SIGNS OF THE TIME

As-Salaamu 'Alaikum. No I'm not kidding. I do have a sense of humor, but you all should know me better than that. Each year when the disguised devil worship that is Halloween (then again, maybe it's not so disguised) is highly visible in America and elsewhere, I always think about the truth that is behind the reality. First, the myth of vampires attacking and slaying the innocent is a metaphor for the victimizing of the poor by the rich. The real vampires are those who systematically prey on the indigent. This means that the real vampires are individuals and corporations who drain the social, economic, and spiritual life out of grassroots people, living them in the condition of the walking dead, in place of living, vibrant human beings who live fruitful and well realized lives in a world of shared prosperity. But even moreso, Dracula was a real person; a historical figure from European history. Decades ago I was walking through the Port Authority Bus Station here

Press Conference of the Islamic Leadership Council of Metropolitan New York, City Hall, NYC Oct. 14, 2014 A Call to Justice and Rejection of Violent Extremism A Statement from the Majlis Ash-Shura (Islamic Leadership Council) of Metropolitan New York Thirteen years ago during the immediate aftermath of the september 11 th atrocities, the Majlis Ash-Shura, also known as the Islamic Leadership Council of Metropolitan New York, wrote and distributed 10,000 brochures on the streets of our city. The brochures conveyed our message of condolences to all who lost loved ones in those horrid attacks. We denounced terrorism, which we identified as politically motivated violence against innocents.   Further, we urged the Western powers to seriously investigate those factors that were fomenting extremism amongst Muslims. Today, our message remains essentially the same.   Throughout the planet,   there are people of different racial and ethnic groups, many religions or beliefs,