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Interview by Shahed Amanullah Hug by Shahed Amanullah and Hanif Amanullah
Jeff Grubler is a Bay Area activist who runs The Ronald Reagan Home for the Criminally Insane, a repository of anti-war graphics, creative protest ideas, and organizing efforts. Jeff was recently featured on MWU! for his discovery of the real link between Saddam Hussein and Usama Bin Laden.
MWU!: What is it that you do that makes you such a newsworthy figure?
JG: I wish I was more newsworthy--in that I mean I wish the situation of the Iraqi people was more newsworthy. Since 1991 there's been a blackout in the media. Everyone knows the name of Saddam, but nobody knows the fate of the Iraqi people. So what I try to do is to figure out ways to bring the reality of the Iraqi people to Americans. Iraq is so far away, and we all have our own problems and worries, so Iraqis remain invisible. I have created phony products, organized guerilla theater, and used standup comedy--anything I can to make the Iraqi people less invisible. I try to reach people, and every once in a while, the media gives me attention which I pass on to the cause.
MWU!: So why is it that you work on causes that benefit such a wretched lot as us Muslims?
JG: Well, I never thought of it as being a "Muslim" or "Arab" thing--I always thought of it as being a human thing. It was a while after I started working on the sanctions issue when someone asked me that same question. I was taken aback by it because I've always seen it as a human issue. The Palestine issue is the same for me--people's basic rights are being abused. I've approached that question more as a Jew as well. For Jews, we have historically gone thorough many of these same things--human rights violations, violence, etc. It's sad how people are pitted against each other and the same crimes get perpetuated. It's kind of like a person abused as a child going on to abuse their own children.
MWU!: What's your proudest work of art to date?
JG: I still think the thing that I've done that has worked the best is to create "Sludge: Iraqi Drinking Water." High school students in Kansas have given it out in their classrooms. People thoughout the country have used it. It's a great way to get the issue of Iraq through to the American public without hitting them over the head. When I hand out Sludge, people think I'm joking or start looking for the hidden camera. It doesn't matter what your politics are--it's easy to understand that humans need clean, safe water, and that policies that prevent that are bad policies.
MWU!: How does it feel to get the Hug-a-Jew award?
JG: I've been telling everyone about it! I feel very proud. I'm hoping that the Jewish community comes up with a Hug-a-Muslim award. It brings smiles to people's faces.
MWU!: What would you say to Jews who might feel afraid to be hugged by a Muslim?
JG: If the Muslims have been properly strip-searched beforehand, I don't think that there's anything to fear. [Interviewer's note: No strip-searching was involved with this interview]
JG: Well, I never thought of it as being a "Muslim" or "Arab" thing--I always thought of it as being a human thing. It was a while after I started working on the sanctions issue when someone asked me that same question. I was taken aback by it because I've always seen it as a human issue. The Palestine issue is the same for me--people's basic rights are being abused. I've approached that question more as a Jew as well. For Jews, we have historically gone thorough many of these same things--human rights violations, violence, etc. It's sad how people are pitted against each other and the same crimes get perpetuated. It's kind of like a person abused as a child going on to abuse their own children.
JG: I still think the thing that I've done that has worked the best is to create "