To ignore the ethical disparities of United States love and hate for United Nations is near foolish. United Nations is loved by the United States only when its resolutions are for any country but Israel.
The United States has vetoed nearly all of UN resolutions toward Israel’s perpetual rejection of international law for many decades. But the United States is always ever ready to embrace and over-zealously implement UN resolution[s] against Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and now Libya. Any sane person with snail's brain ought to question these disparities if not expose them.
The world now knows why United States jumped in to save Iraqis from Iranians, Kuwaitis from Iraqis and now allowing Saudis to save Bahrainis from Bahrainis. It was not for and has never been to save the lives of innocent people but to rob their natural resources and advance its geo-political interests.
The United States humanitarian concern is always selective and questionable. Yes for Libya but not for Bahrain and Yemen.
People of reason must remain vigilant toward the United States' rationale for United Nations resolutions that it either authors or supports and acknowledge them for what they are - they are a license to kill innocent people in the name of protecting them, but only in certain countries. Go figure Yankee!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Islamophobia
A presentation on Islamophobia at Media Reform Summit at Occidental College by Shakeel Syed
History teaches us that in every era demagogues spread hateful propaganda against marginalized religious and ethnic minorities, often as a prelude to violence ...
Here are some examples of propaganda - couched in satire - to condition the minds of populace … “big nosed mean carpenter” … the “big-lip-mama” … the diseased illegal aliens (according to Lou Dobbs) and of course the feathered Chiefs, the Japs, the Huns, the Reds and now the Towel-heads …
And such propaganda is almost always followed by violence … remember Wounded Knee; Kunta-Kinte and Manzanar … and now in our times, it is Bagram, Abu Gharaib, Guantanamo and the Renditions!
I am reminded of an example of how one people can be conditioned for “total demonization” of another people …
A hijabi clad Muslim doctor spoke of Mr. Johnson, a blind patient who not knowing of his own physician said this … “Muslims must be hung naked with the nooses from Home Depot … we will save our country, cheap”
T. S. Eliot has a chilling phrase in his play - Murder in the Cathedral … “sin grows with doing good.”
So now some righteous people in our nation have taken up this responsibility of doing good … “getting rid of the diseased,” “healing the nation” and “giving prosperity to the wretched!”
Islamophobia today is cheered by the Chinese-made American flag- waving patriots in the leadership of Glen Beck, Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich and the ilk … and as a result of their bullhorn our communities are directly impacted from Adelanto to Tennessee and Temecula to Madera.
In some cities, “patriots” protest against building or expanding of Mosques and in other towns – Mosques are simply torched – such as in the City of Adelanto where an Imam was tied to his chair & burnt alive (2008)… similarly a copy of the Quran was actually burnt and placed at the door of one of our member Mosques in Costa Mesa - unlike the Pastor in Florida who planned to burn Quran but spared us with his adventure.
And I am sure most of you have heard of the hate filled circus in Temecula Valley – not to mention a recent circus in Yorba Linda and earlier in Lomita, Cypress and Mission Viejo among others. Not to mention scores of hate crimes against young Muslim students – particularly girls with Hijab …
OC Human Relations Commission reported this (2009) …
- Hate crimes against Muslims & Arabs have risen at a highest rate since 2001
- Twice as many hate crimes from 2008 and almost equal to the 2003/2004 levels
- 50% increase in hate crimes targeting people, because of their religious beliefs --- and
- Hate crimes at religious places have increased by four times
Another angle at play is economics in the business of hate mongering. Islamophobia is now a cash cow industry. Near unknown and obscure people are made out to be "Islam experts" teach the world to keep an eye out on the next door neighbor just as LA Police Department wanted to accomplish in their now defunct Muslim Mapping Program but succeeded in deploying their i-Watch Program.
Most Muslims now say - it is time to move on ... Here are some ways Muslims are working to undo the damage - with the help of good people like youselves …
• Helping good Americans – thru’ dialogs & debates, seminars and symposiums, papers and projects - about the social cancer of Islamophobia and that it should be just as unacceptable as anti-Semitism and homophobia in our society today.
• Working with faith communities and their congregations for conversations on interreligious relations and co-existence with mutual respect for each other.
• Asking media to feature programs that deal with the scope and dangers of Islamophobia just as they do with anti-Semitism.
• Demanding from Politicians to demonstrate their integrity and denounce those of their party who are willing to trade hate speech for votes.
• Working with fellow citizens to reclaim a vision of America in which all citizens - regardless of their religion or lack of it are respected for who they are rather than otherwise.
In addition, for me personally, most encouraging are our programs that offer …
• Scholarships for young Muslims to pursue journalism, media studies, etc
• Hands on workshops teaching writing, speaking, producing their own independent work as they see it rather than relying on mainstream corporate media
My friends – some in our country are addicted – seemingly for life – to create the “other” and then perpetuate hate against them. But then, there is also you – who not only does not run in the opposite direction when you hear the name Muslim or Islam but in fact run toward to stop, listen and challenge the discourse if it is hateful. And it is in you I have hope for a better America that does not hate anyone but loves all, unconditionally.
History teaches us that in every era demagogues spread hateful propaganda against marginalized religious and ethnic minorities, often as a prelude to violence ...
Here are some examples of propaganda - couched in satire - to condition the minds of populace … “big nosed mean carpenter” … the “big-lip-mama” … the diseased illegal aliens (according to Lou Dobbs) and of course the feathered Chiefs, the Japs, the Huns, the Reds and now the Towel-heads …
And such propaganda is almost always followed by violence … remember Wounded Knee; Kunta-Kinte and Manzanar … and now in our times, it is Bagram, Abu Gharaib, Guantanamo and the Renditions!
I am reminded of an example of how one people can be conditioned for “total demonization” of another people …
A hijabi clad Muslim doctor spoke of Mr. Johnson, a blind patient who not knowing of his own physician said this … “Muslims must be hung naked with the nooses from Home Depot … we will save our country, cheap”
T. S. Eliot has a chilling phrase in his play - Murder in the Cathedral … “sin grows with doing good.”
So now some righteous people in our nation have taken up this responsibility of doing good … “getting rid of the diseased,” “healing the nation” and “giving prosperity to the wretched!”
Islamophobia today is cheered by the Chinese-made American flag- waving patriots in the leadership of Glen Beck, Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich and the ilk … and as a result of their bullhorn our communities are directly impacted from Adelanto to Tennessee and Temecula to Madera.
In some cities, “patriots” protest against building or expanding of Mosques and in other towns – Mosques are simply torched – such as in the City of Adelanto where an Imam was tied to his chair & burnt alive (2008)… similarly a copy of the Quran was actually burnt and placed at the door of one of our member Mosques in Costa Mesa - unlike the Pastor in Florida who planned to burn Quran but spared us with his adventure.
And I am sure most of you have heard of the hate filled circus in Temecula Valley – not to mention a recent circus in Yorba Linda and earlier in Lomita, Cypress and Mission Viejo among others. Not to mention scores of hate crimes against young Muslim students – particularly girls with Hijab …
OC Human Relations Commission reported this (2009) …
- Hate crimes against Muslims & Arabs have risen at a highest rate since 2001
- Twice as many hate crimes from 2008 and almost equal to the 2003/2004 levels
- 50% increase in hate crimes targeting people, because of their religious beliefs --- and
- Hate crimes at religious places have increased by four times
Another angle at play is economics in the business of hate mongering. Islamophobia is now a cash cow industry. Near unknown and obscure people are made out to be "Islam experts" teach the world to keep an eye out on the next door neighbor just as LA Police Department wanted to accomplish in their now defunct Muslim Mapping Program but succeeded in deploying their i-Watch Program.
Most Muslims now say - it is time to move on ... Here are some ways Muslims are working to undo the damage - with the help of good people like youselves …
• Helping good Americans – thru’ dialogs & debates, seminars and symposiums, papers and projects - about the social cancer of Islamophobia and that it should be just as unacceptable as anti-Semitism and homophobia in our society today.
• Working with faith communities and their congregations for conversations on interreligious relations and co-existence with mutual respect for each other.
• Asking media to feature programs that deal with the scope and dangers of Islamophobia just as they do with anti-Semitism.
• Demanding from Politicians to demonstrate their integrity and denounce those of their party who are willing to trade hate speech for votes.
• Working with fellow citizens to reclaim a vision of America in which all citizens - regardless of their religion or lack of it are respected for who they are rather than otherwise.
In addition, for me personally, most encouraging are our programs that offer …
• Scholarships for young Muslims to pursue journalism, media studies, etc
• Hands on workshops teaching writing, speaking, producing their own independent work as they see it rather than relying on mainstream corporate media
My friends – some in our country are addicted – seemingly for life – to create the “other” and then perpetuate hate against them. But then, there is also you – who not only does not run in the opposite direction when you hear the name Muslim or Islam but in fact run toward to stop, listen and challenge the discourse if it is hateful. And it is in you I have hope for a better America that does not hate anyone but loves all, unconditionally.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Revolt to Revolution
Blessed be the [Egyptian] revolutionaries for they are the peacemakers. Peaceful revolt in Egypt has shown the world that when the wretched of the earth rise, the tyrants flee.
Egyptians must not stop at the fleeing of the Mubarak. They must demand the ouster of Mubarak’s cabal and make them meet their fate in the court of law.
Egypt has rediscovered its most awesome asset – the young believers, passionate and resilient who have reclaimed the dignity and honor of their nation. Egyptians have realized that it is only them who can restore the legacy of Misr as Umm ad-Dounia. Egyptians have dispelled the myth that Arab countries are neither suited for democracy nor may welcome modernity. Their courage and perseverance has shattered this fallacy. They now have to begin the real work – to transform the nation and do it in a hurry. Here are some key pre-requisites for a true Egyptian revolution.
1. Rid the country from all the tyrants’ partners. They have no place in your new Egypt.
2. Write a new constitution that shares and checks the powers of all.
3. Re-engineer all system[s] that serves the people and complete your revolution.
4. Reject the “guidance” from the international community.
5. Refuse to pay all debts incurred by the tyrant & refuse to accept any new loans.
6. Reclaim your dual heritage of being African and Arab.
7. Restore the historical legacy of Egypt that embraces people of all faiths and traditions.
The path to ultimate freedom in your country can only come from the circles & corners - streets & squares of your country. So keep marching forward and complete your revolt to the revolution … Si Si Peude to you and Mabrook la-Mubarak.
Egyptians must not stop at the fleeing of the Mubarak. They must demand the ouster of Mubarak’s cabal and make them meet their fate in the court of law.
Egypt has rediscovered its most awesome asset – the young believers, passionate and resilient who have reclaimed the dignity and honor of their nation. Egyptians have realized that it is only them who can restore the legacy of Misr as Umm ad-Dounia. Egyptians have dispelled the myth that Arab countries are neither suited for democracy nor may welcome modernity. Their courage and perseverance has shattered this fallacy. They now have to begin the real work – to transform the nation and do it in a hurry. Here are some key pre-requisites for a true Egyptian revolution.
1. Rid the country from all the tyrants’ partners. They have no place in your new Egypt.
2. Write a new constitution that shares and checks the powers of all.
3. Re-engineer all system[s] that serves the people and complete your revolution.
4. Reject the “guidance” from the international community.
5. Refuse to pay all debts incurred by the tyrant & refuse to accept any new loans.
6. Reclaim your dual heritage of being African and Arab.
7. Restore the historical legacy of Egypt that embraces people of all faiths and traditions.
The path to ultimate freedom in your country can only come from the circles & corners - streets & squares of your country. So keep marching forward and complete your revolt to the revolution … Si Si Peude to you and Mabrook la-Mubarak.
Friday, January 28, 2011
O Lord – the wretched of the earth have risen
The wretched of the earth have risen
O Lord – do not save the tyrants
The hungry of the world are singing
The weak of the world are swinging
The oppressed of the world are smiling
O Lord – do not save the tyrants
O Lord – do not save the tyrants and
The brothers of the tyrants, and
The helpers of the tyrants,
The hypocrites who hail the tyrants,
O Lord – do not save the tyrants
O Lord – do not save the tyrants
From Maghrib to Iskandaria
From the Mediterranean to the Red Sea
From the Medina of Tunis to the Medina of the Prophet
O Lord – do not save the tyrants
O Lord – do not save the tyrants, and
Grant the wretched a scent of the freedom
Give the wretched a taste of dignity
Honor the wretched with crowns on their heads
O Lord – the wretched of the earth have risen
---------
by Shakeel Syed – Jan 28, 2011 – reflecting on the Middle East uprising[s].
O Lord – do not save the tyrants
The hungry of the world are singing
The weak of the world are swinging
The oppressed of the world are smiling
O Lord – do not save the tyrants
O Lord – do not save the tyrants and
The brothers of the tyrants, and
The helpers of the tyrants,
The hypocrites who hail the tyrants,
O Lord – do not save the tyrants
O Lord – do not save the tyrants
From Maghrib to Iskandaria
From the Mediterranean to the Red Sea
From the Medina of Tunis to the Medina of the Prophet
O Lord – do not save the tyrants
O Lord – do not save the tyrants, and
Grant the wretched a scent of the freedom
Give the wretched a taste of dignity
Honor the wretched with crowns on their heads
O Lord – the wretched of the earth have risen
---------
by Shakeel Syed – Jan 28, 2011 – reflecting on the Middle East uprising[s].
Friday, January 21, 2011
Role of Religion in Palestine/Israel Conflict - A Muslim Perspective
Presentation at Pepperdine University – Malibu on Jan 19, 2011
Topic – Role of Religion (or lack there of) in Palestine/Israel Conflict – A Muslim perspective by Shakeel Syed
-------------------------------
I begin in the name of God (the Creator of all of us), All praise be to God, the Most Compassionate & the Most Merciful, Lord of the Worlds.
Muslims are commanded to recognize the Jews and the Christians as, “People of the Book” a special status granted by Islam to the fraternity of monotheists – (2:62).
Moses and Jesus are my brothers, said Muhammad. (peace & blessings be upon all of them).
Makkah, Madinah and Jerusalem are cities of great reverence in Quran. Jerusalem has multiple distinctions: it was the first and the original Qibla (direction of prayer), Muslims prayed towards and the miraculous journey of Prophet Muhammad from Makkah to the Al-Aqsa Mosque before ascending to the heavens.
The chapter 17 of Quran (al-Isra), refers as follows: “Glory be to God who did take his servant for a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque (in Makkah) to Al-Aqsa Mosque (in Jerusalem) whose precincts We did bless - in order that We might show him some of Our signs.”
It is these aspects – Al-Quds being the first Qibla -- the travel of Prophet Muhammad to the heavens thru al-Aqsa -- the birthplace & the ascension of Prophet Jesus to the heavens and the resting place of Prophet Abraham in Hebron – which connects all Muslims to the land that is holy to all of us. And perhaps this is the only extent to which religion plays a role in the place and not necessarily a role in the conflict.
Karen Armstrong in her book Jerusalem: One City Three Faiths, writes that Umar Ibn al Khattab, the Islamic leader (Caliph) at the time, “expressed the monotheistic ideal of compassion more than any previous conqueror of Jerusalem, with the possible exception of King David. He presided over the most peaceful and bloodless conquest that the city had seen in its long and often tragic history. Once the Christians had surrendered, there was no killing, no destruction of property, no burning of rival religious symbols, no expulsions or expropriations, and no attempt to force the inhabitants to embrace Islam. If a respect for the previous occupants of the city is the sign of the integrity of a monotheistic power, Islam began its long tenure in Jerusalem very well indeed.”
The Islamic rule was interrupted by the brutal conquest of Crusades who persecuted and banished not only Muslims, but also Jews and Orthodox Christians from Jerusalem. It was not until Islamic forces, under the leadership of Salah-ed-Din (Saladin), invited all to return as he held this city sacred. (I urge you to relive these times in Ridley Scott’s – Kingdom of Heaven). For the most part, the indigenous Jews, Christians, and Muslims continued to live in harmony even during the Ottomans Empire.
But today, after several decades, this sacred city is full of bad faith: bad faith engendered by the seizing of land, expulsion of the indigenous population, denial of re-entry, and colonizing the rest of the land.
As a person born in India to parents who lived under the Victorian Majesty, I understand a thing or two about colonization. Let me share some examples from the discriminatory policies of Israel.
The Israeli Law of Return, I argue, is inherently racist because it provides automatic Israeli citizenship to any Jew born anywhere in the world. My good friend Rabbi Mark Diamond can, if he so wishes, become an Israeli citizen with all its privileges under this Law of Return, just as the current Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, did. Mr. Oren’s is a rather exclusive case. He did his Aliyah and then chose to renounce his American citizenship in order to become the Israeli Ambassador to the United States.
Juxtapose the distinct privilege of being Jewish against a Christian or Muslim Palestinian who may have been born and raised in--and later displaced from--what is now Israel and that person is denied the right to return home.
Similarly we know of the Absentee Law that is the basis for justifying government land acquisition and transfer of the same from native Palestinians to Jewish settlers. The Absentee Law had a sweeping effect on the Palestinian Arab population and created a basic premise for future land confiscation and treating these forced absentees as “internal refugees,” now accounting for about 25% of all Palestinian citizens in Israel.
The Planning & Construction Law has an impact on hundreds of Palestinian Arab communities in Israel as “unrecognized villages” as they were not incorporated into the planning schemes and instead classified as agricultural. Consequently, the indigenous Palestinians in these unrecognized villages are near completely deprived of paved roads, sanitation, water, electricity, schools and medical services. Interestingly, surrounding these unrecognized villages are exclusively Jewish settlements with all amenities.
This brings us to the “Jewish only settlements” in the occupied Palestinian territory in West Bank inhabited by more than 400,000 settlers and growing, all of whom enjoy full citizenship rights of Israel, yet they do not live in Israel proper.
With the Jewish only settlements comes The Wall, 600+ checkpoints, hundreds of militia outposts, roadblocks, exclusive Jewish-only roads, separate schools, public facilities…And then there are the home demolitions, confiscation of the land of indigenous Palestinians who are forcibly evicted in middle of the night at gunpoint. This is especially evident in East Jerusalem where evicted Palestinian families are living in tents on the pavement across from the very homes in which they used to live and which now are occupied by Jewish families under police protection.
Discussing peace from our position of comfort is definitely a “good idea”, just as Gandhi replied when asked what he thought of democracy.
But to a mother in occupied Palestine who watches each day the Jewish-only settlements with swimming pools, paved roads, parks, and libraries, peace may seem rather distant, just as the idea of democracy was to Gandhi under British colonization.
This Palestinian mother and millions like her do not look at this conflict as a matter of religion but rather a matter of gross political and racial injustice.
In whose name and what faith can we justify this prolonged occupation, subjugation and humiliation of a people left with nothing but crumbs, cowering behind the walls and the barbed wires for decades?
The occupied always resist and eventually prevail … The French ousted the Germans; the Algerians kicked out the French; the Black South Africans threw out the White apartheid regime; the Irish sent the British home; the Afghans ousted the Soviets (and are now resisting the American occupation); and Kashmiris continue to resist the Indian occupation. And the Palestinians continue to heroically resist the Israeli occupation and its total monopoly over power, resources and their movement.
A prominent South African, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, reminds us with these profound words … "My heart aches. I say why are our memories so short. Have our Jewish sisters and brothers forgotten their humiliation? Have they forgotten the collective punishment, the home demolitions, in their own history so soon? Have they turned their backs on their profound and noble religious traditions? Have they forgotten that God cares deeply about the downtrodden?"
My friends, I believe that Palestine is already at its knees militarily, but I also believe that the Palestinians are standing tall on their feet and when a population rises up as we are seeing in Tunisia no military power could ever make them sit down, forever.
The Holy Quran calls Jews and Christians “The People of the Book” and Abraham our common father.
“Moses and Jesus are my brothers,” said Muhammad (peace & blessings be upon them). And that makes you - Christians and Jews - my cousins.
So I call upon all of us tonight – the extended family of Abraham - to recognize that our Abrahamic religions invite us to “be-come” better people and I pray that none of our religions mistakenly believe that we already are a better people!
May peace be with you.
Topic – Role of Religion (or lack there of) in Palestine/Israel Conflict – A Muslim perspective by Shakeel Syed
-------------------------------
I begin in the name of God (the Creator of all of us), All praise be to God, the Most Compassionate & the Most Merciful, Lord of the Worlds.
Muslims are commanded to recognize the Jews and the Christians as, “People of the Book” a special status granted by Islam to the fraternity of monotheists – (2:62).
Moses and Jesus are my brothers, said Muhammad. (peace & blessings be upon all of them).
Makkah, Madinah and Jerusalem are cities of great reverence in Quran. Jerusalem has multiple distinctions: it was the first and the original Qibla (direction of prayer), Muslims prayed towards and the miraculous journey of Prophet Muhammad from Makkah to the Al-Aqsa Mosque before ascending to the heavens.
The chapter 17 of Quran (al-Isra), refers as follows: “Glory be to God who did take his servant for a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque (in Makkah) to Al-Aqsa Mosque (in Jerusalem) whose precincts We did bless - in order that We might show him some of Our signs.”
It is these aspects – Al-Quds being the first Qibla -- the travel of Prophet Muhammad to the heavens thru al-Aqsa -- the birthplace & the ascension of Prophet Jesus to the heavens and the resting place of Prophet Abraham in Hebron – which connects all Muslims to the land that is holy to all of us. And perhaps this is the only extent to which religion plays a role in the place and not necessarily a role in the conflict.
Karen Armstrong in her book Jerusalem: One City Three Faiths, writes that Umar Ibn al Khattab, the Islamic leader (Caliph) at the time, “expressed the monotheistic ideal of compassion more than any previous conqueror of Jerusalem, with the possible exception of King David. He presided over the most peaceful and bloodless conquest that the city had seen in its long and often tragic history. Once the Christians had surrendered, there was no killing, no destruction of property, no burning of rival religious symbols, no expulsions or expropriations, and no attempt to force the inhabitants to embrace Islam. If a respect for the previous occupants of the city is the sign of the integrity of a monotheistic power, Islam began its long tenure in Jerusalem very well indeed.”
The Islamic rule was interrupted by the brutal conquest of Crusades who persecuted and banished not only Muslims, but also Jews and Orthodox Christians from Jerusalem. It was not until Islamic forces, under the leadership of Salah-ed-Din (Saladin), invited all to return as he held this city sacred. (I urge you to relive these times in Ridley Scott’s – Kingdom of Heaven). For the most part, the indigenous Jews, Christians, and Muslims continued to live in harmony even during the Ottomans Empire.
But today, after several decades, this sacred city is full of bad faith: bad faith engendered by the seizing of land, expulsion of the indigenous population, denial of re-entry, and colonizing the rest of the land.
As a person born in India to parents who lived under the Victorian Majesty, I understand a thing or two about colonization. Let me share some examples from the discriminatory policies of Israel.
The Israeli Law of Return, I argue, is inherently racist because it provides automatic Israeli citizenship to any Jew born anywhere in the world. My good friend Rabbi Mark Diamond can, if he so wishes, become an Israeli citizen with all its privileges under this Law of Return, just as the current Israeli Ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, did. Mr. Oren’s is a rather exclusive case. He did his Aliyah and then chose to renounce his American citizenship in order to become the Israeli Ambassador to the United States.
Juxtapose the distinct privilege of being Jewish against a Christian or Muslim Palestinian who may have been born and raised in--and later displaced from--what is now Israel and that person is denied the right to return home.
Similarly we know of the Absentee Law that is the basis for justifying government land acquisition and transfer of the same from native Palestinians to Jewish settlers. The Absentee Law had a sweeping effect on the Palestinian Arab population and created a basic premise for future land confiscation and treating these forced absentees as “internal refugees,” now accounting for about 25% of all Palestinian citizens in Israel.
The Planning & Construction Law has an impact on hundreds of Palestinian Arab communities in Israel as “unrecognized villages” as they were not incorporated into the planning schemes and instead classified as agricultural. Consequently, the indigenous Palestinians in these unrecognized villages are near completely deprived of paved roads, sanitation, water, electricity, schools and medical services. Interestingly, surrounding these unrecognized villages are exclusively Jewish settlements with all amenities.
This brings us to the “Jewish only settlements” in the occupied Palestinian territory in West Bank inhabited by more than 400,000 settlers and growing, all of whom enjoy full citizenship rights of Israel, yet they do not live in Israel proper.
With the Jewish only settlements comes The Wall, 600+ checkpoints, hundreds of militia outposts, roadblocks, exclusive Jewish-only roads, separate schools, public facilities…And then there are the home demolitions, confiscation of the land of indigenous Palestinians who are forcibly evicted in middle of the night at gunpoint. This is especially evident in East Jerusalem where evicted Palestinian families are living in tents on the pavement across from the very homes in which they used to live and which now are occupied by Jewish families under police protection.
Discussing peace from our position of comfort is definitely a “good idea”, just as Gandhi replied when asked what he thought of democracy.
But to a mother in occupied Palestine who watches each day the Jewish-only settlements with swimming pools, paved roads, parks, and libraries, peace may seem rather distant, just as the idea of democracy was to Gandhi under British colonization.
This Palestinian mother and millions like her do not look at this conflict as a matter of religion but rather a matter of gross political and racial injustice.
In whose name and what faith can we justify this prolonged occupation, subjugation and humiliation of a people left with nothing but crumbs, cowering behind the walls and the barbed wires for decades?
The occupied always resist and eventually prevail … The French ousted the Germans; the Algerians kicked out the French; the Black South Africans threw out the White apartheid regime; the Irish sent the British home; the Afghans ousted the Soviets (and are now resisting the American occupation); and Kashmiris continue to resist the Indian occupation. And the Palestinians continue to heroically resist the Israeli occupation and its total monopoly over power, resources and their movement.
A prominent South African, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, reminds us with these profound words … "My heart aches. I say why are our memories so short. Have our Jewish sisters and brothers forgotten their humiliation? Have they forgotten the collective punishment, the home demolitions, in their own history so soon? Have they turned their backs on their profound and noble religious traditions? Have they forgotten that God cares deeply about the downtrodden?"
My friends, I believe that Palestine is already at its knees militarily, but I also believe that the Palestinians are standing tall on their feet and when a population rises up as we are seeing in Tunisia no military power could ever make them sit down, forever.
The Holy Quran calls Jews and Christians “The People of the Book” and Abraham our common father.
“Moses and Jesus are my brothers,” said Muhammad (peace & blessings be upon them). And that makes you - Christians and Jews - my cousins.
So I call upon all of us tonight – the extended family of Abraham - to recognize that our Abrahamic religions invite us to “be-come” better people and I pray that none of our religions mistakenly believe that we already are a better people!
May peace be with you.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Abhorred & Harvested
Abhorred & Harvested
(commemorating Gaza massacre and
lamenting Israelis harvesting organs of the Palestinians)
Life abhorred
Death harvested
Moments into eternity
pain slows time
Days fly away
joys speed moments
Robbed and ripped
from adolescence to age
Tender hands - oblivious
tears on the white beard
Grandma’s wrinkles
long stories and sighs
Maidens - tippy toes
hope across the Wall
Hope renews itself
and [often] buries itself
Uprooted trees
dew drops homeless
Mountains, rivers
waiting to be trampled, splashed
Hamlets, villages
last few pearls left on the bride
Church - loudly still
Mosque - silently screaming
Synagogue - peacefully afraid
God All-Mighty, the All Hearing, the All Knowing
we are abhorred when alive and harvested when dead!
Shakeel Syed
Culver City – Dec 27, 2009
(commemorating Gaza massacre and
lamenting Israelis harvesting organs of the Palestinians)
Life abhorred
Death harvested
Moments into eternity
pain slows time
Days fly away
joys speed moments
Robbed and ripped
from adolescence to age
Tender hands - oblivious
tears on the white beard
Grandma’s wrinkles
long stories and sighs
Maidens - tippy toes
hope across the Wall
Hope renews itself
and [often] buries itself
Uprooted trees
dew drops homeless
Mountains, rivers
waiting to be trampled, splashed
Hamlets, villages
last few pearls left on the bride
Church - loudly still
Mosque - silently screaming
Synagogue - peacefully afraid
God All-Mighty, the All Hearing, the All Knowing
we are abhorred when alive and harvested when dead!
Shakeel Syed
Culver City – Dec 27, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
A Hostile Takeover of Zionism
A Hostile Takeover of Zionism (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/a-hostile-takeover-of-zionism/article1302318/)
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