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What would you rate the image of the Lebanese citizens accross the World? From 1 (Bad) to 5 (Good): 5/5 27.9% 3/5 21.6% 1/5 18.6% 4/5 18.1% 2/5 13.7% Total Votes: 204

Riad Hamad is Dead
By Farah Salka, Staff writer

Beirut, Lebanon –Who is Riad Hamad? 55 years old, Riad is (or was) a highly respected and award-winning technology teacher at a school in Texas. He was a very proud Arab and Muslim holding an American passport and coming from Lebanon. On the morning of February 27, Riad received unexpected visitors (or expected since it was not a first visit), from the FBI and the IRS specifically, with guns and warrants from none other than Judge Robert Pittman, famous for his prejudice against Arabs in general and Palestinians in particular. There were 18 of them and they stormed the house trying to find something in the 40 loaded boxes (with papers, CDs, computers and everything basically) they removed from the apartment. They tried their best to incriminate him with wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering on that occasion and on several other occasions but they constantly failed. Riad was never charged with any crime, big or small, since he never committed one.1

Besides being a school teacher, Riad was co-founder of the Palestinian Children Welfare Fund2 and for 37 years, he had been a tireless advocate for the voiceless oppressed and hungry children of Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon, never heeding any attention for all the harassment and intimidation he was receiving from the FBI and its counterparts. His PCWF after all has also been a partner of several other organizations working for the same cause of delivering basic rights to children of countries where American foreign policy has shed blood. Riad was a holder of three Bachelor degrees and four Master’s with the fifth having been on the way. Riad had been fired from his previous job at Austin Community College as a consequence of exercising his democratic right to speak out against the crimes of the American government. It is no coincidence that Riad’s association with such similarly-working organizations as the PCWF (which unfortunately for the FBI never were found guilty of any wrongdoing) has brought him so much trouble throughout.4 No, the PCWF is not a fanatical organization that invests in teaching children to hate Jews or become “suicide bombers” as all Zionist propaganda is trying to depict.3 The PCWF feeds children, enhances their educational opportunities and sends them clothing, books and medicine to provide them with “a bright future without violence, hatred and discrimination”. No, Riad was not anti-Semitic; and his organization is non-political and non-religious with purely humanitarian intentions that target children of any religious affiliation.5 Because of all this kind of activism, this nature of the target group and Riad’s outspoken sense against all injustices, it was only anticipated that he was heavily targeted throughout his life; his work was just not wanted by the American administration.

Following is a letter written and sent by Riad on April 6, 2008.

"Dear friends,

Please DO NOT respond to this email as it is for your information only. Besides the government harassment, the hateful environment from some students at school because I am an Arab and a Muslim and their racist comments, I have been getting phone calls around midnight by someone saying "where is your camel." and last...my car was vandalized about two years ago....last night around 1:30 in the morning, someone rang the bell and ran away....and you could hear all the dogs in the neighborhood barking when the person who rang the bell ran away...A real loving environment towards Arabs and Muslims....and it makes wonder, what have I done wrong?

Shukran for your work and support.
Salamat.

Riad Hamad"6

On April 17, 2008, a woman walking her dog at noon reported the body of a man in Lady Bird Lake in Texas. It was Riad’s. Police in Austin expressed the option of the death being suicide based. They did not explain the logic or reason behind his eyes and mouth, both, being covered with duct tape and his hands and legs, both, being tied with rope.  Now one can swallow the scenario of Riad putting tape on his face but how will they feed us the other scenarios of tying is hands and legs before “committing suicide and jumping”? 7 He would certainly require help to do this would he not?

Following are comments on an article written on Riad, some from his friends, others from some of his students and co-teachers (both of which had required grief counselors after the news was out at his school8), and others, of course, as goes the process every time, from hateful Zionists apologists:

How could an Arab ever feel suicidal living in Texas? That sounds pretty implausible, unless people were treating him like a Mexican by mistake. (Terry Hudson)

It's true that Riad's friends are sharing the incomprehensible news of his sudden death. We know there are racists and hate mongers who will try to demonize his name and reputation, as some have already done in this blog. Riad stayed remarkable cheerful when he was attacked and slandered during his life by Islamo-phoebes and radical Zionists. He kept his eyes on the prize, which for Riad was saving innocent children suffering an insufferable and brutal occupation. (Maria)

If Riad committed suicide we understand. If he was murdered we know why. Riad, all my love…we will NOT stop caring for your children. (Karin)

It is difficult to read some of the evil comments on this blog, comments coming from Zionist apologists for Israeli terror against an occupied Christian and Muslim Palestinian people. The websites you refer us to are ALL Zionist websites. Since many of you writing this crap had never met Riad nor worked with him nor read anything about him that was not colored by Daniel Pipes and his ilk, what right do you have to judge? Riad Hamad is just the latest victim of this vicious regime, a man who spent a great deal of his life trying to make other's lives better. And what have you done? (Annie Higgins)

Riad did not care what you thought or said about him. He knew there are always racists and haters and people threatened by the idea of peaceful coexistence. His priorities were very clear - to him and to all of us who love him: It was the children. He had no material possessions because he gave everything away. In my rather long life I never met anyone who measures up to Riad. He will be missed by all of us who loved him, and most desperately by the impoverished families he helped. (Mary Hughes-Thompson)

I am 13 years old. Mr. Hamad was my teacher, and we loved him. There are terrible things being said about him by some of you, and I think you are just awful. Shame on you. We are more adult than you are. Mr. Hamad was a great teacher and a wonderful person who stood up for human rights. I do not know what a Zionist is, and I do not care, but I do know that we will miss Mr. Hamad a lot. (Justin)9

Following is a letter Riad wrote on July 2004 to Attorney General John Ashcroft:

“Ref: Harassment of my children, monitoring my friends and family, intrusion on my privacy and civil rights.

Mr. Attorney General John Ashcroft,

My neighbor came up to me few weeks ago and informed me that an agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation called him again regarding some information about my activities and other personal matters. Mr. Frank R. specifically told me that the agent inquired about the kind of car that I drive since your agents cannot find any records of car ownership for me in Travis country or the state Texas.

I was surprised to hear that from him since not even my closest friends know that I do not own a car or any property, fixed or mobile in the state of Texas or the United States. It was my choice at the age of forty to give up all material things and devote my life to something meaningful besides racking up dollars in my bank account. For your information I do not own a car, a house, a yacht and my bank accounts have less than one hundred dollars in them.

Your agents should know the car that I drive, since it has more than 20 bumper stickers in support of the people of Palestine, against the occupation of Palestine, against the war in Iraq and one that states, "A village in Texas is missing its idiot," and I think he now lives on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C.

If you cannot identify the car and for your convenience, I have written " I am an Arab, Ana Arabi" in large characters (In Arabic and English) on the rear window even a visually impaired person can see, unless they are blind in the mind and the heart like you and the rest of the administration that your represent.

I keep 300 dollars out of my paycheck, fifty percent of the rest goes to my two children for their college education and the other fifty percent goes to families and children that I sponsor in Palestine. Now, you know that piece. Anything else you want to know. Oh yes, I forgot, my personal attire.

I own five shirts: One light pink shirt that I have had for over three years. (I use it often to show my feminine side because I know how much you and the rest of this administration hate gays), one dark pink shirt that I have had for over three years, one blue George W. dumb-ass look style shirt with a hole under the armpit, one puke green shirt ala Tom Ridge's face with a stained collar, a chicken-poop yellow shirt, ala Ashcroft's face to wear to work on sunny days. Also, I have six pairs of socks, all with holes in them so that it would not allow me to take off my shoes at doctor's offices or during romantic encounters. Imagine.

The socks go under two pair of shoes that share much with you in character and substance. They are both old and worn out and have no soles just like you have no soul. Five sets of underwear made in China since this administration "outsourced" so many jobs to China because the schools in the United States graduate only football players, baseball players, cheerleaders, dancers and cash register operators at McDonalad's and Randall's (A regional grocery store chain in the Southwest).

All undergarments have holes in them set to let gas out when I see on television the images of Bush, yourself, Ridge, Rumsfeld or any of the other geniuses that God has blessed this country with to take it down into moral and financial bankruptcy.

Other personal belongings include a large Palestinian flag, a large Iraqi flag, a small Palestinian flag to hang from left side back window of the car that I drive and do not own, a small Iraqi flag to hang from the right back window of the car that I drive and do not own, a membership card in the Law Library of the State of Texas, a membership card in the Public Library in Austin, Texas, a membership card in the University of Texas System libraries, five pieces of paper indicating that I have completed the requirements for seven college degrees and a piece of paper indicating that I have completed a proficiency test in the Japanese language at a college level.

Finally, 49,598 deception dollars to distribute to my friends, colleagues, passers-by at events against the war in Iraq or in support of the people of Palestine and to expose your lies about who is to blame for the September 11th, 2001 events.”10

Last but not least, following is a letter Riad addressed to George Bush on 13 April 2006:

“To: George Bush,
President of the United States of America
Washington, DC

I was very amused last week when I was trying to get into my car in the morning on my way to work, when my neighbor across the street came out and asked me if we could talk. Although I was in a hurry since I was late, I listened to him since he said that the topic was important. My neighbor told me that he was approached by the FBI and was asked many questions about me and was asked to put a camera in his house to watch me. The request was denied, as my neighbor, who happened to be a Libertarian, did not trust the motives of the FBI. Also, my neighbor told him that, “Riad is my friend and I would not spy on him.” Apparently, the agent did not give up and told my neighbor that he would call on him again.

Although I knew and expected such activities by the FBI, I was surprised about their lack of professionalism and the absence of decency. I carry my Iraqi flags to every rally and I am always the loudest and the most obvious. Hundreds of people come and ask me about the flags as they do not know which countries the flags stand for, and I have to say, “These are the flags of the countries that your tax money is paying to occupy, kill and maim,” since not many of them knew the colors of the flags of Palestine or Iraq. For the FBI to have to go and knock on my neighbor’s doors is very unprofessional and illegal. Besides, the FBI has been harassing members of the International Solidarity Movement and monitoring their phone calls, e-mails and movements around the nation. I assume this is an effort to harass them, intimidate them, and scare them from going around the United States to expose your lies, and that of your administration, about the real situation in occupied Palestine.

I have lived, went to college, and worked in the United States for over 30 years. I have no criminal record and not even a suspicion of committing a crime, such as your cocaine addiction, drunk driving, and going AWAL during your National Guard duty in Texas. Also, I have never sold shares of a bankrupt company to the pension fund of Bahrain National Oil Company like you did, which is nothing but fraud and insider trading.

I work with a group of individuals around the globe called the Palestine Children’s Welfare Fund in association with the Holy Land Trust out of Bethlehem, Palestine. We bring olive wood and embroidery from Palestine and raise money in the United States for the women and the children of the refugee camps. We are non-political and non-religious, and our donors and supporters are Muslims, Christians, Jews, and others who know better than to believe your message of hatred and aggression. Every penny we receive is accounted for and every penny we spend is accounted for on our web site that I am sure that you have monitored and observed. Also, we sponsor only civilians who are either orphans or not affiliated with any political or religious groups and their only crime is that they are Palestinians.

As a patriotic citizen of this country, and to make sure that I give you a hand in combating “terrorism,” I have posted a sign near in our neighborhood letting people know that we are under surveillance. And asking our neighbors and the passers-by to inform the FBI of any suspicious activities and the sign and the pictures of the house with the sign is on the Web page link.

Over the past weekend, several of our neighbors came by and apologized for your stupidity and that of the FBI and other officials. One of them told me that, “I am ashamed to say that I am an American since George Bush became president.” Others tried to apologize, and I had to remind that I am also ashamed of you and your actions and that of your administration. I have not been outside the United States since you became president, to avoid showing my passport and avoid associating with you and your administration. Besides helping you monitor me by posting the sign near our home, I will help you find some terrorists that I know and I believe that they are threat to the safety and the security of the United States. You do not have to look far to find them and apprehend them, and if you do not soon, WE THE PEOPLE will someday soon. These terrorists are now in Washington and you see them every time you have a cabinet meeting and I am afraid you are one of them.

George,
Get the hell out of my life and take your FBI thugs from our neighborhood because they are not wanted.

Riad Hamad
Austin, Texas”11

For a comprehensive list of all letters and pieces Riad has written before they tried shutting him up, you can refer to his blog at http://blog.myslantedview.org.

It is precisely paradoxical (as every other thing in the US is) that after all the FBI has put Riad through throughout his life, they were apprehensively polite enough to label him as a peace worker and not a terrorist after his death but this remains worthless for us. We know this: A full and adequate investigation ought to be done to explain Riad’s death but we are not stupid and we are positive it will not be done. Whatever the actual cause of Riad’s drowning, it does not take two rational beings to conclude that it was a calculated result of a racist derogatory battle of hate and mongering by people who did not want him doing what he was doing day by day. He might have been driven to suicide which is way too very unlikely, but even if he was, the reasons are shouting out to us so we know them. But most likely and only logically, Riad has been murdered and his murderers are up there, celebrating the triumph of evil once again.

“Einstein once said that all it takes for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing. Too many good people are doing nothing. And now Riad is dead.”12

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