What does the killing of Osama bin Laden mean to the issue of al-Qaeda and Islamic fundamentalism?
While the American government and its people celebrate the killing of Osama bin Laden, rest assured that al-Qaeda and fundamental Islamic movements will not now dissolve and disappear. The primary reason is that the United States continues to operate as the imperial purveyor and harbinger of state terror against Muslim countries. Many Americans forget the original demands of al-Qaeda, as presented by its second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, many of which are not outside the rational demands of people wanting to live free of imperialist influence and domination:
- The US pull its troops out of all Muslim lands.
- Stop all US financial intervention in Muslim countries. Stop funding dictatorships.
- End US aid to Israel.
We do not condone suicide bombings, especially in the name of Islam. We do not condone the indiscriminate killing of unarmed women and children. We do not condone political and ideological wars which are carried out at the expense of the people. Whether carried out by “terrorists” or by state governments, we stand by these principles.
And in making these statements, we remember that the US and his allies are responsible for scores more deaths than any “Muslim extremist.” The civilian death count for Iraq and Afghanistan alone since the beginning of the war on terror is well over a million. This does not include civilian deaths in Pakistan, Palestine, or Libya. It does not include the wounded, the orphaned, or the refugees. The number of innocent civilians killed, wounded, and displaced since the beginning of US intervention only since 9/11 is so high that the majority of Americans have seemed entirely unable to understand it.
So, those who argue that the death of bin Laden means averting future attacks and saving innocent lives are misguided. For, it is us who are most responsible for gross civilian death tolls. And by taking illegal international action against bin Laden, we have only given al-Qaeda and its allies ideological, emotional, and political munitions. More grotesquely, it still refuses to recognize the universal right to sovereignty.
The war against terrorism is not being fought for the sake of justice. It is in fact a US war whose intention is to continue to exploit the natural resources of Islamic countries with complete impunity from their necessarily disenfranchised inhabitants, and maintain military, economic, and political domination in the Middle East. It is not a war on Osama bin Laden. It is a war on what he stands for.
The death of Osama bin Laden does not end the widespread opposition to US exploitation and/or occupation of Muslim lands and their natural resources. It will not stop US aerial bombing of innocent men, women, and children, or the hypocritical (and often deadly) foreign policy toward Muslim countries. Thus, the killing of Osama bin Laden or any other Muslim jihadist is merely a symbolic accomplishment. It will result in very little military change in the so-called war against terrorism for as long as the US seeks to influence and control the natural resources and territorial sovereignty of Islamic countries. Therefore, the question for the US government and American people is how long they will continue to seek the exploitation of the natural resources of other peoples’ lands, and military and political domination of sovereign nations?
The fighters are still there. The weapons are still there. And the structure of resistance is not radically altered. What has changed since the assassination of bin Laden is that the ideological and political grievances and demands of al-Qaeda have been legitimated by the US itself. We alone have provided proof of the reasons behind the resistance. Americans who believe this war is not about oil, protecting and defending Zionism and US hegemony are as deluded as those who flew planes into the World Trade Centers.
Anthony Bottom #77A4283
Attica Correctional Facility
P.O. Box 149
Attica, NY
14011-0149
Tags: War on Terror, 9/11, Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, War on Islam, Anthony Bottom, Jalil Abdul Muntaqim, Jalil Muntaqim
Last June, while Yonas Fikre was visiting the United Arab Emirates, the Muslim and United States Citizen from Portland, Oregon was suddenly arrested and detained by Emirati security forces. For the next three months, Fikre claims, he was repeatedly interrogated and tortured. Fikre says he was beaten on the soles of his feet, kicked and punched, and held in stress positions while interrogators demanded he “cooperate” and barked questions that were eerily similar to those posed to him not long before by FBI agents and other American officials who had requested a meeting with him.
Fikre had been visiting family in Khartoum, Sudan, when, in April 2010, the officials got in touch with him. He agreed to meet with them, but ultimately balked at cooperating with FBI questioning without a lawyer present and he rebuffed a request to become an informant. Pressing him to cooperate, the agents told him he was on the no-fly list and could not return home unless he aided the bureau, Fikre says. The following week he received an email from one of the US officials; it arrived from a State Department address:
“Thanks for meeting with us last week in Sudan. While we hope to get your side of the issues we keep hearing about, the choice is yours to make. The time to help yourself is now.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Al-Qaeda, Amir Meshal, FBI coercion, FBI misconduct, Gulet Mohamed, http://motherjones.com, Masjed-as-Saber, Mohamed Osman Mohamud, Naji Hamdan, Nick Baumann, percussive torture, Portland Seven, proxy detention, proxy interrogation, rendition, Sharif Mobley, stress positions, torture, UAE, United Arab Emirates, Yahya Wehelie, Younas Fikre, Yusuf Wehelie
A German court has convicted Hussam S., whose full name remained undisclosed in compliance with German privacy laws, of publicly supporting al-Qaida through his online postings of videos and other electronic media.
The Koblenz state court found Hussam, a 26-year-old Palestinian who immigrated to Germany in 1990, guilty on Thursday of two counts of supporting a terrorist organization. The court asserted that his reposting of seven videos by several Islamic groups and posting of 78 online messages in praise of al-Qaida, other Islamic groups, and the Islamic obligation of jihad was an encouragement to others to join said organisations and partake in their associated actions.
He was sentenced to the maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Tags: Al-Qaeda, Germany, Hussam, Material support, Palestinian, videos
A German-Afghan man whose information prompted terrorism warnings across Europe in 2010 told a court Tuesday he traveled to the Afghan border region with the intention of fighting there, not of returning home to carry out attacks.
Ahmad Wali Siddiqui told the Koblenz state court in the second day of his trial that he and a group of others bought iPhones, Sony laptops and other electronics on credit in Germany, then sold them on eBay to fund their 2009 trip to Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“We wanted to fly there to live life according to (Islam’s) Sharia law and fight jihad,” he said, using the Arabic word for holy war. “We didn’t want to ever return.”
The 37-year-old faces a possible 10-year sentence, if convicted of membership in a terrorist organization.
No pleas are entered in the German legal system, and the first two days of his trial have been one long statement by Siddiqui about how he ended up in the border region at a training camp of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and later al-Qaida.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Afghanistan, Ahmad Wali Siddiqui, Al-Qaeda, Angelika Blettner, Germany, IMU, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Said Bahaji, Uzbekistan
The following testimony, entitled “Victims of the American Inquisition” written by Zachary Chesser, is a microcosmic documentation of America’s naked and larger aggression against the religion of Islam in what Chesser terms the ‘American Inquisition.’ Since the intensification of this most recent inquisition, the global Muslim community has suffered a ruthless assault on legal rights and basic humanity, which in various arenas have been superficially designated as everything from geopolitical interests to heretical rhetoric. What Chesser exposes through details regarding his case and subsequent incarceration, is a pattern of federally sanctioned religious persecution and corrosive civil rights violations reflective of American foreign policy, shockingly common in so-called terrorism cases. He recounts how his religious beliefs designated him as a target for government surveillance, how this surveillance in turn became a means of distortion and manipulation, culminating in his incarceration and the deliberate alienation of his family, particularly the religiously charged, custodial kidnapping of his son.
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En el nombre de Alá, el Compasivo, el Misericordioso:
Mi nombre es Abu Talha al-Zacarías Amriiki (legalmente “Zachary Adám Chesser “), y lo que sigue no es para tomarse a la ligera. Si se va a saber cuánto estas palabras pueden afectar a mí ya mi familia, entonces la gravedad de este mensaje no se puede escapar. Estoy escribiendo esto con el fin de que nadie debe caer en las mismas trampas y errores como yo, para establecer la prueba para los que dudan, y para rectificar los errores determinados. Tal vez mi ignorancia de la naturaleza de mi situación era una excusa para mí, pero si no, entonces le pido a Dios que me perdone. Sin embargo, después de mí, no creo que nadie va a tener una excusa en estos asuntos si estos eventos se manifiestan a ellos.
Esta es mi historia, y dentro de ella son fragmentos de las historias de muchos otros. Es sólo una relación de lo que yo sé que es verdad a lo mejor de mi capacidad, y estoy seguro de que lo que permanece oculto para mí es mucho peor que la que se hizo claro para mí, pero lo que sí está claro es suficiente para un persona de comprensión. Por lo tanto, que estas páginas se registran en los anales de la historia en los capítulos reservados a la Inquisición estadounidense.
En cuanto a lo que sigue … Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 1st Amendment, Abu Talhah, Abu Talhah al-Amriiki, Abu Talhah Zakariyya al-Amriiki, Al-Qaeda, al-Sahbab, al-Shabaab, American Inquisition, Ansar Forum, Asad Allah, Asadullah al-Shishaani, Babara Chesser, CMU, Emerson Begolly, FBI, FBI entrapment, FBI setup, First Amendment, First Stop Addis, FISA, Gordon Kromberg, Gulet Muhamed, Jesse Curtis Morton, Jordan, Kenya, Marion, Material support, Paula Menges, Ramy Zamzam, Reed Stanely Berry, Revolution Muslim, RevolutionMuslim, shady informants, Shaker Masri, Shakir Masri, SHU, Somalia, Talhah Chesser, Talhah Ibn Zakiriya Chesser, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Uganda, War on Family, War on Freedom, War on Islam, Younes Abdullah Muhammad, Zachary Adam Chesser
The following testimony, entitled “Victims of the American Inquisition” written by Zachary Chesser, is a microcosmic documentation of America’s naked and larger aggression against the religion of Islam in what Chesser terms the ‘American Inquisition.’ Since the intensification of this most recent inquisition, the global Muslim community has suffered a ruthless assault on legal rights and basic humanity, which in various arenas have been superficially designated as everything from geopolitical interests to heretical rhetoric. What Chesser exposes through details regarding his case and subsequent incarceration, is a pattern of federally sanctioned religious persecution and corrosive civil rights violations reflective of American foreign policy, shockingly common in so-called terrorism cases. He recounts how his religious beliefs designated him as a target for government surveillance, how this surveillance in turn became a means of distortion and manipulation, culminating in his incarceration and the deliberate alienation of his family, particularly the religiously charged, custodial kidnapping of his son.
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In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful:
My name is Abu Talhah Zakariyya al-Amriiki (legally “Zachary Adam Chesser”), and what follows is not to be taken lightly. If you were to know how much these words can affect me and my family, then the gravity of this message would not escape you. I am writing this in order that nobody should fall into the same traps and mistakes as I did, to establish proof for those who doubt, and to rectify certain wrongs. Perhaps my ignorance of the nature of my situation was an excuse for me, but if not, then I ask Allah to forgive me. However, after me, I do not think that anyone will have an excuse in these matters if these events are manifested unto them.
This is my story, and within it are pieces of the stories of many others. It is only a relation of what I know to be true to the best of my ability, and I am sure that what remains hidden from me is far worse than that which was made clear to me, but that which is clear is enough for a person of understanding. Therefore, let these pages be recorded in the annals of history under the chapters reserved for the American Inquisition.
As for what follows… Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 1st Amendment, Abu Talhah, Abu Talhah al-Amriiki, Abu Talhah Zakariyya al-Amriiki, Al-Qaeda, al-Sahbab, al-Shabaab, American Inquisition, Ansar Forum, Asad Allah, Asadullah al-Shishaani, Babara Chesser, CMU, Emerson Begolly, FBI, FBI entrapment, FBI setup, First Amendment, First Stop Addis, FISA, Gordon Kromberg, Gulet Muhamed, Jesse Curtis Morton, Jordan, Kenya, Marion, Material support, Paula Menges, Ramy Zamzam, Reed Stanely Berry, Revolution Muslim, RevolutionMuslim, shady informants, Shaker Masri, Shakir Masri, SHU, Somalia, Talhah Chesser, Talhah Ibn Zakiriya Chesser, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Uganda, War on Family, War on Freedom, War on Islam, Younes Abdullah Muhammad, Zachary Adam Chesser
November 14h Update, Trial Day 14.
Trial Day 14 (11/14/2011); Trial Notes on the direct examination of Hassan Masood, the second of a series of cooperating witnesses testifying against Tarek Mehanna on behalf of the federal government.
Pre-Jury Deliberations
Day 14 (11/14/2011) kicked off with Carney making an objection before the jury even entered the room, relating to the prosecution’s intention to play a video of the beheading of Daniel Pearl during their direct examination of Detective Dearsley of the UK’s Metropolitan Police. As he submitted this appeal to Judge O’Toole, Mr. Carney gestured towards the audience seated across the bar and posed a rhetorical question:
“Your Honor, I wonder how many people on that side of the bar looked at the video the prosecution seeks to introduce. This was huge news at the time. Everybodywanted to see it, not only my client.”
The prosecution countered with the claim that the video was Al Qaeda propaganda, and as had become typical over the 3 weeks of trial elapsed thus far, Judge O’Toole ruled in the prosecution’s favor, describing the evidence as non-prejudicial and relevant. JC protested, with the following:
”The pile [of prejudicial evidence] is getting so high. I respectfully submit that at some point it just has to stop.”
Choosing not to respond to Mr. Carney’s appeals, O’Toole instead calls for the jury to enter the room.
Conclusion of UK Testimonies
[Jury enters; Detective Dearsley of the UK’s Metropolitan Police resumes the stand]
The prosecution proceeded first with a very brief (under 15 minutes) continuation of direct examination. During this short period, the prosecution sought to air the video of Daniel Pearl’s beheading; to the great surprise of Tarek Mehanna’s supporters, Judge O’Toole barred them from playing the video, instead instructing the prosecution to address the subject matter verbally.
Unable to air the video and finding verbal description an inadequate substitute, the prosecution rapidly gave the floor to the defense. Those in attendance were again surprised, this time when defense attorney Sejal Patel declined to cross-examine, providing no explanation for the decision. With no delay, Judge O’Toole instructed the prosecution to call the next witness: Hassan Masood (“HM”), second in a series of cooperating witnesses subpoenaed by the government to testify against their longtime friend, Tarek Mehanna. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Al-Qaeda, At-Tibyan Publications, FreeTarek.wordpress.com., Jeffery Auerhahn, Metropolitan Police Service, Milton J. Valencia, pretrial detention, Richard Dearsley, Tarek Mehanna, Tariq Mehanna, Trial
November10th Update, Trial Day 13.
Today was a rather short, uneventful day in court. There were no court matters to handle before the jury entered the room and the continuation of Jeffery Auerhahn’s direct examination of Richard Dearsley, of the Metropolitan Police Service in London, began promptly. Mr. Auerhahn and Mr. Dearsley went back and forth reading chats and private messages between several individuals, some including Tarek. They referenced files and websites found on the computer of a UK resident, Mr. Tsouli, who was arrested on terrorism charges. Mr. Dearsley identified the online names of a few individuals, including Mr. Tsouli, related to the UK case. According to some of the private messages presented, a couple individuals inquired as to whether or not Tarek could translate specific pieces. There was no evidence put forth that Tarek translated said pieces or that he even responded to the messages. Much of the material appears to revolve around the Tibyan Publications forum, and the government’s insinuation is that Tarek is guilty by association. Court ended abruptly after about an hour when Judge O’Toole announced that, due to “logistical” reasons, no more could be done today.
We must admit, the information was presented in a very confusing manner as the prosecution seemed to rush through the material with little to no explanation. While frustrating, the careless fabrication of this case and the fumbling presentation by the prosecution is not surprising. In fact, it is expected. The weakness of their case against Tarek and the fact that they never expected it to go to trial, as they were so certain Tarek would have taken a plea deal, is becoming more and more evident. The prosecution is now being forced to scramble to throw together a “case” to be presented to the court, the jury, and the public. We hope, and expect, that the truth will be seen by all, insha’Allah.
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However the prosecution has presented no evidence that Mehanna ever translated the books or redistributed the video or that he even responded to the requests.
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His defense lawyers have said he did not, and they argued that he could not be held accountable for something randomly sent to him or for associating with people on a Web forum. The lawyers have also pointed out that he was ultimately kicked off at least one forum because his views were seen as too moderate.
But prosecutors used the testimony yesterday in hope of showing that Mehanna had earned a reputation for helping to promote al-Qaeda’s message, so that he was contacted by Islamic extremists with ties to the terrorist organization’s media wing.
For up to the moment information regarding on-the-ground developments in Tarek’s trial, follow us on twitter or visit our newly launched update blog: FreeTarek.wordpress.com.
Tags: Al-Qaeda, At-Tibyan Publications, FreeTarek.wordpress.com., Jeffery Auerhahn, Metropolitan Police Service, Milton J. Valencia, pretrial detention, Richard Dearsley, Tarek Mehanna, Tariq Mehanna, Trial
November 3rd Update, Trial Day 8.
Day eight of Tarek’s trial was dedicated to the prosecution’s examination of the first cooperating witness to be called to the stand; Ali Aboubakr, an individual with a twenty year history of friendship with Tarek and the Mehanna family testified today over a period of four hours of questioning by the prosecution’s Jeffrey Auerhahn, a federal prosecutor recently investigated following revelation of his coercion of a cooperating witness in another trial to give false testimony. The climate and themes relating to and arising from Aboubakr’s testimony were consistent with those that have characterized the FBI’s approach to the American Islamic community, and that of U.S. Attorneys over the past week of hearings in Mehanna’s trial.
It is implicitly understood within the local Islamic community that Aboubakr’s agreement to participate in the prosecution’s case was secured through coercive overtures by the FBI regarding chat logs between Aboubakr and Tarek that were covered today during the examination. These chat logs clearly reveal that an overwhelming proportion of what mainstream media have referred to as “repulsive speech” actually originated from Aboubakr himself.
Despite his willing responses to the government’s examination, Aboubakr’s body language betrayed how tense and nervous he really felt, with four hours hours of dry mouth demonstrated by his downing of one cup of water after another, his endless fidgeting, avoidance of eye contact with Tarek or any family members and other signs as well. It certainly added to his anxiety that the courtroom was filled to brim with those fully supporting Tarek. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Ahmed Abu-Samra, Al-Qaeda, Ali Aboubakr, At-Tibyan Publications, FBI, FBI informant, FBI misconduct, FBI setup, FISA, FreeTarek.wordpress.com., J.W. Carney Jr., Janice Bassil, shady informants, Tarek Mehanna, Tariq Mehanna, Trial, War on Islam, War on Terror
***We have been informed that cooperating witness testimony (from individuals in the Muslim community) could begin as early as tomorrow, if not on Thursday insha’Allah. These will be important days to attend!***
Court got underway promptly this morning with the cross-examination of Mr. Schwartz, an FBI agent at the Washington Field Office, who took the stand again today, as a continuation of his testimony from the day before. Despite the fact that Mr. Schwartz is in the CT-9 (Counter-terrorism/internet terrorism) Unit of the FBI, he was surprisingly unfamiliar with many forums that deal with Islamic issues, considering the FBI’s constant surveillance of all things Islam. He hadn’t heard of forums like Islamic Awakening, Islamic Network, and the forum of discussion, At-Tibyan Publications. Through Ms. Bassil’s questions it was revealed that in his twenty-four or so months working in the so-called “internet terrorism” Unit, Mr. Schwartz had only become aware of Tibyan this past August when he was assigned to this investigation to analyze a narrow scope of content in relation to Tarek. And he did just that – he only read the cherry-picked posts and messages given to him by the prosecution. He admitted that he didn’t read the messages before or after those in exhibit. He admitted that he didn’t spend time learning about the forum and didn’t know anything about the people on the forum.
Ms. Bassil moved on to asking about Mr. Schwartz’s knowledge about Islam, asking whether or not he received training about Islam and relevant words, phrases, and people. He answered yes to her questions, yet quickly proved that he knew very little. When asked about basic Islamic terms like “hadith” and “ummah” (the Muslim people) he stated that he didn’t know their meaning. One word he did recognize was “mujahideen,” or fighters. Interesting. One of Ms. Bassil’s final questions was perhaps most revealing: ‘Did you know that Tarek was banned from Tibyan?’ Mr. Schwartz’s answer: No. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: 39 Ways to Support Jihad, Agent John Cauthen, Agent Schwartz, Agent Veera Boonyasait, Al-Qaeda, Aloke Chakravarty, At-Tibyan Publications, CT-9, FBI, FBI Counter-Terrorism Unit, FBI misconduct, FBI setup, Islamic Awakening, J.W. Carney Jr., Janice Bassil, John Cauthen, Sajel Patel, Tarek Mehanna, Tariq Mehanna, Trial, Veera Boonyasait
![Sanâbil: [ Faith | Finance | Family ] French Advocacy Association (French | English)](http://aseerun.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/sanabil.png?w=128&h=128 "Sanâbil: [ Faith | Finance | Family ] French Advocacy Association (French | English)")
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