SIS Jan 2006

Total Clips: 20

	Date	Outlet
Violence Erupts in Wake of Hamas Victory	01/27/2006	Houston Chronicle
Former A.U. Scholar Released by China Now Facing Deportation by U.S	01/26/2006	Associated Press (AP)
Illegal sales may have funded accused spy's lifestyle	01/26/2006	Examiner, The
Akbar appearances	01/26/2006	CNNI.com - Cable News Network International (CNNI)
Large turnout in Palestinian election	01/25/2006	Washington Times, The
Akbar appearances	01/25/2006	American Morning - Cable News Network (CNN)
'Spy' fights deportation	01/24/2006	Washington Examiner
Government argues dissident betrayed U.S. with China deals	01/24/2006	Associated Press (AP)
Akbar appearances	01/24/2006	Fox & Friends - Fox News Channel
Akbar appearances	01/24/2006	ABC News Network - Washington Bureau
Scholar released by China faces deportation by U.S	01/23/2006	Associated Press (AP) - McLean Bureau
Barras y estrellas	01/23/2006	El Universal
U.S. tries to deport exile from China	01/23/2006	Associated Press
The baby boomers are turning 60	01/23/2006	Oklahoman, The
Neighboring mosque, synagogue reach out to close cultural gap	01/22/2006	Boston Globe, The
Carving the Path for Muslim-Jewish Dialogue	01/19/2006	Common Ground News Service
TV Hit - Ahmed	01/14/2006	Fox News Channel
Zoning panel moves toward approval of AU building without wider street	01/11/2006	Northwest Current
Hunt for Osama bin Laden Narrowed to 40 Square Miles	01/08/2006
The criminality of terrorism	01/03/2006	Washington Examiner


Violence Erupts in Wake of Hamas Victory 01/27/2006 Houston Chronicle	Return to Top
Jan. 27--WASHINGTON -- President Bush said that his administration would not deal with Hamas, the militant group that scored a decisive victory in this week's Palestinian elections, if it continues to pursue the destruction of Israel. But he left the door slightly ajar for cooperation with the new Palestinian leadership. "I don't see how you can be a partner in peace if you advocate the destruction of a country as part of your platform," Bush said of Hamas, whose charter calls for the destruction of Israel. "And I know you can't be a partner in peace if your party has got an armed wing." Officially known as the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas has claimed responsibility for numerous suicide attacks against Israelis over the past five years and is classified by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization. Since Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas was elected president of the Palestinian Authority last year, however, Hamas has largely honored a cease-fire. Hamas' trouncing of Fatah in Wednesday's parliamentary elections cast a shadow over Bush's Middle East peace plan. In Jerusalem, the Israeli government declared it would not negotiate with a Palestinian government that includes Hamas members. Bush was more circumspect, saying the new government has not yet been formed. He did not rule out working with Hamas and said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was already focusing on whether the peace plan is salvageable. "Peace is never dead, because people want peace," Bush said. By sidestepping an outright rejection of Hamas, Bush also protected himself from critics who have noted that the president's promotion of democracy in the Middle East is not producing the results he had desired, as shown by the Hamas victory. "He has left a tiny exit route, which is good because in the international arena, he is seen as very much a black-and-white kind of figure, with no grays," said Akbar Ahmed, chair of Islamic studies at American University. Bush's 2002 road map for Middle East peace calls for Israel to freeze its settlements and for the Palestinians to disarm militants and suspected terrorists. Both sides are to negotiate over disputed territory, including the settlements. The ultimate goal of the road map is two secure, independent and peaceful democratic states. James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, said the Bush administration's support of Fatah probably helped win votes for Hamas. "He has almost a fantasy notion about democracy being a prerequisite for statehood, and we are now seeing that fantasy bear a rather grotesque fruit," Zogby said.

Former A.U. Scholar Released by China Now Facing Deportation by U.S 01/26/2006 Associated Press (AP)	Return to Top
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - Deportation hearings for former American University researcher Gao Zhan are in their a fourth day with a decision expected soon. Homeland Security officials are trying to have her deported to China even though the Justice Department recommended that she be allowed to stay. Gao pleaded guilty to illegally exporting sensitive computer processors to China in 2003 and served time in jail. Two years before that she received a hero's welcome in Virginia after she was detained with her family in China and was finally released. Virginia Senator George Allen and the State Department took up her case at the time. Homeland Security officials say Gao sold computer chips that could be used for sensitive military projects. But Gao tells The (Washington) Examiner that she didn't know they had any military use. She says the money from the sale went to a women's rights campaign in China. The hearings are closed to the public.

Illegal sales may have funded accused spy's lifestyle 01/26/2006 Examiner, The Rupert, Mike	Return to Top
When Chinese activist Harry Wu pulled up to the front door of Gao Zhan's Tysons Corner apartment in August 2003, he was a little surprised. Just a month earlier, Wu and Sen. George Allen, R-Va., along with hundreds of other supporters, had met Gao at the gates of Dulles International Airport to celebrate the 44-year-old human rights activist's release from a Chinese prison - where she had just spent the previous 166 days. "[The apartment] must have been costing them $2,500 to $3,000 a month," Wu told The Examiner. "They seemed to spend a lot money, trying to act like they had a lot of money - the latest appliances, televisions â€- very expensive items." Despite Wu's initial concerns, he knew the international media attention Gao received would bring huge benefits to his respected China Information Center and its observechina.net Web site. It was uncharacteristic, he said, for a Chinese immigrant to be so flashy, but not enough to raise a red flag. Wu and others who supported Gao publicly - including President Bush, Sen. Allen and then-Secretary of State Colin Powell - did not know that Gao had been under investigation before she was detained in China. Prosecutors say Gao and her computer engineer husband, Donghua Xue, had may have been selling prohibited technologies to China since 1998, according to court records. Shortly before Gao was charged and later convicted of exporting military-grade microprocessors to China in 2003, she approached Wu for help. At this point, the couple had moved to a expensive neighborhood in Herndon - home prices on her street averaged about $750,000 - and Gao had been working as an editor for Wu. He knew something was wrong. "She told me what she was doing and was asking me to help stop the investigation," said Wu, who claims Gao told him she had sold as much as $8 million worth of equipment to China. "I then looked at her and said, 'I have no idea who this woman is.' " Wu fired her two days before charges were formally filed. In an exclusive interview with The Examiner, Gao said prosecutors have tried to portray her as "greedy for money" - an accusation she says is completely unfounded. "I didn't spend a penny for myself," Gao said. "What's the point of the taxpayer spending money to keep me here? This is the home that I called home. I worked here and paid taxes." Gao and her husband were both convicted of tax evasion after not including the $540,000 they received for the microprocessors on their 2001 tax returns. When she was charged, she was in the midst of an unpaid faculty fellowship at American University.

Akbar appearances 01/26/2006 CNNI.com - Cable News Network International (CNNI)	Return to Top
Ahmed on CNN International

Large turnout in Palestinian election 01/25/2006 Washington Times, The	Return to Top
GAZA, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- A large turnout was reported in Wednesday's Palestinian parliamentary elections, with some 13,000 police officers deployed to deter violence. In Ramallah, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said the elections were proceeding smoothly, the Jerusalem Post reported. "So far, it's going very well and we hope it will keep going well until the end without any troubles," he said after casting his vote. His Fatah Party is being challenged for the first time by the Hamas party, which in recent polls has 35 percent of the vote. Hamas has traditionally refused to negotiate with Israel. In East Jerusalem, Israeli police guarded post offices where Palestinians were voting, and barred two right-wing Israeli protest groups from entering the buildings. Tuesday, several armed groups, including Fatah, Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, pledged during a news conference to maintain calm during the elections. -0- Hamas hints at coalition with Fatah GAZA, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar hinted Wednesday during Palestinian parliamentary elections he would consider a coalition with the ruling Fatah Party. The political faction of Hamas is running for the first time, challenging Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party. Polls indicate Hamas could win about 30 percent of the 132 seats. Zahar said he would be open to negotiations with Israel, but only if the Israelis have something to offer, CNN reported. "We are not going to meet them just for meeting," Zahar said after he voted in Gaza, adding many previous meetings have "ended with nothing." However, he said he would never recognize Israel as a state. Polls opened Wednesday in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem for about 1.3 million Palestinians. -0- Al-Qaida on massive recruiting drive WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Videotapes showing open recruitment of members for al-Qaida in Pakistan and Afghanistan show a resurgence in the terror group's activities, ABC News reports. The narrator in one of the tapes obtained by the network says, "Come join the jihad caravan," referring to the Islamic holy war. On the first undated tape produced by the Taliban, men described as thieves can be seen being dragged through a village behind a truck and beheaded. In the second tape produced by al-Qaida, a commander identified as one of the four men who last year escaped from a U.S. prison in Afghanistan uses a computer to explain the strategies of attacking a government building. Fighters seen on the tape shout "bin Laden forever! Long live al-Qaida," which concerns Akbar Ahmed, professor of Islamic studies at American University. "It has regrouped, reformed and re-emerged with new vigor," Ahmed said "and this is a very dangerous emergence." -0- White House to stay mum on Katrina WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- The Bush administration is refusing to allow staff to testify on the government's response to Hurricane Katrina, citing concern for confidentiality. Deputy White House spokesman Trent Duffy, said the administration had declined requests to provide sworn testimony to two congressional committees by Andrew Card, the White House chief of staff; Card's deputy, Joe Hagin; Frances Fragos Townsend, the domestic security adviser; and her deputy, Ken Rapuano. "The White House and the administration are cooperating with both the House and Senate," Duffy said. "But we have also maintained the president's ability to get advice and have conversations with his top advisers that remain confidential." Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., said at Tuesday's hearing of the Senate committee investigating the response he would ask for a subpoena for documents and testimony if the White House did not comply, The New York Times said. The Aug. 29 storm devastated the Gulf Coast, and thousands of evacuees remain in hotels around the country at government expense.

Akbar appearances 01/25/2006 American Morning - Cable News Network (CNN)	Return to Top
Ahmed on CNN's American Morning

'Spy' fights deportation 01/24/2006 Washington Examiner Rupert, Michael	Return to Top
Gao says going to China would lead to her death A former American University researcher who pleaded guilty in 2003 to selling sensitive technology could find out as early as today if she will be deported to China - an action she tells The Examiner is tantamount to a death sentence. Homeland Security officials are seeking to deport Gao Zhan, 44, who admitted selling the Chinese government more than $500,000 worth of computer technology that prosecutors said compromised national security. Gao, who has been held in a Hampton Roads prison away from her husband and their three young children for two years, appeared before U.S. Immigration Judge Paul Schmidt in Arlington on Monday to plead her case in hopes of being reunited with her family. Schmidt will decide whether Zhan, who moved to the United States in 1989 after having taken part in the Tiananmen Square protests, should be considered a national security risk, which would mean she would almost certainly be deported, officials said. The hearing, which was closed to the public after an hour at the request of Gao, was the first of five scheduled for this week. In an recent exclusive jailhouse interview with The Examiner, Gao admitted to selling the equipment, but said she is not a spy. At worst, she said, she was ignorant and naive. She said her lawyers pressured her into the guilty plea and that they told her that if she didn't cooperate, both she and her husband could be imprisoned. "I get emotional every time I talk about my case," Zhan said. "Sending me back to China means torture and death." Gao's case drew international headlines in February 2001 when she and her family were arrested by the Chinese on suspicion of espionage. She was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Only after an intervention by U.S. authorities - including then-Secretary of State Colin Powell and President Bush - was she released. Gao received a hero's welcome when she returned to the United States a month later. "I really did appreciate President Bush's help and Secretary Powell's mentioning of my case," Gao said. "But why are they silent now?" Several officials close to the case said her pleading guilty to illegally exporting more than $1 million in military-grade computer microprocessors to a Chinese government agency could be one reason. "These are serious offenses with national security implications," U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement. Several ICE officials declined to comment on the hearings Monday. Gao's lawyer, Ladan Mirbagheri-Smith, could not be reached as of press time. With the support of federal prosecutors and the judge who sentenced her - both have spoken out against her deportation - Gao said she is hopeful she will be granted asylum. "The Bible says that the truth can set you free, but sometimes the truth can put you in prison," Gao said. "There is never truth - it all depends on who is telling the story." Gao's fate - The government seized $515,360 from two bank accounts in Gao Zhan's name. - Bank records showed wire transfers from an entity run by a research institution with known ties to the Chinese military. - She sold the equipment under the name "Gail Heights," which prosecutors pointed to as a sign of her guilt. mrupert@dcexaminer.com

Government argues dissident betrayed U.S. with China deals 01/24/2006 Associated Press (AP)	Return to Top
Tuesday, January 24, 2006 ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — A woman who owes her freedom from a Chinese prison to U.S. diplomatic pressure betrayed the United States by selling sensitive technology to Chinese military affiliates even after her release, government lawyers said Monday. Gao Zhan received a hero’s welcome in 2001 when the Chinese government, bowing to pressure, deported her to the U.S. after six months of detention. Now Gao is a convicted felon who is fighting efforts by the Department of Homeland Security to have her deported to China. An immigration hearing began Monday to determine whether Gao is a national security risk, as DHS contends. Five years ago China claimed Gao, a researcher at American University, was a spy for Taiwan but allowed her to leave the country rather than serve a 10-year sentence. President Bush had intervened in the case, asking China President Jiang Zemin to free Gao. Gao’s supporters in America said the charges against her were bogus. When Gao returned to the U.S. in August 2001, she used her celebrity status to speak out against the Chinese government and for human rights. Despite her public advocacy, in private Gao resumed her business exporting various technologies to China, DHS lawyer Maryellen Meymarian said at Gao’s hearing. Gao had previously admitted selling technology with possible military applications to the Chinese government before her arrest in China in February 2001. Gao’s attorney, Ladan Mirbagheri Smith, told the judge Monday that none of the items exported by Gao after her August 2001 return violated the law. It was not made clear during Monday’s proceedings exactly what Gao exported to China after she returned to the U.S. Gao’s immigration case is unusual because Homeland Security is seeking to deport her despite a recommendation from the Justice Department that she be allowed to stay in the U.S. Gao struck a plea bargain in 2003 with federal prosecutors in which she received a seven-month prison sentence for the export violations that occurred prior to her imprisonment in China. Because Gao cooperated with prosecutors’ investigation, the Justice Department agreed to recommend against deportation. But Homeland Security says Gao’s actions demonstrate that she poses a threat to national security. If Schmidt determines that Gao is a national security risk and his ruling is upheld, she will almost certainly be deported. If he determines that she is not a risk, a hearing is scheduled for next month on Gao’s application for asylum.

Akbar appearances 01/24/2006 Fox & Friends - Fox News Channel	Return to Top
Ahmed on Fox & Friends

Akbar appearances 01/24/2006 ABC News Network - Washington Bureau	Return to Top
Ahmed on ABC

Scholar released by China faces deportation by U.S 01/23/2006 Associated Press (AP) - McLean Bureau Barakat, Matt	Return to Top
Nearly five years ago, the U.S. government exerted high-profile diplomatic pressure on China to secure the return of scholar Gao Zhan, a researcher at American University whom Beijing believed was a spy for Taiwan. Now the Department of Homeland Security is pushing with equal vigor to have her deported back to China, despite objections from the Department of Justice and a federal judge. A hearing is scheduled today in immigration court to determine whether Gao poses a risk to national security, as DHS contends. Gao's case became international news in February 2001 when the American University researcher and her family were arrested by the Chinese on suspicion of espionage. Her husband, Xue Donghua, and the couple's 5-year-old son were released after a month in custody. But the communist government charged Gao with espionage. The State Department protested and worked hard to secure her release. Sen. George Allen, R-Va., was one of many elected officials who took up her cause and introduced legislation, which ultimately failed, to grant her U.S. citizenship in absentia. The Chinese government put Gao on trial in July 2001, convicted her and sentenced her to prison. But they decided to deport her to the United States rather than imprison her, and Gao received a hero's welcome when she returned to the U.S. a month later. She spoke out frequently upon her return against human-rights abuses in China. A naturalization ceremony was scheduled for her, but abruptly canceled. Then in 2003 came shocking news: Gao had pleaded guilty to illegally exporting more than $1 million in military-grade computer microprocessors to a Chinese government agency. Court documents indicate that the scheme had preceded her 2001 arrest and that Gao knew the microprocessors could be used by the Chinese military. She struck a plea bargain that resulted in a seven-month jail sentence, plus eight months in a halfway house. Her jail time was severely reduced because prosecutors believed Gao had cooperated with their investigation and provided useful information to the United States. As part of the plea bargain, the Justice Department recommended to the Department of Homeland Security against deporting Gao after she served her sentence. Normally such recommendations carry great weight, but in this case, DHS and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are ignoring the recommendation and pushing for deportation. Monday's hearing will determine whether Gao is a national security risk. If she is found to be a national security threat, she would almost certainly be deported. If not, a hearing in February is scheduled to determine whether Gao should be granted asylum. Ladan Mirbagheri Smith, Gao's immigration lawyer, said Gao would face persecution in China given the 10-year prison sentence looming over her. And earlier this month, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III, who sentenced Gao, said he never anticipated that she would face deportation and that if Gao were truly a national security risk, prosecutors would have brought more serious charges. "I certainly never contemplated that she would face this situation," Ellis said at a post-trial hearing for Xue, who was convicted along with Gao of tax evasion for failing to report profits from the microprocessor sales on the their joint tax return. "Only the most serious proof [that Gao is a national security risk] should change that." Ellis has allowed Xue to remain free and deferred the start of his prison sentence while Gao's case remains unresolved. Ellis declined, though, to formally intervene in Gao's immigration case, saying the matter should be resolved by an immigration judge. ICE spokesman Dean Boyd said the department's rationale for seeking Gao's deportation is plain given the crime for which she was convicted. "We know she was exporting sensitive technology with missile applications to Chinese government entities," Boyd said. "A lot of our agents have invested quite a bit of time in this investigation." Gao wrote a letter to Ellis in July seeking leniency for her husband and bemoaning her plight. "I am writing in despair. I am cursing the day of my birth just like Job. I would have wished a quick end to my suffering if not for the sake of my children," Gao wrote. "My own situation is as bad as can be, according to my lawyer. ICE could hold me for years while labeling me as a threat to national security. I am not sure if I could survive it." Xue said he feels double-crossed by government agents who led the family to believe that Gao would not face deportation after serving her sentence.

Barras y estrellas 01/23/2006 El Universal Carreño, José	Return to Top
Lunes 23 de enero de 2006 internacional ¿Otras cifras? WASHINGTON.- El registro de votantes en el exterior sería sólo uno de los programas cuyas realidades se quedaron cortas frente a las expectativas, dicen las usualmente bien informadas malas lenguas. De acuerdo con una fuente, las personas que han solicitado la "doble nacionalidad" desde que México aceptó reconocerla, son menos de 100 mil, y en muchos casos ha sido más por el deseo de reclamar una herencia o de adquirir alguna propiedad, que cualquier otra cosa. Tal vez el gobierno tenga mejores cifras. Línea de batalla Y por cierto, ¿alguien se ha puesto a pensar sobre los problemas que enfrentan los consulados mexicanos en la actual situación de hostilidad contra México de muchos derechistas estadounidenses? Su trabajo es frecuentemente anónimo y a veces más conocido por sus problemas que por sus virtudes, pero el personal consular es la primera línea de batalla por defender los derechos de los mexicanos, documentados o indocumentados en EU y, como tales, son ahora el blanco de "denuncias" y acusaciones por grupo antiinmigrantes. Excelente tesina Excelente la tesina profesional que sobre integración norteamericana presentó la diplomática mexicana Marcela Celorio en lo que fue su último acto como "diplomática en residencia" en la American University de Washington. Pasó ahí algo más de seis meses y ahora se reintegrará a sus funciones normales en la embajada de México en Washington. Por cierto que el latinoamericanista Robert Pastor, uno de sus sinodales y actual vicepresidente de la institución, planea viajar a México para observar la situación política durante la campaña electoral. Hace algunos años Pastor uno de los observadores internacionales en los comicios presidenciales. Planean reunión Elementos de Televisa fueron avistados en el restaurante DC Coast como parte de una visita para planear una reunión entre representantes juveniles latinoamericanos que esperan realizar a principios de mayo en Washington. Kilometraje El embajador de México en Washington, Carlos de Icaza, está en plan de acumular kilometraje. El jueves pasado debió viajar a Miami para participar en un programa de televisión que se difunde en todo el continente, y regresó esa misma noche. Osama, el guía De acuerdo con The Wa- shington Post, el líder extremista musulmán Osama bin Laden resultó un formidable vendedor de libros: en su último mensaje afirmó que había leído y de hecho recomendó la lectura del libro Rogue Nation (que podría ser traducido como "Nación de maleantes/pícaros") del historiador izquierdista William Blum. En dos días el libro pasó del sitio 205 mil 763 al 26 en la lista de los más vendidos de Amazon, la empresa de venta internet. Deberá colaborar Las elecciones en México comienzan a llamar la atención en EU, donde algunos expresan un cierto nerviosismo por la posibilidad de que Andrés Manuel López Obrador, el candidato del izquierdista Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD), sea elegido. Pero al mismo tiempo, parece haber una casi universal aceptación a la idea de que gane quien gane, va a tener que colaborar con EU y moverse sólo dentro de ciertos márgenes económicos. Interesante La Corporación Interamericana de Financiamiento (CIF) reporta un interesante experimento: la emisión de bonos de la corporación en monedas nacionales para financiar proyectos de inversionistas privados en los mismos países. La primera emisión está en observación en Colombia y sus resultados pueden llevar a otras emisiones también en monedas nacionales. La CIF, que es parte del BID, apoya a pequeños y medianos negocios en la región. El mexicano Jacques Rogonzinsky es el gerente general de la organización.

U.S. tries to deport exile from China 01/23/2006 Associated Press	Return to Top
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia Nearly five years ago, the U.S. government exerted high-profile diplomatic pressure on China to secure the return of Gao Zhan, a scholarly researcher at American University whom Beijing believed was a spy for Taiwan. Now, the Department of Homeland Security is pushing with equal vigor to have her deported back to China. Gao's case, scheduled for a hearing Monday, became international news in February 2001 when she and her family were arrested by the Chinese on suspicion of espionage. Her husband, Xue Donghua, and the couple's 5-year-old son were released after a month in custody, but the Chinese government charged Gao with espionage. The State Department protested and sought her release. Senator George Allen, Republican of Virginia, was one of many elected officials who took up her cause and introduced legislation, which eventually failed, to grant her U.S. citizenship in absentia. The Chinese government put Gao on trial in July 2001, convicted her and sentenced her to prison. But it then decided to deport her to the United States instead. Gao received a hero's welcome when she returned to the United States a month later. Gao, who was born in China but has been a U.S. resident living in McLean, Virginia, spoke out frequently against human rights abuses in China. A naturalization ceremony was scheduled for her, but was abruptly canceled. In 2003, in a move that shocked supporters, Gao pleaded guilty to illegally exporting more than $1 million in military-grade computer microprocessors to a Chinese government agency. Court documents indicate that the scheme preceded her 2001 arrest in China and that Gao knew the microprocessors could be used by the Chinese military. She reached a plea agreement that resulted in a seven-month jail sentence, plus eight months in a halfway house. Her jail time was sharply reduced because prosecutors believed that Gao had cooperated and provided useful information. As part of the plea agreement, the Justice Department recommended to the Department of Homeland Security that it not deport Gao after she served her sentence. Normally, such recommendations carry great weight, but in this case Homeland Security and immigration officials are ignoring the recommendation and pushing for deportation. The hearing Monday was to determine whether Gao is a national security risk, which would mean she would almost certainly be deported. If no such risk is found, a hearing in February would determine if Gao should be granted asylum. Gao's immigration lawyer, Ladan Mirbagheri Smith, said his client would face persecution in China. Earlier this month, Judge T.S. Ellis 3rd, who sentenced Gao in U.S. District Court, said he was surprised by the effort to deport her. If Gao were truly a national security risk, he said, prosecutors would have sought more serious charges. "I certainly never contemplated that she would face this situation," Ellis said at a post-trial hearing for Gao's husband, who was convicted along with Gao of tax evasion for failing to report profits from the microprocessor sales on their joint tax return. "Only the most serious proof should change that." An immigration spokesman, Dean Boyd, said the rationale for seeking Gao's deportation was plain given the crime for which she was convicted.

The baby boomers are turning 60 01/23/2006 Oklahoman, The Cockerell, Peggy	Return to Top
By Penny Cockerell The As the baby boomers' generation moves into its sixth decade, the question remains: How do we define them? Baby boomers turn back clock in numerous ways Younger workers facing new rules Not all boomers burned bras or protested the Vietnam War, though plenty did. Not all of them smoked dope. And certainly not as many attended Woodstock as have claimed. Now that those who thrived in the '60s are turning 60, some have found a new appreciation for gray hair and love handles, while others fight like crazy to stay young. And while some boomers consider themselves more evolved and tolerant than their parents, the generation behind them worries about caring for the boomer masses as they head into retirement. Defining this generation of 77 million is elusive at best. Boomers, after all, span a 19-year period with no easy bookends. The oldest boomers graduated from college in the 'summer of love' while late boomers were educated in the Reagan years. Even today, some boomers have children in preschool, while others are grandparents. And yet one characteristic cannot be denied: Size. The baby boomer generation is nearly twice the size of any generation before them. Only the so-called Generation Y, which spans 1981 to 1999, approaches that number. "I think because of our numbers we'll have an impact until this generation is gone," said Sharon King Davis, a Tulsa real estate developer who, at 58, is a front-end boomer. Davis recalls a childhood embedded in the carefree '50s, when she rode the bus downtown to socialize and followed the race to the moon. Her counterparts born in the early '60s, however, recall a much different society, with turbulence and assassinations and a growing generation gap. But were the '50s as carefree as people believe? To understand what boomers accomplished, looking back on what they started with is important. In the '50s, a woman's place was in the kitchen, pollution was rampant, and Jim Crow laws kept races separate. Until Watergate, the government had no problem keeping secrets and, at home, some parents of gay children sought shock therapy to cure their children's sexual tendencies. "We take our culture for granted right now, but boomers have been everyday heroes in remaking this culture," said Leonard Steinhorn, a professor at American University in Washington, whose book, "The Greater Generation: In Defense of the Baby Boom Legacy," will be published this month. Steinhorn, a boomer himself, said his generation's biggest impact comes more in a gradual revolution from accepted norms, such as segregation, not from Vietnam or Woodstock. Boomers cleaned up their cities and pushed for personal freedoms, but that took decades. They gained equal status for women, created family-friendly workplaces, and demanded a more open government. "There are going to be no great 'Saving Private Ryan' movies about doing that," Steinhorn said. "It hasn't been a quiet acceptance of the status quo, it's been a boisterous reshaping of society. But there is no single epic battle." Still, in Margaret Phipps' mind, her generation has a long way to go. Phipps, 58, a pastoral associate at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Oklahoma City, said the values she held at age 18 haven't changed much, though the frequency of her aches and pains has. As Phipps grew older, her world expanded. When she shops, Phipps considers whether a garment-maker runs a sweat shop overseas, or whether a pineapple grower has put Central American family farms out of business. "I was real involved in justice issues and caring for people that kind of fell out of society. Now there seems to be a greater number of those people that aren't part of the social structure," Phipps said. "Boomers seemed to care a lot about that in the '60s or '70s and then they got caught up in the 'me' generation." Phipps believes many boomers now are only concerned about their own families, their own retirement nest eggs. She wonders what happened to that great social consciousness she knew when she was young. But she hasn't given up either. "I may be pushing 60 and looking toward and looking forward to retirement, but I need to continue to grow," Phipps said. "Other than the physical changes, the pain and stuff that goes on, it's really kind of wonderful. I would not want to go backwards at all." At age 60, Larry Kemp of Oklahoma City is one month older than the first set of boomers. Though he graduated from high school with the first boomers in 1964, he said he respects the generation before him more than he does his own. "Now they've all got Harley-Davidsons and are enjoying the good life," Kemp said. "Basically, we have done some good things but we haven't had to struggle like our parents did with dust bowls and the Depression." Boomers have indeed created the good life. An unprecedented number of them travel and return home to a grander lifestyle, with more money in the bank. They've experienced good news with the Berlin Wall falling and the demise of the Soviet Union. For five decades, boomers survived without the Internet and now embrace its worldwide reach. Life has more information and gadgets than folks can keep up with. Because of a greater age expectancy, boomers who reach 65 may easily have another decade or two in retirement. But retirement won't be the same as your grandparents'. Boomers plan to stay far more active, with some starting second or even third careers. Dr. Marie Bernard is a member of the American Geriatrics Society and chairs the Reynolds Department of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. A boomer herself, Bernard points to a large gap between boomers who easily can afford health care into retirement and those who are destitute. All have access to medical care, but the larger middle class likely will struggle to meet expenses. "Boomers will be protesting lack of services into their '60s, '70s and '80s," Bernard said. "I'm actually surprised there isn't more of an outcry by now." Some in the younger generation are hoping for that outcry soon. Matt Moore, a senior policy analyst with the National Center for Policy Analysis in Dallas, which studies issues regarding Social Security and Medicare, wonders why these entitlements aren't receiving more attention. "You've got this huge shift of people going from the 'pay-in' window to the 'pay-me-now' window," Moore said. Like other Gen Xers who follow the boomer generation, Moore's own future plans depend on what current leaders do now about this soon-to-be-retired generation. For better or worse, boomers sometimes take credit for changes that were beyond their control. For instance, boomers had little effect on the shift to a service-driven society, the globalization of the economy, or on such things as a global oil crisis all world events that affect them and others, said Mary Elizabeth Hughes, an assistant sociology professor at Duke University who co-authored a study debunking some boomer myths. "They're known as the 'me' generation and they reformed the world. Well, no. They created more change, but it's not like they started the whole thing," said Hughes, an early boomer. Nor is it true that divorce is higher for boomers than for prior generations, said Hughes, whose study found that the generation born before and during World War II, not the boomers, had the sharpest increase in divorce. And perhaps the best is yet to come. Even at 60, boomers are active and involved in everything from business to child rearing to setting national policy. Phipps said she still holds out hope for another boomer revolution, when her counterparts reject materialism and regain the free spirit and optimism of their youth. Then, she said, they'll truly have left their mark. "I hope we have something in the future that we're known for," she said. "I hope we're not through."

Neighboring mosque, synagogue reach out to close cultural gap 01/22/2006 Boston Globe, The Ryan, Missy	Return to Top
On common ground By Missy Ryan, Globe Correspondent \| January 22, 2006 A mosque and a synagogue that stand just a few hundred feet apart on a wooded Wayland road might seem like unusual -- and potentially uneasy -- neighbors. But worshippers at the Islamic Center of Boston mosque and Temple Shir Tikva on Boston Post Road have grasped the opportunity to reach out and learn more about each other. Some meet regularly to share meals, discussing a wide range of topics from religion and current affairs to their jobs and children. Members of each congregation have visited the neighboring place of worship for lectures or special events. And over the years, friendships have formed, despite the continuing turmoil in the Middle East. ''You have to recognize that there's a conflict going on, but what can you do about it?" said Malik Khan, president of the mosque's board. ''You can make it worse by not talking to each other, or you can try to do the best that you can by keeping the lines of communication open . . . and hope that the grass-roots-level activity can somehow percolate up." Both the mosque and the temple opened their doors in the 1980s, the Islamic Center at 126 Boston Post Road and Shir Tikva about 600 feet along the street at 141 Boston Post Road. Ties between some members of the two congregations stretch back for years. But the dialogue deepened shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Chris Gordon, a psychiatrist who is a Shir Tikva trustee, was looking for a place to pray on a day when President Bush had urged Americans to visit their houses of worship. With no service at the temple that Friday afternoon, Gordon wandered over to the mosque, where regular prayers were being held. He joined in. ''They treated me with the utmost graciousness, and especially in the aftermath of 9/11, it was a fantastic experience to be there praying with these Muslim people," said Gordon. ''I was also really struck by the similarities between their services and ours." Since then, Gordon has helped organize the gatherings every few months where as many as 18 people from the two congregations meet at someone's home to break bread and talk. In the group's first meeting, they broke the ice by asking everyone to explain the origin of their names. The exercise was a good way to kick-start discussion of differences in culture, he said. Gordon said the smaller, informal meetings have worked better than larger, more formal meetings that were tried a few years ago, where he felt uncomfortable after some people plunged headlong into serious theological discussions. In the more casual atmosphere, ''we really did get to know each other -- where we were from, how many kids we had," Gordon said. ''Gradually, we would introduce more into conversation -- more substantive things." Rabbi Neal Gold, who took over as Shir Tikva's religious leader last summer, said he was surprised to see a mosque across the street when he visited the temple for an interview. ''I said, 'My God! What a gift that is . . . to have all those opportunities for dialogue and sharing right in our laps,' " recalled Gold, who moved to Wayland from a congregation in New Jersey. Gold said having a dialogue between Jews and Muslims in Wayland, and indeed a broader interfaith cooperation between all local religious groups, is ''crucial in the America we live in today." According to Akbar Ahmed, chairman of Islamic studies at American University's School of International Service in Washington, D.C., there has been a positive ''transformation" of Jewish-Muslim relations in the United States since 9/11 -- not only among national religious leaders but on a community level. Ahmed said 9/11 was a catalyst that underlined the need for better relations. ''Previously, Muslims and Jews were living primarily within their own communities, and very often they saw each other through the prism of the Middle East," he said. Now, he said, ''bridges are being created" among many Jews and Muslims in this country. Asif Razvi, the Islamic Center's imam, or spiritual leader, was at Shir Tikva last month to see Gold's formal induction as rabbi. An active member of local and regional interfaith groups, Razvi had a close, longstanding relationship with Gold's predecessor, Herman Blumberg, now rabbi emeritus. ''It's important for me, because it makes for much better understanding and much better relationships," said Razvi, who is head of vascular surgery at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center. He said bridging religious gaps was important for him in his youth as a minority Muslim in his native India, where most people are Hindu. ''I wanted to continue to do the same thing here," he said. Standing at the door of the mosque's newly renovated prayer area, where columns and arched windows cast graceful shadows on the room's bare walls and floors, board president Khan said the discussions have highlighted similarities between the two religions. For example, Judaism and Islam revere some of the same historical figures, like Abraham. ''We like to understand how Judaism approaches issues, and how Christianity does, how Islam does, because these three religions come from the [same] basic tree," Khan said. ''What is it that they share and what are the differences?" Khan said support from Shir Tikva's members -- and from Christians and others -- has been a boon for local Muslims in a sometimes suspicious post-9/11 environment. ''We found it's helped a lot," said Khan, an electrical engineer who came to this country 30 years ago from Pakistan. Barbara Holtz, a member of Shir Tikva and one of the leaders of the Weston Wayland Interfaith Action Group, says Jewish-Muslim relations in Wayland have been not only cordial but have led to friendships. Earlier this month, for example, she called a friend from the Islamic Center and invited him to a talk at Shir Tikva about the afterlife. ''To me, this is the ultimate of cool, that now we're beginning to call and invite each other to things," she said. Gordon said his wife, on another occasion, helped a Muslim friend sell textiles to benefit victims of last fall's earthquake in Pakistan. The Weston Wayland group, which includes members of Shir Tikva, the Islamic Center, and local Christians, holds about five public events a year. The topics of the talks have included trends in Israel, Muslim thought, and a personal view of the Muslim pilgrimage, or hajj, to Mecca. They also have discussed theological books -- such as Bruce Feiler's ''Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths" -- and drawn up guidelines for decorum to help visitors attending different religious services. The group also helps organize a one-week camp for Jewish, Muslim, and Christian children. ''It's sharing of customs and life cycles, and how we live as a Jew, how we live as a Muslim, how we live as a Christian," said Rabbi Gold, who is looking forward to expanding interfaith activity. Professor Ahmed is cautious, saying that the encouraging trends nationally in the past few years are just a beginning, and are vulnerable to being soured. ''These are tiny steps," he said. ''This can all change very quickly. We need to persist." Razvi wants to see further dialogue in Wayland, and has suggested discussion groups on such hot-button issues as the future of Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories. Holtz said progress in building bridges was slowed by the Islamic Center's extensive renovation and by the temple's search process for a new rabbi. Now that those milestones are past, Holtz said, she hopes relations will flourish even more between the two congregations.

Carving the Path for Muslim-Jewish Dialogue 01/19/2006 Common Ground News Service Ahmed, Akbar; Pearl, Judea	Return to Top
Washing DC / Los Angeles - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent declaration that Israel should be "wiped off the map"-- far from being an isolated case -- underscores the reality that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be viewed in the context of global tension between Muslims and Jews, tension that is exacerbated by hostilities in the region and that simultaneously helps fuel those hostilities by inflaming fear and mistrust between the two sides. Those fiery words, first delivered to thousands of students at a "World Without Zionism" conference, were meant to rally support for the Iranian regime by appealing to deeply entrenched sentiments in the Muslim community, the great majority of which perceive the establishment of the state of Israel as a conspiratorial injustice that is responsible for numerous problems that plague Muslim countries. This mounting tension calls for an urgent and powerful international dialogue between Muslims and Jews to air basic grievances and search for common ground and shared goals. We would like to share a few observations from our dialogue program, "The Daniel Pearl Dialogue for Muslim-Jewish Understanding featuring Akbar Ahmed and Judea Pearl" (http://www.danielpearl.org/news_and_press/articles/muslim_and_jew_can_we_talk.html). Over the past two and a half years we have been convening town-hall styled dialogues between Muslims and Jews in eleven cities in the US, Canada and the UK. We initiated this program convinced that dialogue between Jews and Muslims is a necessary step toward easing world tension. We set to ourselves two organizing principles; first, no issue is taboo and, second, disagreements should be represented as two narratives side by side. Issues ranged from theological interpretations of Biblical and Koranic texts down to hot issues in the news. Each of us learned to respect how the other perceives history and, with the help of the mixed audiences, each has offered ways of reconciling differences between the two perceptions. We can identify a set of core priorities in our respective communities that came out of the dialogues, which we present here as position statements that Jews and Muslims want to convey to, or hear from, each other. Firstly, Jews would like unambiguous statements condemning anti-Semitism and other forms of religious intolerance. Muslim communities need to take a clear moral stand regarding anti-Semitism, whatever their feelings about the politics of the Middle East. Muslim leaders must ensure that the current surge of anti-Semitism in Muslim countries is acknowledged, checked and fought back at the highest levels of government. Secondly, Muslims would like to convey to Jews that the religious basis for rejecting anti-Semitism is deeply rooted in Islamic civilization, as affirmed by the many and strong bonds among the Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. These include the respect Muslims have for shared biblical figures such as Abraham, Isaac and Moses, and for many rituals and values. Thirdly, Jews want to hear that Muslim education and media are prepared to portray modern Jews, with their contemporary rituals and beliefs, as legitimate heirs and equal carriers of the Abrahamic tradition. In other words, in addition to revering Abraham and other Biblical figures, Muslim educators must acknowledge that modern Judaism, with its many shades, is a perfectly legitimate version of the teachings of those Biblical figures. Fourthly, Muslims would like to explain Islam's attitudes toward and practice of democracy, human rights and civil liberties, to gain trust in their ability to implement those rights and liberties in the context of Islamic traditions. Here the example of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan revered by Pakistanis as the Quaid-i-Azam, or great leader, is illuminating. Jinnah was the embodiment of parliamentary democracy and believed in human rights and respect for the law. He achieved the creation of Pakistan in1947, then the largest Muslim nation on earth, without ever breaking the law. Fifthly, Jews must be given clear understanding where Muslims stand with regard to the State of Israel. Reaction to Israel is complicated by the strong feeling Muslims have for Palestinians, whom they see as oppressed. Simultaneously, Muslims need to understand Jewish history and respect Jewish national aspirations. A double narrative of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples needs to be heard in both the Muslim and Jewish media. Framing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a clash between two legitimate national movements is a crucial step for constructive discussion of this issue. Sixthly, Muslims point out that there is a growing sense of Islamophobia in the West that allows the prophet of Islam and the religion itself to be attacked with impunity. This encourages the perception that the loss of Muslim lives is of little concern to the rest of the world, and further feeds into the sense of anger, desperation and injustice--which then strengthens violent people. Unfortunately, many Muslims perceive the Islamophobia as a creation of Jews, and there is a conspiracy-theory mindset that tends to blame Jews for the ills of the Muslim world. Jewish leaders must be more active and visible in the fight against Islamophobia. Muslim leaders, in turn, must help dispel unfounded conspiracy theories. Seventhly, on the issue of terrorism, Jews would like to hear Muslim leaders take an unequivocal moral stance, against both the perpetrators of terrorist acts and the ideologues and legitimisers of such acts - in particular, suicide bombings against Israelis. The red line against the targeting of innocent lives cannot be crossed for any grievance. Finally, in order to overcome the chasm of misunderstanding and bad history that exists between the two communities, an official long-term, public dialogue of the Abrahamic faiths must be supported. Such on-going dialogue needs a role model; we were inspired by the legacy of Daniel Pearl, an American Jewish journalist who earned respect in Muslim society and who came to symbolize the very ideals of religious tolerance and East-West dialogue. With the help of this symbol, we were able to carve a path of legitimacy in our communities and to witness our dialogues playing a positive role in the warming of relations between Israel and the Muslim world. The lesson we draw from our experience is that individuals--Muslims and Jews, youth and adults, public officials and religious leaders -- should not be discouraged by incendiary calls for the destruction of Israel. Each of us, all of us, should advance our own human interactions and diplomacy efforts to carve the path of dialogue. And it is a dialogue not only of civilizations, but for the future of humankind. ### * Akbar Ahmed, a former high commissioner from Pakistan to the United Kingdom, is Ibn Khaldun chair of Islamic studies at American University. Judea Pearl is president of the Daniel Pearl Foundation (www.danielpearl.org), named after his murdered son, and a professor of artificial intelligence at the University of California, Los Angeles. A preliminary version of this article was posted on Beliefnet, November 17, 2005 (http://www.beliefnet.com/story/179/story_17913_2.html). Source: The Common Ground News Service, January 19, 2006 – Editors’ Note: A preliminary version of this article was posted on Beliefnet, November 17, 2005. Visit the Common Ground News Service Online: www.commongroundnews.org Distributed by the Common Ground News Service. Copyright permission is granted for publication.

TV Hit - Ahmed 01/14/2006 Fox News Channel	Return to Top
Aired: JAN 14 2006 9:00PM CT Run time: --- Nielsen: 888,655 30 sec eq: --- Station: FOXNEWS-CABLE NATIONAL Program: FOX News Prorgramming [09:04:27 PM] JOINING US IN WASHINGTON, FORMER PAKISTANI AMBASSADOR TO ENGLAND AND CURRENT PROFESSOR OF RELATIONS AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY AKBAR AHMED IN WASHINGTON. GENTLEMEN THANK YOU FOR COMING IN. MIKE I'M GOING TO START WITH YOU.

Zoning panel moves toward approval of AU building without wider street 01/11/2006 Northwest Current Kain, Chris	Return to Top
The D.C. Zoning Commission on Monday inched toward approving American University’s proposed new 65,400-square-foot School of International Service building at the site of a small surface parking lot just northwest of the intersection of Nebraska and New Mexico avenues. In initial discussion at their regular January meeting, commissioners sided with the uni¬versity’s position that the project and its 300-car underground parking garage do not neces¬sitate the widening of Nebraska Avenue to accommodate a turn lane near the intersection. Commissioners agreed with university officials that the extra lane would remove aes¬thetically valuable green space along the edge of the university campus. The advisory neighborhood commission had voted to oppose the School of International Service project, citing concerns that the project would worsen traffic condi¬tions along the busy corridor. But the Zoning Commission eschewed the idea that a 300-car garage — to be accessed by a driveway opposite New Mexico Avenue — would have a major impact. The universi¬ty had said its staff, students and visitors account for no more than 10 percent of the traffic along Nebraska Avenue and that the new garage should not change that. At the behest of member John Parsons, the Zoning Commission did ask the university to revise its site plan to narrow the planned driveway. In response to Parsons’ comments at a public hearing last fall, the university had reduced the width of the entry that would lead down to the garage, but Parsons said the change did not assuage his con¬cerns. Parsons also pointed to a seem¬ing contradiction in protecting green space by rejecting the idea of an extra lane, on Nebraska Avenue while building an unnecessarily wide driveway. University officials had attrib¬uted the three-lane access to a desire to minimize backups at busy times when classes end, but Parsons dis¬missed the concern. “This is a very sylvan environ¬ment,” said Parsons. “Let’s not have a 30-foot driveway coming out if we can do it in 20.” During the discussion, Parsons noted that the university will have to come back to the commission in order to pursue other building plans, providing an opportunity to review any impact from the garage on traf¬fic along Nebraska Avenue. The commission put off a ‘vote on the application until the universi¬ty has submitted the requested revi¬sion, but commission chair Carol Mitten said the commission would schedule a “quick public meeting” to consider the application once it receives the new site plan. Both sides took Mitten’s com¬ments, along with the lack of debate on other aspects of the project, as strong indication that the commis¬sion will approve the project. Mitten declined to allow the advisory neighborhood commission an opportunity to comment on what she described as a relatively minor “improvement.” The commission had submitted extensive comments on the university’s earlier revision; Commissioner Hugh Mullane chafed at Mitten’s refusal and the thrust of the discussion. “It’s unfortunate,” he said after the meeting. “They’re obviously not taking into consideration any of the recommendations the ANC made.” University officials were more upbeat and predicted they could submit the revised site plan within a week. “We don’t see the narrowing of the entry to the driveway as a prob¬lem for now,” said assistant vice president for facilities Jorge Abud. He said the university is on track to begin construction in mid-2007.

Hunt for Osama bin Laden Narrowed to 40 Square Miles 01/08/2006 Ross, Brian	Return to Top
Hunt for Osama bin Laden Narrowed to Hostile, Rugged Region of Pakistan By BRIAN ROSS and JILL RACKMILL Sept. 8, 2003 — - The hunt for Osama bin Laden has been narrowed to a 40-square-mile section of the Waziristan region of Pakistan, senior U.S. officials told ABCNEWS. "[It is] a very hostile area in terms of geography, mountains, terrain, ravines and two ferocious tribes, the Wazirs and the Mahsuds who dominate the area," said Dr. Akbar Ahmed, professor of International Relations at American University in Washington, D.C. Authorities are casting a net around the towns of Angoor Ada and Wana in southern Waziristan, which are infested with al Qaeda supporters, but it is a difficult and dangerous area to operate in. Protected by local gunmen, an ABCNEWS producer, who we won't name due to safety reasons, was able to move through the hostile Waziristan area undetected this summer. Read the producer's exclusive reporter's notebook. Local residents showed ABCNEWS the mountain homes of known al Qaeda operatives, graffiti praising the Taliban leader Mullah Omar, who is also believed to be hiding in northern Waziristan, and the marketplaces and bazaars where authorities believe that bin Laden and his entourage could get its supplies. At least eight people were murdered in the town of Angoor Ada, in broad daylight, on the suspicion they were informing the U.S. of bin Laden's whereabouts, according to locals. As a result, locals are tightlipped about al Qaeda's presence. Locals also told ABCNEWS that one tribe has been known to kill their own relatives for helping Americans with development and infrastructure work on either side of the Afghan-Pakistan border. "I think it's highly risky for anyone up there," said Richard Clarke, an ABCNEWS consultant who was a national security adviser at the White House before retiring earlier this year. Since the majority of people in that region support bin Laden, he said, "they are going to be enforcers and they're going to be protecting him and his organization." Bin Laden’s Messengers Even though bin Laden has continued to issue audiotapes confirmed by the CIA as his voice, he was last seen on a video 17 months ago, on April 15, 2002. Four months prior, when he released a tape claiming credit for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, his gaunt appearance suggested he was ill or injured. But authorities told ABCNEWS there is new information from electronic intercepts and intelligence on the ground that shows bin Laden is very much alive, somewhere in the rugged terrain of Waziristan. Local sources there said al Qaeda has affiliates in different cities from Wana to Karachi, who are responsible for transporting al Qaeda members and sending messages by camel, enabling bin Laden to avoid U.S. spy planes and satellites overhead. "The problem has been that bin Laden has gone quiet," said former CIA counter-terrorism chief Vince Cannistraro, who is also an ABCNEWS consultant. "He is not using electronic communications devices. And there haven't been any recent sightings of him." Earlier this year, electronic intercepts led the U.S. to another region of Pakistan, Baluchistan, where authorities thought they had found bin Laden moving in a convoy of trucks. "They thought they were very close to locating him and fixing his position about two months ago," said Cannistraro. "But they failed in the end to locate him." Tribal Codes, Customs Four FBI and CIA agents are stationed with Pakistani troops to relay U.S. intelligence information, but even the Pakistanis have a hard time operating there. By treaty with the Wazir tribe, they are not allowed further than 100 yards on either side of the road, according to Ahmed, who once held a political post in the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan, which includes Waziristan. "This really is a closed area," he said. "The government of Pakistan has very limited control. Beyond 100 yards of both sides of the road, they have no control, which means there is no criminal law, no civil procedure codes, no normal laws of Pakistan function." The tribal code also focuses on revenge, hospitality and honor, according to Ahmed, so if bin Laden was hiding in this area, all the codes would be applied. "He would be hiding as a guest, so the law of hospitality would be involved," said Ahmed. "If someone handed him over for the huge reward that is being offered, the honor of the tribe would be at stake." Pakistani officials have had some success in tracking down and apprehending some key al Qaeda members, including Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, one of bin Laden's top deputies accused of planning the Sept. 11 attacks and who was captured March 1, 2003 in Pakistan. But according to Pakistan Interior Minister Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat, they have been handicapped by centuries-old tribal tradition and customs. "Because of their tribal sensitivities, it could be entirely possible that Osama, or his other aides — his closes aides — they could be in hiding in parts of the tribal belt," said Saleh Hayat. Tribal customs and traditions aside, Saleh Hayat said it is imperative of Pakistan, "to now focus on the tribal belts and to extend its laws into those areas … but it is a gradual process." The tribes also cross borders between Afghanistan and Pakistan, "so Osama can be like a fish swimming in an ocean, just going up and down," said Ahmed. Fewer Ground Resources U.S. special forces are stationed across the border in Afghanistan with approximately 45 checkpoints should bin Laden head there, but authorities said there are many unfrequented routes and it is impossible to seal the entire border. Special forces in Afghanistan, however, are not as specialized as they once were, Cannistraro told ABCNEWS. This specifically hurts the hunt because, he added, in order to deploy intelligence resources to collect information on bin Laden, the U.S. needs Arabic speakers. "If you've drawn off many if not all of your Arabic language resources and sent them off to Iraq you're shorthanded in terms of dealing with intelligence collection problem of fixing bin Laden's location," said Cannistraro. "So there are fewer resources to deal with in trying to basically find and capture, the principal leader of a terrorist organization that's killing Americans." Waziristan is mountainous and very difficult terrain to maneuver in. It is also populated by Pashtuns, who support bin Laden and his followers, so it's very difficult to acquire the ground intelligence to help in the hunt. As a result, in this rugged, hostile region, even with the hunt narrowed to 40 square miles, the U.S. needs all the help it can get.

The criminality of terrorism 01/03/2006 Washington Examiner DeWitt, Karen	Return to Top
By Karen Examiner Senior Correspondent What do the Great Wall and the Maginot Line have in common? They were both breached. Their builders expected the enemy to attack directly, not go around them. That's what worries Dr. Louise Shelley about the focus of U.S. anti-terrorism tactics. "We're focusing on terrorism without fully understanding its links with crime as if it's something totally different," said Shelley, founder and director of the Transnational Crime and Corruption Center at American University. The center is the first in the U.S. devoted solely to teaching, research, training and formulating policy advice in transnational crime, corruption and terrorism. The Department of Homeland Security and various other agencies within the federal government do recognize a criminal component to the terrorism connection. Ambassador Francis X. Taylor, then assistant secretary for diplomatic security, told an audience of law enforcement officials shortly after Sept. 11 that terrorism is "the ultimate crime, and it encompasses many of the other crimes that you investigate and solve on a daily basis." More recently, Juan Zarate, Treasury assistant secretary for terrorist financing and financial crime, told a United Nations audience how important it is to freeze terrorists' accounts, intercept funds laundered through various banks and shut down the pipeline through which terrorists finance their activities. But Shelley maintains that "terrorism and crime are much more linked than anyone realizes" and should be approached in a coordinated manner, as the Los Angeles Police Department does. "They look at terrorism as a crime problem and treat it as a crime problem using detective methods that don't violate civil liberties and integrate local and federal law enforcement," she said. Shelley, who was principal investigator of large-scale projects on money laundering in Russia, Ukraine and Georgia and trained law enforcement officers to deal with human trafficking, said money laundering, white-collar crime and corruption are easy crimes for terrorists to take advantage of. "Sometimes criminals have some sympathy for the terrorists, say an aggrieved ethnic group. Sometimes the criminals don't even know they're working with terrorists because the terrorists are traveling under false documents and posing as criminals themselves," she said. Nothing new, she said: "The Bolsheviks financed their efforts with crime, and Stalin was robbing banks and working with the criminals," but now "the globalization of transnational crime and terrorism is phenomenal." ABOUT THE CENTER - Founded in 1995 with a McArthur Foundation grant - Currently funded by U.S. government and private foundations - Operates nine anti-corruption resource centers in the former Soviet Union - Works on issues of terrorism and crime for the World Bank, Congress and the Justice Department