[This piece appeared in Arabic in the October 2006 issue of the Arab Voice on page 1]-translation provided by AIFD. AIFD Commentary provided below translated article. “A Party in the Honor of Pederson” by the Arab Voice Mr. Safai Arkawi held a grand dinner party in honor of (Senate Candidate) Jim Pederson. The main reason behind this dinner party was to support and collect money for the election campaign of Pederson. Many leaders and community members of the Arabic community were invited to the Arkawi home including representatives from — the multicultural business community, the press, al-Mehdi organization, CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations), the Arizona Islamic Political Action Committee, the Palestine committee, and a number of Arabs who belong to the Democratic party. Mr. Safai started the dinner party giving a summary about the Arabic community in Arizona and the Democratic Party. He, then, presented Mrs. Janice (sic), the Democratic Party Coordinator in Arizona and who was a former member of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC). She is the one who nominated the democratic candidate for the senate from Arizona to run against Jon Kyl who is running for another term. And we should mention that Kyl is a Republican candidate known to be a big supporter of Israel and the Zionist lobby in Congress. Several meetings had occurred in the past three years between him and the Arabic community where they discussed several issues of interest to the Arabic community on the local and international level. The community tried to build a bridge with Kyl, but it was collapsed lately under the different positions he took, during the war on Lebanon and Palestine. Pederson was introduced at the dinner party by Mrs. Janice (sic) and he then discussed how his political philosophy and his background in the business field are going to help him serve the state of Arizona. After that he was asked several questionsﾗbeginning with a question from the Arab Voice asking him to clarify his agenda about health care, immigration, education— and what his opinion was concerning Napolitanoﾒs recent refusal to attend a rally supporting a ceasefire in Lebanon? And what would he have done if he got the same invitation? Of course, as a typical politician, he avoided answering such a question and gave a vague answer, and blamed it on the Napolitano administration all the while assuring her good will. Then he was asked another question about what is currently preventing Arabs and Muslims from sending donations to charities and the closing of some of the organizations that are doing such things; and what he would do if he was elected. Mr. Omar Shahin, the representative for the Muslim Political Action Committee, in the name of his Committee, presented Pederson with its support. This committee is fairly new and was just started only just a few month ago and was started to impact the local elections and in order to meet with Democratic candidates. We should mention that this this committee presented support to candidates who are Democratic up until this time. Other Arabic organizations are also expected to enlighten and educate their representatives about the agenda of the candidates who are running for the local elections and about the proposed changes of Arizonaﾒs constitution (referenda). ——————————————————————- AIFD COMMENTARY– This ‘newsﾒ report of this political fundraiser (also including photos of attendees with the candidate) by a nameless reporter appears on the front page of the local Arab Voice published by Breek Publishing. The central relevance of this to AIFDﾒs anti-Islamist, non-partisan mission is that it clearly illustrates the pervasiveness and growing momentum of political Islam (Islamism) in the local Muslim community— regardless of which candidate or party to which the Islamists pander. A perception or an attempt to create one of a ﾑMuslimﾒ voting bloc is the ultimate ideological weapon of the Islamist minority who wield their influence within the demagogy of political Islam. An empowered Islamist lobby propagates all the core maladies of political Islam which AIFD seeks to counter. The profound ideological danger of this toxic mixture of religion and politics in the Muslim community is the same regardless of party affiliations. The report is on the front page of this monthﾒs local Arab Voice distributed freely and unopposed to those in the Arabic and Muslim local community. Note this paper sits in or near the prayer areas of almost every local mosque, and is also ubiquitous in ethnic stores, and Islamic organizations locally. It remains astonishing that such a toxically partisan and controversial reporting disseminated under the guise of journalism is distributed without competition or balance in the community or any suggestion that the Arabic or Muslim community may not be as politically monolithic as this paper tries to imply. Most reports put out by this publisher, make a subtle but potent collectivist political assumption, as Islamists are want to do. Not only do they present political islam as the norm but their particular version of it as the only one- both are dangerous. They conveniently ignore the fact that the paper and the organizations still represent only a minority of local Arabs and Muslims. The core supposition of Islamists is that individuals who share a spiritual religion (of God and not of this world) would naturally share a political ideology (of this world) for a specific candidate or policy. Additionally, it should be noted that the newly formed Arizona Muslim Political Action Committee noted in this Arabic report and announced in this publishers previous Muslim Voice was fully represented at this fundraiser by none other than a local imam and also ubiquitous Muslim religious leader- Imam Omar Shahin. Imam Shahin also is known in the local religious community to be the head of the Valleyﾒs Imam Council, the Islamic teacher at a local Islamic parochial school, and also an imam of a local mosque. Yet, this same individual is reported here in Arabic to be also representing a Muslim PAC. One would be hard pressed to find non-Muslim examples of a single clergy who while having multiple congregations also speaks on behalf of religious PACs. Is there anything which typifies the toxic mixture and penetration of religion and politics more? By the way this imam also emceed the recent CAIR-AZ fundraiser. This reportﾒs association of a number of religious and civil rights organizations in the Arabic and Muslim community with a political candidate fundraiser should cause concern about the establishment of Islamism in local politics and its endemic mixture of islamism and politics. Note the defining issue (Middle East policy) which this report remarks on regarding this candidate’s opponent. Thus, this lobby hijacks an entire religious community for its own focused policy interests and any other policy discussions are simply pandering. Certainly, the mosaic of American politics has a number of cultural and faith lobbies. But the local Islamists are decidedly different. The singular nature of this foreign language publication and the political solidarity and unanimity of local Muslim imams and their pulpits are all bolstered by the demagogy of this Arabic publication and demonstrative of the dangers of Islamism. This is much more than a simple faith or cultural lobby. Even if by some miracle ideological political diversity were to work its way into local Islamist circles and we were to see the development of bi-partisan islamists locally, the end game for Islamism remains political penetration of religiously motivated laws and policy. Until this end-game is abandoned any empowerment of Islamists risks legitimizing this cause. Translations of reports like this distributed to the local Arabic community are a valuable window into the Islamist mindset. Until more Americans, Muslim and non-Muslim, understand the central role of Islamism or political Islam and its subtle but central threat in the global conflict we are in, we will continue to enable, legitimize, and empower an ideology which runs against one of the central ideas of being American- that our elected representatives separate between religion and legislation. ——————————————————————————– This report and translation is provided as a service to our community. We pray that this type of extremism and lack of moderation in opinion does not represent the majority of Muslims and Arabs in the community. See “Why AIFD provides the ‘Arizona Islamist Media Reports” for our commentary which clearly explains our intentions in providing these reports.

[This next piece presented in its entirety appeared in the April 2006 issue of the Arab Voice on page 3]- translation provided by AIFD. “A Meeting between Arab personalities and the Democratic candidate for Congress in Phoenixﾔ by the Arab Voice. (this piece also featured a photo with the individuals listed and the Democratic Congressional Candidate for the 3rd District, Herb Paine) ﾓA meeting was held with several personalities from the Arabic community organized by Mr. Safai Arkawi and Miss Janice (sic). Miss Janice is the organizer for the Democratic Party in Arizona.ﾔ ﾓ The meeting was held with the Democratic candidate from the Third District in Phoenix, Arizona. The meeting included Mr. Mohamed al-Abassi, Amjad Abu-Alhalla, Zohair AlSulti, Wajdi Abdeen and Marwan Ahmed, the publisher for the Arab Voice.ﾔ ﾓAnd there was a complete discussion of points of importance to the local Arabic community among which was immigration issues, health insurance locally, and also issues related to Iraq and Palestine at the foreign policy level.ﾔ AIFD Comment: The Arab voice highlights its representative(s) and their inclusion in this meeting presenting them as tacit representatives of the local Arizona Arab community. It makes no qualms about presenting itself as the representative of the local Arabic community with a candidate for Congressional office (note the comment–‘a complete discussion of points of importance to the local Arabic community’). Interestingly, this supposition is made only to a select audience in the Arabic language. Do the Arabs in the Valley which this article purports to represent agree with or are even able to accept the political extremist positions put forth by this Arabic language Arab Voice? Does the Arab Voice and its Islamist ideology represent the majority of the local Arizona Arabic community? How aware is Congressional candidate Herb Paine, or some of our current local elected officials on both sides of the aisle and their handlers of the ideological reality of the Arab Voice? Do they know that these meetings and photo-ops are only used to demagogue an image of leadership for the Arizona Arabic community which has no other print media voice? Do they also know that this piece is positioned next to another Arabic language piece from the same publisher which is translated below and hideously compares America to a camel? Moreover, would most of the local Arizona Arabic and Muslim community if made aware, acquiesce to allowing their community to be represented by a newspaper distributing these ideologies? ———————————————————————————– [This next piece presented in its entirety also appeared in the April 2006 issue of the Arab Voice on page 3]- translation provided by AIFD. America a Camel by Ahmed Bakkadi (a feature editorial) ﾓThe camel is among Godﾒs strange creatures and the Qurﾒan ascertained exactly that when it said, ﾑdid you not see how the camels were created?ﾒ The camel is strange because it is characterized with body characteristics that are strange and behavior that is even stranger. And if you look carefully to the body structure of the camel, it starts looking like it is a combination of several creatures put together in one. His head is small out of proportion to the rest of his body which is gigantic. His neck is long and curved, and his legs are very long and bent. His stomach (sic) is big, and he has a big hump over his back and his tail is short. This is only what appears of his strange anatomy.” “His internal structures and his behavior are many and no one can explain it but a veterinarian scientist. Among the strange behaviors of the camel that he is known not to forget bad things made towards him which he holds as a deep feeling of vindictiveness against whoever hurt him and the camel is used as an example of a creature who does not know his own shortcomings while he is fast in recognizing the shortcomings of others. There are stories about the camel being sarcastic about the weak and thin structure of the neck of the deer.” “As it is known there are people who try to make similarities between animals in their shape or behavior to countries. There are some similarities between animals and people thare are used such as the elephant which is a sign for the Republican Party that governs America today.” “But it would have been better if that party and even America took the symbol of the camel because America is characterized by a lot of the characteristics of the camel that God ordered us to think of its creation. There is not enough time or place here to include all of the characteristics of the American camel but we will be satisfied to refer to the fact that America cannot, like the camel, see the curvature of its own neck. The best example of that is how America cannot see the violations of human rights while it violates the human rights of others through its military, diplomatic, and internal security agencies, like in the prison of Abu Ghraib and Guantanemo Bay and the other secret prisons in different parts of the world from Asia to Syria.” “America did not mention a letter about what it committed in violations of human rights that is so known that it became stories that were parts of the legends of the old with its familiar words and expressions.” “So did I not tell you that America is the camel that does not see the curvature of his own neck.” AIFD Comment: This feature editorial from an Arab Voice frequent columnist is obviously pedestrian and its examples are illogical and shamefully inappropriate. Its metaphors are absurdly antagonistic and are poorly contrived to say the least. More importantly and substantively, this type of grossly negative generalization about America is classic for Islamism. It dispenses with facts. It uses the tired highlights of old anti-American polemics and seeks simply to malign the image of America in the Arabic language among the Arizona Arabic community rather than educate or inform. The Islamist goal is simply to continually paint vague negative images of the ﾑgodlessﾒ secular America which is confused and animal-like in its behavior when compared to the societies represented by the fantasies of theocratic Islamists. The reality, however, is that these anti-American opinions exist in a denial vacuum where many of these local blinded Arabic language writers live. They should rather be reminded that in the entire Middle East whose despotic governments this newspaper has rarely if ever appropriately critiqued, there is not a single Arab nation where human rights have any meaning whatsoever. The Arab Voice should be ashamed of itself. Its writers need to learn from their own camel and turn their crooked head and look at their own hump. The whole world plainly sees it despite Arab columnists like this attempting to deny its existence while at the same time blaming others for having it. ——————————————————————————– This report and translation is provided as a service to our community. We pray that this type of extremism and lack of moderation in opinion does not represent the majority of Muslims and Arabs in the community. See “Why AIFD provides the ‘Arizona Islamist Media Reports” for our commentary which clearly explains our intentions in providing these reports.

The following are excerpts from an article on the front page of the March 2006 local Muslim Voice entitled: “When the white bull was eaten” “There is an Arabic story that I heard about a wolf coming to three bulls: a white, a red, and a black one. The wolf took the red and the black bulls aside and told them if they let him eat the white bull he will not have any further interest in eating them. So they did, and the wolf ate the white bull. Then the wolf went to the black bull and told him if he let him eat the red bull he will not attack or eat him. He agreed. Later, the wolf came to the black bull and told him he is coming to eat him. At that time the black bull told the wolf, ‘I should have known that I will be eaten when the white bull was eaten.’ ” “The moral of the story is when the wolf divided the bulls and convinced them not to come to save the white bull he was able to conquer them one at a time. When the black bull realized what the wolf was up to, it was too late.” “Today we see this happening over and over again in our community as the government closes one charity at a time in the name of combating terrorism. When they closed the Holy Land Foundation first, followed by two other organizations, hardly any Islamic organizations made a serious attempt to stop the insanity of stopping aid to Muslims around the world.” “Now since Hamas won the elections in Palestine our government has been threatening to cut off funds to the Palestinian authority. Therefore they decided in an unwarranted way to close one of the most active charities in our community who helped not only Muslims but many non-Muslims too. From Katrina victims to the earthquake in Pakistan, they were always on the frontlines aiding humanity. However, for obvious reasons, our government decided to use politics to starve Palestinians for electing Hamas into their own government. ” “Again, this administration is sending the wrong message not only to the people of the Middle East but to the entire world. Theyﾒre saying that if democracy does not produce what we approve of we are going to fight back with sanctions, boycotts and isolating the winners. These double standards in our foreign policies need to be revaluated and redesigned to be consistent and fair. And the message to our Muslim organizations is that you were eaten when the Holy Land Foundation was eaten.” This article can be found online at the Muslim Voice website at this link. ————————————————————————— AIFD COMMENT: Clearly here, this weak ‘parable’ from the Muslim Voice makes some very disturbing projections of support and linkage for the entire Arizona Muslim community. The Muslim Voice is coming to the defense of both Hamas and KindHearts (recently shut down by the Treasury Department over allegations of violations of American law by funding Hamas). The story seems to make the defense in the name of the entire local Muslim community. Would the majority of local Muslims agree with this linkage? Reading between the lines, the moral of the story seems to be that when the wolf divided the bulls (‘Muslims’) and convinced them not to come to save the white bull (a victimized Muslim or Muslim organization) he was able to conquer them one at a time. They lost the strength of their unity. When the black bull (one of the leaders of the Muslim community) realized what the wolf was up to, it was too late. Thus, the Muslim Voice is implying that all Muslims should unite politically to support such causes as Hamas or KindHearts. One could perhaps understand religious unity in the face of pervasive immutable discrimination or violations of freedom to practice our faith. But both of these causes among many others put forth by the Muslim Voice are not religious (spiritual) causes but profoundly political causes simply done in the name of Islam. Regardless of the corruption and the toxic mixture of politics and religion in Hamas and Kindhearts, the Muslim Voice still asks Muslims to defend them simply because they are Muslim by name and happen to share a spiritual path regardless of their toxic political or foreign national path. Unity by faith in the cause of politics should be very concerning to most American Muslims if we are ever going to defeat radical Islamism. The Muslim Voice opinion seems to subordinate our community’s responsibilties as American citizens to uphold laws against funding terrorist organizations which utilize corrupt methods such as the targeting of noncombatants and random violence as methods of political change in the name of our faith. Many Muslims should take great offense at being grouped into front page opinions in a cultural newspaper which prioritizes political Islam and subordinates principles which directly affect American security. In fact, what is also sorely lacking in our community is an argument to the contrary, that we as Muslims should be policing our own agencies for even tacit support of terrorism (i.e. in Hamas), anti-semitism, or anti-Americanism. American Muslims should rather unite against political Islam and radical terror networks by name and by ideology. Perhaps a more representative parable for the Muslim Voice is that those who advocate causes under the guise of political Islam are in fact the real ‘bulls’ who have taken over all aspects of the ‘nature’ and ‘wildlife’ of our Muslim spiritual earth in which all Muslims could live and share a non-political spiritual path. ——————————————————————————– This report is provided as a service to our community. We pray that this type of extremism and lack of moderation in opinion does not represent the majority of Muslims and Arabs in our community. See “Why AIFD provides the ‘Arizona Islamist Media Reports” for our commentary which clearly explains our intentions in providing these reports.

ﾓThe lie of Godﾒs chosen peopleﾔ. By Abu Nidaa (in a section of the paper entitled ﾑSharing with readersﾒ). ﾓThe place is the area where you cross between Jordan and the cleanest spot on Godﾒs earth which is Palestine. From 6 OﾒClock in the morning until 4 OﾒClock in the afternoon we did not go for more than half-an hour from the Jordanian stop point until we got to the biggest catastrophe which is the Israeli stop point. My wife is ‘Um Nidaa’ and my daughter is Nidaa and my grandchildren are Hatem and Fayez whose age does not exceed 6. We stayed all of us waiting to be permitted to cross into Palestine, the land of our fathers and grandfathers.” “And I kept on saying to the responsible officer and the irresponsible soldiers, ‘both of them originated from Russia and eastern Europe,’ I kept on asking them what did this kid do who are Americans in nationality spending 6 hours waiting? Isnﾒt this terrorism which if it had occurred to one of those Israelis anywhere in the world the whole world would have exploded with questions about anti-semitism.” “What does peace mean to you, enemies of peace? What does democracy mean to you enemies of democracy? You are afraid of the trees and the stones and the ground and the sky because these speak Arabic and you are afraid of our children and our grandchildren more than you are afraid of our men. We are proud of that. What is the civilized picture you are trying to draw? In the minds of our children you occupying killers we tell you once and a thousand times there will be no replacement for the return despite the difficulties and the encumberances. We shall return. Palestine is my country. My country, my country, and my country and to her my heart belongs.” AIFD Comment: This piece speaks for itself in its tone and offense. Briefly, is the statement that Israelis fear children and grandchildren more than Palestinian men a glorification of suicide bombing and the use of children in terrorist operations? Note the complete lack of moderation and the repeated call for a right to return which basically is a euphemism for the destruction of the state of Israel. ——————————————————————————– This report and translation is provided as a service to our community. We pray that this type of extremism and lack of moderation in opinion does not represent the majority of Muslims and Arabs in the community. See “Why AIFD provides the ‘Arizona Islamist Media Reports” for our commentary which clearly explains our intentions in providing these reports.

ﾓLatin America gains a new struggler against imperialism, Boliviaﾔ pg 5. (no author) ﾓThe new Bolivian leader promises to support Fidel Castro against the United States.” “The new socialist leader Evo Morales who is a decendant from an Indian tribe and who won the recent Presidential elections in Bolivia declares his support for Fidel Castro in his struggle against imperialism on an interview that he gave to Cuban television.” “Morales who is going to become the president of the poorest country in Latin America said, ‘I have been dreaming all my life to support the struggle against imperialism and to support the Cuban people and now I have the opportunity to join him in his struggle for peace and social justice.’ He also invited the U.S. to lift the economic embargo on Cuba and predicting that the new struggle will be ending with victory.” “The United States is extremely interested in these developments especially because the new president of Bolivia appears to be encouraging the cocaine trade and his ties to the president of Venezuela Hugo Chavez and to Fidel Castro. ﾅﾅﾔ AIFD Comment: This piece clearly sides with Castro, Cuba, and the Bolivian government against any American interests in democratizing Latin America. These types of pieces and comments could have been written in the old Provda of Moscow at the height of the Cold War. This demonstrates the extreme Leftist, Socialist and outright Communist support which the Arab Voice is providing in an Arizona publication to the only true Communist regime left in the World– Cuba. ——————————————————————————– This report and translation is provided as a service to our community. See “Why AIFD provides the ‘Arizona Islamist Media Reports” for our commentary which clearly explains our intentions