Sign Petition for Dr. Aafia

25 Comments

1. 

   AbuAbdAllah, the Houstonian

   October 3, 2008 at 12:13 AM

   Alhamdolillah, I am the 15th signature. Jazak Allah khayr for this article and especially for the “SIGN PETITION” link!

   Do you want to be “awwal-ul-Muslimeen?” Shaykh Waleed Basyouni told me during Ramadan that that phrase applies to those who are the “first responders.” Be a first responder. Sign the petition without delay.

   Reply
2. 

   sincethestorm

   October 3, 2008 at 1:04 AM

   Recently I’ve been thinking about the effectiveness of the petition…i.e. trial and justice. And, I don’t think it has any effect. If a government can start extraordinary rendition and have people sitting in Guantanoma for 7 yrs without a trial, I wonder whether a petition with thousands of names will allow this lady a fair trial, access to her atorney with female guards doing the strip search, and medical care. She was sitting in some prison for 5 yrs and at the same time her name/picture was on the most wanted list….you see my point.

   I know some of you will say that something needs to be said or done. I’m just wondering if justice is a realistic expectation under this administration?

   Reply
3. 

   AbuAbdAllah, the Houstonian

   October 3, 2008 at 1:41 AM

   subhanAllah. the Muslim should protest against injustice, and do so with the best conduct possible. this Ramadan Allah permitted me to study a section of the book mukhtasar minhaj al qasideen with a knowledgeable shaykh.

   and one part of that section discussed forbidding the wrong and enjoining the good.

   and in that section the topic of addressing rulers who commit injustice was discussed.

   a Muslim who fears for his or her own physical safety need not even speak out loud against the ruler, but that Muslim must still have the desire to change the wrong in his or her heart. that Muslim should make lots of supplication to Allah about the problem, and should not prevent others from acting unless they would act through some transgression.

   but if a Muslim does not fear reprisal, he or she should offer advice with good manners. not using foul language or a tone that would harden the ruler’s heart further. and still there should be duas.

   in neither case is a subject entitled to use more than those means.

   regarding the effectiveness of protest by dua and by speaking out, verily, “laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa billah.” no force for change nor power exists except (that) Allah (permits it).

   so there is no doubt that dua should be made.

   and groups like Amnesty International can show you that letter-writing campaigns work. and the US government, especially in its treatment of prisoners like Dr. Aafia Siddiqui and all the masses held at Guantanamo Bay, has become more and more like the despots to which AI letters have traditionally been sent.

   it’s our responsibility to encourage the government to reform its behavior.

   so sign the petition. and make dua.

   Reply
4. 

   AbuAbdAllah, the Houstonian

   October 3, 2008 at 2:00 AM

   Bismillah. And about justice: the shaykh with whom i read, he told me on a different occasion that his favorite surah is At-Teen. the last ayat of which is:

   أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِأَحْكَمِ الْحَاكِمِينَ
   8:
   Sahih International: Is not Allah the most just of judges?

   Nouman is the resident expert, mashaAllah, but the words for Just and judges in this ayat are both related to the Arabic word for wisdom, hiqmah.

   And hiqmah linguistically implies the placing of things in their proper places. There is nothing at all proper about the inhuman treatment of Dr. Aafia since she has come into US custody and been brought to the US to stand trial.

   So sign the petition, whether you care about her or not, whether you are a Muslim or not, whether you fear Allah or not (may Allah protect us) — sign it if only to show that you support justice.

   Reply

5. Pingback: Friday Links — October 3, 2008 « Muslimah Media Watch

6. 

   Amad

   October 3, 2008 at 9:06 AM

   salam… I am usually skeptical about petitions too. But I received this from those closest to the case :

   Dear Friends,
   Many of you have shown your support for Dr. Aafia Siddiqui and her family. We hope that this petition would encourage our community to seek more information and show support for Dr. Aafia. We felt that the largest gathering of the community in October would provide that opportunity. The family and the legal team have seen this petition. All volunteers are on board, a network which spans New York and Texas .

   You all are a blessing to Dr. Aafia and her family. With deepest respect to you all,
   Asma

   Reply
7. 

   Daoud Ali

   October 3, 2008 at 9:19 AM

   As-Salaamu Alaykum,

   Alhamdulillah, it’s good to show our support for our Sister through any means, but those who have not attended the hearings in NYC should ask themselves what they would do if that was their their own sister, mother or daughter. Would they not campaign vigorously for her release? If so, what is it that holds them back? Is it lazyness? Fear? What is more important than being there for our Sister in such a dire time of need? Our jobs? School? We must trust that Allah is the Provider of everything. Without Him we have nothing, not schools, jobs, family, etc.

   The past hearings have suffered from very low Muslim turnout, not to mention the conspicuous absence of our Muslim organizations. Enough of the talk and essays about what’s wrong with our ummah and our lack of unity. It is time to walk the walk!! Are we Muslims deserving of Allah’s mercy and favors? Our collective weakness in responding to attacks against the most vulnerable among us is testament to a sickness in our hearts. We cannot continue like this! If you fear your boss, or your teacher, or your report card, or your lanlord more than you fear Allah, there is something very wrong with your Iman!

   It is time for us to rise and honor the legacy of our beloved Prophet (SAW). Let’s put our actions where our mouth and pens are.

   The next hearing, I believe is Dec. 17. I ask the admin to post a notice about it far enough in advance so there are fewer excuses on the table. We all have millions of excuses of why we can’t make it. I doubt very many of these excuses will stand up to Allah’s scrutiny on Yawm Al Qiyama.

   Jazakum Allahu Khairan,

   Abu Nurah

   Reply
8. 

   AbuAbdAllah, the Houstonian

   October 4, 2008 at 6:13 AM

   innalhamdolillah. bismillah. as of now 102 signatures, mashaAllah.

   i know that there are a lot of exciting articles that appeared on MM at about the same time as this petition like the Qur’an quiz and Eid at 6 flags, and that there are so many other articles, mashaAllah, where people can learn or voice their opinions.

   but let’s make sure that there are also more signatures generated by this site.

   write to your Muslim and non-Muslim friends and ask them to sign the petition to support justice. because no matter what the final outcome, there is no justice in treating her like this while she awaits trial. the link address that you can copy into your e-mails is:
   http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/provide-humane-prison-conditions-for-dr-aafia-siddiqui/sign.html

   Reply
9. 

   AbuAbdAllah, the Houstonian

   October 5, 2008 at 9:07 AM

   mashaAllah, 150 signatures. if you doubt that the people you ask to sign will sign, don’t. most people, mashaAllah, permit their names to be listed publicly, and scanning the list you can see the names of your friends and family who have signed. and i count all the “anonymous” from the cities to which i wrote, wAllaho’Alim.

   if you need a text to send to copy and paste for your friends, feel free to use this one (and remember to add your name in place of “your name here”):

   Imagine that the mother of three young children is being held in a maximum security prison while awaiting trial.

   She has been denied medical care for a months-old gunshot wound she received while in custody.

   In order to travel within the prison to see her lawyer or family members (separated from them by glass walls) she is subjected to strip searches by male prison guards at every gate through which she must pass. The same strip searches also apply to any court appearance.

   Adding to her mental and emotional distress is that she was abducted with her three children five years ago and only the whereabouts of her eldest child are known today. The youngest child abducted was less than one year old.

   The prison also denies her access to psychiatric care despite requests by her attorney and family.

   This is not the plot of a Kafka novel. It’s not from the TV show 24. But it is the constant torment to which Dr. Aafia Siddiqui has been subjected by the US government while awaiting trial in New York.

   Please take just a moment to protest these inhuman conditions by signing the on-line petition. And invite your friends and colleagues to uphold justice by signing, too.

   http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/provide-humane-prison-conditions-for-dr-aafia-siddiqui.html

   Thread by thread the US government has been destroying the fabric of justice. Justice is not in the abduction and torture of a woman and her three children, the youngest two of whom are still missing. Justice is not in denying care to treat her wounds that are now months old. Justice is not in denying her access to psychiatric care. Justice is not in the inhuman treatment to which she is subjected since being brought to this country to stand trial.

   Please urge the government to restore some sense that decency is still a value of our judicial system. Sign the petition.

   Thank you,
   
   [your name here]

   Learn more about Dr. Aafia’s imprisonment and torture:
   1. http://www.cageprisoners.com/campaigns.php?cat=65
   2. http://muslimmatters.org/tag/aafia/

   I recommend including the links and not just the text of the addresses.

   If you can bring laptops to your local masajid, consider making them available to people so that they can sign the petition. You will need the permission of the masjid administration, and you will need a wireless connection for the computer (like a mobile phone’s bluetooth PAN).

   Finally, if your community is up for an old-fashioned snail-mail letter writing campaign, bring paper, pens, and stamps, and have people write out letters by hand. When sending snail mail, hand-written notes are the best. You can adapt the text in my e-mail above, or the text of the petition to serve your needs. Address letters to the same officials to whom the petitions will be sent, inshaAllah. A good time to ask people to write is between Maghrib and Isha. Again, get the cooperation of your masjid (or MSA, etc.).

   Reply
10. 

    AbuAbdAllah, the Houstonian

    October 5, 2008 at 12:07 PM

    bismillah. if you do use the text above, or write an appeal of your own to friends and family, please replace the cageprisoners link i gave with this much better link:

    http://www.cageprisoners.com/prisoners.php?id=1367

    this link gives the complete story in one place in an easy-to-read format. (the same link can also be followed from the petition site, but putting it in an e-mail is a good idea, too.)

    jazak Allah khayr.

    Reply
11. 

    Travelller

    October 5, 2008 at 12:40 PM

    Even if the petitions dont make much difference they show the authorities that we are on their case, we havnt forgotten the detainees, if we do nothing they become almost forgotten!

    Reply
12. 

    Bint Bashir

    October 5, 2008 at 12:41 PM

    Come on people sign it!!!

    Reply
13. 

    Travelller

    October 5, 2008 at 12:51 PM

    It shows the authorities that you havnt forgotten the detainees!!1

    Reply
14. 

    Bint Bashir

    October 5, 2008 at 12:54 PM

    I advise you all to read: My Guantanamo Diary – Mahvish Khan – superb book on the topic

    Reply
15. 

    Travelller

    October 5, 2008 at 12:57 PM

    JazakAllah Khair for removing my comments, clearly you dont feel i should be able to stand up for my sister in Islam, may ALlah reward you for what you do and forgive you for your prejudice against me, i wonder what did i ever do or post that offended you so greatly.

    Allah is just and loves justice.

    -Your comments were not deleted. Sometimes comments end up in spam, don’t know why.

    Reply
16. 

    Bint Bashir

    October 5, 2008 at 2:44 PM

    This is a documentary i advise all to watch about the horrifc treatment os the detainees, May Allah deliver them to their families soon.

    Please be warned there are some very disturbing scenes and descriptions given and nudity.

    Title: Taxi to the dark side

    http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=taxi+to+the+dark+side&hl=en&emb=0#

    Reply
17. 

    AbuAbdAllah, the Houstonian

    October 5, 2008 at 7:40 PM

    bismillah. fasabrun jameelun, Travelller. mashaAllah, brother Amad does a really good job of checking the site for posts that to you and i would appear to have gotten lost. sometimes when you click “submit comment” the post will appear immediately, sometimes you see the post but with the words “your comment is awaiting moderation attached.” and sometimes you won’t see anything at all.

    when that first happened to me, i also thought it might have been deliberate. but i contacted Amad (through the contact us link, i think) or else he wrote me himself. and since then i noticed that which comments come on the site immediately and which take some time really is fairly random.

    so do not lose heart.

    by the way, everyone: 180 signatures so far. let’s get some momentum going. at least 200 before Monday in NY, inshaAllah!

    Reply
18. 

    Maryam Hassan

    October 6, 2008 at 1:40 PM

    Assalaamu ‘alaykum

    Firstly, Aafia has been moved to a facility in Texas – please direct letters to the following address and update it on Muslim Matters. Her sister advised sending postcards as they are subject to less scrutiny and Aafia specifically has requested pictures of nature, flowers, mountains, animals and children.

    AAFIA SIDDIQUI #90279-054
    FMC CARSWELL
    FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTER
    P.O. BOX 27137
    FORT WORTH, TX 76127

    You can read more about the facility and her sister’s reaction to the transfer here:
    http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=26378

    Finally, I wanted to suggest that the Muslims in the US get involved in this campaign: 100 Days to Close Guantanamo, organised by Witness Torture in the DC Area

    100 DAYS TO CLOSE GUANTANAMO!

    Witness Against Torture is excited to announce a new campaign to close Guantánamo and end torture by the U.S. Kicking off with a nine day fast, the campaign will consist of a daily, sustained, physical presence across from the White House and a weekly schedule of Executive and Congressional education, public teach-ins and film screenings, prayer and vigiling, direct action and public pressure throughout the first 100 days of the new administration.

    Barack Obama and John McCain might not agree about much, but they are both in favor of closing Guantánamo.

    “We’re going to close Guantánamo. And we’re going to restore habeas corpus. We’re going to lead by example by not just word but by deed. That’s our vision for the future.” – Barak Obama, June 2007

    “I believe we should close Guantánamo and work with our allies to forge a new international understanding on the disposition of dangerous detainees under our control.” – John McCain, March 2008

    We know that these proclamations are little more than words without sustained, visible and effective pressure. So, starting with inauguration day 2009, Witness Against Torture is launching a 100 Day Campaign to pressure the new administration to close Guantánamo.

    Along with campaign partners like the Center for Constitutional Rights and September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, we demand:

    * Close the U.S. detention center at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba within the first 100 days of the new administration. Prisoners currently held at Guantánamo should either be charged with a crime and prosecuted in U.S. Federal Court, or released with a repatriation plan that permits the detainee either to return to his home country or to receive asylum in a third country.
    * Close other U.S. detention centers worldwide that do not comply with international human rights standards, including: Bagram Airforce Base in Afghanistan, Abu Ghraib in Iraq, and the so-called CIA “black sites” around the world.

    Get Involved with the 100 Day Campaign!
    There’s tons you can do!

    * Organize a group to Come to DC: Sign up for a day, a weekend or a whole week. Demonstrate, fast, pray, visit your Congressional representatives, seek a meeting with the new president or their staff. We’ll help you plan your time.
    * Participate in our Nine Day Public Fast: From Jan. 11 (the 7-year anniversary of the first prisoners being taken to Guantánamo) through Jan. 20 (inauguration day) to kick off the 100 Day Campaign.
    * Join one of the Working Groups: Media, Outreach Logistics, Action Support, Public Events or Lobbying
    * Organize a Solidarity Action in Your Own Community: Screen a film, write letters to the President, lobby your local representative, hold a march or vigil. We can help with resources and materials.
    * Invite a Speaker: Think you want to bring a group to Washington, we’ll send someone to your community to talk about the campaign, answer questions, and motivate more people to join the work
    * Buy and wear orange “Shut Down Guantánamo” t-shirts. Tell a friend about our website and encourage them to get involved, too!

    Donate!
    Housing, food, transportation, signs and leaflets all cost money. Help us out if you can. Donate on-line or send your check to: Witness Against Torture, c/o Mary House Catholic Worker, 55 E. Third St., New York, NY 10003. If you can offer housing, food, photocopying or other in-kind contributions, contact us.

    Check back often since we’ll be adding more and more details and the campaign progresses.
    http://www.witnesstorture.org/100days

    Reply
19. 

    Bint Bashir

    October 6, 2008 at 6:03 PM

    http://vimeo.com/1805465?pg=embed&sec=1805465

    Reply
20. 

    AbuAbdAllah, the Houstonian

    October 6, 2008 at 7:45 PM

    innalhamdolillah! alhamdolillah, wa Howas-Samee-ud-dua — all praise is for Allah, and He is the One Who Hears Prayers.

    bismillah. mashaAllah, there are 250 signatures on the petition as i write this. and Allah is the One Who Hears Prayers. laa hawla wa laa quwwata illa billah. no force for change nor power can act except as Allah permits. i believe that Allah answered the prayers of all those people who want relief and justice for Dr. Aafia, and that He softened the hearts of the officials who had held back just care from her.

    now that she has been moved, can anyone who has knowledge comment on the primary issues from the petition?

    1. what is the state of medical and psychiatric care that Dr. Aafia is now receiving? the Bureau of Prisons description of FMC Carswell gives hope that she can receive the care she needs in this facility. but obviously there are no descriptions of the actual treatment she has been afforded.

    note: to anyone in the DFW area, the same page linked above has a link describing visiting regulations.

    2. aside from care facilities and opportunities, what best describes her current physical and mental condition?

    3. has there been any easing of the abusive strip search-procedures? is she at least now permitted the relative decency of being searched by female guards?

    Reply
21. 

    AbuAbdAllah, the Houstonian

    October 6, 2008 at 7:49 PM

    bismillah. more info on wikipedia about FMC Carswell.

    and do not stop making dua!

    Reply
22. 

    abu abdAllah, the Houstonian

    October 7, 2008 at 11:11 AM

    bismillah. may Allah guide all of us, inshaAlllah, and strengthen us in working to end the injustices against prisoners like Dr. Aafia, like the masses at Gitmo, and like those hidden by the authorities as though they had already been buried long ago.

    regarding one aspect of the 100 day campaign, the nine day public fast. fasting is an act of worship. and acts of worship are for Allah alone. does anyone with knowledge know whether or how best a Muslim may participate in this aspect of the campaign?

    and i ask not to discourage anyone, but only to avert later regret for having remained silent.

    Reply
23. 

    Maryam Hassan

    October 9, 2008 at 10:15 PM

    I asked a person of knowledge about something similar to this about 4 years ago and whilst answering the question, he did mention the issue of solidarity fasting for prisoners in Palestine in passing etc. He did not think this was correct or that it was doubtful and that we have so many other means at our disposal which are safer options. If people do not want to participate in the fast then there are still many other things that they can do (some mentioned by Witness Torture).

    Wassalaamu ‘alaykum

    Reply
24. 

    AbuAbdAllah, the Houstonian

    October 13, 2008 at 3:07 AM

    bismillah. is the best way to coordinate efforts to secure just treatment for Dr. Aafia to get in touch with the petition contacts? jazak Allah khayr for the response.

    Reply
25. 

    confused!

    October 13, 2008 at 8:08 PM

    I am puzzled by the latest statements made by official Pakistani delegation that Aafia is healthy and mentally sound. Doesn’t it make her attorneys sounds like they are falsely blaming the US government for not providing her proper health care? I give a lot of credit to Elizabeth Fink to expose the government case against Aafia after her first appearance in the court. What am I missing? I thought the government want to save face by claiming she is not fit to stand trial and drop the charges and let her go!
    It pains me to say this but I tend to trust Aafia’s lawyers more than the Pakistani delegation. I hope I am wrong. And I don’t really care who is right and who is wrong as long as it helps poor Aafia be released and re-unite with her children and family as soon as possible.
    Can someone shed more light on this, please?

    Reply