Notes from the Cowtown Marathon

I'm 55 years old, and today I ran my 55th marathon, the Cowtown Marathon in Fort Worth, Texas. It is also the 11th one I've dedicated to the cause of political prisoner Dr. Aafia Siddiqui.

She's a Pakistani woman academic serving an 86-year prison sentence in Fort Worth, TX. The evidence against her at trial was completely trumped up, and continuing to imprison her is one of the greatest crimes by the U.S. government against the Ummah.

 Since it was close to International Women's Day, I also dedicated my race to the cause of Palestinian women political prisoners. Israel currently holds 800+ Palestinian women without charge or trial. They are denied all family contact and access to counsel. Many of them have been raped, tortured, and beaten in detention. All of this is in clear violation of international rules and law, and Israel must be held accountable.

Personal notes:

 - My finish time was a miserable 4:21 (read 4 hrs 21 minutes). Still, it was (by my novice standards) not bad for an out-of-town marathon, particularly one done in my new-found role as caregiver (with the massive amounts of sleep lag that entails).

- I placed 3rd place in my division.

- The course was hilly, and traversed a good chunk of Fort Worth.

- Around Mile 8, a group of strong, fast Pakistani male runners caught up to me. I noticed them because they were talking incessantly in Urdu amongst themselves, about different marathons in Pakistan. They talked even as we were going up some of the steeper hills! One of them was Dallas-based physician Salman Khan. He was running the ultra-marathon (50k, or 31.06 miles), while pacing his friends. The other two had traveled all the way from Karachi for today's race.

- Of the two Pakistanis who had come from Karachi, one was running the ultra, while the other was doing the marathon. And these men had trained in Pakistan, with its very hot, humid climate, rolling blackouts (“load-shedding”), and adverse (in many areas) running conditions. So, they were not only fit, but had great dedication and discipline to get to this point.

- One of them later told me he was the nephew of Pasban Party chair Altaf Shakoor and lived in his house. (Pasban is a populist Pakistani political party, which advocates for workers rights and social justice. Some of its principals have been prominent in the Pakistan-based Aafia Movement.)

- So, Altaf’s nephew had seen me from time to time on his uncle’s Facebook page. Altaf himself was very active in the movement to free Aafia. Unfortunately, it didn’t appear that the nephew was involved in that, or any other social justice cause.

- I was thrilled to learn that Pakistan now hosted marathons, something that seemed like a pipe dream in the past. At the same time, it saddened me that well-trained, extremely fit Pakistani athletes like the ones I met at Cowtown, and others representing Pakistan on an official level failed to use their position to advocate for Aafia, or, it seemed, for any social justice issue. Perhaps the dual challenges of training in extremely adverse climate and getting the funding they needed to travel to far away competitions precluded them from anything but the actual race.

 - The temperature at Cowtown was 76 degrees for the last hour. That's hot for a marathon. And it didn't help that I had trained exclusively in the DC-Maryland area, where it is much cooler.

- Complete disclosure: I planned to wear my kaffiyah (Palestinian scarf) during the race, and even brought it to the start line for the purpose. But it was simply too hot. And I wimped. I put it on only afterwards.

- I was not feeling it today, and wanted dearly to quit midway through the race, but I had too many people waiting on me at the prison to vigil for Aafia afterwards. Once again the mental image of Aafia’s sweet, innocent face, swathed in her now famous yellow hijab, propelled me across the finish line.

 

#FreeAafiaSiddiqui #FreePalestine #FreeAllPoliticalPrisoners

Essence of Running: the DC Gaza 5k

By Nadrat Siddique

So, this morning I ran the Gaza 5k in Washington DC's Rock Creek Park. The race starts on the grounds of the iconic Carter Barron Theatre, and is one of my favorite races. I run with some regularity from the Carter Barron, and it was beautiful to see it nearly over run by Palestinians in kaffiyahs, some of them carrying Palestinian flags. (Usually I encounter mostly Black and Latino youth playing soccer and such, in itself a beautiful sight.)

The Gaza 5k is organized by UNRWA, and benefits Palestinian refugees. The DC version of the race (which is also held in other cities) had turned virtual due to COVID-19, and I'd missed it terribly. This was the first year the live event was rekindled.

In Gaza, Palestinians are crammed into refugee camps with an extremely high population density. These camps frequently lack basic resources, such as electricity and running water, which "Israel," as the occupying power, controls. "Israel" then conducts aerial bombardment of these heavily populated areas, under the pretext that Hamas fighters are "hiding" there. (Where else would they be? They live there.)

As a result, much of the population of Gaza has been terrorized, displaced, and traumatized. It would be difficult to find someone there who DOES NOT have PTSD and other serious mental health conditions. Palestinian children are the worst afflicted. UNRWA's facilities in Gaza provide schooling, mental health care, and other badly needed services to Gazans.

At the Gaza 5k, I was thrilled to see a great turnout, with a youthful, energetic vibe. The race seems to get larger every year. The majority of attendees appeared to be of Palestinian heritage, with a smaller number of allies (White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian) present. Race participants ran and walked a 3.1 mile course which was largely downhill on the outbound. Unfortunately, since the race route returns the same way, there is a huge climb on the way back. During one of the last in-person renditions of the Gaza 5k (before COVID), I remembered my father, the editor of the Muslim newspaper "New Trend" and a huge supporter of Palestine, bravely walking the course with his wife. In his late 70s at the time, he completed the course, but not without some effort.

PERSONAL NOTES: Today as I ran, I was still recovering from an annoying bug I'd picked up during a recent trip to Florida to attend a funeral for a member of my extended family. But I would not miss my favorite race for anything. I thought about the Palestinians who, when faced with much more serious ailments, are deprived of all medications, due to the "Israeli" blockade of Gaza. That, from "the only democracy in the Middle East." My cold (or whatever it was) quickly became a non-issue.

I hadn't been training at all, since Ramadan had ended not so long ago (I relax my training during the Holy Month, running only about 25 miles per week, instead of 40), almost immediately followed by the death in my extended family. I even registered very belatedly for the Gaza 5k, totally unlike me. In any event, when I finally did register, it was as a member of Team Jamaat Al-Muslimeen. And our team, in a very short time (less than a week), raised over $400.00 for UNRWA's work in Gaza.

As I ran outbound, I was intimidated by the huge hill I knew I'd face on the inbound. I hoped rather unrealistically that the race organizers had tweaked the route to avoid runners having to tackle that hill (around Mile 2).

They had not. I tried to concentrate on my breathing and form, which helped somewhat. Two or three groups of young, fast Arab men passed me, which made me feel even slower than my (approximately) 8:30 min/mile pace. Then, a young, very fit looking Black woman caught up to me. For some reason, she told me right then and there (shortly before we were about to encounter the monster hill) that "I look beautiful." I thanked her, saying "You do, too," and complimented her on her pace. She ran with me for a short while, before overtaking me. I tried to keep her in my sights, which helped my time. (She later told me I helped her time, as she'd spotted me from afar, and was trying to catch up to me.) We both survived the Hill.

A while later, when the awards ceremony was held, I was surprised to hear my name called. I was #1 in my division, with a finish time of 26:08 (8:25 min/mile pace). Later, looking at the detailed race results, I realized I was #9 out of 334 total women participating in the race. Of the 8 women who finished before me, all were in their 20s and 30s, except an 8-year old and an 18-year old. (I'm now 54.) Amusingly, the 8-year old beat me by two seconds. Alhamdulillah.

The lesson in all this? One need not use age as an excuse for inactivity and a sedentary lifestyle, which will necessarily lead to premature aging. If you fall down (metaphorically), you need not stay down. If you're a Muslim, then the Rasool (SAW) is your example. That includes in the realm of his eating habits (very little meat; instead: grains, dates, nuts, seeds, fruit, etc), and very active life style (he personally participated in running, horse back riding, etc and engaged in military campaigns, which, at the time, were very physical, into his 60s). From Gaza to New York, oppression is pervasive, and we cannot afford to be physically (or mentally) lazy or sedentary.

#Gaza5k #FreePalestine #FreeGaza
- - - - - - - - - -
It's not to late to donate to the Gaza 5k. You can do that here:
https://unrwausa-2023-dc-gaza-5k.funraise.org/fundraiser/nadrat-siddique

Letter on Tlaib and Omar Exclusion by Israel

To: Senator Ben Cardin; Senator Chris Van Hollen; Representative Ben Cardin

As a registered voter within the State of Maryland, I am deeply disturbed by Israel's selective exclusion of two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, from its borders.

Israel is widely touted as being "Our Democratic Friend in the Middle East," but I cannot, for the life of me, fathom how such selective, and clearly racist exclusion of our esteemed Congresswomen can be reconciled with such a title.

It's high time that we re-examine the U.S. relationship with a state which clearly has a two-tiered system of justice, one for Muslims and Arabs, and one for its ostensible Jewish partisans. And, we might examine what benefits, really, the U.S. gets from the massive dole we give each year to Israel.

The exclusion of these two women of color, representatives of our democracy, is a clear indicator of Israel's modus operandi, and one can only imagine the civil liberties and other violations which Palestinians living under its control endure, if these two Congresswomen---far more empowered than that population--are accorded such treatment.

As a registered voter who regards Israel as a racist colonial-settler state, I deplore U.S. aid to that entity..

Sincerely,
Nadrat Siddique

Hundreds Rally for Palestine and Against AIPAC Outside Israel Lobby's Largest Annual Meeting

By Nadrat Siddique

March 24, 2019
Washington, DC

The nation's capital evidenced one of the most vibrant and energetic pro-Palestine protests today. The "Support Palestine in DC" protest was spearheaded by Al-Awda (the Palestine Right to Return Coalition) and the ANSWER Coalition, and was audaciously scheduled--as it is each year--to coincide with the annual AIPAC. At the AIPAC conference, pro-Israel delegates come together to instrument policies TO facilitate the continued fleecing of the American public to the tune of $6 billion per annum in support of the occupation and genocide of the Palestinian people. And for years, the AIPAC conference went on without any opposition. Until Al-Awda and a few other organizations with a concern for basic human rights and international law came around.

Although the protest has been held each year for at least a decade, sadly, few local masajid--and next to no local Muslim leaders--bother to attend. Despite the local Muslim/ Arab "leadership" abdicating their responsibility to engage in amr bil mauroof and nahi unal munkari on an issue of paramount importance to the Ummah, the protest went on very successfully. Starting at 12:00 noon, over 1,000 people spanning the spectrum of age, ethnicity, faith, gender, and national origin, rallied at the White House and then marched to the Convention Center, site of the AIPAC conference. Unlike at many previous pro-Palestine protests, most of the key leaders, organizers, and speakers were Palestinians, heartening in a time when the liberal Left often engages in its own imperial patriarchy, speaking for P.O.C. with the perfect ability to speak for themselves.

Also heartening was the fact that youth--Palestinian and non-Palestinian alike--articulately answered the Zionist rhetoric and lies. At today's protest, they appeared more well-versed and organized than ever, speaking confidently and non-rhetorically, from the mic as well as in in conversations with bye-standers.

Muslims Run for Gaza

 By Nadrat Siddique

Special to the New Trend

Washington, DC

September 16, 2017

Under beautiful sunny skies, hundreds of runners ran along the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail. The heat rose to 78 degrees that morning, and some participants wore tank tops, short sleeved tees, and shorts. But a large number wore kaffiyahs or tee shirts bearing the Palestinian flag. Many of the female athletes wore hijab. A few of the young men donned Palestinian flags, which flew behind them in cape-like fashion. The run was the Gaza 5K, which is held annually in five major U.S. cities, including Washington, DC. It is sponsored by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) USA, and raises funds for UNRWA’s Community Mental Health Programme (CMHP) for Palestinian children in Gaza.

Why a 5K run for Gaza?

There have been three major Israeli offensives against Gaza. Each had a devastating impact, and illustrated Israel’s utter disregard for international law. During the 2014 offensive—the last major offensive, 2,139 Palestinians were killed. Of these, 490 were children. Eleven thousand (11,000) Palestinians were wounded. Of that number, 3,000 were children. In addition, Israel destroyed 20,000 Palestinian homes in Gaza, and up to 500,000 Gaza residents were displaced. By comparison, in the same (2014) conflict, 64 Israeli soldiers were killed; 6 Israeli civilians were killed; and 1 Israeli child was killed. (Statistics: The Independent, August 27, 2014)

According to the race organizer’s (UNRWA USA) web site, “Children and adults alike continue to experience high levels of stress and distress as result of a decade of recurrent Israeli military assaults, deepening poverty, increased gender-based violence, isolation, and movement restrictions because of the illegal blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt.”

The UNRWA USA web page continues, “The stress of these issues has produced: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, intense fear, bed-wetting, poor concentration, eating disorders, sleeping disorders, irritability, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).”

So the Gaza 5K was for the innocent children of Gaza, and to this writer, who has done dozens of 5Ks, it felt right being there.

Teaming up at the Gaza 5K

Runners and walkers participating in the Gaza 5K have the option of running as individuals, or as part of a team. The teams participating were diverse, and illustrated the world community’s deep love for the Palestinian people and a broad commitment to human rights in Gaza. A total of 60 teams participated in the 2017 Gaza 5K.

The team U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights, which included many non-Muslim friends of the Palestinian cause, raised the most money for the refugees, at $4,875. The team’s self-description was “Jogging for Justice.”

Team Al-Hanooti included family members of the late imam of Dar ul-Hijra fame. Imam Muhammad Hanooti was born in Haifa, Palestine, and the family evidently does the race every year, including shortly after their patriarch’s passing in 2015. The team raised close to $1,777 among their seven members. Hanooti’s 29-year old daughter Shayma al-Hanooti finished the race in 39:54.

Another team was that of Albert Mokhiber and his family: Team Mokhiber. The former Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) head, now an attorney at a high profile law firm in DC, led one of the top fundraising teams, raising $4,772 for Gazan refugees. Mokhiber’s daughter Laila is Director of Communications for UNRWA USA, and the Mokhibers said the team was their way of helping Palestinian refugees. The 69-year old Albert Mokhiber walked the race, finishing in 1:02 (1 hour 2 minutes). His wife Hindy, 10 years his junior, finished in 48:50.

A Tribe Called Hibster was the fifth ranked team in fundraising, raising $3,309. The team included several members of the Dajani family, which has centuries’ old roots in Palestine. The team’s captain, Hiba Ismeail, fundraised with great fervor, but did not walk or run the event.

MAS (Muslim American Society) Maryland’s four member team raised $1,767. Their team member Marwan Oweis held an impressive pace of 7:29 min/miles throughout the race, finishing in 23:14.

DMV (District-Maryland-Virginia) Muslim Youth’s team was dominated by women, including team captain and longtime pro-Palestine activist Aneesah Abdul-Fattaah. The team’s Nathan Nesbitt, of Cambridge, MA, took first place overall, finishing in 18:25. He held an astounding 5:56 min/mile pace for the duration of the 3.1 mile course. The team raised $116.

The top female runner, 25-year old Cherie Bennett, did not appear registered with any team. With short cropped blond hair, shorts, and tank top, she blazed the field, finishing in 20:24. She was doing 6:34 min/miles! In the awards ceremony which followed the event, Bennett said she had been to Palestine, and supported the Palestinian cause.

Then there was Wadi Run, a team of Georgetown University students. They raised $1,061. Wadi Run team member Lauren Stricker was the 2^nd fastest of all women, finishing in 22:39. (She held a 7:18 min/ mile pace.) Her team mate, Keith McKay, finished just before her, completing the course in 22:34.

PLO Delegation, a team in itself, consisted of only three people, and raised exactly $79. One woman from that team, 31-year old Janeen Rashmawi almost took me, running 7:32 min/miles. (I was doing 7:25 min/miles, but more on this later.)

Islamic Relief, a team with 12 members, raised only $211. But IRUSA team members, mostly young, compensated by blazing the field. They were fast, most of them finishing in less than 30 minutes. Twenty-five year old Ibrahim Zafar, of Arlington, VA, was the fastest of them, finishing in 24:15 (he was doing 7:49 minute miles).

Jews for Gaza, a team with 9 members, raised $1,055. The team’s self-description was “Jews stand in solidarity with Palestinian refugees to support freedom and dignity for all.”

Their team mate, 23-year old Adam Beardsley, was the fourth fastest of all runners, finishing the course in 19:07. (He held a 6:09 min/ mile pace).

Team Jamaat al-Muslimeen

This was the first year that Jamaat al-Muslimeen participated as a team, called Team Jamaat Al-Muslimeen. Among others, the diverse team included Kalim Umran, a Muslim historian who is the narrator of a PBS video series on Barry Farms (a project in SE Washington, DC, and the subject of major gentrification attempts); Shakoorah El, an activist sister from Baltimore, who is also practiced in traditional African dance; and New Trend editor/ imam Dr. Kaukab Siddique.

Imam Dr. Kaukab Siddique of Masjid Jamaat al-Muslimeen-Baltimore, who is 74, completed the walk in 1:22 (1 hour 22 minutes). By all appearances, he was the only imam to physically participate in the Gaza 5K. Dr. Siddique, who used to run with his mother years ago, and then later with his daughter (this writer), did the course without stopping or feeling overly drained. He said he walked continuously for at least half an hour every day, and expressed the hope that his participation might encourage other Muslims to follow the Prophet’s example of physical fitness and staying active into their later years.

The Gaza 5K was Shakoorah El’s first race. She completed the course in 57:46. As awards were announced, she was astonished to hear her name being announced: She was awarded the “Fastest Masters Female Award” (the Gaza 5K’s masters award is granted to the fastest 65+ year old runner).

I was team captain for Team Jamaat al-Muslimeen, my first time ever as captain of anything. It was a liberating feeling, running the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, in Southeast Washington, DC, an area which, to me, held many parallels to the Gaza struggle. The run was an out-and-back run, so that after one reached the half way mark and doubled back, one could see other runners approaching from the opposite direction. Some of the runners I saw as I doubled back carried the Palestinian flag. When I saw them, I yelled “Free free Palestine!” to which they responded in kind. Many of the runners and walkers expressed appreciation for my shirt during the race, as well as afterwards. (I wore a long-sleeve black tee, bearing the words “Free Palestine” above the red, black, white, and green Palestinian flag.)

After I’d been running for a while, I chanced upon Shakoorah El. She was speedwalking while talking animatedly with two other sisters in hijab. All three of them cheered me on, and I did similarly. Shortly after that, I saw Dr. Kaukab Siddique (Ameer of Jamaat al-Muslimeen). He was accompanied by Abdur Rahman Hasib (Masjid Jamaat al-Muslimeen custodian, and a dear brother and friend). They were walking in relaxed fashion, holding a steady pace. We exchanged chants of “Allah ho Akbar!” and fist pumps, after which it seemed to me that we all moved a little bit faster.

The crowd support propelled me to finish #1 in my division. I completed the race in 23:01, holding on for dear life to my 7:24 min/mile pace. And— I was the 4^th fastest female finisher out of the 312 women who ran the race. Only three women were faster than me, and they were 25, 21, and 30 years old (1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place respectively). I was #23 out of everyone including men (so out of a total of 545 participants).

I am 49-years old, and did not get into serious running until age 39 (prior to that, I engaged only in casual and sporadic running since my teen years). Aside from the personal sense of accomplishment in doing a race for a cause very dear to my heart—Palestine, the experience reaffirmed for me the notion that neither age nor gender necessarily define ability, and that some limitations are human-/ self-imposed. And— the hadith tell us that our beloved Prophet (SAW) engaged in very physically arduous military campaigns against the kuffar which required him to traverse long distances on horseback across the deserts of Arabia until the age of 65. If he is our role model, we, as a community need to up the ante on physical fitness. How many of us can run a mile comfortably? The Rasool (SAW) could, and did, with his wife, Ayesha Siddiqa (RA).

Alhamdulillah, our team, Team Jamaat al-Muslimeen, raised $743 in its first year of participating in the race.

In all, 540 people ran the Gaza 5K: 228 men and 312 women. There were Afghans, Libyans, Palestinians, Bengalis, Pakistanis, American-born Blacks, and others. There was a woman in a wheelchair, an evidently pregnant woman, and many who ran or walked with baby strollers. At race’s end, an elderly man who had walked the 3.1 mile course was taken away in an ambulance. From the ambulance he called out that he would be doing the race again next year.

At least for one day, at the Gaza 5K, the aphorism “The believers are but one brotherhood/ sisterhood” was evident.

©2017 by Nadrat Siddique

AIPAC Conference: An Exercise in Arm Twisting and Indoctrination

Zionist Lobby Seeks Billions More in U.S. Tax Dollars

The weekend of May 20 - 22 saw the annual conference of the American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC) at the Washington, DC, Convention Center. It was a grand affair to which the 535 members of the U.S. Congress were “invited.” But such an invitation is seen by some as a pressure tactic. Conference attendees were recognized by a “Roll Call,” a lengthy public reading of their names. The implication is that no-shows will be noted for their absence in the next election. (According to Jewish Week, May 24, 2011, AIPAC was successful at drawing 10,000 delegates and “honored guests,” including 70 U.S. Senators and 270 members of the House to the conference.)

The goals of the conference, listed on the AIPAC website, included inculcating understanding among delegates of “how America and Israel are stronger together when they participate in joint military exercises and exchange intelligence” and “safer together when they share homeland security and counterterrorism techniques.”

“AIPAC has succeeded in creating an army of Israel supporters who are mobilised and constantly lobby elected senators,” wrote one AIPAC conference participant (Jewish Chronicle, May 26, 2011). Such militaristic lexicon, as well as AIPAC’s treatment of dissenters, has raised eyebrows, with some opponents of the lobby going so far as to say the AIPAC conference is a venue for exchanged allegiances among gangsters in Armani suits, the dissemination of Zionist propaganda, and the discussion of coercive and retributive measures to be used against those not willing to take a pro-Israel stance.

Special Session for Christian Zionists

The conference included a special luncheon for Black Zionists (and pro-Zionists), as well as a session for Christians, called "Understanding Christian Support for the Jewish State," geared at examining “the roots of Christian Zionism.” The latter targeted the sixty-six pastors in attendance.

Zionist Student Leaders in Attendance

The conference included a special session recognizing student Zionist leaders. One thousand five hundred (1,500) students, most of them white, attended the conference. These included 215 elected student government presidents (numbers from AIPAC’s website). The student government presidents came from campuses including the University of Chicago, UC Berkeley, Columbia, and Vanderbilt. Interestingly, Brigham Young University, a Mormon institution, and Morehouse College, a historically black college, also had Zionist student body presidents in attendance at AIPAC’s conference.

Zionist students from the University of Florida were awarded for “developing new models of pro-Israel leadership on and beyond their campus,” and for soliciting letters of support for Israel from campus leaders, as well as for lobbying local Congress members on “issues of concern to the pro-Israel community.” Additional student leaders at UCLA, Indiana University, the University of Oklahoma, and Liberty University received “Activist of the Year” awards in recognition of their pro-Israel political activity. The question of why they, as American students should expend such energies building support for a foreign power, seemed absent from the dialogue. One group of student Zionist leaders working on blackballing Iran to Congress was given an award. Another group of student Zionists were recognized for their efforts at countering the characterization of Israel as an apartheid state. Both the College Democrats of America and the College Republican National Committee received awards from AIPAC.

Gustafo Tactics Against a Sitting American President?

On May 19, just a few days before the AIPAC conference, President Obama mentioned 1967 borders as a starting point for co-existing Israeli and Palestinian states—a very weak position, and unacceptable to most Muslims who believe in self-determination. But apparently, even the slightest sign of “weakness” was not to be tolerated by the Zionists. On May 20, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu met with Obama for over two hours, and it is speculated, conducted the mafia-style arm twisting necessary to get his whipping boy back in order.

Obama at AIPAC

Then on May 22, Obama reported to the AIPAC conference, meekly telling the Zionist audience, “Israelis and Palestinians will negotiate a border that is different than the one that existed on June 4, 1967.” Clarifying his position further, he said, “The bonds between the United States and Israel are unbreakable, and the commitment of the United States to the security of Israel is iron clad.” None in the wildly applauding audience asked the question of why any policy matter in a changing world should be characterized as immutable, nor why the security of a foreign power should be of such paramount importance to the U.S.

Obama further “affirmed U.S. opposition to a Palestinian plan to seek a vote in the U.N. General Assembly on Palestinian statehood in September. He vowed to help Israel defend itself, promising U.S. military assistance on missile defense and pledging to block Iranian nuclear aspirations. And he assailed a recent Palestinian unity agreement that elevated the stature of the Hamas movement, which the United States and Israel regard as a terrorist group.” (The Washington Post, May 22)

Netanyahu’s pressuring of Obama (if indeed that is what occurred—some would argue that Obama is already so pro-Israel that he needed no pressuring) is similar to AIPAC’s pressure on members of the U.S. Congress. As Cynthia McKinney, former U.S. Congresswoman from Georgia, recently disclosed, every candidate for U.S. Congress must sign a pledge to support Israel, a tactic which changed shape slightly after it was made public. According to McKinney, “They were given a pledge to sign...that had Jerusalem as the capital city. You make a commitment that you would vote to support the military superiority of Israel, and the economic assistance that Israel wants, that you would vote to provide that." (Press TV, May 22).

Obama delivered his address to AIPAC, then retreated to Europe with his tail between his legs. In the meantime, Netanyahu addressed the U.S. Congress on May 24. He delivered a resounding “No!” to all of the (very compromising) positions put out by “moderate” Palestinians. The speech was characterized by opponents as containing more lies per second than perhaps any other speech in recent memory. In the course of the 50 minute speech, Netanyahu received 26 standing ovations. Opponents protesting the speech were dealt with very brutally.

Following the AIPAC conference and Netanyahu’s speech to Congress, thousands of AIPAC lobbyists descended upon Capitol Hill to further the Zionist agenda. According to the AIPAC website, “At the top of the lobbying agenda is U.S. security assistance to Israel—the most tangible expression of American support for the Jewish state. The AIPAC citizen-lobbyists will urge their House and Senate members to support $3.075 billion in aid to Israel for fiscal year 2012 as well as ask for support for the overall foreign aid budget.” [Note the double speak in “Jewish state” and “AIPAC citizen-lobbyists”]

“Move Over AIPAC”: A Challenge to AIPAC

This year, as the AIPAC conference went forth, things were a little bit different. An entire weekend of activities, including a major conference, called “Move Over AIPAC” was held in Washington, DC, by CODE PINK: Women for Peace. It was endorsed by over 100 peace and justice organizations, including the International Solidarity Movement, Fellowship of the Reconciliation, the Rachel Corrie Foundation, United for Peace and Justice, the U.S. Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, Adalah-NY, Jewish Voice for Peace, and the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.

On May 20, as Netanyahu met Obama, “Move Over AIPAC” conference participants and others protested outside the White House. The following day, May 21, the “Move Over AIPAC” summit was held. The keynote address was delivered by Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer, authors of the ground-breaking book, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy. This was followed by a “writers’ salon,” featuring Laila El-Haddad and other Palestinian and pro-Palestinian authors. A panel entitled, “Time for a New Foreign Policy” (Phyllis Bennis, Noura Erekat, and others) ensued. Workshops on topics like “Combatting Misused Charges of Anti-Semitism” (Rabbi Lynn Gottleib); “Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions: Campaigns that Work!”; Exposing AIPAC: Delving into the Nitty-Gritty of How the Israel Lobby Works”; “Israel, the bomb, and a Mid-east NWFZ (Nuclear Weapons Free Zone); and “Student Divestment Campaigns and the Role of AIPAC on Campus” completed the afternoon.

On May 22, while Obama addressed AIPAC and throughout the day, “Move over AIPAC” participants, and other friends and supporters of Palestinians protested outside the Convention Center. The protestors, including many Jews, lined up outside the DC Convention center, chanting “Free Free Palestine.” A die-in—where activists lay down in the streets, their bodies covered in fake blood to protest Israeli brutality—was held. Activists from the U.S. Boat to Gaza manned a float in the form of a ship, singing pro-Palestinian songs.

Change Comes But not Without Sacrifice and Struggle

As a result of the immense sacrifices of the Palestinian people, followed up by creative and heroic actions by a huge range of human rights and solidarity organizations throughout the world—of which “Move Over AIPAC” is an example—support for Israel is being reconsidered in the U.S., one of the last bastions of Zionist support.

As Jody McIntyre, describing the AIPAC conference, wrote in the Independent on May 24, 2011, “So yesterday, another conference commenced; a celebration of continued US support for Israel. The fact that is being ignored is that, as a wave of uprisings across northern Africa and western Asia are proving, US dominance and influence in the region is on the decline. Just like hundreds of millions of dollars in aid were not enough to keep Mubarak in power in Egypt, all the billions of dollars in aid will not be enough to prop up Israel forever….As Olof Palme, the Prime Minister of Sweden until his assassination in 1986, once said, ‘Apartheid cannot be reformed, it must be abolished.’”

An Exchange with the Hillel Director

Last Thursday I had an interesting exchange with the Towson University (Baltimore) Hillel director, following an on-campus lecture by Imam Muhammad Al-Asi.

Hillel seems to carry some clout at Towson, as it does at UMBC, and other U.S. universities. At the University of Maryland College Park, the "flagship university of the University of Maryland system, the organization has its own student center, providing kosher meals for Jewish students. In years past, I watched Hillel and other zionist groups place a gargantuan Israeli flag just outside the Adele H. Stamp Union on Israeli "Independence Day," wondering how UMCP's Palestinian students might feel upon encountering the reminder of zionist power atop their student union. The lecture, organized by the Towson MSA, was by Imam Muhammad Al-Asi. For once, I was there to attend--and they were there to protest.

Here is the exchange (as close to verbatim as memory would allow):

Me: Is it true that Hillel offers students all expense paid tours of "Israel"?

Hillel Director: Yes, that's correct.

Me: Can Muslim students participate in such tours?

Hillel Director: No.

Me: I understand that Hillel's tours offer Jewish students an opportunity to visit or stay in a kibbutz. Does the tour also include a visit to a Palestinian refugee camp?

Hillel Director:     No.

Me: What is the primary aim of Hillel's tours to Israel?

Hillel Director: Propaganda.

I was rather amazed that the man was as blunt as he was. To be honest, he didn't seem like the brightest bulb in the.... so he could have conceded more than is typical for men of his position. Or not. Whatever the case, the dialogue revealed an overtly racist, exclusionary policy, meant to benefit only a select group.

Muslim students groups and their supporters need to consider organizing tours/exchange programs to Palestine for Muslim youth and students who are interested in going. It will make the Palestinian issue more relevant to the community.

The King David Hotel Bombing—Min al-Erhabi (Who’s the Terrorist)?

July 22 marks the anniversary of the 1946 bombing of the King David Hotel in Palestine by the Zionist Irgun organization. Palestine was then a British mandate, and the headquarters of the British Secretariat were located in the hotel. Ninety-one people were killed in the bombing. Forty-five more were wounded.

Irgun claimed responsibility. Chaim Weizman, then President of the World Zionist Organization and soon to be first president of Israel, cried when he learned of the bombing, saying he couldn’t help but be very proud for "our boys." (Crossman, A Nation Reborn, The Israel of Weizmann, Bevin and Ben-Gurion)

The lead terrorist was an Israeli named Menachem Begin. Begin was commander of the Irgun at the time of the attack. Irgun’s stated philosophy was that "political violence and terrorism" were "legitimate tools in the Jewish national struggle for the Land of Israel." (Perliger and Weinberg, Jewish Self Defense and Terrorist Groups Prior to the Establishment of the State of Israel: Roots and Traditions, Vol. 4, No. 3)

Indeed Irgun’s actions were congruous with its philosophy. According to author James Gelvin, “Irgun perpetrated some of the most appalling terrorist atrocities committed in modern Palestine,” including a campaign of bombings in Arab markets in 1937. From 1936 – 1939, Irgun carried out at least 60 attacks against Palestinian Arabs. In 1948 the organization carried out the Deir Yassin massacre, in which more than 250 Palestinian villagers were slaughtered (The Israel-Palestine Conflict, Cambridge University Press).

Begin went on to become Israeli Prime Minister in 1977, overseeing the bombing of Iraq’s Osirak reactor in 1981 (while keeping Israel’s nuclear weapons--developed around 1967--a well-guarded secret), and the invasion of Lebanon and Sabra-Shatilla Massacre in 1982. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978.

My American friends tell me that Israel is a bastion of democracy—indeed the only democracy—in the Middle East, and that Palestinians are terrorists. I laugh. And laugh. And laugh.

Israeli Propaganda Finds a New Home in UMBC Commons

So UMBC, where I go to school, now features Israeli propaganda in the main corridor of its Commons (student union).

It takes the form of a display described by the organizers as follows:

"Inside Terrorism: The X-Ray Project is an art installation that exhibits x-rays of terror victims together with their medical accounts and personal stories; the x-rays come from two major Israeli hospitals. The exhibition personalizes and universalizes the issue of terrorism and urges the understanding that terrorism is not a legitimate tool, that it must be strongly condemned."

Funded by the David Project for Jewish Leadership and sponsored by Hillel, the project appears to exploit students' fascination with technology as well as their susceptibility to the corporate media version of events in Occupied Palestine.

A complete description of the project is here.

The David Project claims its mission is "to promote a fair and honest understanding of the Arab-Israeli conflict."

However, the 5,050 Palestinian men, women and children killed by Israeli state terror in the last few years are not represented in the exhibit. Ditto for the 49,760 wounded, and the 10,4000 detained during the same time period (source: Palestinian State Information Service). Nor is there any mention of the fact that the Israeli victims were killed in an internationally recognized liberation struggle against occupation.

The net effect is a one-sided and racist portrayal of loss as unique to Israeli side, reminescent of the slavery-era treatment of black people, whose deaths were dismissed because they were thought to be "soul-less."

An excellent letter of protest written by a good friend to the Retriever Weekly (UMBC's student newspaper), may be seen here.

I just sent my own brief letter of protest to the Retriever, and encourage others to write as well.

Film Clip: "Victory for Palestine"

I felt inspired today, watching a film clip, forwarded to me by a returning Haji:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dzygb6vf_6w&mode=related&search=

The song, said to be the Palestine Liberation Anthem, is by Tareq Jaber. Inshallah, justice will prevail.