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Reuters – November 6, 2008
Muslims, Christians vow to jointly combat terror
VATICAN CITY, Nov 6, 2008: Catholic and Muslim religious leaders at unprecedented Vatican meetings vowed today to work together to combat violence and terrorism, especially when carried out in God’s name. At the end of three days of meetings, the 58 scholars and leaders — 29 from each side — issued a 15-point joint declaration which also included an appeal for the defense of minority religions.
The meetings came two years after the Pope gave a speech alleging Islam was violent and irrational, sparking angry protests in the Middle East. The Muslims formed their group to refute that speech and seek better mutual understanding.
“We profess that Catholics and Muslims are called to be instruments of love and harmony among believers, and for humanity as a whole, renouncing any oppression, aggressive violence and terrorism, especially that committed in the name of religion, and upholding the principle of justice for all,” the declaration said.
It also called for respect for religious minorities, adding that they should be “entitled to their own places of worship, and their founding figures and symbols they consider sacred should not be subjected to any form of mockery or ridicule”.
The declaration’s words about avoiding mockery or ridicule appeared to be a reference to events in 2006, when a Danish newspaper printed cartoons of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), sparking violent protests in the Islamic world.
Earlier in the day, Pope Benedict said Muslims and Christians shared moral values and should defend them together. “There is a great and vast field in which we can act together in defending and promoting the moral values which are part of our common heritage,” the German-born pope said.
“We should thus work together in promoting genuine respect for the dignity of the human person and fundamental human rights, even though our anthropological visions and our theologies justify this in different ways.”
The Vatican has also participated in inter-faith talks launched this year by Saudi Arabian King Abdullah, who will meet other heads of state in New York this week to promote his initiative.
These and other dialogues reflect a new urgency Muslim leaders have felt after the Sept 11 attacks, the “clash of civilizations” theory and the pope’s 2006 speech in Regensburg showed a widening gap between the world’s two largest faiths…..
SJP press release - November 14, 2008
Palestinian students assaulted at UC Berkeley, CA
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) of UC Berkeley, CA has expressed its deep concern about a violent attack on three Arab Palestinian students on the evening of November 13, 2008 around 6:00PM, and called upon campus administrators and authorities to immediately investigate the incident and bring those responsible to justice.
According to dozens of witnesses on the scene, three organizers for the "Zionist Freedom Alliance" attacked one male and two female Arab students who stood nearby the event holding a Palestinian flag.
The assailants were identified by the Daily Californian to include current ASUC student senator John Moghtader, Cal alumnus Gabe Weiner, and performer Yehuda De sa. The paper also reported that all three had been cited by the UC Police Department on several counts of battery.
The three Arab students had decided to display the flag as a silent statement after hearing offensive anti-Arab remarks at the concert. They did not attempt to interfere with the event. Shortly after they put their flags on display, the assailants were seen angrily rushing into Eshleman Hall and disturbing several meetings to reach the protestors who were located on the 2nd floor balcony. Students on the scene report that the men were yelling racial epithets directed at Arabs and Palestinians.
When the assailants arrived at the balcony, they attempted to push the protestors aside and take their flags away. Witnesses claim that the assailants eventually knocked one protestor against the balcony railing, with a scuffle ensuing where two Arab students, one male and one female, were hit several times. Within a few minutes the assailants began to rush away, though a small group of their supporters had followed them upstairs. Throughout the process the assailants and their supporters were also overheard making remarks like, "we're about to take care of some f***ing Palestinians, " and "you Arab dogs, we will kill you."
The group of assailants was eventually pushed away by a crowd of students who were waiting for the police to arrive and collect statements. One of the assailants accused his victims of assaulting him, causing citations to be issued on the victims despite the testimony of several witnesses on the scene refuting the claim. Fortunately nobody was seriously hurt during the ordeal.
In a statement the SJP said it is concerned by the willful and concerted escalation to violence by these individuals, who are members of student organization Tikvah. “SJP disagrees with the Daily Californians characterization of the event as the result of "tensions between Palestinian and Jewish students." In fact, the incident was isolated, and the assailants are not representative of the Jewish community at Cal. After a series of similar threatening encounters with a handful of individuals this semester, SJP members began to document these incidents. Two of the attackers, John Moghtader and Gabe Weiner, were involved in another outburst at a campus lecture last month that led the Jewish Student Union to place Tikvah on probation [1, 2].”
The SJP called upon campus administrators to pursue the incident immediately, and for students to remain committed to resolving their political differences through peaceful dialogue and discussion.
Earlier on September 17, the SJP sign-board on the bridge near Sather Gate had been vandalized and destroyed. The sign was broken in half, its pieces left in place for passersby to see. No other signboards from other student organizations were targeted.
ACLU - November 19, 2008
ACLU sues to free American citizen imprisoned in
the Mideast on the orders of the U.S. government
LOS ANGELES, Calif. –The ACLU of Southern California has filed a lawsuit to force the release of an American citizen who has been imprisoned for 80 days without charge in the United Arab Emirates at the behest of the U.S. government.
The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Washington, D.C., alleges that Naji Hamdan was arrested August 29 by security agents for the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) who were acting at the behest of U.S. government officials. Because Hamdan is effectively in U.S. custody, and because U.S. officials have not charged him with any crime, they must abide by the Constitution and request his release, the lawsuit states.
"U.S. government officials cannot contract away their obligations under the Constitution by asking a foreign government to detain an American whom they couldn't detain themselves," said Ahilan Arulanantham, Director of Immigrants' Rights and National Security for the ACLU of Southern California.
Hamdan, who was born in Lebanon, lived for two decades in the Los Angeles area, where he ran an auto-parts business and helped manage the Islamic Center of Hawthorne, a mosque and community center. In 2006 he decided to relocate his family and business to the U.A.E., but when the Hamdans tried to board a flight at Los Angeles International Airport, FBI agents separated him from his wife and children, detained him, and questioned him for hours. He was eventually released and allowed to travel, but when he returned to Los Angeles in early 2007 to check on his business, he was kept under close, constant surveillance by the FBI.
This summer FBI agents traveled from Los Angeles to the U.A.E. to question Hamdan further. Three weeks later he was detained by U.A.E. security agents. Since then, both U.S. and U.A.E. officials have refused to deny that the U.S. is responsible for his detention.
Arulanantham said the case is disturbing not only because Hamdan’s civil rights have been violated, but because the U.S. government has a pattern of disregarding the Constitution by orchestrating the arrests of people overseas by other governments.
"Sadly, this is not the first time that the U.S. government has asked another country to arrest someone whom our government had no legal authority to detain. That the government has done this to a U.S. citizen using a country that has a record of torturing prisoners, as the U.A.E. does, is particularly frightening," Arulanantham said.
A McClatchy Newspapers report adds:
The case of Naji Hamdan, coupled with FBI interrogations of at least one other U.S. citizen interrogated by the FBI while secretly detained without charges in East Africa, raises the question of whether the Bush administration has asked other nations to hold Americans suspected of terrorism links whom U.S. officials lack the evidence to charge.
FBI headquarters disputed the allegation that it had asked the UAE to arrest Hamdan but acknowledged that it routinely interviews detainees held in foreign jails.
"The FBI does not ask foreign nations to detain U.S. citizens on our behalf in order to circumvent their rights," said Special Agent Richard Kolko , a spokesman. "In terrorism matters, we routinely work with foreign counterparts and in some cases, with the permission of the host government, FBI Agents have been permitted to interview people who may possess relevant information."
A State Department spokesman said the department had been aware of Hamdan's detention and that a U.S. consular officer visited him nearly two months after he was arrested.
Associated Press – November 20, 2008
Judge orders release of 5 terror suspects at Gitmo
By LARA JAKES JORDAN
WASHINGTON – A federal judge Thursday ordered the release of five Algerians held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the continued detention of a sixth in a major blow to the Bush administration's strategy to capture terror suspects without charges.
In the first case of its kind, U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon said the government's evidence linking the five Algerians to al-Qaida was not credible as it came from a single, unidentified source. Therefore, he said the five could not be held indefinitely as enemy combatants, and should be released immediately.
"To allow enemy combatancy to rest on so thin a reed would be inconsistent with the court's obligation," Leon told the crowded courtroom. As a result, "the court must and will grant the petitioners and order their release," he said.
As for the sixth Algerian, Belkacem Bensayah, Leon said there was enough reason to believe he was close to an al-Qaida operative and had sought to help others travel to Afghanistan to join the terrorists' fight against the United States and its allies.
One of the men to be released is Lakhdar Boumediene, whose landmark Supreme Court case last summer gave the Guantanamo detainees the right to challenge their imprisonment.
The Algerians' attorneys said they would appeal Bensayah's detention but hugged each other and colleagues in congratulations after Leon's ruling.
Leon also called on senior leaders at the Justice Department and other government agencies involved in the case to not appeal his ruling.
He said the five Algerians already have been improperly held for seven years, and deserve to go home. An appeal could delay their release for up to another two years, Leon said.
"This is a unique case," Leon said, trying to assuage any Justice Department fears that hundreds of other detainees also could be released based on Thursday's ruling. "Few if any others will be factually like it. Nobody should be lulled into a false sense that all of the ... cases will look like this one."
The case marks the first ruling since the Supreme Court cleared the way last June for civilian courts to hear challenges by detainees being held indefinitely without charges……
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081120/ap_on_go_ot/guantanamo_detainees
CAIR Bulletin – November 20, 2008
Muslim coalition releases critique
of NYPD radicalization report
New York City – Nov 20, 2008 – The New York Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition today released its critique of a controversial report from the New York Police Department about the threat of domestic radicalization.
Made up of prominent Muslim advocates, attorneys, and community leaders, the Coalition called on the NYPD to update its report on "Radicalization in the West: The Home Grown Threat" to address its civil liberties implications. The group also released a set of recommendations intended to increase cooperation and trust between the NYPD and Muslim community.
MACLC was created after national and local Muslim American leaders agreed that the release of the NYPD 2007 report, if implemented, would entail a serious breach of First Amendment rights to religious freedom. The controversial report, which falsely alludes to the susceptibility of all Muslim males aged 16 to 45 to terrorist ideology, is methodologically weak and more confusing than illuminating. While not intending to profile Islam and Muslims, the report does exactly that.
"Unquestionably, all criminal acts of violence are unacceptable and prevention requires a well-researched report to guide responsible policing," said Faiza Ali, CAIR-NY Community Affairs Director and co-author of MACLC's critique. "The study of violent extremism, however, should decouple religion from terror to safeguard civil liberties on free speech and equal protection grounds as a matter of strong public policy."
The critique addresses MACLC concerns over the report, and puts forward suggestions for how the NYPD can proceed in order to create sound policies that advance the security and safety for all Americans, as well as build better relations between police and the communities it serves.
"Muslim Americans need an independent, organized voice to proactively respond to the religious and racial profiling that has come under the umbrella of post-9/11 counterterrorism policies," said Sarah Sayeed, MACLC critique co-author and representative from the Muslim Consultative Network/Women in Islam, Inc.
Members of MACLC stressed that engagement and consultation with community-based organizations. Protecting civil liberties and preventing racial, religious, and ethnic profiling/bias are also essential and non-negotiable components of effective security policy.
"U.S. domestic security does not have to come at the cost of Muslim American marginalization," said Naoma Nagahawatte, MPAC New York City Director, and MACLC critique contributor.
Civil liberties groups across New York joined the coalition, signing on to the critique and recommendations which were submitted to Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.
"Accepting the [NYPD] report's conclusions will lead to increased levels of religious and racial profiling in violation of constitutional norms," said Ellen Fisher, researcher with the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU's Law School. "Producing an effective response to the report is all the more urgent because the danger it poses is not confined to New York."
Sundeep Singh, Community Organizer with the Sikh Coalition added, "We are concerned that the NYPD's report will only lead to more unjust profiling of Muslims and Arabs in New York and perpetuate the myth that all Muslims are suspected terrorists. This is of great concern to the Sikh community, as Sikhs are commonly mistaken to be Muslims and/or Arabs. We stand with the Muslim community against racial and religious profiling and urge the NYPD to cease this dangerous practice."
Created in 2007, MACLC exists for the purpose of articulating a New York-specific Muslim perspective on law enforcement, homeland security, civil liberties, and counterterrorism decision-making. MACLCs vision is to promote a dialogue with law enforcement and the American Muslim community that upholds local and national security interests without infringing on civil liberties.
Muslim community statement to the NYPD Commissioner:
November 23, 2007
Honorable Raymond Kelly
Police Commissioner of NYPD
One Police Plaza
New York, NY 10038
Dear Commissioner Kelly:
Please find enclosed a statement of some Muslim community concerns regarding the Bhatt and Silber report, Radicalization in the West: the Home Grown Threat. We look forward to hearing your responses to these concerns on Monday, and we hope that Monday’s meeting will be the start of a process of honest and productive dialogue addressing and correcting the dangerous misconceptions evident in the report.
On the basis of this meeting and the enclosed statement, we urge you to take the following immediate action:
- To cease distribution of the report to other jurisdictions’ law enforcement agencies while the NYPD carefully responds to and corrects the report’s misconceptions and errors;
- To clarify what policies have been adopted by the NYPD as a consequence of the report, and in particular respond to concerns expressed in the Community Statement submitted by diverse Muslim community representatives;
- To issue a public statement to the effect that the NYPD is working with members of the Muslim community of New York on developing a sound, rights-respecting policy on “radicalization” that will not lead to religious or racial profiling;
- To commit NYPD to a regular schedule of ongoing dialogue to address the issues identified in the attached statement.
We thank for your attention and look forward to our discussion.
UPI - Nov. 21, 2008
Michael Jackson converts to Islam
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Pop star Michael Jackson has converted to Islam at a ceremony in Los Angeles attended by Yousef Islam, the singer formerly known as Cat Stevens, sources say.
Jackson, whose once-amazing career has been eclipsed in recent years by reports of bizarre behavior, as well as legal and financial troubles, is said to have changed his name to Mikaeel and taken the shahada -- or made a declaration of belief -- as part of his conversion to Islam, Al-Arabiya said Friday.
The religious ceremony reportedly took place at the Hollywood Hills home of Toto keyboardist Steve Porcaro, who composed music for Jackson's iconic "Thriller" album.
Jackson's lawyer said the singer has agreed to testify in person next week at a $7 million breach-of-contract lawsuit brought against him in London's High Court by the king of Bahrain's son, Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa.
The sheikh is suing Jackson for allegedly backing out of a business venture that was to produce an album, including songs the royal wrote for and planned to record with Jackson, as well as an autobiography and a stage play.
However, Jackson contends he never signed an official agreement and insists the payments he received from the sheik were "gifts," claiming the royal's case is based on "mistake, misrepresentation and undue influence."
http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2008/11/21/Report_Michael_Jackson_converts_to_Islam/UPI-13801227284529/
ADC Press Release – November 26, 2008
ICE Targets Immigrants from Muslim Majority
Countries Prior to 2004 Presidential Election
Washington, DC - November 26, 2008 - The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) today made public documents released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of a secret government program dubbed “Operation Front Line.”
The program, ostensibly designed to prevent “terrorist” activity around the 2004 Presidential election, instead primarily targeted men from Muslim-majority countries without links to any national security-related activity.
Operation Front Line ran from October 2004 through the Presidential Inauguration in January 2005.
The information was produced in partial settlement of a Freedom of Information Act suit by Yale Law School's National Litigation Project and follows previous litigation by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC).
Pursuant to the settlement, ICE released data from a statistically significant random sample of 300 cases investigated under Operation Front Line. Key findings include:
- of the foreign nationals targeted by Operation Front Line were from Muslim-majority countries.
- Deportable foreign nationals from Muslim-majority countries were 1,280 times more likely to be targeted by Operation Front Line than were similar individuals from other countries.
- Operation Front Line investigations included in the sample led to no charges (and no convictions) for national-security related crimes.
- Only 18% of Operation Front Line targets were charged with any immigration violation, the most common being overstaying a visa (36% of all charges filed).
This data clearly shows that under Operation Front Line (i.e. the “October Plan”), ICE targeted foreign nationals from Muslim-majority countries. Seventy-nine percent of foreign nationals investigated in this random sample came from Muslim-majority countries.
Of the 300 case files, the leading countries were Pakistan with 95, Turkey with 43, South Africa with 30, Morocco with 17, and Egypt with 14. According to Department of Homeland Security statistics, citizens from Muslim-majority countries were 1,280 times more likely to be targeted by Operation Front Line than citizens from other countries. Moreover, 76 percent of those investigated were men.
Of the 300 cases, 53—or only 18 percent—had alleged immigration violations. The most common allegation, with 19 individuals, was overstaying a visa. Twelve individuals were alleged to have fraudulent passports or visas. Furthermore, of the 56 cases in which ICE provided final dispositions, the vast majority were issued Notices to Appear and processed for removal proceedings. Only three individuals received criminal prison sentences, and all three were sentenced to time served.
Description of Operation Front Line Initiative
According to the records, ICE launched Operation Front Line (“Operation Front Line I”) in May 2004 to identify foreign nationals, both known and unknown to the U.S. government, who pose an elevated risk to national security. Operation Front Line I supported the government-wide Department of Homeland Security Interagency Security Plan that remained in effect through the Presidential Inauguration in January 2005.
Pursuant to the initiative, ICE Headquarters analyzed data from immigration databases—including the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS), Student and Exchange Information System (SEVIS), and the United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program (US-VISIT)—to identify persons with possible issues related to national security and immigration violations. ICE Headquarters then generated leads for ICE field offices to further develop violations and eventually remove persons in violation. From May 2004 to February 24, 2005, ICE investigated a total of 291 Operation Front Line I cases, resulting in 60 arrests.
On October 4, 2004, ICE commenced Operation Front Line II to target terrorist operations leading up to the 2004 Presidential Election. Operation Front Line II was designed to locate immigration status violators who may pose an elevated criminal or national security threat. Led by ICE’s Compliance Enforcement Unit, the initiative focused on a population of 150,000 potential immigration violators and reprioritized the leads according to national security criteria. In the month leading up to the 2004 Presidential Election, ICE completed more than 900 investigations, and arrested 237 individuals. This part of Operation Front Line II was publicly known at the time as the “October Plan.” The initiative continued through the January 2005 inauguration, and by February 28, 2005, ICE investigated a total of 2,265 Operation Front Line II cases, resulting in 444 arrests.
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