Settlers take over in Hebron: The Rajabi building becomes a hornets' nest

29 March 2014
by:  Badia Dwaik
Source: Middle East Monitor

The recent decision of the Israeli Supreme Court on 11 March 2014, authorising the purchase of the Rajabi building in the H2 area of the city of Hebron to a group of settlers, has been described by some Palestinians as a clear political move, one which explicitly promotes dangerous settlement expansion in the heart of Hebron.

According to an agreement reached in 1997 between the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Israel, Hebron was divided into two parts: H1 and H2. The H1 area, home to around 140,000 Palestinians, was placed under the control of the Palestinian authorities. The H2 area, which is inhabited by around 30,000 Palestinians and contains significant parts of the commercial centre, as well as Israeli settlements, remained under Israeli military control.

The Rajabi building is located just east of the Ibrahimi Mosque, also known as the Cave of the Patriarchs, in the H2 area of Hebron and serves as a strategic connection point between the Jewish settlement blocks.
 
Hebron is a city that is a powder keg, a city at the core of an on-going ideological and emotional conflict, characterised by recurrent bouts of violence.

The city is home to Majdi Al-Ja'bari, who constructed the home of Fayez Al-Rajabi, which settlers occupied in 2007 before it was evacuated at the end of 2008.

According to Al-Ja'abari, who lives only metres away from the Rajabi building, if settlers return to this area of Hebron the neighbourhood will become a living hell to all of its inhabitants, due to the endless attacks by settlers, who have notoriously terrorised Hebron's Palestinian residents in the past. Bassam Al-Ja'abari, who earns his living as a shoemaker and also lives a few meters' distance from the Rajabi building, describes how settlers have attacked neighbouring Palestinian homes with stones and staged demonstrations full of incitement against Arabs, demanding their expulsion from the area.

Al-Ja'abari further explains how even when he was building the neighbouring house, he was forced to suspend the construction due to pressure from the settlers and their mounting presence in the region, which was furthermore compounded by the backing of the occupation army and police. Al-Ja'abari was then informed by The Civil Administration authority to halt the nearby construction on May 28 2012, in spite of his possession of a building license from the municipality of Hebron. The authorities eventually allowed Al-Ja'abari to proceed with the construction, but only after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha; the decision to allow him to build was in no small part due to the active intervention of many human rights organisations, local and international media, the Palestinian Coordination Office and Bassam Al-Ja'bri's neighbour, who sighs with exasperation: "it is the settlers who are the law in these parts, and not the Israeli army."

As mentioned above, the seizure of the home of Rajabi is part of a settler campaign to link the settlement of Kiryat Arba to Jewish settlements in the heart of the city of Hebron. The Rajabi building will undoubtedly be transformed into a base for organising settler attacks on, and provocations against, Palestinians.
Consequently, Hebron's historic centre will be entirely under the control of the settlers and the Israeli occupation, splintering the Palestinian social fabric of the area into sandwich-like enclaves. Palestinian families, traditionally large and cohesive relations, will become completely separated from one another among the Jewish settlements.

This will also lead to the destruction of the local Palestinian economy, due to the ensuing closure of many shops and markets—an already-alarming trend that has been witnessed by many visitors in recent years. In fact, the Palestinian commercial centre of the H2 neighbourhood has long been rendered into a ghost town, with the ensuing closure of dozens of Palestinian businesses. With the imminent return of the settlers to this controversial piece of Palestinian land, Israel has managed to convert the city of Hebron into a virtual museum of apartheid.

A very basic reading of this scenario does not bode anything but increased suffering for local residents of the neighbourhood and continuing settlement expansion. Furthermore, it indicates that Israel has plans to escalate the situation on the ground through more killings, violence and the other aggressive Israeli policies that constitute Israel's modus operandi in the region.

For the Palestinians, they have nothing else to lose—they will certainly confront the Israeli occupation and will respond with the strongest measures possible. They will unite their factions in popular action and develop a strategy for waging a struggle in the face of the occupation, including peaceful resistance as well as a campaign to expand the international boycott against the government of Israel and its racist policies. Local organisations will be formed to pursue and follow-up on all these actions via a unified national leadership, as in the time of the first intifada.

Herewith, it is important to note that the third intifada was also a Palestinian grassroots response, which was unfortunately sabotaged by violence due to the Palestinian leadership's fragmentation and Israel's policy of escalation—where the goal is to increase bloodshed and prolong the lifespan of the occupation of Palestine.

Link:  www.middleeastmonitor.com/articles/middle-east/10585-settlers-take-over-in-hebron-the-rajabi-building-becomes-a-hornets-nest.

Four wounded as Israeli navy opens fire on Gaza fishing boats

26 March 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

 Four fishermen were wounded and two boats damaged when an Israeli naval force opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats while fishing in the Mediterranean Sea opposite Rafah this morning, witnesses said.
Witnesses said the Israeli navy opened fire at the boats, which fled. The navy then used heavy weapons to damage the boats after they reached land.

Palestinian gunmen at the coast responded to the Israeli fire and heavy shelling. The Israeli forces left after damaging at least two boats.

At first, Palestinian medical sources reported two injuries; however, after firefighters extinguished the fire on the boats, they found two people with moderate injuries.

Israeli sources claimed that the Palestinian fishing boats were travelling from Egypt's Sinai to Gaza and they were smuggling weapons.

Fishermen refuted these claims and said that the Egyptian and Israeli navies have imposed restrictions on them since the ouster of the elected President Mohamed Morsi.

Several Palestinian fishermen have been arrested by Egyptian forces while fishing near the Egyptian borders, or when they have mistakenly travelled a few metres in to the Egyptian territories.

Israeli and Egyptian forces fire at Palestinian fishermen from time to time if they go more than a couple of hundred metres into the sea.

Link:  /www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/africa/10529-four-wounded-as-israeli-navy-opens-fire-on-gaza-fishing-boats.

Land Key as Tatars discuss future plans

March 28,2014
Source: mail.com

SIMFEROPOL, Crimea (AP) — As armed pro-Russian forces spread out across Crimea, Mustafa Maushev joined his Tatar neighbors on a nightly vigil to keep intruders off their property.

Almost exactly 70 years ago, Tatars were expelled from their homeland as a result of one of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's merciless mass deportations of perceived enemies of the state. Decades later, as the Soviet Union was crumbling, many returned and slowly reclaimed their place.

Following a March referendum that ended with Crimea breaking away from Ukraine and being swallowed up by Russia, disquiet is stirring that the Tatars' hard-fought hold over their land could be lost once again.

On Saturday, 250 delegates are gathering in the southern Crimean town of Bakchysarai for a traditional Tatar Qurultay congress to decide whether to hold a referendum on yielding to absorption by Russia or clinging to their Ukrainian citizenship. The former choice might be easier, but few have any illusions.

"Russia is offering us all sorts of nice things. But we understand the essence of the Russian empire, because we are its victims," said Zevget Kutumerov, a Tatar with extensive experience of dealing with land issues. "If (Russian President Vladimir) Putin says a word, they'll pass any law tomorrow. That's what we're afraid of."

One of the Tatars' greatest problems is their legally tenuous control over the land on which they live.
Maushev, a neighborhood delegate to the kurultai, arrived penniless from Uzbekistan in 1989 and was forced to scrabble and find a home for himself.

Linking up with about 100 other homeless Tatars, he pitched a tent in a field on the outskirts of the Crimean capital, Simferopol. Each settler built a "vremyanka," or makeshift hut, which provided just enough shelter for squatters guarding the land overnight.

"About 30 or 40 people kept watch here at night so that nobody would trespass, nobody would come and break down the vremyankas," Maushev said. By the community's own estimates, Tatars on average own two-fifths as much land as ethnic Russians in Crimea. While Tatars account for only 12 percent of the peninsula's population, space still remains tight for younger generations raising large families.

 After a decade-long moratorium in which no group settlements were founded, Crimean Tatars organized thousands of land seizures in 2006, as the children of the first wave of migrants grew up, made families, and felt cramped in the old settlements.

"I was living in an apartment with my mother, grandmother, everyone — female warfare, every day," said Sedomed Setumerov, who lives about a kilometer down the road from Maushev in a newer settlement. Yet regardless of how the kurultai dictates Tatars should determine their fealty, whatever victories the community has scored in securing land may yet be lost. Many Tatars worry that Russian laws will limit their ability to press for the government to recognized their land ownership.

In Russia, heavy fines are levied on those who participate in unsanctioned protests, which often end within minutes as demonstrators are swept brutally away. Setumerov moved here in 2010, and now lives in a self-built house with his wife and his three young children. The vast field around them, empty but for the identical but crumbling vremyanki on equal plots of land, gives it the air of a ghost town.

They have lived for three years without running water or electricity, using a generator that has enough gusto for a few lamps and a television but not for a washing machine. They are waiting for the government to recognize them as the owners of the land, which will allow them to use electricity and water from the public grid.

Setumerov acknowledges the wait may be long — especially now that Russia has annexed Crimea — but says it's worth it. "I'd still rather live in a vremyanka," he said. "At least it's quiet and the air is fresh."

Crimea's Tartars condemn annexation,seek autonomy

March 24,2014
Source: Mail.com

BAKCHYSARAI, Crimea (AP) — Leaders of Crimea's Tatar minority gathered Saturday to condemn Russia's annexation of the peninsula and appealed to international bodies for recognition as an autonomous group.

Tatars, an ethnically Turkic and mainly Muslim group that was subjected to mass deportation from their native Crimea by Soviet leader Josef Stalin in 1944, gathered to forge a collective response to Russia's absorption of their native region.

Decisions on whether to accept Russian citizenship and possible participation in a Moscow-loyal government were deferred as the community further contemplates its options. But the forum of about 250 delegates underscored difficulties Russia will face in integrating a community that resisted annexation and largely boycotted the March 16 referendum to join Russia.

According to the most recent Ukrainian national census, carried out in 2001, the 245,000-strong Tatar community accounted for 12 percent of Crimea's population. But anecdotal evidence of higher birth rates and a continued return of Tatars from exile in Central Asia suggest those figures may have grown markedly since then.

The Kremlin decision to annex this strategic Black Sea region, which has a large Russian majority, was backed by rhetoric of national self-determination, as Moscow argued that pro-Russian Crimeans had the right to break away from Ukraine.

"Recently, all decisions (by Russia) have been based on the presupposed right of every nation to self-determination," said Refat Chubarov, the leader of the Crimean Tatar governing body. "One must now conclude that the Crimean Tatar people also have that right."

Chubarov also appealed to the international community to recognize the Crimean Tatars as a "national territorial autonomy," but fell short of demanding a referendum on independence or allegiance to Ukraine.
Yet the vociferous tone of the delegates who spoke demonstrated the lingering rage within the Tatar community. "Russia turned us out three times," Aishe Setmetova, an elderly woman in a knit sweater, bellowed from the stage. "They think of us as worthless objects. I do not believe in Russia."

Crimea's Tatars began to return to their native peninsula in the late 1980s with the breakup of the Soviet Union. The population is growing fast compared to the ageing Russian population and presents the Kremlin with a long-term problem of integration.

Russia and the local Crimean government have assured Tatars that their rights will be fully respected on the peninsula. Tatar is to be elevated to one of the three state languages and the community has been given loose assurances it will be guaranteed a prominent political status.

But Tatars, who ruled the peninsula from the 15th century until the Russian Empire took it over in the 18th century, remain deeply skeptical of Moscow's intentions. "We, as the native people of this land, shouldn't collaborate with an occupying power," congress delegate Ilver Ametov said.

"Ukraine, too, wasn't our home, but at least it was a democracy," he said. "There's a story we have about the dog who ran to Moscow because things were better over there, but ran back to Ukraine because at least here he's allowed to bark."

Settlers prepare move into key E.Jerusalem site

March 27, 2014 
By Majeda el-Batsh
Source: Yahoo News

Jerusalem (AFP) - Radical Jewish settlers are readying to move into a major property in the commercial heart of annexed east Jerusalem, overlooking the walls of the Old City, officials have told AFP.

A large part of the property, which also houses east Jerusalem's main post office and an Israeli police station, was purchased last year by a radical settler group called Ateret Cohanim, which bought it from Israel's Bezeq telecoms company.

Located on the corner of Salah al-Din and Sultan Suleiman in the busy centre of east Jerusalem just outside the Old City walls, the property is currently being converted into a Jewish seminary, or yeshiva, an Israeli official and Palestinian workers told AFP. 

Ateret Cohanim actively works to settle as many Jews as possible in densely populated Palestinian areas in and around the Old City. 

The purchase was first reported in Israel's Haaretz newspaper, which published part of an email in which Ateret Cohanim’s Executive Director Daniel Luria contacted supporters to announce the acquisition of more than 1,000 square metres (10,760 square feet) in "a very large and strategic building" just outside the Old City.

Speaking to AFP, an Israeli official confirmed the group had bought parts of the property and was currently carrying out renovations in order to have it ready for occupancy before the week-long Passover festival begins in mid-April.

 "They are now renovating it for the yeshiva and for a school to prepare Orthodox Jews for military service," he told AFP. "They are trying to set it all up before Passover on April 13."

Contacted by AFP, a spokesman for Bezeq refused to confirm who was behind the purchase. 

"We will not disclose the identity of the buyers," he said.

Luria declined to speak to AFP.

The building is currently being renovated by Palestinian workers under the supervision of Israeli technicians and engineers. 

"We work day and night. It is almost ready," said one worker who refused to give his name.

Local shopkeepers said they had been aware of the plan for several months. 

"We found out four months ago from the workers that settlers had purchased the property and are turning it into a yeshiva," said Adel al-Sharbati, who owns a nearby mobile phone shop and spoke of a sense of powerlessness.

"They’re the strong ones here -- who should we complain to?" he told AFP, saying it was likely to raise tensions in the area. 

"The whole area will be affected negatively once they're here," he added.

 

California Senate suspends 3 Democratic lawmakers

12 hours ago
 By DON THOMPSON
Source: Yahoo News

 

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The California Senate voted Friday to suspend three lawmakers caught up in separate criminal cases after the latest one to be hauled into court refused to step down, the most serious house-cleaning action the chamber has taken in more than a century.

Friday's 28-1 vote in the 40-member chamber came amid one of the most severe ethical crises in modern times for the Legislature in the nation's most populous state. Later in the day, Gov. Jerry Brown also called on the three lawmakers to resign.

The Senate leadership said that before Friday, the chamber had never suspended a lawmaker in the institution's 164-year history, but it has taken the more serious step of expelling lawmakers, the last time in 1905. The Assembly speaker's office said that chamber has never suspended or expelled a lawmaker.

The resolution prevents Democratic Sens. Ron Calderon and Leland Yee, who face federal corruption charges, and Democratic Sen. Rod Wright, who is awaiting sentencing in a voter fraud case, from exercising any power of their office until the criminal cases against them have been resolved. Even so, they will continue receiving their $95,291 annual salaries.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento acknowledged the public criticism of the chamber, but he defended his leadership and the integrity of the 37 senators who have not run afoul of the law. Nevertheless, he said he has been shocked by having 7 percent of the chamber face felony charges this year, which will be his last as leader.

"One is an anomaly, two is a coincidence. Three? That's not what this Senate is about," Steinberg said to lawmakers before the vote.

 Yee, who had championed gun-control legislation and bills targeting violent video games sold to minors, is the latest of the three senators to be charged. The San Francisco Democrat was charged in a federal criminal complaint this week with accepting bribes and coordinating an international gun-running operation.

Yee's attorney, Paul F. DeMeester, issued a statement immediately after the Senate vote saying suspension was "the right step for now" because it acknowledges the presumption of innocence. Representatives for Calderon and Wright said they would have no comment on the suspension vote.

Later Friday, in a statement issued by the Democratic governor's office, Brown weighed in for the first time since Yee's arrest.

"Given the extraordinary circumstances of these cases — and today's unprecedented suspensions — the best way to restore public confidence is for these Senators to resign," Brown said.

Steinberg noted that the Senate already has "intensive" ethics training for its lawmakers and staff.

 "But there are some things, members, that you just can't teach," he said. "I know of no ethics class that teaches about the illegality or the danger of gun-running or other such sordid activities."

Steinberg also announced an unprecedented step of cancelling a Senate floor session in April for a mandatory ethics review, saying it is time for the Senate to "take a deeper look at our culture."

Senate officials will go office-by-office to emphasize ethical conduct and to ask staffers to come forward if they are aware of any unethical or potentially criminal activity by lawmakers or Senate staffers.

The lone lawmaker to vote against the resolution, SR38, was Republican Sen. Joel Anderson of Alpine. One senator was present but did not vote, and nine were absent, including all three senators who were suspended. One seat is vacant.

Anderson argued that all three should be expelled outright and said it was wrong that they should continue receiving their salaries when facing such serious charges.

"If you reward bad behavior, you will get more of it," Anderson said.

Calderon and Wright previously took leaves of absence, which also let them keep their pay. The California Constitution says lawmakers can lose their pay only if they are expelled or resign.

The suspensions drop Senate Democrats below the two-thirds majority they won in the last election, a supermajority that allowed them to act in all matters without needing support from Republicans.

The vote comes just days after federal authorities arrested Yee as part of a broader corruption probe centered on San Francisco's Chinatown district.

Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff, R-Diamond Bar, said he supports a proposed constitutional amendment, introduced by Steinberg on Friday, which would allow the Legislature to withhold members' pay if they are suspended.

Yee was arrested and released on bond Wednesday following a series of raids in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area. He is accused of accepting more than $42,000 to provide introductions, influence legislation and for introducing an undercover FBI agent to an arms trafficker, according to an FBI affidavit that says Yee was also known as "Uncle Leland."

Investigators said Yee discussed helping the agent get weapons, including shoulder-fired missiles, from a Muslim separatist group in the Philippines to help pay off campaign debts.

Wright was convicted of voter fraud and perjury and faces sentencing in May. Calderon faces federal charges for allegedly accepting $100,000 in bribes for friends and family in exchange for pushing certain bills.

Democratic Sen. Kevin de Leon of Los Angeles, who is expected to succeed Steinberg as Senate leader later this year, defended the chamber's reputation and noted that none of the bills Calderon pushed as a favor to those who were giving him cash passed the Senate.

That shows that the legislative system actually worked, he said.

 "This is the best legislative institution in the country, hands down," de Leon said. "And we're going to get past it."

The only similar situation faced by the Legislature in recent memory is the so-called "Shrimpscam" investigation in 1985, in which federal agents went undercover and posed as representatives of a phony shrimp-processing company. Five lawmakers resigned and went to prison for taking bribes in the FBI sting operation.

The Senate last expelled lawmakers in 1905, when four senators were ousted for malfeasance involving bribery. Only one other senator has been expelled. In 1850 during the first legislative session after California gained statehood, a senator violated Senate rules by failing to show up for sessions for more than 10 days, according to Steinberg's office.

The 80-member Assembly has never expelled a member and considered doing so only once, officials said. That was in 1899, when an expulsion vote failed against Howard E. Wright, who represented Alameda County. Wright had been indicted on bribery charges but was not convicted.

 ___

Associated Press writer Tom Verdin contributed to this report.

California state senator arrested in FBI sweep

March 28, 2014 
 By Dan Levine and Sharon Bernstein
Source: Yahoo News

SAN FRANCISCO/SACRAMENTO (Reuters) - A prominent California lawmaker was arrested on Wednesday in an FBI sweep that netted 26 people, a high-profile case that could affect statewide elections and brings to three the number of Democratic state senators who face criminal charges this year.

Senator Leland Yee, a former San Francisco supervisor and one-time mayoral candidate, was criminally charged in federal court in San Francisco with two felony counts of conspiring to import and traffic in firearms, and six corruption counts.

Yee was released on $500,000 bond and declined to comment on the case.

A criminal complaint posted online by the U.S. Attorney office for the Northern District of California alleges that Yee did favors for an undercover FBI agent in exchange for campaign contributions. The complaint alleges that Yee also offered to facilitate a meeting between the undercover agent and an arms dealer, and discussed the types of weapons that the undercover agent might need.

Yee's arrest deals a body blow to California Democrats, whose two-thirds majority in the state Senate was eroded when Senator Ron Calderon, indicted on corruption charges, and State Senator Rod Wright, found guilty of voter fraud, took paid leaves of absence earlier this year.

Democrats control large majorities in both houses of the state legislature and all statewide offices, but having a third senator under a cloud could seriously undermine the party's ability to push key projects in an election year.

"If I were advising the Democrats at this time I would say, 'Pull back everything big until you get the supermajority back,'" said Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a political analyst at the University of Southern California. "I wouldn't get into immigration, I would not get into water or anything they would need to negotiate with the Republicans."

Republican lawmakers, who hardly have had any say in state government since the Democrats won a so-called super-majority with two-thirds of the seats in the legislature, had harsh words not only for Yee but for the Democratic leadership that has refused to oust Wright and Calderon, putting them instead on paid leaves of absence.

"It's a shame that some people misuse the privilege to serve the people that has been entrusted to them," said state senator Andy Vidak, who has led the Republican charge to oust Wright and Calderon.

Democratic senators, for their part, called on Yee to resign. "I want Leland Yee gone," Democratic leader Darrell Steinberg was quoted as saying in several media outlets, including the San Francisco Chronicle.

MORE ARRESTS
Federal authorities also arrested Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow, alleged to be the head of a Chinese organized crime syndicate, and two dozen other people, Melinda Haag, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, said in statement late Wednesday.

A political consultant who worked with Yee, Keith Jackson, was also arrested and faces numerous charges including firearms trafficking, involvement in a murder-for-hire case and corruption, according to the complaint and press release.

Yee, a San Francisco Democrat, is running for Secretary of State and had been considered a strong candidate in a big field of both Democrats and Republicans. It is not yet clear how his arrest will affect that race.

In their complaint, prosecutors allege that Yee, trying to raise money to retire debt from his failed 2011 mayoral campaign, did favors for an undercover FBI agent who said he needed a phone call made to the California Department of Public Health in order to be favorably considered for a contract.

The complaint also alleged that after an undercover agent told Jackson that he needed to purchase a large number of weapons, Jackson said Yee could facilitate a meeting with an arms dealer in exchange for a contribution.

"During a meeting with the undercover agent, Yee and Jackson allegedly discussed details of the specific types of weapons the undercover agent was interested in buying and importing," the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Throughout the early part of the day, the hallway outside of Yee's office at the state capitol in Sacramento was crowded with reporters and other onlookers hoping for a glimpse of FBI agents working behind a closed door. Agents began searching Yee's office early Wednesday morning, the FBI said.

Yee, a child psychologist with a PhD., emigrated to San Francisco from China at the age of 3.

(Reporting by Dan Levine in San Francisco and Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento; Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis and Ken Wills)

 

California lawmaker faces gun, corruption charges

March 27, 2014
By PAUL ELIAS and SUDHIN THANAWALA
Source: Yahoo News

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A state senator who authored gun control legislation asked for campaign donations in exchange for introducing an undercover FBI agent to an arms trafficker, according to court documents.

The allegations against Sen. Leland Yee were outlined in an FBI criminal complaint that names 25 other defendants, including Raymond Chow, a onetime gang leader with ties to San Francisco's Chinatown known as "Shrimp Boy," and Keith Jackson, Yee's campaign aide. The affidavit accuses Yee of conspiracy to deal firearms without a license and to illegally import firearms.

Yee is also accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions and cash payments to provide introductions, help a client get a contract and influence legislation. He or members of his campaign staff accepted at least $42,800 in cash or campaign contributions from undercover FBI agents in exchange for carrying out the agents' specific requests, the court documents allege.

Investigators said in documents released Wednesday that Yee discussed helping the agent get weapons worth $500,000 to $2.5 million, including shoulder-fired missiles, and explained the entire process of acquiring them from a Muslim separatist group in the Philippines to bringing them to the U.S., according to an affidavit by FBI agent Emmanuel V. Pascua.

Yee said he was unhappy with his life and told the agent he wanted to hide out in the Philippines, the document said. "There's a part of me that wants to be like you," he told the undercover agent. "You know how I'm going to be like you? Just be a free agent there."

The introduction with the trafficker took place at a San Francisco restaurant earlier this month, according to the documents. Yee said he wouldn't go to the Philippines until November.

"Once things start to move, it's going to attract attention. We just got to be extra-extra careful," he said, according to court documents.

Chow and Yee were arrested Wednesday during a series of raids in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Yee was released from custody shortly before 7 p.m. on a $500,000 unsecured bond. He left the federal courthouse in San Francisco without comment.

His lawyer, Paul DeMeester, said Lee plans to plead not guilty but declined to discuss the case in detail, saying it's complex. The complaint is 137 pages.

"The top priority was to get the senator released, and we were able to accomplish that," DeMeester said. 

"The future will hold a lot of work facing this case."

 Jackson, a former San Francisco school board president and well-known political consultant who raised money for Yee's unsuccessful mayoral run in 2011 and his current bid for secretary of state, remained in custody.

Jackson, 49, did not enter a plea Wednesday as the FBI accused him of being involved in a murder-for-hire scheme and trafficking guns and drugs. He was denied bail and is due back in court Monday.

Yee was shackled at the ankles when he appeared in court Wednesday afternoon with 19 other defendants. His demeanor was downcast, and he looked nervously into the packed gallery.

Yee was charged with six counts of depriving the public of honest services and one count of conspiracy to traffic in guns without a license. If convicted on all the counts, he faces up to 125 years in prison.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, flanked by 14 other Democratic senators at a news conference in his Capitol office, called on Yee to resign from the Senate or face suspension.

 "Don't burden your colleagues and this great institution with your troubles. Leave," Steinberg said.

According to court documents, Yee performed "official acts" in exchange for donations from undercover FBI agents, as he sought to dig himself out of a $70,000 debt incurred during a failed San Francisco mayoral bid in 2011.

Yee is also accused of accepting $10,000 in January 2013 from an undercover FBI agent in exchange for making a call to the California Department of Public Health in support of a contract it was considering.

The agent who discussed arms with Yee presented himself as a member of Ghee Kung Tong, a fraternal organization in San Francisco's Chinatown that Chow headed. It was among the sites searched Wednesday.

Firefighters were seen going inside with a circular saw and later said they had cracked a safe. FBI agents exited with boxes and trash bags full of evidence that they loaded into an SUV.

 Chow is accused of money laundering, conspiracy to receive and transport stolen property, and conspiracy to traffic contraband cigarettes.

He was denied bail because he was deemed a flight risk and a danger to the public. The Department of Homeland Security has been trying to deport Chow, who is not a U.S. citizen, since he was released from prison in 2005.

Yee, 65, represents western San Francisco and much of San Mateo County. He is best known for his efforts to strengthen open records, government transparency and whistleblower protection laws, including legislation to close a loophole in state public records laws after the CSU Stanislaus Foundation refused to release its $75,000 speaking contract with former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in 2010.

Yee's arrest came as a shock to Chinese-Americans who see the senator as a pioneering leader in the community and a mainstay of San Francisco politics, said David Lee, director of the Chinese American Voters Education Committee.

"People are waiting to see what happens, and they are hoping for the best, that the charges turn out not to be true," said Lee, whose organization held a get-out-the-vote event with Yee and other officials just last week.

 For his efforts to uphold the California Public Records Act, Yee was honored last week by the Northern California chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

Yee has at times clashed with fellow Democrats for casting votes of conscience, refusing to support the Democratic budget proposal in 2011 because of its deep cuts to education, social services and education.

He also opposed legislation by a fellow Democrat, Assemblyman Paul Fong of Cupertino, that banned the sale of shark fins used for Chinese shark fin soup, saying that it unfairly targeted the Chinese-American community.

Yee is among three Democrats running this year for secretary of state, the office that oversees elections and campaign finance reporting.

A man was charged last year for threatening Yee over legislation that he proposed to limit rapid reloading of assault weapons. Lee also authored legislation that that would have required the state to study safe storage of firearms.

Chow acknowledged in an unpublished autobiography that he ran prostitution rings in the 1980s, smuggled drugs and extorted thousands from business owners as a Chinatown gang member, KGO-TV reported two years ago.

In 1992, he was among more than two dozen people indicted on racketeering charges for their alleged involvement in crimes ranging from teenage prostitution to an international drug trade mostly involving heroin.

Chow was later convicted of gun charges and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. He spent 11 years in prison and was released in 2003 after he cut a deal with the government to testify against another high-ranking associate.

___

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Garance Burke, Terry Collins, Jason Dearen and Channing Joseph in San Francisco; and Judy Lin, Fenit Nirappil and Juliet Williams in Sacramento.

 

Excerpts from FBI California corruption case docs

March 26, 2014
Source: Yahoo News

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The FBI on Wednesday filed a 137-page affidavit outlining a detailed corruption case against a California state senator who is accused of asking for campaign donations in exchange for introducing an undercover agent to an arms trafficker. The affidavit names Sen. Leland Yee and 25 others, including Raymond Chow, a onetime gang leader with ties to San Francisco's Chinatown known as "Shrimp Boy," and Keith Jackson, Yee's campaign aide. Jackson is accused of multiple counts of fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud.

Excerpts:

--Pg. 24: In connection with efforts to retire the mayoral campaign debt, Senator Yee and Keith Jackson agreed that Senator Yee would make a telephone call to a manager with the California Department of Public Health in support of a contract under consideration with (the undercover agent's) purported client, and would provide an official letter of support for the client, in exchange for a $10,000 campaign donation. Senator Yee made the call on Oct. 18, 2012 and provided the letter on or about Jan. 13, 2013.

--Pg. 94-95: Yee said, "People want to get whatever they want to get. Do I care? No, I don't care. People need certain things."

Yee told the undercover agent that he believed the more people involved in the weapons deal, the greater the chances he would be implicated.

The agent told Yee he had just as much to lose if he was caught. The agent told Yee he had a great life and would not do anything to jeopardize his lifestyle.

Yee said he was unhappy with his life and said, "There's a part of me that wants to be like you. You know how I'm going to be like you? Just be a free agent there."

Yee told the agent that he wanted to hide out in the Philippines. Jackson reiterated the importance of having the agent meet with the arms dealer. Yee said he would arrange for the agent to meet with the arms dealer.

--Pg. 97: At a restaurant Yee told the undercover agent that he appreciated his support and said, "I can be of help to you for eight years. I think eight years is a lot better than 10 months." Yee said that if he lost in his bid for secretary of state he wanted to move into the private sector and exploit all of the relationships he had in Asia for various kinds of activities.

--Pg. 98-99: (The undercover agent) asked about the availability of shoulder fired missiles or rockets. Senator Yee responded "I told him about rocket launchers and things like that." Senator Yee asked (the agent) to provide an inventory list of desired weapons and he would see what they can do.

--Pg. 101: On March 11, 2014 the agent met with Yee, Jackson and Lim (the alleged weapons trafficker) at a restaurant and Yee said no weapons deal could take place until after the secretary of state election in November. Yee and Lim also encouraged the agent to deal in smaller amounts of weapons to avoid unwanted attention in the Philippines.

Yee also said he wouldn't go to the Philippines until November. Yee said, "Once things start to move, it's going to attract attention. We just got to be extra-extra careful."

On March 14, 2014, the agent met again with Yee, Jackson and an associate at a restaurant. Yee and Jackson discussed how they would break up the large sum of cash provided by the agent into legitimate campaign donations.

_____

The full affidavit can be read at http://1.usa.gov/OWdbRj

FBI: California state senator took bribes

March 26, 2014
By PAUL ELIAS
Source: Yahoo News

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Court documents say a California state senator or members of his campaign staff accepted at least $42,800 in cash or campaign contributions from undercover FBI agents in exchange for carrying out the agents' specific requests.

The allegations against State Sen. Leland Yee were outlined in an FBI affidavit in support of a criminal complaint unsealed Wednesday. The affidavit accuses Yee and his campaign aide, Keith Jackson, of multiple counts of fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud.

The first alleged installment of $5,000 came in 2011, during Yee's failed San Francisco mayoral bid. Yee is accused of accepting tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions and cash payments to provide introductions, help a client get a contract and influence legislation.

The affidavit names him and 25 other people. Yee was arrested Wednesday during raids in Northern California.

 

Gun control advocates: Lawmaker arrest is setback

15 hours ago 
 By DON THOMPSON
Source: Yahoo News

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gun-control groups said Thursday they were trying to find a new legislative leader to champion firearms restrictions after one of their most outspoken supporters was charged in a federal gun-trafficking case.

People on both sides of the gun control issue said the charges against state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, may slow consideration of gun legislation this year.

"Ironically, while he's being charged with gun trafficking, next to (U.S. Sen.) Dianne Feinstein he was probably the second most outspoken gun control advocate. This really leaves us scrambling for someone to pick up that mantle," said Paul Song, executive chairman of Courage Campaign, a nonprofit advocacy group.

"If it wasn't so sad it would be comical. But what we're really worried about is that this will further destroy the momentum for gun control here in California."

Yee was arrested and later freed on bond Wednesday as federal authorities unsealed charges against 26 defendants, including Keith Jackson, Yee's campaign aide.

Yee's attorney, Paul DeMeester, has said Yee plans to plead not guilty. His legislative spokesman, Dan Lieberman, did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Jackson, a former San Francisco school board president, did not enter a plea Wednesday as the FBI accused him of being involved in a murder-for-hire scheme and trafficking guns and drugs. He was denied bail and is due back in court Monday.

Court documents allege that Yee sought campaign donations in exchange for introducing an undercover FBI agent to an arms trafficker. An FBI affidavit says Yee talked with the undercover agent about acquiring weapons worth $500,000 to $2.5 million, including shoulder-fired missiles, from a Muslim separatist group in the Philippines.

Organizers said the arrest of Yee particularly clouds the future of two of his gun control bills.

Yee's SB47 would prohibit the use of so-called bullet buttons and other devices that allow for swift reloading of military-style assault weapons. His SB108 would require the state Department of Justice to study safe firearm storage methods. Both stalled in the Assembly last year.

"I feel very dismayed and upset," said Amanda Wilcox, an advocate for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, whose daughter was a victim of gun violence.

But, "his actions don't make what is good policy any less good policy," she added.

Her husband, Nick Wilcox, said advocates are exploring other ways to move Yee's bills forward. He said he can't argue with opponents who view the alleged actions as the height of hypocrisy.

"If these allegations are true, Sen. Yee is easily the biggest hypocrite on gun control to walk the halls of the Capitol in Sacramento, if not the entire United States," the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said on its website.

Sam Paredes, executive director of Gun Owners of California, said he was saddened by the damage done to the Legislature as a political and governmental institution. He said Yee's arrest may give other advocates pause.

"Denying law-abiding citizens semi-automatic firearms ... and then to funnel guns for illegal activity is the height of hypocrisy," Paredes said. "There's no other way to describe it, because it's just (like) a movie script."

Saudi Arabia Isn't America's Friend

Mar 26, 2014
By The Editors
Source: Bloomberg View


Comments: The title of this article is misleading. Both the regimes of Arabia and The United States are members of the same team-the team of the NWO (New World Order). Just as the Democrats and Republicans are team mates within the team of NWO-the regimes of different nation states (which sometimes behave like they are hostile towards each other) are also team mates within the NWO team. The NWO play mind games against the public-both domestically within the U.S.-as well as internationally. "Bloomberg"  is obviously one of many mouthpieces of the NWO. With this article it is being an active player in the mind games of The New World Order (a.k.a. The Illuminati). There is some interesting information within the article itself. It is for this reason that I am sharing it in this blog. Here is the article:

"U.S. President Barack Obama is scheduled to meet with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah tomorrow, and the president's critics have been sounding a warning: By parting with the Saudis on Egypt, Syria and Iran, they say, his administration is endangering a vital alliance. The truth is, the relationship with Saudi Arabia is overdue for a recalibration.

"The U.S. and Saudi Arabia still have common interests -- in fighting terrorism, for example -- and Saudi Arabia's oil wealth means it will hold disproportionate sway in Washington for years to come. But neither Obama nor his critics (nor, for that matter, Saudis themselves) should kid themselves. Saudi Arabia is not a natural ally of the U.S., and probably never has been.

"The current landscape puts in stark relief just how anomalous the relationship is. When the Saudis look around the region, they see rebellions that unseated autocrats, like them, in Tunisia and Egypt. The U.S. generally welcomed these developments. Meanwhile, the one uprising that Saudi's Sunni royalty supports -- in Syria, against Syria's non-Sunni dictator -- is failing, and the Saudis resent the U.S. for not intervening decisively.

"On Iran, the Americans and Saudis stood together when the country's government was led by the pugnacious Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. President Hassan Rouhani's election, however, created an opening for a diplomatic resolution to the dispute over Iran's nuclear program, splitting U.S. and Saudi interests. The U.S. wants the talks to succeed to avoid a war with Iran. The Saudis hope they fail so its Shiite archrival will remain the subject of sanctions if not attacks.

"By complaining that Obama turned his back on Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak after Egyptians rose up against him, Saudi leaders betray both an exaggerated sense of U.S. influence and an unwillingness to consider what democratic reforms they might make to avoid Mubarak's fate. Might they consider, for example, allowing national elections? How about peaceful demonstrations? How about giving women equal rights to men?

"For decades, Saudi rulers have been able to rely on their oil wealth both to pacify their population and smooth their relationship with the U.S. This tool, however, is not what it used to be. Increasing internal demand means the Saudis have less oil to sell abroad. And the U.S., by importing more crude from sources such as Canada and Mexico and exploiting its own shale oil reserves, has reduced its reliance on Saudi oil.

None of this is to argue that the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have nothing in common. It is in U.S. interests for the Saudis to continue supplying oil to U.S. allies that need it, and for the Saudis to use their spare production capacity to keep prices stable. For their part, the Saudis have to sell oil to someone, as oil revenue supports 80 percent of their budget, and keeping prices reasonable discourages investments in shale oil and alternative energy sources.

"The two countries also share a strong interest in combating terrorism, particularly by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the most serious terrorist threat to both. It benefits neither to scale back their close counterterrorism cooperation, which includes U.S. drone operations out of a base in Saudi Arabia.

The U.S.-Saudi relationship is one the region's oldest, and has a storied past. Obama and Abdullah can be expected to celebrate that history at their meeting. The future of the partnership, however, will require a realistic accounting of their mutual and divergent goals.

Link: http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-03-26/saudi-arabia-isn-t-america-s-friend?cmpid=yhoo.

Ahead of vote, Erdogan paints picture of Turkey besieged by enemies

19 hours ago
By Ralph Boulton
Source: Yahoo News

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - To the adulation of the cheering crowds at his election rallies, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan paints a picture of an "evil alliance" plotting to topple him and break Turkey. In another place, on another day, his chief rival portrays him as a rogue doomed to jail or exile.

Sunday's local polls have taken on a significance far beyond what anyone could have dreamt before a graft scandal broke around Erdogan with police raids in December. Emerging from the harsh rhetoric of what can now scarcely pass as debate is a vision of two Turkeys that are scarcely compatible.

Elections will be held across Turkey, a Muslim NATO state of huge significance to Europe and the United States because of its place on the edge of a volatile Middle East; but Erdogan's fate is in essence a tale of two cities, the capital Ankara and the city seen as the treasure chest of Turkish politics, Istanbul.

"The polls this weekend are truly critical," a senior government official told Reuters.

"The results in Ankara and Istanbul will be serious indications of the future of the government as well as the decisions concerning presidential elections and early general elections," said the official, who declined to be named.

"Everyone knows that in this election it is not the parties that are being voted on, but Erdogan and his rivals."

As an ex-mayor of Istanbul himself, Erdogan is all too aware of this and has stepped up his campaign with evening rallies, his voice becoming hoarser as the days go by.

Sunday will be the first electoral test since a harsh crackdown on summer anti-government protests and a graft scandal fed by anonymous Internet postings of hacked Erdogan telephone calls. The prime minister accuses the secretive Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, who lives in the United States, of manipulating recordings to give the impression of corrupt acts.

 "If AK loses Istanbul, he is in dire straits," said Today's Zaman newspaper commentator Yavuz Baydar, remarking on what he sees as silent concern about Erdogan among some in the party since the summer riots. "If he loses Istanbul, a lot of people will begin to stick their heads up out of the trenches."

FEAR OF RETURN TO CHAOS

Erdogan created the AK Party in 2001, a virtual 'emergency coalition' of conservative religious Muslims, nationalists and reforming center-right elements. At polls a year later, it dealt a crushing blow to traditional secular parties mired in graft and economic failures from which they have yet to recover.

He remains the figure who holds AK together. Even opponents who wish him gone fear his departure could herald the disintegration not only of AK but also of the broader party political landscape, with a return to the chaotic coalitions and economic crises of the 1990s.

In the absence of reliable polls, the outcome in the European Union candidate state is uncertain.

Turkish stocks and the lira, hit by the graft scandal and the related power struggle with Gulen, rose on Wednesday on what traders saw as likely success for Erdogan's party, with the promise of a more settled political climate.

A vote significantly above the 40 percent that AK won in the last local elections in 2009 would probably secure Istanbul and Ankara, and could encourage Erdogan to run for the first directly-elected presidency in August.

That, however, would have its risks.

 AK won almost 50 percent of the vote in the 2011 general election, but there are doubts whether he could match that to win outright in a first round of presidential polls. If opposition forces then united behind a single candidate in the runoff, Erdogan could lose.

Erdogan must also reckon with the unpredictable effects of further Internet postings. There is no firm evidence so far that the tapes have had any substantial effect on his popularity and supporters argue that, with their murky provenance and the implications for state security of hacking confidential state communications, they could even turn people against Gulen and rally them behind Erdogan.

If AK's support slips on Sunday, he might take the cautious path of changing party rules to allow him to run for a fourth term as prime minister in next year's parliamentary election.

The opposition CHP, having suffered three successive defeats to Erdogan, believes Turkey will turn against him over the graft scandal and his moves to purge the police force, strengthen the internal intelligence agency loyal to him and ban Twitter to impede the release of any more tapes.

A KIND OF COUP?

CHP head Kemal Kilicdaroglu said Erdogan was leading Turkey into another period of dictatorship.

"He will do or say anything because he is fighting for his life, because he knows full well what will happen if he loses power," he told Reuters at a rally. "He knows that he will be jailed. He would most likely have to flee the country."

Erdogan has criss-crossed Turkey excoriating his former ally Gulen as the engineer of a stream of anonymous Internet postings of tapped calls implicating him and his family in graft. Erdogan says the tapes were manipulated to give a false impression.

At a rally in Istanbul, he described Gulen's Hizmet network, which played a key role in Erdogan's early reforms, notable for pressing the army out of politics, as a terrorist organisation locked in an "alliance of evil" with the main opposition parties.

While the CHP, the nationalist MHP and the Kurdish BDP party hold their final rallies, none quite as colourful and dramatic as Erdogan's, Hizmet will not be visible on any podium, or anywhere else, for that matter.

Through its schools and business activities, Hizmet has over decades built up a covert network in most areas of state. Gulen compares it with a fully democratic pressure group, denies involvement in the police graft investigation and says he has no intention of forming a political party.

Polls suggest in any case it would gain few votes.

Link:  http://news.yahoo.com/ahead-vote-erdogan-paints-picture-turkey-besieged-enemies-123010766.html.

Fatah welcomes Al-Sisi decision to run for president

27 March 2014
Source: Middle East Monitor

Palestinian Secular movement Fatah hailed the decision of the Egyptian military-coup leader Abdul-Fattah Al-Sisi to run for presidential elections, a statement issued today said.

Deputy Secretary of Fatah's Executive Committee Jibrel Al-Rajoub said in the statement: "We welcome Abdul-Fatah Al-Sisi's decision to run for the upcoming presidential elections. We affirm that he is able to regain Egypt's prestige in the region."

Al-Rajoub claimed Al-Sisi has regained Egypt's regional role and that afforded "national guarantees for Egyptians, Arabs and Muslims". He acknowledged that Al-Sisi has maintained Egypt's unity since the ouster of the freely elected president Mohammed Morsi.

Fatah's prominent leader continued: "We believe in his regional vision, through which he is able to lead Egypt to stability...and will help the Egyptians and the Palestinians to encounter the Israeli occupation at this critical time."

He stressed that the Egyptian people's democratic choice should be respected in the upcoming elections. That, Al-Rajoub said, would help build modern Egypt, which would be protected by the Egyptian people and their "great army".

"We are looking forward a freely elected Egyptian president who will be able to protect Egypt and regain its leading role in the region as a leader for the Arab nation," he said.

Al-Sisi carried out a coup d'état against Morsi on July 3, 2013. Since then he has supressed the Egyptians who refused the coup and killed more than 5,000.

Since the coup, crowds of Egyptians have taken to the streets everyday to protest against the coup. Egyptian authorities have now enacted a law against protesters and held mass trials against anti-coup nationals.

Earlier this week, an Egyptian court sentenced 529 Egyptians who were against the coup to death for claims that they took part in killing a policeman. The trial lasted two days.

Link:  www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/10548-fatah-welcomes-al-sisi-decision-to-run-for-president.

Singing and Music: Islamic View

Source: onislam

Given that your objection revolves mainly around music and why it is permissible, here is the clarification for that in the light of fatwa issued by Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi:

 The whole issue of singing is controversial, whether it is with musical accompaniment or not. Some issues succeeded to gain the Muslim scholars’ agreement, while others failed. All scholars have unanimous view on the prohibition of all forms of singing and music that incites debauchery, indecency, or sin. As for musical instruments, given the weakness of the evidence indicating that they are forbidden, the rule to be applied here is the one states that all things are originally deemed permissible as long as there is no Shari`ah text that prohibits them.

Singing is no more than melodious words; if these are good, singing is considered good; but if they are bad, such singing is deemed bad. Talk that contains forbidden content is prohibited. What if that talk is accompanied with rhythm and melody?

Scholars agree on the permissibility of singing without instrumental accompaniment and where the content is not prohibited. This sort of singing is allowed only in certain occasions such as: weddings, feasts, welcoming a traveler, and the like. This is based on the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) that states: “He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, ‘Have you given the girl (i.e., the bride) anything as a present?’ They (the attendants) replied, ‘Yes.’ He asked, 'Did you send a singer along with her?' 'No', said `A'ishah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) then said, 'The Ansar are a people who love poetry. You should have sent along someone who would sing: Here we come, to you we come, greet us as we greet you.'" In this case, we can say that a woman can sing only in front of women and her non-marriageable male kin.

In the subject of musical instruments, scholars disagree on the matter. Some of them permit all sorts of singing, be it accompanied with musical instruments or not, and even consider it recommended. A second group of scholars permit singing only when is not accompanied with a musical instrument. A third group declare it to be prohibited whether it be accompanied with a musical instrument or not; they even consider it as a major sin. In supporting their view, they cite the hadith narrated by Imam Al-Bukhari on the authority of Abu Malik or Abu `Amir Al-Ash`ari (doubt from the sub-narrator) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, 'From among my followers there will be some people who will consider illegal sexual intercourse, the wearing of silk (clothes), the drinking of alcoholic drinks and the use of musical instruments, as lawful.' Although this hadith is in Sahih Al-Bukhari, its chain of transmission is not connected to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and this invalidates its authenticity. Ibn Hazm rejects it for that very reason. Moreover, the sub-narrator, Hisham Ibn `Ammar is declared ‘weak’ by many scholars of the Science of Hadith Methodology.

Besides, this hadith does not clearly prohibit the use of musical instruments, for the phrase 'consider as lawful,' according to Ibn Al-`Arabi, has two distinct meanings:

First: Such people think all these (the things mentioned) are lawful.

Second: They exceed the proper limits that should be observed in using these instruments. If the first meaning is intended, such people would be thus disbelievers.

In fact, the hadith in hand dispraises the manners of a group of people who indulge themselves in luxuries, drinking alcohol and listening to music. Therefore, Ibn Majah narrates this hadith from Abu Malik Al-Ash`ari in the following wording: "From among my followers there will be some people who will drink wine, giving it other names while they listen to musical instruments and the singing of female singers; Allah the Almighty will make the earth swallow them and will turn them into monkeys and pigs.” (Reported by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih)

Conclusion on Permissibility of Musical Instruments

 In the light of the above, it is clear that the religious texts that stand as a basis for those who maintain that singing is haram are either ambiguous or inauthentic. None of the hadiths attributed to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is valid as evidence on the judgment of prohibition. Moreover, all these hadiths are declared ‘weak’ by the followers of Ibn Hazm, Malik, Ibn Hanbal, and Ash-Shafi`i.

In his book, Al-Ahkam, Al-Qadi Abu Bakr Ibn Al-`Arabi says, “None of the hadiths maintaining that singing is prohibited are considered authentic (by the scholars of the Science of Hadith Methodology).” The same view is maintained by Al-Ghazali and Ibn An-Nahwi in Al-`Umdah. Ibn Tahir says, “Not even a single letter from all these Hadiths was proved to be authentic.”

Ibn Hazm says, “All the hadiths narrated in this respect were invented and falsified.” 

Proofs of Those Who Maintain that Singing is Halal:

 First: The Textual Proofs:

They base their argument on some authentic hadiths of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). One of these hadiths is the following:

`A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated: “Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him, came to my house while two girls were singing beside me the songs of Bu`ath (a story about the pre-Islamic war between the two tribes of the Ansar, the Khazraj and the Awus). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) laid down and turned his face to the other side. Then Abu Bakr came and spoke to me harshly saying, ‘Musical instruments of Satan near the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?’ Thereupon, Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) turned his face towards him and said, ‘Leave them.’ When Abu Bakr became inattentive, I signaled to those girls to go out and they left.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari)

This indicates that these two girls were not so young as claimed by some scholars. If they were, Abu Bakr would not have been angry with them in such manner. In addition, in this hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wanted to teach the Jews that Islam has room for merriment and that he himself was sent with a moderate and flexible legislation. There is also another important lesson to learn here. It draws our attention to the fact that one needs to introduce Islam to others in a good fashion, along with displaying its moderateness and magnanimity.

Moreover, we can also cite as corroborating this Allah’s words that read, “But when they spy some merchandise or pastime they break away to it and leave thee standing. Say: That which Allah hath is better than pastime and than merchandise, and Allah is the best of providers.” (Al-Jumu`ah: 11)

In this verse, Allah Almighty joins pastime with merchandise. He does not dispraise any of them, He just only rebuked the Companions who left Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) alone giving the khutbah (Friday Sermon), when they all rushed to attend to the caravan and beating of the drums celebrating its arrival.

Second: In Respect of Islam’s Spirit and Basics:

It is a fact that Allah had prohibited for the Children of Israel some of the good things of this worldly life as a punishment for their misdeeds.

He says, “Because of the wrongdoing of the Jews, We forbade them good things which were (before) made lawful unto them, and because of their much hindering from Allah's way. And of their taking usury when they were forbidden it, and of their devouring people's wealth by false pretences. We have prepared for those of them who disbelieve a painful doom.” (An-Nisa’: 160-161)

Before sending Prophet Muhammad, He Almighty referred to him in the earlier scriptures as, “Those who follow the Messenger, the Prophet who can neither read nor write, whom they will find described in the Torah and the Gospel (which are) with them. He will enjoin on them that which is right and forbid them that which is wrong. He will make lawful for them all good things and prohibit for them only the foul.” (Al-A`raf: 157)

Thus, Islam left nothing good or sound but declared it to be halal (lawful). This is a sign of mercy to this Ummah (nation or community), moving along the line of its comprehensive and eternal message. Allah Almighty says, “They ask you (O Muhammad) what is made lawful for them. Say: (all) good things are made lawful for you.” (Al-Ma’idah: 4)

If we are to delve deeply into this matter, we will find that love for singing and melodic voices are almost a human instinct. We can observe an infant lying in his cradle soothed and sleeping by the sound of a lullaby. Mothers and nannies are always in the habit of singing for babies and children. Moreover, birds and animals respond to nice voices and rhythmic melodies.

Thereupon, if singing is thus a human instinct, it is not for Islam to defy humankind’s instincts. Islam came to refine and promote the human instinct. Ibn Taymyiah says, “Prophets were sent to polish and discipline man’s instinct and not to change or modify it.” This is pursuant to the hadith that reads, “When Allah’s Messenger came to Madinah, he found them (i.e., the people of Madinah) celebrating two days. He said, ‘What are these days?’ They replied, ‘We used to rejoice in these days during the pre-Islamic era.’ He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘Verily, Allah Almighty has given you two alternative days which are much better: these are Al-Adha and Al-Fitr days (`Eids).’” (Reported by Ahmad, Abu Dawud and An-Nasa’i)

Moreover, if singing is to be considered rejoicing and play, these are not haram; this is in pursuant to the famous idea that man needs some time to relax a bit and rejoice. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Hanzalah who thought himself to be a hypocrite for his attendance to his wife and children and the change that affected him when he was apart from Allah’s Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), “O Hanzalah! Part of your time should be devoted (to the worldly affairs) and part of time (should be devoted to prayer and meditation).” (Reported by Muslim)

`Ali Ibn Abu Talib says, “Amuse yourselves for some time, for if hearts are exposed to too much strain, they turn blind.”

Abu Ad-Darda’ said, “I refresh myself with some amusement in order to make myself stronger on the path of right.”

Imam Al-Ghazali answered someone who asked him: “Isn't singing some kind of play and rejoice?” He said, “Yes. But, all that exists in this present life is mere play and rejoice. All that takes place between a husband and his wife is play, except sexual intercourse that is the direct cause of reproducing children. This has been reported from Allah’s Messenger and his honorable Companions.”

In fact, leisure time is refreshing to the heart and alleviates its tensions at the same time. Excessive strain and efforts render the heart bored and blind. Amusing the self refreshes and renews its strength and vigor. One who continuously works hard at something should take a break for a while in order to restore and regain his energy and firm will lest he totally collapses in future. When one takes a break, he thus restores his strength and vigor. Only Prophets can stand absolute seriousness. Having leisure time is a form of treatment for diseases of the self, weariness and boredom. But, leisure should not be excessive. This will go against the whole issue of rejoicing hearts to make them able to go on.

One who is familiar with and experienced in the nature of the human heart and self knows for certain that recreation and relaxation are necessary treatments for one’s well-being.

These proofs on the permissibility of singing are extracted from the texts and rules of Islam, and these are sufficient to clarify the issue.

In addition to this, the people of Madinah, who were very pious and God-fearing, the Zahiriyyah, who were very literal regarding the textual proofs, and the Sufis, who were very strict and rigid, were all quoted to have declared the permissibility of singing.

Imam Ash-Shawkani says in his book “Nayl Al-Awtar”, “The people of Madinah and those who agreed with them from among the Zahiriyyah and the Sufis maintain that singing is permissible, even when it is accompanied by a musical instrument such as the lute or the flute. Abu Mansur Al-Bughdadi Ash-Shafi`i narrate that `Abdullah Ibn Ja`far saw nothing wrong in singing, and he, himself, used to compose the music for his own slaves who used to sing these melodies in his presence. This took place during the time of Commander of the Faithful, `Ali Ibn Abi Talib. Abu Ja`far Al-Bughdadi narrates the same after Al-Qadi Shurayh, Sa`id Ibn Al-Musaiyb, `Ata’ Ibn Abu Rabah, Az-Zuhri and Ash-Shi`bi.”

Ar-Ruwaiyani narrates on the authority of Al-Qaffal that Malik Ibn Anas maintained that singing with musical instruments is permissible. Also, Abu Mansur Al-Furani quotes Malik as maintaining that playing the flute is permissible.

Abu Al-Fadl Ibn Tahir narrates, “The people of Madinah never disputed over the permissibility of playing the lute.”

Ibn An-Nahwi narrates in his “Al-`Umdah”: “Ibn Tahir said, ‘The people of Madinah showed consensus over this (issue). Also, all the Zahiriyyah maintained the same.'”

Al-Mawardi attributes the permissibility of playing the lute to some of the Shafi`i followers and students. This has been narrated also by Abu Al-Fadl Ibn Tahir after Abu Ishaq Ash-Shirazi; and it is narrated by Al-Isnawi after Ar-Ruwaiyani and Al-Mawardi. Again, this is narrated by Al-Adfuwi after Sheikh `Izz Ad-Deen Ibn `Abd As-Salam. It is also narrated after Abu Bakr Ibn Al-`Arabi.

All these scholars consider singing that is accompanied by musical instruments permissible, but as for singing that is not accompanied by musical instruments, Al-Adfuwi says, “In some of his jurisprudence-related books, Al-Ghazali narrates the consensus of the scholars on its permissibility." Also, Ibn Tahir narrates the consensus of the Prophet’s Companions and those who succeeded them on this very topic. Ibn An-Nahwi states in Al-`Umdah that singing and listening was deemed permissible by a group of the Companions and the Followers. 

Conditions and Terms:

 There are some conditions and terms that should be observed regarding listening to singing, as follows:

1. Not all sorts of singing are permissible. Rather, the permissible song should comply with the Islamic teachings and ethics. Therefore, the songs praising the tyrants and corrupt rulers disagree with Islamic teachings. In fact, Islam stands against transgressors and their allies, and those who show indifference to their transgression. So, the same goes for those songs that imply giving praises to such attitude!

2. Also, the way the song is performed weighs so much. The theme of the song may be good, but the performance of the singer – through intending excitement and arousing others’ lusts and desires along with trying to seduce them – may move it to the area of prohibition, suspicion or even detest. The Glorious Qur’an addresses the wives of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) saying, “O you wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women. If you keep your duty (to Allah), then be not soft of speech, lest he in whose heart is a disease aspire (to you), but utter customary speech." (Al-Ahzab: 32) So, one has to show caution to music when there is softness of speech accompanied with rhyme, melody, and special effects!

3. Singing should not be accompanied with something that is prohibited such as alcohol, nakedness, mixing of men with women that is common in pubs and nightclubs, etc.

4. Islam has declared excessiveness as prohibited in everything. The same goes for excessiveness in leisure and recreation even though these things are permissible ! This indicates that the emptiness of the mind and heart has to be observed and tackled during man’s short-term life. One should know that Allah Almighty will ask every one about his life and his youth in particular.

There are some things in which one is to be his own judge and Mufti. If there is some kind of singing that arouses his own lust or desire, and takes him away from the real life, he should avoid it then and block that very gate from which the winds of trial and seduction may come and erase his religion, morals and heart. If he does this, he will live in peace and tranquility.

Warning against playing with the word “haram”:

 To conclude, we address the respectful scholars who tackle the word “haram” easily and set it free in their writings and fatwas that they should observe that Allah is watching over them in all that they say or do. They should also know that this word “haram” is very dangerous. It means that Allah’s Punishment is due on a certain act or saying, and should not be based upon guessing, whims, weak Hadiths, not even through an old book. It has to be supported by a clear, well-established text or valid consensus. If these last two are not found, then we revert the given act or saying to the original rule: "permissibility governing things". We do have a good example to follow from one of our earlier pious scholars. Imam Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: “It was not the habit of those who preceded us, the early pious Muslims, who set good example for the following generations, to say, 'This is halal, and this is haram. But, they would say, ‘I hate such-and-such, and maintain such-and-such, but as for halal and haram, this is what may be called inventing lies concerning Allah. Did not you hear Allah’s Statement that reads, 'Say: Have you considered what provision Allah has sent down for you, how you have made of it lawful and unlawful? Say: Has Allah permitted you, or do you invent a lie concerning Allah?” (Yunus: 59) For, the halal is what Allah and His Messenger made lawful, and the haram is what Allah and His Messenger made unlawful.

Allah Almighty knows best.