Raymond Davis, Aafia Siddiqui, And Other Related Matters...

19 February 2011

El-Hajj Mauri' Saalakhan

Assalaamu Alaikum (Greetings of Peace):

I begin on a historical note. On this day, February 21, 1965, one of America's most courageous, articulate, and world renowned sons (of the better of the "two Americas") - a committed American born Muslim by the name of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, aka, Malcolm X - was assassinated in New York City. As a Muslim of African American descent I not only remember him with pride, I recognize this warrior for justice as one of the most important teachers in my life. May ALLAH forgive his sins, and grant him a high place in the blessed ranks of the martyrs. Ameen.

Court hearing for Tarek Mehanna

Br. Tarek Mehanna, a Muslim political prisoner in the Boston area, will have a very important court hearing this coming Wednesday, February 23rd, 2PM, at the Moakley Federal Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Way, Boston, MA. Insha'Allah, I plan to be in attendance; I strongly encourage all others (in a position to do so) to be in attendance as well.


MSA Southeast Conference @ Duke University

My congratulations to the young brothers and sisters who organized last weekend's MSA Southeast Conference at Duke University in Charlotte, NC. I salute them for having the courage and commitment to raise the issues that were raised in the conference, and for including speakers who some might consider a bit controversial into the mix. I also appreciate the late night session that Amir Abdel Malik, Sheikh Khalid Yasin, and I, had with the sisters (at the sisters' request) on Saturday night; it was a mutually rewarding and thought-provoking discussion.

(I will have more to say on the conference - and some of the very specific nasiha that I offered to all of its participants - in a later posting, insha'Allah.)

On a related note, I've been invited by Imam Khalid Griggs to be the principle presenter at a one day only social justice workshop scheduled for Saturday, March 5, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Insha'Allah, I am looking forward to the program with much anticipation. I strongly urge my brothers and sisters (especially the youth) within reasonable driving distance of Winston-Salem, to make their very best effort to attend the workshop. I am certain, insha'Allah, that you will find the upcoming program informative, inspirational, and well worth your time.

More on this in the coming days, insha'Allah.

Raymond Davis and Dr. Aafia Siddiqui

"By now journalists everywhere (except in the US) have come to the conclusion that there is far, far more to Raymond Davis than is being revealed by the US or by Pakistani officials. That he was engaged in anti-state activities in Pakistan, and that the two young men he killed were intelligence agents tailing him, is virtually an accepted fact. The US, never famous for its diplomacy, seems to have discovered fresh depths to its strong-arm, coercive diplomacy. The mere fact that no less a personage than the US President has asked that this low-ranked person be granted absolute immunity, is indicative of the US desperation to get him out of Pakistan and its court system."

These are the opening paragraphs of a thought-provoking commentary by Shaukat Qadir, a retired Brigadier from the Pakistan infantry. The article is titled, "Why Pakistan cannot release the man who calls himself Raymond Davis."

From the very beginning of this curious saga involving the mystery man who calls himself Raymond Davis, it has been my opinion that he was someone who worked in Pakistan undercover as a private contractor; and my gut instincts suggested to me that the deliberate killing of those two Pakistani men had nothing to do with a potential robbery.

While the information that has come out over the past month appears to confirm the basis for that supposition, it now appears that Mr. Davis (or whatever is real name is) was far more than a lowly gun-for-hire contractor. There are strong suggestions that Mr. Davis is CIA, and that he may even have connections to some of the terrorist attacks that have rocked Pakistan. (Surely ALLAH knows best.)

With that said, I find it encouraging that Aafia Siddiqui's name is repeatedly coming up in much of the drama revolving around this operatives case in Pakistan. One thing is certain: there should be no repatriation of Mr. Davis to America, unless there is quid pro quo repatriation of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui as part of the deal! Insha'Allah, I will have more to say on this later.

 

©  EsinIslam.Com

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