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Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, September/October 2007, pages 48-49 Muslim-American Activism Criminalizing Compassion in the “War On Terror”
DENIS HALLIDAY, former U.N. assistant secretary-general and head of the U.N. Humanitarian Program in Iraq 1997 and 1998, spoke at an evening panel discussion at Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship. The June 28 event was titled, “The Iraq Sanctions and the Case of Dr. Rafil Dhafir: Criminalizing Compassion in the ‘War on Terror.’” Other speakers on the panel were Magda Bayoumi, a community activist and member of the Central New York Muslim community, and this writer, a court watcher at the 17-week trial of Dr. Dhafir (see May/June 2007 Washington Report, p. 12). About 100 people attended, many of whom joined the speakers and members of the Muslim community for supper at the mosque after the event. Halliday discussed the U.N., the sanctions, and their effects on the Iraqi civilian population. He resigned after a distinguished 34-year career with the U.N. because, he explained, the policy of sanctions against Iraq undermined “not only the U.N.’s own charter, but the Declaration of Human Rights and the Geneva Convention as well.” Halliday criticized the “five corrupt permanent members” of the U.N. Security Council who, he charged, have managed to undermine the U.N.’s own charter and international law. As coordinator of the U.N. Humanitarian Program, Halliday recalled meeting with Iraqi former trade union workers (representing 7 million people) who told him, “Please tell the Security Council that we would prefer to be bombed than slowly killed by sanctions.” Halliday also criticized a U.S. justice system that allows such miscarriage of justice whereby corporate America, which made a great deal of money during the sanctions, is left alone, while Dr. Dhafir, who founded “Help the Needy” (HTN) and sent food aid and medical assistance to the Iraqi people, is prosecuted and sentenced to 22 years in prison. Halliday encouraged audience members to tell others about the case and spread word of the injustice. He is honored to be associated with Dr. Dhafir, he said, and believes it is only a matter of time before Dr. Dhafir’s courage is recognized. Speaking as a member of the local Muslim community, Magda Bayoumi said 150 Muslim families—including her own—were interrogated in their homes on the morning of Dr. Dhafir’s arrest because they had donated to HTN. Bayoumi described how various government agents were sent to individuals according to their immigration status. As an American citizen, Bayoumi was interrogated by FBI agents; INS agents interrogated Muslims who were non-citizens; and Muslims who had their own businesses were interrogated by IRS agents as well as the FBI. As Bayoumi described it, “They had come, not to arrest me, but to intimidate me, and put fear into my heart.” Indeed, she is one of the few members of the Muslim community willing to speak out about her experience on the morning of Dr. Dhafir’s arrest. This writer filled in as a panelist for Dr. Dhafir’s trial lawyer, Joel Cohen, who was unable to fly to Syracuse from New York City because of bad weather. Having attended virtually all of the 17-week trial, I described that incredible experience. A link to a video of the panel discussion can be found at: <www.dhafirtrial.net>. —Katherine Hughes |
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