Ga license plate spells antisemitism... almost

Ga license plate spells antisemitism... almost

By JEFFRY SCOTT
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 11/30/07

For about two months Frank Gumina has driven a 1974 Volkswagen Thing
around with a Georgia tag that reads HA8 JWZ.

Gumina saw nothing in the sequence of letters and the numeral 8 except
a sequence of letters and the numeral eight. Others did.

"I would be at a grocery store or the Wal-Mart and people would say
'Hate Jews?' or 'Jew Hater?' and I had no idea what they were talking
about," Gumina said Friday.

"You know how people just say things that don't make any sense."

Finally, a couple of weeks ago, a mechanic working on Gumina's car
sounded out the letters and the numeral on his tag.

"I got it then," said Gumina. "Hate Jews. I realized I had a problem."

Gumina said he made a few calls and ended up talking with the Atlanta
office of the Anti-Defamation League and the Georgia Department of
Revenue, which handles license plates in the state.

The state has a database of about 8,500 tag number letter sequences
that it blocks from being made into license plates, said Department of
Revenue Spokesman Charles Willey.

The state on Friday said it will now prohibit auto tags that begin
with HA8 or H8 to prevent any accidental or intentional messages of
hate.

Tags on the blocked list included, for instance, "MAFIA," "AZZ
KICKER," and "KKK." The system also blocks any tag that reads as any
combination of words that can be read as curse words or racial slurs,
or anything that starts with the word 'EAT'," said Willey.

Gumina received his tag by happenstance. The sequence was generated by
a computer. It would have been blocked if he had requested it as a
prestige or vanity tag, which is an auto tag with specially requested
letter and number sequences.

"What happened was he ordered it for his car as a hobby or antique
license plate," said Willey. "And hobby tags always begin with HA."

But only one of the 8,468,506 vehicle tags now in circulation in
Georgia would come up with that sequence HA8 JWZ .

Bill Nigut, Southeast Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League
— which intervened to help Gumina — called the revenue department
decision a "sweet outcome."

But, as of Friday afternoon, Gumina said he still has the tag HA8 JWZ
on his old Volkswagen and he hasn't driven it in two weeks for fear of
continuing to spread a message of hate.

He said he can get a new tag for $7, but the state hasn't assured him
yet they they'll take the old HA8 JWZ off the road for good.

"I'm going to leave my car parked in the driveway until they tell me
they'll give me a new tag and not give the old one to someone else,"
he said, sounding a bit weary with the whole matter.

"I want that tag eliminated."

Iran Holocaust drama is a big hit

Iran Holocaust drama is a big hit

By Jon Leyne BBC News, Tehran   The film tells the story of a Jewish woman saved by an Iranian diplomat The scene is wartime Paris. Swastikas adorn the Champs Elysees. Jackbooted Nazis are rounding up Jews for the concentration camps, while terrified Parisians look on. It is a familiar plot for a television blockbuster. And this time the formula has been as popular as ever, drawing in massive audiences week after week. The only difference is that this is a series made for Iranian state TV, and it has been piling up the ratings in the country whose president once questioned the very existence of the Holocaust. The fact that Zero Degree Turn has been allowed on TV, shows the official sensitivity over the accusations of anti-Semitism that have followed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's various comments about Israel and the Holocaust. 'Iranian Schindler' "There's been a menu of demonising Iran to portray it as anti-Jewish, which is not the case at all," argues Iranian commentator and film-maker Nader Talebzadeh.   We sympathise just as much with those innocent Jewish victims of the Nazis, as much as we do with the Palestinian victims of Zionism Hassan Fathi TV series writer and director "This popular television series, which is visually also very attractive, has tackled this issue because of all the propaganda against Iran." The series has gone a step beyond simply acknowledging the Holocaust. The central character is an Iranian diplomat, who provides false Iranian passports to enable Jews to flee the Nazi-occupied France, a sort of the Iranian Schindler. He even has a love affair with a Jewish woman. | The writer and director of the series, Hassan Fathi, says he used a true story from World War II to show the outside world they have the wrong impression of Iran. "In those terrible years there were many people who could help the Jews, but they didn't because they were afraid they would be arrested," Mr Fathi explains. | "But some Iranians, when they saw they could save some Jews, they left their fear behind and did so - because of their character and their culture, their beliefs and their traditions," he adds. Ahmadinejad's stance But the outside world also sees Iran's relentless criticism of Israel and Zionism. In fact, the Islamic Republic sometimes seems almost to define itself by its opposition to the Jewish state.   Ahmadinejad has accused Israel of propagating a "Holocaust myth" Mr Fathi's argument - one echoed time and again in this country - is that you can be anti-Zionist, without being anti-Jewish. "Let's be absolutely clear about this. We sympathise just as much with those innocent Jewish victims of the Nazis, as much as we do with the Palestinian victims of Zionism," Mr Fathi insists. "And this is not just the view of a minority, it's the position of most Iranians." President Ahmadinejad takes pride in meeting members of Jewish sects who are also opposed to the existence of a Jewish state. But most other Jews would take issue with his claim not to be anti-Semitic. Mr Ahmadinejad no longer openly questions the existence of the Holocaust. Instead he calls for further research on the issue. To the West, he defends this as an innocent call for academic freedom. But the signal to the Arabs and Muslim masses that he is trying to rally is that there is still some doubt over the Holocaust - if not over its existence, then at least over the scale of it. 'Wishful thinking' And what of Mr Ahmadinejad's call for an end to the Israeli state (when he was quoting the leader of the Islamic revolution Ayatollah Khomeini) and his description of the holocaust as a myth? There is an interesting perspective from Mr Talebzadeh.   Some six million Jews were killed by the Nazis during World War II He is a firm supporter of the Islamic Revolution, but also someone who has spent time in the United States, as his American accent betrays. "The media loves to harp on that theme," Mr Talebzadeh complains. "'They want to wipe Israel off the map', 'This is Hitler'. I mean that 'Hitler - Ahmadinejad' is almost a strategic theme now for three years. "You know, the Soviet Union disintegrated very unexpectedly. It's a very good example of what would happen. Does America think it's going to be there for ever? "I could right now see America dismantling into different states. Israel, I think, would probably fall into the same pattern, and that, I think, is what the president [Ahmadinejad]is trying to convey right now," Mr Talebzadeh says. The idea that the US is about to splinter apart is a piece of wishful thinking quite widely shared here in Iran. | 'Hollywood standard' But there is also a very genuine belief here in Iran's history of religious tolerance. There's a small Jewish community here, as well as Christian and other minorities (though the government has been criticised by human rights groups for its treatment of the Bahai minority). Most Iranians, even those taking part in the most ardent anti-Zionist demonstrations, would be quite shocked at any accusation that they are anti-Semitic. The new TV series also happens to be extremely well produced, with music and cinematography up to the highest Hollywood standard. Week after week, Iranian audiences have been pulling out their handkerchiefs as the tragically doomed romance unfolds between an Iranian diplomat and a French Jewish woman.

Bracelet Found in Chicken After 25 Years

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 29, 2007

FAIRMONT, Minn. (AP) -- More than two decades after Aaron Giles lost
his identity bracelet, he's finding how it was discovered tough to
swallow. A meat cutter at Olson Locker in Fairmont came across the
shiny object in a chicken gizzard and saw a name, address and phone
number engraved on it.

''I've heard of livestock swallowing unusual objects, but this
situation stands out,'' Mark Olson, who owns the meat locker, told the
Sentinel of Fairmont.

Giles had lived in Fairmont as a child and played hide-and-seek and
other games with his brothers in their grandfather's barn near
Sherburn.

''I would spend most of my time out at his farm, and that's the only
place I can think of that I would have lost it,'' Giles said about his
bracelet on Thursday. The 31-year-old said he thinks the bracelet was
lost when he was 4 or 5.

The barn was dismantled a few years ago, and Giles thinks his bracelet
was imbedded in materials used to construct another barn in Elmore,
about 45 miles away.

The bracelet was found in a chicken that came from an Elmore farm.

Olson was able to track down Giles' father, who had moved to Arizona.
Giles, who now lives in Gloucester, Mass., said he received his old
bracelet in September.

''It was in pretty immaculate shape. Everything was working on it, and
all the engravings on it were still legible,'' Giles said. ''It was
quite the surprise.''

Giles said he expects the bracelet to stay in his family for many
years to come. ''I have no plans on trying to lose it again,'' he
said.

Iraqi Cardinal Being Congratulated

 

 

A newly appointed Iraqi cardinal, Emmanuel III Delly, was congratulated after being selected as one of 23 new cardinals by Pope Benedict XVI at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The cardinal is the first Iraqi in modern times to be elevated to that position by the Roman Catholic Church.

Photo: Christophe Simon/Agence France-Presse--Getty Images

Google Goes to India

A Googler finding nirvana in a massage chair on the Bangalore campus.

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Faisal Alam
alam.faisal@gmail.com

"Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted."
  — Martin Luther King, Jr.

A Jihad for Love: Interview with Director, Parvez Sharma

A Jihad for Love

by Jennifer Vanasco, 365gay.com
October 30, 2007

Parvez Sharma spent six years filming gay Muslims in 12 countries. Theresult, his moving documentary Jihad for Love, shows a surprisingly diverse,inside look at men and women who are trying to be gay while faithful toIslam.

365gay talked to Sharma about the myth of the Muslim monolith, how hefound his "unlikely storytellers," and the jihad - the struggle - to reconcile who you are with what you believe.

What compelled you to tell these stories?
I'm a gay Muslim myself - I think everything in my life moved me totell these stories.I was recently arrived in America in September 2001, when so much ofthe world changed forever, especially for Muslims. I remember inJanuary 2002 I was realizing very intensely that I needed to takeresponsibility for my own Islam. I knew that I needed to come out as aMuslim. And I also needed to come out as a gay man.

To be a Muslim first and gay second and lay claim to both, and tobring this discussion into the public arena, that was what we wereseeking to do with this film.


What I find really interesting about you and about this film is thatyou seem to be struggling to find a path where you can be both afaithful Muslim and an out gay person.It seems to me that in the West that might be possible – do you thinkthat's possible in Islamic countries?
I think the history of Islam and homosexuality is a complex one. Islamhas now been around for 1426 years. We often rush to pronounceall these general statements about Islam and how we should perceiveit. One of the most problematic things is that in the West we considerIslam to be this violent monolith.

All I can say is that from my experience, filming in 12 countries,believing in Islam myself, Islam is very diverse, speaks in manydifferent languages, and in many different profound ways.


You've talked elsewhere about how the West and Muslim countries seehomosexuality very differently.
In the West, we traditionally apply those titles of gay, lesbian,bisexual and transgender very easily to sexual identity, and to almostconstruct political choices around these identities.In Muslim countries, those labels of affirmation aren't applicable.The labels don't apply very easily.


That touches on an op-ed you wrote in the Huffington Post aboutIranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Columbia University.
I think President Ahmadinejad is very easy to turn into a monster. It isextremely unfortunate how he was treated at Columbia. What people needto understand is the statements he made are open to interpretation.There is a huge debate over what he actually said.

Did he mean that homosexuality does not exist like it does in theWest? If so, I agree with him. It's not the same construct.

If he is denying the existence of homosexuals, then I take strongexception to that and invite him to see the film, because I filmedthem.

Islam is more diverse on the subject of homosexuality than a lot ofnon-Muslims realize.Because homosexuality has existed for as long as Islam has existed, inmany of these cultures it has often been tolerated, and has sometimesbeen celebrated.

If you look at the history, you see examples of homosexuality beingcelebrated in the arts, in poetry, through the courts of the Ottomanin Turkey, through the courts of the Mughal in India, though differentphases of the Persian empire as it developed.

A lot of the hatred, a lot of the homophobia that exists in the Muslimworld today is inherited from Colonialism. Many of the laws thatremain in countries like Egypt or India are laws that were enacted bythe British or the French. And those laws remain.


There's also sharia.
Yes. In the 20th century, there was a revival of extremist Islam. Butmost gay people living in Muslim societies today are not living undersharia law. They are also not engaging in western constructs ofhomosexuality in the same language. Pretty much they are allowed tobe, as long as they're not flaunting their sexuality or owning it in apublic way, by let's say organizing a gay pride parade in Tehran.

I found in the film that the majority of people who have same-sextendencies assume that being married in a heterosexual marriage isperfectly normal and something they're required to do by society andby religion and by culture.


So you're saying that if someone marries a person of the opposite sex,then they can have a same-sex lover as long as they don't callthemselves gay? And they won't have any trouble?
Absolutely. I can say this with confidence. I have filmed this for sixyears and grew up in India, I know that the majority of people who areattracted to the same sex within these societies are within marriages.


But then you have someone like Maryam in your film, who's clearly avery devout Muslim. She tried to be married and now feels this greatconflict between loving someone of the same sex and also being Muslim.
You're absolutely right. In the film, Maryam is a woman in partnershipwith another woman. Both of them have been married before. And theydidn't have the choice to exercise any aspect of their sexualitybecause in patriarchal societies, sexuality whether heterosexual orhomosexual is denied.

They're in a completely patriarchal Arab society where coming outwould involve tremendous risks not just to themselves but also theirfamilies, so they chose to stay invisible. The conflict is profound.

They have not been able to negotiate a relationship with Islam thatthey are comfortable with. Maryam says in the film, "Sometimes I wantto be punished." Because maybe that is what will make me feel that Iat least tried to be good. Because what I am is clearly not good inthe Islamic way.

That's what I set out to document. How do you find a space withinyourself that allows you to be as devout to God as to your ownsexuality? And how can you find a place of equal comfort withinyourself for these seemingly disparate things, love for god and lovefor someone of same sex?


Do you see this as being problematic? What is a solution for peoplelike Maryam? What I think you are saying is that men can get marriedand have lovers on the side, so for them maybe it's OK not to have thesocial construct of being gay. But maybe that doesn't work for womenin love with other women.
I don't claim to offer any easy solutions. I don't feel Islam, diverseas it is and representing such a huge swath of humanity as it does -more than a billion people - is going to have a blanket condoning ofhomosexuality in my lifetime.

What a film like this does is enables this unrepresented group ofpeople, these most unlikely storytellers of Islam, to come out andstart a discussion, to start a learning process within their owncommunities - so that there can be benefits in the longer run formany that will follow.


These are amazing stories you're telling. How did you wind upconnecting with your subjects?
Finding people was a jihad, a struggle. Underground networks exist inmost of the countries I went to - people know how to connect with eachother, to their groups. So emails were sent out, phone calls weremade.

Many times I would just end up in a particular country with a touristvisa and just camp there for the longest time just meeting people andtake repeated trips to film with them.

One of the biggest challenges for me was to gain the trust of thesubjects. I had to go with my extremely intrusive camera, enteringpersonal aspects of their lives and expecting them to share this withme.

I first met Maryam when I started making this film in 2002. Only lastyear, 2006, did she finally agree to be filmed after many years ofgaining her trust.

What helped tremendously was the commonality of our experience. Thatthe Muslim camera was being wielded by a Muslim who knew what they hadbeen though, who understood, who knew the culture. It is a film thatwas not mediated by Western eyes.


What's next for you?
The end of making a film is just a beginning of the movement. When youspend six years of your life on something, you cannot just deliver thechild and expect it to grow up.

To actually create change with the film, I am launching The MuslimDialogue Project, which will tap into networks of people hungry forthis film, and use it as a tool of education. There will also be ameeting at a secret location next year on homosexuality and prejudicein Muslim communities, with religious leaders, psychologists, doctors,queer people, to come up with skills and solutions to take back intotheir own communities. That's the goal.


.And religious leaders are open to this?
You'd be surprised. There is a vast number of Muslim religious leaderswho understand the importance of this film and are keen to engage init, but have not been able to openly support it.

But the discussion has begun now and it's not going to stop andeventually there will be people who can embrace the film publicly. Thefloodgates have opened.

Jihad for Love is showing at film festivals around the country. Formore information, click here.

Massaman Waking Me Up in the Morning :-)