Establish a Continual Presence of Water Protectors Defending #StandingRock

Support The Coalition of Indigenous Muslims help the Water Protectors at Sacred Stone, Red Warrior, and Oceti Sakowin prayer camps in North Dakota. The water protectors are committed to non-violent direct action and prayer through the winter to resist the Dakota Access Pipeline’s encroachment on Standing Rock Reservation’s 1851 treaty rights with the US government. We are requesting your help and support in this great call to action in support of environmental and social justice, civil rights, and upholding Native peoples’ constitutional rights on Treaty Land. It is crucial that we recognize our roles as water protectors and land defenders; we are fighting this battle on three fronts: 1) the North Dakota -25 Winter Blizzards, 2) on the Front-lines through peaceful civil disobedience, and 3) in the Courts. The Muslim obligation to support at the camp is crucial, because Allah calls upon us to be active in enjoining good and forbidding injustice.

Energy Transfer Partners threatened to continue with drilling under Lake Oahe despite the denial of the easement declared by the Army Corps of Engineers on Sunday, 4 December, 2016. This means, NO ONE is leaving! That is why, we need your help to provide warm shelters for water protectors who are at Oceti Sakowin Camp; who've been assisting, volunteering, and supporting the movement over the past few months. As of 8 December 2016, the National Weather Service Watch Warning Advisory Summary for Cannon Ball, North Dakota stated: "DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS TO 30 BELOW ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH FRIDAY." [www.forecast.weather.gov]

Gravely concerned about the wellbeing of the Water Protectors, Oceti Sakowin, the Seven Council Fires, are collectively determining the best ways to protect people from exposure. During the summer, many people supplied their own camping tents, but these are not sufficient for the current extreme weather. A temperature of 0°F and a wind speed of 15 mph creates a wind chill value of -19°F. Under these conditions frostbite can occur in just 30 minutes. Wind chill can reach below negative 60 degrees in some areas, and exposed skin can freeze in just freeze in 10 minutes. 

Native Muslims have taken a proactive lead in aiding all Muslim delegations, consulting national aid agencies and Muslim planning for an efficient sub-camp to provide shelter to orientate and host newcomers. Our goal is to facilitate relationship and bridge building. By bringing diverse people together at the Oceti Sakowin, we can support the Water Protectors as part of their sacred duty as custodians of Earth.  

Muslim leaders from across the nation supporting the Coalition of Indigenous Muslims in this call to action include: Imam Zaid Shakir and Ustadh Dawood Yasin (Zaytuna College), Imam Taha Hassane (Islamic Center of San Diego), Muslims Standing With Standing Rock (DC-Team), and Imam Khalid Griggs (ICNA Council for Social Justice). They have visited Standing Rock to express solidarity with #NoDAPL. Ustadh Dawood Yasin was even briefly joined by Imam Khalid Latif (New York University), NYU Students, and Linda Sarsour during ThanksTaking week. Muslims from Ohio arrive twice a month to donate to the camp. We direly need all the help we can get given the current weather conditions and for long term work on-site.

Who Am I & Why do I Support #NoDAPL?

Ya'at'eeh. My name is LaTanya. I am Muslim of Indigenous descent and have joined Water Protectors at Standing Rock, spoken with Muslim leaders across the country and travelled to masajid to advocate for #NoDAPL ; I am from the Dineh and Chiricahua-Apache Nations in Northern Arizona.  I was inspired to become involved with the fight to preserve the water and land at Standing Rock when I witnessed our Native Youth run over 2,000 miles to Washington D.C. to tell Obama to HALT the Dakota Access Pipeline. This is an International Call to all The People to come together NOW to protect the water for millions of lives from North Dakota through South Dakota to Illinois and Iowa; #WaterIsLife. Listen to your heart and ask Creator to facilitate for you the way.  Allah (exalted be He) says in Surah Al-Nisaa [The Women], verse number 135:

• "O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you swerve, and if you distort justice or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do."

We are at a major crossroads in history. We have a heavily militarized police force from 9 States, Canadian Border Patrol, DAPL Security, and Private Security Companies with K9 dogs attacking protectors and horses, we have constant (illegal) aircraft flying over our camps, and documented violations to our human and constitutional rights, just to mention a few of the Eminent Domain tactics being used against our peaceful Land Defenders and Water Protectors. The Dakota Access Pipeline workers have built the drill pad, ready to bore under the Missouri River - remember this is all illegal!

Winter at Oceti Sakowin means surviving in up to -60 degrees!

You can save lives, defend Native rights, and  protect our Water Protectors. North Dakota is far enough north to experience −60 °F (−51 °C) temperatures and blizzards during the winter months with an average temperature of 24° Fahrenheit (-4° Celsius). Your donation will go towards weathering these harsh winter blizzards. 100% of proceeds will go towards the purchase and equipping of (3) InterShelter Polar Domes in addition to providing other dire necessities for our front-line Brothers and Sisters who will be encamped at Oceti Sakowin - such as (but not limited to): stoves, woods, cots, and block heaters.

We are in a State of Emergency. Our voices and what we do NOW is important more than ever!

Mitakuye Oyasin (All Are Related)

• "O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one other (not that you may despise each other). Verily the most noble|honored|honorable of you in the sight of Allah is (s/he who is) the most righteous|pious|God-conscious of you. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware." Qur'an, Surah Hujurat [49:13]

A gathering of this magnitude has not happened in over 100 years! We are relatives from all over the world; from all four directions, in varying complexions, beliefs, and languages coming together to protect the water in a good way. Our Unity cannot be bought nor sold. "We are the United Nations of Indigenous Peoples." I heard someone say at camp. I have to agree. Water connects us all.

"We drink the same water. We breathe the same air. We all walk upon the same land."
--Myron Dewey of Digital Smoke Signals 

​

​No one is above true justice. Everyone and every being must be given its due right - this is the Lakota Way of Life. Justice is at the essence of human rights from which all other rights are derived.

What are we protecting: All the pink on this map.

ACT NOW!

I call upon you, today: My Relatives, Brothers, Sisters, help us protect our protectors. We can assist people get shelter, food, and assistance in our sub-camp. With your help we can house 500 Water protectors over the year. Recently, we raised $10,000 for #SupportStandingRock LaunchGood fund. Now we are asking for your help to create a continual Indigenous Muslim sub-camp where we will host people of all faiths for $5,000. With growing media coverage, more people are asking how they can help. Muslims across the country express interest in traveling to the camps. The protocols of Oceti Sakowin ask all people who plan on coming to come self sufficient. With so many Muslim delegations coming, we need to be prepared so that they will not be a burden on the camp and Native people. Muslims should be prepared to give more than they receive in hospitality. We, the Native Muslims, aim to make that possible by setting up arctic quality tents, stoves, wood, block heaters,  car shuttles, and food stores for people that we will host. Our aim, purchase our first tent, then begin raising money for smaller tents to host brothers and sisters arriving.  If 200 people donate $25 or 100 people donate $50, we will reach our first goal.

Once I’ve Donated, How Can I Do More?

1. Boycott these financial institutions.  Wells Fargo, CitiBank, Bank of America, and Phillips 66 are all major shareholders in the Dakota Access Pipeline. Close your accounts!

2. Put Pressure on your leaders starting with your Congressional Representatives...

Make 500 phone calls, send 500 emails and letters a week. http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

Contact the Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Justice, the Department of Interior, the Department of the Army, the Governor of North Dakota, and Energy Transfer Partners. Call your Tribal Governments and Councils. MAKE them all accountable!

3. Sign Petitions and Share:

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/no-dapl?akid=172399.34593675.-bZKrz&rd=1&source=mo&t=3

https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-dakota-access-pipeline

4. Continue to support by donating generously, bring supplies suitable for blizzard weather, join the front-line warrior encampments for the winter, and support their legal funds.

5. Share all the Media that comes out the the Camps: Sacred Stone Camp, Indigenous Rising Media, Indigenous Environmental Network, Digital Smoke Signals are all legit. Help Educate the World! Use the hashtags #NoDAPL, #SacredStone, #StandingRock, #WaterIsLife, and #OcetiSakowin in your posts and tweets.

6. Go to Standing Rock! Strength in numbers. Water connects us all. Needed are skilled and trained non-violent direct action warriors. If you plan on traveling, please complete this form https://goo.gl/forms/scdwA6uknrAcKNk92

7. Prayers. Prayers are strongly encouraged! 

For More Resources

Why Are Tribes and Global Allies Uniting Against the Dakota Access Pipeline

• https://soundcloud.com/siriusxm-news-issues/native-amer-activist-latanya-barlow-explains-why-tribes-are-uniting-against-dakota-access-pipeline

How Will the Dakota Access Pipeline Affect Native Tribes & 18+ Million People Downriver

• https://soundcloud.com/siriusxm-news-issues/native-amer-activist-latanya-barlow-explains-how-dakota-access-pipeline-will-affect-native-tribes

Our Fight Continues on All Fronts! Your Donations Makes a Difference Today.  We are requesting your help and support in this great call to action in support of environmental and social justice, civil rights, and upholding our constitutional rights on Treaty Land.