Pulling Imran Khan off a plane in Canada, and making him miss his Eid fundraising lunch in New York, is pretty crass of the United States, a country that claims its foreign policy is motivated by freedom. The idea that low level US immigration operatives needed clarificiation on Khan’s well-known views on killings by US drones in Pakistan is plainly nonsense. But this wasn’t routine or an error; Khan wasn’t questioned at a desk on arrival in New York, he was pulled off a plane by US operatives in Canada. It was an exercise in humiliation.
But if you look under this event you find some interesting, creepy crawly creatures.
From the Toronto Sun report linked above:
The American Islamic Leadership Coalition from Phoenix, Ariz. wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier this week, pressuring her to revoke the U.S. visa granted to Khan because of his sympathetic views towards the Taliban.
The American Islamic Leadership Coalition followed this up with a press release with the notably un-Islamic contact name of Gregg Edgar of Gordon C James Public Relations.
From Wikipedia on Gordon C James:
James grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and moved to Iowa in 1969 where he served several years in the Iowa National Guard. James worked in the real-estate management business in Des Moines, renting space to presidential candidates in town for the caucuses. In 1978, he met and rented space to former President of the United States George H. W. Bush (then Ambassador Bush).[1]
After the 1988 election James worked as Lead Advance Representative at the White House for two years under President George H.W. Bush and Director of Invitations and Ticketing for the 51st Presidential Inaugural Committee.[2] James was also employed as deputy director of events for the 54th and 55th Presidential Inauguration.[3] In 1990 he founded the public relations firm Gordon C. James Public Relations.
In 2004, James was employed by former U.S. Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove to improve U.S. public relations in Iraq during the transition of governments.[4] For more than five months he served as the Director of Advance and Special Events in the Office of Strategic Communications and Director of the Presidential Palace Studio for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad, Iraq. While there he advised Ambassador Paul Bremer and was responsible for coordinating the Ambassador’s relations with Western and Pan-Arab media outlets and produced several events including the signing of the Tal (Iraq’s Declaration of Independence) and 100 Days to Sovereignty, the countdown to the transfer of power from the CPA to newly founded Iraqi government.[5]
In 2004 James assisted in several political stops with the Bush-Cheney campaign and in 2005, he was employed as lead advance representative for President George H.W. Bush and President Bill Clinton’s tour of the Tsunami-hit regions of Indonesia.[6]
James has traveled to five continents as a lead advance representative for President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.
There are some Muslims in the American Islamic Leadership Coalition. In Phoenix with Gordon C James is M Zuhdi Jasser, of Syrian origin but for eleven years a medical officer in the US Navy. And the AILC has another interesting Syrian, leader of “The Reform Party of Syria”, Farid Ghadry. The AILC website includes the quote:
“Gossip is he is the next president of Syria”
Ghadry lives in Washington and is the author of such fascinating blog posts as “Israel Builds for Nobel Prizes, Arabs are Suicide Bombers”.
Like the Quilliam Foundation in the UK, doubtless the AILC has hoovered up plenty of public funds for its useful work for the security services. BUt the idea that it genuinely represents a strand in Islamic thinking is ludicrous. It is marvellous what being an establishment shill can do for your media profile though. Zuhdi Jasser addressed his largest mass rally of supporters – highly optimistically estimated by the media as three dozen – in a New York rally in support of NYPD’s controversial surveillance and agent provocateur operations against Muslims. Rather than laughing at it, the tame mainstream media covered it infinitely better than they cover anti-war rallies 1,000 times larger, and portrayed it as a genuine sign of Muslim community support for the surveillance.
Just as none of the mainstream media reporting the current Imran Khan story – most of whon quote the AILC – say anything about who the AILC really are. What do people working in the mainstream media think the purpose of their existence actually is?
More here from Greenwald and Marcy Wheeler, good lizard.
http://www.emptywheel.net/2012/10/27/administration-continues-apparent-policy-of-harassing-pakistani-drone-critics/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/oct/28/detention-imran-khan-drones
Suhayl;
“but I’m really just concentrating here on the ‘now’.”
Thanks for the clarification. Like the Native Americans and Aborigines of Australia, whose cultures existed fairly well without the Authoritarians, Paks and Afghani people didn’t need the ‘improvements’ Western culture seeks to impose.
Good one, Ben…
Why is the government so afraid of Pakistanis explaining to Americans what the drone attacks look like from a Pakistani perspective?
Wouldn’t want to alienate the voters, would we? Imagine if this lot got radicalised –
http://dawn.com/2012/07/09/pakistanis-are-second-fastest-growing-race-in-us-says-report/
The (June 2012, Pew Research) report puts the figure of Pakistanis who are legal residents of the US at 120,000, with an additional 50,000 being eligible to naturalise…..The survey signified that Asian-Americans are more likely to support an activist government rather than republicans. Half are democrats or lean democrats whereas on 28 per cent are GOP or lean GOP.
The survey also proclaimed that President Barrack Obama is supported more by Asian-Americans than other Americans as 54 per cent of them believe that he is doing his job well.
Fifty-five per cent of the Asian-Americans prefer big governments that ensure provision of services.
Though for those who have not yet downloaded my irony app, I should confirm that IMO it would be simpler not to use drones against Pakistanis/anyone.
Imran Khan, multi-millionaire brother-in-law of Zac Goldsmith MP – soon to be married into the Rothschild banking cartel.
Are you suggesting that he is some sort of ‘peoples champion’?
“Wouldn’t want to alienate the voters, would we?”
I love rhetorical questions. They are much like proper reportage. They allow the reader to think for himself and don’t insult our intelligence. We fill in the conclusion(s)
But Obama is more worried about the electorate, as a whole. I keep getting pushback from so-called liberals who are concerned about any breach in the collective. Quite frankly, even after Obama is re-elected, there will be the same pushback for the lame duck. But it will be about an obstructionist Congress.
I take some solace in the fact that even our greatest President, Lincoln, kept Habeus Corpus in stasis during the War, and delayed publishing Emancipation Proclamation until after his re-election to avoid pissing off the voters in Border States. Obama is no Lincoln, however.
Khan and Jemima divorced. As to Zac marrying a rather tasty Rothschild girl…wouldn’t you? Still and all, whether Khan is a man of the people or not (I tend to agree – he isn’t) is not the point of this story. Is it? (Thx, Ben)
I think it is perfectly acceptable for Muslims to be routinely harassed whilst traveling. It’s the only way to stop another 911, just ask the NYPD.
They have been actively harassing Muslims in the big apple for over 10 years and no further 911’s have occurred. And anyone who says US policy is dictated to by Israel and the Jewish mafia that controls the US congress is a lying anti-Semite.
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/22/opinion/obeidallah-nypd-muslim-students/index.html
‘past few years’ means since Bloomberg took over.
More news re Greek corporate media…two tv presenters removed after mentioning on air that minister threatened to sue foreign newspapers that report police violence.
http://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2012/10/29/state-net-tv-presenters-cenored-for-criticizing-public-order-minister-over-guardian-torture-report/
A con. ‘Freedom’ for the hens but none for the Lithuanian slave workers.
Workers who collected Freedom Food chickens ‘were trafficked and beaten’
Gangmasters’ licence is revoked and two people are arrested after claims of debt bondage, poor conditions and violence
http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/2012/oct/29/workers-chickens-allegedly-trafficked-beaten
‘Late on Monday a gangmaster company which provided teams of migrant workers to dozens of large chicken farms in a chain that supplies premium free range eggs to McDonald’s, Tesco, Asda and M&S, “Woodland” eggs to Sainsbury’s, and the Freedom Food and Happy Eggs brands to leading retailers had its licence revoked with immediate effect by the Gangmaster Licensing Authority (GLA).’
‘The gangmaster business supplied workers to Noble Foods, one of the UK’s largest processors of eggs and chickens. Noble is currently promoting its happy eggs on primetime television with an advert that shows its hens leaping for joy to the Olympian soundtrack of Chariots of Fire.’ !
@Nowt so stupid as folk
30 Oct, 2012 – 3:25 pm
‘Imran Khan, multi-millionaire brother-in-law of Zac Goldsmith MP – soon to be married into the Rothschild banking cartel.’
This reads as if Imran Khan is engaged to a Rothschild. Zac Goldsmith who is his ex brother-in-law married a Kate Rothschild. She left Goldsmith for an American rapper.
Thanks Mary – that finalised a family decision to keep a few chickens in the yard.
Lincoln was reelected in November 1864. He issued the preliminary version of the Emancipation Proclamation on Sept. 27, 1862, days after the Union victory at the Battle of Antietam. (The final version was issued on Jan. 1,1863.)
198.81.129.107
30 Oct, 2012 – 6:01 pm
“I think it is perfectly acceptable for Muslims to be routinely harassed whilst traveling. It’s the only way to stop another 911, just ask the NYPD.
“They have been actively harassing Muslims in the big apple for over 10 years and no further 911′s have occurred.”
Good logic!
A man throwing mouse droppings in Trafalgar Square was asked why he was doing that
“Because it keeps elephants away.”
“But there are no elephants around here!”
“Well that shows you it works!”
(Same logic)!
Lysias; Poorly worded, was my comment…..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emancipation_Proclamation
“Lincoln issued the Proclamation under his authority as “Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy” under Article II, section 2 of the United States Constitution.[3] As such, he claimed to have the martial power to suspend civil law in those states which were in rebellion. He did not have Commander-in-Chief authority over the four slave-holding states that had not declared a secession: Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware, and so those states were not named in the Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation was never challenged in court.”
The Proclamation was not published to the above ‘Border’ states as ,ostensibly, he held no power over them, and re-election was highly doubtful for the Republican.
Zen Koan – If DHS is stocked up on a billion hollow point bullets should Adam Werritty stock up on KY Jelly by Nov 6th ?
There was another motivation which served the Union well.
“The Emancipation Proclamation also made it possible for African Americans to serve in the military and launched a wave of enlistments. Lincoln received correspondence expressing both support for and concern about the policy, such as letters from The Rev. Edmund Kelly and General John A. Dix. The policy was put to the test by the 54th Massachusetts, an African-American regiment commanded by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, which demonstrated valor in the ill-fated attack on Fort Wagner in July, 1863. Colonel Shaw’s father wrote to Lincoln shortly after the battle asking for protection of the officers and men of African-American regiments. General Ulysses S. Grant welcomed the enlistment of African-American troops and wrote Lincoln in August 23, 1863:”
Furthermore…(same link)
“In May of the following year, Union General David Hunter issued a similar proclamation freeing slaves in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Again, Lincoln was forced to issue a public statement revoking the proclamation. He concluded his statement, however, by urging the slave-holding border states of Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri to “‘adopt a gradual abolishment of slavery,'” as encouraged by Congress’s Joint Resolution of March 1862:
“You can not if you would, be blind to the signs of the times — I beg of you a calm and enlarged consideration of them, ranging, if it may be, far above personal and partizan politics — This proposal makes common cause for a common object, casting no reproach upon any — It acts not the pharisee. The change it contemplates would come gently as the dews of heaven, not rending or wrecking anything — Will you not embrace it? So much good has not been done, by one effort, in all past time, as, in the providence of God, it is now your high previlege to do — May the vast future not have to lament that you have neglected it.”
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/connections/abraham-lincoln-papers/history6.html
Good reading recently – not sure if im missing some of the chaos.
About Freedom foods – It is a worthwhile animal welfare certification from the RSPCA; in my experience i get markedly better smelling and tasting eggs and chickens from it than with standard free range, which can be iffy, and for about the same price. (imho Raw chicken needn’t stink like most standard ones usually do)
I think when you have good welfare standards for livestock, it improves workers experience and should only be a benefit in improving… humans welfare. It is not beyond possibility that the presence of scrutiny for the chickens welfare in this case, actually assisted the plight of the abused workers.
But it is too easy to spin this news against the worth of extra animal welfare standards, so i expect it will be distributed further than a story about the successful prosecution of gangmasters involved in factory or free-range production.
It contains the type of false dichotomy which our media craves and celebrates to provide the controversy and distraction it needs to maintain its dysfunctional political and economic reporting.
O/T but important on the Scottish question
http://www.newsnetscotland.com/index.php/scottish-politics/6141-the-echo-chamber-lies-and-the-lying-liars
Another O/T! You’ll have to set up a forum with categories, Craig.
How many times per year do hurricances kill dozens of people, at the very least, in poor countries? How much coverage are those events given in the UK’s mainstream media?
I guess John Pilger is right: the poor are unpeople.
Yes, Thatcrab. Often walk past a nearby free range outfit (local farmer) and the hens in the field look happy and healthy. Well worth the slightly higher price IMO. But as you say…as if battery operators didn’t love cheap labour as well…
Mary – Surprised you didn’t read two posts beyond NowtSo’s comment.
Revisiting Imran Khan, may I expand on Mohammed Zudhi Jasser, who seems to have been copied in on AILC’s letter to Hilary Clinton? {http://americanislamicleadership.org/}
Apparently generally regarded by US Muslim organisations as something of an Uncle Tom –
…Daniel Pipes praised Jasser as truly moderate and as someone whose activities demonstrate the falsehood of “phony moderates.” (DanielPipes.org)
BUT I can’t see much wrong with AILC’s statement of principles, which still puts it at odds with mainstream neocon thinking.:
What we stand for:
1. A firm conviction that the primary message and purpose of Islam is to share God’s infinite love and compassion with all creatures. Any actions committed in the name of our faith that obviously contradict or obstruct this primary message and purpose arise from a deluded—and often, highly politicized—interpretation of Islam.
2. Definition of a Muslim as anyone who identifies him or herself as a Muslim. Period.
3. Equality before the law of every human being, regardless of race, gender and/or religion.
4. Separation of state and religion, and freedom of thought, expression and conscience, in accordance with the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Articles 18 and 19 of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
5. Profound respect for Islamic scholarship, combined with a firm belief that no one claiming to be a scholar has the right to compel others to live according to his interpretation of Islam, and/or his legal dictates. We believe that every Muslim is equally entitled to his or her opinion concerning the religion of Islam, and to practice his or her faith in an environment free of intimidation, reprisal or violence.
6. We recognize the importance of religious values in encouraging people to live an honorable life of service to God and humanity, but firmly reject the Islamist claim that there is a theological requirement for Muslims to establish a so-called “Islamic” state and/or caliphate, or to formalize shari‘ah as positive law, governing the lives of Muslims.
And, sadly, at odds with Guano…
American Islamic Leadership Coalition
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MYhge2qpMw4#!
Member Manda Zand Ervin appears to suffer from selective amnesia. She says and I quote:
“The media touted Khomeini as the Second Coming, and lauded him as a holy and righteous man who was committed to upholding humanity and delivering democracy to the people of Iran.
While Khomeini was shunning secularism, his secular-minded supporters fabricated a potpourri of charges against the Shah to bolster their new messiah.
Now however, thirty-odd years down the line and with casualties that are beginning to run in the millions, the results are both international terrorism; a very real nuclear threat that may be hard to stop; absolute oppression and screaming poverty in Iran, and much more.
Who are the perpetrators? The very people who were in the Shah’s prison. The ones who have fled Iran are now on the terrorist list of the Department of State.”
Her leaking synapses fail to remember the brutality of the CIA installed monarch, Mohammad Reza Shah’s brutal MOSSAD trained intelligence service torturing and executing opponents of the Pahlavi regime. Documented evidence reveal nail extractions, electrical shocks with cattle prods into the rectum, sitting on red hot grills, acid dripped into nostrils, water-boarding and mock executions using an electric chair.
I have spoken to mature Iranian refugees who in 1975 fled Iran for the UK and Iranian naval officers in training who shuddered at the barbarism of the immoral Savak secret service.
The AILC supports the Syrian Democratic Coalition, supports the torture and murder of Syrian families by foreign insurgents who brush off the outstretched hands of reconciliation, compromise and harmony.
That is the mendacity of the so called ‘moderate’ American Islamic
FollowerLeadership Coalition.Komodo
‘BUT I can’t see much wrong with AILC’s statement of principles, which still puts it at odds with mainstream neocon thinking.’:
AILC writes a blank cheque for anyone to claim Islam is anything.
As I said before, unable to lick your own balls, you have to get another lizard to lick them for you. Job done.
I am trying not to self-combust at the AILC statement of principles. Please listen carefully. We don’t like superpowers writing their own rules overriding international conventions do we? Generally considered to be a bad thing. Nor do Muslims like other people in the name of Islam overriding the basic principles of their religion.
The first principle of Islam is that God does not share his power with anyone or anything. But the Christians and Shi’a and Jews and Hindus etc etc start by washing the watercolour paper with the lightest tint of shirk/partnership. God used the prophets to do miracles for Him. After that you can deduce that the prophets slightly delegated the rituals of the religion to imams, and from that can deduce that if the CIA appointed Ayatollah is in power, then that power was delegated to him because Allah did not need it. The Divine Right of kings.
The Divine right of kings is one of those false dichotomies mentioned above by Thatcrab in the context of chickens’/workers’ welfare viz: Do we have to obey an unjust ruler? Islam says No, if you know they are unjust then there is no listening and no obeying.
As Mark points out above, it is difficult to see the difference between a coup d’etat by the CIA to establish the Ayatollah and the present CIA eviction of Bashar Assad from Syria by its mercenaries from Al-Qaida. But there is a difference: The Iranian Shi’a believe in the delegation of Divine power to imams and saints, but the Saudi/Zionist-backed Al-Qaida do not. Bashar Assad believes in it, which is why he is stupid enough to try and remain in power.
The other thing about the current struggle in Syria is that in spite of their shirk/belief in the delegation of Divine power to other than Allah, the Jews and the Christians and Shi’a recognise that the time is approaching for the return of Jesus pbuh in Damascus according to Muslim prophecy, and they do not want to be on the wrong side of what they perceive as Jesus’ superior-to-theirs delegated power, peace be upon him.
Syrian Sunnis will recognise the righteousness of the removal of Shi’a power from their true understanding of Islam, and the Syrian Shia will understand the imperative of the removal of Shi’a power from their wrong understanding of Islam. Sometimes submission to Allah becomes inevitable for human beings willy-nilly. The best chance the Jews have got in the context of the csecond coming of Jesus pbuh as a Muslim, is to back the Saudi ‘ulama/scholars.
Deleted again. I have not defamed Jews. I have not denied the extermination of Jews by Nazis.
I have posted FACTS. The very same facts that can be found in a multitude of history books. These facts don’t chime with Zionist thinking, nor yours it seems.
It comes to something when a reference to a site run by Jews, for Jews is deleted for being ‘anti-Semitic’.
Do you not have any cognitive dissonance as you sit there deleting my posts, or do you just keep muttering “rubbish” and “anti-Semite”?
The problems in this world will not be resolved until people replace lies and propaganda with truth and insight, and certainly not while people prefer sticking their heads up their arse because they prefer the view.
Gentle nudge to Guano – where is the blood of Abubakr, Usman, Umar today in the Hejaz? QED. BTW- The 73 faith divisions in Islam hadith, if genuine, means in Guano we have a shrieking shirker who says his beard is longer than Muhammeds – by insisting on the one sunni faith vs 73 of the prophets hadith,he knows better than what the Prophet of Islam said?!! The cure for this salafist madness phase is to balance out with a Western education (“whom God loves the MOST, He gives them knowledge”-and the West did have knowledge enough for the very Christian Colin Powell to to keep the saudi/wahhabi camel jockeys in power when threatened by the secular devil Saddam). Hope this helps !
“Sunni comeuppance”/”English Knight”/”Commesick Commesark” – please stick to one handle, especially in one thread. It is more difficult to have an ongoing conversation if you appear to be several people.
Mike, the discussion has usually meandered a bit O/T by this stage!
A Simple Jew, I am not sure debate will be furthered by shouting – a couple of other people have agreed with your position with great civility, on another thread.
Guano: As with most True Believers ™, you are being highly selective with the scriptural justification for your outlook. I’m not going to risk offending you or anyone else by quoting the Q’ran at you (for one thing I’m no more a student of the Q’ran than you are of the New Testament, for another, this is not a theological blog), but I note you didn’t comment on my earlier quotation.
And I’m pretty sure I could support any theocentric view or policy I liked from the Q’ran. I can do it from the Bible. I could probably do it from Alice in Wonderland, given a talent for finding hidden meanings in essentially random texts…
I’ll quote you instead:
Syrian Sunnis will recognise the righteousness of the removal of Shi’a power from their true understanding of Islam
TRUE, at least for the Salafists/Wahhabis. Down with the heretics! Down with Persian poets!
..and the Syrian Shia will understand the imperative of the removal of Shi’a power from their wrong understanding of Islam.
UNTRUE. Human nature, I’m afraid. I think you need to work on your understanding of practical politics. See, the Shi’a think they have the right understanding of Islam.
And by maintaining and encouraging the ancient division in their ranks, fundamentalist Muslims of all persuasions are simply playing into the Western/ Israeli agenda at present. You’re pwned, in other words.
Sunni Comeuppance: you’re as bad as he is!
And the CIA didn’t establish the Ayatollah.
Thanks Jon. Hadn’t twigged re the Sunni one. Still, it stimulates debate.
Wonga’d
First
Ministers for hire for £1,250: Pay-day loan firm Wonga pays to bend …
dailymail.co.uk/…/Ministers-hire-1-250-Pay-day-loan-firm-Wo…
17 Oct 2012 – Pay day loan firm Wonga was among the companies who paid to meet ministers at the Tory party conference. According to one witness, eight …
Now
David Cameron’s senior adviser leaves to lobby for Wonga
The Prime Minister’s adviser on digital strategy, Jonathan Luff, is leaving Downing Street to become a a lobbyist for Wonga, the controversial payday lender.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/david-cameron/9642807/David-Camerons-senior-adviser-leaves-to-lobby-for-Wonga.html
“I am not sure debate will be furthered by shouting – a couple of other people have agreed with your position with great civility, on another thread.”
I see, so I’m shouting now am I (one word used for EMPHASIS)? And, are you inferring that I have not been civil? I think you will find it is Craig who has been uncivil by citing my previous posts as ‘rubbish’ when they are well accepted historical FACTS.
Are you going to be chiming in with snide remarks on every comment in future?
A prime example for those that don’t believe people are ostracised in the West for holding a point of view that they are not supposed to, and why the average person in the West never hears more than one point of view on any subject, which in turn explains why people are not only dumb but willingly jump to the defence of blatant lies because thats all they know.
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/69623/BBC-shunned-me-for-denying-climate-change