America’s Growing Culture of Hate (Arab News Article)

CAIRO, 6 July 2004 — Islamophobia is alive and well in the US, starting with the authorities down to individuals such as radio talk show host Jay Severin who, according to the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) claimed that Muslims want to take over America even if it takes centuries, adding “I’ve got an idea. Let’s all kill Muslims”. Amazingly Severin is still in his job, although he has been forced to apologize on air.

CAIR has also filed complaints over an offensive skit on the March 10 Bill Handel show on KFI AM 640 entitled “the New Iraqi Constitution — Handelized”. In it, a voice purporting to be that of a Muslim says: “Kill all Jews”, and complains of “the infidel custom of bathing on a regular basis”.

The Council has additionally demanded an apology from syndicated radio commentator Paul Harvey, who when talking about cockfighting in Iraq said: “Add to the thirst for blood a religion, which encourages killing, and it is entirely understandable if Americans come to this bloody party unprepared”.

Last November, syndicated talk show host Dr. Laura, heard by 12 million listeners, is said by CAIR to have “crossed the line from legitimate commentary on terrorism to Islamophobic bigotry”. Her rant began when she was asked by a mother whether her 16-year-old daughter should be allowed to attend a local mosque to learn how “Muslims are treated” in America.

Answered the wizened therapist: “…You’re joking of course. How many Americans have tortured and murdered Muslims… I think you ought to stand up against this class and this teacher. This is despicable. You tell him you are willing to go to the mosque only if it is one that has done its best to root out terrorists in its midst…”

But such ignorance and hatred isn’t confined to radio hosts. CAIR campaigned to have top US Gen. William G. Boykin, the Undersecretary for Defense on Intelligence, removed from office last year, after he referred to Islam as an idolatrous, sacrilegious religion against which “we are waging a holy war”. While discussing his efforts to capture a Muslim Somali warlord, Boykin said: “I knew my God was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol”.

CAIR earlier fought against President Bush’s nomination of “pro-Israel commentator Daniel Pipes — who many American Muslims regard as the nation’s leading Islamophobe — to join the board of the United States Institute of Peace — a federal institution created by Congress”.

In Oct. 21, 2001, Pipes stated before a convention of the American Jewish Congress: “I worry very much, from the Jewish point of view, that the presence, and increased statute, and affluence, and enfranchisement of American Muslims… will present true dangers to American Jews”.

Indeed, Pipes calls for increased surveillance of American Muslims in an article, which appeared in the Jerusalem Post. “There is no escaping the unfortunate fact that Muslim government employees in law enforcement, the military, and the diplomatic corps need to be watched for connections to terrorism,” he wrote.

Pipes has also been quoted as saying: “Palestinians are miserable people… and they deserve to be”, while his website entitled “Campus Watch”, which kept dossiers on professors thought to be critical of Israel, has attracted controversy.

The above all share a single trait and that is astonishing ignorance. Severin, for example, complains Muslims plan on taking over America, when it is Americans, who have, in the past three years invaded and occupied two Muslim countries, while supporting the Israeli occupation of another.

Handel gives the impression that Muslims are shy of bathing, when due to the fact Muslims have to perform ablutions five times a day before prayer, they are probably among the cleanest people on earth. It is doubtful that Handel knows about the Eastern custom of washing themselves and their dishes in running water and using the right hand for eating, with the left reserved for toilet functions. Harvey obviously has no idea of the peaceful nature of Islam or that the word itself means “submission” with the most popular greeting being “peace”.

And as for Dr. Laura, who asks how many Americans have tortured and murdered Muslims, the fact that the US is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Afghans, up to 15,000 Iraqi civilians, and the torture and abuse of detainees in Bagram, Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo must have entirely escaped her notice.

It is surely ironic that Boykin refers to Islam as an idolatrous religion when just the opposite is the case. Islam does not allow representations of either human or animal form whether depicted in paintings or sculpture. This is why the interiors of mosques are simple, decorated only with geometric patterns and calligraphic designs.

When it comes to Pipes, he is so bathed in discrimination, bias and paranoia that he doesn’t merit a response.

But it isn’t only influential individuals such as these who have an ax to grind against Muslims. In New Jersey and Texas, mosques have been targeted by vandals, who dumped dead fish outside the entrance to one, and liquor bottles inside an Islamic Educational Center. Inside a Muslim community center in Florida, was written “Kill all Muslims” while in Missouri, a Nazi swastika and “die” were painted on an extension to the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis.

A message received by CAIR read: it may be time to “take Muslims hostage here in America, adding: “I believe the time is coming when Muslims will not be safe inside the US borders”.

Responding to this growing and deeply disturbing trend, CAIR has published a “Muslim Community Safety Kit” containing information “designed to equip local Islamic leaders and activists with the knowledge necessary to protect against anti-Muslim bigotry or attacks”.

However what is really required is a sea change in education and attitudes in the US, where a mere 14 percent of the population possesses a passport and relatively few have even met a Muslim, let alone befriended one.

Whoever said: “Fear plus ignorance equals evil” was right on the mark. It’s ignorance, more than anything else, which must be combated if tolerance and respect for other faiths can ever reign on our planet.

(Linda S. Heard is a specialist writer on Mideast affairs and welcomes feedback at solitairemedia@yahoo.co.uk)

Jihad in Houston, in California, in Miami, in Detroit, In .. ..

PBS Shame On You: A former Muslim speaks.

* * * * * *

FROM JOSEPH FARAH'S G2 BULLETIN
Radical Islam's 'plan'
to take over America
Arab-American author outlines secret
20-year strategy to undermine country

Posted: August 4, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern

Editor's note: Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin is an online, subscription intelligence news service from the creator of WorldNetDaily.com – a journalist who has been developing sources around the world for the last 25 years.

A refugee from the Muslim Middle East thinks he has discovered Islam's 20-point plan for conquering the United States by 2020 – a plan revealed in the latest issue of Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

Anis Shorrosh, author of ''Islam Revealed'' and ''The True Furqan,'' is a Christian Arab-American who emigrated from Arab-controlled Jerusalem in January 1967.

''The following is my analysis of Islamic invasion of America, the agenda of Islamists and visible methods to take over America by the year 2020,'' Shorrosh says. ''Will Americans continue to sleep through this invasion as they did when we were attacked on 9/11?''

1. Terminate America's freedom of speech by replacing it with statewide and nationwide hate-crime bills.

2. Wage a war of words using black leaders like Louis Farrakhan, Rev. Jesse Jackson and other visible religious personalities who promote Islam as the religion of African-Americans while insisting Christianity is for whites only. What they fail to tell African-Americans is that it was Arab Muslims who captured them and sold them as slaves. In fact, the Arabic word for black and slave is the same, ''Abed.''

3. Engage the American public in dialogues, discussions, debates in colleges, universities, public libraries, radio, TV, churches and mosques on the virtues of Islam. Proclaim how it is historically another religion like Judaism and Christianity with the same monotheistic faith.

4. Nominate Muslim sympathizers to political office to bring about favorable legislation toward Islam and support potential sympathizers by block voting.

5. Take control of as much of Hollywood, the press, TV, radio and the Internet as possible by buying the related corporations or a controlling stock.

6. Yield to the fear of the imminent shut-off of the lifeblood of America – black gold. America’s economy depends on oil and 41 percent of it comes from the Middle East.

7. Yell ''foul, out-of-context, personal interpretation, hate crime, Zionist, un- American, inaccurate interpretation of the Quran'' anytime Islam is criticized or the Quran is analyzed in the public arena.

8. Encourage Muslims to penetrate the White House, specifically with Islamists who can articulate a marvelous and peaceful picture of Islam. Acquire government positions and get membership in local school boards. Train Muslims as medical doctors to dominate the medical field, research and pharmaceutical companies. (Ever notice how numerous Muslim doctors in America are, when their countries need them more desperately than America?) Take over the computer industry. Establish Middle Eastern restaurants throughout the U.S. to connect planners of Islamization in a discreet way.

9. Accelerate Islamic demographic growth via:

Massive immigration (100,000 annually since 1961).

Use no birth control whatsoever – every baby of Muslim parents is automatically a Muslim and cannot choose another religion later.

Muslim men must marry American women and Islamize them (10,000 annually). Then divorce them and remarry every five years – since one can't legally marry four at one time. This is a legal solution in America.

Convert angry, alienated black inmates and turn them into militants (so far 2,000 released inmates have joined al-Qaida worldwide). Only a few ''sleeper cells'' have been captured in Afghanistan and on American soil.

10. Reading, writing, arithmetic and research through the American educational system, mosques and student centers (now 1,500) should be sprinkled with dislike of Jews, evangelical Christians and democracy. There are currently 300 exclusively Muslim schools in the U.S. which teach loyalty to the Quran, not the U.S. Constitution. In January of 2002, Saudi Arabia’s Embassy in Washington mailed 4,500 packets of the Quran and videos promoting Islam to America's high schools – free of charge. Saudi Arabia would not allow the U.S. to reciprocate.

11. Provide very sizeable monetary Muslim grants to colleges and universities in America to establish ''Centers for Islamic studies'' with Muslim directors to promote Islam in higher-education institutions.

12. Let the entire world know through propaganda, speeches, seminars, local and national media that terrorists have hijacked Islam, when in truth, Islam hijacked the terrorists.

13. Appeal to the historically compassionate and sensitive Americans for sympathy and tolerance towards Muslims in America who are portrayed as mainly immigrants from oppressed countries.

14. Nullify America's sense of security by manipulating the intelligence community with misinformation. Periodically terrorize Americans with reports of impending attacks on bridges, tunnels, water supplies, airports, apartment buildings and malls.

15. Form riots and demonstrations in the prison system demanding Islamic Sharia as the way of life, not America's justice system.

16. Open numerous charities throughout the U.S., but use the funds to support Islamic terrorism with American dollars.

17. Raise interest in Islam on America's campuses by insisting freshman take at least one course on Islam.

18. Unify the numerous Muslim lobbies in Washington, mosques, Islamic student centers, educational organizations, magazines and papers by Internet and an annual convention to coordinate plans, propagate the faith and engender news in the media.

19. Send intimidating messages and messengers to the outspoken individuals who are critical of Islam and seek to eliminate them by hook or crook.

20. Applaud Muslims as loyal citizens of the U.S. by spotlighting their voting record as the highest percentage of all minority and ethic groups in America.

Shorrosh is a member of the Oxford Society of Scholars, has traveled in 76 countries, and is a lecturer and producer of TV documentaries. ''Islam Revealed'' is a bestseller now in its eighth printing. His forthcoming 10th book, from which the 20-point plan is abridged, is titled ''Islam: A Threat or a Challenge.''

''The True Furqan'' is also available for viewing on Islam-Exposed.org. Shorrosh's new website is Focusing-on-Islam.com.

The Truth About Islam

Observations by Dr. David R. Reagan

Ever since the Attack on America on September 11, 2001, we have heard a never-ending chorus of voices from government, academia, and the media assuring us that the Islamic terrorists who attacked the Trade Towers and the Pentagon are not representative of “true Islam.” We have been likewise assured by spiritual leaders — even some Christian spokesmen — that Islam is a religion of peace, and that Muslims worship the same God as Christians and Jews.

“Our war is not against Islam,” we have been told repeatedly. “Our war is against terrorism.”

Central Questions

Well, what about it?

Are Muslims the spiritual brothers and sisters of Christians and Jews?
Do we all worship the same God?
Are the Islamic holy scriptures, known as the Koran, inspired by God?
Is Islam another path to God by which one can attain eternal life?
Are the Islamic fundamentalists representative of true Islam, or are they a terrible aberration of an otherwise peace-loving religion?
Is our war really a political one against international terrorists, or is it a spiritual battle against a demonic, intolerant, militant, and imperialistic religion known as Islam?

The Intolerant and Militant Nature of Islam

One of the most controversial issues regarding Islam concerns whether or not it is a militant religion. Muslims in the West argue it is peace-loving. Westerners who have experienced it in the Muslim world argue it is inherently intolerant and militant.

The Koran itself preaches intolerance toward other religions. Sura 5 contains the following command: “Take not Jews and Christians for friends . . . He among you who takes them for friends is one of them . . . Choose not for friends such of those who received the Scripture before you [Jews and Christians] . . But keep your duty to Allah” (verses 51, 55, 57). Extreme intolerance is commanded in Sura 5:33 — “[For those who do not submit to Allah] their punishment is . . . execution or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet, from the opposite sides, or exile from the land.”

The Koran also expresses an intolerant attitude toward any person who decides to reject the Islamic faith or convert to another religion. Such persons are to be executed (Sura 9:12). In the Hadith (the oral tradition of Muhammad’s sayings) it says “Whoever changes his religion, kill him” (Hadith 9:57). These commands are practiced in all Islamic Fundamentalist countries today.

With regard to militancy, the Koran not only condones it, it commands it:

Fighting is prescribed for you, and [some of] you dislike it. But it is possible that you dislike a thing which is good for you, and that you love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knows, and you know not (Sura 2:16).
Fight and slay the pagans wherever you find them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war (Sura 9:5).
Fight in the way of Allah . . . and slay them [the unbelievers] wherever you find them and drive them out . . . and fight them until . . . religion is for Allah (Sura 2:190-193).

Muhammad is quoted in the Hadith as saying, “The sword is the key of heaven and hell. A drop of blood in the cause of Allah — a night spent in arms [war] — is of more avail than two months of fasting and prayer. Whosoever falls in battle, his sins are forgiven, and at the day of judgment, his limbs shall be supplied by the wings of angels and cherubim.”¹²

The Imperialistic Nature of Islam

From its inception, Islam has been committed to what it calls jihad — a word meaning holy war. The duty of Muslims is to subjugate or destroy “infidels” — the term the Koran uses for all non-believers.

In the Muslim viewpoint, the world is divided into two regions — those areas controlled by Islam, called Dar al-Islam (meaning the House of Islam) and those called Dar al-Harb (the House of War). The Koran commands Muslims to fight non-Muslims until they exterminate all other religions, leaving Islam as the one and only religion in the world (Suras 2:193 and 8:39). Muhammad is quoted in the Hadith as saying, “I have been ordered to fight with the people until they say, none has the right to be worshiped but Allah” (Hadith 4:196).

Regarding terror, Allah orders Muslims to terrorize non-Muslims on his behalf: “Strike terror (into the hearts of ) the enemies of Allah and your enemies” (Sura 8:60). Allah then assures his followers that he will assist them: “I will instill terror into the hearts of unbelievers. Smite them above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them. It is not you who slay them, it is Allah” (Sura 8:12, 17).

Concerning jihad,¹⁴ the Koran guarantees Paradise to those who fight for Allah (Sura 4:74). It promises instant Paradise for those who die in battle (Suras 9:111 and 47:5-6). Dying for Allah is presented as better than living: “And if you are killed or die in the Way of Allah, forgiveness and mercy from Allah are far better than all that others may amass [of worldly wealth]” (Sura 3:157).

Martyrs are promised a sensual and luxurious life in Paradise (Sura 52:17-22). According to Al-Ghazzali, one of Islam’s greatest teachers, when a martyr reaches Paradise, he “will marry 500 companions, 4,000 virgins, and 8,000 divorced women.”¹⁵ Commenting on this statement, Randall Price, biblical teacher and Middle East expert, observed that the Islamic Paradise is “just the kind of place that adolescent, unmarried men, isolated through their lives from the opposite sex by rigid cultural standards, would die for.”¹⁶

Fundamentalist Goals

The Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran was the modern day Islamic spokesman who revived Muhammad’s vision of world conquest. He taught that the re-establishment of Israel was a Satanic miracle allowed by Allah because of the lukewarmness of the Muslim masses. He called for a renewal of true Islam to accomplish three purposes:¹⁹

To overthrow the “secular” rulers of Islamic countries (like Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt), just as he had done in Iran.
To take back the land of Palestine for Allah, exterminating Israel in the process.
To conquer the rest of the world for Allah.

Notice the first priority was the transformation of secular Islamic countries into religious states ruled by the Koran. Then would come Israel and the world.

In a proclamation made by Osama bin Laden in 1998, he listed the same goals and prioritized them in the same order.²⁰ He then identified the United States as the prime obstacle to the achievement of these goals. Accordingly, he called on Muslims everywhere “to comply with Allah’s order to kill the Americans and plunder their money wherever and whenever they find it.”

It is important to note that the eradication of Israel is not the top priority. Nor is Israel viewed as the major obstacle to world conquest. I emphasize this because many Americans are saying that the key to winning the war against terrorism is to dump Israel. More and more, on radio talk shows, I hear people saying, “Let’s cut Israel loose. Let the Arabs have it. Then they will leave us alone.”

That is utter nonsense. Israel is not the cause of Islamic terrorism toward the West. If Israel were to disappear tomorrow, Fundamentalist Islam would still be determined to destroy America as part of its plan to take the world for Allah.

And if we were to abandon Israel, the Muslim world would interpret it as an act of cowardice, proving our word is meaningless and that we truly are, as they say, “a depraved society devoid of values.” Our abandonment of Israel would only whet their appetite. Islamic Fundamentalism cannot be appeased. It must be defeated.

Lies, Misinformation and CAIR
By Evan McCormick
FrontPageMagazine.com | August 1, 2003

It has become something of an annual tradition. Every year, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) releases a civil rights report that documents cases of anti-Muslim discrimination in America. Every year, CAIR reports an increase in the number of such cases. And every year, these claims are supported by questionable information and statistical manipulation.

Recently, however, the reports have taken on a new dimension. Instead of simply arguing that discrimination is on the rise, CAIR has sought to identify the Bush administration as the culprit in this trend. This year’s report, for example, related a 15% increase in hate crimes to, “the U.S. Government’s continuing reaction to the terrorist attacks of September 11^th.”

Vilifying the Bush administration has been CAIR’s modus operandi since the September 11^th terrorist attacks. No aspect of the war on terror has escaped criticism by the Council’s media machine. The 2002 civil rights report, titled Stereotypes and Civil Liberties was CAIR’s first formal attempt to portray the backlash against Muslim Americans after September 11 as an outgrowth of policies that the administration established to bring terrorists and their financiers to justice.

Stereotypes and Civil Liberties followed the standard CAIR civil rights report blueprint. It documented hundreds of unsubstantiated claims of discrimination and harassment suffered by Muslims, grouping together the truly heinous with the outright ridiculous, and placing all of the blame on the Federal Government. Where the 2002 report differed from previous CAIR reports was a section titled, “September 11 Anti-Muslim Incidents,” which was confined to the time period immediately following the 2001 attacks. For statistical purposes, these 1,717 instances were excepted from the yearly total.

For such a large assertion, one might expect CAIR to present supporting evidence, but they did not. Although the number of “backlash incidents” in 2001 were more than three times higher than incidents during the rest of the year, not one account or example was given.

The introduction explained that a different collection methodology was applied to the post-September 11 backlash calculation, by which individual violations were counted instead of incidents. “Thus,” the introduction states, “a single report of hate violence and harassment may include more than one instance.” Without a shred of evidence, we will can know what liberties CAIR took in totaling singular “instances” in order to arrive at its massive total.

What is even more alarming than CAIR’s specious reasoning is its conclusion that the Bush Administration and its anti-terror policies are singularly responsible for the alleged 1,717 anti-Muslim incidents. For instance, the CAIR report, while initially praising the President’s efforts to verbally distinguish between ordinary Muslims and the September 11^th attackers, also alleged that, “ since that initial period of support, a number of government policies have singled out American Muslim organizations and immigrants from Muslim countries.”

The suspect policies include the USA Patriot Act of 2001, the detention of illegal immigrants, the closure of Muslim charities suspected of raising funds and diverting them to terror organizations, raids on the homes and businesses of suspected terrorist supporters, and voluntary interviews with legal visa-holders. The reader should not be fooled into believing that CAIR is protesting these policies merely in the name of civil rights, for in the report, CAIR specifically defends several groups that have been targeted by government action.

For example, the report stated that the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development (HLF) had its assets frozen in December of 2001 for its suspected support of the terrorist group Hamas and deemed a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department. In defense of the group, CAIR stated that, “HLF has insisted that its social and health services have been extended to assist Palestinian orphans, widows, and poor persons irrespective of political views.” CAIR made no mention of the investigation of the HLF that had been ongoing since 1996, nor of public statements by officials involved in the operation regarding the charity’s support of Hamas. HLF’s claim of innocence was enough to elicit CAIR’s condemnation of the administration’s actions and it even compelled CAIR to denounce the investigation as a religiously motivated act of discrimination. In January of 2003, a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals ruled that the Treasury Department had acted appropriately and with “overwhelming evidence” in freezing the group’s assets. CAIR’s allegiances, it would seem, are misplaced.

What effect does this campaign of misinformation produce? By convincing moderate Muslims that they are being targeted unfairly by the Bush administration’s policies, CAIR incites fear among members of that demographic. If innocent Muslims are then convinced that they will be the target of government action, then they have no incentive to reject an extremist ideology that resists the government’s anti-terror policies. Not coincidentally, it is CAIR that provides this political outlet. This is the essence of CAIR’s strategy: shock moderate Muslims about the motivations of the U.S. Government, turn them into post-911 victims, and then recruit them as supporters for your political agenda when they are ripe for the taking.

Perhaps it would do us well to ask who CAIR seeks to reach with their civil rights reports. We can immediately rule out terrorists and those who illegally support terrorists in this country, for they are fully aware of their actions, and discrimination by the government is the least of their worries. We may also discount current officials and members of CAIR, for they are so devoted to the group’s anti-administration stance that the results revealed in the report are unlikely to do anything but further entrench their views. Finally, non-Muslim political sympathizers are certainly welcomed by CAIR, but there is little evidence in the report to suggest they are targeted directly.

CAIR’s target audience is the relatively apolitical, possibly even non-practicing Muslims and Arab-Americans who have given little thought to what effect the war on terror has on their everyday lives. This audience is immensely large. Between 2002 and 2003, CAIR fielded discrimination complaints from 602 individuals; .0086% of the 7 million Muslims that CAIR estimates live in America. This means that an overwhelming majority of Muslims (not to mention Arab-Americans) have not been affected negatively by the administration’s successful efforts so far to root out terror.

That the number of unnecessarily affected Muslims is so small is surely a sign of success in the war on terror and a testament to our national character. Individual acts of violence and harassment have been few and far between, and met with appropriate justice. To CAIR however, the 99.9% of unaffected Muslims represents fertile ground from which to seek support, and in order to do so, they must be instilled with the idea that have become innocent victims.

Any American Muslims who are truly worried about “guilt by association” (the title of the latest CAIR report) should take notice of some of CAIR’s most notable associations. For example, CAIR was formed in 1994 by two former officials of the Islamic Association for Palestine, a group acknowledged by former FBI counter-terrorism chief Oliver Revell as a front for the Palestinian terrorist group, Hamas. One of the original founders, Executive Director, Nihad Awad, has stated plainly, “I am in support of the Hamas movement,” and Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper has defended Saudi financial support of Palestinian suicide bombers.

Several CAIR officials have been arrested for their alleged support of terrorist activity within the United States. Former CAIR Civil Rights Coordinator Randall Todd “Ismail” Royer was recently arrested for his role in fighting with and recruiting for the Pakistani terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba. Bassem M. Khafagi, arrested in January for his involvement with terrorist finance group the Islamic Association of North America, was a Community Affairs Director for CAIR at the time of his arrest. Finally, Ghassan Elashi, arrested in December of 2002 for dealing in the property of a designated terrorist, was a founder of the Holy Land Foundation and a member of the founding board of Directors of CAIR-Texas.

While violent attacks and individual discrimination against Muslims are very serious matters, CAIR’s civil rights reports have done more to incite hysteria among peaceful Muslims than address to the problems directly. Muslims who are not involved in criminal or terrorist activity should remain unfazed by CAIR’s disingenuous reporting and take careful note of its political motives. Those who do not, and subscribe unwittingly to CAIR’s political agenda will do so at the expense of the protection that the administration has sought to provide to all American citizens in the midst of a domestic threat unlike any we have faced before.’Evan McCormick is the Henry M. Jackson National Security Fellow at the Center for Security Policy in Washington, DC. He is a recent graduate of Boston University.

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