"O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule
[another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor
let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better
than them. And do not insult one another and do not call
each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of
disobedience after [one's] faith. And whoever does not
repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers".
Holy Quran 49:11
Khula is the Right
of the Wife and is not controlled
by the husband.
by Kaukab Siddique
Most imams in America do not know that khula is given by an
imam or Islamic authority on the appeal of the wife. It is
not given or controlled by the husbands.
Why are these imams mistaken? One reason is that they don't
know the correct audience of the verse of the Qur'an about
khula. Here it is:
"Then if you fear that they would not be able to keep the
limits ordained by Allah, then there is no sin on either of
them if she gives back (the Mahr or a part of it) for her
Al-Khul' (divorce)"
[al-Baqarah 2:229]
Notice the word "you" [singular] referring to the religious
authority and "they" [plural] referring to the husband and
wife.
Many imams make the blunder of thinking that "you" is the
husband, which, if true would make no sense of "they."
Is there any evidence in the Qur'an or the hadith that the
husband can give khula? Absolutely not, He can give talaq
[for which there are numerous rules], but not khula.
Is there evidence that only the imam or religious authority
can give khula? Absolutely.
One example is the hadith of the Prophet, pbuh, according to
which he gave khula even when the woman did not have any
evidence of brutality or abuse by the husband. [1]
It was only on the basis of incompatibility.
Another example is that of Umar, r.a., who gave khula to a
woman about whom he could not understand why she wanted
khula.' He shut her in a dark room and when she was
released, she said that was the first time she had slept in
peace. [2]
It was only on the basis of incompatibility. These were good
husbands and good Muslims who would never mistreat their
wives.
The third Righteous Caliph, did not want anything but a
symbolic gesture of the return of gifts by the wife in
khula. Just a hair pin.[3]
There is also evidence that the wife can initiate khula
without going to an imam. If the husband does not accept it,
then she can go to an authority. [4]
The husband under Saudi rulings can control khula by asking
for writing down of khula and signatures by two witnesses.
Again, there is NO evidence that writing or witnesses are
required in khula. Neither the Prophet, pbuh, nor Umar,
r.a., nor Usman, r.a., carried out writing or
witnessing.
Volume 7, Book 63, Number 199: Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:
The wife of Thabit bin Qais bin Shammas came to the Prophet
and said, "O Allah's Apostle! I do not blame Thabit for any
defects in his character or his religion, but I am afraid
that I (being a Muslim) may become unthankful for Allah's
Blessings." On that, Allah's Apostle said (to her), 'Will
you return his garden to him?" She said, "Yes." So she
returned his garden to him and the Prophet ordered him to
divorce her.
Ibn Jarir, narrating from Kathir, maula of Samra,
Abdur Razzaq narrating about Usman, r.a. about Rabia.
Also from Usman, the story of Rabia daughter of Mauz bin
'Afra.
Independent scholars are quite clear about Khula. For
example:
"What is khula? When a woman does not like her husband for
whatever reason and gets rid of him by returning his
marriage gift to him." [Minhaj al-Muslim by Abu Bakr Jabir
al-Jazairi, fadeelat al-Shaykh, instructor at the Mosque of
the Prophet, pbuh, in Madinah
Boycott of Israel
is Working.
Join the Movement
[Excerpted from Newsweek. Sept 1]
The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, a
campaign that advocates applying economic and political
pressure on Israel to achieve equal rights for Palestinians
in Israel and an end to the Israeli occupation of the
Palestinian territories, hailed a decision by French
infrastructure corporation Veolia to sell-off its final
investment in the country as a "major" victory on Tuesday.
Transdev, a subsidiary of Veolia, last week sold its 5%
stake in CityPass, which runs the controversial Jerusalem
Light Rail that connects West Jerusalem with the Arab
neighborhoods and Jewish settlements of East Jerusalem.
East Jerusalem is a majority-Arab area which has been under
Israeli control since the 1967 Six-Day War but is mooted to
be the capital of any future Palestinian state under draft
proposals issued by the Palestinian Authority.
In 2009, the United Nations Human Rights Council described
the light rail project as "built to service the
settlements." BDS campaigners have sought to protest against
Veolia's investments both inside and outside of Israel,
perceiving the company to be complicit in "Israeli
violations of international law."
Related
The BDS movement has waged a seven-year boycott campaign
against Veolia—a company that employs 179,508 people
and boasts a market capitalization of $10.9
billion—and claims that lost contracts across Europe
and the U.S. have cost the company approximately $20
billion.
Riya Hassan, the Palestinian BDS National Committee's (BNC)
Europe campaigns officer, hailed the company's withdrawal
from Israel as a sign of the movement's growing
effectiveness and attributed the company's exit to years of
activism.
"Veolia has become one of the first companies to completely
pull out of Israel as a result of BDS campaigning. Its
decision shows that our movement is leading major companies
to rethink their relationship with the Israel," she said in
an email to Newsweek. "This major success for the BDS
movement follows years of dedicated grassroots activism."
[With thanks to Br. Rich in Nebraska.]
Syrian Migration to Europe Could Have Positive Impact.
by Karin Friedman, Boston
Europeans have recently been forced to acknowledge the
genocide going on in Syria because of dead bodies washing up
on their beaches. Europe is experiencing the Syrian war on a
level that is far removed from the American left's blind
theorizing about what foreign powers are responsible. When
one mentions the bombs come from Russia and the pilots are
Iranian they short-circuit because the Americans really only
get their alternative news from leftist, pro-Assad
sources.
A certain photo of a little boy who had drowned got past the
censors and went viral, as well as the story of an entire
container load of corpses, many children, that washed up on
a beach in Vienna. Germany made the first move to accept ten
thousand refugees. However, there are more than ten thousand
refugees so other European countries are being pressured to
help out. So far all of the refugee burden is on Italy and
Greece due to their proximity to Syria via the Mediterranean
Sea. Fascist Hungary is building an Israel-like wall on its
border with Serbia, to keep the refugees out. There are
reports of Serbians welcoming the Syrian refugees, but there
is historical anti-Turk bias.
As a result of not wanting to repeat the Holocaust, and
genuine humanitarian concern, hundreds of demonstrating
Austrians held signs reading "Refugees Welcome" this week.
They must have been moved to the depths of their being
because my experience of Austria was that they were quite
xenophobic and openly hostile towards Turks. I was denied
service there while wearing hijab. However, not in Vienna.
Vienna is a very open-minded city with a long intellectual
history.
While there are complaints about Arab and Muslim countries
not doing enough for the Syrians, and those countries who do
try to help are accused of harboring terrorists, it makes
sense for Europeans to shelter this sudden influx of new
talent. Countries such as Germany and Austria are so
desperate for young people to fill their employment vacuum
that they already offer free university tuition and serve as
a destination for foreign students from Gaza, Africa, and
Eastern Europe. Syrian immigrants may perhaps be valued
above others because of their colored eyes.
Iceland, the most racist country in Europe, well shall we
say the least diverse, offered 11,000 homes up voluntarily
to house Syrian refugees. This is a profoundly
anti-immigrant state.
According to census polls, the white race, in other words
colored eyed people with blonde or red hair, are becoming an
endangered species, after World War II caused them to kill
each other off. In Europe and America, the inability to
replace the population lost in WWII was caused largely by
the personal choice to become gay, use birth control, or
delay marriage until after menopause. Prior to the Syrian
war, the Syrian population was considered the top producing
country of whites. Even despite the war and refugee status,
they continue to multiply. If it were not for the Syrians,
the white race was due for extinction within the next
century. The war happened after these population statistics
were released in 2010.
Desperate for a global population to represent, white rights
leaders such as David Duke expanded the definition of
"white" to include Italians, Greeks and Syrians, calling
them "Mediterranean whites." Dr. Duke visited Syria on
multiple occasions as a guest of Assad, who is ironically
now mass murdering the last of the blue eyeds.
With the Syrian war not likely to end soon, Syrians will
probably become a permanent part of Europe, which already
has twice the Arab/Islamic presence as the United States
enjoys. This may have long lasting consequences on support
for Israel, but at the same time, European housing of the
Syrian refugees helps Zionism attain its goal of clearing
that entire area for "Greater Israel."
According to Zionist plans that began to be discussed in the
late 1800s in Switzerland, Iraq was supposed to become like
an American Indian reservation for refugees, while Syrian
land would become suburban luxury homes for foreign wealthy
Jews and collaborative "investors."
Time will tell how that plot pans out, but Allah may have
other plans. Syrians are a family oriented society and other
than hygiene needs, they are not likely to cause instability
in Europe. Rather, they might actually cause stability. They
are bringing in a much needed homogenous population of
literate, well-mannered and hard-working people that will be
able to assimilate very quickly. By expanding the definition
of "whiteness" to include Arabs and Muslims, Europe will be
in a stronger negotiating position worldwide, than in the
outdated past when Christianity represented Europe.
Our humble website,
newtrendmag.org
is doing quite well,
Alhamdulillah!
Our Stats for July 2015:
Hits: 93051 (3001 per day)
Visitors: 12969 (418 per day)
According to the BBC, September 1, Somali mujahideen known
as al-Shabab, captured a military base of the Ugandan army
in central Somalia. The Ugandan troops could not face an
attack by a martyrdom operator who blew up the obstacles
into the base. BBC says 70 Ugandan troops were killed.
Al-Shabab took all the weapons in the base and left after
setting fire to it.
[Western powers send non-Muslim troops, such as those from
Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Burundi to occupy a Muslim
country, thus inflaming the situation... editor]
Cameroon Combat
Sept 3. According to the BBC, Boko Haram Islamic fighters
attacked two points in Cameroon, one a military base and the
other a market supporting the troops. The fighting spread
into Cameroon after the Cameroon militart, with western
support, decided to join the Nigerian army in fighting Boko
Haram.
Iraqi Outrage & bombing
Sept 6. An Iraqi military column advancing on Ramadi fell
into an ISIS ambush. Twenty two Shi'ite troops were killed
and the rest retreated.
Near Fallujah, ISIS came out and attacked Baghdad troops
trying to lay siege to the city. In the fighting 8 Baghdad
troops were killed and the rest retreated. [Al-Jazeera]
September 5. ISIS fighters have encircled Haditha. They are
moving towards the Haditha dam. The fighting could spread
because troops are based nearby. [Al-Jazeera]
September 4. US Air Force carried out 25 air strikes against
ISIS across Iraq to stop its advance against Shi'ite and
Kurdish Communist strongholds. [OAP TV] In each strike
numerous targets were hit.
Afghanistan
Sept 6. Heavy fighting is continuing in southern Helmand
province as the Kabul military forces with US air force
support battle the Taliban. US military seem quite upset at
Kabul regime claim that Musa Qala has been retaken from the
Taliban. The US openly contradicted the Kabul claim. [New
Trend notes that the Kabul regime is usually wrong in its
claims against the Taliban.
Fighting is reported in Nangarhar province between Taliban
and ex-Taliban now supporting ISIS
Latest Khutba
Do Da'wa and What is right. Only Allah knows the Future, the
Unseen, the Ending. Modesty [Haya] is Essential for
Muslims. Look at Umar, r.a., & Khalid, r.a.
A Christian woman is standing up to Homosex and She is
Imprisoned without Bail.
On September 4, Br. Kaukab Siddique gave the juma' khutba at
Masjid Jamaat al-Muslimeen in Baltimore, Maryland. It was a
hot, very humid, day with temperatures in the 90s, but the
air conditioner and the fans were working.
The following are the main points for distribution
countrywide.
Texts:
"The Romans are vanquished in the nearer land, and they,
after their defeat will be victorious within 10 years
---Allah's is the command in the former case and in the
latter - and in that day believers will rejoice." [Qur'an
30::2-4]
Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet said, "Faith consists of more than sixty
branches . And Modesty [haya] is a part of faith." [Sahih
Bukhari]
The unseen and the final conclusion of things is known
only to Allah.
In sura Kahf, the Qur'an reveals the story of the seven
[or more sleepers] and their dog who hid in a cave and slept
beyond any reckoning of time. Even time becomes a relative,
unknown, term.
Sura Kahf also narrates the story of Khidr through whom
Allah teaches us that we cannot know future events. Even one
of the greatest messengers of Allah, Musa [Moses] , pbuh,
could not know far into the future.
In sura Room, [chapter 30] we have the forecasting of the
victory of the Christians over the Persians within 10 years
and even further into the future, the victory of the forces
of Islam.
We should fulfil our obligations. Pray the five prayers,
fast and give zakat, love and care for spouses, be kind to
neighbors and stand against oppression and wrong doing.
Give the message of Islam. Da'wah is essential in all
that we do. It should not be based on immediate success. We
should do our best, use all the technologies and
methodologies available, and leave the final results to
Allah.
If immediate results were the standard for da'wah and
fear of powerful opposition by the oppressors were to guide
us, the mission of Muhammad, pbuh, in Makkah would not have
proceeded, as very few accepted him. In fact they ridiculed
and taunted him. He not only persisted but struck at the
roots of oppression and disbelief.
Look at Umar, r.a. From being a pillar of oppression, he
became the greatest caliph of Islam, so soft and loving
towards the poor and the needy.
Look at Khalid, r.a., [ibn al=Waleed] who even killed
Muslims at Uhud [when he noticed them disobeying the
Prophet, pbuh.] He became the greatest general Islam has
produced and got the title of SAIFULLAH [the sword of Allah]
from the Prophet, pbuh. Who could have known?
Part Two
Modesty [a sense of decency, purity, privacy and shame]
is part of Islam. Going into people's private lives and
hidden weaknesses and searching for scandals is forbidden in
Islam. [sura hujurat].
American society has become a vast display of the search
for scandal, peering into people's lives and uncovering the
weaknesses which can be found in private lives.
This search for indecency and the display of sexual
affairs seems to be the driving force behind the vast
marketing and media industry. It's a form of kufr [rejection
of Allah's guidance.]
The exploitation of women has become the staple of
business and salesmanship. It's almost like the pre-Islamic
era when poets would publically recite their sexual exploits
and "secret" affairs.
Immodesty and the search for the secrets of women
started with movie making which glorified fornication.
Gradually, the movie industry drifted into the exaltation of
adultery, so much so that most movies present adultery as
exciting and wonderful.
Now we are in the era of bold and brazen indecency. The
government decided to strike at the foundations of religion
by legitimizing homosexuality. From the President of the
United States to the Supreme Court, the cause of
homosexuality was taken up by the Zionist power structure
and media, and now homosexual "marriage" is legal..
Moving forward, those who believe in God and reject
homosexual "marriage" are becoming a persecuted minority in
America. The latest is that a Christian woman who refused to
carry out a homosexual "marriage" has been arrested and is
being held without bail. [Even violent criminals are usually
allowed bail.]
Muslims should realize that they too will face the
assault by the homosexual movement. Don't be confused by
party divisions of Republican and Democrat. We should look
for what is right from the Islamic viewpoint, not which
party is supporting whom.
Always seek guidance in the Qur'an and the example of
the Prophet, pbuh.
Palestine
Is this disturbing video Israel's Eric Garner moment?
Soldier almost choked an 11-Year Old Palestinian Child.
[Excerpted.] Updated by Max Fisher on August 31, 2015, 2:10
p.m. ET [Courtesy VOX]
An Israeli soldier holds down 11-year-old Palestinian boy
Mohammed Tamimi in the West Bank village of Nabi Saleh.
For a few years now, Palestinians in the West Bank village
of Nabi Saleh have held a weekly demonstration to protest
the Israeli occupation that has confiscated village land for
a nearby Israeli settlement. These protests don't usually
make international news.
This isn't the first time something like that has happened
in the West Bank. But with this video of a panicking soldier
crushing a screaming child beneath him, Israel may have the
opportunity to learn the lesson that the United States
learned last year when a New York City police officer choked
a black man named Eric Garner to death: video forces a
conversation. When a bystander with a camera captured Garner
choking, "I can't breathe," on a Staten Island sidewalk, it
forced a conversation about police brutality and systemic
racism in the United States. Now that a camera in Nabi Saleh
has captured the panicked screams and gasps of 11-year-old
Mohammed Tamimi, maybe this will force a conversation about
the moral costs of Israel's occupation of the Palestinians.
On Friday, during the latest Nabi Saleh protest, small
clashes broke out between the protesting villagers and
Israeli soldiers, as they often do. An 11-year-old Nabi
Saleh boy named Mohammed Tamimi, whose left arm was in a
cast, did something to anger one of the Israeli soldiers.
The Israeli military says the boy was throwing stones;
Tamimi's family denies this. But whatever sparked it, the
soldier began to chase the boy, which is when the boy's
father switched on a camera and captured the moment.
CNN.com/2015/08/30/middleeast/west-bank-arrest-images-viral/index.html
In the video, the soldier throws himself on Tamimi, putting
the boy in a headlock and holding him over a rock as he
screams for help. There is a moment, at 1:06 in the video,
when the soldier holds his rifle next to the boy's head and,
disregarding the most basic weapons safety training, places
his finger over the gun's trigger. Thankfully, after a
moment he slings the rifle behind his shoulder, but then
tries to wrestle and carry the boy off. After a short
struggle, the soldier places his hand around the back of the
child's neck and pushes his face into one of the rocks.
Several nearby women from the protest then attempt to
intervene. One woman tries to pull the soldier's arms behind
his back; he panics and grabs the boy again. Tamimi's young
sister curls around her brother, shielding his body with her
own as she attempts to drag him away, but the soldier pushes
his hand into her neck and shoves her away. The nearby women
again throw themselves on top of the soldier and, at this
point, another soldier, reportedly the first's commander,
intervenes, eventually pulling him away. The soldier punches
and slaps at several of the Palestinians as he's led away,
throwing what appears to be a tear gas grenade or other
non-explosive grenade on the ground.
PAKISTAN
Jamaate Islami Leader warns India: Aggression will not be
Tolerated: Pakistan is much stronger Today. Numerous Women
& Children were also in the Rally.
by Qaiser Sharif
LAHORE, Sep. 6: Ameer, Jamaat e Islami, Pakistan, Senator
Sirajul Haq, has said that Pakistan equipped with nuclear
bomb was much stronger today than in 1965 and if India dared
to cast an evil eye on this country, it would suffer a much
bigger defeat. He was addressing an Azme Nau Conference in
the Punjab capital held to commemorate the Defense of
Pakistan Day.
Sirajul Haq said that the country needed a Mujahid
leadership like that of Muhammad Bin Qasim and Mehmud
Ghaznavi that could see eye to eye with India. It was a
pity, he said, that the rulers in Islamabad were keen to
treat India as Most Favourite state although the hands of
Indian army were smeared with the Kashmiris blood. Thousands
of women and children also attended the moot.
The JI paid tributes to the martyrs and Ghazis of the 1965
war who defeated a much bigger enemy. He also saluted the
people of Lahore, men, women and youth for their resolve and
courage during the war. He said that a nation imbued with
spirit of faith and love of the country could not be
defeated. He urged the youth of the country to adopt Major
Tufail Shaheed and Aziz Bhatti Shaheed as their models.
He said that Indian Premier Modi, the worshipper of hundreds
of idols had thrown a challenge to the Pakistani nation that
worshipped Almighty Allah alone. He was confident that the
armed forces and the people of this country would inflict a
memorable defeat on the enemy.
' Referring to the national political scene, Sirajul Haq
said that there was no difference between the present rulers
and those of the past. He said if the nation wanted to wipe
out the cancer of corruption, it should vote for the honest
and competent leadership of the JI in the local bodies
elections. He said that the JI was capable of freeing the
country from the clutches of feudal lords, capitalists and
vaderas.
He said that the JI was determined to build as an Islamic
welfare Islamic state free from injustice, exploitation,
poverty and unemployment and disease.
JI Secretary General Liaqat Baloch and other party leaders
also addressed the conference.
Russia
Military intervention in Syria with Approval of United
States. Unity Against Mujahideen. The Russian army is
beginning to engage in Syria
by Thierry Meyssan
31 August 2015
A profound and significant change has just occurred in the
Levant - the Russian army has begun to engage against
terrorism in Syria. Although Russia has been absent from the
international scene since the dissolution of the Soviet
Union, and although it is moving with care, it has just
created a Russo-Syrian Commission, has begun supplying
weapons, sharing intelligence, and sending advisors. All of
this is more or less coordinated with the White House.
After having negotiated a regional alliance against the
Islamic Emirate which implied Saudi Arabia, Syria and
Turkey, Russia suddenly had to abandon its strategy after
the Turkish turn-around. Ankara has in fact decided to break
off its ties with Moscow, and has cancelled, without genuine
motive, the contract for the gas pipe-line Turkish Stream,
created, in partnership with Ukraine, an international
Islamic Brigade intended to destabilise Crimea [1]. It has
also come to the help of the Islamic Emirate in their fight
against the Kurds of the PKK and the YPG.
Our America
Lincoln University, Pa.
University Withdraws Derogatory Remarks on Dr. Siddique:
This is one of the Letters which Probably persuaded the
Officials to realize that they could face a law suit.
I am concerned about the negative attention Dr. Kaukab
Siddique is receiving, as a result of a news report
attacking him in the DailyBeast.com. The report was nothing
but, lies and misinformation.
Dr. Siddique has been a great defender of women. How an
author who is responsible for writing such women's rights
books, such as The Liberation Of Women Thru Islam and Man's
Twin, can be accused of being a male chauvinist is beyond my
comprehension!
What I find disturbing is that the Lincoln University
statement regarding Dr. Kaukab Siddique was purely based on
the erroneous reports about him. Not once did the statement
include having spoken to Dr. Siddique plus, he was never
given the opportunity to defend himself or respond to these
lies. This was very unfair to him and it's uncharacteristic
behavior of such a prestigious university that has graduated
many great thinkers.
Dr. Kaukab Siddique has 100% of my support, not just because
I was his student and have maintained contact with him
throughout this time but, also because the reports about him
are untrue! My emphasis is not just on his right to free
speech but, that these reports were based on lies!
I just wanted to let you know how I feel about this matter
because I realize that you are the leader of the faculty
union. I encourage you to do as much as you can to ensure
that Dr. Siddique's rights as a tenured university professor
are protected.
Thank you for your time.
[Name withheld but the school officials have the name.]
Class of 1995
War News
Syria
Bombing by Assad & USA across Syria: Islamic forces advance
towards Homs and in Lattakia.
Somali Students Slipped out of USA & Joined ISIS. Protest in
Minneapolis. Zabadani, Stalingrad? Damascus almost
surrounded.
Sept 6. Assad's air force bombed all the Muslim strongholds
across Syria. USA joined in the bombing of ISIS in Raqqa,
Hasakeh, Deir az-Zorr and other points in the north
east.
Hizbullah, Assad's elite troops and Shi'ites from
Afghanistan and Iran are still attacking Zabadani in the
Qalamoun mountains. This was the 6th week of Shi'ite
attacks. The mujahideen of al-Nusra, Ahrar al-Sham and
others beat them back. The city has been clobbered with air
strikes and barrel bombs. [Heavy Shiite losses.]. Hizbullah
has to capture it to keep the escape route open for
Assad.
In the north east, mujahideen are advancing further into the
Alawite heartland of Lattakia, facing Assad's air
attacks.
Islamic State [IS] is advancing towards Homs, facing
artillery shelling by the Assadites.
In a huge explosion in al-Suwaida, Assad's agents blew up a
Druze Shaikh along with 31 others in his entourage. Druze
have been neutral in the conflict. Now they correctly
understood that this was an Assad attack meant to turn them
against the Islamic forces. The Druze attacked Assad's
troops in the vicinity, killing 6 of them.
Around Damascus, near Jobir, Douma [al-Ghouta] and other
suburbs, heavy fighting is going on as the mujahideen try to
advance into Damascus to topple Assad.
North of Aleppo, near the Turkish border, Islamic State is
advancing towards Marea, to capture an area which USA and
Turkey want to turn into a special zone for their entry into
Syria. Their mercenaries are putting up a big fight and 25
fighters have been killed on each side.
Numerous reports from SOHR and wire services,
MINNEAPOLIS, USA
On August 27 there was a demonstration by Somalis protesting
the activities of the Islamic State [IS]
It appears that a whole bunch of Somali men and women
slipped out of USA and have joined the Islamic State in
Syria.. Their parents and relatives are very upset. [NPR
report]180 Dutch Muslims have Joined ISIS. Latest is a Jet
Fighter Pilot. Dutch non-Muslims are Joining the Communist
Kurds.
Arabia
Saudi Coalition has invaded Yemen. Sudden Heavy Losses
revealed
Secret.Salman in DC.
On September 3, a direct hit on an ammunition depot in
central Yemen killed 45 soldiers from UAE, 6 from Bahrain
and 10 from Saudi Arabia.
Thus the Saudi secret is out. It has invaded Yemen with
military forces from its ancillary regimes.
Till now Saudi Arabia was bombing Yemen but troops were not
visible.
Meanwhile, King Salman visited President Obama. The joint
expression after the meeting is that Obama has satisfied the
King about the US-Iran deal.
Their main concern was the need for a united front against
the Islamic State. [ISIS]
Viewpoint
The Barren American Political Landscape
By
Dr. Wilmer J. Leon, III
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these
rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their
just powers from the consent of the governed, --"
Declaration of Independence -1776
Historically, America has been a country of broad ideas and
vision as evidenced by the Declaration of Independence. This
document challenged the concept of the divinity of the king
and rule by Divine right. It introduced to Europeans the
concepts of the Laws of Nature and a Divine right of
equality instilled into every man by the shear fact of
birth. Roosevelt's "New Deal", Kennedy's "New Frontier" and
Johnson's "War on Poverty" were also broad ideas and visions
of what America had the potential to attain.
America has also been a conflicted country. High ideals and
lofty aims have often been in conflict with capitalism,
greed and concepts such as American exceptionalism and
Manifest Destiny.
As a settler colonial state and global hegemon, America has
imposed some of the most heinous crimes upon the world.
Chattel slavery, Black Codes, Jim Crow, the genocide against
Native Americans, the support of Israel's genocide against
the Palestinians and the invasion of Iraq are just a few
examples of how America's corrupt sense of self has wreaked
havoc upon the world.
The 2016 presidential campaign should be a time when the
best that America has to offer comes to the forefront. The
America with a progressive domestic agenda, broad ideas and
vision; and an inclusive Weltanschauung - "comprehensive
conception or image of the universe and of humanity's
relation to it...a broad world view" should carry the day.
As we move into the 2016 presidential season and listen to
the rhetoric of the presidential frontrunners from both
parties, all we can conclude is that the American political
landscape has become a barren political wasteland. In
assessing the current slate of candidates, the American
voter is truly left with the unenviable task of selecting
between the best of the worst and the lesser of evils.
As of this writing, according to Real Clear Politics in the
national polls Donald Trump leads the Republican Party with
26.5%. Trump offers worn xenophobic rhetoric "I want to make
America great again", which is a rehash of Tom Tancredo's
Tea Party chant, "We want our country back". According to
Trump, "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending
their best...They're not sending you. They're sending people
that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those
problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing
crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good
people." He offers constitutionally unrealistic solutions to
immigration reform such as stripping citizenship from
U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants, who become
citizens at birth under the 14th Amendment to the
Constitution.
Here is what we do know - according to the Washington Post,
"Data on immigrants and crime are incomplete, but a range of
studies show there is no evidence immigrants commit more
crimes than native-born Americans. In fact, first-generation
immigrants are predisposed to lower crime rates than
native-born Americans."
Dr. Ben Carson trails Trump with 12.0% of Republican
support. Carson believes America is being destroyed by
political correctness, "We need to be in a place where
people feel free to express themselves and not to be
intimidated by political correctness It's destroying our
nation." Carson believes that being gay is a choice and he
linked homosexuals to "people who believe in bestiality." As
a surgeon Carson believes the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is
worse than slavery, "You know Obamacare is really I think
the worst thing that has happened in this nation since
slavery..." At the Republican Leadership Conference in 2014
Carson made comments to the Daily Beast in an interview
saying the ACA "has been even more damaging to the United
States than the terrorist attacks of 9/11." As a
presidential hopeful he should be less concerned with
political correctness and more concerned with truth, factual
accuracy and correctness. He offers no data to support his
outrageous, inaccurate and wrong pronouncements. On the
international front, Carson did not know that the Balkans
are a part of NATO.
Jeb Bush is in third place with 9.5% of Republican support.
He cannot bring himself to admit that his brothers failed
invasion of Iraq is the cause of the current conflicts in
the Middle-East, Nigeria and other countries. According to
Jeb, Obama and Clinton, "stood by as that hard-won victory
by American and allied forces [in Iraq] was thrown away."
First, there was not "hard-won" victory. Second, Jeb
conveniently ignores the fact that his brother President
Bush agreed (reluctantly but did agree) to a withdrawal
deadline of December 31, 2011 without leaving behind a
residual force.
Hilary Clinton leads the Democratic hopefuls with 49% of
support. According to a Huffington Post poll, Clinton has a
51% unfavorable rating to a 39% favorable rating. She is so
bogged down in mismanaging a contrived email scandal that no
one can hear her discussing issues such as income equality,
college affordability, women's health, and equal pay.
Sen. Bernie Sanders says he's an independent in his heart
but is running as Democrat. He has also admitted that he
will support the Democratic candidate should he loose the
nomination. He has shown his hand and relinquished any
negotiating leverage before the game has even started. In a
nutshell, he's running hard-left and even though he's
gaining in the polls he will probably fold in 2016, leaving
progressive Democrats with Clinton.
Many voters are fed up with the gridlock in Washington.
During President Obama's term, the source of that gridlock
can be traced back to the Republican leadership at a dinner
on January 20, 2009 at the Caucus Room restaurant in
Washington, DC. During that dinner several Republican
leaders and strategists devised a plan to oppose any
economic legislation proposed by the President. Other
candidates are playing into the politics of phenotype and
ethnicity in the wake of an African American president and
the myth of drug crazed raping Mexicans streaming across the
US border. Some Conservatives (Republicans) are speaking in
racist, homophobic invectives and rants that have no basis
in fact, but ring true in the ears of those narrow but
well-funded and organized Tea Party and Christian
conservative sects. Democrats with no clear message are
constantly taken off message and consumed by fiction and
lies that they cannot put to rest.
The country of vision and great ideas is falling victim to a
narrow sense of identity and single issue politics that is
turning the American political landscape into a barren
wasteland.
