To:aliatwaladen@yahoo.com
Date: 18 Feb 2007 19:43:38 -0000
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Subject: cair-net Digest of: get.2001_2100


cair-net Digest of: get.2001_2100

Topics (messages 2001 through 2100):

CAIR-NET: US Terror Suspects Not Muslim / Muslims Attend Speech by FBI 
Director / Man Runs Amok at Canadian Mosque / U.S. to Decide if Muslim 
Scholar Can Enter
	2001 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: No Prosecution for Saudi Students in FL / The Blinkered 
Belligerence of Wafa Sultan / AZ Imam Angry at Delay in Getting Green Card
	2002 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: U.S. Military Will Not Punish 'Hadji Girl' Marine / Don't Tar 
All Muslims with Brush of Terror / CAIR Capitol Hill Panel Calls for 
Gitmo Closure
	2003 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: CAIR Says Targeting of Gaza Infrastructure a 'War Crime'
	2004 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: CAIR Calls Ruling Against Gitmo Trials 'Victory for Rule of 
Law'
	2005 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Condemn Kidnapping of Palestinian Officials / 
Muslim Candidate Seeks MN House Seat
	2006 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: VA Muslims Receive Dietary Help with New Law / Minnesotan 
Hopes to be 1st Muslim Congressman
	2007 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Western Union Blocks Muslim Money Transfers / IL Muslim 
Family Receives Hate Letter
	2008 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Pig's Head Thrown Into ME Mosque During Prayers
	2009 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Muslim Group Decries Desecration of ME Mosque / Western Media 
Expand Into Arabic Market
	2010 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Bigotry on Display in Mosque Incident / Muslim Women to 
Convene / The War Over Israel's Influence
	2011 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Heeding Call to Volunteerism / Hate Crime 
Suspected in OH Fire
	2012 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: FBI Asked to Probe Vandalism at Indiana Mosque
	2013 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Jeb Bush Ally Slams Islam / IN Mosque Vandalism a 'Systematic 
Hate Crime' / NC Muslims, Christians, Jews Protest Israel's Policies
	2014 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: More U.S. Muslims Going Into Law / MN Somalis Turn to Islam / 
UN Blames Israel for Humanitarian Crisis
	2015 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Video Shows Bullet-Riddled Quran Thrown at Tenn. Mosque
	2016 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: NY Muslims Welcome Bill Preventing Exams on Religious 
Holidays / FBI Probes Web Site Showing Shooting of Quran
	2017 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: CAIR Condemns Mumbai Bombings / Con Man Who Targeted Muslims 
Receives Two Years / U.S. Muslim Coalition Condemns Israeli Actions
	2018 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: FL Pastor Won't Apologize for Remarks on Islam / Episcopal 
Chief to Protest Israeli Actions
	2019 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Canadian Muslims Challenge Entry of Franklin Graham / 
Anti-Muslim Bigotry from Some Pulpits
	2020 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Urge Elected Officials to Condemn Israeli Attacks on 
Civilians
	2021 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Blast at OH Arab-American Restaurant 'Suspicious' / 
ISLAM-OPED: Moral Values Must Guide Our Mideast Policy / Vatican Condemns Israel 
for Attacks on Lebanon
	2022 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: CAIR Asks Bush to Demand that Israel Allow Evacuation of 
Americans in Lebanon
	2023 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Condemn Israeli 'Massacre' of Lebanese Civilians
	2024 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Israeli Strike Kills 8 Canadians / The Truth About the Israel 
Lobby / Muslim Women in U.S. Feel Empowered
	2025 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Tax Dollars Sent to Israel Buy Enemies for U.S. / Fleeing 
Lebanese Speak of Indiscriminate Bombing / Latino Muslims Seek Answers
	2026 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims to Ask that Bush Protect Relatives in Lebanon, 
Gaza
	2027 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: New Threats Against OH Mosque Damaged By Bombs / Israel 
Violates Law on U.S. Weapons
	2028 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Bodies of 55 Lebanese Children Stacked in Truck / Lebanon 
Evacuees Treated Like Black Katrina Victims / MS Demonstrators Destroy 
Quran
	2029 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Speak Out Against Mideast Violence / Burning of 
MS Quran 'Hateful' / TN Mosque Incident Suspect Identified / Maine AG 
Goes to Court Over Mosque Pig's Head Incident
	2030 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: CAIR Seeks Reports of Americans Killed, Injured in Lebanon
	2031 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: IL Man Who Threatened CAIR Sentenced / Senator's Use of 
'Islamic Fascism' Empowers Extremists / Judge Says MA Islamic Society 
Defamation Suit Can Proceed
	2032 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: CAIR Calls Rushed U.S. Bomb Deliveries to Israel 
'Unconscionable'
	2033 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Former Army Muslim Chaplain Unfairly Detained / Outcry Over 
US Bombs to Israel / Plans for NY Muslim Centers Stir Concerns
	2034 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Help Ease the Suffering in Lebanon and Palestine
	2035 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Vigil Set for Vandalized IN Islamic Center / Controversy Over 
Graffiti by Israeli Kids / Private Swim Sessions for NJ Muslim Women
	2036 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Israel Targets Ambulances, Uses Cluster and Phosphorous 
Munitions / VA Muslims Find Cultural Bridge in Scouting
	2037 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Lebanese Ambassador Briefs CAIR on Aid Efforts
	2038 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: TX Rep Calls for 'Humanitarian Corridor' in Lebanon / Israeli 
Bombing Causes Massive Oil Spill / Investor's Business Daily Retracts 
CA Mosque Smear
	2039 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: CAIR Asks Bush to Protect Americans Under Attack by Israel
	2040 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Pro-Israel Lobby Targets Georgia Democrat / Door Slams Hard 
on Any Who Criticize Israel / U.S. Muslims Seek Understanding, 
Acceptance
	2041 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Israeli Missile Wounds NJ Teen in Lebanon / Israel to Destroy 
S. Lebanon Villages / Fire Destroys VA Mosque / U.S. Muslims Lobby for 
Mideast Peace, Aid
	2042 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Rally for Lebanon and Palestine Aug. 12 in DC
	2043 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: CAIR Condemns Attack on Seattle Jewish Center
	2044 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: CAIR Demands End to Israeli 'Terror' After 57 Civilians 
Killed
	2045 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Pro-Israeli Driver Tries to Run Down Arab-American Protester 
/ Quote: 'I'm Willing to Kill as Many People as it Requires'
	2046 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: MI Family Flees Israeli Attacks / Human Rights Watch Calls 
Israeli Bombing a 'War Crime' / Pro-Palestinian GA Rep Faces Opponent 
with Jewish Backing / CO Mosque Adapting to Diversity
	2047 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Thank Sen. Hagel for Demanding Mideast Cease-Fire
	2048 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: CA Assailant May Have Mistaken Sikh for Muslim / ACLU, CAIR 
Demand End to Citizenship Delays / Israeli Rabbis Say Enemy Has No 
'Innocents'
	2049 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Michigan Muslims Wounded in Lebanon / Israeli Bond Sales in 
U.S. Criticized / 'Prince Among Slaves' to Begin Filming
	2050 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Urge U.N. to Enforce Mideast Cease-Fire
	2051 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: CAIR to Release Poll on Demand for Mideast Cease-Fire
	2052 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Aug. 6 White House Vigil to Protest Lebanon Invasion / HRW 
Report: Israel's Indiscriminate Attacks on Civilians
	2053 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Poll: Americans Support Mideast Cease-Fire
	2054 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Bush Asked to Condemn Latest Israeli Massacre / Join the 
White House Vigil to Protest Lebanon Invasion
	2055 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: LA Mayor Apologizes to Muslim Leaders / Life as Muslims and 
Marines / Muslims Pressured to Name Names
	2056 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Hate Messages Target MI Muslims / Violence Stifles 
Muslim-Jewish Dialogue / GA Candidate Refers to 'Arab Surnames' of Donors
	2057 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Ask GA Candidate to Meet with Muslims Over 'Terrorist' 
Remarks
	2058 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslim Charities Say Fear Dams Money Flow / US Sailor 
Spied for Israel, Russia / A Guide to U.S. Experts on Islam
	2059 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims to React to Alleged Airline Terror Plot
	2060 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: CAIR Statement on Alleged Airline Terror Plot
	2061 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Concerned About Bush's Use of 'Islamic Fascists' 
/ Outreach Helps Muslims Make Inroads / Unconditional Support for 
Israel is a Liability for U.S.
	2062 by: CAIR

An Urgent Appeal From CAIR
	2063 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Israel Asks U.S. to Ship Rockets with Wide Blast / VA Town 
Hall Mtg on Mideast Crisis / DC Panel: 'The War in Lebanon and the War on 
Terror'
	2064 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: S. Calif. Mosque Vandalized / Americans Favor IDs for Muslims 
/ Bush Insists on 'Islamic Fascists'
	2065 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Maryland Protester Targets Faith, Home of Muslim Candidate / 
'Islamofascist' Ignites Strong Feelings / Quran Burning Fuels Terror? / 
What the Israel Lobby Wants, It Too Often Gets
	2066 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: CA Mosque Vandalized Twice in One Week / CAIR Calls for 
Release of Fox Journalists in Gaza / US Involved in Planning Israel's 
Operations in Lebanon
	2067 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: John Bolton Grants Interview to Anti-Islam Hate Site / CAIR 
Welcomes Dropping of 'Terror-Phone' Charges / CAIR Rep Discusses 
'Islamic Fascists' on 'O'Reilly Factor'
	2068 by: CAIR
	2069 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: NY Candidate Favors Profiling Muslims / Christian Right Tries 
to Muscle FL Muslims / FBI Counsels Mosques
	2070 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: CAIR Welcomes Ruling on NSA Wiretaps / Decision a 'Victory 
for the Constitution'
	2071 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Homeland Security Chair Eyes Profiling / GOP Candidate Says 
Look for Travelers with 'Turbans' / CA Mosque Destroyed by Fire
	2072 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: 'Israel Lobby' Authors to Speak at DC Press Club Forum
	2073 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Vandals Hit NY Mosque / Muslim MD Falsely ID'd as Terrorist, 
Forced Off Flight / IL USPS Investigates Possible Sabotage of Muslim 
Mailing
	2074 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: IL Mosque Vandalized / Hate Site Suggests Ways to 'Punish' 
Muslims / Decision on Assault by Pro-Israeli Driver Pending / Praising 
Allah - In Spanish
	2075 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Show Few Signs of Radicalism / Schools Compete 
for Saudis / CAIR Rep on C-SPAN / 'Jihad' Defined / Muslim Boy Scouts
	2076 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: 3rd GOP Candidate Calls for Profiling of Muslims / CAIR-NY to 
Protest 'Profiling' at JFK Airport
	2077 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Muslim Pilot Ordered Off Continental Flight / Arab-American 
Rep Attacked for Stance on Israel / CA Gov Meets with Muslims / Lebanese 
Villages 'Carpeted' with Cluster Bombs
	2078 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: MI Muslims to Address 'Surge' In Profiling / IL Man Who 
Bombed Muslims' Van Returns to Jail / Amnesty Accuses Israel of War Crimes
	2079 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: CAIR to Host Dinner for Former President of Iran
	2080 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Hospitals Create Muslim Prayer Areas / Muslim Marriage 
Contracts Help Women Assert Rights
	2081 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: American Women Embrace Islam / CA Gov's Cold Shoulder to 
Muslims / Inquiry Opened Into Israeli Use of U.S. Bombs
	2082 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: CAIR Calls for FBI Probe of MN Mosque Arson
	2083 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: C-SPAN to Air CAIR 'Israel Lobby' Panel Live / Muslim 
Citizens Refused Entry Back Into U.S.
	2084 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Correction - 'Israel Lobby' Panel to Air at 1 p.m. on C-SPAN
	2085 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: CAIR-KY Offers Condolences to Families of Crash Victims / 
'Israel Lobby' Panel to be Re-Broadcast by C-SPAN / CAIR's Khatami Dinner 
to Open Lines of Communication
	2086 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: National Faith Leaders to Mark 9/11 with DC 'Unity Walk'
	2087 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Poll: 'Middle Eastern' Travelers Should be Singled Out / 
Pro-Israel Lobby Warps U.S. Policy / Khatami Will Get Visa to Visit
	2088 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: 'Israel Lobby' Panel Transcript Now Online / CAIR Board 
Member Avoided Doomed Plane / Students Offered Discount for Khatami Dinner
	2089 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Disabled Muslims Seek Access to Mosques / CAIR Slams Senator 
for 'Taxi' Comments / Muslim Chaplains in Military Gaining Acceptance
	2090 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: CAIR Launches New Brand Identity and Logo
	2091 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Criticize Israel? You're an Anti-Semite! / 5 Years After 
9/11, Fear in U.S. Muslim Communities
	2092 by: CAIR
	2093 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: 5 Years After 9/11: Typecasting Muslims as a Race / U.S. 
Muslims Insist They're American Too
	2094 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Young U.S. Muslims Strive for Harmony / Muslims See a Growing 
Internet Media Bias / MI Policy Lets Muslims Cover Up in Pools
	2095 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: CAIR Says Bush Speech Grants Extremists 'Undeserved 
Legitimacy'
	2096 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Al-Qaeda Tape Distorts Islam / CAIR Seeks Applicants for Rosa 
Parks Scholarship / Mosque 'Pig's Head' Stunt Raises Broader Issues
	2097 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: TX Muslims React to Dropping of Charges in Cell Phone Case / 
Muslim Team Competes on CBS's 'Amazing Race'
	2098 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: CAIR Supports Award for CA Muslim Leader / Life for U.S. 
Muslims Very Different After 9/11 / CAIR-CAN Seeks Apology for Jewish 
Traveler Kicked Off Plane
	2099 by: CAIR

CAIR-NET: Islam-Haters an Enemy Within / CNN Host Warns Muslims of 
'Razor Wire Fence' / Adult Bookstore Near MN Mosque Will Remain Open
	2100 by: CAIR

 
---------------------------------
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Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2006 02:36:37 -0400
From:"CAIR" <ihooper@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: US Terror Suspects Not Muslim / Muslims Attend Speech by FBI Director / Man Runs Amok at Canadian Mosque / U.S. to Decide if Muslim Scholar Can Enter

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/25/06

* Hadith: A Key for Good and a Lock for Evil
* CAIR DC Panel: 'Should the U.S. Shut Down Gitmo?'
* CAIR-Philly: 'People of the Book: Exploring Faith'
            - CAIR-OH: Muslims Attend Speech by FBI Director
* CAIR: Don't Link Terrorism Suspects to Islam (Sun-Sent)
            - Muslim Group: US Terror Suspects Not Muslim (VOA)
            - CAIR-Chicago: Plotters a 'Cultist Group' (AP)
            - CAIR-Chicago: Muslim Leaders Denounce 7 Suspects
            - A Blend of Faiths, a Dash of Martial Arts
* Canada: Man Runs Amok at Islamic Centre (CanWest)
* Judge Orders U.S. to Decide if Muslim Scholar Can Enter (NYT)
* VA: Islamic-Food Law to Take Effect July 1 (Times-Dispatch)
            - NJ: Muslim Girls Pair Fashion, Faith in Hijab Choices
            - CA: American Muslim Alliance to Launch TV Show
            - GA: Conference Aims to Educate About Muslim Faith (AJC)
            - WA: Camp Brings Muslim, Jewish, Christian Kids Together
* TX: U.S.-Arab Economic Forum in Houston (Chronicle)

-----

HADITH OF THE DAY: KEY FOR GOOD AND A LOCK FOR EVIL - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Blessed is the person who God has made a key for good and a lock for evil."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1366

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

-----

CAIR CAPITOL HILL PANEL: 'SHOULD THE U.S. SHUT DOWN GITMO?' - TOP

The Washington Daybook
Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc./Agence France-Presse

SPONSOR: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

TOPIC/SUBJECT: "Should the U.S. Shut Down Gitmo?"

PARTICIPANTS: James Yee, former Guantanamo Bay Muslim Chaplain and Gene Fidell of Feldsman, Tucker, Leifer and Fidell

DATE: June 27, 2006 (12-1:30 p.m.)

LOCATION: 2226 Rayburn House Office Building

CONTACT: 202-488-8787

-----

CAIR-PHILLY CO-SPONSORS 'PEOPLE OF THE BOOK: EXPLORING FAITH' - TOP

(PHILADELPHIA, PA, 6/25/06) - Beginning July 5, the Philadelphia office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philly) will co-sponsor an interfaith, inter-community program called "People of the Book: Exploring Faith."

The program is free and open to the public and will take place on Wednesday evenings, July 5, 12, 19 and 26, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at St. Paul's Lutheran Church at Easton Road and Mt. Carmel Avenue in Glenside.

On the first three evenings of the series, a presenter from one of each of the three Abrahamic traditions will explore the role of sacred texts and what they say about the nature of God and God's relationship to human beings. There will be opportunity for audience participation.

WHAT: Four-Part Interfaith Series: "People of the Book: Exploring Faith"
WHEN: July 5, 12, 19 and 26 from 7:30 to 9:00 PM
WHERE: St. Paul's Lutheran Church: 120 S. Easton Rd; Glenside, PA 19038
CONTACT: Jeanne Kyle, 215-572-0128

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-OH: FBI CHIEF WARNS OF DOMESTIC TERRORISTS IN CITY CLUB SPEECH - TOP
Mike Tobin, Cleveland Plain Dealer, 6/24/06

Domestic terrorism cells like the one broken up in Miami pose a threat potentially bigger than al-Qaida, FBI Director Robert Mueller said Friday in a speech at the City Club of Cleveland. . .

Leaders of Cleveland's Muslim community attended Mueller's speech, and local Muslims made up a sizable contingent of the 250 people at the sold-out speech.

Mueller was careful to stress that the war against terror is not a war against Islam. But he asked members of the Muslim community to help law enforcement stop future attacks.

"There are those who view the FBI with suspicion and we must build bridges to bridge that gap," he said. "That said, we must reach the point where you are willing to come forward and say, 'We have seen something that you need to know.'

"Radicalization can only be broken if we stand together."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations bought five tables for the speech, and organized a prayer service at the City Club following the speech, which coincided with traditional Friday prayers. (MORE)

-----

CAIR: DON'T LINK TERRORISM SUSPECTS TO US, MUSLIM LEADERS SAY - TOP
Ruth Morris, Sun-Sentinel, 6/24/06
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-0624muslims,0,584506.story

Minutes after U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta announced indictments on Friday against an alleged terror cell, a Muslim leader took to the steps of the city's federal courthouse and said the suspects "were not known" at either of two mosques near the warehouse in the Liberty City neighborhood where authorities arrested them.

Ahmed Bedier, of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he and other Muslims feared some would try to connect Islam and the men's alleged plot to blow up a slew of federal buildings and the Sears Tower in Chicago.

"This seems like some kind of cult group that shares nothing with our community," Bedier told reporters of the suspects.

He asked the news media not to refer to the suspects as Muslims. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

MUSLIM GROUP: US TERROR SUSPECTS NOT MUSLIM - TOP
VOA News, 6/24/06
http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-06-24-voa28.cfm

An Islamic civil rights group says the seven terror suspects indicted Friday in the United States should not be referred to as "Muslims."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations says the men accused of plotting attacks on Chicago's Sears tower and several federal buildings are not Muslims because they study a mix of Islamic, Christian and Jewish teachings.

The statement calls the Seas of David sect a "bizarre group" that has nothing to do with Islam. It notes their meeting place is called a "temple" and that they study the Bible -- the Christian holy book.

It also cautioned against using Arabic terms to describe their actions. The federal indictment against the men refers to their attack plans as "a violent jihad."

The group also called on police departments nationwide to protect mosques and other Islamic institutions from possible backlash violence prompted by the idea that the terror suspects are Muslim. (MORE)

---

ADVOCATE FOR MUSLIMS CALLS ACCUSED PLOTTERS A 'CULTIST GROUP' - TOP
Associated Press, 6/23/06
http://www.wqad.com/Global/story.asp?S=5071556&nav=1sW7

An advocate for better understanding of Muslims and their religion says the men accused of conspiring to blow up the Sears Tower are "a bizarre, cultist group."

Ahmed Rehab is executive director for the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. He says the accused plotters have nothing to do with Islam. . .

"I think there has been some reluctance to step up and say that these individuals are indeed non-representative Muslims," Rehab says, "because certain commentators may see that as whitewashing or watering down our fight against terrorism."

Rehab spoke today at a news conference held at his group's downtown Chicago office.

---

CAIR-CHICAGO: MUSLIM LEADERS DENOUNCE 7 SUSPECTS - TOP
Margaret Ramirez, Chicago Tribune, 6/24/06
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0606240165jun24,1,2571736.story

Muslim leaders on Friday denounced the seven men arrested in Florida as members of a religious cult and implored the media not to refer to them as Muslims.

"The case of this bizarre, cultist group is evidence that the phenomenon of terrorism is not monolithic," said Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "They have broken the laws of this country as well as the laws of the religion of Islam. As such, they are to be condemned." (MORE)

---

A BLEND OF FAITHS, A DASH OF MARTIAL ARTS - TOP
Charles Rabin and Alexandra Alter, Knight Ridder Newspapers, 6/24/06
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003082533_plotside24.html

MIAMI - The seven men accused of plotting terrorism claim to follow teachings of the Moorish Science Temple of America, a religion that blends aspects of Christianity, Judaism and Islam and stresses self-discipline through martial arts, a close friend of one of the arrested men said Friday.

Sylvain Plantin, 30, a distant cousin and friend of indicted group member Stanley Grant Phanor, said the group's leader, Narseal Batiste, followed the religious teachings of the Prophet Noble Drew Ali, who founded the Moorish Science Temple.

"I never joined the group, but I went to a couple of Bible studies" at the warehouse that was raided by federal agents, Plantin said. . .

The Moorish Science Temple of America was founded in 1913 as a sect of Islam but incorporates teachings from Judaism and Christianity, said Aminah Beverly McCloud, a professor of religious studies at DePaul University in Chicago who has written about the group.

Moorish Temple members say they trace their ancestry to Morocco and often wear fezzes and use the titles "Bey" or "El." According to the indictment, suspect Lyglenson Lemorin used the alias "Brother Levi-El.". . .

Leaders of South Florida's Muslim community said Friday that the seven suspects had no connection to area mosques. "As far as we're concerned, they have no relation to our community," said Ahmed Bedier, spokesman for the Council for American Islamic Relations in South Florida.

Bedier said members of the group "should not be called Muslims."

-----

MAN RUNS AMOK AT ISLAMIC CENTRE - TOP
CanWest News Service, 6/23/06

CALGARY (CNS) -- A city Islamic centre has seen its third attack in one month after a man burst into the building and started shouting at children on Wednesday night.

Police say a drunk male stumbled into the building and started screaming and swearing.

About 50 children were inside studying the Qur'an.

"Children were scared," said Malik Ashraf, president of the Al-Madinah Islamic Centre on Thursday, adding it terrified three young women and a senior volunteering inside.

Ashraf worries the many families that flock to the centre won't feel safe in the building anymore.

"Will Muslim people still be coming to the Islamic Centre?" he asked.

"This is the third incident in the last month." Witnesses say when the man finally left, he tried to attack family getting out of their car. At this point, the police arrived and put the man in the back of their car. He then kicked out side window of the police car.

Police are investigating.

-----

JUDGE ORDERS U.S. TO DECIDE IF MUSLIM SCHOLAR CAN ENTER - TOP
ANTHONY RAMIREZ, New York Times, 6/24/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/24/nyregion/24scholar.html

A federal judge in New York yesterday ordered the Bush administration to decide by September whether to grant an entry visa to a prominent Muslim scholar. The scholar has been barred from entering the United States for nearly two years, first because of supposed ties to terrorism, then for unspecified national security reasons.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed the suit on behalf of three academic groups, including the PEN American Center, which had invited the scholar, Tariq Ramadan, a Swiss citizen, to speak at its meetings.

-----

VA: ISLAMIC-FOOD LAW TO TAKE EFFECT JULY 1 - TOP
Richmond Times-Dispatch, 6/24/06
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149188710967&path=!news&s=1045855934842

Muslims will be able to make sure that the food they buy conforms with the dietary laws of their religion under a state law that takes effect next Saturday. . .

The General Assembly adopted legislation this year that was known as the "halal food bill," sponsored by Del. Kenneth C. Alexander, D-Norfolk. The bill requires businesses to verify that foods advertised as halal have been prepared in accordance with Islamic dietary requirements.

SEE ALSO:

NJ: MUSLIM GIRLS PAIR FASHION, FAITH IN HIJAB CHOICES - TOP
Deborah Lynn Blumberg, Hattiesburg American, 6/24/06
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060624/LIFESTYLE/606240322/1024

Many non-Muslims interpret the headscarves Islamic women wear as a symbol of oppression. But for Itidal Hashif, 17, and other Muslim youth, covering their heads is a show of faith that can enhance character over physical beauty.

"It's a huge responsibility," said Hashif, a student whose family is from Palestine and who attends the Noor-UI-Iman school in South Brunswick, N.J.

Most conservative Muslim-American girls wear a headscarf full time once they reach puberty. In Arabic, the word "hijab" means covering or barrier and describes the concept of modest dress and behavior written about in the Quran and Hadith, which are the sayings and practices of the Prophet Muhammed.

In Western countries, the word "hijab" has become synonymous with "headscarf."

With scarves that vary in design, shape and size, and with multiple ways of securing them, with decorative pins and creative layering and wrapping technique, hijab is a religious commitment, but it's also an accessory, the girls say.

"You have to match the headscarf with everything you're wearing," said Hashif, who adds that scarves become part of a woman's outfit. "Wearing hijab becomes like putting on your shoes," Hashif said. "It feels so normal." (MORE)

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AMERICAN MUSLIM ALLIANCE TO LAUNCH TV SHOW - TOP
Viji Sundaram, New America Media, 6/23/06
http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=83bb3d4de3246f837cc052d082a0bba4

The American Muslim Alliance plans to launch a weekly television show called "Global Forum," modeled along the lines of the "Jim Lehrer News Hour" and the "Charlie Rose Show."

The hour-long program will kick off with a summary of the week's important domestic and international news and then move on to examine a slew of different issues affecting the lives of ordinary people around the world, including those living in the United States, says AMA's national chairman Aga Saeed, who conceived of the show. Topics under consideration for the early shows include education, the environment, immigration and civil rights. (MORE)

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GA: CONFERENCE AIMS TO EDUCATE ABOUT MUSLIM FAITH - TOP
BRANDY WILSON, Atlanta Journal, 6/24/06
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/auto/epaper/editions/saturday/gwinnett_44c9ed75761910be003b.html

Perhaps one of the biggest tragedies of the Sept. 11 attacks, other of course than the thousands of innocent lives lost, is how the actions of a few gave some people a negative impression of the entire Muslim religion.

These days, it's not unusual for a Muslim to be unfairly profiled as a terrorist or person with disdain for this country. Most, however, don't share those beliefs.

In an effort to foster understanding of the Muslim religion, the Atlanta Vineyard Church, 6920 Jimmy Carter Blvd. in Norcross, will offer the "Freedom from Fear: Ministering to Muslims" conference. The conference will feature guest speakers discussing the issue, a visit to a local mosque, a concert and more. (MORE)

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WA: INTERFAITH CAMP HAS NATURE WALKS AND HONEST TALK - TOP
Kathleen Merryman, The News Tribune, 6/24/06
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/columnists/merryman/story/5865668p-5206902c.html

Jun. 24--The middle schoolers who hope to spend Aug. 27 through Sept. 1 at the first session of Puget Sound Interfaith Youth Camp at Camp Seymour want more than the usual from their summer camp experience.

Sure, they want boating, campfires and hiking. They also want to talk about the Bible, the Torah and the Koran. They want to run around and be silly, and they want to discuss their faith and understand their friends' beliefs.

There are 50 spots for boys and girls going into the seventh and eighth grades, and applications will be accepted until they are filled. The goal is to have an even mix of religions represented. The camp is free, though there is a refundable $50 application fee. (To find out more, click onto www.sound interfaithcamp.org.) (MORE)

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TX: U.S.-ARAB ECONOMIC FORUM - TOP
JENALIA MORENO and BILL HENSEL JR., Houston Chronicle, 6/24/06
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/3998074.html

LEADERS from Baghdad, Cairo, Djibouti and across the Arab world are gathering in Houston this week for the U.S.-Arab Economic Forum in an effort to bolster the relationship between the U.S. and the Middle East.

"We're trying to build understanding one handshake at a time," said Nasser Beydoun, organizer of the forum and chairman of the Dearborn, Mich.-based American Arab Chamber of Commerce.

To that end, heavy hitters like presidential confidante Karen Hughes, CEOs such as ConocoPhillips' James Mulva and dignitaries like Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal are expected to speak. About 800 people are registered to attend three days of discussions on topics from breaking the oil addiction to health care in the Arab world. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2006 07:24:01 -0400
From:"CAIR" <ihooper@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: No Prosecution for Saudi Students in FL / The Blinkered Belligerence of Wafa Sultan / AZ Imam Angry at Delay in Getting Green Card

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/26/06

* Hadith: Do Not Oppress One Another
* CAIR-FL: No Prosecution for Saudi Students Who Rode Bus
            - CAIR-LA: The Truth About Islam (Orange County Register)
            - CAIR-CAN: Changes Would Weaken Human Rights Commission (Star)
            - CAIR-Philly: Understanding Islam & Muslims (KYW)
* The Blinkered Belligerence of Wafa Sultan (Los Angeles Times)
* AZ: Imam Angry at Delay in Getting Green Card (Arizona Republic)
            - NH: Is Parking or Bias Cause for Opposition to Mosque?
* 2 U.S. Soldiers Charged in Iraq Killing (AP)
            - War's Iraqi Death Toll Tops 50,000 (Los Angeles Times)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: DO NOT OPPRESS ONE ANOTHER - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) quoted God as saying: "O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another."

Hadith Qudsi 17

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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CAIR-FL: MUSLIMS WELCOME DECISION NOT TO PROSECUTE SAUDI STUDENTS - TOP
College students arrested last month for riding a public school bus

(TAMPA, FL, 06/26/2006) - On Monday, June 26, the Florida office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) will hold a news conference in Tampa to welcome a decision by the State Attorney's office not to prosecute two Saudi college students who made headlines nationwide last month when they were arrested for riding a Hillsborough County school bus.

WHAT: CAIR-FL News Conference on case of USF Saudi students
WHEN: Monday, June 26 at 11:30 AM
WHERE: CAIR Tampa office, 8056 N 56th Street, Tampa, FL
CONTACT: Ahmed Bedier, 813-731-9506, E-Mail: abedier@cairfl.org

Last month, the Saudi students were charged with trespassing on school property when they mistakenly boarded a school bus. A day after the arrest, a judge revoked their $250 bail to give law enforcement officials additional time to insure the two men were not a threat. CAIR helped advocate for the rights and release of the students.

SEE: FL Judge Orders Release of Saudi Students Who Rode School Bus

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

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CAIR-LA: THE TRUTH ABOUT ISLAM - TOP
Hussam Ayloush, Orange County Register, 6/25/06
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/opinion/atoz/article_1191410.php

[Hussam Ayloush is Executive Director of the Southern California office of the Council on American- Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Anaheim.]

A recent book review by Orange County Register senior editorial writer Steven Greenhut praised a book that argues that the minority of Muslim extremists who are involved in terrorism are not a deviation from, but rather a "natural result of following the actual teachings of Muhammad and the Quran" ["Islam, without blinders," Commentary, June 11].

Such a conclusion reflects either a distressing ignorance about Islam or, more worrisome, an unrepentant Islamophobia.

No religion should bear the responsibility of the actions of an extremist few who twist its teachings. No religion should be judged through a selective reading of its scripture. In every scripture, extremists can find justification for their acts. Verses from the Bible were manipulated by extremists to justify the Crusades, the killing of hundreds of thousands of Eastern Christians and Muslims, the Inquisition, the enslavement of Africans and African-Americans, the blessing of German Nazi soldiers, apartheid in South Africa, the Catholic-Protestant pogrom cycle in Europe, the displacement of Palestinians and the bombing of abortion clinics.

Muslims do not judge Christianity or Judaism by those acts, but rather by the message of peace and justice taught by Moses and Jesus. Similarly, Islam should be judged by its message of justice and equality as followed by most of its 1.3 billion followers. (MORE)

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CAIR-CAN: GOOD INTENTIONS ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH - TOP
Proposed changes weaken the enforcement powers of Human Rights Commission
Faisal Kutty, The Star, 6/26/06
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1151099410250&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795

[Faisal Kutty, a lawyer, is vice-chair of the Canadian Council on American Islamic Relations and general counsel for the Canadian Muslim Civil Liberties Association.]

At the time of its enactment in 1962, the Ontario Human Rights Code was ahead of its time in prohibiting discrimination and harassment on enumerated grounds - now numbering 16.

Sadly, the system that consists of the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the Human Rights Tribunal has not kept pace with the demands of a changing society. In fact, over the past 15 years, numerous studies, reports and consultations have concluded the system is broken.

Faisal Kutty, a lawyer, is vice-chair of the Canadian Council on American Islamic Relations and general counsel for the Canadian Muslim Civil Liberties Association. (MORE)

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CAIR-PHILLY: UNDERSTANDING ISLAM & MUSLIMS - TOP
Nancy Griffin, KYW Radio, 6/25/06
http://www.kyw1060.com/pages/50085.php

A grassroots organization is using education to lift the veil of misunderstanding about American Muslims.

Adeeba al-Zaman teaches a 10-part course, "Understanding Islam & Muslims." It is sponsored by the Philadelphia Office of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). . .

"This class, "Understanding Islam and Muslims" is really going to help give you the tools to understand the context of the world around us. So when we turn on the news and we listen to the news, and we hear about an incident that happened, at least we know for sure that is something that individual is doing -- even if they say they're doing it in the name of Islam -- it's something that's not condoned in that text."

For information people can go to the web at www.cairphilly.org or call 215-592-0509.

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ISLAM'S ANN COULTER - TOP
The seductive and blinkered belligerence of Wafa Sultan.
Stephen Julius Stein, Los Angeles Times, 6/25/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-op-stein25jun25,1,7803731.story

RECENTLY I WAS one of about 100 L.A. Jews invited to attend a fundraiser for a Jewish organization that seeks to counteract anti-Israel disinformation and propaganda. The guest speaker was Wafa Sultan, the Syrian American woman who in February gave a now legendary interview on Al Jazeera television, during which she said that "the Muslims are the ones who began the clash of civilizations" and "I don't believe you can reform Islam." . . .

My disappointment in and disagreement with Sultan turned into dismay. She never alluded to any healthy, peaceful Islamic alternative. Why, for example, didn't this Southern California resident mention the groundbreaking efforts of the Islamic Center of Southern California, the leading exemplar of progressive Muslim American life in the United States? Why didn't she bring up the New Horizon School-Pasadena that the center started, the first Muslim American school honored by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Blue Ribbon School?. . .

As I experienced the fervor sparked by Sultan's anti-Muslim tirade and stoked by a roomful of apparently unsuspecting Jews, I thought: What if down the street there was a roomful of Muslims listening to a self-loathing Jew, cheering her on as she spoke of the evils inherent in the Torah, in which it is commanded that a child must be stoned to death if he insults his parents, in which Israelites are ordered by God to conquer cities and, in so doing, to kill all women and children - and this imagined Jew completely ignored all of what Judaism teaches afterward?

In a world far too often dominated by politicians imbued with religious fundamentalism of all flavors - Jewish, Christian, Muslim - we need the thoughtfulness, self-awareness and subtlety that comes from progressive religious expression. We have that in Judaism, in Christianity - and in Islam, right in our backyard. If only Sultan, applauded in many quarters yet miscast as a voice of reason and reform in Islam, were paying attention.

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AZ: IMAM ANGRY AT DELAY IN GETTING GREEN CARD - TOP
Daniel Gonzalez, Arizona Republic, 6/26/06

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0626imam0622.html

Sheik Latif Al-Khafaji hobbled back from his kitchen carrying a tray of sodas, jostling slightly from side to side because of a limp.

For the past hour, Khafaji, the Iraqi spiritual leader of the Valley's 5,000 Shiite Muslims, had explained how he was tortured for opposing Saddam Hussein's regime. How he came to the United States six years ago as a refugee believing this country was a land of freedom and justice. And how he now feels as though the government is treating him unfairly.

The problem, he said, is getting his green card, allowing the holder to live and work permanently in the United States, and the first step toward becoming a citizen. He first applied for the card in 2001 but still is waiting, unable to clear an FBI background check.

It's a problem shared by thousands of other immigrants and refugees with Middle Eastern and Arab-sounding names, mostly men, immigrant advocates say. Government officials acknowledge the delays, saying it is the cost of national security. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

NH: PARKING HAS MOSQUE AT ODDS WITH NEIGHBORS - TOP
By RILEY YATES, Union Leader, 6/26/06
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?articleId=c7d3fd11-073f-40dc-a831-4abb6e8d24c4

MANCHESTER - Turf battles on Karatzas Avenue are continuing between homeowners and a planned mosque.

Neighbors are calling for the strict enforcement of on-street parking bans, which has mosque officials charging they are being targeted.

Construction manager Nermin Cejvan said workers occasionally park two or three cars on the street when they can't be accommodated elsewhere. In response, residents regularly call police, he said.

The dispute made it to City Hall last week when homeowners sent aldermen a petition demanding parking remain prohibited on both sides of the road.

"We're not making this a mosque issue," said Blaise Blouin, the neighbor who started the petition. "We're making this a no parking issue."

But Cejvan and a state representative said residents are trying to hinder the project because a mosque is being built.

"I wish that that wasn't the reason, but I think that it is," said Cejvan, who is heading the all-volunteer construction effort. He said only a handful of cars drive on Karatzas Avenue each day, making parking a minor issue.

"They should show some generosity," Rep. Saghir Tahir said. "This is harassment." (MORE)

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2 U.S. SOLDIERS CHARGED IN IRAQ KILLING - TOP
The Associated Press, 6/25/06

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Two U.S. soldiers have been charged in the February killing of an unarmed Iraqi civilian near the city of Ramadi, the military said Sunday.

Spc. Nathan B. Lynn was charged with one count of voluntary manslaughter for allegedly shooting and killing the man on Feb. 15.

He and Sgt. Milton Ortiz Jr. also were charged with one count of obstructing justice for allegedly conspiring with another soldier to put an AK-47 near the body to make it look as though he was an insurgent.

The soldiers had been out in an operation near the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi and some were in a house questioning someone when they heard shots outside where Lynn was providing security, the military said.

The Iraqi man was found shot in the front yard. But witnesses did not see the weapon by the body until later, leading to allegations that it had been planted there to make the man look like he was an attacker, the military said.

SEE ALSO:

WAR'S IRAQI DEATH TOLL TOPS 50,000 - TOP
Higher than the U.S. estimate but thought to be undercounted, the tally is equivalent to 570,000 Americans killed in three years.
Louise Roug and Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 6/24/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-fg-deathtoll25jun25,0,7571477.story

BAGHDAD - At least 50,000 Iraqis have died violently since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, according to statistics from the Baghdad morgue, the Iraqi Health Ministry and other agencies - a toll 20,000 higher than previously acknowledged by the Bush administration.

Many more Iraqis are believed to have been killed but not counted because of serious lapses in recording deaths in the chaotic first year after the invasion, when there was no functioning Iraqi government, and continued spotty reporting nationwide since.

The toll, which is mostly of civilians but probably also includes some security forces and insurgents, is daunting: Proportionately, it is equivalent to 570,000 Americans being killed nationwide in the last three years. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 18:23:26 -0400
From:"CAIR" <ihooper@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: U.S. Military Will Not Punish 'Hadji Girl' Marine / Don't Tar All Muslims with Brush of Terror / CAIR Capitol Hill Panel Calls for Gitmo Closure

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/27/06

* Hadith: Kindness Leads to Paradise
* CAIR Capitol Hill Panel Calls for Gitmo Closure
* CAIR-Chicago: Muslims Build Better Relations with CBP
* CAIR-MI: Don't Tar All Muslims with Brush of Terror
            - CAIR: Miami Terror Suspects are Not Muslims
* CAIR-FL: Saudis to Write Ending to School Bus Adventure
* U.S. Military Will Not Punish Marine for Song About Killing Iraqis
            - CAIR: 'Hadji Girl' Marine Apologizes to Muslims
* U.S. Muslims Face Rising Suspicion, New Opportunities
            - MA: Ex-Friendly's to Become a Mosque

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HADITH OF THE DAY: KINDNESS LEADS TO PARADISE - TOP

Narrated Aisha (a wife of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him): "A poor woman came to me along with her daughters. I gave her three dates. She gave a date to each of them and then she took up one date and brought that to her mouth. . .but her daughters expressed desire to eat it. She then divided the date that she intended to eat between them. This (kind) treatment impressed me and I mentioned what she did to (the Prophet Muhammad) He then said: 'Verily God has assured Paradise for her because of (this act of kindness).'"

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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CAIR CAPITOL HILL PANEL CALLS FOR GITMO CLOSURE - TOP

(WASHINGTON, DC, 6/27/2006) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today hosted a Capitol Hill panel entitled "Should the US Shut Down Gitmo." An audience that filled the room to capacity heard two speakers outline reasons for closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.

James Yee, a former Muslim Chaplain at Guantanamo Bay, discussed ways in which religion was used against detainees. He described how abuse of the Quran, and other behavior by guards and interrogators, was counterproductive to intelligence gathering because detainees protested abuse by refusing to cooperate.

Yee noted that American Muslims who were serving in Guantanamo, primarily as translators, were viewed with suspicion merely for practicing their faith.

Eugene Fidell, an attorney who has worked on cases involving Guantanamo Bay inmates, outlined several reasons to close the base, including concerns that many of the prisoners have not been charged with any crimes and the American judicial system is capable of handling the cases.

He noted that after four years, the value of any further intelligence garnered from these prisoners is probably minimal.

Fidell also raised questions about the future of the Guantanamo base in light of a probable change in Cuba's government, given Castro's advanced age.

"It is time to bite the bullet so that no further harm is done to our nation's reputation," said Fidell.

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR Government Affairs Director Corey Saylor, 571-278-4658, E-Mail: csaylor@cair-net.org

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CAIR-CHICAGO: MUSLIMS BUILD BETTER RELATIONS WITH CBP - TOP

(CHICAGO, IL, 6/27/06) - On Wednesday, June 21, CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab, along with other leaders in the Chicago Muslim Community, took part in a tour of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operations at O'Hare International Airport.

The meeting was part of an effort to build relations between the Muslim community and different government and security organizations in order to facilitate communication, avoid cultural misunderstandings and help to educate travelers about the ways that they may avoid unwanted delays at the airport.

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CAIR-MI: DON'T TAR ALL MUSLIMS WITH BRUSH OF TERROR EXTREMISM - TOP
Dawud Walid, Detroit News, 6/27/06
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060627/OPINION01/606270304/1008

Seven terror suspects were arrested last week in Miami, allegedly planning to attack the Sears Tower in Chicago. Their belief? A blend of Islamic, Christian and Jewish tradition.

When asked by CNN why group members refer to themselves as "soldiers," a "Brother Corey" said: "Because we study and we train through the Bible -- not only physical, but mentally."

Group members also worship in a "temple," not in an Islamic mosque, according to media reports.

All religions have fringe elements. However, these elements do not represent the beliefs or practices of the vast majority of that faith's followers -- whether they are Jewish, Christian or Muslim. (MORE)

[Dawud Walid is executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Lathrup Village.]

SEE ALSO:

MUSLIM GROUP: MIAMI TERROR SUSPECTS ARE NOT MUSLIMS - TOP
G. Jeffrey MacDonald, Religion News Service, 6/26/06
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/194/story_19420_1.html

June 26 - Days after federal authorities charged seven men with plotting terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, a Muslim advocacy group is insisting the men were not Muslims and shouldn't be described as such in news reports.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) bases its claim on a June 22 CNN interview. In it, a Miami man claims to belong to the same Seas of David group that apparently counts the suspects as members, and he tells of their religious practice. "We study and we train through the bible," Brother Corey says in a CNN transcript. He also refers to the group's habit of worshiping in a "temple," not a mosque.

"Given that the reported beliefs of this bizarre group have nothing to do with Islam, we ask members of the media to refrain from calling them 'Muslims,'" said CAIR spokesperson Ahmed Bedier. (MORE)

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CAIR-FL: SAUDIS TO WRITE ENDING TO SCHOOL BUS ADVENTURE - TOP
BRADY DENNIS, St. Petersburg Times, 6/27/06
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/06/27/Hillsborough/Saudis_to_write_endin.shtml

TAMPA - Two Saudi Arabian men who climbed aboard a Hillsborough County school bus bound for Wharton High School in May will not be prosecuted, but they must complete a unique homework assignment from the State Attorney's Office.

"They have to write an essay in English documenting their experience," said state attorney's spokeswoman Pam Bondi, adding that it would "aid other students from other cultures" by showing them "what is allowable and acceptable in our country."

The assignment, along with a promise to avoid any future trouble with the law, make up the pretrial intervention program to which the two men agreed. Such a program is common among first-time offenders. . .

"We've said all along this was a mistake and a misunderstanding," said Ahmed Bedier, director of the Central Florida Council on American-Islamic Relations. "They are very naive as to how the system works here. They didn't mean any harm."

While Bedier didn't object to the essay assignment, he still seemed upset by the initial treatment of Almanajam and Alsidran - namely, the days they spent in jail without bail and the assumption that they were considering a terrorist attack.

"People were jumping to conclusions," Bedier said. "This incident exposed the bias and the climate that exist for Muslims living in this country." (MORE)

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US MARINE EXONERATED FOR SONG ABOUT KILLING IRAQIS - TOP
Will Dunham, Reuters, 6/27/06
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2006-06-27T170606Z_01_N27397428_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-USA-SONG.xml

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military will not punish a Marine who performed an obscenity-laced song to a laughing and cheering crowd of fellow troops in Iraq making light of killing Iraqis, the Marine Corps said on Tuesday.

The Marines two weeks ago launched a preliminary inquiry into whether Cpl. Joshua Belile, who returned home from Iraq in March, violated military law or rules in singing the song, a four-minute video of which was posted on the Internet.

In the song, titled "hadji girl," Belile sang to fellow troops at a base in Iraq about encountering an Iraqi woman and her family.

"I grabbed her little sister and put her in front of me. As the bullets began to fly, the blood sprayed from between her eyes, and then I laughed maniacally," he sang. Laughing, clapping and cheers can be heard in the background.

"The preliminary inquiry has been concluded. No punitive action will be taken against Corporal Belile. And there will be no further investigation," said Maj. Shawn Haney, a spokeswoman at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina.

Haney said the inquiry ruled out any violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Another Marine Corps official, who asked not to be named because details of the inquiry are private, said poor taste, poor judgment and poor timing, not to mention offensive lyrics, do not necessarily amount to criminal conduct. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR: 'HADJI GIRL' MARINE APOLOGIZES TO MUSLIMS - TOP
http://cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=2188&theType=NR

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MUSLIMS IN AMERICA - TOP
They face rising public suspicion but new opportunities
MARGOT PATTERSON, 6/30/06
http://ncronline.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2006b/063006/063006a.php

Being an American Muslim means facing mountains of bad publicity. It also means discovering growing numbers of companions for the journey.

The American Muslim population continues to grow, even as polls show that Muslims in the United States today are facing a rising tide of negative public opinion. A Washington Post-ABC News poll, taken during the controversy over the Dubai ports deal, found that 46 percent of respondents reported negative views of Islam, seven points higher than polls taken in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A recent survey by the Council on American-Islamic Relations found that about a quarter of all Americans think "the Muslim religion teaches violence and hatred." A CBS poll taken in April reports that fewer than one in five Americans have a favorable impression of Islam.

But if American Muslims live under a cloud of suspicion today, many say the new attention to Islam has also triggered a surge of American converts to Islam and greater knowledge of Islam among the population at large.

"There's a lot of anti-propaganda. Before Sept. 11, it was difficult to find any book on Islam in any mainstream bookstore. But now if you go to Borders or Barnes & Noble, you will find several books," said Dr. Zahid H. Bukhari, a fellow at Georgetown University's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.

R. Kevin Jaques, an assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Indiana, notes that more Latinos and Native Americans are now embracing Islam.

What's leading Americans to Islam?

Jaques said that as the United States is changing, churches are failing in their traditional role. Converts are looking for something the church isn't giving them, he remarked.

"Especially for second- and third-generation Latinos, they're looking for a religious tradition that gives them a bigger sense of community. One of the things you hear in mosques is community, community, community. That's a major attraction for a lot of people." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

MA: EX-FRIENDLY'S TO BECOME A MOSQUE - TOP
D. Craig MacCormack, Daily News, 6/27/06
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=133930

FRAMINGHAM -- The downtown eatery once known for serving frosty treats on hot days now will be the new home of the Islamic Society of Framingham.

The society bought the former Friendly's Ice Cream shop on Union Avenue on May 31 and plans to move its mosque from its South Street location after putting the building through about $75,000 in renovations.

The refurbishing likely will include stripping out much of the industrial equipment in the building and replacing the booths with a carpeted floor.

Fareed Siddiqui, a founding member of the society, said people should not expect the former scoop shop to be replaced by an ornate building.

"We're growing so there's a need for a bigger place," said Siddiqui. "Our religion tries to make things simple. The only thing we need is a nice, clean place where we can congregate and worship. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

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Forwarded Message

Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2006 15:43:03 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: CAIR Says Targeting of Gaza Infrastructure a 'War Crime'

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/28/06

* Hadith: Be Gentle and Calm
* CAIR: Targeting of Gaza Infrastructure a 'War Crime'
* CAIR-OH: Editorial on Terror Simplistic (Dispatch)
            - CAIR: Former Gitmo Chaplain Calls for Camp Closure
* CAIR: Military Won't Discipline Marine Over 'Hadji Girl'
            - CAIR: Marine Won't Face Prosecution for Song (AP)
* MA: Immigrant Admits Role in Massacre of Bosnian Muslims?
* Book: 'The Extraordinary Lives of Muslim Women in America'

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HADITH OF THE DAY: BE GENTLE AND CALM - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Be gentle and calm. . .because God likes gentleness in all affairs."

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 404

The Prophet also said: "Anyone who is deprived of gentleness is deprived of good."

Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 2238

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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CAIR SAYS TARGETING OF GAZA INFRASTRUCTURE A 'WAR CRIME' - TOP
Bush administration urged to condemn attacks on bridges, electrical supply

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/28/06) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today said Israel's targeting of the Palestinian civilian infrastructure is a "war crime" that should be condemned by the Bush administration.

Following a Palestinian attack on a military post, Israeli warplanes fired missiles at the Gaza Strip's only power station, cutting electricity to most of Gaza. Israel also targeted three Gaza Strip bridges. Palestinian officials say the cut in power will impact water supplies and health services.

SEE: Israelis Knock Out Power, Water in Gaza

In reaction to the Israeli strikes, a White House spokesman said: "In any actions the government of Israel may undertake, the United States urges that it ensures that innocent civilians are not harmed, and also that it avoid the unnecessary destruction of property and infrastructure."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a statement released today: "Mild rebukes for the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure in Gaza will not stop Israeli missiles. The Bush administration should condemn these war crimes and demand that Israel stop using American taxpayer-funded weapons to carry out attacks that will only serve to intensify the humanitarian crisis in Gaza."

CAIR recently called on President Bush to help end the Israeli and international "siege" imposed on the Palestinians because of the results of democratic elections.

The Washington-based group also condemned Israel's killings of Palestinian civilians and has repeatedly condemned Palestinian attacks on Israeli civilians.

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

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CAIR-OH: 'DISPATCH' EDITORIAL ON TERRORISM SIMPLISTIC - TOP
Ahmad Al-Akhras, Columbus Dispatch, 6/28/06
http://dispatch.com/editorials-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/06/28/20060628-A12-03.html

[Ahmad Al-Akhras of Columbus is vice chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.]

I respond to the June 20 Dispatch editorial "Out of the frying pan."

What has happened in Somalia, for the majority of Somalis inside and those who are abroad, is a positive change. I truly suggest that we should not prejudge this change, or any change for that matter, based on the religious affiliation of those in power.

It seems to me that there is a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to Muslims, Islam, Arabs and Palestinian issues. A view of the big picture seems to be missing.

The assertion in the editorial, "President Bush is right to be concerned about these developments. Regions of strict Muslim control and haters of Western culture tend to breed terrorists," is overly simplistic. The line they hate us and our way of life has really become old. This is a ridiculous and simplistic response to a complex problem of major magnitude.

A report from the CATO Institute titled, "Does U.S. intervention overseas breed terrorism? The Historical Record," presents a much more logical understanding of events. See www.cato.org/pubs/fpbriefs/fpb-050es.html

The gist of the theory is that "the numerous incidents cataloged suggest that the United States could reduce the chances of such devastating, and potentially catastrophic, terrorist attacks by adopting a policy of military restraint overseas." The gulag at Guantanamo Bay breeds terrorism. The torture at Abu Ghraib and extraordinary renditions breed terrorism. Occupation of others' lands breeds terrorism. Imposing unlawful, punitive and inhumane sanctions on the whole Palestinian population for electing their own government breeds terrorism. An Israeli bombing that killed a whole family on the Gaza beach breeds terrorism.

Promoting the fallacy of the "clash of civilizations" will not help our community. As Graham Fuller, former vice chairman of the Central Intelligence Council at the CIA, said: "I repeatedly heard that the Muslim world 'hates American values,' a view that is dangerously wrong. . . . It is not our values to which Muslims are hostile; it is their perception of our unwillingness to share these values that brings forth anger." I truly hope that we understand the real issues.

SEE ALSO:

FORMER GITMO CHAPLAIN CALLS FOR CAMP CLOSURE - TOP
Monisha Bansal, CNSNews.com, 6/28/06
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200606/NAT20060628c.html

(CNSNews.com) - A former Muslim chaplain at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp who was accused of espionage and aiding the enemy before being cleared in 2004, said the prison remains a "potent symbol" for questioning the U.S. commitment to human rights and should be closed.

"If we close Guantanamo it would be a great first step," James Yee said at a Capitol Hill news conference Tuesday sponsored by the Council for American Islamic Relations. Yee was a Muslim chaplain at Guantanamo Bay from November 2002 to September 2003, at which point he was arrested, charged and taken to a Navy brig in South Carolina. He was cleared of all charges six months later.

The Cuban prison camp, Yee said, is a "potent symbol" that "perhaps the United States -- our government, our nation, is not the leader of human rights that it should be, or maybe that we've lost that status and we're not abiding by the rule of law and international law." He said of the 460 detainees at Guantanamo Bay, many have not been charged with a crime and none has yet to have a full trial.

Yee said that in addition to torture, "Gitmo's secret weapon" is to use religion against prisoners. He said American interrogators painted satanic circular symbols on the ground and made some detainees kneel inside of the circles. Female interrogators, Yee said, inappropriately touched the male detainees. And he alleged that copies of the Quran at times were mishandled by guards with pages falling out and interrogators stepping on and kicking the Muslim holy book.

Interrogators also occasionally wrapped detainees in the Israeli flag to frustrate them.

All of this, he said, has led to "mass suicide attempts." Three prisoners - two Saudis and a Yemeni -- hanged themselves with clothes and sheets on June 10.

The suicides, Yee said, "Were only a matter of time." (MORE)

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MILITARY SAYS IT WON'T DISCIPLINE MARINE OVER CONTROVERSIAL 'HADJI GIRL' SONG - TOP
Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes, 6/28/06
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=38261

ARLINGTON, Va. - The Marine Corps has decided not to take disciplinary action against a Marine whose song "Hadji Girl" drew condemnation from a Muslim-American advocacy group and spawned a preliminary inquiry, according to the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.

In a video posted on the Internet, Cpl. Joshua Belile sang a love song about a Marine who falls in love with an Iraqi girl, and is taken to meet her family. The girl's family shoots her and then attacks the Marine, who uses her younger sister as a shield and watches blood spray from her head.

The song was slammed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which demanded an investigation by Congress and the Pentagon.

Belile, who is based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., apologized for the song in a local newspaper and vowed never to sing it again.

"I apologize for any feelings that may have been hurt in the Muslim community. This song was written in good humor and not aimed at any party, foreign or domestic," he told The Daily News of Jacksonville, N.C. . .

The Council on American-Islamic Relations has already accepted Belile's apology and left the question as to whether Belile should be disciplined up to the Marine Corps, said group spokesman Corey Saylor

"If that's the decision they've made, we accept that," he said.

SEE ALSO:

MARINE WON'T FACE PROSECUTION FOR SONG - TOP
Associated Press, 6/28/06
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0628iraq-marine0628.html

RALEIGH, N.C. - A corporal who sang in a homemade video about killing members of an Iraqi family didn't violate military law and won't be court-martialed, the Marine Corps said Tuesday.

"The bottom line is there was no violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice," said a spokeswoman, Maj. Shawn Haney of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. "We do stand by our original statement that we feel the lyrics were inappropriate."

Commanders of Cpl. Joshua Belile, 23, will handle the matter administratively, which can include informal counseling about his actions, military officials said.

Belile has said the video was intended as a joke and not related to allegations of Marine involvement in the deaths at Haditha, Iraq, last year of unarmed civilians. That case still is being investigated.

Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, said his group never expected criminal action against the Marine and considered the matter resolved.

"We did say we would leave it up to them, so that brings the whole situation to a conclusion for us," Hooper said. (MORE)

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CHILLING TESTIMONY IN IMMIGRANT FRAUD CASE - TOP
MEGAN TENCH, Boston Globe, 6/28/06
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/06/28/chilling_custody_in_immigrant_fraud_case/

Marko Boskic, a Bosnian immigrant living in Peabody, kept a gruesome secret from US government officials who accepted him as a refugee from the war-torn Balkans, prosecutors said yesterday.

The local construction worker was formerly a soldier in the Serbian military's 10th Sabotage Detachment, which forced 1,200 Muslim men and boys onto buses, unloaded them on a farm outside Srebrenica, lined them up in groups of 10, and shot them as part of a horrific campaign of "ethnic cleansing" in Bosnia in the 1990s, prosecutors said on the opening day of Boskic's trial in US District Court in Boston.

Boskic, 41, was charged in 2004 with five counts of lying to federal officials and concealing his role in the 10th Sabotage unit on the portion of the US immigration form that asks whether he had ever persecuted anyone on the basis of their religion or ethnicity. If convicted, he could face prison and deportation. (MORE)

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AUTHOR LOOKS AT THE REASONS BEHIND AMERICAN MUSLIM WOMEN CHOOSING TO BE VEILED - TOP
Mary Delach Leonard, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 6/27/08
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/stories.nsf/books/story/C92FEE9A8FEC68D38625719A0070EA3A?OpenDocument

"The Face Behind the Veil: The Extraordinary Lives of Muslim Women in America" by Donna Gehrke-white

Are they veils or chains?

It is a question that Muslim women who wear traditional Islamic head coverings often face in the United States. They know that many Americans do not understand such veiling or consider it repressive - not an unexpected reaction in a society in which women spent the better part of a century casting off social restrictions, along with floor-length skirts and corsets. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 12:49:16 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: CAIR Calls Ruling Against Gitmo Trials 'Victory for Rule of Law'

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAIR CALLS RULING AGAINST GITMO TRIALS 'VICTORY FOR RULE OF LAW'

(WASHINGTON, DC, 6/29/06)
- A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today welcomed a Supreme Court ruling that President Bush exceeded his authority in ordering military tribunals for Guantanamo Bay detainees.

In a 5-3 decision, the court said the proposed trials were illegal under U.S. law and the Geneva Conventions. The ruling also raises questions about the legal status of those being held at the Guantanamo Bay prison.

SEE: US Guantanamo Tribunals 'Illegal' (BBC)

"Today's Supreme Court decision is a victory for the rule of law that will help to improve our nation's deteriorating image worldwide," said Corey Saylor, government affairs director for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: CAIR Government Affairs Director Corey Saylor, 202-488-8787 or 571-278-4658, E-Mail: csaylor@cair-net.org

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 15:14:15 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Condemn Kidnapping of Palestinian Officials / Muslim Candidate Seeks MN House Seat

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/29/06

* Hadith: The Most Grateful Servant of God
* CAIR: U.S. Muslims Condemn Kidnapping of Palestinian Officials
* CAIR-San Antonio: Blame Game Won't Save Lives in Iraq
* CAIR-OH: Muslims Meet with Political Candidates
            - MN: Muslim Candidate Seeks House Seat (AP)
* CAIR-CAN Seeks Freedom for Rights Activist Held in China
            - CAIR-CAN: We All Share the Fight Against Extremists
* LA: Two Held in Arson at Muslim Home (Times-Picayune)
            - FL: Tampa Loses Muslim Role Model (Tampa Tribune)
* New Book: Questions Doctors' Roles in Torture (NPR)
* Cultural Ignorance Leads to Misuse of Islamic Terms

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HADITH OF THE DAY: THE MOST GRATEFUL SERVANT OF GOD - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to stand for long periods at night offering prayers. His wife Ayesha once asked him: "Why do you stand so long in prayer when God has (already) forgiven your past and future sins?" The Prophet replied: "Then may I not become the most grateful servant of God?"

Riyadh-us-Salaheen, Hadith 98

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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U.S. MUSLIMS CONDEMN KIDNAPPING OF PALESTINIAN OFFICIALS - TOP
CAIR urges international community to repudiate Israeli 'state terror'

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/29/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the United States and the international community to repudiate Israel's kidnapping of dozens of democratically-elected Palestinian officials and cabinet ministers, including the deputy prime minister. CAIR called Israel's hostage-taking a form of "state terror."

In a joint statement, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other G8 foreign ministers today said: "The detention of elected members of the Palestinian government and legislature raises particular concerns."

"Again we see Israel carrying out acts of state terror and the international community offering only a mild and indirect response that will be taken as a 'green light' by Israeli officials," said CAIR Board Chairman Parvez Ahmed. "America's push for democracy in the Muslim world may be dead in the water unless the Bush administration pressures Israel to release the hostages and end its collective punishment of the Palestinian people."

Ahmed said Israel has a history of taking hostages to be used as "bargaining chips." Abdel Karim Obeid and Mustafa Dirani were kidnapped by Israel from southern Lebanon and held for a number of years in an attempt to gain the release of an Israeli airman shot down over Lebanon in 1986.

Yesterday, CAIR said Israel's targeting of the Palestinian civilian infrastructure is a war crime that must be condemned by the Bush administration.

As it turns out, a Palestinian power plant bombed by Israel on Tuesday is insured by a U.S. government agency, and American funds may be used to pay for the damage. The destruction of the power plant may also lead to a humanitarian disaster because the plant's electricity is essential for pumps that provide water to Gaza.

SEE: Gaza Power Plant Hit by Israeli Airstrike is Insured by US Agency (Boston Globe)

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

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BLAME GAME WON'T SAVE LIVES, BUT WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ WILL - TOP
Sarwat Husain, San Antonio Express, 6/29/06
http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/stories/MYSA062906.2O.husaincomment.7ac1a7.html

[Sarwat Husain is president of the Council on American Islamic Relations-San Antonio.]

The recent deaths of the two young American soldiers in Iraq are another extremely painful reminder of the unnecessary war we are fighting in Iraq and its tragic consequences.

On behalf of the American Muslim community, I extend our sincerest condolences to the families of Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, and Pfc. Thomas Tucker, 25, for their tragic loss.

We are deeply disturbed by the way they were barbarically tortured and killed. We do not know for sure who perpetrated these crimes or who the killers were. They could be insurgents, al-Qaida affiliates or just petty criminals. Regardless, there is no doubt that they are cold-blooded murderers.

As soon as the news reports of the slayings appeared, the Muslim community started receiving blame, accusations of collective guilt and demands for apologies. If such apologies and condemnation statements, which Muslim organizations and groups issue each time any such crime is committed against coalition soldiers, would prevent further killings, these latest murders would not have taken place.

Instead of this juvenile blame game, which does not achieve any constructive understanding, let all of us Americans join hands and truly start working together to stop any more loss of lives. (MORE)

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CAIR-OH: MUSLIMS MEET WITH POLITICAL CANDIDATES - TOP

(CLEVELAND, OH, 6/29/06) ­ The Cleveland office of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Cleveland) recently organized a meeting with Rep. Sherrod Brown. Members of the Ohio Muslim and Arab American communities gathered at a special breakfast event to discuss civil rights issues in the post-9/11 era. The candidate also discussed the political ramifications of his votes against the Patriot Act and the Iraq War and his criticism of the NSA warrantless wiretapping.

Similar events have included meetings with Rep. Ted Strickland and Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, who are both running for Ohio Governor.

CONTACT: Julia A. Shearson, 216-830-2247 or 216-440-2247, E-Mail: cleveland@cair-ohio.com; Adnan Mirza, 614-451-3232, E-Mail: director@cair-ohio.com

SEE ALSO:

MN: MUSLIM KEITH ELLISON SEEKS HOUSE SEAT - TOP
Precedent possible as Muslim Keith Ellison seeks House seat
PATRICK CONDON, Associated Press, 6/29/06
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/29/ap/politics/mainD8IHOJ5O0.shtml

Keith Ellison is hoping that this city of mostly white Christians is ready to make a black Muslim its next congressman.

Ellison, a state representative and criminal defense lawyer, is the state-party endorsed Democratic candidate in the liberal-leaning 5th Congressional District. That makes him the favorite in his quest to become the first Muslim member of Congress.

But Ellison is dogged by questions about his faith, particularly after disclosures about his past associations with the Nation of Islam, a group led by Louis Farrakhan.

While Ellison has since denounced Farrakhan, Jewish leaders say the candidate's ties to the organization remain an issue.

"For Jews, there's no ambiguity when it comes to the Nation of Islam," said Stephen Silberfarb, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas. "It's a group that hates the Jewish people."

Around 1990, Ellison _ then a University of Minnesota law student known as Keith E. Hakim _ wrote several columns in the student newspaper that are getting a second look.

One column defended Farrakhan against charges of anti-Semitism; a second suggested the creation of a state for black residents. In 1995, Ellison helped organize a delegation to Farrakhan's Million Man March in Washington.

Ellison, 42, said he was never an enrolled member of the Nation of Islam. He got involved to help improve the lives of black men, he said, and did not fully grasp concerns about Farrakhan's anti-Semitism until after the 1995 march.

"There are legitimate concerns in the Jewish community. That's why I'm happy to answer them," Ellison said. But, he added, "I do also think there are people out there who are fear-mongering, who are trying to scare the Jewish community and manipulate this issue." . . .

Sumbal Mahmud, a corporate lawyer and spokeswoman for the Islamic Center of Minnesota, said the years since the Sept. 11 attacks have been difficult for Muslims in America, and Ellison's candidacy is an important sign on the road back to acceptance.

"Hopefully it will mobilize the Muslim community to become more engaged in civic life," she said. "We all need to see politicians who speak to our own experiences."

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CANADIAN MUSLIMS SEEK FREEDOM FOR RIGHTS ACTIVIST HELD IN CHINA - TOP

(OTTAWA, CANADA ­ 29/06/06) ­ CAIR-CAN is calling on the Canadian government to increase its efforts to secure the release of Huseyin Celil, a Canadian Muslim who faces execution after being imprisoned in China this week.

"The Canadian government must use every avenue of recourse to secure the release of this Canadian citizen," said Karl Nickner, CAIR-CAN's executive director, adding that Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay could utilize his trip to Moscow on Thursday to seek the assistance of Russian officials.

According to reports, Celil was transferred from Uzbekistan to China this week, where he faces possible execution. Celil had first been detained in Uzbekistan in March 2006 for deportation to China, a country he fled as a refugee in 2001. He had been imprisoned in China after advocating for the rights of China's Uighur Muslim minority.

Celil's wife and supporters had been advocating for the Canadian government to send a high ranking official to Uzbekistan to secure his release.

"It is very disappointing that the Canadian government failed to send a suitable official to Uzbekistan when there was a much better chance of having Mr. Celil returned to Canada. The situation in now far more dire and it is imperative that the Canadian government engage in much more strenuous efforts to secure Mr. Celil's release," says Halima Mautbur, CAIR-CAN's human rights coordinator.

CONTACT: Halima Mautbur at 613.254.9704 or 613.795.2012

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-CAN: WE ALL SHARE THE FIGHT AGAINST EXTREMISTS - TOP
Sheema Khan, Globe and Mail, 6/27/06
http://www.caircan.ca/oped_more.php?id=2544_0_10_0_C

[Sheema Khan is the former chair of CAIR-CAN.]

First, there was "driving while black," the expression that summarized racial profiling employed by some American police officers. Then came "flying while Arab" to denote the suspicion that followed 9/11.

Now, since the arrest of 17 alleged terrorists in Toronto, we have "Canadian while Muslim."

Not a month has passed since the arrest of the Toronto 17 and reaction has ranged from the sublime (rescind multiculturalism) to the ridiculous (ban burkas). Racist language and thinly veiled Islamophobia have laced many media commentaries. One columnist said the young men arrested were "bearded in the Taliban fashion," though the facial hair, based on courtroom drawings, looked alarmingly similar to beards sported during the recent NHL playoffs. Suspects were often described as "brown skinned," and there frequently followed the mantras of "homegrown threat" and "the enemy within." (MORE)

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LA: TWO HELD IN ARSON AT HOME IN KENNER - TOP
Fires set in April; house not damaged
Mary Swerczek, Times-Picayune, 6/29/06
http://www.nola.com/search/index.ssf?/base/library-106/1151567602128240.xml?ZZLIBB&coll=1

Two Jefferson Parish teen-agers were booked with simple arson in an incident where two bottles were set on fire outside a Kenner home in April, authorities said.

Originally thought, at least by the victim, to be a hate crime because the resident of the house is Muslim and had reported several earlier incidents of vandalism, police now believe the motive behind the April incident was "mischief," said Capt. James Gallagher, Kenner Police Department spokesman.

Gino P. Holmes, 19, of 3013 Independence Ave., Apt. B, Metairie, and Brook Ranshi, 17, of 3340 Maine Ave., Kenner, who lives near the vandalized house, are suspected of setting the fires.

They allegedly removed a welcome mat from in front of a door of the house on Maine Avenue and placed it on the driveway topped with a plastic bottle of flammable liquid set on fire, Gallagher said.

A second plastic bottle containing a flammable liquid was set on fire on the sidewalk leading up to the home, Gallagher said.

There was no damage to the residence.

Holmes and Ranshi have not been charged in the previous incidents of vandalism reported by the homeowner.

In March, the resident reported that vandals threw eggs, bacon and condiments at his front door and car Muslims are forbidden to eat bacon.

The resident also reported on Jan. 15 that eggs were thrown against his house and fireworks were set off on his front porch. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

FL: TAMPA LOSES ROLE MODEL - TOP
CLOE CABRERA, Tampa Tribune, 6/28/06
http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBDUA24ZOE.html

TAMPA - Carl and Clinton Smalls were teenagers when his uncle, Ali Akbar, hired them to work for him at 4 J's Metal Fabrication in Seminole Heights.

Akbar told the teens to be on the job at 7 a.m.

The two arrived a few minutes late.

"He sent us home," said Smalls, now 36. "He had six jobs in the field, and he still sent us home. He told us, 'Punctuality is very important. When you show up on time it shows responsibility. Let's try this again tomorrow.'"

A community activist who helped found the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association to benefit youngsters living in and around Tampa Heights, Akbar died Sunday of lung cancer. He was 54.

"I haven't been late to work since he sent me home that day," said Smalls, who still works part-time at his uncle's business. "Back then, kids my age were always looking for a role model. I always had a great role model in my uncle. Even the kids that weren't related to him, he always taught them the ingredients of life." (MORE)

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'OATH BETRAYED' QUESTIONS DOCTORS' ROLES IN TORTURE - TOP
Steve Inskeep, NPR, 6/28/06
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5516533

Morning Edition, June 28, 2006 · In the spring of 2004, when Americans were horrified by the pictures of abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, medical ethics expert Steven Miles had just one question: Where were the doctors?

Miles, a doctor and medical ethics expert who has treated victims of torture throughout the world, had just one question: Where were the doctors?

To answer that question he poured through records of army criminal investigations, FBI notes on debriefings of prisoners, autopsy reports, and prisoners' medical records.

The result is his new book -- Oath Betrayed: Torture, Medical Complicity and the War on Terror, in which Miles -- who has treated victims of torture throughout the world -- indicts the medical profession for failing to perform its role as protector. (MORE)

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LOOSELY INTERPRETED ARABIC TERMS CAN PROMOTE ENEMY IDEOLOGY - TOP
Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service, 6/29/06
http://www.dcmilitary.com/navy/tester/11_26/national_news/42189-1.html

BAGHDAD - The pen is mightier than the sword, and sometimes in the war of words we unwittingly give the advantage to the enemy.

In dealing with Islamic extremists, the West may be giving them the advantage due to cultural ignorance, maintain Dr. Douglas E. Streusand and Army Lt. Col. Harry D. Tunnell IV. The men work at the National Defense University at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, D.C.

The two believe the right words can help fight the global war on terror. "American leaders misuse language to such a degree that they unintentionally wind up promoting the ideology of the groups the United States is fighting," the men wrote in an article titled "Choosing Words Carefully: Language to Help Fight Islamic Terrorism."

A case in point is the term "jihadist." Many leaders use the term jihadist or jihadi as a synonym for Islamic extremist. Jihad has been commonly adapted in English as meaning "holy war." But to Muslims it means much more. In their article, Steusand and Tunnell said in Arabic - the language of the Koran - jihad "literally means striving and generally occurs as part of the expression 'jihad fi sabil illah,' striving in the path of God."

This is a good thing for all Muslims. "Calling our enemies jihadis and their movement a global jihad thus indicates that we recognize their doctrines and actions as being in the path of God and, for Muslims, legitimate," they wrote. By countering jihadis, the West and moderate Muslims are enemies of true Islam.

The men asked Muslim scholars what the correct term for Islamic extremists would be and they came up with "hirabah." This word specifically refers to those engaged in sinful warfare, warfare contrary to Islamic law. "We should describe the Islamic totalitarian movement as the global hirabah, not the global jihad," they wrote. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2006 12:52:48 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: VA Muslims Receive Dietary Help with New Law / Minnesotan Hopes to be 1st Muslim Congressman

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/30/06

* Hadith: A Supply of Every Virtue
            - Verse: The Truly Virtuous
* US Muslim Group Demands Condemnation of Israel (AFP)
* CAIR-San Diego: Islamophobia Has No Place in San Diego
            - CAIR-Chicago Meets with Delegation of Danish Youth
* Minnesotan Hopes to be 1st Muslim Congressman (Chicago Trib)
            - Jesse Jackson to Appear at Ellison Rally (AP)
* VA: Muslims Receive Dietary Help with New Law (Times-Disp)
* Teaching Islamic Studies - Post-9/11 (CS Monitor)
            - Canada: 'Islamophobia' Fears Cited (CP)
* U.S. to Bolster Foes of Islamic Group in Somalia (NY Times)
            - U.S. Troops Accused of Killing Iraq Family (AP)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: A SUPPLY OF EVERY VIRTUE - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) recommended the supplication: "Praise be to God, the Lord of the universe. I ask Thee for words that will guarantee Thy mercy, actions which will make certain Thy forgiveness, a supply of every virtue, and freedom from every offense. Do not leave me a sin that Thou dost not pardon, a care that Thou dost not remove, or a want that meets with Thy pleasure that Thou dost not supply, O Most Merciful of the merciful ones."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 401

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

VERSE OF THE DAY: THE TRULY VIRTUOUS - TOP

"You should know that guardian angels have indeed been appointed to protect you, kind and honorable writing down (your deeds). They know (and understand) all that you do. As for the truly virtuous, they will surely be in bliss (in the life to come)."

The Holy Quran, 82:10-13

To obtain or sponsor a FREE Quran, go to: www.explorethequran.org

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US MUSLIM GROUP DEMANDS STRONGER CONDEMNATION OF ISRAEL - TOP
Agence France Presse, 6/29/06
http://www.afp.com/english/home/

A US Islamic civil rights and advocacy group urged world leaders Thursday to be far more critical of Israel following its detention of top Palestinian ministers and Gaza Strip incursions.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's expression of "concern" over the Israeli action too lenient on the Jewish state.

"Again we see Israel carrying out acts of state terror and the international community offering only a mild and indirect response that will be taken as a 'green light' by Israeli officials," CAIR board chairman Parvez Ahmed said in a statement.

Ahmed said such an approach undermined President George W. Bush's efforts to introduce democracy throughout the Middle East.

"America's push for democracy in the Muslim world may be dead in the water unless the Bush administration pressures Israel to release the hostages and end its collective punishment of the Palestinian people." (MORE)

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CAIR-SAN DIEGO: ISLAMOPHOBIA HAS NO PLACE IN SAN DIEGO - TOP
Edgar Hopida, San Diego Daily Transcript, 6/29/06
http://www.sddt.com/Search/article.cfm?SourceCode=20060629tzc

[Edgar Hopida is the director of public relations for the San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-San Diego). He may be contacted at: ehopida@cair.com]

A recent opinion piece by columnist Larry Stirling ("The Blue Scarf Society," June 27, The Daily Transcript) shows that just as extremist fringe groups can misinterpret the Quran and Islamic law, anti-Muslim polemicists can do so as well. Observations and conclusions that were mentioned in his piece show us that Mr. Stirling is either painfully ignorant about the religion of Islam or is a true Islamophobe. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-CHICAGO MEETS WITH DELEGATION OF DANISH YOUTH - TOP

(CHICAGO, IL, 6/30/06) - A delegation of eight young leaders from Denmark recently visited CAIR-Chicago's downtown office.

The delegation came to Chicago through the State Department's International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP). That program, administered by the Meridian International Center, seeks to introduce participants to American community organizations that effectively address local social and educational issues. It also seeks to establish long-term ties between Danish and American community activists to facilitate an on-going dialogue on grassroots activism, cultural pluralism, and political engagement.

"It is important for western Muslim communities in the United States and Europe to share their experiences and learn from each other," said Dina Rehab, Outreach Coordinator at CAIR-Chicago.

CAIR-Chicago plans to meet with other international delegations this year, including delegations from Kyrgyzstan and India. CAIR-Chicago met with a delegation from the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in Southern Philippines on June 8th.

CONTACT: CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab, 847-971-3963, E-Mail: director@cairchicago.org

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MINNESOTAN HOPES TO BE THE 1ST MUSLIM ELECTED TO CONGRESS - TOP
Tim Jones, Chicago Tribune, 6/30/06
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0606300131jun30,1,5656742.story

By his own choosing, Keith Ellison works in the rough, defending accused murderers and gang-bangers and associating with people who would likely not be on the list of invited speakers to, say, the Rotary Club.

A career of controversy has served the 42-year-old Minneapolis defense lawyer and state representative well, but comments he has made and people he has met now loom as potential obstacles in Ellison's bid to move to a much bigger and decidedly more risk-averse stage --as the first Muslim elected to Congress.

Since Ellison, a Detroit native, won the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party endorsement for the solidly Democratic 5th Congressional District, he has been forced to explain his relationship with the Nation of Islam and its leader, Louis Farrakhan.

Minneapolis-area blogs have dug up past statements by Ellison, such as his defense in 2000 of Symbionese Liberation Army member Kathleen Soliah, who later pleaded guilty to murder. All of this has put the candidate on the defensive.

The Ellison candidacy comes as Muslim Americans are trying to regain their political footing after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. In 2000, about 700 Muslim Americans ran for public office, according to the American Muslim Alliance. That figure plummeted to 70 in 2002 and recovered somewhat in 2004, to 100 candidates. . .

Ellison responded to Jewish concerns in a letter to the Jewish Community Relations Committee of Minnesota and the Dakotas.

"I wrongly dismissed concerns that they [Farrakhan remarks] were anti-Semitic. They were and are anti-Semitic and I should have come to that conclusion earlier than I did," he said in the May 28 letter.

"But at no time did I ever share their hateful views or repeat or approve of their hateful statements directed at Jews, gays or any other group," Ellison said.

Brian Melendez, the chairman of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, said he does not expect the controversy to be an issue in the primary, but he does expect Republicans to "hang it around the necks" of Democrats.

"There are people in this world who hear Muslim and think terrorist. They're bigots who wouldn't vote for Ellison anyway," Melendez said.

Ellison complains that the media focus on his now-severed ties to the Nation of Islam and his religion have overshadowed his legislative accomplishments and the heart of his congressional campaign--the immediate pullout of American troops from Iraq.

He characterized the attacks against him as being "swift-boated," in reference to the Vietnam War veterans who opposed Democratic Sen. John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign.

Rep. Frank Hornstein, who sits next to Ellison in the Minnesota House, called him "a very gifted public servant who has a deep concern for social issues." Hornstein, who is Jewish, dismissed Ellison's ties to the Nation of Islam, saying, "I think that people do grow and evolve." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

JESSE JACKSON TO APPEAR AT ELLISON RALLY - TOP
Associated Press, 6/30/06
http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/news/14939424.htm

MINNEAPOLIS - The Reverend Jesse Jackson attends a campaign rally today in north Minneapolis for congressional candidate Keith Ellison.

Ellison won D-F-L endorsement for the Fifth District seat being vacated by longtime D-F-L U.S. Rep. Martin Sabo. But Ellison faces several challengers in the party's September primary. (MORE)

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VA: MUSLIMS RECEIVE DIETARY HELP - TOP
Law requires certification of foods labeled as meeting limits; it begins Saturday
Robin Farmer, Times-Dispatch, 6/29/06
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?s=1045855935235&c=MGArticle&cid=1149188817700&pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&path=!health!healthology

Starting Saturday, Virginia's growing Muslim population can shop with confidence as a new state law makes it a class-3 misdemeanor for businesses to falsely advertise food as halal or kosher.

The law, which could result in a $500 fine for violators, requires vendors to provide certification information or a toll-free number or Web site to access it. (MORE)

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TEACHING ISLAMIC STUDIES - POST-9/11 - TOP
Kristin Zahra Sands, Christian Science Monitor, 6/30/06
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0630/p09s01-coop.html

What is needed in this avalanche of images and soundbites is a greater emphasis on low-tech, unglamorous, and labor-intensive education. Teaching Islamic studies post-9/11, as I have, is much more challenging than in previous years. Although my non-Muslim students freely acknowledge their ignorance of Islam and the Muslim world at the beginning of my classes, they carry with them the baggage of years of media images portraying the "veils and violence" of Islam.

It takes time and patience to avoid apologetics, to avoid Islam bashing, and to demonstrate instead, example by example, the richness and variety of Muslim cultures and peoples, past and present. It takes time to learn foreign languages. It takes time to encourage critical thinking, not only of written texts, but also of visual and multimedia products. It takes time to address the complexities of the relationships between religious, ethnic, and political communities. But it is time wellspent.

Creating an environment conducive to dialogue, debate, and deliberate action requires patience and persistence. It may not be as spectacular as the controversies that periodically grab our attention, but it works, one student at a time.

SEE ALSO:

CANADA: 'ISLAMOPHOBIA' FEARS CITED - TOP
The Ontario Human Rights Commission is concerned by a rise in discrimination.
JENNIFER GRAHAM, CP, 6/30/06
http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/National/2006/06/30/1660793-sun.html

TORONTO -- Smashed mosque windows and workers losing their jobs because of their ethnic background are among the signs that anti-Arab sentiment is on the rise in Ontario, the Ontario Human Rights Commission said yesterday.

Chief commissioner Barbara Hall expressed dismay at an increase in "Islamophobia" in Ontario as she released the commission's annual report at the Ontario legislature.

"We continue to hear . . . from Arab and Muslim communities on increasing incidents of discrimination," Hall said.

"We know from events around the world and . . . at home that tensions between groups can quickly become much bigger problems."

Chief among Hall's concerns was an attack on a Toronto mosque by vandals just two days after police arrested 12 men and five youths earlier this month who were allegedly planning to stage a series of terrorist attacks throughout southern Ontario.

Hall also cited a group of cases in which complainants with dual citizenship from countries other than the United States claimed they were discriminated against by employees at a company that makes defence equipment for several countries, including the U.S. (MORE)

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U.S. SEEKING TO BOLSTER FOES OF ISLAMISTS IN SOMALIA - TOP
MARK MAZZETTI, New York Times, 6/30/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/30/washington/30somalia.html

The Bush administration will work to bolster the police force and other security troops of Somalia's government in exile in the hope of marginalizing the Islamic militias now controlling much of the war-torn country, a senior American official told Congress on Thursday.

Jendayi E. Frazer, the State Department's top Africa official, said the United States had no intention of holding direct talks with the leaders of the Council of the Islamic Courts, which took control of Mogadishu, the capital, earlier this month after prolonged clashes with Somali warlords secretly backed by the C.I.A. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

U.S. TROOPS ACCUSED OF KILLING IRAQ FAMILY - TOP
RYAN LENZ, Associated Press, 6/30/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/30/AR2006063000495.html

BEIJI, Iraq (AP) - Five U.S. Army soldiers are being investigated for allegedly raping a young woman, then killing her and three members of her family in Iraq, a U.S. military official told The Associated Press on Friday.

The soldiers also allegedly burned the body of the woman they are accused of raping. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Sun, 02 Jul 2006 21:45:02 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Western Union Blocks Muslim Money Transfers / IL Muslim Family Receives Hate Letter

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/2/06

* Verse: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
* CAIR: Western Union Blocks Muslim Money Transfers (AP)
* IL: Muslim Family Receives Hate Letter (Daily Southtown)
* CAIR-Chicago Rep to Join Danish Forum on Islam-West Relations
            - CAIR-MI: Alleged Sears Tower Plotters Not Muslim
* GA: Muslim Women are Not Oppressed (Atlanta Journal)
            - CA: Sufi Islamic Conference to be Held
            - IL: 'The Art of Islamic Bookmaking'
* NJ: Senator Apologizes for Dubai 'Devil' Remark (JTA)
* Palestinian Moderates are Israel's Real Enemies (Guardian)

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VERSE OF THE DAY: ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB - TOP

"And call to mind Our servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, (all of them) endowed with inner strength and vision. Verily, We purified them by means of a thought most pure: the remembrance of the life to come. And, behold, in Our sight they were indeed among the elect, the truly good."

The Holy Quran, 38:45-47

To obtain or sponsor a FREE Quran, go to: www.explorethequran.org

-----

U.S. RULES FORCE WESTERN UNION TO BLOCK MONEY TRANSFERS BY MUSLIMS - TOP
ANJAN SUNDARAM, Associated Press, 7/2/06
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,201850,00.html

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Money transfer agencies like Western Union have delayed or blocked thousands of cash deliveries on suspicion of terrorist connections simply because senders or recipients have names like Mohammed or Ahmed, company officials said.

In one example, an Indian driver here said Western Union prevented him from sending US$120 (euro96) to a friend at home this month because the recipient's name was Mohammed.

"Western Union told me that if I send money to Sahir Mohammed, the money will be blocked because of his name," said 36-year-old Abdul Rahman Maruthayil, who later sent the money through UAE Exchange, a Dubai-based money transfer service.

In a similar case, Pakistani Qadir Khan said Western Union blocked his attempt this month to wire money to his brother, Mohammed, for a cataract operation.

"Every Mohammed is a terrorist now?" Khan asked.

Western Union Financial Services, Inc., an American company based in Colorado, said its clerks simply are following U.S. Treasury Department guidelines that aim to scrutinize cash flows for terrorist links. Most of the flagged transactions are delayed a few hours. Some are blocked entirely.

In many cases, would-be customers like Maruthayil simply find another way to send the funds - often through informal exchanges with less stringent monitoring.

But critics of the program say it is far too broad. The number of people inconvenienced in the Emirates alone, which closely cooperates with U.S. counterterror operations, is thought to be significant. One Western Union clerk said about 300 money transfers from a single Dubai franchise were blocked or delayed each day - none of which ever turned up a terrorist link. . .

At the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington, spokesman Corey Saylor said Treasury needs to reform its rules.

"The Treasury program interferes with even the most innocent transactions," Saylor said. "Just because Ahmed is a common name on their list, everyone with that name is suddenly stuck."

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IL: MUSLIM FAMILY RECEIVES ANONYMOUS HATE LETTER - TOP
Jennifer Golz, Daily Southtown, 7/2/06
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dsnews/023abn1.htm

Just a month after the Mashni family lost a son, it now must deal with a new kind of grief.

The Tinley Park family on Thursday received an anonymous hate letter in the mail, postmarked Wednesday from the Bedford Park regional post office.

It reads, "Muslims go home to your country. You are not welcome in our community. Is your weekends training for making bombs? How many bomb experts you have living with you? Muslims get out NOW." (MORE)

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CAIR-CHICAGO REP TO JOIN DANISH FORUM ON ISLAM-WEST RELATIONS - TOP

(CHICAGO, IL, 7/2/06) - CAIR-Chicago Communications Coordinator Sultan Muhammad is scheduled to participate in the second "Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow" forum in Copenhagen, Denmark, July 7 to July 9, along with some 100 other young Muslims from 15 nations to discuss what they can do to improve relations between the West and the Muslim world.

Convening the forum are two U.S. organizations dedicated to bridging the divide between Muslims and the West, the Cordoba Initiative ( www.cordobainitiative.org) and the American Society for Muslim Advancement (ASMA, www.asmasociety.org).

Among the participants are prominent Western Muslim scholars such as Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, author of "What's Right with Islam," Tariq Ramadan, author of "To be a European Muslim," acclaimed Turkish cartoonist Salih Memecan, and Muslim comic Azhar Usman. CAIR-Chicago's Sultan Muhammad will participate in a roundtable conference themed "Media and its Portrayal of Islam."

SEE ALSO:

LOCAL MUSLIMS CONDEMN SEARS TOWER PLOT, NOTE MEN NOT MUSLIM - TOP
Aatif Ali Bokhari, Arab American News, 6/30/06
http://www.arabamericannews.com/newsarticle.php?articleid=5676

DETROIT - The Michigan chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-Michigan) held a press conference here on Friday, June 23, 2006, to condemn an alleged plot to blow up government buildings and the Sears Tower in Chicago and to be sure the media understood that the perpetrators were "not Muslims."

The notion that the individuals caught were Muslims clearly irked Dawud Walid, Executive Director of CAIR-Michigan, as well as other Muslim community leaders, who gathered at the Muslim Center of Detroit.

A press release distributed by CAIR-Michigan at the event stated, "the individuals were not Muslims, and noted, "They are a group that has blended Christianity with Islam as evident from statements that they study the Bible. We ask media outlets not to refer to the individuals as Muslims." (MORE)

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GA: MUSLIM WOMEN ARE NOT OPPRESSED - TOP
UMAIR GAUHAR, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/1/06
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/auto/epaper/editions/saturday/faith_values_445a7d1943eac1d11010.html

I want to congratulate you on your insight ["Maybe modesty really trumps bare- it-all freedom" by Lorraine V. Murray, June 24, Faith & Values] and thank you for an intelligent reply to the critics of modesty.

I am a practicing Muslim and am very proud of my faith and religious values. My wife is also a practicing Muslim and she wears a head scarf in accordance with our religious teachings. We are not living in Afghanistan under the Taliban, and no one forced her to wear a head scarf. She wears it because she wants to.

I am tired of watching the so called "Middle East experts" go on and on about how "oppressed the women are in Muslim countries because they are ordered to cover up." Maybe it's time for these "experts" to get an expert opinion from those women who are happy and proud to follow the teachings of their faith. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CA: SUFI ISLAMIC CONFERENCE TO BE HELD - TOP
Mystical tradition stresses spiritual enlightenment
Jonathan Jones, Tri-Valley Herald, 7/2/06
http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_4005076

FREMONT - Each Sunday evening, Ayyaz Yousaf gets together with roughly 30 to 40 people in Fremont for a spiritual gathering.

Known as a zikr, this weekly session or ritual meditation begins with an opening recitation from the Quran, reading poems and prayers, and group chants in praise of the Prophet Muhammad, followed by a free dinner open to the public.

The gatherings are held by the Islamic Educational and Cultural Research Center, a group that professes Sufism, the classical tradition of Islamic mysticism focusing on love and spiritual healing. (MORE)

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IL: 'THE ART OF ISLAMIC BOOKMAKING' - TOP

CHICAGO -- Art Institute opens an exhibit, "Work of Many Hands: The Art of Islamic Bookmaking." Runs through Aug. 28. 10 a.m. 111 S. Michigan. Contact: 312-443-3626.

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LAUTENBERG APOLOGIZES FOR DUBAI REMARK - TOP
Jewish Telegraph Agency, 6/30/06
http://jta.org/page_view_breaking_story.asp?intid=3372

A Jewish senator apologized to an Arab American group for comparing Dubai to the devil.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) was among lawmakers who helped defeat a plan to hand management of six major U.S. ports to a Dubai-owned company. "We wouldn't transfer the title to the devil; we're not going to transfer it to Dubai," Lautenberg said earlier this year. He apologized in a letter to the Arab American Institute after meeting with its representatives.

"I have respect for our Arab American community and want to work to foster a positive relationship," the letter said. "I believe our discussion clearly confirmed that we have a great deal in common regarding our families, our security policies, and our country."

Another Jewish lawmaker, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), compared the proposed sale to dealing with skinheads. He has refused AAI's calls on him to apologize.

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ANYTHING BUT NEGOTIATION - TOP
Palestinian moderates are Israel's real enemies, so it deliberately drives them from the scene
Patrick Seale, The Guardian, 7/3/06
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1811229,00.html

By using vastly disproportionate force against Gaza, Israel has once again demonstrated its contempt for international law and its indifference to human suffering. America's blind support may give Israel immunity in the short term, but the longer-term consequences of such irresponsible behaviour can only be dire. . .

Israel will do everything to avoid a negotiation. Hence, it deliberately inflicts inhumane hardships on the Palestinians in order to radicalise them and drive the moderates from the scene. Moderates, who are prepared to talk, are Israel's real enemies.

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Tue, 04 Jul 2006 21:11:38 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Pig's Head Thrown Into ME Mosque During Prayers

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/4/06

* Hadith: All the Earth is a Place of Prayer
* CAIR: Pig's Head Thrown Into ME Mosque During Prayers
            - Paris Mosque Plastered with Racist Graffiti (AP)
            - Russian Mosque Destroyed in Terror Attack
* MA: Interfaith Leaders Try to Mediate Mosque Dispute (Globe)
* Poll: 54% of U.S. Voters Say No to Muslim President (LA Times)
            - US Muslims 'Alienated by Patriot Act' (BBC)
* CA: Sunnis, Shiites Find Common Ground (SF Chron)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: ALL THE EARTH IS A PLACE OF PRAYER - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Wherever you may be at the time of prayer, you may pray (there), because (all the earth) is a mosque."

Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 2, Number 67

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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PIG'S HEAD THROWN INTO MAINE MOSQUE DURING PRAYERS - TOP
CAIR calls for stepped up outreach to educate about Islam

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/4/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called for stepped up outreach efforts by the Muslim community in Maine after a severed pig's head was thrown into one of that state's mosques during prayers.

CAIR said the frozen pig's head was rolled into the Lewiston Auburn Islamic Center late Monday as worshipers bowed in prayer. The Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group said the use of pigs or pork products is a favorite theme of Islamophobic bigots who wish to attack or insult Muslims. Muslims are prohibited from eating pork.

A 33-year-old Lewiston man told police on Tuesday that he had thrown the head into the mosque. He was charged with desecration of a church, a misdemeanor, and is out on bail.

SEE: Severed Pig's Head Thrown Into Mosque During Prayer Session (AP)

"All Americans should be able to offer prayers in their houses of worship without fear of attack or intimidation," said CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "We urge Muslims in Maine to increase their outreach efforts to educate people of other faiths about Islam."

Hooper suggested a mosque open house and participation in CAIR's "Explore the Quran" and "Explore the Life of Muhammad" campaigns. He said CAIR's research shows that anti-Muslim prejudice decreases when people get to know ordinary Muslims and when they have access to accurate information about Islam.

Lewiston is home to some 2,500 Somali Muslim refugees. Somalis began moving to the state in 2001 in search of safer streets and cheaper housing. In 2002, the mayor of Lewiston set off a national controversy by asking Somali community leaders to stop the influx.

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

SEE ALSO:

PARIS MOSQUE PLASTERED WITH RACIST GRAFFITI, SWASTIKAS - TOP
Associated Press, 7/3/06
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/734168.html

Vandals painted swastikas and anti-Muslim slogans on a mosque in the Parisian suburb of Courcouronnes, a mosque official said Monday.

Abderrahmane Ammari said "extremists" attacked the walls of the mosque early Sunday, covering the exterior walls with slogans including "Islam go home," "France is white" and "We fight against Islam" early Sunday morning. (MORE)

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MOSQUE DESTROYED IN TERROR ATTACK NEAR RUSSIAN CAPITAL - TOP
MosNews, 7/4/06
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/07/04/mosqueblast.shtml

The blast occurred in the town of Yakhroma, northwards from the capital. The building of the mosque was seriously damaged, a senior Muslim cleric told IslamNews news agency. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the explosion. Investigation into the attack has been launched.

A mosque employee told the agency that the blast had entirely destroyed the main entrance, windows were broken. "Judging by the damage inflicted the explosive device was much more powerful than a grenade," he said. (MORE)

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MA: MEDIATING THE MOSQUE DISPUTE - TOP
Charles A. Radin, Boston Globe, 7/4/06
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/07/04/mediating_the_mosque_dispute/

A group of prominent Christian and Jewish leaders has begun trying to settle quietly a bitter dispute over construction of a mosque in Roxbury that has deeply strained relations between Muslims and Jews in Greater Boston.

40-member panel of ministers, priests, rabbis, and laymen has talked with both sides in the battle: a Jewish group that accuses the mosque's developers of anti-Semitic views and terrorist sympathies, and the Muslim group building the mosque, which has sued the Jewish group and several of its allies for defamation and conspiracy.

Each side presented its case to the panel and was told that court was not the place to resolve the dispute, according to participants in the reconciliation effort.

The religious leaders fear that the acrimony and public posturing that have accompanied complex legal maneuvers will poison interreligious relations in the wider community and create resentment that will endure even if the disagreements are resolved in the courts. (MORE)

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A MORMON FOR PRESIDENT? VOTERS BALK - TOP
More than twice as many say they'd oppose a Muslim or a Latter-day Saint than a Jew or a Catholic. Mitt Romney could have a problem.
Elizabeth Mehren, Los Angeles Times, 7/3/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-mormonpoll3jul03,0,4806405.story

Most traditional barriers to religion in presidential elections have toppled, a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found. In particular, the survey released today shows that anti-Semitism and anti-Catholicism are fading among voters.

But uneasiness about some religions persists. Thirty-seven percent of those questioned said they would not vote for a Mormon presidential candidate, and 54% said no to the prospect of a Muslim in the White House. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

US MUSLIMS 'ALIENATED BY PATRIOT ACT' - TOP
Jenny Cuffe, 7/4/06
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/file_on_4/5145970.stm

For US citizens, 4 July - Independence Day - is the most patriotic day in the calendar but for Sabri Ben Kahla and many of the country's six million Muslims, the word patriot has taken on a more sinister meaning.

Some US Muslims feel they are being unfairly targeted

The 30-year-old graduate from Falls Church, Virginia, who once aspired to serving his country as a diplomat, has fallen foul of the US Patriot Act, an acronym for Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism.

Since 11 September 2001, when more than 3,000 people lost their lives on US soil, the federal government has adopted a raft of new powers which include phone tapping and search without warrants as well as surveillance of bank accounts, internet records and even library lending lists.

Arabs and Muslims believe they are being indiscriminately targeted and suffer from an over-zealous use of the law.

Next week Ben Kahla is due to appear in court on two indictments of perjury before a grand jury.

In 2004, he was acquitted on a charge of training to fight with the Taleban and firing weapons in Afghanistan.

Now he maintains he is being tried a second time in a "vindictive" prosecution . . .

The Council on American-Islamic Relations has seen a steady rise in civil rights abuse cases since 11 September.

It received 1,522 reports of abuse in 2004, and the number of unreported cases is likely to be far higher. (MORE)

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CA: BAY AREA SUNNIS, SHIITES FIND COMMON GROUND - TOP
Matthai Chakko Kuruvila, San Francisco Chronicle, 7/3/06
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/07/03/MNGCDJOE0P1.DTL

Oceans away from the sectarian violence in Iraq, the theological differences between Sunni and Shiite Muslims, though muted, exist in the Bay Area.

The centuries-old divide follows no easy pattern.

On the UC Berkeley campus, for years, some Sunni members of the Muslim Students Association refused to participate in prayers if they were led by a Shiite, also known as Shia. The two factions held separate prayers until the 2004-05 school year -- an uncomfortable incongruence in a faith where praying as one is valued.

Yet Sunnis regularly pray at a largely Iranian Shiite mosque in Oakland. And Shiites pray at the Sunni-led Muslim Community Association in Santa Clara, where there are no prohibitions against a Shiite giving the sermon, the khutbah, though leaders concede they can't remember a time a Shiite actually did.

"There is sectarianism within the Muslim community, despite the fact that in terms of theology, we have more in common than differences," said Maha ElGenaidi, president and chief executive of the Islamic Networks Group, a San Jose nonprofit that "strives to inform the American public about misconceptions and the beliefs of Islam."

With Sunni-Shiite relations in global focus because of the violence in Iraq, Shiite-Sunni unity is a popular theme now in the Bay Area. Muslim youth spearheaded a "Muslim Unity Day" event last year at Great America, and the Islamic Society of San Francisco in the Tenderloin hosted a joint prayer with Shiites last year. But tensions are real. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Wed, 05 Jul 2006 11:28:39 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Muslim Group Decries Desecration of ME Mosque / Western Media Expand Into Arabic Market

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/5/06

* Verse: None Shall Be Wronged
* CAIR: Muslim Group Decries Desecration of ME Mosque (AP)
* CAIR-Philly: Islamic Foundation's Expansion Fought (Inquirer)
            - CAIR-NY: Former Gitmo Muslim Chaplain to Speak
* CA: Muslim School Reaches Out to Community (LA Times)
* Western News Operations Expand Into Arabic Market (NY Times)

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VERSE OF THE DAY: NONE SHALL BE WRONGED - TOP

"(On the Day of Judgment) the Earth will shine with the glory of its Lord. The record (of everyone's deeds) will be laid bare, the Prophets and other witnesses will be brought forward, and justice shall be done between people with all fairness. None shall be wronged. And every soul will be paid in full according to its deeds."

The Holy Quran, 39:69-70

To obtain or sponsor a FREE Quran, go to: www.explorethequran.org

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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MUSLIM GROUP DECRIES DESECRATION OF MOSQUE - TOP
Associated Press, 7/5/06
http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO22143/

LEWISTON, Maine -- An Islamic civil liberties group is decrying an episode in Lewiston in which a man threw a pig's head into a mosque.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations is calling for stepped up outreach by Maine's Muslim community to educate people about their faith to promote greater understanding.

The incident happened Monday night at the Lewiston-Auburn Islamic Center. Police arrested 33-year-old Brent Matthews of Lewiston, who told police it was a "joke." He's charged with the misdemeanor crime of desecrating a church. . .

Spokesman Ibrahim Hooper says outreach is important. He says anti-Islam prejudice decreases when people get to know ordinary Muslims.

CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

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CAIR-PHILLY: NEIGHBORS FIGHT ISLAMIC FOUNDATION'S EXPANSION - TOP
Jeff Price, Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/5/06
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/14969266.htm

Like good fences, good covenants make good neighbors.

Broken covenants - well, they can sow anger and mistrust.

When the Foundation for Islamic Education took over a 23-acre college campus in Villanova in 1994, Muslim leaders overcame neighborhood opposition by agreeing to abide by an array of restrictions, including limits on traffic, permanent residents, religious retreats and noise.

Now, as the foundation seeks zoning permission to expand operations after 12 years of growth, it has had to admit it violated not only those covenants but also the original 1994 zoning order.

Foundation leaders are pledging to be better neighbors from here on, but residents are proving a tougher sell this time.

The Lower Merion Zoning Hearing Board took up the expansion proposal in November. After a second hearing in May, James Greenfield, attorney for 26 neighborhood families, asked the board to reject the zoning application, saying: "The foundation clearly will not police itself and has no qualms about expanding its use without regard for governmental regulation. The board must, therefore, regard this institution as a threat to the surrounding community." . . .

Adeeba al-Zaman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Philadelphia office said foundation officials had been "very open with their neighbors." They have held open houses during Ramadan, she said. "They are very warm and welcoming."

Although the neighborhood, according to residents, is roughly 50 percent Jewish, no one cited religion as an issue.

"It has very little to do with the fact it is an Islamic institution," said Township Commissioner Phil Rosenzweig, who has been heavily involved in working to bring both groups together. "It could be a church, a synagogue, a mosque, a day camp, any institution. It's about following the rules and being a good neighbor." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-NY: FORMER GITMO MUSLIM CHAPLAIN TO SPEAK - TOP

July 5, Noon - Former Guantanamo Bay Muslim chaplain James Yee speaks about prison conditions and the Department of Defense investigation into his 2003 arrest; Council on American Islamic Relations-NY office, 475 Riverside Drive.

Contact: Wayne Lum, 347-400-1656; Nadia Mohammad, 212-870-2002.

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CA: MUSLIM SCHOOL REACHES OUT TO ITS COMMUNITY - TOP
Hemmy So, Los Angeles Times, 7/5/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-newhorizon5jul05,1,5099382.story

In the wake of 9/11, New Horizon School in Pasadena has faced tough challenges in asserting itself as a progressive Muslim campus.

Enrollment numbers dropped. Parents, teachers and students were regarded with suspicion. And right-wing commentators bashed the school's pledge of allegiance, which begins:

"As an American Muslim, I pledge allegiance to God and His prophet. I respect and love my family and my community, and I dedicate my life to serving the cause of truth and justice."

But rather than revert to isolation, the school has aggressively sought to shape its image through high academic performance and community outreach. (MORE)

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WESTERN NEWS OPERATIONS EXPAND INTO ARABIC MARKET - TOP
DOREEN CARVAJAL, New York Times, 7/5/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/05/business/worldbusiness/05arabic.html

PARIS - A media competition for minds and market share in the Middle East is evolving as a crowd of Western news organizations prepares to deliver headlines - and geopolitical views - in the language of the Koran.

Backed by government financing, Germany's public international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, is poised to beam as much as 24 hours of daily news programming in Arabic this autumn. France's yet-to-be-named CNN-style channel is in development for a year-end opening, along with a Web site in Arabic and later in 2007 an Arabic television version. And the state-owned Russia Today has similar plans for an Arabic Web site and television presence.

From the United States, CNN is watching the development of its Arabic Web site, which attracts more than 300,000 unique visitors monthly, before it decides whether to pursue television plans.

"I'm losing track," said Jerry Timmins, head of the BBC World Service's operations in Africa and the Middle East. "There's pretty much of an announcement a week." (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

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Forwarded Message

Date: Thu, 06 Jul 2006 15:46:10 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Bigotry on Display in Mosque Incident / Muslim Women to Convene / The War Over Israel's Influence

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/6/06

* Verse: A Reward Without Measure
            - Action: Become a CAIR Member/Donate to CAIR
* CAIR Participates in Dialogue on Migration in Italy
* CAIR-OH Offers 'Know Your Rights' Workshop
            - OH: Muslim, Arab-American Groups Deserve Credit
* CAIR-AZ Media Director Profiled by Newspaper (AZ Rep)
            - CAIR-Houston Meets with Palestinian Ambassador
            - CAIR-NY: Yee Calls for Closure of Gitmo Prison
            - CAIR-San Diego: Interfaith Service at Immigration Hearing
* CAIR: ME Muslims Urge Respect After Hate Crime (Press Herald)
            - Editorial: Bigotry on Display in Mosque Incident
            - Video: Mosque Attack (WGME-TV)
* CAIR: Talk Show Host to Record Marine's Song (AP)
* NY: Muslim Women to Convene (Post-Standard)
* The War Over Israel's Influence (Foreign Policy)
            - U.S. Seen Backing Israeli Moves (Forward)
            - U.N. Rights Council: Israel Breaking Humanitarian Law
* More Victims Found as Srebrenica Anniversary Looms (Reuters)

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VERSE OF THE DAY: A REWARD WITHOUT MEASURE - TOP

"Ultimate good awaits those who persevere in doing good in this world. And (remember,) God's earth is spacious. Those who are patient in adversity will be given a reward without measure."

The Holy Quran, 39:10

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "It is a fine thing when a believer praises and thanks God if good comes to him, and praises God and shows endurance (in times of hardship). The believer is rewarded for (every good action), even for the morsel he raises to his wife's mouth."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 537

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

SEE ALSO:

BECOME A CAIR MEMBER/DONATE TO CAIR - TOP

Become a CAIR Member
https://www.cair-net.org/asp/membership.asp

Donate to CAIR
https://www.cair-net.org/asp/donate.asp

-----

CAIR REP PARTICIPATES IN DIALOGUE ON MIGRATION IN ITALY - TOP

(WASHINGTON, DC, 7/6/2006) A representative of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) recently took part in a week-long symposium on migration issues at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Study and Conference Center at Lake Como, Italy.

At the symposium, co-sponsored by the German Marshall Fund (GMF) and Rockefeller Foundation, CAIR National Legal Director Arsalan Iftikhar took part in a panel discussion on "Law Enforcement and Community Relations."

Speakers at the event included representatives of the European Union, Georgetown University, the United Nations and other international leaders, academics and intellectuals.

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CAIR-OH OFFERS 'KNOW YOUR RIGHTS' WORKSHOP - TOP

(COLUMBUS, OH, 7/6/06) - The Ohio office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) recently offered a "Know Your Rights" workshop at the Cooke Road Masjid in Columbus, Ohio. Some 60 members of the local community attended the presentation offered by CAIR-Ohio Civil Rights Coordinator Romin Iqbal.

The event was a part of the ongoing series of presentations by CAIR-Ohio to educate the Muslim community on issues related to civil rights, such as religious discrimination in employment, housing and schools. It also dealt with the rights of individuals when interacting with law enforcement authorities.

CONTACT: Romin Iqbal, 614-451-3232, E-Mail: office@cair-ohio.com

SEE ALSO:

ARABS DESERVE CREDIT FOR HELP WITH ARRESTS - TOP
Columbus Dispatch, 7/6/06
http://dispatch.com/editorials-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/06/20060706-A18-03.html

As I sat watching the "Miami Seven" alleged terrorist-cell arrest unfold on national television, I held my breath and hoped and prayed that they were not Middle Eastern.

I thanked God when I learned that the seven suspected terrorists were neither Muslims nor Arabs. This group never worshiped in an Islamic mosque, and there is no affiliation whatsoever between them and any Muslim or Arab group. In fact, the seven were a bunch of losers with only gangster affiliations.

Sources in Miami confirmed that it was with the help of an Arab-speaking contact in Miami, who presented himself as an al-Qaida operative, that these would-be terrorists were arrested. The man was actually cooperating with the authorities.

Why doesn't our government and the media spell it out? Simply state the obvious: It was a Muslim or an Arab who infiltrated the Miami Seven terror cell to protect our homeland security. America's Arab and Muslim communities are always questioned for their reaction only when violent or tragic events take place here and abroad, thereby equating them in people's minds with violence, instead of positive contributions. . .

Regardless of whether America's Arab and Muslim communities are recognized for their contributions or not, our government, news media and the public should take more seriously the efforts of the Council on American Islamic Relations, the Arab American Institute and the Arab American Anti-Discrimination committee in this area.

CAIR National Board Chairman Parvez Ahmed said it best the day after the Miami arrest: "The American Muslim community stands with local and national law-enforcement bodies in seeking to keep our nation safe and secure."

MAHMOUD EL-YOUSSEPH, Westerville

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CAIR-AZ MEDIA DIRECTOR PROFILED BY NEWSPAPER - TOP

NURE ELATARI, 25, SCOTTSDALE
Angela Cara Pancrazio, Arizona Republic, 7/3/06
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0703a-fourth0703intro.html

In high school, with her olive skin and dark hair and eyes, her classmates assumed she was Greek or Italian. It didn't matter to her that nobody knew her Arab background or about her Muslim faith.

"I liked it that way," Elatari, 25, said. "I really was different from my classmates, and I felt it.". . .

After high school, Elatari started wearing a head scarf, or hijab.

Her mother was frightened for her daughter. She wanted her to quit school and take off her hijab.

"Instead, the American part of me stepped forward, that pride and strength really stepped forth," Elatari said.

When she spoke, she sounded American. Wearing the hijab, she was a visual Muslim, and when anyone asked her where her family was from, in spite of all the conflict in the Middle East, she answered, "Palestine." (MORE)

Nure Elatari, 25, Scottsdale
Program and media director.
Council on American Islamic Relations -- Arizona.
Father: Taysir Elatari. Hometown: Ramallah, Palestine.
Mother: Fahimeh Elatari. Hometown: Ramallah, Palestine.

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-HOUSTON MEETS WITH PALESTINIAN AMBASSADOR - TOP

(HOUSTON, TX, 7/6/06) - CAIR-Houston recently hosted a community meeting with Ambassador Afif Safieh, the head of the Palestinian mission in Washington, D.C.

Ambassador Safieh presented a comprehensive analysis of the state of affairs in Palestine. It was decided that there is a need for better communication with the American Muslim community and that there would be further meetings to effective communication channels.

CONTACT: CAIR-Houston Communications Director Adeel Zeb, 713.828.2247

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CAIR-NY: YEE CALLS FOR CLOSURE OF GITMO PRISON - TOP

(NEW YORK, NY, 7/6/06) ­ Former U.S. Army Chaplain James Yee yesterday called on administration officials to shut down the Guantanamo Bay prison. His announcement, mad at a press conference at the office of the New York chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), comes after the recent landmark ruling by the Supreme Court on military tribunals.

Yee stated: "Last Thursday's landmark Supreme Court decision clarified to us all that President Bush clearly overstepped his executive authority in attempting to try prisoners at Guantanamo Bay in a manner that did not meet the necessary standards of the Geneva Conventions or even U.S. military law."

"In light of the of the recent Supreme Court decision, the necessity to close the prison at Guantanamo is becoming more apparent," said CAIR-NY Civil Rights Director Nadia Mohammad.

Chaplain Yee also announced that he has been contacted by the Department of Defense Inspector General's office with an opportunity to provide his own input to the IG for consideration in the ongoing investigation. He submitted eighteen pages of relevant information, in addition to about 100 pages of supporting documents. He believes that this opportunity is an indication that the DoD IG investigation into the mishandling of his case is near completion.

James Yee served as the Army Muslim Chaplain at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, from 2002 to 2003. He has written a book, "For God and Country: Faith and Patriotism Under Fire" chronicling his experience working at Guantanamo Bay.

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

For more information, contact:

Nadia Mohammad, 212-870-2002
Wayne Lum, Representative, James Yee Ad Hoc Committee: 347-400-1656

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CAIR-SAN DIEGO: INTERFAITH SERVICE OUTSIDE IMMIGRATION HEARING - TOP

(SAN DIEGO, CA, 7/6/06) - Faith leaders and advocates from San Diego and other Southern California cities conducted an interfaith service in front of the Imperial Beach Border Patrol Station in response to a closed-door House Immigration Hearing.

The sub-committee conducting the hearings invited groups such as the Friends of the Border Patrol, an organization known for its border vigilantism. The San Diego chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-San Diego), Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice (ICWJ), and Service Employees International Union (SEIU) were among the faith and advocacy groups who participated in the multi-faith prayer service.

CONTACT: Edgar Hopida, 858-278-4547, E-Mail: ehopida@cair.com

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ME: MUSLIMS URGE RESPECT FOR RELIGION AFTER HATE CRIME - TOP
JUSTIN ELLIS, Portland Press Herald, 7/6/06
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/060706lewiston.shtml

LEWISTON - The arrest of a man suspected of tossing a pig's head into a mosque has local and national Muslim leaders calling for a greater understanding of the Islamic faith. One day after police arrested Brent Matthews, 33, of Lewiston on a misdemeanor charge of desecrating a church, the Council on American-Islamic Relations decried the act as a hate crime.

Local Muslims said they are grateful police quickly apprehended a suspect, and hope the episode was an isolated incident.

"We are trying to tell (people) not to worry," said Imam Nuh, who leads prayers at the Islamic center. "But this is not good for the Muslim religion."

Nuh said he has been receiving calls of support from Muslims around the country. He said followers must not be provoked by others and need to show that Islam is a faith rooted in peace.

About 40 men were bowed in prayer when the frozen pig's head was rolled into the Lewiston-Auburn Islamic Center Monday night. Muslims are prohibited from eating pork because pigs are considered unclean.

Matthews, who was arrested Tuesday and released on bail, told police he did it as a "joke," authorities said.

"All Americans should be able to offer prayers in their houses of worship without fear of attack or intimidation," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on America-Islamic Relations.

The group said the use of pigs or pork products has become a common means for attacking Muslims.

In his statement, Hooper urged "Muslims in Maine to increase their outreach efforts to educate people of other faiths about Islam."

Muslims at the Islamic Center Wednesday said the act was intended to offend. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

BIGOTRY ON DISPLAY IN LEWISTON MOSQUE INCIDENT - TOP
Portland Press Herald, 7/6/06
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/viewpoints/editorials/060706pig.shtml

Painting a swastika on a synagogue door.

Defiling a cross in a church sanctuary.

Those are rough equivalents for the offense that took place Monday when a Lewiston man desecrated an Islamic house of worship.

Police say Brent Matthews admitted he rolled a frozen pig's head through the open door of the Lewiston-Auburn Islamic Center into a group of 40 Muslim men as they bowed in prayer.

The 33-year old immediately fled the scene, as might be expected. He later confessed, telling police he "thought it was funny; it was going to be a big joke."

Where does one begin to confront such distorted thinking? (MORE)

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VIDEO: MOSQUE ATTACK - TOP
http://www.wgme.com/NewsWeather/story_9.shtml

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CAIR: TALK SHOW HOST TO RECORD MARINE'S SONG - TOP
Mike Baker, Associated Press, 7/6/06
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060706/APE/607060501

RALEIGH, N.C. -- A radio talk show host will record and release a song a Marine corporal wrote about killing members of an Iraqi family, a spokesman for the show said Wednesday.

The song's author, Cpl. Joshua Belile, will not sing in the studio recording of "Hadji Girl," but he may receive royalties if "The Mike Church Show" charges for downloads. Church, the conservative host, will sing and release the song on the air next week, executive producer James Parker said Wednesday.

"We originally wanted Josh to sing the song, but the Marines are kind of gagging him on it," Parker said.

Officials at Camp Lejeune, which is adjacent to the Marine's air station, did not immediately return calls Wednesday, nor did Belile. Belile has said he wants the song publicly released on Church's program.

"Hadji Girl" first surfaced in a four-minute video circulated on the Internet. In the clip, Belile sings about a Marine who falls in love with an Iraqi woman and is then attacked by members of her family. The Marine, in turn, kills the family members.

The song prompted an outcry from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which brought the video to the Pentagon's attention. Spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said the song was insensitive and glamorized the killing of Iraqi civilians.

"It's unfortunate that anyone would try and exploit this situation for personal gain," Hooper said Wednesday. "We had hoped the song had been put to rest by the military's decision." (MORE)

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NY: MUSLIM WOMEN TO CONVENE - TOP
Renée K. Gadoua, Post-Standard, 7/6/06
http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1152176206266900.xml&coll=1

When Imam W. Deen Mohammed visits Syracuse this weekend, Amatullah Yamini plans to show off a project supported by a group of Muslim women.

Yamini's store, Salina Shoe Salon at 2809 S. Salina St., stands in the four square blocks she and others hope to revitalize, creating an area they call New Africa of Syracuse.

The philosophy of the project is at the heart of the International League of Muslim Women Inc., says Yamini, president of the local chapter, which is hosting a three-day conference in Syracuse for the organization, beginning Friday.

"No matter where Muslims are, there's a community, Muslims looking out for one another," Yamini said.

Muslims have bought several properties in the neighborhood, which Yamini and others envision as including an Islamic center, shops and housing. (MORE)

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THE WAR OVER ISRAEL'S INFLUENCE - TOP
Foreign Policy, July/August 2006
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3501

Political scientists John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt sparked a firestorm when they raised questions about the power the Israel lobby wields over U.S. foreign policy. Now, in an exclusive FP Roundtable, they face off with four distinguished experts of the Middle East over whether the influence of the Israel lobby is ordinary or extraordinary.

SEE ALSO:

U.S. SEEN BACKING ISRAELI MOVES TO TOPPLE HAMAS - TOP
By Ori Nir, Forward, 7/7/06
http://forward.com/articles/8063

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration appears to have dropped any objections to Israeli efforts to topple the Palestinian Authority's democratically elected Hamas government.

Israel's security Cabinet on Wednesday authorized the Israeli military to broaden its actions in Gaza and further target Hamas, the terrorist organization that won January's Palestinian elections and has claimed responsibility for the abduction of Israeli army Corporal Gilad Shalit.

Since Israel started moving forces into Gaza in response to Shalit's abduction last week, the Bush administration has urged Jerusalem to spare civilians and to provide for their humanitarian needs. Administration officials have also insisted that no harm come to P.A. President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, who they view as a dependable alternative to Hamas.

But in sharp contrast to previous communications, the White House did not advise Olmert's government against taking steps that would lead to the fall of the Hamas government. American officials did not attempt to intervene when Israel carried out mass arrests of Palestinian elected officials affiliated with Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel or to abandon terrorism. And they also did not appear to object to Israel's bombing of the Gaza offices of Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya and the P.A. Interior Ministry. (MORE)

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U.N. RIGHTS COUNCIL DEPLORES ISRAELI MILITARY OPERATIONS AGAINST PALESTINIANS - TOP
ALEXANDER G. HIGGINS, Associated Press, 7/6/06

GENEVA (AP) - The U.N. Human Rights Council on Thursday deplored Israel's military operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as breaching international humanitarian law and voted to send an urgent fact-finding mission to the region.

By a vote of 29-11 with five abstentions, the council approved the resolution proposed by the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference after it was amended to suggest the Palestinians also had a responsibility to refrain from violence against civilians. . .

The resolution received considerable support from the non-Muslim members of the council, including India, Russia, South Africa, Brazil, Ecuador, Ghana, Guatemala, Cuba, the Philippines and Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Zambia, but a number of them said they thought the Palestinians should have been called to account as well.

Canada and European countries opposed it. Neither the United States nor Israel are members.

The resolution expressed "deep concern" over the "arbitrary arrest of Palestinian (Cabinet) ministers, members of the Palestinian Legislative Council and other officials as well as the arbitrary arrests of other civilians" and military attacks.

It said the council "decides to dispatch an urgent fact-finding mission" headed by John Dugard, a U.N. expert who visited the Palestinian territories last month. (MORE)

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MORE VICTIMS FOUND AS SREBRENICA ANNIVERSARY LOOMS - TOP
Reuters, 7/6/06
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-07-06T171529Z_01_L06919115_RTRUKOC_0_US-BOSNIA-GRAVE.xml

KAMENICA, Bosnia (Reuters) - Forensic experts said on Thursday they had unearthed the remains of 268 victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, days before its 11th anniversary.

About 500 newly-identified victims of the Srebrenica slaughter, widely seen as Europe's worst atrocity since World War Two, will be buried on July 11 at a cemetery near the eastern town, where 2,000 victims have already been buried.

New victims are being unearthed at the Jaz mass grave, to where bodies were transferred from the site of the massacre to try to hide traces of the crime, the experts say. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2006 13:09:05 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Heeding Call to Volunteerism / Hate Crime Suspected in OH Fire

HTML Attachment [ Scan and Save to Computer | Save to Yahoo! Briefcase ]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/7/06

* Hadith: Every Act of Kindness is Rewarded
            - Become a CAIR Member/Donate to CAIR
* DC: CAIR Hosts Delegation of Nigerian Muslims
* CAIR: U.S. Muslims Heeding Call to Volunteerism (McClatchy)
            - CAIR-San Diego Conducts Food Drive for Homeless
* Apply Now for CAIR-CA Youth Leadership Conference
* CAIR-NY Co-Sponsors Community Meeting with FBI, ICE
            - OH: Hate Crime Suspected in Fire, Explosion (WCPO)
            - ME: Feds Probe Incident of Pig's Head in Mosque (AP)
            - PA: Muslims Upset Over North Side FBI Raid (Post-Gaz)
* CAIR: Guilt-By-Name Discrimination (American Public Media)
* Europe: Poll Shows Bright View of Muslim Integration (NYT)
* Algerian Tells of Dark Odyssey in U.S. Hands (NY Times)
            - '15 Afghan Civilians Killed in US Strike'

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HADITH OF THE DAY: EVERY ACT OF KINDNESS IS REWARDED - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "When you smile at your brother, or enjoin what is reputable, or forbid what is objectionable, or direct someone who has lost his way, or help a man who has bad eyesight, or remove (obstacles) from the road, or (give your brother water), (you will be rewarded by God for an act of) charity."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 594

The Prophet also said: "Every act of kindness is (a form of) charity, and kindness includes meeting your brother with a cheerful face."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 593

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

SEE ALSO:

BECOME A CAIR MEMBER/DONATE TO CAIR - TOP

Become a CAIR Member
https://www.cair-net.org/asp/membership.asp

Donate to CAIR
https://www.cair-net.org/asp/donate.asp

-----

CAIR HOSTS DELEGATION OF NIGERIAN MUSLIMS - TOP

(WASHINGTON, DC, 7/7/06) - On Thursday evening, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) hosted a delegation of Nigerian Muslims at the group's Capitol Hill headquarters. The delegation was headed by Nigerian presidential candidate Alhaji Ahmad Sani (Yariman Bakura), who is executive governor of that nation's Zamfara State.

During the event, leaders and members of the Washington-area Muslim community had an opportunity to ask questions about the current social, religious and political conditions in Nigeria.

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CAIR: AMERICAN MUSLIMS HEEDING THE CALL TO VOLUNTEER - TOP
Sadia Latifi, McClatchy Newspapers, 7/6/06
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/14980653.htm

WASHINGTON - More Muslims are volunteering this summer - and not just for traditional Muslim charities.

They're responding to a national Islamic group's appeal to get more involved in community social services and thereby turn back anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States.

"You can talk about the beauty of Islam until the end of time, but if you're not doing something tangible, then people will always say, `Where are the Muslims?'" explained Dian Alyan, an outreach coordinator for the Muslim Community Association in the San Francisco Bay area. "We need to change the rules of the game ... to concrete action."

To that end, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a leading advocacy group, recently launched a three-month nationwide initiative called Muslims Care, which focuses on community health awareness, helping the needy and youth services. Like many people of other faiths, Muslims have focused charitable efforts largely on their own faith communities.

"We want to encourage them to go to beyond their mosques and their comfort levels and truly practice the religion," said Rabiah Ahmed, CAIR communications coordinator. "It also helps with the image issue. We find that Americans tend to change their attitude when they see Muslims engaged in service work and not just foreign policy."

In Sacramento, Calif., CAIR organized four visits to homeless shelters this month to provide food and supplies. In Orlando, Fla., volunteers are hosting a community-wide picnic. In Columbus, Ohio, Muslims are coordinating a school supplies drive for underprivileged children. In Cincinnati, they're hosting a public health fair that includes physician counseling and screenings for cholesterol and high blood pressure.

"We have a lot of doctors in our community, so in terms of providing a much needed service, it's something we need to be doing," CAIR-Cincinnati Director Karen Dabdoub said.

Charity is integral to the Islamic faith, one of the five pillars that all Muslims must live by. (MORE)

For more information, visit www.muslims-care.org

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-SAN DIEGO CONDUCTS FOOD DRIVE FOR HOMELESS - TOP

(SAN DIEGO, CA, 7/6/06) - The San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-San Diego) has initiated a food drive for the homeless as a collaborative effort involving local mosques and Islamic centers.

The food drive takes place during "Helping the Needy" month, a part of CAIR's nationwide "Muslims Care" campaign. In this summer-long initiative, each month has a designated theme as a way of encouraging Muslim communities across the United States to reach out to their neighbors and make a positive contribution to society.

The proceeds of the food drive will go to Community Christian Services Agency, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the homeless and impoverished in San Diego.

CONTACT: Edgar Hopida, Director of Public Relations CAIR San Diego, 858-278-4547, E-Mail: ehopida@cair.com

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APPLY NOW FOR CAIR-CA ANNUAL YOUTH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE - TOP

(SANTA CLARA, CA, 7/7/06) - On August 17-20, the California chapters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) will host the 2nd Annual Muslim Youth Leadership and Empowerment Conference in Sacramento. The annual conference is intended to give Muslim youth the opportunity to meet and interact with state legislators, elected officials, key legislative staff, and community activists. It is also designed to teach leadership skills and promote community and political activism.

The highlight of the conference is a mock legislative session at the State Capitol. Conference participants will serve as State Senators while they debate public policy issues and prepare bills for the mock legislature on the floor of the State Senate.

Applications are available at: http://www.cair-mylp.com

The deadline to apply has been extended to July 19, 2006. There are 30 scholarships available to high school delegates.

WHEN: August 17-20, 2006

WHERE: State Capitol, Sacramento, California. Food, housing and travel to and from Sacramento will be accommodated by the CAIR-CA MYLP fund. Scholarship winners will reside in a local Sacramento hotel.

CONTACT: CAIR-SFBA: Sameena Usman, 408-986-9874, E-Mail: Sameenau@cair.com

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CAIR-NY CO-SPONSORS COMMUNITY MEETING WITH FBI, ICE - TOP

(NEW YORK, NY, 7/7/06) - CAIR-NY recently co-sponsored, along with the Islamic Center of Long Island, a meeting between some 50 Muslim leaders and Imams from Long Island and representatives of the FBI and ICE.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of a number of local mosques, the chaplain of Stony Brook University and members of the Muslim advisory board to Suffolk County executives.

A follow-up town hall meeting is being planned.

SEE ALSO:

OH: INJURY FIRE AT WEST CHESTER BUSINESS WAS ARSON, HATE CRIME SUSPECTED - TOP
Jay Warren/Becky Freemal, WCPO-TV, 7/7/06
http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/07/06/fire.html

An explosion and fire at a West Chester business that injured three people Thursday night was intentionally set, police told 9News Friday morning.

Investigators are looking into the possibility that the arson was a hate crime, because the business is owned by a Jordanian family.

Thursday night's act is the fourth act of vandalism at Steak Thyme Subs on Princeton-Glendale Road in the past month. (MORE)

CONTACT: CAIR-Cincinnati Director Karen Dabdoub, 513-281-8200, 513-604-4444

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ME: FEDS INVESTIGATING INCIDENT OF PIG'S HEAD IN MOSQUE - TOP
Associated Press, 7/7/06
http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/special/7_07special1.htm

LEWISTON, Maine - The FBI is reviewing the case of a Lewiston man accused of tossing a frozen pig's head into a mosque.

FBI agents have been conferring with police to determine whether federal hate-crime laws were violated, said police Lt. Michael McGonagle.

Brent Matthews, 33, was charged with desecration of a place of worship, a misdemeanor, after the incident during Monday evening prayers at the mosque.

Matthews could be more trouble if the state decides to prosecute him under Maine's civil rights statute. If found guilty, he could be fined $5,000 and ordered to stay away from the mosque and the city's Muslim community. . .

The incident has inflamed the city's Muslim community. Muslims are prohibited from eating pork, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations calls the act an insult to Muslims.

---

PA: MUSLIMS UPSET OVER NORTH SIDE FBI RAID - TOP
Torsten Ove and Moustafa Ayad, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 7/7/06
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06188/704028-53.stm

The FBI caused a stir on the North Side last week when heavily armed agents sealed off streets and raided the Light of the Age mosque at Boyle and Hemlock streets.

Although the case appears to be no more than a routine federal gun prosecution out of Utah, local Muslims say the raid caused a major disruption at a house of worship. (MORE)

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CAIR: GUILT-BY-NAME DISCRIMINATION - TOP
American Public Media, 7/6/06
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2006/07/06/PM200607063.html

Thousands of cash transfers are being delayed or blocked by companies such as Western Union and MoneyGram - so that Muslim-sounding names can be checked for possible terror links on a government watch list. Bob Moon reports.

Western Union says it does matches based on both first and last names, and Millerwise says it's common sense not to screen for just anyone who happens to be named Mohammed. But at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Arsalan Iftikhar says the list has brought on some of the worst discrimination since World War II:

ARSALAN IFTIKHAR: Japanese Americans, based solely on their name and their ethnicity, you know, unfortunately were presumed guilty until proven innocent. And, unfortunately, what we're seeing today with American Muslims and Arabs is unfortunately that same sort of thing, which we view as the next chapter in the civil rights history of America.

For now, he says, the only recourse seems to be complaining to the Treasury Department.

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POLL SHOWS BRIGHT VIEW OF MUSLIM INTEGRATION - TOP
DAVID RAMPE, New York Times, 7/7/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/07/world/07pew.html

PARIS, July 6 - One year after bombings by Islamic militants in London set off intensive soul-searching across Europe about Muslim integration, a new survey has turned up surprisingly positive attitudes, both among European Muslims toward Europe and among society in general toward Muslims.

The poll, carried out by the Pew Global Attitudes Project this spring in 13 countries, with additional samples of Muslims living in Britain, Germany, France and Spain, indicated that "Muslims are generally positive about conditions" in their countries of residence. (MORE)

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ALGERIAN TELLS OF DARK ODYSSEY IN U.S. HANDS - TOP
Craig S. Smith and Souad Mekhennet, New York Times, 7/7/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/07/world/africa/07algeria.html

Mr. Saidi is one of a handful of men to publicly claim they were seized in the rendition program and then mistreated or tortured, before being released without charge or explanation. Like prisoners released from the American military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, they represent not only a mounting political problem, but a potential legal problem for the United States and its allies that have participated in the extrajudicial abductions. . .

After being held for a week in a prison in the mountains of Malawi, Mr. Saidi said, a group of people arrived in a sport utility vehicle: a gray-haired Caucasian woman and five men dressed in black wearing black masks revealing only their eyes.

The Malawians blindfolded him, and his clothes were cut away, he said. He heard someone taking photographs. Then, he said, the blindfold was removed and the agents covered his eyes with cotton and tape, inserted a plug in his anus and put a disposable diaper on him before dressing him. He said they covered his ears, shackled his hands and feet and drove him to an airplane where they put him on the floor. . .

Men in black arrived, he said, and he remembers one shouting at him through an interpreter: "You are in a place that is out of the world. No one knows where you are, no one is going to defend you." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

'15 AFGHAN CIVILIANS KILLED IN US STRIKE' - TOP
http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=1838

PESHAWAR: US-led coalition forces killed Afghan civilians in an air strike on a village in the Kajaki district of the Helmand province on Wednesday. Members of the affected families and witnesses told the private Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) that 15 civilians, including women and children, perished in the bombing by coalition aircraft. Earlier, the coalition forces had claimed that 35 Taliban fighters were killed in the air strike on a "known Taliban compound" in Helmand during the night of July 5-6. It had ruled out the possibility of civilians getting killed in the raid. However, villagers in the area said at least 11 and up to 15 civilians were killed when coalition planes bombed two homes in the Ghech Zar village in the Kajaki district. Village elder Haji Habibullah told AIP that Imam Abdul Hakim, his 50-year-old brother, Abdul Karim, six children and four women died in the bombing. According to Haji Habibullah, five members of the family of Abdul Ali, nephew of clergyman Abdul Hakim, were killed in the bombing of the second home in the village.

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2006 20:44:26 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: FBI Asked to Probe Vandalism at Indiana Mosque

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FBI ASKED TO PROBE VANDALISM AT INDIANA MOSQUE
'KKK' reportedly scratched on sign, shots fired at dome, windows smashed

(WASHINGTON, DC, 7/7/06) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today called on local and national law enforcement authorities to investigate vandalism at an Indiana mosque as a possible hate crime.

Officials with the Islamic Center of Michigan City (ICMC) told the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) that vandals shot holes in the copper dome of the mosque, smashed a number of windows and scratched "KKK" on the center's sign. The vandalism was discovered on Sunday, July 2. ("KKK" refers to the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist group with a history of violence directed at racial and religious minorities.)

A representative of the Porter County Sheriff's Department said the initial police report did note the broken windows and other damage, but mentioned only "scratches" on the sign. An officer will be sent to the mosque to confirm the racist graffiti.

ICMC officials say their facility is the "first chartered Islamic center in the United States." It was established in May of 1924 and serves some 150 families.

"Given the type of vandalism reported and the growing level of anti-Muslim rhetoric in our society, it is only prudent to investigate a possible bias motive in this case," said CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper.

Hooper called on the FBI to add its resources to those of local law enforcement authorities. He also said there have been a number of similar incidents targeting the American Muslim community in recent months.

Just this week, a man was charged for throwing a pig's head into a mosque in Maine during evening prayers. Today, media reports indicate that investigators in Ohio are looking into the possibility that an arson fire and explosion at a business owned by a family of Middle East heritage was a hate crime. Last month, a hate message attacking the Prophet Muhammad and claiming "Muslims Worship Satan" was left near an Arizona mosque. In April, shots were fired into a Maryland mosque.

SEE: Feds Investigating Incident of Pig's Head in Mosque (AP)
SEE: Injury Fire Was Arson, Hate Crime Suspected (WCPO-TV)

Hooper said his Washington-based group is urging Muslim individuals and institutions nationwide to review security procedures using advice contained in CAIR's "Muslim Community Safety Kit." (The kit may be obtained free of charge by e-mailing pubs@cair-net.org. Include name, address and phone number when requesting the safety kit.)

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org; CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab, 847-971-3963, E-Mail: director@cairchicago.org

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Sat, 08 Jul 2006 10:10:21 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Jeb Bush Ally Slams Islam / IN Mosque Vandalism a 'Systematic Hate Crime' / NC Muslims, Christians, Jews Protest Israel's Policies

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/8/06

* Hadith: No Hatred in Paradise
* CAIR-FL: Jeb Bush Ally Slams Islam (Miami Herald)
* IN: Mosque Vandalism a 'Systematic Hate Crime' (NWI Times)
            - CAIR: U.S. Islamic Group Hopes Education Counters Hate
            - ME: Motive in Mosque Incident Probed (Press Herald)
            - PA: Mosque Members Denounce FBI Raid as Desecration
* Another Swipe at Islam in 'B.C.' Comic? (Editor & Publisher)
            - Airport Evacuated Because of Quran (Irish Examiner)
* Neo-Nazi Sympathizers Slip Into U.S. Military (Reuters)
* NC: Muslims, Christians, Jews Protest Israel's Policies
            - MI: Muslims Plan Giant Sports Event (Flint Journal)
            - CO: Some Latinos Converting to Islam (Greeley Tribune)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: NO HATRED IN PARADISE - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "(The people of Paradise) will not have differences or hatred amongst themselves. Their hearts will be as if one heart and they will be glorifying God in the morning and in the evening."

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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CAIR-FL: JEB BUSH ALLY SLAMS ISLAM - TOP
Darran Simon, Miami Herald, 7/8/06
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/14992571.htm

The Rev. O'Neal Dozier, a Broward clergyman who has advised President Bush and is a political appointee of Gov. Jeb Bush, took to the air waves Friday to criticize Islam as a "cult" religion.

The radio appearance by Dozier, who serves on the governor's committee that screens Broward judicial nominees, startled a local Muslim leader, and prompted the governor to immediately distance himself from the statements.

Reached later in the day by The Miami Herald, a contrite Dozier said he was "concerned" his comments could jeopardize his position on Broward's Judicial Nominating Commission. But he did not disavow those comments.

"The Islamic religion in my view is a cult," Dozier said Friday, when asked to recap the controversial comments he made earlier on The Steve Kane Radio Show on WNN-AM 1470. "On the show I said that Islam is a dangerous religion."

Dozier was on the program to address efforts by him and other black ministers to block a plan by the Islamic Center of South Florida to build a center in Northwest Pompano Beach. . .

The black ministers' stance in opposition to the mosque has surprised some experts on Islam.

"For the first time, you are seeing a group of black pastors following the white fundamentalist leaders of our country," said Lawrence Mamiya, an activist and professor of religion and Africana studies at New York's Vassar College.

Traditionally, blacks and Muslims in America have forged a healthy, harmonious relationship -- in part because their leaders tackle the same issues affecting their neighborhoods -- drugs, crime, racism and other social ills, Mamiya said. . .

Asked on Friday to respond to Dozier's comments, Altaf Ali, executive director of the Florida Chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations, said he has tried unsuccessfully to meet with Dozier.

"I want a chance to respond and refute these accusations," Ali said Friday. "It appears that he doesn't have that much knowledge about Islam."

-----

CAIR: MOSQUE VANDALISM: A 'SYSTEMATIC HATE CRIME' - TOP
Jerry Davich, The Times, 7/8/06
http://nwitimes.com/articles/2006/07/08/news/top_news/7f9b044656dffafd862571a400827204.txt

PINE TOWNSHIP | Muslim-American leaders of the Michigan City Islamic Center say that $8,600 in recent criminal mischief damage to their mosque was a "systematic hate crime."

"People here are shocked. It looks more like someone sending a message than random vandalism by bored teenagers," said Abraham Hakim, the center's president and a third-generation American.

The center is at 1606 N. County Road 500 East.

Hakim, whose family has lived in the Michigan City area for decades, cites the fact that all 10 windows were shot only once, costing the most money to replace. Thrill-seeking teenage vandals wouldn't be so methodical, he figured. . .

On Sunday, Porter County police received a report of bullets shot into the center's copper dome, leaving six large and obvious holes. Also, two glass doors, 10 windows, a sign and a spotlight were vandalized, possibly by a BB gun, police reported. . .

The letters "KKK" are clearly yet crudely scratched into the sign. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

U.S. ISLAMIC GROUP HOPES EDUCATION COUNTERS HATE, QUELLS VIOLENCE - TOP
Chandra Johnson, The Times, 7/8/06
http://nwitimes.com/articles/2006/07/08/news/top_news/17f05545f0ffe53d862571a50002594c.txt

A spokesman for an Islamic civil liberties organization said Friday research shows a rise in harassment and violence against Muslim communities in the United States.

Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, said incidents such as the recent vandalism of an Islamic center in Pine Township is due largely to ignorance.

"Research shows that when people have interaction with Muslims, prejudice goes down," Hooper said.

"The best way to combat (prejudice) is with education."

Porter County police have no suspects yet. . .

CAIR's Hooper said the group organizes educational campaigns to combat the negative sentiment surrounding Islam. Just as hate crimes spike in times of national crisis, Hooper said, CAIR responds with knowledge. (MORE)

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ME: MOTIVE IN MOSQUE INCIDENT PROBED - TOP
JUSTIN ELLIS, Portland Press Herald, 7/8/06
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/060708matthews.shtml

LEWISTON - The attorney for a man accused of throwing a pig's head into a mosque said the case needs to play out in the court system, not in public. James Howaniec said Friday that authorities should proceed carefully in a case that has grabbed the attention of local and national Muslim leaders, the FBI and the state Attorney General's Office.

"I would hope they would investigate this case and let the facts get developed in the court system," he said.

Police say Brent Matthews, 33, of Lewiston admitted rolling a frozen pig's head into the Lewiston-Auburn Islamic Center on Lisbon Street as 40 men bowed in prayer Monday night. He turned himself in to police on Tuesday and faces a misdemeanor charge of desecrating a church.

Muslims are prohibited from eating pork because they consider pigs unclean.

Matthews told investigators he got the head from a pig roast and had been saving it in his freezer, and described his actions at the mosque as a joke, police said.

Howaniec filed a not guilty plea Thursday in Androscoggin District Court for Matthews, who is free on $200 bail. An arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 6. Under the conditions of his bail, Matthews must stay away from the Islamic center.

At a press conference at City Hall on Friday, local and federal authorities said they were working together to determine whether a federal civil rights case can be brought against Matthews.

FBI Special Agent Todd DiFede said Friday afternoon that the agency has an interest in investigating civil rights cases involving race or religious discrimination. DiFede said investigators' findings would be turned over to U.S. Attorney Paula Silsby. (MORE)

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PA: MOSQUE MEMBERS DENOUNCE FBI RAID AS DESECRATION - TOP
Ervin Dyer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 7/8/06
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06189/704371-53.stm

The congregation of the Light of the Age mosque yesterday denounced the June 30 FBI raid on the site as "unjust, unethical and unnecessary."

Tahir Abdullah, assistant director of the congregation, read a statement from the Muslim Alliance in North America, a coalition of primarily African-American Muslim organizations from across the United States, saying that the raid on the North Side mosque violated a house of worship during services.

The FBI arrested Larry M. Williams of Lincoln-Lemington, who has felony convictions in Washington state and other outstanding warrants, including one for failing to register as a sex offender.

The arrest took place during prayer hours, and some members of the largely African-American congregation were detained and questioned on the street, group members said. The facility was searched and streets blocked off for several hours during the FBI action.

The group and supporters who joined members at a news conference yesterday accused the FBI of harassing citizens of African-American descent and of religious insensitivity in conducting the raid during worship hours.

"We're concerned with the kind of terrorist label that is being attached to Muslims," said Yusef Ali, president of the Islamic Council of Greater Pittsburgh. "We're concerned the raid will lead the public to believe the stereotype and that more Muslims will be profiled." . . .

Yesterday's news conference was held to show the mosque and study center to the public as well as to condemn the FBI action.

The Light of the Age mosque has been at 1320 Boyle St. for about three months and before that was based on Concord Street in Spring Garden for three years.

It is a provisional member of the Islamic Council of Greater Pittsburgh. It participates in council debate and observes meetings but is not allowed to vote. The group must sit on council for a year before getting voting privileges.

Unlike Christian churches or synagogues, Muslim worship centers are not identified by symbols such as a cross or Star of David. Several in Pittsburgh have no signs indicating that they are houses of worship.

In fact, said Ibrahim Hopper, a spokesman for the national Council on American-Islamic Relations, it is not unusual for a mosque to share space with a dwelling where there are apartments on the upper level and a prayer room below. (MORE)

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ANOTHER SWIPE AT ISLAM IN 'B.C.' COMIC? - TOP
Editor & Publisher, 7/7/06
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/departments/syndicates/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002801803

NEW YORK Did "B.C." cartoonist Johnny Hart take another swipe at Islam in his July 3 comic? Several blogs -- including ComicsReporter.com and DailyCartoonist -- are wondering.

In the comic, Hart shows his turtle character asking: "What makes a bite that's shaped like a crescent moon?" The bird standing on the turtle's shell answers: "A lunatic." A star is drawn near the turtle's "finger" to illustrate the location of the bite.

A star/crescent moon is a symbol of Islam. There's also the possibility that Hart was making a "luna tick" pun instead of, or in addition to, making a negative reference to Islam.

An executive at Creators Syndicate, which distributes "B.C.," could not be immediately reached for comment today.

Readers previously wondered if Hart defamed Islam in his "B.C." strip of Nov. 10, 2003. In that comic, Hart showed a character walking to an outhouse, closing the door with a huge "SLAM" (inked vertically between the first and second panels), and saying: "Is it just me, or does it stink in here?" (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

RUCKSACK WITH KORAN ON TOP SPARKS AIRPORT BOMB ALERT - TOP
Irish Examiner, 7/7/06
http://www.irishexaminer.com/breaking/story.asp?j=12272846&p=yzz7z89z&n=12272934

The suspect package that sparked the second major security scare at Dublin Airport this week was a bag inadvertently left behind by a departing passenger, it was confirmed tonight.

Irish police said they had traced the owner of the bag and were satisfied there was nothing sinister or malicious about the alert which grounded flights and disrupted thousands of travellers.

A copy of the Koran placed on top of the suspect rucksack left unattended in the arrivals hall had raised fears on the first anniversary of the 7/7 London bombings.

Airport authorities launched a 'red alert' warning shortly before 8am and evacuated the main terminal, while Gardai sealed the building off and called in the Army bomb disposal team.

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NEO-NAZI SYMPATHIZERS SLIP INTO U.S. MILITARY - TOP
Reuters, 7/7/06
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/07/07/neo.nazis.in.military.reut/index.html

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Neo-Nazis and other white supremacists have increasingly been able to infiltrate the U.S. military due to recruitment pressures created by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a watchdog group said Friday.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks racist activities in the United States, said thousands of hate group members are now in the armed forces, especially in the Army, increasing the threat of domestic terrorism. (MORE)

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NC: RALLY PROTESTS ISRAEL'S POLICIES - TOP
Yonat Shimron, The News & Observer, 7/8/06
http://www.newsobserver.com/682/story/458591.html

More than 100 protesters of Israel's incursion into the Gaza Strip marched on the state Capitol Friday carrying banners and a mock corpse and demanding an end to the violence.

The protesters were responding to a national call for solidarity with the Palestinian people issued by the Muslim American Society. In Raleigh, they included Palestinian natives, Muslims, Christians and a handful of Jews. . .

The group included a Franciscan friar, a Jewish social worker and a restaurant owner who is Muslim. Many said they were equally angry with the U.S. government.

"Here's the hypocrisy," said Iyad Hindi of Raleigh. "We demand democracy and human rights but deny it to the Palestinian people."

SEE ALSO:

MI: MUSLIMS PLAN GIANT SPORTS EVENT - TOP
George Jaksa, Flint Journal, 7/8/06
http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-1/11523631683020.xml&coll=5

FLINT - Thousands of Muslims from around the world are expected in Flint next week for a sports convention with a strong family flavor.

Hanifi Abdul-Malik, head of the Muslim House of Flint, said it will be the first time Flint has hosted the convention that has been held in major cities across the United States during its 24-year history. Detroit hosted the event last year.

The convention will be held Friday-July 16 headquartered at the Perani Arena and Event Center, 3501 Lapeer Road, but some athletic events will be held off-site. The closing program on July 16 will be at Ballenger Park, 1201 Dupont St. (MORE)

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CO: LATINOS & ISLAM CONVERSION - TOP
Mailyn Salabarria, Greeley Tribune, 7/8/06
http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/20060708/RELIGION/107080117

Hugo Hernández put aside the saints, the host and the confessions. Nineteen years of Catholic religious traditions were left behind when he decided to convert to Islam. . .

Despite stereotypes and his family rejection, Hernández said there hasn't been huge changes in his life since he converted, except now his has to pray five times a day.

That's why he said he summarizes his conversion as a return to the religion's roots and to a true relationship with God. "That's what I've always try to reach, the simplest relation with my faith." (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Sun, 09 Jul 2006 21:24:07 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: More U.S. Muslims Going Into Law / MN Somalis Turn to Islam / UN Blames Israel for Humanitarian Crisis

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/9/06

* Hadith: Establish Justice
* CA: More U.S. Muslims Going Into Law (Mercury News)
            - IN: Vandalism at Mosque Seen as Hate Crime (AP)
* MN: More Somalis in Minnesota Turn to Islam (NPR)
            - ME: Somalis, Officials Differ on City's Climate
* Commentary: What's an Iraqi Life Worth? (Washington Post)
* UN Blames Israel for Gaza Humanitarian Crisis (AP)
            - Israeli Missile Kills Palestinian Family (Times)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: ESTABLISH JUSTICE - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "For every day the sun rises, (God grants a reward to) the one who establishes justice among people."

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadith 870

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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CA: MORE MUSLIMS GOING INTO LAW - TOP
Kim Vo, Mercury News, 7/9/06
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/living/14999997.htm

Minal Hasan was exploring careers -- teacher? journalist? -- when two planes sliced through the World Trade Center.

In the days and months that followed, friends and relatives exchanged tales of harassment, dubious arrests and assaults nationwide. Someone threw rocks at Hasan's car. Someone else spat at her.

The Fremont woman then followed an increasing number of American Muslims, rocked by the fallout of Sept. 11: She applied to law school.

The "civil rights of our community are being encroached upon, and we don't even have enough lawyers in our community to help us. A lot of people in our community thought that," said Hasan, who graduated from Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law in May. "I thought that, too."

Though firm numbers are elusive -- law firms and schools don't ask about an applicant's religion -- the number of Muslim lawyers and law students is growing. The National Association of Muslim Lawyers, which began in 1996 with 24 members, now has 500. Half of the 100 members of the Bay Area Association of Muslim Lawyers, known as BAAML, are law students, a sign of the swelling ranks. And Muslim law student associations are sprouting from Berkeley to Yale.

Muslims' growing interest in law is also part of social evolution that occurs as children of immigrants explore professions beyond the medicine and engineering paths available to their parents. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

IN: VANDALISM AT MOSQUE SEEN AS HATE CRIME, LEADERS SAY - TOP
Associated Press, 7/9/06
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060709/NEWS01/607090447

Michigan City -- Muslim leaders consider thousands of dollars in damage at a Northwestern Indiana mosque a systematic hate crime.

Vandals recently have scratched graffiti on a sign and shot out windows at the Michigan City Islamic Center, causing $8,600 in damage, police say.

Center President Abraham Hakim, whose family has lived in the Michigan City area for decades, said all 10 windows were shot only once. Thrill-seeking teenage vandals wouldn't be so methodical, he believes. (MORE)

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MORE SOMALIS IN MINNESOTA TURN TO ISLAM - TOP
Sea Stachura, National Public Radio, 7/9/06
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5544610

All Things Considered, July 9, 2006 · Minnesota is home to one of the nation's largest populations of immigrants from the East African nation of Somalia. Until recently, religion didn't play a big part in their daily lives -- but now, more Somalis are returning to their Muslim faith and becoming more religious. Sea Stachura of Minnesota Public Radio reports.

SEE ALSO:

TENSIONS IN LEWISTON? DEPENDS ON THE VIEWPOINT - TOP
JOSIE HUANG, Portland Press Herald, 7/9/06
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/060709lewiston.shtml

LEWISTON - No one in town disputes that rolling a pig's head into a mosque as men bowed in prayer was a strike at Muslims. Or that the person who committed the offense should be held accountable. But that is where the agreement ends. City officials say Monday's incident at the Lewiston-Auburn Islamic Center was isolated, the work of Brent Matthews, a former city employee with a criminal record.

"This is just an incident where one idiot did something stupid, in my opinion," said City Administrator Jim Bennett.

But some Somali Muslims see the act as the latest in a string of more than a dozen incidents targeting them over the past several months.

Ahmed Abdi, who works as an interpreter for Somalis, said acid has been dripped onto several Somalis' cars, and their tires have been slashed. Windows on Somali homes and businesses have been scratched or cracked.

Throughout, some Somalis say they have been the object of racial epithets and told to "go back home."

Police say they have not received reports to back all these complaints, but some Somalis say they fear retribution and have avoided contacting authorities.

"Ninety-five percent of people are good, very friendly," the 48-year-old Abdi said at he waited for his lunch at the Red Sea restaurant. "Just a few people are doing this. Why this is coming up now, I have no idea."

Somalis said they thought they had put unrest in Lewiston behind them. Nearly four years ago, when the Somali population topped 1,000, then-mayor Larry Raymond asked new arrivals to discourage their relatives from settling here. The former mill city, he wrote in a letter, was "maxed-out financially, physically and emotionally."

A white supremacist group, World Church of the Creator, latched onto the events in Lewiston and announced it would be coming to "save" the city in January 2003. That spurred the predominantly Muslim Somali community and its supporters to plan a counter-rally the same day, attracting more than 4,500 people. The white supremacist rally drew just 32 people.

In the time since, Raymond decided not to seek re-election, and Somalis have continued to move to this mostly French-Catholic city of 36,000 because of its safer streets and affordable housing. Coming mostly from other states, Somalis now number between 1,800 and 2,800, according to estimates. The latest arrivals have been several hundred Bantus, a minority group in Somalia. (MORE)

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WHAT'S AN IRAQI LIFE WORTH? - TOP
Andrew J. Bacevich, Washington Post, 7/9/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/07/AR2006070701155.html

"You have to understand the Arab mind," one company commander told the New York Times, displaying all the self-assurance of Douglas MacArthur discoursing on Orientals in 1945. "The only thing they understand is force -- force, pride and saving face." Far from representing the views of a few underlings, such notions penetrated into the upper echelons of the American command. In their book "Cobra II," Michael R. Gordon and Gen. Bernard E. Trainor offer this ugly comment from a senior officer: "The only thing these sand niggers understand is force and I'm about to introduce them to it."

Such crass language, redolent with racist, ethnocentric connotations, speaks volumes. These characterizations, like the use of "gooks" during the Vietnam War, dehumanize the Iraqis and in doing so tacitly permit the otherwise impermissible. Thus, Abu Ghraib and Haditha -- and too many regretted deaths, such as that of Nahiba Husayif Jassim.

As the war enters its fourth year, how many innocent Iraqis have died at American hands, not as a result of Haditha-like massacres but because of accidents and errors? The military doesn't know and, until recently, has publicly professed no interest in knowing. Estimates range considerably, but the number almost certainly runs in the tens of thousands. Even granting the common antiwar bias of those who track the Iraqi death toll -- and granting, too, that the insurgents have far more blood on their hands -- there is no question that the number of Iraqi noncombatants killed by U.S. forces exceeds by an order of magnitude the number of U.S. troops killed in hostile action, which is now more than 2,000. (MORE)

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UN BLAMES ISRAEL FOR HUMANITARIAN CRISIS - TOP
Mark Lavie, Associated Press, 7/9/06
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3272830,00.html

The United Nations blamed Israel for a burgeoning humanitarian crisis, including deaths, injuries and harm to children, from its offensive in Gaza in a strong statement released Saturday.

The three-page statement, listing charges separately from six UN-affiliated agencies, called for "urgent action" to halt the rapid deterioration. Israel rejected the charges.

The statement charged that Israel's military offensive has caused mass violations of human rights of civilians in Gaza. Some result from an Israeli attack that destroyed the main Gaza power station, others from the closing of vital crossing points and the rest from military operations, it said.

The world body expressed alarm over events in Gaza "which have seen innocent civilians, including children, killed, brought increased misery to hundreds of thousands of people and which will wreak far-reaching harm on Palestinian society."

Among the specific issues listed, the statement said Gaza is "on the bring of a public health disaster," including a shortage of medicines. Also, children in Gaza "are living in an environment of extraordinary violence, insecurity and fear." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

GIRL KILLED AS ISRAEL TIGHTENS GRIP ON GAZA - TOP
Marie Colvin, Sunday Times, 7/9/06
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2261861,00.html

A six-year-old Palestinian girl, her mother and elder brother were killed in a house on the edge of Gaza City last night, shortly after a stray Israeli missile targeting militants struck a residential area.

The girl, identified as Rawan Hajaj, was taken to hospital wrapped in blankets, the back of her head shorn open. Six others were injured when what Palestinians described as an artillery shell hit the house.

The Israeli military, initially denying that any shells had been fired, later admitted a missile had missed its target in an open field and landed on a street in the Shajaya district on the outskirts of the city, near the Karni border crossing. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Mon, 10 Jul 2006 13:14:01 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Video Shows Bullet-Riddled Quran Thrown at Tenn. Mosque

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

VIDEO SHOWS BULLET-RIDDLED QURAN THROWN AT TENN. MOSQUE
CAIR calls on DOJ to probe incident as violation of civil rights

(WASHINGTON, DC, 7/10/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the Justice Department to investigate an incident in Tennessee in which a bullet-riddled Quran was thrown at the entrance of a mosque as a possible violation of civil rights.

CAIR said the perpetrators of the incident videotaped their actions and then posted the video online. (The video was placed online June 17, 2006, but the actual incident may have taken place last summer.) The two men are first shown shooting a copy of the Quran, Islam's revealed text, with a "Colt M-16." (An M-16 is a fully-automatic military weapon that is not legal for personal use.) They then take the Quran to a mosque and throw it at the entrance while shouting what sounds like "Jesus rocks."

SEE: Kill the Koran

If the MySpace link is removed, SEE:
http://www.cair.com/video/kill_the_koran/

The Imam, or prayer leader, of the Islamic Center of Chattanooga said the minister of a nearby church told him he saw the men videotaping the mosque, "ran them off" and called local police.

The author of the www.myspace.com/mully88 site identifies himself as "mully88" and claims to live in Chattanooga, Tenn. "White Power" theme music plays on the site and the author's profile lists as heroes "anybody that has killed a muslim or at least tried to kill a muslim." The site also contains slurs targeting Hispanics and African-Americans.

"By throwing the bullet-riddled Quran at the mosque, we believe the perpetrators went beyond the limits of free speech by taking part in an overt act of religious intimidation," said CAIR Legal Director Arsalan Iftikhar.

Iftikhar compared the men's actions to those who burn crosses on the lawns of African-Americans. In 2003, the Supreme Court ruled that states can punish those who burn crosses with the intention to intimidate.

In addition, Iftikhar said the men's actions may have violated provisions of federal civil rights statutes. He cited Title 18, United States Code, Section 241, "Conspiracy Against Civil Rights," which makes it a crime to "conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person of any state, territory or district in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him/her by the Constitution or the laws of the United States."

On Friday, CAIR called on local and national law enforcement authorities to investigate vandalism at an Indiana mosque as a possible hate crime. The vandals shot holes in the copper dome of the mosque, smashed a number of windows and scratched "KKK" on the center's sign.

There have been a number of similar incidents targeting the American Muslim community in recent months.

Just this week, a man was charged for throwing a pig's head into a mosque in Maine during evening prayers. Media reports indicate that investigators in Ohio are looking into the possibility that an arson fire and explosion at a business owned by a family of Middle East heritage was a hate crime. Last month, a hate message attacking the Prophet Muhammad and claiming "Muslims Worship Satan" was left near an Arizona mosque. In April, shots were fired into a Maryland mosque.

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

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Forwarded Message

Date: Mon, 10 Jul 2006 20:52:43 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: NY Muslims Welcome Bill Preventing Exams on Religious Holidays / FBI Probes Web Site Showing Shooting of Quran

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/10/06

* Hadith: Praise and Thank God
* CAIR: FBI Probes Web Site Showing Shooting of Quran (AP)
            - FBI Looks Into Incident of Quran Abuse (TFP)
* CAIR-NY: Bill Prevents Exams on Religious Holidays
* New Homeland Security Deputy an FBI Veteran Beloved by Muslims (AP)
* ME: Muslims Aim to Educate Public After Mosque Incident
            - NY: Muslim Leader Ends Conference With Call to Unity
            - MN: Somalis Try to Influence Events Back Home (AP)
            - MN: Muslim Candidate Seems to Unnerve Some (Star Trib)
            - OR: Prof Opens Minds on Islam, Culture (Oregonian)
* DC: International Kashmir Conference
* Thailand: U.S. Imam Urges Non-Violence to End Unrest

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HADITH OF THE DAY: PRAISE AND THANK GOD - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said God suggested turning a valley into gold for his use, but he replied: "No, my Lord, but let me have enough to eat and be hungry on alternate days. Then when I am hungry, I shall make supplication to Thee and make mention of Thee, and when I have enough (to eat) I shall praise and thank Thee."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1353

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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CAIR: FBI LOOKING AT WEB SITE SHOWING SHOOTING OF QURAN - TOP
BILL POOVEY, Associated Press, 7/10/06

Federal authorities are looking into a video that shows two men shooting a Quran with a military rifle, then throwing the bullet-riddled Muslim holy book at the entrance of a a Chattanooga mosque, an FBI agent said Monday.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations on Monday had called on the Justice Department to investigate the incident as a possible civil rights violation. The group said it was the latest in a series of incidents targeting mosques in several states. . .

The video, titled " kill the koran" was posted on MySpace.com last month, said CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper. It could still be seen on the Web site on Monday. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

TN: FBI LOOKS INTO INCIDENT OF QURAN ABUSE - TOP
Karina Gonzalez and Brian Lazenby, Chattanooga Times Free Press, 7/10/06
http://www.tfponline.com/absolutenm/templates/breaking.aspx?articleid=2615&zoneid=41

FBI officials began an investigation today of an online video showing a Chattanooga resident shooting a gun at and throwing a Quran at the entrance of the local mosque as a possible violation of civil rights, officials said.

"We're letting the attorneys look at it to make decisions about whether it appears there is a federal violation," said Tim Burke, supervisor at the FBI's Chattanooga office. . .

The Council of American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based group, reported the incident, which took place last year, to federal officials today.

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CAIR-NY: BILL PREVENTS EXAMS ON RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS - TOP

(NEW YORK, NY, 7/10/06) - The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today welcomed passage of a bill in the New York State Legislature that prevents scheduling statewide school exams on religious holidays.

CAIR-NY said the legislation is a victory for religious freedom and civil rights in New York, particularly for the Muslim community. Earlier this year, Muslim students in New York were not able to celebrate Eid-ul-Adha, one of two main Islamic holidays, due to state mandated exams which coincided with the event.

Following that incident, CAIR-NY, the New York City Human Rights Commission and other advocacy groups began an initiative to ensure religious freedoms were upheld in New York public schools.

"All students should to be able to observe their religion without worrying about jeopardizing their education," said CAIR-NY Civil Rights Director Nadia Mohammad. "The passing of this bill is a positive first step toward gaining recognition of Islamic holidays in New York public schools."

Originally drafted by State Senator John D. Sabini (D/WFP-Jackson Heights), the bill was to block testing during the Muslim holidays of Eid-ul-Adha and Eid-ul-Fitr. The bill was later amended to include all religious holidays and passed unanimously in both the Senate and the Assembly.

The legislation was carried in the State Assembly by Assemblyman Jeffrion L. Aubry (D-Corona) and co-sponsored by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) and Assemblywoman Catherine T. Nolan (D-Ridgewood). It is currently awaiting the signature of Governor George E. Pataki.

CAIR-NY will be continuing its dialogue with state legislators and with New York City Mayor's office in its effort to address accommodations for religious holidays in public schools.

CONTACT: Nadia Mohammad, 212-870-2002, civilrights@cair-ny.org

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NEW HOMELAND SECURITY DEPUTY AN FBI VETERAN BELOVED BY MUSLIMS - TOP
WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press Writer
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj--homelandsecurity-0710jul10,0,7101025.story

NEWARK, N.J. -- When a respected elder in Paterson's Muslim community was detained at an airport in Dubai for a reason authorities wouldn't tell him, he took out his cell phone and started dialing.

But Mohamed Younes wasn't calling his embassy, his travel agent or his wife. Instead, he called John Paige, a good friend who was the supervisory special agent at the FBI's West Paterson office.

Paige didn't know exactly why Younes had been flagged at the airport last December, but offered to get on the phone with officials in the United Arab Emirates and vouch for Younes' integrity. Younes was grateful, but declined the offer.

"Who would believe I really had the FBI on the phone?" he asked.

Anyone who knows Paige would believe it. The 26-year FBI veteran has worked tirelessly to build bridges to New Jersey's Muslim community.

It is a closeness that will serve him well in his new job as deputy director of the state Office of Homeland Security. Paige will handle operations and intelligence matters for the department, reporting to Director Richard Canas. (MORE)

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ME: LOCAL MUSLIMS AIM TO EDUCATE PUBLIC - TOP
Bangor Daily News, 7/10/06
http://www.bangornews.com/news/templates/?a=137094

ORONO - The tossing of a frozen pig's head into a Lewiston mosque last week has upset Muslims in northern Maine, the founder of the Islamic Center of Maine reports, even though the modest mosque on Route 2 has never been the target of vandals.

"After the initial shock," Mahmoud El-Begearmi of Bangor said Saturday, "the discussion centered around how can we help. We seem to be the oldest group in the state, and the other mosques all look up to us for help."

El-Begearmi, who has lived in Maine for 26 years, advised leaders at the Lewiston-Auburn Islamic Center to make a concerted effort to educate the community about the tenets of their faith and to invite the public to visit the mosque and attend services.

That's the same advice that was offered last week by a Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, a group dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Muslims living in the United States. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

NY: MUSLIM LEADER CONCLUDES CONFERENCE WITH CALLS TO AFFIRM INTERNATIONAL UNITY - TOP
Renée K. Gadoua, Post-Standard, 7/10/06
http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-0/115252187820930.xml&coll=1

Dozens of Muslim women dressed in red and white Sunday, the colors chosen to represent the interwoven nature of their community, as they gathered to listen to Imam W. Deen Mohammed, a national leader praised for embracing all threads of Islam.

"Relationships should continue until you're connected with good people throughout the world," Mohammed told about 200 people at Maxwell Auditorium at Syracuse University.

He is the spiritual leader of an estimated 2.5 million American Muslims and the son of Elijah Muhammad, former leader of the Nation of Islam. After his father's death in 1975, Mohammed shifted the movement toward orthodox Sunni Islam. He rejected some of the teachings of his father, such as the superiority of black people over Jews and other whites. (MORE)

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SOMALIS IN MINNESOTA WATCH, TRY TO INFLUENCE EVENTS BACK HOME - TOP
Associated Press, 7/9/06
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/15002341.htm

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The voice on the other end of the telephone line was seeking help from the other side of the world.

Sheikh Sharif Ahmed called a gathering of influential Somalis in Minneapolis last month to brief them on the takeover a week earlier of the capital Mogadishu by a group known then as the Union of Islamic Courts.

"He asked for our support and our advice," said Ali Khalif Galaydh, a visiting professor at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs and a former prime minister of the troubled east African country.

At the time, Ahmed was the Islamic militia's presumed leader and was seen as a relative moderate. Since then, another leader has moved to the forefront -- Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys -- who is on the U.S. terrorist watch list as a suspected collaborator with al-Qaida.

Galaydh told the Star Tribune that the Minnesota Somalis on the call advised the new rulers they should convince the outside world they are not radicals connected to terrorists, and that they should work with the United Nations-backed transitional government operating from the city of Baidoa.

Minnesota is home to what's thought to be the largest concentration of Somalis in the United States -- an estimated 30,000, including about 25,000 in the Twin Cities. They include two former prime ministers and several former cabinet members, Galaydh said, as well as many prominent doctors, lawyers and religious leaders. (MORE)

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MN: MUSLIM CANDIDATE WITH PARKING TICKETS SEEMS TO UNNERVE SOME - TOP
Nick Coleman, Star Tribune, 7/8/06
http://www.startribune.com/357/story/539892.html

Keith Ellison is black. Keith Ellison is a black Muslim. Keith Ellison is a black Muslim scofflaw who doesn't pay his parking tickets and is sloppy with paperwork.

And another thing: I hear he is a Muslim.

Some folks seem very worried about the possibility Keith Ellison could become the first black Muslim scofflaw elected to Congress. Decent people are not supposed to thumb their noses at parking tickets until after they get to Congress.

By the way, Ellison is not the same kind of Muslim as Osama bin Laden, even though he and Osama share a shocking disregard for parking tickets. Ellison's problem is that he used to be associated with the Nation of Islam, an American religion led by a man named Louis Farrakhan, who would not know Ellison if he sat next to him on the No. 5 bus.

Somehow, Ellison finds himself condemned as a black American who was upset by the Rodney King verdict, spoke on behalf of accused criminals, and worked as an organizer for the Million Man March that called on black men to take responsibility for their families.

That kind of behavior has to be nipped in the bud. (MORE)

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OR: REED PROFESSOR OPENS MINDS ON ISLAM, CULTURE - TOP
Nancy Haught, Oregonian, 7/10/06
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/115250931415950.xml&coll=7

Kambiz GhaneaBassiri is a Muslim. He has a doctorate in Islamic studies from Harvard University and teaches at Reed College. He has one book to his credit and is halfway through writing his second, a history of Islam in the United States since Colonial times.

He is a Carnegie Scholar, one of his profession's highest honors. He is living, for the next year, in Morocco, where he is helping educate more moderate Islamic leaders. He is the father of two children and has been married to his high school sweetheart for 13 years.

He is smart, articulate, thoughtful and innovative. His dark hair and goatee are perfectly trimmed. He seems born to button-down shirts and khaki slacks.

His is a career that many academics would envy. And he is all of 32 years old.

"He was my best teacher, without a doubt," says Sam Kigar, a 2006 Reed graduate. "He taught me that there are simple answers out there. It's just that they rarely fit the questions."

The tough questions and complex answers that GhaneaBassiri grapples with are the same ones that Americans wrestle with if they want to understand Islam and its place in the modern world.

Americans often don't realize that Islam, like Christianity, is incredibly diverse in its expressions, he says. Christians across the world don't agree on every social issue, and neither do Muslims. When he teaches a class on Islam, this is his starting place. (MORE)

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DC: INTERNATIONAL KASHMIR CONFERENCE - TOP

Association of Humanitarian Lawyers & Kashmiri American Council/Kashmir Center Invite you to the Sixth International Kashmir Conference

WHEN: Thursday July 20th & 21st, 2006, Registration: 8:00 a.m.
Where: Capitol Hill, Rayburn House Office Building, Gold Room (Independence Ave & New Jersey Ave.)Nearest Metro: Capitol South, Orange/Blue lines

SEE: http://www.kashmiri.com/

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AN IMAM FROM THE UNITED STATES URGES THE USE OF NON-VIOLENCE IN ENDING THE SOUTHERN UNREST - TOP
Thai News, 7/10/06
http://www.thaisnews.com/news_detail.php?newsid=179139

A visiting imam from the United States pleads for the use of peace and love in solving the southern unrest.

Speaking on "Ways of Life of Communities in the US", in Chiang Mai yesterday, Rohmad P. Payakul said Muslims in America do not support the use of violence to end problems in the far south. Mr. Rohmad said a fire should be put out by water, darkness driven away by light and hatred can be conquered by love.

He said Muslims in the US are concerned about violence in the deep South but believe conflicts have nothing to do with religions.

Mr. Rohmad is a founder of, and an imam at Al-Fatihah mosque built by Thai people in the US. It is the only Thai-Muslim mosque outside Thailand.

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
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Fax: 202-488-0833
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Forwarded Message

Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 15:02:26 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: CAIR Condemns Mumbai Bombings / Con Man Who Targeted Muslims Receives Two Years / U.S. Muslim Coalition Condemns Israeli Actions

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/11/06

* Hadith: Praise God Even in Adversity
* CAIR Condemns Mumbai Bombings
* AMT: U.S. Muslim Coalition Condemns Israeli Actions in Gaza
* CAIR-OH: Security Programs Raise Civil Liberties Concerns
* CAIR: Con Man Who Targeted Muslims Receives Two Years (Mob Reg)
            - Con Man Tries to Talk His Way to Lighter Term (Nat Post)
* CAIR: MySpace Video Spurs Muslims' Call for Investigation
* ME: Coalition to Call for Solidarity with Muslim Community (AP)
            - A Call to Speak Out for Somalis (Press Herald)
* CAIR-MI: Spying Program Faces First Challenge (LA Times)
* CAIR-FL: Minister Who Slammed Islam Quits Post (Sun-Sentinel)
            - Islam-Hater Has No Business Selecting Judges (Miami Herald)
* CAIR-Chicago: We Don't Need to Live with Fear (Chicago Trib)
* US Applies Geneva Convention to Military Detainees (Reuters)
* Washington Post Publishes Op-Ed by Palestinian Prime Minister
            - Israel Bars Palestinian-Americans (Haaretz)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: PRAISE GOD EVEN IN ADVERSITY - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The first to be summoned to Paradise on the Day of Resurrection will be those who praise God in (both) prosperity and adversity."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 730

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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CAIR CONDEMNS MUMBAI BOMBINGS - TOP
Group seeks meeting with Indian ambassador to offer condolences

(WASHINGTON, DC, 7/11/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today condemned a series of bomb attacks on suburban commuter trains serving the city of Mumbai, India, that left at least 135 dead and many more injured. CAIR is also seeking a meeting with the Indian ambassador in Washington, D.C., to offer the Muslim community's condolences for the loss of life.

In a statement, the Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group said:

"These senseless and brutal bombings, like similar attacks in London and Madrid, must be condemned and repudiated by people of all faiths. Those who carry out such crimes only serve to harm any cause they claim to represent. We offer our sincere condolences to the loved ones of those killed or injured and call for the swift apprehension and prosecution of the perpetrators."

CAIR also noted that the Indian Muslim Relief Committee (IMRC) is collecting donations to aid the victims of today's attacks. SEE: http://www.imrc.ws/

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U.S. MUSLIM COALITION CONDEMNS ISRAELI ACTIONS IN GAZA - TOP

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/11/06) - The American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT), a national coalition of 11 major American Muslim organizations, today said Israel's continued targeting of the Palestinian civilian infrastructure is a "war crime" that should be condemned by the Bush administration.

In its statement, the coalition said:

"The Israeli army has been waging a full-fledged war against the Palestinian population, killing scores of civilian men, women and children. These crimes followed an unprecedented act of kidnapping dozens of democratically-elected Palestinian officials and cabinet ministers, including the deputy prime minister. Such acts are nothing short of state-terror.

"The American Muslim Task Force calls on the Bush administration to strongly condemn these war crimes and demand that Israel stop using American taxpayer-funded weapons to carry out attacks that will only serve to intensify the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the West Bank.

"Israeli aggression against a defenseless civilian population is also a violation of the US Arms Export Control Act, which mandates that American weapons can only be used for defensive purposes and not for violations of human rights. The State Department has documented human rights violations by the Israeli military against Palestinian civilians in its annual report.

"We also believe that any attempt to solve the Palestinian/Israeli conflict must be based on the full implementation of all relevant UN resolutions, particularly 194, 242, and 338, return of Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian lands currently occupied by Israel, and the establishment of a viable, independent and sovereign state of Palestine.

"The international community must not allow the Israeli government to use this crisis to remove the democratically-elected Palestinian government and thus strike a devastating blow to the nascent democratic process in the region."

- END -

AMT members and affiliates endorsing this statement include: American Muslim Alliance (AMA), Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA), Muslim American Society (MAS), Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), Muslim Student Association-National (MSA-N), Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA), Project Islamic Hope (PIH), and United Muslims of America (UMA).

CONTACT: Dr. Agha Saeed, Tel 510-299-9313, E-Mail: aghaksaeed@yahoo.com

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CAIR-OHIO RAISES CIVIL LIBERTIES CONCERNS WITH SECURITY OFFICIALS - TOP

(COLUMBUS, OH, 7/11/06) - Representatives of the Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) met recently with officials of that state's Department of Homeland Security (OHS) and the Ohio Department of Public Safety to discuss the civil rights ramifications of certain OHS programs.

The meeting dealt with concerns over OHS programs such as "See Something, Say Something," the School Bus Watch program, as well as the Terrorism Awareness and Prevention (TAP) Program. CAIR raised concerns that the programs may result in profiling and surveillance of ordinary law-abiding citizens.

The "See Something, Say Something" program is a statewide initiative that encourages people to report "suspicious behavior and people" to a terrorism intelligence tip line that is monitored by a consortium of public officials, who transmit the "tips" to law enforcement authorities. Questions have been raised about the integrity and potential misuse of databases generated by such tip lines.

CAIR and other civil liberties groups have also raised concerns that such programs resemble the failed Department of Justice Program Operation TIPS that was derailed by bi-partisan leaders in Congress in 2002 due to potential civil rights abuses.

"Muslim Americans, like all Americans, wish to ensure the safety and security of our nation," said CAIR-Ohio President Dr. Asma Mobin-Uddin. "But it is also important for homeland security programs to include oversight so that innocent people are not targeted merely because of their race, ethnicity or religion."

CONTACT: Julia A. Shearson, 216-830-2247 or 216-440-2247, E-Mail: cleveland@cair-ohio.com; Dr. Asma Mobin-Uddin, 614-451-3232, E-Mail: asma@cair-ohio.com

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CAIR: CON MAN RECEIVES TWO YEARS - TOP
BRENDAN KIRBY, Mobile Register, 7/11/06
http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/1152609389194910.xml&coll=3

A Palestinian man who admitted trying to cheat a Mobile mosque out of $1,500 in a "stranded traveler" scam, will spend two years in prison and then face deportation to his native Israel, a federal judge decided Monday.

Senior U.S. District Judge Charles Butler Jr. agreed to a recommendation from prosecutors to sentence Mohammed Mustafa Agbareia, 40, to the low end of advisory guidelines.

He also ordered the defendant to pay $90,899 to 54 victims from throughout the United States who fell for his scam.

By his own admission, Agbareia targeted Muslims and Islamic organizations in North America, taking advantage of that religion's commandment to assist travelers who have been stranded.

Assistant U.S. Attorney George May told Butler that Agbareia has helped investigators prosecute his co-defendant, Zouhair Hissy, who is fighting attempts by U.S. authorities to extradite him from Canada. Agbareia has offered to help with other criminal investigations, according to his lawyer.

"I will say, he has been very cooperative," May said after Monday's hearing at the federal courthouse in downtown Mobile.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based advocacy group that has tracked Agbareia for years, expressed gratitude to law enforcement authorities.

"We understood all along that he wasn't going to get the long sentence he deserves," said Ibrahim Hooper, the group's spokesman. "It's not a perfect result, but at least he's behind bars. . ." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CON MAN TRIES TO TALK HIS WAY TO LIGHTER TERM - TOP
Defrauded mosques: Man held in Alabama to testify against co-accused
Adrian Humphreys, National Post, 7/11/06
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=7f3e9242-85f4-4cca-93a4-0274f9b254b9

A silver-tongued career con man who was accused of using Canada as a base to defraud Muslim associations around the world is again using his mouth to bail himself out of trouble: He has agreed to testify against his co-accused in return for him getting out of an Alabama prison in half the time.

Mohammed Agbareia, a Palestinian man with Israeli citizenship who was living in Brampton with his Canadian wife and child, was ordered by a judge in Mobile, Ala., yesterday, to pay US$90,000 in restitution to more than 50 victims as part of his deal with the U.S. government.

Under the deal, he was sentenced to two years in prison and has promised to co-operate with the U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Alabama in its prosecution of Zouhair Hissy, a Windsor man who is fighting extradition to the United States.

Agbareia had been phoning mosques and Muslim associations throughout the United States and Europe from Canada, pretending to be a representative of the Saudi-based Islamic Development Bank coming to visit to process a loan or donation application. (MORE)

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CAIR: MYSPACE VIDEO SPURS MUSLIMS' CALL FOR INVESTIGATION - TOP
Karina Gonzalez and Brian Lazenby, Times Free Press, 7/11/06
http://www.tfponline.com/QuickHeadlines.asp?sec=l&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fepaper%2Ewehco%2Ecom%2FWebChannel%2FShowStory%2Easp%3FPath%3DChatTFPress%2F2006%2F07%2F11%26ID%3DAr00101

The FBI is investigating an online video of two men shooting a Quran with a military rifle and one of them later tossing the holy book down outside a Chattanooga mosque, an FBI official said Monday.

"We are looking into the matter," said Tim Burke, supervisor at the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Chattanooga office. "We're letting the attorneys look at it to make decisions about whether it appears there is a federal violation."

Mr. Burke said he had viewed the video Monday.

The footage is titled "kill the koran" and was posted June 17 on MySpace.com, an online networking service. It first shows a man identified as mully88 holding a paperback Quran outside a Barnes & Noble Booksellers.

The next scene, taped in a wooded area, shows mully88 and another man taking turns shooting the Quran with a rifle mully88 identifies as a Colt M-16. The final scene shows a man tossing the bullet-riddled book onto the sidewalk outside the Islamic Center at 1410 Cemetery Ave.

In his profile on the Web site, mully88 identifies himself as a 33-year-old college-educated Chattanooga resident working as a paramedic and mechanic. He says he would "love to see the white race rule the world" and lists his heroes as "anyone who has killed a muslim or tried to kill a muslim."

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations reported the incident to federal officials Monday.

"We would like to see these individuals identified, and we would like the Justice Department to examine what federal charges could be brought against them," said council spokesman Ibrahim Hooper. "We are seeing more and more hate-filled, anti-Muslim rhetoric on Web sites throughout the Internet." (MORE)

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ME: COALITION TO CALL FOR SOLIDARITY WITH MUSLIM COMMUNITY - TOP
Associated Press, 7/11/06
http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2006/07/11/coalition_to_call_for_solidarity_with_muslim_community/

LEWISTON, Maine --Church and volunteer organizations in the Lewiston-Auburn area are calling for a show of support for the Muslim community after a Lewiston man was charged with throwing a severed pig's head into a mosque during a prayer session.

The Many and One Coalition, a group that works against racism and prejudice, is holding a news conference on Wednesday to express outrage over the incident, according to board member Kate Brennan of Greene.

The Lewiston-Auburn Interfaith Clergy Group, the Maine Council of Churches and the Holocaust Human Rights Center will also be represented or issuing statements at the conference.

Thirty-three-year-old Brent Matthews of Lewiston has been charged with desecrating a place of worship. Police said Matthews claimed he threw the pig's head into the mosque as a joke.

On Monday, Gov. John Baldacci announced the creation of a state Office of Multicultural Affairs. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

A CALL TO SPEAK OUT FOR SOMALIS - TOP
JOSIE HUANG, Portland Press Herald, 7/11/06
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/060711lewiston.shtml

Community leaders in Lewiston-Auburn will hold a rally Wednesday in support of Somali Muslims who were stunned when someone rolled a pig's head into their mosque at prayer time last week.

The event is planned for 11:15 a.m., with a tentative location at Courthouse Plaza on Lisbon Street, on the same block as the Lewiston Auburn Islamic Center. Scheduled attendees include Gov. John Baldacci, and speakers will range from high school students to interfaith leaders. (MORE)

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CAIR-MI: DOMESTIC SPYING PROGRAM FACES FIRST CHALLENGE - TOP
Henry Weinstein, Los Angeles Times, 7/11/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-nsa11jul11,1,6474579.story

DETROIT - An attempt to halt the National Security Agency's controversial domestic surveillance program generated intense legal debate Monday before a veteran federal judge, with opponents branding it a threat to American citizens and defenders contending it is legal and essential to national security.

The case is the first major legal challenge to the warrantless wiretapping program, with the Justice Department squaring off against lawyers representing several groups and individuals that seek to have the program declared unconstitutional. . .

Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he was troubled that Bush administration officials talked about exporting democracy but were "trying to circumvent democratic processes" at home.

Asked why government officials should have to go to court to get a warrant before wiretapping, Walid replied: "We have a president, not a king."

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CAIR-FL: CONTROVERSIAL BLACK MINISTER QUITS BROWARD JUDICIAL COMMITTEE AT REQUEST OF GOVERNOR - TOP
Gregory Lewis, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-cdozierjul11,0,7929225.story

The Rev. O'Neal Dozier, a controversial member of the Broward Judicial Nominating Committee, has resigned the post after he said Gov. Jeb Bush's office asked him to step down.

Dozier, whose recent comments about Islam in a news release and on a radio talk show sparked outrage among Muslims, said Monday he did not talk to Bush, but he said the governor's office was unhappy with his remarks. The committee, which Dozier has been on since 2001, nominates judges in South Florida. . .

In a news release late last month, Dozier called Islam "a cult'' and said the mosque's plans have residents in the predominantly "black Christian neighborhood" feeling less safe and secure.

"Their general welfare is being jeopardized by knowing that Muslims are invading their neighborhood," Dozier said.

He said residents worry that Muslims will convert vulnerable young black people to Islam.

"With such a cult in our neighborhood, we believe that our neighborhood could become a breeding ground for terrorists,'' he said.

Altaf Ali, executive director of the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called Dozier's resignation "unfortunate." Ali said he had hoped to sit down with Dozier and iron out the issues over the mosque's plans.

"I feel very sorry for him," Ali said. "I'm disappointed he maintains this position." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ISLAM-HATER HAS NO BUSINESS SELECTING JUDGES - TOP
The Miami Herald, 7/11/06
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/15010075.htm

The malicious falsehoods that the Rev. O'Neal Dozier spouts about the Islamic religion belie his allegiance to the tenets of the Christian religion that he purports to practice.

The Rev. Dozier is free to believe that Islam is a "cult," as he called it on talk radio last week, but his openly expressed views deserve condemnation. Gov. Jeb Bush, who appointed the Rev. Dozier to the Broward County Judicial Nominating Commission, was absolutely right to share his concerns about such insensitive statements. This, apparently, prompted Rev. Dozier's resignation late Sunday from the JNC, and not a moment too soon. The minister's anti-Islam bias, and other questionable behavior, disqualifies him for the post. (MORE)

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CAIR-CHICAGO: WE DON'T NEED TO LIVE WITH FEAR - TOP
Sarah Young, Chicago Tribune, 7/11/06
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0607110251jul11,1,7343298.story

[Sarah Young is a communications intern with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Chicago Chapter.]

I disagree with Tribune staff reporter Rex W. Huppke's characterization of terrorism as a new and increasing threat in "Fear of terrorism as a fact of life; Americans have learned to deal with their worries about crime, but they have yet to adjust to a world where terror is an enduring threat" (Perspective, June 25).

The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, did not represent a fundamental change in the dangers Americans face; rather they reminded them of a threat that has always been present.

This threat of terrorism is and always has been minute. For example, in 2005, the National Counterterrorism Center recorded eight terrorist attacks in the United States. None of them included fatalities or injuries. Indeed all but three consisted solely of property damage by environmental terrorists.

Clearly these statistics give Americans no reason to live in fear.

The fear of terrorism that increased after the Sept. 11 attacks is a fear of so-called "Islamic" terrorism. A review of statistics will also show this fear to be unwarranted. Indeed since Sept. 11, 2001, there have been no attacks attributed to Muslim terrorists. Still whenever a major incident is reported, regardless of its credibility, the media and the public rush to conclude that Muslim terrorists must be behind it--exactly what happened after the arrest of the individuals in Miami--none of whom turned out to associate with any recognized branch of Islam.

When non-Muslims commit terrorism, we do not assume that their faith or lack of faith motivated the attack. Timothy McVeigh, mastermind of the Oklahoma City bombing, the second-most deadly terrorist attack on American soil, was raised Catholic. The attacks did not, however, spark a fear of Catholic terrorism, as the public understands that such attacks are not justified by Catholicism.

It is illogical for the 19 hijackers on Sept. 11 to inspire fear of Islamic terrorism, as the attacks are similarly condemned by Islam.

Huppke suggests that the public should learn to not blow individual events out of proportion, just like we learned to do with crime. This is a wise suggestion. Let us appreciate the efforts of federal, state and local authorities to protect us from all terrorism, and not jump to unjustified conclusions regarding followers of any faith. Only then can we learn to live without fear.

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US APPLIES GENEVA CONVENTION TO MILITARY DETAINEES - TOP
Will Dunham, Reuters, 7/11/06
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=newsOne&storyID=2006-07-11T154812Z_01_N112183_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-USA-DETAINEES.xml

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon acknowledged for the first time that all detainees held by the U.S. military are covered by the protections of an article of the Geneva Conventions that bars inhumane treatment, according to a memo made public on Tuesday.

The memo signed by Gordon England, the No. 2 official in the Defense department, followed a June 29 Supreme Court ruling that struck down as illegal the military tribunal system set up by the Bush administration to try foreign terrorism suspects held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The United States previously has determined that certain prisoners taken in Washington's war on terrorism are not deserving of all of the protections of the Geneva Conventions -- international agreements governing the treatment of prisoners of war.

The memo was made public on the day Congress began hearings on how to proceed in trying Guantanamo prisoners after the high court ruling.

The United States has come under international criticism for how it has treated detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and elsewhere.

The memo, dated July 7, stated that detainees held in U.S. military custody worldwide are covered by Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, which ensures their humane treatment.

The article prohibits violence against detainees, including mutilation, cruel treatment and torture, and "outrages upon personal dignity" including humiliating and degrading treatment." It also ensures care for the sick and wounded.

It also bars sentencing or executing prisoners without a decision by "a regularly constituted court affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples." (MORE)

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AGGRESSION UNDER FALSE PRETENSES - TOP
Ismail Haniyeh, Washington Post, 7/11/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/10/AR2006071001108.html

As Americans commemorated their annual celebration of independence from colonial occupation, rejoicing in their democratic institutions, we Palestinians were yet again besieged by our occupiers, who destroy our roads and buildings, our power stations and water plants, and who attack our very means of civil administration. Our homes and government offices are shelled, our parliamentarians taken prisoner and threatened with prosecution.

The current Gaza invasion is only the latest effort to destroy the results of fair and free elections held early this year. It is the explosive follow-up to a five-month campaign of economic and diplomatic warfare directed by the United States and Israel. The stated intention of that strategy was to force the average Palestinian to "reconsider" her vote when faced with deepening hardship; its failure was predictable, and the new overt military aggression and collective punishment are its logical fulfillment. The "kidnapped" Israeli Cpl. Gilad Shalit is only a pretext for a job scheduled months ago.

In addition to removing our democratically elected government, Israel wants to sow dissent among Palestinians by claiming that there is a serious leadership rivalry among us. I am compelled to dispel this notion definitively. The Palestinian leadership is firmly embedded in the concept of Islamic shura, or mutual consultation; suffice it to say that while we may have differing opinions, we are united in mutual respect and focused on the goal of serving our people. Furthermore, the invasion of Gaza and the kidnapping of our leaders and government officials are meant to undermine the recent accords reached between the government party and our brothers and sisters in Fatah and other factions, on achieving consensus for resolving the conflict. Yet Israeli collective punishment only strengthens our collective resolve to work together.

As I inspect the ruins of our infrastructure -- the largess of donor nations and international efforts all turned to rubble once more by F-16s and American-made missiles -- my thoughts again turn to the minds of Americans. What do they think of this?

They think, doubtless, of the hostage soldier, taken in battle -- yet thousands of Palestinians, including hundreds of women and children, remain in Israeli jails for resisting the illegal, ongoing occupation that is condemned by international law. They think of the pluck and "toughness" of Israel, "standing up" to "terrorists." Yet a nuclear Israel possesses the 13th-largest military force on the planet, one that is used to rule an area about the size of New Jersey and whose adversaries there have no conventional armed forces. Who is the underdog, supposedly America's traditional favorite, in this case?

I hope that Americans will give careful and well-informed thought to root causes and historical realities, in which case I think they will question why a supposedly "legitimate" state such as Israel has had to conduct decades of war against a subject refugee population without ever achieving its goals.

Israel's unilateral movements of the past year will not lead to peace. These acts -- the temporary withdrawal of forces from Gaza, the walling off of the West Bank -- are not strides toward resolution but empty, symbolic acts that fail to address the underlying conflict. Israel's nearly complete control over the lives of Palestinians is never in doubt, as confirmed by the humanitarian and economic suffering of the Palestinians since the January elections. Israel's ongoing policies of expansion, military control and assassination mock any notion of sovereignty or bilateralism. Its "separation barrier," running across our land, is hardly a good-faith gesture toward future coexistence.

But there is a remedy, and while it is not easy it is consistent with our long-held beliefs. Palestinian priorities include recognition of the core dispute over the land of historical Palestine and the rights of all its people; resolution of the refugee issue from 1948; reclaiming all lands occupied in 1967; and stopping Israeli attacks, assassinations and military expansion. Contrary to popular depictions of the crisis in the American media, the dispute is not only about Gaza and the West Bank; it is a wider national conflict that can be resolved only by addressing the full dimensions of Palestinian national rights in an integrated manner. This means statehood for the West Bank and Gaza, a capital in Arab East Jerusalem, and resolving the 1948 Palestinian refugee issue fairly, on the basis of international legitimacy and established law. Meaningful negotiations with a non-expansionist, law-abiding Israel can proceed only after this tremendous labor has begun.

Surely the American people grow weary of this folly, after 50 years and $160 billion in taxpayer support for Israel's war-making capacity -- its "defense." Some Americans, I believe, must be asking themselves if all this blood and treasure could not have bought more tangible results for Palestine if only U.S. policies had been predicated from the start on historical truth, equity and justice. (MORE)

The writer is prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority.

SEE ALSO:

ISRAEL BARS PALESTINIAN AMERICANS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 1967 - TOP
Amira Hass, Haaretz, 7/10/06
http://haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArtVty.jhtml?sw=PALESTINIAN-AMERICAN&itemNo=736349

For the first time since 1967, Israel is preventing the entry of Palestinians with foreign citizenship, most of them Americans.

Most of those refused entry are arriving from abroad, but have lived and worked for years in the West Bank.

The Interior Ministry and Civil Administration made no formal announcement about a policy change, leaving returnees to discover the situation when they reach the border crossings.

By various estimates, the ban has so far affected several thousand American and European nationals, whom Israel has kept from returning to their homes and jobs, or from visiting their families in the West Bank. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 15:10:55 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: FL Pastor Won't Apologize for Remarks on Islam / Episcopal Chief to Protest Israeli Actions

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/12/06

* Verse: God Bestowed His Favor on Moses and Aaron
* CAIR: FBI Opens Investigation on IN Mosque Vandalism
            - ME: Groups Denounce Pig's Head Incident (AP)
            - ME: Prosecutors Have Options in Mosque Desecration Case
            - TN: FBI Investigating Shooting of Muslim Holy Book
            - Quran Vandalism Prompts Shock from TN Muslims
* CAIR: FL Pastor Won't Apologize for Remarks on Islam
            - CAIR-FL: Mosque Protest at City Hall (Miami Herald)
            - CAIR-FL: Anti-Mosque, Anti-Islam Protest (Sun-Sent)
* MO: Course Explores Culture of Muslim Women (KC Star)
* MA: Episcopal Chief to Protest Israeli Actions (Globe)
            - Seven Children Killed in Israeli Air Strike (AP)

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VERSE OF THE DAY: GOD BESTOWED HIS FAVOR ON MOSES AND AARON - TOP

"We bestowed Our favor on Moses and Aaron. We delivered them with all their people from the mighty distress. We helped them so they became victorious. We gave them the Glorious Book, and guided them both to the Right Way. We left their good names among the later generations. Salutation to Moses and Aaron. Thus do We reward the righteous. Surely they were two of Our believing servants."

To obtain or sponsor a FREE Quran, go to: www.explorethequran.org

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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CAIR: FBI OPENS INVESTIGATION ON VANDALISM AT MICHIGAN CITY ISLAMIC CENTER - TOP
JERRY DAVICH, Northwest Indiana Times, 7/12/06
http://nwitimes.com/articles/2006/07/12/news/top_news/146c7ee2290a8cf4862571a9000a31c7.txt

PINE TOWNSHIP | The FBI has opened a federal criminal investigation into the potential hate crime vandalism recently at the Michigan City Islamic Center.

"We take these cases very seriously," FBI special agent Wendy Osborne said.

Last week, Muslim-American leaders of the center, located at 1606 N. County Road 500 East, called the $8,600 damage to their mosque a "systematic hate crime." The mosque serves about 150 families.

On July 2, Porter County police received a report of bullets shot into the center's copper dome, leaving six holes. Also, two glass doors, 10 windows, and a spotlight were vandalized, possibly by a BB gun, according to a police report.

A national Islamic civil rights group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, called on local and national law enforcement authorities to investigate the incident as a possible hate crime.

"Given the type of vandalism reported and the growing level of anti-Muslim rhetoric in our society, it is only prudent to investigate a possible bias motive in this case," said CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper.

Abraham Hakim, president of the Michigan City Islamic Center, said the FBI has contacted center officials and that it is important for his center's leaders "not to hide" from such incidents.

At the least, the vandalism may have planted seeds of intimidation and the second-guessing of safety for Muslim-American center members, he said. He also noted that he has not heard from the center's neighbors or broader community after the incident was publicized. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ME: GROUPS CALL FOR UNITY IN DENOUNCING PIG'S HEAD INCIDENT - TOP
David Sharp, Associated Press, 7/12/06
http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2006/07/12/groups_call_for_unity_in_denouncing_pigs_head_incident/

LEWISTON, Maine --A diverse group of community and church leaders on Wednesday condemned as a hate crime an incident in which a Lewiston man allegedly rolled a frozen pig's head into a mosque as Somali immigrants gathered for evening prayers.

Gathering in a park where John F. Kennedy once spoke, a rabbi, an Islamic leader and Christian ministers joined the governor, the mayor, students and others in offering a harsh condemnation.

They said the pig's head incident at the Lewiston-Auburn Islamic Center was intended to intimidate and to harass.

"Our message is simple: An attack on any house of worship is an attack on all houses of worship," Rabbi Hillel Katzir told a gathering of about 150 people. (MORE)

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ME: PROSECUTORS HAVE OPTIONS IN MOSQUE CASE - TOP
DAVID HENCH, Portland Press Herald, 7/12/06
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/060712lewiston.shtml

When Vincent Hallowell burned a cross near the Augusta home of a black man and a family with biracial children in 1996, federal prosecution led to eight years in prison.

Three years earlier, a Portland jeweler had been the first person in Maine found guilty of a racially motivated federal civil rights crime. Thore Aalto was sentenced to six months for harassing a black woman at a restaurant and threatening to burn her house down.

The FBI is now investigating last week's incident in which Brent Matthews, 33, of Lewiston allegedly tossed a frozen pig's head into a mosque where men were praying, and the U.S. attorney will decide whether federal charges are warranted.

Federal hate crimes prosecutions in Maine are rare, reserved for cases of the most serious behavior. Bringing federal charges would send a strong message that bigotry will not be tolerated, a leading Maine civil rights advocate said.

"We need to respond firmly and aggressively to efforts to intimidate Muslims not to practice the rights everyone else in Maine has the right to practice - their religion," said Stephen Wessler, director of the University of Southern Maine's Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence.

"Where people are able to engage in some of the most important, intimate and spiritual parts of their life, to have to do that in an atmosphere of fear, that's not what this country is about."

Matthews, charged with the misdemeanor of desecrating a church, could face legal action locally, at the state level and by the U.S. Attorney's Office if investigators determine he was motivated by bias against a religion, race or national origin. Matthews is charged with throwing the frozen pig's head into the Lewiston-Auburn Islamic Center on July 3 while 40 men knelt in prayer. (MORE)

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TN: FBI INVESTIGATING SHOOTING OF MUSLIM HOLY BOOK - TOP
Karina Gonzalez, Chattanooga Times Free Press, 7/12/06
http://www.tfponline.com/QuickHeadlines.asp?sec=l&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fepaper%2Ewehco%2Ecom%2FWebChannel%2FShowStory%2Easp%3FPath%3DChatTFPress%2F2006%2F07%2F12%26ID%3DAr00103

Findings from a preliminary FBI investigation into an online video of two men shooting a Quran and one of them throwing it on the ground outside a Chattanooga mosque will be turned over to federal prosecutors, an FBI agent said.

"The FBI has opened a preliminary (probe) to get the facts together," Gary Kidder, special agent with the FBI, said Tuesday. "There will have to be a decision from either the U.S. attorney's office or the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, as to whether the facts of this case trigger a federal (prosecution)."

The video, titled "kill the koran," was reported to federal authorities by a national Muslim advocacy group after it was posted on MySpace.com, an online network service, in June.

In the footage, a 33-year-old man, who identified himself as mully88, is shown outside a Barnes & Noble Booksellers store holding a paperback copy of the Quran. He and another man then are seen shooting at the holy book in a wooded area with what is identified as a Colt M-16. In the last scene, mully88 is seen throwing the damaged Quran onto the sidewalk outside the Islamic Center at 1410 Cemetery Ave.

Officials with the Islamic Center filed a complaint to local law enforcement last summer when the incident took place, said Khalid Hashmi, a spokesman for the Annour Islamic Center in Chattanooga, another mosque. More details of the incident became available through the online posting of the video, he said. (MORE)

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TN: QURAN VANDALISM PROMPTS SHOCK FROM LOCAL MUSLIMS - TOP
Joe Legge, WDEF-TV News 12, 7/11/06
http://www.wdef.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WDEF/MGArticle/DEF_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149189087119

Federal officials say they're looking into whether an on-line video posted by a Chattanooga man involves a hate crime.

The video, called "kill the koran," was posted last month on myspace.com, an on-line community.

The website's author is a 33-year old Chattanooga man. He lists his occupation as a mechanic and paramedic. News 12 received calls today from viewers revealing the man's identity, and he does appear to be local.

Chattanooga's Muslim community expressed outrage and fear after learning of the internet video showing two men, one reportedly local, shooting the Quran. Khaled Hashmi of Annour Islamic Community says "these acts are terrorist acts."

Hashmi says Muslims treat their holy book more important than themselves. While local followers of Islam say they're in shock over the video, statements made on the man's website leave them frightened. "We don't know how many weapons they have and what their intentions are they just may go out and start committing crimes against us," says Hashmi. (MORE)

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CAIR: PASTOR APPOINTED BY BUSH WON'T APOLOGIZE FOR REMARKS ON ISLAM - TOP
BRENDAN FARRINGTON, Associated Press, 7/11/06
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060711/APP/607110945

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Rev. O'Neal Dozier has two missions, and he has been outspoken about achieving both: saving souls and helping Republicans.

A personable black pastor and former professional football player from Broward County, he has associated with Gov. Jeb Bush and recently introduced gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist at a meeting with other pastors - an event at which he said Jesus Christ told him Crist would be the next governor.

But after Dozier called Islam a cult and began fighting a mosque planned for a largely black Pompano Beach neighborhood, Bush's office asked him to resign as a member of a commission that nominates judges for appointment. His views, criticized by Muslims, will mean his political involvement may be less influential, which he sees as a regrettable consequence to his primary mission.

"I need political influence in order to obtain the things that I think that I need to obtain for the Lord, Jesus Christ," he said Tuesday, two days after turning in his resignation. "I would love to be able to maintain that and at the same time win souls for the Lord. But I guess sometimes that's not possible."

And so he offers no apologies and continues to say the Quran is evil. . .

His attitude is a misunderstanding of Islam, Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"He might take a look at his Bible again and see what Jesus what would do in these circumstances," Hooper said. "I doubt that Jesus, peace be upon him, would seek to increase divisions and hostilities in the society in which he lived. Jesus preached love and respect, not hatred and mistrust."
(MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-FL: MOSQUE PROTEST AT CITY HALL - TOP
DARRAN SIMON, Miami Herald, 7/12/06
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/broward_county/15016878.htm

A group of black ministers and dozens of their supporters took their protest of a planned mosque to the Pompano Beach Commission on Tuesday.

Although the issue wasn't on the meeting agenda, the Rev. O'Neal Dozier addressed commissioners during public comments after leading a protest outside City Hall.

Dozier, the pastor of Worldwide Christian Center Church, is leading the effort to block construction of a mosque in a ``black Christian community."

Last week, he characterized Islam as "cult" and "a dangerous religion" on a radio show -- remarks that cost him a political appointment. On Tuesday night, he echoed that sentiment. . .

"The position that Rev. Dozier has taken is one of bigotry," Altaf Ali, the executive director the Florida chapter the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in an interview before the meeting. "Islam teaches an individual to act with justice, to be kind to your neighbor."

Ali attended the protest and challenged Dozier's characterization of Islam. (MORE)

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MORE THAN 60 PEOPLE GATHER IN POMPANO TO PROTEST CONSTRUCTION OF MOSQUE - TOP
Gregory Lewis, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 7/12/06
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-ctension12jul12,0,3900338.story

Led by the Rev. O'Neal Dozier of the Worldwide Christian Center, protesters carried signs opposing the relocation of the mosque from the city's northeast area. Some called Muslims "dangerous" and "terrorists."

Dozier, who last week called Islam a cult, said in an interview commissioners face repercussions at the ballot box if they do not change the June 14 decision. If the commissioners didn't change their minds, Dozier said, he would sue the city.

Inside the commission's chambers, Dozier also repeated some of the rhetoric that prompted Gov. Jeb Bush's office to ask him to resign from Broward County's Judicial Nominating Committee recently.

"We must remember that no matter how peaceful many Muslims seem to be, their core religion's doctrine allows for no other faith to exist peacefully alongside them," Dozier told the commissioners during a public comment period.

Altaf Ali, executive director of the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, also showed up at the protest and said Dozier knew little about Islam. He called Dozier "a bigot," but added, "Despite the hurt in our community, we still want to sit down with him."

"The commission has already approved the mosque, so any noise Dozier makes is irrelevant," Ali said.
(MORE)

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MO: COURSE EXPLORES THE CULTURE OF MUSLIM WOMEN - TOP
JOYCE TSAI, Kansas City Star, 7/12/06
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/15014455.htm

It was an unsettling and uncomfortable experience, Laure Christensen remembers - how they'd sat in a circle and took turns trying on the veils.

One was just a rectangular swathe of black fabric with a cutout for your eyes. Another was a pretty shade of lavender with inner and outer veils. But both changed her whole view of the world for those seconds she slipped them on.

"I wasn't itching to get the next one on," she admits. Before the class, "I associated the veil with violence."

But the experience helped her to understand the complexities behind those generalizations, she said.

Christensen was one of six other students who took a four-week summer course at Park University called "Difficult Dialogues," geared toward understanding more about the lives of Middle Eastern women.

"I really didn't know much about Islam and to be truthful, I was little afraid of it," Christensen said. "To me the world of Muslims or Islam had a connotation of fear and distrust so I wanted to educate myself on what the true beliefs were."

Taught by Cynthia Williams, an associate professor of English, and Judith Richards, Modern Languages department chair, the pilot course was offered for the first time at Park this summer. And they hope to expand the course next year, so that it will include students from the international and military community. (MORE)

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MA: EPISCOPAL CHIEF TO AGAIN PROTEST ISRAELI ACTIONS - TOP
MICHAEL PAULSON, Boston Globe, 7/12/06
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/07/12/episcopal_chief_to_again_protest_israeli_actions/

Bishop M. Thomas Shaw of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, who five years ago jolted local Christian-Jewish relations by joining a pro- Palestinian demonstration in front of the Israeli Consulate in Boston, plans to reprise his performance today with another protest at the same location.

Saying that his Christian faith does not allow him to remain silent in the face of Israel's incursions into Gaza, Shaw said he feels a moral obligation to call attention to the plight of Palestinians, both Christian and Muslim, and especially to an Episcopal hospital in Gaza, Al Ahli Arab, that he said is operating on a generator and is days from running out of electricity to care for its patients.

"I want to draw as much attention to the situation as I possibly can, because I'm concerned about what's happening there," Shaw said yesterday, explaining his decision to join the protest, which is organized by groups supportive of Palestinian rights and critical of Israeli conduct.

"The message I want to send is that I really encourage the Israeli consulate to communicate to the Israeli government and the Israeli military how critical it is for them to immediately withdraw from the Gaza and to do whatever they can, in a humanitarian way, to take care of the 700,000 people who are without any kind of electricity and to provide the necessary fuel, so that medical care can continue to happen and children can be taken care of." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

NINE PALESTINIANS, INCLUDING SEVEN CHILDREN, KILLED IN ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE - TOP
IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press, 7/12/06

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Sharply escalating its military campaign in the Gaza Strip, Israel dropped a quarter-ton bomb on a home Wednesday in an attempt to assassinate top Hamas fugitives. Nine members of a family, including seven children, were killed. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2006 13:38:11 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Canadian Muslims Challenge Entry of Franklin Graham / Anti-Muslim Bigotry from Some Pulpits

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/13/06

* Verse: Invite All with Wisdom and Beautiful Preaching
* CAIR Offers Condolences to Indian Ambassador
            - India: Muslims Line Up for Hours to Donate Blood
* Canadian Muslims Challenge Entry of Franklin Graham
* CAIR-FL: Anti-Muslim Bigotry from Some Pulpits (Sun-Sent)
            - FL: Religious Tolerance Booed Loudly (Miami Herald)
* CA: A Muslim's Choice: Help FBI or Lose Visa (WS Journal)
* NY: Firings in Wake of Bias Suit by Black, Muslim Workers
            - NY: Teacher Works for Understanding of U.S. Muslims (NPR)
* EU Accuses Israel Over Attacks on Lebanon (AP)
            - Dozens of Lebanese Civilians Killed in Israeli Raids

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VERSE OF THE DAY: INVITE ALL WITH WISDOM AND BEAUTIFUL PREACHING - TOP

"Invite (all) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching, and reason with them in the most courteous manner. For your Lord knows best who strays from His path and He knows best who is rightly guided."

The Holy Quran, 16:125

To obtain or sponsor a FREE Quran, go to: www.explorethequran.org

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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CAIR OFFERS CONDOLENCES TO INDIAN AMBASSADOR - TOP

(WASHINGTON, DC, 7/13/06) - Representatives of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today met with the Indian ambassador in Washington, D.C., to offer the American Muslim community's condolences for the loss of life in the recent bomb attacks in the city of Mumbai. Immediately after the attacks, CAIR issued a statement saying the "senseless and brutal bombings. . .must be condemned and repudiated by people of all faiths."

"No political cause will be served through these inhumane acts of violence against innocent people," said CAIR Board Chairman Parvez Ahmed, who took part in today's meeting.

Ambassador Ronen Sen thanked the CAIR delegation and told them that the Indian people are very resilient and he anticipates that there will be a quick return to normalcy and that minority communities will not face a backlash. Sen commended the Indian Muslim community for their quick and unequivocal condemnation of the bombings.

SEE ALSO:

MUSLIMS LINED UP FOR HOURS TO DONATE BLOOD TO HINDU CITIZENS WHO WERE WOUNDED IN THE TRAIN BOMBINGS IN MUMBAI - TOP
MISNA, Spero News, 7/13/0
http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=4354

Muslims lined up for hours to donate blood to Hindu citizens who were wounded in the train bombings in Mumbai. It was a rare signal of harmony just as fears were increasing that the attacks - likely the responsibility of Kashmir separatists - had re-ignited religious tensions.

"We do not care if a Muslim or a Hindu receives our blood the important thing is that it saves lives," said Abdul Khan, one of dozens of Muslims waiting to donate blood in the lineup in front of the Siddarth hospital, near the Jogeshwari hospital, where one of seven explosions took place.

"Whoever tried to break our harmony has failed" said Pasha Mian Sheikh who opened the doors of the 'Islamia Arabia' mosque to offer shelter, food and water. "Hundreds of Muslims," he added, "showed courage and harmony yesterday helping their Hindu brothers." (MORE)

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CAIR-CAN: MUSLIMS SAY ENTRY OF ISLAMOPHOBE RAISES 'DOUBLE STANDARD' ON FREE SPEECH - TOP
Government asked to clarify position barring Imam, but allowing entry of 'Islam is evil' reverend

(OTTAWA, CANADA - 07/13/06) - CAIR-CAN is asking the federal government to clarify its position on freedom of speech after the outcry over a planned visit to Canada of a British Imam and the official silence about the upcoming entry of a U.S. evangelist who has called Islam "a very evil and a very wicked religion."

A spokesperson for Immigration Minister Monte Solberg said "we do not welcome hate-mongers in Canada" when explaining why the federal government recently instituted barriers to prevent the visit of British Imam Riyad ul-Haq. Ul-Haq was accused of having made hateful comments against Jews, homosexuals and other minorities.

The federal government has not said whether U.S. evangelist Reverend Franklin Graham, who is scheduled to visit Winnipeg in October 2006, will face similar barriers to entry.

SEE: Graham's Show of Hope on Its Way to Winnipeg

In a 2001 interview, Graham called Islam "a very evil and a very wicked religion" and in 2005 Graham told an ABC reporter that he had not changed his opinion and made further inflammatory comments against Muslims. Graham has also said that Hindus are "bound by Satan's power."

None of the interest groups who called for ul-Haq to be barred from entry have spoken out about Graham's views or his visit to Canada.

For more information about Graham's Islamophobic comments, see:
http://cbs2.com/topstories/topstories_story_075065149.html

"Based on the different reactions to the comments of both religious leaders, some Canadian Muslims are wondering whether a double standard is being applied," says CAIR-CAN Executive Director Karl Nickner. "As Muslims and as Canadians, we stand firmly against any hateful religious speech by representatives of all faiths."

Nickner says freedom of speech is a cornerstone of Canadian society that should not be so easily abandoned when existing hate speech legislation is sufficient to deal with hateful commentary made on Canadian soil.

CONTACT: CAIR-CAN Communications Director Halima Mautbur, 613-254-9704 or 613-795-2012; CAIR-CAN Executive Director Karl Nickner, 613-254-9704 or 613-853-4111

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BIGOTRY FROM SOME PULPITS, BETTER SENSE IN THE STREETS - TOP
Sun-Sentinel, 7/13/06
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/columnists/sfl-mayocol13jul13,0,7282860.column

In Pompano Beach's Golden Acres apartment complex, across the street from the sign that says, "Rezoning of this property is under consideration," residents say they aren't bothered by the prospect of a mosque next door.

"Everybody is entitled to their religion," said Ruby McCloud.

But a few ignorant ministers, such as the Rev. O'Neal Dozier of the Worldwide Christian Center, appear to have forgotten this American fact of life.

Not only have they tried to block the move of the Islamic Center of South Florida, Dozier has inflamed the situation by repeatedly calling Islam "a cult" and fretting that a Muslim influx could make the neighborhood "a breeding ground for terrorists."

In an interview on Wednesday, Dozier said "all Islam is radical" and he called the Quran "a dangerous, evil instrument" that's "the root of the problem." His proposed solution: banning Islam in the United States.

"There should be freedom of religion, but for one so dangerous as Islam, we ought to carve out an exception," Dozier said. "Every law has exceptions." . . .

Altaf Ali, executive director of the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, spent 90 minutes talking to Dozier on Wednesday after both appeared on Fox News Channel.

"I told him, `I'm very surprised and shocked to see the position you're taking, because historically your people have been discriminated against in the way you're doing to us,'" Ali said. "He's adamant about blaming all Muslims for the actions of a few. ... He's espousing bigotry and hate."
(MORE)

SEE ALSO:

FL: RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE IS BOOED LOUDLY - TOP
FRED GRIMM, Miami Herald, 7/13/06
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15025174.htm

Willie Lawson invoked the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. The NAACP leader spoke of America's founding principles, the need for tolerance, the evil of discrimination.

He was booed loudly. Disapproval fairly cascaded through the audience at Pompano Beach City Hall. It was a reception a civil rights leader hasn't endured in these parts since North Broward was a sprawling tomato patch ruled by racist rednecks.

In the modern version played out Tuesday night, the bigots were black.

They held signs and marched outside City Hall to protest city zoning approval of a mosque in northwest Pompano Beach.

When the City Commission met an hour later, the dissidents' leader, the Rev. O'Neal Dozier of the Worldwide Christian Church, went to the podium and denigrated Islam, a "cult" he called it, and reduced all its practitioners to stark, one-dimensional bomb-wielding American-hating stereotypes.

Dozier accused "Moooslims" (stretching out that first syllable for mocking emphasis) of picking a Christian neighborhood where they could convert young black men to Islam. "We don't need young black men to become more angry, to hate white men. We don't need any more violence."

Dozier's words brought shouts of "Amen!" from the audience. His three-minute diatribe brought applause and then a standing ovation.

When Lawson, president of the North Broward NAACP, rose to call for religious tolerance, it became an act of courage. (MORE)

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A MUSLIM'S CHOICE: HELP FBI OR LOSE VISA - TOP
Peter Waldman, Wall Street Journal Europe, 7/13/06
http://online.wsj.com/public/us

Last November, when Yassine Ouassif crossed into Champlain, New York, from Canada, border agents questioned him for several hours. Then they took away his green card and sent him home to San Francisco by bus, with strict instructions: As soon as he got there, he was to call a man named Dan.

Dan, it turned out, was Daniel Fliflet, a counterterrorism agent for the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mr. Ouassif met the agent at a train station in nearby Oakland on Nov. 30.

Mr. Fliflet told the 24-year-old Moroccan that he had been monitoring his friends and him for many months, Mr. Ouassif recalls. Mr. Fliflet made him an offer: Become an informant and regularly report to the FBI on what his Muslim friends in San Francisco were saying and doing. In exchange, he would get back his green card. He could resume his education, bring his Moroccan wife to America and pursue his dream of buying a car, moving to Sacramento, California's capital, and becoming an engineer.

If he refused? asked Mr. Ouassif. "I will work hard to deport you to Morocco as soon as possible," Mr. Fliflet responded, according to an account written by Mr. Ouassif soon after the meeting.

Mr. Ouassif's encounters with federal officials -- and with intelligence agencies on two other continents -- came to a head in April. His story provides a window into a largely covert front of the war on terror: the FBI's aggressive pursuit of Muslim informants. Since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the bureau has had the difficult task of penetrating a culture that few agents know anything about. It has responded with a forceful effort to conscript eyes and ears within Muslim communities.

Some of the recruitment is public. FBI agents plead for community assistance in meetings at mosques and other Muslim conclaves. Agents also are under pressure to develop confidential sources.

Over the years, informants have been vital in developing criminal cases against drug gangs, the Mafia and other organized crime. But when agents resort to coercive tactics, it sometimes backfires, some FBI agents say.

"The best FBI man is really just a good salesman," says Patrick Webb, a retired FBI supervisor who set up San Francisco's terrorism task force in the 1990s. "Blackmail of any type is blackmail. That never works." . . .

Another federal official familiar with Mr. Ouassif's case says government lawyers have become much more discerning about the treatment of Muslim immigrants since the years immediately following Sept. 11. "We know the FBI is desperate for human assets, for feet on the ground, but the worst thing we could possibly do is threaten and blackmail people and treat them with disrespect," this official says.

Ms. Quy, the FBI spokeswoman in San Francisco, says Mr. Fliflet thought he could help Mr. Ouassif with a visa problem and didn't set out to threaten him. "We're learning, too," she says. "We need to understand where the boundaries are for them, as well as us." She says the suspicions about Mr. Ouassif and his acquaintances are "diminishing all the time, because our questions are getting answered." (MORE)

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NY: 8 WORKERS FIRED IN WAKE OF BIAS LAWSUIT - TOP
ALAN WECHSLER and DENNIS YUSKO, Times-Union, 7/13/06
http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=499296&category=REGIONOTHER&BCCode=LOCAL&newsdate=7/13/2006

GLENVILLE -- Saying it would not accept discrimination on the job, Super Steel Schenectady Inc. fired eight employees Wednesday, three months after black workers at the locomotive manufacturer sued the company claiming they were subjected to repeated racial slurs and intimidation.

The company did not detail the reason for the dismissals or announce who was let go.

"Super Steel Schenectady Inc. will not tolerate any employee conduct in violation of its policies against discrimination and harassment," Super Steel said in a brief announcement e-mailed to the Times Union. "This is a confidential personnel matter, and we are prepared to defend any and all personnel actions taken."

Company spokesman William Carr declined to provide further comment.

Reports of racial abuse at the Milwaukee company's Glenville plant surfaced in April, when nine present and past black employees of the plant lodged a $175 million lawsuit against the company.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Albany, alleged racial harassment and discrimination were deeply embedded in the company's culture and work climate, and that the plant contained a segregated break room.

Black and Muslim employees were allegedly subjected to threats of violence, pro-Ku Klux Klan graffiti and racial taunts on the job. Former welder Criss Murphy found a stuffed monkey hanging from a noose inside his work locker in January, the suit alleges. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

TEACHER WORKS FOR UNDERSTANDING OF U.S. MUSLIMS - TOP
Anne Garrels, NPR, 7/13/06
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5554170&ft=1&f=1003

Morning Edition, July 13, 2006 · Five years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a New York elementary school teacher, who came to the U.S. as a young Muslim immigrant, has become a vocal activist for American understanding of Muslims in the U.S.

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EU ACCUSES ISRAEL OVER ATTACKS ON LEBANON - TOP
PAUL AMES, Associated Press, 7/13/06

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - The European Union on Thursday criticized Israel for using "disproportionate" force in its attacks on Lebanon following the cross-border raid by Hezbollah guerillas who captured two Israeli soldiers.

The EU also called Israel's naval blockade cutting off supply routes to Lebanon unjustified.

Separately, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he was planning a peace mission to the Middle East.

"The European Union is greatly concerned about the disproportionate use of force by Israel in Lebanon in response to attacks by Hezbollah on Israel," according to a statement issued by Finland, which holds the EU's rotating presidency. "The presidency deplores the loss of civilian lives and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. The imposition of an air and sea blockade on Lebanon cannot be justified." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ISRAEL WIDENS LEBANON REPRISALS, 36 CIVILIANS DIE - TOP
Nadim Ladki, Reuters, 7/13/06

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Israel struck Beirut airport and Hizbollah television and began enforcing a naval blockade of Lebanon on Thursday, intensifying reprisals after Hizbollah seized two Israeli soldiers and killed eight a day earlier.

The Israeli attacks have killed 36 Lebanese civilians. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

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Forwarded Message

Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2006 16:23:04 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Urge Elected Officials to Condemn Israeli Attacks on Civilians

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

CAIR ACTION ALERT #493

URGE CONGRESS, PRESIDENT TO CONDEMN ISRAELI ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS
Dozens of innocent people killed in 'disproportionate' attacks

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/13/06) - CAIR today called on American Muslims and other people of conscience to contact their elected representatives and urge that they condemn Israeli attacks on civilians in Gaza and Lebanon that have left dozens of innocent civilians dead, and many more wounded.

Following incidents in which several Israeli soldiers were taken captive by militants, Israel has launched attacks that the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU), France, Greece, and other nations have termed "disproportionate," "excessive" and "pointless." Dozens of Lebanese civilians, sometimes whole families, have been killed in the most recent Israeli attacks.

A statement issued by Finland, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, said: "The European Union is greatly concerned about the disproportionate use of force by Israel in Lebanon in response to attacks by Hezbollah on Israel. The presidency deplores the loss of civilian lives and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. The imposition of an air and sea blockade on Lebanon cannot be justified." France's foreign minister condemned Israel's attacks as "a disproportionate act of war." Greece called on Israel "to avoid the use of excessive and pointless force which cannot provide a solution to the problem."

Israeli attacks on civilian infrastructure in Gaza have produced a humanitarian crisis of massive proportions. Electricity is out 12-18 hours a day in Gaza following an Israeli attack on the area's only power plant two weeks ago. Gaza hospitals are only taking emergency cases. Many people are selling everything they own just to buy scarce food supplies. A spokeswoman for the UN's World Food Program said some 85 percent of Gazans are dependent on food handouts and many families are eating only one meal a day.

SEE: Crisis in Gaza? (NBC)

"Israel is killing civilians and inflicting massive humanitarian suffering on both the Palestinian and Lebanese populations in order to achieve a political goal, which clearly fits the definition of state terrorism," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. Awad said that more Americans are realizing that Israel is a strategic liability, not an asset to the United States, as outlined in a recent Harvard University report.

SEE: The Israel Lobby (London Review of Books)

IMMEDIATE ACTIONS REQUESTED:

1) CONTACT YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES
(including President Bush) and ask them to publicly condemn Israel's "disproportionate and excessive" attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructures in Gaza and Lebanon.

Point out that such attacks only serve to strengthen extremism in the region and that the United States must adopt a Middle East policy that is in our nation's, not Israel's interest.

TO CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS, GO TO: http://capwiz.com/cair/dbq/officials/

2) PUT YOUR CELL PHONE TO GOOD USE. Call all of your friends and family members and ensure that they contact their elected officials. Act as a facilitator. You can enter their zip code into our website at http://capwiz.com/cair/dbq/officials/ and get the names and contact information of their Senators.

3) CONTACT THE MEDIA. Call in to radio talk shows and write letters to the editor to express your views. To find local media contact information, go to: http://capwiz.com/cair/dbq/media/

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: CAIR Government Affairs Director Corey P. Saylor, E-Mail: csaylor@cair-net.org, Tel: (202) 488-8787 x6413, (571) 278-4658

- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the American Muslim community. Subscribers to the list receive news releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on issues of importance to our society.

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

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Forwarded Message

Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2006 13:24:50 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Blast at OH Arab-American Restaurant 'Suspicious' / ISLAM-OPED: Moral Values Must Guide Our Mideast Policy / Vatican Condemns Israel for Attacks on Lebanon

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/14/06

* Hadith: Better to Forgive Than to Punish
* CAIR-OH: Blast at Arab-American Restaurant 'Suspicious'
            - CAIR-Chicago Kicks Off Electoral Campaign
* ISLAM-OPED: Moral Values Must Guide Our Mideast Policy
            - Vatican Condemns Israel for Attacks on Lebanon
            - CAIR Blasts Israel's 'Attacks on Civilians'
* CAIR-FL: Tampa Woman Witnesses Beirut Attack (Tampa Trib)
            - CAIR: Worry of War Extends to Northwest Indiana
            - CAIR-MI: Metro Families Stranded as Bombs Strike Lebanon
            - CAIR-NY: Local Leaders Call for Resolution to Conflict
* FL: Bias Against Islam - Community Should Speak Out (Herald)
* Canada: Islamic Values and Capitalism Find Common Ground

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HADITH OF THE DAY: BETTER TO FORGIVE THAN TO PUNISH - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "It is better for a leader to make a mistake in forgiving than to make a mistake in punishing."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1011

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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CAIR-OH: RESTAURANT BLAST RULED 'SUSPICIOUS' - TOP
Cameron Fullam, Pulse Journal, 7/13/06
http://www.pulsejournal.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/07/13/pj0713arson.html

An explosion last week at a West Chester Twp. restaurant owned by a Jordanian immigrant has members of the Arab and Muslim community worried it was ethnically motivated.

The blast was the fourth time the restaurant, Steak Thyme, 8179 Princeton-Glendale Road, had been damaged by fire since May 21.

Musa Shteiwi and his family watch as investigators gather evidence at Steak Thyme last Thursday hours before a blast would send him and his son to the hospital.

Karen Dabdoub, a spokeswoman for the local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Muslim residents of the area talked to her over the weekend about the fires and expressed concern that similar attacks could happen again.

"Anytime an attack like this happens, the perception in the Arab and Muslim community is that it is ethnically or religiously motivated," Dabdoub said. "Especially in the absence of perpetrators being caught by law enforcement, that's the fear. Until that (motivation) is discovered, people speculate, rightly or wrongly."

Investigators said they are considering the possibility the attack is a hate crime. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-CHICAGO KICKS OFF ELECTORAL CAMPAIGN - TOP

(CHICAGO, IL, 7/14/06) - CAIR-Chicago, along with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and other host organizations, has launched an electoral summer campaign with the goal of mobilizing 45,000 people to come to the polls on November 7.

The New Americans Democracy Project (NADP), the 2006 version of the electoral campaign run two years ago, aims to mobilize registered voters and register all eligible citizens in Illinois to vote. CAIR-Chicago, as a host organization, will be working intensively in the third congressional district's Bridgeview and surrounding areas. As a host organization, CAIR-Chicago's Governmental Relations Coordinator Sadiya Ahmed will be the supervisor for the CAIR-Chicago fellow.

For more information on the New Americans Democracy Project, contact Sadiya Ahmed at gov.relations@cairchicago.org or at 312-212-1520

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ISLAM-OPED: MORAL VALUES MUST GUIDE OUR MIDEAST POLICY - TOP

ISLAM-OPED is a national syndication service of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) designed to offer an American Muslim perspective on current political, social and religious issues. ISLAM-OPED commentaries are offered free-of-charge to one media outlet in each market area. Permission for publication will be granted on a first-come-first-served basis.

CONTACT: ihooper@cair-net.org
TEL: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726 (c)

Please consider the following commentary for publication.

---

MORAL VALUES MUST GUIDE OUR MIDEAST POLICY
By Hadia Mubarak
WORD COUNT: 711

[Hadia Mubarak is member of the board for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties group. Mubarak is currently a researcher at American University's School of International Service in Washington, D.C. She may be contacted at: hadia.mubarak@gmail.com]

I do not believe that any American with an ounce of moral conscience can sit idly by as 1.4 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip starve to death because of measures taken by a state that receives billions of our tax dollars each year.

"Starve to death" is not an exaggeration. Not when Israel closes down all Gaza's land, sea and air access routes, preventing the entry of food, fuel or humanitarian assistance for more than two weeks. Not when Israel destroys the only power plant in the entire Gaza Strip, cutting off 700,000 people from water and electricity.

A spokeswoman for the UN's World Food Program said some 85 percent of Gazans are dependent on food handouts and many families are eating only one meal a day. More than 30,000 children suffer from malnutrition, and this number will increase as diarrhea spreads due to food contamination and the limited supply of clean water.

The safe return of a captured Israeli soldier might have been accomplished by other less punitive measures. But Israel did not explore alternatives and instead used "disproportionate" force, according to the United Nations.

How do the deaths of dozens of Palestinians help secure the release of Gilad Shalit? How is Israel fighting terrorism when it drops a missile on the Wahba family home in Khan Younis as they sit down to enjoy their last meal? What will become of one-year-old Khaled Wahba, paralyzed and unconscious from a wound in the head by shrapnel from the missile? How many more orphans like Khaled Wahba will Israel create before it begins to heed international law?

The longer the United States allows Israel to inflict collective punishment upon civilians and civilian infrastructure in Gaza, and now Lebanon, the more our nation's interests and image are harmed worldwide.

As John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt pointed out in their recent study "The Israel Lobby," Israel is a strategic liability to the United States in the war on terror.

It is a well-known fact that America has supported Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories by providing a total of $140 billion in taxpayer dollars from 1976 to 2005. And it is also a fact that this one-sided support for Israel has turned a large part of the world against us.

During a recent six-week trip in the Muslim world for a research project sponsored by American University, Brookings Institute and Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, I observed that the main contention Muslims have with the United States is its unconditional and unbalanced support for Israel.

From high school students in Karachi's elite Grammar School, to university students at Turkey's Fatih University, Syria's Abu Nour Institute and the University of Jordan, the same questions came up again and again: "Why does America support Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian territories with financial and military aid? Why does it turn a blind eye on Israel's human rights violations?"

I would explain to university students, taxi drivers, waiters, and even my own relatives in the Arab world that the American people have no idea what is going on inside the Palestinian territories. I would tell them that they cannot judge the American people by the actions of politicians more concerned with campaign donations than with our nation's international image. As a native-born Arab-American, I would tell them how the majority of Americans have shown nothing but respect and openness to my ethnic heritage and faith.

Those responses may have worked in the past, but not anymore.

Our failed policies in the Middle East have bred nothing but anti-American hostility and mistrust of our intentions in the region. The only way to rectify this dismal situation is to actually put into practice the principles of freedom and justice upon which this country was founded. We must demand an end to Israel's attacks on Palestinian and Lebanese civilians.

After all, the definition of terrorism is attacks on civilian targets designed to achieve a political goal. What else is Israel doing when it attempts to starve the Palestinians into submission or bomb Lebanon's infrastructure until its soldiers are released?

Our moral values must become the guiding principles of our foreign policy. This is the most important step we can take to make America more secure for our children.

SEE ALSO:

VATICAN CONDEMNS ISRAEL FOR ATTACKS ON LEBANON - TOP
Reuters, 7/14/06
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060714/3/2n5ti.html

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican on Friday strongly deplored Israel's strikes on Lebanon, saying they were "an attack" on a sovereign and free nation.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano said Pope Benedict and his aides were very worried that the developments in the Middle East risked degenerating into "a conflict with international repercussions."

"In particular, the Holy See deplores right now the attack on Lebanon, a free and sovereign nation, and assures its closeness to these people who already have suffered so much to defend their independence," he told Vatican Radio.

Israel struck Beirut airport again on Friday and bombed Lebanese roads, power supplies and communication networks in a widening campaign after Hizbollah guerrillas seized two Israeli soldiers and killed eight.

Sodano said the Vatican condemned both "terroristic attacks" and military reprisals.

Hizbollah, which wants to trade its captives for prisoners held in Israel, has showered rockets across the frontier in its fiercest bombardment since 1996 when Israel launched a 17-day blitz against southern Lebanon and Hizbollah.

But Sodano reserved his harshest words for Israel.

"The right of defence on the part of a state does not exempt it from its responsibility to respect international law, particularly regarding the safeguarding of civilian populations," he said.

---

ISLAMIC GROUP BLASTS ISRAEL'S 'ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS' - TOP
Susan Jones, CNSNews.com, 7/14/06
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200607/NAT20060714b.html

(CNSNews.com) - A U.S.-based Islamic civil rights group is urging American Muslims and "other people of conscience" to urge their elected representatives to condemn the Israeli attacks on "civilians in Gaza and Lebanon."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations says American Muslims should tell Congress and President Bush that Israel's attacks "only serve to strengthen extremism in the region and that the United States must adopt a more balanced Middle East policy." . . .

CAIR, in a press release issued on Thursday, noted that the United Nations, the European Union, France Greece and other nations have described Israel's attack as "disproportionate," "excessive" and "pointless."

"Dozens of Lebanese civilians, sometimes whole families, have been killed in the most recent Israeli attacks," CAIR said. (MORE)

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CAIR-FL: TAMPA WOMAN WITNESSES BEIRUT ATTACK - TOP
CHRIS ECHEGARAY, Tampa Tribune, 7/14/06
http://www.tbo.com/news/nationworld/MGBU7421MPE.html

From a 10th-floor balcony, Pilar Saad watched as Israeli missiles cut through the sky, striking the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon.

The air was smoky from huge fires burning, the power out in some regions.

At 10 p.m. Thursday from Beirut, Saad, of Tampa, gave the account over a land-line telephone. She was to fly out of Beirut International Airport on July 23, but parts of that airport are in flames.

"Without a doubt, the casualties will increase," she said. "All the people are in basement shelters. They are terrified. Kids are crying and scared and fear for their safety. This has to stop. We are the victims of state terrorism." . . .

Ahmed Bedier, local spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, interviewed Pilar Saad on local radio station WMNF, 88.5 FM, on Thursday. Bedier spoke to Saad for 25 minutes about the escalation.

"The sentiment is the [Israeli] reaction is disproportionate," Bedier said. "There is a great deal of concern for civilians."

SEE ALSO:

CAIR: WORRY OF WAR EXTENDS TO NORTHWEST INDIANA - TOP
CHANDRA JOHNSON and JOHN SCHEIBEL, The NWI Times, 7/14/06
http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2006/07/14/news/top_news/4f0f54d2adb5c13e862571ab0010f653.txt

From whatever background or ethnicity, Northwest Indiana residents were troubled Thursday by increasingly violent events in the Middle East and the prospects of war. . .

But Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Israeli attacks are not justified and without the support of the United Nations or the European Union.

"We are calling on all people of conscience to contact their elected officials to condemn Israel's indiscriminate attack on Lebanon," Hooper said. "It's clear that the attacks on Lebanon are disproportionate to any attack against Israel." (MORE)

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CAIR-MI: METRO FAMILIES STRANDED AS BOMBS STRIKE LEBANON - TOP
Gregg Krupa, Detroit News, 7/14/06
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060714/METRO/607140403/1003

When Hassan Komeiha, a businessman from Dearborn vacationing in southern Lebanon, heard the Israeli defense forces were coming, he scooped up his small children, called to his wife, Lara, and headed for the mountains.

"We heard some bombs, and we went right away from the house to go up to the mountains where it was safer," Komeiha said in a telephone interview Thursday. "My children aren't used to hearing stuff like that. We need to get out of here -- ASAP!"

Like the Komeihas, thousands of Lebanese immigrants who live in Metro Detroit are stranded in Lebanon, amid an escalating Israeli attack. Some are traveling on business, but many vacation, as they do every summer.

The State Department estimated Thursday that there are about 25,000 Americans in Lebanon, and a spokeswoman said it could provide no information about when any of them can safely leave. . .

Metro Detroit Muslim and Christian leaders, along with the Council on American Islamic Relations, are scheduled to speak out today against the Israeli aggression in Lebanon and Gaza, as are members of the Council of Arab American Organizations. (MORE)

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CAIR-NY: LOCAL LEADERS CALL FOR RESOLUTION TO CONFLICT - TOP
BRITNEY TABOR, Newsday, 7/14/06
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/ny-litens0714,0,6673234.story

Religious leaders in New York and on Long Island called for a peaceful resolution to the growing conflict between Israel and Lebanon, but had different perspectives on who is responsible for the escalating violence.

Habeeb Ahmad, president of the Islamic Center of Long Island in Westbury, said he thinks Israel's retaliation has been too heavy-handed and events have spun out of control. He said worshipers of the Islamic Center are praying for peace and a hopeful outcome.

"They both have to respect each other's territorial borders," Ahmad said. "Two wrongs don't make a right. Cooler heads should prevail." . . .

In New York, the Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a statement that Israel is creating a "humanitarian crisis" which will only further escalate tensions. The organization stated that it has condemned Hezbollah in the past, but the Israeli attacks are excessive.

"World leaders have already condemned the attack as disproportionate to the current conflict and are looking for the U.S. to do the same," the statement read. "It is vital to our nation's War on Terror that we do not support state-sponsored terrorism."

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FL: BIAS AGAINST ISLAM - TOP
Our Opinion: Community Should Speak Out Against Religious Prejudice
Miami Herald, 7/14/06
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/15034596.htm

Shame on the Rev. O'Neal Dozier and his supporters for their brazen display of bigotry and ignorance in opposition to the planned construction of an Islamic mosque in a Pompano Beach neighborhood.

Rather than challenge the location of the mosque on merit, the Rev. Dozier instead chose to attack Islam as a religion, and then to associate the religion with terrorists. He called Islam a "cult" and 'a dangerous religion." When challenged, he explained: "We feel this way because we know our country was attacked on 9/11 and is still threatened by radical Islamic terrorists."

The Rev. Dozier asserts that he has the right to express his opinions -- and on that point he is correct. The U.S. Constitution protects his right to freely express himself so long as his speech isn't inflammatory. The Rev. Dozier's statements about Islam are harmful nonetheless. They also are irresponsible and flat-out wrong. He broad-brushes all who practice Islam -- and there are hundreds of millions of believers worldwide -- as belonging to a cult. Surely the Rev. Dozier and his supporters recognize that kind of blanket characterization as unmitigated bias. (MORE)

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MUSLIM INVESTORS TREAD CAREFULLY - TOP
Islamic values and capitalism find common ground despite restrictions
DALE JACKSON, Globe & Mail, 7/14/06
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060714.RMUSLIMFUNDS14/TPStory/Business

In a forum on muslim-investor.com, a Muslim investor asks an Islamic scholar if it is halal, or permissible, to profit from an investment that nearly doubled in a short period of time after the company was acquired by a Japanese firm.

It's an easy call for most investors but the scholar weighs the issue and eventually concludes that taking profit is halal in that particular case because the investor originally saw value in the first company and there was no intent to speculate on the direction of the market.

Generally, under Islamic law profit may be taken to the extent that the normal course of the market will allow. A stock price cannot be inflated through artificial means, exploitation of advantages or monopolies. Margins cannot be so high as to be "detrimental" to the welfare of society.

"It all comes down to intention," says Jaafer Syed, senior financial consultant at Oakville, Ont.-based W.H. Stuart & Associates. Mr. Syed provides investment services for nearly 500 Muslim Canadians across Canada. "Not everything is black and white," he says. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2006 17:50:10 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: CAIR Asks Bush to Demand that Israel Allow Evacuation of Americans in Lebanon

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAIR ASKS BUSH TO DEMAND THAT ISRAEL ALLOW EVACUATION OF AMERICANS IN LEBANON
Muslim advocacy group says Americans in Israeli army may violate Neutrality Act

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/14/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on President Bush to demand that Israel stop bombing civilian areas in Lebanon at least long enough to safely evacuate some 25,000 U.S. citizens in that nation.

SEE: U.S. Developing Plans to Evacuate Citizens From Lebanon (CNN)

Bush has rejected calls for a cease-fire despite the fact that Israeli attacks from land, sea and air have killed dozens of Lebanese civilians and severely damaged Lebanon's civilian infrastructure. Israel's attacks on Lebanon have been condemned as "disproportionate" by the international community, including the United Nations, the European Union and the Vatican.

SEE: Bush Won't Pressure Israel for Cease-Fire (AP)

Israel's bombing campaign has made it too dangerous for many U.S. citizens, both diplomatic personnel and Muslim and Christian Lebanese-Americans, to leave the areas under attack.

SEE: MI: Detroiters React to Mideast Tensions (WXYZ)
FL: Tampa Woman Witnesses Beirut Attack (Tampa Tribune)
MI: Metro Families Stranded As Bombs Strike Lebanon (Detroit News)
NJ: Explosive Situation Hits Home for Many (Herald News)

"If a call for the full cessation of attacks on the civilian population of an American ally is too much to ask for, at least we can demand that Israel stop its bombing campaign long enough to evacuate American citizens," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "The highest duty of any president is to protect the lives of Americans."

Awad also called on the State Department to issue an advisory to U.S. citizens in the Israeli armed forces that they risk violating the Neutrality Act by taking part in attacks on a friendly nation.

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

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Forwarded Message

Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2006 08:51:59 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Condemn Israeli 'Massacre' of Lebanese Civilians

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

BREAKING NEWS

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Urge your friends, relatives and colleagues to sign up to receive CAIR-NET updates by going to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

-----

U.S. MUSLIMS CONDEMN ISRAELI 'MASSACRE' OF LEBANESE CIVILIANS
At least 12 Lebanese civilians killed in convoy fleeing Israeli threats

(WASHINGTON, DC, 7/15/06) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today on the international community to intervene after at least 12 Lebanese civilians, including women and children, were killed in an Israeli attack on a convoy fleeing threats to destroy their village. The fleeing civilians had reportedly sought protection from U.N. peacekeeping forces in the area, but had been turned away.

SEE: 12 Lebanese Killed In Convoy Attack (AP)

In a statement, the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said:

"The international community must respond to this latest massacre of Lebanese men, women and children by taking concrete action to protect that nation's civilian population and infrastructure from attack.

"Israel has stated clearly, and demonstrated through violent actions, that it is attacking civilian targets in Lebanon in order to achieve a political goal. This is the very definition of state terrorism.

"Our nation cannot maintain credibility in condemning acts of terror carried out by individuals and groups, while offering diplomatic cover and material support to a state that is engaged in a brutal campaign against an entire civilian population."

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

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Forwarded Message

Date: Sun, 16 Jul 2006 16:14:23 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Israeli Strike Kills 8 Canadians / The Truth About the Israel Lobby / Muslim Women in U.S. Feel Empowered

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/16/06

* Verse: Every Creature Praises God in its Own Way
* CAIR-CA: Muslim Women in U.S. Feel Empowered (Sac Bee)
* CAIR-CAN: Know Your Rights, Muslims Urged (Toronto Sun)
* The Truth About the Israel Lobby's Influence (Wash Post)
* ISLAM-OPED: Values Must Guide Mideast Policy (Birmingham News)
            - Israeli Air Strike Kills 8 Canadians in Lebanon
            - ACTION: Contact Congress to Condemn Israeli Attacks
            - CAIR-MI: For Michigan, Middle East Conflict is Local
            - Children Die as Israel Widens Lebanon Assault (Observer)
            - Lebanese Baby's Body Parts Hung from Trees After Attack
* TN: Quran Shooting Suspects Cooperating with Authorities
            - Muslims, Mosques in ME, TN, IN Targets of Hate
* CAIR-FL: Muslim Congregation Stunned by Anti-Islam Bigotry
            - IN: Group Rallies to Side of Islamic Center
            - CAIR-TX: Muslims Counteract Fear at Conference
* MI: Dearborn Christians Reach Out to Muslims (GR Press)
* IL: 2nd Annual Conference of Muslim Chaplains (ISNA)

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VERSE OF THE DAY: EVERY CREATURE PRAISES GOD IN ITS OWN WAY - TOP

"Do you not see that God is the one who is praised by all (creatures) in the heavens and on earth, (even by) the birds (of the air) with wings outspread? Each one knows its own (mode of) prayer and praise."

The Holy Quran, 24:41

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CAIR-CA: MANY MUSLIM WOMEN IN U.S. FEEL EMPOWERED - TOP
Stephen Magagnini, Sacramento Bee
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060716/LIFESTYLE04/607160328

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The mosque -- or masjid in Davis, Calif., had become too small for the city's growing Muslim population, and a thorny debate arose over how to rectify the problem.

The all-male mosque board was riven with politics, and when her husband quit, Dr. Shereen Zakauddin Vera volunteered to take his place.

Vera quickly spoke up -- when the men talked of building a second story where the women and children could pray, she argued, "Why do we have to pray upstairs? We have old women who have trouble getting up and down."

Her concerns were heard, and she took a key role in raising the $650,000 needed to tear down the old mosque and build a larger, 4,000-square-foot house of worship.

Instead of hiding behind tradition, a growing number of American Muslim women such as Vera are looking inward, re-examining their role in Islam and stepping up as community leaders.

Since 9/11, in particular, the women "are finding their voice and trying to reconcile their love and passion for Islam with universal principles of democracy and freedom," said Madhavi Sunder, a University of California, Davis, law professor writing a book on Islamic women.

What the attack on New York City's twin towers did was bring American Muslims from South Asia, the Middle East and Africa together, Sunder said. "It certainly was a galvanizing event. Among young people there's been a revolt against the stereotype of the silent, victimized Muslim women."

Rather than rejecting their traditions, women are digging in deeper, beyond extremism, to a level of individual activism that reflects a more moderate Islam. "You do not see them rejecting Islam," Sunder said. "But you're seeing them in the upper echelons of leadership, even in the mosque, increasingly calling attention to the Islamic principles of equality and democracy."

This awakening can be seen from coast to coast, said Mohamed Nimer, research director for the Council on American Islamic Relations, the nation's leading Muslim civil rights group.

"The profile of women in America is totally different than in many majority Muslim countries," Nimer said. "They are more highly educated, a lot more likely to be part of a two-income household, they make money and contribute to community institutions, so they have more voice. Since 9/11, Muslims have been discussing many things, not just women's roles but the very definition and nature of American Muslim identity."

Women are leaders in CAIR chapters in places including Los Angeles and the San Francisco bay area.

Safaa Ibrahim, executive director of the Bay Area chapter, said that before 9-11, "I wasn't very religious, I didn't make it to the mosque every Friday."

But, "Because the people who carried out the attack called themselves Muslim, it made me need to explain that these people were misinterpreting the faith."

Not only did she "dive into becoming more informed about Islam," Ibrahim said she chose to wear her hijab "to show pride in my faith rather than allow the faces of terrorists to represent the faith."

While Muslim women wearing the hijab "end up receiving the worst discrimination out there," because of their visibility, Ibrahim said, "American Muslim women were always much more involved in the community than men -- they're the mothers, the teachers. In my household my husband's the breadwinner, which allows me to go out and fight for what's right." (MORE)

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CAIR-CAN: KNOW YOUR RIGHTS, MUSLIMS URGED - TOP
BRETT CLARKSON, TORONTO SUN, 7/16/06
http://torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2006/07/16/1687118-sun.html

Not enough young Muslims know the law and risk having their rights trampled by law enforcement agencies in Canada, Muslim activists said yesterday in a City Hall meeting geared towards Islamic youths.

Individual Muslims also must stand up for their rights, and take a more proactive role in addressing how they're portrayed in the media, activists said at the Know Your Rights seminar, held in council chambers last night.

The event was organized by the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN) and the Young Muslims of Canada.

Although much of the discussion focused on the recent terror-related arrests of 17 young men in the Toronto area, attendees also talked about discrimination against Muslims, as well as the portrayal of Muslims in the media.

Karl Nickner, executive director of CAIR-CAN, said Muslims should work together to show the larger population that terrorism has no place in Islam. (MORE)

CONTACT: CAIR-CAN Communications Director Halima Mautbur, 613-254-9704 or 613-795-2012; CAIR-CAN Executive Director Karl Nickner, 613-254-9704 or 613-853-4111

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A BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP? - TOP
In search of the truth about the Israel lobby's influence on Washington
Glenn Frankel, Washington Post, 7/16/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/12/AR2006071201627_pf.html

Thanks to the work of the lobby and its allies, Israel gets more direct foreign aid -- about $3 billion a year -- than any other nation. There's a file cabinet somewhere in the State Department full of memoranda of understanding on military, diplomatic and economic affairs. Israel gets treated like a NATO member when it comes to military matters and like Canada or Mexico when it comes to free trade. There's an annual calendar full of meetings of joint strategic task forces and other collaborative sessions. And there's a presidential pledge, re-avowed by Bush in the East Room, that the United States will come to Israel's aid in the event of attack.

On Capitol Hill the Israel lobby commands large majorities in both the House and Senate. Polls show strong public support for Israel -- a connection that has grown even deeper after the September 11 attacks. The popular equation goes like this: Israelis equal good guys, Arabs equal terrorists. Working the Hill these days, says Josh Block, spokesman for the premier Israeli lobbying group known as AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, "is like pushing at an open door."

Not everyone believes this is a good thing. In March two distinguished political scientists -- Stephen Walt from Harvard and John Mearsheimer from the University of Chicago -- published a 42-page, heavily footnoted essay arguing that the Bush administration's support for Israel and its related effort to spread democracy throughout the Middle East have "inflamed Arab and Islamic opinion and jeopardized U.S. security."

The professors claim that our intimate partnership with Israel is both dangerous and unprecedented. "Other special interest groups have managed to skew foreign policy, but no lobby has managed to divert it as far from what the national interest would suggest," they argue. They go on to say that the war in Iraq "was due in large part to the Lobby's influence," and that the same combine is "using all of the strategies in its playbook" to pressure the administration into being aggressive and belligerent with Iran. The bottom line: "Israel's enemies get weakened or overthrown, Israel gets a free hand with the Palestinians, and the United States does most of the fighting, dying, rebuilding and paying."

A sweet deal for Israel, in other words, but a very bad one for America. (MORE)

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ISLAM-OPED: VALUES MUST GUIDE POLICY - TOP
HADIA MUBARAK, Birmingham News, 7/16/06
http://www.al.com/opinion/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1153041446280520.xml&coll=2

Our failed policies in the Middle East have bred nothing but anti-American hostility and mistrust of our intentions in the region. The only way to rectify this dismal situation is to actually put into practice the principles of freedom and justice upon which this country was founded. We must demand an end to Israel's attacks on Palestinian and Lebanese civilians.

After all, the definition of terrorism is attacks on civilian targets designed to achieve a political goal. What else is Israel doing when it attempts to starve the Palestinians into submission or bomb Lebanon's infrastructure until its soldiers are released?

Our moral values must become the guiding principles of our foreign policy. This is the most important step we can take to make America more secure for our children.

[Hadia Mubarak is member of the board for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties group. Mubarak is currently a researcher at American University's School of International Service in Washington, D.C. E-mail: hadia.mubarak@gmail.com.]

SEE ALSO:

ISRAELI AIR STRIKE KILLS 8 CANADIANS IN LEBANON - TOP
CBC News, 7/16/06
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/07/16/lebanon-canadians.html

Eight Canadians were killed and six others seriously wounded in an Israeli air raid that hit a Lebanese town on the border with Israel on Sunday, Ottawa says. (MORE)

CONTACT: CAIR-CAN Communications Director Halima Mautbur, 613-254-9704 or 613-795-2012; CAIR-CAN Executive Director Karl Nickner, 613-254-9704 or 613-853-4111

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ACTION: URGE CONGRESS, PRESIDENT TO CONDEMN ISRAELI ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS - TOP
http://www.cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=436&theType=AA

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CAIR-MI: FOR MICHIGAN PAPERS, MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT IS LOCAL - TOP
Editor & Publisher, 7/15/06
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002840040

NEW YORK With a high concentration of Lebanese-Americans, Detroit and other Michigan cities are experiencing the current conflict in the Middle East as a kind of local issue.

Protests and citizen gatherings have been held throughout the area. Not just Muslim but Christian groups have become involved, as there are many Christians in Lebanon. . .

"The Israeli attacks on Lebanon during the busiest tourism season of the year have lead Muslim groups in and around Dearborn to call press conferences and demonstrations to address the violence in the region and its effects on the local community. 'Our concern is not only based upon the increasing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the deaths of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians. Our concern also resides with the thousands of American citizens - (with) a large portion of them being Metro Detroit residents - that are in the region on vacation whose lives are in jeopardy as we speak,' said Dawud Walid, executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations-Michigan (CAIR), at a Friday press conference in Dearborn Heights....

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CHILDREN DIE IN CONVOY ATTACK AS ISRAEL WIDENS LEBANON ASSAULT - TOP
The Observer, 7/16/06
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/world/story/0,,1821706,00.html

Israel steeply escalated its military campaign against Hizbollah in Lebanon yesterday with a series of air strikes that left more than 35 civilians dead, including a single strike on a convoy of families fleeing the fighting in a village near Tyre in the south of the country that killed more than 20 people, most of them children. (MORE)

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GRUESOME SCENES AFTER ISRAELI AIR RAIDS ON SOUTH LEBANON - TOP
Agence France Presse, 7/13/06
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=133381

TYRE - A baby was sliced into three and body parts hung from olive trees as the full force of Israeli military might hit rural southern Lebanon Thursday.
In the deadliest Israeli strikes in a decade, at least 39 people were killed.

As the south came under a relentless air assault that destroyed vital bridges linking one area to another, ordinary life came to a standstill as terror-stricken residents hid indoors and businesses remained closed.

The silence that reigned over southern Lebanon was broken only by the sounds of violence and its aftermath -- bomb blasts and the wail of ambulance sirens.

Israel's offensive, prompted by the capture of two of its soldiers by the militant group Hezbollah in a bid to secure a swap of prisoners, was the most serious since it ended 22 years of occupation in southern Lebanon in 2000.

On a charred mattress rest the remains of a burned baby girl, her arm to one side. Her upper body is at one end of the bed and her lower body at the other.

Police said the 10-month-old and six other family members were killed when an Israeli missile hit their home in the usually quiet village of Baflay, near the coastal city of Tyre.

The baby, whose name has not yet been released, was taken to a hospital morgue in Tyre. Her body has not yet been claimed by relatives. (MORE)

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TN: QURAN SHOOTING SUSPECTS COOPERATING WITH AUTHORITIES - TOP
Karina Gonzalez, Brian Lazenby, Chattanooga Times Free Press, 7/15/06
http://timesfreepress.com/QuickHeadlines.asp?sec=l&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fepaper%2Ewehco%2Ecom%2FWebChannel%2FShowStory%2Easp%3FPath%3DChatTFPress%2F2006%2F07%2F15%26ID%3DAr00700

Individuals responsible for a video posted on the Internet showing two men shooting a copy of the Quran and leaving it in front of the Islamic Center in Chattanooga are cooperating with federal investigators, officials said.

"FBI officials have determined the source of the video, and we have their cooperation," said Tim Burke, supervisor of the FBI's Chattanooga field office. "At this time, it remains under investigation."

Mr. Burke said it would be up to the U.S. attorney's office to determine if the men will face charges. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

MUSLIMS, MOSQUES TARGETS OF HATE - TOP
Aatif Ali Bokhari, Arab American News, 7/14/06
http://www.arabamericannews.com/newsarticle.php?articleid=5840

DEARBORN - American Muslims go to their places of worship increasingly under the fear of intimidation and violence.

Bigots are launching hate attacks on Muslims at their places of worship with seeming impunity; their onslaught ranges from the frightening to the bizarre.

The Council on Islamic Relations (CAIR) said that the attacks are "increasing," but this week marks a particularly aggressive surge of anti-Muslim violence.

One Michigan City mosque in Indiana had its windows smashed and dome shot. At another mosque, in Tennessee, someone tossed a copy of the Qur'an, riddled with bullets, at the center's front door. And in Maine, worshippers were engaged in congregational prayer when a local tossed a dead pig's head into the prayer hall.

In Michigan City, "on July 2, Porter County police received a report of bullets shot into the center's copper dome, leaving six holes. Also, two glass doors, 10 windows, and a spotlight were vandalized, possibly by a BB gun, according to a police report," said the "Northwest Indiana Times."

In Tennessee, an FBI investigation has opened after a video of two men shooting a Qur'an and tossing it at a Chattanooga mosque surfaced on MySpace.com.

"In the footage, a 33-year-old man, who identified himself as mully88, is shown outside a Barnes & Noble Booksellers store holding a paperback copy of the Qur'an. He and another man then are seen shooting at the holy book in a wooded area with what is identified as a Colt M-16.

"In the last scene, mully88 is seen throwing the damaged Qur'an onto the sidewalk outside the Islamic Center at 1410 Cemetery Ave," reported the "Chattanooga Times Free Press."

Mully88's website includes a montage of swastikas and illegal high-powered firearms, all while white supremacist music plays in the background.

And in Lewiston, Maine, a man rolled a frozen pig's head into the local Islamic Center while Somali immigrants offered their prayers. Brent Matthews was arrested by police for the incident, an act which Matthews explained to police he had thought "was funny; it was going to be a big joke."

Ibrahim Hooper, Communications Director for CAIR's national office, said the attacks "seem to be a disturbing trend happening to mosques nationwide. … And we would hope the nation's political and religious leadership would address the rising level of Islamophobia which leads to such attacks." (MORE)

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CAIR-FL: SEEKING A NEW MOSQUE, THEY FIND A CULTURAL TURF WAR - TOP
MEG LAUGHLIN, St. Petersburg Times, 7/14/06
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/07/14/State/Seeking_a_new_mosque_.shtml

POMPANO BEACH - Two years ago, the congregation of a small but growing mosque in Pompano Beach raised money to expand because it needed more parking.

Mosque leaders, filled with hope, chose a patch of land in a predominantly black area.

"They picked that spot because they were sympathetic to the black struggle and believed the feelings were mutual, especially since the persecution after 9/11," said Altaf Ali of CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations. . .

What began as civil debate quickly plunged into an anti-Islamic diatribe with Dozier and his security force shouting at Ali that "Islam is evil" and "the Koran says to cut off heads."

Besides the three dozen, mostly black, protesters from his church -- which his deacon says has "over 300 parishioners" - Dozier is supported by two other black ministers from the area and about four local Jewish supporters, led by Joe Kaufman, founder of "Citizens Against Hate" and the "Republican Jewish Coalition of South Florida." . . .

"This mosque should not exist on American shores," said Kaufman, who got a standing ovation from the predominantly black audience. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

IN: GROUP RALLIES TO SIDE OF ISLAMIC CENTER - TOP
Diane Krieger Spivak, Post-Tribune staff writer
http://www.post-trib.com/cgi-bin/pto-story/news/z1/07-15-06_z1_news_15.html

PINES - The Race Relations Council is sponsoring an ecumenical gathering July 30 in a show of support for the Michigan City Islamic Center that was vandalized recently.

Council director J. Allen Johnson said several churches and community groups have committed to the event, scheduled for 3 p.m. at the center, 1606 N. 500 E, just south of Beverly shores.

Vandals shot out windows and damaged doors with a BB gun and shot holes in the copper dome between June 25 and July 2. Damages were estimated at $9,000.

"I like to think no one knew about it, but I just imagine if it happened to a Catholic parish or a Lutheran church there would be a show of support," Johnson said.

"The RRC feels it's very important that we, as a community, take a stand in this type of behavior," Johnson said. (MORE)

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CAIR-TX: MUSLIMS COUNTERACT FEAR AT ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN DALLAS - TOP
Natalie Smolenski, KERA, 7/14/06
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kera/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=941072

Natalie Smolenski, 90.1 Reporter: The few thousand Muslims who gathered at the Westin Galleria were keenly aware of how they're perceived by fellow Americans. In hallway conversations, conference-goers subtly acknowledged that people regard them as closet extremists and believe their culture is incompatible with American values. Saffia Meek, who is the Operations Manager for the Dallas Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, does media outreach for Islamic events and organizations. She said the religious moderation of most Muslims is ignored:

Saffia Meek, Council on American-Islamic Relations: Every time something happens in the news, all the major Islamic organizations always put out a condemnation, and we'll do press conferences about it, but it just doesn't get into the mainstream media, so most people don't know that we have done that, and then they complain, "Why aren't the Muslims speaking out against it?" Well we have! (MORE)

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MI: DEARBORN CHRISTIANS REACH OUT TO MUSLIMS - TOP
Charles Honey, Grand Rapids Press, 7/15/06
http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1152945303261330.xml&coll=6

DEARBORN -- Don Storteboom drives past a $14 million mosque topped by a golden dome, stores with Arabic signs and tidy brick homes where Muslim women in head scarves congregate on porches.

"God put these people in our back yard," says Storteboom, a Grand Rapids native and member of the Christian Reformed Church of Dearborn. "We just need the time and energy to disciple these people."

He is talking about the roughly 40,000 Arab Americans, most of them Muslim, who live in this Detroit suburb.

To Storteboom and others at Dearborn CRC, Dearborn's Muslims are a mission field who need to hear the true Christian message. (MORE)

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IL: 2ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF MUSLIM CHAPLAINS - TOP

The conference offers an opportunity to bring all Muslim chaplains together to share insights and resources, discuss concerns and challenges and plan for the future.

The purpose of this conference is to provide necessary tools and skills to the Muslim chaplains to help them spiritually mentor their services personals. The conference is open to imams and Muslim chaplains working with hospitals, universities, the Armed forces, federal and state prison around the Country. This is an important occasion to strengthen and empower those who represent us in national and state institutions.

Please share this announcement with Muslim chaplains and aspiring Muslim chaplains, publicize it in your community, and send it to your email list.

The Annual Conference of Muslim Chaplains is scheduled for August 30 to September 1 at the Crowne Plaza, Rosemont, IL.

Registration:

You can register online via a secure form or call ISNA Leadership Development Center at 317-839-1807.

Contact Person:

For more information on registration and other details, please contact Nadia Pirzada at nadia@isna.net or 317-839-1807.

GO TO: http://www.ildc.net

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2006 17:03:11 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Tax Dollars Sent to Israel Buy Enemies for U.S. / Fleeing Lebanese Speak of Indiscriminate Bombing / Latino Muslims Seek Answers

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/17/06

* Hadith: Care for Orphans
* CAIR Job Openings: Civil Rights/Membership Support
* CAIR: Muslim Group Critical of Slow Lebanon Evacuation (AP)
* ISLAM-OPED: Tax Dollars Sent to Israel Buy Enemies for U.S.
            - CAIR-CAN Demands End to Mideast Attacks
            - MI: Dearborn Businesses to Protest Israeli Attacks
            - Antiwar.com: Will We Go to War for Israel?
            - Fleeing Lebanese Speak of Indiscriminate Bombing (IPS)
            - By the Numbers: Heavy Damage to Lebanese Infrastructure
* Muslim Group Wants Franklin Graham Barred from Canada (CNS)
* FL: Anti-Islam Minister Loses Support with GOP (Sun-Sentinel)
            - FL: Rev's Rhetoric Incites Fear in Muslim Community
* CA: Latino Muslims Seek Answers (Daily Review)
* TX: Muslim Chaplain Serves Growing Number of Prison Converts

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HADITH OF THE DAY: CARE FOR ORPHANS - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If anyone strokes an orphan's head...he will have blessings for every hair over which his hand passes. And if anyone treats well an orphan girl or boy under his care, he and I will be together in Paradise like this (and the Prophet held two fingers close together)."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1282

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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CAIR JOB OPENINGS: CIVIL RIGHTS/MEMBERSHIP SUPPORT - TOP

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) seeking applicants for the positions of civil rights case worker/intake officer and membership support coordinator. Both positions are in Washington, D.C.

Civil Rights Case Worker/Intake Officer

The ideal candidate will document, review, evaluate, and seek to resolve civil rights cases. Occasional travel may be required.

Qualifications: One to two years of experience in a field related to case work or case management, along with a bachelor's degree from an accredited university.

Membership Support Coordinator

Responsibilities include data entry, filing, and various administrative duties.

Qualifications: High school diploma and ability to work with Microsoft Office applications.

To Apply: All those interested and eligible to work in the US (Citizens or proper work visa holders) are encouraged to apply in confidence via email to: hr1@cair-net.org, or by fax 202-488-0833. No phone calls please. When applying via email please ensure to write the position title in the subject of the email.

By Mail:

HR Department - CAIR
453 New Jersey Avenue SE
Washington DC 20003

CAIR is an equal opportunity employer and offers an excellent health and dental benefit for its full time employees.

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ADMINISTRATION PLEDGES TO EVACUATE AMERICANS WHO WANT TO LEAVE LEBANON - TOP
BARRY SCHWEID, Associated Press, 7/17/06

WASHINGTON (AP) - By air and increasingly by sea, an evacuation is under way to take Americans out of danger in Lebanon.

An estimated 25,000 Americans are there. Some 15,000 have registered with the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, but evidently not all are trying to get out.

"Our planning assumptions are on the order of thousands," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Monday. "You don't actually know how many people are going to want to leave until you actually start the larger-scale operations."

The operation began slowly. By late Monday only 64 were known to have departed. . .

Two organizations, one Arab-American and the other Muslim-American, criticized the slow start and that the United States was not promoting a cease-fire.

"The absence of American leadership to secure a cease-fire and protect its own citizens is appalling," said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute.

Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said, "The highest duty of any president is to protect the lives of Americans."

Many of the U.S. citizens in Lebanon are Arab-Americans making regular summer pilgrimages to visit family members.

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ISLAM-OPED: TAX DOLLARS SENT TO ISRAEL BUY ENEMIES FOR U.S. - TOP

ISLAM-OPED is a national syndication service of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) designed to offer an American Muslim perspective on current political, social and religious issues. ISLAM-OPED commentaries are offered free-of-charge to one media outlet in each market area. Permission for publication will be granted on a first-come-first-served basis.

CONTACT: ihooper@cair-net.org
TEL: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726 (c)

Please consider the following commentary for publication.

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TAX DOLLARS SENT TO ISRAEL BUY ENEMIES FOR U.S.
By Ahmed M. Rehab
WORD COUNT: 804

[Ahmed M. Rehab is executive director of the Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties group. He may be contacted at: director@cairchicago.org ]

"It's really sad where people are willing to take innocent life. . .As a matter of fact, it's pathetic," President Bush said in a recent press conference.

He went on to state, "Israel has a right to defend herself. Every nation must defend herself against terrorist attacks and the killing of innocent life. It's a necessary part of the 21st century."

Here's the $64,000 question: Do Palestinians have a right to defend themselves against the killing of their innocents? Do the Lebanese?

The Palestinian population is exceptionally vulnerable. Seventy-nine percent of Gaza households live under the poverty line, 40 percent suffer from unemployment and almost half the population in the Gaza Strip is made up of children. Under these onerous circumstances, Gazans struggle to liberate themselves from the clutches of one of the world's most sophisticated military machines.

In much of the Western media, the Palestinians are written-off as a gang of unruly terrorists. However, the numbers give a different account. Since September of 2000, six out of every seven children killed in this decades-long conflict have been Palestinian.

Terrorism constitutes acts of violence against civilians in furtherance of political objectives. Terrorism is a Palestinian suicide-bomber attacking a bus or a pizza parlor in Tel Aviv. Terrorism is also an Israeli warplane deliberately targeting the civilian infrastructure in Gaza and Lebanon. We lose all credibility when we rightfully condemn acts of terror carried out by individuals or groups, but offer support to a state that also targets the innocent.

Israel has waged a massive military campaign against Lebanon's civilian population. So far, almost 200 civilians have been killed. In just one incident, 15 children were massacred as their parents attempted to flee a village in a convoy.

Images from the scenes of Israeli attacks are horrific. Agence France Presse reported: "A baby was sliced into three and body parts hung from olive trees as the full force of Israeli military might hit rural southern Lebanon. . . Police said the 10-month-old and six other family members were killed when an Israeli missile hit their home in the usually quiet village of Baflay." (AFP, 7/13/06)

Israel's army chief Brig. Gen. Dan Halutz warned that "nothing is safe" in Lebanon. In his own words, the Israeli spokesman was admitting to his country's readiness to break all rules of engagement. Everything in Lebanon, including town centers, schools, hospitals, and other civil centers would be fair game for Israel's warplanes - nothing is safe.

As if to confirm that statement, an Israeli bomb killed seven Canadian citizens, including a woman and her four children, in Lebanon on July 16.

In a parallel campaign, Israel has launched widespread attacks on the Gaza strip, bombing its main power-generating station and jeopardizing the lives, health and safety of hundreds of thousands of civilians.

Electricity is out 12-18 hours a day in Gaza and hospitals are only taking emergency cases. A spokeswoman for the UN's World Food Program said some 85 percent of Gazans are dependent on food handouts and many families are eating only one meal a day.

World leaders have spoken out against Israel's sweeping aggression, calling it "disproportionate" and "excessive."

Israel has shown a tendency to abuse its military might, subjecting civilians to collective punishments time and again. Countries that fail to exercise appropriate self-restraint should be restrained by the world community.

Israel's right to defend itself does not give it the right to launch terror attacks against major civilian centers - not with our tax money.

Since its formation in 1949, the state of Israel has cost U.S. taxpayers more than $130 billion. What merits this exorbitant spending on a foreign country that has one of the world's highest per capital incomes?

The often-parroted argument is that that Israel is a crucial ally in the war on terror.

The truth is that for all the billions Israel has sapped from American taxpayers, it has given us nothing back but the resentment the victims of Israel's military transgressions feel toward those who bankroll their oppressor.

Israel is a strategic liability in the war on terror. Extremists use our uncritical financial and political support for Israel's brutal policies as an excuse to attack us.

Surely, there are better ways to spend our hard-earned money.

We are losing the domestic wars on drugs and poverty. Our inner-cities are awash with crime and gang rivalries. Our public schools are embarrassingly substandard when compared to those of other developed nations. Our social security system threatens to fail future generations of retirees as the number of senior citizens is expected to increase by 110 percent in the next 50 years.

We fail to move forward on these crucial fronts citing lack of sufficient funds. Would it not be better if we invested our tax dollars in our own communities instead of funding Israel's counterproductive military escapades?

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-CAN CALLS FOR CANADA TO DEMAND END TO MIDEAST ATTACKS - TOP

(OTTAWA, CANADA - 07/17/06) - CAIR-CAN is calling on the federal government to take a more balanced position on the current Mideast conflict by demanding all aggressors stop attacking civilians after seven Canadians were killed by an Israeli bomb over the weekend.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper had commented on the conflict, saying "Israel has the right to defend itself" and called Israel's response "reserved." Many Canadians have regarded this position as unbalanced and insensitive, particularly since an Israeli bomb killed seven Lebanese Canadians from a Montreal family. Four children, aged 1, 3, 5 and 7 were killed, along with their mother and grandmother. All were Canadian citizens.

"The federal government must do everything in its power to save the lives of all innocent civilians, including Canadians who are stranded in the area, and that means pressuring both sides equally to stop the killing rather than taking a partisan position," said Karl Nickner, Executive-Director of CAIR-CAN.

According to news reports, estimates say there could be 40,000 Canadians in Lebanon, a country that has been targeted for bombing by Israel since the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier. The majority of the deaths on both sides of the conflict have been innocent civilians.

For more information, please contact Halima Mautbur at 613-795-2012.

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IN DEARBORN, A CALL FOR BUSINESS PROTEST - TOP
Detroit Free Press, 7/17/06
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060717/NEWS06/607170401

Muslims attending a memorial service at a Dearborn mosque Sunday evening called upon businesses along Warren Avenue in Dearborn to shut down at 5 p.m. Tuesday to protest Israeli action in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

About 1,500 people attended the service at the Islamic Center of America in memory of 12 family members of a Dearborn family who died after a building in Lebanon was struck last week by an Israeli warplane.

Speakers at the service criticized Israel and asked the U.S. government to help U.S. citizens trapped in Lebanon . . .

Mohammad Bazzi of Dearborn Heights said that business owners are planning to shut down at the start of a march scheduled for Tuesday along Warren Avenue -- the main commercial strip in east Dearborn.

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WILL WE GO TO WAR FOR ISRAEL? - TOP
Justin Raimondo, Antiwar.com, 7/17/06
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=9314

What Israel wants is what they have always wanted: to use American power, American tax dollars, and American lives to advance their own expansionist agenda. Twenty-five thousand Americans are in Lebanon at the present moment, all of them at risk from Israeli bombs - but that didn't factor into Tel Aviv's calculations, any more than Lebanese or Palestinian lives matter one whit to them. The Israelis put Israel first - and so does Washington. If all 25,000 American tourists and others have to perish in the flames of Israeli air strikes, then so be it. No sacrifice is too great - just as long as our Israel-centric foreign policy remains firmly in place. (MORE)

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FLEEING LEBANESE SPEAK OF INDISCRIMINATE BOMBING - TOP
Dahr Jamail, 7/16/06
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=33978

ADDABBAOUSIYEH (northern Lebanese border), Jul 16 (IPS) - People fleeing the bombing of Lebanon say the Israelis are targeting civilian neighbourhoods and vital infrastructure, and not just Hezbollah centres.

The bombing has killed more than 100 Lebanese civilians so far.

Several border points between Syria and Lebanon are being deluged with refugees. Lebanon has a long border with Syria towards its south, east and north. The refugees include both Lebanese and tourists.

"Everything is being bombed," a teacher from the United States who was on vacation in Beirut told IPS. "It's terror. We've literally been terrorised." (MORE)

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BY THE NUMBERS: HEAVY DAMAGE TO INFRASTRUCTURE - TOP
Daily Star, 7/18/06
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=74049

BEIRUT: The relentless bombardment of Lebanon has caused an incredible amount of death and destruction. The first detailed report by the Internal Security Forces' directorate general, released Monday, documented the sheer amount of human and material damage since last Wednesday as a result of Israeli raids over vital public utilities and residential areas.

Crucial infrastructure was among the first to be targeted, including an initial aerial attack on a power station.

The runways of Rafik Hariri International Airport, the Qoleiaat Airport in North Lebanon and the Riyaq Military Airport in the Bekaa - were all severely damaged, as were the three main sea ports of Beirut, Tripoli and Jamil Gemayel.

Communication and television broadcast antennas were also among the first to be targeted. Missiles struck antennas belonging to the Hizbullah-owned Al-Manar station in Kfar Selwan and another in the Tripoli port belonging to the maritime operations room, as well as one belonging to the MTC mobile company in Dahr al-Baidar.

The main focus of the destruction has been on roads and bridges, however, mostly those linking Beirut to South Lebanon. (MORE)

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MUSLIM GROUP WANTS CHRISTIAN LEADER BARRED FROM CANADA - TOP
Alison Espach, CNSNews.com
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=/Culture/archive/200607/CUL20060717a.html

(CNSNews.com) - An Islamic advocacy group wants Rev. Franklin Graham barred from entering Canada because of allegedly hateful statements made towards Islam. Graham's spokesman says the Evangelical minister's comments have been "misconstrued" by some Muslims.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations of Canada (CAIR-CAN) claims allowing Graham into Canada would be evidence of a "double standard." British Muslim Riyad ul-Haq was denied entry into Canada in June after being accused of inciting hatred towards Jews, Christians, and other non-Muslims - a violation of Canada's so-called "hate propaganda laws."

"We do not welcome hate-mongers," said Leslie Harmer, spokesperson for Immigration Minister Monte Solberg, the official who ordered that Canadian authorities block ul-Haq from entering the country.

CAIR-CAN noted that shortly after the 9/11 attacks Graham called Islam "a very evil and a very wicked religion." The group argues that, like ul-Haq, Graham should be forbidden to come to Canada for a scheduled visit later this year.

"The comments they have made are very widely available, and there isn't a great deal of difference between the two individuals," CAIR-CAN Communications Director Halima Mautbur told Cybercast News Service.

The group is further dismayed with the government's decision, because ul-Haq promised he would not speak about anything controversial while he was in Canada.

CAIR-CAN Executive Director Karl Nickner said in a news release Thursday that "some Canadian Muslims are wondering whether a double standard is being applied."

"As Muslims and as Canadians," Nickner added, "we stand firmly against any hateful religious speech by representatives of all faiths." (MORE)

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POMPANO MINISTER WINS FANS AMONG FUNDAMENTALISTS, BUT LOSES SUPPORT IN GOP - TOP
Gregory Lewis, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 7/17/06
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-cdozier17jul17,0,873009.story

When the Rev. O'Neal Dozier called Islam "a cult" and derided Muslims as "terrorists," he damaged his relationship with Gov. Jeb Bush, whose office urged Dozier to resign from the Broward County Judicial Nominating Commission.

Dozier's comments also likely tarnished his image among high-level Republican politicians who in recent years increasingly sought his blessing to sway black voters from their historic allegiance to the Democratic Party.

To some Republicans, Dozier's political future is in jeopardy. Others say he has sealed his credentials as a strong Christian leader whom Republican officials must continue courting.

But one thing is clear: Dozier is now a polarizing figure.

"I tolerated him because the Republican Party, I guess, was looking to garner the black vote," said Jack Majeske, president of the Broward Log Cabin Republican Club. "But this guy was homophobic and I figured him to be a racist a long time ago. He, as far as I was concerned, was way off the wall for a man of the cloth." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

FL: RHETORIC INCITES FEAR AND ANGER IN COMMUNITY - TOP
Gail Price-Wise, Sun-Sentinel, 7/17/06
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-39forum17jul17,0,2802083.story

Sticks and stones can break my bones but names can never harm me.

The Rev. O'Neal Dozier should consider that words can in fact be harmful. By calling Islam a "cult" religion and mentioning terrorism, he incites fear and anger in the hearts of both Muslims and non-Muslims.

The Muslim community -- made up of mothers, fathers, and children, students, intellectuals, doctors, engineers, business owners, and laborers -- hear the "T" word and wonder what will happen to them. Will I lose my job? Will I be forced to leave this neighborhood? Will my children be ridiculed in school? Will I or any of my loved ones be attacked?

These fears are not unfounded. Words like those used by Dozier have been known to incite hate crimes. In the past two years, there has been an increase in threatening phone calls and vandalism perpetrated against Islamic centers in South Florida. (MORE)

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CA: LATINO MUSLIMS SEEK ANSWERS - TOP
Martin Ricard, Daily Review, 7/17/06
http://www.insidebayarea.com/localnews/ci_4061508

HAYWARD - On a sunny afternoon, a dozen people file into the teaching room at Zaytuna Institute, a Muslim teaching center in downtown Hayward.

But they have not showed up to learn about the Prophet Muhammad, Islam or the Arabic language. They are gathered to enjoy fellowship with one another and discuss what it means to be a Latino Muslim in the Bay Area.

Murabit Benavidez, a lanky Mexican-American wearing a long gray tunic, said he has been pondering the duality since college, but most recently since he returned from studying in Syria. He grew up in Fremont immersed in Latino culture but, lately, he has been trying to reconcile the two cultures since he converted to Islam seven years ago.

"Am I still a Chicano?" he asked. "We have this Islamic identity and, being Latino, we have this Catholic background. I'm not Christian anymore, but am I still Latino? We're redefining what Latino is."

A small group of Latino Muslims - mostly college students and young professionals coming from Silicon Valley - have been meeting recently at Zaytuna to support one another in their new conversion and educate one another on their Latino connections to Islamic culture. (MORE)

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TX: CHAPLAIN SERVES MUSLIMS AND GROWING NUMBER OF CONVERTS IN 23 TEXAS PRISONS - TOP
Lisa Marie Gómez, Express-News Staff Writer
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA071706.1A.MuslimInmates.16e4f6d.html

BURNET - Imam Omar Shakir walks into a white cinderblock room and greets a group of women wearing matching white jumpsuits.

"As-salaamu-alaikum" - Peace be on you, he says in a gentle Arabic voice.

"As-salaamu-alaikum," they reply.

The women are glad to see him and are eager to talk to him about their faith. Shakir, 47, is one of four chaplains who oversee the Islamic faith program for the 110 prisons in the Texas prison system.

Shakir traveled more than 100 miles north on U.S. 281 out of San Antonio to the all-female Halbert Unit in Burnet, northwest of Austin, where the eight women were incarcerated.

Four were Muslim, and the others were considering converting to Islam - a trend that Shakir and others say is on the rise inside the prison system - a trend consistent with what's going on outside the prison walls.

It is estimated that every fifth person in the world is a Muslim, and Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the United States - with approximately 8 million living here.

In the Texas prison system, there are approximately 7,500 Muslims, prison officials say. It is believed most of them converted to Islam after they were incarcerated. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 16:44:22 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims to Ask that Bush Protect Relatives in Lebanon, Gaza

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

- MEDIA ADVISORY -

U.S. MUSLIMS TO ASK THAT BUSH PROTECT RELATIVES IN LEBANON, GAZA
President will be urged to call for cease-fire, send humanitarian relief

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/18/06) - Beginning July 19, local chapters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will hold news conferences nationwide with members of the Muslim and Arab-American communities who have relatives under attack in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

At the news conferences, community members will ask President Bush to call for an immediate cease-fire by all parties in the Middle East conflict and urge that humanitarian relief be sent to areas devastated by Israel's bombing campaigns.

Events have already been scheduled in San Diego, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Orlando, Detroit, Phoenix, Cincinnati, and Columbus, Ohio

WHAT: CAIR News Conferences with Those Who Have Relatives in Lebanon, Gaza
WHEN:
Beginning Wednesday, July 19 (Some CAIR chapters will hold news conferences on Thursday or Friday.)
CONTACT: Contact the nearest CAIR office for details about the news conferences.

There are an estimated 25,000 American citizens in Lebanon, and many American citizens, both Christian and Muslim, have relatives in Lebanon and Gaza. Despite the fact that many civilians have already been killed in Israeli attacks on the civilian infrastructures of both areas, President Bush has rejected calls for a cease-fire.

Plans to evacuate American citizens from Lebanon have been criticized as too slow. The U.S. government will also bill each evacuee for the cost of their transport out of Lebanon.

"We are concerned that our government's refusal to even request a cease-fire to end humanitarian suffering in Lebanon and Gaza creates the perception that Muslim and Arab lives are somehow less valuable than Israeli lives," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "Targeting civilians to achieve a political goal is terrorism, whether the target is a pizza parlor in Tel Aviv or an apartment building in Beirut."

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

ADDITIONAL CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 17:05:28 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: New Threats Against OH Mosque Damaged By Bombs / Israel Violates Law on U.S. Weapons

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/18/06

* Verse: Rally to a Good Cause
* CAIR-OH: New Threats Against Mosque Damaged By Bombs
            - Excerpts from CAIR's 'Muslim Community Safety Kit'
            - TX: Shots Fired at Worshipers Leaving Houston Mosque
            - NJ: Islamic Group Claims Bias Over Mosque Application
* American Muslims Angry at US Stance on Mideast Conflict (AFP)
            - CAIR-Chicago: Buying Enemies for U.S. (Orlando Sent)
            - CAIR-FL: Local Muslims Praying for Peace (Herald)
            - CAIR-LA: Lebanese Americans Feel the Strain (LA Times)
            - CAIR-CAN: Canadian PM Takes Heat for Mideast Stance
* Bolton: No Moral Equivalence Between Israeli, Lebanese Deaths
            - Israel Violates Law on U.S. Weapons in Mideast (IPS)
* Retaliation Case of Arab FBI Specialist Advances (Wash Post)
* FL: American Imam Leading Diverse Muslim Community

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VERSE OF THE DAY: RALLY TO A GOOD CAUSE - TOP

"Whoever rallies to a good cause shall have a share in its blessings; and whoever rallies to an evil cause shall be answerable for his part in it."

The Holy Quran, 4:85

To sponsor or order a FREE Quran, go to: www.explorethequran.org

-----

CAIR-OH REACTS TO NEW THREATS AGAINST MOSQUE DAMAGED BY BOMBS - TOP

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/18/06) - The Ohio office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) held a news conference today outside a Cincinnati mosque that has received two new threats after being damaged by explosions in December of last year.

The Islamic Association of Cincinnati received one phone threat Monday afternoon, and before midnight, men in a car that drove through the mosque parking lot allegedly shouted that they were "going to bomb this place."

SEE: New Threat Received At Mosque That Was Bombed (AP)

CAIR says vandalism or other possible bias-related incidents have been reported recently at mosques around the nation. The Washington-based group is urging Muslim institutions nationwide to review security procedures using advice contained in CAIR's "Muslim Community Safety Kit." (See excerpts from the kit below.) The safety kit may be obtained free of charge by e-mailing: pubs@cair-net.org

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 31 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR-Cincinnati Director Karen Dabdoub, 513-604-4444, E-Mail: karen@cair-ohio.com

SEE ALSO:

EXCERPTS FROM CAIR MUSLIM COMMUNITY SAFETY KIT - TOP

REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Muslims must do their part to ensure the safety and security of our nation. If anyone notes suspicious persons or activities in their community, they should report it immediately to the local Field Office of the FBI. SEE: http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm

DEVELOP A LEGAL CONTACT LIST

Develop a list of attorneys who are willing to be consulted by the Muslim community in response to backlash incidents. Ask Muslim attorneys to volunteer their services to community members during this time of crisis.

DEVELOPING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES

Community leaders should immediately coordinate meetings between representatives of the Muslim community and local state and national law enforcement agencies. These meetings should focus on ways in which the community can help national security and on how authorities can protect Muslims and Arab-Americans from harassment and discrimination.

MEET WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS COMMUNITY CONCERNS

Delegations of Muslim representatives should schedule meetings with local, state and national elected representatives or their key staff to discuss community concerns. To find out who represents your area on the national level, go to: http://www.capwiz.com/cair/home/

BUILD COALITIONS WITH INTERFAITH AND MINORITY GROUPS

Similar meetings should be coordinated with representatives of local interfaith and minority groups. These meetings should focus on building lines of communication and support, and hearing from these groups how they deal with discrimination and bigotry.

MEET WITH LOCAL SCHOOL PRINCIPALS TO DISCUSS STUDENT SAFETY

Representatives of the Muslim community should meet with local school administrators to discuss safety plans for students and to sensitize the administrators to harassment of Muslim students.

Obtain copies of CAIR's "Educator's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices" by contacting CAIR or e-mailing: pubs@cair-net.org

BUILDING AN EMERGENCY CONTACT LIST

Community leaders should develop emergency e-mail and phone contact lists to be used in case of an incident that threatens the community's safety. Local imams, Islamic center board members, and Muslim activists should be on the lists.

A second list should be developed containing contact information for all local law enforcement agencies.

HOLD A COMMUNITY MEETING TO INFORM OTHERS OF SAFETY GUIDELINES

Call for a meeting of the local Muslim community to discuss the information outlined in this kit. The meeting should take place at a local mosque or Islamic center and should be advertised using the emergency contact list.

ESTABLISH A COMMUNITY SUPPORT NETWORK

Establish a network of community members who can offer emotional and material support to those who may be the victims of hate crimes or discrimination. Victims should not be left alone to deal with the negative impact of such incidents.

REACTING TO INCIDENTS OF ANTI-MUSLIM HATE

If you believe you have been the victim of an anti-Muslim hate crime or discrimination, you should:

1. Report the incident to your local police station and FBI office IMMEDIATELY. Ask that the incident be treated as a hate crime. Ask witnesses to give you their name and contact information.
2. Inform CAIR even if you believe it is a "small" incident. Incidents may be reported online at: http://www.cair-net.org/ireport/ or TEL: 202-488-8787, FAX: 202-488-0833, E-MAIL: ihooper@cair-net.org
3. Document the incident. Write down exactly what was said and/or done by the offender. Save evidence. Take photographs.
4. Act quickly. Each incident must be dealt with when it happens, not when convenient.
5. Decide on the appropriate action to be taken. Consider issuing a statement from community leaders, holding a news conference, organizing a protest, meeting with officials, or starting a letter writing campaign.
6. Mobilize community support. Contact CAIR and a local mosque or organization.
7. Stay on top of the situation.
8. Announce results. When the incident is resolved, make an announcement to the same people and organizations originally contacted.

CAIR MOSQUE SECURITY GUIDELINES

Areas of Vulnerability:

* Mosques located in isolated areas.
* Mosques left unattended for extended periods of time.
* Mosques with unsecured doors and/or windows.
* Absence of a burglar alarm system.
* Heavy exterior vegetation (shrubs, etc.) in which criminals may hide.
* Absence of exterior lighting.

Take the following safety measures:

* Build good relationships with neighbors of the mosque. Invite them to visit your center.
* Try to have people attend the mosque as much as possible. Activity deters perpetrators.
* Make an appointment with the community relations officer of your local police department to tour your center and make suggestions on improving mosque security.
* Request additional police patrols in the vicinity of your center. Special attention should be paid to times of darkness and during prayers.
* Consider creating a security committee at your mosque.
* Post mosque members at entrances and parking areas during prayer times.
* Report suspicious packages to police. Do not touch them.
* Install perimeter floodlights outside the mosque.
* Install fire and burglar alarm systems.
* Replace hollow core doors with more secure solid doors.
* Install burglarproof bars on screens and large vents. (Note - Research local ordinances before beginning security renovations. For example, window bars should not limit evacuation in case of fire.)
* Trim shrubs and vines to reduce areas of concealment.
* Participate in neighborhood watch programs.
* Document descriptions of suspicious people or vehicles.
* Make duplicates of all important papers, computer disks and records.
* Remove potential fire hazards, such as trash and debris.
* Consider installing security cameras.

RESPONDING TO BOMB THREATS

1. Distribute written instructions on handling bomb threats.
2. Keep the caller on the line as long as possible. Ask that the message be repeated. Record or write down everything that is said.
3. Ask for the location of the bomb.
4. Inform the caller that the detonation of a bomb could hurt many innocent people.
5. Pay attention to background noises such as music, which may give a clue to the caller's location.
6. Listen closely to the caller's voice. Make note of accents, voice quality (calm, excited) or speech impediments.
7. Report the threat immediately to the local police, ATF and FBI. Have appropriate phone numbers listed in written instructions.
8. If the threat comes in the form of a letter, save all materials, including the envelope. Handle the letter as little as possible.
9. Search the interior and exterior of the mosque. Evacuate the building if a suspicious package or device is found.

SUSPECT LETTERS AND PACKAGES

* What to look for:
* Name and title of addressee are not accurate.
* No return address, or the sender is not known to the addressee.
* Handwriting is distorted.
* Unprofessionally wrapped, uneven, bulky, lopsided.
* Contains bulges or soft spots.
* Poorly wrapped package is marked "Fragile-Handle With Care," "Rush," or has unusual restrictions such as "Personal" or "Private."
* Excess amount of postage.
* Protruding wires or tin foil.
* Package makes a buzzing or ticking noise, a sloshing sound, or emits an odor.

What to do:

DON'T open the package or letter.
DON'T put it in water or in a confined space such as a drawer.
DO isolate the article and secure the immediate area.
DO open windows if possible to help vent potential explosive gases.
DO contact your local police department and Postal Inspector.

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TX: MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT CAUSING TROUBLE AT HOUSTON MOSQUE? - TOP
Carolyn Campbell, KHOU 11 News, 7/17/06
http://www.khou.com/news/local/stories/khou060717_cd_mosque5.216cce7e.html

What's happening in the Middle East may be causing problems for members of a mosque in southwest Houston. Members said they had been attacked in the last few days.

Shots were fired at people leaving the mosque on Tres Lagunas this past Saturday. Sunday, rocks and beer bottles were thrown at members leaving the mosque.

The afternoon prayers go on as planned at the mosque in Mission Bend, but the weekend incidents have the leadership concerned. (MORE)

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NJ: ISLAMIC GROUP CLAIMS BIAS BY THE TOWNSHIP - TOP
JEFF DIAMANT, Star-Ledger, 7/18/06
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1153201410233770.xml&coll=1

An Islamic organization in Wayne has sued the township, contending it has discriminated against the group's application to build a mosque on its 11-acre site.

In the case filed yesterday in federal court in Newark, the Albanian Associated Fund asked for financial damages and for the court to stop the township's ongoing effort to condemn its land for open space.

The lawsuit contends Wayne's planning board has for 3 1/2 years forced the group to take application steps not asked of non-Muslim religious groups. It claims the township has violated state and federal constitutional protections of religious freedom, as well as the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. (MORE)

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AMERICAN MUSLIMS ANGRY AT US STANCE ON MIDEAST CONFLICT - TOP
Laurence Thomann, Agence France-Presse, 7/17/06
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060717/ts_alt_afp/mideastconflictus

American Muslims chafe at the US government's hands-off approach to Israeli reprisals and worry about countless relatives and friends trapped by violence in Lebanon.

US officials say Israel "has the right to defend itself," since its incursion into Gaza three weeks ago and air raids on Lebanon, but President George W. Bush's stance offends Americans who are Muslims or of Arab descent.

Early last week, a coalition of 11 major Muslim organizations publicly called on Bush to forcefully condemn the attacks on Gaza and to designate as "war crimes" the destruction of Palestinian civilian infrastructure.

After the Israeli bombing of Lebanon, the appeals for denouncing Israel have multiplied.

"Once again America's image and interests worldwide are being harmed by one-sided support for Israeli actions," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest US Muslim rights group.

"We're urging Muslims in America and other people of conscience to contact their elected officials to tell them that we have to have balanced foreign policy for the Middle East, one that is driven by American interests, not Israeli interests." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-CHICAGO: BUYING ENEMIES FOR U.S. - TOP
Ahmed M. Rehab, Orlando Sentinel, 7/18/06
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-cair18_106jul18,0,6253531.story

The truth is that for all the billions Israel has sapped from American taxpayers, it has given us nothing back but the resentment the victims of Israel's military transgressions feel toward those who bankroll their oppressor.

Israel is a strategic liability in the war on terror. Extremists use our uncritical financial and political support for Israel's brutal policies as an excuse to attack us.

Surely, there are better ways to spend our hard-earned money.

We are losing the domestic wars on drugs and poverty. Our inner cities are awash with crime and gang rivalries. Our public schools are embarrassingly substandard when compared with those of other developed nations. Our Social Security system threatens to fail future generations of retirees as the number of senior citizens is expected to increase by 110 percent in the next 50 years.

We fail to move forward on these crucial fronts, citing lack of sufficient funds. Would it not be better if we invested our tax dollars in our own communities instead of funding Israel's counterproductive military escapades?

Ahmed M. Rehab is executive director of the Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), the nation's largest Muslim civil-liberties group. He may be contacted at director@cairchicago.org

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CAIR-FL: LOCAL MUSLIMS PRAYING FOR PEACE - TOP
JAMES A. JONES JR., The Herald, 7/18/06
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/local/15061631.htm

Tampa Bay's Islamic community was closely following developments in the Mideast on Monday.

There are a couple dozen U.S. citizens, maybe more, from the Tampa Bay area trapped in Lebanon, said Ahmed Bedier, communications director for the Florida Office of the Council of American-Islamic Relations in Tampa.

"They are horrified and scared for their lives," Bedier said, adding local families are asking that the American government intervene and ask for a cease-fire.

"This is a major catastrophe," Bedier said. (MORE)

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CAIR-LA: SOUTHLAND LEBANESE AMERICANS FEEL THE STRAIN - TOP
Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 7/18/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-socalevac18jul18,1,6580383.story

About 24,000 Lebanese natives live in the five counties that make up the greater Los Angeles region, many of them in the San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Valley and Orange County, according to U.S. census data.

At least three members of a Los Angeles city delegation remained trapped in Lebanon after accompanying City Councilmen Dennis P. Zine and Eric Garcetti to Beirut for the July 1 inauguration of a sister-city program.

Corona resident Hussam Ayloush, a Beirut native and executive director of the Anaheim office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said his parents were in Lebanon to help plan his younger brother's engagement ceremony - postponed indefinitely as they attempt to find safer ground outside the Lebanese capital. Ayloush said he last spoke with his family Friday, when he heard his terrified nephew crying as bombs exploded in the background.

He said other Lebanese Americans have been frantically calling one another to exchange whatever scraps of news they can garner. (MORE)

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CAIR-CAN: HARPER TAKES HEAT FOR SLOW RESPONSE - TOP
KATHLEEN HARRIS, SUN, 7/18/06
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/Canada/2006/07/18/1690153-sun.html

OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government is under fire for swiftly taking sides in the Mideast crisis while delivering a tardy response to evacuating Canadians whose lives are endangered in the war zone.

Foreign Affairs is chartering six ships to evacuate thousands of Canadians beginning mid-week, and Harper has defended the plan as on par with the Americans and British.

But opposition critics panned the response as "too little, too late" for the estimated 40,000 stranded Canadians. . .

"Some of the other things that we could be doing, given the large number of Canadians who are there, could be compromised by the fact the prime minister was very quick to rush and take sides in this debate," McTeague said.

NDP Leader Jack Layton said Harper should have taken a more balanced approach and called for an immediate ceasefire. Now, Canada must get back on track by taking part in a UN-led international effort to bring peace to the region, he said.

As many fearful, frustrated Canadians in Lebanon aren't able to get through to embassy phone lines to obtain critical information, anger from Lebanese-Canadians bubbles at home over Harper's continued pro-Israeli stand.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations Canada called it "incredibly insensitive" for Harper to take such a strong stand after the bombing deaths of at least seven Canadians and urged the PM to play a more balanced position as neutral peacekeeper.

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LEBANON CIVILIAN DEATHS MORALLY NOT SAME AS TERROR VICTIMS - TOP
Agence France-Presse, 7/17/06
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060717/pl_afp/mideastconflictlebanon_060717204728

US Ambassador John Bolton said there was no moral equivalence between the civilian casualties from the Israeli raids in Lebanon and those killed in Israel from "malicious terrorist acts".

Asked to comment on the deaths in an Israeli air strike of eight Canadian citizens in southern Lebanon Sunday, he said: "it is a matter of great concern to us ...that these civilian deaths are occurring. It's a tragedy."

"I think it would be a mistake to ascribe moral equivalence to civilians who die as the direct result of malicious terrorist acts," he added, while defending as "self-defense" Israel's military action, which has had "the tragic and unfortunate consequence of civilian deaths".

The eight dead Canadians were a Lebanese-Canadian couple, their four children, his mother and an uncle, said relatives in Montreal.

The Montreal pharmacist and his family had arrived in Lebanon 10 days earlier for a vacation in his parents' home village and to introduce his children to relatives, they said.

Three of his Lebanese relatives died too, a family member told AFP. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ISRAEL VIOLATES LAW ON U.S. WEAPONS IN MIDEAST - TOP
Thalif Deen, Inter Press Service News Agency, 7/17/06
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=33993

UNITED NATIONS, Jul 17 (IPS) - Israel is in violation of U.S. arms control laws for deploying U.S.-made fighter planes, combat helicopters and missiles to kill civilians and destroy Lebanon's infrastructure in the ongoing six-day devastation of that militarily-weak country.

The death toll, according to published reports, is over 200 people -- mostly civilians -- while the economic losses have been estimated at about 100 million dollars per day.

"Section 4 of the (U.S.) Arms Export Control Act requires that military items transferred to foreign governments by the United States be used solely for internal security and legitimate self-defence," says Stephen Zunes, professor of politics at the University of San Francisco.

"Since Israeli attacks against Lebanon's civilian infrastructure and population centres clearly go beyond legitimate self-defence, the United States is legally obliged to suspend arms transfers to Israel," Zunes told IPS.

Frida Berrigan, a senior research associate with the Arms Trade Resource Centre at the World Policy Institute in New York, is equally outraged at the misuse by Israel of U.S.-supplied weapons.

"As Israel jets bombard locations in Gaza, Haifa and Beirut, killing civilians (including as many as seven Canadians vacationing in Aitaroun), it is worth remembering that U.S. law is clear about how U.S.-origin weapons and military systems ought to be used," Berrigan told IPS.

She pointed out that the U.S. Arms Export Control Act clear states that U.S. origin weapons should not be used for "non-defensive purposes."

"In light of this clear statement, the United States has an opportunity to stave off further bloodshed and suffering by demanding that its weaponry and military aid not be used in attacks against Lebanon and elsewhere, and challenging Israeli assertions that it is using military force defensively," she added. (MORE)

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RETALIATION CASE OF ARAB SPECIALIST AT FBI ADVANCES - TOP
Dan Eggen, Washington Post, 7/18/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/17/AR2006071701203.html

The Justice Department has concluded there is "reasonable cause" to believe that senior FBI officials retaliated against the bureau's highest-ranking Arabic speaker for complaining that he was cut out of terrorism cases despite his expertise.

An internal investigation by the department's Office of Professional Responsibility found "sufficient circumstantial evidence" that Special Agent Bassem Youssef was blocked from a counterterrorism assignment in 2002 after he and U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.) met with FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III to discuss Youssef's complaints.

Mueller had approved a transfer for Youssef just days before the meeting, but it never occurred and Youssef was never informed of Mueller's decision, according to the report. Investigators also said the FBI "has provided no rationale" for its failure to promote Youssef, although one former senior FBI manager said Mueller was "appalled" that Youssef had complained to a congressman about his treatment. (MORE)

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FL: AMERICAN IMAM LEADING DIVERSE MUSLIM COMMUNITY - TOP
JIM HAUG, News Journal, 7/18/06
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/newEAST03REL071806.htm

DAYTONA BEACH -- For much of its 30-year history, the Muslim community here has relied on foreign-born religious leaders.

This summer, Muslims have begun listening to the sermons of a 29-year-old who likes to play video games and root for the Washington Redskins.

With an American birthplace, Ron Smith is not subjected to the same worries of Muslim immigrants in this anxious age after 9-11. "If they deport me, they'll have to send me back to New Jersey," joked Smith about his home state.

Criteria for imams -- Islamic religious leaders -- are not formalized, but the Islamic Center of Daytona Beach has usually chosen imams on the basis of their religious knowledge and ability to speak Arabic and English.

The main Friday sermon is given in both languages.

Trying to hire an imam suitable to both Arabic- and English-speaking audiences has always been a tricky balance, said Idris Muhammad, a trustee of the local mosque.

The English of foreign-born imams has not always been as good as their Arabic or else they have spoken in unfamiliar Arabic dialects, Muhammad said.

As a consequence, "part of the community has felt left out at times," he said. "It's like a Northerner going to a Southern barbecue."

The local Muslim community is extremely diverse with members coming from the Middle East, the Balkan states and the South Pacific. The mosque on Keech Street attracts about 300 people on Fridays, Muslims' main day of worship.

But on major holidays, the mosque will get as many as 600 to 800 people. "The food is always exotic," Muhammad said.

Born to a Puerto Rican mother, a Catholic, and a Baptist African-American father, Smith is well suited as a community bridge builder. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Wed, 19 Jul 2006 14:38:44 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Bodies of 55 Lebanese Children Stacked in Truck / Lebanon Evacuees Treated Like Black Katrina Victims / MS Demonstrators Destroy Quran

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/19/06

* Hadith: Be Moderate in Your Religious Deeds
* ACTION: Senator Says Support for Israel Not 'Unconditional'
* Bodies of 55 Lebanese Children Stacked in Truck (SMH)
            - Israeli Raids Kill 58 Civilians, 1 Fighter
            - Israeli Spokesman: 'We Attack Only Terror Targets'
* CAIR-MI: Video - Lebanon Evacuees Treated Like Black Katrina Victims
            - Rep. Conyers Urges Action to Quell Violence in Middle East
* CA: Lebanese-Americans Feel Betrayed by U.S. Stance (LA Times)
            - MI: 10,000 Rally in Dearborn in Support of Lebanon
* CAIR-FL: Muslim Leaders Condemn Violence (Miami Herald)
            - CAIR-MI: Interfaith Relations Harmed by Mideast Violence
            - CAIR-FL: Lebanon Faces Humanitarian Crisis (SP Times)
            - CAIR-LA: Californian Couple Trapped by Israeli Bombing
            - CAIR-FL: War Becomes Reality of Family Vacation (Tampa Trib)
* Coalition of Pakistani-Americans Condemns Israeli Aggression
* NJ: Prison Probes Racial Slur on Muslim Officer's Locker
* MS: Video - Demonstrators Destroy Koran (WLBT)
* CAIR-OH: Mosque Threat Video - 'Ya'll Gonna Get Bombed Tonight'
            - More Video of Ohio Mosque Threat Incident (WKRC)
            - CAIR-OH: Threats Fail to Intimidate Worshipers (Enquirer)
* Experts: Muslim World No Longer Views U.S. as Moral Power (UPI)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: BE MODERATE IN YOUR RELIGIOUS DEEDS - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The good deeds of any person will not make him enter Paradise (i.e., no one enters paradise only through his good deeds)." The Prophet's companions asked: "Not even you?" The Prophet replied: "Not even myself, unless God bestows His favor and mercy on me. So be moderate in your religious deeds and do what is within your ability. None of you should wish for death, for if he is a doer of good, he may increase his good deeds, and if he is an evil doer, he may repent to God."

Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 7, Hadith 577

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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CHAIRMAN WARNER COMMENTS ON PROPOSED ISRAEL-LEBANON RESOLUTION - TOP
US Fed News, 7/18/06

WASHINGTON, July 18 -- The office of Sen. John Warner, R-Va., issued the following press release:

Yesterday evening, Sen. John W. Warner, R-Va., the Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, addressed the Senate on the Israel-Lebanon conflict, detailing his concerns with a yet-to-be filed resolution that the Senate was considering on the issue.

In his remarks, Senator Warner indicated that he agreed with almost all of the resolution, and would not stand in the way of its passage by unanimous consent.

However, he indicated that any Senate resolution on the Israel-Lebanon situation should proceed with careful debate, with the floor participation of as many Senators as wish to join. Also, it should take into account America's broader interests in the region, specifically how the conflict could affect: - the 25,000 Americans currently trapped in Lebanon, many of whom desire to leave now. . .

Senator Warner indicated that Senate passage of a resolution that addressed the conflict without considering the broad spectrum of American interests in the region could also complicate Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's upcoming diplomatic work in the region.

Senator Warner said, "Historically, this Nation has stood steadfast, and I am proud that I have been among those in this Chamber in my 28 years here, to strongly support Israel. Our Nation is viewed upon as an honest broker - recognizing our support of Israel, but as an honest broker.

"If the world is going to look to us as to how we can provide that leadership, I do not want any loss of flexibility on the part of the President and the Secretary of State and such others who may be tasked to try to work out this situation.

"Yes, I conclude our support for Israel is very strong, Mr. President, but it cannot be unconditional." . . .

SEND SENATOR WARNER A NOTE OF THANKS:

TEL: (202) 224-2023
FAX: (202) 224-6295
VIRGINIA RESIDENTS: Abingdon (276) 628-8158, Midlothian (804) 739-0247, Norfolk (757) 441-3079, Roanoke (540) 857-2676
GO TO: http://warner.senate.gov/contact/offices.htm
E-MAIL: http://warner.senate.gov/contact/contactme.cfm

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GRIM PROOF ORDINARY FOLK ARE DYING IN THE KILLING ZONE - TOP
Ed O'Loughlin, Sydney Morning Herald, 7/20/06
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/grim-proof-ordinary-folk-are-dying-in-the-killing-zone/2006/07/19/1153166454900.html

PARKED outside the small general hospital in Tyre is a badly refrigerated lorry container in which are stacked the bodies of 91 Lebanese civilians, 55 of them children. . .

Since Israel began bombing and shelling south Lebanon last Wednesday, about 380 patients have passed through this 65-bed hospital, plus the 91 dead. Not one of the victims, he says, has been a member of Hezbollah, the militia group that triggered Israel's onslaught with a border raid last week. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ISRAELI RAIDS KILL 59 - TOP
Dominic Evans, Daily Telegraph, 7/20/06
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,19849959-5006506,00.html

ISRAELI air strikes on Lebanon killed 58 civilians and a Hezbollah fighter, the deadliest toll of the eight-day-old war, as thousands of villagers fled north and more foreigners were evacuated.

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AS CONVOY SMOLDERS ON HILL, VILLAGERS WARN DRIVERS OF RAID - TOP
Edward Cody, Washington Post, 7/19/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/18/AR2006071801423.html

An Israeli military spokesman said aircraft hit four trucks on a highway in Lebanon that were carrying weapons for Hezbollah and had originated in Beirut. Told the trucks appeared to be carrying food, the spokesman said, "We attack only terror targets that relate to Hezbollah and their terror infrastructure."

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CAIR-MI: LOCAL MUSLIM LEADERS SPEAK ABOUT MIDEAST CRISIS - TOP
Val Clark, WXYZ, 7/19/06
http://www.detnow.com/wxyz/nw_local_news/article/0,2132,WXYZ_15924_4855079,00.html

According to estimates from the local Muslim community and from the offices of Senator Debbie Stabenow and Congressman John Dingell, there are still 7,000 Lebanese-Americans from the Detroit area who remain in the Middle East.

Leaders from the Detroit area Muslim community held a press conference in Dearborn Wednesday. They want President George Bush to call for an immediate ceasefire in the region.

"This aggression at this time - whether we like it or we don't - it has to be stopped." said Imam Mohamad Mardini from the American Muslim Center.

Minister Dawud Walid, Executive Director of the Center on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, said some in the community have drawn parallels between the plight of evacuees from Lebanon and the situation faced by African-Americans in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.

"Many Muslims and Christians in the Arab-American community have the exact same sentiment that African-Americans had last year when they feel as if they are being treated as second-class citizens," Walid said Wednesday morning. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CONYERS URGES ACTION TO QUELL VIOLENCE IN MIDDLE EAST - TOP
http://www.house.gov/list/press/mi14_conyers/109_07_19_06.html

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. joined Congressman John Dingell and Congresswoman Carolyn Kilpatrick at a press conference on the crisis in the Middle East. Representing the largest Arab-American population in the country, Mr. Conyers is deeply troubled by the escalating violence in the Middle East. His statement follows:

"I am extremely concerned over the increasing deaths, injuries, destruction and suffering in Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and Israel. We all agree that actions of the terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah that sparked the present conflict were reprehensible. We also believe there needs to be a change in America's posture of non-involvement. These two beliefs are not mutually exclusive. President Bush must intervene immediately to work with the UN and EU to begin negotiating the terms of a ceasefire that has the necessary elements to preclude another outbreak of violence. The president should show moral leadership by stepping up to this challenge. He needs to demonstrate that he is not just a 'war president,' that he can also be a president for peace.

None of us condone terrorism in any way, shape, or form, and I believe Hezbollah is a terrorist organization that was, is, and remains a threat to peace in the Mideast, and must be dismantled and disarmed. This conflict cannot be resolved militarily; only diplomacy can bring an end to the bloodshed. Without the participation of the most powerful nation in the world, there will be no resolution. In the recent past we have witnessed strong American leadership working to bring peace and stability to the region through Presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. It's time for George W. Bush to show the same kind of leadership as his predecessors. Once the violence has ceased, the US should immediately call on the World Bank and other international institutions to convene a donors conference to rebuild Lebanon's shattered infrastructure.

The Bush administration's Katrina-like effort to get Americans out of the war zone is disgraceful. The State Department now estimates that 5,000 Americans will be evacuated by the end of the week. That's one-fifth of the 25,000 Americans in Lebanon evacuated in 9 days. At the current rate, it will take 3 or 4 more weeks to evacuate the rest of the Americans. This response is unacceptable.

There are close to 7,000 Americans from the Detroit area presently stranded in Lebanon. The vast majority of them are in the south, where the heaviest bombardment is taking place. While the US's efforts to transport people from Lebanon to Cyprus is finally starting to get underway, our constituents are still responsible for getting themselves from the villages in the south to the American embassy in Beirut so they can be evacuated. With continuous shelling and most roads destroyed, many people are stuck in their homes and villages, unable to make the trip.

The US should make immediate arrangements with the Israeli and Lebanese militaries and the UN to ensure that these Americans can be evacuated. A secure route from the south to Beirut should be arranged with the Israeli military so our citizens can get to the U.S. Embassy safely."

The Honorable John Conyers, Jr
Representing Michigan's 14th District
John.Conyers@mail.house.gov

2426 Rayburn Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-5126
(202) 225-0072 Fax

669 Federal Building
231 W. Lafayette
Detroit, MI 48226
(313) 961-5670
(313) 226-2085 Fax

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CA: LOOKING BACK AT LEBANON WITH ANGER -- AT THE U.S. - TOP
A Lebanese American couple who fled strife say America should have intervened in fight.
Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 7/19/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-hamzeh19jul19,1,3952877.story

They survived the bombings near Tripoli. They braved an escape from Lebanon through the Syrian border.

But those weren't the most traumatic moments for Laguna Niguel residents Kanan and Hanan Hamzeh, who Tuesday described their six-day ordeal fleeing the raging battle between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The worst moment, the couple said, occurred last week when they clustered around a TV set watching the news with family and friends in Tripoli, Lebanon. The group of middle-class, mostly college-educated Lebanese, who support the disarmament of Hezbollah and a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem, all were convinced that the U.S. would broker an immediate cease-fire to stop their homeland's destruction, the Hamzehs said.

Instead, the United States blocked U.N. plans for a Middle East cease-fire resolution.

"All of my family looked at me and said, 'Look what your country has done. How could this be possible?'" said Hanan Hamzeh, 50. "I just said, 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry.' I was in shock.

"I felt embarrassed" to be American, she said.

"Betrayed," her husband added.

While the Israeli bombing has demolished much of Lebanon's infrastructure, the American failure to stop the fighting destroyed something far deeper in the Hamzehs' hearts. It has, they said, shattered their pride as Americans, altered their politics and left them with hard questions for their president. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

MI: 10,000 RALLY IN DEARBORN IN SUPPORT OF LEBANON - TOP
NIRAJ WARIKOO and BEN SCHMITT, Detroit Free Press, 7/18/06
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060718/NEWS99/60718005/-1/BUSINESS07

Carrying banners saying "Stop Israeli Terrorism" and chanting antiwar slogans, some 10,000 people rallied in the center of metro Detroit's Arab-American community in Dearborn on Tuesday, demanding that the U.S. government put pressure on Israel to halt attacks in Lebanon. (MORE)

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CAIR-FL: MUSLIM LEADERS CONDEMN VIOLENCE - TOP
BEN TORTER, Miami Herald
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/broward_county/15069036.htm

Area residents of Arab descent say they are tired of the fighting and want the same thing as the Israelis: A lasting peace.

"We should cease fire immediately and give diplomacy a chance, said Sofian Zakkout, director of the American Muslim Association of North America.

On Tuesday several local high-ranking Muslims -- including Altaf Ali of the Council on American Islamic Relations, or CAIR, in Pembroke Pines -- issued a statement condemning terrorism and the cycle of violence in the Middle East. They feel the bombing of Lebanon for a week now has gone beyond Israel defending itself. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-MI: FAITH LEADERS FIND UNITY ELUSIVE - TOP
Gregg Krupa, Detroit News, 7/19/06
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060719/LIFESTYLE04/607190358

DEARBORN -- As Muslims, Jews and Christians traveled to an interfaith meeting at St. Paul's Lutheran Church on Tuesday, some stopped at a demonstration by 7,000 mostly Arab-American and Muslim residents, protesting the Israeli incursion into Lebanon.

"We're just stopping by to see what is being said, to pick up on people's concerns," said Brenda Rosenberg, who is Jewish and an interfaith activist from Birmingham.

"Our work is extraordinarily difficult now." . . .

Dawud Walid, the regional director of the Council on American Islamic Relations, talked about receiving a phone call from another interfaith activist last week, as the bombardment of Lebanon began.

"We tried to talk about everything except for that," Walid said. "There was some tension there."

Walid described the atmosphere among Muslims and Jews in Metro Detroit as "pretty cold, right now."

But Walid said he and others are committed to persevering. (MORE)

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CAIR-FL: FRUSTRATION, UNCERTAINTY STRETCHES BACK TO BAY AREA - TOP
ALDO NAHED, St. Petersburg Times, 7/19/06
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/07/19/Tampabay/Frustration__uncertai.shtml

More than two dozen U.S. citizens from the Tampa Bay area are stuck in Lebanon, estimates Ahmed Bedier, the Tampa office director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"In the first days there was concern," Bedier said, describing e-mails sent to his organization by bay area residents in Lebanon. "Their concerns have turned into great fear."

Even though U.S. citizens are being evacuated, Bedier said they have to risk their lives to make it to the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.

"The situation is becoming more of a humanitarian crisis," he said. "We are urging members to meet with elected officials to vent our frustration and ask for a cease-fire." (MORE)

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CAIR-LA: INLAND RESIDENTS IN BEIRUT AWAIT HELP - TOP
BETTYE WELLS MILLER and CLAIRE VITUCCI, Press-Enterprise, 7/19/06
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_connect19.1fd9261.html

Rafik and Ghaida Ayloush, Corona retirees, remain at a relative's house in the mountains near Beirut with no way to get home, said their son, Hussam Ayloush, also a Corona resident and the executive director of the Southern California chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations.

"The whole country is blockaded," Hussam Ayloush said. "Israel has bombed every way out of Lebanon, including the airport and ports. It's very difficult for a person to safely leave from Lebanon. They're waiting to hear what their options might be."

Ayloush said his parents had been in Beirut since May visiting one son and helping to plan an August engagement party for another, who works in Kuwait. He last spoke with them on Monday.

"They were doing fine, considering the circumstances," he said. "When you face challenges, your expectations are low. You are happy if you make it to the next day."

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CAIR-FL: WAR BECOMES REALITY OF FAMILY VACATION - TOP
CHRIS ECHEGARAY, Tampa Tribune, 7/19/06
http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGB3GW86TPE.html

TAMPA - With their Honda CRV filled with seven children, Rima and Mohamed Fawaz approached the Zahrani bridge in southern Lebanon. When they were two minutes away from crossing, a bomb exploded, taking a chunk of the bridge - along with cars and people.

It was chaos.

The children - ranging in age from 3 to 17 - watched the scene unfold. They cried; many threw up.

"There is blood; there's the dead and the injured," said Rima Fawaz, of New Tampa. "I can't describe the feeling. It's the scariest.

"We decided to keep going north, away from the bombing," Fawaz said. "A soldier told us that they would continue to bomb the bridge. As soon as we get on the bridge, we were told to step on it. My son tells my husband, 'Please, daddy, tell me it's fireworks. Please tell me we won't die.'"

A handful of Tampa residents are caught in the violence between Israel and Hezbollah that started July 12. They are telling their stories in the national media.

The office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, local Muslims and Arab-Americans are holding a news conference at 11:30 a.m. today at the federal courthouse in Tampa, calling for an immediate cease-fire. (MORE)

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COALITION OF PAKISTANI-AMERICANS CONDEMNS ISRAELI AGGRESSION - TOP
Repudiates political opportunism as a "cruel hoax"

New York, NY Jul 17, 2006 A grand coalition of Pakistani-American organizations, including Chicago Council of Pakistani Organizations (CCPO), Pakistan Action Committee (PAC), Pakistani American Council of Texas (PACT), Pakistan Cultural Association of Staten Island, Inc. (PCASI), Pakistan American Democratic Forum (PADF), Pakistan Association of Riverside (PAR), Pakistan Community Association of New Orleans (PCANO), Pakistan League of America (PLA), Pakistan-USA Freedom Forum (PUFF), and Live Together.US Inc. (LTU), has condemned current Israeli aggression in "strongest possible terms."

The Grand Coalition has emphasized that "the Western Powers cannot continue to deal with the symptoms and ignore the root cause: Israel's continued occupation of Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian lands. The UN Security Council must bring about an immediate cease-fire or risk the whole Middle East going up in flames."

The Grand Coalition has called on Pakistan and other Muslim countries "not to recognize Israel till a free and sovereign nation of Palestine has been established." They have also repudiated the "political opportunism" of eight Pakistani- Americans as a "cruel hoax".

The joint statement reads:

"We call on the UN Security Council to fulfill its obligations by using all its authority to bring an immediate end to organized Israeli slaughter of men, women and children in Gaza and Lebanon.

"The UN cannot continue to deal with the symptoms and ignore the root cause: Israel's continued occupation of Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian lands.

"We call on the Government of Pakistan to reaffirm its stated position that formal diplomatic relations with Israel "will have to wait" till a just peace is obtained and an "independent Palestinian state" has come into existence.

"Recognition of Israel by Pakistan and other Muslim countries should be based on two factors: 1) full implementation of all relevant UN resolutions, particularly 242, 338, and 194, and return of Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian lands currently occupied by Israel, and 2) establishment of a viable, independent and sovereign state of Palestine that is in full control of its own internal and external affairs as well as its own resources including water, air space, and borders.

"Any mediation on behalf of the Palestinians must be done with the foreknowledge and approval of their democratically elected leadership.

"A tiny group of Pakistani-Americans who had recently gone to Israel on a private visit had done so to provide a cover for Israel's heinous crimes. Calling it "peacemaking" is a "cruel hoax" that has fooled nobody. These are the same people who had honored extremist BJP leader Advani last year. They stand utterly rejected by the Pakistani-American community."

For more information contact: Dr. Ashraf Toor 815.353.5039

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PRISON PROBES RACIAL SLUR ON MUSLIM OFFICER'S LOCKER - TOP
RICK HEPP, Star-Ledger, 7/19/06
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1153288697257580.xml&coll=1

The state Department of Corrections is trying to determine who wrote a racial slur across the locker of a black Muslim sergeant late last week after the officer had a disagreement with colleagues at a youth correctional facility, his union representative said yesterday.

"It's a shame when an individual has to lower himself to the level of writing a racial slur on a locker," said Tom Moran, president of the New Jersey Law Enforcement Supervisors Association, which represents the department's sergeants. "Hopefully, as a department we can overcome these disagreements." He declined to name the sergeant.

Corrections spokeswoman Deirdre Fedkenheuer confirmed there was "an incident" at the Albert C. Wagner Youth Correctional Facility in Burlington County but declined to describe it pending the outcome of an investigation by the department's equal employment division. The division investigates issues involving race, creed and gender. (MORE)

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MS: PRO-LIFE DEMONSTRATORS DESTROY KORAN, RAINBOW FLAG - TOP
Andrew Hasbun, WLBT, 7/18/06
http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=5167436&nav=2CSf

Pro-life demonstrators Tuesday tore apart the Muslim holy book, the Koran. They wanted to set it on fire, but the group does not have the proper permits.

Tuesday morning rallies became confrontational when police would not allow loudspeakers.

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OH: NEW MOSQUE THREAT: "YA'LL GONNA GET BOMBED TONIGHT" - TOP
WCPO, 7/18/06
http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/07/18/mosque.html

The FBI and Cincinnati Police are investigating after the Islamic Association of Cincinnati received threats Monday.

In December, two pipe bombs exploded outside the Clifton Avenue mosque. No arrests were made.

On Monday, someone called the mosque and threatened to blow it up, people at the mosque told 9News. They say someone also drove by, yelling threats.

"A car did come by and it said the exact words that 'ya'll gonna get bombed tonight,' to 'watch out ya'll gonna get bombed tonight,'" said Karen Dabdoub of the Islamic Association of Cincinnati.

SEE ALSO:

THREATS PHONED IN TO LOCAL MOSQUE - TOP
http://www.wkrc.com/breaking/story.aspx?content_id=840CC37F-AB59-426C-A81D-CF26B868D3D6

The FBI is investigating threats phoned in to a local mosque. The caller reportedly made death threats targeting Muslims Monday evening.

The mosque in Clifton is the same one targeted by two pipe bombs in December.

An FBI spokesperson says agents will investigate Tuesday, and that the matter has been referred to Cincinnati Police.

The local office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations says the mosque remained open for prayer, but security has been increased.

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FBI CHECKS OLD BOMB THREAT - TOP
WILLIAM A. WEATHERS, ENQUIRER, 7/19/06
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060719/NEWS01/607190347/1077

CLIFTON - The FBI is investigating whether there's a connection between a bomb threat to a mosque Monday and a pipe-bomb explosion at the mosque in December.

"That's one of the things we're looking into," Special Agent Michael Brooks, spokesman for the Cincinnati FBI office, said Tuesday.

Karen Dabdoub, a spokeswoman for the Islamic Center of Cincinnati mosque in the 3600 block of Clifton Avenue, said someone called the mosque about 5:30 p.m. Monday and threatened to bomb it.

Later, about 11 p.m. a car with several men inside drove past the mosque and someone shouted a threat to bomb the building, said Dabdoub, director of the Cincinnati Office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"We're going to bomb the place. We're going to bomb the place," someone shouted from the car, Dabdoub said. "It's pretty much what they said on the phone."

Mosque officials are taking the threats seriously and security has been increased, Dabdoub said. "These threats are unacceptable in any community," she said. "They (worshipers) have the right to come here and worship in peace."

Dabdoub said the December bombing, which caused minor damage to the building, failed to intimidate worshipers. (MORE)

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EXPERTS: ISLAM-U.S. RELATIONS AT NADIR - TOP
PAMELA HESS, United Press International, 7/18/06
http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20060718-035606-1626r

WASHINGTON, July 18 (UPI) -- Five years after the United States received the world's sympathy for the Sept. 11 terror attacks, Middle East and terrorism experts and a top poll taker reported to a Senate committee that the attitudes of Muslims have shifted sharply away from the United States.

A panel of experts told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that, whether reasonable or not, the war in Iraq, the detainment of prisoners at Guantanamo, and now the United States refusal to intercede against Israel in Lebanon causes Muslims to believe the United States has abandoned its core principles of human rights, democracy and freedom. . .

Akbar Ahmed, a professor at the American University in Washington and former high commissioner from Pakistan to Britain, traveled throughout the Middle East and Asia from February to April to discuss the tension between Islam and the United States.

"I have never encountered such intensity of emotion. The Muslim world in the years of the Cold War, when the United States was obviously the moral power, admired and respected the United States. Today we found that many Muslims do not see the United States as the moral power it once used to be; in fact, many of the people we surveyed through the nine countries said they would prefer Saddam Hussein, the most ruthless and vile of dictators, to the Americans in Iraq."

The Israeli attack on Lebanon with apparent American blessing only reinforces that view, said Muqtedar Khan, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, and a periodic adviser to the White House.

"The way we have abandoned Lebanon, I'm not very sure if any moderate Muslims will be able to take a risk (and move toward democracy,)" he said. (MORE)

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CAIR
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Forwarded Message

Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2006 17:23:16 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Speak Out Against Mideast Violence / Burning of MS Quran 'Hateful' / TN Mosque Incident Suspect Identified / Maine AG Goes to Court Over Mosque Pig's Head Incident

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/20/06

* Hadith: Forgive Injuries
* TN: Mosque Quran Incident Suspect Identified
            - MS: Burning of Quran Called 'Hateful'
            - OH: All Must Reject Threats Against Mosque
            - ME: AG Goes to Court Over Mosque Pig's Head Incident
* WV: Judge Allows Muslim Couple's Bias Lawsuit to Proceed (AP)
* CAIR-Chicago: Muslims Speak Out Against Mideast Violence
* CAIR-CAN: Muslims Ask Canadian PM to Seek Mideast Cease-Fire
* ISLAM-OPED: Israel's Dangerous Pursuit of Total Security
* CAIR: Lebanese Americans Worry for Family Members (AP)
            - CAIR-MI: Activist Says Evacuation Effort Minimal (FP)
            - CAIR-CA: Residents Escape Israeli Bombs (Mercury News)
            - CAIR-LA: Pomona Family Stranded in Lebanon (NBC4)
            - CAIR-CA: Lebanon Evacuation Compared to Katrina
            - CAIR-AZ: Muslims Fear for Mideast Relatives (AZ Rep)
            - CAIR-CT: Worry for Relatives Caught in Fighting (Day)
            - CAIR-FL: It was 'Hell' to Get Out of Lebanon
            - CAIR-PA: Midstate Arab-Americans Want Bush to Act
            - CAIR-OH: Muslims Urge Bush to Declare Cease-Fire
* UK: British Anger at Israeli Terror Celebration (Times)
* MN: Muslim Candidate Explains Value System Behind Candidacy
* CAIR: U.S. Soldiers in Iraq Telling Stories on YouTube (Time)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: FORGIVE INJURIES - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever suffers an injury and forgives (the person responsible), God will raise his status to a higher degree and remove one of his sins."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 998

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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TN: FEDS IDENTIFY INDIVIDUALS IN QURAN SHOOTING VIDEO - TOP
Brian Lazenby, Chattanooga Times Free Press, 7/20/06
http://www.tfponline.com/QuickHeadlines.asp?sec=l&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fepaper%2Ewehco%2Ecom%2FWebChannel%2FShowStory%2Easp%3FPath%3DChatTFPress%2F2006%2F07%2F20%26ID%3DAr00104

A Chattanooga man under investigation for allegedly shooting a Quran and leaving it outside a local mosque was arrested in 1998 for throwing homemade bombs at a church, records show.

A source close to the investigation identified Jason Thomas Mullican as the man using the name mully88 on a MySpace .com Internet site. On the site, a video showed mully88 and another man shooting a Quran with a military rifle and then leaving the Muslim holy book in front of the Chattanooga Islamic Center.

Mr. Mullican, 33, was accused in Hamilton County General Sessions Court in 1998 of throwing plastic soda bottles filled with chemicals at First Calvary Baptist Church on Bell Avenue, records show. Mr. Mullican and two others were charged with reckless endangerment and disrupting a public assembly, according to court records.

Prosecutors at the time conceded that the incident was a prank and not meant to hurt anyone. The charges for all three defendants were dismissed after 90 days of good behavior, records show.

Tim Burke, FBI supervisor for the Chattanooga office, declined to comment on the identity of the men in the video but said they have been questioned and are cooperating with authorities.

"The investigation is ongoing," he said. "We are providing evidence in the case to the Justice Department so they can make a decision about whether there has been a violation of federal law."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregg Sullivan declined to say whether a suspect will be charged. No timetable exists on when a decision will be made, he said.

Authorities began investigating the incident last week after the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on Justice Department officials to look into the shooting. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

MS: ANTI-ABORTIONISTS' BURNING OF QURAN CALLED 'HATEFUL' - TOP
Jean Gordon, Clarion-Ledger, 7/20/06
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060720/NEWS/607200393/1001/news

Jackson Muslims and a statewide interfaith group reacted with disgust Wednesday to reports that the national anti-abortion group Operation Save America burned a Quran during a Tuesday night gathering at a Pearl church.

"A group that acts in such a hateful way does not really represent the word of God," said Emad Al-Turk, co-founder of the International Museum of Muslim Cultures in Jackson.

Activists from Operation Save America, formerly known as Operation Rescue, have been in Jackson since Saturday for eight days of protests against the state's only abortion clinic, the Jackson Women's Health Organization in the Fondren neighborhood.

During a demonstration at the Capitol on Tuesday, anti-abortion activists tore up pages from the Quran, the Muslim holy book, along with a gay pride flag and copies of six U.S. Supreme Court rulings related to religion in public schools, sodomy and abortion.

The group intended to burn the items at the Capitol but couldn't because it didn't have a permit, said Operation Save America volunteer Pat McEwen, a retired college professor from Palm Bay, Fla.

Instead, the activists burned the Quran and other items Tuesday evening in the parking lot outside Making Jesus Real Church in Pearl, McEwen said. Police confirmed the burning. (MORE)

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OH: ALL MUST REJECT UGLINESS OF THREATS - TOP
The Enquirer, 7/20/06
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060720/EDIT01/607200310/1090/EDIT

In the days after the 9/11 attacks, America began to witness an unbecoming kind of ugliness against our Islamic citizens, including here in Cincinnati. Mosques received threatening phone calls and were vandalized.

Three nights ago, the Islamic Center of Cincinnati in Clifton received two bomb threats by phone and drive-by shouts - and there is no reason not to take them seriously. In December, pipe bombs exploded at the mosque in the 3600 block of Clifton Avenue. Luckily, there was only minor damage to the structure and no one was injured - not physically, at least.

On Monday evening, someone called the mosque with a threat: "We're going to bomb the place. We're going to bomb the place." Later that night, someone drove by the mosque in a car, repeating their cowardly venom.

Federal authorities are still investigating the December matter, wondering whether there's a link to Monday's incident.

Fine, but here's the most important thing we must all remember. A threat against any place of worship in Cincinnati is a threat to all Cincinnatians. Today, it's a mosque, tomorrow it's a church or synagogue or home. (MORE)

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MAINE AG GOES TO COURT OVER PIG'S HEAD INCIDENT - TOP
http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=38774

Maine's attorney general, citing the state Human Rights Act, filed a Superior Court complaint Thursday against a Lewiston man accused of targeting Somali and Muslim residents by throwing a frozen pig's head into a mosque during evening prayers.

Attorney General Steven Rowe is seeking to have the court bar 33-year-old Brent Matthews from having any contact with the mosque or its members and to order him to abide by the state's anti-discrimination law.

As outlined by Rowe's office, the complaint alleges that Matthews action was motivated by bias against the mosque members for their race, color, ancestry, national origin and religion.

According to Rowe's office, the July Third incident constituted a threat of violence toward members of the mosque, interfered with the members' First Amendment right to freedom of religion and resulted in property damage.

Defense lawyer James Howaniec was away from his office and not immediately available for comment.

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WV: FEDERAL JUDGE ALLOWS MUSLIM COUPLE'S LAWSUIT TO PROCEED - TOP
Associated Press, 7/20/06
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=17182

CLARKSBURG, W.Va. ­ A federal judge yesterday decided that a Muslim couple's civil rights lawsuit may proceed but without two of the four claims. The two remaining counts claim the couple's civil rights and First Amendment right to associate with whomever they choose were violated.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit in December 2004 on behalf of Aliakbar and Shahla Afshari, who claim that they were illegally fired from their jobs with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's facility in Morgantown.

The Afsharis, who are Shiite Muslims and natives of Iran, were fired May 5, 2004, because they failed to pass a secret background investigation that was conducted on employees from countries considered a threat to the United States, including Iran, according to the lawsuit.

The Afsharis passed background checks when they were hired in 1996 and in 1997. Their lawsuit, which was filed against NIOSH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services, claims the couple was fired because of their national origin and religious beliefs in violation of their First Amendment rights. (MORE)

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CAIR-CHICAGO: CHICAGO'S MUSLIMS SPEAK OUT - TOP
Margaret Ramirez, Chicago Tribune, 7/20/06
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/custom/newsroom/chi-060720muslim,1,330246.story

With a mix of emotions ranging from worry to rage, members of Chicago's Muslim community spoke today about the violence in their homeland and called on the United States to halt the violence.

Christina Abraham, a De Paul University law student, described frantic phone conversations with her family in Lebanon. She said Israeli forces bombed the predominately Christian neighborhood of Ashrafiya, where her aunt and cousins live. She said her cousins were trapped for days in an underground bomb shelter, unsure if they would survive the battle raging between Israel and Hezbollah.

"To kill hundreds of civilians for the sake of two captured Israeli soldiers--who are still alive--is to desecrate the sanctity of human life," said Abraham, 25, who is also civil rights coordinator for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Chicago.

"Israel justifies this attack by saying they are targeting Hezbollah. But the Beirut airport is not Hezbollah. The medical supply trucks are not Hezbollah. The children that are dying are not Hezbollah."

Abraham spoke at a press conference at Chicago's Downtown Islamic Center organized by CAIR. As the conflict in Lebanon continues, Muslim community leaders in Chicago said many Lebanese Americans are feeling disappointed and betrayed by the U.S. failure to call a cease-fire.

Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the CAIR chapter in Chicago, said U.S. actions give the impression the administration uses a double standard for Arab-Americans.

"The unwillingness to call for a cease-fire gives the impression that the administration places less value on the lives of American citizens of Arab descent and are therefore not worthy of protection from Israeli state terrorism. The administration should have one standard regarding the value of life and one definition of terrorism," Rehab said. (MORE)

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CAIR-CAN: MUSLIMS CALL ON PRIME MINISTER TO DEMAND MIDEAST CEASEFIRE - TOP

(OTTAWA, CANADA - 07/20/06) - 26 Canadian Muslim organizations released the following statement today on the Canadian response to the crisis in Lebanon:

"On behalf of Canadian Muslim organizations from across the nation representing a broad spectrum of Canada's hundreds of thousands of Muslims, we call on the Canadian government to act in accordance with Canadian values and international law with regards to the ongoing human devastation in the Middle East.

"Canada must not stand by as the destruction of civilian lives and civilian infrastructure in Gaza and Lebanon continues under the pretext of freeing three captured soldiers. When Prime Minister Harper calls the Israeli government's highly disproportionate actions a "measured" response he is at odds with core Canadian values. The loss of life on all sides of this conflict must stop immediately.

"We call on our government to stay true to Canada's peacekeeping role on the international scene and move immediately to seek a peaceful resolution to this current crisis. We urge our government to call for an immediate cessation of all acts of war in the region and to push for the release of thousands of Palestinian and Lebanese people detained in Israeli jails including hundreds of women and children alongside the three captured Israeli soldiers. An immediate ceasefire is also critical to ensure the safe evacuation of Canadians in Lebanon.

"Canada is built on the respect of fundamental human rights and international law. In a world where so many are busy waging war, Canada must continue to do what it has always done best: make peace.

"In the name of the values which Canadians of all faiths share, we call on Prime Minister Harper to live up to his responsibilities and act in accordance with Canada's peacekeeping tradition."

The signatories to the statement include: Ahlul Bait Assembly Canada; British Columbia Muslim Association (BCMA); Council on American Islamic Relations-Canada (CAIR CAN); Canadian Muslim Civil Liberties Association (CMCLA); Canadian Council of Muslim Theologians (CCMT); Canadian Muslim Forum; Canadian Muslim Lawyers Association (CMLA); Coalition of Muslim Organization (COMO); Dar al-Tawheed Islamic Centre; Edmonton Council of Muslim Communities; Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA); Islamic Council of Imams
Canada; Islamic Social Services and Resources Association; Islamic Society of Kingston; Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)-Canada; Islamic Society of Toronto; Islamic Supreme Council of Canada (ISCC); Jamiatul Muslemin of Toronto; Muslim Community Council of Ottawa-Gatineau (MCCOG); Muslim Association of Canada (MAC); Muslim Council of Calgary; Muslim Council of Montreal (MOM); Ottawa Muslim Association (OMA); Salahedeen Islamic Centre; TARIC Islamic Centre; and United Front Canada.

For more information, please contact Tyseer Aboulnasr at 613-291-3407.

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ISLAM-OPED: ISRAEL'S DANGEROUS PURSUIT OF TOTAL SECURITY - TOP

ISLAM-OPED is a national syndication service of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) designed to offer an American Muslim perspective on current political, social and religious issues. ISLAM-OPED commentaries are offered free-of-charge to one media outlet in each market area. Permission for publication will be granted on a first-come-first-served basis.

CONTACT: ihooper@cair-net.org
TEL: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726 (c)

Please consider the following commentary for publication.

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ISRAEL'S DANGEROUS PURSUIT OF TOTAL SECURITY
By Alaa Bayoumi
WORD COUNT: 655

[Alaa Bayoumi is director of Arabic affairs for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties group. He may be contacted at: abayoumi@cair-net.org ]

In his book "Failed States," Noam Chomsky writes that, "Pursuit of total security by one state. . .entails the insecurity of others, who are likely to react." Chomsky was talking about the foreign policy of the Bush administration, but the same analysis fits Israel today.

The Bush administration under the influence of the neo-cons, and Israel under Ehud Olmet's right-wing Kadima Party, are pursuing a strategy of total security that is destabilizing the whole Middle East, if not the whole world, and spreading insecurity among other nations.

After 9/11, and under the influence of overzealous neo-conservative intellectuals and policy makers, the Bush administration adopted a strategy of "preemptive" and "unilateral" action that sought to change regimes around the world and to reshape entire regions, particularly the Middle East, in order to win a vaguely-defined "global war on terror."

Five years later, Al-Qaida's top leaders are still free. Afghanistan's transformation for turmoil to normalcy is more uncertain than any other time. Iraq is on the edge of civil war and has become a main training ground for terror. World public opinion's opposition to our policies is unprecedented. And, competition and disagreement among world powers are souring over the access to oil resources and markets, pushing prices to all time high.

An article by Philip Gordon, a senior fellow at Brookings Institutions, published in the July issue of Foreign Affairs has declared "the end of the Bush revolution."

Unfortunately, the uncertain end of the Bush revolution did not come free of charge. The administration's aggressive unilateral policies and its vague threatening moral rhetoric have increased the proliferation of the weapons of mass destruction. As a result, North Korea became nuclear and it is now testing new long-range missile systems. Iran is trying to follow in Pyongyang's path.

The Bush revolution also hurt the Middle East more than any other area. Today, Arab democracy is in retreat. The destinies of Iraq and Somalia are uncertain. Most frightening of all, the Middle East could be on the verge of a region-wide war.

The Bush administration's one-sided support for Israel's governments has ended the peace process. We have supported Israel's unilateral withdrawal form the Gaza strip, its refusal to negotiate with any Palestinian partner, and its brutal siege on the Palestinian civilian population. Today, our core Arab allies, such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia, are shying away from even talking about the peace process.

More dangerously, the current Israeli government under Ehud Olmert, a shadow of Sharon who is trying to build an image among his people and in the Middle East as a tough military leader, is pursuing a strategy of total security that could lead to an open multi-national war in the Middle East.

Israel, the only nuclear power in the Middle East and the owner of the most powerful conventional military in the region, has launched an all-out war on two peoples in response to the kidnapping of a handful of its own soldiers. Israel itself holds thousands of innocent Palestinian and Lebanese people, men women and children who have been in Israeli jails for many years.

If our government does not act to stop Israel's aggressive actions, America will lose the support of the great majority of the Arab peoples and governments.

What we need now is an immediate cease-fire and an international conference to which all major parties to the conflict and world powers should be invited. This conference should work on establishing a new security system for the Middle East.

This new system must offer mutual security assurances for all countries, announce the Middle East as a nuclear weapons free zone, encourage the spread of democracy and human rights in the Arab world, find a just and peaceful solution of the Arab-Israeli conflict, encourage cooperation in fighting terrorism, and build clear channels of communication among all countries in the Middle East. If guaranteed by the world major powers, such channels could prevent future conflicts.

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CAIR: LEBANESE AMERICANS WORRY FOR FAMILY MEMBERS IN LEBANON - TOP
MATT SURMAN, Associated Press, 7/19/06
http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/michigan/index.ssf?/base/news-36/1153354467187820.xml&storylist=newsmichigan

Ahmad Alam does not count himself among the ranks of devout Muslims. But with his wife and two children stranded in Lebanon, he has turned to God praying five times a day, as required of Muslims.

The reason for his renewed faith, he says, is one born of a frustration voiced by a growing number of Arab Americans Muslims and Christians alike over the Bush administration's slow evacuation of Americans in Lebanon and its refusal to demand a cease-fire in Lebanon to end the fighting between the Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants.

"I'm scared. For the last 53 years I've never prayed. Now I'm really praying five times a day, asking God to keep them safe," Alam, a real estate broker, said by telephone from California. "It seems like the Americans are very slow."

For many Arab Americans weary of having to defend themselves in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, and leery of the war-effort in Iraq, the government's reluctance to act quickly to evacuate its citizens or register distress at the civilian casualties under heavy Israeli bombardment of Lebanon only heightens what they feel has become their marginal status in America.

"The plight of U.S. citizens who are caught in the crossfire and the unwillingness of our administration to call for a cease-fire is alarming," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "We should not repeat (Hurricane) Katrina, and just let people drown in suffering and fear and wait until too late to try to stem the damage." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-MI: DETROIT ACTIVIST: U.S. EVACUATION EFFORT MINIMAL - TOP
NIRAJ WARIKOO, Detroit Free Press, 7/20/06
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006607200387

As a cruise ship carrying 1,000 Americans departed Lebanon for Cyprus on Wednesday, some members of the Arab-American and Muslim communities in metro Detroit complained that the U.S. government was not doing enough to get their family and friends out of the Middle East.

Dawud Walid, head of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, claimed an estimated 7,000 Michiganders remain in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, some Lebanese Americans vacationing in their homeland.

"The current administration's minimal effort in rescuing Arab Americans and American Muslims leaves the impression to many that their lives are not as valued as other Americans'," Walid said.

Similar views were expressed Wednesday by speakers at a news conference held by the Congress of Arab American Organizations, a Dearborn-based coalition. (MORE)

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CAIR-CA: RESIDENTS ESCAPE ISRAELI BOMBS TO MAKE IT HOME - TOP
Kim Vo, Mercury News, 7/20/06
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/15080740.htm

Aalia Bleibel, 31, joined a news conference Wednesday morning at the South Bay Islamic Association in San Jose, where Muslim leaders called for a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based militant group that's kidnapped two Israeli soldiers.

"This current state of combat is taking away from the talking," said Safaa Ibrahim, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Santa Clara chapter. "Two wrongs don't make a right. We need to take this to calm." (MORE)

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CAIR-LA: POMONA FAMILY STRANDED IN LEBANON - TOP
http://www.nbc4.tv/news/9542132/detail.html

Munira Syeda of CAIR said estimated that about 25,000 Americans were in Lebanon but, had the shelling begun in mid-August, there might be as many as 100,000 U.S. citizens visiting family and friends there. Hussam Ayloush of CAIR said that of the 25,000 American citizens in Lebanon, 90 percent are Muslim.

"Lebanon is the Arab world's most progressive, most democratic, most cosmopolitan and closest friend to America," Ayloush said.

Syeda said CAIR is calling on the American government to push for a cease- fire so that Americans stranded there can get out. The same situation exists in Palestine, she said. (MORE)

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CAIR-CA: BAY AREA MUSLIMS COMPARE LEBANON EVACUATION TO KATRINA - TOP
http://kcbs.com/pages/58765.php

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KCBS) -- As Lebanese and Israeli casualties mount in the Middle East, members of the country's largest Muslim civil rights organization urged President Bush on Wednesday to call for a cease fire and send humanitarian relief.

"We are concerned that our government's lack of action creates the impression that the lives of Americans that happen to be of Islamic faith or of Arab dissent are somehow less valuable than others," said Sameena Usman, a spokeswoman for the local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Usman read a prepared statement to reporters, including KCBS's Mike Colgan, at a news conference at the South Bay Islamic Association in San Jose, where Arab Americans with families in Lebanon described the ordeals endured by family members since Israeli air strikes against Lebanon began more than a week ago.

She said CAIR is dismayed by what appeared to be inconsistent definitions of terrorism on the part of the administration.

"Targeting civilians to achieve a political goal is terrorism, whether the target is a pizza parlor in Tel Aviv or an apartment building in Beirut. This has become a humanitarian crisis. We need to protect the people and call for diplomacy and action," Usman said. "This administration should have one standard regarding the value of life, and one definition of terrorism." (MORE)

SEE THE ENTIRE CAIR-SFBA NEWS CONFERENCE:
http://cbs5.com/video/?cid=130

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CAIR-AZ: MUSLIMS FEAR FOR MIDEAST RELATIVES - TOP
Michael Clancy, Arizona Republic
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0720muslim0720.html

The look on the face of 12-year-old Norma Rahal tells the story. It is a look of worry, of concern, of fear.

Her mother went to Lebanon just a week ago to visit relatives. Now, her mother is trapped in the nation where war between Israel and the Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah has flared.

They also are separated from other family members, unable to travel from Beirut to Tyre, in the southern part of Lebanon. advertisement

Norma was one of four people, three of them Valley residents, who told stories of family separation and worry at a press conference Wednesday, sponsored by the Council on American- Islamic Relations, or CAIR. The girl lives in Dearborn, Mich., but was staying with her uncle in the Valley while her mother traveled.

Bushra Khan of the council read a statement calling for a cease-fire in the conflicts, both in Lebanon and in Gaza, where fighting between the Israelis and militants tied to the Hamas group began June 28.

She said the United States should force Israel to accept a halt in military action.

"We are concerned to our government's refusal to even request a cease-fire creates the perception that Muslim and Arab lives are somehow less valuable than Israeli lives," she said.

"Targeting civilians to achieve a political goal is terrorism, whether the target is a pizza parlor in Tel Aviv (Israel) or an apartment building in Beirut."

She said CAIR accepts the U.S. State Department's designation of Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations. "Our concern is the safety of civilians and (Israel's) destruction of (Lebanese) infrastructure," she said. "We are calling for a cease-fire by all parties." (MORE)

SEE VIDEO OF THE CAIR-AZ NEWS CONFERENCE:
http://www.azfamily.com/sharedcontent/VideoPlayer/showVideo.php?vidId=76696&catId=148

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CAIR-CT: FAMILY MEMBERS HERE WORRIED FOR RELATIVES CAUGHT IN FIGHTING - TOP
Katie Warchut, The Day, 7/20/06
http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=1b0716d1-be82-4d01-b288-8631d2422f7e

Hassan, along with New London resident Holly Khader, who is also Lebanese, and Groton resident Sanat Mansour, a Palestinian, have joined forces with the local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations to spread the stories of their families in the Middle East.

The New London chapter is the only one in New England. Chapters of CAIR across the country are asking President Bush to call for an immediate cease-fire by all parties in the Middle East conflict and urge that humanitarian relief be sent to devastated areas. (MORE)

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CAIR-FL: IT WAS 'HELL' TO GET OUT OF LEBANON - TOP
DEBORAH ZIFF and CHRIS ECHEGARAY, The Tampa Tribune, 7/20/06
http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGB17C5LUPE.html

TAMPA - More than 100 people from the Tampa area are in Lebanon, many of them struggling to get out, according to estimates by the Tampa chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Wednesday marked the first day of mass U.S. evacuation from the country, but the process has been poorly coordinated, said Ahmed Bedier, spokesman for CAIR.

His group is urging the United States to call for a cease-fire to safely evacuate those who want to leave or to bring in supplies.

Some Tampa families in southern Lebanon can't get to a point of evacuation because of heavy fighting or damaged roads, Bedier said.

"There's no safe passage," he said. "It's very difficult to ask people to risk their lives." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

TAMPA HUSBAND WORRIED, WIFE TRAPPED IN LEBANON
http://www.tampabays10.com/news/specials/popular/article.aspx?s=popular&storyid=35727

Below are video clips from the CAIR-FL news conference.

FOX13: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FulWwLGDBQ
WFTS-ABC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQjIytebv98
WTSP-CBS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1wODtn6OJo
WFLA-NBC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYYz5QsmsUc
WTVT-FOX: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GroMfpAFEM
BAYNEWS9: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IftwKuaqIU4

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CAIR-PA: MIDSTATE ARAB-AMERICANS WANT BUSH TO ACT - TOP
Patriot-News, 7/20/06
http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1153359652313200.xml&coll=1

Members of the area's Arab-American community yesterday called on President Bush to exert more pressure toward an immediate cease-fire in the Middle East.

"There are millions of innocent people stuck both in Lebanon and Gaza and the world is just looking and watching, and nobody is doing anything" to stop the fighting, said Nabila Audi, a Derry Twp. woman with many relatives living in Beirut.

Audi and local members of the Council on American-Islamic Relations spoke at the state Capitol as part of a nationwide effort by the council.

The CAIR campaign comes amid published reports that the Bush administration has decided to wait several more days before wading into the conflict, at least in part to give Israel more time to weaken forces belonging to Hezbollah, the militant Shiite group that controls large swaths of southern Lebanon. (MORE)

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CAIR-OH: AREA MUSLIMS CALL FOR CEASE-FIRE - TOP
KAREN VANCE, ENQUIRER, 7/20/06
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060720/NEWS01/607200385/1056

BLUE ASH - Zeinab Schwen of Symmes Township is worried about her brother's safety in Gaza.

On Wednesday she joined a news conference calling for a cease-fire called by the Cincinnati office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Blue Ash.

Nationally, CAIR, an advocacy group of American Muslims, has called for a cease-fire, and chapters across the United States held similar press briefings.

"The Muslim community here and around the world feels very helpless because the American government, usually the voice of reason in situations like this, has not called for a cease-fire. Instead, they have been throwing their support to one side," said Schwen, chairwoman of the Cincinnati CAIR board.

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-OH: LOCAL MUSLIMS URGE BUSH TO DECLARE A CEASE-FIRE
http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/07/19/cease_fire.html

A group of local Muslims are asking President Bush to call an immediate cease-fire to end the violence in the Middle East.

The local office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations held a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

"There is a tragedy, an absolute human tragedy, going on in Gaza that we completely forgot about," said one member of the group.

Many who attended have relatives under attack in Lebanon as well as the Gaza Strip.

They're pushing for the cease-fire to allow humanitarian relief to be sent in and to continue the evacuation of civilians.

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CAIR-OH: COLUMBUS WOMAN'S FRIEND IN MIDST OF CONFLICT IN LEBANON
Allison Kolodziej, COLUMBUS DISPATCH
http://www.dispatch.com/national-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/20/20060720-A5-01.html

Zaineb Alani listens to speakers address the situation in the Mideast at the Council on American-Islamic Relations office. A friend, Huda Osseiran, described her life in a phone call from Beirut.

Huda Osseiran knows that food is scarce in Beirut, medicine is hard to come by and transportation is nearly impossible.

She knows because she's right in the middle of the fighting between the Islamic militants of Hezbollah and the Israeli army.

And in the heart of Beirut last night, Osseiran's apartment shook yet again, evidence of the fighting's proximity to her and other civilians in Lebanon.

"Did you hear that?" she said over the phone yesterday. The call was made during a news conference at the Council on American-Islamic Relations office in Columbus. (MORE)

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BRITISH ANGER AT TERROR CELEBRATION - TOP
Ned Parker and Stephen Farrell, The Times, 7/20/06
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,173-2277717,00.html

AS ISRAEL wages war against Hezbollah "terrorists" in Lebanon, Britain has protested about the celebration by right-wing Israelis of a Jewish "act of terrorism" against British rule 60 years ago this week.

The rightwingers, including Binyamin Netanyahu, the former Prime Minister, are commemorating the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, the headquarters of British rule, that killed 92 people and helped to drive the British from Palestine.

They have erected a plaque outside the restored building, and are holding a two-day seminar with speeches and a tour of the hotel by one of the Jewish resistance fighters involved in the attack.

Simon McDonald, the British Ambassador in Tel Aviv, and John Jenkins, the Consul-General in Jerusalem, have written to the municipality, stating: "We do not think that it is right for an act of terrorism, which led to the loss of many lives, to be commemorated." (MORE)

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KEITH ELLISON: THE VALUE SYSTEM THAT'S BEHIND MY CANDIDACY - TOP
Keith Ellison, Star Tribune, 7/19/06
http://www.startribune.com/562/story/560061.html

A great deal has been written about me in the press and on political blogs recently. I would like to take this opportunity to speak directly about who I am, rather than have others tell my story.

My passion for social justice comes from my family. My parents worked hard to instill a sense of purpose and pride in me. I grew up hearing the stories of my grandfather who worked with the NAACP in Louisiana, organizing for voting rights at a time when those who stood up could be lynched, and sometimes were.

Our family proudly tells of the time when a young attorney, Thurgood Marshall, stayed in their home, long before he became a Supreme Court Justice.

My grandfather's work helped to inspire my commitment to justice and equal rights. I have always tried to live up to his example as an attorney representing the poor and as a state legislator from north Minneapolis.

As a young man I was outraged and frustrated by the racism and injustice I saw in my community and the world around me. Those experiences propelled me to become a social activist, using my words and actions to draw attention to the very serious problems of inequality, racial injustice and poverty in our society.

As I matured, I had to confront my anger and face it down. I eventually realized that it is easy to be a critic pointing out problems and failings, but it is a far more difficult thing to be part of creating the solution.

As my father used to say, "Any jackass can kick a barn down; it takes a carpenter to build it back up."

Eventually I understood what my father had been telling me, and I committed to being one of the carpenters.

I began to help create a world where everybody counts and where there are no throwaway people.

I am still outraged by the direction of our country, but now I channel that outrage into renewing our democracy. I reject the value system that insists it is every man for himself. (MORE)

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CAIR: THE YOUTUBE WAR - TOP
American soldiers are telling their story of the Iraq war in homemade videos. And the picture isn't any brighter
ANA MARIE COX, Time, 7/19/06
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1216501,00.html

There's music in a lot of the soldiers' videos, but precious little uplift. In "The War Tapes," one soldier/auteur complains frequently about the risks he and his comrades take to protect the property of the Halliburton subsidiary subcontracted to feed the troops: "Why the f--- am I sitting out here guarding a truck full of cheesecake?" he laments. After another guardsman supplies a Bush Administration-approved justification for their presence (freedom and democracy for the Iraqi people, stability in the Middle East), the cameraman asks, "tell me how you really feel." Deadpan, he continues: "After that happens, maybe we can buy everybody in the world a puppy."

Videos uploaded to the internet by soldiers themselves depict, if anything, an even grimmer reality. Earlier this summer, the Council on American-Islamic Relations stoked a minor controversy over the video "Hadji Girl," which featured a uniformed Marine singing about falling in love with an Iraqi girl only to be ambushed by her family, after which he "hid behind the TV/ And I locked and loaded my M-16/ And I blew those little f___ers to eternity." Many defended "Hadji Girl" as gallows humor, but on the web there is no shortage of just plain gallows, either. A search for "Iraq" and "combat" at Ogrish.com or YouTube.com will field dozens of semi-pro snuff films of varying degrees of gore. Many are set to music - power ballads, speed metal, and in one case, an ironic lounge-act crooner.

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2006 18:40:47 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: CAIR Seeks Reports of Americans Killed, Injured in Lebanon

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

CAIR ACTION ALERT #494

CAIR SEEKS REPORTS OF AMERICANS KILLED, INJURED IN LEBANON
Evacuees asked to fill out form about experiences during Israeli bombing

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/20/06) - CAIR today announced it is gathering eyewitness reports from Lebanon evacuees to determine whether any U.S. citizens or permanent residents were killed or injured in Israeli attacks on that nation. Evacuees are being asked to fill out an online form detailing their experiences during the Israeli bombing campaign on Lebanon's civilian infrastructure.

U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said Wednesday that attacks on civilians in Lebanon, Israel and Gaza and the West Bank may constitute war crimes. The International Red Cross also said that Israeli attacks on Lebanon have violated the principle of "proportionality" as mandated by the Geneva Conventions.

SEE: Attacks Qualify as War Crimes, Officials Say (NY Times)

More than 300 Lebanese civilians have already been killed in Israeli attacks. Those attacks killed as many as 70 people on Wednesday, making it the deadliest day since the fighting began. An estimated 500,000 people have bee forced to flee their homes in Southern Lebanon.

Lebanese officials say Israeli attacks on bridges, roads, telecommunications and electrical networks, port facilities, and other civilian infrastructure will take $2 billion to repair.

There were an estimated 25,000 American citizens in Lebanon at the time Israel began its bombing campaign. Many American citizens, both Christian and Muslim, also have relatives in Lebanon.

"We need to know whether any of our nation's citizens or permanent residents were harmed by Israeli attacks using American taxpayer-supplied weapons," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. He said the data collected from the evacuees will be evaluated by experts in international law.

Awad noted that many legal experts say Israel is in violation of international law and the U.S. Arms Export Control Act for using American weapons to target Lebanon's civilians and civilian infrastructure.

SEE: Israel Violates Law on U.S. Weapons in Mideast (IPS)

IMMEDIATE ACTIONS REQUESTED:

1. ANYONE WITH INFORMATION ABOUT
U.S. citizens or permanent residents killed or injured in Israeli attacks should fill out the CAIR Lebanon Evacuee Questionnaire at: http://www.cair.com/questionnaire/

2. IMAMS, ACTIVISTS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS should urge that those who have returned from Lebanon, or know people who have returned, fill out the form and return it to CAIR.

- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the American Muslim community. Subscribers to the list receive news releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on issues of importance to our society.

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

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Forwarded Message

Date: Fri, 21 Jul 2006 16:29:57 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: IL Man Who Threatened CAIR Sentenced / Senator's Use of 'Islamic Fascism' Empowers Extremists / Judge Says MA Islamic Society Defamation Suit Can Proceed

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/21/06

* Hadith: Praising God Causes Sins to Fall Away
* IL: Man Who Threatened CAIR Sentenced
            - ME: Hate Crimes Charges Sought in Pig's Head Incident
* CAIR-San Francisco Bay Area Banquet Sept. 9th
* CAIR-AZ: Children's Candlelight Vigil for Mideast Peace
            - CAIR-MI: Interfaith Leaders Pray for Peace
* CAIR: US Muslims Ask for Mideast Casualties Accounts (AP)
            - CAIR-San Diego: Council Pushes for Cease-Fire (Union-Trib)
            - CAIR-FL: Lebanon Evacuation Has Been Too Slow (Sentinel)
            - CAIR-MI: Criticism of U.S. Efforts Persists (Free Press)
            - CAIR-Chicago: Families Fear for Loved Ones in Mideast (CBS)
            - CAIR-Chicago: Groups Criticize U.S. Response (Sun-Times)
            - CAIR-CA: Violence Condemned in Calls for Cease-Fire (SJMN)
* CAIR: PA Senator's Use of 'Islamic Fascism' Empowers 'Extremists'
* Schools Juggle Holidays for Muslims and Other Faiths (AP)
* MA: Judge Says Islamic Society Defamation Suit Can Proceed (Globe)
* Last Domestic Detainee from 9/11 Released (Washington Post)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: PRAISING GOD CAUSES SINS TO FALL AWAY - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once came to a tree with withered leaves. He struck the tree with his staff and scattered the leaves. The Prophet then said: "(Saying) 'Praise be to God,' 'Glory be to God,' 'There is no diety but God,' and 'God is most great' causes sins to fall away just as the leaves of that tree were falling."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 737

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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IL: MAN WHO THREATENED CAIR SENTENCED - TOP

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/21/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today said that an Illinois man who had threatened the Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group has been sentenced to three years probation.

In 2005, Max Oakley, a resident of Toledo, Ill., sent e-mails to CAIR threatening to blow up its Capitol Hill headquarters and some mosques. Oakley was also fined $1,000.

CONTACT: CAIR Legal Director Arsalan Iftikhar, 202-488-8787 or 202-415-0799

SEE ALSO:

ME: AG FILES CIVIL RIGHTS CHARGES IN LEWISTON MOSQUE INCIDENT - TOP
Mosque members hope the federal government will prosecute Brent Matthews for a hate crime as well
JOSIE HUANG, Portland Press Herald, 7/21/06
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/060721lewiston.shtml

A second legal complaint filed against the man accused of rolling a frozen pig's head into a Lewiston mosque is raising the question: Will there be a third?

Thursday's decision by the Maine Attorney General's Office to prosecute Brent Matthews of Lewiston on civil rights violations has mosque members hoping that the federal government will follow. (MORE)

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CAIR-SFBA's 12th ANNUAL BANQUET SEPT.9TH - TOP

The 2006 Annual CAIR-San Francisco Bay Area Banquet will take place on Saturday, September 9, 2006, at the Doubletree Hotel in San Jose.

The banquet is an opportunity to celebrate our community's successes, listen to inspiring speakers and show support for CAIR's work and its dedicated team of staff and volunteers. Our guest speakers include national Muslim leader Rodwan Saleh and esteemed Former Ambassador to Iraq, Edward Peck.

Please join us and don't miss out on this great annual celebration by making your reservations early.

Purchase Tickets Online: www.myvillage.us/my/cairsfba
Tel: 408-986-9874
E-Mail: nocal@cair.com

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CAIR-AZ: CHILDREN'S CANDLELIGHT VIGIL FOR MIDEAST PEACE - TOP

(PHOENIX, AZ, 7/21/06) - On Saturday, July 22, CAIR-AZ, in cooperation with other Muslim and Arab-American organizations, will hold a candlelight vigil by children seeking peace and justice for young people in the Middle East. The vigil will be held beginning 7 p.m. at the Islamic Community Center in Tempe.

CONTACT: Bushra Khan, 602-262-2247, 202-276-9227, E-Mail: officemanager@cairaz.org

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-MI: INTERFAITH LEADERS PRAY FOR MIDEAST PEACE - TOP

(LATRHUP VILLAGE, MI, 7/21/06) ­ The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) joined local Muslim, Jewish and Christian faith communities today to pray for peace in the Middle East.

The interfaith prayers at the Muslim Center in Detroit were organized by the Council of Islamic Organization of Michigan (CIOM). In attendance were imams and Muslim activists, and Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Jewish, and Episcopalian congregation leaders.

Participants expressed their sadness at the loss of life in Israel, Palestine and Lebanon, and called on the Bush administration to broker a just and lasting peace in the region.

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CAIR: US MUSLIMS ASK FOR MIDEAST CASUALTIES ACCOUNTS - TOP
ASSOCIATED PRESS, 7/21/06
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1153291963558&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations is using an online questionnaire to collect eyewitness accounts of American citizens or permanent residents injured or killed in the fighting in Lebanon, it was reported on Friday morning.

CAIR's survey asks if the respondent was injured, then asks him or her to list the names of American citizens or permanent residents who were injured or killed. It also asks for personal information, including a passport or residency card number. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-SAN DIEGO: LOCAL COUNCIL PUSHES FOR MIDDLE EAST CEASE-FIRE - TOP
Angelica Martinez, UNION-TRIBUNE, 7/20/06
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20060720-1405-bn20lebanon.html

SAN DIEGO - Local Muslims and Arab-Americans Thursday called for the Bush administration to push for a cease-fire in Lebanon, where they say their relatives are trapped because of the recent fighting between the Israeli army and the Hezbollah militia.

The group voiced its opposition to the current Middle East conflict and criticized the United States' response to the back-and-forth rocket attacks at a news conference held at the San Diego Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"It is a shame as well as a crime that such destruction is happening with the political and financial support of our government," said Edgar D. Hopida, director of public relations for the San Diego chapter. (MORE)

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CAIR-FL: LOCAL RESIDENTS SAY THE EVACUATION OF LOVED ONES CAUGHT IN LEBANON HAS BEEN TOO SLOW - TOP
April Hunt, Orlando Sentinel, 7/21/06
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/orl-leb2106jul21,0,6247868.story

As U.S. Marines began ferrying hundreds of Americans out of Lebanon, Central Florida residents with family members caught in the middle of the violence expressed frustration Thursday that rescue efforts had taken so long.

Muslim leaders here said many families are trying to figure out how to get their loved ones out of the devastated country. If troops had shown up faster, they said, more civilians could have escaped the war zone. They called for swifter action -- and for calm.

"It's very upsetting that as a result of a few people's actions, an entire population has been targeted," said Chris Caruso, who heads the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which called for a cease-fire. (MORE)

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CAIR-MI: CRITICISM OF U.S. EFFORTS PERSISTS - TOP
BEN SCHMITT, FREE PRESS, 7/21/06
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060721/NEWS05/607210339/1007/NEWS

"The Arab Americans and American Muslims who have returned have consistently expressed the sentiment that they feel like second-class citizens," Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Lathrup Village, said Thursday. "They are all taxpayers and expected more from their government." (MORE)

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CAIR-CHICAGO: FAMILIES FEAR FOR LOVED ONES IN MIDEAST WAR ZONE - TOP
Chicagoans Speak Out During Press Conference
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/local_story_201180721.html

(CBS) CHICAGO There is no end in sight to the escalating violence in the Middle East, and evacuees can't get out fast enough.

The first planes carrying American evacuees are arriving on U.S. soil. One group of Lebanese-Americans was forced to leave Beirut after fighting broke out with Israel more than a week ago. They said they were terrified when bombs shook their homes.

Some 8,000 of the 25,000 U.S. citizens in Lebanon want to be evacuated. On Thursday, U.S. Marines on the beaches of Beirut helped them to escape.

Residents in the battle zone, and those evacuated from it, are begging for international intervention.

CBS 2's Jim Williams reports on the agony of people separated by the conflict.

Their appeal was emotional, their criticism was harsh.

"It is to condemn the murder of civilians whether it be at the hands of Arab militants murdering innocent Jewish life or at the hands of Jewish-Israeli soldiers murdering innocent Palestinian, Lebanese life," said Ahmed Rehab with the Council on American-Islamic Relations. (MORE)

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CAIR-CHICAGO: AREA ISLAMIC GROUPS CRITICIZE U.S. RESPONSE IN LEBANON - TOP
RUMMANA HUSSAIN, Sun-Times, 7/21/06
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-lebanon21.html

"Israel justifies this attack by saying they are targeting Hezbollah. But the Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport is not Hezbollah. The evacuation routes out of the country are not Hezbollah and medical supply trucks are not Hezbollah," added an emotional Abraham, a civil rights coordinator for the Chicago Council on American-Islamic Relations.

CAIR-Chicago and Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago officials said the U.S. government, slow in its efforts to evacuate the 25,000 Americans from the Middle East, has a double standard when it comes to the safety of Arab Americans.

"The unwillingness to call for a cease-fire gives the impression that the administration places less value on the lives of American citizens of Arab descent and Islamic faith and are therefore not worthy of protection from Israeli state terrorism," CAIR-Chicago executive director Ahmed Rehab said. "The administration should have one standard regarding the value of life and one definition regarding terrorism." (MORE)

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CAIR-CA: MIDDLE EAST VIOLENCE CONDEMNED IN CALLS FOR CEASE-FIRE - TOP
Kim Vo, Mercury News, 7/21/06
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/15089971.htm

Arabs and Muslims say they are frustrated that Americans seem more sympathetic toward Israel, which has seen 29 people die, instead of outraged by the 300 Lebanese killed so far. Though they acknowledge that Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers, they blame Israel for not negotiating with the group and for the lopsided battles that have entered their second week.

The national Council on American-Islamic Relations wants its members to have their legislators condemn Israel's actions as terrorism.

"Targeting civilians to achieve a political goal is terrorism, whether the target is a pizza parlor in Tel Aviv or an apartment building in Beirut," Sameena Usman, a spokeswoman with the group's Santa Clara chapter, said this week. The local chapter, which is also pushing for a cease-fire, hopes to meet with legislators soon. (MORE)

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CAIR: ISLAMIC FASCISM THE ENEMY, NOT TERROR, SAYS SANTORUM - TOP
Monisha Bansal, CNSNews.com, 7/21/06
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200607/POL20060721a.html

(CNSNews.com) - The United States is not fighting a war against terrorism so much as a war against Islamic fascism, U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) said Thursday. But a spokesman for the Council on American Islamic Relations said Santorum's argument only empowers "extremists."

Days after Sept. 11, 2001, President George W. Bush announced that the United States would fight a war against terrorism, starting with Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda and the group's political benefactors - Afghanistan's Taliban government. But on Thursday, Santorum said labeling the conflict a war against terrorism was politically "safe and misleading.". . .

Corey Saylor, government affairs director for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), said Santorum's comments give extremists legitimacy.

"Essentially what you are doing when you associate the word Islamic with the actions of what the extremists are doing is you are sort of empowering their own ideology, because you are telling them, 'Yes we think you are Muslims by what you are doing.'"

"The best word to use would be, extremist," Saylor said. "What we're fighting is a war on extremism, whatever its nature," he told Cybercast News Service.

"Just like we don't accept any kind of extremism from Christians, and anyone would easily reject that it's a Christian action to commit a terrorist attack, we would reject their actions as being Islamic," Saylor asserted.

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SCHOOLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY JUGGLE HOLIDAYS FOR MUSLIMS AND OTHER FAITHS - TOP
CARA ANNA, Associated Press, 7/21/06
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/21/ap/national/mainD8J08IBG0.shtml

(AP) Sikh, Muslim, Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu, and Christian _ each faith has its holy days. Schools across the country are asking how to respect them all.

Consider the University at Albany, which canceled classes on major Muslim holidays. Faculty wanted the move out of concern for Muslim students after the Sept. 11 attacks. But then came the questions: What about Hindus? Buddhists?

President Kermit Hall last fall decided to return to the original calendar.

"Can you operate a university and give each religious group an accommodation? I think the answer is, 'No,'" he said.

Make that "maybe." School administrators across the country are rethinking their calendars as their student bodies become more diverse.

In May, Muslim parents asked New York City's education department for days off on two major Muslim holidays, which some districts in Michigan and New Jersey already have granted. In January, a Long Island mosque petitioned New York Gov. George Pataki to consider the holidays when scheduling mandatory statewide testing. Last month, the state Legislature passed a bill that would take all religious holidays into account when scheduling the mandatory tests. The Council on American-Islamic Relations called it the first step toward recognizing Muslim holidays in public schools. (MORE)

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MA: JUDGE RULES ISLAMIC SOCIETY SUIT CAN PROCEED - TOP
Yvonne Abraham, Boston Globe, 7/21/06
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/07/21/judge_rules_islamic_society_suit_can_proceed/

A Superior Court judge ruled yesterday that a defamation suit brought by the Islamic Society of Boston against media and Jewish rights organizations can go forward.

The suit alleges that the Boston Herald, Fox25, The David Project, Citizens for Peace and Tolerance, and others orchestrated a media campaign to stop the Islamic Society's attempts to build a mosque in Roxbury. The suit alleges that stories in the Boston Herald and on Fox Television in 2004, which asserted links between society officials and terrorist groups, were aimed at halting the project.

The nonmedia defendants, who have continually denied those assertions, argued the suit should be dismissed under a 1994 statute designed to protect private citizens who bring suits against developers.

Judge Janet L. Sanders ruled that the statute does not apply to the defendants in the defamation lawsuit. The ruling is a major victory, said Howard Cooper, attorney for the Islamic Society.

"For many months since my clients simply sought to file a lawsuit and redress their rights in court, all we heard was that we were attempting to intimidate people and we would end up having to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in attorneys' fees," he said. "The court has now rejected the defendants' arguments in their entirety and ruled that the ISB filed its lawsuit appropriately." (MORE)

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DOMESTIC DETAINEE FROM 9/11 RELEASED - TOP
Anushka Asthana, Washington Post, 7/21/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/20/AR2006072002007.html

Benamar Benatta, believed to be the last remaining domestic detainee from the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, was released yesterday after negotiations involving Canada, the United States and his attorneys ended his captivity at nearly five years.

Benatta crossed the border from the United States to Canada, where he will be allowed to resume the bid for political asylum that resulted in his detention shortly before the terrorist attacks.

The Algerian air force lieutenant spent more than 58 months behind bars even though the FBI formally concluded in November 2001 that he had no connection to terrorism.

He was among more than 1,200 mainly Muslim men who were arrested after the attacks and held under tight security while authorities scoured their backgrounds for links to terrorist groups. It is believed that Benatta was the last to be released, though it is difficult to be certain because of the secrecy that surrounded some of the cases.

"This is the result of an individual being labeled a terrorist and the government treating him as such," Benatta's attorney Catherine Amirfar said yesterday. "He was fully cleared by the FBI of any connection to terrorism . . . but the label stuck, so a man with no previous criminal record was detained for a visa overstay." (MORE0

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Sat, 22 Jul 2006 11:43:37 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: CAIR Calls Rushed U.S. Bomb Deliveries to Israel 'Unconscionable'

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

BREAKING NEWS

PLEASE FORWARD TO OTHERS:
Urge your friends, relatives and colleagues to sign up to receive CAIR-NET updates by going to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/ (Also send lists of e-mail addresses of those who wish to receive CAIR-NET to: ihooper@cair-net.org)

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CAIR CALLS RUSHED U.S. BOMB DELIVERIES TO ISRAEL 'UNCONSCIONABLE'
Muslim group urges disengaging policy from 'dictates' of pro-Israel Lobby

(WASHINGTON, DC, 7/22/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called the Bush administration's decision to rush delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel "unconscionable."

The New York Times reported today that Israel requested the expedited shipment of satellite and laser-guided bombs last week after beginning its massive bombing campaign against Lebanon's civilian infrastructure.

SEE: U.S. Speeds Up Bomb Delivery for the Israelis (NY Times)

Israeli attacks on Lebanon have already killed hundreds of civilians. Attacks by air, land and sea have destroyed bridges, roads, electrical networks, airports, port facilities, and other civilian infrastructure in an Israeli attempt to "turn back the clock in Lebanon by 20 years." (Israeli Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz issued the threat to destroy Lebanon's infrastructure.)

Israel today targeted transmission towers for television stations and mobile phones in northern Lebanon. Some 500,000 Lebanese have been forced from their homes under threat of death from Israeli attacks. (Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Friday that the current conflict represents "the birth pangs of a new Middle East.")

In a statement, CAIR Board Chairman Parvez Ahmed said:

"It is unconscionable that our government would rush weapons to a state engaged in vicious and indiscriminate attacks on the civilians and civilian infrastructure of a friendly nation. Thousands of our nation's citizens also remain in Lebanon facing death or injury from these American taxpayer-supplied weapons.

"The baffling decision to assist in the destruction of a nation that has been held up as a model of democratic reform can only serve to harm our long-term interests in the region. Aiding attacks on civilian targets in Lebanon also calls into question our nation's commitment to fighting terrorism in all its forms.

"America must disengage its Middle East policy from the self-serving dictates of the pro-Israel lobby. Failure to do so will allow Israel to once again drag our nation into its self-perpetuating cycle of hatred and conflict."

SEE: The Truth About the Israel Lobby's Influence (Washington Post)

Ahmed added that many legal experts say Israel is in violation of international law and the U.S. Arms Export Control Act for using American weapons to target Lebanon's civilians and civilian infrastructure. He said CAIR has reached out to the Bush administration to offer the American Muslim community's help in achieving a just and comprehensive solution to the conflict.

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 00:41:01 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Former Army Muslim Chaplain Unfairly Detained / Outcry Over US Bombs to Israel / Plans for NY Muslim Centers Stir Concerns

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/23/06

* Hadith: Remembering God Softens the Heart
* WA: Former Army Muslim Chaplain Says He Was Unfairly Detained (AP)
* NY: Plans for Muslim Centers Stir Concerns (NY Times)
            - ME: Mosque Desecration is a Hate Crime, Not a Joke
            - TN: FBI Agent Speaks at Mosque About Quran Desecration
            - UK: Prison Officers Strap Qurans to Their Feet (Mirror)
            - CAIR-CAN: Bias Toward Muslims Highest in Quebec (CP)
* CAIR: Outcry Over US Bombs to Israel (Arab News)
            - Fisk: Israel Commits War Crime - With Missile Made in FL
            - CAIR-Chicago: Thousands Protest Israeli Attacks (Reuters)
            - CAIR-FL: Protest of Israeli & U.S. Role in Lebanon
* NJ: Morris Muslims Eager for Concert (Daily Record)
            - WI: City Sees Increased Interest in Islam (WI State Journal)
* U.S. Troops in Iraq Ordered to 'Kill All Military Age Males' (AP)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: REMEMBERING GOD SOFTENS THE HEART - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "(Too) much talk without mention of God produces hardness of heart, and the person farthest from God is someone who has a hard heart."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 720

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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WA: FORMER ARMY CHAPLAIN SAYS HE WAS UNFAIRLY DETAINED AT BORDER - TOP
DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP, ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER, 7/23/06
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420AP_WA_Yee_Border_Stop.html

SEATTLE -- Former Army Capt. James Yee, whose work as a Muslim chaplain at Guantanamo ended when he was arrested and accused of spying, said Sunday he believes he was unfairly detained at the Canadian border this past weekend on his way back from a day trip.

Yee, who spent 76 days in solitary confinement before being cleared of all charges in March 2004, said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that memories of his experience in Army detention came back to him while he was being questioned for two hours at the border on Saturday evening.

"Perhaps this is an indication I'm still of interest to the federal government," Yee said.

He said customs' officials were polite and professional but would not tell him why he was stopped or if he had done anything wrong.

A number of other people were stopped at the border, had their vehicles inspected and then were sent on their way in about 10 minutes while he was being questioned from 8 to 10 p.m., Yee said. At the time, he speculated he was held for an extended period because the FBI had been called. (MORE)

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NY: PLANS FOR MUSLIM CENTERS STIR CONCERNS FROM NEIGHBORS - TOP
DAVID SCHARFENBERG, New York Times, 7/23/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/22/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/23wemosque.html

The Yorktown center and a similar one planned for nearby New Castle are, in a sense, simple statements of arrival: a small Muslim population, growing in numbers, is staking claim to this land of well-kempt lawns and quaint Main Streets just as Protestants, Catholics and Jews did before them.

But almost five years after 9/11, making those statements has proved difficult.

In Yorktown, the welcoming words of town officials, church leaders and several neighbors have found a counterpoint in a series of anti-Muslim statements at public meetings of the Planning Board and angry letters to town hall, some expressing fears about the spread of terrorism in suburbia, but most voicing concerns about traffic. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ME: MOSQUE DESECRATION IS A HATE CRIME, NOT A JOKE - TOP
Portland Press Herald, 7/23/06
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/viewpoints/editorials/060723lewiston.shtml

By now, Brent Matthews should realize that it what he did was no joke.

The Lewiston man charged with rolling a frozen pig's head into a mosque during prayers faces a misdemeanor charged filed by the Androscoggin County district attorney for desecrating a place of worship.

That has now been followed by a civil action by the Maine attorney general that would enjoin him from any future contact with the mosque and expose him to criminal penalties for future violations of the Maine Civil Rights Act.

He also could be charged with a federal hate crime, if U.S. Attorney Paula Silsby decides that federal prosecution is warranted.

Matthews' lawyer, James Howaniec, expressed frustration Thursday, claiming that in 20 years as a lawyer he had never seen "three prosecutors' offices attempting to get their hands on a misdemeanor charge like they have in this case."

Howaniec should not be so surprised. At a time when religious violence is taking lives around the world, state and federal officials should leave no one with the impression that this blatant insult to worhipers in a mosque is something to snicker at. (MORE)

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TN: FBI AGENT SPEAKS AT U.S. MOSQUE ABOUT QUR'AN DESECRATION VIDEO - TOP
Associated Press, 7/21/06
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2006/07/21/1696668-ap.html

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - The U.S. Justice Department is considering whether to bring charges in a civil rights investigation prompted by a video on the Internet that shows a Qur'an being shot and dumped outside a mosque, an FBI agent said.

FBI agent Tim Burke, speaking to about 70 Muslims after their Friday afternoon worship service at the Masjid Annour mosque, said terrorists could use the video showing Americans desecrating the holy book "as a recruiting tool."

Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations has said the video, titled "kill the koran," shows a hate crime. The video was posted on the MySpace.com social networking web service last month but has since been removed.

Burke asked Muslims to be patient with the U.S. government investigation, saying Justice Department lawyers must also consider constitutionally protected free speech rights in deciding if there was a possible crime. (MORE)

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UK: TWO WARDERS STRAP KORANS TO THEIR FEET. . .AND PRETEND TO SKI - TOP
Justin Penrose, Sunday Mirror, 7/23/06
http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=17431766&method=full&siteid=62484&headline=two-warders-strap-korans-to-their-feet----and-pretend-to-ski--name_page.html

TWO prison officers are under investigation over claims they strapped copies of the Koran to their feet to use as skis in sick games dubbed "Muslim Olympics".

Placing the Koran below the feet is regarded as the "ultimate insult" by Muslims.

The officers - based at scandal-hit Feltham Young Offenders' Institution - are also accused of using the Koran for "discus" events. (MORE)

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CAIR-CAN: BIAS TOWARD MUSLIMS HIGHEST IN QUEBEC - TOP
Sue Montgomery, CanWest News Service, 7/22/06

MONTREAL - Of all Canadians, Quebecers are the ones most likely to admit they hold negative feelings about religious groups, especially Muslims, a recent survey conducted for the Association for Canadian Studies suggests.

A majority of Canadians expressed a positive view of each of the three major religious groups -- Christians, Jews and Muslims -- mentioned in the poll conducted by Leger Marketing.

However, nearly one-quarter of those surveyed said they held a negative view of Muslims, compared to only one in 10 who reported holding negative views of Christians and Jews, respectively.

Fewer than one in five Canadians surveyed said they have a "very positive" view of Muslims, compared to 30 per cent for Jews and 38 per cent for Christians.

Results of the poll, released Friday, were likely influenced by the recent arrest of 17 terror suspects in Toronto and last week's explosion of violence in Israel and Lebanon, admits Jack Jedwab, executive director of the association.

"But how much is it a function of politics and how much of prejudice?" he asked in a telephone interview. International events and how they are portrayed in the media help form peoples' attitudes, he added.

Sarah Elgazzar, spokesperson for the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations, agreed.

"When things are heated up literally everywhere you turn, and particularly when Canadian soldiers are dying, you'll get these kind of views," she said. (MORE)

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CAIR: OUTCRY OVER US BOMBS TO ISRAEL - TOP
Siraj Wahab, Arab News, 7/23/06
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=85775&d=23&m=7&y=2006

JEDDAH, 23 July 2006 - The report about the Bush administration's decision to rush precision-guided bombs to Israel was met with an outcry in the Muslim world. Political analysts say it will only add to the raging anti-American sentiment in the region and strengthen the hands of the radicals.

The report, published yesterday on the front-page of The New York Times, feverishly circulated on e-mail circuits and was intensely debated on Arab and Muslim websites and blogs.

"When I was young I used to watch people burn US flags in rallies across the world. Now I know exactly why there is such an anti-American feeling in the Muslim world," wrote one Saif Al-Adham on an Arabic website.

"It is no wonder that most Muslims consider Israel and the US to be synonymous words for terror. Do you think we will see an end to the war on terror? I don't think so. This type of behavior encourages radicalism among Muslims the world over," wrote another visitor on the same website.

The NYT report, titled "US Speeds Up Bomb Delivery for the Israelis", said that the news threatens to anger Arab governments and others who could perceive Washington as aiding Israel in the manner that Iran has armed Hezbollah.

The satellite and laser-guided bombs are part of a sales package approved last year, said the officials quoted in the report. But some military officers said the request for expedited delivery was unusual and indicated that Israel has many targets it plans to hit in Lebanon.

Reflecting the Muslim and Arab point of view, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on the Bush administration to adopt a policy of disengaging from the dictates of the pro-Israel lobby.

In a statement e-mailed to Arab News, the council called the Bush administration's decision to rush delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel "unconscionable." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ROBERT FISK: A WAR CRIME? - TOP
This mother and son were in a convoy fleeing danger yesterday when the Israeli air force bombed the rear minibus, causing carnage.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article1193097.ece

They are in the schools, in empty hospitals, in halls and mosques and in the streets. The Shia Muslim refugees of southern Lebanon, driven from their homes by the Israelis, are arriving in Sidon by the thousand, cared for by Sunni Muslims and then sent north to join the 600,000 displaced Lebanese in Beirut. More than 34,000 have passed through here in the past four days alone, a tide of misery and anger. It will take years to heal their wounds, and billions of dollars to repair their damaged property.

And who can blame them for their flight? For the second time in eight days, the Israelis committed a war crime yesterday. They ordered the villagers of Taire, near the border, to leave their homes and then - as their convoy of cars and minibuses obediently trailed northwards - the Israeli air force fired a missile into the rear minibus, killing three refugees and seriously wounding 13 other civilians. The rocket that killed them is believed to have been a Hellfire missile made by Lockheed Martin in Florida. (MORE)

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CAIR-CHICAGO: THOUSANDS MARCH IN PROTEST AGAINST ISRAELI ATTACKS - TOP
Gideon Long, Reuters, 7/22/06
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N22266919.htm

In the United States, several hundred demonstrators gathered in bright sunshine in downtown Chicago for a rally to protest Israeli military actions in Lebanon and Gaza.

Protesters carried banners proclaiming "The Right to Fight Or The Might to Smite", or "Not with our money, not in our name." . . .

The main Chicago rally was organized by the American Council on American-Islamic Relations.

CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said this was the only rally planned in the United States for Saturday, but comes a day after an interfaith prayer service in Detroit.

Later on Saturday CAIR planned a children's candlelit vigil in Tempe, Arizona for Lebanese civilians killed since Israeli military operations began, Hooper said. (MORE)

---

CAIR-FL: BAY AREA PEOPLE PROTEST ISRAEL & U.S. ROLE IN LEBANON - TOP
http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=35914

Tampa, Florida - More than a hundred people turned out in Tampa today to protest the situation in Lebanon.

People from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or "CAIR", held a peace really at Columbus and Dale Mabry.

They don't agree with the United States' offer to aid Israel, and say they believe U.S. money is helping destroy Lebanon. (MORE)

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NJ: MORRIS MUSLIMS EAGER FOR CONCERT - TOP
Native Deen, Sami Yusuf to perform for charity in New Brunswick
NAVID IQBAL, DAILY RECORD, 7/23/06
http://www.dailyrecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060723/COMMUNITIES/607230350/1203/NEWS01

PARSIPPANY -- Sami Yusuf and Native Deen are not household names in American homes that don't have prayer rugs pointing to Mecca, but these musicians are the soundtrack for many Muslim homes, cars and iPods.

The artists, with notable Muslim comedians and lesser-known acts, will lend their celebrity to support orphans in a concert tour that stops at the State Theatre in New Brunswick on Saturday. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

WI: CITY SEES INCREASED INTEREST IN ISLAM - TOP
SANDY CULLEN
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=92015&ntpid=3

As midday traffic whizzes past on East Washington Avenue near the corner with Milwaukee Street, Salih Erschen steps onto the sidewalk and raises his hand to his mouth.

Speaking in Arabic, the Wisconsin native and amir, or director, of the Madison Muslim Dawa Circle shouts out a call to prayer: "God is great. There is no God but Allah. Come to prayer. Come to prosperity."

The public invitation to prayers that takes place five times a day at the new East Side center is common in Muslim countries, but a rarity in the United States, despite a growing number of Americans who are taking Islam as their religion. (MORE)

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ACCUSED TROOPS: WE WERE UNDER ORDERS TO KILL - TOP
Soldiers say officers commanded them to 'kill all military age males' in Iraq
Associated Press, 7/21/06
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13974639/

EL PASO, Texas - Four U.S. soldiers accused of murdering suspected insurgents during a raid in Iraq said they were under orders to "kill all military age males," according to sworn statements obtained by The Associated Press.

The soldiers first took some of the men into custody because they were using two women and a toddler as human shields. They shot three of the men after the women and child were safe and say the men attacked them.

"The ROE (rule of engagement) was to kill all military age males on Objective Murray," Staff Sgt. Raymond L. Girouard told investigators, referring to the target by its code name. (MORE)

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 16:06:23 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Help Ease the Suffering in Lebanon and Palestine

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

CAIR ACTION ALERT #495

AMERICANS URGED TO HELP EASE SUFFERING IN LEBANON, PALESTINE

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/24/06)
- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on Americans of all faiths to collect humanitarian relief supplies for delivery to Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories. CAIR is urging that the collection of relief aid be carried out following regular congregational prayers this week in American mosques, churches, synagogues, and other houses of worship.

Life for Relief and Development (LIFE), a 501(c)(3) organization that is registered with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has agreed to receive the humanitarian supplies and deliver them those in need.

CAIR is asking that actual relief supplies be gathered because of the severe restrictions currently placed on financial aid by the U.S. government.

"A strong humanitarian response by the American people will send a powerful message of hope and support to the Lebanese and Palestinian men, women and children caught up in the current humanitarian disaster," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED:

CAIR is asking religious leaders of all faiths to announce this important humanitarian effort and to aid in collecting and sending the supplies to LIFE.

1. FILL A BOX with JUST ONE of the following items. (By only placing only one type of item into the box, you aid the collection effort and speed delivery by saving time spent sorting items in the warehouse): diapers, water purification tablets (can be obtained at most camping stores), flour, rice, sugar, cooking oil, powdered milk, lentils

* Food should be mailed in small boxes, no larger than 16"×12"×12."
* Diapers should be mailed in medium-sized boxes, no larger than 24"×18"×18."
* The maximum weight of each box should not exceed 40 pounds.
* Each box should contain only ONE TYPE of the relief supplies listed above. (Example: a box of lentils)
* No pork or alcohol products will be accepted.

2. MAIL THE BOX TO:

LIFE for Relief & Development
Lebanon/Palestine Relief Effort
17300 W. 10 Mile Road, Southfield, MI 48075
Tel: (248) 424-7493, Toll Free: 1-800-827-3543, Fax: (248) 424-8325, E-Mail: life@lifeusa.org

- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the American Muslim community. Subscribers to the list receive news releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on issues of importance to our society.

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 18:35:08 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Vigil Set for Vandalized IN Islamic Center / Controversy Over Graffiti by Israeli Kids / Private Swim Sessions for NJ Muslim Women

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/24/06

* Hadith: God Does Not Forgive Oppression
* CAIR Seeks Reports of Americans Killed, Injured in Lebanon
* CAIR-Philly: Muslims to Call on Bush to Protect Relatives
            - CAIR-OH: Purchase of Israel Bonds Draws Criticism
* ISLAM-OPED: U.S. Support of Israel Harms Mideast
* IN: Vigil Set for Vandalized Islamic Center
* MO: New Leadership Revives Muslim Women's Group
            - NJ: Private Swim Sessions for Muslim Women
* FL: Arab-Americans Afraid to Speak Out on Mideast (Sun-Sent)
* CAIR-FL: Locals Struggle to Escape Lebanon (SP Times)
            - Civilian Vehicles Hit by Israeli Missiles (Times)
            - Lebanese Christians Aid Muslim Countrymen (SF Chron)
* DC: March on Israeli Embassy to Demand End to Killing
            - MI: Suit Alleges U.S. Failed to Help Citizens
* Online Controversy Over Graffiti by Israeli Kids (JPost)
* VA: IMF Launches Islamic Broadcasting Network TV

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HADITH OF THE DAY: GOD DOES NOT FORGIVE OPPRESSION - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) sought God's pardon for his people and received the reply: "I have forgiven all but acts of oppression, for I shall exact recompense for the one who is wronged from his oppressor."

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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CAIR SEEKS REPORTS OF AMERICANS KILLED, INJURED IN LEBANON - TOP
http://www.cair.com/questionnaire/

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CAIR-PHILLY: MUSLIMS TO CALL ON BUSH TO PROTECT RELATIVES - TOP
President urged to call for cease-fire, send humanitarian relief

(PHILADELPHIA, PA, 7/24/06) - On Tuesday, July 25, the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philly) will hold a news conference with members of the local Muslim and Arab-American communities who have relatives under attack in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip.

At the news conference, community members will ask President Bush to call for an immediate cease-fire by all parties in the Middle East conflict and urge that humanitarian relief be sent to areas devastated by Israel's bombing campaigns.

WHAT: CAIR-Philly News Conference with Those Who Have Relatives in Lebanon, Gaza
WHEN: 1 p.m., Tuesday, July 25, 2006
WHERE: Liberty Bell
CONTACT: CAIR-Philly Communications Director, Adeeba Al-Zaman, 215-592-0509

There were an estimated 25,000 American citizens in Lebanon, and many American citizens, both Christian and Muslim, have relatives in Lebanon and Gaza. Despite the fact that many civilians have already been killed in Israeli attacks on the civilian infrastructures of both areas, President Bush has rejected calls for a cease-fire.

ADDITIONAL CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-OH: COUNTY PURCHASE OF ISRAEL BONDS DRAWS CRITICISM, PROTESTS - TOP
Hundreds protest Lebanon crisis, Cuyahoga County purchase of $5 Million in Israel Bonds

(CLEVELAND, OH 7/24/06) ­ On Friday, July 21, a group of almost 200 local residents, including social justice advocates, church and mosque leaders, and Arab-Americans of greater Cleveland, gathered to rally for peace and to protest the recent purchase by the Cuyahoga County treasurer of $5 million in Israel Bonds.

SEE: Israel Bonds a Good Deal for the County
http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2006/05/18/news/local/bonds0519.txt

At the rally, demonstrators highlighted the growing humanitarian crisis in Lebanon and expressed concern over military aid to Israel, the third largest recipient of US aid worldwide. Highlighting the growing humanitarian crisis in Lebanon, rally leaders called for an immediate cease-fire and condemned the escalating violence and loss of civilian life an all sides.

CONTACT: Julia A. Shearson, 216-830-2247 or 216-440-2247, E-Mail: cleveland@cair-ohio.com; Dr. Asma Mobin-Uddin, 614-451-3232; E-Mail: asma@cair-ohio.com

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ISLAM-OPED: U.S. SUPPORT OF ISRAEL HARMS MIDEAST - TOP
Alaa Bayoumi, East Valley Tribune, 7/23/06
http://epaper.aztrib.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=RVZULzIwMDYvMDcvMjMjQXIwOTkwMg==&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom

In his book "Failed States," Noam Chomsky writes that, "Pursuit of total security by one state . . . entails the insecurity of others, who are likely to react." Chomsky was talking about the foreign policy of the Bush administration, but the same analysis fits Israel today.

The Bush administration, under the influence of the neocons, and Israel, under Ehud Olmert's right-wing Kadima Party, are pursuing a strategy of total security that is destabilizing the whole Middle East, if not the whole world, and spreading insecurity among other nations.

After 9/11, the Bush administration adopted a strategy of "preemptive" and "unilateral" action that sought to change regimes around the world and to reshape entire regions, particularly the Middle East, in order to win a vaguely defined "global war on terror."

Five years later, al-Qaida's top leaders are still free. Afghanistan's transformation from turmoil to normalcy is more uncertain than any other time. Iraq is on the edge of civil war and has become a main training ground for terror. World public opinion's opposition to our policies is unprecedented. And, competition and disagreement among world powers are souring over the access to oil resources and markets, pushing prices to all-time high.

An article by Philip Gordon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, published in the July issue of Foreign Affairs has declared "the end of the Bush revolution."

Unfortunately, the uncertain end of the Bush revolution did not come free of charge. The administration's aggressive unilateral policies and its vague threatening moral rhetoric have increased the proliferation of the weapons of mass destruction.

The Bush revolution also hurt the Middle East more than any other area. Today, Arab democracy is in retreat. The destinies of Iraq and Somalia are uncertain. Most frightening of all, the Middle East could be on the verge of a region-wide war. (MORE)

Alaa Bayoumi is director of Arabic affairs for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties group. Contact him at abayoumi@cair-net.org

-----

IN: VIGIL SET FOR VANDALIZED ISLAMIC CENTER - TOP
Race Relations Council Urges Public to Attend Sunday
Susan O'Leary, Times, 7/24/06
http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2006/07/24/news/top_news/4a2f767c2b0be05f862571b4007ddde3.txt

The Northwest Indiana Race Relations Council is urging the public to attend an ecumenical gathering at 3 p.m. Sunday at The Islamic Center of Michigan City, the mosque that recently sustained nearly $9,000 in damage from vandalism.

"We feel it is very important that the community come to see the damage and to show its support," said J. Allen Johnson, the council's executive director.

"The people within that small community of believers are in shock that something like this would happen to them," said Johnson. "We want that community to know they are not alone. Whoever did this can know that we don't share that."

Vandals reportedly shot holes in the copper dome of the mosque, broke a number of windows, and etched the letters "KKK" on a sign.

The FBI is investigating the case as a possible hate crime, but Special Agent Wendy Osborne said Friday that the bureau has no new information on the case. (MORE)

CONTACT: Abraham A. Hakim, President, Islamic Center of Michigan City, Indiana, Inc., EMAIL: bhakim@sbcglobal.net, PHONE: (219) 898-0231

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MO: NEW LEADERSHIP REVIVES MUSLIM WOMEN'S GROUP - TOP
Cristi Parker, Missourian News, 7/24/06
http://columbiamissourian.com/news/story.php?ID=20747

Despite the heat of the summer day, Fatouma Ibrahima poured herself a cup of steaming coffee before sitting down to take notes at a lecture at the Islamic Center of Central Missouri on Saturday. She'd already had a busy weekend with work and school.

"I haven't slept in 48 hours, but I need this," she said of the lecture - not the coffee.

Ibrahima was one of more than 20 women who came to the summer seminar organized by the ICCM Women's Committee. The event included three lectures punctuated by games, two of the five daily prayers and a dinner.

"It's very enriching to the spirit; it makes me feel at home," Ibrahima said. "It's really interesting stuff, and it's what we should know as Muslim women."

The Women's Committee is not new, but it was revived last September when elections changed its leadership. Eman Abdelhadi sat at the registration table Saturday and handed out programs, name tags and bright-red folders for note-taking to women.

"The people who were elected were very young," said Abdelhadi, who works on the education branch of the committee. "I mean, I'm 16," she added with a laugh.

Since the elections, the committee has been characterized not just by the youth of the members, but by their enthusiasm. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

NJ: MUSLIM WOMEN JUMP IN - TOP
Private swim session for Islamic women
Deborah Lynn Blumberg, Home News Tribune Online, 7/24/06
http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060724/NEWS/607240409/1001

Behind paper-covered windows, Muslim girls and women in stretch pants and T-shirts shed their headscarves one recent Sunday morning for two hours of splashing, swimming and socializing in the Cook/Douglass Recreation Center pool.

Muslim women from across the state - lugging gym bags and directing daughters in Tinkerbell and pink princess swimsuits - downed cups of coffee and slipped on swimming goggles before plunging into the lap pool in their alternative swimsuits. Giggling girls coasted across the water on kickboards, floated on bright, spongy pool toys and somersaulted beneath the surface of the water.

"There are a lot of women who would like to swim," said Monroe resident Gigi Osman, as she mimicked the breast stroke for her twin girls, Sherryhan and Nessreen, 10. "But there's just not the outlet."

Women who follow the rules of Islam must cover all but their face and hands in public, making swimming at public pools or in the ocean a challenge. While some are lucky enough to have indoor, or secluded outdoor pools at home, attendees said, most rarely have the chance to swim. Others have never been taught how. That's what Rutgers Professor Suzanne Brahmia hoped to change when she organized the two-hour bimonthly gathering - HalalSisters Swimming - this past spring. (MORE)

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SOUTH FLORIDA ARABS AFRAID TO SPEAK OUT ON CRISIS IN MIDDLE EAST - TOP
Tal Abbady, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 7/24/06
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-cfear24jul24,0,1342163.story

Roundups and arrests. Federal scrutiny. Squinted-eyed stares. That's what many South Florida Arabs remember of the months that followed the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Those raw memories, and the fear that any organized activity will draw the wrong kind of attention, are keeping local Arab-American groups tight-lipped as a growing crisis engulfs Lebanon.

While Israel's offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has killed over 350 Lebanese and 34 Israelis, has sparked protests in parts of the United States and Europe, Arab-American reaction in South Florida has been muted.

"People are afraid of the same kind of scrutiny that befell Sami Al-Arian," said Joe Badran, co-chairman of the Jewish Arab Dialogue Association, which organizes interfaith discussions between Arabs and Jews. Al-Arian is a former University of South Florida professor accused by the government of funding terrorists in a case that lasted several years. A jury acquitted Al-Arian of eight counts of aiding the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and deadlocked on nine other charges. He pleaded guilty to one charge and federal officials deported him earlier this year.

"The Patriot Act allowed the government to go after anyone who wasn't born in this country," said Badran, of Deerfield Beach. "And even folks who are naturalized citizens feared losing their citizenship and being separated from their families for no other reason than because they are Arabs or Muslims."

The public glare forced a vibrant community to shy away from civic activity, activists say. (MORE)

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CAIR-FL: LOCALS STRUGGLE TO ESCAPE LEBANON - TOP
A mother and son finally get home to Tampa on a Navy ship, while a father and daughter from St. Petersburg are promised a helicopter today.
Robin Stein, St. Petersburg Times, 7/24/06
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/07/24/Tampabay/Locals_struggle_to_es.shtml

In the past week, more than 11,000 Americans have been evacuated from Lebanon, but the Anani family has not been among them.

It has been a harrowing wait for Fadia Anani, 24, a St. Petersburg High School graduate, and father Zakaria, 73, who uses a wheelchair.

They are among the throngs of civilians in Lebanon caught in the firefight between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters.

Americans evacuating the region have had a tougher time than most, said Ahmed Bedier, the Tampa director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Bedier said his group and Sen. Bill Nelson's office have been helping facilitate the homecoming of about 100 Tampa Bay area residents stuck in Lebanon during the past week.

"They didn't actually start evacuating people until Wednesday or Thursday, when most of the other Western nations had already evacuated people," Bedier said.

After the late start, the U.S. Embassy's transport operation lacked organization and leadership, Bedier said, leaving about 25,000 U.S. nationals to negotiate the chaos in search of a way home.

"The embassy was telling people to register names and stay put until it contacts them," he said.

But electricity and phone service have been spotty because of damage from Israeli attacks, he said.

Bedier said his group was contacted by between 80 and 100 Tampa Bay area residents in Lebanon looking for help in getting home. CAIR enlisted the help of Nelson's staff.

On Sunday afternoon, Bedier estimated that about 80 percent of local people that his group was tracking have made it home or were en route. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

FLEEING CIVILIAN VEHICLES HIT BY ISRAELI MISSILES - TOP
Nicholas Blanford in Tyre and Ned Parker in Jerusalem, Times, 7/24/06
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,170-2282992,00.html

With an expression of utmost calm on her blood-masked face, the woman allowed herself to be gently lowered from the minibus into the waiting arms of two Lebanese Red Cross volunteers.

The rescue workers had extracted her through a jagged hole in the roof of the crumpled bus, created by a missile fired minutes earlier by an Israeli helicopter that had blasted the vehicle off the road. Left behind in the vehicle, slumped over each other and soaked in blood, were the bodies of three people.

The narrow roads that meander through the valleys and undulating chalky hills east of Tyre were a place of terror and death yesterday as Israeli helicopters attacked civilian vehicles fleeing Israel's 11-day onslaught in south Lebanon.

Dr Ahmad Mrowe, director of the Jabal Amel hospital in Tyre, said: "Today is the day of the cars. It has been very bad."

By early evening, the Jabal Amel hospital alone had received 41 wounded, most of them serious, according to hospital sources, all thought to be civilians seeking refuge north of the Litani river after heeding Israeli warnings to leave the area. (MORE)

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LEBANESE CHRISTIANS AID MUSLIM COUNTRYMEN - TOP
War with Israel helps to bridge sectarian divide
Christopher Allbritton, San Francisco Chronicle, 7/23/06
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/07/23/MNG98K42651.DTL

Broummana, Lebanon -- Just 6 miles beyond Beirut, up twisty mountain roads, stores are open and banks are functioning. Open-air restaurants are doing a thriving business. Young people flirt. People walk their pets.

It's a jarring contrast to the capital in the haze-shrouded valley below, where rubble-filled Shiite neighborhoods in southern Beirut show the effects of Israel's bombing campaign against Hezbollah strongholds.

"We thought our country had gotten out of war," said George Abisamra, an engineer. "It is very sad to see Lebanon going backwards."

Abisamra, a Christian who supports Christian Maronite politician Michel Aoun and his Free Patriotic Movement, is volunteering at a Broummana public school that is sheltering about 400 Shiite refugees from the war-ravaged areas of Lebanon.

Aoun achieved national renown in Lebanon's 1975-90 civil war by stressing national unity and fighting a "war of liberation" after Syria sent in troops to end the war. He then stayed on as de facto ruler of Lebanon and enjoys broad appeal across sectarian lines. More recently, he has formed a political alliance with Hezbollah in parliament and has called for national unity in the face of Israel's attack. (MORE)

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ADC: STOP ISRAEL'S ATTACK ON LEBANON AND GAZA - TOP
March on the Israeli Embassy to Demand an End to the Killing

WHEN: Tuesday, July 25, 5:00 PM
WHERE: Meet at corner of Van Ness & Connecticut Avenue, UDC Metro Station

Wear black for a funeral procession. We will carry 50 coffins to the Israeli Embassy. Bring your Lebanese and Palestinian flags.

March will begin at 5:30 and proceed north on Connecticut, west on Brandywine, south on 36th, ending at the Israeli Embassy (514 International Dr. NW)

Endorsed by: The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (DC Chapter), Codepink, The Council for the National Interest, Pax Christi USA, Washington Interfaith Alliance for Middle East Peace, the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and more.

CONTACT: To add your organization's endorsement, call Jeff at 202-390-6434.

SEE ALSO:

SUIT TO ALLEGE U.S. FAILED TO HELP CITIZENS IN LEBANON - TOP
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060724/NEWS05/607240404

Jul. 24--Claiming the U.S. government failed to protect its citizens in Lebanon, an Arab-American group and a Dearborn attorney said they will file a suit today in Detroit against the U.S. State Department and Pentagon on behalf of citizens who were stranded in the Arab country.

"It's sad that we're Americans and got treated like this," said Maha Nasser, 28, of Dearborn Heights who is part of the suit and was vacationing in Lebanon when the attacks started.

Dearborn attorney Nabih Ayad and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee will file the suit today in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Ayad and committee members said. (MORE)

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ONLINE CONTROVERSY OVER GRAFFITI BY ISRAELI KIDS - TOP
SHEERA CLAIRE FRENKEL, Jerusalem Post, 7/23/06
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1153291980307&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

In the public relations battle brewing on-line, there is a new eye to the center of the storm surrounding the war with Hizbullah - a series of photos showing Israeli children writing messages on shells meant for targets in Lebanon.

Questions over the photos' authenticity have been put to rest by authorities that were present during the incident, which occurred on July 17 near the northern border. The mostly local children had been brought to see the shells by their parents. Although it remains unclear who encouraged them to write the messages, their colorful scribbles, including a Star of David, hearts, and "From Israel, with Love," have appeared in dozens of blogs, or on-line journals, and on-line photo hosting sites. (MORE)

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VA: IMF LAUNCHES ISLAMIC BROADCASTING NETWORK TELEVISION - TOP

The Islamic Media Foundation proudly presents: "The Role of the Media in Presenting Islam"

Keynote speakers:

Dr. Jamal Badawi
Sheikh Abdalla Idris Ali

WHEN: Saturday, July 29th, 2006 at 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: The All Dulles Area Muslims Society (ADAMS) Center, 46903 Sugarland Rd., Sterling, VA 20164
WHY: To support the launching of IBN TV on satellite and the Internet

Individuals: $30 per ticket
Students and Families: $25 per ticket
Babysitting available at $10 per child (ages 3-10)

Join us for a tour of our new HD TV Studio on the same day at 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.
108 Powers Court, Suite 110, Sterling, VA 20166.

CONTACT: Wafa Unus, EMAIL: wafaunus@gmail.com, PHONE: 703-444-6788; or visit www.ibn.net

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 16:28:32 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Israel Targets Ambulances, Uses Cluster and Phosphorous Munitions / VA Muslims Find Cultural Bridge in Scouting

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/25/06

* Hadith: Spend in Charity
            - Help Ease Suffering in Lebanon, Palestine
* CAIR-MI: U.S. Slow to Evacuate Lebanese-Americans
            - Hundreds of Americans Stranded in Lebanon (AP)
* CAIR: US Muslims Launch Relief Drive for Lebanon (AFP)
* CAIR-OH: Rally to Defend the People of Lebanon, Palestine
* Court Docs: AIPAC was Subject of Government Probe (JTA)
* Officials: 7 Civilians Killed by Israeli Missile (AP)
            - Israeli Missiles Strike Ambulances in Lebanon (AJC)
            - HRW: Israel Using Cluster Munitions in Lebanon (AFP)
            - Israel Uses Phosphorous Arms (Reuters)
            - Doctor Says 'Phosphorus Weapons' Cause Suffering
            - Buchanan: This is Not Our War (Miami Herald)
            - Kepel: Washington Deaf to Arab Views (Newsweek)
            - Elahi: Stop Israel's Immoral War (Detroit News)
* CAIR-OH Offers Interfaith Seminars on Islam, Civil Rights
* CA: Congresswoman to Recognize Muslim Community Clinic
* NY: Muslims Study Arabic, Gain Insight into Quran (Newsday)
            - VA: Muslims Find Cultural Bridge in Scouting (VOA)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: SPEND IN CHARITY - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) quoted God as saying: "Spend (in charity), O son of Adam, and I shall spend on you."

Hadith Qudsi 11

SEE ALSO:

AMERICANS URGED TO HELP EASE SUFFERING IN LEBANON, PALESTINE - TOP
http://www.cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=441&theType=AA

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CAIR-MI: U.S. FAMILIES LEFT STRANDED TOO LONG - TOP
Dawud Walid, Detroit Free Press, 7/25/06
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060725/OPINION02/607250327/1070

As the situation in the Middle East has escalated, American citizens from Lebanon, Gaza as well as Israel have fled the region. Regardless of ethnicity or religious affiliation, they have articulated common sentiments, ranging from fear and anxiety to anger.

For Americans who have never been exposed to the carnage of war, these are natural reactions. We can all sympathize with the fears of the civilians who witnessed the rocket attacks on Haifa and the Israeli missile strikes in Lebanon.

However, the Arab Americans of both Christian and Muslim background return to our nation facing a harsher reality. While the government rushed to proclaim that Israel had the right to protect its borders, it sluggishly stated days later that planning was under way to evacuate Americans trapped in Lebanon.

Obviously, the delayed evacuation of primarily Arab Americans and American Muslims from these hostile fire zones invokes genuine concern, similar to that raised by African Americans after the evacuation debacle of Hurricane Katrina. Was the response delayed because of a poor contingency plan for evacuation, or was the response delayed because of who the evacuees are? Would the evacuation have been quicker for American citizens if the Israeli infrastructure had been decimated as Lebanon's currently is?

The refusal to broker a cease-fire between the involved parties in the region and the real perception of many that America dragged its feet in rescuing its own citizens are adding to the declining image and prestige of our country in the eyes of world opinion. Racial profiling, warrantless wiretapping, and now the "Katrina-like" evacuation in Lebanon only add to the sense of many that Arab Americans and American Muslims are looked upon as second-class citizens. (MORE)

DAWUD WALID is executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, based in Lathrup Village.

SEE ALSO:

HUNDREDS OF AMERICANS STRANDED IN LEBANON - TOP
LAUREN FRAYER, Associated Press, 7/25/06

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Hundreds of Americans and Russians were reported stranded in the heart of Lebanon's war zone Tuesday when a ship evacuating foreigners had to pull out of a southern port without them.

The Cypriot ship Princesa Marissa picked up about 300 foreigners stuck in the southern port city of Tyre - a joint effort by the U.S., Switzerland, Norway and others, said Erik Rattat, a German official involved in the evacuation.

Rattat said 300 Americans trapped southeast of Tyre had called the U.S. Embassy for help. He said the embassy called him and asked that the Cypriot ship wait as long as possible for the Americans to get on board. But the boat had a deadline to leave by 5 p.m., he said. (MORE)

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CAIR: US MUSLIM GROUP LAUNCHES CARE PACKAGE DRIVE FOR LEBANON - TOP
Agence France Presse, 7/24/06
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060725/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictus_060724220108

A US Muslim civil rights group called for the country's faithful of all religions to collect humanitarian relief supplies to help war-torn Lebanon and the Palestinians.

"CAIR is urging that the supplies be collected following regular congregational prayers this week in American mosques, churches, synagogues, and other houses of worship," said the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which identifies itself as the largest US Muslim civil rights group.

CAIR said it was asking for supplies rather than financial assistance because of restrictions placed by the US government on aid for the Palestinians in the wake of the spring election victory of Hamas, which the US calls a terrorist group.

It stressed that no pork or alcoholic products would be accepted in the care packages.

"A strong humanitarian response by the American people will send a powerful message of hope and support to the Lebanese and Palestinian men, women and children caught up in the current humanitarian disaster," CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement. (MORE)

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CAIR-OH: RALLY TO DEFEND THE PEOPLE OF LEBANON AND PALESTINE - TOP
Central Ohio Rally to Stop the Israeli War on Lebanon and Palestine

WHAT: Rally Against Israeli War on Lebanon and Palestine
WHEN: Friday, July 28, 2006 at 3:30 pm
WHERE: Federal Building, Downtown Columbus, Corner of Spring and High Streets

CONTACT: Dr. Ahmad Al-Akhras, Vice Chair of CAIR-National, 614-989-5916, E-Mail: ahmad@cair-ohio.com; Adnan Mirza, Director, Columbus Office, 614-905-8492, E-Mail: director@cair-ohio.com

SPONSORS: Arab Americans of Central Ohio; Council on American-Islamic Relations, Ohio; Central Ohio Peace Network; Committee for Justice in Palestine; Community Organizing Center; Islamic Foundation of Central Ohio; Islamic Society of Greater Columbus; Dr. Leslie Stansbery, President, Interfaith Association of Central Ohio

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AIPAC WAS PRESSURED TO CUT OFF EMBATTLED ANALYSTS, MOTION CHARGES - TOP
Ron Kampeas, JTA, 7/19/06
http://jta.org/page_view_story.asp?intarticleid=16847&intcategoryid=3

WASHINGTON, July 19 (JTA) - A motion to dismiss a classified information case against two former pro-Israel lobbyists alleges that federal prosecutors pressured the American Israel Public Affairs Committee into firing its employees and cutting off their legal fees.

The motion filed Tuesday says the prosecutors made the firing of Steve Rosen, AIPAC's former foreign policy director, and Keith Weissman, its former Iran analyst, a condition of dropping an investigation of AIPAC itself.

The motion marks the first time it has been revealed in an unsealed court document that the organization was ever the subject of an investigation. (MORE)

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OFFICIALS: 7 KILLED BY ISRAELI MISSILE - TOP
Associated Press, 7/25/06
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2231659

BEIRUT, Lebanon - An Israeli missile struck a house in south Lebanon early Tuesday, killing seven people, hospital and security officials said.

Another person, a woman, was wounded in the attack in the market town of Nabatiyeh, officials said. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

RED CROSS TAKES FIRE; ISRAELI MISSILES STRIKE AMBULANCES IN LEBANON - TOP
Craig Nelson, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/25/06
http://www.ajc.com/tuesday/content/epaper/editions/tuesday/news_445c1b6a3197c05110e0.html

Tyre, Lebanon - Kasem Chaalan had an inkling something bad would happen.

Chaalan, 28, was hurrying out of the headquarters of the local chapter of the Lebanese Red Cross late Sunday evening to pick up some wounded. As he rushed toward the door, he asked his colleagues lounging in the office in this southern Lebanese town to forgive him for any wrongs he may have done them.

It was the first time in 13 years of volunteering for the Red Cross that he had ever uttered such words.

"I don't know why I said it," he recalled Monday, hours after Israeli rockets hit his ambulance and another vehicle, wounding him and eight others.

In its effort to weaken the Islamic Hezbollah militia, prevent its rockets from raining on Israeli towns and secure the return of two captured Israeli soldiers, Israel has kept up an assault on southern Lebanon with airstrikes, artillery and a swelling ground offensive.

Across what have become some of the most perilous stretches of road in the world, Chaalan and other Red Cross volunteers venture into the combat zone. The Lebanese Red Cross is one of the few organizations in southern Lebanon working to evacuate the wounded and civilians under fire.

Late Sunday, Chaalan and two other volunteers drove their ambulance 10 miles southeast to the town of Qana, where they met another Red Cross ambulance from the village of Tebnine. It was carrying three wounded people in need of medical care in the better-equipped hospitals to the north.

Shortly after the three wounded Lebanese were lifted from one ambulance to the other, the red cross atop each converted white Toyota van became a bull's-eye.

Chaalan and his crew loaded the three wounded into their ambulance. As he closed the vehicle's rear door, an Israeli rocket hurtled through the roof of the ambulance.

Thrown to the ground and blinded briefly by the blast, Chaalan shouted to the crew of the second ambulance to call headquarters. The call went out: "Ambulance 777 has been targeted." Within seconds, an Israeli missile tore through the roof of the second ambulance.

For the next 90 minutes, while requests for clearances were transmitted to Israeli authorities through Beirut and the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the Swiss city of Geneva, the three-man crews of each ambulance looked after each other and the three wounded people until help arrived. (MORE)

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ISRAEL USING CLUSTER MUNITIONS IN LEBANON: RIGHTS GROUP - TOP
Agence France Presse, 7/24/06
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060724/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictlebanon_060724205820

Human Rights Watch said that Israel has used artillery-fired cluster munitions in Lebanon, killing a civilian, and called on the Jewish state to immediately cease the practice.

The New York-based rights group said researchers on the ground in Lebanon confirmed that Israel staged a cluster munitions attack on the village of Blida on July 19, leaving one person dead and injuring 12 civilians, including seven children.

The report said researchers had also photographed cluster munitions in the arsenal of Israeli artillery teams stationed at the Lebanese border.

"Cluster munitions are unacceptably inaccurate and unreliable weapons when used around civilians," Kenneth Roth, executive directory of Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. "They should never be used in populated areas." (MORE)

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LEBANON PRESIDENT SAYS ISRAEL USES PHOSPHOROUS ARMS - TOP
Reuters, 7/24/06
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L24911888.htm

Lebanon's president accused Israel on Monday of using phosphorous bombs in its 13-day offensive and urged the United Nations to demand an immediate ceasefire.

"According to the Geneva Convention, when they use phosphorous bombs and laser bombs, is that allowed against civilians and children?" President Emile Lahoud asked on France's RFI radio.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said arms used in Lebanon did not contravene international norms.

"Everything the Israeli Defence Forces are using is legitimate," the spokeswoman said. (MORE)

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LEBANESE DOCTOR SAYS 'PHOSPHORUS WEAPONS' CAUSE SUFFERING - TOP
Raw Story, 7/24/06
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/VIDEO__Lebanese_Doctor_Says_Phosphorus_0724.html

[A note to readers: This news report, originally aired on CNN International, contains graphic images.]

CNN video correspondent, Karl Penhaul, follows a family that had been mistakenly caught in an Israeli air strike. The doctor treating the family says that there is phosphorus in the weapons that cause extremely painful burns on it's victims.

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THIS IS NOT OUR WAR - TOP
Patrick J. Buchanan, Miami Herald, 7/25/06
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/15114427.htm

My country has been "torn to shreds," said Fouad Siniora, the prime minister of Lebanon, as the death toll among his people passed 300 civilian dead, 1,000 wounded, with half a million homeless.

Israel must pay for the "barbaric destruction," said Siniora.

To the contrary, says columnist Lawrence Kudlow, "Israel is doing the Lord's work."

On American TV, former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu says the ruination of Lebanon is Hezbollah's doing. But is it Hezbollah that is using U.S.-built F-16s, with precision-guided bombs and 155-mm artillery pieces to wreak death and devastation on Lebanon?

No, Israel is doing this, with the blessing and without a peep of protest from President Bush. And we wonder why they hate us.

U.S. has not been attacked

"Today, we are all Israelis!" brayed Ken Mehlman of the Republican National Committee to a gathering of Christians United for Israel.

One wonders if these Christians care about what is happening to our Christian brethren in Lebanon and Gaza, who have had all power cut off by Israeli air strikes, an outlawed form of collective punishment that has left them with no sanitation, rotting food, impure water and days without light or electricity in the horrible heat of July. (MORE)

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A MISSION UNACCOMPLISHED - TOP
Washington has become partisan, deaf to Arab views. It has lost much (if not most) of its leverage in alienated Arab capitals.
Gilles Kepel, Newsweek International, 7/31/06
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/13990840/site/newsweek/

The war unfolding in the Middle East marks a new era. For Israel and the Palestinians, it is the end of any prospect for peace. For Israel and Hizbullah, it is the beginning of a death struggle. For newly reborn Lebanon, led by a West-leaning government that sprang from last year's anti-Syrian Cedar Revolution, it's a loss beyond calculation. And for the United States, it's the last gasp of a cosmically naive pipe dream. A Middle East Pax Americana, topped by a friendly post-Saddam Iraq with democracies popping up like mushrooms across a once autocratic landscape?

What rubbish. The United States is now bogged down, Israel is under threat, Lebanon is collapsing, Iraq is on the verge of civil war and Iran is fanning the flames across the region while pursuing its nuclear policy and calling for Israel to be wiped off the map. And in those unfortunate places where elections have indeed been held, Islamists swept the ballots, surfing on popular resentment against America, Israel and the West.

One ponders the reasons for such a total mess. In the Middle East, at least, President George W. Bush has indeed accomplished what he promised--a clean break with the policies of his predecessors. After 9/11, the Decider concluded there was precious little to be negotiated in a part of the world that was the cradle of terrorism. Only shock and awe could accomplish anything and restore the credibility and global standing of a wounded superpower. Today, precious little remains of either.

The Iraqi quagmire is only Exhibit A. Washington has lost much (if not most) of its leverage in alienated Arab capitals--chiefly because neither Arab leaders nor populations at large see any longer the faintest sign of American evenhandedness. Since coming to power, the Bush administration has jettisoned the traditional U.S. role of (relatively) honest broker. It has become partisan, deaf to Arab views. It refuses almost completely to mitigate Israeli excesses, while the region slips further into chaos. (MORE)

Gilles Kepel is chair of Middle East studies at Sciences Po in Paris. His latest book is "The War for Muslim Minds."

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BUSH MUST STOP ISRAEL'S IMMORAL WAR, WHICH MASSACRES CIVILIANS - TOP
Would cease-fire solve Hezbollah-Israel conflict?
Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi, Detroit News, 7/25/06
http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060725/OPINION03/607250304&SearchID=73251754542105

Lebanon, one of the most beautiful and hospitable countries in the world, has gone through unimaginable pain and suffering in the past two weeks. Israel declared this unjust and immoral war under the excuse of its two soldiers being captured by the Lebanese resistance. Lebanese forces said they took the Israeli soldiers to negotiate the release of their own captured people and 495 other hostages - Palestinian women and children who have been held a long time.

Instead, Israel started a nonstop bloody bombardment of millions of Lebanese civilians: This is clearly not a war of self-defense.

The Lebanese started firing their Katyusha rockets on northern Israel three days after the Israeli invasion or, more accurately, after three decades of Israeli occupation and aggression. Israel never left the Lebanese Shaba farmlands, and Israel was planning this war for a long time.

We don't wish harm for either side; we just want this madness to stop.

Jan Egeland, the United Nations' top officer visiting Beirut, was shocked by Israel's disproportionate use of force. According to Hanady Salman, an editor at the Beirut daily, As-Safir, people are told to leave their villages and then are ruthlessly massacred.

"I very much hope that the Americans understand what's happening to Lebanon, the destructions of the infrastructures, the death of so many children," British Foreign Minister Kim Howells said. "If they are chasing Hezbollah, then don't go for the entire Lebanese nation." U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour says Israel may have committed war crimes.

The world asks for an immediate cease-fire, but President Bush says it's too early. He pays no attention to Lebanon's prime minister, who begs for time to remove hundreds of bodies trapped under the rubble. Unfortunately, the mistakes of this administration in Lebanon are even worse than those in Iraq and Afghanistan. (MORE)

Faith and Policy Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi heads the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights.

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CAIR-OHIO OFFERS INTERFAITH SEMINARS ON ISLAM, CIVIL RIGHTS - TOP

(CLEVELAND, OH, 7/24/06) ­ The Ohio office of the Council on American-Islamic Relation (CAIR-Ohio) is offering a series of interfaith seminars on Islam and Muslims and the status of civil rights in post-9/11 America.

Dozens of church members participated in a recent seminar held at Christ United Methodist Church in Cleveland. Upcoming seminars will be held at the Shambala Meditation Group (Aug. 1), Lakeside Chautauqua (Aug. 15), and the Cleveland Police Citizens Academy (Sept. 21).

CONTACT: Julia A. Shearson, 216-830-2247 or 216-440-2247, E-Mail: cleveland@cair-ohio.com; Dr. Asma Mobin-Uddin, 614-451-3232; Email: asma@cair-ohio.com

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CA: CONGRESSWOMAN WATERS TO RECOGNIZE THE NATION'S FIRST FREE-STANDING MUSLIM-AMERICAN FOUNDED COMMUNITY CLINIC FOR ITS FIRST TEN YEARS OF SERVICE - TOP

(Washington, DC - 7/24/06) - On Wednesday, July 26, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) will recognize the historic contribution of a Muslim-American founded community health center in Los Angeles on the floor of the House of Representatives. During the last ten years, University Muslim Medical Association (UMMA) Community Clinic has provided free and low cost health care to the residents of South Los Angeles.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CD35) spoke at UMMA's 10th Anniversary Community Festival on July 9, 2006, where she praised UMMA's 10 years of service and Muslim-American identity. The festival was accompanied by a series of proclamations issued by the Los Angeles City Council and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in recognition of the Clinic's contribution to service to the community.

Just blocks from the flashpoint of the 1992 civil disturbances, UMMA was founded in 1996 to revitalize a beleaguered region in the aftermath of the civil turmoil that rocked the city. This effort sprang from an unanticipated source: Muslim-American students. Acting on the teachings of their faith, these college and medical students transformed an abandoned, dilapidated building into a vibrant Clinic that would be the medical home for thousands in the local community.

Ten years later, UMMA's impact is felt on the national and local levels. Nationally, UMMA was the first free medical clinic founded by Muslim-Americans in the United States. To Muslims, UMMA Clinic exemplifies core Islamic tenets of mercy, compassion and social justice. As a local nonprofit organization, UMMA welcomes everyone who walks through its doors regardless of faith. In fact, of its 15,000 regular patients, 95% are not from the Muslim community.

"I always get treated like a person at UMMA - not a number - but like a human being," said an unnamed UMMA patient, whose husband, children and grandchildren all come to UMMA for their medical needs.

By serving the people of Los Angeles with dignity and compassion, UMMA bolsters Los Angeles' existing network of charitable, social services organizations. UMMA Clinic is a one-of-a-kind institution, in touch with the pulse of the local community and applying the principles of the Islamic faith shared by over 1.2 billion people worldwide.

"UMMA continues to serve as a vital institution in this great city's infrastructure, improving the lives of thousands of its citizens. Civic leaders and policy makers have taken note of this fact, and we are honored by their recognition," said Dr. Mansur Khan, a co-founder and Board Member of the UMMA Community Clinic.

UMMA President and CEO Yasser Aman, who will be traveling to Washington, DC and is available for interview and comment.

CONTACT: Yasser Aman, MPH, President/CEO of U.M.M.A. Community Clinic: Phone: 323-967-0375 Ext. 12, Fax: 323-759-8662, www.ummaclinic.org

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NY: AT LI MOSQUE, MUSLIMS STUDY ARABIC TO GAIN DEEPER INSIGHT INTO QURAN - TOP
Shomial Ahmad, Newsday, 7/25/06
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-liclas254828558jul25,0,6864119.story

The Muslim students' fingers moved right to left in their open Qurans as they recited religious verses in throaty Arabic accents. For 10 days, nearly 50 students sat in the basement of a Westbury mosque, learning the correct pronunciation of the Quran.

Wisam Sharieff, 24, a Long Island native, taught the class. His sneakers peeked through his long white robe. He laughed often, with his smile opening up behind his black beard.

On weekday nights this month, students from across Long Island gathered in the classroom at the Long Island Islamic Center, learning the hard and soft sounds of Arabic letters. In a religion in which the five mandatory prayers are always recited in classical Arabic, part of a Muslim's piety rests on the memorization and proper recitation of the Quran, the Muslim holy book.

"Arabic is a very sensitive and delicate language," Sharieff said. "If you mispronounce the letters, you will change the meaning." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

VA: MUSLIMS FIND CULTURAL BRIDGE IN SCOUTING - TOP
June Soh, Voice of America, 7/25/06
http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-07-25-voa48.cfm

Muslim children are finding a cultural bridge with American kids by becoming Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts. Many Muslims find scouting has similar values to their faith. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 14:53:41 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Lebanese Ambassador Briefs CAIR on Aid Efforts

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LEBANESE AMBASSADOR BRIEFS CAIR ON AID EFFORTS
Embassy to host 'Humanitarian Appeal for Lebanon' open house

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/26/06) - Representatives of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) met today with the Lebanese ambassador in Washington, D.C., to offer the Muslim community's condolences for the hundreds of civilian deaths caused by Israeli attacks on that nation.

Ambassador Farid Abboud briefed the CAIR delegation on the worsening humanitarian crisis resulting from Israel's campaign to destroy Lebanon's civilian infrastructure. He also announced plans to hold a "Humanitarian Appeal for Lebanon" open house in coordination with a number of American Muslim and Arab-American groups, including CAIR.

The event will take place Monday, July 31, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Residence of the Embassy of Lebanon in Washington, D.C. (2841 McGill Terrace, N.W.) For more information about the open house, e-mail: info@lebanonembassyus.org

"It is vitally important that ordinary Americans reach out to the people of Lebanon who are suffering because of Israel's brutal and indiscriminate attacks," said CAIR Board Chairman Parvez Ahmed.

"A strong response to this aid appeal will show that Americans do not approve of Israeli attacks on civilians, despite the fact that those attacks are being carried out using American taxpayer-supplied weapons and diplomatic support," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.

At today's meeting, Awad and Ahmed reiterated the American Muslim community's call for an immediate cease-fire and for the delivery of humanitarian supplies to both Lebanon and Gaza.

Earlier this week, CAIR called on Americans of all faiths to collect humanitarian relief supplies for delivery to Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories. CAIR is urging that the supplies be collected following regular congregational prayers this week in American mosques, churches, synagogues, and other houses of worship.

SEE: U.S. Muslims Collect Relief Aid For Lebanon, Palestine

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 18:34:58 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: TX Rep Calls for 'Humanitarian Corridor' in Lebanon / Israeli Bombing Causes Massive Oil Spill / Investor's Business Daily Retracts CA Mosque Smear

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/26/06

* Hadith: God Does Not Leave Supplicants Empty-Handed
* CA: Investor's Business Daily Retracts Mosque Smear
* TX Rep Calls for 'Humanitarian Corridor' in Lebanon
* ISLAM-OPED: Time for Mideast Policy Based on Justice
* CAIR-TX: Rally for Peace in Lebanon and Palestine
            - CAIR-Philly Demands Mideast Ceasefire
            - CAIR-Philly: Family Reunited After Escaping Lebanon
            - CAIR-FL Video Commentary on Mideast Conflict
* Israel to Hold Bodies of Fighters 'Hostage' (AP)
            - Israel Displays Civilian Shotguns Captured in Fighting
            - UN Decries 'Deliberate' Strike on Post (LA Times)
            - Congress Cautioned on Support of Israel (Wash Post)
            - Israeli Bombing Causes Massive Oil Spill (Mother Jones)
* CAIR-CA Participates in Intel Focus Group
* US Troops Ordered to Stop Posting Combat Videos (Telegraph)
* PA: Muslim Inmate Ordered to Handle Pork Sues Staff (AP)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: GOD DOES NOT LEAVE SUPPLICANTS EMPTY-HANDED - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "(God) loathes to turn away His servant empty-handed when he raises his hands to Him in supplication."

Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 4, Number 111B

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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CA: FOR THE RECORD - TOP
Investor's Business Daily, 7/26/06
http://www.investors.com/editorial/IBDArticles.asp?artsec=20&artnum=6&issue=20060725

On June 28, IBD ran an editorial entitled "Mineta's Welcome Exit, Stage Left." We have been asked to retract the following:

"It turns out Suhail Khan is not just any Muslim. He's the son of the founder of a hard-line Wahhabi mosque in Santa Clara, Calif., that hosted and raised money for Osama bin Laden's deputy -- not once, but twice -- last decade. Al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahiri bought satellite phones with the funds."

Further research has shown that Suhail Khan is the son of a founder of a mosque in Santa Clara, Calif., and is employed by the U.S. Transportation Department. Neither Khan, the mosque, its parishioners nor its operators (the Muslim Community Association of the San Francisco Bay Area) can accurately be described or confirmed as "hard-line Wahhabi." Neither can it be confirmed that the mosque raised the money referred to in the editorial, nor that specific funds were used to buy satellite phones.

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TX CONGRESSWOMAN CALLS FOR 'HUMANITARIAN CORRIDOR' IN LEBANON - TOP

H.RES.945
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d109:11:./temp/~bdAqBe::

Expressing deep concern at the ongoing violence in the Middle East, and particularly the current hostilities between the State of Israel and Hezbollah which have intensified since July 12, 2006.

Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas submitted the following resolution. . .

RESOLUTION

Expressing deep concern at the ongoing violence in the Middle East, and particularly the current hostilities between the State of Israel and Hezbollah which have intensified since July 12, 2006.

* Whereas, since the commencement of hostilities, over 350 Lebanese civilians, one third of whom are children according to the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, and 17 Israeli civilians, have been killed;

* Whereas vital infrastructure, including hospitals, power plants, bridges, roads, and food and milk factories in Lebanon have been destroyed;

* Whereas over 600,000 people in Lebanon and hundreds of thousands of people in Israel have been displaced;

* Whereas President George W. Bush has expressed great concern over the welfare of the people of Lebanon;

* Whereas United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has called for an immediate cease-fire;

* Whereas the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator has warned of a humanitarian disaster in Lebanon;

* Whereas the Government of Lebanon has urgently appealed for an immediate cessation to hostilities; and

* Whereas the international community has expressed support for a humanitarian corridor to Lebanon to be opened immediately to get desperately-needed humanitarian supplies to the suffering people of Lebanon:

Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives -

(1) calls for the cessation of the targeting by any side of infrastructure vital to non-combatants, which also increases the likelihood of the loss of innocent civilian life;

(2) calls for a secure humanitarian corridor to be opened immediately via the seaports and airports of Lebanon to alleviate the unnecessary suffering of the people of Lebanon;

(3) calls for an immediate cease-fire in line with the urgent appeals of the Government of Lebanon and the United Nations Secretary General; and

(4) urges a comprehensive and just solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict to ensure that the peoples of the Middle East can live in peace, freedom, and prosperity.

ACTION REQUESTED:

So far there are only 13 co-sponsors for the resolution.

CONTACT your congressional representative and ask that he or she help bring humanitarian relief to the people of Lebanon by co-sponsoring H.RES.945. To contact your elected officials, go to: http://capwiz.com/cair/dbq/officials/

Send a note of thanks to Rep. Jackson-Lee and to the co-sponsors.
Go to: http://www.jacksonlee.house.gov

List of Current Co-Sponsors for H. Res. 945:

Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [D-MI-14]
Rep Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7]
Rep Hinchey, Maurice D. [D-NY-22]
Rep Kaptur, Marcy [D-OH-9]
Rep Kilpatrick, Carolyn C. [D-MI-13]
Rep McDermott, Jim [D-WA-7]
Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [D-CA-6]
Rep Cummings, Elijah E. [D-MD-7]
Rep Hall, Ralph M. [R-TX-4]
Rep Johnson, Eddie Bernice [D-TX-30]
Rep Kildee, Dale E. [D-MI-5]
Rep Kucinich, Dennis J. [D-OH-10]

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ISLAM-OPED: TIME FOR A MIDEAST POLICY BASED ON PEACE AND JUSTICE FOR ALL - TOP

ISLAM-OPED is a national syndication service of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) designed to offer an American Muslim perspective on current political, social and religious issues. ISLAM-OPED commentaries are offered free-of-charge to one media outlet in each market area. Permission for publication will be granted on a first-come-first-served basis.

CONTACT: ihooper@cair-net.org, TEL: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726 (c)

Please consider the following commentary for publication.

---

ISLAM-OPED: TIME FOR A MIDEAST POLICY BASED ON PEACE AND JUSTICE FOR ALL

BY:

Dr. Maher Hathout, Senior Advisor, Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)
Dr. Agha Saeed, Chairman, American-Muslim Task Force (AMT)
Dr. Parvez Ahmed, Chairman, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

WORD COUNT: 772

Hundreds of Lebanese and Palestinian civilians are being killed. The civilian infrastructures of both areas are being systematically destroyed. And what is our nation's response? We refuse to call for a cease-fire, and instead expedite the shipment of bombs to Israel so that they are better able to carry out their brutal attacks.

A Lebanese or Palestinian life is no less valuable than that of an Israeli. Yet when confronted with a choice in determining America's course of action in the Middle East, one administration after another has kowtowed to the dictates of America's pro-Israel lobby. The tragic results of this one-sided policy can be witnessed every day in the shattered lives of ordinary people throughout the region.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell once commented about Iraq that if we break it we own it, implying long-term occupation of a sovereign country. We made a mess of Iraq, and now we want to attempt the same failed experiment in Lebanon.

Current Secretary of Sate Condoleezza Rice's comment that these are the "birth pangs" of a new Middle East is just as bizarre as it sounds. Once again, our policy seems to be that we have to destroy a village in order to save it.

Many in the international community, including the U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights, view Israel's actions as possible war crimes. A number of legal experts say Israel is also in violation of the U.S. Arms Export Control Act, which requires that foreign governments receiving American weaponry use it solely for internal security and legitimate self-defense.

Israeli attacks on civilian infrastructure and the intentional targeting of population centers with artillery-fired cluster munitions, phosphorous bombs and "bunker busters" clearly goes beyond self-defense. Despite these apparent breaches of international and U.S. law, our government remains silent.

More than 600,000 Lebanese refugees have been forced to flee their homes as Israel's war machine rains death and destruction from the sea, land and sky. Intentionally uprooting civilian populations to achieve political goals constitutes state-sponsored terrorism that deserves condemnation, not diplomatic cover.

American politicians take every opportunity to speak out in support of Israeli rights and Israel's national security, yet they seem content to leave the Palestinians and Lebanese with neither rights nor security.

The right of self-defense is not limited to Israel. The UN Charter as well as a number of UN resolution including the UN General Assembly Resolution 31/34 of 1976, affirm the inalienable right of "Palestinian People and of all peoples" to seek liberation from "foreign domination and alien subjugation."

Armed conflicts are not without rules of engagement. The concept of proportionality in all armed actions is mandated by the Geneva Conventions. The International Red Cross, the recognized guardian of those conventions, says that Israeli attacks on Lebanon violate this important principle.

People of all faiths, races and national origins have the inalienable right to live in peace, freedom and dignity. This timeless moral value ought to guide American policy in the Middle East. Otherwise, once again, we will be complicit in plunging the Middle East into a multigenerational conflict.

The Bush administration can take some positive steps to bring us all closer to peace with justice in the Middle East.

1. Call for immediate and unconditional ceasefires in Lebanon and Gaza. This will not only facilitate the evacuation of the thousands of American trapped in Lebanon, it will also allow humanitarian aid to reach innocent victims of this disaster.

2. Cancel the unconscionable expedited delivery of bombs to Israel.

3. Implement all relevant UN resolutions without picking and choosing those we like and those we wish to ignore.

4. Seek the immediate establishment of a viable, independent and sovereign Palestinian state.

5. Send former Presidents George Bush and Jimmy Carter to mediate not just ceasefires and delivery of humanitarian aid, but to also bring all parties to the negotiating table.

God tells us in the Quran, Islam's revealed text: "O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes so that you may come to know one another (not that you may despise each other)." (49:13)

Driven by the convictions of our faith and convinced of our rights and obligations as American citizens, we will do whatever we can to achieve a just resolution to this long-standing conflict.

The late Pope John Paul II had perceptively reminded us all: "No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness." As Americans, we extend a hand to help our nation defend its interests and improve its image worldwide. There is no better time than the present to begin this historic task.

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CAIR-TX: ALLIANCE FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE IN LEBANON AND PALESTINE - TOP

HOUSTON, TX - The Alliance for Peace and Justice in Lebanon and Palestine will hold a rally to help bring peace, justice and relief to victims of the crisis in the Middle East.

The rally will be held 3-5 p.m. on Friday, July 28, in Tranquility Park, in front of the Federal Building in downtown Houston, Texas.

Sponsored by: ACC, American Veterans For Peace, APPM, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Galveston Islamic center, Islamic Circle of North American (ICNA), Islamic Education Center (IEC), Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH), MAS Freedom Foundation, Palestinian Congress and other human rights, civil right and faith communities.

CONTACT: CAIR-Houston, Phone: 713-838-2247 or 832-878-8788

SEE ALSO:

MUSLIM AMERICAN GROUP DEMANDS MIDEAST CEASEFIRE - TOP
Karin Phillips, KYW Newsradio, 7/25/06
http://www.kyw1060.com/pages/60755.php

A local Muslim civil rights organization is calling on the Bush administration to demand a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

"We call for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all prisoners."

Adeeba Al-Zaman (right) of the Philadelphia chapter of the Council of American Islamic Relations (CAIR) says it's a message now being spread by all 32 CAIR chapters throughout the United States: that the Bush administration force a ceasefire in the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict:

"By not going ahead with the ceasefire, it suggests to us that Arab and Muslim Americans are valued less in our government's eyes."

CAIR is also demanding a quicker and more organized effort to evacuate all US citizens and their families from Lebanon. (MORE)

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PA: FAMILY REUNITED AFTER ESCAPING MIDEAST VIOLENCE - TOP
Robin Mackintosh, CBS3, 7/25/06
http://cbs3.com/topstories/local_story_206164851.html

An Arab family from our area was reunited Tuesday after being caught in the current fighting in the Middle East.

Even though the violence is a half-a-world away, the shock waves are being felt in the city's Arab and Israeli communities.

"Every time the bombs would come down, we would feel the shaking, we could even not even sleep at night," said Yusra Shawar.

The 20-year-old just came back from Beirut and is still recovering from a harrowing 12 days while she was stranded in Lebanon while visiting family.

On Tuesday, she came to Independence Hall along with officials from Philadelphia's Council on American-Islamic Relations to call for a cease-fire.

"We have asked the Bush administration to assert our governments leverage to Israel and demand a complete cessation of fire and push for a political solution to this conflict," said Adeeba Al-Zaman of CAIR-Philly. (MORE)

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CAIR-FL VIDEO COMMENTARY ON MIDEAST CONFLICT - TOP

CAIR-FL Director Ahmed Bedier appeared on Bay News 9 to offer a 2-minute "soapbox" commentary on the Middle East conflict.
http://www.ahmedbedier.com/video/060722-bay9-bedier-soapbox-israel.wmv

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ISRAEL ARMY COLLECTING BODIES OF HEZBOLLAH - TOP
Benjamin Harvey, Associated Press, 7/26/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/26/AR2006072600239.html

Israeli troops are collecting bodies of Hezbollah fighters killed in Lebanon and storing them in refrigerated containers in Israel, the army said Wednesday.

Israel used the bodies of Hezbollah fighters as a bargaining chip in a previous prisoner swap with the Lebanese guerrilla group, and security officials said bodies were being collected for the same reason this time.

The army said six bodies of Hezbollah fighters have been brought back to Israel, where they are being held in refrigerators until Israel's political leaders decide what to do with them. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ISRAEL DISPLAYS CIVILIAN SHOTGUNS CAPTURED IN FIGHTING - TOP
http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/claims-of-heavy-losses-after-new-israeli-offensive/2006/07/26/1153816254830.html

Of the "Hezbollah. . .weapons seized after a battle in southern Lebanon," more than half appear to be civilian shotguns.

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U.N. SHOCKED BY STRIKE ON BORDER POST - TOP
Annan decries the `apparently deliberate' hit that killed four monitors. Hezbollah threatens to attack deeper into Israel.
Paul Richter and Ken Ellingwood, Los Angeles Times, 7/26/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-fg-mideast26jul26,1,7700232.story

Israeli warplanes bombarded a U.N. post in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, killing four observers in a strike that Secretary-General Kofi Annan termed "apparently deliberate."

The bombing capped a violent day that included the death of a 15-year-old Israeli girl from a Hezbollah rocket in a northern Galilee town, and renewed Israeli airstrikes in and around Beirut.

United Nations officials said their observation post near the village of Khiam took a direct hit late Tuesday in an Israeli airstrike. Four members of the mission were killed. Their names and nationalities were not immediately released.

Annan flew to Rome to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and diplomats from European and Middle Eastern nations about the Lebanon crisis. He said he was "shocked and deeply distressed" by what he said was the "apparently deliberate" targeting of the post by the Israeli army. (MORE)

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CONGRESS CAUTIONED ON SUPPORT OF ISRAEL - TOP
Some Lawmakers Seek a Middle Ground
Jonathan Weisman, Washington Post, 7/26/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/25/AR2006072501324.html

Even as the fighting continues and the civilian casualties mount in Lebanon, sentiment in Congress is overwhelmingly on Israel's side. Last week, the House passed a resolution, 410 to 8, that went even beyond the Bush administration in supporting for Israel in its battle with Hezbollah militants.

A bid by the four House lawmakers of Lebanese descent to add language urging restraint against civilian targets was rejected in negotiations. The resolution's only nod to those caught in the crossfire came in a recognition of "Israel's longstanding commitment to minimizing civilian loss" and an expression of condolences -- in the last sentence of a three-page document -- "to all innocent victims of recent violence in Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories."

But a few lawmakers from both parties are warning that the United States and Israel may pay a price -- in world opinion and in public support -- if Congress does not find a middle ground in the search for a peaceful resolution.

"We're going to be vindicated," predicted Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), a Lebanese American who failed to secure language urging "all parties to protect innocent life and civilian infrastructure." "On the night of the vote, that wasn't the will of the Congress. But . . . 10 weeks from now, the fighting will be over. In 10 weeks, I think we will regret not having shown more empathy for the suffering of innocent Lebanese."

Rep. Nick J. Rahall II (D-W.Va.), another lawmaker of Lebanese descent, said that "the longer carnage continues, there will be reassessment in American public opinion of the American role in bringing this to a stop." (MORE)

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ISRAELI BOMBING RESULTS IN MASSIVE LEBANON OIL SPILL - TOP
Mother Jones, 7/26/06
http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2006/07/israeli_bombs_r_1.html

It looks like an eco-nightmare is taking place on the beaches of Lebanon. Reports coming in say beaches are being clogged with oil because five out of six oil tanks at the electricity plant in Jiyeh were destroyed by Israeli bombs.

The Lebanese Embassy in Washington confirmed the spill. Marwan Francis, second secretary, told Mother Jones, "It is definitely the worst oil spill we [Lebanon] have ever faced.''

One report says 15,000 tons of fuel oil is spreading into the water and along the coasts. The spill has spread along the northern coasts for some 100 kilometers from the electric plant, according to an email from the Tayyar Organization, a political party. The Lebanese government can't control the spill. Many Lebanese live along the coast which has numerous resorts.

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CAIR-SV PARTICIPATES IN INTEL FOCUS GROUP - TOP

(SACRAMENTO, CA, 7/26/06) - The Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SV) participated in an Intel focus group evaluating the company's community relations. Focus group participants included former Intel executives, Sacramento Valley mayors and congressional staffers.

"We thank Intel for including us in this important initiative and soliciting our feedback on how improve community relations in the Sacramento Valley," said CAIR-SV Executive Director Basim Elkarra. "CAIR looks forward to being a community partner with corporations that a have a long history of giving back to the community."

CONTACT: CAIR Sacramento Valley Executive Director Basim Elkarra, (916) 441-6269, E-Mail: sacval@cair.com

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AMERICAN TROOPS ORDERED TO STOP POSTING COMBAT VIDEOS ONLINE - TOP
Oliver Poole, Daily Telegraph, 7/26/06
http://www.nysun.com/article/36733

The Pentagon is asking American soldiers in Iraq to stop posting private combat videos on to the Internet amid fears that they could be regarded as anti-Arab.

Many of the digital clips feature explosions, gunfire, and even dead bodies, with the images often set to a soundtrack of rock ballads, rap, or heavy metal music. Defense officials believe they could be interpreted as portraying the military as unsympathetic to Arabs and obsessed with barbarism.

Dozens of such clips can be found by searching for "Iraq" and "combat" on video-sharing sites such as YouTube.com and Ogrish.com, creating an unprecedented opportunity for the public to view servicemen's unedited perspective of the war.

One cultural commentator described them as "semi-pro snuff films." Such Web sites have become hugely popular, with 70 million videos on YouTube alone.

The spread of the fad among American soldiers has alarmed the military. Soldiers are being instructed by their commanding officers to remove inappropriate footage even though it is technically not against the rules.

A number of the films have been uploaded from Iraq itself, where nearly all American bases have Internet facilities. Hundreds of hours of video shot by three National Guardsmen based near Baghdad were edited by a documentary maker, Deborah Scranton, into a film called "The War Tapes," which was shown at a major American arts film festival.

The footage - filmed by Sergeant Steve Pink, Specialist Mike Moriarty, and Sergeant Zack Bazzi - includes a firefight with insurgents and a roadside bomb. It is billed as enabling viewers to get a unique understanding of the "essence" of fighting in Iraq.

The Pentagon was woken up to the potential negative impact of the phenomenon by a film of a Marine singing a song he had composed called "Haji Girl," in which an American soldier falls in love with an Iraqi woman and is then ambushed by her family when he is taken to meet them.

It was criticized last month in America by the Council on American-Islamic relations, which was outraged by its mocking of the Arabic language and its description of how the Marine grabs his girlfriend's little sister when he is attacked.

"As the bullets began to fly, the blood sprayed from between her eyes, and I began to laugh maniacally," the lyrics said.

In Arabic, the word Haji refers to a Muslim who has made the religious pilgrimage to Mecca, but it is often used by American troops as a pejorative term for Iraqis.

The song's composer, Corporal Joshua Belile, 23, was required to apologize. (MORE)

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COURT: MUSLIM INMATE ORDERED TO HANDLE PORK CAN SUE STAFF - TOP
Associated Press, 7/25/06
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/politics/15119889.htm

Prison staff who punished a Muslim inmate for refusing to handle pork do not have immunity from his religious-freedom suit, a federal appeals court ruled.

Henry Williams sued on First Amendment grounds, saying he lost his cook's job and was restricted to his cell for 30 days after refusing to handle roast pork.

Williams missed religious and other events during his confinement, and ended up with a lower-paying janitorial job, according to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling issued Tuesday.

Senior inmate-cooks at SCI-Rockview, in Centre County, had agreed to honor Williams' concerns by giving him other duties when pork was served.

But staff members on March 6, 2001, ordered him to handle the meat, saying he could use gloves as other Muslim inmates did. Williams refused, and was disciplined. His appeals within the prison system failed.

Although the 3rd Circuit has not previously judged such a case, the defendants had "fair warning" from other circuits - and more generally from the U.S. Supreme Court - that they should "respect, and accommodate when practicable" his religious concerns, U.S. Circuit Court Julio M. Fuentes wrote. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 20:07:54 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: CAIR Asks Bush to Protect Americans Under Attack by Israel

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

- BREAKING NEWS -

CAIR ASKS BUSH TO PROTECT AMERICANS UNDER ATTACK BY ISRAEL
U.S. citizens trapped in S. Lebanon describe horrific scenes

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/26/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on President Bush to protect the lives of American citizens trapped in areas of Lebanon under Israeli attack.

U.S. citizens unable to flee South Lebanon describe horrific scenes of death and destruction caused by indiscriminate Israeli bombing of civilian areas. One American told Associated Press (AP): "It was worse than a nightmare. I saw dogs and cats on bodies that couldn't be taken from bombed-out houses. We ran from one building to another trying to escape the bombing."

A high school student from California said: "I don't know where to even begin. I saw parts of bodies. I saw small children and old people and women stuck in the rubble. . . And on the road coming to Tyre yesterday we saw cars that had been rocketed with dead people still inside. There were so many cars I couldn't count. I couldn't even look at some of them." AP quoted another American saying, "It was a massacre. It was a massacre."

SEE: Many Americans Stuck in Southern Lebanon (AP)

"American citizens are under attack by weapons made in America and paid for with U.S. tax dollars, yet our president and other elected officials will not even ask for a temporary cease-fire to save their lives," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "No novelist would dare write a scene so bizarre and unbelievable." He said the president should also show concern for the more than 600,000 Lebanese citizens driven from their homes by Israeli threats and attacks.

Awad repeated CAIR's demand for an immediate cease-fire by all parties to end attacks that have already killed hundreds of civilians. CAIR is also urging Americans of all faiths to send humanitarian relief to Lebanon and Gaza.

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2006 16:34:38 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Pro-Israel Lobby Targets Georgia Democrat / Door Slams Hard on Any Who Criticize Israel / U.S. Muslims Seek Understanding, Acceptance

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/27/06

* Hadith: Do Not Help Your Own People in Wrongdoing
* Pro-Israel Lobby Targets Georgia Democrat (Forward)
            - Door Slams Hard on Any Who Criticize Israel
            - Christian Right Steps Up Pro-Israel Lobbying (IPS)
* MN: Muslim Candidate Debates Mideast Policy (MPR)
* ISLAM-OPED: U.S. Muslims Seek Understanding, Acceptance
* Lebanon: Up to 600 Killed in Israeli Assault (Reuters)
            - Mysterious Wounds from Israeli Shells in Gaza
            - Israeli Strike Hits Aid Truck (Daily Telegraph)
            - US Bomb Shipment Stops at UK Airport (Jerusalem Post)
            - Israeli Missile Strike 'Example of US Democracy'
* FL: Arab-Americans Turn to Alternative Media (Sun-Sent)
            - NJ: Mosque Raising Money for Humanitarian Relief
            - IL: 2 Years of Thefts Baffled Mosque (Chicago Trib)
            - MN Native Helps Boost Arabic Language Camp
* U.S. Soldiers Tell of Detainee Abuse in Iraq (HRW)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: DO NOT HELP YOUR OWN PEOPLE IN WRONGDOING - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was once asked: "Does a man's love of his people indicate partisanship (asabiyyah)?" The Prophet replied: "No, but when a man helps his people in wrongdoing, it is an indication of partisanship."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1267

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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FOES TAKE AIM AT MCKINNEY IN SURPRISE GEORGIA RACE - TOP
Jennifer Siegel, Forward, 7/28/06
http://forward.com/articles/8183

A surprisingly close race involving one of the pro-Israel community's least favorite lawmakers, Rep. Cynthia McKinney, is poised to become a Middle East proxy fight.

McKinney, a left-wing Georgia Democrat with a long history of criticizing Israel, finds herself in an unexpected run-off election after failing to win a majority in her July 18 primary. A defeat in the August 8 runoff would be McKinney's second ouster from Congress in four years and cap a series of major gaffes, including her delayed apology after allegedly hitting a Capitol Hill police officer in March.

For months, McKinney, whose district includes parts of the Atlanta suburbs, has been raising out-of-state money from Muslim and Arab Americans. Now, with her stumble in the primary, the legislator's pro-Israel critics are quickly rallying behind her rival, former DeKalb County Commissioner Hank Johnson. Like McKinney, Johnson is an African-American.

"He's just sky-rocketing in popularity," said Rabbi Neil Sandler, the religious leader of Atlanta's Ahavath Achim Synagogue, which hosted Johnson at a pro-Israel rally on July 23. According to Sandler, the audience gave Johnson a "tremendous ovation," the most enthusiastic response of any of the politicians in attendance.

After learning of McKinney's unexpected runoff, several of the country's largest pro-Israel political action committees are rushing to make contributions, with an eye toward arming Johnson with sufficient cash to purchase valuable television and radio advertising. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

DOOR SLAMS HARD ON ANY WHO WOULD CRITICIZE ISRAEL - TOP
Robert L. Jamieson Jr., Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 7/27/06
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/jamieson/279019_robert27.html

When it comes to Israel, there seems to be precious little room for free discussion.

To suggest anything critical of the country puts one at risk of being labeled the worst kinds of things.

Seen through another prism, it is like a white person being called racist for wondering why black kids can memorize rap lyrics but won't put the same effort into English 101.

Or like folks being deemed hostile to immigrants because they question why undocumented workers line up downtown for day-labor jobs.

Or being called a homophobe for suggesting that gays and lesbians are off base when they equate the push for legalized gay marriage to the civil rights movement.

Such issues, molecularly charged, are ripe for debate.

Yet none of these topics, from where I sit, comes close to setting off the kind of reflexive and negative reaction touched off by questioning Israel.

Doing so invites being called anti-Israel or anti-Semitic, damning labels that are hard to remove. Then the door slams on honest discourse. (MORE)

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CHRISTIAN RIGHT STEPS UP PRO-ISRAEL LOBBY - TOP
Bill Berkowitz, Inter Press Service, 7/26/06
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=34110

Over the past two decades, as the Christian Right has grown in political power in the United States, there has been a parallel growth in support for Israel. Organisations made up of conservative evangelical and Jewish leaders have been founded, and millions of dollars have been raised and donated to charities in Israel.

Now, a new group plans to take it up a notch, becoming a significant presence in any political policy debates involving Israel.

Last week, while the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict continued to escalate, Christians United for Israel (CUFI) -- an organisation founded less than six months ago by Texas evangelist Rev. John C. Hagee, pastor of the 18,000-member Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas and the author of "Jerusalem Countdown," a 2006 book about a nuclear-armed Iran -- rolled into Washington for its first major get-together.

More than 3,400 delegates from across the United States attended the inaugural meeting.

CUFI kicked off the gathering on Jul. 19 with its "A Night to Honour Israel" banquet at the grand ballroom in the Washington Hilton. The festivities attracted a number of high-profile Israeli and U.S. political leaders, including Israeli Ambassador Daniel Ayalon, retired Israeli defence chief Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon and Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman.

According to a report posted at Israpundit, Hagee read greetings from President George W. Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Bush commented: "God bless and stand by the people of Israel and God bless the United States."

Olmert's letter referred to CUFI's "bold stand at this crisis time," and the group's acknowledgement of Israel's biblical 'birthright'."

The following day, at a well-attended press conference, Hagee said that "The dots are there to be connected and it is not some big thing called terrorism. It is Islamic fascism... all of the various things and forces that we've seen around the world are not merely hot spots but they are all part of a theme -- a war against western civilisation."

The news conference was followed by a trip to Capitol Hill to lobby congressional representatives. (MORE)

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MN: 5TH DISTRICT CANDIDATES DEBATE MIDEAST POLICY - TOP
Brandt Williams, Minnesota Public Radio, 7/26/06
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/07/25/jcrcdebate/

The debate was held in the sanctuary of Temple Israel, a large synagogue in south Minneapolis. Following the candidates' opening statements, forum moderator and WCCO-TV reporter David Schechter launched into a question, drafted by the event's sponsors, about the issue that's dominated headlines for the last two weeks.

"The attack on Israel by Hezbollah across Israel's sovereign border has erupted into a dangerous crisis. Do you support Israel's campaign to stop Hezbollah?" Schechter asked the candidates.

All the candidates expressed support for Israel's right to defend itself, but also discussed a desire for the U.S. to do more to foster a peaceful resolution to the conflict. . .

The debate sponsors also asked the candidates to comment on anti-Semitism, particularly about how they would handle local and national organizations that encourage anti-Jewish sentiment.

The questions appeared to be an indirect prompt for Ellison to explain his past ties to the Nation of Islam. Ellison has been dogged by questions about his past association with the group, which is often criticized as anti-Semitic. But Ellison didn't take the bait. Instead he talked about how as a college student, he took a trip to Auschwitz.

"It had an indelible imprint on my thinking," Ellison said. "And it made it very clear to me that not only is anti-Semitism morally wrong, but it's brutally dangerous and we have to oppose it everywhere we see it." (MORE)

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ISLAM-OPED: U.S. MUSLIMS SEEK UNDERSTANDING, ACCEPTANCE - TOP

ISLAM-OPED is a national syndication service of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) designed to offer an American Muslim perspective on current political, social and religious issues. ISLAM-OPED commentaries are offered free-of-charge to one media outlet in each market area. Permission for publication will be granted on a first-come-first-served basis.

CONTACT: ihooper@cair-net.org
TEL: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726 (c)

Please consider the following commentary for publication.

---

ISLAM-OPED: U.S. MUSLIMS SEEK UNDERSTANDING, ACCEPTANCE
By Hadia Mubarak
WORD COUNT: 769

[Hadia Mubarak is a member of the national board of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties group. Mubarak is currently a researcher at American University's School of International Service in Washington, D.C.]

Following the recent publication of an editorial I wrote criticizing America's policy in the Middle East, my inbox overflowed with Islamophobic e-mail messages.

Rather than address legitimate concerns about America's material and diplomatic support for Israeli attacks on Lebanese civilians, dozens of readers tapped out e-mails reeking of hatred toward Islam and Muslims. I was truly alarmed by the intense level of hate expressed by people who do not even know me.

One reader wrote: "I hope Israelis kill EVERY DAMN one of your violent buddies!! THEN the Middle East may finally know peace!. . .From now on Westerners should give Islamics a dose of their own deceit and terror."

Another person wrote: "Surely you must know deep down inside what most of us in this country really think of the ARAB/ISLAMIC world. It's not pretty to say the least."

Several e-mails suggested that I clean my "own house first" before asking anything of Americans. Ironically, as a native-born American, the United States is the only country I call home.

Religious bigotry is nothing new to me. I was only four years old when our next-door neighbor in New Brunswick, N.J., called my mother a "rag head." My mother did not respond to the slur, she just buckled my sister and me into our family's white station wagon and drove us to daycare without saying a word.

I was about 12 when two teenagers fishing at a creek near my parents' house in Panama City, Fla., yelled out to me, "Do you [expletive] with that on?" referring to my Islamic headscarf.

In 2002, I was the last one out of the building when Charles Franklin slammed his truck into the front entrance of the Islamic Center of Tallahassee. He told authorities his act was motivated by hatred of Muslims and that he tried to join the military to kill Muslims but had been turned down.

Growing up in a country in which Islam remains a mysterious, widely-misunderstood religion - stereotyped by images of submissive veiled women and false notions of 'Holy War' - I have become accustomed to the double takes at my headscarf, slurs about my religion or ethnicity and the prejudice produced by ignorance.

This hatred and intolerance is driven by fear and an inability to understand the violence that is plaguing parts of the Muslim world, from the insurgency in Iraq and the current conflict between Hizbollah and Israel, to the battle between warlords and Islamic groups in Somalia.

Lack of political awareness in our society causes many Americans to ignore historical, geographical and socio-economic factors and to conclude that Islam is at the root of the ongoing violence worldwide.

This conclusion ignores core Islamic values derived from Quranic injunctions and prophetic traditions that forbid the killing of civilians and demand that Muslims uphold mercy, justice and compassion.

Unfortunately, many of my fellow citizens have come to define American Muslims through the prism of international events that are completely unrelated to Islam or Muslims in the United States. Consequently, as hostility escalates between the United States and some Islamic nations, American Muslims become the closest targets for bigots and extremists.

The underlying problem is our society's inability to fathom the concept of an "American Muslim." From our attire to dietary restrictions that actually resemble those of Orthodox Judaism, our commitment to Islam is mistakenly perceived as an attempt to hold on to a foreign culture and a reluctance to assimilate. It is as if we are being asked to choose between America and Islam.

Islam is simply a faith, a belief in the mortality of the soul and its ultimate accountability to God, the Creator of the Heavens and Earth. Faith is not derived from a particular culture or the country in which one is born. Faith is a product of one's life experiences, fears, hopes, and the inability to predict or control the future.

Until Muslims come to own a legitimate space in the American public consciousness, our identity and loyalty will always be points of contention. And until Muslims are fully accepted in our society, people like me will continue to feel less and less secure. With every terror attack that takes place anywhere in the Muslim world, I know I will find one more piece of hate mail in my inbox and I will hear the words "go back home" one more time.

Americans of all faiths have a role to play in creating a society based on mutual understanding and interfaith tolerance. How about starting with an e-mail message that promotes true dialogue, not just mistrust and hatred. Send it to: hadia.mubarak@gmail.com

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LEBANON SAYS UP TO 600 KILLED IN ISRAEL'S ASSAULT - TOP
Nadim Ladki, Reuters, 7/27/06
http://www.longislandpress.com/?cp=53&show=article&a_id=9227

Israeli warplanes and artillery hammered Lebanon again on Thursday and the Beirut government said up to 600 people may have been killed in Israel's 16-day-old campaign against Hizbollah guerrillas. . .

Lebanese Health Minister Mohammad Khalifeh said hospitals had received 401 bodies of people killed during the war launched by Israel after the Shi'ite guerrillas captured two of its soldiers and killed eight in a cross-border raid on July 12.

"On top of those victims, there are 150 to 200 bodies still under the rubble. We have not been able to pull them out because the areas they died in are still under fire," he told Reuters. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

MYSTERIOUS WOUNDS FROM ISRAELI SHELLS IN GAZA - TOP
Palestinians accuse Israel of using new bombs that cause burn injuries never seen before.
Jennie Matthew, Middle East Online, 7/27/06
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=17106

"When the bomb exploded from the plane. I felt I was in hell. Real hell," shouts 31-year-old Ghassan stabbing the air with his finger and straining over the side of his grubby hospital bed.

Professing allegiance to Palestinian national security but parroting ideology atune to armed factions, Ghassan went to Gaza's Maghazi refugee camp last week to fight the Israelis during a particularly bloody incursion.

"I feel chemicals. I feel high heat, I feel high pain," he elaborates in English, both legs heavily bandaged, as patients and visitors brush past in a crowded corridor of Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital.

"They found shrapnel with 'test' written on it," he shouts.

Accusations abound that the Israelis, pressing a nearly five-week offensive in which 130 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, are using a new weapon. (MORE)

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ISRAELI STRIKE HITS AID TRUCK - TOP
From correspondents in Beirut, Daily Telegraph, 7/27/06
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,19926902-5006506,00.html

An Israeli air strike today hit a truck carrying medical and food supplies donated to Lebanon by the United Arab Emirates, killing its Syrian driver and wounding two others, security sources said. (MORE)

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US BOMB SHIPMENT STOPS AT UK AIRPORT - TOP
Nathan Guttman, Jerusalem Post, 7/27/06
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1153292012697&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

British Foreign Minister Margaret Becket criticized the United States on Thursday for failing to follow procedures for international arms shipments after a US plane carrying a shipment of "smart bombs" for Israel stopped for refueling at Scotland's Prestwick Airport, Sky News reported.

The foreign secretary said that it appeared that safety regulations had not been observed. . .

An American - Islamic group - Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) called on the Bush administration to stop the deal, saying that the rush delivery at a time of war would be "unconscionable."

---

ISRAELI MISSILE STRIKE 'AN EXAMPLE OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY' - TOP
Kevin Sites, Albuquerque Tribune, 7/26/06
http://www.abqtrib.com/albq/nw_world/article/0,2564,ALBQ_19864_4874338,00.html

With a targeted missile strike in the center of downtown Tyre, Israel destroyed a building reportedly associated with Hezbollah. But while the destruction was complete, it was not bloodless, nor without repercussions.

The attack obliterated an empty seven-story apartment building Wednesday, wounding 13 people, including six children, who were living in the building next door. The target was reportedly the offices of Hezbollah's southern Lebanon commander, Sheik Nabil Kaouk.

It was the second missile strike in less than three days against the same residential neighborhood, although this one was much more powerful than the first.

The hit Wednesday evening created a thunderous explosion that could be felt a few miles away. A plume of black smoke rose into the horizon as ambulances rushed to the scene. The alleyway leading to the building churned with smoke, cinders and debris.

I had been conducting an interview only blocks away and arrived on the scene within 10 minutes of the blast. Young men from the predominately Muslim neighborhood were already in the adjoining structure, removing the injured.

One man was carrying a baby out of the building. The boy looked unharmed and wasn't even crying, but his face was covered with pale gray soot. Within moments, his mother followed, her face also covered with soot, blackening her teeth when the moisture from her mouth turned the dust into a fine, wet grit, giving her the appearance of a character out of a Beijing opera.

Within seconds another man rushed out of the building, carrying a boy of about 7, unconscious and bleeding from a head wound. He was placed in one of two ambulances at the scene. Soon, others were helped out of the building: a woman screaming hysterically; another, head slumped forward as she was carried by men on both sides of her; and then another, a victim bleeding from the head who walked out to the ambulance on his own. (MORE)

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ARAB-AMERICANS TURN TO ALTERNATIVE MEDIA - TOP
Some see Israel slant in reports from U.S. television networks
Ruth Morris, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 7/27/06
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-cmediajul27,0,5839924.story

The latest escalation of violence in the Middle East hit Randa Masri hard. Her two children, ages 12 and 15, were visiting their grandfather in Tripoli, Lebanon, and she anxiously snapped on the television news to see where the bombs were falling.

But she didn't watch only CNN. She also turned to the controversial al-Jazeera network and two Lebanese stations piped into her Pembroke Pines home via a satellite dish. On them, she saw the destruction by Israeli bombs close up, street by street.

Masri's impulse is shared by many Arab-Americans who say relying on U.S. media alone would not give them a clear picture of the turmoil. Some seek balance with al-Jazeera, which plans to launch a worldwide, English-language service later this year. Others check the Web sites of Arab newspapers or parallel English-language sites.

"The American media is a little more in favor of the Israeli side," said Masri, who also grew up in Tripoli, and whose children will arrive home Thursday. "People want to see the other side."

Lynda Sabga, who fled Beirut last week and is staying with her parents in Boca Raton, was more critical. She said she does not watch CNN or any other American network. Instead, Sabga, an American citizen of Lebanese descent, has clicked on naharnet.com, the English-language Web site of her favorite Lebanese newspaper, An-Nahar.

"CNN gives the side of the story they want us to believe in this country," she said, although she gave high marks to the same network's international service. "Some Lebanese were against what Hezbollah did with the kidnapping of the Israeli soldiers, and the constant aggression against Israel. CNN never speaks of that." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

NJ: MOSQUE RAISING MONEY FOR HUMANITARIAN RELIEF - TOP
Joseph Harvie, South Brunswick Post, 7/27/06
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16975153&BRD=1091&PAG=461&dept_id=425716&rfi=6

With attacks on Israel and Lebanon continuing, Imam Hamad Ahmed Chebli of the Islamic Society of Central Jersey in Monmouth Junction is encouraging his congregation to "generously" donate cash that will be used to help the victims of the violence.

The imam has been in contact with the Lebanese consulate in New York and the Islamic Circle of North America to find the best way to get humanitarian aid to Lebanon.

The imam is also asking his congregation, located on Route 1, to pray for peace in the Middle East and that innocent lives be spared.

The violence began July 12 when Hezbollah militants captured two Israeli soldiers in hopes of exchanging them for Lebanese prisoners being held in Israel. Israel responded with air strikes on suspected Hezbollah military targets and strongholds, as well as the roads and infrastructure in Beirut, Lebanon's capital.

The United States has backed the Israeli response and sent Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the region Monday to discuss a peace plan with Middle East leaders.

Imam Cheblis said Tuesday that helping people in need is the right course of action regardless of their race, religious belief or location in the world. (MORE)

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IL: 2 YEARS OF THEFTS BAFFLED MOSQUE - TOP
James Kimberly, Chicago Tribune, 7/27/06
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/west/chi-0607270289jul27,1,6621336.story

Over two years as many as nine teenagers broke into and stole money from the Islamic Center of Naperville, but the teens were motivated by greed, not racial or religious intolerance, police and mosque officials said Wednesday.

Four 18-year-olds were arrested last week, and police intend to obtain arrest warrants for five more teens within the week for burglarizing the mosque in the 400 block of Olesen Drive, Lt. Dave Hoffman said Wednesday.

"Kids were going in and getting money when they needed it," Hoffman said.

Andrew R. Talty of Plainfield and Marcanthony Cruz Domingo, David M. Henderson and Charles Htun, all of Naperville, are charged with burglary and battery to police officers for scuffling with Naperville officers who caught them leaving the Islamic Center on Friday night, police said.

The teens may also face more serious charges related to accusations that they tried to elude police.

Kareem Irfan, a spokesman for the center, said the center had been burglarized as many as 10 times over the last two years. But the entry into the building was so discreet and the amounts of money taken so small that mosque officials weren't sure what was happening, he said. (MORE)

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MN: FERGUS NATIVE HELPS BOOST ARABIC LANGUAGE CAMP - TOP
Tom Hintgen, 7/26/06
http://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/articles/2006/07/26/news/news09.txt

Laura Larson Merickel, a 1976 graduate of Fergus Falls High School, is doing her part to see that the new Concordia Language Village Arabic Language Camp near Vergas in north central Otter Tail County eventually becomes a model for other new Arabic programs across the United States.

The village near Vergas is named Al-Waha, which means Oasis in English. Congress earmarked half of the $500,000 that Concordia needed to establish the Arabic Village. Merickel has been involved in a variety of special projects for the Language Villages for the past two years, with an emphasis on helping launch Al-Waha.

She is a 1980 graduate of Concordia where she majored in French and History/Political Science.

"I've worked in government affairs and development for a variety of organizations over the past 25 years," Merickel said, "and I'm really excited and honored to help the new Arabic Camp get off the ground and thrive for many years to come."

Since 1961 Concordia Language Villages has offered a summer language immersion camp for young people ages 7 to 18. The Arabic Village near Vergas offered a session July 10-12 for students ages 8 to 12. The session from July 24 to Aug. 5 is being held for students from ages 13 to 18. (MORE)

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U.S.: SOLDIERS TELL OF DETAINEE ABUSE IN IRAQ - TOP
Abusive Techniques Were Authorized, Soldiers' Complaints Ignored
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/07/19/usint13767.htm

(New York, July 23, 2006) - Torture and other abuses against detainees in U.S. custody in Iraq were authorized and routine, even after the 2004 Abu Ghraib scandal, according to new accounts from soldiers in a Human Rights Watch report released today. The new report, containing first-hand accounts by U.S. military personnel interviewed by Human Rights Watch, details detainee abuses at an off-limits facility at Baghdad airport and at other detention centers throughout Iraq.

In the 53-page report, "No Blood, No Foul: Soldiers' Accounts of Detainee Abuse in Iraq," soldiers describe how detainees were routinely subjected to severe beatings, painful stress positions, severe sleep deprivation, and exposure to extreme cold and hot temperatures. The accounts come from interviews conducted by Human Rights Watch, supplemented by memoranda and sworn statements contained in declassified documents.

"Soldiers were told that the Geneva Conventions did not apply, and that interrogators could use abusive techniques to get detainees to talk," said John Sifton, the author of the report and the senior researcher on terrorism and counterterrorism at Human Rights Watch. "These accounts rebut U.S. government claims that torture and abuse in Iraq was unauthorized and exceptional - on the contrary, it was condoned and commonly used."

The accounts reveal that detainee abuse was an established and apparently authorized part of the detention and interrogation processes in Iraq for much of 2003-2005. They also suggest that soldiers who sought to report abuse were rebuffed or ignored.

The Human Rights Watch report comes at a time when Bush administration officials and congressional leaders are hotly debating the applicability of the Geneva Conventions to detainee treatment. The report provides vivid demonstration of the abuses that result when these basic international standards are ignored. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2006 13:42:23 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Israeli Missile Wounds NJ Teen in Lebanon / Israel to Destroy S. Lebanon Villages / Fire Destroys VA Mosque / U.S. Muslims Lobby for Mideast Peace, Aid

HTML Attachment [ Scan and Save to Computer | Save to Yahoo! Briefcase ]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/28/06

* Hadith: Show Kindness to Your Family
* DC: Lebanon Embassy Aid Event Postponed
* VA: Fire Destroys Mosque in Petersburg (AP)
            - OH: FBI Closes Probe of Mosque Threat
* CAIR: U.S. Muslims Lobby for Mideast Peace, Aid (NYT)
            - Arab-American Groups Launch Lobbying Push (Forward)
* CT: CAIR Appeals for Humanitarian Relief (The Day)
            - CAIR-FL: Muslims, Jews Aid War Victims (Tampa Trib)
            - CAIR-LA: Rally for Civilians in Lebanon, Palestine
            - TX Rep to Host Lebanon Relief Event in Houston
* Israeli Missile Wounds NJ Teen in Lebanon (NY Times)
            - US: 'Civilians in Southern Lebanon are on Their Own'
            - Israel to Destroy Villages: 'Everyone. . .is a Terrorist'
            - UN: Israel Has 'Created a Generation of Hatred' (JPost)
            - Editorial Cartoon: 'Nothing Left to Bomb' (Miami Herald)
* NC: Marines Reluctant to Accept 'Hadji Girl' Song Proceeds
* UN Panel: U.S. Should Close Secret Detention Centers
* FL: Council Launches First Islamic Scout Troop (Sun-Sent)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: SHOW KINDNESS TO YOUR FAMILY - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Among the believers who show the most perfect faith are those who have the best disposition and are kindest to their family."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 961

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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DC: LEBANON EMBASSY AID EVENT POSTPONED - TOP

The Embassy of Lebanon in Washington, D.C., has informed CAIR that a fundraising open house for humanitarian aid event scheduled for Monday, July 31, has been postponed.

Anyone wishing to help those currently suffering under Israeli attacks in Lebanon may visit: www.lebanonembassyus.org or http://www.cair.com

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VA: FIRE DESTROYS MOSQUE IN PETERSBURG - TOP
Associate Press, 7/28/06
http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=5209722&nav=23ii

A fire destroyed a mosque in downtown Petersburg this morning.

Fire officials don't know what caused the blaze that burned down the Petersburg Islamic Center.

Petersburg Fire Captain Kevin Michalek (mah-HALL'-ick) says a passer-by called in the blaze at 4:10 a-m and units arrived three-to-four minutes later and found flames already through the roof of the building.

Michalek says there were NO injuries. He describes the mosque as a one-story building constructed of office trailers set on a foundation. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

OH: FBI NO LONGER INVESTIGATING THREATENING PHONE CALLS TO MOSQUE - TOP
9News, 7/27/06
http://www.wcpo.com/news/2006/local/07/27/mosque.html

The FBI has closed its investigation of a threatening phone call to the Clifton mosque.

FBI spokesman Mike Brooks tells 9News that the agency believes they do not have enough evidence to prove that a federal crime occurred.

The FBI points out this does not mean they don't believe a crime did not occur.

Ten days ago, someone allegedly called and threatened to bomb the mosque.

This comes after two pipe bombs detonated in front of the mosque in December. (MORE)

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AS MIDEAST CHURNS, U.S. JEWS AND ARABS ALIKE SWING INTO ACTION - TOP
Laurie Goodstein, New York Times, 7/28/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/28/us/28homefront.html

With Israel at war again, American Jewish groups immediately swung into action, sending lobbyists to Washington, solidarity delegations to Jerusalem and millions of dollars for ambulances and trauma counseling, just as they always have.

But this time there is a parallel mobilization going on in this country by Arab-Americans and Muslim Americans in support of Lebanese and Palestinian victims of the war. These Americans, too, are sending lobbyists to Washington, solidarity delegations to the Middle East and boxes of lentils, diapers and medicine to refugees. . .

Arab and Muslim groups have been raising money for humanitarian aid for Lebanese who were trapped in cities shelled by the Israelis and for those who fled.

The Council on American Islamic Relations is encouraging American Muslims to send boxes of lentils, powdered milk and diapers - rather than money - to Life for Relief and Development, a charity based in Southfield, Mich. It is discouraging direct financial contributions because many American Muslims fear they will be investigated by the American government if they donate to a Muslim charity.

Khalil Jassemm, chief executive of the organization, said the contributions had amounted to "a bit less than we had really hoped," worth no more than $3 million. The reason, Mr. Jassemm said, could be "donor anxiety" about giving to Muslim charities.

"We need to fully analyze what's going on," he said, "but we think that donors are asking themselves, 'If I do help, am I going to be in trouble?' "

Both sides are also working to sway public opinion. Jewish groups have held rallies in almost every major American city, Mr. Daroff said.

The Council on American Islamic Relations has sponsored news conferences around the country in which Lebanese-Americans and others recount traumatic stories of escaping from Israeli bombardment.

"People can't believe what they're seeing," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the council. "The United States is actively supporting the systematic destruction of the civilian infrastructure of Lebanon, a friendly nation, using American weapons. Not only do they not seek to stop the destruction, they actually provide the bombs to accomplish the destruction."

The pro-Israel lobby has held sway over American policy, Mr. Hooper said, but that could be changing.

"The American Muslim community has reached a point where it has a little more political maturity, a little more ability to speak out, to reach out to elected officials and to opinion leaders,'' he said. "I don't think it's going to be that American politicians can get away with making speeches pledging allegiance to Israel and nobody's going to challenge them. I think those days are over."

SEE ALSO:

ARAB GROUPS LAUNCH LOBBYING PUSH - TOP
Ori Nir, Forward, 7/28/06
http://www.forward.com/articles/8205

Though Lebanese Americans are scrambling to respond to the war that has been overwhelming their motherland for more than two weeks, they suffer from poor organization and a lack of powerful political allies on Capitol Hill.

Arab-American and Lebanese-American groups have launched a political campaign to leverage support in Washington. They are also organizing demonstrations across the nation to protest Israel's killing of civilians and are raising funds to support Lebanon.
For the most part, however, the efforts are ad hoc, localized and fragmented.

"Things are just now beginning to come together on the national level," said Rami Elamine, a Lebanese American political activist in the Washington area. This week Elamine organized a mock funeral procession with 50 coffins toward the Israeli embassy to protest the rising civilian death toll in Lebanon.

Arab-American groups are sending letters and petitions to the Bush administration and to congressional lawmakers, calling for an immediate cease-fire and for a more intense, high-level American role in bringing an immediate end to the fighting. Last week, the Arab American Institute organized an "Emergency Summit" of more than 100 Arab American community leaders to amplify the call for stepped up America's efforts to negotiate a cease-fire. Activists are being urged by the AAI and by other national Arab-American groups to lobby their representatives to support efforts to obtain a cease-fire and rebuild Lebanon.

Leaders of the Arab-American community depicted such efforts as an uphill battle due to what they described as the very little sympathy that Congress has for Lebanon's case. Only eight of the 435 members of the House of Representatives voted last week against a resolution "condemning the recent attacks against the State of Israel and holding terrorists and their state-sponsors accountable for such attacks." The resolution was stripped of language that urged both sides to avoid civilian casualties. Only one of the House's four Lebanese American members, Democrat Nick Rahall of West Virginia, voted against the resolution.

Arab-American and Lebanese-American groups have organized several rallies and demonstrations across America. A particularly large one was held last week near Detroit in Dearborn, Mich. (MORE)

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CT: COUNCIL APPEALS FOR HUMANITARIAN RELIEF - TOP
The Day, 7/28/06
http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=b4ebae0f-d6bb-4107-8313-c38cfdbf129b

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is asking Americans of all faiths to collect humanitarian relief supplies for delivery to Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories.

CAIR is appealing to religious leaders to collect supplies following regular congregational prayers this week in American mosques, churches, synagogues and other houses of worship.

Life for Relief and Development, a 501(c)(3) organization that is registered with the United States Agency for International Development, has agreed to receive the humanitarian supplies and deliver them to those in need.

The organization is recommending that those wishing to send relief supplies fill a box with just one of the following items: diapers, water purification tablets (available at most camping stores), flour, rice, sugar, cooking oil, powdered milk and lentils.

Food should be mailed in small boxes and diapers in medium-size boxes. Each box should weigh no more than 40 pounds. No pork or alcohol products will be accepted.

Boxes may be mailed to: LIFE for Relief & Development, Lebanon/Palestine Relief Effort, 17300 W. 10 Mile Road, Southfield, MI 48075. For information, call 248-424-7493 or 1-800-827-3543, fax 248-424-8325, or e-mail life@lifeusa.org

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide, including one in New London.

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-FL: MUSLIMS, JEWS COLLECT FOR VICTIMS OF WAR - TOP
Chris Echegarya, Tampa Tribune, 7/28/06
http://www.tbo.com/news/nationworld/MGBU6ZWZ5QE.html

Muslims and Jews are collecting money and supplies to send to their respective populations in war-torn Lebanon and Israel.

In Tampa and nationwide, beginning today, mosques are asking donors to drop off flour, diapers and water purifying tablets for suffering families overseas.

The Tampa Jewish Federation has started its humanitarian efforts, sending $50,000 to help families forced to leave their homes in Haifa, Israel's third-largest city.

The federation, in collaboration with the Jewish Agency for Israel and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, is aiming to raise $18 million nationally for the effort, said Daniel Staffenberg, chief development officer for the Tampa Jewish Federation.

What started as a military skirmish between Hezbollah and the Israelis has escalated to a weeks-long conflict despite international intervention. With the destruction of apartment buildings, houses and infrastructure, Lebanese and Israeli civilians have fled Beirut and Haifa.

With no signs of a cease-fire, the number of those affected is growing.

With Friday being the day of prayer for Muslims, they are asking people to drop off supplies at the mosques, said Council on American-Islamic Relations spokesman Ahmed Bedier. The Islamic Society of Tampa Bay Area and Islamic Community of Tampa are heading up collections.

Supplies will be shipped to Life for Relief & Development in Michigan. The organization will distribute the supplies to the Lebanese and Palestinians, Bedier said.

On Thursday, Tampa Muslims returned from Washington, where they pleaded with politicians for a cease-fire. Pilar Saad, a Tampa woman who had to be evacuated from a Lebanon vacation, gave politicians an account of the arduous conditions civilians faced.

"There's a lot of suffering," Bedier said. The local elected officials "were receptive. It was helpful to have an evacuee speak to them." (MORE)

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CAIR-LA: CA RALLY AGAINST ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS IN LEBANON, PALESTINE - TOP

(ANAHEIM, CA, 7/27/06) - On Saturday, July 29, the Southern California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) and the Arab American Council (AAC) will hold a rally to heighten awareness of Israeli attacks on civilians in Lebanon and Palestine, to call for the immediate delivery of relief aid to the victims and to find a just resolution to the conflict in the Middle East.

WHAT: Southern California Rally Against Terror Attacks on Lebanon and Palestine
WHEN: Saturday, July 29, 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: 512 S. Brookhurst Street, Anaheim, CA (Between Broadway and Orange Streets.)

CONTACT: Munira Syeda, Communications Coordinator at CAIR-LA, 714-776-1847 or 714- 851-4851; Email: socal@cair.com

Sponsoring groups include: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA), the Arab American Council (AAC), Al-Awda-LA, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC-LA), Americans for Just Peace in the Middle East, American Friends for Palestine, ANSWER Coalition, Arab American Democratic Club of OC, Arab American Institute (AAI So-Cal), Arab American Broadcasting Company, Arab American Caucus of the CA Democratic Party, Arab American Republican Club of OC, Azteca/Mexica, Birzeit Society, Bethlehem Association, Free Palestine Alliance (FPA), Friends of Sabeel, Islamic Shura Council of So. Calif., L.A. Latino Muslim Assoc. (LALMA), La Voz, Los Amigos, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC-Santa Ana), MADABA, Muslim American Society (MAS-LA/OC), Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), Muslim Student Assoc. - MSA West, National Council of Arab Americans (NCA) LA/OC, Network of Arab American Professionals, Palestinian American Congress, PAS, Progressive Christians Uniting (PCU), Project Islamic HOPE, Syrian Arab American Assoc., Union of Palestinian American Women, Women in Black

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TEXAS REP TO HOST LEBANON RELIEF EVENT IN HOUSTON - TOP

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) and various community groups will host an event to raise funds to provide the people of Lebanon with food and medical supplies. The money raised will be used to purchase large quantities of food and medical supplies, which will be transported to Beirut under the supervision of the United Nations.

All contributions are tax deductible.

WHEN: Sunday, July 30, 4 p.m.
WHERE: The Arab American Cultural Center, 10555 Stancliff Road, Houston, Texas

CONTACT: To RSVP or make a contribution, contact: Sahar Wali, 713-725-7013; Brigitte Zaback, 832-351-3366.

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NJ NATIVE WOUNDED BY ISRAELI MISSILE IN LEBANON - TOP
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/28/world/middleeast/28refugees.html

PHOTO: Ali Elreda, 16, a native of Bergen County, N.J., rested in a Tyre hospital Thursday after being sprayed by shrapnel in a missile attack in Yaroun. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

OKEMOS FAMILY SAFELY ESCAPES LEBANON - TOP
Christine Rook, Lansing State Journal, 7/28/06
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060728/NEWS01/607280352/1001/news

An Okemos family of five is safe in U.S. military custody after being trapped in southern Lebanon amid Israeli air strikes.

Dani and Christina Aibout and their three young children have made it at least as far as Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea this week after a 10-hour ship ride from the Lebanon capital of Beirut, Christina's sister, Barbara Triplett of Lansing, said this morning. . .

Triplett […] called U.S. officials to ask whether they could do anything to guide the family to Beirut, maybe send in troops. She said she was told that civilians in southern Lebanon are on their own. Triplett called the office of U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton.

Rogers' staff told the Aibouts to call the U.S. Embassy. Unless they did that, the embassy staff would have no idea that the family needed help or was stuck in the war zone. (MORE)

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YOU'RE ALL TARGETS, ISRAEL TELLS LEBANESE IN SOUTH - TOP
Harry de Quetteville in Jerusalem, Daily Telegraph, 7/28/06
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/07/28/wmid28.xml

Everyone remaining in southern Lebanon will be regarded as a terrorist, Israel's justice minister said yesterday as the military prepared to employ "huge firepower" from the air in its campaign to crush Hizbollah.

Haim Ramon issued the warning as the Israeli government decided against expanding ground operations after the death of nine soldiers in fighting on Wednesday.

"What we should do in southern Lebanon is employ huge firepower before a ground force goes in," Mr Ramon said at a security cabinet meeting headed by Ehud Olmert, the prime minister. "Everyone in southern Lebanon is a terrorist and is connected to Hizbollah. Our great advantage vis-a-vis Hizbollah is our firepower, not in face-to-face combat."

Mr Olmert promised that the army would "continue toward the established goals".

Mr Ramon's comments suggested that civilian casualties in Lebanon, which stand at about 600 after 16 days of bombardment, could rise yet higher.

The government's unrelenting line has the backing of the Israeli media, which are demanding a harsh response to an ambush in the Hizbollah stronghold of Bint Jbeil, in which eight soldiers died.

The country's biggest-selling paper, Yedioth Ahronoth, said the army had raised the threshold of response to Katyusha rockets.

"In other words: a village from which rockets are fired at Israel will simply be destroyed by fire," it said.

"This decision should have been made and executed after the first Katyusha. But better late than never." (MORE)

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UN AID CHIEF SAYS ISRAEL HAS 'CREATED A GENERATION OF HATRED' - TOP
Hilary Leila Krieger and Tovah Lazaroff, Jerusalem Post, 7/27/06
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1153292006828&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

United Nations humanitarian chief Jan Egeland accused Israel on Wednesday of committing "catastrophic mistakes" in its attack on Hizbullah, which have caused civilian casualties and alienated the Lebanese public.

"It will create a generation of hatred," he said in an interview held with The Jerusalem Post after he had concluded tours of northern Israel, Gaza and Lebanon. (MORE)

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EDITORIAL CARTOON: THERE'S NOTHING LEFT TO BOMB - TOP
Miami Herald, 7/28/06
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/editorial/cartoons/13407016.htm

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MARINES RELUCTANT TO ACCEPT 'HADJI GIRL' SONG PROCEEDS FOR MWR - TOP
Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes, 7/28/06
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=38946

Music producers want to give a large part of the proceeds from sales of a controversial song to the Marines, but a Marine Corps spokesman said the Corps may not be able to take the money.

Alan Grossman, of Hit Music Inc., said the song "Hadji Girl" can be downloaded for $1.99 at: www.hadjigirlsong.com.

Of the proceeds, 99 cents per every purchase is earmarked to support Morale, Welfare and Recreation facilities for U.S. troops overseas.

The song outraged a Muslim-American advocacy group after a video posted on the Internet showed Marine Cpl. Josh Belile singing about falling in love with an Iraqi girl, but then being forced to kill her family after they attack him. In one line, Belile sings about using the girl's sister as a human shield.

The Marine Corps called the song insensitive and launched a preliminary inquiry but decided not to take disciplinary action against Belile.

Producers approached Belile about recording a professional version of the song, but they ended up using a band called the Young Americans after Belile was ordered not to participate, Grossman said.

While a good chunk of song sales are intended for U.S. troops, the Marine Corps may not be able to accept the money because regulations prohibit "any donation that may bring discredit on the service," said Bryan Driver, a Personal and Family Readiness Division spokesman.

The Marines have told the song's producers that they need to submit a formal application letter before the Marine Corps can decide whether to accept the money, and the Marines have also suggested the producers look at giving the money to charities that support Marines, Driver said.

No matter what the Marine Corps decides, Grossman vowed to somehow get the money to Marines.

"I've never heard of anybody who doesn't want money. It's not like we did anything bad," Grossman said.

Grossman also called the song a tribute to boot camp, saying the training paid off for the fictional Marine in the song.

"Because he was attacked and he killed everyone who tried to attack him instead of him getting killed," Grossman said.

Belile said he intended the song to be humorous, not offensive.

"I was playing my guitar outside one day in Iraq and we had just got finished watching the movie 'Team America: World Police' created by Matt Parker and Trey Stone, and the catch phrase was stuck in my head, and I thought it would be funny to write a song with the phrase, 'dirka dirka Mohammed Jihad,'" Belile said.

Belile said he gave producers permission to make a professional version of the song to support U.S. troops.

"There's a large number of people who like it and enjoy it because it's a good song, and I'm hoping that those people will decide to purchase this song to support the troops," he said.

But Ibrahim Hooper, of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said he expects the Marine Corps to reject the money because it has said the song is inappropriate.

"Acceptance of the money would indicate approval of the source," Hooper said.

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U.S. SHOULD CLOSE SECRET DETENTION CENTERS, UN PANEL SAYS - TOP
Warren Giles, Bloomberg, 7/28/06
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=amaflPYED2sU&refer=home

The United Nations called on the U.S. to shut secret detention facilities and faulted the Bush administration for human rights abuses including failing to allow the Red Cross access to prisoners held in the war on terrorism.

The U.S. ``should immediately abolish all secret detention and secret detention facilities'' as well as ``grant prompt access'' by the International Committee of the Red Cross to prisoners, says the 12-page report, published today. The U.S. must also stop transferring prisoners to countries where there is a risk they will be tortured and ``acknowledge the applicability'' of international law for individuals. (MORE)

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MUSLIM SCOUTS; GULF STREAM COUNCIL LAUNCHES ITS FIRST ISLAMIC TROOP - TOP
Lisa Bolivar, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 7/28/06
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-bc28troopjul28,0,7633613.story?coll=sfl-news-palmcomm

Hassene Chaabane has been a Boy Scout all his life, so he jumped at the recent opportunity to introduce scouting to a new group of youths.

Chaabane, 31, who attends religious services at the Islamic Center of Boca Raton, is spearheading the formation of Cub Scout and Boy Scout Troop 394, the first Muslim troop in the Gulf Stream Council, which covers Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Hendry counties.

"I can't imagine the life of a boy without Boy Scouts," Chaabane said.

Chaabane, a native of Tunisia, drives from his home in Hallandale Beach to attend the Boca Raton mosque and help form the troop. Participating in scouting in his homeland helped him grow into the man he is today, he said.

"It taught me self-confidence, values, you name it," he said. "At an early age boys have a lot of energy, and if you don't direct the energy in the right direction, they will go and do bad stuff. ... That's why you see kids on the street doing bad things. Some do drugs, some go toward sex, so this is an opportunity for kids to learn about life."

Members of the mosque approached Jennifer Thomason, district executive of the Gulf Stream Council, about starting a new troop.

"We are very excited about it, because Boy Scouts are for no specific faith, and we look to any community organization of faith or not of faith to take our standards," Thomason said, adding that there are several new troops forming in Boca Raton, two at synagogues.

She is helping the elders at the mosque train to become troop leaders for the more than 40 children already signed up, while learning about the differences between the Islamic way of raising children and traditional American ways. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2006 17:42:44 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Rally for Lebanon and Palestine Aug. 12 in DC

HTML Attachment [ Scan and Save to Computer | Save to Yahoo! Briefcase ]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

* CAIR Alert: Rally for Lebanon, Palestine Aug. 12 in DC
* CAIR-KY: Muslims to Collect Aid for Lebanon, Palestine

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CAIR ACTION ALERT #496 - TOP

JOIN THE RALLY FOR LEBANON AND PALESTINE AUG. 12 IN DC

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/28/06) - CAIR today called on American Muslims and other people of conscience to join the thousands of people expected to take part in the August 12th National Emergency March on Washington to protest Israeli attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Lebanon and Gaza.

Hundreds of organizations, including CAIR, have endorsed the August 12 rally, which was initiated by the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism), the National Council of Arab Americans (NCA) and the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation. Other rallies will take place in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle for those who cannot travel to Washington, D.C. A similar ANSWER Coalition rally in 2002 drew 100,000 protesters in support of Palestinian rights.

WHAT: National Emergency March on Washington
WHEN: Saturday, August 12, Noon
WHERE: Lafayette Park in front of the White House

SEE: August 12th National March on Washington
SEE: Protesters to Decry Israeli Actions (Washington Times)

"A big turnout at the rally will encourage the silent majority in our society to stand up and voice their disapproval of American's short-sighted policy in the Middle East," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad.

IMMEDIATE ACTIONS REQUESTED:

1. Plan to ATTEND THE RALLY.

2. ENDORSE the rally.

3. Print out and DISTRIBUTE THE FLYER.

4. VOLUNTEER
at the rally.

5. HELP OTHERS travel to the rally.

6. CONTACT your elected representatives to call for a cease-fire.

7. HELP the victims.

8. ENGAGE the media. (Write letters to the editor and call radio talk shows.)

- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -

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CAIR-KY: KENTUCKY MUSLIMS TO COLLECT AID FOR LEBANON, PALESTINE - TOP

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/28/06) - On Sunday, July 30, the Kentucky chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-KY), in cooperation with Life for Relief and Development (LIFE), will hold a collection drive for relief aid to be delivered to those suffering under Israeli attacks in Lebanon and Palestine.

WHO: CAIR-KY and Life for Relief and Development (LIFE)
WHAT: Collection of Relief Aid for Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories
WHEN: Sunday, July 30, from 2-6 p.m.
WHERE: Masjid Bilal (the new site), 1545 Russell Cave Road, Lexington, KY
CONTACT: (859) 296-0206

Items needed:

* Flour (5lb bags or less)
* Sugar (5lb bags or less)
* Rice (5lb bags or less)
* Cooking oil (2 liters or less)
* Powdered milk (5lb bags or less)
* Lentils (5lb bags or less)
* Diapers (any size of type)
* Water purification tablets (no limit)
* Boxes should be 24"x18"x18" or smaller.

Supplies may be delivered at any time to:

Islamic Center of Lexington
649 S. Limestone, Lexington KY
Lexington, KY 40508
Tel: (859) 255-0335

The aid drive is part of a nationwide CAIR effort calling on Americans of all faiths to collect humanitarian relief supplies for delivery to Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories. CAIR is urging that the collection of relief aid be carried out following regular congregational prayers in American mosques, churches, synagogues, and other houses of worship.

Life for Relief and Development (LIFE), a 501(c)(3) organization that is registered with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has agreed to receive the humanitarian supplies and deliver them those in need.

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the American Muslim community. Subscribers to the list receive news releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on issues of importance to our society.

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Sat, 29 Jul 2006 00:14:58 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: CAIR Condemns Attack on Seattle Jewish Center

HTML Attachment [ Scan and Save to Computer | Save to Yahoo! Briefcase ]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
CAIR-Seattle President Arsalan Bukhari, 206-384-1565; Rami Al-Kabra, 206-349-5995

CAIR CONDEMNS ATTACK ON SEATTLE JEWISH CENTER
Group says Mideast conflict must not be 'transplanted' to America

(WASHINGTON, DC, 7/28/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today condemned an attack on a Jewish community center in Seattle, Wash., that left one person dead and several more injured. (A statement signed by representatives the Seattle Muslim community, including CAIR-Seattle, is attached below.)

A lone gunman who reportedly said, "I'm a Muslim American; I'm angry at Israel," entered the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and began shooting. The alleged gunman was later arrested.

In a statement, the Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group said:

"We condemn this senseless attack on a religious institution and offer sincere condolences to the loved ones of those killed or injured. The American Muslim and Jewish communities must do whatever is within their power to prevent the current conflict in the Middle East from being transplanted to this country. We also urge local, state and national law enforcement authorities to step up security measures at synagogues, mosques and other religious institutions of both faiths."

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: CAIR-Seattle President Arsalan Bukhari, 206-384-1565; Rami Al-Kabra, 206-349-5995; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

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STATEMENT BY SEATTLE MUSLIM COMMUNITY - TOP

The Muslim community of Greater Seattle area watched in horror as news broke of a shooting at the Jewish Federation building. While many of the details of this shooting remain to be determined, what is clear is that a senseless and ruthless act of violence has taken place and resulted in the loss of at least one life.

We categorically condemn this and any similar acts of violence. We pray for the safety and health of those injured and offer our heartfelt condolences to the family of the victims of this attack. We also hope that the perpetrator of this crime is brought to justice.

There is no room for such acts of violence in our city and community. When one of us is attacked, none of us are safe. We refuse to see the violence in the Middle East spill over to our cities and neighborhoods.

We reject and categorically condemn any attacks against the Jewish community and stand in solidarity with the Jewish Federation in this tragedy.

Statement issued by:

Council on American-Islamic Relations, Seattle
Contact: Rami Al Kabra, 206-349-5995, roalka00@yahoo.com

Ithna-Ashari Muslim Association of the Northwest
Contact: Jawad Khaki, iman@iman-wa.org

Muslim Association of Puget Sound
Contact: Mahmood Khadeer, mhkhadee@hotmail.com

Islamic Educational Center of Seattle
Contact: Hamid Afsari, ershad@ershad.org

American Muslims of Puget Sound
Contact: Jeff Siddiqui, jeffsiddiqui@msn.com

Arab American Community Coalition
Contact: Ibrahim Al-Husseini, info@aacc.org

Islamic Center of Tri-Cities
Contact: Dr. Mahmoud Al-Hawamdeh, nullah@gmail.com

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 09:42:41 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: CAIR Demands End to Israeli 'Terror' After 57 Civilians Killed

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAIR DEMANDS END TO ISRAELI 'TERROR' AFTER 57 CIVILIANS KILLED
Islamic civil rights group seeks unconditional cease-fire, humanitarian aid

(WASHINGTON, DC, 7/30/06) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today said the Bush administration and the international community must act to stop Israel's campaign of "terror" in Southern Lebanon.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued that call after an Israeli air strike killed at least 57 civilians in the town of Qana, the site of a similar massacre of civilians by Israel a decade ago. (In 1996, an Israeli air strike on a United Nations compound in Qana killed more than 100 civilians who had sought shelter there.) Lebanese officials said the majority of the dead in today's attack were children. Hundreds of Lebanese civilians have been killed in previous Israeli attacks.

SEE: Israeli Airstrike Kills Dozens of Lebanese Civilians (AP)

CAIR said the charge of state terrorism was based on statements by Israeli officials that they intend to make the civilian population of Lebanon suffer in order to put pressure on Hezbollah. Israel's chief of staff threatened to "turn back the clock in Lebanon by 20 years."

Israeli Justice Minister Haim Ramon declared last week that, "Everyone in southern Lebanon is a terrorist and is connected to Hizbollah." Israel has in the past reserved the right to kill anyone it considers a "terrorist" or terrorist supporter.

Israel's most popular newspaper also supported acting without military restraint in Lebanon. It said, "In other words: a village from which rockets are fired at Israel will simply be destroyed by fire."

SEE: You're All Targets, Israel Tells Lebanese In South (Daily Telegraph)

Along with the indiscriminate killing of civilians and the systematic destruction of the civilian infrastructure in Lebanon, Israel has driven hundreds of thousands of people from their homes in Southern Lebanon.

"Whenever civilians are attacked to achieve a political goal, the charge of terrorism must be applied, whether the terrorist is an individual, a group or a state," said CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "Our government must end it support for Israel's campaign of terror in Lebanon and join an international effort to protect and bring humanitarian aid to the civilian population of that devastated nation."

He said support for Israeli terror is causing irreparable damage to America's credibility and interests worldwide.

Hooper also said President Bush should demand an immediate and unconditional cease-fire, end American arms shipments to Israel and actively support a comprehensive and just resolution to the Middle East conflict.

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 13:52:49 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Pro-Israeli Driver Tries to Run Down Arab-American Protester / Quote: 'I'm Willing to Kill as Many People as it Requires'

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/30/06

* Verse: A Greeting of Peace
* Quote: 'I'm Willing to Kill as Many People as it Requires'
            - 34 Youths Among 56 Dead in Israeli Strike (AP)
* MI: Pro-Israeli Driver Tries to Run Down Arab-American Protester
            - CAIR-Seattle: Local Muslims Condemn 'Heinous Act'
* CAIR Rep Supports Mideast Cease-Fire on CNN's 'Paula Zahn Now'
* CAIR-LA: O.C. Rally Calls for Halt in Lebanon (Los Angeles Times)
            - CAIR-LA: No Stability Until Palestinian Issue Solved
* CAIR-KY: Relief Supplies to be Collected for Lebanon
            - NY: CAIR Asks for Help for People of Lebanon (SI Advance)
* AIPAC's Hold: Congress Intimidated by Pro-Israel Lobby (Nation)
            - Israel is Powerful, But Not Invincible (New York Times)
            - NIH Director Joins Call for Mideast Cease-Fire (Wash Post)
            - Israel's Secret War: Humanitarian Disaster Unfolding Gaza
* KY: Suit Says Marriott Rejected Muslims (Courier-Journal)
            - Tom's Courts Muslims with "Halal" Toothpaste (Boston Globe)
            - GA: Bank Invests Under Islamic Law (Atlanta Journal)
* CAIR: Web Brings Iraq War Home (TechWeb)

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VERSE OF THE DAY: A GREETING OF PEACE - TOP

"When you are offered a greeting (of peace), answer with an even better greeting."

The Holy Quran, 4:86

To obtain or sponsor a FREE Quran, go to: www.explorethequran.org

-----

QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'I'M WILLING TO KILL AS MANY PEOPLE AS IT REQUIRES' - TOP
CNN, 7/28/06
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0607/28/pzn.01.html

Jed Babbin, Former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense: "I'm willing to kill as many people as it requires to take out Hezbollah. That's the fact."

SEE ALSO:

34 YOUTHS AMONG 56 DEAD IN ISRAELI STRIKE - TOP
Associated Press, 7/30/06
http://www.auburnpub.com/articles/2006/07/30/ap/headlines/d8j6cd7o0.txt

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MI: PRO-ISRAELI DRIVER TRIES TO RUN OVER ARAB PROTESTER - TOP
Aatif Ali Bokhari, Arab American News, 7/29/06
http://www.arabamericannews.com/newsarticle.php?articleid=5946

DETROIT - A pro-Israeli rally at a Southfield synagogue on Wednesday, July 19, 2006 was marred by dozens of attendees who made racist and hateful remarks to Lebanese counter-demonstrators, one of whom was nearly run over.

Susan Bazzi of Dearborn Heights had been standing on the side of the road across the street from Congregation Shaarey Zedek, holding two posters showing children killed by the Israeli bombing. . .

Bazzi, who said she grew numb to the repeated threats and intimidation as the night went on, noted, "There were a number of people who came up to us and said a number of threatening things. They were calling me an 'A-rab', a 'killer', a 'fanatic'.

"It went on throughout the evening and it just got worse when everyone left. I was very glad that the police were there."

But little did Bazzi know that even the police presence couldn't stop a crazed pro-Israeli attendee from trying to run her over with his car.

"I was across the street standing on the corner of an entrance to the parking area." Bazzi said.

"There was a car pulling out that was supposed to turn left and instead he turned into me. He made a very wide turn, literally right into me. I jumped back. He was going to hit me for sure if I didn't," she recalled.

Bazzi said that she hadn't been paying attention to the driver, but when he came at her full throttle, she saw him out of the corner of her eye. "I didn't think, I just jumped out of the way," she said.

According to Bazzi, the police immediately gave chase. The driver tried to get away but the cops sprinted after him, banged on his windows and made him stop after only traveling 30 feet. . .

"The Arab American News" spoke to another protestor on the scene who said he didn't want his name mentioned for fear of jeopardizing his job. However, his account of what happened matched up with Bazzi's. . .

Mysteriously, despite her being told by the police at the scene that a police report would be filed and that she would be contacted, Bazzi never heard back from Southfield police. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-SEATTLE: LOCAL MUSLIMS CONDEMN "HEINOUS ACT" - TOP
By Janet I. Tu and Jonathan Martin, Seattle Times staff reporters
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003160600_muslim29m.html

As news spread that the gunman at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle said he was a Muslim angry at Israel, local Muslims condemned the violence. . .

Rami Al-Kabra, president of the Seattle Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said the group condemns "this heinous act in the strongest possible terms."

There are fringe elements in every community, he said, noting that mosques in some areas of the country had pigs' heads rolled inside and some were shot at. "Just as strongly as we condemn these acts against Muslims, we condemn this act against the Jewish Federation, and we pray for the safety and health of the victims."

Several local Muslim groups, including CAIR, issued a statement saying: "There is no room for such acts of violence in our city and community. When one of us is attacked, none of us are safe. We refuse to see the violence in the Middle East spill over to our cities and neighborhoods." (MORE)

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CAIR REP SUPPORTS MIDEAST CEASE-FIRE ON CNN - TOP
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0607/28/pzn.01.html

PAULA ZAHN NOW 7/28/06

HOST: Paula Zahn
GUESTS: Ibrahim Hooper, Jed Babbin

Now, regardless of what Israelis think, there is still of course an awful lot of international pressure for an immediate cease-fire, but would it end up doing any good? We're going to debate that right now with Jed Babbin, a former deputy undersecretary of defense under the first President Bush. He says no to a cease-fire, that Israel needs to take out Hezbollah now.

On the other side, Ibrahim Hooper, of the Council on American- Islamic Relations, who says Israel is committing genocide, and it needs to stop now.

Glad to have both of you with us.

So, Jed, I know you think a cease-fire, an immediate one would be a huge mistake. But you got over 400 civilians killed, close to 750,000 people homeless, and the infrastructure in Beirut all but destroyed. How long would you allow this conflict to go on?

JED BABBIN, FORMER DEPUTY UNDERSECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Oh, I would not just allow it to continue for a while, Paula. It needs to be pressed harder. The Israeli people are a lot smarter than their government is.

You have to understand that the Lebanese government right now, and the Lebanese people are enslaved by a sort of Stockholm Syndrome. They were terrorized by the Syrians for years. They're now held in thrall to Hezbollah. And until we can shake them up enough, or the Israelis can, to get the Hezbollah people out of Lebanon, and there shouldn't be any thought of a cease-fire before Hezbollah quits firing rockets and releases the hostages. It's just bizarre, to be even talking about it before anything like that even happens.

ZAHN: I know, Ibrahim, you want an immediate cease-fire.

IBRAHIM HOOPER, COUNCIL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS: It's unbelievable.

ZAHN: But there are a lot of people who believe that you can't ever successfully disarm Hezbollah, and if you created a cease-fire now, you're asking for the same thing to happen again in a couple of years.

HOOPER: Exactly. You might ask your other guest the question, just how many people is he willing to kill to achieve this?

ZAHN: But that wasn't -- Ibrahim, that wasn't the question I asked you. What about the point if you call in an immediate cease- fire right now...

HOOPER: He can laugh about civilian deaths if he likes...

ZAHN: ... that what you're allowing Hezbollah to do is continue to be armed, and do the same thing all over again a couple of years down the road.

HOOPER: At the end of the day, all Hezbollah has to do is survive. And unless you are -- Israel is willing to kill every man, woman and child in Lebanon...

BABBIN: That is...

HOOPER: ... Hezbollah will survive. Israel announced today that it will treat any human being in southern Lebanon as a terrorist and will be dealt with accordingly. They also announced that any village near the site of a rocket launch will be destroyed.

If any other country on Earth did that, it would be called genocide.

BABBIN: That is so bizarre, for people to be talking -- to apologize, as this other guest is doing, to apologize for the terrorists who have been raining death...

HOOPER: Who is apologizing for Hezbollah?

BABBIN: You are apologizing for them. I am simply saying...

HOOPER: How many Lebanese would you kill...

ZAHN: Ibrahim, let Jed finish -- let Jed finish his thought here. Jed, carry on.

BABBIN: Well, basically what I'm trying to point out here is that the Lebanese government has a responsibility. No nation that pretends to have a legitimate government can use another military force or to allow another military force to attack its neighbor without suffering the consequences. The Israelis have been trying to tell those people to get out of those villages, to get away for over 10 days. Those people who are still there are at risk, absolutely.

HOOPER: How many dead Lebanese are you willing to see?

BABBIN: It is not the Israelis' fault -- I'm willing to kill as many people as it requires to take out Hezbollah. That's the fact.

HOOPER: And what does that mean? What does that mean?

ZAHN: Ibrahim, one of the things it means, and Ibrahim, you have got a quick closing thought. As Jed says, you have got to press this campaign further, and I read he even sees that eventually that could mean a strike on Syria.

Ibrahim, you...

BABBIN: Absolutely.

ZAHN: ... get the closing thought here. About 30 seconds

HOOPER: In other words, the other guest is saying basically bring on the apocalypse, and the last man standing wins.

BABBIN: That's what Mr. Ahmadinejad wants. That's his career goal. I don't think we want that.

ZAHN: All right, gentlemen, we've got to leave it there. Love to have the two of you back. I think we're going to be talking about this, given what the campaign is doing now, for weeks to come. Jed Babbin, Ibrahim Hooper, thank you both.

-----

CAIR-LA: O.C. RALLY CALLS FOR HALT IN LEBANON - TOP
Hundreds of protesters line an Anaheim street to demand a cease-fire.
Christopher Goffard and Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 7/30/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-rally30jul30,1,4186606.story

Rallying at an Anaheim shopping plaza Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators waving Lebanese and Palestinian flags condemned Israel's invasion of south Lebanon as an act of terrorism and demanded an immediate cease-fire.

Some protesters carried mock coffins made of cardboard and black cloth to symbolize the deaths resulting from Israel's military actions in Gaza and Lebanon. Others carried American flags and signs saying, "Israel out of Lebanon" and "Stop the U.S.-Israeli war on Palestine and Lebanon."

The protesters also decried what they described as a news media bias in favor of Israel. Their view countered a common criticism at pro-Israel demonstrations that the U.S. media is anti-Israel.

"I have family members who are facing death from Israeli fighter jets now," said Hussam Ayloush, 36, executive director of the Southern California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which helped organize the rally.

"It is hard for me to tell the Palestinian people or the Lebanese people not to resist the Israeli occupation," he said. "Israel's action is pushing people to the extreme." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-LA: MOST MUSLIMS WANT PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE, SPEAKER SAYS - TOP
BILL SHERMAN, Tulsa World, 7/29/06
http://www.tulsaworld.com/EmailStoryDisplay.asp?ID=060729_Re_A10_MostM39014

The questions at Thursday night's Muslim lecture series reflected American anxiety about the war on terror and the conflict on the Israel-Lebanon border.

And the answers were designed to ease that anxiety.

Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Southern California, spoke at the last of four Know Your Muslim Neighbor Lecture Series at Peace Academy, Tulsa's Muslim school.

"The overwhelming majority of Muslims want to peacefully co-exist with Christians and Jews," Ayloush said.

He said that if 1 percent of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims are bad people, "that's a lot of people."

"Extremism, fanaticism is a human phenomenon, not an Islamic or a Christian one," he said.

"Look at the Crusades, slavery, the Inquisition . . . the Holocaust. Would it be fair to blame Christianity for the Holocaust?

"It's part of the cycle of violence of mankind. Is it fair to blame Islam, which has a long history of tolerance? Don't judge a religion by the misguided acts of some of its members." . . .

Most important is what Muslims see as America's one-sided, unconditional support for Israel, a nation they say is holding occupied territory and denying the Palestinians a homeland.

Muslims also view America's foreign policy as hypocritical, talking about human values and due process while supporting some of the most oppressive regimes on the globe -- Tunisia, Egypt and others.

Muslims believe the American government has a double standard, he said, reacting one way to the nuclear threat in North Korea and another to the nuclear threat in Iran.

Muslims also have the perception that American foreign policy is driven by self-interest, influenced by major corporations, defense contractors and the oil industry, he said.

Hezbollah and Hamas are not the problem in the Middle East; they are byproducts of a political problem.

"There won't be stability in the Middle East until the Palestinian issue is settled," he said. "There is a people waiting to be free, waiting for a just peace. We have to resolve it by having a viable Palestinian state."

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CAIR-KY: RELIEF SUPPLIES TO BE COLLECTED FOR LEBANON - TOP
Lexington Herald-Leader, 7/30/06
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/15156122.htm

The Kentucky chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations will collect supplies for those living in war-torn Lebanon. The donations will be distributed in the Middle East by Life for Relief and Development. The Kentucky Muslim community has contacted more than 20 area churches and other groups to appeal for donations, which will be accepted 2-6 p.m. today at 1545 Russell Cave Road in Lexington. For more information, call 859-296-0206.

SEE ALSO:

CAIR ASKS FOR HELP FOR PEOPLE OF LEBANON - TOP
Staten Island Advance, 7/29/06
http://www.silive.com/living/advance/index.ssf?/base/living/1154178964267380.xml&coll=1

The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) has called on Americans of all faiths to collect humanitarian relief supplies for delivery to Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. CAIR is urging that supplies be collected following worship and prayer services this weekend.

Life for Relief and Development, (L.I.F.E.), a 501(c)(3) organization registered with the United States Agency for International Development, has agreed to receive the supplies and deliver them to those in need. . .

He recommended that those wishing to send relief supplies fill a box with just one of the following items: Diapers, water purification tablets, flour, rice, sugar, cooking oil, powdered milk and lentils.

By placing only one type of item in the box, L.I.F.E. can speed delivery by saving time spent sorting supplies in its warehouse.

The maximum weight of each box should not exceed 40 pounds.

Boxes may be mailed to: LIFE for Relief & Development, Lebanon/Palestine Relief Effort, 17300 W. 10 Mile Road, Southfield, MI 48075.

For information, visit CAIR's Web site at www.cair-net.org. (MORE)

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AIPAC'S HOLD - TOP
ARI MELBER, The Nation, 7/29/06
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060814/aipacs_hold

In early March, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) held its forty-seventh annual conference in Washington. AIPAC's executive director spent twenty-seven minutes reading the "roll call" of dignitaries present at the gala dinner, which included a majority of the Senate and a quarter of the House, along with dozens of Administration officials.

As this event illustrates, it's impossible to talk about Congress's relationship to Israel without highlighting AIPAC, the American Jewish community's most important voice on the Hill. The Congressional reaction to Hezbollah's attack on Israel and Israel's retaliatory bombing of Lebanon provide the latest example of why.

On July 18, the Senate unanimously approved a non-binding resolution "condemning Hamas and Hezbollah and their state sponsors and supporting Israel's exercise of its right to self-defense." After House Majority Leader John Boehner removed language from the bill urging "all sides to protect innocent civilian life and infrastructure," the House version passed by a landslide, 410-8.

AIPAC not only lobbied for the resolution; it had written it. "They [Congress] were given a resolution by AIPAC," said former Carter Administration National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, who addressed the House Democratic Caucus on July 19. "They didn't prepare one."

AIPAC is the leading player in what is sometimes referred to as "The Israel Lobby"--a coalition that includes major Jewish groups, neoconservative intellectuals and Christian Zionists.

With its impressive contacts among Hill staffers, influential grassroots supporters and deep connections to wealthy donors, AIPAC is the lobby's key emissary to Congress. But in many ways, AIPAC has become greater than just another lobby; its work has made unconditional support for Israel an accepted cost of doing business inside the halls of Congress. (MORE)

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ISRAEL IS POWERFUL, YES. BUT NOT SO INVINCIBLE - TOP
JOHN KIFNER, New York Times, 7/30/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/weekinreview/30kifner.html

No exit? As the bloodbath in Lebanon spilled past its second week - with at least 400 Lebanese dead and many more presumed buried in rubble; some 800,000 refugees, nearly a quarter of the population, on the run; and the fragile nation's infrastructure shattered - there was no easy way out for either Israel or Hezbollah, the combatants locked in what each saw as a deadly existential struggle.

The very clear winner, for the moment at least, was Hezbollah and its leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah. (Unless, of course, Israel succeeds in its efforts to assassinate him.) As the only Arab leader seen to have defeated the Israelis - on the basis of their withdrawal in 2000 from an 18-year occupation - he already enjoyed wide respect. Now, with Hezbollah standing firm and inflicting casualties, he has become a folk hero across the Muslim world, apparently uniting Sunnis and Shiites.

The standoff stunned Israel, whose offensive came in response to a Hezbollah cross-border raid that resulted in the death of eight Israeli soldiers and the capture of two others. Central to the embattled nation's sense of survivability is the idea of its invincibility. Its intelligence knows everything, the mythology goes, and no army dare stand against it. In truth, Israel has, in part, been lucky in its enemies, mostly Arab regimes with armies suitable mainly for keeping their own populace in check.

What was clearly conceived two weeks ago as a quick battle using air power and strikes on specific targets with commando raids to degrade Hezbollah's resources, particularly its stores of thousands of rockets, has turned into a crisis. "Israel is far from a decisive victory and its main objectives have not been achieved," wrote the country's most respected military analyst, Zeev Schiff, in the daily Haaretz. (MORE)

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NIH DIRECTOR JOINS CALL FOR MIDEAST CEASE-FIRE - TOP
Christopher Lee, Washington Post, 7/29/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/28/AR2006072801519.html

The head of the National Institutes of Health has joined a nonprofit group's public campaign demanding an "immediate cease-fire" in the Middle East, a stance at odds with Bush administration policy. (MORE)

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ISRAEL'S SECRET WAR: THE HUMANITARIAN DISASTER UNFOLDING IN PALESTINE - TOP
Anne Penketh, Independent, 7/29/06
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article1202850.ece

A 12-year-old boy dead on a stretcher. A mother in shock and disbelief after her son was shot dead for standing on their roof. A phone rings and a voice in broken Arabic orders residents to abandon their home on pain of death.

Those are snapshots of a day in Gaza where Israel is waging a hidden war, as the world looks the other way, focusing on Lebanon.

It is a war of containment and control that has turned the besieged Strip into a prison with no way in or out, and no protection from a fearsome battery of drones, precision missiles, tank shells and artillery rounds.

As of last night, 29 people had been killed in the most concentrated 48 hours of violence since an Israeli soldier was abducted by Palestinian militants just more than a month ago.

The operation is codenamed "Samson's Pillars", a collective punishment of the 1.4 million Gazans, subjecting them to a Lebanese-style offensive that has targeted the civilian infrastructure by destroying water mains, the main power station and bridges.

The similarities with Israel's blitz on Lebanon are striking, raising suspicions that the Gaza offensive has been the testing ground for the military strategy now unfolding on the second front in the north. (MORE)

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KY: SUIT SAYS MARRIOTT REJECTED MUSLIMS - TOP
Headdress a block to hiring, four say
Kay Stewart, The Courier-Journal, 7/29/06
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060729/NEWS01/607290394/1008

Shortly after the Marriott Louisville Downtown opened to great fanfare last year, four women claimed they were denied jobs as housekeepers because each wore a hajib, a traditional Muslim hair covering.

A lawsuit filed this week accuses the hotel's owners of unlawful discrimination for refusing to accommodate the women's religious practices.

SEE ALSO:

TOM'S COURTS MUSLIMS WITH "LAWFUL" TOOTHPASTE - TOP
Boston Globe, 7/28/06
http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2006/07/toms_courts_mus.html

Tom's of Maine, a company that makes personal hygiene products free of additives such as sweeteners and artificial flavoring, plans on targeting the growing market among US Muslims by having its products certified as "halal".

An Arabic term, halal means simply lawful or accepted. Much like kosher products preferred by some Jews, halal foods and products must meet certain requirements. Almost any vegetable or product derived from plants and devoid of additives is halal, as are animals accepted by Muslim tradition -- the pig being the most famous exception -- that are slaughtered by having all their blood drained from the neck after a reference to God, in Arabic, is uttered.

Saar Aswar, a food scientist with the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America, the Chicago group that confers Halal credentials in the US, said Tom's products qualified because the company uses no animal products. His group will conduct a review of Kennebunk, Maine-based Tom's production processes yearly. Tom's is owned by the Colgate-Palmolive Company. (By Keith Reed, Globe staff)

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GA: BANK INVESTS UNDER ISLAMIC LAW - TOP
PERALTE C. PAUL, SHELIA M. POOLE, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/30/06
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/auto/epaper/editions/today/business_44bcbaeab6ce312e1030.html

In many ways, the 2005 initial public offering for Caribou Coffee was like any other.

It contained information about the popular coffee chain's growth strategy, an industry overview and its financials.

But Page 16 of its prospectus may have left some would-be investors scratching their heads:

"Our compliance with Shari'ah principles may make it difficult for us to obtain financing and may limit the products we sell."

Sha what?

Arcapita Inc. in Atlanta, a majority owner of Caribou Coffee, is the U.S. arm of Bahrain-based Arcapita Bank, which makes investments based on Islamic law, known as Shari'ah. Shari'ah prescribes how individuals and businesses should act.

For companies, that means not investing in financial firms that offer credit or charge interest, or companies peddling pornography or alcohol. Even pork is off-limits.

"We've got a pretty good sense of where the boundaries are," said Charlie Ogburn, Arcapita's executive director and global head of corporate investment, in an interview from the company's Midtown offices in the Four Seasons hotel building. "Most media businesses, because of R-rated movies or lyrics or Internet content, anything that involves gaming, casinos, lotteries --- we would avoid that." (MORE)

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CAIR: WEB BRINGS WAR HOME - TOP
CMP TechWeb, 7/28/06
http://www.techweb.com/wire/ebiz/191600165;jsessionid=AC15UTOZSG2U2QSNDLOSKH0CJUNN2JVN

Generations of soldiers have returned home unable to find the words to explain to civilians what they lived through during combat.

As video sharing Web sites like YouTube grow in popularity, troops have begun to give large civilian audiences a soldier's-eye view of what it's like to live through war.

Many of the military members in Iraq have grown up with digital cameras, Internet access and high-tech devices. Several military spokespeople said it has become common for soldiers to take digital cameras, video equipment and laptops to war. Once there, they carry the devices or attach them to their gear and capture sights and sounds that range from gory to mundane.

Though it's not easy to upload large files to the Internet from Iraq, many soldiers are posting still and video images once they return home. The practice is gaining the attention of media, military leaders, civil rights advocates, viewers around the globe.

Recent press reports have stated that the U.S. military is attempting to restrict the content out of fear it could be perceived as anti-Arab, but Lt. Col. Mark Ballesteros, a Department of Defense spokesperson, said the Pentagon is not considering a new code of conduct regarding video posting. Official spokespersons for the Multi-National Corps in Iraq (MNC-I) said they aren't aware of any such orders on the ground either. . .

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has spoken out against videos showing Iraqi bodies and a recent well-publicized video of a soldier in a mess hall singing a song that describes the soldier laughing as a young Iraqi girl is shot.

"We love the First Amendment, and we use it everyday," Ibrahim Hooper, CAIR's director of communications, said in an interview Friday. "The Internet is filled with anti-Muslim content, the vast majority of which we say nothing about. If it's something that deals with an official source, a credible source, we feel it is appropriate to challenge Islamaphobic content that promotes hatred or violence. If somebody is sending a "hi mom" from Baghdad, we have no problem with that. If it's video of war crimes or abuse, we have a problem with that." (MORE)

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CAIR

Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 17:07:55 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: MI Family Flees Israeli Attacks / Human Rights Watch Calls Israeli Bombing a 'War Crime' / Pro-Palestinian GA Rep Faces Opponent with Jewish Backing / CO Mosque Adapting to Diversity

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/31/06

* Hadith: Obey Only What is Good
* IN: Vandalized Mosque Gets Support (Post Trib)
            - CO: Mosque Adapting to Diversity (Rocky Mtn News)
* 1996: Qana Dead Just 'A Bunch of Arabs' (Independent)
* Human Rights Watch Calls Israeli Bombing a 'War Crime'
            - Incitement: USA Today Cartoon Smears Muslims
* Michigan Family Flees Israeli Attacks (AP)
            - MI: Hearts Ache Over Town in Cross Fire (Free Press)
* Pakistani-Americans Urge End of Ties with Israel
* CAIR-KY Calls for Humanitarian Donations (Herald-Leader)
* CAIR-Philly Offers Ten-Part Course on Islam
            - CAIR-San Diego Sponsors Community Safety Workshop
* WA: Jewish Center Shooting Suspect was Baptized (Seattle Pi)
* GA: McKinney Faces Opponent with Jewish Backing
            - GA: Donors Line Up for McKinney Challenger (AJC)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: OBEY ONLY WHAT IS GOOD - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once accepted a pledge of allegiance by saying: "I take your pledge that you will not worship (anyone or) anything but God, will not steal, will not commit infanticide, will not slander others by forging false statements and spreading them, and will not disobey me in anything (that is) good."

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 793

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VANDALIZED REGION ISLAMIC CENTER GETS SUPPORT - TOP
Charles M. Bartholomew, Post-Tribune, 7/31/06
http://www.post-trib.com/cgi-bin/pto-story/news/z1/07-31-06_z1_news_07.html

For the first few days after the July 2 report of vandalism to their place of worship, the 150 families of the Islamic Center of Michigan City felt alone, some even a little frightened.

"I'm not glad someone would come around and just shoot when it's not their property. How would they feel if somebody came around and just shot at their church?" said Nouah Hakim, 10, daughter of center president Abraham Hakim.

But that was before the news spread.

On Sunday, representatives of dozens of area congregations, church, social and civic groups stood shoulder to shoulder with Muslims to show solidarity and support against what J. Allen Johnson, executive director of the Northwest Indiana Council on Race Relations, called "hatred and ignorance."

More than 80 people saw the "KKK" scratched on the sign on Brown Road as they entered the parking lot and squinted at the pair of two-inch bullet holes in the copper dome as they entered the building that has been home to the area's Islamic community for 35 years. The center is located in Pines in Porter County.

Nouah and her two siblings sat quietly as their father opened what was billed as an ecumenical gathering, co-sponsored by the center and the council, with "Peace be with you" in Arabic and English.

Hakim said the FBI has nothing new to report in its investigation, but observed the holes from BBs or pellets in the north and west sides of the building, "one in each pane of glass," make it clear that the almost $9,000 in damage was not just "kids shooting," but a hate crime. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

MOSQUE ADAPTING TO ITS DIVERSITY - TOP
Jean Torkelson, Rocky Mountain News, 7/31/06
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_4882644,00.html

A local landscaper, a Denver-born consultant, and a kid from Kansas - if you hung around Denver's largest mosque at 2071 S. Parker Road, it's likely you'd bump into them all. They reflect Islam's changing profile from foreign-born faith to American presence.

On Sunday, I found myself in the company of the three - Mohammad Noorzai, Malik Taylor and Ammar Amonette - because I had heard big changes were coming to the mosque, whose formal name is the Colorado Muslim Society. It's a major, influential Islamic center where thousands of Colorado's estimated 15,000 Muslims worship, and where the demographics are changing.

Non-Arabs represent slightly more than half the mosque's members. The fastest growing segments are African Americans, whites and Latinos.

"We're a community that's more diverse than any (American) parish," says Amonette. (MORE)

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1996: QANA DEAD 'A BUNCH OF ARABS' - TOP
The Independent, 5/11/1996

Jerusalem (Reuter) - Israeli gunners have said they had no regrets over killing more than 100 civilians sheltering in a United Nations base in southern Lebanon because the dead were "just a bunch of Arabs".

A soldier, identified as Sergeant Y, was quoted by the Jerusalem weekly Kol Ha'ir as saying: "It's a war, in a war these things happen . . . It's just a bunch of Arabs."

The sergeant, in his reference to Arabs, used the Hebrew derogatory term Arabushim, which has no English equivalent.

The soldiers said they were firing at guerrillas near the UN camp at Qana and that it had been a mistake to hit the camp where hundreds of refugees were sheltering. The attack took place during Israel's operation against Hizbollah guerrillas last month.

A UN report this week said it appeared unlikely the slaughter was by accident. Israel, which has given varying versions of what happened, insists it was a mistake. Another soldier from the artillery battery said the commander gathered his troops after the shelling for a talk.

"He told us, 'This is war. For God's sake, the shits are shooting at you. What are you going to do?' He said we were shooting well and to continue this way, and that Arabs, you know, there are millions of them." (MORE)

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HRW: INDISCRIMINATE BOMBING IN LEBANON A WAR CRIME - TOP
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/07/30/lebano13881.htm

Responsibility for the Israeli airstrikes that killed at least 54 civilians sheltering in a home in the Lebanese village of Qana rests squarely with the Israeli military, Human Rights Watch said today. It is the latest product of an indiscriminate bombing campaign that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have waged in Lebanon over the past 18 days, leaving an estimated 750 people dead, the vast majority of them civilians.

"Today's strike on Qana, killing at least 54 civilians, more than half of them children, suggests that the Israeli military is treating southern Lebanon as a free-fire zone," said Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch. "The Israeli military seems to consider anyone left in the area a combatant who is fair game for attack."

This latest, appalling loss of civilian life underscores the need for the U.N. Secretary-General to establish an International Commission of Inquiry to investigate serious violations of international humanitarian law in the context of the current conflict, Roth said. Such consistent failure to distinguish combatants and civilians is a war crime. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

INCITEMENT WATCH: CARTOON SMEARS MUSLIMS AS CHILDREN DIE IN LEBANON - TOP
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/cartoons.htm

Send a POLITE comment to USA Today.
http://feedbackforms.usatoday.com/marketing/feedback/feedback-online.aspx?type=18

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MI: TRAPPED LEBANESE FLEE CITY OF BINT JBAIL - TOP
Kathy Gannon, Associated Press, 7/31/06
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1107AP_Mideast_Fighting_After_The_Siege.html

Hundreds of Lebanese limped north to safety Monday after weeks spent trapped by fighting between Israel and Hezbollah - including the war's bloodiest ground battle. Some had survived on candy and dirty water. Two died on the road out.

Those residents of Bint Jbail who didn't flee went into hiding when Israel started its bombardment July 12. They hunkered down deeper eight days ago when Israeli forces launched their ground assault on the border town, a Hezbollah stronghold with a legendary history of supporting the Shiite guerrillas.

Israeli troops met fierce guerrilla resistance before they withdrew from Bint Jbail on Saturday, leaving behind a swath of destruction.

Buildings were collapsed on each other. The fronts of other buildings were sheared off. Fallen power lines crisscrossed roads. Charred hulks of smashed cars lined the main street. A stone monument to Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah was blasted full of holes.

Rimah Bazzi, an American visiting from Dearborn, Mich., spent the siege with her two daughters, son and mother hiding in the house of a local doctor.

"All the time I thought of death," said Bazzi, in her late 30s. Her husband was home in Dearborn and she was unable to speak to him for weeks. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

'I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO': DETROITERS' HEARTS ACHE OVER TOWN IN CROSS FIRE - TOP
Niraj Warikoo, Free Press, 7/31/06
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006607310326

Its name means "daughter of the mountain," and to hear natives describe it, Bint Jbeil deserves such a mythical name, nestled in a sunlit valley cooled by breezes cascading down slopes, the vendors at the town market hawking olives plucked in nearby groves.

But that was before the conflict.

In the past week, the pastoral village in southern Lebanon has changed into a blackened, bombed-out ghost town, the result of fierce fighting between Hizballah forces and Israeli soldiers. The town, along with the nearby village of Maroun al-Ras, has been the site of some of the most brutal fighting of late, with Israel calling it a Hizballah stronghold.

But to thousands of Muslims in metro Detroit, it's also their homeland.

On Sunday, Israel's air force hit about 50 targets across the country before agreeing to halt for 48 hours air attacks on southern Lebanon and, for the time being, on Bint Jbeil. An estimated 10,000 Michiganders trace their ancestral roots to the town caught in the cross fire between Israel and Hizballah, which both Israel and the U.S. government consider a terrorist group.

Many Muslims who live in Michigan have poured millions of dollars into Bint Jbeil to build homes, businesses, even a community center following the Israeli withdrawal six years ago. Others are desperately worried about trapped relatives that stayed behind. About 1,500 civilians remain in the town, according to members of the Dearborn-based Bint Jebail Cultural Center. As many as 100 of those are U.S. citizens.

"My mom is 80 and really sick, and my dad is totally deaf," said Naim Bazzi, 62, of Dearborn Heights, whose parents live in the village. "I don't know what to do." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

LEBANESE CIVILIANS FLEE DURING RESPITE (AP)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060731/ap_on_re_mi_ea/lebanon_israel

A NIGHT OF DEATH AND TERROR FOR LEBANESE VILLAGERS (NY Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/31/world/middleeast/31scene.html

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PAKISTANI-AMERICANS URGE END TO TIES WITH ISRAEL - TOP

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - 07/30/06 - In view of Israel's recent war crimes, a number of leading Pakistani-American activists - professors, lawyers, doctors, scientists, journalists, business professionals, and human rights activists - have issued a joint statement urging Muslim and Arab states to sever all ties with Israel.

Their joint statement reads:

"We the undersigned Pakistani-Americans call on the UN Security Council to fulfill its legal responsibility for stopping organized Israeli slaughter of men, women and children in Gaza and Lebanon by enforcing an immediate, unconditional, ceasefire.

"Even-handed, single-standard, approach to conflict resolution necessitates UN censure and condemnation of all forms of terrorism including state terrorism, and implementation of all relevant UN Resolutions, not just 1559. Peace presupposes justice, justice end to triple occupations by Israel.

"We ask Egypt, Jordon, Mauritania, Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries to sever or suspend all diplomatic and commercial ties with Israel. We also urge Pakistan and Bangladesh to discontinue all contacts with the apartheid state of Israel. We implore all these countries to respect the wishes of their own peoples.

"We urge the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Arab League (AL) to support Lebanese Government's demand for compensation from Israel for its war crimes, just as, after the first Gulf War, the UN had forced Iraq to pay war damages to Israel, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.

"We denounce political sycophancy of those eight Pakistani-Americans who had recently gone to Israel to provide a cover for Israel's heinous crimes. These are the same people who had honored extremist BJP leader L. K. Advani last year. They stand utterly rejected by the Pakistani-American community."

Signed by (partial list):

Prof. Fawzia Afzal-Khan
Prof. S. M. Ghazanfar
Dr. Bashir A. Syed
Lubna Jahangiri, Esq.
Dr. Ikram Jehangiri
Mohammad Shaiq
Moina Shaiq
Ahmed Hashmi
Maserath Hashmi
Farrukh Sana
Kishwar Farrukh
Kishwar Mahmood
Abdul Sattar Rydhan
Waheed Khalid
Shakeel Syed
Munir Chaudhry
Qazi Sanaullah
Tashie Zaheer
Mohammad Siddique
Raja M. Yaqub

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CAIR-KY: A CALL FOR DONATIONS - TOP
Herald-Leader, 7/31/06
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/local/15161612.htm

In light of recent events in the Middle East, the Kentucky chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is collecting materials to send to war-torn areas of Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.

Members met yesterday to start organizing donated supplies that will be shipped overseas.

The Kentucky Muslim community encourages people to donate cash or supplies such as flour, sugar, rice, lentils or powdered milk, all in bags weighing 5 pounds or less.

The group is also in need of cooking oil, any size or type of diapers, water purification tablets, bottled water and canned food.

The Islamic Center of Lexington, 649 South Limestone, will be accepting donations through Tuesday.

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CAIR-PHILLY OFFERS TEN-PART COURSE ON ISLAM - TOP

(PHILADELPHIA, PA, 7/31/06)- Beginning August 1, the Philadelphia office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Philly) will offer a ten-part course on Islam, called "Understanding Islam & Muslims through History and Jurisprudence," at the Foundation for Islamic Education.

This course will approach Islam from a historical and jurisprudence perspective, covering the foundations of the religion and then building on the economic, political and cultural institutions that arose in Muslim societies. Contemporary issues faced by Islam and Muslims will also be covered. A final unit will be the involvement of the U.S. in the Muslim world and its ramifications.

CAIR-Philly has offered the course through multiple educational and interfaith venues, including Mishkan Shalom, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County, and recently, the Paoli Presbyterian Church. CAIR-Philly Chairman Iftekhar Hussain will lead the course.

WHAT: Course: Understanding Islam & Muslims through History and Jurisprudence
WHEN: August 1-19, 2006, Tuesdays and Thursdays: 6:30-8 p.m., Saturday: 10:30-12:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Foundation for Islamic Education; 1860 Montgomery Ave; Villanova, PA
COST: FREE
REGISTER: CAIR-Philadelphia: cairphilly@cairphilly.org
CONTACT: CAIR-Philly: 215-592-0509, Email: cairphilly@cairphilly.org

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-SAN DIEGO SPONSORS COMMUNITY SAFETY WORKSHOP - TOP

(SAN DIEGO, CA, 7/31/06) - On Saturday, August 5, the San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-San Diego), in cooperation with the San Diego Police Department and the Islamic Center of San Diego, will hold a presentation on "Safety and Crime Prevention." Workshop participants will have the opportunity to pose questions and concerns to representatives of the police department.

WHAT: Presentation on Safety and Crime Prevention
WHEN: August 5, 2006, Saturday, 8:15 - 9:30 p.m.
WHERE: Multipurpose Room, Islamic Center of San Diego, 7050 Eckstrom Avenue, San Diego, CA
CONTACT: Edgar Hopida, CAIR San Diego, 858-278-4547, E-Mail: ehopida@cair.com

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SHOOTING SUSPECT WAS BAPTIZED - TOP
Just part of the enigma he proved himself to friends
Scott Gutierrez, Seattle Pi, 7/29/06
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/279424_convert30ww.html

Those who knew Naveed Haq said Saturday that to them he was an enigma, a puzzle that they wish they could have solved before his deadly rampage in a Seattle Jewish center.

Stunned and saddened by the news, some of Haq's acquaintances recounted many of what they saw as the contradictions of his life.

He held a degree in electrical engineering and was the son of a successful engineer, yet he couldn't keep a regular job. He was smart, creative and skilled as a writer. He recently won an essay contest for a U.S. Institute of Peace scholarship.

Yet Haq was frustrated at his lack of friends and female companionship. He told friends he felt alienated from his own family, in part because his career had disappointed his father and also because he had disavowed Islam last year, converting to Christianity.

Haq had begun studying the Bible, attending weekly men's spiritual group meetings, only to stop coming a few months after his baptism. (MORE)

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MCKINNEY AGAIN FACES OPPONENT WITH JEWISH BACKING - TOP
Monisha Bansal, CNSNews.com, 7/31/06
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200607/POL20060731a.html

Rep. Cynthia McKinney's strong backing for a Palestinian state has led a number of Jewish groups to throw their support behind her opponent, a replay of at least one aspect of the Georgia Democrat's loss during the 2002 primary.

Because neither McKinney (47 percent) nor DeKalb County Commissioner Hank Johnson (44 percent) won the majority of the primary vote on July 18, they will face a runoff election on Aug. 8, with early voting July 31 to Aug. 4.

The Jewish weekly The Forward said Jewish donors could be the deciding factor in this race, noting that the Washington Political Action Committee already committed to giving the maximum of $5,000 and the National Action Committee PAC committed to give at least $1,000.

"I am happy to have the support of many Jewish people," Johnson told Cybercast News Service, but "I do not think the Jewish groups will decide this. I think that would be inaccurate."

"We've received donations from individuals from throughout the state of Georgia, and some from outside of the state of Georgia," he noted. "Most of them were small amounts of less than $250.

"Our war chest does not match with the thousands [McKinney's] been picking up from her wealthy donors in California, in New York, Las Vegas and other places around the United States, not to mention the various PACs," said Johnson.

He added that Middle East politics will not be the deciding factor. "The issue is whether she's been an effective representative for the people of the Fourth District."

However, during McKinney's 2002 primary campaign - which she lost to Democrat Denise Majette - the incumbent congresswoman's opponent also raised large sums from Jewish contributors.

McKinney's father, a state representative in Georgia, blamed her loss on the Jewish community. "Jews have bought everybody," Billy McKinney said at the time.

In 2002, the Washington Post reported that "at least three-quarters of the $234,299 McKinney has raised from individuals this year is from donors with Muslim or Arab American surnames, the great majority of whom live outside her district." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

DONORS LINE UP FOR MCKINNEY CHALLENGER - TOP
James Salzer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 7/31/06
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/dekalb/stories/0731fourthdonors.html

Democrat Roy Barnes and Republican Guy Millner waged a bitter contest for governor in 1998, but they're now on the same team: backing Hank Johnson's bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney.

Barnes --- who won that election --- and Millner are among 40 donors from both political parties who have contributed at least $1,000 each to Johnson since he forced McKinney into a runoff in the July 18 Democratic primary.

The new donors, many from outside the DeKalb County-dominated 4th Congressional District that McKinney has represented for most of the past 14 years, are helping to fuel Johnson's campaign as the Aug. 8 runoff nears. McKinney, meanwhile, has reported no donations of $1,000 since the primary. Federal law says contributions of that amount or larger, if received within 20 days of an election, must be publicly reported by candidates within two days.

Donations of less than $1,000 do not have to be reported until after the election. Johnson's campaign says he has received donations from 600 people since the primary. McKinney's campaign manager said he did not know how many contributions the incumbent had received since the primary.

Before the primary, McKinney received a modest donation total --- though more than Johnson --- including money from at least 16 states and the District of Columbia this year. She raised nearly as much in New York as she has in the 4th District, according to reports filed with the Federal Elections Commission. . .

As in the past, McKinney raised much of her money from out of state, with unions, Muslims --- including A.S. Nakadar, founder of the Muslim Media Network and Faroque Khan, president of the Islamic Center of Long Island --- and liberal activists making up a large part of her donor pool. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Tue, 01 Aug 2006 13:37:41 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Thank Sen. Hagel for Demanding Mideast Cease-Fire

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

PLEASE FORWARD THIS ACTION ALERT TO OTHERS and ask that they sign-up to receive CAIR by going to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

---

CAIR ACTION ALERT #497

THANK SEN. HAGEL FOR DEMANDING MIDEAST CEASE-FIRE
Key Republican breaks with Bush to call for end to violence

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/1/06) - CAIR today called on American Muslims and other people of conscience to thank Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE), a key Republican in the Senate, for demanding an immediate cease-fire in the Middle East.

Sen. Hagel said Monday: "How do we realistically believe that a continuation of the systematic destruction of an American friend, the country and people of Lebanon, is going to enhance America's image and give us the trust and credibility to lead a lasting and sustained peace effort in the Middle East? The sickening slaughter on both sides, Mr. President, must end, and it must end now. President Bush must call for an immediate cease-fire. This madness must stop."

President Bush has repeatedly turned down domestic and international demands for an immediate cease-fire. Hagel called on the president to name "a statesman of global stature" as an envoy to the region. He also urged direct talks with Iran and Syria.

SEE: Key Republican Breaks with Bush on Mideast (CNN)

"It takes great moral courage for elected officials to ignore party politics and the pressure of special interest groups to stand on principle in a time of crisis," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "Senator Hagel deserves the thanks of all those who wish to see an immediate end to the current round of violence in the Middle East."

Awad said other members of Congress from both parties are also calling for an immediate cease-fire. In a letter to the president, Representatives David Price (D-NC), Lois Capps (D-CA), James Leach (R-IA), and Bob Filner (D-CA) wrote that a refusal to support an immediate cease-fire is "strategically naïve."

IMMEDIATE ACTIONS REQUESTED:

1. Take a few minutes to SEND A NOTE OF APPRECIATION to Sen. Hagel. (This is particularly important if you live in Nebraska.)

Web Site: http://www.hagel.senate.gov/
Contact Form: http://hagel.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
Washington Office: SR-248, Washington, D.C. 20510-2705, Tel: (202) 224-4224, Fax: (202) 224-5213
Main District Office: 11301 Davenport St., Ste. 2, Omaha, NE 68154, Tel: (402) 758-8981, Fax: (402) 758-9165

2. Plan to ATTEND THE AUGUST 12 RALLY in Washington, D.C.

3. CONTACT your elected representatives to call for a cease-fire.

4. HELP the victims.

5. ENGAGE the media. (Write letters to the editor and call radio talk shows.)

- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the American Muslim community. Subscribers to the list receive news releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on issues of importance to our society.

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Tue, 01 Aug 2006 16:05:39 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: CA Assailant May Have Mistaken Sikh for Muslim / ACLU, CAIR Demand End to Citizenship Delays / Israeli Rabbis Say Enemy Has No 'Innocents'

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/1/06

* Hadith: Defend Your Brother's Honor
* CA: Assailant May Have Mistaken Sikh for Muslim (SJMN)
* ACLU, CAIR Demand End to Citizenship Delays (LA Times)
* Rabbinical Council: In War, Enemy Has No 'Innocents'
            - CAIR: U.S. Protesters Condemn Israeli Strikes (Arab News)
            - CAIR-OH Rep Engages in Muslim-Jewish Dialogue (Enquirer)
            - CAIR-OH: Akron Professor Freed by Israel (Plain Dealer)
            - Over 40 Civilian Bodies in S. Lebanon Rubble (Haaretz)
            - Orthodox Church: 'The Water of Cana is Turned Into Blood'
            - Lebanon Sees Environmental Devastation (AP)
* CAIR-MI: Arab-Americans Decry US Evacuation (Herald Trib)
* NY: Man Accused of Reporting Terrorist Hoax (NY Times)
            - CA: Islamic Charity Fundraiser Released (AP)
* CAIR-LA: Wedding Makeup Goes Multi-Cultural (OC Register)
            - DE: Making Room for Religion at Work (News Journal)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: DEFEND YOUR BROTHER'S HONOR - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "He who defends the honor of a brother, God will shield his face against the Fire on the Day of Judgment."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 468

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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CA: ASSAILANT MAY HAVE THOUGHT SIKH VICTIM WAS MUSLIM - TOP
Sikh stabbed in driveway; neighbor is in custody; police say he believed victim was in Taliban
Leslie Griffy and Sean Webby, San Jose Mercury News, 8/1/06
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/the_valley/15170221.htm

The day after the stabbing of a Santa Clara grandfather left South Bay Sikhs reeling, prosecutors are weighing hate crime and attempted murder charges against his neighbor, who apparently believed the man belonged to the Taliban.

Iqbal Singh, 40, was waiting in his carport with his 2-year-old granddaughter around 10:50 a.m. Sunday when the suspect approached him and stabbed him in the neck with a steak knife, Santa Clara police Sgt. Kurt Clarke said.

Singh was still in the hospital Monday with serious injuries. The girl was unhurt.

"It's terrifying," his brother-in-law, Gurmeet Singh, said. 'Here he is standing outside of his home, and he is attacked."

That the stabbing might have been driven by hate doesn't surprise Gurmeet Singh.

"We Sikhs are the most targeted for hate crimes," he said. "People see us, and they don't understand who we are. They associate us with terrorists."

Santa Clara police arrested Everett Thompson, 20, of Santa Clara, later Sunday, Clarke said. He was booked into Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder and a hate crime, Clarke said.

Investigators are trying to determine why Thompson allegedly attacked Singh.

There are indications that Thompson, who may suffer from mental illness, believed Singh was a member of the Taliban, officials said Monday. Singh is not. (MORE)

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ACLU, MUSLIM GROUP DEMAND END TO CITIZENSHIP DELAYS - TOP
H.G. Reza, Los Angeles Times, 8/1/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-aclu1aug01,1,471735.story

Serving in the military has been the fast track for U.S. citizenship for many immigrants since the 2001 terrorist attacks. But not for Mustafa Aziz, an Afghan and Irvine resident who served a four-year hitch in the Air Force.

While on duty in 2003, he applied for citizenship and passed the naturalization exam the following year. More than two years later, Aziz is still waiting to pledge allegiance to the country he served, and he is turning to the courts for help.

Aziz is the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit the American Civil Liberties Union and a Muslim civil rights group plan to file today on behalf of 10 Southern California immigrants who have been waiting two years or more for their citizenship. The lawsuit, to be filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, accuses government officials of illegally delaying their background checks and allowing applications to linger indefinitely.

The lawsuit says federal law requires government officials to approve or deny a citizenship application 120 days after an immigrant passes the naturalization exam. The suit asks that a federal judge review the files and administer the oath of citizenship. It also asks the court to certify it as a class action and include all immigrants who have been waiting six months or more for naturalization after filing applications at the Los Angeles office of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service.

Aziz, 25, said he was angered after watching President Bush last week attend a ceremony at Walter Reed Army Medical Center where three wounded soldiers were granted U.S. citizenship. White House officials said more than 26,000 active-duty members of the military have become citizens since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks under an executive order Bush signed in July 2002, which makes them eligible for immediate naturalization.

Foreign nationals can enlist in the U.S. military if they have a green card, meaning they have received permanent resident status. . .

Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Southern California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the lengthy delays were due to "either incompetence or discrimination." The council, the ACLU's partner in the lawsuit, referred the 10 plaintiffs to the organization.

"Whether incompetence or discrimination, the process needs to be fixed. Either way, Muslims will not accept any longer being treated as second-class citizens by this administration," Ayloush said. (MORE)

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YESHA RABBINICAL COUNCIL: DURING TIME OF WAR, ENEMY HAS NO INNOCENTS - TOP
Y-Net News, 7/30/06
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3283720,00.html

The Yesha Rabbinical Council announced in response to an IDF attack in Kfar Qanna that "according to Jewish law, during a time of battle and war, there is no such term as 'innocents' of the enemy."

All of the discussions on Christian morality are weakening the spirit of the army and the nation and are costing us in the blood of our soldiers and civilians," the statement said.

SEE ALSO:

CAIR: AMERICAN PROTESTERS RALLY TO CONDEMN ISRAELI STRIKES - TOP
Barbara Ferguson, Arab News, 8/1/06
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4&section=0&article=75658&d=1&m=8&y=2006

Tens of thousands of demonstrators are expected to protest in Washington D.C. to denounce what organizers call "a war by the United States and Israel against the Palestinians and Lebanese." The "National Emergency March" on Aug. 12 is being organized by a coalition of Arab-Americans and US peace groups.

The Aug. 12 rally will begin at noon in front of the White House. "What you will see will literally be a sea of human protesters surrounding the White House," said Brian Becker, national coordinator of the ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) Coalition. "I expect tens of thousands to come to Washington to confront the Bush Administration about the policy in the Middle East," Becker told Arab News. He urged readers to log onto their site: Answercoalition.org.

Becker said the ANSWER Coalition, the National Council of Arab Americans and the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation have jointly organized what they call "A National Emergency March" on Washington in two weeks, with coordinated marches other cities. The march, he said, has been organized in defense of the people of Palestine and Lebanon who are under brutal attack by the US-backed Israeli government. . .

"A big turnout at the rally will encourage the silent majority in our society to stand up and voice their disapproval of America's short-sighted policy in the Middle East," said CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) Executive Director Nihad Awad.

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CAIR-OH: 2 WOMEN, 2 FAITHS, 1 GOAL: PEACE - TOP
Set against the darkening backdrop of Middle East tensions, Blue Ash resident Ellen Bloomfield's small gesture of goodwill casts a warming glow.
Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/1/06
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060801/EDIT01/608010370/1090/EDIT

[NOTE: Zeinab Schwen is a member of CAIR-Ohio's statewide board and is chair of the CAIR-Cincinnati board.]

After reading a news account of local Muslims' concerns over growing Middle East violence, Bloomfield, a Jew, called one of the women quoted in the story. She invited Zeinab Schwen to come to her home and begin to sort through issues that threatened to divide the region, the world, and Jewish and Muslim women like themselves.

Schwen accepted on the spot.

There is much to commend in these women's actions, and much to learn from them.

Today's world is so small that a shot fired in Lebanon can ricochet all the way to Hamilton County. It can separate people here as fiercely as people there, halt communication, lead people to live in suspicion and fear, and feed bigotry. It can compromise the culture of a classroom, where Jewish and Muslim students sit side by side. It can steal goodwill from a diverse neighborhood. It can make for workplace tensions, social isolation and religious intolerance.

Americans can work for peace in the Middle East - staying informed on the issues, sending humanitarian aid - but they cannot wait for it to resolve differences of opinion with their compatriots.

"Pick up the phone or ring your neighbor's doorbell," Ellen Bloomfield recommends. Be brave enough and bold enough to let people of other faiths or ethnic backgrounds know you are interested in their perspective and care about the difficulties they or their families face. (MORE)

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CAIR-OH: AKRON U. PROF FREED BY ISRAEL - TOP
Jesse Tinsley, Cleveland Plain Dealer, 7/31/06
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/medina/115433468487080.xml&coll=2

A University of Akron professor was released Sunday without charges after being jailed earlier this month by Israeli security forces on suspicion of spying for Iran and the Hezbollah terrorist group.

Ghazi Falah, a geography professor at the University of Akron, had been in custody since July 8 after he took photographs of military installations near the Israeli-Lebanon border. . .

Support groups and Arab-American organizations here applauded Falah's release.

"We are very pleased that he has been released and hope that he will be home soon," said Julia A. Shearson, director of the Cleveland chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations.

"We felt it was preposterous that a professor from the University of Akron would be engaged in espionage," Shearson said.

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OVER 40 BODIES OF CIVILIANS UNCOVERED IN SOUTH LEBANON RUBBLE - TOP
Yoav Stern, Haaretz, 8/1/06
http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/744783.html

Thousands of Lebanese civilians fled the battered border villages in the south Monday, taking advantage of a 24-hour window from Israel to leave the area and allow aid to reach the worst-hit villages.

Meanwhile, rescue workers on Monday began the gruesome task of digging up dozens of bodies from under the rubble of villages in south Lebanon. (MORE)

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THE WATER OF CANA IS TURNED INTO BLOOD - TOP
His Eminence Metropolitan PHILIP, Primate, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, 7/31/06
http://www.antiochian.org/water-of-cana

Cana (modern spelling is "Qana") is a little village in South Lebanon which was blessed by the presence of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, his Holy Mother and his disciples. Cana is the Village where Christ performed his first miracle by changing the water into wine at the marriage feast. (John 2: 1-11). Thus, Cana is deeply rooted in our Christian history.

Unfortunately, in modern times and due to the conflict between Israel and Arab nations, including Lebanon, Cana has been the victim of Israeli aggression twice: once in April 1996, when an Israeli rocket killed 105 Lebanese men, women and children. And second, on Sunday morning, July 30, 2006, when an Israeli rocket killed 60 people, including 37 children. This indiscriminate killing is against the Geneva Convention, the United Nations Charter and all laws of civilized nations.

This savage war is between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanon has no air force, no navy and no large military force. As a matter of fact, the Lebanese army is not involved in this war at all. This war, then, is between Israel and Hezbollah. Why is Israel bombing Lebanese cities, villages, bridges, roads and killing innocent men, women and children - in the south and north, east and west of Lebanon? According to UN statistics, more than 800 civilians have been killed, many of them children, and more then 800,000 Lebanese have been made refugees in their own country. Israel knows very well where Hezbollah is. Why doesn't Israel fight Hezbollah on its own turf? Why is Israel bombing civilian cars, motorcycles and pickup trucks carrying food for hungry people and medical supplies for the wounded? Lebanon is a poor country; the devastated infrastructure will cost billions of dollars to rebuild.

We deplore the killing and destruction on both sides. We know that Hezbollah has some weapons which are causing some unfortunate killing and destruction in Israel. But Hezbollah does not have American weapons such as F-16s, F-15s, Apaches and smart bombs, etc. (MORE)

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LEBANON SEES ENVIRONMENTAL DEVASTATION - TOP
Bassem Mroue, Associated Press, 8/1/06

Endangered turtles die shortly after hatching from their eggs. Fish float dead off the coast. Flaming oil sends waves of black smoke toward the city. In this country of Mediterranean beaches and snowcapped mountains, Israeli bombing that caused an oil spill has created an environmental disaster. And cleanup cannot start until the fighting stops, the U.N. says.

World attention has focused on the hundreds of people who have died in the 3-week-old conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. The environmental damage has attracted little attention but experts warn the long-term effects could be devastating.

Some 110,000 barrels of oil poured into the Mediterranean two weeks ago after Israeli warplanes hit a coastal power plant. One tank is still burning, sending thick black smoke across the country.

Compounding the problem is an Israeli naval blockade and continuing military operations that have made any cleanup impossible. And environmental officials say the longer the problem is allowed to go unchecked, the greater the lasting damage. (MORE)

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CAIR-MI: ARAB-AMERICANS UPSET BY U.S. HANDLING OF LEBANON EVACUATION - TOP
Brian Knowlton, International Herald Tribune, 7/31/06
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/07/31/news/refuge.php

In a borrowed cubicle in the offices of the Arab American Institute, barely back from an exhausting 58-hour evacuation from Beirut, Radney Wood and a friend, John Orak, were working the phones and sending out e-mails to spread the word about the trials of Lebanon.

Wood, a 26-year-old New Yorker of Lebanese descent, had been working for a United Nations development program when hostilities erupted. Orak, 25, a South Carolina native with Slovak roots, was teaching English in a State Department program for poor youth who Washington feared would otherwise embrace Hezbollah.

Like many Lebanese-Americans and friends of Lebanon, they are deeply worried by the fighting, and fearful of a growing backlash among Arab-Americans and people in the region over the U.S. role there.

They are also upset about the way the U.S. government handled the evacuation of Americans, viewed as slow and disorganized, and about the State Department's original intent to charge them for it.

"I've never been so disappointed, never felt so abandoned by my government," Orak said.

Among Lebanese-Americans and others there is a widespread sense that the U.S. government would have reacted differently if, say, there had been 25,000 Americans under attack in Israel instead of Lebanon.

"Even if the government claims that they didn't deliberately evacuate American citizens at a slower rate," said Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, "then the best construct that can be placed on it is that the process for evacuating Americans from a foreign land is a broken system." (MORE)

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NY: MAN IS ACCUSED OF REPORTING TERRORIST HOAX TO HOT LINE - TOP
Anemona Hartocollis, New York Times, 8/1/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/01/nyregion/01false.html

In a call to New York City's terrorism hot line in May, the informant described the plot in chilling detail: Syrians working in the jewelry business had hatched a plan to carry out a suicide bombing in the subway system on one of the most symbolic days of the year, Independence Day.

They had hidden explosives in hollowed-out jewelry, the informant said, and then used their professional know-how to import the jewelry and bring it to a store that one of them owned in New York.

To clinch the story, the informant, who identified himself as Jose Rodriguez and said he was from Israel, told the police officer answering the hot line that he had overheard the plotters use the Arab expression ''Allahu Akbar,'' or ''God is great.''

The post-Sept. 11 antiterrorist law enforcement apparatus sprang into action, with city, federal and even Israeli officers following leads, conducting 24-hour surveillance and searching homes and businesses with bomb-sniffing dogs. A New York detective stationed in Jerusalem tried to track down the man called Jose Rodriguez.

In the end, the investigators concluded that the call was a hoax, they said yesterday, perpetrated by a Syrian Jewish refugee named Rimon Alkatri, 34, the owner of a jewelry store in Brooklyn. The five conspirators identified by Mr. Alkatri were not Muslims but Christians and Jews, the police and prosecutors said. He had done business with four of the men, officials said, and had named them as terrorists because he had a grudge against them stemming from a business deal that had ended in a bitter disagreement. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ISLAMIC CHARITY FUNDRAISER RELEASED - TOP
Jeremiah Marquez, Associated Press, 8/1/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/01/AR2006080100064.html

The top fundraiser for an Islamic charity that the government claims has ties to terrorism was released Monday from a federal detention center where he had been held for more than two years.

Abdel-Jabbar Hamdan, 45, left the Terminal Island detention facility in San Pedro shortly after 9:30 p.m. after an emotional reunion with his wife and five children inside the prison gates. Earlier Monday the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a last-ditch government request to keep him locked up.

"No words can describe how I'm feeling right now. I'm ecstatic," Hamdan said as he left the center with his family. A few dozen supporters celebrated as he exited the terminal gate.

Hamdan, who founded a mosque in Anaheim, was arrested on immigration charges in July 2004 when federal authorities unsealed an indictment against the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development. The government charged that the Texas-based charity funneled millions to the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

The Holy Land Foundation's president, chairman and director of endowments were also charged with terrorism-related crimes.

Hamdan himself was never charged with terrorism. Instead, he was convicted of overstaying a student visa he got 27 years ago. The month after the Holy Land Foundation was charged, he was ordered deported on the immigration charge. (MORE)

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CAIR-CA: WEDDING MAKEUP GOES MULTI-CULTURAL - TOP
A local makeup duo learn about customs and traditions to serve a diverse clientele
Danika Fears, Orange County Register, 8/1/06
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/life/homepage/article_1229560.php

Jeannie Jeffries and Madeeha Kibriya want their clients to look beautiful on their wedding day. But more importantly, they want them to reflect the traditions of their cultures.

So the co-owners of Couture Beauty and Bridal Services have become teachers of sorts, as well as makeup artists. Jeffries and Kibriya provide wedding services that help brides learn about their customs and achieve just the right look for their ceremonies.

The fusion of so many cultures in Southern California presents plenty of challenges for the pair - the correct presentation for a veil, stylized henna applications and more.

Jeffries and Kibriya started their business seven years ago. Their first client was a South Asian bride who wanted to capture the essence of her heritage in her wedding. Word-of-mouth recommendations have since brought them Chinese, Filipino, Jewish, Indian and Pakistani brides. . .

Munira Syeda, communications coordinator at the Southern California Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations says that "in terms of marital traditions, each country has its own unique culture and ceremonies." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

DE: MAKING ROOM FOR RELIGION AT WORK - TOP
Employers are taking steps to accommodate workers' faiths
Gary Haber, News Journal, 7/31/06
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060731/BUSINESS/607310319/1003

Lunchtime Bible study groups, flexible hours that allow Jewish employees to leave early Friday in time to light Sabbath candles and Muslim employees to leave work for Friday afternoon prayers and on-site meditation rooms: These days more employers are accommodating religious practices.

They're responding to a growing number of workers seeking to meld workplace responsibilities with religious observance.

Take Jamil Tourk, a New Castle resident who works as operations manager for a company that owns fast-food restaurants. Tourk, a Muslim, is required to pray five times daily and attend a worship at his mosque on Friday afternoons.

In the five years he's been with the company, which he did not want to name, Tourk has prayed in the office with his employer's approval.

He has a longstanding agreement with the boss that he can attend Friday prayer services. He either comes in early or stays late to make up the time. Tourk says the key was having an open discussion about his religious needs. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Wed, 02 Aug 2006 17:09:17 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Michigan Muslims Wounded in Lebanon / Israeli Bond Sales in U.S. Criticized / 'Prince Among Slaves' to Begin Filming

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/2/06

* Verse: God's Help is Always Near
* CAIR-MI: Michigan Muslims Wounded in Lebanon
* CAIR-Chicago Panel on Muslim Women's Civil Rights
            - CAIR-Chicago Building Community Relations with FBI
            - CAIR-LA: Long Wait Prompts Lawsuit (AP)
            - CAIR: Israeli Bond Sales Criticized (AJC)
* ACTION: Send Note of Thanks for Positive Op-Eds
* CA: Hate Crime Alleged in Stabbing of Sikh (SF Chron)
* CA: Freed Islamic Fund-Raiser Criticizes U.S. Paranoia (AP)
* 19 Die as Israelis Stage Deep Attack into Lebanon
            - Heavy Equipment Used to Bury the Dead (AP)
            - Is U.S. Asking Israel to Attack Syria? (J Post)
* MI: Christian Arabs Hold Press Conference on Mideast Crisis
* UT: LDS Church, Islamic Relief Partner on Mideast Aid
            - MI: Evacuees' Plea: Let Us Stay in U.S. (Det News)
* MD: 'Prince Among Slaves' to Begin Filming in August

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VERSE OF THE DAY: GOD'S HELP IS ALWAYS NEAR - TOP

"Do you think you shall enter Paradise without suffering such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They encountered suffering and adversity and were so shaken in spirit that even the Apostle and those of faith who were with him cried: "When (will come) the help of God?" Ah! Verily the help of God is (always) near!

The Holy Quran, 2:214

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MICHIGAN MUSLIMS WOUNDED IN LEBANON - TOP
Mother and two sons hit while fleeing Israeli attacks

(LATHRUP VILLAGE, MI, 8/2/06) - On Wednesday, August 2, the Michigan office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) will hold a news conference with a Dearborn Heights mother and her two young sons who were wounded while fleeing Israeli attacks last week in Southern Lebanon.

WHEN: Wednesday, August 2, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Islamic House of Wisdom, 22575 Ann Arbor Tr., Dearborn Heights, MI
CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-842-1418, E-Mail: director@cairmichigan.org

The 34-year-old mother and her 8 and 10-year-old sons, all of whom are U.S. citizens, says she came under attack while attempting to flee north in a convoy of civilian vehicles carrying many Christian families. All three family members were wounded by what was presumed to be Israeli sniper fire. When the victims were taken to a nearby hospital, the facility reportedly came under Israeli air attack. The family was then forced to walk eight miles to another hospital and ultimately left Lebanon on a Canadian ship that evacuated refugees from Tyre.

"Unfortunately, our government refuses to call for an immediate cease-fire, even as Americans come under attack by Israeli forces using American weapons, paid for with American tax dollars," said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid.

CAIR has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

ADDITIONAL CONTACT: CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

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CAIR-CHICAGO PANEL ON MUSLIM WOMEN'S CIVIL RIGHTS - TOP

WHAT: A Muslim Woman's Guide to Her Civil Rights
WHEN: Thursday, August 3, 2006, 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.
WHERE: Freedom Museum, 445 North Michigan Avenue

The program was developed in partnership with the Chicago Advisory Council on Arab Affairs.

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-CHICAGO: MUSLIM GROUP BUILDING COMMUNITY RELATIONS WITH FBI - TOP
Leah Hope, ABC7-Chicago, 8/1/06
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=local&id=4422368

August 1, 2006 (Last Updated: 5:17 PM) - A two-part, made-for-television movie is set to air next month about the terrorists behind the September 11th attacks and the steps leading up to that day almost five years ago. Tuesday, a conference of law enforcement previewed the movie.

Amid the new gadgets and gear for law enforcement officials, attendees of the Midwest Security and Police Conference also got a special screening of a new mini series about 9/11.

"The Path to 9-11" is a two part series that will air on ABC in September. It is a dramatization based on the 9/11 Commission Report. Tuesday, those in law enforcement reflected on the events of 9/11 and the changes since. Within this law enforcement community there has been a shift in communication and an emphasis on sharing information with on another.

"We have become much more aware of the need to openly share information with state, county, and federal authorities as much as they would us," said Joe Pena, Illinois Chiefs of Police Association.

Chicago's special agent in charge for the FBI says sharing goes beyond law enforcement and requires a better relationship with the community.

"It's not just the police responsibility. It's a local political responsibility to know their communities, understand their communities and be sensitive to the things around the world that may affect them that may not affect the rest of us," said Rob Grant, FBI.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations has been involved with some of the community meetings with the FBI. Despite efforts to build relations and educate, the backlash from 9/11 continues to hurt some Muslims in our community.

"We are looking at employment discrimination. We're looking at policies, sometimes that are sanctioned, detentions, deportations," said Ahmed Rehab, Council on American-Islamic Relations. (MORE)

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CAIR-LA: LONG WAIT PROMPTS LAWSUIT - TOP
Peter Prengaman, Associated Press, 8/2/06
http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/15178611.htm

Ten Middle Eastern and Asian immigrants sued the government Tuesday for allegedly letting their U.S. citizenship applications linger indefinitely by delaying background checks.

Filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, the suit asks that a federal judge review the files and administer the oath of citizenship.

It seeks class-action status to include all immigrants who have been waiting at least six months for naturalization after filing applications at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service in Los Angeles.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, Muslims and immigrants from the Middle East and Asia have often complained of unexplained delays in processing immigration applications.

"Whether the delays are based on discrimination or incompetence, they have to end," said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Southern California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which, along with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, filed suit.

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CAIR: WAR AIDS ISRAELI BOND SALES - TOP
Péralte C. Paul, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/2/06
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/0802bizisrael.html

Conventional wisdom holds that globe-trotting buyers of foreign bonds flock toward stability and flee uncertainty.

But as the Israeli-Hezbollah war - now in its 22nd day - continues and tensions escalate in the Middle East, some investors, particularly those with Jewish roots as well as others sympathetic to Israel, are buying more Israel-issued bonds in a show of solidarity. . .

But some critics in the Arab-American community say bond investors, which include state, county and municipal governments, run the risk of looking like they're taking sides in the decades-long Arab-Israeli conflict.

Last week, Arab-Americans in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, which includes Cleveland, protested the county treasurer's decision to purchase $5 million in Israeli bonds. . .

The critics say investments from U.S. state and local governments in these bonds send the wrong message to Arab-Americans, Muslims and the Middle East in general.

"This issue is cropping up all over the country," said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based Muslim civil rights and advocacy group.

"Any time a particular government is engaged in violent attacks on its neighbors, I think it's inappropriate and it creates the impression that government officials are taking sides in a political conflict." (MORE)

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ACTION: PLEASE WRITE A NOTE OF THANKS FOR THESE POSITIVE OP-EDS - TOP

It is critical that the editors of these papers hear from us so that they will have the courage to continue publishing honest, powerful pieces like these in the future. Please take a minute to write a letter of thanks to the editor. Letters Editors' e-mails are included at the end of each op-ed.

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ISLAM-OPED: AMERICA MUST CALL FOR A CEASE-FIRE IMMEDIATELY - TOP
Parvez Ahmed, Maher Hathout and Agha Saeed, Dallas Morning News, 7/31/06
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-ahmed_02edi.ART.State.Edition1.2467111.html

[Maher Hathout is senior adviser at the Muslim Public Affairs Council, Agha Saeed is chairman of the American-Muslim Task Force, and Parvez Ahmed is chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.]

Hundreds of Lebanese and Palestinian civilians are being killed. The civilian infrastructures of both areas are being systematically destroyed. And what is our nation's response? We refuse to call for a cease-fire, and instead expedite the shipment of bombs to Israel so that they are better able to carry out their brutal attacks.

A Lebanese or Palestinian life is no less valuable than that of an Israeli. Yet when confronted with a choice in determining America's course of action in the Middle East, one administration after another has kowtowed to the dictates of America's pro-Israel lobby. The tragic results of this one-sided policy can be witnessed every day in the shattered lives of ordinary people throughout the region. (MORE)

[WRITE TO: letterstoeditor@dallasnews.com  Letters should be 200 words or less and include your name, address and telephone number (for identification purposes only).]

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CAIR-DFW: BRING WOMEN TO THE TABLE - TOP
Women settle disputes among their children and co-workers every day. They've also helped broker peace deals on a larger scale all over the world. And they could do it again in the Middle East.
Saffia Meek, Dallas Morning News, 8/2/06
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-meek_02edi.ART.State.Edition1.24c8c3b.html

[Saffia Meek is the operations director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations-Dallas / Fort Worth chapter. She can be reached at info@cairdfw.org]

The crisis in the Middle East is in desperate need of intervention. Different tactics have been tried over the years - from peace talks between national leaders to outright war.

Sadly, these efforts have not achieved the positive and secure results they should have.

I propose a new idea to achieve resolution: Bring the women to the table. Women will be the key to developing any true sense of reconciliation in the Middle East. Why is this? Women are known for being peacemakers, opting for nonviolent means of conflict resolution. They seek unilateral agreement and fair treatment. Women desire security and usually do not allow pride and ego to dominate their decisions. (MORE)

[WRITE TO: letterstoeditor@dallasnews.com  Letters should be 200 words or less and include your name, address and telephone number (for identification purposes only).]

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DID ISRAEL REALLY NEED TO SAVAGE THE BEAUTY OF BEIRUT? - TOP
George E. Bisharat, USA Today, 8/1/06
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2006-08-01-beirut-beauty-edit_x.htm

[George E. Bisharat is a professor at Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. He writes frequently on the Middle East.]

Cresting the ridge from Lebanon's Bekaa Valley and descending toward the sea has always taken my breath away. Beirut appears in the distance, framed like a cluster of pearls against the stunning blue of the Mediterranean.

I traveled that route many times, while studying at the American University of Beirut in the early 1970s, before the madness of the Lebanese civil war made travel there imprudent. Anything seemed possible there before the war. One could meet people from all over the world or buy books in any language. Newspapers reflected a dizzying range of perspectives.

So my breath caught again earlier this month as I approached Beirut from Damascus, Syria, with my family, returning to the city where I had spent the most enjoyable year of my life. Beirut had suffered a long, bleak period but clearly was bouncing back. Just weeks ago I saw it pulsing with life, entrepreneurial drive and, at the time, World Cup soccer mania.

Just days after we flew home, all this vivacity was crushed, as Israel brought its iron fist down on Lebanon. The blow had been planned for at least a year, awaiting only the pretext of Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers. If Hezbollah attacked inside Israel ­ which the group denies ­ it violated Israel's sovereignty, took Israeli lives and was wrong, but that hardly justifies the destruction of a country. (MORE)

[WRITE TO: editor@usatoday.com  Letters should be 200 words or less and include your name, address and telephone number (for identification purposes only).]

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LAYING OUT THE QANA CALCULATION - TOP
Horrific bombing sows death, rage
Rana El-Khatib, Chicago Tribune, 8/2/06
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0608020159aug02,0,6563716.story?coll=chi-newsopinioncommentary-hed

[Rana El-Khatib is a Palestinian-Lebanese poet and writer living in Beirut.]

Everywhere in Beirut I look, it seems, people are crammed into suddenly overcrowded homes. Streets, schools and parks are overrun. Families with relatives or friends from areas that have been ravaged by Israeli bombs have opened up their homes. Medicine, food and other daily necessities are in increasingly short supply. The city is bursting at the seams, the tension thicker than the humid, stultifying Beirut air.

More than 500 people have been killed, and the number grows daily. In a country of just 4 million, a fifth of the population--some 800,000 humans--have been uprooted from their homes. We sympathized last year when Hurricane Katrina displaced an estimated 1.1 million Americans. Imagine the impact if one-fifth of the U.S. population--some 60 million people--had streamed into other American cities.

Lebanon's streets are filled with forlorn, bewildered faces. People wonder what will happen to their villages and homes, and when death will stop raining from the sky. Hundreds of families will have neither home nor land to return to when the war ends. (MORE)

[WRITE TO: ctc-TribLetter@Tribune.com   Letters should be 200 words or less and include your name, address and telephone number (for identification purposes only).]

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SAN JOSE: HATE CRIME ALLEGED IN STABBING OF SIKH - TOP
Santa Clara suspect could face life term if he is convicted
John Coté, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/2/06
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/02/BAGBUK9HTO1.DTL

A Santa Clara man accused of stabbing his Sikh neighbor in the neck because he thought the man was a member of the Taliban is scheduled to be arraigned today in a San Jose courtroom on attempted murder and hate crime charges, authorities said.

Everett Thompson, 25, could face life in prison if convicted in the attack, prosecutor Jay Boyarsky said. He said formal charges will be filed today, and prosecutors will ask that Thompson be held without bail.

Iqbal Singh, 40, was standing with his 2-year-old granddaughter in his family's carport on Sunday preparing to leave for religious services when Thompson approached and stabbed him once in the neck with a steak knife, Boyarsky said.

Singh did not know Thompson, who said nothing during the attack in the 3400 block of Agate Drive, Boyarsky said. Authorities did not know Thompson's occupation.

Singh was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover, police Sgt. Kurt Clarke said. The granddaughter was not injured.

Thompson was arrested at his home a short distance away, where police also found the knife they suspect was used, said Boyarsky, who oversees hate-crime prosecutions for the Santa Clara County district attorney.

"There are indications in the police report that Mr. Thompson wanted to seek revenge for Sept. 11 and attack a member of the Taliban," Boyarsky said.

"Investigators believe that it was hate-crime motivated," Clarke said. "Mr. Singh was wearing a turban, and Mr. Thompson interpreted that Mr. Singh was a member of the Taliban, which is obviously not true." (MORE)

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FREED ISLAMIC FUND-RAISER CRITICIZES U.S. PARANOIA - TOP
Charity worker held prisoner for nearly two years despite government finding no connection to terrorist organizations
Peter Prengaman, Associated Press, 8/2/06
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/nation/15178805.htm

An Islamic charity fund-raiser who was detained two years on suspicion of ties to terrorism said Tuesday that he had no connections to terrorists and accused the U.S. government of sidestepping justice in its efforts to prevent another Sept. 11, 2001, attack.

Abdel-Jabbar Hamdan, who has never been charged with terrorism, was released late Monday on a federal court order.

He said Tuesday that he was a victim of paranoia that swept the United States after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. The fear that followed them, he said, has made it a "hard time" to be a Muslim in America.

"The government is trying to win at any cost," said Hamdan, 46, who spoke with reporters alongside his wife outside their home. "They seem not to care about what is just or unjust." (MORE)

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19 DIE AS ISRAELIS STAGE THEIR DEEPEST ATTACK INTO LEBANON - TOP
Ian Swanson, Scotsman, 8/2/06
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1120252006

AT least 19 civilians were reported killed by Israeli air strikes today as Israel launched its deepest attack into Lebanon since the current conflict began.

The deaths - including four children - were in Jemmaliyeh, near the eastern Lebanese city of Baalbek, where Israeli forces claimed they seized up to five Hezbollah fighters. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

HEAVY EQUIPMENT USED TO BURY THE DEAD - TOP
Nasser Nasser, Associated Press, 8/2/06
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5989693,00.html

People in a village outside this Hezbollah stronghold used a front-end loader to carry away some of the dead Wednesday after a night of Israeli airstrikes and a commando raid inside Baalbek that residents said killed at least 15 civilians. (MORE)

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IS U.S. ASKING ISRAEL TO ATTACK SYRIA? - TOP
Yaakov Katz, Jerusalem Post, 7/30/06
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1153292032964&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

"Defense officials told the Post last week that they were receiving indications from the US that America would be interested in seeing Israel attack Syria."

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CHRISTIAN ARABS ANNOUNCE PRESS CONFERENCE REGARDING RECENT CRISIS IN THE MIDDLE EAST - TOP
Detroit Arab American Activists Seek Peace and Justice
Primezone, 8/2/06
http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/news.html?d=103129

A group of Christian Arabs from the greater Detroit Arab American community is calling a press conference to express its outrage and address the horrific events and injustices in Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq. The press conference will take place at the Marriott Courtyard, Downtown Detroit (at the Millender Center), 333 East Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, MI, 48226, on Wednesday, August 2, 2006 at 5:00pm.

"Enough is enough," says Warren David, a third generation Arab American Christian and the president of Arab Detroit. "We want the American public to know that we are outraged by the horrific events taking place in the lands of our forefathers."

The group is comprised of Christian Arabs from the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox faiths with ancestral ties to Lebanon, Syrian, Palestine, Jordan and Iraq.

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UT: LDS CHURCH, ISLAMIC RELIEF PARTNER IN MID-EAST AID EFFORT - TOP
Julie Rose, KCPW News, 8/1/06
http://www.kcpw.org/article/1347

A plane loaded with hygiene kits, baby formula and powdered milk left Salt Lake today (yesterday) headed for civilian victims in Lebanon, thanks to a partnership between the LDS Church and Islamic Relief USA.

The two groups have joined forces on humanitarian projects several times since the Southeast Asian tsunami in 2004. This time the Church provided the supplies and Islamic Relief will distribute them in the Middle East. A spokesman for Islamic Relief says the groups have common humanitarian goals rooted in religious beliefs. (MORE)

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EVACUEES' PLEA: LET US STAY IN U.S. - TOP
Gregg Krupa, Detroit News, 8/2/06
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060802/METRO/608020341/1020

Advocates for Lebanese citizens who are seeking refuge in Metro Detroit fear they will be forced to return too soon to the war zone and humanitarian disaster that is Lebanon.

They hope to persuade Washington to do what it did in the 1980s, at the height of the civil war in Lebanon: Grant temporary resident status to some Lebanese citizens until their country is safer.

The Basma family hopes to stay in the United States for longer than currently allowed.

Two of Zeinab Basma's children, Kassem, 11, and Alaa, 7, were born here. The other two, Ali, 12, and Aya, 4, were born in Lebanon and, like their mother, are Lebanese citizens. After bombs started falling around them in southern Lebanon on July 12, Zeinab says she wondered what the United States would do when they asked to be evacuated.

She says she should not have worried.

"The Americans are the people who help," Basma said. "We were treated so kindly and gently."

The Basmas were all evacuated last week. But while the two American children can stay, their mother, brother and sister must leave in three months. (MORE)

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"PRINCE AMONG SLAVES," A NEW PBS DOCUMENTARY, TO BEGIN FILMING IN AUGUST - TOP

CONTACT: Terri Evans, Tel. (202) 463-6154 x3, Email: terri@sparkmedia.org

Washington, DC - Prince Among Slaves, the latest documentary collaboration between renowned actor and director Bill Duke (Duke Media) and award-winning documentarian Andrea Kalin (Spark Media), will begin filming on August 5, 2006 in St. Mary's City, Maryland.

Their previous joint effort, Partners of the Heart, narrated by academy-award winning actor Morgan Freeman, garnered numerous accolades and prestigious honors, including being awarded best history documentary in 2004 by the Organization of American Historians. The film is executive produced by Unity Productions Foundation (UPF).

Prince Among Slaves, a 90-minute documentary slated for national broadcast on PBS, tells the true story of a Muslim African prince, Abdul Rahman Ibrahima Sori, who was sold into slavery in the American South in 1788. As a young prince he was snatched from a life of power and privilege into exile and enslavement in a strange land. There he endures unimaginable indignities, yet carves out a life, marries a woman enslaved like him, and has children. Then, through improbable circumstances during the election of 1828, he is granted his freedom and returns to his African homeland, but not before he rescues his wife and children from slavery and sees his royal status recognized in the very land that held him in bondage. Rahman lived his life during a momentous era of history, and his story sheds light on socially relevant and timely themes for all Americans.

"It's a universal story of what you do when you lose everything," said Alex Kronemer, co-executive producer of the documentary and co-founder of UPF. "When 9/11 happened, everyone went to their places of worship to help deal with that period of distress. It made me think of other people under enormous stress who also get cut off from their religions. What about the enslaved Africans who were largely barred from being able to seek comfort and support from their various religions? This story is about the spiritual struggles of those enslaved Africans." (MORE)

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CAIR

Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

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Forwarded Message

Date: Wed, 02 Aug 2006 18:39:01 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Urge U.N. to Enforce Mideast Cease-Fire

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AMERICAN MUSLIMS URGE U.N. TO ENFORCE MIDEAST CEASE-FIRE
Muslim nations urged to end diplomatic relations with Israel

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/2/06) - The American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT), a national coalition of major American Muslim organizations, today urged the United Nation to fulfill its legal and moral responsibility by implementing an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon and Gaza.

The coalition also urged Muslim nations to immediately end all diplomatic ties with Israel until a peaceful and permanent resolution to the present conflict is achieved.

In its statement, the coalition said:

"As American Muslim leaders, we often serve as a bridge between the United States and the Islamic world. We have spoken out in favor of political moderation and against religious extremism. We gladly accept this role.

"To be effective as bridge-builders between the West and the Muslim world, we have a duty to challenge polices that harm our nation and its international relations.

"It is extremely difficult to help improve America's image in the Muslim world as U.S.-supplied weapons are killing civilians and our elected officials refuse all calls for a cease-fire. It is hard to appeal for moderation among Muslims when international bodies like the United Nations remain silent spectators as Israel carries out its war of aggression and state terrorism against Lebanon and Gaza.

"The American Muslim Task Force on Civil Rights and Elections (AMT) calls on the United Nations to fulfill its legal responsibility to stop Israeli war crimes in Lebanon and Gaza by using the Security Council to order an immediate cease-fire by all parties.

"We call on international human rights groups to bring war crimes charges against Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for his role in the deaths of hundreds of women, children and the elderly in Qana, Lebanon, and in many less well-known incidents.

"We call on all Muslim countries to immediately suspend diplomatic ties with Israel. We also call on other countries currently contemplating such ties to discontinue all diplomatic contacts.

"We urge the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) and the Arab League (AL) to declare Israel a terrorist state and to support the Lebanese government's legitimate demand for compensation from Israel for its war crimes.

"Finally, we urge all people of conscience to seek divestment from any corporate entity that benefits the Israeli war economy."

- END -

AMT members and affiliates endorsing this statement include: American Muslim Alliance (AMA), Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA), Muslim American Society (MAS), Muslim Student Association-National (MSA-N), Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA), Project Islamic Hope (PIH), and United Muslims of America (UMA)

CONTACT: Dr. Agha Saeed, Tel 510-299-9313, E-Mail: aghaksaeed@yahoo.com

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2006 14:50:10 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: CAIR to Release Poll on Demand for Mideast Cease-Fire

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

- MEDIA ADVISORY -

CAIR TO RELEASE POLL ON DEMAND FOR MIDEAST CEASE-FIRE
U.S. Muslim group will announce 'Not in America's Name' petition drive

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/3/06) - On Friday, August 4, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will hold a news conference in Washington, D.C., to release the results of a survey gauging American attitudes toward the current round of fighting in the Middle East.

The random telephone survey asked more than 1,000 Americans about their views on U.S. policy in the Middle East and whether the United States should call for an immediate cease-fire.

At the news conference, CAIR will also announce the launch of an online petition drive, called "Not in America's Name," urging elected officials to support a cease-fire in the Middle East.

WHAT: CAIR to Release Results of Mideast Poll, Announce 'Not in America's Name' Petition Drive
WHEN
: Friday, August 4, 10:30 a.m.
WHERE: CAIR's Capitol Hill Headquarters, 453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E., Washington, D.C.
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

"Our polling indicates that elected officials who reject an immediate cease-fire are out of step with the majority of Americans," said CAIR Research Director Dr. Mohamed Nimer.

CAIR has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

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Forwarded Message

Date: Thu, 03 Aug 2006 17:31:19 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Aug. 6 White House Vigil to Protest Lebanon Invasion / HRW Report: Israel's Indiscriminate Attacks on Civilians

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/3/06

* Hadith: Help the Weak and Refrain from Harming Others
* DC: Aug. 6 White House Vigil to Protest Lebanon Invasion
            - Rally for Lebanon and Palestine Aug. 12 in DC
* Lebanese Premier: Death Toll Tops 900 (AP)
            - For Israel, Civilians are Fair Game (Herald Trib)
            - Peretz Sued for War Crimes (Daily Telegraph)
            - HRW Report: Israel's Indiscriminate Attacks on Civilians
* CA: Sikhs Fear Stabbing Could Set Off Hate-Crime Trend
* Source: Haditha Evidence Implicates Marines (AP)
            - Iraq: Officers Allegedly Pushed 'Kill Counts' (LA Times)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: HELP THE WEAK AND REFRAIN FROM HARMING OTHERS - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once told a companion: "Help the weak or do some good for a person who cannot work for himself." His companion replied: "(But what) if I cannot do that?" The Prophet said: "(Then at least) refrain from harming others, for this will be regarded as a charitable deed (on your part)."

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadith 694

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DC: WHITE HOUSE VIGIL TO PROTEST LEBANON INVASION, COMMEMORATE QANA MASSACRE - TOP

The Lebanese American Community of the Washington Metropolitan Area, in association with Arab-American associations and human rights activists, is organizing a Silent Vigil in protest of the invasion of Lebanon and in commemoration of the Qana massacre, one week after.

WHEN: Sunday, August 6, 8-10 p.m.
WHERE: We will meet in Farragut Square Park at K Street and Connecticut Ave, N.W., across the street from Farragut North Metro Station. At sunset, we will walk as a group to the White House with lighted candles, where the vigil will end at 10 p.m.

The purpose of the vigil is:

* To demand an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon
* To mourn and express outrage at the loss of innocent civilian lives in Lebanon
* To condemn the internal displacement of one-third of the population of Lebanon
* To deplore the systematic destruction of the country

1. Bring American and Lebanese flags.
2. Wear black or white.
3. Bring candles. (Bring drip guards or votives on a plate or tray to catch the wax.)

CONTACT: Al-Hewar Center, 703-281-6277

SEE ALSO:

RALLY FOR LEBANON AND PALESTINE AUG. 12 IN DC - TOP
http://www.cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=443&theType=AA

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LEBANESE PREMIER: DEATH TOLL TOPS 900 - TOP
Lauren Frayer, Associated Press, 8/3/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/03/AR2006080300142.html

Lebanon's death toll in more than three weeks of Israel-Hezbollah fighting has reached more than 900, Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said Thursday in a video statement to an Islamic conference in Malaysia.

"Over 900 (have been) killed and 3,000 injured so far, one third of the casualties are children under 12," Saniora told participants at a meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Muslim world's largest political group.

He said Israel's offensive on Lebanon "is taking an enormous toll on human life and infrastructure, and has totally ravaged our country and shattered our economy." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

FOR ISRAEL, INNOCENT CIVILIANS ARE FAIR GAME - TOP
Peter Bouckaert, International Herald Tribune, 8/3/06
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/08/03/opinion/edbouck.php

The voice of Mohammed Shalhoub, 61, a farmer from Qana, still quivers with shock and exhaustion. He was in a basement shelter with more than 60 relatives when two Israeli bombs hit, killing at least 28, including 16 children. As I interview him in hospital, relatives arrive with more news of the victims. A woman starts screaming as she looks at the pictures of the dead and Mohammed's eyes well up with tears.

But his voice turns cold with impotent fury when I ask if there were Hezbollah fighters near the home when the bombs fell. "If the Israelis really saw the rocket launcher, where did it go?" he asks. "We showed Israel our dead; why don't the Israelis show us the rocket launchers?"

The world doesn't seem to put much credence in the testimonies of Lebanese civilians, preferring to buy generic Israeli statements about Hezbollah using civilians as human shields, "precision strikes" at terrorist targets, and a "proportionate" bombing campaign. But after days of contradictory statements about Qana, the Israeli military was reported as saying it had no indication of rocket fire or Hezbollah presence in Qana on the day of the strike, and had bombed the area in retaliation for rockets launched days earlier.

Israel's claims about pin-point strikes and proportionate responses are pure fantasy. As a researcher for Human Rights Watch, I've documented civilian deaths from bombing campaigns in Kosovo and Chechnya, Afghanistan and Iraq. But these usually occur when there is some indication of military targeting: high-ranking members of Saddam Hussein's regime present in a house just before it is hit, for example, or an attack against militants that causes the collateral deaths of many civilians. (MORE)

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PERETZ SUED FOR WAR CRIMES - TOP
Daily Telegraph, 8/2/06
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,19992660-1702,00.html

Three Moroccan lawyers are suing Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz for war crimes and crimes against humanity over the Israeli army's attacks on Lebanon and Gaza, they said today.

They said they filed the criminal suit with the royal prosecutor at the Rabat Appeal Court because Mr Peretz, the head of Israel's left-of-centre Labour Party, was born in Morocco and has dual Israeli-Moroccan nationality.

The lawyers, Khalid Soufiani, Abderrahmane Ben Amrou and Abderrahim Jamaie, also accuse Mr Peretz of premeditated crimes against civilians including women and children, unlawful use of arms and forming a criminal gang.

In Tel Aviv, an official at Mr Peretz's office said the report was being checked but had no immediate comment.

Mr Peretz was born as Armand Peretz in the Moroccan town of Boujad in 1952 and his family emigrated to Israel in 1956.

"International human rights groups say Israel's actions constitute crimes against humanity," said Mr Soufiani.

"Moroccan law gives us the right to sue him ... We now hope the authorities will follow the letter of the law."

Mr Peretz said yesterday the Israeli army would expand and deepen its offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon despite an international outcry over an air raid that killed at least 54 civilians at the weekend.

At least 617 people have been killed in Lebanon, most of them civilians. Fifty-one Israelis have been killed. (MORE)

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HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH REPORT: FATAL STRIKES - TOP
Israel's Indiscriminate Attacks Against Civilians in Lebanon
August 2006
http://hrw.org/reports/2006/lebanon0806/

This report documents serious violations of international humanitarian law (the laws of war) by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in Lebanon between July 12 and July 27, 2006, as well as the July 30 attack in Qana. During this period, the IDF killed an estimated 400 people, the vast majority of them civilians, and that number climbed to over 500 by the time this report went to print. The Israeli government claims it is taking all possible measures to minimize civilian harm, but the cases documented here reveal a systematic failure by the IDF to distinguish between combatants and civilians.

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CA: SIKHS FEAR STABBING COULD SET OFF HATE-CRIME TREND - TOP
Sikhs aim to educate law enforcement officials, the public about culture; worry violence in Mideast will spur attacks in U.S.
Tom Lochner, Contra Costa Times, 8/3/06
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/15187472.htm

The weekend stabbing of a Sikh man in Santa Clara whose assailant allegedly thought he was a member of the Taliban raises fears that turmoil in the Middle East could fuel similar hate-based crimes, a Contra Costa Sikh leader said Wednesday.

"I think the more flare-ups you get there, the more incidents you're going to have in this country," said J.P. Singh, president of Gurdwara Sahib, the Sikh Center of the San Francisco Bay Area in El Sobrante. "And some of them will result from mistaken identity because there's not enough education about who the people next door are."

Everett Thompson, 25, is charged with attempted murder with a hate-crime enhancement in connection with the stabbing of his Sikh neighbor, Iqbal Singh 66, on Sunday. Singh, who is not related to J.P. Singh, is expected to survive.

"There are indications that he (Thompson) was seeking to avenge 9/11 and to kill a member of the Taliban," said Jay Boyarsky, supervising deputy district attorney in charge of the hate crimes unit in Santa Clara County.

Thompson appeared Wednesday in Santa Clara County Superior Court for arraignment, which was continued to Aug. 10.

"Members of the Sikh community are unfortunately targeted a lot because they are mistaken for Muslim terrorists or because of the way they dress," Boyarsky said.

Memories of ethnically motivated crime are vivid at the El Sobrante temple, whose former member Balbir Singh Sodhi was the nation's first fatal victim of a hate crime after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. A former Walnut Creek resident, Sodhi was standing in front of the gas station he owned in Mesa, Ariz., on Sept. 15, 2001, when he was shot by a man who shouted, "I stand for America all the way" as he was being handcuffed and later told police all Arabs should be shot and that he wanted to "slit some Iranians' throats." (MORE)

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SOURCE: HADITHA EVIDENCE IMPLICATES MARINES - TOP
Investigators reportedly finish initial review in deaths of 24 civilians
Associated Press, 8/2/06
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14150687/

Evidence collected on the deaths of 24 Iraqis in Haditha supports accusations that U.S. Marines deliberately shot the civilians, including unarmed women and children, a Pentagon official said Wednesday. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

OFFICERS ALLEGEDLY PUSHED `KILL COUNTS' - TOP
Investigators believe the leaders of a unit accused in Iraq detainee deaths fueled a climate of hate.
Borzou Daragahi and Julian E. Barnes, Los Angeles Times, 8/3/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-fg-probes3aug03,1,2900006.story?coll=la-headlines-frontpage&track=crosspromo

Military prosecutors and investigators probing the killing of three Iraqi detainees by U.S. troops in May believe the unit's commanders created an atmosphere of excessive violence by encouraging "kill counts" and possibly issuing an illegal order to shoot Iraqi men.

At a military hearing Wednesday on the killing of the detainees near Samarra, witnesses painted a picture of a brigade that operated under loose rules allowing wanton killing and tolerating violent, anti-Arab racism.

Some military officials believe that the shooting of the three detainees and the killing of 24 civilians in November in Haditha reveal failures in the military chain of command, in one case to establish proper rules of engagement and in the other to vigorously investigate incidents after the fact.

"The bigger thing here is the failure of the chain of command," said a Defense Department official familiar with the investigations.

As allegations of U.S. troop misconduct in Iraq have mounted, the military's defenders have maintained that most were isolated incidents and that officers and investigators working within the military justice system had succeeded in ferreting out the truth.

The military's primary report on the Haditha incident, completed this year, does not explicitly accuse the Marine command in Iraq of a cover-up. But the investigation cites several instances of information being ignored or evidence being destroyed, including log entries from the day the killings took place. The Defense official, who has reviewed the report, spoke on condition of anonymity because the findings have not been released.

Initial findings of investigators looking into the Samarra incident may be even more troubling. Military officials are investigating Army Col. Michael Steele, the commander of the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade, whose soldiers are accused of killing the three Iraqi detainees.

Investigators are trying to determine whether Steele issued an illegal order to "kill all military aged males" and encouraged unrestrained killing by his troops. (MORE)

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CAIR

Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

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Forwarded Message

Date: Fri, 04 Aug 2006 11:26:32 -0400
From:"Ibrahim Hooper" <ihooper@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Poll: Americans Support Mideast Cease-Fire

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

POLL: MAJORITY OF AMERICANS SUPPORT MIDEAST CEASE-FIRE
CAIR launches 'Not in America's Name' online petition drive

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/4/06) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today released the results of a survey, called "The War in Lebanon and American Public Opinion," showing that a majority of Americans support an immediate cease-fire in the Middle East.

The random telephone survey, commissioned by the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), asked more than 1,000 Americans about their views on U.S. policy in the Middle East and whether the United States should call for an immediate cease-fire.

CAIR's survey was conducted July 28 to August 2 by International Communications Research, a Pennsylvania-based polling and market research firm. Poll results have a margin of error of +/-3 percent.

Highlights of the survey:

* Almost 54 percent of respondents support an immediate Mideast cease fire.
* Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of those surveyed favor American neutrality or disengagement from the Middle East conflict.
* 37 percent of respondents believe U.S. policy in the Middle East is balanced, favoring neither side.
* 36 percent believe the U.S. is biased in favor of Israel.
* Only 2 percent believe the U.S. favors the Palestinians and Lebanese.
* 35 percent believe media coverage of the conflict is "balanced and fair to all sides."
* 21 percent said media coverage favors Israel.
* 15 percent said it favors the Palestinians and Lebanese.

At today's news conference, CAIR also announced the launch of an online petition drive, called "Not in America's Name," urging elected officials to support an immediate cease-fire in the Middle East. SEE: http://www.notinamericasname.org/

The petition website also features educational materials about the conflict and suggests actions individuals can take, such as contacting elected officials and organizing town hall meetings, to help bring the violence to an end.

"The Bush administration's Mideast policy should reflect the opinion of the majority of Americans, not the narrow political agenda put forward by special interest groups," said CAIR Board Chairman Parvez Ahmed.

Ahmed said a small but growing number of elected officials are speaking out in favor of a cease-fire. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) drafted a resolution urging President Bush to demand an immediate end to Mideast violence.

SEE: Kucinich Calls For Middle East Cease-Fire

Other members of Congress supporting a cease-fire include Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Representatives David Price (D-NC), Lois Capps (D-CA), James Leach (R-IA), and Bob Filner (D-CA).

CAIR has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

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Forwarded Message

Date: Fri, 04 Aug 2006 13:48:23 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Bush Asked to Condemn Latest Israeli Massacre / Join the White House Vigil to Protest Lebanon Invasion

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/4/06

* Hadith: A Mercy to Mankind
* HELP SUPPORT CAIR's Important Work
* Bush Asked to Condemn Latest Israeli Massacre in Lebanon
            - ACTION: White House Vigil to Protest Lebanon Invasion
            - CAIR-CT: Aug. 5 Peace Rally
* CAIR-OH: Kucinich Calls for Middle East Cease-Fire
            - Conflict Reveals Partisan Split (Miami Herald)
* CA: Middle East Prof Sues for Defamation (SF Chron)
* CAIR-LA: Mideast Fighting Strains Interfaith Ties

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HADITH OF THE DAY: A MERCY TO MANKIND - TOP

When someone asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to curse the idolators, he replied: "I have not been sent to invoke curses, but I have been sent as a mercy (to mankind)."

Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1192

A man once asked the Prophet to curse a rival tribe. The Prophet turned away from him twice and then said: "May God show mercy to (the rival tribe). Their mouths speak peace, their hands provide food and they are people of security and faith."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1548

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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HELP SUPPORT CAIR'S IMPORTANT WORK - TOP

If you are not a CAIR member, become one TODAY by going to: https://www.cair-net.org/asp/membership.asp

DONATE whatever you can to CAIR TODAY. Go to: https://www.cair-net.org/asp/donate.asp

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BUSH ASKED TO CONDEMN LATEST ISRAELI MASSACRE IN LEBANON - TOP
CAIR asks 'how many more innocent lives must be lost before America acts?'

(WASHINGTON, DC, 8/4/06) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today called on President Bush to condemn the latest Israeli massacre of civilians in Lebanon and to demand an immediate cease-fire in the Middle East.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said an Israeli air strike in the Bekaa Valley killed as least 33 farm workers, mostly Syrian Kurds, who were loading plums and peaches on to trucks.

SEE: Israeli Air Raid Kills 33 Civilians (Reuters)

Israel also destroyed four bridges on the coastal highway north of Beirut, blocking aid convoys taking supplies to the estimated 1 million civilians forced from their homes by the Israeli bombing campaign. Lebanese officials say at least 900 people have already been killed by Israeli attacks. American citizens are among those who have been injured.

"How many more innocent lives must be lost before America acts to reign in Israel's brutal campaign of state terror in Lebanon," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "Our nation's uncritical and unjustified support for Israeli attacks on civilians in Lebanon and Gaza is beyond all moral bounds and is out of sync with American public opinion." He also condemned attacks on Israeli civilians.

Awad cited a poll CAIR released today indicating that the majority of Americans support an immediate cease-fire in the Mideast conflict. He also noted that Human Rights Watch issued a report yesterday revealing "a systematic failure by the (Israeli military) to distinguish between combatants and civilians." SEE: http://hrw.org/reports/2006/lebanon0806/

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

SEE ALSO:

JOIN AUG. 6 WHITE HOUSE VIGIL TO PROTEST LEBANON INVASION, COMMEMORATE QANA MASSACRE - TOP

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/4/06) - The Lebanese American Community of the Washington Metropolitan Area, in association with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and other Muslim and Arab-American associations and human rights activists, will hold a Silent Vigil August 6 outside the White House in protest of the invasion of Lebanon and in commemoration of the Qana massacre.

WHEN: Sunday, August 6, 8-10 p.m.
WHERE: We will meet in Farragut Square Park at K Street and Connecticut Ave, N.W., across the street from Farragut North Metro Station. At sunset, we will walk as a group to the White House with lighted candles, where the vigil will end at 10 p.m.

The purpose of the vigil is:

* To demand an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon
* To mourn and express outrage at the loss of innocent civilian lives in Lebanon
* To condemn the internal displacement of one-third of the population of Lebanon
* To deplore the systematic destruction of the country

ACTION REQUESTED: Join the vigil on August 6

1. Bring American and Lebanese flags.
2. Wear black or white.
3. Bring candles. (Bring drip guards or votives on a plate or tray to catch the wax.)

CONTACT: Al-Hewar Center, 703-281-6277, CAIR, 202-488-8787

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-CT: AUG. 5 PEACE RALLY - TOP

Members of several groups, including Connecticut United for Peace and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, will hold a rally opposing the U.S. and Israel's wars in the Middle East.

WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 5, 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: Federal courthouse, 167 Church St., New Haven

CONTACT: Stan Heller (Middle East Crisis Committee), 203-934-2761

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KUCINICH CALLS FOR MIDDLE EAST CEASE-FIRE - TOP
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/9624768/detail.html

In Cleveland Thursday, U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich called for a cease-fire for the conflict in the Middle East.

Kucinich drafted a resolution and, in part, it urges President George W. Bush to appeal to all sides in the current crisis and demand an immediate end to the violence.

Local Jewish and Arab leaders agreed with the congressman's idea.

"We believe that the United States, it's the most powerful country on earth, and it certainly can be a force of good in the region," said Julia Shearson of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "We've done it before, we've brought peace between warring parties. We know our country has the moral authority to do that."

Kucinich said garnering support for the resolution is just a short-term goal. He said the long-term goal is a long-term settlement.

SEE ALSO:

CONFLICT REVEALS PARTISAN SPLIT - TOP
A Miami Herald poll found Republicans more likely than Democrats to support Israel's actions in the Middle East conflict.
Marc Caputo, Miami Herald, 8/4/06
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/15194213.htm

Even when it comes to the bombing of Beirut, there's a partisan divide in Florida, where more than half of Democratic voters -- but only a quarter of Republicans -- say Israel has gone too far in its campaign, according to a Miami Herald poll. (MORE)

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STANFORD IDEOLOGICAL WAR LEADS TO SUIT - TOP
Middle East professor sues conservative who linked criticism of Bush to terrorism
Carrie Sturrock, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/4/06
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2006/08/04/MNGILKB6U71.DTL&type=politics

Stanford University's Joel Beinin is used to criticism for his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but when a conservative commentator put the professor's photo on the cover of a booklet titled "Campus Support for Terrorism,'' it started a whole new war.

Beinin, a prominent Middle Eastern scholar, filed suit in March -- turning his ideological clash with FrontPageMag.com Editor in Chief David Horowitz into a legal one.

Horowitz removed the photo from later printings, but Beinin said the harm had already been done and is demanding unspecified damages. With the United States at war in Iraq, Beinin said, it's a scary time to be labeled a supporter of terrorism.

"Horowitz is -- if not a coordinated part -- part of a broader attack against people who speak out against Bush's Middle Eastern policies," said Beinin, past president of the Middle Eastern Studies Association. "If you don't fight back and allow the Horowitzes to do and say what they want, it pollutes the political environment to the point where you can't have intelligent discussions about what we do in the world." . . .

"As long as faculty are free to question accepted ideas and notions, there will always be those disturbed by their questioning, and there will always be those who will call for restraints on freedom," he said.

Knight cited Columbia University, where the administration formed an ad hoc committee in 2005 to investigate the classroom behavior of Middle Eastern studies Professor Joseph Massad after student complaints. Knight fears such censure is having a chilling affect on academia.

Campus Watch -- a project by the Middle East Forum -- has encouraged students to monitor professors for perceived anti-Israel bias and report their findings. The Campus Watch Web site has many articles about Beinin. (MORE)

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MIDEAST FIGHTING STRAINS FRAGILE INTERFAITH TIES - TOP
Marc Ballon, Jewish Journal, 8/4/06
http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=16265

For more than three decades, Rabbi Allen Krause has believed in the power of interfaith and intercultural dialogue, especially between Jews and Muslims. In the aftermath of Sept. 11, the head rabbi of Temple Beth El in Aliso Viejo offered to have members of his congregation guard local Muslim day schools, he stood alongside other religious leaders to publicly decry a vicious assault on a Yorba Linda Arab American high school student and he invited a Palestinian to address his congregation to talk about the hardships of living in the territories.

However, the interfaith ties that Krause and others like him have carefully cultivated are now being tested as never before. Against the backdrop of Hezbollah rockets raining on Israel and Israeli bombs exploding in Lebanon and Gaza, friends are splitting into two sides. In mid-July, several Muslim members of Common Ground, an Orange County interfaith group Krause helped found, declined to attend a scheduled meeting, because they "might say things they might regret," he was told.

Krause's experience is not unusual. As war in the Middle East rages, one of the casualties has been the fragile ties between Muslim and Jewish interfaith and other groups. Already weakened by the failed peace promise of Oslo and the second intifada, in recent weeks Muslim-Jewish relations have hit their lowest ebb in more than a decade. The increased strain has re-sown the seeds of mistrust in some interfaith group that enthusiasts hoped to have forever banished.

To be sure, a few Muslim and Jewish groups have redoubled their efforts to bridge the growing chasm. The Progressive Jewish Alliance (PJA) will soon announce a sweeping interfaith collaboration with a yet-to-be-named Muslim group, said PJA Executive Director Daniel Sokatch.

Wilshire Boulevard Temple, which has a longstanding relationship with the Islamic Center of Southern California, soon plans to open a Center for Religious Inquiry that would invite members of all faiths, including Muslims, Jews and Christians, to discuss and examine the world's major religions, said Rabbi Stephen Julius Stein. A new outfit named L.A. Jews for Peace recently held two peace vigils outside the Israeli Consulate and sent a representative to a large anti-Israel peace protest co-sponsored by Muslim and other organizations, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). . .

For Hussam Ayloush, Israeli "aggression" is personal. The executive director of the Southern California chapter of the CAIR said he grew up in Lebanon and left in 1989 during the civil war. Coming to America to study, he eventually settled in Southern California. Now married with three children, he said he returns to Lebanon once every couple years to visit family members, including a brother who lives in the capital city of Beirut.

Soon after Israel's air campaign began, Ayloush said he fell out of contact with his brother and his parents for four long days (His parents were in Lebanon visiting their son). Scared for their safety, Ayloush said he barely slept. He checked e-mails incessantly and watched the news round-the-clock. Although relieved when he finally reached his loved ones, he said he knows their lives continue to remain in peril.

"We would be fooling ourselves if we didn't realize that this new conflict will increase hatred among Arabs, Muslims and Jews. It's not going to just increase anti-Semitism but also Islamophobia and anti-Arab feelings," Ayloush said. "That's a tragedy."

But not all hope for continued dialogue has been dashed. Despite the July disappointment, Temple Beth El's Krause persisted with his group, and after some heart-to-heart talks, the Muslim members have agreed to attend a mid-August gathering, much to Krause's satisfaction and relief. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Mon, 07 Aug 2006 16:04:12 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: LA Mayor Apologizes to Muslim Leaders / Life as Muslims and Marines / Muslims Pressured to Name Names

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/7/06

* Hadith: Only God Can Turn Difficulty Into Ease
* CAIR-LA: Mayor Apologizes to Muslim Leaders (LA Times)
            - Sign CAIR’s ‘Not in America’s Name’ Petition
* ISLAM-OPED: Americans Must Set Example for Mideast Peace
            - Israeli Attacks Kill 45 Lebanese (Reuters)
* CAIR-OH to Hold Prayer Vigil for War Victims
            - CAIR: Lebanese Embassy to Host Relief Aid Fundraiser
            - CAIR Calls for Relief Donations (Enquirer)
* CAIR: Hundreds at White House Vigil Protest Lebanon Invasion
            - DC: Vigil a Cry for Peace in Lebanon (Wash Post)
            - IN: Marching, Praying for Peace (Herald Times)
* CAIR-MI: Michigan Mother, Sons Wounded in Lebanon
* CAIR: Americans Back Cease-Fire in Lebanon (VOA)
* NY: Sorting Out Life as Muslims and Marines (NY Times)
            - CA: Muslims Pressured to Name Names (LA Times)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: ONLY GOD CAN TURN DIFFICULTY INTO EASE - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to offer the supplication: "O God, there is no ease except for what You make easy, and you alone can turn a difficulty into ease."

Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 4, Number 131

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/muhammad

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CAIR-LA: MAYOR MEETS WITH MUSLIM LEADERS - TOP
Villaraigosa had been criticized for visiting a Jewish rally but not with local Islamic groups.
Ralph Frammolino, Los Angeles Times, 8/7/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/socal/la-me-mayor7aug07,0,5061602.story

[NOTE: CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush represented CAIR at Sunday's meeting with Mayor Villaraigosa. Contact CAIR-LA by calling 714-776-1847, or at: socal@cair.com]

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa met with local Muslim leaders Sunday to apologize for not answering their e-mails about the crisis in Lebanon and pledged to continue efforts to be more visible in Los Angeles' Islamic communities, according to those who attended.

"It was gracious of him to say I apologize for the lack of communication," said Shakeel Syed, executive director of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, an umbrella group of mosques and organizations representing 500,000 Muslims.

Syed characterized the hour-long discussion between Villaraigosa and the 10 Muslim leaders as a "constructive" exchange they hoped would help head off the kind of divisiveness that has roiled Arab and Jewish communities in the Detroit area, which has a large Arab population.

Villaraigosa called the meeting after local Muslim leaders held a news conference Friday to express their frustration that the mayor had attended a rally by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles but failed to respond to their repeated telephone calls and e-mail invitations to interfaith vigils for those killed on both sides in Lebanon.

Saying they were "fed up" at being "shoved aside and ignored," the Muslim leaders scolded Villaraigosa for not representing all groups touched by the Middle East conflict and urged him to use his clout to promote mutual understanding. . .

Other groups represented at Sunday's meeting were four inner-city mosques; the Islamic Society of Orange County; the Council on American-Islamic Relations; and the Council on Pakistan American Affairs.

SEE ALSO:

SIGN CAIR'S 'NOT IN AMERICA'S NAME' PETITION - TOP
www.notinamericasname.org/

We, the undersigned, wish to state that our government's refusal to call for and work toward an immediate cease-fire in the Middle East is unjust, immoral and counterproductive.

We believe that those elected officials who reject a cease-fire are not acting in our nation's best interests and we wish to state clearly that they do not speak in our name.

We demand that our government:
1. call on all parties to the current conflict in the Middle East to implement an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire,
2. work toward immediate release of any prisoners held in violation of international law,
3. demand an immediate end to the targeting of civilians or civilian infrastructures by any individuals, groups or states in the region, and
4. use every American diplomatic resource to restart a peace process designed to achieve justice for all people in the Middle East.

Americans of all races, faiths and national origins condemn the killing of civilians and support a peaceful and just resolution to all international conflicts.

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ISLAM-OPED: AMERICANS MUST SET AN EXAMPLE FOR MIDEAST PEACE - TOP

ISLAM-OPED is a national syndication service of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) designed to offer an American Muslim perspective on current political, social and religious issues. ISLAM-OPED commentaries are offered free-of-charge to one media outlet in each market area. Permission for publication will be granted on a first-come-first-served basis.

CONTACT: ihooper@cair-net.org
TEL: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726 (c)

Please consider the following commentary for publication.

---

ISLAM-OPED: AMERICANS MUST SET AN EXAMPLE FOR MIDEAST PEACE
By Altaf Ali
WORD COUNT: 520

[Altaf Ali is the executive director of the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL). He may be contacted at: altaf@cair-florida.org]

Recently a lone gunman entered the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and began shooting. He killed one woman and injured several others after reportedly shouting, "I'm a Muslim American; I'm angry at Israel."

In Michigan, a pro-Israel driver allegedly tried to run down an Arab-American demonstrator at a rally protesting the current conflict in the Middle East. And in South Florida where I live, the Jewish community was targeted by four acts of vandalism; two against synagogues and two against businesses.

As a person of conscience, I denounce the senseless attack at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and offer my sincere condolences to the family and friends of those killed and injured. I also express my sympathies to the Jewish community in Florida who suffered from the recent acts of vandalism.

It is evident that these and similar incidents nationwide are a disturbing result of the Middle East conflict. That crisis shows no sign of ending soon. The silence in response to the disregard for innocent lives and the beating of war drums is deafening.

We have witnessed almost 1 million displaced people, hundreds of innocent lives lost and the utter destruction of civilian infrastructures in Gaza and Lebanon. We have to ask ourselves whether all this death and destruction will ever bring peace.

Rafi Ginat, editor of Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel's largest newspaper, said, "I am prepared to hail down hellfire on the Hezbollah terrorists, their aides, their collaborators, all those who turn a blind eye to them and everyone who so much as smells of Hezbollah and their innocent bystanders can die instead of ours."

In a taped message broadcast by Al-Jazeera television, Ayman Al Zawahri said, "All the world is a battlefield open in front of us. The war with Israel does not depend on cease-fire."

The Yesha Rabbinical Council announced in response to the Israeli attack on the Lebanese town of Qana, in which many civilians were killed, that "according to Jewish law, during a time of battle and war, there is no such term as 'innocents' of the enemy."

The expedited shipment of American-made bombs to Israel is not a sign that our nation wants a cease-fire or peace. One can hardly overlook the remarks made by Secretary of State Condolezza Rice when she said the conflagration is "the birth pangs of a new Middle East."

The sentiments being played out are quite troubling and one has to wonder, considering that the United States is playing a pivotal role in this issue, whether the conflict will be transplanted here.

The killing of innocent men, women and children must be denounced at all levels and by all faiths. People of conscience and faith must set an example and distance themselves from all acts of terrorism. If we don't set an example, who will?

It is imperative that the American Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities work together and do whatever is possible to prevent the Middle East conflict from permeating our county.

We have the opportunity, the ability and the motivation to set a good example. We have no other choice. Silence is a form of acceptance.

(NOTE: A version of this commentary was published in the August 7th issue of Florida's Sun-Sentinel newspaper. SEE: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-14forum04aug07,0,7005563.story )

SEE ALSO:

ISRAELI ATTACKS KILL 45 LEBANESE, UN DEAL DELAYED - TOP
Andrew Marshall, Reuters, 8/7/06
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlebusiness.aspx?type=tnBusinessNews&storyID=nL07726695

Israeli attacks killed at least 45 people in Lebanon on Monday and a U.N. Security Council vote on a resolution to end the 27-day-old conflict was delayed after Arab nations objected to the draft.

Israeli air raids killed at least 40 people in southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley, and another five died in a strike on a crowded area in Shi'ite-dominated south Beirut.

With diplomatic efforts to end the conflict stalled, Israel said it may expand its ground offensive, and a military source said the army had warned residents of south Lebanon to stay indoors after 10 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Monday. (MORE)

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CINCINNATI MUSLIMS TO HOLD PRAYER VIGIL FOR WAR VICTIMS - TOP

(CINCINNATI, OH, 8/7/06) - On Monday, August 7, the Cincinnati office of CAIR-Ohio will co-sponsor a candlelight vigil for the victims of war in Lebanon and Palestine on the grounds of the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati.

WHO: Cincinnati Muslim Community (Muslim Mothers Against Violence, Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati, Council on American-Islamic Relations, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Intercommunity Justice & Peace Center, and Peace Village.)

WHAT: Candlelight Prayer Vigil
WHERE: Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati
WHEN: August 7, 2006, 8:15 p.m.

CONTACT: Karen Dabdoub, 513-281-8200, E-mail: karen@cair-ohio.com; Zeinab Schwen, zschwen@fuse.net

SEE ALSO:

LEBANESE EMBASSY TO HOST OPEN HOUSE, APPEAL FOR AID - TOP
Humanitarian Appeal for Lebanon: A Gathering for Unity & Support

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/7/06) - The Embassy of Lebanon invites you to attend an open house to show unity and solidarity and to support the humanitarian relief efforts for Lebanon in this national crisis.

WHEN: Tuesday, August 8, 2006, 5-8 P.M.
WHERE: Ritz-Carlton Hotel-Tysons Corner, 1700 Tysons Blvd., McLean, VA

This Event is in Coordination with: (in alphabetical order) Al Hewar Center, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), American Druze Society - Charitable Affairs, American Foundation for St. George Hospital Inc., American Task Force for Lebanon (ATFL), AUB Alumni Association of North America - Greater Washington Chapter, Arab American Institute (AAI), Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Hariri Foundation, International Orthodox Christian Charities, Lebanese American Council for Democracy, National US Arab Chamber of Commerce, Network of Arab-American Professionals - DC Chapter, Rene Mouawad Foundation.

CONTACT: Walid Haidar, Tel: 202-939-6309, E-Mail: whaidar@lebanonembassyus.org

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RELIGION NOTES: CAIR CALL - TOP
Philadelphia Enquirer, 8/5/06
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/15203229.htm

Meanwhile, the Council on American-Islamic Relations last week issued a call to all faiths for humanitarian assistance for civilians affected by the conflict in Lebanon and to the Palestinians.

Donations of diapers, water-purification tablets, flour, rice, lentils, sugar, cooking oil and powdered milk are requested, with supplies being sent to Life for Relief and Development, a charitable organization listed with the U.S. Agency for International Development. For details on how to help, go to www.cair.com

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HUNDREDS JOIN WHITE HOUSE VIGIL TO PROTEST LEBANON INVASION - TOP

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/7/06) - Hundreds of people joined a silent candlelight vigil in front of the White House last night to ask the government to call for an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon and to protest Israel's deliberate targeting of civilians.

The vigil drew participants of diverse backgrounds, including many of Lebanese origin. The protestors included children who chanted, "Stop the war now."

The protestors gathered at Farragut Square Park at 8 p.m. and walked as a group to the White House with lighted candles. The vigil ended at 10 p.m. on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House.

The stated purpose of the protest was to demand an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, to mourn and express outrage at the loss of innocent civilian lives, to condemn the internal displacement of one-third of the population of Lebanon, and to deplore the systematic destruction of the country.

The vigil was sponsored by the Lebanese American Community of the Washington Metropolitan Area in association with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Al-Hewar Center, and other Muslim and Arab-American associations and human rights activists.

CONTACT: Al-Hewar Center: 703-281-6277, CAIR: 202-488-8787

SEE ALSO:

VIGIL A CRY FOR PEACE IN LEBANON - TOP
Martin Weil, Washington Post, 8/7/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/06/AR2006080600658.html

About 500 members of Washington's Lebanese American community marched to the White House last night in a candlelight vigil to call for an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon.

Organizers said the vigil was intended to express their outrage at the deaths, destruction and large-scale displacement in Lebanon resulting from Israeli military action.

Protesters included men, women and children, many carrying red-white-and-green Lebanese flags or placards calling for change in U.S. policy in the Middle East.

They gathered about 8 p.m. at Farragut Square, marched through Lafayette Square and circled slowly, and for the most part silently, for about two hours on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House.

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IN: MARCHING, PRAYING FOR PEACE - TOP
Lanetta J. Williams, Hoosier Times, 8/6/06
http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/stories/2006/08/06/news.new.1154838595.sto

People from all walks of life and religious backgrounds marched through Bloomington Saturday night in a show of solidarity.

In contrast with the current conflict between Lebanon and Israel, different faiths came together to show support for one another and support for those affected by war.

The peace walk from the Showers Building to the Monroe County Courthouse ended with a prayer service.

The event was sponsored by Bloomington Muslims and Jews for Peace and Justice, a combination of the groups Muslims For Peace and Justice and the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace. The group aims to bring Muslims and Jews together in dialogue to promote peace and understanding. Despite their different backgrounds, each group conveyed the same message: peace.

"We are gathered here to express our solidarity for our Middle Eastern brothers and sisters," said Maryam Roohani, a member of Muslims for Peace and Justice and the Bloomington Muslims and Jews for Peace and Justice.

Roughly 250 people gathered on the grounds of the courthouse accompanied by song and a moment of silence. The event was meant to be spiritual, not political, organizers said. . .

"Just like everyone else in Bloomington, Indiana, the United States, and the world, we're at a loss to come up with a political solution," he said. "But we have to start with work that's born out of spirituality. Above all, we hope the violence ceases."

As they walked side by side and prayed in both Arabic and Hebrew, one message was clear.

"There can be all types of truces and cease-fires, but if there is no compassion, it won't last," Bloom said. (MORE)

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CAIR-MI: LOCAL FAMILY HIT BY SNIPER, SPEAKS ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE TRAPPED IN THE CROSSFIRE - TOP
Aatif Ali Bokhari, Arab American News
http://www.arabamericannews.com/newsarticle.php?articleid=6005

Three residents here were nearly killed by sniper fire while escaping Lebanon this week.

Fresh from their holiday gone wrong, Fatima, Ali and Nabeel Salemassi took part in an emergency press conference Wednesday at the Islamic House of Wisdom (IHW) in Dearborn Heights, an event sponsored by the Michigan chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI).

Fatima, her 10-year-old son Ali and 8-year-old son Nabeel had been vacationing in the South of the now war-torn country when the Israeli military began bombing it.

The three Salemassis had been escaping from Bint Jebail in a caravan of mostly Christian civilians, whose villages had also been bombed, when they were struck by sniper fire, presumably Israeli.

All three were shot at with bullets which they said were loaded with pellets that exploded, causing more damage.

Fatima has a burn on her arm where a pellet grazed her before it lodged in her chest while Ali was hit in the arm, an arm now swathed in thick white bandages. Nabeel had the most shocking injuries. A bullet hit him in the cheek and passed out through his mouth disfiguring his face, perhaps for life.

When Fatima looked up, she saw that her son Nabeel had a hole in his face. She said she thought that he had died and began screaming.

The family rushed to a nearby hospital, even though it too had been bombed. There were two male nurses there who started treating the family. Realizing Nabeel was still alive, they started putting medicine on his face.

But even in the hospital, the Salemassis could have died. While they were there, the Israelis started bombing the hospital again and they had to hide in the basement with everyone else.

The Salemassi family realized that they would have to go to another hospital, but it was about eight miles away. The best way to not get shot was to go walking.

About 20 people went, taking Nabeel along in a wheelchair. As the group walked, Israeli planes bombed on either side of them, at least five different times. "They were terrorizing us," recalled Fatima.

The Salemassis still couldn't get out of Lebanon on an American ship; they were forced to escape on a Canadian boat.

Fatima said that doctors here praised the response that Lebanese health care had given her family and were amazed that the three were still alive.

Said Executive Director of CAIR-MI, Dawud Walid, "Unfortunately, weapons that have injured American citizens and destroyed their property were paid for with our tax dollars. What was the crime of this young family, Nabeel, his brother Ali, and their mother Fatima that they were shot like this? We call again for our administration to broker an immediate cease-fire."

Mohamed Ali Elahi, imam of the IHW said, "These young people are very lucky to be here right now. These are Americans, hit by American made weapons but saved by Canadians. That is a shame." (MORE)

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US MUSLIM GROUP SAYS SURVEY SHOWS AMERICANS BACK CEASE-FIRE IN LEBANON - TOP
Jeff Custer, Voice of America, 8/4/06
http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-08-04-voa62.cfm

A U.S.-based Muslim group says a recent survey it sponsored shows the Bush administration is out of step with U.S. citizens on the issue of an immediate cease-fire to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.

The Washington-Based Council on American-Islamic Relations says a public opinion poll the group commissioned shows at least 53 percent of those surveyed support an immediate cease-fire in the conflict. (MORE)

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SORTING OUT LIFE AS MUSLIMS AND MARINES - TOP
Andrea Elliott, New York Times, 8/7/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/07/nyregion/07marines.html

They were called upon to fight a Muslim enemy, alongside comrades who sometimes questioned their loyalty. They returned home to neighborhoods where the occupation is commonly dismissed as an imperialist crusade, and where Muslims who serve in Iraq are often disparaged as traitors.

Some 3,500 Muslims have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan with the United States armed forces, military figures show. Seven of them have been killed, and 212 have been awarded Combat Action Ribbons.

More than half these troops are African-American. But little else is known about Muslims in the military. There is no count of those who are immigrants or of Middle Eastern descent. There is no full measure of their honors or injuries, their struggle overseas and at home. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

PRESSURED TO NAME NAMES - TOP
A Moroccan says the U.S. gave him a stark choice: Inform on fellow Muslims or be deported as a likely terrorist. It's a routine tactic, some say.
Lee Romney, Los Angeles Times, 8/7/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-informant7aug07,0,7097537.story

The document that federal agents handed to Yassine Ouassif to justify his deportation contained startling language: "The United States government has reason to believe that you are likely to engage in terrorist activity."

Ouassif was in exclusive company. Since Sept. 11, only five people have faced that ominous charge. Ouassif was about to become the sixth.

The slip of paper offered no details on what was behind the accusation.

As federal officials took him into custody in December, they told the 24-year-old Moroccan - a permanent resident who had moved to California nine months before the terrorist attacks - that he would be taken to a detention facility in Arizona. He could fight deportation from there, but it would take at least two years, they said. And they assured him he would fail.

Ouassif was scared. He cried. But he was not surprised.

Just three weeks earlier, an FBI agent had laid out a stark choice in a furtive meeting near an East Bay commuter rail station: If Ouassif signed on as an informant in the government's war to root out terrorism, all his problems would disappear. If he declined, Ouassif would almost certainly be deported. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Tue, 08 Aug 2006 15:30:27 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Hate Messages Target MI Muslims / Violence Stifles Muslim-Jewish Dialogue / GA Candidate Refers to 'Arab Surnames' of Donors

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/8/06

* Verse: God's Promise is True
* Cartoon Mocks Israeli Claims in Lebanon
* Sign CAIR's 'Not in America's Name' Petition
            - Rally for Lebanon, Palestine Aug. 12 in DC
* CAIR-CA: Violence Stifles Muslim-Jewish Dialogue (SF Chron)
            - CAIR-OH Co-Hosts Cease-Fire Vigil (Enquirer)
* Video: GA Candidate Refers to 'Arab Surnames' of Donors
* Why America Gives Israel Unconditional Support (Economist)
            - CAIR: U.S. Opinion Split on ME Conflict (VOA)
* Annan: Qana Killings Could Breach International Law (AFP)
            - Israeli Strike Kills 14 Lebanese Villager (Reuters)
            - Aid Agency Warns of Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
* ME: Suspect Consulted Cop About Pig's Head 'Joke' at Mosque
            - MI: Hate Messages Target Muslims (Detroit News)
            - Demonizing Islam Threatens Religious Freedom
            - TX: Muslims Vent Frustrations at Forum (Houston Chron)
* U.S. Soldiers Took Turns Raping Iraqi Girl (AP)
            - US Attack on Unarmed Afghans Captured by Photos
            - NC: Afghan's Deadly Beating Detailed (News and Observer)

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VERSE OF THE DAY: GOD'S PROMISE IS TRUE - TOP

"Remain patient in adversity, for surely God's promise is true. And do not let those, who themselves have no certainty of faith, shake your firmness."

The Holy Quran, 30:60

To obtain or sponsor a FREE Quran, go to: www.explorethequran.org

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CARTOON: SMARTY BOMBSALOT - TOP
http://www.markfiore.com/animation/smarty.html

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SIGN CAIR'S 'NOT IN AMERICA'S NAME' PETITION - TOP
www.notinamericasname.org

We, the undersigned, wish to state that our government's refusal to call for and work toward an immediate cease-fire in the Middle East is unjust, immoral and counterproductive.

We believe that those elected officials who reject a cease-fire are not acting in our nation's best interests and we wish to state clearly that they do not speak in our name.

We demand that our government:

1. call on all parties to the current conflict in the Middle East to implement an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire,

2. work toward immediate release of any prisoners held in violation of international law,

3. demand an immediate end to the targeting of civilians or civilian infrastructures by any individuals, groups or states in the region, and

4. use every American diplomatic resource to restart a peace process designed to achieve justice for all people in the Middle East.

Americans of all races, faiths and national origins condemn the killing of civilians and support a peaceful and just resolution to all international conflicts.

SEE ALSO:

RALLY FOR LEBANON AND PALESTINE AUG. 12 IN DC - TOP
http://www.cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=443&theType=AA

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CAIR-LA: LEBANON VIOLENCE STIFLES DIALOGUE BETWEEN JEWS AND MUSLIMS IN U.S. - TOP
Matthai Chakko Kuruvila, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/8/06
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/08/08/MNGGTKD0381.DTL

As the carnage has mounted in Lebanon and Israel, it has become a rallying cry for Bay Area Jews and Muslims, leaders of each faith say, but it also has deepened the chasm between the faiths, spurring rhetoric and exacerbating long-standing antagonisms.

Locally and across the country, each side has organized rallies, raised money, lobbied politicians and trotted out war refugees to dramatize its cause.

The nation's most prominent Muslim groups, several of whose leaders are in the Bay Area, urged all Muslim nations last week to cut off ties to Israel and to declare it a "terrorist state." And mainstream Jewish groups have been unflinching in their support for Israel. . .

The domestic religious divide is a blow to leaders of the Bay Area's active interfaith movement, who view this region as a model for cooperation between religions. . .

But a number of major Jewish and Muslim groups have long refused to begin conversations with each other.

"Muslim and Arab organizations that wish to debate Israel's right to exist are not ones that we work with," said Abby Porth, associate director for the Jewish Community Relations Council. "And we believe they don't represent moderate Muslim voices in America."

Some Muslim groups view it differently.

"If you criticize Israel in any way, they won't communicate with you," said Safaa Ibrahim, executive director of the Northern California chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-OH: MANY GROUPS, ONE VOICE - TOP
Jennifer Edwards, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/8/06
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060808/NEWS01/608080328/-1/CINCI

As fighting worsened Monday in Lebanon, dozens of representatives from a diverse mix of organizations across Greater Cincinnati gathered at the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati to pray for a cease-fire in the Middle East.

More than 100 people attended the service marked by several speakers urging peace, compassion and understanding. During the speeches, a West Chester police cruiser patrolled the parking lot. A candlelight vigil followed.

The event was hosted by Muslim Mothers Against Violence and co-sponsored by groups including the Council on American Islamic Relations, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the National Conference for Community and Justice and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. (MORE)

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VIDEO: MCKINNEY CHALLENGER SAYS 'ARAB SURNAMES' OF DONORS MEAN 'I COULD SAY SHE'S UNDER THE CONTROL OF TERRORISTS' - TOP
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/VIDEO__Opponent_implies_Rep._McKinney_0804.html

During a debate with Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), primary challenger Hank Johnson alluded to the "Arab surnames" of some McKinney supporters before saying, "I could accuse her of being under the control of terrorists," RAW STORY has learned.

McKinney had criticised Johnson for receiving money from Republican contributors, indicating that his participation in the primary was benefitting the party.

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WHY AMERICA GIVES ISRAEL ITS UNCONDITIONAL SUPPORT - TOP
The Economist, 8/3/06
http://economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=7255198

Why is America so much more pro-Israeli than Europe? The most obvious answer lies in the power of two very visible political forces: the Israeli lobby (AIPAC) and the religious right. AIPAC, which has an annual budget of almost $50m, a staff of 200, 100,000 grassroots members and a decades-long history of wielding influence, is arguably the most powerful lobby in Washington, mightier even than the National Rifle Association.

"Thank God we have AIPAC, the greatest supporter and friend we have in the whole world," says Ehud Olmert, Israel's prime minister. The lobby, which is the centrepiece of a co-ordinated body that includes pressure groups, think-tanks and fund-raising operations, produces voting statistics on congressmen that are carefully scrutinised by political donors. It also organises regular trips to Israel for congressmen and their staffs. (The Washington Post reports that Roy Blunt, the House majority whip, has been on four.)

The Christian right is also solidly behind Israel. White evangelicals are significantly more pro-Israeli than Americans in general; more than half of them say they strongly sympathise with Israel. (A third of the Americans who claim sympathy with Israel say that this stems from their religious beliefs.) Two in five Americans believe that Israel was given to the Jewish people by God, and one in three say that the creation of the state of Israel was a step towards the Second Coming. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR: AMERICAN OPINION SPLIT ON US POSITION ON ISRAEL-LEBANON CONFLICT - TOP
Mil Arcega, Voice of America, 8/7/06
http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-08-07-voa46.cfm

Diplomatic efforts are intensifying as Israeli warplanes continue to pound southern Lebanon. The U.S. says it is working closely with European leaders and the U.N. Security Council to put an end to the fighting but insists an immediate ceasefire will not guarantee a lasting peace. Meanwhile, Americans public opinion appears split on how to end the nearly 4-week-old conflict.

The fighting between Hezbollah and Israel continues unabated across Lebanon's southern border. . .

But a phone survey commissioned by the largest Islamic civil liberties group in the U.S. claims the majority of Americans want an end to the fighting. The Council on American-Islamic Relations says nearly 54 percent believe the U.S. should call for an immediate ceasefire. Parvez Ahmed is the council's chairman.

"The American public opinion is behind the ceasefire, there ought to be an immediate ceasefire at this point in time, to not only allow for humanitarian aid to reach people in that troubled region but also to work towards the just resolution of this 50-year conflict."

A similar survey by CNN shows only 44 percent of Americans believe Israel should agree to an immediate ceasefire.

Mohammed Nimer, the Council's research director hopes the surveys will encourage more discussion. "There is great room for debate on the overall US policy in the Middle East and that is what the American public opinion polled by an independent research firm told us." (MORE)

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ANNAN SAYS QANA KILLINGS COULD BREACH INTERNATIONAL LAW AS CEASEFIRE SOUGHT - TOP
Stuart Williams, Agence France Presse, 8/8/06
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060808/wl_afp/mideastconflict_060808084433

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan made a new appeal to Israel and Hezbollah "to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law," in a preliminary report on the July 30 attack which left at least 28 civilians dead including 16 children.

"The attack on Qana should be seen in the broader context of what could be, based on preliminary information available to the United Nations, including eyewitness accounts, a pattern of violations of international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, committed during the course of the current hostilities," Annan said. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ISRAELI STRIKE KILLS 14 - TOP
Tom Perry, Reuters, 8/8/06
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-08-08T161251Z_01_L069031_RTRUKOC_0_UK-MIDEAST.xml

Israeli air strikes killed 14 villagers in south Lebanon on Tuesday as Beirut pleaded for a swift end to Israel's war with Hizbollah guerrillas that has cost up to 1,000 Lebanese and 100 Israeli lives in four weeks.

Diplomats at the United Nations in New York said a vote on a resolution to end the war might not take place before Thursday and fighting in south Lebanon raged on.

"We are working to have a quick ceasefire or at the very minimum an end to acts of aggression," said Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. "Then displaced people can return to their homes."

Israeli air raids killed 14 people and wounded 23 in the southern village of Ghaziyeh, rescue workers and hospital officials said. The bombs fell as mourners were burying 15 people killed by a raid there the previous day. (MORE)

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SWISS AID AGENCY WARNS OF HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN GAZA - TOP
http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/front/detail/Concern_raised_about_crisis_in_Gaza.html?siteSect=105&sid=6957777&cKey=1155057571000

United Nations and Swiss agencies are warning of a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, which has been largely forgotten due to the conflict in Lebanon.

The head of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) for Gaza and the West Bank says the population in the occupied territories feels abandoned.

Mario Carera said the situation in the area had deteriorated over the past few weeks. "The food and security situation is catastrophic," he told the Swiss news agency, SDA-ATS. (MORE)

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ME: SUSPECT CONSULTED COP ABOUT PIG'S HEAD 'JOKE' AT MOSQUE - TOP
Man asked cop about 'joke'
David Hench, Portland Press Herald, 8/8/06
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/state/060808matthews.shtml

Brent Matthews says that a week before he rolled a pig's head into a Lewiston mosque, a Lewiston police officer told him that leaving the head in a doorway as a practical joke might lead to charges of littering, or perhaps improper disposal of animal parts.

That exchange was described in court papers Matthews' attorney filed Monday. The documents outline for the first time Matthews' defense of his actions, which created an uproar and led to a rally in support of the city's Muslim community.

The paperwork, filed in response to the attorney general's civil rights injunction, seeks to portray the incident as an act of stupidity, perhaps, but not a hate crime.

But Lewiston police say that Eric Syphers, the officer Matthews spoke with, also counseled Matthews against depositing the pig's head in a doorway and warned him it might be a hate crime.

Syphers was the officer who ended up arresting Matthews after the incident, having persuaded him to turn himself in to police.

The court papers filed by Matthews say he and Syphers were acquaintances and had talked about the pig's head during a chance encounter at the Lewiston Mall.

"As soon as it happened, he knew who to get in touch with," said Lewiston Police Lt. Michael McGonagle. McGonagle said he is not sure, but believes Matthews must have indicated he was going to target Somalis or else Syphers would not have suggested it could be a hate crime. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

HATE MESSAGES TARGET MUSLIMS - TOP
Arab-American leaders won't back down after letter, call urge them to 'go back to Lebanon.'
Darren A. Nichols, Detroit News, 8/8/06
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060808/METRO01/608080348

Arab-American leaders are urging residents not to be afraid to voice their feelings about Mideast violence, despite a letter sent to city households that urged Muslims to "go back to Lebanon."

"We are Americans first and we should not let (some) differences be a reason for any form of hatred to exist among us," said Imad Hamad, regional director of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC).

"It comes as no surprise to us. It's unfortunate and a sad reality that every time there is a hostile situation, this is something that comes as a part of the typical negative backlash. Unfortunately some people use this as a way to silence people so they don't speak their mind."

On Monday, the ADC received several phone calls in response to the letter mailed to residents in Dearborn. The letter in part read, "The only way for the West to survive is to limit the immigration of Muslims. Your kind is not wanted in this country, this state, our city of Dearborn and this neighborhood."

The civil rights organization said it also received a newspaper clipping and a voicemail, both of which expressed Muslim residents should return to Lebanon.

ADC Deputy Director Rana Abbas said she did not know exactly how many people received the letter or where it came from. She added the messages of hate are larger than before.

"We are concerned about these messages, which are meant to intimidate the community," Abbas said. "Our concern is that they can incite hatred. All these messages are being forwarded to the authorities and are being properly investigated." (MORE)

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DEMONIZING ISLAM THREATENS RELIGIOUS FREEDOM FOR EVERYONE - TOP
Charles Haynes, Hattiesburg American, 8/8/06
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060808/OPINION01/608080330/1014

When Christian activists burned a Quran in Mississippi last month, you could almost hear Osama bin Laden cheering them on.

For years al-Qaida has spewed propaganda to convince Muslims that America's "war on terrorism" is a thinly disguised "war on Islam." Now Christian Right groups are helping to make al-Qaida's case.

The Mississippi burning of Islam's holy book was part of an anti-abortion rally held by Operation Save America. According to their leader, the Rev. Flip Benham, this wasn't the first Quran-burning - and won't be the last.

Islam opposes abortion, but that makes no difference to Christian groups bent on saving America from a list of evils "detestable to the Lord." Along with Supreme Court decisions and the rainbow flag (other things tossed into the fire), the Quran represents what they describe as "an insidious lie perpetrated by Satan himself."

Attacks on Islam from the Christian Right began soon after 9/11 when the Rev. Franklin Graham labeled Islam a "very evil and wicked religion." Jerry Falwell described Muhammad as a "terrorist" - remarks that helped spark deadly riots in India. Pat Robertson called Islam "a monumental scam."

More responsible evangelicals understand the danger of turning the terrorism fight into a new crusade. The National Association of Evangelicals has called for more "temperate speech," arguing that spreading the Gospel doesn't require demonizing other faiths. (MORE)

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MUSLIMS VENT FRUSTRATIONS AT FORUM - TOP
They share tales of being detained at airports, other points of entry
Richard Vara, Houston Chronicle, 8/8/06
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/4100994.html

Houston Islamic religious and community leaders criticized the Homeland Security office, saying the department routinely discriminates against Muslims, especially at airports and other points of entry.

Ten Houston-area imams and community leaders voiced their displeasure to Daniel W. Sutherland of the Homeland Security's Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in an inaugural meeting Monday between the federal office and the city's Islamic leaders at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. The federal officials hope to continue the meetings every few months.

"The main problem the Muslim community has ... is the presumption of guilt," said Yasir Qadhi, a Houston imam and a doctoral candidate at Yale University. "It is the singling out of people just because of their looks or their identity." (MORE)

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U.S. SOLDIERS TOOK TURNS RAPING IRAQI GIRL - TOP
Investigator details how troopers drank, played cards, shot the victim and family members, then grilled some chicken wings
Ryan Lenz, Associated Press, 8/8/06
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060808.IRAQRAPE08/TPStory/TPInternational/America/

American soldiers took turns raping a 14-year-old Iraqi girl, and one of them put a bullet through her head after killing her parents and five-year-old sister, an army investigator testified yesterday.

The attack followed a session of whisky drinking and card playing during which five soldiers plotted the March 12 assault, criminal investigator Benjamin Bierce said.

He cited details from a sworn statement by Specialist James Barker in which the soldier told how he and his comrades practised hitting golf balls before heading to the Iraqi teen's home 230 metres from their post at a traffic checkpoint.

The soldiers then returned to their post, where Spc. Barker grilled up some chicken wings, Mr. Bierce testified. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

BRUTAL US ATTACK ON UNARMED AFGHANS CAPTURED BY PHOTOS - TOP
Tom Coghlan, Independent, 8/8/06
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/article1217554.ece

Claims that US troops shot dead up to six unarmed Afghan civilians two months ago in Kabul have been given added credibility with a series of photographs offering visual evidence of military misconduct.

The pictures were taken by an Afghan passer-by on 29 May in Khair Kane, a district of north Kabul. The 20 photographs appear to show a group of unarmed Afghan civilians being killed by gunfire from an American Humvee.

The allegations made in Kabul follow other recent incidents in which US troops are alleged to have used disproportionate or reckless force against civilians, most notably in Haditha, Iraq, on 19 November 2005 when US troops allegedly killed 15 civilians.

The Kabul pictures were taken as American vehicles fled the scene of an accident in which several Afghans were killed and injured after a US Army truck lost control and hit a number of civilian vehicles. Shot from a hillside above where the original accident took place, they show a crowd of Afghans throwing stones at the American vehicles.

A sequence of pictures show US vehicles leaving at high speed as the crowd stones them. In one sequence, a clearly unarmed Afghan man is seen with an American Humvee in the background, then as part of a group of men throwing stones towards the Americans. Two frames later his lifeless body is on the ground, having apparently been shot in the chest.

Another picture shows the body of an 18-year-old mechanic named Maiwan. His family said he was also hit by bullets fired from a US Humvee towards the crowd. His brother Jawad, 19, said Maiwan died from wounds to his knee and chest. "We are not the sort of people to do anything against US forces," said Jawad. "Maiwan was quiet and friendly. My father loved him too much, more than the rest of us."

The photographer, Atif Ahmadzai, 34, said: "I thought at first they were firing into the air. I was on the hill taking the pictures and, as they fired towards me, I ducked. One bullet grazed my thigh. Two people were killed behind me." He said he saw six bodies in total. (MORE)

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AFGHAN'S DEADLY BEATING DETAILED - TOP
Ex-CIA man's trial begins in Raleigh
Andrea Weigl, News and Observer, 8/8/06
http://www.newsobserver.com/497/story/468762.html

Former CIA contractor David Passaro beat an Afghan detainee two nights straight, hurting the man so much that he begged guards to shoot him, a prosecutor said Monday.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael "Pat" Sullivan said in opening statements of Passaro's assault trial that Passaro probably fractured Abdul Wali's pelvis by kicking and hitting him with a 2-foot flashlight. "After two solid nights of beating him, Wali died," Sullivan told jurors.

Passaro, 40, of Lillington, has been charged with assaulting Wali in June 2003 at a U.S. military outpost near Asadabad, Afghanistan. Wali was a suspect in rocket attacks on the outpost.

Passaro's federal public defender, Joseph Gilbert, gave the jury a very different account. The two sides differed over how many times Passaro interviewed Wali.

Gilbert said Passaro interviewed Wali only twice -- once with his supervisor and once at Wali's request in his holding cell.

"Dave is guilty only of trying to serve his country," Gilbert said.

Passaro's case has gotten international attention because he is the first person associated with the Central Intelligence Agency to be tried on charges of abusing a detainee. He is also the first civilian prosecuted under the Patriot Act, which extends federal prosecutors' reach to U.S. bases overseas.

On Monday, Passaro's defense suffered a blow to its ability to argue that the Bush administration and the CIA allowed such harsh tactics. U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle denied a request to subpoena former CIA Director George Tenet and former counterterrorism chief Cofer Black.

The judge also refused to let the defense call John Yoo, a former Justice Department lawyer who co-authored "the torture memo." The administration paper redefined torture as only actions that resulted in organ failure, impairment of a bodily function or death. By comparison, the Geneva Conventions forbid "physical or mental coercion" of detainees.

Sullivan's opening argument gave the most detailed account of what the government says happened during those four days at the Asadabad base: (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2006 15:06:49 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Ask GA Candidate to Meet with Muslims Over 'Terrorist' Remarks

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

CAIR ACTION ALERT #498

ASK GEORGIA CANDIDATE TO MEET WITH MUSLIMS OVER 'TERRORIST' REMARK

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/9/06)
- CAIR is calling on American Muslims and other people of conscience to contact Georgia congressional candidate Hank Johnson and ask that he meet with American Muslim and Arab-American leaders to discuss his recent remarks implying that all voters with Arabic names may be "terrorists."

In a televised debate with Rep. Cynthia McKinney, Johnson said: "...But since we're talking about Middle East policy I will say that the abundant number of contributors to Mrs. McKinney's campaign are, have Palestinian and Arab surnames, now I could accuse her of being under the control of terrorists." Johnson won Tuesday's runoff for Georgia's Fourth Congressional District.

Johnson's remarks may be viewed at:
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/VIDEO__Opponent_implies_Rep._McKinney_0804.html

In a letter to Johnson, CAIR Government Affairs Director Corey Saylor wrote:

"This comment seems to suggest that Arab-American and Muslim participation in the political process has sinister connotations and that having an Arabic name somehow indicates a propensity for violence."

Saylor requested that Johnson meet with Muslim and Arab-American community leaders to discuss their concerns about his remarks.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED:

Call, fax or e-mail Hank Johnson's campaign headquarters and insist that he apologize for the remarks and agree to meet with Muslim and Arab-American leaders within the next few days.

(Remember, remain POLITE at all times. Hostile comments hurt our efforts. CALLS ARE BEST.)

TEL: 770-323-HANK (4265) (Ask for Press Secretary Deb Speights.)
FAX: 678-418-2079
E-MAIL: hank@hankjohnsonforcongress.com or http://www.hankforcongress.com/feedback
COPY TO: csaylor@cair.com

MAILING ADDRESS:

Hank Johnson for Congress
5240 Snapfinger Park Drive, Suite 140
Decatur, GA 30035

- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the American Muslim community. Subscribers to the list receive news releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on issues of importance to our society.

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Wed, 09 Aug 2006 17:08:40 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslim Charities Say Fear Dams Money Flow / US Sailor Spied for Israel, Russia / A Guide to U.S. Experts on Islam

HTML Attachment [ Scan and Save to Computer | Save to Yahoo! Briefcase ]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/9/06

* Hadith: Knowledge is a Blessing
* Sign CAIR's 'Not in America's Name' Petition
            - Rally for Lebanon, Palestine Aug. 12 in DC
* CAIR-CA: Muslims Discuss Mideast with Elected Officials
            - CAIR-CA: Interfaith Dialogue on Mideast Conflict
            - CAIR-San Diego Offers Sensitivity Training for FBI
            - CAIR-Chicago Joins 'Hotel Workers Rising!' Campaign
* CAIR: Muslim Charities Say Fear Dams Money Flow (Wash Post)
* CAIR: Islamophobic Blog Takes Aim at News Media (Wash Post)
* Report: US Sailor Spied for Israel (Jerusalem Post)
            - Sources: Sailor Suspected of Spying for Russia (CNN)
            - VA: Navy Says Sailor Gave Out Classified Info
* US Neocons Hoped Israel Would Attack Syria (CS Monitor)
            - 15 Members of Lebanese Family Killed (AP)
            - UT: Mormons, Muslims Join Mideast Relief Efforts
* RESOURCE: A Guide to U.S. Experts on Islam
* NY: Pakistani-Born Pilot Sues for Discrimination (AP)
            - CA: Iranian Professionals' Visas Revoked (LA Times)
* Canada: China to Execute Canadian Muslim

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HADITH OF THE DAY: KNOWLEDGE IS A BLESSING - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "God, His angels and all those in Heavens and on Earth, even ants in their hills and fish in the water, call down blessings on those who instruct others in beneficial knowledge."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 422

-----

SIGN CAIR'S 'NOT IN AMERICA'S NAME' PETITION - TOP
www.notinamericasname.org/

We, the undersigned, wish to state that our government's refusal to call for and work toward an immediate cease-fire in the Middle East is unjust, immoral and counterproductive.

We believe that those elected officials who reject a cease-fire are not acting in our nation's best interests and we wish to state clearly that they do not speak in our name.

We demand that our government:

1. call on all parties to the current conflict in the Middle East to implement an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire,

2. work toward immediate release of any prisoners held in violation of international law,

3. demand an immediate end to the targeting of civilians or civilian infrastructures by any individuals, groups or states in the region, and

4. use every American diplomatic resource to restart a peace process designed to achieve justice for all people in the Middle East.

Americans of all races, faiths and national origins condemn the killing of civilians and support a peaceful and just resolution to all international conflicts.

SEE ALSO:

RALLY FOR LEBANON AND PALESTINE AUG. 12 IN DC - TOP
http://www.cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=443&theType=AA

-----

CAIR-CA: MUSLIMS DISCUSS MIDEAST WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS - TOP

(SANTA CLARA, CA 8/9/2006) - The San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA) and members of the Arab-American and Muslim community met this week with Representatives Mike Honda (D-15) and Zoe Lofgren (D-16) to discuss the current crisis in the Middle East.

Constituents who recently returned from Lebanon described the harrowing ordeal of struggling to escape the bombardment of Israeli missiles. They urged the congressional representatives to consider the consequences to the image and credibility of the United Status for its unconditional support of Israel.

Rep. Honda has already co-sponsored House Concurrent Resolution 450, which calls for an immediate ceasefire.

CONTACT: Public Relations Coordinator Sameena Usman, Tel: 408-986-9874, E-Mail: susman@cair.com

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-CA: INTERFAITH DIALOGUE ON MIDEAST CONFLICT - TOP

Join us for an evening of awareness and dialogue. Listen to eye-witness accounts of the current Mideast Crisis. Representatives from different faith communities will also attend.

WHEN: Friday, August 11, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
WHERE: South Bay Islamic Association (SBIA), 325 N. 3rd St, San Jose

Free admission, light dinner provided. Parking available on the 2nd St. side at the St. James Health Center.

SPONSORED BY:

* SBIA: South Bay Islamic Association
* MCA: Muslim Community Association
* CAIR: Council on American-Islamic Relations

CONTACT: CAIR-CA, Tel: 408-986-9874, E-Mail: nocal@cair.com

---

CAIR-SAN DIEGO OFFERS SENSITIVITY TRAINING FOR FBI - TOP

(SAN DIEGO, CA, 8/9/06) - On Tuesday, August 8, the San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-San Diego) conducted a Religious and Cultural Sensitivity Training Seminar about Islam and Muslims for more than 50 federal law enforcement personnel at the FBI San Diego Field Office. The presentation was given by CAIR-San Diego Director of Public Relations Edgar Hopida.

The two-hour presentation was followed by questions from the participants. FBI San Diego Field Office was given a copy of the Quran, Islam's revealed text, and copies of the CAIR publication "A Law Enforcement Official's Guide to the Muslim Community."

CONTACT: Edgar Hopida, (858) 278-4547, E-Mail: ehopida@cair.com

---

CAIR-CHICAGO JOINS 'HOTEL WORKERS RISING!' CAMPAIGN - TOP

(CHICAGO, IL, 8/9/06) - The Chicago Office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago) announced today that it is joining the Local 1 Union's grassroots campaign to generate better working conditions for impoverished workers in the hotel industry.

The campaign, "Hotel Workers Rising!" addresses the tendency of some hotel corporations to overlook the basic living needs of their blue-collar employees by increasing their workload and decreasing their benefits. The campaign demands livable minimum wages and appropriate benefits.

"When injustice singles out any group of people, the rest of the community should stand in solidarity with that group and protest in one voice," said CAIR-Chicago Operations Coordinator Sabah Ahmed.

"Working towards social justice was a dominant theme in the Prophet Muhammad's life and is a main cornerstone of the Islamic spirit," said Ahmed Rehab, CAIR-Chicago's executive director.

"Hotel Workers Rising!" will host an interfaith clergy breakfast on August 18th, at a location to be determined. Both Rehab and Ahmed are slated to attend with other religious leaders who will speak out for the labor rights of hotel workers at the Palmer House Hilton.

For more information, please visit http://www.hotelworkersrising.org/

-----

CAIR: MUSLIM CHARITIES SAY FEAR IS DAMMING FLOW OF MONEY - TOP
Alan Cooperman, Washington Post, 8/9/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/08/AR2006080801246.html

In a Detroit warehouse, boxes of diapers, water-purification tablets, lentils, rice, powdered milk and cooking oil are stacked almost to the ceiling, destined for Lebanon. More packages, mostly from individual donors across the country, arrive every day.

But nobody -- not even the charity that is collecting them -- is very happy about it.

"Obviously, it makes more sense for us to get financial contributions. Obviously, this is the most inefficient way to do humanitarian aid," said Mohammed Alomari, a spokesman for the charity, Life for Relief and Development in Southfield, Mich.

Charities prefer that people send money rather than food, medicine or other goods, because in-kind donations force the charities to pay for shipping, delay the arrival of the aid, and saddle relief workers with the task of sorting and distributing items that may not be needed.

The problem, according to relief groups, is that many people who are inclined to write checks for emergency aid and reconstruction in Lebanon are afraid of ending up in some government database of suspected supporters of terrorism.

Arab American leaders say this is one of the unintended consequences of the U.S. government's crackdown on charities run by Muslims. Though aimed at cutting off illicit funding for terrorist groups, the crackdown has complicated legitimate humanitarian relief efforts in Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank.

"Dozens of people have approached me. They want to help, they want to send money to buy medicine, and they're afraid of the government reaction to their contribution," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations. "Some do it anyway. They can't sit idly. But they worry that one day they'll hear a knock on the door."

CAIR, which is one of the country's largest Muslim organizations, reluctantly is encouraging donations of goods, on the grounds that they are better than nothing. Its Web site, http://www.cair-net.org/ , lists needed items, such as rice, sugar and cooking oil, along with detailed instructions on how to pack and send them.

"We're forced to go the least effective route, which is sending actual relief supplies, because of the restrictions on, and the problems associated with, sending financial relief to the Middle East," CAIR spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said. "If you send lentils, at least no one can accuse you of supporting terrorism." (MORE)

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CAIR: BLOGGER TAKES AIM AT NEWS MEDIA AND MAKES A DIRECT HIT - TOP
Paul Farhi, Washington Post, 8/9/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/08/AR2006080801431.html

Charles Johnson could tell there was something wrong with the news photo the minute he saw it. Something about the three plumes of black smoke rising over the buildings -- smoke just doesn't curl that way, pirouetting in unison. It was, he wrote Saturday, "blatant evidence of manipulation."

He was right on target. . .

Not everyone, though, is a fan. Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights organization often vilified on Johnson's blog, calls Little Green Footballs "a vicious, anti-Muslim hate site . . . that has unfortunately become popular."

The irony, Hooper says, is that if the same kind of "hatred" that appears on LGF appeared on Muslim sites, it soon would be used by LGF's fans to justify their worldview.

Like many politically themed blogs, Little Green Footballs doesn't always traffic in subtlety and nuance. Dissenting points of view often are dismissed as "idiotarian" or "LLL" (for "loony liberal left"), and Islam is mockingly referred to as "RoP," meaning "religion of peace."

Hooper says the Reuters incident is unfortunate in itself, but says such sites as Little Green Footballs use such lapses "as a club against the entire mainstream media. Their line is basically that if one freelance photographer alters a photo, then everything Israel does must be justified. Or if one of the sentences that Dan Rather once uttered wasn't correct, then the media is corrupt and Dan Rather's whole career is rotten to the core."

The FBI, according to Hooper, recently investigated several threats of physical harm against Muslims posted by Little Green Footballs readers. (MORE)

-----

REPORT: US SAILOR SPIED FOR ISRAEL - TOP
David Keyes, Jerusalem Post, 8/9/06
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1154525834949&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

A US Navy sailor, Ariel J. Weinmann, is suspected of spying for Israel and has been held in prison for four months, according to an article published Monday in the Saudi daily Al-Watan. It reported that Weinmann is being held at a military base in Virginia on suspicion of espionage and desertion.

According to the navy, Weinmann was apprehended on March 26 "after it was learned that he had been listed as a deserter by his command." Though initial information released by the navy makes no mention of it, Al-Watan reported that he was returning from an undisclosed "foreign country." American sources close to the Defense Department told Al-Watan that Israel was the country in question.

"The US Navy concluded Article 32 proceedings [a pretrial investigation] in the case of Fire Control Technician Third Class Ariel J. Weinmann on July 26, 2006," Ted Brown, a media relations officer at the US Fleet Forces Command, told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. The US Fleet Forces Command is the "convening authority of the case... and will make the decision with respect to what charges, if any, will be referred to a general court-martial."

The veracity of Al-Watan's claim that Weinmann is suspected of spying for Israel remains in question, and military and Pentagon spokesmen are remaining tightlipped. A public affairs officer at the Office of Naval Intelligence told the Post that he was unaware of the allegations against Weinmann.

Al-Watan speculated that if Weinmann spied on behalf of the Mossad, it would be the biggest espionage case since Jonathan Pollard's arrest. Pollard, who worked as a civilian intelligence analyst for the US Navy, was caught in 1985 and convicted of spying for Israel. He is currently serving a life sentence in the US. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

SOURCES: NAVY SAILOR SUSPECTED OF SPYING FOR RUSSIA - TOP
Barbara Starr, CNN, 8/9/06
http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/08/09/sailor.charge/index.html

A sailor facing espionage and desertion charges has been held at a Norfolk, Virginia, brig since March, the U.S. Navy said Wednesday.

Ariel Weinmann, 21, is suspected of having worked on behalf of Russia, said military sources close to the case.

He was likely to have had access to technical manuals and other material on how submarine systems work, Navy sources said. It's not believed that anyone else in the Navy worked with him, they said.

The fire control technician third class, assigned to the submarine USS Albuquerque, attempted on three occasions to pass classified information to foreign agents, according to the charges against him.

Those times include March 2005 in Bahrain; October 2005 in Vienna, Austria; and March 2006 in Mexico City, Mexico, according to the charges.

In addition to the espionage allegations, Weinmann also faces desertion charges, which could result in the death penalty. He is accused of deserting in July 2005 during his first tour of duty. (MORE)

---

VA: NAVY SAYS SAILOR IN BRIG STOLE LAPTOP, GAVE OUT CLASSIFIED INFO - TOP
Kate Wiltrout, Virginian-Pilot, 8/9/06
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=108896&ran=82404&tref=po

After refusing to release full details on a pending espionage case involving a petty officer held in the Norfolk brig, the Navy on Tuesday provided some specifics about the charges.

The Navy's charges depict Petty Officer 3rd Class Ariel J. Weinmann as a sailor who stole a Navy laptop computer, deserted his ship for more than eight months and traveled the globe, both attempting to give and actually delivering classified defense information to an undisclosed foreign government.

Weinmann, a fire control technician previously assigned to the submarine Albuquerque, had an Article 32 hearing July 26 in Norfolk, said Ted Brown, a spokesman for the Navy's Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk.

Brown said Weinmann is represented by two Navy attorneys, Lt. Cmdr. Karen Somers and Lt. William Tansey.

"At this point in the proceedings, it is not in my client's best interest to comment on the case," Somers said Tuesday through a spokeswoman.

Brown's supervisor, Capt. James Taylor, the command's public affairs officer, on Tuesday provided a copy of the six charges Weinmann faced at his Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a preliminary hearing.

Arguably the most serious charges are three counts of espionage in violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The first count alleges that in March 2005, in or near Manama, Bahrain, Weinmann did "attempt to communicate, deliver or transmit" classified information relating to national defense to "a representative, officer, agent or employee of a foreign government." (MORE)

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US NEOCONS HOPED ISRAEL WOULD ATTACK SYRIA - TOP
Israel considered expansion of conflict in Lebanon 'nuts.'
Tom Regan, Christian Science Monitor, 8/9/06
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0809/dailyUpdate.html

The White House, and in particular White House advisors who belong to the neoconservative movement, allegedly encouraged Israel to attack Syria as an expansion of its action against Hizbullah, in Lebanon. The progressive opinion and news site ConsortiumNews.com reported Monday that Israeli sources say Israel's "leadership balked at the scheme." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

15 MEMBERS OF LEBANESE FAMILY KILLED - TOP
Zeina Karam, Associated Press, 8/9/06
http://localnewsleader.com/jackson/stories/index.php?action=fullnews&id=209231

Ali Rmeity lies broken and bandaged on a hospital bed, wincing in pain. Three of his children and his parents are dead - but he doesn't know all that yet. Doctors fear telling the 45-year-old now would be a bigger blow than he can sustain.

Rmeity was at home with his wife and four children shortly after nightfall Monday when Israeli missiles slammed into their apartment building in the predominantly Shiite southern Beirut suburb of Chiah.

At least 41 people were killed - including 15 from Rmeity's family - making it the deadliest single strike of the four-week-old Israeli offensive in Lebanon. Workers continued to retrieve bodies from under the slabs of concrete Wednesday.

---

MORMONS, MUSLIMS JOIN FOR MIDEAST RELIEF EFFORTS - TOP
Salt Lake Tribune, 8/9/06
http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_4154663

As the latest round of violence in the Middle East continues to flare between Israel and Hezbollah, two disparate religious groups - Mormons and Muslims - have pooled their resources to aid the casualties of the conflict.

Mormons, who have a long history of disaster preparedness, have the supplies. And Muslims, who consider charity one of the five pillars of Islam, have the contacts on the ground.

During the first week of August, a plane filled with 85 tons of supplies - baby formula; powdered milk; medical supplies; hand soap; and hygiene kits filled with toothbrushes, toothpaste and other personal products - left Salt Lake City for a Lebanese port. (MORE)

-----

RESOURCE: A GUIDE TO U.S. EXPERTS ON ISLAM - TOP
http://www.religionlink.org/tip_060807.php

-----

NY: PAKISTANI-BORN PILOT SUES JETBLUE, CLAIMING DISCRIMINATION - TOP
Associated Press, 8/9/06
http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/stories/wcnc-080906-jmn-pilot_jet_blue.948cf2a.html

A Pakistani-born pilot now living in North Carolina is suing JetBlue Airways Corp. for discrimination, claiming the airline rescinded a job offer and told him it was because of his background.

Faisal Baig, a U.S. citizen who was raised in Yonkers, claims in the suit that an airline manager told him in March that he was a "security risk."

According to the suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, Baig asked, "Are you saying that you are not hiring me because of my name or my religion? ... Are you saying you are not hiring me because of where I'm from?"

The manager answered, "Yes, and JetBlue considers you a security risk," according to the suit.

Baig claims he was offered the job in February and had already received a ticket to attend the airline's training school in Orlando, Fla. The 40-year-old, a Muslim, had previously flown for Independence Air for nearly six years.

"I was devastated," he said. "I've been living in this country since I was 7, and now somebody's telling me I'm not a good American." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

IRANIAN PROFESSIONALS' U.S. VISAS REVOKED - TOP
Dozens en route to a reunion in California are turned back at American airports.
Teresa Watanabe and Lee Romney, Los Angeles Times, 8/5/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-visas5aug05,1,2187960.story

Amid rising tensions with Iran, U.S. officials have abruptly revoked the visas of dozens of Iranian professionals headed to a university reunion in Northern California this weekend, refusing them entry as they landed at several U.S. airports.

The men and women had obtained 15-day visitor visas to attend the fourth global alumni reunion of Iran's Sharif University of Technology, a prestigious institution known as the "MIT of Iran."

Though a handful successfully entered the United States, by the time the association festivities began at the Santa Clara Hyatt Regency late Friday, it appeared that visas of the bulk of alumni from Iran had been revoked under a 2002 national security law.

Organizers said they knew of about 40 barred from entering the U.S. in recent days. About a dozen of the visitors, some traveling with spouses and children, were detained at San Francisco International Airport on Thursday, and some were held overnight in what one described to a friend in a brief phone call as "jail conditions."

A State Department spokeswoman said she could not discuss the cases because of confidentiality laws, but stressed that visa revocations in general are individual decisions and not politically motivated.

Individual revocations of visas have been common in the post-Sept. 11 era. But immigration and human rights attorneys condemned the apparent en masse crackdown on the Sharif alumni as a shortsighted political move inspired by recent tensions over Iran's nuclear program and links to Hezbollah. (MORE)

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CANADA: CHINA TO EXECUTE BURLINGTON MAN WHO CHAMPIONED MUSLIM STATE - TOP
Christine Cox, Hamilton Spectator, 8/9/06
http://www.hamiltonspectator.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=hamilton/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1155073816426&call_pageid=1020420665036&col=1014656511815

Amnesty International fears that Huseyin Celil, a Burlington man held in a Chinese jail, could be executed by tomorrow.

The organization has unconfirmed reports that Celil, 37, will be put to death for alleged terrorist activities.

Celil's wife, Kamila Telendibaeva, clings to the belief that it can't happen. Celil's sister tearfully called from China last week saying a police officer had told her Celil would be killed Aug. 10, but Canadian officials told Telendibaeva that the Chinese government said it wasn't true.

Telendibaeva hasn't seen her husband since he was arrested in Uzbekistan while they were visiting her family. Celil, a political dissident who came to Canada as a refugee, was arrested on a warrant from China. He had been sentenced to death in absentia in China.

He had championed the cause of the Muslim Uygur people in northwest Xinjiang province, an area taken over by the Chinese more than 50 years ago.

Every day Telendibaeva's three children ask her "Where's Daddy?" Telendibaeva, who is due to give birth to her fourth child Aug. 20, tells them he is coming back soon. . .

MacLeod said China has failed to meet its obligations under the Geneva Convention, including consular access, telling Canada what the charges are against Celil, and ensuring that there is a fair trial if the charges are legitimate.

Canada gave Celil refugee status to protect him from his persecutors, but now he's in their hands, the lawyer said. "They scooped him from a third country while he was travelling on a Canadian passport ... In light of China's track record, you cannot help but be concerned." . . .

Beth Berton-Hunter, an Amnesty International spokesperson, said the organization has put out an Urgent Action call.

It is urging human rights supporters everywhere to appeal to Chinese authorities on Celil's behalf, including faxing the ambassador to Canada, Lu Shumin (613-789-1911).

Amnesty International says the death penalty is used extensively and often arbitrarily in China. (MORE)

-----

CAIR

Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2006 09:37:00 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims to React to Alleged Airline Terror Plot

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

-MEDIA ADVISORY -

U.S. MUSLIMS TO REACT TO ALLEGED AIRLINE TERROR PLOT

(WASHINGTON, DC, 8/10/06) - On Thursday, August 10, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will hold a noon news conference in Washington, D.C., to offer the Muslim community's reaction to an alleged plot to blow up passenger planes between Britain and the United States.

British officials say 21 people have been arrested after a months-long investigation. American authorities reacted to the arrests by raising the threat level for air transport to "red."

WHAT: CAIR to React to Alleged UK/US Airline Terror Plot
WHEN:
Thursday, August 10, Noon
WHERE: CAIR's Capitol Hill Headquarters, 453 New Jersey Avenue S.E., Washington, D.C.
CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

"The American Muslim community supports efforts to ensure the safety and security of the traveling public," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "We once again urge law enforcement authorities and elected officials to caution against stereotyping entire religious or ethnic groups based on the alleged actions of individuals."

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2006 12:45:37 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: CAIR Statement on Alleged Airline Terror Plot

HTML Attachment [ Scan and Save to Computer | Save to Yahoo! Briefcase ]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAIR STATEMENT ON ALLEGED AIRLINE TERROR PLOT

(WASHINGTON D.C., 8/10/06)
- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today issued the following statement at a news conference in Washington, D.C., in response to the arrests of 21 individuals for allegedly plotting to use liquid explosives on passenger flights traveling from the United Kingdom to the United States. (NOTE: CAIR's news conference was taped for later broadcast by C-SPAN.)

In its statement, CAIR said:

"American Muslims have consistently condemned all acts of terrorism, whether carried out by individuals, groups or states. We repudiate anyone or any group that plans or carries out a terrorist act. We welcome early actions by law enforcement authorities against credible threats to the safety of the traveling public.

"The American Muslim community has always been dedicated to the protection of our national security. It is also important that our fellow Americans understand that Muslims are law-abiding citizens who should not be targeted or singled out because of their faith or national origin.

"We have been contacted by federal law enforcement authorities who are taking steps to ensure that there is no backlash against the American Muslim community. We commend them for their pro-active efforts. We ask local Muslim communities to step up security measures at mosques and other Islamic institutions. We also urge local law enforcement agencies to coordinate with Muslim leaders to deter hate crimes.

"It is important, based on past counterterrorism cases that did not lead to terror convictions, that we withhold judgment until all the facts of this case come to light. We also ask public officials and commentators to avoid using stereotypical and ill-defined terminology when referring to this and similar cases.

"As the largest American Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, it is our religious and civic duty to reach out to all Americans to reaffirm Islam's teachings of peace, justice and tolerance for all."

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

 

Forwarded Message

Date: Thu, 10 Aug 2006 18:52:59 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Concerned About Bush's Use of 'Islamic Fascists' / Outreach Helps Muslims Make Inroads / Unconditional Support for Israel is a Liability for U.S.

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/10/06

* Hadith: What Good Deeds Have You Done Today?
* CAIR News Conference to Air Friday Morning on C-SPAN
* U.S. Muslims Concerned About Bush's Use of 'Islamic Fascists'
            - CAIR: US Muslims Condemn Terror, Warn Against Backlash (AFP)
            - CAIR-FL: Muslims Denounce Plot, Wary of Backlash (Miami Herald)
            - CAIR: Islamic Community Worried About Backlash (WTOP)
            - CAIR-Philly: Group Supports Safety Measures (NBC 10)
* CAIR-LA Rep to Speak at Anti-War Rally
* CAIR-MI Welcomes Arrest of Kidnapping Suspects (AP)
* ISLAM-OPED: Unconditional Support for Israel is a Liability for U.S.
* CAIR: USA's Muslims Under a Cloud (USA Today)
            - CAIR: Outreach Efforts Help Muslims Make Inroads (USA Today)
* WA Judge Admonished for Removing Muslim Woman from Court
* Canada: Two Men Arrested in Attack on Mosque (Globe and Mail)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: WHAT GOOD DEEDS HAVE YOU DONE TODAY? - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Who among you has fasted today (as a means of self-purification)?...Who among you followed (a funeral procession out of respect for the dead) today?...Who among you fed a poor man today?...Who among you visited an invalid today?...Anyone in whom (these good deeds) are combined will certainly enter Paradise."

Sahih Muslim, Hadith 505

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CAIR NEWS CONFERENCE TO AIR FRIDAY MORNING ON C-SPAN - TOP

C-SPAN will air CAIR's news conference reacting to the reported airline terror plot at 6:20 a.m. (Eastern) on Friday.

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U.S. MUSLIMS CONCERNED ABOUT BUSH'S USE OF 'ISLAMIC FASCISTS' - TOP
CAIR: 'Today you equated the religion of peace with the ugliness of fascism'

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/10/06) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today expressed concern over President Bush's use of the term "Islamic fascists" in a news conference about the arrest of 21 suspects in a plot to bomb airliners flying between Britain and the United States.

SEE: Religious Group Bristles at Bush Term 'Islamic Fascists' (Reuters)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14290351/

In a letter to President Bush, Parvez Ahmed, board chairman of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) wrote in part:

"American Muslims have consistently condemned all acts of terrorism, whether carried out by individuals, groups or states. We repudiate anyone who plans or carries out a terrorist act. The American Muslim community remains dedicated to the protection of our nation's security. . .

"Unfortunately, your statement this morning that America 'is at war with Islamic fascists' contributes to a rising level of hostility to Islam and the American-Muslim community. Just today, Gallup released a poll indicating that four out of ten Americans feel 'prejudice' toward Muslims.

SEE: Anti-Muslim Sentiments Fairly Commonplace
http://poll.gallup.com/content/?ci=24073

"You have on many occasions said Islam is a 'religion of peace.' Today you equated the religion of peace with the ugliness of fascism.

"The use of ill-defined hot button terms such as 'Islamic fascists,' 'militant jihadism,' 'Islamic radicalism,' or 'totalitarian Islamic empire,' harms our nation's image and interests worldwide, particularly in the Islamic world. It feeds the perception that the war on terror is actually a war on Islam. . .

"American Muslims stand ready to serve as a bridge of understanding to the Islamic world. We can best fulfill that role by offering advice that can help prevent misperceptions and misunderstandings between different nations and cultures."

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

SEE ALSO:

CAIR: US MUSLIM GROUP CONDEMNS TERRORISM, WARNS AGAINST BACKLASH - TOP
Agence France Presse, 8/10/06

A leading US Muslim organization Thursday condemned all terrorism following a foiled airline bomb plot against US cities and called on Americans to avoid any backlash against Muslim Americans.

"American Muslims have consistently condemned all acts of terrorism, whether carried out by individuals, groups or states. We repudiate anyone or any group that plans or carries out a terrorist act," the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in a statement.

"The American Muslim community has always been dedicated to the protection of our national security. It is also important that our fellow Americans understand that Muslims are law-abiding citizens who should not be targeted or singled out because of their faith or national origin," CAIR said.

The organization said it had been contacted by federal law enforcement authorities "who are taking steps to ensure that there is no backlash against the American Muslim community."

However, CAIR urged local Muslim communities to boost security measures at mosques and other Islamic institutions.

The British government announced Thursday it had foiled a plot to blow up US-bound flights from London.

The head of the US Department of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, said the alleged plot was "in some respects suggestive" of the Al-Qaeda organization headed by Osama bin Laden.

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CAIR-FL: REGIONAL MUSLIM LEADERS DENOUNCE PLOT, WARY OF BACKLASH - TOP
Casey Woods, Miami Herald, 8/10/06
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/broward_county/15244503.htm

Even as they denounced the terror plot in London, South Florida Muslim leaders braced for a possible backlash because of suspicions that Muslim terrorists were behind it.

"In the past, when there have been incidents in the world that have Muslim involvement, there are repercussions here at home," said Altaf Ali, executive director of the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "It's almost automatic."

After past terrorist incidents, such as the July 2005 bombings of London's public transport system, local Islamic centers were vandalized or received threatening phone calls and letters, Ali said.

On Thursday, CAIR fielded calls from concerned Muslim leaders from across the region, Ali said.

"They want to find out if indeed this plot was planned by Muslims so they can start preparing for the backlash," Ali said. "We are encouraging the community to step up security, just in the event that someone decides to take out their anger on the community." (MORE)

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CAIR: ISLAMIC COMMUNITY WORRIED ABOUT BACKLASH - TOP
Darci Marchese, WTOP Radio, 8/10/06
http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=25&sid=877267

Worried about a potential backlash of violence, an Islamic advocacy group in the District has a strong message after the alleged terror plot was foiled.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is condemning the terror plot, saying the Muslim religion is one of peace not hatred. Executive Director Nihad Awad hopes to avoid any type of retaliation.

"Our community should not be a second victim in this crisis."

CAIR is also upset about President Bush calling the suspects in the alleged plot "Islamic fascists."

"We believe this is an ill-advised term and we believe it is counterproductive to associate Islam and Muslims with fascism," says Awad. (MORE)

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CAIR-PHILLY: GROUP SUPPORTS SAFETY MEASURES - TOP
http://www.nbc10.com/news/9661772/detail.html

A Philadelphia Muslim group said Wednesday it supports efforts to ensure the safety of air travel, but members are urging law enforcement and others not to stereotype them.

The Philadelphia Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations planned to hold a news conference in Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon to talk about the Muslim community's reaction to the alleged plot to blow up passenger planes between Britain and the United States.

The Philadelphia chapter said in a news release that "the American Muslim community supports efforts to ensure the safety and security of the traveling public."

But chairman Iftekhar Hussain said entire religious or ethnic groups should not be stereotyped "based on the alleged actions of individuals." (MORE)

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CAIR-LA REP TO SPEAK AT ANTI-WAR RALLY - TOP

ANSWER TO FEATURE PAPARIAN
Joe Piasecki, Pasadena Weekly, 8/10/06
http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/article.php?id=3710&IssueNum=32

Former Pasadena Mayor and Green Party congressional candidate Bill Paparian, who is running a campaign in opposition to the Bush administration and the war in Iraq, is one of several speakers to be featured Saturday at an anti-war march in downtown Los Angeles.

Demonstrators are expected to gather at 1 p.m. at the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Broadway for a march to the federal building. In January 2003, more than 10,000 people gathered here to protest the war, and a month later some 30,000 more gathered in Hollywood.

A civil rights attorney, Paparian is currently defending a college student and a KPFK radio news reporter who were beaten by police at a July immigrant rights rally in Hollywood and later charged with attacking officers.

Featured speakers at the rally, which is sponsored by the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) coalition, are also expected to include Council on American-Islamic Relations Executive Director Hussam Ayloush, National Council of Arab Americans Board of Directors member Nader Abuljebain and Latino Movement USA Director Juan Jose Gutierrez.

For more information, call (323) 464-1636 or visit www.answerla.org

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CAIR-MI WELCOMES ARREST OF KIDNAPPING SUSPECTS - TOP
The pursuit of justice in Carroll kidnapping
Marines recall hunt for suspects
Antonio Castaneda, Associated Press, 8/10/06
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060810/NEWS07/608100357/1009

U.S. Marines who cracked the Jill Carroll kidnapping case say the American journalist who grew up in Ann Arbor was held for a time in a home within sight of a sprawling U.S. military base in western Iraq.

The Marines said the big break occurred May 19, when they searched a suspect's home near the Taqqadum logistics base seven weeks after Carroll's release. A lieutenant linked the residence to intelligence reports in the case.

After one man was arrested near Taqqadum, other troops captured three more suspects and freed two kidnapped Iraqis in other hideouts where Carroll is thought to have been held, including a house that was booby-trapped and full of explosives, the U.S. command said Wednesday. . .

The news was welcomed in metro Detroit, where the Michigan branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations played a role in trying to get Carroll released.

"We welcome the arrest of any potential perpetrators of the Jill Carroll kidnapping," said Dawud Walid, who heads the Michigan branch. "We hope that this will help give some closure to Ms. Carroll and her family." Two members of the council traveled to Baghdad to plead for her release. (MORE)

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UNCONDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL IS A LIABILITY FOR U.S. - TOP

ISLAM-OPED is a national syndication service of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) designed to offer an American Muslim perspective on current political, social and religious issues. ISLAM-OPED commentaries are offered free-of-charge to one media outlet in each market area. Permission for publication will be granted on a first-come-first-served basis.

CONTACT: ihooper@cair-net.org, TEL: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726 (c)

Please consider the following commentary for publication.

---

UNCONDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL IS A LIABILITY FOR U.S.
By Parvez Ahmed
WORD COUNT: 703

[Parvez Ahmed is board chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group. Contact him at pahmed@cair.com ]

The headlines are falling into a horrifyingly predictable pattern. Civilian casualties continue to mount in the Middle East while our government remains seemingly paralyzed by inaction.

The conflict has so far resulted in 95 Israeli deaths, including 35 civilians. In Lebanon, the death toll is more than 800, most of them civilians. Almost a quarter of Lebanon's population remains homeless. Damage to that nation's civilian infrastructure could cost tens of billions of dollars to repair.

Whether the killed or injured are a result of deliberate targeting, errant bombs or mistaken identity matters little to the dead or their families. A report by Human Rights Watch stated: "The Israeli government claims it is taking all possible measures to minimize civilian harm, but the cases documented here reveal a systematic failure by the IDF to distinguish between combatants and civilians."

While the majority of the victims are Lebanese or Palestinians, nonetheless no one should underplay the loss of any innocent life, whether Jewish, Christian or Muslim.

Contrary to President Bush's assertion, the current conflict did not begin with the abduction of Israeli soldiers. The attacks, reprisals and more counter attacks now form a vicious cycle, the core of which remains Israel's inability to make peace through justice, not force of arms.

Former President Jimmy Carter said recently: "There will be no substantive and permanent peace for any peoples in this troubled region as long as Israel is violating key U.N. resolutions. . .by occupying Arab lands and oppressing the Palestinians."

Former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft concurs. He said:

"Hezbollah is not the source of the problem; it is a derivative of the cause, which is the tragic conflict over Palestine that began in 1948. . .A comprehensive peace settlement would not only defang the radicals in Lebanon and Palestine (and their supporters in other countries), it would also reduce the influence of Iran."

The Bush doctrine in the current conflict is mired in the same neo-conservative self-aggrandizement and political fantasy that got us into Iraq. Pre-emption of terrorism does not require unilateral violence and death of innocent civilians. Far from achieving peace, the Bush doctrine has only emboldened extremists on all sides, who now hold a veto over peace. This is not leadership of the traditional American values of fairness and justice.

Rabbi Michael Lerner in a recent CNN interview said, "Many Jews in this country believe that the root of the issue is the Israel-Palestinian struggle and that we need to pursue a path recognizing the humanity of the Palestinian people."

The big problem in the Middle East remains the unresolved question of a viable Palestinian state. America's unconditional support of Israel makes it behave again and again like a bully on the playground. Israel has repeatedly abused American economic aid and military cover by pursuing settlements, building walls and bombing civilians, contrary to the desires of the American public.

Polls show that majority of Americans would like to see an immediate ceasefire and a plurality of Americans wants to see America pursue an even-handed approach to resolving the Middle East conflict.

Instead of reflecting this public opinion, the Bush administration and many other elected officials remain spellbound by the parochial views of special interest groups and messianic visions.

A poll by well known pollster Daniel Yankelovich's ( www.Publicagenda.org)shows that the American public is very uneasy about the growing hostility toward of the Muslim world towards the United States.

Another poll, taken before the current conflict, by the Gallup World Poll shows that from North Africa to Southeast Asia, more than 90 percent of respondents say that they do not believe the U.S. to be trustworthy, friendly, or respectful of other countries. How else do we expect the Muslim world to react when they see our leaders speak about Israeli rights and security yet leave Palestinians and Lebanese with neither?

Our one-sided support for Israel is a liability in the war on terror.

It has turned much of the world including our European allies against us. It is time for our Mideast policy to reflect views held by the majority of Americans who desires a just and peaceful resolution that preserves the rights, security and dignity of Jews, Christians and Muslims living in the Middle East.

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CAIR: USA'S MUSLIMS UNDER A CLOUD - TOP
Marilyn Elias, USA Today, 8/9/06
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-08-09-muslim-american-cover_x.htm

Motaz Elshafi, 28, a software engineer, casually opened an internal e-mail at work last month. The message began, "Dear Terrorist."

The note from a co-worker was sent to Muslims working at Cisco Systems in Research Triangle Park, N.C., a few days after train bombings in India that killed 207. The e-mail warned that such violent acts wouldn't intimidate people, but only make them stronger.

"I was furious," says Elshafi, who is New Jersey-born and bred. "What did I have to do with this violence?"

Reports of such harassment and discrimination against Muslims are rising, advocacy groups say. A USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of 1,007 Americans shows strong anti-Muslim feeling. And the hard feelings are damaging the mental health of U.S. Muslims, suggest new studies to be released at the American Psychological Association meeting starting Thursday in New Orleans.

Thirty-nine percent of respondents to the USA TODAY/Gallup Poll said they felt at least some prejudice against Muslims. The same percentage favored requiring Muslims, including U.S. citizens, to carry a special ID "as a means of preventing terrorist attacks in the United States." About one-third said U.S. Muslims were sympathetic to al-Qaeda, and 22% said they wouldn't want Muslims as neighbors.

Verbal harassment and discrimination correlate with worse mental health in studies of Muslims and Arab-Americans since 9/11, says psychologist Mona Amer of Yale University School of Medicine. . .

Many therapists are counseling more Arab-Americans and Muslims since 9/11, Amer says. Also, in surveys of Muslim spiritual leaders to be reported at the psychological association meeting, the imams report a surge in worshipers seeking help for anxiety and stress related to possible discrimination.

Reports of such abuses skyrocketed in the first six months after 9/11, fell in 2002 and have climbed again since the Iraq war began in 2003, according to data kept by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an education and advocacy group in Washington, D.C.

The number of assault and other discriminatory complaints filed with the group jumped from 1,019 in 2003 to 1,972 in 2005, says Arsalan Iftikhar, national legal director. . .

The USA TODAY/Gallup Poll suggests Americans have greater fear of Muslim men than women: 31% said they'd feel more nervous flying if a Muslim man was on the plane; 18% said they'd be more nervous with a Muslim woman. The poll, conducted July 28-30, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. . .

Amer believes the world has changed for U.S. Muslims since Sept. 11 but says: "I don't think Americans understand what's happened. Muslims have the same anxieties and anguish about terrorism as everyone else in the U.S. At the same time, they're being blamed for it. They're carrying a double burden." (MORE)

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CAIR: OUTREACH EFFORTS HELP MUSLIMS MAKE INROADS - TOP
Marilyn Elias, USA Today, 8-10-06
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-08-09-muslim-american-cover_x.htm
(Scroll down the page.)

Muslims in the USA might receive more favorable treatment if more Americans knew them. In a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of 1,007 Americans, 58% said they had never met a Muslim. And those who did know Muslims felt a lot better about them.

Ignorance about Islam and isolation from Muslims can only foment trouble, leaders in the Muslim community say.

Since 9/11, Muslim groups have greatly expanded their outreach, offering educational seminars on their religion and cultural practices to audiences such as the police, private companies, hospital workers, teachers, students and therapists.

The Islamic Networks Group, which has affiliates in 12 states, received 1,500 invitations a year to present such programs before 9/11; now it's about 4,000 a year, says president Maha ElGenaidi. "People are more open to learning about us, and we want to tell them."

In the past year, 30,000 Americans requested free Qurans offered by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, says Arsalan Iftikhar of the council. Reading the Quran will help Americans understand and appreciate Islam, he says.

And many interfaith groups involving Muslims have formed in the past few years in cities as diverse as Boston, Syracuse, N.Y., and Elyria, Ohio.

In Los Angeles, there are two "cousins clubs," interfaith groups of Muslim and Jewish women, so named because they share a common ancestor, Abraham. Participants read each others' sacred texts, celebrate holidays together and learn about one another's spiritual lives.

The women have become close, says Shayna Lester, co-founder of one of the groups. "We find we have more likenesses than differences. We no longer call each other cousins. We call each other sisters."

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WA JUDGE ADMONISHED FOR REMOVING MUSLIM WOMAN FROM COURT - TOP
Two judges scolded for behavior in court
Karen Hucks, News Tribune, 8/8/06
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/crime/story/6010692p-5279742c.html

The Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct has admonished two local judges, one for leading a football cheer before sentencing a man for manslaughter and one for forcing a Muslim woman out of the courtroom when she wouldn't take off her head scarf.

Superior Court judge Beverly Grant, who led the cheer, and Tacoma Municipal Court judge David Ladenburg, who removed the Muslim woman, agreed with the commission and promised not to err again.

An admonishment, written advice from the state commission overseeing judges' behavior, is the lowest form of punishment the commission can give. . .

In Ladenburg's case, the commission received a complaint that he required a Muslim woman Jan. 25 to either remove the head scarf she wore for religious reasons or leave the courtroom.

After an investigation, the commission said Ladenburg had created an appearance of bias or prejudice against the woman.

After the woman left, the judge explained in open court that he had "invited many people in the past to present me some evidence" about whether the Muslim religion forbade the removal of head coverings in court and had concluded that there was no such prohibition.

In May, Ladenburg admitted to the commission that he had a policy that everyone in his court must remove their head coverings unless they could present evidence that removing them was prohibited for religious or medical reasons. He acknowledged that he had not fully considered that his policy might infringe upon their religious rights. (MORE)

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TWO MEN ARRESTED IN EARLY-MORNING ATTACK ON MOSQUE - TOP
Sonya Fatah, Globe and Mail, 8/10/06
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060810.MOSQUE10/TPStory/TPNational/Ontario/

Police arrested two men on eight charges in what they called a hate-crime investigation early yesterday morning at an east Toronto mosque. The men were arrested around 1:30 a.m., after worshippers discovered a damaged door and held two men until police arrived.

Several men were offering prayers early in the morning at the Madinah Mosque on Danforth Avenue when one of them was alerted by a loud banging on the door leading to a parking lot. The men rushed outdoors, saw the damaged door and caught up with the men in the parking lot.

The mosque's caretaker, Ahmed Patel, an elderly, retired man, was sleeping when the incident occurred. The small group of worshippers took care of the situation, he said. Once they had caught the men, Mr. Patel said, the police were called. They arrived five minutes later.

There was a brief confrontation between the suspects and the worshippers, after which one of the suspects allegedly shoved a worshipper, said Detective Antonio Macias of 55 Division.

When the police arrested the men, they were in possession of a small axe or hatchet and a mallet. Police believe the mallet was used to damage the mosque door.

Det. Macias said both men were under the influence of alcohol.

They have been charged with mischief relating to religious property, possession of weapons dangerous to the public, and possession of burglar tools. One is also charged with disguise with intent for allegedly wearing a balaclava, and the other is also charged with assault. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2006 11:38:46 -0400
From:"Parvez Ahmed" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: An Urgent Appeal From CAIR

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As violence in the Middle East spirals out of control, our resources are once again stretched to their limit. Meanwhile our day-to-day work of defending your civil liberties and promoting an accurate image of Islam and Muslims continues to pile up at a pace that far outstrips our current resources. Our phone lines and e-mail boxes are overflowing with appeals from people who are counting on us to speak and act on their behalf.
[]

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A SAMPLE FEEDBACK

To:
cair@cair-net.org
Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2006 10:17 AM
Subject: Thank you

I am an American.  I would like to thank you for such an informative newsletter.  I just wish all Americans would take the time to read this.  The majority of Americans, in my experience, have very little knowledge of Islam and the heart breaking events in the Middle East.  ….. it is lack of knowledge by the American people, that cause them to associate terrorism with Islam and to automatically be pro-Israel, regardless of the facts. I believe, Americans (by nature), are good people.  It is just our lack of knowledge in religion, politics and foreign affairs......that we are easily mislead.   In these less than optimal times, it is refreshing to find your website and newsletter.
 
Thank you
Joanne

Dear Friend of CAIR,

As-salaam alaikum.

If you tuned into the news lately, you cannot have missed the media’s bias in portraying the conflict in the Middle East. You surely see our own government’s unconditional support for Israel. Even Sen. John Warner, from President Bush’s own party, questioned the wisdom of this one-sided support for Israel.

At CAIR we have organized a multi-layered campaign to address this recent conflict. A peaceful and just resolution to this five-decade-long conflict is important for the continued growth and empowerment of the Muslim community in America.

A new poll sponsored by CAIR and released last week shows that the majority of Americans want an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.

To allow ordinary Americans to receive an accurate characterization of this conflict and to voice their disagreement about current US policy, we have launched a new resource website: www.notinamericasname.org/

Among other things, the website contains a petition that demands that our elected officials pay heed to public opinion. Please take a moment to visit the website and sign CAIR’s “Not in America’s Name” petition. We need your help to reach our fellow Americans with these facts.

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 [] See More Videos

The website also contains educational materials about the conflict and suggests actions you can take to voice your opinions and concerns – from contacting your elected officials, sending humanitarian relief to the people in Lebanon and Gaza, organizing town hall meetings to writing letters to editors.

In addition, we have coordinated news conferences with American citizens who have relatives in Lebanon or those who just arrived from there. These news conferences were carried out in more than a dozen cities across the nation. Most of the news conferences were carried by local affiliates of ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX and helped to draw media attention to the bizarre situation in which American tax-payer-funded weapons are being used by Israel to bomb American citizens attempting to flee the war zone.

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It is our Islamic obligation to help the cause of peace and justice and to help those who are advocating such enduring Islamic values.

Help CAIR to Help You

To meet our budgetary needs for the remainder of this year
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Together, we can do it! We need:
All we are asking for are modest monthly donations - between $25 and $200 or more. For less than the cost of your cable TV or coffee bill you can help CAIR advocate for you. Visit us at http://www.cair.com/ to find out how we help you everyday.

[]

We close with a reminder from the Holy Quran, “Verily God will never change the condition of a people (community) until they change that which is within themselves (13:11).”

Sincerely,
Larry Cox
 
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Parvez Ahmed
Chairman
Larry Cox
 
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Nihad Awad
Executive Director
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©2006 CAIR - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Ave SE ::: Washington, DC 20003-4034 Tel. 202.488.8787 ::: Fax. 202.488.0833
[]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Forwarded Message

Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2006 14:26:53 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Israel Asks U.S. to Ship Rockets with Wide Blast / VA Town Hall Mtg on Mideast Crisis / DC Panel: 'The War in Lebanon and the War on Terror'

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/11/06

* Hadith: Do Not Hurt Your Neighbor
* Video: CAIR News Conference on UK Terror Plot (C-SPAN)
* DC: CAIR Takes Part in FBI News Conference on UK Terror Plot
* CAIR DC Panel: 'The War in Lebanon and the War on Terror'
* CAIR-MD/VA Town Hall Meeting on Mideast Crisis
* CAIR-FL: Interfaith Leaders to Hold Prayer Vigil for Peace
* CAIR: U.S. Muslim Group Irked by `Fascist' Term (Chicago Trib)
            - CAIR: Muslims Upset by Bush's Remarks (LA Times)
            - CAIR-FL: `Not Again,' Local Muslims Lament (Orlando Sent)
            - CAIR-MI: Detroit Area Muslims Fear Fallout (Detroit News)
            - CAIR-San Diego: Muslim Leaders Condemn Terror Plot
            - CAIR-Chicago: Muslims Feel Like Targets
            - CAIR-CA: Bay Area Muslims Fearful of Backlash
            - CAIR-Philly Calls for Beefed-Up Mosque Security
* Israel Asks U.S. to Ship Rockets with Wide Blast (NY Times)
            - Beirut: Before and After Israeli Bombing (MSNBC)
            - Lebanese Direct Growing Anger at U.S. (CS Monitor)
            - AIPAC Espionage Case Dismissal Gambit Fails
            - CAIR-OH Helps Relieve Suffering in Mideast (Plain Dealer)
* DC: Opponents of 'U.S.-Israeli War' Plan Aug. 12 Rally (Wash Post)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: DO NOT HURT YOUR NEIGHBOR - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever believes in God and the (Day of Judgment) should not hurt his neighbor. . .should serve his guest generously and. . .should say something good or keep quiet."

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Number 158

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VIDEO: CAIR NEWS CONFERENCE ON UK TERROR PLOT - TOP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBprSUQ00YU

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DC: CAIR TAKES PART IN FBI NEWS CONFERENCE ON UK TERROR PLOT - TOP

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/11/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today took part in an FBI press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., dealing with the alleged plot to bomb airliners flying between the United Kingdom and America. Other groups participating in the news conference included the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS), the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), the Arab American Institute (AAI), and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC).

CONTACT: CAIR Legal Director Arsalan Iftikhar, 202-488-8787 or 202-415-0799

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CAIR TO HOST PANEL DISCUSSION: WAR IN LEBANON AND THE WAR ON TERROR - TOP

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/11/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Research Center invites you to a panel discussion entitled "The War in Lebanon and the War on Terror."

The panel will feature two distinguished specialists in foreign policy and Arab studies. Anatol Lieven is coauthor of the upcoming book 'Ethical Realism: A Vision for America's Role in the World.' Bassam Haddad teaches Arab politics and is editor of 'Arab Studies Journal.'

* Anatol Lieven, Senior Research Fellow, New America Foundation
* Bassam Haddad, Professor Political Science, St. Joseph's University

WHEN: Wednesday, August 16, 2006, noon - 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Longworth House Office Building, Room 1310, New Jersey Ave and C Street, S.E., Washington, D.C.

Admission is free, but seating is limited. Email: irahman@cair.com to RSVP. Refreshments will be served.

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CAIR-MD/VA TOWN HALL MEETING ON MIDEAST CRISIS - TOP

CAIR-Maryland/Virginia invites you to attend a Town Hall Meeting on the crisis in the Middle East.

Speakers:

* Nihad Awad, Executive Director of CAIR
* Imam Muhammad Magid, ADAMS Center

WHEN: Friday, August 11, 2006, 8:40 p.m.-10 p.m. (Between Maghrib and Isha)
WHERE: ADAMS Center Main Hall, Sterling, VA

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CAIR-FL: INTERFAITH LEADERS TO HOLD PRAYER VIGIL FOR PEACE - TOP

(MIAMI, FL, 8/16/2006) - On August 17, the Florida office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL), along with several interfaith leaders from the Jewish and Christian community, will hold a prayer for peace in the Middle East. Members of the interfaith community will be present.

WHAT: Interfaith Prayer Vigil
WHEN: Thursday, August 17, 2006 at 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Miami Lakes Congregational Church

CONTACT: Altaf Ali, Tel: 954-298-8214 or 954-272-0490, Email: altaf@cairfl.org

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CAIR: U.S. MUSLIM GROUP IRKED BY `FASCIST' TERM - TOP
Chicago Tribune, 8/11/06
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0608110164aug11,1,4477084.story

An American Muslim group expressed distress Thursday over President Bush's use of the term "Islamic fascists" to describe the suspected terrorist plotters in Britain.

Parvez Ahmed, board chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, wrote in a letter to Bush: "You have on many occasions said Islam is a `religion of peace.' Today you equated the religion of peace with the ugliness of fascism."

Bush has used the term "Islamic fascists" or a variation several times in recent months. Others who have used the term include John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.); and conservative commentators such as Fox News' Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity.

Fascism, a political system instituted in Italy in the 1920s under dictator Benito Mussolini, is characterized by brutal suppression of dissent.

Ahmed wrote that use of the term "feeds the perception that the war on terror is actually a war on Islam."

But others praised Bush's broader message of vigilance. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) said: "We must be on alert so that our nation does not suffer another attack like 9/11."

SEE ALSO:

CAIR: MUSLIMS UPSET BY BUSH'S REMARKS - TOP
Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times, 8/11/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-fascist11aug11,1,2291799.story

President Bush was widely criticized by Muslim leaders Thursday for saying that the breakup of an alleged plot to blow up airliners over the Atlantic Ocean was a triumph in the "war against Islamic fascists."

Muslims, already resentful of the scrutiny they have been under since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, said the politically charged phrase unfairly connected one of the world's great religions with Nazism and totalitarianism - and fueled hostility against Islam and Muslims in America.

They said it also contradicted Bush's earlier statements that Islam was a religion of peace.

"There's nothing Islamic about fascism," said Edina Lekovic, communications director for the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Los Angeles. "Suggesting there is only over-politicizes things in a way that does not accurately describe the criminal adversaries we face at the moment."

She added: "It would have been far more accurate had he linked the situation to a segment of people rather than an entire faith, along the lines of, say, radical Muslim fascists."

Muzammil Siddiqi, director of the Islamic Society of Orange County, based in Garden Grove, agreed.

"He should be very sensitive about such things so that people do not misunderstand any faith, let alone one of the largest faiths of mankind," Siddiqi said. "I don't think his advisors are giving the right advice."

It's not the first time Bush has angered Muslims with his remarks. Shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, he referred to the global war on terrorism as a crusade, a term that connotes Christian attacks on Islam in the Middle Ages.

Over the last five years, administration officials and conservative talk-show hosts have frequently referred to Al Qaeda, terrorists and Iraqi insurgents as "Islamo-fascists."

Muslims say the administration is trying to convince Americans that they have the moral high ground in the fight against terrorism.

In a letter to Bush, Parvez Ahmed, board chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington, wrote, "The use of ill-defined hot-button terms such as 'Islamic fascists,' 'militant jihadism,' 'Islamic radicalism' or 'totalitarian Islamic empire' harms our nation's image and interests worldwide, particularly in the Islamic world." (MORE)

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CAIR-FL: `NOT AGAIN,' LOCAL MUSLIMS LAMENT - TOP
Victor Manuel Ramos and April Hunt, Orlando Sentinel, 8/11/06
http://www.orlandosentinel.com

Neal Abid's reaction to news of a foiled terrorist plot, linked Thursday by some reports to Pakistani Muslims in London's Asian community, was typical among followers of Islam in Central Florida.

"Oh, no. Not again," Abid, head of the Arab American Community Center in south Orlando, said of the news.

Leaders in Central Florida's Muslim community were concerned that the alleged plan to blow up airliners flying from Britain to the United States could lead some to paint Muslims with the broad brush of extremism -- as they say many did after Sept. 11, 2001.

"The concern is that, again, the community will be under watch," Abid said. "It's not fair, because there are bad apples in every box, and the majority of the community is against terrorism."

National, state and local Islamic leaders were quick to condemn the plot. Even so, leaders with the Council on American-Islamic Relations recommended that Florida mosques step up security to prevent vandalism. Leaders were hopeful nothing would happen.

"It might be the straw that makes someone go out and attack a Muslim," said Chris Cusano, Orlando director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "We should be able, as Muslims and non-Muslims, [to] look and see this is amoral. It's obviously an un-Islamic act.'' (MORE)

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CAIR-MI: DETROIT AREA MUSLIMS FEAR FALLOUT - TOP
Frustrated at being labeled as extremists, local leaders and residents support the fight against terror.
Gregg Krupa, Detroit News, 8/11/06
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060811/METRO/608110394/1003

"We feel the weight -- we know we are under suspicion," says Imad Hamad, regional director of the American-Arab Anti- Discrimination Committee. See full image

At the same moment Imad Hamad, regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, was in a telephone conference helping federal officials Thursday, amid new concerns about terrorism, a local Muslim leader across town was fielding phone calls of an entirely different sort.

"Local Muslims are calling, saying they are being yelled at by people in cars, calling them terrorists and things like that and (asking) why don't they go back home," said Dawud Walid of the Council on American Islamic Relations. (MORE)

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CAIR-SAN DIEGO: MUSLIM LEADERS CONDEMN TERROR PLOT - TOP
NBC San Diego, 8/10/06
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/9664458/detail.html

San Diego Muslim leaders condemned the airplane terror plot and asked for law enforcement to help guard against any possible backlash.

Police said the suspects are all Muslim and some have ties to Pakistan.

The Bank of England froze the assets of 19 people early Friday, naming them as people arrested Thursday in connection with an alleged terror plot to bomb British passenger jets.

"On the advice of the police and security services, the Treasury has instructed the Bank of England to issue notices to effect a freeze of the assets of a number of individuals arrested in yesterday's operations," a Treasury statement said.

Most of those named in the list were London residents, and many bore Muslim names.

Scotland Yard had no immediate comment.

San Diego Muslims said they want to make sure they are not targeted just because they share the same religion.

"Whenever something goes on, we are prepared to take any precautions in case a backlash occurs," said Edgar Hopida of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "Usually there is some sort of backlash, nationally. We are hoping in San Diego that doesn't occur." (MORE)

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CAIR-CHICAGO: MANY MUSLIMS FEEL LIKE TARGETS WHEN TERROR PLOTS SURFACE - TOP
Jon Duncanson, CBS2 Chicago, 8/10/06
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/local_story_222190512.html

When the threat-level of terrorism rises, many members of the Muslim community become uneasy.

Many Muslims feel that because the plotters purport to be Islamic, all Muslims face targeted scrutiny.

CBS 2's Jon Duncanson reports on a Chicago neighborhood where anxiety increases along with the national threat level.

On Devon Avenue, both Indians and Pakistanis live and mix in relative peace, even though their home countries are often at some level of war.

It's a place where an Indiana Sikh will speak of a terrorist plotter and not blame his Pakistani Muslim neighbor.

"They are terrorists. They are not Muslims. They don't have no religion," said one man.

But the many Muslims on Devon feel like targets nonetheless.

Naseem Sarwar has a bookstore with Urdu writing on the sign above, the national language of Pakistan. His store has been ransacked with nothing stolen twice.

"I've been victimized. It happened. Two times my store has been broken," said Sarwar.

Christopher Helt is an adjunct professor of immigration studies at Loyola. He also runs a law office on Devon and has defended Muslim men rounded up by authorities after 9/11 just because they were Muslim.

"You're under suspicion if you're Muslim, and that's really unfair. It's unfortunate and unfair," Helt said.

For Ahmed Rehab of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, every terror incident of warning has its predictable outcome for 400,000 Chicagoland Muslims.

"Every time this happens and breaks out in the news, our community is definitely targeted for bigotry, discrimination, and so the backlash is very real," Rehab said. (MORE)

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CAIR-CA: BAY AREA MUSLIMS FEARFUL OF BACKLASH - TOP
KCBS, 8/10/06
http://kcbs.com/pages/67330.php

Many Bay Area Muslims said they're bracing for a backlash against their community, which often occurs following headline-making events like today's terror-plot revelations.

They're reminding Americans not to stereotype an entire religion based on the alleged actions of a few.

"American Muslims have consistently condemned all acts of terrorism, whether carried out by individuals, groups or states," said Hussam Ayloush a spokesman for CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "We repudiate anyone or any group that plans or carries out a terrorist attack."

KCBS' Mike Colgan reported that Muslims say they're worried and offended by President Bush's characterization of those arrested in London's alleged airline terror plot as "Islamic fascists."

"The name of Islam itself is something that is dear to every Muslim because it signifies the peaceful religion itself and whenever someone tries to link the word Islam with something as horrific as the word fascism, it is extremely offensive to all Muslims," Ayloush said.

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CAIR-PHILLY: LOCAL MUSLIM GROUP CALLS FOR BEEFED-UP MOSQUE SECURITY - TOP
Karin Phillips, KYW Newsradio, 8/10/06
http://www.kyw1060.com/pages/67418.php

A local Muslim organization is asking for increased security, a little common sense and calm during this latest terrorist-related crisis.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is calling on Muslim communities to set up security around mosques and religious centers.

Adeeba al-Zaman is from CAIR's Philadelphia chapter. She says it's also a good idea for political leaders and those in the media to watch out for irresponsible terminology:

"We see a spike in hate crimes any time there is an international crisis such as this. So it's really important for all of us to be on alert and to be safe."

Al-Zaman says CAIR is also calling on the Muslim community to be responsible.

"We call on the Muslim community to continue to do what God has asked us to do. It is our responsibility to reach out and tell people that Islam is a religion of peace and justice and to be peaceful, just and tolerant people.

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ISRAEL ASKS U.S. TO SHIP ROCKETS WITH WIDE BLAST - TOP
David S. Cloud, News York Times, 8/11/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/11/world/middleeast/11military.html

Israel has asked the Bush administration to speed delivery of short-range antipersonnel rockets armed with cluster munitions, which it could use to strike Hezbollah missile sites in Lebanon, two American officials said Thursday.

The request for M-26 artillery rockets, which are fired in barrages and carry hundreds of grenade-like bomblets that scatter and explode over a broad area, is likely to be approved shortly, along with other arms, a senior official said.

But some State Department officials have sought to delay the approval because of concerns over the likelihood of civilian casualties, and the diplomatic repercussions. The rockets, while they would be very effective against hidden missile launchers, officials say, are fired by the dozen and could be expected to cause civilian casualties if used against targets in populated areas. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

BEIRUT: BEFORE AND AFTER - TOP
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14252208

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LEBANESE DIRECT GROWING ANGER AT U.S. - TOP
While the US worked on a cease-fire agreement, Israeli warships fired on southern Beirut.
Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor, 8/10/06
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0810/p01s03-wome.html

With his arm raised and fist clenched, Sheikh Hussein furiously expressed a sentiment rapidly taking hold here.
"We know who our first enemy is: America," he shouted before tearful mourners at a funeral Wednesday for 30 civilians killed by an Israeli airstrike on Monday. The white-turbaned sheikh led the crowd in a militant chant: "Death to America! Death to America!"

Even as Israel continues to pound Beirut's southern suburbs, and agreed Wednesday on plans to expand its four-week-old offensive as far as 18 miles into southern Lebanon, many here increasingly blame the US for its extensive military and political support for the Jewish state. (MORE)

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AIPAC ESPIONAGE CASE DISMISSAL GAMBIT FAILS - TOP
Grant F. Smith, AntiWar.com8/11/06
http://www.antiwar.com/orig/gsmith.php?articleid=9517

An Aug. 9, 2006, opinion by presiding Judge T.S. Ellis III [.pdf] has dealt a decisive blow to forces supporting full dismissal of the AIPAC espionage case. Defendants Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman, formerly employed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in Washington, D.C., are charged with "cultivating relationships" with government officials cleared to access sensitive U.S. national security information, obtaining classified information from these officials, and transmitting the information to persons not otherwise entitled to receive it. Recipients of purloined U.S. national security information allegedly trafficked by AIPAC included members of the media, foreign policy analysts, and Israeli government officials. (MORE)

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CAIR-OH: ORGANIZATIONS HERE ARE HELPING RELIEVE SUFFERING IN THE MIDEAST - TOP
8/11/06
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1155286363120170.xml&coll=2

With bombs falling on terrorized communities in the Holy Land, local residents with loved ones in Lebanon, Gaza and Israel are trying to do more than worry and rage. They are raising money for relief efforts. . .

The Cleveland chapter of CAIR, the Council on American Islamic Relations, is asking people to help Palestinian and Lebanese civilians enduring Israeli bombings by donating through LIFE for Relief and Development, a Michigan-based international aid agency. To donate to its "Lebanon/Palestine Relief Effort," call 248-424-7493 or go to www.lifeusa.org (MORE)

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PROTEST TO ENCIRCLE WHITE HOUSE - TOP
Opponents of 'U.S.-Israeli War' Plan Large Rally Tomorrow
Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 8/11/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/10/AR2006081001611.html

The nation's capital is becoming a stage where passions on both sides of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict are being played out with a series of protests, vigils and rallies in Washington in recent weeks, with more to come.

The largest demonstration -- billed as a protest of the "U.S.-Israeli war" -- is expected to draw "tens of thousands" of people who plan to surround the White House tomorrow, said Tony Kutayli, communications coordinator for the Washington-based American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee, one of the groups helping coordinate participants arriving from across the country.

In the last few weeks, the National Park Service has issued several permits for demonstrations tied to the conflict, said spokesman Bill Line.

This month, groups of women dressed in somber black slowly circled in front of the White House holding candles in a silent tribute to those killed in Lebanon. Across the region, groups have held small meetings to raise almost $7 million in aid for those killed and injured in Israel. . .

Organizers of tomorrow's event are coordinating bus transportation from as far south as Tampa, as far north as Connecticut and as far west as Michigan. They are posting ride-share arrangements online and urging communities to donate cash for bus rentals.

"This is the largest mobilization of the Muslim community since the 2002 Palestinian rally," said Mahdi Bray, director of the Washington-based Muslim American Society, one of the co-sponsors. . .

The constant sting of those suspicions, as well as the deaths in his homeland in Lebanon, have moved Mounzer Sleiman, head of the National Council of Arab Americans, to help organize the local Lebanese community to protest.

The community is not prominent on the protest scene, Sleiman said. "Most people are affluent and stable. They have family. Their involvement is more toward cultural activities, literature and entertainment -- not politics so much," he said.

The primary organizer for tomorrow's protest is the ANSWER Coalition, which helped coordinate the September antiwar rally. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

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Forwarded Message

Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2006 11:36:07 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: S. Calif. Mosque Vandalized / Americans Favor IDs for Muslims / Bush Insists on 'Islamic Fascists'

HTML Attachment [ Scan and Save to Computer | Save to Yahoo! Briefcase ]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/12/06

* Verse: Change Begins With Each Person
* An URGENT APPEAL From CAIR
* CAIR-LA: Southern California Mosque Vandalized
            - CAIR-FL: Muslims Worry Their Mosques Will Be Targeted
            - CAIR-SC: Muslims Fear Backlash
            - CAIR-San Diego: Muslim Community Fears Retaliation
            - CAIR-Philly: Muslims Battling Terrorism Stereotype
* CAIR-CA: Counterterrorism Officials Need Muslim Americans
            - Video: Muslim, Arab-American Press Conference With FBI
            - CAIR-Chicago: Muslims Working With Federal Officials
* CAIR-MI: Occupation is Root Cause of Mideast Conflict
* CAIR: Bush Insists on 'Islamic Fascists' (Atlanta Journal)
            - KY: Minister Says U.S. at War With 'Islamofascists'
* Poll: Americans Admit to Favoring Special IDs for Muslims

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VERSE OF THE DAY: CHANGE BEGINS WITH EACH PERSON - TOP

"God will never change the condition of a people until they change that which is within themselves."

The Holy Quran, 13:11

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AN URGENT APPEAL FROM CAIR - TOP
http://www.cair.com/email/08-10-2006.html

As violence in the Middle East spirals out of control, our resources are once again stretched to their limit. Meanwhile our day-to-day work of defending your civil liberties and promoting an accurate image of Islam and Muslims continues to pile up at a pace that far outstrips our current resources. Our phone lines and e-mail boxes are overflowing with appeals from people who are counting on us to speak and act on their behalf.

Dear Friend of CAIR,

As-salaam alaikum.

If you tuned into the news lately, you cannot have missed the media's bias in portraying the conflict in the Middle East. You surely see our own government's unconditional support for Israel. Even Sen. John Warner, from President Bush's own party, questioned the wisdom of this one-sided support for Israel.

At CAIR we have organized a multi-layered campaign to address this recent conflict. A peaceful and just resolution to this five-decade-long conflict is important for the continued growth and empowerment of the Muslim community in America.

A new poll sponsored by CAIR and released last week shows that the majority of Americans want an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.

To allow ordinary Americans to receive an accurate characterization of this conflict and to voice their disagreement about current US policy, we have launched a new resource website: www.notinamericasname.org/

Among other things, the website contains a petition that demands that our elected officials pay heed to public opinion. Please take a moment to visit the website and sign CAIR's "Not in America's Name" petition. We need your help to reach our fellow Americans with these facts.

The website also contains educational materials about the conflict and suggests actions you can take to voice your opinions and concerns - from contacting your elected officials, sending humanitarian relief to the people in Lebanon and Gaza, organizing town hall meetings to writing letters to editors.

In addition, we have coordinated news conferences with American citizens who have relatives in Lebanon or those who just arrived from there. These news conferences were carried out in more than a dozen cities across the nation. Most of the news conferences were carried by local affiliates of ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX and helped to draw media attention to the bizarre situation in which American tax-payer-funded weapons are being used by Israel to bomb American citizens attempting to flee the war zone.

It is our Islamic obligation to help the cause of peace and justice and to help those who are advocating such enduring Islamic values.

Together, we can do it! We need:

* 400 of our friends to donate $200 per month,
* 800 of our friends to donate $100 per month,
* 1,500 of our friends to give $50 per month, and
* 2,500 of our friends to give $25 per month.

All we are asking for are modest monthly donations - between $25 and $200 or more. For less than the cost of your cable TV or coffee bill you can help CAIR advocate for you. Visit us at www.cair.com to find out how we help you everyday.

We close with a reminder from the Holy Quran, "Verily God will never change the condition of a people (community) until they change that which is within themselves (13:11)."

DONATE NOW

Sincerely,

Parvez Ahmed
Chairman

Nihad Awad
Executive Director

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CAIR-LA: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MOSQUE VANDALIZED - TOP
CAIR-LA calls for law enforcement probe of possible bias motive

(ANAHEIM, CA, 8/12/06) - The Southern California office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today called on the FBI and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to investigate vandalism at the La Mirada mosque as a possible hate crime.

Mosque President Dr. Rezaur Rahman told CAIR-LA that the vandalism occurred Thursday between 8:30 and 9 p.m. Rahman said two windows of the mosque, which clearly displayed Islamic symbols, were damaged by projectiles, possibly gunshots.

The mosque has been a target of hate incidents in the past. It received written messages such as, "The Muslim religion is a cult and that Mohammed is a terrorist and an outlaw,'' and, "No future for Muslims in the U.S.A.''

"We urge the FBI and other law enforcement agencies working on the case to investigate this incident as a possible hate crime," said CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush. "We pray that the perpetrators are caught and brought to justice, regardless of their motive."

Ayloush said a series of similar incidents has been reported in recent months by Muslim individuals and institutions nationwide. There has been particular concern in the Muslim community following reports of a plot in Britain to bomb airliners traveling to the United States and because of tensions caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

A representative of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department told CAIR: "The actions seem to be part of several vandalism cases in the area and the FBI has been contacted and the investigation is continuing." Since the most recent Middle East crisis began in July, the Sheriff's Department has increased patrols in the area of the mosque.

As a response to anti-Muslim incidents, CAIR published a "Muslim Community Safety Kit." The safety kit may be obtained free of charge by e-mailing pubs@cair-net.org. (Include name, address and phone number when requesting the safety kit.)

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: Munira Syeda at CAIR-LA, 714-776-1847 or 714-851-4851, E-Mail: socal@cair.com

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-FL: SOUTH FLORIDA MUSLIMS WORRY THEIR MOSQUES WILL BE TARGETED - TOP
Ruth Morris, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 8/12/06
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-cmuslimaug12,0,3795853.story

There was the bomb threat last month, and the word "Osama" scrawled across the wall of an Islamic Center. Then came a hateful letter telling Muslims to leave the country. It came via registered mail, so the sender could be sure it had arrived.

South Florida's Muslim community has endured a constant flow of defamatory assaults since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, responding mostly by nudging authorities to protect their mosques.

As British authorities offer more details into a suspected plot to blow up 10 airliners, allegedly hatched among Pakistani youths, local Muslims are on guard. . .

The Council on American-Islamic Relations received an obscene phone call to its South Florida headquarters late Thursday, a day after British authorities announced they had foiled a suspected plan to bring liquid explosives onto U.S.-bound flights.

The group said vandals spray-painted a Sunrise Islamic Center with the word "Osama" in June, and later shattered windows there. Last month, an Islamic center in Pompano received a bomb threat over the phone, and a letter saying Muslims "don't belong in this country." (MORE)

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CAIR-SC: MUSLIMS FEAR BACKLASH - TOP
They feel helpless, dread becoming ostracized in the community because of radicals' actions
CAROLYN CLICK, The State, 8/12/06
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/nation/15257402.htm

Just as in the days after the 9/11 attacks, Columbia Muslim leaders find themselves in the disquieting, untenable position of distancing themselves from radical Islamic elements associated with the London terrorist plot.

"We feel helpless that a fringe element is kind of hijacking the faith," Mirza Baig, a member of the Islamic Center of Columbia, said Friday. "It disgraces the faith."

Muslims have worked hard to educate Americans that Islam is a peaceful faith that condemns the taking of human life.

So when Imam Omar Shaheed, spiritual leader of the Masjid Al-Salaam on Monticello Road, heard the news of terrorists' attempt to blow up passenger jets, he was devastated.

"We can have a dialogue. We can talk to people," he said. But in a situation like this, "the impact is so great that it overwhelms any interfaith gathering."

As the area's 1,500 Muslims gathered for prayer Friday, there was heightened concern and apprehension that believers would once again have to explain and justify their faith.

"We just have to continue to do what good people of religion do - promote good and work for good, the common good," Shaheed said. "We can't afford for our mosque to become isolated."

After the Sept. 11 attacks, Muslim leaders worked closely with law enforcement officials to assure there were no radical elements in their midst.

"I have said this even in meetings with the FBI, we are very confident - and this is on the basis of my experience here - that this community is totally peaceful," said Chaudry Sadiq, president of the South Carolina chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR.

"We have not found any signs of radicalism," he said. "Of course, we can't go down in anybody's heart. But we do not see here, or feel, any currents at all which could be considered as elements we should keep an eye on." (MORE)

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CAIR-SAN DIEGO: MUSLIM COMMUNITY FEARS RETALIATION FOLLOWING FOILED TERROR PLOT - TOP
Amy Isackson, KPBS, 8/10/06
http://publicbroadcasting.net/kpbs/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=953226&sectionID=1

KPBS SAN DIEGO (2006-08-10) San Diego's Muslim community is worried about a backlash after the discovery of the plan to bomb American Airliners. KPBS Reporter Amy Isackson has the story.

While air passengers across the state were inconvenienced by heightened security, Muslim groups were also put on alert. Edgar Hopida, spokesman for San Diego's branch of the Council on American Islamic Relations, says his group has contacted the FBI and San Diego Police in anticipation of retaliation.

Hopida: "Whenever something happens negatively across the world whether it be a terror attack perpetuated by Muslims, fortunately some people take it upon themselves to lash out at their local Muslim communities. Whether through vandalism individual or groups harassment. These are the things we anticipate." (MORE)

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CAIR-PHILLY: MUSLIMS BATTLING TERRORISM STEREOTYPE - TOP
RACHAEL WEEKS, The Press of Atlantic City, 8/12/06
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/story/6627034p-6475812c.html

Muslim Americans in the region are again reminding the public that not all Muslims are terrorists. The arrest of 24 Muslims overseas in connection with a plot to blow up U.S-bound airliners has put the spotlight back on the Islamic community.

"When you see in the media only one side, saying these people are terrorists, these people are criminals ... this stuff hurts," said Muhammed Ayub, secretary-general of the Masjid Muhammad Mosque in Atlantic City.

The Philadelphia Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR-Philly, also is hoping to separate "Muslim" and "terror" in the public's mind.

"The American Muslim community has always been dedicated to the protection of our national security. It is also important that our fellow Americans understand that Muslims are law-abiding citizens who should not be targeted or singled out because of their faith or national origin," said Adeeba Al-Zaman, the council's director of communication.

CAIR-Philly has asked local Muslim communities to step up security measures at mosques and other Islamic institutions to prevent backlash hate crimes. (MORE)

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CAIR-SFBA: COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIALS NEED MUSLIM AMERICANS - TOP
Linda Yee, CBS 5, 8/11/06
http://cbs5.com/local/local_story_224014043.html

(CBS 5) SAN FRANCISCO It was someone from inside the British Muslim community who tipped off authorities, and it was part of a relationship that paid off big with the arrest of 24 people suspected of being the radical Muslim operatives behind the airline terror plot.

And it's a relationship that the FBI in San Francisco says they have nurtured with the Bay Area Muslim community since Sept. 11.

A connection both sides hope would not only defuse any backlash after terrorist events but be helpful when it comes to reporting anything suspicious. . .

Leaders in the American Islamic community say they have built a trusting relationship with the FBI. They encourage Muslims to cooperate.

"Part of it is educating American Muslims -- what their rights are and not fear the FBI," said Safaa Ibrahim, the executive director of the San Francisco Bay Area Council on American Islamic Relations. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

VIDEO: MUSLIM, ARAB-AMERICAN PRESS CONFERENCE WITH FBI - TOP

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CAIR-CHICAGO: AREA MUSLIM LEADERS WORKING WITH FEDERAL OFFICIALS - TOP
Leah Hope, ABC 7, 8/11/06
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=local&id=4454146

Opinions are divided in the Chicago-area's Muslim community about the impact of the terror plot arrests. Some fear a backlash. Others are more hopeful.

Watch the Video Comments made by President Bush Thursday have upset some local Muslim-Americans. They say fear can build on misconceptions. But there is an avenue for understanding already forged between federal officials and local leaders. . .

Community leaders say the discussions build relationships that are good for everyone. Ahmed Rehab is the executive director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations Chicago.

"The American Islamic community is proud to be American as it is proud to be Muslim and we recognize the responsibility of working with governmental agencies in making this country safe and secure for all," said Rehab. (MORE)

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CAIR-MI: MARCHERS PROTEST WAR - TOP
Multiple speakers at rally highly critical of Israel
ART AISNER, Ann Arbor News, 8/12/06
http://www.mlive.com/news/aanews/index.ssf?/base/news-18/1155377435197340.xml&coll=2

About 230 people marched through downtown Ann Arbor early Friday evening to call for a ceasefire in the Middle East just as diplomats appeared to hammer out an agreement after weeks of discussions. . .

Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations for Michigan (CAIR), also said the root cause of the conflict was Israeli occupation of Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian territory, not Islamic fundamentalist terrorists as the Bush Administration would prefer people to believe. He also told the cheering crowd that the interests of Israel are not the same as and should never supersede America's. (MORE)

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CAIR: BUSH INSISTS ON 'ISLAMIC FASCISTS' - TOP
KEN HERMAN, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/12/06
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/auto/epaper/editions/today/news_44dd575c112b22cd00b4.html

Washington --- President Bush drew the ire of Muslim-American leaders by labeling the arrest of suspected terrorists in Britain a reminder of the "war with Islamic fascists."

But spokesman Tony Snow said Friday the president will continue to use the phrase.

Snow said Bush has gradually shifted from general rhetoric about a war on terrorism to the more specific "war with Islamic fascists." With the new description, Bush "tries to identify the ideology that motivates many organized terrorist groups," Snow said in an e-mail interview. "He also tries to make it clear that the label does not apply to all or most Muslims, but to the tiny factions," such as Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida.

Snow said there was "no formal decision" to start using the term, which had cropped up from time to time in Bush's talks recently before drawing the spotlight this week. Bush used it Thursday in his first public comment about the alleged plot to bomb several airliners headed to the United States.

"The recent arrests that our fellow citizens are now learning about are a stark reminder that this nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation," Bush said in Green Bay, Wis.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations sent a letter to Bush after the Green Bay speech. "Unfortunately, your statement this morning that America is 'at war with Islamic fascists' contributes to a rising level of hostility to Islam and the American-Muslim community," CAIR Chairman Parvez Ahmed said in the letter. "You have on many occasions said Islam is a 'religion of peace.' Today you equated the religion of peace with the ugliness of fascism." He said the term "feeds the perception that the war on terror is actually a war on Islam." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

KY: MINISTER WARNS OF 'EVIL' IMMIGRANTS - TOP
The Lexington Herald Leader, 8/12/06
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/living/religion/15239081.htm

A Southern Baptist minister from Lexington warned his congregation Sunday morning that "evil" immigrants pose a threat to the nation.

The Rev. Paul Sisk, pastor at Anchor Baptist Church, made the comments during a sermon titled "Surrounded -- What to Do?"

A local Muslim leader quickly denounced Sisk's message.

In the printed sermon, Sisk gave to the Bible Belt Blogger, Sisk warned that "Islamofascists" have declared war on Jews and Christians around the world and suggested Americans should back Israel's ongoing war in Lebanon.

The "Islamofascists," he writes, "will not stop coming. They cannot be reasoned with or appeased. ... This is indeed World War III."

Many Southern Baptists believe that war in the Middle East is a precursor to the second coming of Christ and that Christians are morally obligated to side with the modern Jewish state. Sisk echoed this message in Sunday's sermon.

"Israel is still the chosen nation of God,' Sisk said, but he warned that the Jewish homeland is beseiged by hostile forces.

"We believers are also surrounded," Sisk wrote. "It is becoming more and more difficult to be a professing Christian in this world. It is not very bad in America yet! But there are forces of evil who are hell-bent on changing that. They are crossing our borders, infiltrating our schools, birthing children at a far greater rate, and they are influencing the government and the courts. Many Americans are aiding them and under the umbrella of tolerance are giving away our security. It will not be long before we may feel surrounded." (MORE)

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POLL SHOWS PREJUDICE AGAINST MUSLIMS - TOP
Americans admit to favoring IDs and other restrictions for them.
Religion News Service, 8/12/06
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/living/religion/15253634.htm

Almost 40 percent of Americans acknowledge having some prejudice against Muslims, but those with Muslim acquaintances are more likely to show favorable attitudes, a new USA Today/Gallup Poll shows.

Thirty-nine percent of Americans asked to "honestly" assess themselves said they have "at least some feelings of prejudice against Muslims" while 59 percent said they did not.

Respondents were fairly evenly divided about whether Muslims are respectful of other religions, with 47 percent agreeing and 40 percent disagreeing. There was clear disagreement about whether Muslims are too extreme in their religious beliefs, with 44 percent saying yes and 46 percent saying no.

A substantial minority, 39 percent, of Americans favor more strict security measures for Muslims than other U.S. citizens, such as requiring Muslims to carry a special ID; 59 percent said they would oppose such a requirement. Forty-one percent favored Muslims undergoing more intensive security checks at U.S. airports, while 57 percent opposed such action.

When comparing feelings based on whether respondents personally know a Muslim, pollsters found dramatic differences. Forty-one percent said they personally knew a Muslim.

Nearly a quarter of those who said they know a Muslim - 24 percent - favored a special ID for Muslims; 50 percent who do not know someone of that faith favored the special ID. Ten percent of those who know a Muslim said they would not want a Muslim as a neighbor, compared to 31 percent of those who did not know one. (MORE)

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Forwarded Message

Date: Sun, 13 Aug 2006 11:43:07 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Maryland Protester Targets Faith, Home of Muslim Candidate / 'Islamofascist' Ignites Strong Feelings / Quran Burning Fuels Terror? / What the Israel Lobby Wants, It Too Often Gets

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/13/06

* Hadith: Hope and Fear
* An URGENT APPEAL From CAIR
* MD: Protester Targets Faith, Home of Muslim Candidate
* 'Islamofascist' Description Ignites Strong Feelings (Newsweek)
            - CAIR: Saying 'Islamic Fascists' May Defeat Bush's Purpose
            - Words that Sting: 'Islamic Fascists' (Post-Dispatch)
            - CAIR: Bush's Language Angers US Muslims (BBC)
            - IN: Muslims Fault Bush for 'Islamic Fascists' (Indy Star)
* Comment: Quran Burning Fuels Terror? (Gannett News Service)
* What the Israel Lobby Wants, It Too Often Gets (Foreign Policy)
* CAIR-OH: Lebanon Supporters Rally in D.C. (Wash Post)
            - CAIR-LA: 1,000 March to Protest Attacks, U.S. Policy
            - CAIR-CA: Thousands Turn Out at Rally in San Francisco
            - Thousands of Michigan Muslims Join Protest in D.C.
            - WA: Muslims Rally for an End to Fighting in Lebanon (P-I)
* CAIR-CA: Muslims Have Continuously Denounced Terrorism
* CAIR-LA: Mosque's Windows Shattered (AP)
            - CAIR-FL Video: Muslims Fear Backlash From Foiled Terror Plot
* FL: Islamic Group Recognizes Achievers (Miami Herald)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: HOPE AND FEAR - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) visited a young man who was dying and asked him how he was feeling. The man replied: "I am hoping (for God's Mercy)...but I am afraid (of punishment) for my sins." The Prophet then said: "The two (feelings) cannot come together in a man's heart at such a time without God giving him what he hopes for and granting him security from what he fears."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 504

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AN URGENT APPEAL FROM CAIR - TOP
http://www.cair.com/email/08-10-2006.html

As violence in the Middle East spirals out of control, our resources are once again stretched to their limit. Meanwhile our day-to-day work of defending your civil liberties and promoting an accurate image of Islam and Muslims continues to pile up at a pace that far outstrips our current resources. Our phone lines and e-mail boxes are overflowing with appeals from people who are counting on us to speak and act on their behalf.

Dear Friend of CAIR,

As-salaam alaikum.

If you tuned into the news lately, you cannot have missed the media's bias in portraying the conflict in the Middle East. You surely see our own government's unconditional support for Israel. Even Sen. John Warner, from President Bush's own party, questioned the wisdom of this one-sided support for Israel.

At CAIR we have organized a multi-layered campaign to address this recent conflict. A peaceful and just resolution to this five-decade-long conflict is important for the continued growth and empowerment of the Muslim community in America.

A new poll sponsored by CAIR and released last week shows that the majority of Americans want an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.

To allow ordinary Americans to receive an accurate characterization of this conflict and to voice their disagreement about current US policy, we have launched a new resource website: www.notinamericasname.org/

Among other things, the website contains a petition that demands that our elected officials pay heed to public opinion. Please take a moment to visit the website and sign CAIR's "Not in America's Name" petition. We need your help to reach our fellow Americans with these facts.

The website also contains educational materials about the conflict and suggests actions you can take to voice your opinions and concerns - from contacting your elected officials, sending humanitarian relief to the people in Lebanon and Gaza, organizing town hall meetings to writing letters to editors.

In addition, we have coordinated news conferences with American citizens who have relatives in Lebanon or those who just arrived from there. These news conferences were carried out in more than a dozen cities across the nation. Most of the news conferences were carried by local affiliates of ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX and helped to draw media attention to the bizarre situation in which American tax-payer-funded weapons are being used by Israel to bomb American citizens attempting to flee the war zone.

It is our Islamic obligation to help the cause of peace and justice and to help those who are advocating such enduring Islamic values.

Together, we can do it! We need:

* 400 of our friends to donate $200 per month,
* 800 of our friends to donate $100 per month,
* 1,500 of our friends to give $50 per month, and
* 2,500 of our friends to give $25 per month.

All we are asking for are modest monthly donations - between $25 and $200 or more. For less than the cost of your cable TV or coffee bill you can help CAIR advocate for you. Visit us at www.cair.com to find out how we help you everyday.

We close with a reminder from the Holy Quran, "Verily God will never change the condition of a people (community) until they change that which is within themselves (13:11)."

DONATE NOW

Sincerely,

Parvez Ahmed
Chairman

Nihad Awad
Executive Director

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MD: PROTESTER TARGETS FAITH, HOME OF MUSLIM CANDIDATE - TOP

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/13/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported today that the home of a Muslim candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates was targeted yesterday by a protester who allegedly used Islamophobic slurs when the candidate and his wife took photos of a sign that said "Islam sucks." The protester also wore a T-shirt with the slogan: "This mind is an Allah-free zone." (The candidate's home doubles as a campaign headquarters.)

SEE: http://www.alifordelegate.com

Saqib Ali, who is seeking to become Maryland District 39's delegate to the state legislature, told CAIR that a police report (#R06-044772) was filed with the Montgomery County Police Department about the incident. Police sent a "Trespass Notification Form" to the protester instructing him to stay away from the Ali's home or be "subject to immediate arrest." The 39th district includes Germantown and areas around Gaithersburg. If elected, Ali says he would become the first-ever Muslim member of the Maryland General Assembly.

CONTACT: 301-591-1612

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CAIR: ESCALATION IN TERMINOLOGY - TOP
When President Bush described a war against 'Islamic fascists,' some American Muslims became very angry.
Lisa Miller, Newsweek, 8/12/06
URL: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14319984/

Aug. 12, 2006 - In our collective relief at having dodged a bullet this week, some of us may have missed the rhetorical bomb in our midst. Just hours after Tony Blair announced the arrest of two-dozen Britons on charges that they were planning to blow up planes using liquid explosives, President Bush made remarks of his own, thanking British authorities for their swift work and assuring Americans that their safety was his primary concern. "This nation is at war with Islamic fascists," he said somberly, "who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation." Our terrorist enemy has been described in so much colorful language by so many, one more escalation in terminology may have been easy to overlook.

Except that this time Parvez Ahmed got really mad. That same afternoon, Ahmed, who is chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based advocacy group, released an open letter to the president, a letter that excoriated Bush for using language that "contributes to a rising level of hostility to Islam and the American-Muslim community." He wrote, "The use of ill-defined hot-button terms such as 'Islamic fascists' harms our nation's image and interests worldwide." he wrote. The blogs went wild.

"Islamic fascist"-or "Islamofascist" as it's popularly spelled on the Internet-is the latest explosive in the right's semantic arsenal. It's explosive because it instantly brings to mind the 20th century's greatest horror, the Holocaust, because it offends the sensibilities of millions of people like Ahmed who hold Islam sacred, and because it infuriates people who believe that the Middle East conflict can be resolved at least partially through talking. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

SAYING 'ISLAMIC FASCISTS' MAY DEFEAT BUSH'S PURPOSE - TOP
Parvez Ahmed, Arab News, 8/13/06
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7&section=0&article=77812&d=13&m=8&y=2006

Shortly after 9/11 attacks on World Trade Center in New York and other places in the US, President George W. Bush described and later retracted our fight against terrorism as a "crusade." In his first press conference after the thwarted terrorist plot to blow up several aircraft on Thursday, the president said, "this nation is at war with Islamic fascists."

The use of the phrase "Islamic fascists" has drawn the ire of the American Muslim community. As Muslims we use "Islamic ethics" to mean ethics based on Islamic teachings that guide our behavior. Similarly "Islamic art" draws its inspiration from Islamic teachings that discourage certain types of art (immodest imagery or certain life forms). When the president uses "Islamic fascists" it conveys that fascism is rooted in Islam or fascism that is inspired by Islam. This is the way the Muslims will see it, regardless of what Bush may claim he really means. . .

- Parvez Ahmed is the chairman of Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy group. To find out more about CAIR go to: www.cair.com. E-mail: pahmed@cair.com.

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WORDS THAT STING - TOP
By Aisha Sultan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 8/13/06
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/0AE129594F613E30862571C8008221A6?OpenDocument

Some complain about President Bush's use of the phrase 'Islamic fascists'

Several religious leaders here say they were troubled by President George W. Bush's use of the words "Islamic fascists" Thursday to describe the enemy in the war against terror.

The president of the largest organization of Muslims in America said the comment hurt him personally.

"I am an American; I am willing to die for this country," said Sheikh Nur Abdullah, of west St. Louis County, who is also president of the Islamic Society of North America. The ideology of Islam has nothing to do with fascism, he said. Those who distort its teachings to support violence are not following the faith, he said.

Webster's defines fascism as a system of government characterized by one-party dictatorship that forcibly suppresses opposition. At a news conference Thursday about a foiled plot to allegedly blow up airliners, Bush said the news was "a stark reminder that this nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation."

Rabbi Mark Shook of Temple Israel in Creve Coeur said it was a poor choice of words. It links the world religion to the fascist Italian and German regimes of the 1920s, he said. It may be more useful to say Muslim extremists or extremists who use Islam as their ideology, he said, rather than label an entire religion. . .

Muslim civil rights advocates, however, see the change in rhetoric as an attempt to marginalize a minority that largely tried to cooperate and assist the government in finding terrorists.

In a letter to President Bush, Parvez Ahmed, board chairman of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations wrote, "American Muslims have consistently condemned all acts of terrorism, whether carried out by individuals, groups or states. We repudiate anyone who plans or carries out a terrorist act. . . . Unfortunately, your statement this morning that America 'is at war with Islamic fascists' contributes to a rising level of hostility to Islam and the American-Muslim community."

He cited a Gallup Poll released Thursday indicating that four out of 10 Americans feel 'prejudice' toward Muslims. The poll found nearly one in four Americans say they would not like to have a Muslim as a neighbor, and almost four in 10 advocate that Muslims in America should carry a special I.D. (MORE)

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CAIR: BUSH'S LANGUAGE ANGERS US MUSLIMS - TOP
Richard Allen Greene, BBC News, 8/12/06
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4785065.stm

In the days after the horror of the 11 September attacks, President George W Bush made a point of saying Muslims per se were not America's enemy.

But in the five years since then, he has taken less care to emphasise that message, US Muslim leaders are saying.

They are upset about his use of terms like "Islamic fascists", which he used this week both for Hezbollah and the suspected bomb plotters held in the UK. . .

Mr Bush used the term on at least two separate occasions this week.

On Monday, during a press conference from his ranch in Texas, he said terrorists "try to spread their jihadist message - a message I call ... Islamic radicalism, Islamic fascism".

A moment later, he said "Islamo-fascism" was an "ideology that is real and profound".

Then, on Thursday after the arrest in Britain of two dozen people suspected of plotting of bomb planes travelling to the US, he said "Islamic fascists... will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom".

That day, the Council on American-Islamic Relations wrote to him to complain.

Its chairman Parvez Ahmed condemned his "use of ill-defined hot-button terms", which, he said, "feeds the perception that the war on terror is actually a war on Islam".

The council had not had a reply from the White House as of Friday afternoon, its legal director Arsalan Iftikhar told the BBC.

Neither the White House nor the State Department responded to BBC requests for clarification of the term. (MORE)

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IN: LOCAL MUSLIMS PRAY FOR PEACE - TOP
On alleged terror plot, they fault Bush for calling suspects 'Islamic fascists'
Robert King, Indianapolis Star, 8/12/06
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060812/NEWS01/608120475

President Bush, who earned Muslim-American gratitude for his "religion of peace" comment after 9/11, caused consternation this week when he called the alleged plotters "Islamic fascists."

Yet the Muslims from six area mosques still did what they came for -- call for an end to violence in the Middle East and the streets of Indianapolis, and an end to the killing of innocents of all faiths. They prayed openly -- shoulder to shoulder -- falling prostrate on their prayer rugs on the damp grass.

"We should not be ashamed because there are a few ignorant people in the world who want to use religion to cover their politics," said Vincent Sutton, a 32-year-old Muslim and former U.S. Army medic who took part in the service.

The president's "Islamic fascists" comment seemed inappropriate and contradictory to Umar Al-Khattab, an imam at the Westside mosque Masjid Al-Fajr. "Islam and fascism -- you can't put them in the same category," he said. (MORE)

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WHAT THE ISRAEL LOBBY WANTS, IT TOO OFTEN GETS - TOP
John J. Mearsheimer, Stephen M. Walt, Foreign Policy, July/August 2006
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3501

America's relationship with Israel is difficult to discuss openly in the United States. In March, we published an article in the London Review of Books titled "The Israel Lobby," based on a working paper which we posted on the faculty Web site at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. Our goal was to break the taboo and to generate a candid discussion of U.S. support for Israel, because it has far-reaching consequences for Americans and others around the world. What followed was a barrage of responses-some constructive, some not.

Every year, the United States gives Israel a level of support that far exceeds what it provides to other states. Although Israel is now an industrial power with a per-capita GDP roughly equal to Spain's or South Korea's, it still receives about $3 billion in U.S. aid each year-that is, roughly $500 per Israeli citizen. Israel also gets a variety of other special deals and consistent diplomatic support. We believe that this generosity cannot be fully explained on either strategic or moral grounds. Israel may have been a strategic asset during the Cold War, but it is a strategic burden in the war on terror and the broader U.S. effort to deal with rogue states. The moral rationale for unconditional U.S. support is undermined by Israel's treatment of the Palestinians and its unwillingness to offer them a viable state. We believe there is a strong moral case for Israel's existence, but that existence is not at risk. Palestinian extremists and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may dream of wiping Israel "off the map," but fortunately neither has the ability to make that dream a reality.

The "special relationship" with Israel, we argue, is due largely to the activities of the Israel lobby-a loose coalition of individuals and organizations who openly work to push U.S. foreign policy in a pro-Israel direction. The lobby is not synonymous with Jewish Americans, because many of them do not support its positions, and some groups that work on Israel's behalf (Christian evangelicals, for example) are not Jewish. The lobby has no central leadership. It is not a cabal or a conspiracy. These organizations are simply engaged in interest-group politics, a legitimate activity in the American political system. These organizations believe their efforts advance both American and Israeli interests. We do not.

We described how the Israel lobby fosters support within the U.S. Congress and the executive branch, and how it shapes public discourse so that Israel's actions are perceived sympathetically by the American public. Groups in the lobby direct campaign contributions to encourage politicians to adopt pro-Israel positions. They write articles, letters, and op-eds defending Israel's actions, and they go to great lengths to discredit or marginalize anyone who criticizes U.S. support for Israel. The American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is the lobby's most powerful organization, and it openly touts its influence over U.S. Middle East policy. Prominent politicians from both parties acknowledge AIPAC's power and effectiveness. Former House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt once observed that if AIPAC were not "fighting on a daily basis to strengthen [the relationship], it would not be."

We also traced the lobby's impact on recent U.S. policies, including the March 2003 invasion of Iraq. Neoconservatives inside and outside the Bush administration, as well as leaders of a number of prominent pro-Israel organizations, played key roles in making the case for war. We believe the United States would not have attacked Iraq without their efforts. That said, these groups and individuals did not operate in a vacuum, and they did not lead the country to war by themselves. For instance, the war would probably not have occurred absent the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which helped convince President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney to support it. (MORE)

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QURAN BURNING FUELS TERROR? - TOP
Charles C. Haynes, Gannett News Service, 8/13/06
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060813/OPINION/608130322/1046

When Christian activists burned a Quran in Mississippi last month, you could almost hear Osama bin Laden cheering them on.

For years, al-Qaida has spewed propaganda to convince Muslims that America's "war on terrorism" is a thinly disguised "war on Islam." Now Christian Right groups are helping to make al-Qaida's case.

The Mississippi burning of Islam's holy book was part of an anti-abortion rally held by Operation Save America in Pearl. According to their leader, the Rev. Flip Benham, this wasn't the first Quran-burning - and won't be the last.

Islam opposes abortion, but that makes no difference to Christian groups bent on saving America from a list of evils "detestable to the Lord." Along with Supreme Court decisions and the rainbow flag (other things tossed into the fire), the Quran represents what they describe as "an insidious lie perpetrated by Satan himself."

Attacks on Islam from the Christian Right began soon after 9-11 when the Rev. Franklin Graham labeled Islam a "very evil and wicked religion." Soon other evangelical leaders weighed in, using the "war on terrorism" as an opportunity to reignite historic Christian-Muslim tensions. Jerry Falwell described Muhammad as a "terrorist" - remarks that helped spark deadly riots in India. Pat Robertson called Islam "a monumental scam."

More-responsible evangelicals understand the danger of turning the terrorism fight into a new crusade. The National Association of Evangelicals has called for more "temperate speech," arguing that spreading the Gospel doesn't require demonizing other faiths. Polls show most Americans, including most evangelicals, continue to have a generally favorable view of Islam. But the more groups like Operation Save America conflate "Islam" and "terror," the greater the American climate of hostility toward Muslims.

Now some local pastors are translating anti-Islamic rhetoric into action. Recently the Rev. O'Neal Dozier, a prominent Florida minister, spoke on radio about Islam as a "dangerous religion." Dozier is organizing fellow pastors to block an Islamic center in their neighborhood because, he says, "we don't want our area to be a breeding ground for terrorists."

Although none of these ministers advocates violence against Muslims, their attacks may encourage more-extreme Christians to assault Muslims and Islamic places of worship.

For American Muslims, America is becoming an increasingly dangerous place. In the last few weeks, a pig head was thrown into a mosque in Maine, a bullet-ridden Quran was deposited in front of a Tennessee mosque and an Islamic center in Ohio was threatened (the same site where a pipe bomb exploded last December). Religious freedom doesn't mean much if you live in fear of practicing your faith.

Christian Right attacks on Islam put the Bush administration in a tough spot. How do you keep repeating "Islam is a religion of peace" when growing numbers of your political base take the opposite view? Yet the danger to the U.S. increases if the "war on terrorism" is seen abroad as a "war on Islam." (MORE)

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CAIR-OH: LEBANON SUPPORTERS RALLY IN D.C. - TOP
Protesters from all over US call for Israeli withdrawal
By Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 8/13/06
http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2006/08/13/lebanon_supporters_rally_in_dc/

WASHINGTON -- Thousands of people circled the White House yesterday in a passionate demonstration supporting Lebanon, the country at the center of the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. . .

In San Francisco, about 2,000 people marched at a rally in support of Lebanese and Palestinians and against the Israel military action. . .

Most of the people at the White House yesterday were Muslim families and students, who took breaks in the shade to feed children or bow toward Mecca for noon prayers.

"We came with seven buses from Ohio. We drove all night," said Julia Shearson, director of the Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, in Cleveland.

Shearson, a convert to Islam, said she brought her 5-year-old daughter, Dalal Alaai, because she fears for her future. ``We're very frightened of the escalation in this conflict."

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-LA: ABOUT 1,000 MARCH IN L.A. TO PROTEST ATTACKS IN LEBANON AND U.S. POLICY - TOP
JOHN GITTELSOHN, Orange County Register, 8/13/06
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1242014.php

LOS ANGELES - Marwa and Waleed Mansour of Huntington Beach were so upset with Israel's bombing of Lebanon that they traveled to Los Angeles Saturday to join about 1,000 demonstrators opposed to the fighting.

An estimated crowd of 5,000 people gathered Saturday in Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington, D.C., even though the president was out of town. . .

In addition to Arabs and Palestinians, the Los Angeles march attracted Anglos, Korean-Americans, Latinos, socialist workers and a group of Jews and Palestinians called Women in Black.

The protest occurred hours before agreement on a United Nations-brokered cease-fire intended to halt fighting in the coming days.

"The cease-fire is a positive development, but it would have happened 30 days ago if it wasn't for the Bush administration's support of Israel," said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations in Anaheim. (MORE)

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CAIR-SFBA: THOUSANDS TURN OUT AT ANTI-WAR MARCH, RALLY IN SF - TOP
http://cbs5.com/topstories/local_story_224022315.html

(CBS 5 / AP) SAN FRANCISCO Thousands of protesters gathered downtown for a march Saturday against Israeli military actions in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.

They blocked traffic at the busy shopping area at Fifth and Market Streets while calling for an end to U.S. aid to Israel.

Organizers also say they are rallying for the idea that Palestinians have a right to return to land that is now in Israel. . .

The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition will also sponsor mass marches in Washington, D.C., and Seattle. The National Council of Arab Americans (NCA), Free Palestine Alliance, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, Korean Americans for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine-UCLA are expected to participate.

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THOUSANDS OF MICHIGAN MUSLIMS JOIN PROTEST IN WASHINGTON, D.C. - TOP
Gordon Trowbridge, Detroit News, 8/13/06
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060812/UPDATE/608120431

WASHINGTON -- Busloads of Arab and Muslim Michiganians gathered in Washington, D.C. today to protest U.S. and Israeli policy in the Middle East.

Weary from long bus and car rides, hopeful that a United Nations-brokered cease-fire will end the bloodshed in Lebanon and Israel, and angry at what they said were hypocritical double-standards in U.S. policy and in media coverage of the conflict, a Michigan contingent that included at least a dozen buses arrived early today.

The travelers said they want to defend their homeland -- and in some cases their own families. (MORE)

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WA: LOCAL MUSLIMS RALLY FOR AN END TO FIGHTING IN LEBANON - TOP
JESSICA BLANCHARD, Post-Intelligencer, 8/12/06
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/281037_peacemarch12.html

Shehle Anwar has seen images of the suffering in Lebanon, from a war that has already claimed hundreds of lives.

Still, someday soon, she hopes people will be willing to put aside their geographical divisions and political differences, and fighting will end in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world.

"We are all human," she said. "Every single human being deserves peace."

That hope drew her and more than 300 others to an interfaith rally and march in Northgate Friday afternoon, organized by members of a Seattle mosque.

Though primarily there to promote peace in Lebanon, where Israeli soldiers have been warring with the Hezbollah militia since early July, the marchers also carried signs decrying violence and pleading for peace in other troubled regions, such as Iraq and Darfur. (MORE)

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CAIR-CA: ERRONEOUS IMPLICATION - TOP
Tracy Press, 8/13/06
http://www.tracypress.com/voice/2006-08-12-your-voice-2.php

Alan Maxwell in his Wednesday letter, "Negativity to Muslims," erroneously implies that Muslims have not denounced terrorism in the Islam loudly enough or often enough. To the contrary, Muslims have been continuously denounced and dissociated themselves from those who commit terror in the name of Islam.

After 9/11, the Council on American-Islamic Relations was one of the first organizations to condemn the act. In May 2004, CAIR also announced the Not in the Name of Islam petition (www.cair.com), which was signed by more than 600,000 Muslim Americans, denounced terror as an un-Islamic act, because it betrays the teachings of the Quran and Prophet Muhammad.

As it states in the Quran: "Oh you who believe, stand up firmly for justice, as witnesses to God, even if it be against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be against rich or poor; for God can best protect both. Do not follow any passion, lest you not be just. And if you distort or decline to do justice, verily God is well-acquainted with all that you do" (Quran 4:135).

Dina EL-Nakhal, Davis

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CAIR-LA: MOSQUE'S WINDOWS SHATTERED - TOP
http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/15264794.htm

LA MIRADA (AP) - Two large windows of a mosque were shot out with a BB gun, but authorities don't believe the vandalism was directed at Muslims. . .

Police said the incident may be connected to a handful of BB gun shootings in the La Mirada area late Thursday. Islamic leaders were not convinced, claiming that pictures of minarets on the windows were targeted.

"We urge the FBI and other law enforcement agencies working on the case to investigate this incident as a possible hate crime," said Hussam Ayloush, director of the Southern California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-FL Video: Muslims Fear Backlash After Foiled UK Terror Plot - TOP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCpLA_wjGlQ

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FL: ISLAMIC GROUP RECOGNIZES ACHIEVERS - TOP
Jasmine Kripalani, Miami Herald. 8/13/06
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/miami-dade/cities_neighborhoods/coral_gables/15257051.htm

Farah Naim has received lots of praise in her 18 years.

After graduating from Barbara Goleman Senior High, the Princeton-bound student was honored as the school's valedictorian and The Miami Herald's Silver Knight nominee. She organized events for the youth at the Miramar mosque she attends.

Naim's projects included tutoring others and helping build homes through Habitat for Humanity. But her Islamic faith has caused some classmates to refuse to speak to her.

''There's a mixed perception out there,'' Naim said of Muslims. ``By doing community service, we're educating the community as to who we really are.''

Naim, along with 15 other Muslim students and Silver Knight nominees, was recognized Aug. 5 at the University of Miami by the Universal Heritage Institute, a nonprofit Islamic group that aims to promote interfaith dialogue. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Mon, 14 Aug 2006 17:23:06 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: CA Mosque Vandalized Twice in One Week / CAIR Calls for Release of Fox Journalists in Gaza / US Involved in Planning Israel's Operations in Lebanon

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/14/06

* Verse: Do Not Forget God
* An URGENT APPEAL from CAIR
* CAIR Calls for Release of Fox Journalists in Gaza
* CAIR-LA: S. Calif. Mosque Vandalized Twice in One Week
            - CAIR-LA: Vandalism Stirs Hate Fears
            - CAIR-MI: World Events Have Muslims Fearing Backlash
* FL: Gunman Arrested After 'Down with Islam' Refusal
* CAIR DC Panel: 'The War in Lebanon and the War on Terror'
* MD: Man Denounces Islam Outside Candidate's Home (Wash Post)
            - Man Mocks Islam Outside Muslim Candidate's House (AP)
* CAIR: Israeli Security Measures at NJ Airport
            - Israeli Security System at Tenn. Airport (WSJ)
            - CAIR-FL Rep Reacts to UK Terror Arrests
* CAIR: In Wars, Media Balance is Also a Battle (NY Times)
* US Involved in Planning Israel's Operations in Lebanon (AFP)
* MI: Phone Buying is a Big Business (Free Press)
* Islamic Perspective on Abortion (USA Today)

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VERSE OF THE DAY: DO NOT FORGET GOD - TOP

"O you who believe! Remain conscious of God and let every soul look to what (provision) it has sent forth for the (next life). . .Be not like those who forgot God, and as a result, God caused them to forget their own souls."

The Holy Quran, 59:18-19

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AN URGENT APPEAL FROM CAIR - TOP
http://www.cair.com/email/08-10-2006.html

As violence in the Middle East spirals out of control, our resources are once again stretched to their limit. Meanwhile our day-to-day work of defending your civil liberties and promoting an accurate image of Islam and Muslims continues to pile up at a pace that far outstrips our current resources. Our phone lines and e-mail boxes are overflowing with appeals from people who are counting on us to speak and act on their behalf.

Dear Friend of CAIR,

As-salaam alaikum.

If you tuned into the news lately, you cannot have missed the media's bias in portraying the conflict in the Middle East. You surely see our own government's unconditional support for Israel. Even Sen. John Warner, from President Bush's own party, questioned the wisdom of this one-sided support for Israel.

At CAIR we have organized a multi-layered campaign to address this recent conflict. A peaceful and just resolution to this five-decade-long conflict is important for the continued growth and empowerment of the Muslim community in America.

A new poll sponsored by CAIR and released last week shows that the majority of Americans want an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.

To allow ordinary Americans to receive an accurate characterization of this conflict and to voice their disagreement about current US policy, we have launched a new resource website: www.notinamericasname.org/

Among other things, the website contains a petition that demands that our elected officials pay heed to public opinion. Please take a moment to visit the website and sign CAIR's "Not in America's Name" petition. We need your help to reach our fellow Americans with these facts.

The website also contains educational materials about the conflict and suggests actions you can take to voice your opinions and concerns - from contacting your elected officials, sending humanitarian relief to the people in Lebanon and Gaza, organizing town hall meetings to writing letters to editors.

In addition, we have coordinated news conferences with American citizens who have relatives in Lebanon or those who just arrived from there. These news conferences were carried out in more than a dozen cities across the nation. Most of the news conferences were carried by local affiliates of ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX and helped to draw media attention to the bizarre situation in which American tax-payer-funded weapons are being used by Israel to bomb American citizens attempting to flee the war zone.

It is our Islamic obligation to help the cause of peace and justice and to help those who are advocating such enduring Islamic values.

Together, we can do it! We need:

* 400 of our friends to donate $200 per month,
* 800 of our friends to donate $100 per month,
* 1,500 of our friends to give $50 per month, and
* 2,500 of our friends to give $25 per month.

All we are asking for are modest monthly donations - between $25 and $200 or more. For less than the cost of your cable TV or coffee bill you can help CAIR advocate for you. Visit us at www.cair.com to find out how we help you everyday.

We close with a reminder from the Holy Quran, "Verily God will never change the condition of a people (community) until they change that which is within themselves (13:11)."

DONATE NOW

Sincerely,

Parvez Ahmed
Chairman

Nihad Awad
Executive Director

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CAIR CALLS FOR RELEASE OF FOX JOURNALISTS IN GAZA - TOP

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/14/2006) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today called for the release of two American journalists who were abducted in Gaza while working for the Jerusalem bureau of Fox News.

SEE: 2 Fox News Journalists Kidnapped in Gaza (AP)

In a statement, Nihad Awad, executive director of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said:

"We call for the immediate and unconditional release of the two journalists and ask that all parties to the Middle East conflict respect the right to gather and distribute information without fear of bodily harm or censorship. Those who target journalists or any other civilians only bring harm to whatever cause they espouse."

Earlier this year, a CAIR delegation traveled to Iraq to make a public appeal for the release of Christian Science Monitor reporter Jill Carroll.

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

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S. CALIF. MOSQUE VANDALIZED TWICE IN ONE WEEK - TOP
CAIR-LA calls on FBI to probe possible bias motive

(ANAHEIM, CA, 8/14/06) - The Southern California office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) said today that an area mosque has been vandalized for a second time in just one week.

An official of the La Mirada mosque told CAIR-LA that a door of the facility was damaged by projectiles sometime between 2 and 5 a.m. Monday. Last Thursday, vandals shot out two windows of the same mosque.

CAIR-LA is calling on the FBI and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to investigate both incidents as possible hate crimes.

The mosque has been a target of hate incidents in the past. It received written messages such as, "The Muslim religion is a cult and that Mohammed is a terrorist and an outlaw," and, "No future for Muslims in the U.S.A."

"Those who target houses of worship must be apprehended and prosecuted to the full extent of the law, regardless of their motive," said CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush.

Ayloush said a series of similar incidents has been reported in recent months by Muslim individuals and institutions nationwide. There has been particular concern in the Muslim community following reports of a plot in Britain to bomb airliners traveling to the United States and because of tensions caused by the conflict in the Middle East.

As a response to anti-Muslim incidents, CAIR published a "Muslim Community Safety Kit." The safety kit may be obtained free of charge by e-mailing pubs@cair-net.org. (Include name, address and phone number when requesting the safety kit.)

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: Munira Syeda at CAIR-LA, 714-776-1847 or 714-851-4851, E-Mail: socal@cair.com

SEE ALSO:

CA: VANDALISM STIRS HATE FEARS - TOP
Giselle Sotelo, Whittier Daily News, 8/14/06
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_4175666

Local Muslim leaders said Saturday they were afraid of a backlash in the aftermath of a thwarted bomb plot in Britain and said vandals who attacked a La Mirada mosque last week committed a hate crime.

The mosque - which occupies a storefront in a strip mall at 15077 Imperial Highway - had two large windows shot out with a BB gun Thursday, said Rezaur Rahman president of the Muslim Community Service, Inc.

Authorities don't believe the attack on the mosque was a hate crime, but may be connected to a string of BB gun shootings that took place within a two-hour time span in the La Mirada area that night, a Los Angeles Sheriff's Department sergeant said.

"The FBI was notified and deemed it not a hate crime," Sgt. Brian Doyle said. "Other than the fact that the BBs were shot at the window, there was nothing ... to show they were singled out."

But Muslim community members were skeptical. Rahman pointed out that the pictures of minarets on the windows were targeted. The decorated windows will cost between $1,600 to $2,000 to replace, he said. The windows are now boarded up, he said.

He urged the Muslim community to be extra vigilant in light of a recent thwarted terrorist bomb plot and unrest in the Middle East, Rahman said. (MORE)

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CAIR-MI: WORLD EVENTS HAVE AREA MUSLIMS FEARING BACKLASH - TOP
Carol Marshall, Hometown Life, 8/13/06
http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060813/NEWS03/608130350

Around the world, and at Metro Airport, tensions were higher than usual, as more news of another terror plan developed, following two dozen arrests of suspected plotters in London. The day before the arrests, two Dearborn men were arrested in Ohio, accused of money laundering and supporting terrorism. The news has members of the mosque in Canton on edge.

"Any time there is a news story where there is a high degree of visibility connecting Muslims with a negative event, the community is on guard for potential backlash," said Dawud Walid, executive director of Michigan CAIR, Council on American-Islamic Relations. "The community braces itself, like a flinch before a car crash." (MORE)

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FL: GUMAN ARRESTED AFTER 'DOWN WITH ISLAM' REFUSAL - TOP
Central Florida News 13, 8/13/06
http://cfn13.com/StoryHeadline.aspx?id=17940

GUNMAN ARRESTED

A man who was armed with an AK-47 is in custody after a standoff with police on Rostock Circle in Palm Bay.

Police say Jerry O'Neal Bonner was emotionally disturbed and possibly suicidal.

They say he went out of control shortly after two o'clock Sunday afternoon after his wife refused to let him spray paint "down with Islam" on her car.

Police say Bonner then rammed his truck into his wife's car and grabbed an AK-47.

Neighbor Yvette Burgos says she heard shots being fired.

"I heard a loud noise, I thought it was a car accident and I ran outside and I saw these two cops in a corner".

Police say Bonner hid in the bushes of a neighbor's home for about two hours, and shots were exchanged with police at least once. But no one was hit, and Bonner eventually surrendered.

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CAIR TO HOST PANEL DISCUSSION: WAR IN LEBANON AND THE WAR ON TERROR - TOP

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/11/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Research Center invites you to a panel discussion entitled "The War in Lebanon and the War on Terror."

The panel will feature two distinguished specialists in foreign policy and Arab studies. Anatol Lieven is coauthor of the upcoming book 'Ethical Realism: A Vision for America's Role in the World.' Bassam Haddad teaches Arab politics and is editor of 'Arab Studies Journal.'

* Anatol Lieven, Senior Research Fellow, New America Foundation
* Bassam Haddad, Professor Political Science, St. Joseph's University

WHEN: Wednesday, August 16, 2006, noon - 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Longworth House Office Building, Room 1310, New Jersey Ave and C Street, S.E., Washington, D.C.

Admission is free, but seating is limited. Email: irahman@cair.com to RSVP. Refreshments will be served.

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MD: MAN DENOUNCES ISLAM OUTSIDE CANDIDATE'S HOME - TOP
Washington Post, 8/14/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/13/AR2006081301028.html

A demonstrator sat down Saturday near the home of a Muslim candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates with a hand-lettered sign bearing a crude denunciation of Islam.

The sign was apparently aimed at Saqib Ali, a Gaithersburg resident who is running in the Sept. 12 Democratic primary for a seat in House District 39.

The demonstrator, who wore a T-shirt reading "This mind is an Allah-free zone," planted himself near the house in the Quince Orchard Estates development that Ali also uses as a campaign office. Ali, a software engineer who is challenging three incumbents, said he went out into his small cul-de-sac to look at the man but said nothing to him.

"I knew he was there to bait me," Ali said.

According to Ali, the man began saying, " 'You are a terrorist. . . . You guys are violent extremists.' "

Ali said that he remained silent and that the man, appearing upset, stood and left. Police were later called, and Ali said he agreed with their assessment that nothing illegal took place.

The man, he said, was in a common area and not on Ali's property. But police apparently notified the man later that he could be arrested if he did go onto the candidate's property in the next year.

Ali, who was born in Chicago, said his candidacy is about such matters as "roads, the schools" and not his religion. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

MAN MOCKS ISLAM OUTSIDE MUSLIM CANDIDATE'S HOUSE - TOP
Associated Press, 8/13/06
http://wjz.com/local/local_story_225190739.html

A Muslim candidate for the Maryland House of Delegates was targeted by a protester who held a sign reading "Islam sucks" and wore a T-shirt with the slogan, "This mind is an Allah-free zone."

Montgomery County police sent a trespass notification form to the protester, Timothy Truett, after the Saturday incident, warning him that he would be subject to arrest on trespassing charges if he steps onto Saqib Ali's property within the next year.

Truitt, 46, of Montgomery Village, sat in a folding chair on the cul-de-sac outside Ali's Gaithersburg home, which doubles as his campaign office, around 1:30 p.m. Saturday, holding the sign and wearing the shirt. Ali said he came outside when he was told about the protester and took several pictures but refused to speak to Truett, an account that Truett confirmed.

"It was basically an experiment," Truett said Sunday. "I had heard that Muslims were generally intolerant of views other than their own, and so I thought I would put it to the test. I wanted to see what would happen."

He hoped Ali would talk to him, but Ali said nothing.

"We steadfastly refused to engage him in conversation," Ali said. "We took a lot of photographs, and he got agitated after a while because we weren't answering him."

Truett got up to leave, and Ali followed Truett to his car and took pictures of his license tags. Truett phoned Ali's office after he left, but Ali hung up on him.

Truett had made an earlier phone call to Ali's office in which he asked if Ali was a Muslim and made derogatory remarks about Islam to Ali's campaign manager. (MORE)

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CAIR: ISRAELI SECURITY MEASURES TO BE USED AT NJ AIRPORT - TOP
Screeners at Newark plan rapid-fire questions, to see travelers' reactions
Ron Marsico and Kevin Coughlin, Star-Ledger, 8/13/06
http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-8/11554444854100.xml?starledger?ntop&coll=1

The war on terror is about to grow more personal.

Travelers at Newark Liberty International Airport, finally getting accustomed to being poked and prodded by security screeners, soon will be subjected to probing questions, too.

Adopting an Israeli tactic, airport personnel plan to pepper travelers with questions about anything and everything in hopes of flushing out would-be terrorists, according to two high-ranking federal security officials.

The program is patterned loosely on practices at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport. There, security personnel interrogate virtually every traveler -- first at roadside checkpoints, then within the airport -- to fluster anyone contemplating mayhem. . .

Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, strongly opposes the plan to mirror the Israeli technique. "The Israelis profile according to race, religion and ethnicity. I don't think we want to do that," he said. "Would praying in the terminal as a Muslim be a suspicious behavior? Would reading the Quran be considered suspicious behavior?"

The former security chief for Israel's El Al airline, who now runs a consulting company in New York, said U.S. airports need behavioral profiling. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

WHICH TRAVELERS HAVE 'HOSTILE INTENT'? - TOP
Biometric Device May Have the Answer
Jonathan Karp and Laura Meckler, Wall Street Journal, 8/14/06
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115551793796934752-2hgveyRtDDtssKozVPmg6RAAa_w_20070813.html

At airport security checkpoints in Knoxville, Tenn. this summer, scores of departing passengers were chosen to step behind a curtain, sit in a metallic oval booth and don headphones.

With one hand inserted into a sensor that monitors physical responses, the travelers used the other hand to answer questions on a touch screen about their plans. A machine measured biometric responses -- blood pressure, pulse and sweat levels -- that then were analyzed by software. The idea was to ferret out U.S. officials who were carrying out carefully constructed but make-believe terrorist missions.

The trial of the Israeli-developed system represents an effort by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration to determine whether technology can spot passengers who have "hostile intent." In effect, the screening system attempts to mechanize Israel's vaunted airport-security process by using algorithms, artificial-intelligence software and polygraph principles.

Neither the TSA nor Suspect Detection Systems Ltd., the Israeli company, will discuss the Knoxville trial, whose primary goal was to uncover the designated bad guys, not to identify threats among real travelers. They won't even say what questions were asked of travelers, though the system is generally designed to measure physical responses to hot-button questions like "Are you planning to immigrate illegally?" or "Are you smuggling drugs."

The test alone signals a push for new ways to combat terrorists using technology. Authorities are convinced that beyond hunting for weapons and dangerous liquids brought on board airliners, the battle for security lies in identifying dangerous passengers.

The method isn't intended to catch specific lies, says Shabtai Shoval, chief executive of Suspect Detection Systems, the start-up business behind the technology dubbed Cogito. "What we are looking for are patterns of behavior that indicate something all terrorists have: the fear of being caught," he says. (MORE)

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CAIR-FL REP REACTS TO UK TERROR ARRESTS - TOP
Fox 35, 8/12/06
http://www.myfoxorlando.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=490562&version=4&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1

American Muslims

After Thursday's foiled terror plot, American Muslims face a big challenge being accepted by other Americans. FOX 35's Erin Logan has more.

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IN WARS, QUEST FOR MEDIA BALANCE IS ALSO A BATTLEFIELD - TOP
Lorne Manly, New York Times, 8/1/406
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/14/business/media/14balance.html

Wars in the modern media age often come complete with their own journalistic difficulties.

Although doctored and stage-managed photographs out of Lebanon garnered their share of headlines last week, they are just a part of a larger, underlying issue: the role of images in fairly portraying the conflict incited nearly five weeks ago by Hezbollah's raid into Israel and its kidnapping of two soldiers.

Particularly vexing for many American news organizations is the struggle to determine how and in what proportion images of civilian dead and injured should be displayed in their coverage, when one side's casualties greatly surpass the other.

The journalistic calculus is made tougher by the involvement of the Arab-Israeli conflict, a topic that bedevils news editors like no other, and an organization, Hezbollah, that is considered a terrorist group by the United States government. But the decision-making becomes even more fraught because of the power of photographs and TV images, which are evocative - and provocative - in ways the written and spoken word are not. . .

Jon Banner, executive producer of "World News With Charles Gibson" on ABC, said he could not think of a news event in recent memory more difficult to cover, given the complexity of the issues and powerful nature of the images. Usually ABC has run one segment from Lebanon and one from Israel as a way to tell both sides of the fighting.

That, to some, is a dereliction of journalistic duty. Some critics of Israel argue that because the death tolls and destruction are greater in Lebanon, a proportionality of sorts should inform the resulting reports; anything else betrays a pro-Israeli stance. But supporters of Israel say such an approach bestows a misguided moral equivalence. Israel is a democratic nation exercising its right to self-defense, they argue, while Hezbollah is a terrorist organization that uses the Lebanese people as human shields.

Ibrahim Hooper, national communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights and advocacy organization, said Israel was using disproportionate force in its battle with Hezbollah, needlessly killing civilians and jeopardizing Lebanon's fledgling democracy by destroying the country's infrastructure. "It should be shown in proportion to the killing and destruction," he said. (MORE)

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US INVOLVED IN PLANNING ISRAEL'S OPERATIONS IN LEBANON - TOP
Agence France Presse, 8/13/06
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060813/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictus_060813183058

The US government was closely involved in planning Israel's military operations against Lebanon's Hezbollah militia even before the July 12 kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers, a US magazine reported.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh writes in The New Yorker magazine that President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were convinced that a successful Israeli bombing campaign against Hezbollah could ease Israel's security concerns and also serve as a prototype for a potential US preemptive attack to destroy Iran's nuclear installations.

Citing an unnamed Middle East expert with knowledge of the current thinking of the Israeli and US governments, Hersh said Israel had devised a plan for attacking Hezbollah -- and shared it with Bush administration officials -- well before the July 12 kidnappings.

"When they grabbed the soldiers in early July, that was then a pretext" for Israel's assault on Hezbollah, Hersh said Sunday on CNN television.

"We (the US) worked closely with them (Israel) months before, not necessarily ... knowing when it was going to happen, but when there was an incident they will take advantage of the incident, what I call a fortunate timing'," Hersh said. (MORE)

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MI: PHONE BUYING IS A BIG BUSINESS - TOP
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 8/14/06
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060814/NEWS05/608140339/1007/NEWS05

It may seem unusual for someone to buy hundreds of cell phones at a time, but metro Detroiters of Middle Eastern descent say that practice is part of a long tradition of entrepreneurship in Arab-American communities.

From Dearborn to Troy to Sterling Heights, Arab Americans are a major part of the cell phone business in southeastern Michigan. At least half of the cell phone businesses in the region are owned by metro Detroiters of Arab or Chaldean descent, say business owners in the industry. Many new immigrants or emerging businessmen earn money by buying the cell phones and then selling them to gas stations, distributors or stores.

It's called capitalism, Arab Americans say.

In Michigan, "you can talk to almost any family in the Arab-American community, and they all have some relative in the cell phone business," said Warren David, a Lebanese American from Northville.

If police knew that, perhaps five Arab Americans would not have been arrested last week on terrorism charges after they bought hundreds of cell phones, said David, who recently sold his cell phone business to an Iraqi American.

"If they understood us a little more, they might not jump the gun so quickly," he said.

In Ohio on Tuesday, a store employee called police after two 20-year-old Arab-American men from Dearborn bought a large number of cell phones at a Wal-Mart. The same thing happened Friday in Caro after three Arab-American men bought 80 phones at one store.

In the Ohio case, Osama Abulhassan and Ali Houssaiky were just trying to make money by buying cell phones so they could sell them to a distributor for a profit, family members said.

"The two young men were engaged in a perfectly legal practice based on the most fundamental principles of our free market economy," the Abulhassan family said in an e-mail. (MORE)

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RELIGIONS SAY . . . - TOP
Daniel C. Maguire, USA Today, 8/14/06
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2006-08-13-forum-abortion_x.htm

The major world religions are pluralistic on abortion, with some authorities permitting abortion and some forbidding it. A sampling of views within various faiths: . . .

Islam: Like all religions, it highly prizes fertility. Even so, Islam believes that we are obligated by God not to overpopulate. As Islamic scholar Azizah al-Hibri says, "The majority of Muslim scholars permit abortion, although they differ on the stage of fetal development beyond which it becomes prohibited." After 120 days, abortion is permissible only to save the mother's life, where the pregnancy is harming an already suckling child, or when it is known that the fetus is malformed. Though the various schools of Islam differ on the time in which an abortion is permitted, al-Hibri says all "permit abortion for exigencies such as saving the mother's life." (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

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Forwarded Message

Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 17:35:40 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: John Bolton Grants Interview to Anti-Islam Hate Site / CAIR Welcomes Dropping of 'Terror-Phone' Charges / CAIR Rep Discusses 'Islamic Fascists' on 'O'Reilly Factor'

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/15/06

* Verse: God Repeats His Creation
* An URGENT APPEAL from CAIR
* Video: CAIR Rep Discusses 'Islamic Fascists' (FOX)
            - CAIR: Bush Drops Reference to 'Islamic Fascists' (AP)
            - Video: CAIR - 'Islam Does Not Equal Fascism' (CBS)
* CAIR-FL Hosts Meeting with Law Enforcement
* CAIR-MI Welcomes Dropping of 'Terror-Phone' Charges
* CAIR: U.S. Muslims Feel Americans' Prejudice
            - CAIR: Backlash Against Muslim Candidate (NBC9)
            - CAIR-LA: La Mirada Mosque Vandalized
            - CAIR-LA: Public Urged Not to Demonize Muslims (LA Times)
* Hezbollah Fighters Emerge from the Rubble (Wash Post)
            - America's One-Sided View of Lebanon War (Independent)
            - Don't Ask Questions About U.S. Role in Mideast (Observer)
* John Bolton Grants Interview to Anti-Islam Hate Site
* UK: Muslims Face Extra Checks in Travel Crackdown (Times)
            - Profiling Plan Angers UK Muslims (CNN)
* Religious Garments Define Muslim Women (UPI)

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VERSE OF THE DAY: GOD REPEATS HIS CREATION - TOP

"Man says: 'What! When I am dead shall I then be raised up alive?' But does not man call to mind that We created him before out of nothing?"

The Holy Quran, 19:66-67

HADITH OF THE DAY: CHARITY

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said one of the strongest things created by God is a person "who gives charity with his right hand while concealing it from his left."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 602

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AN URGENT APPEAL FROM CAIR - TOP
http://www.cair.com/email/08-10-2006.html

As violence in the Middle East spirals out of control, our resources are once again stretched to their limit. Meanwhile our day-to-day work of defending your civil liberties and promoting an accurate image of Islam and Muslims continues to pile up at a pace that far outstrips our current resources. Our phone lines and e-mail boxes are overflowing with appeals from people who are counting on us to speak and act on their behalf.

We wish to thank those who have donated so generously, and we urge others who can give to show their support now.

Dear Friend of CAIR,

As-salaam alaikum.

If you tuned into the news lately, you cannot have missed the media's bias in portraying the conflict in the Middle East. You surely see our own government's unconditional support for Israel. Even Sen. John Warner, from President Bush's own party, questioned the wisdom of this one-sided support for Israel.

At CAIR we have organized a multi-layered campaign to address this recent conflict. A peaceful and just resolution to this five-decade-long conflict is important for the continued growth and empowerment of the Muslim community in America.

A new poll sponsored by CAIR and released last week shows that the majority of Americans want an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.

To allow ordinary Americans to receive an accurate characterization of this conflict and to voice their disagreement about current US policy, we have launched a new resource website: www.notinamericasname.org/

Among other things, the website contains a petition that demands that our elected officials pay heed to public opinion. Please take a moment to visit the website and sign CAIR's "Not in America's Name" petition. We need your help to reach our fellow Americans with these facts.

The website also contains educational materials about the conflict and suggests actions you can take to voice your opinions and concerns - from contacting your elected officials, sending humanitarian relief to the people in Lebanon and Gaza, organizing town hall meetings to writing letters to editors.

In addition, we have coordinated news conferences with American citizens who have relatives in Lebanon or those who just arrived from there. These news conferences were carried out in more than a dozen cities across the nation. Most of the news conferences were carried by local affiliates of ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX and helped to draw media attention to the bizarre situation in which American tax-payer-funded weapons are being used by Israel to bomb American citizens attempting to flee the war zone.

It is our Islamic obligation to help the cause of peace and justice and to help those who are advocating such enduring Islamic values.

Together, we can do it! We need:

* 400 of our friends to donate $200 per month,
* 800 of our friends to donate $100 per month,
* 1,500 of our friends to give $50 per month, and
* 2,500 of our friends to give $25 per month.

All we are asking for are modest monthly donations - between $25 and $200 or more. For less than the cost of your cable TV or coffee bill you can help CAIR advocate for you. Visit us at www.cair.com to find out how we help you everyday.

We close with a reminder from the Holy Quran, "Verily God will never change the condition of a people (community) until they change that which is within themselves (13:11)."

DONATE NOW

Sincerely,

Parvez Ahmed
Chairman

Nihad Awad
Executive Director

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CAIR OUTRAGED OVER PRESIDENT'S USE OF TERM 'ISLAMIC FASCISTS' - TOP
Fox News: The O'Reilly Factor, 8/14/06
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,208433,00.html

This is a partial transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," August 14, 2006, that has been edited for clarity.

Watch "The O'Reilly Factor" weeknights at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET and listen to the "Radio Factor!"

BILL O'REILLY, HOST: Now for the top story tonight, the Council on American Islamic Relations has written a letter to President Bush objecting to his use of the term "Islamic fascist." I use that term as well.

Joining us now from Washington is Nihad Awad, director - executive director of CAIR.

OK. Are you going to tell me that Iran isn't a fascist state and the Mujahideen, the jihadists are not fascist people? Are you going to tell me, that sir?

NIHAD AWAD, COUNCIL ON AMERICAN ISLAMIC RELATIONS: Bill, thanks for having me. And allow me first to share with you and your viewers that our organization CAIR has issued a statement demanding the release of the FOX crew who were abducted or kidnapped today in Gaza. And we pray and hope for their safe return to do their job back to their families.

O'REILLY: Yes, I just meant to tell everybody we're not going to have much more on that because we are, you know, in the process of trying to get that solved.

AWAD: Sure.

O'REILLY: The question of the hour is, that your group does not want people like me and President Bush to say the term "Islamic fascists." And I submit to you, sir, that's exactly what these killers are.

AWAD: OK. And I will agree with you on one point, but also let's remember that President Bush after 9/11 used the term "crusades." Then White House officials retracted that term. And after that when we invaded Iraq, we called it Operation Infinite Justice. Then we retracted that term and we called it Enduring Freedom.

Now we could see that inflammatory rhetoric can be devastating to our image and the message we would like to send to the Muslim world. Number one, there's nothing Islamic about fascism. And there is no link between Islam as a religion and fascists.

O'REILLY: Let me stop you there. Let me stop you. OK?

AWAD: Go ahead.

O'REILLY: That's true. Is there anything - is there anything remotely connecting Italians with fascism or Germans with fascism? Because those two countries were at one time fascist states. Were they not?

AWAD: And you know what? And they are also - they're not Muslim. They were Christian. We never called them fascia Christians. And I'm saying here.

O'REILLY: No, we said Italy and Germany were fascist states. And right now, we're fighting a stateless enemy.

AWAD: Yes.

O'REILLY: ...but they are all Muslims. 100 percent of the terrorists that we're facing are Muslims.

AWAD: OK. But their actions are not inspired by Islam. And this is very important for you.

O'REILLY: Well, what is the jihad then?

AWAD: Jihad is a legitimate self-defense like the United States if it's attacked it defends itself, but terrorism is not Islamic. And terrorism is not inspired by Islam. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

BUSH DROPS REFERENCE TO 'ISLAMIC FASCISTS' - TOP
Associated Press, 8/14/06
http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5280312&nav=2HAB

President Bush has avoided repetition of a term that angered Muslims.

Responding last week to the foiling of an alleged plot to blow up flights between Britain and the United States, Bush said, "This nation is at war with Islamic fascists."

That triggered immediate objections from the Council of American-Islamic Relations, and another objection today from the government of Saudi Arabia.

In a statement after its weekly meeting, the Saudi Cabinet "warned against labeling Muslims with accusations of terrorism and fascism."

Bush didn't repeat the reference to "Islamic fascists" at the State Department today, referring instead to "individuals that would like to kill innocent Americans to achieve political objectives."

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VIDEO: CAIR: 'ISLAM DOES NOT EQUAL FASCISM' - TOP
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=1895022n

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CAIR-FL HOSTS MEETING WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT TO DISCUSS ANTI-MUSLIM BACKLASH - TOP
Associated Press, 8/15/06

3 p.m. TAMPA -- The Tampa office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations will host a meeting with Tampa Bay law enforcement to discuss concerns of anti-Muslim backlash, safety and cooperation.

LOCATION: CAIR's Tampa Office, 8056 N. 56th St.

CONTACT: Ahmed Bedier, 813-731-9506

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CAIR-MI WELCOMES DROPPING OF 'TERROR-PHONE' CHARGES - TOP
Muslim civil rights group says men targeted because of religion, ethnicity

(LATHRUP VILLAGE, MI, 8/15/06) - The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) today welcomed the decision of an Ohio prosecutor to drop terrorism-related charges against two men from Dearborn, Mich.

On August 8, the men were pulled over for a minor traffic violation in Washington County, Ohio, and later charged with two counts of supporting terrorism. The charges were based on the pair's purchase of 600 pre-paid cell phones. Yesterday, the local prosecutor said that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the men on the terror charges.

SEE: Terrorism Charges Dropped in Ohio Cell Phone Case (Detroit Free Press)
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060814/NEWS99/60814032

Federal officials also indicated that there was insufficient evidence to charge three other Arab-American Muslims with being involved in a plot to explode the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan.

SEE: FBI Finds No Link Between Suspects, Terrorism (AP)
http://www.registerguard.com/news/2006/08/15/a3.nat.phones.0815.p1.php?section=nation_world

SEE: CAIR-MI: Terror Charges Tied to Phones are Crumbling
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060815/NEWS04/608150394/1006

"We welcome the government's acknowledgment that these men were not involved in terrorism, but we are concerned that the knee-jerk reaction by law enforcement was based on the religion and ethnicity of those arrested," said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid. "Unfortunately, the handling of these incidents will only serve to increase Islamophobia in our society."

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-569-2203, 248-842-1418 or director@cairmichigan.org

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CAIR: U.S. MUSLIMS FEEL AMERICANS' PREJUDICE - TOP
Parvez Ahmed, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 8/15/06
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/281194_fascists15.html

Shortly after 9/11, President Bush described and later retracted our fight against terrorism as a "crusade." In his first news conference after last week's thwarted terrorist plot to blow up several aircrafts the president said, "This nation is at war with Islamic fascists."

The use of the phrase "Islamic fascists" has drawn the ire of the American Muslim community. As Muslims, we use "Islamic ethics" to mean ethics based on Islamic teachings that guide our behavior. Similarly, "Islamic art" draws its inspiration from Islamic teachings that discourage certain types of art (immodest imagery or certain life forms). When the president uses "Islamic fascists," it conveys that fascism is rooted in Islam or fascism that is inspired by Islam. This is the way the Muslims will see it, regardless of what George W. Bush may claim he really means.

Bush, on an earlier occasion, said Islam is a religion of peace. Now, caving into extreme right-wing pressure, he equated the religion of peace with the ugliness of fascism. Such rhetoric contributes to fear and backlash against American Muslims. A recently released Gallup poll shows four out of 10 Americans feel "prejudiced" against Muslims.

"Prejudice" against Islam and Muslims allowed politicians to whip up a frenzy in rejecting the approval of a Dubai firm to operate U.S. ports. Conservative columnist David Brooks wrote, "But it is certain that the xenophobic hysteria will come back to harm the U.S. This (Middle East) is a region in the midst of traumatic democratic change. The strongest argument the fundamentalists have is that they are engaged in a holy war against the racist West, which imposes one set of harsh rules on Arabs and another set of rules on everybody else. Now comes a group of politicians to prove them gloriously right." (MORE)

Parvez Ahmed is chairman of Council on American-Islamic Relations. CAIR is the United States' largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy group. To find out more about CAIR go to: www.cair.com or E-mail: pahmed@cair.com

SEE ALSO:

CAIR: A MUSLIM BACKLASH? - TOP
Nancy Yamada, 9NEWS NOW, 8/14/06
http://wusatv9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=51405

VIDEO: http://wusatv9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=51405

The foiled terror plot is affecting us on a social level, much like the attacks on 9/11, and fear can lead to bigotry in the form of racial profiling against Muslims.

Case in point: a Montgomery County man running for office who happens to be Muslim. He says he has become a target, not for his stance on the issues, but because of his religion.

On Saturday, a man sat next to his sign that read, 'Islam sucks.'

It was written and displayed in bold print in front of Saqib Ali's Gaithersburg home and campaign headquarters. Ali is running for the Maryland House of Delegates.

"I felt like he was intimidating and trying to menace me and my family, similar to when people burned crosses in someone's front yard. I think it was the exact same message."

The man carrying that sign and wearing a t-shirt that read "this mind is an Allah-free zone" has been identified as Timothy Truitt of Montgomery Village. Though Ali believes this was an isolated incident, the Council on American-Islamic Relations says anti-Muslim sentiment can be seen nationwide.

"Everything from hate crimes to mosque vandalism to drive-by shootings," says Arsalan Iftikhar, of CAIR.

Truitt wasn't charged with a crime, but he was given a warning that if he goes back to Ali's house within the year, he will be charged with trespassing. (MORE)

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CAIR-CA: LA MIRADA MOSQUE IS VANDALIZED - TOP
Police say property damage not a hate crime.
Bethania Palma, Press-Telegram
http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_4181937

When the Muslim Community Services Inc. mosque on the 15000 block of Imperial Highway was attacked by vandals Thursday night, mosque president Rezuar Rahman wasn't too worried.

But when he arrived Monday morning and discovered the mosque had been struck a second time, he began to feel uneasy.

"This morning, when we went there, everyone felt like someone is trying to scare us out of this place," he said.

Rahman pointed out two windows and a glass door that were destroyed. All three had Muslim symbols, such as a crescent and minaret, as well as the mosque's logo.

The windows were shattered by BB gun pellets on Thursday night; the glass door was destroyed, also by BB pellets, early Monday morning.

Rahman believes whoever shot out the windows and door intentionally targeted the mosque.

Sheriff's officials, however, think the attacks were random - part of a spate of BB gun shootings that, besides the mosque, have targeted about seven vehicle and business windows since last Thursday. . .

Laura Eimiller, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles branch of the FBI, said that the bureau is staying abreast of the sheriff's investigation.

"Once individual suspects are determined, we will follow up to determine whether or not the mosque was targeted and whether hate factored into the attack," she said. "Any time a house of worship is attacked, it's going to raise our concern."

Munira Syeda, communications coordinator for the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Southern California chapter, said that the La Mirada mosque has been hit by bigotry in the past.

"That mosque has a history - they've received hate messages in the past," she said, adding that CAIR plans to contact the FBI to urge them to investigate the incidents as hate crimes.

"The Muslim American community is extremely scared of a possible backlash," she said. "Their sense of security has been lost and it will take time to get it back." (MORE)

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CAIR-CA: L.A. AREA MUSLIMS URGE PUBLIC TO NOT DEMONIZE THEM - TOP
Stephen Clark, Los Angeles Times, 8/15/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-islam15aug15,1,4689808.story

Only days after British authorities foiled an alleged plot to blow up airliners en route from Britain to the United States, Muslim leaders and law enforcement officials in Southern California urged the public Monday not to demonize the Islamic community.

At a news conference Monday at the Islamic Center of Southern California in Los Angeles, the leaders and officials said Muslims worldwide have helped authorities fight terror.

"We are playing the most critical role in America's national security because of our partnership with law enforcement," said Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. . .

Pierce and Al-Marayati were joined by representatives of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who emphasized the need to protect the civil rights of Muslims and the value of working with them.

"Muslim nations are working tirelessly in the fight against terror," said Sheriff Lee Baca, who earlier this year helped establish the Muslim-American Homeland Security Congress to consolidate, expand and publicize Muslims' efforts against terrorism. The group encourages religious leaders in Southern California to speak out against terrorism, has formed a youth council and reaches out to alienated Muslims. The organization has a nine-member executive board and its membership includes mosque members, students and civil rights advocates.

Muslim leaders expressed concern that their community would face a backlash in the aftermath of the latest alleged terror plot and as the five-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks approaches.

"It is imperative to remember that we face a common enemy who does not discriminate based on religion, race or gender," said Ahmed Ali, president of the Council of Pakistani Public Affairs.

Also Monday, teenagers with pellet guns shot at the door of a mosque in La Mirada, deputies said. Pellet guns were also used to shoot out two windows at the mosque Thursday evening.

The Southern California office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on the FBI and the Sheriff's Department to investigate both incidents as possible hate crimes.

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HEZBOLLAH FIGHTERS EMERGE FROM THE RUBBLE - TOP
Anthony Shadid, Washington Post, 8/15/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/14/AR2006081401345.html

A little after dawn Monday, the shells crashed every few seconds. The last fell at 7:56 a.m. Then they stopped, as suddenly as they had begun 33 days before. And into the streets of this Shiite Muslim town, where electricity wires laced through rubble and a tree branch sprawled across the hood of a green BMW, the fighters emerged, bathed in a cool mountain breeze.

There was no gunfire in the air, no chants, no jubilant displays of celebration. There were, rather, the satisfied expressions of survival. Men embraced, kissing each other's cheeks, some emerging into sunlight for the first time in weeks. Cellphones, in almost everyone's hand, rang with queries of others' whereabouts, the fate of houses and the reality of a cease-fire that still seemed fragile. They smiled. "Thank God for your safety" was the refrain.

And Hussein Kalash, burly, hard and confident, offered three words that defined the war for Khiam's defenders, the Hezbollah fighters.

"We're still here," he said.

The war ended Monday -- at least for now -- in Khiam, a hilltop town perched within eyesight of the Israeli border. But the fighters began weaving the narratives even before a bulldozer threw up dust as it cleared rubble from the town's tattered streets, where hardly a building was untouched. They were myths of resistance -- of tanks repulsed across the fertile plain that frames the town; of surviving on chocolate and water for two weeks along the town's front line; of faith serving as their greatest weapon.

In an undecided war, perception becomes paramount, and the gaggles of fighters Monday, some with drawn faces, others with a look of contentment, walked like victors through a town that was gouged, cratered and pockmarked but, they said, still theirs. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

AMERICA'S ONE-EYED VIEW OF WAR: STARS, STRIPES, AND THE STAR OF DAVID - TOP
Andrew Gumbel, Independent, 8/15/06
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article1219241.ece

There are two sides to every conflict - unless you rely on the US media for information about the battle in Lebanon. Viewers have been fed a diet of partisan coverage which treats Israel as the good guys and their Hizbollah enemy as the incarnation of evil.

If these were normal times, the American view of the conflict in Lebanon might look something like the street scenes that have electrified the suburbs of Detroit for the past four weeks. . .

On the Arab American side, many have expressed reluctance to stand up and be counted among the protesters for fear of being tinged by association with Hizbollah, which is on the United States' list of terrorist organisations. (As a result, the voices heard during the protests tend to be the more extreme ones.) They don't like to discuss their political views in any public forum, following the revelation a few months ago that the National Security Agency was wiretapping phone calls and e-mail exchanges as part of the Bush administration's war on terror.

They are even afraid to donate money to help the civilian victims of the war in Lebanon because of the intense scrutiny Islamic and Arab charities have been subjected to since the 9/11 attacks. The Bush administration has denounced 40 charities worldwide as financiers of terrorism, and arrested and deported dozens of people associated with them. Consequently, while Jewish charities such as the United Jewish Communities are busy raising $300m to help families affected by the Katyusha rockets raining down on northern Israel, donations to the Lebanese victims have come in at no more than a trickle.

Outside Detroit and a handful of other cities with sizeable Arab American populations, it is hard to detect that there are two sides to the conflict at all. The Dearborn protests have received almost no attention nationally, and when they have it has usually been to denounce the participants as extremists and apologists for terrorism - either because they have voiced support for Hizbollah or because they have carried banners in which the Star of David at the centre of the Israeli flag has been replaced by a swastika.

The media, more generally, has left little doubt in the minds of a majority of American news consumers that the Israelis are the good guys, the aggrieved victims, while Hizbollah is an incarnation of the same evil responsible for bringing down the World Trade Centre, a heartless and faceless organisation whose destruction is so important it can justify all the damage Israel is inflicting on Lebanon and its civilians. (MORE)

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THE LAND OF THE FREE - BUT FREE SPEECH IS A RARE COMMODITY - TOP
You can say what you like in the US, just as long as you don't ask awkward questions about America's role in the Middle East
Henry Porter, Observer, 8/13/06
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1843543,00.html

It used to be said that academic rows were vicious because the stakes were so small. That's no longer true in America, where a battle is underway on campuses over what can be said about the Middle East and US foreign policy.

Douglas Giles is a recent casualty. He used to teach a class on world religions at Roosevelt University, Chicago, founded in memory of FDR and his liberal-inclined wife, Eleanor. Last year, Giles was ordered by his head of department, art historian Susan Weininger, not to allow students to ask questions about Palestine and Israel; in fact, nothing was to be mentioned in class, textbooks and examinations that could possibly open Judaism to criticism.

Students, being what they are, did not go along with the ban. A young woman, originally from Pakistan, asked a question about Palestinian rights. Someone complained and Professor Giles was promptly fired.

Leaving aside his boss's doubtful qualifications to set limits on a class of comparative religion - her speciality is early 20th-century Midwestern artists such as Tunis Ponsen (nor have I) - the point to grasp is that Professor Giles did not make inflammatory statements himself: he merely refused to limit debate among the young minds in front of him.

This might be seen as a troubling one-off like the story involving the president of Harvard, Lawrence Summers, who suggested that innate differences between the minds of men and women could be one reason why fewer women succeed in science and maths careers and was then ousted. But Giles's sacking is far more important because it is part of the movement to suppress criticism of Israel on the grounds that it is anti-semitic. A mild man, Giles seems astonished to find the battle for free speech in his own lecture theatre.

'It may be sexy to get on a bus and go to DC and march against war,' he said to me last week. 'It is much less sexy to fight in your own university for the right of free speech. But that is where it begins. That is because they are taking away what you can talk about.' He feels there is a pattern of intolerance in his sacking that has been encouraged by websites such as FrontPageMag.com and Campus Watch.

Joel Beinin of Stanford University is regularly attacked by both. Beinin is a Jew who speaks both Hebrew and Arabic. He worked in Israel and on an assembly line in the US, where he helped Arab workers understand their rights. Now, he holds seminars at Stanford in which all views are expressed. For this reason, no doubt, his photograph recently appeared on the front of a booklet entitled 'Campus Support for Terrorism'. (MORE)

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JOHN BOLTON GRANTS INTERVIEW TO ANTI-ISLAM HATE SITE - TOP
Thomas Brock, Brock Log, 8/14/06
http://brocknet.net/WordPress/?p=909

Just a day after his failing negotiations over Lebanon were rescued by Condi Rice at the U.N., John Bolton granted an interview. It wasn't an interview with the New York Times - as Steve has pointed out here before, Bolton doesn't speak to Warren Hoge at NYT because of ideological differences and perceived media bias.

Apparently, he will grant an exclusive 41-minute interview to someone who calls who believes Islam is a "religious rationale for Arab imperialism."

Bolton granted the interview on Sunday with Pamela of Atlas Shrugs, a nearly-all-issue right-wing blog. During the interview, Pamela called Kofi Annan a "jihadi tool" and said that someone needed to slap Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Seniora. Bolton, for his part, allowed this rhetoric to stand, even sheepishly reaffirming some of it along the way. . .

Pamela's remarks during the interview were inflammatory and outrageous - on par with, say, a Bill O'Reilly. But a quick look around Atlas Shrugs makes the O'Reilly Factor look like Sesame Street.

AS has some pretty crazy policy prescriptions, like an immediate U.S. attack on Iran, but that alone doesn't make Bolton's interview condemnable. The problem is, AS is an anti-Islam hate blog. (MORE)

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MUSLIMS FACE EXTRA CHECKS IN NEW TRAVEL CRACKDOWN - TOP
Ben Webster, The Times, 8/15/06
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2313135,00.html

The Government is discussing with airport operators plans to introduce a screening system that allows security staff to focus on those passengers who pose the greatest risk.

The passenger-profiling technique involves selecting people who are behaving suspiciously, have an unusual travel pattern or, most controversially, have a certain ethnic or religious background.

The system would be much more sophisticated than simply picking out young men of Asian appearance. But it would cause outrage in the Muslim community because its members would be far more likely to be selected for extra checks.

Officials at the Department for Transport (DfT) have discussed the practicalities of introducing such a system with airport operators, including BAA. They believe that it would be more effective at identifying potential terrorists than the existing random searches. . .

Three days before last week's arrests, the highest-ranking Muslim police officer in Britain gave warning that profiling techniques based on physical appearance were already causing anger and mistrust among young Muslims. Tarique Ghaffur, an assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said: "We must think long and hard about the causal factors of anger and resentment.

"There is a very real danger that the counter-terrorism label is also being used by other law-enforcement agencies to the effect that there is a real risk of criminalising minority communities." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

PROFILING PLAN ANGERS UK MUSLIMS - TOP
The British government says it is working on new security procedures at airports.
CNN, 8/15/06
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/08/15/passenger.profiling/

The British government is considering a system of passenger profiling that includes checks on travelers' ethnic or religious background, according to media reports.

The planned system of tougher airport checks would create a new offense of "traveling whilst Asian," according to one of Britain's most senior Muslim police officers.

Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Ali Dizaei said intelligence could be used to examine travel history, how a ticket is purchased and frequency of travel, but added: "It becomes hugely problematic when it's based on ethnicity, religion and country of origin. I don't think there's a stereotypical image of a terrorist."

The Times newspaper reports that officials at the Department for Transport are considering a system of passenger profiling that would select people behaving suspiciously, who have an unusual travel pattern or have a certain ethnic or religious background.

It comes after former Scotland Yard chief Lord Stevens said that airport chaos could be reduced by targeting passengers for more rigorous checks, with "young Muslim men" a focus. . .

But Mr Dizaei told the BBC: "What you are suggesting is that we should have a new offence in this country called 'traveling whilst Asian.'

"That's unpalatable to everyone. It is communities that defeat terrorism, and what we don't want to do is actually alienate the very communities who are going to help us catch terrorists.

"We cannot lose sight of the fact that terrorists come in all shapes and sizes. Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma bomber, would have certainly gone through the security system because he was a white male.

"Clearly it is about common sense, but it's not about saying to the victims of this problem -- and remember the Muslim community is also a victim of this problem, and many of the people on July were in fact Muslim -- you are the victims, you go and sort it out. (MORE)

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RELIGIOUS GARMENTS DEFINE MUSLIM WOMEN - TOP
United Press International, 8/14/06
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060814-031928-6704r

A U.S. study suggests what some perceive as oppressive is perceived as liberating for many second-generation American Muslim women.

At issue was the hijab -- a scarf that covers the head, hair, neck and ears -- a religious symbol that visibly separates young Muslim American women from their contemporary peers. But many who wear it say the covering is a boundary that's helping them carve out their own place in the Western world, yet it also bridges them with their family's traditions and values.

The findings are from a paper by Rhys Williams, professor of sociology at the University of Cincinnati, and Gira Vashi, a research assistant at the University of Illinois.

"There are multiple meanings to the hijab as a religious and social symbol; it often serves well those who wear it," said the researchers. "It provides a clear identity marker at a life-course transitional time, and it provides culturally legitimate space for young women who are formulating new Muslim American identities and lives." (MORE)

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Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

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Forwarded Message

Date: Tue, 15 Aug 2006 17:36:28 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: John Bolton Grants Interview to Anti-Islam Hate Site / CAIR Welcomes Dropping of 'Terror-Phone' Charges / CAIR Rep Discusses 'Islamic Fascists' on 'O'Reilly Factor'

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/15/06

* Verse: God Repeats His Creation
* An URGENT APPEAL from CAIR
* Video: CAIR Rep Discusses 'Islamic Fascists' (FOX)
            - CAIR: Bush Drops Reference to 'Islamic Fascists' (AP)
            - Video: CAIR - 'Islam Does Not Equal Fascism' (CBS)
* CAIR-FL Hosts Meeting with Law Enforcement
* CAIR-MI Welcomes Dropping of 'Terror-Phone' Charges
* CAIR: U.S. Muslims Feel Americans' Prejudice
            - CAIR: Backlash Against Muslim Candidate (NBC9)
            - CAIR-LA: La Mirada Mosque Vandalized
            - CAIR-LA: Public Urged Not to Demonize Muslims (LA Times)
* Hezbollah Fighters Emerge from the Rubble (Wash Post)
            - America's One-Sided View of Lebanon War (Independent)
            - Don't Ask Questions About U.S. Role in Mideast (Observer)
* John Bolton Grants Interview to Anti-Islam Hate Site
* UK: Muslims Face Extra Checks in Travel Crackdown (Times)
            - Profiling Plan Angers UK Muslims (CNN)
* Religious Garments Define Muslim Women (UPI)

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VERSE OF THE DAY: GOD REPEATS HIS CREATION - TOP

"Man says: 'What! When I am dead shall I then be raised up alive?' But does not man call to mind that We created him before out of nothing?"

The Holy Quran, 19:66-67

HADITH OF THE DAY: CHARITY

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said one of the strongest things created by God is a person "who gives charity with his right hand while concealing it from his left."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 602

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AN URGENT APPEAL FROM CAIR - TOP
http://www.cair.com/email/08-10-2006.html

As violence in the Middle East spirals out of control, our resources are once again stretched to their limit. Meanwhile our day-to-day work of defending your civil liberties and promoting an accurate image of Islam and Muslims continues to pile up at a pace that far outstrips our current resources. Our phone lines and e-mail boxes are overflowing with appeals from people who are counting on us to speak and act on their behalf.

We wish to thank those who have donated so generously, and we urge others who can give to show their support now.

Dear Friend of CAIR,

As-salaam alaikum.

If you tuned into the news lately, you cannot have missed the media's bias in portraying the conflict in the Middle East. You surely see our own government's unconditional support for Israel. Even Sen. John Warner, from President Bush's own party, questioned the wisdom of this one-sided support for Israel.

At CAIR we have organized a multi-layered campaign to address this recent conflict. A peaceful and just resolution to this five-decade-long conflict is important for the continued growth and empowerment of the Muslim community in America.

A new poll sponsored by CAIR and released last week shows that the majority of Americans want an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.

To allow ordinary Americans to receive an accurate characterization of this conflict and to voice their disagreement about current US policy, we have launched a new resource website: www.notinamericasname.org/

Among other things, the website contains a petition that demands that our elected officials pay heed to public opinion. Please take a moment to visit the website and sign CAIR's "Not in America's Name" petition. We need your help to reach our fellow Americans with these facts.

The website also contains educational materials about the conflict and suggests actions you can take to voice your opinions and concerns - from contacting your elected officials, sending humanitarian relief to the people in Lebanon and Gaza, organizing town hall meetings to writing letters to editors.

In addition, we have coordinated news conferences with American citizens who have relatives in Lebanon or those who just arrived from there. These news conferences were carried out in more than a dozen cities across the nation. Most of the news conferences were carried by local affiliates of ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX and helped to draw media attention to the bizarre situation in which American tax-payer-funded weapons are being used by Israel to bomb American citizens attempting to flee the war zone.

It is our Islamic obligation to help the cause of peace and justice and to help those who are advocating such enduring Islamic values.

Together, we can do it! We need:

* 400 of our friends to donate $200 per month,
* 800 of our friends to donate $100 per month,
* 1,500 of our friends to give $50 per month, and
* 2,500 of our friends to give $25 per month.

All we are asking for are modest monthly donations - between $25 and $200 or more. For less than the cost of your cable TV or coffee bill you can help CAIR advocate for you. Visit us at www.cair.com to find out how we help you everyday.

We close with a reminder from the Holy Quran, "Verily God will never change the condition of a people (community) until they change that which is within themselves (13:11)."

DONATE NOW

Sincerely,

Parvez Ahmed
Chairman

Nihad Awad
Executive Director

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CAIR OUTRAGED OVER PRESIDENT'S USE OF TERM 'ISLAMIC FASCISTS' - TOP
Fox News: The O'Reilly Factor, 8/14/06
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,208433,00.html

This is a partial transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," August 14, 2006, that has been edited for clarity.

Watch "The O'Reilly Factor" weeknights at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET and listen to the "Radio Factor!"

BILL O'REILLY, HOST: Now for the top story tonight, the Council on American Islamic Relations has written a letter to President Bush objecting to his use of the term "Islamic fascist." I use that term as well.

Joining us now from Washington is Nihad Awad, director - executive director of CAIR.

OK. Are you going to tell me that Iran isn't a fascist state and the Mujahideen, the jihadists are not fascist people? Are you going to tell me, that sir?

NIHAD AWAD, COUNCIL ON AMERICAN ISLAMIC RELATIONS: Bill, thanks for having me. And allow me first to share with you and your viewers that our organization CAIR has issued a statement demanding the release of the FOX crew who were abducted or kidnapped today in Gaza. And we pray and hope for their safe return to do their job back to their families.

O'REILLY: Yes, I just meant to tell everybody we're not going to have much more on that because we are, you know, in the process of trying to get that solved.

AWAD: Sure.

O'REILLY: The question of the hour is, that your group does not want people like me and President Bush to say the term "Islamic fascists." And I submit to you, sir, that's exactly what these killers are.

AWAD: OK. And I will agree with you on one point, but also let's remember that President Bush after 9/11 used the term "crusades." Then White House officials retracted that term. And after that when we invaded Iraq, we called it Operation Infinite Justice. Then we retracted that term and we called it Enduring Freedom.

Now we could see that inflammatory rhetoric can be devastating to our image and the message we would like to send to the Muslim world. Number one, there's nothing Islamic about fascism. And there is no link between Islam as a religion and fascists.

O'REILLY: Let me stop you there. Let me stop you. OK?

AWAD: Go ahead.

O'REILLY: That's true. Is there anything - is there anything remotely connecting Italians with fascism or Germans with fascism? Because those two countries were at one time fascist states. Were they not?

AWAD: And you know what? And they are also - they're not Muslim. They were Christian. We never called them fascia Christians. And I'm saying here.

O'REILLY: No, we said Italy and Germany were fascist states. And right now, we're fighting a stateless enemy.

AWAD: Yes.

O'REILLY: ...but they are all Muslims. 100 percent of the terrorists that we're facing are Muslims.

AWAD: OK. But their actions are not inspired by Islam. And this is very important for you.

O'REILLY: Well, what is the jihad then?

AWAD: Jihad is a legitimate self-defense like the United States if it's attacked it defends itself, but terrorism is not Islamic. And terrorism is not inspired by Islam. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

BUSH DROPS REFERENCE TO 'ISLAMIC FASCISTS' - TOP
Associated Press, 8/14/06
http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5280312&nav=2HAB

President Bush has avoided repetition of a term that angered Muslims.

Responding last week to the foiling of an alleged plot to blow up flights between Britain and the United States, Bush said, "This nation is at war with Islamic fascists."

That triggered immediate objections from the Council of American-Islamic Relations, and another objection today from the government of Saudi Arabia.

In a statement after its weekly meeting, the Saudi Cabinet "warned against labeling Muslims with accusations of terrorism and fascism."

Bush didn't repeat the reference to "Islamic fascists" at the State Department today, referring instead to "individuals that would like to kill innocent Americans to achieve political objectives."

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VIDEO: CAIR: 'ISLAM DOES NOT EQUAL FASCISM' - TOP
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=1895022n

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CAIR-FL HOSTS MEETING WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT TO DISCUSS ANTI-MUSLIM BACKLASH - TOP
Associated Press, 8/15/06

3 p.m. TAMPA -- The Tampa office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations will host a meeting with Tampa Bay law enforcement to discuss concerns of anti-Muslim backlash, safety and cooperation.

LOCATION: CAIR's Tampa Office, 8056 N. 56th St.

CONTACT: Ahmed Bedier, 813-731-9506

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CAIR-MI WELCOMES DROPPING OF 'TERROR-PHONE' CHARGES - TOP
Muslim civil rights group says men targeted because of religion, ethnicity

(LATHRUP VILLAGE, MI, 8/15/06) - The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) today welcomed the decision of an Ohio prosecutor to drop terrorism-related charges against two men from Dearborn, Mich.

On August 8, the men were pulled over for a minor traffic violation in Washington County, Ohio, and later charged with two counts of supporting terrorism. The charges were based on the pair's purchase of 600 pre-paid cell phones. Yesterday, the local prosecutor said that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the men on the terror charges.

SEE: Terrorism Charges Dropped in Ohio Cell Phone Case (Detroit Free Press)
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060814/NEWS99/60814032

Federal officials also indicated that there was insufficient evidence to charge three other Arab-American Muslims with being involved in a plot to explode the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan.

SEE: FBI Finds No Link Between Suspects, Terrorism (AP)
http://www.registerguard.com/news/2006/08/15/a3.nat.phones.0815.p1.php?section=nation_world

SEE: CAIR-MI: Terror Charges Tied to Phones are Crumbling
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060815/NEWS04/608150394/1006

"We welcome the government's acknowledgment that these men were not involved in terrorism, but we are concerned that the knee-jerk reaction by law enforcement was based on the religion and ethnicity of those arrested," said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid. "Unfortunately, the handling of these incidents will only serve to increase Islamophobia in our society."

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-569-2203, 248-842-1418 or director@cairmichigan.org

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CAIR: U.S. MUSLIMS FEEL AMERICANS' PREJUDICE - TOP
Parvez Ahmed, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 8/15/06
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/281194_fascists15.html

Shortly after 9/11, President Bush described and later retracted our fight against terrorism as a "crusade." In his first news conference after last week's thwarted terrorist plot to blow up several aircrafts the president said, "This nation is at war with Islamic fascists."

The use of the phrase "Islamic fascists" has drawn the ire of the American Muslim community. As Muslims, we use "Islamic ethics" to mean ethics based on Islamic teachings that guide our behavior. Similarly, "Islamic art" draws its inspiration from Islamic teachings that discourage certain types of art (immodest imagery or certain life forms). When the president uses "Islamic fascists," it conveys that fascism is rooted in Islam or fascism that is inspired by Islam. This is the way the Muslims will see it, regardless of what George W. Bush may claim he really means.

Bush, on an earlier occasion, said Islam is a religion of peace. Now, caving into extreme right-wing pressure, he equated the religion of peace with the ugliness of fascism. Such rhetoric contributes to fear and backlash against American Muslims. A recently released Gallup poll shows four out of 10 Americans feel "prejudiced" against Muslims.

"Prejudice" against Islam and Muslims allowed politicians to whip up a frenzy in rejecting the approval of a Dubai firm to operate U.S. ports. Conservative columnist David Brooks wrote, "But it is certain that the xenophobic hysteria will come back to harm the U.S. This (Middle East) is a region in the midst of traumatic democratic change. The strongest argument the fundamentalists have is that they are engaged in a holy war against the racist West, which imposes one set of harsh rules on Arabs and another set of rules on everybody else. Now comes a group of politicians to prove them gloriously right." (MORE)

Parvez Ahmed is chairman of Council on American-Islamic Relations. CAIR is the United States' largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy group. To find out more about CAIR go to: www.cair.com or E-mail: pahmed@cair.com

SEE ALSO:

CAIR: A MUSLIM BACKLASH? - TOP
Nancy Yamada, 9NEWS NOW, 8/14/06
http://wusatv9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=51405

VIDEO: http://wusatv9.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=51405

The foiled terror plot is affecting us on a social level, much like the attacks on 9/11, and fear can lead to bigotry in the form of racial profiling against Muslims.

Case in point: a Montgomery County man running for office who happens to be Muslim. He says he has become a target, not for his stance on the issues, but because of his religion.

On Saturday, a man sat next to his sign that read, 'Islam sucks.'

It was written and displayed in bold print in front of Saqib Ali's Gaithersburg home and campaign headquarters. Ali is running for the Maryland House of Delegates.

"I felt like he was intimidating and trying to menace me and my family, similar to when people burned crosses in someone's front yard. I think it was the exact same message."

The man carrying that sign and wearing a t-shirt that read "this mind is an Allah-free zone" has been identified as Timothy Truitt of Montgomery Village. Though Ali believes this was an isolated incident, the Council on American-Islamic Relations says anti-Muslim sentiment can be seen nationwide.

"Everything from hate crimes to mosque vandalism to drive-by shootings," says Arsalan Iftikhar, of CAIR.

Truitt wasn't charged with a crime, but he was given a warning that if he goes back to Ali's house within the year, he will be charged with trespassing. (MORE)

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CAIR-CA: LA MIRADA MOSQUE IS VANDALIZED - TOP
Police say property damage not a hate crime.
Bethania Palma, Press-Telegram
http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_4181937

When the Muslim Community Services Inc. mosque on the 15000 block of Imperial Highway was attacked by vandals Thursday night, mosque president Rezuar Rahman wasn't too worried.

But when he arrived Monday morning and discovered the mosque had been struck a second time, he began to feel uneasy.

"This morning, when we went there, everyone felt like someone is trying to scare us out of this place," he said.

Rahman pointed out two windows and a glass door that were destroyed. All three had Muslim symbols, such as a crescent and minaret, as well as the mosque's logo.

The windows were shattered by BB gun pellets on Thursday night; the glass door was destroyed, also by BB pellets, early Monday morning.

Rahman believes whoever shot out the windows and door intentionally targeted the mosque.

Sheriff's officials, however, think the attacks were random - part of a spate of BB gun shootings that, besides the mosque, have targeted about seven vehicle and business windows since last Thursday. . .

Laura Eimiller, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles branch of the FBI, said that the bureau is staying abreast of the sheriff's investigation.

"Once individual suspects are determined, we will follow up to determine whether or not the mosque was targeted and whether hate factored into the attack," she said. "Any time a house of worship is attacked, it's going to raise our concern."

Munira Syeda, communications coordinator for the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Southern California chapter, said that the La Mirada mosque has been hit by bigotry in the past.

"That mosque has a history - they've received hate messages in the past," she said, adding that CAIR plans to contact the FBI to urge them to investigate the incidents as hate crimes.

"The Muslim American community is extremely scared of a possible backlash," she said. "Their sense of security has been lost and it will take time to get it back." (MORE)

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CAIR-CA: L.A. AREA MUSLIMS URGE PUBLIC TO NOT DEMONIZE THEM - TOP
Stephen Clark, Los Angeles Times, 8/15/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-islam15aug15,1,4689808.story

Only days after British authorities foiled an alleged plot to blow up airliners en route from Britain to the United States, Muslim leaders and law enforcement officials in Southern California urged the public Monday not to demonize the Islamic community.

At a news conference Monday at the Islamic Center of Southern California in Los Angeles, the leaders and officials said Muslims worldwide have helped authorities fight terror.

"We are playing the most critical role in America's national security because of our partnership with law enforcement," said Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council. . .

Pierce and Al-Marayati were joined by representatives of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who emphasized the need to protect the civil rights of Muslims and the value of working with them.

"Muslim nations are working tirelessly in the fight against terror," said Sheriff Lee Baca, who earlier this year helped establish the Muslim-American Homeland Security Congress to consolidate, expand and publicize Muslims' efforts against terrorism. The group encourages religious leaders in Southern California to speak out against terrorism, has formed a youth council and reaches out to alienated Muslims. The organization has a nine-member executive board and its membership includes mosque members, students and civil rights advocates.

Muslim leaders expressed concern that their community would face a backlash in the aftermath of the latest alleged terror plot and as the five-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks approaches.

"It is imperative to remember that we face a common enemy who does not discriminate based on religion, race or gender," said Ahmed Ali, president of the Council of Pakistani Public Affairs.

Also Monday, teenagers with pellet guns shot at the door of a mosque in La Mirada, deputies said. Pellet guns were also used to shoot out two windows at the mosque Thursday evening.

The Southern California office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on the FBI and the Sheriff's Department to investigate both incidents as possible hate crimes.

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HEZBOLLAH FIGHTERS EMERGE FROM THE RUBBLE - TOP
Anthony Shadid, Washington Post, 8/15/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/14/AR2006081401345.html

A little after dawn Monday, the shells crashed every few seconds. The last fell at 7:56 a.m. Then they stopped, as suddenly as they had begun 33 days before. And into the streets of this Shiite Muslim town, where electricity wires laced through rubble and a tree branch sprawled across the hood of a green BMW, the fighters emerged, bathed in a cool mountain breeze.

There was no gunfire in the air, no chants, no jubilant displays of celebration. There were, rather, the satisfied expressions of survival. Men embraced, kissing each other's cheeks, some emerging into sunlight for the first time in weeks. Cellphones, in almost everyone's hand, rang with queries of others' whereabouts, the fate of houses and the reality of a cease-fire that still seemed fragile. They smiled. "Thank God for your safety" was the refrain.

And Hussein Kalash, burly, hard and confident, offered three words that defined the war for Khiam's defenders, the Hezbollah fighters.

"We're still here," he said.

The war ended Monday -- at least for now -- in Khiam, a hilltop town perched within eyesight of the Israeli border. But the fighters began weaving the narratives even before a bulldozer threw up dust as it cleared rubble from the town's tattered streets, where hardly a building was untouched. They were myths of resistance -- of tanks repulsed across the fertile plain that frames the town; of surviving on chocolate and water for two weeks along the town's front line; of faith serving as their greatest weapon.

In an undecided war, perception becomes paramount, and the gaggles of fighters Monday, some with drawn faces, others with a look of contentment, walked like victors through a town that was gouged, cratered and pockmarked but, they said, still theirs. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

AMERICA'S ONE-EYED VIEW OF WAR: STARS, STRIPES, AND THE STAR OF DAVID - TOP
Andrew Gumbel, Independent, 8/15/06
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article1219241.ece

There are two sides to every conflict - unless you rely on the US media for information about the battle in Lebanon. Viewers have been fed a diet of partisan coverage which treats Israel as the good guys and their Hizbollah enemy as the incarnation of evil.

If these were normal times, the American view of the conflict in Lebanon might look something like the street scenes that have electrified the suburbs of Detroit for the past four weeks. . .

On the Arab American side, many have expressed reluctance to stand up and be counted among the protesters for fear of being tinged by association with Hizbollah, which is on the United States' list of terrorist organisations. (As a result, the voices heard during the protests tend to be the more extreme ones.) They don't like to discuss their political views in any public forum, following the revelation a few months ago that the National Security Agency was wiretapping phone calls and e-mail exchanges as part of the Bush administration's war on terror.

They are even afraid to donate money to help the civilian victims of the war in Lebanon because of the intense scrutiny Islamic and Arab charities have been subjected to since the 9/11 attacks. The Bush administration has denounced 40 charities worldwide as financiers of terrorism, and arrested and deported dozens of people associated with them. Consequently, while Jewish charities such as the United Jewish Communities are busy raising $300m to help families affected by the Katyusha rockets raining down on northern Israel, donations to the Lebanese victims have come in at no more than a trickle.

Outside Detroit and a handful of other cities with sizeable Arab American populations, it is hard to detect that there are two sides to the conflict at all. The Dearborn protests have received almost no attention nationally, and when they have it has usually been to denounce the participants as extremists and apologists for terrorism - either because they have voiced support for Hizbollah or because they have carried banners in which the Star of David at the centre of the Israeli flag has been replaced by a swastika.

The media, more generally, has left little doubt in the minds of a majority of American news consumers that the Israelis are the good guys, the aggrieved victims, while Hizbollah is an incarnation of the same evil responsible for bringing down the World Trade Centre, a heartless and faceless organisation whose destruction is so important it can justify all the damage Israel is inflicting on Lebanon and its civilians. (MORE)

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THE LAND OF THE FREE - BUT FREE SPEECH IS A RARE COMMODITY - TOP
You can say what you like in the US, just as long as you don't ask awkward questions about America's role in the Middle East
Henry Porter, Observer, 8/13/06
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1843543,00.html

It used to be said that academic rows were vicious because the stakes were so small. That's no longer true in America, where a battle is underway on campuses over what can be said about the Middle East and US foreign policy.

Douglas Giles is a recent casualty. He used to teach a class on world religions at Roosevelt University, Chicago, founded in memory of FDR and his liberal-inclined wife, Eleanor. Last year, Giles was ordered by his head of department, art historian Susan Weininger, not to allow students to ask questions about Palestine and Israel; in fact, nothing was to be mentioned in class, textbooks and examinations that could possibly open Judaism to criticism.

Students, being what they are, did not go along with the ban. A young woman, originally from Pakistan, asked a question about Palestinian rights. Someone complained and Professor Giles was promptly fired.

Leaving aside his boss's doubtful qualifications to set limits on a class of comparative religion - her speciality is early 20th-century Midwestern artists such as Tunis Ponsen (nor have I) - the point to grasp is that Professor Giles did not make inflammatory statements himself: he merely refused to limit debate among the young minds in front of him.

This might be seen as a troubling one-off like the story involving the president of Harvard, Lawrence Summers, who suggested that innate differences between the minds of men and women could be one reason why fewer women succeed in science and maths careers and was then ousted. But Giles's sacking is far more important because it is part of the movement to suppress criticism of Israel on the grounds that it is anti-semitic. A mild man, Giles seems astonished to find the battle for free speech in his own lecture theatre.

'It may be sexy to get on a bus and go to DC and march against war,' he said to me last week. 'It is much less sexy to fight in your own university for the right of free speech. But that is where it begins. That is because they are taking away what you can talk about.' He feels there is a pattern of intolerance in his sacking that has been encouraged by websites such as FrontPageMag.com and Campus Watch.

Joel Beinin of Stanford University is regularly attacked by both. Beinin is a Jew who speaks both Hebrew and Arabic. He worked in Israel and on an assembly line in the US, where he helped Arab workers understand their rights. Now, he holds seminars at Stanford in which all views are expressed. For this reason, no doubt, his photograph recently appeared on the front of a booklet entitled 'Campus Support for Terrorism'. (MORE)

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JOHN BOLTON GRANTS INTERVIEW TO ANTI-ISLAM HATE SITE - TOP
Thomas Brock, Brock Log, 8/14/06
http://brocknet.net/WordPress/?p=909

Just a day after his failing negotiations over Lebanon were rescued by Condi Rice at the U.N., John Bolton granted an interview. It wasn't an interview with the New York Times - as Steve has pointed out here before, Bolton doesn't speak to Warren Hoge at NYT because of ideological differences and perceived media bias.

Apparently, he will grant an exclusive 41-minute interview to someone who calls who believes Islam is a "religious rationale for Arab imperialism."

Bolton granted the interview on Sunday with Pamela of Atlas Shrugs, a nearly-all-issue right-wing blog. During the interview, Pamela called Kofi Annan a "jihadi tool" and said that someone needed to slap Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Seniora. Bolton, for his part, allowed this rhetoric to stand, even sheepishly reaffirming some of it along the way. . .

Pamela's remarks during the interview were inflammatory and outrageous - on par with, say, a Bill O'Reilly. But a quick look around Atlas Shrugs makes the O'Reilly Factor look like Sesame Street.

AS has some pretty crazy policy prescriptions, like an immediate U.S. attack on Iran, but that alone doesn't make Bolton's interview condemnable. The problem is, AS is an anti-Islam hate blog. (MORE)

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MUSLIMS FACE EXTRA CHECKS IN NEW TRAVEL CRACKDOWN - TOP
Ben Webster, The Times, 8/15/06
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2313135,00.html

The Government is discussing with airport operators plans to introduce a screening system that allows security staff to focus on those passengers who pose the greatest risk.

The passenger-profiling technique involves selecting people who are behaving suspiciously, have an unusual travel pattern or, most controversially, have a certain ethnic or religious background.

The system would be much more sophisticated than simply picking out young men of Asian appearance. But it would cause outrage in the Muslim community because its members would be far more likely to be selected for extra checks.

Officials at the Department for Transport (DfT) have discussed the practicalities of introducing such a system with airport operators, including BAA. They believe that it would be more effective at identifying potential terrorists than the existing random searches. . .

Three days before last week's arrests, the highest-ranking Muslim police officer in Britain gave warning that profiling techniques based on physical appearance were already causing anger and mistrust among young Muslims. Tarique Ghaffur, an assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said: "We must think long and hard about the causal factors of anger and resentment.

"There is a very real danger that the counter-terrorism label is also being used by other law-enforcement agencies to the effect that there is a real risk of criminalising minority communities." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

PROFILING PLAN ANGERS UK MUSLIMS - TOP
The British government says it is working on new security procedures at airports.
CNN, 8/15/06
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/08/15/passenger.profiling/

The British government is considering a system of passenger profiling that includes checks on travelers' ethnic or religious background, according to media reports.

The planned system of tougher airport checks would create a new offense of "traveling whilst Asian," according to one of Britain's most senior Muslim police officers.

Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Ali Dizaei said intelligence could be used to examine travel history, how a ticket is purchased and frequency of travel, but added: "It becomes hugely problematic when it's based on ethnicity, religion and country of origin. I don't think there's a stereotypical image of a terrorist."

The Times newspaper reports that officials at the Department for Transport are considering a system of passenger profiling that would select people behaving suspiciously, who have an unusual travel pattern or have a certain ethnic or religious background.

It comes after former Scotland Yard chief Lord Stevens said that airport chaos could be reduced by targeting passengers for more rigorous checks, with "young Muslim men" a focus. . .

But Mr Dizaei told the BBC: "What you are suggesting is that we should have a new offence in this country called 'traveling whilst Asian.'

"That's unpalatable to everyone. It is communities that defeat terrorism, and what we don't want to do is actually alienate the very communities who are going to help us catch terrorists.

"We cannot lose sight of the fact that terrorists come in all shapes and sizes. Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma bomber, would have certainly gone through the security system because he was a white male.

"Clearly it is about common sense, but it's not about saying to the victims of this problem -- and remember the Muslim community is also a victim of this problem, and many of the people on July were in fact Muslim -- you are the victims, you go and sort it out. (MORE)

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RELIGIOUS GARMENTS DEFINE MUSLIM WOMEN - TOP
United Press International, 8/14/06
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060814-031928-6704r

A U.S. study suggests what some perceive as oppressive is perceived as liberating for many second-generation American Muslim women.

At issue was the hijab -- a scarf that covers the head, hair, neck and ears -- a religious symbol that visibly separates young Muslim American women from their contemporary peers. But many who wear it say the covering is a boundary that's helping them carve out their own place in the Western world, yet it also bridges them with their family's traditions and values.

The findings are from a paper by Rhys Williams, professor of sociology at the University of Cincinnati, and Gira Vashi, a research assistant at the University of Illinois.

"There are multiple meanings to the hijab as a religious and social symbol; it often serves well those who wear it," said the researchers. "It provides a clear identity marker at a life-course transitional time, and it provides culturally legitimate space for young women who are formulating new Muslim American identities and lives." (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
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Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2006 14:40:12 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: NY Candidate Favors Profiling Muslims / Christian Right Tries to Muscle FL Muslims / FBI Counsels Mosques

HTML Attachment [ Scan and Save to Computer | Save to Yahoo! Briefcase ]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/16/06

* Hadith: Justice
* An URGENT APPEAL from CAIR
* CAIR-FL: Christian Right Tries to Muscle FL Muslims
* CAIR-FL: Anti-Muslim Incidents Escalate in FL (Tampa Trib)
            - CAIR-FL: Muslims Fear Terror Backlash (SP Times)
            - Video: FL Muslims Meet with Feds, Police
            - CAIR-FL: FBI Counsels Mosques, Synagogues (Orlando Sent)
* CAIR-CA Hosts Muslim Youth Leadership Conference
* CAIR-NY: Gubernatorial Candidate Favors Profiling Muslims
            - CAIR Rep Discusses Profiling on CNN's 'Paula Zahn Now'
            - Video: CAIR Rep Discusses Profiling on CBS
* Video: Fox Guest Suggests Muslim-Only Check-In at Airports
            - Video: CNN Host Mocks Muslim Names (Media Matters)
* CAIR-MI: Cell Phone Allegations Unraveling (LA Times)
            - CAIR: Muslims Decry Cell-Phone Arrests (Chicago Trib)
* CAIR-Chicago Joins Coalition with Hotel Workers
* NY: Memorizing the Way to Heaven, Verse by Verse (NY Times)
* CA: L.A. Area Muslims Criticize Schwarzenegger (LA Times)
            - Israeli Occupation 'Deprived of All Humanity' (Haaretz)
* VA: Islamic Scholar Challenges Treatment in Prison (NPR)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: JUSTICE - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "He who has been a ruler over (even) ten people will be brought shackled on the Day of Resurrection, until the justice (by which he ruled) loosens his chains or (his) tyranny brings him to destruction."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1037

The Prophet also said: "(Those who dispense) justice will be seated on pulpits of light beside God. . .(They are) those who do justice in their rulings, in matters relating to their families, and in all that they undertake to do."

Sahih Muslim, Hadith 844

To learn more about the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad, go to: www.cair.com/Muhammad

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AN URGENT APPEAL FROM CAIR - TOP
http://www.cair.com/email/08-10-2006.html

As violence in the Middle East spirals out of control, our resources are once again stretched to their limit. Meanwhile our day-to-day work of defending your civil liberties and promoting an accurate image of Islam and Muslims continues to pile up at a pace that far outstrips our current resources. Our phone lines and e-mail boxes are overflowing with appeals from people who are counting on us to speak and act on their behalf.

We wish to thank those who have donated so generously, and we urge others who can give to show their support now.

Dear Friend of CAIR,

As-salaam alaikum.

If you tuned into the news lately, you cannot have missed the media's bias in portraying the conflict in the Middle East. You surely see our own government's unconditional support for Israel. Even Sen. John Warner, from President Bush's own party, questioned the wisdom of this one-sided support for Israel.

At CAIR we have organized a multi-layered campaign to address this recent conflict. A peaceful and just resolution to this five-decade-long conflict is important for the continued growth and empowerment of the Muslim community in America.

A new poll sponsored by CAIR and released last week shows that the majority of Americans want an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.

To allow ordinary Americans to receive an accurate characterization of this conflict and to voice their disagreement about current US policy, we have launched a new resource website: www.notinamericasname.org/

Among other things, the website contains a petition that demands that our elected officials pay heed to public opinion. Please take a moment to visit the website and sign CAIR's "Not in America's Name" petition. We need your help to reach our fellow Americans with these facts.

The website also contains educational materials about the conflict and suggests actions you can take to voice your opinions and concerns - from contacting your elected officials, sending humanitarian relief to the people in Lebanon and Gaza, organizing town hall meetings to writing letters to editors.

In addition, we have coordinated news conferences with American citizens who have relatives in Lebanon or those who just arrived from there. These news conferences were carried out in more than a dozen cities across the nation. Most of the news conferences were carried by local affiliates of ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX and helped to draw media attention to the bizarre situation in which American tax-payer-funded weapons are being used by Israel to bomb American citizens attempting to flee the war zone.

It is our Islamic obligation to help the cause of peace and justice and to help those who are advocating such enduring Islamic values.

Together, we can do it! We need:

* 400 of our friends to donate $200 per month,
* 800 of our friends to donate $100 per month,
* 1,500 of our friends to give $50 per month, and
* 2,500 of our friends to give $25 per month.

All we are asking for are modest monthly donations - between $25 and $200 or more. For less than the cost of your cable TV or coffee bill you can help CAIR advocate for you. Visit us at www.cair.com to find out how we help you everyday.

We close with a reminder from the Holy Quran, "Verily God will never change the condition of a people (community) until they change that which is within themselves (13:11)."

DONATE TODAY

Sincerely,

Parvez Ahmed
Chairman

Nihad Awad
Executive Director

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CAIR-FL: THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT TRIES TO MUSCLE A POMPANO BEACH ISLAMIC CONGREGATION - TOP
Sam Eifling, New Times, 8/17/06
http://www.newtimesbpb.com/Issues/2006-08-17/news/feature.html

On a recent Tuesday, the air around Pompano Beach City Hall smelled of evaporated rain. It was the calm after one storm and before another. By 6 o'clock, people had begun to pool under an eave at the west side of the building, news crews were unspooling cables from their vans, and Altaf Ali, a diminutive, bearded man dressed nattily in a gray suit, answered questions under the tall portico at the north entrance. All awaited the arrival of the Rev. O'Neal Dozier, a politically connected firebrand who, days earlier, in terms more graphic than even the Miami Herald cared to repeat, had declared that Muslims such as Ali were bloodthirsty barbarians.

"I think he's grandstanding," Ali, head of the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a private moment before the circus began. "I don't think he really means it."

The previous Friday, on the Steve Kane Show, a conservative South Florida AM commute-filler, Dozier had dubbed Islam "a religion that is designed to cut off your head." Almost as an afterthought, he labeled its followers "evil, corrupt, bad people."

Not only were his remarks inflammatory but they were political nitroglycerin in this diverse coastal town, where modest plans for a new mosque on a vacant lot had been wending their way through the city and county committees that review plans for construction projects. Dozier and his flock suddenly threatened to ratchet up tensions between religious groups that had coexisted quietly in Pompano Beach for at least a generation. (MORE)

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CAIR-FL: MUSLIMS IN AREA FEELING BULLIED - TOP
Deborah Ziff, Tampa Tribune, 8/16/06
http://news.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBOCCH6XQE.html

The taunts exploded in Dhuha Hannah's ears.

"Drop the bomb!" "Drop the bomb!" Hannah remembers two men yelling at her, as they cruised past her in a pickup while she was waiting to pick up her 15-year-old granddaughter at King High School on Friday afternoon.

She was wearing her hijab, or headscarf, when the men put a screaming police siren on top of the truck and began hurling hateful comments, Hannah said.

"For someone to imply, because I'm wearing a hijab, that I'm toting a bomb," Hannah trailed off. "It's ludicrous."

The New York-born woman said she lowered her eyes, not wanting to provoke reaction. But she wished she would have taken note of the license plate number.

It was the first time anyone made such comments in 17 years of living in Tampa, she said.

According to anecdotal information, there has been an escalation of such incidents in the past weeks against area Muslims, said Ahmed Bedier, director of the local chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, though none has risen to the level of hate crimes.

Current events - the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and the capture of two dozen suspects accused of conspiring to bomb U.S.-bound planes last week - may be the impetus for an uptick in hostile sentiment, Bedier said. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-FL: MUSLIMS FEAR TERROR BACKLASH - TOP
Abbie Vansickle, St. Petersburg Times, 8/16/06
http://www.sptimes.com/

In his two years in the United States, Mohsin Teladia never felt uncomfortable over his religion. That is, until last week's announcement of the foiled terrorist plot in England.

Teladia, a Muslim clergyman who moved to the United States from England, was shopping Sunday with his wife and four children at a Wal-Mart when a man walked up to Teladia and said, "Osama."

"It was as though every person in the shopping center was staring at us," he said.

The stunned family left.

Teladia described the experience to about 20 law enforcement leaders who met with Muslims Tuesday at the Tampa headquarters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, known as CAIR.

Representatives from local, state and federal agencies, including police from Tampa, St. Petersburg, Temple Terrace and Tampa International Airport and sheriff's officials from Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties, attended the meeting to address safety concerns among local Muslims.

Muslims worry about a backlash after the announcement of the terrorist plot, said Ahmed Bedier, CAIR's Tampa director.

So far, he said, there have been no hate crimes reported against local Muslims. But he wanted the public and law enforcement leaders to know of the community's fears. (MORE)

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VIDEO: FL MUSLIMS MEET WITH FEDS & POLICE ON SECURITY, SAFETY - TOP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP1HLkBLKs8

VIDEO: Muslim Leader Hosts Emergency Meeting with Feds, Police
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGhOaDOzu6Y

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CAIR-FL: FBI COUNSELS MOSQUES, SYNAGOGUES - TOP
Steven D. Barnes, Orlando Sentinel, 8/16/06
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/volusia/orl-vrelstory1606aug16,0,6319407.story

Tensions brought on by war in the Middle East, terrorism and the threat of violence at home have prompted the FBI to begin working with Volusia County mosques and synagogues to boost security.

Supervisory special agent Chris Bonner said the FBI, working with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, has reached out informally to Muslim groups to let them know that the agencies are available if they have any concerns.

Although Bonner said he is not aware of any specific threats, the agencies will also be providing "situational-awareness briefings" to synagogues in Volusia. The briefings are designed to help members protect themselves from attacks, he said.

"We've had requests, and we're going to honor those requests," he said. "Obviously, I can't sit out in front of their mosque or synagogue, but I can give them contact numbers and show them what to watch out for."

Although Volusia County has not had any high-profile attacks such as the July 28 shooting at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle in which one woman was killed and five more were wounded, that event and others like it cause concern in the local Jewish community, said Barbara Solomon, who organizes cultural events for Temple Israel in Daytona Beach. She said that several people told her they stayed away from an event at the temple two days after the shooting for fear that a similar occurrence could take place here. "I think a lot of people are giving a second thought about going out to public places," she said. "I don't think they are paranoid about it, but it is definitely on their minds. It's an undercurrent."

Gloria Max, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Volusia and Flagler Counties, agreed. She said that she recently received an angry call from a man who identified himself as a World War II veteran who asked her, "Why are you Jews killing people?"

Max said she wasn't frightened by the caller, but she said recent events have caused her to become more vigilant. . .

Some local Muslims are also concerned. Christopher Cusano, Orlando director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said tensions in the Muslim community have been on the rise since Sept. 11, 2001.

"I think tension is building," he said. "There's been a pretty steady rise since 9-11."

Cusano said some Muslims are afraid of being profiled as terrorists by police or ordinary residents. (MORE)

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CAIR-CA HOSTS MUSLIM YOUTH LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE AT STATE CAPITOL - TOP

(SACRAMENTO, CA 8/16/2006) - Beginning August 18, the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CA) will host the second annual Muslim Youth Leadership Conference at the State Capitol in Sacramento. Some 30 high school students from all over California will take part in the conference to learn more about how state government works, and to acquire skills in public speaking, writing and community activism.

"We hope the students will benefit from this experience and use these skills to better their communities," said CAIR-CA Board Member Hamza EL-Nakhal.

WHAT: Muslim Youth Leadership Conference
WHEN: Thursday August 18 - Sunday August 20
WHERE: State Capitol, Sacramento, CA
CONTACT: CAIR-SV at 916-441-6269 or sacval@cair.com

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CAIR-NY: FASO COMES OUT IN FAVOR OF RACIAL PROFILING TO COMBAT TERRORISM - TOP
NY1, 8/15/06
http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=3&aid=61838

Republican candidate for governor John Faso said Tuesday he supports the profiling of likely terrorists, saying the country's security should rely on common sense. But as NY1's Molly Kroon reports, critics say he's taking advantage of voter insecurity to get elected.

While not saying he supports racial profiling, Republican candidate for governor John Faso said political correctness shouldn't stand in the way of America's security.

"Last time I checked we did not have a report of a grandmother from Bayside terrorizing our citizens. But if a 25-year-old Muslim man who has been traveling frequently to Yemen or Pakistan tries to board a plane, then not only statistical analysis but also common sense tells us that he is more of a potential threat than the grandmother from Queens," said Faso.

In light of last week's terrorism threat, Faso said law enforcement officials should be able to question a Muslim man without fear of being slapped by an ACLU lawsuit.

"Looking for Muslims for participation in Muslim jihad is not playing the odds. It is following an ironclad tautology," said the GOP candidate.

Faso also questioned the effectiveness of random bag searches, like the ones conducted by the NYPD in the city's subways.

"This notion that of 1 out of 10 or 1 out of 7 you pick, whether or not they have the characteristics for likelihood to commit these kinds of crimes, is rather foolhardy and a waste of resources," said Faso.

The comments were made during a speech Tuesday on Faso's agenda for homeland security, where he said he would "beat the drum" in favor of federal efforts to monitor suspicious phone calls and bank transactions between people in the U.S. and countries that are known to harbor terrorists.

But while Faso says his comments are just common sense, others are calling them dangerously prejudicial, especially coming from a candidate for governor.

"We definitely feel that he's taking advantage of the atmosphere that Muslims are in right now in light of recent events for his own political gain," said Faiza Ali of CAIR. (MORE)

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CAIR REP DISCUSSES PROFILING ON CNN'S 'PAULA ZAHN NOW' - TOP
CNN, 8/15/06
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0608/15/pzn.01.html

SEE THE VIDEO

ZAHN: Now, in the wake of the arrests of two dozen suspects of Pakistani descent in London, could there be a value to racial profiling here, especially if it ends up saving lives? Ibrahim Hooper has some very strong opinions about that. He is national director of communications for CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Thanks so much for joining us tonight.

IBRAHIM HOOPER, CAIR: Thanks for having me.

ZAHN: My pleasure. So you can't deny the fact that when you look at some of the most recent terrorist attacks, 9/11, the attacks on Bali, the Madrid train attacks, involved Muslim extremists. Wouldn't it be irresponsible of our government not to take an interest in that kind of profile potentially for other attacks here?

HOOPER: Well, I think you outline the classic case of profiling, with the bridge case and the phone cases around the country. But look at the cases you mentioned. It involved Asian men, Arab men, Indonesian men. What exactly is it you are going to be looking for? If you are profiling at an airport, how are you going to determine who is a Muslim? Are you going to ask every passenger what their faith is? Are you going to bring out the SWAT team if somebody is praying as a Muslim in the terminal? Are you going to select people if you find a Koran in their carry-on luggage? All of these questions...

ZAHN: Well, but law enforcement people who are suggesting this saying it wouldn't be that random. It would be targeting people who are at suspicious locations or acting suspicious.

HOOPER: Well, that's a different question. When you have actual suspicious behavior -- if somebody is sweating profusely and looking around and all this -- but just somebody who has a dark complexion and maybe appears to you to be a, quote, "stereotypical Muslim," I don't think that's the case.

ZAHN: Ibrahim, let me read something for you, and it is from the assistant FBI Director John Miller. He says, "We didn't bring this on in the community. The terrorists did. The community is paying for that. We are paying for that as law enforcement, because when we're doing our investigations, it seems like we're singling out a group or religion, and the fact is we're not. We have to go where the leads take us." Doesn't that make sense to you?

HOOPER: Well, it's the same issue as the driving while black. We had a case just recently in California, a Sikh man was stabbed because a person saw him with a turban. Sikhs wear turbans, and naturally they think everybody who wears a turban is a Muslim. They stabbed him and said, oh, we think you're a member of the Taliban.

I mean, you bring out the worst in people. You violate American values when you do this kind of profiling.

ZAHN: But when you look at what John Miller said, he says you have no choice but to follow up on these leads, and it's not like we are specifically going out and targeting these folks. They're the ones that created the profile by their actions.

HOOPER: Again, you have to look at objective criteria, real suspicious behavior, and not just race, religion, or ethnicity.

ZAHN: All right. We have got to leave it there. Ibrahim Hooper, thank you so much for your time tonight.

HOOPER: Thank you.

ZAHN: Always appreciate your perspective.

SEE ALSO:

VIDEO: CAIR REP DISCUSSES PROFILING ON 'UP TO THE MINUTE' (CBS) - TOP
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=1898507n

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VIDEO: FOX NEWS GUEST CLAIMS 'IT'S TIME TO HAVE A MUSLIMS CHECK-POINT LINE IN AMERICAN AIRPORTS' - TOP
Think Progess, 8/16/06
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/08/16/muslim-checkpoint/

Yesterday on Fox News' Dayside, panelists Michael Gross, a constitutional law attorney, and conservative radio host Mike Gallagher debated whether profiling is the answer to fighting terror. As Newshounds first noted, Gallagher argued, "It's time to have a Muslims check point line in American airports and have Muslims be scrutinized. You better believe it." Gallagher's suggestion was met with tepid applause from the audience. Watch it. . .

Shortly after 9/11, President Bush visited an Islamic Center in Washington, D.C. and sent the following message to the American public:

America counts millions of Muslims amongst our citizens, and Muslims make an incredibly valuable contribution to our country. … And they need to be treated with respect. In our anger and emotion, our fellow Americans must treat each other with respect.

Bush would do well to remind some members of his conservative base of this message.

FULL TRANSCRIPT:

GROSS: Don't discriminate based upon race, creed, color, country of national origin.

GALLAGHER: Let's have a Muslim-only line.

GROSS: What uniform you are wearing. What we want to do is look at behavior. We want to stop people who behave wrongly.

JERRICK: Michael, I think you missed a Mike Gallagher line there. What did you just say about different lines?

GALLAGHER: It's time to have a Muslims check-point line in American airports and have Muslims be scrutinized. You better believe it. It's time.

GROSS: Of course, your prejudice, which means to prejudge when you say Muslims or any people of any faith should be treated unequally because of their faith. You are absolutely wrong. Most Arabs are not Muslims. Most Muslims are not Arabs. You don't have your facts straight. And Mr. Gallagher, how would you feel if we had a line for the Irish which English people were doing during the I.R.A. problems. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ON CNN HEADLINE NEWS SHOW, BECK REPEATED COMPARISON OF DEAN AND AHMADINEJAD, AGAIN MOCKED MUSLIM NAMES - TOP
Media Matters, 8/15/06
http://mediamatters.org/items/200608150006

Summary: On his CNN Headline News program, Glenn Beck repeated his comparison of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairman Howard Dean and again mocked men with Muslim names.

On the August 14 edition of his CNN Headline News program, Glenn Beck repeated his comparison -- aired earlier that day on his nationally syndicated radio program -- of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairman Howard Dean. After playing a clip of Ahmadinejad's claim, during an August 13 interview on CBS' 60 Minutes with correspondent Mike Wallace, that the Bush administration wants "to monopolize energy resources in the world," Beck asked on his CNN program: "Who are you, frickin' Howard Dean, man?" Later in the program, Beck mocked the names of three men who were recently arrested outside a Wal-Mart in Caro, Michigan, reportedly carrying 1,000 untraceable cell phones and photos of the Mackinac Bridge, describing them as "[t]hree guys with names I could never pronounce, basically Mohammed, Mustafa, Abdul, something like that." The three men arrested on August 11 were Adham Othman, Louai Othman, and Maruwan Muhareb.

On the August 15 edition of his radio program, Beck repeated his comparison of Ahmadinejad and the DNC, and continued his mocking of Muslim names. Beck aired a clip of Ahmadinejad and followed it with an announcer claiming "This message brought to you by the Democratic National Committee." Later in the program, while discussing security at American airports, Beck referred to Muslims working at airports as "Mohammed-Mohammed-Mustafa-Mohammed."

As Media Matters has noted, Beck also mocked Muslim names on the August 9 edition of his television program, airing a fake segment asking for help "if you've seen any of the following Egyptian students missing since July 29." It ended with a reading of the names in quick succession, followed by the announcer pretending to gag as he struggled to pronounce the names, and the announcer saying: "If you know the whereabouts of these men, please call the FBI immediately. If you know how to correctly pronounce their names, well, call us." (MORE)

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CAIR-MI: CELL PHONE ALLEGATIONS SEEM TO BE UNRAVELING - TOP
Charges dropped in Ohio, one day after FBI sees no terror evidence in Michigan case
Richard B. Schmitt, Los Angeles Times, 8/15/06
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/4120161.html

Early this year, federal authorities alerted police departments around the U.S. of the threat posed by people making bulk purchases of prepaid cell phones.

With a burgeoning underground market for the phones, authorities feared they could be used to bankroll terrorists - or as detonators to trigger a series of explosive attacks.

So when five men - three from the Dallas area - were stopped last week in Michigan and Ohio in separate incidents and found to be carrying large numbers of the phones, local authorities decided to do their part in fighting the war on terror. The men were arrested and charged under state law with terrorism-related offenses that left them facing up to 20 years in prison.

But now the local cases against the men appear to be unraveling almost as quickly as they were stitched together.

FBI backs off
The FBI has taken the unusual step of declaring publicly that it was unaware of any evidence linking the men to terrorists. On Tuesday, the prosecutor in the Ohio case dismissed the terror-related charges acknowledging that he does not have the evidence to make them stand up in court.

And defense lawyers in the Michigan case are going into court today to have the charges against their clients thrown out as well.

The arrests have raised questions about the role of state and local authorities when it comes to prosecuting terrorists - a function that has been the exclusive province of the federal government since the Sept. 11 attacks.

The Michigan and Ohio cases are believed to be the first in recent memory brought under state law for terrorism-related crimes, and show how states are starting to take matters into their own hands.

Lawyers and supporters of the men - all of Middle-Eastern descent - said they believed they were arrested because of their ethnicity, and that they were only looking to make some money by buying the phones and reselling them. They said the arrests reflected a worrisome trend.

"Unfortunately, these Barney Fife-like procedures of the police departments are increasing an Islamic-phobic atmosphere which already exists in American society today," said Dawud Walid, the head of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based advocacy group. His reference was to the fictional deputy sheriff on The Andy Griffith Show who was known for his exuberant if bumbling police work. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR: MUSLIM GROUPS DECRY CELL-PHONE ARRESTS - TOP
Tim Jones and E. A. Torriero, Chicago Tribune, 8/15/06
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/nation/15281490.htm

The headlines suggested terror in the Heartland: Two Arab Americans carrying a big wad of cash and hundreds of cell phones arrested in Ohio, while three others with a thousand cell phones and photos of the majestic Mackinac Bridge were nabbed in Michigan.

But the perception of a national security threat, aired on cable news channels throughout the weekend, is unraveling, causing the FBI and at least one prosecutor to back off and provoking a storm of protest from Muslim American groups who allege ethnic profiling.

Prosecutors in Ohio dropped terrorism charges Tuesday against two men from Michigan who were arrested last week, saying they could not prove the men are involved in a terrorist plot. This comes just a day after the FBI said it found no evidence that three Texas men of Palestinian heritage arrested last Friday in Michigan have terrorist ties or were planning to blow up the Mackinac Bridge.

What happened? Muslim American groups call such arrests a rush to judgment that reflects increased targeting of Arab Americans since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The number of reported incidents of harassment, violence and other forms of discrimination against American Muslims has soared in recent years, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR. In 2005, the group reported 1,972 such cases, more than tripling the 602 cases reported in 2002. . .

Arsalan Iftikhar, CAIR's national legal director, said the number of incidents always jumps after an international terror scare or acts of war.

"There's a definite correlation," he said. "It's an instant spike and then it drops again as the fallout slows down."

Most of the incidents CAIR has recorded involve employment discrimination, religious accusations, racial profiling, and problems with due process in the legal system. About 10 percent of the incidents involved hate crimes, the group said, and about 15 percent to 20 percent stemmed from what CAIR identified as claims of government harassment, including cell phone cases.

"They don't stop white guys with a bunch of cell phones," Iftikhar said. "If they did that, there would be an uproar. But do it to Arab-Americans and nobody says anything." (MORE)

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CAIR-CHICAGO: KEY RELIGIOUS LEADERS LAUNCH COALITION WITH CHICAGO HOTEL WORKERS (UNITE HERE) - TOP
Crucial support comes on eve of Hilton, Hyatt strike votes
Business Wire, 8/15/06
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060815/20060815005879.html

WHAT: Clergy breakfast and public unveiling of "Hospitality and Human Dignity Scroll" signed by over 400 prominent Chicago religious leaders. These leaders are taking a moral stand to make sure the values of hospitality extend to hotel workers. Signatories pledge to support hotel workers who are fighting to join the middle class, improve their jobs and secure better lives for their families.

WHO: Fifty Chicago-area religious leaders, including Father Larry Dowling, St. Denis Catholic Church and member of the Association of Chicago Priests; Rev. Robin Hood, Redeemed Outreach Ministries; Rabbi Victor Mirelman, President of the Chicago Board of Rabbis; Ahmed Rehab, Exec. Dir. of the Council on American Islamic Relations; and hotel workers

WHY: The religious community's moral stand comes at a critical time for Chicago-area hotel workers. Contracts covering nearly 7,000 workers at 26 hotels expire on August 31, 2006. Workers at Hilton and Hyatt properties will vote on Monday August 21 and Tuesday August 22 (respectively) to authorize their committees to call a strike if necessary.

"To exploit or oppress a worker because one has the power to do so is to offend God," said Rabbi Victor Mirelman, President, Chicago Board of Rabbis.

"I wash dishes to pay the bills, but the power of the Holy Spirit is what keeps me alive. I am proud that so many religious leaders are helping us in our struggle to join the middle class," Cleopatria Kyles a negotiating committee member from the Chicago Hilton & Towers.

WHERE: The Signature Room, 95th floor of Hancock Tower

WHEN: Friday, August 18, 9:00 a.m.

CONTACT: Alexandra Canalos, UNITE HERE Local 1 Tel. 312-663-4373 ext. 249 or cell 773-597-5225 *T

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NY: MEMORIZING THE WAY TO HEAVEN, VERSE BY VERSE - TOP
Michael Luo, New York Times, 8/16/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/16/nyregion/16koran.html

The carpeted room is full of children in skullcaps crouched on prayer mats, reciting verses from a holy text. Some mumble the words under their breath; others sing them out. They rock back and forth as they chant, their disparate voices blending into an ethereal melody.

The children, ages 7 to 14, are full-time students, in class 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, even in the summer. But they are not studying math, science or English. Instead, they are memorizing all 6,200 verses in the Koran, a task that usually takes two to three years.

It would hardly be an unusual scene in Pakistan, Afghanistan or elsewhere in the Muslim world, where religious schools devoted to memorization of the Koran and Islamic studies are common. But this class meets in the prayer room of a small mosque in Flushing, Queens, that caters mostly to South Asian immigrants and their children.

Schools like this one at the Muslim Center of New York are rare in the United States, but are emerging, especially among South Asians, as the Muslim American population becomes more established. (MORE)

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CA: L.A. AREA MUSLIMS CRITICIZE SCHWARZENEGGER - TOP
They cite his speech at a pro-Israel rally and say he ignored a request to meet them and get the 'other side' of the story.
Robert Salladay, Los Angeles Times, 8/16/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/cal/la-me-gov16aug16,1,4342880.story

Muslim leaders on Tuesday called Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger disrespectful and insulting for ignoring their request to meet about the war in Lebanon so he could explain his appearance at a rally supporting Israel that was attended by thousands.

Schwarzenegger and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spoke at the July 23 event in front of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles building on Wilshire Boulevard.

On Aug. 6, two days after Muslim leaders held a news conference to complain that the mayor and governor had ignored several requests to talk, Villaraigosa met privately with 10 Muslim leaders and apologized for initially disregarding their invitation.

Schwarzenegger and his aides have not returned repeated phone calls asking him to explain his appearance and get the "other, equally important side" of the Lebanon-Israeli conflict, said Shakeel Syed, executive director of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California.

"It's insulting and extremely disrespectful," Syed said. "What is appalling and disturbing is that repeatedly, public officials for the state of California and city of Los Angeles seem now to be pledging their allegiance to the state of Israel."

Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, said Schwarzenegger has an obligation to meet with Muslim groups if he wants to understand the conflict in the Middle East and speak publicly about it.

Al-Marayati said the governor's recent actions appeared designed to appeal to pro-Israel donors during the reelection campaign.

"He is pandering," Al-Marayati said. "This is political pandering. They believe they are serving a special-interest group when they exclude us, and they need to understand that their pandering is to the detriment of California." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ISRAEL SHOULD PACK UP AND GO - TOP
Nadim Shehadi, Haaretz, 8/16/06
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/750500.html

What is the logic that will emerge from this war? If Israel can exist only by destroying the neighborhood, then it's time to declare it a failed state. The Zionist dream has turned into a nightmare and is not viable. If the future holds more of the same, then the time has come to reconsider the whole project. Every state has a duty to defend its citizens, but also it has a duty to provide them with security and the two are different. The prospects are for more destruction, fanaticism, violence and hatred. No unilateral separation can isolate Israel from this, nor can the region or the world live with the consequences. This seems to be the only choice, and Israel must do itself and others a favor and go away.

The occupation of the West Bank and Gaza shows a country deprived of all humanity. The West Bank is unliveable, the population strangled into three prison clusters. Concrete barriers, barbed wires, bypass roads, human beings emerging like rats from underground tunnels, daily humiliation from hundreds of checkpoints. Gaza has been under siege since the population dared to elect Hamas, its infrastructure has been obliterated and its population has been driven to despair in what now seems like a dress rehearsal for what was to come in Lebanon. (MORE)

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VA: ISLAMIC SCHOLAR CHALLENGES TREATMENT IN PRISON - TOP
Ari Shapiro, NPR, 8/16/06
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5656297

Morning Edition, August 16, 2006 · The Bureau of Prisons says it finds no civil rights violation in the treatment of Ali al-Tamimi, an Islamic scholar convicted in Virginia last year of urging young Muslim men to join the Taliban and fight U.S. troops. Al-Tamimi's lawyer says his client has been moved to stop him from meeting with his attorneys, and has been verbally abused.

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 14:10:08 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: CAIR Welcomes Ruling on NSA Wiretaps / Decision a 'Victory for the Constitution'

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAIR WELCOMES RULING ON NSA WIRETAPS
Muslim plaintiff calls decision a 'victory for the Constitution'

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/17/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today welcomed a ruling by a federal judge in Michigan that the government's warrantless wiretapping program is unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor struck down the National Security Agency's (NSA) program, saying it violates freedom of speech and privacy rights. She also ruled that the wiretapping violates the separation of powers doctrine mandated by the Constitution and ordered an immediate halt to the program.

SEE: Judge: Wiretap Program Unconstitutional (AP)

The bipartisan lawsuit, filed in Detroit by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), alleged that the NSA surveillance program violates the First and Fourth Amendments to the Constitution and the constitutional separation of powers because it was authorized by President Bush in excess of his executive authority. It also sought a court order to bring the program to an end.

Plaintiffs in the ACLU lawsuit included CAIR, the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the environmental advocacy group Greenpeace, award-winning author James Bamford, Larry Diamond of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, author Christopher Hitchens, American Prospect Senior Editor Tara McKelvey, and Barnett Rubin, a senior fellow at the New York University Center on International Cooperation.

"This ruling is a victory for the Constitution and for all Americans who value freedom of speech and the right to privacy," said CAIR National Legal Director Arsalan Iftikhar.

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com
-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2006 18:03:07 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Homeland Security Chair Eyes Profiling / GOP Candidate Says Look for Travelers with 'Turbans' / CA Mosque Destroyed by Fire

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/17/06

* Hadith: Respect Covenants
* An URGENT APPEAL from CAIR
* CAIR-San Diego: CA Mosque Destroyed by Fire
* CAIR-MI: Judge Orders Halt to NSA Wiretaps (Reuters)
* CAIR-MI Rep Speaks at NABJ Convention
            - CAIR-MI Joins Hearing on Immigration (PR Newswire)
* CAIR-TX: Arab-Americans Say Racial Profiling a Problem
* WI: GOP Candidate Advocates Profiling Muslims (AP)
            - Lawmakers Weigh Call For Airport Profiling (UPI)
            - Homeland Security Chairman Eyes Ethnic Profiling (Newsday)
            - CA: Shame on Muslim, Arab American Profilers
            - No Excuse for Anti-Muslim Prejudice (USA Today)
* Michigan Prosecutor: Drop Charges on 3 in Phone Case (AP)
* Panel No Longer Relies on Moon Sightings to End Ramadan (AP)
               - Religious Garb Fashionably Modest (Journal Gazette)
* Fisk: Lebanon's Death Toll Hits 1,300 (Independent)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: RESPECT COVENANTS - TOP

Enemies of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once sent a messenger who, on arrival, accepted Islam. The messenger then told the Prophet he would never return to those who sent him. The Prophet replied: "I do not (want to create the impression that I would) break a covenant or imprison messengers, so return (to them), and if you feel the same as you do now, come back." The messenger later returned to the Prophet and became a Muslim.

Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 1182

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AN URGENT APPEAL FROM CAIR - TOP
http://www.cair.com/email/08-10-2006.html

We wish to thank those who have donated so generously, and we urge others who can give to show their support now.

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CAIR-SAN DIEGO: MUSLIM LEADERS REACT TO EL CAJON MOSQUE FIRE - TOP

(SAN DIEGO, CA, 8/17/06) - On Thursday, August 17, the San Diego chapter of the Council on American Relations (CAIR-San Diego), along with local Muslim leaders, will hold a press conference in reaction to a mosque fire damaged the Kurdish Community Islamic Center in El Cajon early this morning.

SEE: El Cajon Mosque Destroyed By Fire

SEE ALSO: Fire Rips Through Islamic Center Near San Diego (Press-Enterprise)

WHAT: CAIR San Diego and Muslim Leaders will hold a press conference about Mosque fire.
WHEN: Thursday, August 17, Noon
WHERE: Kurdish Community Islamic Center, 511 South Magnolia Avenue, El Cajon, CA
CONTACT: Edgar Hopida, Director of Public Relations of CAIR San Diego, 619-913-0719, email: ehopida@cair.com

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

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CAIR-MI: U.S. JUDGE ORDERS HALT TO NSA WIRETAP PROGRAM - TOP
Kevin Krolicki, Reuters, 8/17/06
http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/international/ticker/detail/U_S_judge_orders_halt_to_NSA_wiretap_program.html?siteSect=143&sid=6983097&cKey=1155838955000

A federal judge ordered the Bush administration on Thursday to halt the National Security Agency's program of domestic eavesdropping, saying it violated the U.S. Constitution.

The ruling marked a setback for the Bush administration, which has defended the program as an essential tool in its war on terrorism.

U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor said the warrantless wiretapping under the "Terrorist Surveillance Program" violated free speech rights, protections against unreasonable searches and the constitutional check on the power of the presidency.

"There are no hereditary kings in America and no powers not created by the Constitution," Taylor said in a 44-page ruling.

The NSA program has been widely criticised by civil rights activists and raised concern among lawmakers, including some in President George W. Bush's own Republican Party, who say the president may have overstepped his powers by authorising it. . .

Civil rights activists welcomed the decision.

"The ruling of the judge is not only a victory for the American Muslim community but a victory for the entire American population," said Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations for Michigan, which joined the ACLU as a plaintiff in the lawsuit.

"America is built on the principles of civil liberty and equal protection for all American citizens, regardless of ethnicity and race," he said.

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CAIR-MI PARTICIPATES IN PANEL ON ISLAM AT NABJ CONVENTION - TOP

(LATHRUP VILLAGE, MI, 8/17/06) -- Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) participated today in a panel discussion on misperceptions about Islam at the 31st Annual Convention of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The workshop, entitled "The Real Face of Islam: Media Perceptions and Misperceptions," addressed misrepresentations of Islam and and presented alternative perspectives for covering Islam and Muslims.

Speakers on the panel discussion also included Mikal Saahir, a journalist for the Indianapolis Recorder and Imam Faheem Shuiabe, Imam of Masjidul Waritheen in Oakland, California.

CONTACT: Dawud Walid, 248-842-1418 or 248-569-2203, E-Mail: director@cairmichigan.org

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-MI: REP. CONYERS AND OTHER COMMUNITY LEADERS LEAD A COMMUNITY HEARING ON IMMIGRATION - TOP
PR Newswire, 8/16/06
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060816/dew018.html?.v=56

On Friday, August 18, 2006, the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services will host the People's Hearing on Immigration as part of a nationwide campaign to protect civil liberties and human rights of everyone in America. The panel includes Congressman John Conyers Jr., Hassan Jaber (ACCESS), Saeed Khan (CAIR-Michigan), Edith Castillo (LA SED), Juan Escareno (MOSES), and Rima Elzein (ADC-Michigan).

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CAIR-TX: ARABIC CITIZENS SAY RACIAL PROFILING A PROBLEM - TOP
Jay Gormley, CBS 11 News, 8/16/06
http://cbs11tv.com/topstories/local_story_228222722.html

The three north Texas men arrested after purchasing a large number of cell phones will not face charges of terrorism. However, the trio will face federal charges for trying to sell counterfeit goods and carrying out an unlawful activity.

Authorities first believed the pre-paid cell phones purchased at a Wal-Mart in Michigan were connected with a terrorist plot. The men had also been charged with surveying a vulnerable target for terrorist purposes.

Even though terror charges were dropped, many in the Arabic community say the case against the three local men is based solely on race. The practice of racial profiling has America caught in the middle.

Angry but reserved, that's how Mustafaa Carroll feels about the arrest of the three north Texas men in Michigan.

"There are a lot of us that are really angry with it. On top of that, you have to suppress whatever statements you make. If you are angry about it, you can't act angry because that actually plays to the stereotype that something is wrong with you," the Desoto man said.

Carroll is with the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. He says the arrest of the men on terrorist charges is a clear case of racial profiling. The men are of Palestinian descent.

Many Muslims and Arabs believe when the government practices racial profiling it divides rather than unites.

"Instead of us being able to be full partners with law enforcement and the agencies to help actually rid ourselves of the problem, we're actually becoming divided," Carroll said. (MORE)

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WI: NELSON ADVOCATES PROFILING MUSLIMS - TOP
GOP candidate says airport security justifies searches
Todd Richmond, Associated Press
http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/15290945.htm

A congressional candidate from northwestern Wisconsin says airport security screeners should search all Muslim males.

Paul Nelson, a Woodville Republican, issued a statement Monday calling for a "no-nonsense" plan for airport security.

"Racial profiling is one way that we can cut down on security risks," Nelson said in an interview with WIXK Radio in New Richmond. Part of the interview was posted on Wisconsin Radio Network's Web site. "It's time to stop being politically correct here and be serious and tough on the war on terror."

When asked how to tell what a Muslim male looks like, Nelson replied: "Well, you know, if he comes in wearing a turban and his name is Muhammed, that's a good start."

Nelson, a Hudson real estate agent and a former Marine, said performing random searches is a waste of law enforcement's time.

"Eighty-five-year-old grandmothers in wheelchairs haven't been hijacking airplanes recently," Nelson told the Associated Press in a telephone interview Wednesday. "Common sense tells you law enforcement should concentrate on the people who are perpetrating the crimes."

Nelson is seeking to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, in the 3rd Congressional District. Kind faces Chip DeNure of La Crosse in a Democratic primary Sept. 12. The winner will face Nelson in the November general election. . .

"Wow," said Kind campaign manager Matt Sweeney when told of Nelson's remarks. "This shows how extreme Paul Nelson is and how out of step he is with the constituents and voters of the 3rd Congressional District."

DeNure, a 57-year-old probation agent, called Nelson's remarks "ridiculous."

"It's discriminatory.… I don't agree with him at all."

Nelson told the AP he doesn't understand why his remarks would be controversial. Muslim extremists have been at war with the United States for a quarter of a century, he said.

No one during World War II was afraid to say the United States was at war with Nazis, he added. He pointed out that the United States rounded up Japanese-Americans during World War II, and although he doesn't condone that action, it shows that the nation has been tough in the past.

"Why we must continue to fight this war in a politically correct fashion is beyond my comprehension," he said.

SEE ALSO:

LAWMAKERS WEIGH CALL FOR AIRPORT PROFILING - TOP
United Press International, 8/16/06
http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20060816-043646-5636r

There are calls for changes to screening procedures at U.S. airports in the wake of the alert that followed a plot to attack transatlantic jetliners.

Officials say the plot, allegedly hatched by Muslim extremists, involved liquid explosives which would have been assembled into bombs on the planes themselves, with detonators hidden in electronic gadgets. Such explosives are almost impossible to detect using currently deployed technology.

Some commentators and lawmakers have suggested that -- absent newer and more effective technologies -- security staff should begin giving greater scrutiny to Muslim travelers.

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., the chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security told Fox News that such changes would be "common sense."

"If the IRA had blown up Lower Manhattan," he said last week, "then people with Irish names or red hair and freckles should be stopped more than an African-American or an Italian-American ... it makes no sense to be frisking 80-year-old women and allowing others just to walk through without being stopped.

"I think if you want to call it profiling or if you want to call it more intelligent screening, yes, it has to be done and it should be done."

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KING EYES ETHNIC PROFILING - TOP
J. Jioni Palmer, Newsday, 8/17/06
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/ny-usking0817,0,4047199.story

Declaring that airport screeners shouldn't be hampered by "political correctness," House Homeland Security Chairman Peter King has endorsed requiring people of "Middle Eastern and South Asian" descent to undergo additional security checks because of their ethnicity and religion.

Discussing the recent revelation of an alleged plot in England to blow up U.S.-bound airliners, the Seaford Republican said yesterday that, "if the threat is coming from a particular group, I can understand why it would make sense to single them out for further questioning."

King, who has said that all Muslims aren't terrorists but that all recent terrorists are Muslim, favors an ethnic and religious profiling scheme that would include foreign and American-born travelers. "I would give the investigators and screeners a lot of discretion as to where it ends," he said.

Despite King's endorsement of such a process, it is a technique that has been widely dismissed as a legitimate law enforcement tool.

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly, a childhood friend of King's whom the congressman calls one of the nation's leading counter-terrorism officials, has previously called racial profiling "nuts" and "ineffective," and eliminated the practice when he oversaw the U.S. Customs Service.

The U.S. Justice Department issued a policy three years ago banning racial profiling and Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said yesterday that he doesn't favor the practice. . .

Besides being ineffective, profiling ostracizes a community that could be essential in helping to combat terrorism, said Ahmed Younis of the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

"In many ways, it is allowing the terrorists what they want, which is the betrayal of our constitutional principles and the disenfranchisement of the communities that we need the most in the war against extremism and terrorism," he said. "American Muslims are on the front lines in the war on terrorism and Mr. King's approach deprives America of her strongest weapon." (MORE)

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CA: SHAME ON MUSLIM, ARAB AMERICAN PROFILERS - TOP
Ruben Navarrette Jr., San Diego Union Tribune, 8/17/06
http://www.baxterbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060817/OPINION01/608170338/1014/OPINION

Is this a bad time to argue we shouldn't profile Muslim Americans?

In light of a recent USA Today/Gallup poll that found that many Americans harbor anti-Muslim feelings, I had planned to make another plea that we stop blaming an entire community of people for the reprehensible acts of a few bad actors. And on the heels of a new study - presented last week at a meeting of the American Psychological Association - which found that Muslim Americans and Arab-Americans are experiencing poorer mental health than other Americans, I intended to say that we should celebrate differences and have zero tolerance for those who harass, condemn and even assault other human beings because of their religion or physical appearance.

Then came the chilling news that British authorities had foiled a terror plot by Islamic radicals to bring down up to 10 passenger planes set to leave the United Kingdom for the United States, a plot that - had it been successful - would have achieved what one British law enforcement official described as "mass murder on an unimaginable scale."

I still believe that Americans should strive to be fair and tolerant and respectful of diversity, and that we shouldn't issue blanket indictments. It's just that now, I bet, most Americans aren't in the mood to hear that message.

They don't want to hear about how unfair it is that Muslim Americans - even those who have no ties to terrorism - are routinely singled out for additional scrutiny and subjected to resentment and prejudice at the hands of their countrymen.

They probably don't want to hear about how we mustn't sacrifice our civil liberties - or anyone else's - or paint all Muslim Americans with the same broad brush. And they certainly don't want to hear that the reason we have to avoid doing all this isn't just to protect the rights of ethnic groups and the personal safety of individuals, but also the spirit of a great country.

Yet it is at moments like this - when passions are running hot - that such messages really need to sink in. After all, when are we supposed to discuss the subject - when the threat level decreases and things cool down? What good would it do then? That's like holding your tongue when Japanese-Americans were placed in internment camps during World War II and speaking up only when the war was over and the camps were closed. It's like sitting out the civil rights movement, and speaking up only once the major battles were won. (MORE)

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NO EXCUSE FOR ANTI-MUSLIM PREJUDICE - TOP
USA Today, 8/16/06
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/2006-08-16-muslim-prejudice-letters_x.htm

I was absolutely horrified by the poll results cited in a recent article. USA TODAY reported that "39% of respondents to the USA TODAY/Gallup Poll said they felt at least some prejudice against Muslims." It said that 39% also "favored requiring Muslims, including U.S. citizens, to carry a special ID 'as a means of preventing terrorist attacks in the United States.' " Further, the poll found that about one-third of respondents "said U.S. Muslims were sympathetic to al-Qaeda, and that 22% said they wouldn't want Muslims as neighbors" ("USA's Muslims under a cloud," Cover story, Life, Aug. 10).

How can these respondents live with themselves?

Do these 39% fear and hate the Muslim "boogeyman" so strongly they would demonize Muslims by invoking the use of special IDs similar to practices during the Holocaust? If 39% of our country don't mind throwing out the constitutional rights of our fellow citizens, what's next? Internment? Indeed, why stop at Muslims? In this climate of fear, every outsider is seen as a potential threat. But who are the real Americans and who are the outsiders?

Terrorism exists. It has and probably always will. Every country and ethnicity has had to deal with it. But that is no excuse for this hatred.

I watched 9/11 unfold in real time from my office window about 40 blocks north in Manhattan. And though I was safe, I didn't know it at the time. My initial reaction was anger, finger-pointing and mistrust. But as a civilized New Yorker, I calmed down and moved on. I will still get on planes, go to major tourist attractions, oppose our invasion of Iraq, welcome all good people, including Muslims, into my life and continue to fight for the America those 39% seem willing to trade away for some false sense of security.

Like the remaining 61%, I will not sit quietly and let this infectious disease of fear and mistrust contaminate my soul or destroy my country.

Carolyn Zezima
Evanston, Ill.

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MICHIGAN PROSECUTOR: DROP CHARGES ON 3 IN PHONE CASE - TOP
Sarah Karush, Associated Press, 8/17/06
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0608170105aug17,1,6443171.story

A Michigan prosecutor asked a judge Wednesday to dismiss the terror charges filed against three Texas men who sparked a security scare after they were arrested with nearly 1,000 cell phones in their van.

A day earlier, a prosecutor in Ohio dropped similar charges against two other men who were arrested there with a dozen cell phones, passenger lists and $11,000 in cash.

In Michigan, Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark Reene said he was leaving the prosecution to the federal government.

The three men, all Palestinian-Americans, were arraigned in U.S. District Court in Bay City later Wednesday.

Maruan Muhareb, 18, Adham Othman, 21, and Louai Othman, 23, all of the Dallas area, were charged with conspiracy to defraud consumers and telephone providers by trafficking in counterfeit goods. They also were charged with money laundering, alleging they used proceeds from the counterfeit cell phone transactions to buy more cell phones.

Magistrate Judge Charles Binder ordered the men held at least until a detention hearing Friday.

Nabih Ayad, an attorney for the accused men, called the charges "outrageous."

"This is a clear indication of racial profiling: Picking someone up and holding them for days and trying to find something to charge them with. It's supposed to be the other way around," he said. . .

But on Monday, the FBI said it had no information linking the three to a known terrorist group. State officials also said they had determined the bridge linking the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas was not in imminent danger. (MORE)

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PANEL TO NO LONGER RELY ON MOON SIGHTINGS TO SET END OF RAMADAN FAST AND BEGINNING OF CELEBRATION - TOP
Rachel Zoll, Associated Press, 8/17/06
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/local/states/california/15293721.htm

Kari Ansari recalls getting ready to celebrate one of the most important religious holidays of the year -- the end of the monthlong Ramadan fast.

She and her husband bought new clothes and gifts for their three children and planned a special family meal. But there was one obstacle to starting the celebration: Leaders of the two local mosques couldn't agree when the feast, called Eid al-Fitr, should begin.

"We would just be sitting up at night waiting to hear the decision," said Ansari, who lives in Herndon, Va., and is editor of America's Muslim Family magazine.

The Muslim practice of following a strict lunar calendar, requiring a naked-eye sighting of the new moon to start a holiday the next morning, has divided the Muslim community on its most sacred days. Now a scholarly panel that advises American Muslims on religious law is trying to end the confusion.

The Fiqh Council of North America announced last week that it would no longer rely on moon sightings to determine the start of holidays and would instead use astronomical calculations. The panel released an Islamic calendar that runs through 2011, hoping Muslims in the United States and Canada can be persuaded to trade the old way for the new. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

RELIGIOUS GARB FASHIONABLY MODEST - TOP
K.O. Jackson, Journal Gazette, 8/17/06
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/15294526.htm

When heat waves hit, some people don't dress down to stay cool.

Their clothes stay on: Modesty is the best - and only - policy, they say.

Keeping their clothes on - even when heat and humidity rise - is a religious lifestyle.

"There's nothing wrong with fashionable dress, but our whole thing is to stay modest," says Lynn Vann, presiding overseer of the 130-member Fort Wayne East Congregation of Jehovah Witnesses.

"Our dress, regardless of the weather, is based on the 1 Timothy Scripture. Our dress should not detract from who we represent, and that is God.

"There are some women out there who dress scandalously. But you won't find us wearing short shorts with our butts hanging out, or guys wearing pants hanging down low, or women revealing breasts. Our young people want to be fashionable, but we are modest. We stay away from fads and extremes in dressing, but we are known for dressing well."

Staying cool during the summer doesn't mean wearing less; it can be as simple as wearing the correct clothing.

"Our women wear natural fibers, and that keeps us cool," says Sister X of the Nation of Islam during a phone call to the national headquarters in Chicago. "Our head scarves aren't as heavy in the summer as the ones we wear in winter. We want to be comfortable and dress moderate."

Regardless of the weather, Orthodox Jewish tradition requires men to wear long-sleeved shirts and women to wear ankle-length skirts.

Although Jeff Gubitz, executive director of the Fort Wayne Jewish Federation, says there are few Orthodox Jewish families in the area, that doesn't mean other Jewish families don't adhere to the dressing tradition.

"Our dress is traditional and conservative. I don't think that's any different than Christian fundamentalists, Amish or Muslims," he says. "Men keep their arms covered, and women keep their bodies covered. (MORE)

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LEBANON'S PAIN GROWS BY THE HOUR AS DEATH TOLL HITS 1,300 - TOP
Robert Fisk, The Independent, 8/17/06
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article1219684.ece

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
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Forwarded Message

Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 15:31:09 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: 'Israel Lobby' Authors to Speak at DC Press Club Forum

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

- MEDIA ADVISORY -

'ISRAEL LOBBY' AUTHORS TO SPEAK AT DC PRESS CLUB FORUM
Mearsheimer, Walt to discuss lobby's impact on U.S. response to Lebanon war

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/18/06) - On Monday, August 28, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will host a panel discussion on "The Israel Lobby and the U.S. Response to the War in Lebanon" at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The panel will feature Professors John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, authors of a recent Harvard University paper titled "The Israel Lobby."

In that paper, the authors stated: "Other special-interest groups have managed to skew foreign policy, but no lobby has managed to divert it as far from what the national interest would suggest, while simultaneously convincing Americans that US interests and those of the other country - in this case, Israel - are essentially identical.

WHAT: The Israel Lobby and the U.S. Response to the War in Lebanon
WHEN:
Monday, August 28, 2006, 1-2:30 p.m.
WHERE: Holeman Lounge, National Press Club, 529 14th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
RSVP: Admission is free, but seating is limited. E-mail irahman@cair.com to reserve a seat. Admittance by confirmed reservation only.

"For America to be regarded as an honest broker in the Middle East, we must disengage our policies in that region from the dictates of the pro-Israel lobby," said CAIR Board Chairman Parvez Ahmed.

He noted that public attitudes about the influence of the Israel lobby are changing. He cited a commentary in today's New Jersey Star-Ledger in which that newspaper's national political correspondent stated: "Bush must abandon his policy of unconditional support for Israel in favor of an even-handed one that might gain him credibility in the region as a more or less honest broker. And the best way to move Bush in that direction is by abandoning the unofficial taboo in this country on questioning Israel or our policy toward that country."

SEE: End the Taboo on Challenging Israel (Star-Ledger)

Ahmed said recent studies also show that a majority of Americans favor neutrality in the Middle East conflict.

SEE: Zogby Poll: U.S. Should Be Neutral in Lebanon War
SEE ALSO: Poll: Americans Support Mideast Cease-Fire

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com
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Forwarded Message

Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 17:26:54 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Vandals Hit NY Mosque / Muslim MD Falsely ID'd as Terrorist, Forced Off Flight / IL USPS Investigates Possible Sabotage of Muslim Mailing

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/18/06

* Hadith: Everyone Who Dies Will Repent
* An URGENT APPEAL from CAIR
* NY: Vandals Hit Mosque (Times Herald-Record)
* CO: Muslim MD Falsely ID'd as Terrorist, Forced Off Flight
* CAIR Rep Debates Profiling, 'Islamic Fascism' (CNBC)
            - MI: Pair Says Profiling Led Case (Detroit News)
            - What Do Terrorists Look Like? (DMN)
* CAIR-TX: Good Muslims are Good Americans
* CAIR-AZ: Rally Against Israeli Occupation (AP)
            - CAIR-GA 'Troubled' by Young's Remarks About Arabs
            - CAIR-FL to Hold Prayer for Peace (AP)
            - CAIR-Chicago: USPS Investigates Possible Sabotage
            - CAIR-OH Meets with Public Safety Officials
            - CAIR-CA Received Venomous E-Mails Attacking Muslims
            - CAIR-MI: Muslim Panel Asks for Balanced News
            - CAIR-MI: Women's Rights in Islam Panel Discussion
            - CAIR-MI: Even Now, Some Afraid to Make Calls (Free Press)
            - CAIR-CA: Press Conference for Mosque Open House
* Bush's 'Islamic Fascist' Statement Served No Purpose
* Esposito: Political Islam and US Foreign Policy (Harvard)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: EVERYONE WHO DIES WILL REPENT - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught his followers to say: "O God, make my inner nature better than my outer, and make my outer nature good. O God, I ask You to give me some of the abundance You give to men, in family, property and children, which neither strays nor leads astray."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 792

The Prophet also said: "Everyone who dies will repent." When asked about the nature of that repentance, he replied: "If someone did what was good (during his life), he will repent of not having done more. And if a person did evil, he will repent of not having restrained himself."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1457

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AN URGENT APPEAL FROM CAIR - TOP
http://www.cair.com/email/08-10-2006.html

Thank you to those who have donated so generously; for others who can give, we urge you to show your support now.

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NY: VANDALS HIT MOSQUE - TOP
Five windows broken at unfinished building
Dianna Cahn, Times Herald-Record, 8/18/06
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060818/NEWS/608180329

For two years, Dr. Quazi al-Tariq reported on the proud but slow progress in building the Middletown Islamic Center and the fantastic support it gets from the community - Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Yesterday, al-Tariq stood, crying, on the balcony of the unfinished, two-story prayer hall filled with light and the smell of raw lumber.

Five of the mosque's windows were broken overnight, apparently with rocks.

Glass was shattered. So was something in the heart of this project that has always made up in spirit what it has lacked in steady finances.

"We are so peaceful. We have nothing to do with politics," al-Tariq said. "It never occurred to me that in this area, where we know everybody, something like this would happen."

Sometime overnight, vandals struck the site on Ryerson Road that bears a sign, "Islamic Center."

They broke five double-paned windows causing what al-Tariq estimated was close to $6,000 in damage. Rocks that missed their target tore holes in new stucco. (MORE)

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MDS FORCED OFF PLANE - TOP
Winnipeg residents, one Muslim, falsely ID'd as terrorists
Mary Agnes Welch, Winnipeg Free Press, 8/18/06
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/subscriber/local/story/3641638p-4209928c.html

Three young Winnipeg doctors -- one a Muslim -- were kicked off a flight home from Denver earlier this week after a passenger falsely identified them as a terrorist threat.

Dr. Ahmed Farooq, a fourth-year radiology resident, and two physician friends want an apology from United Airlines and assurances staff will be better trained to identify genuine threats.

Winnipeg Centre MP Pat Martin has also asked federal Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day to raise the issue with his counterpart in Washington.

"It's the most egregious example of this device of racial profiling I know about among my constituents," said Martin. "These are valuable, upstanding members of our society. Civil rights shouldn't be collateral damage in this whole fight against terrorism."

But officials with United Airlines say they are obliged to take any allegations threatening passenger safety seriously, particularly in a period of heightened tension like the one following last week's discovery of a British terrorist plot targeting transatlantic flights.

Farooq, 27, and his fellow residents were on their way home from a physics course near San Francisco, Calif., in preparation for an upcoming board exam. They were settling into their connecting flight from Denver to Winnipeg when Farooq asked his friend -- a young doctor of East Indian decent who did not want his name published -- to switch seats. Farooq was looking for some privacy so he could discreetly recite his evening prayers.

Shortly before take-off, the two doctors noticed a young man seated a row ahead was giving them distasteful looks and at one point threatened to "pound" Farooq.

Farooq and his friends learned later the passenger, who had clearly been drinking, told a flight attendant he had overheard Farooq's friend say "Now, I can control the aisle."

The aircraft returned to the terminal and an airline official came to escort Farooq, his seatmate and their female colleague off the flight, an experience Farooq called "humiliating."

Within moments, the three were surrounded by Denver police, airport security and an official from the Transportation Security Administration. Their dentification was taken from them, they were told not to speak to one another and an FBI agent was consulted via telephone.

Meanwhile, their flight to Winnipeg departed with the passenger who lodged the complaint still on board.

"Within two or three minutes, the guy from the TSA said he thought the airline staff overreacted and that we never should have been pulled from the plane," said Farooq. "He apologized. Once they relaxed, they were polite and professional." (MORE)

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CAIR REP DEBATES 'ISLAMIC FASCISM,' PROFILING ON CNBC - TOP
http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/CNBCTV/TV_Info/P12129.asp

Interview: Former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Jed Babbin and Ibrahim Hooper, from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, discuss whether new airport profiling standards are racist.
CNBC: Kudlow & Company, 8/17/06

LARRY KUDLOW, host:

Welcome back, everybody. So, in the aftermath of the foiled terrorist plot by our British cousins, new kinds of passenger profiling techniques are cropping up. One such is reported in today's New York Times, front page. It's called "behavior detection," which adds to introduction of screening passengers by observation techniques, or SPOT, so we have both human and machines at work here, and I say, bravo to both. We need more of this to deal with the growing terrorist threat and to concentrate airport surveillance on likely suspects rather than elderly ladies from the Midwest or their grandkids.

If Islamic fascists continue their war against America--oops, I guess that's a controversial phrase, "Islamic fascists," but I am in good company because President Bush used it. Take a look.

President GEORGE W. BUSH: This nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation.

KUDLOW: Back with us now is Jeff Babbin, former undersecretary of defense. Now joining us is Ibrahim Hooper, national communications director for the Council on American-Islamic relations.

Welcome back, Jeff.

Welcome, Mr. Hooper.

Mr. JED BABBIN (Former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense): Thanks.

Mr. IBRAHIM HOOPER (Council on American-Islamic Relations): Thanks for having me.

KUDLOW: Mr. Hooper, let me just dive in on the Bush--the Bush phrase, "Islamic fascism." I guess you have a problem with that. Could you tell us what it is?

Mr. HOOPER: Well, I think the main problem is that in this global conflict, we have to establish mainstream communities in the Muslim world and in the West, and both mainstream communities need to marginalize extremists. And in the Muslim world you're going to have a difficult time having the mainstream community marginalize extremists when they feel that their faith and their culture is under attack. And phrases like "Islamic fascist" makes people feel like the entire faith of Islam is under attack.

KUDLOW: Well, but unfortunately, you know, you've got these extremists out there. I mean, it's become a political religion of totalitarianism. It's socialism and central planning on the economic front. It's an absolute lack of any human rights or women's rights, for that matter. What else do you call it? That sounds fascist to me.

Mr. HOOPER: I mean, you can call it extremist. We've issued fatwas in the United States by Muslim scholars condemning religious extremism and terrorism. But to link the evil of fascism with the faith of Islam does no one any good.

KUDLOW: Jed Babbin, to link the evil fascism with the faith of Islam. What's your take?

Mr. BABBIN: Well, it's not our fault that it's that linkage, Larry. We see forevermore in the Taliban going back to the Wahhabi raiders in Southern Iraq in the 1920s, the Ali Wahn. They are fascists, they are Islamic, so I just go back to good old American law. Truth is a defense to libel and slander, and it's not our burden, Larry, it's not American's burden to have the Muslim communities come out and condemn these folks. It is the Muslims' burden to marginalize these guys, to force them out of the mainstream...

Mr. HOOPER: And we're trying to do it.

Mr. BABBIN: It's not our--well, look...

Mr. HOOPER: We're trying to do it and it's made more difficult by these kinds of hot-button terms...

Mr. BABBIN: It is made accurate...

Mr. HOOPER: ...that are thrown out without definition.

Mr. BABBIN: Ibrahim, look. This is--without definition? History defines it, sir. Look at the textbooks. Look at history. These people are fascists.

Mr. HOOPER: I have a degree in history, by the way.

Mr. BABBIN: Well, apparently you didn't study very hard. The point of the matter is...

Mr. HOOPER: Oh, that's really very nice.

KUDLOW: Mr. Hooper, Mr. Hooper, let me ask you this.

Mr. BABBIN: That's incredible.

KUDLOW: Jed referred to a moment ago to the issue of Wahhabism. Let me ask you, here in the United States, you've got these imams who are teaching in mosques and Wahhabi schools, many of these imams, not all...

Mr. HOOPER: Wahhabi schools? What's a Wahhabi school?

KUDLOW: Wahhabi schools are located in Virginia and around the country. They are teaching this kind of radical Islamism...

Mr. HOOPER: You know that no Muslim on the face of the earth calls himself a Wahhabi?

KUDLOW: Well, I don't care. They teach the Wahhabi pure jihadist Islam that has been hijacked by all lot of these--excuse the phrase--Islamofascists. What I want to ask you, however, is why should the United States allow imams to preach in mosques or teach in these schools the destruction of America?

Mr. HOOPER: Well...

KUDLOW: Why shouldn't we deport them immediately? We know who they are. Why shouldn't we deport them immediately? That's my question.

Mr. HOOPER: Well, if you know who they are, I assume that means you've been in a lot of mosques in America. I've been in a lot of mosques in America. I've never heard that. It's not something that's--I know of in the Muslim community. It's put out and bandied about by anti-Muslim bigots constantly. And you know, name names. If you want somebody deported, name names. Don't just throw out this stuff.

KUDLOW: Jed Babbin, do you think there are any imams teaching radical destruction of America in this country? Do you think there are any?

Mr. BABBIN: Of course there are. There are hundreds of them. I think one of them was just kicked out of the New York prison system because he was the chief imam of the New York City prison. These guys are all over the place.

Mr. HOOPER: OK, name the last--name the last mosque you were in. Name the last mosque you were in.

Mr. BABBIN: I don't--I don't--I think I've been in a mosque that was partially destroyed in Baghdad in about a year ago...

Mr. HOOPER: No, the last mosque in America.

Mr. BABBIN: I was never in a mosque. Look...

Mr. HOOPER: You talk about it as if you know something. You don't know anything.

Mr. BABBIN: Look, I taught--I know a lot more than you do. What you're trying to do is hide what's going on here. You're trying to stifle the debate and it's...

Mr. HOOPER: I actually go to mosques in America.

Mr. BABBIN: Look...

Mr. HOOPER: You've never been to a mosque in America...

Mr. BABBIN: ...all I can tell you

Mr. HOOPER: ...and you're telling me what's going on here.

Mr. BABBIN: Ibrahim, Ibrahim, I know what--look, if you want to have a shouting contest, we can shout at each other. If you want to talk about facts, which you obviously don't want to do...

Mr. HOOPER: Facts?

Mr. BABBIN: ...this is about the Muslim community not bellying up to its responsibility. If they want to be Americans, they need to themselves marginalize these people...

Mr. HOOPER: I'm sorry, we are Americans! You don't...

Mr. BABBIN: You need to join the team, pal.

Mr. HOOPER: We don't have to ask you whether we're Americans or not.

Mr. BABBIN: Well, apparently...

KUDLOW: Gentlemen, gentlemen...

Mr. BABBIN: ...you need to joint the team. You're not on the team.

KUDLOW: All right, gentlemen. Let me move quickly to another but very important subject, the front page of the New York Times. An excellent story by Mr. Eric Lipton. Let me just read briefly. "As the man approached the airport security checkpoint here on Wednesday, he kept picking up and putting down his backpack, touching his fingers to his chin, rubbing some object in his hands and finally reaching for a pack of cigarettes even though smoking was not allowed. Two transportation security administration officers stood nearby, nearly motionless and silent, gazing straight at him, then with a nod they moved in, chatted briefly, and then swiftly pulled him aside." Now, this is called behavioral--this is called behavioral profiling.

Mr. HOOPER: But it's not ethnic or racial or religious profiling.

KUDLOW: And I want to ask Mr. Hooper--behavioral or other kinds of profiling seems to be an important tool in the war...

Mr. HOOPER: No, no--you--there's...

KUDLOW: ...against terror. What is your take, Mr. Hooper?

Mr. HOOPER: There's two types of profiling: actual profiling of real behaviors; and ethnic, religious, and racial.

Mr. BABBIN: Oh, Larry...

Mr. HOOPER: If somebody's acting nervously, if they're casting about, if they're doing something suspicious, fine, pull them aside. But don't--are we coming to a time when the security guards are going to ask you, `OK, could I--could I ask your faith? OK. Muslims, that line. Christians, Jewish, Hindu, that line.

Mr. BABBIN: Well, look...

KUDLOW: But that's not what they're doing, with all due respect. That's not what they're doing. It's much more sophisticated than that.

Jed Babbin, what is your take on this new development? They're using it in London. They're using it in Israel, Tel Aviv and so forth, and it looks like they're using it in the United States increasingly.

Mr. BABBIN: Larry...

KUDLOW: This is the SPOT system, behavioral profiling.

Mr. BABBIN: It's not new. It's been used by the Israelis for three decades very successfully. And what we're talking about here, Larry, this is not a civil rights issue. Nobody's going to confuse Ibrahim with Martin Luther King Jr., or confuse CARE with the NAACP. We're talking about profiling of people who are more likely to be terrorists. And if you look at the list of the 24 people arrested in London, you don't see any Johanssens or Kowalskis or Goldfarbs or O'Flanagans on that. It's all those people.

Mr. HOOPER: Can you be more racist?

Mr. BABBIN: Well, I don't think I--that's not racist. This is not about racism.

Mr. HOOPER: OK, I'll ask you...

Mr. BABBIN: If you read the Con--look, I will...

Mr. HOOPER: How would you determine who is a Muslim to be profiled? Would you pull me aside? I didn't wear my skull cap just so that you...

Mr. BABBIN: Oh, I certainly would. I would absolutely. Ibrahim, you'd be at the top of my list because CAIR's history...

Mr. HOOPER: How would you know I was a Muslim?

Mr. BABBIN: Because I know you--look...

Mr. HOOPER: How would you know I was a Muslim?

Mr. BABBIN: It's not a question of knowing who is a Muslim or who is not. We know people who have certain appearances, we know people who have certain behavior patterns. This behavior profiling...

Mr. HOOPER: Let me--let me read you--let me read you what...

Mr. BABBIN: ...has been working for 30 years.

Mr. HOOPER: There was a congressional candidate in Wisconsin has come out for profiling of Muslims. When they asked him how he'd tell what--who the Muslims are, he said, `Well, you know, if he comes in wearing a turban and his name is Mohammed, that's a good start.' If you go for turbans, you're going to get Sikhs, by the way. Not Muslims.

Mr. BABBIN: Well...

KUDLOW: But, Mr. Hooper, let me ask you this. I mean, look, we are at something of a crisis point in the wake of this London experience, which, you know, thankfully our British cousins stopped. But let me ask you this. We're talking about these behavior profiling. We're talking about facial analysis. We're talking about various electronic, technological tests. We're talking about a lot of ways to try to get at a problem which is very difficult but which goes to the heart of the safety and security of this country. My basic question to you is, do you have any problems with these kinds of scientific techniques?

Mr. HOOPER: I don't have a problem if somebody is acting suspiciously, pull him aside. But you don't pull people aside just because, `Ooh, he's kind of dark skinned, he might be a Muslim. Let's screen him more.'

Mr. BABBIN: Larry...

KUDLOW: And Mr. Hooper, let me ask you this, would you be--do you have any objections to people, for example, who send their reservations in early so that US customs can take a look to see if there are any irregularities?

Mr. HOOPER: I don't mind if everybody is screened that way, go ahead.

KUDLOW: All right. Jed Babbin, what's your take on these? Is that enough to stop this terrorist plot?

Mr. BABBIN: No, it's not Larry. And this is not--again, this is not a civil rights issue. You can go back in the civil rights cases in the Supreme Court for 40 years. There's such a thing as invidious discrimination, and that's what we're not talking about here. We're talking about looking at people who are more likely to be terrorists, and that's where we have to concentrate our assets. We don't have infinite assets to apply to this.

KUDLOW: All right. We're going to have to leave it there. Many, many thanks. Good discussion. Jed Babbit, Ibrahim Hooper. For more of my own thoughts, you can check out my blog, Kudlow's Money Politics www.moneypolitics.net .

SEE ALSO:

MI: PAIR SAYS PROFILING, PARANOIA LED CASE - TOP
Dearborn men who faced terror charges had been stopped before
Ronald J. Hansen, Detroit News, 8/18/06
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060818/METRO01/608180335

Two Arab-American men formerly charged in Ohio as terrorists said Thursday they hope their case will serve as a warning about the perils of profiling.

"I hope this unfortunate turn of events will open some eyes and shed some light on the paranoia and xenophobia that is gripping the country," Osama Abulhassan told reporters two days after his release from a Marietta, Ohio, jail. "I would hope that police, prosecutors and other law enforcement agencies exhibit a higher sense of responsibility in carrying out the crucial functions that they serve."

Abulhassan and Ali Houssaiky, both 20 and born in this country, were charged by authorities in southeastern Ohio after a sheriff's deputy found them with a dozen disposable cell phones, $10,837 in cash and airport documents in their car. Earlier this summer, federal authorities sent a nationwide warning to police about men buying large quantities of such phones. A store clerk in Marietta reported the Dearborn pair was acting suspiciously when buying phones.

"We've said for years in the community that this could happen to anyone. Well, here's anyone," said Detroit attorney William Swor, pointing to the college students and former standout student-athletes at Fordson High School.

Washington County Prosecutor James Schneider said his office continues its investigation, but he dropped the terrorism charges for now because federal authorities could give him no reason to hold the Dearborn men. (MORE)

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WHAT DO TERRORISTS LOOK LIKE? - TOP
Of course, there's no exact profile, says Macarena Hernández, and speculation based on race is harmful
Macarena Hernández, Dallas Morning News, 8/18/06
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-hernandez_18edi.ART.State.Edition1.3e93182.html

In the predawn hours after the 9/11 attacks, a Saudi Arabian radiology resident, still wearing his blue pajamas, was handcuffed and whisked from his San Antonio home by FBI agents. While Dr. Al-Badr M.H. Al-Hazmi sat alone in a New York City jail, local and national media spread his stoic-looking passport photo across the country. News stories speculated about whether he was the 20th hijacker or what role he may have played in the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history.

At the time, I was a reporter for the San Antonio Express-News, and I remember standing in our newsroom, watching televisions flash Mr. Al-Hazmi's photo and hearing a co-worker near me mutter, "The guy looks like a terrorist."

But what do terrorists look like? Do they look like the three North Texas men, all Palestinian-Americans, charged last week with collecting or providing materials for terrorist acts after they bought 80 prepaid cellphones at Wal-Mart?

Do they look like the two dozen suspects, believed to be mainly British Muslims, who were arrested last week after being implicated in a plot to blow up as many as 10 trans-Atlantic jetliners with liquid explosives?

One thing is certain: They do not look like Dr. Al-Hazmi, who spent 12 days sitting through countless interrogations and bearing the nation's suspicion before he was cleared and released. Overnight, a string of coincidences turned the soft-spoken devout Muslim into a main suspect.

I met him shortly after he returned to San Antonio. A thin, slightly built man not much taller than I, Dr. Al-Hazmi told me how he cried, prayed and read the Quran during his detainment. When he began to question God about why this was happening to him, he thought about the victims of the 9/11 attacks and knew his pain couldn't compare to the families who had lost loved ones. . .

It's a dangerous combination - law enforcement officials who've been sensitized to jump at anything out of the ordinary and a hungry media filling pages and airtime with speculation. When suspects are finally cleared, the story is often buried.

Meanwhile, it's no wonder that so many in this country have begun to look at Muslim-Americans as one giant sleeper cell. In the process of all this craziness, an entire community that should be an essential ally ends up marginalized.

After the London arrests, news reports indicated it was a Muslim who tipped British authorities after overhearing a disturbing conversation. This sort of brave act - not our own fear - is what we should be encouraging.

"We understand that America is scared," Diana Houssaiky, the sister of one of the two men arrested and released in Ohio, told the Associated Press. "But America needs to understand that we're part of America." (MORE)

Macarena Hernández is a Dallas Morning News editorial columnist. Her e-mail address is mhernandez@dallasnews.com

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CAIR-TX: GOOD MUSLIMS ARE GOOD AMERICANS - TOP
Safia Meek, Lufkin Daily News, 8/18/06
http://www.lufkindailynews.com/opin/content/news/opinion/stories/2006/08/18/letter_meek.html

Re: Good Muslim, American? Aug. 5

It is impossible to reply adequately to all of the statements made in Mr. Stapleton's letter in just a few words. However, let me assure you that what Mr. Stapleton's Marine turned minister friend told him about Islam is completely wrong. Islam is the continuation of the same message that prophets Abraham, Moses and even Jesus taught: that there is one God, a Heaven and a Hell, and that we are responsible for our beliefs and actions.

This responsibility includes treating our families, neighbors, coworkers, friends, and even those who do not like us with honor, fairness and respect. Islam does not teach hate for Christians or Jews. Rather, the Quran calls them the "People of the Book." It teaches Muslims to be careful with your choice of friends and to not be influenced by those who try to keep you from faith.

Allah is Arabic for "The God" meaning that The God is the one creator of the universe; the same god that Christians and Jews worldwide believe in. Bibles used by Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews use the term "Allah."

Islam is not against democracy. In fact, the first country to recognize the newly declared American constitution was Morocco, a majority Muslim country.

Muslims in America need not be afraid. Good Muslims are good Americans, neighbors, coworkers, friends and family. I request everyone to go to educated sources to learn about Islam such as www.cair.com

Saffia Meek, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Dallas/Fort Worth chapter, Dallas

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CAIR-AZ: COMMUNITY RALLY AGAINST THE OCCUPATION IN PALESTINE AND LEBANON - TOP
Associated Press Arizona Daybook for Friday, Aug. 18.
Associated Press Newswires, 8/18/06

Aug. 18. 3:30 p.m. MIDDLE EAST RALLY -- A community rally against the occupation in Palestine and Lebanon to be held in downtown Phoenix. Rally is sponsored by the American Coalition for Peace in the Middle East and other organizations.

Location: in front of Federal Building, First Avenue and Van Buren Street, Phoenix, 85004

Contacts: Nure Elatari (The Council on American-Islamic Relations), 602-262-2247

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-GA 'TROUBLED' BY YOUNG'S REMARKS ABOUT ARABS - TOP
Taylor campaign continues support for Andrew Young
Shannon McCaffrey, Associated Press, 8/18/06
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/politics/15307525.htm

Andrew Young's remarks about Jews, Koreans and Arabs to a Los Angeles newspaper are reverberating in Georgia's race for governor.

Republicans on Friday called the remarks by the former Atlanta mayor and United Nations ambassador "disgraceful" and questioned Young's continuing role as co-chairman of Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor's Democratic campaign for governor.

Taylor's camp said the comments were "regrettable" but insisted they should not eclipse the decades Young has spent on the front lines in the civil rights struggle.

Controversy over Young's remarks to the weekly Los Angeles Sentinel prompted him to announce early Friday that he was stepping down from his job providing public relations help for Wal-Mart.

In the Sentinel interview, Young was asked whether he was concerned that Wal-Mart was driving smaller, mom-and-pop stores out of business.

"Well, I think they should; they ran the 'mom and pop' stores out of my neighborhood," the paper quoted Young as saying. "But you see, those are the people who have been overcharging us, selling us stale bread and bad meat and wilted vegetables. And they sold out and moved to Florida. I think they've ripped off our communities enough. First it was Jews, then it was Koreans and now it's Arabs; very few black people own these stores."

Young, a one-time associate of Martin Luther King Jr., has said that his comments were misinterpreted. . .

Yusof Burke, a spokesman for the Council on American Islamic Relations in Atlanta, said the remarks in the Sentinel were troubling.

"We're very concerned about stereotyping so we are very concerned when someone like Andrew Young portrays Arabs as store owners trying to rip people off," Burke said. (MORE)

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CAIR-FL TO HOLD PRAYER FOR PEACE - TOP
Associated Press Florida Daybook for Friday, Aug. 18.
Associated Press Newswires

7 p.m. ORLANDO -- The United Muslim Foundation, the Muslim Student Association at UCF, the American Peace Foundation, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, hold a prayer for peace.

Location: University of Central Florida, Student Union, Cape Florida Ball Room 316, 4000 Central Florida Blvd.

Contacts: Masuma Virji, 407-804-1504

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CAIR-CHICAGO: U.S. POSTAL SERVICE INVESTIGATING POSSIBLE SABOTAGE AGAINST LOCAL MUSLIM CHARITY - TOP

(CHICAGO, IL 8/17/2006) The Chicago Office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations announced today that the U.S. Postal Service is currently conducting an investigation into concerns of possible foul play expressed by a Chicago-area Muslim Charity. The Zakat Foundation reported its concerns to CAIR-Chicago earlier today who requested the investigation.

The Zakat Foundation sent out approximately 70,000 mailings soliciting donations for the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. Shortly thereafter, approximately 10,500 of those mailings were returned, in the same sequence they were sent out, with a notice stating "undeliverable as addressed."

When the Zakat Foundation took the mailings back to the postal office to have an employee look up the addresses, the addresses were verifiable in the computer system. The employee expressed concerns that an act bigotry may be to blame for this unusual occurrence.

The Zakat Foundation reportedly lost about $4,000 in raw materials and postage from the returned mailings, and an estimated $105,000 in projected donations that would have resulted from the mailings.

A Postal Investigator is currently conducting an investigation into the matter because the Zakat Foundation is concerned about possible sabotage.

"Our community is watching with keen interest as this investigation unravels," said Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of CAIR-Chicago. "It is important to withhold judgement until after all the facts have been uncovered."

Rehab added that the Muslim community is particularly concerned given the recent track record of lash outs against Muslim charities, coupled with the recent surge in hate crimes against Muslims, in North America.

U.S. Postal Service employees are prohibited from tampering with mail. Additionally, all federal employees are prohibited from discriminating against individuals and entities on the basis of religion.

Available for interviewing in Chicago:

Dustin Barto, The Zakat Foundation, Media Relations Manager; 708 499 6151 or 828 234 9446 ; dbarto@thezakat.org

Ahmed Rehab, CAIR-Chicago, Executive Director; 312 212 1520 or 847 971 3963; director@cairchicago.org

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CAIR-OHIO MEETS WITH OHIO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICIALS - TOP

(COLUMBUS, OH, 8/16/06) - Representatives of the Ohio chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) recently met with officials of the State Ohio Security Task Force (SOSTF). CAIR-Ohio representatives gave a brief history on CAIR and then fielded questions from SOSTF officials.

Some of the organizations and offices that have representation on the SOSTF include: Ohio Homeland Security, the Attorney Generals Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Ohio EPA, Ohio EMA, Departments of Health, Agriculture, Transportation, Natural Resources, Education, Mental Health, State Fire Marshal, Ohio House of Representatives, and the Ohio Senate.

The meeting was part of a continuing effort to establish relationships and dialogue between Ohio's Muslim community and Law enforcement. CAIR-Ohio's presentation was well-received, and officials requested follow-up presentations.

"American Muslims, like all Americans, wish to ensure the safety and security of our nation but we need to balance this within constitutional guidelines that protect our civil liberties," said CAIR-Ohio (Columbus) Director Adnan Mirza. "We hope this will be an ongoing discussion that will result in greater understanding and broader participation."

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. The CAIR-Ohio Chapter has three offices - Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CONTACT: Adnan Mirza, 614-451-3232, E-Mail: director@cair-ohio.com; Dr. Asma Mobin-Uddin, 614-451-3232 E-Mail: asma@cair-ohio.com

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CAIR-CA RECEIVED VENOMOUS E-MAILS ATTACKING MUSLIMS - TOP
Valley's Muslims fear terror backlash
Arrest of Pakistanis in Britain leads to concerns about scrutiny
K. Oanh Ha, Mercury News, 8/18/06
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/15303605.htm?source=rss

Silicon Valley's close-knit Muslim community fears a backlash in the wake of the arrests of British Pakistani suspects accused of hatching a plot to blow up U.S.-bound airlines.

Muslims worry that the Islamic background of the terror suspects might increase scrutiny of the community and direct anger their way. The thwarted plot, the latest in a string of terror incidents linked to Pakistan within the past few years, has also prompted angst and soul-searching among some local Pakistani-Americans.

"Muslims are bracing themselves for a backlash right now," said Sameena Usman, spokeswoman for the Bay Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "When I'm out driving, my husband tells me to be careful because I might be a target."

Usman and other Muslims are taking personal precautions. Like many other Muslim women she knows, Usman pays special attention to how she dresses. "I don't wear all black. It makes you look very dark and strange," she said. "Every single time I leave the house, I make sure I look appropriate, so that people don't perceive me as a foreigner."

The fears aren't unfounded. CAIR's Santa Clara office has received venomous e-mails attacking Muslims since the bomb plot was foiled late last week. A mosque in Southern California was vandalized for the second time this week. Recently, a local community leader and his wife, an Islamic school principal, were stopped at San Francisco International Airport after returning from Egypt, according to CAIR. The couple were questioned about money they had withdrawn for their son's wedding.

CAIR advised local mosques to cooperate with law enforcement authorities to increase security. Leaders at the Muslim Community Association mosque in Santa Clara this week asked police to increase patrols of the neighborhood. (MORE)

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MUSLIM PANEL ASKS FOR BALANCED NEWS - TOP
Associated Press, 8/18/06
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060818/LOCAL/608180519

Media portrayals of Muslims often contain so much bias that they've helped fuel an "Islamic-phobia," experts said Thursday during a panel discussion at the National Association of Black Journalists' national convention in Indianapolis.

"We're given the most extreme manifestations and there is no balance," Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said of American media coverage. "It shouldn't be 95 percent negative and 5 percent positive. It shouldn't be just about Ramadan. It needs to be more than that."

The panel, which also included a newspaper columnist, university administrator and community activist, showcased the diversity of the nation's Muslim community.

Between 30 and 45 percent of Muslims in the United States are black, said Faheem Shuaibe, an imam of Masjidul Waritheen and director of the Clara Mohammed School in Oakland, Calif.

Islam, with an estimated 1.2 billion followers, is the world's second-largest religion behind Christianity.

Panelists said reporters should find positive stories about local Islamic communities and avoid stereotypical phrasing such as "Muslim garb" when referring to clothing such as a hijab, or head covering, that some Muslims wear. Still, the responsibility to help Americans disconnect the word "Islamic" with "terrorist" also lies with religious leaders, panelists said.

"There has to be another side presented," said Brenda Shaheed, a vice president of the historically black Martin University in Indianapolis who has practiced Islam for more than 30 years. "If I learned about Islam through the images in the media, there's nothing that would attract me to it." (MORE)

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CAIR-MI TO PARTICIPATE IN WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN ISLAM PANEL DISCUSSION - TOP

(LATHRUP VILLAGE, MI, 8/18/06) - On Saturday, August 19th, CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid will take part in a panel discussion on "Women's Rights in Islam."

"In this time of when Islamophobia is on the rise, discussions that seek to clarify misconceptions about Islam are of the utmost importance," says Dawud Walid, CAIR Michigan Executive Director.

WHAT: Panel Discussion, "Women's Rights in Islam"
WHEN: Saturday, August 19, 7-9 p.m.
WHERE: The Islamic Center of Detroit, 14350 Tireman, Detroit, MI
CONTACT: Dawud Walid, Executive Director of CAIR-MI, 248-842-1418, E-Mail: director@cairmichigan.org

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CAIR-MI: EVEN NOW, SOME AFRAID TO MAKE CALLS - TOP
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 8/18/06
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060818/NEWS05/608180423/1007/NEWS05

In homes, mosques and community centers, Muslims across metro Detroit say they often wonder whether the government is spying on them.

Those fears were momentarily assuaged after a federal judge ruled Thursday that the Bush administration's domestic surveillance program is unconstitutional. And despite the fact that the federal government has filed notice that it will appeal the decision by U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor, many in Michigan's sizable Middle Eastern and Muslim communities felt hope.

"It helps us feel secure that the Constitution still survives in the U.S.," said Noel Saleh, an Arab-American attorney involved in the lawsuit that resulted in the judge's ruling.

The impact of the surveillance program has been felt acutely in Michigan, home to the highest concentration of Arab Americans in the United States.

Some residents are afraid to call family members in the Middle East out of fear their words may be monitored and misinterpreted by law enforcement. Others shy away from talking about fund-raising for Arab or Muslim causes.

In fact, on Thursday some parents warned their kids not to talk on the phone about an upcoming fund-raiser for Lebanon out of fear their calls may be tapped, said Ammerah Saidi, 23, of Dearborn.

"People are very paranoid," Saidi said. "They don't want to get in trouble." . . .

"We all feel like the government is throwing a big net in the water to catch as many sharks as possible, but you're catching innocent fish," she said.

Nazih Hassan of Ypsilanti is a member of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which is part of the suit.

Hassan says he worries that the government may be eavesdropping on him. He praised the ruling.

"The constitutional system is alive and well," Hassan said. (MORE)

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CAIR-SAN DIEGO: MUSLIM LEADERS TO INTRODUCE MOSQUE OPEN HOUSE - TOP

(SAN DIEGO, CA 8/18/06) - On Saturday August 19th, at 2 p.m., local Muslim Leaders will hold a press conference to introduce the 2nd Annual Mosque Open House entitled, "Islam, Community and World Peace" at the Islamic Center of San Diego.

"In this day and age when fear and Islamophobia have taken over public discussion about Islam, Mosque open houses are an excellent educational opportunity for the people of other faiths to learn more about Islam," says Edgar Hopida, CAIR San-Diego director of public relations.

WHAT: Press Conference for the 2nd Annual Mosque Open House, "Islam, Community, and World Peace."

WHEN: Saturday, August 19, 2 p.m.

WHERE: Library, Second floor, Islamic Center of San Diego, 7050 Eckstrom Avenue, San Diego, CA

CONTACT: Taha Hassane, Imam of the Islamic Center of San Diego, 619-917-5434, Email: imam@icsd.org ; Edgar Hopida, Director of Public Relations of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) San Diego, 619-913-0719, Email: ehopida@cair.com

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BUSH'S 'ISLAMIC FASCIST' STATEMENT SERVED NO USEFUL PURPOSE - TOP
Bill Ferguson, Macon Telegraph, 8/18/06
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/opinion/15298188.htm

The news last week regarding the foiling of a planned terrorist plot to blow up planes flying from Britain to the U.S. was no doubt greeted with a huge sigh of relief on both sides of the Atlantic.

Although it was chilling to learn the details of the devious plan to assemble bombs aboard airliners, the fact that it wasn't allowed to come to fruition had to make us all feel a little better about how the intelligence community is doing in its race to detect and deter threats before they occur.

The foiling of the plot was also an excellent opportunity for President Bush to extol the virtues of his aggressive intelligence-gathering techniques, but in typical Bush fashion he once again proved that he has a hard time opening his mouth without inserting his own foot.

The president ruffled more than a few feathers in the Muslim community when he referred to the men who were arrested in connection with the plot as "Islamic fascists." Many Muslims feel that by linking their religion with a term used to describe a harsh, dictatorial, often racist philosophy, the president has heaped even more bad will on a group of people who are already viewed with suspicion, if not outright disdain, in the Western world.

Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), attempted to explain the frustration of the Muslim community with Bush's phraseology on (of all places) a recent edition of Bill O'Reilly's Fox talker, with predictable results.

Awad explained that although the terrorists in the British bomb plot may call themselves Muslims, their actions have no justification in Islamic scripture. And when such men are associated with the Islamic religion by heads of state and the mass media, it unjustifiably links Islamism and fascism in the minds of many people.

Why, Awad asked O'Reilly, did the media not refer to Eric Rudolph, the American mass murderer who claimed that his behavior was motivated by his strong fundamentalist Christian beliefs, as a "Christian" terrorist?

O'Reilly responded in his typically thoughtful, low-key manner by saying that he wasn't going to "play a politically correct game in the middle of a war on terror."

A more honest answer would have been that if the American media or civic officials had referred to Rudolph as a "Christian fascist" or some equally pejorative term, they would have faced a firestorm of protests from angry practitioners of the country's dominant religion, and rightfully so. (MORE)

Bill Ferguson, a resident of Centerville, can be reached by e-mail at fergcolumn@hotmail.com.

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IT'S THE POLICY, STUPID - TOP
Political Islam and US Foreign Policy
John L. Esposito
http://hir.harvard.edu/articles/1453/

US foreign policy and political Islam today are deeply intertwined. Every US president since Jimmy Carter has had to deal with political Islam; none has been so challenged as George W. Bush. Policymakers, particularly since 9/11, have demonstrated an inability and/or unwillingness to distinguish between radical and moderate Islamists. They have largely treated political Islam as a global threat similar to the way that Communism was perceived. However, even in the case of Communism, foreign policymakers eventually moved from an ill-informed, broad-brush, and paranoid approach personified by Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s to more nuanced, pragmatic, and reasonable policies that led to the establishment of relations with China in the 1970s, even as tensions remained between the United States and the Soviet Union.

As Islamist parties continue to rise in prominence across the globe, it is necessary that policymakers learn to make distinctions and adopt differentiated policy approaches. This requires a deeper understanding of what motivates and informs Islamist parties and the support they receive, including the ways in which some US policies feed the more radical and extreme Islamist movements while weakening the appeal of the moderate organizations to Muslim populations. It also requires the political will to adopt approaches of engagement and dialogue. This is especially important where the roots of political Islam go deeper than simple anti-Americanism and where political Islam is manifested in non-violent and democratic ways. The stunning electoral victories of HAMAS in Palestine and the Shi'a in Iraq, the Muslim Brotherhood's emergence as the leading parliamentary opposition in Egypt, and Israel's war against HAMAS and Hizbollah go to the heart of issues of democracy, terrorism, and peace in the Middle East.

Global terrorism has also become the excuse for many Muslim autocratic rulers and Western policymakers to backslide or retreat from democratization. They warn that the promotion of a democratic process runs the risk of furthering Islamist inroads into centers of power and is counterproductive to Western interests, encouraging a more virulent anti-Westernism and increased instability. Thus, for example, despite HAMAS' victory in free and democratic elections, the United States and Europe failed to give the party full recognition and support. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Sat, 19 Aug 2006 21:59:27 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: IL Mosque Vandalized / Hate Site Suggests Ways to 'Punish' Muslims / Decision on Assault by Pro-Israeli Driver Pending / Praising Allah - In Spanish

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/19/06

* Hadith: Encourage People to Do Good
* IL Mosque Vandalized, Robbed (ABC)
            - Mosque Ransacked, Robbed (Daily Herald)
* Hate Site Suggests Ways to 'Punish' Muslims in West
            - Action: Islam-Basher to Appear on C-SPAN
* MI: Decision on Assault by Pro-Israeli Driver Pending
            - 'Dearbornistan' Blogger a 'Chubby Ann Coulter'
* Atlanta Journal Profiles CAIR-GA Rep
            - CAIR-CA: Vandalism Spurs Call For Interfaith Unity
            - CAIR-Chicago: Fall Internship Opportunities
* FL: Praising Allah - In Spanish (Orlando Sentinel)
            - TX: Ever Wonder What Muslim Prayer Beads are For?
* MI: Bias Blamed for WV Airport Incident
* NYT: 'Islamism Trumps Arabism'
            - Annan: Israel Violated Cease-Fire (CBS/AP)
            - Israel Committed to Killing Nasrallah (NYT)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: EXHORT PEOPLE TO DO GOOD - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Mankind shall follow you and people from the different parts of the Earth will come to you in order to learn and acquire understanding of religion. So when they come to you, encourage them to do good."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 71

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IL: SCHAUMBURG MOSQUE ROBBED OVERNIGHT - TOP
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=local&id=4477420

A mosque in Schaumburg was robbed overnight.

Leaders at the Midwest Islamic Center arrived for prayer services Saturday morning to find broken glass and the door smashed in.

Police say thieves broke in using a blunt object. Witnesses say it was a sledge hammer and crowbar. Money was stolen from desks and the collection box, but there's no word on how much was taken.

Police are investigating. This is the second break-in at the mosque since June. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

MOSQUE RANSACKED, ROBBED - TOP
http://www.dailyherald.com/story.asp?id=218404

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INTERNET HATE SITE SUGGESTS WAYS TO 'PUNISH' MUSLIMS IN WEST - TOP
'Jihad Watch' VP recommends attacks on Mecca, 'damage interests' of Muslims

[NOTE: The "Jihad Watch" hate site is notorious for its depiction of Islam as an inherently violent faith that is a threat to world peace. Please DO NOT contact the site. Any hostile comments WILL be used to further defame Islam and Muslims.]

Jihad Watch Board Vice President Hugh Fitzgerald recently wrote on "Jihad Watch":

"What if that plot to blow up airliners had not been detected well in advance, but had succeeded? What then? What would have followed? Other than stricter security measures at airports, what punishment would have been meted out to Muslims, to their interests, to the Umma -- a collective punishment as in modern warfare punishments always are, so that it would be far less likely to happen again?. . .

"Would they have bombed several of the entry points into Mecca, so as to limit access to it, and threatened to steadily bomb others, until such time as only one narrow road led in and out -- a far better step, because deliberately incremental, than destroying Mecca or the Ka'ba itself. . .Would they do something, as obviously they should, to damage the interests of Muslims living within the Bilad al-kufr, the Lands of the Infidels, deep behind what Muslims themselves are taught to regard as enemy lines?

"One wishes to know. Surely Muslims should know that these things are now being talked about, and that they cannot continue to assume that no matter what happens, their position in the Western world is safe, that the Western peoples will continue to exhibit the extraordinary forbearance that they have exhibited?. . .

"And this brings me to the Taj Mahal, that 'tear in marble.'. . .What if it were to be blown up? What then? What would the government of India, or the Hindus and Sikhs and other non-Muslims of India, do to Muslim interests in India? Would the mosques remain exempt from attack?. . .

"They have been led to believe that they can get away, in many places, with murder or even mass-murder. And still the Muslim immigrants arrive. Still they are allowed to bring in their families, still they are allowed to exploit the system, still they are allowed to make demands for changes in our rights, in our legal and political institutions and social arrangements. . ."

In past articles, Fitzgerald wrote:

"To be sure, plenty of Believers in exotic creeds alien or new to the West have managed to fit in perfectly well, and be friendly neighbors and loyal citizens. . .Only one group, only one belief-system, distinguishes itself by appearing incapable of fitting in. And that is Muslims, and Islam. . .if one really knew what Islam contained . . .then how could any decent person remain a Muslim?"

He went on to recommend that western nations be "Islam-proofed the way a house is child-proofed," compared Muslims to Nazis and urged that they be boycotted: "[I]t should not be hard to find ways to limit the spread or practice of Islam. And if in addition to whatever local, state and federal government officials do, private parties simply conduct their own boycott of goods and services offered by Muslims, in the same way that they would have refused to buy, in 1938, a German Voigtlander camera. . ."

Comments posted on "Jihad Watch" are bone-chilling in the raw hatred they espouse.

SEE ALSO:

ISLAM-BASHER TO APPEAR ON C-SPAN - TOP

ACTION ALERT: Robert Spencer, the publisher of "Jihad Watch," will appear Sunday, August 20, on a PRE-TAPED C-SPAN "Q&A " segment.

In his book "Guide for Catholics," Spencer wrote:

"Islam itself is an incomplete, misleading, and often downright false revelation which, in many ways, directly contradicts what God has revealed through the prophets of the Old Testament and through his Son Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.. . .For several reasons. . .Islam constitutes a threat to the world at large.

The subtitle of Spencer's forthcoming book claims Islam is "the World's Most Intolerant Religion."

Please watch the program and then contact C-SPAN to express your concerns about the network's decision to provide air-time to someone whose website promotes bigotry and hatred.

SEE: http://www.q-and-a.org/Program/?ProgramID=1086
CONTACT: viewer@c-span.org
COPY TO: info@cair.com

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MI: DECISION ON ATTEMPTED ASSAULT BY PRO-ISRAELI DRIVER PENDING - TOP
Aatif Ali Bokhari, Arab American News, 8/18/06
http://www.arabamericannews.com/newsarticle.php?articleid=6116

DETROIT - Arab Americans who were almost run over by a pro-Israeli driver last month are complaining that their case has been dragged out by the Southfield Police and Oakland County Prosecutors' office, perhaps under pressure from the pro-Israeli lobby. . .

SEE ALSO:

MI: 'DEARBORNISTAN' BLOGGER CALLED CHUBBY ANN COULTER - TOP

Spelling Lesson Needed
Detroit News, 8/19/06
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060819/OPINION01/608190304/1008

Shameless self-promoter and would-be commentator Debbie Schlussel is now calling Dearborn "Dearbornistan." Schlussel is nothing more than a chubby Ann Coulter, a shrill demagogue who gets in front of the camera only because she's willing to say the most offensive, obnoxious and outlandish things. Ignore this know-nothing nut.

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GA: MUSLIM MAN HOPES TO EDUCATE ABOUT FAITH - TOP
Rick Badie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 8/19/06
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/shared-blogs/ajc/badie/entries/2006/08/19/muslim_man_hope.html

Chris Yusof Burke has gray hair and hazel eyes. He's white. He's also Muslim.

The New York native wasn't searching for a new religion when he converted in 1996. He was raised a Catholic and attended Catholic schools his entire life. He didn't practice his faith, yet he still had a deep belief in God.

Burke fell in love with a Muslim woman while working in Indonesia as an engineer with General Electric. To marry a Muslim woman, you have to be a Muslim man.

Burke switched.

"It had to be fate," the 41-year-old Lilburn man said. "She showed up at the work site looking for a friend. That's how we met."

Burke attends the Masjid Omar Bin Abdul Aziz mosque in Norcross. He prays five times a day. He observes Ramadan, the month in which Muslims abstain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex.

A white Muslim - talk about a minority. Burke mentioned a study which found that white converts to the fast-growing religion account for about 2 percent of the billion-plus Muslims in the world.

Gwinnett County has at least seven mosques and Islamic centers, three of which have opened since 2002. Nearly 20,000 Muslims call this county home, and I'd imagine the majority of them have nothing to do with terrorism. They're just like you and me, family folk trying to live peaceful lives with as little drama as possible.

Given the intense international times, though, local Muslims could offer some assurances when terrorists strike. They could stand up emphatically and say that it's wrong, that they share the anger and outrage of their non-Muslim neighbors.

Yet, unless I've missed something, we seldom see it. If such public declarations are indeed taking place, then maybe they get muted, as Burke suggested to me in an e-mail and sit-down interview.

"American Muslims have condemned the actions of terrorists on numerous occasions," said Burke, who oversees the Northeast Georgia chapter of CAIR - the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"We must do this, but we feel our voices do not carry [in the media], so the impact is not as great as it could be. We also need to find better ways to make Muslims and non-Muslims understand that the actions of terrorists are wrong, and are un-Islamic."

Last week, Burke spent three days at a conference of state law enforcement officers in Savannah. He and other CAIR personnel led sessions in which they schooled authorities on how to interact with the Muslim community. . .

"I want to educate the Muslims, and I want to educate Americans. That's why I joined CAIR. There's a lot of misunderstanding."

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-CA: VANDALISM SPURS CALL FOR UNITY - TOP
Bethania Palma, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, 8/19/06
http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_4207793

LA MIRADA - Jewish, Christian and Muslim religious leaders called for unity and tolerance Friday at a mosque hit twice this week by vandalism.

"If you don't have unity, there is nothing," Rabbi Lawrence Goldmark of Temple Beth Ohr in La Mirada said at a news conference at the Muslim Community Services Inc. mosque in La Mirada. The conference was called by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). (MORE)

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FALL 2006 INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES AT CAIR-CHICAGO - TOP

CAIR-Chicago is currently offering 17 new internship opportunities. All internships are unpaid, last one semester and include a 12-hour/week commitment. Applicants should email a resume and cover letter to Dina Rehab, Outreach Coordinator, at: internships@cairchicago.org

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FL: PRAISING ALLAH -- EN ESPAÑOL - TOP
Jeannette Rivera-Lyles, Orlando Sentinel, 8/19/06
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-converts1906aug19,0,922182.story

Catherine Garcia enters the mosque barefoot and finds a spot on the floor. She kneels and leans forward. Palms, nose and forehead touch the ground. Her lips move, almost imperceptibly, whispering words in Arabic.

Three years ago, she would have been in a Roman Catholic church, murmuring prayers with her rosary beads. Today, she invokes Allah while reciting portions of the Quran.

Garcia, 33, is among an estimated 70,000 Hispanics nationwide embracing Islam, blending with apparent ease two cultures seemingly at odds.

They are renouncing salsa dancing, roasted pork and Christmas. But they are making their tamales with halal meat, reading the Quran in Spanish and sharing their faith at Hispanic cultural events.

"I am a Latino woman," said Garcia, who was born in Colombia and now lives in east Orange County. "I prefer to read the Quran in Spanish, and I praise God in Spanish. It's the language that I feel."

Cities throughout the nation, but especially in Florida, California, New York and Texas, are seeing the conversion rate to Islam among Hispanics grow every year. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

TX: EVER WONDER WHAT MUSLIM PRAYER BEADS ARE FOR? - TOP
Austin American-Statesman, 8/19/06
http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/other/08/19greig.html

Q: I frequently see on television Muslim men with prayer beads. The men seem to be speaking a mile a minute. I have wondered what they might be praying or saying. - J. Nicholas White

A: This is an act of worship, says Clay Chip Smith, president of the North Austin Muslim Community Center, 11900 N. Lamar Blvd.

The prayers, dhikr, are generally a recitation of three phrases, each said 33 times (once for each bead): "Glory to God," "Thanks be to God" and "God is great," spoken in Arabic. This is followed with "There is no deity but the one and only God."

This is a way to follow in the footsteps of Muhammad, Smith says, even though the prophet used his right hand, not beads, in counting the prayers.
According to the Museum of Anthropology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, some prayer strands contain 99 beads, and the recitation is 99 different names for attributes of God such as "Al-raheem, the merciful."

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MI: AFTER EVENTS, MUSLIMS SEEK UNDERSTANDING - TOP
Scott Hagen, Citizen Patriot, 8/19/06
http://www.mlive.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news-18/1155981957174140.xml&coll=3

As new images of terror plots splash across cable television and newspapers, local Muslims are calling for tolerance and perspective.

Muslims, and even non-Muslims, in the Jackson community say profiling -- associating their religion with terrorism -- is a problem that grows whenever possible terror plots, even bogus ones, are brought to light.

On Thursday, a former Blackman Township resident on her way back to visit family spent hours answering questions from federal agents at a West Virginia airport. Two bottles in her carry-on luggage tested positive for explosive residue, although later tests were negative.

Her mother, Samia Qayyum, blamed the incident involving her daughter on racial discrimination. She said her daughter's traditional Pakistani scarf caused the problem for authorities. (MORE)

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NYT: ISLAMISM TRUMPS ARABISM - TOP
MICHAEL SLACKMAN, New York Times, 8/20/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/weekinreview/20slackman.html

SHE grew up in Cairo with the privileges that go to the daughter of a military officer, attended a university and landed a job in marketing. He grew up in a poor village of dusty unpaved roads, where young men work long hours in a brick factory while dreaming of getting a government job that would pay $90 a month.

But Jihan Mahmoud, 24, from the middle-class neighborhood of Heliopolis, and Madah Ali Muhammad, 23, from a village in the Nile Delta, have come to the exact same conclusion about what they and their country need: a strong Islamic political movement.

"I have more faith in Islam than in my state; I have more faith in Allah than in Hosni Mubarak," Ms. Mahmoud said, referring to the president of Egypt. "That is why I am proud to be a Muslim."

The war in Lebanon, and the widespread conviction among Arabs that Hezbollah won that war by bloodying Israel, has fostered and validated those kinds of feelings across Egypt and the region. In interviews on streets and in newspaper commentaries circulated around the Middle East, the prevailing view is that where Arab nations failed to stand up to Israel and the United States, an Islamic movement succeeded. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ANNAN: ISRAEL VIOLATED CEASE-FIRE - TOP
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/19/world/main1913758.shtml

(CBS/AP) Israeli commandos raided a Hezbollah stronghold deep in Lebanon on Saturday, engaging in a fierce gunbattle, and the Lebanese government threatened to halt further troop deployments in protest as the 6-day-old U.N.-brokered cease-fire was put to a critical test.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called the operation a violation of the U.N. truce. (MORE)

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ISRAEL COMMITTED TO BLOCK ARMS AND KILL NASRALLAH - TOP
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/world/middleeast/20mideast.html

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2006 17:59:57 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Show Few Signs of Radicalism / Schools Compete for Saudis / CAIR Rep on C-SPAN / 'Jihad' Defined / Muslim Boy Scouts

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/20/06

* Hadith: A Key for Good
* CAIR Rep Appears on C-SPAN's 'Washington Journal'
* CAIR-FL: Schools Compete for Saudi Students (AP)
* CAIR-DFW: Texas Trio Still Bears Stain (Dallas Morn News)
* U.S. Muslims Show Few Signs of Radicalism (Boston Globe)
* FL: Council Launches First Islamic Scout Troop (Sun-Sent)
            - New Children's Book: 'I Am An American, Too'
            - TX: Imam a Muslim Voice of Calm (American-Statesman)
            - WV: 'Jihad' Means to Strive for Better Society
* Removal of 'Asians' from Flight Condemned (Guardian)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: A KEY FOR GOOD - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Blessed is the man whom God has made a key for good and a lock for evil."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1366

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CAIR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR APPEARS ON C-SPAN - TOP
C-SPAN, Washington Journal, 8/19/06

WATCH THE VIDEO

CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad discussed a study released by the Vera Institute of Justice on the relationship between Arab-Americans and law enforcement since the September 11 terrorist attacks. He responded to telephone calls and electronic mail.

NOTE: The segment about the study begins at 49:25. Awad appears at 55:53.

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CAIR-FL: SCHOOLS COMPETE FOR THOUSANDS OF SAUDI STUDENTS - TOP
GARANCE BURKE, Associated Press, 8/20/06
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/state/15320527.htm

MANHATTAN, Kan. - On a recent afternoon at Kansas State University, a familiar set of late-summer rituals were under way. Piccolo and tuba players practiced their formations in clusters on the lawn, and fraternity hopefuls started Rush Week.

This semester, the central Kansas agricultural powerhouse was also preparing for its first-ever celebration of Ramadan to welcome the newest members of its student body: 150 students from Saudi Arabia.

This school year, college towns from Florida to Oregon will host an estimated 15,000 new Saudi students, nearly all of whom have full scholarships paid for by the Kingdom's royal family. They're part of a new exchange program brokered by President Bush and Saudi King Abdullah last year that will soon quintuple the number of Saudi students studying in the United States.

The U.S. State Department sees the exchange as a way to build ties with future Saudi leaders and young scholars at a time of unsteady relations with the Muslim world. The Kingdom says it will help stem unrest at home by schooling the country's brightest in the American tradition.

And public universities are eager for the tuition dollars. . .

The electronic monitoring program, SEVIS, appears to be working well, though the blips it's caught recently illustrate the cultural gulf between the exchange students it tracks and their American hosts.

In May, two Saudi scholarship students monitored under SEVIS were held in solitary confinement in a county jail after riding a public school bus they thought would take them to their English classes at the University of South Florida.

"They thought they were allowed to ride it to take it to the university and people were making accusations like this was a dry run for a real terrorist attack," said Ahmed Bedier, director of the Tampa, Fla., office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "These youth are paying the price for things that they have no connection to. They're going to be the future in Saudi Arabia." (MORE)

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CAIR-DFW: MESQUITE TRIO STILL BEARS STAIN - TOP
But as cellphone terror case unravels, family declares: 'We're good people'
GRETEL C. KOVACH and SCOTT FARWELL, Dallas Morning News, 8/20/06
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/collin/mckinney/stories/DN-trio_20met.ART0.State.Edition2.3f04f2b.html

Mark E. Reene, Tuscola County's top prosecutor, had been awakened at 2:30 a.m. Aug. 11 with a call from Caro, Mich., police in Michigan's Thumb. Officers from the small town an hour north of Detroit had stopped the Mesquite men in a rented Dodge minivan after they left an all-night Wal-Mart.

The men had cleared out a rack of about 40 Nokia cellphones, police said, using multiple trips through the checkout aisles to circumvent the store's three-phone purchase limit.

The trio told authorities they had set out on their buying binge in early August. They traveled north into Wisconsin and Michigan, eventually crossing the Mackinac Bridge, a five-mile ribbon of cement linking the Wolverine State's Upper and Lower peninsulas.

Mr. Ayad, their attorney, said they were stuck in traffic on the bridge because of construction and passed the time taking tourist snapshots.

Caro police were alarmed by what they found in the van, including photos of the bridge, cellphones removed from their packages, a laptop computer with wireless Internet capability, a Global Positioning System antenna and $1,800 in cash. The authorities suggested that the cellphones could be used to detonate homemade bombs such as those commonly used in Iraq.

But the terrorism case assembled by Mr. Reene quickly unraveled. Afterward, he offered no apologies.

The investigation was justified, and the federal government is continuing to look for links between the men and organized terrorism groups, he said.

Mr. Reene wears ties patterned with the American flag to work almost every day. An autographed poster outside the entrance to his office reads: "Sept. 11, 2001 We will never forget."

But Mr. Reene said he's not a zealot, and the suspects' Arab ethnicity was a "non-issue." . . .

After the arrests, some neighbors also began ridiculing other women in the family who wore a traditional headscarf as a sign of piety. Two residents recently told a reporter that there were a lot of "Arabians" wearing "towels" on their heads in the complex.

Another neighbor, Sherie Davidson said last week that she still thought the men were terrorists.

"If they come back, I'm gone," she said.

Ms. Davidson's daughter had attended high school with Ms. Odeh. "She told me she was a normal white girl, nice . . . I don't understand how she got involved in this. She went to school here." . . .

Mr. Hamideh, a spokesperson for the Islamic Association of North Texas, worries that the stain of suspicion will not so easily be scrubbed away.

And whenever Muslim-Americans are accused of terrorism, it also places a tremendous psychological strain on the community at large.

He doesn't blame law enforcement. "I blame the politicians who are feeding this fire of hatred and ignorance," he said.

Saffia Meek, director of operations for the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations, said Muslims have more rights and freedoms in the United States than in other parts of the world - "but there's always this haze of suspicion." (MORE)

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MA: HEARTS AND MINDS - TOP
Drawn to ballots not bombs, America's Muslim community shows few signs of the radicalism seen in Britain. But with anger over US policies at home and abroad, a younger generation may be up for grabs.
Drake Bennett, Boston Globe, 8/20/06
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2006/08/20/hearts_and_minds/

AFTER 9/11, foreign policy scholars quickly took to describing terrorism as the dark underside of globalization. Al Qaeda was like a multinational corporation, the thinking went, and the money and men that had been used to such murderous effect were simply part of a larger tide of goods and capital streaming across national borders and overwhelming the governments within them.

In retrospect, there's something almost reassuring about that model. After last July's London subway bombings, in which 4 native Britons, acting largely on their own, killed 52 of their countrymen, the West started worrying in earnest not just about imported terrorism, but the homegrown kind.

The news a week and a half ago that British intelligence services had thwarted a plot to blow up 10 airliners over the Atlantic once again pricked those fears. All 23 suspects were native-born British Muslims. Only two months earlier, Canadian authorities had arrested 17 Canadian Muslims and charged them with plotting to attack various government buildings and behead the country's prime minister.

The United States has not been entirely immune to these trends: Intelligence and law enforcement agencies have broken up a handful of what they have called domestic terror cells. (Though there have been questions raised about the danger actually posed by some of these purported terrorists.)

Yet, as both terrorism experts and scholars who study the American Muslim community point out, the United States has proven notably unfavorable to the growth of domestic terrorism (at least of the radical Islamic variety: Timothy McVeigh's Oklahoma City bombing, of course, was the second most deadly terrorist act ever committed on American soil). American Muslims, by and large, are wealthier and better integrated into American society than their European counterparts, and feel freer to practice their religious faith than Muslims in the more avowedly secular nations of Western Europe. And the blend of different ethnicities and sects in the American Muslim community has lent its beliefs a more ecumenical and flexible cast than those of Europe's Muslim immigrants.

``The risk is much, much greater in Europe than it is here, on the order of 30 to one," says Mark Sageman, formerly a CIA case officer in Afghanistan and now a psychiatrist who studies the formation of terrorist networks. ``The US is a very, very different environment from Europe, anyone who's lived in both places immediately knows it." (MORE)

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FL: GULF STREAM COUNCIL LAUNCHES ITS FIRST ISLAMIC TROOP - TOP
Lisa Bolivar, Sun-Sentinel, 8/20/06
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-bb20troop0aug20,0,516577.story

Hassene Chaabane has been a Boy Scout all his life, so he jumped at the recent opportunity to introduce scouting to a new group of youths.

Chaabane, 31, who attends religious services at the Islamic Center of Boca Raton, is spearheading the formation of Cub Scout and Boy Scout Troop 394, the first Muslim troop in the Gulf Stream Council, which covers Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Hendry counties.

"I can't imagine the life of a boy without Boy Scouts," Chaabane said. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

OH: MUSLIM LIFE EXPLORED - TOP
Jennifer Edwards, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8/20/06
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060820/NEWS01/608200418/1056

Author Zakia Hyder of Mason wants more people to see post-Sept. 11 life through the eyes of Muslim-American families. So she has published a children's book, "I Am An American, Too."

The book "puts a human face on the hate crimes perpetrated against Muslim families after the attacks," according to Muslim Mothers Against Violence.

The organization, formed last summer after the London subway bombings, includes about 100 mothers from the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati.

Hyder, a member of the group, will autograph her book at Joseph-Beth Bookstore in Rookwood Pavilion from 1 to 2 p.m. Sept. 9.

For information, visit www.zakiahyder.com.

---

TX: A MUSLIM VOICE OF CALM - TOP
Austin cleric struggles to bridge the gaps between cultures
Eileen E. Flynn, American-Statesman, 8/20/06
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/08/20razi.html

The man with the white turban and black robe strides toward the south entrance of the Texas Capitol. He is a stranger, unknown to the dozens of religious leaders assembled on this hot afternoon. As he takes his place on the steps, one of the organizers smiles. Earlier that day, she had frantically called every mosque in Austin pleading for a Muslim cleric to attend.

It's the day after Sept. 11, 2001, and Safdar Razi is the only Muslim leader to respond. Nerves are raw, and many fear a backlash against Muslims.

"Somebody has to go out and tell the people we're not terrorists," he thinks. (MORE)

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'JIHAD' SIMPLY MEANS TO STRIVE FOR BETTER SOCIETY - TOP
Mahmood Jawaid, Gazette-Mail, 8/20/06
http://wvgazette.com/section/Columns/200608194

Since 9/11 the term "jihad" has attained a high level of notoriety. There is a perception that it stands for indiscriminate killing of innocent, peace-loving people.

"Jihad" is an Arabic term which means "to strive." Throughout the Holy Quran, God urges Muslims to strive in his cause with all of their resources and their being. (MORE)

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REMOVAL OF MEN FROM HOLIDAY FLIGHT CONDEMNED - TOP
Passengers feared 'Asian' pair were terrorists MP describes incident as hugely irrational
Alex Kumi, The Guardian, 8/21/06
http://www.guardian.co.uk/

The removal of two men from a holiday flight on the grounds that fellow passengers feared they were terrorists was condemned yesterday. The pair, thought to be in their 20s and of Middle Eastern or Asian appearance, were removed from a flight to Manchester from Malaga, Spain, after passengers became suspicious of their behaviour.

In the early hours of Wednesday a number of passengers on Monarch Airlines flight ZB613 left the plane, refusing to fly unless the two men were removed, causing a three-hour delay.

Passengers are reported to have become suspicious after the men were overheard apparently speaking Arabic and seen repeatedly checking their watches, although this has not been confirmed by the airline.

Muslim MP Khalid Mahmood described the incident as "hugely irrational". "People need to get their senses back into order. You can't just accuse anybody who's of Asian appearance and treat them like a terrorist," said the Labour MP for Birmingham.

"If somebody is threatening anybody it's understandable, but when they are just travelling for their own needs it's not. People just need to calm down."

These sentiments were echoed by Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, of the Muslim Parliament of Britain, who described the incident as "sad and shocking".

"We have got to find a better way where somebody's look is not the basis for this kind of action - it has to be more intelligence-led," he said.

And, warning that the incident was an example of what the Metropolitan police chief superintendent Ali Dizaei called a new offence of "travelling while Asian", he said: "The greatest danger is that the extremists have succeeded in convincing Muslims and Arabs that the war on terror isn't a war on terror but a war on Islam and Muslims."

The Islamic Human Rights Commission said "ever-increasing Islamophobia" related to the "war on terror" was to blame for the removal of the men, who were questioned by police and forced to fly back to Manchester later in the week.

A Monarch Airlines spokesman said the men attracted attention because "they were apparently acting suspiciously", although he would not say what they had done. "The flight attendants were sufficiently concerned to alert the crew, who in turn informed the security authorities at Malaga airport," he said. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: cair@cair-net.org
URL: http://www.cair-net.org

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 16:20:02 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: 3rd GOP Candidate Calls for Profiling of Muslims / CAIR-NY to Protest 'Profiling' at JFK Airport

HTML Attachment [ Scan and Save to Computer | Save to Yahoo! Briefcase ]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/21/06

* Verse: Isra and Miraj
            - Muslims to Mark 'Isra and Miraj'
            - Isra and Miraj Q&A
* FL: 3rd GOP Candidate Calls for Profiling of Muslims (WSJ)
* CAIR-NY to Protest 'Profiling' at JFK Airport
            - CAIR Rep Debates Profiling on 'CNN Sunday Night'
            - CAIR-MI: Muslim-Americans Say Profiling is Up
            - Profiling Just Doesn't Work (Philly Daily News)
            - 'Mob' Forces Muslim Men Off Aircraft (Independent)
* FL: Judge Throws Out Terror Charge in Padilla Case (Herald)
* IL: Pakistanis Find U.S. an Easier Fit Than Britain (NY Times)
            - AZ: Muslim Culture an Important Subject Taught On Post
* TX: Islamic School's Focus is Rights, Democracy (DMN)
            - NH: Manchester's First Mosque Still Faces Uphill Battle
            - CA: Anger, Worry Pervades Local Muslim Community

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VERSE OF THE DAY: ISRA AND MIRAJ - TOP

"Glory be to Him Who took His servant (the Prophet Muhammad) one night from Masjid-al-Haram (in Mecca) to Masjid-al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem), whose vicinity We have blessed, so that We may show him some of Our signs."

("Masjid" is the Arabic word for "mosque.")

The Holy Quran, 17:1

SEE ALSO:

MUSLIMS TO MARK 'ISRA AND MIRAJ' - TOP
Prophet Muhammad's miraculous journey to Jerusalem

This week, Muslims worldwide will mark "Isra and Miraj," the Prophet Muhammad's night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem, and from the rock now located in the Dome of the Rock, to heaven.

ISRA AND MIRAJ Q&A - TOP

Q: What is Isra and Miraj?
A: It is the Night Journey and the Ascension, which occurred on the 27th day of Rajab, the seventh month of the Muslim lunar calendar.

Q: What is the significance of Isra and Miraj?
A: The Prophet Muhammad made a miraculous journey from Mecca to the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem in 621 C.E. He then traveled to the heavens where God commanded him to initiate prayers five times each day.

Q: What was the significance of the occasion in early Islamic history?
A: To Muslims, the event solidified their belief in the prophethood of Muhammad, who was bestowed with a miracle from God. The event also established Jerusalem as a holy place for Muslims, with its centerpiece Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Q: What does the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad say about the significance of al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem?
A: Before Muslims turned their faces toward Mecca in prayer they turned to Jerusalem. Prophet Muhammad said that visiting al-Aqsa mosque is a religious practice only comparable to the pilgrimage to Mecca. The Prophet also stated that a prayer in al-Aqsa mosque is multiplied 500 times.

Q: Why do Muslims educate their children and communities about Isra and Miraj?
A: To remember the genesis of the most important duty in Muslim life: the daily prayer; and to remember the significance God has placed on Jerusalem and the Aqsa Mosque.

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LATEST REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN ISSUE? - TOP
Ben Winograd, Wall Street Journal, 8/21/06
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2006/08/21/latest-republican-campaign-issue/

A congressional candidate in Florida has become the third Republican office-seeker to call for heightened screening of Muslim airline passengers since the foiling of an airline bombing plot in Britain. "It is a fact that over the past 34 years, starting with the Munich Olympics, the majority of terrorist attacks have been carried out by Muslims," said Mark Flanagan, a candidate in the 13th District of Florida, in a statement released this morning.

SEE: http://www.markflanaganforcongress.com/

Flanagan said he was the only congressional candidate calling for profiling of Muslim passengers. But Paul Nelson, a Republican running in the third district of Wisconsin, endorsed the idea last week on a local radio show. Asked on the show how screeners would spot a Muslim male, Nelson said, "If he comes in wearing a turban and his name is Muhammad, that's a good start," according to the Associated Press.

New York gubernatorial candidate John Faso also has supported profiling. . .

David Johnson, Flanagan's political consultant, said that under the proposal, passengers who appear to be Arab or Muslim would be pulled out of security lines for additional screening. In an interview, Flanagan declined to say how screeners would determine which passengers met that description, or whether black Muslim and Christian Arab passengers also should be subject to heightened security measures. "Those questions are premature, albeit very important," he said.

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CAIR-NY TO PROTEST 'PROFILING' AT JFK AIRPORT - TOP

(NEW YORK, NY, 8/21/06) - On Wednesday, August 23, the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) will hold a news conference to express the Muslim community's concerns about allegations that people of Middle Eastern and South Asian heritage have been "profiled" at JFK Airport.

CAIR-NY says it has received multiple complaints from people who were allegedly detained for several hours at the airport. At the news conference, CAIR-NY will call on law enforcement authorities to partner with the American Muslim community in order to ensure national security in a manner that is consistent with American values of justice and equality.

WHAT: News Conference to Protest Racial Profiling at JFK Airport
WHEN: Wednesday, August 23, 2006, 1 p.m.
WHERE: CAIR-NY Office, 475 Riverside Drive, Suite #246, New York, NY
CONTACT: CAIR-NY Civil Rights Coordinator Faiza Ali, 212-870-2002, 718-724-3041; Afsheen Shamsi, Community Liaison Officer, 212-870-2002

"Racial and religious profiling has not worked in the past and should not be tolerated in the present," said CAIR-NY Civil Rights Coordinator Faiza Ali.

Ali expressed particular concern about recent remarks in favor of profiling made by Rep. Peter King and gubernatorial candidate John Faso.

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

SEE ALSO:

CAIR REP DEBATES PROFILING ON 'CNN SUNDAY NIGHT' - TOP
Who's getting checked at the airport?
CNN Sunday Night, Carol Lin, 8/20/06
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0608/20/snn.01.html

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PETER KING (R), NEW YORK: There's no doubt the people from the Middle East are more of a terror suspect than the 80-year-old grandmother from Sweden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: In this post 9/11 world, there are many who would agree with Congressman Peter King. Racial profiling is not only acceptable, it's necessary.

They say if you look like a Middle Easterner, you should be treated like a suspect. Well, it's a fact. Many of the recent terror plots involved Muslim extremists. So could there be a value to racial profiling if it ends up saving lives?

Ibrahim Hooper joins us from Washington. He is the national director for communications for CAIR, the Council on American Islamic Relations. Good to have you, Ibrahim.

IBRAHIM HOOPER, CAIR: Thanks for having me.

LIN: Did you hear about the flight from Melaga (ph) to the U.K., where passengers -- they revolted...

HOOPER: Yes.

LIN: I mean they refused to get on the airplane. They wanted two Asian men, one passenger thought was speaking Arabic or some...

HOOPER: Yes.

LIN: They wanted them ejected from the plane.

HOOPER: They thought.

LIN: That's what they're saying. Obviously, well, I shouldn't say obviously...

HOOPER: And in - yes.

LIN: ...but the airline did ask these two men to deplane so that the flight could take off. I mean, are you afraid that passengers are going to be taking law into their own hands?

HOOPER: Well, you've got vigilante profiling now. When you've got people like Representative King saying all Middle Easterners should be profiled, first of all, he would need to define what a Middle Easterner is, what a Middle Easterner looks like. They range from dark, dark black to blond, blue eyes. And you know, does that include Israelis as well?

LIN: But here's what Americans know.

HOOPER: Yes.

LIN: They know that the Bali bombings, right, the Madrid train bombings, 9/11, all perpetrated by Islamic extremists. Doesn't -- wouldn't the government be irresponsible in not at least paying more closely attention to those leads that point to Middle Easterners?

HOOPER: OK, but again, what does that mean? Does that mean on the ground that you're going to have one line for Muslim travelers and one line for people of other faiths? I don't think so. I think the answer is to step up voluntary screening programs where people can receive a benefit of going through security faster if they voluntarily submit to screening. That cuts down the number of people that you have to look at.

LIN: But wait a second.

HOOPER: And give heightened security to all the others.

LIN: You have a government that says that if you're not doing anything wrong, then you shouldn't fear being, you know, questioned...

HOOPER: Well...

LIN: ...or wiretapped or...

HOOPER: We could say that about any of...

LIN: ...so for those who refuse go through, that -- doesn't that raise even more suspicion about them?

HOOPER: Yes, I mean, you could say that about any of the rights that we have as Americans, that if you're not doing anything wrong, why do you, you know, need any of these rights? That's always an argument put forward during crimes of crisis.

If you talk to any existing security personnel, not the consultants out on the talk show circuit, but the security personnel...

LIN: Right.

HOOPER: ...they say profiling doesn't work.

LIN: But they are - law enforcement also says that they focus on suspicious behavior. And if you have a situation. . .

LIN: Wait a second, Ibrahim. If you have a situation where passengers are already profiling, already revolting, wouldn't it be at least better for law enforcement, a government agency to at least have rules and regulations and then the confidence of the passengers that law enforcement is profiling potential terrorists, whatever color they may be?

HOOPER: Well, no, that's -- it's not whatever color they may be, it's when they asked a congressional candidate in Wisconsin who's in favor of profiling how he'd identify Muslims and Middle Easterners, he said well look for the people with the turban. Well I tell you if you look for people with turbans you're going to find Sikhs, not Muslims.

LIN: And there was a Sikh man who was stabbed. . .

HOOPER: Was stabbed, yes.

LIN: . . . 9/11, his neighbor mistaking him for. . .

HOOPER: Just within the last couple of weeks, we had a Sikh stabbed by a guy who said he thought he was with the Taliban.

LIN: All right. Ibrahim Hooper, appreciate the time.

HOOPER: Thank you.

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CAIR-MI: MUSLIM-AMERICANS SAY PROFILING IS UP - TOP
Harassment is more common, groups report
Stacey Range, Lansing State Journal, 8/21/06
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060821/NEWS01/608210334/1001/news

A white man in a black pickup honks his horn and aims his middle finger at the Islamic Center of Greater Lansing.

A couple of heads shake as people enter for afternoon prayer, but most ignore the gesture.

"It happens all the time at mosques everywhere," Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said last week after being told of the incident. "It just happens more anytime there's a high-profile case involving a Muslim or Arab."

And there have been several such cases in recent weeks, prompting protests from Muslim-American groups. They say ethnic profiling, harassment and discrimination are on the rise.

On three occasions in a recent nine-day stretch, a total of five Arab-American men and a Pakistani woman formerly of Jackson were tagged as potential terrorists.

Each of the cases eventually unraveled. But not before damage was done, say some in the Muslim community.

"In the minds of the public, they are now terrorists," said Imad Hamad, Midwest regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. "They are cleared of charges, but they are doomed."

Hamad and others are certain that none of the six would have been questioned had they not been of Middle Eastern or Pakistani descent. . .

Since the cases hit the news this month, Walid said Muslim- Americans throughout Michigan are reporting a rise in hate mail, phone calls and verbal assaults to his and other groups.

"These cases are causing harassment of the Michigan Muslim community," Walid said.

In 2005, his group recorded 1,972 incidents of harassment, violence or other forms of discrimination against American Muslims.

That's compared with 602 such cases in 2002. (MORE)

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PROFILING JUST DOESN'T WORK - TOP
Marwan Kreidie, Philadelphia Daily News, 8/21/06
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/news/opinion/15323022.htm

An unfortunate reaction to the recently prevented terrorist plot to blow up airplanes flying from London to the U.S. has been to raise once again the discredited idea that "ethnic profiling" be used to more thoroughly search Arabs and Muslims.

Profiling by any ethnicity is wrong - and it has been shown not to work. In fact, profiling Arab- and Muslim-Americans at airports will not make us safer - it could put the traveling public in greater danger by concentrating screening resources on one segment of travelers and diverting them from others. Those who are tempted to suspend the civil liberties of one group should consider these reasons - just a few of many - why it's a bad idea:

o We've had the unhappy experience of racially profiling African-American drivers.

Studies indicate that stopping drivers solely on the basis of race is not effective in reducing traffic violations. Law-enforcement experts, notably New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, feel that profiling diverts authorities from looking for indications of suspicious behavior by prospective wrongdoers who don't fit the profile.

o It's estimated that 3 million to 4 million people in the United States are Arab-American and more are Muslim. Of these, on any given day, thousands of law-abiding Arab-American professionals, students, tourists and members of the military are traveling. Searching these thousands based only on their ethnicity would result in other people not being searched as frequently, and thus provide a template for terrorists to evade security.

Searching primarily men of Arab heritage at airports would leave potential terrorists like Richard Reed, the shoe bomber, a non-Arab British national, or Jose Padilla more likely to board a plane without being searched.

Terrorists are a wily bunch. If they knew that resources were being focused to check only people of obvious Arabic heritage, wouldn't they use fake documents with non-Arabic names and color their hair blonde?

Some advocates of ethnic profiling would broaden their search criteria to all Muslims, noting that Reid and Padilla are Muslim converts. Screening Muslims of all ethnic backgrounds is impossible, even if it were desirable. How can we identify people based on their faith?

Many Muslims, especially converts, do not have easily identifiable names or wear differentiating garb. Will we require people to present baptismal certificates at the security desk or recite a Hail Mary in order not to be searched? Certainly, we don't want to require Muslims to carry identification, reminiscent of the yellow stars of David that the Nazis required of Jews in WWII.

Would advocates profile all Arab-Americans, even U.S. Gen. John Abizaid, commander of Centcom? Would they advocate profiling Spencer Abraham, the former U.S. secretary of energy?

What about Sen. John Sununu or Rep. Joe Rahall? All are Americans - and proud of their Arab heritage.

Arab and Muslims are as loyal and patriotic as any other Americans. We suffered in 9/11, first by sharing the tragedy with our fellow citizens and then by having some of those citizens throw bricks through our windows and question our loyalty. (MORE)

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ANGER AS 'MOB' FORCES MUSLIM MEN OFF AIRCRAFT - TOP
Arifa Akbar, Independent, 8/21/06
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/transport/article1220674.ece

Muslim leaders yesterday spoke of their dismay after a passenger mutiny in which several British families refused to travel on a plane with two Asian men.

The men were forced to leave the flight after fellow passengers wrongly suspected them of being terrorists. Several people on board flight ZB 613 from Malaga to Manchester demanded their removal.

Cabin crew informed Spanish authorities and the men were ordered off the Monarch Airlines flight and questioned by police for several hours. They were eventually cleared and put on an alternative flight.

Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said the incident demonstrated the "the high level of suspicion that ordinary Muslims are often being unfairly subjected to" and said that many Muslims were being treated as if they were "guilty unless proven innocent".

Similar incidents in which people of Asian or Middle Eastern appearances have been targeted by fellow passengers have been reported on pilots' and cabin crews' websites, including one in which two British women with young children on a flight from Spain apparently complained about a bearded Muslim man - even though he was security checked twice before boarding the plane.

Mr Bari said he hoped it would not lead to a growing culture of targeting Muslims. "While it is of course sensible for all of us to be vigilant, it is not sensible to pick on Muslims simply because they happen to dress differently or appear to be speaking to each other in Arabic," he said. (MORE)

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FL: JUDGE THROWS OUT TERROR CHARGE IN PADILLA CASE - TOP
Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 8/21/06
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/nation/15326427.htm

The U.S. government's high-profile terror case against Jose Padilla and two other Muslims has suffered another serious setback as their Miami trial looms in January.

U.S. District Judge Marcia Cooke threw out the first count in the indictment -- that the threesome conspired to murder, kidnap and maim persons in a foreign country -- saying it repeated the main alleged ''conspiracy to advance violent jihad'' in two other charges.

"There can be no question that the government has charged a single conspiracy offense multiple times, in separate counts, when in law and in fact, only one [alleged] crime has been committed," Cooke wrote in an eight-page ruling released to prosecutors and defense lawyers on Monday.

"The danger raised by a multiplicitous indictment is present in the instant indictment," she wrote, stressing that it violates the "double jeopardy" clause of the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution -- the prosecution or punishment of a defendant twice for the same offense.

The judge's ruling -- a major pretrial victory for defense attorneys Kenneth Swartz, Jeanne Baker, William Swor, Michael Caruso, Orlando do Campo, Anthony Natale and Andrew Patel -- was the latest blow to the government's case. (MORE)

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IL: PAKISTANIS FIND U.S. AN EASIER FIT THAN BRITAIN - TOP
Neil MacFarquhar, New York Times, 8/21/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/21/us/21devon.html

The stretch of Devon Avenue in North Chicago also named for Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, seems as if it has been transplanted directly from that country. The shops are packed with traditional wedding finery, and the spice mix in the restaurants' kebabs is just right.

Similar enclaves in Britain have been under scrutiny since they have proved to be a breeding ground for cells of terrorists, possibly including the 24 men arrested recently as suspects in a plot to blow up airliners flying out of London.

Yet Devon Avenue is in many ways different. Although heavily Pakistani, the street is far more exposed to other cultures than are similar communities in Britain.

Indian Hindus have a significant presence along the roughly one-and-a-half-mile strip of boutiques, whose other half is named for Gandhi. What was a heavily Jewish neighborhood some 20 years ago also includes recent immigrants from Colombia, Mexico and Ukraine, among others.

"There is integration even when you have an enclave," said Nizam Arain, 32, a lawyer of Pakistani descent who was born and raised in Chicago. "You don't have the same siege mentality."

Even so, members of the Pakistani immigrant community here find themselves joining the speculation as to whether sinister plots could be hatched in places like Devon (pronounced deh-VAHN) Avenue.

The most common response is no, at least not now, because of differences that have made Pakistanis in the United States far better off economically and more assimilated culturally than their counterparts in Britain. But some Pakistani-Americans do not rule out the possibility, given how little is understood about the exact tipping point that pushes angry young Muslim men to accept an ideology that endorses suicide and mass murder.

The idea of a relatively smaller, more prosperous, more striving immigrant community inoculating against terror cells goes only so far, they say.

"It makes it sound like it couldn't happen here because we are the good immigrants: hard-working, close-knit, educated," said Junaid Rana, an assistant professor of Asian-American studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an American-born son of Pakistani immigrants. "But we are talking about a cult mind-set, how a cult does its brainwashing."

Yet one major difference between the United States and Britain, some say, is the United States' historical ideal of being a melting-pot meritocracy.

"You can keep the flavor of your ethnicity, but you are expected to become an American," said Omer Mozaffar, 34, a Pakistani-American raised here who is working toward a doctorate in Islamic studies at the University of Chicago. . .

A more important factor in determining who becomes a militant is most likely the feeling of being stigmatized as less than equal, community activists say, noting that such discrimination remains far more common in Britain. It is probably compounded by the fact that violence against Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Lebanon feels so much closer there, they say. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

AZ: ARAB, MUSLIM CULTURE AN IMPORTANT SUBJECT TAUGHT ON POST - TOP
Bill Hess, Sierra Vista Herald, 8/21/06
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2006/08/21/local_news/news5.txt

Americans know little about Arab and Muslim culture, and that includes soldiers who are finding themselves in Iraq and Afghanistan.

To rectify the lack of knowledge, the U.S. Army Intelligence Center teaches cultural awareness so soldiers have a more-than-basic understanding what they may face when they deploy. For 2nd Lt. Mark Kaludy, not understanding another person's culture can lead to problems that may harm America's interests in the Middle East.

When he was an enlisted sailor, there were times when some of his commanders almost caused incidents because of their lack of understanding Kuwaiti ways and thinking their counterparts in that country should tailor themselves to American ways, he said.

Then, "Americans didn't know any better," Kaludy said. "Now they are more experienced."

That classes are being taught shows the military's leadership know everyone going to Iraq and Afghanistan and other areas where Islam is prevalent must be aware of a culture that is different than what Americans are used to, he said.

The Intelligence Center is the Training and Doctrine Command's lead schoolhouse for cultural awareness training, providing expertise to each of the command's installations where soldiers go though all military occupational specialty training.

The center also sends out mobile training teams to beef up cultural awareness before units deploy.

Last week, Kaludy, and 47 other officers attending the Military Intelligence Officer Basic Course went through two days of classroom instruction, covering Islam, Extremist Islam and Arab Cultural Awareness, as well as country specific education about Iraq and Afghanistan. . .

When it comes to serving in places like Kuwait or Iraq, Americans must understand the rules of their culture, he said, adding also people have to understand Afghanistan is not an Arab nation and although primarily Muslim, there are both similarities and differences in how they react, Kaludy said.

What has to be understood by Americans serving in any foreign land is, "We are in their territory, and we are the ones who have to act properly," he said. (MORE)

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TX: ISLAMIC SCHOOL'S FOCUS IS RIGHTS, COMMUNITY, DEMOCRACY - TOP
Laura Schreier, Dallas Morning News, 8/20/06
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/082106dnmetnufirstamend.314221e.html

When up against an unpopular rule, most students know their options: submission, negotiation, covert disobedience or brazen rebellion. Voting usually isn't an alternative.

While civics lessons teach about democracy, in schools themselves, orders come from above, said Matthew Moes, principal of the Quranic Academy, an Islamic school in Richardson.

"It's really too bad. It's a really big irony," he said.

Mr. Moes wants his kindergarten through ninth-grade school to be different. The academy and six others in Texas are members of First Amendment Schools, a national network that aims to get students involved in community decisions, usually through a bigger role in school administration.

In an era when the hot question is, "How are students' test scores?" the nation's 101 First Amendment Schools ask: Do students understand their rights? Can they think critically about real-world problems? Can they work together on policies that affect them?

Each First Amendment School decides for itself how best to emphasize freedom of speech, religion, press, petition and assembly.

As head of an Islamic academy, Mr. Moes is aware of his school's connection to America's democratic principles, particularly freedom of religion.

"The First Amendment is at the heart of what makes the Muslim community live and flourish peacefully," he said. "It's exciting for us to . . . show how a Muslim school can embody those democratic principles." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

NH: MANCHESTER'S FIRST MOSQUE STILL FACES UPHILL BATTLE - TOP
Scott Brooks, Union Leader, 8/20/06
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Manchester%27s+first+mosque+still+faces+uphill+battle&articleId=0380a61d-ac1a-4f3f-b344-b2a9a5333d72

In its day, the little stone-and-mortar church on Bald Hill was called the Prophet Elias Chapel.

Its founder was Stylianos Karatzas, a Greek shoeworker whose family owned much of the hill, then a wilderness of blueberry shrubs and apple trees. A devout Christian, Karatzas claimed he was inspired to build the church when an old man appeared to him in a dream. The stranger identified himself as the Prophet Elias and told him that he longed for a home near the hilltop.

Karatzas toiled for five years to build his church. The Prophet Elias Chapel opened in 1948.

It remained standing half a century later when Frank Scarito, a financial adviser then living in the south end, decided to make his home next door. By then, however, it was hardly the Prophet Elias Chapel of Karatzas' dream. Decades of vandalism and decay had lent the church another name: the Devil's Chapel.

From top to bottom, the chapel was covered in graffiti. Vandals had smashed the stonework around the windows and shredded the altar screens. Pentagrams and other occult symbols were painted inside - a prank, perhaps, but rumors swirled, and the chapel acquired a reputation as a meetinghouse for Satan worshippers.

Scarito, now 45, endured the desecration for the better part of a decade. Often, he said, he awoke in the night to hear teenagers using the church for drinking parties. There were prostitutes, too, who conducted business on the property. It got to the point, he said, that he stopped bothering to call the police.

Today, the chapel lies in heaps of stone and shredded wood boards. Members of the Islamic Society of Greater Manchester, which bought the church property on Karatzas Avenue in 1999, tore down the old chapel this summer to make way for their own house of worship: a 13,085-square-foot mosque to serve the region's burgeoning Muslim population.

Blueprints for the mosque, which is to be first in New Hampshire, call for a two-story domed octagon flanked by an arc of trees. In addition to the main prayer hall, there will be a mezzanine for women's prayer and a lower level that the society hopes to use for Sunday school classes and community gatherings.

It should be an attractive building, Scarito concedes, much more so than the dilapidated chapel it is to replace. But Scarito and other neighbors have fought relentlessly to prevent the mosque's construction.

Given the choice, Scarito says he'd rather be living next to the Devil's Chapel.

"I had a known quantity with the Devil's Chapel," Scarito said. "I knew the kids would come up and party, and I knew the prostitutes would come up and do their business. With the Islamic Society, the unknown is, 'Will this project ever be done, or will I be looking at this for 15 years?'"

Ever since the Islamic Society set out to build its masjid (Arabic for "mosque"), it has been greeted with one obstacle after another. Neighbors voiced their opposition early when the project came before the city Planning Board. In 2003, a couple living up the street sued the society for ownership of a small strip of land between their properties, without which the Islamic Society would not have met an essential frontage requirement. Two months later, Scarito took the Planning Board to court with a list of 22 complaints about the project.

Each challenge was defeated. With equal measures of relief and anticipation, the society began to clear the 3-acre site in May.

Its difficulties, however, have persisted. (MORE)

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CA: ANGER, WORRY PERVADES LOCAL MUSLIM COMMUNITY - TOP
Jonathan Jones, Oroville Mercury Register, 8/21/06
http://www.orovillemr.com/news/bayarea/ci_4213299

Atif Kamran seldom loses his cool over political or religious issues.

He has spent almost his entire life in Fremont. He played football and performed in musicals at Irvington High School. He listens to Cyprus Hill, Pink Floyd, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Metallica. Occasionally he indulges in watching W.W.E. wrestling, and has an autographed picture of the wrestler known as The Undertaker.

Still, Kamran, a 19-year-old American Muslim of Pakistani descent, found himself all riled up during an Aug. 8 peace vigil at the corner of Mowry Avenue and Fremont Boulevard, where he and his mother, along with 20 others, were calling for a cease-fire in Lebanon.

At he stood at the corner, Atif heard a heckler yell at the group of 20 to go "blow yourselves up." Atif started to shout back.

"I was yelling all kinds of stuff," Atif recalled. "Stuff I would say in high school. I think I threatened to toilet paper their house."

His mother, Firdous Kamran, heard the commotion. To her surprise, she spotted her son shouting at the car as it passed by.

"I said, 'What are you thinking?'" Firdous recalled. "'They can say whatever they want. But if you say something, who's to say the FBI or law enforcement won't come and take you away?' I'm scared for my kids."

It is a difficult time to be a young Muslim man in America, after a year of arrests of alleged home-grown terror suspects here and in Britain. And for parents, it's not much easier.

Moina Shaiq, an American Muslim parent of two sons ages 18 and 23, has became more worried for her son's safety after the July 2005 London commuter bombings. The recent arrests of British Muslim youth for allegedly plotting to blow up American-bound jets have heightened her fears.

"Both my boys have beards and dark skin, and I know some people categorize them just by their looks," Shaiq said. "I really worry about them when they're away from home because I fear a backlash. You never know who's walking around out there or what is on their mind."

Like many of America's estimated 1.6 million Muslims, Kamran and Shaiq said they've grown frustrated with the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a tendency by some U.S. public officials to equate the acts and views of radical extremists with the world's 1.3 billion Muslims as a whole. . .

Like her son, she considers herself an American. But, she said, she's afraid her country is failing her and her family.

"Terror is not just about bombings," Firdous said. "Terror is also about restricting freedom of speech. It's about always being afraid. It's about always worrying what might happen next." (MORE)

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CAIR
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Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: www.cair.com

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Date: Tue, 22 Aug 2006 18:14:12 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Muslim Pilot Ordered Off Continental Flight / Arab-American Rep Attacked for Stance on Israel / CA Gov Meets with Muslims / Lebanese Villages 'Carpeted' with Cluster Bombs

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/22/06

* Hadith: Seek God's Guidance, Not His Punishment
* CAIR Reps Debate Profiling, 'Islamic Fascism' on CNBC
            - CAIR-NY to Protest 'Profiling' at JFK Airport
* CAIR-DC: 'Israel Lobby' Press Club Panel 'Sold Out'
* WV: Arab-American Rep Attacked for Stance on Israel
* UK: Muslim Pilot Ordered Off Continental Flight
            - A Fascist Blast from the Past (SP Times)
* CA: Governor Meets with Islamic Representatives (LA Times)
            - CA: Islam Is Not the Enemy
            - Fighting Words: Abuse of Islam in Political Rhetoric
* CA: East Bay Islamic Society Has New Leader
* US Extends Credit Line to Israel
            - Lebanese Villages 'Carpeted' with Cluster Bombs

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HADITH OF THE DAY: SEEK GOD'S GUIDANCE, NOT HIS PUNISHMENT - TOP

Once when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was asked to seek God's punishment for a particular tribe called the Thaqif, he instead said: "O God, give guidance to Thaqif."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1547

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CAIR REPS DEBATE PROFILING, 'ISLAMIC FASCISM' ON CNBC - TOP

CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad on 'On the Money'
SEE: http://www.cair.com/video/profiling_passengers.wmv

CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper on 'Kudlow & Company'
SEE: http://www.cair.com/video/islamic_fascist_controversy.wmv

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-NY TO PROTEST 'PROFILING' AT JFK AIRPORT - TOP

On Wednesday, August 23, the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) will hold a news conference to express the Muslim community's concerns about allegations that people of Middle Eastern and South Asian heritage have been "profiled" at JFK Airport.

CAIR-NY says it has received multiple complaints from people who were allegedly detained for several hours at the airport. At the news conference, CAIR-NY will call on law enforcement authorities to partner with the American Muslim community in order to ensure national security in a manner that is consistent with American values of justice and equality.

WHAT: News Conference to Protest Racial Profiling at JFK Airport
WHEN: Wednesday, August 23, 2006, 1 p.m.
WHERE: CAIR-NY Office, 475 Riverside Drive, Suite #246, New York, NY
CONTACT: CAIR-NY Civil Rights Coordinator Faiza Ali, 212-870-2002, 718-724-3041; Afsheen Shamsi, Community Liaison Officer, 212-870-2002

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DC: 'ISRAEL LOBBY' PRESS CLUB PANEL 'SOLD OUT' - TOP
Mearsheimer, Walt to discuss lobby's impact on U.S. response to Lebanon war

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/22/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced today that all the available spaces for a panel discussion on "The Israel Lobby and the U.S. Response to the War in Lebanon" at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., have been reserved.

The panel will feature Professors John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, authors of a recent Harvard University paper titled "The Israel Lobby."

WHAT: The Israel Lobby and the U.S. Response to the War in Lebanon
WHEN: Monday, August 28, 2006, 1-2:30 p.m.
WHERE: Holeman Lounge, National Press Club, 529 14th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. SEE: http://npc.press.org/

CONTACT: E-mail irahman@cair.com (Admittance by confirmed reservation only.)

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WV: RAHALL'S STANCE ON ISRAEL FLARES UP IN CAMPAIGN - TOP
Jake Stump, Charleston Daily Mail, 8/22/06
http://www.dailymail.com/story/News/+/2006082222/Rahall's+stance+on+Israel+flares+up+in+campaign/

The Republican challenger to Congressman Nick Rahall is slamming the incumbent for what he calls a "reprehensible" anti-Israel stance.

Cabell County Sheriff Kim Wolfe said it's a "slap in the face to civilized, democratic governments."

In July, as Israeli forces went into Lebanon to fight Hezbollah guerillas, the House passed a resolution 410 to 8 denouncing terrorism and supporting Israel's right to defend itself. Rahall, a Democrat of Lebanese descent, was among those voting no.

Rahall explained then that he preferred a resolution co-sponsored by him and other congressional Lebanese-Americans that contained an additional provision that civilian lives be protected. Rahall said the resolution that passed neglected that aspect.

"When you look at it, it's surprising," said Wolfe, of Huntington. "The emphasis of that resolution was to denounce terrorism and support Israel's right to defend itself. If you look at Rahall's record throughout the years, it shows he doesn't have a tendency to support Israel.

"That's his choice. But to not denounce terrorists -- I was completely overtaken by that."

In July, Rahall called for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon, where his grandparents were born and raised. He said he "fully defended Israel's right to defend itself" but deplored the loss of innocent lives and destruction of infrastructure in Lebanon. (MORE)

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MUSLIM PILOT REVEALS SHOCK AT BEING ORDERED OFF FLIGHT - TOP
Arifa Akbar, Belfast Telegraph, 8/22/06
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=703452

A British Muslim airline pilot yesterday described the "humiliating" moment when he was hauled off a transatlantic flight just before take-off.

Amar Ashraf, 28, who was born in Wrexham, North Wales, said he felt "demoralised and humiliated" after being told to leave the flight from Manchester to Newark by a stewardess, and then being questioned by armed police. He believes his removal was down to having a "Muslim-sounding name".

Mr Ashraf, 28, a British Pakistani who was returning to his job as a pilot for one of Continental's partner airlines in the US, will lodge a formal complaint with Continental Airlines, with whom he was travelling, as well as with the US authorities.

His complaint follows growing concern among British Muslims over incidents in which Asian people have been removed from flights, as well as anger over the "passenger mutiny" in which two men were ordered off a plane bound for Manchester. Passengers became concerned by the two, who were said to be speaking Arabic and looked of Asian or Middle Eastern appearance.

Mr Ashraf said: "I was a standby passenger and I'd been told I could travel at 9am that morning. I'd gone through the same stringent security as every other passenger. I was patted down twice and my hand luggage was checked."

He added: "I'd got my boarding pass and got on the plane on business class. The aircraft's doors had closed and it got pushed back from the gates. Then we sat away from the gates for an hour. I must have fallen asleep because I was woken up by a Continental employee who wanted to have a word with me.

"I got out of my seat and noticed the aircraft door was open and the stairs had been moved back to the door. The stewardess told me there were no standby employees allowed to fly that day, but I was sure there were other standby passengers on board the plane. I was demoralised and I had to walk down the stairs, which was really humiliating."

He was then approached by two armed police officers who interrogated him. Mr Ashraf said the officers asked him if he knew why the US government wanted him off the flight. He was forced to go back to his family home in Wales and paid £800 for an alternative Virgin flight two days later.

He is convinced that his racial profile prevented him from flying on 10 August, the first day of the heightened security alert at British airports. (MORE)

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A FASCIST BLAST FROM THE PAST - TOP
In proffering a new label to describe terrorists, President Bush cooks up controversy.
Susan Aschoff, St. Petersburg Times, 8/22/06
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/08/22/Floridian/A_fascist_blast_from_.shtml

We knew about the war on terror. We knew about the war on al-Qaida. We knew about the war on Islamic extremists.

But fascists?

On talk TV and talk radio and in talk from the podiums of news conferences, terrorists are being labeled fascists. President Bush, in his first statements after a thwarted plot to blow up airplanes over the Atlantic, called the plan proof we're at war with "Islamic fascists."

His choice of words provoked American Muslims, Middle East leaders and some of Bush's own supporters.

The term fascists is inaccurate, they said, and Islamic fascists defames all Muslims. Saudi Arabia issued an unusually harsh rebuke of its ally. And the honest among us admit consulting a dictionary to recheck the definition of a word we thought we knew.

Fascism, it says, is a totalitarian government led by a dictator, characterized by aggressive nationalism. It is traditionally associated with the movement in the 1920s to 1940s under Italian Benito Mussolini, who elevated the nation over the individual and suppressed dissent. Since World War II, political groups have rarely reclaimed the label because fascism is now associated with the Nazis and the Holocaust. . .

White House spokesman Tony Snow used the language at a July 27 press briefing: "You've got to keep in mind it's not merely a war against an abstraction," he said. "It's a war against something very concrete, which are Islamofascists, Islamic fascists, whatever you want to brand them." . . .

Bush's soundbites offend those he most needs to enlist, said Fawaz Gerges, a professor of Middle Eastern studies at Sarah Lawrence College and author of Journey of the Jihadist: Inside Muslim Militancy. The president lumps al-Qaida, Hamas, Hezbollah, Sunni insurgents and the Mahdi army together and declares war, Gerges said. The movements are not the same.

"Language matters. Words matter," he said. "I would like the president to be extremely careful and precise in these moments that are dangerous."

Days after Bush's widely publicized fingering of Islamic fascists, he appeared to have dropped the label. (MORE)

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CA: GOVERNOR MEETS WITH ISLAMIC REPRESENTATIVES - TOP
He seeks to counter appearance of pro-Israel bias. But Muslim leader says he was shut out.
Robert Salladay, Los Angeles Times, 8/22/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-muslim22aug22,1,1518843.story

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday met privately with a Muslim leader and an Islamic scholar in an effort to address complaints that he has embraced Jewish groups and ignored the other side of the Lebanon-Israel conflict.

Though a participant described the meeting as positive, Shakeel Syed, executive director of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, said he was shut out of it even though he had requested it through numerous phone calls and letters.

"This is adding insult to injury," Syed said.

Over the past two weeks, Syed had denounced the governor for refusing to meet with Islamic groups following a July 23 pro-Israel rally attended by Schwarzenegger and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in Los Angeles. The mayor subsequently met with several Muslim leaders and apologized for initially ignoring them.

Two weeks ago, Syed told The Times that the governor's "continued lack of response will be politically costly."

His comments were enough to get him excluded from the Monday meeting with Schwarzenegger, the administration said.

"The reason we did not meet with Mr. Syed was it was inappropriate for the governor to meet with someone who uses the media to demand meetings and threaten political retaliation," said Adam Mendelsohn, communications director for the governor.

Schwarzenegger met with Maher Hathout, chairman of the Islamic Center of Southern California. The second attendee was Khaleel Mohammed, professor of religion at San Diego State University.

Hathout said the governor's office requested that the conversation be kept confidential, but that the overall tone was positive.

Syed said he would not give up.

"Their meeting was initiated by me on behalf of our organization, which is a federation of all mosques and [Islamic] organizations," Syed said, "and to meet with someone else instead of responding to us baffles me. I didn't even hear from them."

SEE ALSO:

CA: ISLAM IS NOT THE ENEMY - TOP
We fight individuals who subvert the religion
Richard Larsen, Ventura County Star, 8/22/06
http://www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/opinion_columnists/article/0,1375,VCS_223_4934027,00.html

Must we commit the same errors as hatemongers of years past?

Hence today I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: ¿By defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord.'

- Adolf Hitler, "Mein Kampf," 1925

In the name of the greatest people that have ever trod this Earth, I draw a line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny, and I say: segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.

- George C. Wallace, inauguration speech, Jan. 14, 1963

Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts a hand on you, send him to the cemetery.

- Malcolm X, "Malcolm X Speaks," 1965

These three statements share a perverse belief, based on religion for Hitler and skin color for Wallace and Malcolm X, that people different from us must be inferior and, therefore, must be isolated from mainstream society. As we know, this belief led Hitler to an attempt to exterminate those he considered undesirable, killing 6 million Jews and 5 million others in his effort to purify the Aryan race. Wallace's and Malcolm X's words did foment violence against whites and blacks, but to their credit, both later recanted their volatile rhetoric.

You would think people would have learned by now that rampant hate, no matter what excuse might be given, brings no good to society. Yet, a new form of hatemongering has arisen that, frankly, looks more like the path Hitler chose than the one Wallace or Malcolm X selected. Only this time, the hatemongering has become a two-way street, with both sides ratcheting up the rhetoric, both sides armed and both sides adamant in their belief the other side epitomizes evil.

In the United States, a growing attitude exists that Islam mandates violence against those who do not accept it as their religion and that Muslims have to wage war to establish an Islamic social order worldwide.

Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch, has spent decades seeking to convince people that Islam itself breeds the terrorists who commit their misdeeds based on the teachings of the Quran and Islamic theology. He does not argue that the terrorists pervert Islam.

"It is very difficult to formulate a case on - solely on Muslim ground to say that that's illegitimate," he said Sunday night on C-SPAN's "Q and A." "And so while there are moderate Muslims, the fact that Islam is not moderate makes it difficult for those moderates to establish any kind of large-scale, anti-terror effort."

Spencer goes out of his way to deny he foments hatred for Islam. He doesn't have to. Enough people have already picked up the mantra that Islam can be nothing other than a violence-centric religion. Many times, the hatred comes directly; other times it comes couched in the preferred phrasings to describe the enemy in the war on terrorism: "Islamo-fascists" and "radical Islamists."

Does not using descriptive forms of "Islam" tar the whole religion? . . .

For each effort people make to turn Islam into the enemy, we play right into the hands of the terrorists, just as President Bush and his administration played into Osama bin Laden's and al-Qaida's hands by leaving off the war on terrorism to invade Iraq. We know the terrorists want to create a war of religions: a Judaist-Christian alliance against Islam.

Why give them the satisfaction?

Why sink to their level?

If we allow the hatemongers to turn one of the world's largest religions into the enemy because radical extremists misrepresent it to justify bloody acts of violence, then we will have lost the right to claim any moral high ground. (MORE)

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FIGHTING WORDS: THE ABUSE OF ISLAM IN POLITICAL RHETORIC - TOP
Ali Khan, Jurist, 8/20/06
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/forumy/2006/08/fighting-words-abuse-of-islam-in.php

It is becoming fashionable for elected officials in the Anglo-American world, notably in the United States and the United Kingdom, to employ abusive language involving Islam. Phrases such as "Islamic terrorism," "totalitarian Islam," "crimes of Islam," and "Islamic fascism" are freely used, with sadist disrespect, to condemn real and imagined terrorists who practice the faith of Islam. For years, and long before the 9/11 attacks, neo-conservative scholarship has been determined to popularize the concept of the essentialist terrorist [PDF] who purportedly draws his deepest inspiration from the puritanical beliefs of Islam and equipped with cruelty, commits violence against innocent Jews and Christians. According to this, occupations, invasions, territorial thefts, assassinations, house demolitions, human rights violations, and other such grievances have nothing to do with Islamic resistance. Islamic terrorism, according to neo-conservative scholarship, stems from the Sharia, from passages of the Quran, and from a puritanical mindset that manufactures pretexts to maim and kill. These killers, it is further contended, wish to impose Islamic law over the entire world.

Gradually but successfully, the propagandized essentialist terrorist and the attendant abusive language against Islam have entered political rhetoric. Presidents, prime ministers, congressmen, senators, and other officials are now freely using abusive language to malign Islam, not through uncaught moments of Freudian slips but as a policy of expressive audacity.

Commenting on the alleged plan of British nationals of Pakistani descent to blow up US-bound planes over the Atlantic, President Bush said: "This is a stark reminder that this nation is at war with Islamic fascists." Senator Rick Santorum distinguishes between terrorism and Islamic fascism, arguing that terrorism is a tactic but what the West is fighting is "Islamic fascism" which is "truly evil" and which is "as big a threat today as Nazism and communism."

This new trend to openly curse Islam echoes the words of UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, who said: "We should not be apologetic or defensive in defining the problems of terrorism."

One wonders why elected officials in supposedly democratic nations, which tout the principles of equal respect and dignity for all, use abusive language to wound the sentiments of more than a billion people across the world. Several explanations come to mind. (MORE)

[Ali Khan is a professor at Washburn University School of Law in Kansas.]

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CA: EAST BAY ISLAMIC SOCIETY HAS NEW LEADER - TOP
Jonathan Jones, Oroville Mercury Register, 8/22/06
http://www.orovillemr.com/news/bayarea/ci_4218277

It is late Wednesday afternoon at the medical office of Khalid Baig, a family doctor on Mowry Avenue, the end of another busy day.

As a solo physician based in Fremont, Baig sees anywhere from 20 to 35 patients a day at his office, and another two to six at Washington Hospital.

Although he has a lot on his plate, Baig continues to be energetic and optimistic, whether he's talking about caring for his patients or helping the Islamic Society of the East Bay, his local mosque.

Early this summer, the 49-year-old doctor was unanimously elected president of the organization, taking over from Mohamad Rajabally, a Fremont dentist and the face of the group after 9/11, who left the board when his term expired.

"It was a loss for the community when Dr. Rajabally retired from the post," board member Shariq Alvi said. "But at the same time, it was a blessing to have a person of Dr. Baig's experience give his time and energy to head ISEB. ... I think his practical exposure to working on many different committees will help ISEB get better and serve the community more."

As the president, Baig will oversee the new additions to the mosque, which include a mortuary, a library and an expanded Islamic school. . .

Working through those challenges will serve him well when he takes over as chief of medical staff at Washington Hospital next year, where he will be in charge of leading the medical staff and examining the efficiency of its services.

Baig also hopes the mosque will strive for unity and moderation under his tenure.

"I wanted to be a doctor to improve people's lives," he said. "So what's really strikingly distressing to me is that people of religion, any religion including my own, would try to destroy lives." (MORE)

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US EXTENDS CREDIT LINE TO ISRAEL - TOP
Bush administration agrees to extend by three-year loan guarantees for Israel given to Israel in 2003; Israel has used USD 4.9 billion of a total USD 9 billion
Y-Net News, 8/20/06
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3293331,00.html

The Bush administration has agreed to an Israel demand that a loan guarantee deal be extended by an additional three years, until 2011.

The Congress needs to approve the move.

Finance Minister Abraham Hirchson said the administration's conceding to Israel's request underscores Washington's faith in Israeli economy.

In 2003, the United States approved a USD 9 billion aid package to Israel in the form of loan guarantees which allow Israel to borrow money on the international market for low interest rates.

SEE ALSO:

LEBANON: VILLAGES 'CARPETED' WITH CLUSTER BOMBS - TOP
Colin Freeman, Telegraph, 8/20/06
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/08/20/wmid320.xml

British mine clearance experts have accused Israel of "carpeting" Lebanese border villages with deadly cluster bombs, claiming that more appeared to have been used than in the American-led invasion of Iraq.

The Mines Advisory Group (MAG), a Manchester-based charity working in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, said "extreme" quantities of cluster bombs had been dropped on scores of surrounding villages during the final days of the conflict last week.

At least four people, including two teenage boys, have died after stepping on them, and 16 others have been injured, according to medics at the city's hospital.

There have been growing calls in recent years to outlaw the use of cluster bombs, which scatter hundreds of small "bomblets" no bigger than an AA battery over a target area. Although designed to explode on impact, they often fail to do so, remaining a deadly threat to civilians who might tread on them. Among the victims was Ali Turkiye, 13, who was harvesting grapes in the village of Zawte when he accidentally dislodged a bomblet that had been caught in a vine. "It tore the top of his skull off," said Ali Haaj Ali, the director- general of the Najde Hospital in Nabatieh. "We tried to save him but we could not." Yusuf Khalil, died while helping the Lebanese army to clear the munitions. "He was close to one of the bomblets and a frog jumped from next to the device and set it off, leaving him with fatal head injuries," said Mr Ali.

In a double tragedy, an 11-year-old boy, Hadi Hatab, was killed by a cluster bomb as he wandered out of the family home; his father Moussa, 32, was killed by another bomb after he sprinted over to help him.

"The Israelis dropped these in the last few hours of the war when the fighting was nearly over," said Hussein Khatib, a family friend. "They were dropped at night and landed in the rooftops, on the road, everywhere. Israel and America both know that these weapons should be banned, yet they still keep using them." (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 18:00:41 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: MI Muslims to Address 'Surge' In Profiling / IL Man Who Bombed Muslims' Van Returns to Jail / Amnesty Accuses Israel of War Crimes

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/23/06

* Hadith: Fasting is Like a Shield
            - Ramadan is Just Around the Corner
* CAIR Rep Debates Profiling on CNN
* CAIR-GA Offers Sensitivity Training to Officers
* CAIR-MI to Address 'Surge' In Profiling
            - CAIR-NY Calls for Behavioral, Not Racial Profiling
            - CAIR: Increased Calls for Airport Profiling (VOA)
            - MI: Men Accused of Bridge Plot Released on Bond
* IL: Man Who Wrecked Muslims' Van Returns to Jail (AP)
* VA: Candidates to Take Part in Muslim 'Civic Picnic'
* WA: Jewish-Muslim Tensions Simmering (Seattle Times)
            - OH: Jew, Muslim to Talk About Middle East (Enquirer)
* Study: 9/11 Hurt Arab and Muslim Men's Wages
            - HI: Federal Agency Helps Muslims Sue Cruise Line
* Relief Agencies Find Hezbollah Hard to Avoid (NY Times)
            - UN: Lebanon's Development 'Annihilated' (AFP)
            - Amnesty Report Accuses Israel of War Crimes (Guardian)
            - Fisk: Untold Story of Massacre of Marjayoun (Independent)
* Al-Jazeera's Tricky Balancing Act (Wash Post)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: FASTING IS LIKE A SHIELD - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) quoted God as saying: "Fasting is like a shield, and he who fasts has two joys: joy when he breaks his fast and joy when he meets his Lord."

Hadith Qudsi 10

RAMADAN IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER - TOP

The month-long fast of Ramadan will begin on or about September 24, 2006, depending on the sighting of the new moon.

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CAIR REP DEBATES PROFILING ON CNN - TOP

WATCH THE VIDEO

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CAIR-GA OFFERS SENSITIVITY TRAINING TO OFFICERS - TOP

(ATLANTA, GA, 8/23/06) - CAIR-North Georgia (CAIR-GA) recently conducted training seminars for some 250 law enforcement officers from around the state at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Conference in Savannah.

The four 1¼-hour seminars included key concepts of Islam and ways Muslim communities and law enforcement agencies can work together. There was also an opportunity to ask questions about Islam and Muslims.

The officers showed great interest in the training and provided some very positive feedback on survey forms.

The CAIR-GA representatives received several requests to conduct similar seminars at various police departments around Georgia.

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CAIR-MI: MICHIGAN MUSLIMS TO ADDRESS 'SURGE' IN PROFILING - TOP

(LATHRUP VILLAGE, MI, 8/23/06) - On Friday, August 25, the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) will hold a press conference at the Islamic Center of Jackson to address what the group says is a recent "surge" of religious and racial profiling targeting that state's Muslims.

Since the revelation of the plot to down planes traveling from Britain to the United States, there have been several high-profile cases of Muslims first being linked to terrorism and then being cleared of wrongdoing.

The most of recent of these incidents occurred last week when a 28-year-old Jackson woman was detained at a West Virginia airport and then denied boarding on two consecutive days by US Airways. The family of the Jackson woman will take part in the CAIR-MI news conference to read a statement on her behalf.

SEE: Tests Negative on Liquid Contents of Bottles at W.Va. Airport
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060818/NEWS/608180356

WHAT: CAIR-MI Press Conference on 'Surge' in Religious and Racial Profiling
WHEN: Friday, August 25, 2:15 p.m. (Eastern)
WHERE: Islamic Center of Jackson, 410 McNeal, Jackson, MI
CONTACT: CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, 248-569-2203, 248-842-1418 or director@cairmichigan.org

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-NY PROTESTS 'PROFILING' AT JFK AIRPORT - TOP

(NEW YORK, NY, 8/23/06) - The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today held a news conference to express the Muslim community's concerns about allegations that people of Middle Eastern and South Asian heritage have been "profiled" at JFK Airport.

CAIR-NY President Omar Mohammedi stated that law enforcement agencies should focus on behavioral profiling as opposed to racial profiling. He expressed concern over comments by politicians who have come out in support of racial profiling of American Muslims and called on all civil rights activists to take a stand against profiling.

Dennis Parker, director of racial justice at the ACLU, stated: "Targeting people without particularized suspicion squanders law enforcement resources, subjects individuals to humiliation, increases alienation, and undermines the legitimacy of the criminal justice system. Profiling decreases law enforcement ability to gather information by worsening relations between targeted groups and law enforcement."

Udi Ofer from the NYCLU said that those detained had for all practical purposes been arrested for six hours at JFK and that their constitutional rights as citizens had been suspended for that period of time.

Katherine Metres Abbadi, executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, stated that racial profiling is ineffective, un-American, unwise and a distraction for governments and security from their responsibilities.

CONTACT: CAIR-NY Civil Rights Coordinator Faiza Ali, 212-870-2002, 718-724-3041; Afsheen Shamsi, Community Liaison Officer, 212-870-2002

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CAIR: INCREASED CALLS FOR RACIAL PROFILING AT AIRPORTS IN WAKE OF FOILED BRITISH PLOT - TOP
Bill Rodgers, Voice of America, 8/23/06
http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-08-23-voa45.cfm

The recently foiled terrorism plot in Britain has once again raised questions about whether airport security personnel should begin screening airline passengers based on race and religion. At least one U.S. Congressman has publicly called for extra screening procedures for people of Middle Eastern or South Asian heritage. That proposal has provoked angry denunciations from civil rights groups.

Security checks have become more rigorous at U.S. airports. Personal belongings and carry-on bags are being more closely scrutinized. And passengers are not allowed to bring liquids or gels on board.

This latest restriction has come in the wake of the recent foiled plot in Britain. Terrorists allegedly planned to blow up U.S.-bound airliners over the Atlantic Ocean with liquid explosives carried on board in hand luggage.

British authorities have formally charged 11 suspects in the conspiracy. Twenty-three people were arrested, many of them British Muslims of Pakistani descent. A militant in Pakistan is among those wanted in connection with the plot.

The arrests have renewed calls by some for closer scrutiny of passengers of Middle Eastern or South Asian origin. Republican Congressman Peter King said, "I think it is time to end political correctness. To me, if a person is of Middle Eastern descent it is legitimate for the screener to ask more questions."

But civil rights advocacy groups -- such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington -- have denounced these calls as "racial profiling". Arsalan Iftikhar is CAIR's legal director. "What's wrong with it is that -- from the FBI, Department of Justice all the way down to state and local law enforcement -- officials have said time and time again that racial profiling is not an effective law enforcement technique."

But terrorist attacks, such last year's bombings of London's subway system, have heightened suspicions -- especially since those responsible were Muslims of South Asian descent.

Such events lead to increased racial profiling, according to Iftikhar. "We tend to see peaks and valleys in terms of international watershed events, whether it is the U.K. terror plot or the war in Iraq or the Bali, Madrid or London bombings. These sorts of major international events usually are then followed by stricter scrutiny of American Muslims." (MORE)

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MI: ONCE ACCUSED OF BRIDGE PLOT, TEXAS MEN RELEASED ON BOND - TOP
Paul Egan, Detroit News, 8/22/06
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060822/UPDATE/608220424/1003/rss

Three Texas men once suspected in a possible plot to blow up the Mackinac Bridge were released from jail today after more than 10 days in custody.

Terrorism-related charges against Maruan Muhareb, 18; Adham Othman, 21; and Louai Othman, 23, were withdrawn by the Tuscola County prosecutor last Wednesday after the FBI and Michigan State Police said there was no evidence linking the men to terrorism.

They were arrested in Caro in Michigan's Thumb on Aug. 11 after police found about 1,000 cell phones and photos of the Mackinac Bridge inside their van.

Nabih Ayad, the Dearborn Heights lawyer representing the men, said the photos were tourist shots and the men are entrepreneurs who bought the phones to sell for a profit. They are victims of ethnic profiling, Ayad said.

But the same day the state charges were dropped, the federal government brought charges of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods and money-laundering. The federal charges relate to an alleged plot to alter the phones software and defraud cell phone companies and consumers through their resale.

The men are free on $30,000 combined bond and must wear electronic tethers and surrender their passports. Their families struggled to borrow the money to raise bond, Ayad said.

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ILLINOIS MAN WHO WRECKED MUSLIM FAMILY'S VAN GOING BACK TO JAIL - TOP
Mike Robinson, Associated Press, 8/22/06
http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/state/15335073.htm

A man who went to jail for six months for setting off an explosive device that wrecked a van belonging to a Palestinian American family was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to an additional 15 months in prison.

"It is an unusually serious offense," U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly said in sending Eric K. Nix to federal prison for igniting the commercial aerial shell that ripped a hole in the floorboard, bent one of the steel doors outward and effectively made the vehicle a total wreck.

So powerful was the blast - equivalent to at least half a stick of dynamite - that the van's owner, Abbas Salmi, 30, a computer technician, and his family in their nearby house at the time felt the walls shake.

Prosecutors said the 30-year-old Nix felt enormous hatred for Arab Americans after they started moving into south suburban Burbank where he lives and it was intensified after his van was towed and Salmi's was not.

Nix pleaded guilty in Circuit Court to arson and a hate crime as a result of the March 2003 bombing and was sentenced to six months in jail.

"It seemed like an eternity," Nix said. "It was a very, very harsh experience." He said he was sorry for wrecking the Salmi family's van.

Kennelly said Nix appeared to have learned his lesson while in jail serving time for the state offenses. He received treatment to end his habit of smoking marijuana as well as training in anger management.

But Kennelly said the sentence had to be stiff enough to deter others.

"We have an incredibly diverse society," Kennelly said. "We also have an unfortunate history of racial and ethnic intimidation." . . .

With the nation at war in Iraq and the war on terrorism at home and abroad, the federal government plainly wanted to demonstrate that it would not tolerate acts of bigotry aimed at Arab Americans. It asked Kennelly to sentence Nix to as much as 87 months in prison but the judge refused. (MORE)

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NORTHERN VIRGINIA MOSQUES ORGANIZE 6th ANNUAL CIVIC PICNIC - TOP

Northern Virginia mosques and Islamic organization are holding the 6th Annual Northern Virginia Family and Civic Picnic on Saturday Aug 26, 2006 from 2:30 to 5 p.m. at Lake Fairfax Park in Reston, Va. Candidates for Congress, local government officials and interfaith representatives will be speaking. Civic involvement, voter registration and family fun will be the theme of the picnic.

WHEN: Saturday, August 26, 2006, 2:30 - 5 p.m.
WHERE: 1400 Lake Fairfax Drive, Large Shelter and Picnic Area, near the large bathroom facility

From Dulles toll road:
1) Lake Fairfax Park may be reached by taking Reston Parkway
2) Right on Baron Cameron Avenue.
3) Go past Wiehle and take a Right on Lake Fairfax Drive
4) Go to the Large Shelter and Picnic Area

Please look for "ADAMS Civic Picnic" signs with arrows pointing to the picnic area.

RAIN PLAN: If it is drizzling we may still meet at Lake Fairfax which has a covered shelter. However, if it is raining hard we will meet at the ADAMS Center 46903 Sugarland Rd., Sterling, VA. If it rains, please confirm the Rain Plan by calling 703-433-1325 at 12 p.m. or 703-624-6352.

SPONSORS: The All Dulles Area Muslim Society (Loudoun/Fairfax County), Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Arlington County), Manassas Mosque (Prince William County), Muslim Association of Virginia (Prince William County) in coordination with the Muslim American Society (MAS) Freedom Foundation, Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

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WA: UNDERNEATH UNITY AND GOOD WISHES, JEWISH-MUSLIM TENSIONS SIMMERING - TOP
Janet I. Tu, Seattle Times, 8/23/06
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/faithvalues/2003218849_jewishmuslim22m.html

In the days immediately following the recent shootings at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, there was much talk of interfaith unity.

Local Muslim leaders condemned the acts of a man who barged into the federation offices and, according to witnesses, announced himself as a Muslim American angry at Israel before shooting six people, killing one. Local Jewish leaders spoke of the sympathy they received from Muslim friends. Jews, Muslims and Christians attended the funeral of Pamela Waechter, the woman killed.

But some of those same leaders acknowledge that the gulf between the local Jewish and Muslim communities remains as wide as ever.

And recent events - from the federation shootings, to the conflict in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, to the foiled terrorist plot in London, to Mel Gibson's anti-Semitic comments during a drunken-driving arrest - have heightened sensitivities on both sides.

Rick Harkavy, a local Jewish leader, and Jeff Siddiqui, a local Muslim leader, have both been involved in interfaith talks. But such efforts involve only a small number of people.

"Both communities keep their distance from each other," Harkavy said. "But once you do that, you start relying on half-truths, stereotypes. That's the problem."

"In general, relations between local Jews and Muslims are 'live and let live,' " Siddiqui said. "And we disagree around the big gorilla [of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict]." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

OH: JEW, MUSLIM TO TALK ABOUT MIDDLE EAST - TOP
Enquirer, 8/23/06
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060823/NEWS01/608230393/1056

A Jewish/Muslim dialogue will air tonight on the conflict in the Middle East and its effects locally.

"Jewish-Muslim Relations: A Cincinnati Perspective" will discuss how the conflict has affected local American Jews and American Muslims.

Greater Cincinnati public television, CET (Channel 48), and the National Conference for Community and Justice will broadcast the open dialogue live from 8 to 9 p.m. tonight.

Perspectives will be offered by Inayat Malik, a Muslim, and Jerome Teller, a Jew, followed by questions for a studio audience.

The program can also be viewed online at www.cetconnect.org beginning Thursday.

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IL: STUDY: 9/11 HURT ARAB AND MUSLIM MEN'S WAGES - TOP
Newswise, 8/23/06
http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/522943/?sc=rsbn

Wages and weekly earnings for Arab and Muslim men living in the United States fell 10 percent following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, a new study shows.

In addition, the adverse affects of Sept. 11 on wages were greater in areas that reported high rates of hate crime related to religious, ethnic or country of origin bias, according to the upcoming study in the Journal of Human Resources.

"I was surprised," Robert Kaestner, study co-author and University of Illinois at Chicago professor of economics, said of the findings. "We see an immediate and significant connection between personal prejudice and economic harm."

Evidence also suggests the terrorists' attacks reduced intrastate migration, making Arab and Muslim men more reluctant to seek better opportunities in new destinations due to the uncertainty of their reception.

The study measured changes in wages of first- and second-generation immigrants from countries with predominantly Arab or Muslim populations between September 1997 and September 2005 and compared them to changes in wages of first- and second-generation immigrants with similar skills from other countries.

The study also showed that changes in industry of employment among Arab and Muslim American men accounted for some of the lower wages post-Sept. 11, Kaestner said. Hours worked were unaffected.

"After Sept. 11, Arab and Muslim Americans worked as often as they did before (the attacks), but they worked in different industries paying less on average than the industries they use to work in," he said. (MORE)

For more information about UIC, visit http://www.uic.edu

SEE ALSO:

HI: FEDERAL AGENCY HELPS MUSLIMS SUE CRUISE LINE - TOP
Curtis Lum, Honolulu Advertiser, 8/23/06
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060823/NEWS20/608230360/1170/NEWS

Seven men are suing Norwegian Cruise Line alleging the company violated their civil rights by firing them because of their Middle Eastern origin and Muslim faith.

The federal complaint was filed in U.S. District Court in Honolulu yesterday by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of Abdullah Yahva, Ahmed Al-Mlhany, Ahmed Almraisi, Nagi A. Alziam, Muthana A. Shaibi, Nork Yafaie and Samed Kassam. Named as defendants were NCL America Inc., Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd., and Norwegian Corp. Ltd., which operate cruises in Hawaiian waters.

The men worked on NCL's Pride of Aloha until they were fired in "quick succession" beginning in July 2004, said Anna Park, regional attorney in the EEOC's Los Angeles office. The men are of Middle Eastern or Yemeni origins and all are Muslims, the lawsuit said.

"They were all hired around the same time, came on board and all pretty much fired," Park said.

NCL officials could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Park said NCL gave no good reason for terminating the men's employment.

"At the time they were actually fired they were told just to get off the ship," Park said. "The reason that was given was related to 'security issues.' However, it is the EEOC's contention that those were unfounded and it was just a pretext to fire them because of their religion and national origin."

The men filed a complaint with the EEOC, which investigated the charges, Park said. The agency determined that the men were discriminated against and attempted to resolve the matter with the cruise line, she said. Unable to do so, the EEOC filed the discrimination lawsuit against NCL. (MORE)

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RELIEF AGENCIES FIND HEZBOLLAH HARD TO AVOID - TOP
Robert F. Worth and Hassan M. Fattah, New York Times, 8/23/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/23/world/middleeast/23lebanon.html?_r=1&oref=login

When Mercy Corps and other Western aid agencies reached this devastated village on the front line of the battle between Israel and Hezbollah with food and medicine, they quickly discovered they had a big problem: the United States.

Like all other international relief agencies here that receive financing from the American government, Mercy Corps is barred from giving out money or aid through Hezbollah, the Shiite militant group that is considered a terrorist organization by the United States. But as with all the most demolished areas in southern Lebanon, where whole villages have been flattened by Israeli bombs and there is no food, water or electricity, this village is the domain of Hezbollah -- and little seems to bypass the group.

That fact is nettlesome for the United States, not merely because it does not want Hezbollah to be strengthened even further after its war with Israel, but because it is eager to find and support a viable alternative to the militant group.

That will not be easy. Hezbollah has been the fastest and, without a doubt, most effective organization doling out aid to the shattered towns and villages of southern Lebanon. Aid groups like Mercy Corps -- which generally work through local intermediaries -- have sometimes struggled to find other ways of helping, and even then, they cannot be sure their aid is not going through Hezbollah.

''You can make a separation between what we do and Hezbollah,'' said Khiam's deputy mayor, Muhammed Abdullah, 45, who is organizing the local efforts, including donations of food and water from Mercy. ''But of course there is coordination.''

On Mr. Abdullah's desk is a paperweight with the logo of ''Construction Jihad,'' Hezbollah's building company, and in his anteroom are two posters of Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader.

Some villagers here say Hezbollah's involvement is even less subtle.

"Unicef has been here, and Mercy Corps and other groups,'' said Ahmad Zogby, 39, whose house was destroyed, along with that of his parents. ''But everything coming in, Hezbollah puts an eye on it, makes sure it is all given out in the proper way. It is all in the hands of Hezbollah.''

Though Hezbollah is only one of many groups providing social services in Lebanon, its reputation for delivering those services honestly is unmatched, making it that much harder to circumvent. In nearby Nabatiye, for instance, Mercy Corps has begun working through the Jabbar Foundation, a nonprofit group run by Yaseen Jabbar, a wealthy member of Parliament.

But the mayor of Nabatiye, Mustapha Badreddine, 55, says he considers the foundation ineffective. For his own part, Mr. Badreddine says he does not belong to Hezbollah, but that he works with it because it is trustworthy, far more so than any other group in the area. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

LEBANON'S DEVELOPMENT 'ANNIHILATED': UN - TOP
Agence France Presse, 8/22/06
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060822/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictlebanonaidunreconstruction

Lebanon's 15-year economic and social recovery from civil war was wiped out in the recent Israeli offensive against Hezbollah, the UN development agency has said.

"The damage is such that the last 15 years of work on reconstruction and rehabilitation, following the previous problems that Lebanon experienced, are now annihilated," said Jean Fabre, a spokesman for the UN Development Programme (UNDP) on Tuesday.

Lebanon's relatively healthy progress towards the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, which cover a range of social and economic targets, "have been brought back to zero," he told journalists.

"Fifteen years of work have been wiped out in a month."

Fabre estimated that overall economic losses for Lebanon from the month-long conflict between Israel and Hezbollah totalled "at least 15 billion dollars, if not more".

Lebanese authorities estimated last week that direct structural damage inflicted by the offensive reached 3.6 billion dollars, including 15,000 housing units, 80 bridges and 94 roads destroyed or damaged.

About 35,000 homes and businesses were destroyed in the conflict, while a quarter of the country's road bridges or flyovers were shattered, according to the UNDP's initial estimate.

Fabre underlined that Lebanon, which had already added to its debt with post-civil war reconstruction, would find it difficult to foot the bill for even more investment.

"The debt of the country was so big already that the capacity to repay it was already insufficent. Now it won't be able to do that," he explained.

UN agencies said it would take weeks to assess the full extent of the damage in south Lebanon and southern Beirut.

The most urgent issues are the need for clean water and sanitation and to clear unexploded munitions, relief agencies said Tuesday. (MORE)

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AMNESTY REPORT ACCUSES ISRAEL OF WAR CRIMES - TOP
David Fickling, Guardian, 8/23/06
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1856587,00.html

Israel deliberately targeted civilian infrastructure and committed war crimes during the month-long conflict in Lebanon, according to an Amnesty International report.

The report said strikes on civilian buildings and structures went beyond "collateral damage" and amounted to indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks under the Geneva conventions on the laws of war.

Kate Gilmore, the Amnesty executive deputy secretary general, said the bombardment of power and water plants and transport links was "deliberate and an integral part of a military strategy".

"Israel's assertion that the attacks on the infrastructure were lawful is manifestly wrong," she said.

"Many of the violations identified in our report are war crimes. The pattern, scope and scale of the attacks makes Israel's claim that this was collateral damage simply not credible."

Amnesty called for an official UN inquiry into human rights violations on both sides of the conflict.

The report's authors described the destruction of up to 90% of some towns and villages in southern Lebanon, releasing aerial photographs that showed Beirut's southern Dahiya district had been transformed from a bustling suburb into a grey wasteland.

"In village after village the pattern was similar - the streets, especially main streets, were scarred with artillery craters along their length," the report said.

"In some cases, cluster bomb impacts were identified. Houses were singled out for precision-guided missile attack and were destroyed, totally or partially, as a result.

"Business premises such as supermarkets or food stores and auto service stations and petrol stations were targeted, often with precision-guided munitions and artillery that started fires and destroyed their contents."

Israel launched more than 7,000 air strikes against Lebanon during the 34-day war, and naval vessels launched 2,500 shells, the report said.

Around one third of the 1,183 people killed in Lebanon were children, while 4,054 people were injured and 970,000 displaced. (MORE)

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ROBERT FISK: UNTOLD STORY OF THE MASSACRE OF MARJAYOUN LEAVES BLAME ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER - TOP
Robert Fisk, Independent, 8/23/06
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article1221078.ece

There are few marks on the road where the missiles hit the innocents of Marjayoun. But there are the memories of what happened immediately after the Israeli airstrike on the convoy of 3,000 people after dark on 11 August: a 16-year old Christian girl screaming "I want my Daddy" as her father's mutilated body lay a few metres away from her; the town mukhtar discovering that his wife, Collette, had been decapitated by one of the Israeli missiles; the Lebanese Red Cross volunteer who went into the darkness of wartime Lebanon to give water and sandwiches to the refugees and was cut down by another missile, and whose friends could not reach him to save his life.

There are those who break down when they recall the massacre at Joub Jannine - and there are the Israelis who gave permission to the refugees to leave Marjayoun, who specified what roads they should use, and who then attacked them with pilotless, missile-firing drone aircraft. Five days after being asked to account for the tragedy, they had last night still not bothered to explain how they killed at least seven refugees and wounded 36 others just three days before a UN ceasefire came into effect.

It is one of the untold stories of the Israeli-Hizbollah war; there are others - infinitely more bloody - but the ultimate tragedy of these largely Christian refugees involved a raft of Lebanese officers and ministers, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, the US ambassador and the Israeli Defence Ministry.

It all began on 10 August when the Israelis staged a small ground offensive into Lebanon after a month of massive bombing of Lebanese villages in the south. Brig-Gen Adnan Daoud, commanding a mixed force of 350 Lebanese paramilitary police and soldiers at the barracks in the pretty Christian town of Marjayoun, found a man at the gate at 9am, an Israeli officer calling himself Col Ashaya. Brig-Gen Daoud, whose men were not fighting the Israelis, called the Lebanese Interior Minister, Ahmad Fatfat, who "endorsed" - Fatfat's word - Daoud's decision to let him in. "Ashaya" spent four hours looking round the barracks to assure himself that there were no Hizbollah members there. Then he left. Daoud put a white flag on the guardhouse.

But at 4pm that afternoon, an Israeli tank unit approached the barracks and started to shoot their way in. Daoud was again told by Fatfat to let in the Israelis who, according to Daoud, informed him that "we are the occupiers and we are in charge". An Israeli officer then locked Daoud into a room.

Thousands of Christians in Marjayoun now feared for their lives. According to several aid workers, Hizbollah were firing rockets from behind the town's hospital, which was immediately abandoned by the Lebanese Red Cross. The inhabitants believed, with good reason, that Hizbollah's missiles would be redirected from Israel on to Marjayoun itself now that the town had been taken over by Israeli troops and tanks. (MORE)

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AL-JAZEERA'S TRICKY BALANCING ACT - TOP
David Ignatius, Washington Post, 8/23/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/22/AR2006082200975.html

What do people in the Middle East think five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks? To get a quick snapshot, I paid a visit here to Ahmed Sheikh, the editor in chief of al-Jazeera television. It was reassuring, in a perverse way, that he views the situation in his region the same way that most Americans would -- as a dangerous mess.

Sheikh told me he had been mulling this week how al-Jazeera should cover the Sept. 11 anniversary. "Five years after that catastrophe, the Arab world is much more divided than it used to be," he reflected. "The image of Islam has been tarnished to a great extent. We are weaker than we used to be against Israel. Development is absent." When he stands back and looks at the region, Sheikh says, "All the threads and problems are intertwined. It's very difficult to trace where they begin and end."

Sheikh fears that Iraq is headed toward a calamitous civil war that will spill over to other countries with mixed Shiite-Sunni populations, such as Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. "If the Americans can prevent civil war from happening, their presence would be useful," he says. But after three years of American failure to stabilize the country, he is doubtful.

The al-Jazeera editor remains militant about Arab causes. "What doesn't change for our viewers is indignation against U.S. and Israeli policies," he says. But with the exception of the Palestinian struggle and the Iraqi resistance to American occupation, he says, most of the so-called jihadist battles have actually produced what the Arabs call fitna , or self-destructive internal strife. . .

Al-Jazeera has been attacked by American officials as a propaganda tool for Osama bin Laden and other Muslim radicals. And as a journalist, I have often found its coverage unbalanced. It tries too hard to present the Arab news, rather than just the news. That said, I was struck, in talking to Sheikh, by how complicated it has become for al-Jazeera to cover this part of the world.

Take coverage of Iran. Al-Jazeera recently reopened its bureau there after it was closed by the Iranian authorities for 18 months. The network's crime was that it had sent a camera crew into southwestern Iran and reported complaints of the Arab minority there that they were treated unfairly by the central government. After the broadcast aired, there were protests and civil unrest in the region -- and the Iranians decided to pull the plug.

Iraq poses a worse problem. Because al-Jazeera reported from behind the lines of the Sunni insurgency, Iraqi Shiites became indignant about its coverage. The network was expelled by the Shiite-led government in September 2004, but Sheikh says he would be reluctant to go back now. Relations with the U.S. military are better, but because of Shiite anger, it would be "very, very dangerous" for al-Jazeera. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2006 11:00:59 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: CAIR to Host Dinner for Former President of Iran

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAIR TO HOST DINNER FOR FORMER PRESIDENT OF IRAN
Khatami to speak on 'The Dialogue of Civilizations: Five Years After 9/11'

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/24/06) - On Friday, September 8, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will host a dinner for former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami at the Marriott Crystal Gateway in Arlington, Va. The theme of his address at the CAIR dinner will be "The Dialogue of Civilizations: Five Years After 9/11." Khatami will be in Washington, D.C., to take part in an event at the National Cathedral.

SEE: Former President of Iran Invited to Speak in D.C. (Washington Post)

WHAT: CAIR Hosts Dinner for Former President of Iran
WHEN: Friday, September 8, 2006, 7-9 p.m. (A private reception with President Khatami, including a photo opportunity, will precede the dinner at 6 p.m.)
WHERE: Marriott Crystal Gateway, 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Va.
COST: Dinner only: $250 per person; private reception and dinner: $500 per person
CONTACT: RSVP by Tuesday, September 5, 2006, by calling 202-742-6409 or 202-488-8787, ext. 6052, or e-mailing: irahman@cair.com

When elected as president of Iran in 1997, Khatami sought increased freedom of the press, political reform and improved inter-cultural relations. He called for a dialogue of civilizations, a proposal taken up by the United Nations.

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Thu, 24 Aug 2006 16:52:21 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Hospitals Create Muslim Prayer Areas / Muslim Marriage Contracts Help Women Assert Rights

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/24/06

* Verse: The Supreme Virtue
            - Hadith: A Supply of Every Virtue
* CAIR-FL: Interfaith Prayer Vigil Urges Peace (Miami Herald)
* CAIR-Chicago: Charities Struggling for Mideast Causes
* CAIR-LA: Building a Basis for Understanding (OC Register)
* CAIR-Chicago: Muslim Men Saw Pay Drop After 9/11 (Sun-Times)
* CAIR-NY: JFK Illegally Targeting Muslims (Newsday)
            - CAIR-NY: Racial Profiling Led to Detention
            - CAIR-NY: U.S. Family Says Racially Profiled (Reuters)
            - CAIR-NY: Alarm Over US Racial Profiling (AFP)
            - 12 Arrested on U.S. Plane to Be Released (AP)
* DNC Chairman Howard Dean Commemorates Laylatul Meraaj
* Islamic Society Elects First Female President (ISNA)
            - IL: Hospitals Create Areas for Muslim Prayer
            - NY: Muslim Marriage Contracts Help Women Assert Rights

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VERSE OF THE DAY: THE SUPREME VIRTUE - TOP

"We have given the Book as an inheritance to those of Our servants whom We have chosen. Among them there are some who wrong their own souls, some (who) follow a middle course and some, by God's leave, (who) excel in good deeds; which is the supreme virtue."

The Holy Quran, 35:32

SEE ALSO:

HADITH OF THE DAY: A SUPPLY OF EVERY VIRTUE - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) recommended the supplication: "Praise be to God, the Lord of the universe. I ask You for words that will guarantee Your mercy, actions that will make certain Your forgiveness, a supply of every virtue, and freedom from every offense. Do not leave me with a sin that You do not pardon, a care that You do not remove, or a want that meets with Your pleasure that You do not supply, O Most Merciful of the merciful ones."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 401

A man once asked the Prophet about evil. The Prophet replied: "Don't ask me about evil, but ask me (instead) about good."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 100

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CAIR-FL: INTERFAITH PRAYER VIGIL URGES PEACE IN MIDEAST - TOP
Peace was the common theme at a gathering in a Miami lakes community church last week at an interfaith prayer vigil.
Gladys Amador, Miami Herald, 8/24/06
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/miami-dade/cities_neighborhoods/northwest/15329206.htm

PRAYER FOR PEACE

An self-proclaimed atheist, 53-year-old Debbie Rozanski, didn't think she'd attend a church but found herself sitting in a pew last week.

Rozanski was among the four dozen people who congregated at the Miami Lakes Congregational Church where Muslims, Jews, Christians and even the secular joined under one veil -- peace.

"I like to see people coming together for a common cause," Rozanski, who later called herself a humanist, said. "What they call prayer, I call wishes."

The interfaith prayer vigil was one of many seen popping up recently in South Florida by people who wish to find an end to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.

The latest outbreak of violence in southern Lebanon was triggered by the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah guerrillas.

''The root of conflict is the failure to have dialogue, to simply talk to one another,'' said Jack Lieberman of the Jewish Arab Dialogue Association.

``One makes peace with enemies, not with friend. We need to engage in meaningful, respectful dialogue if we want to see change.''

Altaf Ali, the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, along with Rabbi Rebecca Lillian of Temple Beth Or helped organize the prayer for peace. The Rev. Jeffrey Frantz of the United Church of Christ was the night's host.

Salaam, Arabic for peace, and Shalom, Hebrew for peace, was repeated and served as the vigil's slogan as Andy Sussman, a Jewish folksinger and members of the three faiths sang uplifting and hopeful melodies. Raa'id Khan, 20, a member of Florida Association of Young Muslims, took the floor with spoken word poetry.

At the vigil was Bob Graham, former Florida governor and U.S. senator, who spoke about the political history of the Middle East and offered insight into the Israel-Hezbollah conflict. Graham, who is also a member of the Congregational Church, 6701 Miami Lakeway S., thought the idea of bringing different people together sent a strong message.

More than a week has gone since the United Nations' plan for a cease-fire was passed but the truce appears to be on shaky ground. On Monday, President Bush spoke on the need to quickly deploy an international peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon to enforce the U.N. cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah.

"It's taken 61 years to realize common sense is not common anymore," said 65-year-old Larry Wulkan, who considers himself a secular Jew. "People don't think. What's the point of Hezbollah and Israel to fight?"

Muhammed Malik, 24, agreed that coming together in faith was a start.

"It's not a clash of religions that's the issue; it's the self-interest of fundamentalists, moderates, liberals and neoconservatives using religion to force wars upon people and states -- that's the problem," he said. (MORE)

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CAIR-CHICAGO: CHARITY ARE STRUGGLING FOR MIDEAST CAUSES - TOP
Ashok Selvam, Chicago Daily Herald, 8/22/06
http://www.dailyherald.com/search/searchstory.asp?id=219125

While several groups have launched fundraising campaigns for Israel, an atmosphere fueled by fear has hindered their Islamic and Arabic counterparts.

"A lot of people are afraid of donating to Middle East causes because they're afraid they'll be accused of supporting something other than humanitarian causes," said Duston Barto, spokesman for the Zakat Foundation of America.

Zakat refers to the obligatory portion a Muslim head of household donates to the poor as mandated in their holy book, the Quran. The charitable group is an international organization with a Chicagoland office that helps those in need. It's so far raised about $140,000 of its $250,000 pledge to Lebanon, Barto said. An estimated $40,000 has come from Chicago donors, he added.

Barto said he doesn't blame those who are apprehensive about donating to his group or others, but it frustrates him that those in need can't get the proper aid including mattresses, medicines, fresh water, first aid kits and clothes. He said he knows of few Chicago-area groups that have mounted a charitable effort. . .

The Charity Without Fear law, enacted in spring by the Illinois Legislature, has calmed some donors' fears.

The law prevents donors from prosecution if their contributions are used unlawfully without their knowledge.

"I think the focus of the community is helping Lebanon heal and rebuild," Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "Obviously, the devastation they have witnessed is incredible, all of us who are incensed by that want to transform the negative energy to positive." (MORE)

Those wanting to help can visit www.thezakat.org

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CAIR-LA: BUILDING A BASIS FOR UNDERSTANDING - TOP
Ann Pepper, Orange County Register, 8/24/06
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1253151.php

Are "Muslim fanatics" at the root of Middle East unrest? Is Israel racist in its policy toward refugees who want to return there? Are there areas of common ground that could lead to better understanding between Jews and Muslims in Orange County? Events in the Middle East resonate here as increasing discomfort - even animosity - between some. Just days ago the Register asked self-described moderate leaders in those two communities - Hussam Ayloush, rabbis Heidi Cohen and Lawrence Goldmark, and Sheik Yassir Fazaga - who was unable to attend - to meet for a roundtable discussion. What could they say to each other and to their communities in an effort to build trust and understanding?

Rabbi Lawrence Goldmark: I think where we want to start is with the word "peace." Anything which causes peace to be postponed in the Middle East or here between us needs to be addressed.

Rabbi Heidi Cohen: Just that we're able to sit down together, recognize each other and have discussions together sends a message to our communities.

Hussam Ayloush: To be successful we need to try to de-emphasize what I'll call tribalism - my side right or wrong. Instead, keeping to our shared strong values of justice, humanity, fairness, compassion . . .

Goldmark: You are dealing with American Jews who have political views toward Israel. Views not based on religious beliefs. There is no doubt that there are Jews who look at the Middle East and will say: "Just bomb 'em out." But it is nowhere near the feeling of the overwhelming majority of Jews here or in Israel.

Ayloush: From the Muslim perspective, for us, we felt from the beginning that this is a major misunderstanding in America - that this is a religious conflict. Because it is not a religious conflict. At least not for the overwhelming majority of Muslims. Which isn't to say that there aren't extremists who use this, make it sound like a religious war because it is the easiest way to justify the hatred. Rather than having to go over issues like U.N. resolutions or moral rights.

Goldmark: I am not saying it is a political dispute rather than a religious one. From the Jewish perspective, I believe we are dealing with Muslim religious fanatics. Are you saying that we should remove the term "Muslim fanatic"?

Ayloush: I think we need to acknowledge that these conflicts are about legitimate political grievances. And that the conflicts in Darfur, Palestine and Chechnya are very different with different solutions. The conflict in the Middle East is what, 55 or 60 years old? When did Islamism become a leading factor in the conflict? In 1983. With the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, which created Hezbollah. Before that, how come the Palestinian resistance was mainly Christian? Was that Christian fundamentalism? The others failed and the Islamists became more popular in the 1980s. But this is very nationalistic in Palestine. Two groups of people fighting over the same piece of land.

Goldmark: Would you be willing to be quoted that you are opposed to Hamas and Hezbollah's stated goals of destroying Israel?

Ayloush: Absolutely. I've been quoted as saying that. But I add to it that all parties in the Middle East, including Hamas, Hezbollah and Israel have committed terrorism.

Goldmark: But where I would start, what I want, is recognition of the inherent right of Israel to exist. Period. I don't see that on the part of the Arab/Muslim community. I'm saying, if you have come out and said - I am opposed to the statement that Israel should be destroyed - and your organization holds that position, it is where we can start.

Ayloush: But for us, the issue of the 6.5 million refugees is extremely important. Because if ... for many in the American Jewish community ... the return of the refugees is tantamount to the demographic destruction of Israel, I believe that is a very racist view. That is, if Israel can find room for a Jew from Russia who has never been there, but not for others, someone who might still hold the key to their homes ... . (MORE)

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CAIR-CHICAGO: MUSLIM, ARAB MEN IN U.S. SAW PAY DROP 10% AFTER 9/11, STUDY FINDS - TOP
Rummana Hussain, Chicago Sun-Times, 8/24/06
http://sun-times.com/output/news/cst-nws-pay24.html

Suspicious stares. Physical assaults.

Thinner wallets?

Post-9/11 anti-Islamic and anti-Middle Eastern sentiment hasn't just taken an emotional toll on Muslim and Arab men living in the United States. It has also put a dent in their checkbooks, a study indicates.

Arab and Muslim men saw their wages and weekly earnings drop by 10 percent after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the research reveals.

The largest decreases, according to the data collected from over 4,000 men between 1997 and 2005, occurred in locations that reported higher rates of ethnic and religious-based hate crimes.

Part of the reason pay fell is that these men, mostly from predominantly Islamic countries such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Algeria, found fewer opportunities and had to find work in different industries that paid less than the jobs they used to be employed in after 9/11, said the study's co-author, Robert Kaestner, a University of Illinois at Chicago economics professor.

In addition, Kaestner said, most Muslim and Arab men, possibly wary of the reception they might receive in another state, curbed their travel within the country after 9/11, which may have kept them from seeking better jobs.

REBOUND SEEN SINCE '05

Kaestner was "surprised" to find a relatively significant, immediate connection between the rising prejudice against Muslims and Arabs and their economic well-being, especially since the two groups are highly educated. (MORE)

The good news, according to Kaestner, is that the reduction in wages may be short-lived, since the most recent statistics taken in 2005 indicate a "significant rebound" in earnings for Muslim and Arab men.

The study compares wage changes of first- and second-generation immigrants from countries with large Muslim and Arab populations to wage changes from first- and second-generation immigrants with similar skills from countries such as the Philippines and China.

The Muslim and Arab men in the study range in ages from 21 to 54 and live in 20 states where 85 percent of the country's Muslim and Arabs reside, including Illinois.

Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Council On American-Islamic Relations-Chicago, said the study "underscores one of the very real ways in which prejudice can hurt a community."

"We learned from previous studies that prejudice against Arabs and Muslims have caused them to suffer both civil rights abuses and psychological harm," he said. "Now we learn that it also bears economic ramifications."

The study will be published in the January 2007 edition of the Journal of Human Resources.

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CAIR-NY: JFK ILLEGALLY TARGETING MUSLIMS, GROUPS SAY - TOP
Bryan Virasami, Newsday, 8/24/06
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/am-prof0824,0,4565671.story

Muslim, Arab and South Asian passengers are being profiled by Homeland Security officers at Kennedy Airport, civil liberties groups said Wednesday, citing a New Jersey family that was detained and interrogated after a flight from Dubai last week.

The family, a mother and her 20-year-old twin daughters from Montclair, N.J., said they were plucked from the baggage area, held six hours without food or water by Customs and Border Protection agents and questioned about their views of Iraq.

Nahgam Alyaqoubi and her daughters, Arwa and Sumia Ibrahim, naturalized American citizens, said 200 other passengers of Arab, Muslim or South Asian backgrounds were detained on Aug. 15 in a roped-off area, days after the London bomb suspects were arrested.

The family joined officials from the American Civil Liberties Union and other rights groups at a news conference in the Manhattan office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations to condemn what they say has been an increase in racial profiling since the London plot was uncovered. They also criticized Rep. Peter King for what they said was profiling.

Arwa Ibrahim, who along with her sister is enrolled at Rutgers University, said they were born in Iraq and moved to the United States at age 5. She said the experience was disturbing because they were forced to sit on the floor without food or water and were treated rudely when they asked questions of the officers.

"It was a really humiliating experience -- humiliating because we were treated like animals," she said. "We were treated really horribly by the officers that were there, we were yelled at, we were told to get back, threatened with arrest and threatened to have to stay longer if we complained."

The ACLU and other rights groups said they planned to investigate this and several other complaints of profiling. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-NY: MUSLIM-AMERICANS SAY RACIAL PROFILING LED TO DETENTION AT JFK AIRPORT - TOP
Dean Meminger, NY-1, 8/23/06
http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=6&aid=62045

A group of Muslim-Americans say they were detained for hours at Kennedy Airport when they came back to the U.S. last week after trips abroad, and they say it was only because of their looks, their backgrounds, or their faith. In the following report, NY1's Dean Meminger takes at look at what some are calling racial profiling, and others, tighter security.

Sisters Arwa and Sumia Ibrahim say they were treated like terror suspects at Kennedy Airport simply because of their Middle Eastern background.

"It initially confused me, and then it angered me, and then it saddened me," says Arwa. "I think the whole experience is really humiliating because I am a U.S. citizen and I do consider myself American."

The Council on American Islamic Relations says the sisters were victims of racial profiling, and that they were not alone. The council says as many as 200 others were also detained on August 15th, and some shot video and took pictures as they were held at JFK.

The Ibrahim sisters and their mother were returning from a trip to Jordan. They say Homeland Security and Customs officers took their U.S. passports and held them for about six hours.

They say they were questioned about their lives, if they ever had weapons training, and what they thought about the situation in Iraq, even though they have been in this country for 15 years.

"I was returning to a place that I call home, and to have those rights thrown out the window and to also be mistreated by officers for several hours was really an exhausting, humiliating experience," says Sumia.

"At that moment truly you are so afraid, so tired, so frustrated, you don't know what is going to happen to you," says Magham Alyaqoubi, another woman who says she was detained at the airport.

The New York Civil Liberties Union says it is a clear violation to stop passengers simply because of the way they look.

"Racial profiling was not constitutional before 9/11, and it is not constitutional after 9/11," says the NYCLU's Udi Ofer. . .

The Council on American Islamic relations says it wants other Americans to step up now and speak out against the racial profiling of people from the Middle East.

"We need to call on all of the civil rights activists. Where is Al Sharpton? Where is Jesse Jackson? Where are all of the civil rights activist about racial profiling?" says Council President Omar Mohammedi.

The Ibrahim sisters say they wanted to go public with their situation to show how many Americans are being targeted and unfairly treated by their own government. (MORE)

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CAIR-NY: U.S. FAMILY SAYS RACIALLY PROFILED AT NY AIRPORT - TOP
Michelle Nichols, Reuters, 8/24/06
http://in.today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-08-24T080552Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-264679-1.xml

The American Civil Liberties Union and a leading Islamic group on Wednesday accused security officials at New York's JFK airport of racially profiling Muslims.

"The price to pay for racial profiling is too high," Dennis Parker of the American Civil Liberties Union told a news conference. "All people should be treated in the same way regardless of their race, their ethnicity or their religion."

The news conference, convened by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, highlighted the case of an Iraqi-born U.S. family, whose members said they were held for six hours, questioned and searched at John F. Kennedy Airport.

Arwa and Sumia Ibrahim and their mother, Nagham Alyaqoubi, said they were held with 200 other people at JFK after returning from holiday in Jordan on Aug. 15, days after Britain foiled a plot to bomb U.S.-bound planes.

The 20-year-old twin sisters, who traveled home via Dubai, said people from several other flights from different countries were also detained.

"Of the 200 people required to go through this procedure, we would estimate that 98 percent, if not more, were Arab, South Asian or Muslim," Sumia Ibrahim said.

"We really do feel our rights were violated as U.S. citizens," she said. She said she and her sister, who moved to the United States when they were five, were also asked their views on the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

The women said U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials took away their passports. They said they felt degraded and humiliated by the whole experience and are considering legal action. (MORE)

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CAIR-NY: ALARM OVER US RACIAL PROFILING - TOP
Agence France-Presse, 8/24/06
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060823/ts_alt_afp/britainusattacks_060823224824

A leading US Muslim group said today it was disturbed by reports that US authorities were racially profiling passengers at New York's Kennedy airport.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations said it had received three separate reports from Iraqi-born Americans alleging they were detained for up to six hours at the airport last week without justification.

The allegations came from a Michigan couple, two people from California and a New Jersey woman travelling with her five children.

The council said that it feared hundreds of other passengers had been filtered by security on the basis of their names or appearance.

It called on officials "to partner with the American Muslim community in order to ensure national security in a manner that is consistent with American values of justice and equality".

A statement from US customs authorities denied they were screening passengers on the basis of ethnicity, but acknowledged increased security over an alleged plot by Muslim extremists to bomb US flights from Britain. (MORE)

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12 ARRESTED ON U.S. PLANE TO BE RELEASED - TOP
Toby Sterling, Associated Press, 8/24/06
http://www.mwcsun.com/feeds/apcontent/apstories/apstorysection/D8JMUA3O5.xml.txt/resources_apstoryview

Prosecutors said Thursday they found no evidence of a terrorist threat aboard a Northwest Airlines flight to India that returned to Amsterdam, and they are releasing all 12 passengers arrested after the emergency landing.

The men, all Indian nationals, had aroused suspicions on Flight NW0042 to Bombay because they had a large number of cell phones and other equipment, and refused to follow the crew's instructions, prosecutors said.

Because of those actions by the passengers, the pilot of the DC-10 radioed for help shortly after takeoff Wednesday and the plane was escorted back to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport by two Dutch fighter jets. The 12 were arrested after the plane landed.

U.S. air marshals on the flight also were suspicious of the men, U.S. officials and passengers said.

"A thorough investigation of the cell phones in the plane found that the phones were not manipulated and no explosives were found on board the plane," said a statement from the prosecutor's office in Haarlem, which has jurisdiction over the airport.

"From the statements of the suspects and the witnesses, no evidence could be brought forward that these men were about to commit an act of violence," the statement said.

The incident reflected the jitters that persist in the airline industry in the two weeks since British police revealed an alleged plot to blow up several U.S.-bound airliners simultaneously using bombs crafted from ordinary consumer goods.

An official at the Indian embassy in The Hague, who refused to give his name, said consular staff were "still in the process of ascertaining the details from the Dutch authorities," and said nobody was available to comment.

Passengers described the men as between 25 and 35 years old and speaking Urdu, the language commonly spoken in Pakistan and by many of India's Muslims. Some had beards, and some wore a shalwar kameez, a long shirt and baggy pants commonly worn by South Asian Muslims.

The Algemeen Dagblad newspaper quoted an unidentified 31-year-old Dutch businessman as saying the suspects were walking up and down the isle after takeoff.

"I saw the air marshals walking, and then you know something's wrong," it quoted him as saying.

Nitin Patel of Boston, who sat behind the men, told the paper: "I don't know how close we were, but my gut tells me these people wanted to hijack the airplane."

The mass-circulation De Telegraaf reported that passenger Sarat Menon quoted the men as saying they were returning from a vacation in Tobago.

"It wasn't immediately clear what was going on. There was no panic. A flight attendant told us to remain seated and to follow the air marshals' orders," Menon said.

The 12 were held overnight at a detention center at the airport. (MORE)

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DNC CHAIRMAN HOWARD DEAN COMMEMORATES LAYLATUL MERAAJ - TOP

Washington, DC - Today Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean issued the following statement in honor of Laylatul Meraaj, Muhammad's ascent to Heaven:

"Yesterday Muslims in America and around the world celebrated a very special day in the Islamic calendar, the ascent of Mohammad to heaven. Traditionally, Muslims celebrate this day with reflection and prayer.

"Muslim Americans continue to make tremendous contributions to our nation and I am proud that America is a country of diverse faith and beliefs. On this special holiday I send greetings and best wishes to all Muslims."

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DR. INGRID MATTSON ELECTED FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT OF THE ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA (ISNA) - TOP
Muslim organization elects Imam Mohamed Magid as Vice-President.
ISNA, 8/24/06
http://www.isna.net/index.php?id=35&backPID=1&tt_news=769

Plainfield, IN 08/23/2006 - The Islamic Society of North America (www.isna.net) the largest religious organization representing Muslims in North America -- has elected Dr. Ingrid Mattson as its President. She is the first woman to head the organization.

Dr. Mattson, who earlier served as the first female ISNA Vice President, is Professor of Islamic Studies and Director of Islamic Chaplaincy at the Macdonald Center for Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations at Hartford Seminary in Hartford, CT. Dr. Mattson, who was born in Canada, studied Philosophy at the University of Waterloo, Ontario (B.A. '87) and earned a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from the University of Chicago in 1999.

Dr. Mattson has written articles exploring the relationship between Islamic law and society, as well as gender and leadership issues in Muslim communities. Her forthcoming book, The Qur'an: Its History and Place in Muslim Societies, is being published by Blackwell Press. Dr. Mattson lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children.

ISNA members also elected Imam Mohammed ibn Hagmagid - popularly known as Imam Magid -- as the organization's Vice-President. Imam Magid is Executive Director and Imam of The All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS; www.adamscenter.org). He is Chair of Fairfax Faith Communities in Action, a member of The Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington Assembly, and Board Member of the Fairfax Youth Partnership. Imam Magid lives in Nothern Virginia with his wife and five children.

Since its establishment in 1963, The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) has been active in bringing people and communities together. Its goal has consistently been one of bridge-building between the Muslim community and the American society at large. ISNA is an association of Muslim organizations and individuals that provides a common platform for presenting Islam, supporting Muslim communities, developing educational, social and outreach programs and fostering good relations with other religious communities and civic and service organizations. ISNA organizes dozens of annual national and regional conferences. The ISNA National Convention held annually over Labor Day weekend attracts 40,000 attendees.

CONTACT: Mohamed Elsanousi, Director of Communication and Community Outreach, Phone: 317-839-8103, Email: melsanousi@isna.net

SEE ALSO:

IL: HOSPITALS CREATE AREAS FOR MUSLIM PRAYER - TOP
Janice Neumann, Beliefnet.com, 8/23/06
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/198/story_19849_1.html

The corridor of a bustling hospital is not the best place for kneeling in devout prayer, many Muslim families and doctors have learned. But praying in a chapel comes with its own set of problems -- forbidden pictures and statues of living beings, pews facing in the opposite direction of Mecca, and worshippers wearing shoes on the floor where Muslims kneel to pray.

So when a nondescript Muslim prayer room recently opened at Advocate Christ Hospital and Medical Center in this Chicago suburb, families and staff were "flying from happiness," said Refat Abukhdeir, the hospital's Muslim chaplain.

"Usually you find a little quiet corner or some spot and hope nobody trips over you," said Habibah Ayyash, 25, of Frankfort, Ill., who was praying in the hallway on breaks from visiting her father-in-law in the hospital until the prayer room opened earlier this year. "Especially when someone is in the hospital, you're already down, so it's helpful to have a room where you can sit and pray," Ayyash said. The room, which holds 10 to 15 people, is one of about a dozen that have sprouted up in hospitals nationwide since the late 1980s in areas with large Muslim populations, according to an informal survey.

Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, and Texas Medical Center in Houston have Muslim prayer rooms. More generic interfaith prayer and meditation rooms are far more common, according to several hospital chaplains. (MORE)

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MARRIAGE CONTRACT DRAWS LINE - TOP
Documents are being written for Muslim couples and can help women assert rights, law experts say
Nahal Toosi, Associated Press, 8/24/06
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--muslimmarriagecon0824aug24,0,623368.story\

Should anything go wrong in her marriage, Zaynab Abdul-Razacq is confident her rights will be well-protected. Her husband has guaranteed it -- in writing.

The young Muslim couple chose a path advocated by Islamic scholars concerned about women's rights: They drew up a Muslim marriage contract that takes into account modern needs.

Abdul-Razacq's agreement states that she is in charge of the household finances and that if her husband abuses her in "any dimension of wellness" she can automatically divorce him. He stipulated that he could make household decisions without interference from in-laws and other relatives.

"At the outset, we agreed these are things that are pretty important to us," said Abdul-Razacq, 29, who lives in Decatur, Ga., and married three years ago.

The contract has long been a Muslim tradition. Most, however, contain just one key provision, that of the "mahr," a gift usually of money, that the man gives the woman.

Islamic law experts who advocate for better treatment for women say the documents can help them assert rights under religious law that have long been played down by men. Advocates contend their approach is well within Islamic law, even though skeptics say the interpretation is too influenced by Western thinking.

The contract is especially useful in the United States, where Muslims come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds and follow different customs and levels of observance. The document can accommodate views ranging from liberal to conservative.

Karamah, an organization of Muslim women lawyers based in Washington, is developing a "model" marriage contract that can be adjusted to meet the requirements of family law in different parts of the country, said Azizah Hibri, a founder of the group, whose name means "dignity" in Arabic. In the United States, civil law governs divorce, but judges have taken Muslim marriage contracts into consideration, sometimes viewing them as prenuptial agreements.

Hibri, a law professor at the University of Richmond, Va., said the contracts also help couples prepare for the challenges of married life.

"Couples need to define their relationship as they enter the marriage, so that they do not get disillusioned later," Hibri said. "They need a meeting of the minds on what their family life will look like. The contract helps them do that by discussing the issues up front."

It's generally accepted that Islamic law gives women the right to property and financial independence within marriage. Some Muslims scholars contend women are not even obligated to do housework. These and other details about running a house can be specified in the contract. (MORE)

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Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

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Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2006 13:02:56 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: American Women Embrace Islam / CA Gov's Cold Shoulder to Muslims / Inquiry Opened Into Israeli Use of U.S. Bombs

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/25/06

* Hadith: The Prophet's Last Sermon
* CAIR: American Women Embrace Islam (People)
* CAIR Op-Ed: Use of 'Islamic Fascists' Can't Help (Scripps)
            - CAIR: Wages of U.S. Muslims Fell After 9/11 (Reuters)
            - CAIR to Host Former Iran President in D.C.
* CA: The Governor's Cold Shoulder to Muslims (LA Times)
            - MI: Dingell Removes Arab-American Web Links (AP)
            - Govt Doesn't Appeal Decision on Tariq Ramadan's Visit (AP)
* VA: Congressional Candidates to Speak at Muslim 'Civic Picnic'
* CAIR-MI News Conference on 'Surge' in Profiling
            - CAIR-NY: Racial Profiling Led to Detention
            - Travelers are Jittery after Air Plot Arrests (Wash Post)
            - Dutch Regret Arrest of Men on U.S. Plane (Reuters)
* CA: Jewish, Christian, Muslim Prayer for Mideast Peace
            - UT: Muslim Festival Reaches Out to All (Salt Lake Trib)
* Inquiry Opened Into Israeli Use of U.S. Bombs (NY Times)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: THE PROPHET'S LAST SERMON - TOP
Gulf Times, 8/25/06
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.aspx?cu_no=2&item_no=104198

"Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. . .All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action."

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CAIR: CHOOSING ISLAM: MY LIFE AS A CONVERT - TOP
A growing number of American women find a safe haven by embracing an ancient faith
Sandra Marquez, People, 9/4/06
http://people.aol.com/people/article/0,26334,1328839,00.html

Angela Collins was among the millions of travelers inconvenienced a few weeks ago when British authorities announced the breakup of a conspiracy to destroy U.S.-bound airliners. The ban on passengers carrying liquids made her trip from South America "gross," to say the least. "You can't wash your face, you can't brush your teeth," she says. The incident also brought her more important concerns.

At least two of those arrested in London were converted Muslims, like Collins herself. Yet their actions were so far removed from the religion she loves. "There are those converts who choose the extreme tract, which means they are angry about the way things are working in the world without Islamic law," she says. "It's the opposite of what drew me into Islam." What drew her in, says the 30-year-old school director with pale blue eyes, was a religion that made her feel cared for, something she felt she missed growing up as a latchkey child. The Council on American-Islamic Relations estimates that some 20,000 Americans convert to Islam each year, with women outnumbering men approximately four to one. According to Georgetown professor Yvonne Haddad, coauthor of Muslim Women in America, some, like Collins, are inspired by the rules of the Koran, which they find empowering. Some are seeking a community that endorses a woman's more traditional role as homemaker. Others are purely on a spiritual quest. "I think Americans should see them as women who have found themselves," says Haddad.

A 1999 journey to India set Collins, then a film production assistant, on her path to Islam. She stayed with a Muslim family for 2½ weeks, drinking tea and talking. She converted after reading the Koran back home. "I was blown away," she recalls, partly because she believed the Koran's teachings filled a void that existed since her parents divorced when she was 5. "As I'm reading, I almost feel as if I am being parented." It did not go well at first. One relative told her she would go to hell. In 2003 she married a Kuwait-born Muslim, but their marriage was rocky. They are currently going through a divorce, and she had to obtain a restraining order. "He wasn't practicing the faith," she says. Her own faith never wavered, however; today the Mission Viejo, Calif., resident works as the director of Al Ridah Academy, a Muslim private school.

Nicole Aeschleman, 25, an attorney in San Jose, Calif., converted to Islam in 2004 after emerging from a six-month partying spree getting drunk and dating men who weren't interested in relationships. "You just realize that you've done bad things to yourself," she says. "It was not a good time." To the rescue: Nabil Michraf, a soft-spoken Moroccan student she met during a summer law course in Strasbourg, France. They struck up a friendship, with Aeschleman, baptized an Episcopalian, sending e-mails and inquiring about his faith. "He never tried to convert me which was one of the reasons why I eventually did," she says. Aeschleman flew to Nice for a face-to-face meeting with her e-mail pal and the two fell in love on the beach. "I just realized he was the most amazing man," she says. She put her expertise as a family-law lawyer to work in drafting her own marriage contract in consultation with Muslim legal scholars adding provisions that she can divorce Michraf should he ever try to forbid her from working, going to school, studying Islam or should he ever take additional wives, as permitted by the religion. The couple wed in March. . .

Timna Valore-Schulze, 24, a receptionist from Bothell, Wash., wanted to become a nun as a young girl. Instead, after trying Episcopalian, Baptist, Pentecostal, Buddhist and Hindu congregations, she converted to Islam in 2001, deciding "it was the most feminist religion I had ever seen" because of its support for women's rights. (MORE)

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CAIR: CALLING THEM ISLAMIC FASCISTS CAN'T HELP - TOP
Parvez Ahmed, Scripps News, 8/24/06
http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/11721

(Parvez Ahmed is board chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington.)

After 9/11, President Bush described our fight against terrorism as a "crusade" - a statement he later retracted. In his first press conference after the recently thwarted terrorist plot to blow up planes flying from Britain to the United States, the president said, "This nation is at war with Islamic fascists."

The phrase "Islamic fascists" has drawn the ire of the American Muslim community. We use "Islamic ethics" to mean ethics based on Islamic teachings that guide our behavior. Similarly, Islamic art draws its inspiration from Islamic teachings that discourage certain types of art (immodest imagery or certain life forms). When the president uses "Islamic fascists," it conveys that fascism is rooted in or inspired by Islam. This is the way the Muslims see it, regardless of what Bush may claim he really means.

Bush earlier said that Islam is a religion of peace. Now, caving in to extreme right-wing pressure, he's equated the religion of peace with the ugliness of fascism. Such rhetoric contributes to fear of and backlash against American Muslims. A recent Gallup poll shows four out of 10 Americans feeling "prejudiced" against Muslims.

Prejudice against Muslims allowed our politicians to whip up a frenzy in rejecting the proposal of a Dubai firm to operate U.S. ports. Conservative columnist David Brooks wrote, "But it is certain that the xenophobic hysteria will come back to harm the United States. ... (The Mideast) is a region in the midst of traumatic democratic change. The strongest argument the fundamentalists have is that they are engaged in a holy war against the racist West, which imposes one set of harsh rules on Arabs and another set of rules on everybody else. Now comes a group of politicians to prove them gloriously right."

Scholarly writings are delving deeper into the roots of suicide terrorism. Robert Pape, in his book "Dying to Win," uses over two decades of data to show the paucity of connection between suicide terrorism and any religion. . .

In these trying times it is important that our nation stand united. Muslims form an important part of the fabric of America. We are law-abiding citizens, dedicated to the protection of our national security. We should not be singled out because of our faith.

Nor should our faith be equated with the evils of terrorism or fascism. We have no control over the actions of shadowy terrorist groups. But as taxpayers we certainly have a right to petition and expect our government to do everything in its power to protect us, including rejecting counterproductive rhetoric. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR: U.S. WAGES OF ARAB, MUSLIM MEN FELL AFTER 9/11 - STUDY - TOP
Ellen Wulfhorst, Reuters, 8/25/06
http://in.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-08-25T060438Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-264823-1.xml

The earnings of Arab and Muslim men working in the United States dropped about 10 percent in the years following the 9/11 attacks, according to a new study.

The drop in wages was most dramatic in areas that reported high rates of hate crimes, according to the study due to be published in the Journal of Human Resources.

The study measured changes in wages of first- and second-generation immigrants, from countries with predominantly Arab or Muslim populations from September 1997 to September 2005. It then compared them to changes in the wages of immigrants with similar skills from other countries.

The average wage was approximately $20 an hour ahead of the attacks in 2001 and dropped by $2 an hour after them, Robert Kaestner, co-author of the study and a University of Illinois at Chicago professor of economics, said on Thursday.

That drop persisted through 2004 but showed signs of abating in 2005, he said.

"I was surprised," Kaestner said. "We see an immediate and significant connection between personal prejudice and economic harm."

Looking for explanations, the study found a change in the industries where Arab and Muslim men worked, shifting away from higher-paying industries to those that pay less.

It also found Arab and Muslim men were 20 percent less likely, after the 9/11 attacks by Islamic extremist hijackers, to move within the state where they lived. That could affect their ability to pursue better paying jobs, Kaestner said.

"I think it's clear that the impact of anti-Muslim bias is more than just a hate crime or an overt act of discrimination," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington.

"I think the study shows that bias and prejudice can have an impact on many levels in the society and many levels within an individual's life," he said. (MORE)

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CAIR TO HOST FORMER IRAN PRESIDENT IN D.C. - TOP
NewsMax.com, 8/24/06
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/8/24/170414.shtml

A former Iranian president is going on tour.

Next month, in a flurry of public appearances, former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami will be the most senior Iranian official to visit Washington since 1979, when the United States severed relations with that country after the taking of hostages from the American embassy in Tehran.

On Friday, Sept. 8, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will host a dinner for Khatami at the Marriott Crystal Gateway in Arlington, Va. The theme of his address at the CAIR dinner will be "The Dialogue of Civilizations: Five Years After 9/11." (MORE)

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CA: THE GOVERNOR'S COLD SHOULDER TO MUSLIMS - TOP
Rebuffing California's Islamic leaders sends a message of intolerance.
Shakeel Syed, Los Angeles Times, 8/25/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-syed25aug25,0,1109844.story

[SHAKEEL SYED is the executive director of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California.]

EARLIER THIS MONTH, with war raging in the Middle East, I saw that my governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was meeting with rabbis and others who support Israel. As executive director of the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, a federation of more than 75 mosques and Muslim organizations serving half a million Muslims, I thought that such a high public official should also meet with members of my community. I wrote to him on Aug. 7.

I wanted to talk to the governor about three important points. I wanted him to know that my community felt that the deaths of innocent Israeli civilians from the rockets of Hezbollah were painfully tragic, and just as tragic as the deaths of innocent Lebanese people and the destruction of their country's infrastructure by the Israeli bombing. I wanted to ask him to listen to another, equally important side of the story. And I wanted to urge him to remember that the governor should represent and listen to all the people of California.

After waiting for more than a week, and following up with at least 10 phone calls to the governor's office, I had gotten no response. I felt it was my duty and my right as a citizen to avail myself of a public forum to reach the governor. When a reporter from the L.A. Times called, I spoke with him and, on Aug. 16, The Times correctly reported my perspective: The fact that the governor had ignored my request to meet was disrespectful and insulting.

I believe what I did comes under the heading of Democracy 101. Politicians govern and win elections by responding to the populace. And when they do not, the populace has two remedies: the power of the vote and the power of public opinion.

Finally, when the governor agreed to meet with two Muslims, it was as individuals, not on behalf of any organization. He refused to meet with me. His communications director, Adam Mendelsohn, was forthright in a public statement: "We did not meet with Mr. Syed [because] it was inappropriate for the governor to meet with someone who uses the media to demand meetings and threaten political retaliation."

I think the governor's communications director needs work on his communication skills. What he calls demanding a meeting, I call paying attention to constituents; what he calls political retaliation, I call voting.

I think that deliberately avoiding a meeting with me solely because I made use of my 1st Amendment rights is simply un-American.

This isn't a personal matter between me and the governor. It's about making sure that the half a million people I represent are heard in Sacramento. Marginalizing Californians who are Muslims subtly reinforces anti-Muslim stereotypes, which all too often cast us as outsiders. This is not principled, it's not good politics and it's not good for the state.

In these volatile times, with attacks on Muslims and our mosques, we cannot afford to be ignored by our governor; we can't stand by when his actions deepen religious and cultural divisions.

Californians are, by and large, decent and well-intentioned. They want to solve problems; they want to break down barriers.

Shouldn't their governor be helping them bring down the walls that separate us rather than building them higher?

SEE ALSO:

MI: DINGELL REMOVES ARAB-AMERICAN WEB LINKS FOLLOWING COMPLAINTS - TOP
Associated Press, 8/25/06
http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/business/index.ssf?/base/news-37/115650686485180.xml&storylist=mibusiness

U.S. Rep. John Dingell has removed links to Arab-American sites from his official congressional Web site, after Detroit's Jewish News complained that they make "unsubstantiated and disputed claims" about Israel's response to Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon.

The links were removed "because they are voicing sentiments about the conflict in the Middle East that U.S. Rep. Dingell strongly disagrees with and that are offensive to Mr. Dingell and to other constituents of Mr. Dingell's district," Dingell spokesman Adam Benson told The Detroit News for a story published Friday.

Benson said the links were put up in 2000 to help Arab-Americans looking for information about immigration.

In an Aug. 14 article, the Jewish News questioned links between Dingell's Web site and those of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and the Arab American News that "contained unsubstantiated and disputed claims of Israeli massacres and targeting of civilians" and "opinions harshly critical of Israel, Zionism and U.S. support for Israel."

Osama Siblani, publisher of the Dearborn-based Arab American News, defended his coverage of the conflict.

"The Jewish community has their own positions, and we disagree with them, but we do respect them, and we do not want to stifle debate as long as we are polite," Siblani said.

The decision to remove the links comes after conservative bloggers late last month seized on comments Dingell made on a public affairs television show.

Dingell was asked, "You're not against Hezbollah?" - the terror group that sparked the violence between Israelis and Hezbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon.

"No," Dingell replied.

But the snippet, which was posted on a popular conservative Web site and picked up by other conservative Web logs, was only part of the comment.

Dingell's full statement: "No, I happen to be - I happen to be against violence, I think the United States has to bring resolution to this matter. Now, I condemn Hezbollah as does everybody else, for the violence."

Dingell said he was pointing out that if the U.S. is to be an honest broker in the Middle East, it must talk to both sides. (MORE)

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GOVT DOESN'T APPEAL NY JUDGE'S DECISION ON MUSLIM SCHOLAR'S VISIT - TOP
Associated Press, 8/24/2006
http://www.silive.com/newsflash/metro/index.ssf?/base/news-20/115645554344200.xml&storylist=simetro

The federal government did not appeal a judge's ruling forcing it to decide within three months whether a prominent Muslim scholar can enter the United States to appear before organizations that have invited him, a civil rights group said Thursday.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which sued the government on behalf of Tariq Ramadan, said the government let the appeal deadline pass Wednesday, meaning it must decide by Sept. 21 whether he can visit the United States.

In June, U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty said the government's shifting explanations for failing to act on Ramadan's visa application were frustrating.

The judge said its assertion that national security concerns have caused the delay are inadequate without further explanation.

He said the government may exclude Ramadan if he poses a legitimate threat to national security but may not "invoke national security as a protective shroud to justify the exclusion of aliens on the basis of their political beliefs."

Ramadan, a visiting fellow in Oxford, England, has opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq and said he sympathizes with the resistance there and in the Palestinian territories. He also has said he has no connections to terrorism, opposes Islamic extremism and promotes peaceful solutions.

On Sept. 16, 2005, Ramadan requested a nonimmigrant visa that would permit him to attend speaking engagements. His earlier visa was revoked in August 2004.

ACLU lawyer Jameel Jaffer said the civil rights group was pleased with the government's decision not to appeal. He called it significant, saying the government "had until now done everything they could to avoid" deciding on the visa application. (MORE)

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VA: 6TH ANNUAL NORTHERN VIRGINIA FAMILY AND CIVIC PICNIC - TOP

WHEN: SATURDAY, August 26, 2006, 12-6 PM
WHERE: Lake Fairfax in Reston, VA

Adults: $2 Children(5 and under): Free

List of Speakers:

Candidates for Congress and Senate

US Senate 1
* Senator George Allen(R) - might be sending representative 2:30pm to 5pm
* James H. "Jim" Webb, Jr. (D) - Will be sending representative 2:30pm to 5pm
* Glenda Gail Parker (G) - Will attend sometime between 2:30pm to 5pm

US House District 8
* Tom M. O'Donoghue (R) - Will attend at 2:30pm
* Congressman James Moran (D) - Will be sending representative
* James T. "Jim" Hurysz (I) - Will attend sometime between 2:30pm to 5pm

US House District 10
* Congressman Frank Wolf (R) - Will attend at 12pm to 12:30pm
* Judy M. Feder (D) - Will attend between 1pm and 1:45pm
* Wilbur N. Wood III (L)- Will attend around 3pm
* Neeraj C. Nigam (I)- Will attend between 2:30pm to 5pm

US House District 11
* Congressman Tom Davis (R) - Will attend at 3pm
* Andrew L. Hurst (D) - Will attend sometime between 2:30pm to 5pm
* Ferdinando C. Greco (G)- might attend or send a representative sometime between 2:30pm - 5pm

Current Governemtn Officials:
* VA State Senator Ken Cuccinelli II - sometime between 2:30pm to 5pm
* Fairfax County Supervisor Penny Gross - sometime between 2:30pm to 5pm

Interfaith Leaders:
* Pastor Dr. Bruce Irwin
* Reverend Dr. Ron Christian

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CAIR-MI NEWS CONFERENCE ON 'SURGE' IN PROFILING - TOP
Michigan Daybook, Associated Press Newswires, 8/24/06

Aug. 25. 2:15 p.m. -- The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations to hold a news conference to address what the group says is a recent surge of religious and racial profiling targeting that state's Muslims. Contact: Dawud Walid, (248) 569-2203, (248) 842-1418 or director(at)cairmichigan.org

Location: Islamic Center of Jackson, 410 McNeal, Jackson.

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-NY: "I WAS MADE TO FEEL LIKE AN OUTSIDER IN MY OWN COUNTRY" - TOP
Muslim-Americans Say Racial Profiling Led to Detention, Harassment at Airport
Democracy Now, 8/25/06
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/25/142252

Middle Eastern, South Asian and Muslim passengers say they are increasingly victims of racial profiling and are being detained and harassed at airports. We speak with an American mother and daughter, both born in Iraq, who were held and questioned for hours at JFK airport. Twelve airline passengers arrested in Amsterdam on suspicion of planning acts of terrorism were released Thursday after Dutch police found no evidence they were about to commit an act of violence.

The men were onboard a Northwest Airlines flight to India when the crew became alarmed after they began using their cell phones soon after takeoff and ignored orders to stay in their seats. The pilot turned the flight around and made an emergency landing in Amsterdam to force the passengers off.

The twelve men did have one thing in common: All of them were Indian citizens or of Indian descent. The story is just the latest in what appears to be a sharp increase in racial profiling of South Asian, Middle Eastern and Muslim passengers over the past few weeks.

In just a nine-day stretch this month, a total of five Arab-American men and a Pakistani woman were tagged as potential terrorists. All of them turned out to be innocent.

At least one Congressmember has publicly called for screening people on the basis of race and religion. Last week, House Homeland Security Chairman Peter King endorsed requiring people of "Middle Eastern and South Asian" descent to ber singled out for additional security checks.

While the Justice Department and Homeland Security say they do not practice racial profiling, more and more cases are popping up around the country that tell a different tale.

Last week a group of Muslim-Americans say they were detained for hours at New York's Kennedy Airport when they came back to the United States from trips abroad. Two of those people join us in our firehouse studio today. Nagham Al-Yaqoubi is a US citizen who was born in Iraq and lives in New Jersey. Her daughter Arwa Ibrahim is a student at Rutgers University. We are also joined on the line by attorney Omar Mohammedi, he is representing Nagham Al-Yaqoubi and her family and is president of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. (MORE)

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TRAVELERS ARE JITTERY AFTER AIR PLOT ARRESTS - TOP
Incidents Have Asians, Muslims Feeling Targeted
Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan, Washington Post, 8/25/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/24/AR2006082401529.html

At an airport in Spain, a terrified 12-year-old girl began crying and pointing at two passengers, both Muslim college students, fueling a panic that led to their removal from the plane. A West Virginia airport terminal was evacuated when officials wrongly suspected that luggage belonging to a woman of Pakistani descent contained liquid explosives. A Muslim doctor was escorted off a United Airlines flight in Denver after passengers became suspicious when he recited prayers.

A growing number of these kinds of incidents in recent days suggest how jittery and suspicious air travelers have become. Since British police announced earlier this month that they had broken up an alleged plot by young British Muslims to bomb jetliners flying from Britain to the United States, passengers and pilots are reporting high anxiety in the skies.

Some say the feeling is an understandable response to extraordinarily unsettling events involving airplanes, beginning with the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But many Muslims -- and even Sikhs and other non-Muslim people who appear Asian -- say they are suffering for doing nothing more than "TWA: traveling while Asian."

"They were looking at us like we were going to blow them up," said Sohail Ashraf, 22, a student at the University of Manchester and one of the two men, both British, removed from the plane in Malaga, Spain. Ashraf, who was returning from a quick break after exams, said armed security agents escorted him off the Monarch Airlines flight to Manchester, England.

"When people see brown skin they get scared," Ashraf, who was born in Britain and has Pakistani roots, said in an interview.

Ashraf said he fit the ethnic profile of many of the suspects arrested earlier this month in the airline bomb plot. But that, he said, doesn't make him guilty: "I hate terrorists."

Ashraf said an elderly woman sitting next to him on the plane started staring intently at him when he began speaking to his friend, Khurram Zeb, 22, in Urdu. "She even started questioning me -- like how long I was in Malaga, and when I said, 'One day,' she clearly thought that was weird," he said.

Other passengers reported that the students, who were wearing jeans and light jackets, and not the shorts and beach attire of most of the passengers, stood out and seemed suspicious. After the 12-year-old girl started crying and pointing at them, Ashraf said, "10 people came toward our seats and stared at us in a bad way."

An airport official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the atmosphere on the plane was so "nasty" that the men, even though they had cleared security and were actually "sweet," had to be asked to leave the plane because passengers were leading a mutiny.

"It's right that people are on guard," said Inayat Bunglawala, a spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain. But he said that "security action must be intelligence-led, not appearance-led." (MORE)

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INDIA SAYS DUTCH REGRET ARREST OF MEN ON U.S. PLANE - TOP
Krittivas Mukherjee, Reuters, 8/25/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/25/AR2006082500254.html

The Dutch ambassador to India has expressed regret for the arrest of 12 passengers whose India-bound plane was diverted to Amsterdam after their behavior triggered fears of a hijacking, a government minister said on Friday.

The 12 men, all Muslims, were, however, cleared of any wrongdoing and released and their families said they were victims of racial discrimination.

The men were arrested on Wednesday from a U.S. Northwest Airlines flight that was turned back to Amsterdam after they apparently behaved suspiciously.

The Indian government said it was upset about the incident and had conveyed its views to the Dutch ambassador after he had been summoned to the foreign ministry.

"It's an incident which is not only unfortunate, it should have never happened," junior foreign minister Anand Sharma told reporters.

"Their ambassador has expressed regret. We are happy our nationals have been released," he said.

The incident has dominated national headlines and sparked angry debates in Indian newspapers and on TV channels over whether the episode was caused by racial profiling.

Relatives of the 12 men, who were expected in Mumbai later on Friday, said they had no doubt they were targeted because they were Muslim. (MORE)

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CA: JEWISH, CHRISTIAN, MUSLIM WORSHIPPERS PRAY FOR MIDEAST PEACE - TOP
Ellie Hidalgo, Tidings, 8/25/06
http://www.the-tidings.com/2006/0825/mideast.htm

"How can the Holy Land be filled with peace when the nations and we, ourselves, have not been fully converted to peace?" asked Deacon Eric Stoltz at the opening of an Aug. 17 prayer service that brought together Jewish, Christian and Muslim worshippers to express a common hope for peace in the Mideast.

Sponsored by the Wilshire Center Interfaith Council, the liturgy at St. Brendan Church in Los Angeles featured Scriptures read from the three traditions --- Jewish, Christian and Muslim --- which affirmed the universal human desire for peace, personally and in community.

Rabbi Susan Laemmle, dean of religious life at the University of Southern California, read from the prophet Jeremiah in which he laments the pain in his heart on seeing a raging battle leave Israel in ruins.

Rev. Charles Robertson, pastor of Wilshire Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles, recited the Beatitudes from the New Testament, and Father Alexei Smith, ecumenical and interreligious officer for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, led the Prayer of St. Francis.

Jihad Turk, director of religious affairs for the Islamic Center of Southern California, said that unity could be forged by praying to God.

"We unite in invoking Him by His most beautiful names: the Compassionate, the Merciful, the Sustainer, the Just, the Loving, the Source of Guidance, the Source of Peace," said Turk. "We call on our Lord, God, Allah, not only to help us achieve peace here, in the Middle East and around the world, but also to give us the strength to endure the loss that we suffer."

Jewish, Christian and Muslim worshippers, who had traveled together to the Mideast, lit candles to symbolize lighting the darkness of the world with hope. Intercessions were prayed for numerous countries engaged in violence followed by the Hebrew, English and Arabic refrain, "Shalom, Peace, Salaam."

In front of the church's altar were three small children's chairs with a single white rose on each, representing the Jewish, Christian and Muslim children who have died during the conflict. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

UT: MUSLIM CULTURAL FESTIVAL REACHES OUT TO ALL - TOP
Tiffany Sadler, Salt Lake Tribune, 8/24/06
http://www.sltrib.com/slc/ci_4232073

Ghulam Hasnain's Muslim faith is something he holds very dear to his heart. In fact, his passion runs so deep that he's sometimes moved to tears just talking about it.

This weekend, he and other Utah Muslims will showcase their religion, promote tolerance and honor the state's cultural diversity at the annual Salt Lake American Muslim Cultural Festival slated for the downtown City-County Building.

Since moving to the United States from his native India in 1967 to attend college, Hasnain has been devoted to promoting greater understanding of his religion. During his years in California and later in Washington state, Hasnain had many mentors help him cultivate his interest in community.

When he moved to Utah in 1996, however, he quickly realized there was no real voice for members of the Muslim community. Moreover, Utahns did not know much about the Muslim culture. That's why he founded the Salt Lake American Muslim Cultural Festival - to "foster goodwill between the Muslim and non-Muslim communities in Utah."

This year, the festival will celebrate its fourth anniversary.

A multiethnic and multicultural tradition, the event is dedicated to showcasing and honoring diversity. (MORE)

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INQUIRY OPENED INTO ISRAELI USE OF U.S. BOMBS - TOP
David S. Cloud, New York Times, 8/25/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/25/world/middleeast/25cluster.html

The State Department is investigating whether Israel's use of American-made cluster bombs in southern Lebanon violated secret agreements with the United States that restrict when it can employ such weapons, two officials said.

The investigation by the department's Office of Defense Trade Controls began this week, after reports that three types of American cluster munitions, anti-personnel weapons that spray bomblets over a wide area, have been found in many areas of southern Lebanon and were responsible for civilian casualties.

Gonzalo Gallegos, a State Department spokesman, said, "We have heard the allegations that these munitions were used, and we are seeking more information." He declined to comment further.

Several current and former officials said that they doubted the investigation would lead to sanctions against Israel but that the decision to proceed with it might be intended to help the Bush administration ease criticism from Arab governments and commentators over its support of Israel's military operations. The investigation has not been publicly announced; the State Department confirmed it in response to questions.

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: info@cair.com

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2006 16:40:24 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: CAIR Calls for FBI Probe of MN Mosque Arson

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

BREAKING NEWS

CAIR CALLS FOR FBI PROBE OF MN MOSQUE ARSON

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/25/06)
- A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today called on the FBI to investigate a fire set by arsonists early Thursday at a mosque in Minneapolis, Minn.

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the fire caused smoke damage and damaged religious texts stored at the Abubakar Assadique Islamic Center in South Minneapolis. A spokesperson for the Minneapolis Police Department told CAIR that the fire is being investigated as arson and that security tapes from the mosque are being reviewed. The spokesperson said a motive for the fire has not yet been determined and no suspects are in custody.

An official with the Minneapolis Fire Department told CAIR that a "white male" was observed on security tapes inside the building just prior to when the fire was discovered.

SEE: Arsonists Strike Minneapolis Mosque

"We urge local, state and national law enforcement authorities to use all available resources to locate the perpetrators and to determine whether or not this incident was motivated by anti-Muslim bias," said CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "We also call on the FBI to offer its resources and experience in dealing with this type of case."

Hooper said that in 2004, a suspected arson fire damaged a storage shed at a Columbia Heights, Minn., mosque. In 1999, arsonists destroyed the Islamic Cultural Community Center Mosque in Northeast Minneapolis.

He added that vandalism or other possible bias-related incidents have been reported recently at mosques around the nation and that CAIR is urging Muslim institutions nationwide to review security procedures using advice contained in its "Muslim Community Safety Kit." (See experts from the safety kit below.)

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

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EXCERPTS FROM CAIR MUSLIM COMMUNITY SAFETY KIT

REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Muslims must do their part to ensure the safety and security of our nation. If anyone notes suspicious persons or activities in their community, they should report it immediately to the local Field Office of the FBI. SEE: http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm

DEVELOP A LEGAL CONTACT LIST

Develop a list of attorneys who are willing to be consulted by the Muslim community in response to backlash incidents. Ask Muslim attorneys to volunteer their services to community members during this time of crisis.

DEVELOPING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES

Community leaders should immediately coordinate meetings between representatives of the Muslim community and local, state and national law enforcement agencies. These meetings should focus on ways in which the community can help national security and on how authorities can protect Muslims and Arab-Americans from harassment and discrimination.

MEET WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS COMMUNITY CONCERNS

Delegations of Muslim representatives should schedule meetings with local, state and national elected representatives or their key staff to discuss community concerns. To find out who represents your area on the national level, go to: http://www.capwiz.com/cair/home/

BUILD COALITIONS WITH INTERFAITH AND MINORITY GROUPS

Similar meetings should be coordinated with representatives of local interfaith and minority groups. These meetings should focus on building lines of communication and support, and hearing from these groups how they deal with discrimination and bigotry.

MEET WITH LOCAL SCHOOL PRINCIPALS TO DISCUSS STUDENT SAFETY

Representatives of the Muslim community should meet with local school administrators to discuss safety plans for students and to sensitize the administrators to harassment of Muslim students.

BUILDING AN EMERGENCY CONTACT LIST

Community leaders should develop emergency e-mail and phone contact lists to be used in case of an incident that threatens the community's safety. Local imams, Islamic center board members, and Muslim activists should be on the lists.

A second list should be developed containing contact information for all local law enforcement agencies.

HOLD A COMMUNITY MEETING TO INFORM OTHERS OF SAFETY GUIDELINES

Call for a meeting of the local Muslim community to discuss the information outlined in this kit. The meeting should take place at a local mosque or Islamic center and should be advertised using the emergency contact list.

ESTABLISH A COMMUNITY SUPPORT NETWORK

Establish a network of community members who can offer emotional and material support to those who may be the victims of hate crimes or discrimination. Victims should not be left alone to deal with the negative impact of such incidents.

REACTING TO INCIDENTS OF ANTI-MUSLIM HATE

If you believe you have been the victim of an anti-Muslim hate crime or discrimination, you should:

1. Report the incident to your local police station and FBI office IMMEDIATELY. Ask that the incident be treated as a hate crime. Ask witnesses to give you their name and contact information.
2. Inform CAIR even if you believe it is a "small" incident. Incidents may be reported online at: http://www.cair.com/ireport/ or TEL: 202-488-8787, FAX: 202-488-0833, E-MAIL: info@cair.com
3. Document the incident. Write down exactly what was said and/or done by the offender. Save evidence. Take photographs.
4. Act quickly. Each incident must be dealt with when it happens, not when convenient.
5. Decide on the appropriate action to be taken. Consider issuing a statement from community leaders, holding a news conference, organizing a protest, meeting with officials, or starting a letter writing campaign.
6. Mobilize community support. Contact CAIR and a local mosque or organization.
7. Stay on top of the situation.
8. Announce results. When the incident is resolved, make an announcement to the same people and organizations originally contacted.

CAIR MOSQUE SECURITY GUIDELINES

Areas of Vulnerability:

* Mosques located in isolated areas.
* Mosques left unattended for extended periods of time.
* Mosques with unsecured doors and/or windows.
* Absence of a burglar alarm system.
* Heavy exterior vegetation (shrubs, etc.) in which criminals may hide.
* Absence of exterior lighting.

Take the following safety measures:

* Build good relationships with neighbors of the mosque. Invite them to visit your center.
* Try to have people attend the mosque as much as possible. Activity deters perpetrators.
* Make an appointment with the community relations officer of your local police department to tour your center and make suggestions on improving mosque security.
* Request additional police patrols in the vicinity of your center. Special attention should be paid to times of darkness and during prayers.
* Consider creating a security committee at your mosque.
* Post mosque members at entrances and parking areas during prayer times.
* Report suspicious packages to police. Do not touch them.
* Install perimeter floodlights outside the mosque.
* Install fire and burglar alarm systems.
* Replace hollow core doors with more secure solid doors.
* Install burglarproof bars on screens and large vents. (Note - Research local ordinances before beginning security renovations. For example, window bars should not limit evacuation in case of fire.)
* Trim shrubs and vines to reduce areas of concealment.
* Participate in neighborhood watch programs.
* Document descriptions of suspicious people or vehicles.
* Make duplicates of all important papers, computer disks and records.
* Remove potential fire hazards, such as trash and debris.
* Consider installing security cameras.

RESPONDING TO BOMB THREATS

1. Distribute written instructions on handling bomb threats.
2. Keep the caller on the line as long as possible. Ask that the message be repeated. Record or write down everything that is said.
3. Ask for the location of the bomb.
4. Inform the caller that the detonation of a bomb could hurt many innocent people.
5. Pay attention to background noises such as music, which may give a clue to the caller's location.
6. Listen closely to the caller's voice. Make note of accents, voice quality (calm, excited) or speech impediments.
7. Report the threat immediately to the local police, ATF and FBI. Have appropriate phone numbers listed in written instructions.
8. If the threat comes in the form of a letter, save all materials, including the envelope. Handle the letter as little as possible.
9. Search the interior and exterior of the mosque. Evacuate the building if a suspicious package or device is found.

SUSPECT LETTERS AND PACKAGES

* What to look for:
* Name and title of addressee are not accurate.
* No return address, or the sender is not known to the addressee.
* Handwriting is distorted.
* Unprofessionally wrapped, uneven, bulky, lopsided.
* Contains bulges or soft spots.
* Poorly wrapped package is marked "Fragile-Handle With Care," "Rush," or has unusual restrictions such as "Personal" or "Private."
* Excess amount of postage.
* Protruding wires or tin foil.
* Package makes a buzzing or ticking noise, a sloshing sound, or emits an odor.

What to do:

DON'T open the package or letter.
DON'T put it in water or in a confined space such as a drawer.
DO isolate the article and secure the immediate area.
DO open windows if possible to help vent potential explosive gases.
DO contact your local police department and Postal Inspector.

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: info@cair.com

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2006 03:10:16 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: C-SPAN to Air CAIR 'Israel Lobby' Panel Live / Muslim Citizens Refused Entry Back Into U.S.

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/27/06

* Verse: Try to Excel One Another in Good Works
* C-SPAN to Air CAIR 'Israel Lobby' Panel Live
* CAIR-PA: Killing Opposed on Religious Grounds
            - CAIR-FL: Candidate Blasted for Views on Electing Christians
* CAIR: Men Sought After Fire at Minneapolis Mosque (Star Trib)
* CAIR-MI: Michigan-Bound Traveler Says She Was Profiled
            - Video: Woman Detained in W.Va. Speaks Out
            - CAIR-MI: Family May Sue Airline
* CA: Muslim Citizens Refused Entry Back Into U.S. (SF Chron)
            - Few signs of UK-style Radicalism Among U.S. Muslims
* MA: Islamic Society Subpoenas WTTK in Defamation Suit
* Muslims Alarmed Over Redrawn Map for Islamic World
            - New Map Proposes Changes in Pakistan, Middle East

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VERSE OF THE DAY: TRY TO EXCEL ONE ANOTHER IN GOOD WORKS - TOP

"If God had so willed, He could have made all of you a single nation. But He willed otherwise in order to test you in what He has given you. Therefore try to excel one another in good works. Ultimately you shall all return to God. Then He will show you the truth of those matters over which you dispute."

The Holy Quran, 5:48

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C-SPAN TO AIR CAIR 'ISRAEL LOBBY' PANEL LIVE - TOP

Forum: U.S. Attitudes Toward Lebanon and Israel
Council on American-Islamic Relations - 08/28/2006 - 1:30 p.m. (Eastern)

* Awad, Nihad Executive Director, Council on American-Islamic Relations
* Mearsheimer, John J. Professor, University of Chicago, Political Science
* Walt, Stephen M. Professor, Harvard University, International Affairs
* Saylor, Corey Director, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Government Affairs

A panel discusses the influence lobbyists for Israel have in the United States and how this may have affected attitudes toward the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The panel features Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer, who wrote an article in the March London Review of Books that raised questions about the power the Israel lobby wields over U.S. foreign policy, saying that the lobbyists try to prevent criticism by claiming anti-Semitism. Their article was also the cover story in the July-August issue of Foreign Policy Magazine.

The forum may be VIEWED LIVE on C-SPAN's main channel or ONLINE.

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CAIR-PA: THE RISK OF GENERALIZATION - TOP
Dale Davenport, Patriot News, 8/27/06

Now is not a good time to be an American Muslim.

Though the United States is not waging war against Islam, and protects its practice here under the First Amendment, those who attacked us on Sept. 11, 2001, did so in the name of Allah.

Thus, many Americans are suspicious of Muslims, having heard stories of imams in mosques preaching vengeful sermons, calling for violence against nonbelievers. The exhortation to wage jihad against "infidels," it's often said, is in the Quran.

Not so, say two Muslims who spoke with our Editorial Board last week. Islam, they told us, is tolerant of other beliefs, and Dr. Abul Hasan, who chairs the Central Pennsylvania chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, says that he opposes killing, on religious grounds. (MORE)

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CAIR-FL: HARRIS' COMMENTS DRAW FIERCE REACTION - TOP
Jim Stratton, Orlando Sentinel, 8/26/06

U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris said this week that God did not intend for the United States to be a "nation of secular laws" and that a failure to elect Christians to political office will allow lawmaking bodies to "legislate sin."

The remarks, published in the weekly journal of the Florida Baptist State Convention, unleashed a torrent of criticism from political and religious officials. . .

Ahmed Bedier, the Central Florida director of the Council on American Islamic Relations, said he was "appalled that a person who's been in politics this long would hold such extreme views."

Bedier said most Christians would find such comments "shameful." (MORE)

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CAIR: TWO MEN SOUGHT AFTER FIRE AT MINNEAPOLIS MOSQUE - TOP
Terry Collins, Star Tribune, 8/26/06

Two men are being sought in connection with an arson fire at a south Minneapolis mosque early Thursday that a City Council member labeled a hate crime.

The blaze at the Abuubakar As- Sadique Islamic Center also has caught the attention of the FBI and two Islamic civil-rights groups, which are calling for the federal agency's assistance.

"There's no doubt this was clearly a hate crime," Council Member Gary Schiff, whose ward includes the mosque, said Friday outside the center. "It was a very deliberate offense."

Minneapolis police Sgt. Sean McKenna said the fire at 2834 13th Av. S. apparently started about 5:30 a.m. More than two hours earlier, police think, someone pried open a bathroom window.

McKenna said burglary or a bias crime could be motives.

The fire damaged dozens of religious books, including copies of the Qur'an. . .

This is the third reported arson fire at a mosque in the Twin Cities area in the past seven years, said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman with the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an advocacy group from Washington.

He said that a fire damaged a storage shed at a mosque in Columbia Heights in 2004 and that arsonists destroyed the Islamic Cultural Community Center in northeast Minneapolis in 1999.

In a statement Friday, Hooper urged authorities in this latest case to find the "perpetrators and determine whether or not this incident was motivated by anti-Muslim bias." (MORE)

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CAIR-MI: MICHIGAN-BOUND TRAVELER SAYS SHE WAS PROFILED - TOP
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 8/26/06

A Pakistani-American Muslim woman with ties to Jackson said in a statement Friday that she was profiled because of her ethnicity and religion when airport security officials prevented her from boarding a flight last week because she was carrying a few bottles of suspicious liquids.

Rima Qayyum of West Virgnia has family members who live in Jackson. She said in a statement released Friday by the Council on American-Islamic Relations that Muslims like herself are being unfairly targeted.

"All of our basic liberties are being attacked," the statement said.

Dawud Walid, head of the Michigan branch of the council, said that what happened to Qayyum is part of a growing pattern of profiling of Muslims. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-MI: ONETIME JACKSON WOMAN DETAINED IN W.VA. SPEAKS OUT - TOP
Tony Tagliavia, WILX, 8/25/06

"The whole incident had its basis in racial profiling," Rima Qayyum, formerly of Jackson, said in a statement.

The assessment from the 28-year-old was read Friday by Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Quayyum, who moved to West Virginia last September, was detained for hours at an airport there. She says she was trying to carry facial creams and a bottle of water onto the airliner.

"All they had to do was make me throw away these items as [was] being done to other passengers; as it is being done at all the airports in the country today," the statement read.

Instead, she was detained and interrogated as those bottles were tested. Qayyum says it's because she's Muslim. (MORE)

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CAIR-MI: FAMILY MAY SUE AIRLINE - TOP
Monetta L. Harr, Citizen Patriot, 8/26/06

The parents of a former Jackson woman are considering legal action after their daughter was detained 14 hours at a West Virginia airport last week.

Samia Qayyum said her daughter, Rima, was the only one stopped Aug. 19, even though non-Muslims also had liquids in their baggage. Two bottles in her carry-on luggage tested positive for explosive residue. It turned out the liquids were water and face wash, as their labels indicated.

Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Michigan, called that and other examples "racial profiling" Friday at the Islamic Center of Jackson. (MORE)

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2 LODI RESIDENTS REFUSED ENTRY BACK INTO U.S. - TOP
Demian Bulwa, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/26/06

The federal government has barred two relatives of a Lodi man convicted of supporting terrorists from returning to the country after a lengthy stay in Pakistan, placing the U.S. citizens in an extraordinary legal limbo.

Muhammad Ismail, a 45-year-old naturalized citizen born in Pakistan, and his 18-year-old son, Jaber Ismail, who was born in the United States, have not been charged with a crime. However, they are the uncle and cousin of Hamid Hayat, a 23-year-old Lodi cherry packer who was convicted in April of supporting terrorists by attending a Pakistani training camp.

Federal authorities said Friday that the men, both Lodi residents, would not be allowed back into the country unless they agreed to FBI interrogations in Pakistan. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

AMERICA'S MUSLIMS AREN'T AS ASSIMILATED AS YOU THINK - TOP
Geneive Abdo, Washington Post, 8/27/06

If only the Muslims in Europe -- with their hearts focused on the Islamic world and their carry-on liquids poised for destruction in the West -- could behave like the well-educated, secular and Americanizing Muslims in the United States, no one would have to worry.

So runs the comforting media narrative that has developed around the approximately 6 million Muslims in the United States, who are often portrayed as well-assimilated and willing to leave their religion and culture behind in pursuit of American values and lifestyle. But over the past two years, I have traveled the country, visiting mosques, interviewing Muslim leaders and speaking to Muslim youths in universities and Islamic centers from New York to Michigan to California -- and I have encountered a different truth. I found few signs of London-style radicalism among Muslims in the United States. At the same time, the real story of American Muslims is one of accelerating alienation from the mainstream of U.S. life, with Muslims in this country choosing their Islamic identity over their American one. (MORE)

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MA: ISLAMIC SOCIETY SUBPOENAS WTTK IN DEFAMATION SUIT - TOP
Laura Crimaldi, Boston Herald, 8/27/06

The group building a vast Islamic mosque and social center in Roxbury has subpoenaed a local radio talk station after one of its prominent hosts, Michael Graham, discussed the project on the air.

A lawyer for the Islamic Society of Boston said the subpoena is part of routine evidence gathering for its defamation case against The Boston Herald, WFXT-TV (Fox 25) and advocacy groups that have questioned the mosque, including the David Project, a Jewish group. (MORE)

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MUSLIMS ALARMED OVER REDRAWN MAP FOR ISLAMIC WORLD - TOP
The Peninsula, 8/27/06

WASHINGTON o Muslim circles have expressed alarm and disgust at the publication of a redrawn map of the Islamic world in a journal closely linked to the US armed forces.

The Armed Forces Journal, which has published the redrawn map of the world of Islam along with a long explanatory article, is published by the Army Times Publishing Company, a part of Gannett Company, Inc, the world's largest publisher of professional military and defence periodicals.

The proposed scheme places Pakistan on the chopping block. According to the plan, "Iran, a state with madcap boundaries, would lose a great deal of territory to Unified Azerbaijan, Free Kurdistan, the Arab Shia State and Free Balochistan, but would gain the provinces around Herat in today's Afghanistan - a region with a historical and linguistic affinity for Persia. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

NEW MAP PROPOSES CHANGES IN PAKISTAN, MIDDLE EAST - TOP
Anwar Iqbal, Pakistan Dawn, 8/27/06

WASHINGTON, Aug 26: The US State Department has rejected suggestions that Washington is planning to redraft the boundaries of the greater Middle East, including Pakistan, along ethnic and religious lines.

The purported plan appeared recently in the US Armed Forces Journal along with two maps showing the new boundaries.

The article, by Ralph Peters, was the work of an individual and did not reflect the views of the US government, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2006 21:37:11 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Correction - 'Israel Lobby' Panel to Air at 1 p.m. on C-SPAN

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

CORRECTION: C-SPAN TO AIR CAIR 'ISRAEL LOBBY' PANEL LIVE AT 1 P.M.

On Monday, August 28, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will host a panel discussion on "The Israel Lobby and the U.S. Response to the War in Lebanon" at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The panel features Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer, who wrote an article in the March London Review of Books that raised questions about the power the Israel lobby wields over U.S. foreign policy, saying that the lobbyists try to prevent criticism by claiming anti-Semitism. Their article was also the cover story in the July-August issue of Foreign Policy Magazine.

IMPORTANT NOTE: A previous CAIR alert stated that the panel will be aired live on C-SPAN. The start time for the panel is 1 p.m. (Eastern), NOT 1:30 p.m. as previously indicated.

The forum may be VIEWED LIVE on C-SPAN's main channel or ONLINE.

Speakers:

* Nihad Awad, Executive Director, Council on American-Islamic Relations
* Professor John J. Mearsheimer, University of Chicago, Political Science
* Professor Stephen M. Walt, Harvard University, International Affairs
* Corey Saylor, Government Affairs Director, Council on American-Islamic Relations

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: info@car.com

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2006 18:50:54 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: CAIR-KY Offers Condolences to Families of Crash Victims / 'Israel Lobby' Panel to be Re-Broadcast by C-SPAN / CAIR's Khatami Dinner to Open Lines of Communication

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/28/06

* Hadith: Speak the Truth, Even if it is Bitter
* CAIR: 'Israel Lobby' Panel to be Re-Broadcast by C-SPAN
            - Statement of CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad
* CAIR-KY Extends Condolences to Families of Crash Victims
            - CAIR: Khatami Dinner to Open Lines of Communication
            - CAIR-MI to Participate in Interfaith Panel on Mideast
* CAIR-Chicago: The Flaws of Racial Profiling (Chicago Trib)
            - Behavioral Profiling Must Be Balanced (Sun-Sentinel)
            - CAIR-MI: Detained Muslim Accuses Airport of Bias
* CAIR: Warfare's New Theater: Graphic Online Video (Star-Ledger)
* MI: Judge Dismisses Terror Charges
* CA: Muslims Celebrate Unity with Fun (SF Chronicle)
* WA: Soldiers Immersed in Culture of Iraq (News Trib)
* Canadian Woman to Head Major Muslim Group (CBC)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: SPEAK THE TRUTH, EVEN IF IT IS BITTER - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If you have four characteristics, whatever worldly advantage passes you by does not matter to you: keeping a trust, speaking the truth, a good character, and (moderation in eating)."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1370

The Prophet also said: "God, show mercy to Umar, (for) he speaks the truth even if it is bitter."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1613

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CAIR: 'ISRAEL LOBBY' PANEL TO BE RE-BROADCAST BY C-SPAN - TOP

CAIR's panel discussion on "The Israel Lobby and the U.S. Response to the War in Lebanon" at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., was carried live today on C-SPAN. It will be re-broadcast on C-SPAN at 4:42 a.m. (Eastern) Tuesday monring.

The panel featured Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer, who wrote an article in the March London Review of Books that raised questions about the power the Israel lobby wields over U.S. foreign policy, saying that the lobbyists try to prevent criticism by claiming anti-Semitism. Their article was also the cover story in the July-August issue of Foreign Policy Magazine.

The forum may be VIEWED LIVE on C-SPAN's main channel or ONLINE.

Speakers:

* Nihad Awad, Executive Director, Council on American-Islamic Relations
* Professor John J. Mearsheimer, University of Chicago, Political Science
* Professor Stephen M. Walt, Harvard University, International Affairs
* Corey Saylor, Government Affairs Director, Council on American-Islamic Relations

SEE ALSO:

STATEMENT OF CAIR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NIHAD AWAD AT THE 'ISRAEL LOBBY' PANEL DISCUSSION - TOP

Good afternoon. My name is Nihad Awad and I am the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR.

CAIR is the America's largest Islamic civil liberties and advocacy group, with 32 offices across the United States and Canada.

Our vision is to be a leading advocate for justice and mutual understanding. CAIR's mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American
Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

On behalf of CAIR, I would like to welcome you to today's important and timely panel with two distinguished professors and experts on international affairs.

With the recent war in the Middle East, we believe that there is no more timely and relevant discussion than the one that we have sponsored today with professors Mearsheimer and Walt.

The tragic conflict that recently transpired in Lebanon, and continues in Gaza, has become a catastrophe for innocent civilians in the region and for America's credibility.

More than 1,000 civilians were killed on both sides, with the vast majority of deaths occurring in Lebanon. Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians were made homeless, and that nation's civilian infrastructure was devastated by a systematic bombing campaign using American taxpayer-supplied weapons.

Even today, civilians, mainly children, are being killed and injured by cluster bombs dropped on civilian areas in Lebanon, in apparent violation of agreements with the United States.

A report by Human Rights Watch issued during the conflict stated: "The Israeli government claims it is taking all possible measures to minimize civilian harm, but the cases documented here reveal a systematic failure by the IDF to distinguish between combatants and civilians."

The executive deputy secretary general of Amnesty International stated recently: "Israel's assertion that the attacks on the infrastructure were lawful is manifestly wrong. Many of the violations identified in our report are war crimes."

In order to understand the totality of the American foreign policy response to the conflict, we feel that it is important to analyze the impact of the Israeli lobby on our political process and response to the war.

People all over the Muslim world, from Palestine and Lebanon, to Indonesia and Morocco, question why the American government offers unconditional support for Israel and its occupation and humiliation of its neighbors. They ask why there is an automatic and uncritical defense of Israel, even when it defies international and American laws.

Our one-sided support for Israel is a liability in the war on terror. It has turned much of the world, including our European allies against us. It is time for our Mideast policy to reflect views held by the majority of Americans who desire a just and peaceful resolution that preserves the rights, security and dignity of Christians, Muslims and Jews living in the Middle East.

Our polling indicates that nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of those surveyed favor American neutrality or disengagement from the Middle East conflict.

We believe that only through an honest dialogue on the influence of the strongest foreign lobby our country has ever seen can we help to formulate a more just and fair foreign policy for all people in the world.

American's Middle East policy should be based on our nation's interests, not on those of a powerful domestic lobby for a foreign government.

It is possible for people in the Middle East and the larger Muslim world to regain their respect for America and to view as credible our nation's call for democracy and human rights.

It is also possible to build a Middle East in which all people, Muslims, Christians and Jews, coexist in an atmosphere of mutual respect.

To achieve that noble goal, we should have the courage to assess and change our policies toward the region and to maintain one standard for defining terrorism and the value of human life.

Before we begin the panel discussion, allow me to recognize a pioneer in promoting America's interests in the Middle East. Former Congressman Paul Findley, who served this nation for 22 years.

For a long time, Congressman Findley supported our uncritical stance in favor Israel, that is until he went to the region and saw with his own eyes the level of suffering resulting from that policy.

He ultimately wrote two groundbreaking books on the subject, "They Dare to Speak Out and Deliberate Deception." I would urge everyone to read these books.

Now I will turn the discussion back to Corey Saylor, CAIR's government affairs director.

Thank you.

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CAIR-KY OFFERS CONDOLENCES TO THE FAMILIES OF CRASH VICTIMS - TOP

(LEXINGTON, KY, 8/28/06) - The Kentucky chapter of The Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-KY) today offered its heartfelt condolences and prayers for those who lost loved ones in the tragic crash of Delta Flight 5191.

The chairman of CAIR-KY, Professor Ihsan Bagby, stated: "As residents of Lexington and Kentucky, and as human beings who share the same life struggles, we are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life of the passengers and crew of Delta Flight 5191. We offer our condolences and prayers to the families and friends of those who lost their lives in the crash. In Islam, we are taught to say, 'Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un' 'We belong to God and to God we shall return.' May we all find peace and comfort in God's grace."

CAIR-KY also prays for the recovery of the lone survivor, James M. Polehinke, and gives thanks to those who saved his life. CAIR-KY will contribute to the Red-Cross for the victims' families.

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

There are approximately 3,000 Muslims in the Lexington area and 10,000 Muslims in all of Kentucky.

CONTACT: CAIR-Kentucky, Tel: 859-221-9081, E-Mail: cairky@cairky.org

SEE ALSO:

CAIR: KHATAMI DINNER WILL OPEN LINES OF COMMUNICATION - TOP
Ex-President of Iran Is Due To Parley at United Nations
Eli Lake, New York Sun, 8/28/06
http://www.nysun.com/article/38637

With Iran on the military offensive, its ex-president is scheduled to address a U.N. conference next week as part of a charm offensive that may extend to Washington - if the White House lets him have a visa.

Mohammed Khatemi is scheduled to speak September 5 and 6 as part of the United Nations's Alliance of Civilizations project. But the preparations for his visit come amid a round of military exercises in Iran. Yesterday, an Iranian naval commander announced the successful test of a new submarine-to-surface missile, and on Saturday, President Ahmadinejad attended the opening of a heavy-water uranium enrichment facility.

In addition to the Turtle Bay conference, hosted by the socialist government of Spain and the Islamist government of Turkey, Mr. Khatemi has been invited to speak September 7 at the Washington National Cathedral's Center for Global Justice and Reconciliation. The Council on American-Islamic Relations also has asked him to speak at its annual convention September 8. . .

A spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Ibrahim Hooper, said his organization invited Mr. Khatemi to speak in an effort to reduce tensions between Iran and America. "Given the tensions that seem to be growing between Iran and the United States, it is vital the lines of communications are open between the two nations, and this is one way to keep them open," he said. (MORE)

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CAIR-MI TO PARTICIPATE IN INTERFAITH PANEL ON MIDEAST - TOP

(LATHRUP VILLAGE, MI, 8/28/06) - On Tuesday, August 29th, the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) will take part in a panel discussion entitled "Are you as confused about the Middle East as I am?" in Harper Woods.

The discussion will include presentations about why the Holy Land is a sacred place according to Jewish, Christian and Islamic religious traditions. Panel participants include CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid, Robert Cohen, executive director of the Jewish Community Council of Metropolitan Detroit, and Rev. Daniel Buttry of International Ministries.

WHAT: Panel Discussion: "Are you as confused about the Middle East as I am?"
WHEN: Tuesday, August 29, 10 a.m.
WHERE: St. Peter Church, 19851 Anita St, Harper Woods, MI

CONTACT: Dawud Walid, Executive Director of CAIR-MI, 248-842-1418, E-Mail: director@cairmichigan.org

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CAIR-CHICAGO: THE FLAWS OF RACIAL PROFILING - TOP
Christina Abraham, Chicago Tribune, 8/27/06
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0608270276aug27,1,4258513.story

[Christina Abraham is Civil Rights coordinator for the Chicago Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations]

While proponents of racial profiling such as columnist Jonah Goldberg argue that profiling "makes sense" and therefore should be allowed into the policies of law-enforcement officials, in actuality racial profiling is inefficient in terms of security and illegal in terms of law.

In his opinion piece "Face it: Profiling makes sense; Race should be factor in detaining travelers" (Commentary, Aug. 18), Goldberg argues that U.S. Customs and Border Protection should allow its officers to racially profile Middle Eastern and Asian travelers, instead of investing in technology that would more accurately detect possible transgressors.

Goldberg's argument is flawed.

First, though proponents of racial profiling can't seem to grasp it, racial profiling is simply not efficient as a method of detecting possible violators of the law. By adopting a policy of racial profiling, law enforcement would limit its scope to a narrow group of people. Would-be transgressors would merely need to make sure that the people carrying out the mission do not fit the profile.

Second, and more important, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers do not only have to watch out for potential terrorist threats. CBP must be able to detect kidnappers, drug traffickers, weapons smugglers and other violators of U.S. and international law. The task of the CBP officer is to detect any illegal activity involving travel. In order to better help them do their job, and minimize instances of officers violating the civil rights of travelers, better technology is needed to be able to efficiently and accurately detect the real threats--not people who look like they fit the stereotype of the person who should be suspected of being a threat.

What we would essentially end up with is security policy based on stereotypical attitudes put forth against a wide array of minorities in the United States. Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians and Middle Easterners would all be affected by such policies, and nobody would be any safer.

The neoconservative policies of racial profiling are in themselves part of the problem; those policies actually contribute to fueling the security threats that currently face this country.

Indeed Middle Eastern and Muslim Americans often feel that they are the targets of hostility in an otherwise tolerant atmosphere. Indicative of the hostility toward them in American policy is Goldberg's very comment that "100 percent of them [terrorists] are Muslim."

Goldberg puts forth such racist assertions as fact, which are then used as evidence to promote his arguments.

Proponents of the theory that terrorism is exclusively a Muslim proprietorship part with history's rendition of the facts. A cursory survey of the history of terrorism lists various groups with diverse backgrounds and motivations. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

BEHAVIORAL PROFILING MUST BE BALANCED - TOP
Asad Ba-Yunus, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 8/28/06
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-28forum01aug28,0,2478983.story?coll=sfla-news-opinion

With the Transportation Security Administration's new behavioral profiling system -- termed SPOT, for Screening of Passengers by Observation Techniques -- going on-line in many major airports in the U.S., we must be vigilant to not allow this threat detection program to deprive us of our inalienable constitutional rights.

While Rachel Patron's opinion piece in the Aug. 21 South Florida Sun-Sentinel highlights some obviously absurd searches by TSA officials, the new program employs a smarter system. By training TSA officials in behavioral psychology, we hope to give them the tools needed to spot a person who acts in a "suspicious" manner, rather than fits a particular profile.

This, of course, makes the selection of a "suspicious" person a highly subjective matter. Just as the 1970s-era "drug trafficker" profile became a very subjectively applied test, the SPOT program will necessarily evolve into a program that is based more upon appearances, stereotypes and perceived fears rather than on actual behavior.

Aside from this inherent flaw, there are two other significant areas of concern that must be considered with this or any "profiling" program.

First, from a legal standpoint, in order to avoid the U.S. Constitution's Fourth Amendment protections from "unreasonable searches and seizures," airport searches generally fall under the rubric of "administrative searches." Here, airport searches are considered part of border protection and must be authorized by statute. The SPOT program, however, has no statutory authority or foundation. The Supreme Court also required that such programs devise a systematic way to identify and then process the person, to avoid a violation of their rights. The old drug trafficker profile had certain objective triggers (i.e., setting off the metal detector more than twice), which resulted in specific action by law enforcement (i.e., asking for ID and asking other questions). The SPOT program appears to have no such objective and easily identifiable triggers, but is based on the perception of a person's behavior.

Secondly, what of the numerous possible noncriminal stresses -- fear of flying, poor health, etc. -- that may cause a person to act nervous, shifty, worried, sweaty or, in other words, "suspicious"?

SPOT will allow TSA and law enforcement to focus on persons who look Middle Eastern or "Muslim," while justifying it through a subjective psychological impression. And despite the fact that there is no specific way to "look" Muslim, it is interesting to note that none of our current profiles and prohibitions would have prevented the 9-11 attackers from boarding those planes in 2001 (aside from the restriction on box cutters). The video from Dulles Airport's security shows Mohamed Atta and his buddies smiling, talking calmly and not acting in any way other than normal.

The solution, at least in the short term, is to do what the British authorities did -- work with the local Muslim community. Although only Reuters reported that the U.K. investigation was initiated after a tip from a local British Muslim, we see no other reports in the media highlighting this essential role of the Islamic community. (MORE)

[Asad Ba-Yunus is a lawyer, former prosecutor and a member of the Board of Directors of the Florida Muslim Bar Association.]

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CAIR-MI: DETAINED MUSLIM ACCUSES TRI-STATE AIRPORT OF BIAS - TOP
Scott Finn, Charleston Gazette, 8/28/06
http://sundaygazettemail.com/section/News/2006082731

She was detained for 14 hours earlier this month because officials at Tri-State Airport mistook her face wash and bottled water for bomb ingredients. Now, Rima Qayyum is blasting airport officials and U.S. Airways in her first public statement since the incident.

The 28-year-old substitute teacher from Barboursville said she believes she was singled out because she is Muslim, since she was the only passenger stopped that morning, although non-Muslim passengers also had liquids in their luggage.

The incident briefly closed the Ceredo airport and received intense coverage from local and national media. It occurred shortly after British authorities broke up an alleged plot to bring down several international airliners by smuggling liquid explosives onboard.

"I fully blame the Huntington airport security for targeting me alone," Qayyum said in a statement released Friday. "A bottle of water and face wash was not a big issue. All they had to do was make me throw away these items, as were being done to other passengers, as it is being done at all the airports in the country today."

Meanwhile, the director of a Muslim organization is calling on federal and state authorities to investigate whether Qayyum's civil rights were violated.

Qayyum might file a lawsuit against the airport and airline, said Dawud Walid, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Michigan.

On Aug. 17, Transportation Security Administration officials at the airport confiscated Qayyum's face wash and bottled water and tested them. According to West Virginia State Police Capt. J.C. Chambers, the items set off "sniffer" machines designed to detect explosives and caused a reaction by a bomb-sniffing dog.

Qayyum is baffled by the idea that her belongings could set off any alarms, Walid said.

Adding insult to injury, U.S. Airways refused to allow her to board a flight the next day, despite being completely cleared by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Walid said.

"This is extremely gross, because Miss Qayyum was escorted to the airport on the second day by an FBI agent, but U.S. Airways denied her permission to board, even with a FBI agent next to her," Walid said.

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CAIR: WARFARE'S NEW THEATER: GRAPHIC ONLINE VIDEO - TOP
Propagandists and media scramble to make use of perception-changing images
KEVIN COUGHLIN, Star-Ledger, 8/27/06
http://www.nj.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1156653282172750.xml?starledger?ntop&coll=1

The cross hairs patiently follow two figures through the grainy darkness. They appear to be Iraqi insurgents planting a roadside bomb. A third figure scampers to assist them in eerie silence. The cross hairs jiggle for an instant, then stop. Moments later, the figures are obliterated in a ferocious explosion.

In the distance, U.S. troops guard a convoy snaking through a desolate urban landscape. Calmly, voices murmur in Arabic. The backs of several soldiers come into open view. Bang! One GI drops. "God is great," a voice intones, sounding remarkably detached. Another soldier hustles to drag off his fallen comrade. Bang! He falls, too.

The video clips from Iraq are impossible to verify, but they look all too real.

This is the YouTube War, a battle for hearts and minds being fought on computer screens around the globe.

Thanks to exploding bandwidth, cheap digital camcorders, cell-phone cameras and free Internet video sites such as Ogrish, Metacafe and the hugely popular YouTube and Google, combatants and victims in Iraq -- as well as Afghanistan, Lebanon and Israel -- are telling their grim stories in ways both profoundly disturbing and strangely mesmerizing.

Not since television brought the Vietnam War into American living rooms has technology so quickly changed the way millions of people experience the horrors of war. Nearly overnight, the editing and distribution of powerful front-line images have been placed in the hands of anyone, anywhere, who has access to the Internet. . .

Muslims were outraged by "Hadji Girl," a Marine's song that found its way onto YouTube in March. Laced with profanities, the song is about a fictional love affair with an Iraqi woman that ends in a firefight.

Cpl. Joshua Belile of North Carolina issued an apology, calling the song "a joke."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations accepted the apology.

"Given cell phones and the proliferation of video cameras, it's probably impossible to prevent these things from happening," says council spokesman Ibrahim Hooper. (MORE)

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MI: JUDGE DISMISSES TERROR CHARGES - TOP
Jil Schult, Gaylord Herald Times, 8/28/06
http://www.gaylordheraldtimes.com/articles/2006/08/28/news/top_stories/top_stories05.txt

Three Arab-American men arrested in Tuscola County for suspicious cell phone purchases are back home in Mesquite, Texas awaiting trial for other federal charges.

Initially the men were arrested as Tuscola County authorities suspected a terrorist plot with the Mackinac Bridge as the target. Federal authorities quickly indicated there appeared to be no such plot; state charges were dismissed Aug. 16.

However, once those terrorism charges were dismissed, Maruan Awad Muhareb, Adham Abdelhamid Othman and Louai Abdelhamied Othman were charged with federal conspiracy and money laundering, according to authorities with the U.S. Marshal's office in Bay City.

The trio, who reportedly had 1,000 cell phones in their vehicle - some purchased from Michigan Wal-Mart stores - were released from Tuscola County to U.S. marshals in Bay County.

On Wednesday, they were released from a jail in Saginaw after each posting $10,000 bond, according to a U.S. Marshal Court Security officer in Bay City.

They were turned over to a pretrial service in Michigan which works with the pretrial service in Texas to keep track of the three men, the officer reported. They are on tethers and have to ask permission to come and go while awaiting a hearing, he added. (MORE)

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MUSLIMS CELEBRATE UNITY WHILE HAVING SOME FUN - TOP
Amusement park get-together boosts identity as Americans
Demian Bulwa, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/28/06
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/08/28/BAGS7KQE8S1.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea

Deliberately forgoing more traditional gathering spots, thousands of Muslims from across Northern California gathered Sunday under a roaring roller coaster.

Holding the second annual Muslim Unity Day at Paramount's Great America amusement park in Santa Clara was fitting, said Resha Yunus, 46, of Fremont, who sat behind a booth for her nonprofit group Semah, which works to prevent domestic violence in the Muslim community.

"You can be a good Muslim but still ride the roller coaster," she said with a laugh.

Part of the point of the event -- which featured traditional food and prayer services and omitted politics -- was to emphasize the desire of American Muslims to live by their faith while fully embracing the United States.

Yunus was one of many guests who talked about how important it was for Muslims, especially younger ones who grew up in the United States, to celebrate their shared identity at a difficult time.

"We have a lot of roles to play," said Rima Chaudry, a 23-year-old San Francisco resident who has performed as a spoken-word artist in an effort to break down stereotypes about Muslim and Middle Eastern communities.

"We're very American, we have strong ties to our families' homelands, and we're Muslim. How do we play all these roles?" she asked. "There hasn't been a strong Muslim American identity formed yet, but it's happening with this younger generation." (MORE)

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WA: SOLDIERS IMMERSED IN CULTURE OF IRAQ - TOP
Sean Cockerham, News Tribune, 8/28/06
http://www.theolympian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060828/NEWS/608280326

U.S. soldiers in Iraq have to operate in a culture where it's legal and routine to own an AK-47, family honor is restored through revenge, and showing a boot sole could start a riot.

"Showing the bottom of your feet is the equivalent of giving someone the middle finger," Yvonne Pawelek, a Fort Lewis culture specialist, told a group of soldiers last week.

Her audience at a Fort Lewis theater included several soldiers new to 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. They are weeks away from joining the rest of the unit already in Iraq.

One of them, Pvt. Scott Miller, said cultural training was among the most useful classes they were getting before leaving for the Middle East.

"It's a lot different than here," the 24-year-old from Tennessee said after the training. "A lot different."

The success of U.S. operations in Iraq could hinge on how these young soldiers interact with the locals. It can be harder in a place where the OK sign is obscene, pointing with a finger is a sign of contempt, and people don't share the Western concept of personal space.

"When someone is talking to you they are going to get right up into your face," Pawelek said. "It's going to drive you crazy. But you need to understand it's just a different concept."

The soldiers will be in Iraq during the holy month of Ramadan, which begins this year near the end of September. Muslims will fast from dawn to dusk.

People take this very seriously, Pawelek told the troops, and soldiers shouldn't eat in public or make light of it.

"It would be really inappropriate to say something like, 'wow, what a great way to lose weight,' " Pawelek said.

Soldiers might see Iraqi men walking down the street holding hands or kissing one another on both cheeks. It's just a sign of friendship, she said. Troops are warned not to withdraw if a man greets them with a hug and kiss.

"If the president of the United States can walk around holding hands with the king of Saudi Arabia, you can get through this situation," Pawelek said.

She said hospitality and an incredible generosity are also part of the culture; soldiers are told not to praise an Iraqi's possessions too much. He might give them to the soldier, and a gift would be expected in return.

The soldiers learned about Islam, its history and sects. (MORE)

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CANADIAN WOMAN TO HEAD MAJOR MUSLIM GROUP - TOP
CBC News, 8/28/06
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/08/28/muslim-group.html

The largest Muslim organization in North America has elected a Canadian-born professor as its first female president - a result the group says signals support for women as leaders throughout their community.

Ingrid Mattson, a convert to Islam from Catholicism and an Islamic law scholar at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut, was elected to lead the Islamic Society of North America just ahead of its annual convention, which starts Friday in Rosemont, Ill.

Mattson, who grew up in Kitchener, Ont., and studied philosophy at the University of Waterloo in the 1980s, now lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children.

In a profile posted on the Hartford Seminary's website, she describes how she became interested in Islam while travelling to British Columbia by train for a tree-planting job in the summer of 1987.

She later went to Pakistan to work at a refugee camp, helping women and children displaced by the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

"Soon after I met my husband, he told me about a woman he greatly admired," she wrote in another internet posting, on the Why Islam? website. "He spoke of her intelligence, her eloquence and her generosity. This woman, he told me, tutored her many children in traditional and modern learning. With warm approval, he spoke of her frequent arduous trips to refugee camps and orphanages to help relief efforts…

"When I finally met this woman I found that she was covered, head to toe, in traditional Islamic dress. I realized with some amazement that my husband had never seen her. He had never seen her face. Yet he knew her. He knew her by her actions, by the effects she left on other people."

Umbrella group in existence since 1963

Formed in 1963, the Islamic Society of North America is an umbrella group that represents Muslim associations for youth, college students, engineers and others, and also provides support to Muslim chaplains and North American mosques. Its annual meeting regularly draws more than 30,000 people.

The president serves a two-year term, leading the society's committees and executive boards that set policy through consultation with its members.

Mattson's election represents "a wonderful message to the Muslim community that Muslim women, who are sometimes seen as less, can rise to these positions," said Sayyid Syeed, secretary general of the Islamic Society.

American Muslims have struggled over the proper role for women, debating most recently how far mosques should go in separating men and women during worship and whether women should lead mixed-gender prayer in mosques.

Still, women have had prominent roles outside of religious services, founding and leading some Islamic groups throughout North America.

The Islamic Society president is only rarely called upon to lead prayer, Syeed said. He added that Mattson will lead only ritual worship for women.

"That does not in any way limit her role as president," Syeed said. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

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Forwarded Message

Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 14:14:34 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: National Faith Leaders to Mark 9/11 with DC 'Unity Walk'

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATIONAL FAITH LEADERS TO MARK 9/11 WITH DC 'UNITY WALK'

WHAT:
On September 10, national leaders of a number of faiths will stand shoulder-to-shoulder in a "Unity Walk" on Embassy Row in Washington, D.C., to mark the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

Christians, Evangelicals and Jews will speak and Jewish cantors will sing at Washington's largest Mosque. Muslims will also speak at D.C.'s largest synagogue. The event will include Sister Sledge singing at the National Cathedral. (Thousands walked in a similar event held last year in partnership with the Points of Light Foundation.)

A Gandhi-style "Unity Walk" will also take place in New York City on 9/11.

WHO: www.911unitywalk.org - Major leaders participating: Arun Gandhi (Mahatma's grandson); His Excellency the Archbishop Pietro Sambi; the Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S. (from the Vatican); Reverend Richard Cizik (National Association of Evangelicals); Rev Mpho Tutu, (Bishop Desmond Tutu's daughter); Ambassador Akbar Ahmed (foremost Islamic scholar); Rabbi Bruce Lustig (Senior Rabbi of the Washington Hebrew Congregation); Episcopal Bishop John Chane (from the National Cathedral); Catholic Archbishop Donald Wuerl (his first major appearance since his appointment); Nihad Awad (Executive Director, Council on American-Islamic Relations); Lodi Gyari (Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama).

WHEN: Sunday, September 10, 2006 - 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

WHERE:
1:30 p.m.: Participants will gather at the Washington Hebrew Congregation (3935 Macomb St NW at Mass Ave) for 2 p.m. event. Walk begins at 2:15 p.m. sharp, stopping at the National Cathedral at 2:45 p.m. and at 3:30-4:00 p.m. at the Islamic Center (2551 Mass Ave), concluding at the Gandhi Memorial Statue (Mass Ave at 21st) at 5:30-6 p.m.

Dozens of other leaders from the Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Mormon, Muslim, Sikh, and Zoroastrian faiths will also participate in the walk.

Televised events are scheduled at: Washington National Cathedral where Sister Sledge will sing their famous song, "We Are Family"; the Islamic Center where Christians, including noted Evangelicals, will speak and Jewish cantors will sing; Washington Hebrew Congregation where world-famous Muslim singer Salman Ahmad will perform; and the Gandhi Memorial Statue, for a celebration to honor Gandhi, and to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of his peace walks across India and South Africa.

People of all faiths will walk together the length of Embassy Row, striving to know thy neighbor and love thy neighbor!

The Unity Walk has generated interest for similar walks in Amman, Islamabad, Istanbul, London, New Delhi and South Africa. A Unity Walk is scheduled in New York for September 11th.

- END -

CONTACT: Daniel Tutt - Office: 202-244-5006. Cell: 503-334-7141, E-Mail: daniel@911unitywalk.org

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

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Forwarded Message

Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 17:05:39 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Poll: 'Middle Eastern' Travelers Should be Singled Out / Pro-Israel Lobby Warps U.S. Policy / Khatami Will Get Visa to Visit

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/29/06

* Hadith: When Honesty is Lost
* Poll: 'Middle Eastern' Travelers Should be Singled Out
* Scholars: Pro-Israel Lobby Warps U.S. Policy (Chicago Trib)
            - Analysts See 'Disaster' in U.S. Position (Wash Times)
            - Israel Critics: Israel Planned Lebanon War (JTA)
            - War Proof of Israel Lobby's Power (Australian)
            - 'Israel Lobby' Panel Video
            - 'Israel Lobby' Panel Podcast
* U.S. Says Khatami Will Get Visa to Visit (Reuters)
            - CAIR to Host Dinner for Former President of Iran
* CAIR-Chicago: Poor Judgment in `Bomb' Case (Chicago Trib)
            - CAIR-LA: Bible, Quran Easily Quoted Out of Context
* Muslim Charity Strives to Keep 'Clean' (Chicago Trib)
            - Muslim Athletes Accuse Football Coach of Bias (AP)
            - U of Illinois Scholar Promotes Muslim Integration
            - Look for Ornament in the Art of Islam (Boston Globe)
            - Catch a Screening of New Film 'American Ramadan'
* Women Lead an Islamic Revival in Syria (NY Times)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: WHEN HONESTY IS LOST - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "When honesty is lost, then wait for the Hour (of Judgment Day)." He was then asked: "How will honesty be lost?" The Prophet replied: When authority is given to those who do not deserve it."

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 503

The Prophet also said: "Anyone whom God has given the authority of ruling some people and he does not look after them in an honest manner, will never experience even the scent of Paradise."

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Hadith 264

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AMERICANS BACK ANTI-TERRORISM RACIAL PROFILING: POLL - TOP
Jason Szep, Reuters, 8/29/06

BOSTON (Reuters) - Most Americans expect a terrorist attack on the United States in the next few months and support the screening of people who look "Middle Eastern" at airports and train stations, a poll showed on Tuesday.

The Quinnipiac University Polling Institute said 62 percent of Americans were "very worried" or "somewhat worried" that terrorists would strike the nation in the next few months while 37 percent were "not too worried" or "not worried at all."

The poll of 1,080 voters, conducted August 17-23, comes as many Americans are jittery after British authorities foiled a plot to blow up planes but is broadly in line with other surveys on expectations for another attack since September 11.

By a 60 percent to 37 percent margin, respondents said authorities should single out people who look "Middle Eastern" for security screening at locations such as airports and train stations -- a finding that drew sharp criticism by civil liberties groups.

"It's an unfortunate by-product to the fear and hysteria we're hearing in many quarters," said Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights and advocacy organization.

"It's one of those things that makes people think they are doing something to protect themselves when they're not. They're in fact producing more insecurity by alienating the very people whose help is necessary in the war on terrorism," he said. (MORE)

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TWO SCHOLARS SAY PRO-ISRAEL LOBBY HAS WARPED U.S. POLICY - TOP
Frank James, Chicago Tribune, 8/28/06
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/15383641.htm

Two scholars who created a controversy earlier this year when they wrote that the pro-Israel lobby exerted too much influence over U.S. foreign policy said Monday that the recent Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon was yet another example of what they view as a dangerous tendency.

John Mearsheimer, a University of Chicago political science professor, and Stephen Walt, a professor of international relations at Harvard University's Kennedy School, said the U.S. government's unstinting support for Israel's recent war in Lebanon once again placed the agenda of what they call the Israel lobby ahead of U.S. strategic interests.

The result, they said, was that the U.S. position in the Middle East, already strained due to the Iraq War, had worsened with consequences that wouldn't just be bad for America, but Israel as well.

"One, Iran and Syria are more likely to continue arming and supporting Hezbollah," Mearsheimer said.

"Two, Iran and Syria have even more reason to keep the U.S. pinned down in Iraq so it's not attacked by U.S. troops," he said. "Three, Iran has more reason than ever to acquire nuclear weapons so it can deter an Israeli or U.S. attack on its homeland."

Mearsheimer and Walt, who appeared at an event hosted by the Council on American Islamic Relations, singled out the American-Israel Public Affairs Council as the leading example of the how the lobby has warped U.S. policy. It was the same point they made in their essay called "The Israel Lobby" that was published in March in the London Review of Books.

They blamed the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a leading pro-Israel lobby, for a failed attempt to slightly amend language in a pro-Israel House resolution to call on the warring parties to protect innocent civilians and infrastructure. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, and Sen. John Warner, R-Va., were among a group of lawmakers who supported such a change, Mearsheimer said. . .

Walt said he and Mearsheimer had expected their essay to be controversial because when others had made similar observations in the past about the pro-Israel lobby's political power in U.S. policy debates, the reaction has typically been heated.

Still, Walt said, "... We were disappointed that much of the reaction consisted of attacks on our characters or on extraneous issues rather than on a serious discussion of our main argument. ... We really didn't say anything that was all that controversial, that wasn't common knowledge inside the Beltway . . .

"So it wasn't what we said," he continued. "It was rather that two card-carrying members of the mainstream foreign policy establishment with rather impeccable, even boring, middle-of-the-road credentials and absolutely no trace of anti-Semitic history, attitudes or behavior finally pointed out the elephant in the room."

Walt said the two men are preparing a response to the numerous criticisms they have received in the months since their original article was published. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ANALYSTS SEE 'DISASTER' IN U.S. POSITION - TOP
David R. Sands, Washington Times, 8/29/06
http://washingtontimes.com/world/20060828-103732-3540r.htm

The authors of a hotly debated study on the influence of the pro-Israel lobby in Washington said yesterday that the Bush administration's unquestioning support for Israel's military action in Lebanon confirms their thesis that the power of the lobby hurts both U.S. and Israeli national interests.

"Backing Israel to the hilt in the recent war in Lebanon was a disaster for the Lebanese people, served none of our real strategic goals in the region and ended up hurting Israel as well," said John Mearsheimer, political scientist and co-director of the University of Chicago's international security program.

Mr. Mearsheimer and co-author Stephen M. Walt, an international affairs scholar and academic dean at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, showed no signs of backing away from their analysis of the U.S.-Israel lobby at a National Press Club briefing.

The event was sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the country's largest Muslim civil rights group.

That analysis, published in the London Review of Books in March, was a lengthy attack on what the authors said was the distorting power of pro-Israel interest groups, think tanks, campaign donors and public officials to slant U.S. policy toward the Jewish state.

The article sparked a heated debate. Some praised the authors for taking on one of the country's most powerful lobbies, while others condemned them for everything from sloppy scholarship to anti-Semitism.

Mr. Walt said the two authors never said that groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee was involved in a conspiracy to drive support of Israel or to stifle debate in the United States, but that the ability of the Israel lobby to influence friends and punish adversaries on Middle East issues was "no secret inside the Beltway."

"It wasn't what we said" that sparked a firestorm, he said yesterday. "It was the fact that two card-carrying members of the American intellectual establishment finally pointed out the elephant in the room."

Mr. Mearsheimer said the Bush administration's strong backing of Israel's tactics and strategy in the conflict against Hezbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon harmed U.S. interests in several ways.

The inconclusive battle strengthened Hezbollah's standing in Lebanon and throughout the Arab and Muslim world, he said. The shelling of Beirut and other cities heightened anti-Israel and anti-U.S. feelings, fostering recruitment for al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. (MORE)

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ISRAEL CRITICS: ISRAEL PLANNED LEBANON WAR - TOP
JTA, 8/29/06
http://jta.org/page_view_breaking_story.asp?intid=4432

Israel planned the war in Lebanon months in advance with U.S. approval, according to the authors of a controversial paper on the pro-Israel lobby.

Stephen Walt of Harvard University's Kennedy Center and John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago spoke Monday at a Washington forum hosted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, expanding on their paper "The Israel Lobby" in the wake of the Lebanon war.

"They came up with a plan and they briefed it to the United States in the weeks and months before July 12," when Hezbollah rocket attacks and a cross-border raid precipitated the 34-day war, Mearsheimer said.

Asked to produce evidence, Mearsheimer said "everybody understood" that Israel was waiting for a pretext for war.

Critics of the earlier paper said similar assertions, backed by little or no evidence, were sloppy and undermined the paper's thesis that the pro-Israel lobby skewed U.S. foreign policy.

Walt repeated the paper's assertions that the pro-Israel lobby was key to the Bush administration's decision to go to war with Iraq, though the vast majority of pro-Israel groups refrained from committing to the war at the time.

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WAR PROOF OF ISRAEL LOBBY'S POWER - TOP
Australian, 8/30/06
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20300009-601,00.html

Two American scholars have reopened the debate on the power of the so-called Israel lobby over the US Government.

Earlier this year the two university professors created a controversy when they wrote that the pro-Israel lobby exerted too much influence over US foreign policy.

On Monday they repeated their claims and said the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon was yet another example of what they viewed as a dangerous tendency.

John Mearsheimer, a University of Chicago political science professor, and Stephen Walt, a professor of international relations at Harvard University's Kennedy School, said the US Government's unstinting support for Israel's recent war in Lebanon once again placed the agenda of what they called the Israel lobby ahead of US strategic interests.

The result, they said, was that the US position in the Middle East, already strained due to the Iraq occupation, had worsened with consequences that would not just be bad for the US but for Israel as well.

"One, Iran and Syria are more likely to continue arming and supporting Hezbollah," Professor Mearsheimer said.

"Two, Iran and Syria have even more reason to keep the US pinned down in Iraq so it (Iran) is not attacked by US troops," he said.

"Three, Iran has more reason than ever to acquire nuclear weapons so it can deter an Israeli or US attack on its homeland."

Professors Mearsheimer and Walt, who appeared at an event hosted by the Council on American Islamic Relations, singled out the American-Israel Public Affairs Council as the leading example of how the lobby had warped US policy. It was the same point they made in their essay, headed The Israel Lobby, which was published in March in the London Review of Books.

They blamed the leading pro-Israel lobby for a failed attempt to slightly amend language in a pro-Israel House resolution to call on the warring parties to protect innocent civilians and infrastructure.

A spokesperson for AIPAC said the organisation had not commented on the two professors' criticisms.

Professor Walt said he and Professor Mearsheimer had expected their essay to be controversial because when others had made similar observations in the past about the pro-Israel lobby's political power in US policy debates, the reaction had typically been heated.

"(Still), we were disappointed that much of the reaction consisted of attacks on our characters or on extraneous issues rather than on a serious discussion of our main argument," Professor Walt said. (MORE)

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'ISRAEL LOBBY' PANEL VIDEO - TOP
http://www.c-span.org/rss/video.asp?MediaID=26942

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'ISRAEL LOBBY' PANEL PODCAST - TOP
http://www.electricpolitics.com/podcast/2006/08/the_israel_lobby_and_the_us_re.html

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U.S. SAYS KHATAMI WILL GET VISA TO VISIT - TOP
Reuters, 8/28/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/28/AR2006082800555.html

The Bush administration, which is in a diplomatic tussle with Tehran over its nuclear plans, will allow Iran's ex-president Mohammad Khatami to visit Washington next week, the State Department said on Monday.

Khatami, whose reformist government ceded power last year to current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has asked for a visa to deliver a speech on reconciliation and other issues at Washington's National Cathedral on September 7.

"If he (Khatami) does intend to travel to the United States for the purposes for which a visa was requested, then it is my understanding that the visa will be issued," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

"This was a decision that was made (to allow Khatami a visa)," said McCormack, adding that he did not know whether a visa had been issued yet.

He said there were no plans for U.S. officials to meet Khatami during his proposed visit.

Khatami would be the most high-profile Iranian to visit Washington since ties were severed between the two countries after the 1979 Islamic revolution and 52 Americans were held hostage in the U.S. embassy for 444 days. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR TO HOST DINNER FOR FORMER PRESIDENT OF IRAN - TOP
http://www.cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=2258&theType=NR

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CAIR-CHICAGO: POOR JUDGMENT IN `BOMB' CASE KEEPS GROWING - TOP
Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune, 8/29/06
http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2006/08/poor_judgment_i.html

Today, most of the embarrassment and shame falls squarely onto the poor shoulders of Skokie resident Mardin Azad Amin.

The 29-year-old native of Iraq has become the subject of worldwide ridicule for an incident earlier this month in which authorities allege that he blurted out a bomb threat while passing through a security checkpoint at O'Hare International Airport in an ill-advised attempt to hide from his mother that he was carrying a marital aid in his knapsack.

"Embarrassed traveler tries to pass off sex aid as bomb," was the headline in the Scotsman (Britain). "Embarrassed into terrorism," bannered The Washington Post. "This guy's mom must be scary," chortled the headline writers at the Orlando Sentinel.

"Man tells security penis pump is bomb," said The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia). "No, That's Not a Penis Pump, Mom. Really," read the headline in more than two dozen U.S. papers.

The snarkiest dig came atop Amin's tale as told in the Toronto Sun: "Penis pump? On trip with mom!?"

Har. But sooner or later the embarrassment and shame are likely to fall on the airport security officials and prosecutors and judge in Cook County who, in consort, are pressing on with felony disorderly conduct charges against Amin that could land him in prison for three years.

Why? Because the case against Amin is ludicrous from beginning to end and it never should have gone beyond a careful inspection of his luggage and an apology for the delay.

His attorney, Eileen O'Neill-Burke of Chicago, says Amin admits attempting to carry the device through security and not wanting his mother, who was accompanying him and two children on a flight to Turkey, to hear his explanation to the guard.

"He told them it was a pump, a pump," O'Neill-Burke said. "But he has a very thick accent. It's so thick that I had to meet with him face to face before I could understand him."

Even still, she said, Amin's "pump" sounded to her a lot like "bomb."

"There is no `p' in Arabic, so `pump' would come out more like `bumb,'" said Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

The additional facts that any fool could see that the device itself wasn't a bomb and wasn't contraband and that any fool would know that an Arab man in his 20s with a clean record is the last person in the world who'd think that talking about bombs to airport security personnel is a good way to quietly and discreetly pass through the checkpoint did not dissuade our plucky authorities.

They are not just any fools. They questioned him for several hours, arrested and charged him, and then threw him upon the mercy of the rim-shot media, which couldn't resist mocking him first for his supposed stupidity and second for having a use for this particular device. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-LA: BIBLE, QURAN EASILY QUOTED OUT OF CONTEXT - TOP
Hussam Ayloush, North County Times, 8/29/06

Andy McIntosh ("Islamic history, words at odds," Community Forum, Aug. 24), posed questions to Muslims, and I am more than happy to respond, in efforts to dispel myths about Islam and counter ignorance and Islamophobia.

The Quran, like other scriptures, cannot be understood except within its context. A verse in the Quran that Mr. McIntosh quoted specifically refers to Muslim armies involved in a defensive battle.

Similarly, one verse in the Bible can easily be taken out of context. It says, "Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep..." (1 Samuel 15:3)

Islam forbids aggression and, like Christianity, has rules for a just war. Those rules are limited to self-defense or protecting people who encounter injustice, as stated in the following verses in the Quran:

"Fight in the way of God against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities. Lo! God loves not aggressors." (2:190)

Additionally, the Prophet Muhammad said, "Do not kill women or children or noncombatants and do not kill old people or religious people. Do not cut down fruit-bearing trees and do not poison the wells of your enemies."

Just as the Bible has been abused by fanatics to justify the Crusades, slavery and the Holocaust, so have fanatics abused the Quran to further their murderous agenda.

Islam, like other religions, teaches respect, peace and tolerance for everyone. I also wish peace on Mr. McIntosh and followers of all faiths.

Hussam Ayloush
Executive Director, Council on American-Islamic Relations-Southern California

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CHARITY STRIVES TO KEEP `CLEAN' - TOP
Muslim groups lack Treasury guidance
Deborah Horan, Chicago Tribune, 8/29/06

Anwar Khan is short on details but strong in his belief that the aid his worldwide Muslim charity has donated to help rebuild Lebanon will not end up in the hands of Hezbollah.

The money--$2 million collected nationwide since the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict began, including about $200,000 from Chicago-area Muslims--is funneled through legitimate organizations, he said, including the Lebanese Red Cross. In some cases, a representative of Khan's Islamic Relief, based in Buena Park, Calif., is on location.

"That's our job, to monitor that," Khan said at a recent fundraiser in a Villa Park mosque. "We have to make sure relief supplies aren't given to any political organization."

But while Khan's intent appears sincere--and Islamic Relief has never run into problems with U.S. authorities, according to a spokeswoman for the Treasury Department--making sure donations don't come into contact with Hezbollah volunteers may be harder in practice, aid workers said.

The Shiite organization has ministers in government, members of parliament, mayors in small towns and a network of thousands of volunteers who have been ferrying aid supplies to devastated areas since a cease-fire took effect earlier this month. Yet contact with Hezbollah, which the U.S. government considers a terrorist organization, could put a charity at risk of being shut down.

"Every U.S. aid agency is facing the exact same problem," said a spokesman for a West Coast aid agency operating in Lebanon, who asked not to be named because the subject is "super, super, super sensitive." "We're waiting on word from the Treasury on that. We're waiting on some sort of guidance."

The Treasury spokeswoman, Molly Millerwise, said charities operating in the U.S. are barred from knowingly financing or "working with" Hezbollah. The question is what might constitute "working with," given that many Lebanese officials are affiliated with the group.

After Sept. 11, 2001, the government issued general guidelines meant to help charities maintain transparency and prevent money from being diverted to groups or individuals that the government has designated as terrorists. It also created a list of some 400 individuals and organizations, including 43 charities, that it accuses of funding terrorism, Treasury officials said.

Muslim charity workers have asked the department to create a second list of charities it considers "safe" to donate to, but so far it has refused on the grounds that terrorists might then try to infiltrate those agencies, officials said. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

MUSLIM ATHLETES ACCUSE FOOTBALL COACH OF RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION - TOP
Associated Press, 8/29/06
http://www.kgw.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8JPOOIG0.html

Three former New Mexico State University football players - all Muslims - on Monday sued the university and coach Hal Mumme, alleging they were dismissed from the team because of their religious beliefs.

The federal lawsuit was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of Mu'Ammar Ali and brothers Anthony and Vincent Thompson. The lawsuit alleges religious discrimination and violations of the athletes' right to freely exercise their religion.

The suit claims that Mumme, who was hired by New Mexico State in January 2005, instituted a "religious brotherhood" within the football team and singled out Muslim athletes on the team.

"Universities are supposed to be places of evolved thinking and reason, not of base intolerance and bigotry" said Peter Simonson, executive director of ACLU New Mexico. "They are supposed to rise above the knee-jerk prejudices that sometimes afflict our society. In this case, the university failed its purpose and a coach indulged in those prejudices to assert his own religious preferences over the players and the team."

Bruce Kite, the school's general counsel, said he had not seen the lawsuit.

"I really don't know what the allegations are. To say anything at this point and time would not be appropriate," Kite told The Associated Press.

Besides Mumme, the lawsuit also names the NMSU board of regents and William V. Flores, the school's vice president and provost.

The lawsuit said Mumme had players recite the Lord's Prayer after each practice and before each game. Ali and the Thompsons said that practice made them feel like outcasts and caused them to pray separately from the other players.

According to the lawsuit, not long after Mumme learned that Ali and the Thompsons were Muslim, he prohibited the Thompsons from attending the team's spring 2005 training camp and questioned Ali about his attitudes toward al-Qaida.

The lawsuit says the Thompsons were dismissed from the team on Sept. 2, 2005, allegedly because they moved their belongings to an unapproved locker and were labeled "troublemakers." (MORE)

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UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO SCHOLAR PROMOTES MUSLIM INTEGRATION - TOP
AScribe Newswire, 8/28/06
http://newswire.ascribe.org/cgi-bin/behold.pl?ascribeid=20060828.141710

Most of metropolitan Chicago's 400,000 Muslims are isolated from the communities in which they live -- especially in the suburbs -- and not necessarily by choice, says Louise Cainkar, a fellow of the Great Cities Institute of the University of Illinois at Chicago and an internationally recognized expert on Muslims and Arabs in the West.

Through a study supported by a $50,000 grant from the Chicago Community Trust, Cainkar will study relationships between Muslims and others in their suburbs. She will recommend strategies by which local Muslim organizations can speed the process of civic integration.

Her study will focus on three Chicago suburbs where residents have opposed mosques: Bridgeview, where mobs surrounded a mosque for three days after 9/11; and Morton Grove and Orland Park, where residents organized to stop the construction of mosques.

"Many Americans have held Muslims collectively responsible for the 9/11 attacks because of negative media portrayals and events in the Middle East," Cainkar said. "As an isolated group, Muslims were easily targeted, and there were few social repercussions for targeting them."

Cainkar said that historically, American immigrant groups adapt to the dominant culture as that culture changes to accommodate them in a process that typically takes 20 to 30 years.

"One major lesson of history is that for Muslims to be welcome as members of American society, American society itself must change, and Muslims must do much of the work to cause that change," Cainkar said.

"The issues Muslims face are in some ways more difficult than for previous religious minorities because social conflicts involving Muslims have both domestic and global components. Some American politicians have relied on negative images of Muslims to gain support for their foreign policies. This frustrates Muslim Americans' efforts to be civically engaged in American society," she said. (MORE)

CONTACT: Anne Brooks Ranallo, UIC Media Relations, 312-355-2523, aranallo@uic.edu

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LOOK FOR ORNAMENT IN THE ART OF ISLAM - TOP
Boston Globe, 8/27/06
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/08/27/look_for_ornament_in_the_art_of_islam/

Ornament, a key feature of Islamic art, is the focus of an exhibition opening Friday in the McMullen Museum of Art at Boston College.

"Cosmophilia: Islamic Art from the David Collection, Copenhagen" showcases more than 120 pieces, several of them being shown in the United States for the first time.

"Cosmophilia" means "love of ornament," and the show's thematic organization is designed for accessibility and optimal viewing of decoration in both secular and religious works. Its scope is wide ranging, with pieces created in a variety of media, techniques, and time periods.

The exhibition will run through Dec. 31 at the museum, in Devlin Hall on the BC campus, 140 Commonwealth Ave. in Chestnut Hill. An opening reception will be held on Sept. 12, from 7 to 9 p.m. Free admission.

For information, call 617-552-8100 or visit www.bc.edu/artmuseum

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CATCH A SCREENING OF NEW FILM 'AMERICAN RAMADAN' - TOP
Making Positive Images, August 2006
http://www.americanramadan.com/newsletter/ar_news_08282006.html

Catch the film on PBS (KERA 13 - Dallas)

Get the Tivo out - and catch the film in Dallas on KERA TV (PBS affiliate)! We are so excited about getting our film aired on local PBS, these folks always bring such great programming to the air. We'll announce air date(s) soon - in the meantime, visit www.kera.org and support public television!

Catch the film at ISNA in Chicago this weekend!

If you're attending the 43rd Annual ISNA Convention in Chicago, this coming weekend - don't miss the screening - they'll be playing our film on Saturday and Sunday. We'll announce screening times shortly! (MORE)

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WOMEN LEAD AN ISLAMIC REVIVAL IN SYRIA, TESTING ITS SECULARISM - TOP
Katherine Zoepf, New York Times, 8/29/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/29/world/middleeast/29syria.html

Enas al-Kaldi stops in the hallway of her Islamic school for girls and coaxes her 6-year-old schoolmate through a short recitation from the Koran.

''It's true that they don't understand what they are memorizing at this age, but we believe that the understanding comes when the Koran becomes part of you,'' Ms. Kaldi, 16, said proudly.

In other corners of Damascus, women who identify one another by the distinctive way they tie their head scarves gather for meetings of an exclusive and secret Islamic women's society known as the Qubaisiate.

At those meetings, participants say, they are tutored further in the faith and are even taught how to influence some of their well-connected fathers and husbands to accept a greater presence of Islam in public life.

These are the two faces of an Islamic revival for women in Syria, one that could add up to a potent challenge to this determinedly secular state. Though government officials vociferously deny it, Syria is becoming increasingly religious and its national identity is weakening. If Islam replaces that identity, it may undermine the unity of a society that is ruled by a Muslim religious minority, the Alawites, and includes many religious groups.

Syrian officials, who had front-row seats as Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into war, are painfully aware of the myriad ways that state authority can be undermined by increasingly powerful, and appealing, religious groups. Though Syria's government supports Hezbollah, it has been taking steps to ensure that the phenomenon it helped to build in Lebanon does not come to haunt it at home.

In the past, said Muhammad al-Habash, a Syrian lawmaker who is also a Muslim cleric, ''we were told that we had to leave Islam behind to find our futures.''

''But these days,'' he said, ''if you ask most people in Syria about their history, they will tell you, 'My history is Islamic history.' The younger generation are all reading the Koran.''

Women are in the vanguard. Though men across the Islamic world usually interpret Scripture and lead prayers, Syria, virtually alone in the Arab world, is seeing the resurrection of a centuries-old tradition of sheikhas, or women who are religious scholars. The growth of girls' madrasas has outpaced those for boys, religious teachers here say. . .

The girls at the madrasa say that by plunging more deeply into their faith, they learn to understand their rights within Islam.

In upper-level courses at the Zahra school, the girls debate questions like whether a woman has the right to vote differently from her husband. The question is moot in Syria, one classmate joked, because President Assad inevitably wins elections by a miraculous 99 percent, just as his father did before him.

When the occasion arises, they say, they are able to reason from the Koran on an equal footing with men.

''People mistake tradition for religion,'' Ms. Kaldi said. ''Men are always saying, 'Women can't do that because of religion,' when in fact it is only tradition. It's important for us to study so that we will know the difference." (MORE)

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Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
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Forwarded Message

Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 17:45:33 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: 'Israel Lobby' Panel Transcript Now Online / CAIR Board Member Avoided Doomed Plane / Students Offered Discount for Khatami Dinner

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 8/30/06

* Hadith: 'You are Protected, Saved and Guided'
* CAIR: Students Offered Discount for Khatami Dinner
            - Carter Agrees to Hold Talks With Khatami (Wash Post)
* CAIR-KY: CAIR Board Member Avoided Doomed Plane
            - CAIR-OH, ACLU Challenge Voter Intimidation
            - CAIR-MI: 'Islam-Phobia' Abounds in Post 9/11 America
* CAIR: 'Israel Lobby' Panel Transcript Now Online
            - US Scholars: Israel Planned Lebanon War (Jerusalem Post)
            - Can You Really Not See? (Haaretz)
            - MO Woman is Human Shield for Palestinians (Post-Disp)
* Republicans Target 'Islamic Fascism' (AP)
* OR: Charity's Spying Suit Rests on One Document (Oregonian)
            - Woman Takes Reins of Major Muslim Group (Chicago Trib)
            - Afghans Face Cultural Divide in U.S. (Wash Post)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: 'YOU ARE PROTECTED, SAVED AND GUIDED' - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "When one of you leaves the house he should say, 'In the name of God, I put my trust in God. There is no power or strength except with God.' To him it is said: 'This is sufficient for you. You are protected, saved and guided.'"

Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 4, Number 124A

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CAIR: STUDENTS OFFERED DISCOUNT FOR KHATAMI DINNER - TOP

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/30/06) - Because of many requests from students nationwide, CAIR is offering a limited number of half-price student tickets for the September 8 dinner with former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami at the Marriott Crystal Gateway in Arlington, Va.

WHAT: CAIR Hosts Dinner for Former President of Iran
WHEN: Friday, September 8, 2006, 7-9 p.m.
WHERE: Marriott Crystal Gateway, 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Va.
COST: Student ticket for dinner only: $125 per person (with current student ID)
CONTACT: RSVP by Tuesday, September 5, 2006, by calling 202-488-8787, or e-mailing: irahman@cair.com

SEE ALSO:

CARTER AGREES TO HOLD TALKS WITH KHATAMI - TOP
Ex-President of Iran to Visit U.S. Amid Tensions Over Tehran's Nuclear Program
Robin Wright, Washington Post, 8/30/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/29/AR2006082901412.html

For an event that would turn a page in American history, former president Jimmy Carter has agreed in principle to host former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami for talks during his visit to the United States starting this week. (MORE)

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CAIR-KY: SENATOR SHAW AVOIDED DOOMED PLANE - TOP
Cash Michaels, Wilmington Journal, 8/29/06
http://wilmingtonjournal.blackpressusa.com/news/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=72154&sID=4

[NOTE: State Senator Shaw is a member of CAIR's national board.]

A prominent member of the NC Legislative Black Caucus is counting his blessings in the aftermath of Sunday's fatal wrong runway crash of Comair Flight 5191 in Lexington, Kentucky.

State Sen. Larry Shaw of Cumberland County was supposed to speaking at the University of Kentucky on Saturday, then flying back to North Carolina by way of Atlanta on the Sunday 6 a.m. flight from Blue Grass Airport. But in an exclusive interview with The Carolinian and Wilmington Journal newspapers Monday by phone, the still shaken six-term Fayetteville Democrat said he inexplicably canceled out of the engagement this time because he sensed something was wrong.

That premonition saved his life. The commuter flight he would have taken Sunday morning crashed on takeoff, killing all 47 passengers, and two of the three crew members.

It is the worst plane disaster in the United States since November 2001.

Though certainly sorrowful for the tragic loss of life, Sen. Shaw - who ironically is chairman of the State Senate's Transportation Committee - is thankful, and believes it was God's hand that stopped him from going on a trip that would have cost him his own.

"I have to take that as a message," Shaw, sounding exasperated the day after, told The Carolinian/Wilmington Journal newspapers.

Sen. Shaw was booked for a speaking engagement at the University of Kentucky in Lexington on Saturday, August 26, His longtime friend, Dr. Ihsan A. Bagby, Muslim scholar and associate professor of Islamic Studies at UK, had invited Shaw, who is also Muslim, to be the keynoter at the annual Council on American Islamic Relations of Kentucky (CAIR-KY) banquet.

Several local and state dignitaries, including the mayor, were also expected to attend the event sponsored by the local chapter of the country's leading and largest Muslim civil liberties group.

Dr. Bagby is the chairman of the Kentucky chapter. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-OH: ACLU OF OHIO AND VOTING RIGHTS GROUPS CHALLENGE VOTER INTIMIDATION PROVISION - TOP
http://www.aclu.org/votingrights/access/26594prs20060829.html

CLEVELAND, OH -- Today, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio along with the Brennan Center, Lawyers' Committee and the ACLU Voting Rights Project filed a lawsuit challenging a voter intimidation provision in Ohio law that unfairly burdens naturalized U.S. citizens.

"This law singles out one group of U.S. citizens and places an unfair extra burden on them to cast their ballot," said ACLU of Ohio cooperating attorney Daniel P. Tokaji. "The principle that every eligible voter should have equal access to the vote is a keystone of democracy."

Tokaji said the provision, a section of Ohio House Bill 3, would allow poll workers to inquire whether a voter is a naturalized citizen and require those voters to provide proof of naturalization. If voters cannot provide proof at the polling place, they may cast provisional ballots but must go to the Board of Elections with documentation within 10 days of the election.

According to legal papers filed by the groups today, allowing poll workers to challenge someone's ability to vote based on where they were born will open the door to ethnic and racial profiling and will almost certainly discourage voting by racial minorities and other immigrant groups.

Among the plaintiffs in the case are community organizations including the Asian American Bar Association, the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Ohio and the Federation of India Community Associations. The lawsuit also names nearly 20 individuals who represent naturalized U.S. citizens from around the state, including community activists, doctors and lawyers. (MORE)

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CAIR-MI: 'ISLAM-PHOBIA' ABOUNDS IN POST 9/11 AMERICA - TOP
For Black Muslims, religious persecution is compounded with racism
Charles Hallman, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, 8/30/06
http://www.spokesman-recorder.com/News/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=72158&sID=13

Nearly a third of Muslims in the United States are Black. However, "Islam-phobia" - negative images and buzz words that produce stereotyping, physical and verbal attacks, and racial profiling of Muslims of color, including Muslims of African descent - has exploded in this country since the events of September 11, 2001.

"September 11 only heightened the misconceptions about Islam," Council on American-Islamic Relations-Michigan Executive Director Dawud Walid pointed out. "Islam-phobia has risen in the post-September 11 era among certain populations in the United States."

Walid and four other Black Muslims spoke to Black journalists on media perceptions and misperceptions on Islam during the National Association of Black Journalists annual convention in Indianapolis on August 17.

Walid offered as an example a recent incident that occurred during a flight scare that CNN and others reported, which supposedly involved a Muslim woman. "The lady was not a Muslim but a 59-year-old Caucasian… [She] had no matches or Vaseline or letters written in Arabic," he said. "When you mention the word 'terrorists,' the first thing that comes to mind will be Muslim." (MORE)

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CAIR: 'ISRAEL LOBBY' PANEL TRANSCRIPT NOW ONLINE - TOP
http://www.cair.com/pdf/Walt_Mearsheimer_Panel_Transcript.pdf

SEE ALSO:

US SCHOLARS: ISRAEL PLANNED LEBANON WAR IN ADVANCE - TOP
Nathan Guttman, Jerusalem Post, 8/30/06
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1154525968874&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

The two US scholars, who stirred controversy several months ago after claiming that US foreign policy is skewed in favor of Israel due to the work of the pro-Israeli lobby, are now accusing the lobby of leading the administration, Congress and public opinion to support Israel's actions in Lebanon against America's best interests.

Profs. Stephan Walt and John Mearsheimer also claim that Israel had planned the war in Lebanon in advanced and used the kidnapping of its soldiers as a pretext to launch the operation.

At an event here sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Mearsheimer, of the University of Chicago, said the "Bush administration policy in Lebanon was not in the best interest of the US" and that Israel did not benefit either from the "green light" it got from the US to continue the operation.

He further claimed that by backing Israel, the US has weakened its position in dealing with other regional challenges - terror, Iraq and Iran.

The original paper, published in the London Review of Books in March, opened a debate in the US over the role the pro-Israeli activists play in shaping the US foreign policy. The two scholars claimed that by putting pressure on lawmakers and by the work of pro-Israel individuals in the administration, academia and the media, the Israeli lobby managed to shift US foreign policy toward supporting Israel unconditionally in a way that contradicts American interests. (MORE)

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CAN YOU REALLY NOT SEE? - TOP
Amira Hass, Haaretz, 8/30/06
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/756413.html

Let us leave aside those Israelis whose ideology supports the dispossession of the Palestinian people because "God chose us." Leave aside the judges who whitewash every military policy of killing and destruction. Leave aside the military commanders who knowingly jail an entire nation in pens surrounded by walls, fortified observation towers, machine guns, barbed wire and blinding projectors. Leave aside the ministers. All of these are not counted among the collaborators. These are the architects, the planners, the designers, the executioners.

But there are others. Historians and mathematicians, senior editors, media stars, psychologists and family doctors, lawyers who do not support Gush Emunim and Kadima, teachers and educators, lovers of hiking trails and sing-alongs, high-tech wizards. Where are you? And what about you, researchers of Nazism, the Holocaust and Soviet gulags? Could you all be in favor of systematic discriminating laws? Laws stating that the Arabs of the Galilee will not even be compensated for the damages of the war by the same sums their Jewish neighbors are entitled to (Aryeh Dayan, Haaretz , August 21).

Could it be that you are all in favor of a racist Citizenship Law that forbids an Israeli Arab from living with his family in his own home? That you side with further expropriation of lands and the demolishing of additional orchards, for another settler neighborhood and another exclusively Jewish road? That you all back the shelling and missile fire killing the old and the young in the Gaza Strip?

Could it be that you all agree that a third of the West Bank (the Jordan Valley) should be off limits to Palestinians? That you all side with an Israeli policy that prevents tens of thousands of Palestinians who have obtained foreign citizenship from returning to their families in the occupied territories?

Could your mind really be so washed with the security excuse, used to forbid Gaza students from studying occupational therapy at Bethlehem and medicine at Abu Dis, and preventing sick people from Rafah from receiving medical treatment in Ramallah? Will also you find it easy to hide behind the explanation "we had no idea": we had no idea that the discrimination practiced in the distribution of water - which is solely controlled by Israel - leaves thousands of Palestinian households without water during the hot summer months; we had no idea that when the IDF blocks the entrance to villages, it also blocks their access to springs or water tanks.

But it cannot be that you don't see the iron gates along route 344 in the West Bank, blocking access to it from the Palestinian villages it passes by. It cannot be that you support preventing the access of thousands of farmers to their land and plantations, that you support the quarantine on Gaza which prevents the entry of medicine for hospitals, the disruption of electricity and water supply to 1.4 million human beings, closing their only outlet to the world for months. (MORE)

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MO: AREA WOMAN, 24, PLACES HERSELF AS HUMAN SHIELD FOR PALESTINIANS - TOP
Sylvester Brown Jr., St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 8/29/06
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/columnists.nsf/sylvesterbrownjr/story/FC0330043E65A5A6862571D900321B93?OpenDocument

The woman's defiant stance - back arched, arms outstretched - seemed to say, "Bring it on!" Yet, the scene seemed to betray her resolve. St. Louis County resident Jennifer Presson, 24, stood in front of a line of Israeli soldiers. They were armed with batons, guns and Plexiglas body shields.

The photos were sent to me via e-mail. One shows Presson being knocked aside by advancing shields. She included a detailed description of her encounter: "I stayed in front of them with my arms wide out to the side, trying to stand still. They pushed, I stumbled, they pushed, I stumbled and stood again. . . . they started beating me with batons."

Presson was one of two St. Louis women involved in Friday's protest march in Bil'in village, west of Ramallah, in the northern part of the West Bank. They are members of the International Solidarity Movement, a group of activists founded in 2001, dedicated to "nonviolent resistance to Israeli occupation of Palestinian farmland." Operating under the theory that the media will be more sympathetic when Westerners are involved, some ISM members believe their presence ensures a degree of protection for the Palestinians.

However, the Anti-Defamation League's website lists the ISM as a "well-organized movement that spreads anti-Israel propaganda and misinformation" while supporting those engaged "in armed resistance against Israel."

I'm not taking any sides and don't pretend to understand the complexity of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Presson's e-mail presented a disturbing front-line account of the protest marches, which, she says, have occurred every Friday since January 2005. The impassioned plea attached at the end of her e-mail was hard to ignore:

"If you know anyone in the media, please pass this on . . ."

Members of the ISM, which received international attention in 2002 when they entered the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem during a standoff between Israeli and Palestinian forces, place themselves in the midst confrontations, hoping to discourage bloodshed. (MORE)

SEND NOTES OF APPRECIATION TO: sylvesterbrown@post-dispatch.com
COPY TO: letters@post-dispatch.com

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REPUBLICANS TARGET 'ISLAMIC FASCISM' - TOP
Republicans Refer to 'Islamic Fascism' to More Specifically Identify Enemy in War on Terror
Tom Raum, Associated Press, 8/30/06
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2373679&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

President Bush in recent days has recast the global war on terror into a "war against Islamic fascism." Fascism, in fact, seems to be the new buzz word for Republicans in an election season dominated by an unpopular war in Iraq.

Bush used the term earlier this month in talking about the arrest of suspected terrorists in Britain, and spoke of "Islamic fascists" in a later speech in Green Bay, Wis. Spokesman Tony Snow has used variations on the phrase at White House press briefings.

Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., in a tough re-election fight, drew parallels on Monday between World War II and the current war against "Islamic fascism," saying they both require fighting a common foe in multiple countries. It's a phrase Santorum has been using for months.

And Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld on Tuesday took it a step further in a speech to an American Legion convention in Salt Lake City, accusing critics of the administration's Iraq and anti-terrorism policies of trying to appease "a new type of fascism."

White House aides and outside Republican strategists said the new description is an attempt to more clearly identify the ideology that motivates many organized terrorist groups, representing a shift in emphasis from the general to the specific.

"I think it's an appropriate definition of the war that we're in," said GOP pollster Ed Goeas. "I think it's effective in that it definitively defines the enemy in a way that we can't because they're not in uniforms."

But Muslim groups have cried foul. Bush's use of the phrase "contributes to a rising level of hostility to Islam and the American-Muslim community," complained Parvez Ahmed, chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. (MORE)

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OREGON CHARITY'S SPYING SUIT RESTS ON 1 DOCUMENT - TOP
Ashbel S. Green, Oregonian, 8/30/06
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/115691011629200.xml&coll=7

An Oregon lawsuit with profound national security questions hinges on a single document.

A defunct Oregon charity that distributed Islamic literature to prison inmates claims it was the subject of an illegal federal eavesdropping program. And the only way it can prove its case is with a top-secret document held under lock and key.

U.S. Justice Department lawyers say the document is too sensitive; it contains information that -- if revealed -- would cause "exceptionally grave damage" to U.S. attempts to prevent future terrorist attacks. They say that even allowing a lawsuit to go forward would reveal state secrets.

The task of tiptoeing around the document falls to U.S. District Judge Garr M. King, a Portland-based federal judge.

During a hearing Tuesday morning in a 9th floor courtroom in the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse, King repeatedly pushed lawyers for both sides to consider ways to protect the document and national security while allowing the lawsuit to proceed.

King, who intends to rule next week, said it was "appropriate and necessary" to evaluate the specifics of the case and not be afraid to come up with creative solutions -- if possible -- to allow it to go forward. . .

A handful of lawsuits around the country have challenged the National Security Agency's warrantless eavesdropping program since The New York Times revealed it late last year.

Earlier this month, a federal judge in Michigan ruled that the program was illegal and unconstitutional and ordered its immediate halt. President Bush criticized the ruling and promised to appeal. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

WOMAN TAKES REINS OF MAJOR MUSLIM GROUP - TOP
Deborah Horan, Chicago Tribune, 8/30/06
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0608300216aug30,1,4477084.story

The first female president of the largest Muslim organization in North America believes nothing in Islam prohibits her from issuing religious opinions on issues from dietary restrictions to the proper place for women in mosques.

Ingrid Mattson, a Canadian convert to Islam who was elected last week to lead the Islamic Society of North America, said women should participate fully in Muslim life, whether that means sitting next to men during mosque lectures, but not at prayers, or contributing to the rules that govern religious observance.

"I want to make sure women are fully engaged," Mattson said Tuesday. "They should sit on boards and in mosques in space equal to men so they can participate in discussions."

Not everyone was pleased with her election, which came a week before the Islamic society's annual convention that begins Friday in Rosemont. Mattson said she has received a few angry e-mails from people opposed to a woman holding the office, which has a two-year term.

But most of her colleagues lauded her victory as a sign that the Muslim community in North America was open to change. Mattson, who ran unopposed to lead the 20,000-member society, was voted in with a majority of 1,500 votes that were mailed in and counted Saturday.

"Given the situation in the Muslim world, it's progressive," said Assad Busool, a professor at the American Islamic College in Chicago. "But there's nothing in Islam to ban women from leadership positions."

Few Muslims across Chicago said they were surprised at Mattson's selection to lead the organization, an umbrella group founded in 1963 that represents about 300 Muslim student, social and professional groups.

Mattson has spent two terms as the society's vice president, earning a reputation as an Islamic authority and an adept administrator, colleagues and members said. (MORE)

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AFGHANS WHO FLED CONFLICT FACE CULTURAL DIVIDE IN U.S. - TOP
Dina ElBoghdady, Washington Post, 8/30/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/29/AR2006082901610.html

Aman Feda, an Afghan-born mortgage broker, cringed at his 13-year-old niece's choice of music, the hip-hop blaring from the car radio, the lyrics grating on his nerves as they drove home after shopping at Tysons Corner.

"Why not listen to some Afghan music?" Feda asked casually.

"What music?" he remembers her saying with a shrug of her shoulders. "There's nothing."

The exchange sparked Feda's first thought of creating a magazine that showcases Afghan musicians, poets and celebrities in a way that enlightens his niece's generation about Afghan culture and engages community elders eager to reconnect with their Afghan roots.

Feda and his wife, Samira, who live in Springfield, followed through on the idea three years later. They launched a magazine three months ago and found themselves negotiating what one Afghan native describes as the "cultural schizophrenia" that has plagued a community that began settling in large numbers in this country more than two decades ago, after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

As Aman Feda, 32, tells it, many of them were well-educated professionals who scraped by as taxi drivers and beauticians when they arrived. They've raised doctors, engineers and now publishers. But calming the political tensions they brought with them, reconciling Muslim tradition with American lifestyles, and easing the resulting strain between generations proved tougher than the financial challenges they faced.

Even the Fedas, who arrived as youngsters, grappled with the hyphen in Afghan-American. She was not allowed to date. So he had to ask her parents for her hand in marriage. A one-year engagement led to a wedding and then the magazine.

Samira, 23, the editor in chief, and Aman, the publisher, decided on the name Zéba -- the Dari word for beautiful. But they fretted about putting a woman on this month's cover, Miss England 2005, the Afghan knockout (and Muslim) who caused a stir when she took part in the swimsuit competition.

"We're trying to be respectful of everyone, but we're trying to push the buttons just a little bit on the social issues," Aman Feda said. "And there are a lot of social issues the Afghans here don't agree on."

In the Washington region, home to one of the country's largest Afghan populations, "everyone" includes roughly 14,000 people who said they are of Afghan ancestry, most of them born in Afghanistan, according to a 2005 U.S. Census survey released this month. Many of them live in Northern Virginia. Some congregate at the Mustafa Center Mosque in Annandale. They have two well-established poetry reading circles and a sports federation in Fairfax that draws throngs of Afghans from around the nation to its annual Fourth of July soccer championship.

Afghans came in waves, bringing competing political ideologies, said Rameen Moshref Javid, 37, who splits time between Alexandria and New York, where he runs a nonprofit organization that promotes cultural and intellectual discourse among young Afghan professionals. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

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Forwarded Message

Date: Thu, 31 Aug 2006 17:14:49 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Disabled Muslims Seek Access to Mosques / CAIR Slams Senator for 'Taxi' Comments / Muslim Chaplains in Military Gaining Acceptance

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS – 8/31/06

* Verse: He Frowned
* CAIR-FL: Disabled Muslims Lobby for Better Access to Mosques
* CAIR: 5 Years After Terror Attacks, U.S. Muslims Look Within (AP)
            - CAIR: Muslim Spokesman Slams Senator for ‘Taxi’ Comments
* CAIR-Chicago: Ex-Leader of Iran to Speak at Muslim Gatherings
            - CAIR to Host Dinner for Former President of Iran
* Stephen Walt Responds to Wash Post's Nazi Smear (NY Observer)
* Snakes on a Plane, Muslims Off the Plane
            - AZ: Racial Profiling Hits Home in Checkpoint Stop
* University of Toledo Sets up Islamic Studies Position (Blade)
            - Applications Sought for Arab-American Leadership Training
* Muslim Chaplains in Military Gaining Acceptance (Chicago Trib)
* UN Official Calls Israeli Bombing in Lebanon 'Immoral' (AP)
            - Rabbis: Israel Too Worried Over Civilian Deaths (Forward)

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VERSE OF THE DAY: HE FROWNED - TOP

“He (the Prophet) frowned and turned away because there came to him a blind man (interrupting his conversation). But what could tell thee but that perchance (the man) might grow (in spiritual understanding)? Or that he might receive admonition and the teaching might profit him?”

The Holy Quran, 80:1-4

Commentary by Muhammad Asad: One day, as recorded in many well-authenticated traditions, the Prophet was engrossed in a conversation with some of the most influential chieftains of pagan Mecca, hoping to convince them - and, through them, the Meccan community at large - of the truth of his message. At that point, he was approached by one of his followers, the blind Abd Allah ibn Shurayh - known after his grandmother's name as Ibn Umm Maktum - with the request for a repetition or elucidation of certain earlier passages of the Qur'an. Annoyed by this interruption of what he momentarily regarded as a more important endeavor, Muhammad "frowned and turned away" from the blind man - and was immediately, there and then, reproved by the revelation of the first ten verses of this surah. In later years he often greeted Ibn Umm Maktum with these words of humility: "Welcome unto him on whose account my Sustainer has rebuked me (atabani)!"

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CAIR-FL: DISABLED MUSLIMS LOBBY FOR BETTER ACCESS TO MOSQUES - TOP
Ayesha Akram, Religion News Service, 8/30/06
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/198/story_19887_1.html

The landmark 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act requires new public facilities -- including houses of worship -- to be handicapped-accessible.

But because many mosques are small, housed in older buildings and rarely built from the ground up, few are fully accessible for the disabled.

Sister Aisha al-Adawiya, president of the advocacy group Women in Islam, said most mosques in New York ignore the disabled.

"There is currently almost no outreach or attempts to reach the disabled community," she said. "It's discrimination, and whether it is out of ignorance or a lack of concern, we still need to address it."

A 2000 report by Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate counted more than 1,200 U.S. mosques and about 6 million American Muslims. There are no numbers on the disabled population being served by mosques.

Imam Sheikh Omar of the Islamic Cultural Center of Manhattan says that's not surprising. "Disabled Muslims tend to ignore the mosques," he said. "We hardly ever see them at our prayers."

Amin, who successfully lobbied her mosque to include wheelchair ramps and a ground-floor prayer room, says the reluctance of Muslims with handicaps to attend congregational prayers is easy to understand.

"The lack of accessibility discourages many," she said. "If you don't have a way for Muslims with disabilities to get in, then how will you see them?"

Generally speaking, disabled people are less likely to attend religious services than people without disabilities -- 47 percent versus 65 percent respectively -- according to a 2000 survey by the National Organization on Disability.

But, advocates say, that's not an indication of religious faith. More than eight out of 10 people with disabilities consider their faith to be important to them, with approximately two-thirds calling it very important.

Some community leaders say Muslims need to start taking pointers from their history.

The Prophet Muhammad, the messenger of Islam, took special care to ensure that the disabled were able to come to prayers, says Haris Tarin, director of community development at the Muslim Public Affairs Council.

"When the prophet found out that one of his followers was blind, he made another member of the congregation responsible for bringing the blind man to prayers," he said. . .

Altaf Ali, executive director of the South Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said one of the main problems with mosques is inadequate staffing. The Mosque Project, a multistate study supervised by professor Ihsan Bagby of the University of Kentucky, found that 55 percent of U.S. mosques have no paid staff, and only 10 percent have more than two paid staff members.

"Having salaried staff members means that there is someone on the premises who is working to satisfy the needs of the community," he said. "As our community grows, mosques need to start thinking about hiring full-time workers."

Ali says people should also remember that the average age of Muslims in this country is in the 30s. "As our community ages, issues of access to the disabled and the aged will automatically come to the forefront." (MORE)

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CAIR: 5 YEARS AFTER TERROR ATTACKS, AMERICAN MUSLIMS LOOK WITHIN - TOP
Rachel Zoll, Associated Press, 8/30/06
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/religion/15407995.htm

After the Sept. 11 suicide hijackings, distraught Muslim leaders in the United States feared the next casualty would be their religion.

Islam teaches peace, they told anyone who would listen in news conferences, at interfaith services and, most famously, standing in a mosque with U.S. President George Bush.

But five years later, the target audience for their pleas has shifted. Now the faith's leaders in North America are starting to warn fellow Muslims about a threat from within.

The 2005 subway attacks in London that investigators say were committed by British-born and -raised Muslims, and the relentless Muslim-engineered sectarian assaults on Iraqi civilians, are among the events that have convinced some U.S. Muslims to change focus.

“This sentiment of denial, that sort of came as a fever to the Muslim community after 9-11, is fading away,” said Muqtedar Khan, a political scientist at the University of Delaware and author of American Muslims. “They realize that there are Muslims who use terrorism, and the community is beginning to stand up to this.”

Muslim leaders point to two stark examples of the new mind-set:

_A Canadian-born Muslim man worked with police for months investigating a group of Islamic men and youths accused in June of plotting terrorist attacks in Ontario. Mubin Shaikh said he feared any violence would ultimately hurt Islam and Canadian Muslims.

_In England, it's been widely reported that a tip from a British Muslim helped lead investigators to uncover what they said was a plan by homegrown extremists to use liquid explosives to destroy U.S.-bound planes.

Co-operation isn't emotionally easy, as western governments enact security policies that critics say have criminalized Islam itself. . .

Yet some leaders say keeping watch for extremists protects all Muslims and their civil rights.

Salam al-Marayati, executive director of Muslim Public Affairs Council, an advocacy group based in Los Angeles, says working closely with authorities underscores that Muslims are not outsiders to be feared. It also gives Muslims a way to directly air their concerns about how they're treated by the government.

“We're not on opposite teams,” al-Marayati said. “We're all trying to protect our country from another terrorist attack.”

In 2004, his group started the National Anti-Terrorism Campaign, urging Muslims to monitor their own communities, speak out more boldly against violence and work with law enforcement. Hundreds of U.S. mosques have signed on, al-Marayati said.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights group, ran a TV ad campaign and a petition-drive called Not in the Name of Islam, which repudiates terrorism. Hundreds of thousands of people have endorsed it, according to Ibrahim Hooper, the group's spokesman.

After the London subway bombings, the Fiqh Council of North America, which advises Muslims on Islamic law, issued a fatwa _ or edict _ declaring that nothing in Islam justifies terrorism. The council said Muslims were obligated to help law enforcement protect civilians from attacks.

“I think everyone now agrees that silence isn't an option,” Hooper said. “You have to speak out in defence of civil liberties, but you also have to speak out against any kind of extremism or violence that's carried out in the name of Islam.” (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

MUSLIM SPOKESMAN SLAMS BURNS FOR "TAXI" COMMENTS - TOP
Eric Kleefeld, TPM, 8/31/06
http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2006/aug/31/mt_sen_burnss_comments_could_have_international_impact

GOP Senator Conrad Burns really does have a knack for talking himself into some political jams. A spokesman for a Muslim group has just now sharply criticized Burns for his remark, just reported this morning, that America confronts a "faceless enemy" of terrorists who "drive taxi cabs in the daytime and kill at night." In an interview with Election Central, the spokesman, Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, slammed Burns's comments: "It just adds to the overall atmosphere of anti-Muslim hysteria and xenophobia."

As Election Central reported earlier today, Burns, who's under fire for other recent gaffes, made the comments on Wednesday at a fundraiser headlined by Laura Bush.

Hooper of CAIR told Election Central that Burns's comments could spread beyond his own small base. He argued that such comments from high-ranking American politicians can tarnish the U.S.'s image in the Muslim world.

"It doesn't help our nation either domestically or internationally," Hooper said. "These types of comments are picked up by news sources around the world, they're spread on the internet, and people hear about them. It's no longer that some local politician can say something to pander to a local audience, because their views will be published internationally." (MORE)

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CAIR-CHICAGO: EX-LEADER OF IRAN TO SPEAK AT 2 MUSLIM GATHERINGS HERE - TOP
Cathleen Falsani and Andrew Herrmann, Chicago Sun-Times, 8/31/06
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-iran31.html

Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami is expected to arrive today in Chicago to speak at two Muslim conventions over the weekend and visit a suburban mosque.

While in town, Khatami is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the annual Islamic Society of North America's convention Saturday night at the Rosemont Convention Center, said Salman Azam, a spokesman for the convention.

The former Iranian leader may also be on hand for a Friday afternoon session of the ISNA convention, Azam said. Tens of thousands of Muslims are expected to attend the three-day Rosemont convention, which, in its 43rd year, is the largest annual gathering of Muslims in North America.

INVITED TO 'BRING GREETINGS'

W. Deen Mohammed, leader of the largely black Muslim organization the Mosque Cares/WDM Ministry and former leader of the American Society of Muslims, has invited Khatami to "bring greetings" to his annual convention Sunday at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, said Mohammed's spokesman, Sultan Salahudin.

And Khatami is expected to speak Saturday afternoon at Bait ul Ilm, an Islamic center in Streamwood, according to Tariq Weaver, spokesman for the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago.

The Bush administration granted Khatami, who served as president of Iran from 1997 to 2005, a visa to enter the United States on Tuesday. He is the most senior official from Iran to visit the United States since 1979, when Islamic fundamentalists seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.

After visiting Chicago, Khatami is scheduled to attend a United Nations conference in New York City next week, and to speak about religion's role in promoting peace at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 7.

NO 'ILLUSIONS' ABOUT REGIME

Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Chicago, said American Muslims consider Khatani "a kindred spirit in faith."

"Khatami has been lauded as a reformist, a bridge-builder,” Rehab said. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR TO HOST DINNER FOR FORMER PRESIDENT OF IRAN - TOP
http://cair.com/default.asp?Page=articleView&id=2258&theType=NR

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STEPHEN WALT RESPONDS TO THE WASHINGTON POST'S NAZI SMEAR - TOP
Philip Weiss, New York Observer, 8/31/06
http://mondoweiss.observer.com/2006/08/stephen-walt-responds-to-the-washington-posts-nazi-smear.html

I've heard from several journalist-friends who were appalled by Dana Milbank's smear of Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer in Tuesday's Washington Post, in which he likened the scholars to Nazis. So: the mud has splashed back on to Milbank. That said, two "points" Milbank made deserve further rebuttal.

1. Milbank says he overheard Walt saying after his talk at the Council on American-Islamic Relations that if you take a position against Israel, your business will suffer. Wrong. Walt is no businessman, he's a student of policy, and what he said is that if you talk about this stuff, your academic/professional career suffers. (It's the same point he made several weeks back on the Diane Rehm show and that I blogged about then.) Many colleagues have said to Walt, "You're never going to work in Washington." He adds, "I find it interesting that that is so frequently the reaction, that this has made us compete pariahs. Quite remarkable." Yes, and Milbank is now running around collecting wood to burn the heretics in Lafayette Park.

2. Milbank hinted that Walt and Mearsheimer are Nazis because their names sound German. I emailed Walt to ask him about two things I'd heard (and never thought worth writing about before) ­he's of Danish ancestry, his wife is Jewish. Walt wrote back to amend those reports:

I am 1/4 Danish, insofar as my maternal grandfather was an immigrant from Denmark, who arrived here as a very small boy. His mother was a widow, and she died shortly after they emigrated here. He was subsequently adopted by an American family, although he still spoke a bit of Danish as an adult. The rest of my ethnic background--if it matters-- is some mix of English, German, French, and I think a bit of Swedish.

My wife's background is a bit more complicated. She comes from Russian and Rumanian Jews on her father's side, and Episcopalians and Catholics on her mother's side. (Interestingly, her maternal grandfather worked in the 1930s helping German Jews escape Nazi Germany.) She grew up in New York City, in what might be loosely termed a culturally Jewish extended family, and there's been lots of inter-marriage throughout. She was not raised in any particular faith.

As you might imagine, I find this whole type of discussion disheartening. Our country shouldn't be debating important issues by focusing on people's individual characteristics and backgrounds. That is what racists and anti-semites do: they look at someone's heritage and claim to know what they think, what they believe, and how they will act. Instead of focusing on our arguments and evidence, people want to look for some hidden motivation.

Walt's note is interesting on a couple of grounds. For one thing, it underscores the scholar's largeness of mind. Walt is no provincial. He is a sophisticated guy, his resume is Mandarin through and through: Stanford-Princeton-Harvard. He was a dean at Harvard; he is, or he was, going places. Yet he put everything on the line because of an idea. Impressive.

His note also echoes something he said at CAIR when discussing the dual-loyalty charge some lodge against Jewish neocons: "All of us have many affiliations and commitments­to religion, families, even employers. It is OK for those different commitments and attachments to manifest themselves in politics." Walt went on to say that when those attachments shape how people think about things, it's OK to bring them up in political debate. I liked the way he said this. It got us past the whole rancorous dual-loyalty issue.

My critics are going to say, Weiss, ala Milbank, opened the door on this stuff by discussing Jewish tribal affiliations so bluntly. It's true, I opened the door, and I'll open it again (hopefully with accuracy). The point is, these affiliations have real meaning in our lives­but important ideas transcend them.

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SNAKES ON A PLANE, MUSLIMS OFF THE PLANE - TOP
Naeem Mohaiemen, AltMuslim.com, 8/30/06
http://www.altmuslim.com/perm.php?id=1775_0_24_0_M

Every person is now an action hero, ready to pounce on evildoers when they "spot suspicious behavior," kick up a royal fuss and boot that passenger off the plane. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

AZ: BORDER PATROL'S RACIAL PROFILING HITS HOME IN CHECKPOINT STOP - TOP
Mona Darwich-Gatto, Arizona Daily Star, 8/31/06
http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/144291

Last night was like any other night, so I was checking my e-mails before going to sleep. As I was typing, my hubby was looking at me. I could see him from the corner of my eye.

I thought, "Nice. Either he wants something or I really look pretty." It reminded me that when we were engaged and when we first got married, I would wake up from my deep sleep and there he was, staring at me as if I were his queen.

Reality snapped me out of my thoughts when he said, "You don't really look Mexican. Your facial features and skin color just don't add up for you to look like a Mexican. You definitely look Egyptian."

I looked at him and said, "Well, I did not have a say in the making.”

Apparently he was bothered for the past few days about what happened on the way back from Tombstone. There was a Border Patrol checkpoint. Usually, a guard asks us if we are all U.S. citizens, we say yes and he waves us on.

This time was different. He looked at all of us (my husband, my father-in-law and I) and asked if we were all U.S. citizens. We all said yes. Next, he came closer to our car and looked at me and asked me, "Where were you born?"

I said, "Brazil." Then he asked, "When and where did you naturalize?" As I was saying, "Two thousand four . . . in Hawaii," my husband apparently got angry and said, "She became a U.S. citizen during my 10 years in the Marine Corps."

The guard at that moment stood back and said, "Oh, you were in the Marines." He waved us on.
I was not angry, nor did I think much about it. I thought he was doing his job and I have nothing to hide. So I did not think about it again until yesterday.

My husband was bothered about my being profiled. We have divergent opinions on the subject. I think if one has nothing to hide, profiling is OK as long as law enforcement doesn't overdo it, but it is hard to define "overdoing it."

My husband feels that profiling is wrong and in the long term is not effective.

So, since I have mixed feelings on the subject, what do you think about racial profiling in airports and checkpoints? Can it be helpful or just cause more anger? Do you care?

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UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO SETS UP ISLAMIC STUDIES POSITION - TOP
Endowed chair is named for imam
Karamagi Rujumba, Toledo Blade, 8/31/06
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060831/NEWS21/60831018

After eight years of planning, the University of Toledo has established an endowed chair of Islamic studies named in honor of a cleric who led the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo for many years.

The university, which established an endowed chair of Catholic studies in 2000, has appointed Mashhad Al-Allaf, a professor of philosophy and Islamic studies, to the Imam Khattab Endowed Chair of Islamic Studies.

The position will be based in the school’s department of philosophy in the college of arts and sciences.

A UT steering committee, which initiated the creation of an Islamic studies professorship, decided to name the million-dollar endowment in honor of the late Imam Abdelmoneim Mahmoud Khattab, who led the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo from 1980 to 1998.

“This is a very exciting time for us at the university,” said Sue Ott Rowlands, interim dean of the college of arts and sciences.

“We have been working for many years to create a program that would add to the religious and cultural enrichment of the school and the city,” she said. . .

He said that in 2001, when the endowment was named for the late Imam Khattab, the steering committee had raised about $300,000, and it reached the $1 million mark early this year. That’s when a search committee was put in place to fill the position.

Mr. Jabarin said the objective of the professorship is to create a program that not only encompasses all areas of Islam but delves into aspects of Middle Eastern culture, language, religion, philosophy, and history.

The Islamic studies endowment will complement the Catholic studies chair, Mr. Jabarin said, “creating what we hope will be a center of religious understanding at the university.” (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

APPLICATIONS SOUGHT FOR ARAB-AMERICAN LEADERSHIP TRAINING - TOP
http://www.halafoundation.org/leaders.htm

The Hala Salaam Maksoud Foundation for Arab-American Leadership is now welcoming applications for its next intensive, 5-day training seminars scheduled for Oct. 23-27 and Dec. 4-8, 2006, in Washington, DC. All applications for the Oct. 23-27 seminar should be received by Sept. 20.

There is no charge for the training sessions, which are held in Washington, DC, but participants are responsible for their own travel and accommodation. The training will be led and coordinated by the Hala Foundation‘s Program Director, Dr. Hussein Ibish. Participants are asked to commit to attending the full five days of the program.

Applicants should be young Arab-American professionals who have completed their education and have already begun their professional careers, or those in the final stages of a Ph.D. program. They should have a demonstrable commitment to advocacy on behalf of Arab-American concerns, and a desire to devote substantial time and effort to leadership on behalf of the community. . .

Applicants should send a letter of interest explaining their desire to become community leaders or activists, a CV and a writing sample or any other relevant material to:

The Hala Salaam Maksoud Foundation
815 Connecticut Ave. N.W., Suite 200
Washington, DC 20006

Or email them to director@halafoundation.org
Please visit http://www.halafoundation.org for more details

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GAINING ACCEPTANCE IN SERVICE - TOP
The role of Muslim chaplains in military, society is not the mystery it once was
Deborah Horan, Chicago Tribune, 8/31/06
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0608310268aug31,1,5932662.story

When Lt. Abuhena Saif-ul-Islam first arrived at the Camp Pendleton military base in California, recruits often asked the Muslim chaplain what the crescent on his lapel meant. Saif-ul-Islam, a Bangladeshi immigrant, jokingly told them he was an astronaut.

Nowadays, fewer sailors find the Islamic symbol unfamiliar. But Saif-ul-Islam, a U.S. Navy chaplain since 1999, still is questioned often about his religion during training sessions he conducts at bases across the nation.

"They want to know if non-Muslims can go into a mosque," Saif-ul-Islam said. "They ask why people in Iraq are behaving [violently] if Islam is so peaceful. It's a genuine question."

Though the questions are constant, his role as chaplain has changed since the early days, Saif-ul-Islam said Wednesday at a conference of Muslim chaplains in Rosemont, attended by dozens of chaplains assigned to hospitals, universities, prisons and military bases nationwide.

He still spends time doing what any military chaplain would do: providing counseling, facilitating at funerals and assisting soldiers who might suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome. Like other chaplains, he provides these services to all soldiers, regardless of religious denomination.

As a Muslim chaplain, he spends time teaching non-Muslim soldiers about religious customs that would help them serve in places like Iraq, such as not wearing shoes in mosques and providing lighter duties for Muslim soldiers who might be fasting during Ramadan.

But as the number of Muslim chaplains has grown--and the Muslim community has become more familiar with the role of a chaplain--Saif-ul-Islam and others also can turn attention to details that before might have been neglected, Muslim scholars say.

"We're beyond a lot of the basic challenges," said Ingrid Mattson, director of the Islamic Chaplaincy Program at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut, who was elected last week to head the Islamic Society of North America, the largest Muslim organization on the continent.

Now, a Muslim chaplain also would think to provide for the needs of soldiers belonging to a particular sect of the faith, Mattson said.

"It's very important to recognize diversity" within the Muslim community, she said. "You might not agree with a certain practice, but your role as chaplain is to support and accommodate."

Those finer points are a long way from the early days, when hospitals, prisons and military bases lacked rudimentary Muslim prayer space and a chaplain was a foreign concept to Muslims used to dealing with an imam. (MORE)

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UN OFFICIAL CALLS ISRAELI BOMBING IN LEBANON 'IMMORAL' - TOP
Sarah DiLorenzo and Lauren Frayer, Associated Press, 8/31/06
http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060831/NEWS/608310370/1024/NEWS04

The U.N. humanitarian chief on Wednesday accused Israel of "shocking" and "completely immoral" behavior for dropping large numbers of cluster bombs on Lebanon when a cease-fire in its war with Hezbollah was in sight.

Jan Egeland said Israel had either made a "terribly wrong decision" or had "started thinking afterwards." The remarks were unusually harsh even for Egeland, who often ignores an unwritten rule that U.N. officials should not criticize member states too severely.

"What's shocking and I would say, to me, completely immoral is that 90 percent of the cluster bomb strikes occurred in the last 72 hours of the conflict, when we knew there would be a resolution," Jan Egeland said at a news conference. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

RABBIS: ISRAEL TOO WORRIED OVER CIVILIAN DEATHS - TOP
Rebecca Spence, Forward, 8/25/06
http://www.forward.com/articles/rabbis-israel-too-worried-over-civilian-deaths/

As international human rights organizations decry the high toll of civilian deaths suffered in the Lebanon war, America’s main organization of Modern Orthodox rabbis is calling on the Israeli military to be less concerned with avoiding civilian casualties on the opposing side when carrying out future operations.

Following a solidarity mission to Israel last week, leaders of the Rabbinical Council of America issued a statement prodding the Israeli military to review its policy of taking pains to spare the lives of innocent civilians, in light of Hezbollah’s tactic of hiding its fighters and weaponry among Lebanese civilians. Because Hezbollah “puts Israeli men and women at extraordinary risk of life and limb through unconscionably using their own civilians, hospitals, ambulances, mosques… as human shields, cannon fodder, and weapons of asymmetric warfare,” the rabbinical council said in a statement, “we believe that Judaism would neither require nor permit a Jewish soldier to sacrifice himself in order to save deliberately endangered enemy civilians.”

The directive from the Orthodox rabbi comes at a time when both Israel and Hezbollah have been subjected to intense scrutiny from the media and from international human rights organizations about the Lebanon war’s grueling impact on civilians. Israel has taken the brunt of the criticism, with the number of Lebanese civilians killed in the month-long conflict put at about 1,000.

Civilian deaths on the Israeli side, which totaled 43, were markedly lighter despite Hezbollah’s steady rain of rockets over heavily populated towns and cities in Israel’s northern region. Defenders of the Jewish state say that Israel has been unfairly blamed for Lebanese civilian deaths, which, they contend, are largely unavoidable given Hezbollah’s practice of hiding in innocent people’s homes.

Condemnation of Israel by international groups for inadvertently killing civilians when targeting terrorists “has happened in all of the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, but this has brought it front and center in very clear ways that everybody now sees,” said Marc Stern, general counsel of the American Jewish Congress. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: info@cair.com

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Forwarded Message

Date: Fri, 01 Sep 2006 10:26:23 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: CAIR Launches New Brand Identity and Logo

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In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAIR LAUNCHES NEW BRAND IDENTITY AND LOGO
Identity stresses openness, professionalism and the pursuit of mutual understanding and justice

(CHICAGO, IL, 9/1/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today announced the launch of a new brand identity and logo. The new identity focuses on openness, professionalism and the pursuit of mutual understanding and justice.

CAIR made its announcement at the convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) in Chicago, North America's largest annual gathering of Muslims.

In conjunction with the launch of CAIR's new brand identity, the Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group is also releasing the following documents:

* CAIR National Annual Report - 2004/2005 (The 2005/2006 annual report will be available in November.)
* Fact Sheet About CAIR
* Testimonials in Support of CAIR from Elected Government Officials Nationwide

In a letter to the American Muslim community announcing the new brand, CAIR Board Chairman Parvez Ahmed stated: "After 12 years of dedicated service to the community, we are reaffirming our core values and recommitting ourselves to three central aspects of CAIR's mission - enhancing understanding of Islam, protecting civil liberties and empowering American Muslims."

He also wrote about the need to transform CAIR in ways that better reflect the group's core commitment to justice, education, diversity, and dialogue.

Ahmed concluded his letter by stating: "CAIR is your organization and it is our privilege and honor to serve you and to promote a better America."

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties and advocacy group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: info@cair.com

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Sat, 02 Sep 2006 16:56:38 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Criticize Israel? You're an Anti-Semite! / 5 Years After 9/11, Fear in U.S. Muslim Communities

HTML Attachment [ Scan and Save to Computer | Save to Yahoo! Briefcase ]

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/2/06

* Hadith: 'Was It Not a Living (Soul)?'
* CAIR-MI: Interfaith Dialogue Held on Mideast
            - CAIR-LA: Interfaith Leaders Promote Peace
            - CAIR-Houston Fundraising Dinner Sept. 9
            - CAIR-Sacramento Rep to be Featured on Geo TV
* Criticize Israel? You're an Anti-Semite! (LA Times)
            - Video: CAIR 'Israel Lobby' Panel in Washington, D.C.
            - CAIR 'Israel Lobby' Panel Transcript
* 5 Years After 9/11, Suspicion and Fear in Muslim Communities (AP)
            - Arab-Americans See Lingering Prejudice, Some Progress (AP)
* Muslim Group: Bush Distorts 'Islamic' (AP)
            - IL: References to 'Islamic Fascism' Slammed (Sun-Times)
* CA: Vice Mayor Apologizes for Muslim Remark Cover-Up
            - ME Judge: Pig's Head Roller Was Racially Motivated
* For U.S. Muslim Law Students, Knowledge Is Power (Inter Press)
* MA: Exquisite Works of Islamic Art Come to Boston (Globe)
            - Encyclopedia of Quran Explores Concepts, People, Places

-----

HADITH OF THE DAY: 'WAS IT NOT A LIVING (SOUL)?' - TOP

A funeral procession once passed in front of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and he stood up out of respect. When he was told the person in the coffin was Jewish and not Muslim, he said: "Was it not a living (soul)?"

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Hadith 399

-----

CAIR-MI: INTERFAITH DIALOGUE HELD ON MIDEAST - TOP
Aatif Ali Bokhari, Arab American News, 9/2/06
http://www.arabamericannews.com/newsarticle.php?articleid=6203

DETROIT - A Christian, Jewish and Muslim panel gathered earlier this week to discuss the importance of the Holy Land in their faiths.

St. Peter Catholic Church in Harper Woods hosted the event, "Are You As Confused About The Middle East As I Am?" on Tuesday. About 35 attendees, the majority of them senior citizens, took part in the morning program.

Panel participants included Dawud Walid, Executive Director of the Council on American Islamic Relations - Michigan Chapter (CAIR-MI); Sharona Shapiro, Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee; and Reverend Daniel Buttry of International Ministries.

The goal of the meeting was not to have debate over political issues but to share feelings on the importance of the Holy Land. "If you came here with a sharpened sword, my job is to disarm you today," said moderator Steve Spreitzer, to chuckles from the crowd. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-LA: LEADERS MEET TO PROMOTE PEACE - TOP
Tracy Manzer, Press-Telegram, 9/2/06
http://www.presstelegram.com/search/ci_4276765

LONG BEACH - Close to 20 area religious leaders representing the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths met earlier this week to discuss ways in which the groups can support one another and promote peace. . .

"The unique aspect of this meeting, from our point of view, is that it did not come from a negative reaction but rather as a proactive approach to strengthening relationships among people of all faith groups in Long Beach," said Hussam Ayloush, the executive director of the Southern California office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"We are working together to eliminate potential misperceptions, disagreements or maybe the impact of the current atmosphere of war, . . . and we're looking at a preventative measure to ensure that the conflict overseas does not spill over into our local communities," Ayloush said.

It is not known when the group will convene again, but all those interviewed by the Press-Telegram pledged to continue with the inter-faith dialogue.

"It took a while to get everybody's schedule open for the first meeting, but it was definitely worthwhile," Ayloush said. "Everybody came out feeling very positive, energized and hopeful. Many of us at the end wondered, `Why did it take so long to come up with such a great idea?"'

---

CAIR NIGHT - TOP
Houston Chronicle, 9/1/06
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/religion/4158367.html

The Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations will hold its annual fundraising banquet at 7 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Westin Oaks Hotel. Guest speakers are Chip Pitts, former chairman of the board of Amnesty International USA, and Shaikh Zoubair of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston. Tickets are $50. For reservations, 713-838-2247.

---

CAIR-SV EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO BE FEATURED ON GEO TV - TOP

(SACRAMENTO, CA, 9/2/2006) - The Executive Director of CAIR-Sacramento Valley, Basim Elkarra, will be featured on GEO Pakistani Television's "Jaiza" news program with host Omar Khan this Sunday, September 3, 2006. Elkarra will be speaking about current events and CAIR's efforts to promote peace and justice.

The air times are as follows:

Sunday, 12:05 p.m. (Pacific)
Monday, 10:30 p.m. (Pacific)
Friday, 2:05 p.m. (Pacific)

For more information on the Jaiza news program, visit:
http://www.geo.tv/usa/program.asp?pid=95

-----

CRITICIZE ISRAEL? YOU'RE AN ANTI-SEMITE! - TOP
How can we have a real discussion about Mideast peace if speaking honestly about Israel is out of bounds?
Rosa Brooks, Los Angeles Times, 9/1/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-brooks1sep01,0,5962701.column

EVER WONDER what it's like to be a pariah?

Publish something sharply critical of Israeli government policies and you'll find out. If you're lucky, you'll merely discover that you've been uninvited to some dinner parties. If you're less lucky, you'll be the subject of an all-out attack by neoconservative pundits and accused of rabid anti-Semitism.

This, at least, is what happened to Ken Roth. Roth - whose father fled Nazi Germany - is executive director of Human Rights Watch, America's largest and most respected human rights organization. (Disclosure: I have worked in the past as a paid consultant for the group.) In July, after the Israeli offensive in Lebanon began, Human Rights Watch did the same thing it has done in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Bosnia, East Timor, Sierra Leone, Congo, Uganda and countless other conflict zones around the globe: It sent researchers to monitor the conflict and report on any abuses committed by either side.

It found plenty. On July 18, Human Rights Watch condemned Hezbollah rocket strikes on civilian areas within Israel, calling the strikes "serious violations of international humanitarian law and probable war crimes." So far, so good. You can't lose when you criticize a terrorist organization.

But Roth and Human Rights Watch didn't stop there. As the conflict's death toll spiraled - with most of the casualties Lebanese civilians - Human Rights Watch also criticized Israel for indiscriminate attacks on civilians. Roth noted that the Israeli military appeared to be "treating southern Lebanon as a free-fire zone," and he observed that the failure to take appropriate measures to distinguish between civilians and combatants constitutes a war crime.

The backlash was prompt. Roth and Human Rights Watch soon found themselves accused of unethical behavior, giving aid and comfort to terrorists and anti-Semitism. The conservative New York Sun attacked Roth (who is Jewish) for having a "clear pro-Hezbollah and anti-Israel bias" and accused him of engaging in "the de-legitimization of Judaism, the basis of much anti-Semitism." Neocon commentator David Horowitz called Roth a "reflexive Israel-basher & who, in his zest to pillory Israel at every turn, is little more than an ally of the barbarians." The New Republic piled on, as did Alan Dershowitz, who claimed Human Rights Watch "cooks the books" to make Israel look bad. And writing in the Jewish Exponent, Jonathan Rosenblum accused Roth of resorting to a "slur about primitive Jewish bloodlust."

Anyone familiar with Human Rights Watch - or with Roth - knows this to be lunacy. Human Rights Watch is nonpartisan - it doesn't "take sides" in conflicts. And the notion that Roth is anti-Semitic verges on the insane.

But what's most troubling about the vitriol directed at Roth and his organization isn't that it's savage, unfounded and fantastical. What's most troubling is that it's typical. Typical, that is, of what anyone rash enough to criticize Israel can expect to encounter. In the United States today, it just isn't possible to have a civil debate about Israel, because any serious criticism of its policies is instantly countered with charges of anti-Semitism. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

VIDEO: CAIR 'ISRAEL LOBBY' PANEL IN WASHINGTON, D.C. - TOP
http://www.c-span.org/rss/video.asp?MediaID=26942

CAIR 'ISRAEL LOBBY' PANEL TRANSCRIPT - TOP
http://www.cair.com/pdf/Walt_Mearsheimer_Panel_Transcript.pdf

-----

FIVE YEARS LATER, SUSPICION AND FEAR IN MUSLIM COMMUNITIES - TOP
DEEPTI HAJELA, Associated Press, 9/2/06
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--sept.11-muslims0902sep02,0,5077390.story

The comments started as soon as Yumna Rizvi came back to school from spring break a couple of months ago looking ... different.

"Oh, are you going terrorist on us now?" and "Don't blow up the school!" came from people she considered her friends. Teachers started asking her if everything was OK.

Why all the attention? Because the 12-year-old Muslim girl decided she wanted to try wearing a hijab, the traditional scarf that covers a Muslim woman's hair.

Yumna lasted about a month and a half. Finally, after her parents got nervous that she was making herself a target, the scarf came off.

"My parents were like, 'You know, right now, the way the world is, we don't think you should be doing this," the Brooklyn girl said.

The way the world is now is not the way it was five years ago, before those four airplanes took off early on a Tuesday morning and irrevocably changed everything.

Among those caught up in the shockwaves of Sept. 11 were the country's Muslims, followers of a faith that until then, had by and large existed under the radar of much of the American mainstream. No longer. Muslims, and Islam itself, came under intense scrutiny after the attacks. And not just scrutiny in some corners suspicion, distrust, fear.

The passing of five years has done little to dispel that; if anything, world events from the war in Iraq to bombings in Madrid and London have made that attention more intense. There have been calls for security profiling based on religion and ethnicity; at one point, special immigration registration was implemented for people coming from Middle Eastern and North African countries.

It has all made many Muslims feel that much more self-conscious. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ARAB AMERICANS SEE LINGERING PREJUDICE, SOME PROGRESS SINCE 9-11 - TOP
SARAH KARUSH, Associated Press, 9/2/06
http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/business/index.ssf?/base/news-37/1157199549190140.xml&storylist=mibusiness

A 19-year-old Arab American woman hears a man mutter that she should go back to the Middle East, apparently unaware that she was born and raised in the Midwest.

A young chiropractor has renewed his commitment to Islam, in part because he is horrified by what some people are doing in the name of his religion.

A high school principal says his faith in American democracy has been shaken by U.S. actions abroad and what he sees as the erosion of civil liberties at home.

Five years after Sept. 11, 2001, Arab Americans are still sorting through the profound and varied consequences of the attacks and events that followed.

Some have faced threats and insults. Many have been detained and questioned, and believe it's their names, physical features or religion that piqued the interest of authorities. One economist says prejudice has pushed down the earnings of Arab and Muslim men since 2001.

Others see signs of progress. They point to the outpouring of support from many non-Arabs in the immediate aftermath of the attacks and the efforts of law enforcement to protect them from hate crimes. They see Arab Americans showing more pride in their heritage and getting more politically involved. (MORE)

-----

MUSLIM GROUP: BUSH DISTORTS 'ISLAMIC' - TOP
CARLA K. JOHNSON, Associated Press, 9/2/06
http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2006/09/02/ap/politics/d8jsd3vg0.txt

The newly elected head of the largest Muslim group in North America called President Bush's recasting of the war on terror as a "war against Islamic fascism" inaccurate and not helpful to people of her faith.

Ingrid Mattson, the first woman president of the Islamic Society of North America, said Friday at the opening of the group's 43rd annual convention that labeling terrorism as "Islamic" only adds to a misunderstanding of the religion.

"I'm convinced that it is not only inaccurate, but unhelpful. If our major concern is security, security of this country, this is a term that has very bad resonance in the Muslim majority world and makes us feel uncomfortable here," Mattson said. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

REFERENCES TO 'ISLAMIC FASCISM' SLAMMED - TOP
Rummana Hussain, Chicago Sun-Times, 9/2/06
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-islamic02.html

Islamic Society of North America's newly elected president, Ingrid Mattson, said Friday she objects to President Bush's use of the term "Islamic fascism" when describing the enemy in the global war on terrorism.

Mattson, like other ISNA leaders, expressed empathy for the challenges government officials face in trying to keep the country safe, but she said the "inaccurate and unhelpful" rhetoric by Bush and other Republican lawmakers hurts peaceful, law-abiding Muslims who face growing scrutiny even five years after 9/11.

"This is a term that had very bad resonance in the Muslim majority world and makes us feel uncomfortable, so we're hoping there can be some adjustment to this language," Mattson said at a news conference kicking off ISNA's four-day annual convention at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.

Mattson said any harmful act carried out in the name of religion should simply be called "terrorism, crime or violence." (MORE)

-----

CA: VICE MAYOR: 'I MADE A HUGE MISTAKE' - TOP
Sileo delivers apology about Muslim remark cover-up
Marissa Belles, Antelope Valley Press, 8/29/06
http://www.avpress.com/n/29/0829_s2.hts

Ed Sileo, the city's recently re-elected vice mayor, on Monday admitted to sending an e-mail that was bound to offend Muslim people, then lying to cover it up.

The e-mail contained an offhand jibe that was a partial response to a recruitment e-mail to sign up volunteers for an emergency services drill that would train people to respond to an event like a bio-terror attack.

Sileo said he was joking around with some friends Thursday when he typed into his Blackberry personal data device, "Maybe my friends Muhammed, Omar and Khalid will volunteer."

The vice mayor misspelled the common accepted spelling for Mohammed in his e-mail prank.

He said he intended to erase the offensive jibe. Instead of erasing it, Sileo pressed send to all, passing the message on to a range of fellow community leaders, including staff for Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, leadership of the local United Way and Darren Parker, who heads up the county-directed Antelope Valley Human Relations Task Force.

"I made a huge mistake," Sileo said Monday.

"While sending it was an accident, it doesn't excuse the fact that I was even joking in that matter," Sileo said. "When I realized I did that I was embarrassed and shameful."

At that point, Sileo soon after sent out an apology message saying that the first note was a very poor attempt at a practical joke by someone who borrowed his phone and typed the message.

That turned out to be untrue.

The message of apology said: "To all who may have received the last e-mail sent from this Blackberry device: unfortunately, an acquaintance was joking around with my phone and accidently sent out an extremely rude and what I feel is a racially offensive message," Sileo wrote Thursday in the second Blackberry message transmission.

"For that I apologize profusely. In no way does this represent what I believe or would say," Sileo communicated with his audience in cyberspace. Sileo admitted Monday this apology was an untruth, and that it represented nothing more than a panicked response to his own reckless action.

"I'm apologetic and embarrassed for sending the e-mail out, and then trying to cover it up," Sileo said to the Antelope Valley Press on Monday. "It was immature and not the example of what we expect from an elected official," he said.

Sileo said he is not only seeking forgiveness from the people who received the e-mail, but from the entire community, particularly members of the Muslim community bound to be offended by the off-hand remark.

"I have to ask for forgiveness from all of my constituents for my failure to exercise good and reasonable judgement," Sileo said.

Darren Parker, chairman of the Human Relations Task Force received Sileo's original message as well as the apology and forwarded both to Chaplain Abdul-Wahab Omeira of the North Valley Islamic Center. "Unfortunately this shows the true lack of leadership this man possesses with regards to representing the diverse community of the Antelope Valley," Omeira said in an e-mail Sunday morning. . .

"I do appreciate Councilman Ed Sileo's brave remarks in admitting what he did. It shows great character," Omeira said Monday. "The Muslim community at large doesn't want to be victims of stereotyping, and I'm thankful that he offered his remorse."

Sileo said he is looking for ways to reach the Muslim community to apologize and establish trust with them.

Omeira said Sileo is invited to the Islamic Center's Sept. 11th remembrance night and he hopes the vice mayor will attend.

"We would be honored if he would come to the mosque for a tour and we'd be happy to answer any questions he has about our faith," Omeira said. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ME: JUDGE RULES THAT PIG'S HEAD ROLLER WAS RACIALLY MOTIVATED - TOP
Rhonda Erskine, WCSH6, 8/31/06
http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=40976

A judge ruled Thursday that 33-year-old Brent Matthews violated Maine's Civil Rights Act when he tossed a pig's head into a Lewiston mosque earlier this summer.

Matthews has never denied that he tossed the pig's head into the Lewiston Islamic Center. He has said all along it was a practical joke.

Justice Ellen Gorman said there was nothing remotely funny about what Matthews did and determined that his actions were racially motivated.

As a result of the ruling, Matthews must abide by a court order that forbids him from threatening or using physical force against the mosque or it's members. He must also stay at least 150 feet away from the mosque.

If Matthews violates that court order he could face criminal charges.

Members of the mosque told us they are pleased with the judges ruling. Matthews defense attorney says his client is obviously disappointed. But both sides say they are ready to make amends and move forward. (MORE)

-----

FOR U.S. MUSLIM LAW STUDENTS, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER - TOP
William Fisher, Inter Press Service, 8/31/06
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=34533

His name is Junaid Ahmad. He is 24 years old. And he is among a rapidly increasing number of first generation Muslim-Americans who have decided to pursue careers in the law.

Ahmad, who was born in Chicago, Illinois after his parents emigrated to the United States from Pakistan in 1973, is a second-year student at William and Mary Law School in Williamsburg, Virginia. He told IPS he chose the law over more traditional first-generation U.S. citizens' choices -- medicine, science and engineering -- because he cares deeply about human rights and civil liberties.

When he graduates from law school in 2008, he hopes to join the legal staff of an international human rights organisation, and also do some teaching.

Ahmad says he is "worried about the politics of fear" that the administration of Pres. George W. Bush has encouraged since the terrorists attacks of Sep. 11, 2001. He adds that, "Many Muslims in America are being routinely harassed and stereotyped and might feel more comfortable with lawyers who understood their language, culture and customs." (MORE)

-----

EXQUISITE WORKS OF ISLAMIC ART COME TO BC - TOP
Cate McQuaid, Boston Globe, 9/1/06
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2006/09/01/divine_designs/

The art of Islam dances with scripts, arabesques, and intricate patterns that unfold like blossoms. Perhaps because of the Koran's edict against idolatry, many Muslim artists through the ages have invested their energy not in representational work, but in covering ceramics, glass, architecture, and textiles with magnificent designs.

The first thing you notice as you walk through ``Cosmophilia: Islamic Art From the David Collection, Copenhagen," a spectacle of an exhibition at Boston College's McMullen Museum of Art, is that magnificence: brilliant color, extraordinary detail, mathematical patterning, and ingenious technique.

The show is a rare opportunity to see exquisite works from the David Collection, a private museum in Denmark. The David Collection, founded in 1945 by Christian Ludvig David , is not specifically an Islamic art museum -- European decorative arts are also a strength -- but since David's death in 1960, a succession of directors with deep pockets have cannily grown the Islamic collection, which now amounts to more than 2,000 objects.

This summer, the David Collection has closed for a two-year renovation. Curators and BC professors Sheila S. Blair and Jonathan M. Bloom seized the opportunity to mount this show. ``Cosmophilia" focuses on ornament in Islamic art; they coined the title, which means a love of decoration. They've chosen 123 of the David Collection's finest pieces.

Blair and Bloom have daringly organized the exhibition entirely along visual lines, throwing historical context and geography to the winds. Works made between 600 and 1800 in Muslim cultures stretching from Spain to Northern Africa and India are on view. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE QURAN EXPLORES QURANIC CONCEPTS, PEOPLE, PLACES - TOP
David Shelby, Washington File, 8/31/06
http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2006&m=August&x=20060831154920ndyblehs0.3371698

Washington - With the publication of the fifth and final volume of the Encyclopedia of the Quran, Georgetown University professor Jane McAuliffe believes she and her editorial contributors have filled an important gap in Western reference material on the text that more than a billion Muslims regard as the word of God.

"There really is no first-rate reference work on the Quran in Western languages," McAuliffe said during a recent interview with the Washington File. "If you look at a correlative field such as biblical studies & there are dozens of encyclopedias of the Bible or dictionaries, et cetera, and there was nothing of that genre available for the Quran. It was an obvious and a rather big hole in the field."

McAuliffe and her editorial assistants collected nearly 1,000 articles from quranic scholars around the world to produce a comprehensive reference work on the concepts, practices, personalities and places associated with the Muslim holy text. (MORE)

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: info@cair.com

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/




Forwarded Message

Date: Sat, 02 Sep 2006 16:56:38 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Criticize Israel? You're an Anti-Semite! / 5 Years After 9/11, Fear in U.S. Muslim Communities

HTML Attachment [ Scan and Save to Computer | Save to Yahoo! Briefcase ]

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/2/06

* Hadith: 'Was It Not a Living (Soul)?'
* CAIR-MI: Interfaith Dialogue Held on Mideast
            - CAIR-LA: Interfaith Leaders Promote Peace
            - CAIR-Houston Fundraising Dinner Sept. 9
            - CAIR-Sacramento Rep to be Featured on Geo TV
* Criticize Israel? You're an Anti-Semite! (LA Times)
            - Video: CAIR 'Israel Lobby' Panel in Washington, D.C.
            - CAIR 'Israel Lobby' Panel Transcript
* 5 Years After 9/11, Suspicion and Fear in Muslim Communities (AP)
            - Arab-Americans See Lingering Prejudice, Some Progress (AP)
* Muslim Group: Bush Distorts 'Islamic' (AP)
            - IL: References to 'Islamic Fascism' Slammed (Sun-Times)
* CA: Vice Mayor Apologizes for Muslim Remark Cover-Up
            - ME Judge: Pig's Head Roller Was Racially Motivated
* For U.S. Muslim Law Students, Knowledge Is Power (Inter Press)
* MA: Exquisite Works of Islamic Art Come to Boston (Globe)
            - Encyclopedia of Quran Explores Concepts, People, Places

-----

HADITH OF THE DAY: 'WAS IT NOT A LIVING (SOUL)?' - TOP

A funeral procession once passed in front of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and he stood up out of respect. When he was told the person in the coffin was Jewish and not Muslim, he said: "Was it not a living (soul)?"

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Hadith 399

-----

CAIR-MI: INTERFAITH DIALOGUE HELD ON MIDEAST - TOP
Aatif Ali Bokhari, Arab American News, 9/2/06
http://www.arabamericannews.com/newsarticle.php?articleid=6203

DETROIT - A Christian, Jewish and Muslim panel gathered earlier this week to discuss the importance of the Holy Land in their faiths.

St. Peter Catholic Church in Harper Woods hosted the event, "Are You As Confused About The Middle East As I Am?" on Tuesday. About 35 attendees, the majority of them senior citizens, took part in the morning program.

Panel participants included Dawud Walid, Executive Director of the Council on American Islamic Relations - Michigan Chapter (CAIR-MI); Sharona Shapiro, Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee; and Reverend Daniel Buttry of International Ministries.

The goal of the meeting was not to have debate over political issues but to share feelings on the importance of the Holy Land. "If you came here with a sharpened sword, my job is to disarm you today," said moderator Steve Spreitzer, to chuckles from the crowd. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-LA: LEADERS MEET TO PROMOTE PEACE - TOP
Tracy Manzer, Press-Telegram, 9/2/06
http://www.presstelegram.com/search/ci_4276765

LONG BEACH - Close to 20 area religious leaders representing the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths met earlier this week to discuss ways in which the groups can support one another and promote peace. . .

"The unique aspect of this meeting, from our point of view, is that it did not come from a negative reaction but rather as a proactive approach to strengthening relationships among people of all faith groups in Long Beach," said Hussam Ayloush, the executive director of the Southern California office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"We are working together to eliminate potential misperceptions, disagreements or maybe the impact of the current atmosphere of war, . . . and we're looking at a preventative measure to ensure that the conflict overseas does not spill over into our local communities," Ayloush said.

It is not known when the group will convene again, but all those interviewed by the Press-Telegram pledged to continue with the inter-faith dialogue.

"It took a while to get everybody's schedule open for the first meeting, but it was definitely worthwhile," Ayloush said. "Everybody came out feeling very positive, energized and hopeful. Many of us at the end wondered, `Why did it take so long to come up with such a great idea?"'

---

CAIR NIGHT - TOP
Houston Chronicle, 9/1/06
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/religion/4158367.html

The Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations will hold its annual fundraising banquet at 7 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Westin Oaks Hotel. Guest speakers are Chip Pitts, former chairman of the board of Amnesty International USA, and Shaikh Zoubair of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston. Tickets are $50. For reservations, 713-838-2247.

---

CAIR-SV EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO BE FEATURED ON GEO TV - TOP

(SACRAMENTO, CA, 9/2/2006) - The Executive Director of CAIR-Sacramento Valley, Basim Elkarra, will be featured on GEO Pakistani Television's "Jaiza" news program with host Omar Khan this Sunday, September 3, 2006. Elkarra will be speaking about current events and CAIR's efforts to promote peace and justice.

The air times are as follows:

Sunday, 12:05 p.m. (Pacific)
Monday, 10:30 p.m. (Pacific)
Friday, 2:05 p.m. (Pacific)

For more information on the Jaiza news program, visit:
http://www.geo.tv/usa/program.asp?pid=95

-----

CRITICIZE ISRAEL? YOU'RE AN ANTI-SEMITE! - TOP
How can we have a real discussion about Mideast peace if speaking honestly about Israel is out of bounds?
Rosa Brooks, Los Angeles Times, 9/1/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-brooks1sep01,0,5962701.column

EVER WONDER what it's like to be a pariah?

Publish something sharply critical of Israeli government policies and you'll find out. If you're lucky, you'll merely discover that you've been uninvited to some dinner parties. If you're less lucky, you'll be the subject of an all-out attack by neoconservative pundits and accused of rabid anti-Semitism.

This, at least, is what happened to Ken Roth. Roth - whose father fled Nazi Germany - is executive director of Human Rights Watch, America's largest and most respected human rights organization. (Disclosure: I have worked in the past as a paid consultant for the group.) In July, after the Israeli offensive in Lebanon began, Human Rights Watch did the same thing it has done in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Bosnia, East Timor, Sierra Leone, Congo, Uganda and countless other conflict zones around the globe: It sent researchers to monitor the conflict and report on any abuses committed by either side.

It found plenty. On July 18, Human Rights Watch condemned Hezbollah rocket strikes on civilian areas within Israel, calling the strikes "serious violations of international humanitarian law and probable war crimes." So far, so good. You can't lose when you criticize a terrorist organization.

But Roth and Human Rights Watch didn't stop there. As the conflict's death toll spiraled - with most of the casualties Lebanese civilians - Human Rights Watch also criticized Israel for indiscriminate attacks on civilians. Roth noted that the Israeli military appeared to be "treating southern Lebanon as a free-fire zone," and he observed that the failure to take appropriate measures to distinguish between civilians and combatants constitutes a war crime.

The backlash was prompt. Roth and Human Rights Watch soon found themselves accused of unethical behavior, giving aid and comfort to terrorists and anti-Semitism. The conservative New York Sun attacked Roth (who is Jewish) for having a "clear pro-Hezbollah and anti-Israel bias" and accused him of engaging in "the de-legitimization of Judaism, the basis of much anti-Semitism." Neocon commentator David Horowitz called Roth a "reflexive Israel-basher & who, in his zest to pillory Israel at every turn, is little more than an ally of the barbarians." The New Republic piled on, as did Alan Dershowitz, who claimed Human Rights Watch "cooks the books" to make Israel look bad. And writing in the Jewish Exponent, Jonathan Rosenblum accused Roth of resorting to a "slur about primitive Jewish bloodlust."

Anyone familiar with Human Rights Watch - or with Roth - knows this to be lunacy. Human Rights Watch is nonpartisan - it doesn't "take sides" in conflicts. And the notion that Roth is anti-Semitic verges on the insane.

But what's most troubling about the vitriol directed at Roth and his organization isn't that it's savage, unfounded and fantastical. What's most troubling is that it's typical. Typical, that is, of what anyone rash enough to criticize Israel can expect to encounter. In the United States today, it just isn't possible to have a civil debate about Israel, because any serious criticism of its policies is instantly countered with charges of anti-Semitism. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

VIDEO: CAIR 'ISRAEL LOBBY' PANEL IN WASHINGTON, D.C. - TOP
http://www.c-span.org/rss/video.asp?MediaID=26942

CAIR 'ISRAEL LOBBY' PANEL TRANSCRIPT - TOP
http://www.cair.com/pdf/Walt_Mearsheimer_Panel_Transcript.pdf

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FIVE YEARS LATER, SUSPICION AND FEAR IN MUSLIM COMMUNITIES - TOP
DEEPTI HAJELA, Associated Press, 9/2/06
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--sept.11-muslims0902sep02,0,5077390.story

The comments started as soon as Yumna Rizvi came back to school from spring break a couple of months ago looking ... different.

"Oh, are you going terrorist on us now?" and "Don't blow up the school!" came from people she considered her friends. Teachers started asking her if everything was OK.

Why all the attention? Because the 12-year-old Muslim girl decided she wanted to try wearing a hijab, the traditional scarf that covers a Muslim woman's hair.

Yumna lasted about a month and a half. Finally, after her parents got nervous that she was making herself a target, the scarf came off.

"My parents were like, 'You know, right now, the way the world is, we don't think you should be doing this," the Brooklyn girl said.

The way the world is now is not the way it was five years ago, before those four airplanes took off early on a Tuesday morning and irrevocably changed everything.

Among those caught up in the shockwaves of Sept. 11 were the country's Muslims, followers of a faith that until then, had by and large existed under the radar of much of the American mainstream. No longer. Muslims, and Islam itself, came under intense scrutiny after the attacks. And not just scrutiny in some corners suspicion, distrust, fear.

The passing of five years has done little to dispel that; if anything, world events from the war in Iraq to bombings in Madrid and London have made that attention more intense. There have been calls for security profiling based on religion and ethnicity; at one point, special immigration registration was implemented for people coming from Middle Eastern and North African countries.

It has all made many Muslims feel that much more self-conscious. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ARAB AMERICANS SEE LINGERING PREJUDICE, SOME PROGRESS SINCE 9-11 - TOP
SARAH KARUSH, Associated Press, 9/2/06
http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/business/index.ssf?/base/news-37/1157199549190140.xml&storylist=mibusiness

A 19-year-old Arab American woman hears a man mutter that she should go back to the Middle East, apparently unaware that she was born and raised in the Midwest.

A young chiropractor has renewed his commitment to Islam, in part because he is horrified by what some people are doing in the name of his religion.

A high school principal says his faith in American democracy has been shaken by U.S. actions abroad and what he sees as the erosion of civil liberties at home.

Five years after Sept. 11, 2001, Arab Americans are still sorting through the profound and varied consequences of the attacks and events that followed.

Some have faced threats and insults. Many have been detained and questioned, and believe it's their names, physical features or religion that piqued the interest of authorities. One economist says prejudice has pushed down the earnings of Arab and Muslim men since 2001.

Others see signs of progress. They point to the outpouring of support from many non-Arabs in the immediate aftermath of the attacks and the efforts of law enforcement to protect them from hate crimes. They see Arab Americans showing more pride in their heritage and getting more politically involved. (MORE)

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MUSLIM GROUP: BUSH DISTORTS 'ISLAMIC' - TOP
CARLA K. JOHNSON, Associated Press, 9/2/06
http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2006/09/02/ap/politics/d8jsd3vg0.txt

The newly elected head of the largest Muslim group in North America called President Bush's recasting of the war on terror as a "war against Islamic fascism" inaccurate and not helpful to people of her faith.

Ingrid Mattson, the first woman president of the Islamic Society of North America, said Friday at the opening of the group's 43rd annual convention that labeling terrorism as "Islamic" only adds to a misunderstanding of the religion.

"I'm convinced that it is not only inaccurate, but unhelpful. If our major concern is security, security of this country, this is a term that has very bad resonance in the Muslim majority world and makes us feel uncomfortable here," Mattson said. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

REFERENCES TO 'ISLAMIC FASCISM' SLAMMED - TOP
Rummana Hussain, Chicago Sun-Times, 9/2/06
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-islamic02.html

Islamic Society of North America's newly elected president, Ingrid Mattson, said Friday she objects to President Bush's use of the term "Islamic fascism" when describing the enemy in the global war on terrorism.

Mattson, like other ISNA leaders, expressed empathy for the challenges government officials face in trying to keep the country safe, but she said the "inaccurate and unhelpful" rhetoric by Bush and other Republican lawmakers hurts peaceful, law-abiding Muslims who face growing scrutiny even five years after 9/11.

"This is a term that had very bad resonance in the Muslim majority world and makes us feel uncomfortable, so we're hoping there can be some adjustment to this language," Mattson said at a news conference kicking off ISNA's four-day annual convention at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.

Mattson said any harmful act carried out in the name of religion should simply be called "terrorism, crime or violence." (MORE)

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CA: VICE MAYOR: 'I MADE A HUGE MISTAKE' - TOP
Sileo delivers apology about Muslim remark cover-up
Marissa Belles, Antelope Valley Press, 8/29/06
http://www.avpress.com/n/29/0829_s2.hts

Ed Sileo, the city's recently re-elected vice mayor, on Monday admitted to sending an e-mail that was bound to offend Muslim people, then lying to cover it up.

The e-mail contained an offhand jibe that was a partial response to a recruitment e-mail to sign up volunteers for an emergency services drill that would train people to respond to an event like a bio-terror attack.

Sileo said he was joking around with some friends Thursday when he typed into his Blackberry personal data device, "Maybe my friends Muhammed, Omar and Khalid will volunteer."

The vice mayor misspelled the common accepted spelling for Mohammed in his e-mail prank.

He said he intended to erase the offensive jibe. Instead of erasing it, Sileo pressed send to all, passing the message on to a range of fellow community leaders, including staff for Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, leadership of the local United Way and Darren Parker, who heads up the county-directed Antelope Valley Human Relations Task Force.

"I made a huge mistake," Sileo said Monday.

"While sending it was an accident, it doesn't excuse the fact that I was even joking in that matter," Sileo said. "When I realized I did that I was embarrassed and shameful."

At that point, Sileo soon after sent out an apology message saying that the first note was a very poor attempt at a practical joke by someone who borrowed his phone and typed the message.

That turned out to be untrue.

The message of apology said: "To all who may have received the last e-mail sent from this Blackberry device: unfortunately, an acquaintance was joking around with my phone and accidently sent out an extremely rude and what I feel is a racially offensive message," Sileo wrote Thursday in the second Blackberry message transmission.

"For that I apologize profusely. In no way does this represent what I believe or would say," Sileo communicated with his audience in cyberspace. Sileo admitted Monday this apology was an untruth, and that it represented nothing more than a panicked response to his own reckless action.

"I'm apologetic and embarrassed for sending the e-mail out, and then trying to cover it up," Sileo said to the Antelope Valley Press on Monday. "It was immature and not the example of what we expect from an elected official," he said.

Sileo said he is not only seeking forgiveness from the people who received the e-mail, but from the entire community, particularly members of the Muslim community bound to be offended by the off-hand remark.

"I have to ask for forgiveness from all of my constituents for my failure to exercise good and reasonable judgement," Sileo said.

Darren Parker, chairman of the Human Relations Task Force received Sileo's original message as well as the apology and forwarded both to Chaplain Abdul-Wahab Omeira of the North Valley Islamic Center. "Unfortunately this shows the true lack of leadership this man possesses with regards to representing the diverse community of the Antelope Valley," Omeira said in an e-mail Sunday morning. . .

"I do appreciate Councilman Ed Sileo's brave remarks in admitting what he did. It shows great character," Omeira said Monday. "The Muslim community at large doesn't want to be victims of stereotyping, and I'm thankful that he offered his remorse."

Sileo said he is looking for ways to reach the Muslim community to apologize and establish trust with them.

Omeira said Sileo is invited to the Islamic Center's Sept. 11th remembrance night and he hopes the vice mayor will attend.

"We would be honored if he would come to the mosque for a tour and we'd be happy to answer any questions he has about our faith," Omeira said. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ME: JUDGE RULES THAT PIG'S HEAD ROLLER WAS RACIALLY MOTIVATED - TOP
Rhonda Erskine, WCSH6, 8/31/06
http://www.wcsh6.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=40976

A judge ruled Thursday that 33-year-old Brent Matthews violated Maine's Civil Rights Act when he tossed a pig's head into a Lewiston mosque earlier this summer.

Matthews has never denied that he tossed the pig's head into the Lewiston Islamic Center. He has said all along it was a practical joke.

Justice Ellen Gorman said there was nothing remotely funny about what Matthews did and determined that his actions were racially motivated.

As a result of the ruling, Matthews must abide by a court order that forbids him from threatening or using physical force against the mosque or it's members. He must also stay at least 150 feet away from the mosque.

If Matthews violates that court order he could face criminal charges.

Members of the mosque told us they are pleased with the judges ruling. Matthews defense attorney says his client is obviously disappointed. But both sides say they are ready to make amends and move forward. (MORE)

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FOR U.S. MUSLIM LAW STUDENTS, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER - TOP
William Fisher, Inter Press Service, 8/31/06
http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=34533

His name is Junaid Ahmad. He is 24 years old. And he is among a rapidly increasing number of first generation Muslim-Americans who have decided to pursue careers in the law.

Ahmad, who was born in Chicago, Illinois after his parents emigrated to the United States from Pakistan in 1973, is a second-year student at William and Mary Law School in Williamsburg, Virginia. He told IPS he chose the law over more traditional first-generation U.S. citizens' choices -- medicine, science and engineering -- because he cares deeply about human rights and civil liberties.

When he graduates from law school in 2008, he hopes to join the legal staff of an international human rights organisation, and also do some teaching.

Ahmad says he is "worried about the politics of fear" that the administration of Pres. George W. Bush has encouraged since the terrorists attacks of Sep. 11, 2001. He adds that, "Many Muslims in America are being routinely harassed and stereotyped and might feel more comfortable with lawyers who understood their language, culture and customs." (MORE)

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EXQUISITE WORKS OF ISLAMIC ART COME TO BC - TOP
Cate McQuaid, Boston Globe, 9/1/06
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2006/09/01/divine_designs/

The art of Islam dances with scripts, arabesques, and intricate patterns that unfold like blossoms. Perhaps because of the Koran's edict against idolatry, many Muslim artists through the ages have invested their energy not in representational work, but in covering ceramics, glass, architecture, and textiles with magnificent designs.

The first thing you notice as you walk through ``Cosmophilia: Islamic Art From the David Collection, Copenhagen," a spectacle of an exhibition at Boston College's McMullen Museum of Art, is that magnificence: brilliant color, extraordinary detail, mathematical patterning, and ingenious technique.

The show is a rare opportunity to see exquisite works from the David Collection, a private museum in Denmark. The David Collection, founded in 1945 by Christian Ludvig David , is not specifically an Islamic art museum -- European decorative arts are also a strength -- but since David's death in 1960, a succession of directors with deep pockets have cannily grown the Islamic collection, which now amounts to more than 2,000 objects.

This summer, the David Collection has closed for a two-year renovation. Curators and BC professors Sheila S. Blair and Jonathan M. Bloom seized the opportunity to mount this show. ``Cosmophilia" focuses on ornament in Islamic art; they coined the title, which means a love of decoration. They've chosen 123 of the David Collection's finest pieces.

Blair and Bloom have daringly organized the exhibition entirely along visual lines, throwing historical context and geography to the winds. Works made between 600 and 1800 in Muslim cultures stretching from Spain to Northern Africa and India are on view. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE QURAN EXPLORES QURANIC CONCEPTS, PEOPLE, PLACES - TOP
David Shelby, Washington File, 8/31/06
http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2006&m=August&x=20060831154920ndyblehs0.3371698

Washington - With the publication of the fifth and final volume of the Encyclopedia of the Quran, Georgetown University professor Jane McAuliffe believes she and her editorial contributors have filled an important gap in Western reference material on the text that more than a billion Muslims regard as the word of God.

"There really is no first-rate reference work on the Quran in Western languages," McAuliffe said during a recent interview with the Washington File. "If you look at a correlative field such as biblical studies & there are dozens of encyclopedias of the Bible or dictionaries, et cetera, and there was nothing of that genre available for the Quran. It was an obvious and a rather big hole in the field."

McAuliffe and her editorial assistants collected nearly 1,000 articles from quranic scholars around the world to produce a comprehensive reference work on the concepts, practices, personalities and places associated with the Muslim holy text. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

-----

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Forwarded Message

Date: Sun, 03 Sep 2006 18:46:10 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: 5 Years After 9/11: Typecasting Muslims as a Race / U.S. Muslims Insist They're American Too

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In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/3/06

* Verse: God is with Those Who Are Patient in Adversity
* CAIR to Hold Dinner for Former Iranian President Khatami
* 5 Years After 9/11: Typecasting Muslims as a Race (SF Chronicle)
            - U.S. Muslims Insist They're American Too (Reuters)
            - CAIR-MI: US Muslims Plagued by Discrimination After 9/11 (AFP)
            - American and Muslim: 6 Million People in Search of an Identity
            - NY Panel: Protecting Civil Liberties and Security After 9/11
* VA: Muslims Say They Have Been Unfairly Targeted Since 9/11 (Wash Post)
* Demonizing: Terms Such as 'Islamo Fascists' Reflect Misunderstanding
* KY: Bosnian Center Opens Mosque

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VERSE OF THE DAY: GOD IS WITH THOSE WHO ARE PATIENT IN ADVERSITY - TOP

"O you who have attained to faith! Seek aid in steadfast patience and prayer: for, behold, God is with those who are patient in adversity."

The Holy Quran, 2:153

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CAIR TO HOLD DINNER FOR FORMER IRANIAN PRESIDENT KHATAMI - TOP

The Washington Daybook - General News Events - Futures
Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc./Agence France-Presse

SPONSOR: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

TOPIC/SUBJECT: holds a dinner for former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, "The Dialogue of Civilizations: Five Years After 9/11."

DATE: September 8, 2006, 7 p.m.

LOCATION: The Marriott Crystal Gateway, 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, Va.

CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 [Note: RSVP required.]

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TYPECASTING MUSLIMS AS A RACE - TOP
Matthai Chakko Kuruvila, San Francisco Chronicle, 9/3/06
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/03/MNG4FKUMR71.DTL

As the war on terror heads into its sixth year, a new racial stereotype is emerging in America. Brown-skinned men with beards and women with head scarves are seen as "Muslims" -- regardless of their actual faith or nationality.

Law enforcement measures, politicians, religious leaders and the media have contributed to stereotyping Muslims as a race -- echoing the painful history of another faith.

"Muslims are the new Jews," said Paul Silverstein, an anthropology professor at Reed College in Oregon who studies the intersection of race, immigration and Islam. "They're the object of a series of stereotypes, caricatures and fears which are not based in a reality and are independent of a person's experience with Muslims."

The Muslim caricature has ensnared Hindus, Mexicans and others across the country with violence, suspicion and slurs. And it has given new form to this country's age-old dance around racial identity. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

POST-9/11, U.S. MUSLIMS INSIST THEY'RE AMERICAN TOO - TOP
Caroline Drees, Reuters, 9/3/06
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/usa-muslims.html

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ihsan Saadeddin is proud to be an American. But he's tired of having to prove it just because he's a Muslim too.

The Palestinian grocery store owner in Phoenix has called the United States home for 25 years and feels as American as the next guy. He met his wife in Arizona, sent his three children to public school and has a weakness for McDonald's.

But Saadeddin says the Sept. 11 attacks were a tragic watershed which turned U.S. Muslims from ordinary citizens into objects of suspicion and discrimination overnight. He believes it is why he was questioned at the airport for 45 minutes last month and asked repeatedly if he supports terrorism.

"Being born in another country does not make me less American than the secretary of homeland security," Saadeddin said.

Estimates of the number of Muslim Americans vary between three and seven million, including Arabs, Iranians, South Asians, African Americans and many other communities.

News of domestic wiretapping, monitoring of mosques, immigration crackdowns, public support for racial profiling and bans on some Muslim scholars visiting the United States has made many Muslim Americans feel like targets of racism. (MORE)

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US MUSLIMS PLAGUED BY DISCRIMINATION AFTER 9/11 - TOP
Mira Oberman, Agence France-Presse, 9/3/06
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/breakingnews/world/view_article.php?article_id=18722

DEARBORN, Michigan -- Discrimination and harassment by law enforcement have come to plague American Muslims in the years since the terrorist attacks of September 11.

There have been suspicious looks, slurs, physical attacks, extra screening at airports and arrests on groundless charges.

And it seems to be getting worse.

A recent Gallup poll showed that 39 percent of Americans admit to being prejudiced against Muslims and that nearly a quarter say they would not want a Muslim for a neighbor.

"Most Americans don't know Muslims except for those they work with in an urban environment so all the information they get is through the media," said Dawud Walid, director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR).

After having shown some restraint in his rhetoric after 19 Muslim men affiliated with Al-Qaeda flew planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, President George W. Bush has of late been using far more inflammatory language such as 'Islamofacists,' Walid said.

"When the religious and political leaders use polarizing language these are the unfortunate side effects. It stretches from the likes of (Christian Coalition leader) Pat Robinson all the way up to President Bush." (MORE)

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AMERICAN AND MUSLIM: SIX MILLION PEOPLE IN SEARCH OF AN IDENTITY - TOP
Robert Fisk, Independent, 9/3/06
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article1325459.ece

A guy with brown eyes and dark skin and a thick American accent walks up to talk to me. I guess he's an Iranian, possibly a Pakistani. Where're you from, I ask? "Austin, Texas," he replies. Fisk foiled again. But where do you originally come from I ask him? "I was born in Newark, New Jersey." Fisk clears his throat. Where does his family originally come from? I'm beginning to feel like the man from Homeland Security, racially profiling my new friend. "Lahore," he replies laconically and I try to make amends. The only beautiful city in Pakistan, I say, and he smiles witheringly at me.

And I go on making the same mistake at the conference hall where the biggest annual convention of American Muslims - perhaps 32,000 of them - is meeting for a weekend of speeches and discussions that run all the way from drug addiction to Condi Rice's "new" and bloody Middle East, from banking without interest to the Bush administration's use of torture and yes, of course, the after-effects on Muslims of the international crimes against humanity of September 11, 2001.

You from Jordan I ask? "Denver, Colorado," the young woman replies. Born in San Diego. Family, yes, from Jordan. From Lebanon, I ask another? "Buffalo, New York." Actually, the family was from Syria.

It takes a while to realise that I'm playing the game of so many American non-Muslims in the aftermath of the plane hijackings. I'm sniffing for the world's enemies only hours after President George W Bush went into paranoid mode while addressing the American Legion in Salt Lake City. He had just claimed that America is fighting "the decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century" and then jumped on the crumbling old arguments of pre-Second World War appeasement to bang the Hitler drum as well. (MORE)

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PROTECTING CIVIL LIBERTIES AND NATIONAL SECURITY AFTER 9/11 - TOP
Muslim Bar Association of New York

WHO: Two Panels of Civil Liberties Attorneys
WHEN: Saturday, September 16, 1-6 p.m.
WHERE: Pope Auditorium, Fordham Law School, 140 West 62nd Street, New York, NY
CONTACT: eventinfo@muslimbarny.org
COST: Free

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HARDBALL TACTICS IN AN ERA OF THREATS - TOP
To the government, they were a terrorist risk in the Washington area. To local Muslims, they were unfairly singled out for prosecution and severe sentences in a post-9/11 world.
Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post, 9/3/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/02/AR2006090201096.html

After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, law enforcement officials pledged an aggressive effort to choke off future plots. People identified as security threats would be charged as soon as a crime could be proven, even if it was well short of a terrorist strike. The Washington area, where seven of the 19 al-Qaeda hijackers spent time before the attacks, became a focus of their investigations.

"Awaiting an attack is not an option," Paul J. McNulty, the deputy U.S. attorney general, said in a recent speech. He described the approach as "preventative prosecutions."

For prosecutors, that effort has been a success: Chandia was the 11th man convicted in what they describe as a "jihad network" in the D.C. suburbs dedicated to supporting military action on behalf of Muslims. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Muslims in the Washington area, even those unconnected to the defendants, wonder and worry about the implications of these cases for their community. Some feel that the prosecutions could increase the stigma Muslims have faced since Sept. 11. And many Muslims say the aggressive law enforcement has been far out of proportion to the offenses, which harmed no one.

Chandia's trial, for example, focused on favors he did for an acquaintance who belonged to a Pakistani group on the U.S. terrorist list. Chandia drove the visitor around the D.C. suburbs and helped him ship packages abroad.

For that, prosecutors sought 30 years to life. Some of the other defendants will spend decades in jail, including two who received life sentences.

"If this is how you deliver justice, you lose your trust in the justice system," protested Muddasar Ahmed, a Beltsville consultant who was among Chandia's supporters at his sentencing.

Ahmed and others have also argued that the prosecutions show a fundamental misunderstanding of Muslims in America: The local men wanted to help oppressed Muslims overseas, which isn't the same as backing bin Laden.

"The Muslim community . . . does not agree with Osama bin Laden at all," said Tanweer K. Ahmed, a College Park medical specialist who is not related to Muddasar Ahmed but is also among Chandia's supporters. (MORE)

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DEMONIZING: TERMS SUCH AS 'ISLAMO FASCISTS' REFLECT A GREAT MISUNDERSTANDING - TOP
Patriot-News, 9/3/06
http://www.pennlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1157137804254930.xml?pennpedit&coll=1

The penchant for preparing to fight the last war is well noted. We've seen it in recent days in remarks by President Bush, a speech by U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum here in Harrisburg and, most notably, in a speech by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at an American Legion convention.

As if reading from the same script, all have termed what more commonly have been called terrorists "Islamic fascists." Rumsfeld took it a step further and likened critics of the war in Iraq to Nazi appeasers of World War II.

Looking to stem declining public support for the war in Iraq, the administration has put the conflict with Islamic fanatics on a par with the greatest war in history, one that -- unlike today -- involved the mobilization of the entire nation.

There is, of course, nothing new about demonizing one's opponents. Both sides call each other names.

But in this instance it is especially offensive. More important, what these comments reflect is a fundamental misunderstanding of the enemy we're fighting in Iraq, in other parts of the Muslim world and, indeed, in Islamic communities in Western countries, including our own. (MORE)

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KY: BOSNIAN CENTER OPENS MOSQUE - TOP
Katya Cengel, Courier-Journal, 9/3/06
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060903/NEWS01/609030596

Since moving to Louisville seven years ago, Zenita Bekric has visited many of her friends' places of worship.

But until yesterday, Bekric, a 20-year-old Bosnia native, was never able to repay the favor. When friends asked where she worships, she would reply, "Well, there's this place and that place."

Now there is Kevser, a house converted into a mosque by the Bosniak-American Islamic Center.

A one-story white vinyl-sided building with a small gray minaret, Kevser -- which celebrated its grand opening yesterday -- is somewhere that Bosnians and other Muslims can pray, be married and have "a place to call their own," Bekric said.

Since its 2001 inception, the nonprofit Bosniak-American Islamic Center has devoted itself to keeping alive the Bosnian language, way of life and Islamic religion practiced by some, center president Semsudin Haseljic said.

The center has an imam, Azam Efendira, but until yesterday it had no mosque to call its own. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: info@cair.com

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/




Forwarded Message

Date: Mon, 04 Sep 2006 17:38:15 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Young U.S. Muslims Strive for Harmony / Muslims See a Growing Internet Media Bias / MI Policy Lets Muslims Cover Up in Pools

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/4/06

* Hadith: Pay Workers on Time
* Voll: CAIR Based on Template of Civil Rights Movement
* CAIR: Young U.S. Muslims Strive for Harmony (Wash Post)
            - N American Muslims Debate Role in Society (BBC)
            - For Indiana Muslims, Progress Outweighs Setbacks (AP)
            - CAIR-NY: NY Muslims Keep the Faith Post 9/11 (BBC)
            - TN: Local Muslims Respond to President's Remarks
* CAIR: Muslims See a Growing Internet Media Bias (Sun-Times)
* MI: Policy Lets Muslims Cover Up in Pools (Free Press)
            - NY: Muslims Buy Homes Without Breaking Quran's Rules

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HADITH OF THE DAY: PAY WORKERS ON TIME - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Give the hired worker his wages before his sweat dries."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 888

The Prophet also said: "Nobody has ever eaten a better meal than that which one has earned by working with one's own hands."

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadith 286

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ARAB-AMERICAN AND PROUD - TOP
Sunday Business Post, 9/3/06
http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2006/09/03/story16838.asp

Comparing the US with Europe, John Voll, a professor of Islamic History at Georgetown University, asserts that moderate organisations are, in fact, dominant in the US to a much greater extent than in Europe.

''My general view is not that there is nothing [extreme] within the United States, but that Muslim organisations have emerged here that have had quite mainstream US aspirations and have been a vehicle for middle-class Muslim aspirations."

Organisations like the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Voll argues, are based on the template of earlier American civil rights movements.

They emphasise political action rather than violence as the appropriate way to address grievances. (MORE)

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YOUNG U.S. MUSLIMS STRIVE FOR HARMONY - TOP
9/11 Spurred Action, Helped Define Beliefs
Tara Bahrampour. Washington Post, 9/4/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/03/AR2006090300972.html

Standing in the small, fluorescent-lighted room that served as George Washington University's Muslim prayer area, Amin Al-Sarraf pointed to the six-foot-high plastic partition dividing the space.

It had been a point of contention at the university's Muslim Students' Association. Some members thought the partition, common in mosques to separate men and women when they pray, was a necessary part of their religion; others disagreed, saying women had trouble hearing the imam.

"Some see it like the Great Wall of China in the middle of the room," Al-Sarraf explained, adding that there was a fear "freshmen will get a bad taste in their mouth -- like this is how the MSA's going to be."

Al-Sarraf didn't want to alienate anyone. In his post last year as president of the Islamic Alliance for Justice, a political group under the umbrella of the MSA, he'd heard of Muslim groups at other universities making students feel excluded for not dressing a certain way, for example. Perhaps, he mused aloud, his MSA could come to a compromise: Keep the partition, but make it shorter.

For Al-Sarraf, 22, a student of international relations who graduated in May, the partition quandary was part of a larger debate taking place among American Muslims, especially young ones: how to incorporate their religion into daily life. The question has become more pressing -- and more pressured -- since Sept. 11, 2001, linked Islam, in the eyes of many Americans, with acts of fanaticism and murder.

Immediately after the terrorist attacks, Muslims began to feel the heat. Women in hijab became targets of hostile remarks; mosques were sprayed with graffiti and vandalized. Some Muslim immigrants were required to register with the government, and families got unexpected knocks on the door from immigration and FBI officers.

In some communities, resentment swelled as Muslim men disappeared, deported to their home countries or swallowed into a law enforcement system many Muslims felt had convicted them of ill-defined crimes. The United States went to war, first in one Muslim country, then another.

To many Muslims, it seemed that the United States was going to battle against them. "These policies create the impression in the minds of many people . . . that to fight the war on terror you have to fight some kind of war on Islam," said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

N AMERICAN MUSLIMS DEBATE ROLE IN SOCIETY - TOP
Ian Brimacombe, BBC News, Chicago
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5311716.stm

The sessions at the Islamic Society of North America's annual convention had a little something for everyone. Some people came to ask questions about Islamic banking, others wanted tips on Muslim dating.

It was billed as the biggest gathering of Muslims in North America, and tens of thousands of delegates turned up to the three-day event, which was held over the weekend near Chicago.

"It's been opportunity for us to fulfil some of our aspirations as Muslims and learn some new things that are going on with our religion," said Abdul Fatai Adisa, a delegate from Merrillville, Indiana. (MORE)

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FOR INDIANA MUSLIMS, PROGRESS MAY OUTWEIGH SETBACKS - TOP
KEN KUSMER, Associated Press, 9/4/06
http://cbs2chicago.com/indianawire/IN--Sept.11-IndianaMu_l_n_0in--/resources_news_html

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (AP) Ali Khan sits in Imam Mongy Elquesny's office after Friday prayers, discussing the long list of public events where they and others from their mosque need to appear in the coming weeks as Ramadan begins.

They must coordinate benefits at their mosque, the Northwest Indiana Islamic Center, during Islam's holiest month. On Sept. 30, they'll host civic leaders for a night of appreciation.

"The positives are the great relationships that have been built as a result," said Khan, who is also the executive director of the Chicago-based American Muslim Council. "After Sept. 11, real meaningful dialogue has taken place."

The attacks five years ago put Indiana Muslims under a cloud of suspicion and prejudice, making them targets of hate crimes and terrorist profiling. But those dark days also opened opportunities for them to build bridges with non-Muslims and carried them closer to the American mainstream. (MORE)

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CAIR-NY: NY MUSLIMS KEEP THE FAITH POST 9/11 - TOP
Stephen Evans, BBC, 9/4/06
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5277732.stm

Many Muslims in New York have been through a period of reflection since 11 September 2001, looking out at the wider US and wondering where they fit into it.

And they have been looking inwards, to work out what kind of Islam sits easily with their lives. . .

Omar Mohammedi of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in New York, a civil rights lawyer, said he was taking cases brought by Muslims who had been fired from their jobs.

He was also representing a child who had been bullied in school because his name was "Osama".

Observers say there does seem to have been a change in Muslim attitudes since 11 September, with a much more determined rejection of isolation. (MORE)

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TN: 'LOCAL MUSLIMS RESPOND TO PRESIDENT'S REMARKS' - TOP
http://www.wkrn.com/nashville/news/local-muslims-respond-to-presdients-remarks

The Bush Administration's new way to win support for the war on terror is to re-identify the war as a war on Islamic fascism. Immediately, American Muslims reacted, saying the term will lead non-Muslims to be suspicious of the hundreds of thousands of Muslims who live in the United States.

There are about 20,000 Muslims living and working in Nashville. Many of them worship at the Islamic Center on 12th Avenue, south of Downtown. They are friendly, welcoming and peaceful, but because of the terrorist actions of fundamental Muslims, they feel everybody else is suspicious of them. (MORE)

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MUSLIMS SEE A GROWING MEDIA BIAS - TOP
JIM RITTER, Chicago Sun-Times, 9/4/06
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-muslim04.html

On a typical workday, Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations talks to a dozen or so print and broadcast reporters.

"The vast majority does a pretty good job and they need to be congratulated," he said.

It's another story when Hooper watches cable TV commentators, listens to talk radio or surfs hundreds of anti-Islamic Web sites. "The level of anti-Muslim rhetoric is growing in quantum leaps since 9/11," he said.

Hooper and other experts addressed "Islamaphobia" in the media during a panel discussion Sunday at the Islamic Society of North America's annual convention at the Donald E. Stevens Convention Center in Rosemont.

Web sites are especially virulent, Hooper said. Consider these comments recently posted on the blog of Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch and author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades). [SEE: Watching JihadWatch]

o "If I happen to wax hateful and angry from time to time when it comes to the subject of Islam, that is the fault of Islam and its thriving terrorist establishment. . . . It is good to hate your enemies: We are going to have to kill them."

o "Islam is not only a cult, it's a political movement. As such it contravenes the constitution and espouses treason."

o "I hate is-lame with an incandescent intensity."

(Spencer says he does not hate Muslims. Postings from others "are unmoderated and do not necessarily reflect the views of Jihad Watch or Robert Spencer."). . .

Anti-Islamic prejudice "is increasingly bleeding into mainstream media," Hooper said. After Sept. 11, columnist Ann Coulter wrote, "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity."

Before Sept. 11, Coulter "would have faced swift repudiation from her colleagues," Hooper said. "Now it's accepted as legitimate commentary."

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MI: POLICY LETS MUSLIMS COVER UP IN POOLS - TOP
NIRAJ WARIKOO, Detroit Free Press, 9/4/06
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060904/NEWS05/609040349

Jumanah Saadeh is your typical American teen: She digs rock, loves the TV show "Lost" and shoots hoops with her friends.

But as an observant Muslim, the 14-year-old Ann Arbor girl believes Islam requires her to cover her hair and body while in public -- even while swimming.

So when her seventh-grade class took a field trip last summer to a public pool in Ypsilanti, Jumanah changed into long nylon pants, a full-sleeve, collared shirt, and kept on her Islamic headscarf.

Moments after she entered the water in those clothes, a park supervisor admonished her for violating swimsuit policies that prohibit street clothes in pools.

"Hey you!" he barked at Jumanah. "Come here! You can't swim in that."

Jumanah left the pool. But later -- urged on by her teacher, Muslim leaders and a civil rights attorney -- Jumanah persuaded Washtenaw County to change its policy this year to accommodate Muslim women who want to cover themselves fully while swimming in public pools.

The new policy, which went into effect this summer, is the first of its kind in Michigan, and probably the country, according to national Muslim leaders. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

NY: MUSLIMS CAN BUY HOMES WITHOUT BREAKING QURAN'S RULES - TOP
KATIE THOMAS, Newsday, 9/4/06
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-limusl0904,0,3348285.story

Like so many young professionals, Pulak Bhuiya wanted a place he could call his own. He graduated from college, got a decent job as a systems analyst for Credit Suisse Bank in Manhattan and got married.

Buying a house "seemed like a natural progression," Bhuiya said.

But because Bhuiya's Islamic faith prohibits him from taking out an interest-bearing loan, homeownership was out of reach. Then, through friends, Bhuiya, 32, heard about a financing program geared toward Muslims -- one approved by religious scholars and structured to avoid paying interest.

Last year, he closed on a four-bedroom, three-bath ranch in Levittown.

Without the special program, Bhuiya said, he could not have afforded to pay the full price of a house on Long Island. "I'd pretty much have had to move to Idaho, or something," he said.

Banks get savvy

Recognizing the growing market of upwardly mobile Muslims -- many of them immigrants from India, Pakistan and Turkey -- several banks are widening their offerings to the Islamic faithful, bringing programs long used in Muslim countries to America. (MORE)

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: info@cair.com

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Tue, 05 Sep 2006 17:25:37 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: CAIR Says Bush Speech Grants Extremists 'Undeserved Legitimacy'

HTML Attachment [ Scan and Save to Computer | Save to Yahoo! Briefcase ]

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CAIR SAYS BUSH SPEECH GRANTS EXTREMISTS 'UNDESERVED LEGITIMACY'

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/5/06)
- A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group said today's address by President Bush on the status of America's war on terrorism "grants undeserved legitimacy to extremists."

SEE: Political Season Opens With Focus on Security (NY Times)

In a statement responding to the president's speech before the Military Officers Association of America, the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said:

"By focusing almost exclusively on the views of groups like Al-Qaeda and failing to address the concerns of the vast majority of Muslims worldwide who reject terrorism, President Bush grants undeserved legitimacy to extremists and marginalizes true moderates.

"Rather than focus on the negative messages of Al-Qaeda, the President ought to work with mainstream Muslims at home and abroad to isolate terrorists and promote a positive vision of hope, mutual respect and diplomacy.

"CAIR and other national American Muslim groups stand ready to help build bridges of understanding between America and the Islamic world."

Last year, CAIR coordinated a fatwa, or Islamic religious ruling, against terrorism and religious extremism issued by the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA) and endorsed by hundreds of U.S. Muslim groups, leaders and institutions.

In 2004, CAIR launched an online petition drive, called " Not in the Name of Islam," designed to disassociate Islam from the violent acts of a few Muslims.

A CAIR-sponsored national public service announcement (PSA) campaign rejecting terrorism and extremism reached some 10 million viewers.

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

- END -

CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: ihooper@cair-net.org

-----

CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

-----

To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org

To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/

Forwarded Message

Date: Tue, 05 Sep 2006 18:31:03 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Al-Qaeda Tape Distorts Islam / CAIR Seeks Applicants for Rosa Parks Scholarship / Mosque 'Pig's Head' Stunt Raises Broader Issues

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In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/5/06

* Hadith: Love the Poor
* CAIR Seeks Applicants for Rosa Parks Scholarship
            - CAIR-OH Collects Lebanon Relief Supplies
            - CAIR-CA: Muslim Americans Reflect on Sept. 11 (PBS)
* CAIR-LA: Al-Qaeda Tape Distorts Islam (Press-Enterprise)
* NJ: Muslims Help Combat Terrorism (Herald News)
* NY: What Have We Learned: Muslims in America (WNYC)
            - WY: Muslim Community Reports Little Backlash (AP)
            - MN: Muslim Candidate Vows a Tight Act (Star Trib)
            - NY: Exam-Free Rule for Religious Holidays (Daily News)
            - VA/MD: 9/11 Put Strict Adherents on Defensive (Wash Post)
* ME: Mosque 'Pig's Head' Stunt Raises Broader Issues (NY Times)
* Political Islam Takes Center Stage Since 9-11 (Reuters)
* Canada: Missing Link Between Foreign Policy and Resentment
* Israel Said to Fear War Crimes Charges (AP)
            - Israel Approves West Bank Homes (NY Times)

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HADITH OF THE DAY: LOVE THE POOR - TOP

The prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) told his wife Ayesha: "If you love the poor and bring them near you. . .God will bring you near Him on the Day of Resurrection."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1376

The Prophet also said: "The people before you were destroyed because they inflicted legal punishments on the poor and forgave the rich."

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 778

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CAIR SEEKS APPLICANTS FOR ROSA PARKS SCHOLARSHIP - TOP

(WASHINGTON, DC, 9/5/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is seeking applicants for a scholarship announced last year to honor the life and work of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks.

This year's awardee of the annual $1,000 CAIR "Rosa Parks Civil Liberties Scholarship" will be announced at CAIR's annual dinner in Washington, D.C., on November 18.

Applicants must be enrolled in, or accepted by, a full-time undergraduate, graduate or professional program of an accredited university in the United States majoring in a field that promotes civil rights, social justice and the peaceful resolution of conflicts. They must have a grade point average of 3.0 or above for undergraduate students or 3.5 or above for graduate students.

The applicants must also have a demonstrated interest in civil liberties issues. Preference will be given to applicants with past employment or volunteer experiences indicating such interest.

All applicants must submit two letters of recommendation and an essay demonstrating knowledge of the civil rights movement and how it relates to the American Muslim experience.

The application deadline for the scholarship is October 16, 2006.

To obtain an application form, e-mail: kiqbal@cair.com

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-OH: CINCINNATI MUSLIMS COLLECT LEBANON RELIEF SUPPLIES - TOP

(CINCINNATI, OHIO, 9/5/2006) - The Cincinnati office of CAIR-Ohio has completed its efforts to collect relief supplies for the victims of war in Lebanon. The campaign resulted in 340 boxes of supplies that were delivered to the Detroit area office of Life for Relief and Development, the charity organization that will be distributing the supplies in Lebanon during the fasting month of Ramadan. In addition, the Columbus office of CAIR-Ohio also collected approximately 35 boxes of supplies.

CONTACT: Karen Dabdoub, 513-281-8200, E-mail: karen@cair-ohio.com;
Zeinab Schwen, zschwen@fuse.net

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CAIR-CA: MUSLIM AMERICANS IN SAN FRANCISCO REFLECT ON SEPT. 11 - TOP
News Hour, PBS, 9/4/06
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/social_issues/july-dec06/muslims_09-04.html

First in an ongoing series on the impact of 9/11 on life in the United States, Spencer Michels talks with members of the American Muslim community in San Francisco.

SPENCER MICHELS: Nearly five years after 9/11, members of the growing American Muslim community continue to wrestle with their place in modern American society.

For most of them, three million to nine million, depending on who's counting, life is not the same as it was before. . .

SPENCER MICHELS: At the Muslim Community Association Mosque in Silicon Valley, California, one of the largest in the country, four members talked about their own experiences as Muslims, professionally and personally, post 9/11.

Marwa Elzankaly is an attorney.

MARWA ELZANKALY: There is this sort of "You're either with us or against us" mentality that has developed. And there's no gray lines in between. And, so, if you're not totally with us, then, it's almost as though, well, what you're saying is, you're really supporting the terrorists.

AMJAD OBEIDAT, Computer Engineer: When I talk to my mom, for instance, who lives in Jordan, I often wonder if that call is being recorded by someone. There is definitely a feeling that we are a little bit more under scrutiny since September 11.

SPENCER MICHELS: Among Muslims, there is not complete unanimity.

WOMAN: I actually don't have the sense of virtual imprisonment, because I still believe in the freedom of speech. And I really don't feel that, if I'm to express my opinion, that I will have any negative repercussions.

SAFAA IBRAHIM, Council on American-Islamic Relations: There might be another type -- terrorist attack. And I fear, really fear, the ramifications of that, and what could possibly happen as a response from Americans as a whole.

I hear rumors about internment camps being awarded as contacts to some companies. And I think to myself -- and they call it in a case of an immigration emergency. And I think to myself, you know, is that going -- I'm an American. But my parents emigrated to this country, and I'm a first-generation immigrant. Am I going to be rounded up, in case of an attack I have nothing to do with? (MORE)

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INLAND LEADERS CRITICIZE MESSAGE - TOP
REACTION: A priest and an American-Islamic relations advocate say the tape distorts the religion.
JOHN WELSH and LAURA RICO, Press-Enterprise, 9/5/06
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_gadahn03.5566c2.html

A videotaped message by a former Inland area man now working for al-Qaida urging Americans to convert to Islam was a cheap attempt to manipulate a legitimate political view in this country, an advocate for better American-Islamic relations said Saturday.

Suspected al-Qaida activist Adam Yehiye Gadahn, who was raised on a goat farm in Winchester, delivered a videotaped lecture on Islam and told American military members they are fighting President Bush's "crusades."

Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Southern California office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, criticized the message and repeated the group's theme of rejecting violence and extremism.

"He fails to see or to realize that just because two-thirds of Americans disagree with the administration's war in Iraq, it does not mean at all that we would be appealed by al-Qaida's tactics and ideology," Ayloush said about Gadahn. (MORE)

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ARABS, MUSLIMS HELP TO COMBAT TERRORISM - TOP
Heather Haddon, Herald News, 9/1/06
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk1OCZmZ2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5Njk4NTQwMiZ5cmlyeTdmNzE3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTY=

Several years ago, an Arab-American woman from Clifton learned that a man she knew had been called up by the National Guard to serve in Iraq. His father, she says, was a known terrorist.

After several restless nights, she swallowed hard and reported her suspicions to law enforcement authorities. Immediately after, while en route to Iraq, the man was brought back to the U.S. and never deployed.

The woman, who didn't want her name used for fear of backlash, feels that she did the right thing.

"It took a lot of courage. I didn't even tell my husband," she said. "But so many of us are very patriotic and very concerned about our security."

Five years after Sept. 11, Muslims and Arab-Americans toe a precarious line with law enforcement officials. Accounts of racial profiling and intimidation remain a prevalent reality. But some Arabs and Muslims in the U.S. and abroad have begun taking difficult steps to report their suspicions about those involved with extremism or terrorism.

Local leaders, however, say far more community members would provide this invaluable information if they felt they could trust police officials.

"We're proactive and engaged with law enforcement authorities," said Abed Awad, a Clifton lawyer who heads the Arab-American Democratic Caucus, on Thursday. "The problem is that they have not built a working relationship with the community."

A number of recent high-profile instances, however, show that more communication is taking place. In August, the attempted attack of U.S.-bound planes from London is thought to have been thwarted by a British Muslim.

In June, Canadian authorities arrested 17 Islamic men on charges that they planned to blow up buildings in Toronto and storm the parliament. A Canadian-born Muslim man infiltrated the group, monitoring them for months at the request of police.

The Muslim Public Affairs Council, an advocacy group based in Los Angeles, started a campaign in 2004 urging Arab- and Muslim-Americans to monitor their own communities, condemn violence and work with law enforcement agencies. Hundreds of U.S. mosques have signed on, according to the council.

Awad said he has heard anecdotally about local individuals working with police. "A lot of tips are coming from the community," he said.

But Awad and other local leaders say that discrimination, suspicion and national immigration policies are getting in the way of lasting partnerships. (MORE)

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WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED: MUSLIMS IN AMERICA - TOP
New York Public Radio, 9/5/06
http://www.wnyc.org/shows/bl/episodes/2006/09/05

American Muslims have experienced both assimilation and alienation since 9/11. Journalist Geneive Abdo compares Islam in Iran, Europe, and the United States, and says that while homegrown terrorism is less likely here than in Europe, there are forces in American society that push Muslims to retreat to their mosques. Also: a call-in for Muslim listeners.

SEE ALSO:

MEMBERS OF WYOMING'S SMALL MUSLIM COMMUNITY REPORT LITTLE BACKLASH - TOP
Associated Press, 9/5/06
http://www.kgwn.tv/home/headlines/3823836.html

Mohammed Salih is dean of the Laramie County Community College department of business and technology. He's a native of Sudan and came to Cheyenne in 1969.

Salih says people treat him and other Muslims as part of the community, and says that the terrorist attacks had nothing to do with religion.

Soon after the 9/11 attacks, a Muslim woman was harassed in a Wal-Mart in Laramie. Also, a University of Wyoming student who wears a traditional head scarf was accosted and threatened by two men there.

Forrest C. Bright is director of the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation. He says he knows of no recent incidents of harassment of Muslims.

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REBOUNDING ELLISON VOWS A TIGHT ACT - TOP
The DFL endorsee says early campaign setbacks are behind him; he's focusing on promoting labor issues and withdrawal from Iraq.
Rochelle Olson, Star Tribune, 9/5/06
http://www.startribune.com/587/story/655305.html

When Rep. Martin Sabo announced he wouldn't run again after 28 years in Congress, Keith Ellison emerged as the front-runner by winning the DFL Party endorsement in a district that is solidly Democratic.

Ellison, a state legislator from north Minneapolis, won the endorsement in May by successfully tapping into the base of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone. Ellison laid claim to being "the progressive" in the race -- aggressively promoting labor and union issues and the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

It is no accident that Ellison T-shirts are the same shade of spruce green as the T-shirts worn by Wellstone supporters.

"I am going to speak up for peace. I'm going to speak up and be able to challenge the drug companies and pharmaceutical companies and demand economic justice for people, the union movement and the right to organize," Ellison said. "Republican-lite has failed us as Democrats. I believe progressive values are better."

But Ellison's campaign barely got going before issues arose about disarray in his personal life.

Many of them came up because he became the prime target of bloggers and anonymous e-mailers. Ellison was hit by revelations of dozens of unpaid parking tickets.

Fines for late campaign finance report filings and a tax lien against his house became issues. Also, questions were raised about his ties to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, because Ellison was involved with the group for about 18 months in the mid-1990s.

Ellison, who turned 43 this month, said the problems are behind him. "I'm an organized person. I'm a lawyer; I'm a good one. I'm a good husband. I'm a good father. I will have my act tight. I have learned the lesson of making sure my personal affairs are in order so I can stay focused on the people's business," he said.

If he wins the primary and is elected in November, Ellison would become the first Muslim elected to Congress and the first black elected to Congress from Minnesota. (MORE)

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NY: EXAM-FREE RULE FOR RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS - TOP
Owen Moritz, New York Daily News, 9/5/06
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/local/story/449389p-378270c.html

A Queens state senator and an array of clergy yesterday hailed a new law that prohibits the state Education Department from scheduling statewide exams during religious holidays.

"The law is now on your side," declared state Sen. John Sabini (D- Queens).

The law was spurred after statewide English exams for third-graders were scheduled during the
Muslim holidays of Eid-al-Adha and Eid-al-Fitr during the last school year.

"Countless Muslims will benefit from this law," said Imam Qazi Qayyoom of the Muhhamadi Community Center of Jackson Heights, Queens.

"It's very important because now we can be with our children during our auspicious holidays. We're excited that the problem we had in January will never happen again now." (MORE)

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FOR CONSERVATIVE MUSLIMS, GOAL OF ISOLATION A CHALLENGE - TOP
9/11 Put Strict Adherents on the Defensive
Caryle Murphy, Washington Post, 9/5/06
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/04/AR2006090401107.html

Twelve girls sat in rows at the front of the community room in Silver Spring's Muslim Community Center, calming their nerves with giggles and girl talk. In their sweaty hands, they held prepared speeches. On their heads, they wore scarves in a rainbow of colors: pink, brown, gold, white and lavender.

The seventh- and eighth-graders were competing in a debate on this question: Is a segregated, all-Islamic upbringing key to protecting your Muslim identity?

Eight of the dozen argued yes, using variants of the theme offered by Fatimah Waseem. Young Muslims "join with the non-Muslims, copy them and look up to them. This is hurting our identity. . . . Sometimes, we turn way from Islam," she said. "In conclusion, . . . we cannot sway in the wind and become weak. We need to be protected . . . by segregation."

"Takbeer!" shouted some in the audience of proud, clapping parents as each girl concluded her case. "Let us praise God!"

Like Fatimah, most of the debaters attend Al-Huda School in College Park. It is run by Dar-us-Salaam, one of the Washington area's most conservative Muslim congregations. Many of its members believe that, in order to be true to their faith, they should live apart from secular society as much as possible. The congregation's Web site describes how it hopes one day to become a self-contained Islamic community.

The kind of Islam practiced at Dar-us-Salaam, known as Salafism, once had a significant foothold among area Muslims, in large part because of an aggressive missionary effort by the government of Saudi Arabia. Salafism and its strict Saudi version, known as Wahhabism, struck a chord with many Muslim immigrants who took a dim view of the United States' sexually saturated pop culture and who were ambivalent about participating in a secular political system. It was also attractive to young Muslims searching for a more "authentic" Islam than what their Westernized immigrant parents offered. . .

Salafi Society D.C., a group of mostly African American Muslims who worship in an unadorned white brick building in Northeast Washington, has a prominent disclaimer on its Web site stating that "we are free from . . . car bombings, highjackings [sic], suicide killings, and all forms of terrorism."

Nihad Awad, executive director of the D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Salafis increasingly are prepared to participate in the U.S. political system instead of shunning it. "I have been invited [by Muslims] to talk about election strategy, whereas I would not have been invited before," he said. (MORE)

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ME: A LONE MAN'S STUNT RAISES BROADER ISSUES - TOP
Katie Zezima, New York Times, 9/5/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/05/us/05maine.html

On a hot July night, a few dozen Somali men were kneeling shoulder to shoulder in prayer at a storefront mosque here when the door opened and the frozen head of a pig, an animal considered unclean in Islam, rolled across the floor.

Men fled in fear. A child fainted. Some called the police and ran after the person who had rolled the head in. A suspect, Brent Matthews, was quickly apprehended and charged with desecrating a place of worship. Mr. Matthews, 33, said that the incident was a prank and that he did not know the significance of a pig's head.

Now, weeks later, Somali leaders say the incident has left a scar on their community of about 3,000 immigrants.

While they admit the act was the work of one man, it has heightened simmering tensions in this overwhelmingly white, working-class city of 35,000, where Somali refugees started flocking about five years ago, after first settling in more urban areas of the United States. Many said they came here because housing was inexpensive and Lewiston seemed a safe place to raise their families.

While much of Lewiston has been welcoming, some Somalis here believe the head incident reveals an undercurrent of suspicion and lack of understanding about their culture. According to the Census Bureau, Maine is 96 percent white.

"We're not saying all of Lewiston is part of this," said Imam Nuh Iman, leader of the mosque, the Lewiston-Auburn Islamic Center. "But this is the biggest impact you can have on a mosque, in the time of praying, to put in a pig's head. It could have been a goat's head, or a cow's head. But it was a pig's head."

Phil Nadeau, the assistant city administrator, believes the incident was isolated but underscored the growing pains this city - whose mills and shoe factories, now closed, welcomed French-Canadian workers a century ago - is now going through.

"I think it's a reflection of where we are right now. There's a small group of people that will never accept this type of change in their community, ever," said Mr. Nadeau, whose French-Canadian grandmother spoke only five words of English. "The second wave of non-English speakers to Lewiston is now the Somali population."

Hussein Ahmed, 31, said the mosque incident came as Somalis here felt that they had finally started to move on from a 2002 open letter written by Laurier Raymond, then the mayor, which asked them to stop other Somalis from coming to the city. Mr. Raymond contended in his letter that the city was "maxed-out financially, physically and emotionally." (MORE)

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POLITICAL ISLAM TAKES CENTER STAGE SINCE 9-11 - TOP
Andrew Hammond, Reuters, 9/5/06
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060905/us_nm/sept11_mideast_dc

In the five years since the September 11 attacks, U.S. intervention abroad has fed the extremism it seeks to destroy and cemented the rise of political Islam as the ideology of choice for millions in the Middle East, experts say.

Today, political Islam -- a diverse movement with moderate as well as hard-line elements -- has been widely embraced in the Arab world, where many feel alienated by corrupt rule and foreign policies seen as serving the interests of the United States and its ally Israel.

"Since September 11, I have worked on massive public opinion polls in the Muslim and Arab world. You can see the animosity between September 11 and now. It's growing and it is worrying," said Jihad Fakhreddine, a Lebanese analyst based in Dubai.

"The line between religiosity and extremism has become thinner. In the time of colonialism, the antagonism was not perceived in terms of the West and Islam. Independence movements in the Arab world were driven by nationalist feelings."

Radicals hitching themselves to the al Qaeda banner are now fighting U.S.-allied governments in
Iraq and Saudi Arabia, and have staged attacks in Morocco, Egypt, Yemen and Jordan.

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, a moderate Islamist group which espouses non-violence, made a strong showing in elections last year, while Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, born in 1988 during the first Intifada against Israeli occupation, won polls in January.

Islamist discourse dominates in the pan-Arab media, where both nationalists and Islamists revere
Osama bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader seen as the mastermind of the 9-11 attacks, as "Sheikh Osama." (MORE)

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THE MISSING LINK BETWEEN FOREIGN POLICY AND RESENTMENT - TOP
Sheema Khan, Globe and Mail, 9/5/06
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060905.COKHAN05/TPStory/?query=muslim

Shortly after the July 7 London bombings last summer, I attended a lecture on the rise of "homegrown" extremism. A security expert wove together various threads, including socio-economic factors, radical preachers and racism.

The thesis was striking for its "absence of the obvious."

Questions came from the floor. What about the trauma of witnessing the genocide of Bosnian Muslims in the heart of Europe a decade earlier? Irrelevant, according to the expert, since the West intervened to save Muslims. This, in spite of research by Harvard's Jessica Stern that shows this event sparked militancy amongst some British Muslim youth. And the role of British foreign policy in Muslim lands? "It's the elephant in the room," replied the expert, refusing further comment. Yet one bomber declared in a posthumous video: "Your democratically elected government continuously perpetuates atrocities against my people all over the world. And your support of them makes you directly responsible. . . until we feel security, you will be our targets."

The "absence of the obvious" was present again following the recent alleged bomb plot at Heathrow Airport. In an open letter to the British government, prominent Muslim leaders brought up the connection between radicalization and British foreign policy. The British Home Secretary angrily dismissed their suggestions (as did a recent Globe editorial).

The American government also refuses to acknowledge any such connection.

The authors of Without Precedence: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission reveal that in the final report, 9/11 commission members were forced to dilute commentary on the "why" of 9/11. Commission vice-chair Lee Hamilton thought it important to acknowledge "a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was vital to America's long-term relationship with the Islamic world, and that the presence of American forces in the Middle East was a major motivating factor in al-Qaeda's actions." Instead, the report made peripheral mention of these issues.

This approach was in line with a 2003 Congressional report aimed at addressing the low opinion of America by Muslims worldwide. The inquiry aimed to find out why, what to do about it, and to marginalize the appeal of extremists. The main recommendation? Do a better job of selling America to the Muslim world. After all, a large proportion of Muslims expressed a desire for social justice, a fair judiciary, honest multiparty elections, freedom of the press and freedom of religion.

The report claimed the oft-voiced opinion "we like Americans but not what the Americans are doing" as unrealistic, since "Americans elect their government and broadly support its foreign policy." A disingenuous statement, since most voters examine domestic issues.

The official line from London and Washington has been echoed in Ottawa. The Conservatives dutifully repeat the mantra that domestic terrorism is hatched by those who "hate freedom" and everything that "democracy stands for." But this is not the whole picture. (MORE)

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ISRAEL SAID TO FEAR WAR CRIMES CHARGES - TOP
Matti Friedman, Associated Press, 9/4/06
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2006/09/04/international/i115146D84.DTL

Three weeks after a cease-fire ended Israel's monthlong war against Hezbollah guerrillas, Israel is increasingly concerned that government officials and army officers traveling abroad could face war crimes charges, a Foreign Ministry official said Monday.

A special legal team is preparing to provide protection for officers and officials involved in the 34-day conflict in Lebanon, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.

More than 850 Lebanese were killed during the conflict, most of them civilians. The human rights group Amnesty International has accused Israel of war crimes, including indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on civilian targets.

Israel has said it acted legally and accused Hezbollah of hiding among civilians in Lebanon and deliberately targeting Israeli civilians in rocket attacks. The fighting left 159 Israelis dead, including 39 civilians hit by Hezbollah rockets in Israel's northern cities. The Amnesty report also criticized Hezbollah's attacks on civilians.

The Foreign Ministry official said the legal-defense team, which includes representatives from the Justice and Defense ministries, is maintained by the government to help officials facing the possibility of war crimes charges abroad. It was first assembled to deal with charges related to Israeli actions in the West Bank and Gaza.

He would not comment on a report in the Haaretz daily that the ministry has urged top officials against making inflammatory statements that might be used against them in legal proceedings.

Israeli Tourism Minister Yitzhak Herzog said he isn't concerned about prosecution of Israeli leaders, but he criticized some officials for excessively belligerent statements during the war that could expose them to legal action abroad.

"Today we have to understand that wars, political situations and military situations include many components, and that one of the components that have to be weighed is international law," Herzog told Army Radio. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

OVER U.S. OBJECTIONS, ISRAEL APPROVES WEST BANK HOMES - TOP
Steven Erlanger, New York Times, 9/5/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/05/world/middleeast/05mideast.html

The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, authorized construction bids on Monday for another 690 homes in the occupied West Bank in the face of pro forma American criticism.

The houses will be built in Maale Adumim and Betar Illit, two settlements near Jerusalem that the Israeli government says it intends to keep in any agreement with the Palestinians.

Mr. Olmert, whose Kadima Party was elected earlier this year on a promise to pull thousands of Israeli settlers out of the West Bank, beyond the route of Israel's separation barrier, has been clear about keeping and expanding settlements inside the barrier, even though they are on land occupied since the 1967 war.

The Construction and Housing Ministry published advertisements on Monday seeking construction proposals for the largest settlement activity undertaken by this government. Israel has also promised President Bush that it will pull down more than 20 illegal outposts created since March 2001, but has not done so.

The Bush administration's position is that Israel should not expand settlements in the West Bank, because it makes the process of a final agreement harder. In general, much of the world considers Israeli settlements in territory seized in the 1967 war, including East Jerusalem, to be illegal, which Israel disputes.

Stewart Tuttle, the spokesman for the American Embassy in Israel, said Monday that "in general it's a principle of the road map - a foundation to reach peace in the region - that Israel not only remove illegal outposts, but also not expand settlements in the West Bank."

The road map is the multistage peace plan supported by the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations and agreed to in principle by the Palestinians and Israel. The Palestinians, in the first stage, are supposed to begin the disarming and dismantling of armed militias and terrorist groups.

The United States, Mr. Tuttle said, opposes "any actions that would prejudice final status negotiations, which would include the final borders of Israel and Palestine."

But such criticism has had little effect on Israeli policy in the past, and is not expected to matter in this case. In general, Israel says it is not "expanding" settlements, but "thickening" them within existing built-up areas. (MORE)

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Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

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Forwarded Message

Date: Wed, 06 Sep 2006 19:11:03 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: TX Muslims React to Dropping of Charges in Cell Phone Case / Muslim Team Competes on CBS's 'Amazing Race'

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/6/06

* Verse: Help the Needy
* CAIR-TX: Muslims React to Dropping of Charges in Cell Phone Case
            - MI: Men Freed in Cell Phone Case (Free Press)
            - MI: Freed Mackinac Bridge Suspects Seek Apology
* CAIR: National Faith Leaders to Mark 9/11 with DC 'Unity Walk'
* CAIR-LA, Human Relations Commission Mark 9/11
            - CAIR-San Antonio Offers 'Political Activism 101'
            - CAIR-St. Louis: FBI Meets with Muslim Community
* MD: Since 9/11, Muslim-Americans Have Seen Best, Worst (Balt Sun)
            - NY: 9/11: Five Years Later, Muslim Community Thriving
            - TX Muslims Feel the Sting of Isolation (Express News)
            - Wyoming Muslims are 'Part of the Community' (Star Trib)
* Bush Acknowledges Secret CIA Prisons (AP)
* NY: Panel on Influence of Israel Lobby
* FL: Pastor who Insulted Islam Replaced on Panel (Miami Herald)
* Filmmaker Looks at U.S. Muslims Observing Ramadan (VOA)
            - Young American Muslims Seek Identity in Islam
* Muslim Team Competes on CBS's 'Amazing Race'

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VERSE OF THE DAY: HELP THE NEEDY - TOP

"Indeed, man has been created impatient. When evil befalls him, he becomes despondent; but when blessed with good fortune, he becomes selfish. Not so, however, those who turn to God in prayer, remain steadfast in their worship, set aside a due share of their wealth for the needy and the destitute, and accept the truth of the Day of Judgment."

The Holy Quran, 70:19-26

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TEXAS MUSLIMS REACT TO DROPPING OF CHARGES IN CELL PHONE CASE - TOP

(DALLAS, TX, 9/6/06) - On Thursday, September 7, the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-DFW) will hold a press conference to offer the local Muslim community's reaction to the dropping of charges in the Michigan cell phone case.

A Michigan judge Tuesday threw out the charges of conspiracy and money laundering for purchasing large quantities of pre-paid cell phones. Maruan Muhareb, Adham Othman, and Louai Othman will attend the news conference and take questions from the media.

SEE: Charges Dropped Against Men Once Accused of Terror Plot (AP)
http://www.miningjournal.net/stories/articles.asp?articleID=6168

WHEN: Thursday, September 7, 2 p.m.
WHERE: CAIR-DFW Office, 12200 Ford Rd., Suite 118, Dallas, TX (Note: New Address)
CONTACT: CAIR-DFW Communications Director Brandi Kassem, 214-228-3229 or CAIR-DFW Operations Director Saffia Meek, 972-241-7233

CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

SEE ALSO:

MI: ARAB-AMERICAN MEN FREED IN CELL PHONE CASE - TOP
Judge says there was no terror plot
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 9/5/06
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060905/NEWS99/60905046

A federal judge has thrown out all charges against three Texas men who were arrested last month in Caro, Michigan, after buying hundreds of cell phones, according to their defense attorney Nabih Ayad. Investigators initially suspected the men may have links to terrorism and were possibly targeting the Mackinac Bridge.

State prosecutors slapped them with terrorism charges, but soon dropped them. Federal prosecutors then charged them with operating a counterfeit operation. On Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Binder dismissed the federal charges of conspiring to traffic in counterfeit goods and carrying out an unlawful activity involving a financial transaction. He made the decision after a court hearing Tuesday that featured FBI testimony, Ayad said.

The judge also canceled their bond, Ayad said. The Texas men -- brothers Adham Othman, 21, of Dallas and Louai Othman, 23, of Mesquite, and their cousin Awad Muhareb, 18, also of Mesquite -- are now free.

"It's a victory for justice and for the Middle Eastern community," said Ayad, their attorney.

Ayad and Arab-American groups said the men, who are Palestinian-American, were targeted because of their Arab background.

The men bought hundreds of cell phones that they had intended to resell at a profit, Ayad said. They were arrested after a suspicious store clerk alerted police.

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FREED MACKINAC BRIDGE SUSPECTS SEEK APOLOGY - TOP
Doug Guthrie, Detroit News, 9/6/06
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060906/UPDATE/609060431

DEARBORN HEIGHTS -- A demand for an apology was made Wednesday on behalf of three Arab-American men from Texas, arrested and accused last month in Caro of a terrorist plot to attack the Mackinac Bridge.

Charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit fraud by trafficking counterfeit goods were dismissed Tuesday after a hearing in federal court in Bay City. Terror charges had been dismissed in Tuscola County on Aug. 16.

"We are grateful all charges have been dropped," said their lawyer, Nabih Ayad of Dearborn Heights. "But these men were the victims of racial profiling and there will forever be a stigma attached to them. Some people will continue to define them by what the government did."

Ayad held up a newspaper front page with a photo of 23-year-old Louai Othman being led into a courtroom, handcuffed and wearing the orange jumpsuit of a prisoner. The trio was jailed for 12 days before being released on bond. The cell phones they bought and a laptop computer have yet to be returned by authorities.

Ayad said they're considering a civil lawsuit.

The trio answered questions Wednesday morning at a press conference hosted at their lawyer's office. They expected to catch a midday flight from Metro Airport back home to Dallas, Texas.

"It seemed appropriate to hold this conference here because it is the center of the largest Arabic population in the United States, a community that is calling for this sort of thing to stop," said Ayad.

They had traveled through 20 states, buying almost 1,000 pre-programmed cellular telephones from Wal-Mart stores. They had hoped to make as much as $10 per phone when reselling them on the street back in Texas.

The men said Wednesday that they had been stopped and questioned in Wisconsin, and were told by authorities there that they were doing nothing illegal.

"We were making money and traveling and having a great time," said Adham Othman, 18. "That's the American way, right?

They were arrested and charged by Tuscola County authorities under state anti-terrorism laws. The federal charges were filed against them on the same day that the local charges were dropped.

As for the reason they took photos of the Mackinac Bridge?

"I'm from Texas. I'd never seen a bridge that big before," Louai Othman said. "They (prosecutors) didn't say anything about the other pictures we took, the ones of the ducks and geese and trees. Michigan is a very pretty state."

All three said they hope to return to school when they get home. (MORE)

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NATIONAL FAITH LEADERS TO MARK 9/11 WITH DC 'UNITY WALK' - TOP

WHAT: On September 10, national leaders of a number of faiths will stand shoulder-to-shoulder in a "Unity Walk" on Embassy Row in Washington, D.C., to mark the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

Christians, Evangelicals and Jews will speak and Jewish cantors will sing at Washington's largest Mosque. Muslims will also speak at D.C.'s largest synagogue. The event will include Sister Sledge singing at the National Cathedral. (Thousands walked in a similar event held last year in partnership with the Points of Light Foundation.)

A Gandhi-style "Unity Walk" will also take place in New York City on 9/11.

WHO: www.911unitywalk.org - Major leaders participating: Arun Gandhi (Mahatma's grandson); His Excellency the Archbishop Pietro Sambi; the Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S. (from the Vatican); Reverend Richard Cizik (National Association of Evangelicals); Rev Mpho Tutu, (Bishop Desmond Tutu's daughter); Ambassador Akbar Ahmed (foremost Islamic scholar); Rabbi Bruce Lustig (Senior Rabbi of the Washington Hebrew Congregation); Episcopal Bishop John Chane (from the National Cathedral); Catholic Archbishop Donald Wuerl (his first major appearance since his appointment); Nihad Awad (Executive Director, Council on American-Islamic Relations); Lodi Gyari (Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama).

WHEN: Sunday, September 10, 2006 - 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

WHERE: 1:30 p.m.: Participants will gather at the Washington Hebrew Congregation (3935 Macomb St NW at Mass Ave) for 2 p.m. event. Walk begins at 2:15 p.m. sharp, stopping at the National Cathedral at 2:45 p.m. and at 3:30-4:00 p.m. at the Islamic Center (2551 Mass Ave), concluding at the Gandhi Memorial Statue (Mass Ave at 21st) at 5:30-6 p.m.

Dozens of other leaders from the Baha'i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Mormon, Muslim, Sikh, and Zoroastrian faiths will also participate in the walk.

Televised events are scheduled at: Washington National Cathedral where Sister Sledge will sing their famous song, "We Are Family"; the Islamic Center where Christians, including noted Evangelicals, will speak and Jewish cantors will sing; Washington Hebrew Congregation where world-famous Muslim singer Salman Ahmad will perform; and the Gandhi Memorial Statue, for a celebration to honor Gandhi, and to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of his peace walks across India and South Africa.

People of all faiths will walk together the length of Embassy Row, striving to know thy neighbor and love thy neighbor!

The Unity Walk has generated interest for similar walks in Amman, Islamabad, Istanbul, London, New Delhi and South Africa. A Unity Walk is scheduled in New York for September 11th.

CONTACT: Daniel Tutt - Office: 202-244-5006. Cell: 503-334-7141, E-Mail: daniel@911unitywalk.org

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CAIR AND L.A. COUNTY HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION TO MARK 5TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11 - TOP

(ANAHEIM, CA, 9/6/06) - On Thursday, September 7, the Southern California office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA), with support from the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, will hold a press conference to commemorate the 5th Anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and to affirm the American values of hope, unity and peace.

WHAT: Press Conference to Commemorate 5th Anniversary of 9/11 and to Join in Message of Peace and Unity
WHEN: Thursday, Sept. 7, 2006, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
WHERE: Regional Planning Commission Board Room, 320 West Temple (Between Hill and Broadway), Room 150, Los Angeles.

WHO: Representatives from Human Relations Commission, CAIR, Muslim, Arab and Sikh communities, law enforcement, and inter-faith groups will share messages of building bridges, and working together to make America a safe and welcoming place for everyone.

The event is being co-sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Southern California, and the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations.

CONTACT: Munira Syeda, communications coordinator for CAIR-LA, at (714) 776-1847 or (714) 851-4851 or e-mail socal@cair.com

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CAIR-SAN ANTONIO SPONSORS 'POLITICAL ACTIVISM 101' - TOP

WHAT: A Primer in Political Activism for empowering Muslims in Texas
WHEN: Friday, September 8, 2006, between Maghrib and Isha'a
WHERE: Muslim Children Education & Community Center, 5281 Cassabella, San Antonio, TX

Sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations-San Antonio and presented by the Texas Muslim Task Force.

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CAIR-ST. LOUIS: FBI MEETS WITH ST. LOUIS MUSLIM COMMUNITY - TOP

WHAT: The St. Louis chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Adult Education Committee of the Islamic Foundation of Greater St. Louis are sponsoring a town hall meeting (information / Q&A session) with the FBI.
WHEN: Friday, September 8, 2006, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Daar-ul-Islam Masjid, 517 Weidman Rd., St. Louis, MO
CONTACT: Dr. Gulten Ilhan, Tel: 636-634-5339, E-mail: gilham@stlcc.edu; Kamal Yassin, Tel: 636-207-8882 or 314-477-8407, E-mail: director@cair-stlouis.org

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KEEPING THE FAITH - TOP
Since the attacks, local Muslim-Americans have seen the best -- and the worst -- of their countrymen
Jonathan Pitts, Baltimore Sun, 9/6/06
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/iraq/bal-to.muslims06sep06,0,6348133.story

They begin arriving early - the slightly rusted Toyotas, the spiffy VWs, the purring BMWs - filling the hillside parking lot under a gleaming afternoon sun. An old man in billowing white robes and silver beard looks more Bedouin chief than parking attendant, but with elegant sweeps of his arm guides his brothers and sisters into their spaces. By a quarter to 1, the lot is jammed.

It's Friday, the afternoon for congregational worship in Islam, and a community is coming together. Women in headscarves tow grade-schoolers, boys in thobes (Saudi-style robes) greet each other with whacks on the arm, and men in taqiyah (flat-topped skullcaps) trade smiles and firm handshakes. They move in a merging stream toward the Al Rahmah masjid (mosque) in Windsor Mill, to an otherwise ordinary gymnasium that serves as worship and community center for the Islamic Society of Baltimore, the largest association of its kind in Maryland.

More than 1,600 will show up for this day's Jumu'ah, the weekly gathering at which Muslims hear a brief sermon, pray aloud and affirm, in Arabic call-and-response, their devotion to Allah, to one another and to a humble way of life.

That's barely a sliver of the 7 million Muslims said to be living in North America, let alone the 1.4 billion who practice Islam worldwide. But it's more than enough to cram the gym shoulder-to-shoulder, men of all ages standing in orderly rows, establishing the physical configuration Muslims believe will crowd out the devil if only they are devout enough.

Long before that terrible, smoke-filled morning five years ago, before the skyscrapers burned and the Pentagon smoldered and all Muslims came under a cloud of suspicion in the West, those who practiced Islam in America found the United States an ambivalent host - a place where they could pursue their dreams and worship, however they pleased, yet whose natives sometimes saw Islamic practices as alien, impenetrable, even vaguely threatening.

Take Muhammad Jameel, 61. At Jumu'ah, amid the hundreds gathering in their Punjab-, Arabian- or African-inspired garments, not to mention many in jeans and T-shirts, he's the guy in the gray business suit, his tie loosened a few notches, with wire glasses on his nose. He flits from one person to another, touching shoulders, shaking hands, making eye contact, speaking encouragement.

He learned the need for such exhortation 36 years ago, shortly after moving to the United States from his native Pakistan. A midlevel executive for a U.S. shipping company, he settled into his new job in Baltimore, only to be asked by his superiors to change his "foreign-sounding" name. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

9/11: FIVE YEARS LATER: MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN BROOKLYN THRIVING - TOP
Jeanine Ramirez, NY1 News, 9/5/06
http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=62320

After September 11th, a backlash against Muslims and stricter deportation rules forced thousands of people in one Brooklyn community to flee. But five years later, the situation has changed. NY1's Jeanine Ramirez filed the following report.

American flags are displayed along Coney Island Avenue in an area known as Little Pakistan. For many, it's a sign that the community is here to stay. That definitely wasn't the case after September 11th when community leaders say tens of thousands of Pakistanis moved out of the neighborhood and out of the country. Some because of backlash, others because of stricter deportation policies. Dozens of businesses in the area shut down. But now five years later, there's re-investment in the community.

"Like six months after 9/11, the business goes down and everything but slowly, slowly, this come back and now it's good," says Quisar Chaudhry. "All the Pakistani community is good now. They're happy in this area."

Chaudhry is investing in the community, opening up his first business, a pastry shop. Across the street, a pizza sign still stands but it's recently been turned into a halal fried chicken restaurant. Community activist Mohammed Ravzi says now that the neighborhood's become more stable, Pakistanis and other South Asians who have applied to live in the U.S. are moving in.

"Many individuals had put in paperwork. This is a backlog of almost 12 years. So their cases came up and they were being approved, and as they're being approved, people are coming to join their families here," says Ravzi.

Razvi founded the Council of Pakistan Organization Community Center after 9/11 to help Pakistanis with immigration issues. But after the mass exodus of Pakistanis, other immigrants started moving in and needed help too. So Razvi expanded his services, including English and computer classes. And decided to change the center's name to Council of People's Organization to be more inclusive. He says as he continues to grow, he'll now be reaching out to teenagers in the area.

"When we ask the kids what do they want to do when they grow up, they tell us they want to become a yellow cab driver or they want to work in a restaurant, because that's all they see. And we want to make sure we work with the youth to develop them; that there's more," he says. (MORE)

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S.A. MUSLIMS STILL FEEL THE STING OF ISOLATION - TOP
Abe Levy, San Antonio Express-News, 9/6/06
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA090606.1A.muslim.35ad9e5.html

A block away from such commercial icons as Haverty's and Home Depot sits a typical house on a secluded 2-acre property with a basketball hoop standing on an asphalt parking lot.

Here, on Friday afternoons, South Asian Muslims re-create the atmosphere of their native countries at this 1-year-old mosque near De Zavala Road and Interstate 10. During one sermon this summer, Imam Abdul Wahid described the direction they, as a congregation, should take.

"We need to stop being so isolated," he said. "We need to contact our employers and tell them we are Muslim. We need to talk to our neighbors. There is an uncomfortable feeling that it creates when you remain isolated."

Five years after the 9-11 attacks, Wahid's comments sum up how local Muslims still struggle to find their place in American society.

Memories of retaliation nationwide and in San Antonio linger and trigger caution, they say, whether they're boarding a plane, running their businesses or debating critics of Islam.

The tension often stems from a lack of understanding how diverse the 1.2 billion Muslims in the world are, local leaders say.

They are an eclectic mix: native-born Americans, immigrants, Arabs and non-Arabs whose faith reflects a variety of sects and branches, just like Judaism and Christianity.

Further complicating favorable relations for most Muslim Americans is their political support for the Palestinian cause in the Middle East. It puts them at odds with America's longstanding support of Israel and sometimes provokes critics to call them disloyal when they express their views in public.

They also are under intense scrutiny by the growing evangelical movement Christian Zionism, dedicated to the protection of Israel and whose leadership includes many San Antonio Christians.

Still, not all the problems since 9-11 lie outside the Islamic community, many Muslims say.

"I think most Muslims are busy with their own issues, family and work," said Veysel Demir from the Institute of Interfaith Dialog, a Turkish Muslim group at the University of Texas at San Antonio that meets with people of different faiths. "It's not that they're not open to doing more. There's just not that much time remaining in the day. Still, I want to do more."

The 9-11 attacks highlighted not only how little the American public knew about Islam, but also how little Muslim Americans knew about other religions, said Ruquayya Khan, a Muslim and a professor of Islam at Trinity University.

"The mantra after 9-11 that Islam is about peace is OK on a surface level for a certain time, but now Muslims need to go beyond that," she said. "Interfaith work is fine and dandy, but it won't go far if Muslims don't really try to learn about Jewish and Christian faiths." (MORE)

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WY: 'PART OF THE COMMUNITY' - TOP
Joan Barron, Casper Star-Tribune, 9/6/06
http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2006/09/06/news/top_story/1d7cdde6d3e09136872571df00210c27.txt

Despite a couple of isolated incidents in Laramie, many Wyoming Muslims say they were spared backlash from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C.

In Cheyenne, a small group of about eight Muslim families was invited to speak at various churches shortly after 9/11.

"We were all nervous, but the community was wonderful," said Arshi Nisley, a native of Pakistan and now an instructor in English at Laramie County Community College.

Mohammed Salih, a native of Sudan in East Africa who came to Cheyenne in 1969 and is dean of the LCCC business and technology department, agreed.

"We never had one incident of harassment or anything," he said. "We had support from everybody after 9/11."

The Cheyenne Muslim community has had a mosque in north Cheyenne since 1999 which is open to everybody.

"People treat us as part of the community," Salih said. "We consider this our country."

"What happened had nothing to do with religion," he added.

This year Salih is teaching a class for the third time on the history and philosophy of Islam.

The Cheyenne Muslims are eager to educate people about Islam, its beliefs and ritual of prayer five times a day facing Mecca.

"Islam is the word of peace," said visitor Abdulbari El Banna, who was praying with Salih in the mosque on a recent Friday afternoon.

El Banna is a project consultant who came to the United States from Egypt in 1975. During the 9/11 attacks he was overseas in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

"It was a surprise," he said of the attacks.

Right after 9/11, a Muslim woman was harassed in a Laramie Wal-Mart, and a Muslim University of Wyoming student who wears the traditional "hijab" head scarf was accosted and threatened by two men.

Forrest C. Bright, director of the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, said he knew of no recent incidents of harassment of Muslims.

Nisley said one Muslim woman, a widow, runs a gas station on Lincolnway in Cheyenne and wears the traditional head scarf. She said she was in Wal-Mart recently with her sister, who also wears a head scarf. The clerk asked her politely why.

"We love it when people ask questions, because it gives us a chance to explain instead of misconceptions that her husband is forcing her to wear that," she said. (MORE)

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BUSH ACKNOWLEDGES SECRET CIA PRISONS - TOP
Nedra Pickler, Associated Press, 9/6/06
http://www.heraldnewsdaily.com/ViewArticle.aspx?id=4484&source=2

WASHINGTON - President Bush on Wednesday acknowledged the existence of previously secret CIA prisons around the world where key terrorist suspects have been held and questioned.

He said the "small number" of detainees that fall into this category include people responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000 in Yemen and the 1998 attacks on U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

The announcement from Bush is the first time the administration has acknowledged the existence of CIA prisons, which have been a source of friction between Washington and some allies in Europe. The administration has come under criticism for its treatment of terrorism detainees. European Union lawmakers said the CIA was conducting clandestine flights in Europe to take terror suspects to countries where they could face torture.

Bush said the CIA program has involved such high-value terrorists as Khalid Sheik Mohammed, believed to be the No. 3 al-Qaida leader before he was captured in Pakistan in 2003; Ramzi Binalshibh, an alleged would-be Sept. 11, 2001, hijacker; Abu Zubaydah, who was believed to be a link between Osama bin Laden and many al-Qaida cells before he was also captured in Pakistan, in March 2002.

Defending the program, the president said the questioning of these detainees has provided critical intelligence information about terrorist activities that have enabled officials to prevent attacks not only in the United States, but Europe and other countries. He said the program has been reviewed by administration lawyers and been the subject of strict oversight from within the CIA.

"This program has helped us to take potential mass murderers off the streets before they have a chance to kill," the president said. "It is invaluable to America and our allies."

The president successfully emphasized the war on terror in his re-election campaign in 2004 and is trying to make it a winning issue again for Republicans this year.

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THE ISRAEL LOBBY: DOES IT HAVE TOO MUCH INFLUENCE ON US FOREIGN POLICY? - TOP
London Review of Books, 9/6/06
http://www.lrb.co.uk/debates/

On 28 September 2006, at 7 p.m., the London Review of Books will host a public debate in the Great Hall, Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, Cooper Square, New York, on the subject:

Panelists: Shlomo Ben-Ami, Martin Indyk, Tony Judt, Rashid Khalidi, John Mearsheimer, Dennis Ross

Moderator: Anne-Marie Slaughter

Tickets for the debate are $25 per person. You can buy them online from Ticket Central at: www.ticketcentral.com/index.asp?p=promocode&pid=5020 or telephone: +1 212 279 4200

Notes on Participants:

Shlomo Ben-Ami is a former Israeli foreign and security minister and the author of Scars of War, Wounds of Peace: The Israeli-Arab Tragedy

Martin Indyk is Director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy and Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution

Tony Judt is Erich Maria Remarque Professor in European Studies and Director of the Remarque Institute at New York University

Rashid Khalidi is Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies and Director of the Middle East Institute at Columbia University

John Mearsheimer is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science and the co-director of the Program on International Security Policy at the University of Chicago

Dennis Ross is Counselor and Ziegler Distinguished Fellow of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the author of The Missing Peace: The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peace

Anne-Marie Slaughter is Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and the Bert G. Kerstetter '66 University Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University.

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PASTOR WHO INSULTED ISLAM IS REPLACED ON POLITICAL PANEL - TOP
Darran Simon, Miami Herald, 9/6/06
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/broward_county/15451575.htma

Gov. Jeb Bush has appointed a Parkland man to succeed the Rev. O'Neal Dozier, on the Seventh Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission, which screens candidates for the bench in Broward County.

Dozier resigned amid controversy after calling Islam a ``cult.''

Bush appointed Clarence V. McKee, 63, a principal with Ruden McClosky Consulting, to the vacant seat on the nine-member panel.

Bush announced the appointment last week. McKee's term began on Aug. 31 and expires on July 1, 2007.

Eight county residents applied for the vacant position.

Appointed by Bush in 2001 and reappointed in 2003, Dozier was forced to resign after calling Islam a ''cult'' and a ''dangerous religion'' on a South Florida talk show.

Dozier was discussing why he and a group of ministers didn't want a mosque built in a neighborhood they referred to as a ''black Christian'' community.

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FILMMAKER LOOKS AT MUSLIMS IN AMERICA OBSERVING RAMADAN - TOP
Greg Flakus, Voice of America, 9/6/06
http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-09-06-voa3.cfm

Later this month, Muslims around the world will begin a month-long fast to observe Ramadan. During this time, they fast all day long and then eat in the evening. A Muslim-American filmmaker has chosen this as his subject in a new film about how five American Muslim families practice their faith and how non-Muslims relate to their traditions.

The director of the feature-length documentary "American Ramadan" is Naeem Randhawa, who was born in Pakistan, raised in Canada and, for the past eight years, has made Dallas, Texas his home.

As a thoroughly American Muslim, he was distressed by the distorted image of Islam many Americans have, partly because of conflict in the Middle East and terrorism, but also because of negative images in movies and television shows. He wanted to find a way to bridge the gap between people of his faith and other Americans, most of whom, he says, hold the same basic family values as Muslims.

Randhawa says he thought a documentary film might be a way of showing how traditions that are fundamental to his faith are similar to traditions in other religions. Speaking to VOA, he says the fasting Muslims do during Ramadan seemed an ideal subject.

"I was trying to find a platform that would seek to build bridges and look for commonalities between Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus ... Really, just about every religion has some form of fasting," he said. "So, this seemed to me like a great platform to bring different people come to the table and have a dialogue about what is common to all of us."

Randhawa says he also wanted to show that Muslims in the United States are not all the same. For this reason, he says, he deliberately looked for a variety of subjects to use in the film. . .

The film, "American Ramadan," has been shown at some film festivals and in special screenings here in North America, but Naeem Randhawa is finding interest in the film from as far away as Europe and the Middle East. With the success of this endeavor, he says he is ready to take on other topics and continue making films that are aimed at bringing people of divergent faiths and traditions together in understanding. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

YOUNG AMERICAN MUSLIMS SEEK IDENTITY IN ISLAM - TOP
Anayat Durrani, World Politics Watch, 9/6/06
http://worldpoliticswatch.com/article.aspx?id=161

Twenty-year-old Ahlam Shalabi could be the poster girl for young American Muslims. Shalabi is a college student three days a week at San Diego State University, an officer in her school's Muslim Student Union (MSA), a volunteer youth leader at a local mosque, and a full-time devout Muslim. She represents a new consciousness emerging among young American Muslims nationwide, one fueled by pride in Islam.

"I started wearing hijab [headscarf] about one year ago," said Shalabi, whose parents are Palestinians. "I grew up in a very typical Arabic household where culture outweighed religion as far as an emphasis on its traditions are concerned. Therefore I had very little knowledge about my religion."

Shalabi's decision to wear the hijab "and never take it off" came after spending two years studying her faith in greater depth and attending Islamic lectures. She said her decision was made easier by the fact that her college had a sizable number of Muslims in attendance who provided her with constant support.

"In all honesty my parents weren't thrilled about my decision and were very concerned that I was perhaps not ready to make such a big commitment," Shalabi said. "However they reassured me that it is my decision and that they would support me whether or not I wore the hijab then or planned to wear it when I felt a little more secure."

Shalabi's experience is not uncommon. Occasional objection may arise from parents who see their daughters suddenly don the hijab or sons grow a beard and wear Islamic clothing. In some instances, the younger generation may even surpass their own parents in knowledge and ritual practice of their faith.

"I think this depends on the family," explained Professor Amir Hussain from the Department of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University. "In some cases, parents are more religious, in other cases, it is the children. For many children, who have no doubt about their American identity, the move to Islamic practice is a way to define their identity."

Professor Hussain said that for many young Muslims their absolute pride in their Islamic faith is a reaction to the anti-Muslim rhetoric and stereotypes they come across in their daily lives. "This is their way of saying publicly that they are Muslim," said Professor Hussain.

AbdulAziz Al-Salim, 21, is a student at the University of Minnesota and a budding Muslim entrepreneur on the side. He and his friends started an Islamic t-shirt company called MuslimTees.com. The store carries contemporary screen-printed shirts, similar to those carried at popular clothing stores, but with a Muslim cultural twist. Al-Salim feels that his generation is in general more creative, less fearful of taking risks, and eager to shine light on a faith that has been muddied.

"I think that this generation has almost been forced to reclaim their Islamic identity," said Al-Salim. (MORE)

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MUSLIM TEAM COMPETES ON CBS'S 'AMAZING RACE' - TOP
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race10/bilal_saeed.shtml

These best friends have spent years bonding over their love of food, Browns football and their shared Islamic faith. While Bilal is energetic and outgoing, Sa'eed is quiet and passive. Their vastly different temperaments will be fun to watch as they attempt to navigate over 40,000 miles in under 30 days.

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

-----

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Date: Thu, 07 Sep 2006 15:31:56 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: CAIR Supports Award for CA Muslim Leader / Life for U.S. Muslims Very Different After 9/11 / CAIR-CAN Seeks Apology for Jewish Traveler Kicked Off Plane

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/7/06

* Verse: No Protector Except God
* CAIR Supports Award for Calif. Muslim Leader
* CAIR: Life for U.S. Muslims Very Different After 9/11 (AP)
            - ME: Mosque Desecration Suspect Wants Jury Trial
            - AL: Give Mohammed a Chance (Crimson White)
* CAIR-MO: Muslims Object to ADL Head at Interfaith Dinner
* CAIR-CAN Seeks Apology for Jewish Traveler Kicked Off Plane
* CAIR-NY: Family Says Detention was Result of Profiling
            - NJ: Rutgers Student Detained at JFK Airport
* CAIR-Sacramento: Teaching 9/11 (Sacramento Bee)
            - CAIR-CT Gathers Relief Supplies for Lebanon
            - CAIR-OH: Islamic Center Holds Forum on Impact of 9/11
* IL: Morton Grove in Study of Muslim in Suburbs
* CO: Evangelical Pastor Gains Wisdom from Guantanamo
            - James Yee on the Reverberations of 9/11 (Esquire)
* 'Mecca and Main Street' Author to Speak in DC
            - DC: Congressional Pre-Ramadan Awards Brunch

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VERSE OF THE DAY: NO PROTECTOR EXCEPT GOD - TOP

"Leave alone those who take their religion to be mere play and amusement and are deceived by the life of this world. But proclaim (to them) this (truth): that every soul delivers itself to ruin by its own acts (and) it will find for itself no protector or intercessor except God."

The Holy Quran, 6:70

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CAIR SUPPORTS AWARD FOR CALIF. MUSLIM LEADER - TOP

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/7/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) commends Dr. Maher Hathout on the exceptional work he has undertaken over the past two decades to build bridges of understanding between Muslims and Americans of other faiths.

Dr. Hathout has worked tirelessly to foster dialogue among followers of the Abrahamic faiths - Islam, Christianity, and Judaism - and is dedicated to promoting the values of peace and social justice in the United States and worldwide.

We wholeheartedly support the decision of the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations to honor Dr. Hathout with the prestigious John Allen Buggs Award for excellence in human relations.

The award is well-deserved and significant at a time when Dr. Hathout has been subjected to a smear campaign by Islamophobes seeking to marginalize and silence American Muslim leaders.

ACTION REQUESTED:

Contact the L.A. Board of Supervisors and the L.A. County Commission on Human Relations to support their selection of Dr. Maher Hathout to receive the prestigious John Allen Buggs Award for excellence in human relations.

E-mail L.A. Commission of Human Relations Executive Director Robin Toma at: Rtoma@hrc.co.la.ca.us with the subject line "Please forward this to the Board of Supervisors." Please copy all e-mails to: Glowenberg@hrc.co.la.ca.us , Bwelcome@hrc.co.la.ca.us, info@cair.com

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CAIR: LIFE FOR MUSLIM-AMERICANS DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT AFTER 9/11 - TOP
Rasha Madkour, Associated Press, 9/7/06

Attorney Alamdar Hamdani used to represent multimillion-dollar corporations. Now Hamdani represents cab drivers and convenience store owners who are called in for questioning by the FBI.

Nohayia Javed was a college student who never thought of herself as different from her classmates. Then Javed was beaten up and had hot coffee thrown in her face.

Many lives changed after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. But Muslim-Americans say that as a group, the change for them has been dramatic, generally negative and certainly long-lasting. Overnight they became an enemy in their own country.

How this played out for individuals is as varied as the Muslim-American community itself. The 6 million people who practice Islam - 3 percent of whom live in Texas - are American-born and immigrants; they're converts and those born to Muslim families; they're Democrats, Republicans and independents; they're neurosurgeons, waiters, CEOs and firefighters.

The backlash has primarily been focused on those with ancestries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

"We feel embarrassment, frustration, anger on a daily basis," said Farha Ahmed, general counsel for the Muslim American Republican Caucus, at a recent symposium on racial profiling at the University of Houston Law Center.

Ninety-nine percent of Islam's adherents are nonviolent, said Ahmed, a Libyan-American, but "that doesn't seem to be enough."

Hamdani realized the day of the attacks that there would be a backlash against fellow Muslims. So he joined the American Civil Liberties Union and started representing, pro bono, people who were being detained or questioned by the government.

It's one thing for the general public to look at Muslims with a jaundiced eye, said Hamdani, 34, an American citizen raised by Indian parents. It's something else for the government to do that.

"Just because I worship a god named Allah doesn't mean the 1st, 4th, 5th amendment doesn't apply," Hamdani said, citing the rights to free association and speech, against unreasonable search and seizure, and to due process.

Houston FBI spokeswoman Shauna Dunlap said her agency's work in the Muslim community benefits both sides and resolves questions. . .

Muslim-Americans point to one positive consequence: 9-11 has made them become more active in the public sphere. More Muslims now work in politics and the armed services. Organizations like the Council on American Islamic Relations have stepped up their efforts in educating the public, media, government and law enforcement agencies about Islam, as well as registering Muslims to vote. And, of course, more Muslims are active in civil liberty issues. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

ME: DESECRATION SUSPECT WANTS JURY TRIAL - TOP
News 8 WMTW, 9/6/06
http://www.wmtw.com/news/9797894/detail.html

LEWISTON, Maine -- A man charged with desecrating a place of worship after allegedly rolling a frozen pig's head into a Lewiston mosque has requested a jury trial.

A lawyer for Brent Matthews told News 8 he made the request in a letter sent to Lewiston District Court. In the letter, Jim Howaniec said he entered a not guilty plea on his client's behalf.

Matthews, 33, of Lewiston, said he was carrying the pig's head when it slipped out of his hands and rolled into the Lewiston-Auburn Islamic Center on Lisbon Street during prayers on July 3.

Muslims consider pork to be unclean.

At a hearing last week, Superior Court Justice Ellen Gorman granted the state's request for a preliminary injunction against Matthews. That means he'll have to stay 150 feet away from the mosque, as well as anyone who worships there.

The state is pursuing a civil lawsuit that accuses Matthews of violating the Maine Civil Rights Act. If found guilty, he would be ordered to stay away on a permanent basis and to refrain from violating the act. (MORE)

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GIVE MOHAMMED A CHANCE - TOP
Kristen Trotter Chick, Crimson White, 9/7/06
http://www.cw.ua.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/09/07/44ffc77bb833b

I took a class on terrorism last semester. It may sound like we assembled vests with bomb pockets or learned how to fly jumbo jets, but we studied the theory, not the tactics, and learned what makes terrorists tick.

At one point during the class we considered whom the FBI might have under its terrorism microscope right here in Tuscaloosa. One student raised his hand.

"There's this guy that works in the convenience store behind Crimson Cafe," he said. "I think he's from Afghanistan."

He suggested that the man might be a terrorist or a terrorist suspect on the FBI's list. All he knew about the man, from trips into his store to buy cigarettes, was that he was supposedly from Afghanistan. That was enough, however, to make him a terrorism suspect.

The man's name is Mohammed. He owns a store on 13th Avenue called Kerdassa, and he is not Afghani but Egyptian. He moved to the United States from Alexandria, Egypt, years ago and his son graduated from the University of Alabama. Mohammed is also one of the most kind-hearted men I have met in Tuscaloosa. He never grumbles about discrimination, because he doesn't like to complain, but when I told him about the comment in my class his mustache drooped.

Mohammed is not the only one; I've heard from Muslim women in Tuscaloosa whose head coverings attract strangle looks like a magnet. People won't take them seriously, they said. One of my good friends my freshman year, a Palestinian whose arm bore a scar from an Israeli bullet, no longer lives in Alabama because of the way he was treated in Tuscaloosa.

In a conversation the other day about the recently uncovered London terrorist plot, a friend argued for implementing racial profiling in the United States If most terrorists are Middle Eastern, he said, then naturally we should focus airport screenings on Middle Easterners. Sure, that makes sense, I said, but it also creates a lot of resentment and humiliation for the thousands of Arab Americans who have nothing to do with terrorism.

"Humiliation?" he asked. "Resentment? Why should they be humiliated? I wouldn't be."

His response illustrates our failing as a community to step outside our small perceptions of the way things should be and consider the other side of the story, how our actions, individually and collectively, make a physical impact in other's lives. If even for a moment we contemplate how we might feel if we were constantly suspected of a horrible crime simply because of our skin tone and facial features or religion, we might begin to understand the consequences of our actions. (MORE)

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CAIR-ST. LOUIS: MUSLIMS PLAN TO PROTEST AT INTERFAITH DINNER - TOP
Tim Townsend, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 9/6/06
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/religion/story/7A5E944FEDB5E739862571E2001BB0F8?OpenDocument

It's been a rough summer for Jewish-Muslim relations, and the end of summer doesn't necessarily mean an end to the tension.

As the Interfaith Partnership of Metropolitan St. Louis celebrates its 20th anniversary today, protesters will greet those arriving at the Frontenac Hilton Hotel for the annual fundraising dinner.

The protest leaders say the interfaith organization was insensitive to some in the Muslim community when it invited Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, to be the evening's keynote speaker. The topic is "Building Bridges: The Power of Interfaith Alliances, at Home and Abroad."

"The ADL is NOT an advocate for tolerance and understanding amongst different faiths," Khaled A. Hamid, a St. Charles allergist who helped organize the protests, wrote in an e-mail to drum up support. "It is a propaganda and public relations group blindly supporting the aggressive policies of Israel and using scare tactics to silence any opposition or criticism of Israel."

Orvin T. Kimbrough, Interfaith Partnership's executive director, acknowledged the controversy Wednesday and said he'd met with several concerned groups over the past two months, calling it "an extremely difficult time for us."

The bi-state partnership's mission, according to its website, "is to promote peace, respect, and understanding among people of all faiths." Kimbrough said his organization began with a list of 10 speakers they'd hoped to get for today's dinner, including former South African president Nelson Mandela and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

Speakers at past dinners have included Bishop Thomas Hoyt Jr., of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and former president of the National Council of Churches, and Jeffery Huffines, representative to the United Nations for the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States.

For this year's program, the partnership's leaders eventually agreed on Foxman, who, as it turns out, could not make it out of Israel in time to be at today's dinner. Karen J. Aroesty, the ADL's regional director for Missouri and Southern Illinois, said Wednesday that the agency's deputy national director, Kenneth Jacobson, would replace Foxman.

Kamal Yassin, a spokesman for the St. Louis chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the group talked about calling for a communitywide protest of the dinner. "At first, we thought it was better to stay outside the dinner because we were so upset, but then after some discussion, we decided to be a part of it," he said. "If the talk goes in a certain direction, we can take it up from the inside."

Yassin said that in the context of interfaith dialogue, Foxman was an inappropriate choice.

"Mr. Foxman does a great job defending Israel, but at this sensitive point in the Middle East, many will only see the times he equates Muslims with terrorists," Yassin said. "And I'm worried that the ADL's involvement could stain the reputation of the Interfaith Partnership, which would be a big loss for St. Louis." (MORE)

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CAIR-CAN DEMANDS PUBLIC APOLOGY FROM AIRLINE COMPANIES FOR RACIAL PROFILING - TOP

(OTTAWA, CANADA - 7/9/2006) - The Canadian Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN) today called on United Airlines and Air Canada to publicly apologize for allegedly expelling a Muslim man and a Jewish man from their planes without due cause. CAIR-CAN further calls on the airlines to commit to giving serious sensitivity training to their crews.

In the case of the Jewish man, he was expelled from the plane after the crew members received several complaints because he was reciting his prayers. It is also alleged that the attendant verbally recognized the man as not being a Muslim and that she was sorry for the situation but they had to ask him to leave.

Please see: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2006/09/05/qc-hasidicprayeronplane.html

Canadian Muslims and members of other visible minorities routinely fall prey to racial profiling when traveling in Canada and in the United States. Minority groups have very little recourse when border officials and airline crew members act with impunity against them.

A month ago, when returning from a medical conference in Denver, USA, Dr. Ahmad Farooq was also expelled from a plane after a passenger complained concerning him and his two colleagues. The crew immediately reacted and expelled him and two of his friends from the plane.

"Such action, on behalf of both airlines is completely unacceptable. When people in positions of authority sanction racial profiling based on their own paranoia and xenophobia, they legitimize it. We, as Canadians, need to be vigilant in defending our civil rights," said Karl Nickner, Executive Director of CAIR-CAN.

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CAIR-NY: MONTCLAIR FAMILY FEELS DETENTION AT AIRPORT WAS RESULT OF RACIAL PROFILING - TOP
Dan Prochilo, Montclair Times, 9/6/06
http://www.montclairtimes.com/page.php?page=12909

Montclair resident Sumia Ibrahim came to this realization while awaiting questioning by federal officials at a New York airport for six hours alongside 200 other Arabic and South Asian people:

"Simply because I was born in a Middle Eastern country, I didn't realize, it didn't hit me until that moment, that I'd be treated differently in a place I call home and a place where we're supposed to have democracy," said Ibrahim, who lives on Valley Road.

Customs and Border Protection officers at John F. Kennedy International Airport held Ibrahim, 20, and four of her family members on Aug. 15 along with other passengers arriving from overseas, and then interrogated them, she said.

The family feels its detention was part of a policy of racial profiling instituted right after the foiling of a terrorist plot to blow up planes departing Great Britain for the United States, but the government denies that.

Ibrahim said she, her twin brother and sister, her older sister, 22, and her mother - all naturalized U.S. citizens of Iraqi ancestry and two-year Montclair residents - were coming back that day from a month-and-a-half-long vacation in Jordan. . .

The family's attorney, Omar Mohammedi, who's also president of the Council on American-Islamic Relations of New York, agreed, and said his organization might request the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate his clients' claims about Aug. 15.

"It's guilt by association, and it doesn't have a place in our country," Mohammedi said. "You can't profile a whole community because you're not sure who's [inside it]."

The attorney said the government should be working with Arabs and Muslims, gathering good intelligence and checking up on people who act suspiciously, not on everybody who belongs to a certain race or religion.

Otherwise, the entire community becomes suspicious of law enforcement, Mohammedi said, and innocent people become unwilling to come forward with information about criminal activity for fear they will become suspects themselves. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

RUTGERS STUDENT DETAINED AT JFK AIRPORT - TOP
Joseph Shure, Daily Targum, 9/6/06

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. -- Arwa Ibrahim had just returned with her family from a vacation in Jordan on Aug. 15. The Rutgers University sophomore had transferred flights in Dubai, and then, 14 hours later, arrived in at John F. Kennedy Airport in Queens, N.Y.

She said she was excited to get home and rest.

But that plan was interrupted when Ibrahim, her sister, brother and mother were pulled aside by a man behind the desk at customs and forced to relinquish their passports.

The flight took place after the foiled airline-bombing plot in Britain, so passengers had not been allowed to bring food or drinks on the plane.

Ibrahim said she tried not to jump to conclusions, and she suspected she and her family would be subjected to questions for a few minutes. Instead, her family was held in detention for six hours, without food or water, in a small section of the baggage-claim area, she said.

Ibrahim said 20 seats were available for the 200 people she saw detained with her and her family. All, she said, were of South Asian or Middle Eastern descent. Upon noticing this, Ibrahim said, "It became very obvious what was happening." She said she suspected racial profiling.

Ibrahim said she feels the way she was treated was, "Not only wrong, but illegal."

Nor were the officials responsible for their detention polite, she said, adding, "We weren't respected, or treated like human beings."

Ibrahim said security officials were angry and rude to the group of detainees, which, according to her, included children and elderly adults, many of whom had not had anything to eat or drink for hours.

When detainees asked for food or water, she said, they were told it is not the job of the government to provide it.

Each member of the Ibrahim family was interviewed separately when their turn for questioning came.

Ibrahim said she was asked questions that seemed routine -- where she was coming from, what she did on her vacation -- and questions she said seemed unnecessarily probing, such as what she is majoring in and where she works.

Ibrahim's older sister Sumia, also a Rutgers sophomore, was asked whether she thought Iraq was better off since the fall of Saddam Hussein. The Ibrahim family emigrated from Iraq to the U.S. in 1992.

Ibrahim said she felt angry and humiliated at the tenor of the officials' questions and the way she and her family were treated.

She said after having consulted lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union, she learned she and her family were not legally obligated to answer many of the questions posed by security officials. . .

At a press conference held after the detention the ACLU, the Ibrahim family, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the rights groups announced they would investigate the alleged violation of the Ibrahims' rights, and other instances of suspected racial profiling. (MORE)

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CAIR-SACRAMENTO VALLEY: TEACHING 9/11 - TOP
Laurel Rosenhall, Sacramento Bee, 9/7/06
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/19272.html

The events of Sept. 11, 2001, leapt with remarkable speed from dynamic daily news reports to the static pages of history books. By the following fall, millions of students across the country were reading about the terrorist attacks in social studies texts put out by the nation's major publishers.

With every school year that passes, increasing numbers of students and parents come across the lessons on 9/11. Now, as the fifth anniversary approaches, reactions are mounting to the textbooks' treatment of this high-profile act of terrorism.

Some Muslims say the texts unfairly paint all people of their faith as terrorists. They say frequent references to "Arab terrorists," "Muslim terrorists," "Muslim extremists," or "Islamic fundamentalists" give schoolchildren a negative impression of their religion.

"Because these terms are repeated so many times, it's very alarming," said Maren Shawesh, of the Sacramento chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations. "We don't want these younger students to grow up with that perception of Islam and Muslims." (MORE)

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CAIR-CT GATHERS RELIEF SUPPLIES FOR LEBANON - TOP

Since the beginning of August, CAIR-CT has helped gather donations of relief supplies from Muslim organizations and churches for delivery to those in need in Lebanon. This week, more than 40 boxes full of rice, flour, lentils, canned meats, and vegetables were packed up by volunteers from CAIR-CT and driven to Life for Relief and Development in Southfield, Michigan. The supplies will be shipped overseas to help people of all faiths in Lebanon.

For further information on how you can help, please e-mail Holly Khader at: halakhader@hotmail.com

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CAIR-OH: ISLAMIC CENTER HOLDS FORUM - TOP
Cincinnati Enquirer, 9/6/06
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060906/NEWS0105/609060371/-1/back01

The Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center will host a free community forum at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Freedom Center's Harriet Tubman Theater downtown.

The forum will discuss the fear, discrimination and loss of freedom Americans have experienced since 9/11.

It will include voices from different races, faiths, cultures and communities.

Other organizations involved are: the National Conference for Community and Justice, Xavier University Brueggeman Center for Dialogue, and the Council on American Islamic Relations.

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MORTON GROVE IN STUDY OF MUSLIM IN SUBURBS - TOP
Nick Katz, Morton Grove Champion, 9/7/06
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-story/localnews/current/mg/09-07-06-1019796.html

A researched at the University of Illinois at Chicago is looking at the relationship between Muslims and other residents of three suburbs including Morton Grove.

The three also include Bridgeview, where mobs surrounded a mosque for three days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and Orland Park, were like Morton Grove residents opposed a planned mosque.

"The issues Muslims face are in some ways more difficult than for previous religious minorities because social conflicts involving Muslims have both domestic and global components," said Loise Cainkar, a fellow of the UIC Great Cities Institute.

Cainkar cited backlash against Muslims resulting from the Sept. 11 attacks as one reason they have been slow to become involved in local communities.

"Many Americans have held Muslims collectively responsible for the 9/11 attacks," she said. "As an isolated group, Muslims were easily targeted and there were few social repercussions for targeting them."

UIC spokesman Anne Brooks Ranallo said the study, funded through a $50,000 grant from the Chicago Community Trust, has already started. Once her report is completed, Cainkar plans to distribute it to local Muslim leaders and meet with them to discuss ways to organize locally and help develop Muslim community leaders.

"One major lesson of history is that for Muslims to be welcome as members of American society, American society itself must change, and Muslims must do much of the work to cause that change," Cainkar said.

In Morton Grove a group of residents organized to oppose construction of a Mosque adjacent to the Muslim Education Center. Although the project finally was approved, Muslim Community Center, the MEC's parent group, was forced to file suit in federal court against the village before the issue was settled.

Mohammed Kaiseruddin, president of the Muslim Community Center, said Muslims have been slow to become involved in local politics and civic issues. But, he said, compared to other religious and ethnic groups in the suburbs, Muslims are fairly new.

"It's happening, slowly," he said.

He noted that in Skokie two Muslims have been elected to school boards. In Morton Grove there are no Muslim elected officials, but members of the village's Muslim community have been named to other boards or commissions. (MORE)

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CO: EVANGELICAL PASTOR GAINS WISDOM FROM GUANTANAMO - TOP
Norris Burkes, Coloradoan, 9/7/06
http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060907/COLUMNISTS38/609070315/1024

Chaplain Chris Molnar of the California National Guard spent the past year in prison, and he's learned a thing or two.

No, he wasn't an inmate. He was the senior chaplain for the Joint Task Force-Guantanamo Bay, a team of civilians and military members providing custodial care for about 500 detainees of the global war on terrorism.

From March 2005 through April 2006, Molnar managed a team of five chaplains, a Muslim adviser and five chaplain assistants who were responsible for providing spiritual care to the staff and prisoners.

Last month, I met up with Molnar in his pastor's office at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in San Luis Obispo, Calif., where he has served for 13 years.

Within a few moments of meeting him, he pulled out a Muslim prayer rug from his closet, which might cause some to wonder whether he's become a Christian/Muslim hybrid.

Later in a phone interview, Molnar explained the rug had come to symbolize the simplicity and physicality of Muslim worship, like the personal washing and the kneeling for prayer at certain hours.

Molnar feels this simplicity of worship is something to be emulated in Christian worship.

"So often, in our quest to worship in a place with the best music," Molnar said, "it becomes more about how you feel. People stroll into church looking for their special pew, place their offering in the basket and expect this is what they deserve."

Concerned that Christians are becoming only Sunday believers or "baptized secularists," Molnar highlights to his own Lutheran congregation the absence of kneelers in the church sanctuary. "We used to physically kneel when we prayed, but not anymore.

"Muslims prostrate themselves before God," he said. "It might be helpful for Christians to occasionally do the same."

Then sounding like the "Evangelical" in his church name, Molnar noted prostrate is the Christian's "true standing before Christ. We deserve nothing. Yet through what Jesus did for us on the cross, prostrating should be an appropriate response.

"If I were to ask my congregants to do that, I'd get complaints," he added.

Molnar said his inspiration came through watching his Muslim translators and linguists worship.

"They seemed to me to be devout, and it seemed to help sustain many of them. I was impressed by their willingness to practice that and how it seemed to help them in the separation from their families."

Molnar said he gets a lot of reaction in what might be misinterpreted as his defense of fundamentalist Islam.

"I'm not denying that there are fundamentalists who are agitating and encouraging other Muslims, even against the teachings of the Koran, to attempt suicide and harm women and children. I don't mean to play that down.

"I'm merely trying to point out that these are human beings, not trying to demonize them, because at some point we're going to have to come to terms with them if we are going to have peace." (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

JAMES YEE: FORMER ARMY CHAPLAIN - TOP
Reverberations: 9/11 (Five Years Later)
Mike Sager, Esquire, 9/2006
http://www.esquire.com/features/articles/2006/060807_mfe_September_06_Yee.html

James Yee, a West Point graduate and Muslim Army chaplain, was arrested in September 2003 for spying and aiding the enemy while ministering to detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. His record was eventually cleared. Yee has since written a book about his experience, For God and Country: Faith and Patriotism Under Fire.

For me, the Oh, no moment came even before 9/11. It happened after the federal building in Oklahoma was bombed. I thought that Muslims would definitely be blamed; regardless of who conducted the attack, I knew there would be backlash, and there was. So when the planes hit, I thought, This is going to happen again.

I don't buy into this idea that we are engaged in a clash of civilizations. I just don't buy it. I'm an American and I'm a Muslim. There is no conflict between the two. They actually complement each other. Even more than that: They are parallel.

Diversity is both an American and an Islamic value. Religious freedom is both an American value and an Islamic value. Tolerance is both an American and Islamic value-although Islam is portrayed in America as very intolerant. But those who study Islam know that's a bunch of baloney. Islam accepts all people, regardless of what nationality or ethnicity you are. As a student, I read that, and I thought I understood. But it wasn't until I actually went to Mecca for the first time that I really understood. I thought I would be the only Chinese Muslim there. That couldn't have been further from the truth. There were Muslims of every color and ethnicity, from every country in the world.

When I saw this overwhelming diversity of humanity, the first thing I thought about was my upbringing in the American school system. In school, they always taught that America is the land of the free, the home of the brave-a big melting pot of all ethnicities who came in through Ellis Island. And that's the same attitude promoted by Islam; that's what I felt so profoundly in Mecca. In that way, converting to Islam reemphasized my American values. Another value traditionally held by both America and Islam is the humane treatment of prisoners.

This was something that was valued highly by the prophet Muhammad. For example, when he retook Mecca, he granted amnesty to all of the Arab pagans he defeated. This is why we're still in this quagmire in Iraq. Instead of winning hearts and minds, we insult and offend. The desecration of the Koran, the burning of Muslim dead bodies in Afghanistan, the abuses at Abu Ghraib, the abuses at Guantánamo-what's going on there perverts our entire system of values. I don't think the public realizes the enormous negative impact that it will have on our nation's history. (MORE)

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'MECCA AND MAIN STREET' AUTHOR TO SPEAK IN DC - TOP
http://geneiveabdo.com/events.html

Geneive Abdo, an author and analyst at the United Nations, will speak in Washington DC on September 13th at 6:30 p.m. at the Center for Strategic and International Studies about her latest book, "Mecca and Main Street: Muslim Life in America After 9/11."

Islam is America's fastest growing religion, with more than six million Muslims in the United States, all living in the shadow of 9/11. Who are our Muslim neighbors? What are their beliefs and desires? How are they coping with life under the War on Terror? Mecca and Main Street offers illuminating answers to these questions. Gaining unprecedented access to Muslim communities in America, Geneive Abdo traveled across the country, visiting schools, mosques, Islamic centers, radio stations, and homes. She brings these stories vividly to life, allowing us to hear their own voices and inviting us to understand their hopes and their fears. Inspiring, insightful, tough-minded, and even-handed, it will appeal to those curious about the Muslim presence in America. It will also be warmly welcomed by the Muslim community that it depicts.

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CONGRESSIONAL POLICY BRIEFING AND PRE-RAMADAN AWARDS BRUNCH - TOP

What: Briefing of congressional leaders and their staffs by Muslim diplomats and scholars on strategies for addressing the crisis in the Middle East. Following the briefing, an awards presentation is planned to recognize members of the Congressional Black Caucus for championing the rights of Muslims and others.

This event coincides with the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Annual Legislative Conference, which each year brings 20,000 political and business leaders to Washington, D.C., for a series of forums and networking events. With 43 members, the CBC has the 2nd largest Democratic voting block in Congress. This gathering serves as an opportunity for the Muslim community to enjoy a morning meal before the start of Ramadan while forging stronger bonds with political and other leaders attending the CBC Conference.

Date: Saturday, September 9, 2006
Time: 11:00 am - 1:30 pm
Location: Grand Hyatt Hotel, Lafayette Ballroom, 1000 H Street NW, Washington, DC

Honorees:

Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Mel Watt
Congressman John Conyers, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member
Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, House Armed Services Committee
MAS Freedom Foundation Executive Director Mahdi Bray

Invited Diplomats: Ambassador of Jordan; Ambassador of United Arab Emirates; Washington Representative of the Palestinian Authority; Ambassador of Kuwait; Ambassador of Egypt; and Ambassador of Qatar.

Other Invited Guests: CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad; Hafez Al-Mirazi, Al Jazeera TV Host; and University of Michigan Professor Dr. Sherman Jackson.

Audience: Members of Congress, diplomats, congressional staffers, executives, Islamic scholars, lawyers, bankers, Muslim political leaders, and students.

Cost: $25 (Complimentary for Members of Congress, Congressional Staffers, Participants of the Congressional Black Caucus Conference)

Supporters: The Muslim Legal Defense & Education Fund, Muslim American Society (MAS) Freedom Foundation, Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), The Muslim Link Newspaper, "Islamic Perspectives TV", Sweet Tooth Bakery, House of Health and Dar Es Salaam Bookstore, TEC Law Group, Indigo Engineering Group, and Attorney Anu Kemet.

To RSVP: Contact Attorney Talib bin Karim @ 202-466-3830 or tkarim@teclawgroup.com

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Forwarded Message

Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2006 14:17:08 -0400
From:"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject: CAIR-NET: Islam-Haters an Enemy Within / CNN Host Warns Muslims of 'Razor Wire Fence' / Adult Bookstore Near MN Mosque Will Remain Open

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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 9/8/06

* Hadith: Love Each Other and Enmity Will Disappear
* Islam-Haters: An Enemy Within (NY Post)
            - CAIR-CA: Prejudice Against Muslims Shows Who We Really Are
            - CNN Host Warns Muslims of 'Razor Wire Fence'
* CAIR: In U.S. Visit, Iran's Khatami Urges Dialogue (LA Times)
* CAIR-FL: Muslims Suffer Increase in Hate Crimes (Sun-Sentinel)
            - CAIR-FL: Anti-Muslim Incidents on Rise in FL (Miami Herald)
* CAIR-LA, Police Plead for Peace on 9/11 Anniversary (LA Times)
* CAIR-St. Louis: ADL Protested at Interfaith Dinner (Post-Disp)
* CAIR: Yusuf Islam Plans Comeback Album (Bloomberg)
* CAIR-TX: Cleared Cell Phone Case Suspect Cites Prejudice (DMN)
* CAIR-CAN: For Muslims, Guilt by Association (Globe and Mail)
* Five Years After: A Post-9/11 Identity Shift (LA Times)
            - Echoes of 9/11 Define Life 5 Years Later (NY Times)
            - 9/11: Five Years Later: Finding Strength in Community (Newsday)
            - CAIR-LA: US Muslims Face Prejudice, Growing Acceptance (VOA)
            - CAIR: Muslims Feel Sting of Distrust (Detroit News)
* MN: Adult Bookstore Near Mosque Will Remain Open for Now

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HADITH OF THE DAY: LOVE EACH OTHER AND ENMITY WILL DISAPPEAR - TOP

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Shake hands (in greeting) and rancor will disappear. Give presents to each other and love each other, and enmity will disappear.' "

Al-Muwatta, Volume 47, Hadith 16

VERSE OF THE DAY: REPEL EVIL WITH GOOD - TOP

"(Since) good and evil cannot be equal, repel (evil) with something that is better. (Then) you will see that he with whom you had enmity, will become your close friend."

The Holy Quran, 41:34

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ISLAM-HATERS: AN ENEMY WITHIN - TOP
Ralph Peters, New York Post, 9/7/06
http://www.nypost.com/seven/09072006/postopinion/opedcolumnists/islam_haters__an_enemy_within_opedcolumnists_ralph_peters.htm

The most repugnant trend in the American shouting match that passes for a debate on the struggle with Islamist terrorism isn't the irresponsible nonsense on the left - destructive though that is. The really ugly "domestic insurgency" is among right-wing extremists bent on discrediting honorable conservatism.

How? By insisting that Islam can never reform, that the violent conquest and subjugation of unbelievers is the faith's primary agenda - and, when you read between the lines, that all Muslims are evil and subhuman.

I've received no end of e-mails and letters seeking to "enlighten" me about the insidious nature of Islam. Convinced that I'm naive because I defend American Muslims and refuse to "see" that Islam is 100 percent evil, the writers warn that I'm a foolish "dhimmi," blind to the conspiratorial nature of Islam.

Web sites list no end of extracts from historical documents and Islamic jurisprudence "proving" that holy war against Christians and Jews is the alpha and omega of the Muslim faith. The message between the lines: Muslims are Untermenschen.

We've been here before, folks. Bigotry is bigotry - even when disguised as patriotism. And, invariably, the haters fantasizing about a merciless Crusade never bothered to serve in our military (Hey, guys, there's still time to join. Lay your backsides on the line - and send your kids!).

It's time for our own fanatics to look in the mirror. Hard. (And stop sending me your trash. I'll never sign up for your "Protocols of the Elders of Mecca." You're just the Ku Klux Klan with higher-thread-count sheets.)

As for the books and Web sites listing all those passages encouraging violence against the infidel, well, we could fill entire libraries with bloody-minded texts from the Christian past. And as a believing Christian, I must acknowledge that there's nothing in the Koran as merciless as God's behavior in the Book of Joshua.

Another trait common among those warning us that Islam is innately evil is that few have spent any time in the Muslim world. Well, I have. While the Middle East leaves me ever more despairing of its future, elsewhere, from Senegal to Sulawesi, from Delhi to Dearborn, I've seen no end of vibrant, humane, hopeful currents in the Muslim faith.

I'm no Pollyanna. I'm all for killing terrorists, rather than taking them prisoner. I know we're in a fight for our civilization. But the fight is with the fanatics - a minority of a minority - not with those who simply worship differently than those of us who grew up with the Little Brown Church in the Vale. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-LA: PREJUDICE AGAINST MUSLIMS SHOWS WHO WE REALLY ARE - TOP
Hussam Ayloush, Pasadena Weekly, 9/8/06
http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/article.php?id=3819&IssueNum=36

[Hussam Ayloush is executive director of the Southern California Council on American-Islamic Relations.]

After 9/11 I could see the looks, especially when I was with my wife, who wears a head dress. I know it exists. Polls show us many people do hold feelings of prejudice toward Muslims.

Deep inside, people are saying we should subject Muslims to extra searches at airports; some would rather not have a Muslim neighbor. Fortunately, only a small number of people take action based on those feelings.

The growing anti-Islamic sentiment in this country was reflected in the unfortunate use of the offensive term "Islamic fascist" by the president. Regardless of his intentions, and no one can truly know another's intentions, what matters is it was perceived by Muslims as an unfortunate link between the peaceful teachings of Islam and the evil ideology of fascism.

The concern we have is that such rhetoric alienates the very same people whose hearts and minds we are trying to win - the 1.3 billion Muslims in the world who we need as partners to alienate and challenge the minority of extremists among them.

The looks and the comments you sometimes hear are people making the assumption that Muslims do not belong in America. Compared to the amount of positive remarks and gestures I've received from people, those negative incidents are insignificant. I try not to dwell on the negative few. I'd rather celebrate the positive many.

The source of most hatred and prejudice is ignorance, and the only way to fight that is through education. That, unfortunately, takes time and patience. I do have faith that this state of misperception of Islam will come to and end, judging by our country's history toward all other religious and ethnic minorities.

Yes, there has been an increase of Islamaphobia and an increase in the number of hate incidents against Muslims. However, the bright side of this tragic increase of anti-Muslim sentiment provides and opportunity for Muslims to reach out to their fellow Americans and show them who they truly are and what they truly believe.

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CNN HOST WARNS MUSLIMS OF 'RAZOR WIRE FENCE' - TOP
http://mediamatters.org/items/200609070002

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CAIR: IN U.S. VISIT, IRAN'S KHATAMI URGES DIALOGUE - TOP
Johanna Neuman, Los Angeles Times, 9/8/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-khatami8sep08,1,3695640.story

WASHINGTON - Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, undertaking an American tour rare for ex-officials of the government in Tehran, called Thursday for a "dialogue of civilizations" among Jews, Christians and Muslims, even as he scolded the Bush administration for its treatment of detainees and other alleged human rights abuses. . .

Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, agreed that there is a need for dialogue. "Most Americans don't want a repeat of the Iraq fiasco," said Hooper, whose organization is playing host at a dinner for Khatami tonight in Washington. "The way to prevent that is to listen to each other."

In the invitation to the private dinner, which also includes a photo opportunity for the estimated 100 guests, CAIR described Khatami as "Iran's first reformist president [who] focused his tenure on the rule of law, democracy and the inclusion of all Iranians in the political decision-making process." (MORE)

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CAIR-FL: MUSLIMS IN SOUTH FLORIDA SUFFER INCREASE IN VANDALISM, HATE CRIMES - TOP
Ruth Morris, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, 9/8/06
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-cmuslim08sep08,0,1327167.story

Incidents of anti-Muslim discrimination are on the rise in South Florida, from slurs painted on mosque walls to a woman told she would have to remove her head covering if she wanted to keep her job, a report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations said Thursday.

Areeb Naseer, CAIR's legal adviser in Florida, said the group's offices had received 112 reports of anti-Muslim incidents for the state in 2005, a 9 percent increase from 2004. The complaints included outright hate crimes, such as vandalism at a Boca Raton mosque, verbal discrimination and intolerance of religious practices.

Naseer also said data collected so far in 2006 pointed to a continued upward trend. Nationwide, there was an even sharper rise in anti-Muslim incidents in 2005, up nearly 30 percent from a year earlier, he said.

He cited the experience of Ziad Ismail, a Palestinian car salesman living in Coral Springs, who said he had faced taunts by a fellow employee and their manager at a South Florida dealership.

"If I'm in the men's room, he [the manager] would say, `What happened? Are you making bombs in there?'" Ismail said. "I'm an American citizen like them, and everybody else. It wasn't right what they did to me." Ismail later found a note on his windshield telling him to "Go back to Jerusalem, or death."

Naseer declined to identify the car dealership, saying the company acted correctly by firing the manager.

The report outlined other examples of the cases that CAIR tracks. One involved a Tampa middle school student prohibited from playing in a basketball tournament because she covered her head with a Muslim head scarf called a hijab. In another case, CAIR said an unnamed "major Florida corporation" told a Muslim woman she faced a choice of either removing her hijab or leaving her job. "Discrimination is affecting Muslims in a very fundamental way, in schools where our children are learning, in the workplace where we are earning our livelihood," Naseer told reporters at CAIR's South Florida headquarters in Pembroke Pines. "And given the situation in Iraq, the situation in Lebanon and elsewhere, it's hard to imagine these numbers will come down any time soon."

The U.S. Muslim community reported a spike in hate crimes after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and many say they brace for a new wave of discrimination whenever terrorism by Muslims hits headline news. Hate crimes dropped off in 2003, then began to climb again, according to CAIR.

Asked why reported incidents of discrimination were on the rise, Naseer noted that most hate crimes have gone unpunished. He said there had been eight or nine reports of vandalism against mosques in South Florida over the past 18 months, but not a single suspect charged. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

CAIR-FL: ANTI-MUSLIM INCIDENTS ON RISE IN STATE, WATCHDOG GROUP SAYS - TOP
Diana Moskovitz, Miami Herald, 9/8/06
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15465296.htm

Zaid Ismail had been selling cars at a local auto dealership for about eight months when the harassment started.

His new manager called Ismail, a Palestinian, ``little terrorist."

When he was in the restroom, someone knocked on the stall door saying, ``Hey, are you making bombs in there?"

And in September of last year, Ismail, 51, of Coral Springs, found a note on his car telling him to go back to the Middle East or die.

"I'm an American like everyone else. It's not right," Ismail said.

Ismail's story is one of 112 acts of discrimination against Muslims recorded last year in Florida, according to a report released on Thursday. That's up from 103 in 2004.

The Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations put together the annual report. CAIR is a Muslim advocacy group established after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

"The effect of 9/11 is not withering away," CAIR legal counsel Areeb Naseer said.

Other findings in the report include:

o The number of hate crimes against Muslims went down from 15 in 2004 to 12 in 2005.

o Work was the most common place where discrimination occurred, including 22 of the incidents against Muslims in 2005.

o Denying Muslims religious accommodations, like banning a woman from wearing a head scarf, was the most common type of discrimination, including 24 of the incidents in 2005.

CAIR compiles the numbers from complaints received at its two Florida offices in Pembroke Pines and Tampa. A third office opened in Orlando this year.

Each complaint is investigated to make sure the person has evidence that the discrimination happened, Naseer said. Once CAIR officials decide the complaint is legitimate, they try to find a way to resolve the situation, Naseer said. (MORE)

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CAIR-LA: POLICE AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS PLEAD FOR PEACE, TOLERANCE AS 9/11 ANNIVERSARY NEARS - TOP
Sam Quinones, Los Angeles Times, 9/8/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-islam8sep08,1,124554.story

Southern California law enforcement officials joined religious leaders Thursday in urging peace and calm in advance of the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"This weekend, it's important that we as people of faith say once again that responding to violence with violence is not the answer," said Chris Ponnet, a Catholic priest and spokesman for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Ponnet spoke at a local gathering sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Southern California.

Also in attendance were representatives from the Arab American and Sikh communities, the FBI and Los Angeles County and city law enforcement agencies.

American Muslim leaders called on members of their own community to take the initiative in improving public perceptions of Islam.

"Every single Muslim must stand up and face the music," said Edina Lekovic, a spokeswoman for the Muslim Public Affairs Council. "9/11 propelled the Muslim American community to take up their responsibility … to promote a different vision of Islam: to say we stand for life, we stand for mutual coexistence."

The 2001 terrorist attacks that took place in New York, Pennsylvania and Arlington, Va., sparked an increase around the country in attacks against Muslims.

But it also ushered in a new era of cooperation between local Muslim leaders and law enforcement officials.

With their help, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca formed the Muslim-American Homeland Security Congress, which meets regularly to discuss terrorism issues and educate officers about the Muslim community.

"Muslims in America are the first line of defense against terrorism conducted falsely in the name of Islam," said Hussam Ayloush, director of the local chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

So far, no local terrorist investigations have been prompted by tips from Southland Muslims, but "the key is dialogue," said Warren Bamford, special agent with the FBI's counterterrorism division.

"Then there are many opportunities that will rise," he said.

Ayloush said American Muslims are patriotic and aggrieved by the Sept. 11 attacks. (MORE)

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CAIR-ST. LOUIS: INTERFAITH PARTNERSHIP CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY, AMID PROTESTS - TOP
Tim Townsend, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 9/7/06
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/religion/story/D8D0A7D94311BDB7862571E300174172?OpenDocument

More than 400 people gathered Thursday evening at the Frontenac Hilton Hotel to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Interfaith Partnership of Metropolitan St. Louis.

Outside the hotel, about a dozen people gathered along Lindbergh Boulevard to protest the group's choice of speaker, Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League.

Foxman was unable to make the dinner and was replaced by the league's deputy national director, Kenneth Jacobson.

The protesters, who included Christians, Jews and Muslims, said they felt that the Interfaith group had been insensitive to some in the Muslim community by inviting a representative of the Anti-Defamation League to speak on the topic, "Building Bridges: The Power of Interfaith Alliances, at Home and Abroad."

"If this organization is about building partnerships and bridges, don't bring to town people who are very one-sided and practice broad-brush rhetoric," said Bill Ramsey, one of the protesters. "It doesn't help, in the present global environment, to denigrate the faith of Islam."

Another protester, Margaret Hamra, said she'd come because, "Mr. Foxman often mistakes feelings against Israeli policy with feelings of anti-Semitism."

Inside, Muslim leaders said their community - 70 strong at the dinner - was diverse and did not stand as one on either side of the Foxman issue.

One group, the Council for American-Islamic Relations, had considered calling for a boycott of the dinner but decided it would be better to be a part of the evening, said the group's local spokesman, Kamal Yassin. (MORE)

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CAIR: YUSUF ISLAM, ONCE CAT STEVENS, PLANS COMEBACK ALBUM - TOP
Don Jeffrey, Bloomberg News, 9/7/06
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aaQ27CqEsmSA&refer=muse

Sept. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Yusuf Islam, the singer who was known as Cat Stevens before he underwent a spiritual conversion, will release his first pop-music album in 28 years in November.

The recording, ``An Other Cup," will be distributed by Atlantic Records in North America in a venture with Islam's own label, Ya Records, Atlantic said today. New York-based Atlantic is owned by Warner Music Group Corp.

Islam, who as Cat Stevens wrote and performed such 1970s hit songs as ``Moonshadow" and ``Morning Has Broken," became a Muslim and changed his name in 1978. His conversion came after he almost drowned in the ocean off Malibu, California. He was prevented from entering the U.S. in September 2004 after being placed on a terrorism watch list by the government.

``I feel right about making music and singing about life in this fragile world again," Islam, 59, said in a statement distributed by Atlantic. ``It is important for me to be able to help bridge the cultural gaps others are sometimes frightened to cross."

A native of London, Islam released his first U.S. album, ``Tea for the Tillerman," in 1970. It has sold more than 3 million copies in the U.S.

After his religious conversion, he dropped out of the music business and worked in charities and educational development, including starting three Islamic schools in London, Atlantic said. More than 1.5 million copies of the songwriter's recordings are sold each year, according to the label.

After hearing that Islam was preparing a new record, Atlantic Chief Executive Officer Craig Kallman flew to London to meet with the musician.

Return to U.S.

"He was just beginning rehearsals for this album," Kallman said in an interview. "It was a chilling experience sitting in a very tiny rehearsal room as he was working through all the new material."

The new album "speaks to the essence of all the great Cat Stevens albums of the past," Kallman said. Atlantic plans to have Islam come to the U.S. to help promote the album around the time of its release.

In 2004 Islam was denied entry into the U.S. when his plane from London was diverted to Maine and he was sent back to the U.K. Islam was placed on the watch list ``for activities potentially related to terrorism," Homeland Security spokesman Garrison Courtney said at the time.

"We don't anticipate any problems in the future when he arrives," Arsalan Iftikhar, national legal director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in an interview today.

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CAIR-TX: CLEARED MAN CITES PREJUDICE - TOP
Andrew D. Smith, Dallas Morning News, 9/8/06
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/tv/stories/DN-mesquite_08eas.ART0.West.Edition1.3e876a4.html

Frustration tempered celebration Thursday afternoon as Louai Othman and Muslim community leaders gathered to discuss the three-week ordeal that began with terrorism charges against three Mesquite men and ended Tuesday with all charges being dropped.

Mr. Othman, 23, spoke at the Farmers Branch offices of the Council on American Islamic Relations, a group whose leaders say Muslims have been systematically mistreated since the 9/11 terrorism attacks.

"This incident is seen by the Muslim community as another example of the racial and religious profiling that has been prevalent since 9/11," said Mustafaa Carroll, a group board member. "Muslim and Arab-Americans have faced scrutiny beyond what is reasonable. Every Muslim has been the victim of suspicion."

The other two men arrested, Mr. Othman's 21-year-old brother, Adham Othman, and 18-year-old cousin, Maruan Muhareb, were not at the event.

Mr. Othman said he has no plans to sue over his experience but would like an apology from police and prosecutors who put him in jail for 12 days.

In addition to time spent in jail, Mr. Othman said, the arrest led to the closure of his bank account, his eviction from a storage facility in Mesquite, and terrorism accusations against his family at their Mesquite apartment.

He said that his family probably would move and that he would get out of the business of selling cellphones.

"I'm probably going to get a nice job at a computer store," said Mr. Othman, who said he had never experienced discrimination before his arrest. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

MAN CLEARED OF PLANNING ATTACK IS UPSET (Star-Telegram)
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/state/15469422.htm

CAIR-TX: MAN WRONGLY ACCUSED OF PLOT WANTS APOLOGY (Associated Press)
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/09/08/8noterrorist.html

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CAIR-CAN: FIVES YEARS AFTER 9/11: FIRST IN A SERIES - TOP
For Muslims, guilt by association
Marina Jiménez, Globe and Mail, 9/8/06
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060908.wxmuslim08/BNStory/National/home

When Ahmed Farooq crosses the Canada-U.S. border, he isn't surprised when he is singled out for questioning. He is, after all, a young, single, Muslim man born in Saudi Arabia who fits the racial profile of would-be terrorists.

But the fourth-year medical resident at the University of Winnipeg never expected to be hauled off a United Airlines flight for praying.

That's what happened last month, after a fellow passenger complained that Dr. Farooq was trying to "control the aisles" when he exchanged seats to pray next to a window. The accusation meant Dr. Farooq -- who was returning to Winnipeg from a physics course in Sacramento -- was marooned at his own expense in Denver for a day.

"Why should I be taken off a plane just because I'm a certain religion?" said Dr. Farooq, 27, who immigrated to Canada when he was 12. "I have seen people take out their Bibles to pray. But if I had taken out a Koran in the environment there is now, it would have created fear."

The Denver police officer who interviewed him told him the crew overreacted, he said, while an airline spokesman has said the company is obliged to take any allegations threatening passenger safety seriously.

Five years after the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States -- and just over one year after London's terror attack -- Canada's Muslim community is still feeling the sting of guilt by association. . .

"Since 9/11, we feel we have to come forward and denounce terrorism and extremism and violence. But at the same time, we resent that we have to do this," explains Karl Nickner, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Canada (CAIR-CAN). . .

CAIR-CAN, and a number of other groups, have asked all three levels of government to help organize a summit to address the problem of marginalized youth who are falling prey to radical extremists. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

FIVE YEARS AFTER: A POST-9/11 IDENTITY SHIFT - TOP
Muslim Americans reassess how they portray their faith in public.
Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times, 9/8/06
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-me-muslims8sep08,1,2754049.story

A Muslim homemaker from La Habra Heights, assuming authorities monitor her charity donations, has stopped giving to "any Muslim charity that touched my heart" and now contributes to less-suspected organizations.

In Sacramento, a young imam has broken with an ancient tradition among Muslim prayer leaders by shaving part of his beard to appear less threatening to non-Muslims.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, they say, increased scrutiny and suspicion have made them more cautious about expressing their faith. Other California Muslims have taken a different approach.

In Irvine, a 19-year-old hijab-wearing UC Irvine student and others in her school's Muslim Student Union staged a program in May critical of Israel called Holocaust in the Holy Land. She also helps organize rallies and fundraisers to support Muslims whom she believes have been unfairly targeted by federal investigators.

The experiences of the homemaker, the imam and the student reflect the transforming and sometimes contradictory effects of Sept. 11 on Muslims in the United States. In the five years since the terrorist attacks, some Muslims have tried to be less visible, others more bold, as they live and work beside their fellow Americans.

"We are witnessing the creation of a new Muslim American identity that is still a work in progress," said Zahid H. Bukhari, director of the American Muslim studies program at Georgetown University.

"In times past, it happened to African Americans, Latinos, Jews, Japanese and Catholics; now, it's Muslims' turn to become part of the fabric of American life," he said. "Before 9/11, many Muslims were physically here but mentally living back in their homelands. That is starting to change."

Many who study U.S. Muslims say that, without Sept. 11, it might have taken the diverse, reclusive and largely immigrant community another decade to enter the public square.

The acts of terrorism on American soil forced them into it, albeit under what some Muslims believe are the prying eyes of government, the media or neighbors. (MORE)

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ECHOES OF 9/11 DEFINE LIFE 5 YEARS LATER: RELIGIOUS BIAS - TOP
A Simple Scarf, But Meaning Much More Than Faith
NEIL MacFARQUHAR, New York Times, 9/8/06
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/08/us/08bias.html

The echoes of Sept. 11, 2001, clatter through American life with continuing, tangible effect.

In many smaller towns and cities, shiny new fire trucks are the civic antidote to uncertainty -- and the practical need to spend what the Department of Homeland Security dishes out. Other things Americans carry from that day are tiny and poignant, like Rick Edmond's flashlight, always on hand against a return of the darkness that he remembers in the corridors of the Pentagon.

Ideas have been amplified and altered by time, war and ideology into things never known or thought about. What does that head scarf say about where your loyalties lie? Who walks with the dead from Iraq and Afghanistan and tells the stories of what they believed in life and why they died?

Some echoes define a country at five years in ways many Americans have stopped even thinking about, because they are just life now. Here are five people in five cities -- all of them uncertain in different ways about where they have come to, but resolved to some action or declaration on the nation's road forward.

Everything seemed to be going well, recalled Dena al-Atassi, a young college student planning a career as a diet consultant, until her prospective boss caught sight of the head scarf she wears as a devout Muslim.

"She said something like, What the heck is that on your head?" Ms. Atassi said in an interview at a recent Muslim conference in Chicago. "I don't remember the exact words, but I will always remember the derogatory tone."

Ms. Atassi, 21, said she argued that her head scarf would not interfere with her work, that the fleshy women who flocked to the Maryland office of the Jenny Craig diet chain where she had been a trainee seemed to appreciate the fact that she dressed modestly and avoided flaunting her own slim figure.

But the supervisor in the Jenny Craig office in Florida where Ms. Atassi hoped to relocate last summer was not moved, she said, and the job never materialized.

"She wanted her office to look all-American," recalled Ms. Atassi, who reported the incident to a prominent Muslim advocacy group at the time.

Norma Hubble, Jenny Craig's vice president of operations, said the supervisor in the Florida office no longer worked for Jenny Craig but "to the company's knowledge, neither Ms. Atassi's religion nor her religious dress was a factor in any employment decisions affecting her."

Jenny Craig "has a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of religion," Ms. Hubble said in a statement, "and it complies with all federal and state laws regarding employee requests for religious dress accommodations."

Cozette Phifer, the spokeswoman for Jenny Craig, confirmed that some staff members wore head scarves.

Before Sept. 11, Muslim women who wore head scarves in the United States were often viewed as vaguely exotic. The terrorist attacks abruptly changed that, transforming the head scarf, for many people, into a symbol of something dangerous, and marking the women who wear them as among the most obvious targets for those who deem the faith threatening.

Muslim leaders call discrimination a problem for many of the faithful, particularly for women like Ms. Atassi who wear head scarves and who say they face widespread discrimination in their careers and in their daily lives. (MORE)

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9/11 FIVE YEARS LATER: FINDING STRENGTH IN COMMUNITY - TOP
Muslim teens in city run to families, faith to look past negativism
Jamshid Mousavinezhad, Newsday, 9/8/06
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nymusl084881765sep08,0,1051034.story

Five years ago, 12-year-old Tahara Miah was sitting in a Lower East Side classroom when the 9/11 terror attacks rocked the world - her world and her city.

"I was scared to death," she recalled. "I was worried about my parents and what was going to happen to us downtown. I actually saw the buildings collapse from the window of the school."

Up until then, the most difficult part of Tahara's life as a Muslim youngster growing up in the city was coming-of-age issues, such as wearing a headscarf and being allowed to date.

After it was revealed that Muslim extremists were behind the unimaginable attacks that left almost 3,000 dead, Tahara said she and many of her friends were stunned.

"I was heartbroken," said Tahara, now 17. "The definition of Islam is peace, and this was so violent and destructive that I couldn't fathom that Muslim people could do something like this."

At an age when "you'd just rather stay home isolated . . . people said horrible things and we got stares . . . yeah, it hurt," she said, recalling the days following Sept. 11. Fidgeting with her black headscarf, the thoughtful Bangladeshi-born teen said she was apprehensive about returning to Riis Upper School.

When classes resumed, however, she and other students mourned together. It made her feel "at home, and [that] people cared about me." (MORE)

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CAIR-LA: US MUSLIMS SAY THEY FACE PREJUDICE, GROWING ACCEPTANCE - TOP
Mike O'Sullivan, Voice of America, 9/8/06
http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-09-08-voa3.cfm

American Muslims say they have faced increased suspicion since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. But some say the dialogues that began after those events opened new lines of communication. Mike O'Sullivan has more from Los Angeles, where local Muslim leaders spoke with reporters.

Every American Muslim has faced questions since the attacks, some of the questions innocent, others rude or even hostile. Edina Lekovic of the Muslim Public Affairs Council is a European Muslim whose parents came from Montenegro in the former Yugoslavia. Her features are Western, but she is visible as a Muslim because of her headscarf. She says that since 2001, explaining her faith has become a full-time job. "The questions that I hear on a daily basis, regardless of the setting, are anything from 'Why do you wear that thing on your head?' to 'Why don't you go back to your country?' to 'Why are your people killing our people?," she said.

She says most of the questions are based on misconceptions about Islam and its adherents.

Lekovic appeared with other Muslim leaders at a news conference Thursday, joined by leaders from the Christian, Jewish and Sikh faiths, and representatives of law enforcement agencies.

All spoke against the prejudice, and the occasional hate crimes, that have been directed toward Muslims since the 9-11 attacks. They cited a recent survey showing that four in 10 Americans admit to harboring anti-Muslim feelings.

Hussam Ayloush of the Council on American-Islamic Relations has seen that prejudice, but believes it is superficial and temporary. He says history suggests that Islam is being integrated into American life.

"We look at the experiences of previous immigrant communities, religious or ethnic, whether it's the Jewish community, the Catholic community, or Irish, Italians and others, and Latinos today. All of them had to go through a phase of rejection, mistrust, acceptance, and integration. Everybody went through the same phases. And I think we are between the phase of some kind of mistrust and acceptance," he said.

He says even people who admit to anti-Muslim prejudice are willing to talk and listen. He adds that since 2001, American Muslims are also reaching out in dialogue, and says like other Americans, they have strong feelings. "But at the end of the day, we go back and say, OK, give me your case, make your case, convince me otherwise," he said.

He says honest debate creates bonds of trust, despite disagreements. (MORE)

SEE ALSO:

LOCAL MUSLIMS WANT TOLERANCE ON 9/11 ANNIVERSARY (CBS)
http://cbs2.com/topstories/local_story_250183419.html

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CAIR: MUSLIMS FEEL STING OF DISTRUST - TOP
Many have sense of intolerance by the way society views them, mixed with a feeling of uncertainty.
Gregg Krupa, Detroit News, 9/8/06
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060908/LIFESTYLE04/609080384/1041

Siham Awada Jaafer is American, through and through. Born and raised in Metro Detroit, she and her husband are proud citizens, living red, white and blue lives of aspiration and duty.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Jaafer was angry at the terrorists who attacked her country. Her resentment has only grown.

"I was angry at first because it occurred on our turf, in our country," said Jaafer, an Arab-American. "Now, we are in danger because of the terrorists, and we are also suspected of being them."

Local Muslims and Arab-Americans hoped that, by now, discrimination and harassment would have ebbed. Instead, they say, things have only gotten worse. Each new event involving extremist Muslims -- like the recent terrorism charges in Great Britain and the Israeli war against Hezbollah -- increases misgivings about local Muslims. From hassles at the airport, to delayed citizenship, to verbal taunts, local Muslims, including South Asians and Arabs, say they feel increasingly segregated.

They remind people that almost 300 Muslims also died in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and wonder when will it be time for followers of Islam and Arab-Americans to be fully accepted as Americans?

"There is a deep sense of uncertainty that faces the community," said Saaed Khan of Rochester Hills, an adjunct professor of Near East Asian studies at Henry Ford Community College. "Many Muslim Americans feel a double sense of siege, one by the terrorists and the other is the way the society views them."

Intolerance hasn't ebbed

Evidence of intolerance abounds. A Quinnipiac University poll Aug. 29 revealed that American voters say, by 60 percent to 30 percent, that authorities should single out people who look "Middle Eastern" for security measures. Only 6 percent of Americans have a positive first impression of Muslims, according to a poll conducted last year for the Council on American Islamic Relations Research Center, and about 20 percent admit to being intolerant of Muslims.

Anecdotes also are plentiful. Taxi drivers of Middle Eastern or South Asian descent in Metro Detroit describe the scorn and derision of passengers, who sometimes holler epithets at them and refuse to pay fares. (MORE)

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MN: WINONA ADULT BOOKSTORE WILL REMAIN OPEN FOR NOW - TOP
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=134072

A shop peddling adult books and videos in downtown Winona will remain open for now.

Wednesday marked the end of a five-year grace period that had allowed Downtown Book and Video to operate on the same block as a mosque. A city ordinance bars stores from selling adult material within 600 feet of a place of worship.

But Randall Tigue, the lawyer for Dennis and Tammy Buchanan, says the owners aren't budging. He says the question is whether they sue the city directly or see if the city takes the next step.

Tigue says the city can expect a lawsuit if it tries to close or move the adult bookstore. He says both the mosque and the store are protected by the First Amendment, so forcing the store to move would be unconstitutional.

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CAIR
Council on American-Islamic Relations
453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20003
Tel: 202-488-8787, 202-744-7726
Fax: 202-488-0833
E-mail: info@cair.com
URL: http://www.cair.com

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