First Round Enjoy Mother's ay Thanks, Osama! 0 PALLAS RESTAURANT LOUNG 27909 Orc ard take- Rd. at 12 Farmington 1-111 s 248-553-9013 Open 7 Days A Week iianc4k? Classes L1 L 4 separate 2-week sessions available Broadway Tees4 Blowout 3-week musical theatre intensive Annette & Company School of bancs www.annetteandcompany.com tel 248-533-0305 8 April 27 • 2006 fax 248-533-2978 n behalf of the American Jewish World Service (AJWS) and the other organizations gathering in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, April 30, for the "Save Darfur Rally to End Genocide," I thank Osama bin- Laden for his kind words broadcast on Al Jazeera television April 23. Explaining the possibility of United Nations peacekeeping forces entering the Darfur region of the Sudan as an attempt for the West to steal oil, the Al Qaeda leader sounded much like Howie Mandel: No deal. "Let [Sudanese President Omar Hassan] al-Bashir and [U.S. President George W.] Bush know that this agreement is not worth the ink in which it was written with and does not oblige us in the least," said bin Laden, according to transcripts translated in a Reuters. story. "The United States did not get enough with all of this strife and crimes but went on to stir further strife, the biggest of which was its strife. in Sudan; using some differ- ences between some tribesmen, and turned them into a blind war between them that destroys all in preparation to send crusader troops to occupy the region and steal its oil under the guise of preserving secu rity there. "It is enough that it abandoned the implementation of Sharia law and neglected the south, and I call on the mujahadeen to learn about the land and tribes of the Darfur province and the parts around it. It has been said that a man with knowledge can conquer 'land while land can conquer the ignorant." The AJWS says that almost 2.5 million civilians in the Darfur region have been displaced, and the Janjaweed — the "government- backed militia recruited among groups of Arab extraction" — has slaughtered 400,000 others after the mostly non-Arab tribes revolted against the government in 2003. Obviously, Osama thinks those numbers could "improve" after a little pep talk. The rally in Washington was designed to put the situation in Darfur on the front pages and the lead stories of the American media, but Osama's comments might very well swell the numbers of attendees to well over the 50,000 hoped for. As it stands, a small African Union peacekeeping force of 7,000 is not doing the job required. So thanks, Osama, and thanks to Al Jazeera; you've both done a won- derful mitzvah. The AJWS wants sanc- tions against some of the Sudan government's officials, and peacekeep- ing forces in the Sudan with the power to stop the slaughter. But, above all, they want celebrity babies off the pages of newspapers and magazines and off the lead story of local news. And so do I. It's Holocaust commemoration week. We talk all week about the Nazi Holocaust that incinerated 6 million Jews 61 years ago. We chant "Never Again" for a week, then go home to a normal life. With enough never-ending coverage by the media, some of you will be convinced to find a nice baby gift for Suri Cruise because it seems important. But for God's sake, how many other well-wishers do you think will also be sending TomKat's baby The Toddler's Guide to Scientology by L. Ron Hubbard? If you want to get serious and do something worthwhile, show up in force at the Holocaust Memorial Center in Farmington Hills at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 28, to show solidarity for the victims in Darfur. Or hop in your car and follow the two buses going to Washington, D.C., from Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield at 10 p.m. on Saturday, April 29. "Never Again" means never. ❑ Harry Kirsbaum's e-mail address is hkirsbaum@thejewishnews.com .