سكت دهراً

For Catholics (I'm not sure if this holds true for other churches) the word of the pope is the word of God, and in so having this creedal basis they tend to look for similar structures in other religions such as Islam. Always trying to find the ONE who speaks for God, which is why the whole mufti debate in Australia was so misunderstood. Muslims saw Hilali as one scholar, he makes mistakes like everyone else. While for Australians he was the MUFTI, which they understood as the highest scholarly authority for Islam in Australia. Many even questioned the sanity and intelect of Muslims for blindingly following this figure.


The same applies in the wider global context. Old islamic institutions such as Al Azhar or Medina or Mecca are of course holy, but they by no means who exclusivity to interpreting Islam. Many islamophobes site this wierdo scholar or that scholar who have crazy opinions, and pose them as speaking for all Muslims just because they're from one institution.

Why am I talking about this ? Because I just read the Friday sermon for Shaikh AbdulRahman AlSudais (famous for his recitation).

The Sermon goes deeply into the importance of staying united and following and obeying the Jama3a (which means the group)

He goes on to eloquently and poetically cite opinion after opinion and verse after verse and hadith after hadith espousing the importance of sticking the the jama3a because that's who Allah swt is with. 

One such Hadith states :

فيمَا يَرْويه أبوهريرَة رضي الله عنه : (مَن خرَج عَنِ الطَّاعَة وفارَقَ الجَمَاعَة فَمَاتَ، مَاتَ ميتَةً جاهِلية، ومَن قاتَل تَحْتَ رَايَةٍ عُمِّـيَّة، يَغْضَب لِعَصَبِيَّة، أو يَدْعو إلى عَصَبيَّة أو يَنْصُر عصَبِيَّة فَقُتِل فَقِتْلَتُه جَاهِليَّة، ) أخرجه مسلم وغيره

Roughly translated: Abu Huraira narrates the Prophet pbuh having said "Whoever so ceases to obey and leaves the fold of the majority (jama3a) and dies, he will have died a dead of Ignorance. 
Whoever so fights for an ethnicity or a nationalism and dies, he will have died a death of Ignorance...." 
Collected by Muslim and

All those meanings are true and all the verses and the other sources are also very true and authentic, and in other circumstances any one would have agreed with them wholeheartedly.  However the timing chosen to remind us of our religious duty to stay with the jama3a is what irks me and many many others who would have heard this sermon.

This sermon comes in a me when young and old Saudis are unhappy with the way Saudi Arabia is being run. Mismanagement, cronyism, vast contrasts in all levels of government and society, I could go on.

I heard sermons such as this in other countries like Iraq, Egypt and others. All roughly the same. All start with verses and opinions and tightly worded reminders that if we want to be good muslims who have to stay with the Jama3a, we have to follow the Wali (leader). We have to make bay3a (allegance) and if we don't then we are basically kuffar (infidels).


I Don't know if anyone in mosques actually believes that. I don't know if there are those who hear it and out of a naive effort to be a good muslim keep on putting on with all the oppression and injustice happening to them and others around them every hour.


Fact: ALL Arab countries are being run undemocratically by elites who have not earned the right to rule. Puppet rules for puppet governments.
Fact: ALL Arab countries have an incredibly sophisticated system of intelligence, police and security apparatus to keep any dissent in control. Thousands languish in jails as bad as Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib
Fact: No Arab Country is run according to the Sharia or any form of justice secular or otherise.

Fact: Arab countries are very very very very very rich, of minerals, of agriculture, they are placed so strategically they can run world trade. This is not happening because most of that wealth goes to the 5% ruling elite and multinational western companies.



It is the natural, logical, RELIGIOUS duty then of every person is the Arab World to seek to change this oppressive vampire regime with one that actually represents the majority and where the wealth of the country is enjoyed by the populace. Change it how ? Peacefully of course, Mr ASIO man !


One method of keeping the populace downtrodden and happy with their minuscule share is by dealing them drugs. In the form of television shows and music and sports that keep them busy.
There is also the age old Opium of the masses, religion.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not calling Islam Itself a drug. I do believe that any religion can be used as a drug. This is one case. There is even a term in arabic for those who peddle in this trade = وعاض السلاطين which I will translate as Yes Men. 

There is an old joke About Hosni Mobarak (before his stepping down that is).

Husni was visiting the Queen of England, and asked how she was able to know if David Cameron was a good PM, she said easy "I just told him this quiz, IF a person is your father's child but not your brother, who is he?"
Hosni was intrigued "and what did he say?" The queen says "He said David Cameron ! he got the right answer, and that's how I knew he was a good PM"

Hosni goes back to Egypt and asks his cabinet the same question and the don't know. Then he asks his mufti "Mufti, who is the child of your father and is not your brother?", the mufti says, Ya rayys if you want, I can draft you a fatwa and that person can be whoever you want him to be"

Hosni says "No you idiot ! It's David Cameron!"

So it's always been known that there have been men of religion who used it to justify different things.

This of course has cause many to turn away from religion itself. who can blame them ? When you live in a country that hemorrhages money on cars and chocolates and expensive European holidays with african sex slaves while you're driving a taxi because you can't find a job with your university degree.

I just want to say also that not all scholars living in the Arab world are of this categories. There are brilliant men who have served the community and continue serving with blood sweat and tears. The majority of scholars are God fearing men of principle who would not sell themselves out.

I also of course respect the shaikh Sudais and wish him all the best and wish and pray that he is not a Yes Man to anyone.


Wallahu A3lam

I may be barking up a completely wrong tree, if you think so, please comment and let me know your thoughts.  

My otherworldlyness

My twitter account
My facebook Account 
My facebook fanpage coz I'm so hot ya3ni 

that is all

Interview with Dr Hamza Mousa

Dr Hamza Mousa, Egyptian doctor, activist, blogger and writer. Goes to to Libya at the end of revolution and travels throughout the cities of Bengazi, Zawia and Mesrata, dodging death and saving lives. This is his interview.

Arabic only, sorry

Courtesy qkradio.com.au, Fairfield Sydney. 

Villawood Update

I try to visit Villawood every now and then. Just see the guys and lift their spirits. Despite the article you read in yesterday's The Australian (I don't mean a specific one) or what heard 2UE tell you this morning. It's a small minority of desperate people who took part in the riot. The majority of the assylum seekers didn't take part and yet are still getting all the punishment and all the hate Australia can muster to throw at them.

We sat together eating chips and drinking Mountain Due, what are the people saying about us ? I tell them it's mostly anger. People are wondering why you'd do such destructive acts to the country that took you in ?

One of the men, a quiet soft spoken man, speaks; It's not us, it's some 20 people who couldn't take it any more, and that was for a reason also, is anybody asking why they did those they did ?

What can I say ?

I speak to another man, a burmese. He asks for an urdo/english dictionary. I promise to get him one. He looks so hopeless. Almost in tears, another friend tells me later. The world is changing around them and they're rotting in cells like criminals. They're not though, that's what kills me.

Visit your local detention center. Make a sad man (or woman) feel happy.

People I know are burning the roof

This is an update of my limited exposure to the assylum seekers I first met in christmas island back in april of 2010.

Two of those guys are in villawood now, one of them is an amazing person. He is iranian and doesn't speak much english but he was more than able to express himself through dance. When we would have our ' party night' (part of ALIV's schedule of activities) he would dance like crazy to any type of music. He was a pretty sweet guy to chill out with. Quiet, usually smiles and wanted to work in underwater metal welding.
He was screaming from the top of a burning roof two days ago. Reduced to an angry desperate token refugee to be condemned by some stupid white men

The second person I met for the first time this past monday. Another man I usually visit gave me a name 'melad' and mentioned that he 'melad' doesn't know anyone and doesn't have any visitors therefore.
We spent a quiet monday afternoon, the weather was warm and pleasant. His friend asked me what it was like on the outside. He was just quietly contemplating the year he'd spent locked up like an animal for being born in the wrong country with the wrong skin colour.
Now he spends his days on a roof being labelled a crazy violent rioter.

I pray for them. I hope they can leave this house of madness. I hope chris bowen or tony abbot would spend a week in those conditions to see what horrors they're subjecting others to.

End of rant

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Friday Night Live podcast 15th April 2011 +UPDATE

It's taken me a while to get some control over my video processing, finally I have this 12 minute video snippet of the show. Which I am calling Friday Night Live.



Enjoy.
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http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10150537543180371&id=615665370&ref=notif&notif_t=wall#!/event.php?eid=204392466252456

To what extent should we engage in the democratic process ? Confronting that long discussed issue: Muslims and voting in Australia.

Uthman Badr, spokesman for HezbuTahrir Sydney, and Abdulah Zayied, Ex President and Shura Member for FAMSY Sydney, will be discussing those and other issues pertaining to Muslims and the democratic process in Australia.

Below is the podcast for the show, we are updating the qkradio.com.au website so this will be where my podcasts live for the time being.

Please let me know your thoughts when you've listened to it.

Stories from iraq

Sometimes we'd be sitting with the family chatting over tea and baqlawa and my dad or grand dad or uncle would tell a story about a place I used to call home which is becoming more and more alien to me while I still yearned for it all the same. This is one of those stories.

My dad wanted to buy a photocopy machine back in the 1980s iraq so he had to apply for special permission from the government security department.
[ at this point I asked him why he didn't just go to the electronic store to just buy one, I realized this was a silly question when he laughed at it. I guess in a dictatorship with a strong all enveloping security apparatus you can't just buy a photocopy machine]

So he went up and down and all around trying to get the right paperwork and speak to the right people, it was a pain going though the lines of corruption and failed bureaucracy. He decided to try and get in touch with a friend of his who was the assistant manager of the state security office [ I don't know why he didn't go to him in the first place ]
Now this was in itself a mission, going through assistants and secretaries but finally he arrived at the man's office and was greeted by the old friend. They sat down making small talk and remembering the old times when a man in fatigues came in and spoke to the assistant director, sir the prisoner is not confessing. Mr assistant director excused himself from my dad and called the"prisoner" to come in so he couldspeak to him personally.
When the prisoner came in he was sat down on a chair (this is all happening in front of my dad by the way). Why was this msn in prison ? What was it he was refusing to confess to ? Who knows

Assistant director: why won't you confess, we know you did it
Prisoner: sure I swear it wasn't me !

Suddenly SLAP, SLAP SLAP !!! The assistant director was engaging in... Torture? Beatings ? I don't know what it was but my dad got a massive jump because he wasnt expecting this. In a bit of panic he figured his friend must have overlooked him and sort of walked out and never returned to his ' friend' again.

My dad never did get to buy that photocopy machine after all

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Visit your local boat person, but don't force feed them any bibles.

I don't know if I told you before, but I actually went to Xmas Island at one point with a charity organization called ALIV for one month back in April. Oh wait, I actually wrote about it.
Well yeah, it was an amazing experience, It helped me to engage with people on a personal level, and for once in my life it lifted this cursed shia/sunni divide that's hovering over my head all the time. I was just visiting people. It was awesome.

That was a year ago, since then I thought all or at least most of the assylum seekers there would eventually get their humanitarian refugee visa or returned to their home countries.

Through the ALIV network it turns out that some of them are still languishing in detention centers around Australia. Some in Curtin, some in Darwin, others in Villawood etc...

Well I also found out Villawood is actually 10 minutes drive from Fairfield. So I went there with Abs, the Robin to my Batman, to visit the guys we knew from CI (ALIV speak for Xmas Island).

It was great to see the guys again, sad and great. They were happy to see us as well. Some of them were smiley and kept brave faces on. Others could not and we could see the depression on their faces as they told us they'd been in detention for at least a year (in months and days). They'd also tell us about others who'd committed suicide, which for me as a Muslim is devastating.

In any case, I enjoyed talking to them again and just trying to alleviate their moods. The fact they were so much closer meant I could actually visit them regularly. Some of the other CI Volunteers were already visiting every weekend. It was also great catching up with them. CI Volunteers are amazing people.

One of the Iraqi guys I met with was feeling especially down, he was an artist and would sketch all those images of dried cut down trees, it was sad to see. He was stressing about his next interview. He couldn't speak english so the only person he could speak to was us or Egyptian Evangelical christians.

Now I don't mind people of other religions of course, but it was upsetting to me when he was telling me that those guys would visit all the arabs for the sole purpose of trying to convert them to Christianity, which is as F'ed up a thing as you can do. I mean why would you go to people to desperate distressed people to bash them with bibles ? It was exploitative and wicked. I mean you can preach whatever religion you like to anyone NOT in a detention center. There are people who hold bibles and stand on fruit boxes and preach all day and all night at the City, and that's cool because if you don't want to listen to him, you can just walk away. But to play such dirty tactics as visiting people stuck in a detention center is retarded. I'm sorry, it is.
He was upset because they weren't just trying to convert him, they were insulting Islam in the process. There must be some law or something that stops them from doing that. I'll have to check with someone. I should actually approach them next time I see them.

I could actually some of the Iranians now wearing gold cross necklaces. I mean it is their choice in the end, but is it really a game of numbers that you stoop to such low tactics to "gain" more numbers for your team ?

In any case, If you are reading this and you live somewhere where there is a detention center. Do yourself a visit. Go visit the people there. They don't have to be the same culture or religion as you. Just desperate human beings in need for contact from the outside. You may think your visit would not change anything, you would be surprised. One visit even would make such a difference for them and for you.

What's that you say ? They shouldn't be here because they're queue jumpers ? OK let's say they are. They are still human beings with families and livelihoods and certain death if they are sent back home. If you visit them you wouldn't be changing any political process, especially not Labor or Libs policies.

contact me or ALIV if you want to know how to visit within Australia.


 

House Resolution 3969

This is a bit of a follow up on the previous post http://iraqiguy.blogspot.com/2011/04/affinitys-and-ms-farah-pandith.html regarding the visit of Farah Pandith to sydney.

Since I'm an avid train traveller these days I'm finding more time to read. The book I've started reading today is"weapons of mass deception" by Rampton and Stauber. An immediately fascinating book that a of this moment (having reached page 11) I'm hooked.

TtttI'll quote from this book one passage that sheds some light os Pandith's visit and its american-media-spin-esque feel.

"[congressmen] Lantos and Hyde sponsored House Resolution bill 3969 , also known as the Freedom Promotion Act of 2002, which instructed the US secretary of state [who today is ms Pandith's boss Hillary Clinton] to "make public diplomacy an integral component in the planning and execution of united states foreign policy" and to establish "fully capable multimedia programming and distribution capacity including satellite, internet and other services, and also including the capability to acquire and produce audio and video feeds and internet streaming to foreign news organisations"."

This is where ms Pandith is coming from, an arm of the pr campaign initiative to ' make the muslims like us' .

It still rings in my head when she was asked about the invasion of iraq and afghanistan, she had acknowledged a " military exercise"

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EDIT: in regards to charlotte beers, the then under secretary of state for public diplomacy spoke at and was received by similar audience with eerily similar feedback to the one I and other members of sunday's audience gave "in january 2002, Beers spent 3 days in cairo, egypt talking about mending fences as part of her dialogue with islam campaign. She seemed to bed having a little trouble however, with the listening part of the dialogue equation. Egyptians who spike with her came away shaking their heads, the new york times reported, saying American officials do not appreciate that muslims feel picked on by the united stars, or how deep feelimngs run for the palestinian cause- or just how heavily history weighs here"

Interview with Yousef Reemawi

This is an interview I had with Yousef Reemawi. A Palestinian Melbourne based activist, lecturer and founder of ASPIRE.

This interview is in Arabic. Apologies for non Arabic speakers.

My podcast LIVES ! Interview with Antony Lowenstien !

Finally I was able to podcast my work. My most treasured interview is the first to get the podcasty treatment.


The show starts and ends in Arabic, however Mr Lowenstein does speak English.

Enjoy

Affinity's and Ms Farah Pandith

Yesterday (Sunday 4th April) I went to an event held by the Sydney based Affinity Intercultural Foundation, where they hosted a speech by Farah Anwar Pandith, Special Representative to Muslim communities in the USA.She apparently reports directly to the secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

She was a very elegant eloquent lady. She spoke in length at us about the dialogue and the engagement initiatives she is currently involved in the world over as delegated by the government. She acknowledged the youth led revolution which she termed the youth quake. She mentioned that the muslim youth of the world are quite sick of having the media or others define their role or their identity for them, so they're going out there and they're defining their own identity through electronic media and social development etc...

During the whole time she spoke, I was thinking, Palestine is still the issue, how is this pretty talk fest going to change that ? At the Q&A session she was actually asked that question. She gave a very smart, very fluffy answer about how they held a youth development workshop and how there was a young 17 year old Palestinian girl who was doing amazing work in community development and how she wanted to do more and how they were able to help her and give her the tools to do that. This of course completely sidelined the question.

Palestine still being the issue means there is 1.4 million people in Gaza kept in the world's largest open air prison by the world's most fearsome, most brutal army and government supported financially, militarily, and politically by the US every year. It doesn't matter how often you engaged in those token workshops and how often you throw roses our way and tell us how awesome we are. This is still going to be an issue.

Another issue is Iraq, another issue is Afghanistan, another issue is Libya and not Bahrain, and not Yemen, and not Syria.

Usually I don't like to ask questions, as a photographer I try to keep my eye on angles and faces. Yesterday however I was burning to confront her about the non-essence of her talk. She wasn't willing to acknowledge the fact that the US has no credibility. That was the US is most interested in is the interests of the US. Actually first Israel and then the US.  They don't try to help anyone unless there is some sort of benefit for them.

The fact that they're supporting the revolution doesn't mean that they want what's good for the middle east. They just realized that the revolution is a wave that can't be stopped. Which is why it was exploding in Egypt early on. Hillary Clinton herself came out and spoke about her friendship with Mubarak and how's he's a great leader, and accordingly changed her tone when it was clear there was no turning back and that a change was imminent.

So this is what this Representative Pandith was in essence talking at us about. Forget about all the direct and indirect policies that have contributed to the destruction and damage in so many places around the world. Whether it's due to religious other reasons.

I was not able to ask any questions, but I was very happy with the audience who all seemed to understand the farcical situation we were finding ourselves in. And the Q&A session, though it did not get any A's for the Q's that were asked, was actually quite interesting. The audience asked the right questions in terms of the "war on terror", in terms of the islamophobic campaign being waged in the US currently, about the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan under false pretenses etc...

I'm sort of coming to understand that maybe the reason Affinity hosted Representative Pandith and made available an intelligent sophisticated audience made up of community leaders, academics and thinkers was actually to bring to light the the gave Representative Pandith was trying to play.

Representative Pandith is a very intelligent learned person and she seemed passionate about her cause. Though her brilliant political manoeuvrings during the Q&A session where she was asked poignant questions and managed to speak for 5 minutes for each question without giving a single answer has given her away as the politician that she is. This is my opinion at least.

I would like to thank Affinity for providing us with this opportunity. Their work is invaluable to the Muslim community in Australia and I hope to see more of their work soon.

View photos  of the event here.

Good girls vs bad girls

The following is an excerpt from a facebook post I saw today

تزوج اجنبيي وخليها تأسلم احسن ما تتزوج عربيي تطلعك عن دينك

ترى أغسل أيدك من البنات هين .. مسلمات مين الله يخليك ..إلا من رحم ربي و هن قله

A posts : It's better to marry a non non and make her convert than to marry an arab who takes you our of your deen (religion)

B replies: Hey, give up on the girls here, Please, what muslim girls ? The good ones are very few.

End of facebook post.

I thought this was interesting and thought to comment, but since A is not my list of friends I could not, so I decided to blog about it.

Isn't it interesting ? That those two arab men living in Sydney decide that there are no good girls to marry, that most arab girls are not good muslims and so it's better to marry a non arab non muslim and convert her.

What are the problems with this idea ? too many to list but I'll try to.

1- There is an old story of an old man going out to the mosque for fajr making wudhu outside his house, he also sees a thief just coming back from a night of ... thieving, washing away the evidence from his hand outside HIS house. Now the man praying sees the thief and thinks "he must also be going out to pray", and the thief sees the old man and thinks to himself "He must also be a thief coming home from robbing someone"

Now I know this is overly simplistic. But in case I will use this example. I've heard this very often from around the world that Muslim girls are baaaad because they are out on the street and in the clubs and doing all the haram they is available to them.

Now this may be true, there probably are plenty of Muslim girls in the clubs and on the streets and driving in guys picking up guys etc... BUT HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT unless YOU were in those clubs looking for action, or in the street or the shopping center or in the chat rooms or wherever people hang out to flirt and pick up ? Doesn't that mean that the muslim men are just are crappy as those muslim women ?

The fact is, if there is a good girl she wouldn't be where you go, would she ?  she would be at wholesome places like the mosque or the university or the home. And I guess I'm playing into the stereotype that a good woman belongs at home, I don't mean that. She could be in the world place or at some workshop teaching and learning or at a coffee shop with her freinds etc... she would NOT be at  club at 2 am. I think I made my point here.

2- The Arab standard has always been that the man is allowed to go out and "experience" the world by drinking and gambling and getting around with as many girls as he wants. This is part of his growing up, and everybody in his family accepts and acknowledges it.

case study 1: I know a very dear friend of mine who used to live by himself, and he wanted to get married, so he asked around and was told that a certain girl is a respectable and good woman. He approached her and asked to marry here, just like that. Her parents were overseas so he asked her aunt, and her aunt was very happy and gave her blessings.
Later on the parents come back, the mother is very much against the marriage, the reason she gives is that she had had her eye on another suitable person for her daughter. A much older man who's rich and has "experience". That's actually what she tells my friend, he's more experienced in "life". Understandably he is confused and asks the mother is she prefers that goes out and drinks and bangs chicks for 15 years to be more suitable for her daughter.

case study 2: A person I know goes to university in another country away from his family, he stays with his grandmother. It becomes clear that he is involved with a girl from Europe. I talk to his grandmother about it, and she is upset. She wants her grandson to marry an Arab woman. "I told him, don't spend your time with that ajnabia (foreign) girl, just have your fun and leave her and marry an arab !" Yes, that is what this 75 year old lady was saying.

This same culture forbids the girl from sometimes even talking to another boy, if she is caught chatting with a boy, or sitting in the same car with a boy, she gets beaten, humiliated, and sometimes killed ! for doing something much much less than what a guy is allowed to do.

What would you expect a girl to do, or to think, when living in a society such as this ? A girl has just as much physical and emotional depth as a man.

Another question. Those guys that get with arab girls. Aren't those girls sisters of some other guy ? Isn't there massive hypocrisy is running after girls when you would kill your sister for doing what you want to do with those girls ? How dare you then turn around and condemn arab girls as no good ? This new arab culture of dancers and singers and actors that disseminate a new cultural norm or openness and promiscuity. You're allowing yourself to oggle at them and enjoy them and in the same time you're affected by them, don't you expect girls get affected by them as well ? Or do you you want the whole world to move and for your women to be the same old hijabi domicile servant at home ?

I'm not putting down hijab here.

3- The urban myth, the ideal of ideals. Marrying a non muslim. Making her muslim. It's MUCH BETTER everyone says.
The truth behind this is that this is what most men of this ... caliber, see, this is the type that flirts with them and wears the revealing clothing around them and allows them what others won't.
Arab men, wanting as much ..openness, as they can get their hands on, love that. So they of course want someone like that in their lives. When they look at arab girls, GOOD (we'll use good in this context to mean simply, conservative) girls. They're wearing non revealing clothing. They don't act flirtatiously. And the men just think "who needs this $hi+" and go run after the white girls. Who of course seeing the attention their attire and behavior gets them, start doing more of the same.

At the end of the day it doesn't matter if you're going to marry an arab or non arab. It's up to you, just tell lie to us and to yourself and say you're doing for the good of Islam. That's so Gaddafi-esque of you !

Interview and book review

UPDATE : I now have the podcast for the Interview with brother Zachariah Matthews

UPDATE: The podcast is of an unedited copy, so I'll have to take it offline for a day or two, apologies for inconvenience.

So last week I was forunate enough to come into contact with two amazing sources of inspiration. The first was Zacharia Matthews . A promiment muslim leader of Sydney's Islamic Community. I had the pleasure of interviewing him for my weekly program (Family and Society الأسرة والمجتمعon qkradio.com.au ). It's always a pleasure to talk to brother Dr Zac Mat. Because unlike the majority of Islamic leaders. He is the coolest brother you could meet. He's always so calm and collected with a wise smile- I can't even imagine him getting angry, and that's the prophetic sunna, isn't it ! Zac Mat's previous work and good relations with the various communties and leaders has given him a credibility amongst his peers. Which I think is why he decided to spearhead the latest Sydney based iniative JMA, Just Media Advocacy. JMA aims to work by establishing long term ties with media organisations and personalities through constant communication, corrections, and negative and positive feedback. Rather than follow CAIR's or the british MAB's example of law suite approach. For reasons relating to principle and logistics. JMA's approach will be civil and will be buit on mutual respect and appreciation.
I asked him about the recent sixty minutes episode that engaged in needless muslim bashing with a dash or empty rhetoric and some balance by humanizing the plight of members of The EDL who are generally friendly racist xenophobic bigots. Zac Mat mentioned that they've been trying to contact the staff of sixty minutes since about two weeks before the show was played on air and untill yesterday (28th March 2011) they were wanting to contact them to ask about the misconceptions peddled at that show and the skewed coverage that seems to be well placed ahead of the nsw elections. If they don't get back to the JMA. The latter will have to go to the government's media watchdog to lodge a formal complaint.

It will be a difficult road ahead for the JMA, in an Australia that is gettng to fear and distrust Muslims and Islam in general. Islam and Muslims have been easy prey for whoever wants a piece. To stand in the way of this tide is couragous and will need all our help. Contact Zac to see how you can help the JMA and the Muslims in Australia (help means cash)

The SECOND source of inspiration is a book, Megan stacks' Every Man in this Village is a liar. An incredible book chronicling the experiences of a war reporter during the first 7 years inside the War or Terror, starting with Afghanistan, then going through to Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Lebanon, and Libya. Her descriptions of the absolute ravaging effects of the massive military machines on the multitutdes of unarmed civilians around the middle east is so powerful it makes you sometimes sick to your stomach. Hers is an account of a person so stunned by war, she is almost stunted. Very clear illustrations of peoples and places and yet an almost dreamlike method to her words. A very personal book that delves almost as much into her as it does into her subjects. This is the truth of the war on terror, far away from the clean surgical images the pentagon tried to give of happy children in schools and beardless men and women brandishing long hair and makeup.

In light of the domino effect of the uprisings happening in the arab world. This book gives amazing context into Egypt, Libya and the arab countries that during the last decade saw the educated social media ready masses of the middle and lower class boiling just under the surface. Bottom line ? buy this book !

It's only 245 pages so you should be able to finish it pretty quickly.

Also I'd like to make a special recomendation to my mother in law to read this book, knowing her, I know she would enjoy this book

Malcolm X

I just finished the autobiography of Malcolm X. It is a book I strongly recomend to everyone, and since as a muslim I found special sweetness in it. I strongly recomend it for Muslims specifically for Muslims.



At this stage. I had developed an interest in the story and development of Malcolm X throughout the different stages of his life. From his humble poor beginings as part of a disintegrating family, then to a small town hick new to the big city of Harlem who then is completely absorbed into the fasad (corrupt) lifestyle of drugs, crime and women. Then again his almost miracolous metamorphasis into an outspoken principles number 2 in the national of Islam, and finally to a strong confident sunni muslim who- while still very assertive and powerful in his words and actions- embraced an inclusive ideology of all africans and all good human beings.



Prior to reading this autobiography. I had read his elder sister Ella Mae Little's biography of Malcolm titled "seventh child". While it did not give as many insights as the actual autobiography. I still found it vital to getting insight into Malcolm from a third person prespective. I also read Spike Lee's book about making the X movie which is also a book I highly recomend reading.



What emerged for me here is a person who was the epitomy of corruption and vice. Someone who, according to my very good friend Tarek (he mentioned it many many times), "was a hustler in Harlem". The king of the darkness of one of the most dangerous places in the US at the time. To a person who came to live his life so strictly to his principles that he was resigned to death BECAUSE of this, and in his dying the verse Allah swt mentions is based on this man.



من المؤمنين رجال صدقوا ما عاهدوا الله عليه فمنهم من قضى نحبه ومنهم من ينتظر وما بدلوا تبديلا

Which translates (very roughly to) "Of the believers, there are men who were truthful to Allah in the covenant they undertook. So some of them died while on this covenant, and some of them are waiting, and they are not going to change [their covenant]).



Some may attack me for making this comparison, but whenever I read about Malcolm X I remember the life of Omar bin Alkhattab RA. Another man who lived a life of vice and violence, a man who was known for his brutality and alcoholism. After becoming Muslim this man became one of the greatest leaders in history. Omar was also assassinated.

______________

On another note. I thought the interaction between Malcolm X and the media of the 1960s was very intersting. Given the nature of the media now and the extent of its power and corruption at the same time.
During Malcolm X's time, he was demonized by the media, and from what I gathered from the books I mentioned. Although he was generally adored outside of the US. He was generally hated by the majority of whites and a large sector of the african american community in the US. I was not clear when public opinion swayed to his side. Was it after his return from mecca a sunni muslim ? or was it after his death ? Famous people are generally more appreciated after their death.
Interesting point.

Another point, can there be a person in Australia who can lead and unite Muslims into one political social entity that establishes services and holds voting power ? Things are different here of course than in the US 1960s. We have it much better.

Think about it though. Muslims in Australia are hopelessly lost and disunited. Politicians and media outlets slap us left, right and center and we can't do anything about it. Yet with all our 400 000 all over Australia we can't even celebrate Eid on the time day. Can there be a leader to unite us ?

Maybe... we're not meant to be united. Maybe our unity is in our diversity. huh ? huh ? didn't I just blow your mind ? I know right !

Also, the nation of Islam had two million followers out of a possible 23Million Afro Americans. So there wasn't a complete unity there as well.

I am however seeing in the younger generation iniatives to unite and to act as one. Some of those intiatives taking inspiration from (who else) Islamic Organisations in the US. A few weeks ago I intervewed a young lady laywer that was part of a sydney chapter of a muslim legal network. Today I met with a brother who was part of a muslim health collective in NSW. These new types of collectives are a fresh change from the outdated groups where a person or a mosque is the center. Instead they form around a need in the community, and they join hands regardless of school of thought.

I've digressed a couple of times so far. I think I'm going to call it a night.

A new case of chase the Muslim

http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8225812

A recent ninemsn sixty minutes segment attempted to shed light again on the issue of multiculturalism and the issue of muslim integration into Australian society.

The program starts with the head of the English Defense League talking about Muslim invasion of the UK and the creeping sharia threat. Then it speaks to one Muslim "radical" who basically undermines and attacks anything western. Pan over to Australia where there is an aussie Muslim convert who speaks the same way, hate democracy, sharia sharia sharia. scarey scarey scarey scarey.

Then an interview with a young muslim girl in a semi hijab, shown in different places acting aussie, talking aussie and being commended for saying no worries. "No worries. That's about as Australian as you get.

This episode is as so frustrating to me that I'm still trying to collect my mind to write about it and it still jumbles up in anger, so I'll try to list down the points I personally saw as wrongly portrayed.

1- The English Defense League is not a bastion of civilization. It's a bunch of racist xenophobes allowed to assault a segment of british society just because that segment happens to be muslim. It doesn't matter that MOST. THE MAJORITY of british muslims are law abiding citizens who contribute to society.
Sixty minutes talks to this racist bigot in a way that makes him sound genuine and righteous. And in contrast speaks to one person who represents Islam and British Muslims who is the media's favorite Anjam Chaudri, who as expected delivers hate and anti west rhetoric and is shown with followers with the unstated premise that he has a large following.
What about the 1.5 million or whatever number of other Muslims in Britain ? What about the fact that this man Anjam is recognized in the media circle he whores himself out to and no one else ? it doesn't matter.

2- The man IBRAHIM SIDDIQ was then interviewed and is shown making similarly carpet statement sound bytes about hating democracy. Did he really mean what he said ? what context was this stated in ? Also, who is Ibrahim Siddiq ? how is it that no other muslim knowns him ? Why is it that the scores of muslim speakers and activists and origination heads out there are not spoken to ?

3- This idea that democracy and sharia are complete contrasts and opposites of each other in a world of absolute black and whites. This type of attitude first of all presents a skewed view of the world we live in, and it is actually convincing many people that this IS the reality of the world when it's not.

The term sharia is made to have a halo of evil and skulls and bones around it so that no one is even allowed to examine it. It doesn't matter that in the last hundred years. Many of the highest scholars of Islam said upon visiting Europe and the west that came from a place that had muslims and no islam (read-sharia) and went to a place that had no muslims but had islam (again-sharia). That is because sharia is essentially an end, not a means. It's a way of establishing justice on the earth in all its forms. based on the rules of God. The fact that muslim countries now are in such chaos and oppression is because of the mulk al3athood or the dictatorships established since the beginning of the last century get cheap oil and make it easier to culturally invade the world.
And in that sense, the framework of democracy and the essentials of sharia can very easily work hand in hand. It's not about cutting hands or stoning women. But this is the view that the media and political elite of the western world is hellbent on illustrating.

Finally, I really don't mind that Samah Hadid lady, she looks like a nice girl and what she said I mostly didn't have a problem with, but the way they presented her made it look like the only way to be a "safe muslim" that won't blow up anytime soon was to continuously assert this Utopian australian identity by peppering one's lexicon with aussie lingo like "no worries, fair dinkum" like seals waiting for a clap from their master.
And that's what Michael Usher did "That's about as Australian as you get" , really mr Usher ? why didn't you throw her a treat ?


It looks from this sixty minutes segment that when those guys go out looking for a story. They already HAVE the final conclusion. The rest is just finding the right people to make the right statements. This is professionally and ethically and morally deeply flawed and it's sad that no one says anything about it.

Libya

It's been a while since I've written anything, so this'll probably be a bit rusty.

The happenings in Tunisia and Egypt were incredible to the degree that 2 months later I'm still excited and shocked that such a change can occur in such a short time span. Some doubters are saying this change is only cosmetic and that the same US approved tool of oppression paradigm will rise up again. I don't think so.

One, because things have change irrevocably now. The open access to information and the power of any individual to reach millions. This is a historic development that can't be taken away or changed (not that I can see anyway).

Two, the changes that came about were carried through by the mass of the country's angry, politically aware youth. Those guys aren't going anywhere ! They won't let the sacrifice of the revolution go wasted. Incidentally as I'm writing this I'm sort of coming to realize the error of this second point. Mass uprisings led by youth HAVE been highjacked before. So I guess this point on its own is not valid. ON ITS OWN it's not valid. but in this case it is.

Third, I think this is pivotal. There is a socially aware, politically able islamic bloc that was able to affect positive change and social reform BEFORE it had any power. Now with the democratic elections. Even if it doesn't get elected to lead. It will still be that litmus test that can hopefully reveal any play at potential totalitarianism or corruption. Do I have too much faith in them ? I do. But so far they have proved themselves in Egypt and in Palestine.

Well in Palestine now there are reports of the Gaza lef Hamas party of subverting freedom of expression through brutal repression of the facebook unity rallies. Which if you're an anti Hamasite you would understand.

Also of interest in Yemen, the Islamic party took power through elections but then FAILED and lost the elections during the next term. I think that's brilliant. Calling yourself islamist doesn't mean you're divinely chosen to lead your people through the desert. There is alot of work, sacrifice, planning. in arabic حنكة which those guys didn't. Which, rather than fusing Muslims and Islam togther. It makes a very clear (democratically defined) statement. If you can bring the social justice and the change needed. you're it. Otherwise get the f$@# out of my face.

Now in Libya, Gaddafi's Zenga Zenga speech is now starting to make more sense. He wasn't messing around when he promised fire and brimstone. Oh his contractor army is bringing the pain to the unarmed civilians and rebel fighters alike in the cities and townships that have rebelled against him. And the arab league's inflatable hunger lick the white man's boot - coupled with pressure from the uprisings in the arab world has served well here by having them call for a no fly zone because a NATO or UN sanctioned no fly zone would have just looked like a subversive effort at undermining the revolution or at least the arab people's attempts at yanking the collar of oppression from their necks.

I know I'm throwing metaphors and symbolism all over the place, but like I said I haven't written in a while.

My Christmas Island Debreif

This is my Xmass island debrief, i'm not sure if this is what you had in mind,



Having first landed on Christmas Island I had no idea what to expect. The humid weather and the militarized atmosphere didn’t fill me with enthusiasm. Though I did feel more at ease as I met the volunteers one by one until the evening when we all dined at the Boson.

Lockie had advised that these 4 weeks would go by very fast, still I did not expect it to go so quickly- it was almost like the whole experience was uploaded into my brain matrix style. I remember landing, and then I was playing touch footy outside the airport waiting for plane to take us back to the mainland. How did it pass by so quickly? A question I struggled to answer myself or the volunteers when I told them I was leaving. You’re leaving? But you said you were staying for four weeks! IT’S BEEN FOUR WEEKS ALREADY!

During the past few days I’d been trying to describe my experience at Christmas Island but so far I’ve just not been able to put it into words. All I can say is that it was one of the most incredible & journey I’ve had the chance to experience.

The opportunity to engage and work on a daily basis with the clients was most rewarding, getting to know them closely and chatting with them and sharing stories and laughs and sometimes tears will have helped them to endure the ordeals they’re going through and make new friends in the process.

I shared more treasured memories on the Island with the volunteers, the long hours and the challenges we faced from sickness to the ever changing weather to the even more volatile work conditions would have been quite difficult to deal with had it not been for the support and cooperation of the volunteers. Everyone I worked with gave the same 100% and the can-do attitude that made every session and class so successful every time.

I also enjoyed challenging myself on so many levels, the constant physical and emotional strain has made me realise how far I can push myself and keep going strong.

I would like to thank the management and the HR team for their tireless work and support to us. Knowing we had you for support to deal with CI’s changing environment made us give that much more of ourselves when out there in the camps.

When I finally left Christmas Island I did so with a heavy heart. Sadness at seeing my friends for the last time, sadness at leaving this amazing team of volunteers behind, sadness as we jumped off the pier one last time, had our last bbq on the beach, taken our last lazy scooter ride around the island, too many experiences and encounters to list.



Again, thank you for this experience and I can’t wait to come back again for another four weeks.



Nasser Alkhateeb

This world is full of evil

I don't write as much as I should.

I real a lot, well these days I don't read as much as I should either, in previous times I used to read 3 books a month. These days I watch a lot of TV junk and sometimes commercial documentaries.

Still, whenever I read and whatever I read about tells me there is so much oppression in the world today, against minorities ( in this case minorities means all non white people everywhere), against women, against Islam and Muslims, it just seems the world is run either by bigoted selfish leaders or is run by pure capitalists where profit is the only motive, which in turn makes this a pretty bleak world for 98% of its inhabitants.

Countries like Palestine being absolutely ravaged by ferocious war machines while the whole world wants to know what Angelina Jolie is wearing for the Emmys. Frustrating celebrations of blatant lies such as democracy in Iraq or better lives for women in Afghanistan. Millions of deaths in subcontinental India, Subsaharan Africa etc... and so called charity organizations are making millions of their suffering while effectively giving them very little due to weak regulations and the fact that no one really gives a f$#k about a bunch of hungry curries or niggers (excuse the french).

Poetically impressive naming conversions such as THE WAR ON DRUGS, THE WAR ON TERROR, THE WAR ON POVERTY is in fact a new name for an old game called THE WAR TO RULE THE WORLD AND MAKE THE REST OF WORLD DIE WORKING FOR YOU WHILE YOU DIE OF MORBID OBESITY. I know it's a long name but hey, evil isn't pretty.

In Australia Obesity is a bigger killer than smoking ! 1 in 5 Australians has WAY to much to eat while across the water in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, people die by the thousands of every day. Now tell me, does this make sense to you ? Like, you're a fat man and your neighbour dies every day and you don' help him ? No no no you do help him, by having a concert "to raise money".

And what really takes the cake for Australians is that bloody boat people debate. Tamils are getting killed and jailed and raped and generally F@$ked up the a$$, so they run away to Indonesia (no a UN signatory of the refugee conversion) and so they have little option but to try and make it across to Australia driven by criminals on shoddy boats over shark infested waters just to reach safety out of their hell. They reach Australian waters after all that and ....

they get put in hot as hell island prisons for years because ... why ? politics of fear, that's why.


As a muslim, I believe that one day I will die, and then I'm gonna be asked by God what I did on earth when this evil was taking place.

Question: Nasser, shit happened, what did you do for it ?
Me: Well, most of the time I was watching Avatar, and then I went to a islamic lecture, and we went out for Pizza afterwords.
Question: and did that help anyone ?
Me: Well I felt better afterwords ! and I gave $5 for the Haiti emergency appeal ?

Seriously, is this as f#&ked an answer as it sounds to me ? Are we really so petty that we've forgotten the obsoleteness of world and of the suffering around us ?


Anyways, I'm going to Christmas Island for a month, I don't expect I'll make any tangible difference but at least seeing this suffering of people may move me into doing something actually worth answering the God questions. like screaming at rallys or spamming politicians.

Quesion: shit happened, what did you do ?

The exposure effect

For the past few weeks I've been staying home a lot because of my looking-for-work status. So whereas before I either worked or studied and was out and about a lot of the time. These days I just sort of do most of my job and house hunting online.

I also surf the web looking out for art and news. Art because of my expensive drug habit of photography, and news because I like news.

So again most of my exposure to the world has been news sites comments and forum entries, which just happen to be filled with ignorant racist islamophobes who rant a continuous stream of hatred and the same old tired anti Islamic rhetoric that was making the rounds 200 years ago. I tried initially to engage with some of those people by trying to correct misunderstandings or debate issues, but it seems most those individuals were so hateful or fearful -or whatever the case may be- they flatly refused to employ any logic, etiquette, consideration etc... It was quite frustrating.

I found that I was reading so much of those websites and thier useless comments and forums that I developed a fear of going out. I thought most people in Australia thought this way. this was ofcourse exacerbated by a racist comment to my sister one day in a shopping center. For a time I was not comfortable in Sydney.

Over the past few days, realizing how decayed I was becoming staying at home like this, I tried to go out, so I'm going to the gym more often, I'm joining my sister in her study sessions at uni, I'm going out and about looking a houses etc... It's done me a world of good because it sort of showed me the other side of the coin, normal decent people who see muslims as they are; people. Who don't hate and don't fear and respect you if you respect them.

It seems the people who haunt the web and who spread the hate and the division are too cowardly to speak their minds out in public so they hide behind nicknames and avatars and congregate in groups online. nice one mayte !

Since then I remembered an interpretation by prominent speaker Ahmad Deedat of an aya
"يا أيها المدثر، قم فأنذر"
Translated roughly as

O thou enveloped in thy cloak, Arise and warn!

From Surat Almuddathir.

The historical context of this verse was a command from Allah (swt) to the prophet (pbuh) after his first revelation through the Angel Gabriel. The prophet had come back to his home and was in a state of fear and panic. This verse was telling the prophet his duty.

Shiekh Deedat however, in a fir of genious, interpreted this verse to a representative from the Saudi ministry of religious affairs. He said (roughly) : this verse is to your muslims and arabs ! who this great message and religion of peace and justice which you have the duty to convey the world, instead you are HIDING. COVERING yourselves behind your borders and keeping this message with you, to you Allah says "Oh you covered one, ARISE ! and warn".

It was amazing insight this man had to understand the ponder this verse in this way, and in a way this problem is appearant here in Australia as well, the leaders of the community and shiekhs (not of all them, let's be fair) are hiding in thier ethnic ghettos, covering themselves with petty politics and mud throwing. While muslims are losing sense of what it means are usually caught acting in a way shameful to any muslim, and while non muslims are ignorant of this great message and its potential to heal the world.

Exposure is very important, human communication is very important. Scholars of the old had to balance thier knowledge of this world with the knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence to be able to fairly judge. While -some- of our leaders barely speak english, deeming the world as black and white of Kuffar and Muslimoon. It ain't like that buddy ! go out there and see this world !

What does this have to do with me ? Well I can't be hiding either, I have to be out there understanding my community. Getting comfy with this place in which I'm probably gonna have my kids and die in.

Wallahu a3lam