www.amperspective.com Online Magazine
Executive Editor: Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Chronology of Islam in America (2015)
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
January 2015
Community raises cash for fire-damaged Minneapolis mosque
Jan 1: A fund raiser was held at the Brian Coyle Community Center (Minneapolis) to raise funds for the Minneapolis mosque which was burned on the New Year’s day 2014. Three people were killed in the fire. When the mosque had to close, Trinity Lutheran Church stepped up and offered its space for prayers. Out of the tragedy came friendship and a common purpose — to come together in faith, said Fardosa Hassan, whose uncle was a victim of the fire. She hopes that relationship will continue and flourish. The rebuilding of the mosque began in October, and organizers hope to reopen in February, said board chairman Abdisalam Adam. About $150,000 has already been raised, but at least $125,000 more is needed. [Star Tribune]
Facebook: Colonialism 2.0: Putting the entire planet online... then controlling everything they see or read
Jan 2: The Western media has attempted to portray Mark Zuckerberg's ambitious plan to get every human being online as altruistic at first, but later revealed as simply what could be called "profitable empathy." In reality however, the truth is much more sinister, with Facebook already revealed to be much more than a mere corporation run by Zuckerberg and his "ideas" Facebook is the pinnacle of social engineering, an online operant conditioning chamber - also known as a Skinner box - that is being used to track, trace, document, and manipulate half of the entire online population. Despite users attempting to utilize Facebook to connect and communicate with individuals and organizations of interest, Facebook has turned its features against users, insidiously manipulating their timelines to show selected posts and updates while "soft censoring" others to manage public perception. "Studies" have even been published proving the effectiveness of Facebook's unethical social engineering. In one study, the emotions of users were successfully manipulated by selectively posting only negative or only positive posts from individuals or organizations on users' contact lists.
A report published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) titled, "Experimental evidence of massive-scale emotional contagion through social networks," stated in its abstract that (emphasis added): We show, via a massive (N = 689,003) experiment on Facebook, that emotional states can be transferred to others via emotional contagion, leading people to experience the same emotions without their awareness. We provide experimental evidence that emotional contagion occurs without direct interaction between people (exposure to a friend expressing an emotion is sufficient), and in the complete absence of nonverbal cues. Not only are the findings troubling - illustrating that Facebook possesses the ability to influence the emotions of its users unwittingly through careful manipulation of their news feeds - but the invasive, unethical methods by which Facebook conducted the experiment are troubling as well. In another experiment Facebook manipulated the news feed of some 2 million Americans in 2012 in order to increase public participation during that year's US presidential election. Facebook was also an official sponsor of the US State Department's training program preparing political subversion across North Africa and the Middle East years before the so-called "Arab Spring" unfolded. The very activists audiences around the world were told "spontaneously" sprung up across North Africa and the Middle East were in fact trained, funded, and equipped by the US State Department and various corporations including tech giants Google and Facebook years beforehand. [By Tony Cartalucci -The Landdestroyer]
Wealth Of World’s 400 Richest Billionaires Rose $92 Billion In 2014
Jan 3: The wealthiest 400 people in the world saw their combined net worth grow by $92 billion last year, hitting $4.1 trillion. The bonanza for the super-rich was underwritten by governments and central banks around the world, which fueled surging stock markets and record corporate profits by pumping hundreds of billions into the financial markets. The figures were provided by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which was initiated in 2012 and tracks the wealth of the 400 richest people in the world. The combined net worth of these 400 individuals is greater than the gross domestic product of Germany, the fourth largest economy in the world. The average net worth of each of the billionaires grew by $240 million, to $10.25 billion. Since the 2008 financial crash, which triggered multi-trillion-dollar bank bailouts and the infusion into the financial system of trillions more in virtually free cash, the wealth of the super-rich has nearly doubled. The net worth of the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans increased from $1.27 trillion in 2009 to $2.29 trillion in 2014. [WSWS]
Dr. Maher Hathout, advocate for interfaith for peace, died at the age of 79
Jan 3: The Muslim American community mourned the loss of one of community’s most respected and prominent members, Dr. Maher Hathout who died today at the age of 79. Dr. Hathout was known for his unfailing commitment to public service and played a fundamental role in building many American Muslim institutions, such as the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, the Minaret magazine, the New Horizon School system, and the Muslim Public Affairs Council. Dr. Hathout was a pioneer in the American Muslim identity movement. He highlighted the positive impact that Muslims have had in America and worked even harder at making that impact himself. Among his firmest beliefs was the compatibility of being a practicing Muslim and a patriotic American. He has been quoted as saying: “Home is not where my grandparents are buried, but where my grandchildren will be raised.” Dr. Hathout touched the lives of most everyone who interacted with him. A physician by profession, he was nonetheless a dedicated interfaith leader, a community bridge builder, a trusted Muslim voice in the community at large, a lecturer, an author, and a beloved teacher. “Dr. Hathout was a visionary leader who leaves behind a legacy that will impact our community for generations. We ask Allah, Most High, to reward Dr. Hathout with the highest rank in Jannah. We ask that He provide his family with patience and healing and provide all of us with the wisdom to continue to build on his legacy,” said Mazen Mokhtar, director of the Muslim American Society. [MAS]
Police Now Monitoring and Criminalizing Online Speech
Jan 7: British soldiers were killed in Afghanistan by a roadside explosive device, and a national ritual of mourning and rage ensued. Prime Minister David Cameron called it a “desperately sad day for our country.” A British teenager, Azhar Ahmed, observed the reaction for two days and then went to Facebook to angrily object that the innocent Afghans killed by British soldiers receive almost no attention from British media. He opined that the UK’s soldiers in Afghanistan are guilty, their deaths deserved, and are therefore going to hell. The following day, Ahmed was arrested and “charged with a racially aggravated public order offense.” The police spokesman explained that “he didn’t make his point very well and that is why he has landed himself in bother.” The state proceeded to prosecute him, and in October of that year, he was convicted “of sending a grossly offensive communication,” fined and sentenced to 240 hours of community service……Criminal cases for online political speech are now commonplace in the UK, notorious for its hostility to basic free speech and press rights. As The Independent‘s James Bloodworth reported last week, “around 20,000 people in Britain have been investigated in the past three years for comments made online.” But the persecution is by no means viewpoint-neutral. It instead is overwhelmingly directed at the country’s Muslims for expressing political opinions critical of the state’s actions. [Police Now Monitoring and Criminalizing Online Speech By Glenn Greenwald – ICH]
The Right-Wing terror plot you didn't hear about this week
Members of a right-wing militia in Georgia plotted to attack police and other government agents
Jan 7: Following the murder of two NYPD officers in New York City, much of the political right moved to blame Mayor de Blasio and other progressive critics of police brutality for inciting the violence, claiming that the mentally ill man who was behind the attack was motivated by left-wing rhetoric. That narrative doesn't fit very well with a terror case brought this week by the FBI against three Georgia men, all members of a right-wing militia that plotted to attack police and others. Yesterday, Terry Peace, Brian Cannon and Cory Williamson pleaded not guilty to a charge of domestic terrorism, as well as charges of conspiring to defraud the government. Northwest Georgia Newsexplains: Peace, Cannon and Williamson — all members of a militia in Georgia — participated in online chat discussions between Jan. 23 and Feb. 15, 2014, that were monitored by the FBI. During the conversations online, they discussed using guerilla war tactics and planned to launch attacks against a metro Atlanta police station and several government agencies in February 2014. The three men attempted to “recruit other individuals to join them and to carry out similar operations in those individuals’ home states.” Peace allegedly told other militia members to choose targets including “road blocks, TSA checkpoints, sheriffs/police conducting operations outside the Constitution” as well as to participate in the “removal of government people who support extra-Constitutional activities.” In other words, the men plotted to launch large-scale explosive attacks against local government and police that, if successfully carried out, would have been the largest terror attacks on U.S. soil since 9/11. Only two news outlets, the Rome News-Tribune and Northwest Georgia News, have reported the charges. [Alternet]
American Muslims fear backlash over Paris massacre
Jan 11: American Muslim organizations have strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that killed 12 people but expressed fear of possible backlash and retribution against Muslims in America and Europe. “The event is disgusting. We send our condolences to our friends and those who lost loved ones,” said Dawud Walid, executive director of Michigan’s branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “We are concerned about backlash against Muslims in the west.” In Washington, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said: "We strongly condemn this brutal and cowardly attack and reiterate our repudiation of any such assault on freedom of speech, even speech that mocks faiths and religious figures." He said "the proper response to such attacks on the freedoms we hold dear is not to vilify any faith, but instead to marginalize extremists of all backgrounds who seek to stifle freedom and to create or widen societal divisions." The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) President Azhar Azeez condemned the barbaric attack "which was seemingly done to undermine freedom of speech. Speech, even when it is offensive to our religious traditions and sensibilities, can never be a justification to kill." Another Muslim civil advocacy group, the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) strongly condemned the deadly attack in Paris and said: Defaming and insulting the noble character of the Prophet of Allah, is not a new phenomenon. During his lifetime, he endured attacks of all kinds, including physical, psychological, emotional, and social. Despite this, he never took revenge against those who offended him. At the most, he would call on God for help and protection. " A true defense of the Prophet of Islam, will never be achieved through bombs and bullets, but through living a life of mercy reflective of his great character, love, compassion and pardon, ICNA concluded. The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), another leading group, while condemning the attack said: The Quran upholds the importance of the freedom to express one's own thoughts, even when they may be seen as distasteful or disrespectful by others. “The tragic irony that these criminals displayed is that if they actually gave a cursory look over the Prophet Muhammad’s life, they’d see how he reacted to insults and degrading treatment,” said Haris Tarin, Director of the Washington, DC, Office. “The Prophet always responded with mercy and forgiveness. No matter what grievances individuals or communities might have, violence is never the answer.” The Michigan Imams Council deplored the Paris killings and said: “We ask all people of conscience to not paint the entire Muslim people with the same brush." Saeed A. Khan, a lecturer in Near East Studies at Wayne State University in Detroit, said most Muslims in America are deeply disturbed by the Paris attack, yet remain vigilant for any blowback against the community. “It’s events like this that have the ability and potential for backlash,” Khan said. The attackers of Charlie Hebdo, Said and Chérif Kouachi, were killed on Friday (January 9) after a long chase. The attackers escaped by car. [AMP Report]
France arrests a comedian for his Facebook comments, showing the sham of the West’s “Free Speech” celebration
Jan 14: Forty-eight hours after hosting a massive march under the banner of free expression, France opened a criminal investigation of a controversial French comedian for a Facebook post he wrote about the Charlie Hebdo attack, and then this morning, arrested him for that post on charges of “defending terrorism.” The comedian, Dieudonné, previously sought elective office in France on what he called an “anti-Zionist” platform, has had his show banned by numerous government officials in cities throughout France, and has been criminally prosecuted several times before for expressing ideas banned in that country. The apparently criminal viewpoint he posted on Facebook declared: “Tonight, as far as I’m concerned, I feel like Charlie Coulibaly.” Investigators concluded that this was intended to mock the “Je Suis Charlie” slogan and express support for the perpetrator of the Paris supermarket killings (whose last name was “Coulibaly”). Expressing that opinion is evidently a crime in the Republic of Liberté, which prides itself on a line of 20th Century intellectuals – from Sartre and Genet to Foucault and Derrida – whose hallmark was leaving no orthodoxy or convention unmolested, no matter how sacred. Since that glorious “free speech” march, France has reportedly opened 54 criminal cases for “condoning terrorism.” AP reported this morning that “France ordered prosecutors around the country to crack down on hate speech, anti-Semitism and glorifying terrorism.” [By Glenn Greenwald - The Intercept]
GOP Presidential Candidates urged to Reject Islamophobia
Jan 15: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today issued an open letter to potential Republican presidential candidates urging them to reject Islamophobia and to reach out to American Muslim voters. CAIR's appeal comes in the wake of a controversy over remarks by presidential hopeful Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana who was criticized for promoting the false claim that there are Muslim "no-go zones" in European cities. The letter reads in part: "The 2012 Republican presidential primaries were marked by a series of anti-Muslim statements made by nearly all candidates. For example, Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich both said that Muslims would be required to take loyalty tests or oaths to serve in their administrations, with Cain saying that he would not require similar oaths from Mormons or Catholics 'because there is a greater dangerous part of the Muslim faith than there is in these other religions.'. ...Islamophobic fear mongering during the 2012 campaign did not translate into a nomination for GOP presidential hopefuls Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Perry, and Rick Santorum. Instead, the eventual Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, was able to distinguish himself from other GOP primary contenders by reaffirming that 'people of all faiths are welcome in this country.' Promoting Islamophobia and false anti-Muslim conspiracies to prove conservative bona fides and attract support from the GOP base in a presidential bid is a failing strategy. ...American Muslims are one of the most racially and ethnically diverse religious groups in the United States, with African-Americans, Arab-Americans, and South Asians each making up roughly a third of the community. Muslims have deep ties to and are actively involved in their respective communities. If Republican candidates want minority voter support, they will have to approach the Muslim community with the same respect shown to any other community.
"While Republicans have overwhelmingly been responsible for pushing anti-Islam prejudice during past elections, four separate incidents in 2014-15 showed that the GOP will, at times, act against Islamophobia. In January, the RNC Executive Committee voted to censure Michigan GOP National Committeeman Dave Agema for his repeated incendiary comments about Muslims and Islam. Continued Republican actions against Islamophobic remarks and acts inside and outside of the party can easily swing Muslim voters with a history of Republican Party support back toward the GOP. Further Republican gains in the Muslim community are possible if a sincere effort is made. Again, CAIR advises that by not giving a platform to Islamophobia, holding accountable those candidates that do use their campaigns to foster anti-Muslim sentiment and making a concerted effort to engage Muslim voters, your campaign and the Republican Party will be closer to its presidential aspirations." [CAIR]
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