One year after, let’s borrow from Israeli wisdom
- Details
- Category: Philosofaith
- Written by Aisha Umar Yusuf
- Hits: 562
It was described as the ‘best-documented state sponsored assassination in history’ but with typical Israeli arrogance, the Jewish state had demanded proof of its involvement in the deed. We are here referring to the January killing of Hamas official Mahmoud al Mabhouh by Mossad operatives in Dubai. Never mind that from their separate arrivals at the Dubai international airport to their convergence at the luxurious Al Bustan Rotana hotel, the 22-members of the Israeli hit squad were caught on CCTV cameras. Their movements on hotel corridors, up to the time they entered the victim’s room were all caught on tape.
Never mind also that a huge diplomatic row was ignited internationally, when it was found out that the Mossad assassins had used passports of different European countries to enter Dubai on their deadly mission. Several of the countries queried the Israeli ambassadors in their domain but the Netanyahu government stood its ground that there was no sufficient evidence to indict the Israeli intelligence agency. Of course those with a little knowledge of Mossad history will recall that it had attempted a similar assassination of Hamas Chief Khalid Mishal in 1997, using a ‘bizarre instrument’.Not surprisingly it was Netanyahu’s first government that authorised that murderous blunder. And the Serial Bungler had to pay dearly when his hit squad was forced to, not only provide the antidote to the poison that was sprayed in Khalid’s ear, when he was walking to his office in Jordan, one morning, but Netanyahu was forced to release the late Sheikh Ahmad Yassin from prison in exchange for the freedom of the arrested Mossad hit men.
In Dubai early this year, the murderers were not caught red-handed because ‘within two hours of completing their murderous task, the Jewish swarm of stalkers and executioners boarded international flights for Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Rome, Qatar, Bangkok, Frankfurt, Paris and Amsterdam’ according to journalist Andrew Hamilton. But today’s high-tech world made it easy to record each of their deadly steps for posterity. ‘Gail Foliard’ one of the five female members of the hit squad who went to Dubai with an Irish name and passport, actually had her eyes directly to the camera while the killing was going on. This is why when they were fingered in the killing everyone expected some humility and remorse from the Jewish state, but no one, it seemed, had reckoned with Benyamin Netanyahu’s trademark arrogance.
However, exactly one year ago, we woke up to the heartbreaking news that a 23-year- old Nigerian man had attempted to blow an American airliner. Umar Farouk Mutallab, young, handsome, a silver spoon by all standards, does not fit into the traditional profile of a religious bigot with suicidal tendencies. Yet we were told that he tried unsuccessfully to detonate a bomb hidden in his underwear and was subdued by fellow passengers, an incident which left only him with severe burns in his private parts.
Even while the news was unfolding, the details raised more questions than answers. While some passengers claimed that he was screaming and yelling something about Afghanistan after his failed mission, others said he was silent throughout, almost as if he wasn’t aware of what was going on around him. Another passenger said he was put on the plane by a man who claimed Farouk was a Sudanese refugee and did not allow him to speak for himself. Also curious was the issue of the man who singlehandedly subdued Farouk and why he was being kept in the shadows. In my article on January 25th this year, I had asked why a man who saved close to 300 lives by overpowering Mutallab was not being celebrated for the hero that he was.
Even more curious was the fact that the severely- burnt Farouk (didn’t we all see the burnt out underwear on the internet?) was able to walk into a courtroom wearing ‘a trouser, a t-shirt and tennis shoes’ exactly two weeks after the incident. There was no mention of him appearing on a wheel chair, or being aided to walk or more importantly wrapping a sheet of cloth around him because he couldn’t use a trouser on his severely burnt skin. Yet with all these questions we were ready to buy the story of Farouk Mutallab’s failed bomb attempt without doubt.
In February this year, I was among the speakers at a symposium on ‘Islam and Terrorism’, organised by the Muslim Media Practitioners association of Nigeria. I was surprised to hear almost speaker after speaker saying ‘What Farouk did was not Islamic’ and similar stuff, and I couldn’t help asking myself, continually,’ What did Farouk do?’ ‘Where is our proof?’ ‘Should we subject him to media trial and conviction even before any evidence of his guilt is provided?’ Surely after all we heard about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the resultant discovery that it was all a lie, we should believe even less what western leaders and media outlets have to say about certain things.
In any case, since this Christmas day incident, no one has seen Farouk or even talked to him. Still the two times Farouk was reported to have spoken should have provided enough food for thought to us. First was on January 8th when he appeared in court for the first time, Farouk simply pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. The second was a few months ago when he reportedly sacked his court appointed lawyers because they were trying to force him to go for plea bargaining. Being well-educated and believing in his innocence, Umar Farouk said ’If I want to plead guilty to some counts how will that work?’ then he added ‘ I prefer to represent myself, I feel any representation I have there will always be a conflict of interest.’ If this isn’t a man trying to exonerate himself, I don’t know what it is.
Some of us might have been misled by the so-called al-Qaida claim at the beginning of the incident, into believing that the story of Farouk’s attempted terrorism is as it was. But those of us with particular interest in the matter can recall that the first time ‘Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula’ claimed credit for a killing, was after the murder of American engineer Paul M Johnson in Iraq in 2004. After the claim was published on www.ansarnet.com, internet radio host Jack Blood took more than a casual interest in the claim and decided to do a domain search for the site. It turned out that www.ansarnet.com was domiciled at No. 1333 North Stemmons Freeway, Suite 110 Dallas. Postal code 75207 USA. So how did this al-Qaida get to be in the Arabian Peninsula?
Even the original al-Qaida has long since proved to be a myth. I am talking about the alleged terror network reportedly led by Usama bin Laden and considered responsible for the 9/11 attacks on the US. Tons and tons of alternative research undertaken by members of the 9/11 truth movement have proved the so-called terror attacks to be a hoax, an inside job undertaken by American secrets agents against their own country to serve the purpose of the Bush administration. Here I recommend to you readers an internet search on the truth movement and their findings, in order to make your own judgement on the issue. Suffice it to say that al-Qaida terrorists, research has shown are none other than CIA and Mossad agents, killing and maiming around the world while posing as Muslim bigots.
According to Fawaz Turki, a Washington DC-based journalist, ‘many Jewish assassins in the Arab world (known as Mistarivim or Arab pretenders) have been Oriental Jews born in Arab countries, who dress in native –garb and speak accent-free Arabic.’ So there is your al-Qaida network. Until at least September 13th 2001, no one ever heard about the word al-Qaida. When American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were attacked in 1998 what we heard were allegations that the deed was perpetrated by members of a terror network headed by a Saudi dissident millionaire then living in Sudan. No such word as al-Qaida was mentioned. As late as September 11th 2001 the word al-Qaida wasn’t known. It was not until some clever CIA agent reminded them that the database in which all names of volunteers to the Afghan-Soviet war of the 80s was called al-Qaida that the name suddenly came to life. Tell me, if this organisation had remained as a network of Muslim terrorists dating right back to the 80s how could they not know its name until September 13th 2001?
What is most disturbing is how Muslims seem to give little or no attention to the efforts of these Truth researchers. Surely we have more to gain if it can be proved that 9/11 was indeed an inside job and not the work of some imaginary Muslim terror network? What will it cost us to support the 9/11 Truthers, to popularise their theories and to form pressure groups based on their findings? Won’t it be great to have a Nigerian group calling for a fair and public trial for Farouk Mutallab?
I couldn’t believe the deafening silence that followed President Ahmadinejad’s questioning of the official story of 9/11 in New York some months ago. I thought Muslims groups will be falling over themselves to queue up behind him and call for an independent probe of the incident. While American officials staged a walk-out during his speech and their papers named him a ‘Holocaust and 9/11 denier’, the Muslim world was silent. It is almost as if we are happier accepting all the official stories, no matter the cost to our reputation and safety.
In the nine years since 9/11 no evidence has been given to us to prove that September 11th or the subsequent ones that followed were categorically the handiwork of Muslim terrorists, yet we prefer to bear the brunt than insist on proof. Imagine having to remove your shoes every time we get on the plane because we didn’t bother to challenge the theory that Richard Reid, the alleged shoe bomber, couldn’t have put an explosive in his shoe and walked into the plane without detonating it somehow. No one claimed seeing Reid, a British Muslim convert walking uncomfortably or with a limp into the plane. But the moment we were told he hid a bomb in his shoe we chose to believe it.
Yet, it is Islam that has a criminal justice system which insists on proven evidence before any guilt could be established. Adulterers cannot be convicted until four reliable witnesses, walking independently of one another have caught them red-handedly in the act, a fact which will be very difficult to accomplish unless the adulterers choose to confess. With a justice system like this, how can we believe it anytime we are told a Muslim or group of Muslims have killed or attempted to kill innocent people in pursuit of some murderous ideology? The holy Quran says, ‘And why, when you heard it, did the believing men and women not think good of one another and say this is an obvious falsehood?’ Surah al-Nur verse 12.
We have to start challenging these official stories and be demanding proofs because all of us are potential victims of this dubious war on terror. Just imagine, when 9/11 was staged nine years ago Farouk Mutallab was only a 15 year old student in Togo, probably not even bothered by the incident. Today he has fallen victim of the biggest conspiracy of our time. As I remember him today, on the first anniversary of his travails, I hope that the Muslim Umma will borrow this one leaf from the Israelis, insist on hard core evidence, no matter what the screaming headlines suggest.
Articles
One year after, let’s borrow from Israeli wisdom
Category: Philosofaith Written by Aisha Umar Yusuf Hits: 562
It was described as the ‘best-documented state sponsored assassination in history’ but with typical Israeli arrogance, the Jewish state had demanded proof of its involvement in the deed. We are here referring to the January killing of Hamas official Mahmoud al Mabhouh by Mossad operatives in Dubai. Never mind that from their separate arrivals at the Dubai international airport to their convergence at the luxurious Al Bustan Rotana hotel, the 22-members of the Israeli hit squad were caught on CCTV cameras. Their movements on hotel corridors, up to the time they entered the victim’s room were all caught on tape.
Never mind also that a huge diplomatic row was ignited internationally, when it was found out that the Mossad assassins had used passports of different European countries to enter Dubai on their deadly mission. Several of the countries queried the Israeli ambassadors in their domain but the Netanyahu government stood its ground that there was no sufficient evidence to indict the Israeli intelligence agency. Of course those with a little knowledge of Mossad history will recall that it had attempted a similar assassination of Hamas Chief Khalid Mishal in 1997, using a ‘bizarre instrument’.Not surprisingly it was Netanyahu’s first government that authorised that murderous blunder. And the Serial Bungler had to pay dearly when his hit squad was forced to, not only provide the antidote to the poison that was sprayed in Khalid’s ear, when he was walking to his office in Jordan, one morning, but Netanyahu was forced to release the late Sheikh Ahmad Yassin from prison in exchange for the freedom of the arrested Mossad hit men.
In Dubai early this year, the murderers were not caught red-handed because ‘within two hours of completing their murderous task, the Jewish swarm of stalkers and executioners boarded international flights for Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Rome, Qatar, Bangkok, Frankfurt, Paris and Amsterdam’ according to journalist Andrew Hamilton. But today’s high-tech world made it easy to record each of their deadly steps for posterity. ‘Gail Foliard’ one of the five female members of the hit squad who went to Dubai with an Irish name and passport, actually had her eyes directly to the camera while the killing was going on. This is why when they were fingered in the killing everyone expected some humility and remorse from the Jewish state, but no one, it seemed, had reckoned with Benyamin Netanyahu’s trademark arrogance.
However, exactly one year ago, we woke up to the heartbreaking news that a 23-year- old Nigerian man had attempted to blow an American airliner. Umar Farouk Mutallab, young, handsome, a silver spoon by all standards, does not fit into the traditional profile of a religious bigot with suicidal tendencies. Yet we were told that he tried unsuccessfully to detonate a bomb hidden in his underwear and was subdued by fellow passengers, an incident which left only him with severe burns in his private parts.
Even while the news was unfolding, the details raised more questions than answers. While some passengers claimed that he was screaming and yelling something about Afghanistan after his failed mission, others said he was silent throughout, almost as if he wasn’t aware of what was going on around him. Another passenger said he was put on the plane by a man who claimed Farouk was a Sudanese refugee and did not allow him to speak for himself. Also curious was the issue of the man who singlehandedly subdued Farouk and why he was being kept in the shadows. In my article on January 25th this year, I had asked why a man who saved close to 300 lives by overpowering Mutallab was not being celebrated for the hero that he was.
Even more curious was the fact that the severely- burnt Farouk (didn’t we all see the burnt out underwear on the internet?) was able to walk into a courtroom wearing ‘a trouser, a t-shirt and tennis shoes’ exactly two weeks after the incident. There was no mention of him appearing on a wheel chair, or being aided to walk or more importantly wrapping a sheet of cloth around him because he couldn’t use a trouser on his severely burnt skin. Yet with all these questions we were ready to buy the story of Farouk Mutallab’s failed bomb attempt without doubt.
In February this year, I was among the speakers at a symposium on ‘Islam and Terrorism’, organised by the Muslim Media Practitioners association of Nigeria. I was surprised to hear almost speaker after speaker saying ‘What Farouk did was not Islamic’ and similar stuff, and I couldn’t help asking myself, continually,’ What did Farouk do?’ ‘Where is our proof?’ ‘Should we subject him to media trial and conviction even before any evidence of his guilt is provided?’ Surely after all we heard about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and the resultant discovery that it was all a lie, we should believe even less what western leaders and media outlets have to say about certain things.
In any case, since this Christmas day incident, no one has seen Farouk or even talked to him. Still the two times Farouk was reported to have spoken should have provided enough food for thought to us. First was on January 8th when he appeared in court for the first time, Farouk simply pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. The second was a few months ago when he reportedly sacked his court appointed lawyers because they were trying to force him to go for plea bargaining. Being well-educated and believing in his innocence, Umar Farouk said ’If I want to plead guilty to some counts how will that work?’ then he added ‘ I prefer to represent myself, I feel any representation I have there will always be a conflict of interest.’ If this isn’t a man trying to exonerate himself, I don’t know what it is.
Some of us might have been misled by the so-called al-Qaida claim at the beginning of the incident, into believing that the story of Farouk’s attempted terrorism is as it was. But those of us with particular interest in the matter can recall that the first time ‘Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula’ claimed credit for a killing, was after the murder of American engineer Paul M Johnson in Iraq in 2004. After the claim was published on www.ansarnet.com, internet radio host Jack Blood took more than a casual interest in the claim and decided to do a domain search for the site. It turned out that www.ansarnet.com was domiciled at No. 1333 North Stemmons Freeway, Suite 110 Dallas. Postal code 75207 USA. So how did this al-Qaida get to be in the Arabian Peninsula?
Even the original al-Qaida has long since proved to be a myth. I am talking about the alleged terror network reportedly led by Usama bin Laden and considered responsible for the 9/11 attacks on the US. Tons and tons of alternative research undertaken by members of the 9/11 truth movement have proved the so-called terror attacks to be a hoax, an inside job undertaken by American secrets agents against their own country to serve the purpose of the Bush administration. Here I recommend to you readers an internet search on the truth movement and their findings, in order to make your own judgement on the issue. Suffice it to say that al-Qaida terrorists, research has shown are none other than CIA and Mossad agents, killing and maiming around the world while posing as Muslim bigots.
According to Fawaz Turki, a Washington DC-based journalist, ‘many Jewish assassins in the Arab world (known as Mistarivim or Arab pretenders) have been Oriental Jews born in Arab countries, who dress in native –garb and speak accent-free Arabic.’ So there is your al-Qaida network. Until at least September 13th 2001, no one ever heard about the word al-Qaida. When American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were attacked in 1998 what we heard were allegations that the deed was perpetrated by members of a terror network headed by a Saudi dissident millionaire then living in Sudan. No such word as al-Qaida was mentioned. As late as September 11th 2001 the word al-Qaida wasn’t known. It was not until some clever CIA agent reminded them that the database in which all names of volunteers to the Afghan-Soviet war of the 80s was called al-Qaida that the name suddenly came to life. Tell me, if this organisation had remained as a network of Muslim terrorists dating right back to the 80s how could they not know its name until September 13th 2001?
What is most disturbing is how Muslims seem to give little or no attention to the efforts of these Truth researchers. Surely we have more to gain if it can be proved that 9/11 was indeed an inside job and not the work of some imaginary Muslim terror network? What will it cost us to support the 9/11 Truthers, to popularise their theories and to form pressure groups based on their findings? Won’t it be great to have a Nigerian group calling for a fair and public trial for Farouk Mutallab?
I couldn’t believe the deafening silence that followed President Ahmadinejad’s questioning of the official story of 9/11 in New York some months ago. I thought Muslims groups will be falling over themselves to queue up behind him and call for an independent probe of the incident. While American officials staged a walk-out during his speech and their papers named him a ‘Holocaust and 9/11 denier’, the Muslim world was silent. It is almost as if we are happier accepting all the official stories, no matter the cost to our reputation and safety.
In the nine years since 9/11 no evidence has been given to us to prove that September 11th or the subsequent ones that followed were categorically the handiwork of Muslim terrorists, yet we prefer to bear the brunt than insist on proof. Imagine having to remove your shoes every time we get on the plane because we didn’t bother to challenge the theory that Richard Reid, the alleged shoe bomber, couldn’t have put an explosive in his shoe and walked into the plane without detonating it somehow. No one claimed seeing Reid, a British Muslim convert walking uncomfortably or with a limp into the plane. But the moment we were told he hid a bomb in his shoe we chose to believe it.
Yet, it is Islam that has a criminal justice system which insists on proven evidence before any guilt could be established. Adulterers cannot be convicted until four reliable witnesses, walking independently of one another have caught them red-handedly in the act, a fact which will be very difficult to accomplish unless the adulterers choose to confess. With a justice system like this, how can we believe it anytime we are told a Muslim or group of Muslims have killed or attempted to kill innocent people in pursuit of some murderous ideology? The holy Quran says, ‘And why, when you heard it, did the believing men and women not think good of one another and say this is an obvious falsehood?’ Surah al-Nur verse 12.
We have to start challenging these official stories and be demanding proofs because all of us are potential victims of this dubious war on terror. Just imagine, when 9/11 was staged nine years ago Farouk Mutallab was only a 15 year old student in Togo, probably not even bothered by the incident. Today he has fallen victim of the biggest conspiracy of our time. As I remember him today, on the first anniversary of his travails, I hope that the Muslim Umma will borrow this one leaf from the Israelis, insist on hard core evidence, no matter what the screaming headlines suggest.