The C.R.I.M.E. Report

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ISSUE #51 CONTENTS:


SPOTLIGHT CASES:

@ Revolution: A Page from Khomeini's Playbook

Ayatollah Khomeini is best known as the stern face of the Islamic Revolution that took over Iran in 1979. But the founding icon of Iran’s Islamic Republic is rarely recognized as… a pioneer of nonviolent strategic activism in the Middle East. At least in route to gaining power – and certainly not in exercising power – Khomeini and his movement mastered the art of nonviolent confrontation to mobilize grassroots support and respond strategically to repression by the Shah’s regime. Now, thirty years after Khomeini’s revolution, Iranians are again taking to the streets and reviving many of the Ayatollah’s own techniques - only this time to protest the actions of the regime he founded.

In 1979, chants of “Allahu akbar” resonated at night from rooftops across Tehran and other major cities. Today, those chants have re-emerged, only with a different message. Khomeini’s followers also capitalized on their weakness - their lack of weaponry - to become a sympathetic victim in the face of crackdowns by the Savak security forces. Today’s students gunned down at rallies or clubbed by Basij security forces have similarly become symbolic underdogs, risking physical harm to take a stand for justice. And while Khomeini’s sermons were spread to followers via the new technology of underground cassette tapes, passed from home to home via a clandestine network, today’s updates from the streets are shared via cell phones and twitter feeds, reaching a global audience beyond the censor’s reach.

The sudden emergence of massive grassroots protests over the past four days has out of nowhere injected new energy into the Mideast’s movement for nonviolent reform. The challenge remains, however, whether the grassroots protests will be able to effectively maintain momentum, turn setbacks into opportunities, and create dilemma actions that force the repressive regime to turn its military dominance into a detriment. It also remains to be seen whether and how activists outside Iran will step up to provide effective solidarity. In the meantime, Khomeini’s own techniques have been revived to confront the regime he founded – and the world is watching, if not yet acting.


Watching Obama in Cairo

As the only Muslim American civil rights organization with offices in the Middle East, the American Islamic Congress (AIC) was pleased to be invited to President Obama’s recent speech at Cairo University. AIC Egypt Director Dalia Ziada, a former HAMSA Essay contest finalist, attended the talk and then met privately with White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett. A range of international media outlets – including CNN, SkyNews, CBC and Al-Jazeera – subsequently interviewed Dalia, eager to hear from an activist working to implement reform from the ground up.

“I was encouraged that the President’s speech reflected many of our organization’s core values and our leadership philosophy,” Dalia observed. “Some of his main themes - women’s equality, respect for intellectual freedom and a push for nonviolent activism - are ideas we has been implementing on the ground for the past several years. We lead religious freedom training workshops, organize the Cairo Human Rights Film Festival, and publish an Arabic comic book on MLK’s nonviolent strategies.”

The President’s appearance at Cairo University also evoked the ongoing plight of Egyptian university student Kareem Amer, currently serving a four-year jail term for writing on his blog. Dalia, who has campaigned on Kareem’s behalf since his arrest, noted: “Obama renewed his commitment to protecting civil rights, a call that might give reformers encouragement and greater freedom to organize. Hopefully we will see a new wave of positive activism, both from young Middle Easterners and young Americans – who shouldn’t wait or rely on their political leaders to act.”



WANTED by Kuwaitis...Finally: Rola Dashti Profile

For decades Kuwaiti women were barred by law from the political arena: denied the right to vote or run for office. But in 2005, economist and entrepreneur Rola Dashti helped galvanize a coalition of women and men to lead a successful campaign for women's suffrage. She then ran for National Assembly in the 2006 and 2008 elections, yet failed to get elected. Finally, last month Dashti and three other women were chosen by the people of Kuwait in a breakthrough election. Dashti spoke to The CRIME Report about her campaigning and her new job.

Why did you decide to run yet again?
Kuwaitis were discouraged and tired, and they wanted change and reform with tangible, substantive results. As an economists and women's rights activist. my platform focused on political, economic, educational reform, as well as fostering tolerance and diversity. Including women in the political process ensures that the issues facing us are effectively and constructively addressed. Reforming Kuwait's political system means getting everyone involved in the political process, which is one of my primary goals.

At last you got elected - a longtime dream fulfilled - so now what?
The 2009 elections begin a new chapter in our history. Now that we [women] have won, our priority is not simply to enter through this door of opportunity, but to keep it open for other women seeking to elevate their status in society. We want, for instance, to increase the number of women in parliament. As we move forward, as a country, we must uphold these accomplishments and be a model to the region, advocating women's rights, democracy, and reform.

Based on your success, what suggestions do you have for emerging young activists?
Those seeking to implement change must be conscious that cultural change may not be easy - but it is necessary. True reform cannot come without cultural change. Activists must have a specific vision of what they want to accomplish as they move forward. They must devise creative and alternative strategies and approaches, working hard to pursue them. Their approaches should focus on the process of implementing reform and changing attitudes. Remain firm in your beliefs and never think change is impossible. I am proof!

 



Dangerous Music: Singing Senator's CDs Seized

Maalouma Mint El Meydah, a Mauritanian musician, senator and civil rights activist (previously featured in The CRIME Report) has scared the ruling regime… with her music. A few weeks ago, she performed at Washington’s Kennedy Center for the Arts in an effort to promote her lifelong quest of highlighting Mauritania (and its civil rights challenges) in the global music scene. As she was returning home from Senegal, border agents detained her and seized her luggage full of copies of her new album. In a clear violation of the parliamentary immunity afforded to her as a senator, Maalouma’s music was confiscated without explanation, compensation, or a criminal charge.

The regime evidently feared the public release of Maalouma’s latest album, which calls for civil disobedience against the military junta and a boycott of the June election (now postponed to July). The singing senator is a long-time critic of repression in Mauritania, and her music has been banned from state television and radio for decades. After being elected one of the country’s 56 senators in 2007, she has earned the unique opportunity to promote civil rights in her home country as both a politician and an artist – and now speaks out against the 2008 military coup by General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz.

After having her artwork snatched from her fingertips extra-judicially, Maalouma was promised by transitional President Ba M’Bare that the issue would be resolved. So far, her CDs remain locked up. But nothing can stop the flow of music: Mauritanian activists have begun distributing the album virally over the Internet. Check out the dangerous music at: http://maloumasa.org

Quiz: What were women banned from doing in Saudi Arabia at a recent breakthrough event?
Answer: Watch a movie. Ignoring a crowd of protestors, Saudis enjoyed a public movie night two weeks ago, as Saudi government officials screened the film "Menahi" at a community center in Riyadh. This was the first public screening of a film in Saudi Arabia since the government began shutting down theaters more 30 years ago. Yet, despite signs of progress, females over age 10 were banned from the event. Young males stood guard at gate leading to the theater to stop women deemed "too old" to join the audience.

BECOME A PARTNER IN CRIME:
Here are quick ways to contribute to the Mideast civil rights movement: