According to the UM-D campus newspaper, The Michigan Journal, the rally was organized by the Arab Student Union and the Students United for Peace and Justice.
United for Peace and Justice is a national, anti-Bush, anti-Israel, group whose list of best friends includes the Communist Party USA, CODEPINK, and the ADC.
UFPJ’s issues include opposition to the War in Iraq, opposition to Israel, opposition to sanctions against Iran, opposition to military recruitment and the US military in general, (see example of the UFPJ anti-military poster at right), nuclear disarmament (of the USA), and exploiting tragedies like Hurricane Katrina as accessories to sticky-fingered groups like the AFL-CIO and the NAACP in their get-richer-quick schemes to referee "the equitable distribution of money and resources from Federal, state and local government and other relief agencies."
In this same issue of the Journal guest commentator, Iraq War veteran and UM-D student J. David McHann, calls on SUPJ President, Rashid Baydoun, (and quite politely, I may add), to remove offensive posters hung on campus depicting American soldiers threatening Iraqi women and children with their weapons, and captioned: “Oppression.” ("Posters' portrayal of troops is unfounded"). At right is another example of an SUPJ poster, "A Soldier of None," in which a little Norman Rockwell kid (or is that a MAD magazine kid?), flips off Uncle Sam.
According to McHann, a previous request to Baydoun to remove the posters was ignored. As of this writing Baydoun hasn't responded to McHann's commentary in the online edition of the newspaper.
The other organizer of the rally, the Arab Student Union, was criticized last year by our colleagues at Stand With Us, for making Osama Siblani the featured speaker at their annual dinner. Siblani is AAPAC president, and publisher of the Arab American News; his newspaper is bitterly anti-Israel and anti-Bush. Siblani’s talk included warnings about the “pro-Israel lobby,” and hw was quoted to tell the audience that night at the Bint Jebail Cultural Center that, “They [the Jews] control everything but the universities and the future leaders that sit before you tonight.” (“Offensive remarks against Jews at Arab Student Union Dinner at U-M Dearborn”)
(Obviously Siblani was exaggerating about Jews controlling "everything," or else “they” would have been directing their minions in the kitchen to serve poisoned tabouli to all the “future leaders”.)
Congressman Paul didn’t attend the UM rally. The Michigan Journal reports the UM-D event was mainly intended to be informational.
“We want to spread awareness of Ron Paul and his campaign,” said freshman Michael Chami.
Chami said that he had been passionate about politics for his entire life.
He said that in today’s world, there are two paths; a path of community and sympathy or a path of war.
He said that Ron Paul voted against the Patriot Act and the war in Iraq and if elected, Ron Paul would get the soldiers out of Iraq immediately. Chami also explained the view of the hypocrisy of wasting money on war while millions live in poverty.
Arab Student Union Vice President Hussein Saghir
urged the students to research Ron Paul and his politics and think about what he would do if he were elected. He stressed the importance of comparing and contrasting the other candidates and hopefully making Ron Paul the genuine option.
“We can change the course of history in the next election,” Saghir said.
Also attending the rally was Tarek Baydoun, a UM-Dearborn alumnus and local realtor who writes for Siblani at the Arab American News, and also works very hard at becoming a prominent "future leader" for Islamic causes in Dearborn.
Towards this goal, in July Baydoun told the Detroit News that blame for 9/11 rested on American policies and power, while denying that any of the hijackers could be “affiliated with Islam.” Last June in the Detroit Free Press he condemned all criticism of the UM plan to install Muslim wudu stations as "vitriolic, Islamaphobic rhetoric over the footbaths." ("Protests at UMD show intolerance", DFP, June 12, 2007).
Regarding his support for Paul, Baydoun told the Michigan Journal “that he has been a Democrat his entire life and never thought that he would be voting for a Republican,” but now supports Ron Paul for “what he stands for and the plans he has set if he was (sic) elected.”
I wonder who all of this says less for? For Ron Paul that he attracts such supporters? Or less for the supporters that they like Paul only because he opposes the Patriot Act, has an irrational view of national security, and has a plan for abandoning Iraq just as victory there will be nearly total by January 2009?
6 comments:
It is not strange that Osama Siblani says such a thing. It is strange that the authorities is not investigating him and doing nothing about it in the name of freedom of speech. What is behind it?
During this year he met with the Lebanese head of parliament Nabih Berri who is the head of the terrorists Amal Movement ( commited many terrorist acts ) and the speaker on behalf the terrorist Huzbelah group and at the same time their partner. He met with officials and Imams of Hizbulah and the Manar Tv in Lebanon. His reporters and the sponsoring ones from Lebanon and here in the US has close ties with Iran, Syria and are members of terrorist groups like Huzbalah, Amal and the SNSP. IE: Kamal Thubian ( SNSP ), Ali Moosavi, a fake last name for it is Al- Mosawi ( related to the ex leader of Huzbulah Abbas Al-Mosawi who was killed by Israel ), James Zugby ( we all know who he is ), Neal Abunab ( corrupted ), Ahmad Bakher Sherry ( big time pro terrorist columnist and supporter ), Adnan Baydoun ( we all know the history of the family ). Their articles were always in support of these groups and Palestinian terrorists against Israel and the Western world.
No it is not strange for these people to be our enemy, the strange thing why we are accepting that and living among them.
Either take legal action against them or send them home where they belong.
I am wondering if Hussein Saghir ( originally Al-Saghir, means the little in Arabic ) is getting orders from his relatives the members of the terrorist groups Hizbullah and Amal in South Lebanon and the Dahia Al-Jonoubia ( South section ) of Beirut?
This way if Ron Paul is elected they could get away with their terrorist acts here, and Iran will take over Iraq.
Hale the Shi"a empire.!!!!
Not only is Hussein Saghir an upstanding American citizen but he is also a staunch constitutionalist. Hussein Saghir is the epitome of the American dream and he stands up for America every chance that he gets! Since when were traditional conservative principals aligned with terrorism?
Hussein Saghir is the modern Thomas Jefferson. Not only does he stand up for ALL Americans but also has a distinct belief in freedom. Please do not defame him any further. He is the type of person who will more than willingly discuss your view point and respect it but as far as I’m concerned, aligning him with any non-American ideas is unfair.
To insinuate that Hussein Saghir or any other Arab American nationalists for that matter are taking orders from terrorist leaders a world away is just plain ignorant. We need to stop looking at who said what in this country and start paying attention to the message. The fact that students like Hussein Saghir, Michael Chami, and Tarek Baydoun are advocating for civic engagement and encouraging students at the university level to invest in this election speaks to their degree of dedication and passion. Furthermore, until we realize our voice and demand change, a message that these fine young men have echoed over and over again, we will not win any battles waged, both foreign or domestic. In a country such as ours, where opinions are encouraged and ideals are fostered why are we so easily offended when people express their right to think out loud? I am sorry that a war vet was offended by the posters of the SUPJ but at the same time this whole war is offensive… and furthermore we are fooling ourselves if for one minute we thought the Iraqi people were not being tortured over there… I think the photos from Abu Ghraib have already proved this to be true. In the end we need to recognize individual rights and stop allowing ourselves to be brainwashed by radical propagandists who would love nothing more than to dive a nation in the name of nationalism.
Hi SFK
I appreciate your taking the time to comment.
I have commented about Tarek Baydoun before, and noted that his ideas about national pride strongly suggest he is referring to the Muslim ummah, not to America.
Unity http://dearbornunderground.blogspot.com/2007/06/local-arab-americans-call-for-national.html
I don't doubt that Baydoun, Chami, and Saghir are dedicated and passionate, but, without any context, those terms don't tell us anything, good or bad. Dedicated to what? Passionate about what?
We have noted their affiliations, including with anti-semitic leaders like Siblani, and left-wing groups like the Communist Party and CODEPINK.
You really think they’re motivated by American patriotism?
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