Some things must be written down, before they are forgotten, so that they are not forgotten, because they cannot be forgotten. Last week, many fans across the United States made a journey that they called their hajj to the Sundance film festival, to see the premiere of Eyad Zahra’s movie, The Taqwacores, and to see taqwacore bands perform. The bands traveled in a beaten up van, The Kominas from Boston, picking up Fimstrip in Cleveland and Al Thawra in Chicago on the way. By the time everyone gathered in Park City, Utah for the festival, it felt like a mini taqwacore conference. Most people stayed in a condo, lovingly referred to as a punk house. Nobody knew exactly how many people were in the house, and who exactly was in at any given point of time. Everyone was excited about the movie, the show, and just to be together.

The world premiere of The Taqwacores was on Sunday January 24th in Park City, with The Kominas, Al Thawra, Mike Knight, and many of us fans in the audience. We cheered wildly to the opening credits, as The Kominas song Sharia Law in the USA set the scene. From the start it was clear that this is about rebellion, but not without humor.

Eyad’s movie is based on a book of the same title, written by Michael Muhammad Knight. It tells a story of Yusuf, an engineering student, who moves off campus to live in a house, inhabited by people who are all Muslim, “from a certain point of view.” There is Amazing Ayyub, the Shi’a skinhead, Fasiq, the Indonesian skater boy, Rabeya, the Burqa clad riot grrrl, Umar, a straightedge punk, and Jehangir, a visionary mystic reminiscent of Dean Moriarty from Kerouac’s On the Road, a book that Taqwacores reminds me of so much because of its love of life, uninhibited by societal baggage. All of these characters are united by being outsiders, from a certain point of view, outsiders with a desire to belong, and to love Allah, in their own personal way.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Eyad’s rendition of the book follows the original very closely, and the casting is just perfect. Dominic Rains as Jehangir and Volkan Eryaman as Amazing Ayyub got into those characters so deeply, that I have a hard time now thinking of Domic as Dominc, and not as Jehangir. Volkan gave such a beauty to Ayyub, an overgrown, passionate, wild child that I want to see the movie again just to see his quirks and silly shenanigans. The beauty of the movie is also in its cinematography, where color is toned down almost to the point of being black and white, emphasizing the gritty surroundings in which the punks live. The soundtrack of the movie of course features songs by The Kominas, Al Thawra, Secret Trial Five, and Sagg Taqwacore Syndicate, bands, that have been shaping the taqwa scene for a few years now.

The Kominas and Al Thawra, together with Filmstrip, played in Park City’s Star Bar on the 25th January to celebrate the premiere. Many of us agreed that Sundance was a life changing experience, and the Park City show, the best show ever. Of course this is personal, having met the people involved, and gaining some sense of understanding for their struggle. But these bands create such beautiful punk mosh pit mayhem that would be difficult to remain untouched by.

Filmstrip from Cleveland opened the show. Their drummer, Nick Riley, was also a production manager for The Taqwacores movie, and his Cleveland Tower 2012 punk house was used to shoot the movie. Filmstrip is a band to watch out for, with beautiful instrumentation and guitars that soothe the mind. Natalie Hammingson described their sound in her post Taqwacores Make Their Pilgrimage to Sundance as psychedelic punk, which I would like to borrow here. Yes to the psychedelic punk.

Filmstrip

Marwan Kamel and Micah Behzold

The Kominas have a more playful feel, they use a lot of humor and sarcasm to deal with issues such as Islamophobia, hypocrisy, or homophobia. The great thing about the Kominas is their openness. This is their second show that I was lucky to see, and in each of these shows, they slowly convert the show into a jam session, where everyone is welcome. At one point, The Kominas said that they needed some dancers on the stage, and so many of the fans, the movie cast, the director, climbed the stage, dragged Mike Knight on it too, and joined in the singing and moshing right there with the band. At these shows, one cannot remain a passive spectator, an involvement is inevitable because the bands will jump down and play right there in the middle of the moshing crowd. And I think this is the key.

The Kominas

There are probably as many definitions of taqwacore as there are people connected to taqwacore, and that is a great thing because to me, it is about an openness. It is somewhat ironic that taqwacore is becoming a label, just by the nature of it being a name assigned to a group of people, but at its essence, it is about removing labels. About being an outsider who belongs, and who creates something beautiful from this tension of being inbetween.

We’re starting off the year with a new podcast, and this time with Marwan Kamel, lead singer of the punk Middle Eastern band “Al Thawra.” I could try my luck writing my own introduction of this awesome band, but I wouldn’t be able to top my friend Daniela who wrote about them on Mideast Youth a few months ago, so I’m just going to paste hers:

Marwan Kamel is a son of Syrian father and a Polish mother, and grew up in Chicago. The beginnings of Al Thawra date to 2006 or 2007, when Marwan started experimenting with music on his computer. He calls it “me and my computer phase.” He was trying to mix Middle Eastern music with punk and metal, trying to find commonalities, and differences. [Read more.]

In this podcast, Marwan talks about his background, influences, issues of identity, and a lot of things in between.

Before you read the rest of this post, take a listen to the podcast, which you will find at the bottom.

This is one of their music videos, Miskeen, best described by Daniela as the following:

Al Thawra music carries many other political themes, their song Miskeen, which means “someone who is doomed (or followed by bad fortune), comments on the situation in Gaza. It starts with a young Palestinian girl, reciting a sort of political protest poem, saying “we are the revolution,” the heirs of Salah ad-Din…. while the video shows dark streets of Chicago, public transport scene, and Al Thawra band members, with grim and somber expressions, as if reflecting the gloomy mood stemming from the incomprehensible and pointless oppression, regardless where it takes place.

You may also stream the following songs:

Gaza Choking:

Download.

A Las Cinco:

Download.

For more of their music, photos, and information, check out their MySpace page. You should also follow them on Twitter @althawra.

Introduction:

One of the twentieth century worst fears that haunts people from big cities to small towns, walking down the streets or taking a bus, traveling by airplanes or by ships, doing their work or resting in a hotel, visiting a new country or volunteering to help the poor in another country is the fear of a terrorist attack by young Muslim men.

These terrorist attacks have indiscriminately killed and injured thousands of innocent people around the world in Arab and non Arab countries. The attacks have become extremely violent and cruel in a way that threatened the world national security and provoked governments around the world to take hard security measures on traveling and even to invade and occupy other countries in a hopeless attempt to prevent these attacks before they happen. Nevertheless, the attacks continue to happen in astonishing unexpected ways. The last of which was the attack at Texas Army Base in the US by Malik Nadal Hasan, 39, a military mental health Muslim doctor who killed 12 American fellow soldiers with two guns. The examples of terrorist attacks conducted by young Muslim men are many, maybe the most famous and bloodiest of which is the attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Center where three thousand people were killed. According to the investigations, 19 young Arab Muslim men belong to Al-Qaeda Terrorist Organization were believed to have planned and conducted the attack.

Those very incidents should make us, instead of cursing and hating Islam and Muslims ask why would those Muslim Arab young men kill themselves and kill others in such barbarous way even though Islam prohibited the killing of one’s self and others specially the innocent civilians. They must have strong motivation to do this and there must be people that plan, recruit and fund terrorism.

The motivation in my opinion can be categorized into three elements. The first element is the US foreign policy in the Arab and Islamic world. The Second is the tyrant ruling regimes in the Arab world, their failure to provide a good welfare life to their citizenry and the West support for these regimes. The third element is the Israeli occupation of Palestine and its daily atrocities against the Palestinians.

The people who by means of deception and mind-playing recruit young Muslim men and give them orders to commit crimes against guiltless people are seeking power. The question is if those fundamental Islamists came to power, how would the situation be in the Arab world? So far we have two examples of governments run by Muslim fundamentalists, the first is in Iran and the second is in Gaza Strip. In both cases the people of Iran and Gaza Strip are suffering from very poor economies. In both cases the government is practicing oppression and repression against the people for the sake of staying in power and the people are not satisfied in both Iran and Gaza Strip. The people in the rest of the Arab and Islamic world are not satisfied with the performance of the secular ruling regimes either and there is no alternative so far to these two evils. So what shall the people in the Arab and Islamic world do?

Maybe if we eliminate the above mentioned three elements of motivation. The problem of terrorism will have no reason to exist and the Arab and Muslim peoples will live happily ever after. But is this possible? Let us now examine with more details the three elements of motivation and see if they can be eliminated!

A- The US foreign policy in the Arab and Islamic world after the USSR collapse.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, a group of far-right neoconservatives thinkers from the republican American party decided that America become a hegemony that no other country can stand to be its rival.

Among the neoconservatives that draw the broad lines of the US post cold war foreign policy was Paul Wolfowitz. As he was serving as an under secretary of defense for policy in the George H.W.Bush administration Wolfowits was assigned the task to draft a strategy for the US national security. The plan was radical in its essence and it still influences the US foreign policy in the world. It was called “Defense Planning Guidance” or the “Wolfowitz doctrine”

The Principles of the doctrine

1- The number one objective of U.S. post-Cold War political and military strategy should be preventing the emergence of a rival superpower.

Excerpt “Our first objective is to prevent the re-emergence of a new rival. This is a dominant consideration underlying the new regional defense strategy and requires that we endeavor to prevent any hostile power from dominating a region whose resources would, under consolidated control, be sufficient to generate global power. These regions include Western Europe, East Asia, the territory of the former Soviet Union, and Southwest Asia.”

2- U.S. primacy

The doctrine establishes the U.S as the sole leader of the new world order.

Excerpt “The U.S. must show the leadership necessary to establish and protect a new order that holds the promise of convincing potential competitors that they need not aspire to a greater role or pursue a more aggressive posture to protect their legitimate interests. We must maintain the mechanism for deterring potential competitors from even aspiring to a larger regional or global role.”

3- If necessary, the United States must be prepared to take unilateral action.

Excerpt “the sense that the world order is ultimately backed by the U.S.” and that “the United States should be postured to act independently when collective action cannot be orchestrated”

4- The US and its western allies must ensure access and dominance over the Middle East and South Asia oil.

The doctrine clarified the strategic value of the Middle East and Southwest Asia. Excerpt “In the Middle East and Southwest Asia, our overall objective is to remain the predominant outside power in the region and preserve U.S. and Western access to the region’s oil.”

Paul wolfowitz is a leading neoconservative in the American Republican Party and he believed that the US must reconsider its commitments towards the international agreements, the international law and the interntional institutions like the UN and must act unilaterally to become a hegemony. This kind of thinking is a typical example of the realist trend in world politics. John Mearsheimer, a prominent realist and international relations theorist said that the state ultimate goal is to be a hegemon.

When Bill clinton came to power and Walfowitz was out of office. He associated along with other neoconservatives in the Project for the New American Century

( PNAC) which prodcued a 90 page report entiteld Rebuilding America’s Defenses

Principles and aims of the project:

The founders of the project complained about the steep decline in US spending on defense specially during the Clinton’s adminsitrations. In page 72 The Rebuilding America’s Defenses report states” If defense spending remains at current levels, U.S. forces will soon be too old or too small.”

It was very hard to get the American congress to increase the defense budget to a skyrocketing levels unless there was a catastroph like a new pearl harbor. In page 51 of the report this was clearly stated ” Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event like a new Pearl Harbor.”

The report also advocated the redeployment of U.S. troops in permanent bases in strategic locations throughout the world where they can be ready to act to protect U.S. interests abroad.

When George.W. Bush came to power in 2001 he appointed in his adminstration the most neoconservative figures in the Repblican Party like Dick Cheney as Vice President, Donald Rumsfeld as Secrertay Of Defense and Paul Walfowits as Deputy Secretary of Defense who gave life to the “Walfowitz doctrine” and put into practice benefitting from the September 11 attacks which served as the required catastroph to get the American congress magnify the defense budget. According to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, the US militray spending incerased from 298.4 billion dollars in 1999 to 400 billion dollars in 2000 because the Bush’s administrations decided to stage a war on “terror” and as the war continued the defense budget continued to bulge. In 2008 the defense budget was 700 billions dollars according to the same center and this was of course at the expense of heath, social services and public education in America.

The September 11 attacks were used by Bush’s administration as a pretext to invade Afghanistan and Iraq.

How did this happen?

It was natutal that every body in America feels angry, terrified and revengeful after the disasterous attacks on the World Trade Center and those feelings were quickly directed to the Muslim world because the investigations assumed that the perpetrators were Muslims. The feeling of fear and revenge was used to get the US public to support the war on Afghanistan and Iraq or the so called “war on terror”. The incitment of fear among the US people was the top priority of the US media and officials. The people were pushed to believe that the terrorist attacks can happen to them any time any where and that Muslims are their worst enemies. Levels of risk of potential terrorist attacks were given colors, blue, yellow, orange and red. Fear was widely spread and it provided the people’ support to bring to action the neoconservatives preput agenda. “A world domination ”

In one of his post 9/11 attacks statements. President George. W.Bush said: ” we must transfer the battle to the enemy’s ground and confront the threats before they come out”

The US led its allies to invade Afghanistan where it said the Muslim terrorists are maid and nurtured by Taliban Regime and Al-Qaeda organization. Tons of explosives were dropped by the US and its allies warplanes on the poor villages of Afghanistan and thousands of Muslim civilians were killed. Then a ground offensive was launched by the US and British troops to attack the terrorist strongholds of Taliban and Al Qaeda. Even though the US and the British troops are militarily superior, they couldn’t register a triumph over the armed groups of Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghnistan and attacks against the American and the British occupation forces continued to kill scores of them in a non-stop war of depletion.

Despite the failure in Afghanistan. The neoconservatives’ plan stated in the Wolfowitz doctrine had to be continued. Paul Wolfowitz believed that it was a mistake by the US when it didn’t topple Sadam Regime in its war on Iraq in the early 90s and this mistake was to be rectified under the Bush administration. Even though there was no evidence that Iraq or its citizens were involved in the Attacks of 9/11 or any other terrorist attacks against western targets. The united states despite the opposition of the security council and most of the UN member states unilaterally staged a war on Iraq in 2003 and this was of course in complaince with the Walfowitz’s doctrine that preached the US dominance over the oil resources and in a blatant violation to the UN charter, articles 39, 41, 42 and 51. The pretext that the US used to justify its war on Iraq before the UN and the world is that the Iraqi regime possesses Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and even on the way to possess nuclear weapons!

Before the second war on it, Iraq suffered international sanctions of a chocking economic siege for more than 12 years ahead of its invasion of Kuwait, could hardly provide food or clean water for its people, had its infrastructure completely destroyed in the world colaition war on it, couldn’t import or export any thing without the permision of the countries that imposed the siege on it, the US is a prominent one of them of course, in some cases it couldn’t even import children milk powder because it it contains phosphate and it is possible to be used in making bombs!. 500 thousand Iraqi children died as a direct result of the siege. All that didn’t matter and the United States went on waging the war on Iraq and the suffering of the Iraqi people doubled tragically as a result of the war. A report published in January 28, 2008, by ORB (Opinion Research Business) revealed that 1,033,000 were killed since the US-led invasion of Iraq. Millions of Iraqis lost their homes and became refugees in neighboring countries. All aspects of life in Iraq debilitated after the war and there was no trace of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq according to the investigations conducted after Sadam’s regime collapse! When the Arab people witness the US savageness and mercilessness in dealing with a neighboring Arab country, of course they develop feelings of hate, anger and spite against it and against the countries that support its positions or cooperate with it. Those feelings develop later into extreme actions packed with the same savagness and mercilessness that the US showed in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

What were the real reasons the US wanted to invade Iraq?

B- The secular tyrant ruling regimes in the Arab world and their failure to provide a good welfare life to their citizenry and the West support to these regimes fueled Muslim Fundamentalism and Terrorism.

Islam is the solution. This is the slogan that the Islamic movements trumpet referring to the deteriorating economic and social situation in the Islamic and Arab world, the overwhelming feeling of defeat that the Arab secular regimes sustained in their wars against Israel and to the secular ruling Arab elites who estranged Islam from daily life and replaced with western patterns of life alien to Arab people’s culture and traditions. Those pro-west elites also refuse to take strong stands against Israel despite its occupation of Palestine and its daily aggressions against the Palestinians because this would displease the pro-Israel western countries specially the US furthering by this their peoples’ feeling of anger and frustration. In addition, they don’t allow industrializing the Arab countries under their rule except for a few industries because the raw materials have to be sold to the Western countries for cheap prices, and the revenues, most of them, must go to the regimes’ incumbents leaving the majority of their peoples live in acute poverty. Even the agricultural sector in the Arab world is controlled by the west. Some Arab countries can not grow their most needed crops because the corrupt ruling elites are under pressure to continue to import the agricultural commodities from Europe and the US specially wheat and other grain crops even though the Arab countries have the land and the human resources to grow the crops they need and be self-sufficient. And even though this kind of policy comes at the expense of the Arab farmers who had to leave their land and look for other kinds of work to support themselves since the local market is filled with European and American grown crops. In a situation like this, and because of the absence of an alternative to the Arab despotic regimes. A lot found salvation in religion.

65 million Arabs live in severe poverty according to The United Nation Development Program report for 2009. The high rate of poverty and unemployment among the vast majority of the Arab young men besides their feeling of frustration and anger towards the ruling regimes that practise all forms of oppression and repression against the citizens in the Arab world made them utterly vulnerable to the call made by the Islamic fanatic leaders to join their ranks. The Islamic movement made use of the debilitating economic situation in the Arab countries and established a giant network of charity and educational societies that provide provisions to the poor and education to their children to win the peoples’ hearts and minds. The horrendous numbers of unemployed young men found refuge in the Islamic groups from the tormenting destitution and the unknown future that is void of any sense of security or hope.

The Fundamental Islamic movements could recruit large numbers of those young people, fueled them with feelings of hate and anger against any thing that is not part of them, carefully selected Islamic texts that prove their righteousness as opposed to the wrongness of their opposites and taught them to these recruits out of their context. If any of the recruits ventured to debate or question the actions and thoughts of the movement or the group, it will be considered an act of evil and disloyalty and deadly punishment is the deserved answer. Along with the punishment, there are also physical rewards for loyalty and obedience. Usually those Islamic fundamental groups have no financial problems; money is channeled to them abundantly from unknown sources. This money is lavished upon the recruits and their Imams. So joining one of these Islamic groups turns in so many cases as a way of earning a living beside being a way of releasing frustration and anger.

Hasan Al- Banna

One of the most prominent and widely spread Islamic movements in the Arab and Islamic world is the Muslim Brotherhood Movement founded by Hasan Al- Banna in 1929. Hasan Al-Banna could by social activity attract hundreds of members in Egypt from the middle and trodden lower classes. Even though Hasan Al-Banna adopted a pacifist approach in extending his message and thought about Islam and in bringing more recruits to his movement. His vision on the rule of Jihad for the ummah (Muslim community) was extreme and violent he said, “Jihad in its literal significance means to put forth one’s maximal effort in word and deed; in the Sacred Law it is the slaying of the unbelievers, and related connotations such as beating them, plundering their wealth, destroying their shrines, and smashing their idols.” and “it is obligatory on us to begin fighting with them after transmitting the invitation to embrace Islam, even if they do not fight against us.”.

Sayyid Qutb

Another Islamic thinker that has greatly influneced the Muslim brotherhood movement was sayyid Qutb who was executed by Jamal Abdul Nasser’s government in 1966. He visited the united states of America in 1948 for higher studies and there he grew an anti western attitude as he was extremely critical of many things in the United States: its materialism, individual freedoms, economic system, racism, brutal boxing matches, poor haircuts, triviality, restrictions on divorce, enthusiasm for sports, animal-like mixing of the sexes (which went on even in churches) and lack of support for the Palestinian struggle.

In his book Ma’alim fi-l-Tariq book ( milestones) he argued that anything non-Islamic was evil and corrupt, while following Sharia as a complete system extending into all aspects of life, would bring every kind of benefit to humanity. To him the then secular ruling regime was non-islamic and therefore must be eliminated and replaced with an Islamic one. To do this he preached offensive jihad. That’s why he was imprisoned and sentenced to death.

The Muslim brotherhood subdivides into violent groups

The Muslim brotherhood movement continued to grow and expand through the Islamic world until it became the largest Islamic movements in the Islmic world with huge financial resources. Its members are numbered in thousands and its ideology is traveling everywhere and new members are remotely recruited every day by means of technology consitituting new Islamic sub-groups that adopt violent offensive methods as its strategy like Islamic Jihad, Al-Jama’a Al-Islamiyya( Islamic group) and Al-Qaeda.

Ayman Al-Zawahri, a former member in the Muslim Brotherhood, the number two wanted terrorist by the US administration after Osama Bin Laden and the real brain of Al-Qaeda. In a televised interview published by Al- Sahab Media Al Zawahri said. ” There is no difference in Shari’a between a soldier and a civilian. The shari’a divides people into combatant and non-combatants. And the combatant is any one who helps in the fight with his body or wealth or opinion. According to this criterion, the people of the west are combatants because they chose their leaders who draw the policies which murder our children, occupy our countries and plunder our treasures”

Earlier in 1998 Ayman Al-Zawahri issued a joined fatwa with Osama Bin Laden under the title ” World Islamic Front Against Jews And Crusaders” The Fatwa says: In accord with the words of Almighty, fight the pagans all together like they fight you all together and fight them until there is no more tumult or oppression and there prevails justice and faith in Allah”

Distorted mentality and the lust after power distorted Islam’s true image

With this distorted mentality and understanding of Islam, those Muslim extremists like Ayman Al-Zawahri and his alike distorted the true fine image of Islam which by command prohibited the very things they do against the civilians. God said in the holy Quran: ” Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loves not transgressors” ( Surah2.190). He also said ” And help each other in righteousness and piety, and help not one another in sin and transgression and remain fearing Allah” (Surah 5.2) This is an order from God for Muslims not to commit any hostile act even as they are fighting on the battle land by this God refers to the civilians who are not soldiers or aggressors. Prophet Mohammed peace be upon him gave further explanation and said to his fellows as they were going to fight in one of the battles ” Do not kill women or children or an aged, infirm person. Do not cut down fruit-bearing trees. Do not destroy an inhabited place. Do not slaughter sheep or camels except for food. Do not burn bees and do not scatter them.”. The sayings of Prophet Mohammed and the words of God in the holy Quran made it as clear as day light that neither the civilians nor any of their belongings can be targeted even at times of war, how if there was no war!. So Islam and the good Muslims are guiltless of the accusations which were cast upon them following the 9/11 attacks. Those who committed this awful crime have been misguided and misinformed about Islam by people who seek not to spread justice and faith in Allah as they claim but they are seeking power and the west recognition to replace the ruling regimes in the Arab world. They think if they could terrify the people of the west, the west will finally have to bend to them and recognize them to be the replacement power.

Ayman Al-Zawahri plotted along with his companions in the Egyptian Islamic Jihad organization to overthrow the government of President Anwar Al-Sadat in 1981, but the plot was prematurely discovered and frustrated. In the 90s the armed members of the Muslim brotherhood involved in a wave of attacks against the Egyptian police forces, ministers and pro government writers in another attempt to overthrow the Egyptian government but the coup failed again and the Egyptian government cracked down on the Muslim brotherhood members. The Islamic movements have failed to overthrow the Arab regimes in many Arab countries like Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Saudi Arabia by means of the army, security and intelligence agencies. So their radical members had to operate from outside and threaten the security of the western countries that support the Arab regimes.

C- The third element is the Israeli occupation of Palestine and its daily atrocities against the Palestinians

Osama Bin laden, the number one wanted Muslim terrorist by the American administration in almost all of his video or voice messages made mention of the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the American troops existence in Saudi Arabia which he also called occupation and he demanded liberation of Palestine and Saudi Arabia from both occupations. ” The reason for our conflict with you is your support for your Israeli allies who are occupying our land of Palestine, it was this position of yours along with other injustices that drove us to carry out the events of 9/11″ Osama bin laden said addressing the American people in a televised message broadcasted by Al-Jazeera news agency this year a few days after the anniversary of the bloody events of 9/11. It is this position of him towards the Israeli occupation of Palestine that helped him gain popularity among the Arab masses besides his abandonment of the luxurious life that he could’ve lived utilizing the fortune his father left for him.

The Palestinian cause is a very sensitive issue for all Arab masses because they some how feel guilty when they think of Palestine and what the Palestinian people go through because they stand helpless whenever Israel commit crimes against the Palestinian people. The only thing they can do is to take out to streets in large numbers to express their support for the Palestinian and their anger towards Israel and the Arab regimes that stand silent on the Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians. To support the Palestinian in these demonstrations hasn’t been enough for a lot of fevered young Muslims so they join the Islamic fundamental groups that pledge to fight America, the number one supporter of Israel. The US support for Israel is well known and has been repeatedly assured by its officials’ statements. The last of which was Barak Obama’s announcement at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference in Washington DC:” As a president, I will never compromise when it comes to the security of Israel. Those who threaten Israel, threaten us. I will bring to the white house an unshakable commitment to Israel’s security.” The US support is assusred by the US political, econmic and military support for Israel as the US has vetoed all the UN resolutions critical of Israel and it allocates a sum of 3 billion US dollars to Israel in military and financial aids every year.

This American support unwavering support for Israel has incited feelings of hate and resentment among Muslims and Arabs against the US. The Islamic fundamental movements and groups’ declared animosity towards the US and Israel is one of the reasons more young men are joining them. They wish to be trained on wielding the weapons, learn the tactics of fighting and the manufacturing of bombs. They wish to be sent to Palestine and fight the Israeli soldiers who occupy Palestine and murder the Palestinians because to defend your fellow Muslim is a duty demanded by Islam and to abstain from this duty is an inexcusable sin. This is what the Islamic fundamentalists are taught and promised.

The Islaeli occupation of Palestine was also the reason why Islamic movements in Palestine like Hamas and Islamic Jihad floursihed as they pledge to libarte Palestine from the occupation by means of armed struggle.

Conclusion

It is important to mention at the end that terrorism has no identity in the sense that all religions and faiths including Islam call for peace and forgiveness and denounce the use of violence unless there is a pressing necessity like the defense of one’s homeland, honor or possessions. The phenomenon of terrorism has been practised by both states and groups for the sake of power. The examples of states which pointed its guns, warplanes and rockets against people huddling peacefully in their homes are many, Israel, Iraq and the US are fine examples. And the examples of the groups which in the name of religion terrorized and murdered with cold blood innocent civilians are many, like The Israeli settlers, Hamas and Al-Qaeda. The exploitation of religion for political purposes is not new, it happened before upon the crusades which the Catholic Church called for. The same story is repeated now but with new faces. George W Bush called his war on terror a crusade and the Muslim terrorists cry out the name of Allah as they are carrying out their crimes. Jesus and Prophet Mohammed are guiltless of any crime committed in the name of the religions they gave to mankind for peace, justice and forgiveness to prevail. Fortunately, those who manipulate and twist religion to serve their own interests are a minority and are disdained and hated by the majority. And people around the world from all religions, races and cultures must stand together to fight the evil phenomenon of terrorism and eliminate the reasons that have made it. The extremists must have no place among us and I think the best way to fight them is by doing these five things.

1. To enlighten the people about the Muslim extremists and their evil.
2. To improve the people’s living conditions so they don’t fall easy victims to the extreme groups.
3. To extend bonds of friendship and fraternity among the peoples of the world to get to know each other and to stop fearing each other.
4. To establish peace and solve the conflicts in the disputed areas specially Palestine.
5. To democratize the Arab ruling regimes from within by finding clean-handed moderate qualified personages to replace the current corrupt ruling elites by means of disinterested and democratic elections.

By: Ramzi Hassouna

We know that we live today in a very violent world, where death from war and terror is a common feature of our daily life – we see it in our cities, attacking our friends and loved ones, or we may be far away and watched it on TV. We are in some way all linked to it, as our countries’ policies sometime manufacture death in far away places.

Few years ago in my country Iraq we were accused of building weapons of mass destruction, leading to war, changes and the death of millions of Iraqis and displacement of 7 millions. During this war, many people carried weapons and react to violence with violence, we fight US troops, then fought other Iraqi cause the worked with US troops, then we fought each other because we felt like the others want us out, death produced death, God roomed the empty streets with dead people lay for days, peace became a dream, violence produced violence, peaceful people hid scared.

Till we discover a cure, either you hide or stand, and we stood, we went to open clinics in the middle of desert for displace people camps without guns to protect us only our believe in the people will protect those who help them, we marched in 2003, 2004, 2005 in front of green zone asking the mangling council in Iraq for fair constitution with respect to human rights, we went to vote no to the constitution and we keep till today campaigning to change it sectarian soul, to remove articles 140 and 41 and separate religion from state.

We went to college to study in spit of snipers hunting any body enter the college, we went thorough the back door ,in 2007 when US troops surrounded alkarda distract looking for missing soldier kidnapped by almahdy army ,we walked 2-5 kilos every day dragging 20 child so they can study theaters and art and conflict resolution in our summer school , in 2007 peace day we preformed life play in Baghdad streets at night in memory of 400 killed in a bomb attack in Baghdad, in 2009 they tried to kill me for an article I published but I run and continue standing for them as all my brave peace activist in Iraq ,they marched after black Wednesday explosions in Baghdad and ask the government to stop corruption and build safe Iraq.

Today we are fighting through organizing conferences, workshops, exhibits to ask people to elect uncorrupted people for the government, to stop sectarian parties from dividing Iraq into 100 pieces, we post on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WordPress, we blog, we shout we network and lobby and I know we will lose the elections cause the corruption has the law, the state and the guns with him, but we had weapons of mass destruction, not the ones Saddam built in CIA fairytales reports, but our faith in freedom, in living in our rich country in peace, we had pens to write, voices to shout, camera to document, we had our networks, and every day we grow in number, we win more people, and people will protect those who help them and this nonviolent movements will overcome all violence in the end, cause they gain power and money and loss people, we are weak but strong, we are unarmed but many, we had faith to change to dream to live and this is our weapons of mass destruction.

Change will happen in Iraq. Activists will win. Freedom will roll.

This is our vision, this is our faith…

This is our dream.

Wamith Alkssab
Co-Founder, Iraqi Streets.

I was shocked as anyone to hear that President Obama is this year’s laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples”. To me, it seems that the Nobel Prize committee is confusing words with actions. Sure, Obama gave soaring speeches, including the famous Cairo speech to the Muslim communities across the world, and the Strasburg speech aimed at the European audience. But, has he been able to actually “strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people” in his 8.5 months in office? Have we seen Obama nudge any conflict to move toward a peaceful resolution? Have we seen any meaningful international diplomatic action against brutal regimes in Belarus, Burma, North Korea, etc.? Diplomacy isn’t a goal, it’s a mean. And international diplomacy has achieved very little during Obama’s time in the White House.

On the Arab-Israeli front, for the first time ever it seems that a settlement freeze will come into effect, which does seem to “increase cooperation between peoples” and further peace. This freeze was designed to increase trust between the side, making negotiations easier, and bolster the moderate Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. However, because the Obama administration handled the diplomacy badly, these goals have been frustrated.

At first, the Obama administration took a tough stance against any kind of settlement construction, and protested against construction in East Jerusalem, gaining support from Arab leaders. The Arabs, including the Palestinians, then toughed their demands too, counting on support from the US, and ruled out any negotiations when settlement construction continues, including in Jerusalem. Netanyahu then used the Obama administration’s objection to construction in Jerusalem to stand up to the Americans on an issue that has wide public support to strengthen his position. Public opinion about the Obama administration shifted too, and Israelis stopped seeing the Obama administration as a neutral party.

After the Obama administration realized that a total freeze everywhere isn’t possible, it agreed to negotiate for a more partial freeze. The Palestinians who climbed on a high tree, saying that they won’t negotiate until there’s a total freeze, now had to be dragged down. In the end, George Mitchell was able to convince Mahmoud Abbas to meet Netanyahu in New York, despite the recent Palestinian pledges to not negotiate while Israel builds settlements. Thus, the result was that the Palestinian Authority, the one this freeze was supposed to strengthen, ended up getting weaker and looking even less legitimate. If you add to that the Goldstone report fiasco, you’ll see how this administration has done nothing to further the peace process, and has actually achieved the opposite.

Now, you might say that the Obama administration isn’t to blame for the stubbornness of both sides, and to a degree it’s true. Supporters of Palestinians will say that Netanyahu’s hawkish government is the one impeding peace. However, if Obama was more humble, more “diplomatic” in its pressure of Israel, the results would have been much better, I suspect. Netanyahu wouldn’t bluster about standing up to the Americans, Israelis won’t feel that Obama is pro-Palestinian, and we would still achieve a similar settlement freeze to the one being worked out right now. From now on, every time US pressure on Israel gets too tough for the Israeli taste, the government will be able to say that we shouldn’t accede to American demands because the Obama administration is inherently anti-Israel, and the Israeli public will buy it.

Supporters of Israel would say that Obama isn’t to blame for the fact that even the moderate Palestinian leadership isn’t interested in peace. But, if it wasn’t for Obama, the Palestinians wouldn’t have demanded a total freeze before negotiating, since they have never done so before. They did this because it seemed to them that they can rely on Obama to deliver. When he failed to do so, they ended up looking like the losers, despite gaining a freeze from Israel for the first time.

Sure, the prize has been awarded to controversial figures in the past, who have done little to further peace (IAEA Secretary General ElBaradai, Palestinian Authority Chairman Arafat), but I think that this is different; Obama’s time in office has been so short that he couldn’t have possibly done something to make him deserving of this prize. The decisions of the Nobel Prize committee have always been political and less about substance, but this is a new low. It seem to me that Obama was awarded simply for not being Bush.

But first, what exactly is taqwacore? I don’t think there is any exact definition, and if you asked ten people, everyone would probably give tell you something slightly different. Taqwacore is a subculture expressed in music inspired by punk, and a community inspired by Islam. It has evolved in the United States during the Bush era, as a response against rampant islamophobia, and as such, it carries political undertones. It also deals with the questions of identity, of being a child of immigrants and integrating different cultures in your identity, as many taqwacores come from families that immigrated to United States from different countries in Asia. Above all taqwacore is a call against hate and fundamentalism of any kind. This, I must point out, is my personal definition, and the said ten others may come up with something different.

I continue my exploration of taqwacore, having been introduced to it by The Kominas (a band of rather epic proportions), about whom I wrote here earlier. Since then, I have felt a great affinity for this movement, and was very happy when Ra found me. I listened to his songs on repeat since then, racking my brains to figure out where this guy is coming from.

Now here’s the deal. Ra is not a Muslim. Ra is not from Middle East. But this is something you would not know when listening to his music, or talking to him online. Labels don’t work very well online. Taqwacore is against labels, and about blended identities. So it all fits, right? In his music, and in our conversations, Ra speaks up for the Muslims, and against bigotry, and his story should be written up in an epic novel rather than in a short article.

Ra was raised a Mormon in Utah, and has been a part of the music scene there. He  witnessed the famous Salt Lake City punk scene that in itself formed a basis for a movie. So his roots are punk, and counterculture, and with hindsight it seems logical that taqwacore would come next.

The first Muslim person that Ra met was a refugee  from the former Yugoslavia, when many immigrated to Utah during the Croatian and Bosnian wars for independence in the early ‘90s. Ra formed first friendships with people following Islam then. He read The Holy Quran, and said how much beauty he found there. Also violence, but not really more violence than say in the Torah. Taqwacore on the other hand is all about rejecting violence, of trying to find new ways to be united. Mike Knight expresses this struggle in his novel, The Taqwacores, which gave the name to the movement. (If there is a list of required taqwacore reading, this would be it). Ra found Taqwacores the book in the trash somewhere in Colorado (his story seems full of epic travels), picked the book up with missing pages, and liked the idea, but thought that this was complete fiction; he liked how preposterous the concept of Muslim Punk  seemed (how could this ever be real?). But it was. When things are meant to happen, they will, even in weird ways, you find a book in the trash, and it leads you to people.

Of course there is a longer thread between Ra meeting his first Bosnian refugee Muslim friend, and picking up The Taqwacores novel in the trash. The Bush years were the inbetween, and the war on the alleged terror. In his music, Ra comments… comments on the war experience, on war, on Afghanistan, on Palestine. His song, Afghan wishes, speaks about death with dark poetry, and concludes “get outta my face…if you think that death is a game,” speaking (to me) about the devaluation of human life, that the Bush era brought with its reckless rush into injustified wars.

Another song speaks about Dhaba ‘Debbie’ Almontaser, a teacher and a peace activist of Yemeni origin in New York, who founded the Khalil Gibran International Academy and was later forced to resign from it, after promoting a Tshirt with a sign of “Intifada NYC” – the Tshirt’s meaning (to shake off oppression) was misconstrued as inciting violence, and a scandal and lawsuits ensued. In the song Rusty Pipes, Ra sings:

“In the name of my family and my dead father:
New York city is in the need for an Intifada!
…
And you ask why I am angry like I am
Because my family just got killed by Uncle Sam”
The verse unfortunately rings too true in Ra’s life, since his younger brother died in Iraq. There are many layers to Ra’s story, and to his message. Layers of loss, of rage, of love, of passion. Just go and listen to his music. This is what Ra says about himself. He sums it all up better than I could:

“I would’ve been biting on Chuck Berry in the 50’s and Hendrix in the 70’s It’s just the 2000’s and Im biting on the Dead Bhutto’s and Mike Knight instead.
I dont want your Top 40!
I dont want to battle any band!
I’d prefer justice rather than an award
INCLUSION~Diversity~EVOLUTION
helping ease the masses into the future
I prefer harsh reality to candy coated lies
Friends in place of Fans
Comrades in place of Commanders
No stolen rule…No stolen elections…
and NO we dont want your occupation!!!

We dont require your write-ups, put downs,
call backs, set ups, push pins, break thrus
and buzz clips!!!
We only require the following:
JUSTICE!!!
TOLERANCE!!
and a bit of fucking REASON!!!!”

Check out Sagg’s song Afghan wishes on his myspace page. Lyrics are here:

Afghan Wishes
Smoke covered mountains
Cloud covered dreams
Death and his brother
Watching me sleep

Waking in an Inferno
and Demons laughing proud
Lost within a religion
A naked faceless shroud

Cobble bottomed plasma pool
Demonic evil and impish fool
Godlike Thanatos dripping fire
and Truth becomes a frail liar

death and sleep

Poison lips, poison one
getting sick, hike up alone
the burning red, and now I’m dead

I dont know you
(army cadence chant in background)
you know the same
I’m all alone
waiting to be slain

No I don’t know you
get outta my face

if you think that death is a game

We are a group of Arab and Iranian activists who believe in the independent struggle for human rights. We fight for religious freedom, freedom of speech, the rights of Baha’is, bloggers, Kurds, migrant workers, and all other religious or ethnic minorities. Our strength relies upon our credibility and independence from foreign influence. This statement is an effort to make that mission more visible to inspire other activists to take the same lead for the sake of their security, independence, success and credibility.

The U.S State Department is currently the largest funder of human rights work in the Middle East. The U.S government is also the funder of some of this region’s worst dictatorships. Therefore the intentions of such government funding of human rights activism in the Middle East remains unclear and questionable. We believe that the people genuinely interested in our human rights are ourselves and independent people around the world. This includes millions of passionate Americans who have taken an interest in the Middle East out of their own sense of justice, not as representatives of any governmental entity.

The U.S. State Department seems to offer funding to young human rights activists in exchange for a pro-USA approach in their work. Many regional activists are naive and are not sure what is in store for them when funding is considered. What they don’t anticipate are the strings attached: an overwhelming amount of censorship on topics such as criticism of U.S. foreign policy and in certain situations, Israel.

Such politically conditional funding is troubling for security reasons as well as ethical ones. With the exception of Israel, in almost all countries within the region any activist that is exposed to be backed heavily by the U.S State Department is punished by constant harassment, imprisonment or death. We ask that all foreign powers consider our lives and our human rights first, regardless of whether or not it fits their ideology or personal gains.

In our experience, some U.S.-based foundations dependent on the U.S. State Department for funding dismiss our wishes and demands to keep as far away from their influence as possible for credibility and security reasons. In one instance, Mideast Youth requested that a well-known human rights foundation that wanted to reprint a cartoon include a disclaimer disassociating Mideast Youth from its operations and affiliates. “Sadly,” wrote Mideast Youth, “[your foundation] and the money that is behind it has made activism efforts in the Middle East seem disingenuous due to its strong ties to political agendas. We are an independent grassroots organization that fights for every penny we have. We have a strong reputation for remaining above the politics and money…our name is our reputation.”

A senior manager at the foundation responded, “Thank you for your defamatory email. I suggest that you not fight for pennies, it violates the principle of non-violence and really is not worth the effort. We will definitely not be using your cartoon.” But most others continue to link to our material or try to imitate it. In several occasions, our names and projects are listed in sensitive campaigns without our approval, and staff of beneficiary foundations and organizations of the government of the United States are not willing to remove them.

As local and grassroots activists, we have a responsibility never to politicize our efforts for human rights and we want other governments to respect those wishes and agree not to interfere. When we criticize treatment of Baha’is in Iran, demand free speech throughout the region, defend Kurds, women’s rights, LGBT rights, or tackle any of the many other regional issues, the U.S. State Department and their primary financial recipients need to realize that they need to stop trying to exploit our efforts for the sake of political gain. We know what it takes to achieve our work, and unfortunately foreign involvement only makes our success less possible. When an article of ours is reprinted only to have a concluding statement critical of U.S. foreign policy censored without our permission, we feel that this is a violation of our basic right to self-expression by those claiming to want to help us achieve this goal.

Please understand our situation—the majority of us are based in countries where human rights activism backed by foreign entities is not tolerated and is grounds for imprisonment or execution. Please don’t take offense—we realize our own governments are oppressive, but there are elements of this kind of influence that must be exposed and corrected. Please don’t misunderstand us—do not confuse the U.S government with average American citizens whose support we benefit from and admire.

We realize that not all staff of the U.S. State Department and its funded projects are misleading. Many sincerely care about human rights and wish the best for all of us, and we are grateful for their interest in our freedom. However, our concern for our lives must be expressed. These individuals must help their government respect independent activists. When we refuse to be associated with foreign politics it is never due to racism or hatred. It is due to security and most importantly, the honesty represented within our efforts. We are not advocates for any government and take offense when our work is made to appear as such.

Make no mistake – we activists are aching for human rights. But most of us will always remain firm against foreign involvement in our affairs. These are our countries, and the only political demands we wish to make are our own. We expect people to respect us as human beings and not as political figures to be taken advantage of for the sake of self-important gains of any Arab government, Iran, the USA, Israel, or any other foreign power. Our fight for human rights needs to transcend the interests of these political entities.

We realize that the U.S State Department funds multiple other fields irrelevant to activism or politics. We don’t disregard anything good they have helped create in the fields of education and health care. We ask that the U.S. State Department focus its efforts in fields other than human rights. We believe that another step forward is to stop funding oppressive powers in the region, namely Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Israel.

We welcome and appreciate the support offered to us by American citizens and non-political organizations in the U.S. We ask that they continue standing with us in our struggles, as their support is extremely valuable. But please stop using us as a front for politics. We get enough of that from our own governments, and we are against foreign occupation. Our members in Iraq and Palestine can attest to that.

“We will march the Long Mile across Erez checkpoint alongside the people of Gaza in a nonviolent demonstration that breaches the illegal blockade,” adding that “We conceive this march as the first step in a protracted nonviolent campaign … If we bring thousands to Gaza and millions more around the world watch the march on the internet, we can end the siege without a drop of blood being shed.”

It is disappointing that he doesn’t get any attention from Arab media or officials. I would love to see him touring our Universities and addressing our youth but I won’t be surprised if he was harassed by Arab governments as well. Let’s wait for January 1st and see what Mubarak will do?

I haven’t read any of his books but I sure will check the following titles:

THE RISE AND FALL OF PALESTINE: A PERSONAL ACCOUNT OF THE INTIFADA YEARS

IMAGE AND REALITY OF THE ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT

BEYOND CHUTZPAH : ON THE MISUSE OF ANTI-SEMITISM AND THE ABUSE OF HISTORY

You can check his website by clicking here

Only couple days ago, a new date of the trial was reported (August 18). This is the third date that was given over the course of the year, and there is no way of knowing whether it will be upheld. The prisoners have not had an access to their lawyer, who as a height of irony was also recently imprisoned himself.

As much as the reason for this event was tragic, the event itself was quite uplifting and encouraging, and planned on an unprecedented scale. It was hosted in the Herbst Theatre, a venue that seats 1,000 people. The theatre was packed to the point that some people had to stand. The fact that in this venue, The United Nations Charter of 1945 was signed, added to the special nature of the evening.

Several distinguished speakers participated: San Francisco Supervisor, and first Iranian American to be elected to public office, Ross Mirkarimi spoke passionately about the events in Iran, and the desire of the local politicians to support the freedom movement. Sepi Richardson, the Mayor of Brisbane, and the first Iranian American woman to be elected to public office spoke of her dream for democracy and freedom for Iran, the country so many of us hold so dear in our hearts.

In the photo: Sepi Richardson, Mayor of Brisbane

Dr. Abbas Milani, the director of the Stanford Iranian studies program gave a historical perspective on Baha’i persecutions, and highlighted Baha’i contributions to the Iranian society, including mentioning the fact that the architect of the Freedom Monument on the Azadi square is a Baha’i. Finally Dr. Farhad Sabetan, a representative of the Baha’i International Community at the United Nations spoke about the plight of the seven prisoners.

In the photo: Fares and Kaveh Hedayati

It was very encouraging and heartwarming to see these local dignitaries express their passion for human rights in Iran, and their support for the Baha’i prisoners. Other than encouragement, the evening brought some uplifting moments as it was imbued with arts, and included a small presentation by children, who read a letter that they wrote to the President Obama regarding Baha’i persecutions in Iran. The artistic presentations were quite diverse: classical Western and Persian music, spoken word, and a dramatic presentation “We are not spies.” Prayers in English, Spanish, Tongan, and Farsi languages were offered.

There is really no way of knowing whether the trial will happen on August 18th, and what the outcome may be. But it is my hope that we will soon see free Iran, where everyone can exercise the human rights we all are entitled to. Doctor Sabetan concluded his talk by reading the letter written to the Iranian Baha’is by the Universal House of Justice, the international elected governing body of the Baha’i community. I would like to do the same because of the inspiring nature of its words.

To the Bahá’ís of Iran

Dearly loved Friends,

With hearts grieved by events unfolding in Iran, we address this letter to you, the steadfast followers of Bahá’u’lláh in that land. To the concern for your safety that has long weighed on us is now added mounting fear for the safety of millions of Iranian men and women, so many of them at the pinnacle of their youth, their vast potentialities yearning to be realized. How rapidly have veils been rent asunder! Cruelty meted out in calculated measures to you and others over the years has been unleashed in the streets of Iran for all humanity to see. No matter what the turn of events, we are confident you will adhere firmly to the fundamental principle of our Faith that strictly prohibits any involvement in partisan political activity by individual Bahá’ís or by Bahá’í institutions. Yet you cannot remain aloof and insensitive to the suffering of your people. Decades of hardship have prepared each of you to stand as a beacon of strength in the circle of your family and friends, your neighbours and acquaintances, radiating hope and compassion to all those in need. Keep alive in your hearts the feeling of confidence that the future of Iran holds bright promise, the certitude that the light of knowledge will inevitably dispel the clouds of ignorance, the conviction that concern for justice will protect the nation from falling prey to calumny, and the belief that love will ultimately conquer hatred and enmity. You have demonstrated in the example of your lives that the proper response to oppression is neither to succumb in resignation nor to take on the characteristics of the oppressor. The victim of oppression can transcend it through an inner strength that shields the soul from bitterness and hatred and which sustains consistent, principled action. May the words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá resound: “Iran shall become a focal centre of divine splendours. Her darksome soil will become luminous and her land will shine resplendent.” You and your compatriots are in our continued prayers.

[signed: The Universal House of Justice] Dated June 23, 2009

More photos from the event can be seen on flickr: Evening in Support of Iranian Baha’is

So, thanks to further disbursement of Twitter magic, I learnt that they are on tour, and playing in the Bay Area. Deciding to go to the concert on August 1 in Oakland was a no brainer – I knew I was in for something special because the punk subculture and Islam are close to my heart. How does this fit together? Perfectly! (At least in my mind).

Photo: Basim Usmani, Arjun Ray, Nyle Usmani

Punk is music of revolt. It’s a revolt of youth against the establishment, against its materialism, apathy, and hypocrisy. Punk emerged in the 70’s in the UK and US; in UK as a response to the bleak era of Thatcherism. Its music is fast, raw, energetic, and spontaneous, but punk is not just about music. It’s a movement; it’s a community of friends who stick together, and try to define their life without the barrage of the consumerist attitudes plaguing the establishment.

The Kominas with their humor take on the society’s hypocrisy very well. Songs like Walqaeda Superstore that talks about Saudi oil industry and American consumerism, or Sharia Law in the USA that deal with the fear of Muslims are great examples. It’s no wonder: if anyone saw a fair share of hypocrisy, it would be the American Muslims when our homegrown Ahmadinejad, George W. Bush entered stage and introduced his very own brand of bleakness.

Photo: Shahjehan Malik Khan, Arjun Ray

Growing up in this land that claims freedom and human rights for all on one hand, and which feeds and perpetuates prejudice against the Muslims and Islam on daily basis must have been a challenging experience. The band members spent their youth in the post 9/11 dark ages, an era which has done so much to perpetuate labeling of Muslims as terrorists, fanatics, and weirdos. This kind of climate must have presented some odd experiences for Muslim teenagers, who would already be likely struggling with the issues of identity and stereotypes: mix of cultures of their parents, and the society in which they are growing up, question of race (“brown” people in a society that is so hyper-focused on “black” and “white”), as artists who tend to be traditionally expected by their community to go to MIT and take up a Masters in Engineering or some such. That’s why the song Sharia Law in the USA has such a touch of genius: by morphing one of the greatest tag lines of punk from the godfathers of the movement, the Sex Pistols: “I am the anti-christ, I am an anarchist,” into “I am an Islamist, I am The Antichrist,” The Kominas are heaping the well deserved mockery onto the prejudiced masses, and make one big shout to express their revolt. Other Kominas songs are more contemplative, with poetry of belonging, and loss. Their latest song, Dog Called Akhira (lyrics), recorded in collaboration with Prop Anon only a week ago, is dealing with mourning and grief. You can check the song here, with The Kominas permission:

To me, somehow all The Kominas songs convey struggle to establish one’s own identity in an environment ignorant at best, and hostile at worst (or vice versa?).

Photo: Prop Anon, Basim Usmani

Basim Usmani, the band’s singer and author of the songs’ lyrics, mentioned in a great interview for Sepia Mutiny that when he was in 4th grade, a child would bring The Bible to school every day, and tell him that he would be going to hell. Basim’s attempts to explain that he also has a spiritual tradition were completely in vain. I do remember that post 9/11, people were so crazed that there were that even a Sikh man (!) was beaten somewhere at a gas station in New Jersey up because the thugs who got him thought he was a terrorist. Obviously they didn’t do their research first. This kind of ignorance feeds the prejudice, and it is something that many of us are fed up with.

In this climate, a book called Taqwacores by Michael Muhammad Knight was published that helped define the Taqwacore movement. This book connected several US bands into an underground movement, and currently, a movie is being made based on it.

Due to some lucky constellation in the stars over the Bay Area, it so happened, that the author of the book, the director of the movie, as well a bunch of friends were present at the Oakland show. Consequently, I found myself at a show that was more like a party. At one point, the Kominas took off their shoes and threw them into the audience. When I asked them later if this is a tradition, they said that yes, since G.W. Bush trip to Iraq. At some point, they jumped off the stage and played among the crowd, and later, all piled up on the floor (I wish I could have captured that scene, but the floor was very dark!).

Photo: Imran Malik

Other than Kominas, the bands that were performing were Micropixie, Prop Anon, Sarmust, and Mujahideeen Bernstein Affair. All of them joined at the end for one splendid jam session, with energy that feeds me till this day. I could feel their love, I could feel their anger (more love than anger, really), but most of all, I heard their demand to STOP THE HATE.

Photo: Nyle Usmani, Arjun Ray

The general ignorance about Islam and Muslims, and prejudice angers me, and so I want to do my bit to promote the Kominas and spread their word. As much as I loved their music and their performance, what touched me most was the friendship that I saw they shared, and the struggle that they so poignantly express.

You can follow the Kominas and the Taqwacore movement in the Taqwacore Webzine. Big kudos to Kaitlin Foley for her valuable suggestions for this post. A full set of photos from the concert can be seen on Flickr.

Canada: Toronto, Montreal
France, Paris: video 1, video 2
USA: New York, Washington, DC, Boston, Austin
United Kingdom, London: video 1, video 2
South Korea, Seoul
Sweden, Stockholm: video 1, video 2
Italy, Rome
Germany: Frankfurt, Cologne
Netherlands, Amsterdam: video 1, video 2
UAE, Dubai (facebook)
At the same time, hundreds of protesters were dispersed in central Tehran. For videos of that go here.

As an Arab and a Muslim, there was nothing much I can benefit from what Obama has to say. I’m so tired of these tedious speeches and words and praises and promises that no one, including the target audience, ever lives up to. Despite not watching this speech due to lack of interest, I sat down on Twitter and was frankly disgusted at the hype, the way people were mindlessly cheering his words on, as if they don’t understand the sources of our issues to begin with. Suddenly Obama was here to “fix things,” while reducing our problems to the size of a footnote.

I support Obama, at least in comparison to his war-mongering colleagues. But we don’t need his leadership, or anyone else’s for that matter. Feeling hopeful and optimitic should start with believing in yourself, not in some other leader whom we cannot rely on. Obama’s administration certainly helps by not bombing us to oblivion, but it ends there. His team won’t mobilize millions of people into sincere action for the benefit of their societies. That’s up to us, and the inspiration is not going to come from a foreign leader who is unaware of the true magnitude of what any of us are going through. It’s going to come from your neighbour, your classmate, your favorite blogger, your local activist. It’s going to come from involving ethnic and religious minorities in shaping our own future. It’s going to take a whole nation to truly inspire serious and positive outcomes, but in the end, the change you take pride in will be of your own making, and that’s what matters.

If each person makes a consistent commitment to actual, homegrown change within our countries, you would be building an indestructible society that NO leader can destroy. Foreign or local. That’s what we want, a society we can rely on, a community we can turn to for support as opposed to further oppression, a mentality that encourages growth. Outside influence is destructive in this regard, they are completely powerless, but some tend to think otherwise, which I feel is arrogant. No foreign government can “fund” our progress.

I’m all for hope and optimism, but political naivité makes me ill. One thing is for certain: We’re on our own. The Obama team are not going to solve the crimes and injustices that we witness every day of our lives. Obama is a fine president so far, and should be thanked and encouraged for speaking widely against the abuses of the “war on terror” and referring to us in a tone that doesn’t reek of bigotry and racism. But in a few years his administration will be replaced. And then what?

Everything is entirely up to us. You can applaud to these kinds of speeches all you want, but realize that none of it is a reality or is representitive of who we are and how we think. We decide that.

Obama will give these speeches over and over again in the coming years.

Are we going to obsess over each?

While he talks, injustices will double and triple. And the sources of these crimes aren’t just from our governments. We have severe societal issues throughout the Middle East that leaders themselves have little control over. These include anything from women’s rights to free speech to minority issues.

And these continue not only because of our truly incompetent and self-serving leaders but also because frankly, not enough of us are taking action, and keep waiting for that “savior.” That one leader who can change everything. Well guess what, that person is you.

You should be extremely hopeful that change will definitely occur. But you should also be just as hopeful that you’re good enough to create it yourself: and it’s NOT going to start with a political revolution, or simply overthrowing a government with another. It first starts with changing the perceptions of those around you in favor of all human rights and the society that you wish to live in.

You don’t need anyone else. You certainly don’t need the support of some foreign government that doesn’t understand you and your needs. You just need to be hopeful about what YOU as a person can achieve and give back to your country. And if you can’t do that, you can’t expect anyone else to. This is our responsibility.

President Barrack Obama has announced his support to an agreement between the USA and the UAE whereby nuclear energy technology would be shared amongst the two nations. H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan has also released a statement.

Both letters can be read Here.

What reprecussions do you think this will have to the GCC nuclear program? And will this help with managing use of nuclear energy in the Middle-East?

Dreamers and Believers, Changing Reality

If happiness is contagious, then I hope this article is a carrier. I was honored to attend a Jewish-Palestinian dialog event in San Francisco where four panel members, two Palestinians, and two Israelis talked about their experience with the peace process. And there is not much that makes me happier than meeting people dedicated to promoting peace and unity.

The event was organized by the Jewish-Palestinian Living Room Dialogue Groups of San Mateo and San Francisco, and the Shinnyo-en Foundation. Before the event started, I noticed a quote on one of the exhibits next to the stage: “Most of life is not visible to us.” It is true, isn’t it? We only see the tip of the iceberg, only a fraction of what others carry within to the extent that they open up and share it with us. So it was a great privilege that the four panelists Mohammed Issa Abufayyad, Ilana Meallem, Huda Abu Arquob, and Elad Vazana shared their stories with us.

Elad Vazana was the first speaker, and his story reminded me of Paulo Coelho’s Alchemist, a book about following your dream. It was a dream that led Elad to his transformation and peace work. But before that, there was the first part of the journey. He says he was raised in fear of Arabs, didn’t know any for a very long time, and was just afraid they would stab him in the back had they gotten a chance. He joined the IDF when he was 18, serving as a tank commander. It seemed that this memory was still haunting him.

Later, when working in a high tech company in Tel Aviv, he thought that it was the government’s problem to resolve the conflict. But then came the dream, and it took him to Granada, Spain, a place where Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived together peacefully for centuries. Thinking that if something like this is possible in Spain, it should be possible in Israel, Elad returned home in 2002, and started contacting schools about possibilities of working with youth and engaging them in the peace process.

Elad expressed his great belief in the power of youth – “they can change the world,” he said.  He organizes camps, attended by youth before joining their mandatory military service. The youth create amazing friendships, and this experience transforms their attitudes. When the audience got a chance to ask questions later, one of them asked somewhat skeptically “Are you realistic or are you dreamers?” Elad’s response was another question: “How do you change reality?” “You have to dream to change reality,” he added.

Huda Abu Arquob and Elad Vazana

The next speaker was Huda Abu Arquob, a Palestinian Sufi, a director from Abraham’s Vision, an organization that strives to educate youth about the peace process and conflict resolution. She started with these powerful words: “I don’t want to be a victim. I prefer to think of myself as a survivor.” Huda witnessed much violence and oppression when growing up in Hebron.

As the eldest of twelve siblings, she felt special responsibility for them. Huda described how, when she was a teenager, she was very protective of her siblings, and when she learnt about the massacres in Sabra and Shatila, became worried that something similar could happen to them. She kept running over how she would react in her mind, trying to decide whether it was better to die first, so she does not have to see her younger siblings die, or go last, so that she can be there as a support for them. Huda described how deeply she was affected by these tragic events; how she kept thinking about the last moments of the people who died there. “No teenager should ever have to go through this,” she said.

Huda describes herself a teacher informed and guided by her Sufi beliefs. She earned her BA degree while raising her eleven siblings, and later became a Fulbright scholar in the United States. As to her own transformation, she described an important experience with an Israeli soldier at a checkpoint. The soldier was talking to her in Hebrew in an aggressive way, and got very surprised when Huda asked him to speak in English. “So you have schools that teach you English? Have you been to America?” he asked. It turned out that both Huda and the soldier visited Boston, and that was the moment of connection. The soldier started telling her how he is here against his own will, and does not really believe in this division between the people.

That moment helped Huda realize that she is powerful, that she can affect change just by being herself, by helping others discover their shared humanity. “Listen to everybody,” she said. “If we cannot listen to other human beings, we cannot hear the voice of the Supreme.” And what was Huda’s answer to the question about dreaming and reality? “I don’t like labels.” Hats down to that.

Mohammed Issa Abufayyad and Ilana Meallem

The theme of spirituality permeated the evening. Ilana Meallem, a young Jewish Israeli woman who grew up in the UK draws on her deep belief in Judaism in her work. Ilana’s parents immigrated to UK from Egypt, where they witnessed various forms of discrimination. Like Elad, Ilana was raised in fear of Arabs. Her family’s new life in UK did not bring them safety however. Ilana’s brother was stabbed on a bus in front of her eyes, and her father was beaten up on his way to a synagogue. Since her teenage years Ilana dreamt of living in a safe place where she would be accepted. As soon as she could, Ilana left for Israel, and volunteered for the Israeli Air force, and then, for two years she was involved in reconnaissance efforts.

Only after leaving the army, and meeting Arab people, Ilana came to a realization that it is possible to make friendships. She went to live with the Bedouin Arab community for several months, and being accepted by this community proved a highly transformative experience. She now works for the Arava Institute for Environmental studies, and travels across the Middle East, meeting with people to promote peace. Often, she is the first Jew that they meet.

“I lived in a narrative based on fear, and didn’t think what was behind those walls and checkpoints….Israel today is sick Israel. We live in fear,” she said.

When a person from the audience asked how the Jewish panelists reconcile support for their land and support for Palestine, and if they do not then get accused of being traitors, Ilana reiterated how her work is grounded in Judaism, its focus on social justice, and its stress on the importance of unity. There is a belief in Judaism that unity is the secret of this world, and that people must work for it.

Ilana’s answer to the dream and reality question struck a deep chord in me: “I’ve got no idea what the governments are up to, what schemes they want us to buy into. I know that my humble self cannot change or even understand all the politics that goes on behind closed doors, but I can change myself, and by that change affect others. And I absolutely believe that change can happen very fast. You have to dream and believe in that dream.”

One really could not tell that the four panelists belonged to different religions. All of them upheld the essential common beliefs of peace, unity, and hope. Mohammed Issa Abufayyad, the last speaker, is a devout Muslim who grew up in Gaza. Like Huda, he witnessed much violence throughout his life. The first intifada happened when he was in the elementary school; the second when he was in the high school. He lost eight of his cousins, five of them in the course of the last year. His uncle, a father of eight children, was killed at a checkpoint, for no reason.

During the second intifada, Mohammed started working with a Muslim Youth organization and volunteering as a medical rescue worker and this is when he decided to become a doctor. He got a scholarship to study, first in Cairo, and later in the United States. Currently Mohammed is studying physiology as a part of pre-med studies in San Francisco.

Mohammed spoke with great ardor and his wisdom flowed straight from the heart. “Why am I here? I had a chance to get out and meet the ‘others.’ I am here because I believe in peace. It is a part of my belief and culture as a Muslim.”   He pointed out that the reason Israel and Palestine are called the Holy Land is because it holy for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. The Holy Land is not holy without Jews; it is not holy without Muslims, and it is not holy without Christians. He said that choosing violence as a response is easy, but we need to overcome this, we cannot just keep blaming each other.

Mohammed’s answer to the dreamer versus realist question was that “We are believers” he said. To the remark that possibly much of the conflict is caused by ignorance (by not knowing the ‘other side’), he responded that ignorance is not the problem because ignorance is easy to dispel. The problem is an illusion of knowledge. That is much more difficult to overcome.

There were more questions raised in the audience, one being about the two state solution, and whether there is hope for peaceful Palestine given the amount of violence stemming from radical Islam today. Mohammed responded that he believes it is inevitable that two states will be created, but quite likely that in ten years they will become one following the example of Europea. After all, it is not so long ago that Europe was divided by cold war.

Huda added that she would not be interested in Palestine if it were to be declared a Muslim state. Palestine is for Christians and Jews as well. She also highlighted the absurdity of the conflict by saying that the argument isn’t just restricted to Israel and Palestine. That somehow the governments create conflicts and choose enemies to project people’s fears onto. First, during the Cold War, Russia was the enemy, but when the Cold War ended, the attention shifted to Islam, and next, maybe it will be the aliens.

Huda and Ilana

It is important to learn about the injustices committed in this world, but it is at least equally as important to learn about the peace effort. And what can we do? Huda pointed out that the United States is a privileged place. We should use this privilege to do something, to influence the change, and ask our government to stop taking sides, and help create a better power balance in Israel. All the panelists pointed out how we all need hope and the belief that change is possible. We need to keep the fire of hope going, and this gives them support. And, as Elad said, “I found a place of hope when I started doing something.”

More pictures from the event are available on flickr.

“”Rejecting the god of their fathers, the neo-pagans who dominate the media serve as lackeys at the terrorists’ bloody altar,” – Ralph Peters.

Retired US Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Peters wrote an interesting article for the Journal of International Security Affairs, which is part of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs. Peters argues that journalists aren’t impartial and often ‘take a side, and that side is rarely ours.”

Ralph Peters (islam-projekte.com)

Peters therefore thinks that in the future journalists could (or should) become military targets. “Although it seems unthinkable now, future wars may require censorship, news blackouts and, ultimately, military attacks on the partisan media. Perceiving themselves as superior beings, journalists have positioned themselves as protected-species combatants. But freedom of the press stops when its abuse kills our soldiers and strengthens our enemies.”

Ralph Peters say that in warfare only one thing matters: Win – even if this means using the same tactics as the enemy. “If you cannot win clean, win dirty. But win.” As an example he gave the American bombing of Hiroshima in WWII. Peters is convinced that Israel lost the war against Hezbollah and Hamas, because journalists were in favour of these none-state actors. This while Palestinian activists often complain about the pro-Israeli side of the western media in the Netherlands.

Peters earlier caused a lot of fear in Turkey in 2006 (Sevres paranoia), when he promoted his map ‘blood borders’ to redraw the map of the Middle-East, with off course a Kurdish state carved out of the Turkish borders.The map was also shown during a NATO-meeting in Rome, which resulted in a walkout of Turkish officers. Later the Pentagon apologized for the map.

No one can deny how influential the Israeli Lobby in the US is. AIPAC that started in the 1950’s have evolved and shaped US politics in the Middle East for the past 50 years. The lobby is very influential in Washington DC in particular and has further influence on American media and the movie industry. To name a few, FOX News and News Corp that owns more than 50% of Radio stations in North America which successfully sends negative messages and miss conceptions about Arabs and Muslims to the American people.

AIPAC and the war Lobbies united in push for $200 MILLION campaign for a war against Iran. And just before the last election a notorious ad in the Boston Globe, cheering on the Israeli bombing of Lebanon, was engineered by the Jewish Community Relations Council, an arm of AIPAC. Every major political figure in the state of Massachusetts signed the ad, including “liberal” governor, Deval Patrick.

AIPAC also promoted the U.S. support for Israel’s War against Lebanon and Gaza, and pushed for the “Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006″ in the congress which restricted humanitarian aid to Gaza.

And recently, the UK’s Guradian published this article about AIPAC attempts to stop shift in White House Middle East policy Article Here A clear sign that President Obama and his new administration play a major threat for AIPAC. But Obama, and before him Bill Clinton and GW Bush and many more endorsed AIPAC as a strategic partner.

AIPAC is not just an issue for Jewish Americans or the Jewish wing of the peace movement like Jewish Voice for Peace; it is a major force, although not the only one, driving the U.S. to wars in the Middle East. AIPAC is no less a force for war than is the Republican National Committee. In fact it is worse, because it sinks its teeth into the foreign policy establishment of both parties, perhaps the Democrats more so than the Republicans. If the peace movement is to be worth its salt, then it must take action against AIPAC.

But why does it matter for Jewish and non Jewish Americans to support the little state of Israel that is as small as Long Island. The US provides annual financial Aid to Israel on an average of 5 Billion dollars of US tax payer’s money, while the US Economy, Education system, Health care and more than 50 million uninsured Americans are suffering the most. Today a study has found that 17% of US children under the age of 5 may face hunger.

At a glance, it may seems that Israel is protecting US interests in the region, but I find it more compelling that the power of AIPAC lays on making sure Israel survives as a country. And since Israel was formed on Zionism methodologies that were considered a few years ago by the UN as a terrorist movement, Israel was created on the ruins of a whole nation and its people who lived in Peace on their own land. AIPAC methodology is that Israel must survive.

Some see AIPAC as a powerful rich force in US politics but I see it differently. I see AIPAC as a movement that is unease with the continuation existence of an odd state in the Middle East. I see AIPAC as a threat to the Peace process, the Palestinians, the Jews and most importantly a threat to US interests.

Some references:
The Israel Lobby? by Noam Chomsky
The Israel Lobby by Stephen Walt
Who’s the dog? Who’s the tail? by Uri Avnery

wrmea.com
globalexchange.org
alawda.rso.wisc.edu
wikipedia.org

*****

From a general point of view, it seems that Iran’s Deterrence Power is based on 4 basic principles:

1- Avoiding trusting international entities

Considering International Entities and Agencies as ‘means of International Imperialism to Conquer World’ dates back to the very beginning of Islamic Revolution. Iraqi Experience, however, has made Iranian military strategists even more determined not to trust such agencies. According to these strategists, Saddam’s regime for more than a decade cooperated with International Agencies responsible for monitoring production and maintaining its arsenal and these agencies neutralized Saddam’s military capabilities to a great extent. Finally, when they succeeded in completely inactivating Saddam’s arsenal, Bush administration waged a war on Iraq in the name of Weapon of Mass Destruction which never existed at all.

2- Deterrence out of Iranian borders

According to IRI strategists, another important lesson of Iraqi Experience is about encountering Stronger Enemy. They believe that Saddam’s strategy based on encountering occupiers inside Iraqi borders was bound to fail. To avoid similar failure, IRI strategists have maintained that in the case of an American attack on Iran, war zone will be determined by Iran. It means that in the case of war, the aggression will not be limited to Iran, but would include Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Palestine, Gulf countries, as well as other places. That is because, IRI strategists claim, America has offered Iranians some kind of Potential Hostages in the region. In addition to Iran’s own military capabilities, there are some possible allies who would help Iran fight against US in other parts of the region. Even some non-Shiite groups might be eager to help Iran. And this point can help decipher why some statement made by Iranian Officials about Holocaust, Wiping Israel off the Map, etc. Such statements were welcomed by millions of Muslims who hate Israel and are frustrated by other Muslim rulers who ‘are not man of their words.’

3- Getting Ready to Take Maximum Risks in Worst Cases

Iran normally prefers no military invasion. However, IRI strategists believe that Iran should be ready to pay ‘every’ price to make the enemy suffer maximum loss. For example, Iranians are supposedly ready to embrace martyrdom, i.e. to fight to their last drop of blood. In modern wars in which modern capabilities can make patriotism fruitless, such statements may be underestimated. However, Embracing Martyrdom translates into ‘Taking Every Possible Risk’ and that is what, IRI strategists believe, US can’t afford at all.

4- Maximum Preparedness inside Iran

Maximum Preparedness not only includes arranging for Asymmetric War and Passive Defense but also requires eliminating Fifth Column. IRI strategists believe that Iraq’s failure in First Gulf War did not lead to overthrowing Saddam’s regime for a simple reason: there was no alternative to Bathi Government. Hence, as long as there is no alternative to IRI, even a military failure can not lead to regime change. That is why removing every possible alternative would be on IRI agenda in the case of American-led war.

Yes , I as your read in the title I am shouting 6 years has passed since the US troops inter under the name of collation forces in to Baghdad , this time 6 years ago we were attach to the radios after the Americans destroyed the electricity stations in Baghdad ,we were listening to the news about how the Iraqi army was fighting the American marines in Baghdad airport ,I still remember the Iraqi government Spoks man Said Al-safah shouting in a press conference that we had we had forced the American to withdraw , but things happen so fast ,and few days ago their was no Iraqi government ,or army or police and the Americans where all over Baghdad ,and if you look from the window you will see at the dusk the sun going to sleep making the sky with a pink color while a long tours of smoke are rising from burning Iraqi governmental buildings ,banks door were open ,please just enter and take all the Iraqi fortunes ,thefts rooming Iraqi streets burning stealing while American solders watch from a distance

6 years , Wahoo ,how many Iraq people died ? I do not know ,reports say just 600-800 thousands , and what I saw ,well 1-2 millions , but I men how knows ? Iraq ,well they say we had new Iraq ,even they think security has improved ,and according to BBC latest poll we as Iraqi people are worried on future only ,we are living good just worried what job or economic chances we had , I mean this is the BBC ,they know every thing ,so this should be right ,does not it ?

Well I will talk about my self ,my worries ,my future ,my loses , I know that financially I had no improvements ,in Saddam days I could not offered to buy new cloths or marry or have a car ,know well I got paid 10 times but still not able to find money to life like normal humans in the world ,cause all my income is divided between rent,buying gas for my home electricity generator,buy fuel from black market for cooking and heating ,buying clean water ,food ,paying expensive bill for very slow Internet ,paying the highest minute prices for mobile company that is always had no network ( once I stood in front of the company building and still no network their logo is we are with you wherever you …well they sure do not )
What else , I have complain to the transportation ministry in 2006 to come and connect my house phone line ( in Iraq phone lines are buried under the ground ) which was cut when the ministry of water came to fix the water pipes ,today in 2009 the phone people had not came yet or we had water.

I have tried to find good job ,real good job ,that will make you live the American dream ,Opss sorry means the Iraqi dream , but nothing , you had only government or privet sector to work with ,and privet sector doesn’t have any work ,so they close their business and look for governmental jobs , and governmental jobs are like prison ,you had to be their in 8 morning and leave at 4 in the afternoon ,and if you lie ,steal ,good in making conspiracies , forging buying receipts ,you had a good governmental future ,they may send you for training out side Iraq ,but in case you are a good boy ,well you may have to lay law and keep your mouth shut

What else ,we had like a million party in Iraq ,no but I mean even the man how seal groceries can open a party , which is good ,but I mean non of them in the past 6 years had tell us what is their economical or health or education or labor or pensions plans ? but they all say they are for unity ,reconciliation ,non-sectarian polices ,security ,human rights , freedom ,democracy ,reconstruction, and of course anti-corruption ? so my question if they all had the same goals ,same strategy ,same logos ,why so many ? can not they unit together ? and why when they reach positions in the parliament or the city councils they spend all the time blaming each others on all the bad things in Iraq ? why they only are able to agree on their pensions plans and their salaries laws but spend months arguing Iraqi people pensions ,salaries and social security ( which I do not think we had ), and my final big question ,why in God name we had all those people fighting against corruption ,but amnesty international had us in the tope of most corrupted countries in the world for ,how many years ,3 or 4 ?

Well , I do not know ,since 2003 I lost 4 friends , all of them where 24-25 years old when they die .killed yes all of them killed ,I lost my auntie also she was 45 and she die fro cancer ,they had no fast technology to detect cancer in Iraq ,especially breast or ovarian cancer , so the Iraqi health system took her in very long painful trip between hospital to hospital searching for good doctors ( all had escaped Iraq) or searching for medicine ,she had to travel from Kirkuk to mousl to have her radiation shoots cause we had no center in the area ,imagine you had to travel 5 hours to get chemotherapy and return to your house in the same day with all the radiation beaming from you because they had no beds in the hospital , this is in 2008 ,in 1997 when Iraq was under siege of food or medicine ,Iraqi hospitals cure lung carcinoma ( cancer of the lung) , but this is life

Any way more stuff , I have been invited to many Iraqi conferences ,meet sweet Iraqi people interested in building the country , doing good job really , they are called Iraqi civil society ,of course not all of them nice people ,some are really sectarian ,others are working as cover to the government ,others are not very transparent or honest ,but in the middle of all this there is serious people doing marvelous work ,they were the ones who filled the empty space of government in humanitarian aid during 2003 till today , but few days ago I read the Iraqi government is writing this new law to them ,which will make the government like give them the ok to receive founds from organizations ,and allots of new regulations that make it really hard for them to work ,they will be like a governmental civil society just without pension plan like the nice people in the parliament

But it is not all black ,last week Baghdad university celebrate the graduation of the 2009 class ,people who enter collage after 2003 ,today graduate, they have to find jobs to eat ,but Iraq had only oil as source of income ,and since the world economic crises we hear Iraqi officials telling us ( DO NOT PANIC WE WILL PAY YOUR SALARIES THIS YEAR ) and I was like ,ok ,was it spouse some way you will not pay ? and why should I panic ? is there is something wrong ? yes ,it seems our financial people had some problems in making a budget for Iraq and our leaders had some arm twisting to each others in the parliament to let it pass this easy , so when you read in the news paper an interview with Iraqi Minster of interior and he explain how we had defeated the insurgents and al-qada ,you will not enjoy happiness long as he explain that he had to let 26ooo security man go cause he had money !!! well my question hear ,what the 26000 man will do ? this is a small army for GOD name ,they will find job at KFC chain or something ? Opss again forget ,we had no KFC or BIG Mac or all the commercial brands of any thing in Iraq ,cause the international world is still not sure of Iraq security ,so return to the 26000 man ,they will go home or make a small army or a militia or what ?
6 years ,had past ,I heard Iraqi government is planning to close the Iraqi displaced people file ,GREAT, did they go home ? not really only 40% or something ,and the rest 60% ?well they had to understand that the tents ,tin houses they are living in today are their houses , good for the 2 million Iraqi just displaced inside Iraq ,but I know there is about 4 millions enjoying the hospitality of the rest of the world outside Iraq ,well some are returning just because they did not get asylum ,but all the people I know had not ,in fact you hear more Iraqi people are trying to escape Iraq ,
I know that from my graduation class of 2001 we had 4 deaths ,15 been kidnapped and disappeared after paying heavy ransoms ,and 22 escaped Iraq , 16 left Baghdad to Kurdistan ,33 left to najaf and karbla , the rest I do not know but I had only seen 5 of my class in Baghdad in the last 3 years and I go to all the events in our graduates union or in the university ,and non of the people who had left Baghdad plan to return in the next 10 years ,

So ,did the Iraqi liberation operation brought us peace ? no , did it freedom ? yes ,but can I speak this freely if I was like facing audience in a conference or in street or in my religious place ? we are free to express on the Internet , but even this is becoming dangerous ,as Iraq taken number 1 in journalist killed and bloggers disappeared in the world

Did they brought us democracy ? well yes but semi-democracy ,because the people who won in the election had to face the aliens of the powerfully losers in the last election ,and also democracy give us all the right to nominate our self in election ,but if I entered with 10000 dollars budget for a campaign and some Minster or governor or Mayer enter using police forces to distribute his posters with an open budget of millions of dollars ,who will win ( and in fact I had only 100 droller I was counting for your donations for the rest 9900 dollars for my campaign ) , I mean I saw one candidate distributing laptops to people to elect him ,good if john McCain distributed laptops he will be now sitting in the white house!!

6 years , in which we saw our country destroyed ,torn apart ,destroyed and we are divided into groups minorities and whatever God knows else !! we had only the power to pray for better tomorrow ,the patient to wait for someone to have the courtesy of standing for our rights to live like humans ,and the Internet for free expression

6 years had passed on the American entering Baghdad , the were expecting flours and greetings we were expecting human rights and better life ,they got bolts and bombs and we got this long space of time waiting for this nightmare to end which we call our Iraqi life

Why I was there:

I was on a speaking tour organized and sponsored by the Highest Common Denominator (HCD), whose co-founder saw my presentation in Oman in 2007 and really respects our work here and what we’ve built from scratch. She also values our independence and has organized this trip with her colleagues as a way to generate more awareness and support about the issues we extensively cover with our projects as well as our sincere commitment for change in the Middle East as people who rely on ourselves for our future and not on foreign intervention or foreign NGOs.

I was initially invited to be a panelist for the Clinton Global Initiative University to be a part of a panel called “Leveraging Technology to Alleviate Poverty.” The co-panelists were the founders of CellBazaar and Frontline SMS. So it was a real honor being a part of that panel represeting MideastYouth.com and FreeKareem.org

But HCD felt it was important for me to take advantage of my trip to the USA and be a part of things beyond this panel, hence why I was gone for 3 weeks and not just the 2 days I was scheduled to be there for.

Where I was:

I had speaking engagements in educational institutions throughout the country, making appearances in all of the following schools and universities:

While in CA I also had useful meetings with:
YouTube
Flip
The co-founder of what is the revolutionary (in my opinion) DotSpots
Some employees from Facebook
And a few students working on their tech startups in San Francisco.

I was supposed to also speak at Northwest High School in Justin, Texas, but the school district withdrew the request for participation. Apparently one parent thought I was anti-American, dangerous, and inappropriate, and felt it was more appropriate to censor me and refuse my communication to the students who were actually excited to have me there, according to one of the teachers. Some students have contacted me expressing their concern, that one parent can make a decision like that affecting the entire student body and preventing them from such events. I agree, and I hope some students will take action.

When we requested further information on my ban from the school, apparently the parent has visited the site and the content did not appeal to him, as some members, including myself, were criticizing U.S foreign policy (like millions of Americans do on a daily basis, including the current U.S President) and specifically my concern over AIPAC’s impact on American politics. I have no idea why something like this makes me anti-American and prevents me from entering a high school, would I make an attempt to even visit them if I was hateful and dangerous?

My talks to the high school students were not political, I should add, they were purely educational and dealt exclusively with digital media and culture in general and had nothing to do with my personal opinions. The majority of students really liked it and I felt really excited to be there.

In any case that was not representative of Texas. That was one bad experience out of 5 really great ones in high schools throughout the state. The students were appreciative and eager to help and learn more, that’s all that matters to me.

In summary, there’s been a lot of traveling back and fourth, and it wasn’t easy getting around the USA with my Bahraini passport. We were meeting with absolutely anyone we can think of and I think every stop we made was worth it despite how exhausting it was. At some point I’ve been giving as much as 2 or 3 talks per day, for more than an hour each, while jetlagged and a bit car sick. But I’ve learned and gained so much experience and feel I’m prepared to do anything now.

I wasn’t surprised by the amount of Arabs and Iranians in New York and California in particular but the amount was higher than I expected. I’m glad I had the opportunity to meet some of them.

I want to thank everyone involved in making this possible, and all the great students I had the opportunity to meet. I want to also thank Bita for hosting me at her family’s home in Texas, where I experienced the first Baha’i prayer when her family prayed for my safety was as well as the 7 Baha’i leaders currently on trial in Iran. As a Muslim this meant a lot to me. I had no idea I’d end up with Iranian Baha’is in Texas of all places but it’s a memory I’ll cherish and I’m inspired to work harder for Baha’i human rights.

I want to thank YouTube and Flip for expressing their support and willingness to help us, and for being willing to hear about our needs when it comes to circumventing censorship.

I feel empowered and inspired with all the encouragement and I know I met some lasting contacts. Now I’m back home in Bahrain and ready to work hard on our upcoming projects.

PS. Our minority map was very timely and allowed me to easily express how diverse we are, and how different (culturally, politically, socially and otherwise) each country within the region is, and how we ourselves experience culture shocks too when we cross the borders to different places.

“To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.”

A clear message to the region that change is coming and this time it is not destruction but building bridges of trust based on mutual interests. The next day, Obama called the presidents of the Palestinian Authority, Israel, Egypt & Jordan. He appointed George Mitchell to be the US convey to the Middle East.

On the eve of Mitchell’s first mission, Obama appeared on Al Arabiya, the Saudi owned News channel, and spoke frankly about his plans in the Middle East, his ties to Islam and the Muslim world, and clearly stated that America is not an enemy for Muslims.

Though Arabs & Muslims do not hate Americans; but they have feelings of resentment for America’s double standards role when it comes to the Palestinian – Israeli conflict.

But my deep concern is the leadership in the Middle East, are they going to let Obama down? Do we have serious leadership who would take his initiative a step forward?

So far, the Arab World has two democracies, Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority. Both are constantly attacked by Israel, and suffer Political divide. The rest are illegitimate non elected dictatorships and ailing monarchies that have been in power for too long. The last war on Gaza has weakened the positions of these governments where those leaders have failed to listen to the growing angry voices and dissatisfaction of the public opinion and intellectuals. Egypt has lost its Political weight in the region, because of its negativity during the Gaza war. Syria is still testing its waters with the new US administration. Lebanon is too busy with the coming elections and the role of Hezbollah in the country. Iraq is anticipating the withdrawal plan, and the rich Gulf States are hoping to improve their relation with the US.

As for the Palestinian Authority, the situation is complex. We have Fatah who have a very bad reputation regarding their corruption and the misuse of Public money to their own interests. Many leading figures in the region have expressed their concern about Fatah and wither they will ever deliver the Aid that will be sent for Gaza.

As for Hamas, they became more popular after the war that hasn’t affected their military power. Hamas have lost their political wisdom to become partners with any Palestinian party in the future. They lack Political leadership, vision and agenda.

Israel & America should reconsider negotiating Fatah & Hamas together or they will have to look for new leadership which currently does not exist. There are many parties involved in this conflict and each party plays the Palestinian card all to their interests & agenda.

The Palestinian issue is more complex than to be solved by one Presidential term in the White House and Peace will require a lot of sacrifices from all sides. Until then, the whole Arab world is watching Obama closely and with admiration.

Bita Haidarian, an award-winning Iranian American filmmaker fresh out of film school, sets off on a journey around the world to answer the big questions – who am I, where do I come from, and where can a girl find a good laser hair removalist?

Born in America to Baha’i refugee parents from Iran, Bita tells the tragic-comic story of her family coming to America, her childhood in Texas, trying to fit in, and competitive cheerleading – all part of the quest of a girl who knows more about MTV than Al Jazeera.

Read more about the film on the Facebook fan page.

In this podcast, we discuss:

Amongst other things!

Here’s a promo of Finding Bibi:

SELECTED SCENES_PROMO

Thanks Bita for your amazing work and we wish you great luck in completing the rest of this film. You have our support all the way!

What had previously been considered a more developed district has been overtaken by the Taliban over the last 18 months. Approximately 184 schools were destroyed by the Taliban, 120 of which had been girls’ schools. Women who had come to know progressive reform were now threatened with death for shopping alone.

Swat used to be called the “Switzerland of the East” but is now referred to by the people as “the land of the terrorists.” The economy has collapsed, and parents don’t feel safe sending their children to school. The Taliban have targeted politicians, police, and reporters with a hit list, and 47 local politicians, leaders and activists have been ordered to appear before the Taliban court, or else. Dozens have already been killed. The local police have been systematically wiped out, their numbers shrinking from 1700 police officers down to 300.

There is widespread belief in Swat that the Pakistani military has struck a deal with the militants, and is therefore not going out of its way to defeat them. However, military officers point to the difficulty of fighting militants who position themselves among civilians. Some question the military’s commitment in the face of the ferocity of the Taliban’s fight. Yusufzai, the Peshawar editor of The News International says that “…these militants are willing to die while the soldiers are trying to save their lives.” Political activists accuse the military of supporting camps in tribal areas where militants receive training. The Awami National Party’s Gohar says that in her opinion, “If we want peace and prosperity in Pakistan, we cannot go around killing people in other countries, or sending in extremists and militants from our soil.”

Why is any of this important to the rest of us? We don’t live in Swat Valley, do we?

In the wake of 9/11, U.S. foreign policy has focused on regime change in Afghanistan and Iraq. All sorts of justifications have been offered for these policies, some of which have been proven to be false. But in the meantime, these two brutal wars continue to rage on, with no clear outcome in sight. And the conflict between Israel and Palestinians continues unabated as well. The recent military campaign in Gaza is just another case in a long string of military volleys back and forth.

America and Israel have faced an onslaught of international criticism as a result of their military activities, and the suffering such activity brings upon innocent civilians. And it is fitting that a world which calls itself civilized, should be repulsed by violence, and should be able to speak out against the brutality of military action, and in favor of justice for the innocent. After all, what does it mean to be civilized if it is not justice we seek? All this is true. And it is true as well that both America and Israel, who do share a strong connection based on common values, similar circumstances, and mutual interest, have gone overboard at times, with regard to excessive violence, and have wavered with regard to strategy, and with regard to their ultimate goals. In a very real sense, I doubt whether either Israel or the U.S. has a clear picture of what their ultimate goals really are.

But in the midst of all this uncertainty, one thing is pretty certain; the ideological extremists do indeed know what they want, and are emboldened by ideological conviction to get it. It is easy to get so wrapped up in criticizing the U.S. and Israel, that we lose sight of that. And yet, much as we hesitate to admit it, confronting the extremists is absolutely necessary, if we don’t want our countries to delve into the hell that is Swat Valley.

Context is important. For example, stealing is wrong. That’s true. But a mother stealing bread to feed her starving children is less wrong. Isn’t it? Killing civilians is wrong. That’s true. But killing civilians unintentionally in defense of one’s freedom is less wrong. Isn’t it? There are certain questions which have to be answered, and certain decisions which have to be made, even if they bring into question the very moral fiber of our being. Is there a threat to Western civilization posed by ideological extremists? Is this a threat we choose to confront? Do we use the means to confront this threat, even if it means that innocent people will be killed in the process?

These are hard questions, and the answers will be even harder for many of us to stomach. It goes against the grain of who we are. Many of us are idealistic, caring people, and it is exceedingly difficult for us to accept the profound nature of the evil we face, and the injustice that will be necessary to defeat it. And yet, the evil still stands lurking in the shadows. It will not go away quietly into that good night. It will remain and grow until we find the courage and the wisdom to confront it head on, with the same tenacity that emboldens the extremism we face.

I, for one, happen to believe that there is a great deal we could do, short of violence, to weaken the hold of extremist thinking. I believe in speaking to the man on the street with common sense and with a sense of personal dignity. I believe in investing in him; in giving him a place at the table, a stake in his future, by creating good paying jobs: jobs which grow the economy, jobs which protect the environment, and jobs which help to neutralize an ideology of hate. I believe in inspiring him with a Vision of Hope. I believe in sustaining the hope with public diplomacy.

All that is fine and good, but it will not be enough in and of itself. We will have no choice but to fight. Unfortunately, this is the sad state of affairs in which we find ourselves. We will have to fight because the enemy will not be moved otherwise. And therefore, since we have to fight, and fight hard, we owe it to ourselves to position the fight within a Vision of Hope; to raise the fight on the ground to a higher moral plain by giving the fight a moral clarity of purpose. People will fight harder once they know what they’re fighting for. We are not fighting a “war against terror.” We are fighting a war to realize a Vision of Hope. There’s a big difference.

It is precisely because we have to fight, that we also have to invest. Our willingness to invest in the man on the street will give us, and people who choose to partner with us, including moderate Muslims, a good measure of credibility, and will embolden us to sustain the fight until the fight is won. The alternative is Swat Valley, an alternative that most of us cannot even afford to consider.

For more information, please visit our website www.sellingavisionofhope.org

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Can you please help spread the word about this? Last Sunday CBS 60 Minutes aired an awesome story to millions of viewers exposing Israeli apartheid and mistreatment against Palestinians. This a rare narrative to find on American television.

CBS is now under attack by anti-Arab/anti-Muslim groups for showing the truth. We must praise CBS, the reporter and producer for their courage and encourage them to remain steadfast.

Please do the right thing, WATCH THE VIDEO AND SEND A THANK YOU EMAIL TO CBS 60 MINUTES NOW.

It will take less than 30 seconds and 1-click.

Thank you.

I just came across the below video (via TalkIslam) titled “Marriages of Convenience” – basically a union in which gay and lesbian couples agree to marry each other in order to keep up appearances and ensure that they’d have the freedom to be with their desired partner. And “appearances” do carry a lot of weight in our communities.

The quality is a little sketchy, but the topic in itself is rather interesting.

Barack Hussein Obama’s reception, as represented in Iranian news media, is quite varied. In this analyses we cover domestic news media (heavily controlled by the Islamic Republic regime), as well as news media which is produced outside of Iran (presumably free of IR prejudice and influence).

If we were to step back to right before the election of Barack Hussein Obama, we would find domestic Iranian news sources’ overwhelming support and preference for him. Not only the so-called “enlightened” journalists in Iran showed overwhelming support for this candidate, but the conservative clergy also included his praise in their weekly Friday sermons. Barack Hussein is an Arabic name, and as such the Regime found vast common ground with this candidate over the other ‘Anglo-saxon—a woman, at that!’ Even before the chain of events that followed the 9/11 Attacks and the American response, heavily influenced by the GOP, the IR regime has long been a supporter of the Democratic Party. This party tends to have soft, if not condoning, policy towards the IR. The choice between these two candidates in the 2009 election was obvious. In fact the only point missing from IR’s Obama critique was his relevance to the country he will be president of—the USA. His only priority, as the IR claimed, was Muslims and the Muslim world. In summation, the irony of IR support as presented in the press for Obama, was that it often crossed political and ideological lines: the “enlightened” journalists favored him, as did the conservative clergy.

One of the most widely-read newspapers in Iran, Hamshahree (“fellow citizen”), overtly supported the streamline support of an Obama presidency until the 5th of November, 2008. Once Obama actually managed to win the elections, it took very little time for the newspaper, as well as IR streamline rhetoric, to criticize Obama as they have any other president of the “Great Satan” [a euphemism for the United State of America]. In one particular article, we read of Iran’s secretary of state, Manouchehr Mottaki, guiding and/or warning Obama of the “new Middle East.” “Reiterating a statement made in the Islamic Conference, Mottaki said, ‘The American government is in need of new Middle-East specialists.’” Accepting what is deemed as Obama’s apology for the past administration, Mottaki implied that diplomatic relations may be eased. However, upon further questioning on the topic of a new US policy in the higher IR circles, Mottaki took the same stance as the regime’s past quarter century, of doubt and caution. “We prefer to wait and see what actually happens in US foreign policy.” Again, the effects of an Obama presidency on the American people themselves seems lost in the many articles written on this topic.

Iranians is a bi-weekly publication, in Persian, for Iranians residing in the United States of America. It is one of the highly regarded news sources for Iranian immigrants—especially those who cannot understand English. Coverage of the Obama election in Iranians was heavily biased in his support. Rarely, if ever, would one find criticism of Obama in the past few months. Most articles mainly focus towards the consequences awaiting Iranian-Americans as the result of an Obama presidency. Generally biased towards “leftist tendencies,” the editorials in Iranians do sometimes voice a general distrust of politicians from either end of the spectrum. This may be easily recognized as a result of the questionable political activities many Iranian politicians were involved in during the course of the Islamic Revolutoin of 1979. (The revolting public, on more than one occasion, put its faith into a figure who betrayed their political allegiances: some would cite Khomeini as an example as well.) The editorials in Iranians also heavily address policy issues regarding the Iranian immigrant community. These topics include visa policies, or even the level of surveillance Iranians residing in the USA may or may not be under, given the political status quo.

One cannot make a generalization regarding Persian news-sources’ views on the Obama election and presidency. However, it is safe to ascertain a majority biased towards the success of the Democratic party, and Obama. Some may find this a natural sentiment to have by a people who think that the GOP only regards them as members of the “axis of evil”–wether this belief be a misconception or otherwise.