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CRUELTY AND SILENCE

War, Tyranny, Uprising and the Arab World

 By Ramin Salehkhou

It is refreshing to review a book by an Arab writer who confronts and dispels the rhetoric of some Arab and pro-Arab intellectuals by exposing the realities of political cruelty in the Near East. Author Kanan Makiya, better known by his pseudonym Samiral-Khalil,is the same author who initially caught the world’s attention with his expose of Saddam’s totalitarianism in Republic of Fear.

In his latest work, Makiya ex­pands the scope of Republic of Fear by focusing on Iraq’ s annexation of Kuwait and the Arab intelligentsia’ s attempts to place Saddam’s aggression within a wider pan-Arab context and in terms of Western imperialism. These attempts to transfer blame for Saddarn’ ~s barbaric actions onto the West are what drove the author to write this work: “Their relentless wallowing in illusion filled me with anger.

The thesis of the book is reflected in its title. The “Cruelty” is Saddam’s. The “Silence” is that of Arab intellectuals, whom Makiya blames for failing to expose Saddam and his fellow tyrants for what they are choosing instead to glorify Saddam simply because he stood up t the West.

The first half of Cruelty and Silence is devoted to eyewitness ac­counts of both the occupation of Kuwait and the postwar uprising in fraq’sKurdish

and Shi’a regions. Makiya’s accounts and interviews are chilling. In one particularly jolting chapter, titled ‘Cruelty and the Arab Woman,” Makiya analyzes files found at Sulaimaniya Central Secu­rity Headquarters documenting the employment of bureaucrat Aziz Saleh Ahmad, whose specified profession was “fighter in the Popular Army,” and whose specified duty was “Violation of Women’s Honour.” By exposing the barbarism of a state apparatus that employs professional rapists, Makiya dem­onstrates the depths of brutality that had become routine practice. “Here the state was getting away with waging war on its own population, not only through chemical warfare on Kurdish villages, but by unleashing rapists on women of every ethnic and religious group in the country. But rape is not only what was done to Iraqi women... it is the perfect metaphor of what was done to the whole of Iraqi civil society by its own state. I think of rape as the generic form of the whole Bathi modus operandi in politics.

In the second part of the book Makiya shifts his attention to the Arab intelligentsia, whom he accuses of moral bankruptcy for failing to aid fellow Arabs trapped in oppressive regimes of the Near East. Arab intellectuals have failed, he maintains, by blaming Arab ills on the West and Israel, rather than focusing on actions of despotic regimes in the region. Makiya laments that during the Kuwaiti crisis Arab intellectuals “couldn’t see what the fuss was all about but could only seethe unfolding of yet another grand design against the Arab world.”

 a Makiya focuses on Arab intel­lectual, Edward Said, who, in the past, was Makiya’s most strident critics, accusing the author of writing his first work, Republic of Fear, to serve American interests. Makiya counters that Said’s book, Orientalism, continues the theme that many of the Arab world’s problems resulted from Western cultural prejudices, rather than internal failures cause many Arabs to surrender to the idea of being victimized and not take any responsibility for their wretched socio-political predica­ment.

Overall, Makiya has written an eloquent and reasonable attack on the status quo of some modern Arab thought. However, the book is not without flaws. First, Makiya ignores the historical frame­work of the Iraqi-Kuwaiti dispute. Even under the pre-1958 monarchy, Iraq had several militant conflicts regarding the status of Kuwait as a separate entity. More over, Makiya s choice of Kuwaiti royal family member. Khaled Nasser a¹-~abah as the prime witness of what occurred inside Kuwait during its occupa­tion lessens the credibility of the account. NIakiva would have hone better in picking an ordinary Kuwaiti citizen or, better vet, one of the “foreign” nationals who made up over two-thirds of the population. Second, Makiya mistakenlv construes Arab intellectuals~ support for Iraq after the deployment of foreign troops to the area as that of actual support ~or Sacidam s regime.

One important tact was highlighted in the book: more iraqis died at the hands of government troops after the uprising in the South than from American bombs However, it is also true that many more died as an indirect result of the destroyed infrastructure of Iraq, the embargo, the nation s inadequate health services. sending thousands of Iraqi children to their death.

Makiva also ridicules what he

calls the “conspiracy theory’ espoused by many intellectuals during an after the Kuwaiti crisis: Saddam, they argue, was tricked into believing that the United States would stand neutral in “inter-Arab” dis­putes, stated Ambassador April Galaspi in her interview with Saddam directly prior to the invasion. In dismissing their theory as absurd, Makiya fails to address the State Department s refusal to release the offi­cial transcripts of that meeting on grounds of national security.

The author seems to be guilty of the same sin of those whom he criticizes. While the majority of Arab intellectuals blame the West for the Arab world’s ills, Makiva does the opposite by failing to consider the enormous pressure and influence exercised by the West in that part of the world. While deploring the brutality of Saddam’s Anfal campaign against the Kurds in the 1 980s, the author does not account for the responsibility of the Kurdisb leaders who allowed their people to be repeatedly exploited by the CIA, Israel’s Mossad, and the former Savak of the Shah of Iran. in the words of Henry Kissinger, fending off criticism in the United States cutting off support of the Kurds, ‘~politics is not a charity game.

In sum, despite the critical aforementioned shortcomings of the book, Makivys central thesis remains valid. As long as the majority of Arab intellectuals refuse to look within and examine the causes of the illnesses that have plagued the Arab world and allowed tyrannical regimes to exist, and continue to place the blame solely on outside powers and their imperial and' economic interests, Arab civilization will remain in its current inert, backward, deplorable and foreign-dependent predicament. Makiva is an author who refuses to remain silent in the face of the cruelty that lie witnesses.

 “ISLAM UNDER SIEGE”

 

The Middle East Institute of Co­lumbia University, co-sponsored by the Islamic Research and Information Center and Middle East Insight, held a conference entitled Under Siege. Islam and Democ­racy on June 18-19.

“A gathering atmosphere of cri­sis, most recently fueled by reactions to the bombing of the World Trade Center, has stimulated in this country a sense of con­frontation between Islam and democracy. Many people are persuaded that democ­racy, and the modern world in general, are under siege by a militant, violent, intolerant Islam. Many others are convinced that the democratic societies of the West are rife with virulent anti-Muslim prejudice and bent on suppressing Islamic identity through support of repressive, police state mea­sures, even in the face of the electoral popularity of avowedly Muslim political groups. Who is under siege by whom?”

History professor Richard W. Bulliet, the conference convener and in­coming Director of the Middle East Institute, said that the idea of holding a conference on contemporary Islamic reli­gious and political views was also prompted by a feeling that recent discussions of these topics in academic settings had some­times seemed one-sided. The Institute’s plan was to hold an event that would allow Muslim intellectuals and non-Mus­lim scholars deeply concerned about contemporary Islam to present their views in a non-politicized, non-sensationalized forum.

After introductory remarks to set the context of the conference by Columbia

political science professor and Institute Director Lisa Anderson, the first panel offered the audience of 130 a variety of Muslim perspectives on Islam and moder­nity. Mohammad Jaafar Mahallati, ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations, described some of the recent currents of debate on Islamic issues in his home country. He highlighted in particular the views of Uni­versity of Tehran philosophy professor Abd al-Karim Soroush. Following the reading of a paper by Harvard professor Muhsin Mahdi, whom illness prevented from attending, Professor Serif Mardin of the American University presented a sociologist’s interpretation of Islamic is­sues. Mr. Khaled Abou El Fadi, an Egyptian attorney currently working on a doctoral degree at Princeton, then spoke about the wide variety of interpretations of the Islamic law and called upon Muslims to reconsider their current views in light of such diversity. Professor Humid Dabashi of Columbia University closed the panel as the discussant by drawing together the views of the four speakers.

The conferees turned to political issues with the second panel. Columbia professors Anderson and Gary Sick, the latter a member of the National Security Council staff under President Jimmy Carter, spoke about the compatibility of democ­racy and Islam. Though not the dominant view among American policy makers, it represented the dominant view among the conferees. Muslim views on the issue were presented in a paper concentrating on the intrinsic qualities of Islam by Ayatol­lah Seyyed Mohammad Bahr al-Ulum, a member of the Iraqi National Council of Resistance, delivered by Shaikh Fadil al­ Sahlani because of the author’s last minute inability to attend in person, and in a presentation by Mr. Mowahid Hussain Shah from Pakistan, who delivered a lively and pointed indictment of invidious char­acterizations and double standards on the part of Western news media and govern­ments. Professor John Esposito of Georgetown University served as discus­sant.

The speaker at the dinner follow­ing the second panel was Professor Bulliet who warned of the growing rhetoric on intolerance toward Islam. Noting that in 1894 the trial of Alfred Dreyfuss and the ensuing reactions ushered in a century of anti-Semitism, he expressed a concern that the trials of the Muslims charged in the World Trade Center bombing and subse­quent “conspiracies,” which will likely take place in 1994, could arouse dangerously parallel hostilities.

On the following day, the first panel was on Islam and the media and featured Mr. Leon Hadar, a media critic associated with the Cato Institute; Mr. Richard C. Hottelet, longtime news corre­spondent for CBS and Mr. Peter Steinfels, religion editor of the Nezv York Times. All three speakers came, to varying degrees, to the defense of the major news media, whom they found less biased and more neutral and professional than portrayed by some of the earlier speakers. Professor Dirk Vandewalle, serving as discussant, took a more critical view, as did some members of the audience during the dis­cussion, particularly comparing U.S. news coverage with that of the European press.

The final panel dealing with social and community issues began with a pre­

sentation on women in the contemporary Islamic world by Professor Elizabeth Fernea of the University of Texas. She was followed by Professor Robert Fernea, who spoke about issues involving minorities in Islam. Professor Frank Vogel of the Harvard Law School resumed some of the issues earlier discussed by Mr. Abu al­Fadl regarding the need to explore new avenues of legal interpretation. And soci­ology professor Ahmad Sadri of Lake Forest College exhorted Muslims to boldly rethink the meaning of democracy in Is­lamic terms and suggested some of the avenues such rethinking might well take. A masterful summation of the four speeches was presented by history professor John Voll of the University of New Hampshire.

The conference was very well received by the audience, some of whom expressed particular pleasure at hearing Muslim viewpoints presented in a neutral and non-polemic setting. The Middle East Institute intends to publish a summary of the papers and discussions in the fall. According to Professor Bulliet, the Insti­tute is also exploring the possibility of sponsoring such events in the future.

prepared by Richard W. Bulliet for Columbia University

  

IMAM-E-ZAMANASEMINAR AND MUSLIM YOUTH CONFERENCE:

 

During Memorial Day weekend Saturday, May 29, and Sunday, May 30, 1993, the Imam-e-Zman a Foundation of North America held its sixth “Annual Seminar on Contemporary Issues in Islam” at the I.E.C., Potomac, Maryland. The seminar was organized with the cooperation of the Universal Islamic Foundation (Washington, D.C.), Ahlul-Bait Association (Michigan), and the Shi’a Association of North America (New York). Anew feature of this year’ s seminar was the Muslim Youth Conference.

Many Muslim scholars attended the seminar including Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi of Toronto, Sheikh Hisham Husseini of Michigan, Sayvid RafiqNaqavi of l.E.C, Dr. Muhammad Nahavandian of IRIC, Mr. Robert Krane, and Mr. Muwahid Shah. The keynote speaker was Dr. Muhammad al-Ti₁ani al-Samawi of Tunisia, author of Then I was Guided. His speech, delivered in Arabic, was translated into English by Br. Yasin T. al-Jibouri.

 

Youth Program:

Members of the Youth program contributed to the occasion with their views and opinions on Islam in America. During the two-day period, topics for discussion included problems in the workplace, the preservation of Islamic values, the difficulties faced by Muslim women, Islam and nationalism, human rights, access to the media, and participation in the American political system. The Program consisted of discussions, games, and lectures organized by and for the youth. The games proved

challenging to Youth Program attendees whose response indicated a surprisingly high level of understanding about daily life under the Islamic code

The two games were titled “Truth Pursuit” and “Spin Think.” Discussions and lectures were based on two topics: “The insecurity of human beings; the need for man to identify and know who he is?” and “Culture or Islam, which is more important?” The program elicited a great deal of praise and satisfaction from the attendees.

 

IRIC Educational Workshops:

 

On May 28, 1993, IRICs Department of Education held a meeting of scholars, administrators and teachers of American Islamic schools at l.E.C. The purpose of this meeting was to share resources and exchange information.

* Formation of a national board of education to promote an understanding of Islam.

* A. four member team to create a national Islamic syllabus, including textbooks, for Sunday schools.

* A teachers training course.

 

Eid-aI- Ghadeer:

 

The Al-Khoei Islamic Center in New York City invited Dr. Muhammad al­Samawi al-Tijani, author of Then I was Guided, to speak at the Eid al Ghadeer celebration on June 12, 1993. Ghadeer celebrates Prophet Muhammad’s proclamation of the succession of Imam Ali. He said:

“Muslims are duty-bound to remove the veils and curtains imposed by the enemies of Ahlul-Bait because Allah has indicated their position very clearly in the Quran, and Prophet Muhammad did not leave any doubt as to the importance of following them,” said he.

 

Islamic Education Center:

 

In his speech on the occasion of Madina following his completion of the rites of his last Hajj, Moulana Naqavi stressed the importance of Ghadeer in terms of the current time crimes against humanity. Moulana said, ““Ghadeeris a message of unity for Muslim Ummah.” Moulana emphasized the need for unity in Muslim ummah, and suggested that Ghadeer is a prime opportunity for all Muslims to gather together to commemorate its significance for Islam. He emphasized the universal Muslim duty to obey the Prophet’ when he announced, “To whomsoever I have been the Master, Aliis his7N’Iastertoo.””

Moulana directed Muslim scholars to discuss, reevaluate and correct distorted historical information. In order to maintain an environment conducive to freedom of speech Muslims worldwide regain their power, prestige and position asserted Moulana, by celebrating the last revelation of the Quran: ““This day I have perfected your religion for you, and completed my favor unto you, and chosen Islam as your religion”” (Holy Quran).

 

Eid-uI-Adha:

 Muslims celebrated Eid ul Adha on TuesdayJune 1,1993. The Eid prayer was conducted in many mosques and Islamic centers throughout North

America. Idara-e-Jafaria organized the Eid prayer at Islamic Community Center of Laurel. Moulana Raf iq Naqavi lead the prayer. Following the Eid prayer Muslims from different communities had picnics and get  together.

On June 6,1993, meetings were held in various locations throughout the United States to commemorate Imam Khomeini. The Muslim Students Association sponsored a program at I.E.. featuring films on his life, and excerpts from his speeches. Students from Sunday Islamic classes Muslim Community Schools participated in the program. At I.C.M.. Houston Bro. Abdul Alim Musa, resident Imam of Masjid al-Islam, emphasized the need to adhere to the preaching of Imam Khomeini.

   Muharram Program:

 During the month of Muharram, Muslims held Majalis in different Islamic centers throughout the United States of America and Canada to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Holy Prophet. Muslims of the Metropolitan Washington D.C. area have organized Majalis at I.E .C. Idara­e-Jafaria sponsored the Majalis in Urdu from June 20-26 at I.E.C and fromJune 27- 30 at Muslim Community Center, Silver Spring, Maryland.

 

The Muslim Student Association held a Persian Muharram program for the Shahadat of Jmam HussainfromJune22-3othatl.E.C. The l.E.C. also offered a program in English during these Majalis.

       The Ahle-Bait organization of Virginia held the Muharram majalis in Virginia. Hajji Agha Mizbehzadeh was the key-note speaker.

A new mosque in Chantilly, Virginia will hold Dua-e-Kumail every Thursday night presented by Agha Mizbehzadeh.

 

Universal Islamic Classes, formally held in Manassas Park will now be offered at the Chantilly Mosque. For information please call: (703) 222-5535.

 

Adara-Dawat-o-Arshad in Virginia has initiated discussions regarding the true nature of Qadiani’s and the potential dangers of their misinterpretation of the Holy Quran. For more information, contact Moulana M. Rafique at (703) 461-7994.

 

The Muslim Womens’ Association of Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area organized Zainab Day in honor of the great sister of Imam Hussain held on the 11th of Muharram at I.E.C.

            

Dar-Ul-Hijra Mosque

The Fairfax County Board of Zoning held a public hearing on March 30,1993 to revoke the special exemption of Dar-ul-Hijra Mosque. This action would essentially close down the mosque, which is located in Falls Church, Virginia.

The special exemption allows the Mosque 90 parking places on-site. There was a difference of opinion between the

county and the Masjid as to whether other parking could be obtained off-site. While the Masjid has made arrangements with nearby churches for several hundred parking spaces, this is not sufficient. Dar­Ul-Hijra recently purchase done and a half acres of land at a cost of $310,000 to provide more parking.

About a dozen local residents testified about the traffic and parking problems stemming from Mosque attendees street parking. Several dozen Dar-Ul-Hijra members and supporters, including one church official whose church is currently providing some parking space, defended Dar-Ul-Hijra pointing to its efforts to secure more parking.

They also questioned the local community’ s genuine acceptance of a Muslim presence in the area, considering the fact that temporary parking problems created by local churches during their worship services have not created such controversy.

This was anticipated by the Muslim Community as the local community’s prejudices against the Muslims when compared to acceptance of the local churches and the temporary parking problems they create during their worship services.

The Board voted to defer their decision and to postpone the hearing until June 15, 1993.

In order to pay for the unanticipated cost of the extra parking area, Dar-Ul-Hijra is requesting generous donations.

 

 

CITY PAPER UNDER CRITICISM FOR BIASED REPORTING ON MUSLIMS

AND ARAB AMERICANS:

Arab and Muslim Americans are calling for action against anti-Arab propaganda:

One June 16, 1993,theAmerican-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (A.D. C.),the American Muslim Council, and concerned community figures held a press conference at the National Press Club regarding City Paper bias and its negative and potentially damaging May 28th cover story, “Hamas Among Us.” The article, which focused on the local Muslim and Arab community, featured an inflammatory cover photo of the Beltway sign altered to read “Islamic Terrorist Center.” Muslims and Arabs called upon the editor and the writer of the article for a full public apology for wrongful and harmful misrepresentation and defamation.

The A.D.C. posed the following question regarding the City Paper’s blatant disregard of the ethics of journalism:

 

Would City Paper portray a “Jewish Terrorism Center” in

Suburban Virginia?

(ADC)

Mr. Albert Mokhaber, President of ADC asked this question in his letter to theeditorof CityPaper, Mr.JackShafer, on the City Paper article Hamas Among Us,” written by Mr. Patrick Symmes. City Paper ran a cover photo with the words, “Islamic Terrorist Center superimposed on a Beltway traffic sign directing motorists towards Northern Virginia.

Mr. Mokhaber questioned Mr.Symme’s ethics of journalism on his baseless and distorted report on the said communities which has caused the irreparable harm to the Muslims and the Arab Americans who demanded an apology.

Why would City Paper

use a “doctored” photograph on the cover?

                                                     (A.C.I.)

 

The Council of Imams of Washington D.C., sent a letter of protest to the editor of City Paper warning of the dangerous implications of baseless attacks on any religion or community. Asserting such an inflammatory article endangers the lives of Muslims and damages community relations.

 

Front page altered picture depicts the most unfortunate abuse of Islam:

(Interfaith)

In their letter to the editor of City Paper, Bishop Clinton and RalphKuehner criticized such false and damaging media coverage of Islam.

 

A Bright Star Falls: Sayyid AbuI­AILa AI-Musawi AI-Sabzwari Dies

On Saturday, Safar 25, 1443 (Au­gust 14),the Islamic world lost one of its greatest scholars: Ayatullah SayyidAbdul­A’la al-Musawi al-Sabzawari, of Najaf, Iraq. He died at the age of 90 of internal stomach bleeding. Since he was one of the heroes of Iraq’s intfada (uprising) of March 1991 against Saddam Hussein, it is widely be­lieved that the latter may have somehow managed to put an end to the life of one of his most bitter critics. Jtis note-worthythat the late Ayatullah Muhammad Baqir al­Sadr, was also killed at the hands of Saddam’s government in 1980 together with his sis­ter, Iraq’s poetess known as Bint al-Huda.

The late Ayatullah al-Sabzawari and his family were all actively involved in the uprising that swept Iraq in the aftermath of the so-called “Gulf War.” He was one of a handful of dignitaries chosen by the late Ayatullah al-Uzma al-Khoei to steer the revolution against Iraq’s dictator. His sons Ali, Husain and Muhammad were charged with implementing the instructions of the leadership of the in ti/ada and acting as liaison between them and the public.

Following the demise of Ayatullah al-Uzma al-Khoei, the late Ayatullah al­Sabzawari became the recognized religious authority for most Iraqi Shi’as in addition to his followers throughout the world. He was born ninety years ago in Sabzawar, a district of Khurasan, and he grew up in a family reputed for scholarship and piety. It was there that he studied introductory courses in the hawza (university-styled theo­logical center), then he moved to Mashhad where he learned the higher stage of sutooh. After that he migrated to Najaf where he received lessons from top scholars such as MirzaHussain al-Naeeni (d. 1355 A.H.),

Shaikh Ziyaud-Deen al-Iraqi (d. 1361 A.H.), and Shaikh Muhammad Hussain al­Kumpani (d. 1361).Afterthe demise of his mentors, he became the recognized profes­sor, and he set up a study circle attended by very highly respected scholars who were studying for their al kharij degree which may be compared with the Ph.D.,special­izing infiqh (the science of jurisprudence) and usool (methodology of jurisprudence). He started lecturing at a mosque situated near his home, and his style employed brevity. He distanced himself from unnec­essary details, employing simple terminol­ogy. To him, the task of the scholar offiqh did not stop at explaining the jurisdic injunctions but also included their expla­nation in a comprehensible way.

This great sage left us many pre­cious books. He has written a twenty-eight volume monumental work in Islamic juris­prudence titled Muhaththa ba/-A hkam /ee Bayan al -Halal wal Ha ram . He has written seven volumes on the exegesis of the Holy Qur’an, printed at Najaf, Iraq, in 1404 A.H. (1982 A.D.).He authored Tahtheebal­Usoolin methodology ofJiqh, and several commentaries on such books as Bihar a!­Anwar,Jawahir al-Kalam, Al--’ Urwah a! Wuthqa and Sa/eenatal-Najat.

After a life-long dedication to the­ology and scholarship, he responded to his Lord’s call and left this world leaving be­hind him a most precious legacy. His corpse lies now not far from that of his great ancestorthe Commander of the Faith­ful Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib (as) at Najaf, Iraq. We request our brethren to recite the Fatiha for his soul. Inna Li/lab wa Jnna I/a yhi Raji’oon (We are Allah’s, and to Him shall we all return).

Strengthening brotherhood and unity amongst Muslims.

Establishing an academic relationship with educational and research institutes to provide required data on the teachings of the Holy Prophet and Ahlul Bayt (a.s.).

Linking researchers to the authentic sources of information about Islam and Muslim cornmunities.

Lobbying for Muslims’ religious, social and political rights.

Coordination with the media for projection of the true image of Islam and to get proper and correct coverage of Muslims’ affairs.

Forming a network to protest propaganda against Islam.

Driving against discrimination of color, caste and creed.

Publishing a periodical bulletin to communicate problems faced by community organizations and share action plans to seek remedies.

Coordination of religious, social, educational and cultural activities of Moameneen communi­ties.

Counseling service in matters of Islamic jurisprudence in daily and family life.

Establishing a specialized library for Islamic research to provide the original sources for scholars.