25 20 486 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 6 VTMBH Article: Article Order 1 VTMBH Article: Title Competing factions misinform FBI and Anti-Terrorist Task Force, who raid Pakistani mosque and find nothing. VTMBH Article: Author Mohsin Zaheer VTMBH Article: Publication Sada-e-Pakistan NY VTMBH Article: Original Language Urdu VTMBH Article: Translator Salma Sabir Chaudhry VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb On Friday, January 4, the FBI and the Anti -Terrorist Task Force raided Masjid e Khizra mosque, in Queens, on a false tip of weapons possession. The mosques community is at odds, some supporting a fired imam. Some sources charge the imams opponents called in the false tip, but they deny the charge. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body On Friday, January 4, the FBI and the Anti -Terrorist Task Force raided Masjid e Khizra mosque, in Queens, on a false tip of weapons possession. The FBI received an anonymous tip that a few people planned to kill almost 400 people and hid dangerous weapons in the mosque. Federal agents, spy dogs and a bomb squad found nothing. Masjid e Khizra is run by a nonprofit organization Idara Tableeg-ul-Islam, which was in the process of firing the mosques imam, Mufti Abdul Rahman Qamar, when the FBI raided it. Sources suggest that supporters of Qamar provided the false tip, to cause trouble to Masjid e Khizra. Federal agents took Khalil-ur-Rahman, a son of the imam, into custody and interrogated him. The FBI went to the Imam Qamars house and raided the mosque, where they took four of the imams sonsincluding one who was praying at the timeinto custody. All of a sudden the FBI guys entered into the mosque and handcuffed all of us, laid us down on the floor of the mosque and searched almost all the parts of the mosque, said Ateeq ur Rahman, one of the imams sons who was arrested. Meanwhile, the other team of FBI brought the imam to the mosque and federal agents interrogated all of us. After completing the search, the federal agents declared the mosque as well as the detainees clear, Rahman said. He also said that federal agents took all of the imams sons to their home, searched portions of the house and checked their immigration status. The FBI also interrogated other members of the mosque, including taxi driver Saeed Mahmood. Mosque member Altaf Rana explained the complicated roots of the disagreements between the factions. The day after the raid, Imam Mufti Abdul Rahman Qamar left for Pakistan. His son, Ateeq, told this correspondent that his father left as previously scheduled, to see his mother who is seriously ill. After his fathers departure, Ateeq served as the acting imam. Idara Tableeg-ul-Islam, the non-profit, recently appointed a new imam for the mosque. The president of Idara Tableeg-ul-Islam, Ataf Hassan, and the secretary general Kausar Chishti denied any involvement with the FBI. They said at a press conference that the imams services were terminated because he failed to respond to a legal notice served him and for leaving for Pakistan without prior permission of the Idara. A local newspaper has published that I provided false information to the FBI, so I want to make it clear that its a totally baseless accusation, Chishti said. I can't even imagine doing such a stupid thing. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-01-22 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 71 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Competing factions misinform FBI and Anti-Terrorist Task Force, who raid Pakistani mosque and find n 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. On Friday, January 4, the FBI and the Anti -Terrorist Task Force raided Masjid e Khizra mosque, in Q Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-22 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 41 VTMBH Article: Article Order 3 VTMBH Article: Title Chinese Americans pleased by Patakis landslide VTMBH Article: Author Xiaoqing Rong VTMBH Article: Publication Sing Tao Daily VTMBH Article: Original Language Chinese VTMBH Article: Translator Yik Kong VTMBH Article: Section elec02 VTMBH Article: Blurb In New York, the Republican Party is the minority party. However, its policies match the visions of many Chinese Americans, said Republican Hsieh Mei-Lin. Others disagree, saying that although Pataki has a good record of achievement, the governors failure to address workers problems after September 11th exposes his weakness. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body Incumbent Republican George Pataki won the New York State gubernatorial election by a landslide, marking his third term as governor of New York State. The Chinese American community considers his re-election well-deserved since his polices have been successful and he has received support from outside of the Republican Party. Sun Zhao Qin, a Chinese American who is active in the Republican Party, believes that Pataki easily won the election because his record and achievement over the past eight years have been recognized by many people. Sun said, Because of Patakis promotion of Metrocards, suburban residents are able to save money and to have convenient access to transportation. In addition, Child and Family Health Plus provided services and benefits to people who have low incomes and previously had health care. Therefore, even people in the Democratic Party came out to support Pataki, giving him an easy re-election. Pauline Eng, director of the Chinatown Senior Center who is familiar with Gov. Pataki, thinks that Pataki has the vision, and not the attitude, of a politician. His policies have been inclusive of all classes of people. He visited P.S. 130 with the President and the Mayor. He also visited the Senior Center in Chinatown. After the events of September 11th, among all the candidates, he was the one who visited Chinatown the most. He is very concerned with the severe effects of the declining economy on Chinatown. She added, The most important things were that Pataki went to the Canal Street subway station in order to get the views of the public and that he fought for bus services. As a Republican governor, he has policies different from the Democratic Party. However, Pataki hopes to work with Zhao Wah to find common ground and to fight for more benefits for the people. His re-election will surely bring more benefits to the Chinese American community. Republican candidate Hsieh Mei-Lin, who got support from Pataki during her campaign, believes that the governors achievement over the past eight years has been very impressive, and that he protects the benefits of Chinese American community. She said, In New York, the Republican Party is the minority party. However, its policies match the visions of many Chinese Americans. Many of its policies meet the needs of Chinese Americans. Furthermore, he entrusts and employs Chinese Americans, including Chao Xiao-Mei and Tang Ku. Patakis re-election as the governor will not only give the Republican Party control of the state, but also will allow Pataki to work with Mayor Bloomberg to increase the political status and power of the Republican party in New York City. On the other hand, Wing Lam of the Chinese Staff and Workers Association, who was arrested in Albany last month, believes that Patakis re-election came from corporate funding and aggressive advertisement. He thinks that although Pataki has good record of achievement, the governors failure to address workers problems after September 11th exposes his weakness. Lam said that as part of the working class, they will continue to fight for more rights and to force the governor to pay attention to injured workers compensation and benefits. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-11-06 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 46 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Chinese Americans pleased by Patakis landslide 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. In New York, the Republican Party is the minority party. However, its policies match the visions of Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-11-06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 17 VTMBH Article: Article Order 2 VTMBH Article: Title Owner of Halal Pride Chicken says demand for Halal chicken skyrocketed after mad-cow disease in Europe VTMBH Article: Author VTMBH Article: Publication Bangla Patrika VTMBH Article: Original Language Bengali VTMBH Article: Translator Moinuddin Naser VTMBH Article: Section briefs VTMBH Article: Blurb VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body After the outbreak of mad cow disease in Europe, people of all religions in America became more interested in consuming Halal meat. (Halal is a process of breeding and slaughtering birds and animals in an Islamic way, similar to kosher meat.) Aslam Sheikh, the founder of Halal Pride Chicken Farm in Holmes County, Ohio, explained the upturn in demand to Bangla Patrika. Halal Pride Chicken recently entered the New York market, though the demand for chicken on his farm comes from the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast. Less than half the demand, Sheikh estimated, comes from Muslims. Most buyers are non-Muslims, Sheikh said. Members of other communities buy Halal chicken for health reasons, he speculated. The poultry cluster farm is under the supervision of 70 Amish families in Ohio. The families raise chickens in their family farms naturallyno artificial hormones or other additives are used. The chickens are free from animal byproducts like pork fat, intestines or any other unholy things. Only soybeans and vegetables are used to feed the chickens, making them more lean. Sheik said that his soft and tender fleshy chicken is unparalleled in taste and smell. Sheikh, who is more than sixty years old, long dreamt of a poultry farm where everything, from the laying of eggs to the slaughtering of chickens, is done in a Halal way, so that he can supply Halal products to all chicken lovers and especially Muslims. He said that today his dream has been realized. Born in Kenya, Sheikh and moved to London, where he worked at a Halal chicken supplier. He came to the United States in 1967. There were not so many Muslims in the United States at that time, he said. I used to go to Columbia University to say Eid prayer, and I found only 18 persons present offering prayer. So in the beginning of his life in United States, there was a delay in his dream of processing Halal chicken. At that time he opened the Curry in a Hurry restaurant on Lexington Avenue, which is now run by a Bangladeshi. He stayed in the restaurant business until 1971, when he imported garments for the Banroo company. After the recession in the late 1980s forced Banroo to close, Sheikh returned to chicken production. Meanwhile, the Muslim population had increased all over New York and other places. In Ohio, in 1988, he began a Halal chicken farm and started marketing Halal meat. Though trained as a textile engineer, this old man has spent most of his life pursuing his objective to produce Halal chicken. On one of many road trips, he discovered some Amish families and taught them how to raise and slaughter Halal chickens. I could not even find the time to get married. But I have 11 brothers and sisters, who all live in the United States, and my family is everything in my life. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-04-19 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File v_b1.pdf VTMBH Article: Hit Count 256 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Owner of Halal Pride Chicken says demand for Halal chicken skyrocketed after mad-cow disease in Euro 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-04-19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 28 VTMBH Article: Article Order 1 VTMBH Article: Title Haitians demand justice for Georgy Louisgène VTMBH Article: Author VTMBH Article: Publication Haiti Progres VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb On July 15, the Georgy Louisgène Justice Committee rallied outside Brooklyn Distract Attorney Charles Hynes offices at 350 Jay Street to protest his decision to not file charges against two cops who fatally shot Georgy Louisgène. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body On July 15, the Georgy Louisgène Justice Committee rallied outside Brooklyn Distract Attorney Charles Hynes offices at 350 Jay Street to protest his decision to not file charges against two cops who fatally shot Georgy Louisgène, 23, in Brooklyn on Jan. 16. An autopsy report obtained by the family reveals that Louisgène was shot in the side and back, according to Abby Louis Jeune, the victims sister. They werent shooting to stop him, she said. They were shooting to kill. The shooting by New York City Police Officers James Muirhead and Joseph Thomposn was a justified use of force, Hynes said in a statement on June 28. Every killing that the NYPD does in Brooklyn, Charles Hynes just lets these officers go free, Louis Jeune replied. They know that Hynes will cover up for them for they just keep on killing. The Louisgène family and their lawyers now intend to take the case to the Federal courts. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-07-23 VTMBH Article: Thumb georgysmall.gif VTMBH Article: Article File VTMBH Article: Hit Count 75 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Haitians demand justice for Georgy Louisgène 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. On July 15, the Georgy Louisgène Justice Committee rallied outside Brooklyn Distract Attorney Charle Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-07-23 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 12 VTMBH Article: Article Order VTMBH Article: Title America's threat in Somalia VTMBH Article: Author VTMBH Article: Publication West African News VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb Business is flourishing, telephones and the internet are functioning, doctors are returning to provide medical care and financial services are booming in Somalia today. But the country still faces desperate problems, including the threat of U.S. strikes. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body "Gruesome, harrowing, intense." These words have been used to describe the movie "Black Hawk Down," which claims to depict events in 1993, when elite U.S. troops launched a doomed mission to capture a warlord in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. Some say this description could apply to the war-torn country itself, now reportedly facing the threat of U.S. attacks again. But, observers point out, the Somalia of today is not the Somalia of Black Hawk Down. By a twist of fate, the new movie Black Hawk Down is opening in theatres just as the United States is considering expanding the war on terrorism into Somalia, remarks Ken Menkhaus, a U.S. professor and former advisor to the United Nations on Somalia. Somalia and the United States are apparently doomed by fate to collide at critical moments in global politics. This collision has never brought anything but trouble to both parties. Since civil conflict erupted after the ouster of President Siad Barre in 1991, Somalia has been struggling to rise from the anarchy prevailing in the country. And, according to Somalia watchers, from the ashes of the civil war, there is a success story. Entrepreneurs are returning to the country; reconstruction is underway; business is booming (particularly in the provision of internet and financial services); the warlords of 1993 are either dead or their powerbases are weakened; and aid organizations have been able to operate again, mitigating some of the dire humanitarian needs. A report by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) says that while human development in Somalia is unacceptably poor, over the past decade there have been significant developments in communications technology and economic infrastructure. It noted, however, that the security situation could not be generalized. Regional analysts say that apart from uncertainty over the likelihood of U.S. strikes, one of the biggest destabilizing factors is the self-interest of the warlords and faction leaders, who keep changing sides depending on what they are offered. <i>Somalia is not Afghanistan</i> The lack of a stable central government and the chaos of civil war led to fears that radical groups might use Somalia as a safe haven and training ground. Observers note that Washington believes the country is a likely refuge for members of Osama bin Ladens al Qaeda network fleeing Afghanistan. The U.S. Treasury has accused the Mogadishu-based remittance and telephone company Al-Barakaat of funding terrorism, and seized its assets in various countries. Al-Barakaat has denied any links to terrorism, and offered to make its books available to U.S. investigators. Observers say that remittances sent to Somalia via institutions such as al-Barakaat constituted the greatest financial receipts in the country, and its closure hurt tens of thousands of people. Writing in Janes Defence Weekly, Hailes Janney, a specialist in African defense and security issues, says that despite its history, Somalia never became a bastion for terrorist groups as in Afghanistan due partly, he says, to the clan system. He says the Somali Islamist movement, al-Ittihad, widely believed by U.S. officials to have links with alQaeda, has lost much of its formal structure since it abandoned efforts to physically control territory. Menkhaus concurs. He describes al-Ittihad as a small, relatively weak organization with a mainly domestic agenda. Some individuals have had links to al-Qaeda that merit close scrutiny, but the group as a whole is in no way a subsidiary of al-Qaeda, Menkhaus says. Neither, he adds, should parallels be drawn between the Taliban of Afghanistan and Somalias Transitional National Government (TNG). It [TNG] is extremely weak, controlling only half of the city of Mogadishu, and while it has some al-Ittihad members in its parliament, it is by no means a front for Islamists. Menkhaus says any attack against the TNG would constitute a serious error. One of the costs of ignoring Somalia since 1994 is that now we [the United States] are caught trying to formulate policy about a country we know nothing about, he remarks. He believes that while concern about Somalia as a refuge has merit, in reality it is a lousy refuge for non-Somali radicals. Foreigners cannot operate in secrecy in Somalia; everyone knows who you are and what youre doing, he says. In the same vein, Janes Defence Weekly adds that Washington has been made dependent on its so-called friends by poor intelligence and will be manipulated and misled at every turn. <i>Rebuilding the Country</i> Humanitarian organizations point out that there has been noticeable progress in rebuilding the country since the events of 1993. The international community must recognize that he Somalia of today is not the Somalia of Black Hawk Down, a humanitarian worker with many years experience in Somalia told IRIN (United Nations Integrated Regional Information Networks). There have been many positive changes and much progress has been made. This must be recognized and taken into account when formulating policy. Somalia watchers say that in the ensuing years, faction leaders and warlords have been considerably weakened and Somalis themselvestired of fighting and insecurityare largely responsible for the development of their country. Business is flourishing, telephones and the internet are functioning, doctors are returning to provide medical care and financial services are booming. Name me an anarchy where you can build a house, start a business, make a telephone call or log onto the Internet, one observer pointed out. CARE International, one of the largest humanitarian organizations in Somalia, stresses that the country has desperate needs that must be addressedfood crises leading to serious malnutrition, a ban on livestock imports from Somalia imposed by Gulf States and the threat of U.S. strikes. The threat of strikes has disrupted peoples lives and is a disincentive for investment, warned Scott Faiia, CAREs country director for Somalia. Somalia has changed, he added, and the progress must be supported. He believes that life has gradually improved for the average person, and this process must be allowed to continue. Humanitarian workers have expressed concern that Black Hawk Down will reinforce the mistaken belief that Somalia is a still country of anarchy and chaos, and that it will sway public opinion in a negative way. As Black Hawk Down reminds us, snatching Somalis in the heavily-armed, clannish neighborhoods of Mogadishu is a very high risk, concludes Menkhaus. Chasing down minor players in the crowded dens of Mogadishu would be very unwise. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-03-25 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File v12n4.doc VTMBH Article: Hit Count 61 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource America's threat in Somalia 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. Business is flourishing, telephones and the internet are functioning, doctors are returning to provi Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-25 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "Voices That Must Be Heard" Articles Description An account of the resource The Independent Press Association (IPA) translates articles from the ethnic press (when necessary) and distributes them via web and fax newsletter to mainstream and ethnic press, government offices, nonprofits, and interested individuals. Voices That Must be Heard was designed by the Independent Press Association staff in New York City in response to the horrifying events of September 11. After Sept. 11th, Voices focused on the South Asian, Arab and Middle Eastern communities in New York. Since February 2002, the project has expanded, selecting articles from the broad range of ethnic and community newspapers throughout the city. Here, the Archive has preserved the Voices collection from its inception until November 2002. VTMBH Article VTMBH Article: Edition 20 VTMBH Article: Article Order 3 VTMBH Article: Title Khalistan rocks Capitol Hill again VTMBH Article: Author Sujeet Rajan VTMBH Article: Publication Indian Express (North American Edition) VTMBH Article: Original Language English VTMBH Article: Translator VTMBH Article: Section news VTMBH Article: Blurb In a startling disclosure of allegedly insidious lobbying, the self-styled president of the exiled Council of Khalistan for 16 years, Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, has been accused by several Congressional aides of tricking them and in turn the Representatives into signing letters to support his cause. VTMBH Article: Keywords VTMBH Article: Body Nearly a decade after Punjab returned to normalcy, and Kashmir became the topic of discussion on Indian geo-politics, the issue of Khalistan and self-determination for Sikhs has once again surfaced on Capitol Hill. In a startling disclosure of alleged insidious lobbying, the self-styled president of the exiled Council of Khalistan for 16 years, Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, has been accused by several Congressional aides of tricking them and in turn the Representatives into signing letters to support his cause: the release of 52,000 Sikh political prisoners in India. Also, last month, the issue of Khalistan figured prominently in Congressional speeches by Rep. Dan Burton (R.-Ind.) and Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), both long-time supports of Aulakh. Both raised the issue of self-determination for the Sikhs and said the Sikh community was living in oppression in Khalistan in India. In reply, last week the Indian ambassador, Lalit Mansingh, dashed separate letters to the two Congressmen, refuting the allegations. The suave, one-time Harvard don Aulakh, who is a trained virologist and has also worked at the National Institute of Health, was accused of a misinformation conspiracy by Courtney Anderson, the senior legislative assistant for Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.), who says that Aulakh duped a junior staffer in the office to believe that Shimkus had agreed to sign a letter to release political prisoners in India, reported The Hill. Since Shimkus name was already on the letter, the staff later got Shimkus to sign on the letter. The report also quoted other aides of Representatives as saying that Aulakh has been engaging in similar practices for several years. Hes sort of grandfatherly, an aide to a Congressman in the India Caucus is quoted as saying. He says in a soft voice, Im here for the congressmans signature on this letter. When we called up later, about a quarter of (foreign policy aides) genuinely did not have the foggiest clue they signed it, the aide said, referring to one of Aulakhs previous letters. (But) theyre reluctant (to have the signatures removed) because they dont want to be seen as flip-flopping. A legislative assistant to another Republican representative is also quoted as saying in the report that Aulakh tried to adopt similar measures at his office, coming in three times and saying the Congressman had agreed to sign the letter. But the office had been warned of the lobbyists tactics, and he refused. A former aide to Rep. Ken Bentson (D-Texas) said Aulakh had got another office to sign the letter in a similar way, says the report. The aide said Aulakh had put Bentsens name on the letter before anyone ever saw it. The only time that happens is when a member has (already) agreed to sign the letter, the aide is quoted as saying. Anderson complained to Aulakh and was able to get Shimkus signature taken off the letter, which was eventually sent to the President in February with 42 members of Congress signed on it. Burton and Towns had sponsored the letter. Anderson believes some of the signatures on the letter sent to the President may have also been the result of confusion and has asked the House Administration Committee to get involved. Shimkus, taking a hard line against Aulakhs tactics, in a March 22 letter to House Administration Chairman Bob Ney (R-Ohio), wanted stringent measure to be taken to stop further such unscrupulous lobbying. The Hill reported quotes another House Representative aide as saying: My relationship has been totally fine (with Aulakh); hes been really nice and informative. The legislative aide said his office chose not to sign the letter partly because of past links between the Sikh independence movement and terrorist activity. I understand he actually has a really good reputation on Capitol Hill, the aide is quoted as saying. Sources at the Indian Embassy, speaking to The Indian Express on condition of anonymity, said that the tactics adopted by Aulakh to get the letter on political prisoners signed is not surprising. He has for years tried to get a disinformation campaign going, the source said. Asked if the Embassy was going to try and press some charges, a source said that since Aulakh is a U.S. citizen, the American law will take its own course. Aulakh came to the United States in 1970. Its not for us to put in a complaint, the source added. In his defense, Aulakh, speaking to The Indian Express, said the allegations against him are incorrect. It is very clear that the staffer (Courtney) is a freshman and the Congressman too is a freshman, Aulakh said. They made a mistake. I dont mislead anybody. I have never misled anybody. If I misled anybody here, I would not be here for 16 years. It is their responsibility to see what they are signing just like I give them the letter in good faith. Aulakh condemned the communal disturbances in Gujarat, saying that it is akin to a repeat of 1984 and attributed the continuing incidents in Gujarat to a growing interest in the issue of Khalistan on Capitol Hill. When asked what he is doing for the Sikh cause in the United States, Aulakh said that he was making sure that Congressmen and Senators are more aware now of the Sikh identity in the country. It has helped the Sikh community tremendously (the cases of discrimination), he said. Everybody now knows who the Sikhs are. VTMBH Article: Line Breaks 1 VTMBH Article: Date 2002-05-10 VTMBH Article: Thumb VTMBH Article: Article File v20_n3.pdf VTMBH Article: Hit Count 104 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Khalistan rocks Capitol Hill again 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. unknown Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. article Original Name The original name of this item. In a startling disclosure of allegedly insidious lobbying, the self-styled president of the exiled C Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-05-10