Notes on March 17

Okay, so I broke my “no-political-activities-during-the-semester” rule and went to the March 17 March on the Pentagon. What better way to start Spring Break, right? ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), which organized the protest, must be credited with a keen sense of history, in planning the event to coincide with the anniversary of the historic 1967 March on the Pentagon. It had been a while since I'd experienced the joy of participating in an independent Muslim contingent, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. As we marched down the hill overlooking the Citadel of Death (the Pentagon) reciting “Allah ho akbar” and “Free, free Palestine” I felt as if I were in a dream. Maybe the rednecks sending me hate mail were right, that I should thank ma lucky stars to be in this great country where I could spew such things and not get arrested. Then again, the protest was on a Saturday afternoon, sparing the tender feelings of the Pentagon brass in particular, and government officials in general. And why not let the proles blow off some steam if it’ll prevent a revolution, especially with Dick, Condi, and Alberto outta town for the weekend. So, I won’t lick Unca Sam's boots outta gratitude for allowing me to be there just yet.

I’ve gotten mostly negative feedback on the protest from Muslims: the protest was lackluster; ANSWER has no program; the turnout was miserable; the Muslims were few in number, disorganized, and undisciplined; and the ever popular it was too cold. My view is that the protest gave us badly needed experience as Muslim organizers. It should have taught us the importance of being on time (or, in some cases, simply showing up); of marching in formation; of good communication (both prior to and during the protest); and of making our voices heard (through distribution of literature, sloganeering, etc) instead of simply blending in. And it should have increased collaboration and trust between Muslims of diverse racial, educational, and socio-economic backgrounds, as is necessary for the building of an independent Muslim movement. Should have.

That the Muslim voice was much more evident than at previous marches was a victory in my view. I do not recall, for instance, hearing takbirat, or very evidently Islamic slogans at previous ANSWER, UFPJ, or MoveOn.Org protests. Distribution of Jamaat al-Muslimeen's "Boycott Israel" fliers, Free Imam Jamil postcards, and CDs of Imam Musa's speeches in defiance of the finger-freezing cold was another victory (thanks to Br. Nabil, Br. Aqueel, and Br. Bilal).

Some have asked me why the need for an independent Muslim contingent for the March 17 (and other) protests. After all, the Muslim American Society (MAS) was a major signatory to the protest, so why not simply join hands with them?

The answer is simple: MAS’ credentials are questionable, to put it mildly. In a July 25, 2005 press conference at the National Press Club, MAS leaders called for support of “law enforcement,” and promised to hand over Muslim dissidents to the FBI. The video is unfortunately not yet on youtube, but is available for purchase through C-SPAN:

http://www.c-spanstore.org/shop/index.php?main_page=product_video_info&products_id=187913-1

The self-described "pioneering Muslim organization" has yet to take a strong stance on any major political issue in advance of the winds of political correctness. Even on the Palestine issue, MAS' position is feeble:

“It is not our argument to deny the fundamental right of the people of Israel to survive in peace and security. But it is our position that the long-term interests of the United States would be advanced if American foreign policy in the region supported the demilitarization of the current conflict between the State of Israel and the people of Palestine....”

http://masnet.org/articlesandpapers.asp?id=3974

According to its website, MAS has always worked very closely with ISNA, a pro-establishment organization which helped organize the bloc vote for Bush, among other things. On the same webpage, MAS refers to NAIT, a reactionary Saudi government-funded organization, as a “pioneer” in the Islamic movement.

http://masnet.org/aboutmas.asp

I would like to know why a seemingly radical political organization such as ANSWER would select the reactionary and reformist MAS as its liaison with the Muslim community. Why is MAS' announcement that it would effectively infiltrate and snitch on Muslim dissidents of no concern to ANSWER, particularly in view of the Left’s historical victimization under similar programs during the McCarthy witchhunts?

While working closely with ANSWER on a previous anti-war protest, I asked Brian Becker these questions. The reply was an odd one: ANSWER worked with MAS because they were out there (ie active). And the July 2005 press conference? Perhaps MAS did this to keep the authorities off their back, said Becker. And something is rotten in the state of Denmark....