IT TAKES MORE THAN A PHOTO OP TO SHOW RESPECT FOR MUSLIMS

(Washington, DC, 12/14/2001)  The assets of a second American Muslim
charity, Global Relief Foundation, were frozen today.  The order against
Global Relief Foundation came on the same day that President Bush sent
holiday greetings to Muslims worldwide; a greeting that acknowledged the
important role that giving charity to help those in need plays in this
Muslim holiday season.

"This is a frontal assault on the American Muslim community," said
American Muslims for Jerusalem (AMJ) Executive Director Khalid Turaani.
"Muslims around the world are asked to believe that America is not at war
with Islam, yet the assets of two highly- respected American Muslim
charities have been frozen with no evidence produced.  The only crime of
the Holy Land Foundation and now Global Relief Foundation seems to be
easing the suffering of the impoverished peoples of the Muslim world," he
continued.

AMJ issued the following statement in response to the action taken against
Global Relief Foundation:

"Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine and elsewhere will suffer as a
direct result of this unfounded attack on American Muslim charities.
Those already facing dire circumstances will suffer even more, as money
donated to ease their suffering sits frozen.  This is money that American
Muslims from across the country donated in good faith and in fulfillment
of religious obligations.  Charitable giving is an important part of this
Muslim holiday season.  That the charitable gifts of American Muslims
would be frozen just days before the end of Ramadan and the Eid Al-Fitr
holiday is a callous affront to the community.

"President Bush has invited Muslim children to the White House on Monday
to celebrate Eid Al-Fitr.  Photo-ops with Muslim children in America will
not buy the US the goodwill of the Muslim peoples, when American actions
cause Muslim children overseas to go hungry.  The longer this attack on
American Muslim institutions continues, the more people in the Muslim
world will believe that the President did not misspeak when he used the
word "crusade."

"Inconsistent policies that target only members of one faith send an
ominous message to the American Muslim community.  Just three days ago two
members of the Jewish Defense League were arrested for plotting a bomb
attack against a member of the United States Congress, yet their assets
have not been frozen.  Their offices have not been closed.  Ariel Sharon's
war machine continues to rampage unimpeded throughout the Occupied
Territories, thanks to a green light from America.  Missiles rain from
American F-16 fighter jets and Apache helicopters.  American Caterpillar
bulldozers continue to demolish Palestinian homes.

"It will take more than an invitation to the White House and a Voice of
America broadcast to convince people in the Muslim world of the goodness
of America.  It will take policies that live up to the goodness that
America is supposed to be."

Headlines  |  Markazdawa.org

Usama bin Laden tape: ANOTHER FRAUDULENT TRANSLATION

NEW! Latest breaking...

Guys, we are Arabic translators and the words of OBL in the US Gov tape
and what is being written are not accurate. The use of "We asked" "We
expected" and "We calculated" are in fact not the words used as he
actually says "They asked" "They said" "They calculated".....these are the
words of a spectator not a MASTERMIND!!
and...

The Bin Ladin video tape finally released by the Pentagon turned out to
only prove four things:

1-That the audio quality of Bin Ladins voice was the worst of those
talking on the video (?)

2-The sound was so bad that the Arabic grammer could be heard either way
i.e. we did, we said, could also be heard as they did, they said etc.
Which mean the difference between a person being a spectator or a
mastermind.

3-Bin Ladin must be exceedingly stupid to admit in an open dinner party
(this while the US air force and special forces are carpet bombing the
entire country) and with kids and guests all over the place that he
planned and carried out the WTC attacks while previousely declaring to the
World he had nothing to do with it.

4-If he is that stupid then there is no way a person of that level of
intelligence could have pulled of the sophisticated operation Washington
claims he did from the caves of Afghanistan!

and...

1. Bin Laden mumbles. His voice is barely audible.

2. His alleged comments are taken out of context. Notice how lenghty
conversations are reduced to just a few sentences of translated script.

3. The translators were hired by the US government.

4. Even if the translations are generally accurate, Bin Laden's comments
can just as easily apply to someone who had no knowledge of the attacks as
they could to someone who plannned them.

5. Bin Laden is alleged to have said he learned that the attacks were
going to happen on the previous Thursday. How can someone who
"masterminded" 9-11 only have learned about them 5 days in advance?

6. Bin Laden is alleged to have talked about expecting the iron-ore to
melt. He must be quite a psychic because the actual designers of the WTC
didnt even expect a collapse to happen. When Bin Laden speaks about what
he "calculated" would happen, it could easily mean what he expected to
happen after hearing of the first strike.

7. CNN was interviewing an Arab professor shortly after it showed the
tape. The professor said that Bin Laden's voice was so inaudible that the
tape is not conclusive. CNN then stopped speaking to him and he was cut
off!

Headlines  |  Markazdawa.org

DEMAND IMMEDIATE FREEZE OF JEWISH DEFENSE LEAGUE ASSETS

For Immediate Release
14 December 2001

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition calls on its members
and all people of conscience to contact the US Justice Department
to demand a freeze of The Jewish Defense League's assets. The Chairman of
The Jewish Defense League Irvin David Rubin and co-conspirator Earl Leslie
Krugel were arrested Wednesday 13 December 2001 in Los Angeles in a foiled
alleged terrorist bombing plot that targeted Congressmen Darell Issa's
office in Los Angeles, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and the Islamic
Center of Southern California, a Mosque in Southern California.

Talking points:

1. Based on evidence provided by the FBI, The Jewish Defense League is a
national and international terrorism threat.

2. The Jewish Defense League's assets should be frozen immediately and their
offices throughout the United States and elsewhere should be
shut down.

3. The assets of all countries, organizations and businesses who have
supported and associated with The Jewish Defense League should similarly be
targeted.

4. Closing down the Jewish Defense League is essential for alleviating the
climate of fear and insecurity for all Americans regardless of ethnic or
religious background.

Address your correspondence to:

Attorney General, John Ashcroft,
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
EMAIL: AskDOJ@usdoj.gov
TEL: 202-514-2001 and 202-353-1555


Please cc your correspondence to Al-Awda-Alerts@mail.com


Al-Awda, Palestine Right to Return Coalition
P.O. Box 1172
Orange, CT 06477
Fax: (717) 832-1123
E-mail: prrc@mail.com
WWW: http://al-awda.org
Press Room: http://al-awda.org/pressroom.htm
 

Headlines  |  Markazdawa.org

Taliban guerrillas attack US convoy

http://www.megastories.com/attack/aip/01dec13/ausaf011213.shtml

Thursday 13 December 2001

QUETTA, Pakistan (AUSAF): Taliban guerrilla fighters attacked an American
military convoy in the desert in the Khanasheen district of southern
Helmund province, injuring an unidentified number of the US troops.

Reports reaching here said that five armoured personnel carriers were also
destroyed in an attack that took the American convoy by surprise. The
Taliban fighters disappeared in different directions after launching the
attack with rockets and mortars.

People arriving here from Chotoo and Barabacha areas have also confirmed
the attack. The American authorities are keeping the attack and the losses
on its side a secret. However, reports suggested that a number of American
troops injured in the attack have been brought to the Dalbaddin air base
in Pakistan, which is under the US control these days.

Headlines  |  Markazdawa.org

Demand that ValueWeb stops hosting Terrorist Sites

As-Salaamu Alaikum

ValueWeb (www.valueweb.com) is the hosting provider for the Jewish Defense
League, a known terrorist organization within the United States.  I have
written the following e-mail to them:

Dear ValueWeb,

It has come to my attention that you are hosting a terrorist site,
jdl.org.  This organization has already been implicated in a FBI Sting
operation (http://www.cnn.com/2001/LAW/12/12/jdl.arrests/index.html).  If
you do not immediately shut down this site, I will be compelled to share my
information with others regarding the kind of sites that you host.

-Rashid Abdullah

I was assigned the folloing:  Incident Added As 011213-0051


You can write as well by going to
http://support.valueweb.net/cgi-bin/vwsupport?people.

Let me share with you, that right after the September 11th attacks, my
hosting company, MuntadaNet (www.muntada.com) was bombarded by people
demanding I take off www.inin.net from my company.  In fact, ININ.net is
not a terrorist organization, nor does it advocate terrorism or
violence.  However, the bombardment continued by radicals.

Now, it is time that we demand the same for a site, that is indeed a
terrorist organization.  I also call upon all Muslims who are hosting with
ValueWeb to reconsider who they are hosting with.

Ma Salaama

Abdul-Rashid Abdullah

Headlines  |  Markazdawa.org

Suspected Israeli Spies Held by U.S: Fox News

Wednesday, December 12, 2001
By Carl Cameron

WASHINGTON  Some 60 Israelis, who federal
investigators have said are part of a long-running
effort to spy on American government officials, are
among the hundreds of foreigners detained since the
Sept. 11 terror attacks, Fox News has learned.


The Israelis, a handful of whom are described as
active Israeli military or intelligence operatives,
have been detained on immigration charges or under the
new Patriot Anti-Terrorism Law. Federal investigators
said some of them failed polygraph questions inquiring
about alleged surveillance activities against and in
the United States.

There is no indication the Israelis were involved in
the Sept. 11 attacks, but investigators suspect that
they may have gathered intelligence about the attacks
in advance and not shared it.

A highly placed investigator told Fox News there are
"tie-ins," but when asked for details flatly refused
to describe them. "Evidence linking these Israelis to
9-11 is classified, I cannot tell you about evidence
that has been gathered. It is classified information,"
the source said.

An Israeli Embassy spokesman offered categorical
denials, and said any suggestion of Israelis spying on
or in the United States is simply not true.

But Fox News has learned that one group of Israelis
spotted in North Carolina recently is suspected of
keeping an apartment in California to spy on a group
of Arabs who the U.S. authorities are investigating
for links to terrorism.

Numerous classified documents obtained by Fox News
indicate that even prior to Sept. 11, as many as 140
other Israelis had been detained or arrested in a
secretive and sprawling investigation into suspected
espionage by Israelis in the United States.

Investigators from numerous government agencies are
part of a working group that has been compiling
evidence in the case since the mid-1990s. These
documents detail hundreds of incidents in cities and
towns across the country that investigators say quote
"may well be an organized intelligence-gathering
activity."

Investigators are focusing part of their efforts on
Israelis who said they are art students from the
University of Jerusalem or Bezalel Academy and
repeatedly made contact with U.S. government personnel
by saying they wanted to sell cheap art or handiwork.

Documents say they "targeted" and penetrated military
bases, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the
Federal Bureau of Investigations, dozens of government
facilities and even secret offices and unlisted
private homes of law enforcement and intelligence
personnel.

Another part of the investigation has resulted in the
detention and arrest of dozens of Israelis working at
kiosks in American malls, where they had been selling
toys called "Puzzlecar" and "Zoomcopter."

Investigators suspected a front. Shortly after the New
York Times and Washington Post reported the detentions
of Israelis on immigration charges last month, the
carts began vanishing.

Why would Israelis spy in and on the United States?

A General Accounting Office investigation referred to
Israel as Country A and said, "According to a U.S.
intelligence agency, the government of country A
conducts the most aggressive espionage operation
against the U.S. of any U.S. ally."

A Defense Intelligence report said Israel has a
"voracious appetite for information."

"The Israelis are motivated by strong survival
instincts which dictate every facet of their political
and economic policies," the DIA report said. "It
aggressively collects military and industrial
technology and the U.S. is a high priority target.

"Israel possesses the resources and technical
capability to achieve its collection objectives," the
document concludes.

Headlines  |  Markazdawa.org

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,40679,00.html

HOW MANY DEAD? Major networks aren't counting

December 12, 2001

How many civilians have been killed in Afghanistan since the start of
U.S.-led bombing on October 7? Journalists and aid workers have limited
access to the area, so it's an admittedly difficult question to answer. But
many U.S. media outlets don't seem to be trying very hard.

None of the three major networks' nightly newscasts are offering even rough
tallies of the mounting civilian casualties in Afghanistan. ABC World News
Tonight, however, has followed the story somewhat more seriously than either
the CBS Evening News or NBC Nightly News, which both regularly frame
discussion of civilian deaths in terms of their value in the "propaganda
war." Questions about the legality of those U.S. targeting decisions that
led to strikes on civilians were rarely raised on any network.

It may be some time before a full accounting is possible, but relief
agencies and a few noteworthy news stories do provide information about the
scale of the devastation. As a "conservative" estimate, Doctors Without
Borders has stated that civilian casualties are already in the hundreds and
rising (NPR, 12/6/01). On the high end, a compilation of international press
reports by a University of New Hampshire professor suggests there may be
over 3,500 civilian deaths
(http://www.cursor.org/stories/civilian_deaths.htm ).

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have voiced strong concern
about the loss of civilian life, and have both independently called for a
moratorium on the use of cluster bombs. Though it was not widely reported in
the U.S. press-- and not at all on ABC, CBS or NBC-- Amnesty has also
demanded "an immediate and full investigation into what may have been
violations of international and humanitarian law such as direct attacks on
civilian objects or indiscriminate attacks" by the U.S. military (press
release, 10/26/01).

Some in the U.S. media, however, have suggested that Afghans don't mind
being killed by U.S. bombs. "It turns out many of those Afghan 'civilians'
were praying for another dose of B- 52's to liberate them from the Taliban,
casualties or not" wrote foreign affairs commentator Thomas Friedman (New
York Times, 11/23/01).

Even some of the more extensive U.S. reporting on civilian casualties--
which came last week, after U.S. bombing near Tora Bora destroyed two
villages and killed over 100 civilians-- seemed surprised at Afghans'
negative response. CBS's Randall Pinkston reported that "at least 100
people" had been killed, but claimed that until recently, "many Afghans"
were "raising few objections to civilians accidentally killed in U.S.
bombing attacks." He noted that the killings had provoked criticism of
American policy, and called this "a troubling new reaction" (CBS Evening
News, 12/1/01).

One forthright story on the killings near Tora Bora, by NBC correspondent
Mike Taibbi (12/3/01), stood in marked contrast not only to the general
trend in reporting on other networks, but to NBC's previous coverage of
civilian casualties as well. Taibbi investigated the destroyed villages in
person, juxtaposing his findings-- which included a fragment of a U.S.
missile, serial number intact-- with the Pentagon's claim that it was
unlikely the incident had occurred.

Unfortunately, this kind of independent approach was the exception rather
than the rule on the nightly news shows. Claims that Afghan civilians had
been killed were often reported as unsubstantial, utterly unverifiable
salvos in the so-called "propaganda war." One report by CBS's David Martin
(10/23/01) claimed that the Taliban's "chief weapon seems to be pictures
they say are innocent civilians killed or injured by the bombing." Martin
went on to say that the Pentagon admits to "a few instances of bombs hitting
civilians," but made no mention of any estimates, from the Pentagon or
elsewhere, of the actual number of people killed.

This pattern was repeated several times on the CBS Evening News. A November
6 CBS report stated that George Bush had "opened a new public relations
front in the war on terrorism" because "claims of heavy civilian casualties
have provoked howls of protest" in Muslim countries. No mention was made of
whether such claims were factual, or, as the belittling "howl" might
suggest, merely a PR ploy. The next day, CBS again returned to the Taliban
"propaganda machine," with David Martin reporting that "usually it airs
claims of civilian casualties by American bombing." Again, no mention was
made of whether, where or how many civilians had actually been killed.

A few weeks earlier (10/18/01), Martin filed a report showing images of dead
civilians, but included no information about the people-- except that they
were complicating the U.S. anti-terrorism campaign. Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld "says the determination to avoid scenes like these of civilians
apparently killed by American bombs makes the terrorist hunt more
difficult," reported Martin.

NBC Nightly News also tended to present reports of the U.S. military killing
civilians as primarily a propaganda issue. In a report (11/4/01) about
America's battle "to protect its image as a compassionate nation," NBC
correspondent Dan Lothian gave a thumbnail sketch of "the war on terrorism
as reported in the Arab world." With no apparent sense of irony, Lothian
catalogued the Arab media's propaganda: "Daily doses of news concerning
civilian casualties in Afghanistan. Graphic pictures below front page
headlines. Compelling stories on cable TV, as well." Daily news, graphic
pictures and compelling stories-- a threatening arsenal indeed.

"The first casualties of this war were thousands of American civilians,"
said Lothian in his wrap-up. "Now, as the Taliban is targeted for protecting
the terrorists of Al-Qaeda, the U.S. is also fighting a public relations
war." It's a difficult passage to parse, but the meaning seems to be that
first, American civilians were attacked by terrorists, and now, the United
States' image is being attacked with equal mercilessness.

NBC's most persistent advocate of the propaganda perspective, however, was
Pentagon correspondent Jim Miklaszewski, who several times portrayed reports
of Afghan civilian casualties as an assault on the U.S. Despite the U.S.
military's "overwhelming firepower," reported Miklaszewski (10/15/01), "the
Pentagon is on the defensive today." Why? Because "the Taliban took foreign
journalists on a guided tour of the village of Karam, where they claim US
bombs killed 200 civilians." Later, the Pentagon was still "fighting the
propaganda war" by "denying Taliban claims that American bombs have killed
more than 1,000 innocent civilians" (10/24/01). The report did not
investigate what a more accurate figure might be, or whether any civilians
had been killed at all.

A few days later (10/29/01), Miklaszewski again had the Pentagon "on the
defensive" against "charges that American bombs are killing hundreds of
civilians," noting that "Rumsfeld says the ultimate blame lies with those
who started the war." Despite Rumsfeld's implicit acknowledgement that some
civilians-- perhaps hundreds-- had been killed, NBC again failed to ask how
many, where or why.

In comparison to CBS and NBC's poor performances, ABC World News Tonight did
somewhat better at reporting specific numbers and locations of instances
when U.S. bombs hit civilians. Reporter David Wright devoted attention to
civilian casualties as an issue in their own right, noting, for example,
that "even when the target's the front line, the trouble is, people live
here" (10/28/01). ABC has not, however, focused on the important questions
raised by groups like Amnesty International about the legality of U.S.
strikes.

When media portray reports of civilian casualties as an attack on America,
it's hardly surprising that serious reporting on the issue is scarce. It is
crucial that news outlets independently investigate civilian casualties in
Afghanistan-- not only how many there have been, but how and why they
happened.

ACTION: Please ask the three major networks' nightly news shows to
investigate how many civilians have been killed in Afghanistan as a result
of U.S. military action, and to examine the legality of those attacks.

CONTACT:
ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings
Phone: 212-456-4040
Fax: 212-456-2795
mailto:netaudr@abc.com

CBS Evening News with Dan Rather
Phone: 212-975-3691
Fax: 212-975-1893
mailto:audsvcs@cbs.com

NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw
Phone: 212-664-4971
Fax: 202-362-2009
mailto:nightly@msnbc.com

As always, please remember that your comments are taken more seriously if
you maintain a polite tone. Please cc fair@fair.org with your
correspondence.

Headlines  |  Markazdawa.org

F.B.I. Arrests Chairman of Militant Anti-Arab Group

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-JDL-Arrests.html


LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The chairman of the Jewish Defense League was arrested
in connection with a failed bombing plot, federal authorities said.

Irv Rubin, 56, and a member of the militant group, Earl Krugel, 59, were
booked early Wednesday at the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Los
Angeles, detention center spokeswoman Donna Davis said.

The arrests late Tuesday were in connection with a bombing plot, said Thom
Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office. He would not describe
the alleged scheme except to say, ``The bombing was not carried out.''

Criminal charges should be filed later Wednesday, Mrozek said.

Law enforcement agencies raided a home identified by television stations
as Krugel's late Tuesday night. Footage showed officers carrying out
weapons and cardboard boxes.

Calls to the FBI, U.S. Customs and the JDL were not immediately returned.

The Jewish Defense League was originally formed by Meir Kahane to mount
armed response to anti-Semitic acts in New York City. It gained notoriety
when its members were linked to bombings, most of them aimed at Soviet
targets in retaliation for the way that country treated its Jewish
population.

Kahane left the JDL and moved to Israel. A power struggle ensued, with
Rubin among the contenders for its leadership.

Kahane was assassinated in New York in 1990. El Sayyid Nosair, 36, an
Egyptian-born Muslim, was convicted in connection with the shooting.