The Arab Spring Uprising

Since the December 2010 uprising in Tunisia and the January 25^th Revolution in Egypt nearly a month later that led to the fall of both regimes, the political impact has continued. However, since then the vast majority of the Arab states have experienced people protesting against their own governments demanding political reforms and an end to the corruption. In some states, the people have demanded the resignation of their governments, to be replaced by freely elected ones. The two Arab states that have experienced the most violent response from their governments are Yemen and Libya.

In Yemen, the protestors’ movement is in its 11^th week of continuous protests by millions of people in all cities in Yemen. The government’s violent response against the protestors led to the killings of hundreds of people in addition to the many injuries. The Arab Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has offered to mediate the Yemeni conflict and to end the violence. The council suggested that the Yemeni president Ali Saleh resign and turn over his authority to his deputy and allow the opposition group to form their cabinet and call for an election. Also, GCC suggested that President Saleh leave office without holding him for trial. The opposition group rejected the GCC suggestion and insisted on trying the president for the crimes he committed and the corruption that took place during the past three decades of his rule.

As of 4/15/2011, the protestors’ uprising is continuing and the GCC mediation outcome has been put on hold. The next few days will show what the outcome will be.

In Libya, the conflict is getting worse and the war between the rebels and the Gadhafi troops is still going on. The rebels are facing an army with heavy military equipment, who are shelling and firing missiles at the unarmed civilian population.

IN the meantime, African states started mediation to stop the fighting and for an immediate ceasefire between the two sides. It was announced that Gadhafi has accepted the African proposal, but the rebels have insisted on the removal of Gadhafi from office before they accept the African proposal. The war in Libya continues.

There is a third type of political uprising in some Arab states, which has been less violent than the ones that have been taking place as mentioned. In Algeria and Morocco, the protestors’ movements have been less violent and the number of people who are involved in the public uprising has been smaller than in other Arab states. For example, in Algeria it has been reported that when a call for protest when issued, the number of government security was larger than the number of the protestors. This is attributed to a number of factors. First, the Algerian public has been watching the ugly turn of protestors’ movements in Libya and Yemen, which is producing many undesired consequences in both countries. Second, Algeria experienced an uprising nearly 25 years ago (1988) between the government forces and Islamic forces, which led to the deaths of more than 150,000 people during nearly a decade of conflict. Third, there is more freedom of expression, especially in the press, than in most Arab states that are experiencing uprising. Fourth, the government lifted the emergency law that has been in use for more than 19 years. Fifth, the government increased the financial rewards to their employees and offered young people the equivalent of 2 ½ hectares of land for free to use for agricultural cultivation. Also, the government encouraged young people to open small businesses without experiencing any difficulties from the government. It is of interest also that the few protests that took place in Algeria did call for reforms and an end to corruption, but not the removal of the government of President Abed al-Aziz biri-Tafleegah.

In Morocco, the situation has been less violent than in other Arab states. The protestors have been larger in number than in Algeria. Their demands are for more freedom and political reform. In some cases, some of the protestors demanded a constitutional reform and an elected government to limit the authority of the king. The king responded by initiating political reforms but I doubt that he will go further and surrender his own authority. The situation in Morocco is still unsettled and what the outcome will be in terms of political reform and an end to the corruption is to be seen.

The Fall of a Tyrant –Justice Prevails

History will record that Hosni Mubarak is the first head of state to be tried by a court in Egyptian history. The people of Egypt have demanded his removal and he surrendered his authority to military forces on February 11, 2011.

During the past three decades, Mubarak and his corrupt regime have abused the Egyptian public’s trust in many unthinkable ways. Mr. Mubarak and those who surround him have treated the people and Egypt as a whole as if it were a private ranch and those who were in it as serfs.

During the more than thirty years of authoritarian rule, those who objected or criticized Hosni Mubarak policy ended up in prison. Those who stole the public wealth were not held accountable due to the absence of accountability and transparency. During the previous three decades, fraudulent elections to parliament were standard procedure and the ruling party nominated the members to serve in the Egyptian parliament.

Furthermore, during Mubarak’s rule, Egypt lost its leadership of the Arab world and became a minor and uninfluential member in the Middle East region. Hosni Mubarak surrendered Egypt’s leading role and dignity to appease U.S. politicians and many of them were tools in the hands of Israeli politicians.

Since the dawn of civilization, more than five thousand years, Egypt was the leading power in the region. Under Mubarak he marginalized Egypt’s role and the public ended up paying the price politically, economically and socially.

That era is over, and the young people who initiated the revolution on January 25^th should be saluted for their courage and convictions.

A new chapter of democracy emerged as a result of that revolution, which did not prevail until February 11, 2011. This is reflected in the investigation of previous high government officials who are in prison, accused of a broad range of crimes, from acts of corruption and theft of public wealth to crimes committed against protestors.

This new democratic trend reflects that nobody is above the law. Many people in Egypt were in doubt of that, until the general public prosecutor began his investigation of Hosni Mubarak and his two sons, Jamal and Alaa.

The whole world was watching when the prosecutor announced that the three of them were to be put in prison for 15 days for further investigations and a trial in Egypt’s criminal court.

Both sons Jamal and Alaa are now in Torra prison in Cairo and their father is still in the hospital in Sharm el-Sheikh. When he recovers, he will be sent to Torra prison.

That legal decision affirmed that the 25^th of January Revolution opened a new chapter in the history of Egypt. Nobody is above the law.

Plotting A Counter Revolution

During the past few days, the Alarabiya TV station has aired recorded interviews with Hosni Mubarak in which he denies the accusations that have been revealed to the Egyptian public.

He said “he had to defend his and his family’s reputations and denied that he stole public money or even had foreign assets in foreign countries.”

The foreign press as well as Transparency International estimated the wealth of the Mubarak family to be between $ 40 and 70 billion.

However, Mr. Mubarak, in his interview, tried to appeal to the Egyptian people and to play on their emotions, saying that he had the right to defend himself and his family against the false propaganda that was mounted against him and his family.

Mubarak is entitled to defending himself, but the puzzling part is why he did it through a Saudi TV network and not an Egyptian one. Furthermore, the Alarabiya TV station kept showing the Mubarak recorded interview for almost two days.

In the meantime, Mubarak has been summoned by the state prosecutor for an investigation of corruption and the killing of protestors. Also, the prosecutor for investigation has summoned his sons Jamal and Alaa.

The protestors who have been calling for Mr. Mubarak and his family to be tried since January 25^th have reached a point of impatience because of the slow reaction by the public prosecutor to act.

Meanwhile, it was reported that some leadership from the previous regime and members of the Egyptian National party met on Thursday evening before the protest the following day to create problems in Tahrir Square. The purpose behind it is to spoil the harmonious relationship between the protestors and the Egyptian military. Furthermore, the report revealed that some business leaders who were at the meeting provided large sums of money to recruit supporters to come to Tahrir Square and provide them with tents to stay in Tahrir until April 25^th. The equipment was delivered Friday morning to a group of hoodlums. The army chased them through the streets that lead to the Square and on Saturday in the early morning, before the beginning of the curfew, they got entangled with members of the Egyptian army. This led to the shooting of two people and some of these were wearing army uniforms to mislead the Egyptian public. The army confirmed the plotting and arrested Ibrahim Kamil, a leading businessman, as well as a few assistants for investigation. (www.shorouknews.com, 4/1/2011).

A Historical Day to Celebrate

This popular and unique revolution ushered and opened a new chapter in the history of Egypt. It was a peaceful popular revolution that created a new model for political change. It calls for a democracy that incorporates political freedom, free expression, and accountability.

Egyptians express their pride by stating that the Revolution should be considered as grandiose as the building of the Pyramids.  Some are saying “ we waited for such a revolution for thousands of years!”

We should all request, especially those who initiated the revolution, that the 25^th of January should be officially designated as a NATIONAL HOLIDAY.

We have posted this request on our blog hoping that we are joined by many.

Hani Fakhouri and Aleya Rouchdy

Ethiopia Water Strategy Threatens Egypt’s Survival

In previous posts I have shed light on the Nile River, which is the source of Egyptian life and without it, the country could not survive. 85% of the Nile River that reaches Egypt tends to come from the Blue Nile, which starts in Ethiopia and flows through Sudan and Egypt. During the past ten years, there have been continuous discussions

between Egypt the Nile River Basin countries, which consist of nine states, from where the White Nile starts to where it joins the Blue Nile. Ethiopia and the Nile basin countries have been pushing to change the 1929 and 1959 agreements with Egypt, which provides Egypt with 56 billion cu.met. of water per year.

Six of the ten countries have signed new agreements to cancel all previous international agreements regarding water sharing with Egypt. However, Egypt and Sudan have already rejected the proposed new argument. Furthermore, new problems began to emerge as a result of Ethiopia’s new strategy to build more dams on the Blue Nile that will have an impact on Egypt’s share of water.

During the past two decades, Ethiopia has been building dams to generate power and to expand its agricultural productivity.

However, these dams were being built in violation of international law, which states that international waterways, which are shared with other states, should not change their flows if it might affect others.

Nevertheless, Ethiopia began the construction of the following dams during the past two decades without consultations with Sudan or Egypt.

1) The Takizi Dam, with a capacity of 9 billion cu.met of water.

2) The Border Dam near the Sudanese border, with a storage capacity of 15 billion cu.met. of water.

3) The Karasroubi Dam, the Bieku Abu Dam and the Mindaia Dam. The three dams have the total storage capacity of 141 billion cu.met. of water.

All of these constructed dams generate electric power and have the capacity to irrigate at least one million hectare of agricultural lands. (www.ahram.org, 4/4/2011).

These dams were constructed without consultation of both Sudan and Egypt and it is in violation of international law. It is fait accompli type of an Ethiopian government policy, which threatens other countries environmentally, economically and also threatens the human rights of people who depend on the water from these international waterways.

It looks like the Ethiopian government was not satisfied with what they have already accomplished as far as dam construction goes. The Ethiopian prime minister has just announced the beginning of the construction of a huge dam on the Blue Nile River, 40 km from the Sudanese border. It is refereed to as the “Great Alfiah Dam”. The dam will cost around 4.9 billion dollars, which will generate 15,000 mega watts of electric power during the next ten years.

The proposed dam will have a storage capacity of 62 billion cu.met. of water out of the 71 billion cu.met that flows into Egypt.

Experts estimate that the dam will also impact the water level at Lake Nasser, which will decrease from 120 billion cu.met into 75 billion cu.met. by the time it is completed. This also will lower the generated electrical power by 20%.

The negative impact will further increase the underground water salt content, which will impact agricultural productivity in Egypt. (almasry-alyoum.com, 4/2/2011).

The list of dam construction seems to be expanding further. It has been announced that the Ethiopian government is planning to build the third Gibi dam at an estimated cost of 1.4 billion Euros, which will produce 1,800 mega watts of electrical power. Already, more than 400 international agencies “survival international” are objecting to the construction of the dam. Its construction will harm more than 200,000 Ethiopians who depend on fishing for their survival, in addition to agricultural cultivation. (www.aljazeera.net, 4/2/2011).

The impact of the Ethiopian government dams construction on Egypt is very serious and threatening to its survival in the long run. It has been stated by Egyptian experts that the loss of every 5 billion cu.met of water from the Blue Nile will remove one million Feddan (acres) from Egypt’s cultivated lands. This will lead to the deprivation of 5 million Egyptians from their annual income. Furthermore, the total amount of water that dams built by Ethiopia when completed will be equal to 165 billion cu.met. (www.ahram.org, 4/4/2011).

For that reason, the Egyptian prime minister and his water minister, in addition to a group of high-ranking experts, have recently visited Sudan to discuss among other things water security and the proposed joint agricultural projects.

Also they have been in contact with the Ethiopian government to be part of the discussion regarding g the proposed construction of dams.

Discussions are being conducted vis-à-vis international financing banks and states such as China, who is playing a major role in these projects, in addition to Europe and the U.S.

An attempt is being made by Egypt to stop the Ethiopian government water strategy. If this strategy is implemented it will put Egypt under the mercy of Ethiopia.

Protest in Iraq

During the past few weeks, the Iraqi people have been protesting against their recently elected government. Last Friday (4/8/11), the protests took place not just in Baghdad but in other cities throughout Iraq. The protestors referred to it as the “Departure Friday”. The people were calling for the departure of American troops from Iraq. This call was influenced by the visit of American Secretary of Defense, Mr. Gates, who is pushing the Iraqi government to extend American troops’ stay in Iraq after December 2011. This date was set by President Obama in 2008 after his election.

The U.S. government is using the rationale that the Iraqi government is not yet capable of maintaining its stability and will not be in a position to protect its airspace. Furthermore, the Iraqi military still needs the U.S. forces to train them on the armament that they have purchased from the U.S. Such American rationale has been rejected by the Iraqi people. The Iraqi people have said loudly that the U.S. invasion of their country and its occupation during the past eight years has ruined the country, politically, economically and environmentally. There will be no extension for American troops to stay in Iraq and no military basis will be permitted.

Such calls came from various groups who call themselves “The Established Conference of the Iraqi People Opposing American Occupation of Iraq”. This group consists of a broad base of people, such as religious and tribal leaders, in addition to the young people of Iraq. Even Mr. Assader, a Shiaa leader, threatened to reactivate his Shia (al-Mahdi) army to declare their struggle against the American occupying forces.

It is a very puzzling situation to see that the American government is attempting to stay in Iraq beyond December 2011, when at the same time, politicians in Washington are fighting a battle in Congress to cut the budget in order to deal with the huge deficit. I have not heard a single politician from either side saying that the U.S. should pull troops from Iraq and Afghanistan to save American taxpayers money. The American Defense budget, which exceeds $740 billion, is the holy cow of the American politicians. It is a tragedy when the U.S. government borrows billions of dollars from foreign nations such as China and others to fight foreign wars. I call such acts the most dangerous policies, which mortgage the life of future American generations. This reflects the decadence of the American military and colonialist policy.

The Iraqi people will do the American public a big service by demanding the total withdrawal of all American military forces from Iraq by the end of 2011.

Furthermore, the Iraqi protestors are even demanding the resignation of the Maliki government and the dissolution of the recently elected parliament. Corruption is deep-rooted at all government levels and millions of young people are unemployed. As I have pointed out in previous posts, the infrastructure is in very bad shape. There are shortages of electrical power and clean water for drinking, continuous increases in the cost of living and number of people who are living below the poverty index level is increasing.

The protestors are also demanding the release of all political prisoners. The people of Iraq will continue their protests until the government responds to their demands.

The Syrian Uprising

The impact of the Tunisian and Egyptian Revolutions changed the political map of the rest of the Arab world. In some states, like Yemen and Libya, the uprisings have been very violent and lengthy. However, in Bahrain and Syria, the people have been uprising less violently than in the other two states. In Jordan, Morocco and Algeria, the uprisings have been milder by comparison to others.

Syria is one of the most secular states in the Arab world, with a population of 22.5 million people. Also, it is the most diversified Arab state in terms of religion and ethnic composition. Muslim Sunnis tend to be the majority in Syria. However, around one third of the population consists of Christian Arabs, Alawites (a Muslim Shiaa sect) and Druze (who are also an offshoot of Shiaa). Also, the ethnic composition consists of Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians and Druze. In addition there are over million Iraqi refugees in Syria and many are members of the Baath political party.

The government has operated under the political umbrella of the Baath party since 1963. The Baath party is ideologically oriented, which calls for Arab unity and a socialistic economy and freedom for all. Nevertheless, freedom of expression, politically and otherwise, does not exist in Syria.

Syria is run by an authoritarian regime with strict control of both the political and economic institutions. The political suppression led to the uprising that Syria has experienced during the past few weeks. It was reported that more than 60 people have been killed and many were arrested. This led President Bashar al-Assad to publicly announced political reforms to oppose the protests and ease the pressure created by the people’s uprising. He dissolved his cabinet and asked his previous agricultural minister Adel Sofar to form a new cabinet. He released some political prisoners. He further promised to end the emergency law that had been in effect since 1963. He insinuated that the reforms would permit political parties to be formed and operate freely. Presently, no political parties are permitted in Syria. In 1982, the government of Hafez al-Asad crushed the Muslim Brotherhood party’s revolt, which led to the deaths of more than 20,000 people. He also raised the salaries of government employees and lowered the prices of food.

The promises of political reforms made by Bashar al-Asad, if implemented, will satisfy the rioters and ease the pressure on the government. President Bashar is well liked by many people in Syria, which was reflected in the large masses of people who led an opposite uprising in his support. Nevertheless, high ranking Alawites, army officers as well as some relatives, who are well known as highly corrupt individuals, surrounds the president. I wonder if he can muster the power and determination to end their corruption and minimize their influence and power. This is to be seen.

The uprising that took place in Syria has also been manipulated abroad, especially in the U.S. The neo-cons have not learned a lesson from the blunder they orchestrated for the invasion of Iraq in 2003. That blunder led to the killing of more than 4500 American soldiers, in addition to more than a million Iraqi civilians. All such sacrifice was made for the benefit of Israel.

The neo-cons, the majority of whom are hardcore Jewish Zionists, are pressuring President Obama to interfere in support of the uprising and opposition to the Syrian regime. They are aware of Syrian opposition to Israeli policy and its support of Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon. This time their efforts will hopefully lead nowhere and their misguided policy for the benefit of Israeli will not materialize.

The regime in Syria will survive, because it has grassroots support especially among the majority of ethnic and religious minorities.

The Role of The Egyptian Military Forces

The Egyptian military establishment has played a very positive role in the success of the 25^th of January Revolution, as was reflected in the following: first, the military refused to turn their arms against the Egyptian protesters. Second, they protected the protestors and this influenced the peaceful outcome of the revolution. Third, they assumed the role of authority after the collapse of Hosni Mubarak’s regime. In addition, they were also a major source of power, pressuring him to surrender his authority. Fourth, Supreme Council of the Armed Forces( SCAF) arraigned for a transitional government to run the country’s affairs until elections take place in September 2011.

Nevertheless, there are some puzzling questions being asked by the Egyptian public about the vague or hidden strategy of SCAF. The Egyptian people’s revolution from day one demanded the removal of Hosni Mubarak and his entire corrupt regime, including all high officials connected or related to them.

The SCAF responded by dissolving the parliament and Majlis il-Shura, but they kept the Egyptian National Democratic party that was headed by the previous president in tact. Even the headquarters of the party which was the property of the government was burned by the protestors.

The party that used to nominate more than 90% of members of parliaments in addition to all members of the cabinet, turned out to be the most corrupt segment of the Egyptian government still functioning. Why has this party not been dissolved?

The only two parties that have the organized political structure to run for a quick election are the Muslim Brotherhood and the Egyptian National Democratic party. The ruling party of the previous regime should have been dissolved. If the election proceeds according to the timetable set, both parties will be the major winners in the upcoming election. Furthermore, a negative point is that the governorates council, which was elected during the previous regime and was part of it, is still in power and has not been dissolved.

It seems that those who have started the revolution have been marginalized. They were not given enough time to organize and develop their own political party structure in order to participate effectively in the upcoming election. Six months is not enough time to prepare. At least SCAF should have extended the period to one year so the young people would be ready for such a political task.

The age limits that the SCAF has set were unfair and it excluded potential qualified young people from running for political office. For example, the minimum age for president should have been 35 years old instead of 40. Also, the age for members of parliament should have been 25 years old instead of 30. The more critical qualification to run for any of these public offices is college education. In the previous governments, some people were nominated who were hardly able to read and write.

The SCAF so far did not expedite the trial of Mubarak and his family for all sorts of acts of corruption. Since he was the head of the previous regime, he should have been investigated first. However, the investigations of previous members of government took priority, which led some of the public to raise some questions as to why Mubarak and his family are still free. He was the main symbol of the previous regime and his trial should have taken priority over others. For that reason and others, the protestors during their gatherings in Tahrir Square (April 1, 2011) held a prompt trial for Mubarak and condemned him to death. The appointed prosecutor of the people issued a statement saying that he will announce his verdict on April 8^th at the protest site in Tahrir Square.

The Supreme Council of the Military Forces should expedite Mubarak and his family’s trial and dissolve the National Democratic Party in order to avoid further negative speculation by the Egyptian public.

Islamophobia on the Rise

Senator Richard Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, conducted a hearing on the American Muslim Community’s role in the U.S. regarding terrorism. He attempted to correct the false impression that Representative Peter King, a Republican from New York, created. During his investigation two weeks ago, King tried to convey to the American public that the Muslim American community has been radicalized. However, he failed to produce any evidence to substantiate his claims. Representative King’s promised future investigation of the American Muslim Community is nothing but a failed attempt to appease some of his fanatic constituents.

Senator Durbin’s investigation was to clear the false impression Representative Peter King created and to set the record straight. He stated that American Muslims have served as the largest source of tips to authorities, tracking terror suspects, according to a recent university study. He continued to say that the American Muslim community represents one percent of the population, but they are victims in 14 percent of religious discrimination cases. These range from homicides and mosque burnings to job, school and zoning law abuses, according to the Justice Department. He warned against “guilt by association”. Furthermore, Senator Durbin emphasized that the nation’s struggle against terrorism is best served by information and not dark generalizations. (NYTimes.com, 4/2/2011).

In regard to the spread of Islamophobia, I have referred to various groups that have been attacking the American Muslim community and Islam in general. References were made to Terry Jones, among others, who threatened to burn the Quran because Islam is “not a religion”. Pressure was used by high-ranking politicians, including the president, and military leaders, urging Terry Jones not to go ahead with his threats because it would endanger the lives of American soldiers and threaten American national interests, especially in Islamic countries. Jones postponed the burning last year. However, recently, without much publicity or fanfare, he burned the Quran during a stupid “trial” he set in his church to justify his act. The news of the burning of the Quran spread in Islamic countries and in Northern Afghanistan there was a protest that led to the killing of 10 foreign U.N. staff, in addition to five Afghans. The protests were predicted last year in a warning sent to Terry Jones by General Petraeus and Security of Defense Gates, in addition to President Obama.

Islamophobia is on the rise and will continue as long as hardcore and ignorant conservative fanatics use Islam as a target to release their frustrations. The freedom of expression in the American Constitution has been abused and the federal government and the American Congress have failed to put an end to it. Such irresponsible personal behavior should be stopped by putting people like the Reverend Terry Jones in a mental institution. He should be held accountable for the killing of ten members of the U.N. Furthermore, those members of the U.N. who were in Afghanistan and killed by the protestors reflects barbaric and savage acts that are worse than Terry Jones’s act that incited such uncalled for criminal action. Also, keep in mind that the protest that took place during the past few days in Afghanistan led to the deaths of 51 people, according to the latest news reports.

Muslim Americans Under Attack

The CNN Network presented a program on 3/27/2011 “The Unwelcome Muslims Next Door”. The one-hour program focused on the discrimination being practiced against Muslim Americans. The emphasis was placed on some public opposition to the building of mosques in some southern states. Muslim Americans have the right to practice their religious faith according to the Constitution. However, I would venture to say that the majority of Americans have never read or are knowledgeable on the content of the American Constitution.

Furthermore, prior to the 1960s, American society was known as a racist, ageist and sexist society. Since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and the passage of federal law prohibiting discrimination, quite a bit of positive changes have taken place during the past four decades. Nevertheless, we still have a long way to go to convince the unenlightened and ignorant of conservative racists that all Americans are equal in front of the law and should be treated that way. It is regrettable to say that American Muslims are the target of discrimination on many fronts, especially since the tragic attack of 9/11. Bin Laden and his al-Qaeda have given a boost to the hypocrites, the extreme right, Zionists, evangelical Christians, conservative politicians and other interest groups to capitalize on bin Laden’s attack on 9/11. Let me make myself clear: bin Laden is a criminal who is using Islam to hide his political agenda. Second, the American public is not aware that Bin Laden was the creation of the CIA. He was recruited with around 10,000 – 11,000 young Muslims from the Middle East to fight America’s war in Afghanistan during the 1970s and 1980s. The Muslim jihadists were trained, armed and financed by the CIA. They have defeated the Communists and bled them to death. As a matter of fact, President Reagan welcomed representatives of those who fought Russian troops and referred to them, in front of the White House, as the “freedom fighters”.

These men were Muslims as well. However and unfortunately, bin Laden turned out to be a demon. But he does not represent 1.5 billion Muslims around the world who represent more than one fifth of the world population.

To condemn Muslims and discriminate against them as has been the case against Muslim Americans, is unjust and in contradiction with the American Constitution.

Since 9/11, acts of discrimination against Muslims have been increasing, not just in some southern states, but also in every region in the U.S. as well as in Western Europe.

For example, the recent congressional investigation conducted by Mr. King of the Committee on Homeland Security (3/11/2011) to investigate his foolish claim that is based on ignorance that 80% of American mosques are run by radical Muslims. He failed to produce any evidence to substantiate his claim.

Mr. King’s action as I see it is to appease some of his hardcore Jewish Zionist and Christian conservative constituents in New York. It is not unusual to see that some politicians will sell their consciences and souls for a contribution to ensure their reelections.

Another example that created a lot of publicity a year ago is the opposition to the construction of an Islamic Cultural Center in New York. Some opposed the plan because it was too close to Ground Zero. This is the site of the 9/11 attacks that caused the deaths of many people of nearly all religious backgrounds, including Muslim Americans. The attack against the construction of the Islamic Cultural Center was orchestrated by racists, including some politicians from both sides of the aisle. The reaction to the construction of the center is not only a violation of the America Constitution, but a disgraceful act against the basic principle that the founding fathers set for the American people.

Islamophobia was encouraged prior and after to the attack on 9/11. For example, some organized Jewish Zionist and evangelical Christian Zionist groups have used negative tactics against Islam in general and Muslim Americans in particular. The tactics used by both groups is reflected in their negative public actions against Muslims. The anti-Defamation League, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the American Jewish Committee opposed the unconditional rights of Muslim Americans to build their cultural center and mosque in New York. This regrettable behavior is not consistent with both the American Constitution nor compatible with Jewish values. As Sydney Levy, Jewish Voice for Peace, puts it “Standing against Islamophobia, again and always.”

It was explained well by Rabbi Haim, Dov Beliok “Jewish Voice for Peace”, that “It is painful to see some Jewish groups promoting hatred and fear of Muslims because they mistakenly believe it will help Israel. It is also deeply distressing to see this disturbing trend of scapegoating Muslim Americans being echoed at the highest levels of our government.” (Jewishvoiceforpeace.org, 3/10/2011).

American Evangelic Christian Zionist groups have been conducting negative campaigns against Islam and Muslim Americans and present Islam as a source of evil. For example, among other things, is the campaign that was conducted last year by Rev. Terry Jones of an evangelical church in Florida to burn 200 copies of the Koran because Islam is not a religion. I wonder if the REVEREND has the ability to understand what he reads. There are quite a few like Jones among evangelical Christian Zionist leaders who share negative views of Islam and refer to it as a religion of the devil.

Also, some American mass media have played negative roles in promoting Islamophobia. The Fox News Network gets the lion’s share in promoting Islamophobia, especially under the direction of Glenn Beck. He stated that 10% of Muslims are terrorists. I am sure that Mr. beck is an ignorant man and does not have the ability to calculate what the 10% means in actual statistical numbers. It means that there are 150 million Muslims who are terrorists out of the total 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide. Anyway, he is a promoter of hate and biases.

Also it is unfortunate that directly and indirectly some of the lobbyists of the American military industrial complex have promoted Islamic terrorism to justify more military spending. Islam has replaced Communism that was used during the Cold War as the demon that threatened the free world. After the collapse of Communism during the later part of the 1980s, Islam was use as a replacement for the Communist demons. A classic example is President George W. Bush’s description of the Iraq invasion as a “Crusaders’ war”.

One of the major blunders on the part of those who encourage Islamophobia is that they don’t have the ability to differentiate between Islam and terrorism. Associating Islam with evil can create and inflame passions, especially among the younger Muslim generation, which pushes them to retaliate.