Content about Law

By G. N. Abdullah

Islamic Post Staff Writer

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) says it is “a matter of serious concern” that the Obama Administration rebuked the recent announcement of settlement expansion as “a deeply negative signal.” AIPAC is calling “on the Administration to take immediate steps to defuse the tension with the Jewish State,” after an ill-timed announcement made by the Israeli government during the height of US Vice President Joe Biden’s Middle East tour that settlements in East Jerusalem would increase by 1600 persons.

But perhaps more troubling is a lesser known declaration made by Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu that the Tomb of the Patriarchs is being made into a national heritage site by his administration, according to Aletho News and agencies. There is a fear that the rehabilitation project scheduled for the mosque of the father of three religions may become reserved for one religion only.

The site, also known as the Ibrahimi Mosque, is believed to contain the grave of the Holy Messenger Abraham -who is the father of Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Located in Hebron, the Ibrahimi Mosque also lies within Palestinian territory, in the midst of uncontested land.

The Holy Messenger Joseph, or Yusuf, in Arabic, is also believed to be buried in the Tomb of the Patriarchs. The Biblical and Qur’anic patriarchs after which the tomb is named, however, are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as three matriarchs: Sarah, Rebecca, and Leah.

These holy sites -and others such as the resting places of the Holy Messenger Job, or Ayyoub, and the Holy Messenger ‘Imran, the father of Mary, mother of the Holy Messenger Jesus (peace be upon them all), in Oman; the Holy Messengers Jonah, or Yunus, and his father Amittai, whose name is Matta in Arabic, as well as the Holy Messenger Lot -also in the Hebron area; Ezekiel or Zul Kifl in Iraq; Aaron, or Harun, in Jordon; the Holy Messenger Seth, or Sheeth, in Lebanon; and the father of mankind, the Holy Messenger Adam and his wife, our mother, Eve are said to be buried in Saudi Arabia - have all been maintained for almost 1000 years, with respect and love, by Muslims.

The Ibrahimi Mosque has been in existence since 1206. In the 12th century, after capturing almost every other Crusader city, the world renowned Muslim general, Salahhuddin Ayyoubi, advanced on Jerusalem. The city surrendered, Salahhuddin, whose name is commonly spelled Saladin, invited the Jewish people to return to the city. In Hebron, Christians were also allowed to worship freely at the Ibrahimi Mosque.

But in the modern age, Israeli forces began restricting Palestinian visits to the Mosque as far back as May of last year, as reported by Ma’an News.

Dr Elias Akleh, a Palestinian author living in the United States, considers the announcement of Mr Netanyahu’s decision regarding the Tomb of the Patriarchs -like the declaration regarding more settlements during Vice President Biden’s visit- untimely. The decision to make the Ibrahimi Mosque an Israeli national heritage site “coincided with the sixteenth anniversary of the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre perpetrated by the Zionist Israeli terrorist Baruch Goldstein, who murdered in cold blood 29 Moslems while kneeling in prayer at the Ibrahimi Mosque,” writes Dr Akleh in his article, “Netanyahu Re-igniting Religious War in the Holy Land.” Dr Akleh continues: “After the six-days-war in 1967 the Israeli government took control of the Ibrahimi Mosque, and provided protected and free entry to extremist Zionist Jews to pray while limiting access to Moslems’ prayers, who have to go through electronic gates and body search[s] before entering.”

Israeli journalist, Avi Shavit, condemns recent acts of Prime Minister Netanyahu not only as ill-timed, but “insane” in Haaretz: “Our need for the United States is unprecedented at this critical juncture; any national interest should be subservient to the supreme interest of strengthening this alliance. But now of all times, at the most sensitive moment, Israel chooses to act insanely… The continuation of the occupation makes Israel disfigure itself and its image; with its own hands it undermines the legitimacy of Zionism.”

In the wake of more uncertainty surrounding the not quite fledgling peace process, it was not Muslims or Jews, but Christians, who convened from all over the world in Bethlehem to discuss a way forward during a seminar entitled “Christ at the Checkpoint,” at Bethlehem Bible College on March 12-17. The point of the week long meeting was not only stated as gaining understanding of “Holy Scripture as related to the Palestinian context, but “to discuss the theological importance of Peace and Justice.”

Canadian mining operations have faced fierce opposition from numerous Latin American countries and communities over the past decade continuing most recently in Guatemala and Costa Rica. In 2008 a Latin American independent report, Investing in Conflict- Public Money, Private Gain: Goldcorp in the Americas condemns the business practices of Canadian mining companies, focusing on the largest, Goldcorp Inc., and discusses the Canadian mining industry’s socially and environmentally destructive practices in the Americas. 

Even before this report, a Canadian mining operation met strong resistance in Costa Rica. In 2003 Canadian mining corporation Glencairn, started open pit mining in Miamar, Costa Rica, ignoring concerns by locals and scientists of the riskiness of the area for large-scale open-pit mining, and an impending ban on open-pit mining in the country. [Reported on http://www. earthworksaction.org] 

The company set up a mine using “cyanide heap leaching” at Bellavista, close to Miamar, which is a process where intensely toxic cyanide trickles through massive mounds of ore and removes the gold from the ore. 

In July 2007, earth movements caused by geological instability and rainfall cracked the mine’s leach pad liner, allegedly leaking cyanide and contaminating the groundwater near the community of Miramar. The Canadian company suspended its operations after the accident and press coverage caused Glencairn stocks to plummet 18%. Shortly thereafter, a major landslide destroyed the remaining infrastructure at the mine. 

On May 2nd 2013 , the Guatemalan government declared a state of emergency in the south eastern part of the country following protests over a Canadian run silver mine owned by Tahoe Resources Inc., of Vancouver, British Columbia; protesters are complaining that the operation will drain their water supplies. 

The owners of the Escobal mines, said security guards responded with tear gas and rubber bullets when protesters with machetes “turned hostile.” A governmental action suspended constitutional rights of the residents of these communities for 30 days, declared by the president of Guatemala, Otto Perez Molina. 

Last month Costa Rica was threatened by a $1 billion lawsuit from Canadian mining company Infinito Gold. This started back in October 2008 when the Costa Rican Supreme Court ordered the Canadian mining company to halt construction of an open-pit gold mine when environmental organizations complained that the plan to cut down 208 hectares (514 acres) to move the project forward, would have a serious environmental impact in the region of which most is untouched forest. The current Costa Rican Laws prevent changing the use of forest land for commercial purposes but then President Oscar Arias declared the Crucitas a project of national interest. 

In April 2013, Infinto Gold issued a warning to Costa Rica that if the company is not permitted to resume work on the Crucitas mine within six months, they plan to sue the country for more than $1 billion USD for breaching its free trade agreement with Canada. 

Environmental issues are not the only factors in these mining operations as studies also show a strong negative social impact to Latin American communities that surround these mining operations. Increased violence, alcoholism and prostitution are often associated with these operations and contrary to industry messaging, employment and economic benefits seem to fall short of projections.

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Nicaraguan Congressman Brooklyn Rivera, president of the National Assembly’s Commission on Indigenous and Afro-Descendant Affairs, warns that tensions between indigenous tribes and mestizo “colonists” has reached the boiling point following the recent assassination of Mayangna leader Charley Taylor. 

Taylor, a member of the Mayangna’s Sauni As territory, tucked deep in the forest of the Bosawás Biosphere Reserve, was killed April 24 while trying to defend his land from a group of mestizo invaders who had cleared a swath of 35 acres of precious hardwoods. Taylor’s death, which was denounced to the deaf ears of government last week in Managua, has reportedly triggered the mobilization of an indigenous army of 100 volunteers who are arming themselves to oust the interlopers by force. 

Rivera and other sources close to the Mayangna nation warn that members of the indigenous group are arming themselves with rifles, machetes, spears and other homemade weapons in preparation for battle. 

“This is a critical moment,” Rivera told The Nicaragua Dispatch this afternoon. “The colonists are promoting violence and the indigenous people are mobilizing groups to defend their land. There could be more bloodshed and more death.” 

The situation in Nicaragua’s “mining triangle” and the Mayangna community of Musuwas is particularly tense, according to Rivera. The Nicaragua Dispatch tried unsuccessfully to reach the leaders of the Mayangna rebellion, who apparently are already out of cell-phone range in the mountains of Bosawás. 

Sources close to the Mayangna leaders say the group felt forced to take justice into their own hands because the government is not enforcing laws that guarantee their communal property rights. And after failing to meet with President Daniel Ortega last February, the Mayangnas are apparently done asking nicely. 

Rivera, whose YATAMA indigenous party is an ally of the ruling Sandinista Front, blames government institutions of being “inert,” despite President Ortega’s effort to create a special commission to deal with the problem last month. 

“The president emitted a decree to create a mixed commission to defend Mother Nature in the indigenous territories, but that commission has never met so there is no political will on the behalf of government institutions,” Rivera charged. “The commission has become an accomplice to the colonists who are invading indigenous territories.”

Rivera defends Ortega’s decree, even though no indigenous groups were given representation on the commission. The problem, the YATAMA leader says, is that the various institutions charged with forming the commission “don’t work.” 

As a result of government inefficiency, indigenous leaders are becoming even more desperate to defend their land by any means possible, Rivera says. The lawmaker says 19 of 21 indigenous territories are currently “contaminated” with mestizo colonists, who invade the land, clear the trees, sell the hardwood, plant grass and then illegally flip the pastures to cattle farmers. More than 50% of the 21,000 square kilometers of Bosawás forest has been partially deforested, including 12% of the forest’s nucleus, according to Rivera. 

“These groups are pretending to be poor campesinos who need the land to plant food, but they are really land traffickers who are backed by some very powerful economic interests,” Rivera charged. 

Still, the Mayangna’s interest in the matter is even more powerful than money, Rivera says. 

“At the core, this struggle is about the survival of the indigenous people and their cultures,” Rivera said. “If the colonists continue to destroy the natural habitat, then the indigenous communities will also disappear because the colonists are destroying the flora and fauna and the rivers—all that the indigenous communities depend on to survive.” 

Writing News

As part of the Day of Press Freedom, there have surfaced several revelations about the internal management of the press in the United States.  This would be the case of the former reporter Amber Lyon, who revealed that during her work for CNN, she was ordered to send false news and exclude some that the U.S. government did not favor in order to create a public opinion in favor to launch an attack against Iran and Syria.

Lyon was quoted by a Slovak news website saying that the media mainstream in the  U.S. intentionally work to create propaganda against Iran to get the support of public opinion for a military invasion against the country. She revealed that the scenario used before the war against Iraq is really being repeated, where Iran and Syria are constantly “demonized”.

The journalist said that the manipulation and manufacture of CNN printed news and their broadcast news continues selectively, claiming that the channel receives money from the U.S. Government and governments of other countries in return for news content.

Lyon is an American investigative journalist who has become known for reporting on human rights abuses against pro-democracy protesters in Bahrain, and police brutality against demonstrators in the United States. In June 2010, she began working for CNN, where she investigated sex trafficking, the Gulf oil spill, and the hacking collective known as Anonymous.

Another clear sign that the U.S. media do not publish all the news in the US is the situation that is recorded at Guantanamo.The hunger strike of prisoners in the country’s north could be published in the press, but the mainstream media are not U.S. backers for this story, reports the Center for Constitutional Rights in the United States, in a note published by the Venezuelan newspaper Correo del Orinoco.

The agency says that 130 prisoners in Guantanamo went on hunger strike for about seven weeks to protest the treatment and conditions in this prison.  This is the same prison as U.S. President Barack Obama promised to close in 2010.

Recently,  Obama said he would resume efforts to achieve the green light from Congress to close the Guantanamo prison, which is considered expensive, ineffective and a recruiting tool for extremists.

The authorities, meanwhile, continue to question the figures and point out that only 26 prisoners go hungry, while another 8 are fed by force. However, when the international news network Russia Today broke the story on March 12, U.S. officials denied it.

“We heard that lawyers are not allowed to visit the prisoners. Moreover, there is a big difference between what they say and what the administration lawyers report.  It shows that the administration is still trying to silence the situation, they do not want to diffuse.  And it means something serious is happening, “said investigative journalist Andy Worthington.

When consulting people on the US streets about if they think the story should be covered by the U.S. media, the answer was unequivocally positive. Meanwhile CNN, the most powerful chain in the country, ignores the issue of the hunger strike and focuses on other aspects such as, for example, how much money will be used to renovate the facility.

“No one talks about it. If this happened in Russia, if people had disappeared into a black hole illegally in Russia and faced indefinite incarceration without trial or charges, without access or lawyers, Western media have been full of this issue, “said British MP George Galloway.

In the news business, the media have to set priorities and choose the stories that deserve your attention. It turns out that not only the voices of the silenced are starving prisoners, but also citizens are who are left confused after learning the truth, and they choose to focus on manufactured media content instead.

  After the meeting, Ahmed al- Zend—Chairman of the Judges’ Club—organized a meeting with the club’s general assembly to include many other judicial authorities. The Egypt Independent cited, “The announcement, quoted by the state’s Middle East News Agency (MENA), comes amid rising tensions in the judicial sector as the Muslim Brotherhood pushes for a draft law that would bring changes to the laws governing judicial authorities, including a reduction of judges’ retirement age.” This change would mean that most of the currently seated judges would be forced into retirement. These potential vacancies would leave room for the Muslim Brotherhood to appoint judges inclined to their political agendas.

Al-Zend “pointed out that if the retirement age of judges was lowered to 65, then six judges in the Supreme Constitutional Court would be forced out, and that if it was lowered to 60, only one of the existing judges in that court would remain in his position,” according to Daily News Egypt. 

The Muslim Brotherhood recently claimed that the judiciary was extremely corrupt, which outraged the judges who demanded an apology. 

In related news, hundreds of Egyptians protested against President Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood in Tahrir Square recently, saying that the president has destroyed the judiciary. They want judiciary independence from any political coercion or influence, which will assure that legal decisions will be fair and devoid of bias.  

 The public is to believe that two immigrant Muslim residents, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, of Chechen parentage, committed a terrorist act against innocent men, women and children for reasons which may never truly be known, but seem to point to the older brother becoming “radicalized”. The media underpins the public perception that this kind of behavior is what can be expected from one’s Muslim neighbors, however peaceful they may appear. 

Reports are that the surviving brother, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, is hospitalized and cannot speak. However, Al- Arabiya News reports that before police took him into custody, he was able to post a message on Facebook disclaiming any part in the bombing, claiming that he was set up. The posting was subsequently removed. 

Numerous conflicting reports depart from the official version which, itself, has been subject to revision. Firstly, there was the Saudi national who was tagged as the terrorist, but then that idea was swiftly retracted. Even more puzzling, was the account of one Sunil Tripathi, a reportedly disaffected individual with a striking resemblance to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Tripathi had a troubled history that pointed to what one would look for in a bomber’s profile. He was reported missing in March, leaving behind a suicide note in his Philadelphia apartment. Any mention of Tripathi’s name in the mainstream media was swiftly buried when it came to light that his body was found in the Providence River, with apologies from Reddit for falsely identifying Tripathi as the second suspect. 

How is it that the FBI was, at first, unable to identify the suspects and asked for the public’s assistance, but then turned around to swiftly and positively identify the two brothers accused? This is troubling. If they had both been on the FBI radar in the past two years, investigated, interviewed, and cleared of any possible “terrorist involvement”, why was help needed to identify them from the photos publicized? 

Subsequently, the Head cross country coach at the University of Mobile, a respected marathon runner, at the beginning of the race reported seeing bomb-sniffing dogs and hearing loudspeakers assuring everyone that this was “just a drill.” Very soon after the bombing, the authorities denied that any such drill was being conducted at the time stated. 

More recently, the report that the two brothers robbed a 7-Eleven was also erroneous. Executives from that company released a statement that there must have been some misunderstanding. Margaret Chabris, the director of corporate communication at 7- Eleven, is reported as saying, “The suspect in the photos for that particular 7-Eleven robbery looks nothing like the suspects. The police or someone made a mistake. Someone was confused.” 

The biggest questions on everyone’s minds, at least those who refuse to accept the official version at face value, are: “Were the two brothers essentially loners who were `radicalized by renegade elements in the Islamic community? Were they double agents recruited by the FBI to infiltrate ‘radical Muslim cells’, who were then turned themselves by those they were recruited to infiltrate and so were led to commit the horrific act everyone witnessed on April 15th? 

There is some speculation that “… The Tsarnaevs’ recruitment by US intelligence as penetration agents against terrorist networks in southern Russia explains some otherwise baffling features of the event.” The two brothers attended an elite college in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The younger brother, Dzhokhar, was admitted and even granted a small scholarship, without being subjected to what is described as “exceptionally stiff standard conditions of admission.” Could this have been a stipulation made by the older brother as part payment for recruitment? 

According to the boys’ mother, “He was controlled by the FBI, like for three, five years,” she told Russia Today during an interview. “They knew what my son was doing, they knew what actions and what sites on the Internet he was going [to], they used to come…and talk to me…they were telling me that he was really a serious leader and they were afraid of him.” 

“How could this happen?…They were controlling every step of him, and they are telling today that this is a terrorist attack.” 

There are even some who conclude, “it looks like the FBI used a confidential informant (CI) to lure the brothers to the finish line of the Boston marathon so they could be set up as the patsies for this false flag event.” However, the establishment media continues trying to discredit anyone looking for, or suggesting, an alternative to the official version of the incident that is full of inconsistencies. 

In no uncertain terms does Islam, in any way, shape or form, either teach or condone violence towards innocent men, women, and children. On the contrary, the specific Islamic code of conduct at all times is exemplary. Such senseless attacks are criminal. There is no religious justification to perpetuate terror in your own backyard, so to speak. It practically amounts to soiling your own nest. Where then will you lay your head? Who does it serve? Not the thousands of law-abiding American Muslims who live at peace with their neighbors. This whole business rather serves those who want to engender fear, and keep it alive, to drive a wedge between Muslims and their Christian neighbors. 

Syedina Abu Bakr, the first caliph after the Holy Last Messenger’s (peace be upon him) passing away addressed the Muslim army setting out for Syria, which was then governed by the Byzantine Empire: 

Stop, O people, that I may give you ten rules for your guidance in the battlefield. Do not commit treachery or deviate from the right path. You must not mutilate dead bodies. Neither kill a child, nor a woman, nor an aged man. Bring no harm to the trees, nor burn them with fire, especially those which are fruitful. Slay not any of the enemy’s flock, save for your food. You are likely to pass by people who have devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them alone.” 

Any Muslim who disregards these rules of conduct is one who is ignorant of his religion or simply a criminal, not a zealot. And these rules would apply to a recognized war zone. 

It remains to be seen if Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, in critical condition in a Jewish hospital, will be trotted out for a courtroom trial to mollify the public, and whether mass media will continue to milk the “Muslim terrorist” angle, or seek to answer questions as responsible journalists for an unsuspecting public. 

As Glenn Greenwald, an American political journalist, who writes a column for The Guardian states: “The overarching principle here should be that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is entitled to a presumption of innocence until he is actually proven guilty. As so many cases have proven – from accused (but exonerated) anthrax attacker Stephen Hatfill to accused (but exonerated) Atlanta Olympic bomber Richard Jewell to dozens if not hundreds of Guantanamo detainees accused of being the “worst of the worst” but who were guilty of nothing – people who appear to be guilty based on government accusations and trials-by-media are often completely innocent. Media-presented evidence is no substitute for due process and an adversarial trial.” 

The obvious and real intention of the criminals behind this fallacious onslaught of inflammatory propaganda is to instigate fighting and violence between Muslims and Christians. This violence could be seen as a direct result of the publication of a most contentious, blatantly falsified book Twilight in America written by the fraud Martin Mawyer. He and his extremist cohorts , the Christian Action Network (CAN) who have publicized their intention to destroy Islam and Muslims, have resorted to all manner of deception and outright lies to frame and target American Muslims in general, the Muslims of the Americas, Inc., in particular, and their leaders as a ‘terrorist threat’ which seeks to take over America. Mawyer repeatedly makes reference to this in his book, going so far as to give an address of our peaceful community on the web, appealing to Americans to ‘do something’ about this alleged ‘terrorist threat’; even stooping to the ridiculous claim that the Muslim villages possess ‘weapons of mass destruction’! In the book,  Mawyer quotes extensively  Ali Aziz, an apparent NYPD informant planted amongst the Muslims of the Americas for eight years. The book reveals that Aziz has a checkered past and criminal history as a felon, having entered the United States illegally with fraudulent paperwork - issues which were used to coerce Ali into spying on behalf of NYPD. Yet, although apparently known as a liar and criminal, his false accounts have been taken as fact and fed the writing of Mawyer’s fallacious book. According to Mawyer, “Though the ‘deal’ gave the NYPD complete control over Ali, there were some perks to becoming the department’s undercover agent. Besides being provided a green card, giving him permanent U.S. residence status, Ali would be paid money— lots of money— for becoming a spy inside the MOA organization.” (Mawyer, Martin; Pierucci, Patti (2012-10-11). Twilight in America (pp. 191-192)

The attack in Virginia is a hateful spark ignited by the rhetoric of extremists such as Mawyer and his cohorts’ who broadcast anti-Islam ranting aimed at inciting unaware patriotic Americans to violent actions against Muslims of the Americas. The shooting incident in Virginia should be classified by federal and local law enforcement officials as a hate crime, necessitating our demand that they preserve and protect our villages from further assaults.

A recent Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) report documents the alarming increase in hate-incited attacks against Muslims, one of the most recent being the outright murder of a man who was pushed in the path of a subway train in New York City by a woman who believed he was a Muslim. In addition, it was reported that:

· A man of Afghan ethnicity was repeatedly stabbed by an attacker who is reported to have said he ‘doesn’t like Muslims’.

· Two teenage males beat a 70 year-old man after asking if he was Hindu or Muslim.

· Anti-Muslim hate speech is delivered to a right-wing Tea party gathering at a public school, during which it was said that ‘we are at war with Islam’ and that ‘Muslims will kill your children’.

· An Indiana man was prosecuted for setting fire to a mosque in Toledo, Ohio. Muslims in Fremont, California were put on increased vigilance after a man reportedly entered a mosque claiming he had a gun and threatened to kill all inside of the house of worship. A similar occurred in San Antonio, Texas.

· An incident in Philadelphia identified two members of extreme white supremacist groups who attacked two Muslims and were apprehended after bragging online of their crime.

These are a sampling of the epidemic of hate crimes across America and the proliferating threat of domestic extremism. Mawyer along with other deplorable, extremist hate-mongers such as Pamela Geller, whose organization paid the city of New York to advertise their incendiary propaganda on billboards on and around public transportation systems, are uninhibited from spouting their rabid Islamophobic rhetoric - despite that fact that US law protects its citizens against slander, libel and character defamation. Their affiliation and connections to the Zionists have been documented and proven. As such, they have unabashedly insulted and maligned the sacred holy book of Islam and produced blasphemous, mocking films, and burned Holy Qur’an which can never be destroyed – all actions which have been uncategorically rejected and condemned by true Christians.

Mawyer and his lies clearly depict his fraudulence because Christians, by and large do not tell lies. It is of the utmost urgency that the United States government, as well as local law enforcement officials, take all necessary and required actions to bring to an immediate halt the epidemic spread of the malicious falsehood and media terrorism which is evoking fear and hatred among the unwary public, and to prosecute the outright vicious physical attacks upon Muslims, our communities, and property. In addition, the media should be scrutinized and legally prevented from collusion with those whose hidden agenda is the malevolent spread of false and inflammatory propaganda under the ruse of the 1st Amendment right of free speech!

Serious concerns have repeatedly been conveyed to government and law enforcement officials for some time regarding the alarming increase in the broadcast media terrorism being engaged in by nefarious anti-Islam groups, with the most recent declaration being presented to United Nations Secretary General Ban-Ki-moon by a delegation from the International Quranic Open University and Muslims of the Americas emphatically requesting that this issue be addressed and the incendiary and violent actions of these extremist criminals be officially condemned by that international body. Further, the statement  implores the UN to demand that the perpetrating groups and individuals be held legally accountable for their irresponsible and inhumane actions and the tragic results of their media terrorism as well. In addition, we are petitioning US President Barack Obama, by means of an appeal requesting him to follow up, as he has stated, "protecting the rights of every citizen."

Under the high moral code of the Islamic way of life, Muslims choose to live in the bucolic peace and tranquility of rural America, protecting us and our families from the crime, perversion and profusely immoral environment which predominates in the cities.

We acknowledge the blessing of freedom in our country, where all may practice the tenets of their faith without fear of reprisal or harm. This is a right whose enforcement is assured by our government. We are indigenous United States citizens – America is our home!

We participate in elections, share concerns in our communities, volunteer and take part when disasters struck our neighbors near and far – an obligation in Islam which is done for the Sake of Almighty God.

We will never resort to attacking anyone; we will not be provoked into a cataclysmic ‘clash of civilizations’. This will not happen for Christians and Muslims will unite.

We will utilize the US courts to exact our legal rights, making these criminal extremists accountable for their crimes which, if successful, will adversely affect not only Muslims, but all of humanity. Almighty God has declared that Muslims and Christians are brethren who must and will become one dynamic body against those who seek to destroy religion and mankind as well.

Regards,

Matthew Gardner

Deputy Director, Virginia

Muslims of the Americas

Austria has had a checkered history when it comes to relations with Muslims, but its 100-year-old Law on Islam is seen as a symbol of tolerance.
Islam has been an officially recognised religion in Austria for 100 years. The law gives Muslims the same rights as other officially recognized religions in Austria, such as Catholicism, Lutheranism, Judaism and Buddhism. The century of the Islamic Law was commemorate with a program attended by senior members of the Austrian government and the Muslim community. Also in attendance were key ministers, European officials and Austrian President, Heinz Fisher.  The event started with recitation from the Holy Quran and ended with a stunning performance by the renowned Islamic artist Maher Zain.  People of all professions and walks of life attended.
The Law on Islam, described as unique in Europe by members of the Austrian Islamic Community, guarantees Muslims in the country wide-ranging rights including religious education in state schools, administration of internal affairs and public worship.
In a speech at Vienna's neo-Gothic town hall, where the ceremonies were held, the head of Austria's Islamic Community, Fuat Sanac, described the law as an example for the rest of Europe. Islam in Austria, he said, was seen by most people as enrichment, not as a danger.
President Heinz Fischer called for peaceful and respectful relations. He stressed that Austria's official religions, because of their legal status, were obliged to "respect and accept the laws of the state".
A Vienna City councilor, Omar Al-Rawi, says the law does much to integrate Muslims into Austria, giving them a sense of being accepted.
"Austria is a model in Europe in dealing with Islam, but the Austrian Muslims are also a European model," he said.
"The Muslims know that with rights there are also obligations and duties. And if you have a lot of rights and benefits, you also have something to lose," he said.
"Austrian Muslims go all over the world saying we are Austrians, we belong to this country that gave us respect and recognition and gave us a lot of benefits that even some Muslim countries don't enjoy. And that is why they are very proud saying that they are Austrians."
Turmoil of war
The Law on Islam was brought into force in 1912, under the Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph, as a result of Austria's annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
It began as an attempt to integrate Muslim Bosnian soldiers into the Habsburg Army, and referred at first just to adherents of the "Hanafi rite of Islam". It was later expanded to include all Muslims who are now represented by the Austrian Islamic Community.
After the empire collapsed at the end of World War I, Austria's Muslim population was reduced to a few hundred people.
But it started growing after World War II with the arrival of Turkish and Yugoslav workers in the 1960s and Bosnian refugees in the 1990s.
Now about half a million Muslims live in Austria, about 6% of the population. In Vienna, Islam is the second-largest religious grouping, after Roman Catholicism.
About 60,000 children take part in Muslim religious education classes in Austrian state schools, according to the Islamic Community. The classes are held in German.

During the partition of the Sub-continent, like other princely states, the people of the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), comprised of an overwhelming Muslim majority, decided to join Pakistan - according to the British-led formula. But Dogra Raja, Sir Hari Singh --a Hindu who was ruling over J&K in connivance with the Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Lord Mountbatten, the then Governor General of India-- joined India.

Kashmiris living both sides of the Line of Control observe Black Day each year on October 27 to protest against India’s occupation of Jammu and Kashmir. The day is marked with a total shutdown in Indian controlled Kashmir. On this very day, Pakistanis and Kashmiris across the globe express solidarity with the freedom fighters of Kashmiri people, demanding their legitimate right of self-determination from India which continues various forms of brutalities in order to suppress their popular movement.

The design to forcibly wrest Kashmir began to unfold on August 16, 1947, with the announcement of the Radcliffe Boundary Award. When the Award was announced, it did a great injustice by awarding the Gurdaspur District - a majority-Muslim area - to India, so as to provide a land route for the Indian armed forces to move into Kashmir.

There was a rebellion in the state forces, which revolted against the Maharaja and were joined by Pathan tribesmen who voluntarily joined the rebels. Lord Mountbatten decided to immediately send senior army and air force commanders to land in Srinagar.

When Pakistan responded militarily against the Indian aggression, on December 31, 1947, India made an appeal to the UN Security Council to intervene and a ceasefire ultimately came into effect on January 01, 1949, following UN resolutions calling for a plebiscite in Kashmir.

Notably, the Security Council adopted Resolution 47 (1948) of April 21 ,1948, which promised a plebiscite under UN auspices to enable the people of Jammu and Kashmir to determine whether they wished to join Pakistan or India. On February 5, 1964, India backed out of its promise of holding the plebiscite. Instead, in March 1965, the Indian Parliament passed a bill, declaring Kashmir a province of India-an integral part of the Indian union.

The very tragedy of Kashmiris had started after 1947, when they were denied their genuine right of self-determination. They organised themselves against the injustices of India and launched a war of liberation which New Delhi tried to suppress through various forms of brutalities.

Passing through various phases, during and after the partition, the struggle of Kashmiris - which has become an interaction between the Indian state terrorism led by the Indian security forces and war of liberation by the freedom fighters - keeps on going unabated.

Various forms of state terrorism have been part of a deliberate campaign by the Indian army against Muslim Kashmiris, especially since 1989. It has been manifested in brutal tactics such as crackdowns, curfews, illegal detentions, massacre, targeted killings, sieges, burning of houses, torture, disappearances, rape, breaking of legs, molestation of Muslim women and killing of persons through fake encounters.

According to a recent report on human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir by the Indian Army and its paramilitary forces, there have been deaths of 93,274 innocent Kashmiris since 1989. Besides this alarming figure of open killings, there have been 6,969 custodial killings, 117,345 arrests, and the destruction and razing of 105,861 houses. The brutal Indian security forces have orphaned over 107, 351 children, widowed 22,728 women and gang raped 9,920 women. In June 2010 only, there have been 33 deaths including four children besides, molested eight women, torturing and injuring 572 people. Over the two decades of violence in Jammu and Kashmir, Human Rights Watch has called for the repeal of those laws which provide the armed forces with extraordinary powers to search, detain, and use lethal force, leading to numerous human rights violations. They also provide immunity for security forces; their prosecutions, even where the facts are well established, are rare.

Amnesty International has also pointed out grave human rights violations in the Indian-occupied Kashmir by indicating: “The Indian government’s disregard for human rights in Jammu and Kashmir means that in practice, people reportedly died in custody and that the whereabouts of the disappeared persons continue to be unknown…government forces continue to commit serious violations of humanitarian law…the Muslim majority population in the Kashmir Valley suffers from the repressive tactics of the security forces. Under the Jammu and Kashmir Disturbed Areas Act and the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act and Public Safety Act, security forces personnel have extraordinary powers to shoot suspected lawbreakers, and to destroy structures suspected of harboring militants or arms.”

At present, Indian military and paramilitary troops are using all inhuman techniques of ethnic cleansing to disturb the majority population of the Kashmiris, which had been practised by the Serb forces on Bosnian and Kosovar Muslims.

It is of particular attention that in 2008, a rights group reported unmarked graves in 55 villages across the northern regions of Baramulla, Bandipore and Handwara. Then researchers and other groups reported finding thousands of single and mass graves without markers. In this regard, in the last few years, rights groups discovered nearly 3,000 unnamed graves in the various districts of Kashmir.

In this respect, in August, 2011, the Indian Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) officially acknowledged in its report that innocent civilians killed in the two-decade conflict have been buried in unmarked graves. The report indicated 2,156 unidentified bodies which were found in mass graves in various regions of Indian-held Kashmir. Notably, foreign sources and human rights organisations have disclosed that unnamed graves include those innocent persons killed by the Indian military and paramilitary troops in fake encounters, including those who were tortured to death by the Indian secret agency RAW.

Indian forces have intermittently been employing various patterns of military terrorism to maintain their alien rule on these occupied territories, but it seems that non-condemnation of these acts by the so-called US-led civilised international community has further encouraged New Delhi to continue its brutalities on the armless Kashmiri masses. Indian authorities are not willing to talk with Kashmiri people on political grounds as they have decided that only bullets are the right way of dealing with them.

But despite the employment of various forms of state terrorism in the Indian-held Kashmir, the war of liberation by the Kashmiri people will continue until they get their legitimate right of self-determination as recognised by the UN resolutions.

- Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

Actress Cindy Lee Garcia sought a restraining order against the online video giant, claiming that she was duped into appearing in the controversial production,Innocence of Muslims.But, on October 19, US District judge Michael W. Fitzgerald rejected the request, and set another hearing for November 19.

Garcia says she thought she signed up for a film called Desert Warrior about life 2,000 years ago, and only realized her lines had been dubbed over when the row erupted last month with anti-US demonstrations.

She is one of at least three actresses in the film to come forward claiming they were tricked into taking part in the film, which falsely depicts the Holy Last Messenger Muhammed (peace be upon him) and attributes wicked deeds only the miscreant producers themselves would perform.

In an initial lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles Supreme Court last month, Garcia alleged she has suffered severe emotional distress, financial setbacks and the “destruction of her career and reputation,” as a result of the shady practices of the filmmakers.

Judge Louis Lavin refused her request for a restraining order to prevent YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, from continuing to show the 14-minute package of clips from the film.

Her lawyer therefore took the legal case to the federal court in Santa Clarita, California.

The English version of the trailer, which has been withdrawn from YouTube in a number of countries, includes blatantly dubbed over parts of dialogue, and the blessed name of Our Master Muhammad (peace be upon him) was added post production.

The 55-year-old behind the film, Mark Basseley Youssef — previously known as Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, and Sam Bacile, among other pseudonyms — was arrested last month.

He appeared for a second time in court last week to deny violating the terms of probation for a 2010 banking fraud conviction.

-Sapa/AFP

The United Nations is duty bound to take a keen interest in those people who are destroying and weakening America. These often unseen forces, this ‘hidden hand’, has aggressively entered preemptive wars, permitted spying on innocent citizens in places of worship, carried out torture, and secretly detained Muslims without benefit of charges. Furthermore, libel and slander are running rampant against Muslim leaders and organizations, while freedom of speech is manipulated to inhibit truth and encourage malicious lies in print and film designed to malign the peaceful religion of Al-Islam and the Holy Last Messenger, Muhammad (peace be upon him). Freedom of speech does not, and has not ever, granted permission to place another person’ life in danger and peril by instilling trauma and fear against a group.

Muslims have lived in harmony for hundreds of years alongside their brothers and sisters of other faiths and this tradition has been upheld by Muslims living in America in peace and prosperity. American Muslims love their country, love their religion, have respect for the law and the Constitution, and have done nothing to warrant this “war” against Islam. Muslims represent the fastest growing religion in America and expect, like Christian minorities living amicably in other countries for centuries, to be able to live without oppression and retaliation for matters not caused by them. Check history and we will see that Muslims did not push America into war in Iraq. Who were those in the American government who created the lie of “weapons of mass destruction”? Muslims did not push America to wage war in Afghanistan, but what of the elements within the American government that are known friends of the Saudi Arabia regimes who fund the Taliban and other non-Muslim wahabi factions. Thousands of American veterans have been killed with tens of thousands wounded to fight in senseless wars where millions of innocent civilians have perished. Whose enemy do they fight?

The extremist Zionist controlled-media has been used to deceive and manipulate the American people into believing that Muslims are enemies of Americans. This deception plays a large role in major historical events such as when Americans were deceived when led to believe there was a surprise attack on December 7, 1941 against Pearl Harbor. However, the truth has been revealed that there were those in the U.S. Government who were fully aware of the planned attack and used Pearl Harbor tragedy as an excuse to enter World War II. Most recently, history has repeated itself in the well-orchestrated 9/11 attack, blamed on Muslims within hours without any evidence, but as the truth prevails, it is found that the entire operation was a “false flag”. This terrible tragedy was orchestrated to bring about an immediate loss of civil liberties, thus launching a preemptive war; further deviating from the traditions set by the founding fathers of the United States of America.

President John F. Kennedy, in an address to the American press in 1961, warned of the dangers of what we see happening today in the American government with the aid of extremist Zionist controlled-media. The United Nations is duty-bound to take immediate action to prevent what Kennedy so astutely conveyed:

“The very word "secrecy" is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are, as a people, inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it…. Even today, there is little value in insuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do not survive with it. And there is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon those anxious to expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and concealment… For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence--on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by night instead of armies by day. It is a system which has conscripted vast human and material resources into the building of a tightly knit, highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific and political operations.” (The President and the Press, April 27, 1961)

President John F. Kennedy was subsequently assassinated.

Secretary-General, in your recent address on United Nations Day 2012, you declared “The United Nations is a peacekeeper disarming fighters, a health worker distributing medicine, a relief team aiding refugees, a human rights expert helping deliver justice.” Today, justice is not being served in America; peace has been exchanged for war, human rights are being violated, Muslims in America are being persecuted through the use of media terrorism designed to incite fear and paranoia in the American people while igniting hatred between Christians and Muslims. The United Nations must protect the Muslims and call to account those who choose to violate law abiding, peace keeping citizens. Anywhere in world, Christians are fully protected with full freedom to practice the rites of their religion. America does not belong to any one religious group, but belongs to all who live here and Muslims should be granted those same freedoms without infringement.

Stop the media terrorists and hate groups that fund and support drunks, criminals and frauds to boisterously spout lies that only serve to bring about a clash between Muslims and Christians. It is known that Muslims believe in Jesus Son of Mary and accept the book he brought as a Holy book. The Holy Quran, which was burnt by so-called Pastor Terry Jones, actually contains five chapters of Jesus son of Mary and his blessed mother refuting lies against her and confirming that he was pious not illegitimate, but from his chaste mother. Jones and others like him are the socially rejected, the criminal, and the exiled who find ways to gain popularity and fortune at the expense of millions of Muslims living peacefully in America.

Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, recently produced the filthy film “Innocence of Muslims”, which flagrantly defamed the noble character of the Holy Last Messenger (peace be upon him), provoking riots, violence and deaths in several countries. Nakoula is a known felon who received money and support from many places and familiar anti-Islam faces to further his quest for fame and fortune. One of Nakoula’s supporters draws connection to Martin Mawyer, the drunkard and fraud who heads the Christian Action Network, who has found his fame and fortune by falsely accusing, then writing a book of lies about the community of The Muslims of the Americas (MOA), comprised of indigenous American Muslims living in rural, peaceful villages. Mawyer is attempting to provoke hysteria and fear in neighbors, friends and law enforcement to provoke violent actions against the Muslims of the Americas by falsely accusing the villages of housing bunkers and tanks while holding secret military training against their own countrymen - a ludicrous notion. In America, many religious minorities live in peace in their own villages and towns. American Muslims must be afforded the same rights without threat or incitement of fear.

These desperate individuals who lead the incitement of hate and violence had no jobs, no means of living, and were found as front men for these malicious attacks in exchange for popularity and fortune at the expense of Muslims who have committed no crime. As a peacekeeper in global affairs, the United Nations must act to preserve human life and stop the oppression that is being allowed to fester in the United States of America; even ignored in courts of law. Bring these men and others who follow suit, to justice for their crusade against Islam.

The government dropped 80% of its case, including all Espionage Act charges, after Kiriakou pleaded guilty to violating the Intelligence Identities Protection Act (IIPA). There are no reported cases interpreting the Espionage Act because it’s nearly impossible to prove -- “outing” a torturer.

“Outing” is in 

quotes because the charge is not that Kiriakou’s actions resulted in a public disclosure of the name of the torturer, but that through a chain of causation Guantanamo torture victims learned the name of one of their oppressors.

Regardless, how does outing a torturer hurt the national security of the US? It is like arguing that outing a Nazi guarding a concentration camp would hurt the national security of Germany.

In the last couple of weeks, it became public that the CIA officer listed as “Officer A” in the John Kiriakou complaint has been revealed to be Thomas Donahue Fletcher, born in 1953. Journalists have known the identity of this person prior to August 2008, when Kiriakou allegedly confirmed the identity in an email to Matthew Cole, formerly of ABC News. Thomas Donahue Fletcher was the chief of the Headquarters Based Rendition Group and was personally responsible for the rendition of Abu Zubaydah (as well as other high-value detainees) to the CIA black site in Thailand and witnessed and played a role in Zubaydah’s torture.

John Kiriakou’s guilty plea is the tragic bookend to the torture narrative: Kiriakou will be going to jail, while Fletcher happily enjoys retirement in Virginia, safe with protection.

Here is a rogue’s gallery of some of the people who got away with torture, in addition to Fletcher:

Jose Rodriguez, Enrique “Ricky” Prado, Alfreda Bikowsky, all of the lawyers who said it was legal (including my law school contemporary, John Yoo-- enjoying his tenured professorship at a prestigious law school) and now-federal judge Jay Bybee, twisted psychiatrists --including criminal contractors James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen-- not to mention all of the names we still do not know of the anonymous masked brutes who kidnapped, rendered, beat, waterboarded, and deprived prisoners of the most basic of human dignities.

The only person to be criminally prosecuted, and now jailed, as a result of the Bush-era torture regime is John Kiriakou, who refused to participate in torture, helped expose the program, and said on national television that torture was wrong.

Lack of prosecution for torture itself spans both administrations. The UK Guardian reported that two days after 9/11, the head of counter-terrorism under the Bush administration, Cofer Black, was bragging about leaving suspects with “flies walking across their eyeballs” and proposing the CIA’s extraordinary rendition program, which resulted in the torture and death of a still unknown number of people.

Whether those people committed any crime, much less terrorism, will probably never be fully known.

-Jesselyn Radack is the director of National Security & Human Rights at the Government Accountability Project. This article originally appeared in the Daily Kos and was edited by The Islamic Post.