Abu Fayez

Jose Padilla

2005-08-13T12:48:00.000-07:00

Jose Padilla : U.S. citizen imprisonned without trial.
"The New York Civil Liberties Union today joined with the American Civil Liberties Union and two of its affiliates in calling for the release of Jose Padilla from military detention where he's been held as an "enemy combatant" for 3 years. ". Read the full article here:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article9221.htm

Farenheit 9/11

2005-06-17T10:11:00.000-07:00

Fahrenheit 9/11 the Movie

Haven't seen it yet? Make it your weekend movie. Check it out @:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/video1035.htm

“Fallujah-The day After"

Check out this video showing the city of Fallujah, after Americans attacked:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article9010.htm

Iraq. Under Hussein's government.

BEFORE the US attacked. Iraq Facts EVERY war supporter should have known

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article9045.htm

Some interesting facts about Iraq before the US went in. Plus check out the many other links in the same text. There's a reference for each fact. Here are some facts found in the text What nation won Humanitarian Awards for its literacy programs?

Iraq. Under Hussein's government. http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/09/30/sproject.irq.regi... /

-What nation had the highest number of citizens with PhDs on the world? And had more PhDs than America?

Iraq. Under Hussein's government.

The Shari'a Debate

2005-05-27T12:58:00.000-07:00

Although I am not one to argue for or against Shari'a law and its application here in Canada I do feel compelled to speak out against the utter stupidity that the Muslims here in Quebec have been victim to. For the past few months there has been a debate in Quebec on wether or not Shari'a law should be considered here and yesterday (May 26th, 2005) it was definetely rejected by the National Assembly in Quebec city. It is sad to say that this law was rejected only out of ignorance by Quebec politicians and we should understand that it was only this ignornace that caused them to vote this way. Personally if they were to cite or raise some good arguments I would have accepted their decision but the quality of their arguments infuriated me due to their complete lack of merit. I am not either for or against Shari'a law but I am against stupidity and as such I would like highlight some of the arguments that were raised. The minister leading the battle against the Muslims was Fatima Houda Pepin, a Moroccan who moved to Quebec in the mid-1970s. She was supposedly raised a Muslim and is now non-practicing. She also participated in a seminar on Islam in March of last year where the topic was "State, Politics and Religion". In attendance and also lecturing was a Nobel Peace prize Laureate, so you can see that it was a fairly important seminar. As far as I can tell these are the only qualifications that Mrs. Houda Pepin has in discussing the issue of Islam. Although these may seem impressive Mrs. Houda Pepin was probably invited to this seminar to be the Canadian face and authority present. If you look more deeply at the quality of Mrs. Houda Pepin's arguments and her formal education you will notice that she seems to have almost no knowledge on the subject of Islam other than from what westerners themselves are exposed to. Although I am not one to criticize anyone else, Mrs. Houda Pepin is a public figure speaking out against the Muslim community and as such I believe that this is justified.

This debate is a great opportunity to get public exposure for a politician and Mrs. Houda Pepin has indeed received a huge amount of attention. You may or may not be in favor of the Shari'a but I will try to convince you as best as I can that it was ignorace that triumphed in this case. I will state Mrs. Houda's Pepin education and some of the arguments she's been stating and I will let you be the judge yoursleves.

Education:

Diploma in commerce, Lycée Al Khansa, Casablanca, Morocco (1972)
Studies in political science, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco (1973-1974)
Bachelor's degree in political science, Université Laval, Québec (1976)
Master's degree in international relations, University of Ottawa (1977)
Master's degree in library and information science, McGill University, Montréal (1981)
Doctoral studies in international politics, Université de Montréal (1982)

Professional experience

Academic research on information society issues at the national and international levels (1977-1982)
Study tours on the progress of information technologies in member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Japan (1983)
Consultant in intercultural education, immigration and international affairs, Federal Government, Government of Québec, Ville de Montréal and private enterprises (1981-1994)
Lecturer, Université de Montréal and University of Québec, Montréal (1990-1994)

Community and political activities

Vice-chair and chair, Committee on Intercultural Relations, Ville de Montréal (1990-1994)
Winner, "Le français, pour moi ça compte!" award from the Office de la langue française, for her contribution to the improvement of French in the workplace (1990)
Recipient, Teachers' Union of Montréal Honorary Prize, for her work in bringing cultural groups together (1991)
Recipient, Governor General's Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of the Canadian Confederation, in recognition of her important contribution to the welfare of her fellow citizens and to Canada (1992)
Named "Personality of the Week" by the newspaper La Presse (1992)
Honoured during Women's History Month, for her significant influence on today's society (1993)
Knight of the Order of French-Speaking Nations and cultural dialogue, International Assembly of French-Speaking Parliamentarians (AIPLF) (1994)
Honoured in the category of "Women Political Leaders" by the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montréal (1995)

Although these qualifications are very impressive she has almost no qualifications to speak on Islam and she has no stated experience working with the Muslim community itslef. As a matter of fact here is what she says about the Muslim community in an article in the Globe and Mail (May 27th 2005, Front Page):

"For the last few years, Canada has become the stage of an intensive battle for the control of the Muslim community,"

So basically Muslims in Canada are trying to take over ledership of the Muslim World? If she means a smaller community why would she say Canada is the battle ground for the Muslim community? The article then goes on to quote Salam El Menyawi, president of the Muslim Council of Montreal, as if Abdel Salam was a person involved in this battle. I don't know Abdel Salam very well but I do know that a group of early twenty something youths held a fundraising dinner at a mosque recently and Abdel Salam would have been willing to volunteer for these youths if he were available. I don't think this characterizes someone battling for control of the Muslim world, if this was implied by this article. Indeed I doubt Mr. El Menyawi would be described as other than someone trying to help his community. Furthermore, it is only in the recent past that Mrs. Houda Pepin has starting speaking about Shari'a law. In 2003 Mrs. Houda Pepin undertook the battle of genetically engineered food, which was probably the argument in vogue at the time. Another argument that was stated by Mrs. Houda Pepin:

" We've seen sharia at work in Iran. We've seen it at work in Afghanistan, with the odious Taliban regime. We've seen it in Sudan, where the hands of hundreds of innocent people were cut off. We've seen it in Nigeria with attempts at stoning [of accused adulterers]." (http://www.co-jet.org/cjet/contentsmarch/032605/excludeislamists.htm)

This actually raises a good point but I really doubt that Muslims will be stoning their women on the streets of Montreal and Toronto or cutting off people's hands. Islam itself, from my understanding, says that Muslims should respect the society they live in. I will state Dr. Jamal Badawi's reply to this in the same article:

" What do we have to do with what happens in Sudan or Afghanistan? Did any one say we have to apply the laws of [those countries] in Canada?"

Antoher point raised by Mrs. Houda Pepin (same source):

"One of the strengths of Islamists is that they know you very well. They know our history, they know our culture, they know our justice system, the Charter of Rights. … Their objective is not to integrate into Canada, it is to integrate Canada to their values."

The Islamists??? Is it just me or does that sound like the way someone who is very unfimiliar with Muslims and the Muslim communtiy would say Muslims. Furthermore in this argument she makes the Muslims out to be boogeymen, hardly something a person who has respect for a religious or ethnic group would do. It seems to me Mrs. Houda Pepin in reality has no or very little knowledge of Islam or the Muslim community. I wonder if she's even read the Qur'an or if anyone has asked her about this. It's sad to say but Muslims in Quebec were indeed victims of stupidity. Mrs. Houda Pepin does not seem to be a stupid person and because of this it speaks volumes on her character.

Why We Fight & Hijacking Catastrophe

2005-04-10T18:45:00.000-07:00

Why We Fight

Check out this award winning film:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8494.htm

Hijacking Catastrophe

9/11, Fear, and the Selling of American Empire
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article6895.htm

Murderous Thugs
by Cindy Sheehan

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8502.htm

All materials provided by ICH. ICH is 100% independent media. ICH represents the effort of one person. I need your help to offset the costs associated with site hosting and bandwidth usage. If you find this site informative please help by clicking here
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/support.htm

Activism and US Interventions

2005-03-31T14:20:00.000-08:00

Europeans Take To The Streets

In Pictures: From Bush's visit to Europe in the last month

Page 1- http://www.indymedia.be/news/2005/02/93226.php
Page 2- http://www.indymedia.be/news/2005/02/93213.php
Page 3- http://www.indymedia.be/news/2005/02/93254.php

A History of US Interventions

Visit for a good record:
http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/project.jsp?project=us_interventions_project

“I believe that God wants me to be president.” George W. Bush

"I would like to thank Providence and the Almighty for choosing me of all people to be allowed to wage this battle for Germany," Hitler - Berlin March,1936

To Salute Once More

2005-03-06T22:12:00.000-08:00

Brawn is for the weak,
The brain is for the strong.
Misperceptions, misconceptions,
It goes on and on and on.
What happened to ideals,
What happened to your pride.
What happend to your diginity,
Thats been lost along the ride.
The pen is truly mighty,
In those who know to wield.
Dangerous are they,
For they write in the minds of men.
The gun follows orders,
For profit and duty and plunder.
Will it ever stop?
Before it pulls us under.
The US of A
Their flag of many stars,
They lost what made them great,
Their minds so full of scars.
Look here, look there, says I.
Be scared, code orange, says I.
Movies, TV, says I.
Forget your brain, says I.
Look at that girl.
Her breasts are almost bare.
If you look really closely,
You can see her underwear.
Gaze upon the floor,
'Tis better for you
Pick up a book,
And join the remaining few.
Read!
Read! For God made you from a clinging zygote.
Read! And free your mind from slavery.
Read! And restore your pride.
Pick up that soiled flag.
So we can salute once more.

An Iraqi Lullaby

2005-02-26T11:57:00.000-08:00

An Iraqi Lullaby

2 Minute Video. WARNING!!! Hard to take. Contains disturbing images, but still necessary to watch. Vocals by Laura Bush and Mothers of America. Pictures Provided by President G W. Bush. Watch it now !

Real Video http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article7379.htm

QuickTime http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article7368.htm

The state Of Iraq Today

BBC Video as Iraq holds historic elections, Panorama presents a major film examining the state of Iraq today. Will the elections put the country on the road to peace -or push it deeper into war? Click here to watch it online http://207.44.245.159/article8003.htm

20 amazing facts about voting in USA

Did you know...1. 80% of all votes in America are counted by only two companies:

http://www.newmatilda.com/home/articledetail.asp?ArticleID=471

Poltico-Economics

This is an excellent article to read. Gives you an accurate view of world dynamics that is impossible to find in the mainstream media. It is pretty in-depth.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CLA410A.html

All material provided by ICH. Support ICH @:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/support.htm

This is INDEPENDENT MEDIA. Information Clearing House, is 100% non commercial. It does not sell books, t-shirts or advertising and is completely dependent on readers to fund it's website and newsletter. News and information is posted to the website regardless of any commercial considerations. This provides you with the opportunity to inform yourself and form your own opinions. Without the support of readers, both in forwarding news items to me and financial contributions, this site would not exist. While I am fortunate in having the time to devote to this task, I do not have the financial resources to fund the website and newsletter on my own. You can help by providing whatever you can- $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100- by going to: http://207.44.245.159/support.htm or if you prefer to send a check or money order to, Tom Feeley, PO Box 365 Imperial Beach, CA 91933. USA. To those ofyou who have been able to support ICH. Thank you.

2 Videos of War, Peace and the Crazies

2005-02-20T18:22:00.000-08:00

This first video will blow your mind!!! It's a documentary that looks at Afghanistan after the war and about the ideology of the US. Of note is an interview with a former CIA analyst that used to advise George Bush sr. and interviews with both William Krystol and Dougles Feith, two of the new empire's architects. This is must see!!!.

http://207.44.245.159/pilger_breaking_the_silence_35mb.htm

The second video, done by the CBC, talks about the media in the US and some of the Democratic and Republican mouthpieces south of the border. If you don't know who Bill O'Reilly is, you will after wathcing this video. He's the guy who said Canada is left leaning and repeatedly tries to intimidate our country. He called the Globe & Mail a far left newspaper and one of his listeners threatened and insulted one of the G&M's reporters.

http://207.44.245.159/article7914.htm

Videos complitments of ICH. Support ICH @:

http://207.44.245.159/support.htm

Peace to You

2005-02-18T06:03:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome.

I am glad that you have entered this blog. This is a place where political ideas, essays, writings, documentaries, poetry and comments can be expressed freely. Let me give you a little backgroung on the site. The site name, iqrawafakker, means literally to read and reflect, which is the main goal of this site. This site was created to educate people. I will post the best articles and documentaries of the week, every Sunday, and you can access these by simply clicking on the link. Most of the writing is not from me. They are from reknowned authors such as Chomsky, Gore Vidal, Howard Zinn and others. It is evident that these are liberal writers and, with all the anti-liberal rhetoric coming from down south, my opinions will try to be as moderate as possible. I'll admit that there are writers on the left that hold extreme positions, such as Pulitzer prize winning author Seymor Hearsch, who has recently stated that the current American administartion has been taken over by a cult. Although I understand his analogy, I feel that when making these types of statements, you tend to lose credibility. There was also the extreme right wing call in host of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, Bill O'Reilly, calling Canada's The Globe & Mail, extreme left wing. If any of you are Canadian you would find this laughable. However, I should mention that Bill O'Reilly's show is one of the highest rated news shows in the U.S. and has many die hard fans. This will give you some idea of the idealogical shift that the U.S. has recently experienced. I would say they have taken a huge leap to the right. As a matter of fact, they have the Democrats running scared. Anyways, I will try to weed out extreme positions, unless I feel that they serve an important purpose. I should also state that this blog is 100% made in Canada, so the positions will tend to be more left leaning than some Americans might be used to. Also, just to give you some background on the name Abu Fayez, it means father of victory. Another definition I've heard was that it means father of the one who's been saved. I used this name because it is the name of someone who was very dear to me. Anyways, I will update this site more fully in the near future. Hope you all come back and visit real soon. Take care.