MAS Freedom (MASF), as the civic and human rights advocacy entity of the Muslim American Society (MAS), responds to news of the Bush administrations announcement of a controversial plan to greatly expand their weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the Gulf States, and Israel over the next decade.
According to a spokesperson from the U.S. State Department, the proposed increase in arms sales includes some $20 billion in new advanced weaponry earmarked for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, $13 billion in increased military aid to Egypt, and a $30 billion commitment, over the next decade, to more military hardware for Israel. This huge proposed escalation in U.S. weapons sales in the region is clearly intended to counter the perceived expansion of Iran as a regional power.
This commitment to greater arms sales to the region also comes with a commitment on the part of the United States to maintain the "qualitative advantage" of the Israeli military over the armed forces of Arab states in the region.
But there is nothing that will come from this ill-advised proposal except more violence and deeper tragedy for the inhabitants of this war-raved region.
MAS Freedom totally opposes this proposed escalation in arms sales and potential armed violence in the region. And here's why:
The sale of $20 billion in advanced weapons to Saudi Arabia and Egypt will only serve to strengthen two of the most repressive and anti-democratic regimes in the region, at the expense of the legitimate human rights and civil liberties of both the Egyptian and Saudi peoples. Numerous human rights reports have documented the brutal nature of the regimes of both countries. Massive U.S. aid facilitates the maintenance of an unacceptable status quo by strengthening the capacity of both governments to stifle legitimate dissent and suppress movements for democratic change. And if the U.S. government truly believes in supporting democracy around the globe, we believe that they should not be in the business of arming corrupt and autocratic governments that oppose the legitimate aspirations of their own peoples.
Arming Israel will only add to the repression of the Palestinian people. If the United States is truly committed to a policy leading to the creation of a viable and democratic Palestinian state, the escalation of arms sales to Israel is likely to only create more, not less, armed repression directed against Palestinians. And the current Israeli policies of expanded settlements and the ongoing construction of a "security" wall in the West Bank are likely to continue, even as Israel continues to give some limited support to the Fatah-led government the West Bank while continuing the isolation and economic strangulation of Gaza.
The third danger, and perhaps the greatest one, is the likelihood that such a hyper-militarization of Sunni Arab states will increase the likelihood of an armed confrontation with the Shi'a-led government in Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Olmert has already spoken of a quasi-alliance between the U.S. Israel, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States against Iran. And it is no secret that the U.S. is openly sponsoring anti-government activities against Tehran while maneuvering U.S. military assets for possible armed strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities and strategic targets.
The deeply convoluted and massive problems facing the peoples of this region will not be solved by the infusion of more, and more sophisticated, U.S. weapons into the region. Neither will the issues of establishing true democracy, responding to poverty and human needs, and guaranteeing the human rights (including civil liberties an the right of political self-determination for the people of Palestine) be addressed by the initiation of another arms race in the Middle East.
Moreover, we believe that any attempt by non-Muslims to manipulate the differences between Muslims communities and nations, or to foster hostility between Muslims based on ideological or sectarian differences, is contrary to both the Qur'an and the injunctions of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Unto Him). Our intention should always be the promotion of peace and mutual respect among all believers, and not allowing the Muslim Ummah to be manipulated for the benefit of outside interests.
MAS Freedom believes that the tragedy of the Iraq war must not be extended, and compounded, by a new wave of Cold War thinking. American arms merchants and war profiteers may greet this proposal with glee. But the people of the Middle East, and indeed the world, will only face the potential of more war and more death as a result of yet another misguided and immoral act of the Bush administration.
But this insidious and ill-conceived plan is not a done deal. It will require the approval of the U.S. Congress. We say NO to this proposed escalation of weapons sales, and we call on our members to voice their clear and principled opposition as well.
By Ibrahim Ramey, MASF Civil & Human Rights Director
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Condemnation of Hostage Deaths in Afghanistan
On July 19, 2007, a group of 23 South Korean Christians in Kabul, Afghanistan were kidnapped by elements of the Taliban militia and held in exchange for the release of Taliban prisoners by the Afghan government.
On July 25 a male member of the group, 29-year-old Shim Sung-min, was found with 10 bullet holes in his head, chest and stomach in the Mushaki area of Qarabagh district in Ghazni province.
Subsequently, the body of a second hostage was discovered on July 31.
The Korean hostages are not prisoners or criminals. They are civilians who went to Afghanistan for humanitarian work.
MAS Freedom (MASF), as the civic and human rights advocacy entity of the Muslim American Society (MAS), through its Executive Director, Imam Mahdi Bray, issued the following public statement on July 31. A formal letter of condolence has also been sent to the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States. (http://www.masnet.org/takeaction.asp?id=4166)
"MAS Freedom completely condemns the taking and killing of South Korean Christian hostages in Afghanistan as not only a gross violation of the human rights of these captives, but also a horrible violation of the norms of basic human decency. These actions are completely contrary to the basic tenets of Islam, and for the sake of our Lord, we implore those who have taken these hostages to return them safely to their loved ones, and to stop this madness."
On July 25 a male member of the group, 29-year-old Shim Sung-min, was found with 10 bullet holes in his head, chest and stomach in the Mushaki area of Qarabagh district in Ghazni province.
Subsequently, the body of a second hostage was discovered on July 31.
The Korean hostages are not prisoners or criminals. They are civilians who went to Afghanistan for humanitarian work.
MAS Freedom (MASF), as the civic and human rights advocacy entity of the Muslim American Society (MAS), through its Executive Director, Imam Mahdi Bray, issued the following public statement on July 31. A formal letter of condolence has also been sent to the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States. (http://www.masnet.org/takeaction.asp?id=4166)
"MAS Freedom completely condemns the taking and killing of South Korean Christian hostages in Afghanistan as not only a gross violation of the human rights of these captives, but also a horrible violation of the norms of basic human decency. These actions are completely contrary to the basic tenets of Islam, and for the sake of our Lord, we implore those who have taken these hostages to return them safely to their loved ones, and to stop this madness."
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
MAS Freedom on Sentence of Sabri Benkahla
MAS Freedom (MASF), as the civic and human rights advocacy entity of the Muslim American Society (MAS), has learned that on Tuesday, July 24, Sabri Benkahla, age 32, of Falls Church, Va., despite a prior acquittal, has continued to face vigorous prosecution by Federal authorities, and as a result of being re-tried on "lesser" offenses in February 2007, will now spend the next 10-years of his life in a federal prison.
In addition to the jail term, based on his being convicted on one count of perjury before the grand jury, one count of obstruction of justice with respect to the grand jury investigation, and one count of making false official statements to the FBI, U.S. District Judge James C. Cacheris also ordered Benkahla, to pay a $17,500 fine.
Under normal sentencing guidelines, Benkahla would have, at most, served a three-year term for his convictions, however, it seems that federal prosecutors were able to obtain a stiffer sentence by arguing that Benkahla's alleged "lies" effectively promoted terrorism by obstructing a wide-ranging terror investigation.
Prosecutor Gordon Kromberg argued that Benkahla stymied an FBI investigation by giving a grand jury misleading information about his contacts on a 1999 trip to a training camp run by a group called Lashkar-e-Taiba, which the U.S. subsequently designated as a terrorist organization.
"This is just another example of how the criminal justice system is being used to transmogrify a legal jury acquittal into a double-jeopardy, back door conviction," stated MAS Freedom Executive Director, Mahdi Bray.
The irregularity, if not illegality, of this form of "enhanced sentencing" should be obvious: in their zeal to prosecute and imprison those whom they consider to be political opponents, the federal government is willing to circumvent the decisions made by juries in criminal trials by charging persons found not guilty in court with even more indictments.
The obvious effect of this strategy is to wear down defendants, deplete their legal and financial resources, place further emotional stress on their families and communities, and finally, put them in jail.
And when they are imprisoned, the sentences for the "lesser" charges are just as extreme as the ones for the criminal charges that were already dismissed.
The American justice system is supposed to avoid double jeopardy - that is, trying someone twice for the same alleged offense. But Sabri's re-trial and subsequent sentencing proves that double jeopardy is, indeed, a part of the government arsenal against Muslim defendants.
"If they can’t convict us in a fair jury trial, they’ll "get" us by a subsequent indictment on a different charge-with huge jail time if a conviction is won," stated Bray.
MAS Freedom calls for the rejection of "enhanced sentencing" because it fails the essential imperative of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States-that is, the guarantee of equal protection under the law.
We believe that this promise of equality also applies to Muslims, and to all persons acquitted of crimes in a trial.
MAS Freedom encourages continued community support of Sabri, and his family, in their quest for vindication.
"It's clear that Sabri's conviction is a case of double-jeopardy, and we hope it will be overturned on appeal," stated Bray.
Bray added, "We call on our community to work diligently to end the prejudicial treatment in our courts that threatens the freedom of Muslim defendants even after they have been acquitted."
In addition to the jail term, based on his being convicted on one count of perjury before the grand jury, one count of obstruction of justice with respect to the grand jury investigation, and one count of making false official statements to the FBI, U.S. District Judge James C. Cacheris also ordered Benkahla, to pay a $17,500 fine.
Under normal sentencing guidelines, Benkahla would have, at most, served a three-year term for his convictions, however, it seems that federal prosecutors were able to obtain a stiffer sentence by arguing that Benkahla's alleged "lies" effectively promoted terrorism by obstructing a wide-ranging terror investigation.
Prosecutor Gordon Kromberg argued that Benkahla stymied an FBI investigation by giving a grand jury misleading information about his contacts on a 1999 trip to a training camp run by a group called Lashkar-e-Taiba, which the U.S. subsequently designated as a terrorist organization.
"This is just another example of how the criminal justice system is being used to transmogrify a legal jury acquittal into a double-jeopardy, back door conviction," stated MAS Freedom Executive Director, Mahdi Bray.
The irregularity, if not illegality, of this form of "enhanced sentencing" should be obvious: in their zeal to prosecute and imprison those whom they consider to be political opponents, the federal government is willing to circumvent the decisions made by juries in criminal trials by charging persons found not guilty in court with even more indictments.
The obvious effect of this strategy is to wear down defendants, deplete their legal and financial resources, place further emotional stress on their families and communities, and finally, put them in jail.
And when they are imprisoned, the sentences for the "lesser" charges are just as extreme as the ones for the criminal charges that were already dismissed.
The American justice system is supposed to avoid double jeopardy - that is, trying someone twice for the same alleged offense. But Sabri's re-trial and subsequent sentencing proves that double jeopardy is, indeed, a part of the government arsenal against Muslim defendants.
"If they can’t convict us in a fair jury trial, they’ll "get" us by a subsequent indictment on a different charge-with huge jail time if a conviction is won," stated Bray.
MAS Freedom calls for the rejection of "enhanced sentencing" because it fails the essential imperative of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States-that is, the guarantee of equal protection under the law.
We believe that this promise of equality also applies to Muslims, and to all persons acquitted of crimes in a trial.
MAS Freedom encourages continued community support of Sabri, and his family, in their quest for vindication.
"It's clear that Sabri's conviction is a case of double-jeopardy, and we hope it will be overturned on appeal," stated Bray.
Bray added, "We call on our community to work diligently to end the prejudicial treatment in our courts that threatens the freedom of Muslim defendants even after they have been acquitted."
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
MAS Freedom Maintains Stand Against Torture!
As part of our ongoing campaign against all forms of torture and torture rendition committed anywhere, including those committed by operatives of the U.S. government, MAS Freedom (MASF), as the civic and human rights advocacy entity of the Muslim American Society (MAS), joins with other members of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) in demanding an end to all forms of torture used by the U.S. operatives, and especially the Central Intelligence Agency.
The "new" policy on torture announced by President Bush last week does not address the ongoing abuses of hundreds of Muslims held prisoner at the Guantanamo detention camp in Cuba. Nor does it categorically and completely abolish all forms of interrogation that are categorized as torture by international law.
We ask our supporters to contact their elected representatives to demand that all - and not merely some - forms of torture be completely outlawed.
On Friday, President Bush issued an executive order governing CIA interrogation techniques that keeps the door open to torture and other cruel and inhuman treatment of detainees in American custody.
More than three years after we learned about the abuses at Abu Ghraib, Americans still don't know what kinds of practices are happening in our name.
What this country needed from the White House was a clear statement of rules that embody America's values and high moral standards. Instead, it got a confusing and opaque double standard shot through with loopholes and equivocations. This failure to articulate a single standard of humane treatment will perpetuate a policy of official cruelty, undermine the rule of law, and increase the risk to American service members, now and in future wars.
While the U.S. military has publicly embraced clear rules in a new Army Field Manual that explicitly prohibits the kinds of abuses previously authorized by the administration – this new executive order undermines those standards by failing to take abusive techniques off the table for the CIA.
The order does not clearly and specifically end illegal practices: so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques", which included water boarding, stress positions, hypothermia, sensory deprivation, sleep deprivation and isolation, and holding prisoners in secret CIA "black sites" in order to keep them outside the reach of the law. Instead, it allows the Director of the CIA to make his own decision about what's legal and what isn't.
Worst of all, the President's misguided interrogation policy increases the risk to American soldiers. As a group of 49 military leaders wrote last year about the Geneva Convention standards:
"If any agency of the U.S. government is excused from compliance with these standards, or if we seek to redefine what Common Article 3 requires, we should not imagine that our enemies will take notice of the technical distinctions when they hold U.S. prisoners captive. If degradation, humiliation, physical and mental brutalization of prisoners is decriminalized or considered permissible under a restrictive interpretation of Common Article 3, we will forfeit all credible objections should such barbaric practices be inflicted upon American prisoners."
The "new" policy on torture announced by President Bush last week does not address the ongoing abuses of hundreds of Muslims held prisoner at the Guantanamo detention camp in Cuba. Nor does it categorically and completely abolish all forms of interrogation that are categorized as torture by international law.
We ask our supporters to contact their elected representatives to demand that all - and not merely some - forms of torture be completely outlawed.
On Friday, President Bush issued an executive order governing CIA interrogation techniques that keeps the door open to torture and other cruel and inhuman treatment of detainees in American custody.
More than three years after we learned about the abuses at Abu Ghraib, Americans still don't know what kinds of practices are happening in our name.
What this country needed from the White House was a clear statement of rules that embody America's values and high moral standards. Instead, it got a confusing and opaque double standard shot through with loopholes and equivocations. This failure to articulate a single standard of humane treatment will perpetuate a policy of official cruelty, undermine the rule of law, and increase the risk to American service members, now and in future wars.
While the U.S. military has publicly embraced clear rules in a new Army Field Manual that explicitly prohibits the kinds of abuses previously authorized by the administration – this new executive order undermines those standards by failing to take abusive techniques off the table for the CIA.
The order does not clearly and specifically end illegal practices: so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques", which included water boarding, stress positions, hypothermia, sensory deprivation, sleep deprivation and isolation, and holding prisoners in secret CIA "black sites" in order to keep them outside the reach of the law. Instead, it allows the Director of the CIA to make his own decision about what's legal and what isn't.
Worst of all, the President's misguided interrogation policy increases the risk to American soldiers. As a group of 49 military leaders wrote last year about the Geneva Convention standards:
"If any agency of the U.S. government is excused from compliance with these standards, or if we seek to redefine what Common Article 3 requires, we should not imagine that our enemies will take notice of the technical distinctions when they hold U.S. prisoners captive. If degradation, humiliation, physical and mental brutalization of prisoners is decriminalized or considered permissible under a restrictive interpretation of Common Article 3, we will forfeit all credible objections should such barbaric practices be inflicted upon American prisoners."
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Pakistan and Democracy: Time for Musharraf to Go
The nation of Pakistan is certainly no stranger to violence, but the current state of war between Islamic forces and the government of General Pervez Musharraf has made many more people nervous, not only in Islamabad, but in the United States as well. In the Pakistani capital, more than 20 civilians and a number of government troops have been killed in clashes between pro-Taliban Islamic advocates and the Pakistan army.
The conflict is represented, at least in the Western press, as a clash between Islamic extremists (reportedly Taliban and Al Queda sympathizers keen on the imposition of Sharia on the population), and a secular government pulling out all the stops to resist them.
The United States, the major international supporter of the military government in Islamabad, has made a public point of reaffirming its backing for Musharraf in this strife. President Bush stated this week in Cleveland, Ohio that "I like him and I appreciate him". Vice President Cheyney is reported to be a big fan of the general as well. And perhaps this means a stream of new F-16 fighter planes and American economic credits to Pakistan, while the U.S. allows Musharraf simultaneously bludgeon his domestic opponents while he tolerates, in the face of U.S. anger, business as usual in the virtually autonomous tribal area of Waziristan (along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border) where Al Queda is reported to maintain its command centers.
The attack on the Red Mosque in Islamabad and the deaths of protesting Muslim opponents of the Musharraf dictatorship also demonstrate the essential contradiction and root cause of the conflict: the suppression of real democracy in Pakistan, and the role of the United States in maintaining a dictatorship that has lost both credibility and popular support among its people.
We should remember that Pakistan, like Egypt, has a strong Islamic movement. There is a minority faction within this movement that advocates for a more stringent and literal interpretation of the Qur'an in all the affairs of both the civil society and the state. There have certainly been problems with this approach, especially in the areas of Christian-Muslim coexistence in Pakistan and the willingness of the civil society to provide equal social status and protection for women.
But those who fervently believe in this interpretation of Islam are hardly the only ones calling for an end to the autocratic rule of Musharraf. The sacking earlier this year of Pakistan's Chief Justice, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, riled opposition forces who saw the move as a blatant attempt by Musharraf to undermine Pakistan's independent judiciary. And while the nation's small, educated class makes money, the income disparity between rich and poor-and the massive discontent of Pakistan's poor population- is growing. The likely outcome of this most recent violent assault in Pakistan is more dissent and social upheaval, and not the pacification that the general and his Washington friends might like.
In the prevailing worldview of the current American administration, Pakistan is an important component in Washington's global war against "radical" Islam. Musharraf has shown his willingness to dance to America's tune, in return for American money and weapons. But also-as in Egypt-the support from the United States has not come with any strings that require the military government of Pakistan to guarantee real and fair elections, and to return the power of self determination to the people of the nation, their elected representatives, and the institutions of civil society.
The Bush administration backed the army attack on the Red Mosque in Islamabad, as they back the regime of General Pervez Musharraf. We deeply regret the magnitude of killing involved in this conflict, as well as the willingness to attack and destroy a sacred place of worship.
But American support for this dictatorship will not ease the root cause of discontent in Pakistan. This will be accomplished by nothing short of a full commitment by the government of the United States to genuine, popular democracy in Pakistan, and a respect of the right of the Pakistani people to select their own-and not Washington's-government.
The Bush administration has killed countless thousands people in Iraq for the sake of installing "democracy". Now, It's time for them to get real about respect for democracy in Pakistan.
And it's time for them to realize, by the way, that Pervez Musharraf should no longer lead that nation.
Ibrahim Ramey
The conflict is represented, at least in the Western press, as a clash between Islamic extremists (reportedly Taliban and Al Queda sympathizers keen on the imposition of Sharia on the population), and a secular government pulling out all the stops to resist them.
The United States, the major international supporter of the military government in Islamabad, has made a public point of reaffirming its backing for Musharraf in this strife. President Bush stated this week in Cleveland, Ohio that "I like him and I appreciate him". Vice President Cheyney is reported to be a big fan of the general as well. And perhaps this means a stream of new F-16 fighter planes and American economic credits to Pakistan, while the U.S. allows Musharraf simultaneously bludgeon his domestic opponents while he tolerates, in the face of U.S. anger, business as usual in the virtually autonomous tribal area of Waziristan (along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border) where Al Queda is reported to maintain its command centers.
The attack on the Red Mosque in Islamabad and the deaths of protesting Muslim opponents of the Musharraf dictatorship also demonstrate the essential contradiction and root cause of the conflict: the suppression of real democracy in Pakistan, and the role of the United States in maintaining a dictatorship that has lost both credibility and popular support among its people.
We should remember that Pakistan, like Egypt, has a strong Islamic movement. There is a minority faction within this movement that advocates for a more stringent and literal interpretation of the Qur'an in all the affairs of both the civil society and the state. There have certainly been problems with this approach, especially in the areas of Christian-Muslim coexistence in Pakistan and the willingness of the civil society to provide equal social status and protection for women.
But those who fervently believe in this interpretation of Islam are hardly the only ones calling for an end to the autocratic rule of Musharraf. The sacking earlier this year of Pakistan's Chief Justice, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, riled opposition forces who saw the move as a blatant attempt by Musharraf to undermine Pakistan's independent judiciary. And while the nation's small, educated class makes money, the income disparity between rich and poor-and the massive discontent of Pakistan's poor population- is growing. The likely outcome of this most recent violent assault in Pakistan is more dissent and social upheaval, and not the pacification that the general and his Washington friends might like.
In the prevailing worldview of the current American administration, Pakistan is an important component in Washington's global war against "radical" Islam. Musharraf has shown his willingness to dance to America's tune, in return for American money and weapons. But also-as in Egypt-the support from the United States has not come with any strings that require the military government of Pakistan to guarantee real and fair elections, and to return the power of self determination to the people of the nation, their elected representatives, and the institutions of civil society.
The Bush administration backed the army attack on the Red Mosque in Islamabad, as they back the regime of General Pervez Musharraf. We deeply regret the magnitude of killing involved in this conflict, as well as the willingness to attack and destroy a sacred place of worship.
But American support for this dictatorship will not ease the root cause of discontent in Pakistan. This will be accomplished by nothing short of a full commitment by the government of the United States to genuine, popular democracy in Pakistan, and a respect of the right of the Pakistani people to select their own-and not Washington's-government.
The Bush administration has killed countless thousands people in Iraq for the sake of installing "democracy". Now, It's time for them to get real about respect for democracy in Pakistan.
And it's time for them to realize, by the way, that Pervez Musharraf should no longer lead that nation.
Ibrahim Ramey
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
MAS Freedom National Mobilization Team Responds to HLF UCC Designation
On Sunday, the Muslim community of Dallas packed the Plano Centre in a Town Hall response to the upcoming Holy Land Foundation (HLF) trial. MAS Freedom and MAS-Dallas accepted responsibility on behalf of the Hunger for Justice Coalition to mobilize the community with its Faith Over Fear & Justice For All National mobilization team. Members of the Dallas community enthusiastically waved Faith Over Fear & Justice For All banners as members of the Coalition spoke about the HLF trial scheduled to begin on Monday, July 23.
Speakers from major national organizations explained the following to the audience:
• The government claims "the trial is a part of the global war on terror", yet HLF is not accused of any violent act, destruction of property, or harm to anyone. In reality, the defendant's lawyers assert that they are being accused of feeding, clothing, and sheltering the "wrong children" - the Palestinians.
• Closing HLF by Executive Order violates HLF’s rights to judiciary review or due process.
• Waiting three years to issue an indictment has denied HLF and its associates the right to a speedy trial.
• Now the government has added insult-to-injury by naming several mainstream Muslim organizations and prominent Muslim leaders as un-indicted co-conspirators (UCC), a designation which offers the designees no opportunity to defend themselves against such scandalous claims.
MAS Freedom flew in for the Hunger for Justice Coalition event its Faith Over Fear & Justice For All national mobilization team. The team consists of Mahdi Bray, Executive Director, MAS Freedom; Brian Becker, National Coordinator for the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition; Mara Verheyden-Hillard, Esq., Partnership for Civil Justice and National Lawyers Guild; Rev. Graylan Hagler, National Board Member, United Church of Christ; Bilal Khaleem, MAS Boston.
MAS Freedom Executive Director, Bray, received several standing ovations as he encouraged the crowd to find strength within their faith. He also reiterated that this new, broad, legal attack on the Muslim community was an important struggle for the soul of America. Addressing this issue of the UCC, he stated that, although MAS was not on the list, many prominent leaders and organizations were. Thus, MAS Freedom views this attack an inappropriate legal attack on the entire Muslim community and its organizations.
"Muslim organizations not listed, must not abandon organizations listed as UCC's out of timidity, fear or some superficial sense of token acceptance. This is an attempt by our own government to legally lynch our community. We either hang together, or for sure we’ll hang separately. We at MAS Freedom will never abandon our core principle of standing for justice. We’ll continue to defend our community and its organizations against injustice."
Bray further stated, "Many of our fellow Americans are deeply troubled by the direction of a US long-standing, one-sided foreign policy that is so intrinsically welded to the illegal Israeli occupation of the Palestinian people, that it would jeopardize the fundamental values of American justice and due process of its own citizens. Regardless of what one may think about the occupation of Palestine (and undoubtedly that’s what this case is about), feeding hungry children anywhere on earth should never be classified as a crime. Yes, that includes Palestinian children, too."
MAS Freedom wishes to thank the Hunger for Justice Coalition, the Muslim Legal Fund of America, the MAS-Dallas Chapter, the MAS Freedom national mobilization team, community leaders, family, and friends who exhibited an overwhelming sense of solidarity concerning this important matter. Truly this is an important legal challenge facing the American Muslim community and it needs all of our support.
Speakers from major national organizations explained the following to the audience:
• The government claims "the trial is a part of the global war on terror", yet HLF is not accused of any violent act, destruction of property, or harm to anyone. In reality, the defendant's lawyers assert that they are being accused of feeding, clothing, and sheltering the "wrong children" - the Palestinians.
• Closing HLF by Executive Order violates HLF’s rights to judiciary review or due process.
• Waiting three years to issue an indictment has denied HLF and its associates the right to a speedy trial.
• Now the government has added insult-to-injury by naming several mainstream Muslim organizations and prominent Muslim leaders as un-indicted co-conspirators (UCC), a designation which offers the designees no opportunity to defend themselves against such scandalous claims.
MAS Freedom flew in for the Hunger for Justice Coalition event its Faith Over Fear & Justice For All national mobilization team. The team consists of Mahdi Bray, Executive Director, MAS Freedom; Brian Becker, National Coordinator for the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition; Mara Verheyden-Hillard, Esq., Partnership for Civil Justice and National Lawyers Guild; Rev. Graylan Hagler, National Board Member, United Church of Christ; Bilal Khaleem, MAS Boston.
MAS Freedom Executive Director, Bray, received several standing ovations as he encouraged the crowd to find strength within their faith. He also reiterated that this new, broad, legal attack on the Muslim community was an important struggle for the soul of America. Addressing this issue of the UCC, he stated that, although MAS was not on the list, many prominent leaders and organizations were. Thus, MAS Freedom views this attack an inappropriate legal attack on the entire Muslim community and its organizations.
"Muslim organizations not listed, must not abandon organizations listed as UCC's out of timidity, fear or some superficial sense of token acceptance. This is an attempt by our own government to legally lynch our community. We either hang together, or for sure we’ll hang separately. We at MAS Freedom will never abandon our core principle of standing for justice. We’ll continue to defend our community and its organizations against injustice."
Bray further stated, "Many of our fellow Americans are deeply troubled by the direction of a US long-standing, one-sided foreign policy that is so intrinsically welded to the illegal Israeli occupation of the Palestinian people, that it would jeopardize the fundamental values of American justice and due process of its own citizens. Regardless of what one may think about the occupation of Palestine (and undoubtedly that’s what this case is about), feeding hungry children anywhere on earth should never be classified as a crime. Yes, that includes Palestinian children, too."
MAS Freedom wishes to thank the Hunger for Justice Coalition, the Muslim Legal Fund of America, the MAS-Dallas Chapter, the MAS Freedom national mobilization team, community leaders, family, and friends who exhibited an overwhelming sense of solidarity concerning this important matter. Truly this is an important legal challenge facing the American Muslim community and it needs all of our support.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Pay Day Loan Consumer Protection Act Wins Initial Approval of Washington, D.C. City Council
The Muslim American Society (MAS) Freedom Foundation was informed on July 11th that a majority of the Washington, D.C. City Council approved the first reading of Bill B17-132, the Pay Day Loan Consumer Protection Act. This act proposes regulation of the "pay day loan" industry In Washington, D.C. by imposing severe restrictions on the annual interest rates charged by these loans, which can exceed 700 per cent each year.
If given final city council approval in September, the proposed legislation will become law in the District of Columbia.
MAS salutes the work of our friend, Reverend Graylan Scott Hagler, and a coalition of interfaith leaders who are committed to economic justice for poor and working people in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States.
MAS Freedom will continue to voice our demand for the end of this form of predatory lending. We will keep you informed on the progress of the legislation.
If given final city council approval in September, the proposed legislation will become law in the District of Columbia.
MAS salutes the work of our friend, Reverend Graylan Scott Hagler, and a coalition of interfaith leaders who are committed to economic justice for poor and working people in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States.
MAS Freedom will continue to voice our demand for the end of this form of predatory lending. We will keep you informed on the progress of the legislation.
Peace Now Report Highlights Israeli Settlement "Land Grab" in Palestine
Peace Now, an Israeli peace advocacy organization, has issued a recent report revealing that Israeli settlements in the occupied West bank of Palestine use only 12 per cent of the land allocated to them, and that one third of the territory being used lies outside of the official settlement jurisdictions.
This report is based on official Israeli data obtained by Peace Now through a lawsuit. For years before this successful suit, official maps of the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories were not made public.
Among other facts, the report states that 90 percent of these settlements exceed their official boundaries, despite the large amount of unused land already allocated to settlers. The report also reveals that the Israeli government has confiscated Palestinian land in the West Bank beyond the needs of the settlers. This has been done to both prevent Palestinian construction on the land, and to create an "Apartheid" buffer zone between the settlements and Palestinian communities.
After areas have been closed to Palestinians, settlers have often illegally seized privately owned, adjacent Palestinian lands. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF), which continues to illegally control the Palestinian territory, does not prevent the settlers from these land seizures.
Dror Ether, who prepared the report, stated, "there is a pattern of failure to enforce the law on the settlers. But the lack of enforcement isn't an accident. It has become another tool to achieve the military goal of occupation, which is to allocate the land and hold it."
Mahdi Bray, Executive Director of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, stated that "It's amazing, the international community has declared the settlements to be a clear violation of international law, yet the U.S. government regards them merely as an obstacle to peace. Why won't the United States government call this what it really is-land theft, and the last vestige of colonialism in the modern world"?
The MAS Freedom Foundation respects and deeply appreciates the work of Peace Now, and their recent report on the settlements. However, we believe that this report should not avoid confronting the fact that the occupation of Palestinian land is illegal. The refusal of the U.S. government to honestly address this issue is a serious obstacle to peace in the region.
This report is based on official Israeli data obtained by Peace Now through a lawsuit. For years before this successful suit, official maps of the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories were not made public.
Among other facts, the report states that 90 percent of these settlements exceed their official boundaries, despite the large amount of unused land already allocated to settlers. The report also reveals that the Israeli government has confiscated Palestinian land in the West Bank beyond the needs of the settlers. This has been done to both prevent Palestinian construction on the land, and to create an "Apartheid" buffer zone between the settlements and Palestinian communities.
After areas have been closed to Palestinians, settlers have often illegally seized privately owned, adjacent Palestinian lands. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF), which continues to illegally control the Palestinian territory, does not prevent the settlers from these land seizures.
Dror Ether, who prepared the report, stated, "there is a pattern of failure to enforce the law on the settlers. But the lack of enforcement isn't an accident. It has become another tool to achieve the military goal of occupation, which is to allocate the land and hold it."
Mahdi Bray, Executive Director of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, stated that "It's amazing, the international community has declared the settlements to be a clear violation of international law, yet the U.S. government regards them merely as an obstacle to peace. Why won't the United States government call this what it really is-land theft, and the last vestige of colonialism in the modern world"?
The MAS Freedom Foundation respects and deeply appreciates the work of Peace Now, and their recent report on the settlements. However, we believe that this report should not avoid confronting the fact that the occupation of Palestinian land is illegal. The refusal of the U.S. government to honestly address this issue is a serious obstacle to peace in the region.
Monday, July 9, 2007
"Partial" Justice Will Not Bring Freedom to Palestine
Most of the world has, understandably, been focused on the internal conflict in Palestine between Hamas and Fatah, and the layers of international political maneuvering and intrigue that surrounds it.
With the displacement of the Fatah-lead government in Gaza, both Israel and the United States have acted in ways that many people consider to be conciliatory to the Palestinian Authority. Israel has announced the intention to release some 325 Palestinian prisoners now held in Israeli prisons, while also providing tax revenues previously confiscated from the PA. The United States, in return, has agreed to recognize the government of Prime Minister Abbas while providing hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to this faction of the Palestinian leadership.
Some might consider these political decisions to be indications of “progress”. But there is still plenty wrong with this picture.
While we applaud the release of Palestinian captives held in Israeli jails, we note that extra-judicial kidnappings by Israel continue in all parts of the Palestinian territory. In the West Bank city of Hebron, for example, more that 500 Palestinians, including women and children, have reportedly been kidnapped by Israeli soldiers in 2007. Many more prisoners have been taken from other West Bank locations and from Gaza.
The Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation applauded the recent release, in Gaza, of an abducted British journalist. But we must never forget the thousands of Palestinians that are illegally imprisoned in Israel. And they must be freed, too.
There is the matter of the continued Israeli construction of the "Apartheid" wall that separates families, divides villages, and inflicts both economic hardship and humiliation on the people of Palestine. Despite the illegality (under international law) of this barrier, Israel shows no sign of relenting in its construction.
And gangs of settlers are still free to occupy Palestinian land and confiscate the property of indigenous people who have lived on the land for centuries.
Political posturing and maneuvering may take place on all sides of the issue. Deep animosities and internal divisions within the Palestinian body politic continue to make necessary Palestinian operational unity an illusive goal.
But at the heart of it all, there is still the reality that the oppressive machinery of Israel, and its American ally, continues to deprive the Palestinian people of genuine freedom, dignity, and self-determination. Millions of American tax dollars have now been freed to contribute some good to the Palestinian economy, but billions more are still used to finance the occupation that remains at the heart of the issue.
The appearance of conciliation and "progress" In Israel-Palestine may capture the attention of the world. But in the final analysis, we must not be content to merely slow down the machine of occupation and oppression.
It must be brought to a complete stop.
With the displacement of the Fatah-lead government in Gaza, both Israel and the United States have acted in ways that many people consider to be conciliatory to the Palestinian Authority. Israel has announced the intention to release some 325 Palestinian prisoners now held in Israeli prisons, while also providing tax revenues previously confiscated from the PA. The United States, in return, has agreed to recognize the government of Prime Minister Abbas while providing hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to this faction of the Palestinian leadership.
Some might consider these political decisions to be indications of “progress”. But there is still plenty wrong with this picture.
While we applaud the release of Palestinian captives held in Israeli jails, we note that extra-judicial kidnappings by Israel continue in all parts of the Palestinian territory. In the West Bank city of Hebron, for example, more that 500 Palestinians, including women and children, have reportedly been kidnapped by Israeli soldiers in 2007. Many more prisoners have been taken from other West Bank locations and from Gaza.
The Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation applauded the recent release, in Gaza, of an abducted British journalist. But we must never forget the thousands of Palestinians that are illegally imprisoned in Israel. And they must be freed, too.
There is the matter of the continued Israeli construction of the "Apartheid" wall that separates families, divides villages, and inflicts both economic hardship and humiliation on the people of Palestine. Despite the illegality (under international law) of this barrier, Israel shows no sign of relenting in its construction.
And gangs of settlers are still free to occupy Palestinian land and confiscate the property of indigenous people who have lived on the land for centuries.
Political posturing and maneuvering may take place on all sides of the issue. Deep animosities and internal divisions within the Palestinian body politic continue to make necessary Palestinian operational unity an illusive goal.
But at the heart of it all, there is still the reality that the oppressive machinery of Israel, and its American ally, continues to deprive the Palestinian people of genuine freedom, dignity, and self-determination. Millions of American tax dollars have now been freed to contribute some good to the Palestinian economy, but billions more are still used to finance the occupation that remains at the heart of the issue.
The appearance of conciliation and "progress" In Israel-Palestine may capture the attention of the world. But in the final analysis, we must not be content to merely slow down the machine of occupation and oppression.
It must be brought to a complete stop.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
