Ginny’s Shared ItemsPosted by Ginny on July 25, 2007
Assalamu alaikum, an interesting article/analysis regarding the, as of late, tense relationship between The Gambia and Senegal. There seems to be some other articles of interest on this site as well, though I’ve not had time to take a look at the other articles.
Posted in Africa, African Path, Current Affairs, Senegal, The Gambia, West Africa | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ginny on July 23, 2007
Assalamu alaikum, the below statement is published here by permission of the UDP, New York branch.
United Democratic Party (UDP) C/O P. O. Box 500
Bronx, NY 10453
udp_nyc@yahoo.com
July 22nd, 2007
Statement issued by the (UDP) on the July 22nd celebrations:
Gambian People, the international Community and all Democratic and Human Rights Organizations worldwide are here by call upon to condemn in the strongest
terms the (APRC) Government for celebrating the July 22 1994 Coup D’etat, the day some junior corrupt soldiers led by Yahya Jammeh decided to challenge
the legitimate position of the Gambian people, and overthrew the democratically elected civilian Government of Sir Dawda Jawara. This is why the regime
takes it upon itself to celebrate and commemorate this dark historic occasion every year in spite of the fact that the majority of Gambians remain totally
opposed to the idea.
Majority of Gambians, who over the years have painfully learnt the better significance of this violent and illegal change, celebrating this occasion
is not only a waste of their tax revenue but is a cruel reminder of the period of illegal arrests, detentions, torture, unfair trials and a general insecurity
of life and property. It is also a reminder of low corruption can be legalized and justified under a Military dictatorship. President Yahya Jammeh and
his cohorts have, beyond the comprehensive of the average Gambian, acquired properties, built enormous cash deposits and engage in dubious business dealings
within a record time.
The record speaks for itself, the same band of arrogant and greedy soldiers turned civilian politicians have over the 13 year period of military take
over, mismanaged the Gambian economy, continues to violate constitutionality by rigging elections and oppressed the Gambian people by perverting the rule
of law. The legacy of the APRC regime, which in effect is nothing more than a pseudo-democracy and a dictatorship, is geared more towards human rights
violation and disregard for constitution order. It is obvious that the Gambian people finally realized that they have been betrayed by a handful of soldiers
and some selfish civilians who were never loyal to the nation but all the time being guided by selfishness and greed.
The APRC regime is still very hostile to democracy, the press, good governance and human rights.
Genuine pro-democratic activists continue to be denied their constitutional rights of freedom. Two United Democratic Party (UDP) members Mr. Dudou Kassa
Jatta and Kaniba Kani were arrested a year ago, detained up to date incommunicado without being charge or brought before a court of law.
The propaganda machinery of this government is to chant peace and stability aloud while it is committed to chaos and anarchy.
President Yahya Jammeh and his regime have a lot explain to the Gambian people on actions that can be those of a tyrannical dictatorship. He has blood
in his hands for allegedly:
1. Killings of 50 African immigrants including 44 Ghanaians under unexplained circumstances two years ago;
2. Killing of a former Finance minister Koro Ousaman Ceesay;
3. Killing of 14 peaceful unarmed student demonstrators;
4. Killing of a prominent Gambian journalist Dehda Hydara;
5. Killings of 5 top security personnel including the former director (NIA) Mr. Daba Mareneh;
6. Killing of a (UDP) female supporter Sarjo Kunjang Sanneh.
When these four young lieutenants headed Yahya Jammeh seized power on that fateful Friday July 22, 1994 they claimed they were soldiers with difference,
meaning they were going to rule within a short period of time and return to barracks but it has never been the case. Today it is abundantly clear that
these four junior soldiers were hungry for power, out to destroy the democratic institutions of the country, abuse the rights and freedom of the people,
by so doing deprived the Gambian citizens the rights to freedom of speech and freedom of the press/information. The objectives of the Arm Forces Provisional
Ruling Council (AFPRC) Junta turned civilian (APRC) Government is therefore to cling on to power at all cost, plunder the country’s resources without being
challenged by any element force opposition to melt into inaction.
The world community, this is what is being celebrated. The progressive Organizations including all those who stand for democracy, justice and human rights
are urged to boycott these shameful celebrations which are a disgrace and a betrayal of the Gambian people.
Down with coup D’etats
Down with Dictatorship
Down with Terrorism
Long live The Gambia
Long live Democracy
Long live the United Democratic Party
SIGNED/stamped:
Saihou Mballow
For the Executive Committee
United Democratic Party (UDP)
NEW YORK CITY, U.S.A. Chapter
Cc:
State Department
U.N. Security Council
EU ministers of Foreign Affairs
Commonwealth
Ghana Embassy
China Embassy
Taiwan Embassy
Amnesty International
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Institutions
Gambian news papers
Media Houses
Posted in Africa, Current Affairs, The Gambia, West Africa | 1 Comment »
Posted by Ginny on July 22, 2007
Posted in Africa, Current Affairs, Media, News, The Gambia, The Gambia Journal, West Africa | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ginny on July 19, 2007
Find article here in the Gmabia Journal. The selling of internal organs? Family members being afraid to leave their relatives alone in the hospital? Women possibly being raped? Or having to “bribe” people so they could use the toilet facilities!? This turns my stomach! I don’t think I want to eat my lunch anymore.
Posted in Africa, Current Affairs, The Gambia, The Gambia Journal, West Africa | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ginny on July 13, 2007
Assalamu alaikum, I was reading an article yesterday called, *USAfrica: A Mortal Danger for Black Africans*
*A Black Power Pan-Africanist Viewpoint*
*By CHINWEIZU*” I didn’t put all the stars there. However, I came across the below quote:
“10] If this USAfrica is agreed this July at Accra, Gadhafi and all Arabs
will be laughing at the dumb blacks whom they have easily duped yet again.
Don’t forget their view of Blacks, as stated over the centuries, most
famously by Ibn Khaldun, Ibn Sena and Osama Bin Laden, as in the following
quotes:*Ibn Khaldun, the greatest Arab historian (1332-1406), sees the blacks
as “characterized by levity and excitability and great emotionalism” and
[says] that “they are everywhere described as stupid” . . . He adds that
blacks are “humans who are closer to dumb animals than to rational beings.”
. . . *al-Dimashqi had the following to say: “The Equator is inhabited by
communities of blacks who may be numbered among the savage beasts. Their
complexion and hair are burnt and they are physically and morally abnormal.
Their brains almost boil from the sun’s heat.”Ibn al-Faqih al-Hamadhani follows the same line of reasoning. To him .
. . the zanj [black Africans]. . .are “overdone until they are burned so
that the child comes out between black, murky, malodorous, stinking, and
crinkly-haired, with uneven limbs, deficient minds, and depraved passions” .
. .* *Even such luminaries as Ibn Sina [Avicenna] (980-1037), the most
famous and influential of the philosopher-scientists of Islam, considered
blacks to be “people who are by their very nature slaves.”“All African women are prostitutes, and the whole race of African men
are *abeed* [slave] stock. Your people are like rats plaguing the
earth” –Osama Bin Laden to the Sudanese-American novelist Kola Boof in
Morocco in 1996.When next you meet an Arab, you should ask what is the Arabic word for a
black person; then ask what is the Arabic word for slave; you’ll discover
that the words are the same “abeed”. Which is why, when an Arab looks at a
black African, what he sees is a slave.
*Now, that is how their language teaches these Arab ‘brothers’ we are eager
to unite with to think of us—as slaves!*
And as one traveler in the Sudan observed in 1930:“In the eyes of the Arab rulers of Sudan the black slaves were simply
animals given by Allah to make the life of the Arab comfortable”*A word is enough for the wise!*
http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/chinweizu/usafrica-a-mortal-danger-for-black-afr.html”
Wow! Is all I can say, as I don’t have the knowledge or the verbal/writing skills to even try to rebut or give my own viewpoint on this sort of thing. What can you say? I was just taken aback by all of this, and the reaction I had was, that this was the same kind of stereotyping, labelling, etc., that is, according to this writer, being done to the “black Africans” that he/she is wanting to be empowered! I know that there are “racist Arabs”, I’ve never seen it, but judging by some opinion on people’s blogs, I know it’s there. However, is this the way to combat it?
Anyway, Click here to read the entire article! Thoughts anyone?
And who is Kola Boof? I seem to recall reading an interview on her, something about her having some sort of “affair” with Ben Ladin, and it talks about “Arab racism”, etc. And from what I could glean from the Web, she’s in hiding, in fear for her life, there’s some kind of fatwa against her, etc., etc., etc. Perhaps all of this is true, however, a big part of me is skeptical, I mean, really! I sense another Hirsi Ali or someone of that ilk in the making!
However, I’ll only say that this is just my gutt reaction. Many view her as a “black womanist writer”, etc., and I don’t know all there is to know (nor does anyone else except her, as she claims to have to have all sorts of identities, that she has to remain in hiding, because of the Arabs, Arab Americans, Muslims, and other Americans who want her dead, or something like that).
*sigh* Perhaps I’ll write more on this later, perhaps I won’t. If the “story” abouther is true, then I’ll just let it be, not any of my business, and if it is not, if it is all fabricated, like so many others, in order to sell books, get your name in the media, or be the next “trasher of Islam and Muslims”, etc., then I just don’t have the energy, time, or know-how to even try to rebut (once again) someone like this!
Posted in Africa, Arabs, Controversy, Islam, Kola Boof, Race Issues, Racism, Thoughts | 3 Comments »
Posted by Ginny on July 2, 2007
Assalamu alaikum, Indigo Jo and Umar Lee have written blog posts reacting to the failed terror attacks in London and Glasgow.
Well, I’m not sure what I could say, regarding the attacks themselves, except my initial reaction which was something along the lines of “oh boy, here we go again”.
However, one thing that I found interesting, regarding someof the reactions is the feeling that “British Muslims should accept having their toes stepped on because of all of this, in the name of security” or something like that. Oh really? What do we mean by “having our toes stepped on”? What are we supposedly asking British Muslims to accept? House raids, car and body searches? Open-ended detentions? A little torture here and there?
What do we mean by “stepping on a little toes”? That is what I want to know? And if one feels that Brisih Muslims should accept having their toes stepped on, as a way of putting it, should American Muslims accept the same thing? Just because of some extremism, whether real or perceived, within the Muslim community?
I just find it interesting that the same people who want to talk about how certain Muslims in this country are wrongly imprisoned, wrongly singled out, etc., would then turn around and say that Muslims in the UK should then be asked, because of some perceived “extremism” in their community that we, supposedly, don’t have here in America, that British Muslims should be asked to “just give up some of their rights, but not all of them”, or “just tolerate having your toes stepped on”, in the name of fighting terrorism?
When I read the reactions when I got home this evening, the thought that struck me was, if it’s not OK to have Jose Pedillas, Al-Timimis, etc., in this country, then why should we indirectly say that it’s OK to have them in the UK?
Because when you’re talking about “stepping on a few toes”, it could be searches today, house raids tomorrow, and illegal detentions and show trials tomorrow.
When the events began to unfold in London and later on in Glasgow, one of the first things I thought, after “oh dear, it’s another ‘Muslim’ terrorist attack” was “gosh I hope no one innocent gets caught up in this, and that Inshallah, some innocent person doesn’t get framed for this, in the police’s rush to “get somebody”.
How much “freedom” and “civil liberties” do you have to give away before you don’t live in a “free country” anymore?
Posted in "War On Terror", Current Affairs, Extremism, Islam, News, Terrorism, Thoughts, Weblogs | 2 Comments »
