November 19, 2007
Posted by yaman
a-Rab magazine: issue #3 is out
The third issue of a-Rab magazine is out. Click on the cover below for the announcement, or here for the table of contents.
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Cover art by Katie Miranda.
My contributions to this issue are:
Reflect a bit on your politics.
Are you down with Palestine, with the Zapatistas, with activists in Oakland, and even the hunger-strikers at Columbia? Your political spirituality knows no boundaries, right, and you’re down with just about every struggle?
Maybe—it’d be pretty damn sweet, if you were. But down is not a feeling. It’s not something you can be by listening to el-Sheikh Imam at your apartment on Friday nights or to Gil Scot Heron while riding the bus. It doesn’t even happen when you wear Guevara on your sleeve or a kuffiyeh around your neck.
A piece on Michael Downing’s plan to keep maps of Muslim communities in Los Angeles, based on a brief he presented to Congress:
“Law enforcement and its advocates must also avoid name-calling exchanges with political jihadists, opting instead to engage them professionally on specific issues.â€
These are the words of Michael P. Downing, the Commanding Officer in the Counter-Terrorism Intelligence Bureau in the Los Angeles Police Department, to the Committee on Homeland Security on October 30, 2007, regarding his plan to plot the areas Muslims have settled in Los Angeles.
One might wonder what exactly it is to to call somebody a “political jihadist,†if not a part of a so-called “name-calling exchange.†Downing, in a moment of rhetorical brilliance, appears to have himself coined the term, bringing together the stigma of jihad with something vaguely “political.†In doing so, however, he has made explicit what commentators have been saying for years regarding ideas of security in American political discourse–that “security†in our present lexicon is inevitably linked to one’s political orientation, rather than a disposition towards violent action. Explained as proactive security measures, Downing’s proposals, too, are vaguely “political.â€
Please distribute this link, and make sure to send submissions in by the end of December if you would like to be in the next issue of the a-Rab magazine (January/February). If you have any questions or would like to discuss article ideas, drop a line at yaman@a-rab.net.
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November 19, 2007
hey there…i just wanted to give you a headsup that i may be getting in touch soon, if you don’t mind, about some real life stuff (which is strange for me since i’ve been reading your blog forever). i’m a member of the jewish palestinian solidarity committee of jewish voice for peace and we are really interesting in connecting more with student organizations working toward the same goals that we are. i had volunteered to be the one to talk with you after everyone in my group was very impressed with your response to the ASUC U.S./Israel resolution… anyhow, i missed our last meeting and i’m not sure about precicely what i’ll be in touch. but i wanted to at least take the step of reintroducing myself since my blog is not particularly political in nature, most of the time.
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