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Alert: Call the White House today for Bradley Manning
Friends,
The untold story of how an FOR comic book helped inspire Egyptian revolutionaries
At the center of the inspirational revolution in Egypt has been a community of young bloggers. While the Egyptian government is trying to crack down on all non-state-controlled media outlets, these activists have been building upon a message of nonviolent change they have been promoting for months and years.
 One key Egyptian blogger is Dalia Ziada, the North Africa director for the American Islamic Congress. She was profiled in 2009 in both Time magazine and the History News Network for her efforts to help develop a democratic voice in her region.
The articles highlighted Ziada's translation into Arabic of a comic book titled Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story. In "A Quiet Revolution Grows in the Muslim World," Time's Robin Wright said:
She now champions everything from freedom of speech to women's rights and political prisoners. To promote civil disobedience, Ziada last year translated into Arabic a comic-book history about Martin Luther King Jr. and distributed 2,000 copies from Morocco to Yemen.
In "Can a Comic Book About MLK Change the Middle East (At Least a Little)?" HNN's Noah Mendel foreshadowed the current events being seen throughout the Arab world:
Spreading the message of non-violent resistance throughout the Middle East is ultimately a means to an end for Ziada and the rest of the AIC; that is, to inspire action. “The main message I hope that Arabic readers will take from the MLK comic book is that: change is not impossible. It is time to stop using our muscles blindly. Let's try using our intellect in innovative, creative ways to pressure decision makers and end dictatorship, tyranny and the suppression practiced against us.”
Given the increasingly violent response of the Egyptian government and its supporters against domestic protesters as well as international journalists, the commitment by Ziada and others to engage in nonviolent action was critical and prescient.
The comic book about Dr. King was published by the Fellowship of Reconciliation in the late 1950s, shortly after the Montgomery Bus Boycott concluded.
FOR published it in English and Spanish. We are thrilled that our work has now been translated into Arabic -- as well as Vietnamese and Korean -- to further the Rev. Dr. King's ideas of nonviolent resistance to oppression. The Fellowship of Reconciliation continues to call on all those in Egypt and throughout the Middle East to seek nonviolent solutions to the political, economic, and social conflicts being debated today.
The comic book is long since out-of-print in its original form, but FOR plans to soon offer electronic PDF copies of the English-language version (and possibly the Spanish version) for sale at a modest fee. Simply reply to this e-mail if you are interested in purchasing this resource upon its re-release.
More selected articles from FOR's blog
Bradley Manning national call-in day today, Feb. 3
 The successful “people power” movement in Tunisia that took place last month was driven, in part, by documents about Tunisia’s political elite contained in the Wikileaks publications.
Bradley Manning, a U.S. citizen, is currently under punitive detainment and confinement by the Pentagon for his alleged participation in these leaks.
Please call the White House today on behalf of Bradley, until 5:00 PM Eastern time, at (202) 456-1414.
Read more about Bradley, view talking points, and learn what else you can do.
10 Lessons from Tunis and Cairo, by Mas'ood Cajee
 The Tunisians and Egyptians, in shaking off long-standing dictators, have inspired the downtrodden and hopeless well beyond their borders. We can learn a lot from their experiences. Continue reading...
I am an Egyptian today, by Leila Zand
 The voice that is coming from Egypt is the same voice we heard from Tunisia and Iran. It is the voice of the people; it is people's demand for democracy and freedom. It is neither religious fundamentalism nor the voice of foreigners. It is "people power." Let's trust the people; trust their pain and their dream. Continue reading...
Not Giving Up on Our City: Fasting in Ciudad Juárez, by John Lindsay-Poland
 “No more blood in exchange for a hypocritical control of drugs, nor for the wealth generated by weapons that invade our country, no more youth murdered, no more cries of parents, of women. Enough! This is a territory for life!” So said Perla de la Rosa of the “Pact for Culture” to start the binational rally celebrated at the fence dividing Mexico and the United States outside Ciudad Juarez, the city with the highest murder rate in the world. Continue reading...
Beyond the Yellow Ribbon: Hope for Returning Veterans, by Bill Scheurer
Extensive information in the popular and scientific press shows that veterans are “falling through the cracks” of our medical system. In a strange new twist of “don’t ask, don’t tell” military culture, many veterans do not tell physicians about their military service and healthcare practitioners do not ask. Continue reading...
FOR leader targeted by hate group web site, by Osagyefo Uhuru Sekou
A racist web site has targeted me and our congregation for our support of the Living Wage campaign by positing a web link to a television segment on our church. The police would not accept a complaint because there was no direct threat on my life or the church. I have had threats before but this climate is one that I do not think that I can be too cautious. Please keep my congregation in your prayers as our leadership is concerned. Continue reading...
Martin Luther King Jr. in His Own Words: Radical, Revolutionary, and Opposed to War, by Ivan Boothe
King was nothing less than a radical revolutionary. It’s particularly important to remember his opposition to war and violence in light of recent attempts by the Pentagon to appropriate Dr. King’s words as a way to curry support for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Continue reading...
If you find the work of the Fellowship of Reconciliation valuable, we invite you to make a donation in support of peace, justice and nonviolence.
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