THE WAVES FLOWING STILL

Waves of generosity continue to flow. Muslim children of all sizes lined up to help the survivors of the Tsunami disaster. These well- behaved children shook the crumpled dollars, jingling pennies, out of the plastic baggies and into a cardboard box. Some donors were so small they had to be lifted up to reach the table. It was a beautiful scene, at New Jerseys’

This outpouring of love and concern will be needed for years to come. The world needs the same attention in many, many countries in crisis. Americans, and Muslims too, need to be aware of suffering everywhere. But we must beware-- this flood of good feeling can be diverted to water the gardens of the corporate elite instead of the needy. It is easy to love the pretty dream of spreading democracy but not the hard work of spreading the wealth throughout the developing world. And I don’t mean spreading the manure of economic and psychological dependence. Now is the time for a humanitarian jihad, not a global welfare state. Now is the time to develop, to work together.

True, much has gone wrong. During the Saddam years the UN Oil for Food program mismanaged billions, much to the delight of the neo-cons who despise the UN and the World Court. But nine billion US Tax payer dollars have gone missing in Iraq in the two years since our occupation troops arrived in Baghdad. What do the neo-cons say to that? I would say we need really profound and radical change. With very different leadership American generosity might not flow into the pockets of oligarchs, our agents and who knows where. Can we dream of such a world and not be fools?

The assassin and anti-imperialist Brutus speaks thus in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar; “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune…. On such a full sea are we now afloat. And we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures.” Glorious sentiments— but though he seized the moment, Brutus came to a tragic end. So how will American idealism prevail in the coming years? The tide is still rising. And what of the Ummah? Will we sink or swim?

May Allah bless all those who drowned in the tsunami disaster, and protect their loved ones from harm. But what shall we wish for men who drown others? Such a man is the new nominee for Homeland Security chief, Mr. Michael Chertoff, who reportedly advised the CIA that waterboarding (near-drowning) could lawfully be used under certain circumstances, and provided advice on a wide range of coercive methods of interrogation.

Though head of the Criminal Division, after 9/11 Mr. Chertoff distorted and tortured the law. He implemented an official, though unwritten, “hold until cleared” no-bond policy, which was responsible for detaining innocent men for up to 8 months in such facilities as the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. He was deeply involved in the strategy of using the material witness statute when investigators could not establish any legal basis for taking a person into custody. He also lied to Congress, telling Senators in November 2001 that “Every detainee has been charged. Every detainee has a lawyer. No one is held incommunicado.” What kind of insane and misguided country chooses him for head of Homeland Security?

We all know that torture continues to be carried out by US soldiers not only at Abu Ghraib but also at Guantanamo, in Afghanistan, in many Iraqi locations as well as in secret foreign. And the methods used were not only the humiliations we saw at Abu Ghraib, but beatings to death, near drownings (repeated on the same prisoners again and again), and the use of electric shock. Where is the voice of conscience?

It is late – is it too late? At this writing, our fellow faith communities have began to articulate resistance to the selection of Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General. Why? In his Senate confirmation hearings he was not willing to repudiate the definition of torture that was so extreme that most forms of torture would be permitted. Gonzales also said the Convention Against Torture treaty, as ratified by the Senate, doesn't prohibit the use of "cruel, inhuman or degrading" tactics on non-U.S. citizens who are captured abroad, in Iraq or elsewhere.

Jewish groups mobilizing against torture can be located at www.shalomctr.org. Contrary to comments made in this newspaper last week, these peace and social justice organizers are not the “Jewish leadership” but an idealist counter-culture, who clearly have sincere and beautiful moral positions. The Protestants of “ “ are also mobilizing against torture, and the catholic leadership has also made its voice heard, though it could do more I feel. (see Bishop Ricard’s letter at www.usccb.org/sdwp/torture.htm).

We read the latest news that female interrogators tried to break Muslim detainees at the U.S. prison camp in Guantánamo Bay by sexual touching, wearing a miniskirt and thong underwear and in one case smearing a Saudi man's face with fake menstrual blood. But though Muslims have been targeted and dehumanized by this newly aggressive policy of torture, we should not be silent while other faith groups find their voice. Call your senator! Call the consulate and the embassy-- what are they doing for their people? Call your newspaper to tell them this is unacceptable! If we do not do this we will have more horror, in an ever-increasing flood. And if we do not do this, we will drown.

On his journey east to Muslim lands, the poet Lord Byron made fun of Shakespeare’s heroic verses quoted earlier, cynically deflating and also humanizing them; 'There is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood-- you know the rest. And most of us have found it now and then; At least we think so, though but few have guess'd the moment, till too late to come again. But no doubt every thing is for the best - Of which the surest sign is in the end: When things are at the worst they sometimes mend. …There is a tide in the affairs of women which, taken at the flood, leads - God knows where! Men with their heads reflect on this and that - But women with their hearts on heaven knows what!” And yes when we recognize ourselves in these empty heads and hearts we humans need to laugh at ourselves. A flood of laughter. But nothing else? That’s all we do?