Cabinet Member of the Year!

1. Two years later, and they've kept my name on it.
2. Mikey got it!

(Photo credit: Mikey's cell phone)

Yea, this is sounds a little self-centered but I needed the pick me up and this picture text message delivered!

4,000 Students March on Sacramento

CONTACT:
Miles J Nevin, CSSA Director of University Affairs
Cell: 562-761-4109

March for Higher Education Brings 4,000 to the State Capital

Sacramento, CA, April 22, 2008 – On Monday the California State Student Association organized a major protest in response to the Governor’s proposed $386 million cut to the CSU system. CSSA was joined by students, parents, and teachers from the CSU, UC, and Community Colleges in marching from West Sacramento to the steps of the State Capitol. Over 4,000 protesters, mostly students, supported the historic March for Higher Education. A press conference on the capitol steps culminated the march.

As the passionate chants of over 4,000 people permeated the capitol building, many legislators were present to show their support. Lt. Governor Garamendi, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, Assembly Members Anthony Portantino and Julia Brownley, Senator Pro Tem Don Perata and Senator Pro Tem-elect Darrel Steinberg all spoke on behalf of the students’ message.

That message is simple, according to Dina Cervantes, chair of the California State Student Association and organizer of Monday’s March for Higher Education. “Slashing the budgets of California’s colleges and universities will deny access to qualified students, result in increased fees and greatly limit the state’s ability to maintain an educated workforce – a critical component in ensuring a healthy economy.” Cervantes noted that raising fees amounts to nothing more than taxing students, a tool used to balance the budget on the backs of those who can afford it the least. Cervantes continued that “our state is increasingly funding the corrections system and decreasingly funding higher education; we are on our way to having world class prisons and second class universities.”

For every $1 invested in a CSU student there is a $4.41 return to the state economy. The purpose of CSSA’s March for Higher Education is to send a message to the Governor and Legislature that funding higher education is not a wasted expense, but an investment in the future of California.

Additional Coverage: Golden Gate Press

Daniel Pipes v. Zahra Billoo

Subhan'Allah this past week has been quite interesting, to say the least. At first, I was surprised and a little concerned. However, after some reflection that surprise and concern became a sense of honor.

How many people do you know that are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to be smeared by the likes of Militant Islam Monitor? And to think that trashing of me was endorsed by Daniel Pipes? ON HIS FRONT PAGE?

However, as flattered as I am by all of the attention, and the hate email (yes, there was hate email) I am saddened to inform you - it's based predominantly in LIES.

My side of the story:

For starters, I was not at UC Irvine on January 31st. Feel free to ask any of the actual organizers - I was a few hundred miles away from Irvine the evening of the event.

And the nit picky details:

(Ref.: Muslim Student Union and MSA Call For Jihad & Disrupt Dr. Pipe's Talk At UC Irvine. Published 02/08/2007 at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/)

"The organizer of the disruption was Zahra Billoo, a 23 year old student at the California State University Long Beach (CSULB ) where she is advisor to the Muslim Student Association."

1. Alhamdulillah, I graduated from CSULB in May 2006. I am no longer a student there.

2. Alhamdulillah, my term as an advisor to the MSA at CSULB ended in January 2007.


"Billoo is a virulently antisemitic inciter with years of experience in radical Islamist activities, including helping fo the terror linked 'charity' Islamic Relief and membership in the Muslim Youth wing of the Muslim American Society (MAS) the United States arm of the Muslim Brotherhood."

3. Unfortunately this is one of those situations where anti-Zionism is being equated with anti-Semitism. They are not the same thing! (Check out: http://jewsnotzionists.org/ and/or http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/. Thank you Rudy!)

4. Subhan'Allah, I have in the past been blessed with opportunities to volunteer with Islamic Relief. Feel free to check out their amazing work at http://www.irw.org/.

5. While I do respect them, I have never in the past nor am I currently affiliated with MAS Youth, or MAS for that matter.


"She recently returned from a three week Hajj trip to Saudi Arabia."

"MIM: On her webprofile Billoo describes herself as a "starving student" yet she took a three week trip to the Hajj where starting costs for shorter sojourns are close to $4,000."

"This raises the question as to who might have financed the trip, or if it might have been written off as a travel expense for the CSSA or one of her other organisations ?"

6. Alhamdulillah, I was blessed to perform Hajj in January 2006.
6a. Funding Hajj: I worked throughout my undergraduate career, sometimes holding down even two jobs. Furthermore, I have great parents who provide me with financial assistance, amongst other things.


"MIM: If an Israeli PR poster in a train could drive Billoo to contemplate suicide –the obvious question is what would she have been done if the train had been packed with live 'Zionists'?"

7. The excerpt from my blog about the BART - it was a figure of speech! I have since edited that posting so as to avoid people taking the words literally.


"She can be seen on this video dressed in black with a hijab . . ."
"Biloo can be seen apparently chatting amiably with a grey suited student advisor who is escorting the students out as she mounts the stairs next to him at approximately 55 seconds into. . . "

8. The individual in the videos is not me. Not all females wearing black hijabs are the same person!
8a. I repeat, I was a few hundred miles away from Irvine on the night of the event.


"CSULB "Multicultural Causus Speaker" and professional "anti Zionist" Zahra Billoo called for the denial of Dr. Pipes free speech rights with this message. . . "

9. I loved it while it lasted, but my term as the Speaker of the Multicultural Caucus of the California State Student Association (not CSULB) officially ended in the Summer of 2006.
9a. My picture was taken off the CSSA website sometime ago. They updated the website and my information came down as did that of the rest of the 2005-06 Executive Team.
9b. The report I made to CSSA that is quoted in the article was not submitted because I went to Hajj. Rather I was required to submit monthly reports as a requirement of my membership on the Executive Team. Why would it surprise anybody that a three week religious pilgrimage found its way into my monthly report?


"MIM:It may be just a coincidence – but Billoo seems to have balked at the amount of "awareness" she generated as a result of organizing the disruption of Dr.Pipes talk."

10. I did not organize the disruption of the UCI event. Sadly, my only contribution to the event was forwarding the email regarding the protest to three very large listservs.
10a. I respect the free speech rights of Islamaphobes and Zionists. Furthermore, I respect and support the choices of all students and other peoples of conscience who choose to exercise their free speech rights to protest hate mongerers of this nature.


"'This was my second year coming here with MAS Youth,' said 20-year-old Zahra Billoo , a student at California State University of Northridge."

11. The article quoted regarding Humanitarian Day 2006 is actually referring to my second cousin with whom I share my name. Please note our ages and universities don't match up. Furthermore, I was again a few hundred miles away from that event.


"Billoo protested the right of free speech of those who participated in a panel about the Danish cartoons at Irvine. The aspiring law student dismisses the website which does not conform with her views as 'biased and retarded.'"

12. I did protest the display of the Danish cartoons at UCI. Additionally, I was fortunate enough to be able to assist with day-of logistics.
12a. "Biased and retarded," was quoted on my blog to indicate the words represented another person's impression of the website.
12b. My right to protest does not infringe on an Islamaphobe's right to display the cartoons, and vice versa.


"MIM: Billoo epitomises the Islamist -leftist Alliance and works with a group at CSULB called the Campus Progressives."
"But Council on American Islamic Relations California director Hussam Ayloush comes close -as a speaker for CAIR - a Saudi funded front group for Hamas which is also a defendant in a 9/11 terrorism lawsuit and has several of their members jailed on terrorism charges."

13. The CSULB Campus Progressives Collective: This was actually one of the first organizations I had the opportunity to work with. I organized my first protest with these folks! I have met some amazing people through this organization! We organized walk-outs overnight, we brought folks like Hussam Ayloush and Preston Wood to CSULB. We fliered the campus for major anti-war demonstrations in LA. And yes in the beginning stages, I did "investigate chair setup" for one of our events. I miss those days!
13a. For more information on Hussam Ayloush, check out: http://hussamayloush.blogspot.com/.


"MIM: Billoo is a frequent speaker at MSA events. At the 2007 conference on January 12th in she spoke on the topics of the importance of a university education for Muslims"

14. MSA West Conference: If you'd like to find out what the conference was actually about, feel free look up the 2006 lectures on their website. (http://msa-west.net/)
14a. I spoke of the importance of Muslims standing up against injustice, partaking in the struggle to ensure a quality higher education is available to all irrespective of their citizenship status, race, socioeconomic status, etc.


"Note that Basim Elkarra of CAIR was also a speaker at the conference. On the biographical information it says that he is the former head of the MSA Berkeley.
Last month Senator Barbara Boxer rescinded an award to Elkarra after she learned of CAIR's terrorism ties. BIlloo wrote about it and urged Muslims to write and demand that Boxer give Elkarra, CAIR and the entire Muslim community an apology!"

15. Yes, Basim Elkarra was there. We were honored to have the former MSA-Berkeley and former MSA West President with us that weekend.
15a. Ref. http://cwzymuslima.blogspot.com/2007/01/ for the MSA West Action Alert issued after his award was rescinded.



I believe Pipes called the piece something to the effect of an analysis of my activism? Subhan'Allah. Check it out for yourself. It looked to me like a high school student ran a few Google searches on my name and then CUT & PASTE.

*Jazak'Allah khair/thank you! I have been sincerely touched by the outpouring of concern and support I've seen from folks throughout this whole thing. You know who you are - if you called/IMed/emailed me, if you asked my brother or my friends about me, if you made dua for me, if you laughed at the Zionists - you know who you are. :-)

Stalker, Much?

The other day somebody Googled: "Zahra Billoo CSSA."

Kind of random, don't you think? Given I haven't done any CSSA work since July 2006.

I believe it may have been for this piece? http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/2710

I am very tempted to write to the author and 1) tell him what a lousy writer he is 2) correct all of the inaccuracies in here!
*But I'm lazy, and what would that accomplish? You'd think they'd at least get CSULB down correctly? What in the world is USCLB?

Proposed Fee Increase = Education Tax

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 10, 2007
Media Contact: Jeremy Mills
Mobile Phone: (760) 880-4397

PRESS RELEASE


Schwarzennegger Turns His Back on Students and Families
Proposed Fee Increase is a Education Tax on the Middle Class

"I'm deeply disappointed that the governor has turned his back on students and their families," said Nadir Vissanjy, Chair of the California State Student Association (CSSA) and a senior at Sonoma State University, in response to the Governor's Budget Proposal for 2007-2008. State support for higher education has slipped from 17% of the state general fund in 1976 to 10.4% in the proposed 2007.

While state funding has decreased overtime, fees are set to rise next year. "The governor says he opposes tax increases, but this proposed fee increase is nothing more then a $97.8 million regressive education tax on middle class students and families," concluded Vissanjy, "By taxing the California Dream, the governor is putting educational opportunity further out of reach."

Last year, Governor Schwarzenegger stopped fee increases at both the California State University and the University of California. State University Fees will have increased by over 90% in the last five years, far out pacing increases in per capita personal income growth in California. At that time, the governor recognized that student fees squeezed middle class families that didn't qualify for aid, but could not afford to pay for college outright. This year the governor turned his back on students and families by raising fees to free up general fund money for other priorities.

"Students like me are paying a greater share of college costs and going into greater debt to do it," said Jeremy Mills, Chair of the CSSA Legislative Affairs Committee and a senior at CSU San Marcos. CSU students often balance work and family obligations. In fact, 30% of CSU students work 30 hours a week or more, and 25% have dependents that rely on them. As fees go up, so does borrowing, especially amongst the middle class students.

The state legislature could vote this spring to 'buy out' the student fee increase. "This is only the beginning," continues Mills, "In the coming months CSSA will be working with student leaders on each CSU campus to educate them about the proposed budget, and empower them to hold elected officials accountable for keeping the promise of the Master Plan for Education."