in Israel that is making the Israeli public less amenable to peace.
“The two great tragedies in modern Middle Eastern politics, which make you wonder if God wants Middle East peace or not, were [Yitzhak] Rabin’s assassination and [Ariel] Sharon’s stroke,†Clinton said.
Sharon had decided he needed to build a new centrist coalition, so he created the Kadima party and gained the support of leaders like Tzipi Livni and Ehud Olmert. He was working toward a consensus for a peace deal before he fell ill, Clinton said. But that effort was scuttled when the Likud party returned to power.
“The Israelis always wanted two things that once it turned out they had, it didn’t seem so appealing to Mr. Netanyahu. They wanted to believe they had a partner for peace in a Palestinian government, and there’s no question — and the Netanyahu government has said — that this is the finest Palestinian government they’ve ever had in the West Bank,†Clinton said.
“[Palestinian leaders] have explicitly said on more than one occasion that if [Netanyahu] put up the deal that was offered to them before — my deal — that they would take it,†Clinton said, referring to the 2000 Camp David deal that Yasser Arafat rejected.
But the Israeli government has drifted a long way from the Ehud Barak-led government that came so close to peace in 2000, Clinton said, and any new negotiations with the Netanyahu government are now on starkly different terms — terms that the Palestinians are unlikely to accept.
“For reasons that even after all these years I still don’t know for sure, Arafat turned down the deal I put together that Barak accepted,†he said. “But they also had an Israeli government that was willing to give them East Jerusalem as the capital of the new state of Palestine.â€
Israel also wants a normalization of relations with its Arab neighbors to accompany a peace deal. Clinton said that the Saudi-inspired Arab Peace Initiative put forth in 2002 represented an answer to that Israeli demand.
“The King of Saudi Arabia started lining up all the Arab countries to say to the Israelis, ‘if you work it out with the Palestinians … we will give you immediately not only recognition but a political, economic, and security partnership,’†Clinton said. “This is huge….
It’s a heck of a deal.â€
The Netanyahu government has received all of the assurances previous Israeli governments said they wanted but now won’t accept those terms to make peace, Clinton said.
“Now that they have those things, they don’t seem so important to this current Israeli government, partly because it’s a different country,†said Clinton. “In the interim, you’ve had all these immigrants coming in from the former Soviet Union, and they have no history in Israel proper, so the traditional claims of the Palestinians have less weight with them.â€
Clinton then repeated his assertions made at last year’s conference that Israeli society can be divided into demographic groups that have various levels of enthusiasm for making peace.
“The most pro-peace Israelis are the Arabs; second the Sabras, the Jewish Israelis that were born there; third, the Ashkenazi of long-standing, the European Jews who came there around the time of Israel’s founding,†Clinton said. “The most anti-peace are the ultra-religious, who believe they’re supposed to keep Judea and Samaria, and the settler groups, and what you might call the territorialists, the people who just showed up lately and they’re not encumbered by the historical record.â€
Clinton affirmed that the United States should veto the Palestinian resolution at the U.N. Security Council for member-state status, because the Israelis need security guarantees before agreeing to the creation of a Palestinian state. But the Netanyahu government has moved away from the consensus for peace, making a final status agreement more difficult, Clinton said.
“That’s what happened. Every American needs to know this. That’s how we got to where we are,†Clinton said. “The real cynics believe that the Netanyahu’s government’s continued call for negotiations over borders and such means that he’s just not going to give up the West Bank.â€