DALLAS, TX - A national interfaith coalition of civil rights groups said that today's hung jury in the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) charity trial reveals the "unjust" nature of the case.
A jury in Texas could not come to agreement on the validity of the accusations that the number one Islamic charity in America was a front scheme for a terrorist group after 19 days of deliberation, the longest in Texas history. The government laid the heavy burden of weighing mountains of paperwork, wiretap transcripts and videos in a 200-decision verdict-finding process on the 12 jurors.
The Hungry for Justice Coalition said that the piled-on charges and foreign evidence admitted were just more tactics by the government to overwhelm the jury and convolute the facts.
Initially, three defendants, Mufid Abdulqader, Mohammad El-Mezain and Adulrahman Odeh, were acquitted of all counts, all but one, and all but two, respectively. Shukri Abu-Baker and Ghassan Elashi had hung juries for every count against them. The prosecution then polled the jurors to verify their votes. One hesitated, then stood by the vote, and two contradicted the vote. The jurors were sent back to deliberate. Those two people changed their votes, causing a hung jury on all counts for all defendants.
Photo shows Mohammad El-Mezain, Khalil Meek, AbdulRahman Odeh, Shukri Abu-Baker, and Walid Ajaj (CAIR Advocate).
In a statement reacting to the verdict, the Hungry for Justice (H4J) coalition expressed concern about what they say were injustices in the prosecution of this case:
"HLF officials were never accused of any violent act. Their only 'crime' was providing food, clothing, and shelter to Palestinian women and children through agencies that were also funded by our own government and were licensed by the Palestinian Authorities (Fatah). This allegedly relieved HAMAS from spending social money, thereby amounting to a 'conspiracy' to intentionally aid the group.
"The politically-motivated charges came despite HLF's attempts to seek advice from our government as to which Palestinian charities should be avoided. The government refused to provide the charity with a white list of committees to work with.
"The charges brought against these individuals were viewed by many people in this country and worldwide as an attempt to block humanitarian assistance to Palestinians suffering under a brutal Israeli occupation. They were also seen as a means to chill the First Amendment rights and charitable giving of American Muslims and other people of conscience opposed to our nation's one-sided policies in the Middle East.
"In essence, this was an Israeli trial tried on American soil in which guilt by association was used as a substitute for actual evidence.
"To obtain today's verdict, the government resorted to the apparently unconstitutional tactic of not allowing the defendants to confront their accuser, which in this case was an unidentified security agent of a foreign government, who was hostile to Palestinian human rights, an unprecedented occurrence in the American justice system.
"The government also violated its own guidelines by smearing mainstream American Muslim groups when, in an attempt to lower the bar for introduction of evidence, it issued a list of so-called 'unindicted co-conspirators' prior to the trial. The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National Association of Muslim Lawyers have criticized the publication of the 'overreaching list' and the effect it has had on Arab and Muslim discrimination.
"We believe the prosecution sets a negative precedent for free speech rights and threatens the American tradition of charitable giving to those in war-torn areas of the world.
"The criminalization of legitimate charitable-giving is not just an attack on the American Muslim community; it is an attack on every American who believes in the moral duty to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, and heal the sick.
"Our resolve to see justice done remains undiminished. The process won today, and the jury showed that the government will not find victory by scaring up buzz. While we respect the jury's final decision, we believe that the defendants will be fully acquitted in the courtroom when the government retries the case."
This statement is signed on by Muslim American Society (MAS), Dallas Peace Center, Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), Partnership for Civil Justice, Muslim Legal Fund of America, Crawford Texas Peace House, Islamic Services Foundation, A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, MAS Youth Center of DFW, Reverend Graylan Hagler, MAS-Freedom and American Muslim Alliance.
Contact:
Khalil Meek, 972.849.9188 Hungry for Justice Spokesman Comment on this feature >>
Until 2002, the Holy Land Foundation was the largest Islamic charity in the nation, based in Richardson, Texas. Its trial has serious repercussions for domestic issues such as the right to face one's accusers in court and domestic wiretapping, as well as international concerns such as the Palestine issues and the so-called "War on Terror."
The Holy Land Foundation gave humanitarian aid to projects throughout the world, but focused most of its resources on families suffering in Palestine.
Daily Vigil Across From Courthouse
In May 2002, a hasty one-sided administrative hearing within the U.S. government's Executive Branch determined that the Holy Land Foundation should be designated as a supporter of terrorism. The Supreme Court refused to hear the group’s appeal to change the decision. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Treasury Department exploited the prevalent anti-Muslim backlash in the country to justify closing the Holy Land Foundation (see the previous IndyMedia story). President Bush himself claimed that this operation was part of the domestic front of the “war on terror”.
The U.S. government then used manipulative propaganda to rally the American people to support its war in Iraq in 2003. We have yet to leave that country, in spite of the lack of WMDs and Saddam’s execution, because "we" want to secure American interests in their oil industry.
In Spring 2004, almost three years after freezing the charity’s assets, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted the managers of the Holy Land Foundation for providing material support to a U.S.-designated terrorist group, HAMAS. The government amended the indictment in 2005, changing the allegation to claim that the HLF funneled money to HAMAS. The new version of the indictment stated that, by providing humanitarian support to suffering Palestinians, HLF was indirectly allowing HAMAS to spend their resources on other projects such as military operations.
During the trial, the U.S. government brought two anonymous Israeli agents (an unprecedented move in the American system of justice), two FBI agents and a well-known Zionist sympathizer, Dr. Matthew Levitt, who works for the pro-Israel think-tank The Washington Institute on Near East Policy. Carting piles of wiretaps that are only admissible thanks to the PATRIOT Act, the government concentrated on playing irrelevant HAMAS propaganda tapes to drum up fear in the jurors, instead of presenting traditional evidence.
The Holy Land Foundation’s biggest "crime" was humanizing Palestinians. Their aid went to helping the very people who Israel is trying to eradicate. If the American public began to understand what was happening in Palestine, with the checkpoints, executions, arrests and home demolitions, it would threaten the American perception of Israel, and therefore our relationship with them as well.
Given that Israel is the largest foreign recipient of U.S. aid, receiving almost $3 billion per year, it is unlikely that any American Zionist wants the “fifty-first state’s” skeletons to come out of the closet. Even Israel actively censors its own news to keep Israelis from hitting the streets in outrage.
The U.S. government’s main argument in the HLF case was that the zakat (charity) committees that HLF worked with were linked to HAMAS. The federal prosecutor’s strongest evidence to support this came from the Israeli government, not our own. The anonymous agents turned over stacks of undated, unverifiable HAMAS propaganda, such as posters and key chains. These were supposedly confiscated at some of the listed zakat committees from 2002 and later. However, HLF was indicted for transactions that occurred between 1997 and 2001, putting this evidence out of the relevant range.
As HLF's defense lawyers pointed out, this would be the same as finding some Democratic Party-related material in a board member’s office at a corporation. This does not prove that the board is Democrat or that the corporation is controlled by Democrats. Individual members of organizations are entitled to their personal beliefs, but they do not reflect on the organization as a whole.
In fact, all of the zakat committees listed in the indictment are today open and operational. None are listed as terrorist. All have been licensed by the Fatah-led government (HAMAS’ opposition party) and still receive money from the U.S. Agency for International Development (not indicted). related link: http://www.h4jusa.com Feature continued on newswire >>
Saturday, October 13th, there was a Pro-Peace Rally scheduled at the Crawford Peace House in Texas, to greet Alix Bryan and to stand with her in solidarity for Peace.
In her own words:
I am about to complete an 11,000 mile ride for Peace. Almost 3 months ago, I left from the White House headed to the Crawford Peace House on a 125cc scooter. My route, with just 1,500 miles left, will trace a peace sign on the U.S. map.
Throughout my travels I have experienced extreme changes in both climate and culture. The scenery and people have been spectacular and have opened my eyes. Many have offered personal stories, food, hugs, homes, and donations. I have ridden in temperatures from 105 to 40 degrees F.; ridden in the rain, hail, lightning, and heavy wind.
Perhaps many of you have never ridden a scooter, but trust me, it’s no simple task to ride 11,000 miles on 12 inch wheels going 55 mph; Nor is it always easy to talk about Peace.
What I have discovered while traveling is a dangerous polarity concerning Peace -- in the same vein as “you are for us, or against us.” That polarity can make dialog between strangers very daunting. I made deliberate efforts to leave politics and religion out of the conversation. Instead, I made it fundamental, asking, “what is YOUR vision for our future?” and “how do YOU define Peace?”
My goal is to generate dialog with everyone about Peace. Only an inclusive outreach will allow us to co-create change. I have visited communities with very conservative Bush supporters, but they have taken the time to define Peace with me. This is a vast country and an even bigger world. For us to know Peace we must celebrate our diversity, using it to strengthen the common ground we do share. I am tracing a Peace sign onto the US soil to remind us of our common ground, our interconnectivity.
related link: http://www.peacescooter.com Feature continued on newswire >>
The citizens' group, "No Higher Taxes", announces its lawsuit against the City of Rockwall and city officials, alleging First Amendment violations, suppression of a political sign unfavorable to city officials.
The Texas Civil Rights Project filed a free speech lawsuit in Dallas Federal Court this week on behalf of "No Higher Taxes" (NHT). Based in Rockwall County, NHT is a group of concerned citizens, organized to promote transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility in local government.
Since its founding, No Higher Taxes has been an outspoken critic of the Rockwall County Commissioners and other officials in county and city government. The centerpiece of this effort is the group's roadside sign, which displays short political messages in support of its views and critical of officials. Past messages included: the salaries of the county commissioners and the county judge; a statement that money was missing from the county treasury; and an accusation that a county commissioner had accepted a free trip to Cancún, Mexico, from a contractor in business with Rockwall County.
Under the pretext of code enforcement, the City of Rockwall has repeatedly and systematically tried to force NHT to remove its sign. It has done so by threatening the owners of the private property that houses the sign with criminal charges and fines, and other forms of public intimidation directed at the group's members. A particularly agitated county commissioner, Bruce Beaty, went so far as to circulate a draft letter requesting the state Ethics Commission to investigate NHT and publicly naming 12 suspected members of the organization. NHT's membership is confidential, for fear of reprisals by officials.
Jim Harrington, TCRP Director and attorney for Plaintiffs, said it "is outrageous that, in the 21st Century, public officials would so blatantly violate the First Amendment. Any high school civics student knows you cannot suppress unfavorable political speech. Our country is built on unfavorable political speech, and our democracy thrives on it. We're better for it."
The lawsuit alleges that the actions of the City of Rockwall , Code Enforcement Officer Cliff Griffin, and City Manager Julie Couch regarding NHT's sign are unconstitutional. By attempting to stifle NHT's political speech based on its content, they acted, and continue to act, in total disregard of the First Amendment's guarantee to freedom of speech. NHT seeks injunctive relief to protect itself from further efforts by the city to suppress its speech, declaratory relief, and monetary damages.
Feature continued on newswire >>
The history of the Holy Land Foundation is much different than the mainstream media and the government would have you believe. Check out the misinformation this piece identifies, and learn the facts. Iraq is just one manifestation of a misguided policy; The Holy Land Foundation trial hits closer to home...
The Holy Land Foundation provided humanitarian services to families in Palestine and surrounding areas through Zakat (charity) committees when their assets were frozen in December 2001 by an executive order. Zakat is one of the five pillars of faith in Islam.
In addition to helping Palestinian refugees, the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) provided relief to people in need during the Turkish earthquakes, the wars in Bosnia/Serbia and the Oklahoma City bombing. The group was well known for its generous support of people around the world in crisis.
Three years later, the organization and seven of its officers were indicted on 42 charges, including conspiracy to provide material support to a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. However, the government has since retracted all allegations that any of the Holy Land Foundation’s resources ever went to fund terrorism.
The government does not contest that the money sent from HLF to the Zakat committees went to need-based humanitarian aid. Instead, they contend that the social aid freed up resources for Hamas to spend on violent acts. These Zakat Committees, licensed by the Palestinian Authority government, received aid from many international charities funded by the U.S. In fact, this is still the case, and the U.S. government has never explained why HLF was singled out for prosecution.
Several civil rights and humanitarian issues are at stake in this high profile case. First is the American principle that one is presumed innocent until proven guilty. HLF was designated a terrorist organization in May 2002 during what the Legal Intelligencer described as "a hasty and one-sided Treasury Department administrative hearing." A lawyer working with HLF at the time commented in the same article:
"This administration basically has a free hand with whatever it wants to do insofar as administrative claims it relates to the war on terrorism. The courts are simply not going to check the executive."
The Supreme Court refused to hear the HLF appeal when the federal courts in the District of Columbia failed to grant the defense a hearing for their challenge to the designation.
The persistence of the media to label this a "terror financing" case, instead of a "charity" or "civil rights" case, shows their willingness to continue to be the mouthpiece for the administration.
The government has also crossed unprecedented lines in what is considered admissible evidence.
Israeli military intelligence is providing translated transcripts for the case. An independent translation company has found that the transcripts contain egregious errors, according to the L.A. Times, including the false allegation that the HLF employees used anti-Jewish hate language.
Many of the transcripts admitted also come from warrantless wiretappings, a subject that has caused much controversy among the civil libertarian crowds. Evidence submitted under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which has been amended by the USA Act (part of the USA PATRIOT Act), is often problematic, said Lisa Graybill, Legal Director of ACLU-TX.
“We’re concerned with the constitutionality of this case, and we will be monitoring it,” Graybill said.
In addition to the sketchy evidence, Graybill cited the fact that the Zakat committees had not been designated as terrorists and are still operational. She foresaw religious freedom issues coming up as the trial progresses. Also, Graybill said the publication of unindicted co-conspirators was underhanded, since those groups and individuals listed are not being charged with anything, yet they are now overshadowed with suspicion.
The government is relying heavily on guilt by association. Throughout the indictment, the government references family ties between HLF members and members of Hamas, the Palestinian political party that the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization.
Even so, most people would be in trouble if they were held accountable for the decisions their relatives make. After all, President Bush's own grandfather had his assets frozen in 1942 for doing business with Nazi Germany under the Trading with the Enemy Act, but the Jewish population is not demanding reparations from the President for his family’s miscalculated judgments.
This case has caused a chilling effect in the Muslim community, which prides itself on its ongoing tradition of philanthropy. International humanitarian aid has dwindled since the indictment. Ironically, this effect serves to bolster terrorism recruitment, instead of stopping it, like the government claims it intends to do.
According to an OMB Watch report, "Muslim Charities and the War on Terror," the 9/11 Commission reported, “A comprehensive U.S. strategy should include economic policies that encourage development, more open societies, and opportunities for people to improve the lives of their families and to enhance prospects for their children's future.”
When international aid slows, poverty grows. As poverty traps people into limited lives, they search desperately for ways to escape. Occupation and embargo are a deadly combination that lead too many to act on “Give me liberty or give me death!” Only education and prosperity, only genuinely helping our fellow human beings, the way that HLF was, will stop the forces that feed terrorism.
related link: http://www.h4jusa.com Feature continued on newswire >>
DALLAS, TEXAS – ProtestHealthcare.org, a small grassroots organization started by the Glantz family, announced they will be holding a rally at Dallas City Hall on August 5, 2007 from 11a.m. to 2 p.m., so Texans can stand together and show support for changing the American healthcare system.
"We believe a lot of Americans feel helpless in changing the healthcare system and as a family we wanted to do something about it. We collectively agreed to help ignite a movement for change," said Linda Glantz, mother of the Glantz family and a pre-school teacher. “Healthcare should not be a privilege. It should be a right to every American citizen.”
The members of www.ProtestHealthcare.org believe every citizen should have an equal opportunity to healthcare without limitations for pre-existing conditions or financial gain by insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Their goal is to end selective healthcare so that Americans will never be denied based on previous medical conditions or on a financial basis. They aim to end this problem so every American has the luxury of proper healthcare.
The Glantz family offers a web site where you can easily get involved, by downloading a letter you can send to your congressional representatives, accessing resources about the healthcare industry, and signing a petition. They encourage individuals to attend the rally being held in August and to wear the color red to show your support. For more information, please visit www.ProtestHealthcare.org.
About ProtestHealthCare.org:
Based in Dallas, Texas, ProtestHealthCare.org was started by four members of the Glantz family. Inspired and angered by the Michael Moore film, Sicko, we collectively agreed to help ignite a movement for change. We feel it is time to reorganize and reform our healthcare system so it benefits all American citizens.
related link: http://www.protesthealthcare.org Comment on this feature >>
In the latest example of American dream turned dementor hell, WFAA's Brett Shipp tells the story of 16-year-old Ali Charania who spent a lonely night at home Tuesday after his parents were hauled off to the Haskell prison for the crime of failing to win asylum from a heartless system. On Wednesday morning, young Ali was shipped off to a juvenile facility in Chicago.
The plight of the Charania family rushed to light Wednesday via emails from Jay Johnson-Castro who was contacted by Ali's sister Monisha. It is a sign of movement success in Texas that Jay's appeal for Monisha's family became metroplex news within hours.
In support of Monisha's public appeal for help, attorney John Wheat Gibson has released documents that the Texas Civil Rights Review has archived online.
Here is an excerpt from the Charania's June 13 brief to the Board of Immigration Appeals:
"Ali Charania is a senior at Coppell High School Ali was accepted and paid tuition to attend the University of North Texas "Mean Green Workshops for Debate Camp" this summer because he was chosen to lead the University Interscholastic League Lincoln Douglas Debaters during his senior year at Coppell High School. He was the star of the debate team, and his coaches had high hopes for his success in state and national debate tournaments during the 2007-08 school year. He was enrolled to take dual-credit classes at Northlake Community College in economics and government, after debate camp this summer, and already had bought the textbooks when he was arrested with his mother and father. After two years as a guest columnist, Ali was accepted as a staff member on the school newspaper, The Sidekick, to write the first environmental column in the history of the newspaper.
"After nine years in the school system, Ali will be denied his senior year unless deportation proceedings are reopened so that he can derive legal resident status through his father. Both Monisha and Ali Charania have been raised mostly in the United States, and their only memories of India are from the terrifying events that occurred just before they fled that country. Had their bad luck not followed them to this country, in the form of incompetent and unscrupulous lawyers, they would be legal permanent residents today."
related link: http://texascivilrightsreview.org/phpnuke/ Feature continued on newswire >>
Most problems have been corrected, except that when the directors of the Crawford Peace House accidentally let their corporate charter lapse due to not turning in reports on time to the state of Texas, some individuals critical of the CPH registered the use of the name.
There has been no evidence of mis-handling of funds, the state requirements are being met, and the organization will continue its unbroken string of positive accomplishments.
A few individuals who are not political activists and who seem to have no meaningful understanding of the damage they’ve done, have exploited a temporary technical opening to try to take down one of the most effective anti-war organizations. They wanted attention, for their ideas to be followed, but don't seem to have any positive plans for what to do with it now that they “own” the Crawford Peace House name. Some of them believed that in owning the name, they would own the assets, history, and respect previously earned by the legitimate Crawford Peace House.
 Many individuals and activist organizations who have devoted time, effort, volunteers and money to the Crawford Peace House are being affected by the negative exaggeration of turmoil which appeared in the corporate press recently. The Camp Casey Peace Institute, a totally separate entity and also based in Crawford, has also been affected. The two organizations have enjoyed a close relationship, but this is being used against them -- Right-wingers are attempting to damage Cindy Sheehan and the Camp Casey movement by purporting her involvement in an imaginary embezzlement at the Crawford Peace House.
One very immediate problem which could truly affect many organizations is, if similar attacks are mounted nationwide. Would your organization survive detailed scrutiny of compliance to rules of incorporation, such as quarterly board meetings with formal minutes, accurate accounting of t-shirt and button sales (and application of sales tax requirements in disregard to our “contributions” ethic), and arms-length relationships between boards, vendors, management, and volunteers? What if your organization had been responsible for managing an unexpected month-long event with over 20,000 participants -- would your records be available immediately for filing?
The legitimate Crawford Peace House will probably have to change its name, but will continue to function as the information and demonstration point for efforts to bring light, action, and peace to George Bush’s backyard. Meanwhile, there are some things to learn from this unfortunate and avoidable crapfest.
Feature continued on newswire >>
Over 200 brave inclement weather.
 The wind was cold and blustery at Camp Casey III, but a large fire provided an island of warmth to those gathered on Friday night. They were gathered to hear a panel of experts testify on the impeachable offenses committed by the Bush Administration. (Cindy proclaimed that it would be a tragic mistake to impeach Bush without impeaching Cheney.) David Swanson, founder of After Downing Street, spoke of the administration's disregard of American laws. Debra Sweet, founder of The World Can't Wait, spoke about the administration's criminal neglect of the victims of Katrina. Cindy's lawyer spoke on how the administration has dismantled the Fourth Amendment and its guarantee od Due Process. Cindy spoke on war crimes committed by the administration. Ann Wright, retired Army colonel who resigned from the Diplomatic Corps in protest of the invasion of Iraq, spoke on their total disregard of the Geneva Conventions' protection of prisoners of war and enemy combatants. Medea Benjamin , co-founder of Code Pink, led the participants in song.
Feature continued on newswire >>
On Palm Sunday, between 2,000 and 6,000 people gathered at Dallas City Hall, calling for unity and rights for Mexican-Americans and immigrants. A variety of organizations and issues were represented.  Elizabeth Villafranca of Let the Voters Decide was registering voters. The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) were there. The ACLU called for people to take a stand. The Guardian Angels were looking for any trouble makers, and the NAACP was saying they work for all peoples of color. The Brown Berets were there, as was the Mexica Movement, espousing the position that the American continents were stolen by the Europeans, calling for the deportation of all white racists to Europe, and opposing the use of the terms "Latino" and "Hispanic". Jobs with Justice and the Wobblies were calling for the rights of the working people. The World Can't Wait was selling the newspaper of the Revolutionary Communist Party. North Texas for Justice and Peace were there opposing the wars and the U.S. Marines were there recruiting.
Speakers included the retiring Catholic bishop of Dallas, who told the crowds "Si se puede", or "Yes we can". A former staffer of the Vicente Fox Administration called the White House while at the microphone to say in Spanish "We are your citizens!" There was music and traditional Aztec dancing.
There were many ice cream vendors, including one who told a reporter for a corporate newspaper that if he were able to get his citizenship, he wouldn't have to sell ice cream.
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