An APPEAL to our humanity

The last week of July and the first week in August, 2010 has seen the worst floods on record in the history of Pakistan. The magnitude of the disaster is enormous and difficult to fathom.

To put it into perspective, just based on "official" estimates so far:

• The affected area is about 1/5 of the country (that is over 150,000 sq. km), almost all of Pakistan’s cultivatable land; that is about the size of Bangladesh or Greece; or over twice the size of Ireland or Austria. For Americans, that would be about the size of Georgia or Illinois or 10 times the size of Connecticut. ^1,2
• Thousands have been confirmed dead and over Four million (4,000,000+) people have been displaced.  That is more than the entire population of Chicago or Jeddah or the countries of Oman, Kuwait or Armenia; three times the population of Detroit or San Francisco. Almost six times the fallout of the Katrina hurricane disaster that even the United States with all its resources could not manage effectively.³
• The cost to agriculture alone is already estimated at over $ 1 billion and approaching 1% of the Pakistan's total GDP.⁴
• In response, total committed aid for relief and reconstruction has barely crossed $30million.⁵
• The impact on food supply, healthcare and infrastructure has yet to be calculated.

But the real story of these epic floods is not told in the cold statistics; it is in the faces and the eyes of the people, the human beings … just like you and me.

It is in the pain of:

every man who had all his life's work swept away in a flash...

every woman whose dreams for her and her children turned to nightmares...

every elderly person who will wonder at the blessing of an old age that allowed them to witness the sorrow of their offspring...

every child that is traumatized as the world around them crumbles and their little sanctuaries are no more...

These are the blameless victims of nature's wrath.  They have lost everything and yet they will go on.

They do not have a choice.

BUT WE DO...

We, those of us that were spared the misery, can either passively watch this horror reality show on TV or the Internet or do something positive to actively help...

HERE IS WHAT WE CAN DO:

1. For those able to do so, volunteer to go and help these people.  But please do so only if you have the skill and ability to make an EFFECTIVE physical contribution and not simply for "misery tourism" or, worse, to yourself become a casualty of illness.
2. For those with material resources or professional/trade skills, make a commitment (and mean it) to provide or participate in long-term assistance when the weather normalizes.  Much will be needed in terms of Agriculture restoration, housing, schools, roads, medical care, transportation...AND most of all... human comfort and a spirit that tells these people they are not alone, nor forgotten... that they are one of us, or more to the point, we are one of them.
3. If circumstance do not allow physical participation, then contribute financially.  Do so generously to whichever organization or group or individual you feel will do the best. But, please do so after doing some research so that your hard earned money is not abused, or worse. In Pakistan, it is the local groups who often perform the best as they know the people and are not intimidated by the circumstances, misery or the lack of facilities.
4. If none of the above are possible, at least create positive awareness by email, SMS, word of mouth, by writing... whatever means are at your disposal.

For the victims, their hour of suffering has come and now they are on the road to recovery.

How quickly and completely they recover is now our test.

How we react to this is also a reflection of how we want to define ourselves.

When the floods claimed their victims, no one was asked about their religion, their ethnicity; their political party affiliation or their family's resources.

Nature could not care less.

So, when we respond, let us also not ask those questions.

If the suffering of some poor Pakistani villager is somehow less human in its pain and lower in priority than someone from a background of material privilege and fair features, then we need to question whether we have moved forward or backward on the scale of civilization.

If someone's simple humanity is not enough reason, then perhaps we need to seek our own humanity.

There is no one to blame for this and no one has a sole responsibility to help.

In a way we are all to blame for neglecting our nation and our people and we are all equally responsible for restoring our pride and unifying all members of our family. Aid will not solve our problems, our own confidence and efforts will.

LET US ALL RESPOND POSITIVELY AND IN UNITY… AS HUMAN BEINGS.

==================================

¹ Areas of States source: Wikipedia.com

² Areas of countries source: worldatlas.com

³ City populations source: www.infoplease.com

⁴ Pakistan GDP source: World Bank, World Development Indicators

⁵ Damage estimate & total aid pledged source: DAWN, NATION (as of Aug 5, 2010)

To,
The First Lady of USA,
Mrs. Michelle Obama.
The White House,
Washington, DC.

Congratulations on becoming the first lady of the United States of America, and best wishes for a very Happy Mother’s day 2010.

America is a land where freedom, equality, and justice can prevail over both momentary folly and long term prejudices. It is a land that promises to fill the heart with love and compassion, that promises both economic and intellectual opportunities, that promises any single individual the right to stand up and say "I can make things better."

Those promises brought you to the White House.

Mrs. Obama, I too am a mother with two beautiful and talented daughters. I too believe in those values that America stands for, but my dreams were shattered by a brutal reality.

I am the mother of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, who was detained and incarcerated, along with her three young children, Ahmad age 5 years, Maryam age 3 years, Suleman age 6 months only! in 2003 by agents representing the American government in the name of the war on terror.
In the summer of 2008 a group of human rights investigators located her in Bagram and began legal proceedings to force her release.
In the face of this, almost as if by magic, she appeared in Ghazni Afghanistan only to be shot by one of the American contractors sent to retrieve her when the local police objected to the handover.

She is now charged and convicted of a crime that was never committed. A charge based on hate and fear, not fact.
Her trial in New York City is a mockery of justice reflecting the legacy of the Salem witch trials. No mention, of Aafia's captivity in secret prisons, missing children, between the years 2003 and 2008 were allowed at her trial. Any evidence of this would undermine the integrity of the indictment and result in criminal charges against any number of government officials.  And now a new cover-up is underway, to mask the five years of dark captivity. A new script of deception is being set up  to aid in maximum sentencing by Judge Berman.
Today, as you stand with your two daughters celebrating Mother’s day, have you a second to reflect and see what could have happened? Aafia could have been anybody’s daughter.

What if one of your daughters was ambitious enough to want to make a change, and all her life studied to achieve one goal, to improve the education system  by making learning more efficient. By helping handicapped children live a meaningful life. What if she decided to help those who have been wronged, what if she volunteered with autistic kids, orphans and old ladies?

What if she believed that faith is essential and mutually inclusive of all sciences and logic? What if she decided to embrace her grandfather’s faith because she thought it was logical and true? Would you be proud of her or would you ask your agencies to lock her up for the rest of her life because she is a Muslim?

Madam First Lady, I ask you to reflect and think where your country’s war on terror has taken you. How many innocent lives will it destroy?
These actions will not make America a safer place. Muslims do not hate America, but are appalled when America abandons its principles. America's actions are creating enemies from those who would normally be its strongest allies. Cases like the mistreatment of my daughter only encourage that intolerant and violent minority of extremists who are just as happy killing Muslims as anyone else. Just recently, in Pakistan these people drove a truck bomb into a volleyball match killing nearly one hundred people.

Your forefathers were bitterly wronged, which must give you a unique perspective on justice. I ask, are you ready to say enough is enough, release this innocent soul?

Too often claims of national security are misused to protect individuals in government from being embarrassed or even punished for their mistakes. Is it fair to make Aafia pay for someone else's errors?

Madam, I request you to think as a mother, to look into my daughter’s case personally and see for your self how she has been tortured and raped and video taped in New York. See for yourself how the judge has twisted justice. I ask you to meet with me, meet my family, make your own judgments, are we a terrorist family? Why has Aafia been tried for a crime she did not commit and is being sentenced as a terrorist which she is not?

My daughter stands for love, peace and justice; she is a victim of terror not a terrorist.

May God give you the courage and wisdom to do the right thing, and save yourselves and your country from setting the cornerstones of injustice, discrimination and state terrorism. Thank you.

Mrs. Ismat Siddiqui

May 09, 2010

AAFIA, YOU ARE MISSED

by Dr Fauzia Siddiqui

Aafia My dear, Today Aafia you are missed
While the Nation celebrates, Aafia you are missed
As friends and family rejoice,
Your little daughter, I embrace
Aafia, You are missed

I hug and kiss little Maryam,
My hands and lips are numb
Aafia, You are missed

A scared, fearful little girl cries
Holding on to cousin’s friendship ties
Aafia, you are missed

Longing for mommy’s reassurance
Her woeful eyes full of innocence
Aafia, you are missed

Longing for comfort and security allied
Alas, only mother’s love can provide
Aafia, you are missed

Mubarak, Mabruk, congratulations
Soars in the air, my heart weighs tons
Aafia, you are missed

I cannot stop my tears rolling
I cannot hold my heart sinking
What can I do what can I say
I thank God Almighty for this day
Aafia, you are missed

Lord, I am both weak and sinful
You are always Kind and Merciful
As brother sister re-unite
Lord end my sisters plight
Aafia, you are missed

Missed more than ever,
Aafia, you are missed

Initial tests conducted by officials reveal that a teenage girl reported to be Dr Aafia's daughter may not be Maryum.

It was learned after official tests were conducted by the Pakistani authorities that the teenage girl "dropped" off at the house of Dr Aafia's family in Karachi may not be her daughter.  However, further tests will be done to determine the girl's identity.

Whoever this inncoent girl turns out to be, we are dismayed and heartbroken that someone would abuse an innocent child in this manner.