A note from my Dad

Just in case anyone was interested, and if anyone reading is from New Mexico.

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AsSalaamu Alaikum Brothers and Sisters;

There is presently a situation right now going on in our New Mexico State Legislature for the passing of a bill House Memorial 10:
A MEMORIAL:
EXPRESSING SOLIDARITY WITH ISRAEL IN ITS FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM.

This bill is totally one-side, does not speak to the terrorism that Israel is inflicting on the Palestinian people.

As many of you know I have just come back from Palestine and have fisrt hand seen the situation there myself. It has been very difficult for me to even speak about the situation in a few words, but I know that I must and must do it very strongly. To sum up here is what we witnessed and heard about (myself and the interfaith delegation of christians and jews) the Israeli government perpitrating on the Palestinian people:

Curfews, checkpoints, use of collective punishment ofnthe population, unemployment (65-75%), massive injury (40,000), home demolitions, settlements, hunger and malnutrition among children, The WALL, destruction of agricultural land, trees, administrative detention, incursion, stress and trauma of the children and mothers, inability to travel, lack of access to religious sites, water confiscation, sniper towers, hopelessness, lack of rights of education, lack of and prevention of medical treatment, use of Palestinians as human shields, preventing international observations of Jenin, Hebron, Gaza and other cities after invasion, political assassinations, the genral lack of civil rights for Palestinian residents.


This Bill in no way mentions any of these violation of Palestinian civil rights and terrorists acts that are being conducted by the Israeli government, or loss of over 3000 Palestinian lives since the start of the second Intifadah. We should expect our state legislature to be fair and balanced in its view of any situation. I am assuming that most of these legislatures do not really know what is going on in Palestine and are just jumping on the terrorist band wagon.

I implore all of you in our community, please do something against this bill. At minimum call the state legislature representatives below and express your concerns against the passage of such a bill in New Mexico and that they take a fair and knowledgeable view of this situation.
I have posted the bill below and the phone numbers and emails of these legislatures. Please call every single one of them and express that you are against thw passage of such a bill in New Mexico. There is support against this bill from many of the non-muslims, in fact most of the support against it is presently from the non-muslims. The muslims from our community must speak out and be heard and take a stand!!!!!! This is a time where we can locally make a difference for our brothers and sisters in Palestine and all you have to do is make several phone calls write several emails.
Please I implore you as Allah -fearing Muslims to make this effort!

Here is the information below

GOVERNMENT & URBAN AFFAIRS


Mimi Stewart Chair 505 986-4341 / mimi.stewart@state.nm.us
Dona G. Irwin Vice Chair 505 986-4242 / House@state.nm.us

Fred Luna Member 505 986-4329 / House@state.nm.us
Rory J. Ogle Member 505 986-4450 / ogleviz@quixnet.net
Jim Trujillo Member 505 986-4254 / jimtrujillo@msn.com
Luciano Varela Member 505 986-4435 / House@state.nm.us
Jeannette O. Wallace Member 505 986-4452 / wallace@losalamos.com
W. C. Williams Member 505 986-4454 / House@state.nm.us

Please be either phone or email your concerns to these state legislature. Please be direct yet use your intelligence in making a response. Anger will not change minds but incitful thought and true facts can and will influence these people to not pass this House Memeorial. This is a chance for everyone muslim and non-muslim to do something for your Palestinian brothers and sister by just emailing and some phone calls. Please respond to this.

I also ask the students of the MSA , the Board Members of the Islamic Center of New Mexico to respond with calls and emails and to respond directly as organizations.

Please pass this email on to muslims and non-muslim that you know in the Albuquerque community. May Allah guide us to have the courage to support our Palestinian brothers and sisters to peace and justice.

sincerly,

Abdul Rauf
General Secretary
Islamic Center of New Mexico


The House Memeorial Bill is listed below and speaks for itself.


website:
http://legis.state.nm.us/session03.asp?chamber=H&type=M&number=10&Submit=Search

HOUSE MEMORIAL 10
46th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2003
INTRODUCED BY
Robert White



A MEMORIAL:
EXPRESSING SOLIDARITY WITH ISRAEL IN ITS FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM.


WHEREAS, the ongoing threat of terrorism since September 11, 2001 has hurt the economies of New Mexico and the United States, damaging tourism and creating a negative economic atmosphere; and
WHEREAS, the ongoing threat of terrorism at home and abroad has required enhanced security for our citizens and diverted local, state and federal resources from other critical domestic programs; and
WHEREAS, the United States and Israel are engaged in a common struggle against terrorism; and
WHEREAS, Palestinian organizations are conducting an organized and deliberate campaign of terror aimed at inflicting as many casualties as possible on the Israeli population; and
WHEREAS, the Palestinian campaign of terror includes the use of suicide bomber attacks; and
WHEREAS, Israel has lost nearly seven hundred lives to the Palestinian campaign of terror, which as a percentage of their population would equate to the United States losing thirty thousand lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001; and
WHEREAS, Yasser Arafat and others in the Palestinian leadership have failed to live up to their commitment to nonviolence as set forth in the Oslo Accord; and
WHEREAS, forces directly under Yasser Arafat's control have murdered scores of innocent Israelis; and
WHEREAS, documents obtained from the offices of the Palestine authority demonstrate that the authority provides support for acts of terror, including suicide bombings; and
WHEREAS, Israel's military operations are an effort to defend itself against the ongoing acts of terror and are aimed at dismantling the terrorist infrastructure;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that it express its solidarity with Israel in its fight against terrorism; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that it urge all parties in the region to vigorously pursue efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

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Admittendly the bill doesn't sound so bad on the surface, but it completely fails to take in account the suffering the Israeli government has caused. Anyone wondering about the acts of Israel that need to be addressed is ways other that expressing solidarity can read this account from an Israeli rabbi. Via Cursor.