Monday's "Immigration" Demonstrations Joined By Muslim Groups & Organized By Marxists

I have already laid out my own opinions on Immigration reform legislation and border enforcement here and here. In light of Monday's upcoming plans for national work boycotts and demonstrations in support of "rights for undocumented (ie. illegal) aliens and opposition to tougher immigration laws being debated in the US Congress I thought I would add one or two more thoughts.

1. Monday's demonstrations (as well as other recent marches in various cities) have been planned and coordinated by a number of groups working together. Central among those groups has been the Act Now to Stop War & End Racism (ANSWER) coalition. As described by discoverthenetworks.org

International A.N.S.W.E.R. (often, simply ANSWER) is a front group for the Marxist-Leninist Workers World Party (WWP), which uses the anti-war movement as the vehicle by which it promotes Communist ideals and condemns American society, American foreign policy, and capitalism.

You can read more about ANSWER here, here and here.

2. In light of this is should not be surprising that the event was intentionally planned for May 1. May 1 has been long celebrated as International Worker's Day (a date memorializing an American worker's declaration demanding an 8-hour work day beginning May 1, 1884). May 1 was the occasion for those massive military parades each year in Moscow's Red Square (complete with missiles) before that sad empire finally collapsed under its own dead weight in 1989. Although not "owned" by socialism/communism the date "May 1" has been used (id "hijacked") by such governments and organizers to showcase and popularize their philosophy from the very earliest days of labor organization.

3. Today I discovered the following bit of news. As you read it remember that I have often commented on how the Quran is written is such a way so as to be authoritatively quoted in support of just about anything you choose: for peaceful respect of other faiths and for the bloody murder of all infidels; for kind respect and honor for women and for the right of husbands to mercilessly beat and even kill their wives & daughters; for the support of democracy and for a mandatory theocracy under sharia; etc.

In general I do not trust the motives behind the groups listed in this announcement. They have a right to participate and support the demonstrations just as much as assorted Christian leaders and groups have such a right.

Yet it strikes me as ironic and telling that American Muslim groups (some of which have clear historic ties to Islamist terrorist groups) are publicly demonstrating against make our national borders more secure from illegal immigration.

It tends to make me want to automatically take the opposite side of the issue.

In any case, here is the announcement. As always read it and judge for yourself (and note that some of the "facts" about the proposed legislation is not accurate):

Joining illegal immigrants in their march on May 1: radical Islamic front groups the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), the Muslim Students Association (MSA), the Muslim American Society (MAS), and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR): CAIR are now in the mix- will march with illegals. (this paragraph from lgf)

Los Angeles, CA: In solidarity with immigration activists around the country, the Muslim Public Affairs Council as well as the Council on American-Islamic Relations - Los Angeles (CAIR-LA), the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, the LA Latino Muslim Association, the Muslim American Society-Los Angeles, and the Muslim Students Association - West (MSA West) are calling on American Muslims to participate in a day of action on May 1, 2006.

On that day, the Multi-ethnic Immigrant Worker Organizing Network (MIWON) is holding a march near downtown Los Angeles in support of immigration reform and worker's rights. MPAC is coordinating Muslim American participation in this important event, which affects Americans of all ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds. Similar events will be taking place across the country.

WHAT: International Worker's Day Immigration March
WHERE: McArthur Park (7th & Alvarado near Downtown LA)
WHEN: Monday, May 1st, 2006 at 4:00 p.m.
CO-SPONSORS: Muslim Public Affairs Council, Council on American-Islamic Relations - Los Angeles (CAIR-LA), Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, L.A. Latino Muslim Association (LALMA), MSA West, Muslim American Society - Los Angeles (MAS-LA), Multi-ethnic Immigrant Worker Organizing Network (MIWON) - http://this tuesday.org/node/127

WHY SHOULD MUSLIMS GET INVOLVED?
Islam's message is one of social justice, economic fairness, and fair treatment in the workplace. The Qur'an urges the proper treatment and respect of workers. Several Muslim leaders discussed the relevance of the Qur'an to the struggle for dignity in the workplace with union leaders and other religious leaders during the "Islam and Labor: Forging Partnerships Conference" held November 10, 2001 in Washington, DC. Co-convened by the National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), the conference sought to build relationships between Muslims, interfaith committees and labor communities. As the Prophet Muhammad is quoted as saying, "None of you has faith unless you love for your brother what you love for yourself."

It is against this backdrop that American Muslim organizations are calling for a comprehensive immigration reform that includes provisions for a pathway to lawful permanent residence for the undocumented currently in the United States, a temporary worker program that matches willing workers with willing employers, and a reduction in the current backlogs in family-based immigration to the United States.

HOW DO WE VIEW IMMIGRATION REFORM?
The United States has always been a nation of immigrants, but today the country has more than 33 million foreign-born residents, the largest number since the US Census started keeping such statistics in 1850. In 2003, foreign-born residents made up 11.7 percent of the population, the highest percentage since 1910. And over the past 16 years, the newcomers, many of them undocumented, have poured into places in the South and Midwest that have not seen sizeable numbers of new immigrants in generations.

On December 16, 2005, the House of Representatives passed HR 4437, the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. The bill was introduced by Congressman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI). The Sensenbrenner bill is an inadequate enforcement-only bill that fails to address comprehensive immigration reform. In particular, it does not include any provision for a guest worker program, an earned legalization program, nor a reduction in the backlogs for family-based immigration. Instead, the bill criminalizes undocumented people for unlawful presence in the United States, and criminalizes people who work or volunteer with faith-based organizations for helping someone in need, who turns out to be undocumented.