Palestinian Professor Sentenced to 11 Years For Refusing to Testify:
In Chicago, a federal court has sentenced a Palestinian-American activist to more than 11 years in prison for refusing to testify before a grand jury in 2003 about the activities of the Palestinian group Hamas. Abdelhaleem Ashqar defended his refusal to testify saying that he shouldn't have to give testimony that would aid the Israeli government.Ashqar told the court:
"The only option was to become a traitor or collaborator, and that is something that I can't do and will never do as long as I live." Ashqar is a former associate professor of business at Howard University in Washington. Earlier this year a jury acquitted Ashqar of being a leading member of Hamas and conspiring to support terrorism from the United States.
While Amy Goodman did report this story on Democracy Now, the corporate media did not, or when it did, it did so on page 25, in small print, without any comments.
I mean, how cares, right? Yet another Palestinian academic is getting jailed for refusing to be a snitch. It's not even the first case. Remember Sami Al-Arian, who is now serving time in jail for refusing to testify against former associates?
In both cases the government lost at trial and failed to provide any proof that these academics were linked to terrorism. But that's no big deal, Uncle Sam will jail them for refusing to snitch on their friends.The most amazing thing is the deafening silence in which all this is taking place. The US academia is silent about this, presumably freedom-loving democrats (small 'd') are saying nothing, probably assuming that, hey, this is not a good time to speak up for an 'AYErab'.
All those who now look away would do well to remember the following words:
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)
14 comments:
Nice post, though disgusting indeed VS.
This is yet another example of how far the Bush regime is prepared to go to silence any criticism of its foreign policy, and at the same time how pathetic the Democrats are in opposing the "War on Terror".
In the USA you have 2 ruling class parties vying for political power. Their agendas differ in minuscule. The problem is that you have no/little political expression (however confused) outside of the capitalist parties ie some sort of social-democratic party that exists in Europe/Australia/New Zealand et al.
This doesn't make it fascist though (as you imply with your quote from Pastor Martin Niemöller).
well, I actually did not mean to imply anything, but now that you mention it - it is compelling, ain't it?:-)
VS, thanks for bringing this to light. It is astonishing how quiet academia is on this. On the other hand, what did you expect? Even if there are hundreds of professors and students who are supporting him, they lack the clout or influence in the (largely neocon-controlled/influenced) media to bring this into the public spotlight. On the other hand, every time Alan Dershowitz has an intellectual eruption it is trumpeted to high heaven, extolled by the mainstream as yet another brilliant intellectual achievement by the Israel Lobby's best friend.
Speaking of friends of the Israel lobby, have you heard or read any commentary from Naomi Wolf on this injustice? ;-)Well, I don't expect you will.
Speaking of friends of the Israel lobby, have you heard or read any commentary from Naomi Wolf on this injustice? ;-)Well, I don't expect you will.
First, I have not heard everything that Naomi Wolf says, second, I don't even know if she has heard of the case, third, she might have said something but it might not have been reported, and fourth there are plenty of people which did not say a single word about this case besides Naomi Wolf. You are implying that she is not saying anything about this *because* she is Jewish. While this might or might not be true, all you have to make your case is a simple coincidence and not a causality. Not only that, but to make your case you would have to prove that besides all other possible motive her unique main motive would be her alleged sympathy for Israel (heck, if she is the nasty Feminist you claim she is she might just be busy defending oppressed woman and might not want to take on the issue of oppressed men figuring that men would do that themselves).
If a non-Jew did not say a word about this case you would not suspect him/her of remaining silent solely because he/her is a Jew. So in your logic being a Jew creates a 'guilty until proven innocent' kind of logic in which Jews and non-Jews are judged by a different set of rules. And that, my friend, I am sorry to say, smacks of crude racism as it implies that Jews are somehow 'different' from the non-Jews. I find that factually false and morally repugnant as it denies our common humanity.
Please do not take offense at my words but, as always, I call it as I see it.
Kind regards,
VS
oh, and more more thing: Amy Goodman, who raised this issue on her show Democracy Now today is Jewish (in fact, her grandfather was a rabbi). I am yet to hear the 'patriotic', and presumably non-Jewish, folks following her example.
VS,
Sorry for getting you riled up. I really was just joking.
Another thing VS,
Most of us aren't media personalities and don't have the experience, time, and financial means to proclaim injustices, but that does not mean we do not care. I do what I can with the means I have.
I assure you that I was not riled up in the least. I just called it the way I saw it, which is what I always do, sometimes with an truly appalling lack of diplomacy.
The emoticon ":-)" was not especially conspicuous. One last comment...silence among the mass of people who have no platform and no media visibility can not be equated to silence by these great pontificators on political and moral virtue. I happen to have an antipathy for Naomi Wolf based on her hateful writings, so I couldn't resist bringing her up (again). Once again, no offense was intended.
none taken, but I do think that some jokes go down better than others, in particular those which are made on the same subject as one previously seriously discussed.
Dear VS, I am glad you publish stories that need attention and that remain untold elsewhere (for whatever reason) (except for on Democracy Now!).
A.
Dear A:
The credit really goes to Amy Goodman. All I did is take her story and add a reminder about Al-Arian. But thank you for your encouragement. I try to look at current events from a different prospective and to say the simple truth the best I can ascertain it.
Have a super-wonderful day!
Has anyone heard Naomi Wolf ever say anything about the Israel Lobby? She has dwelt at length on the military-industrial complex or "armaments industry", but not one word about the Lobby.
希望大家都會非常非常幸福~
「朵朵小語‧優美的眷戀在這個世界上，最重要的一件事，就是好好愛自己。好好愛自己，你的眼睛才能看見天空的美麗，耳朵才能聽見山水的清音。好好愛自己，你才能體會所有美好的東西，所有的文字與音符才能像清泉一樣注入你的心靈。好好愛自己，你才有愛人的能力，也才有讓別人愛上你的魅力。而愛自己的第一步，就是切斷讓自己覺得黏膩的過去，以無沾無滯的輕快心情，大步走向前去。愛自己的第二步，則是隨時保持孩子般的好奇，願意接受未知的指引；也隨時可以拋卻不再需要的行囊，一路雲淡風輕。親愛的，你是天地之間獨一無二的旅人，在陽光與月光的交替之中瀟灑獨行.............................................................................................................有時，你覺得痛。胃痛的時候，接受它，承認這個疼痛是你的身體的一部份，與它和平共處。心痛的時候，接受它，承認這個經驗是你的生命的一部份，與它和平共處。抗拒痛的存在，只會讓它更要證明它的存在，於是你就更痛。所以，.無論你有多麼不喜歡痛的感覺，還是要接納這個痛的事實。與你的痛站在同一邊，不逃避，不閃躲，不再與你的痛爭執，如此，你的痛才會漸漸不再胡鬧，才會乖乖平息下去。.................心願-你許下了一個心願，你閉上眼睛，在冥想之中把這個心願交託宙給宇整個讓宇宙推動它全部的力.量去執行.，你看見星球與星球的引力牽繫著彼此，你聽見虛空與虛空.唱裡著和妙美的聲音，為了你的心願，整個宇宙正在相互傳遞，然後你放下了心願，不僅是放下，最好你還把你的心願忘記，唯有如此，它才能脫離你，發展它自己，
當它在宇宙的遊歷結束之後，它自然會來到你身邊，以你曾經希望的方式回應你，許下，只是讓它發生，放下，才是讓>它實現，你的心願使你懂得不能執著的奧秘...................
Post a Comment