Gitmo « Penjihad's Blog

US: Killing Muslims is easier…

“U.S. approves killing of American cleric” scream today’s headlines and the unthinking American PATRIOTS nod with satisfaction while those who would question the wisdom of such irrevocable action dared not speak for fear of labeled “terrorist sympathizers” and “traitors”.

Yep, its entirely an “us-or-them” world that we have been shoved into, ever since King George the Worst proclaimed, “You are with us or against us”.

Hail Caesar, Hail Rome!

The US and the West keep telling us that this is NOT a “War!” between Islam and Christianity and it is NOT a “War!” between two civilizations. On the other hand, our dedicated enemies…those in the Christian right wing Churches and the MANY Blind Supporters of Israel keep informing everybody that indeed this IS a “War!” between the Judeo-Christian Civilization against Islam.

Based on evidence, we have to accept that our enemies are correct; the Judeo-Christian West is out to get us Muslims.

The most basic question I have is, would the US do to anyone else, what it has done and continues to do, to Muslims? Read more »

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April 8, 2010 Posted by penjihad | Uncategorized | 9-11, Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda, America, Anwar Al-Awlaki, bigotry, Civil Rights, Drones, FBI, Foreign Policy, Genocide, Gitmo, Guantanamo, Hate, Homeland Security, Islam, Islamophobia, law enforcement, Maj Nidal Hassan, Middle East, Muslim, Pakistan, Profiling, religion, Taliban, Terror, Terrorism, US Foreign Policy | Leave a Comment

Gitmo: What Promise?

Like thousands of previous promises, the promise to shut down Guantanamo Bay prison, has now become a broken promise; with Obama in office, we can’t even repeat the old saying: “Pale face speaks with forked tongue“.

The promise was to shut down Gitmo with one year…exactly one year ago, it was not just a “liberal” promise (for those who use ‘liberal’ as an epithet), it was something that began under King George the Worst. Read more »

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January 22, 2010 Posted by penjihad | Uncategorized | 9-11, Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda, America, CIA, Civil Rights, Detainee, Ethiopia, FBI, Foreign Policy, Gitmo, Guantanamo, Hate, Homeland Security, Islam, Islamophobia, Muslim, religion, Satoshi Kanazawa, Suicide bombing, Taliban, Terror, Torture, Waterboarding | Leave a Comment

Captain Mohammed Dreyfus

(First published March 29, 2004) In 1893 Alfred Dreyfus, a captain of the French Army, was accused and tried for treason. In spite of evidence to the contrary, he was convicted and sent to prison in Devil’s Island for the rest of his life. The Dreyfus’ case unleashed a storm of anti-Semitism all over France (he was a Jew) and it was only through mighty efforts of people of good will all over France that he was finally exonerated of all charges in 1906 and then too, only after a change of government. He was re-instated in the army with the rank of Major and fought gallantly in WWI as Lieutenant Colonel.

In 2003 Captain James Yee, a Muslim Chaplain at Guantanamo Bay, was placed in solitary confinement, in shackles for most of 76 days in a military brig where he was not even told what time of day or night it was so he could pray. No one was told where he was or what the charges were against him and the word “espionage” was widely used by various spokes people; his military lawyers were told to prepare for a death-penalty defense. Read more »

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December 31, 2009 Posted by penjihad | At Home in the US, FBI, Hate, Homeland Security, Islam, Islamophobia, Muslims, Terrorism, Torture, US Foreign Policy | Al-Qaeda, America, bigotry, Captain Yee, Civil Rights, FBI, Foreign Policy, Gitmo, Guantanamo, Hate, Homeland Security, Islam, Islamophobia, Military Justice, Muslim, Profiling, Terrorism, US, US Army | Leave a Comment

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About

Blogger Jafar ”Jeff” Siddiqui is an American Muslim living in WA.. USA.

He grew up in the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (North-West Frontier) Province and has maintained close contacts in Pakistan.

He is a member of American Muslims of Puget Sound and is a human rights activist. He is involved with movements for inter-faith understanding. He has contributed articles for a textbook on terrorism, used by US law-enforcement agencies. He has also presented discussions and written article, on the Indo-Pakistan hostilities and their impact on Afghanistan.; he writes articles and gives lectures on Civil Rights, American Foreign Policy, on Islam, on current affairs including events in the Middle East, South and Central Asia. His works have been published in various print media. He also gives commentaries on radio and TV on these subjects.

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Dare I say “Jihad”?

Occasionally, I use the term “Jihad” in my articles, as the action needed to help make changes to better the ills of society. I often get feedback in which people worry more about my use of the word “Jihad”, than they do about the injustice about which I wrote; some wonder why I would use such a charged word among non-Muslims.

I intentionally use “Jihad”, because I want to jolt Muslims AND non-Muslims; “Jihad” cannot and must not become de-legitimized just because some people do not care to understand the true meaning of a sacred term and decide to associate it with terrible things.

“Jihad” springs from the Arabic “Jhd” which means “struggle”; “Jihad” means the act of struggle, “Mujahid” (Plural, Mujahideen) is someone who is doing “Jihad”.

At the core (the highest level), it is the duty of every Muslim to struggle against the basic negative predispositions we all have as humans…greed, envy, jealousy, rage, deceit, theft, murder etc.

At the next level, it is the duty of every Muslim to fight against the ills that beset Mankind…hunger, disease, homelessness, illiteracy, injustice, lack of water, pollution etc.,

At the least important level, Muslims are required to fight those who attack us AFTER we have exhausted all other efforts towards peaceful resolution. Even then, if peace is at hand, even at mid-battle, one has to stop and accept terms that are just and preserve the dignity of all parties.

I would imagine these are things that every person needs to subscribe to, not just Muslims.

Yet, there is a growing body of opinion in the non-Muslim West, that “Jihad” can ONLY be equated with murder and mayhem and thus, anyone using the word, can be presumed to be associated with supporting murder and mayhem.

I would suggest that supporters of the body of opinion that would like to taint “Jihad”, are people who consider themselves at “War!” with Islam, Muslims and Arabs. They may be a growing number of people, but they are wrong and it would be wrong for Muslims to lend credence to this opinion by shying away from “Jihad” in word, or in action.

Not so long ago, the Jewish organization ADL, launched an attack on some Muslim groups because the Muslims were wearing the Muslim Affirmation… “Shehada” (“There is no God but one God, and Mohammed is His prophet”) on their headbands and the ADL said that the Shehada stood for terrorism.

There are a growing number of bigots who state that Islam’s holy book, the Quran, is a symbol of evil and violence.

What should Muslims do? Abandon the Shehada and the Quran?

Some may say that we should just not use the Shehada on headbands, why not? Either the Affirmation (Shahada) is sacred or it is not; if it is sacred, then wherever it is used, as long as the use is not profane, is also sacred. If the Shehada is used in a profane manner, then the reflection is not upon the Shehada, but on the abuser.

Hitler took the Swastika as his symbol and today, it strikes fear and revulsion in the hearts of many, especially Jews. However, the Swastika is thousands of years old and among Hindus, the “Savas Tika” (“Peace sign”) is a holy symbol, it is used to adorn temples and used by Hindus at almost every occasion…it can be clockwise or counter-clockwise.

Should the Hindus be asked to abandon the Savas tika as a symbol?

If we dared to make such an absurd demand, we would be laughed off the stage.

The Star of David strikes fear and revulsion among millions of Palestinian men, women and children; should the Jews be asked to abandon the Star of David as their symbol?

I am betting millions of Bosnian Muslims shudder a little when they see a Crucifix, or the Christian Orthodox cross, because of the genocide of Bosnian Muslims by the Serbs and the Croats in the name of Christianity in the 1990s; should those symbols be cast aside?

The principle of “use it or lose it” is quite valid here. If we retreat for any reason, we are acknowledging that our sacred and holy terms or symbols are sometimes themselves, evil. Once we give that ground, then we can no longer use our Savas Tikas, our Crucifixes or our terms…THEN, the bad guys have truly won.

I believe that as reasoned and rational people, we cannot allow ourselves to fall victim to populist bigotries. We must look at what the symbol actually stands for, rather than associate it with the negative events that were tied to it by evil people; we must be able to differentiate between Nazi Swastikas on one hand, and symbols and words that are sacred, on the other.

Jihad; it is a sacred duty for every Muslim, Christian, Jew, Hindu…for every human being of good will.

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Penjihad's Blog

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US: Killing Muslims is easier…

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Gitmo: What Promise?

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Captain Mohammed Dreyfus

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