USA
No one Should Treat Prisoners like this.
Support Political Prisoner Ed Poindexter
Nadrat Siddique
Ed Poindexter is a former member of the Black Panther Party,
who has been unjustly imprisoned for 53 years, longer than
many of us have been alive. He, along with Mondo We Langa,
is part of the Omaha Two. His case is so compelling that I'd
planned to run the Lincoln (Nebraska) Marathon in his honor.
In those days (c. 2009), I was new to marathoning, and
didn't have the confidence I currently do. So, I did the
2009 Omaha Marathon as a trial run, with the intention of
doing the Lincoln Marathon for Br. Ed the following year,
when my training was more firmly in place. Unfortunately,
that never materialized, as my own life circumstances
changed. However, New Trend's webmaster Richard, a close
friend of mine, who is also a life long supporter of
political prisoners, was able to visit the Omaha Two in
prison. We encourage everyone to write letters as indicated
in the appeal below for Br. Ed. --Nadrat Siddique
(Thanks, Br. Jihad Abdulmumit/Spirit of Mandela)- - -
- - - - - - -We just received news that Ed Poindexter's left
leg was amputated below the knee earlier this month due to
lack of proper medical care. Ed has diabetes and receives
dialysis three days a week. He underwent triple bypass heart
surgery in 2016.
Please support Ed by sending him a letter of encouragement
to:
Ed Poindexter #27767
Reception and Treatment Center
P.O. Box 22800
Lincoln, NE 68542-2800
Ed has a cataract in one eye that makes it difficult for him
to read, so please type your letter in 18 point or larger
font. The Nebraska Department of Corrections does not plan
to allow Ed to have surgery for the cataract because "he has
one good eye."
PLEASE CALL:
Warden Boyd of the Reception and Treatment Center
(
402-471-2861
);
Warden Wilhelm of the Nebraska State Penitentiary
(
402-471-3161
);
Governor Pillen, the State of Nebraska Office of the
Governor (
402-471-2244
);
Director Rob Jeffreys, Nebraska Department of Corrections
402-471-2654
;
The Nebraska Board of Pardons (Email:
ne.pardonsboard@nebraska.gov
). Please sustain calls daily
from April 15th to May 30th, 2023 for this intensive
campaign, and thereafter as you can.
[Any relief for Ed will be announced via email and social
media].
Sample Message:
"Ed Poindexter's family noticed blood on his feet several
weeks ago. Then in April 2023, his niece and brother found
out that Ed's leg had been amputated earlier in the month.
All of this happened without notifying Ed's family, within
the 'skilled nursing facility' at the Reception and
Treatment Center, which specializes in behavioral issues and
suicide watch, and is not primarily a rehab medical unit. Ed
is on dialysis several days per week and is wheelchair
bound, and is not able to shower or change without much more
direct support than he is currently getting. The Nebraska
Department of Corrections admits that their facilities are
severely overcrowded and understaffed.
I, ___________, join Ed's family in demanding that Ed be
given a compassionate release, and that he be immediately
transferred to a local hospital or rehabilitation facility,
not under direction of the Department of
Corrections—where the standard of care is decent and
humane."
Warden: Taggart Boyd
Reception and Treatment Center
P.O. Box 22800
Lincoln, NE 68542-2800
Phone:
402-471-2861
Fax: 402-479-6100
Warden Michelle Wilhelm
Nebraska State Penitentiary
Phone: 402-471-3161
4201 S 14th Street
Lincoln, NE 68502
Rally For Sis. Aafia at Pak Embassy was a Success.
Nadrat Siddique
As-salaam alaikom/ greetings - Thanks to everyone who came
out, or otherwise supported, our action at the Pakistan
Embassy last week, calling for freedom for our innocent
sister Aafia. Our action, though small in numbers, was a
success as we were able to educate many people who were not
previously aware of Aafia's case.
Also, we got coverage from a number of independent media,
including Jehan Pakistan (Urdu newspaper), Diplomatic Watch,
HispanTV, and New Trend Magazine.
Also, our action was conducted in concert with those in
several other countries, to mark the ignominious 20th
anniversary of Aafia's abduction, a strong show of
international solidarity.
Finally, we can say with some certainty that our action had
impact because Embassy officials emerged from the gated
Pakistan Embassy compound to talk to us towards the end of
the protest. Videos from the protest will be up shortly.
For those who observed Ramadan, I pray it continues to be a
month of enlightenment, upliftment, and striving for good,
and especially of striving for the freedom of all of our
innocent political prisoners.
War News
[We report the war news without taking sides.]
Sudan
Our observers say, Sudan's generals are destroying whatever
is left of Sudan.
The military and the Rapid Support Forces are hammering away
at each other with heavy weapons. More than 400 people have
been killed and more than 3000 wounded.
Reports indicate UAE is behind the RSF and brought in two
plane loads before the air space was blocked.
UAE support also means Israel.
They fought in Ramadan and kept on in Eid. The masses are
fasting, the generals have lost all shame.
Khalistan [India]
The Indian army has captured Sikh hero Amritpal Singh after
weeks of searching. The conditions in Punjab are serious
beyond limits. Amritpal is being taken to Assam, the other
end of India and there wont be a trial for one year.
{Pakistan was politically helpless and remained silent at
this unique moment to help the Sikh nation.]
Sikhs living in Canada and California are traumatized and
are protesting.
Kashmir
In a rare successful Kashmiri mujahideen attack this week,
India suffered heavy losses in the Rajauri area but has
admitted 5 troops killed.
[al Jazeera]
Ukraine
Classified documents leaked by a young man in US service
indicate that Ukraine is not doing well in the war although
the major media indicated otherwise. USA is worried about
the announced Ukrainian counterattack. Also some Anglo
American troops are already in Ukraine.
Syria
April 20-23
Several hundred Iranian reinforcements have arrived in
BoKamal area,
Bashar Assad's heavy artillery is hitting villages in Idlib
and Hama provinces.
Fath al-Mubeen Islamic group hit Bashar's troops in
northwest Aleppo with Mortars and machine guns.
ISIS raiders killed several SDF in eastern Deir ez Zor.
ISIS supporters in Deraa clashed with Bashar militias.
Losses on both sides.
With no Russian bombing, ISIS seems to be in control of
eastern Homs deserts and have killed people collecting
truffles for sale in Damascus.
American forces have uncovered a money cache in al-Raqqa
which was funding ISIS actions.
Turkish artillery is hitting Kurdish Communist positions in
north central Syria.
[Dear Muslims, did you feed the needy or did you feed only
yourself? Editor]
Guidance from Sis. Yasmin
'Assalaamu `Alaykum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuhu'.
*PROPHET ﷺ REWARD OF FEEDING A FASTING PERSON*
PROPHET ﷺ said... "Whoever feeds the person who
is breaking his fast, he will have his reward (for his
fasting) without decreasing anything from the reward of
the fasting person." [Source: Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Maajah -
Classed as Sahih by al Albaani]
**************
ALLAH~ [May HE be glorified and exalted] says... 'one of
the characteristics of the believers who deserve Paradise
is that they feed others...'{!}
ALLAH ~ [Azza wa Jal ] says ~ "And they give food, in spite
of their love for it [or for the love of Him] to the
'Miskeen' [the Poor]~ the Orphan, and the captive,
saying... 'We feed you seeking Allah's (
عزّ وجلّ)
countenance only. we wish for no reward, nor thanks from
you. 'Verily, We fear from our Lord a Day, hard and
distressful, that will make the faces look horrible [from
extreme dislike to it]..' So Allah saved them from the evil
of that Day, and gave them 'Nadhrah' [a light of beauty]
and joy .And their recompense shall be Paradise, and silken
garments, because they were patient" [Source: 'Qur`an'~
Surat 'Al-Insan' ~76~ A #'s 8 -12]
The Prophet [Sal Allahu `Alaihi wa Sallam] informed us in
the 'Hadith' above that whoever gives food to a fasting
person to break his Fast will have a reward like his
without the fasting person losing any reward...{!} So,
during the month of 'Ramadan' [and even during other
months] it is very virtuous and rewarding to feed others
who are breaking their fast...{!} It is also very virtuous
and rewarding to feed others in general.
PROPHET ﷺ said... " You will not enter Paradise
until you truly believe, and you will not truly believe
until you love one another."[Source ~ Sahih Muslim] In
another narration from 'Abd-Allah ibn 'Umar (Radi Allahu
Anhu) related that a man asked the PROPHET~ [Sal Allahu
`Alaihi wa Sallam]..." What is the best thing in Islam ?"
PROPHET ﷺ answered... "Feeding others and giving the
greeting of 'Salaam' to those whom you know and those whom
you do not know." (Source: Sahih al-Bukhari & Muslim)
Ibn Rajab (Allah have mercy upon him) said in al-Fath
(1/43): "The 'Hadith' (mentioned above) makes the
connection between feeding others and spreading 'Salaam'
because this combines two good actions in both word and
deed, which is perfect good treatment ('Ihsan') Indeed,
this is the best thing that one can do in Islam, after the
obligatory duties." A Little Note... Many 'Hadiths' are
reported regarding the virtues of providing food for others
to break their fast. Feeding others in general brings a
great reward to the one who does it...! ALLAH~ (May HE be
glorified and exalted ) states... that one of the
characteristics of the Believers who deserve Paradise is
that they feed others. {'Alhamdullilah'}
~ My 'Salaams' to all ~~ Y a s m i n ~
[From Florida, the heartland of occupiers of Palestine.]
The Tolerant Man Who Could Not Be Tolerated
the saga of William Latson by Hadding Scott
Published: 2023-04-17
In 2019, and for a couple of years after, we all heard about
the "Holocaust-denying" high-school principal William
Latson. Most who heard about that of course never checked
whether the characterization was accurate. Even some
politicians who stated forceful opinions on the matter, it
turns out, apparently never bothered to check what they were
saying. On the whole it seems that most people who had
anything to say about the matter had an oversimplified and
distorted picture of the dispute.The instigation of the
public controversy was a story that appeared in the Palm
Beach Post on 5 July 2019. It was based on information
supplied to journalist Andrew Marra by a perpetually
unidentified Jewish woman. The report focused on an exchange
between her and Principal Latson over a five-day period more
than one year earlier, 13 to 18 April 2018, after she
contacted him to urge an increase of "Holocaust education"
at the school. Principal Latson told this Jewish woman that
Spanish River Community High School offered "a variety of
activities" for Holocaust education: it was incorporated
into 9th and 10th grade English, various history courses,
and there was a special elective devoted entirely to the
Holocaust, and an annual assembly for the 10th grade
featuring a visitor who would speak about the Holocaust.
Some of these activities were optional and "not forced upon
individuals." Of course the Jewish woman wanted more. The
English course that read selections from Elie Wiesel's
Night should instead read the entire book! (This concession
was granted.) She also complained that the Holocaust did not
always receive the time that it was supposed to receive in
some classes, and thus there was a demand for greater
documentation of what was being taught. The complaint about
Latson himself however was his refusal to confront parents
who did not believe in the Holocaust: "She didn't doubt that
Latson knew the Holocaust was real, she said in an
interview, but she feared his reluctance to say so stemmed
from a desire to avoid confronting parents who deny the
Holocaust's reality." (A Marra, Palm Beach Post, 5 July
2019)That was the essential complaint against Latson, his
refusal to take a personal stand in favor of belief in the
Holocaust, because he wanted to avoid confrontation. Marra
then cites the SPLC as an authority for the claim that
denying or minimizing the Holocaust is "an essential
manifestation of anti-Semitism." ( Ibid.)Latson's contention
that it was not his job to confront parents about their
views of history, as a principal of a public school, seems
eminently reasonable, just as it would not have been his
place to confront parents about whether they believed in
Creationism or Darwinism. It is inherent in a free society
that we allow people to have beliefs that we regard as
false, and although a private, religious school may demand
adherence to a particular dogma it is definitely not the
place of a public school official to align himself very
conspicuously with one particular belief, much less to try
to suppress disagreement.
If a free society is one where people are allowed to
disagree, then there can hardly be a more radical negation
of freedom than this kind of demand that officials who are
supposed to serve the entire public become enforcers of
conformity, as was demanded of Principal William Latson.
It was part of William Latson's job to be uncontroversial,
and he made a valiant effort to be uncontroversial by
stating no position on the Holocaust, but Jewish activists
would not allow this. The Jewish activists' position was:
Either you are with us, or you are against us. Organized
Jewry evidently would like to believe that their Holocaust
is 100% uncontroversial, but the unwelcome news from Dr.
Latson was that in Boca Raton this was no longer the case,
and the fact that he acknowledged it and adjusted to it as a
public school administrator was regarded as intolerable. It
should not be controversial to say that many have doubts
about the Holocaust, because the ADL itself periodically
publicizes this fact. A Roper poll in 1992 found that 22.1%
of Americans believed that it was "possible ... that the
Nazi extermination of the Jews never happened," while
another 12.4% said "don't know." A poll by Pew Research
Center in February 2019 showed that 15% of Americans
believed that 3 million or fewer Jews died in the Holocaust
while 30% were not sure of the number. Of those in the Pew
study who estimated 3 million or fewer: "... the data
suggests that relatively few people in this group express
strongly negative feelings toward Jews.... nine-in-ten
non-Jewish respondents who underestimate [sic] the
Holocaust's death toll express neutral or warm feelings
toward Jews...." ("What Americans Know About the Holocaust,"
Pew Research Center, 22 January 2020)Today there are even
some Jews well known for disputing the Holocaust: Jeremy
Corbyn's friend Paul Eisen, ("ex-Jew") Gilad Atzmon,
publisher Ron Unz, and of course David Cole. Non-belief in
whatever exactly the Holocaust is supposed to have been is
not a clear indicator of hostility toward Jews (nor is
belief in the Holocaust necessarily an indicator of
affection for Jews, since it may be viewed as a response to
provocations -- whether Bolshevism, or disloyalty, or usury,
or other predatory behavior).In fact, for a real educational
experience it would make sense for schools occasionally to
expose students to spokesmen for the opposing view, but
Florida's 2019 law against "Anti-Semitism" would seem to
outlaw any unironic presentation of skepticism about the
Holocaust at public educational institutions.
The controversy around William Latson was a relatively early
sign of a trend that becomes ever more obvious, that
tolerance for disagreement in the USA - long touted as the
great glory of the union founded by Washington and Jefferson
- is coming to an end.Vengeance and AppeasementIn response
to the public controversy initiated by the report in the
Palm Beach Post - certainly not in response to any real
malfeasance on Latson's part - Palm Beach County Public
Schools began efforts at appeasement.On 7 July 2019 the Palm
Beach County School Board's chairman Frank Barbieri issued a
written declaration: that the board "is and always has been,
committed to teaching all students, in every grade level, a
historically accurate Holocaust curriculum; one which leaves
no room for erroneous revisions of fact or the scourge of
anti-Semitism." There was no reason for historical accuracy
to be in question (that is to say, not in the sense that
Barbieri was addressing), since Latson's offense had been
merely to respect the right of some students or parents of
students - not teachers - to entertain heterodox views. In
the worst case, it was alleged that in some instances
mandated subject-matter about the Holocaust was omitted, not
that contradictory views were presented. Barbieri's premise
seems to be that Latson had espoused a heterodox view of
history, which he certainly did not do. Discussion of
Latson's case in mass-media was permeated with that kind of
distortion.In a somewhat contradictory point however,
Barbieri also said: "It is only through high quality
education, and thought-provoking conversations, that history
won't repeat itself." (Frank Barbieri quoted by A. Chiu,
The Washington Post, 8 July 2019)"Thought-provoking
conversation" would seem to include questioning, which is
exactly what organized Jewry seemed to want to prohibit.
Mattew Levin, CEO of the Jewish Federation of South Palm
Beach County, complained (really without foundation) to WPTV
that Latson was "certainly asking questions that he should
not be asking" ( Jewish News Syndicate 8 July 2019)Within
Chairman Barbieri's own initial response to the controversy,
a contradiction is evident between the ideal of a liberal
education that allows disagreement, and the Jewish demand
for conformity. Furthermore, it has become evident that many
persons active in public life in this era not only lack
tolerance for dissenting opinion but also regard with
suspicion anyone who displays such tolerance. Only the
similarly intolerant are tolerated.In a "media advisory" the
Palm Beach County School District announced that Latson had
made "a grave error in judgment in the verbiage" when he
said that it was not his place as a public servant to affirm
the Holocaust as an historical fact. The media advisory
begins with a declaration of the School District's total
adherence to the Holocaust Narrative: "The School District
of Palm Beach County is, and always has been, working
diligently to be a leader in mandatory Holocaust education
for students in grades K-12. The District's curriculum is
based on historical fact." (Boca News Now, 2019 July 8)The
District seeks to flatter the promoters of the Holocaust by
calling it "historical fact," after Latson had been attacked
for prudently avoiding any dogmatic assertion about
history.On 8 July 2019 it was decided - after having
counseled Latson, after having ordered him to expand the
Holocaust curriculum at Spanish River High, after having
sent him to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for
several days - that since there was still controversy,
Latson would be "reassigned" to remove controversy from
Spanish River High.
On that afternoon, in an email to the faculty and staff of
the school, Latson described the situation this way: "I have
been reassigned to the district office due to a statement
that was not accurately relayed to the newspaper by one of
our parents. It is unfortunate that someone can make a false
statement and do so anonymously and it holds credibility but
that is the world we live in."In what seems an outrageous
non sequitur, and an obvious attempt to enflame the
situation, State Representative Randy Fine posted on Twitter
a screenshot of this farewell message as supposed evidence
that Latson was "an unrepentant anti-Semite." (M.
Marchante, Miami Herald 9 July 2019)The chairman of the
Florida Jewish Legislative Caucus, Representative Richard
Stark, praised the decision to reassign Latson but wanted
his employment to end:"We expect more from our educators
than to cater to those who deny the truth that millions of
Jewish people died in the Holocaust."
And of course, William Latson had done no such thing. But,
in any case, Representative Stark would like to prohibit
difference of opinionOn 10 July, U.S. Senator Rick Scott
asserted that Latson had engaged in "Holocaust denial" and
"anti-Semitism" and opined that he should no longer be
employed:"There is no excuse for what he expressed. There is
no excuse for holocaust denial. There is no excuse for
anti-Semitism of any kind." (Twitter)On the same day, State
Representative Mike Caruso (R-Delray Beach) opined:"William
Latson is unfit to educate our children and must be
terminated immediately. He is either demonstrably
incompetent or a Holocaust denier." (Faceook)Jewish state
representatives Randy Fine (R- Brevard County) and Lauren
Book (D-Plantation) also wanted Latson to lose employment
altogether.
They had jointly called for Latson's dismissal already on
Monday, 8 July 2019. They issued a joint statement in which
they stated that they had read about Latson in the Palm
Beach Post of 5 July 2019, and proceed to call for what
seems to be the ex post-facto application of the new
(anti-BDS) law that they had sponsored: "And under new
statutes just signed into law in May, which every single
member of our legislature supported, Holocaust-denial is
defined as anti-Semitism. Instances of anti-Semitism by
public employees in our k-20 public education system must be
treated the same as racism. [...] As a result, we demand the
immediate termination of Principal Latson. (Space Coast
Daily 11 July 2019)Furthermore, wrote Representatives Fine
and Book: "... [W]e demand a full and complete investigation
into how such anti-Semitic conduct could have been tolerated
and covered up by the school district's bureaucracy for more
than a year." (Ibid.)On 10 July 2019 the Commissioner of
Education, Republican Richard Corcoran (a former speaker of
the Florida House) issued a press release seeming to echo
the positions of the Jewish legislators Fine and Book,
stating: "Be sure that I will use every tool at my disposal
to ensure that this type of behavior is not tolerated at any
school in Florida." What "type of behavior"? The
Commissioner urged superintendent Donald Fennoy to
investigate what he bizarrely called Latson's
"discriminatory behavior." Corcoran pointed to Florida's new
law against anti-Semitism that had just taken effect on 1
July 2019, which included in its definition of that offense:
"accusing Jews as a people or the State of Israel of
inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust." Corcoran also
demanded an explanation of why the school supposedly did not
meet state mandates to teach about the Holocaust. (WPTV, 11
July 2019)William Latson of course was culpable of none of
that (most obviously not in the few days since that new law
against "anti-Semitism" had taken effect). Latson's offense
was not "discriminatory behavior" but rather trying too hard
to be fair to everyone, and he had not remotely accused Jews
of anything.Nonetheless, as poorly informed as he
unmistakably was, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran
ultimately played the key role in determining Latson's
fate.In addition to the calls for vengeance against William
Latson and also, ultimately, against the school bureaucracy
that had tolerated him, the hoopla was exploited by Senator
Marco Rubio and three other (all Jewish) U.S. senators -
Kevin Cramer, Jacky Rosen, Richard Blumenthal - as the
occasion for a new federal law, the Never Again Education
Act. (Rubio has never admitted to being Jewish, but among
Republican candidates he was clearly the favorite of Jewish
hedgefund managers in 2016 and his professions of
Christianity seem questionable when he has seemed to adhere
to several widely varying forms simultaneously.)
The purpose of the bill was to give $10 million to the
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for increasing its
outreach in schools throughout the USA. On 29 May 2020 the
World Jewish Congress thanked President Trump for signing
the Never Again Education Act into law.
The Reality
Much was made of Principal William Latson's supposed
"Holocaust-denial" and even "anti-Semitism," but in reality
he had done nothing wrong. First, there was no shortage of
"Holocaust education" at Spanish River Community High
School. Southern Palm Beach County is about one-third Jewish
by population, and the school-curriculum naturally reflected
that. Michelle Marchante, writing in the Miami Herald,
noted:"The Palm Beach County school district has received
national recognition for its Holocaust curriculum, which is
said to have significantly exceeded what has been mandated
by the state since 1994." (9 July 2019)A story in the South
Florida Sun-Sentinel of 19 July 2019 is headed: "Holocaust
education is a giant jumble in Florida." It says: "Florida
requires schools to teach children about the Holocaust, but
it's OK if two students learn vastly different lessons. The
state leaves it up to school principals to decide ... which
leaves a patchwork of approaches around the state. [...]
it's up to principals to implement as they see fit, even
though the state has required it since 1994." (L.K. Solomon,
Sun-Sentinel, 19 July 2019)Principal Latson was not in
violation of that 1994 law, nor any formal policy. Proof of
this can be found in the fact that when the calls for
Latson's dismissal eventually were placated several months
later, neither Latson's performance as principal nor his
statements to the complaining Jewish activist could be used
to justify his dismissal.
The report recommending Latson's termination does not
address his statements about the Holocaust, where in fact he
had done no wrong. Rather, it nitpicks his failure to
respond to communications from superiors after the
controversy broke, which happened to be while he was
traveling to Jamaica. The report invokes this failure to
communicate as a pretext for firing him. Latson's attorney
opined that because the system had not found fault with
Latson in 2018, it was now retroactively blaming him in
excess to appease the ADL. (WPTV 2019)The reliance on flimsy
pretexts led, in the following year, to the finding by
Administrative Law Judge Robert Cohen that Latson had been
treated unfairly and should be rehired.How it All BeganOn
the morning of Friday, 13 April 2018, Principal William
Latson of Spanish River High School in Boca Raton, Florida
received an email, ostensibly from a group of concerned
citizens interested in learning about how the school was
implementing "the Florida Mandate to include Holocaust
Education." The Jewish "concerned citizen," who has never
been required to abandon anonymity, wrote to Latson:"We
would like to know in what ways/classes is Holocaust
education provided to all of the students?"
This "mandate," enacted as law in 1994 in the aftermath of
Schindler's List, was in fact quite vague. It did not
require that all students at all schools take the same
courses.In order to impart some urgency to the alleged need
for "Holocaust education" in one-third Jewish southern Palm
Beach County, and to convince Latson, the Jewish
correspondent portrayed a plague of anti-Semitism.First she
referred to an "Anti-Semitic incident" across the street at
Omni Middle School, which she accused the principal there of
trying to conceal. Although it had become a matter of
reckless journalistic exaggeration, the incident to which
she refers seems in reality to have been hardly any incident
at all.In early 2017 the Palm Beach Post reported that a
swastika was found "drawn on a boys' bathroom stall,"
prompting principal Gerald Riopelle to issue a robocall to
parents informing them that the hate-symbol had been
"immediately removed," and soliciting tips about who had
perpetrated "this act of vandalism and harassment." (J.
Millian, Palm Beach Post, 16 February 2017)A "drawn"
swastika can presumably be erased, washed away, or in the
worst case painted over. Until recently such graffiti was
never considered newsworthy. In the present era, however,
after decades of Holocaust propaganda, such graffiti may be
regarded as newsworthy, especially if some Jewish
organization says something about it.The ADL's blog on 24
February 2017 went a little farther than the Palm Beach
Post, stating that the swastika was not drawn but "etched"
into the stall's door - which would be a more serious form
of vandalism, harder to repair. Graffiti that has been
"etched" would likely still be visible after painting.It
turned out that both the ADL and the Palm Beach Post had
exaggerated. The author of a local news blog who happens to
be Jewish stated that the incident consisted of: "an idiot
kid drawing something that might look like a swastika on a
Post-It note, only to have it immediately removed by staff
and referred to administration." (Boca News Now, 9 March
2017)This is hardly graffiti or even any kind of
vandalism.
Boca News Now commented that the attention given to the
Post-It noted was grossly excessive. Boca News Now was a
voice of sanity in a sea of hysteria.Although the "citizen"
who contacted Principal Latson had accused Principal
Riopelle of trying to cover up the so-called incident, there
really was not much to it -- only an (in itself)
inconsequential drawing of a swastika on a sticky piece of
paper - which after all may very well have been left by a
Jewish student.The importance given to the Post-It note
incident should have served as an early warning to William
Latson to watch his step on that Friday the 13th, because he
was now dealing with some extremely unreasonable people,
whose unreasonableness happened to be supported by local
journalism.
On top of that, Latson knew that these "concerned citizens"
had already been in touch with the ADL, which has a
reputation for exaggerating and exploiting "anti-Semitic
incidents." For example, in 2017 when a wave of hundreds of
bomb-threats to synagogues and Jewish community centers was
traced to a Jewish teenager named Michael Kadar in Israel,
the ADL continued to count those hoaxes as anti-Semitic
incidents.After the incident with the Post-It note that was
misrepresented as an "etched" swastika, ADL met with Omni
Middle School's administration and arranged that in the
coming spring the students would be subjected to "anti-bias
and pro-diversity training" and that teachers would be
"equipped ... to effectively develop a culture of
inclusion," with implementation of No Place For Hate® in
the following school year.The ADL had made sure to exploit
the artificial hysteria at Omni Middle, and now it was
Spanish River High's turn. Latson's Jewish correspondent
recalled that the so-called anti-Semitic incident at Omni:
"led to the discovery that the principal there was not
ensuring that Holocaust education was being incorporated
into classes."Then she commented: "Hopefully this is not an
issue at Spanish River, and there is a priority placed on
educating all students about the Holocaust."There was no
indication of trouble at Spanish River Community High School
that needed to be addressed. Indeed, this had not even been
the case at Omni Middle: the fictitious bogeyman of
Anti-Semitism at the school was used to coerce acceptance of
the ADL's impositions.
Regardless of how Principal Latson might respond to that
inquiry, whatever was already being done in the way of
"Holocaust education" was unlikely to be regarded as
enough.
Until the public controversy erupted and extraordinary
pressure was applied, the district's officials did not
punish Latson - simply because he had done nothing wrong.
His remarks were not controversial. As a principal of a
public school he did indeed have "the role to be politically
neutral." Only organized Jewry's view of what William Latson
had said, and the inimical distortion that organized Jewry
thereupon perpetrated and promulgated, made William Latson's
position appear controversial.Meanwhile Latson's superiors
in the school district had made efforts to placate the
complaining of Jewish ethnic activists, but predictably
those efforts were in vain.A Brief Interlude of Reason
When William Latson appealed his dismissal, it came before
Administrative Law Judge Robert Cohen, who found that Latson
had committed no offense deserving of dismissal. Judge Cohen
said that students at Spanish River High were indeed
learning about the Holocaust as required by law (M.
Marchante, Miami Herald 7 October 2020). On 14 August 2020
Judge Cohen ruled that Latson "made some unfortunate choices
in expressing his thoughts" but that his words and deeds did
not constitute "gross insubordination" and "did not rise to
the level of just cause for suspension or termination
because the conduct was not so severe as to support that
level of discipline." Judge Cohen said that Latson had been
grossly overpunished and should not have been subjected to
more than a reprimand.
Judge Cohen recommended that he be rehired. The Palm Beach
County School Board heeded Judge Cohen's recommendation to
rehire, but powerful forces mobilized in opposition.In
October 2020 the Palm Beach County School Board met to
consider rehiring Latson and listened to hours of testimony
at a meeting attended by hundreds of citizens. The actual
vote is postponed. (T. Wilson WPTV 5)The Palm Beach Post
reported that Latson's attorney Thomas Elfers declared that
taking a position on the Holocaust had not been within
Latson's responsibilities as a principal: "Two or three
parents were Holocaust deniers; Dr. Latson was pressured by
one mother to confront them, and he declined. Confronting
parents about their beliefs was outside the scope of his
duties. After a century of contention between creationists
and evolutionists, most educators have learned to teach the
curriculum and to stay neutral."On 7 October 2020
school-board members Chuck Shaw, Marcia Andrews, Debra
Robinson, and Barbara McQuinn voted to rehire Latson, while
Chairman Frank Barbieri, member Erica Whitfield, and the
only Jewish member Karen Brill, voted against. The school
board assigned Latson to an administrative post and awarded
him $152,000 in back pay.
Diabolus ex Machina Prevents a Reasonable ResolutionThe
Jewish agitators did not give up. Jewish school board member
Karen Brill told a reporter: "For me, this isn't over." (R.
Schultz, Boca 13 October 2020) After the rehiring, more than
1,300 public comments of up to three minutes each were left
on the school district's voice-mail. This method of
commenting happened to be allowed at the time because of
coronavirus precautions, and obviously was exploited by
organized interests. Karen Brill, obviously seeing this as
support for her position, hailed the volume of public
comment as "unprecedented."Board member Erica Whitfield, who
had also voted against rehiring Latson, tried to describe
the comments in a flattering way but nonetheless noted the
ignorance of many of the commenters:"Some of them are copied
off others, but not everybody is on the same script. Some
are sharing personal stories, like my mother was in the
Holocaust. A lot of personal stories in there. They don't
have his name right. They don't know what he did or what
happened. But it's pain. People are speaking to their own
pain." School board member Debra Robinson was less
charitable:"I've had to resist the urge to respond to the
emails we've gotten with erroneous information in them. Talk
to me about the facts. I hate when people get bad
information and then scream at me."In the school board's
next meeting two weeks after the rehire, several hours were
taken up with in-person comments from hundreds, mostly
complaining about the rehiring, although some had come to
show support for Latson. One very poorly informed commenter
who happened to appear in WPTV's coverage stated: "Either
Mr. Latson lacked the knowledge or the courage to respond
properly, or he deliberately chose to deny that the
Holocaust actually happened."
Since there was insufficient time for all comments to be
heard, the meeting was continued and the rehire was
reconsidered on 2 November. (Todd Wilson, WPTV)Latson posted
to YouTube an apologetic video stating: "I am not a Holocast
denier," and, "I was wrong. I apologize to the Palm Beach
community, the school board, the school administration, the
parents, students, teachers of Palm Beach County, the Jewish
community, and everyone offended or hurt by my mistake."
(Peter Burke, WFLX, 27 October 2020) This is bending over
backwards, since it is not evident that Latson was really
"wrong" about anything. He had never even expressed an
opinion about the Holocaust, except that it was not his
place to express an opinion. It turned out that he was not
allowed to refrain from endorsing the Holocaust. His
"mistake" was taking the obligation of evenhandedness too
seriously and failing to defer to Jewish demands.Latson's
mea culpa and testimony of faith in the Holocaust helped
nothing. On Monday, 2 November, the school board voted
unanimously to refire Latson.
In the period between the rehiring and the refiring,
Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran sought to revoke
Latson's teaching certificate, bizarrely asserting that
Latson "took advantage of his position of trust." He wrote
to the chief of Flroida's Bureau of Educator
Certification:"The safety of Florida students was recently
jeopardized when it was reported that MR. Latson, a
principal in Palm Beach County, took advantage of his
position of trust. [...] I am committed to minimizing any
potential threats to Florida students.""Potential threats"?
From William Latson? This was deranged talk. It was on the
same day, perhaps spurred by Corcoran, that the chairman of
the school board, Frank Barbieri, called for reconsideration
of the 4-3 decision from the previous week. (A. Marra, Palm
Beach Post, 16 October 2020)
Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran requested
cancellation of Latson's teaching certificate. Michelle
Marchante insinuated that this was unjust by including some
significant context in the Miami Herald: "Latson, who has
worked for the Palm Beach public school district for more
than 20 years, had a nearly spotless record and had been the
principal of Spanish River High for 11 years." (M.
Marchante, Miami Herald, 2 November 2020)This ended up being
most consequential of all the measures taken against Latson:
the Department of Education bars Latson from ever again
being a principal or administrator but decides to let Latson
keep his teaching certificate if he will endure a course on
the Holocaust followed by three years of probation.In
November 2021 the Fourth District Court of Appeals upheld
the refiring (eliciting approval from the Palm Beach County
School Board's only Jewish member Karen Brill) and on 17
January 2022 a brief was filed with the Supreme Court of the
State of Florida. On 8 March 2022 the Supreme Court refused
to hear the case.In March 2022 it was reported that Latson
had accepted a "settlement" with the Florida Department of
Education.
Latson would never again be allowed to work in Florida
public school as a principal or administrator, but he could
become a teacher again, conditional upon completing a
college-level course on the Holocaust, whereafter he would
be on probation for three years.The condition seems to take
as its premise that Latson in 2018 had said that he could
not affirm the factuality of the Holocaust because he lacked
knowledge, when it is clear that his motive was simply to
avoid taking sides in a dispute. (J. Malkin, WFLA Tampa, 28
March 2022)Monika Schaefer gets involvedNear the end of
Latson's saga, on 9 January 2021, Monika Schaefer of Truth
and Justice for Germans mass-emailed the faculty of Spanish
River Community High School a letter explaining why Latson
should not have been punished. She correctly noted that
Latson had not disputed the Holocaust but merely maintained
a "neutral" and "noncommittal" position. She also presented
reasons why the Holocaust should be open for discussion,
specifically the changes in the alleged death-tolls at
Auschwitz and Majdanek. Significantly, Boca News Now, with
some disclaimors, published the entire text and supplied a
link to the original message (including images) from this
"known Holocaust denier." There were people in the media,
including Boca News Now, who seemed to understand that what
was being done to William Latson was unreasonable, but did
not want to challenge the propaganda-stampede head-on.
Republishing Monika Schaefer was a way to say things that
needed to be said under the aegis of reporting news, and
thereby to avoid overtly owning those criticisms.Amid the
hoopla about William Latson, Florida's very vague mandate
for "Holocaust education" enacted in 1994 was superseded by
0stricter requirements - first bureaucratically, and then
legislatively. And of course the example of what happened to
William Latson would deter other public school officials
from supposing that evenhandedness should take precedence
over Jewish wishes.
[With thanks to CODOH]
Editorial
by Kaukab Siddique, Ph.D
Great Pioneers of Islam I have Met.
I believe that Muslims who follow the Qur'an and authentic
hadith have opened the way for the victory of islam
nationally and globally.
Only Allah knows the answer to "when"and "where " but i can
bear witness to the authenticity of the ones i have
interacted with personally.
Let's start with America and then go on to the Middle East.
Pakistan and Bangladesh
My first example is Imam Jamil Abdullah al-Amin. He was a
Black activist, always on the move, but i met him after he
embraced Islam.
He was going 100% into being Islamic. I can never forget the
scene in Atlanta.
A large number of Muslims were coming out of an Eid day
prayer gathering. I was standing there with two placards
condemning Mubarak, the tyrant of Egypt, hoping to gain the
attention of the crowd passing by me.
Suddenly i was attacked by several supporters of the
Egyptian tyrant.They snatched and threw away my placards
and were getting ready to attack me when Imam Jamil came
down the road with the stream of people.
He was tall and impressive. He understood the situation
right away and warned the attackers. They simply ran away.
He retrieved my placards, patted me on the back and went his
way.
Imam Jamil developed an Islamic community in the West End of
Atlanta.
It was known as a dangerous area reportedly controlled by
drug runners, also with rumors of connection to the police.
Imam Jamil was not afraid. He ran the bad guys away and the
area became comfortable for Muslims, with an inclusive
mosque and the Imam living almost across the street.
Then there was an incident in the area, with one police
officer killed and another seriously wounded.The government
blamed the Imam, arrested him, tried him and overtime
sentenced him to life.
Later a gangster wrote a letter on line, that he was the
shooter and the Imam should not be blamed. The government
ignored it
.
I visited him several times in prison.Meeting him was so
refreshing; his spirit made me sense what it means to be a
Muslim.
He wanted to know how I was doing, as if he had no
problems.
The government soon realized that i was not so much a
journalist as his friend, and stopped my visits.
His wife, an attorney herself, fought very hard for him. I
got info on him directly from his wife once I found her
office in downtown Atlanta. I must have been very boring but
she was incredibly patient.
Can you believe it, I even gave a juma khutba in Atlanta
because they knew I knew him. I also visited the large
immigrant masjid in Atlanta but they were not
interested.
The government too, soon, knew of Imam Jamil's spiritual
power. The inmates to the right and left of his cell had
embraced Islam. He spoke to them in their own language. I
quote "it's important to be Black but to get to al-jannah,
you have to be Muslim."
Imam Jamil had appointed Khalil Abdur Rahman. an activist in
Greensboro, as his representative. Very eloquent and
selfless, Br. Khalil became my final source about Imam
Jamil. He passed away in 2019.
The regime started moving Imam Jamil from place to place.
The protestors followed.
Finally they moved him to Arizona.I have heard he is very
unwell.
Pakistan
Jamaate Islami leader Advises both Opposing Parties
by Qaiser Sharif
Lahore: April 15: Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Sirajul Haq on
Saturday held separate meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz
Sharif and PTI Chairman Imran Khan at their residences in
Model Town and Zaman Park.
Haq meetings with the heads of the PML-N and the PTI were
held in continuation of the JI efforts to bring the
political leadership on table to develop consensus on the
general elections.
It was agreed that the JI would approach the leadership of
the other parties in coming days for the purpose.
JI naib emir Liaqat Baloch and secretary general Ameerul
Aziz were accompanying him during the meetings with Shehbaz
and the former prime minister.
Haq told Shehbaz Sharif that being the prime minister, the
responsibility of the 230 million Pakistanis liay on the
latter's shoulder. Hence, he said, the PM should come
forward before the others with open heart and thoughts for
seeking solution to the prevailing crises. The JI chief said
the country was simultaneously hit by political,
constitutional and economic crises. And, he added, these
problems could only be solved if the politicians would
become ready and start dialogue.
He said the judiciary and the establishment were not the
right forum to approach to resolve the political
deadlock.
He said all the parties should have to develop consensus on
general elections.
Sharif and Khan appreciated the JI chief's efforts and
assured their full cooperation, agreeing the elections were
the way forward to pull the country out of prevailing
economic, political and constitutional crises.
Shehbaz Sharif said his party was ready to cooperate with
the JI if the latter wanted to play any positive role on the
matter of national importance. He also pointed out that
everyone should come out of stubbornness and show
flexibility to develop some consensus.
Khan said the elections were the only solution to the
prevailing problems and the PTI was ready to cooperate with
the JI in its efforts.
The case of Anand Dilip Bhatt
Texas Pediatrician Involved in Legal Kidnapping
On April 20th, a Dallas, TX court ruled in favor of two
loving parents. Finally, Baby Mila Jackson can go home to
her parents, Rodney and Temecia Jackson. She should have
never been taken in the first place!
All Temecia and Rodney Jackson wanted to do was deliver
their baby with their midwife, Cheryl Edinbyrd. But, Dr.
Anand Dilip Bhatt had other plans. Dr. Bhatt was a
pediatrician to the Jacksons' two sons. When Baby Mila
developed jaundice, Dr. Bhatt recommended the parents
hospitalize her for treatment. Jaundice is a condition
where an infant develops a yellowing of the skin and the
whites of the eyes, which tends to go away on its own. This
is why Dr. Bhatt's request seemed very unusual.
When the parents decided to allow the midwife to treat Baby
Mila, Dr. Bhatt reported them to Child Protective Services
(CPS). On March 28th, after several attempts to bully the
parents into giving their daughter up failed, the police
ambushed Rodney Jackson while he was walking his dog, stole
his keys, and entered his home to take the infant from the
mother, after showing her a warrant. The issue with the
warrant is that it had the name of another mother on it, one
who was very well known to CPS for multiple violations.
This was a legalized kidnapping all based on one
pediatrician's word. There were no checks and balances in
place. Baby Mila Jackson has been without her mother's
breast milk since being in foster care.
Rodney and Temecia Jackson were allowed limited visitation
and on one visit it was discovered that Baby Mila had
redness and swelling of her genitalia.
The Afiya Center, a reproductive rights organization, got
involved and organized a #JusticeForMilaJackson campaign.
They held a rally last Thursday (4/13). They conducted
campaigns to raise money for legal fees and to contact local
politicos to pressure them to take action. One politician,
Representative Gary Gates, vowed to investigate CPS, after
he viewed the parents' emotional press conference.
Even I got involved and contacted Dr. Bhatt's employer,
Baylor Scott & White Hospital, the Mayor, City Council, and
Texas Senators. People from all over the country had been
contacting them, as well. When I searched Dr. Anand Dilip
Bhatt's name Online, immediately after the Yahoo! News
report, I had seen numerous one-star reviews with references
to the recent news article.
But, al-humdulillah, this family will be reunited.
Pediatricians contacting CPS is a nationwide problem. There
have been instances where pediatricians have contacted CPS
because the parent refused to allow doctors to experiment on
their child. There is a lack of respect for a family's
choice, especially religious unless they are Jewish.
It is bad enough that America nearly tops the list of
industrialized countries with an extremely high maternity
ward death rate but, to seemingly punish parents who try
other birthing options they find safer than hospital
maternity wards is very oppressive.
Al-humdullilah, people rallied and got the desired results
but, the fight is not over, yet! There are efforts to hold
everyone involved in this legal kidnapping accountable
including Dr. Bhatt, the police department, and CPS.
(Source: Yahoo! News via Jezebel and WFAA.com)
Salaam,
Sis. 'AishaJamaat al-Muslimeen New York City
Outreach
The April 16 issue of New Trend sponsored through face
book
reached 2830 Muslims.
It included articles on :
NPR radio's transgender attack on Pakistan.
Absurd fake trial of Famous preacher Shaikh Faisal who
supports Islamic State.
Muslims fighting back against Syrian tyrant Bashar.
Indian Muslim Council rebuts Indian BJP propaganda.
