A new interactive online game by human rights organization Breakthrough uses video to illustrate the injustice many detained immigrants and their families have faced. In Homeland Guantanamo, players assume the role of a journalist trying to get more information on real life detainee who has died in custody.

By navigating around a 3-D model of a detention facility, and watching video interviews with real detainees, players pick up clues while learning important facts about the injustices suffered by immigrants caught up in a judicial system seemingly designed to deport as many people as possible.

One of the videos in the game features a woman from Saint Lucia whose 17 year-old daughter was jailed for 3 years, having once been caught and fined for smoking marijuana.

A New York Times newspaper article about a 54 year-old tailor from Guinea who died in a detention center in New Jersey is the source of inspiration for the Homeland Guantanamo game.

Once the mystery at the end of the game is solved, players are invited to view the “memorial garden” devoted to all those who have died, and can post comments, write their own testimonials or upload photos.

Online voices for the voiceless

Human Rights Watch estimates that more than 300,000 people have been deported from the U.S. for non-violent minor offenses (as compared to 140,000 for violent offenses) since 1996.

There is not much public awareness about this issue in the United States, in spite of the fact that 87 men and women have died in detention centers here since 2003.

Last year, Breakthrough gained access to interview three legal permanent residents inside a detention center for another computer game with a similar goal, called I.C.E.D. (”I Can End Deportation”).

Many other activists campaigning on behalf of immigrants in the United States also turn to online citizen media to spread awareness.

In LaGrange, Georgia Anabaptist Christian activists have created this video of a protest in front of an immigrant detention center with more than 1000 inmates (via Young Anabaptist Radicals).

On the blog for the organization, One America with Justice for All, Pramila Jayapal invites people to read their report on human rights abuses at a detention center in Tacoma, Washington saying:

I believe America is so much better than this. And I believe that most Americans, if they knew what was happening in their name at our detention centers across the country, the would stop this injustice. Most Americans want people to be treated fairly and humanely.

Almost immediately, newspapers began receiving complaints for their inclusion of the DVD, which was funded by The Clarion Fund, a group set up to combat “the most urgent threat of radical Islam.” Bloggers in the U.S. and abroad have expressed anger at both the distribution of the DVDs and the related crime.

Jordanian blogger Ali was understandably outraged at the timing:

While We Arabs and Muslims were busy thinking of food during Ramadan and watching Bab El Harra and Asmahan and the remaining 120 series on TV, having our delicious Sheesha’s (Water pipe) after Iftar, some mysterious group or organization was sending this disturbing DVD. The DVD bashes Islam and Muslims and warning Americans from expected terrorists attacks.

I see this as a typical fear-mongering propaganda that is always targeting the American people around Public Holidays and Anniversaries to remind the average American that those uneducated savage killers are still out there and they are ready to get to you.

Can you imagine the damage that was done to Muslims and Arabs and the lousy image we have in the west and the USA?

Not all Americans are well informed or well travelled, or have even met a Muslim. Therefore such hate DVDs will make a huge negative impact on the way they view Muslims and Middle Eastern. This will not be difficult for the relations between the West and East but also for Americans with Arab background living in America who can be harassed or be involved in hate crimes.

A Tale of Three Beans, also a Jordanian blogger, responded to Ali's post in her own blog. She wrote:

So, while I'm on the topic of misleading and outright lying, I wanted to go back to a post by Ali. I know he thought I missed his comment, but this is one of those conversations that requires thought and mulling over. Ali's post was on the mailing of 28 million copies of an inflammatory movie called Obsession to voters in swing states in the US. Now, long ago in my life, I learned not to comment on something about which I have no personal knowledge. So, I went out to youtube and watched the movie. It's divided into 10 six (ish) minute segments. So, now I've mulled and fermented my ideas and have some thoughts.

She then dug deeper into several of the issues related to the video, debunking myths and correcting poor translations. She also pointed out that there are a few valid points in the DVD, saying:

One fundamental message that followers of Islam would do well to heed is that Americans, average Americans, are scared of you. No, not just the radical Muslims -all Muslims. This is normal, it's natural. We're almost always scared of anything that's different. And, you look different. Sadly, both non-Muslims and Muslims alike get drawn into the trap of focusing on differences. Instead of pointing out the similarities between Ramadan and Lent to help bridge the understanding gap, the message delivered is that Christians wouldn't understand fasting (which says more about a lack of understanding of Christianity than anything). Islam and Christianity may vary widely, but they also share similarities. If you can help Americans (and Westerners in general) see that, you will be doing all of us favor. Each of you can play a role as an ambassador of your faith.

Finally, she concludes:

The reality about Americans is that while we may not be the most aware people in the world (nor are we the least, by the way), it's mostly a country of good people. They get up every morning and eat breakfast. They work hard to provide for their families. They love their children and want the best for them. The more things are different, the more they are the same. Americans are just like Jordanians. They're people who try their best to live life and ensure the well-being of their families. Understanding that whatever differences in tradition are just that - differences in tradition - may help bridge this gap. Remember that while you may even agree that American women are immoral, in the same way Americans agree that Arab women are subjugated and without rights. Neither picture is either wholly true or accurate. I think if we all try to understand each other better (not necessarily become like each other), our conversation will be richer and we may be able to leave fear behind and move forward with understanding and respect.

Writer and blogger Laila Lalami expresses few feelings toward the DVD but states that it won't make a difference anyhow:

I don’t, however, think that the DVD will have any effect on swing voters. We are so awash in Islamophobia in the States that any voters likely to be swayed by yet another Muslims-equal-terrorists rant are likely to have already made up their mind by now (and it’s not for Obama, let’s face it.)

Global Voices Morocco author Lalla Lydia explains why we should all watch the video:

I've noted that a lot of you are recognizing this sweet and unseasonal valentine as propaganda and tossing it in the trash.

I wish you wouldn't. Watch it. Like I did. And take notes.

I think it's well done. It reached its goal of scaring the crap out of viewers with all its rising crescendos of fear mongering, driving music and fast-paced images of terrorist attacks around the world.

Less than a week after the DVDs were distributed, children at a Dayton, Ohio mosque were the victims of an apparent hate crime in which gas was sprayed through a window of the building. Bloggers immediately connected the two incidents, despite the mainstream media's denial.

KABOBfest, a blog written by a group of mostly Arab-Americans, reported on the incident:

Is it mere coincidence that this attack comes after the “Obsession” DVD was distributed in the area? It just may be, and hopefully the policy investigate this vigorously enough to give us an answer.

This alarmist, Islamophobic video has been sent to swing states by a shadowy non-profit, the Clarion Fund. It is claiming to have sent 28 million copies. Most of the recipients will recognize it as the hate-ridden drivel it clearly is; but others may be inspired to secure the homeland and attack the enemy within — and this senseless attack may be one such case.

Interestingly, none of the mainstream media have covered this story. Perhaps if a Muslim committed a parallel attack at a church or synagogue, it would be newsworthy. What ever happened to the “man bites dog” theory of media interest? Perhaps we should update the adage to reflect the modern ethnogeography of violence: “White man attacks Muslims, that's not news. But when Muslims attack Whites, now that's a story!”

A Diamond's Eye View of the World, an American who blogs about Lebanon, reminds us that we have the right to protest the distribution of this DVD, sharing the Clarion Fund's address and urging us to write polite letters:

And if you want to contact the Clarion Fund, the address given on the DVD packaging is:

255 W. 36th Street, Ste. 800
New York, NY 10018
(646) 308-1230

Just remember: be polite, be professional, and articulate your position using evidence, not personal insults.

Also of note is that a group called Obsession With Hate has been set up to combat the propaganda perpetuated by the film.

Some of these bloggers re-posted an uncredited Sept. 30 photo of the people crowding around the Moscow Cathedral Mosque compound, located right next to the Olympiysky Sports Complex.

Commenting on the picture, LJ user khramov-s wondered (RUS) “why it [wasn't] okay for Russian Orthodox Christians to be Russian nationalists” whereas Muslims could convene freely in great numbers the way they did on Sept. 30.

LJ user tor85 wrote (RUS) that Uraza Bayram wasn't “our holiday” and called to ethnic Russians to join the ultra-nationalist Russian March on Nov. 4 (more on the 2006 event is here).

LJ user krylov wrote (RUS) about what in his view was a tendency of the municipal and federal authorities to demonize Russian nationalists and to nurture Muslims; this post has generated over 170 comments, many of them pretty savage.

LJ user allan999 wrote (RUS) that “millions of Muslims [were] blocking the streets of Moscow” - and LJ user antas commented that he couldn't believe the picture hadn't been photoshopped: “[…] Though, if it's true, it's definitely [a horror],” he added.

LJ user teaser_girl, who used to work in the Moscow Cathedral Mosque neighborhood, wrote (RUS) that she was scared.

LJ user nezabudu complained (RUS) in a comment to LJ user dark_lawyer's picture post that those who worked in the area couldn't “even go out for a cigarette” on Sept. 30, nor could they “enter or exit the metro, or walk through an underground pass: THEY are everywhere, it's impossible to squeeze past them, and these crowds are worse than the mass gatherings of [football] fans - I'm telling you, there are as many of them.”

LJ user aoutien also happened to be around at the time of the Sept. 30 mosque event - but her observations (RUS) were quite different from those translated above:

In the morning, it felt as if all the [gastarbeiters] of Moscow gathered at Prospekt Mira [metro station]. The first impression from such a number of Muslim men in a hurry was as if somewhere behind the buildings a foundation pit for an [enormous construction project] had already been dug out. And they were all so energetic, a bit tense, as if their working day was about to begin.

The closer to the metro, the denser the flow, and by the doors there was already something of a crowd. The police restricted entry, and in various parts of the crowd they began to sing. Solemnly. Beautifully.

The feeling is a bit uncozy, but totally safe, both among these dark-haired people in leather jackets and in the police zone. “We have something like your Easter today,” one young man explained to an alarmed-looking woman in the metro car.

“Uraza Bayram,” says the internet. And it also tells me about [the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah], and about [the Orthodox Christian holiday commemorating Vera (Faith), Nadezhda (Hope), Lyubov (Love) and Sophia].

Happy holiday, dear comrades! Whichever one you prefer… [All three holidays fell on the same day this year.]

LJ user _kutuzov composed (RUS) this caption to the Sept. 30 mosque photo: “Uraza Bayram. Moscow. Or Moskvabad?” LJ user eriklobakh argued in a comment that the congregation of this mosque has historically been made up of Tatars “who have been living in Moscow and Moscow region since the 16th century,” and that making jokes about “Moskvabad” was inappropriate. In a separate entry (RUS) - posted both on his blog and in the ru_politics LJ community - LJ user eriklobakh, who is an Orthodox Christian with Tatar roots, expounded on his view of the matter:

[…] I repeat for the illiterate ones - those who haven't bothered to figure it out for themselves. This particular mosque in Moscow has always been predominantly Tatar - the so-called [Mishers] who've lived in and around Moscow since the 16th century.

Almost no [Uzbeks, Tajiks, Azeris] ever visit this mosque. Everyone speaks Tatar there, the mullahs are Tatar, etc.

In this context, we can't be talking of any influx of migrants, etc. There are some 800,000 Tatars in Moscow (not all Tatars are Muslim, of course, but still) - and there are only three mosques.

Naturally, it gets jam-packed there every holiday. More than during the all-night services at Moscow's Orthodox temples for Easter and Christmas - because, I repeat, there are only three mosques in Moscow.

For such a huge city, it's just terribly not enough. […] and instead of buying [seats in the government], Moscow Tatars should better worry about building new mosques - at least for their own community. […]

LJ user svetonius posted this relaxing comment (RUS) on LJ user eriklobakh's blog:

First of all, I totally agree with your arguments about the number of mosques. Second, this one is the main mosque of Moscow. Third, Uraza Bayram is the main spiritual Muslim holiday, which can be compared to the Orthodox Christian Easter. So why be surprised by the crowds?

A religious Jew would not be surprised by the fact that the area around the [Cathedral of Christ the Savior] is jam-packed during the all-night Easter service, right? And a religious Muslim would see no harm in it, either.

And I'll share a secret with you - they sell wonderful lamb and horse meat at this mosque's store.

LJ user zubkoff shared a Soviet-time memory (RUS) of his Tatar friends and the feast in the land of defitsit that their holiday normally implied:

Uraza Bayram

I don't remember the correct name of it in Arabic. I remember what my Tatar classmates called it (there were still many of them in [Moscow's Zamoskvorechye district] then). The Tatars knew that in honor of Uraza Bayram their grandmothers would definitely bake something tasty in the evening. And there was also the Tatar Culinary [store] at [Yakimanka] - at the exact spot where Eldorado [store] is now. And even under the Soviets, they used to supply [this store] with all kinds of delicacies for the holiday - above all, lamb meat! You can imagine [the kind of agitation] that reigned there then…

LJ user planka-forever, an ethnic Tatar vocalist with a Moscow-based music band Planka, greeted her family and friends - and wrote about the holiday culinary wonders she'd be missing:

Today my family, like many Muslim families, celebrates a big and happy holiday marking the end of the month of Ramadan - Uraza Bayram!!! Today they'll bake something tasty, that's the indispensable condition: pancakes, belish, triangles, and perhaps chak-chak )) [recipes of these and other Tatar dishes are here]

Yum-yum, I'm with you in my thoughts!

My friends! Peace be upon you and your houses!