14 August 2010By El-Hajj Mauri' Saalakhan
Assalaamu Alaikum
(Greetings of Peace):
I am a
brother who is periodically plagued with a nagging
question: What is the real purpose for the
Malcolm X and Dr.
Betty Shabazz
Memorial and Education Center (aka,
The Shabazz
Center)?
I mean
really, what purpose was this
center envisioned to serve? A captivating museum? An
attractive, historically adorned institution for
high-brow social affairs? Or a community-based human
rights-oriented institution, wherein the sterling
legacy of one of our foremost leaders could be
remembered in the best way possible - through
education and struggle?
I just
received notice that The Shabazz Center
will once again be the venue for The Third
Annual Iftar Dinner sponsored by
Manhattan Borough
President Scott M. Stringer.
And
with this notice I am once again reminded of two
rather unpleasant things:
1).
Our repeated unsuccessful attempts (over the
past year) to organize a human rights forum at the
center named in honor of the man who insisted, more
than four decades ago, on the greater relevancy of the
term "human rights" over "civil
rights."
2). My
unsuccessful attempt, at last year's event, to have a
one minute announcement made concerning our
persecuted sister, Dr.
Aafia Siddiqui!
(A politically incorrect request.)
To
those who control The Shabazz Center - and to all
those (especially Muslims) who support those who
control The Shabazz Center - let me remind you of a
very important FACT. The El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz
(aka, Malcolm X) that most us have come to know and
love, was a man who considered it his sacred duty to
speak truth to power, to serve as a
voice for the voiceless, and to work tirelessly and
fearlessly for positive change!
His
would have been one of the most strident voices in
defense of Dr.
Aafia Siddiqui
(and other
political prisoners
in America); he would have rallied against the racist
and deeply oppressive "anti-immigrant" currents now
tearing at the social fabric of this country; and he
would have roared like a lion against America's
profit-driven wars!
The
point I'm trying to make is this, some of the most
dynamic and consciousness-raising programs should be
coming out of a center ostensibly dedicated to such a
committed and internationally renowned figure as
"Malcolm X." Anything less doesn't just cheapen...it
misrepresents and denigrates both his memory and
legacy.
Please
bear this in mind (in this month of deep spiritual
introspection)...as you break bread with some of
New York
City's "most distinguished political elites" (and
wanna-be-elites). And also remember those Muslim
political prisoners (including a number
right there in your own city) whose iftars will not be
quite as succulent as ours.
In the
struggle for peace thru justice,
p.s. Dr. Aafia Siddiqui
is scheduled to be sentenced in
New York City
on
September 23.
Is a one minute statement on her behalf still too much
to ask?
El-Hajj Mauri' Saalakhan is a peace activist and
the Director of
Operations, The Peace Thru Justice Foundation
11006 Veirs Mill Rd, STE L-15, PMB 298 Silver Spring,
MD. 20902
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EsinIslam.Com
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