Campaign against the Sanctions on Zimbabwe بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Bisimillah ir-Rahamn ir-Rahim Alamdulillah Rabi Alamin Ir-Rahman ir Rahim Muslims, Africans, Majesties, Excellencies, Comrades, Friends, Enemies, As-Salam Alaikum: The question has arisen as to how hard we must fight against the illegal sanctions imposed upon the People and Republic of Zimbabwe? I raise the question: how hard must we fight against injustice in the world, but particularly the injustice imposed upon Zimbabwe? How hard must we fight for right and against wrong? As Africans, how hard must we fight to show our solidarity and mutual suffering for our fellow Africans in Zimbabwe? Can a dollar sign be placed on our Struggle for Justice and our Struggle for what is right? The answer should be self-evident. There is no limit to how hard we must fight for justice and against in the world. There is no limit to how hard we must fight for what is right and against wrong. There is no limit to how hard we must show our solidarity with our fellow Africans and against divide and conquer, particularly in Zimbabwe. So, why does this question keep coming back in various forms to haunt us and disrupt the internal affairs of the African Nation? Who is behind this? What are their motives? Are they surprised to learn that we who fought injustice all across America for centuries will continue to fight injustice now? Are they surprised to see that we stand shoulder to shoulder with the poor and suffering Africans in Zimbabwe? Perhaps it is a matter of a lack of clarity. Maybe, some policy makers and advocates are just plain confused. So, let me take a moment or two to relieve them of their confusion. Let me offer them a bit of clarity on the hard facts of life in this new world that we all share. There are those who claim that the sanctions are directed against certain leaders in the Zimbabwe government. If that is so, please explain to us why 40% of ordinary people in Zimbabwe are malnourished as a direct result of those illegal sanctions? Why? Government leaders are not hungry. Why are innocent little babies starving to death as a direct result of those illegal sanctions? Why do pregnant women not have enough food to eat as a direct result of those illegal sanctions? Why did a cholera epidemic break out as a direct result of those illegal sanctions? Are those sanctions just? No. They are most profoundly unjust. Are they right? No. They are absolutely wrong. Are they what we want to see happening to our fellow Africans in Zimbabwe? No. We do not want to see innocent men and women and children suffer due to how our tax dollars are spent or not spent. According to the U.S Congress, the purpose of the sanctions is to “help” Zimbabwe become “democratic”. Really? So, the people elected MDC. MDC formed a Government of National Unity with ZANU-PF. Isn’t that enough “democracy”? What else can be done for “democracy”? Every political party in the country is represented in the current government. So, why have not the sanctions been lifted? How much more “democratic” can Zimbabwe become? Every sector of the political community is in the government. Are we to believe that this is anything other than “democratic”? Some people have funny ideas about what they mean about “democratic” and “democracy”. Maybe they can explain this mess to us. I doubt it. People are suffering in Zimbabwe. Not big government leaders. Not rich people. Not big commercial farmers. The people who are suffering and starving and dying in Zimbabwe are poor people. People who have very little to nothing to begin with are those most affected by those illegal sanctions. Small businessmen. Small farmers. Poor working class people. Teachers. Miners. Truck drivers. Unemployed. These are the people who are suffering in Zimbabwe as a direct result of those illegal sanctions. One such person is our brother and comrade and friend, Comrade Kwanisai Mafa. But, Comarde Mafa is different than most. He refused to suffer in silence. So, he got up and appealed to ordinary Africans around the African world to send him a few dollars once in awhile to help develop his small 25 hectare farm. Note that this farm is not owned exclusively by Comrade Mafa. A number of poor farmers share this farm with him. So, they begged for money for years and years. Finally, they had enough money saved up to have a borehole dug to irrigate their farm and thereby increase production. But, much more is needed. There is a recurring ongoing need to buy seeds each year. They need to buy tools and equipment. And, they need food to eat while they perform this hard back breaking farm work. Are we going to abandon our brothers and sisters in Zimbabwe just as they begin to reach a point of sucess and victory against the sanctions? That would be stupid politics and worse economics. Yet, many, many who could do so have flat out refused to send him $50 or $100. Others have attempted to bribe him to give them control and title to the farm. How so? How dare them! From day one, he asked for DONATIONS. DONATIONS! That means NO STRINGS ATTACHED. There was never any commitment to let the donors own or control the farm. It was understood from day one that whatever money was DONATED would be used to help the farm get moving in the face of unjust and illegal sanctions that prevent them from getting any money whatsoever from any other source. But, the success of this work apparently embarrassed and humiliated those who would have us support illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe. A smear campaign emerged. Rumors were spread to the effect that “money” was not accounted for. What “money”? This is the question I would like to ask: what “money”? I sent $100. Is that the “money” that is causing the big uproar? Someone else sent $1000. Mind you now that this took several long hard years. $10,000? In six-seven years? That is about $1,000 per year. Are we to expect the entire little project to survive on $1,000 per year? I think not. There is a hidden agenda somewhere. Are we so mean and so stingy that we cannot afford $10,000 to show love and solidarity with our fellow Africans who are on the verge of starvation? $10,000-$15,000 over 7-8 years? At most, that is $2,000 per year. $2,000! Per year! Divided among several families to buy seeds, tools, equipment and still have enough left over to dig a well. Numbers do not lie. Where is the shame of those penny-ante so-called donors? Recently, I did not hear from Comrade Mafa for awhile. The man works extremely hard. So, I thought he was just busy. But, when he finally contacted me after a few days, he told me that he had been ill. This is what we are dealing with here when we talk about sanctions. This man has been malnourished for so long that his health is failing. Plus, he has a wife and a small child at home. Such are the victims of the sanctions. But, they are victims of something more: they are victims of our stinginess and our unwillingness to help our fellow Africans in times of need. WE MUST DO BETTER THAN THIS! We are better people than this. To begin with, instead of losing sleep over where $100 of donated so- called money went, we need to figure out how to end those illegal sanctions. Nobody asks when certain so-called charities take our $100 and line their pockets with about $80 of it and send the other $20 to help dig a well in Ethiopia, but not in Zimbabwe. Nobody complains about that insanity. Instead, they complain about a man who may have bought some milk for his baby instead of selling his farm to the lowest bidder. WE MUST DO BETTER THAN THIS! MUSLIMS! Comrade Kwanisai Mafa has recently confessed to me that he is a Muslim. We as Muslims must treat him accordingly. At a minimum, a Muslims cannot accept gossip against another Muslim. There must be no backbiting against Brother Comrade Kwanisai Mafa. Are we to abandon our fellow Muslims as soon as the battle gets started? NO! NO! NO! AND AGAIN NO! I am a religious advisor to Comrade Kwanisai Mafa. And, I hereby proclaim to ul-Ummah, to all of 1.5 billion or so Muslims everywhere, that Comrade Kwanisai Mafa is henceforth to be known to ul-Ummah, to all Muslims everywhere, as Brother Comrade Kwanisai Mafa. He is to be known to all Muslims everywhere as a Brother Muslim. And, I remind all Muslims everywhere, the entire Ummah, that when a person becomes a Muslim, all of his past sins are forgiven. Let me say this again: all of his sins, real sins and unreal sins, alleged sins and not alleged sins, criminal sins and non-criminal sins, political sins and non-political sins, financial sins and non-financial sins, imagined sins and non-imagined sins: ALL OF HIS PAST SINS ARE FORGIVEN IN THE EYES OF ALLAH AND IN THE EYES OF UL-UMMAH, ALL MUSLIMS EVERYWHERE! FOREVER! Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim, Alahamdullillah Rabi Alamin, ir-Rahmam ir-Rahim: Furthermore, the entity currently known as Ujamma Youth Farming Project and/or the Black Power Farm of Gweru, Republic of Zimbabwe, and other such similar projects, are hereby invited to solicit funding from ul-Ummah, all Muslims everywhere. I hereby call upon ul-Ummah, all Muslims everywhere, to send whatever amount of money they can afford to Brother Comrade Kwanisai Mafa, P.O. Box 123, Gweru, Republic of Zimbabwe. And, please be generous. There is no place for stinginess in ul-Ummah. Pass the hat in your place of worship and send the proceeds to Kwanisai Mafa, P.O. Box 123, Gweru, Republic of Zimbabwe. [email protected]. The time has come to take a few minutes out our busy work days and email Congress. Email the Senate. Email the Secretary of State, the Vice President, the President; and do not beg and plead. No sir. We the people pay the costs to be the boss in this country. The time for begging and pleading is OVER. WE MUST DEMAND AN END TO THE SANCTIOBN AGAINST ZIMBABWE. And, we must start paying attention. Make lists of every elected official who does even the least negative thing against Zimbabwe. When the elections come around, DO NOT VOTE for them. Vote for anybody except those who support sanctions against Zimbabwe. And if this does not work, organize teach-ins on college campuses. Pass out flyers to educate others about the true impact of those sanctions on every day, ordinary people in Zimbabwe. Hold rallies. Organize marches and demonstrations. The time has come for we the people to let the powers that be know that we mean business. We will no longer sit silently by while injustice of such monumental proportion is carried out with our tax dollars and in our name. Write a letter to the editor. Post a positive statement supporting poor and suffering people in Zimbabwe on your blog. The power is in our hands, now. All educated and informed people have access to Facebook.com, Myspace.com, Ning.com, Twitter and various other means to express ideas in public. Make creative use of this new technology; and let the entire world know that we the people want those illegal sanctions against Zimbabwe lifted right; and lifted right now! Also, use the new technology to get the word out. Let other Muslims and other Africans know that now is the time to act. Spread the word. Spread a very simple message: End the Sanctions. Now! RIGHT NOW! AFRICANS OF THE WOLRD UNITE! WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BUT OUR CHAINS! Sheik Abdurrahman T. L. Nelson Front for the Unification & Development of Africa & Arabia Popular Front for African Unity http://groups.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=groups.groupprofile&groupID=105924147 -- Sending your posting to [email protected] Unsubscribe by sending an email to [email protected] You can also visit http://groups.google.com/group/payco Visit our website at www.mayihlome.wordpress.com
