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The Criminal Costs of Championing Charity

Discussing our expansive freedom of religion as Muslims in the west is like discussing the world’s current climate of global peace; at best it’s a hopeful illusion but more arguably, simply nonexistent.

Often our justification for shovelling out loads of tax dollars to a hostile and homicidal governments is the alleged freedom we are afforded to practice our religion unencumbered. This right to practice Islam, many would argue, forms the crux of why our continued presence as minorities does not necessitate migration to friendlier territories.

Mistakenly, many have reduced our religion to the practice of five pillars, and indeed still many have not. Truly, it is an uplifting sight to behold that the condition of most of our communities is not so limited. The inspiration to revive the remembrance of Quran and authentic practices fill the diverse Islamic spaces around us, and the pursuit of knowledge by a new generation yearning to complete themselves and contribute positively to their communities is no small sign.

In this pursuit of knowledge we discover that our religion is not a compartmentalized administration of ritual overtures- but a sacred frame of mind that challenges us to elevate the humanity in and around all of us.

Thus we understand being successful Muslims is dependent on matters usually easily discounted: seeking knowledge, feeding the poor, supporting the orphans, protecting the rights of women, educating everyone about this beautiful religion, being kind to the elderly and to children, speaking the truth, and so on. And, of course, this can be feasibly done in our current environment.

Except, these noble deeds are a dying tradition. Beloved brothers and sisters, once the shining leaders of our communities, are now branded as ‘terrorists’ and locked away for endeavouring towards precisely this; the practice of Islam.    Read the rest of this entry »

 
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Posted by on November 10, 2012 in Campaigns, News Items

 

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US Supreme Court Dismisses Muslim Charity Case

The case against the Holy Land Foundation charity and five of its members has been effectively sealed. Defense attorneys attempted to overturn the prison sentences for the charity workers by taking the case to the highest court in the U.S., but the appeal was declined late last month without explanation.

Please write to the five brave brothers of the Holy Land Five to encourage them in their pursuit for justice and to keep their spirits high:

Abdulrahman Odeh #26548-050
FCI Victorville Medium II
Federal Correctional Institution
PO Box 5300
Adelanto, CA 92301
USA
Ghassan Elashi #29687-177
USP Marion
U.S. Penitentiary
PO Box 1000
Marion, IL 62959
USA
Mufid Abdulqader #32590-177
FCI Terre Haute
Federal Correctional Institution
PO Box 33
Terre Haute, IN 47808
USA
Mohammad Ahmad El-Mezain #92412-198
FCI Terre Haute
Federal Correctional Institution
PO Box 33
Terre Haute, IN 47808
USA
Shukri Abu-Baker #32589-177
USP Terre Haute
U.S. Penitentiary
PO Box 33
Terre Haute, IN 47808
USA
 
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Posted by on November 9, 2012 in Campaigns, News Items, Videos

 

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US & UK Mailing Lists Updated: Fraternal Sacrifices and Familiar Solitude

Yet another Eid has passed without hearing the sacred words of praise, feeling the customary hug from family members, or smelling the familiar foods. This month’s update brings its share of sorrow for many mothers.

We ask Allah to ease the hearts of the prisoners and their families and bestow on them His Mercy and to strengthen them with patience.

On November 1, 27 year old Rezwan Ferdaus, was sentenced to 17 years for two counts of terror-related charges in an entrapment case. He faced a possible 35 year sentence if he had opted to go to trial. Rezwan appreciated the support of family and friends, smiling as they shouted “We love you, Rezwan!” Tariq Mehanna’s parents were also present in a show of support. Rezwan’s mother, strong yet distraught, was visibly angered, “Investigate your government…They’ve been lying a lot,” she instructed the press.

Also on November 1, Shkumbin Sherifi and Nevine Elsheikh pleaded guilty to one count of murder for hire. They face a possible ten years and $250,000 fine when sentenced in February 2013. Without this plea, they faced near life sentences but are now government witnesses in Skumbin’s brother’s, Hysen Sherifi‘s, upcoming trial, set to start on Monday. Hysen, sentenced to 46 years for terror-related charges earlier this year, now faces a life sentence. Weighing the astronomical odds of fighting another entrapment case, the Sherifi family elected to have at least one son possibly return to see his dying father and live some semblance of a normal life.

The recent forced pleas remind us of the true nature of “terror” prosecutions; that in no way do they attempt to uncover truth or relegate justice. Despite destroying lives, families and communities, convictions and pleas are meaningless with respect to establishing guilt, which is why supporting our incarcerated brothers and sisters is a moral obligation, especially when they may be innocent in more ways than one.

It has been one month since the extradition of five British Muslims to the US, and families have not received any verbal or written communication from their loved ones. It is presumed that Adel Abdel Bary, Babar Ahmad, Khalid al-Fawwaz, Mustafa Mustafa, and Syed Talha Ahsan are being held incommunicado, sending a loud message to the international community of what American justice sounds like; oppressively silent.

Ahmed Ajaj, Adham Hassoun, and Randall Royer (currently in transit), who were removed from ADX Florence last month, have all been returned to the supermax prison. Abdulwali Muse (the Smiling Somali) is back in Terre Haute, and those who sent cards or letters to Adnan Mirza or Gregory Vernon Patterson last month may want to consider resending as they may have been in transit and have possibly not received mail.

The Supreme Court rejected the final appeal of the Holy Land Foundation Charity, a dismal but not unexpected decision for Shukri Abu Baker, Ghassan Elashi, Mohammad el-Mezain, Mufid Abdulqader, and Abdulrahman Odeh, serving a cumulative 180 year sentence for sending aid to Palestine.

There is a possibility that Wadih elHage (not listed) may have his life sentence commuted after lawyers present evidence from Fazul Abdullah Mohammed’s autobiography.

In the UK, Irfan Nasser, Irfan Khalid and Ashik Ali are undergoing trial for an alleged bomb plot for which they had been under surveillance since 2010.

It is feared that Mahdi Hashi is the latest victim of torture and detention by proxy or rendition after the Home Office mysteriously revoked his British citizenship following his refusal to become a government informant. Friends and family are demanding answers to his disappearance and evidence for the claims of “extremism” made by Home Office.

Courts in Canada have given the green light for the extradition of Sayfildin Tahir Sharif, an Iraqi born Canadian, to the US allegedly for connections to suicide bombings in Iraq.

As always, remember them and their families in your duas, and be sure to let us know of any returned mail, incorrect addresses, missing prisoners, or updates you would like to share.

 
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Posted by on November 3, 2012 in News Items

 

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Shukri Abu Baker: October 30, 2012 (Nothing Can Make Me Lose Faith)

Friends, Salaam,

No one on Earth, and absolutely nothing can make me lose faith in God. The Supreme Court’s decision to deprive us of a fair hearing speaks volumes about the nature of our case. Rightfully so, the Court involves itself only in matters of law, not politics; therefore, I’m not disappointed.

My friends and I, in the HLF5, stand to be the only men on earth that are serving hard time for providing charitable and life-saving aid to the Palestinian population in occupied West Bank and elsewhere. We would have been hailed as American heroes had our effort gone to save the lives of stray dogs and starved cats. Apparently, some believe that the Palestinians have not yet earned the credential needed to elevate themselves to the status of abandoned animals to be worthy of being saved, loved and served.

Today, I spoke with my wife and daughters, and everyone assured me that their faith in Allah and in His promise of relief was not shaken; to the contrary, it was galvanized. And today, I stand stronger than I had ever been. I feel the pulse of my community, friends, and supporters worldwide, and I am able to comfort myself with their outpouring love. So does my family. This is why I’m saying from the deep of my heart, “Thank you.

This is not the end of our journey, though. We will press on. We will keep the torch alight. And we will prevail by the Grace, the Power and the Might of Allah.

I love you all. Cheer up. Roll up your sleeves and keep striving for JUSTICE.

-Shukri Abu Baker

Shukri Abu-Baker #32589-177
USP Terre Haute
U.S. Penitentiary
PO Box 33
Terre Haute, IN 47808
USA
 
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Posted by on October 30, 2012 in Letters from Shukri Abu-Baker, Risala

 

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‘Dear Mr. President’: An Open Letter from a Holy Land Five Daughter

An 11-year-old daughter of the Holy Land Five writes an open letter to President Obama—using YouTube.

 
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Posted by on October 9, 2012 in Collateral Damage

 

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Mufid Abdulqader: April 28, 2012 (Life in the CMU – Guilty Regardless)

In the CMU, there is a new brand of justice dispensed and it is called: ‘You are guilty as charged regardless of your innocence, or evidence, no matter what!!! We do not care about what anyone else thinks’.

This is the same type of justice of which we, “THE USA”, accuse other countries of dispensing on their own people and keep track of their violations in our daily, weekly, monthly and yearly reports on human and civil rights abuses, and we sanction them until they prove that they are no longer practicing injustice and mistreating their own people.

At the CMU, this is how it starts: When an inmate violates any BOP rule, staff can issue an incident report against that inmate if they choose to do so. The incident report is usually given to the inmate within 24 hours of the incident. Usually a Lieutenant or other staff brings the incident report to the CMU unit and gives it to the inmate. The incident report includes the inmate’s name, number and description of the violation as well as the code associated with the violation and the name of the staff who issued the violation. Each violation code has specific punishments associated with it. The inmate does not have to defend himself at the time the incident report is given to him.

Normally a UDC (Unit Disciplinary Committee), made up of two staff, calls the inmate to a hearing and reads the violation and asks him for his defense. This usually takes place within three days after the violation is given to the inmate and if the violation is not serious. If the violation is serious, such as fighting with other inmates, then the inmates involved will be immediately taken to the SHU (Special Housing Unit) where they are held in solitary confinement and placed under investigation. The investigation may take up to six months while the inmates are held in the SHU. I will address the issue of the SHU and the DHO (Disciplinary Hearing Officer) hearing in another e-mail. Let’s go back to the UDC hearing:      Read the rest of this entry »

 
 

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Mufid Abdulqader: February 18,2012 (Arrival at the CMU: Control Muslim Unit)

This is the fifth and the last e-mail for my trip from Seagoville Texas to USP Marion: The Air Marshall (AM) called the two of us (me and Ghassan) and told us to change our seats and move forward. They wanted us to be closer to the front of the plane so we can leave the plane faster. The plane’s next destination was the State of Ohio. I am not sure where in Ohio.

So far, it has been over six hours of tight handcuffing of the hands, chaining of the legs and ankles and the Black box that caused extreme pain and made it tremendously uncomfortable and unbearable. No matter how much I tried to move my hands to get comfortable, I found no comfort, only pain!!!. I saw the color of my wrist and it was very red and noticed a dent in my skin caused by the handcuffs. I felt the pain and kept on making duaa for this journey to end soon. I tried to occupy my mind by reminding myself that no matter how long this will last, it will end at some time. Anything has an end no matter how bad or painful it is. Also I remembered our brothers and sisters in Palestine and thorough out the world who wake up day in and day out being dragged to be tortured.

One of the most famous torture techniques used is the” ghost” where the persons’ hands are tied together behind him and then he is hanged from the ceiling for hours and days until he faints while a bag soaked in urine covers his head and tied around the neck. The pain in this position is unimaginable. So many Palestinians who get arrested in Palestine gets the special treatment of the “Ghost Torture”.
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Posted by on April 11, 2012 in Letters from Mufid Abdulqader, Risala

 

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Mufid Abdulqader: February 17, 2012 (In Plane Pain)

Now we are in Oklahoma City Detention Center recreation cage in the SHU on the seventh floor when the brother in the next cage greeted me and the first words that came out of his mouth were ‘Assalamu Alaikhum’. I have heard this beautiful Islamic Salutation/greeting in prison may be more than I have heard it in my entire lifetime. Every time you see a brother you say it or he says it. It is the message of peace and a sign of love: ‘Assalamu Alaikhum’. If you were sitting with a non Muslim and a Muslim brother stops by, he will say Asslamu Alaikhum to the brother and he will say hello/hi to the non-Muslim.

Even if you have just finished talking to one brother or have seen him just five minutes ago, you will say it again. It is so beautiful when you hear it so often. The brothers here make a point of saying it over and over because they are PROUD to say it. It is an identity symbol that says hey ‘I am a Muslim’ and that is a source of pride. They are not shy about saying it to their brothers. Even non-Muslims use it a lot when greeting Muslims. It is just an awesome feeling of brotherhood because it says: ‘from me to you, you will have nothing coming but peace and love’.

Today, I was sitting with a Muslim brother and another person who was non-Muslim sitting at a table discussing a Marketing class, a Muslim brother stopped by and said to me and the other Mulsim: ‘Assalamu Alaikhum my dear beloved two brothers’ and then turned to the other person and said: Hello and mentioned his name. In the free world, even some Muslims are embarrassed to use it at work or even in the presence of non-Muslims. Not here, the wearing of the cofi (the cofi is a netted cap that fits the head and is recognized as a Muslim symbol) is very normal and you see Muslims wearing it here all the time. No one comes to Friday prayer (Jumaa) without his cofi. In the free world Muslims put it on only after they enter the Masjed.
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Mufid Abdulqader: February 15, 2012 (At the ‘Hub’: Oklahoma City Detention Center)

Now we were in Oklahoma City Detention Center and the bus just arrived and one of the guards pointed his finger at the four of us and said: ‘You, you, you, and you get up now,’ and asked the rest of the inmates to remain seated.

We were taken first into the building and they put us in a room (15 ft x15 ft) by ourselves. The room had big windows with bars so you can see what is happening outside the room. We saw as the rest of the inmates were taken to other rooms. Some of the inmates were placed in individual cages just like monkeys. I could see about six or seven cages adjacent to each other across the hall from our room. We thought that they will come to take us soon but it took them over three hours to come back.

The room had benches all around it and also had a toilet and a sink that is attached to it. The benches were one foot wide which is not enough to sleep [on]. The walls were completely covered with aluminium sheets panels so no one can write or scratch them. We talked for a while and then we prayed Thuhor and Asr prayer combined. I started singing all the songs I remembered and everyone including El-Mezain joined in dancing the Palestinian Dabkha.
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Shukri Abu-Baker: Oil Pastel ‘Freedom’ from Prison

 

Shukri Abu-Baker #32589-177
 FCI Terre Haute
 Federal Correctional Institution
 PO Box 33
 Terre Haute, IN 47808
 USA
 
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Posted by on April 8, 2012 in Sketches

 

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