Beyond Fear’s Vast, Rising Walls

Remembering Mercy, Taking Action: Beyond Fear’s Vast, Rising Walls


Former US president Jimmy Carter stated last week that it was a "crime against the people of Palestine" for foreign governments to halt aid to the Palestinian government after Hamas took over. His new book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, has strongly criticized Israel and the United States for blocking serious peace initiatives and exacerbating terrorism in the Middle East.

Not surprisingly, Jimmy Carter has been attacked right back. Right wing think tanks and Zionist pundits plot their revenge. Universities have refused to allow him to speak on campus. It is remarkable that a former President is treated this way, especially one so distinguished in service in the last decades and a man far, far superior to the President currently in office. He deserves our support.

Meanwhile, Unity Government talks with Hamas have collapsed. And the Palestinian people live with huge unemployment, alienation, and increasing insecurity. While living in such fear and suffering, however, human rights activists in Palestine do not only think of themselves, but call for universal human rights protection. When one part of the human body is injured, the whole feels pain.

This is why Palestinian politician Hanan Ashrawi has joined with other leading human rights defenders to sign a letter of concern regarding violent targeting of women and other vulnerable civilians in Darfur. "Women and young girls live in constant fear of attack," read the letter. It accused Sudan's government of being "unwilling or unable to protect its own civilians".

As Muslims we all know we must remember Palestine. Why don’t we have room in our hearts for African Muslims? Yet, even in their suffering, Palestinians like Hanan Ashrawi remember Darfur!

Why is Khartoum so unwilling to protect its civilians? Why did the Cities of the Plain reject the Prophet Lot? Sodom was unwilling to protect the stranger and the vulnerable within its walls. Sodom used rape as a weapon of intimidation. The same is happening in Darfur.

The UN Darfur Task Force Situation stated: "UNICEF has completed a child protection survey in Tawila. The report confirms a host of disturbing findings from the recent inter-agency mission, including a very large number of rape cases, in one case targeting 41 school girls and teachers, gang rape of minors by up to 14 men, abduction of children and women as well as killings of many civilians"

It is hard to understand how it is happening in a Muslim country, but rape and looting has been going on for three years. Amnesty International reports: “A Zaghawa man from Miski, in the district of Kutum, stated: "At 7am in August 2003, our village was surrounded by the Janjawid; we heard machine guns and most of the people ran away, some were killed while trying to escape. My sister, M., aged 43, was captured by the military and the Janjawid. They tried to sleep with her. She resisted, I was present and could hear her: "I will not do something like this even if you kill me" and they immediately killed her. Other people were also present when this happened."

The reports include many other testimonies, such as; “S. was five months pregnant when she was abducted with eight other women during an attack in Silaya, near Kulbus. According to S.: "After six days some of the girls were released. But others as young as eight years old were kept there. Five to six men would rape us in rounds, one after the other for hours during six days, every night. My husband could not forgive me. After this, he disowned me."

Should we make excuses for the tribes or for the government of Sudan, as the violence spreads across the borders of Chad? This is not the first divisive war within the boundaries of Sudan. Are Muslims to turn their heads when over two million fellow Muslims are pushed from their homeland? At least Palestinians understand! How about you?

“Peace upon you guests from an unknown people!” said the Prophet Ibrahim (Q:51:24), but continuing on their way to Sodom, the strangers were attacked as a rejection of Lot’s Prophethood. Sodom was punished. Similarly, the people of Thamud were destroyed for their rejection of Salih and his prophetic lessons on protection of the vulnerable.

And are we Muslims rejecting the lessons of Darfur? Are we so hard hearted now, that when others we dispute with are sometimes correct, we dare not join with them in true opinion? Just because Jews perceive the tragedy of Darfur, do we Muslims have the right to turn our backs on our brothers and sisters?

Each side has built a wall of rigid ideology and named it justice. Each side lives in suffering and constant fear.

But what are other leading Palestinian Rights activities doing now? They are working for peace in Darfur. They are reaching out to us and we need to reach out to them. You may have heard of them. Adam Shapiro is well known in our community as co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement (www.palsolidarity.org) in Palestine. Jen Marlowe coordinated and directed a conflict transformation program in Jerusalem, creating and implementing co-existence programs for hundreds of Palestinian and Israeli youth. Following Rachel Corrie’s untimely death, Jen is a founding member of the "Rachel's Words" initiative (www.rachelswords.org). Now, together with activist Aisha Bain, Adam and Jen have produced an important new film called “Darfur Diaries.”

Jen tells me that this film has been shown on LINKTV. In the coming week it will show at the Karachi International Film Festival. The film helps provide clarity about the need for immediate action, peacekeepers and access to food. To order this film for an event or discussion, contact: info@darfurdiaries.org.

If a leader does not care for his people, he may lose his right to be considered the leader. Insha’Allah we may not have reached that point yet in Sudan, but we should recall the fate of Sodom and Thamud. And let’s forget semantics. Genocide or no genocide, let’s move forward. Don’t be fooled by the false idol of nationalism or tribalism. Let’s revisit the DPA Peace Agreement. As the Sudan Tribune suggests: “If ‘reopen’ and ‘renegotiate’ offend, speak of ‘additional protocols.’” Let’s not get stuck with word games. Let the African Union send his representative and his new peacemakers immediately. And let us demand that Congress send funding for this; until now they have only voted symbolic support.

Muslims, be in touch with Reality; embrace Truth with open mind; and with open heart, remember Allah the Merciful! “Isa ibn Maryam used to say, "Do not speak much without the mention of Allah, for you will harden your hearts. A hard heart is far from Allah, but you do not know. Do not look at the wrong actions of people as if you were lords. Look at your wrong actions as if you were slaves. Some people are afflicted by wrong action and some people are protected from it. Be merciful to the people of affliction and praise Allah for His protection."(Muwatta Book #56, Hadith #56.3.8)

Power, Leadership & Auditing the Second Insurgency

Power, Leadership & Auditing the Second Insurgency

This December 10 will be Human Rights Day. Just a reminder to you and me that there are many human rights disasters that need action as well as the power of prayer.

Muslim leaders should lead their communities in responding to these human catastrophes. It is good they work for civic inclusion and against hate crimes; but we need more vocal leadership on secret prisons, CIA renditions, and all the abuses of executive power since 9/11.

Moreover, while Muslim community members are beginning to recognize the Darfur emergency, national Muslim American organizations have not found their voices on this burning issue. Yes, the House of Darfur is on fire! Do we not expect leaders to use their power to act? Or do we sit on our hands because we think all power corrupts?

The Second US President John Adams wrote: “Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond comprehension of the weak.” Convinced by its own rhetoric, state power uses media and culture to sanctify its aggressions. We have seen this all too clearly during the Bush Administration. But finally, our fellow Americans have found their own power to question Mr. Bush’s crusade, and the War On Terror powers he has amassed.

While Popular Culture and Media continue to tar Muslims with the brush of terror, this week some of us remembered that Law, at least, protects against mere “guilt by association.” On November 29, a federal judge in Los Angeles ruled that President Bush’s designation of 27 groups and individuals as “specially designated global terrorists” violated the Constitution because it was made without any announced standards.

Problematically, the President also authorized the Treasury to add more people or groups who provided services to or were “otherwise associated with” the original ones. “Subject only to his unfettered discretion,” Judge Collins wrote, “The president’s designation authority is constitutionally vague… It is axiomatic that the Constitution prohibits punishing a person for mere association.”

This is good news for charities and individuals nervous about being linked to “extremists” through a long chain of association out of our control. It seems that Bush administration over-reaching was intended to build his powers with or without an actual threat. I have never understood why suspect charities monies needed to be frozen –why not simply an audit?

Of course, we see now that it is his administration and its friends who should have been audited. As it turns out, the Bush Administration has empowered its enemies far beyond any measly “associates.”

You will recall that we were shocked last month to hear how funding for auditing the Iraq reconstruction was stripped from a military spending bill just before the vote. Stuart Bowen, Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction in charge of auditing Iraq's reconstruction since 2004 had found that more than 14,000 guns paid for out of US reconstruction funds for Iraqi government use could not be accounted for. Moreover, when the US military handed out the guns it noted the serial numbers of only about 10,000 out of a total of 370,000 US-funded weapons, contrary to defense department regulations, making them impossible to track.

Moreover, a classified report publicized by The New York Times last week, estimates that groups responsible for many insurgent and terrorist attacks are raising $70 million to $200 million a year from illegal activities. Over $35 million comes from ransoms; another $25 million to $100 million of that comes from oil smuggling and other criminal activity involving the state-owned oil industry, aided by “corrupt and complicit” Iraqi officials. What Mr. Bowen calls a "virtual pandemic" of corruption costs the country $4 billion a year. "Corruption is the second insurgency, and I use that metaphor to underline the seriousness of this issue," Mr. Bowen said.

Though arising out of a desperate situation, Iraqi corruption should be condemned. But much of the corruption is American. After Kellogg, Brown and Root (a subsidiary of Halliburton, Vice President Dick Cheney's former company) was awarded an oil industry repair job, more than half the company's $300 million project costs from 2004-06 went on overheads, an audit found. KBR was also found to have overcharged the US military about $60 million for fuel deliveries, but that did not stop it winning more government contracts.

Tragically some Muslims have been punished with years of detention in Guantanamo for associating at a very low level with Taliban soldiers. But why no punishment for corruption? The UK Guardian reported, “A California company, Parsons, had its contract terminated this year after it was found to have finished only six of more than 140 primary healthcare centers it was supposed to build, after two years work and $500m spent. However, the contract was ended "for convenience", meaning Parsons was paid in full.”

To some extent, the new (if slight) democratic majority in Congress should lead to some reform on these matters. However, if you meet with your local officials, city, state or federal, clearly let them know you are concerned about corruption. Let’s not let cynicism excuse business as usual. Sure, bring them baklava, or home baked red velvet cake; but don’t just speak sweet words. And don’t bribe them! They are paid to represent you.

And if you play a local leadership role, however small, share the results with the wider community. Post the results on the internet; send a press release to the Mirror; don’t fall into the trap of secret negotiations. Public life must be public.

We note that some Muslim organizations take a very elitist approach. Some of them denigrate other groups, while claiming to be “moderate Muslims.” Some of these Washington insiders even claim to be representing the community—but most of us have never even heard of them!

However, like so many mosques, many of our national groups seldom respond to phone messages on a range of important issues. They are often too bureaucratic. Some of them increasingly follow a corporate model rather than a grassroots model; which means control will not be transparent. But do we want our organizations to resemble corporations like Halliburton? Surely not! Let the leaders know.