By Naazish YarKhan

Mar/Apr 2024

The road to college starts with what high school students accomplish from their freshman year onward, especially  if they are considering elite universities and competitive programs. That said, there is room for some fails, fears, and false starts. 

Florida resident Mohammad Haq, 18, recalls moving from Dubai to the U.S. in the middle of high school, during Covid’s peak surge: confronting isolation, loneliness and lingering homesickness, and wanting to do something productive. Oldest of three siblings who looked up to him, he had to exemplify patience.

Like many highschoolers, he learned only too well that being human means facing curveballs and that what matters is getting back into the groove. 

So, when should students begin thinking of leveraging their high school years? Let’s start at the very beginning — the summer just before freshman year. 

Summertime

A little homework and becoming a more educated parent-student duo that solicits advice from other parents at your potential school can go a long way to lull the anxiety. Even in the eighth grade, an appointment with a high school counselor can help with becoming more aware of what lies ahead. Does your child qualify for honors classes, what AP courses are offered and available to freshmen and are AP classes advisable in the first year?

Some high schools offer freshmen summer credit courses. While all work and no play can produce overworked kids, some freshmen take less demanding summer courses so they can take a more rigorous elective during the school year. However, ensure that you earn credits and that the class counts toward graduation requirements. Bridge classes, defined as refreshers to combat the inevitable summer slide, often don’t qualify for high school credits.

Choosing Coursework 

Think of high school as a college preparatory period and consult early with your counselors. Talk to them about your planned career path, even if your goals are rather vague. This can help them guide you toward the required courses. 

Illinois, for instance, considers that three years of high school math meets graduation requirements. However, if you want to be an engineer, colleges and universities often require four years of math. In some states, two years of a second language are enough; however, many competitive universities require four years. California’s colleges require an extra arts credit compared to Illinois. 

Share what kinds of colleges you’d ideally like to attend — community colleges, state schools, top-tier schools or an Ivy League one. If you want to go to a selective school or enter a competitive program, not taking your school’s Honors or AP classes can count against you because colleges consider the rigor of your coursework relative to your peers’ and your school’s offerings when evaluating your application. In other words, AP and Honors classes can enhance your chances of getting in. 

So ask your counselor what prerequisites you may need for certain AP classes. In fact, Haq credits his seven AP courses with boosting his college application and earning him college credits at University of Central Florida’s Burnett Honors College. 

Be aware that admissions committees want to see you exert yourself academically. Parents will also hear about a “weighted GPA,” which is like receiving extra credit for taking on the academic heavyweights like AP and Honors. Remain balanced so you don’t compromise your GPA or mental health.  

Earning College Credit 

Besides showing that you’re capable of academic rigor, taking APs can have financial benefits. Accepted AP credits reduce your coursework and, consequently, save on college tuition. Graduating sooner could also translate into starting a master’s degree, jumpstarting your career or embarking on your next adventure sooner. 

However, not all universities accept AP credits because the curriculum typically isn’t as robust as a university class. If the course is a building block to your major, reconsider skipping the class and “cashing in” the credits at university. You want to have a strong foundation.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is another route to college credits. They are like AP exams, but students must prep on their own. 

Dual enrollment allows high school students to enroll in college classes during the academic year, including at community college, earning credit toward their high school diplomas and future college degrees. Over 70% of U.S. high schools offer this option, which saves students time and earns college credit without paying college or university prices. 

Extracurriculars Matter

College admissions officers often look favorably at extracurriculars and community service. Establishing a track record is important — depth is preferable to breadth — and that means starting early. 

As a newbie in town, Haq’s first days of high school involved weaving through seas of people, navigating uncharted territory. Having moved to the US in the middle of highschool, “Most of the kids had friends, so I had to reach out and break the ice to get to know them,” he says. He threw himself into his robotics, Model UN, and chess teams. “I also started volunteering at my mosque, filling a spiritual void,” says Haq. “At the  American Muslim Community Center (AMCC)  Sunday School, I helped the teachers with attendance, setting up lunch tables, and helping out in the classrooms. By doing so I was able to connect with many of the younger kids, who looked up to (us) volunteers as role models,” he shares. “ I had just moved to Florida and (up until then) didn’t have a masjid or community that I could associate with to serve Allah and society. This opportunity helped fulfill my desire to serve the Muslim community.” As it turned out, serving his community also snagged this freshman a scholarship. 

Atlanta resident Afsheen Fatima, however, notes that it’s never too late to start. 

For her, high school was a private school that meant uncomfortable uniforms, a new curriculum and extreme academic rigor. 

“This rigor, however, was not my biggest challenge — it was the academically competitive students around me. At my middle school, I was one of the ‘smart kids’ — in advanced classes and winning awards for best academic performance at my graduation. Back then, students reached out to me for academic guidance, and I always helped them. At my new school, everyone was academically gifted in some way. I found myself asking myself why even bother competing when I cannot beat a genius,” she says. 

It wasn’t until the middle of her sophomore year that closer classmates confided their fears to her. “They, too, felt pressured to excel,” she remarks. She then realized that she could wallow in her fears or break out of them. Research became her get-out-of-the-doldrums card. 

“Make sure that you have a genuine interest in what you are doing,” she advises. She started working on a research paper about Alzheimer’s disease in her sophomore year that was published in the International Young Researchers Conference Journal. 

“I would recommend [that] high schoolers actively look for opportunities for the field they are interested in. Looking up on the internet or asking people around you for internships, research and other opportunities can often lead to activities that help bolster one’s application,” she notes. Hers came via a teacher’s recommendation. 

When younger, “often, the books I wanted were unavailable [at my local library], but my fervor to continue a series motivated me to read the books out of order,” she reveals. “Little did I know that through this unorthodox reading style, I was learning many valuable skills. Reading books out of order honed my deductive skills,” Fatima says. “The habit of analysis, looking at the variables and deducing their connections became second nature, extending beyond the pages of fiction to my research.” 

She chronicled this experience in her college application essay, landing acceptances at the University of Georgia and other schools.

Lumiere Education, a research program that connects students with scholar mentors from top universities, states, “For the class of 2026 at the University of Pennsylvania, roughly one-third of their matriculating class did research in high school. Top universities worldwide care about research … because it not only shows a level of rigor and of independent thought, but also because these universities themselves prize research highly. So, when they see a student succeed in research in high school, it signals that they will likely succeed in the college environment as well.” 

While research caught Fatima’s attention, running a small business appealed to Nusrath Rahman [not her real name]. Inspired by her aunt who has a balloon decorating events business in the U.K., this computer science and data analytics major at University of Georgia ran a small business with her father when she was sixteen. 

“My aunt taught me how to make balloon backdrops and set up for events,” Rahman recalls. “By helping her with her business, my dad and I started our own balloon business called Dress the Event. With this, I was able to combine my artistic side with my organization, communication, management, marketing and photography skills. I felt my creativity flourish as I spoke to clients about their vision, then brainstormed with my dad how to bring it to life.” 

In her college essay, Rahman wrote about how she managed social media marketing and channeled her photography skills in order to run her business.

Family Responsibilities Count

If you have family responsibilities, work part-time, contribute to the household income, watch your siblings or look after an ailing grandparent, let your high school know. Mention such activities in application essays, because they demonstrate responsibility, resilience and time management skills, all of which influence the admission committee’s perception of your overall dedication to your education.

Yes, the road to college begins earlier than most of us think. But remember that an early conversation whittles down some of the stress associated with playing catch up. 

Naazish YarKhan, founder of writersstudio.us, is a college essay coach with a master’s degree in communications from Northwestern University.

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By Sawson Mudarib

May/Jun 2024

The horrific ongoing genocide in Gaza has awoken many Muslims to what the Palestinians have been enduring for the past 75 years.

Many of us have been asking why we didn’t know what was happening there until now, why we didn’t learn about Israel’s history in school or through the news networks and wonder if sending our children to Islamic schools will end this knowledge gap.

Atrocities have been happening in many Muslim-majority countries, so what makes Palestine unique? For one thing, its people’s continued oppression is only possible because of Washington’s unwavering generous financial and material support for Israel. Current realities have raised concerns about the role of our country’s K-12 education system in manufacturing consent for Israel. 

The Institute of Curriculum Services (ICS): An Expose

Jeanne Trabulsi, a retired educator who now leads the Virginia Coalition for Human Rights’ (VCHR) Education Committee, spoke on “ICS Textbook Manipulations: VCHR Pushback” on March 4, 2022 at the “Transcending the Israel Lobby at Home and Abroad” conference hosted in Washington D.C. According to www.israellobbycon.org, this annual conference is held before the AIPAC meeting, traditionally held in Washington, D.C. Her eye-opening short talk can be heard at www.israellobbycon.org/#h.j3q4axi486o3.

Trabulsi states that the ICS nonprofit, which operates under the auspices of the San Francisco-based Jewish Community Relations Council, “provides K-12 educators with free professional development and standards-driven resources on Judaism and Jewish history” (https://icsresources.org). Its stated purpose is related to public affairs with a commitment to Israel.

In addition to the graphic’s statistics, ICS presents signature workshops about the “Arab-Israeli Conflict” and “Antisemitism: The Longest Hatred.” Their resources use primary sources that seem reliable. But upon deeper inspection, the content seeks to construct an uncritical pro-Israel narrative by sanitizing language about settlers, colonization and occupation, as well as omitting factually accurate language about the illegal expansion of Jewish-only settlements and occupation. The resulting message: Israelis have done nothing wrong and the Palestinians are a violent and unwilling party to peaceful coexistence.

Sanitizing the Script

ICS has also had an incredible impact on the content related to Judaism, Israel and Palestine in textbooks by major publishers nationwide due to its engagement with state and district textbook reviews. Trabulsi reveals that it once proposed hundreds of edits for twelve textbooks to publishers like Pearson and McGraw-Hill — among them removing language like “occupied territories” on the grounds that this language is “politicized and inappropriate for a public-school text” — and calling “settlements” “communities.” Additionally, maps were relabeled and references to Palestine were removed, although ICS permitted references to “Mandatory Palestine” and “Palestinians.”

The Reach

ICS boasts of impacting over 11 million students. After Israel’s aggression against Gaza intensified in October 2023, a Texas governor promoted ICS curriculum to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), potentially increasing their impact to many thousands of additional students. 

On Oct. 20, 2023, via a published a message to the TEA, Gov. Greg Abbot (R-Texas) stated, “The State of Texas stands strong with Israel and our Jewish neighbors during the heinous acts of war committed by the terrorist group Hamas, and we will not allow misinformation and prejudice to undermine the support the Jewish community needs during this time of conflict.” 

He shared resources with recipients that they can use in their schools (https://gov.texas.gov/news/), which include ICS created material on the Israel-Palestine war (https://icsresources.org).

Victory and an effort worth duplicating

After creating a document that provides pushback on ICS recommendations to the Virginia Department of Education, the VCHR sought the attention and support of prominent academicians, requesting that they explain why the recommendations were problematic. To their knowledge, none of them were accepted into the Virginia textbooks for the review cycle — a huge victory for VCHR and our children.

In the ensuing press release, Trabulsi stated they made a press release, gave talks and interviews on podcasts.  

VCHR continues to seek allies and hopes to provide related teacher training workshops soon. She encouraged people to get involved in the state and district textbook review cycles to achieve similar victories nationwide. 

What about Islamic Schools?

Shockingly, many Islamic school students are essentially learning the same things about Palestine as public school students because, among other reasons, both schools use the same textbooks and because not all of their teachers, regardless of their religion, are able to identify these books’ omissions and/or inaccuracies.

For Muslims, Palestine also holds religious importance as “The Holy Land” and “The Blessed Land.” In addition to Jerusalem being the first prayer direction (qibla), many prophets lived there and from there the Prophet (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) ascended to heaven. And, importantly, in the End Times, Jesus (alayhi salaam) will kill the Dajjal near Al-Quds. Thus, Palestine is a matter of faith and identity for Muslims. 

The injustices currently occurring in Gaza are an extension of the oppressive forces that have killed and harmed others in the past and even now. Muslims must stand up against injustice when they see it (4:135). But first they must recognize it. White supremacy, colonialism, and capitalism were all involved in Israel’s creation and its ever-expanding borders. 

Islamic school teachers must help students make the connections between the theft of Palestinian land to centuries of racism against African Americans to, for example, the decades-long crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

Many Islamic school principals and teachers nationwide have been doing just that in order to insert reliable educational resources about Palestine into their K-12 scope and sequence. 

In addition, various organizations have sought to make factual, faith-based lessons about Palestine more accessible for Muslim students worldwide. Examples of these are Yaqeen Institute’s lesson plan (https://yaqeeninstitute.org/curriculum#curriculum-topics) as well as those created by volunteer curriculum developers and teachers at the Islamic Curriculum Initiative (https://islamiccurriculuminitiative.com). 

Other efforts are underway, such as the Consultants for Islamic School Excellence’s (www.gocise.org) development of a high school curriculum under the guidance of prominent Muslim experts in curriculum, social studies education and the Middle East, as well as the Islamic Schools League of America’s research-informed initiative to curate the vetted Teaching Palestine Toolkit (www.theisla.org/teaching-palestine-toolkit).

Teachers in Islamic and public schools will quickly recognize the crucial role that education plays in preserving and protecting Palestine and its inhabitants in young Muslims’ hearts and minds. Given the ongoing genocide, there’s no time to lose.

Sawson Mudarib is a freelance writer.

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May/Jun 2024

In 2023, CAIR received 8,061 complaints nationwide, making it the highest number of complaints CAIR has ever recorded in its 30-year history. Nearly half of all complaints received in 2023 were reported in the final three months of the year. The 2023 wave of anti-Muslim incidents, a 56% jump over the previous year, surpassed the period following the implementation of President Trump’s Muslim Ban, which saw a 32% over the previous year.

The primary force behind this wave of heightened Islamophobia was the escalation of violence in Israel and Palestine in October 2023. Employers, universities, and schools were among the central actors suppressing free speech by those who sought to vocally oppose Israel’s genocidal onslaught on Gaza and call attention to Palestinian human rights.

The number of complaints in 2023 is a 56% increase over 2022. Immigration and asylum cases made up 20% (1,637) of the complaints received. Employment discrimination (1,201 complaints, or 15%), education discrimination (688 complaints, or 8.5%), and hate crimes and incidents (607 complaints, or 7.5%) are among the highest reported categories. Behind these numbers are human tragedies. 

In October, six-year-old Palestinian-American Wadea Al-Fayoume was stabbed and murdered by his family’s landlord in Chicago. According to his mother, who was also attacked, the landlord yelled “you Muslims must die!” before attempting to choke and stab her.

In another incident of a child being targeted, a teacher threatened to beat and behead a seventh-grade Muslim student in Warner Robins, Georgia, in December. After the student asked about the teacher’s Israeli flag, the teacher was overheard, in part, threatening to “slit [the student’s] god***n throat” and “cut her head off” by several students and witnesses.

Meanwhile, a Muslim and Palestinian woman was reportedly threatened by a man while riding the Washington, D.C. Metro train in October. The woman had been riding the train on her way to a demonstration for Palestinian rights when a man reportedly asked her, “How’d you like to lose your life? “On video, the man is then heard asking the woman, “How’d you like to have your head beheaded?” According to the victim and witnesses, the man also reportedly possessed a firearm, which he slightly removed from his pocket. While this wave of Islamophobic bias dominates this report, the status of Muslim civil rights proved precarious in other ways.

  In 2023, CAIR was given access to copies of the No-Fly List and Selectee List, subsets of what is colloquially known as the “terror watchlist. “An expert statistical analysis estimates that at least 98.3% of the names on the watchlist are identifiably Muslim. More than 350,000 entries alone in the portion of the watchlist acquired by CAIR include some transliteration of Mohamed, Ali, or Mahmoud, and the top 50 most frequently occurring names are all Muslim names. 

A Muslim-American Air Force veteran, Saadiq Long, knows the consequences of being watch listed. Long had been pulled over by Oklahoma City Police Department (OKCPD) officers numerous times, most notably a stop on January 12, 2023, which resulted in him being handcuffed and arrested at gunpoint while his vehicle was searched. In May, Mayor Mohamed T. Khairullah of Prospect Park, N.J. was barred from attending the White House’s 6th annual Eid al-Fitr celebration likely due to his prior watch listing. 

Over several months, CAIR, Muslim families, and other community partners called for the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Maryland to restore the school districts opt-out option for certain types of instructional material. In the fall of 2022, MCPS implemented opt-outs when it introduced curriculum and classroom.

In teacher discussion guides, MCPS makes it clear that English teachers are expected to teach concepts related to gender, family life, and relationships. Contrary to claims MCPS had made in federal court, teachers are told to scold, debate, or “disrupt the either/or thinking” of only students who express traditional viewpoints or ask critical questions about those topics (Luke Rosiak, Aug 21, 2023   DailyWire.com). 

Some Positive Outcomes Too

The recognition of Muslim religious identity by allowing mosques to broadcast the call to prayer, celebrating Muslim Heritage Month, and observing Eid as school holidays granted American Muslim communities equal social opportunities to practice their faith. In 2023, Minneapolis and New York City permitted mosques to broadcast the adhan, or call to prayer, over loudspeakers. Also in 2023, New Jersey and Georgia adopted the practice of recognizing a Muslim Heritage Month. North Carolina joined the list of states observing Muslim American Heritage Month in early 2024, bringing the total to at least eight states. School districts in at least six states added the observation of one of two major Muslim holidays to their yearly calendars.

While the treatment of incarcerated and detained Muslims continues to be an area of concern, progress has also been made to preserve their freedom to practice their faith. The California chapter of CAIR, alongside The Church State Council, Exodus Project, Jakara Movement, and Tayba Foundation, sponsored SB 309, a bill that would create a statewide policy ensuring the right of religious headwear, clothing, and grooming to those in California’s carceral system. The bill was signed by Governor Newsom in October 2023.

Based on these and other developments, CAIR makes several recommendations in this report. 

Public officials at all levels of government, corporate leaders, and those speaking on behalf of places of education must respect free speech on Palestine and the value of human life. If they choose to comment on international affairs such as events in Israel and Palestine, then equal weight and attention should be given to Palestinian suffering. 

The Biden administration must suspend the FBI’s dissemination of the watchlist. Congress must enhance anti-doxing laws. We also reiterate some previous recommendations including our insistence that the U.S. government tie police funding to the submission of hate crimes data and that banks must end the wrongful targeting of American Muslim, Arab, and Persian families.

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May/Jun 2024

Editor’s Note: Due to limited space, the following passage consists of excerpts from Rev. Issac’s sermon. The full transcript is available at https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/49458. Although Muslims don’t believe that Jesus (‘alayhi as salaam) was crucified and resurrected — Islam rejects the Christian dogma of Original Sin — Islamic Horizons’ staff nevertheless believes that his powerful words deserve our attention and respect. Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac currently pastors the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem and the Lutheran Church in Beit Sahour.

Today [March 30] we commemorate the arrest, trial, and torture of Jesus and his execution on the cross… What a cruel scene of steel, and even more ugly. “He has no image and no beauty, so we look at him… We cover our faces from him.” There is torture, slow death, and pain.…

The Friday of pains has come upon us, and our land is in pain and sorrow and is ravaged by death, displacement, and destruction. Our people in Gaza are suspended between the earth and the sky, dying a slow death. They ridicule and curse them [the Palestinians] and put it all in front of the world. Today we cover our faces from the scenes of death in Gaza. About the shapes of children. About bodies found in the streets. No picture of them, so look at them.

We have kept this rubble in our church since birth, because Gaza is still under rubble, because our people in Gaza and our children are still … under rubble. Who would have thought that Easter would come and Gaza would still be destroyed in such a horrible way? Today we entered a new phase of the extermination war, in which we are killed by hunger, thirst, and disease. I was very hurt today [by] the cruel scene of a child under the rubble, who miraculously survived the bombing … [asking,] “Where is the water? I am thirsty.”

On the cross Jesus cried: “I am thirsty,” in solidarity with those who are being perished by famine and siege… with all the victims of the wars and famines, caused by the oppressive and authoritarian regimes in our world. …

And while Jesus was hanging on the cross, they ridiculed him, cursed him and challenged him to come down from the cross, [just] as they mock [us] today … as they tear Gaza [apart] neighborhood after neighborhood, house after house, and child after child…

The universe is saddened today by the silence of decision makers and their racism, [by] the absence of those who say the word of truth, fearing for themselves and their interests, armed with the blood of neutrality and silence, under the name of peace and reconciliation. The universe is grieving for those who called for fire to come down from heaven and destroy a people and cities, so that “the chosen ones [can] defend themselves,” as we understand it!

… Yes, today there are those who inherit and mourn with us, in the streets and international courts. There are those who stand in solidarity with Gaza. The warlords must respond! May their conscience wake up!

We [are] looking for God in this war. We always cry out to Him, and He doesn’t answer, while we see the Son of God hanging on the cross shouting, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why did you let me be crucified? Am I being tortured? And am I not guilty?”

[On] this earth, even God is a victim of cowardice, death, [the] machine[s] of war and colonization. He suffers with the people of this land, and shares with them the same fate. “My God, my God, why did You leave me?” It is a cry that has been echoed for hundreds of years on this earth. It is a cry renewed in the words of our [Druze and nationalist] poet Samih Al-Qasim (d.2014), in his influential poem “I am sorry”]:

I Am Sorry 

To Allah I raise my eyes 

I raise my heart and suffice me 

O Lord 

I am sad

 and the orphan exhausted me 

The fire destroyed my plants and my fields 

I cried 

and I turned my face

to the light of your throne

O Lord … People came to me 

paths were blocked in front of me 

 pleaded, I prayed with my supplication

and water springs were opened…

I’m so naughty 

and my robe is worn out 

the cold of the blues is cruel

and the freedom of abandonment is so disgusting

I’m so sad

and the soldier kicks me out of the door of my house

and I wish my life with my death …

O my God, there is no god but You

My pasture was stagnant with the poisonous grass

My sheep died on my arm

And my well they poured rocks on it

And a fig I damaged it

And an olive they swept it 

And a palm tree they swept it away

And a lemon they slaughtered it

And a mint they dried it

As a punishment …

My father’s country has become a cemetery

The houses of the believers are buried

The gardens of the believers are deserted

Their schools are denied

And their sorrows are a rainy darkness

My God

 My God and there is no other god but You… My Lord, my torment is long and harsh and unfortunate

And you are forgiving, merciful and fair

My Lord, my Lord, I am sorry

I am sorry, my Lord, my Lord I am sorry.

… It is the cry of Gaza’s people today. Gaza is thirsty for water, food, life, and justice.

Yes, Jesus on the cross today amidst the ruins of Gaza. Suffering with the despised. Jesus on the cross with the abandoned around the world, victim of racism and authoritarian regimes. Jesus is crucified today unjustly … amongst the rubble.

[What is] all this for? [On] the cross, God united with [humanity] in its pain, not out of love or glorification in pain, but to redeem us from pain and to rise with Him in His resurrection. Christ was crucified and on his way to resurrection. He faced death believing that his Heavenly Father is able to raise him from death, and thus brings salvation to all [humanity]. Here is his true power. His faith in his Father’s will, and His ability to raise him from death.

And it‘s all for the sake of love. [On] the cross love was manifested — He loved us to the end and gave himself up for those he loved. Jesus accepted the cross because he wanted our redemption and salvation. He accepted the cross because he loves us. Accept death voluntarily, not hatred. So which kind of love is this?

Jesus suffered for us and died for us, [so] let us live with him. Jesus cried [in] pain with us that we may be comforted in the resurrection. Jesus experienced loneliness and pain, [so] let us experience God’s love and presence in our lives. He abandoned himself from glory and accepted pain and death, to sit with him in the presence of the Father. Pain wasn’t meant for pain. The cross is a station on the way to resurrection. It is a means, not an end, to see love and to live.

This is how we understand the verse: “If a kernel of wheat does not fall on the ground and die, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). Christ’s death and pain opened our way to the Father… Eternity… Where there is no death, no sorrow, no sickness, no pain.

… I repeat: Gaza will rise and rise from its rubble. And her children’s blood will not go in vain. Here is the endurance of our people, and here we look at Christ, the endurance with us and in us. Who is stronger: Rome, or the one whom Rome executed on the cross and cried [out,] “Forgive them”? Herod and Pilate, or [the one] who faced them with his faith, determination, steadfastness and power of his creed? Caiaphas [the Jewish high priest] and the Pharisees, or the one they blasphemed … ?

Today and a thousand years later, by carrying the cross we are defeated and ridiculed by the empire and its gods. … Let’s face our reality with the faith of the resurrection, and [realize] that sorrow and death in Christ are only our way to [Easter’s] Sunday dawn, where there is no oppression, no occupation, no racism, no war, no hunger, no thirst, no disease, no cancer, no tears, no poverty, no oppression… [On] the cross, love conquered death. Amen.

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By Emin Poljarević 

May/Jun 2024

The father of Sweden’s welfare society (folkhemmet) is arguably Tage Erlander (d.1985), the country’s Social Democratic prime minister for 23 years. Erlander’s Sweden was marked by a strong economy, progressive taxation and an expansive social safety net that included universal healthcare, free education, and substantial public pensions. For those and many other reasons, this Nordic country of 10.7 million people was traditionally celebrated as a beacon of social democracy known for its commitment to fairness, equality and solidarity. The resulting wide-ranging welfare system and economic stability was called “the Swedish model.” 

Its enviable sociopolitical stability and economic prosperity were secured by the delicate stewardship of a large state apparatus, increased work migration, the self-regulating employer-employee system and a stable industrial base that supplied the world with high quality steel, music (ABBA), cars (Volvo), furniture (IKEA), weapons (Bofors) and a range of various technological products. 

The ideological vacuum among the relatively homogeneous population left by the intense pre-WW2 secularization processes was increasingly filled with the secularized traditional principles of equality and solidarity. Social democracy, just like 19th-century Lutheranism had in many ways, provided an underlying state ideology that was embodied by a robust civil society engagement. 

At the heart of this engagement was the concept of “popular education” (folkbildning), a notion as revolutionary as it was simple. Springing from the Lutheran belief that education should be holistic, it involves the entire human being and holds intrinsic value beyond the mere acquisition of skills. Folkbildning champions the idea that learning is a voluntary free endeavor, one in which individuals aren’t just passive recipients of knowledge, but active creators of their own learning journey. This philosophy ensured that values like solidarity and fairness weren’t just theoretical concepts, but actual lived experiences guiding civil society activism and engaging large segments of the population. 

A lion’s share of civil society organizations took the forms of associations and local organizations created around the idea of educating the public through sports, handcrafting and other creative arts. The main idea behind folkbildning is that learning ought to involve the entire human being, because it has an intrinsic value of its own.

Another important aspect is that folkbildning is not only voluntary and free, but also that participants create the learning process. In many ways, this idea and practice has enabled large-scale broad and well-anchored citizen participation. Values such as solidarity, fairness and equality became some of the guiding principles through which civil society activism came to — and continues to — engage large segments of Swedish population until today.

Sweden Begins to Change 

Yet every story, no matter how idyllic, has its shadows. In many ways, the evening of Feb. 28, 1986, marked a turning point in Sweden’s narrative. The assassination of Prime Minister Olof Palme, the heir of Erlander’s legacy and a towering national political figure, sent shockwaves throughout the nation. Palme was a strong supporter of welfare state principles and forcefully opposed to apartheid in South Africa and the U.S. war on Vietnam. This still-unresolved murder was more than a personal tragedy; it symbolized the toxic and dangerous levels of hatred for the social democratic project among segments of right-wing political circles. 

These circles ranged from mainstream conservative parties that disagreed with the extent of state intervention in the economy and sought more market-oriented reforms to more extreme elements that opposed the Social Democrats on ideological grounds, including far-right and fascist groups that were vehemently anti-communist and nationalist.

The assassination also hinted at an underlying turmoil, suggesting that the Swedish model’s seamless fabric was beginning to fray at the edges. The country eventually became part of the “Great Capitalist Restoration” of the 1980s and 1990s. In most, if not all, traditionally democratic and industrially advanced countries, this has resulted the retrenchment of the welfare state, as evidenced by sizable reductions in social spending, tax cuts, deregulation and privatization, along with a weakening of the influence of organized labor — in effect, dismantling the Social Democratic party’s core policies. 

In the aftermath of the Berlin Wall’s fall, during the early 1990s we also observed rapid economic deterioration, social segregation along ethnic and class lines, in addition to radical school reforms overlapping with a rapid increase in refugee intake from the wars in Bosnia and the Horn of Africa. Fast forward to the 2000s, and the gradual weakening of the “Swedish model” sparked further cracks in the welfare system that followed the increased segregation and higher poverty levels that fueled the rising crime rates, drug consumption and, subsequently, gang violence. By the time of the 2008 financial crisis and a number of terrorist attacks in Europe, Swedish society’s perception of security and multiculturalism had shifted dramatically to the right. 

Neo-liberalism, emerging as the new global economic orthodoxy, catalyzed a cascade of effects that undermined the country’s long-standing principles of solidarity, fairness and equality. These processes were most vividly manifested during the 2010s, a decade that witnessed a seismic shift toward higher levels of privatization, thereby weakening the state’s support for civil society organizations, and the rise of Islamophobia, populism and ethnonationalism. By the 2020s, the “Swedish model” had become nothing more than a distant memory. 

Not only have these processes of change threatened the inclusivity and progress that Sweden was once known for, but they have also cast long shadows over its societal fabric. Once a model of social democracy, the broader society is now grappling with how to navigate these turbulent waters and seeking ways to redefine itself while retaining the core values that have guided it for so long. 

Swedish Muslims are Scrambling

This has had a profound effect on entire populations and even more so on religious and ethnic minorities. For instance, Swedish Muslim civil society organizations are scrambling in utter panic to find ways to maintain their identity and faith in an increasingly hostile environment. Their struggle is not just about survival, but about finding a voice in a society that traditionally prided itself on inclusivity and openness.

Organizations such as Ibn Rushd (Study Association), Muslims for Peace and the Bosnian Muslim Youth Organization often highlight the Swedish experience with folkbildning and civil society activism and are searching for a way to be part of a society that is increasingly wary of diversity. Their journey is emblematic of the broader challenges facing civil society in an age of the paradox of globalization and rising nationalism. 

The award-winning Swedish-Ugandan writer Johannes Anyuru, 45, himself a Muslim born in Sweden, has captured some of the scariest effects of this change. In one of his books, “They Will Drown in Their Mothers’ Tears” (‎Two Lines Press, 2019), Anyuru tells a reflective and cautionary tale that intertwines Sweden’s present societal tensions with a dystopian vision of its future. The book delves into themes of marginalization, focusing not only on Muslims but also on other groups facing prejudice, thereby emphasizing the importance of understanding and dialogue across different communities. It oscillates between despair and hope, suggesting that the future isn’t fixed but can be shaped by collective action today. 

A reminder of the Swedish past, a time when solidarity and fairness were the guiding principles, Anyuru’s novels serve as a poignant commentary on the challenges to openness and freedom in contemporary Swedish society. Given this context, he advocates for a reevaluation of societal ethics toward inclusivity and understanding. His works are not just speculative fiction, but meaningful explorations of how to navigate the complexities of identity, belonging and societal change to avoid a dystopian future in which Islamophobia and injustice are institutionalized realities. As Swedes, both old and new, navigate the new social, economic and political landscape, Anyuru’s narrative represents a reflective and cautionary tale that intertwines present societal tensions with a dystopian vision of the future. 

Anyuru inadvertently points toward the importance of community-based education and activism in fostering a society that is inclusive, equitable, and perhaps even united in its diversity. As Sweden continues to grapple with the realities of a rapidly changing world, the principles of folkbildning and the spirit of civil society activism become more relevant than ever, for they are guiding the country toward a future where everyone, regardless of background or belief, can find their place and make their contribution. 

Emin Poljarević is an associate professor of Islamic studies at Universiti Brunei Darussalam.

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By Sher M. Farouki

May/Jun 2024

The advent of the military taking up the role, not only as a mere player but also as a driving force in Pakistan’s political arena, evolved as a convoluted and twisted system of its own. The vacuum created by the early demise of the genuine leadership that had created the country quickly gave way to military and mafia clans masquerading as leaders, clans who very quickly understood where their personal interests lay. 

Soon enough, a vicious game of power and wealth began; power as a way to wealth and wealth as a way to more power, while the masses were left in the squalor of misery and downright deprivation. Owing to the cacophony emanating from the print, electronic and social media, it seems easy today to point fingers in one direction. 

Is the Military Solely Responsible?

There is no denying the fact that from Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to Imran Khan, the making and breaking of all political setups bears the same fingerprints. Perhaps Pakistanis need to pause and do a little soul searching as to whether they can hold the military responsible for all the evil, for there can be no panacea or remedy if they don’t identify where they first slipped. 

The genesis of this lies hidden in the promotions of two personalities in two institutions when seniority and merit were cast aside. What followed later was an intertwining relationship of the institutions that persists until now. A relatively junior man named General Muhammad Ayub Khan, whose name wasn’t in the original nomination list and who had too many strings attached, was cherry picked in 1951 to replace Sir Douglas Gracy, the first commander in chief. As a result, the then-civilian setup headed by Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan suspended four seniors. 

The second incident occurred in 1954 at the time of Justice Abdul Rasheed’s retirement as chief justice of the Federal Court, the then-highest court. He was to be succeeded by Abu Saleh Muhammad Akram (d. 1968), an East Pakistani (Bangla-speaking) and the senior-most judge. But the West Pakistani establishment was prejudiced against him due to his ethnicity. The then-Governor General Sir Malik Ghulam Mohammad, a co-founder of the now Mahindra & Mahindra (one of India’s largest vehicle manufacturers), initially a civil servant, served as Pakistan’s first finance minister. His appointment of Mohammed Munir as chief justice vaulted him over the other four sitting judges. The die had been cast. 

Upon independence, the Government of India Act 1935 was the basic law of both India and Pakistan. Their respective Constituent Assemblies were also the legislatures. The Indian parliament produced a constitution by November 1949, but not its Pakistani counterpart. In September 1954 Pakistan was close to adopting a new constitution with the draft ready to be announced on Dec. 25, 1954. 

However, Ghulam Mohammad dismissed Parliament on Oct. 24, 1954, claiming that it had lost the peoples’ confidence and that the constitutional machinery had broken down. This was his second dismissal after Prime Minister Khwaja Nazimuddin, also an East Pakistani, within 18 months. The real reason, though, was that the draft proposed curtailing the governor generals’ powers – Pakistan’s heads of state were governor generals — including the powers to dismiss governments and having elected prime ministers, to obviate the recurrence of the Nazimuddin case. 

Assembly Speaker Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan challenged the act in the Sindh High Court that, after a detailed hearing, ruled against Ghulam Mohammad and declared his act illegal and unconstitutional. The federal government challenged the decision in the Federal Court, headed by Munir, who not only accepted but also validated the governor general’s act under the pretext of the “doctrine of necessity.” This doctrine was used thereafter as a ready reckoner, paving the way for destroying democracy. Thus, the favor incurred by Ghulam Muhammad was returned, most honestly in equal coinage. 

In 1958, when Ayub Khan enforced martial law in a staggering coup d’état that removed President Iskander Ali Mirza and abrogated the 1956 constitution, there was neither a cogent reason for doing so nor any civil disturbance to be seen. Once again, the act was challenged in the Supreme Court (successor of the Federal Court). But the result was no different. Munir placed the stamp of legality on the first military regime. It is, however, interesting to read the concluding remarks in the verdict, “that the revolution, having been successful, satisfies the test of efficacy and becomes a basic law — creating fact.”

 It’s hard to see how, in a case that was heard within six days of the promulgation of martial law, Munir could contend that the new regime satisfied the test of efficacy. From that day onward, neither could the military remain apolitical, nor could the judiciary be termed independent. The combination of the two, duly assisted, abetted and supported by the civilian bureaucracy, brought the matters to the present ebb. The symbiotic relationship that evolved thereafter suited the stakeholders while alienating the masses. Over time, this subtle alliance got a “cover blanket” and much needed anonymity by the term “the Establishment,” which ensured impunity and freedom of action. 

The political parties, pundits and analysts also felt comfortable using this reference without having to step into the danger zone. With the dismissal of the last Nawaz Sharif government, followed by that of Imran’s, the term transformed into khalai makhlooq (aliens of Earth) and then simply the fauj (military).

In the wake of the Feb. 8 rigged elections, a significant shift occurred in this troubled nation, a shift whose magnitude the global community has yet to fully understand. Similar events unfolded in the stolen elections of 1971 when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman secured a decisive victory, only to be opposed vehemently by the military establishment, led by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, who refused to accept a Bengali prime minister. Of the 300 constituencies, Mujib won an absolute majority of 160 seats, all of which were in East Pakistan; Bhutto won only 81 seats, all in West Pakistan.

They feigned negotiations but ultimately deployed General Tikka Khan, infamously known as the Butcher of Bangladesh — chief of the army’s Eastern Command and Governor of East Pakistan — to suppress dissent in what is now Bangladesh, following the populace’s defiance of the military’s desires. The military’s aim was a hung Parliament, which would allow them to manipulate affairs from the shadows. However, their tactics led to disastrous consequences — Pakistan was cleaved in two.

Is This Pattern Finally Changing?

Today, some feel a sense of déjà vu reminiscent of those who witnessed Pakistan’s dismemberment during the 1971 war. The country’s army has established a pattern over the years. Initially, they ruled directly for 30 years, then transitioned to operating behind the scenes for the next 45 years and orchestrating events from Rawalpindi — the military’s headquarters. This familiar playbook involves selecting a protégé, like Bhutto (the pioneer) under Ayub Khan’s tutelage. However, in 1971 the army’s failure to install the protégé led to a loss of prestige. Capitalizing on this sentiment, Bhutto became prime minister and attempted to diminish the army’s power by selecting General Zia ul Haq as army chief, who was as docile as a butler to him. 

Bhutto’s Islamic Summit Conference (1974) — an effort to create a platform of Muslim majority countries — greatly antagonized the United States, as did his pursuit of nuclear weapons and alignment with China. Zia eventually staged a coup, imprisoned and executed Bhutto, marking the end of democratic governance for a considerable period of time. This established a pattern that persists to this day.

The subsequent political leadership saw Nawaz Sharif emerge, groomed by a set of generals under Zia’s umbrella. Over the next three decades, power oscillated between Nawaz Sharif of the Muslim League (N) and Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party. Yet neither party managed to complete its full term in office. During his 1997-99 stint, Sharif grew some teeth and dared to challenge his mentor’s authority — the army — a grave offense for any politician. This led to his downfall, for Gen. Pervez Musharraf staged a coup, after which he imprisoned and subsequently exiled Sharif. Sharif’s political career seemed finished, until he returned in 2013 with the support of the same establishment that he had once opposed. 

In 2018, Imran Khan assumed power, albeit with accusations of being a “selected” rather than elected prime minister due to the military’s alleged interference. Over time, Khan’s attempt to assert his independence from the army caused Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa to retaliate and eventually remove him from power. 

This upheaval marked a departure from the past, for it incited widespread civilian unrest akin to an Arab Spring, with nationwide protests and attacks on government institutions. Despite this, the army, aided by the ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence agency), swiftly restored order and maintained its influence. However, the army’s reputation among the youth suffered a significant blow, coupled with growing political instability and economic turmoil, reminiscent of over-militarized states like Nazi Germany and the USSR, leading to a perilous economic situation for Pakistan. 

Political engineering has not stopped with manipulating the election results. It continues in the shape of “recounting,” voiding of PTI’s reserved seats and adding false cases on its members and leaders. Questioned by Rep. August Pflugar (R-Tx.) at the Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia hearing entitled, “Pakistan After the Elections: Examining the Future of Democracy in Pakistan and the US-Pakistan Relationship” (on March 20) that “Do you believe that the recent election was free and fair?” 

Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu, could only blurt out: “We have never used the term ‘free and fair’ in the characterization of this election.”

The interference from the barracks is pervasive. Six Islamabad High Court judges wrote to the Supreme Judicial Council convene a judicial convention over the matter of alleged interference of members of the executive, including operatives of intelligence agencies, in judicial affairs. The coercion to extract favorable decision has included physical intimidation and harassment of their family members. A PTI spokesperson said, “… no section of the society, including civil society members, journalists, government officials, judges and journalists, is safe from this interference” (Dawn, 

“Six IHC judges write to SJC over spy agencies’ ‘interference’”, Awais Yousafzai & Maryam Nawaz, Dawn, Karachi, March 27).

The nation now stands at a crossroads, requiring strong political leadership to navigate its way out of the economic crisis and debt trap orchestrated by years of military dominance. Whether the current political leadership can rise to the challenge remains to be seen.

Sher M. Farouki is a freelance writer.

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By Sanaa Asif

May/Jun 2024

The illegal occupation of Palestine has persisted for decades, often overshadowed by political interests and historical narratives. As the current genocide in Gaza continues, Black scholars, religious leaders and civil rights activists are again calling attention to the ties and similarities between the Palestinian conflict and the Black struggle in the U.S. for sociopolitical equality and the right to self-determination. 

U.S. Role in the Holocaust

Jimmy Jones, Ph.D. (professor emeritus, Manhattanville College, Purchase, N.Y.; executive vice president, The Islamic Seminary of America) believes that the U.S. had a significant role in inspiring the Holocaust. “Americans set the framework for the Holocaust,” he says. 

“Historically speaking, the Nazis learned from racial segregation in the United States. And they felt that what we did in the United States was too radical in terms of racial segregation.” In fact, during the Holocaust, pro-Nazi movements were very popular in America. Groups such as the German American Bund (founded 1936; outlawed 1941) and the American fascist movements were gaining more support. Various public figures such as Henry Ford were even distributing pro-Hitler pamphlets.

He notes that after WW2 ended, Americans felt guilty about their treatment of the Jews and tried to reconcile it through many types of rhetoric, such as books and songs. Israelis took the American apology in stride, using it to their advantage to gain unchecked support, military prowess and political dominance. He mentions the post-victimization ethical exemption syndrome, which has created and defines as “the notion that because my people either are or have been oppressed, you shouldn’t be able to hold me to any ethical standards. I should be able to do whatever I wish.”

Jones explains how this syndrome became a major reason that enabled Israel to occupy so much of Palestine. Because the West felt guilty about the Holocaust, it allowed Israel to do whatever it wished. In his essay “Zionist Logic” (The Egyptian Gazette, Sept. 17, 1964), Malcolm X, who traveled from Egypt to Khan Younis, Gaza, on Sept. 5, 1964, argues, “Zionist logic is the same logic that brought Hitler and the Nazis into power… It is the same logic that says that because my grandfather came from Ireland, I have the right to go back to Ireland and take over the whole country.”

Racism Within Israel

Jones analogizes Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land and its widely criticized use of military tactics against Palestinians to the Americans’ invasion of Native American territory. During the 1800s and early 1900s, both Indigenous and African American individuals were targeted with legislation designed to reduce their civil rights and limit their representation in government. According to Jones, Israel is doing worse to Palestinians — reducing their civil rights by illegal occupation of their land and eliminating their representation in the government.

He emphasizes that Israel also discriminates against its own people — an example being the Ethiopian Jews. They make up more than 1 percent of the population, and yet are treated very harshly. For example, there are widely publicized reports of involuntary sterilization (Phoebe Greenwood, Feb. 28, 2013, www.theguardian.com; Alistair Dawber, Jan. 27, 2013, www.independent.co.uk/). In addition, they experience much higher levels of poverty, police brutality, arrest rates and incarceration. 

“This is where you can take a good look at the racial relationships right there on the ground, when you look at how Ethiopians and other African immigrants are treated so harshly, very harshly, in Israel,” Jones says.

Voices Within the Black American Community

Black church leaders are among the loudest voices within the Black American community calling for Palestinian rights. “This [Palestinians] is a proud, resilient people who have suffered over at least 75 years and still walk proudly, still value education, still value their identity as Palestinians. And I think particularly for the leadership of the Black community, this really resonates for them because this is Black people, right? This is Black people having to be resilient, having to step up despite what people say about you, despite what they do to you,” Jones says. 

Malcolm X also drew significant parallels between the Palestinian struggle and the Black American fight for equality. After breaking away from the Black nationalist and separatist Nation of Islam, Malcolm X traveled abroad to meet and interact with African and Middle Eastern leaders. 

“I, for one, would like to impress, especially upon those who call themselves leaders, the importance in realizing the direct connection between the struggle of the Afro-American in this country and the struggle of our people all over the world,” he said upon his return. One of those causes was the Palestinian people’s struggle, about which he was most vocal during the last six months of his life, describing it “as a blistering battle for the most fundamental human rights” (https://www.gqmiddleeast.com/).

While on a trip to Gaza, he wrote one of his most famous and extensive essays on the Palestinian cause, “Zionist Logic,” in which he described Zionism as “a new form of colonialism” and warned African countries against being exploited by Israel.

Similarly, Muhammad Ali was an active proponent of Palestinian civil liberties, calling the occupation unjust and unsustainable. In January 1988, he participated in a pro-Palestine rally in Chicago during the first intifada. He condemned the annexation of Jerusalem and other Palestinian lands, and, after visiting multiple Palestinian refugee camps, declared, “In my name and the name of all Muslims in America, I declare support for the Palestinian struggle to liberate their homeland and oust the Zionist invaders” (“Ali Belts Zionism,” March 8, 1974, www.jta.org/archive/ali-belts-zionism). 

A significant activist in the Black liberation struggle, Ali also refused to fight in Vietnam to protest the lack of civil rights for Black Americans and wrote poetry in tribute of Black leaders in the Attica prison uprising. His activism represents a deep and meaningful legacy of resistance to Zionism, anti-Black imperialism and the struggle to free peoples ruled by the oppressive systems these ideologies create.

Recommended Reading

Jones recommends Mazen Qamsiyeh’s “Sharing the Land of Canaan: Human Rights and the Israeli-Palestinian Struggle” (Pluto Press, 2004) for those wanting to learn more about the roots of the Palestinians’ resistance to Israeli settler colonialism. Written by a geneticist, it delves into the technicalities of who is indigenous and who a Jew really is and using genetics to back up his claims. He also recommends “I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor’s Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity” by Eladim Abu-Laish, a world-renowned physician and academic (Bloomsbury USA, 2012) who recounts his experiences in a Jabali refugee camp in 2009, when his daughters and niece were killed by Israeli forces.

Sanaa Asif, a Hinsdale Central High School student, is an avid reader and loves to learn and write about other people’s stories.

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May/Jun 2024

The Genocide continues. As this issue goes to press, nearly 1.8 million Palestinians are cooped up in Rafah. So far, 32,000 and counting have been slaughtered under the guise of eliminating Hamas — the acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement). At the onset of The Genocide, it was stated that Hamas’s armed forces, under the name Al-Qassam Brigades, numbered 15,000 men.

Before The Genocide, Rafah, a 25 square-mile city in Gaza’s southernmost part, housed about 200,000 people and had a population density of 7,000 people per square mile. Today, nearly 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering there.

Before the U.S. marked “abstain” on the UN Security Council ceasefire vote, Congress passed a bipartisan bill, which President Biden signed into law, giving Israel another $3.3 billion. Such cash handouts are in addition to the periodic weapons transfers. AIPAC triumphantly announced that the handout is “without added political conditions.” Israeli and American Jews, many of them dual citizens, blamed the UN vote on Democrats looking for votes in swing states like Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

The Genocide continues, irrespective of the semantic campaigns denying it as such. Before The Genocide, over 2 million Gazans lived in approximately 141 square miles. Its largest city, Gaza City, had a higher population density than any major U.S. city, including Los Angeles — 650,000+ people living within its 18 square miles.

Skeptics were asking what the rallies in the U.S. would accomplish. The reality is that this resolution – innocuous as it — comes after months of public pressure, activism and organizing by millions of Americans and the global community demanding an end to The Genocide.

The Palestinian Representative to the UN Security Council, Ambassador Riad Mansour, stated, “It has taken 6 months, over 100,000 Palestinians killed and maimed, 2 million displaced, and famine, for this council to finally demand an immediate ceasefire.”

The U.S. had vetoed three UNSC resolutions asking for a ceasefire. This heartlessness was not only intrinsic, but also shaped by lobbying. Luke Peterson notes that lobbying remains part and parcel of our government’s function, as well as an essential pillar of the American system, a legitimated form of barely regulated bribery enshrined within the right “to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” and sustained by generations of legal precedent self-sustaining policy decisions.

On Jan. 21, 2010, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a controversial (5:4) decision that reversed century-old campaign finance restrictions, enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited funds on elections. The gates were opened, and politicians began — and still are — brazenly taking in millions to dance to their giver’s tune.

This has been more than evident in The Genocide.

It behooves all Americans to strive to end this abhorrent situation, because it makes all talk about “democracy” meaningless. As Exodus 23:8 states so clearly, “Take no bribes, for a bribe makes you ignore something that you clearly see. A bribe makes even a righteous person twist the truth.”

This struggle is also a duty upon Muslims, for as the Quran 2:188 proclaims, “And do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly or send it [in bribery] to the rulers in order that [they might aid] you [to] consume a portion of the wealth of the people in sin, while you know [it is unlawful].” Abdullah bin ‘Amr also narrated that the Prophet (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) warned, “The curse of God is upon the one who offers a bribe and the one who takes it” (“Musnad Ahmad” [6984] and “Sunan Ibn Majah” [2313]).

We at Islamic Horizons pray that God hears and answers the prayers of the oppressed. 

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The post Editorial: The Lobbying That Sanctifies the Genocide appeared first on Islamic Horizons.

By Luke Peterson

May/Jun 2024

AIPAC has been on a spending spree. In the last quarter of 2023 and in the first two months of 2024, it has been working overtime pouring millions of dollars into the outstretched hands of avaricious American politicians on both sides of the aisle in the politically divided United States. Its current spree is setting records; in November 2023 alone the fervently pro-Israeli political action committee donated $3.7 million dollars to politicians — ostensibly to fund their election campaigns. According to the Federal Election Commission, this one-month total marks the single highest month of giving in AIPAC’s famously generous history.

The largest single recipient of this lavish aid was Rep. Richie Torres (D-N.Y.), whose November 2023 gift totaled more than $200,000. In return, he has suddenly become incredibly vocal in his criticism of fellow party members who have been outspoken against Israel’s indiscriminate bombing in Gaza. This progressive end of the Democratic Party in federal government, the pejoratively named “Squad,” includes diverse, female party members like Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. 

Tlaib, a Palestinian-American, has publicly called upon the Biden administration to denounce Israeli war crimes in Gaza and end military aid to Israel. Torres responded to legislation designed to mitigate the prolific death and destruction wrought by Israel by voting with nearly all House Republicans to censure Tlaib for “promoting false narratives” about the situation in Gaza and, absurdly, for “calling for the destruction of the state of Israel.” 

Donald Shaw, writing for https://truthout.org (Jan. 3), reported that Torres received his largest single payment — about a third of the overall $200,000 haul — just one day after he voted to censure his colleague and fellow party member.

And Torres is not alone. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the second largest recipient, has come out strongly against conditioning all or part of the annual $4 billion aid package to Israel and has continued to loudly and proudly proclaim his support for Israel. His devotion to Israel has paid off, literally. According to Open Secrets, AIPAC has gifted him more than $1,250,000 over the last decade. As payment for his support of Israel’s ongoing post-Oct.7 indiscriminate bombing of Gaza, it awarded him an additional $200,000 contribution to his future electoral campaigns. It seems clear that being a vocal supporter of Israel in Washington, in addition to being a vocal critic of voices championing Palestinian humanity, pays very well indeed. 

But AIPAC is far from unique in using financial leverage to steer Washington in the direction of specific policy outcomes. Indeed lobbying, technically defined as “the deliberate attempt to effect or to resist change in the law through direct communications with public policymakers including legislators, legislative staff, and executive branch officials,” has long been entrenched in American politics — even predating the establishment of the federal government (Ostas, D. T. [2007]. “The Law and Ethics of K Street.” Business Ethics Quarterly, 17(1), 33–63. http://www.jstor.org/stable/27673157). Jan. 21, 2010 will mark the day when the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a controversial (5:4) decision that reversed century-old campaign finance restrictions and enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited funds on elections.

During the colonial period, land agents and manufacturing and shipping firms’ representatives beseeched lawmakers to advance the policies most favorable to their interests. Adopting tactics learned from negotiations with British parliamentarians, these special interest groups provided lavish gifts and decadent suppers to legislators. After the revolution, groups organized to petition the newly created federal government for preferential laws around commerce, trade, traffic and taxes. 

For example, former soldiers in the Continental Army of Virginia lobbied Congress for the back pay they felt they were owed for fighting the British. Their success quickly taught them that, when petitioning the government, there was strength in numbers. But this strength was clearly not nearly as formidable as the strength of the dollar.

By the 1870s, in the midst of the Gilded Age, a period of profound division between haves and have-nots. In the full embrace of the Industrial Revolution, hand-to-mouth workers could scarcely sustain themselves on the paltry wages paid by their industrial managers in the North; freedmen and sharecroppers continued to be brutalized and denigrated in the South. But lobbying continued in Washington apace with well-known lobbyists serving as indispensable middlemen between big business and lawmakers on the take. 

Perhaps the most famous member of this clique was Sam Ward, the “King of the Lobby,” whose lavish parties and easy-going charm were the stuff of legend among the propertied and influential classes. In 1875, though, in a rare case of a court bringing lobbying to heel, Ward was charged and ultimately convicted of bribery. But despite this, he famously quipped, “I do not say I am proud—but I am not ashamed—of the occupation.” Further restrictions on lobbyists, both foreign and domestic, were still to come (“Lobbying Timeline.” [July 2014] https://www.opensecrets.org/resources/learn/lobbying_timeline.php).

In 1938, Congress passed the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which forced representatives working for foreign political or domestic capital interests to disclose their relationships with politicians. The act was intended to make it easier for officials to identify colleagues who had any connections with, or even sympathy for, Germany’s burgeoning Nazi Party and the fascist ideology it represented. Congress worried that those officials with interests in Germany would become a fifth column and begin to flood American airwaves with pro-Nazi propaganda just as the U.S. was moving closer to war against Germany. Narrow in scope though it was, this act marked the first significant piece of legislation concerning the widespread practice of lobbying passed by the U.S. government. 

After the war and amidst continuing fears over the undue foreign influence within the federal government, Congress passed the Lobby Registration Act of 1945, identifying professional lobbyists as anyone who spent at least half of his/her working hours directly lobbying members of the U.S. government. 

In addition to being publicly identified as professional lobbyists, these individuals now had to register with the Secretary of the Senate and/or the Clerk of the House of Representatives and file quarterly reports disclosing the details of their activities within these bodies. The registration, regulation and transparency inherent within this act identified lobbying as a problematic practice on Capitol Hill and attempted to curb the influence of prolific donors and outside operators within American halls of power. 

But the postwar trend of leaning toward transparency of governmental operations naturally couldn’t last. In 1954 (United States vs. Harriss), the Supreme Court narrowed the act’s purview by determining that it applied only to face-to-face meetings between lobbyists and lawmakers, and even then, only when a specific piece of legislation was the exclusive topic of discussion. This extensive mitigation opened the door for the return of old school American lobbying and all but ensured that no federal court would ever catch or prosecute any of its violators. Lawlessness through lobbying had returned to Washington. 

By the 1980s, lobbyists from every major corporate interest made permanent landfall in Washington, wining and dining Senators and Representatives without any concern for legal consequences. Eventually the recklessness that inevitably results from abandoning regulation led to systemic abuse. In 2004, Jack Abramoff, a Gilded-Age style lobbyist, was arrested for bribery, fraud and embezzlement and was ultimately convicted for what had become common practice among lobbyists overseen and embraced by the Washington elite. This conviction, and the common knowledge that bribery was rife in Washington, led to the passage of the comically titled 2007 Honest Leadership and Open Government Act. Lobbyists were now required to file reports twice per quarter, and the size and scope of the gifts congresspeople were allowed to receive from them were limited (“Lobbying Timeline.” [July 2014]. https://www.opensecrets.org/resources/learn/lobbying_timeline.php). 

But even these miniscule restrictions on the tradition of legitimate bribery were considered too onerous. The solution was simple: rebranding. As a result, since 2011 the number and expenditure of professional lobbyists has decreased dramatically. During that same period of time, though, the number of “advisers,” “consultants” and “counselors” working on behalf of foreign and domestic interests has risen precipitously. And despite its lofty title, federal legislation has not yet caught up to this completely predictable loophole. 

And so lobbying remains part and parcel of our government’s function. More than that, it remains an essential pillar of the American system, a legitimated form of barely regulated bribery enshrined within the right “to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” and sustained by generations of legal precedent self-sustaining policy decisions. These developments leave AIPAC and other blindly unapologetic pro-Israel super-PACs, like the Democratic Majority for Israel, comfortably unconcerned about their conduct within the American political circus. It also leaves the status quo, wherein vocal supporters of Israel are financially rewarded while critics of Israeli brutality are categorically censured, as the operating order of the day. 

To date, AIPAC has contributed more than $18 million to candidates for office in the 2024 election cycle. Experts suggest that they will spend more than $100 million in Democratic primaries alone before this year’s election cycle is over. To date, Israel has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.

Dr. Luke Peterson received his Ph.D. from the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at The University of Cambridge – (King’s  College). His new book, The U.S. Military in the Print News Media:

Service and Sacrifice in Discourse is now available for preorder through Anthem Press  The U.S. Military in the Print News Media (anthempress.com)

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By Syed Imtiaz Ahmad

May/Jun 2024

Our minds work continuously to process what comes our way through our senses of hearing, seeing, and the corresponding impressions that these and other senses create in our mind. Our mind distinguishes us from other forms of life. Happenings in the surrounding world can shape our mind in ways that we don’t always consciously realize. 

Consider, for example, that a person hits another person for no discernible reason. You hear and see it happening, but what matters is how you react to it. Do you simply ignore it or intervene? If you choose the former, the likely impression created within your mind is that hitting another person may be okay. You may then behave that way on impulse. 

Impulsive behavior develops when we don’t process what we hear and see. The proper development of behavior requires such processing and influencing your mind properly, namely, according to what you may consider a desirable behavior. 

Behaving in a way that you may often regret without any intention to correct it can lead to mental disorders. Sometimes you may develop a dual personality. Personality development professional Linda Ferguson, author of “Your Authentic Self- Inner and Outer,” says, “An outer self represents the personas you display. The inner self contains your values, beliefs, personality. It often results from a feeling that you must stuff down or hold back those aspects for fear of offending someone” (https://management.org/). It causes stressful situations and ultimately may lead to mental disorders.

The Quran repeatedly mentions the interplay of hearing, seeing, and mind impressions and shows the pathways to good mental health: “By the soul, and the order given to it, and its enlightenment as to its wrong and right, truly he succeeds who purifies it and fails who pollutes it” (91:7-10). 

Mental Health America (MHA; founded 1909) is dedicated to promoting mental health and wellbeing. Among some of the commonly known causes identified by MHA are genetics, environmental influences, stressful events, childhood trauma, negative thoughts, unhealthy habits, drugs, alcohol, and brain chemistry.

Causes such as genetics and brain chemistry are beyond the scope of this article, for nurturing alone may not be effective in these cases. 

Our passions and desires, while generally good for personal development, can also lead to toxic situations. American philosopher and social thinker Eric Hoffer (d.1983) once remarked, “Our frustration is greater when we have much and want more than when we have nothing and want some. We are less dissatisfied when we lack many things than when we seem to lack but one thing” (Geoffrey James, “In 1951, America’s Greatest Philosopher Predicted Where We’d Be in 2019”, Inc.com, Oct. 28, 2019). This profound observation points to the complex relationship among desire, possession, and satisfaction, the paradoxical nature of human longing and the intricate interplay between abundance and scarcity in our pursuit of contentment. “Do not follow your vain desires, because they will mislead you” (38:26).

Polymath Abu Zayd Ahmed ibn Sahl al-Balkhi (d.934), in his Masalih al-Abdanwa Anfus (“Sustenance of the Soul,” trans. Malik Badri (IIIT, 2013), wrote, “The psychological symptoms that afflict a person are those such as anger, sorrow, fear, panic and other similar manifestations.” He talks about the soul or spirit stemming from the human mind and how to keep its components in a state of wellbeing and harmony to avoid the psychological disorder that it may face. He further adds, “The human soul can be healthy or unhealthy in the same way that its body can be healthy or unhealthy. When the soul is healthy, all its faculties will be tranquil without any psychological symptoms manifesting such as anger, panic, depression and others. You need to protect the soul from outside elements such as you hear or see that may worry or disturb you causing arousal of negative emotions.”

Mental Health Through the Lens of the Quran

The Quran guides us to nurturing mental health through some key concepts, words and phrases. The first concept is that of two inherent positive and negative forces active within the human mind. One force guides us to positive mental health; the other tempts us to actions that cause mental ill health. Suppose you want to say something to someone. One may ask oneself “Should I just go ahead and say it? Or think it over before saying it? How should I say it?  Having said that, should one question oneself whether it was said the right way or should have been expressed differently?”

Think before you act and reflect on your actions for any deficiencies that need to be overcome. Doing so will lead you to the desired behavior by nurturing your mind positively. The Quran calls this al-nafsal-lawwama (75:2-3), a questioning mind. On the other hand, a proud person may just say whatever comes to mind and act impulsively. Uncontrolled impulsive behavior can harm others and may lead to mental disorder. The Quran calls this al-nafsal-ammara, a mind driven by impulse and prone to misguidance (12:53). The behavior becomes erratic, leading to mental health disorders.

What are some of the foundations for nurturing the human mind of children, adolescents or adults? First, learn from what comes our way, from what we hear and see, and read stories or information coming to us from a variety of other sources. Learn from the environment that influences you, but don’t accept everything blindly. Ignorant people think that whatever they know is all that there is to know. But intelligent people, on the other hand, are only too aware of just how much more there is to know. 

We nurture children by talking to them about what’s going on around us, reading them stories leading to questions and answers, drawing lessons to shape behavior and preparing for dealing with situations to avoid mental disorders. The Quran describes the first part of this process as tazakkur (recollections of happenings around us; 51:55, 58:19 and 87:9-11), followed by thoughtful reflections (tafakkur; the pointers for our way of life (2:266; 7:176; 6:50; 10:24).

Nurturing the mind leads us to develop insights and prudence (tadabbur) and be aware of our choices. The Quran “is a book sent down to you full of blessings so that you may meditate on its signs and that men [and women] of understanding may be duly guided” (38:29).

Cleansing Our Mind

Our body collects dust and dirt from our surroundings, and so we wash it regularly, take showers, and use cleansing agents and sanitizers to prevent infections. Likewise, what we hear and see continually creates impressions in our mind. Just like our body, our mind also needs constant cleansing. This, however, often gets neglected because we may lack consciousness about what’s happening in our mind. Thus we need to cleanse it from all that affects it negatively. 

The key to this process is constant reflection on what we hear and see and sense, paying particular attention to the negative impressions entering our mind. Just as the dust and dirt on our bodies must be removed, these negative impressions must be corrected thoughtfully to train ourselves for the desired behavior. The Quran calls this tarbiyyah (psychological training). The Quran is “a blessed book …meditate on its signs” (38:29). Popular literature points to meditation for preventing mental disorders (https://quietkit.com/#benefits-of-meditation). Prioritizing regular mental, physical and spiritual cleansing can help you keep functioning at your best. 

The MHA lists drugs and alcohol among the causes of mental disorders. The American Psychiatric Association also considers gambling a source of mental disorder (“What is Gambling Disorder?” https://www.psychiatry.org/). Many who indulge in these activities often become addicted. Drugs, alcohol, and gambling are self-inflicted causes of mental disorders. Many people maintain that these provide mental relaxation in small amounts. While this may be true in some cases, such relaxations often become addictions and are common sources of mental disorders. “They ask you concerning wine and gambling. Say: ‘In them is great misdeed, and some benefit, for people; but the misdeed is greater than the benefit” (2:219).

Are humans born with an inner essential nature that separates them into what predetermines their ultimate behaviors? Psychology Today defines nature as the innate biological factors (“Nature vs. Nurture”, https://www.psychologytoday.com/). Nurture, on the other hand, refers to upbringing or life experience: “Your Lord created you from a single spirit” (4:1). This means humans are born with similar underlying capacities. Barring genetic differences that may be inherited or the result of a chemical imbalance in our brain at birth, our capacities can be nurtured into positive human development or tempted to do negative things that may lead to mental disorders. Both nature and nurture play a role in psychological development, one that at times manifest in complex ways.

Syed Imtiaz Ahmad (professor emeritus, Eastern Michigan University) is President of Professional Education Endowment Foundation (Canada). He has served as ISNA’s vice president and president (1990-92); vice president and president of ISNA-Canada; chairman of ISNA-Canada School Board; and president of the ISNA Human Development Institute (Canada).

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