number of the beast

This calls for wisdom: let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is six hundred and sixty-six.
-The Revelation of St. John, 13:18

Today's date is 6/6/06 according to the Gregorian calendar which, based on the above Bible verse, has a certain sinister theological significance for some folks. I will accordingly, share six different comments that sort of fit under the general umbrella.

1. The remake of The Omen (a film about the anti-Christ as a child) is opening in theaters today. The filmakers are definitely trying to capitalize on the whole 6/6/06 co-incidence. I was surprised that they even attempted a remake. Along with The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby, the original Omen is one of the scariest movies I've ever seen. It is definitely a horror classic, as is and in my opinion, it holds up pretty well over the years. On the other hand, I wouldn't say the same thing about the other two films in the trilogy which were really dated. I definitely think that The Omen II and the Final Conflict would be improved with a more contemporary feel.

2. One of the things that appeals to me about how the Quran treats certain subjects is that it just sticks to the essentials. This is especially true about eschatology ("last things"). We are told that there will be a Last Day and that our deeds will be weighed in the end. And these events are described in vivid cataclysmic terms which move and inspire individuals to refelction and action. But the Quran doesn't give the kind of details which would encourage useless speculation on the subject. (like the Left Behind series, or the Omen movies, etc.)

At the same time, I should be the clear that the above comments are specific to the Quran. If we go to the hadith, we can find a basis for a pretty rich and detailed Islamic eschatology which includes the Dajjal (the false Christ) the Second Coming of Jesus, the Mahdi, Gog and Magog, and even Islamic versions of the Beast and the Rapture doctrines as well. I would just argue that they are less central, at least in Sunni Islam.

3. The Revelation of St. John is at times a hard text to decipher. And Christians haven't really been able to agree among themselves on how to interpret it. The terms Amillenialism, Premillenialism and Postmillenialism are often used to describe different Christian understandings of the end-time. One of the more interesting interpretations is known as Preterism which holds that many or all of the Biblical prophecies about the endtimes were essentially fulfilled in the First century. Under this interpretation, the Revelation of St. John is more like a coded political tract than the surrealist nightmare of the literalist. For the Preterist, the book is about the end of the Mosaic dispensation, the destruction of the temple, the fall of Jerusalem and the persecution of the early Christians by the Romans. In fact, according to some calculations, Nero's name can be seen to correspond to the number 666.

4. In both Hebrew and Arabic, there are conventions which allow letters to be given numerical values. And so in Jewish and Muslim cultures, there is a tradition of taking texts and "doing arithmetic" on them to see another level of meaning. In the case of Hebrew this is called gematria. In Arabic it is called abjad. Those who utilize gematria might argue that if two words from the Torah have the same numerical value it could indicate connections between the related concepts. And a common use of abjad (the most common I've seen, anyway) would be the use of "786" as an abreviation for "Bismillah Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim" (In the name of God, the most Merciful, the most Compassionate) in order to avoid writing the name of God. (Not unlike how orthodox Jews use "G_d" in writing).

Also, somewhat controversially, Rashad Khalifa claimed that he had used a similar method to uncover a mathematical miracle in the Quran which establishes its divine origin. He is a controversial figure, mainly for three reasons: 1) he took a "sola scriptura" approach and ended up emphasizing the Quran to the exclusion of the hadith. 2) He believed in his own method so much that when it turned out some sections of the Quran didn't fit his theories, he rejected those verses instead of rejecting his theories. And 3) In the end, he himself claimed to be a rasul, a messenger of Allah after Muhammad (saaws).

I think it is possible to find a number of interesting mathematical facts one can mention about the Quran, and if that helps sustain and strengthen someone's faith then masha Allah. But in general, moderation and caution are also important, especially if the mathematical methods lead to questionable conclusions.

5. Early followers of the Bab (A Persian religious figure who claimed to be the Mahdi, and who is considered a forerunner by the Bahai Faith) were also into abjad. If you are interested in Babi/Bahai issues, apparently there are some Babi abjad-related prophecies
which the Bahai faith failed to satisfy. At least, that's the argument some Babis make.

6. And finally, I'm still reading Foucault's Pendelum. I just finished a passage where the narrator is trying to guess the password on his friend's computer (and the friend happens to be a religious fanatic of sorts) and so one of the possibilities he tries is 666. The book is interesting but a little slow-going. Umberto Eco is a dense writer and he makes me want to check Wikipedia every other page in order to make sure I "get" all the terms and references.

UK Submitters: Mathematical Miracle of the Koran
The Straight Dope: What's up with 666, the "mark of the beast"?

more on perennialism

I haven't written about Perennialism for a couple of months now. But yesterday I found a page called The Le Floch Report which linked to an earlier Grenada piece on the subject. As far as I can tell, The Le Floch Report is a traditional Catholic site which promotes views similar to Traditionalism/ Perennialism but ultimately wants to reject it. The site also links to other pages which give a different perspective on Perennialism, especially as it relates to Catholicism. Personally Perennialist views and authors (S.H. Nasr, Martin Lings, Charles Le Gai Eaton, and others) appeal to me but I still wouldn't consider myself a card-carrying member.

Basically, I believe that God is eternal and that the human condition (including our basic spiritual needs) is more or less unchanging. So if a religion truly satisfied those needs thousands of years ago, then it should still be able to "work" today. If a religion was ever true, then it is "always" true. That is a bit of an oversimplification, but that's where my sympathies are. (see for example, qurbani)

summit of latino and african american race relations

(From Adisa's blog)
For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Najee Ali (323) 350-1065

FIRST ANNUAL SUMMIT OF LATINO AND AFRICAN AMERICAN RACE RELATIONS


Who: Reverend Al Sharpton, National Action Network
Christine Chavez, Granddaughter of Caesar Chavez
Gloria Romero, State Senator, 24th District
Roosevelt Dorn, Mayor of Inglewood, CA
Eric Perrodin, Mayor of Compton, CA
Leticia Vasquez, Mayor of Lynwood, CA
Najee Ali, Project Islamic Hope
Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Political Commentator
Victor Field, Publisher, Latino Publications

What: 1st Annual National Summit of Latino and
African American Relations

When: Saturday, June 3, 2006
7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Media Check-in Open At 6 p.m.

Where: Omar Social Hall
1025 Exposition Blvd
Los Angeles CA, 90008
Vermont & Exposition

Public
Information: Free of cost to the public. Early arrival suggested.

Background:

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles is experiencing a low level race riot between Latinos and Blacks. With racially motivated fights in the prison system and the public schools, the tensions among Latinos and Blacks has elevated to an all time high with the very real potential of spreading.

This dialogue, hosted by the Reverend Al Sharpton and Christine Chavez, is a first step in addressing the issues that are equally important to both groups immigration, jobs, and gang violence

so many books, so little time

I got a Border's gift card back in December. A few months ago I used half of it and got Amina Wadud's book on the Quran and Women (which I'm still in the middle of) and the very Grenada-esque "Black Crescent: The Experience and Legacy of African Muslims in the Americas" by Michael A. Gomez. (when I finish it I'll definitely have to comment on here. I'm kind of excited because a large chunk of the book deals with Brazil and the Caribbean where apparently more of a Muslim identity was able to survive among the kidnapped Africans, at least in the beginning)

Yesterday I went to Border's again and almost used up the gift card. I got "Foucault's Pendelum" by Umberto Eco (I'd heard of the book before but now that it's being marketed as a "thinking man's Da Vinci Code" I got more interested. ... Yes, I realize they are pandering but I guess I'm a sucker for that sort of thing). I also got "Islam, Fundamentalism and the Betrayal of Tradition" which is a collection of pieces by Western Muslim scholars and "The African-American Writer's Guide to Successful Self-Publishing" (in case I ever get around to writing a book).

personal note

I realized I haven't had too many "religious" entries in a while. Even the few "Muslim" entries have been more political than spiritual. It's probably a reflection of how in my real-life I'm getting caught up and distracted in the dunya. Some of my worrying taken up by legitimate obligations which I should take more seriously. Some of it is nonsense. InshaAllah, I'll be able to put first things first, and second things second. Keep me in your dua.

Black-Latino Relations and the Public Discourse

Blackprof.com: Black-Latino Relations and the Public Discourse by Tanya Hernandez summarizes and nuances some of the bleaker visions of Black-Latino relations in the future.

celebrating puerto rico's black heritage

Seeingblack.com: Celebrating Puerto Rico's Black Heritage by Alma Abreu is a piece about "El Museo de Nuestra Raiz Africana" (the Museum of our African Roots) located in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, is where you can learn about the African cultural influence of Puerto Rico.

chavez brings hope to afro-venezuelans

Seeingblack.com: Chávez Brings Hope to Afro-Venezuelans; Ambassador Gives New Meaning to African Art by Karen Juanita Carrillo

understanding pickaninnies and improving the race

Understanding Pickaninnies and Improving the Race by Troy Peters is a piece from The Black Commentator about the Memin Pinguin Mexican stamp issue which I found while looking pieces on Afro-Latino invisibility (for the last entry).

"that's wells, not ellison, in case you feel like being cute again."

Speaking of Afro-futurism,, it comes up in an interesting way in Mission: Impossible 3. Lawrence Fishburne plays the role of Theodore Brassel, the head of the IMF (Impossible Mission Force). He actually had me cracking up in the theater. In his big scene, he goes off on Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and Musgrave (Billy Crudd) in a hilarious piece of "dialogue" which made him sound like an erudite version of Eddie Murphy's boss in Beverly Hills Cop.

At one point, after describing how the central villain (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman) has been difficult to catch and is an "invisible man" Fishburne says to Crudd: "That's Wells, not Ellison, in case you feel like being cute again."

I'm sure I'm over-analyzing this (at least, I wouldn't claim that the author of the screenplay had any of this in mind) but I think it's more than just a coincidence that Ralph Ellison's novel about an African-American man who is hidden and ignored and H.G. Well's science-fiction novel about a man who is literally invisible share the same title. Invisibility (secrecy, hiding) is a major component of the Black condition. For example, Afro-Latino invisibility is almost a cliche at this point.

Check out: Afro-Colombians:'Invisible' People Strive to Survive War, Racism by Saeed Shabazz, Mestizaje and the Mexican Mestizo Self: No hay Sangre Negra, So There is No Blackness by Taunya Lovell Banks, In Peru, Afro-Descendants Fight Ingrained Racism, Invisibility by Angel Paez and then invisibility blues and tuning out blackness

But it actually goes deeper than that... a few years ago I wrote a poem which started off with the 'joke' that from time to time, all the Black people in the world have secret meetings where we review and plan for all the various manifestations and expressions of Black culture. (e.g. "we decide what sounds will drip down from ghetto blasters to suburban frat parties for the next ten years") And in the middle of working on that piece I started to come up with example after example of how secrecy and hiding show up as themes in black history. (e.g. "we hid pyramid construction instructions in hieroglyphics and guarded them with mummy curses", "we hid getaway plans inside of gospel hymns" "we hid orishas under white-washed saints" etc.) In a Western context (especially under slavery) where Black existence is precarious, it makes sense that we would place a premium on being able to communicate among ourselves without being understood by others.

In working on this poem, what really surprised me is how far back it was possible to take this idea. We can even go back to the most ancient Black man of the Western Canon, namely Noah's son Ham, and read these themes into his story. Specifically, Ham's 'original sin' was that he "uncovered his father's nakedness", in other words, he revealed something which should have remained hidden, and as a result his descendents were cursed with slavery. And so for me, Ham's parting advice to his children was "Not every true thing need be told".

Of course, the above description only goes so far, and is only true from a certain vantage point. I wouldn't want to essentialize and romanticize Black invisibility. We should just acknowledge that it plays a large role, but then ultimately move past it.

the wrath of farrakhan

I've been thinking more about Star Trek and Afro-futurism these days and so I thought I'd share this blast from the past... An old In Living Color sketch called: The Wrath of Farrakhan

jesus isn't magic

Even though this comes from a "Christian" perspective, I really liked the piece Jesus Isn't Magic by Karen Horst Cobb. She presents a Jesus (as) free from a lot of the typical theological baggage and is concerned with bringing about real change, both in the soul and in the world.

the native orientalists aka "it's easy out here for a sell-out"

Al-Balagh: The Native Orientalists: The Muslims America Loves on why there is a well-funded niche for brown apologists for Western supremacy.

best of friends, worlds apart

Best of Friends, Worlds Apart is about two men, best friends from Cuba, Joel and Achmed, one black, one white, and how their relationship changed when they got to the US.

When I first skimmed this article I thought it was a gimicky human-interest story, but after rereading it, I saw that it was more nuanced than that. It gets into both the positive and negative aspects of race relations in Cuba and looks at the factors which can "guide" Cuban immigrants (whether black or white) to find a place in the US' system of racial identity.

The article made me think of an uncle who once told me that white Cubans were the most racist people on Earth. I would have expected a piece like this to oversimplify and paint a picture of two best friends living in a racial utopia coming to the US and suddenly growing apart. But the article did a half-way decent job of showing that many of the attitudes held by white Cubans in Miami weren't just a result of Americanization but came with them in their luggage (especially when presenting the perspective of Bill Brent, the former Black Panther living in Cuba).

terms of use

If you happen to be in the Detroit area, you should definitely check out the 555 Gallery. They recently completed a show called Mensaje Latino and their two upcoming shows are Urban Alchemy and Terms of Use. I would especially plug Terms of Use because I know a few of the featured artists (and I'm not certain but they might even put up an image I posed for). Anyway, the gallery is run by some good folks and if you are in the area you should give them some support.

(Actually, the guy posing in the above picture is a pretty cool and amazing artist in his own right named Umi Vaughan. He's from Oakland but last I heard he was chillin' in Cuba, presumably working on an anthropology doctorate. If I get my thoughts together I'll say more about him, an interesting guy. Se hizo santo!).

daara j brings rap back to its african roots

Boston Globe: Senegalese trio Daara J brings rap back to its African roots

Despite the urgent nature of the material, ''Boomerang" is brimming with optimism. Daara J -- which means ''school of life" -- weds buoyant Afro-Cuban rhythms, crisp hip-hop grooves, and soulful R&B vocals to lyrics that tumble out in a celebratory cultural stew of French, English, Spanish, and their native Wolof.

The album's title refers to the group's belief that hip-hop was, if not born, at least seeded in Africa. ''When we were taken from Africa to be slaves and sent to all parts of the world, a form of rap called tasso, which is rhythm-based storytelling, already existed," explains Freddy. ''When it left the motherland, it remained dormant for a while. And then one day it was awakened. African-Americans forgot where it originally came from. It was a natural evolutionary process for it to come back to Africa, where we have developed it further!"

Grenada's past:
african hip-hop
rappers rhyme for change in senegal
in bleak projects, emerging culture

an apology to james yee

Common Dreams: To Muslim Chaplain James Yee: I Am So Sorry by Rosa Maria Pegueros is a sincere and heart-felt piece but also interesting in its perspective. An American (Latina) is apologizing to an American (Asian, Muslim) for the sins of her (his, our) country.

While Yee was stationed in Guantanamo as a chaplain to the detainees, he was charged with spying, threatened with the death penalty, put in solitary confinement, and tortured until the Army decided to drop the charges. He subsequently resigned his commission. If you are unfamiliar with his story, I urge you to listen to him or read his account at Democracy Now! . He has just published a book about his experiences called For God and Country: Faith and Patriotism Under Fire.

juan cole on the da vinci code

I'm a little surprised at myself that I didn't make this comparison before. In DaVinci Code as Parable of American Modernity, Juan Cole points out that the premise of the Da Vinci code (that Jesus got married and has modern-day descendants) is basically the situation which Muslims are in with regard to Muhammad (saaws). Where Jesus' daughter Sara, and Muhammad's daughter Fatima both have very strong associations with the sacred feminine.

Grenada's past:
islam and the divine feminine
kerry descended from the prophet muhammad?

guantanamo suicide attempts

Truthout: multiple suicide attempts among prisoners at guantanamo

the religious left is back

Truthout: Religious Liberals Gain New Visibility by Caryle Murphy and Alan Cooperman is a story from the Washington Post of some recent trends and developments aomng religious liberals.

gangs claim their turf in iraq

Gangs claim their turf in Iraq

The Gangster Disciples, Latin Kings and Vice Lords were born decades ago in Chicago's most violent neighborhoods. Now, their gang graffiti is showing up 6,400 miles away in one of the world's most dangerous neighborhoods -- Iraq.

There are at least two sides to this: What are the implications of having gang-affiliated soldiers in Iraq? (But actualy, this doesn't seem to be a big concern because in Iraq, the American soldiers, even those in rival gangs, are united by a common enemy.) The larger issue is what happens in urban areas when gang members go back home with military know-how and access to equipment? Can we say blowback?

us secretly backing warlords in somalia

Truthout: US Secretly Backing Warlords in Somalia shows that the government is willing to back secular Somali warlords in order to fight against Muslim-factions.

The latest clashes, last week and over the weekend, were some of the most violent in Mogadishu since the end of the American intervention in 1994, and left 150 dead and hundreds more wounded. Leaders of the interim government blamed U.S. support of the militias for provoking the clashes.

The country has a weak transitional government operating largely out of neighboring Kenya and the southern city of Baidoa. Most of Somalia is in anarchy, ruled by a patchwork of competing warlords; the capital is too unsafe for even Somalia's acting prime minister to visit.

Leaders of the transitional government said they have warned U.S. officials that working with the warlords is shortsighted and dangerous.

"We would prefer that the U.S. work with the transitional government and not with criminals," the prime minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi, said in an interview. "This is a dangerous game. Somalia is not a stable place and we want the U.S. in Somalia. But in a more constructive way. Clearly we have a common objective to stabilize Somalia, but the U.S. is using the wrong channels."

Many of the warlords have their own agendas, Somali officials said, and some reportedly fought against the United States in 1993 during street battles that culminated in an attack that downed two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters and left 18 Army Rangers dead.

"The U.S. government funded the warlords in the recent battle in Mogadishu, there is no doubt about that," government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari told journalists by telephone from Baidoa. "This cooperation . . . only fuels further civil war."

U.S. officials have refused repeated requests to provide details about the nature and extent of their support for the coalition of warlords, which calls itself the Alliance for the Restoration of Peace and Counter-Terrorism in what some Somalis say is a marketing ploy to get U.S. support.

blog break

I've been taking a break for a few days. I've been spending more time reading other people's blogs and thinking about other things. For example, I've been pondering about the paraphrased Hisham Aidi quote in Grenada's header ("Islam is at the heart... ") and how its implications can be developed and fleshed out and implemented. How broadly or narrowly can "like-minded" (whatever that means) people define a platform and a coalition? Muslims? Third-World people? Latino activists? Pan-Africanists? Progressives? Cultural activists?People on the Spritual Left? How big is the boat?

el emigrante

I could have made this another "why the devil has more vacation-time than santa" post but later changed my mind about the title. A few days ago I read an article about a racist video game called Border Patrol (available free online) where the objective was to shoot Mexicans trying to cross the border; you could kill a "drug smuggler" a "mexican nationalist" or a "breeder" (a pregnant woman with two children). In the course of looking for the game I also found Krazie Bone's Ghetto Chase where the player runs from the police through various backyards (collecting crack pipes and marijuana leaves for extra points), Kaboom! The Suicide Bombing Game (pretty self-explanatory) along with many other games in a similar vein. On some level, I've known for a while that video games have been pushing the envelope and getting more and more extreme, but I'm actually (a little) surprised by how many games out there are racist, stereotypical, crudely violent and offensive. It makes me feel old and crotchety.

For a more academic look at the border patrol game, read Buzzle.com's "Border Patrol" Video Game: Appalling Social Irresponsibility

And for a slightly different sort of game, check out El Emigrante where you get to be a Mexican mouse (Speedy Gonzalez?) on a bicycle fleeing from the police. It is different from Border Patrol in that the player identifies with the immigrant and it is different from Kaboom and Ghetto Chase in that it doesn't blatantly employ stereotypes. In contrast with the previous games, El Emigrante isn't racially offensive but it is deafeatist. (There is no way to win. The immigrant always gets caught, it's just a matter of time).

What do you think?

nommo

Christian Science Monitor: In poetry-loving Yemen, tribal bard takes on Al Qaeda - with his verse

See also:

wild pigeon a previous Grenada piece on a Chinese Muslim poet meeting with repression from the Chinese government. And on a more positive note, fighting terrorism with islam deals with how in Yemen, militancy and extremism is being effectively countered through dialogue.

What I find really compelling is that in each of these examples, the force of ideas and words is at least as impressive or threatening to the Powers that Be, as the force of weapons or other conventional political tools. The pen (or the tongue) really is more powerful than the sword.

star spangled hypocrite

This is a follow-up post of sorts to "jose can you see..."

From the Black Commentator: Star spangled hypocrite features links to a Spanish version of the Star-spangled banner commissioned by the U.S. Bureau of Education in 1919, four different Spanish versions of the anthem available on the U.S. State Department's website, and news accounts of a certain someone apparently having no problem with Spanish versions of the national anthem when pandering to Latino voters on the campaign trail.

should africa look to latin america?

Helen at Afrorise! asks the very Grenada-esque question: Should Africa look to Latin America? (as a model for social, economic, and political development)

jesus in india

I've been noticing that recently a lot of the people who have been making their way to Planet Grenada have come here looking for an Islamic perspective on The Da Vinci Code. So to help quench their thirst I'd thought I'd also pass along a link to the book Jesus in India which suggests that Jesus survived the crucifixion and travelled to Afghanistan (where he possibly married and had children) and moved on to Kashimir where (it is alleged) his tomb can be found. I'm not claiming the theory is true. And I'm definitely not saying that this is THE Muslim perspective on these matters. I would just say it is an example of sustained speculation on the subject of what happened after the crucifixion from someone claiming to be Muslim. And y'all might be interested.

See also: holy blood, holy grail

the third resurrection is still alive and kicking

The site has slowed down some since it started, but Third Resurrection is still there as before. And we recently added a new member. Tavis Adibudeen from Lantern Torch: Creative Illumination. If you know of other bloggers who might be interested in joining send them my way.

as a black latina, where do i count?

Alternet: As a Black Latina, Where Do I Count? by Shana White is an older piece by a Black Nicaraguan woman who grew up in East Palo Alto, California. She starts off with the question:

When the U.S. Census recently reported that Latinos had replaced African-Americans as the largest minority in the United States, I wondered, "How can I replace myself?"

and then she goes on to talk about her personal and family experience between those "two" communities. If you are a frequent visitor to Planet Grenada you know I've definitely posted articles like this before... although this may be the first by an Afrolatina from a Central American-American (?) background.

is there racism in latin america?

Blackprof.com: Is There Racism in Latin America and What Does That Mean for Race Relations in the United States? by Tanya Hernandez

from vicente guerrero to vicente fox

Indymedia: Mexico welcomed fugitive slaves and African American job-seekers by Ron Wilkins is an amazing piece on how Mexico of the past had a relatively positive relationship with people of African descent from the North.

on being black at a latino march

I like the article overall. My one huge complaint would be the unstated assumption that being "Black" implies being non-immigrant and Anglo. I once met a woman from Ghana who used the labels "plane Blacks" and "boat Blacks" (based on how folks came to be in the United States). In general I don't like those sorts of divisions but I have noticed that a lot of times "boat Blacks" (in my head, I sometimes use the term Afro-Gringos) tend to assume that there are only a small number of ways to "be Black" (i.e. those based on the experience of slavery in the United States, especially the American South, Reconstruction, the Great Migration, the Civil Rights movement and modern hip-hop culture.) And there is often a tendancy to marginalize and ignore the Black experience in other parts of the Americas, Africa, and the rest of the diaspora.

Van Jones' piece below is well-intentioned and worth reading. But his difficulties with the Spanish slogans and "Latin" (probably African) rhythms have more to do with his Anglo-ness than his Blackness

On Being Black at a Latino March by Van Jones

praise the prophet poetry competition

CLICK HERE

late first impressions of may 1st

So I went to a local immigrant rights march on Monday. It gave me a lot to think about.

Firstly, I think these sorts of events are amazing. It is powerful and galvanizing to think of thousands of people coming out just to affirm that they have rights and demand that they be treated fairly. I was especially impressed with how diverse the speakers were. "Of course" Mexican and Mexican-American speakers were well represented but other voices definitely made contributions.Young. Old. Male. Female. Latino. Muslim. African-American. Legal. "Illegal". And white allies from the labor movement.

Secondly, what gave me a bit more to think about was how ideologically diverse the people involved seemed to be. Immigration, affirmative-action, anti-war, pro-local economy, labor. Everyone had their issue. It made me wonder if the group of people gathered there would be able to continue to coordinate their efforts and agree what a next step would look like. To be hoest, the strategic/critical side of my brain was a little skeptical of what political changes would really come out of that particular gathering. But the friend whom I was with pointed out that its not really about that. It has more to do with letting people know that they are not alone, letting them feel empowered, letting them have a voice. The rest comes later.

A day without an immigrant
Immigrant Solidarity Network
No HR 4437 Network
A.N.S.W.E.R. and the Great American Boycott

immigration across the blogosphere

Here is Elenamary's massive clearinghouse of blog links on the immigration-related events of May 1st (thanks for the shout-out)

senzala or quilombo

Just the other day I got into a conversation about anarchism with a Chicana friend of mine so the subject has been on my mind. In Senzala or Quilombo: Reflections on APOC and the fate of Black Anarchism, Pedro Ribeiro metaphorically connects APOC, the Anarchist People of Color organization with the Brazilian qilombos, the free communities of runaway slaves.

natural islam

From the Anarchist People of Color site: In the article Natural Islam, Salim (a libertarian socialist Shia Muslim Sufi author) discusses the relation between activism and authority (both religious and political).

islamic anarchism?

A very brief piece on Gustave-Henri Jossot (1866-1951), a French cartoonist who moved in Anarchist circles and eventually converted to Islam.

blacks and immigration reform

Blacks and Immigration Reform: Conflicted, But Why? by Anthony Asadullah Samad

In a strange twist of events leading up to the “Day Without Mexicans” protest, there was suddenly this overwhelming focus on where African Americans stood on the issue. While this focus certainly was heightened by a half-cocked Ted Hayes rollin’ into Leimert Park with Minutemen in tow, talkin’ about Black people will help immigrants build an economy in Mexico. Hayes is clearly the latest iteration of Sambo politics that advances the position of the conservative right without any concern of how crazy he really makes black people look. Of course, the media is there front and center, while a few so-called “black spokespersons” front off the whole race escalating Black/Latino tensions on a whole ‘nother front simply because some folk want to scapegoat immigrants and play up the politics of fear that permeate two already exploited communities. These Negroes are trying to do to immigrants what America did to Blacks at the end of the 19th Century when poor whites decried that Blacks were taking their jobs because of industrialization. That’s what makes this dangerous.

The fact that African Americans feel the need to take position needs to be called into question. There has been no Latino “litmus test” on HR 40 (Reparation bill) or even where Latinos stand on police abuse or jailhouse attacks on African Americans. We tend to cooperate where we can, but each community has its own issues. Yet, “are you with us” is now a prevailing inquiry among Blacks and Latinos. Certainly any group that knows the social change history of Blacks in America (including the history of the “Day of Absence” for which this protest was modeled) know that our involvement in social (and political change) is crucial. Yeah, this legislation is targeting Mexicans, but Haitians, Jamaicans, and Africans impacted by this bill. We should be allies in advocating for compassionate reform. Solidarity where possible. That’s how it’s always been.

There are deeper issues here. The concern that immigrants take jobs from black people drives the opposition. It’s a false premise that has nothing to do with immigration, and everything to do with competition. Immigrants don’t take work—they make work. They sell fruits, or flowers or other goods. Most of the jobs they fill are not jobs Blacks want. I know over three dozen upper middle class black families looking for black gardeners but can’t find one. It’s the same with housekeepers, babysitters, live-in nannies and day laborers. The competition between Black and Latinos (on all levels) stem from the networks each creates that support their desire to work and improve their communities. Only 25% of all jobs in America are advertised. The rest are “inside referrals.” Work is disappearing for African Americans because we want to be the only one on the job and put little in the job “pipeline.” Latinos refer who they know. Blacks used to do the same.

Blacks could provide enough jobs for everybody to work if they’d only support themselves. In 1965, it was Jewish businesses taking work from Blacks. In 1992, it was Koreans. Now, it’s immigrants. And opposing Blacks think they can help immigrants build their “own country.” Yeah, right? That’s pure rhetoric and the source of the confliction on this issue—an issue not really ours. Blacks can’t build their own economy here in America. We need not play the role of being victims.

Wanna know our issue? Black America’s focus should not be on who’s taking jobs, but who’s making jobs. When Blacks learn how to make work, they’ll have work. Immigration won’t even be an issue. It’s not for any other community who simply make work for their people to work.

Anthony Asadullah Samad is a national columnist, managing director of the Urban Issues Forum (www.urbanissuesforum.com) and author of 50 Years After Brown: The State of Black Equality In America. He can be reached at www.AnthonySamad.com

"when you get yourself into a situation you can't get out of..."

It has just been on my mind...
From the movie Traffic:

You know, when they forced Khruschev out, he sat down and wrote two letters to his successor. He said - "When you get yourself into a situation you can't get out of, open the first letter, and you'll be safe. When you get yourself into another situation you can't get out of, open the second letter". Soon enough, he gets into a tight situation, and he opens the first letter. It says - "Blame it all on me". So he blames it all on the old guy, and it worked like a charm. When he got himself into a second situation, he opened the second letter. It said - "Sit down, and write two letters..."

The full screenplay for Traffic

bunny vs. world

For fun: Bunny vs. World by Helmi Bastami is the name of an odd flash game where you are a rabbit ninja who must fight against the forces of Adolph Bunne, a fascist rabbit supremacist who has risen to power in the animal world. The game is more than a bit bloody but other than that, the story, the look of the game, and the music are very well done.

lift every voice and sing

In the same poem, I also mentioned how I preferred Lift Every Voice and Sing to any star-spangled martial war cry. I used to teach middle school and every day the students would sing both songs and was really struck by how beautiful and powerful James Weldon Johnson's words are:

Lift ev'ry voice and sing,
'Til earth and heaven ring,
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the list'ning skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on 'til victory is won.



Stony the road we trod,
Bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat,
Have not our weary feet
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
Out from the gloomy past,
'Til now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.



God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
Thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
Thou who has by Thy might
Led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee,
Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee;
Shadowed beneath Thy hand,
May we forever stand,
True to our God,
True to our native land.

"jose can you see..."

As a creative response to some of the recent debates about immigration, several Latin musicians have gotten together to record a Spanish-language version of the Star-Spangled Banner. I'm not sure I can adequately convey how beautiful I think that idea is.

It raises a whole series of issues which I feel like I've been wrestling with for a while. Ever since after the 2004 Presidential election, when a lot of people I knew were joking around about moving to Canada (or alternatively, having the blue states secede) it struck me that there had to be a way to resolve the tension between genuine love of country and criticism of the government. My own family leaned towards the latter and so they left Cuba due to political reasons. But this time around, I felt a little angry at the people who were talking about going to Canada because of Bush. I even ended up writing a poem about the subject. How do you affirm the best parts of what it means to be American, while rejecting the harmful government policies, the racist history, the religious discrimination, etc. which are often deeply intertwined mainstream expressions of "patriotism". One line which sums up a lot of the poem went, "I love this country with the love of a mechanic: when something is broke, you fix it." Another idea had to do with being an American, but on your own terms. My parents didn't leave Cuba because they thought Spanish was an ugly language or because they preferred hamburgers and french fries to yucca and frijoles negros. They came here to be free. For me, that's what this song is about.

Lyrics to 'Nuestro Himno' ('Our Hymn')

Amanece, lo veis?, a la luz de la aurora?
lo que tanto aclamamos la noche caer?
sus estrellas sus franjas
flotaban ayer
en el fiero combate
en señal de victoria,
fulgor de lucha, al paso de la libertada.
Por la noche decían:
"Se va defendiendo!"
Oh decid! Despliega aún
Voz a su hermosura estrellada,
sobre tierra de libres,
la bandera sagrada?
Sus estrellas, sus franjas,
la libertad, somos iguales.
Somos hermanos, en nuestro himno.
En el fiero combate en señal de victoria,
Fulgor de lucha, al paso de la libertada.
Mi gente sigue luchando.
Ya es tiempo de romper las cadenas.
Por la noche decían: "!Se va defendiendo!"
Oh decid! Despliega aún su hermosura estrellada
sobre tierra de libres,
la bandera sagrada?

English translation:

By the light of the dawn, do you see arising,
what we proudly hailed at twilight's last fall?
Its stars, its stripes
yesterday streamed
above fierce combat
a gleaming emblem of victory
and the struggle toward liberty.
Throughout the night, they proclaimed:
"We will defend it!"
Tell me! Does its starry beauty still wave
above the land of the free,
the sacred flag?
Its stars, its stripes,
liberty, we are the same.
We are brothers in our anthem.
In fierce combat, a gleaming emblem of victory
and the struggle toward liberty.
My people fight on.
The time has come to break the chains.
Throughout the night they proclaimed, "We will defend it!"
Tell me! Does its starry beauty still wave
above the land of the free,
the sacred flag?

Scotsman.com: Bush pans Star-Spangled Banner
NPR: A Spanish Version of 'The Star-Spangled Banner' (listen)
"Jose can you see" reference

the world's sixteen crucified saviors

The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors by Kersey Graves is a book I've occasionally seen in Afrocentric bookstores but I recently found a free online version so I'm sharing the link. The book certainly has its flaws, but its basic message is to point out how the Christian version of the Jesus story has many uncanny similarities with myths and legends surrounding other religious figures. So it supports the idea that elements of the Christ story have been overlain with older pagan elements (including Egyptian, which will make Sondjata happy). Also, since Muslims would want to affirm the "historical Jesus" the book also suggests ways of seperating the wheat (the real Jesus) from the chaff (the myth which was created around him).

the mad dervish

I was doing a search recently and found Manuel aka the Mad Dervish who is another Latino Muslim blogger (on Myspace). Like most myspace blogs he tends to run on the personal side but I'll still give him a shout-out.

"i am become death, the destroyer of worlds"

The article Divine Mushroom Cloud: A Call to Worship by Karen Horst Cobb explores the religious significance of nuclear warfare. Of course, some of the 'religious' implications were clear from the begining. Upon seeing the first atomic explosion (named the Trinity test no less) Robert Oppenheimer, the "father of the atomic bomb" is known to have thought back to the Bhagavad-Gita and the lines "I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds"

It reminds me of the film Beneath the Planet of the Apes where those mutant humans lived underground and formed a cult which worshipped the Bomb. I think she has a point. Admittedly, we still have a ways to go. We still haven't developed mental telepathy and we don't need masks to cover our radiation-scarred faces. But I think Cobb is right. In some circles, the bomb has become an idol of sorts, like the Ark of the Covenant which the children of Israel carried into battle.

And y'all know what the Bible (or the Quran for that matter) says about idolatry.

Grenada's past:
monkey business

when keeping it real goes wrong

Good Times.
Any time you meet a payment. - Good Times.
Any time you need a friend. - Good Times.
Any time you’re out from under.
Not getting hassled, not getting hustled.
Keepin’ your head above water,
Making a wave when you can.

Temporary lay offs. - Good Times.
Easy credit rip offs. - Good Times.
Scratchin’ and surviving. - Good Times.
Hangin in a chow line - Good Times.
Ain’t we lucky we got ‘em - Good Times.

Chicago Tribune: Good times -- and bad

Reading this made me sad on multiple levels. Thirty-five years ago, Eric Monte, an African-American tv writer helped create some of the most popular and innovative movies and tv shows of the 1970s. He wrote "Cooley High" (which was the inspiration for What's Happening!) He was a co-creator of "Good Times" and he wrote for All In the Family as well. And for all his labor, he built a successful career, won an NAACP Image award, Benz and a nice house in Santa Monica.

Currently, the 62 year-old Chicago-native lives in a Salvation Army shelter. Part of his trip from A to B involved health problems (which weren't his fault) and drug addiction (which arguably was). But the sad part is that it seems like a large part of his difficulties were also a result of his efforts to fight for his integrity as a writer.

she watch channel zero

I just found out from Alexandalus that April 24-30 2006 is TV Turn-Off Week. He has several interesting links with more info.

3500 years ago...

3500 years ago, people in Egypt worshipped different Gods than we do, although some have similar stories (Osiris and Horus). When we look back upon that time, we see them in a sense as ridiculous and primitive. How could someone pray to the image of a man with a dog's head, or a man with a bird's head, and accept that as God? Or, even think that it would grant his prayers and wishes? But 3,500 years from now, if humanity still exists, then people will look back on this time, they will look at our God, and think how we worshipped a man nailed to a piece of wood. And most pitiful of all, how could we not even listen to the most basic teaching and foundation of all his work: treat others the way you wish to be treated. If we treated America the way it has treated our people, we would be called terrorists, rapists, thieves, murderers. History cannot be wiped away in the sand and forgotten.

-Immortal Technique

immortal technique: two interviews

I haven't talked about the Afro-Latino political rapper, Immortal Technique in a while. But last month he did a two-part interview with XXL Magazine where he shares his unique perspective on the nature of the music business. And this month he did an interview with Ballerstatus on the implications of a community gardening project in Los Angeles.

first interview:
Immortal Technique Rock - The Boat (Part I)
Immortal Technique Rock - The Boat (Part II)

second interview:
Immortal Technique: South Central, America

Original Hip-Hop Lyrics Archive:
Immortal Technique

Grenada's past:
Immortal Technique: Volume Two

jesus radicals

Even when they call us mad, when they call us subversives and communists and all the epithets they put on us, we know we only preach the subversive witness of the Beatitudes, which have turned everything upside down —Oscar Romero

Speaking of Jesus Christ (as) being more political than is usually acknowledged, Jesus Radicals, a Christian anarchist organization is planning on having a conference:

Here in this Place: Anarchism and Christianity in our Context
August 4-5, 2006
Illinois Disciples Foundation
610 E. Springfield Avenue
Champaign, Illinois
Contact: jesusradicals AT jesusradicals.com

In addition, the Progressive Faith Blog Con is also having a real-life conference from Friday July 14 through Sunday July 16 at the Montclair State University Conference Center. It is still in the planning stages but I can say that they are putting in real effort to make the event ecumenical. If you are in the area, feel free to come regardless of religion.

holy blood, holy grail

a belated "holiday" piece....
I've been reading Holy Blood, Holy Grail. I just finished a few days ago. The book has been getting some attention these days because the authors, Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, recently lost a plagarism lawsuit against Dan Brown, the author of the Da Vinci Code. Certain themes from the Da Vinci Code were pretty clearly inspired by Holy Blood, Holy Grail except The Da Vinci Code admits that it is fiction while Holy Blood, Holy Grail is presented as non-fiction. (It seems like a basic Catch-22. If Baigent and Leigh are just doing history, then the Da Vinci Code is just an example of historically-based fiction. But if Baigent and Leigh want to take credit for their story and say that Dan Brown stole their work, on some level, it means admitting they more or less made it up.)

Baigent and Leigh argue that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and their descendents became part of European royalty (specifically the Merovingian dynasty). Furthermore, a secret society called the Priory of Sion has an elaborate master plan to place Christ's descendants into positions of political power in Europe (and possibly the world).

Some of the details of their theory are of special interest to Muslims:

1. Baigent and Leigh suggest that Jesus may have survived the crucifixion.

2. They suggest that Jesus did not claim to be God but was a human Messiah. So instead of following the typical Christian interpretation that Jesus was killed because his theological claims were blasphemous to monotheistic Jews, they argue that his claim to be the messiah, (a human hereditary priest-king) was a political threat to Imperial Rome (which is why he would have been sentenced to crucifixion in the first place).

3. In order to make Christ's message more popular in the Roman Empire, the political message was de-emphasized and replaced with anti-semitic elements. (Blaming the Jews instead of the Romans)

4. The Priory of Sion was also behind the founding of the Templars who had a long term goal of trying to unify Jews, Christians and Muslims under one system; an actual theocratic government ruled by the descendants of Jesus. As they put it:

For if Jesus were acknowledged as a mortal prophet, as a priest-king and legitimate ruler of the line of David, he might well have become acceptable to both Muslims and Jews. As king of Jerusalem, his lineal descendant would than have been in a position to implement one of the primary tenents of Templar policy - the reconciliation of Christianity with Judaism and Islam.

The authors try to bring together various threads to weave a complex story, but to be honest, they aren't always very rigorous in terms of making their argument and so some of the pieces don't hold. For example, the Priory of Sion was probably a hoax. (It seems the 'real' Priory of Sion is not a 1000 year old secret society but was founded in the 1950's by a French con artist as part of an elaborate scam). Nevertheless, the book was an interesting read, and provided some food for thought. (I was most persuaded by the idea that Christ's mission was more political than is usually acknowledged).

the da vinci code
the (real) da vinci code
angels and demons
the black stone

more on farrakhan in cuba

Reuters: Farrakhan in Cuba calls for "regime change" in US
Prensa Latina: US Newspaper Distorts Farrakhan Visit to Cuba
Final Call: Min. Farrakhan leads delegation on successful and much anticipated Cuba visit

even more on immigration

More Black and Muslim commentary on immigration:

Welcome to Mexicali by Marvin X
Why I Support the Latino Demonstrators by Amin Sharif
Chickenbones: Latino Immigrants, Jobs, and Civil Rights
Alt.Muslim: Muslim Voices On The Sidelines In Immigration Debate

more on immigration

To be honest, it is slightly surprising to me how much people seem to be coming together around issues of immigration. I've tended to think of immigration as an issue which (literally) evokes borders between people and sets up a dichotomy of "us" and "them". But recently, concerns about immigration seem to be a real galvanzing and unifying force across many different communities. Of course, it has been bringing Latino groups together, but it hasn't stopped there.

CNN: Marches may mark rise in Latino power
PNS: South Asians Join Immigrant Rallies Across Nation
PNS: Black Media Stress Human Rights Struggle of Immigrants

the lemba

As a part of my ongoing and vigorous discussions with Sondjata on Abrahamic religion and Afrocentritiy it had occured to me that it would be good to mention the Lemba people.

The Lemba (or Lembaa) are a group of people who live in southern Africa (mostly Malawi, Zimbabwe and the South African). And although they speak Bantu languages similar to their neighbours, they have specific religious practices similar to those in Judaism (e.g. prohibition of pork, male circumcision). On top of that, according to their oral tradition they are of Jewish descent dating back to the time of Solomon. Furthermore, some DNA evidence (specifically looking at markers on the Y-chromosome) strongly suggests their claims are true.

So here is just another example of how deeply the Abrahamic and African worlds overlap.

Haruth: The Lemba
Wikipedia: Lemba
NYTimes: Group in Africa Has Jewish Roots, DNA Indicates
The Jews of Africa: The Lemba of Southern Africa
The Freeman Institute: The Black Jews of Southern Africa
PBS/Nova: The Lemba, The Black Jews of Southern Africa
Wikipedia: African Jew

"one man's freedom fighter..."

In These Times: The Battle for Fred Hampton Way by Salim Muqakkil talks about the current struggle in Chicago to name one city block in honor of the Black Panther leader, Fred Hampton. Many of the city's Black politicians are supporting the measure but in a "surprise" move, the Fraternal Order of Police is objecting.

It reminds me of an earlier conflict, also in Chicago, where the local Puerto Rican community wanted to put a statue of Pedro Albizu Campos in Humboldt Park but faced opposition from the Park District.

From Z Magazine: Puerto Rican Community in Chicago by Melinda Power:

In the early 1990s, a fierce struggle over a statue of Don Pedro Albizu Campos, the fiery independentista and Nationalist Party leader, materialized in the Puerto Rican community. Aggressive opposition from pro-statehood Puerto Ricans, conservative Democrats, and real estate interests blocked placement of the statue in Humboldt Park, an expansive and beautiful oasis in the heart of the Puerto Rican community. As a testament to the strength of Puerto Rican nationalism, the City of Chicago agreed to the community's request to install two striking, 59-foot, steel Puerto Rican flags at the east and west entrances to the neighborhood. Spanning Division Street, the main thoroughfare, these flags clearly mark the community's boundaries. They also send a message to would-be gentrifiers: "Humboldt Park is Puerto Rican territory."

and

Space of Resistance: The Puerto Rican Cultural Center and Humboldt Park by Rachel Rinaldo:

La Casita's lot now includes a landscaped garden area, benches to sit on, and a space for performances. There are often barbecues here in the summer. When two of the freed prisoners returned to Chicago in September 1999, the welcome-home party was held there. In front stands a bronze statue of Pedro Albizu Campos, the Puerto Rican nationalist leader revered by the PRCC and by the Young Lords.

In the mid-1990s, the PRCC wanted to place the statue in Humboldt Park, but the Park District objected. The statue was eventually moved to La Casita, where it is a spot on the Paseo Boricua walking tours. It remains a sore point for the PRCC—one of the instances in which domination of space by the powers that be has prevailed. The Paseo Boricua Directory points out, "The placement of the Statue of Albizu needs to be resolved, since Humboldt Park has been denied to us. The Casita is therefore the most appropriate place for the placement of the statue."

You win some, you lose some. But then what really shows the hypocrisy of this whole situation is that a major Chicago street is already named after an honest-to-"goodness" Fascist: Streetworthy? The case for and against Italo Balbo

The cliches are overused but apt: One man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist. History is written by the winners. Or as Obi Wan said: "Luke, you will find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."

gattaca: so this is how it starts...

NYTimes: Seeking Ancestry in DNA Ties Uncovered by Tests by Amy Harmon shows how DNA testing is being used in order make and establish claims of political and economic significance.

when is a terrorist not a terrorist?

Miami Herald: Patriot Act bars Cuban rebels from asylum Supporters of an old anti-Castro rebellion are having difficulties getting asylum in the United States because the Patriot Act labels them terrorists.

"i never ever ran from the ku klux klan and i shouldn't have to run from a black man cause that's..."

Self-destruction by the Stop the Violence All-Stars. I was just thinking about that lyric earlier today. The song takes me way back. I almost feel like rehashing my past posts on different examples of black-on-black pathology. For some reason, some folks have a really deep urge to be HNIC (even some white people) and will stop at nothing to get there.

dave chappelle on npr

Last Laughs 2004: NPR interview with Dave Chappelle

pretty white girl singing

This is another personal/cryptic post: If I could find the transcript, I would post it... has anyone out there seen the Dave Chappelle segment where he says his views are so radical the only way he could get his opinions expressed on tv is to have a pretty white girl sing them? (And then for the rest of the segment, he actually hands a series of note cards to the singing white girl standing next to him) I'm not sure I want to get into the details, but if you have the means, I would highly recommend that the brothers out there get a singing white girl from time to time. It might make your life easier. I'm being serious.

brown berets

Thanks to Adisa for the heads up. This link is from the Watsonville Brown Berets. For those who don't know, in the 60s and 70s the Brown Berets were the Chicano analogue of the Black Panthers. And the Watsonville chapter is a contemporary group which was inspired by the Brown Berets of the past.

representin' the west (bank)

HindustanTimes: Arab-American rappers find new voice in political hip-hop music focuses on two of the Arab-American rappers, Omar Offendum and Ragtop of Los Angeles who are on the forefront of this trend.

Reading about them reminded me of the Suheir Hammad poem, Taxi, which starts off...

urban warrior i think we're
too used to bottled water and soft ass wipes
street soldier not gettin' taxis and little white ladies
claspin purses ain't all it's about

Hip-hop is definitely spreading and finding different things to say. You also might want to check out the Iron Sheik, a Palestinian-American rapper who I've seen in concert before. His page has song samples, lyrics, show information, and other goodies.

growing anger among blacks as latinos take over

April 7, 2006
BY ERIN TEXEIRA

NEWARK, N.J. -- The men both stood in a busy hardware store parking lot, but their lives were far apart.

On one end, Oscar Bautista of El Salvador said he had been waiting more than three hours for a job. Across the lot, Art Jackson loaded potting soil into his Dodge Durango. He complained that immigrants are making it harder for Americans to keep good jobs, especially blacks.

''You need to take care of home first,'' said Jackson, an African-American phone salesman from northern New Jersey.

Blacks and Latinos are often united on social and political issues. But they often differ when it comes to immigration.

Newcomers make black progress harder, said Wesley Crawford, who works at Source of Knowledge, a bookstore in Newark. ''It's a misconception that they're taking jobs we don't want. If you give people a good job, they will work.''

While Hispanic immigrants have protested a proposed crackdown on illegal immigration, the nation's most prominent black leaders have all been to New Orleans to try to stop the upcoming local election. Shortly after the storm, Jesse Jackson and others complained that Latino workers seemed to have more access than blacks to rebuilding jobs.

Bruce S. Gordon, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said that African-American and Latino bonds are strong and that his ''spirit was there'' at the immigration marches.

Most of the immigration protests have focused on a bill passed by the U.S. House that would make illegal immigration a felony, and all but one black voting member of Congress, Rep. Harold Ford Jr. of Tennessee, was against it, according to the Congressional Black Caucus.

Still, many blacks feel threatened, said Earl Ofari Hutchinson, a black writer in Los Angeles.

''The civil rights leaders say we're all united, but the average person on the street is taking great offense at this group coming in and essentially taking over,'' he said.
AP

the fear of a free black intellectual

Black Electorate: WANTED: The Non-Threatening Negro – The Fear Of A Free Black Intellectual

According to The Urban League Institute’s report, "Sunday Morning Apartheid: A Diversity Study of the Sunday Morning Talk Shows" only 8 percent of the guests on the major Sunday morning talk shows over the past 18 months – or only 176 times out of more than 2,100 opportunities - were Blacks. 122 of those 176 appearances were made by Juan Williams, Colin Powell, and Condoleezza Rice. Why is there such a limited black presence among the "talking heads"? Cedric Muhammad suggests that it is not just a matter of political bias or simple racism but something more complex.

azad slide

Following up on the issue of religion and cultural appropriation, I found a Persian livejournal blogger who wrestles with the question: How do you all feel about white American folks wanting to participate in spiritual/cultural things that are not their own?

"green is the new red"

Check out the newish blog Vegan Kid: Words in Resistance and especially check out the Carnival of Empty Cages #1 where he shows Grenada some link-love to two prior entries related to vegan/vegetarian issues. (One on Ron English, the painter who created much of the artwork shown in the film Supersize Me, and a second on Sean Muttaqi, the band Vegan Reich and the Hardline Movement).

In general, he has some interesting posts on "green" issues. And a couple of his posts give examples of how in the current political climate, green groups (environmentalist/animal-rights) are more and more under suspicion. So "first" they came after the Muslims and Arabs. "Then" they came after the pacifists and Green folks. Who is next?

conference on islamic african civilization

Saturday April 8th, 2006
12:45 pm - 10 pm
The Fourth Annual Conference on Islamic African Civilization
Public Health Auditorium, Rm. 23
(located on Fifth Ave. bet. Bouquet St. and Oakland Ave.)
University of Pittsburgh

Lectures Include (in order of schedule):
The U.S. Constitution: Reading Between the Lines
An Analysis of African Muslim Resistance to European Colonialism
The Historical Relationship between Muslim Spain and Islamic Africa
Keynote speaker: Jihad Abdul-Mumit, former Political Prisoner, Black Panther Party Member, and Black Liberation Army Member, speaking on "Self Determination"

the anti-imperialist left confronted with islam

International Viewpoint: An interview with Tariq Ali

Tariq Ali is an interesting kind of person. A secular Pakistani intellectual (so a "cultural Muslim"... as much as I dislike the term). But in a lot of ways his anti-imperialist perspective resonates very well with the interests of the Muslim world (Perhaps we could call him a "political Muslim")? In the above-mentioned interview he makes an interesting distinction between himself and someone like Hirsi Ali.

I travel a lot both in the Muslim world and in the rest of the world, but I have never yet felt threatened. Why is that? It is no doubt because people who don’t agree with me about religion know that I am an enemy of imperialism. I unceasingly criticize imperialism and all its works, more than the believers do. Whereas Hirsi Ali and people like her in the United States and in Europe make a profession out of attacking Islam. There are other important questions in the world.

Why do these people concentrate endlessly on Islam? In the way that they attack Islam, they go along with existing prejudices. And for that they are hated. There is no excuse or justification for acts of violence against these people. It is necessary to discuss with them. But these acts are a sign of despair: people are so much at the end of their tether that they have recourse to violence.

It reminds me of the distinction I made a long time ago between Irshad Manji and Me'shell Ndegeocello (Me'Shell Suihailia Bashir Shakur). All non-Muslims, (or Muslims for that matter) are not made from the same cloth.

damocles re-revisited or "gone fishing"

This post will be more on the cryptic and personal side but I still feel like "sharing". My own time under the sword will be ending soon. I think I've managed to come out a little bit wiser, with only a few nicks and scrapes for my trouble. Damocles said to himself "It is good to be the king" and thought it would be mostly fun and games. But the king knew better and realized that Damocles was his chance to go on vacation. Sometimes I've felt like Damocles. Most of the time I feel like Dionysius the king. Occasionally, I've even felt like the sword. It all depends on your point of view.

the sword of damocles
damocles revisited

immigrant rights

In the spirit of Latino/Muslim unity, Ihsan (the excellent Muslim group blog) has put together an informative and useful collection of links on the subject of Immigrant Rights

Also, on Alternet a brief piece called Viva la Immigration Debate adds a nuance of complexity to the current situation by looking at how Cesar Chavez (born a U.S. citizen) approached the issue of immigration.

white people and native religion

In her entry, Native Peoples and Cultural Genocide Brownfemipower (who almost considered dropping out of the blogosphere but has fortunately decided to grace us with her presence for a while longer) at the Woman of Color Blog looks at the relationship between the New Age movement and Native American spirituality. I'm generally sympathetic to the argument but had a different set of reactions and thoughts to some of her points. She says:

At no time did New Agers do any of the hard work of researching their own indigenous pasts to reclaim their own religious roots despite the fact that many European tribes were strongly based in earth-centered beliefs. No, New Agers went the easier route of "stealing" bits and pieces of other religions and claiming them as their own. For example, if you walk into a store catering to New Agers, you can find books and other memorabilia based in religions as far ranging as Buddhism to Taoism to the Kabbalah.

Although it's not good to appropriate any religion, the various religions that New Agers generally like to meddle with do manage to retain a large measure of control simply through their relative size. That is, a group of New Agers in Ann Arbor are not going to control how Hinduism changes or manifests itself in India. It simply isn't going to happen.

For Native peoples, however, this isn't the case. Representing only about one percent of the overall population of the United States, Native peoples are grossly outnumbered by New Agers when it comes to dealing with them on a tribe-by-tribe basis.

Firstly, I would say that some "New Age" folks, for example, followers of Asatru, Celtic Reconstructionism, or modern Druidism actually do look at spiritual paths associated with Pre-Christian Europe. So just to be fair, not all white New Agers are blatantly stealing from non-Western peoples. Some of them, really do try to stick to "their own" traditions. (But then that comes with its own problems as well. For example, some modern pagan groups have connections with white supremacists. They are pagan because they want to connect to a pre-Christian Europe "untainted" by Jewish or other influences.)

Secondly, in general, I would tend to question the implied link between ethnicity and religion. (e.g. see robert karimi) Even though it is important to avoid fanaticism, and one should cultivate a great sense of humility in terms of our own individual interpretations of texts, or our own specific understanding of the truth, nevertheless, religion still deals with matters of ultimate concern and absolute truth. (see not spiritual but religious) If Buddhism, or Islam, or Christianity are true, then they say something which is valid for all human beings; not just Asian people, or Arabs, or Africans. And similarly, if a non-Native or non-Indigenous person decides that the spiritual teachings of the the Australian Aborigines or Native Americans are meaningful for them, then I would think that people should have room to explore that possibility regardless of their background.

For me, the problem isn't in whether white people should try to practice non-Western religions. The real problem is that in general, whatever spiritual path we have chosen, we should all try to follow it thoughtfully, seriously, deeply, and self-critically. And there are obviously certain challenges, pitfalls, traps and temptations which will make it hard for anyone to follow a given path properly. The problem of white "New Agers" dabbling in non-Western cultures and co-opting them is only one temptation and one flavor of superficiality. (And someone in a different situation will face different obstacles). But I wouldn't want to rule out the possibility that a white person is capable of sincerely, thoughtfully self-critically following a non-Western path.

That said, I'm sure that Brownfemipower's criticisms apply to a large number of people in the New Age movement and I don't intend any of the above discussion to take away from that validity.

cuba & pakistan

From Left I on the News:

I've written about the 2260 health care professionals that Cuba sent to help Pakistani earthquake victims, and about how they had treated 1,043,125 patients, but even that didn't prepare me for the latest statistic: 73% of the earthquake victims who received medical care, received it from Cuban doctors and paramedics.

bottom of the cracker barrel

In her post Niggers and Spics, brownfemipower wrestles with the real-life complexities of the workplace alliances and rivalries between Mexican-Americans and African-Americans in the microcosm of the Flint Cracker Barrel.

loose change and the fall of the wtc

Last April Fool's day I wrote a piece which discussed how folks (especially Muslims) relate to certain rumors and conspiracy theories (see april fool's and the fall of granada).

Oddly enough, a few days ago a friend pointed me in the direction of Loose Change a video which discusses the idea that the US government was behind 9/11. To be honest, I'm not sure how much credence to give these sorts of theories. On the one hand, 9/11 has certainly been exploited in order to justify certain policies in the Middle East. But are the people in charge so evil that they would have deliberately and consciously planned for 9/11 to happen in the first place? See the video and judge for yourself.

talisman

by Suheir Hammad


it is written
the act of writing is
holy words are
sacred and your breath
brings out the
god in them
i write these words
quickly repeat them
softly to myself
this talisman for you
fold this prayer
around your neck fortify
your back with these
whispers
may you walk ever
loved and in love
know the sun
for warmth the moon
for direction
may these words always
remind you your breath
is sacred words
bring out the god
in you

"querido fbi"

I blogged a little bit about him when he passed, but I recently went to a spoken word performance where they showed a Puerto Rican hip-hip video about the death of Filiberto Ojeda Rios so he has been on my mind again. The song was "Querido FBI" by a group called Residente Calle 13. I've noticed that sometimes my links to YouTube don't necessarily last very long. If the video has been removed, hopefully you can also listen to the song here... or if necessary find it on the web yourself.

Washington Post: Puerto Rico Asks Congress to Lean on FBI
Miami Herald: Protests in Puerto Rico mount against FBI over tactics
Democracy Now!: FBI Assassinates Puerto Rican Nationalist Leader Filiberto Ojeda Rios

Planet Grenada:
filiberto ojeda rios
the life and death of filiberto ojeda rios

"the sleeping latino giant has finally awakened"

Immigration reform and related demonstrations around the country are the issue of the day. In Denver, Chicago, Milwaukee, Phoenix, and of course Los Angeles (among other places) Latinos marched in order to press for a more sensible immigration policy. Being held up for particular criticism is House Resolution 4437 (“Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005”) which would:

-Make it more difficult for legal immigrants to become U.S. citizens.
-Disrupt American communities and put all Americans at risk by broadening the definition of smuggling to include anyone who aids or transports an undocumented immigrant.
-Make everyone who comes to the U.S. to work subject not only to deportation but also imprisonment.
-Disrupt the U.S. economy by creating an overly broad and retroactive employment verification system without creating legal channels for needed workers to work lawfully.

It seems kind of obvious to me, but it bears saying: Immigration policy and the anti-immigrant backlash are certainly issues which both Latinos and Muslims should be concerned about. And whenever possible, they should cooperate and coordinate their efforts accordingly. For example, recently in Chicago, I.M.A.N. worked with Latino activists there and supported a march against HR 4437. Hopefully we will see more such coalitions in the future.

Alternet: Immigration Reform in Living Color
Ihasn: The giant awakens! 10,00,000 march in Los Angeles!
La Voz De Aztlan: Aztlan Arising: 700,000+ March in Los Angeles
Common Dreams: "Latino Giant" Awakens: Demonstrations Gaining Strength
Common Dreams: Wage War on Poverty, Not Immigrants
Planet Grenada: inner city muslim action network and latino activists

also:
latino and islamic groups want tancredo to quit
you say it like its a bad thing...
obama and martinez
mexico and immigration

solar eclipse today

MSNBC: Watch a total eclipse on the Web It won't be visible in North America but you can see it online.

end of empire

I vaguely remember watching the Iran-Contra hearings on tv and being vaguely impressed by Henry Hyde and then being really surprised later on when I found out he was a Republican. It makes sense though. He was raised a Democrat (Irish Catholic) has supported (and even sponsored) gun control legislation, and currently he is critical of the administration's position on the Iraq War. He may be in the GOP but that doesn't make him stupid or crazy.

"Our power, then, has the grave liability of rendering our theories about the world immune from failure. But by becoming deaf to easily discerned warning signs, we may ignore long-term costs that result from our actions and dismiss reverses that should lead to a re-examination of our goals and means." - Henry Hyde

Imperial Overreach is Accelerating the Global Decline of America by Martin Jacques.

reverse missionaries

Check out: African Christians bring their zeal to U.S. Reverse missionaries seek to end our sinful ways by Rachel Zoll

I'm tempted to call this "beautifully ironic" except irony isn't quite the right word. After all, the Ethiopian Orthodox and Coptic (Egyptian) Churches are among the oldest forms of Christianity in the world. While the Protestant Churches which are dominant in the United States are all no older than 500 years (Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of the Wittenberg Church in 1517). Christianity has a long and ancient history in Africa and so it isn't really ironic that they would send missionaries to the post-Christian West. It's just slightly funny.

"then they came for the..."

Alternet: Keeping Tabs on the Peaceniks Wow, this is bizzare. Food Not Bombs is on the FBI's terrorism watch list? They do things like go dumpster diving and help feed homeless people! We are living in strange times.

Wikipedia: First they came...

you are not alone

welcome to my quicki-mart!

us troops massacre iraqi family

La Voz de Aztlan: US troops massacre 11 member Iraqi family

muslim enclaves in the west

Assyrian International News Agency: The Islamist Challenge to the U.S. Constitution discusses the implications and challenges of Muslims in the West forming distinct communities in order to more fully follow the principles of Islamic life.

santana and iraq

LIMA, Peru - Carlos Santana, speaking to Peruvian journalists ahead of a Tuesday concert, said young people's opposition to the war in Iraq is reaching the dimensions of the anti-Vietnam war sentiment in the 1970s.

"There is more value in placing a flower in a rifle barrel than making war," he said. "As Jimi Hendrix used to say, musical notes have more importance than bullets."

In 1971, Santana was prevented from performing in Peru by the military dictatorship, which deemed his music an "alienating" force. Santana returned to perform in 1995
(full story)

Planet Grenada: carlos santana

what if she was condoleezza jenkins?

That's kind of deep. A radio host accidentally says "coon" when talking about Condoleezza Rice. (And if you look at the transcript, it really looks like an accident. It's not like some weird shock jock stunt) And he gets fired immediately. Wow.

But then that raises the obvious question: what happens to a working class African-American woman who ISN'T semi-married to the President when they get called "coon" for real? Is this about race, or class, or just power?

---
The original link expired but I found a replacement here.

better late than never...

Unfortunately this conference already passed, but if you check their website you can get some sense of what state-of-the-art research is like in this area. IRADAC (Institute for Research on the African Diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean) in NY just had a day-long conference on March 17 called "Departures and Definitions of Afro-Latino and Afro-Latin American Identity in the New Millennium"

mexico and immigration

Immigration has been in the news lately, especially related to Mexico. I just thought I'd give a taste:
StarTelegram.Com: Mexican ads push guest-worker plan
Trentonian: ‘We are workers, not terrorists’
Black Electorate: Mexico And The Migration Phenomenon
Immigration Daily: Two Sides Of The Same Coin: The Connection Between Legal And Illegal Immigration by James R. Edwards, Jr.

latinos and baseball

I first thought about bringing these links together a long time ago when Spike TV announced that they were doing a special on Latinos in baseball. But then I more seriously started to look for link in early March, but then didn't really work much on it until now. To be honest, I'm not a big sports fan but I figured it would be interesting to see what was out there. Obviously alot of the Latinos in baseball are Afro-Latino which raises some interesting questions. But the last straw which finally got my butt in gear was just the fact that Cuba made it to the final game of the World Baseball Classic (and lost, unfortunately)

Now that I think about it, I wonder if anyone has done research on Afro-Latino identity and baseball players, especially around the time baseball was segregated. I remember reading that at times, African-American baseball players would try to "pass" as Latino and pretend to speak Spanish on the field in order to be able to play against white teams. And in the same vein the New York Cubans (an old team from the Negro Leagues) had no Cubans on the team. Anyway, if anyone could point me to good sources, I'd be interested.

Color Lines: Fields of Broken Dreams: Latinos and Baseball by Marcos Bretón

Early players hit home run for racial equality by Russell Contreras

Minnie Miñoso (Saturnino Orestes Armas Miñoso Arrieta) was a Black Cuban baseball player who played for the Chicago White Sox (and in Mexico, and in the Negro leagues). My dad knew him from a long time ago and somewhere in my house I think there is an autographed photo of him.

ESPN: Rise of the Latinos: Arriba Baseball brings together a number of different profiles and articles on Latinos in baseball.

Latino Legends in Sports Online Magazine and specifically: Latinos in the Major Leagues: The breakdown 2000

Major League Baseball Players by National Origin

Latino Baseball (Your Complete Guide to Latino Baseball)

Wikipedia: Roberto Clemente
Official Roberto Clemente Site

Other Grenada "sports" posts:
accepting the slurs
new york cubans
what's my name, fool?

this is what you can do with a good thesaurus

Will Durst: Don't Impeach, Impale

farrakhan in cuba

Most Grenada-esque post in a while:

Havana, Mar 20 (Prensa Latina) US religious leader Louis Farrakhan began a Cuba visit Monday, with plans to meet with US youth studying medicine on the Island.

Upon his arrival in this capital, Farrakhan, also a fighter against racism and poverty, was welcomed by Cuban Parliament Speaker Ricardo Alarcon.

During his stay in the country, he will meet with Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque and other political and social leaders.

As his first official activity, the religious leader will visit the Latin American School of Medicine where about 20,000 students from different countries are studying, including several US low-income youths unable to afford the universities in their country.

Farrakhan also plans to meet with relatives of the five anti-terrorist Cuban prisoners in the US, and members of the Henry Reeve Contingent, made up of Cuban doctors assisting other peoples in natural disaster situations.

The US leader will also tour an art instructors´ school, and meet Cuban athletes.

Prensa Latina

anarchism, hollywood-style

Alternet: Anarchism, Hollywood-Style by Anthony Kaufman, a review of V is for Vendetta. Check out:(the film or the graphic novel)

"a soul, three fingers and at least one good eye"

I once went to an open mike heard a poem which was inspired by Gil Scott-Heron's famous piece "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised". It had a line that went "The revolution will make the government start to suspect and profile anyone with a soul, three fingers, and at least one good eye". It seems like those days are just around the corner. Just between you and me, I could almost understand some of the paranoid anti-Muslim measures which the neo-cons and the powers that be are in favor of these days. I certainly don't agree with them and I think they are horribly mistaken, but I can at least wrap my head around theirs. I "get" where they are coming from. I expect it.

But now, even more mainstream folks who speak out of turn are turning up on the radar:

the American Civil Liberties Union released a series of once secret FBI files that show the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force conducted a secret investigation into the activities of the Thomas Merton Center beginning as early as November 2002, and continuing up until at least last March.

Alternet: Punished for Pacifism

pat robertson is evil: reason #704

Pat Robertson AGAIN calls for Chavez to be assassinated ?!?!? Didn't he realize that he was wrong the first time? Whatever happened to "Thou shalt not kill" and "Love your enemies"? And at the very very least, doesn't he realize it was a bad PR move to call for folks to be assassinated on public airwaves?

MediaMatters for America: Robertson again calls for Chavez's assassination: "Not now, but one day"

past reasons:
pat robertson is evil: reason #865
pat robertson is evil: reason #873

chavez's alleged anti-semitism

Alternet: Chavez's Alleged Anti-Semitism which follows up somewhat from Planet Grenada: chavez and anti-semitism

what has hip-hop really done for racism?

From Black Electorate: What has Hip-Hop really done for Racism? by Al-Tariq Ibn Shabazz.

Especially as someone who grew up on Public Enemy and KRS-ONE I still want to hold onto some of my optimism when it comes to thinking about the power of music to politically enlighten urban youth.

I can't help but think of Common's "I used to love H.E.R. (Hip-hop in its Essence and Reality)"

She didn't have a body but she started gettin thick quick
Did a couple of videos and became afrocentric
Out goes the weave, in goes the braids beads medallions
She was on that tip about, stoppin the violence
About my people she was teachin me
By not preachin to me but speakin to me
in a method that was leisurely, so easily I approached
She dug my rap, that's how we got close

But I also have to admit that Ibn Shabazz has a point. If it is true that “The sole purpose of racism is to support and ensure that the White majority and its ethnic subgroups continue to dominate and use Blacks as a means to produce wealth and power” then the music industry in general, and hip-hop in particular are more part of the problem than the solution, especially if you think about how economic power is exercised behind the scenes.

More sober thoughts on hip-hop's limitations from Planet Grenada:
yo! pbs raps
the revolution won't have a video