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Support Imam Jamil Now!!!
onehaqq
07/24/01 at 11:29:15
Assalamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh, ***ATTENTION COLLEGE STUDENTS***        and members of   Muslim Student Associations   Muslim Student Organizations   Muslim Student Unions   Islamic Societies   All college/university organizations The Student Alliance for Imam Jamil (SAIJ) is mobilizing students to prepare for the upcoming National Rally to Support Imam Jamil in Atlanta, GA on September 14-15. In order to do this, we NEED your support! How can you help? Join SAIJ and your chapter will be included in a statement in support of Imam Jamil's innocence. Think how excellent it would be if there were hundreds of chapters and individual college students on this list who stand behind their leader and teacher? To join, send an email to: saij@msa-natl.org with the following information: -University/College Name -Primary Contact Person -Email -Phone -Website (if applicable) -Whether you can mobilize students from your area to attend the National Rally in Atlanta The Rally is insh'Allah going to be held Friday and Saturday, September 14-15, at Woodruff Park in Downtown Atlanta, GA. Salat-ul-Jumuah will also be held here. Tentative speakers include members of the Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA), like Hamza Yusuf, Siraj Wahhaj, and Zaid Shakir. Local Hotel information and group transportation info from major cities will be forthcoming soon insh'Allah. If you wish to be a group coordinator for your city, please write to us ASAP. For now, spread this information as far and wide as you can get it...as we are trying to unite the student ummah in support of our beloved teacher and leader. If you have any questions or concerns, please dont hesitate to contact me. Jazak Allah Khair. Wa Salamu Alaykum. Shahzan Akber Student Alliance for Imam Jamil (SAIJ), Atlanta saij@msa-natl.org "I have been tormented and persecuted by my enemies for reasons of race and belief. I seek truth over a lie; I seek justice over injustice; I see righteousness over the rewards of evil doers; I love ALLAH more than I love the state." -Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin "At times when it was not politically correct to openly challenge injustice and oppression, Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin stood tall and firm, and spoke a word of truth in the face of the unjust and the oppressors. Today, it is our turn to stand tall and firm, and show our unwavering support for the innocence of Imam Jamil Al-Amin. For Imam Jamil is not the only one on trial, you and I, and all those who fight injustice and oppression are on trial." -Altaf Husain, President (MSA National)

Re: Support Imam Jamil Now!!!
Anik
07/25/01 at 00:04:29
A.A. please tell me, who is Imam Jamil and what is being done to him? asalaamu alaikum. abdullah,.

Re: Support Imam Jamil Now!!!
onehaqq
07/25/01 at 07:49:14
Walaikum Salam Brother Anik, Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin is an Imam here in the community of West End in Atlanta, GA who came to Islam in 1971. His community is in a rough neighborhood and Imam Jamil has done much work over the past 20+ years or so to rid the neighborhood of drugs, gangs, prostitution, and more. His cleaning up of the neighborhood and making truces between gangs is well acknowledged by both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. He is Mash'Allah, a respected leader who has dedicated his life for the cause of Allah(swt) and now he is in jail for the murder of a sherrif's deputy in Atlanta, GA...which happened on the night of Eid-ul-Adha in 2000. He's been in jail for well over a year and his trial is coming up soon. I remember watching the news the night it happened and was totally shocked, when they said they were searching for the Imam. The case is full of inconsistencies and this is all happening to discredit the Imam and destroy him, as they have indeed in the past tried to do the same thing. In the words of Imam Jamil, "I have been tormented and persecuted by my enemies for reasons of race and belief. I seek truth over a lie; I seek justice over injustice; I see righteousness over the rewards of evil doers; I love ALLAH more than I love the state." I have met him on more than one occasion, at talks he gave at our school and around the area and this air of peace surrounded him and his face was filled with light when you saw him.   I could go on and on, but i'll let you read some other stuff....go to http://www.imamjamil.com/articles/default.asp for some articles on his life... www.imamjamil.com has a lot of information about the man, and the case for which he is currently wrongly imprisoned for. www.msa-natl.org/saij is the website of the student movement here in the US and Canada to stand behind Imam Jamil during this tribulation in his life. By the way, in the jail where he's being held, Fulton County Jail, people are taking Shahadah one by one...Alhamdulillah!!! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. It is vital that we stand behind our teacher and leader. Wa Salamu Alaykum

Re: Support Imam Jamil Now!!!
onehaqq
07/25/01 at 07:49:58
I meant Walaikum Salam Brother Abdullah! :-)

Re: Support Imam Jamil Now!!!
zia
07/28/01 at 12:23:46
Asalaam Alaikum... Onehaqq...I think I know you :0) Masalaam

Re: Support Imam Jamil Now!!!
onehaqq
07/30/01 at 09:10:20
Walaikum Salam, Hmmm...and what makes u think you know me ;-) Salam

Re: Support Imam Jamil Now!!!
zia
07/31/01 at 07:42:26
[quote]Walaikum Salam, Hmmm...and what makes u think you know me ;-) Salam [/quote] Asalaam Alaikum... Because you sound like my bro :) any more info might deprive me of my anonymity hahaha Masalaam

Re: Support Imam Jamil Now!!!
onehaqq
07/31/01 at 07:48:14
Walaikum Salam, I know who you are. ;-) Wa Salamu Alaykum

Re: Support Imam Jamil Now!!!
boy
07/31/01 at 19:06:35
My memories of Imam Jamil Al-Amin by Abdul Malik Mujahid "Is there anything I can do for you? Do you need something?" asked the calm, serious, bespectacled Imam, who towered above me in height at about 6.5 feet. The last time I met Imam Jamil al-Amin was when I was in Washington, DC on behalf of the Kosova Task force, USA. A Masjid was trying to raise funds for Kosova. I found Imam Jamil sitting there. That's when he asked me this question. When I think back to all of my meetings with Imam Jamil, I remember him asking me the same question. It was not just me. He asked everyone he worked with. He was always looking for ways to help people. A regular speaker at almost all Islamic conferences, I shared the stage with him many times. Not anymore though. All those who used to invite him seem to have forgotten about him. Be mindful of Allah not fearful of the FBI If the secret evidence law, cases against Muslim leaders and organizations, and a Grand Jury investigation of The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), etc are designed to intimidate Muslims then they are working. ISNA's former president Dr. Ahmed Zaki Hammad's Quran Literacy Institute's assets are frozen, but neither ISNA nor the two largest Masjids in Chicago where he was an Imam have hardly done anything about it. Hammad has difficulty even raising funds for his legal defense. One of the four top most leaders of Muslims in North America, Imam Jamil, has been in prison for a year now but hardly anything is being done for him by Muslims. It is as though we have declared him and others in his situation guilty and we are trying to forget about them. For Muslim workers and leaders, the message seems to be, "serve us until you are free" then you are on your own. Thank you very much. Why is the Muslim community so willing and ready to forget the universal principle Allah has established for all humans: everyone is innocent until proven guilty? Or is everyone listening to the kind of advice being give to me: "Br. Mujahid you don't want to do anything about this. The FBI is going to come after you." Whereas not all of us agree with every Muslim's agenda and rhetoric, we must not allow the fear of human beings to stop ourselves from helping Imam Jamil and others seek justice in their time of need. It goes against the Islamic principle of fearing no one except Allah. Imam Jamil's efforts for Muslim unity I first met Imam Jamil when Bosnia Task Force, USA called the historic rally of 50,000 Muslims in Washington DC in 1993. I was national coordinator of the task force, which was an alliance of ten national organizations of Muslims in America. Here was a former leader of the Black Panthers standing up for "white" Bosnians, leading people of all color. I requested him, along with three other national leaders, to be the only speakers at the rally. He recruited the famous civil rights comedian Dick Gregory to be one of the speakers on the spot. At the time, he was vice president of the American Muslim Council (AMC) as well as the Amir of his community. I found him to be a humble, calm and silent person. That's where I heard his question first, "is there anything I can do for you," although he was my guest. Imam Jamil always welcomed every move for Muslim unity. When I called the initial meeting to propose the idea of the Islamic Shura Council of North America, Imam Jamil responded wholeheartedly. Imam Jamil became the second chairman of this Shura Council. There is one Shura Council meeting I attended with Imam Jamil which I will never forget. Dr. Syed Muhammad Sayeed, Secretary General of ISNA, Imam Plemon Al-Amin, Chairman Shura of Muslim American Society (led by Imam W. D. Mohammad), and I were present. The meeting was in Imam Jamil's community mosque in Atlanta. That is where I saw what a Masjid of poor people in America is like. While waiting for people to arrive he picked up a broom and cleaned the Masjid. We sat down and ate one of the most simple suppers with other members of the Shura Council. I don't remember all the proceedings of the meeting. But I do remember one of the resolutions which he presented and all members supported was for the better treatment of Omar Abdul Rahman, the blind Egyptian scholar currently imprisoned in America. None of us probably thought at that moment that Imam Jamil would be charged with something and sent to prison. On another occasion, I met him at his provision store where there was no proper place to sit except a hard wooden bench. I remember asking him, "were you involved in the robbery before you became a Muslim for which you went to prison?' "No, I was not involved in that,' he told me. While I was in the store, not a single customer came. There were really only a few things to buy in that store. Imam Jamil is a supporter of natural, healthy products, and I could see a lot of material selected based on that criteria. While no customers came to the store, several young and old people did, asking Imam Jamil to give them some money. And a person who probably didn't have much to give, gave them anyway. He gave me a gift of honey syrup with ginseng in it. I kept meeting him in different programs, mostly on stage, while waiting for our turn to speak. When we could talk to each other, he would always ask the question: "Is there anything I can do for you?" In the and, it's about justice and personal responsibility No, my reaction to Imam Jamil's plight is not an emotional response. I wanted to do something for him as soon as it became clear that he was subject to the same sort of "leading while black" phenomena. I thought there is the Shura Counciil, ISNA and ICNA. They have always invited him to be their speaker as long as I could remember. They will do something for him. I waited and waited. I did not hear anything except the complaints by Muslim civil right activists about how difficult it has been to get their issue on the agenda of these organizations. The immigrant leadership of Islam is once again failing to lead and develop alliances with other people who are suffering in society. So where do I stand, as someone already involved in so many things, an Imam in Chicago, leading Sound Vision, and coordinating the Kosova Task force, a father of six and a husband? I waited hoping others will stand up for Imam Jamil. But no one did much. "What can I do for you Br. Mujahid?" The Imam's words echo in my head. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty In this world, there is a legal system which will decide in its own way whether Imam Jamil is guilty or not. In the Everlasting World, the One Who already knows the Truth will distribute true Justice. But on that day we will be also asked the question: did we stand up for justice or not? And that's the day I will be asked what I did for Rodney King, Amadou Diallo, or Imam Jamil al-Amin. That's the Day when we'll also have to answer if we were just standing up for Imam Jamil because he is a Muslim, or were we standing up for the principle of justice for our brother and others who have been wronged like him? It doesn't matter whether the victim who has been denied this right is Amadou Diallo or a white police officer. It makes no difference whether someone has a complex history or a non-existent police record. In this world justice is difficult. But we can try, with the help of the One Who already knows the Truth, Who will always judge people with Truth. We must ensure that we live just, principled lives, and that we take a stand when it is needed. Remember: it can happen to you If any of us think we are immune from the injustice now being faced by Imam Jamil, we are being blissfully ignorant. Tomorrow, you could be the next victim. Your crime: being Muslim. Or black. Or brown. Let me give you a personal example. I and some friends were once driving to the funeral of a friend's father from Chicago to St.Louis, Missouri when we were stopped. Not by one police officer, but by a group of them. These were no traffic police. When they questioned us, they surrounded all three sides of the car, their hands close to their guns. Where are you going? they asked. A funeral, I told them. Why aren't you dressed for the funeral, they asked. Muslims don't dress up for funerals, I responded. We later found out that there had been an alert out in the area asking police to look out for and stop bearded men and women in Hijab on the highway. Target: Muslims. Another example is harassment at airports. Even before racial profiling became 'law', I had been subject to it at the airport a number of times. And I'm not an African-American. I can only imagine what I would have to face if I were. Think about it: you're calmly waiting in line, getting ready to get your luggage and just get home to see your family and relieve your jet lag. Suddenly, you're pulled aside in front of everyone, your luggage opened up for public scrutiny. Humiliating at best, degrading at worst. Your crime: you're the wrong color. The cases of the Quranic Literacy Institute and Dr. Ahmad Zaki Hammad, as well as Chicago's Imam Khalifah are just two examples of Muslims whose rights and property (in the former case) have been unjustly taken away. Few Muslims, individuals or leaders, have spoken up in their defense. Secret evidence is another tool which is used in America that destroys the principle of innocent until proven guilty. And yes, there are Muslims in prison in America right now, in this country that considers itself a paragon of human rights because of secret evidence. They have been proclaimed guilty until proven innocent. Muslim civil rights = rights for all In the end, this is an issue of Muslim civil rights. But Muslim civil rights are not exclusively for Muslims: they mean justice for all, for every human being. And by pursuing the rights of Imam Jamil al-Amin, Muslims can not only learn about the suffering of other minorities (i.e. African-Americans) in the American judicial system. We can also do our duty of standing up for justice. We can stand up for justice for all, justice that is bias free and guarantees, not just with words on paper, but in practice, that a person is innocent until proven guilty. From there, we can help other countries develop laws for civil rights and justice. At this moment Muslims are isolated in their struggle for civil rights. As one of the Jewish attorneys of one Muslim victim recently told me, Muslims are the new "niggers" of America. They have to pay the price and lead other Americans. Otherwise, more of this will continue to happen to Muslims. What can I do for you Imam Jamil? Imam Jamil, our brother, is now in need. He is a fellow human being, who needs us. He needs us to stand up for justice, not just for him, but for the principle of innocent until proven guilty. He has asked me and others: What can I do for you? Now we must ask ourselves what we can do for him and answer him with support and action. Abdul Malik Mujahid is president of Sound Vision and coordinator of the Kosova Task Force, USA.

Re: Support Imam Jamil Now!!!
sakeena
08/06/01 at 00:33:33
Salaamualaikum, Does anyone know who is in charge of this rally?  I have tried to contact them for more info via email, but haven't gotten a response yet.  If anyone knows, can they please let me know how to get in touch with them? Thanks, Wasalaamualaikum Sakeena

Re: Support Imam Jamil Now!!!
onehaqq
08/10/01 at 07:20:33
Walaikum Salam, Who have you tried to contact, and what information did you need. Jazak Allah Khair. Wa Salamu Alaykum

Re: Support Imam Jamil Now!!!
sakeena
08/11/01 at 18:18:23
salaamualaikum, I have tried contacting whoever is in charge via the email address given in the above post (saij@msa-natl.org) to no luck.  I just needed more info about the program of events, where in Atlanta it is, etc. Sakeena
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