Musharraf-AJC meeting should open the floodgates of Jewish-Muslim dialogue

Musharraf-AJC meeting
should open the floodgates for Jewish-Muslim dialogue

I echo the call by the president of the American Jewish Congress, Mr. Jack Rosen and reach out to all Jewish Organizatoins to open the floodgates of dioloague with Muslims, Muslim-Americans, and Pakistani-Americans.

Let us build a better America and a better world.

But tonight represents
only a beginning of what we hope is a long process of dialogue and
engagement. Organizations like ours have a continuing role to play, and we
invite all of you here tonight to to join with us. We would like to
explore with President Musharraf opportunities to bring together
Pakistani, American and Israeli citizens in a dialogue about our shared futures
through a program of on-going exchanges and visits. The more our people
interact with each other, the easier it will be for government leaders
to act. Jack Rosen

In a message dated 9/19/05 7:00:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time, asifalam@aopp.org writes:

Subj:Introducing President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan at World Jewry
Date:9/19/05 7:00:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From:asifalam@aopp.org
To:editor@aopp.org

Sent from the Internet



Remarks by Jack Rosen
Saturday evening, September 17th, 2005
Marriott Marquis Hotel, New York City
Introducing President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan

Good evening.

This is an unprecedented evening, and we are delighted to welcome not
only our keynote speaker, but more than 60 Pakistani-American leaders
who have joined us. We demonstrate tonight, by example, something that
happens every day in hundreds of communities across the United States -
Muslims, Jews and Christians sharing a meal, talking about our desires
and dreams and even our differences.

President Pervez Musharraf's presence here tonight is the culmination
of two years of preparation. In the summer of 2003, President Musharraf
surprised many people in his own country and across the Muslim world
when he offered a new set of ideas - first in Washington, then at the
United Nations, at the Islamic Summit in Malaysia, and finally in
Pakistan. He told his most important audience, his own community, that the
extremist path to which some Muslims had turned to would bring nothing but
misery and degradation.

He said of the scourge of terror: "The unfortunate reality is that both
the perpetrators of these crimes and most of the people who suffer from
them are Muslims." Then he offered a vision of an alternative, which he
called "Enlightened Moderation." He proposed a new Islamic society
based on pluralism, openness, and tolerance, in order to reach what he
called "socioeconomic uplift - to drag ourselves out of the pit we find
ourselves in, to raise ourselves up by individual achievement and
collective socio-economic emancipation."

Just a few months prior to giving that speech, President Musharraf
broke new ground when he suggested that Pakistan might need to rethink its
refusal to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, although
official diplomatic ties could come only after an Israeli-Palestinian peace
deal.

These remarks came as the Moslem world was being rent by extremist
pressures, amidst cascading violence in the Middle East and dangerously
mounting anti-Semitism. Difficult to say at any time, President
Musharraf's words were all the more courageous coming at the moment they did.

The extremists in his own country and beyond were quick to recognize
the threat to them expressed in his message of hope. Within months,
terrorists in Pakistan made two major attempts on his life, and they very
nearly succeeded. We must ask ourselves: What if the terrorists had
succeeded? What if the vitally important country of Pakistan, with its huge
Muslim population, its nuclear arms, its many extremist factions and
its critical location in the region known as the arc of crisis, had
tumbled into chaos, or gone the way of Iran?

When you think about this, you can see why the terrorists believed it
so important to silence him.

President Pervez Musharraf's decision to be with us tonight is an act
of individual courage, leadership and vision.

Our process that brings him here also began two years ago, resulting
from informal talks we held with Pakistani officials and members of the
Pakistani-American community. This led to an invitation to visit
Pakistan and meet with President Musharraf. In May, I made a quiet trip to
Islamabad with the Vice Chairman of our Council on World Jewry, Mr. Phil
Baum, and with our very fine Director, David Twersky. Because we were
aware of politically sensitive issues involved, we first consulted with
senior officials in Washington and Jerusalem.

Several weeks ago, I spoke with President Bush about this initiative in
Crawford. President Bush said he saw this as an important opportunity
and understood the significance of this step by President Musharraf.
President Bush was enthusiastic about the opportunity.

Since its inception, the AJCongress-Council for World Jewry, working
with Jewish communities around the world, has sought to build bridges to
the Muslim world by pursuing contacts with authoritative, moderate
Muslim political and religious figures in America and around the world.

We approach this mission with sobriety and a hard headedness about the
Jewish cause, with a realism about current conflicts and impending
threats. But we are also driven by the compelling and urgent necessity to
reach out and engage leading individuals in the Muslim world who, by
meeting us at least halfway, can accelerate the process by which the
Muslim world finds its way into a healthy and productive relationship with
contemporary life.

Our dialogue with Muslims starts with an understanding that true
moderation begins with tolerance among peoples. Christians, Muslims, and Jews
come from a shared common heritage, and we are three branches of one
tradition and one set of core values.

We recognize the vital role that mass media and education - in both
public school systems as well as madrasses - plays in teaching and
advocating values of moderation, tolerance and understanding. We need to
ensure that tolerance is more accurately reflected in Muslim media and
education systems, including in Pakistan.

This must be the last generation educated to be hateful of Jews.
Demonization of the Jewish people is a scourge that offends people of all
racial and religious backgrounds. It is troubling that anti-Semitism has
reemerged in some quarters in Europe just 60 years after the Holocaust.
This is sparked by extremism. We all have an obligation to eradicate
anti-Semitism from all our societies.

This must be the last generation educated to be hateful of Israel. We
reject the Arab boycott against Israel and we support every effort of
diplomacy and dialogue in the quest for peace and security.

This must be the last generation educated to believe it is acceptable
to denigrate people of other cultures and religions. For our part, Jews
must work to prevent Islam from being attacked with impunity.
Unfortunately, many Muslims believe attacks against Islam are fomented by us.
There exists a conspiracy-theory mindset among many Muslims that seeks to
blame the Jews for the ills of the Muslim world. Jewish leaders must be
more active and visible to prevent attacks against Islam, and Muslims
leaders, in turn, must help dispel unfounded conspiracy theories.

And, finally, this must be the last generation educated to believe that
terrorism is a legitimate means to achieve political ends. Acts of
terror have no place in civilized societies and terrorists can never be
honored as freedom fighters or martyrs.

President Musharraf, you are an important voice in the Muslim world.
You can carry this message to places and people that I, that we, cannot.

President Musharraf's appearance with us tonight is a symbolic act of
his determination to take the struggle forward. But it is not an
isolated one. Following positive reaction in Pakistan to the announcement of
this meeting, he initiated other important steps toward Israel.

Two weeks ago, on September 1, his Foreign Minister, Khurshid Kasuri,
met openly with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.

Pakistan is taking a stand, supporting the struggle of the Palestinian
people to have a state of their own, but at the same time, affirming
such a state will exist alongside of - and not seek to replace - the
Jewish state of Israel. It has said it will now "engage" Israel, a step
forward from Pakistan's previous policy. President Musharraf recently
praised Prime Minister Sharon as "courageous" for unilaterally disengaging
from Gaza. For its part, Israel has agreed to loosen trade restrictions
for imports of Pakistani products. On Wednesday, President Musharraf
shook hands with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon - something that
would have been impossible even a year ago.

We are proud to be part of this historic drama. But tonight represents
only a beginning of what we hope is a long process of dialogue and
engagement. Organizations like ours have a continuing role to play, and we
invite all of you here tonight to to join with us. We would like to
explore with President Musharraf opportunities to bring together
Pakistani, American and Israeli citizens in a dialogue about our shared futures
through a program of on-going exchanges and visits. The more our people
interact with each other, the easier it will be for government leaders
to act.

Let me share with you some personal information about our special
guest. President Musharraf was born in Delhi in 1943. He spent his early
years in Turkey, where his father served in Pakistani Foreign Ministry.
Beginning his military career in 1964, he rose through the ranks as a
highly decorated soldier and officer, becoming head of the Armed Forces in
1998. The following year he assumed his country's political leadership.
He is married and has a son and a daughter.

He is a critical ally and partner of the United States in fighting
terrorism. Under his leadership, Pakistan's economy is growing, it is
reducing friction with its Indian neighbor, and his country is increasing
its presence on the international stage.

I must tell you many people expressed doubt that tonight would happen.
The gap is too wide; the differences are too stark, they said. I am
reminded of a famous passage from literature that describes the wide chasm
which separates western and eastern cultures:

Oh East is East and West is West and ne'er the twain shall meet.

So it stands, engraved in conventional wisdom, as if decreed by heaven.
But its author, Rudyard Kipling, who wrote as an Englishman in the
Indian subcontinent - the land that includes modern day Pakistan - did not
accept this insight as destiny. Instead, his poem continues:

But there is neither East nor West,
Border nor breed nor birth,
When two strong men stand face to face
Tho' they come from the ends of the earth.


These elegant words remind us that leadership and character are
indispensable to the progress of Man. Mr. President, we thank you for being
here with us tonight, and we look forward to hearing your thoughts on how
the cause of Enlightened Moderation will be carried forward.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is my very great honor to introduce to you the
President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Honorable Pervez
Musharraf.



=================================================
President Pervez Musharraf Address To The American Jewish Congress
(Full Text Of The President Address)

Honourable Mr. Jack Rosen,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,

Let me start by expressing my personal and my Nation’s grief and condolences over the devastation, loss of lives and human suffering caused by Hurricane Katrina in the south eastern states specially New Orleans.

2. I thank Mr. Jack Rosen for inviting this distinguished gathering under the auspices of the American Jewish Congress. This is a unique occasion. It signifies an endeavour for mutual understanding in a time of uncertainty and fear. The unfortunate events of recent history have created division and tension between the followers of the three great monotheistic faiths --- Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Your invitation card described this event as a historic occasion. For a leader of Pakistan, it is indeed so, and I feel privileged to be speaking to so many members of what is probably the most distinguished and influential community in the United States. I also deeply appreciate that, in arranging this event, the American Jewish Congress has invited members of other prominent organizations and associations representing the spectrum of American society.

3. I always speak my mind candidly. And I always do so with total sincerity. This is what I will do this evening. There is no longer any time for ambivalence or leisurely diplomacy.

4. The world has entered an era where a number of threats - terrorism, political conflicts, proliferation, poverty – have assumed global and catastrophic dimensions. They have to be resolved urgently and with finality. They cannot be merely managed in the hope that they can be resolved later. We can no longer leave these wounds festering. They pose a great danger to the world at large and our future generations.

5. Our world today has been transformed, by the revolutions in communications and information technology, into a global village. People move, interact and affect each other. The good or bad in one region transcend geopolitical boundaries and have a global impact. The homily: “the common heritage of mankind” is now a visible reality. We are jointly responsible for the well-being, progress and prosperity of our peoples – indeed of mankind at large. Each people, nation, and religion must live with each other, accommodate each other, and do no harm to each other. Today, truly, we are our “brother’s keeper”. This is a heavy responsibility – given that our world has great wealth, but also grave poverty; great achievements, but also grave injustice; unprecedented capacity for progress and prosperity, but also the awesome capability to destroy our planet.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
6. The major monotheistic religions of the world – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – share a common heritage and converge on a multiplicity of universal values. Yet, today, our great religions – which should be a source of hope, tolerance and peace – are seen to be pitted against each other. How and why did this happen? Is it possible to reshape the future for the common benefit of humanity – for all of us? These are the questions I would like to address this evening.

7. On this occasion, it is relevant to recall that Jews and Muslims have more similarities and few divergences in their faith and culture. The oneness of God (which Muslims call Tauheed), is common to both Islam and Judaism. The Muslim greeting, Salam O Alaikum (peace be upon you), is akin to the Jewish greeting, Shalom, which also means peace. When I watched the last scene in the famous movie “Schindler’s List”, it concludes with a quotation from the Talmud: “Killing one innocent person is like the murder of humanity and saving one innocent person is like saving humanity”. The identical words appear in the Holy Quran.

8. According to the Holy Quran and our Holy Prophet, Jews and Christians are the “People of the Book”, belonging to the same spiritual tradition. Abraham, Moses and Jesus are among the most revered prophets of Islam. Moses is the prophet who is most frequently referred to in the Holy Quran. Our experiences and histories intertwine in many regions of the old world and most significantly in the Holy Land.

9. The history of interaction between the Islamic and Jewish communities is rich and long. This includes the shining examples of Jewish communities coexisting in harmony within Islamic societies in Cordova, Baghdad, Istanbul and Bokhara, contributing to a rich mosaic of culture and traditions. Many Jewish historians have referred to the days of Muslim Spain as the “golden period”, when Jewish communities flourished intellectually, politically and economically in an environment of religious tolerance and scholarly inspiration. The subsequent wrath of the Inquisition was suffered jointly by Muslims and Jews. Indeed, over the centuries, Jewish communities and Islamic societies from Central Asia to Spain, have not only lived together and shared prosperity, but also suffered together.

10. The past six decades are, therefore, an aberration in the long history of Muslim-Jewish cooperation and coexistence. Many learned studies have been written about the reasons for the hostility and violence that has occurred. I do not wish to dwell on this. Each of us has his own understanding and perception. But, it is relevant to recall that the gulf between the Muslim and Jewish communities arose in what was the bloodiest century in human history, marked by world wars, genocide and mass deportations, in which millions perished. It was in this bloody century that the Jewish people suffered their greatest tragedy – the Holocaust – whose commemoration will be on the agenda of this year’s session of the United Nations General Assembly. It was also in this brutal century that other peoples suffered their greatest tragedies – Palestinians, Kashmiris, Bosnians, Rwandese. We must not forget; but we must forgive. Suffering often engenders anger; but this must be soon replaced by compassion. And, we have witnessed such compassion from the Jewish community. It was Jewish groups in the US who were in the forefront in opposing the ethnic cleansing of Muslims in Bosnia. I am told that the largest contributor to the Bosnian cause was the Jewish-American businessman and philanthropist – George Soros. More recently, in the backlash against Muslims, including Pakistani immigrants, after 9/11, they received legal and other assistance from several Jewish groups. I wish to acknowledge and appreciate this.

11. These noble examples are a source of hope. Hope that we can convert this century into one which will see universal peace, progress and prosperity. This aspiration is achievable but only if we pursue reconciliation and cooperation.

12. There are a host of challenges we all face in common – political, social and environmental. One of the most pervasive threats we confront is international terrorism. The world today is in the grip of terror. Explosives, car bombs, suicide bombers have all added a new destructive dimension to terrorism. Terrorism threatens to destabilize all modern societies. It is anti-progress. It must be rejected. It cannot be condoned for any reason or cause.

13. The people of Pakistan have suffered from terrorism. We continue to suffer because of extremism in our region. We are making our contribution to the fight against terrorism. Our efforts have won international appreciation. Pakistan is participating in international action against international terrorism through police and military action, intelligence sharing and measures to curb terrorist financing.

14. But, I believe, we cannot limit ourselves to fire fighting and local actions against individuals and groups. We should also look for the deeper causes of this malaise and for the motivations that drive individuals to extreme irrational behaviour to commit acts of terrorism. The question that arises is: what pushes a human being to such extremes of desperation that he takes his own life to kill others? I have no doubt whatsoever that any attempt to shy away or ignore the root causes of terrorism is shutting ones eyes to reality and is a sure recipe for failure. Military action or use of force against the terrorists today is not, in itself, the ultimate solution to the malaise. It merely buys us time to implement profound policies to eliminate the phenomenon.

15. A parallel danger lies in fallacious theories and polemical campaigns motivated by prejudice. The postulated clash between civilizations, specifically between Islam and the West, has no basis in history. Civilizations have grown and prospered throughout history, influencing, interacting with and enriching each other. Regrettably, the theory has inspired attempts to turn it into a self-fulfilling prophecy. There are tendencies to associate Islam with terrorism and even suggestions that this great religion of tolerance, compassion and peace, somehow, denies espousal of these universal values. To my mind this is a hate campaign. In today’s dynamic world, we need, more than ever before, to foster understanding and harmony among societies. Should we tolerate such campaigns in our midst when we demand their rejection elsewhere? Therefore, I strongly support the endeavour to promote interfaith and inter-civilizational dialogue and harmony.

16. However, it is a fact that, today, most of those involved in terrorist acts, as well most of those who suffer the consequences of these acts, are Muslims. Obviously, there is a deep disturbance and malaise within Islamic societies, which has become specially acute in recent years. The reasons are plain to see. Since the end of the Cold War, almost every major festering problem and conflict affects and torments the Islamic world. Palestine has been at the heart of the troubles in the Middle East. In our region, Kashmir has been the source of tension and conflict. The unfortunate history of Afghanistan spawned extremism and terrorism. Turmoil in Iraq causes great concern in the Islamic world and the rest of the international community. These and other political issues, have given rise to a deep sense of anger, desperation and humiliation in the Arab and Muslim populations. It is this political and social environment which breeds terrorism and extremism.

17. At the same time, I do not shy away from pointing to the failure within the Islamic societies to embrace reform, progress and modernity. The Muslim world emerged from decades of colonization, politically, economically and socially stunted. Political independence did not always lead to good governance. Many of us have remained trapped in a time warp, still struggling to reconstruct our political, social and economic systems to respond to the challenges of our times. In Islamic societies, there is a divide between the outlook of the protagonists of modernity and the custodians of orthodoxy. The resultant economic deprivation and social backwardness are also the source of extremism. And extremism creates a fertile recruiting ground for terrorism.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
18. If we are to succeed against terrorism and end extremism, we must, therefore, address the root causes. The leaders of today must change the course of events instead of merely reacting to a series of catastrophic events – such as 9/11 and 7/7.

19. First of all, I feel we need to clearly understand that terrorism and extremism are two different phenomena. Each requires a different strategy. Lumping terrorism and extremism together, or behaving as if they are synonymous, is a fallacy. Terrorism has to be met head on with all the force required to suppress and eradicate it. In the case of extremism, the battle has to be won in the hearts and minds of people. It cannot be achieved through the use of force. We must adopt separate short term and long-term strategies to address terrorism and extremism. Such immediate and long-term strategies have to be implemented at three tiers: the global level, the Muslim world level and the national level in the concerned countries.

20. In the immediate context, terrorism, as I said, has to be confronted with force all over the world. Intimate cooperation and coordination of intelligence and squeezing the underworld funding of terrorists and extremists organizations will facilitate counter terrorism operations to a large degree.

21. At the same time, to ensure success, it is essential, together with the use of force, to promote the resolution of the political disputes, which are exploited by terrorists to justify their criminal actions. Among these political disputes, may I be allowed to say clearly that the Palestinian and Kashmir disputes are ripe for resolution. One can draw satisfaction from the fact that visible signs of movement are appearing towards an end to both these disputes. We ought to put our collective weight behind a push for their final solution. Secondly, for the long term, the socio economic revival of the Muslim world, focusing particularly on education and poverty alleviation, will also erode the core of terrorism and extremism.

22. I have strongly advocated reform, social and economic progress and rejection of extremism in Islamic societies. In parallel, I have emphasized that the international community, particularly the West, must facilitate the resolution of outstanding problems, in particular the problem of Palestine. I have described this two-pronged approach as Enlightened Moderation. Regardless of the nomenclature, this dual approach responds to the realities of our historical and political circumstances, which cannot be wished away.

23. The strategy of Enlightened Moderation, at the global and Muslim world level, will also help to end extremism. Domestically, religious bigotry, hate campaigns and confrontational tendencies have to be curbed. This has to be done through bold, determined, well thought out and indigenously applicable strategies. The misuse of religion to spread militancy, hatred and violence has to be suppressed. An international discourse as well as national debate in affected societies, on religious harmony must be initiated. In the Muslim world, I feel we need to initiate a serious discourse to promote an understanding of the true Islam. We must then project its real essence to the world.

24. I would like to say with pride that today Pakistan is perhaps the only country which is actively confronting and addressing the issue of terrorism and extremism through well-considered and comprehensive separate strategies. The results are already visible on the ground. We are determined to persist with and sustain this effort until we gain complete ascendancy over the terrorist and extremist segments within our national fabric.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
25. I would be remiss if, while addressing the American Jewish Congress, I did not express my views on the Israeli-Palestinian problem. I do not have an iota of doubt that this lies at the heart of terrorism in the Middle East and beyond. In view of its global impact, it is incumbent on the international community - specially the West and the US – to ensure a peaceful resolution of the dispute. Both parties involved – the Israelis and the Palestinians - must shun confrontation and pursue peace and reconciliation.

26. Israel rightly desires security. This will remain incomplete until the creation of an independent and viable Palestinian state is assured. Israel must come to terms with geopolitical realities and allow justice to prevail for the Palestinians. The Palestinians’ desire for freedom and nationhood is as intense as that of any other people. They want their own independent state.

27. We see hope in recent events. We have welcomed the Israeli decision to pull out of Gaza. The peace process, as set out in the “Road Map”, must be pursued as agreed. We hope Israel will also soon withdraw from the West Bank. This will set the stage for the establishment of the independent state in Palestine. By respecting Palestinian aspirations, Israel will attain its legitimate desire for assured security. I am convinced that peace in Palestine, that does justice to both the Israelis and the Palestinians will bring to a close the sad chapter in the history of the Middle East. It will revive the historical ties between Islam and Judaism. It will extinguish the anger and frustration that motivates resort to violence and extremism. What better signal for peace could there be than the opening of Embassies in Israel by Islamic countries like Pakistan?

28. There will remain the difficult “final status” issues to be resolved. None is more sensitive than the fate of the Holy City of Jerusalem (which we call Al-Quds al-Sharif). It is a city that is sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims. It was the first Qibla of Islam. The first edict of Caliph Omar when he entered Jerusalem, over fourteen centuries ago, was to annul the five hundred years of exile of the Jewish people. He invited them to return and build their homes in the Holy City. For durable peace and harmony between Israelis and Palestinians – indeed between Israel and the Muslim world – it is such a gesture of reconciliation and realism that is required of Israel. Any final settlement should respect the international character of Jerusalem as well as international law and the resolutions of the Security Council.

29. I have always believed that the courage required to compromise and reconcile is far greater than that required to confront. I appeal to Israel to show that courage. I appeal to the American Jewish Congress, and the entire Jewish Community, to use their considerable influence to put an end to the Palestinian dispute once and for all and to usher in a period of peace and tranquility in the Middle East and perhaps the whole world. Failure is no longer an option.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
30. Let me conclude with a word about the prospects of Pakistan’s relations with Israel. Pakistan has no direct conflict or dispute with Israel. We pose no threat to Israel’s security. We trust that Israel poses no threat to Pakistan’s national security. But, our people have a deep sense of sympathy for the Palestinian people and their legitimate aspirations for statehood. In response to the bold step taken by Prime Minister Sharon to withdraw from the Gaza, Pakistan decided to initiate an official contact with Israel. Our Foreign Ministers met in Istanbul through the good offices of our Turkish friends. As the peace process progresses towards the establishment of an independent Palestinian State, we will take further steps towards normalization and cooperation, looking to full diplomatic relations.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
31. We can remain mired in old prejudices and keep the world hostage to the politics of perennially defining and redefining the enemy, or we can move forward with courage and reach out to work for the rebirth of history and a new future of peace, harmony, mutual respect, dignity and shared prosperity. We can lose this opportunity to narrow vision and a failure to see humanity in each other. The responsibility to make the right choice is in our hands. May God guide us all to make the right choice.

COMING TO TERMS WITH THE ROOTS OF AMERICA

COMING TO TERMS WITH THE ROOTS OF AMERICA
Feel free to place your response on Moin's blog.........http://greenviewsusa.blogspot.com/

America is great, not because of Cruise Missiles, but because of the greatest library system in the history of mankind, the Library of Congress and its tributaries. The USA is powerful not because of our 15 well armed and well trained divisions of soldiers, but because of the millions of books available in bookstores all over our land.

Our defences are impregrnable not because of NRA guns, but because we are literate and have the ability to discern right from wrong. Traditionally we have had the moral authority, becuase we have defended the right cuases. Fantasies based on the origins of the country are folklore of almost every nation. What befuddles most intellectuals is that the most powerful nation on earth with access to the best research on the planet and, still worship some of the made up "fairy tales" as if they were the incarnation of God, and the ideas have been delivered to humanity from some divine parchment.

Serious criticism of the constitution and it faults have been pushed under the rug. The elimination of the Native Americans, the disenfranchisement of women, the subjugation of slaves and other serious issues are overshadowed by the Lewis and Clark expedition and the Lousiana purchase. Minority cultures and contirbutions are latent. Black contributions and Chinese labor is still not recognized as valuable to this land. There is almost no discussion of the fact that our constitution and our republic is and synthesis of diverse cultures--Christian, Jewish, Islamic, "Native American" and others.

Over the past 25 years, I have been amazed at the lack of critical discourse about the founding fathers, and our history.

As Lawrence Gladstone eloquently discuss the constitution, she only discusses the racial aspect of our shortcomings. It is a fact that our Senate and our Congress were loosely based on the "Indian Confederation" which gave equal rights to each tribe. A through discussion of the formation of our values, our bill or rights and our constitution can be found in the writings of John Locke, Ibn Haytam, Ibn Tufail, and the Magna Carta which after all was derived from the Shairiah Laws in vogue in Muslim Spain. Where else would people have the insight to have a head of state that was removable? As John Maksudi eloquently describes it, British common Law is based on The Judeo-Christian-Islamic jurisprudence that has it's origins in the Halakah and the Shariah.

Inclusiveness is part of our strength. We must include the demonized communities into our Stars and Stripes, and we must include the disenfranchised and the poor into our sweet land of liberty. While facing the challenges of 911 we fell into the trap of listening to bigots and those who had an agenda against certain peoples. It is amazing that the 911 commission did not include one Muslim in its authorship! If the report is flawed, or we were unable to hear the chorus of voices around the world, in the error of our ways in Iraq, all we needed to do was to raise the decibel level of some of our best citizens on the planet. All the 911 commission had to do was to open a few pages from the writings of a Muslim American--an American that has been an ambassador and an advisor to President Nixon

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://web.mit.edu/mitmsa/www/NewSite/libstuff/Crane/crane.gif&imgrefurl=http://web.mit.edu/mitmsa/www/NewSite/libstuff/Crane/cover.htm&h=145&w=150&sz=14&tbnid=w_0scQRCMlsJ:&tbnh=87&tbnw=90&hl=en&start=6&prev=/images

As Benjamin Franklin said, "we can all hang together or we can hang separately."  Until and unless America can begin to understand the true origins of our constitution and until and unless we stop doling out fairy tales to our population about our constitutional beginnings, we will be unable to gain our true potential.

The White Washing of American History

by Lawrence Goldstone


Conventionalwisdom in publishing these days holds that, in order to be commercial,any book on the founding of the United States has to be "a story oftriumph," an 18th century "Seabiscuit." Muddying the picture bysuggesting, for example, that slavery had a lot more to do with theforging of the Constitution than is generally assumed creates a storyof failure. Failure does not sell. Americans certainly have been treated to a number of rosy portrayals ofthe framers in recent years, although they follow two distinct andoften opposing streams. First and most obvious is what academicsdismissively refer to — generally in a sentence with "McCullough" in it— as popular history. Popularizing, it is said, stresses portraitureinstead of analysis and presents a superficial, distorted, uncriticaland usually Pollyannaish view of forces and events. But the secondtype, in which academic historians tend to overpower human history withtheory and detail, yields distortions of its own and leads to adifferent and perhaps more insidious sort of superficiality.  Insome of the most intellectually penetrating contemporary studies of themaking of the Constitution, for example, even preeminent scholars suchas Jack Rakove and Bernard Bailyn have chosen to focus on the clash ofpolitical ideologies rather than compromises spurred by base economicself-interest. Although their analyses are often superb, by ignoringpractical realities and human frailty, the United States can appear tobe a nation of citizen-philosophers standing around village greens intricorn hats discussing John Locke, as much a caricature as updatingParson Weems. Sanitizing American history in this fashion inevitably de-emphasizesdisagreeable topics, especially the most disagreeable of all, slavery.Although a number of contemporary works have cast a fresh eye onWashington's or Jefferson's attitudes and opinions with respect toslaves, most historians still seem unwilling to face the overwhelminginfluence that slavery exerted, both directly and indirectly, on ourmost sacred national institutions. Dealing with slavery merely as partof an overall theoretic analysis distances the people from theinstitution, consigning slavery to the periphery, an anachronisticquirk.  Butslavery was no quirk, nor was it simply a peculiarity of the times,accommodated by the North for the sake of union. It was rather one ofthe fundamental determinants of American life. For the rice growers ofSouth Carolina and the tobacco planters of Virginia, slavery shapedtheir politics, their economies and, most important, their view ofthemselves, while in the North, the institution provided immense profitopportunities that shippers and merchants exploited ceaselessly.  Nordid slavery exist in shadow. Slavery was as unpleasant and repugnant atopic in 1787, as much a stain on American honor, as it is inretrospect today.  Inthe debates in the Constitutional Convention, more than one Northernerlamented the conditions under which "wretched Africans" lived and died,but they chose to suppress their distaste for tactical advantage. WhenGouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania and Rufus King of Massachusettsdelivered long, lacerating speeches denouncing slavery, begging theirfellow delegates not to encourage perpetuation of the slave trade byincluding three-fifths of the slaves in apportionment calculations,their Northern colleagues overwhelmingly voted them down.Certainly it is more comfortable to read accounts that deify theframers, but deification is dangerous, particularly now. Our nation iscurrently engaged in an unabashed campaign to instruct people aroundthe world on how to live. We sent the citizens of Iraq off to write aconstitution, and then tried to tell them what it should say. If we aregoing to dictate to others what their constitutional process should be,then we should be willing to look a little more honestly at our own. Thisreappraisal ought not be confined to government or academia but shouldinclude the ultimate rulers of the United States — average citizens. Ifwe as a nation fail to appreciate the torturous and tortuous process offorming a Constitution, we will continually blunder when trying todemand that other countries do it our way.  TheAmericans who drafted the Constitution were fully formed human beings,with aims both petty and grandiose. They could be alternatelysophisticated or naive, manipulative or gullible. The legacy theybequeathed us was one of struggle against their own prejudices,self-interest, greed and shortsightedness in pursuit of freedom andself-rule. Ultimately, through war, rancor and bitterness, and in whatwould certainly have been a surprise to many of those very framers,their highest visions were realized. That is triumph enough for me. Lawrence Goldstone is the author, most recently, of "Dark Bargain: Slavery, Profits and the Struggle for the Constitution" (Walker, October 2005).© Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Times


Best Regards,

Moin Ansari
973-463-1260 day
973-568-9330 cell
973-568-9330 home
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Pit stop on the "911 march 4 peace" 

Moin Ansari speaking to the assembled participants 

Moin Ansari  

Boonton "911 march 4 peace" 

Moin smiling 

Moin Ansari 

Moin Ansari at the "911 march 4 peace" 

Boonton "911 march 4 peace" march led by Moin Ansari holding Old Glory 

Moin Ansari's speech on 9-11-2005

Salaam, Shalom, Peace, Pax, Shanti, and Aman:

Welcome to the "911 march 4 peace". Welcome to the mosque. This mosque is the result of the philanthropy of a family who have truly devoted their lives to the well being of the Muslims of this area. The life force behind this effort is Mrs. Hamida Amanat, whom we will introduce to you today. This is a busy day for her today, because it is the first day of Sunday school. I apologize to her for intruding on a busy day and thank the entire administration for supporting our interfaith efforts and allowing us the opportunity to build bridges.

Welcome to our "911 march 4 peace". We are gathered here to mourn the innocent victims of a terror attack on our country. We are also gathered here to condemn violence, and to build bridges of harmony. These bridges of harmony will build a better America. These bridges of harmony will reverberate back to the Middle East and South Asia. These bridges of harmony will build a better world.

Today your being here is a testament to the unity of our country and the magnanimity of our people. You have heard all the heart rendering stories of families broken, and innocence lost. As we condemn violence today, let us not talk about international affairs, and world politics. Let us today focus on our community, and our friendships. Today let me share another side of the same story.

What does 911 mean to me? My sharing my personal story and by being here today, will truly confirm my belief in the greatness of America and goodness of our people.

What does 911 mean to me? Let me begin by telling you about myself. I was born in Lahore Pakistan. My first teacher was a Hindu. I did not realize this fact ‘till a few years ago…she was simply Mis Das...a good person and a wonderful human being. All my life I went to Catholic school, growing up with tremendous respect for Christians and Christianity.

I came to the USA 25 years ago on August 12, 1980. I did not come here as a political or economic refugee. I came here as a student to study engineering. Like my parents and grand parents I went aboard to learn. Unlike my father and grandfather, I did not go back. I decided to stay. I got my engineering degree, completed my post graduate education and finished my MBA. As an American by choice, I love America and what it stands for. For 15 years I world for corporate America at companies like Motorola and Delloitte an Touch at the highest levels of management. Like many immigrants I strived for and built my American dream.

What does 911 mean to me? I can distinctly remember where I was and what I was doing that day. Right around 9 am, when someone told me that a plane had hit the Word Trade Center, I dismissed it as a freak accident because of a drunk pilot flying a small Cessna or something. A few minutes later, this person came to my office and told me that another plane had hit the WTC. I took it to be the working of another drunk pilot. Being a news junkie I went to the internet to get my news. When I tried to log on to CNN I was locked out.
What does 911 mean to me? We ran to the office downstairs, and saw the most devastating pictures that will remain etched in our minds till our dyeing day.

What does 911 mean to me? I was scared. I was scared for the people of New York and as a patriotic American citizen, I was scared for our country. The tears of sorrow that were rolling down my cheeks were also the tears of anger. My country was under attack, and this endangered me, my family, my friends, and my favorite city in the world. My favorite restaurant in the entire world was "Windows to the World". On many occasions, we had gone to the restaurant and had partied all night there. As I saw the buildings fall, images of the restaurant were flashing through my eyes. I used to work for Delloitte Consulting which had a floor on the World Trade Center. As the buildings went down, I was angry because that office, and some of the people in it were no more. I know most of you felt the same way.

What does 911 mean to me? Many have said that 911 changed the world. 9-11, 8:46, and 9:03 have now become proper nouns. On a personal level it changed my world. Life will probably never be the same for Muslims like me. As we mourn the 3000 Americans that died on that fateful day, we also want to pay tribute to the 300 Muslim Americans who perished in the buildings. As we remember those who were lost, we must focus on moving forward and building a better America. Life will never be the same again for Muslims in the USA or anywhere else in the world.

What does 911 mean to me? Many Muslim Americans will not share this other side of 911. Let me share it with you. On September 12, I saw a roadblock on Route 10. This is where my story begins to become dramatically different then yours. This is where, Muslim Americans face a double whammy. First traumatized by an attack on our homeland, second, being scapegoated and then the backlash.

As I approached the roadblock, all of a sudden, 911 took a very different turn. Suddenly, I realized, that this road block was set up to look for people who looked like the terrorists. All of a sudden, I realized that 911 would personally impact me in more than one way. All of a sudden I realized that maybe perhaps they were looking for people like me. By a fluke chance, I was not stopped at the roadblock, but every time I cross Ridgedale avenue, I think of that terrible day.

On September 12, I found a very different world. I faced roadblocks on Rt 10 on other occasions, and was randomly checked on my return from a trip to Europe. The only people who were randomly checked was a dark skinned Thai person and me!

After 911 clients, consultants and business associates who had always respected me all of a sudden asked me my national origin, and my religion. Over the next few years, my business began slowing down. When I looked around me, I counted many many of my well qualified friends had been laid off. On one occasion, I answered the phone. The client loved me and what I had to say. We discussed things and thrashed out the details via email and over the internet. She was ready to sign the contract. When I showed up at a client site, the person in charge refused to acknowledge me, instead turning to my Anglo employee, and she did not talk to me during the meeting. I did not get the contract. Slowly my business started to slide down.

One of my dearest buddies named Muhammad tried to cope with the new realities by changing his name to Mike Walker. As I read the foreign newspapers, I found out that plane loads had been deported, and thousands had fled New York City back to Karachi and other cities. The real estate values doubled in Islamabad. Thousands "escaped" to Canada.

What does 911 mean to me?On the news media and from the pulpits of Graham, Falwell and Robertson Islam and Muslims were a target. On a daily basis, we faced venom spewed about Islam and Muslims. We felt smaller. As patriotic American citizens, we felt small and demeaned.
Each person you meet in the mosque will either tell you these stories, or will be too embarrassed to mention similar stories to you.

What does 911 mean to me? Over the past few years, each one of us have been asked, to explain our religion and explain the violence. I ask you in earnest, is it not insulting to ask another human being ………is murder is OK? In frustration sometimes I asked, is it OK to kill 50 million people during world war to or 15 million people in WW 1. My friends told me not to ask these questions, or question about Vietnam, Hiroshima and the Koraen war. This was too provocative.

What does 911 mean to me? To cope, we undertook a mission to reach out to our fellow Americans. We began visiting synagogues, and churches. We have been tried to explain what Muslims are all about, and what Islam is to our fellow Americans. We met a group of really good people at the Presbyterian church…and we began our reconstruction…………..they reached out to us like no one can

Rev. Dick Sanner, Rev. Jim Chestnut, Dave Mortensen, Dale Mcdonald, Jimm Kassar, Bob Donaldson, Ruth Vidal, and now Jim and Mary Jane Milway have become my best friends. God Bless them and God Bless the Presyterian Church. As we asked around, the church has reached out to a demonzied community across the nation and across the world.

I say we shall overcome. This too shall pass.
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I wont take your time to tell you about the basic tenants of Islam because all you have to do is read the Ten Commandments.

I will tell you that Muslims have been part and parcel of this great land of ours. There is nothing strange about Muslims being in America.

Muslims came to America with Columbus, before Columbus and after Columbus. The Panzone brothers, captained two of the ships that Columbus sailed on. This fact is not so strange if you figure out that Columbus sailed from Al-Andulusia, Spain a Muslim country with a huge Muslim population.
For those with a flair of history must also know that "they came before Columbus" included a Chinese Admiral by the name of He. More than a quarter of the slaves imported from Muslim African countries were also Muslim. Kunta Kunte, the forefather of Alex Hailey was only one such individual. Some of the Cherokees were named Salahddin and Ramadhan Watie.

If you want to see Islam in America, one does not have to go far. Islam is very visible in the architecture of the 5th avenue synagogues. If you want to see Islam in America, you can see it in the arches of the Moorish architectured houses of Alhambra California. If you want to see Islam in America, you can find in the gothic dome architecture, of the capitol building in almost every US capital. If you want to see Islam in Americam find it in Islamadora Florida, Mecca Ohio, Algeirs New Orleans, The San Joaquin Valley, and the Muslim names of more than 500 American cities. If you want to find Islam in America you will find it in the Tulip gardens of the Bronx Gardens, because tulips imported from Istanbul and Baghdad spread tulipomania in Holland which exported them to America. If you want to find Islam in America you can find it in the Bill of Rights which was taken from the writings of Jeffersen, Locke, Newton, Ibn Tufail and Ibn Haitam. If you want to find Islam in America you can find it in the writings of Jeffersen…read the Jeffersen Bible. If you want to see Islam in America listen to Jannessarian inspired music of Beethoven and Bach. If you want to find Islam in America, listen to Blues. It is truly inspired by African Muslim music. If want to see Islam in America watch Flemenca dancing and realize that the shout of Ole were actually the shouts of Allah. If you want o find Islam in America listen to Spanish, a language born from the confluence of Jews, Muslims and Christians. If you want to find Islam in America visit anything Sicilian, it will have a Muslim ingredient to it because of the fact that Sicily was ruled by centuries by Arabs and because of the constant influx of immigrants going both ways. If you want to find Islam in America think about it the next time you enjoy crepes, a local Moroccan dish. If you want to see Islam in America, pay attention to the word collegiate a corruption of Kulliat named after the first universities of the world in Cairo, Baghdad and Cordoba. If you want to find Islam in America pay attention the words, Al-gebra from Algebran, Chemistry from Al-Chemiya and even Alcohol from Al-chohol.

My point is...that...Muslims have been part and parcel of the American fabricwith between 7 and 16 million Muslims here, America has few options...no matter how painful it is….we have to work through this.

Let us work together to build bridges of harmony. The bridges that we build will surely reverberate back to the Middle East and South Asia.

We will have a moment of silence, read the covenant of Muhammad to all Christians, and read the fatwa against terror passed by the most eminent Muslim scholars of North America.

Le me thank all of you for coming. And Thank the Presbyterian church, and also the synagogues, the Hindu temple and the Sikhs who are here. Thank you, and let us work together. Le me thank our fellow Americans, and all the groups that helped make this a success. We invited all the officials that we could find, from the Governor to Senator Corzine to all local mayors and all Congressmen Frelingheuysen, Senator Martin etc.

Thank you and God Bless you and God Bless America!