(From his brother Tamer). First off, and ironically the one that will receive the least attention, is the fact that Tariq's bail was denied yesterday. Tariq's reaction at this? Completely calm, composed acceptance of Allah's will. I don't know how he does it, but he did it better than I managed to, sub7anAllah. It is that much sadder, that much more frustrating, and more despicable of the FBI because of how confident Tariq was that he would be released on bail. But apparently the barking of the dogs, the "Fabricators, Bullies, and Instigators" or whatever the FBI stands for these days, was loud enough to intimidate the judge. Well, it's time to show them how loud wolves can howl then.
Tariq's bail denial means that he will be in prison for a period most likely lasting throughout the course of the trial, which is several years. I want to make it very clear to everybody that WE WILL NOT FALTER IN THE SLIGHTEST... what, just because Tariq's bail was denied? It will take much more than that to even begin to dent MY determination to rescue Tariq from this mess that the FBI has thrown him into,
Again, I will repeat that the last thing that should be on any of our minds here is to falter. For me, this type of development only inspires the opposite. Just as the boa constrictor wraps around its victim even more tightly the more that its victim struggles, so too does my determination to defeat this injustice and persecution only grow stronger the greater its effort to overwhelm us. I am not alone in this mentality; there are many people from this support group who did not call me to grieve with my family, but rather to express their determination to me that all this means is we will try even harder....and harder.....and harder....and yes, harder to do what it takes to free Tariq, and those others in his position.
Please make no mistake of the opportunity this presents for all of us. I was thinking about Tariq's letter earlier today, and about how he was talking about the need for the believer to come closer to God even in those times when he has already been relieved of the stresses of this life. The act of showing our faith in God should not be a short-term emergency solution, but rather a long-term commitment, because that long-term approach represents the construction of a more stable infrastructure for our faith and our relationship with a very real God whose power manifests in this physical world as well as all other worlds.
Your proof of that is right here: we can follow one of two paths in our support, and please listen closely to this because this is the part where you decide what kind of role you wish to play in our effort.
One approach is to follow that short-sighted, reactive path where we only participate in supporting such oppressed people at times when these major events pop up. In this path, we only ask "how can we help?" Those who take this path will participate when there are active events, i.e. when everybody else is participating too.
Please recognize that the greatest weapon of the oppressors is not to attack our cause, such as by denying Tariq bail. When the FBI makes this happen, it is not a sign of their strength, it is a sign of their weakness! It is a sign that we are doing things the right way, and that they feel injured and threatened and have to take such measures to limit our success in freeing Tariq! No, the real weapon of our enemies here is COMPLACENCY. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT, so do not forget this! The real weapon and the most effective one against us is to wait out the controversy, to wait until enthusiasm for supporting the issue dies down. Because the people that followed the short-term, reactive path mentioned above represent the majority of the community right now. Remember before I said our community was fragmented? That is the result of the fragmentation, because instead of auto-mobilizing, instead of moving themselves, people must be mobilized to show support for others. This is not normal, it is a pathological state of being that is a direct product of detachment and isolation from one another. But look at where we are now, because we have many people focused on this, even many people reading these same words that you are just now reading. This is a chance to change all of this, to change it for the better. This is a path to take the other path.
The other path is to take the long-term committed road. To stop sweeping stuff under the carpet and to start cleaning house. Because we can keep on patching things up whenever controversy arises, we can keep on showing our support right when EVERYBODY else is showing support, and thinking that we're doing our service, doing our part. But do not be fooled, because that is not the solution we need right now. That is only one small component, and it is the one that makes us feel good about ourselves without solving the greater issue that faces us.
The right path for us to take is the long-term committed approach, one that is proactive, where we do not only ask "how can we help?" but we find new ways to help, we take the initiative and do things to contribute to the cause of justice and human rights. Not only that, but where we continuously work with one another and check up on one another to gradually develop that infrastructure, to erect that apparatus of community support that eventually graduates to the level of a social institution. These institutions, when free of pathologically-induced dysfunctions, through the behaviors and habits that breath life into them, are self-sustaining and are what will make our communities grow strong.
Just to be clear, I'm not asking anybody here to take a step alone. I am telling you that if you take that step to become actively invested in this effort, you can look to the left and right of you and you will see a hundred people, a thousand people taking that same step. The next step you take, you will see even more people around you. It is time for us to shake off fear and complacency, and to stop being static in our lives. We ridicule others for being ignorant of the truth, and for continuously behaving on this ignorance. Well we are even more worthy of ridicule if we KNOW the truth and we FAIL to CONTINUOUSLY act on it. So let us behave as those who are truly alive, and let us support the causes that deserve our support. Because life is not just about working the grind and waiting for the next paycheck. Life is about taking the actions that we should be taking. That said, I would like to remind you that this is about all of us, so let us continue to support each other in the right way, and not let meaning less setbacks like this hold us back.
Thank you for reading this, and I will have further updates for you soon, inshaAllah.
Your brother in Islam and in life,
-Tamer Mehanna