How U.S. foreign policy may have led to Ft. Hood incident

States don’t just exist - they actively exist. It is as difficult for a state to gain sovereignty and existence as it is to sustain them. And how states sustain both tells us a lot about their sense of national security. National security with regards to terrorism breaks down into two types: domestic and international. The former being terrorism perpetrated by American citizens on U.S. soil and the latter being foreign threats faced by the U.S. either on its own soil or abroad.

With all the focus on international terrorism since 2001, it may seem as though American sovereignty and existence are contingent upon the elimination of imminent, foreign threats. But according to FBI reports between 2002 and 2005, twenty-three of the twenty-four recorded terrorist incidents against the United States were domestic. Minus one white supremacist firebombing of a synagogue, the other twenty-three domestic attacks were carried out by extremist environmental and animal rights group.

The sole international terrorist incident involved an Egyptian national killing two at Los Angeles Airport.

Before the pro-war advocates tell you there was only one such international incident because of Bush’s decision to wage wars against Islamic fundamentalism, also know that between 1980 and 2000, 250 of the 335 suspected terrorist acts against the United States were domestic. It appears that the same animal-loving, tree-hugging, white-supremacist type individuals of today have been targeting the wellbeing of the United States longer than Osama himself. And as a result, American national security may be ruling out the probability that it faces a great danger from members of its own state than it does from pro-bin Laden fanatics hiding in the caves of north-western Pakistan.

With two abysmal wars waging onwards in Iraq and Afghanistan, many are asking the same sorts of questions. Namely, is America really that much safer than it was just before the 9/11 attacks? Is it as unsafe now as it was prior to 2001?

Since 2001, national security measures of the United States have focused on preventing imminent threats from abroad. These measures have narrowed their focus on Islamic groups and individuals – making the assumption that because 9/11 was perpetrated by Muslims, the biggest threat to US national security must continue to come from the Islamic world. Additional assumptions must also exclude the probability that increased terrorist activity from Islamic communities were reactionary to pre-emptive American action. After all, if such wasn’t excluded, one could argue that the United States was engaging in terrorism and facing the opposition out of defense.

There is no doubt that the Untied States has provoked a great deal of social and ethno-religious unrest throughout the Islamic world in recent years. Also given the unique and heterogeneous nature of the American citizenry, these measures have adversely affected many Muslim-American communities. Is it possible for such a state as the U.S. to pursue national security interests, aimed at guarding the wellbeing of the state and its people, such that their very nature ends up marginalizing American citizens it seeks to protect?

Aside from the Americans who raid fur factories and bomb industrial ones (in the name of foxes and Mother Earth) it should become apparent that improper national security measures will also lead to reactionary situations. This is where the international and domestic terrorist threats merge into one major concern. I find this to be the prominent issue surrounding the recent Ft. Hood massacre in Texas. Unlike Lierbman’s anxiousness to investigate where Hasan’s assessment went wrong, I wonder where the U.S. went wrong on a very different level.

By preemptively engaging in two massive wars against Islamic states and developing rather discriminatory legislation aimed at marginalizing individuals of Arab and Muslim descent (see: The Patriot Act), the U.S. created a situation in which its own unregulated paranoia is prompting development of imminent threats against it. In a sense, it is contributing to its own difficulty in maintaining its sovereignty and survival.

Had Hasan not been subject to the discrimination and marginalization that he was, would he have snapped? Had the US not pursued a unilateral mission against the Islamic world, would our troops be as keen on weeding out their fellow Muslim soldiers?

It appears that the majority of attacks have always been domestic, but now we’re importing reasons for our own citizens to pursue them even more.

What Does Fort Hood Mean for American Muslims?

By all accounts, on November 5, Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan shot and killed 12 soldiers and 1 civilian at the Fort Hood Army base where he was stationed.

While investigators and reporters try to piece together the events and what prompted them, one fundamental aspect of the rampage is not in doubt: the alleged attacker was Muslim.

Writing shortly after the incident, the perceptive young American Muslim writer Wajahat Ali understandably cautioned against leaping to conclusions: “A cousin of Hasan, interviewed by reporters, has suggested an alternative motivation, not necessarily influenced by religious conviction. ‘He was mortified by the idea of having to deploy,’ said Nader Hasan. ‘He had people telling him on a daily basis the horrors they saw over there [in Iraq and Afghanistan],’” he wrote.

But in the face of additional evidence that emerged today, it is not reasonable or logical to pretend that some great wall separated Hasan’s own sense of Muslim identity from his motive. Witnesses report that he shouted “God is Great!” ahead of his rampage; family indicated that he was deeply upset over discrimination he said was visited upon him for being Muslim; and he openly expressed his hostility to the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan by describing it as a “war against Islam.”

Of course, we do not yet know precisely what combination of factors led to the attack, and with more than 20,000 Muslims actively serving in the U.S. military, it would be absurd to mistake one man’s warped and skewed understanding of Islam and graft it onto every other Muslim.

But the scale and nature of this incident raises a number of uncomfortable questions about what usually goes unseen and remains unsaid outside of military circles.

A psychiatrist, Hasan heard the stories of soldiers returning from combat: did these accounts of killing, abuse and other horrors fuel his anger at American policy as the date of his own deployment to Afghanistan neared? What kind of harassment was Hasan subjected to on base for his Muslim identity? How widespread is enmity toward Muslims and Islam among the very soldiers who Gen. McChrystal is sending to fight alongside Muslims against Islamist extremists?

There are also other, equally pressing questions that directly affect young Muslims, such as me, who call this country our own. People will invariably ask why and whether Muslims are in the military–or perhaps even in the country at all–and what sort of measures will be taken to “monitor” this minority.

The Council of American Islamic Relations released a statement condemning the attack, labeling it “heinous” and contrary to Muslim principles. An assault upon one’s own unarmed and unsuspecting comrades is unquestionably cowardly and immoral, but I suspect that no number of official statements will stave off questions of Muslim “loyalty” to the state or disrupt the almost magnetic attraction between conservatives and anti-Islamic rhetoric.

The greatest and most pressing questions of all, however, are whether incidents like this one mark a growing trend of radicalization, isolation, or anger among Muslims in the U.S.–and if so, why. A few years ago, it was commonplace to observe that Islamist terrorists were foreign-trained and foreign-born, but the Fort Hood attack was at least the fourth this year involving American-raised or American-born Muslims.

The status and station of American Muslims — who by and large have enjoyed prosperity and contribute to the country as doctors, scientists, and translators–is a living rejoinder to fantastic rhetoric about a clash of civilizations or religions. But it is not a relationship that can be taken for granted or neglected by either side.

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This article originally appeared on WireTap.

Levesque-Alam writes about America and Islam at his website, Crossing the Crescent, and for WireTap, where he is also the immigration blogger.

Knowledge and Arts Tour 2009

Spray paint, skate parks, baggy jeans and Zoo York caps aren’t usually what comes to mind when most people think of the word “Islam.” But that’s exactly what was on display at the Islam-inspired event Khalisah and Nour found themselves at two Sundays ago. Girls in all colors of headscarves covered every surface around them with paint, skaters skidded to a stop to join in, even a few kids scrawled their names on the boards set out for the participants. At the center of all the commotion, a big bearded man draped in Timberland apparel from head to toe worked steadily on a wall in front of him. Slowly, an image started materializing through the paint: an explosion of cement and light surrounding the calming blue-shaded word “Truth.”

This was the first day of the Knowledge and Arts Tour 2009 (K&A). A local group of grassroots activists called the Young Muslims Project (YMP) had organized the tour, which lasted from July 5th to July 15th, to serve their community. All in their twenties, these young organizers had three objectives behind bringing this tour to life: 1) Inspiring Malaysian Muslim youth to have confidence in their religion and identity, 2) Connecting Malaysian Muslim youth to scholars, role models, and artists who’ve played exemplary roles in their respective communities, and 3) Educating Malaysian Muslim youth so that they have the tools to address the multitude of challenges the future has in store for them.

The YMP planned to accomplish all this by combing traditional, lecture-based talks with film screenings, mural paintings and meetings with local graffiti artists – an approach they hoped would appeal to the youth in their community.

Judging from the enthusiastic turnout on the first day, it looked like the YMP hit on the right formula. The audience was captivated by Suhaib Webb, the dynamic American imam who can speak about the latest Batman film in one sentence and 11th century Muslim scholar al-Ghazali in the next. Later, Mohammed Ali, the English graffiti artist described above, took the floor and gave a short talk about the history of graffiti in cultures around the world – including Islamic cultures. Then the audience moved out to the neighboring skate park to take part in their own graffiti art (on plywood boards provided by the YMP of course, not on the actual neighborhood itself). Nour rolled up her sleeves and got down to some art while Khalisah leaned back and took in the fumes, watching the people milling around with spray cans. Amin, the founder of the YMP, found the slightly dazed Khalisah and sat down with her to discuss art, culture, and how the light-headed feeling from the spray paint is probably the death of several brain cells.

Over the next ten days, the YMP hosted over ten events that focused on the themes of being young, Muslim and modern. The talks took place at venues all over Kuala Lumpur, from university lecture halls to art galleries. And at every event, people of all shapes, sizes and colors came to participate. Although the events were geared specifically towards issues relating to Muslim youth, it seems that they resonated with people far outside that demographic. There were non-Muslims, new converts to Islam, elderly grandparents, toddlers, and foreigners – not to mention all of the varied races and ethnicities that make up Malaysian identity. At these talks, you could see Islam at its best: open, dynamic, caring, and accepting. A nice contrast from the Islam usually shown in the news and mainstream media.

The K&A, ultimately, was a week-long success and the YMP has done what many small faith-based organizations often fall short of doing: They’ve made religion cool. And not “cool” in a way that requires the endorsement of a rap star to nod and say “don’t do drugs yo,” but cool in that Malaysian youth can attend these talks and activities as a part of the lives they lead. They aren’t invited to sit in a mosque and be lectured on how their lifestyles are going against the grain of Islam, but rather they make plans to go do some graffiti and learn an interesting thing or two on Islamic calligraphy. The older youth have a place to meet others their age while tackling the question of being a Muslim in university and how this might set them apart from other students.

In a world where it is increasingly difficult to address values with youth (without coming across as stuffy and old) as well as identify oneself in a multi-religious and multi-cultural society, the YMP has provided a much-needed space for discussion. Psychologists and child-experts point to ADHD pills or juvenile correctional facilities to help urban youth, but what the YMP has shown is that sometimes, all they need is an interesting speaker to listen to, a sympathetic ear to speak to, and a group of friends to mess around with at the local skate park.

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To learn more about the Young Muslims Project and the speakers, check out the following links:
http://young-muslims-project.blogspot.com/
http://www.suhaibwebb.com
http://www.aerosolarabic.com

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The Mamak Chronicles documents the Malaysian summer of Nour Merza and Khalisah Stevens. With the convenient excuse of an internship, these two half Americans find their way into the heart of Kuala Lumpur, where, in between haggling over souvenirs and missing buses, they sustain themselves by frequenting the food stalls that line the streets of the city. It is in these Mamaks that they discover the lifeblood of all that is Malaysian.

President Obama’s speech combines rhetoric with hope

There had never been an American president who gave a speech like President Obama did this morning to the shared world of America and Islam.

It was brave in its vulnerability.

The president of the United States stood alone at the podium of Cairo University, looked the world in the eye, and then hoped to speak something new into existence.

The president unraveled there a masterpiece of political art that I believe our children will study in history, political science and communications classes in years to come.

President Obama redefined the War on Terror as a war that brings the Middle East and America together.

He redefined it as a shared struggle. A jihad, not between the Muslim World and the West, but against those who dehumanize any of us.

The War on Terror, President Obama seemed to be saying, now recognizes the Arabs who have been killed by violent political extremists as much as any New Yorker on 9/11, any Israeli killed when a bomb is detonated or any Palestinian refused their identity and suffering as the Israeli settlements expand.

He spoke of a hope to see the same shared desires connecting Washington, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

But first we must stop being “defined by our differences,” he said. Because when we do, we “empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, those who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity. This cycle of suspicion and discord must end.”

I could see Dick Cheney and Osama Bin Laden cringing at their dislike for this attempted new reality.

But Obama went even further.

“America and Islam are not exclusive and need not be in competition,” Obama said as he tried to convince us that we are actually not just facing the same threats but also sharing each others achievements.

“Instead, Islam and America overlap, and share common principles – principles of justice and progress, tolerance and the dignity of all human beings,” Obama said.

No longer did I feel like it was us versus them, but just us.

Islam, President Obama proclaimed, has been part of America from the beginning. Islam has benefited the most honored areas of our society and its achievements.

Mosques are found in every state and “when the first Muslim American was recently elected to Congress, he took the oath to defend our Constitution using the same Holy Quran that one of our Founding Fathers – Thomas Jefferson – kept in his personal library.”

It is true that, “It’s easier to start wars than to end them. It’s easier to blame others than to look inward,” as the president said.

But if we can recognize that we are all living our lives based on the same principles of treating each other as we would wish to be treated, maybe we can reject notions those who have divided us try to force down our throats.

Maybe we can start by creating a better understanding of Islam and America and do it for each other.

BTV: Lack of Sharia Compliant Financial Aid Leaves Many Muslim Students Frustrated

Ask any grad student how they are paying for tuition, and most of them will tell you they have some type of student loan. While this is not a problem for most students, it’s one of the biggest struggles some Muslim students face in their lifetime.

Islam, like all other Abrahamic religions, forbids engaging in interest bearing transactions, regardless of rate.

“It’s the biggest sin you can commit behind shirk (associating partners with God) and a few others, and for the mass majority of Muslims in America it’s the only way to get an education, I would call that a pretty big problem,” says Arsalan Siddiqui, a 23-year-old med student at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

When it comes to funding their education, many Muslim students just bite the bullet and take interest bearing loans, some change their field of education to something that is less expensive, and others defer enrollment and work to save up money for their tuition. Unfortunately, the latter group rarely pulls through enough money to cover the expenses of more lucrative graduate degrees such as law and medicine, since tuition in those fields is close to upwards of $100,000 and getting higher every year, if not every semester.

“To be honest I think it is everyone’s responsibility, the responsibility of both those who need the money and those who have the means to lend the money. As with every problem in the Ummah (global Muslim community) I think it’s everyone’s [every Muslim’s] responsibility to think about it and do something about it,” says 28 year old Shanila Faghfoor, currently working at a pharmaceutical company and planning to pursue a master’s in public health. “I do think it’s going to be complicated and will take effort and hard work, but at the same time I do think it is possible to be accomplished. The need is certainly there, we just need to put our brains together and come up with some concrete solutions.”

Dr. Ahmad Sakr, president of the Foundation for Islamic Knowledge and director of the Islamic Education Center in Walnut, California, has a different view on the issue.

“In Islam the Calipha (Islamic state) government is legally obliged to educate everybody free of charge, however, since we do not live under such a government the only alternative for some students is grants and loans but unfortunately over 95% of our students have to take loans.”

This is a minority opinion which Dr. Sakr says stems from “Ad daruraat- to be al mahzoorat” which loosely translates to “necessities make things halal (permissible) for anything prohibited.”

Many Muslim scholars disagree with this opinion and state that taking such loans should be avoided as much as possible, if not avoided completely. Dr. Sakr emphasizes that there is a difference between interest and riba (usury), “riba is exploitation. Interest at 5% or 10% that is not usury that is interest, interest is where you benefit, riba is usury and exploitation and that is important to remember the difference.” Other scholars argue that there is no difference between the two.

For those students who try to adhere strictly to their faith, there are currently little to no options.

“As far as viable solutions go,” says Faghfoor, “the easiest would be to ask Muslim’s in your community who can give you a loan, but that’s where the hurdle is, there needs to be a system where that can be done without complications, or even better, help from the schools.”

Siddiqui agrees that the road to a solution is difficult, but not impossible, “the true spirit of Islamic banking is in equity, so with the cooperation of Islamic banks they could invest in students just like people invest in real estate, and you can set up a system of reliability, almost like a credit score based off of an equation made with a student’s grades and success rate. It’s all doable.”

Siddiqui also believes that if Muslim students start approaching their school’s administration, they can begin finding solutions for themselves. “I joined my schools financial aid advisory board to let my issues be heard. Schools need to be made aware of what their students are going through.”

If school’s financial aid departments start giving alternatives to the way Muslim students can pay their tuition, the problem is as good as solved.

“The school could allow the student to defer payment and just pay a much higher amount later on and, that way the school doesn’t lose any money and that’s not riba (usury) because it is an agreed payment, it’s not a fee or a penalty,” he says. “You just give people two different payment options on their application and one is more expensive, Muslim students can opt for that and that’s a choice they are making, it would be compliant with our religious requirements.”

“The conversation for this should have started a long time ago,” says Faghfoor, “it’s not that hard to have a halal loan system if everyone has the right mindset and when that’s the only thing keeping you from what your education, that gives you a helpless frustration.”

Siddiqui emphatically agrees, “We [Muslim’s] have been here for at least 3 to 4 decades, there is no shortage of Muslims in higher education. Muslims have gone through med school and law school in every generation, we have doctors, engineers and lawyers from every generation, almost all of us have some type of college education, and we’ve all faced it. You either chose to ignore this problem or found your own temporary solutions and did not care about the guy coming after you. If a single person over the last 3 or 4 decades had given a damn about this, I would not be going through this myself right now.”

For those Muslim students who care about this aspect of their education, this is a very frustrating situation to be in. A viable solution is not very difficult to attain, it just requires time, dedication, and concern from the community. The lack of a solution can be directly attributed to the lack of care and concern in the local Muslim American community.

Faghfoor agrees, “What it will take from our generation will be to let go of our cultural baggage and our egos and do this for ourselves, for Allah and for our future generations, hopefully they won’t even have to think about taking a loan that’s not halal.”

Afghanistan’s new “rape” law hinders future growth

Afghanistan is no longer ruled by the Taliban. But a new law that is gaining international criticism aims to carry out the very goals of the country’s stringent past: oppress Afghani women.

Dozens of Shiite Muslim women held demonstrations in Kabul Wednesday protesting this law that allows husbands, among other things, the right to demand sex from their wives.

The law only applies to Afghanistan’s Shiite minority. They represent a mere 20 percent of the country’s 30 million population and not all women, regardless of creed, oppose the law.

The NY Times reported that many believe President Hamid Karzai – who relies on Western support to stay in power – signed the bill into law to gain the conservative support of Shiite clergymen. Karzai is also up for re-election later this year.

Dubbed the “rape law,” the NY Times states:

One provision makes it illegal for a woman to resist her husband’s sexual advances. A second provision requires a husband’s permission for a woman to work outside the home or go to school. And a third makes it illegal for a woman to refuse to “make herself up” or “dress up” if that is what her husband wants.

Also, unless a woman is ill, her husband is specifically allowed to demand sex every four days, according to the Associated Press.

President Barack Obama has called the law “abhorrent” while Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown has refused to provide soldiers to a country that oppresses its women.

Karzai has given in to pressure from the West and promised to send the law to his Ministry of Justice for review.

This law is not about religion anymore. It’s a society’s wrongful approach to women’s rights. It’s about a woman’s right to flourish and give back to her society.

Even if a man didn’t abuse such powers, what would happen if a women refused him?

While women hold positions of power in parliament, this law will only hinder any positive growth Afghanistan faces in the future. If this nation does not allow a crucial part of its society to advance, political maneuvering will once again give way for backward steps of the past.

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Credit: Urmi Rahman, a freelance journalist residing in California. She received her B.A. in political science with minors in English and journalism from Cal State Fullerton. Urmi, 25, is also the editor and co-founder of Minority Dreams Magazine.

Media focus on piracy seen as hypocritical

Soon after Somali pirates boarded an American ship with top security clearance, and seized the captain, a disturbing pattern of incitement and a lack of objectivity kidnapped the American media.

American Media is rightfully expressing concern over the hostage. His well being and his families pain has been correctly respected and understood.

But turning these pirates into terrorists, ignoring the Somalian experience and point of views and instead bringing up maps during the nightly news to look for places to bomb in Somalia betrays journalism.

Reuters News actually did the right thing and called the Pirates. The pirates said they couldn’t talk long because,”we are surrounded by war ships.” And before the pirates hung up they said quickly, “Please pray for us.”

The CNN corespondent reported the Somali quote with a chuckle. “Imagine that,” she asked. It was clear that CNN was not going to humanize or be curious about the Somalian people involved.

There are close to 9,000 hits on Google news for Somalian pirates and very few, if any, explore the Somalian quote above.

‘Next CNN’ host Roland Martin asked why we were even negotiating with the terrorists. And slowly the news media blurred the lines of an actual event and the boogie-man.

In a matter of hours Somalia went from an unknown to terrorists unworthy of human emotions or prayer.

A guest on CNN said the pirates are fueled by greed and no one challenged him. No one argued any responsibility lying anywhere but Somalian pirates.

Next every caller agreed we should bomb the pirates and Somalia.

Renew America reported that the incident was happening in the Middle East (it is actually Africa) and that “it serves as a reminder that, besides 9/11, Islam has had one other shaping influence on the history of the United States: we have a navy, thanks to the sea-going Islamic thugs of Thomas Jefferson’s day, the Barbary Pirates.”

Surprisingly, the New York Times also connected the Somali Pirates to the Barbary Wars of the 1800’s.

I remember in journalism school I learned about objective journalism. It would include reporting that these pirates have nothing to do with the Barbary Wars and nothing to do with terrorism.

Objective Journalism would report that some Somali’s claim they started pirating as a counter weight to corporate pollution in their waters.

Objective journalism would explore that many Somalis pirate to counter international ships that they see as illegal business competitors invading their waters.

“We don’t consider ourselves sea bandits,” said one Pirate in the New York Times last year after taking over a Ukrainian vessel. “We consider sea bandits those who illegally fish in our seas and dump waste in our seas and carry weapons in our seas. We are simply patrolling our seas. Think of us like a coast guard.”

Objective journalism would contemplate if non-Somalian boats in Somalian waters are seen as pirates, too.

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Watch a video about piracy from a Somalian artist here.
Read more commentary from CNN here.
Most recent news here.

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Credit: Abrahim Appel, 30, a freelance journalist residing in Fullerton, California. He recently acquired his B.A in Afro-Ethnic and American Indian Studies from Cal State Fullerton. He works as a live-in caregiver and is researching masters and PhD programs in Arab-Diaspora Studies or International Relations with an emphasis on ethnic relations while considering a career with the Peace Corps.

Behind the Veil: The Voodoo Hijab

Here are a few questions I have been asked by classmates, professors and strangers regarding my hijab:

“So, what does this blue one mean?” “Do they have different purposes like summoning rain?” “Do you wear the red one while you are having your period?”

I enjoy satisfying a person’s general curiosity but I have often walked away from such encounters feeling like a voodoo witch doctor due to all of the powers people’s imaginations tend to associate with my attire.

The truth is, hijabi’s like to match their outfits and dress up just like our non-hijab wearing peers. The varying swirly patterns, flowers and colors I don everyday are simply meant to satisfy my own narcissism.

Wearing a red colored scarf, aside from fulfilling my religious duty, serves no higher purpose than to match my red purse. If I’m wearing a brown one it probably just goes well with my shoes. The black hijab is what I default to because it matches with everything and I throw it on when I’m in a rush to get out of the house.

Since these questions humor me, I often used to come off very sarcastic while answering them, but this often ends up generating more confusion, so I have ceased to do so.

My general answer nowadays consists of thanking them for mistaking me for someone who might possess superhuman powers and then explaining the shallowness of my color choice for my hijab that day.

Balancing hijab and fashion is quite a struggle, especially for someone who is fashion challenged like myself, however it’s fun attempting new styles and colors.

In the words of my (best) friend Beenish: “If everyone is going to stare at me because of what’s on my head, I might as well look good while I’m at it.”

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Credit: Maheen Siddiqi, a 23-year-old Southern California native and a recent Cal State University, Fullerton graduate with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Human Communication Studies. Her passions are law, politics and social commentary.

Obama Engaging (and Embracing?) the Muslim World

Building a Movement

Since Dec. 27, 2008, unrelenting violence has been unleashed in the Gaza Strip. Death tolls keep climbing with no end in plain sight.

Regardless of creed, race, age or beliefs, people are protesting, raising funds and educating others to show solidarity with Gazans and those suffering around the world.

Minority Dreams found powerful examples of activists making a difference in styles that suit them best.

Mark Gonzales: Human Writes Project

Renowned educator, poet and passionate advocate of human rights, Mark Gonzales, 33, had humble beginnings in 1996. It was a simple idea that took place in a friend’s garage – read personal poems, freestyle and invite friends and family to listen.

“I started writing to address and express all the pain, confusion and frustration I had growing up and [wanted to] make sense of the chaos,” he said.

The people came in numbers and the once small spoken word sessions grew.

“It really spoke to the need of people to have a community that spoke to their reality, beauty and pain,” said the Alaskan-born Mexican American.

He founded the Human Writes Project in 1999, an ideology that uses culture as a vehicle to push for social change and justice.

“It’s a philosophy under which educators, artists and organizers gather and create arts or performances [for] a new community and new identity based on real and shared experiences,” Gonzales said.

Through this belief, Gonzales helped organize many educational events including “Get Down for Life and Lyrics: Get Down for Gaza.” Held on Jan. 10 at Juanita’s in Highland Park, the fundraiser helped bring in between $1,700 to $2,000, which was donated to Islamic Relief, one of the only two charities allowed to work in Gaza.

“It was successful because it created community,” he said. “It wasn’t just about Palestine, it was about indigenous land and the global struggle for indigenous land. It was about women’s and children’s rights. [Also] the right of a people and the right to live.”

While he believes protests and demonstrations are important, Gaza needs direct support in the form of medicine, financial donations and basic necessities like blankets, he said. The idea behind the fundraiser encouraged small donations from working people of $5 or $10. The crowd, which reached over 300 that night, often gave more.

His inspiration in life comes from a deep love for people, Gonzales said.

“I’ve looked at what I’ve gone through in my life and the experiences I’ve had and remember pain and frustration when things and acts have occurred,” he said. “If I’ve felt that much pain, how would I feel if I was bombed, [too]?”

View a video of Mark Gonzales from ‘Get Down for Gaza’

Marcy Winograd – LA Jews for Peace

An ace in multitasking, this progressive democrat has juggled teaching in a Los Angeles school, protesting in the city’s streets, running for Congress and co-founding an anti-war, Jewish-American group – but she’s not done yet.

Raised in a strongly zionist community, Marcy Winograd believes history cannot be that simplified. “We know the narrative of Israel as a refuge is a powerful narrative,” she said. “But there is another and that is, this homeland [also] belongs to someone else.”

Although members of LA Jews for Peace are divided on zionism, they are dedicated to diplomacy in the Middle East, an end in Israeli occupation in Palestine and an end in American military aid.

“We call on all Jews of conscious to stand with the Palestinians [and] to stand with those who are victimized and say, not in our name,” Winograd said.

She co-founded the group after losing in a heated battle for Congress against fellow democrat, Rep. Jane Harman in 2006. Made up of a handful of core members in their 40s and 50s, Winograd hopes the group will also attract a younger generation.

“I think young [Americans] have been very active in the anti-war movement,” she said. “This issue may be intimidating in its seeming complexity but our hope is in the youth because they will look at it from fresh eyes.”

It helped organize a mock funeral and demonstration in L.A. on Jan. 11 for the children killed in Gaza and candlelight vigils.

Besides the visual affect, the events’ purpose was “to pose a different face of the Jewish community in L.A.,” she said. “We’re reaching a tipping point and as horrible as this hour is, it provides an opportunity to learn.”

Mahmud Ahmad – Al Awda: The Palestine Right to Return Coalition

He’s an advocate of social justice who, amid the realities of the Palestinian – Israeli conflict, believes in a peaceful future in the Middle East.

Mahmud Ahmad of Al Awda – the Palestine Right to Return Coalition believes that people of the world will not stay quiet forever and that in historical terms, the conflict will soon end.

On Jan. 10, Al-Awda co-sponsored the National Day of Emergency Mass Action – Mass Regional Protest in Los Angeles along with the ANSWER Coalition.

Thousands of activists rallied near the Federal Building in Westwood that day in response to Israel’s incursion into the Gaza Strip.

“[The protests are] showing solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Palestine,” he said. “We stand firmly against injustice wherever it happens. [Also we're] mobilizing people [and] building a greater movement. There are new people getting involved.”

He hopes their events will get accurate media coverage including pointing out Israel’s faults.

“When it comes down to covering local protests, they [the media] present the Palestinian version but everything is edited and it’s in line with what they want to put forward anyway [then] countered with Israeli’s point of view,” he said.

“My [problem] with that is that if it were any other state or country committing that kind of atrocious activity, it wouldn’t be presented as a point of view. The Israeli government should be charged with war crimes. Gaza is in genocidal proportions.”

In addition, he hopes that President-elect Obama will speak out clearly against the attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Al-Awda, a democratic, non-partisan grassroots organization, is dedicated to public awareness of the legal and human rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland, gain restitution for their property, gain freedom and equality.

Ahmad is also the co-founder of the Free Palestine Alliance and the National Council of Arab Americans and a member of the ANSWER Coalition.

View a slideshow from the L.A. protest, ‘Let Gaza Live’ by Mike Chickey.

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Thanks for your help! Minority Dreams gives special thanks to supporters and those who helped with research, photos or contacts including photographer Iman Al-dabbagh.

Credit: Urmi Rahman

*The individuals and the organizations profiled here vary in their views and are in no way related to one another. To learn more about each group, please view their individual websites. - MD Staff

CORRECTION: This article published Jan. 17 incorrectly reported that the LA Jews for Peace sponsored the Jan. 14. chain-protest. The event was sponsored by the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network - Minority Dreams regrets this mistake. (1/23)

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