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Books by
Marvin X
Love and War: Poems /
In the Crazy House Called America /
Woman: Man's Best Friend /
Beyond Religion Toward Spirituality
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The Complexity of Iraq
By Marvin X
Let us cast away illusions
and prepare for long years of struggle before we see a liberated
Iraq, not only liberated from the US aggressors but from the
centuries old battles between Sunnis and Shiites that began with
the death of the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The
Americans merely opened Pandora's box for the battle of all
battles in the Middle East between progress and reaction. So
many forces are at play that it will indeed take a rocket
scientist to sort out the multiple agendas in Iraq.
As much as I hate to admit
it, the Americans are the minor players in this drama. True,
they are colonialists in the best tradition of the Crusaders of
old, but religious tribalism is the ultimate factor in this
drama. And everyone is playing both sides of the fence, in the
best tradition of Middle Eastern political chicanery. The Middle
East is best known for duplicity, wearing a myriad of personas
and speaking with multiple tongues. Alas, the Shiites say,
"Tell your enemy anything he wants to hear so long as you
achieve your objective."
So let us begin this drama
in 632AD upon the death of the prophet that divided the Muslim
world between the orthodox Sunnis and the minority Shiites, who
were basically not considered true Muslims, in the same manner
that the Nation of Islam in America is not recognized by the
orthodox Muslims, even considered beyond the pale of Islam, in
spite of the fact that the Nation of Islam gave the world its
greatest champions of Islam in the modern era in the personages
of Master Fard Muhammad, Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X, Muhammad
Ali, Minister Farrakhan and others, including Warith Din
Muhammad ( best known for throwing the bath water out with the
baby).
And let us not delete the
NOI precursors Marcus Garvey and Noble Drew Ali. Nearly all of
the above can be considered outside the pale of Islam but as per
Islam in America, they are without peer and their influence is
undeniable except to the most dogmatic orthodox believers.
In Iraq, we know the
Shiites are the majority but have been oppressed and suppressed
by the Sunni for centuries. But if we understand what I've said
above, we should be able to understand that it is not only the
Saddam loyalists and the Sunni insurgents who are attempting to
prevent the rise of Shiite Islam but it is a regional
conspiracy, including the Saudi Arabians, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey,
Kuwait and Syria, to list a few, although don't leave out
Yemen and the Sudan.
And of course, don't leave
out America who early on declared her intentions to prevent the
rise of an Islamic state in Iraq, so have no doubt that American
subterfuge is embedded in the Kurds and the CIA agent Shiites
Alawi and Ahmed Chelabi.
Democracy is a minor item
in the Iraqi drama, sad to say. But the truth is that in any
historical drama the process must run its course. For example,
take America, there is no possibility of freedom, justice, and
equality in America until African Americans receive their just
due, no matter how many Mexicans and Latinos cross the border
and take control of the cities and the economy. There are forces
in the world beyond economics and politics, beyond race and
ethnicity—these forces are called justice and retribution,
reparations, without which there will be no peace in the world
no matter surface reality. It is the deep structure of reality
that shall ultimately determine the future of world events.
The trauma of slavery must
be adjudicated before any social security happens in America, no
matter how many billions are spent on homeland security, no
matter how many black males and females are imprisoned to
reinstate chattel slavery because African Americans are not
needed in the global economy.
No matter how many guns the
American government sends to the hood, no matter how much dope,
no matter how many Jesus preachers and Allah Uncle Abdullah
Imams are given faith based grants, truth shall ultimately
overcome lies and collaboration with Pharaoh, and all his
magicians, yea, every one, shall bow down and submit to the new
radical spirituality based on freedom, justice and equality,
knowledge and truth, not mythological and ritual notions of
reality.
What a shame that so many
American and Middle Eastern youth must sacrifice their lives to
create a new world for Muslims and Christians alike, for a
surety, after the Iraq conundrum is resolved, there will indeed
be a new Middle East and a New World, for when the soldiers have
shed their blood and broken their bones, a new spiritual order
will arise transcending Islam and Christianity as we know it.
Through suffering and
sacrifice, fundamental Christians and Muslims will escape the
box of oppression, dogmatism, religiosity and enter the new
millennium of One Truth, One God, One Destiny.
posted 24 June 2004
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"Religion is what keeps the poor
from murdering the rich." Napoleon
Bonaparte
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Marvin X and His Parables
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Books by Marvin X
Love and War: Poems /
In the Crazy House Called America
Woman: Man's Best Friend /
Beyond Religion Toward Spirituality
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Pray the Devil Back to Hell
A film directed by Gini
Reticker
Pray the Devil Back to Hell
is a captivating new film by director Gini Reticker.
It exposes a different story angle for the largely
forgotten recent events of the women of Liberia
uniting to bring the end to their nation's civil
war. This film is amazing in the way it captivates
your attention from the earliest frames. It doesn't
shy away from showing footage of the violent events
that took place during the Liberian civil war. But
the main story of the film is that of
Leymah Gbowee
and the other women uniting, despite their religious
differences, to force action on the stalled peace
talks in their country. Using entirely nonviolent
methods, not only are the peace talks successful,
but Charles Taylor, the president of Liberia, is
forced into exile leading to the first election of a
female head of state in Africa. The women of this
film are truly an inspiration and no one can fail to
be moved by the message of hope that comes through
clearly in this film. These are heroes that deserve
to be remembered and with Pray the Devil we are able
to do that, gaining both a knowledge of the history
we are ignorant of through archival footage and an
understanding of the leaders of this movement
through close-up interviews with the many women who
lead it. The film also offers a great soundtrack &
inspirational song- "Djoyigbe" by Angelique Kidjo &
Blake Leyh.—Amazon
Reviewer |
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Mighty Be Our Powers
How Sisterhood, Prayer, and Sex Changed a Nation at War
By Leymah Gbowee
As a young woman, Leymah Gbowee was broken by the Liberian civil war, a brutal conflict that tore apart her life and claimed the lives of countless relatives and friends. Years of fighting destroyed her country—and shattered Gbowee’s girlhood hopes and dreams. As a young mother trapped in a nightmare of domestic abuse, she found the courage to turn her bitterness into action, propelled by her realization that it is women who suffer most during conflicts—and that the power of women working together can create an unstoppable force. In 2003, the passionate and charismatic Gbowee helped organize and then led the Liberian Mass Action for Peace, a coalition of Christian and Muslim women who sat in public protest, confronting Liberia’s ruthless president and rebel warlords, and even held a sex strike. With an army of women, Gbowee helped lead her nation to peace—in the process emerging as an international leader who changed history. Mighty Be Our Powers is the gripping chronicle of a journey from hopelessness to empowerment that will touch all who dream of a better world.—Beast Books / Pray the Devil Back to Hell |
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updated 12 July 2008
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