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Abeer Hamza Memorial
Allah (SWT) (subhana wa ta’ala) said in the Qur’an:
“We sent aforetime our messengers with clear Signs and sent down with them the Book and the Balance, that men may stand forth in Justice.”
(Al-Hadeed 57:25)
“O ye who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah (SWT), even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah (SWT) can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest ye swerve, and if ye distort (justice) or decline to do justice, verily Allah (SWT) is well-acquainted with all that ye do.”
(An-Nisa 4:35)
The Prophet (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“The similitude of believers in regard to mutual love, affection, fellow-feeling is that of one body; when any limb of it aches, the whole body aches, because of sleeplessness and fever.”
(Sahih Muslim)
An injustice against a Muslim anywhere is an injustice to all Muslims everywhere! We are one Ummah and the racist nation-state system which has subjugated Muslim lands is against the very core of our belief system. We are all Muslims and we are all intimately concerned with one another, no matter where in the world our brothers and sisters are. There suffering is our suffering and their pain is our pain. When one of our brothers or sisters dies, a part of us dies as well. The atrocities being committed against our brethren in Somalia, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir, Chechnya, China, the Philippines and other places affects each and every single one of us.
We are constantly told by the powers that be that their is no war on Islam, yet all the victims of powerful weapons seems to be Muslim. It seems to be only Islam that is openly ridiculed in the academia. It seems that it is only Muslims and Arabs whose racial caricatures are still deemed socially permissible. It seems that the life and blood of the Muslims is cheap because they are ‘dirty terrorists anyway.’ What we are not being told, however, is the truth.
The truth is that terrible crimes are being committed against Muslims and humanity. It is our religious duty to stand forth in solid formation and address these wrongs in the manner prescribed by our religion. The Prophet (sallahu alayhi wa sallam) said that the greatest form of jihad is to speak a word of truth before a tyrant and that is exactly what we intend on doing.
While every minute we get an update on how many American troops have been injured or killed in Iraq, there is very scant information being released concerning Iraqis or the atrocities being committed against them. One such atrocity was the one that was committed against our young sister, Abeer Qassim Hamza.
Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi (August 19, 1991 – March 12, 2006) was a 14-year-old Iraqi girl who lived in the village of Mahmoudiyah southeast of Baghdad who was gang-raped, killed and burned, by American troops. Hamza, her parents and her younger sister were shot and killed in their home in Mahmoudiyah on or around March 12, 2006. Initial details published by American media reported that Abeer Qassim Hamza was 25 years old, and that the others killed were her husband and child, details which were incorrect.”
At first, the military denied the incidents altogether. When the soldiers confessed to their counselors after some of the group was killed by al-Qaeda, the army changed their story by denying that the victim was 14 years old. Initial details published by the American media reported that she was 25 years old and that the others killed were her husband and child, details which were incorrect. It wasn’t until her uncle produced her passport did it clearly show that Abeer was 14 years old.
In order to give a face to the countless victims of the illegal US occupation of Iraq, we hold this vigil to honor their memory by celebrating the life of one special soul.
Vigils are currently being organized all over the world, including:
* Washington DC
* Annapolis, Md
* Baltimore, Md
* Chicago
* New York
* Sydney, Australia
* North Carolina
* Leicester, United Kingdom
If you would like to help organize a vigil in your area:
(1) Send an e-mail to: abeermemorial AT YAHOO .COM
or
(2) Visit the Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2330708739&ref=mf
IMPORTANT!
Spread the word about setting up Candle-Light Vigils for Abeer to your family, friends, religious communities, and campuses.
We should think about this young girl and honor her memory on the day she would have turned 16, if only she wasn’t murdered. Imagine where her and other Iraqi women would have been today if they weren’t murdered. I could imagine Abeer in school (if the schools were still or are still functioning, of course), preparing perhaps to attend college in the hopes of bettering her society. Or maybe she would be at home, eating with her family or reading a poem. She would be a living, breathing, human being. But she was murdered.
On August 19th, 2007, let’s join together wherever we are and remember her in our various communities. Let’s not only honor the life of Abeer Hamza but remember the plight of, unfortunately, so many Iraqi girls wounded, raped, and murdered during this increasingly bloody U.S. occupation of Iraq.
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For a list of locations and more information, visit the following website:
http://abeermemorial.blogspot.com/
and sisters