Back to politics

As some may have noticed, I've kind of layed off the political talk for a while.
On numerous fronts, I've taken the ostriche approach lately.

You'd think it would be natural for a desert person like myself to keep the tactic going. Then again, we did shift from the nomadic life to a sedentary one a long time ago... and for good reason. You see, sand just doesn't feel all that good lodged in your ears or throat. And frankly, you begin to crave water to quench your thirst and to wash down those pesky little particles of sand.

Now I'm back for some commentary. I think this is partly inspired by the film I saw last night--last interview with Edward Said. If anyone can inspire me from the grave, it would be him, wouldn't it?

There's another reason I've been quite about politics: I was beginning to feel that it was a bit arrogant to say anything about what's going on. So much of what's
happening now is transitional, and I couldn't quite tell where it was going. Still
can't, but there are notable trends at this point.

So let's get started.

On the local and national front:

Board members of various Arab or Muslim related organizations are being hit up for 'voluntary interviews' by the Feds. This is seperate from the other round of interviewing individual Muslims that was actually announced. Now things are
moving behind the curtain.

Locally, an Islamic Center got targeted by the Feds and contacted by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Double whammy! This Center is the largest one I know of in our area, with about eight to nine hundred members, and growing. Some unknown person working with the Freedom something or other snuck into the mosque and picked up some literature from the Saudi embassy. Now they're accusing them of teaching hatred (mainly anti-semitism) to their children. Sound familiar?

If it wasn't almost exactly the rhetoric used by Israel to accuse Palestinians of hate (all the while not noticing the damn tanks and bulldozers making new refugees everyday), I may not be raising a brow right now.

It's important to note that this literature was essentially just lying around--anyone could have dropped it off or picked it up--and no one was tracking the whereabouts of these books or pamphlets. Moreover, the classes they hold for the
children use other texts that were NOT picked up in this infiltration.

At the risk of sounding unreasonably suspicious, the question of why the ADL and the Feds are targeting the same places must be considered. In what direction is information flowing? Are the feds letting NGOs do the dirty work of infiltrating and attacking the Muslim community for them? There are simply too many questions NOT to be alarmed.

The same has occurred in mosques throughout the country as a part of 'project' to uncover Saudi/Wahabi spreading of hate ideology in American mosques. They then pick through the stolen literature to find messages that are considered to instill hatred towards non-Muslim people, ways, and practices (and women).

What?! You mean, the fundamentalist Wahabi ideology hasn't gone to PC University? Unacceptable. Perhaps they were skipping classes along with their Christian, Jewish, Hindu and what-not fundamentalist counterparts?

Let me put aside my unending sarcasm to say that every text of the Abrahamic religions--from the Torah to the Bible to the Quran--contains messages of hate towards one group or another. Furthermore, what some of us now view as 'sexism'
can inarguably be found in all of them.

From "Gentile Dogs", an interesting and objective analysis of racism from the Torah to the Bible:

"You must utterly destroy them; you shall make no covenant with them, and show no mercy to them. You shall not make marriages with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons."
(Deuteronomy Chapter 7 verse 2)

From the not-so-objective (but amusing)
"The Dark Bible: Women's Inferior Status":

"Of the woman came the beginning of sin, and through her we all die." (Eccles. 25:22)

"The whoredom of a woman may be known in her haughty looks and eyelids. If thy daughter be shameless, keep her in straitly, lest she abuse herself through overmuch liberty." (Eccles. 26:9-10)

"For from garments cometh a moth, and from women wickedness. Better is the churlishness of a man than a courteous woman, a woman, I say, which bringeth shame and reproach." (Eccles. 42:13-14)

And from "The Bible & Religious Tolerance", on the more objective side again:

"But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils." Here, Paul writes that the Gods and Goddesses of other religions are actually demons. Christians are to completely isolate themselves from non-Christians.

1 Corinthians 10:20-21

For the sake of being thorough, let's investigate them all! No, really. It's about time Pat Robertson is called in for a voluntary interview about his political and religious beliefs considering the shit he spews on national television. Or does
calling Muslims devil worshipers somehow NOT qualify as spreading hate in the 'New Normal' environment?

My point in posting the above quotes isn't to fling dirt at anyone of any faith. Rather, I'm attempting to expose the sheer hypocrisy of focusing on religious texts to incriminate believers of any one faith.

The way in which a religion is practiced is not merely based on executing what may found in the text. It's also about which parts are emphasized over others--which parts of the 'message' are adopted by a people with a history and culture that
preceded the text. Religious practice and belief is subject to change based on the historical moment and the circumstances of followers.

What's ridiculous about the ADL's or Fed's strategies is that they are apparently unable or unwilling to grant Muslims the same humanity and independent thought they would grant to others. The view of Muslims as mindless followers of texts and leaders reaks of a resurgence of Orientalism in its truest form--state sanctioned and utilized to solidify the notion of the inhuman 'other'.

There is little doubt in my mind that Muslim individuals and organizations in the US are being targeted, and that intimidation tactics are being used by the Bush administration's Homeland Security aparatus. Last October, they minced no words when they announced plans to actively and visibly keep tabs on Muslims in order to dissuade groups from disrupting the elections. They did not state that their policy would continue after the elections, but I think it's safe to say it has.

We are apparently guilty by association. In the next years, we may find ourselves further from the breath of fresh air than in the last term.

Palestine Related:

Truce...yeah right. I find myself thinking more along the lines of Robert Fisk in this article entitled "There will be no Middle East peace without justice". Just heard a little while ago that Israel freed a few hundred prisoners. I just wonder
which ones. Barghuti?
Fisk: At no point yesterday did anyone mention occupation. Like sex, it had to be censored out 09 February 2005.

Iraq Related:

No comment. I just don't know anymore. I find it note-worthy that the Sunnis, who theoretically were the most worried about losing political clout, were also the most prevented from participating in the election. Really, rationally speaking, would it make any sense for Sunni groups to prevent Sunnis from voting in order to...what?...make sure the group maintained a political voice? Or would it be more logical that non-Sunni groups would prevent Sunni participation?