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Friday, December 23, 2011

Maldives- Rallying for Islam

It's not everyday that you even hear of the Maldives. Does anyone even know where that is? In case you don't, it is 700 km south-west of Sri Lanka and 400km south-west of India. Earlier today thousands of people in this island rallied for Islam. But alas, there was also another protest that rallied for a "moderate" Islam. What exactly does that even mean? Does the term "moderate" apply to Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoist or any other religion? Why is it restricted only to Islam? That, however, is for another day's discussion.


Both rallies began at 4PM local time. Many demonstrators held slogans including “We stand united for Islam and the nation”, “No idols in this holy land”, “No to the Zionist Murderers”, “We stand for peace” and “Islamic Shariah is equal to peace” among others. 


Demonstrators, which numbered 3000, also want the country's authorities to stop the sale of alcohol in the islands, as well as to shut down brothels operating in the guise of massage parlors.. both which are forbidden in Islam. 


Maldives' President Mohamed Nasheed stated “We can’t achieve development by going backwards to the Stone Age or being ignorant,” 


Demonstrators who rallied for a "moderate" version of Islam stated that they will "continue to practice a tolerant form of Islam" In other words, any form other than "moderate" Islam, will not be tolerant. Which is incorrect. If one were to study Islam from the authentic sources- the Qur'an and the books of Hadeeth, one can easily come to the conclusion that Islam is a religion of justice, peace and mercy.


With all that is happening in the Arab world, more countries need to rally for an Islamic revival; people need to rally for the Islamic Caliphate... they need to work for it, raise awareness, and invoke God for success to implement Shariah wherever they are.


Muslims make up more than 1 billion of the world's population, and that number is expected to climb in the coming years. If even half of this population were to rally for Islam, to fight against the defamers of this religion and call for the implementation of Shariah, no doubt would great success follow.




A Maldivian woman holds a placard that reads "Maldivians support leaders who follow Islam" during a protest calling on the government to enforce strict Islamic law in Male, Maldives, Friday, Dec. 23, 2011.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Moved by Faith

How can I feel happiness when I can hear
the children's cries from Iraq and Afghanistan
from Palestine and Kashmir
from Chechyna and Somalia

How can I sleep soundly at night when I know
the strife and struggle of my brethren in Libya and Syria
My brethren in Bosnia and Lebanon

How can I say that the world's a peaceful place
when I hear the sad, entrenched grief of mothers who lost their sons
Of wives who lost their husbands to wars
Of children who lost their parents to persecution

How can I be happy knowing that tomorrow
a child in Africa may breathe their last because of starvation?

How can I laugh till tears flow down my cheeks
When my Mujahideen brethren are killed fighting for liberation
when my brothers and sisters are persecuted for no reason other than
believing in the Almighty

O, what shame I feel,
I truly have failed thee O my brethren...

O Almighty, hear my plead
please bring Sakinah [tranquillity] to the oppressed
Replace their grief with joy
And their tears with laughter
And their oppression with freedom!

O the Almighty who hears all prayers!
please bring mankind back to Your Straight Path.
Fill this world with justice and tranquillity
as before this, it was filled with oppression and tyranny

Babar Ahmad: 7 years illegally detained, 7 years of injustice

Peace and Blessings to all readers,


I request your help with a very important cause, especially for those of you who live in the United Kingdom. A British citizen has been illegally detained for 7 years. Babar Ahmad has been detained in the UK for 7 years without trial fighting extradition to the USA under the controversial no-evidence-required Extradition Act 2003. In June 2011, the Houses of Parliament, Joint Committee on Human Rights urged the UK government to change the law so that Babar Ahmad’s perpetual threat of extradition is ended without further delay. Since all of the allegations against Babar Ahmad are said to have taken place in the UK, we call upon the British Government to put him on trial in the UK and support British Justice for British Citizens.


I not only appeal to all Muslims, since a Muslim is the brother (or sister) of another Muslim, and as the Prophetic hadith states: "Feed the hungry, visit the sick and set free the captives." - Sahih Al-Bukhari; but I also to appeal to all who believe in upholding justice for the falsely accused. In a post-9/11 area, many governments have failed to fulfil a fundamental human right- the right of an individual to be given a fair trail. 


For any reader who lives in the UK, please sign the following petition and please forward it to family, friends and colleagues. Keep in mind that anyone could be the next Babar Ahmad- the fasely accused and illegally detained without evidence. Wouldn't you want someone to stand up for you and declare your innocence?


http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/885


PS: Please check your email, junk folder most likely, and confirm your vote/signature by clicking on the link. Thank You.







Thursday, July 7, 2011

Kashmir's Martyrs

This is an announcement to my fellow readers that an account has been set up on  twitter that will specifically post up tweets on the names of Kashmir's martyrs. Their names, ages, and place of death (if known).  I am hoping that you share this with family, friends and colleagues. Feel free to re-tweet, post it on your blogs and on your facebook pages. The account name is @KashmirShuhada.

I also request that if you have any links that has names of any Kashmiris that have been killed by India's inhumane army and acts of aggression, no matter how far back it may be, to please post the link in the comments. My friends and I will try our best to honour Kashmir's martyrs, no matter who may dislike us doing so.

Thank you so much for your help.

Palestine's Martyrs

This is an announcement to my fellow readers that an account has been set up on Twitter that will specifically post up tweets on the names of Palestine's martyrs. Their names, ages, and place of death (if known). The list of names is very long and I am hoping that you share this with family, friends and colleagues. Feel free to re-tweet, post it on your blogs and on your facebook pages. The account name is @PalestineShuhda.

I also request that if you have any links that has names of any Palestinians that have been killed by Israel's acts of aggression, no matter how far back it may be, to please post the link in the comments. My friends and I will try our best to honour Palestine's martyrs, no matter who may dislike us doing so.

Thank you so much for your help.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Zionists: Help Europe's population. Go back home.

For a population to remain stable, births should match deaths.

Furthermore, in order for population to sustain itself, a country needs at least a birthrate of 2.1. 

Looking at Europe, an estimate of the population put a figure of 726 million people in 2003. That number is projected to slump to 696 million by 2025.

European women, on average, seem to be putting off having their first child. The average woman has 1.5 children, significantly lower than the 2.1 rate needed for Europe's population to sustain itself.

In addition to fewer children being born, Europe's population is ageing. Italy alone is projected to have no more than 45 million people in 2050, with a disproportionate share of them being 65 years and over.

Europe's future doesn't look too bright. Unless governments decide to increase immigration levels, which seems unlikely due to xenophobia, the population will continue to age and there will not be enough children being born to replace them.

Which brings us to the next point: why not have Zionists who occupy Palestine move back to their homeland?

Before going any further, let me be clear: I am not referring to Jewish people who have lived in Palestine, prior to 1948. I am referring to the extreme Zionists who consider it permissible to expel millions of Palestinians from their homes, both Muslim and Christian.

After the end of WWII, the British government promised the Jewish people a "homeland" in Palestine. This document came to be known as the Balfour Declaration.

According to the British government at that time, for the sake of showing "sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations", it was perfectly okay to oust many Palestinians from their rightful homeland.

The United Nations, in Article 11, gives refugees the Right of Return- to return to their homeland. However, many Zionists and their supporters fail to acknowledge this. The full article reads as follows:



Article 11 reads:
Resolves that the refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible.


Wouldn't it be much simpler for Zionists to just pack up and go back home to Europe? After all, many of these Zionists who claim to be Jewish, actually aren't. Their ancestry can be traced back to Europe rather than from the Holy Land or any surrounding countries. 

It is interesting to note that a few weeks back, an article noted that many Israelis hold a second passport. You know... just in case of another intifada, or uprising, they can just pack up and go back home. 

It's a win-win for everyone if Zionists can go back home to Europe. Europe's population will increase and Palestinians, millions who have been barred from going back home for more than 63 years, can finally return.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Walk of Shame



This post is inspired by something I saw on the 6 o'clock news today. The Annual "Walk with Israel" took place in Toronto today. According to the Toronto Sun, "thousands turned out for the 44th United Jewish Appeal for Greater Toronto's Walk for Israel" (Read more here: http://bit.ly/iJ22hE).

My question is: Don't these people know that Israel receives $3 billion per year from the US? It doesn't need any more financial support, let alone support of any kind! Maybe they do know, maybe they don't. If they do, then they are blinded by Israel's lies any time it opens its mouth. Lies about the occupation, lies about the illegal settlements, lies about the illegal siege on Gaza, lies about the attacks on the flotilla, lies about wanting to establish peace with the Palestinians, lies about wanting to be a partner for peace and security. All lies.

If anyone has watched the speech Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu made at AIPAC 2011, he made it perfectly clear that any talks for peace will not be made based on 1967 lines. Not only that, but according to him, Palestinians must recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Oh, but that's not all. Any future Palestinian state must be "de-militarized". That's being hypocritical much. You know, since considering that Israel receives more than $1 billion per year in military aid alone.

Netanyahu isn't giving Palestinians much to work with here. How can anyone expect Palestinians to negotiate with a madman who demands to set out all the rules? Not gonna happen. 

But anyway, back to the Walk with Israel. I'm probably lumping all these people together but I don't care: Anyone who supports Israel blindly supports its policies of genocide against Palestinians, supports its illegal acts against international law & supports its attacks against humanity at large. 

These supporters in Toronto have sadly been blinded by Israel's many lies. Maybe if they see Israeli soldiers in action they would change their mind? Maybe. Maybe not.

Or... maybe if these Israeli supporters lived 1 day in the shoes of Palestinians who live in the West Bank or Gaza, they would change their outlook in a heartbeat. Until then... they will continually be proud to partake in the "Walk of Shame" aka "Walk with Israel." 

Sunday, May 22, 2011

From Childhood to The Real World

Life is a long series of discrete events, all leading to one all-important discovery.

Childhood was the time of innocence. At that age, concerns were limited to not being allowed to play after dark, not getting what you wanted at the mall or being forced to sleep early by your parents. I experienced all three. That time seemed so long ago J

“What do you want to be when you grow up” was one frequent question I heard when I was in elementary school. The answers varied from 1 child to the next. “I want to be a doctor” “I want to be a fireman!” & “I want to be a teacher.”

To be honest, I never really knew what to answer. “Teacher” “Nurse” “Social Worker”… ironically, my choice of career now is the last one. But I never really liked that question because thinking of it now “what kind of question is that to ask a child about?”


Next came the teenage years- every parent’s worst nightmare—although they’ll never admit to it. Each individual begins a process of self exploration. Peer pressure is so very common during this time & more often than not people go with the crowd. Some people though choose to stand out & be themselves rather than being one of the herd. Maybe or maybe not, they faced ridicule for being “weird”, “strange” or a “freak”.

Navigating the hallways of middle school & high school teaches you something: Have a goal, make a plan & then execute it to achieve desired goal. There will be hurdles and you have to be prepared to overcome them because achieving your goal is the most important thing.

Something that teachers and guidance counselors don’t tell you, or at least not bluntly, is that life can be harsh to good people & be good to undeserving people.

During this stage, sometimes people will get in your way of achieving your aspirations and goals. For whatever reason they justify for doing hat, do not let it deter you. Some people get a kick for pulling people down with them. With these types of people, it’s best to ignore them. Be better than them, raise your head high & keep moving forward.

  
Now fast forward a few years—graduating high school & then graduating university or college. “The Real World.” The Real World can either be a huge slap in the face, if you’re not prepared, or it can be what you’ve waited to experience for so long.

The Real World always has twists and turns, detours and U-turns.

With so many responsibilities: working to pay bills-rent, utilities, mortgage, cable, TV, phone, cell and so forth. It’s easy to get stressed out. It’s easy to burn out. It’s easy to want to go back in time & rewind to the care-free days. And it’s easy to become overwhelmed by your problems. It’s easy to become distant from others. Never mind your close neighbours, but from people around the globe. And this fits perfectly into the plan of various groups, who shall remain nameless for now, who want individuals to remain individualistic with no room or thought for a people’s movement—A People’s Movement for justice, for peace, for human rights & lastly, freedom for illegally occupied nations.

What was once a dream is now becoming a reality

Friday, May 20, 2011

Israel & India: Partners in Occupation

The secret relationship between Israel and India is rarely discussed. But here on this blog, no secret will remain buried. It's time to unravel this sinister relationship between these two terror states that inflict pain and suffering on Palestinians and Kashmiris, respectively.





Only 2 years after Israel declared its independence, 2 years after the Nakba, India recognized Israel as a sovereign state. It was years later, much later, that India first established a relationship with Israel in 1992. India only waited so long to recognize Israel because, at first, it was sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. Considering that India was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) which was supportive of anti-colonial struggles around the world, it only made sense that India also recognized and supported the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). So this begs the question: if India is so sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, why did it establish a strong relationship with Israel?


India had an ulterior movement for initially being pro-Palestine and anti-Israel. India had its own worry of Pakistan’s influence in the Arab world, in addition to safeguarding its oil supplies from Arab countries. It also ensured jobs for thousands of Indians in the Gulf, helping India to keep its foreign exchange reserves afloat. India and Israel however were on opposite sides during the Cold War, with Israel supporting the US and India sympathizing with the Soviet Union.


The Congress Party in India, which was the dominant force in Indian politics since India’s independence in 1947, opposed Israel because it viewed it as being similar to Pakistan—a state based on religion. This hampered growth of Indo-Israeli ties in the immediate aftermath of India’s independence.


Regardless of that, there was a close relationship between Israel’s Mossad and India’s intelligence agency RAW (Research and Analysis Wing). Israel never hesitated to come to India’s defense, publicly and strongly, in most of India’s major conflicts.


Here comes a shocker: former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon paid a visit to India in September 2003. This step showed that the relationship between the two states became stronger. Their relationship was mainly driven by the threats of terrorism that both countries felt threatened their sovereignty. After the 9/11 attacks, both nations realized the importance of co-operating on a larger scale to counter terrorism.


Both countries face have a large Muslim population that both countries consider a threat. Calls for the liberation of Palestine and Kashmir within their states have pushed both countries closer to one another.


The declaration signed during Sharon’s visit to India condemned individuals and states that aid terrorism across borders and give refuge to terrorists. India views Israel as a source for providing training to its personnel in the fight against terrorism and Israel is more than willing to offer India both material and moral support in this regard. [1]


In 2009, Israel became India’s biggest defense supplier.

In a deal completed in 2009, Delhi had signed a US$1.4 billion deal with Israel to purchase a 70 kilometer shore-based and sea borne anti-missile air defense system. According to an official, the total value of the deal was over $2 billion, with one portion valued at $600 million being hived off to the state-controlled Defense Research and Development Organization. This deal pushed Israel to be India’s biggest defense supplier ahead of Russia. [2]


Even more recently, February 21, 2011, it was reported that The Indian Air Force and the Israeli weapons manufacturer Rafael Advanced Defense Systems are set to sign a major contract in March 2011. [3]

What else will these two countries exchange next.. Torture tactics? Occupation 101?


Both India and Israel face criticisms in their occupations of Kashmir and Palestine. Both countries also see the resistance from Kashmiris and Palestinians as being “illegitimate” & the tools of a foreign aggressor (Pakistan for Kashmir and Iran or Syria for Palestine). Not only that, but both countries also have widespread abuses of human rights, and the Israeli public's general apathy about or hostility towards Palestinian self-determination is surpassed by the domestic discussion in India, where Kashmiri self-determination isn't even an issue, though pacifying Kashmir and securing the border with Pakistan is. [4] 



FREE PALESTINE FREE KASHMIR FREE PALESTINE FREE KASHMIR


For more information on Israel-India's increasing relationship, watch this video:
http://bit.ly/ijwOnz


For a more in-depth analysis of India & Israel's relationship in Occupation, read the link below:
http://bit.ly/914Bse




Footnotes:
[1] http://bit.ly/kOcxZE
[2] http://bit.ly/lQps5m 
[3] http://bit.ly/gixsV6 
[4] http://bit.ly/9AHdjT

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Kashmir: Most militarized zone in the world



Srinagar, May 18 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, veteran Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Gilani has said that Kashmir is the most militarized zone in the world and nothing is secure in the presence of forces in the occupied territory.

Syed Ali Gilani during his meeting with prominent social activist of India, Swami Agnivesh at his residence in Srinagar said, “killers of 118 youth in last year’s mass uprising are roaming free and even they were rewarded with promotions and awards. But youth who participated in peaceful protests are still languishing in jails.” he pointed out that Indian paramilitary forces and police were not in favour of peace as they were taking advantage of this uncertainty. “The forces are getting different allowances and looting green gold, while police is extorting money,” he added.

The veteran Hurriyet leader deplored that New Delhi was victimising the Kashmiris for raising voice for right to self-determination.

Indian Social activist, Swami Agnivesh who was in Srinagar to attend a conference also supported repeal of black law, Armed Forces Special Powers Act, and bringing to book the killers of 118 people martyred in 2010 in the occupied territory.




Source: http://bit.ly/m7IiGw

Monday, May 16, 2011

Another Day, Another Struggle

It was 2AM in this morning. As I tried to fall asleep, the attempt failed. I had too many thoughts whirling around in my head so I grabbed a pen and paper and started to write....



63 years. 63 years of longing. 63 years since you've been uprooted from your homeland, 63 years... and still waiting to go back home.

"Israel" claims it came to a land without a people for a people without a land. Palestinians though have been living in their homeland years before 1948. Plenty of photographs and videos prove this. But those aren't needed when all the proof you need is to see the hundreds of thousands Palestinian refugees who  still hold on to the keys to their homes.

"Israel" claims that the land known as Palestine is their God-given land. I say that God would condemn any action that expels hundreds of thousands from their homes without just case.

And not only that, but thousands- hundreds of thousands- being killed just because they happen to be Palestinian.

How does someone try to justify expelling so many people, killing so many people & oppressing so many people? Simple: "God gave me this land."

All someone has to do is open & read any religious book, whether its the Torah, Psalms, Bible or Qur'an and that argument can be refuted it.

It is not the land that makes anyone holy, but one's deeds.- Salman al-Farsi

There needs to be better enforcement of International Law. The UN needs to be made more effective and a few rules need to be changed. First of all, no country can be given veto power status. Everything the UN claims it stands for becomes useless if one country is given much more power than all the rest.

"Israel" cannot be shown any more favouritism. The US must stop given "Israel" $3 billion/year in aid- more than that of the whole continent of Africa.

"Israel" must stop feeding the world lies of Iran's nuclear enrichment- especially considering that its own nuclear has never been inspected by world bodies. The pot should stop calling the kettle black

"Israel" must stop repeating the same old-broken record of "we have the right to defend ourself". If it has the right to defend itself- and receiving $3B/year in aid to build checkpoints, walls, fences & an Iron Dome to fend off Hamas "home-made bombs/rockets"- then shouldn't Palestinians- who have been terrorized, oppressed, placed under a blockade & stripped of basic fundamental human rights- have the right to do the same?

"Israel" must stop attacking AID SHIPS on International waters & then later claiming that the aid activists are terrorists.

More importantly, world leaders must stop being so blind to the tryst and injustice of the Palestinians. 63 years is far too long. Silence is synonymous with betrayal and indifference to injustice.

Nakba- 63 years and still on going. The world must not let it go on for 64.

Never Forgive, Never Forget </3

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Save Hasna Ali


Hasna Ali- a Yemeni mother of 3- will be hanged on May 10th, 2011 by the Iraqi government. One would assume that for someone to be given such a harsh punishment, they would have had to commit a horrendous crime. That is not the case here. Her guilt, according to the Iraqi military, is that she is the wife of a late Yemeni Mujahid (an Islamic freedom fighter) who was killed in combat after be involved in acts of resistance against American soldiers in 2007. How is this a justified punishment?

Her 3 children, Ayoub, 11, Maryam, 6, and Hamza, 3, will be orphaned if their mother is hanged.

Save Hasna from the Death Penalty: http://on.fb.me/l6W7ln (Contains more info about her biography and strife)
Please sign the petition: http://bit.ly/l7ZYIw

Please spread this to all your friends & contacts. Contact the Iraqi embassy in your country. Do whatever you can to speak out against this great injustice.

Monday, May 2, 2011

The Forgotten Holocausts

Today's date, Monday, May 2nd, 2011, marks Holocaust Remembrance Day. In Hebrew: Yom Hashoah Ve-Hagevurah. It marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (April 19-May 19, 1943). 


The Holocaust took place from 1933 when Hitler came to power until 1945 when the Allied Forces defeated Hitler and the Nazis. Between this time frame, it is believed that more than 6 million Jews have been killed. According to many, the Holocaust is the worst human genocide to have ever taken place.


The killing of a single human life is a deplorable act, regardless of race, gender, religion or on any other basis.


There have been many more Holocausts that many people are unaware of: Bosnia, Rwanda, Sudan, Palestine, Kashmir, Kurdistan, Hiroshima & Nagasaki, Iraq, Afghanistan and plenty of others.


If the world remembers one Holocaust, in exclusion to all others, then what has humanity learned about the sanctity of human life? The life of one Jew is not, and should not be, considered superior over a non-Jew. If the world remembers the Jewish Holocaust, then it cannot be blind to the many other Holocausts that have occurred.


The Holocaust should not be used as justification to label any individual who speaks out against Israeli Occupation as an Anti-Semit. Individuals who claim to be Jewish, of all people, should know and understand that using the injustice, harm & suffering experienced in WWII is not justification to do the same to the Palestinians. Rather, Jews should understand that the suffering of Palestinians is the same as their own and should speak out against the ethnic cleansing and the illegal occupation of Palestine.




"Thou shalt not be a victim. Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shall not be a bystander"- Holocaust Museum

Saturday, April 30, 2011

It's still Good to do Good



Sometimes people's acts of goodness and kindness towards others goes unappreciated. Sometimes people turn bitter when they encounter rejection and pain when their favours go unreturned. But who is to say that people will ever appreciate certain acts of goodness? Maybe some people are just like that--ungrateful for favours done unto them.

And then are other types of people who understand that doing the right thing may cause some individuals to hate them for it. But yet, they still do it. Is there any inherent incentive for doing good or do individuals do good just for the sake of doing good?

Whatever the answer philosophy or psychology or sociology may have, just know that: doing good for others may in return, allow others to do good towards you and maybe... just maybe the world wouldn't be so messed up like it is today.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Repeating History

As the saying goes: Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it 
This couldn't have been more truer in the context of genocide, war, apartheid and occupation. There have been plenty of the above since the end of World War II. With the end of World War II, the world, or rather, world leaders, have made a promise of never again. I would like to ask these world leaders: why the blind eye and deaf ear to the world's atrocities today?

In today's political context, it has been proven again and again that the leaders do not represent the will and voice of the people. Corporate interests take precedence over people's interests. Tax cuts for big corporations take precedence over social spending on healthcare and education.

What the people need to do is mobilize ideas together and create change for a better future. A future without genocide, a future without war, a future without apartheid, a future without occupation.

Monday, April 11, 2011

France: Burqa Ban

With over 25 000 rapes a year in France,
Sarkozy decides to ban the Burqa


The justification Sarkozy puts forward for the ban on the burqa is as follows:
"Imprisonment behind a mesh . . . is not the French republic's idea of women's dignity".

That justification already is incorrect. 

First of all, what classifies as women's dignity? If that question were to be posed to people, there is no doubt that everyone will have a different definition of what that would mean. Second of all, you, Mr Sarkozy, are not a woman so you cannot explain to women what a woman's dignity consists of or means. This question should be posed to women to receive their comments and feedback on what it means for them. It is similar to asking a man how does it feel to wear a hijab. He cannot answer that because a man does not wear the head covering. You can ask that man's wife, daughter, sister or aunt, and then you will have your answer.

Second of all: Western ideas of "freedom of religion and expression" apply to ALL persons and not just to a selected group. By specifically targeting a small minority of women who themselves choose to wear the face veil, this infringes on the very ideas that France claims to uphold: individualism and dignity. France is setting up the stage for other countries to do the same.

This is not protecting human dignity; rather it is Islamophobic and it is anti-Muslim.

No Fly Zone over Gaza

No Fly Zone over GAZA

When Libya initiated its protests and revolution against Moammar Gaddafi, there were plenty of calls for a No fly zone. Libya is very much different from Gaza, and the rest of Palestine. For one, Libya has about 2% of the world's supply of oil. It is for this reason, among others, that made the no fly zone argument appealing to the imperialists such as the United States and its allies. 

Gaza has been under a siege for over 2 years. To be price, 1397 days under a blockade. And over that time span, not once has there been a call for a no fly zone from any imperialist. It is only very recently that the Arab League has initiated a call for a No fly zone over Gaza.

My question to you is: 
Why did the Arab League wait so long to make this call?

Don't the lives of Gazans matter? Are they not human as well? Don't they want the same as any other human being on this planet: feeling safe from Israeli warfare?

Answer to all three: YES.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy

THE GREAT BENEFACTOR

Since the October War in 1973, Washington has provided Israel with a level of support dwarfing the amounts provided to any other state.  It has been the largest annual recipient of direct U.S. economic and military assistance since 1976 and the largest total recipient since World War II.  Total direct U.S. aid to Israel amounts to well over $140 billion in 2003 dollars. [2]

Israel receives about $3 billion in direct foreign assistance each year, which is roughly one‐fifth of America’s foreign aid budget.  In per capita terms, the United States gives each Israeli a direct subsidy worth about $500 per year. [3]

This largesse is especially striking when one realizes that Israel is now a wealthy industrial state with a per capita income roughly equal to South Korea or Spain. [4] Israel also gets other special deals from Washington. [5]

Other aid recipients get their money in quarterly instalments, but Israel receives its entire appropriation at the beginning of each fiscal year and thus earns extra interest.  Most recipients of American military assistance are required to spend all of it in the United States, but Israel can use roughly twenty‐five percent of its aid allotment to subsidize its own defense industry.  Israel is the only recipient that does not have to account for how the aid is spent, an exemption that makes it virtually impossible to prevent the money from being used for purposes the United States opposes, like building settlements in the West Bank.

Moreover, the United States has provided Israel with nearly $3 billion to develop weapons systems like the Lavi aircraft that the Pentagon did not want or need, while giving Israel access to top‐drawer U.S. weaponry like Blackhawk helicopters and F‐16 jets.  Finally, the United States gives Israel access to 2intelligence that it denies its NATO allies and has turned a blind eye towards Israel’s acquisition of nuclear weapons. [6]



Footnotes:

[2] According to the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) “Greenbook,” which reports “overseas loans and grants,” Israel has received $140,142,800 (in constant 2003 dollars) from the United States through 2003. Downloaded from the “Greenbook” web site [http://qesdb.cdie.org/gbk/] on November 8, 2005.


[3] According to the “Greenbook,” Israel received about $3.7 billion in direct aid from the United States in 2003. Israel’s population according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies [IISS] and the CIA is 6,276,883. IISS, The Military Balance: 2005‐2006 (Oxfordshire: Routledge, 2005), p. 192; http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/.  
That averages out to $589 per Israeli. If one assumes the same population size and $3 billion in total aid, then each Israeli receives $478.


[4] See http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/; World Bank Atlas (Washington, DC: Development Data Group, World Bank, September 2004), pp. 64‐65.


[5] For a discussion of the various special deals that Israel receives, see Clyde R. Mark, “Israel: U.S. Foreign Assistance,” Issue Brief for Congress (Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, April 26, 2005).  


[6] Avner Cohen, Israel and the Bomb (New York: Columbia University Press, 1999); Seymour M. Hersh, The Samson Option: Israel’s Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy (New York: Random House, 1991).

 

Saturday, March 19, 2011

So much for Revolution?


2011 has been a year of revolutionary change in the Middle East. First, with the downfall of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, then of Ben Ali in Tunisia. Following them, protests in Algeria, Yemen, Libya, Bahrain... it has many people asking: which country is next?

Today, March 19th, 2011, the US and its allies have declared war on Libya. This is 8 years after the US-led invasion of Iraq. Coincidence? Their excuse for doing so is only an echo of that in Iraq and Afghanistan.. "to protect the people from their tyrant leader". But is it really? If that really were the case, then wouldn't, or rather shouldn't, the US and it's allies come to the aid and assistance of the Palestinians being under the tyrant rule of apartheid Israel? Of course it's not.

It is now feared that the "revolution" so desired in Libya, may now just be the beginning of much unwanted bloodshed.

The real reason for this infringement of Libyan sovereignty is of course... oil. The same reason for the Iraq invasion. The revolution by the people is been undermined by this invasion. Without a doubt, the US and it's allies are not interested in helping the Libyan people at all. Their only interests are greed and the need for some control in the Middle East.

This invasion should be a strong wake up call for people in the Middle East. If the US continues on invading, thinking that its decisions will remain uncontested, let the people prove it wrong. Power belongs to the people and only they should decide how their country should be run, and NOT by foreign invasion.

May Allah help the people of Libya during this time of crisis, and 8 years later, may the people of Iraq regain their honour and glory. May Allah help all the oppressed peoples around the world. Ameen ya Rabb.

Monday, March 14, 2011

So-called "War on Terror"


 Since the terrorist attacks on the United States in September 2001, the country has embarked on a so-called war on terrorism. The so-called war on terrorism has used the pretext of responding to terrorist attacks in the U.S. in September 2001 to wage wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that have objectives other than stamping out terrorism. The war requires a moral justification that cannot be provided for either the war in Afghanistan or the war in Iraq.


The ongoing war in Afghanistan was and is unjust because it simply lumps together those who may have attacked the U.S. with those who clearly did not do so and hence should not have been attacked in return.

There is no reason to think that the U.S. was attacked by Afghanistan.

The U.S. attacked Afghanistan in response to an attack attributed to a terrorist group called Al Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden in a war that is still continuing. Everything about this attack is doubtful. It has still not been shown that a mad Saudi was able from a cave in Afghanistan to coordinate a large-scale attack on the U.S. on September 11, 2001. If we assume for the purposes of argument that he did, then we have to ask if the attack on Afghanistan in general is justified. I believe it is not, since we cannot equate Afghanistan as a whole with whatever Al Qaeda is supposedly responsible for. There is no right to harm, much less to destroy, anyone other than those who attacked the U.S., including through what is euphemistically called collateral damage. Is the life of an Afghan worth less than that of an American?



Since the outbreak of the war in Afghanistan, everything has been happening as if the so-called war on terrorism has less and less to do with terrorism and serves increasingly as a convenient pretext for American imperialist ambitions.

Some minimal conditions that must be met for a just war on terrorism are that the war be wholly or at least primarily directed against terrorism and not undertaken for other ends, that it be waged in defense against the attackers, not against others, that the war take place on grounds which can be rationally justified, and that terrorism be correctly identified. What is routinely called the war on terrorism has so far been a manifest failure. 

First, it has been mainly directed against those who did not attack the U.S. 


Second, it has increasingly not been directed against terrorists at all, unless anyone the U.S. government does not like can fairly be called a terrorist. 


Third, it has so far failed to find an adequate justification, a reason or set of reasons that could justify the type of war that is being waged. 


Fourth, it has conflated the response to terrorism with a pre-emptive strike on Iraq. 


And, fifth, it has failed to provide a plausible account of the sources of, or even correctly to identify, terrorism.


This unjustified war, which simply cannot be won as it is currently conceived, only demonstrates the weakness of the U.S. and its allies in their inability to resolve the very problems that give rise to terrorism.


Source: Rockmore, T. On the So-Called War on Terrorism

Friday, January 7, 2011

Iris Scanners









Your Local Cops Now Use Iraq’s Iris Scanners

In Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. troops use handheld devices to take iris scans and thumb prints off of detainees and put them in vast databases to distinguish insurgents from civilians. Now your local cops are getting in on the action.

L-1 Identity Solutions, a four-year-old company, makes the Handheld Interagency Identity Detection System (HIIDE), a mobile device that digitally records someone’s iris, fingerprint and facial characteristics “to create a comprehensive database on the enrolled subject.” The tool, which has earned high marks in Iraq and Afghanistan, is marketed to cops, as a way to avoid taking suspects to booking stations, “where waiting time for results could be anywhere from three hours to three days” for a positive ID on warrant-jumpers.
Military technology has a tendency to trickle down to civilian applications, as evidenced by the fact that you’re reading this story on the internet that Darpa helped create. Usually that takes time, but police departments across the country are fielding tools that the military developed to keep tabs on insurgents are now in place to see if you’ve got any outstanding arrest warrants. That’s what the Washington Post found for the latest installment of its series on the expanding surveillance state: Arizona’s Maricopa County, for instance, keeps a database sized at “9,000 biometric digital mug shots a month.”


Here’s how the proliferation of biometrics works, as the Post discovers. The Department of Homeland Security wants more data points on potential homegrown terrorists. Through Federal-state law enforcement “fusion centers,” federal grants help finance law enforcement’s acquisition of ID tools like HIIDE, as well as powerful surveillance cameras and sensors. Police incorporate them into their regular law-enforcement duties, picking up information on suspects and using them to cut down on the time it takes to figure out who’s evading arrest.

As the military learned, positive identification depends on having a large data set of known insurgents. Cops and the feds are going just as broad. Fingerprint information from crime records gets sent to a  FBI datafarm in West Virginia, where they “mingle” with prints from detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Military and Homeland Security officials can search through the FBI database for possible connections to terrorists.
It’s unclear if there are minimization procedures in place to void someone’s fingerprints in the datafarm after a distinct period of time, or how serious a crime has to be to merit a bioscan getting sent to West Virginia. And in many cases, the technology at use here just accelerates the speed at which, say, prints from a police station get sent to the FBI, rather than making the difference between inclusion at the datafarm and remaining at the police station. But it certainly looks like there’s not such a lag time between tech developed for a complex insurgency finding applications for crime-fighting at home.

Photo: U.S. Army

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Goodbye paper money; Hello Gold

Or, we could say  “Goodbye Paper Money  – Hello Real Money”.
All currencies are hopelessly declining in value against gold and this trend will accelerate in the next few months and years, starting now.
Voltaire’s statement from 1729 thatAll paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value – ZERO” is now ringing as true as ever. The graph below shows the decline of major currencies against gold since 1900.The US dollar,  Euro (DM),  Pound and Yen have all declined between 93% and 99% against gold in the last 109 years

goldcurr

Part of gold's allure is its traditional status as a safe haven. It is seen as a store of value when everything else seems risky.

A better way to think of gold may be as central bankers used to before America dropped the gold standard: not as a commodity, but as another currency. As long as the dollar stays weak, gold's bull run will last.

The US Federal Reserve's aggressive, rate-cutting response to the credit squeeze has created a risk of a sharp rise in American inflation. That in turn creates the risk of a precipitous fall in the dollar and so makes gold more attractive as a hedge.
The world's major economies have experienced rapid money supply growth of 10 per cent plus per annum in recent years. The Fed remains the world's biggest holder of gold, yet supplies of the metal are no longer growing annually. If gold is a finite currency, its value against not just the dollar, but sterling and the euro too should rise.
Moreover, a sharp decline in US real interest rates -- financial markets expect another half percentage point cut this month -- means that the low yield on gold matters less. It may have been a poor hedge against inflation in the past but the combination of rising consumer prices and economic stagnation may make it a better store of value.
Gold's rise shows investors are nervous. That is an important message for central banks contemplating interest rate cuts. The Fed must show it is not prepared to allow inflation to take off. Keynes called gold a barbarous relic. It has life left in it. But it is in the interests of business and consumers that its most bullish fans are proved wrong.

Vaccines- The Hidden Truth

It is common modern practice to vaccinate children beginning in infancy, supposedly to protect them against a variety of diseases which "threaten" mankind. In truth, however, it is these very vaccines that are threatening the health and genetic integrity of the human race. Before the advent of vaccines, many childhood diseases such as measles, mumps and whooping cough were adequately handled by the immune systems of children raised in a drugless society. It was not until the beginning of mass immunization of children in the 1950’s that these same diseases appeared to cause grave injury or death. In fact, in 1950, before routine vaccinations became a reality, the United States had the third lowest infant mortality rate in the world. By 1986, the U.S. infant mortality rate dropped to 17th place and by 1995 the U.S. had fallen further to 24th place.


There is a vast difference between natural immunity acquired as nature intended it and the invasive immunization practice derived from vaccination. Immediately after birth, newborn infants who are breast fed, receive antibodies through their mother’s milk. When a child or adult gets a disease naturally, the virus or bacteria travels through the nose or mouth into the lungs and into the circulatory and lymphatic systems, providing antibody and cellular protection. In contrast, when concentrated pathogenic microorganisms are injected directly into the body, they bypass the natural defense system and disease sets in. This challenges the immune system, and immunity is often short-lived.

When one understands what exactly is in these vaccines and how they are made, one would wonder how vaccines could possibly be of any benefit to health. Vaccines are produced from either dead or live attenuated (weakened) disease microorganisms. In the dead vaccines, viruses or bacteria have been have been inactivated by heat, radiation or poisonous chemicals. However, there is no guarantee that all of the microorganisms have been killed. If just one microbe survives it can multiply very rapidly and actually create the disease. This has been known to happen. In fact, every case of polio during the 1980’s was caused by the polio vaccine.

Vaccines created from live attenuated viruses and bacteria are made from the pus of animals that have been infected with disease and then butchered. In these vaccines, the live virus must be weakened by passing the virus through animal tissue several times to reduce its potency for human use. The measles virus is passed through chick embryos, the polio virus through monkey kidneys, and the rubella virus through the dissected organs of an aborted human (yes human!) fetus. The weakened germ is then stabilized by adding drugs, antibiotics, and toxic disinfectants such as neomycin, streptomycin, aluminum hydroxide, formaldehyde, and thimerosal (a mercury derivative). Studies have shown that even microscopic dosages of some of these substances can lead to cancer, neurological damage, and death.

Because of the way vaccines are prepared, additional contaminants may pose more serious concerns. During the serial passage of viruses through the animal cells, foreign genetic material (animal RNA and DNA) is transferred from one host to another. This biological matter is then injected directly into the human body. According to some researchers, this could change our genetic makeup.

The vaccine development process also allows undetected animal viruses to jump the species barrier. This actually happened during the 1950’s and 1960’s when millions of people were infected with polio vaccines that were contaminated with Simian Virus #40 contracted from the monkey organs used to prepare the vaccines. This virus is a powerful immunosuppressor and trigger for the HIV virus. It is said to cause a condition similar to AIDS, and has been found in brain tumors, leukemia and other forms of human cancer.
Are vaccines effective in preventing disease? The evidence proves that they are not. According to the international mortality statistics, there was at least a 95% decline in the incidence and severity of these diseases before the introduction of their vaccines. Measles has apparently returned, with a death rate twenty times higher than before the measles vaccine became available. Before England passed a mandatory vaccination law in 1853, the highest death rate from smallpox in any two-year period was 2,000 cases. However between 1870 and 1872 alone, 45,000 people died from smallpox. Not surprisingly, deaths from smallpox fell dramatically after people began refusing the shots.

The DPT (Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus) vaccine is perhaps the most controversial childhood vaccine. According to pediatrician Dr. Lendon Smith, nearly all doctors have seen whooping cough (pertussis) in children who have been fully vaccinated with this shot. Side effects for the DPT shot range from high fever, continuous high-pitched screaming, severe rashes, diarrhea, choking, apnea, seizures, mental and physical retardation, and in many cases, death. A study done by Dr. Michel Odent found that children receiving the pertussis vaccine were more than six times more likely to develop asthma than children not receiving the vaccine. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) was virtually unheard of until this vaccine was routinely given. The Japanese noticed this relationship and began delaying DPT vaccination until two years of age at which time SIDS disappeared. In the U.S., SIDS deaths average 8,000 per year. American babies still receive their first DPT shot at two months of age.

Other known vaccine-related side effects are attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity, arthritis, hydroencephalopy (fluid buildup on the brain), multiple sclerosis, meningitis, ulcerative colitis, crohn’s disease and chronic fatigue syndrome. Some of these diseases may not surface for up to forty years. The Gulf War Syndrome has also been linked to vaccinations and drug experimentation done on soldiers. It is interesting to note that, while military personnel from several countries participated in this war, only the U.S. military suffers from this syndrome.

Authorities will often warn of dangerous epidemics pending in a fear-based campaign to get parents to vaccinate their children. In 1991, newspapers in Placitas, New Mexico warned of a dangerous whooping cough epidemic, but only three cases of whooping cough were discovered, all in children who were vaccinated.

Because of the extensive cases of vaccine-induced injury and death, and related lawsuits against the companies who produced the vaccines, The National Childhood Injury Act was created in 1986 to compensate families whose children had been injured or died from vaccines. From July, 1990 to March, 1994 more than 34,000 cases of injury were reported, including hundreds of cases of brain damage and over 700 deaths. These numbers represent only 10% of actual cases, since according to the FDA, 90% of doctors do not report vaccine reactions. Compensation comes from a federal fund, not from the vaccine manufacturers. It is funded by a percentage of the cost of each vaccine, paid for by the patient at the time the vaccine is given. This practice effectively exempts both the government and vaccine manufacturers from taking responsibility for vaccine damage.

In spite of all the evidence against the efficacy and safety of vaccines plans are in the works for a "super vaccine" or "magic bullet" vaccine containing raw DNA from forty different kinds of bacteria and viruses. This vaccine would be given to all newborn infants and time-released in the body throughout life.

By now, it should be clear that vaccination is not an effective form of immunization. Only nature is capable of immunizing the body. Injecting vibrant healthy bodies with virulent microorganisms is an assault to the immune system. In countries such as Sweden and Australia where vaccination is not mandatory, parents are free to make the choice to vaccinate their children without hassle. In the U.S., where most people are not told that they have a choice, it is possible to refuse immunization based on religious exemptions or personal convictions. Each state has its own policy for waiving vaccinations. For children and even adults who have been vaccinated, there are natural therapies that can build the immune system and, in many cases, reverse the damage done by vaccines.

For a simply presented, yet highly informative book on vaccines, I highly recommend Immunization, Theory vs. Reality, by Neil Z. Miller. As more people realize the truth about vaccines, perhaps we can eradicate this practice altogether, and ensure a safe, healthy future for our children.

Terri L. Saunders is an Herbalist and Certified Natural Health Professional in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she does private consultations, telephone consultations, and classes on natural healing. She can be reached at Sunrise Herb Shoppe, a unique holistic resource center for cutting edge natural health products and books. For information call 434-984-2665, or visit our web site at www.sunriseherbshop.com , or e-mail at sunherb@mindspring.com .