The George Floyd Verdict and Asian Confusion

The issuance of a guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the cop who murdered George Floyd lead to an interesting reaction among some of my very young, very sincere Pakistani friends. They all live in Pakistan, and are ardent supporters of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani woman political prisoner held by the U.S. government. Very active on Twitter, they launched a coordinated campaign to comment on Twitter posts issued by Black politicians, journalists, socialites, and others living in the U.S., relating to George Floyd. 

The only problem was the Pakistani youth, who had never set foot in the U.S., (and therefore seemed almost completely unaware of racial dynamics here), compared Floyd's suffering with that of Aafia (almost as if it were a contest!). They insisted that Floyd's family had gotten justice, and now so should Aafia. They were commenting (on Twitter) on almost every post a public personality issued about the George Floyd verdict. Their comments were taken as highly offensive by some Black activists and writers. And not surprisingly, the Pakistani youth were blocked by the Tweet authors. The Pakistani youth seemed bemused as to why anyone would be offended by what they'd written or block them, when they were just trying to get justice for Aafia.

Since the youth and I were all members of a small "Free Aafia" WhatsApp group, I gave them this free advice over that medium:

"I've been reading the discussion here on trying to use the occasion of the George Floyd verdict to get attention for our sister Aafia's case. As a Pakistani who has grown up in the U.S., I would strongly discourage this. Black people suffer on a daily basis under police brutality and oppression in the U.S., even though they are born here. They are generally very sympathetic to the plight of Dr. Aafia when they are told about it. And- I've had many of them stand with me in protests here for Aafia, when most US-based Pakistanis are too cowardly to do so. The Pakistanis, in my opinion, are more concerned about what might happen to their nice jobs, image, etc if they speak out for Aafia.

A very large percent of Pakistanis as well as Arabs living here in the U.S. are doing great, in terms of dunya. And they don't care either about Aafia, or about Black Americans who are suffering under police brutality/racism. Many of them have convenience stores in the Black areas ("ghettos"). These areas are typically very poor, and have very few nice grocery stores etc to buy healthy food. The Arab and Pakistani convenience store owners sell liquor and cigarettes to Black people. It gives a bad name to Muslims.

The shop owner who called the police on George Floyd was an Arab Muslim. He thought Floyd was shoplifting/stealing some very minor item from his store, so he called them. But, he did not have to. His shop was similar to the ones I describe. (He apologized later, but the damage was done.)

The best thing Pakistani Muslims can do, in my opinion, is to support Black people in their struggle against racism and White Supremacy. And that is a struggle for justice which Muslims can support. (In fact, Qur'an Kareem commands us to stand with all oppressed people.) We do not need to compete with them on who is more oppressed, or try to overshadow their struggle.

In other words, I would strongly recommend keeping the two issues (justice for George Floyd and the Aafia Siddiqui case) separate."

Occupy for Mumia

Washington, DC

April 24, 2012

 

Activists marked political prisoner Mumia Abu Jamal's 58th birthday and 29th year behind bars with a protest billed as "Occupy the Justice Department/ Occupy for Mumia." The action also nearly coincided with the April 23 birthday of Marshall "Eddie" Conway, a leader of the Black Panther leader in Baltimore who has been held political prisoner by the state of Maryland for 43 years, drawing some of his supporters to the rally.

 

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Background

Mumia was a member of the Black Panther Party until 1970, and a journalist of great integrity, known for reporting police brutality and other government abuses in the Philadelphia area. He was also a well-known supporter of the MOVE organization, a revolutionary naturalist group based in the heart of Philadelphia. MOVE  advocates a holistic existence for all people--a drug-free, alcohol free, environmentalist lifestyle, emphasizing self-sufficiency, self-respect, and discipline--something anathema to Philadelphia's ruling racists. As a consequence, the organization became the target of a very long-ranging campaign of annihilation by the Philadelphia authorities. That campaign culminated in the May 13, 1985 raid and aerial bombardment of the house habited by MOVE members on Philadelphia's Osage Avenue. The firebombings and police shootings resulted in the murders of 11 men, women, and children, and the jailing of Ramona Africa, the sole adult survivor. And it destroyed 61 surrounding homes.

 

Mumia's writings and his ongoing support for MOVE evidently propelled him into the government crosshairs, because in late 1981, he was linked to the shooting of a Philadelphia police officer, William Faulkner. In 1982, Mumia was convicted following very questionable trial proceedings, including the retention of the presiding judge, Sabo, who reportedly stated "Yeah, and I’m going to help them fry the nigger" (a reference to Mumia, reported in an affidavit by a court stenographer), and witnesses who later said they were pressured into testifying in a manner that favored the prosecution. Following three short weeks of jury deliberation, Mumia was sentenced to the death penalty. Undaunted, he continued to criticize U.S. government repression, authoring six books, hundreds of articles, and radio broadcasts from death row. Extremely well-informed and articulate, he spoke and wrote earnestly against U.S. imperialist adventures abroad, including the Iraq war and AFRICOM. He earned the support of Amnesty International, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Toni Morrison, and other notables, who variously called for inquiries into his unjust incarceration, appeals, or freedom for the jailed journalist. In 2012, after years of pressure from his supporters, Mumia's death penalty sentence was dropped, and the sentence commuted to life in prison.

 

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On the bright sunny morning of April 24, the International Concerned Friends and Family of Mumia Abu Jamal (ICFFMAJ) and the MOVE organization spearheaded a rally for Mumia at the Department of Justice. Friends of MOVE, Decarcerate PA, Students Against Mass Incarceration, DC Troy Davis, the National Jericho Movement, Occupy DC, Occupy Baltimore, the Rebel Diaz Arts Collective, Workers World Party, the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, the All Peoples Congress, the Baltimore Black Think Tank, Jamaat al-Muslimeen, Bradley Manning supporters, and many other groups and individuals came together in one of the most energetic actions for a political prisoner held in Washington, DC, to date. The protestors heard Johanna Fernandez (outspoken Mumia supporter and professor from Baruch-CUNY); King Downing (American Friends Service Committee); Pam Africa (Minister of Confrontation of MOVE, and Chairwoman of ICFFMAJ); Ramona Africa (MOVE); Br. Abdul (MOVE organization; he read Mumia's deeply poignant statement penned for the occasion); Chuck D, Dead Prez, Jasiri X, Rebel Diaz, and Jay Sun--all politically conscious hip-hop artists known for their support of Mumia and other political prisoners; Mauri Saalakhan (Peace and Justice Foundation); Laila Yaghi (Free Ziyad Yaghi Campaign); Imam Khalil Rahman (Imam Al-Jamil supporter); Mumia supporters from France; and others.Around 3:00 pm, protestors left the DOJ for a spirited march through DC's downtown, passing the FBI and CIA buildings, and other landmarks of state repression. The protest culminated in a second rally at the White House, where a police cordon was pulled tighter and tighter around the protestors as some activists, who had pledged to commit civil disobedience, positioned themselves for the action. Twenty-seven activists were arrested and removed to the Anacostia Prison Facility to be booked, protesting for Mumia's freedom.

 

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AfterwardThis Muslim writer marveled at the sight of the predominantly youthful protestors, particularly those conducting civil disobedience, who had come forth to take a stance for unjustly held captives, a command clearly laid out in Islam's Holy Book. It was in stark contrast to "Islam on Capitol Hill," a mass prayer held not so long ago at the U.S. Capitol a short distance away, by the gigolos of the Muslim community, who endeavoring to ally themselves with the power structure, induced their unwitting constituents to do "sajood" (genuflection) to that grotesque symbol of Babylon. As those with Muslim names clamored for ill-sought White House invitations and Presidential Council appointments, inviting the agents of repression into their Islamic Centers and Mosques, the youth at the White House gates on April 24, most of whom were not Muslim by title, walked the path of Christ (AS) and Muhammad (SAW), fighting for the rights of the most oppressed and downtrodden--the political prisoners. What will it take for the rest of us to follow?

 

©2012 by Nadrat Siddique