The Kingdom and Kingship- Abdassamad Clarke (The Dialogue Series)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Most Merciful

Khutbah 24/10/2010 – The Kingdom

اَلْحَمْدُ‏ لِلَّهِ‏ نَحْمَدُهُ‏ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ‏ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ‏ وَنُومِنُ‏ بِهِ‏ وَنَتَوَكَّلُ‏ عَلَيْهِ‏ ،
وَنَعُوذُ‏ بِا‏للَّهِ‏ مِنْ‏ شُرُورِ‏ أَنْفُسِنَا وَسَيِّئَاتِ‏ أَعْمَالِنَا‏ ،
مَن‏ يَهْدِ‏ ا‏للَّهُ‏ فَهُوَ‏ الْمُهْتَدِ‏ ،‏ وَمَنْ‏ يُضْلِلْ‏ فَلاَ‏ هَادِيَ‏ لَهُ،
وَأَشْهَدُ‏ أَنْ‏ لآ إلَهَ‏ إلَّا ا‏للَّهُ‏ وَحْدَهُ‏ لَا شَرِيكَ‏ لَهُ‏ ،‏ لَهُ‏ الْمُلْكُ‏ وَلَهُ‏ الْحَمْدُ‏ ،‏ يُحْيِي‏ وَيُمِيتُ‏ ،‏ بِيَدِهِ‏ الْخَيْرُ،‏ وَهُوَ‏ عَلَى كُلِّ‏ شَيْءٍ‏ قَدِيرٌ‏ .  وَأَشْهَدُ‏ أَنَّ‏ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ‏ وَرَسُولُهُ‏ ،‏ أَرْسَلَهُ‏ بِدِينِ‏ الْحَقِّ‏ بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا‏ ،‏ بَيْنَ‏ يَدَيِّ‏ السَّاعَةِ‏ ،‏ صَلَّى ا‏للَّهُ‏ عَلَيْهِ‏ وَسَلَّمَ‏ وَعَلَى آلِهِ‏ وَصَحْبِهِ‏ وَمَنْ‏ تَبِعَهُمْ‏ بِإحْسَانٍ‏ إلَى‏ يَوْمِ‏ الدِّينِ .
}يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلْتَنظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَّا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ{
}يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلاً سَدِيداً  يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَمَن يُطِعْ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزاً عَظِيماً {
أما بعد:
تاريخ اليوم الخامس عشر من شهر شوّال، سنةَ ألف وأربع مائة وواحد وثلاثين

The date today is the fifteenth of Shawwal 1431

ونعود إلى بدايةِ الأمر إلى أول ءاية في سورةِ الفاتحة قولِ اللهِ تعالى بعد أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم }الحمد لله رب العالمين{.

We return to the beginning of the matter, to the first āyah in Surat al-Fatihah, the words of Allah, exalted is He, “Praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the Worlds”.

ومعاني قولِنا }ربّ{  أربعةٌ  : الإلهُ  والسيدُ  والمالكُ  والمصلحُ،  وكلُّها  في  رب  العالمين  إلا  أنَّ  الأرجح  َ معنى  الإلهِ  لِاختِصاصِهِ  للهِ  تعالى،  كما  أن  الأرجحَ  في العالمين  أن  يرادَ  به  كلَّ  موجودٍ  سوى  الله ِ تعالى  فَيَعُمُّ  جميعَ  المخلوقات.

Ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi, may Allah be merciful to him, says in his tafsīr about the word Rabb: “It has four meanings: God, Master, Owner, and the One Who Puts Right, all of which are in Lord of the Worlds but the weightiest meaning here is God because of its being uniquely for Allah, exalted is He, just as the weightiest meaning of ‘alameen is that it indicates every existent apart from Allah, so that it comprises all created beings.

و} العالمين  } جمع  عالَم  ٍ وهو  عند  المتكلمين  كلُّ  موجودٍ  سوى  اللهِ  تعالى،  وقيل  العالمين  الإنس  والجن  والملائكة  فجمعه  جمع  العقلاء،  و إلا فجمعُ عالمٍ هو عَوالم، وقيل  الإنس  خاصة  لقوله  }أتأتون  الذكران  من  العالمين{. ٢٦:١٦٥

‘alameen is the plural of ‘aalam, which means ‘world’. The people of kalam say that it is every existent thing apart from Allah, exalted is He, and some say that the alameen are the human beings, the jinn and the angels because its plural is the plural that is reserved for conscious beings with intellect, for otherwise its plural is ‘awalim. Some others said that it means human beings because of His words, “Of all beings, do you lie with males?” And this is the words of Lut ï to his people whose acts of sodomy he deplored.

قال القرطبي في تفسيره:
} رب العالمين { أي مالك جميعِ الخلق من الإنسِ والجنِ والملائكةِ والدوابِ وغيرِهم، وكلٌّ منها يُطلَقُ عليه عَالَمٌ، يُقالُ عَالَمُ الإنسِ وعالمُ الجنِّ إلى غيرِ ذلك، وغلَّب في جمْعِه بالياء والنون أُولِي العِلْمِ على غيرِهِمْ، وهو من العلامةِ لأنه علامةٌ على مُوجِدِه.

Al-Qurtubi said, “Rabb al-‘Aalameen” means owner of all of the creation including human beings, jinn, Angels, animals etc. Each of them is described as a world; one says the world of men, the world of the jinn etc. In the plural He gave preponderance – by using the ya and the noon – to those possessing knowledge over others. ‘Aalameen is a sign or a mark because it is a sign of the One Who brought it into being.

But here we are accepting much more than just a list of creatures, but by our knowledge of these different creations of Allah, we realise that they are almost like different dimensions of this existence. The Angels are a different aspect of existence from the jinn who are again a different aspect of existence from the human beings who are also different from the beasts etc. Remember that among the jinn and human beings there are shayateen, the complete opposites of the Angels, but remember also that they are not opposite to Allah, Who has no opposite just as He has no peer, no like, no offspring and no parents.

Allah, exalted is He, is without a kunyah, i.e. we call so-and-so Abū Aḥmad because he is the father of Aḥmad, so we neglect his own name and call him after his son, or he is Ibn Zayd and so we call him after his father. Allah has no kunyah, but in this term Rabb al-‘Aalameen, ’aalameen is a mark or sign by which you know something about Allah because of reflecting on other than Him. You reflect on the meaning of these worlds and it tells you something about their Maker. Our unanticipated discoveries of the enormous extent of the universe we inhabit tells us something about its Maker. Its stretching for billions of light-years, i.e. the billions of years which the fastest entity in the universe, light, would take to cross it. The universe is a sign or a mark which indicates something about its Maker.
And without any evidence and without any possibility of proof, scientists speculate that there are an infinity of universes other than this one. It is thought to be impossible to prove such a thing, but we say that if it is proved, here it is already in the very first verse of the Qur’ān: the Lord of the Worlds.

وهذا ملكُ الله }فَتَعَالَى اللَّهُ‏ الْمَلِكُ‏ الْحَقُّ‏{ سورة طه ٢٠: ١١٤

This is the kingdom of Allah, “So High exalted be Allah, the King, the Real!”

أَقُولُ‏ قَوْلِي‏ هَذَا وَأَسَْتَغْفِرُ‏ ا‏للَّهَ‏ لِي‏ وَلَكُمْ‏ وَلِسآئِرِ‏ الْمُسْلِمِينَ‏ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ‏ إنَّهُ‏ هُوَالْغَفُورُ‏ الرَّحِيمُ اَلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَالصَّلاَةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى مَنْ لاَ نَبِيَّ بَعْدَهُ،
أُوصِِيكُمْ  بِتَقْوَا اللَّهِ وَطَاعَتِهِ، وأُحَذِّرُكُمْ عَنْ مَعْصِيَّتِهِ وَمُخَالَفَتِهِ. فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ فِيمَا أَمَرَ، وَانْتَهُوا عَمَّا نَهَى عَنْهُ وَزَجَرَ.
قال تعالى:
} فَمَن يَّعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْراً يَرَهُ   وَمَن يَّعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرّاً يَرَهُ{
أَمَّا بَعْد:
ومن فضله تعالى أنَّه وصف نفسَهُ بأنَّه الملكُ، وهو صفةٌ معروفةُ لدينا لأنَّنا نعرف الملوكَ، أو كنّا نعرفهم قبل عصر الديموقراطية. ومن الناس مَن يُنكرُ المُلُوكِيَّة حتَّى يُحرِّمُها بعضهم وهذا غلط بيّن، فقد بعث الله مُلوكاً كما قال حاكياً عن نبيٍّ من أنبياء بني ّسرائيل }وَقَالَ لَهُمْ‏ نَبِيُّهُمْ‏ إِنَّ‏ اللَّهَ‏ قَدْ‏ بَعَثَ‏ لَكُمْ‏ طَالُوتَ‏ مَلِكاً{ سورة البقرة: ٢٤٧

Out of His bounty, exalted is He, He has described Himself to us as the King, which is an attribute that is well-known to us since we know kings, or rather we used to know them before the age of democracy. Some people deny kingship, even to the extent of declaring it ḥarām, but this is clearly a mistake when Allah has appointed kings, as He said, citing one of the prophets of Bani Israil:
245    Their Prophet said to them,
‘Allah has appointed Talut to be your king.’

فقالوا من جهلهم }قَالُوَاْ‏ أَنَّى‏ يَكُونُ‏ لَهُ‏ الْمُلْكُ‏ عَلَيْنَا وَنَحْنُ‏ أَحَقُّ‏ بِالْمُلْكِ مِنْهُ‏ وَلَمْ‏ يُؤْتَ‏ سَعَةً‏ مِّنَ‏ الْمَالِ‏{ روي  أنه  كان دباغا  ولم  يكن  من  بيت  الملك  

They said, ‘How can he have kingship over us
when we have much more right to kingship than he does?
He has not even got much wealth!’
It is narrated that he tanned leather and that he was not from the royal family.

}قَالَ‏ إِنَّ‏ اللَّهَ‏ اصْطَفَاهُ عَلَيْكُمْ‏ وَزَادَهُ‏ بَسْطَةً‏ فِي‏ الْعِلْمِ‏ وَالْجِسْمِ‏ وَاللَّهُ يُؤْتِي‏ مُلْكَهُ‏ مَن‏ يَشَاءُ‏ {
كان  عالما  بالعلوم  وقيل  بالحروب  وكان  أطول  رجل  يصل  إلى  منكبه  ^ والله  يؤتي  ملكه  من  يشاء  ^ رد  عليهم  في  اعتقادهم  أن  الملك  يستحق  بالبيت  أو  المال .

He said, ‘Allah has chosen him over you
and favoured him greatly in knowledge and physical strength.
Allah gives kingship to anyone He wills.
Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing.’
He was knowledgeable of the branches of knowledge, but some say he was knowledgeable about military matters. He was so tall that the tallest of men only reached to his shoulders. “Allah gives kingship to anyone He wills” means that Allah refutes their belief that kingship depends on belonging to the royal family or that it depends on having great wealth.

وبُعِثَ طَالوتَ ملكاً لقتالِ جالوتَ وَجُنودِهِ في سبيل الله. قال تعالى
} فَهَزَمُوهُم بِإِذْنِ‏ اللَّهِ‏ وَقَتَلَ دَاوُودُ‏ جَالُوتَ‏ وَآتَاهُ‏ اللَّهُ‏ الْمُلْكَ‏ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَعَلَّمَهُ‏ مِمَّا‏ يَشَاءُ‏ {

Talut had been appointed king in order to lead Bani Israil in jihad in the Way of Allah against Jalut and his armies. Allah, exalted is He, said that which means:
249    And with Allah’s permission they routed them.
Dawud killed Goliath
and Allah gave him kingship and wisdom
and taught him whatever He willed.

فأصبح نبيُّ اللهِ داودُ عليه السلام ملكاً بعد طالوتَ. قال تعالى
} وَوَرِثَ‏ سُلَيْمَانُ‏ دَاوُودَ‏ { سورة النمل ٢٧:١٦
قال ابن جزيٍّ في تفسيرِه:  أي  ورث  عنه  النبوة  والعلم  والملك .
فلا مانعَ لوراثةِ الأبناءِ المُلْكَ من الآباء.

So that the prophet of Allah Dāwūd became the king after Talut. Allah, exalted is He, said: “And Sulaymān inherited Dāwūd.” Ibn Juzayy said in his tafsīr: meaning that he inherited prophethood, knowledge and kingship from him.

وقال سليمان عليه السلام
} قَالَ‏ رَبِّ‏ اغْفِرْ لِي‏ وَهَبْ‏ لِي‏ مُلْكاً‏ لَّا‏ يَنبَغِي‏ لِأَحَدٍ‏ مِّنْ‏ بَعْدِي‏ إِنَّكَ‏ أَنتَ‏ الْوَهَّابُ‏ }سورة ص38 :35‏{
ولو كان غيرَ مرضياً ما سأل ربَّه أن يهبَ له الملكَ.

Sulaymān, peace be upon him, said:
He said, ‘My Lord, forgive me and give me a kingdom
the like of which will never be granted to anyone after me.
Truly You are the Ever-Giving.’
If it was not pleasing to Allah he could not have asked his Lord to give him kingship.

فينكِرُ بعضُ المسلمين الملوكيةَ ويزعمون أنَّ الديموقراطيّة أقربُ للصوابِ، وبُنِيَتْ على ظنِّ الأكثريّةِ واللهُ سبحانه وتعالى يقول:
}وَلَكِنَّ‏ أَكْثَرَهُمْ‏ لَا‏ يَعْلَمُونَ‏ { وأمثالُها في القرءانِ عديدة.

Some of the Muslims deny kingship and claim that democracy is closer to the correct way, but it is based on the opinion of the majority of people, and Allah, glorious is He and exalted, says, “But the majority  of them do not know,” and āyāt like this are repeated many times in Qur’ān.

ويقولون أيضاً بفرضيةِ اتِّباعِ الأَميرِ الشورى ويسمُّون البرلمان }مجلس الشورى{ ولكنَّ اللهَ عزّ وجلّ قال:
}وَشَاوِرْهُمْ‏ فِي‏ الأَمْرِ‏ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ‏ عَلَى اللَّهِ‏ { سورة آل عمران ١٥٩
فأمر رسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم بالمشاورةِ ثمّ أَمره إذا عزم هو وحدَهُ أن يتوكَّلَ على الله.

And they also say that it is obligatory for the ruler to follow the advice he is given and then they institute parliaments which are clearly based on European or American models but they call them Majlis ash-Shura, but Allah, mighty is He and majestic, says about Shura,
“Take their counsel in the affair, but then when YOU have made up your mind then rely on Allah.” So He ordered His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to take counsel but then orders him that when he has made up his mind he should rely on Allah, and He does not say “When you all have made up your minds.”

أما من ينتظر المهدي فروى أبو داود:
عن أُمّ  سَلَمَةَ  زَوْجِ  النّبيّ  صلى الله عليه وسلم عن النّبيّ  صلى الله عليه وسلم قالَ:”}يَكُونُ  اخْتِلاَفٌ  عِنْدَ  مَوْتِ  خَلِيفَةٍ  فَيَخْرُجُ  رَجُلٌ  مِنْ  أهْلِ  المَدِينَةِ  هَارِباً  إلَى مَكّةَ فَيَأْتِيهِ  نَاسٌ  مِنْ  أهْلِ  مَكّةَ  فَيُخْرِجُونَهُ  وَهُوَ  كَارِهٌ  فَيُبَايِعُونَهُ  بَيْنَ  الرّكنِ  وَالمَقَامِ …{

As for those who are waiting for the Mahdi, then Abū Dāwūd narrated from Umm Salamah ü that the Prophet @ said, “There will be disagreement at the time of the death of a Caliph. Then a man [the Mahdi] from the inhabitants of Madinah will come out and flee to Makkah. Some Makkans will come to him and make him come out even though he is unwilling. They will then make him accept their bay‘ah between the Black Stone and the Maqam of Ibrahim ï.…”
This hadith is clear proof that there can be no Mahdi today since there has to have been a caliph before him upon whose death there is a dispute about who should succeed him. As there is no caliphate now, those conditions do not exist and there can be no Mahdi until the caliphate is restored.
Our enemies understood all of this matter of kingship very well and so they undermined and then destroyed the Muslim kingdoms, those of the Ottomans and the Mughals. May Allah give us the wisdom to restore our kingdoms as it is only by them that justice and mercy and dīn can be restored among mankind in a real way. Amin.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلآئِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ، يَآ أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيماً
اَللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ وَسَلِّمْ تَسْلِيماً
وَارْضَ اللَّهُمَّ عَنِ الْخُلَفَآءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ ، وَسَآئِرِ الصَّحَابَةِ أَجْمَعِينَ، خُصُوصاً  الْأَنْصَارِ مِنْهُمْ وَاِلْمُهَاجِرِينَ،  والتَّابِعِينَ وَتَابِعِي التَّابِعِينَ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ إلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ.
اَللَّّهُمَّ اهْدِ وُلَاةَ أُمُورِ المُسْلِمِينِ لِمَا يُرْضِيكَ ولِاتِّباعِ سُنَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ صلى الله عليه وسلم

اَللَّهُمَّ أَعِزَّ الْإسْلاَمَ وَالْمُسْلِمِينَ ، وَاخْذُلِ الْكُفْرَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ ، وانْصُرِ الْمُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ، واجْعَلْ كَلِمَتَكَ هِيَ الْعُلْىَا ، وَكَلِمَةَ الْكُفْرِ هِيَ السُّفْلَى
رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِإِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِالْإِيمَانِ وَلَا تَجْعَلْ فِي قُلُوبِنَا غِلّاً لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا  ص  رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ رَؤُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا مِنْ لَّدُنْكَ رَحْمَةً وَهَيِّئْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَداً
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّار
رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَاماً
إنَّ الصَّلاَةَ تَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَآءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ
ولَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ
يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَّكَّرُونَ
وَقُومُوا إلَى صَلاَتِكُمْ يَرْحَمُكُمُ اللَّهُ

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Inshallah, Imam Abdassamad Clarke of the Norwich and I have agreed to publish our Islamically fraternal debate about the proper form and application of government for the Ummah. We have entitled it 'The Dialogue Series', and I have invited him to make the first statement. Inshallah, I hope we will all learn from this process, for it is for the sake of Allah and the Ummah of Rasullah(SAAW). Imam Clarke is the Director of the Norwich Conference Network and Imam of Masjid al Ihsan in the United Kingdom. I am very honored to engage in this discussion with him, Ya Rab!

Lost of Hope-Lina Ben Mhenni, The Tunisian Girl

Sidi Bouzid Brule !

Dernièrement , les immolations par le feu se sont multipliées en Tunisie .Les acteurs de ces actions sont généralement des citoyens tunisiens qui ont perdu tout espoir en une vie descente . Chômage et pauvreté  sont au rendez-vous et  ont envenimé leur existence. Certains de ces incidents sont  médiatisés- et par médiatisés je parle de médias citoyens( blogs, Facebook, Twitter) puisque nos médias officiels se contentent de nous présenter les activités du président, les activités du parti au pouvoir , celles des associations liés au parti au pouvoir , les nouvelles internationales reprises , le sport etc-  d'autres ne le sont pas.  Je citerai certains de ces incidents: La mort de  Abdesselem Trimeche à Monastir après qu'il ait mis le feu dans sans corps en Avril dernier , un incident  qui  a suscité l 'intérêt de la société civile et a fait bougé les citoyens de Monastir qui sont sortis nombreux le jour de son enterrement et ont exprimé lur colère et leur indignation face à l 'indifférence du gouvernement vis à vis le sort de ses citoyens  , la mort de Chamseddine El Hani ( passée inaperçue) ,  ce dernier originaire de Metlaoui , du gouvernorat de Gafsa , chômeur s'est brulé  le 19 Novembre 2010 suite à ses multiples demandes d'emploi rejetés , ses tentatives d'immigration illégale ratées. Il était mort le soir même à l 'hôpital de Metlaoui . L 'immolation par le feu  la plus récente est celle de Mohamed Bouazizi , un jeune diplômé au chômage originaire de Sidi Bouzid . Un malheur  qui a mis  tous les habitants de Sidi Bouzid en colère. Ils sont sortis dans les rues spontanément pour exprimer leur colère  et mécontentement. La riposte du gouvernement fut prévisible : des policiers et des paniers à salade  partout et le pire est à craindre.

Face à un gouvernement indifférent au malheurs de ces citoyens c 'est aux différentes composantes de la société civile , c 'est aux élites du pays d'agir. En parler , médiatiser pour quelques jours n'est pas suffisant . Nos sociologues , psychologues , et nos chercheurs en général doivent étudier ces cas minutieusement . Ils doivent essayer de trouver des solutions et  de donner des recommandations...

Love for Jesus Can Bring Christians, Muslims Together-Ibrahim Hooper

"Behold! The angels said: 'O Mary! God giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him. His name will be Jesus Christ, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the Hereafter and in (the company of) those nearest to God.'" 

Before searching for this quote in the New Testament, you might first ask your Muslim co-worker, friend or neighbor for a copy of the Quran, Islam's revealed text. The quote is from verse 45 of chapter 3 in the Quran. It is well known, particularly in this holiday season, that Christians follow the teachings of Jesus. What is less well understood is that Muslims also love and revere Jesus as one of God's greatest messengers to mankind. Other verses in the Quran, regarded by Muslims as the direct word of God, state that Jesus was strengthened with the "Holy Spirit" (2:87) and is a "sign for the whole world." (21:91) His virgin birth was confirmed when Mary is quoted as asking: "How can I have a son when no man has ever touched me?" (3:47) The Quran shows Jesus speaking from the cradle and, with God's permission, curing lepers and the blind. (5:110) God also states in the Quran: "We gave (Jesus) the Gospel (Injeel) and put compassion and mercy into the hearts of his followers." (57:27) As forces of hate in this country and worldwide try to pull Muslims and Christians apart, we are in desperate need of a unifying force that can bridge the widening gap of interfaith misunderstanding and mistrust. That force could be the message of love, peace and forgiveness taught by Jesus and accepted by followers of both faiths.

Christians and Muslims would do well to consider another verse in the Quran reaffirming God's eternal message of spiritual unity: "Say ye: 'We believe in God and the revelation given to us and to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and it is unto Him that we surrender ourselves.'" (2:136) The Prophet Muhammad himself sought to erase any distinctions between the message he taught and that taught by Jesus, who he called God's "spirit and word." Prophet Muhammad said: "Both in this world and in the Hereafter, I am the nearest of all people to Jesus, the son of Mary. The prophets are paternal brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one." When Muslims mention the Prophet Muhammad, they always add the phrase "peace be upon him." Christians may be surprised to learn that the same phrase always follows a Muslim's mention of Jesus or that we believe Jesus will return to earth in the last days before the final judgment. Disrespect toward Jesus, as we have seen all too often in our society, is very offensive to Muslims. Unfortunately, violent events and hate-filled rhetoric around the world provide ample opportunity for promoting religious hostility. And yes, Muslims and Christians do have some differing perspectives on Jesus' life and teachings. But his spiritual legacy offers an alternative opportunity for people of faith to recognize their shared religious heritage.

America's Muslim community stands ready to honor that legacy by building bridges of interfaith understanding and challenging those who would divide our nation along religious or ethnic lines.

We have more in common than we think.

Ibrahim Hooper is National Communications Director for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties group. He may be contacted at: ihooper@cair.com 

Responding to Islamophobia Parts I-III; Imam Hamza Yusuf

First of all, I want to apologize for the delay in writing the second part of what I started with my last post (“When You’re a Statistic”). On top of an overwhelming schedule and a family crisis, I have not been well. I’m very grateful to those who expressed concern as to why we hadn’t posted. I shall do my best at being consistent with the blog; I have requested that we set up an alert mechanism so people are notified when there is new content.

As promised, here are some ways I feel we should respond to the crisis that I described in my previous blog.

1.    Understand the problem. The first thing that we must do is recognize the scope and the depth of the problem. Spend a little time on the Internet, and search for issues related to Islam, the way people who have little or no knowledge about Islam might do if they were curious about our religion. Try Google searches for terms like “jihad” or “women in Islam,” and see the top websites and links that appear. Compare some of the websites run by Muslims with the ones run by people attacking the Muslims, and note the difference. Spend some time browsing at bookstores in your community to see the sections on Islam, and see what others are being exposed to about our religion. Notice the number of negative books. Then look at the Christian or Jewish section, and see how it compares with the Islam section. In other words, try and experience what a person curious about Islam and Muslims is likely to find if he or she browsed the Internet or bookstore shelves.

2.    Pray for our community. Do a daily litany (wird) with the intention of our protection. We are encouraged in the Sunnah to be consistent in our remembrance of God. There are many fine litanies that have been prepared by scholars based upon the prophetic invocations. Personally, I prefer Imam al-Hadad’s or Sidi Ahmad Zarruq’s as over-the-counter litanies. The spiritual benefits of consistent litany recitation are many, and they are well-tested and true. There is also another reason, in my estimation, for consistently reading such litanies, and that is to help create what is termed in medicine as “herd immunity.” When enough people have built up resistance to a disease through inoculation, others are protected by the critical mass that has been achieved. I believe this is what historically protected the Muslim community from attacks. There were enough people calling upon God for protection for the entire community so that even those who weren’t asking for help received it anyway. We need to pray for our community’s well-being everywhere and ask God to ward off harm. This is one of the prayers in Imam al-Hadad’s litany: “Suffice us by protecting us from the evil of oppressors, and remove any harm from the Muslims.”

3.    Strengthen and grow Muslim organizations. Support the existing organizations, and create new ones that are needed. For instance, we need a Muslim legal defense fund. Take a look at the Anti-Defamation League. Go to its website and read about its mission and its activities. The ADL was established to combat anti-Jewish sentiment in this country. Given the anti-Muslim sentiments prevalent now, Muslims need an Anti-Defamation League of their own. And we need endowments to adequately support such groups. The Jewish community donated millions of dollars to strengthen such organizations to ensure that what happened in Germany is not repeated in America. And indeed they succeeded – despite the many anti-Jewish people that still exist in this country, it is no longer the anti-Semitic country that it once was.

The Muslims need to strengthen our existing organizations, such as CAIR and ING. Despite its unfortunate problems of the past, and the fact that it could improve itself in many ways, CAIR is a solid organization that has been built with a lot of hard work by sincere and dedicated people, and it can withstand the attacks if it has the backing of a larger number of Muslims. The seeds of a really strong American Muslim institution have been planted at CAIR, but it must be watered with money and constructive criticism.

The Muslim organizations, including Zaytuna College, have a fiduciary responsibility toward their stakeholders, i.e. the Muslims we claim to represent and serve, as well as those who are funding us. Islamic Networks Group (ING), for instance, is one of the most important organizations in the United States; it does not proselytize, but educates and presents a clear picture of normative Islam. ING understands that we have zealots, that we have fringe Islam, but it focuses instead on educating people of other faiths about what the majority of Muslims believe and practice. This is what people need to know, just as they know that David Koresh and what occurred at Waco, Texas in the early 1990s does not represent the Seventh Day Adventists, and his actions do not represent all Christians or even all Seventh Day Adventists. The same is true for Jewish extremists, like Meir Kahane, or the American-born medical doctor Baruch Goldstein, who went into a mosque in 1994 and opened fire, killing 29 Muslims during their prayer. Americans know that he is not the same as their kids’ pediatrician, who happens to be a competent and peaceful Jewish doctor named Dr. Goldberg. Yet, when they see Dr. Abdallah, they wonder if he is secretly supporting some violent organization. He looks a little shady. And what’s with that Osama-like beard? And why does he have a picture of himself on Hajj hanging on the wall in his office?

So the more organizations Muslims establish, the easier it will be for people to see that normative Islam has nothing to do with what the militant extremists do. We have a large number of Muslim doctors in America, and yet we are not serving the underclass very well through free medical clinics, such as the Umma Free Clinic in Los Angeles. I think our Muslim doctors should donate a day every two weeks to treat the needy who have no medical insurance. In other words, Muslims need to enhance the existing Muslim organizations and also create new ones, especially social service organizations.

4.  Seek common ground with conservatives too. As Muslims, we don’t have a political party. We are morally committed to a sound ethical system that demands an uncompromising adherence from us. The principles, ethics, and values that demand our allegiance do not fit neatly into a particular political school of thought. Thus far, too many Muslims have tried to ally mostly with the Left, but in the current dialectic, the Left is unlikely to win the battle for the hearts of Middle America, especially when it comes to accepting Muslims as full-fledged members of the American tapestry. But there are many intelligent and influential people within the philosophical conservative movement, and some of them know what Islam is and some don’t. We need to make strategic alliances with them and recognize that we share a lot of common ground, as we are also concerned about losing moral foundations in an increasingly secularized, and even worse laicized, world that is downright hostile toward public faith. For example, the conservatives are as troubled as Muslims are about the predominance of premarital and extramarital sexuality, the breakdown of the family, and the proliferation of pornography and drugs. On the other hand, the truly progressive Left and not mainstream Tweetle Dee Left to the Tweetle Dum Right, despite its moral ambiguity on many such personal and social issues, has a far better track record of standing firmly against warmongering, arms proliferation, and American aggression in countries where we don’t belong – but there is also a progressive Right that we forget about best embodied in Ron Paul, who is one of the most outspoken critics of warmongering and American foreign wars and misadventures. So in some things, we are more with the Left and in others we are more with the Right, which puts us somewhere in the middle, as we comprise the Middle Nation.

For instance, in the recent election ballot in California, we had Prop 19, which would have essentially legalized personal use of marijuana. I abstained from voting on it because Islam forbids intoxicants, even though, in my opinion, the ballot measure was based on sound logic within the secular context. A good argument can be made to legalize or at least decriminalize marijuana, especially when alcohol is deemed legal. From a secular perspective, either both should be illegal or both legal. The same holds true for smoking tobacco: it is unsound to legalize it, despite its harmful health effects, while keeping marijuana illegal. As for the effects on one’s behavior, a stoned person is less belligerent and friendlier than a drunk person. People under the influence of marijuana also drive more safely, and slower, given the experience of time being slowed down for them. An authoritative article in The Lancet from 2007 showed through sound research in England that alcohol was far worse than any other illegal drug. The Prophet, peace be upon him, called alcohol “the mother of all foulness” (umm al-khaba’ith). If I had to choose between the two evils, I would rather have stoned people than drunk people but that legal option doesn’t exist in America. Though I digress from our topic, I do so only to make an important point: social problems like alcohol consumption are never solved by outlawing them – a point the progressive Left recognizes, yet the reactionary Right fails to understand. These problems can only be solved by cutting off the demand through personal transformation and abstinence of the individuals that currently generate, through their demand, the supply-side of the drug problem.

Wars on drugs or terrorism or any other problem usually involve trying to battle the problem without addressing their root causes, and so such efforts are doomed to failure. The roots of the marijuana problem are not in Mendocino County’s fertile soil where marijuana is grown in abundance; they are in the spiritual emptiness of the hearts of America’s young and old consumers of the weed. I have been Muslim for 33 years and not once during that time have I desired a drink, a joint, or any other mind-altering substance because I don’t need to escape from anything when I have prayer, patience, community and the wine of natural beauty that surrounds me. I prefer Emily Dickinson’s brew that is not made in “vats upon the Rhine.” In the parlance of Ibn al-Farid: “We’re drunk on a wine that existed before the vine was ever created.”

In any case, when we consider our response to the onslaught of anti-Islamic sentiments we face in the current climate, we ought not to align ourselves totally with either the Left or the Right. One can be “progressive” on one issue and “conservative” on another. Let’s not become a religion of Democrats or of Republicans by politicizing our religion or slanting it to the Left or to the Right. Let us be morally committed to reasonable and just positions. For instance, the Palestinian problem is one of religion (because the Israeli claim is a religious one, that God deeded them the land and hence all previous inhabitants have no standing.) The Muslims also have a religious claim, and that cannot be proven with any absolute proof either, even if Muslims think it is a stronger claim. But if you remove both Islam and Judaism from the equation and consider only the historical facts, you have to conclude that, for the most part, the Israelis are simply acting immorally – I say most, because some land was legitimately purchased by Jews in the exodus to Palestine, and there were also Arab Jews as well as Sephardic Jews living there before Israel came into existence. For instance, the mother of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter beheaded in Pakistan, was an Iraqi Jew, and they were living under Muslim protection before some were forced to migrate. Many Arab Jews, including the Yemenis, did not want to leave but ended up in situations that were so traumatic that they had no alternative. My point is this: it’s not all black and white; a lot of grey exists, but some things are black and white.

5.   Build new institutions. Let me re-iterate my third point in the previous blog and add the need for new institutions that will address the needs not being addressed by the existing ones. Muslims must build real institutions to combat the madness. We have a growing community that is far outstripping our capacity to address the social, familial, cultural, and every other type of problem. We need real think tanks of which the ISPU is an excellent start but needs much developing. We need a powerful legal defense fund and an ADL type institution, well-endowed and vibrant, which CAIR can develop into with the right financing and leadership.

6.     Strengthen our community centers. One of the most important things we must do is strengthen our community centers, but this is not possible without wise leadership in our centers. A major problem is that, notwithstanding their sincerity, unqualified people too often take the helm. Our centers need a level of professionalism that is grossly lacking today. Albeit, a change is in the air. Many young people who have grown up in this environment and learned the ways of more astute institutes are emerging, but they must be empowered, and those of a previous generation need to stand aside and let these young and talented Muslims do their work, unimpeded by the antiquated ways of a bygone era.

For example, when the media comes to interview someone from one of our centers, we need to put forth active spokespeople who don’t have foreign accents. Studies show that one-fourth of American viewers stop paying attention when they hear a person speaking with a strong foreign accent. I know this from first-hand experience, as my own father has a very hard time understanding South-Asian and Arab accents.

When we put forth Muslims with strong foreign accents as our spokespeople, people often assume all Muslims are foreign-born nationals and that our allegiances lie elsewhere, whereas in actuality, we are comprised of a largely diverse community that includes American-born natives as well as immigrants. American Muslims are indigenous and have always been indigenous, and in that way, WE ARE AMERICANS, so let Rush, Bill, Ann, and all those other bigots put that in their pipe and smoke it. We have never been a recent immigrant community, as there are now third and fourth-generation immigrant Muslims here in large numbers, not to mention native American converts as well as African and Euro-Americans. Moreover, African-American and Euro-American converts and their offspring are an excellent resource for immigrant Muslims to better understanding the mainstream population.

Cultures are highly nuanced, and even many first generation natives who grew up here often do not fathom all the depths of the dominant culture, as the homes they grew up in were immigrant homes. I recently saw a commercial aimed at reaching the mainstream American community. The commercial seemed as though it was produced by well-intentioned immigrant or first generation Muslims, as it was clear the producers did not have a deep understanding of this culture; the commercial depicted nice, smiling Muslims with foreign accents, little children with headscarves, and even some speaking in foreign languages. Unfortunately, such images actually engender fear in many of the very people the images are meant to reach. Such attempts at reaching alienated Americans should involve indigenous American Muslims and first generation immigrant Muslims in order to normalize the community as part of the tapestry of America. This is my personal opinion, and I am very aware of the different strategies that can be applied to this vexing problem. However, the Qur’an reminds us, “We only send messengers with the tongue of the people they are sent to, in order that they may present the message clearly” (14:4). Notice that the Qur’an uses the word “tongue” (lisan) here and not “language” (lughah); the tongue includes not only knowledge of the language but also its nuances, not to mention the accent that goes with that native tongue. Hence, we say, “English is my native tongue.”

For example, in my opinion, Adil Jubair, the Saudi ambassador, is a much better spokesperson for the Saudis than someone with a heavy accent. Having said that, on the other hand, Prince Turki bin Faisal, who was educated at Cambridge, has only a slight accent, but he was, in my opinion, as an educated, erudite royal, who breaks the stereotype of the ignorant desert Arab, even more effective. So I don’t think one should be axed as a spokesperson merely due to a slight accent. A case-by-case assessment is necessary. However, I think that very heavy accents are problematic. Nota bene: the Israelis almost always front people with perfect American accents as their spokespeople. Even the current ambassador, a Princeton historian who was raised in the U.S., has no hint of a foreign accent. When Americans hear such people, they hear themselves, as the accent is the same, and it is much easier for people to listen to one of their own than to a complete “other,” which is how people with foreign accents are usually viewed.

Alterity, for now, is no longer an alternative. Common ground must be built and done so quickly. The theme of the RIS this year is the Ten Commandments, a bridge-building topic, which provides Muslims with tools we can use to convey our message in a language that makes sense to people here in the West; interestingly, someone from – I wont identify which religion – in Toronto claiming to represent that religion wrote an op-ed criticizing our “co-opting” the tradition of “another” people. Certain groups don’t want people here to see Muslims as sharing commonalities with Jews and Christians. These groups want to maintain the foreign and negative perception of Islam and Muslims in order to successfully demonize us. Once that is accomplished, it is easy to bomb Muslims into obliteration with impunity. Note how unsuccessful the anti-war movement has been as of late. Who cares about a bunch of crazy Arabs and Afghans who'd kill themselves anyway if we didn't do it? Just read Chris Hedges for a good analysis of how this has been done.

7.     Empower our women as spokespeople. While I am personally committed to the injunctions of modest dress for men and women, I think we absolutely must get beyond the wedge issues in our community, such as who wears a headscarf and who doesn’t, and recognize that we are all in this together, and that people’s outward degrees of religiosity do not determine their loyalty to the faith in any substantial way. While the ideal is inward and outward congruity, nonetheless, we have people whose outward displays are of religiosity while their inward reality is hypocrisy; contrariwise, we have people who have no outward display of religiosity but are actually doing much more than the average Muslim to help Islam and the Muslims. It is important to get beyond judging people according to stereotypical expectations of what a good Muslim is or is not. I heard a wise person state, “The trappings can be a trap,” and I completely agree. We have brilliant, committed Muslim women who do not wear a headscarf and are extremely effective, and they should be centralized, not marginalized. These women can reach people much more effectively in many but certainly not all cases. Here again, a case-by-case assessment is important. The majority of American Muslim women do not wear a headscarf, and to always assume that only a woman in hijab should be chosen to represent Muslims is a misrepresentation of the diversity of our community.

8.     Empower the African-American Muslim community. Many among the recent immigrant Muslim communities fail to recognize not only the historical significance of the African-American community but also that they are the local Ansar to the foreign Muhajirin. They are the people who paved the way for the immigrant Muslim community. Many of the people in the African-American Muslim community came out of the Civil Rights Movement. Warith Deen Muhammad is a good example of such a person. That powerful movement enabled immigrant Muslims to come to this country and find a far more accepting society. So we need to honor the African-American community and recognize their importance in transforming this country into a more pluralistic and tolerant place.

Unfortunately, racism does exist in our community. And while generally Muslims are not overtly racist, and most, like many in the dominant Euro-American community, would not even own up to having racist attitudes, nevertheless, subtle forms of racism rear their ugly heads in our centers. In addition to racism that is color-based, we have the added afflictions of ethnic, tribal, and national differences. Such diseases are addressed cogently and copiously by our Lord in the Qur'an and by our Prophet, peace be upon him, in his sunnah. This is an old problem, but it needs to be acknowledged, addressed, and opposed in each generation until it is fully eradicated. A well-known principle among hadith critics is that any hadith, even one with a strong chain, that disparages blacks or Africans is deemed false. Jahiliyyah is hard to uproot, but I think we can do it here much more easily than in the traditional lands of the Muslims.

Dr. Sulayman Nyang once told me that in some ways it is a blessing in disguise that the black community in America does not know their ancestral affiliations. He said, “If they knew what tribes they were from, they would most likely be filled with the same tribal tensions here that we too often suffer from back home.” So even among communities that appear to be homogenous to outsiders, there are often great differences. For example, Punjabis, Baluchis, Pathans, and Muhajirs all come from Pakistan, but among some Pakistanis, these groups are not looked upon as equals, even if others lump them all in the category of Pakistanis, South Asians, or Orientals. The same is true for the Afghan people as well as Gulf Arabs, some of whom suffer from terrible tribal mentalities. Hence, this is a universal problem, and American and Western countries in general, where the value of equality is regarded highly, are great places for us to address and overcome them.

9.     Recognize the importance of the convert community. We should not want, much less expect, converts to become Arabized, South-Asianized, or whateverized into any other traditional Muslim culture. Western Muslims don’t need to walk around in robes and kifayas, falsely assuming that Islam requires them to do so or, more importantly, that those garments have anything to do with Islam other than their modest quality and their affiliation with one traditional Muslim culture. Islam does not require us to abandon our own culture for an alien culture in order to be Muslim. That is unacceptable cultural hegemony. And we should not want that type of mentality to be promoted. Only the negative qualities of a culture must be rejected.

“Islam in America” is its own entity, and it has to emerge as an indigenous cultural phenomenon rooted in the religion's permanent spiritual and ethical realities that are not subject to change, irrespective of time or place. But, dressing like an "Arab" (whatever that means, given there are so many Arab cultures) is not one of the unchangable qualities of Islam but rather a phenomenon of culture that is specific to time and place. Dr. Umar Abdallah’s paper Islam and the Cultural Imperative is an excellent and much needed antidote to the idea of a monolithic and essentialized cultural Islam, i.e. Arab, South-Asian, Malaysian, Turkish, etc. Having said that, we recognize that Islam will always have a traditional Arab aroma as a spice rather than the meal. In honor of the Arabic Qur'an and our Arabian Prophet, peace be upon him, Arabic will always be the language of the Muslims; we will always prefer to break our fast with dates during Ramadan; and, I can attest, as a world-traveler, that no other people have the unique generosity of the traditional Arabs unless they have adopted Islam and are emulating that Arabic quality so beautifully and perfectly embodied in our Arabian Prophet, peace be upon him. Arab generosity is legendary, and other peoples can learn much from it. Love of the Arabs is part of our faith, and hatred of them is from hypocrisy, as the Prophet, peace be upon him, said. However, wearing checkered kifayas is simply not a sunnah and is not necessary for one to be considered a “brother.” Even the modern Arab robe is originally from Persia. At the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him, Arabs dressed more like traditional Bangladeshis do today. That is, they wore lungis and long shirts.

The Companions of the Prophet, peace be upon him, were almost all converts, and not all of them were Arab. Salman was Aryan (now called Iranian), Bilal was black, and Suhaib was an Arab raised among the Byzantines. Our Prophet, peace be upon him, also dressed in a variety of styles; he wore Ethiopian shirts, Yemeni cloaks, Arabian lungis, and Byzantine garments. The Prophet, peace be upon him, was already practicing global culture in the seventh century, knowing that his religion would be embraced by many cultures, just as he predicted. Converts are a great source of renewal and strengthen Islam, but if they are expected to adopt a single alien culture, it limits the appeal of Islam to the exotic and adventurous among us.

I am also opposed to the idea that converts must change their names. I know many converts who were made to feel it was compulsory for them to take on a new name. The Prophet, peace be upon him, only changed names if they had a negative meaning. Bob doesn't have to become Baba, and Lily doesn't have to become Layla – unless they want to. Fathers have a right to name their children. Many converts' parents are pained when their children reject the names they gave them, and Islam requires us to honor our parents, and this includes those who practice other faiths. Perhaps I am belaboring the point, but this is a very real problem that is only increasing.

http://allahcentric.wordpress.com/2010/12/15/responding-to-islamophobia-part-3-shaykh-hamza-yusuf-sandala-productions/

Letter to a Would-be Mujahid-Imam Zaid Shakir

Recent developments have forced me to put some things on hold to write you this letter.  You might ask how I know you. I have met you at student events, in mosques, and at conferences. I have listened to your arguments and I have made my counter arguments. Oftentimes, my arguments have been somewhat formal. I figured I would write you a letter, since that is a lot more personal and less formal. Perhaps this way you will be more inclined to listen.

To begin with, whenever you are criticized for your bloody, anarchistic ideology, you point to the bloody abuses of the American war machine or their Zionist accomplices. This diversionary tactic on your part does not impress serious and thoughtful people. It is simply an abdication of your moral responsibility. It is as if you are saying you reserve the right to violate established Islamic principles, such as those guaranteeing the protection of innocent life, because the American military or the IDF do no respect innocent Muslim life. That would be a credible argument if the American military or the IDF claimed to be operating on the basis of Islamic principles. They don’t, but you do. I hope, without further elaboration, you can immediately sense the moral dilemma you are creating for yourself.

Along those lines, please allow me to remind you of something else. Your misguided attempts to kill and maim innocent Americans only make it easier for the American military to kill more Muslims with greater impunity. Your actions help to create a political climate that removes any moral restraint from the actions of the American military, the IDF and soon the forces of India’s increasingly Hindu nationalist armed forces. You see, fear is a very potent emotion and when it is carefully manipulated it can lead to very irrational politics. That most extreme form of those politics is called genocide.

Fear can be especially dangerous when it is combined with another emotion, insecurity. You are so divorced from reality that you probably haven’t noticed that a lot of Americans are extremely insecure right now. Especially, the white middle class or what is left of it. They don’t know if they will soon lose their homes, if they will have a job tomorrow, if their money will be in the bank next week, if they will be able to send their children to college or if their retirement funds will be stolen or totally devalued. Those insecurities combined with the spectre of the “Muslim terrorist next door” are a lethal combination that a group of people called demagogues is exploiting to justify an all out war on Muslims.

Those demagogues use the fear of you to prevent people from building the kind of grassroots, popular, movements that are necessary to challenge the corporate rape of our society and from challenging the destructive logic of permanent war. For example, remember the growing movement to challenge the new invasive TSA screening procedures at airports? Did you notice how it disappeared after the would-be mujahid in Portland allowed himself to be trapped into the scheme to blow up the Christmas tree ceremony? Do you think the timing was accidental? It is a shame that you and your ilk are so mindlessly complicit in such schemes.

Now you think the mujahideen can win an all out war against the Americans. Look at what the mujahideen are doing to them in Afghanistan. Sorry, but Afghanistan is not what all out war looks like. I’ll give you a clue what all out war looks like. Remember a couple years ago when the Israelis were bombarding the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Muslims, for all of their courage, couldn’t do anything except appeal to outside powers to stop the carnage? Or a few years before that when Jenin was flattened? Think of the scale of that devastation expanded to encompass all of the major cities of the Muslim world. Imagine America unleashing a new generation of “tactical” nuclear weapons being designed to be used specifically against Muslims targets raining down on Muslim capitals and there is no Muslim strategic deterrent available to stop it. AK-47s and RPGs will be of no avail. Imagine the calls to human rights organizations to stop the slaughter finding no ears to hear them because the neo-fascist forces your stupidity has helped to unleash have swept those organizations away in its maddening torrent.

I have heard you counter that such an argument is a manifestation of a lack of faith. God has promised the believers victory. Indeed, He has. However, it is very pretentious of you to assume that someone who murders women, children and innocents with blazon impunity in the Name of God are the believers that victory has been promised to. He has promised the believers victory, but that promise is not unconditional. God is not going to give victory to people who murder in His Holy Name.

I applaud your courage, but how it manifests itself puzzles me. You have the courage to fly halfway around to world to engage in an armed struggle, but you do not have the courage to knock on your neighbor’s door to explain Islam to him or to give him your take on world affairs. I am also baffled at how you can smile in his face, but are ready to blow him up if he happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. What calculus do you use to assume he would not be amenable to your message? What has he done to you to be the target of your bloodlust?

You claim a refined understanding of Islam, so refined that you can make grave decisions concerning life and death, decisions with huge strategic implications –yet you seem to perceive nothing of the divine wisdom of your being in this country. You have an opportunity to be an educator at a time people are looking for a new way. You have an opportunity to be a guide at a time people are looking for a new direction. You have an opportunity to provide a source of spiritual solace at a time people are confused, angry and afraid. You have an opportunity to be a fierce advocate for truth at a time when lies are transforming the image of your religion and the direction of your country. You have the skills, the command of the language, the knowledge of the people to do all of that and more, but you choose to run away from this battle to join one you do not even know who the commander is.

Did I say that? “To join a battle you do not even know who the commander is.” No! I didn’t say that. Do you think that if the FBI can send fake mujahids into mosques all around America to find confused, vulnerable Muslims, develop fake bomb plots, with fake bombs, for very real political objectives, the CIA couldn’t do the same thing abroad? No, wait a minute. Didn’t the CIA build the Afghan mujahideen network? Didn’t what’s his name, Zbigniew Brzezinski, describe the Afghan operation as the CIA’s finest hour?

They would never use fake mujahids, operating through fake websites, to recruit confused and desperate Muslim youth to engage in operations that keep the climate of fear alive, would they? They wouldn’t do that to keep support for bloodsucking, treasury-draining wars alive at a time when there is no money for the poor, the elderly, health-care, education, infrastructure or investment in the green economy. No! It’s preposterous. Those would be psychological operations (psych ops) and that would be cheating. America never cheats, we’re the good guys!

I apologize, I’m tripping. On a serious note, I hope you don’t one day end up feeling as stupid and abused as young Antonio Martinez or Mahomed Osman Mohamud, the Somali kid in Oregon, are probably feeling right now. They have been tricked, deceived, used, and abused by fake mujahids and then thrown in a dungeon to rot for the rest of their lives. Do you think your fate will be any different? Don’t be a fool.

Sincerely,

Imam Zaid Shakir

Tunisie: libération de Sadok Chourou, ancien président du mouvement islamiste « Ennahdha »-Tunisia Watch

Le Dr Sadok Chourou, ancien président du mouvement islamiste tunisien « Ennahdha » (La Renaissance) interdit, a été libéré samedi après avoir purgé une peine de prison complémentaire de deux ans, a-t-on appris auprès de l’avocat Samir Ben Amor.

Condamné dans un premier temps à perpétuité lors du procès intenté contre 265 dirigeants du mouvement pour des délits de « droit commun« , notamment pour avoir tenté de changer la nature du régime par la force, selon les autorités, il a été libéré sous condition fin 2008 au bénéfice d’une grâce présidentielle en même temps qu’une vingtaine de ses compagnons.

Quelque trois semaines après sa sortie de prison, il a de nouveau été condamné à deux ans d’emprisonnement pour avoir enfreint les conditions de la libération conditionnelle et projeté de « reconstituer une association interdite« , une allusion à Ennahdha.

Ces délits avaient été retenus contre ce docteur en chimie âgé de 63 ans, après des déclarations faites à des médias, notamment à la chaîne satellitaire tunisienne « Al Hiwar » (« Le Dialogue »). Le dirigeant islamiste y dénonçait « les conditions déplorables » de sa détention et revendiquait le droit l’expression et la participation à la vie publique.

Réfutant les accusations contenus dans le dossier, ses avocats avancent que leur client était victime d’un « procès politique« .

Au total, celui que nombre de ses partisans appellent « le Mandela de Tunisie » aura passé 20 ans en prison, dont 14 en isolement, selon des sources islamistes.

Contacté par l’Associated Press, son frère Abbas s’est excusé que le Dr Chourou, qui venait de rentrer chez lui, ne puisse pas pour le moment parler à la presse. « Il est fatigué et se repose actuellement« , a-t-il justifié.

Quant à Ali Larayedh, ancien dirigeant d’Ennahdha, qui a lui aussi purgé une longue peine de prison, il s’est « réjoui » de cette libération « après 20 ans de souffrances« . (AP – 30 octobre 2010)

Corruption en Tunisie : “Ce qui est à toi m’appartient”-Tunisia Watch

Classified By: Ambassador Robert F. Godec

Résumé

1. (S) Selon le rapport annuel de Transparency International et des observations de contacts de l’ambassade, la corruption en Tunisie ne fait qu’empirer. Que ce soit des liquidités, des services, des terres, des biens, ou oui, même votre yacht, la famille du président Ben Ali est réputée pour le convoiter et obtenir ce qu’elle souhaite.

Au-delà des histoires de magouilles de la première famille (présidentielle NDLR), les Tunisiens déclarent rencontrer la corruption de bas niveau dans leurs contacts avec la police, la douane, et une série de ministères du gouvernement. L’impact économique est clair, avec des investisseurs tunisiens, craignant le long bras de «la famille», qui renoncent à de nouveaux investissements, le maintien de taux d’investissement interne faible et un taux de chômage élevé (Refs G, H). Ces rumeurs persistantes de corruption, combinées à une inflation en hausse et un chômage structurel, ont contribué à alimenter la colère contre le GOT (gouvernement tunisien. NDLR) et ont contribué à de récentes manifestations dans le sud-ouest Tunisie (Ref A). Ceux d’en haut serait les pires délinquants, mais susceptibles de rester au pouvoir, il n’y a pas de garde-fous dans le système.

Sans Limites (The Sky’s the Limit)

2. (C) Selon Transparency International, indice 2007, la perception est que la corruption en Tunisie ne fait qu’empirer. Le classement de la Tunisie sur l’indice a chuté de 43 en 2005 à 61 en 2007 (sur 179 pays) avec un score de 4,2 (avec 1 pour le plus corrompu et 10 le moins corrompu). Bien que la corruption soit difficile à vérifier, et encore plus difficiles à quantifier, nos contacts sont tous d’accord que la situation s’oriente dans la mauvaise direction. Lorsqu’on lui a demandé s’il pensait que la corruption est meilleure, pire ou de même niveau, XXXXXXXXXXXX, exaspéré s’est écrié : «Bien sûr que ça se dégrade!« . Il a déclaré que la corruption ne pouvait qu’augmenter, du fait que ses bénéficiaires sont à la recherche de plus en plus de sources de revenus. Plaisantant à propos de la hausse de l’inflation la hausse en  Tunisie, il a dit que même le coût des pots de vin a augmenté. « Un contrôle routier utilisé pouvait vous coûter 20 dinars, maintenant c’est à 40 ou 50! »

Tout dans la famille

3. (S) La famille élargie du Président Ben Ali est souvent citée comme le centre de la corruption en Tunisie. Souvent considérée comme une quasi-mafia, une mention indirecte de la « Famille » est suffisante pour indiquer à quelle famille l’on fait allusion. Apparemment la moitié du monde des affaires en Tunisie peut se prévaloir d’une connexion avec Ben Ali par le mariage, et bon nombre de ces relations auraient grandement tiré profit de cette parenté.

L’épouse de Ben Ali, Leila Ben Ali, et sa famille élargie- les Trabelsis – sont ceux qui suscitent le plus la colère des Tunisiens. Avec les nombreuses allégations de corruption, les piques visent les Trabelsi pour leur manque d’éducation, leur faible niveau social, et leur luxe ostentatoire. Bien que certaines des plaintes sur le clan Trabelsi semblent exprimer le mépris pour leurs tendances de nouveaux riches, les Tunisiens font également valoir que la brutalité des moyens utilisés par les Trabelsis et leur abus flagrant du système les rendent facilement détestables. Le frère de Leila, Belhassen Trabelsi le membre de la famille la plus célèbre, est réputé pour avoir été impliqué dans une large gamme d’affaires de corruption, du remaniement récent du conseil d’administration de la Banque de Tunisie (Ref B) à l’expropriation des biens et l’extorsion de pots de vin. Sans compter celles dont il a hérité, les propriétés de Belhassen Trabelsi sont nombreuses et comprennent une compagnie aérienne, plusieurs hôtels, l’un des deux stations de radio privées de la Tunisie, une usine d’assemblage d’automobiles, la représentation Ford, une société de développement immobilier…et la liste continue. (Voir Ref K pour obtenir une liste plus étendue de son patrimoine.) Pourtant, Belhassen est seulement l’une de membres de la  famille de Leila composée de dix enfants connus, chacun avec ses propres enfants. Parmi cette grande famille élargie, Moncef frère de Leila et Imed son neveu en particulier, sont également d’importants acteurs économiques.

4. (S / NF) Le président est souvent absout par de nombreux Tunisiens qui prétendent qu’il est utilisé par le clan Trabelsi et n’est pas au courant de leurs magouilles. XXXXXXXXXXXX un fervent partisan du gouvernement et membre du XXXXXXXXXXXX, a dit à l’ambassadeur que le problème n’est pas Ben Ali, mais « la famille », qui va trop loin et enfreint les règles. Néanmoins, il est difficile de croire que Ben Ali ne soit pas au courant, au moins dans les grandes lignes, du problème de la corruption croissante.

Cela pourrait aussi refléter les divisions géographiques apparentes entre les fiefs de Ben Ali et des Trabelsi. Le clan Ben Ali se concentre sur région côtière centrale et le clan Trabelsi opère dans la région du grand Tunis et, par conséquent, génère la majeure partie des ragots. Le côté Ben Ali de la famille et de ses enfants et beaux-parents de son premier mariage sont également impliqués dans un certain nombre d’affaires.

Ben Ali a sept frères et sœurs, dont son défunt frère Moncef était un trafiquant de drogue connu, condamné par contumace à 10 ans de prison par les tribunaux français. Ben Ali a trois enfants avec sa première femme Naima Kefi: Ghaouna, Dorsaf et Cyrine. Elles sont mariées respectivement à Slim Zarrouk, Slim Chiboub, et Marouane Mabrouk – représentant des centres de pouvoirs économiques significatifs.

Cette Terre est votre Terre, cette Terre est ma Terre

5. (S / NF) Avec les prix réels de l’immobilier en plein essor et le foncier à la hausse, posséder des biens ou des terres au bon endroit peut être soit une aubaine soit un aller simple vers l’expropriation. Au cours de l’été 2007, Leila Ben Ali a obtenu gratuitement du gouvernement tunisien un lot de terrain convoité à Carthage afin de construire une école privée Carthage International School (F Ref). En plus du terrain, l’école a reçu en cadeau un financement de 1,8 millions dinars (US $ 1,5 millions) du gouvernement Et, en l’espace de quelques semaines, le gouvernement a construit de nouvelles routes et installé des feux de signalisation pour faciliter l’accès à l’école. Il est rapporté que Mme Ben Ali a vendu l’Ecole Internationale de Carthage à des investisseurs belges, mais l’ambassade de Belgique a encore été incapable de confirmer ou démentir la rumeur. XXXXXXXXXXXX affirme que l’école a été en effet vendue pour une somme non divulguée mais énorme.

Il a observé qu’une telle vente serait un pur profit puisque Mme Ben Ali a reçu la terre, les ‘infrastructures et un énorme bonus de lourdes sans bourse délier.

6. (S / NF) La construction d’un manoir énorme et criard est en cours à côté de la résidence de l’Ambassadeur depuis l’année dernière. Plusieurs sources nous ont rapporté que la maison est celle de Sakhr Materi, gendre du Président Ben Ali frère et propriétaire de Radio Zitouna. Le propriétaire de ce terrain de premier ordre aurait été exproprié par le gouvernement tunisien pour une utilisation par l’administration de l’hydraulique, le terrai a ensuite été attribué à Materi pour un usage privé. Un propriétaire de café a raconté une histoire semblable à un employé de l’ambassade, Belhassen Trabelsi l’a forcé à échanger le café qu’il possédait, situé dans un emplacement de choix contre le café qu’il dirige actuellement. Le propriétaire du café a déclaré que Trabelsi lui a dit qu’il pouvait faire ce qu’il voulait; si un pot de vin de 50 dinars à la police n’étaient pas suffisant, Trabelsi a déclaré que le propriétaire (du café NDLR) n’avait qu’à l’appeler et il serait « prendrait soin de l’affaire. »

Yacht Recherché

6. (S / NF) En 2006, Imed Trabelsi et Moaz, neveux de Ben Ali, auraient volé le yacht d’un homme d’affaires français bien introduit, Bruno Roger, président de Lazard Paris. Le vol, largement rapporté dans la presse française, est apparu en pleine la lumière quand le yacht, fraîchement repeint de sorte à couvrir ses caractéristiques distinctives, est apparu dans le port de Sidi Bou Said. Roger, un personnage  important dans l’establishment français a créé un potentiel d’irritation dans les relations bilatérales et selon les rapports, le yacht a été rapidement restitué. L’affaire du yacht volé a refait surface au début de 2008 du fait d’un mandat d’Interpol pour les deux Trabelsis. En mai, les frères ont été traduits devant les tribunaux tunisiens, dans un effort destiné à satisfaire la justice internationale. Le verdict du procès n’est pas connu.

Montrez-moi votre argent

7. Le secteur financier (S) de la Tunisie reste en proie à de graves allégations de corruption et de mauvaise gestion financière.

Les milieux d’affaires tunisiens ironisent en disant que la relation la plus importante est celle que vous pouvez avoir avec votre banquier, ce qui reflète l’importance des contacts personnels plutôt qu’un projet d’affaires solide pour obtenir des financements. Le résultat d’un système bancaire fondé sur les relations personnelles est que le taux global des crédits non performants est de 19 pour cent, ce qui reste élevé, mais est inférieur au pic de 25 pour cent en 2001 (Ref I).

Les contacts de l’ambassade soulignent que beaucoup de ces crédits ont été consentis à de riches hommes d’affaires tunisiens qui utilisent leurs liens étroits avec le régime pour éviter le remboursement (réf. E).

La supervision laxiste du secteur bancaire en fait un excellent gisement d’opportunités, nourri par de nombreuses histoires de montages de la « Première Famille ».

Le récent remaniement à la Banque de Tunisie (Ref B), avec la femme du ministre des Affaires étrangères à la présidence et Belhassen Trabelsi nommé au conseil d’administration, en est le dernier exemple.

Selon un représentant du Crédit Agricole, Marouane Mabrouk, un autre des gendres de Ben Ali, a acheté une participation de 17 pour cent de l’ancienne Banque du Sud (aujourd’hui Attijari Bank) immédiatement avant la privatisation de la banque. Cette part de 17 pour cent a été décisive pour le contrôle majoritaire de la banque, la privatisation ne représentant que 35 pour cent du capital de la banque. Le représentant du Crédit Agricole a déclaré que Mabrouk a vendu ses actions à des banques étrangères avec une plus-value significative, l’adjudicataire de l’appel d’offres, l’hispano-marocain Santander-Attijariwafa a finalement payé une prime non déclarée à Mabrouk. XXXXXXXXXXXX a raconté que quand il était encore à sa banque il avait l’habitude de recevoir des appels de clients paniqués qui l’informaient que Belhassen Trabelsi leur avait demandé de l’argent. Il n’a pas précisé s’il leur avait conseillé ou non de payer.

Effet d’entraînement

8. (S) bien que les histoires de corruption de haut niveau de la famille soient parmi les plus  fréquentes et les plus souvent répétées par les tunisiens, la petite corruption est celle qu’ils rencontrent le plus fréquemment dans leur vie quotidienne. Les contraventions pour excès de vitesse peuvent être ignorées, la délivrance des passeports peut être accélérée, et les usages peuvent être contournés – tous pour le bon prix. Les dons au fonds gouvernemental pour le développement 26-26 ou à la Société caritative Bessma pour les Handicapés soutenue par Leila Ben Ali  sont également réputés pour graisser les rouages. Hayet Louani (protect), un membre bien introduit du Parlement, a fait face à une pression accrue du gouvernement après avoir refusé plusieurs « demandes » de donner de l’argent à l’équipe de football des Trabelsi. XXXXXXXXXXXX a déclaré que les inspecteurs des douanes réclament 10.000 dinars pour obtenir ses marchandises à la douane, il n’a pas révélé si oui ou non il a acquiescé à la demande.

9. (S) Le népotisme est également soupçonné de jouer un rôle important dans l’octroi de bourses et d’emplois. Connaître les personnes idoines au ministère de l’enseignement supérieur peut déterminer l’admission dans les meilleures écoles ou peut signifier une bourse pour étudier à l’étranger. Un FSN (employé local. NDLR) de l’ambassade a déclaré que le Directeur de la Coopération internationale, un contact de longue date, a offert de donner à son fils une bourse d’études au Maroc sur la base de leur connaissance. Si vous ne connaissez pas quelqu’un, l’argent peut aussi faire l’affaire. Il ya beaucoup d’histoires de Tunisiens qui ont payé des fonctionnaires au ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur pour envoyer leurs enfants à de meilleures écoles que celles auxquelles ils auraient eu droit au vu de leurs résultats aux examens. On soupçonne également que les emplois dans l’administration – très recherchés en Tunisie – soient alloués sur la base de connexions.

La défunte mère de Leila Ben Ali, Hajja Nana, est aussi citée pour avoir agi à titre de courtier pour les admissions scolaires et de recrutement au sein de l’administration, en fournissant ses services de facilitation contre une commission. Parmi les plaintes déposées par les manifestants dans le bassin minier de Gafsa figuraient des allégations selon lesquelles des emplois dans la Société des phosphates de Gafsa ont été attribués sur la base de connexions et de corruption.

Le règne des voyous

10. (S / NF) Les nombreuses histoires de corruption familiales sont certainement pénibles pour de nombreux Tunisiens, mais au-delà des rumeurs de commissionnements illicites domine l’exaspération devant le fait que ceux qui sont bien introduits peuvent vivre au dessus des lois. Un ressortissant tunisien a déploré que la Tunisie ne soit plus un Etat policier mais un Etat dirigé par la mafia. «Même la police rend compte à la famille! » s’écria-t-il.

Ceux qui sont au sommet seraient les pires  délinquants, et susceptibles de durer au pouvoir, il n’y a pas de contrôles au sein du système. La fille d’un ancien gouverneur a raconté que Belhassen Trabelsi a fait irruption dans le bureau de son père dans un état de fureur, -allant même jusqu’à jeter un employé de bureau, une personne âgée, à terre,  après avoir été invité à respecter les lois exigeant une couverture d’assurance pour son parc d’attractions. Son père a écrit une lettre au Président Ben Ali pour défendre sa décision et en dénonçant les méthodes de Trabelsi. La lettre est restée sans réponse, et il a été démis de ses fonctions peu après. La forte censure de la presse par le gouvernement fait que les histoires de corruption familiale ne sont pas publiées. La corruption de la famille reste une ligne rouge que la presse ne peut franchir qu’à ses risques et périls.

Bien que l’incarcération du comédien Hédi Février Baballah Oula était apparemment liée à la drogue, des groupes de défense des droits de l’homme pensent que son arrestation était une punition pour un spectacle de 30 minutes parodiant le président et ses gendres. (Tunis D).

Les ONG internationales assurent que les conditions de détention difficiles du journaliste Slim Boukdhir, arrêté pour avoir omis de présenter sa carte d’identité et outrage à un agent de police, sont directement liées à ses articles critiquant la corruption du gouvernement. La corruption demeure un sujet évoqué en murmurant après un bref regard derrière l’épaule.

L’éléphant dans la pièce

11. (S) Plusieurs économistes tunisiens estiment que l’augmentation ou non de la corruption n’est pas significative, car «la perception est la réalité. » La perception de la corruption croissante et les rumeurs persistantes de tractations en coulisses a un impact négatif sur l’économie indépendamment de la véracité des faits rapportés. Des contacts nous ont confié avoir peur d’investir, craignant que la famille n’exige une part de l’affaire. « Et alors ? » se demande Alaya Bettaieb, « Le meilleur scénario est que mon investissement soit un succès et que quelqu’un d’important essaie d’en prendre une part. » La persistance de faibles taux d’investissement interne le confirment (Ref H). Bien qu’illégaux, les comptes bancaires à l’étranger, seraient monnaie courante. Une récente amnistie du ministère des Finances destinée à encourager les Tunisiens à rapatrier leurs fonds a été un échec lamentable. Bettaeib confie qu’il envisage d’enregistrer sa nouvelle société en Mauritanie ou à Malte, craignant des interférences indésirables. De nombreux économistes et hommes d’affaires observent que l’importance des investissements dans l’immobilier et le foncier reflètent-le manque de confiance dans l’économie et une tentative de mettre leur argent en sécurité (Ref C).

12. (S) Jusqu’à présent, les investisseurs étrangers n’ont pas été découragés, et selon les contacts dans les milieux d’affaires tunisiens, largement non affectés (par ces agissements. NDLR).

Les investissements étrangers continuent d’affluer à un rythme soutenu, même en excluant les privatisations et les grands projets du Golfe qui n’ont pas encore commencé. Les investisseurs étrangers rapportent plus rarement les tentatives d’extorsion rencontrées par les Tunisiens, ce qui est peut-être du au fait que les investisseurs étrangers ont recours à leurs propres ambassades et les gouvernements. Le représentant de British Gas a dit à l’ambassadeur qu’il n’avait été confronté à aucune irrégularité. XXXXXXXXXXXX a déclaré qu’il ya plusieurs années Belhassen Trabelsi avait tenté de faire pression sur une entreprise allemande activant dans le secteur offshore, mais qu’après une intervention de l’ambassade d’Allemagne, Trabelsi a été explicitement mis en garde afin d’éviter les sociétés offshore. Malgré les déclarations sur l’augmentation de l’investissement interne, le gouvernement tunisien met fortement l’accent sur l’accroissement des flux d’IED dans le pays, en particulier dans le secteur offshore. Néanmoins, il existe encore plusieurs exemples d’entreprises ou des investisseurs étrangers qui font l’objet de pressions en vue de s’associer au « bon » partenaire. Le meilleur exemple reste la non-entrée de McDonald’s en Tunisie. Lorsque McDonald’s a choisi de limiter la Tunisie à un franchisé qui n’était pas le candidat du gouvernement tunisien, l’affaire a capoté par le refus du gouvernement d’accorder l’autorisation nécessaire et le refus de Macdonald’s de jouer le jeu par l’octroi de sa licence à un franchisé ayant des liens avec la Famille.

Commentaire

13. (S) Bien qu’ils en aient  gros sur le cœur du fait de la petite corruption, ce sont les excès de la famille du président Ben Ali qui inspire l’indignation des Tunisiens. Pour les Tunisiens confrontés à une inflation en hausse et un chômage élevé, l’exhibition de la richesse et des rumeurs persistantes de corruption alimentent l’incendie.

Les récentes manifestations dans la région minière de Gafsa sont un rappel puissant d’un mécontentement qui reste largement souterrain. Le gouvernement a fondé sa légitimité sur sa capacité à assurer la croissance économique, mais un nombre croissant de Tunisiens pensent que ceux qui sont au sommet en gardent les bénéfices pour eux-mêmes.

14. (S) La corruption est un problème qui est à la fois politique et économique. Le manque de transparence et de reddition de compte (accountability = responsabilité. NDLR) °qui caractérisent le système politique de la Tunisie mine l’économie, dégradant le climat d’investissement et alimentant une culture de la corruption. S’agissant du discours d’un miracle économique tunisien et de toutes les statistiques positives, le fait que les investisseurs tunisiens ont opté pour une direction limpide est éloquent. La corruption est l’éléphant dans la pièce, c’est le problème que tout le monde connaît, mais que personne ne peut reconnaître publiquement.

Godec

• Texte traduit par le site Maghreb Emergent
• Version originale : (SUBJECT: CORRUPTION IN TUNISIA: WHAT’S YOURS IS MINE)
• Cables WikiLeaks concernant la Tunisie: https://tunileaks.appspot.com