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From the Mail Bag: Walking in Muslim shoes.
By Rob, Section Of Public Concern: Open Forum
Before criticizing your neighbor, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That sage advice stems from the Judeo-Christian wisdom of treating others as you wish to be treated. So, I am grappling with how it must feel for my dear friend Shakir Hamoodi and members of his family today when they were terrorized by secretive government agents. Shakir was in Michigan doing what he has done for several years, working on fund raising for Life for Relief and Development. It is a charitable organization set up to provide humanitarian relief for war victims and refugees. It is a Muslim charity and has raised over $50 million for Muslim victims of war so that widows and orphans among others, can have some relief. There are those in this country however that see all Muslim charities as fronts for terrorists. However, there is an important fact that you should know before allowing yourself to believe this charity is a front for terrorists. When the U.S. Army surrounded and then literally destroyed the city of Fallujah in Iraq, the Coalition Provisional government headed by Paul Bremer, contacted Life For Relief and Development and asked them to provide humanitarian assistance for survivors of Fallujah because the government trusted them. They have operated openly in the U.S. for years.
Having worked with Shakir Hamoodi at various interfaith events at the Newman Center Catholic church and the Mosque and numerous educational talks that he has participated in as a speaker and audience member, I find it difficult to believe that he wouldn't have allowed them to search his files because he has nothing to hide. If he did anything he'd be in jail tonight instead of the legal limbo that thousands of Muslims around the country have suddenly found themselves in. But just like the seizure of a different Muslim charity's assets two years ago in Columbia during Ramadan, no charges were filed and no arrests were made. Shakir points out that Life For Relief and Development is the last viable Muslim charity left in this country that has not been shut down. After seeing other charities shut down, for Shakir to continue to work to relieve the suffering of his fellow Iraqis shows how important he felt this work is; because he knows that all Muslim activities of this sort have been under the microscope of the feds. So another chill has been sent through the nations Muslim communities. Using secret
Gestapo tactics of sealed warrants and refusal of agents to give any relevant information seems designed to intimidate and it does. Muslim charitable donations have not been returned to those who gave alms two years ago and the case remains in limbo.
Shakir's wife came home this afternoon to find her home invaded and occupied by federal agents and local police. They know that their home is probably bugged and their phones and computers were under surveillance. Imagine what it's like for his family to wonder how they will be treated in school and in the community. Imagine living in your home knowing that those agents probably placed surveillance devices there. Columbia's Muslims have long voiced the suspicion that agents have infiltrated their mosque. If the government sent spies into Christian or Jewish churches and temples there would be great public moral outrage. But because Muslim are targets of the government, their allies are intimidated. The silence of those who rationalize and excuse these secret government tactics is a stark reminder of how it came to pass, that "good Germans" allowed officials of the government to persecute Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals and their political opponents. It is true; evil triumphs when good people do nothing. Shakir Hamoodi is my friend. He helped raise money for Jeff Stack and myself to travel to Iraq in 1997 to monitor the effects of U.S. led economic sanctions against Iraq when U.N. monitors were documenting massive cholera and dysentery outbreaks due to the destruction of Iraq's civilian infrastructure from U.S. bombs in the first Gulf War. Over 1.5 million Iraqi children died from malnutrition and infections that Iraqi doctors knew how to treat yet were prevented from doing so by denying them proper medicine and equipment. Shakir had come to this country to pursue a career as a nuclear physicist. But after the first Gulf war he knew he would not be allowed as an Iraqi to practice his chosen profession. So in order to provide for his children, all born in America, he abandoned his profession and became part owner and operator of a grocery store specializing in international foods. He has been sought out repeatedly religious leaders and academics to give insights and talks at Missouri's colleges and churches. He is the greatest ambassador for Islam that the city of Columbia has and he has always given his honest and open opinions which reflect a cultural sensitivity to non-Muslims that has not been extended in return to many Muslims in our town. He has been recognized for his work for peace by being awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Ambassador for Peace award by Columbia's MLK Association for qualities that exemplify a peacemaker. He is well loved by Columbia's secular and religious activists in Columbia's peace movement. But, If you walk in their shoes you will find that Muslims have had their children picked on in schools, stereotyped by small minds and vilified in the media. In fact, a local radio station Eagle 91 broadcasts the hate mongering of syndicated shock jock, Michael Savage who spews anti-Islamic comments about Muslims whom he calls sub- humans from "turd world nations" and calls for a random nuclear strike on a Muslim capitol in order to send the message that we mean business. Recently Shakir's home was sprayed painted with graffiti and one of his sons gave a license number of a suspect driver seen nearby to the police. Nothing was ever done about it. But despite all of Shakir's fine qualities, it would be dishonest to deny that there are well organized terrorists who are intimidating entire groups of people in Columbia. Unfortunately they are secretive federal agents and those they are terrorizing are Muslims. For those of us who remember the feds raid two years ago prior to a close election, it feels like another cynical ploy to energize those voters most likely to join in a mob mentality against Muslims. It has the smell of Karl Rove's dirty tricks all over it. And for the government to go after a decent man of God like Shakir Hamoodi seven weeks before a critical election, shows just how low your government has sunk in their craven attempts to remain in power. God help us all, Steve Jacobs
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