Abeer Hamza Memorial

[jinnzaman]

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@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.

**************************

For a list of locations and more information, visit the following website:
http://abeermemorial.blogspot.com/

[Arabesque]

All my darlin's in the UK:

I'd like for us to participate in this "global" event (I hope it will be), and hold a vigil for Abeer in London. Being such a happening spot, I first thought of Hyde Park. I was told we should seek permission from the Westminster City Council. Ideas?? I'm browsing their website. It's not very helpful.

Anyone interested in participating? This could be an unofficial Islamica meeting as well, you know.

[Anderson]

Salam

Is the Leicester thing happening?

Anyway darlins if you do confirm the date and time I'll try my best to get the message through at jumma prayers, you'll have to give me some notice though.

[Arabesque]

Not Leicester, but London hopefully.

Leicester was some random guy's choice, who volunteered to organise something and disappeared last minute. Your typical Muslim, eh?

Anyway, I thought maybe I could organise something. Never did before, so this is going to be my first try. Insha'Allah it'll turn out well, but I need you guys to guide me. I don't know how things work out in this country.

How do I get the permissions?

And if it happens, then it's going to happen on August 19th, insha'Allah.

[Anderson]

You can gather in a public place without permission, welcome to England.

Hyde Park wouldn't be a problem for a small vigil.

[Arabesque]

Anderson said

You can gather in a public place without permission, welcome to England.

Hyde Park wouldn't be a problem for a small vigil.

Even if I manage to get an MP for a public speaker?

Please find out and let me know.

[Jamroll]

May Allah have mercy on the family of this poor girl and ease their suffering. May He grant all those who were killed in this family including Abeer forgiveness and jannah.

Arabesque, I think this link from the Beeb website will be a good starting point. It has a basic intro to different kinds of protests/demos/vigils/etc: BBC - Action Network - How do I organise a protest?

[Arabesque]

Jamroll said

May Allah have mercy on the family of this poor girl and ease their suffering. May He grant all those who were killed in this family including Abeer forgiveness and jannah.

Arabesque, I think this link from the Beeb website will be a good starting point. It has a basic intro to different kinds of protests/demos/vigils/etc: BBC - Action Network - How do I organise a protest?

Thanks! Very helpful

If I manage to organise something, you'll participate?

[LEGALEAGLE]

Arabesque said

All my darlin's in the UK:

I'd like for us to participate in this "global" event (I hope it will be), and hold a vigil for Abeer in London. Being such a happening spot, I first thought of Hyde Park. I was told we should seek permission from the Westminster City Council. Ideas?? I'm browsing their website. It's not very helpful.

Anyone interested in participating? This could be an unofficial Islamica meeting as well, you know.

Me I'd be interested.

So long as we don't get any idiots with stupid placards and it's kept peaceful.

[LEGALEAGLE]

Arabesque said

Thanks! Very helpful

If I manage to organise something, you'll participate?

You know it might even be possible to get Ken Livingstone to attend

[jinnzaman]

awesome job! keep up the good work guys. lemme know if you need any help with anything.

everyone, support sister arabesque as much as you can! we have to work together if we want the vigils to be a success.

[Arabesque]

LEGALEAGLE said

You know it might even be possible to get Ken Livingstone to attend

Will you ask him?

And again guys, do I need permissions from the Westminster City Council?

Maybe I should just write and ask.

[Arabesque]

jinnzaman said

everyone, support sister arabesque as much as you can!.

I'm not a sister!

[Jamroll]

Arabesque said

Thanks! Very helpful

If I manage to organise something, you'll participate?

Yeah, I'll swing by to give support for sure. Unless I'm not in London that day... sorry, I'll have to get back to you on that.

I think once you've got the basic plan together, you should definitely contact the local police (so in London, that would be the Met), just so they are aware of it, and if necessary coordinate some kind of security arrangements I guess.

Oh and it would also be a good idea to maybe contact some media to highlight Abeer's case.

[Jamroll]

Here's another good link I found about planning a vigil in England: Quakers in Britain - Guide to Organising a Peace Vigil

Actually, reading that link got me thinking that it might be a good idea if you contact one of these organisations that have experience in organising vigils and peace demonstrations, and they might be able to help or give advice. Even better they might be really interested in Abeer's story and take responsibility for it.

I don't know how you'd feel about another group taking over, but I'm conscious of the fact that there's actually not much time left until the 19th, and these kind of things normally take quite a bit of planning and organisaion I would imagine. It might help to get someone else involved that has a lot of experience in these kind of things. After all, the main aim of this is to raise awareness of Abeer's tragic story, isn't it?