Warped Galaxies

Duh, it's torture

2008-07-09T10:40:00.003-05:00

Christopher Hitchens, an outspoken supporter of the Iraq war and the administration's "interrogation techniques" in Guantanamo, has changed his mind. After having subjected himself to waterboarding, he's decided it is torture after all.

Mr. Hitchens took up the challenge posed by some of his readers that if he really thought waterboarding wasn't so bad, he should go through it himself. Apparently, Mr. Hitchens was confident he would be able to withstand it. He wasn't. Not only did he "last less than ten seconds," but he is suffering from ongoing effects -- bad dreams and panic attacks whenever he feels breathless -- that are reminiscent of post-traumatic stress syndrome. This is despite the fact that he was told precisely what would happen during the procedure and was given codes words and physical signals to shout and make when he'd had enough.

How much worse would it be for men who had no idea what was coming, who had no escape route?

One can't help but wonder if a movie diet filled with super human heroes who take abuse as though it were nothing -- James Bond stoically withstanding Korean torture, Jason Bourne (hmmm note the coinciding initials!) running and fighting after being subjected to beatings that would leave most of us brain damaged -- hasn't convinced the american public that we are invincible, or at least that humans can take far more than we really can.

Anyway, thank god one person has woken up, though, apparently with devastating results. Let's hope his "epiphany" will wake some others up too.

to read the full account : http://www.cbc.ca/arts/media/story/2008/07/08/waterboarding-hitchens.html

MPV Innaugural Webinar

2008-02-13T10:40:00.001-05:00

This ought to be a really good event!

Muslims for Progressive Values

will kick off our live web seminar series with GLBITQ Activist El-Farouk Khaki on

"Islam: A Universe of Universal Love."

Tune in February 24^th at 5pm EST

Learn about progressive interpretations of Islamic law and how they positively affect GLBITQ rights.
Discuss love's centrality to a Muslim's spiritual life.
Get involved by submitting your questions and comments live!
Read and reflect on the talk on our blog at ProgressiveIslam.org

El-Farouk Khaki (born October 26, 1963) is a Canadian refugee and immigration lawyer and human rights activist on issues including gender equality, sexual orientation, and progressive Islam. He is the New Democratic Party's candidate for the House of Commons in the riding of Toronto Centre in a by-election being held on March 17, 2008.

In 1993, he founded Salaam, the first queer Muslim group in Canada and second in the world. In 2003, he organized the first female-led, mixed-gender Muslim congregational prayers in Canada for the Salaam/Al-Fateha International Conference, and in 2005, organized the first such prayers anywhere to be held in a mosque, and he has been involved in every such public event in Canada since. Among other involvements, he has served on the Toronto Mayor’s Committee on Community & Race Relations, on the board of The 519 Community Centre, and is now elected chair of Africans in Partnership Against AIDS.

Khaki regularly speaks publicly at events and in news media on issues ranging from refugee protection, to the global AIDS crisis, Canadian multiculturalism, racism, persecution of sexual minorities around the world, and religious and racial profiling in the war on terror, among other topics. His appearances include CTV's morning television program Canada AM, CBC Radio One's The Current, and others.

In spring 2007, Khaki received the prestigious Steinert and Ferreiro Award from the Lesbian and Gay Community Appeal Foundation for his "major role in paving the way in Canada for refugee protection on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender", and ground-breaking work on gender equality in the Muslim community. The previous summer, Pride Toronto, one of the world’s largest gay-pride festivals, recognized his work building tolerance and inclusiveness in the Muslim community with the 2006 Pride Award for Excellence in Spirituality.

Access the seminar LIVE at 5pm EST on Sunday, February 24^th by visiting http://www.mpvusa.org/news/values-live/seminar-on-glbtiq-rights/.
The talk will also be available for future download.

Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV) seeks to bring together progressive Muslims and friends who share their values to work for a more humane world. We welcome all who are interested in discussing, promoting and working for the implementation of progressive values — social justice, human rights, economic opportunity, separation of church and state — as well as tolerant and inclusive understandings of Islam.

Torture and what you can do about it

2008-02-05T19:21:00.000-05:00

Today the CIA revealed details about its use of the waterboarding technique at Guantanamo, or what the NPR reporter described as controlled drowning. Some people may dismiss this case as something that occurred years ago, and in a limited quantity. But the fact of the matter is having done it once, the CIA can easily justify doing it again. We need to put a stop to waterboarding and other torturous interrogation methods.

In mid February, the Senate is expected to vote on very important anti-torture legislation (Section 327 of H.R. 2082 - the Intelligence Authorization bill). This bill would require the CIA to comply with the restrictions in the Army Field Manual on interrogation of detainees. The U.S. Army Field Manual prohibits torture, as well as cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.

Several senators have threatened to raise procedural roadblocks to Section 327 (the anti-torture provision). We need 60 votes in the Senate to keep Section 327 in the bill. It would be very helpful if you would take a few minutes to contact your Senators to urge them to support the Army Field Manual provision in the Intelligence Authorization Conference Report.

You can contact your Senators by calling the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Alternatively, you can look up your Senators' direct lines and email addresses at http://capwiz.com/c-span by entering your zip code and then clicking on the names of your Members.

Please take time this week to contact your Senators to let them know how important it is for them to support the Army Field Manual provision in the Intelligence Authorization Conference Report.

----------

Fact Sheet on Section 327 of H.R. 2082 (the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008)

1.) Section 327 prohibits all agencies of the U.S. intelligence community, and their contractors, from subjecting detainees to any treatment or technique of interrogation that is not authorized by the Army Field Manual on Human Intelligence Collector Operations. In effect this would extend the McCain torture ban (which currently covers only the military) to all U.S. intelligence agencies. The text of Section 327 can be found at the bottom of this document.

2.) H.R. 2082 (which includes Section 327) is a conference report - that is, it is the final product of a compromise between House and Senate conferees on two versions of the same bill. This conference report passed the House in December on a 222-199 vote. It is now before the Senate for its approval. The text of the conference report can be found at: http://intelligence.senate.gov/conference2008.pdf

3.) Senate Republicans have placed a hold on H.R. 2082 pending the outcome of a parliamentary objection to Section 327. Since Section 327 was not part of either the original House or Senate versions of H.R. 2082, Republicans will probably be able to raise a point of order against Section 327 in order to strip it from the bill. To overrule a point of order requires 60 votes. The U.S. Senate will probably vote on the bill in mid-February.

4.) Senate Republicans have also threatened to filibuster H.R. 2082. To defeat a filibuster also requires 60 votes.

5.) There are a number of Republican Senators who have voted against torture in the past, so even though we need 60 votes to pass this bill, it is possible.

Senators who might vote either way on Section 327 include:

OR - Smith
NH - Sununu
FL - Martinez
KS - Brownback
TN - Alexander
ME - Collins
PA - Specter
MN - Coleman
IN - Lugar
OH - Voinovich
AZ - McCain
VA - Warner
NE - Ben Nelson
CT - Lieberman
IN - Bayh

Text of Section 327:
SEC. 327. LIMITATION ON INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES.
(a) LIMITATION.—No individual in the custody
or under the effective control of an element of
the intelligence community or instrumentality
thereof, regardless of nationality or physical location,
shall be subject to any treatment or technique
of interrogation not authorized by the
United States Army Field Manual on Human
Intelligence Collector Operations.

(b) INSTRUMENTALITY DEFINED.—In this section,
the term ''instrumentality'', with respect to
an element of the intelligence community, means
a contractor or subcontractor at any tier of the
element of the intelligence community.

Afghani sentenced to death

2008-02-01T18:45:00.001-05:00

You may have heard of the young Afghani journalism student who has been sentenced to death for an article he passed around in his class. Chances are strong that the "justice" to which he has been subjected has a lot more to do with putting pressure on his older brother, a full-fledged journalist who has been outspoken in his criticism of corruption in the Afghani government. Nonetheless, we once again see a defilation of Islam, and a utter neglect of fundamental values of Islam... freedom of conscience, freedom of expression, freedom of thought, freedom of information.

My column on the issues is up at On Faith.

Click here to read it.

Sun Valley

2008-01-16T10:27:00.000-05:00

A picture from my recent trip to Sun Valley to visit my mom and dad with my youngest daughter.

It was cold and sunny, and a lot of fun. The best was the hot tub in the backyard of the house my parents are renting for the winter.

Sorry... no pictures of me rising from the steam in all my glory...

Barak or Hillary or Edwards?

2008-01-14T21:52:00.000-05:00

There are times when you have an embarrassment of riches. And this year I'd say the Democrats are suffering from just that. I could vote for any of these three (or for my old favorite Denis Kucinich).

I am agonizing over this year's vote not because I don't like any of the candidates, but because I like things about each of them, but each has a caveat.

I want to vote for Edward because of his dedication to the working class and his analysis of the pernicious effect corporate America has had on politics and the quality of life of your average worker. He is right on in this issue which for me is a biggie. For that reason I really lean towards him. But... he represents the status quo in terms of being yet another while male.

I want to vote for Hilary. It is way past time since we had a female president. I am impressed with her dignity under fire, and I believe in the sincerity of her commitment to important progressive issues like women's rights, and universal healthcare. But... she seem too calculating, to willing to say or do what is politically expedient. I worry that under her leadership ideals would take a back seat to deal brokering.

I also want to vote for Barak. It is way past time we had a black president. He is eloquent, and I believe he is solidly for progressive values. But... I worry that he is inexperienced and will find it difficult to work with world leaders or even congressmen and women who perceive him as naive and overly idealistic, and thus not a real force to be contended with.

And voting for Barak means not voting for Hillary. Voting for Edwards means not voting for Barak.

I can only hope that if Barak wins the primaries Hillary is his choice for VP, and Edwards gets appointed as Secretary of the Treasury or some other high lvl cabinet position. And similarly, if Hillary wins, that she take on Barak as her VP. Then at least we'd get two out of three, with influence from the third.

A Land Called Paradise

2008-01-09T11:34:00.000-05:00

Aside from the fact that Kareem Salama is the first self-proclaimed Muslim country musician (which is quite something in itself) this video is really wonderful. It brings tears to my eyes... which I guess goes to show the depth of my own need to be seen as an individual human, not some automoton of religiosity, some nameless faceslesss "Muslim other." That, of course, is indicative of the state of mind of the entire American Muslim community at this time. After 9-11, far too many of us have felt others viewed us as some how now quite fully human, not quite whole, but as a caricature of Islamic identity, a epitome of Muslimness, and a Muslimness which is understood in horrible terms - violent, irrational, full of anger and hate, misogynistic, homophobic, extreme and backwards. The depth of pain that our community feels at these terrible judgements shines through this video which is a testament to the humanity of average Muslims.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. If the video doesn't work you can find it at: http://www.linktv.org/onenation/films/view/238

Humanity Prevails

2007-12-13T15:30:00.000-05:00

The House voted today to outlaw waterboarding and other interogation methods that do not meet the Geneva convention standards for the treatment of prisoners of war.

Thank God for small miracles.

Let us hope that the Senate follows suit, and Bush doesn't veto it.

Call your senator today and tell her/him to support the ban on torture.

Take a Teddy To Work

2007-12-02T12:53:00.000-05:00

In face of the sheer idiocy going on in the Sudan over a teacher who allowed her young students to name the class teddy bear Muhammad, I suggest Muslims all over get themselves a teddy bear and name it Muhammad.

Muhammad was in fact a bit of a teddy bear kinda guy -- he was ridiculed by macho desert men for kissing his grandchildren. They would run to him for big embraces, and he let them clamber all over him while he was praying. He did mending at home, helped with the household chores, ran in the fields with is youngest wife, and was so in love with his first wife that even years after her death the mention of her name would make him pale. He was known for never being the first to release a handshake, and for the joviality of his laughter and his smile which was sometimes so wide you could see all his molars.

I suggest one of those small clip on kinds of bears -- the one you can fasten to a tie or a purse strap. Make a statement. Let people know kids naming a teddy Muhammad is not an insult. And perhaps, if some one asks about your new companion, you will get the opportunity to discuss the really distressing situation in Sudan -- Darfur and the horrific murder, torture, rape, mutilation, etc that is going on in that part of the country.

Perspective! We need some perspective here!

More on Pakistan

2007-11-08T11:14:00.001-05:00

Here's Ali' Eteratz's excellent piece about Pakistan. It really lays the issues out very well.

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/ali_eteraz/2007/11/pakistan_prince_of_denmark.html
__._,_.___

There are murmurings that elections will be held mid November. (which seems way to fast to organize, so I assume they are fake.) Let us hope they are held, and held in an open and fair manner, sooner rather than later.

Pakistan

2007-11-07T09:54:00.000-05:00

Like many, I've been watching with dismay as Musharraf's coup in Pakistan unfolded over the past few days. It seems to me that Pakistan is in for dark days. Of course, my feeling before the coup was that Pakistan was headed for dark days. One of those situations where the phrase damned if you do, damned if you don't seems to apply all too well.

Free elections were likely to have brought even more Talibanesque officials to power, further polarizing Pakistani society and increasing the likelihood of more repressive laws being enacted.

And yet this coup clearly strengthens their hand as well. The call for jihad and Islamic "purity" will be all the more appealing now that Musharraf can easily be categorized as a usurper and tyrant, a criminal even.

And the crackdown on pro-democracy forces from the human rights advocacy and the secularist communities who have protested the coup could easily leave a vacuum in the opposition to Islamist forces. With the left decimated, the far right could well have a field day.

Musharraf's record of fighting against Islamic extremists seems spotty at best, perhaps because we in the West get only isolated pictures of what is going on in Pakistan. But his handling of the Red Mosque militants seemed almost calculated to give them free reign. And this new move, while on the one hand temporarily keeping extremists out of the government, seems sure to give them more of an edge in the long run.

I wish I could see an obvious way forward for Pakistan. But I think that like race issues in the US, it is going to take a lot of hard work on the part of Pakistani moderates, liberals and progressives to counter the radicalization of Pakistani culture. And like the struggle against racism here, it isn't something that is going to be solved overnight, or even by enacting a few laws. A long hard struggle lies ahead for the Pakistani people.

Interview

2007-11-02T08:21:00.001-05:00

I was on the Joe Teehan show out of Bellingham, Washington on Monday night. You can hear it here:

Pamela on Joe Teehan

Interview

2007-11-02T08:21:00.000-05:00

I was on the Joe Teehan show out of Bellingham, Washington on Monday night. You can hear it here:

http://www.kgmi.com/news.asp?newsid=9514&page=hearitnow

Pink Hijab Day

2007-10-26T11:48:00.001-05:00

Today Muslim women are wearing pink scarves to signal their support for research on breast cancer prevention and treatment. If you don't wear a scarf, try a pink shirt, a pink armband, a pink gellie bracelet, pink sneakers...

If nothing else, go to the breast cancer site and click to help fund mammograms for women who can't afford it otherwise.

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=2

They are having a challenge for the month of October to get to enough clicks to equal 500 mammograms. Then their premiere sponsor will give an extra 150 tests. They are 99% to goal. Let your click be the one that puts them over the top.

Islamic Fiction Website

2007-10-23T11:32:00.000-05:00

A new website devoted to Islamic Fiction has opened.

http://www.islamicfictionbooks.com/

It's got a lot of resources for readers, writers, and publishers. Definitely worth a read through.

Eid Mubarak!

2007-10-12T10:00:00.001-05:00

May you have a joyous Eid, whichever day you celebrate on. (And even if you don't celebrate it, may you feel the joy of the Muslims around you radiating into your life!)

I wanted to share an Eid song written and sung by my friend and co-founder of Muslims for Progressive Values, Ani Zonneveld.
It's beautiful. I hope you enjoy it!

Ani's Eid Song

Health Care

2007-10-03T19:38:00.000-05:00

Why am I not surprised that President Bush vetoed the healthcare bill that would have maintained insurance for thousands and thousands of American children who otherwise won't have it?

We used to pay for private healthcare. It was terribly expensive and ate up nearly a huge chunk our income. We spent more each month on insurance premiums than we did on food or house payments. In fact, we spent more on health insurance each month than we did on any other single budget item. And that doesn't count deductibles or services that were not eligible.

I've got friends who work hard, make a decent living, and can't afford health insurance. They may or may not have qualified for the program President Bush offered. But I know they live in fear of their children getting in a serious accident or developing a major illness.

Healthcare expenses in this country have resulted in a situation where wealthy people can have extraordinary and/or optional procedures that cost huge amounts of money, while others are reduced to using emergency only care.

Bush has always had a blind spot when it comes to the realities of living life as a middle income American. (Among his many blind spots, let me say.) This is one of the big problems of the Republican party in general. They are willing to spend billions of dollars a day bombing Iraq for our corporations, but can't finance a far smaller expenditure that would help your average American have a decent life, free from anxiety and stress. Compassion is clearly a value many of our politicians need to learn.

One week down/Interfaith Fast for Peace

2007-09-20T20:48:00.001-05:00

It hardly seems possible, the first week of Ramadan has drawn to a close. One quarter done. Already the kids are excited about Eid... and presents. This year, my mom is going to be in town during the last ten days of Ramadan and for Eid.

It should be interesting sharing this time and the various rituals of Ramadan with her. Maybe we'll even convince her to fast part of a day with us! She really hasn't been around much during Ramadan before, though we have shared a few Eids with her, much as we have shared a few Christmases with her and my dad.

One worthwhile event that will be taking place during her visit is the Interfaith Fast for Peace in Iraq. The organizers description of the event is:

We call on all Americans to join in fasting from dawn to dusk on Monday, October 8, to call for an end to the Iraq War. On this day, people of faith in local communities across our nation will act as catalysts to transform the meaning of the day from one of conquest to community and from violence to reverence.Just as Isaiah called the People Israel to hear the Yom Kippur fast as God’s call to feed the hungry, just as Jesus fasted in the wilderness, just as Christians through Lenten fasting and Muslims through Ramadan fasting have focused on spiritual transformation, just as Mohandas Gandhi, Cesar Chavez and others drew on fasting to change the course of history, so we call on all our communities of faith to draw now on fasting as a path toward inner spiritual transformation and outward social transformation.Ending this war can become the first step toward a policy that embodies a deeper, broader sense of generosity and community at home and in the world.

For more information on how to participate in the fast go to: http://interfaithfast.org

Lots of Good News!

2007-09-14T21:17:00.000-05:00

Muslims for Progressive Values is now officially incorporated in California. Yay! One step closer to our non-profit status.

I'm one of many converts featured on a video in YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6PBX1nZnLM

But best of all, this just came in my inbox from the ACLU. Perhaps sanity and traditional American freedoms will reign after all!

Courts Rebuke Bush Administration on Spying Laws

Two federal courts handed down stunning victories for civil liberties last week, starkly rejecting White House abuses of power through the Patriot Act and broad use of secrecy claims to dodge public accountability.

In the only legal challenge ever brought regarding the National Security Letter (NSL) provision of the amended Patriot Act, a New York federal court struck down the current rules. The NSL statute has permitted the FBI to issue secret demands for personal records without court approval. It also empowers the government to gag recipients from even discussing these NSLs.

Not only did District Court Judge Victor Marrero rule that this gag power violates the First Amendment and the fundamental separation of powers, he also found that, because the gag provisions could not be separated from the entire amended statute, the Patriot NSL statute must be struck down in its entirety. This is an historic affirmation of principle that extends beyond even the requests made in the ACLU’s legal brief!

Meanwhile, a federal judge in Washington, D.C. rejected broad claims of government secrecy in our Freedom of Information Act lawsuit over documents related to the Bush NSA wiretapping program. This ruling strikes another blow to the administration's sweeping and often unfounded secrecy claims and compels the Department of Justice, the FBI and the NSA to provide additional explanations for their withholding of many documents about the program, and the legal justifications for the program in particular.

Learn more about the NSA and NSLs on the ACLU website.

The Fight to Shut Down an Unlawful Passenger-Tracking System

The ACLU is demanding the shut-down of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) illegal Automated Targeting System (ATS) program. The ATS program violates a congressional mandate barring DHS from assigning risk levels to ordinary Americans through secret criteria and computer algorithms intended to calculate whether ordinary Americans are “security risks.”

The program “violates every American’s right to privacy," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the ACLU Technology and Liberty Program. "The judgments about Americans calculated by ATS will be stored for years, and we have no idea how they may be used in the future. The benefit to the government is extremely questionable, but the consequences for Americans are simply dangerous."

In multiple recent appropriations votes, lawmakers have forbidden DHS from developing or testing any program that uses algorithms to calculate the security risks of ordinary Americans whose names are not already on a watch list. ATS ranks citizens using unknown but inevitably imprecise algorithms and draws from databases with known errors. In addition, security officials have said they cannot determine who will be a threat from the characteristics ATS uses.

The program was approved without public or congressional consideration. The government tracked cargo using a similar system, but Congress has repeatedly banned the use of such tracking techniques for human beings.

Learn more about the ATS program.

What a great start to Ramadan!

Times

2007-09-13T20:28:00.000-05:00

Today is both the beginning of Ramadan and Rosh Hashanah.

Ramadan is a time of rededication to piety, a time to live in humility and simplicity, with sincerity in faith and compassion for others. It represents both the renewal of the soul's commitment to God and purity, and the promise from God to bless those who strive in the path of righteousness, maintaining high personal morality and reaching out to their neighbors, particularly those in need, with mercy and generosity. It is a time of joy and hope, of communal closeness and closeness to God.

The start of the Jewish New Year also represents a time of hope and renewal. It is a time of reflection upon the past year, of atonement and the casting away of sin.

The coincidence of these two holy times serves as an occasion to acknowledge the similarities between our faiths, and to celebrate the diversity of human outreach to God. Although the holy days are different -- one being a month of fasting and the other ten days of reflection and atonement ending in Yom Kippur -- the human desire to connect with God and to live good lives is the same no matter what one's faith, ethnicity, nationality, or race. The world would certainly be a better place if we took more time to consider our innate sameness, and focused less on cultural differences.

Bin Laden commentary

2007-09-11T13:27:00.001-05:00

Ali Shehata has put up a video response to Bin Laden's latest tape. I whole-heartedly agree with his sentiments. We do not accept Bin Laden as a spokesperson for Islam or for Muslims. I think the Merrit study which he mentions is vitally important -- only 1.5% of the Muslims surveyed thought Bin Laden spoke for them. Proof that it is indeed a tiny minority who subscribe to those view. Not to mention that of that tiny minority, even fewer are going to actually do something about it. Anyway, the important part is that Muslims are speaking up against Bin Laden and his followers. In all the forums that we can.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq8UflgIja4

9-11

2007-09-11T12:15:00.001-05:00

It hardly seems to have been six years already since 9-11. The memory of it -- of watching that second plane crash into the building, of seeing people plunge to their deaths, watching the towers collapse -- still brings tears to my eyes, and disbelief that anyone could perpetrate such an evil deed.

I have written a piece on why this is so totally contrary to the teachings of Islam for OnFaith:
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/pamela_k_taylor/2007/09/reexamine_your_faith.html
I just wish there were some way to get this message to the people who really need to hear it.

The deaths, perpetrated in such a horrific manner, were awful, but some days I think even worse was the damage done to the American way of life. The resulting culture of fear and intolerance that has taken over Washington and certain segments of the American populace. The willful and wholesale abandonment of key American principles such as habeus corpus, innocent until proven guilty, freedom from unwarranted searches and/or wiretapping,
disavowal of torture as an interrogation tactic and profiling as a police methodology, the reaffirmation of secret evidence and national security playing a trump card in any sort of check and balance process, have gone far further in advancing the goals of the terrorists than the horrible loss of life and property six years ago.

I hope and pray that America can get back on track. That we can stand up and say, no matter what you do, we won't abandon our values. But I fear that day will be long coming.

Gonzales Resigns

2007-08-27T08:16:00.000-05:00

I just read the news that Alberto Gonzalez resigned from his position as Attorney General. On the one hand, I'm cheering. It's about time. Some of the policies Gonzales spearheaded like warrantless wiretapping, his positions on torture, Guantanamo detainees, enemy combatants, and his stonewalling of congressional oversight with claims that national security precludes even congressmen seeing various documents or hearing testimony from various officials are nothing less than a betrayal of American values and the Constitution.

On the other, Congress rubber-stamped the wiretapping bill recently, and the person tagged as his likely successor, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, is hardly likely to be any better.

Sometimes it seems like we are digging ourselves into a morass from which we will never be able to get out. Benjamin Franklin's oft quoted statement, "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety" is a principle that needs to be revived.

Perhaps more important, we need to have a long, hard look at tactics. Our response to terror has been to hit back hard. To suspect all and to threaten the human rights of innocent people who have done no wrong, nor who we have any reason to suspect that they have done wrong except for the fact that they are Arab, Pakistani, or Muslim. We've caused far more death and destruction than was wreaked upon us. We've cause far more death and destruction than any terrorist.

The death toll, the havoc wreaked on Afghanistan and Iraq, and the discrimination Muslims, Arabs or those who happen to resemble them (such as the sikhs, who wear turbans and are facing extra airport scrutiny as a result) face in America, is like free propaganda materials given to the extremists. You can just hear them saying, "what justice do they stand for -- they killed 600,000 Iraqis who had nothing to do with 9-11. 600,000 for 3000? Where is the justice in that? Where is the balance in that? They are evil. They deserve what they get." You can hear them say, "They hate Muslims, look what they are doing to them in Guantanamo, look how they treat Muslims in the airport, look how they treat American Muslim citizens, like Jose Padilla, stripping them of all their rights. Muslims in America have no rights."

It's a distortion and an exaggeration, but there is a core of truth to it. Until the civil and human rights of every American are equally sacrosanct, our enemies will have a tool against us. Until we wage war only for just causes, then we will be seen as tyrants and bullies. And no matter Bush's rhetoric about bringing freedom to Iraq (which if you remember, wasn't the initial reason we went into Iraq, back then it was the weapons of mass destruction) the Iraq was has not been a just war.

Even more important, there are better ways to wage a "war" against terror. Yes, we need to pursue police action against would-be terrorists, and at times military action may be the only resort, but these are really only bandaids. Until the world is more balanced, until all people have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, we will continue to have conflict.

Islamic Writers Alliance Releases 1st Catalog

2007-08-25T18:19:00.000-05:00

The Islamic Writers Alliance, of which I'm the director, released it's first catalog of member works.

You can download the catalog at: http://www.islamicwritersalliance.net/Projects/IWAcatalogfinalprint.pdf

There are children's books, novels for adults, non-fiction, poetry, magazines. A smattering of everything. It' s really cool to see the diversity of work being done by this amazingly supportive group of writers.

Writing and publishing for a niche market as many of the IWA writers, editors and publishers do presents it's own marketing challenges. Even those of us who write for the mainstream, but hope to tap into the Muslim market have to deal with the same challenges in our marketing. Connecting to the market. Describing your work in a way that will be appealing to your audience. Convincing them that a book is worth the cover cost.

As an author, the idea of marketing your work seems odd. As though it taints the creative process. The mere fact that you want people to buy your work, not just read it, that you want to reach a particular audience seems somehow to sully the purity of the act of creation.

But the fact is that writers have to eat too. :)

Hopefully the IWA catalog will become an annual event, and will become a recognized resource in the Muslim community. Hopefully people will start looking for them in their masjids or local Islamic stores. That will probably take several years to accomplish, perhaps longer. That IWA has gotten this first catalog off the ground is proof that we are committed to being a real assistance to Muslim writers, not just an online support group, or a group that promotes awareness of Islamic writing to the world. I hope more Muslim writers will join us... the more the merrier is true, but even more so, the more authors who take advantage of this catalog service, the greater it's reputation will be.

Fame and Fortune

2007-08-22T07:44:00.000-05:00

Name a few "rich and famous" authors...

J.K. Rowling. John Grisham. Steven King.

The sort of people you'd expect have to go down the street in big floppy hats and dark sunglasses if they don't want fans oggling and asking for autographs, right?

Apparently not. Mr. King stopped by a local bookstore during a visit to Australia not so long ago, and seeing his books on the shelf decided to sign a few. This is not as uncommon as you might think. Signed books tend to sell better than unsigned ones, so it's to the bookstores advantage, and the author's.

Only this time it backfired. One of the customers saw King signing the books and alerted the manager that someone was defacing his stock. Fortunately for Mr. King, the owner recognized him, so he wasn't slapped with a fine or hauled off to jail.

Must have been one very embarrassed customer!

Anyway, hearing this tale of anonymity in such a famous author make me feel a lot more comfortable about using my real name rather than a psuedonym on my writing. :)