I wonder what people think about this, and if they are interested in participating. I think that biggest problem with the call for solidarity is that there are no definite plans laid down.
Raj --- Kate <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > FEBRUARY 20, 2004 > > NATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH MUSLIM, > > ARAB AND SOUTH ASIAN IMMIGRANTS > > First they came for the Communists and I didn't > speak up because I wasn't a Communist. > > Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up > because I wasn't a Jew. > > Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't > speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. > > Then they came for the Catholics and I didn't speak > up because I was a Protestant. > > Then they came for me, but by that time, no one was > left to speak up. > > --Pastor Martin Niemoeller, Nazi Germany > > > > > > We call on people everywhere to come together on the > 3rd National Day of Solidarity to resist the > scapegoating and criminalization of Muslim, Arab and > South Asian immigrants! Take action and speak out on > February 20th, 2004 as part of the National Day of > Solidarity with Muslim, Arab, and South Asian > Immigrants! > > > > Since September 11, 2001, the U.S. government has > launched a wide-scale assault on the basic rights of > Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians. These communities > have been the targets of mass roundups, indefinite > detentions, secret hearings, and more. Thousands > have been deported through the selective enforcement > of immigration laws. Through "Special Registration," > 82,000 men and boys from 24 Muslim, Arab, and South > Asian countries came forth to register, and many > were subjected to brutality and detention. Despite > having complied with this law, 13,000 men and boys > are now in the process of being deported. Families > continue to be devastated as they are torn apart, > jobs and homes lost. Neighborhoods continue to be > raided by INS officers, thousands are still detained > over minor visa violations, and tens of thousands of > people have fled the United States in fear of being > persecuted. Not one of these men have been charged > with any connection to the events of 9/11, but they > are being arrested, humiliated and deported > precisely on that very pretext. > > > Repression continues to intensify. This past August, > the Department of Homeland Security began > implementing a system to keep track of foreign > students. On January 5, 2004, the government > launched US-VISIT, which will result in the > fingerprinting and photographing of millions of > visitors to the US. Twenty-seven countries are > exempt from the invasive US-VISIT program. The fact > that 25 of the 27 countries profiled are European, > shows clearly that the U. S. Government's domestic > practice of racial profiling has extended to the > world community. Is this how our government intends > to make friends, And is this the kind of example we > want to give for the world? > > > > The government's merciless onslaught is relentless. > All Muslims, citizens and non-citizens, are regarded > as potential terrorists or traitors as we have seen > with the arrest of Muslim GI's who served at > Guant�namo Bay, where hundreds of "enemy combatants" > are being held without due process. The threat of a > life time of indefinite detention has been used to > force young Muslim men to plead guilty to > "conspiracy" charges so the government can trumpet > that it is breaking up "terrorist cells". Several > federal court decisions have declared that parts of > the 1996 Anti-terrorism and Effective Death Penalty > Act are unconstitutional, that Jose Padilla cannot > be held as an "enemy combatant", and that the > detainees in Guant�namo cannot be denied access to > attorneys or the U.S. Courts. These court decisions > however do not change the overall repressive > measures because they do not have the force of law. > And further, this will be decided by the Supreme > Court, several of whose members have publicly said > that in times of "war" the executive should be given > a free hand to curtail civil liberties if need be. > > > > The government also calculates that these > adjustments will allow people to swallow the > application of repressive measures to a broader > cross section of people in this country. In many > ways, political dissent and opposition has already > been criminalized and demonized across the board > using the rationale of "national security,"- e.g., > FBI spying on anti-war protesters, "no-fly lists," > and the creation of a culture of distrust. Thus, > some refinements in the mechanisms of repression are > acceptable to the government. But they should not be > acceptable to the people as a carrot to get us to > accept the overall premise that destruction of civil > and human rights is required in order to safeguard > national security. The government has used fear to > stampede us into accepting or ignoring the > persecution of Muslim Arab and South Asian people in > our country. If we allow this, who will be next to > be profiled as an "enemy combatant"? > > > > It is up to us to determine the kind of future we > want. And it is the responsibility of those who > have seen through the lies to expose them - and > fight for the truth. > > > February 20th is an opportunity to open the eyes of > many more people to the reality of this repression > and mobilize many more into this movement to stop > it. On this day, communities of Muslim, Arab and > South Asian immigrants can see that there are many > others who will stand with them and act fearlessly > to stop this repression. > > > > Standing together on the National Day of Solidarity > sends an important message to the government that > they will face a growing multi-national and > inter-religious movement of citizens and > non-citizens who are organizing an unstoppable fight > to end this kind of repression! > > > > We must learn from history. February 19th is the > anniversary of the infamous Executive Order 9066, > signed by President Roosevelt, authorizing the > roundup and imprisonment of Japanese Americans > living in the western coastal states. The specter of > this moment in history lives in the Special > Registrations, the fingerprinting at airports, and > selective detentions of today. > > > > > > On February 20th wear a blue triangle with the name > of one of the newly "disappeared!" > > > > In the early 1940's, German Nazis used different > colored triangles to categorize and divide the > people held in concentration camps. We will not > allow the same kind of profiling to happen here. We > wear a blue triangle affirmatively to demonstrate > our solidarity with those being targeted today. > > > > Be creative on February 20th. Find a way to bring > people together to express our resistance to these > attacks on our colleagues, friends, neighbors and > each other! > > > > a.. Sponsor a speak-out for the families of the > disappeared so they can tell their stories > b.. Think of what it would mean if on that day > churches, synagogues, mosques, unions and schools > declared that they would provide sanctuary for the > persecuted > c.. Organize a vigil or demonstration at a local > INS detention center > d.. Hold a teach in at your local school, college, > or university > e.. Call your political representatives and demand > that these outrages cease > f.. Organize a poetry SLAM or a music show > g.. Write a letter to your local newspaper calling > for justice for all > h.. Demand that our colleges and universities not > turn over the files of immigrant students to the > government > i.. Contact local TV and radio talk shows asking > to be part of the program > j.. Create and Display new and creative art > expressing our desire for justice and respect for > human rights > k.. Give voice to those who have been affected > through radio shows and speak-outs > > > Remember the roundup of the Jews in Nazi Germany. > > Remember the roundup of the Japanese Americans in > the U.S. > > Think of the roundup of Muslims, Arabs, and South > Asians in the U.S. > > For more information and to get involved, contact > the Blue Triangle Network. > > Email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED], call > 313-942-7187, or visit www.bluetriangle.org > > > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free web site building tool. Try it! http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ps/sb/ Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StudentsforSocialJustice/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! 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