Third Year Anniversary: Milestones
Blog Post 35
November 2, 2020
Part 1
Al-Hamdulillah!
Inked Resistance
Islamic Publishing
is Three Years Old!
Here’s what we can do: We copy others; show affection and concern without prompts; take turns; show a wide range of emotions; understand mine, hers and his; separate easily from Mom and Dad; get upset with major changes in routines; and dress and undress ourselves. We carry out instructions with
two to three steps; talk well enough for strangers to understand most of the time; carry on a conversation using two to three sentences; and name friends and most familiar things. So we’re well on our way, inshallah!
All kidding aside… As we celebrate the birthday of our esteemed Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family, we’re offering a 25% discount off our books. Please take advantage of this offer and purchase some books for yourselves, your family and friends, inshallah. It is only through supporters like you, and Allah’s Subhanahu wa ta’ala Help, that we are still going strong! You can shop at Inked Resistance Islamic Publishing Shop or Inked Resistance Ecwid Store or Inked Resistance Etsy Shop, inshallah.
What have we accomplished since we were born?
Company Name, Logo, Slogan & business cards – created and designed our company’s name, logo (with help), slogan & business cards
Website – learned and created our own website with an online store
Book Covers – created and designed unique book covers (with help)
Publications – published three young adult novels and one anthology of poetry & spoken word comprised of 36 artists from all over the world
Bookmarks & Tapestries – created almost 170 handmade cross stitch Qur’anic ayat bookmarks & tapestries
Books Selling in Bookstores – enabled our books to be sold in nine online and physical bookstores and by two personal distributors in Canada, the US and Australia
Book Launch – launched Woke & Loud: A Faith-Based Medley of Muslim Poetry & Spoken Word online with Taqwa Media and Shia Racial Justice Coalition, also featuring Brother Abrahim Al-Zubeidi & his book, Tears from Heaven's Flower, and sponsored by Husayn Center for Social Justice, Ahl al-Bayt Assembly of America, Islamic Ahlul Bayt Association (IABA) of Austin, Texas, Masjid al-Rasul (MARChicago), Muslims United for Justice, Stand with Dignity, Ahlul Bayt Student Organization at the University of Houston (ABSO), Az-Zahraa Islamic Center in British Columbia, Universal Muslim Association of America (UMAA), Al-Buraq, Yaseen Educational Institute and Shia Association of North America - Bait ul Qayem
Bazaars – sold products at 12 bazaars in the US and Canada
Library – made books available in one library in Canada
Blog Posts – wrote 35 blog posts
Promoted & Advertised – promoted & advertised in person at more than 30 events in Canada and the US
As we pay some attention
to the election results
in the US of A –
the last day of voting is
tomorrow, inshallah –
let’s find out what’s been happening
in the world since we were born.
This is a snapshot of the past three years. It is not complete. It is not in order. There will be lots of things missing. Information may not be up-to-date and may in fact be slightly inaccurate. We will need to stop at some point and continue the post later because there’s just so many things that have happened. What is important for us to point out is that amidst all of these things, which are so horrible and show the animal side of human beings, the treachery of those in power, there are people like us, inshallah, who are plugging away at making a difference, at exposing the corruption, at lifting the hopes of a better day, a better way to live, a better headspace and heartspace. Remember that things have always been rough, always been difficult and corrupt and unjust and evil, and we’ve persevered. Human beings have gotten this far because there are Allah-fearing, honourable, sacrificing, loving, justice-seeking, patient and virtuous leaders and people and Allah Subhanahu wa ta’ala is on our side. Don’t give up the fight!
Since we’ve been born:
Well, Donald Trump, the US president, was in his first (and hopefully his last) term and his sorted history is too long to run through here.
Let’s just say that he:
Muslim Travel Ban - implemented and the supreme court agreed on a Muslim travel ban to the US of A
Government Shutdowns – shut down the federal government as a result of a dispute over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an immigration policy put in place by former US president Obama; shut down the government for a second time over funding for a US-Mexico border wall, making it the longest US government shutdown
Mexico-US Border - separated children from their parents at the Mexico-US border, keeping them in cages, and sent the military to “protect” the border; caused the parents of 545 children, who were separated at the US-Mexico border, to be unable to be found
Iranian Nuclear Agreement – withdrew from the Iranian nuclear agreement
Tariffs - extended tariffs on imported steel and aluminium to include the EU, Mexico and Canada; placed a tariff hike of 25% on US$200 billion worth of Chinese products
Pushed for G8 - pushed for the reinstatement of the G8 (to include Russia) at the G7 summit in Quebec, Canada
Collusion Investigation - involved in an investigation of campaign collusion with Russia, which he called a “witch hunt”, and resulted in special counsel Robert Mueller’s report of 10 episodes of potential obstruction of justice
Porn Star - implicated in an affair with a porn star
Fell in Love - visited North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the first-ever meeting by a US president, and said “we fell in love” months after the North Korea-US summit in Singapore; they met again for a second summit in Hanoi, Vietnam
UN Human Rights Council - withdrew from the United Nations Human Rights Council
Branded Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) - branded Iran’s IRGC a terrorist organization and Iran designated the US Central Command (CENTCOM) a terrorist organization
Withdrawal from Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran and Placed Sanctions on Iran – withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran and reinstated heavier sanctions over their nuclear program, Iran threatened to close off the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping, the US president offered to have talks and Iran said there will be no negotiations with the US
Deployment of Armed Carrier to CENTCOM - deployed the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and four B-52 bombers to the central command center (CENTCOM) in Bahrain to “send a clear and unmistakable message” to Iran following zionist reports of an alleged Iranian plot to attack US forces and Arabian Peninsula (Saudi) vessels
Retailiated after Drone Shot Down - Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) shot down a US RQ-4A Global Hawk BAMS-D surveillance drone, worth US$130 million, over the Strait of Hormuz after it was warned twice and violated their airspace, so the US president retaliated with cyber-attacks on the IRGC’s missile-control systems which did not succeed, at first he had ordered a retaliatory military strike on several Iranian radar and missile sites, but then withdrew the order, he also issued new targeted sanctions against Iranian and IRGC leadership, including Ayatullah Ali Khamenei and his office, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, Naval commander Alireza Tangsiri, Aerospace commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, Ground commander Mohammad Pakpour, the IRGC Navy’s Abbas Gholamshahi, Ramezan Zirahi, Yadollah Badin, Mansour Ravankar and Ali Ozma’i, freezing any assets under US jurisdiction, blocking dollar-denominated transactions and barring international banks from moving money for them
Nuclear Forces Treaty – terminated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty over alleged Russian violations and Russia then suspended its obligations to the treaty
Deployment of More Troops – deployed an additional 1,000 troops to the Persian Gulf area after two oil tankers were damaged, called Iran a “nation of terror”
Impeachment – impeached for abuse of power and obstruction of congress for soliciting help from a foreign government (Ukraine) in digging up dirt on his rival Joe Biden in exchange for the release of nearly US$400 million in military aid – he was the third president in US history to be impeached; he was acquitted by the US senate
US-Mexico-Canada Agreement – replaced NAFTA
White Supremacy – designated the Russian Imperial Movement, a white supremacist Russian group, as a terrorist organization and sanctioned some of its leaders, but defended a white supremacist, neo-Nazi rally – “Unite the Right” - in Charlottesville, Virginia in which James Fields Jr. drove into counter-protestors killing Heather Heyer and injuring 19 other people, and two Virginia state police troopers were killed when their helicopter crashed, he repeatedly refused to talk against white supremacists and militia groups in the US and in his first debate with Joe Biden he told the violent far-right Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by”
World Health Organization (WHO) Funding – suspended funding of WHO due to its handling of COVID and relationship with China
Withdrawal of Open Skies Treaty – announced it was withdrawing from the treaty due to continuous Russian violations
No Business with Hong Kong – passed an act that made it illegal to do business with Hong Kong and Chinese businesses that violate Hong Kong’s autonomy in response to China’s Hong Kong national security law
Indictments against Venezuelan President – indicted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro on charges of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism and a US$1 million reward was offered to bring him to “justice”
Fraud Charges against Chinese Company – charged the Chinese tech firm Huawei with several counts of fraud and blacklisted Huawei
“Called Off” Peace Talks with the Taliban and Later Made Peace Deal – “called off” planned peace talks with the Taliban at Camp David because they were responsible for two bombings in Kabul, Afghanistan, which killed 28 people, including a US soldier, and injured at least 160 people; signed deal with the Taliban in Doha, Qatar, to end the 18-year war in Afghanistan, the US and NATO allies will withdraw their troops after 14 months if the deal is maintained
US drone attack in Afghanistan - killed 30 Afghan pine nut farmers and injured 40 people in the Wazir Tangi area of Khogyani district of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, while claiming to have targeted the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS/ISIL/DAESH), to be called ISIS from here on
Deployment of Troops to the Arabian Peninsula - deployed several hundred troops and military equipment to the Arabian Peninsula (Saudi) and United Arab Emirates (UAE) after attacks on the Aramco oil refineries
Tariffs on the European Union (EU) – imposed US$7.5 billion worth of tariffs on products such as olives, whiskey, wine, cheese, yogurt and airplanes from the EU
ISIS Leader Killed - announced that Abu Bakr al-Baghdad, the leader of ISIS, was killed in a US special forces operation by detonating his own suicide vest after being chased into a tunnel
Pulled out of the Climate Change Agreement – pulled out of the Paris Agreement on climate change
US Space Force Created – founded the US space force of the armed forces for space warfare
False Accusations and Bombings - blamed Kata’ib Hezbollah of Iraq for attacking the K-1 Air Base in Kirkuk province, Iraq, one of many Iraqi military bases that host the US’s Operation Inherent Resolve coalition personnel, which killed a US civilian contractor and injured four US service members and two Iraqi security forces personnel and conducted military bombing operations against five Kata’ib Hezbollah’s weapons depots and command centers in Iraq and Syria, killing at least 25 Kata’ib Hezbollah soldiers, including Kata’ib Hezbollah commander Abu Ali Khazali and at least three soldiers and wounding 55 Kata’ib Hezbollah soldiers
Reinforced US Embassy in Baghdad - sent hundreds of additional troops to the Persian Gulf region, including approximately 100 marines to reinforce security at the US embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, after Kata’ib Hezbollah soldiers, their Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) supporters and protesters breached the front gate checkpoint of the embassy following the funeral of the martyrs from the US military operation (see above)
Assassinated Iranian General and Iraqi Deputy Chairman – conducted a drone strike, without the US congress’s authorization, at Baghdad airport in Iraq, assassinating Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi deputy chairman of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, along with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers Brigadier General Hossein Pourjafari, Colonel Shahroud Mozafarinia, Major Hadi Taremi and Captain Vahid Zamanian, and PMF members chief of protocol and public relations Muhammed Reza al-Jaberi, Mohammad al-Shibani, Hassan Abdul Hadi and Heydar Ali, and then sent an additional 3,500 airborne infantry soldiers to the region
Targeted 52 Iranian Sites – warned Iran that any retaliation for the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani would result in the US destruction of 52 Iranian significant sites, including cultural sites (representing the 52 US prisoners held for 444 days beginning on November 4, 1979), in response to Iran’s Leader Ayatullah Ali Khamenei’s warning to the US that “retaliation is waiting”; Iranian forces in Operation Martyr Soleimani launched tens of ballistic missiles at Ayn al Asad airbase in Al-Anbar governorate and an airbase in Erbil in the Kurdish region, both in Iraq, where US personnel were located, Iran said 80 soldiers had been killed and 200 soldiers were injured, but the US department of defense said 110 service members were diagnosed and treated for traumatic brain injuries from the attack
Threatened Iraq - threatened Iraq with sanctions that would “make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame” and demanded reimbursement for American investments on military facilities in Iraq after 170 Iraqi lawmakers signed a draft law requiring the government to request the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq
Trump Peace Plan – announced his peace plan with the zionist state of Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the white house in Washington, D.C.
Evacuated US Citizens from COVID Cruise Ship - evacuated 400 citizens from the 3,700 passengers on the cruise ship Diamond Princess quarantined in Yokohama port, Japan, with cases of the coronavirus on board
Set Free Convicted Felon – commuted his associate Roger Stone’s sentence of 40 months imprisonment, setting him free, for seven felony convictions for obstructing a congressional investigation and witness tampering; Stone is only one of 44 people convicted of federal criminal offenses to whom he has commuted sentences or granted executive clemency
COVID Cures - said the coronavirus could be treated by injecting disinfectant (bleach) or UV lights into people at a white house press briefing in Washington, D.C.
COVID Made in Wuhan Lab – claimed the coronavirus was made in a lab in Wuhan, China, while the director of national intelligence said it is not manmade
Controversial Drug - confirmed he was taking the controversial drug hydroxychloroquine against COVID
Twitter Warnings - tweeted inaccuracies and false news and Twitter added warning labels on them for the first time
Sicced Federal Forces and Military on Protestors - employed federal forces and the military to push back and beat up protestors in front of the white house in Washington, D.C., over the white supremacist cop murder of George Floyd and threatened to send them to other cities protesting against police brutality, violence and murder of black people and white supremacy and for black lives matter; federal forces, often in body armour, camouflage and riot gear, were deployed to quash protests, beat up and arrest people, clear the streets and patrol cities in Portland, Oregon, Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, Kansas City, Missouri, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, California, Denver, Colorado, Miami, Florida, Detroit and Port Huron, Michigan, Buffalo and New York City, New York, Dallas, El Paso, Houston and Pearland, Texas
Got the Coronavirus- announced via twitter that he and his wife got the coronavirus and he was helicoptered to Walter Reed national military medical center in Bethesda, Maryland, for treatment
Held Re-Election Rallies during the Coronavirus with white supremacists & Q-Anon Supporters - held re-election rallies in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Phoenix and Yuma, Arizona, at Mount Rushmore in the Black Hills, South Dakota on the 4th of July, Henderson, Nevada, Bemidji and Duluth, Minnesota, during the coronavirus with white supremacists & Q-Anon supporters with few wearing masks and social distancing, and three weeks after he, his wife and son had the coronavirus, he held several rallies a day until election day
Stripped International Students’ Visas – stripped the visas of more than one million international students whose courses are only online
Supported Police after Black Man Shot to Death - visited Kenosha, Wisconsin, to support the police after Jacob Blake was shot in the back seven times by a Kenosha cop, while his three children watched from the car, paralyzing him, saying the protests that ensued were “domestic terror” and that there is no systemic racism in law enforcement
Lied About the Coronavirus - purposely downplayed the coronavirus in early 2020 to avoid panic according to Bob Woodward’s new book Rage
Refused to Commit to Peaceful Transfer of Power – refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he lost the presidential re-election
Nominated Supreme Court Replacement During Election Year - nominated Amy Coney Barrett for the supreme court to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg who died, she was confirmed, sealing a conservative majority
Tax Avoidance – only paid US$750 in income tax in 2016 & 2017, revealing “chronic losses and years of tax avoidance”
Isn’t that enough? It was only Part 1!
The next parts will be posted soon, inshallah.
References
(Probable)
2017 Events. (Aug. 21, 2018). History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/2017-events
2017. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017
2018 Events. (Dec. 6, 2018). History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/2018-events
2018. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018
2019 Events. (Feb. 5, 2020). History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/2019-events
2019. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019
Historical Events in 2020. On This Day. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/2020?p=1
Historical Events in 2020. On This Day. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/2020?p=2
Historical Events in 2020. On This Day. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/2020?p=3
Historical Events in 2020. On This Day. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/2020?p=4
2020. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020