cair-net Digest of: get.1101_1200
Topics (messages 1101 through 1200):
CAIR-NET: Patriot Act Needs Changes/'The Islamic Contagion'
1101 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Michigan City May Approve Muslim Call to Prayer
1102 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Vandals Scrawl Swastikas at NJ Mosque Site
1103 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Scholar Says Subjugation of Women Not Quranic
1104 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Md. Student Called 'Son of Bin Laden' Gets Apology
1105 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Drive-By Shooting Targets Texas Mosque
1106 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: TX Man Arrested for Bias-Motivated Threat on Mosque
1107 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Boston Radio Host Says Kill All Muslims
1108 by: CAIR
ISLAM-INFONET: TX Man Arrested for Bias-Motivated Threat on Mosque
1109 by: CAIR
ISLAM-INFONET: Boston Radio Host Says Kill All Muslims
1110 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: OR Mayor Skips Prayer After Muslim Disinvited
1111 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Renews Call for Boston Radio Host's Firing
1112 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR-MI Participates in Homeland Security Conference
1113 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: GA Muslim Police Officer Files Discrimination Suit
1114 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Prayer for Tolerance/'Raghead Oil'/Adhan Approved
1115 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Report to Show Sharp Jump in Anti-Muslim Incidents
1116 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: School Religion Policy/Iraq Jail Abuse/Kill Muslims
1117 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CA Gov's Israel Trip Disappoints Arabs, Muslims
1118 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: The Muslim Vote/Mosque Campaign Promotes Caring
1119 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Anti-Muslim Incidents Jump 70 Percent in 2003
1120 by: CAIR
ISLAM-INFONET: Spy Charges Dropped, But Fear Remains
1121 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Spy Charges Dropped, But Fear Remains
1122 by: CAIR
ISLAM-INFONET: U.S. Muslims Say Congress Must Probe Iraq Torture
1123 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Urge Congress To Investigate Iraq Torture
1124 by: CAIR
ISLAM-INFONET: Nader Urges Action on Violations Against US Muslims
1125 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Nader Urges Action on Violation Against US Muslim
1126 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: OH Schools Draft Prayer Policy/Con Man Hits Miss.
1127 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Call for Rumsfeld's Resignation
1128 by: CAIR
ISLAM-INFONET: TX Teens Get Probation for Mosque Vandalism
1129 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: TX Teens Get Probation for Mosque Vandalism
1130 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim Rapper/Islam and Test-Tube Babies
1131 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Form Airman Halabi Justice Committee
1132 by: CAIR
ISLAM-INFONET: FL Muslim Families File Legal Notice in Bus Case
1133 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: FL Muslim Families File Legal Notice in Bus Case
1134 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Condemns Murder of American in Iraq
1135 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Gen. Boykin Tied to Iraq Abuse Case
1136 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Sign CAIR's 'Not in the Name of Islam' Petition
1137 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Two Florida Islamic Centers Vandalized
1138 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: NY Muslim TA Fired for Speaking Arabic
1139 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: AZ Muslim Family Police Fair/NJ Muslim Teen Attacked
1140 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Ordeal of Chaplain Yee/Remarks Hound Gen. Boykin
1141 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Brooklyn's Abu Ghraib?/CAIR-FL Meets FBI on Hate Crimes
1142 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Urge President Bush to Condemn Israeli War Crimes
1143 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim CEOs Fight Terror/OK Hijab Case Settled
1144 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Michael Savage - 'America's Laziest Fascist'
1145 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: NY Univ. Marks Eids/OR Muslim Released/More Abuse Photos
1146 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Pro-Palestinian Display Torched at Calif. University
1147 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Challenged to Stand Tall/Mosque Foes' Fear
1148 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Set to Flex Political Muscles
1149 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Cleared Man Says FBI Targeted Him as Muslim
1150 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Publish Ad Denouncing Terror, Bigotry
1151 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Treatment of FL Muslim Detainees Condemned
1152 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: AZ Muslim Sues Intel/Muslim Attacked in California
1153 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: NJ Schools to Recognize Islamic Holidays
1154 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Officers Learn Muslim Culture/U.S. Shia Share Concerns
1155 by: CAIR
CAIR Election Update: Iraq and National Security
1156 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Pakistani-Americans Lobby Congress/CAIR Turns 10 Today
1157 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR-CAN Publishes Election Guide/Treasury Names Islamic
Finance Adviser
1158 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Texas Muslims Meet with Majority Leader DeLay
1159 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: American Muslim Swimmers Go to Olympic Trials
1160 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: TX Muslims Accused of Terror, Then Focus Changed
1161 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Presidential Election Survey
1162 by: survey.cair-net.org
CAIR-NET: Bans on Torture Didn't Bind Bush/Bias Alleged at BK
1163 by: CAIR
CAIR Election Update: Ethnic Outreach
1164 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim Kid Bashed at NY School/Mexico Allows Hijab
1165 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: FL Man Alleges Bias for Support to Palestinians
1166 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Opens New Chapters in Kentucky, New York
1167 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Evangelical Works to Cool Anti-Muslim Rhetoric
1168 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim Group Decries Terror/Matchmakers for Muslims
1169 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Still Waiting for Boykin Report/Bilingual Caregivers
1170 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims to Launch National PSA Campaign
1171 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Ohio Muslims React to Arrest of Terror Suspect
1172 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: View CAIR Public Service Announcements Online
1173 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Calls VA Paintball Sentencing 'Draconian'
1174 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Meet with Powell on Foreign Policy
1175 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Detention of American in Saudi Arabia Protested
1176 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Condemns Murder of American in Saudi Arabia
1177 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR-LA Says Jewish Group Endangers Muslim Students
1178 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Demand Apology for ADL's 'Hate-Filled Rhetoric'
1179 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: 'Kill All Muslims' Scrawled on Florida Islamic Center
1180 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Second FL Muslim Community Targeted by Hate
1181 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: 'Stamp Out Islam'/Muslims Condemn Beheading
1182 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Lecturer Smears Islam/Condolences to Korean Ambassador
1183 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Breaking News - Feds Probe Missouri Mosque Vandalism
1184 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: ADL Apologizes to Muslims/TX, NJ Mosques Targeted
1185 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim Civil Rights Group Marks 10 Yrs of Advocacy
1186 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim 'Stripped of Identity'/Jewish Groups and Shahada
1187 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim Suffers Brain Damage in TX Immigration Center
1188 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Slurs Painted on Muslim Home in New Jersey
1189 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Applauds Rulings on Detainees' Access to Courts
1190 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslim Group to Release Voter Survey Results
1191 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Mosque Opponent Used Aliases/Attack Follows Anti-Muslim Slur
1192 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Favor Kerry, Nader - Poll
1193 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CA Cadets Learn About Islam/Easy to Spot 'Islamics'
1194 by: CAIR
CAIR Election Update: Iraq and Foreign Policy
1195 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: Muslims Assaulted in Illinois, California
1196 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: IL Bias Claim Filed/OSU Hijab/Pakistanis Targeted
1197 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: CAIR Launches Anti-Torture Campaign
1198 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: 5 Detained for Seeking Directions to Fishing Hole
1199 by: CAIR
CAIR-NET: IL Mayor Bows Out of Rally Over Mosque Comments
1200 by: CAIR
---------------------------------
Get your own web address.
Have a HUGE year through Yahoo! Small Business.
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--0-882350160-1171821623=:40731--
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 4/19/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: ACTS OF KINDNESS
* REASON #5 TO JOIN CAIR
* INCITEMENT WATCH: 'THE ISLAMIC CONTAGION'
* THE SUPREME COURT AND GUANT�NAMO (NY Times)
* MARINES REOPEN INVESTIGATION OF IRAQ PHOTO
- U.S. Muslims Seek Pentagon Probe on Iraq Photo (CAIR)
* PATRIOT ACT NEEDS CHANGES TO BE LAWFUL (SL Tribune)
- Report on Patriot Act, Post-9/11 Enforcement Powers
- Shhh! The FBI's Listening To Your Keystrokes (CNET)
* HOW I'M ABLE TO DRESS SAYS A LOT ABOUT AMERICA (Dallas News)
* U.S. JEWS, ARABS IN VOTE FLIP-FLOP? (Post Gazette)
* TWO FAITHS FIND SOME SIMILARITIES (Journal News)
- Jews, Muslims Walk Toward Common Goal (Star Ledger)
* U.S. COMPANY PAYS $1.1 MILLION TO PAKISTANI WORKERS
* CATHEDRAL MAY SEE RETURN OF MUSLIMS (Guardian)
* GIS KILL 2 WORKERS OF U.S.-FUNDED IRAQ TV (AP)
* INDIA PARTY MEMBERS CHARGED OVER MUSLIM VIOLENCE (Reuters)
- Muslims Flee Homes in Riot-Scarred Gujarat (AFP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: ACTS OF KINDNESS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Acts of kindness
protect
one from ruin wrought by evil...The first of those who shall enter
Paradise
are the people who do acts of kindness."
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volum 3, Number 97B
-----
REASON #5 TO JOIN CAIR
Memberships to CAIR help support free publications like the "Know Your
Rights" pocket guides. Thousands of "Know Your Rights" guides have been
distributed to members of the community, informing them of their rights
as
employees, students, and airline passengers as well as empowering them
with
tools they need to contact the media and public officials.
In our new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member at
a
Time," CAIR intends (God Willing) to sign up 25,000 new members by its
10th
year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: 'THE ISLAMIC CONTAGION'
http://web.israelinsider.com/bin/en.jsp?enPage=ViewsPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=object&enDispWho=Article%5El3536&enZone=Views&enVersion=0&
"Whether or not we will be able to effectively combat the Islamic
Contagion
is uncertain. If a doctor sees the symptoms of infection but chooses to
ignore them, how can he treat the disease?...The truth is that Islam
has
cruelly held millions in bondage to destructive ways of thinking. It is
not
a good religion, as some say, but a deceptive, detrimental trap."
-----
THE COURT AND GUANT�NAMO
New York Times, 4/19/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/19/opinion/19MON1.html
The Supreme Court will hear a pair of cases tomorrow that will help set
the
ground rules for the war on terror. Detainees at Guant�namo, some of
whom
have been held for more than two years, are seeking an opportunity to
challenge their confinement. The Bush administration insists, however,
that
they can be imprisoned indefinitely. That position is legally and
morally
wrong, and rather than help America's defense, it makes the nation more
vulnerable. The Supreme Court should rule for the detainees.
More than 600 detainees are being held in the American military base at
Guant�namo Bay, Cuba. Most were captured in Afghanistan while American
troops were fighting the Taliban forces there. Their advocates say many
were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, or innocent men whom
bounty hunters handed over as terrorists in order to claim rewards. The
cases the court is hearing involve Kuwaiti, British and Australian
nationals whose families say they were not involved with Al Qaeda or
engaged in military action against the United States.
The detainees are seeking only the most basic elements of due process:
to
be informed of the charges against them, to meet with their families
and
lawyers, and to have a forum for contesting their imprisonment. They do
not
claim a right to have the American court systems review their cases. A
military tribunal would be sufficient.
The administration argues that as noncitizens being held outside the
United
States, the detainees have no right to be heard in federal court. But
the
law gives the courts jurisdiction over "all civil actions arising under
the
Constitution, laws, or treaties of the United States," which certainly
describes these cases. The federal habeas corpus statute also gives
anyone
held by the government, which the detainees certainly are, the right to
challenge their confinement. Even if the government's narrow view of
jurisdiction were right, it is irrelevant. Guant�namo, as the Navy
concedes
on its own Web site, "for all practical purposes, is American
territory..."
-----
MARINES REOPEN INVESTIGATION
MARINE FORCES RESERVE, New Orleans-Maj.Gen. John J. McCarthy,
Commanding
General, 4th Marine Division has reopened the investigation into the
photo
of LCpl Corporal Ted J. Boudreaux Jr., 24, 3rd Battalion 23rd Marine
Regiment, taken in Iraq. The investigation will focus on the
authenticity
of the photograph. We are retaining the assistance of the Naval
Criminal
Investigative Service (NCIS).
Marine Forces Reserve takes this matter very seriously and will conduct
a
thorough and complete investigation.
This photo is approximately 1 year old and was taken in Iraq when the
unit
deployed to that region during Operation Iraqi Freedom. LCpl. Boudreaux
maintains that the photo in question has been altered from the
original.
Marine Forces Reserve would ask that media respect this Marine and his
family's privacy.
Because this matter is ongoing we cannot comment further on the
investigation. When the investigation is complete we will provide
additional information.
The point of contact for future press releases is Capt Patrick Kerr,
(504)
678-0700.
SEE ALSO:
U.S. MUSLIMS SEEK PENTAGON PROBE ON IRAQ PHOTO
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=1058&page=NR
-----
PATRIOT ACT NEEDS WHOLESALE CHANGES TO BE LAWFUL
Iqbal Hossain, Salt Lake Tribune, 4/18/04
http://www.sltrib.com/2004/Apr/04182004/commenta/158075.asp
I came to the United States from a country where government safeguards
of
civil liberties are virtually nonexistent and government intrusion into
citizens' personal lives is commonplace. I moved to Salt Lake City from
Bangladesh 23 years ago to obtain my doctorate degree, but I ended up
making it my home for one reason: the American Constitution and its
Bill of
Rights.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, though, Americans have seen these liberties
eroded in
the name of fighting terrorism. The USA Patriot Act, an enormous
counter-terrorism bill passed in haste a mere eight weeks after the
attacks, had nestled in it several radical expansions of government
surveillance and investigative power, which have served to bolster
neither
safety nor freedom.
Utah's senior U.S. senator, Orrin Hatch, Republican chairman of the
Judiciary Committee, held a field hearing on the Patriot Act here this
past
week. I applaud Sen. Hatch and his colleagues for their willingness to
scrutinize the act and raise questions about the propriety of certain
provisions in the law, which went too far, too fast during the frantic
weeks after 9-11.
Hopefully, this congressional scrutiny will result in an overhaul of
the law.
The extraordinarily complicated act was agreed to in late October 2001
even
though many lawmakers had not read the final version. In the wee hours
of
the morning of Oct. 24, the House leadership replaced a compromise
version
of the bill, arrived at after long negotiation between Democrats and
Republicans on that chamber's judiciary committee, with a sweeping
piece of
legislation that weighed in at almost 350 pages. Lawmakers voted later
that
morning...
Now many regret the haste. Don Young, the powerful Republican
representative from Alaska, has said, "It was stupid . . . it was what
you
call 'emotional voting' because we didn't follow through, we didn't
study
it..."
ALSO SEE:
RESOURCE: THE PATRIOT ACT, OTHER POST-9/11 ENFORCEMENT POWERS AND
THE IMPACT ON CALIFORNIA'S MUSLIM COMMUNITIES
http://www.sen.ca.gov/sor/REPORTS/REPORTS_BY_SUBJ/GOVERNMENT/PATRIOT4-02.PDF
---
SHHH! THE FBI'S LISTENING TO YOUR KEYSTROKES
Declan McCullagh, CNETnews.com, 4/19/04
http://news.com.com/2010-1028_3-5193750.html
The FBI is trying to convince the government to mandate that providers
of
broadband, Internet telephony, and instant-messaging services build in
backdoors for easy wiretapping.
That would constitute a sweeping expansion of police surveillance
powers.
Instead of asking Congress to approve the request, the FBI (along with
the
Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration) are
pressing
the Federal Communications Commission to move forward with minimal
public
input.
The three agencies argue that the 1994 Communications Assistance for
Law
Enforcement Act (CALEA) permits the FCC to rewire the Internet to suit
the
eavesdropping establishment. The bureau's not talking, but it seems to
be
all about ease of eavesdropping.
"The importance and the urgency of this task cannot be overstated,"
their
proposal says. "The ability of federal, state and local law enforcement
to
carry out critical electronic surveillance is being compromised today."
Unfortunately for the three agencies, CALEA, as it's written, would not
grant the request.
When Congress was debating CALEA, then-FBI Director Louis Freeh
reassured
nervous senators that the law would be limited to telephone calls.
(CALEA
was intended to let police wiretap conversations flowing through
then-novel
services like cellular phones and three-way calling...)
-----
HOW I'M ABLE TO DRESS SAYS A LOT ABOUT AMERICA
Souheila Al-Jadda, Dallas News, 4/18/04
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/041804dnedialjadda.cb2c9.html
The Justice Department's recent defense of a Muslim student's right to
wear
the Islamic headscarf to a public school in Muskogee, Okla., comes as a
breath of fresh air for all Muslims in the United States.
The federal government filed a motion on behalf of sixth-grader Nashala
Hearn and her family, who sued the school district after Nashala was
suspended twice for refusing to remove her headscarf.
She was told that her headscarf violated a rule against hats and head
coverings inside school buildings. But the federal government's motion
argued that the school district's dress code amounted to religious
discrimination.
The hijab, or covering, is Islamic-mandated attire. The headscarf
concealing the hair is the part of the hijab most frequently focused
on.
More than a year ago, when I was considering wearing the hijab myself,
I
spoke to many Muslim women to understand their views on the issue. I
also
researched my religion by reading the Quran as well as the teachings of
the
Muslim Prophet Muhammad.
Being an American of Arab descent, I often feel caught between two
worlds,
struggling to blend into the American melting pot, while also
maintaining
my Arab and Islamic identity. At times, I want to be seen as
all-American,
minimizing my ethnic background...
-----
U.S. JEWS, ARABS IN VOTE FLIP-FLOP?
Ann McFeatters, Post-Gazette, 4/19/04
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04110/302859.stm
WASHINGTON -- In the 2000 presidential election, a majority of Jewish
voters pulled the Democratic lever, and a majority of Arab Americans
voted
Republican. In 2004, the opposite could occur.
In the Nov. 2 election, which most experts expect to be close, such a
seismic shift in voting patterns has political consultants for both
candidates biting their nails.
This year many Jewish voters are leaning toward re-electing President
Bush,
who just broke with 35 years of U.S. policies to endorse a plan for
Israel
to withdraw from Gaza but maintain disputed Jewish settlements in
territory
in the West Bank claimed by Palestinians. Bush also rejected the
Palestinians "right of return" to disputed territory where they lived
before 1949.
Meantime, a poll of Arab Americans shows they are disappointed with
Bush
and increasingly more interested in John F. Kerry.
Republicans see an opening to snare Jewish voters and are pursuing it
aggressively. In 2000, Bush got about 19 percent of the Jewish vote,
and
the Bush-Cheney campaign is determined to raise that significantly...
Relations between Kerry and Jewish voters have been strained for
several
reasons. Kerry seemed to many Jews in the United States to be taking an
anti-Israel position when he said that Israeli plans for a security
fence
that could keep Palestinians from their jobs were a "barrier to
peace.''
Speaking to Arab Americans in Dearborn, Mich., last October, Kerry said
Israel's security fence was "provocative and counterproductive..."
-----
TWO FAITHS FIND SOME SIMILARITIES
Khurram Saeed, Journal News, 4/18/04
http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/041804/b0118tolerance.html
NYACK - It was not a sight one would expect to see in church.
But yesterday, in the middle of Bradley Chapel at Grace Episcopal
Church,
Mostafa Gami, a Muslim, bent, kneeled and touched his forehead to the
ground while he praised God's glory aloud in Arabic.
It was an act of prayer, but it was also a demonstration to the nine
Christians in the chapel.
While Gami, a member of the Islamic Center of Rockland, performed the
Islamic ritual of worship, friend Ezz Hamza translated his words: "God
is
the most great. Praise be to God. Compassionate, merciful, master of
the
Day of Judgment. You alone we worship. Guide us to the straight path.
Glory
to our Lord, the Almighty."
The exercise was another in a long series across Rockland and the
nation
since Sept. 11 meant to bring Muslims and Christians closer together by
better understanding each other's beliefs.
Examining the Muslim prayer ritual was part of the morning activities
of
the daylong event, called "An Anglican Response to Islam:
Intersections,
Understandings and Possibilities." The Episcopal Diocese of New York,
which
has 66 churches in the northern suburbs, sponsored the forum.
Sixteen people attended the morning session, about half of whom were
Christians and half Muslims...
ALSO SEE:
JEWS, MUSLIMS WALK TOWARD COMMON GOAL
Irina Slutsky, Star-Ledger, 4/19/04
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-6/108235621678400.xml
Jews and Muslims joined yesterday morning to raise money for
homelessness
and to get to know each other in the process.
As the two-mile Walk for Humanity began on the Rutgers University
campus
and wound through downtown New Brunswick, the conversations between
Muslims
and Jews varied in subject, from religious to academic to a simple
exchange
of information of phone numbers and e-mail addresses.
"Take this opportunity to meet people you haven't met before,"
suggested
Ari Margolis, a student adviser from Rutgers Hillel. "Keep things
apolitical."
About 70 Jews and Muslims walked to raise money for Elijah's Promise, a
New
Brunswick organization that provides meals, job assistance and health
services for low-income residents of central New Jersey.
Organizers said the event was the first of its kind to mix students
from
the two religions...
-----
STOCKTON STEEL TO PAY $1.1 MILLION TO PAKISTANI-AMERICAN WORKERS, IN
HARASSMENT SETTLEMENT WITH EEOC, EEOC, 3/19/04
Muslim Employees Ridiculed While Engaging In Prayer Obligations, Suit
Says
San Francisco, California - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC) today announced the $1.11 million settlement of a
harassment lawsuit against Stockton Steel, a subsidiary of Herrick
Corporation. This resolves an EEOC lawsuit filed in federal court in
January 2000, charging that Pakistani-American employees were
repeatedly
harassed due to their national origin and Muslim religion, at Herrick's
steel plant in Stockton, California. The workers alleged harassment
that
included being ridiculed during their daily Muslim prayer obligations
and
derogatory name-calling such as "camel jockey" and "raghead".
Through an interpreter, former machine operator Abdul Rehman stated, "I
felt that we were humiliated and given the worst assignments simply
because
of where we were born and our religious beliefs. But we are Americans,
and
with the assistance of the EEOC, I have found that the American laws
[against discrimination] protect us too."
Under the terms of the consent decree signed today by U.S. District
Judge
Morrison C. England, Jr., Stockton Steel denies all charges but has
agreed
to resolve the lawsuit (EEOC v. The Herrick Corporation, d/b/a Stockton
Steel, CIV S 00-0102 MCE DAD). The company will pay monetary damages
totaling $1,110,000 to four former employees. The company has also
agreed
to make policy changes, conduct training to prevent future
discrimination,
and to implement a policy guaranteeing an employee's right to request
an
accommodation for religious needs.
EEOC Regional Attorney William R. Tamayo stated, "This is a fair
settlement
that allows the former employees to move on with their lives and
ensures
current and future employees a work environment free of harassment and
accommodating of sincere religious beliefs."
He noted, "Religion and national origin are two of the fastest growing
types of discrimination filed with EEOC nationwide. In 2002, charges
alleging religious bias increased 21% over the previous year, and
national
origin discrimination complaints increased by13%. We urge employers to
take
prompt and corrective action to prevent such discrimination."
EEOC District Director Susan McDuffie stated, "The EEOC is particularly
pleased with Stockton Steel's willingness to review their existing
policies
and to make improvements as needed. When employers institute training
programs and maintain clear anti-discrimination policies, everybody
wins."
To file a complaint, contact the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission at (202) 663-4900 and CAIR at 202-488-8787 ext. 6032.
CONTACT: William R. Tamayo, Regional Attorney, (415) 625-5645, cell
(415)
336-8805, Jonathan T. Peck, Supervisory Trial Attorney, (415) 625-5646
Linda Ordonio Dixon, Senior Trial Attorney, (415) 625-5654, cell
(707) 628-3797
-----
CATHEDRAL MAY SEE RETURN OF MUSLIMS
Ben Sills, Guardian, 4/18/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/spain/article/0,2763,1194686,00.html
Muslims across Spain are lobbying the Roman Catholic church in the
southern
city of Cordoba to make a symbolic gesture of reconciliation between
faiths
by allowing them to pray in the city's cathedral.
Cordoba's renaissance cathedral sits in the centre of an ancient mosque
complex, and local Muslims want to be allowed to pray there again. They
have appealed to the Vatican to intercede on their behalf.
Zakarias Maza, the director of the Taqwa mosque in neighbouring
Granada,
said yesterday: "We hope the Vatican will give a signal that it has a
vision of openness and dialogue.
"It would be good if there were a gesture of tolerance on their part.
"Cordoba has been a symbol of the union of three cultures for
centuries.
Even now, Jews and Muslims live together with Christians in the
neighbourhood around the mosque."
But he added: "The church council doesn't seem to be open to dialogue."
The Muslim community in the south of Spain is growing as a result of
immigration from north Africa, and due to Spaniards converting. Cordoba
now
has some 500 Muslims, too many for the city's existing mosque...
-----
GIS KILL 2 WORKERS OF U.S.-FUNDED IRAQ TV
Associated Press, 4/18/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3995361,00.html
BAGHDAD, Iraq - U.S. troops shot to death two employees of U.S.-funded
television station Al-Iraqiya on Monday and wounded a third in the
central
city of Samara, the station said.
Correspondent Asaad Kadhim and driver Hussein Saleh were killed.
Cameraman
Bassem Kamel was wounded ``after American forces opened fire on them
while
they were performing their duty,'' the station announced.
The station, which is funded by the Pentagon, interrupted its
broadcasts to
announce the deaths and showed photos of Kadhim. It then began airing
only
Koranic texts as a symbol of mourning.
The U.S. military had no immediate comment.
Thamir Ibrahim, an Al-Iraqiya editor, told The Associated Press he had
no
details on how the shooting occurred. But ``it was on the road leading
to
the city of Samara. Before they reached it, they were fired upon.''
They were taken to a Samara hospital, he said. ``We wanted to go (to
them)
now, but the road is closed, so we will go tomorrow.''
On March 18, U.S. troops shot dead correspondent Ali al-Khatib and
cameraman Ali Abdel-Aziz of the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya news station.
Al-Khatib and Abdel-Aziz were shot near a U.S. military checkpoint
while
covering the aftermath of a rocket attack on the Burj al-Hayat hotel in
Baghdad.
With the deaths of the two men, at least 24 Iraqi and foreign
journalists
and media workers have been killed during the Iraq war and its
aftermath,
according to the Committee to Protect Journalists Web site...
-----
INDIA PARTY MEMBERS CHARGED OVER MUSLIM VIOLENCE
Reuters, 4/19/04
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/DEL56353.htm
AHMEDABAD, India - Indian police on Monday charged 20 people, including
two
members of the ruling Hindu nationalist party and six policemen, with
involvement in the murder and rape of Muslims during riots two years
ago.
The charges, filed a day before the country begins voting in a
five-stage
general election, came as a second major indictment in just over a week
of
the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) role in the worst
Hindu-Muslim
riots in more than a decade.
The BJP is expected to win the election easily.
The 20 were charged in the western state of Gujarat in what has been
called
the Bilkis case, after Bilkis Yakub Rasool, a pregnant Muslim woman who
was
gang raped as she tried to flee a Hindu mob in early 2002.
Twelve of Rasool's relatives, including her three-year-old daughter,
were
burnt to death by the mob, A. A. Sheikh, counsel for the Central Bureau
of
Investigation, told Reuters...
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIMS FLEE HOMES IN INDIA'S RIOT-SCARRED GUJARAT AHEAD OF POLLS
Agence France Presse, 4/19/04
AHMEDABAD, India -Hundreds of Muslim families were Monday fleeing their
homes in Hindu neighbourhoods ahead of voting for national elections in
India's Gujarat state, where 2,000 people died in riots two years ago.
They headed for homes of relatives in Muslim localities or to take
shelter
in public places such as railway stations and mosques despite the heavy
deployment of security forces in the western state ahead of Tuesday's
polls...
Another Muslim woman, Noorbibi Mohammad Hanif Ghanchi, who does not
have
any other relatives in Ahmedabad, said she and her family had decided
to
stay in a railway station or a mosque for one or two days during the
poll
period.
"I am really scared of being here during the election. As it is, many
of
our names are not there on the voters' list. So we will not be voting
Tuesday," said Ghanchi.
India's national elections will be held on five dates in different
parts of
the country starting Tuesday. Gujarat is among the states where the
polls
will be conducted in the first round.
The state's ruling Hindu nationalist BJP party spokesman Jaynarayan
Vyas
said omission of some names from the voters' list was not intentional
but
due to human error...
-----
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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
Forwarded Message
Date:
Tue, 20 Apr 2004 15:43:02 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Michigan City May Approve Muslim Call to Prayer
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 4/20/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: DON'T HARM POWs
* CAIR-DC: THE PATRIOT ACT AND YOU
* BE PART OF CAIR, BECOME A MEMBER TODAY
- CAIR Public Library Update: 7401 Sponsorships
* MI SHOULD NOT SILENCE PART OF MUSLIMS' FAITH (Free Press)
- MI City May Approve Muslim Call to Prayer (Det News)
* TX: ISLAMIC CENTER RECEIVES E-MAIL THREAT (El Paso Times)
- El Paso Islamic Center Receives Threat (AP)
- Islamic Center Receives Hate E-Mail (KTSM)
* CORPS REOPENS INVESTIGATION INTO PHOTO (MC Times)
* CA: CAMPAIGN DISPELS STEREOTYPES (Daily Stanford)
* BRITAIN'S MUSLIMS FEAR 'ISLAMAPHOBIA'(MSNBC)
* AMERICA'S PRISONERS, AMERICAN RIGHTS (NY Times)
- Detainees Need High Court to Rescue Rights (Free Press)
- Supreme Court to Hear From Detainees (MSNBC)
* FL: JUDGE DROPS CASE AGAINST IMMIGRANT (Orlando Sentinel)
* MA: MOURNED R.I. COUPLE LED LIVES OF FAITH (Globe)
* JORDAN'S SNUB TO BUSH IS TIP OF ICEBERG (Reuters)
* IRAQI DEAD LIE UNNAMED IN FALLUJA'S GRAVES (Reuters)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: DON'T HARM POWs
A Muslim soldier at the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him)
told of an incident in which a military commander ordered that
prisoners of
war be killed. The soldier told the commander: "By God, I will not kill
my
prisoner, and none of my companions will kill his prisoner." When this
incident was related to the Prophet, he raised his hands and said: "O
God!
I disavow what (the commander) has done (in ordering the killing of
prisoners)." He repeated this twice.
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 5, Hadith 628
-----
CAIR-DC: THE PATRIOT ACT AND YOU
WHAT: The Muslim Student Association of George Washington University,
Amnesty International, George Washington University and other groups
are
hosting a discussion of the Patriot act and the impact it has on
student
life in American universities.
SPEAKERS:
Arsalan Iftikhar, Director of Legal Affairs, Council on
American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR)
Matt Bowles, National 9/11 Organizer, American Civil Liberties Union
(ACLU)
WHEN: Tuesday April 20, 2004, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: The George Washington University, Marvin Center Amphitheatre,
800
21st Street NW, Washington DC
-----
BE PART OF CAIR, BECOME A MEMBER TODAY
In our new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member at
a
Time," CAIR intends (God Willing) to sign up 25,000 new members by its
10th
year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7401 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
-----
MI: HAMTRAMCK SHOULD NOT SILENCE PART OF MUSLIMS' FAITH
Detroit Free Press, 4/20/04
http://www.freep.com/voices/editorials/ecall20_20040420.htm
As the area's premier community of immigrants, Hamtramck surely should
be
tolerant of different cultures. But in this city where church bells
regularly ring, some residents are up in arms over a request that the
city's five Muslim mosques be able to broadcast daily calls to prayer.
The City Council can cut through the din tonight and amend its noise
ordinance to let the calls be heard.
There should be no room for religious intolerance in this multicultural
city, where two-thirds of the public school students speak a language
other
than English at home. That's the beauty of the melting pot that America
is
supposed to be, and that Hamtramck has actually managed to become. But
like
residents who move to the exurbs or rural areas, then cry "no more
development," Hamtramck's denizens want to say "no more religions."
Ironically, many of them are crying religious freedom as they seek to
stop
the measure. They criticize the calls to prayer as proselytizing and
forcing the Muslim religion on Christians. First of all, the calls to
prayer will be in Arabic, so they will reach only those who speak the
language. And second, they are designed to remind followers that it is
time
to pray, not encourage those who do not believe in Allah to convert.
Church
bells don't turn Muslims or Jews into Christians; there's no reason to
think the Muslim call to prayer will undermine other faiths.
Arguments for preservation of the town's Eastern European culture, too,
ring hollow. The city has welcomed residents of other backgrounds,
perfectly satisfied to reap the benefits of an increased tax base and
rightly recognizing that America is not homogeneous. To say now Muslim
residents should keep their religion to themselves is ungracious at
best,
and more like discrimination.
Residents may have room to quibble over such things, but leaders need
to
see what's right. In this case, that would be changing the noise
ordinance
to allow Muslim calls to prayer.
SEE ALSO:
HAMTRAMCK MAY APPROVE MUSLIM PRAYER CALL
Ron French, Detroit News, 4/20/04
http://www.detnews.com/2004/religion/0404/20/b01-127888.htm
HAMTRAMCK - Along with pierogi and paczki, Hamtramck may soon be known
for
its Islamic calls to worship.
The City Council is expected today to pass a noise ordinance amendment
permitting mosques to issue the traditional call to prayer over loud
speakers.
It's another sign of change in this traditionally Polish community of
23,000, which has become a magnet for immigrants of all colors and
creeds
in recent years.
For decades, Hamtramck has been predominantly Polish. But in recent
years,
store signs in Polish have been joined by signs written in Bengali and
Arabic.
Now, the request by the Bangladeshi al-Islah mosque for permission to
air
the Arabic call to prayer via loudspeakers five times a day has
revealed
tensions among the groups.
"They can believe whatever they want to, but I'm against them pushing
their
content into my head like brainwashing," said Joanne Golen, 68, a
lifelong
Hamtramck resident. "There are seven mosques in the city, and I'll be
in
the middle of all of them…"
Though the calls to worship are in Arabic, Golen said she's offended by
words that praise Allah.
"He's not my true God," Golen said. "I can't stay locked in my house
with
cotton in my ears every time they do it…"
-----
ISLAMIC CENTER OF EL PASO RECEIVES THREAT VIA E-MAIL
Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times, 4/20/04
http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20040420-107941.shtml
The FBI is investigating an e-mail that threatened to destroy the
Islamic
Center of El Paso if hostages in Iraq are not released, center
officials
said Monday.
The threat is the first reported case of anti-Muslim backlash targeting
the
El Paso mosque since 1995.
"There was a little bit of a sense of insecurity (after the threat) but
we
think the El Paso community is a great community to live in," said
Mario
Omar Hernandez, vice president of the center.
The e-mail was sent Sunday under the name "freedom lover" and stated
that
if hostages held by Iraqi insurgents weren't freed within three days
the
"center will become the center of death and destruction. ... The will
of
the people has been portrayed to you and your Satan worshipping faith,"
according to a news release by the Council on American-Islamic
Relations.
The threat was discovered Monday morning by a secretary at the center.
Police increased patrols near the center, located just north of
Downtown,
officials said.
The threat is the latest in recent anti-Muslim incidents in Texas. An
arsonist was arrested earlier this month in San Antonio after a series
of
fires targeting Muslim-owned businesses. And in March, vandals scrawled
racist graffiti in a mosque in Lubbock.
"Islamophobic rhetoric is unfortunately on the rise in our society,
prompting a minority to act out their bigoted views through threats and
violence," Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, said in a news release...
ALSO SEE:
EL PASO ISLAMIC CENTER RECEIVES E-MAIL THREAT
Associated Press, 4/19/04
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2516911
EL PASO -- The FBI is investigating an e-mail sent to the El Paso
Islamic
Center that threatened to make it "the center of death and destruction"
if
hostages in Iraq weren't released.
The message was discovered on Sunday after it was sent to the center's
main
e-mail address from a person called "freedom lover." It said the threat
would be carried out in three days if hostages in Iraq were not freed.
The note also said, "The will of the people has been portrayed to you
and
your Satan worshipping faith."
"It was totally unexpected and caught us by surprise," said Yusuf
Shere,
the center's president. He said it was the first threat the center has
received since one sent in 1995 after the Alfred P. Murrah Federal
Building
was bombed in Oklahoma City.
Shere said the center reported the e-mail to the FBI and the El Paso
Police
Department, but members don't plan to change any routines or cancel
events.
That doesn't mean they aren't taking the threat seriously, however.
"I think we're just going to have to be more aware of our
surroundings,"
Shere said.
FBI spokesman Art Werge said the agency will try to track the sender
and is
looking for information from the community...
---
ISLAMIC CENTER RECEIVES HATE E-MAIL
Karla Navarette, KTSM, 4/19/04
http://www.ktsm.com/news/story.ssd?c=be95ae26a9d14417
"Initially, I was shocked," said Shelly Hernandez, secretary at the
Islamic
Center of El Paso. Monday morning as she arrived at the center on the
1600
block of Kansas, Shelly read the threatening email from "freedom
rider".
"It said our Islamic center will become the center of death and
destruction," she added.
Shelly's husband and Islamic Center vice-president Omar Hernandez said
this
type of hate mail is the first of its kind in nine years.
"The email said they wanted us to contact terrorist friends in Iraq and
tell them to release the hostages. We don't have any connections to
anyone
in Iraq," said Omar Hernandez.
The person(s) who wrote the email claimed if no progress was made, the
center here in El Paso and other Islamic centers in the country would
be
bombed within the next three days.
"The Islamic center immediately notified us about the email. It could
someone sitting behind a computer and not be anything. Then again, it
has
to be taken seriously and we are investigating," said FBI spokesman Art
Werge.
Shelly and Omar Hernandez want to reiterate that their religious
beliefs
have nothing to do with what is happening in Iraq. They want other
Americans to realize they are just as Americans as anyone else and also
want the war in Iraq to come to an end.
-----
CORPS REOPENS INVESTIGATION INTO CONTROVERSIAL PHOTO
Laura Bailey, Marine Corps Times, 4/19/04
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2837622.php
The Marine Corps is reopening its investigation into a controversial
photo
circulating on the Internet after the reservist pictured in the image
said
the photo was altered from its original state.
The image shows a smiling Marine Lance Cpl. Ted J. Boudreaux Jr.,
posing
with two Iraqi boys. All three have their thumbs up and, in the version
that spurred the initial Marine Corps investigation, one of the boys
holds
a cardboard sign that appears to read "Lcpl Boudreaux killed my Dad,
th[en]
he knocked up my sister!"
Reserve officials began an investigation into the circumstances of the
photo last month after seeing it on the Internet. Now, Naval Criminal
Investigative Service officials will be brought in to help determine
the
authenticity of the photo, Marine Forces Reserve officials said in a
press
release Monday.
The investigation was in its final review the week of April 11 when
Maj.
Gen. John J. McCarthy, commanding general of the 4th Marine Division,
reopened it to take a closer look into whether the photo is authentic,
said
Capt. Patrick Kerr, a Reserve spokesman in New Orleans.
At question is whether the digital image was manipulated so that the
statement on the cardboard sign was altered from the original photo.
The same version of the photo that spurred the Marine Forces Reserve
investigation was forwarded via e-mail April 2 to the Washington-based
Council on American-Islamic Relations. The council, which describes
itself
as America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, issued a press
release
calling for a Pentagon investigation into the photo.
The man pictured in the photo is Boudreaux, a reservist with
Headquarters
and Service Company, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines, Reserve officials
have
confirmed. The New Orleans-based infantry unit deployed to the Kut area
of
Iraq in May and returned home in mid-September...
-----
ISLAM AWARENESS CAMPAIGN DISPELS STEREOTYPES
Stephanie Condon, Daily Stanford, 4/20/04
http://daily.stanford.edu/tempo?page=content&id=13857&repository=0001_article
The Muslim Student Awareness Network (MSAN) launched its seven-week
Islam
awareness campaign "A Taste of Islam: Stamping Out Stereotypes" last
week,
to celebrate the diversity of the Muslim community as well as to dispel
negative stereotypes associated with the religion.
"We want to share who we are - we feel like we've spent so much time
saying
who we're not," said junior Mabrookah Heneidi, treasurer of MSAN and a
coordinator of the campaign. "We have so many rich cultures we just
want to
share it with people."
In coordination with Bechtel International Center and the Religious
Studies
program, MSAN is hosting a weekly dinner series that focuses on a
different
Muslim region of the world each week. The dinner features food from
that
particular Islamic region, as well as an informational display,
entertainment and a guest speaker who will address a specific theme.
The guest speakers at the dinners will address a variety of issues,
including Islam in the Media and Women in Islam....
-----
BRITAIN'S MUSLIMS FEAR 'ISLAMAPHOBIA'
Jennifer Carlile, MSNBC, 4/20/04
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4765845/
LONDON - Following afternoon prayers, Hasan Faruq took his daughter by
the
hand and led her across the green-carpeted interior of the East London
Mosque.
On the ground floor, a scattering of men remained prostrate, facing
Mecca.
Upstairs, women prayed.
Playing with 5-year-old Zainab in an adjacent room, Faruq, a secondary
school teacher of Bangladeshi decent, spoke of the importance of
providing
his children with excellent education, and cultural and religious
values.
"People are not given the true image of Islam. I want my daughter to
have a
good education, to have freedom, to go where she wants," he said.
British Muslims say that al-Qaida and other militant groups do not
speak
for their faith because violence is rejected in Islam. But, no matter
how
fiercely imams and community leaders condemn acts of terrorism, they
feel
that much of society now views all adherents of the religion as suicide
bombers in-waiting. "I personally feel really victimized," said Faruq,
30.
Recalling the recent kidnapping of a 17-year-old Muslim girl in Ilford,
northeast London, whose abductor carved a cross into her hand, the
father
of three young children said, "I often feel full of fear when walking
around with my kids..."
-----
AMERICA'S PRISONERS, AMERICAN RIGHTS
David Cole, New York Times, 4/20/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/20/opinion/20COLE.html
WASHINGTON - Today the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on
whether
the United States government can detain foreign nationals held at
Guant�namo Bay, Cuba, as "enemy combatants" without charge and without
hearings. Next week the court will hear arguments in similar cases
involving American citizens. Many consider the detention of citizens to
be
more dubious legally. But from a constitutional standpoint, citizenship
should not matter.
All three branches of government have treated citizenship as a central
issue. The Bush administration says that it can hold the foreign
detainees,
most of whom were captured on the battlefield in Afghanistan, without
any
legal limitations because they are noncitizens held outside American
borders. As such, it argues, they have no constitutional rights and no
standing in American courts to challenge their detentions.
Fifty years ago, the Supreme Court seemed to adopt a similar view when
it
upheld the indefinite detentions of a German woman and a Hungarian man
at
Ellis Island on the basis of secret evidence that they could neither
see
nor confront. Because they were foreigners who had not been admitted to
the
United States, the court said, whatever process Congress had provided
them
was due process. For its part, Congress in 1971 barred executive
detention
without explicit statutory authorization - but applied the prohibition
only
to citizens.
These suggestions that noncitizens have less right to be free than
citizens
are ill advised. Some provisions of the Constitution do explicitly
limit
their protections to United States citizens - the right to vote and the
right to run for Congress or president, for example. The Bill of
Rights,
however, does not distinguish between citizens and noncitizens. It
extends
its protections in universal language, to "persons," "people" or "the
accused." The framers considered these rights to be God-given natural
rights, and God didn't give them only to persons holding American
passports...
ALSO SEE:
DETAINEES NEED HIGH COURT TO RESCUE THEIR LEGAL RIGHTS
Andrew S. Doctoroff, Detroit Free Press, 4/20/04
http://www.freep.com/voices/columnists/edoct20_20040420.htm
Cases that will be argued today before the U.S. Supreme Court address
the
legality of the Bush administration's unprecedented policy of
indefinitely
detaining so-called enemy combatants.
Today's hearing raises a fundamental question: In times of war, should
our
judicial system suspend its responsibility to oversee decisions made by
the
executive branch?
Irrespective of the fact that the Bush administration's judgment and
credibility have been called into question in relation to the war in
Iraq,
the answer is no. Courts must vigilantly guard against governmental
abuse
of power.
It is Cicero who said that, in battle, the laws are silent.
This observation is conventional wisdom in many quarters, which may
explain
the absence of a feverish hue and cry over the government's indefinite
imprisonment at Guantanamo Bay of hundreds of foreigners captured by
the
American military in Afghanistan.
The detainees have never been charged with a crime. Nor have they been
provided with access to a court that would assess whether the Bush
administration's contention that they pose terrorist threats is
grounded in
reality...
---
SUPREME COURT TO HEAR FROM GUANTANAMO DETAINEES
Tom Curry, MSNBC, 4/19/04
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4779743/
WASHINGTON - The writ of habeas corpus allows U.S. citizens being held
in
jail to go before a judge to challenge their imprisonment. In a
historic
argument to be heard by the Supreme Court on Tuesday, detainees
captured in
Afghanistan and now imprisoned at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay
in
Cuba are asserting the same right to challenge their detention.
Lawyers for the detainees say they are being held in a case of mistaken
identity and should be granted habeas corpus so they can go before a
judge
who could order their release.
"The four Petitioners have never been enemy aliens or unlawful
combatants,"
according to the brief for Pakistani citizen Shafiq Rasul and three
other
detainees.
"The four Petitioners had no involvement, direct or indirect, in any
terrorist act, including the attacks of September 11, 2001. They
maintain …
that they are innocent of wrongdoing, and the United States has never
presented evidence to the contrary," said the brief.
The Guantanamo detainees, it said, "have been cast into a legal limbo,
held
… without charges, without recourse to any legal process, and with no
opportunity to establish their innocence."
The Supreme Court will not address the question of whether the
detainees
are al-Qaida or Taliban members.
Instead it will decide whether the writ of habeas corpus extends
outside
the borders of the United States to cover non-citizens such as Rasul
whom
the president has deemed "enemy combatants."
If the detainees win, it would be first time the Supreme Court has ever
permitted foreigners held outside the U.S. to use habeas corpus to
challenge military detention...
-----
JUDGE DROPS CASE AGAINST IMMIGRANT
Pedro Ruz Gutierrez, Orlando Sentinel, 4/20/04
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orl-asecdeport20042004apr20,1,4382809
Kussay "Gus" Al-Sabunchi can smile again after learning that the U.S.
government is no longer trying to deport him.
After a yearlong battle to expel the Iraqi-born Orange County resident,
a
U.S. immigration judge has dropped charges that the IBM engineer lied
on an
immigration form.
"There aren't enough words to show my appreciation," Al-Sabunchi, 39,
said
Monday after seeing the judge's order. "It's truly a fair country."
Al-Sabunchi, whose troubles began when he violated a court order by
sending
roses to his estranged wife in 1997, had gained support from national
civil-rights groups, members of congress and Arab-American advocacy
groups.
They had lobbied the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
in
recent months to dismiss the case, which they said was an example of an
unfair crackdown on Muslim immigrants after Sept. 11.
Juan Carlos Perez, Al-Sabunchi's immigration attorney, said his
client's
perseverance was rewarded because he "believes in the American system
of
justice..."
-----
MA: MOURNED R.I. COUPLE LED LIVES OF FAITH
John McElhenny and Nikoletta Banushi, Boston Globe, 4/19/04
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/04/19/mourned_ri_couple_led_lives_of_faith/
SHARON -- A prayer service was held yesterday for Mohamed Selim and
Zainab
Marbrouk, an East Providence, R.I., couple who were working to create
Rhode
Island's first Islamic school when they died in a car crash on
Interstate
495 not far from their beloved mosque in Sharon.
The Saturday afternoon crash left the couple's three children without
parents. The children, 15-year-old Karim, 9-year-old Amr, and
4-year-old
Kawathar, survived the accident with cuts and bruises. The children
were
wearing seat belts, but their parents were not, State Police said.
Investigators were trying to determine what caused the family's Ford
Expedition to swerve and flip, ejecting Selim, 34, and Marbrouk, 33.
State
Police reconstructed the one-car accident and were interviewing
witnesses,
said David Traub, spokesman for the Norfolk district attorney's office.
The crash occurred in a stretch of highway where workers had cut
grooves in
the pavement to help in repaving. Highway work zones are considered
dangerous areas in the construction and transportation industries, and
national data in recent years have shown work zone fatalities to be on
the
increase.
Selim and Marbrouk were American citizens of Egyptian descent. One
family
friend said a local cemetery delayed yesterday's burials by several
hours,
an affront to Moslem beliefs requiring burials to be done as quickly as
possible. The cemetery, Knollwood Memorial Park in Canton, initially
cited
a policy of not conducting burials on Sunday, but permitted the burials
later in the day, said the friend, Samer Gamee.
According to Moslem practices, the dead are washed but not preserved
with
chemicals so they must be buried as quickly as possible, said Gamee. He
said the delay in burial showed a lack of understanding of the Moslem
faith....
-----
JORDAN'S SNUB TO BUSH IS TIP OF ICEBERG
Jonathan Wright, Reuters, 4/20/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=4880249
CAIRO, Egypt - When the king of Jordan postponed this week's meeting
with
President Bush, the snub revealed only a fraction of the humiliation
felt
by Washington's Arab friends.
Constrained by protocol and unwilling to burn bridges with the most
powerful country in the world, Arab leaders like King Abdullah can only
hint at the dismay they felt when Bush changed U.S. policy last week,
diplomats and analysts say.
The blow was particularly hard for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak,
who
met Bush on April 12 and was still in the United States two days later
when
Bush gave two key and sensitive concessions to visiting Israeli Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon.
"They are very much upset. Bush is striking at the hearts of their
people
and this makes King Abdullah and Mubarak really angry," said an Arab
ambassador, who asked not to be identified.
"They are embarrassed and humiliated in front of their own people. Bush
is
playing with fire," said another Arab diplomat...
-----
IRAQI DEAD LIE UNNAMED IN FALLUJA'S SANDY GRAVES
Yasser Faisal, Reuters, 4/20/04
FALLUJA, Iraq - Many of the graves in Falluja's newest cemetery are
still
unnamed.
"Unknown, died in al-Khadra mosque," reads an inscription scrawled in
paint
on a stone atop a sandy mound marking one grave. "Three children" says
another. "Martyr Abu Abdallah, mutilated by the Americans," reads a
third.
The cemetery used to be a sports ground, but was hastily converted as
the
death toll from fighting between U.S. Marines and Sunni Muslim
insurgents
in the town west of Baghdad swelled into the hundreds.
As relatives wept by the sandy graves Tuesday, bird song replaced
gunfire
in Falluja. An agreement between town leaders and U.S.-led coalition
forces
has raised hopes a lasting truce is possible. But only if insurgents
hand
in their heavy weapons.
Iraqi police have returned to Falluja, where they will mount joint
patrols
with U.S. forces to try and restore law and order to a town that has
seen
little but chaos since the Marines launched Operation Iron Resolve on
April 5.
"Thank God the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps and police have returned to
keep
the city in order," said Lt. Col. Suleiman Hamid. "As ICDC we have
always
been on the side of the townspeople, helping them. We work in the
service
of the people of Falluja. Hopefully now we will hold the city."
At a small U.S. camp in the desert outside Falluja, policemen and
members
of the ICDC lined up to return to work. Many were out of uniform. All
were
frisked by the Marines and warned by their own superiors.
-----
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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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Wed, 21 Apr 2004 16:03:39 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Vandals Scrawl Swastikas at NJ Mosque Site
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
VANDALS SCRAWL SWASTIKAS AT NEW JERSEY MOSQUE SITE
Islamic center under construction targeted for seventh time
(TOTOWA, NJ, 4/21/04) - The New Jersey office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NJ) today called on local and national
law
enforcement authorities to investigate the latest vandalism at a mosque
construction site in that state as a possible hate crime.
CAIR-NJ said vandals drew swastikas over the weekend on the Islamic
Center
of Ocean County under construction in Toms River, N.J. They also
punched
holes in the newly-erected walls of the mosque and left obscene and
racist
graffiti such as "hail Hitler." In addition, the perpetrators damaged
the
frame of the building and broke windows on a trailer at the site.
Mosque officials told CAIR-NJ that six previous attacks on the mosque
have
included uprooting plumbing, setting fire to the mosque sign and
trailer,
breaking windows, and tearing down walls. Damage from all of these
incidents combined is estimated at $10,000 to 15,000. Local police have
promised to consider installing surveillance cameras at the site and
increase patrols.
"We all suffer when any house of worship is desecrated," said CAIR-NJ
Executive Director Faiza Ali. "This vandalism seems to be part of an
alarming increase in Islamophobic acts nationwide."
Ali cited other examples of anti-Muslim incidents that took place
recently
in Texas, such as an e-mailed threat against the Islamic Center of El
Paso,
arson attacks on Muslim businesses in San Antonio and racist graffiti
scrawled on the interior of a Lubbock mosque.
Last week, CAIR announced a new campaign designed to counter
anti-Muslim
hate on radio talk shows. The campaign, called "Hate Hurts America," is
based on the premise that the increasing attacks on Islam by
conservative
talk show hosts harms the United States by creating a downward spiral
of
interfaith mistrust and hostility.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-NJ, Faiza Ali, 908-868-4885, 908-964-0657, E-Mail:
fail@cair-nj.org; Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Wed, 21 Apr 2004 17:35:03 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Scholar Says Subjugation of Women Not Quranic
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 4/21/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THE BEST AMONG YOU
- Subjugation of Women Not Quranic, Scholar Says (WT)
* REASON #6 TO JOIN CAIR - BOTH 911 AND 411
* CAIR-CAN MEETS WITH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
* U.S. MUSLIMS SHOW RESPONSIBLE CITIZENSHIP (Observer Disp)
- Arab-Americans Hold Politicians' Attention (NNS)
* POLITICS AND THE PATRIOT ACT (NY Times)
* WHY THEY HATE US, REALLY (NY Times)
- Bush Ditches Established Mideast Policy (Wash Times)
- Bush Outsources Mideast Policy (Antiwar.Com)
* MICH. CITY OKS ISLAMIC CALLS TO PRAYER (AP)
- Call to Prayer Stirs Tension (Chicago Trib)
- City Gives Tentative Ok for Calls (Free Press)
* WV: PROPOSED MOSQUE GARNERS PROTESTS (Herald Dispatch)
* KY: VISITING MUSLIMS PRAISE ALI (Courier Journal)
- NC: Christians and Muslims Learn at Dinner (Journal)
* IL: MUSLIM STUDENT WANTS DAY IN COURT (Daily Herald)
* NY: THOUSANDS EXPECTED AT FUNERAL FOR FIRE VICTIMS (Newsday)
* JUSTICES QUESTION LAWYER ON GUANTANAMO CASE (Reuters)
- Excerpts from Supreme Court Arguments (NY Times)
* IRAQ VICTIM WAS TOP-SECRET APARTHEID KILLER (Sunday Times)
* ID: DEFENSE TAKES AIM AT RECORDS IN AL-HUSSAYEN CASE (AP)
* ISRAEL'S WHISTLE-BLOWER UNDER A NUCLEAR CLOUD (Wash Post)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THE BEST AMONG YOU
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The best among you are
those who treat their wives in the best manner."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 217
Narrated Aisha - "(The Prophet Muhammad) never beat anyone with his
hand,
neither a woman nor a servant."
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1082
SEE ALSO:
SUBJUGATION OF WOMEN IS NOT QURANIC, SCHOLAR SAYS
Shelley Widhalm, Washington Times, 4/21/04
http://www.washingtontimes.com/culture/20040420-104554-8283r.htm
To westernize the Middle East while abandoning Islam will only cause
suspicion among Muslims, and do little to bring about political and
social
change, one Islamic scholar says. "Many of the social and cultural
practices of Muslim societies have little or nothing to do with Islam,
specifically as embodied in the teachings of the Koran," Asma Barlas
said
in a lecture last month at the Library of Congress.
The teachings of the Koran support egalitarianism, not patriarchy in
any
form, though the Koran recognizes patriarchy's historical existence,
said
Ms. Barlas, 54, associate professor and chairwoman of the department of
politics at New York's Ithaca College.
The West should engage Islam on Islam's own terms and not attempt to
secularize Islam "or make it over in the Western image of a completely
privatized religion," said Ms. Barlas in her March 26 lecture,
"Globalizing
Equality: Muslim Women, Theology and Feminism…"
Muslim women are not a homogeneous group and are not any more
subjugated
and oppressed than non-Muslim women, said Hibba Abugideiri, assistant
professor of history and international affairs at George Washington
University.
"Women all over the world, including the West, are relatively less
privileged than men in terms of their status, access to resources ...
and
even in their legal rights," she said. "No, the Koran does not
subjugate
Muslim women. If it did, would so many women, some of whom converted of
their own volition, continue to practice what would amount to be a
misogynist revelation? This is simply illogical and belittles the
intelligence of half the 1.2 billion Muslim believers in the world…"
SEND COMMENTS TO: letters@washingtontimes.com
COPY TO: cair@cair-net.org
-----
REASON #6 TO JOIN CAIR
CAIR is the 911 and 411 of the Islamic community in the U.S. and Canada
and
for people of other faiths seeking information about Muslims and Islam.
In our new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member at
a
Time," CAIR intends (God Willing) to sign up 25,000 new members by its
10th
year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR-CAN MEETS WITH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Groups ask for a "full and thorough" review of existing security
legislation
(OTTAWA, CANADA -4/21/2004) - In a meeting yesterday night with Anne
McLellan, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, a
number of
prominent national organizations asked for a "full and thorough" review
of
existing security legislation to ensure that the legislation conforms
to
Canada's democratic values and the rule of law.
The meeting, a roundtable discussion attended by representatives from
faith, ethnic and community groups, was attended by Riad Saloojee,
Executive Director of the Canadian Council on American-Islamic
Relations
(CAIR-CAN), Audrey Jamal, Executive Director of the Canadian Arab
Federation (CAF), Janet Dench, Executive Director of the Canadian
Council
for Refugees (CCR) and Adam Esse, President of the Coalition of Muslim
Organizations (COMO).
The groups asked for the following:
* That the three-year review of Canada's anti-terrorism legislation
required by the law be full and thorough, with an emphasis on the "soft
use" of the legislation by the security establishment. "Soft use"
includes
the tactics and techniques used in visitations in the Canadian Muslim
and
Arab communities.
* A full and thorough review of the process of issuing security
certificates, which the groups argued violates fair trial standards in
addition to Canada's international human rights obligations.
* That the Minister wait for the recommendations of the Maher Arar
public
inquiry before passing C-7, the Public Safety Act.
* That the government create an independent and accountable complaints
mechanism to oversee the Canada Border Services Agency, and
particularly
its activities of immigration enforcement.
In a joint statement issued today, CAIR-CAN, CAF, CCR and COMO stated:
"Our organizations welcome the opportunity to be part of a consultative
process that aims to ensure the safety and security of Canada. Canada
is
our home and we all have a moral duty to ensure that it is safe from
all
forms of hate, violence and extremism.
"We believe that there should be no contradiction between security and
the
fundamental values that we share as Canadians. To make us truly safer
and
more secure, security initiatives must respect the values of humanity,
transparency, accountability, natural justice and the rule of law...
-END-
Contact: CAIR-CAN: Naeem Saloojee at 613-254-9704; CAF: Rula Sharkawi
at
416-493-8635 Ext 22, CCR: Janet Dench at 514-277-7223
-----
MUSLIM-AMERICANS SHOW RESPONSIBLE CITIZENSHIP
Observer Dispatch, 4/17/04
http://www.uticaod.com/archive/2004/04/17/opinion/30247.html
No-shows at the ballot box might take a lesson from Muslim-Americans,
who
are stepping up efforts to assume an active role in the nation's
political
process.
The American Muslim Taskforce on Civil Rights and Elections believes
that
this year's presidential race will be close, and even though its
numbers
are small, activists say voters could have an impact in November. To
that
end, the Associated Press reported Monday that the group aims to
register
one million Muslims to vote and will educate them about the
presidential
candidates' positions.
"We believe this election will be a very tight one and small
communities
can play a major role, particularly in battleground states such as
Michigan, Ohio and Florida, where a majority of Muslims live," Omar
Ahmad,
national chairman of the Council on American Islamic Relations, said at
a
news conference on Saturday.
The group hasn't decided which candidate to support, but task force
chairman Agha Saeed said it would weigh the candidates' positions on
civil
rights issues, the economy, crime prevention and education.
"We are going to hold town hall meetings all over the United States for
the
community and for the candidates to engage in a dialogue where we bring
ourselves up to speed on these issues and create common cause with
fellow
Americans," Saeed said.
That's responsible citizenship. Whether it be a large group or simply
an
individual, it is incumbent upon all Americans to become familiar with
political candidates - presidential or otherwise - and their positions
on
the critical issues affecting our lives...
ALSO SEE:
ARAB-AMERICANS HOLD POLITICIANS' ATTENTION
John Hassell, Newhouse News Service, 4/20/04
http://www.newhousenews.com/archive/hassell042004.html
Not so long ago, Awni Abu-Hadba felt invisible. The Palestine-born
jeweler,
who moved to Paterson, N.J., as a young man in 1971, remembers asking
the
city's mayor for a favor. He will never forget the mayor's response:
"Your
community doesn't vote, so why should I help?"
Today Abu-Hadba is deputy mayor of Paterson, a post he gained two years
ago
after the local Arab-American community organized to support a city
councilman named Jose Torres for mayor. "When Torres won, he wanted to
pay
tribute to the people who helped get him elected," Abu-Hadba says. "So
here
I am."
The political evolution of Arab-Americans in Paterson reflects the
growing
maturity, and potency, of the community nationwide as
voter-registration
drives and campaign contributions from affluent Arab-Americans
transform a
demographic that was once overlooked -- if not shunned.
Nationwide, Arab-Americans number just 1.2 million, according to the
2000
Census. But because of a concentration in battleground states from the
South to the industrial Midwest, Arab-Americans are likely to wield
more
clout in this year's presidential contest than their raw numbers
suggest,
political analysts say.
Interest in this year's contest between President Bush and Sen. John
Kerry
is especially acute among Arab-Americans because of fallout from the
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 -- including the war in Iraq and the passage
of
the USA Patriot Act, which many say has infringed on their civil
liberties.
The continuing spiral of violence between Israelis and Palestinians
also
rankles many Arab-Americans.
-----
POLITICS AND THE PATRIOT ACT
New York Times, 4/21/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/21/opinion/21WED1.html
President Bush campaigned in Buffalo yesterday, wrapping himself in the
Patriot Act and urging Congress to extend parts of the law that do not
expire until the end of next year. The Patriot Act has always been a
tempting bit of election-year politics, an easy way to seem tough on
terrorism. But it also is bad law, and the president should be heeding
calls from conservatives and liberals to remove provisions that trample
on
civil liberties.
The Patriot Act sailed through Congress just weeks after the Sept. 11
attacks, in a climate, and bearing a name, that made it difficult to
raise
questions. Instead of conducting a serious investigation of the law
enforcement flaws that made the nation vulnerable, its drafters came up
with a rushed checklist of increased police powers, many of dubious
value
in fighting terrorism.
Among the most troubling provisions is Section 215, which allows the
F.B.I.
to order libraries, hospitals and others with personal records to hand
over
such information about individuals. People like librarians can be
jailed if
they refuse, or if they notify the targets. Another authorizes "sneak
and
peek" searches, in which the government can secretly search people's
homes
and delay telling them about the intrusions. As troubling as specific
provisions like these is the "mission creep" that has inevitably
occurred.
Mr. Bush's own Justice Department told Congress last fall that the
act's
loosened restrictions on government surveillance were regularly being
used
in nonterrorism cases, like drug trafficking and white-collar crime.
Mr. Bush went to Buffalo because it was the site of the prosecution of
six
Yemeni-Americans who admitted briefly attending Al Qaeda training camps
in
Afghanistan. The administration argues that prosecutions like these
would
not be possible without the act's new rules allowing F.B.I. agents to
share
criminal and foreign-intelligence information. But the obstacle to this
sort of sharing - the infamous "wall," much discussed in the recent
9/11
hearings - had its roots in the F.B.I.'s bureaucracy and internal
culture,
far more than the law...
-----
WHY THEY HATE US, REALLY
Walter Russell Mead, New York Times, 4/21/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/21/opinion/21MEAD.html
For the last five weeks I have been traveling through the Middle East,
meeting diplomats, officials, policy experts, military leaders,
students
and ordinary citizens. I learned something very important: the greatest
single cause of anti-Americanism in the Middle East today is not the
war in
Iraq; more surprisingly, it is not even American support for Israel,
per
se. Rather, it is a widespread belief that the United States simply
does
not care about the rights or needs of the Palestinian people.
"The Palestinian issue is really what discredits the United States
throughout the region," a senior Western diplomat with years of
experience
in the Middle East told me. Or, as one student after another put it
after
the university lectures I conducted across the region: "Why do
Americans
have to be so biased?"
In Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and other countries, the large
majority
of people I spoke with are ready to tolerate the Jewish state - most
even
understand that the final boundaries of Israel will include some of the
heavily settled areas beyond the pre-1967 borders. They also understand
that few if any Palestinians will return to the homes they lost after
the
war that erupted when Israel declared its independence in 1948. And
they
are prepared to accept, though not to relish, America's close relations
with Israel. Beyond that, they want increased American support for
their
domestic political reforms and for initiatives to enhance regional
cooperation for economic growth and fighting terrorism.
But one thing sticks in their craw: Why doesn't America care more about
the
Palestinians' future?
They have a point. America's Middle East policy is unnecessarily
zero-sum.
We can be more pro-Palestinian without being less pro-Israeli. Indeed,
to
the degree that American policies help create support for compromise
among
Palestinians, pro-Palestinian initiatives can help Israel too...
ALSO SEE:
BUSH DITCHES ESTABLISHED MIDEAST POLICY
Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times, 4/20/04
http://www.washingtontimes.com/commentary/20040420-084523-5946r.htm
After nine Sharon-Bush tete-a-tetes in three years, it has become the
hootchy-kootchy show of the now chimeric Middle East peace process.
This time, the tough-talking, wily Israeli prime minister managed to
black
out what little bit of sunlight still existed between the U.S.
president
and the Israeli prime minister. He talked George W. Bush into ditching
long-established U.S. policy positions based on U.N. resolutions.
Israeli settlement activities in occupied territories were long deemed
illegal under international law. No longer. And Mr. Bush's latest
decision
has made it that much harder for European and Arab governments to back
the
United States in the Middle East. That means Iraq, too, where the new
Spanish government decided to pull out its 1,000-strong contingent
without
waiting for a U.N. decision on accepting responsibility.
What Mr. Bush endorsed as Mr. Sharon's "historic and courageous"
decision
was seen as further erosion of the Bush administration's credibility in
the
rest of the world.
The wear and tear began immediately after September 11, 2001, when Mr.
Sharon convinced Mr. Bush his war on Palestinian terrorist groups was
the
same as America's war on al Qaeda's transnational terrorism. It wasn't
then, but quickly became so after the U.S. occupation of Iraq, when
jihadi
(holy warrior) volunteers flocked to Saddam's former satrapy like bees
to
honey to take on the Judeo-Christian crusaders...
---
BUSH OUTSOURCES MIDEAST POLICY
Patrick J. Buchanan, Antiwar.com, 4/20/04
http://www.antiwar.com/pat/?articleid=2350
"Speaking of the Palestinians, they were dealt a lethal blow," exulted
a
jubilant Ariel Sharon, "It will bring their dreams to an end."
Sharon was bragging about his trip to Washington where he bullied Bush
into
selling out the Palestinians as thoroughly as Neville Chamberlain sold
out
the Czechs at Munich.
"Sharon Got It All" blared a banner headline in Israel. Indeed, he did.
And Raging Bull celebrated his diplomatic victory by ordering up a
Saturday
night hit on Abdel Rantisi, the Hamas leader who replaced Sheik Yassin,
whom Sharon had assassinated by Apache gunship in March as the crippled
sheik was being wheeled out of a mosque after dawn prayers.
As he surely intended, Sharon left the Arab world with the clear
impression
that the Americans had given a green light to his "extrajudicial"
killings.
Sharon seeks to make his war on the Palestinians America's war. If Bush
lets him succeed, we are finished in the Middle East.
But how did Sharon, under a cloud of scandal and corruption, at the end
of
his tether, badger Bush into abdicating our role as "honest broker" of
Mideast peace, and into signing on to a "Sharon Plan" even a
Palestinian
quisling would reject?
According to the New York Times, Sharon threatened not to come to
Washington unless Bush, in advance and in writing, agreed to
capitulate.
"In a moment of diplomatic brinkmanship," writes James Bennet, Sharon
threatened to cancel his trip if Bush refused to give him "the
guarantees
he wanted in exchange for his plan to withdraw settlers from the Gaza
Strip."
Still, one must marvel at Sharon's savvy in sizing up Bush, and at the
man's chutzpah. Look at what he got for giving up less than nothing.
Gaza was captured from Egypt in 1967. Though almost all Israelis wish
to be
rid of it, 7,500 Jewish squatters have moved into the enclave that is
home
to 1.2 million Palestinians. Israelis now occupy 20 percent of Gaza,
though
they are but one-half of 1 percent of the population...
-----
MICH. CITY OKS ISLAMIC CALLS TO PRAYER
Associated Press, 4/21/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-4001758,00.html
HAMTRAMCK, Mich - The City Council gave preliminary approval Tuesday
night
to a mosque's plans to send out a call to prayer to Muslims on a
loudspeaker.
The Bangladeshi al-Islah mosque wants to air the Arabic call to prayer
via
loudspeakers five times a day, but agreed Tuesday not to air the calls
before 6 a.m. or after 10 p.m.
The council indicated it would give the plan final approval next week.
Some Muslims say the call is the equivalent of church bells. Opponents
argued that church bells have no religious significance and that
allowing
the Arabic call, which lasts less than two minutes, unfairly elevates
Islam
above other religions.
ALSO SEE:
ISLAMIC CALL TO PRAYER STIRS TENSION
Tim Jones, Chicago Tribune, 4/20/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0404210290apr21,1,1527966.story
HAMTRAMCK, Mich. - A festering controversy over a plan to allow mosques
to
publicly broadcast their call to prayer over loudspeakers erupted into
an
ugly confrontation Tuesday evening in this old Polish enclave
surrounded by
Detroit.
About 80 people--Muslims and Christians--jammed the second floor
chambers
of the Hamtramck City Council to air their differences over a proposal
that
would amend the city's noise ordinance and clear the way for the
amplified
Arabic chant five times a day.
The hearing promptly degenerated into noisy arguments over religious
preferences.
"I object to the content of the Arabic call to prayer. . . . It says
Allah
is the only God," said Bob Golen, of Hamtramck, whose remarks were
greeted
with applause and amens. "A U.S. citizen should not be subjected to the
tenets of someone else's religion."
Abdul Alguzali, a Hamtramck businessman, said he and other Muslims "are
citizens of this country, too." When Alguzali recited the call to
prayer in
Arabic, some in the crowd shouted "talk American" and "speak English."
At several times during the contentious hearing, Council President
Karen
Majewski called for civility. "We have the eyes of the nation upon us,
and
I hope we act appropriately," Majewski pleaded.
The Council voted 5-0 to hold a third and final reading of the
ordinance
next week. It would take effect 20 days after the approved measure is
published.
Majewski said there is nothing preventing the call to prayer now. "What
this does is allow us to regulate it in 30 days," she said...
---
CITY GIVES TENTATIVE OK FOR MUSLIM PRAYER CALLS
Cecil Angel, Detroit Free Press, 4/21/04
http://www.freep.com/news/locway/pray21_20040421.htm
The Hamtramck City Council gave initial approval Tuesday night to
allowing
mosques in the city to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer over
loudspeakers.
The issue, which has divided many of the city's Muslim and Christian
residents, has attracted national attention and has evolved from a
debate
about a noise ordinance to one about religious freedom and tolerance.
Tuesday's meeting became contentious as many residents of the
2.1-square-mile city said the call to prayer would add to noise
pollution.
Others said they didn't want Islamic beliefs imposed on them. The
prayer,
which is in Arabic, occurs five times a day from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m.
Supporters said the issue is religious freedom and an Islamic
tradition.
They cited the city's church bells, which ring at least every hour, as
comparable.
In the end, the vote on the five-member council was unanimous...
-----
PROPOSED MOSQUE GARNERS PROTESTS
Bryan Chambers, Herald-Dispatch, 4/21/04
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/2004/April/21/LNtop2.htm
HUNTINGTON -- A group of Huntington residents have asked that the
city's
Board of Zoning Appeals overturn a decision to allow the Huntington
Muslim
Association to build a mosque in their neighborhood.
The Planning Commission earlier this month voted 5-1 in favor of
granting a
special permit to the Muslim Association so it can build a mosque in a
residential zone. The Muslim Association wants to build the mosque in a
vacant, wooded area off of Bethel Road in Huntington's Beverly Hills
neighborhood. An access road would be built from Bethel Road, a
dead-end
street with five homes, to the mosque.
Bethel Road residents and some of their neighbors on Norway Avenue say
they
fear the mosque would ruin the residential atmosphere and increase
traffic
on the narrow roads. One resident also says the property on which the
mosque would be built is an abandoned cemetery and should not be
disturbed.
"Our opposition to this has absolutely nothing to do with religion or
the
mosque itself," said Roy Childers, a Bethel Road resident who was one
of 34
people to sign a petition opposing the mosque. "We just think it's an
awful
lot of traffic to put on these narrow streets."
Dr. Mohamed Sadek, a member of the Muslim Association who spearheads
the
group's construction committee, said the association has a house in the
1600 block of 13th Avenue that it uses for prayer sermons. The
association,
however, is selling the house to Cabell Huntington Hospital so it can
build
the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The vacant property off of Bethel Road is attractive to the Muslim
Association because it is just minutes away from Marshall University
and
Cabell Huntington Hospital, where most of the association's members
work,
Sadek said.
The mosque would result in very little traffic flow on Bethel Road
because
the Muslim Association only consists of 10 families, Sadek said. The
mosque
would primarily be used for midday sermons on Fridays when most
residents
are at work or school, he said.
-----
VISITING MUSLIMS PRAISE ALI
Peter Smith, Courier Journal, 4/12/04
http://www.courier-journal.com/localnews/2004/04/21ky/A1-ali0421-8253.html
A roundtable discussion on fighting religious stereotypes, sponsored by
the
Muhammad Ali Center, was held in a University of Louisville television
studio yesterday. Some Muslim scholars from abroad were among the
participants. Ali also attended the event. The discussion was
videotaped
for distribution to schools and youth groups.
Growing up in Iran in the 1970s, Omid Safi knew of only one Muslim
outside
of his native country: Muhammad Ali.
Safi, along with other Muslim scholars from Asia and the United States,
met
the former heavyweight boxing champion in person yesterday in Ali's
native
Louisville.
Ali, they said, set a lasting example.
"You became famous because of boxing, but you became our role model
because
you are a great human being," Safi said at a videotaped roundtable
discussion aimed at fighting religious stereotypes. The forum was
sponsored
by the Muhammad Ali Center at a University of Louisville television
studio.
Safi, now living in the United States and an advocate for a
"progressive
Islam" that fosters democracy and women's rights - said Ali's refusal
to
fight in the Vietnam War inspired him. Ali set a powerful "Muslim
example"
by "standing up to political power when it is unjust," Safi said.
Safi's was just one of several tributes paid to Ali by visiting Muslims
during the forum, which focused on ways to prevent religious
stereotyping
and violence.
And Ali himself made a plea for tolerance...
ALSO SEE:
NEW INSIGHT
Michael Hastings, Journal Now, 4/20/04
http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031774983361&path=!living&s=1037645509005
RURAL HALL - Like many Americans, members of Kingswood United Methodist
Church became curious about Islam after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks
and
the beginning of the war in Iraq.
Unlike a lot of others, Kings-wood members did something about it.
Since February, about 25 members have attended five sessions of
videotaped
lectures as well as discussions with Reda Badeir, an Egyptian Muslim
who is
a visiting professor at Wake Forest University.
Still, church members wanted to know more.
What better way, they thought, than to have some Muslims over for
dinner?
Last week they organized a covered-dish supper with the help of Sam
Atassi,
the president of the Muslim Association of the Triad, who brought along
fellow members of the local Muslim community.
The dinner mixed Christian and Muslim religions as well as American and
Arab cuisines, and it included people from such diverse places as Iran,
Tunisia and Pakistan.
"We think we can eliminate some barriers and build some bridges, not
just
by learning about Islam but by becoming involved with Muslims in the
community," said Jerry McLeese, who coordinated the Understanding Islam
course at Kingswood...
-----
EXPELLED STUDENT WANTS DAY IN COURT
Catherine Edman, Daily Herald, 4/20/04
http://www.dailyherald.com/search/main_story.asp?intid=380972
The Glenbard North High School student expelled this spring for
cheating
wants a judge to review the evidence and overturn the decision.
Ibrahim Ahmed filed a legal request in DuPage County circuit court
asking
that a judge examine the case presented against him and then overturn
the
school board's one-year expulsion.
"From what I understand, there was no direct evidence he did it," said
Steven Glink, the Bloomingdale student's new attorney. "Another student
was
the witness against him, and that student's credibility was
questionable."
Ahmed, 18, was implicated in two separate incidents involving
accusations
of cheating. First, officials at the Carol Stream school said he stole
an
advanced-placement calculus test and then distributed it to students.
Second, school officials said Ahmed accessed a teacher's computer and
altered several students' grades.
Ahmed and his parents have vigorously maintained his innocence, saying
he
had no motivation to commit the infractions as he wasn't enrolled in
either
class...
-----
NY: THOUSANDS EXPECTED AT FUNERAL FOR FIRE VICTIMS
Luis Perez, Newsday, 4/21/04
http://www.newsday.com/mynews/ny-nyfune213767286apr21,0,2270556.story
Thousands of mourners are expected this week at a funeral for four
members
of a West African family killed in Saturday's arson in Brooklyn.
Services for Kadiatou Bah, 41, her 18-month-old daughter, Hadja Diallo,
and
two cousins, Mamadou E. Diallo, 30, and Issiaga Diallo, 50, will be at
1
p.m. Friday at the New York Islamic Center, 1711 Third Ave. at East
96th
Street.
All were found dead near the doorway of their third-floor apartment at
922
New York Ave. in East Flatbush. Twelve others also were injured.
Also trapped and killed in the blaze was James Gardner, 74, a retired
butcher and family patriarch who relatives said suffered from epilepsy
and
was partially blind.
His body remained unclaimed yesterday in the city medical examiner's
office, a spokeswoman said. Gardner's family had not announced funeral
arrangements.
A homeless man, Rodney Williams, 26, has been arrested, and police say
he
admitted setting the fire out of jealousy because a tenant in the
building
admired Williams' ex-girlfriend.
Following Muslim tradition, family members will cleanse the bodies of
Kadiatou Bah, her daughter and cousins in preparation for the funeral.
Afterward, the bodies will be flown to Guinea for burial, said Mohamed
Jalloh, president of the Guinean Community of America.
On Monday, thousands of people attended a prayer vigil for the victims
in
Brooklyn. Many offered donations to help cover the cost of transporting
the
bodies, Jalloh said...
-----
JUSTICES QUESTION U.S. LAWYER ON GUANTANAMO CASE
James Vicini, Reuters, 4/20/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=2QQJXOFS11HB0CRBAELCFFA?type=topNews&storyID=4883788
WASHINGTON - U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday questioned the Bush
administration's argument that foreigners captured during its war on
terrorism can be held at a U.S. military base in Cuba without any
access to
American courts.
In the first test of President Bush's policies adopted after the Sept.
11,
2001, attacks, the justices seemed closely divided on whether the
Guantanamo Bay prisoners can go to the American legal system to
challenge
their detention.
Several justices stressed they were only considering whether U.S.
courts
have jurisdiction, not the merits of the claims by prisoners, who say
they
are innocent and have been held illegally in violation of their civil
rights.
U.S. Solicitor General Theodore Olson defended the Bush
administration's
controversial policy, which has come under attack by civil liberties
and
human rights groups.
John Gibbons, representing the detainees, said the United States had
created "a lawless enclave" at Guantanamo. About 595 foreign nationals,
designated "enemy combatants," are being held at the base as suspected
al
Qaeda members or Taliban fighters.
"What's at stake in the case is the authority of the federal courts to
uphold the rule of law," Gibbons, a retired judge, said in beginning
his
arguments in the historic case.
Olson, the government's top courtroom lawyer, replied the federal
habeas
corpus law that allows prisoners to challenge their detention does not
apply to the Guantanamo detainees.
He argued that Cuba, under a lease with the United States concerning
the
base, has ultimate sovereignty and that places the detainees beyond the
control of U.S. courts.
Most of those held at the base were seized during the U.S.-led campaign
against the Taliban government in Afghanistan and against Osama bin
Laden's
al Qaeda network after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The first detainees
arrived at Guantanamo in January 2002.
The four more liberal justices sharply questioned Olson.
ALSO SEE:
EXCERPTS FROM SUPREME COURT ARGUMENTS ON DETAINEES AT GUANT�NAMO
Washington Post, 4/21/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/21/national/21STEX.html
-----
IRAQ VICTIM WAS TOP-SECRET APARTHEID KILLER
Julian Rademeyer, Sunday Times, 4/19/04
http://allafrica.com/stories/200404190944.html
A security contractor killed in Iraq last week was once one of South
Africa's most secret covert agents, his identity guarded so closely
that
even the Truth and Reconciliation Commission did not discover the
extent of
his involvement in apartheid's silent wars.
Gray Branfield, 55, admitted to being part of a death squad which
gunned
down Joe Gqabi, the ANC's chief representative and Umkhonto weSizwe
operational head in Zimbabwe on July 31 1981. Gqabi was shot 19 times
when
three assassins ambushed him as he reversed down the driveway of his
Harare
home.
Author Peter Stiff this week confirmed information that Branfield was
an
operative identified in his books, The Silent War, Warfare By Other
Means
and Cry Zimbabwe as "Major Brian". He said Branfield, a former
detective
inspector in the Rhodesian police force specialising in covert
operations
against guerrilla organisations, came to South Africa after Zanu-PF
came to
power in 1980.
In South Africa he joined the SA Defence Force's secret Project
Barnacle, a
precursor to the notorious Civil Co-operation Bureau (CCB) death squad.
Given the rank of major, Branfield was put in charge of operations in
the
urban centres of Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia...
-----
DEFENSE TAKES AIM AT PROSECUTION RECORDS IN AL-HUSSAYEN CASE
Bob Fick, Associated Press, 4/21/04
http://www.kgw.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D823BB7G1.html
BOISE, Idaho - The defense is attacking government financial experts on
their analysis of records that prosecutors say link University of Idaho
graduate student Sami Omar Al-Hussayen to terrorism.
Defense attorney David Nevin emphasized discrepancies between the
financial
analyses of bank records performed by FBI forensic accountant Phillip
Ellsworth and FBI financial analyst Michelle Lewis.
Nevin highlighted differences in government translations of Arabic
notations on checks for charitable donations made by Al-Hussayen, a
devote
Muslim, to support Muslim campaigns against oppression in Palestine and
Chechnya and the disparity between the two experts' assessment of
Al-Hussayen's support for the Islamic Assembly of North America and
those
associated with it.
The 34-year-old Saudi national is accused of using his computer
expertise
to create an Internet network of a score of web sites with the
assembly's
web site as the foundation to fund and recruit terrorists for groups
such
as the militant Palestinian organization Hamas.
He is also accused of visa fraud and making false statements in trying
to
cover up his association with the assembly.
The government raised the charitable contributions and his official
status
with the assembly to support its claim of visa fraud since Al-Hussayen
failed to disclose the charities on visa application forms he filed in
2002. It also claims the assembly has links to terror, although Nevin
has
repeatedly pointed out that the organization has never been placed on
any
terror list by the federal government.
Prosecutors also claim Al-Hussayen's involvement with the assembly
violated
provisions of his student visa that prohibit business activity. While
Al-Hussayen claims he was a volunteer to a religious organization
focused
on Islamic outreach, the government claims his role in the assembly
precluded him from spending the time required to pursue his computer
science doctorate at Moscow...
-----
ISRAEL'S WHISTLE-BLOWER, STILL UNDER A NUCLEAR CLOUD
John Ward Anderson, Washington Post, 4/21/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29411-2004Apr20.html
TEL AVIV -- Ordinary things took on extraordinary significance during
Mordechai Vanunu's 11 1/2 years in solitary confinement, his brother
Meir
says.
The most mundane things -- the prison guard's name, the color of a
visitor's shirt, the number on a postage stamp -- played games with a
mind
twisted by sensory deprivation and loneliness and appeared to be
evidence
of a vast state conspiracy against him.
Vanunu is to be released from Israel's Shikma prison today after 18
years
behind bars for disclosing the existence of the country's nuclear
weapons
program -- complete with more than 60 photographs he snapped inside its
nuclear bomb factories.
He cannot leave the country or go within 300 yards of Tel Aviv's
Ben-Gurion
Airport, the West Bank or Gaza Strip, or any other international port
of
entry. He cannot meet or converse with foreigners without permission.
He
cannot have a cell phone or Internet access. He cannot leave his town
of
residence without notifying the police in advance.
And most important -- in fact, the reason for all these restrictions --
Vanunu cannot talk about several key topics: Israel's nuclear weapons
program; the Negev Nuclear Research Center, where he worked for nine
years;
and the circumstances of his seizure by Israeli agents in Rome in 1986,
his
being spirited out of Italy and onto a ship for a reported seven-day
interrogation and return trip to Israel, or his closed-door trial, in
which
he was found guilty of espionage and treason for leaking top-secret
information to the London Sunday Times...
-----
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Thu, 22 Apr 2004 17:31:46 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Md. Student Called 'Son of Bin Laden' Gets Apology
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 4/22/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: PROTECTORS ONE OF ANOTHER
* REASON #7 TO JOIN CAIR - LIBRARY PROJECT
* CAIR-OH EDUCATES LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES
- CAIR-MD: Muslim Student Called 'Son of Bin Laden' Gets Apology
* CO: SOMALI HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES WIN HARDSHIP FIGHT (AP)
- Students' Exposure to Islam Varies (Philadelphia Inq)
* CONYERS INTRODUCES HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT
* MD: DIVERSITY ON THE RISE FOR PLACES OF WORSHIP (Wash Post)
- LA: 3 Faiths Team Up On Health Insurance (Times-Pic)
* A PICTURE IS NO LONGER WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS (Salon.Com)
- Mother Says Sign in Original Photo Innocuous (AP)
* NJ: MUSLIMS SEEK PROBE OF MOSQUE DAMAGE (AP)
* IL: TRUE PATRIOTS WON'T SUPPORT USA PATRIOT ACT (Star)
- FL: Justice Denied in War that Never Ends (Orlando Sent)
* LIMITED IRAQI SOVEREIGNTY PLANNED (Wash Post)
- Contractor Fired For Military Coffin Photo (Reuters)
- Deaths Blamed On U.S. Hospital Occupation (Reuters)
* ISRAEL HELD BOY, 13, AS HUMAN SHIELD (Reuters)
* KASHMIR FORUM AT THE CAPITOL HILL
* SEMINARY SUMMER: PUTTING FAITH INTO ACTION
* MD: NAPA BOARD OF SPONSORS MEETING
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: PROTECTORS ONE OF ANOTHER
The believers, both men and women, are protectors one of another. They
enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil...On them will God pour His
mercy.
The Holy Quran, 9:71
-----
REASON #7 TO JOIN CAIR - LIBRARY PROJECT
Over 7,400 public libraries have received information about Islam and
Muslims through CAIR's Public Library Project, making this material
accessible to over 90 million people of all faiths.
In our new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member at
a
Time," CAIR intends (God Willing) to sign up 25,000 new members by its
10th
year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR-OH EDUCATES LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES
(COLUMBUS, OH, 4/22/04) - The Ohio office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-OH) held a joint educational seminar
on
April 20th with the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations
Service
(CRS), the Columbus Community Relations Commission and the Ohio Civil
Rights Commission (OCRC). The seminar, designed to foster cooperation
between the Ohio Muslim community and law enforcement agencies, was
attended by more than 60 central Ohio law enforcement officials.
"We were extremely pleased with both the large turnout and the great
interest demonstrated by the officials in what CAIR had to say," said
Jad
Humeidan, executive director of CAIR-OH.
Representatives from the FBI, the Transportation Security
Administration,
the Columbus Police Department, the Westerville Police Department, and
the
Franklin County Sheriff's Office attended the event.
Dr. Asma Mobin-Uddin, a pediatrician and Vice-President of CAIR-OH, led
the
discussion of Muslim beliefs and cultural practices. She was joined by
Arman Abukar, a member of CAIR-OH, who educated law enforcement
officials
about Columbus' large Somali community.
"We would like to help law enforcement officials and Muslims have an
appreciation for each other's needs and concerns," said Dr.
Mobin-Uddin.
"This way, we can improve understanding and cooperation between the
groups."
There are an estimated 150,000 Muslims in Ohio. CAIR, America's largest
Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered in Washington, D.C.,
and
has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
CONTACT: Jad Humeidan, Executive Director, CAIR-OH 614-451-3232 or
614-571-2770, E-Mail: Jad@cair-ohio.com
-----
APOLOGY OFFERED TO MD STUDENT CALLED 'SON OF BIN LADEN'
Islamic civil rights group intervenes on behalf of Hagerstown boy
(BETHESDA, MD, 4/22/04)- The Maryland chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MD) announced today that the case of a
nine-year-old Muslim student in Hagerstown taunted by classmates who
called
him a "terrorist" and "the son of Bin Laden" has been resolved.
Following intervention by CAIR-MD, disciplinary action was taken
against
the students who made the biased remarks and a formal apology was
issued to
the victim.
"Our children must be taught that such hurtful behavior will not be
tolerated by parents or school administrators," said CAIR-MD Executive
Director Rizwan Mowlana. Mowlana thanked the school for its prompt
action
in the case.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
CONTACT: CONTACT: CAIR-MD, Rizwan Mowlana at 301-986-1900, 301-672-9355
-----
SOMALI HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES WIN HARDSHIP FIGHT
Associated Press, 4/22/04
DENVER - Three Muslim cross country runners who say a coach's religious
intimidation forced them to transfer will be allowed to compete for the
rest of the season without the usual delay.
Mohamud Ige, Yusuf Ahmed and Abdurahman Faki were members of Denver
West
High School's two-time state champion team.
The three Somalis transferred to South High in January, but were told
they
could not participate until next spring because of the transfer rules
of
the Colorado High School Activities Association.
The boys, all 16, took their case to arbitration and former Colorado
Supreme Court Chief Justice Luis Rovira ruled in their favor Wednesday.
"The boys are happy that they are going to be able to compete," said
John
Phillips, the boys' attorney.
The athletes have said Denver West coach Luis Cruz, an ordained
minister
and full-time employee of the Young Life Christian Ministries,
"aggressively applied the ministry's conversion-directed practices
toward
the boys." Cruz denied giving religious instruction.
West had only five Muslim students, Ige, Ahmed, Faki and Faki's two
sisters. South has 130 Muslim students and a prayer room has been set
aside
for them...
ALSO SEE:
STUDENTS' EXPOSURE TO ISLAM VARIES
Martha Woodall, Philadelphia Inquirer, 4/22/04
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/8488171.htm
The Sept. 11 attacks by Islamic extremists sent educators scrambling
for
ways to include information about Muslims in their lesson plans.
But more than two years later, with the nation involved in an
increasingly
violent struggle in Iraq, students' knowledge of the world's
second-largest
religion remains spotty at best.
"My sense is that teachers never covered it much, and they still are
not"
doing so, said Susan Adler, an associate professor at the University of
Missouri-Kansas City and former president of the National Council for
the
Social Studies. "It would vary from state to state, depending on the
content standards."
"We do have state standards," said Paul Dennis Dickler, a social
studies
teacher at Neshaminy High School in Langhorne. "But which students are
going to have a major unit about Islam, or a more cursory view of the
war
on terrorism and Islam and the West, is going to vary from classroom to
classroom. That is how things have always been."
For years, the social studies council has recommended that all students
learn about world religions...
-----
Congressman John Conyers, Jr.
Fourteenth District, Michigan
Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary
Dean, Congressional Black Caucus
CONYERS INTRODUCES BIPARTISAN HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT OF 2004
Representative John Conyers, Jr., the Ranking Democrat on the House
Judiciary Committee, was joined today by more than 170 bipartisan
cosponsors in the introduction of the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes
Prevention Act of 2004. Conyers stated that:
"There is no more important time in the history of this nation, since
the
civil rights era, to pass legislation that sanctions hate violence. The
FBI
has reported a dramatic increase hate motivated violence since the
September 11th terrorist attacks which has sent a wave of fear through
our
immigrant communities. While the overall crime rate has grown by
approximately two percent, the number of reported hate crimes have
increased dramatically from 8,063 in 2000 to 9,730 in 2001 (a 20.7%
increase).
Although it is unclear how many of the 2001 reported hate crimes were
directed at individuals in the aftermath of the September 11th
terrorist
attacks, we do know that the number of reported "anti-Islamic" crimes
increased from 28 in 2000 to 481 in 2001, which represents an increase
of
over 1600%. In addition, the number of hate crimes directed at
individuals
on the basis of their national origin/ethnicity more than doubled --
from
911 in 2000 to 2,098 in 2001. Racial bias again represented the largest
percentage of bias-motivated incidents (44.9%), followed by
Ethnic/National
Origin Bias (21.6%), Religious Bias (18.8%), Sexual Orientation Bias
(14.3%), and Disability Bias (0.4%).
While many of these crimes do and should get prosecuted at the state
and
local levels, many do not. Current law limits federal jurisdiction
over
hate crimes to incidents that occur during the exercise of federally
protected activities, such as voting, and does not permit federal
involvement in a range of cases involving crimes motivated by bias
against
the victim's sexual orientation, gender or disability.
This loophole is particularly significant given the fact that four
states
have no hate crime laws on the books, and another 21 states have
extremely
weak hate crimes laws.
If enacted, this legislation would give the federal government the
jurisdictional tools necessary to assist local law enforcement in
fighting
the scourge of hate violence. In instances where state and local
governments do not have the capacity to prosecute such crimes, he
legislation creates a federal backstop - the ability for the local U.S.
attorney to ensure that justice will be done, deterring hate violence
regardless of whether the victim happened to be engaged in a "federally
protected" activity. And even in those cases, federal prosecution can
only
proceed if approved by the Attorney General.
The gruesome, hateful murders of James Byrd and Matthew Shepard remain
symbols of the incidence of hate violence that have only worsened since
their deaths. Hate crimes do not only visit unspeakable violence on
the
immediate victims, but also send a message of a desired apartheid that
its
sponsors want to violently enforce.
The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2004 is a
constructive and measured response to a problem that continues to
plague or
nation - violence motivated by prejudice. Our primary desire here is
to
ensure that these crimes get prosecuted by state and local governments
more
effectively. That's why the bill authorizes funds to support state
investigative and prosecutorial efforts. The bill is not and should
not be
treated as a partisan exercise. As a Congress, we should be in
unanimous
agreement that there will be "zero-tolerance" for the hate. This bill
takes the first step in that direction."
CONTACT: Keenan Keller (202) 225-6906
-----
DIVERSITY ON THE RISE FOR PLACES OF WORSHIP
Julie Rasicot, Washington Post, 4/22/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31342-2004Apr21.html
The gold-plated dome of the Muslim Community Center in Silver Spring
gleams
in the afternoon sun. Next door, the bright Mediterranean-blue roof and
golden-topped spires of the St. Andrew Ukrainian Orthodox Church shine
in
sharp religious and architectural contrast. Beside it are the simple
white
buildings of the Heritage Christian Church.
These three religious institutions are among nearly two dozen lining a
busy
stretch of New Hampshire Avenue, forming a microcosm of the diverse
religious landscape of Montgomery County.
>From parishioners who attend the so-called mega-churches to the
members
of small start-up congregations of immigrants that rent space in
schools
and elsewhere, the diversity of the county's faithful is growing,
reflecting the changing demographics of the population.
"People bring their own religion with them, just like our forefathers
brought theirs with them," said Patricia Andersen, librarian at the
Montgomery County Historical Society's Jane C. Sween Library in
Rockville.
Several hundred congregations representing dozens of denominations call
the
county home. Montgomery County has the largest concentration of Jews in
the
Washington area, and in 2000 it became the site of the first Roman
Catholic
church in the United States built in a Vietnamese design when Our Lady
of
Vietnam Roman Catholic Church opened in Silver Spring.
The world headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is in Silver
Spring, and the white spires of the Mormon Temple in Kensington are a
familiar landmark to drivers along the Beltway...
ALSO SEE:
3 FAITHS TEAM UP ON HEALTH INSURANCE ISSUE
Bruce Nolan, Times-Picayune, 4/22/04
http://nola.com/news/t-p/neworleans/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1082626518241180.xml
A broad coalition of nonprofit groups that includes Christian, Jewish
and
Muslim communities hopes to move the plight of the medically uninsured
to
the top of the domestic policy agenda during this presidential and
congressional election year.
About 50 clergy from the three faiths met Wednesday at the Jewish
Community
Center in New Orleans. The drive's sponsors asked them to talk from
their
pulpits about the need for health protection.
"We are totally nonpartisan," said Erness Wright-Irvin, a field
coordinator
for the drive, called Cover the Uninsured Week. "We're not signing on
to
any particular solution. But we do want to energize policy-makers to
put
this at the top of their agenda. It has fallen down too far."
The national effort is led by former Presidents Ford and Carter; it is
sponsored by a broad array of sometimes competing groups, including the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO. A number of Catholic,
Protestant,
Jewish and Islamic groups also have signed on. A major part of the
financing comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Wright-Irvin
said.
-----
A PICTURE IS NO LONGER WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
Farhad Manjoo, Salon.com, 4/22/04
http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2004/04/22/doctored_photos/index_np.html
There was a time when photographs were synonymous with truth -- when
you
could be sure that what you saw in a picture actually occurred. In
today's
Photoshop world, all that has changed. Pictures are endlessly pliable.
Photographs (and even videos) are now merely as good as words --
approximations of reality at best, subtle (or outright) distortions of
truth at worst. Is that Jane Fonda next to John Kerry at an antiwar
rally?
No, it isn't; if you thought so, you're a fool for trusting your own
eyes.
Some photographers welcome the new skepticism toward images; it's good
that
people are learning not to automatically believe what they see, they
say.
But many fear that we're losing an important foothold on reality.
Without
trustworthy photographs, how will we ever know what in our world is
real?
ALSO SEE:
MARINE'S MOTHER: SIGN IN ORIGINAL PHOTO INNOCUOUS
Associated Press, 4/22/04
http://www.nola.com/newsflash/louisiana/index.ssf?/newsflash/get_story.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?n4975_BC_LA--Marines-Photograp&&news&newsflash-louisiana
HOUMA La. - The mother of a Marine reservist being investigated because
of
a photograph circulating on the Internet says he sent her the picture
last
year, and it showed a very different sign than those on the Internet.
However, Ellen Gustafson, who runs a computer store, said she cannot
prove
it because lightning destroyed the computer where she had stored
pictures
sent from Iraq by her son, Lance Cpl. Ted J. Boudreaux.
"I had one of those cheap store-bought surge protectors," she said.
Boudreaux has told Marine Corps investigators that someone had doctored
the
photo, which shows a reservist with two Iraqi children, one of whom
carries
a sign.
At least three versions are on the Internet. In one, the sign states,
"LCpl. Boudreaux killed my dad and th(en) he knocked up my sister." A
second reads, "LCpl. Boudreaux saved my dad and th(en) rescued my
sister."
The third states, "They invaded my country and all I got was this lousy
sign."
Gustafson said, "They were not the original. The original was in a
group of
photos he sent in the e-mail. It said 'Welcome Marines' or something
like
that. There was not anything unusual or offensive."
She said her son told her he told investigators that the original sign
said
"Welcome Marines."
Those on the Web were electronically doctored, she said, though she
doesn't
know who would have done it or why. It was almost certainly someone who
knew her son, she said, though whoever did it might have gotten his
name
from a caption on the original photo...
-----
MUSLIMS SEEK PROBE OF MOSQUE DAMAGE
Wayne Parry, Associated Press, 4/22/04
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1082625025176340.xml
A statewide Muslim civil rights group has called for a bias crime
investigation into vandalism at a mosque under construction in Ocean
County.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations' New Jersey chapter said the
damage to the Islamic Center of Ocean County's new mosque in Toms River
should be investigated as a bias crime. The head of the mosque's board
said
the weekend vandalism marked the seventh attack on the facility.
Vandals drew swastikas on the partially finished building, punched
holes in
the newly erected walls of the mosque and left graffiti, including
"Hail
Hitler."
They also damaged the frame of the building and broke windows on a
trailer
at the site.
Mosque officials said the six previous attacks included damaged
plumbing, a
sign and trailer set ablaze, as well as damage to other windows and
walls.
The vandalism has cost $10,000 to $15,000 to repair, they said...
-----
TRUE PATRIOTS WON'T SUPPORT USA PATRIOT ACT
Northern Star, 4/22/04
http://www.star.niu.edu/perspective/articles/042104-column.asp
With all that's happening with 9-11 Commission hearings, the USA
PATRIOT
Act is showing up in the headlines.
After reviewing parts of the act, I have come to the conclusion that
the
Bush administration and supporters of the act need to take a refresher
course on American history, in particular constitutional history.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the Patriot Act
violates
countless amendments, including the first, fourth, fifth, sixth, eighth
and
14th.
Now, for me, support for the act disappeared when I discovered the
numerous
violations.
A Web site by the Department of Justice, "Preserving Life and Liberty,"
was
established to better explain the act and to dispel the myths the ACLU
apparently is spreading. When one first visits the site, one is greeted
with a quote from the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these
truths to
be self-evident, that all men are created equal that they are endowed
by
their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are
life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
I would like John Ashcroft and Donald Rumsfeld to explain how the
Patriot
Act helps keep our "inalienable rights" because all I see is how our
"inalienable rights" are violated.
Let's go step by step with the violations. The First Amendment reads,
"Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of
the
press ..."
SEE ALSO:
JUSTICE DENIED IN WAR THAT NEVER ENDS
Myriam Marquez, Orlando Sentinel, 4/22/04
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-edpmarquez22042204apr22,1,64550.column
Yusef Al-Sabunchi is only 11, but he understands the meaning of
justice. It
means his daddy can stay in America, work hard and live the dream.
It's been a bittersweet lesson for Yusef, whose father, Kussay
Al-Sabunchi,
made headlines after federal investigators stormed his house and
handcuffed
him in front of his family a year ago. The father's "crime" was sending
flowers to his ex-wife, Yusef's mother, in 1997.
Because Al-Sabunchi had a restraining order, he shouldn't have sent
flowers. When he applied for permanent U.S. residency, the now
remarried
Al-Sabunchi says, his lawyer forgot to include the flower incident.
Years
later, in post-9-11 haste, federal immigration authorities sought to
deport
him on this technicality, as if the Iraqi computer engineer were a
terrorist. Never mind that an Orlando federal judge already had
acquitted
him of his "crime."
Federal officials caught lots of flak from civil-rights groups and
members
of Congress for good reason. In the name of "homeland security,"
officials
went after a man whose own father was kidnapped and tortured by Saddam
Hussein's regime 30 years ago. Finally, the government dropped the case
Friday.
That night, a smiling Yusef told his father, "You know something,
Daddy, I
love the American people because they helped you."
Where are the American people for all the other Al-Sabunchis out there?
Because since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 this nation's system of
justice, the very core of what America stands for, has been turned
upside
down. Rights guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution are now subject to
imperial decree from our very own King George under the pretext that
we're
at war.
Whether it's bypassing the courts or imprisoning foreign nationals
indefinitely at the U.S. base in Guantanamo, Cuba, or holding suspected
U.S. citizens, such as "dirty" bomb suspect Jose Padilla, without
charges
and without access to a lawyer, the president has imposed policies that
dictatorial governments love to use.
And in this war that never ends, the Patriot Act stands out as a
law-enforcement "tool" with no checks and balances, no judicial review
and
barely any legislative oversight…
-----
LIMITED IRAQI SOVEREIGNTY PLANNED
Josh White and Jonathan Weisman, Washington Post, 4/22/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32753-2004Apr21.html
The new Iraqi interim government scheduled to take control on July 1
will
have only "limited sovereignty" over the country and no authority over
U.S.
and coalition military forces already there, senior State and Defense
officials told Congress this week.
In testimony before the Senate and the House Armed Services committees,
Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz and Undersecretary of State
Marc
Grossman said the United States will operate under the transitional law
approved by the Iraqi Governing Council and a resolution approved by
the
U.N. Security Council last October. Both those provisions give control
of
the country's security to U.S. military commanders.
Whereas in the past the turnover was described as granting total
sovereignty to the appointed Iraqi government, Grossman yesterday
termed it
"limited sovereignty" because "it is limited by the transitional law .
. .
and the U.N. resolution."
Under the current plan, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's special
adviser, Lakhdar Brahimi, will appoint a temporary government that will
run
Iraqi government agencies for six months and prepare the way for
January
2005 elections of an assembly that will select a second, temporary
government and write a constitution...
ALSO SEE:
U.S. CONTRACTOR FIRED FOR MILITARY COFFIN PHOTO
Sue Pleming, Reuters, 4/22/04
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/22/1082616268111.html
WASHINGTON - A U.S. contractor and her husband have been fired after
her
photograph of 20 flag-draped coffins of slain U.S. soldiers going home
from
Iraq was published in violation of military rules.
"I lost my job and they let my husband go as well," Tami Silicio, who
loaded U.S. military cargo at Kuwait International Airport for a U.S.
company, told Reuters in an e-mail response to questions.
The Pentagon tightly restricts publication of photographs of coffins
with
the remains of U.S. soldiers and has forbidden journalists from taking
pictures at Dover Air Force Base where the caskets of slain soldiers
usually first stop on their return to the United States.
The military says the policy is in place to protect the privacy of
families
of those killed, but critics have said the rules are aimed at
sanitizing
the war for the public.
The Seattle Times printed Silicio's photograph last weekend and again
on
Thursday along with a story about her dismissal. The picture shows
soldiers
tending to 20 coffins completely covered with American flags on April 7
inside a military cargo plane at the Kuwait airport...
---
FALLUJAH DEATHS BLAMED ON U.S. HOSPITAL OCCUPATION
Reuters, 4/22/04
LONDON - Iraqi fatalities in Falluja were higher than they might have
been
because of the U.S. military occupation of the besieged town's main
hospital, an international medical aid official said on Thursday.
"If this hospital was working it would have saved a lot of lives,"
Medecins
Sans Frontieres' Emergency Coordinator for Iraq Ibrahim Younis told
reporters in London.
Local doctors had to treat casualties in two makeshift operating
theatres
inside the battle-scared town after U.S. Marines occupied the outlying
300-bed Falluja Public Hospital at the start of the siege, Younis said.
Younis travelled to Falluja a week after the start of the U.S. military
assault on the town, launched on April 5 following the killing and
mutilation of four private American security guards.
During a stay limited to a few hours by the dangers of the conflict,
Younis
inspected the makeshift operating theatres at the town's Al Jamhoria
medical centre.
-----
ACTIVISTS SAY ISRAEL HELD BOY, 13, AS HUMAN SHIELD
Cynthia Johnston, Reuters, 4/22/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=4908037§ion=news
BIDDO, West Bank - When older Palestinian boys started throwing stones
at
Israeli border police in the flashpoint West Bank village of Biddo,
13-year-old Muhammed Badwan went along to watch.
He ended up on the hood of an Israeli jeep, at least one of his skinny
arms
tied to a wire mesh screen that blocks the windshield from incoming
stones,
according to a photograph of the purported incident distributed by an
Israeli rights group.
"He was a shield for them," Saeed Badwan, a 34-year-old labourer, said
of
his only son. "When I saw him on the hood of the jeep, my whole mind
went
crazy...It's a picture you can't even imagine. He was shivering from
fear."
Police said Muhammed's case was sent to the Justice Ministry for
investigation. Israeli security forces insist they do their utmost to
avoid
civilian casualties and accuse Palestinian militants of routinely using
non-combatants for cover.
Palestinian activists in Biddo, a focal point for protests against
Israel's
West Bank barrier, say troops have increasingly responded with
excessive
force to disperse stone throwers.
The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem said it was monitoring West
Bank
anti-barrier protests after Palestinian complaints of rising violence
by
Israeli security forces, especially in Biddo.
Medics say four Palestinians have been shot dead this year in Biddo in
rock
throwing protests against the barrier, which Israel says is necessary
to
keep out suicide bombers. An elderly man also died of heart failure
after
inhaling tear gas.
Palestinians say the barrier, whose planned route snakes deep into the
West
Bank, is intended to annex territory captured by Israel in 1967 that
Palestinians want for a state...
-----
KASHMIR FORUM AT THE CAPITOL HILL
Washington, D.C. April 21, 2004. - Today, the Kashmir Forum on Capitol
Hill
addressed the latest South Asian peace initiatives between India and
Pakistan and its impact on resolving the 56 year old dispute over
Kashmir.
Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, executive director of the Kashmiri American
Council,
was the featured guest speaker, and was introduced by Congressman
Joseph
Pitts. The Congressman had visited Kashmir earlier in the year and
witnessed the grief and suffering of the Kashmiri people.
Dr. Fai praised the leadership demonstrated by both Indian Prime
Minister
B.J. Vajpayee and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in recognizing
the
time had come for bold moves to negotiate a solution to Kashmir
consistent
with humanity and the wishes of 13 million people of Kashmir. The Prime
Minister, for his part, has accepted that Kashmir may be resolved
outside
the Indian constitution and within the parameters of (Insaniat)
humanity.
The President, for his part, has accepted that all parties need to make
concessions so as to reach a final settlement of the conflict and so
long
as a solution respects a consensus among Kashmiris.
CONTACT: gnfai2003@yahoo.com
-----
SEMINARY SUMMER: PUTTING FAITH INTO ACTION
WHAT: The Islamic Internship for Worker Justice is a part of Seminary
Summer, which reaches out to Muslim, Jewish, and Christian future
religious
leaders. The program is inviting Muslim students to participate in
unique
summer field placements that help low wage workers. Participants
receive
one week of orientation and training, and two days of debrief in
Chicago.
This program was created by National Interfaith Committee for Worker
Justice (NICWJ) and the AFL-CIO to educate future religious leaders
about
worker justice issues. This year NICWJ is recruiting 5 future Muslim
students who will be future religious leaders for this unique
internship
placement.
Students will receive: a weekly stipend, housing if relocating for the
summer, transportation costs as needed, possible academic credit, help
in
finding a mentor for theological reflection.
WHEN: Deadline for applications May 15
The program runs from June 13 - August 20.
Applications for Islamic Internship for Worker Justice are available
on-line at www.nicwj.org.
Contact Joy Heine if you have any questions, (773) 728-8400 x 33,
jheine@nicwj.org.
-----
NAPA BOARD OF SPONSORS MEETING
WHAT: The National Association of Pakistani Americans (NAPA) is
inviting
all Pakistani Americans and friends of Pakistani Americans to attend a
NAPA
Board of Sponsors Meeting
WHEN: Sunday, April 25, 2004 at 6:00pm
WHERE: NAPA Office (Business Center), 1724 Woodlawn Drive, Suite 12A,
Baltimore, Maryland 21207
The National Association of Pakistani Americans (NAPA) is a non-profit
organization established to enlighten and educate Pakistani Americans
on
the American political and democratic process and create grassroots
awareness among Pakistani Americans of the issues that touch them daily
and
that would affect the future generations of Americans.
RSVP is recommended by calling Toll free 1-866-WAW-NAPA or
410-298-1300.
Dinner will be served.
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DRIVE-BY SHOOTING TARGETS TEXAS MOSQUE
CAIR issues security advisory to Muslims nationwide
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 4/23/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today issued a special security advisory to Muslims in
American following a drive-by shooting last night at a Denton, Texas,
mosque. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the
shooting
is just the latest in a series of incidents targeting American Muslims.
A spokesman for the Islamic Society of Denton told CAIR that two shots
were
fired at the mosque Thursday evening between 6 and 8 p.m. One
projectile
penetrated a window and landed in the prayer area of the mosque.
Another
projectile damaged the mosque's main door. No one was injured in the
attack. Local police are investigating the incident. (Following the
9/11
terror attacks, the Denton mosque was damaged by two firebombs.)
"An alarming increase in attacks on and threats against the Muslim
community in America points to the need for heightened security at our
nation's mosques and Islamic institutions," said CAIR Executive
Director
Nihad Awad. "We believe this increase in attacks is a direct result of
attempts by some radio and television commentators to demonize Islam
and
Muslims." He said a CAIR "Muslim Community Safety Kit" booklet,
designed to
help local Islamic leaders protect institutions and individuals, may be
obtained by e-mailing pubs@cair-net.org or calling 202-488-8787.
Awad said he is concerned that there has not been a vocal response by
state
and national elected officials to anti-Muslim incidents in Texas. He
cited
a recent e-mailed threat against the Islamic Center of El Paso, a
series of
arson fires at Muslim businesses in San Antonio and racist graffiti
scrawled on the interior of a Lubbock mosque.
Similar incidents are occurring across the nation. Just this week, CAIR
detailed a series of attacks by vandals on the Islamic Center of Ocean
County in Toms River, N.J. In Florida, a Muslim business owner wearing
an
Islamic head scarf was attacked by people who accused her of being
responsible for the recent bombings in Madrid.
Last week, CAIR announced a new campaign designed to counter
anti-Muslim
hate on radio talk shows. The campaign, called "Hate Hurts America," is
based on the premise that the increasing attacks on Islam by
conservative
talk show hosts harm the United States by creating a downward spiral of
interfaith mistrust and hostility.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Fri, 23 Apr 2004 18:39:42 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: TX Man Arrested for Bias-Motivated Threat on Mosque
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 4/23/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: EVEN THE BIRDS PRAISE GOD
* REASON #8 TO JOIN CAIR
- CAIR Public Library Project: 7430
* AUTHORITIES ARREST MAN FOR BIAS-MOTIVATED THREAT ON TX MOSQUE
* NJ: STATE TO PROBE MOSQUE VANDALISM AS BIAS CRIME (AP)
- Vandalism Plagues New Islamic Center (Star-Ledger)
* TX: INCARNATE WORD DECIDES TO DROP 'CRUSADERS' (Express-News)
* CAN: ARAR FAMILY SUES GOVERNMENT FOR $400M (CBC)
* CONCERT TO CELEBRATE THE VALUES OF 3 FAITHS (Juneau Empire)
* FBI KEEPS YEMENI JAILED (York Daily Record)
- Vigil to Shed Light on Detainee's Plight (York Dispatch)
* WHITE HOUSE: IRAQ SOVEREIGNTY COULD BE LIMITED (NY Times)
* ISRAEL SAID STILL MAKING NUCLEAR WEAPONS (AP)
- U.S. Changes Visa Rules for Israelis (ME Newsline)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: EVEN THE BIRDS PRAISE GOD
“Seest thou not that it is God whose praises all beings in the heavens
and
on earth do celebrate, (even) the birds (of the air) with wings
outspread?
Each one knows its own (mode of) prayer and praise.
The Holy Quran, Chapter 24, Verse 41
-----
REASON #8 TO JOIN CAIR
The diversity of CAIR’s staff, boards and advisors reflects the
diversity
of Muslims in America.
In our new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member at
a
Time," CAIR intends (God Willing) to sign up 25,000 new members by its
10th
year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7430 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
-----
CASE UPDATE: FEDERAL AUTHORITIES ARREST MAN FOR BIAS-MOTIVATED THREAT
ON
TEXAS ISLAMIC CENTER
The Department of Justice today announced the arrest of an El Paso man
allegedly responsible for threatening to destroy an area Islamic
Center. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights R. Alexander
Acosta
and United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas Johnny
Sutton
announced the arrest of Jared Bjarnason for allegedly sending a threat
to
the El Paso Islamic Center on April 18, 2004.
Bjarnason, a 30-year-old resident of El Paso, Texas, was arrested
yesterday
following a complaint filed in the United States District Court for the
Western District of Texas. The complaint charges the defendant with
sending an electronic mail message to the Islamic Center threatening
violence against the Center and its members. Specifically, the message
threatened to burn the Islamic Center's mosque to the ground, if
hostages
held in Iraq were not freed within three days.
The defendant is scheduled to have an initial appearance today before
U.S. Magistrate Richard P. Mesa at 2:00 p.m. MT. The crime charged is
punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine. The defendant is
considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) would like to thank
the
Department of Justice for its action. CAIR brought the incident to the
public’s attention on Monday when it issued a press release calling for
the
FBI to investigate the email threat – the latest in a series of
incidents
targeting the Muslim community in Texas. (SEE:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=1067&page=NR).
-----
STATE TO PROBE MOSQUE VANDALISM AS BIAS CRIME
Wayne Parry, Associated Press, 4/23/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-nj--mosquevandalized0423apr23,0,4395793.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire
NEWARK, N.J. - The state Attorney General's Office will investigate the
vandalism of a Toms River mosque under construction as a bias crime.
Attorney General Peter Harvey, responding to a request made by local
and
national Muslim organizations, has assigned investigators from the
office
of bias crimes to pursue those responsible for damage done over the
weekend.
Vandals drew swastikas on the partially finished building, which is to
be
the new home of the Islamic Center of Ocean County, punched holes in
the
walls and left graffiti, including the words "Hail Hitler."
They also damaged the framework of the building and broke windows on a
trailer at the site.
Mosque officials said it was the seventh time the site was vandalized
since
construction began in 2000. Previous attacks included damaged plumbing,
a
sign and trailer set ablaze and damage to windows and walls. The
vandalism
has cost $10,000 to $15,000 to repair, they said.
"Incidents of arson and vandalism are always despicable," Gov.
McGreevey
said. "But this site _ a Muslim house of worship, still under
construction
_ is more than a piece of private property. It is a sacred place, a
place
where people will come to set aside their cares, create inner peace and
worship God.
"The violent acts at this site are a deep insult, not just to the
Muslim
people, but to everyone who values New Jersey's diversity and culture,
and
to everyone who believes in America's commitment to be a safe haven
from
religious or ethic persecution," the governor said.
Police have assigned extra patrols at the site during nighttime hours.
The attack also drew condemnation from the Anti-Defamation League. Shai
Goldstein, the group's New Jersey director, decried the vandalism as
"an
attack on the essence of our democratic right to freedom of worship _
the
First Amendment right that we all share and treasure."
"It is an attack on the Muslim community, the Jewish community, the
Hindu
community, the Christian community and all communities of faith,"
Goldstein
said.
The Islamic Center currently meets in a building on Route 9 in
Lakewood.
ALSO SEE:
VANDALISM PLAGUES NEW ISLAMIC CENTER
Maryann Spoto, Star-Ledger, 4/23/04
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1082701975191780.xml
When construction crews showed up for work earlier this week at a new
mosque for the Islamic Center of Ocean County, they found what is
becoming
a familiar sight: Broken windows, punched-out wallboard and metal
frames
twisted around steel beams.
And as they've done so many times before, they've repaired the acts of
vandalism, then continued construction on the first permanent home for
this
small congregation of Muslims located in one of the last rural sections
of
Dover Township.
The New Jersey office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
called
the latest vandalism one of the worst cases on a mosque and suspects
that
it is more than just pranks by teenagers.
"Now it seems it's a pattern of abuse," said Faiza Ali, the council's
executive director. "Obviously someone doesn't want this mosque to go
up."
The latest vandalism, discovered on Monday, was the seventh incident
since
construction of the mosque began four years ago, and police are trying
to
determine whether to classify it as a bias incident.
Police promised to beef up patrols in the area, and the congregation
has
erected a fence around the perimeter of the construction site at
Whitesville Road and Route 70 west.
The vandalism at the Ocean County site is another example of the
increased
violence against Muslims in the aftermath of 9/11, said Rabiah Ahmed,
spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Incidents
against Muslim-Americans have been on the rise, possibly because of the
escalation of violence in Iraq between civilians and the U.S. military,
she
said.
"It's an alarming concern for us because we have been hearing about so
many
of these cases in the past few weeks," Ahmed said...
-----
INCARNATE WORD DECIDES TO DROP 'CRUSADERS'
Tom Orsborn, Express-News, 4/23/04
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA23.01A.COL_UIW_nickname_change.5778672d.html
The University of the Incarnate Word will begin the next school year
with a
new mascot for its athletic teams after administrators decided
Crusaders is
offensive to Muslims and inappropriate for a Catholic institution with
a
multicultural mission.
"We need a mascot that is more culturally sensitive if we are going to
continue to have international students and international programs,"
said
faculty member Michael Risku, chairman of the school's mascot task
force,
an 11-member committee charged with finding a new symbol...
The Crusader has served as UIW's mascot since 1980. But in the
post-9-11
era, the school's planning commission and faculty senate made the
decision
to dump it after concluding UIW needs a mascot that is more culturally
sensitive, Risku said.
Voting among students for a new mascot ends on April 30. The task force
presented students with a list of 46 mascots to choose from, ranging
from
Angels to Wolves...
The Islamic community has welcomed the move. Nearly 3,200 people of the
Islamic faith are members of a local mosque, according to the American
Religion Data Archive.
"I'm so glad to hear that they are changing their mascot," said Sarwat
Husain, executive director of the local chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations. "I am a graduate (of UIW). I loved that
place.
But the only thing that bothered me about the school was that name.
"(Crusaders) did not send the right message to the community. Incarnate
Word is one of the most tolerant places in our community. Using
Crusaders
made it sound like the school was not tolerant. It did not match the
way
that university is. It would be the same as a Muslim school calling
itself
'the extremists' or 'the radicals...'"
-----
ARAR FAMILY SUES GOVERNMENT FOR $400M
CBC, 4/22/04
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/04/22/canada/arar040422
OTTAWA - Maher Arar and his family are suing the Canadian government
for
$400-million, according to the National Post.
The suit claims authorities breached Arar's charter rights and were
guilty
of racism when they pursued an investigation into his alleged extremist
links in 2002.
The court filing contains several allegations, including negligence,
negligent investigation, defamation, false imprisonment, assault and
abuse
of public office.
Other parties named in the suit include CSIS, the RCMP and Foreign
Affairs
department officials in Syria and in New York.
The family says the authorities employed illegal and unconstitutional
means
to conduct a biased investigation on the basis of unreliable
information.
A Syrian-born Canadian citizen, Arar is seeking $50 million in damages
and
$20 million in punitive damages, as well as unspecified special
damages,
interest and costs, the newspaper reported. Eleven family members
including
his wife, Monia Mazigh, are seeking $30 million each in damages.
Mazigh is running in the next federal election for the New Democrats in
the
riding of Ottawa South...
-----
CONCERT TO CELEBRATE THE VALUES, ORIGINS AND BELIEFS OF THREE FAITHS
Korry Keeker, Juneau Empire, 4/22/04
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/042204/thi_faiths.shtml
Last November, longtime Juneau resident Dixie Belcher visited Islamic
and
Christian leaders in Lebanon and Syria.
"Syria might be the friendliest country I'd ever been in," Belcher
said.
"People would stop us on the street and ask where we were from. If you
weren't careful, you'd end up in their house for coffee."
The trip reaffirmed her belief in a "common humanity," a theme she
plans to
revisit in the 90-minute music festival "A Celebration of the Children
of
Abraham," 8 p.m. Sunday, April 25, at St. Paul's Catholic Church in the
Valley. The night will celebrate the values, origins and beliefs of
Christianity, Islam and Judaism with more than 80 singers and musicians
performing chants, folk music, gospel, canons and klesmer music.
A $10 donation will be accepted at the door...
The evening will begin at 8 p.m. with the ceremonial blowing of a ram's
horn and an Islamic call to prayer. Out-of-town soloists include
Anchorage
black gospel singer Shirley Staten and former Juneau performer Rory
Stitt.
The night will include speeches from Ann El-Moslimany, director of the
Seattle Islamic School; Norm Cohen, head of Juneau's Jewish community;
and
the Rev. Jay Olson, a Presbyterian minister...
------
FBI KEEPS YEMENI JAILED
Caryl Clarke, York Daily Record, 4/22/04
http://ydr.com/story/main/22620/
An attorney for a Yemeni man being held in the York County Prison as a
possible terrorist had harsh words for the federal government this week
after recently learning the FBI has no records on his client.
Attorney Farhad Sethna of Akron, Ohio, said the 18-month detention of
Ashraf Al-Jailani is a great injustice if there aren't any records of
an
investigation.
FBI Special Agent Roger Charnesky had testified against Al-Jailani
before
Immigration Court Judge Walter Durling in October.
The agent alleged connections between Al-Jailani and suspected
terrorists
through five hours of testimony.
Sethna asked the agent if he had ever interviewed Al-Jailani.
Charnesky said he hadn't. It would have been a waste of time, he said,
because people involved with terrorist organizations don't tell the
truth.
Al-Jailani, a geochemist, matched the profile for a terrorist as a
highly
educated Muslim man married to an American and working in a job beneath
his
abilities, the agent said.
If the accusations were true, Judge Durling said at the October
hearing,
the defendant should be in the custody of U.S. marshals instead of
taking
up time in immigration court.
Al-Jailani, a 40-year-old permanent legal resident who had been working
in
a soap-making factory, was arrested in October 2002 for deportation
based
on his no-contest plea to a 1998 domestic violence charge, which Ohio
Gov.
Bob Taft pardoned in 2001...
ALSO SEE:
VIGIL TO SHED LIGHT ON PROFILING, DETAINEE'S PLIGHT
Lauri Lebo, York Dispatch, 4/22/04
http://www.yorkdispatch.com/Stories/0,1413,138~10023~2101337,00.html
The Peace and Justice Foundation is holding a candlelight vigil
tomorrow at
York County Prison on behalf of an immigration detainee and to create
awareness of what it calls racial profiling by the federal government.
Mohammad Khaldoun Eizeddin, 26, of Syria was detained at an airport
March 9
as he was leaving the U.S. Immigration officials have charged him with
visa
fraud.
Mauri Saalakham, who heads the Silver Spring, Md.-based Peace and
Justice
Foundation became aware of Eizeddin's case through what he calls
Eizeddin's
wide range of community support...
Eizeddin, who had been residing in the United States for about a year,
had
been employed by an Allentown mosque, but was in the middle of changing
jobs, Saalakham said.
He was reapplying for a revised visa when he was arrested, Saalakham
said.
York's Coalition for Immigrants' Rights at the Community Level also is
participating in the vigil.
Executive director Kathleen Lucas said there is a selective enforcement
of
immigration laws and men from predominantly Muslim countries are being
thrown in jail for minor infractions such as overstaying a visa.
She said the vigil is also to protest against the federal government's
policy of jailing asylum seekers...
-----
WHITE HOUSE SAYS IRAQ SOVEREIGNTY COULD BE LIMITED
Steven R. Weisman, New York Times, 4/23/04
http://nytimes.com/2004/04/23/politics/23DIPL.html?hp
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration's plans for a new caretaker
government
in Iraq would place severe limits on its sovereignty, including only
partial command over its armed forces and no authority to enact new
laws,
administration officials said Thursday.
These restrictions to the plan negotiated with Lakhdar Brahimi, the
special
United Nations envoy, were presented in detail for the first time by
top
administration officials at Congressional hearings this week,
culminating
in long and intense questioning on Thursday at the Senate Foreign
Relations
Committee's hearing on the goal of returning Iraq to self-rule on June
30.
Only 10 weeks from the scheduled transfer of sovereignty, the
administration is still not sure exactly who will govern in Baghdad, or
precisely how they will be selected. A week ago, President Bush agreed
to a
recommendation by Mr. Brahimi to dismantle the existing Iraqi Governing
Council, which was handpicked by the United States, and to replace it
with
a caretaker government whose makeup is to be decided next month.
That government would stay in power until elections could be held,
beginning next year.
The administration's plans seem likely to face objections on several
fronts. Several European and United Nations diplomats have said in
interviews that they do not think the United Nations will approve a
Security Council resolution sought by Washington that handcuffs the new
Iraq government in its authority over its own armed forces, let alone
foreign forces on its soil...
-----
ISRAEL SAID STILL MAKING NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Susanna Loof, Associated Press, 4/21/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=Nuclear%20Israel
VIENNA, Austria -- Israel continues to produce atomic weapons and
already
has hundreds of nuclear warheads, researchers said as the country
released
a man imprisoned for 18 years for leaking nuclear secrets.
Because Israel is not party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, the
Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency has no power to look
into
its nuclear program.
The U.N. agency, however, is seeking contacts with Israel, and
Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei repeatedly has called for talks on
eliminating weapons of mass destruction from the Middle East.
Israeli authorities on Wednesday freed Mordechai Vanunu, jailed for
leaking
details and pictures of Israel's alleged nuclear weapons program.
Israel neither confirms nor denies it has nuclear weapons, and refuses
to
discuss such allegations.
Israel continues to make nuclear weapons, said Friedrich Steinhaeusler,
a
former IAEA nuclear safety expert who now is a physics professor at the
University of Salzburg.
The best estimates put the size of the Israeli arsenal at 150 nuclear
weapons, Steinhaeusler said. With air, sea and land-based launching
systems, "they have the Middle East under control," he said...
ALSO SEE:
U.S. CHANGES VISA RULES FOR ISRAELIS
Middle East Newsline, 4/23/04
http://menewsline.com/stories/2004/april/04_23_4.html
JERUSALEM -- The U.S. State Department has agreed to revise regulations
for
Israelis who seek entry visas.
U.S. officials said the department agreed to waive visa restrictions
for
Israelis born in countries deemed as sponsors of terrorist groups.
These
Israelis had been required to undergo special checks and their visa
applications were reviewed in Washington.
The new regulations allow U.S. consuls in the embassy in Tel Aviv and
the
consulate in Jerusalem to decide the visa applications of these
Israelis.
They affect Israelis born such countries as Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya,
Syria
and North Korea.
"It will dramatically ease the burden for Israelis traveling to the
United
States," U.S. ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer said.
-----
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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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR ACTION ALERT #422
BOSTON RADIO HOST SAYS KILL ALL MUSLIMS
CAIR urges Muslims to call for host’s termination
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 4/23/2004) – In its first “Hate Hurts America”
action
alert, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling for
the
termination of Jay Severin, a Boston-area radio talk show host, who
allegedly said, “Let’s kill all Muslims” in his Thursday afternoon
program.
WTKK-FM General Manager Matt Mills told CAIR that in a discussion about
how
Severin claims Muslims want to take over America, even if it takes
centuries, Severin said, “I’ve got an idea, let’s kill all Muslims.”
While Mills said that he would speak to Severin to “make sure it
doesn’t
happen again,” he did acknowledge that if Severin had said the same
thing
about African-Americans that he would no longer be on the air.
“I have spoken to Jay Severin and he knows we take this seriously and
do
not condone offensive remarks toward any religious groups and he will
be
apologizing on his show Monday afternoon,” Mills said in an email. “He
did
not intend to offend anyone.”
CAIR Chairman Omar Ahmad said: “We believe a mere reprimand and apology
is
insufficient and demand that he be taken off the air as he would be if
he
had attacked any other religious or ethnic group.”
Ahmad added that such hateful rhetoric has a direct impact on the
American
Muslim community. He cited examples of anti-Muslim incidents that took
place recently in Texas, such as a shooting at a Denton mosque, an
e-mailed
threat against the Islamic Center of El Paso (authorities have made an
arrest in this case), arson attacks on Muslim businesses in San Antonio
and
racist graffiti scrawled on the interior of a Lubbock mosque.
Last week, CAIR announced a new campaign designed to counter
anti-Muslim
hate on radio talk shows. The campaign, called "Hate Hurts America," is
based on the premise that the increasing attacks on Islam by
conservative
talk show hosts harm the United States by creating a downward spiral of
interfaith mistrust and hostility.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 25 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be firm but POLITE.)
1. Contact Matt Mills, WTKK-FM General Manager, to ask that he fire Jay
Severin for his anti-Muslim remarks.
Mr. .Matt Mills
55 William T Morrissey Blvd.
Dorchester, MA 02125-3315
Phone: (617) 822-9600
Fax: (617) 822-6859
E-MAIL: mmills@greaterbostonradio.com
COPY TO: cair@cair-net.org
2. Contact Mr. Severin’s sponsors and make them aware of your concerns.
Smile Boston - Dr. Steven Spitz
665 Beacon Street, Suite 202
Boston, MA 02215
617-437-1060
www.smileboston.net
J.D. Associates - A Division of Mander, Inc.
Longview Corporate Center
80 Erdman Way, Suite 301
Leominster, MA 01453
(978) 840-2096 Fax: (978) 840-2098
Toll Free: (800) 564-4488
The Camera Company
858 Providence Highway
Norwood, MA 02062
1-781-769-0210
The Post Club
313 Washington St.
Newton, MA 02458
617-332-2582
EDC-Excell Data & Communications Inc
464 High Street
Clinton MA 01510
Phone: 800-947-3882
Village Restaurant
55 Main St.
Rt. 22 & 133
Essex, MA 01929
1-978-768-6400
Kitchen Sales, Inc.
60 Manley Street
West Bridgewater, Ma 02379
1-508-588-1234
Toll free 1-800-553-4330
The Countertop Shoppe
853 N. Main Street Suite 202
Leominster, MA 01453
Toll free at: (800) 714-8114
Fax: (978) 537- 4694
Yale Appliance
296 Freeport Street
Boston, MA 02122
1-617-825-YALE
Seasonal Pool & Patio
256 Cambridge Street Rte 3A
Burlington MA 01803
Phone: 781 272-8422
(A COMPLETE LIST OF JAY SEVERIN’S SPONSORS MAY BE LOCATED AT:
http://www.969fmtalk.com UNDER FM TALK ADVERTISERS.)
3. Join CAIR’s “Hate Hurts America” campaign by listening to radio
talk
shows and documenting any anti-Muslim content with exact quotes from
the
program. Record the show. Label and date your tapes, and indicate the
time
on the tape of the most offensive quotes. Report all incidents to CAIR
by
calling 202-488-8787, faxing 202-488-0833, or e-mailing:
cair@cair-net.org
- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE –
-----
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http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
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-----
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Fri, 23 Apr 2004 18:52:27 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
ISLAM-INFONET: TX Man Arrested for Bias-Motivated Threat on
Mosque
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 4/23/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: EVEN THE BIRDS PRAISE GOD
* TX: AUTHORITIES ARREST MAN FOR BIAS-MOTIVATED THREAT ON MOSQUE
* NJ: STATE TO PROBE MOSQUE VANDALISM AS BIAS CRIME (AP)
- Vandalism Plagues New Islamic Center (Star-Ledger)
* TX: INCARNATE WORD DECIDES TO DROP 'CRUSADERS' (Express-News)
* CAN: ARAR FAMILY SUES GOVERNMENT FOR $400M (CBC)
* CONCERT TO CELEBRATE THE VALUES OF 3 FAITHS (Juneau Empire)
* FBI KEEPS YEMENI JAILED (York Daily Record)
- Vigil to Shed Light on Detainee's Plight (York Dispatch)
* WHITE HOUSE: IRAQ SOVEREIGNTY COULD BE LIMITED (NY Times)
* ISRAEL SAID STILL MAKING NUCLEAR WEAPONS (AP)
- U.S. Changes Visa Rules for Israelis (ME Newsline)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: EVEN THE BIRDS PRAISE GOD
“Seest thou not that it is God whose praises all beings in the heavens
and
on earth do celebrate, (even) the birds (of the air) with wings
outspread?
Each one knows its own (mode of) prayer and praise.
The Holy Quran, Chapter 24, Verse 41
-----
TX CASE UPDATE: FEDERAL AUTHORITIES ARREST MAN FOR BIAS-MOTIVATED
THREAT ON
TEXAS ISLAMIC CENTER
The Department of Justice today announced the arrest of an El Paso man
allegedly responsible for threatening to destroy an area Islamic
Center. Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights R. Alexander
Acosta
and United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas Johnny
Sutton
announced the arrest of Jared Bjarnason for allegedly sending a threat
to
the El Paso Islamic Center on April 18, 2004.
Bjarnason, a 30-year-old resident of El Paso, Texas, was arrested
yesterday
following a complaint filed in the United States District Court for the
Western District of Texas. The complaint charges the defendant with
sending an electronic mail message to the Islamic Center threatening
violence against the Center and its members. Specifically, the message
threatened to burn the Islamic Center's mosque to the ground, if
hostages
held in Iraq were not freed within three days.
The defendant is scheduled to have an initial appearance today before
U.S. Magistrate Richard P. Mesa at 2:00 p.m. MT. The crime charged is
punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine. The defendant is
considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) would like to thank
the
Department of Justice for its action. CAIR brought the incident to the
public’s attention on Monday when it issued a press release calling for
the
FBI to investigate the email threat – the latest in a series of
incidents
targeting the Muslim community in Texas. (SEE:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=1067&page=NR).
-----
NJ: STATE TO PROBE MOSQUE VANDALISM AS BIAS CRIME
Wayne Parry, Associated Press, 4/23/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-nj--mosquevandalized0423apr23,0,4395793.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire
NEWARK, N.J. - The state Attorney General's Office will investigate the
vandalism of a Toms River mosque under construction as a bias crime.
Attorney General Peter Harvey, responding to a request made by local
and
national Muslim organizations, has assigned investigators from the
office
of bias crimes to pursue those responsible for damage done over the
weekend.
Vandals drew swastikas on the partially finished building, which is to
be
the new home of the Islamic Center of Ocean County, punched holes in
the
walls and left graffiti, including the words "Hail Hitler."
They also damaged the framework of the building and broke windows on a
trailer at the site.
Mosque officials said it was the seventh time the site was vandalized
since
construction began in 2000. Previous attacks included damaged plumbing,
a
sign and trailer set ablaze and damage to windows and walls. The
vandalism
has cost $10,000 to $15,000 to repair, they said.
"Incidents of arson and vandalism are always despicable," Gov.
McGreevey
said. "But this site _ a Muslim house of worship, still under
construction
_ is more than a piece of private property. It is a sacred place, a
place
where people will come to set aside their cares, create inner peace and
worship God.
"The violent acts at this site are a deep insult, not just to the
Muslim
people, but to everyone who values New Jersey's diversity and culture,
and
to everyone who believes in America's commitment to be a safe haven
from
religious or ethic persecution," the governor said.
Police have assigned extra patrols at the site during nighttime hours.
The attack also drew condemnation from the Anti-Defamation League. Shai
Goldstein, the group's New Jersey director, decried the vandalism as
"an
attack on the essence of our democratic right to freedom of worship _
the
First Amendment right that we all share and treasure."
"It is an attack on the Muslim community, the Jewish community, the
Hindu
community, the Christian community and all communities of faith,"
Goldstein
said.
The Islamic Center currently meets in a building on Route 9 in
Lakewood.
ALSO SEE:
VANDALISM PLAGUES NEW ISLAMIC CENTER
Maryann Spoto, Star-Ledger, 4/23/04
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1082701975191780.xml
When construction crews showed up for work earlier this week at a new
mosque for the Islamic Center of Ocean County, they found what is
becoming
a familiar sight: Broken windows, punched-out wallboard and metal
frames
twisted around steel beams.
And as they've done so many times before, they've repaired the acts of
vandalism, then continued construction on the first permanent home for
this
small congregation of Muslims located in one of the last rural sections
of
Dover Township.
The New Jersey office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
called
the latest vandalism one of the worst cases on a mosque and suspects
that
it is more than just pranks by teenagers.
"Now it seems it's a pattern of abuse," said Faiza Ali, the council's
executive director. "Obviously someone doesn't want this mosque to go
up."
The latest vandalism, discovered on Monday, was the seventh incident
since
construction of the mosque began four years ago, and police are trying
to
determine whether to classify it as a bias incident.
Police promised to beef up patrols in the area, and the congregation
has
erected a fence around the perimeter of the construction site at
Whitesville Road and Route 70 west.
The vandalism at the Ocean County site is another example of the
increased
violence against Muslims in the aftermath of 9/11, said Rabiah Ahmed,
spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Incidents
against Muslim-Americans have been on the rise, possibly because of the
escalation of violence in Iraq between civilians and the U.S. military,
she
said.
"It's an alarming concern for us because we have been hearing about so
many
of these cases in the past few weeks," Ahmed said...
-----
TX: INCARNATE WORD DECIDES TO DROP 'CRUSADERS'
Tom Orsborn, Express-News, 4/23/04
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA23.01A.COL_UIW_nickname_change.5778672d.html
The University of the Incarnate Word will begin the next school year
with a
new mascot for its athletic teams after administrators decided
Crusaders is
offensive to Muslims and inappropriate for a Catholic institution with
a
multicultural mission.
"We need a mascot that is more culturally sensitive if we are going to
continue to have international students and international programs,"
said
faculty member Michael Risku, chairman of the school's mascot task
force,
an 11-member committee charged with finding a new symbol...
The Crusader has served as UIW's mascot since 1980. But in the
post-9-11
era, the school's planning commission and faculty senate made the
decision
to dump it after concluding UIW needs a mascot that is more culturally
sensitive, Risku said.
Voting among students for a new mascot ends on April 30. The task force
presented students with a list of 46 mascots to choose from, ranging
from
Angels to Wolves...
The Islamic community has welcomed the move. Nearly 3,200 people of the
Islamic faith are members of a local mosque, according to the American
Religion Data Archive.
"I'm so glad to hear that they are changing their mascot," said Sarwat
Husain, executive director of the local chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations. "I am a graduate (of UIW). I loved that
place.
But the only thing that bothered me about the school was that name.
"(Crusaders) did not send the right message to the community. Incarnate
Word is one of the most tolerant places in our community. Using
Crusaders
made it sound like the school was not tolerant. It did not match the
way
that university is. It would be the same as a Muslim school calling
itself
'the extremists' or 'the radicals...'"
-----
CAN: ARAR FAMILY SUES GOVERNMENT FOR $400M
CBC, 4/22/04
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/04/22/canada/arar040422
OTTAWA - Maher Arar and his family are suing the Canadian government
for
$400-million, according to the National Post.
The suit claims authorities breached Arar's charter rights and were
guilty
of racism when they pursued an investigation into his alleged extremist
links in 2002.
The court filing contains several allegations, including negligence,
negligent investigation, defamation, false imprisonment, assault and
abuse
of public office.
Other parties named in the suit include CSIS, the RCMP and Foreign
Affairs
department officials in Syria and in New York.
The family says the authorities employed illegal and unconstitutional
means
to conduct a biased investigation on the basis of unreliable
information.
A Syrian-born Canadian citizen, Arar is seeking $50 million in damages
and
$20 million in punitive damages, as well as unspecified special
damages,
interest and costs, the newspaper reported. Eleven family members
including
his wife, Monia Mazigh, are seeking $30 million each in damages.
Mazigh is running in the next federal election for the New Democrats in
the
riding of Ottawa South...
-----
CONCERT TO CELEBRATE THE VALUES, ORIGINS AND BELIEFS OF THREE FAITHS
Korry Keeker, Juneau Empire, 4/22/04
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/042204/thi_faiths.shtml
Last November, longtime Juneau resident Dixie Belcher visited Islamic
and
Christian leaders in Lebanon and Syria.
"Syria might be the friendliest country I'd ever been in," Belcher
said.
"People would stop us on the street and ask where we were from. If you
weren't careful, you'd end up in their house for coffee."
The trip reaffirmed her belief in a "common humanity," a theme she
plans to
revisit in the 90-minute music festival "A Celebration of the Children
of
Abraham," 8 p.m. Sunday, April 25, at St. Paul's Catholic Church in the
Valley. The night will celebrate the values, origins and beliefs of
Christianity, Islam and Judaism with more than 80 singers and musicians
performing chants, folk music, gospel, canons and klesmer music.
A $10 donation will be accepted at the door...
The evening will begin at 8 p.m. with the ceremonial blowing of a ram's
horn and an Islamic call to prayer. Out-of-town soloists include
Anchorage
black gospel singer Shirley Staten and former Juneau performer Rory
Stitt.
The night will include speeches from Ann El-Moslimany, director of the
Seattle Islamic School; Norm Cohen, head of Juneau's Jewish community;
and
the Rev. Jay Olson, a Presbyterian minister...
------
FBI KEEPS YEMENI JAILED
Caryl Clarke, York Daily Record, 4/22/04
http://ydr.com/story/main/22620/
An attorney for a Yemeni man being held in the York County Prison as a
possible terrorist had harsh words for the federal government this week
after recently learning the FBI has no records on his client.
Attorney Farhad Sethna of Akron, Ohio, said the 18-month detention of
Ashraf Al-Jailani is a great injustice if there aren't any records of
an
investigation.
FBI Special Agent Roger Charnesky had testified against Al-Jailani
before
Immigration Court Judge Walter Durling in October.
The agent alleged connections between Al-Jailani and suspected
terrorists
through five hours of testimony.
Sethna asked the agent if he had ever interviewed Al-Jailani.
Charnesky said he hadn't. It would have been a waste of time, he said,
because people involved with terrorist organizations don't tell the
truth.
Al-Jailani, a geochemist, matched the profile for a terrorist as a
highly
educated Muslim man married to an American and working in a job beneath
his
abilities, the agent said.
If the accusations were true, Judge Durling said at the October
hearing,
the defendant should be in the custody of U.S. marshals instead of
taking
up time in immigration court.
Al-Jailani, a 40-year-old permanent legal resident who had been working
in
a soap-making factory, was arrested in October 2002 for deportation
based
on his no-contest plea to a 1998 domestic violence charge, which Ohio
Gov.
Bob Taft pardoned in 2001...
ALSO SEE:
VIGIL TO SHED LIGHT ON PROFILING, DETAINEE'S PLIGHT
Lauri Lebo, York Dispatch, 4/22/04
http://www.yorkdispatch.com/Stories/0,1413,138~10023~2101337,00.html
The Peace and Justice Foundation is holding a candlelight vigil
tomorrow at
York County Prison on behalf of an immigration detainee and to create
awareness of what it calls racial profiling by the federal government.
Mohammad Khaldoun Eizeddin, 26, of Syria was detained at an airport
March 9
as he was leaving the U.S. Immigration officials have charged him with
visa
fraud.
Mauri Saalakham, who heads the Silver Spring, Md.-based Peace and
Justice
Foundation became aware of Eizeddin's case through what he calls
Eizeddin's
wide range of community support...
Eizeddin, who had been residing in the United States for about a year,
had
been employed by an Allentown mosque, but was in the middle of changing
jobs, Saalakham said.
He was reapplying for a revised visa when he was arrested, Saalakham
said.
York's Coalition for Immigrants' Rights at the Community Level also is
participating in the vigil.
Executive director Kathleen Lucas said there is a selective enforcement
of
immigration laws and men from predominantly Muslim countries are being
thrown in jail for minor infractions such as overstaying a visa.
She said the vigil is also to protest against the federal government's
policy of jailing asylum seekers...
-----
WHITE HOUSE SAYS IRAQ SOVEREIGNTY COULD BE LIMITED
Steven R. Weisman, New York Times, 4/23/04
http://nytimes.com/2004/04/23/politics/23DIPL.html?hp
WASHINGTON — The Bush administration's plans for a new caretaker
government
in Iraq would place severe limits on its sovereignty, including only
partial command over its armed forces and no authority to enact new
laws,
administration officials said Thursday.
These restrictions to the plan negotiated with Lakhdar Brahimi, the
special
United Nations envoy, were presented in detail for the first time by
top
administration officials at Congressional hearings this week,
culminating
in long and intense questioning on Thursday at the Senate Foreign
Relations
Committee's hearing on the goal of returning Iraq to self-rule on June
30.
Only 10 weeks from the scheduled transfer of sovereignty, the
administration is still not sure exactly who will govern in Baghdad, or
precisely how they will be selected. A week ago, President Bush agreed
to a
recommendation by Mr. Brahimi to dismantle the existing Iraqi Governing
Council, which was handpicked by the United States, and to replace it
with
a caretaker government whose makeup is to be decided next month.
That government would stay in power until elections could be held,
beginning next year.
The administration's plans seem likely to face objections on several
fronts. Several European and United Nations diplomats have said in
interviews that they do not think the United Nations will approve a
Security Council resolution sought by Washington that handcuffs the new
Iraq government in its authority over its own armed forces, let alone
foreign forces on its soil...
-----
ISRAEL SAID STILL MAKING NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Susanna Loof, Associated Press, 4/21/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=Nuclear%20Israel
VIENNA, Austria -- Israel continues to produce atomic weapons and
already
has hundreds of nuclear warheads, researchers said as the country
released
a man imprisoned for 18 years for leaking nuclear secrets.
Because Israel is not party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, the
Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency has no power to look
into
its nuclear program.
The U.N. agency, however, is seeking contacts with Israel, and
Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei repeatedly has called for talks on
eliminating weapons of mass destruction from the Middle East.
Israeli authorities on Wednesday freed Mordechai Vanunu, jailed for
leaking
details and pictures of Israel's alleged nuclear weapons program.
Israel neither confirms nor denies it has nuclear weapons, and refuses
to
discuss such allegations.
Israel continues to make nuclear weapons, said Friedrich Steinhaeusler,
a
former IAEA nuclear safety expert who now is a physics professor at the
University of Salzburg.
The best estimates put the size of the Israeli arsenal at 150 nuclear
weapons, Steinhaeusler said. With air, sea and land-based launching
systems, "they have the Middle East under control," he said...
ALSO SEE:
U.S. CHANGES VISA RULES FOR ISRAELIS
Middle East Newsline, 4/23/04
http://menewsline.com/stories/2004/april/04_23_4.html
JERUSALEM -- The U.S. State Department has agreed to revise regulations
for
Israelis who seek entry visas.
U.S. officials said the department agreed to waive visa restrictions
for
Israelis born in countries deemed as sponsors of terrorist groups.
These
Israelis had been required to undergo special checks and their visa
applications were reviewed in Washington.
The new regulations allow U.S. consuls in the embassy in Tel Aviv and
the
consulate in Jerusalem to decide the visa applications of these
Israelis.
They affect Israelis born such countries as Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya,
Syria
and North Korea.
"It will dramatically ease the burden for Israelis traveling to the
United
States," U.S. ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer said.
-----
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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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Fri, 23 Apr 2004 19:03:47 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
ISLAM-INFONET: Boston Radio Host Says Kill All Muslims
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BOSTON RADIO HOST SAYS KILL ALL MUSLIMS
Islamic civil rights group calls for host's termination
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 4/23/2004) - The Council on American-Islamic
Relations
(CAIR) today called for the termination of a Boston-area radio talk
show
host who allegedly said, "Let's kill all Muslims."
CAIR made that demand after receiving a complaint from a concerned
Muslim
who heard WTKK-FM (www.969fmtalk.com) host Jay Severin's Thursday
afternoon
program. WTKK-FM General Manager Matt Mills told CAIR that in a
discussion
about how Severin claims Muslims want to take over America, even if it
takes centuries, Severin said, "I've got an idea, let's kill all
Muslims."
"I have spoken to Jay Severin and he knows we take this seriously and
do
not condone offensive remarks toward any religious groups and he will
be
apologizing on his show Monday afternoon," said Mills in an e-mail. "He
did
not intend to offend anyone."
Yet, Mills also acknowledged to CAIR that if Severin had said the same
thing about African-Americans that he would no longer be on the air.
CAIR Chairman Omar Ahmad said: "We believe a mere reprimand and apology
is
insufficient and demand that he be taken off the air as he would be if
he
had attacked any other religious or ethnic group."
Ahmad added that such hateful rhetoric has a direct impact on the
American
Muslim community. He cited examples of anti-Muslim incidents that took
place recently in Texas, such as a shooting at a Denton mosque, an
e-mailed
threat against the Islamic Center of El Paso (authorities made an
arrest in
this case today), arson attacks on Muslim businesses in San Antonio and
racist graffiti scrawled on the interior of a Lubbock mosque.
The alarming increase of hate crimes against the Muslim community
required
CAIR today to issue a security advisory for American Muslims. The
"Muslim
Community Safety Kit" booklet, designed to help local Islamic leaders
protect institutions and individuals, may be obtained by e-mailing
pubs@cair-net.org or calling 202-488-8787.
Last week, CAIR announced a new campaign designed to counter
anti-Muslim
hate on radio talk shows. The campaign, called "Hate Hurts America," is
based on the premise that the increasing attacks on Islam by talk show
hosts harm the United States by creating a downward spiral of
interfaith
mistrust and hostility.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail: rahmed@cair-net.org; Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or
202-744-7726,
E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org.
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
Forwarded Message
Date:
Mon, 26 Apr 2004 16:22:19 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: OR Mayor Skips Prayer After Muslim Disinvited
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 4/26/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: BETTER TO FORGIVE
* CAIR-CAN: MUSLIMS GIVEN 'KNOW YOUR RIGHTS' GUIDE (CP)
- Highlights from the CAIR 'Know Your Rights' Guide
* OR: MAYOR SKIPS PRAYER AFTER MUSLIM DISINVITED (Oregonian)
* MI: CALL TO PRAY UPROAR TESTS TOLERANCE (Detroit News)
- CAIR Rep Discusses Call to Prayer on CNN
* MA: ISLAMIC GROUP SEEKS FIRING OF RADIO HOST (Boston Globe)
* TX: CHAPLAIN'S SON ARRESTED FOR MOSQUE THREAT (El Paso Times)
- NJ: Teens Charged in Vandalizing Mosque (AP)
* VA: MAN CLAIMS INNOCENCE BUT FACES DEPORTATION (Times-Disp)
- CA: Muslims Groups Target of Laws (Tri-Valley Herald)
* MUSLIM COMICS LAUGH IN THE FACE OF INTOLERANCE (Wash Post)
* DEMOCRATS SEEK PROBE OF ARMY CHAPLAIN'S TREATMENT (Reuters)
- Translator's Lawyers Cite Contradictions (Wash Post)
* MN: ISLAMIC GROUP JOINS SOCIAL JUSTICE LOBBY (Star Trib)
* BANISHED FROM THE AMERICAN DREAM (Salon.com)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: BETTER TO FORGIVE
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
-----
MUSLIMS GIVEN HANDBOOK ON DEALING WITH CSIS
RITA TRICHUR, CANADIAN PRESS, 4/25/04
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2004/04/25/436342-cp.html
An Islamic group is distributing a pocket guide to Canadian Muslims
advising them what to do if CSIS or the RCMP tries to interrogate them
about terrorism.
Almost 30,000 copies of the Know Your Rights guide are already in
circulation across the country and demand is growing among Muslims left
shaken by sensational headlines following recent anti-terrorism raids.
The blue and black soft-cover booklet is smaller than a credit card,
and
the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations Canada is
encouraging
Muslims on its website to "keep it in your wallet - you may need it
when
you least expect it."
"We've received a number of complaints of tactics and techniques used
by
primarily CSIS, but also the RCMP, in visitations of Muslims and Arabs
in
Canada," said CAIR-CAN director Riad Saloojee, in an interview from
Ottawa.
"Most people just don't know what to do in that situation."
The 12-page guide is a layman's legal primer, offering counsel on
Canadian
legal and human rights. One section advises Muslims they are under no
obligation to talk to CSIS or the RCMP.
It also directs them not to meet with security agents without a lawyer,
assuring that such refusal will not imply deception.
Moreover, unless there's a search warrant, people can refuse entry to
their
homes or offices, the guide says. And even then, they don't have to
answer
questions, it states, while cautioning that lying to investigators is a
crime.
"We've been encouraging people to speak to CSIS and the RCMP because
they
should have nothing to hide, but we've also been telling them to do so
with
a lawyer present so that the questions are not intrusive, offensive or
sort
of witchhunt-type," said Saloojee, who is himself a lawyer…
A CSIS spokeswoman stressed that CSIS interviews are conducted on a
"voluntary basis" under strict guidelines.
"And certainly our representatives do so in a non-threatening fashion,"
said Nicole Currier, adding that CSIS does not engage in racial or
religious profiling.
And neither do the Mounties, said RCMP spokesman Staff Sgt. Paul Marsh.
"The RCMP is aware of concerns that have been expressed by certain
members
of the Muslim community concerning interactions with the police and/or
security agencies," Marsh said. "The RCMP has a zero-tolerance policy
toward racial profiling and racially biased policing..."
SEE ALSO:
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE FREE KNOW YOUR RIGHTS GUIDE
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/News/2004/04/26/436554.html
- Your right to be politically active and to hold different beliefs is
protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
- If you are visited by CSIS or the RCMP remember: You have no
obligation
to talk.
- Never meet with them or answer any questions without a lawyer
present.
- You do not have to permit them to enter your home or office without a
search warrant. If they say they have a warrant, demand to see it.
- Even if they have a warrant, you are under no obligation to answer
questions.
CAIR'S 'KNOW YOUR RIGHTS' GUIDE MAY BE OBTAINED BY E-MAILING:
United States: pubs@cair-net.org
Canada: canada@cair-net.org
-----
PRAYER ORGANIZERS DISINVITE MUSLIM; MAYOR BOWS OUT
RICHARD COLBY, The Oregonian, 4/24/04
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/10828077352517031.xml
BEAVERTON -- Organizers of the annual Mayors' Prayer Breakfast of
Washington County have voted to bar a local Muslim leader from offering
a
prayer at the event, leading Beaverton Mayor Rob Drake and other city
officials to say they'll skip the May 5 event.
"It's just broken my heart," Drake said Friday of the organizing
group's
decision this week to renege on an invitation for Shahriar Ahmed,
president
of the Bilal Mosque Association in Beaverton, to sit on the dais and
give
the concluding prayer as previously scheduled.
"I thought we had found openness and the ability to honor diversity,"
said
Drake, mayor since 1993.
He explained that because of a controversy about the event's
inclusiveness
last year, he had invited Ahmed and Rabbi David Rosenberg of Portland's
Congregation Shaarie Torah to help diversify the 19th annual prayer
breakfast.
Rosenberg said he also would not attend the breakfast. "I don't want to
see
this kind of thing, where somebody's blackballed," the rabbi said…
Roy Dancer, the fellowship's registrar for the breakfast, said he
approved
Drake's extending the invitations to Ahmed and Rosenberg several weeks
ago.
He said, however, he later realized that he "had made a grievous error
by
not going back to the board" for its approval after some prospective
attendees complained about having a Muslim giving a prayer.
Dancer said that after a two-hour debate, the organization's board
voted
7-1 to bar Ahmed, although board members knew Drake had said he
wouldn't
attend the event if they took that action.
"The Muslims are not part of the Judeo-Christian tradition," Peter
Reding,
the group's communications director, said Friday. Members objected to a
Muslim praying to Allah rather than to God as Jews and Christians do.
Reding said he was praying that Drake would change his mind and attend
the
breakfast.
Ahmed said he was disappointed about the turn of events but admired
Drake
for his stand…
ACTION REQUESTED;
Send a note of appreciation to Mayor Drake for his principled stand in
defense of religious diversity and the Muslim community.
The Honorable Rob Drake
Mayor
City of Beaverton
P.O. Box 4755
Beaverton, OR 97076
Phone: (503) 526-2497
Fax: (503) 526-2479
E-Mail: mayormail@ci.beaverton.or.us
COPY TO: cair@cair-net.org
HOME PAGE: http://www.ci.beaverton.or.us/mayor/
-----
UPROAR OVER ISLAMIC CALL TO PRAYER PITS TOLERANCE, TRADITION
Ron French and Kim Kozlowski, Detroit News, 4/26/04
http://www.detnews.com/2004/metro/0404/26/a01-133933.htm
The Islamic call to prayer is performed five times a day: at dawn,
noon,
late afternoon, dusk and evening (the exact times can vary). Across
most of
the United States, the call is done inside the mosque; in much of the
rest
of the world, it is done outside the mosque, often through loud
speakers.
English translation of the Call to Worship:
"God is great" (four times);
"I testify there is no other God but God" (twice);
"I testify Muhammad is the messenger of God" (twice);
"Come and pray" (twice);
"Come and flourish" (twice);
"God is great "(twice);
"There is no God but God" (once).
Translation by Masud Khan, secretary of Al-Islah Islamic Center,
Hamtramck
---
HAMTRAMCK - From her front porch, Alice Dembowski has watched her city
change, one tidy house at a time.
"Chinese, Polish, Bosnian, Polish, Bengali," she recites, her finger
moving
down the block. "They were all Polish at one time.
"I've made friends. I go to their weddings. (But) we're losing our
tradition and I'm getting mad," Dembowski said. "If they're going to
live
in America, why can't they be more American?"
Next month, Hamtramck will become one of the few cities in the United
States where the Islamic call to prayer is broadcast onto public
streets.
The impact of that decision is reverberating across the nation.
Loudspeakers on an old brick building in Hamtramck have become a symbol
of
the struggle between tolerance and tradition, and raise questions about
what it means to be American.
Bisera Vlahovljak, a Muslim who moved to Hamtramck 10 years ago from
Bosnia
said the call to prayer is about religious freedom.
"This is why I came to America," she said. "I think more people should
be
respectful of others' traditions."
But Jamil Olinger, who lives near the Al-Islah Islamic Center, said the
call to prayer "gets on my nerves sometimes.
"I hear (the prayers) at night," Olinger said. "I try not to pay
attention
to it, but it does bug me."
City Council President Karen Majewski said the controversy is about
"change."
"People are hearing something in this story that may have very little
to do
with Hamtramck," Majewski said. "It has to do with change."
Tuesday night, the five-member City Council is expected to give final
approval to an amendment to Hamtramck's noise ordinance that will
regulate
the calls to prayer. Twenty days later, the amendment will go into
effect,
and the al-Islah Islamic Center will be allowed to broadcast its call
to
prayer over loudspeakers.
The call to prayer, lasting one to two minutes, has been an Islamic
tradition for 1,400 years. Historically sung from the minaret of a
mosque,
today the call often is a recording played over loudspeakers.
Although it is a public event in other parts of the world, mosques in
the
United States generally give the call to prayer inside their walls.
In Hamtramck, the call will be made live, five times a day, between 6
a.m.
and 10 p.m., said Masud Khan, associate imam and secretary at al-Islah…
SEE ALSO:
CAIR REP DISCUSSES CALL TO PRAYER ON 'CNN: LIVE FROM...' (4/22/04)
http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/live.from/
And one man's prayer is another man's problem in one Michigan town. The
debate when LIVE FROM... continues. Stay with us.
JACK BURKMAN, ATTORNEY, GOP CONSULTANT: ... just because somebody has a
faith, that doesn't mean we respect it. Islam, in my mind, has come to
stand, in many ways, for nothing but violence. It started out 20 years
ago
as just a handful of crazies, guys like the ayatollah, on the fringe.
But
you know, today I look at this and I wonder, particularly as we have a
war
on American soil, if you had a tragedy in the United States again like
9/11
tomorrow, God forbid, how many people in the Islamic world -- what
percentage of the Islamic world would cheer this?
The reality is, in an age where we have this war on terror, on American
soil, it's sad, but we just can't be as free as we used to be. We just
can't throw it wide open to everything. We have to have more of a
crackdown
and we have to pay attention to some of these things.
PHILLIPS: Ibrahim, is it a peaceful chant or is it a call to arms?
IBRAHIM HOOPER, COUNCIL OF AMERICAN ISLAMIC RELATIONS: Well, it's very
disappointing when we hear this kind of bigotry displayed, that Islam
is
compared to the faith of Hitler and Stalin. This is what gets us into
this
downward spiral of hostility and mistrust. And I think allowing a call
to
prayer, which is a very reasonable thing, no different than a church
bell,
because those who hear it who are not Muslim are just going to hear
sounds.
They're not going to understand what it says. So it's very similar to a
church bell.
This sends a positive message to the Muslim world that America
accommodates
its Muslim citizens and it defuses the kind of hatred that spread by
people
like Osama bin Laden. And I resent deeply the implication that all of
Islam
represents violence...
PHILLIPS: All right. Let me ask -- Ibrahim, Ibrahim, I have listened to
this chant that's coming out of the mosque in Detroit, in the suburb
area,
Hamtramck, and it says Allah is the only god. That's the chant. The
chant
is the only god. Now that is very different from church bells,
Christian
church bells, that ring on Sunday. That's just music. So there is a
tremendous difference here.
HOOPER: The call to prayer is not an exclusionist kind of prayer, it
says
God is great. Do most people in America not believe God is great? It
says
come to prayer. Do most people in America not say, come to prayer?
These
are the kinds -- and the people who are not Muslim will not even
understand
what is being said here, it will be a sound no different than church
bell.
BURKMAN: Kyra, part of the problem -- and it's a shame we've reached
this
point, but part of the problem is, with modern Islam, not the faith,
not
the scripture, not the theology, but modern Islam, the way it's
practiced
in many parts of the world, certainly the Mideast, is that it is
becoming
very, very difficult to distinguish between the faith and the theology
and
the political violence, call to arms. And America must be sensitive to
that.
HOOPER: I think one problem you see people like my colleague here, not
making any distinction between someone who is a terrorist and someone
who
is a faithful practitioner of Islam, and that's the problem...
-----
ISLAMIC GROUP SEEKS FIRING OF RADIO HOST
Jessica Bennett, Boston Globe, 4/25/04
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/04/25/islamic_group_seeks_firing_of_radio_host/
A national Islamic antidefamation organization called Friday for the
firing
of Boston talk-radio host Jay Severin after he allegedly suggested in
his
afternoon talk show that the United States should "kill all Muslims."
The statement -- made during Severin's show Thursday on WTKK-FM -- was
allegedly part of a discussion about how Severin believes Muslims want
to
take over the world, said Rabiah Ahmed, a spokeswoman for the Council
on
American-Islamic Relations.
She said he then remarked, "I've got an idea, let's kill all Muslims."
The council was notified of the statement by a caller, Ahmed said.
"This type of hate speech affects everyone," Ahmed said, adding that
she
spoke with WTKK's general manager on Friday. "It causes a downward
spiral
of hostility toward interfaith relations . . . and our society should
not
tolerate it."
Matthew Mills, WTKK's general manager, declined to comment on Severin's
alleged comments yesterday. But WHDH television reported that a WTKK
representative said Severin would apologize on his show Monday.
Ahmed said that on Friday, Mills told her organization that the
statement
was taken out of context.
"He said that [Severin] wasn't talking about American Muslims, he was
talking about Muslims outside the US…but I don't know how a statement
like
`lets kill all Muslims' can be put in any type of context that would be
OK," Ahmed said. "We recognize the importance of free speech, but
people
need to be responsible."
Last week, Ahmed said, her group launched a campaign called "Hate Hurts
America," asking people to listen to the radio for anti-Islamic
rhetoric,
after a surge in hate crimes against Muslims throughout the nation…
-----
ARMY CHAPLAIN'S SON ARRESTED IN THREAT AGAINST ISLAMIC CENTER
Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times, 4/24/04
http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20040424-109662.shtml
A 30-year-old El Pasoan -- the son of an Army chaplain who served in
Iraq
last year -- was arrested by the FBI for allegedly sending an e-mail
threatening to destroy the Islamic Center of El Paso, officials said
Friday.
Jared Bjarnason was arrested Thursday by FBI agents at the West Side
home
he shared with his parents, John and Rosemary Bjarnason, FBI Special
Agent
Art Werge said. Jared Bjarnason was charged with making a terroristic
threat and faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
A woman at the Bjarnason home in the 6700 block of Camino Fuente said
the
family declined to comment.
Officials at the Islamic Center, 1600 N. Kansas, said the arrest lifts
a
cloud from their house of prayer.
"The overall feeling ... is that of relief and appreciation of the FBI
and
other government agencies and shock because (Bjarnason) is from El
Paso,"
said Shelly Hernandez, Islamic center secretary.
Monday, center officials discovered an e-mail sent Sunday under the
name
"freedom lover" that stated that if the hostages held in Iraq weren't
freed
within three days, the "center will become the center of death and
destruction..."
SEE ALSO:
THREE TEENS CHARGED IN VANDALIZING OF OCEAN COUNTY MOSQUE
Associated Press, 4/24/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-nj--mosquevandalized0424apr24,0,4854547.story
TOMS RIVER, N.J. -- Three teenage boys have been charged with scrawling
swastikas and other graffiti on a mosque under construction in Ocean
County.
Dover Township Police Chief Michael G. Mastronardy said the trio _ two
14-year-olds and a 16-year-old _ told police that boredom drove them to
vandalize the future home of the Islamic Center of Ocean County a week
ago.
The youths were arrested Friday, the same day state officials announced
a
bias crime investigation into the vandalism and four prior reports of
damage done to the two-story, 10,000-square-foot mosque.
Police said the teens broke into the building and punched holes in
walls.
They also marked doors with graffiti, including "Hail Hitler," a
misspelling of a spoken salute to the infamous Nazi dictator, Adolf
Hitler.
The teens, whose names were withheld because of their ages, were
charged
with burglary and criminal mischief and released to their parents,
pending
a court hearing.
The three told police they did not know the building was to become a
house
of worship, Mastronardy said.
"I am happy that they were found because, hopefully, this will put an
end
to at least the recent spate of vandalism at the mosque," Faiza Ali,
executive director of the New Jersey office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, told The Star-Ledger of Newark.
Ali said the teens should be required to attend sensitivity training to
understand whom such actions harm.
-----
MAN CLAIMS INNOCENCE BUT FACES DEPORTATION
MICHAEL MARTZ, TIMES-DISPATCH, 4/25/04
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031775069915&path=!news&s=1045855934842
More than three years ago, Arash Ahmadi agreed to a plea bargain
convicting
him of a crime that he says he didn't commit. The deal would allow him
to
remain free.
Today, Ahmadi is facing his 10th month in a Virginia jail and possible
deportation to a homeland with little hope for him and none for his
22-year-old American wife.
He is one of thousands of legal immigrants across the United States
sitting
in jail and facing possible deportation for criminal convictions that,
in
some cases, did not even result in jail time…
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIM GROUPS TARGET OF LAWS
Melissa Evans, Tri-Valley Herald, 4/25/04
http://www.trivalleyherald.com/Stories/0,1413,86~10669~2107529,00.html
FREMONT -- Muslim and Arab groups in California have borne a
"substantial"
share of scrutiny through new laws and immigration policies enacted in
the
wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according a report by
the
state Senate Office of Research.
Requested by two Fremont lawmakers, the report analyzes controversial
portions of the USA Patriot Act, which expanded the government's
policing
powers. The law includes special registration requirements for Arab men
and
new laws regarding foreign students.
Researchers, however, found it difficult to get information. The
Department
of Justice Office of Inspector General "would not divulge instances of
abuse," according to the report. And researchers were told the
government
does not answer questions on individual cases of those found in
violation
of immigration law.
Leaders in the Muslim community are not surprised. The lack of
information
has a created a culture of "fear, anger, anxiety and frustration," said
Samina Faheem, a local civil rights activist.
"Then they have the nerve to say (the new laws) haven't affected
anybody,"
said Faheem, founder of an organization called American Muslim Voice.
State Sen. Liz Figueroa, D-Fremont, and Assemblyman John Dutra,
D-Fremont,
requested the report after receiving numerous complaints from
individuals
and Muslim civil rights groups.
A spokesman for Figueroa's office also said the request stemmed from
the
number of cities and counties that have passed resolutions opposing the
USA
Patriot Act. In California, 206 municipalities -- including Alameda
County
and Union City -- have urged lawmakers to reconsider the legislation,
which
was passed 45 days after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Dutra said he plans to hold a series of hearings later in the year to
gather more evidence on the effects of the government's new policies.
"It's very disturbing to hear about what appears to be ethnic profiling
in
the Muslim community," he said. "These are American citizens and
individuals who deserve respect…"
-----
MUSLIM COMICS LAUGH IN THE FACE OF INTOLERANCE
Caryle Murphy, Washington Post, 4/24/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39975-2004Apr24.html
Sporting a bushy beard and black skullcap, Azhar Usman bounded onto the
stage. "I'm Osama bin Laden's cousin," he declared. "They call me 'Bin
Laughin.' "
His audience chuckled, clearly ready for more. They were seated at
banquet
tables in a Rockville office building. It was a family crowd, immigrant
parents with American-born children. Some wore the traditional dress of
their native lands in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Others dressed
Western.
But they all were there on this Saturday night to laugh -- at Usman, at
themselves and at the tricky predicament of being Muslim in post-9/11
America.
"I get some dirty looks walking down the street," the Chicago comedian
protested, in feigned amazement. "People looking at me as if I was
responsible for 9/11.
"Can you believe that?
"Me responsible for 9/11?
Pause
"7-Eleven maybe?"
Across the country, Muslim comedians are hitting their stride. Like
their
Jewish, Irish and African American predecessors, they are embracing
ethnic
humor, not just to draw laughs but also to promote Muslim acceptance
into
mainstream American society. By entertaining, they say, they aim to
dispel
discriminatory stereotypes held by non-Muslims and make Muslims aware
of
their own, sometimes self-defeating, foibles…
-----
DEMOCRATS SEEK PROBE OF ARMY CHAPLAIN'S TREATMENT
Reuters, 4/23/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=4927425§ion=news
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two Democratic members of the Senate Armed
Services
Committee called on Friday for the Pentagon to conduct an investigation
into its treatment of a Muslim Army chaplain who was suspected of
spying,
detained for months and then quietly released.
Sens. Carl Levin of Michigan, senior Democrat on the committee, and
Edward
Kennedy of Massachusetts said the manner in which Capt. James Yee was
detained and prosecuted "raises serious questions about the fair and
effective administration of military justice."
They urged Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in a letter "to give this
issue your immediate attention."
The military initially held Lee, 36, on suspicion of espionage at the
Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba, where he was a Muslim chaplain
ministering to terror suspects.
He was arrested last September and placed in solitary confinement for
76 days…
The senators said the Pentagon should investigate the Army's handling
of
the case, "including whether the extensive pre-trial confinement and
the
charges against the chaplain were supported by the evidence."
They said the probe should look into "how and why information in the
case
was released to the press," noting that media reports had cited
anonymous
government sources saying Yee was suspected of espionage, aiding the
enemy
and treason.
SEE ALSO:
TRANSLATOR'S LAWYERS CITE CONTRADICTIONS
John Mintz, Washington Post, 4/24/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37734-2004Apr23.html
Attorneys for an Air Force translator at the Guantanamo Bay prison who
faces a variety of criminal charges said military officials have
offered
contradictory explanations about whether they consider information
found in
his possession to be classified. The continually changing reasons make
it
difficult to determine the basis for many of the criminal charges
against
him, the lawyers contend.
The complaint came in 40 pages of legal papers filed last week in the
court-martial of Airman Ahmad I. Halabi. His attorneys said
investigators
have repeatedly changed their reasoning about why the translations of
letters from detainees to their families that Halabi possessed were
considered classified.
"Halabi remains in jail and has been in pre-trial confinement for nine
months, and still the government does not have a consolidated,
consistent
or intelligible position on the classification of information" in the
case,
Halabi's attorneys wrote. "Each time the defense points out the flaws
in
the classification logic, a different reason for classification of
information is created or invented."
The legal documents were filed one month after the U.S. military
dropped
all criminal charges against Army Capt. James Yee, a Muslim chaplain
who
also worked at the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba for al Qaeda
and
Taliban suspects. Yee's case was racked with disputes about whether the
documents he possessed were properly deemed classified. Yesterday, two
Democratic senators on the Armed Services Committee, Edward M. Kennedy
(Mass.) and Carl M. Levin (Mich.), asked the Pentagon to investigate
the
military's treatment of Yee.
Halabi, who has been held in solitary confinement on a California
military
base, is charged with mishandling classified material and attempted
espionage, among other charges. The latter charge stems from an alleged
plan, apparently never carried out, to pass information to someone in
his
native Syria…
According to Halabi's court papers, last July, soon after Halabi was
arrested in Florida following eight months in Guantanamo Bay, officials
said the copies of detainee letters that he had on his laptop computer
were
classified because the letters contained inmate identification numbers.
The
combinations of names and numbers made them a secret, they added.
But, in September, officials said having the names alone was a
violation.
At a hearing last month, officials said neither the names nor the
numbers,
nor any combinations, were classified. Air Force Office of Special
Investigations agent Lance Wega said, though, that the "family names
and
addresses of detainees" in the letters remained classified.
In addition, officials said, a CD-ROM that Halabi had with information
identical to that on the laptop was classified. Defense attorneys said
that, earlier this month, an official at the Southern Command, the
military
unit that oversees the Guantanamo Bay prison, told them why the CD-ROM
was
secret, but that he added that the reason was itself classified.
Halabi's
attorneys wrote that the official's reason was "completely
inconsistent"
with all the other explanations given previously.
Halabi's military lawyers, Air Force Majors James Key and Kim London,
wrote
that the letters cannot be classified because they were created not by
the
government but by detainees -- and that, in any case, the letters are
"old
mail long ago released to detainees or their families." Guantanamo Bay
translators such as Halabi translated the letters on non-secure
computers
and were not warned to treat the letters or inmate numbers as secret,
the
lawyers wrote…
-----
ISLAMIC GROUP JOINS SOCIAL JUSTICE LOBBY
Martha Sawyer Allen, Star Tribune, 4/23/04
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4738045.html
The Islamic Center of Minnesota joined with Jews, Catholics and
mainline
Protestants on Tuesday to lobby for certain social justice issues in
the state.
The center, one of the state's most influential Islamic organizations,
signed on as a member of the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition
(JRLC)
in a ceremony attended by 75 of the state's religious leaders. They
included Catholic Archbishop Harry Flynn, United Methodist Bishop John
Hopkins, the Rev. Peg Chemberlin, director of the Minnesota Council of
Churches, and Stephen Silberfarb, director of the Jewish Community
Relations Council.
The faith groups have worked together for 33 years on social justice
issues
and public policy. The Fridley center also agreed two weeks ago to join
the
other three groups in their work for the betterment of the poor...
-----
BANISHED FROM THE AMERICAN DREAM
Michelle Goldberg, Salon.com, 4/26/04
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/04/26/deportee/index.html
The Kesbehs were a hardworking immigrant family with a successful
business
and deep roots in Houston. But after 9/11, the U.S. kicked them, along
with
thousands of other Arab and Muslim families, out of the country. Now,
in a
land the children barely know, they wonder why their life has been
shattered.
---
Sharif Kesbeh has just heard that America is deporting his eldest son
to
Jordan, and he's beaming. "The family will hopefully be reunited today,
inshallah, after exactly one year," he says. Twenty-year-old Alaa had
called his parents from the Detroit airport that morning to give them
the
news -- he was being freed from detention and would soon be put on a
plane
bound for Amman, the last of the Kesbehs to be expelled from the United
States. "We prefer to live a miserable life anywhere rather than be
detained," says Sharif as he and his family set off for Amman's Queen
Alia
International Airport to welcome Alaa home to a country where he's
never
lived before.
At 9:30 p.m., though, three hours after the plane lands, there's still
no
sign of the boy. Sharif, his wife, Asmaa, their five daughters and
youngest
son slump in their metal chairs, looking very small in the dim, gray
expanse of the waiting room. Anticipation gives way to anxiety. Maybe,
they
worry, the Americans took Alaa back to jail. Or maybe he's being
detained
by the Jordanian security services, who might want to know why he's
been
thrown out of the country where he and his family made their home for
11
years.
When the rest of the Kesbehs arrived in Amman a year ago from their
home in
Houston, they were questioned for hours by police incredulous at their
story. The Jordanians could scarcely believe that an entire family
would be
kicked out of the United States with nothing but what they could carry
unless they had committed some great crime…
-----
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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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Tue, 27 Apr 2004 14:31:56 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: CAIR Renews Call for Boston Radio Host's Firing
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
SUPPORT CAIR'S IMPORTANT WORK BY BECOMING A MEMBER TODAY!
GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
CAIR ACTION ALERT #423
CAIR RENEWS CALL FOR RADIO HOST'S FIRING
Jay Severin says U.S. Muslims 'fifth column', 'kill them'
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 4/27/2004) - CAIR today renewed its call for the
firing
of a Boston-area radio talk show host after a newspaper report showed
that
his anti-Muslim remarks were even more offensive than first thought.
CAIR made its original demand last Friday after receiving a complaint
from
a concerned listener who said WTKK-FM (www.969fmtalk.com) host Jay
Severin
urged the killing of American Muslims. Quotes from a tape of the actual
program obtained by the Boston Globe show that Severin called Muslims a
"fifth column"* in America and seemed to confirm the report that he
wanted
them killed. (WTKK denied CAIR's request for a tape of the program.)
The Globe reported that in a conversation with a caller who suggested
that
the United States befriend Muslims in this country, Severin said:
"I believe that Muslims in this country are a fifth column…The vast
majority of Muslims in this country are very obviously loyal, not to
the
United States, but to their religion. And I'm worried that when the
time
comes for them to stand up and be counted, the reason they are here is
to
take over our culture and eventually take over our country."
"My suspicion is that the majority of Muslims in the United States, who
regard themselves as Muslims first and not as Americans really at all,
see
an American map one day where this is the United States of Islam, not
the
United States of America. I think it pays to harbor those suspicions."
Severin asked the caller: "Do you think we should befriend them?"
"Yes,"
the caller said.
"I've got good news for you: We have," Severin replied. "Thanks for the
call and that's what I'm worried about." Then, introducing another
caller,
Severin said: "I have an alternative viewpoint. It's slightly different
than yours. You think we should befriend them; I think we should kill
them."
Severin told the Globe: "To anyone who may have been offended by
misunderstanding or misconstruing my remarks, I want you to know that I
regret that."
SEE: "RADIO HOST SAYS REMARKS MISCONSTRUED"
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/04/27/radio_host_says_remarks_misconstrued/
"The actual transcript of the program is even worse than what had
initially
been reported," said CAIR's Executive Director Nihad Awad. "Based on
Mr.
Severin's claim that Muslim citizens are a 'fifth column' in this
country
and his apparent belief that they should be killed, we renew our call
for
his termination." Awad added that CAIR will ask for an FCC
investigation of
Severin's remarks.
Hundreds of concerned Muslims have already contacted the station and
its
advertisers to ask for Severin's dismissal. At least one advertiser has
pulled its ads from the station.
Last week, CAIR announced a new campaign designed to counter
anti-Muslim
hate on radio talk shows. The campaign, called "Hate Hurts America," is
based on the premise that the increasing attacks on Islam by talk show
hosts harm the United States by creating a downward spiral of
interfaith
mistrust and hostility. A recent spike in anti-Muslim incidents
nationwide
has been blamed at least in part on the increase in Islamophobic
rhetoric
in America.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
(* "Fifth column" is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as "a
clandestine subversive organization working within a country to further
an
invading enemy's military and political aims." It was first applied in
1936
to rebel sympathizers inside Madrid when four columns of rebel troops
were
attacking that city.)
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be firm but POLITE.)
1. Contact Matt Mills, WTKK-FM General Manager, to ask that he fire Jay
Severin for his anti-Muslim remarks.
Mr. Matt Mills
General Manager
55 William T Morrissey Blvd.
Dorchester, MA 02125-3315
Phone: (617) 822-9600
Fax: (617) 822-6859
E-MAIL: mmills@greaterbostonradio.com
COPY TO: cair@cair-net.org
2. Contact Mr. Severin's sponsors and make them aware of your concerns.
(Always be polite and respectful.)
Smile Boston - Dr. Steven Spitz
665 Beacon Street, Suite 202
Boston, MA 02215
617-437-1060
www.smileboston.net
J.D. Associates - A Division of Mander, Inc.
Longview Corporate Center
80 Erdman Way, Suite 301
Leominster, MA 01453
(978) 840-2096 Fax: (978) 840-2098
Toll Free: (800) 564-4488
The Camera Company
858 Providence Highway
Norwood, MA 02062
1-781-769-0210
The Post Club
313 Washington St.
Newton, MA 02458
617-332-2582
EDC-Excell Data & Communications Inc
464 High Street
Clinton MA 01510
Phone: 800-947-3882
Village Restaurant
55 Main St.
Rt. 22 & 133
Essex, MA 01929
1-978-768-6400
Kitchen Sales, Inc.
60 Manley Street
West Bridgewater, Ma 02379
1-508-588-1234
Toll free 1-800-553-4330
The Countertop Shoppe
853 N. Main Street Suite 202
Leominster, MA 01453
Toll free at: (800) 714-8114
Fax: (978) 537- 4694
Seasonal Pool & Patio
256 Cambridge Street Rte 3A
Burlington MA 01803
Phone: 781 272-8422
3. Join CAIR's "Hate Hurts America" campaign by listening to radio talk
shows and documenting any anti-Muslim content with exact quotes from
the
program. Record the show. Label and date your tapes, and indicate the
time
on the tape of the most offensive quotes. Report all incidents to CAIR
by
calling 202-488-8787, faxing 202-488-0833, or e-mailing:
cair@cair-net.org
HOW TO CHALLENGE ANTI-MUSLIM RHETORIC ON THE RADIO
1. Force yourself to listen. It may be distasteful and upsetting, but
unless people of conscience listen to these programs, the bigotry they
spew
will go unchallenged.
2. Document the program's anti-Muslim content. Without exact quotes
from
the program, any response will be ineffective. Record the show. Label
and
date your tapes, and indicate the time on the tape of the most
offensive
quotes. You can record programs that are broadcast on the Internet
using
sound recording software such as Audacity. SEE:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
3. Set up a quick-response list of people in your area who can be
contacted
quickly by phone or e-mail to call in to the program.
4. Transcribe the most offensive comments. Distribute these transcripts
to
those on your action list.
5. Call in to the show. If several people call in, it can change the
entire
direction of the program. REMEMBER - On radio, the first person to get
angry loses the debate.
6. Write letters to station managers or owners and ask others to write
letters. Station officials need to hear your views. Even a few letters
can
have an impact.
7. Request a meeting between station officials and local Muslim leaders
and
activists. Bring interfaith and minority coalition partners along to
the
meeting.
8. Notify local media of your efforts. Send a press release about any
action, such as protests or letter-writing campaigns to advertisers
that
you initiate.
9. Organize a demonstration. A demonstration can draw attention to the
problem. Large signs or placards and a one-page flyer with some of the
worst on-air statements by the host and your coalition's demands will
educate the public.
10. Put pressure on advertisers. Make note of the advertisers on the
offensive program. Contact each one and ask that others in your action
list
contact them as well. Ask that they drop their commercials from the
offensive programs. BE POLITE and PROFESSIONAL in all your
communications.
11. File a complaint with the FCC, particularly if the host uses
indecent
or obscene language.
To file a complaint, go to: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html
E-MAIL: fccinfo@fcc.gov
TEL: 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322)
FAX: 1-866-418-0232
12. Report all incidents to CAIR by calling 202-488-8787, faxing
202-488-0833, or e-mailing: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR MEMBERSHIP FORM
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donating/becoming
a member. Memberships are $10/year. Any amount may be donated. Enclosed
is
my check, payable to CAIR, in the amount of: $______________
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Name as on Card:
Signature: ________________________________________________
FAX FORM TO: 202-488-0833
E-MAIL: iabusway@cair-net.org
MAIL TO: CAIR Membership Campaign, 453 New Jersey Avenue S.E.,
Washington,
D.C., 20003
-----
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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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Tue, 27 Apr 2004 19:08:04 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: CAIR-MI Participates in Homeland Security Conference
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 4/27/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: FIGHT OPPRESSION
* CAIR-MI PARTICIPATES IN HOMELAND SECURITY CONFERENCE
* CAIR-DFW: GRAND OPENING OF ISLAMIC CENTER OF IRVING
- CAIR-DFW Membership Drives
* CAIR-DC: GROUPS PROTEST AS COURT HEARS CASE (USNewswire)
- ID: Student on Trial for Aid to Web Sites (NY Times)
- Judge: Charges May be Thrown Out (AP)
* OR: 'BREAKFAST CLUB' SHOULDN'T EXCLUDE ISLAM (Oregon Live)
* MI: PRESIDENT'S LUSTER DIMS AMONG ARAB-AMERICANS (AP)
* IRAQIS SAY NEW NATIONAL FLAG WON'T FLY (Wash Post)
- Gunships Level Iraq Minaret (Telegraph)
* OR: PSU PANEL ON WOMEN AND ISLAM (Daily Vanguard)
- VT Muslim Works to Increase Understanding (Reformer)
* CO: ATTENTION TURNS TO ARABIC (Rocky Mountain News)
* HINDU-MUSLIM TENSIONS FLARE OVER MONUMENT IN INDIA (AFP)
- Top Party in India Warms Up To Muslims (Chicago Trib)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: FIGHT OPPRESSION
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Help your brother,
whether
he is an oppressor or he is oppressed." The people asked: "...It is
right
to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an
oppressor?" The Prophet replied: "By preventing him from oppressing
others."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadith 624
-----
CAIR-MI PARTICIPATES IN HOMELAND SECURITY CONFERENCE
(DETROIT, MI, 4/27/04) - The Michigan office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) participated in the Detroit Police
Department's annual Homeland Security Reserve/Auxiliary Conference on
Saturday in Southfield, Mich.
More than 600 Southeast Michigan law enforcement officials attended the
day-long conference to gain a better understanding of homeland security
measures, including identity theft, counterfeit identification and
explosive device procedures. A representative from CAIR-Michigan
offered
Islamic cultural sensitivity training to conference participants.
"We were extremely pleased to be invited to participate in the
conference
and with the interest that the officers showed," said Umar
Abdur-Rahman,
executive director of CAIR-MI.
CAIR-MI Assistant Director Celena Khatib conducted the presentation on
Muslim beliefs and cultural practices. Much of the discussion centered
on
interacting with Muslims and on their religious beliefs.
"We would like to help law enforcement officials understand and
appreciate
the growing population of Muslims in Southeast Michigan," said Khatib.
"We
hope to improve relationships between our community and the law
enforcement
agencies through dialogue and collaboration."
After the presentation, CAIR representatives were invited to conduct
more
training sessions for local jails, police departments and the
Investigations office of the Michigan Secretary of State. (CAIR and
CAIR-Michigan are available to do similar trainings tailored to
specific
audiences such as corporations, community groups, schools, and school
administrators.)
There are an estimated 150,000-200,000 Muslims in Southeast Michigan.
CAIR,
America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
CONTACT: Umar Abdur-Rahman, Executive Director, CAIR-Michigan,
248-569-2203; Celena Khatib, Assistant Director 734-306-9507 E-Mail:
cair@cairmichigan.org
-----
CAIR-DFW: GRAND OPENING OF ISLAMIC CENTER OF IRVING
The Dallas Fort Worth chapter of the Council on American Islamic
Relations
(CAIR-DFW) will help celebrate the grand opening and conference of the
Islamic Center of Irving Texas on Apr 30 and May 1 2004.
WHERE: Islamic Center Of Irving, 2555 N Esters Rd, Irving, TX
All Day programs starts after Fajr and ends at 10.30 PM.
For more information, call Council of American Islamic Relations - DFW
at
972-241-7233 or e-mail info@cairdfw.org
ALSO SEE:
CAIR-DFW MEMBERSHIP DRIVES
WHAT: CAIR-DFW chapter is looking for volunteers who can assist us in
the
upcoming membership drive.
WHEN: Friday April 30, 2004, after Jummah Prayer and Sunday after Duhur
prayer
WHERE: Islamic Association of North Texas
PLEASE NOTE: CAIR-DFW will also hold a membership drive at the Irving
Mosque this Friday April 30th, Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2.
Please
call CAIR-DFW at 972-241-7233 or e-mail info@cairdfw.org by Wednesday
April
28th.
-----
GROUPS PROTEST AS COURT HEARS CASE TO DENY RIGHTS TO DUE PROCESS
US Newswire, 4/6/04
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=166-04262004
WHAT: On Wednesday, April 28, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear
arguments in
the cases of Jose Padilla and Yaser Esam Hamdi regarding the ability of
a
U.S. President to designate U.S. citizens as "enemy combatants" and to
deny
them the ability to challenge the lawfulness of their detention.
Amnesty
International is working with a coalition of local and national groups
to
conduct demonstrations in front of the court. This will be the second
time
the groups have demonstrated the President's claim of virtually
unlimited
"wartime powers": the first was on April 20th.
WHEN: Protesters will be present between 9:30 AM and 12:30 PM (To
arrange
interviews please contact Edward Jackson at 202-544- 0200, ext. 302)
WHERE: U.S. Supreme Court, Washington, D.C.
PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS: American Friends Service Committee,
American
Muslim Voice, Amnesty International USA, Arab American Institute, Bill
of
Rights Defense Committee, Blue Triangle Network, Cambios Planetarios,
Community Solutions Foundation Trust, LLC., Council on American-Islamic
Relations, Equal Justice USA/Moratorium Now!, First Amendment
Foundation,
Freedom Socialist Party, Guantanamo Human Rights Commission, Japanese
American Citizens League, La Resistencia, Muslim Civil Rights Center,
National Committee Against Repressive Legislation (NCARL), National
Lawyers
Guild, Not in Our Name Project, Oct. 22nd Coalition to Stop Police
Brutality, Repression and the Criminalization of a Generation, Pax
Christi
USA, Proposition One Committee, Radical Women, Refuse & Resist!,
Solidarity
USA, Two- Edged Sword Incorporated, United for Peace and Justice.
The call to action can be found at: http://www.nlg.org/eccases/
Contact:
Edward Jackson of Amnesty International USA, 202-544-0200 ext. 302
ALSO SEE:
COMPUTER STUDENT ON TRIAL FOR AID TO MUSLIM WEB SITES
Timothy Egan, New York Times, 4/27/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/27/national/27BOIS.html
BOISE, Idaho - Not long after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001,
a
group of Muslim students led by a Saudi Arabian doctoral candidate held
a
candlelight vigil in the small college town of Moscow, Idaho, and
condemned
the attacks as an affront to Islam.
Today, that graduate student, Sami Omar al-Hussayen, is on trial in a
heavily guarded courtroom here, accused of plotting to aid and to
maintain
Islamic Web sites that promote jihad.
As a Web master to several Islamic organizations, Mr. Hussayen helped
to
maintain Internet sites with links to groups that praised suicide
bombings
in Chechnya and in Israel. But he himself does not hold those views,
his
lawyers said. His role was like that of a technical editor, they said,
arguing that he could not be held criminally liable for what others
wrote.
Civil libertarians say the case poses a landmark test of what people
can do
or whom they can associate with in the age of terror alerts. It is one
of
the few times anyone has been prosecuted under language in the
antiterrorism law known as the USA Patriot Act, which makes it a crime
to
provide "expert guidance or assistance" to groups deemed terrorist.
"Somebody who fixes a fax machine that is owned by a group that may
advocate terrorism could be liable," said David Cole, a Georgetown
University law professor who argued against the expert guidance part of
the
antiterrorism law this year, in a case where it was struck down by a
federal judge...
---
JUDGE: TIE AL-HUSSAYEN IN OR CHARGES WILL BE THROWN OUT
Bob Fick, Associated Press, 4/27/04
BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Federal prosecutors began tediously laying the
groundwork on Tuesday that they claim will prove a University of Idaho
graduate student was directly responsible for Internet communications
advocating terrorism.
But while U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge permitted testimony over
repeated defense objections, the judge warned prosecutors their
terrorism
case against Sami Omar Al-Hussayen was on shaky ground if they fail to
connect the dots and he is forced to agree with the defense and strike
testimony or exhibits from the court record.
"If the court ends up having to strike testimony, it is very likely
going
to throw out the charges because, as I said yesterday, there is no way
the
jury can pick and choose" what is applicable once it has seen evidence
that
is thrown out later.
Lodge forced the government to go back the basics of its charges
against
Al-Hussayen on Monday when he said jurors would not be allowed to see
Web
sites or e-mails promoting terrorist activity unless prosecutors can
prove
Al-Hussayen is proven to have created them or specifically embraced
their
content.
The 34-year-old doctoral candidate in computer science is charged with
using his online skills to turn the Web site of the Islamic Assembly of
North America in Michigan into the foundation for an Internet network
of
sites that finances and recruits terrorists. He is also charged with
visa
fraud and making false statements to hide his association with the
assembly...
-----
'BREAKFAST CLUB' SHOULDN'T EXCLUDE ISLAM
Imraan Siddiqi, Oregon Live, 4/27/04
http://www.oregonlive.com/commentary/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1083067061140131.xml
After reading Richard Colby's report about this controversy within the
Portland area's religious community ("Prayer organizers disinvite
Muslim,"
Metro section, April 24), I was truly shocked. In a time when we are
supposed to be teaching religious tolerance and understanding, it is
sad to
see the organizers of the "Mayors' Prayer Breakfast of Washington
County"
acting in such an uncivilized manner.
Unfortunately, even though Islam is rightfully included under the
umbrella
of the "Three Abrahamic Faiths," there has been a concerted movement
from
some circles to differentiate the God of Islam from the God of
Christians
and Jews. As Peter Reding, the Washington County group's communications
director, so ignorantly put it: "The Muslims are not part of the
Judeo-Christian tradition." Members of the group objected to "a Muslim
praying to Allah rather than to God as Jews and Christians do," the
article
reported.
Reding and his fellow board members obviously have very little
knowledge of
Islam and its background, or else they would not resort to such
closed-minded and inaccurate comments. If they would take a moment and
look
at their Christian brethren who also live in areas such as Bethlehem,
Syria
or Lebanon, they would see that these people often refer to God as
"Allah."
Although many would like to portray Allah as some mystical "moon god,"
that
is completely inaccurate.
Just as Christians and Jews are the descendants of Abraham through
Isaac
and Jacob, Muslims are the descendants of Ishmael -- Ismail in Arabic.
Muslims, in addition to Christians and Jews, believe in the story of
Haggar
and Ishmael being banished to a far-off land, which happened to be the
Arab
world. While the natural language of Abraham was Aramaic, Haggar
brought
Ishmael up among Arab tribes, and therefore he spoke their language.
The
Arabic word for the God of Abraham has and always will be "Allah..."
It is time to build bridges within the religious community, not put up
roadblocks.
-----
PRESIDENT'S LUSTER DIMS AMONG ARAB-AMERICANS
Toby Eckert, Associated Press, 4/26/04
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20040426-9999-1n26arabvote.html
DEARBORN, Mich. - In a notable show of unity, Arab-American and Muslim
leaders warmly embraced George W. Bush's bid for the presidency in
2000.
Four years later, many of them are again united in their views of Bush,
but
they are using words such as "disappointed" and "betrayed" to describe
their feelings.
In the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Iraq war
and
intensified violence in Israel and Palestinian territories, many
Arab-Americans say Bush has ignored their views and abandoned their
interests.
That frustration could be expressed at the polls Nov. 2, throwing
another
volatile element into the election in Michigan and several other
battleground states with large Arab-American populations.
"People are very frustrated with the Bush administration," said Imad
Hamad,
director of the Michigan office of the American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination
Committee. It has headquarters in the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, a
leading
cultural and political center of the Middle Eastern ethnic population
in the
United States...
-----
WOMEN AND ISLAM: CULTURE AND RELIGIOUS CONTRADICTIONS
Jered Fisher, Daily Van Guard, 4/27/04
http://www.dailyvanguard.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/04/27/408dede7712f3
The Islamic woman's veil permeated Thursday night's panel discussion
"Women
and Islam," held in the Smith Memorial Student Union.
From the experience of Islamic women in the United States to
contradictions between the teachings of the Koran and modern Muslim
culture
regarding gender equality, the veil was a motif of Islamic women's
experience.
Thursday night's panelist contrasted stereotypes of Islamic women with
realities.
Jan Abushakrah, a professor of sociology at PSU, gave examples of many
experiences of Muslim women in the United States. "Working class Muslim
women and immigrants are confronted with exploitation in the
workforce,"
Abushakrah said. Mocking a common sentiment, she added, "because
they're
Muslim, it gives a green light to further exploit."
Abushakrah researched the concerns of Muslim when she conducted a
Google
search on "Muslim Women in the West." Finding Web sites "that were put
there by Muslim women for Muslim women," Abushakrah said she noticed
that
"there has been no survey of Muslim women in western society that is
asking
them what their concerns are ... someone else is speaking for these
women."
Finding it reviling to look at Web sites "where women are talking for
themselves" Abushakrah said she found multiple issues that are
concerning
Muslim women in western society...
ALSO SEE:
PUTNEY MAN WORKS TO INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF ISLAM
Carolyn Lorie, Reformer, 4/27/04
http://www.reformer.com/Stories/0,1413,102~8862~2105333,00.html
PUTNEY -- Anas Coburn was born into a white, middle-class Presbyterian
family. He was raised primarily in Southern California and educated at
the
University of California at Berkeley. Coburn has lived and traveled
abroad
and is now the executive director of a non-profit organization.
Despite the trappings of a comfortable mainstream life, Coburn knows
what
it is like to be pushed to the margins of the dominant culture.
In 1973, on his 24th birthday, Coburn converted to Islam.
"When you become a Muslim, you are relinquishing power. You become a
minority," says Coburn, 54, who recently moved from New Mexico to
Putney.
As executive director of Dar al Islam, a non-profit that does public
education and outreach about his adopted religion, Coburn works to
counter
what he sees as an explicit bias in this country against Muslims.
To that end, the organization offers training to high school teachers
on
the development of a Muslim-friendly curriculum. It offers education
and
support to young men and women born into immigrant Muslim families who
may
have grown up unfamiliar with their parent's religion.
While the pervasiveness of anti-Muslim sentiment concerns Coburn, its
depth
does not.
"My impression is that there is a very broad bias against Muslims in
the
United States but it's also very shallow," he says.
Most of it, he says, is based on ignorance and, given some information
and
a chance, most people will come around...
-----
IRAQIS SAY COUNCIL-APPROVED NATIONAL FLAG WON'T FLY
Pamela Constable, Washington Post, 4/27/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43438-2004Apr26.html
BAGHDAD -- It was supposed to be the perfect symbol for a new and
unified
Iraq: an Islamic crescent on a field of pure white, with two blue
stripes
representing the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and a third yellow stripe
to
symbolize the country's Kurdish minority.
But the new national flag, presented Monday after an artistic
competition
sponsored by the Iraqi Governing Council, appears to have met with
widespread public disapproval here -- in part because of its design and
in
part because of the increasing unpopularity of the U.S.-appointed
council.
In interviews in several Baghdad neighborhoods, a variety of residents
expressed strong negative reactions to the flag, which was reproduced
in
most daily newspapers. In particular, people objected to the pale blue
color of the crescent and stripes, saying it was identical to the
dominant
color in the flag of Israel, a Jewish state.
"When I saw it in the newspaper, I felt very sad," said Muthana Khalil,
50,
a supermarket owner in Saadoun, a commercial area in central Baghdad.
"The
flags of other Arab countries are red and green and black. Why did they
put
in these colors that are the same as Israel? Why was the public opinion
not
consulted?"
Other residents objected to the removal of the phrase, "God is
greatest,"
which adorned the previous national flag, and said there was no need
for a
new one until national elections are held next January and a new
constitution is written...
ALSO SEE:
GUNSHIPS LEVEL MINARET AS US CANCELS ASSAULT
David Rennie and Toby Harnden, Telegraph, 4/27/04
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;$sessionid$PWTWOXJBVLXK1QFIQMFCFFWAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2004/04/27/wirq27.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/04/27/ixnewstop.html
An American assault on the Iraqi city of Fallujah was postponed
yesterday
after local commanders said bloody urban warfare could provoke
retaliation
across the country and protests throughout the Muslim world.
The commanders, citing progress in political negotiations on Saturday
night, agreed to extend the threadbare "ceasefire" for at least two
more
days despite residents' failure to surrender heavy weapons as demanded.
But yesterday morning a fierce battle left marines "fighting like
lions"
for their lives.
In a potential propaganda disaster, the marines called in helicopter
gunships to level a 60-ft mosque minaret allegedly being used as a
firing
platform by insurgents.
-----
ATTENTION TURNS TO ARABIC
Nancy Mitchell, Rocky Mountain News, 4/26/04
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/education/article/0,1299,DRMN_957_2836910,00.html
Linda Castillo is standing in front of her classmates and singing about
her
love for her father, shyly reciting from memory an ancient poem about
paternal devotion.
At least, it sounds like singing. In reality, the freshman at West High
School is speaking rapidly in the gently rolling tones of Arabic.
Castillo, 15, is one of 22 students wrapping up their first year of
Arabic
language classes at the 1,700-student high school near downtown Denver.
Arabic is the newest language at the school's Center for International
Studies, where students also study less common language offerings such
as
Chinese, Japanese and Russian.
The Colorado Department of Education doesn't track data on
foreign-language
classes, but interviews appear to confirm that West is the only public
school in Colorado where Arabic is offered.
Castillo and her classmates, who are learning lessons created daily by
Tunisian-born teacher Neji Sandi, don't have textbooks or a dictionary.
But
to them, that isn't what's most important. Dedication is.
Castillo, like many of her classmates, is a native Spanish speaker who
already has mastered one of the world's most complex languages -
English.
She chose to take Arabic largely because of her Christian background,
she
said. She wants someday to visit the places where Jesus walked and to
speak
a language similar to what he spoke. But she knew little about what she
was
getting into last fall...
-----
HINDU-MUSLIM TENSIONS FLARE OVER DISPUTED MONUMENT IN CENTRAL INDIA
Uttara Choudhury, Agence France Presse, 4/27/04
DHAR, India- While the fate of a mosque destroyed a decade ago in north
India keeps stoking controversy, Hindu-Muslim tensions are flaring
farther
south over a monument both religions claim as their own.
Hindu activists say the grand red sandstone Bhojshala monument in Dhar
in
the central state of Madhya Pradesh was a university of the religion's
sacred language Sanskrit until it was attacked and rebuilt by Muslim
rulers
in the 13th century.
After a series of communal skirmishes the government last year
announced a
compromise that has left hardliners on both sides simmering.
Hindus are now allowed to pray at the monument every Tuesday. Muslims
can
worship there every Friday under a 1997 directive of the Archaeological
Survey of India which keeps the site open to the public on other days.
Hindu fundamentalist groups argue that the monument is a temple and
that
Muslim prayers inside it should be stopped...
ALSO SEE:
TOP PARTY IN INDIA WARMS UP TO MUSLIMS
Liz Sly, Chicago Tribune, 4/27/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0404270154apr27,1,5066921.story
BOMBAY - On Monday, Rashid Patel did something that until recently
would
have been unthinkable for almost any Muslim. He voted for the ruling
Bharatiya Janata Party, the Hindu nationalist party that built its rise
to
power on the destruction of an ancient Muslim mosque and its promise to
assert India's majority Hindu identity.
"There are some people in the Muslim community who think it's time to
try
out a new party," said Patel, 65, a retired insurance salesman and
longtime
supporter of the secular Congress Party of India's independence hero,
Mahatma Gandhi. "Congress has been neglecting Muslims for a long time,
and
although it is true that the BJP is a Hindu fundamentalist party,
[Prime
Minister] Atal Behari Vajpayee is a good leader and he is strong enough
to
control the party."
Patel is by no means typical of the Muslims turning out to vote in this
city of high-rises and shacks, wealthy businessmen and slum dwellers.
In
1992 and 1993, Bombay also was the scene of some of the worst
anti-Muslim
riots in India's history. Hindus, prompted by the destruction of the
Babri
Masjid mosque in the northern town of Ayodhya by a Hindu mob, turned on
their Muslim neighbors in a rampage of burning, beating and stabbing.
The destruction of the mosque, encouraged by BJP leaders, was a
defining
moment in Indian history, one that accelerated the BJP's ascent to
power
and accentuated the polarization of India's Hindus and Muslims. The
Gujarat
state riots in 2002, in which about 1,000 Muslims died in violence
partly
blamed on local BJP authorities, seemed to affirm the worst fears of
Indian
Muslims that the party's rule would turn them into a persecuted
minority...
-----
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Wed, 28 Apr 2004 11:34:16 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: GA Muslim Police Officer Files Discrimination Suit
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GA MUSLIM POLICE OFFICER FILES DISCRIMINATION SUIT
Officer called 'Taliban', mocked in fake wanted poster
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 4/28/04) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) today announced that a Muslim police officer has filed a
discrimination lawsuit against the city of Decatur, Ga., over
allegations
of racial and religious harassment.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of
Georgia, Atlanta Division, claims the Muslim officer faced harassment
"almost immediately from his start of work." (The plaintiff is of
Mauritian
heritage, but was apparently perceived to be Arab or Iranian by
co-workers.)
According to papers filed with the court:
"[The officer's] supervisors and co-workers persistently hurled racial
epithets at him, calling him 'Taliban' and shouting at him, 'that's
what
you get for bombing us, you damn Taliban!'…Plaintiff's supervisor,
superimposed [the officer's] picture onto a 'Seeking Information' of a
Saudi national…suspected to be associated with the September 11, 2001
bombing…The poster with [the officer's] name and face superimposed over
that of [the wanted Saudi national] was placed in the break room for
the
entire police force to see…At roll call, while both shifts were
present,
[the supervisor] passed out to each employee the flyer he had
prepared."
In September 2002, the Muslim officer filed a formal grievance and was
placed on administrative leave. He later resigned from the force after
concluding his complaint was not being taken seriously.
According to the lawsuit: "The City of Decatur continued to insist that
the…remarks were made in good-natured fun, were not intended to be
discriminatory and were only teasing that [the officer] should expect
from
the Decatur Police."
The lawsuit alleges that the City of Decatur and its employees failed
to
provide the plaintiff with a safe work environment and intentionally
inflicted emotional distress. It seeks unspecified punitive and
compensatory damages.
"Any officer of the law should be treated with utmost respect,
particularly
by his colleagues and supervisors," said CAIR Communications Director
Ibrahim Hooper. Hooper said workplace discrimination is one of the
largest
categories of discrimination cases CAIR deals with. He added that CAIR
publishes a booklet called "An Employer's Guide to Islamic Religious
Practices." (The booklet is available by e-mailing pubs@cair-net.org.)
In March, The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
announced
the $1.11 million settlement of a harassment lawsuit against a
California
steel company over workplace harassment of Pakistani-American
employees.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Wed, 28 Apr 2004 17:44:22 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Prayer for Tolerance/'Raghead Oil'/Adhan Approved
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 4/28/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: GOOD CHARACTER
* CAIR-OH: PRAYER FOR TOLERANCE AT MAYOR'S LUNCHEON
- CAIR-Houston: Fort Bend Candidate Forum
- CAIR-CAN: Security Legislation Cautiously Welcomed
- CAIR-DC Statement on Hamdi/Padilla SCOTUS Arguments
- CAIR-NY Attorney Testifies Before Civil Rights Commission
- CAIR-SC Quarterly Meeting May 8
- CAIR-CA: Elderhostel Outreach Event
* HATE HURTS AMERICA: BOORTZ - 'DEVOUT' MUSLIMS COMMIT SUICIDE
- Islamic activists: Terminate Severin (Boston Herald)
- CAIR Renews Call for Radio Host's Firing
- 'Raghead Oil' - Stereotypes Cloud Judgment (Miami Herald)
* OR: MUSLIMS WORSHIP SAME GOD (Oregonian)
* TEXAN CONFESSES TO THREAT AGAINST ISLAMIC CENTER (AP)
* MI CITY OKS PRAYER CALL OVER HEATED OBJECTIONS (Det News)
- Prayer OK Prompts Outrage (Detroit Free Press)
* U.S. SHIA CLERIC WANTS IRAQ TROOPS GONE (LA Times)
* IN FALLUJA, FINDING A PLACE FOR THE DEAD (NY Times)
- Marines Raid Iraq Village With No Men (Reuters)
* CANADA: ISLAMIC COURTS TO DECIDE DISPUTES (Wash Post)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: GOOD CHARACTER
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "There is nothing
heavier
put on the scale of a believer on the Day of Resurrection than good
character."
Sunan of Abu Dawood, Hadith 2234
-----
OHIO MUSLIM LEADER PRAYS FOR TOLERANCE AT MAYOR'S LUNCHEON
(COLUMBUS, OH, 4/28/04) - A leader of the Ohio Muslim community
yesterday
opened the 5th City of Columbus Mayor's Prayer Luncheon with a call for
tolerance and justice.
Dr. Ahmad Al-Akhras, president of the Council on American-Islamic
Relation's Ohio office (CAIR-Ohio), first recited the opening chapter
(Al-Fatihah) of the Quran, Islam's revealed text, and then said:
"This is an uplifting event. It is a coming together of people from all
parts of our town, gathered together to give their thanks to God for
the
blessings that we have…
"Today is a day to give thanks to God for the blessings that have been
bestowed upon us, both individually and collectively…
"We all come together in this City with good intentions to do our best…
We
come together to make this world a better one for our families, our
neighbors and our communities…
"We come together appreciating the word of God when He said:
"O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female,
and
made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other. Verily
the
most honored of you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most
righteous
of you."
"So, let us be among the most righteous…
"We ask Almighty God to guide us and to show us the path of tolerance
and
justice. We ask God to help us see what we all have in common, and to
set
aside what may separate us.
"We pray that God may guide this Mayor in making decisions that are
beneficial for the people of our great City and elsewhere.
"We ask Almighty God to bless Columbus so it may continue to prosper
and
become a symbol of peace and tranquility for people of all faiths and
backgrounds."
Dr. Al-Akhras is a member of the Columbus Community Relations
Commission.
There are an estimated 185,000 Muslims in the state of Ohio. CAIR,
America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered in
Washington, D.C., and has 25 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
CONTACT: Jad Humeidan, Executive Director, CAIR-Ohio 614-451-3232 or
614-571-2770
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-HOUSTON: FORT BEND CANDIDATE FORUM
CAIR-Houston, in coordination with the Islamic Society of Greater
Houston,
Muslim Public Affairs Council and Muslim American Republican Caucus,
will
host a community forum for the school board and city election.
The event will begin at 2:15 p.m. on May 2, 2004. All the candidates
will
be given two minutes to introduce themselves and their vision for Fort
Bend
and the City of Sugar Land. A panel of four community members will ask
questions about concerns of the American Muslim community. A
questionnaire
will also to each candidate. The candidate's answers will be
distributed to
voters. The floor will then be opened for 20 minutes to the voting
audience
to address questions to specific candidates.
WHAT: Fort Bend School Board and City Election Candidate Forum
WHEN: 2:15 pm on May 2, 2004
WHERE: 610 Brand Lane, Stafford, TX
CONTACT: 713-838-2247, http://www.cairhouston.org/
---
CANADIAN ARAB AND MUSLIM COMMUNITIES CAUTIOUSLY WELCOME ATTEMPT TO
CREATE MADE-IN-CANADA SECURITY LEGISLATION
The Canadian Arab Federation (CAF) and the Canadian Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN) today cautiously welcomed the
Canadian government's attempt to craft a comprehensive national
security
approach that is made-in-Canada. The two national organizations
reiterated
the need that any new policy ensures core Canadian values of democracy,
human rights, pluralism and the rule of law are respected.
CAF and CAIR-CAN ask that, as part of this initiative, the government
reviews and addresses a number of pressing and outstanding security
issues
presented by our organizations in a recent meeting with the Minister.
See:
http://www.caircan.ca/itn_more.php?id=941_0_2_0_C
As indicted before, a full and comprehensive review is needed of the
anti-terrorism legislation, the process of issuing security
certificates
and the proposed Bill C-7 to ensure that our core values remain
protected.
In a joint statement issued today, CAF and CAIR-CAN stated:
"We welcome the government's initiative to create comprehensive
security
legislation that is made-in-Canada and that ensures fundamental
Canadian
values are protected and promoted. Our organizations continue to affirm
that there should be no contradiction between security and the
fundamental
values that we share as Canadians. To make us truly safer and more
secure,
security initiatives must respect the values of humanity, transparency,
accountability, natural justice and the rule of law.
"It is important that this policy be tabled with a view to engaging all
Canadians through a vigorous and essential debate about ensuring a
future
that is safe, secure and prosperous.
"We appreciate the idea of a cross-cultural roundtable on security as a
means to ensure a long-term dialogue between essential and affected
stakeholders in our society. Such a policy initiative must not only
allow
for an effective and meaningful voice of the Arab and Muslim
communities,
but must also see that their concerns are addressed in the actual
policies
of the government."
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
CAF: Rula Sharkawi at 416-493-8635, Ext 22
CAIR-CAN: Naeem Saloojee at 613-254-9704
---
CAIR-DC STATEMENT FOR HAMDI/PADILLA ORAL ARGUMENT
Rally at The Supreme Court of the United States
Wednesday April 28, 2004
Arsalan T. Iftikhar, CAIR Director of Legal Affairs
Dr. Martin Luther King once said that "Injustice anywhere is a threat
to
justice everywhere." Today, as we stand on these steps leading to the
most
respected legal institution in the greatest democracy in the world, our
collective voices seek to ensure that the fundamental legal and civil
principles upon which our country was founded will continue to serve as
a
legacy where any and all Americans, regardless of race, religion or
socioeconomic status will never have to worry about constitutional
protections solely for the mere fact that they are Americans.
At a time like this, I reflect back to the Declaration of Independence,
where the founders criticized the king of England for "render(ing) the
Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power." In
establishing
the American system, they made clear that civil authority has ultimate
supremacy over military authority. That bedrock of our democracy could
be
in perilous jeopardy after today, which would unfortunately exemplify
the
adage of President Benjamin Franklin who once said that, "they who can
give
up essential liberty for a temporary sense of security deserve neither
liberty nor security."
On behalf of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's
largest mainstream American Muslim civil rights and advocacy
organization,
I am not here today to assert the guilt or innocence of the namesakes
of
the landmark cases being argued here today. I am here to make
absolutely
certain that every American is innocent until proven guilty and given
their
day in an open court.
For let us all remember, true legal justice takes place in a civilian
court, not in a makeshift military tribunal in a South Carolina navy
brig.
For only when justice takes place today can we ensure that all
Americans
will have a brighter and safer tomorrow.
---
CAIR-NY ATTORNEY TESTIFIES BEFORE CIVIL RIGHTS COMMISSION
(NEW YORK, NY, 4/28/04) - The New York Advisory Committee to the U.S.
commission on Civil Rights has announced the release of its report,
"Civil
Rights Implications of Post-September 11 Law Enforcement Practices in
New
York," The report is available online at:
http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/sac/ny0304/ny0304.pdf
Khurrum Wahid, a private attorney and outside legal advisor to CAIR-NY,
testified before the commission. Wahid detailed profiling by state and
federal authorities of New York's African-American and Latino
minorities.
He further indicated that racial, ethnic and religious profiling has
increased since the 9/11 terror attacks, affirming that Muslims, Arabs
and
South Asians fear delays or denial of their right to travel because of
the
use of federal "no fly" lists and profiling by customs agents.
CONTACT: CAIR-NY, 212-870-2002, 347-277-4061, cair-ny@cair-ny.com
---
CAIR-SC QUARTERLY MEETING
"OUR CIVIL RIGHTS IN THE AGE OF TERROR: Where we are and where we need
to go"
WHEN: Saturday, May 8, 2004, 5-8 PM
WHERE: BA Building Room 005, University of South Carolina
Complimentary Dinner will be served! RSVP at 750-1236
CONTACT: cair-sc@cair-net.org
FEATURING GUEST SPEAKERS:
Denyse Williams
Executive Director
American Civil Liberties Union-SC
Preston Winkler
Executive Director
Greater Columbia Community Relations Council
Jose F. Monge
Attorney at Law
DIRECTIONS: From the State House, take Gervais St. east. Turn right on
Bull St. When Bull St. ends, turn left on Pendelton St. Go 3 blocks and
turn right on Barnwell. The BA building and visitor parking are at
Pendelton and Barnwell Streets.
---
CAIR-CA: ELDERHOSTEL OUTREACH EVENT
Building Bridges - one CAIR chapter at a time
http://www.elderhostel.org/programs/sanfran.asp
"Learning about a faith that was not as familiar as others, and seeing
a
mosque I didn't know was in existence here in the area was what I liked
most about the event." This was the common theme among Elderhostelers
as
they left the Muslim Community Association this past Wednesday on April
21st.
Elderhostel, a non- profit organization dedicated to providing
extraordinary learning adventures for people 55 and over, contacted The
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the idea of building
bridges among people of faith developed.
The Elderhostel series titled, "A Day of Discovery: Building Bridges to
Islam," is seen as a pilot-program which ultimately began in the San
Francisco Bay Area, with the potential to reach out to Elderhostelers
nationwide. The series in the bay area was held in collaboration with
Elderhostel, CAIR, the Muslim American Society (MAS) and the MCA
Outreach
Committee.
Due to its prior success, CAIR SFBA will host another outreach event on
Saturday, June 5th. If you would like to volunteer, please contact the
CAIR
office at 408-986-9874 or e-mail nocal@cair.com.
-----
HATE HURTS AMERICA: BOORTZ SAYS 'DEVOUT' MUSLIMS COMMIT SUICIDE
http://boortz.com/nuze/200404/04272004.html
(Scroll down.)
NOTE: CAIR received a number of complaints from concerned Muslims about
the
following remarks by radio talk show host Neal Boortz. ACTION
REQUESTED:
(As always, be POLITE.) Contact Boortz's sponsors to express your
concerns
about his bigoted remarks. GO TO: http://boortz.com/more/sponsors.html
YOU, TOO, CAN HELP FIGHT TERRORISM
Solely as a public service Nealz Nuze has agreed to share a plan with
you...a plan to eliminate possible Islamic terrorist cells in many of
America's larger cities.
As you may know, it is a sin for a devout Muslim to see any woman other
than his wife naked. If he does happen to see another naked women, he
must
commit suicide to purge his soul. So, understanding this about devout
Muslims, at 4:00 p.m. this coming Saturday, May 1st, women in major
American cities with large Muslim populations are going to strip naked
and
walk about their neighborhoods. The plan is to walk about the
neighborhood
for one hour in an effort to cause any lurking Al Qaeda sleepers to end
their own miserable lives. Good luck ladies! And thanks for the
effort!
SEE ALSO:
ISLAMIC ACTIVISTS: TERMINATE SEVERIN
Dean Johnson, Boston Herald, 4/28/04
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=3810
WTKK-FM (96.9) afternoon personality Jay Severin is still on the
hotseat
for alleged anti-Muslim remarks made last week despite a Monday
explanation
he was misquoted and taken out of context.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations called on WTKK-FM to fire Jay
Severin yesterday, citing transcripts showing he called for killing
American Muslims during a show last week.
Severin has said his comments during his show on 96.9 FM Thursday were
aimed at religious fanatics killing Americans.
But CAIR executive director Nihad Awad was not impressed after
reviewing
transcripts provided by press sources. WTKK would not provide CAIR with
a
tape.
"The actual transcript is even worse than what had initially been
reported," he said. "Based on Mr. Severin's claim that Muslim citizens
are
a `fifth column' in this country and his apparent belief that they
should
be killed, we renew our call for his termination."
FOR BACKGROUND, SEE: CAIR RENEWS CALL FOR RADIO HOST'S FIRING
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=167&page=AA
---
'RAGHEAD OIL' - STEREOTYPES, SLURS CLOUD JUDGMENT
ROBERT STEINBACK, Miami Herald, 4/28/04
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/8536987.htm
I recently caught a bit of Phil Hendrie's nationally syndicated radio
show
on a night when he set aside his usual faked-voice, comedic
psuedo-interview format and was testifying from the heart about the
best
way for America to settle its problems in the Middle East: End our
dependence on Arab oil.
The generally conservative Hendrie, of course, couldn't bear to
acknowledge
that energy conservation has been a liberal position for decades, but
no
matter -- at least he got the point right. Our lust for oil empowers
Arab
states where anti-American sentiment thrives. I cheered his
observations.
But I repeatedly choked on how he chose to make his point: He kept
referring to the product in question as "raghead oil."
Why the slur? Why turn a perfectly good point into an ugly put-down?
The demeaning stereotype and the ethnic/cultural/religious slur have
become
such a staple of American discourse that it's elbowing aside respectful
debate. It's typically the first reaction many of us have to dissenting
opinions: Insult your opponent…
-----
MUSLIMS WORSHIP SAME GOD
Oregonian, 4/27/04
http://www.oregonlive.com/letters/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1083067491140130.xml
Regarding the decision to "disinvite" a Muslim to the Mayors' Prayer
Breakfast in Washington County, Muslims worship the same God as
Christians
and Jews. "Allah" is an Arabic word that means "the God." Even today,
Arab
Christians refer to God as "Allah."
Muslims share in the Judeo-Christian tradition and believe that
Muhammad
brought the same message of one true God that Abraham, Moses and Jesus
brought before him. Certainly, the monotheistic faiths -- Judaism,
Christianity and Islam -- have significant theological differences.
However, their shared tradition is a basis for mutual respect.
I commend Beaverton Mayor Rob Drake and Rabbi David Rosenberg on their
decision to stand for understanding between the faiths.
UZMA AHMAD Ann Arbor, Mich.
-----
TEXAN CONFESSES TO THREAT AGAINST ISLAMIC CENTER
Associated Press, 4/28/04
EL PASO - A West Texas man has reportedly confessed to federal
authorities
in connection with an e-mail threat to the Islamic Center of El Paso.
The message, sent earlier this month, had threatened to make the
religious
institution "the center of death and destruction" if hostages in Iraq
weren't released.
"I do apologize and wish I could take it back. It was stupid and
ignorant,"
Jared Bjarnason stated in a confession to FBI agents, according to a
criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court.
Bjarnason, 30, became angry while reading the Al Jazeera Arab
television
news Web site on the computer near the living room of the West Side
home he
shares with his parents on April 18, according to the complaint
affidavit
detailed in the El Paso Times' today online edition.
The son of an Army chaplain, Bjarnason was particularly upset about
hostages taken in Iraq and wanted Muslims to feel fear as he did over
the
Iraq war, according to the complaint.
Islamic center officials called the FBI on April 19 after discovering
the
e-mail threatening that the mosque would be burned down if hostages in
Iraq
were not freed in three days.
The message was sent to the center's main e-mail address from a person
called "freedom lover."
According to the affidavit, Bjarnason allegedly opened a new Hotmail
e-mail
account that matched that described from the e-mail.
Bjarnason was charged with interstate transmission of a threatening
communication because Hotmail's data servers are housed in California,
according to the affidavit.
-----
HAMTRAMCK OKS PRAYER CALL OVER HEATED OBJECTIONS
By David Shepardson, Detroit News, 4/28/04
http://www.detnews.com/2004/metro/0404/28/c01-136269.htm
HAMTRAMCK - The City Council on Tuesday night approved an ordinance to
allow mosques to broadcast the Islamic call to prayer onto public
streets
over some heated objections.
The unanimous vote by the council makes it one of the few cities in the
United States to approve the practice.
"This is about uniting our community," said Shabad Ahmed, 37, a
Bangladeshi
immigrant and the first and only Muslim member of the Hamtramck City
Council.
Supporters of the change outnumbered critics by at least three to one
at
the meeting, and some quoted the Declaration of Independence or Bill of
Rights in defense of the change.
They said church bells and other noises are widely accepted - from ice
cream trucks to trains. A call to prayer - which is typically less than
two
minutes, five times per day - will be regulated. If people think it's
too
loud, they can complain…
SEE ALSO:
HAMTRAMCK PRAYER OK PROMPTS OUTRAGE
CECIL ANGEL, Detroit Free Press, 4/28/04
http://www.freep.com/news/locway/pray28_20040428.htm
They plan to fight.
The Hamtramck City Council's unanimous approval Tuesday night of a plan
to
allow the Muslim call to prayer to be broadcast on loudspeakers five
times
a day in Arabic has outraged many of the city's Polish Catholic
residents.
They said they'll start a petition drive to bring the issue to a vote.
Others have said they'll file lawsuits in federal court. Some plan to
move.
"I'd hate to see it go this route, but unfortunately, it's going to go
this
route," said resident Robert Zwolak.
Two police officers tried to keep the peace Tuesday night as hundreds
of
people packed City Hall and officials decided an issue that has divided
the
changing city.
"This ordinance is reasonable and responsible," Councilman Scott Klein
said. "Give us a chance to work with the mosques and community to make
this
work."
The ordinance becomes law on May 26.
Abdul Algazali said Muslims in Hamtramck aren't out to create a
religious
or ethnic rift. Rather, he said, "We're in this city to build bridges."
Algazali, president of the Hamtramck-based American Yemeni Council,
encouraged the City Council to approve the noise ordinance that will
allow
the call to prayer.
"It means a lot to me," he said. "It will show that everyone is treated
equitably in the city..."
Muslims say the call to prayer is less intrusive than the Catholic
church
bells that ring daily.
"We hear the bells every day, every hour. We don't say nothing,"
Algazali
said last week…
-----
FROM ALLIED TO ALIENATED
A Shiite cleric who fled Iraq for the U.S. returned, euphoric, after
American troops invaded. Today, he just wants them gone.
Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles times, 4/28/04
http://www.latimes.com/la-fg-qazwini28apr28,1,1942807.story
Ayatollah Sayed Mortada Al-Qazwini should be one of America's best
friends
in Iraq.
A tall, turbaned man with a candid manner and commanding presence,
Al-Qazwini was one of the first Shiite Muslim religious scholars to
speak
out against Saddam Hussein. He lost 15 relatives to Hussein's
brutality,
and in 1971 he fled Iraq to escape a death sentence.
He settled in Diamond Bar and built Shiite religious, cultural and
educational centers in Pomona, Irvine, San Diego and Detroit over the
next
18 years. All the while, he marveled at the freedom he enjoyed to
practice
the faith of his persecuted sect. After U.S. forces toppled Hussein a
year
ago, Al-Qazwini was ecstatic and went home to help.
"Ninety-nine percent of the people are so happy that Saddam has been
put
down. The coalition forces saved us," he said then.
Now, a year after his emotional homecoming, Al-Qazwini, 75, is deeply
disillusioned. U.S. forces have worn out their welcome by failing to
fulfill their promises for democracy, political empowerment and
reconstruction, the ayatollah said. He wants them to leave Iraq as soon
as
possible…
-----
IN FALLUJA, FINDING A PLACE FOR THE DEAD
CHRISTINE HAUSER, New York Times, 4/27/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/27/international/middleeast/27CND-FALL.html
FALLUJA, Iraq, April 27 - The paint on the gravestones is as red as
blood.
And on some of them, it has not yet dried.
"A young brother and sister are buried here," said one of the
gravediggers,
who gave only his first name, Hamza, as he pointed to two crudely cut
blocks propped up on a dirt mound.
The place where the dead lie in this town, 30 miles west of Baghdad,
was
once a soccer stadium named the Falluja Sports Club. But now, after
more
than three weeks of fighting between American marines and insurgents,
it is
known as the Falluja Martyrs Cemetery.
Smeared in hand-written Arabic lettering on the stone markers were the
names of Amal and Mustafa Alawi, killed in the Hay Julan district, a
poor
neighborhood in Falluja where much of the fighting has taken place.
"There are 250 people buried here from American strikes on houses,"
said
Nasser, another gravedigger. "We have stacked up the bodies one on top
of
the other."
In a town where the streets were almost deserted on this afternoon, the
makeshift cemetery was a place where the headstones were silent
witnesses,
yielding a small part of the Iraqi side of the battlefield story.
The gravediggers said that the cemetery was full of women and children.
And
there were headstones attesting to the graves beneath holding civilian
victims, marked "child," for example. But there were also signs of
fallen
fighters - some of the headstones bore the Arabic word for "hero"
painted
alongside the names...
SEE ALSO:
US MARINES RAID IRAQ VILLAGE BUT THERE'S NO MEN
Michael Georgy, Reuters, 4/28/04
NEAR FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) - As U.S. Marines went through every house
in
the village, the women told them not to be afraid and they soon
discovered
why -- there were hardly any men.
"The men were all taken away last Friday. Nobody is left here,
including my
son," said Om Hussein. "Why has everyone been taken away?"
Residents say American troops swept through the area last Friday and
detained most of the men, part of a crackdown on guerrillas fighting to
control postwar Iraq.
The conflict has claimed many lives and torn apart the social fabric of
once peaceful farming communities known primarily for lush fields and
cows.
Now women with many children are left to fend for themselves, wondering
where and why there husbands are being held.
Many don't drive, so getting food is a problem and taking children to a
hospital is difficult, especially with gunfights in their fields and
mortars flying overhead nearly every day.
When the Marines arrived in armored vehicles to hunt for guerrillas,
three
men started running away from a house and gunfire erupted as soon as
Marines pursued them.
One of the men was killed and another wounded while the third escaped.
The
clash startled the village and charged up the Marines, who searched
every
single house clutching M-16 rifles as their commanders barked orders.
WHERE ARE OUR MEN?
Sgt. Archie Taylor, 32, of Texas, kept asking women if they had seen
any
strange men passing through the area. But they kept hitting back with
the
same question -- where have the Americans taken our husbands and
brothers?
He shrugged his shoulders.
Security restrictions placed on reporters accompanying the Marines mean
Reuters may not name the village. Marines in the unit conducting the
search
said they did not know why the men of the village had been taken.
Further information from U.S. forces was not immediately available…
-----
CANADIANS ALLOW ISLAMIC COURTS TO DECIDE DISPUTES
DeNeen L. Brown, Washington Post, 4/28/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47735-2004Apr27.html
TORONTO -- Suad Almad, her head wrapped in a blue silk scarf, was
discussing her beliefs with a group of friends. She said fervently that
she
thought the lives of all Muslims should be governed by Islamic law,
known
as sharia.
"It's something nobody can change and we must follow," said Almad, who
came
to Canada from Somalia, then engulfed by war, more than 12 years ago.
"We
come to Canada and we become lost . . . We need our own court and we
need
our own law," she said, her voice strong and certain. "That's what I
believe."
Almad and thousands of other Muslims, taking advantage of a provision
of
the law in the province of Ontario, can now decide some civil disputes
under sharia, including family disagreements and inheritance, business
and
divorce issues, using tribunals that include imams, Muslim elders and
lawyers. While it is less than full implementation of sharia, local
leaders
consider it a significant step.
Muslim promoters of sharia arbitration said that no cases had been
decided
but that the process is set. Islamic leaders created an Islamic Court
of
Civil Justice last fall and that organization, in turn, has chosen
arbitrators, who have undergone training in sharia and Canadian civil
law,
according to organizers and participants.
Sharia is based on the Koran, which includes the teachings of Islam and
revelations by the prophet Muhammad. According to Muslim beliefs, the
Koran
provides the divine rules for behavior, including rules about marriage,
business and inheritance. Muslims must abstain from stealing, lying,
killing, adultery and drinking alcohol.
Some Muslim leaders in Canada said that there should be no controversy
about the new arbitration process, but some opponents expressed concern
that people might feel coerced into accepting sharia-based arbitration.
Government officials said that the decision to submit to such a process
was
subject to mutual consent…
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Thu, 29 Apr 2004 13:49:04 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Report to Show Sharp Jump in Anti-Muslim Incidents
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 4/29/04
- MEDIA ADVISORY -
REPORT TO SHOW SHARP JUMP IN ANTI-MUSLIM INCIDENTS
'Unprecedented' increase in Islamophobic hate crimes during 2003
WHAT: On Monday, May 3, the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR)
will hold a news conference in the nation's capital to release its
ninth
annual report, titled "Unpatriotic Acts," on the status of Muslim civil
rights in the United States.
WHEN: Monday, May 3, 2004, 1 p.m. (Eastern)
WHERE: National Press Club Building, 13th Floor, West Room, 529 14th
Street
N.W., Washington, D.C.
The Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group's report -
the
only annual study of its kind - will show an unprecedented increase in
anti-Muslim violence, discrimination, profiling, and harassment during
2003. According to the CAIR study, the number of Islamophobic hate
crimes
more than doubled last year.
(A simultaneous news conference will take place at CAIR's office in Los
Angeles. California is the state with the largest number of reported
anti-Muslim incidents.)
Details of the report and the possible reasons for the jump in reported
incidents will be outlined at CAIR's news conference. Hate crime
victims
and representatives of other civil liberties groups will also take part
in
the news conference.
"There are a number of factors, including government policies targeting
Muslims and pro-war rhetoric in the beginning of 2003, that we believe
led
to this disturbing increase in Muslim civil rights complaints," said
CAIR
Research Director Dr. Mohamed Nimer, the report's author.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, began
documenting
anti-Muslim incidents following the 1995 attack on the Murrah Federal
Building in Oklahoma City.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org; CAIR-LA, Ra'id Faraj, 714-776-1847, E-Mail:
socal@cair.com
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Thu, 29 Apr 2004 18:09:15 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: School Religion Policy/Iraq Jail Abuse/Kill Muslims
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 4/29/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: DUTY TO PARENTS
* REASON #9 TO JOIN CAIR - Mosque Safety Kit
- CAIR Public Library Project: 7433
* OH SCHOOLS SEEK INPUT ON RELIGION POLICY (This Week)
- GA: Trainee Sues for Discrimination (Ledger-Enq)
- OR: Mayors Bow Out Of Prayer Breakfast (Oregon Live)
* SEVERIN: DECENTLY, KILL THE MUSLIMS (Village Voice)
- CAIR Renews Call for Radio Host's Firing
* PHOTOS SHOW IRAQ JAIL ABUSE BY US TROOPS (SMH)
- Court Martial in Iraq (CBS News)
- CBS Airs Photos of Alleged U.S. Abuse (AP)
* POLL: SUPPORT FOR WAR IS DOWN SHARPLY (NY Times)
- Troops Fire on Iraqi Bus at Checkpoint (Reuters)
* 'ENEMY COMBATANT' CASES GO TO JUSTICES (Wash Post)
- War Shouldn't Override Constitution (Free Press)
* FINDINGS ON TERROR LED TO CLASH OF INTELLIGENCE (NY Times)
- Counter Terrorism Evaluation Group (NY Times)
* ARAB-AMERICAN VOTE LOOMS LARGE (IPS)
- Bush Still Enjoys Some Muslim Support (AP)
* NETWORK BEAMS AMERICA INTO ARAB LIVING ROOMS (Forward)
* WHY REVENGE ISN'T THE RIGHT ANSWER (Newsweek)
* CAIR-CAN: ISLAM AND CANADA (Time Canada)
- Arar Accuser Says He Was Tortured (Globe and Mail)
* MD: LECTURES ON THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET
* IL MUSLIMS COLLECT FUNDS FOR TORNADO VICTIMS (CIOGC)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: DUTY TO PARENTS
A man once told the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): "I have come
to
take the oath of allegiance to you for emigration, and I left my
parents
weeping." The Prophet said: "Return to them and make them laugh as you
made
them weep."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 1048
-----
REASON #9 TO JOIN CAIR
CAIR offers crisis management to our community through its hands-on and
specialized publications such as our Mosque Safety Kit.
In our new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member at
a
Time," CAIR intends (God Willing) to sign up 25,000 new members by its
10th
year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
Students Click here!
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=33172&page=NB
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7433 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
-----
CAIR-OH: COLUMBUS SCHOOLS LOOKING FOR INPUT ON RELIGION POLICY
Sue Hagan, ThisWeek, 4/29/04
http://www.thisweeknews.com/thisweek.php?edition=common&story=thisweeknews/042904/nor/News/042904-News-405349.html
A recent issue in Columbus Public Schools is one reason Jad Humeidan,
executive director of the Ohio branch of the Council on American
Islamic
Relations (CAIR), is eager to see a proposed district policy that will
spell out how students can practice their faith in schools.
During a phone conversation Tuesday, he said a particular CPS school
allowed students to use part of their lunch period to pray as a group
in
the library.
But at another school, students trying to do the same thing were told
that
prayer was not allowed on the school grounds. Later, he said, the
principal
told them they could pray but could not congregate.
"This creates a lot of problems, when procedures are not the same in
different schools....Students talk to one another," he said.
Such issues are behind the proposed policy, said school board Vice
President Karen Schwarzwalder, who chairs the board's legal, policy and
personnel (LPP) committee.
The LPP group is awaiting input from religious groups on the policy,
but
only the Catholic Diocese of Columbus has responded so far, out of
about a
dozen groups that were sent letters, CPS legal counsel Giselle Johnson
said
Monday at the panel's meeting.
She said the diocese's only comment was that it wanted to be sure
teachers
would not lead prayer sessions.
Humeidan said he had not yet received a copy, but expected it soon.
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIM POLICE TRAINEE SUES DECATUR, CITING DISCRIMINATION
Associated Press, 4/29/04
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/politics/8541388.htm
ATLANTA - A Muslim man who briefly worked for the Decatur Police is now
suing the city, saying he was maliciously teased because of his
religion.
In court papers filed Monday, Mohamed Hyath asks for back pay and an
award
for emotional distress. He named the city of Decatur and three officers
of
the police department.
Hyath said he was subject to relentless teasing during the six months
in
2002 when he was training to be a Decatur officer. Colleagues made fun
of
him for not eating pork and disparaged Muslim women who cover
themselves in
public, Mohamed alleged.
Mohamed also said that one day during roll call a supervisor passed out
an
FBI poster seeking a Saudi Arabian man thought to be associated with
Sept.
11 hijackers. The supervisor had copied Mohamed's face onto the poster
and
listed Mohamed's name at the top, "A.K.A. ABDUL."
"This was pretty much daily, where they would make fun of his
traditions.
They made fun of him for being Muslim," said Mohamed's attorney, Amanda
Farahany.
After the poster incident, Farahany said, Mohamed went to superiors to
complain.
"They said, 'This is the type of thing you'll have to deal with. It's
just
good-natured fun.' That's when he resigned," Farahany said. Mohamed now
lives in Canada...
---
MANY WASHINGTON COUNTY MAYORS BOW OUT OF PRAYER BREAKFAST
Richard Colby, Oregon Live, 4/27/04
http://www.oregonlive.com/metrowest/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/metro_west_news/1083066963140130.xml
Few if any of the county's mayors will attend the May 5 Mayors' Prayer
Breakfast of Washington County, at least in part because event
organizers
decided last week to bar participation by a Muslim leader.
Mayors and the county's top elected official on Monday either said they
had
other commitments the day of the breakfast or were considering
following
Beaverton Mayor Rob Drake's lead in skipping the event.
The Beaverton-Tigard Chapter of the Full Gospel Businessmen's
Fellowship
and Concerned Citizens steering committee for the breakfast voted to
disinvite Shahriar Ahmed, president of the Bilal Mosque Association in
Beaverton, from sitting on the breakfast meeting dais and giving the
breakfast's closing prayer.
As the traditional host mayor of the breakfast, Drake had invited Ahmed
to
take part on the breakfast meeting's dais, along with a rabbi.
Peter Reding, the fellowship's communications director, said Muslims
pray
to Allah rather than God and contended they are not part of
"Judeo-Christian tradition." Both suppositions figured into the
steering
committee's 7-1 vote to bar Ahmed from praying. The group said he could
still attend and sit in the audience. Ahmed has said he will skip the
event.
Reding defended the vote again Monday. "We have received quite a number
of
people calling up and supporting our position," he said. "Everybody is
invited to come to the breakfast," he said, but added that the group
has a
"Jewish-Christian tradition only on the dais..."
-----
DECENTLY, KILL THE MUSLIMS
Kareem Fahim, Village Voice, 4/29/04
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0417/fahim.php
Jay Severin, a Boston radio talk show host, had some advice on the
subject
of Muslims for a caller to his show last week. "You think we should
befriend them," he told Chris from Rhode Island, according to a
transcript
of the show obtained by a local newspaper. "I think we should kill
them."
Severin also called Muslims in America a "fifth column," here to "take
over
the culture and eventually take over our country." He later defended
his
comments to a Boston Globe reporter, claiming listeners to his show
have
heard him say that not all Muslims are terrorists.
A spokesperson for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) told the
Voice the organization had received a complaint about the incident, but
that the FCC "doesn't have rules regarding violence or calls to
violence,"
except possibly in cases that involve a "clear and present danger." The
FCC
has attracted publicity lately for its crackdown on indecency, and its
recent proposal to fine Clear Channel Communications nearly half a
million
dollars for comments made by Howard Stern.
Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) told
the
Voice that he'd noticed a spike in similar hate speech since the
killing of
four civilian contractors in Fallujah, Iraq. Arsalan Iftikhar, CAIR's
director of legal affairs, said the best he hopes for is that the
group's
members contact the radio station and the FCC. "Unfortunately,
[Severin]'s
comments wouldn't reach the legal and constitutional definition of
incitement," he said...
SEE: CAIR RENEWS CALL FOR RADIO HOST'S FIRING
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=167&page=AA
-----
PHOTOS SHOW JAIL ABUSE BY US TROOPS
Sydney Morning Herald, 4/29/04
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/29/1083224523783.html
United States soldiers at a prison outside Baghdad have been accused of
forcing Iraqi prisoners into acts of sexual humiliation and other
abuses.
The charges, first announced by the military in March, were documented
by
photographs taken by guards in the prison.
Some of the photographs, and descriptions of others, were broadcast in
the
US on Wednesday by a CBS television news program and were verified by
military officials.
Of the six people reported in March to be facing preliminary charges,
three
have been recommended for courts martial.
The program reported that poorly trained US reservists were forcing
Iraqis
to conduct simulated sexual acts in order to break down their will
before
they were turned over to others for interrogation.
In one photograph naked Iraq prisoners stand in a human pyramid, one
with a
slur written on his skin in English.
In another, a prisoner stands on a box, his head covered, wires
attached to
his body. The news show said that, according to the army, he had been
told
that if he fell off the box he would be electrocuted. Other photographs
show male prisoners positioned to simulate sex with each other.
ALSO SEE:
COURT MARTIAL IN IRAQ
CBS News, 4/28/04
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/27/60II/main614063.shtml
Last month, the U.S. Army announced 17 soldiers in Iraq, including a
brigadier general, had been removed from duty after charges of
mistreating
Iraqi prisoners.
But the details of what happened have been kept secret, until now.
It turns out photographs surfaced showing American soldiers abusing and
humiliating Iraqis being held at a prison near Baghdad. The Army
investigated, and issued a scathing report.
Now, an Army general and her command staff may face the end of long
military careers. And six soldiers are facing court martial in Iraq --
and
possible prison time.
Correspondent Dan Rather talks to one of those soldiers. And, for the
first
time, 60 Minutes II will show some of the pictures that led to the Army
investigation.
According to the U.S. Army, one Iraqi prisoner was told to stand on a
box
with his head covered, wires attached to his hands. He was told that if
he
fell off the box, he would be electrocuted.
It was this picture, and dozens of others, that prompted an
investigation
by the U.S. Army. On Tuesday, 60 Minutes II asked Brig. Gen. Mark
Kimmitt,
deputy director of coalition operations in Iraq, what went wrong.
"Frankly, I think all of us are disappointed by the actions of the
few,"
says Kimmitt. "Every day, we love our soldiers, but frankly, some days
we're not always proud of our soldiers..."
---
CBS AIRS PHOTOS OF ALLEGED U.S. ABUSE OF IRAQI PRISONERS
Associated Press, 4/28/04
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/iraq/bal-abuse0428,0,4319817.story
NEW YORK -- U.S. military police stacked naked Iraqi prisoners in a
human
pyramid, and attached wires to one detainee to convince him he might be
electrocuted, according to photographs obtained by CBS News which led
to
criminal charges against six American soldiers.
CBS said the photos, shown Wednesday night on "60 Minutes II," were
taken
late last year at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad, where American
soldiers
were holding hundreds of prisoners captured during the invasion and
occupation of Iraq.
In March, the U.S. Army announced that six members of the 800th
Military
Police Brigade faced court martial for allegedly abusing about 20
prisoners
at Abu Ghraib. The charges included dereliction of duty, cruelty and
maltreatment, assault and indecent acts with another person.
In addition to those criminal charges, the military has recommended
disciplinary action against seven U.S. officers who helped run the
prison,
including Brig. Gen. Janice Karpinski, the commander of the 800th
Brigade,
a senior military official said Wednesday in Baghdad.
The investigation recommended administrative action against several of
the
commanders, which could include punishments up to relieving them of
their
commands, said the official, speaking on condition on anonymity.
When the abuse charges were first announced, U.S. military officials
declined to provide details about the evidence. But on Wednesday, at a
news
briefing in Baghdad, Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt said the investigation
began
in January when an American soldier reported the abuse and turned over
evidence that included photographs.
"That soldier said, 'There are some things going on here that I can't
live
with,'" said Kimmitt, who also confirmed that CBS had obtained the
photographs.
One picture shows an Iraqi prisoner who was told to stand on a box with
his
head covered and wires attached to his hands. CBS said the prisoner was
told that if he fell off the box, he would be electrocuted....
-----
SUPPORT FOR WAR IS DOWN SHARPLY, POLL CONCLUDES
Richard W. Stevenson and Janet Elder, New York Times, 4/29/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/29/politics/29POLL.html
Support for the war in Iraq has eroded substantially over the past
several
months, and Americans are increasingly critical of the way President
Bush
is handling the conflict, according to the latest New York Times/CBS
News Poll.
After initially expressing robust backing for the war, the public is
now
evenly divided over whether the United States military should stay for
as
long as it takes to stabilize Iraq or pull out as soon as possible, the
poll showed.
Asked whether the United States had done the right thing in taking
military
action against Iraq, 47 percent of respondents said it had, down from
58
percent a month earlier and 63 percent in December, just after American
forces captured Saddam Hussein. Forty-six percent said the United
States
should have stayed out of Iraq, up from 37 percent last month and 31
percent in December.
The diminished public support for the war did not translate into any
significant advantage for Mr. Bush's Democratic challenger, Senator
John
Kerry of Massachusetts. The poll showed the two men remaining in a
statistical dead heat, both in a head-to-head matchup and in a
three-way
race that included Ralph Nader.
Support for Mr. Bush is stronger in other areas vital to his
re-election,
including his handling of the threat from terrorism, which won the
approval
of 60 percent of respondents.
Even so, just short of a year after Mr. Bush stood on the deck of the
aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln last May 1 and proclaimed the end to
major
combat operations under a banner reading "Mission Accomplished," his
approval rating has slid from the high levels it reached during the
war...
ALSO SEE:
US TROOPS FIRE ON IRAQI BUS AT CHECKPOINT-WITNESS
Reuters, 4/29/04
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2004/April/focusoniraq_April256.xml§ion=focusoniraq
FALLUJA, Iraq - U.S. soldiers fired on a minibus full of civilians near
a
checkpoint on the outskirts of the beseiged Iraqi town of Falluja on
Thursday, setting the vehicle on fire, a Reuters witness said.
Iraqi policeman Fouad al-Hamdani said four Iraqis were killed when U.S.
troops opened fire on the minibus as it headed towards the town through
an
area where clashes had broken out between troops and insurgents.
Other witnesses said at least one passenger was killed.
People had been leaving Falluja following U.S. airstrikes on the town,
50
km (30 miles), west of Baghdad.
It was not immediately clear why the soldiers fired at the vehicle and
the
U.S. military said it had yet to receive information on any incident in
the
area.
-----
'ENEMY COMBATANT' CASES GO TO JUSTICES
Charles Lane, Washington Post, 4/29/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48722-2004Apr28.html
As the Supreme Court heard oral arguments yesterday in cases involving
the
military detention of two U.S. citizens suspected of membership in the
Taliban and al Qaeda, the justices indicated that a central concern of
the
court is whether President Bush has acted with sufficient authorization
from Congress.
No administration anti-terrorism policy has aroused more debate than
its
contention that Bush, as commander in chief, has the power to declare
citizens captured at home or abroad "enemy combatants" based on
intelligence information, and then hold them indefinitely, without
criminal
charges, for interrogation.
The justices seemed as divided as the public yesterday, with no clear
majority view discernible from their questions and remarks.
But the issue of congressional authorization loomed, in part because a
1971
law, passed to prevent a repeat of the internment of tens of thousands
of
Japanese Americans during World War II, requires that detention of a
U.S.
citizen by the federal government take place under a law passed by
Congress.
Deputy Solicitor General Paul D. Clement, who represented the
government in
both cases, said that the president had all the authority he needed
from a
Sept. 18, 2001, congressional resolution that empowered him to use "all
necessary and appropriate force" against the countries, groups and
individuals he determined were to blame for the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks...
ALSO SEE:
WAR ON TERRORISM SHOULDN'T OVERRIDE CONSTITUTION
Detroit Free Press, 4/29/04
http://www.freep.com/voices/editorials/eterr29_20040429.htm
Even in the frenzied atmosphere that followed the 9/11 attacks, had
Congress been asked whether it was OK to start throwing American
citizens
in jail and holding them indefinitely incommunicado on the basis of
suspected links to terrorism, the answer would surely have been no. If
the
terrorists could force America to undermine its Constitution, that
would be
a victory for them.
But President George W. Bush contends that in authorizing the use of
military force against terrorism, Congress gave him such extraordinary
authority, which has to date been used to hold two Americans.
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday on behalf of the pair,
who
are detained as "enemy combatants," with none of the legal rights that
would be afforded U.S. citizens facing criminal charges. Like POWs, the
pair can theoretically remain captive until the war is over, except
that no
one knows how to know that in this new kind of war.
The two are: Jose Padilla, a former Chicago gang member, convert to
Islam
and alleged associate of Al Qaeda, who was arrested at O'Hare Airport
in
Chicago; and Yaser Esam Hamdi, the Louisiana-born son of a Saudi oil
industry worker who was captured by U.S. forces in fighting in
Afghanistan.
Held in isolation cells at a Navy prison, neither even knew until
recently
that his case had reached the nation's highest court.
For the Supreme Court to let this kind of detention stand would set a
terrible precedent, giving the government sweeping power to remove
citizens
from society without having to explain its actions...
-----
HOW PAIR'S FINDING ON TERROR LED TO CLASH ON SHAPING INTELLIGENCE
James Risen, New York Times, 4/28/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/28/politics/28INTE.html
WASHINGTON - Soon after the Sept. 11 attacks, a two-man intelligence
team
set up shop in a windowless, cipher-locked room at the Pentagon,
searching
for evidence of links between terrorist groups and host countries.
The men culled classified material, much of it uncorroborated data from
the
C.I.A. "We discovered tons of raw intelligence," said Michael Maloof,
one
of the pair. "We were stunned that we couldn't find any mention of it
in
the C.I.A.'s finished reports."
They recorded and annotated their evidence on butcher paper hung like a
mural around their small office. By the end of the year, as the rubble
was
being cleared from the World Trade Center and United States forces were
fighting in Afghanistan, the men had constructed a startling new
picture of
global terrorism.
Old ethnic, religious and political divides between terrorist groups
were
breaking down, the two men warned, posing an ominous new threat. They
saw
alliances among a wide range of Islamic terrorists, and theorized about
a
convergence of Sunni and Shiite extremist groups and secular Arab
governments. Their conclusions, delivered to senior Bush administration
officials, connected Iraq and Al Qaeda, Saddam Hussein and Osama bin
Laden.
In doing so, the team also helped set off a controversy over the
shaping of
intelligence that continues today.
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is investigating whether
the
unit - named the Counter Terrorism Evaluation Group by its creator,
Douglas
J. Feith, the under secretary of defense for policy - exaggerated the
threat posed by Iraq to justify the war.
SEE ALSO:
COUNTER TERRORISM EVALUATION GROUP
http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2004/04/27/politics/20040428_INTE_GRAPH.html
-----
ARAB-AMERICAN VOTE LOOMS LARGE
Jim Lobe, IPS News, 4/29/04
http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=23513
WASHINGTON - Arab-Americans, one of the U.S.' smallest ethnic
minorities,
could well tip the balance against President George W Bush's
re-election,
according to a survey released Wednesday of four key battleground
states
where the vote could be decided.
The poll, conducted by Zogby International for the Washington-based
Arab
American Institute (AAI), found, if current opinions hold through
November,
Bush could suffer a net loss of one-third (170,000) Arab-American votes
in
the four states compared to the 2000 elections, when he won a solid
plurality of those votes.
Such a loss could prove decisive in the four states -- Florida,
Michigan,
Ohio and Pennsylvania -- where Bush and Democratic candidate John Kerry
are
focusing much of their early campaign efforts precisely because the
races
are expected to be extremely close.
In the United States, the winner of the presidential balloting within
each
state receives all of the state's electoral votes regardless of the
margin
of their victory...
With a population of at least 3.5 million, Arab-Americans make up a
little
over one percent of the U.S. population. At the same time, their voter
turnout, which is higher than that of most other U.S. groups, is
expected
to hit close to two million this year, or about 1.5 percent of all
voters.
But the Arab-American population is also disproportionately
concentrated in
a relatively few states, such as California and New York -- where Kerry
is
expected to win handily in November -- as well as the four states
surveyed
in the latest poll...
ALSO SEE:
BUSH STILL ENJOYS SOME MUSLIM SUPPORT
Rachel Zoll, Associated Press, 4/29/04
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/26-04292004-291727.html
It was just a throwaway line, an aside in a speech to some fellow
American
Muslims that Muqtedar Khan considered a surefire crowd-pleaser. But
when he
criticized President Bush over the war on Iraq, Khan was surprised by
the
response.
"I was booed. They were shouting and booing at me," said Khan, a
political
scientist at Adrian College in Michigan. "A man came and told me, `If
you
think the war in Iraq is not moral then I'm sorry to say you have no
idea
what morality is.'"
As Khan saw that day, the president still enjoys pockets of strong
support
among America's Muslims, despite deep resentment over scrutiny of their
community following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
And while Democrats outnumber Republicans among U.S. Muslims, there is
a
sense that presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry has done
relatively
little to reach out to the community.
Among Bush's supporters are Iraqi-Americans and others grateful that
Saddam
Hussein was ousted, giving their fellow Shiias a chance to govern in
that
country after decades of oppression.
Others are wealthy, immigrant businessmen loyal to the Republican
Party.
They can be found among the Bush campaign's Pioneers and Rangers, who
have
raised tens of thousands of dollars for his re-election.
More votes could come from socially conservative Muslims, drawn into
the
Republican camp because of its opposition to gay marriage. "We are
working
hard to maintain and build upon the support for the president," said
Scott
Stanzel, a Bush campaign spokesman.
Still, no one expects Bush to win a majority of the Muslim vote and
there's
a danger in the recent Iraqi uprisings, which could further undercut
Islamic - and particularly Shiia - support for the president...
-----
NETWORK BEAMS AMERICA INTO ARAB LIVING ROOMS
Ori Nir, Forward, 4/23/04
http://www.forward.com/main/article.php?ref=nir200404211128
WASHINGTON - After two months on the air, Alhurra, America's Arabic
satellite TV network, has become a favorite punching bag of Arab
commentators and religious leaders throughout the Middle East.
Cartoonists ridicule it. Columnists dismiss it. One Saudi cleric went
so
far as to issue an Islamic edict outlawing Muslims from watching the
network or even cooperating with it.
But the directors and editors of Alhurra - Arabic for "the free one" -
don't seem worried.
"At this stage, any publicity is good publicity," said radio tycoon
Norman
Pattiz, who, as a member of the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors,
spearheaded the creation of the new channel. "We've been out there for
no
longer than a whisper, and we are already having a tremendous effect on
how
the Arab media are viewing themselves. That's almost worth the price of
admission, isn't it?"
Pattiz, founder and director of the entertainment empire Westwood One,
two
years ago established Radio Sawa, a federally funded radio station that
replaced Voice of America's Arabic service with a controversial mixture
of
news and popular music broadcast through powerful transmitters to the
Arab
world...
-----
WHY REVENGE ISN'T THE RIGHT ANSWER
Sunil Dutta, Newsweek, 5/3/04
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4815767/
Since my childhood, I have heard horrifying stories of suffering from
my
family elders. On Aug. 14, 1947, British colonizers divided colonial
India
into a majority Hindu nation, India, and a majority Muslim nation,
Pakistan. The partition resulted in an eruption of violence on an
unprecedented scale--almost 2 million people were killed in an orgy of
murder, arson and rape that lasted until November of that year.
Seventeen
million people became refugees--including my clan.
By a twist of fate, the ancestral village where my family had lived and
farmed for five centuries, Kanjrur-Duttan, was located seven miles west
of
the Ravi River, where the Boundary Commission had drawn an invisible
border
line. Suddenly my family members were minority Hindus living in an
Islamic
nation, caught in the middle of a holocaust. Scores of uncles and
granduncles were butchered by Muslim mobs. My aunts were raped and
abducted. Not even my elderly relatives were spared; my octogenarian
granduncle Pooran Chand's throat was slit by Muslim killers. Those who
were
lucky enough to survive had to flee.
The chaos and violence sent family members scattering in different
directions. While growing up in a refugee colony in India, I felt the
effect of the violence my elders had witnessed. I sensed the deep
hatred my
family felt toward Muslims. We considered them to be bloodthirsty
animals
who had preyed on us, killing our loved ones and driving us from our
homes,
turning us into destitute refugees.
In September 2001, 16 years after I had moved to the United States, I
returned to India for a visit and was confronted with an ugly family
secret, a shocking truth that opened my eyes to the dual lives we had
been
living. My father took me to meet my granduncle, a family elder he'd
seen
only once since the partition 54 years before. Old age had failed to
diminish his spirit. He spoke in a fierce, deep voice, reciting
couplets
from poetry books he had written. He talked about seeing his uncles and
two
sisters killed while trying to flee a Muslim mob in Kanjrur-Duttan and
told
me how he had narrowly escaped by swimming across the flooded Ravi to
the
Indian side. When he got there, he had to walk over fields of dead
refugees
on the way to the town of Dera Baba Nanak...
-----
ISLAM AND CANADA
Steven Frank, Time Canada, 4/29/04
http://www.timecanada.com/printstory.adp?storyid=1
On a gray Sunday morning outside Toronto's North York City Center,
librarygoers meander to and from the otherwise quiet underground
shopping
mall. But inside a hall in the concrete complex, a frightening vision
of
Canada is being conjured up. Some 300 fired-up members of Toronto's
Muslim
community have gathered to debate a proposal to establish a Shari'a
court.
In Canada? When she first heard about it last year, women's rights
activist
Azar Majedi thought the idea of a tribunal in Canada based on Islamic
jurisprudence was a joke. "I was overwhelmed, shocked," Iran-born
Majedi
told the audience. "To see the seeds of an Islamic republic being sown
here
in Canada is terrifying."
Her fears were repeated by a succession of speakers during the
conference.
Many expressed concern that women would be pressured to appear before
the
Shari'a court. Azam Kamguian, founder of the London-based Committee to
Defend Women's Rights in the Middle East, worried that Canada's
tendency
toward tolerance would make people turn a blind eye to a system that
would
allow "Islamists to impose their agenda" on Canadian Muslims. "We
cannot
let multiculturalism become the last refuge of oppression," she said.
Another speaker said Shari'a law is racist and misogynist. "The Shari'a
court is an extension of that movement that stones women and hangs
apostates from cranes in the streets of Iran," human rights activist
Maryam
Namazie said, eliciting wild applause. "Enough is enough."
Proponents of the court disagree. They say adjudicators would mediate
only
civil and family disputes, would not hand out penal punishments, and
their
decisions would be subject to appeal to a Canadian court. But if the
system
of Islamic justice, which could be instituted this year, would not be
vastly different from Canadian legal norms, why create it? Because,
Mubin
Shaikh, a Shari'a proponent, said during a break in the debate, it is a
tenet of Muslim belief that Islamic law is superior to "man-made law."
Canada's Muslims want to live in a secular, parliamentary democracy, he
told Time. But, Shaikh claimed, they also want to be judged by fellow
Muslims, not white Anglo-Saxon Protestants. "How can these people
relate to
any of [Islam's] cultural nuances?" he asked...
-----
ARAR ACCUSER SAYS HE WAS TORTURED
Colin Freeze, Globe and Mail, 4/29/04
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040429.wxarar29/BNStory/Front/
Months before the Syrians locked up Maher Arar, he was fingered as a
terrorism suspect by a Canadian acquaintance.'' During my detention and
torture by the Syrians I was forced to divulge everyone I knew. This
included Mr. Maher Arar,'' says Ahmad Abou El-Maati, a Toronto truck
driver
first arrested in November, 2001, and released from a series of Middle
East
prisons just a few weeks ago.
Mr. El-Maati says that shortly after his arrest he placated his
torturers
by falsely confessing to a bomb plot targeting Ottawa, and by falsely
implicating others, including Mr. Arar, according to an affidavit he
wrote
after returning to Canada last month.
In September, 2002, U.S. agents arrested Mr. Arar in a New York
airport,
alleged he was an al-Qaeda terrorist, and deported him to the Middle
East.
Mr. Arar, freed after 10 months, returned to Canada to speak of Syrian
torture as he aggressively lobbied for a public inquiry. It is now
slated
to begin in June.
The story of Mr. Arar, 33, who has said he barely knows Mr. El-Maati,
is
much better known than that of his 39-year-old acquaintance. The
six-page
affidavit Mr. El-Maati swore to just two weeks ago marks the first time
he
has told his story publicly, and it is written in support of his
application to tell it in greater detail at the inquiry...
-----
ICNA'S LECTURES ON THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET
WHAT: ICNA - Washington Metro Area and the Islamic Society of Baltimore
Willl be hosting speeches on the seerah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace
be
upon him). Keynote address will be given by Alexander Kronemer on the
relevance of Prophet Mohammad's Message in 21st Century America.
WHEN: Saturday, May 1st, 2003 (Registration: 10:30 am - 10:45 am)
WHERE: Masjid Ar-Rahmah, Baltimore, MD
-----
CHICAGOLAND MUSLIMS ESTABLISH RELIEF FUND FOR ILLINOIS TORNADO VICTIMS
CONTACT: Farhan Younus, Esq., Chair, CIOGC Media Relations Committee �
fyounus@ciogc.org, 630-926-5566
The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC), an
umbrella organization serving over 400,000 Muslims throughout
Chicagoland,
announces the establishment of a charitable fund for victims of the
recent
tornadoes in Illinois. In keeping with the role of Muslim-Americans as
an
integral element of American society and with a strong commitment to
alleviating the pain of fellow Americans whose lives have been
drastically
affected by these natural disasters, the CIOGC has launched a
fund-raising
drive across the Chicago area and urges fellow Americans of all faiths
to
contribute generously to this noble cause.
Kareem Irfan, Chairman of the CIOGC stated, "We appeal to all
Chicagoans to
join us in this time of statewide concern by giving generously to the
victims of this devastating natural disaster. We share the pain and
suffering resulting from the wide-spread loss of lives, homes and
property
and earnestly hope that these fundraising efforts will ease some of the
suffering in the affected areas." The CIOGC has worked with its
member
organizations to establish fund-raising drives at the grass roots level
within the Muslim-American community. Mosques and community centers
across
Chicago will address the tornado tragedy and appeal for funds during
Friday
congregational prayers. The CIOGC expects to have its representatives
deliver collected funds directly to authorities in the affected areas.
-----
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Fri, 30 Apr 2004 18:17:53 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: CA Gov's Israel Trip Disappoints Arabs, Muslims
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 4/30/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: LOVE GOD AND THE PROPHET
* REASON #10 TO JOIN CAIR - Action Alerts
- CAIR Public Library Project: 7440
* CA GOV'S ISRAEL TRIP DISAPPOINTS ARABS, MUSLIMS (AP)
* OK RADIO HOST: 'ALLAH IS NOT THE GOD OF THIS NATION'
- Severin Fails to Own Up to His Words (Boston Globe)
- CAIR Renews Call for Radio Host's Firing
- Radio Host Says Remarks Misconstrued (Boston Globe)
* 'PORK' LEFT AT UW-MILWAUKEE MUSLIM STUDENT OFFICE
* WI: NEW MOSQUE OPENS TODAY IN APPLETON (Post-Crescent)
- MI: Muslims Plan New Mosque (Detroit News)
* BUSH FEELS 'DISGUST' AT ABUSE OF IRAQIS (AP)
- US Seen as Occupier, Not Liberator (CS Monitor)
- Looking For the Exit (UPI)
- Arab Stations Show Iraqi Prisoner Images (AP)
* PATRIOT ACT SUPPRESSES NEWS OF CHALLENGE (Wash Post)
- Citizens and Enemies (Wash Post)
* MI: A CALL TO PRAYER BY LOUDSPEAKER (CS Monitor)
- NY: Group Promotes Understanding (Newsday)
* THAI MUSLIMS GRIEVE, ARMY HUNTS MILITANTS (Wash Post)
- Thai Rebels at Mosque Knew Their Fate (LA Times)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: LOVE GOD AND THE PROPHET
Narrated Anas - "A man asked the Prophet about the Hour (of the Day of
Judgment) saying: 'When will the Hour be?' The Prophet replied: 'What
have
you prepared for it?' The man said: 'Nothing, except that I love God
and
His Apostle.' The Prophet said: 'You will be with those you love.' We
had
never been so glad as we were on hearing those words of the Prophet."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 5, Hadith 37
-----
REASON #10 TO JOIN CAIR - ACTION ALERTS
Through its action alerts, CAIR has effectively mobilized individuals
and
communities to react to both positive and negative issues in a matter
of
hours. For example, when CAIR issued an action alert to thank CNN for
their
positive coverage of Hajj, hundreds responded immediately by making
calls,
sending emails, and even flowers.
In our new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member at
a
Time," CAIR intends (God Willing) to sign up 25,000 new members by its
10th
year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
Students Click here!
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=33172&page=NB
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7440 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
-----
GOVERNOR'S ISRAEL TRIP DISAPPOINTS ARAB-AMERICANS IN CALIFORNIA
BEN FOX, Associated Press, 4/30/04
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/states/california/counties/alameda_county/8560701.htm?1c
ANAHEIM, Calif. - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's weekend trip to Israel
has
angered and disappointed Arab-Americans over what they see as a glaring
gap
in his itinerary: No time is set aside to hear from Palestinians about
their bitter struggle with the Jewish state.
The 24-hour trip is intended as a feel-good mission to celebrate the
groundbreaking for a museum of tolerance in Jerusalem and to put to
rest
suggestions that Schwarzenegger has any sympathy with his father's Nazi
past. Still, Arab Americans feel slighted.
"He's going to disappoint a lot of people here and all over the world,"
Sam
Ali, a salesman originally from Egypt, said as he parked his car in an
Anaheim neighborhood that features a growing number of shops catering
to
Arab-Americans.
Ali, 29, said he voted for Schwarzenegger in last year's recall, after
deciding that former Gov. Gray Davis was ineffective. But he echoed the
sentiments of nearly everyone else interviewed in the district known as
"Little Arabia" in expressing deep disappointment over the governor's
Israel itinerary.
"He should be working to make peace between both sides," he said.
Schwarzenegger agreed to attend the groundbreaking more than a year
ago,
before he was a candidate for governor, and said earlier this month
that
the visit is "an extraordinary moment for me."
Arab-Americans said they wished he also would take a detour to see the
poverty and despair among Palestinians in the West Bank or Gaza Strip
and
listen to their complaints about Israel.
"It's his prerogative to visit, but he should be fair to all races and
religions," said Mohammed Abdullah, 46, a Palestinian-American who
works as
a butcher in Anaheim.
Did he vote for Schwarzenegger? "Unfortunately," Abdullah said.
The interviews in Anaheim offer an incomplete snapshot of the opinions
of
California's approximately 600,000 Arab-Americans, about 1.7 percent of
the
state's total population. Some declined to speak to a reporter, saying
they
were sensitive to anti-Muslim sentiment and reluctant to criticize a
government official.
The Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations plans
to
issue a report Monday that the group says will document an increase in
anti-Muslim incidents nationwide. Its Anaheim-based California branch
will
issue a separate report about hate crimes in the state.
The group said California has the nation's highest number of incidents
and
largest population of Muslims, about a million.
A spokeswoman for the California branch, Sabiha Khan, offered a
cautious
response to Schwarzenegger's plan to attend Sunday's groundbreaking for
the
Simon Wiesenthal Center museum of tolerance and meet with Israeli
government leaders, including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
"We welcome his trip abroad to learn more, and we hope that since he's
interested in tolerance that he takes a trip to the Palestinian side to
see
the devastation they are living through under the occupation," Khan
said…
ACTION REQUESTED: (Be POLITE and RESPECTFUL.)
Contact Governor Schwarzenegger to ask that he 1) learn more about the
suffering caused by Israel's occupation and 2) hear the views of all
parties to the conflict.
CONTACT:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-2841
Fax: 916-445-4633
E-MAIL: governor@governor.ca.gov
COPY TO: SOCAL@cair.com
-----
HATE HURTS AMERICA
OK RADIO HOST: 'ALLAH IS NOT THE GOD OF THIS NATION'
MP3 - http://www.cair-net.org/audio/KFAQ.mp3 (file size: 331kb)
WAV - http://www.cair-net.org/audio/KFAQ.wav (file size: 506kb)
Realplayer - http://www.cair-net.org/audio/KFAQ.ram (Streaming Audio)
"Michael DelGiorno on standing up for what's right...
"Allah is not the God of this nation, but that is exactly the agenda of
Islam: to change our government from within through politics and
through
tolerance and inclusion -- alter our culture.
"But make no mistake about it, their goal is not to be one of many gods
and
one of many religions, it's to be the God and the religion of the
entire Earth.
"Christians you better start speaking up and standing up for what's
right,
it's all ready too late in Michigan...(An apparent reference to the
controversy over broadcasting the Muslim call to prayer in Michigan.)
"How much longer before it's too late right here at home?"
"...Michael DelGiorno, weekday morning, 5:30 to 9....Tulsa's talk radio
1170 KFAQ."
ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE.)
Contact the station to express your concerns about using anti-Muslim
bigotry to gain listeners.
CONTACT:
Mr. Randy Bush
General Manager
1170 KFAQ
4590 East 29th Street
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74114
Phone: (918) 743-7814
Comment Line: (918) 460-1170
WEB: http://www.1170kfaq.com/
E-MAIL: rbush@journalbroadcastgroup.com,
bgann@journalbroadcastgroup.com,
ltaber@journalbroadcastgroup.com, llindquist@journalbroadcastgroup.com
COPY TO: cair@cair-net.org
-----
SEVERIN FAILS TO OWN UP TO HIS WORDS
Scot Lehigh, Boston Globe, 4/30/04
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/04/30/severin_fails_to_own_up_to_his_words/
Here's today's question: How dopey does WTKK radio talkmeister Jay
Severin
think "the best and brightest" actually are? Or, to put it another way,
what happens when one of the year's most dishonest defenses collides
with
one of talk radio's most worshipful audiences?
Now, I occasionally listen to "Extreme Games" on 96.9 FM, and there are
some moments that lead one to conclude that Severin is no idiot.
Of course, other days argue equally strongly for the contrary
proposition
-- and last Thursday was clearly one of the latter. After a caller
suggested that the United States should befriend Muslims who live in
this
country, Severin noted that he had an alternative viewpoint: They
should be
killed.
The problem for Severin was that some members of his audience, which he
calls "the best and brightest," are Muslim. Several found his call for
their death jarring enough to cause them to pick up the phone come
Monday,
particularly after a Sunday Globe story quoted a spokesman for the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations alleging, erroneously, that what Severin
had
said was, "I've got an idea, let's kill all Muslims."
[CAIR NOTE: The original "quote" referenced above came from WTKK
General
Manager Matt Mills, who listened to a tape of the program and
paraphrased
Severin's remarks to CAIR. Mills, who refused to provide a tape of the
actual program, re-confirmed this interpretation of Serverin's comments
to
two CAIR staffers. CAIR's original news release made it clear that the
quote came through Mills.]
One Monday caller said he had almost driven off the road when he heard
Severin's remark. And further, that he had contemplated "coming to your
broadcast and saying . . . `you know what? I am a Muslim, kill me,'
because
that is precisely what you said."
"It is not what I said," Severin insisted. As the man challenged him to
replay the controversial remark, the host could be heard telling his
producers to turn the caller down...
Here's what Severin did say: "I have an alternative viewpoint. It's
slightly different than yours. You think we should befriend them. I
think
we should kill them."
Let me slip into Jay's didactic mode. That, best and brightest, is
what's
known as a distinction without a difference. The words may vary
slightly,
but the sentiment is the same.
The way Severin wiggles away from those comments is to insist, as he
did to
me yesterday, that he really meant Muslim terrorists. "I was never
talking
about, have never talked about . . . citizens, people in this country
who
live among us and who are not our enemies," he said.
In fact, as listening to the recording makes clear, the truth is
exactly
the opposite: Before he made his remark, Severin was talking precisely
about Muslims living in this country. Indeed, he had made several
references to "the majority of Muslims" in the United States, who, he
said,
are loyal not to the United States but to their religion and who are
ready,
when the time comes, to take over the country.
Point that out to Severin and he starts turning semiotic somersaults.
The
context that matters is not that of the actual conversation but
previous
discussions on his show in which he has made clear that not all Muslims
are
enemies, he says.
On Monday, Severin offered a classic nonapology apology: "I certainly
regret any discomfort that may have been caused by the misunderstanding
of
my remarks."
Here's the blatant hypocrisy. Severin sells himself as a straight
shooter,
a determined truth-teller. If he truly were that, he would have
admitted
that he said something morally appalling, and he'd have offered a
manful
apology, with no weasel words, qualifiers, or escape clauses. Instead,
Severin has played the charlatan, hiding behind a Clintonesque denial
and
trying to fool his audience into thinking he has won a great victory in
the
small correction of his quote. He hasn't been vindicated, and his faux
populist palaver is complete intellectual dishonesty.
On Monday, the Muslim caller, hearing the host's extreme semantic
games,
understood precisely what was going on.
"This is your demise, Jay, because you are not being truthful," he
said.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR RENEWS CALL FOR RADIO HOST'S FIRING
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=167&page=AA
---
RADIO HOST SAYS REMARKS MISCONSTRUED
Michael S. Rosenwald, Boston Globe, 4/27/04
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/04/27/radio_host_says_remarks_misconstrued/
-----
'PORK' LEFT AT UW-MILWAUKEE MUSLIM STUDENT OFFICE
Islamic educational displays stolen and vandalized
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 4/30/2004) - The Council on American-Islamic
Relations
(CAIR) today announced that what appeared to be raw pork was left
earlier
this week at the office of a Muslim student group at the University of
Wisconsin in Milwaukee (UWM). CAIR has asked campus police to
investigate
the incident as a possible bias-related crime.
The president of the UWM Muslim Student Association (MSA) told CAIR
that
what he described as "raw pork meat" was shoved under the door and in
the
doorway of the group's office on campus sometime prior to Monday
morning.
(Muslims are prohibited from consuming pork.) Islamic educational
materials
on the wall of the office were also stolen and vandalized. The same
office
was vandalized last year. MSA officials are seeking a security camera
for
the area near the office.
A campus police official told CAIR that there is an open investigation
of
the vandalism, but that the incident cannot be labeled a hate crime
without
further evidence of a bias motive or threat.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441,
E-Mail: rahmed@cair-net.org
-----
WI: NEW MOSQUE OPENS TODAY IN APPLETON
Cheryl Sherry, Post-Crescent, 4/30/04
http://www.wisinfo.com/postcrescent/news/archive/local_15893891.shtml
APPLETON - Muslims in the Fox Valley have a new mosque beginning today.
The Islamic Center of Wisconsin, created out of a converted office
building
at 720 W. Parkway Blvd., opens for its first prayer service at 1 p.m.
It joins the long-established Fox Valley Islamic Society in Neenah as
places of Muslim worship here. A group of nine families that formerly
worshipped at the Neenah mosque spearheaded the drive for the new
mosque,
saying they were seeking an alternative place of worship. They say they
have no hard feelings for the FVIS.
"People think we are splitting up the community, but we are not doing
that," said Christine Ibrahim of Green Bay. "We are just having other
options for people to choose the way they want to pray and worship.
People
have a choice now."
When Ibrahim, then a Catholic, first moved to Green Bay, she searched
for a
Catholic church with the right spiritual fit. It wasn't hard to find.
"In our neighborhood alone within a two- or three-mile radius, I can go
to
probably four or five (Catholic) churches," she said.
After marrying and then converting to husband Mohamed's Islamic faith
three
years ago, Christine had only one choice.
"Even though Islam is the second-largest growing religion in the United
States, in Wisconsin it's not that well known," she said. "In fact,
from
north Milwaukee all the way to east Minneapolis, there was only one
mosque
(Neenah's Fox Valley Islamic Society)...
ALSO SEE:
MI: MUSLIMS PLAN NEW MOSQUE IN ROCHESTER HILLS
Oralandar Brand-Williams, Detroit News, 4/30/04
http://www.detnews.com/2004/religion/0404/30/d04-138358.htm
ROCHESTER HILLS - The leaders of a Detroit Muslim congregation have
submitted plans to city officials to build a mosque.
Officials with the Baitul Muzaffar mosque in Detroit have applied for a
permit to build a $2.5 million, 16,000-square-foot mosque on Auburn
Road,
east of Crooks. It would be the second mosque in the city.
"It's not too small, but it's not a grandiose mosque either," said Novi
resident Nasir Malik, president of the Detroit chapter of the Ahmadiyya
Movement of Islam. The chapter has about 300 members and covers most of
Michigan.
The number of residents who emigrated from India, Pakistan and other
Asian
countries where Islam is a major religion has grown in Oakland County
in
the past decade, particularly in Troy. Coupled with the increasing
numbers
of Arab-Americans who are Muslims, the demand for more mosques in
Oakland
County is expected to grow.
The mosque is affiliated with the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, a form
of
Islam established in 1889, by Mirza Ghulam Qadiani in a small Punjabi
village in India.
The sect represents 200 million of the 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide,
said
Malik, a 54-year-old automotive engineer.
The Baitul Muzaffar mosque has 300 members scattered across southeast
Michigan, Malik said. Most of its members are from India and Pakistan.
Some
of the group's services are held in other places, such as Ann Arbor and
Rochester Hills, because the Detroit mosque lacks space....
-----
BUSH FEELS 'DISGUST' AT ABUSE OF IRAQIS
Associated Press, 4/30/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-bush-prisoners,1,6754242.story
WASHINGTON - President Bush has condemned the apparent mistreatment of
some
Iraqi prisoners, saying, ``Their treatment does not reflect the nature
of
the American people. That's not the way we do things in America. I
didn't
like it one bit.''
He was asked about photos showing Iraqi prisoners naked except for
hoods
covering their heads, stacked in a human pyramid, one with a slur
written
in English on his skin. That and other scenes of humiliation have led
to
criminal charges against six American soldiers. Arab television
stations
were leading their newscasts on Friday with the photos.
``I share a deep disgust that those prisoners were treated the way they
were treated,'' Bush said.
There currently are 138,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and 24,900 troops from
coalition countries.
Bush made his comments in the White House Rose Garden after a meeting
with
Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin.
ALSO SEE:
NEW IRAQ POLL: US SEEN AS OCCUPIER, NOT LIBERATOR
Tom Regan, Christian Science Monitor, 4/29/04
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0429/dailyUpdate.html
To get a sense of what Iraqis were thinking a year after the overthrow
of
former dictator Saddam Hussein, researchers for the Gallup
Organization,
working with funding from CNN and USA Today, sat down with 3444 Iraqis
in
March and early April (before the latest outbreaks of violence). They
conducted interviews that lasted as long as 70 minutes (often at great
personal risk). And what they found does not bode well in the
short-term
for the US and its allies in Iraq, although it may bode well for the
future
of Iraq as a democracy.
The survey finds Iraqis mixed on the results of the invasion of Iraq,
reports the Washington Post. Forty-two percent of Iraqis say their
country
is better off, while 46 percent say the US has "done more harm than
good"
in the past year. The survey also showed significant differences along
ethnic/sectarian lines, with Sunnis being strongly negative towards the
US-led coalition, Shiites being more positive but growing more
negative,
while the Kurds in the north were quite supportive of the US (95
percent of
Kurds supported the US-led invasion of Iraq)...
In an other incident that called into question the behavior of US
troops in
Iraq, Wednesday night CBS News showed pictures of alleged abuse against
Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad. According to the
photos, US military police stacked naked Iraqi prisoners in a human
pyramid, and "attached wires to one detainee to convince him he might
be
electrocuted." Last month the US Army announced that six US reservists
serving as MPs face a court martial for allegedly abusing prisoners at
Abu
Ghraib. Also, disciplinary actions has been recommended against the
seven
senior US officials who help run the prison, including Brig. Gen.
Janice
Karpinski, the commander of the 800th Brigade.
The Baltimore Sun reports that one of the accused reservists, who is
pleading not guilty to the charge, said the problem was with the way
the
prison was run...
---
COMMENTARY: LOOKING FOR THE EXIT
Arnaud de Borchgrave, UPI, 4/29/04
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20040429-113745-2828r
WASHINGTON-- If it wasn't a quagmire, it was certainly quagmiry. And
the
first prominent retired general to break ranks with President Bush's
Iraq
war policy was a Republican who once headed the National Security
Agency
and also served as a deputy National Security Adviser. Gen. William E.
Odom, a fluent Russian speaker who teaches at Georgetown and Yale, told
the
Wall Street Journal's John Harwood staying the course in Iraq is
untenable.
It was hard to disagree with Odom's description of Mr. Bush's vision of
reordering the Middle East by building a democracy in Iraq as a
pipedream.
His prescription: Remove U.S. forces "from that shattered country as
rapidly as possible." Odom says bluntly, "we have failed," and "the
issue
is how high a price we're going to pay - less, by getting out sooner,
or
more, by getting out later."
At best, Iraq will emerge from the current geopolitical earthquake as
"a
highly illiberal democracy, inspired by Islamic culture, extremely
hostile
to the West and probably quite willing to fund terrorist
organizations,"
Odom explained. If that wasn't enough to erode support for the war,
Odom
added, "The ability of Islamist militants to use Iraq as a beachhead
for
attacks against American interests elsewhere may increase."
Odom, who heads the pro-Republican Hudson Institute, also sees the sum
total of what the U.S. occupation of Iraq has achieved is "the
radicalization of Saudi Arabia and probably Egypt, too. And the longer
we
stay in Iraq, the more isolated America will become."
The retired four-star's proposed solution is for the United Nations and
the
European allies to take charge of political and security arrangements.
This
formal request from the United States, says Odom, should be accompanied
by
a unilateral declaration that U.S. forces are leaving even if no one
else
agrees to come in...
---
ARAB STATIONS SHOW IRAQI PRISONER IMAGES
Nadia Abou El-Magd, Associated Press, 4/30/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=Mideast%20Prisoner%20Abuse
CAIRO, Egypt - Arab television stations led their newscasts Friday with
photographs of Iraqi prisoners being humiliated by U.S. military
police.
One main channel called the pictures evidence of the ``immoral
practices''
of American forces.
The images, including prisoners naked except for hoods covering their
heads, documented alleged abuses that have led to charges against six
American soldiers. They were first broadcast Wednesday night in the
United
States on CBS' ``60 Minutes II.''
The Dubai-based Al-Arabiya and the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera channels
blurred
the nudity of the prisoners.
The images were potentially inflammatory in an Arab world already angry
at
the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Arabs consider public nudity as
dishonorable.
Prime Minister Tony Blair's office Friday condemned the alleged abuse
of
Iraqi prisoners, but stressed it did not reflect the conduct of the
vast
majority of coalition troops.
``This is not representative of the 150,000 soldiers that are in
Iraq,''
Blair's official spokesman said.
Blair's spokesman also confirmed eight cases of alleged mistreatment of
Iraqis by British personnel were being investigated by the army's
Special
Investigations Branch...
-----
PATRIOT ACT SUPPRESSES NEWS OF CHALLENGE TO PATRIOT ACT
Dan Eggen, Washington Post, 4/28/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A51423-2004Apr28?language=printer
The American Civil Liberties Union disclosed yesterday that it filed a
lawsuit three weeks ago challenging the FBI's methods of obtaining many
business records, but the group was barred from revealing even the
existence of the case until now.
The lawsuit was filed April 6 in U.S. District Court in Manhattan,
but
the case was kept under seal to avoid violating secrecy rules contained
in
the USA Patriot Act, the ACLU said. The group was allowed to release a
redacted version of the lawsuit after weeks of negotiations with the
government.
"It is remarkable that a gag provision in the Patriot Act kept the
public
in the dark about the mere fact that a constitutional challenge had
been
filed in court," Ann Beeson, the ACLU's associate legal director, said
in a
statement. "President Bush can talk about extending the life of the
Patriot
Act, but the ACLU is still gagged from discussing details of our
challenge
to it."
A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment on the case.
The ACLU alleges that a section of the act is unconstitutional because
it
allows the FBI to request financial records and other documents from
businesses without a warrant or judicial approval. The group also says
such
requests, known as "national security letters," are being used much
more
broadly than they were before the Patriot Act.
The bureau has issued scores of the letters since late 2001 that
require
businesses to turn over electronic records about finances, telephone
calls,
e-mail and other personal information, according to previously released
documents. The letters, a type of administrative subpoena, may be
issued
independently by FBI field offices and are not subject to judicial
review
unless a case comes to court.
The ACLU's complaint focuses on the use of national security letters to
obtain information held by "electronic communication service
providers."
The group says the letters could force Internet providers to turn over
names, screen names, e-mail addresses and other customer information
without proper notice to the people involved...
ALSO SEE:
CITIZENS AND ENEMIES
Washington Post, 4/30/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54875-2004Apr29.html
The Supreme Court finally heard oral arguments Wednesday in the cases
of
Yaser Esam Hamdi and Jose Padilla, two U.S. citizens the military has
been
holding as enemy combatants for the past couple of years. The
government
alleges that Mr. Padilla is an al Qaeda operative who returned to this
country to conduct terrorist operations; Mr. Hamdi, who was born in the
United States but grew up in Saudi Arabia, was detained in Afghanistan
when
his Taliban combat unit surrendered. Their detentions present one of
the
most worrisome challenges to civil liberties of the post-Sept. 11 era:
The
government has held them both without charge and, for much of the time,
incommunicado and without access to counsel. What's more, both of the
courts of appeals that have considered the cases have flubbed them.
Coherent guidance from the Supreme Court is needed.
The government contends that the courts should approve both detentions
simply on its say-so. It submitted a hearsay affidavit in each case
laying
out a sketch of its evidence. In Mr. Hamdi's case, the Court of Appeals
for
the 4th Circuit agreed that this was good enough. The court consigned
him
to detention until the end of hostilities -- whatever that means in a
conflict such as this -- on the basis of a two-page document and
without
even hearing from him. To describe this proceeding is to reject it. As
Frank Dunham, a lawyer for Mr. Hamdi, said in a passionate summation
yesterday, the executive branch is essentially saying, "Trust us." But
a
bedrock principle of U.S. law is habeas corpus, which allows courts to
review the legality of detentions, "because we didn't trust the
executive
branch when we founded this government," Mr. Dunham said. All Americans
who
are locked up must have a meaningful forum in which to dispute the
allegations against them...
-----
MI: A CALL TO PRAYER - BY LOUDSPEAKER
Amanda Paulson, Christian Science Monitor, 4/30/04
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0430/p01s03-ussc.html
HAMTRAMCK, MICH. - In this working-class town surrounded by Detroit,
every
street corner is a meeting of nations. Kosinski Hardware sits across
from
Aladdin Sweets. Olga and Ania's Beauty Salon is next door to a Bosnian
restaurant, and the local King Video advertises movies in Albanian,
Arabic,
Polish, and Hindi. Conversations on the street are as likely to be in
Bengali or Polish as in English.
But if Hamtramck's immigrant past has always been a source of pride,
lately
it's caused tensions as well, now amplified - literally - by a call to
prayer that local mosques will broadcast from speakers five times a
day.
The city council's adoption this week of an ordinance that allows the
calls
between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. has spurred debate about where the right to
religious freedom ends and the right to quiet begins. Now, a flood of
dissent has turned Hamtramck into a national symbol of culture clash,
an
intersection of turmoil and tolerance. What began as a simple question
of
noise has become a flash point of religious distrust, difference, and
fear
of Muslim "outsiders."
"Fear is the driving factor here," says the Rev. Stanley Ulman, a
mild-mannered pastor who has presided over St. Ladislaus church for 25
years. Many Polish residents "feel that this isn't their town anymore -
that they're being shoved out." The Reverend Ulman has urged his
congregation not to rush to judgment - to give the broadcasts a chance
and,
more important, to start a dialogue with Muslim neighbors. But many are
skeptical. "Change is the issue here," he says. "And change is always
difficult..."
ALSO SEE:
GROUP PROMOTES UNDERSTANDING
Collin Nash, Newsday, 4/30/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-lifait293779736apr30,0,1354489.story
A wife and mother working on her MBA, Homaira Mamoor is like many
Americans: Her life revolves around her family and trying to get ahead.
But the native of Kabul, Afghanistan, who came to the United States
almost
30 years ago at age 10, said life on Long Island has been stressful for
her
and her family since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"It's tough being a Muslim on Long Island today," Mamoor of West Islip,
told a packed auditorium of Brentwood East Middle School students
Wednesday. She said her three young daughters, sixth-, fourth-, and
third-graders, have been harassed in school.
"We are all neighbors," she said. "We have to stop the hate and
celebrate
our diversity."
Mamoor and a group of other Long Islanders of varying faiths have
embarked
on a recent mission to do just that. Sponsored by the Long Island
Multi-Faith Forum - organized in 1994 to acquaint Long Islanders with
different faiths through rituals, music, dance, fellowship and
education -
the program, Building Bridges - targets school- age youth in hopes of
enlightening them before negative stereotypes become ingrained.
This week's five-member panel consisted of representatives from the
Bahai
faith, Islam, Buddhism, and Sikhism. Volunteers from the group have
made
presentations in four other districts, Port Jefferson, Hauppauge, Kings
Park and Great Neck South, in recent weeks...
-----
SOUTHERN THAI MUSLIMS GRIEVE, ARMY HUNTS MILITANTS
Vorasit Satienlerk, Reuters, 4/30/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5002680
PATTANI, Thailand - Saddened and angry, Muslims attended Friday prayers
across restive southern Thailand as troops stepped up the hunt for what
officials said could be thousands of Islamic separatists.
Thailand is reeling from Wednesday's unprecedented violence in its
three
southern, Muslim-majority provinces, where troops and police shot dead
108
gun- and machete-wielding Islamic militants after coming under attack
in a
series of dawn raids.
"The people are upset and angry," said Yosoff Samail, 60, head cleric
at
the central mosque in the provincial town of Pattani, where troops with
rocket-propelled grenades and teargas stormed another mosque and killed
more than 30 insurgents inside.
"They want to know why the army killed those in the mosque. Why did
they
use heavy weapons? Why didn't they ask the chief Islamic leader what to
do?" he said after prayers attended by more than 1,000 faithful, many
spilling onto the streets.
Across the border in Muslim-majority Malaysia, where sympathy is strong
for
Malay-speaking Thai Muslims, opposition politicians branded the mosque
shootout the "massacre of Pattani."
"This is an oppression, a massacre against Muslims," said Sallehuddin
Ayob,
youth chief of the Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS), adding that no one
had
proved the dead were terrorists...
ALSO SEE:
THAI REBELS AT MOSQUE KNEW THEIR FATE, WITNESSES SAY;
Richard C. Paddock, Los Angeles Times, 4/30/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-thailand30apr30,1,1085668.story
PATTANI, Thailand - The smell of blood hung over the Krue Se mosque
Thursday. Its historic brick walls were marred by hundreds of bullet
holes.
Its marble floors were gouged where rocket-propelled grenades exploded.
A
torn, bloodstained Koran lay salvaged in the courtyard.
Here, 32 Muslim rebels chose to die Wednesday in a hail of lead and
shrapnel rather than surrender to police. A day later, thousands came
to
view the gruesome scene. To many, the dead were heroes.
"If they wanted to escape, they could have easily," said Anek
Wannailao, a
regular worshiper at the mosque. "But they wanted to come here and
create
history."
The men were among 108 Islamic militants who died after attacking a
dozen
police stations and checkpoints in southern Thailand in an attempt to
steal
firearms. Many of the rebels were armed only with machetes. Five police
officers and soldiers also died.
The security forces, which had been alerted in advance to the planned
simultaneous dawn assaults, gunned down many of the rebels as they
attacked. Facing certain defeat, the 32 fighters retreated to the 16th
century mosque, one of the holiest Islamic sites in Thailand.
Shooing others out of the building, the rebels took over the
loudspeaker
used for the call to prayer and urged fellow Muslims to join them in
devoting their lives to God, witnesses said...
-----
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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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Sun, 02 May 2004 21:49:01 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: The Muslim Vote/Mosque Campaign Promotes Caring
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/2/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: A WISE PERSON
* BECOME A CAIR MEMBER
* CAIR TO RELEASE MUSLIM CIVIL RIGHTS REPORT
- CAIR-NY Cosponsors Immigrant Voter Campaign
* THE MUSLIM VOTE (NY Newsday)
- Islamic Voters See '04 as Watershed (OC Register)
- U.S. Muslims' Viewpoints Surveyed (Washington Post)
* ANTI-MUSLIM COMMENTS DRAW HEAT (Religion News Service)
* WI: MSA CONCERNED VANDALISM WAS HATE CRIME (Milwaukee Journal)
* CA: MOSQUE POSTER CAMPAIGN PROMOTES CARING (Lompoc Record)
* SHOOTING OF 'TERRORISTS' STAGED FOR US, SAYS MACEDONIA
* IRAQ PRISONER ABUSE PROBE WIDENED (Washington Post)
- Iraqi Prisoner Details Abuse by Americans (AP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: A WISE PERSON
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "A wise person is one
who
keeps watch over his bodily desires and passions, and (keeps away) from
that which is harmful, and strives for that which will benefit him
after
death. And a foolish person is one who subordinates himself to his
cravings…and expects from God the fulfillment of his futile desires."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 16
-----
BECOME A CAIR MEMBER
In our new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member at
a
Time," CAIR intends (God Willing) to sign up 25,000 new members by its
10th
year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
Students Click here!
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=33172&page=NB
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR TO RELEASE MUSLIM CIVIL RIGHTS REPORT
The Washington Daybook - General News Events
Federal Information & News Dispatch, Inc./Agence France-Presse
3 May 2004, Washington Daybook
TOPIC/SUBJECT: holds a news conference to release its ninth annual
report,
"Unpatriotic Acts," on the status on Muslim civil rights in the United
States.
AGENDA: Topics include anti-Muslim violence, discrimination, profiling
and
harassment during 2003
1 p.m. Social Issues - News conference
SPONSOR: Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR)
DATE: May 3, 2004
LOCATION: National Press Club, 14th and F Streets NW, Washington, D.C.
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726
-------------
CAIR-NY HELPS KICK OFF IMMIGRANT VOTER REGISTRATION CAMPAIGN
PURPOSE: To mobilize the local American Muslim community and the
immigrant
community at large to register to vote and be heard in the 2004
elections.
WHEN: TUESDAY MAY 4, 2004 at 11:30 AM
WHO: CAIR-NY IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE NEW YORK IMMIGRATION COALITION AND
MEMBERS OF THE NEW YORK IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY
WHERE: ON THE STEPS OF NEW YORK CITY HALL
CONTACT: cair-ny@cair-ny.com, (212) 870-2002
-----
THE MUSLIM VOTE
Seizing on anti-Bush sentiment, city Islamic leaders are urging
immigrants
to register in time for Nov. race
RON HOWELL, Newsday, 5/2/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/politics/ny-nymusl023782850may02,0,6597470.story
Before going off to work one recent afternoon, Lena Sarsour sat down on
her
mother's couch and filled out a voter registration form.
Sarsour, 21, Brooklyn-born but of Palestinian descent, has grown
increasingly bitter these past two years about the foreign policy
actions
of President George W. Bush, especially his decision to invade Iraq and
his
recent declarations supporting hard-line positions of Israeli Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon.
Sarsour, an office manager with a Brooklyn real estate appraisal
company,
doesn't mince words.
"He's going to jail for war crimes," said Sarsour, who lives with her
husband and toddler son in Bensonhurst, speaking of Bush.
"I think he's a major terrorist and I think he's prejudiced."
Sarsour's mother and father, Maha and Nidal Sarsour, who live in Sunset
Park, say they registered to vote about three weeks ago and cannot wait
to
cast ballots against Bush in November.
Muslim leaders in the New York area say they have been urging Muslim
immigrants such as Sarsour to fill out registration cards, hoping to
give
new strength to a community that has been politically powerless.
In New York State, only one major elected office holder, Democratic
Assemb.
Roger Green of Brooklyn, is Muslim. He is African-American, and a
convert
to Islam.
Nationwide, leaders of Muslim immigrant groups say they expect the
voices
of their communities to be heard this year as never before.
A little known fact about Muslim immigrants is that they overwhelmingly
supported George W. Bush against Al Gore for president in 2000, said
Amaney
Jamal, a professor of politics at Princeton University and an expert on
American Muslims.
"This is a man [Bush] that many in the Muslim community feel they
played a
role in bringing into office," she said.
But in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, many Arabs who supported Bush in his
first run will work to oust him now.
"I think people are expressing their frustration with Bush across the
board
right now," Jamal said. "In general, they are really upset with what
Bush
is doing and they plan to express that opinion at the polls..."
Imams, or Islamic spiritual leaders, as well as directors of various
community groups, have been trying to persuade worshippers at mosques
that
voting is a religious as well as civic duty.
"When the government uses part of my money, which is taxes, for
something
which is wrong, and I say nothing about it, then I am responsible on
judgment day," said Ghazi Khankan, director of interfaith affairs at
the
Islamic Center of Long Island in Westbury…
Khankan said that at religious services on Friday he gave out about 50
new
voter registration forms.
Like the Sarsours in Brooklyn, Khankan expressed particular anger at
the
Bush administration's occupation of Iraq and its support of Israel
against
the Palestinians.
Not all Muslim immigrants are as passionate in their opposition to Bush
as
Palestinian-Americans are.
Many groups have other concerns at the top of their lists.
Pakistanis, for example, who are Muslims but not Arabs, appear to be
much
more concerned about the Patriot Act and the post-Sept. 11, 2001,
roundups
of undocumented immigrants.
"I would say that the most important policies for us are the policies
attacking the immigrants," said Mohammad Razvi, executive director of
the
Council of Pakistan Organizations on Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn…
African-American Muslims - who according to experts at Columbia
University
make up about a third of the roughly 600,000 Muslims in New York City
and 6
million in the nation - strongly opposed Bush in 2000. But immigrants
saw
him as an ally on domestic as well as many foreign policy issues, Jamal
said.
Then came the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Many Muslim immigrants feel the Bush administration turned its back on
them
by detaining and deporting hundreds of undocumented immigrants from the
Middle East and South Asia, and by occupying Iraq at a cost of so many
Muslim lives, Jamal said.
"I feel that people do intend to vote in the upcoming election," Jamal
said. "It's not that they're confident Kerry is going to do a better
job.
It's really a vote against Bush."
SEE ALSO:
ISLAMIC VOTERS IN U.S. SEE '04 AS WATERSHED
Ann Pepper, Orange County Register, 5/1/04
http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200~20954~2121333,00.html
Sama Wareh registered to vote for the first time last year. But not for
real. Just for extra credit in political science.
This time it's different, said the Anaheim Hills college student as she
marked "independent" on a registration form.
For Wareh and thousands of other Arab-Americans and Muslims in the
nation,
the 2004 election is taking on the aura of a defining moment.
"We're waking up," said Wareh, 20, a film and zoology student at
California
State University, Fullerton. "We know we've got to become more involved
in
the society we live in."
Some of her community's concerns mirror everybody's: the cost of
housing,
education, health care. But in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, American
Muslims
say their faith has been maligned and their loyalty unfairly
questioned.
Islamophobia, they believe, is on the rise.
Muslims take responsibility for some of that. They are coming to
realize,
Wareh said, that the only way to be recognized as full-status Americans
is
to participate fully in civic life. And that means more than just
voting.
Arab-Americans and U.S. Muslims always vote in large numbers. An
estimated
79 percent are registered, and 85 percent of those say they vote,
according
to a 2001 poll taken on behalf of Georgetown University in Washington,
D.C.
Political activists believe the power of the community's bloc vote
helped
put George Bush in the White House four years ago. Bush won the
community's
votes overwhelmingly in Florida, where he claimed the presidency with
less
than a 600-vote margin.
The community cast a bloc vote on the advice of trusted voices, as from
the
Council on American Islamic Relations and the Muslim Public Affairs
Council. Word spread to voters over the Internet, at Islamic centers
and
through popular, ethnic newspapers, such as Al-Watan and Arab World in
Anaheim and An-Nahar in Whittier.
"It was what he said, particularly opposing the use of secret evidence.
Plus, frankly, Gore ignored us," said Omar Zaki, who oversees politics
for
CAIR in Anaheim.
This time, rank-and-file Muslim voters say their support won't be won
as
easily. They are grasping for a better understanding of issues and
candidates and a stronger say in government…
"This is a critical election for us, the first high-profile national
election since 9-11," said Zaki, 38, formerly a sales executive for a
global industrial gas company. "We raise our children here. We want a
secure environment for them, too. Just because we go to a mosque and
you go
to a temple or a church, there is no difference. And our work now --
all
this is for the long haul."
Bush's popularity with everyday Arab-Americans has plummeted from a
high of
around 83 percent in October 2001 to 38 percent, according to a January
poll by Zogby International. The trend is the same among American
Muslims…
---
U.S. MUSLIMS' VIEWPOINTS SURVEYED
Bill Broadway, Washington Post, 5/1/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58081-2004Apr30.html
American Muslims overwhelmingly endorse universal health care, tougher
environmental laws, affirmative action and income tax cuts.
They believe civil rights, education and foreign policy are the
country's
most critical public policy issues. And most -- 85 percent --
disapprove of
President Bush's job performance.
These conclusions come from a new study of Muslim religious practices
and
political attitudes undertaken by the Michigan-based Institute for
Social
Policy and Understanding and directed by demographer Ihsan Bagby.
The study focused on the Muslim community in the Detroit area but
reflects
the attitudes and beliefs of many Muslims across the country, said
Bagby, a
professor at the University of Kentucky and lead researcher for "The
Mosque
in America: A National Portrait," released in spring 2001.
Bagby tied the new survey, "A Portrait of Detroit Mosques," to the
national
study by asking Detroit imams and other mosque leaders the same
questions
about mosque participants and attendance posed to imams across the
country.
Detroit researchers added a new dimension by asking worshipers at
mosques
their thoughts on Islam, the United States and the importance of
involvement in the community and the political process…
Here are further results from "A Portrait of Detroit Mosques," derived
from
face-to-face or telephone interviews with 33 mosque leaders and
questionnaires given to 1,298 Friday Prayer participants at 12 mosques.
(The mosques were selected to ensure ethnic diversity: three Arab,
three
South Asian, three African American and three ethnically mixed.)
o The average mosque participant is 34 years old, married with
children,
has at least a bachelor's degree and makes about $75,000 a year.
o About 93 percent of mosque participants endorse community and
political
involvement, while 87 percent of mosque leaders urge Muslims to become
involved in the political process.
o About 68 percent of those eligible to vote are registered to do so.
-----
ANTI-MUSLIM COMMENTS DRAW HEAT
Holly Lebowitz Rossi, Religion News Service, 5/1/04
http://www.indystar.com/articles/4/142668-6334-047.html
BOSTON -- A Boston-area radio talk-show host made bigoted anti-Muslim
remarks on his program and should be fired, a national Muslim civil
liberties group charges.
Jay Severin, who hosts the weekday program "Extreme Games" on WTTK-FM
radio
in Boston, referred to Muslims as "a fifth column" in America, adding,
"The
reason they (Muslims) are here is to take over our culture and
eventually
take over our country."
Later in the program, when discussing whether Americans should befriend
Muslims, Severin told a caller, "You think we should befriend them; I
think
we should kill them."
After a listener alerted the Council on American-Islamic Relations to
the
comments, the group demanded April 23 that Severin be fired. It renewed
its
call Tuesday after a Boston Globe reporter obtained a copy of the show
in
question and revealed that the comments were "even worse than what had
initially been reported," said Nihad Awad, CAIR's executive director...
-----
MUSLIM STUDENT GROUP CONCERNED VANDALISM WAS HATE CRIME
NAHAL TOOSI, Milwaukee Journal, 5/1/04
http://www.jsonline.com/news/metro/apr04/226263.asp
Members of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Muslim Student
Association believe they may have been the victims of a hate crime
earlier
this week when they found what appeared to be raw pork stuffed under
their
office door and many of their posters torn down.
Muslims are forbidden to eat pork.
Aamer Ahmed, president of the association, said some non-Muslims nearby
on
Monday morning confirmed the meat was pork. "We felt really offended,"
said
Ahmed, a senior, who also noted that it was not the first time the
organization has been a target of harassment.
The non-Muslim students threw the meat away after the discovery and
before
the association called the police, Ahmed said. He said it was necessary
to
throw out the pork, which amounted to about a plateful, so that other
Muslim students would feel comfortable entering the group's Student
Union
office.
Lt. Ernest Meress, a spokesman for the UWM police, said the
investigation
remains open, and that the incident is considered a vandalism case.
There
aren't enough specifics to warrant calling it a hate crime yet, he
said.
Ahmed also said that large numbers of fliers had been stripped off the
bulletin boards outside the group's office. About a year ago, right
around
the time the United States invaded Iraq, someone used a permanent
marker to
write a message on a glass case next to the office door suggesting
Muslims
"suicide bomb" themselves, he said...
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Washington-based Council on
American-Islamic Relations, which has publicized the UWM incident, said
pork is often a tool of "anti-Muslim bigots."
-----
ISLAMIC CENTER POSTER CAMPAIGN PROMOTES CARING
Victoria Terrinoni, Lompoc Record, 4/30/04
http://www.lompocrecord.com/articles/2004/04/30/news/news12.txt
How we treat our parents is how our children will treat us, according
to
Kassim Abdool, president of the Islamic Resource Center in Lompoc.
To spread that message, the Lompoc Islamic community kicked off a
poster
campaign Saturday to help people realize the need to care for their
parents
and the community's elderly.
"This project we believe is very, very important," Abdool said. "I'm
not
trying to blame anyone in society, but I'm thinking we are not taking
advantage of the elderly of the community."
He said that because of the hustle and bustle of today's world, the
community often shuffles its elderly off to nursing homes. "But we
should
be making supplication to God and take our elderly into our homes," he
said.
According to the Islamic religion, respecting parents is only second to
worshipping God. Muslims are called to respect their parents and their
parents' friends. "I don't think our society would flourish without
caring
for our parents," Abdool said.
Luz Pacheco, a convert to Islam, said she and her family were always
close,
but when she became a Muslim she learned how to care more for her
family,
particularly her mother.
"Family members say how gentle I am with my mother. I was living in
Ohio
when I found out she was a cancer patient. I dropped everything and
came to
care for her," Pacheco said. "It opened my eyes to who she was really
in my
life. She is the focal point of my life.
"Today, I believe because of the love we all give to her, her cancer is
turning around. The love and attention we give to our parents means a
lot
to them."
The poster campaign for the elderly is just a small project, but Abdool
said they hope to expand it with posters about respecting women,
mothers,
animals and children…
-----
SHOOTING OF SEVEN 'TERRORISTS' STAGED FOR US, SAYS MACEDONIA
Konstantin Testorides, Independent, 5/1/04
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=517023
Police in Macedonia said yesterday that the killing of seven alleged
terrorists two years ago was staged to win US support and that the
victims
were simply illegal immigrants.
Mirjana Konteska, a police spokeswoman, said that six people, including
three former police commanders, two special police officers and a
businessman, have been charged with murder. "That was an act of a sick
mind," she said. "They ordered the brutal murder of seven Pakistani
men."
The killings were carried out in March 2002 by special police who
claimed
to have eliminated a terrorist group plotting to attack embassies and
representatives in Macedonia. The spokeswoman said that the seven
victims
had been lured into Macedonia with promises that they would be
transferred
to Western Europe. They were taken by police to the Rastanski Lozja
area,
which is north-east of the capital Skopje, where they were encircled
and
shot by special officers using automatic weapons.
"They lost their lives in a staged murder," she said. There was no
immediate comment from international officials in Macedonia. Western
representatives in the country had demanded an investigation. Macedonia
has
been a close US ally in the Balkans and has supported the war on
terrorism…
-----
PRISONER ABUSE PROBE WIDENED
Military Intelligence at Center of Investigation
Sewell Chan and Michael Amon, Washington Post, 5/2/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59750-2004May1.html
BAGHDAD, May 1 -- A top Pentagon intelligence officer is leading an
investigation into interrogation practices at an Army-run prison where
Iraqi detainees were allegedly beaten and sexually abused, officials
announced Saturday. The move came amid allegations that military guards
abused prisoners at the behest of military intelligence operatives.
A soldier accused of abusing prisoners at the Abu Ghraib facility wrote
to
his family last December that military intelligence officers encouraged
the
mistreatment, according to correspondence provided by the soldier's
family.
"We have had a very high rate with our style of getting them to break,"
the
soldier, Staff Sgt. Ivan L. "Chip" Frederick II, wrote in a Dec. 18
e-mail
released by Frederick's uncle. "They usually end up breaking within
hours."
Frederick also wrote that he questioned some of the abuses. "I
questioned
this and the answer I got was: This is how military intelligence wants
it
done," he wrote.
The Army Reserve commander who oversaw the prison said that military
intelligence, rather than the military police, dictated the treatment
of
prisoners at Abu Ghraib. "The prison, and that particular cellblock
where
the events took place, were under the control of the MI command," Brig.
Gen. Janis L. Karpinski said in a telephone interview Saturday night
from
her home in Hilton Head, S.C.
Karpinski, who commanded the 800th Military Police Brigade, also
described
a high-pressure atmosphere that prized successful interrogations. A
month
before the alleged abuses occurred, she said, a team of military
intelligence officers from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba,
came to Abu Ghraib last year. "Their main and specific mission was to
get
the interrogators -- give them new techniques to get more information
from
detainees," she said…
SEE ALSO:
IRAQI PRISONER DETAILS ABUSE BY AMERICANS
SCHEHEREZADE FARAMARZI, Associated Press, 5/2/04
NAJAF, Iraq (AP) - Dhia al-Shweiri spent several stints in Baghdad's
notorious Abu Ghraib prison, twice under Saddam Hussein's rule and once
under American. He prefers Saddam's torture to the humiliation of being
stripped naked by his American guards, he said Sunday in an interview
with
The Associated Press.
America's top general, Gen. Richard Myers, said Sunday there was no
evidence of "systematic abuse" and the actions of "just a handful" have
unfairly tainted all American forces.
However, Amnesty International said it has uncovered a "pattern of
torture"
of Iraqi prisoners by coalition troops, and called for an independent
investigation into the claims of abuse.
The 30-year-old al-Shweiri, who used to work in a fabric shop, is a
die-hard fighter in the al-Mahdi Army, the fanatic militia of a Shiite
Muslim cleric who has vowed to take on the Americans.
Al-Shweiri said that while jailed by Saddam's regime, he was
electrocuted,
beaten and hung from the ceiling with his hands tied behind his back.
"But that's better than the humiliation of being stripped naked," he
said.
"Shoot me here," he added, pointing between his eyes, "but don't do
this to
us."
For months, human rights groups and former prisoners had complained of
mistreatment at detention centers but their protests were widely
dismissed
as politically motivated until the U.S. command started an
investigation in
January. Six American soldiers are now facing courts-martial…
On Saturday, Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper published a front-page
picture of a British soldier apparently urinating on a hooded prisoner.
The
newspaper said it had been given the pictures by serving soldiers from
the
Queen's Lancashire Regiment.
Al-Shweiri said he was not surprised to see TV images of smiling U.S.
soldiers posing by naked, hooded inmates who, in one photograph, were
piled
in a human pyramid.
Al-Shweiri, who was arrested by the Americans in October, said he was
asked
to take off his clothes only once and for about 15 minutes.
"I thought they wanted me to change into the red prison uniform, so I
took
off my clothes, down to my underwear. Then he asked me to take off my
underwear. I started arguing with him but in the end he made me take
off my
underwear," said al-Shweiri, who was too embarrassed to go into too
much
detail.
He said he and six other prisoners - all hooded - had to face the wall
and
bend over a little as they put their hands on the wall.
"They made us stand in a way that I am ashamed to describe. They came
to
look at us as we stood there. They knew this would humiliate us," he
said,
adding that he was not sodomized.
"They were trying to humiliate us, break our pride. We are men. It's OK
if
they beat me. Beatings don't hurt us, it's just a blow. But no one
would
want their manhood to be shattered," he said…
-----
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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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Mon, 03 May 2004 15:06:25 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Anti-Muslim Incidents Jump 70 Percent in 2003
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
BIAS AGAINST MUSLIMS UP 70%
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61488-2004May2.html
U.S. MUSLIMS' HARASSMENT COMPLAINTS UP
http://www.adn.com/24hour/nation/story/1335662p-8518415c.html
ANTI-MUSLIM INCIDENTS RISE, STUDY FINDS
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-muslims3may03,1,1762658.story
-----
ANTI-MUSLIM INCIDENTS JUMP 70 PERCENT IN 2003
Hate crimes up 121 percent, blamed in part on Islamophobic rhetoric
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/3/04) - A report released today by a prominent
national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group indicates that
anti-Muslim
incidents in the United States increased by almost 70 percent in 2003.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations' (CAIR) report - the only
annual
study of its kind - outlines 1019 incidents and experiences of
anti-Muslim
violence, discrimination and harassment in 2003, the highest number of
Muslim civil rights cases ever recorded by the Washington-based group.
According to the report, called "Unpatriotic Acts," hate crimes alone
jumped by an unprecedented 121 percent.
CAIR said factors contributing to the sharp increase in reported
incidents
included a lingering atmosphere of post-9/11 fear in America, pro-war
rhetoric leading up to and following last year's invasion of Iraq, a
disturbing increase in anti-Muslim rhetoric, and abuses associated with
the
implementation of the USA PATRIOT Act. (An executive summary of the
report
and an order form for the complete study are available online at:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/crr2004.asp )
The report recommends a number of actions designed to help reverse the
tide
of anti-Muslim discrimination. These recommendations include a public
inquiry to post-9/11 policies impacting the Muslim community,
legislative
actions to curb the use of profiling by law enforcement agencies,
strengthening of hate crime prosecutions, and modifications to the USA
PATRIOT Act.
Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim in Arizona, New York,
California,
and New Jersey experienced the greatest increase in reported incidents,
ranging from a jump of 233 (Calif.) to 584 percent (Ariz.). Along with
religious and ethnic profiling and denial of religious accommodation,
workplace discrimination was the largest category of complaints.
California
(22 percent), New York (19 percent) and Virginia (7 percent) reported
the
largest percentage of total complaints. The report does show a
significant
drop in reports of passenger profiling and unreasonable arrests.
"The disturbing jump in reports of anti-Muslim incidents is a wake-up
call
to those commentators who use their public positions to spread
anti-Muslim
hate," said CAIR Research Director Dr. Mohamed Nimer, the report's
author.
In response to a recent surge in anti-Muslim incidents nationwide, CAIR
launched a "Hate Hurts America" campaign designed to counter
Islam-bashing
on radio talk shows.
CAIR began documenting anti-Muslim incidents following the 1995 attack
on
the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The council is America's
largest Islamic civil liberties group, with 26 regional offices and
chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
-----
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Mon, 03 May 2004 19:11:02 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
ISLAM-INFONET: Spy Charges Dropped, But Fear Remains
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS – 5/3/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: AVOID EXTREMISM
* CAIR-NY PRESENTS AT FAIR HOUSING CONFERENCE
* SPY CHARGES DROPPED, BUT FEAR REMAINS (Chicago Trib)
* SEPT. 11 DETAINEES TO FILE FEDERAL LAWSUIT (AP)
- 2 Men Charge Abuse in Arrests after 9/11 (NY Times)
- Act Allows Surge of Searches in US (Seattle Times)
* THE NIGHTMARE AT ABU GHRAIB (NY Times)
- Angry Ex-Detainees Tell Of Abuse (Wash Post)
- UN Rights Aide Calls for Probe into Siege (Reuters)
* NEW SITE TURNS CRITICAL EYES, EARS TO THE RIGHT (NY Times)
* MOSQUE GRAPPLES WITH LACK OF SPACE (Advocate)
* MUSLIM AREAS IN AFRICA HAVE LOWER RATES OF HIV (Aids Weekly)
* SPAIN: MONITOR MOSQUES TO CHECK ISLAMIC EXTREMISM (AP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: AVOID EXTREMISM
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Religion is very easy
and
whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to
continue in
that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to
perfection
and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded.”
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Hadith 38
-----
CAIR-NY PRESENTS AT FAIR HOUSING CONFERENCE
(New York, NY – 5/3/04) On Sunday, April 30, Firdos Abdul-Munim, civil
rights coordinator for the New York chapter of CAIR (CAIR-NY),
conducted a
presentation on ethnic profiling since September 11th at the 3rd annual
Fair Housing Conference in Rochester, NY. The attendees included local
attorneys and community activists.
Abdul-Munim discussed the civil rights abuses suffered by the Muslim,
Arab
and South Asian American Communities since September 11, 2001.
“In 2003, CAIR-NY received over 200 complaints of civil rights abuses
in
the Muslim, Arab and South Asian communities,” said Abdul-Munim.
Abdul-Munim also indicated that reports show that Muslims have been
denied
the right to purchase homes in certain neighborhoods, and rules have
been
discriminately applied to Muslim tenants.
“The biggest problem Muslim tenants face, especially in New York is
harassment by landlords and other tenants,” she said.
Other presenters at the Fair Housing Conference included Stanford
Professor
John Baugh and Howard Law Professor Okianer Christian Dark on issues
such
as linguistic profiling and sexual harassment and fair housing.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
-----
SPY CHARGES DROPPED, BUT FEAR REMAINS
Geneive Abdo and E.A. Torriero, Chicago Tribune, 5/3/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0405030184may03,1,3952579.story?coll=chi-news-hed
OLYMPIA, Wash. - Fears that her husband, Army Capt. James Yee, could
face
the death penalty have vanished. FBI agents have stopped their surprise
visits to question her. Even the neighbors in their tree-lined
apartment
complex in this tranquil town have started to greet her again after
months
of treating her like a traitor to America.
Huda Yee's husband no longer faces key charges the Army had lodged
against
him, and he is scheduled to resume his duties as chaplain at Ft. Lewis,
Wash., on Monday. But now she says the couple faces a far greater
challenge: How to live as Muslims in America.
"Muslims are made to feel like the enemy. We can't go some places.
There
are borders to our life here," Huda Yee, a 29-year-old Palestinian from
Syria, said.
"Arabs think America is a free country. That you can do whatever you
want,
but that's not the case," she said, as her soft voice dropped and her
eyes
grew sad.
Huda Yee's sentiments reflect those felt by many Muslims across the
nation.
They say the case against James Yee, a Muslim Army chaplain accused of
spying for alleged Al Qaeda militants detained at Guantanamo Bay, has
made
them feel more alienated from American society, at a time of increasing
hate crimes against Muslims and deteriorating relations between the
United
States and the broader Islamic world.
In a report to be released Monday, the Council on American-Islamic
Relations said it received 1,019 claims of attacks, discrimination and
racial profiling in 2003, up from 602 such complaints a year earlier...
-----
SEPT. 11 DETAINEES TO FILE FEDERAL LAWSUIT
Associated Press, 5/3/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--attacks-detainees0503may03,0,4688939.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire
NEW YORK- Two Middle Eastern immigrants will file a federal lawsuit
Monday
alleging they were locked in solitary confinement, beaten and verbally
abused at a Brooklyn detention center following the Sept. 11 attacks.
The lawsuit will be filed by Javaid Iqbal, a former cable technician
who
lived on Long Island, and Ehab Elmaghraby, a former restaurateur who
lived
in Queens. The men allege that federal agents apprehended them on
suspicion
of terrorist ties and held them for months at the Metropolitan
Detention
Center in Brooklyn, which was cited for brutal treatment of detainees
in a
report last year by the Justice Department Inspector General.
Iqbal and Elmaghraby, both 37, allege they were shackled, shoved into
walls, punched and called "Muslim bastards" and other epithets. They
also
say they were kept in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day and
denied
adequate meals and medical care, The New York Times reported Monday.
"I was in life and I went to hell," Elmaghraby told the Times.
The men were eventually cleared of terrorist ties but were deported to
their homelands after pleading guilty to minor federal criminal
charges.
Iqbal, who admitted having false papers and bogus checks, now lives in
Pakistan; Elmaghraby, who pleaded guilty to credit card fraud, lives in
Egypt.
The Times did not specify what damages the lawsuit would seek...
ALSO SEE:
2 MEN CHARGE ABUSE IN ARRESTS AFTER 9/11 TERROR ATTACK
Nina Bernstein, New York Times, 5/3/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/03/nyregion/03brooklyn.html
Before the World Trade Center attack, Javaid Iqbal was a Pakistani
immigrant proud to be known as "the cable guy" to customers on Long
Island,
where he had lived for a decade and married an American. Ehab
Elmaghraby,
an Egyptian, had a weekend flea market stand at Aqueduct Raceway and a
restaurant near Times Square where friendly police officers would joke,
"Where's my shish kebab?"
But within weeks of Sept. 11, 2001, both had been picked up by federal
agents in an anti-terror sweep. For 23 hours a day, they were locked in
solitary confinement in the harsh maximum-security unit of a federal
detention center in Brooklyn -- the one cited by the Justice
Department's
inspector general last year for widespread physical abuse of its
detainees.
The inspector general mentioned no specific names and cases, but now,
in a
federal lawsuit to be filed today and in telephone interviews from
Pakistan
and Egypt, the former cable technician and the former restaurateur have
provided the most detailed personal accounts yet of the unit's
brutality
and the first to accuse specific corrections officers and wardens of
abuse.
The accusations are similar to those now being made against military
officers guarding prisoners in Iraq.
The lawsuit charges that the men were repeatedly slammed into walls and
dragged across the floor while shackled and manacled, kicked and
punched
until they bled, cursed as "terrorists" and "Muslim bastards," and
subjected to multiple unnecessary body-cavity searches, including one
during which correction officers inserted a flashlight into Mr.
Elmaghraby's rectum, making him bleed.
At that point, the papers charge, he was confined without blankets,
mattress or toilet paper to a tiny cell kept lighted 24 hours a day,
and
was denied adequate medical care or communication with his public
defender.
He said his attempts to pray or sleep were disrupted by guards banging
on
his door...
---
PATRIOT ACT ALLOWS SURGE OF SECRET SEARCHES IN UNITED STATES
Richard Schmitt, Los Angeles Times, 5/2/04
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001917897_search02.html
WASHINGTON — Underscoring changes in domestic surveillance allowed
under
the USA Patriot Act, the Justice Department said in a report released
today
that it conducted hundreds more secret searches in the United States
last
year under foreign intelligence surveillance laws.
The department said the use of covert search powers, which were
enhanced
under the Patriot Act, shows how federal investigators have stepped up
the
war against terrorism in the United States over the past 32 months.
But civil-liberties groups expressed concern over the increase because
the
targets of the searches are given fewer legal protections than suspects
in
normal criminal cases. The process of obtaining approval and executing
the
searches and surveillance also is shrouded in secrecy.
In an annual report to Congress, the Justice Department said it
obtained
approval to conduct electronic surveillance and physical searches in
more
than 1,700 intelligence cases last year. According to the Justice
Department, the number of searches has surged 85 percent in the past
two
years; about 1,200 searches were authorized in 2002, and only 900 in
2001.
The report did not identify or discuss specific cases.
Attorney General John Ashcroft said in a prepared statement that the
data
illustrated how the Justice Department and the FBI are "acting
judiciously
and moving aggressively" to uncover and prevent terrorist attacks in
the
United States. "These court-approved surveillance and search orders are
vital to keeping America safe from terror," Ashcroft said.
The burst of activity is a direct result of the easing of standards for
intelligence-gathering that was authorized by the Patriot Act, the
terror-fighting law enacted six weeks after the attacks on the Pentagon
and
World Trade Center.
Under the new law, the government can obtain secret warrants by showing
that a significant purpose of the search has to do with
intelligence-gathering, as opposed to a criminal investigation.
The new procedures were upheld in court in November 2002.
-----
THE NIGHTMARE AT ABU GHRAIB
New York Times, 5/3/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/03/opinion/03MON1.html
The American military made a strange and ill-starred decision when it
chose
to incarcerate Iraqis in Abu Ghraib, the prison that had become a
byword
for torture under Saddam Hussein and a symbol of everything the
invasion of
Iraq was supposed to end. As United States officials have known for
months,
some of the American soldiers brought their own version of sadism to
the
site. Now that the rest of the world knows as well, the Bush
administration
will have to do more than denounce the scandal as the work of a few bad
apples.
Last week, CBS News broadcast pictures of a handful of smirking
soldiers,
male and female, abusing and sexually humiliating Iraqi prisoners.
While
the news — and the pictures — rocketed around the globe, the military
revealed that most of the guards in the pictures were already under
arrest
and that Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski of the Army Reserve, who ran the
military prisons in Iraq, had been admonished and suspended from
command in
January. Now, months later, the military says it is investigating the
allegations.
But it is far from clear that the American brass has done everything it
needs to do. Gen. Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff,
appeared on CBS yesterday to offer assurances that "we took very quick
action to investigate that situation." But General Myers said he had
not
yet read a corrosive internal report on the military prison system
written
in February. "It's working its way to me," he told Bob Schieffer of
CBS.
That report, prepared by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, was described by
Seymour
Hersh in this week's New Yorker. He quoted General Taguba as saying the
military police and intelligence officials had committed "sadistic,
blatant
and wanton criminal abuses," including sodomizing a prisoner "with a
chemical light and perhaps a broomstick..."
ALSO SEE:
ANGRY EX-DETAINEES TELL OF ABUSE
Scott Wilson, Washington Post, 5/3/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61560-2004May2.html
BAGHDAD-- Day and night lost meaning shortly after Muwafaq Sami Abbas,
a
lawyer by training, arrived at Baghdad International Airport for an
unexpected stay. In March, he was seized from his bed by U.S. troops in
the
middle of the night, he said, along with the rest of the men in his
house,
and taken to a prison on the airport grounds.
The black sack the troops placed over his head was removed only briefly
during the next nine days of interrogation, conducted by U.S. officials
in
civilian and military clothes, he said. He was forced to do knee bends
until he collapsed, he recalled, and black marks still ring his wrists
from
the pinch of plastic handcuffs. Rest was made impossible by
loudspeakers
blaring, over and over, the Beastie Boys' rap anthem, "No Sleep Till
Brooklyn."
The forced exercise was even harder for his 57-year-old father, a
former
army general who held a signed certificate from the U.S. occupation
authority vouching for his "high level of cooperation and assistance"
in
the days after the war.
Father and son are now free -- and angry about what they endured in a
suddenly notorious U.S.-run prison system in Iraq. But months later,
Abbas's three brothers are still inside Abu Ghraib prison, he said. He
is
their only legal advocate, trying to refute written charges that they
are
members of the Iraqi insurgency.
"The savagery the Americans have practiced against the Iraqis, well,
now we
have seen it, touched it and felt it," Abbas said. "These types of
actions
will grow more hostile forces against the coalition, and this is the
reason
for the resistance."
The photographs of U.S. soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib
--
images that reached Iraqi newspapers on Sunday, following a three-day
holiday -- have reinforced the long-held view here that the U.S.
occupation
is intent on humiliating the Iraqi people. The system has been rife
with
complaints for months, but now the testimony of former Iraqi prisoners
claiming abuse at the hands of U.S. jailers has gained new credibility
while further damaging the reputation of the U.S. occupation
authority...
---
UN RIGHTS AIDE CALLS FOR PROBE INTO FALLUJA SIEGE
Reuters, 5/3/04
UNITED NATIONS - A U.N. human rights investigator called on Monday for
an
independent probe into the impact on civilians of the U.S. military's
month-long siege of Falluja.
While reliable information was difficult to obtain, there were credible
claims that U.S.-led forces in Iraq "have been guilty of serious
breaches
of international humanitarian and human rights law in Falluja in recent
weeks," U.N. special rapporteur Paul Hunt said.
According to some reports, 90 percent of an estimated 750 deaths in the
city of 300,000 during the siege were noncombatants, Hunt said in a
printed
statement. His official role as an aide to the Geneva-based U.N.
Commission
on Human Rights is to help safeguard "the right to health."
U.S. forces launched a crackdown on Falluja in early April in response
to
the killing and mutilation of four U.S. private security guards in the
town. After weeks of on-and-off fighting between U.S. troops and
insurgents, U.S. soldiers have pulled back and an Iraqi force has been
brought in to try to reassert control.
-----
NEW INTERNET SITE TURNS CRITICAL EYES AND EARS TO THE RIGHT
Jim Rutenberg, New York Times, 5/3/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/03/business/media/03BROC.html
WASHINGTON - David Brock, the former right-wing journalist turned
liberal,
describes himself as once having been a rather large cog in the
machinery
of the conservative media.
Now Mr. Brock is starting a new endeavor built to combat the very
sector of
journalism that spawned him, with support from the same sorts of people
(Democrats) aboutwhom he once wrote so critically.
With more than $2 million in donations from wealthy liberals, Mr. Brock
will start a new Internet site this week that he says will monitor the
conservative media and correct erroneous assertions in real time.
The site, called Media Matters, was devised as part of a larger media
apparatus being built by liberals to combat what they say is the
overwhelming influence of conservative commentators like Rush Limbaugh
and
Bill O'Reilly.
Mr. Brock's project was developed with help from the newly formed
Center
for American Progress, the policy group headed by John D. Podesta, the
former Clinton chief of staff. And Mr. Brock said he hoped it could
help
provide fodder for fledgling liberal radio talk shows being started
across
the country, including those of the comedians Al
Franken and Janeane Garofalo.
For Mr. Brock, 41, the project is yet another considerable step in his
public evolution from conservative muckraker to liberal activist. That
evolution began after Mr. Brock
began publicly apologizing in the late 1990's for reporting that
brutally
criticized Anita F. Hill and a report that Arkansas state troopers had
helped Bill Clinton procure paramours when he was the governor of
Arkansas,
the veracity of which he is no longer sure...
-----
MOSQUE GRAPPLES WITH LACK OF SPACE
Christina S. N. Lewis, The Advocate, 5/3/04
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-nor.mosque1may03,0,4652144.story
STAMFORD -- Most of the time, the Stamford Islamic Center, the city's
oldest mosque, is quiet.
But, each Friday during Jummah services, about 40 cars are crammed into
the
unpaved parking lot and 40 more are parked on either side of Outlook
Street, blocking traffic.
After the 45-minute service, members must wait several minutes for the
web
of cars to untangle before they can leave.
"It is a problem," said Khalid Quresh, 49, gesturing at the packed
lots.
The Islamic Center serves about 300 predominantly Urdu-speaking Muslim
men
who work or live in Stamford and surrounding towns. Managers of the
center
know that the 2,500-square-foot house on the West Side, close to the
Greenwich border, cannot accommodate the 100 to 200 men who pray there
on
Fridays and during festivals. But they have not raised the $1 million
they
think is needed to build a new center.
"Finances is the main factor we are having to deal with," said Shabahat
Ali, president of the management board.
The mosque moved to the five-bedroom house five years ago, and the
center
paid off the $340,000 purchase price last year, Ali said. Mosque
members
donate money weekly, but it must be spent on maintenance, taxes and the
salary of the imam, or spiritual leader.
-----
MUSLIM AREAS IN AFRICA HAVE LOWER RATES OF HIV INFECTION
AIDS Weekly, 5/3/04
Islam may be linked to reduced rates of HIV infection in Africa.
According to researchers in the United States, "religious constraints
on
sexuality may have consequences for the transmission of sexually
transmitted diseases.
"Recognizing that several Islamic tenets may have the effect, if
followed,
of reducing the sexual transmission of HIV," P.B. Gray and colleagues
at
Harvard University tested "the hypothesis that Muslims have lower HIV
prevalence than non-Muslims.
"Among 38 sub-Saharan African countries, the percentage of Muslims
within
countries negatively predicted HIV prevalence," study data indicated.
"A
survey of published journal articles containing data on HIV prevalence
and
religious affiliation showed that six of seven such studies indicated a
negative relationship between HIV prevalence and being Muslim.
"Additional studies on the relationship of risk factors to HIV
prevalence
gave mixed evidence with respect to following Islamic sexual codes
(e.g.,
vs. extramarital affairs) and other factors," but revealed that
"benefits
arising from circumcision may help account for lower HIV prevalence
among
Muslims," the researchers concluded...
-----
SPANISH GOVERNMENT WANTS TO MONITOR MOSQUES TO CHECK ISLAMIC EXTREMISM,
MINISTER SAYS
Daniel Woolls, Associated Press, 5/3/04
http://www.whnt19.com/Global/story.asp?S=1833129
MADRID, Spain - The government is considering monitoring mosques and
imams
to curb Islamic extremism blamed for the March 11 terror bombings in
Madrid, the foreign minister said Monday.
"I think it is important to know what is being preached on Fridays in
the
various religious forums that have been growing in Spain in a totally
uncontrolled fashion," Miguel Angel Moratinos told the Telecinco
television
network, referring to prayers on the Muslim holy day.
He said that, as Spain's North African immigrant community has expanded
in
recent years, mosques have arisen in everything from workshops to
offices.
"I think that is where the interior and justice ministers, with my
help,
want to establish a degree of order," Moratinos said.
Spain has a Muslim community of about 500,000 people out of a total
population of 42 million. Moroccans make up the second largest
immigrant
group, with about 380,000 members.
Fourteen of the 18 people charged in the Madrid bombing are Moroccans.
The judge leading the investigation into the bombings, which killed 191
people, has said the alleged instigator of the attack, a Tunisian named
Serhane Ben Abdelmajid Fakhet, preached holy war among Muslims in
Madrid
and associates of Fakhet have said he was a frequent visitor to the
city's
main mosque.
Moratinos spoke a day after Interior Minister Jose Antonio Alonso said
in a
newspaper interview that he is considering drafting a bill to monitor
imams, or Moslem clerics, as well as clergy of other faiths...
-----
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http://cair.biglist.com/islam-infonet/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS – 5/3/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: AVOID EXTREMISM
* REASON #11 TO JOIN CAIR - Media Coverage
- Public Library Sponsorships: 7440
* CAIR-NY PRESENTS AT FAIR HOUSING CONFERENCE
* SPY CHARGES DROPPED, BUT FEAR REMAINS (Chicago Trib)
* SEPT. 11 DETAINEES TO FILE FEDERAL LAWSUIT (AP)
- 2 Men Charge Abuse in Arrests after 9/11 (NY Times)
- Act Allows Surge of Searches in US (Seattle Times)
* THE NIGHTMARE AT ABU GHRAIB (NY Times)
- Angry Ex-Detainees Tell Of Abuse (Wash Post)
- UN Rights Aide Calls for Probe into Siege (Reuters)
* NEW SITE TURNS CRITICAL EYES, EARS TO THE RIGHT (NY Times)
* MOSQUE GRAPPLES WITH LACK OF SPACE (Advocate)
* MUSLIM AREAS IN AFRICA HAVE LOWER RATES OF HIV (Aids Weekly)
* SPAIN: MONITOR MOSQUES TO CHECK ISLAMIC EXTREMISM (AP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: AVOID EXTREMISM
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Religion is very easy
and
whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to
continue in
that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to
perfection
and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded.”
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Hadith 38
-----
REASON #10 TO JOIN CAIR – Media Coverage
In the past 10 years, over 10,000 print, television, and radio
interviews
have been conducted by CAIR representatives, allowing for a dramatic
increase in the coverage of Islam and Muslims in the United States and
Canada.
In our new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member at
a
Time," CAIR intends (God Willing) to sign up 25,000 new members by its
10th
year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
Students Click here!
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=33172&page=NB
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7440 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
-----
CAIR-NY PRESENTS AT FAIR HOUSING CONFERENCE
(New York, NY – 5/3/04) On Sunday, April 30, Firdos Abdul-Munim, civil
rights coordinator for the New York chapter of CAIR (CAIR-NY),
conducted a
presentation on ethnic profiling since September 11th at the 3rd annual
Fair Housing Conference in Rochester, NY. The attendees included local
attorneys and community activists.
Abdul-Munim discussed the civil rights abuses suffered by the Muslim,
Arab
and South Asian American Communities since September 11, 2001.
“In 2003, CAIR-NY received over 200 complaints of civil rights abuses
in
the Muslim, Arab and South Asian communities,” said Abdul-Munim.
Abdul-Munim also indicated that reports show that Muslims have been
denied
the right to purchase homes in certain neighborhoods, and rules have
been
discriminately applied to Muslim tenants.
“The biggest problem Muslim tenants face, especially in New York is
harassment by landlords and other tenants,” she said.
Other presenters at the Fair Housing Conference included Stanford
Professor
John Baugh and Howard Law Professor Okianer Christian Dark on issues
such
as linguistic profiling and sexual harassment and fair housing.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
-----
SPY CHARGES DROPPED, BUT FEAR REMAINS
Geneive Abdo and E.A. Torriero, Chicago Tribune, 5/3/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0405030184may03,1,3952579.story?coll=chi-news-hed
OLYMPIA, Wash. - Fears that her husband, Army Capt. James Yee, could
face
the death penalty have vanished. FBI agents have stopped their surprise
visits to question her. Even the neighbors in their tree-lined
apartment
complex in this tranquil town have started to greet her again after
months
of treating her like a traitor to America.
Huda Yee's husband no longer faces key charges the Army had lodged
against
him, and he is scheduled to resume his duties as chaplain at Ft. Lewis,
Wash., on Monday. But now she says the couple faces a far greater
challenge: How to live as Muslims in America.
"Muslims are made to feel like the enemy. We can't go some places.
There
are borders to our life here," Huda Yee, a 29-year-old Palestinian from
Syria, said.
"Arabs think America is a free country. That you can do whatever you
want,
but that's not the case," she said, as her soft voice dropped and her
eyes
grew sad.
Huda Yee's sentiments reflect those felt by many Muslims across the
nation.
They say the case against James Yee, a Muslim Army chaplain accused of
spying for alleged Al Qaeda militants detained at Guantanamo Bay, has
made
them feel more alienated from American society, at a time of increasing
hate crimes against Muslims and deteriorating relations between the
United
States and the broader Islamic world.
In a report to be released Monday, the Council on American-Islamic
Relations said it received 1,019 claims of attacks, discrimination and
racial profiling in 2003, up from 602 such complaints a year earlier...
-----
SEPT. 11 DETAINEES TO FILE FEDERAL LAWSUIT
Associated Press, 5/3/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--attacks-detainees0503may03,0,4688939.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire
NEW YORK- Two Middle Eastern immigrants will file a federal lawsuit
Monday
alleging they were locked in solitary confinement, beaten and verbally
abused at a Brooklyn detention center following the Sept. 11 attacks.
The lawsuit will be filed by Javaid Iqbal, a former cable technician
who
lived on Long Island, and Ehab Elmaghraby, a former restaurateur who
lived
in Queens. The men allege that federal agents apprehended them on
suspicion
of terrorist ties and held them for months at the Metropolitan
Detention
Center in Brooklyn, which was cited for brutal treatment of detainees
in a
report last year by the Justice Department Inspector General.
Iqbal and Elmaghraby, both 37, allege they were shackled, shoved into
walls, punched and called "Muslim bastards" and other epithets. They
also
say they were kept in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day and
denied
adequate meals and medical care, The New York Times reported Monday.
"I was in life and I went to hell," Elmaghraby told the Times.
The men were eventually cleared of terrorist ties but were deported to
their homelands after pleading guilty to minor federal criminal
charges.
Iqbal, who admitted having false papers and bogus checks, now lives in
Pakistan; Elmaghraby, who pleaded guilty to credit card fraud, lives in
Egypt.
The Times did not specify what damages the lawsuit would seek...
ALSO SEE:
2 MEN CHARGE ABUSE IN ARRESTS AFTER 9/11 TERROR ATTACK
Nina Bernstein, New York Times, 5/3/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/03/nyregion/03brooklyn.html
Before the World Trade Center attack, Javaid Iqbal was a Pakistani
immigrant proud to be known as "the cable guy" to customers on Long
Island,
where he had lived for a decade and married an American. Ehab
Elmaghraby,
an Egyptian, had a weekend flea market stand at Aqueduct Raceway and a
restaurant near Times Square where friendly police officers would joke,
"Where's my shish kebab?"
But within weeks of Sept. 11, 2001, both had been picked up by federal
agents in an anti-terror sweep. For 23 hours a day, they were locked in
solitary confinement in the harsh maximum-security unit of a federal
detention center in Brooklyn -- the one cited by the Justice
Department's
inspector general last year for widespread physical abuse of its
detainees.
The inspector general mentioned no specific names and cases, but now,
in a
federal lawsuit to be filed today and in telephone interviews from
Pakistan
and Egypt, the former cable technician and the former restaurateur have
provided the most detailed personal accounts yet of the unit's
brutality
and the first to accuse specific corrections officers and wardens of
abuse.
The accusations are similar to those now being made against military
officers guarding prisoners in Iraq.
The lawsuit charges that the men were repeatedly slammed into walls and
dragged across the floor while shackled and manacled, kicked and
punched
until they bled, cursed as "terrorists" and "Muslim bastards," and
subjected to multiple unnecessary body-cavity searches, including one
during which correction officers inserted a flashlight into Mr.
Elmaghraby's rectum, making him bleed.
At that point, the papers charge, he was confined without blankets,
mattress or toilet paper to a tiny cell kept lighted 24 hours a day,
and
was denied adequate medical care or communication with his public
defender.
He said his attempts to pray or sleep were disrupted by guards banging
on
his door...
---
PATRIOT ACT ALLOWS SURGE OF SECRET SEARCHES IN UNITED STATES
Richard Schmitt, Los Angeles Times, 5/2/04
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001917897_search02.html
WASHINGTON — Underscoring changes in domestic surveillance allowed
under
the USA Patriot Act, the Justice Department said in a report released
today
that it conducted hundreds more secret searches in the United States
last
year under foreign intelligence surveillance laws.
The department said the use of covert search powers, which were
enhanced
under the Patriot Act, shows how federal investigators have stepped up
the
war against terrorism in the United States over the past 32 months.
But civil-liberties groups expressed concern over the increase because
the
targets of the searches are given fewer legal protections than suspects
in
normal criminal cases. The process of obtaining approval and executing
the
searches and surveillance also is shrouded in secrecy.
In an annual report to Congress, the Justice Department said it
obtained
approval to conduct electronic surveillance and physical searches in
more
than 1,700 intelligence cases last year. According to the Justice
Department, the number of searches has surged 85 percent in the past
two
years; about 1,200 searches were authorized in 2002, and only 900 in
2001.
The report did not identify or discuss specific cases.
Attorney General John Ashcroft said in a prepared statement that the
data
illustrated how the Justice Department and the FBI are "acting
judiciously
and moving aggressively" to uncover and prevent terrorist attacks in
the
United States. "These court-approved surveillance and search orders are
vital to keeping America safe from terror," Ashcroft said.
The burst of activity is a direct result of the easing of standards for
intelligence-gathering that was authorized by the Patriot Act, the
terror-fighting law enacted six weeks after the attacks on the Pentagon
and
World Trade Center.
Under the new law, the government can obtain secret warrants by showing
that a significant purpose of the search has to do with
intelligence-gathering, as opposed to a criminal investigation.
The new procedures were upheld in court in November 2002.
-----
THE NIGHTMARE AT ABU GHRAIB
New York Times, 5/3/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/03/opinion/03MON1.html
The American military made a strange and ill-starred decision when it
chose
to incarcerate Iraqis in Abu Ghraib, the prison that had become a
byword
for torture under Saddam Hussein and a symbol of everything the
invasion of
Iraq was supposed to end. As United States officials have known for
months,
some of the American soldiers brought their own version of sadism to
the
site. Now that the rest of the world knows as well, the Bush
administration
will have to do more than denounce the scandal as the work of a few bad
apples.
Last week, CBS News broadcast pictures of a handful of smirking
soldiers,
male and female, abusing and sexually humiliating Iraqi prisoners.
While
the news — and the pictures — rocketed around the globe, the military
revealed that most of the guards in the pictures were already under
arrest
and that Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski of the Army Reserve, who ran the
military prisons in Iraq, had been admonished and suspended from
command in
January. Now, months later, the military says it is investigating the
allegations.
But it is far from clear that the American brass has done everything it
needs to do. Gen. Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff,
appeared on CBS yesterday to offer assurances that "we took very quick
action to investigate that situation." But General Myers said he had
not
yet read a corrosive internal report on the military prison system
written
in February. "It's working its way to me," he told Bob Schieffer of
CBS.
That report, prepared by Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, was described by
Seymour
Hersh in this week's New Yorker. He quoted General Taguba as saying the
military police and intelligence officials had committed "sadistic,
blatant
and wanton criminal abuses," including sodomizing a prisoner "with a
chemical light and perhaps a broomstick..."
ALSO SEE:
ANGRY EX-DETAINEES TELL OF ABUSE
Scott Wilson, Washington Post, 5/3/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61560-2004May2.html
BAGHDAD-- Day and night lost meaning shortly after Muwafaq Sami Abbas,
a
lawyer by training, arrived at Baghdad International Airport for an
unexpected stay. In March, he was seized from his bed by U.S. troops in
the
middle of the night, he said, along with the rest of the men in his
house,
and taken to a prison on the airport grounds.
The black sack the troops placed over his head was removed only briefly
during the next nine days of interrogation, conducted by U.S. officials
in
civilian and military clothes, he said. He was forced to do knee bends
until he collapsed, he recalled, and black marks still ring his wrists
from
the pinch of plastic handcuffs. Rest was made impossible by
loudspeakers
blaring, over and over, the Beastie Boys' rap anthem, "No Sleep Till
Brooklyn."
The forced exercise was even harder for his 57-year-old father, a
former
army general who held a signed certificate from the U.S. occupation
authority vouching for his "high level of cooperation and assistance"
in
the days after the war.
Father and son are now free -- and angry about what they endured in a
suddenly notorious U.S.-run prison system in Iraq. But months later,
Abbas's three brothers are still inside Abu Ghraib prison, he said. He
is
their only legal advocate, trying to refute written charges that they
are
members of the Iraqi insurgency.
"The savagery the Americans have practiced against the Iraqis, well,
now we
have seen it, touched it and felt it," Abbas said. "These types of
actions
will grow more hostile forces against the coalition, and this is the
reason
for the resistance."
The photographs of U.S. soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib
--
images that reached Iraqi newspapers on Sunday, following a three-day
holiday -- have reinforced the long-held view here that the U.S.
occupation
is intent on humiliating the Iraqi people. The system has been rife
with
complaints for months, but now the testimony of former Iraqi prisoners
claiming abuse at the hands of U.S. jailers has gained new credibility
while further damaging the reputation of the U.S. occupation
authority...
---
UN RIGHTS AIDE CALLS FOR PROBE INTO FALLUJA SIEGE
Reuters, 5/3/04
UNITED NATIONS - A U.N. human rights investigator called on Monday for
an
independent probe into the impact on civilians of the U.S. military's
month-long siege of Falluja.
While reliable information was difficult to obtain, there were credible
claims that U.S.-led forces in Iraq "have been guilty of serious
breaches
of international humanitarian and human rights law in Falluja in recent
weeks," U.N. special rapporteur Paul Hunt said.
According to some reports, 90 percent of an estimated 750 deaths in the
city of 300,000 during the siege were noncombatants, Hunt said in a
printed
statement. His official role as an aide to the Geneva-based U.N.
Commission
on Human Rights is to help safeguard "the right to health."
U.S. forces launched a crackdown on Falluja in early April in response
to
the killing and mutilation of four U.S. private security guards in the
town. After weeks of on-and-off fighting between U.S. troops and
insurgents, U.S. soldiers have pulled back and an Iraqi force has been
brought in to try to reassert control.
-----
NEW INTERNET SITE TURNS CRITICAL EYES AND EARS TO THE RIGHT
Jim Rutenberg, New York Times, 5/3/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/03/business/media/03BROC.html
WASHINGTON - David Brock, the former right-wing journalist turned
liberal,
describes himself as once having been a rather large cog in the
machinery
of the conservative media.
Now Mr. Brock is starting a new endeavor built to combat the very
sector of
journalism that spawned him, with support from the same sorts of people
(Democrats) aboutwhom he once wrote so critically.
With more than $2 million in donations from wealthy liberals, Mr. Brock
will start a new Internet site this week that he says will monitor the
conservative media and correct erroneous assertions in real time.
The site, called Media Matters, was devised as part of a larger media
apparatus being built by liberals to combat what they say is the
overwhelming influence of conservative commentators like Rush Limbaugh
and
Bill O'Reilly.
Mr. Brock's project was developed with help from the newly formed
Center
for American Progress, the policy group headed by John D. Podesta, the
former Clinton chief of staff. And Mr. Brock said he hoped it could
help
provide fodder for fledgling liberal radio talk shows being started
across
the country, including those of the comedians Al
Franken and Janeane Garofalo.
For Mr. Brock, 41, the project is yet another considerable step in his
public evolution from conservative muckraker to liberal activist. That
evolution began after Mr. Brock
began publicly apologizing in the late 1990's for reporting that
brutally
criticized Anita F. Hill and a report that Arkansas state troopers had
helped Bill Clinton procure paramours when he was the governor of
Arkansas,
the veracity of which he is no longer sure...
-----
MOSQUE GRAPPLES WITH LACK OF SPACE
Christina S. N. Lewis, The Advocate, 5/3/04
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/scn-sa-nor.mosque1may03,0,4652144.story
STAMFORD -- Most of the time, the Stamford Islamic Center, the city's
oldest mosque, is quiet.
But, each Friday during Jummah services, about 40 cars are crammed into
the
unpaved parking lot and 40 more are parked on either side of Outlook
Street, blocking traffic.
After the 45-minute service, members must wait several minutes for the
web
of cars to untangle before they can leave.
"It is a problem," said Khalid Quresh, 49, gesturing at the packed
lots.
The Islamic Center serves about 300 predominantly Urdu-speaking Muslim
men
who work or live in Stamford and surrounding towns. Managers of the
center
know that the 2,500-square-foot house on the West Side, close to the
Greenwich border, cannot accommodate the 100 to 200 men who pray there
on
Fridays and during festivals. But they have not raised the $1 million
they
think is needed to build a new center.
"Finances is the main factor we are having to deal with," said Shabahat
Ali, president of the management board.
The mosque moved to the five-bedroom house five years ago, and the
center
paid off the $340,000 purchase price last year, Ali said. Mosque
members
donate money weekly, but it must be spent on maintenance, taxes and the
salary of the imam, or spiritual leader.
-----
MUSLIM AREAS IN AFRICA HAVE LOWER RATES OF HIV INFECTION
AIDS Weekly, 5/3/04
Islam may be linked to reduced rates of HIV infection in Africa.
According to researchers in the United States, "religious constraints
on
sexuality may have consequences for the transmission of sexually
transmitted diseases.
"Recognizing that several Islamic tenets may have the effect, if
followed,
of reducing the sexual transmission of HIV," P.B. Gray and colleagues
at
Harvard University tested "the hypothesis that Muslims have lower HIV
prevalence than non-Muslims.
"Among 38 sub-Saharan African countries, the percentage of Muslims
within
countries negatively predicted HIV prevalence," study data indicated.
"A
survey of published journal articles containing data on HIV prevalence
and
religious affiliation showed that six of seven such studies indicated a
negative relationship between HIV prevalence and being Muslim.
"Additional studies on the relationship of risk factors to HIV
prevalence
gave mixed evidence with respect to following Islamic sexual codes
(e.g.,
vs. extramarital affairs) and other factors," but revealed that
"benefits
arising from circumcision may help account for lower HIV prevalence
among
Muslims," the researchers concluded...
-----
SPANISH GOVERNMENT WANTS TO MONITOR MOSQUES TO CHECK ISLAMIC EXTREMISM,
MINISTER SAYS
Daniel Woolls, Associated Press, 5/3/04
http://www.whnt19.com/Global/story.asp?S=1833129
MADRID, Spain - The government is considering monitoring mosques and
imams
to curb Islamic extremism blamed for the March 11 terror bombings in
Madrid, the foreign minister said Monday.
"I think it is important to know what is being preached on Fridays in
the
various religious forums that have been growing in Spain in a totally
uncontrolled fashion," Miguel Angel Moratinos told the Telecinco
television
network, referring to prayers on the Muslim holy day.
He said that, as Spain's North African immigrant community has expanded
in
recent years, mosques have arisen in everything from workshops to
offices.
"I think that is where the interior and justice ministers, with my
help,
want to establish a degree of order," Moratinos said.
Spain has a Muslim community of about 500,000 people out of a total
population of 42 million. Moroccans make up the second largest
immigrant
group, with about 380,000 members.
Fourteen of the 18 people charged in the Madrid bombing are Moroccans.
The judge leading the investigation into the bombings, which killed 191
people, has said the alleged instigator of the attack, a Tunisian named
Serhane Ben Abdelmajid Fakhet, preached holy war among Muslims in
Madrid
and associates of Fakhet have said he was a frequent visitor to the
city's
main mosque.
Moratinos spoke a day after Interior Minister Jose Antonio Alonso said
in a
newspaper interview that he is considering drafting a bill to monitor
imams, or Moslem clerics, as well as clergy of other faiths...
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Tue, 04 May 2004 16:15:59 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
ISLAM-INFONET: U.S. Muslims Say Congress Must Probe Iraq
Torture
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
U.S. MUSLIMS SAY CONGRESS MUST PROBE IRAQ TORTURE
CAIR: Inspect prisons in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/4/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today called for a congressional investigation into
torture
of prisoners by American military personnel in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib
prison
and urged international inspections of all American detention
facilities in
Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) also
criticized reprimands given to a handful of soldiers involved in the
abuse
of Iraqi prisoners as a "slap on the wrist." CAIR said the reprimands
demonstrate that military authorities are incapable of dealing with an
issue that may have already caused irreparable harm to America's image
in
the Muslim world.
"Instead of getting a slap on the wrist, everyone who took part in or
permitted these horrific acts needs to serve time in prison," said CAIR
Executive Director Nihad Awad. "This scandal must be investigated by
Congress to determine the true extent of the abuse and to learn whether
the
abuses were in fact part of a widespread pattern of human rights
violations
in U.S. detention facilities worldwide."
Awad said U.S. prisons in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay must be
opened to international inspectors and to Red Cross and Red Crescent
officials. He added that there have been persistent reports of prison
abuses that have largely been ignored by government officials.
Following a
briefing today with Pentagon officials, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) said
he
feared allegations made public so far are "the beginning rather than
the
end." "There were some incidents in Afghanistan," said Sen. John
Warner,
chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Last week, CBS broadcast images showing Iraqis prisoners being
tormented by
their U.S. captors. An internal military report determined that the
prisoners were subjected to "sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal
abuses."
Since those initial allegations have been reported worldwide, more
former
prisoners have come forward to allege inhumane treatment by U.S. and
British troops throughout Iraq. SEE: "Torture at Abu Ghraib,"
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040510fa_fact
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 26 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a journalist's window
to
the American Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called
ISLAM-INFONET, receive news releases and other materials dealing with
American Muslim positions on issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to ISLAM-INFONET, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/islam-infonet/
Forwarded Message
Date:
Tue, 04 May 2004 16:20:03 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Urge Congress To Investigate Iraq Torture
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR ACTION ALERT #424
URGE CONGRESS TO INVESTIGATE IRAQ TORTURE
Call for international inspections of American prison worldwide
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/4/04) - CAIR today called for a congressional
investigation into torture of prisoners by American military personnel
in
Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison and urged international inspections of all
American detention facilities in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay.
Reprimands given to a handful of soldiers involved in the abuse of
Iraqi
prisoners were also criticized as a "slap on the wrist" that shows
military
authorities are incapable of dealing with an issue that may have
already
caused irreparable harm to America's image in the Muslim world.
"Instead of getting a slap on the wrist, everyone who took part in or
permitted these horrific acts needs to serve time in prison," said CAIR
Executive Director Nihad Awad. "This scandal must be investigated by
Congress to determine the true extent of the abuse and to learn whether
the
abuses were in fact part of a widespread pattern of human rights
violations
in U.S. detention facilities worldwide."
Awad said U.S. prisons in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay must be
opened to international inspectors and to Red Cross and Red Crescent
officials. He added that there have been persistent reports of prison
abuses that have largely been ignored by government officials.
Following a
briefing today with Pentagon officials, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) said
he
feared allegations made public so far are "the beginning rather than
the
end." "There were some incidents in Afghanistan," said Sen. John
Warner,
chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Last week, CBS broadcast images showing Iraqis prisoners being
tormented by
their U.S. captors. An internal military report determined that the
prisoners were subjected to "sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal
abuses."
Since those initial allegations have been reported worldwide, more
former
prisoners have come forward to allege inhumane treatment by U.S. and
British troops throughout Iraq. SEE: "TORTURE AT ABU GHRAIB,"
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040510fa_fact
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be firm but POLITE.)
1) Contact Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-VA)
and
Ranking Member Carl Levin (D-MI) and urge them to hold a congressional
investigation into torture of prisoners by American military personnel
in
Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison and urged international inspections of all
American detention facilities in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay.
CONTACT:
Chairman John Warner (R-VA)
Address: 228 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3871
Fax: (202) 228-0037
Ranking Member Carl Levin (D-MI)
228 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3871
Fax: (202) 228-0037
2) Contact other members of the Senate and House Armed Services
committees
and ask them to investigate incidents of abuse of Iraqi prisoners by
American military personnel. Visit Capwiz at http://www.capwiz.com/cair
for
additional contact info.
- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -
Forwarded Message
Date:
Tue, 04 May 2004 16:38:06 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
ISLAM-INFONET: Nader Urges Action on Violations Against US
Muslims
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/4/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: GOOD MANNERS
* NADER URGES ACTION OF VIOLATIONS AGAINST US MUSLIM
- Former Diplomats Denounce Mideast Policy (Bloomberg)
- Kerry Stresses His Ties with Israel (JTA)
* PROBE OF GENERAL ANTI-ISLAM REMARKS DRAG ON (Reuters)
* MUSLIM GROUPS REPORTS INCREASE IN HARASSMENT (VOA)
- US Anti-Muslim Incidents Up 70 Pct in 2003 (Reuters)
- CA: Inland Muslims Encountering Little Trouble (PE)
- Anti-Muslim Bias Reported To Rise Sharply (NY Times)
- Anti-Muslim Sentiment Spreading (Boca Raton)
- Islamaphobia on the Rise (KTOK)
* LAWYERS FOR DETAINEES PUT TRIBUNALS ON TRIAL (NY Times)
* WEBSITE FOR DR. SAMI AL-ARIAN LAUNCHED (TBCJP)
* HAS ISLAM BECOME THE ISSUE? (Asia Times)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: GOOD MANNERS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "A believer may achieve
the
status of one who regularly fasts (for religious reasons) during the
day
and spends the night in prayer, through good manners."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Hadith 38
-----
NADER URGES ACTION ON CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AGAINST MUSLIM AMERICANS
The Nader Campaign urges the Department of Justice to take action
regarding
civil rights violations against Muslim and Arab Americans
According to a report released on March 3 by the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, "The Status of Muslim Civil Rights in the
United States 2004," Muslims in the United States experienced more than
1,000 incidents of asserted harassment, violence and discriminatory
treatment in 2003, a jump of 70 percent over the previous year,
according
to a report released by a major Islamic advocacy group.
The report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations attributed the
increase to such factors as unrebutted, off-the-wall Muslim-bashing on
radio talk shows and tensions surrounding the war in Iraq. The group
said
it received 1,019 complaints from Muslims last year concerning
discriminatory or violent actions, up from 602 the year before. The
biggest
number of incidents had to do with employment and the refusal to
accommodate religious practices. But there were 93 reported hate crimes
(i.e., incidents of anti-Muslim violence), more than double the total
in
2002. And there were numerous cases in which Muslims alleged that laws
were
applied to them more harshly because of their ethnic or religious
identity.
The report also noted that the implementation of the USA PATRIOT Act
has
been associated with abuses. The report points to a number of
questionable
national security policies including:
- The rounding up of Muslim Americans and Arab Americans and residents
by
the government that blurred the clear distinction between immigration
cases
and terrorism investigations. CAIR cites a report by the Office of
Inspector General of the Justice Department which found that between
September 11, 2001 and August 2002 the government arrested 738 Muslims
and
Arabs whose entry visas had expired. In doing so they interfered with
their access to lawyers, blocked access by family members and even
denied
them the constitutional right of obtaining information on charges
against
them. The Justice Department's own Office of Inspector General also
reported that many were held in inhumane conditions including being
contained in jail cells for 23 hours a day, taunting of prisoners and
slamming prisoners against walls. Security tapes of the Bureau of
Prisons
show 308 incidents of physical abuse by staff of federal prisons. None
of
these hundreds of detainees were found to have links to terrorism.
- The singling out of Muslim visitors and immigrants by requiring them
to
report to government offices to be fingerprinted, photographed and
assigned
a registration number or be deported. Thirteen thousand of the people
who
complied were still subject to deportation for violation of minor
immigration regulations.
- The CAIR report points to widespread incidents of prosecutorial and
law
enforcement bias against Muslims. Violations of local ordinances for
minor
offenses like failure to cut lawn, or leaving garbage cans outside have
increased as have discretionary criminal prosecutions.
- Enforcement of the PATRIOT Act has also led to harassment by banks
and
financial institutions. People with Muslim or Arab names are being
arbitrarily requested to provide detailed documentation of their
identities
as well as financial and tax records.
The Ralph Nader Campaign urges:
- Passage of the End Racial Profiling Act, championed by Congressman
John
Conyers, Jr. in the House and Senator Russell Feingold in the Senate,
that
would dissuade law enforcement from engaging in profiling by requiring
collection of race data, and providing legal options to victims of
racial
profiling.
- The Department of Justice to implement regulatory and procedural
reforms
suggested by its own Office of Inspector General designed to restore
constitutional protections in government investigations and handling of
detainees.
- Congressional hearings on post 9-11 rules and procedures enacted by
the
Bush Administration in order to examine their impact on security and
civil
liberties.
- Oppose the extension of provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act that are
set to
expire in 2005.
- Reinstate the policy of the United States Federal Communications
Commission that became known as the "Fairness Doctrine" � an attempt to
ensure that coverage of controversial public issues by a broadcast
station
be balanced and fair. In the spring of 1987, both houses of Congress
voted
to put the Fairness Doctrine into law but President Ronald Reagan
vetoed
the legislation.
ALSO SEE:
FORMER U.S. DIPLOMATS DENOUNCE BUSH'S MIDEAST POLICY
Bloomberg, 5/4/04
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aWcp2Lwuxyd4&refer=us
A group of former U.S. diplomats wrote a letter to President George W.
Bush
denouncing his policy for dealing with the conflict between Israelis
and
Palestinians, saying it is harming American credibility abroad.
The letter, posted on the American Educational Trust Web site with 16
signatures, applauds a similar letter former British diplomats sent to
Prime Minister Tony Blair last week criticizing his Middle East policy.
The
Web site solicits more support, and Reuters said more than 50
ex-diplomats
have now signed.
The former U.S. diplomats' concern focuses on Bush's support for
Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's unilateral plan to evacuate Jewish
settlements in the Gaza Strip while retaining major West Bank enclaves.
Bush and Sharon's talks on the plan last month excluded the
Palestinians.
Bush's stance ``reverses longstanding American policy,'' the group
said.
``By closing the door to negotiations with Palestinians and the
possibility
of a Palestinian state, you have proved that the United States is not
an
even-handed peace partner,'' the former diplomats, led by Andrew
Kilgore,
ambassador to Qatar from 1977 to 1980, said in the letter.
``You have placed U.S. diplomats, civilians and military doing their
jobs
overseas in an untenable and even dangerous position,'' the group said.
``Your unqualified support of Sharon's extra-judicial assassinations,
Israel's Berlin Wall-like barrier, its harsh military measures in
occupied
territories, and now your endorsement of Sharon's unilateral plan, are
costing our country its credibility, prestige and friends...''
---
KERRY STRESSES HIS TIES WITH ISRAEL
Ron Kampeas and Matthew E. Berger, JTA, 5/3/04
http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?strwebhead=Kerry+vies+for+Jewish+vote&intcategoryid=5
WASHINGTON - A Kerry administration would avoid the pressure other
presidents have used to nudge Israel in peace negotiations, and would
consult closely with the Jewish state before launching any new Mideast
peace initiative.
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the presumptive Democratic nominee for
president, outlined his approach to Middle East peacemaking in an
interview
with JTA on Monday, the same day he launched his campaign to win Jewish
votes with a major policy speech to the Anti-Defamation League.
Kerry has been working hard to mitigate the effect in the Jewish
community
of President Bush's extraordinary concessions to Israel last month,
when
the president recognized some Israeli claims to the West Bank and
rejected
any right of Palestinian refugees to return to Israel.
The Jewish vote could play a crucial role in 10 swing states in what is
likely to be a close election this fall, and Kerry is on a fund-raising
drive that needs a strong turnout among the Democrats' broad base of
Jewish
donors. His ADL speech sounded a range of notes aimed at pleasing
Jewish
ears - on civil rights, anti-Semitism and Israel.
"For the entire 20 years that I have been in the United States Senate,
I'm
proud that my commitment to a secure Jewish state has been unwavering;
not
even by one vote or one letter or one resolution has it wavered," Kerry
said to the applause of the ADL audience. "As president, I can
guarantee
you that that support and that effort for our ally, a vibrant
democracy,
will continue."
That's a guarantee that Bush - or for that matter, almost any of his
predecessors - easily could make. In his subsequent interview with JTA,
Kerry sought to elaborate on what would distinguish his presidency
vis-a-vis Israel...
-----
PROBE OF GENERAL ANTI-ISLAM REMARKS DRAG ON
Andrea Shalal-Esa, Reuters, 5/4/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=5035323
WASHINGTON - Arab- and Muslim-Americans are increasingly frustrated by
the
Pentagon's failure to discipline a top U.S. general who said Muslims do
not
worship "a real God," and say it raises questions about whether the
so-called war on terrorism is not a war on Islam.
Army Lt. Gen. William Boykin, head of military intelligence, touched
off a
brief firestorm last October after publicity about speeches he gave
while
in uniform that referred to the war on terrorism as a battle with
"Satan"
and said America had been targeted "because we're a Christian nation."
In one speech, Boykin, an evangelical Christian, belittled a Muslim
fighter
who said Allah had protected him from U.S. forces. "I knew ... that my
God
was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God, and his was an
idol," said Boykin, a much-decorated veteran of covert military
operations.
Since then, an internal investigation into the affair has worked its
way
slowly through the Pentagon bureaucracy. A spokeswoman said there was
no
deadline for its completion.
"I don't think the administration understands how much damage Boykin
has
done," said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, an
advocacy group.
He cited a recent poll that showed Arab-Americans in four key U.S.
states
would choose Democrat John Kerry by a wide margin over Bush if the
election
were held now.
"They could stop the hemorrhaging at any time, but they allow this to
continue to occur so the wound continues to stay open," Zogby said.
"It's
just not taken seriously."
At the time, President Bush said Boykin "didn't reflect my opinion,"
but
the Pentagon
-----
US MUSLIM ADVOCACY GROUP REPORTS INCREASE IN HARASSMENT OF MUSLIMS IN
AMERICA
Laurie Kassman, Voice of America, 5/3/04
http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=E6F8423F-F791-40A3-B515A9E7EDDC02D8
A U.S. Muslim advocacy group, the Council on American-Islamic
Relations,
received more than 1,000 complaints of discrimination and harassment in
2003, more than double the number received the year before.
The author of the report, Mohamed Nimer, said the number of incidents
of
harassment that were reported in 2003 surpassed 1,000, up from 600 the
year
before. "The incidents range from violent attacks against people,
including
murders, physical assaults or vandalism of community organizations,
most
prominently mosques, to verbal harassment to employment discrimination
and
to mistreatment by government agencies, most importantly related to the
implementation of special registration requiring immigrants from Muslim
nations to be photographed and fingerprinted," he said.
Mr. Nimer said the Council on American-Islamic Relations has improved
its
ability to process complaints, which may also account for the increased
number of cases. Still, he says Muslims are disturbed to see the trend
increasing, not decreasing, over the past several years.
Reports of beatings and vandalism on Muslim-owned property doubled last
year. But, the study shows a decrease in complaints of harassment at
airport security checks.
The civil rights group has been tracking the status of Muslim civil
rights
in the United States since 1995. Mr. Nimer blames continuing fears
among
Americans since the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
He
said the war in Iraq and extremist violence in the Middle East also
have
fueled anti-Muslim sentiments. "The Iraq War has been cited in a number
of
incidents actually. And there was a lot of hate speech, especially on
radio, related to the Iraq War. And, events and incidents in this war
that
have been construed in the terms of U.S. versus Islam," he said.
The council is calling for Congress to examine how security policies
implemented after the 2001 terrorist attacks have affected civil
liberties
and what could be revised to better protect Muslim communities.
ALSO SEE:
US ANTI-MUSLIM INCIDENTS UP 70 PCT IN 2003 -REPORT
Deborah Zabarenko, Reuters, 5/3/04
WASHINGTON - Incidents of violence, discrimination and harassment
against
Muslims in the United States soared 70 percent in 2003 over the
previous
year, an Islamic civil rights group reported on Monday.
The war in Iraq and the lingering atmosphere of fear from the Sept. 11,
2001, attacks contributed to the sharp rise in anti-Muslim activity,
according to a report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Other factors included an increase in anti-Muslim rhetoric by some in
government and the media, implementation of the USA Patriot Act --
which
has been criticized as infringing on the constitutional right to
privacy --
and increased reporting and documentation by members of the Muslim
community, the report said.
"The disturbing jump in reports of anti-Muslim incidents is a wake-up
call
to those commentators who use their public positions to spread
anti-Muslim
hate," said the report's author, Mohamed Nimer.
There were 1,019 reports of anti-Islamic acts in the United States in
2003,
up from 602 in 2002 and more than 10 times the number of reports
received
the first year the council kept count, in 1995.
The incidents ranged from business and housing discrimination to
violent
threats and the discriminatory application of law to Internet
harassment
and hate crimes.
Hate crimes increased by 121 percent over 2002 to 93 incidents from 42.
They ranged from vandalism against Muslim-owned property to beatings
and at
least four killings...
---
CA: INLAND MUSLIMS ENCOUNTERING LITTLE TROUBLE
Bettye Wells Miller, Press-Enterprise, 5/4/04
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_muslim04.58113.html
Reports of discrimination and hate incidents against Muslims in
California
more than tripled last year, according to a report released Monday by
the
Council on American-Islamic Relations.
So far, the Inland area appears to have escaped the level of threats
and
violence reported elsewhere, however, local Muslims said.
"People are more understanding," said Mahmoud Harmoush, director of the
Temecula Islamic Center. "We hope they are better-educated and
-informed."
But women who wear the hijab, or head scarf, appear to be vulnerable to
taunts and criticism in public places and in their jobs.
"I'm afraid to put on the hijab because I'm afraid somebody is going to
hurt me," S. Bushra Khan, 46, of Temecula, said by phone. "I have had
people shout at me across the street. It made me very uncomfortable. "
There were 221 complaints of discrimination or hate incidents in
California
last year, Ra'id Faraj, spokesman for the council's Southern California
chapter, said by phone. There were 66 in 2002, he said. Nationally,
there
were 1,019 incidents, a 70 percent increase, the group said...
---
ANTI-MUSLIM BIAS REPORTED TO RISE SHARPLY
New York Times, 5/4/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/04/nyregion/04mbrf.html
New York State had the second-highest number of complaints in the
nation of
anti-Muslim bias incidents last year, a civil liberties group said
yesterday. The group, the New York chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, said there were more than 200 reports of
bias
acts against Muslims, Arabs or South Asians in New York State in 2003,
about four times the number, 48, reported the year before. California
had
221 incidents reported in 2003. The national organization said claims
of
physical and verbal attacks on Muslims, and other bias incidents, rose
70
percent to 1,019 from 602 in 2002
---
ANTI-MUSLIM SENTIMENT SPREADING
Ashley Harrell, Boca Raton, 5/4/04
http://www.bocaratonnews.com/index.php?src=news&category=LOCAL%20NEWS&prid=8210
It was Asmaa Metwally's first day of college at Florida Atlantic
University.
Like many other new students, she did not know her way around campus.
Metwally approached a woman to ask directions, but was answered with
silence. The woman was staring at her headscarf.
Metwally asked again, and remembers the woman hurrying away in the
opposite
direction.
"I saw fear in her eyes," she said.
A senior and the secretary of the Muslim Student Organization (MSO),
Metwally said she has felt the cold stares of classmates who mistakenly
assume that she is part of some terrorist organization.
When the officers of the MSO put signs up for events, they're almost
always
taken down by the end of the day, Metwally said.
"People generalize and stereotype," she said. "It's definitely a
disappointment."
There were 1019 "disappointing" incidents involving anti-Muslim
violence,
discrimination and harassment in 2003, the highest number of Muslim
civil
rights cases ever recorded in a single year, the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported Monday.
The report indicates that anti-Muslim incidents in the United States
increased by almost 70 percent in 2003. Hate crimes alone jumped by an
unprecedented 121 percent, according to the report.
And in 2004 the CAIR has seen an even greater increase, according to
communications director for the South Florida chapter, Ahmed Bedier...
---
ISLAMAPHOBIA ON THE RISE
KTOK, 5/4/04
http://www.ktok.com/cc-common/feeds/view.php?feed_id=135&feed=/local.html&instance=1&article_id=2710
A new report shows nearly a doubling in the number of complaints
involving
Muslim harassment.
The report comes from the Council on Islamic-American Relations shows
last
year there were nearly 1,000 complaints of Muslim harassment in the
U.S. The number is a sharp increase from the 600 the year before.
Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City President Imad Enchasse says
Oklahoma City's not having as many complaints. But he says the
problems
are all around us. Enchasse says he was in Denton, Texas last week
when
someone opened fire on the mosque. He also cites incidents in Lubbock,
El
Paso, Houston and Kansas City.
However, Enchasse says the report is alarming, because the harassment
to
some degree is a reflection of right-wing talk radio and other members
of
the conservative clergy, who are spreading misinformation about Islam.
The report cites an increase in reporting, misinterpretation of the
Patriot
Act, and post-9-11 fears.
-----
MILITARY'S LAWYERS FOR DETAINEES PUT TRIBUNALS ON TRIAL
Neil A. Lewis, New York Times, 5/3/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/04/politics/04GITM.html
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration's plan to use military tribunals
to
try some of the detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which has faced
considerable skepticism, has been receiving some of its sharpest
attacks
from the military defense lawyers who are participating in the process.
Senior government planners once expected that the first of the
prisoners to
go before a tribunal would plead guilty as part of an agreement to
reduce
their jail time. But the five military lawyers assigned to defend the
first
group of prisoners have radically altered that hope, the officials now
acknowledge.
The uniformed lawyers have been especially forceful, not only in
asserting
their clients' innocence but also in denouncing the tribunal system as
inherently unfair and rigged.
The Pentagon wants the military commissions, the first for the United
States since World War II, to be seen as fair at home and abroad. But
the
military lawyers, in playing the kind of attack-the-system role that
William Kunstler was known for, have become widely quoted around the
world
and acclaimed by some as heroes after appearances in London and
Australia
in which they denounced the tribunals.
Nonetheless, senior military officials said that while they disagreed
with
the view that the tribunal system is unfair, they had no problem with
the
defense lawyers' making harshly critical comments...
-----
WEBSITE FOR DR. SAMI AL-ARIAN LAUNCHED
Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace, 5/3/2004
A new website about the case of Dr. Sami Al-Arian, a Palestinian
political
prisoner in Florida has been launched. It can be accessed at:
www.freesamialarian.com
The website, an educational resource for those who would like more
information about the case, features updated press releases and news
coverage, Dr. Al-Arian's biography, a section describing the Al-Arian
case,
and suggestions on how to help.
Dr. Al-Arian, who has been denied the right to a speedy trial and who
has
already spent 438 days in prison under extremely harsh and punitive
conditions, needs your help now more than ever. The case is progressing
well, and as more and more "evidence" is examined, we are confident
that
justice will prevail and Dr. Al-Arian's innocence will be proven.
However,
in order to ensure that he will receive a fair trial, we need your
generous
contributions to compensate for rising legal bills.
Supporters can donate securely online (at www.freesamialarian.com's
"How to
Help" page) to the National Liberty Fund, a national organization that
coordinates community efforts to defend the civil and political rights
of
American Muslims. The NLF is focusing its initial attention on Dr.
Al-Arian's case. Or, checks can be sent to: National Liberty Fund, P.O.
Box
3568, Washington, D.C. 20007.
-----
HAS ISLAM BECOME THE ISSUE?
Oswald Spengler, Asia Times, 5/3/04
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/FE04Aa01.html
Nothing shows up the shallowness of the American neo-conservatives
better
than the choice of a French Catholic, Professor Alain Besancon, to fire
a
first salvo against Islam in the May issue of their flagship journal,
Commentary. His essay, "What Kind of Religion is Islam", re-states the
millennium-old Christian case against Muslim theology, while barely
hinting
at why theology has any bearing on the civilizational conflict now
under
way. Nonetheless, a Rubicon has been crossed, for Islam itself has
become
the issue, rather than terrorism, dictatorship, slavery in the Sudan or
mistreatment of women.
Until now the conservative establishment carefully toed the White House
line, namely that "this is a war against terrorism, not against Islam".
As
Washington's visions for Iraq's future vanish like a desert mirage, the
basic premises of its policy may be re-thought. In that respect, the
fact
that Besancon has surfaced among the neo-conservatives is news indeed,
although both the regular media and the weblogs have failed to take
note of it.
Something like this was inevitable after years in which American
conservatives sought to shoehorn the problems of the Islamic world into
the
box of the Western enlightenment ("freedom" vs "tyranny"). Muslims who
abhorred the entente cordiale of evangelical Protestants and Jewish
conservatives, though, should be entitled to a bit of Schadenfreude.
Where
are the great intellectual lights among the Jews and Protestants? Apart
from complaints about the Prophet Mohammed's marriage to a
nine-year-old
and such like, the Evangelicals have trouble explaining why they
dislike
Islam...
-----
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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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Tue, 04 May 2004 16:46:24 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Nader Urges Action on Violation Against US Muslim
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/4/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: GOOD MANNERS
* REASON #12 TO JOIN CAIR - Education
- Public Library Sponsorships: 7440
* NADER URGES ACTION ON VIOLATIONS AGAINST US MUSLIM
- Former Diplomats Denounce Mideast Policy (Bloomberg)
- Kerry Stresses His Ties with Israel (JTA)
* PROBE OF GENERAL ANTI-ISLAM REMARKS DRAG ON (Reuters)
* MUSLIM GROUPS REPORTS INCREASE IN HARASSMENT (VOA)
- US Anti-Muslim Incidents Up 70 Pct in 2003 (Reuters)
- CA: Inland Muslims Encountering Little Trouble (PE)
- Anti-Muslim Bias Reported To Rise Sharply (NY Times)
- Anti-Muslim Sentiment Spreading (Boca Raton)
- Islamaphobia on the Rise (KTOK)
* LAWYERS FOR DETAINEES PUT TRIBUNALS ON TRIAL (NY Times)
* WEBSITE FOR DR. SAMI AL-ARIAN LAUNCHED (TBCJP)
* HAS ISLAM BECOME THE ISSUE? (Asia Times)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: GOOD MANNERS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "A believer may achieve
the
status of one who regularly fasts (for religious reasons) during the
day
and spends the night in prayer, through good manners."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Hadith 38
-----
REASON #12 TO JOIN CAIR - Education
CAIR enhances Americans' understanding of Islam and Muslims through our
projects as well as media and public outreach.
In our new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member at
a
Time," CAIR intends (God Willing) to sign up 25,000 new members by its
10th
year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
Students Click here!
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=33172&page=NB
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7440 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
-----
NADER URGES ACTION ON CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AGAINST MUSLIM AMERICANS
The Nader Campaign urges the Department of Justice to take action
regarding
civil rights violations against Muslim and Arab Americans
According to a report released on March 3 by the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, "The Status of Muslim Civil Rights in the
United States 2004," Muslims in the United States experienced more than
1,000 incidents of asserted harassment, violence and discriminatory
treatment in 2003, a jump of 70 percent over the previous year,
according
to a report released by a major Islamic advocacy group.
The report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations attributed the
increase to such factors as unrebutted, off-the-wall Muslim-bashing on
radio talk shows and tensions surrounding the war in Iraq. The group
said
it received 1,019 complaints from Muslims last year concerning
discriminatory or violent actions, up from 602 the year before. The
biggest
number of incidents had to do with employment and the refusal to
accommodate religious practices. But there were 93 reported hate crimes
(i.e., incidents of anti-Muslim violence), more than double the total
in
2002. And there were numerous cases in which Muslims alleged that laws
were
applied to them more harshly because of their ethnic or religious
identity.
The report also noted that the implementation of the USA PATRIOT Act
has
been associated with abuses. The report points to a number of
questionable
national security policies including:
- The rounding up of Muslim Americans and Arab Americans and residents
by
the government that blurred the clear distinction between immigration
cases
and terrorism investigations. CAIR cites a report by the Office of
Inspector General of the Justice Department which found that between
September 11, 2001 and August 2002 the government arrested 738 Muslims
and
Arabs whose entry visas had expired. In doing so they interfered with
their access to lawyers, blocked access by family members and even
denied
them the constitutional right of obtaining information on charges
against
them. The Justice Department's own Office of Inspector General also
reported that many were held in inhumane conditions including being
contained in jail cells for 23 hours a day, taunting of prisoners and
slamming prisoners against walls. Security tapes of the Bureau of
Prisons
show 308 incidents of physical abuse by staff of federal prisons. None
of
these hundreds of detainees were found to have links to terrorism.
- The singling out of Muslim visitors and immigrants by requiring them
to
report to government offices to be fingerprinted, photographed and
assigned
a registration number or be deported. Thirteen thousand of the people
who
complied were still subject to deportation for violation of minor
immigration regulations.
- The CAIR report points to widespread incidents of prosecutorial and
law
enforcement bias against Muslims. Violations of local ordinances for
minor
offenses like failure to cut lawn, or leaving garbage cans outside have
increased as have discretionary criminal prosecutions.
- Enforcement of the PATRIOT Act has also led to harassment by banks
and
financial institutions. People with Muslim or Arab names are being
arbitrarily requested to provide detailed documentation of their
identities
as well as financial and tax records.
The Ralph Nader Campaign urges:
- Passage of the End Racial Profiling Act, championed by Congressman
John
Conyers, Jr. in the House and Senator Russell Feingold in the Senate,
that
would dissuade law enforcement from engaging in profiling by requiring
collection of race data, and providing legal options to victims of
racial
profiling.
- The Department of Justice to implement regulatory and procedural
reforms
suggested by its own Office of Inspector General designed to restore
constitutional protections in government investigations and handling of
detainees.
- Congressional hearings on post 9-11 rules and procedures enacted by
the
Bush Administration in order to examine their impact on security and
civil
liberties.
- Oppose the extension of provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act that are
set to
expire in 2005.
- Reinstate the policy of the United States Federal Communications
Commission that became known as the "Fairness Doctrine" � an attempt to
ensure that coverage of controversial public issues by a broadcast
station
be balanced and fair. In the spring of 1987, both houses of Congress
voted
to put the Fairness Doctrine into law but President Ronald Reagan
vetoed
the legislation.
ALSO SEE:
FORMER U.S. DIPLOMATS DENOUNCE BUSH'S MIDEAST POLICY
Bloomberg, 5/4/04
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=aWcp2Lwuxyd4&refer=us
A group of former U.S. diplomats wrote a letter to President George W.
Bush
denouncing his policy for dealing with the conflict between Israelis
and
Palestinians, saying it is harming American credibility abroad.
The letter, posted on the American Educational Trust Web site with 16
signatures, applauds a similar letter former British diplomats sent to
Prime Minister Tony Blair last week criticizing his Middle East policy.
The
Web site solicits more support, and Reuters said more than 50
ex-diplomats
have now signed.
The former U.S. diplomats' concern focuses on Bush's support for
Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's unilateral plan to evacuate Jewish
settlements in the Gaza Strip while retaining major West Bank enclaves.
Bush and Sharon's talks on the plan last month excluded the
Palestinians.
Bush's stance ``reverses longstanding American policy,'' the group
said.
``By closing the door to negotiations with Palestinians and the
possibility
of a Palestinian state, you have proved that the United States is not
an
even-handed peace partner,'' the former diplomats, led by Andrew
Kilgore,
ambassador to Qatar from 1977 to 1980, said in the letter.
``You have placed U.S. diplomats, civilians and military doing their
jobs
overseas in an untenable and even dangerous position,'' the group said.
``Your unqualified support of Sharon's extra-judicial assassinations,
Israel's Berlin Wall-like barrier, its harsh military measures in
occupied
territories, and now your endorsement of Sharon's unilateral plan, are
costing our country its credibility, prestige and friends...''
---
KERRY STRESSES HIS TIES WITH ISRAEL
Ron Kampeas and Matthew E. Berger, JTA, 5/3/04
http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?strwebhead=Kerry+vies+for+Jewish+vote&intcategoryid=5
WASHINGTON - A Kerry administration would avoid the pressure other
presidents have used to nudge Israel in peace negotiations, and would
consult closely with the Jewish state before launching any new Mideast
peace initiative.
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the presumptive Democratic nominee for
president, outlined his approach to Middle East peacemaking in an
interview
with JTA on Monday, the same day he launched his campaign to win Jewish
votes with a major policy speech to the Anti-Defamation League.
Kerry has been working hard to mitigate the effect in the Jewish
community
of President Bush's extraordinary concessions to Israel last month,
when
the president recognized some Israeli claims to the West Bank and
rejected
any right of Palestinian refugees to return to Israel.
The Jewish vote could play a crucial role in 10 swing states in what is
likely to be a close election this fall, and Kerry is on a fund-raising
drive that needs a strong turnout among the Democrats' broad base of
Jewish
donors. His ADL speech sounded a range of notes aimed at pleasing
Jewish
ears - on civil rights, anti-Semitism and Israel.
"For the entire 20 years that I have been in the United States Senate,
I'm
proud that my commitment to a secure Jewish state has been unwavering;
not
even by one vote or one letter or one resolution has it wavered," Kerry
said to the applause of the ADL audience. "As president, I can
guarantee
you that that support and that effort for our ally, a vibrant
democracy,
will continue."
That's a guarantee that Bush - or for that matter, almost any of his
predecessors - easily could make. In his subsequent interview with JTA,
Kerry sought to elaborate on what would distinguish his presidency
vis-a-vis Israel...
-----
PROBE OF GENERAL ANTI-ISLAM REMARKS DRAG ON
Andrea Shalal-Esa, Reuters, 5/4/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=5035323
WASHINGTON - Arab- and Muslim-Americans are increasingly frustrated by
the
Pentagon's failure to discipline a top U.S. general who said Muslims do
not
worship "a real God," and say it raises questions about whether the
so-called war on terrorism is not a war on Islam.
Army Lt. Gen. William Boykin, head of military intelligence, touched
off a
brief firestorm last October after publicity about speeches he gave
while
in uniform that referred to the war on terrorism as a battle with
"Satan"
and said America had been targeted "because we're a Christian nation."
In one speech, Boykin, an evangelical Christian, belittled a Muslim
fighter
who said Allah had protected him from U.S. forces. "I knew ... that my
God
was bigger than his. I knew that my God was a real God, and his was an
idol," said Boykin, a much-decorated veteran of covert military
operations.
Since then, an internal investigation into the affair has worked its
way
slowly through the Pentagon bureaucracy. A spokeswoman said there was
no
deadline for its completion.
"I don't think the administration understands how much damage Boykin
has
done," said James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, an
advocacy group.
He cited a recent poll that showed Arab-Americans in four key U.S.
states
would choose Democrat John Kerry by a wide margin over Bush if the
election
were held now.
"They could stop the hemorrhaging at any time, but they allow this to
continue to occur so the wound continues to stay open," Zogby said.
"It's
just not taken seriously."
At the time, President Bush said Boykin "didn't reflect my opinion,"
but
the Pentagon
-----
US MUSLIM ADVOCACY GROUP REPORTS INCREASE IN HARASSMENT OF MUSLIMS IN
AMERICA
Laurie Kassman, Voice of America, 5/3/04
http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=E6F8423F-F791-40A3-B515A9E7EDDC02D8
A U.S. Muslim advocacy group, the Council on American-Islamic
Relations,
received more than 1,000 complaints of discrimination and harassment in
2003, more than double the number received the year before.
The author of the report, Mohamed Nimer, said the number of incidents
of
harassment that were reported in 2003 surpassed 1,000, up from 600 the
year
before. "The incidents range from violent attacks against people,
including
murders, physical assaults or vandalism of community organizations,
most
prominently mosques, to verbal harassment to employment discrimination
and
to mistreatment by government agencies, most importantly related to the
implementation of special registration requiring immigrants from Muslim
nations to be photographed and fingerprinted," he said.
Mr. Nimer said the Council on American-Islamic Relations has improved
its
ability to process complaints, which may also account for the increased
number of cases. Still, he says Muslims are disturbed to see the trend
increasing, not decreasing, over the past several years.
Reports of beatings and vandalism on Muslim-owned property doubled last
year. But, the study shows a decrease in complaints of harassment at
airport security checks.
The civil rights group has been tracking the status of Muslim civil
rights
in the United States since 1995. Mr. Nimer blames continuing fears
among
Americans since the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
He
said the war in Iraq and extremist violence in the Middle East also
have
fueled anti-Muslim sentiments. "The Iraq War has been cited in a number
of
incidents actually. And there was a lot of hate speech, especially on
radio, related to the Iraq War. And, events and incidents in this war
that
have been construed in the terms of U.S. versus Islam," he said.
The council is calling for Congress to examine how security policies
implemented after the 2001 terrorist attacks have affected civil
liberties
and what could be revised to better protect Muslim communities.
ALSO SEE:
US ANTI-MUSLIM INCIDENTS UP 70 PCT IN 2003 -REPORT
Deborah Zabarenko, Reuters, 5/3/04
WASHINGTON - Incidents of violence, discrimination and harassment
against
Muslims in the United States soared 70 percent in 2003 over the
previous
year, an Islamic civil rights group reported on Monday.
The war in Iraq and the lingering atmosphere of fear from the Sept. 11,
2001, attacks contributed to the sharp rise in anti-Muslim activity,
according to a report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Other factors included an increase in anti-Muslim rhetoric by some in
government and the media, implementation of the USA Patriot Act --
which
has been criticized as infringing on the constitutional right to
privacy --
and increased reporting and documentation by members of the Muslim
community, the report said.
"The disturbing jump in reports of anti-Muslim incidents is a wake-up
call
to those commentators who use their public positions to spread
anti-Muslim
hate," said the report's author, Mohamed Nimer.
There were 1,019 reports of anti-Islamic acts in the United States in
2003,
up from 602 in 2002 and more than 10 times the number of reports
received
the first year the council kept count, in 1995.
The incidents ranged from business and housing discrimination to
violent
threats and the discriminatory application of law to Internet
harassment
and hate crimes.
Hate crimes increased by 121 percent over 2002 to 93 incidents from 42.
They ranged from vandalism against Muslim-owned property to beatings
and at
least four killings...
---
CA: INLAND MUSLIMS ENCOUNTERING LITTLE TROUBLE
Bettye Wells Miller, Press-Enterprise, 5/4/04
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_muslim04.58113.html
Reports of discrimination and hate incidents against Muslims in
California
more than tripled last year, according to a report released Monday by
the
Council on American-Islamic Relations.
So far, the Inland area appears to have escaped the level of threats
and
violence reported elsewhere, however, local Muslims said.
"People are more understanding," said Mahmoud Harmoush, director of the
Temecula Islamic Center. "We hope they are better-educated and
-informed."
But women who wear the hijab, or head scarf, appear to be vulnerable to
taunts and criticism in public places and in their jobs.
"I'm afraid to put on the hijab because I'm afraid somebody is going to
hurt me," S. Bushra Khan, 46, of Temecula, said by phone. "I have had
people shout at me across the street. It made me very uncomfortable. "
There were 221 complaints of discrimination or hate incidents in
California
last year, Ra'id Faraj, spokesman for the council's Southern California
chapter, said by phone. There were 66 in 2002, he said. Nationally,
there
were 1,019 incidents, a 70 percent increase, the group said...
---
ANTI-MUSLIM BIAS REPORTED TO RISE SHARPLY
New York Times, 5/4/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/04/nyregion/04mbrf.html
New York State had the second-highest number of complaints in the
nation of
anti-Muslim bias incidents last year, a civil liberties group said
yesterday. The group, the New York chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, said there were more than 200 reports of
bias
acts against Muslims, Arabs or South Asians in New York State in 2003,
about four times the number, 48, reported the year before. California
had
221 incidents reported in 2003. The national organization said claims
of
physical and verbal attacks on Muslims, and other bias incidents, rose
70
percent to 1,019 from 602 in 2002
---
ANTI-MUSLIM SENTIMENT SPREADING
Ashley Harrell, Boca Raton, 5/4/04
http://www.bocaratonnews.com/index.php?src=news&category=LOCAL%20NEWS&prid=8210
It was Asmaa Metwally's first day of college at Florida Atlantic
University.
Like many other new students, she did not know her way around campus.
Metwally approached a woman to ask directions, but was answered with
silence. The woman was staring at her headscarf.
Metwally asked again, and remembers the woman hurrying away in the
opposite
direction.
"I saw fear in her eyes," she said.
A senior and the secretary of the Muslim Student Organization (MSO),
Metwally said she has felt the cold stares of classmates who mistakenly
assume that she is part of some terrorist organization.
When the officers of the MSO put signs up for events, they're almost
always
taken down by the end of the day, Metwally said.
"People generalize and stereotype," she said. "It's definitely a
disappointment."
There were 1019 "disappointing" incidents involving anti-Muslim
violence,
discrimination and harassment in 2003, the highest number of Muslim
civil
rights cases ever recorded in a single year, the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) reported Monday.
The report indicates that anti-Muslim incidents in the United States
increased by almost 70 percent in 2003. Hate crimes alone jumped by an
unprecedented 121 percent, according to the report.
And in 2004 the CAIR has seen an even greater increase, according to
communications director for the South Florida chapter, Ahmed Bedier...
---
ISLAMAPHOBIA ON THE RISE
KTOK, 5/4/04
http://www.ktok.com/cc-common/feeds/view.php?feed_id=135&feed=/local.html&instance=1&article_id=2710
A new report shows nearly a doubling in the number of complaints
involving
Muslim harassment.
The report comes from the Council on Islamic-American Relations shows
last
year there were nearly 1,000 complaints of Muslim harassment in the
U.S. The number is a sharp increase from the 600 the year before.
Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City President Imad Enchasse says
Oklahoma City's not having as many complaints. But he says the
problems
are all around us. Enchasse says he was in Denton, Texas last week
when
someone opened fire on the mosque. He also cites incidents in Lubbock,
El
Paso, Houston and Kansas City.
However, Enchasse says the report is alarming, because the harassment
to
some degree is a reflection of right-wing talk radio and other members
of
the conservative clergy, who are spreading misinformation about Islam.
The report cites an increase in reporting, misinterpretation of the
Patriot
Act, and post-9-11 fears.
-----
MILITARY'S LAWYERS FOR DETAINEES PUT TRIBUNALS ON TRIAL
Neil A. Lewis, New York Times, 5/3/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/04/politics/04GITM.html
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration's plan to use military tribunals
to
try some of the detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which has faced
considerable skepticism, has been receiving some of its sharpest
attacks
from the military defense lawyers who are participating in the process.
Senior government planners once expected that the first of the
prisoners to
go before a tribunal would plead guilty as part of an agreement to
reduce
their jail time. But the five military lawyers assigned to defend the
first
group of prisoners have radically altered that hope, the officials now
acknowledge.
The uniformed lawyers have been especially forceful, not only in
asserting
their clients' innocence but also in denouncing the tribunal system as
inherently unfair and rigged.
The Pentagon wants the military commissions, the first for the United
States since World War II, to be seen as fair at home and abroad. But
the
military lawyers, in playing the kind of attack-the-system role that
William Kunstler was known for, have become widely quoted around the
world
and acclaimed by some as heroes after appearances in London and
Australia
in which they denounced the tribunals.
Nonetheless, senior military officials said that while they disagreed
with
the view that the tribunal system is unfair, they had no problem with
the
defense lawyers' making harshly critical comments...
-----
WEBSITE FOR DR. SAMI AL-ARIAN LAUNCHED
Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace, 5/3/2004
A new website about the case of Dr. Sami Al-Arian, a Palestinian
political
prisoner in Florida has been launched. It can be accessed at:
www.freesamialarian.com
The website, an educational resource for those who would like more
information about the case, features updated press releases and news
coverage, Dr. Al-Arian's biography, a section describing the Al-Arian
case,
and suggestions on how to help.
Dr. Al-Arian, who has been denied the right to a speedy trial and who
has
already spent 438 days in prison under extremely harsh and punitive
conditions, needs your help now more than ever. The case is progressing
well, and as more and more "evidence" is examined, we are confident
that
justice will prevail and Dr. Al-Arian's innocence will be proven.
However,
in order to ensure that he will receive a fair trial, we need your
generous
contributions to compensate for rising legal bills.
Supporters can donate securely online (at www.freesamialarian.com's
"How to
Help" page) to the National Liberty Fund, a national organization that
coordinates community efforts to defend the civil and political rights
of
American Muslims. The NLF is focusing its initial attention on Dr.
Al-Arian's case. Or, checks can be sent to: National Liberty Fund, P.O.
Box
3568, Washington, D.C. 20007.
-----
HAS ISLAM BECOME THE ISSUE?
Oswald Spengler, Asia Times, 5/3/04
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/FE04Aa01.html
Nothing shows up the shallowness of the American neo-conservatives
better
than the choice of a French Catholic, Professor Alain Besancon, to fire
a
first salvo against Islam in the May issue of their flagship journal,
Commentary. His essay, "What Kind of Religion is Islam", re-states the
millennium-old Christian case against Muslim theology, while barely
hinting
at why theology has any bearing on the civilizational conflict now
under
way. Nonetheless, a Rubicon has been crossed, for Islam itself has
become
the issue, rather than terrorism, dictatorship, slavery in the Sudan or
mistreatment of women.
Until now the conservative establishment carefully toed the White House
line, namely that "this is a war against terrorism, not against Islam".
As
Washington's visions for Iraq's future vanish like a desert mirage, the
basic premises of its policy may be re-thought. In that respect, the
fact
that Besancon has surfaced among the neo-conservatives is news indeed,
although both the regular media and the weblogs have failed to take
note of it.
Something like this was inevitable after years in which American
conservatives sought to shoehorn the problems of the Islamic world into
the
box of the Western enlightenment ("freedom" vs "tyranny"). Muslims who
abhorred the entente cordiale of evangelical Protestants and Jewish
conservatives, though, should be entitled to a bit of Schadenfreude.
Where
are the great intellectual lights among the Jews and Protestants? Apart
from complaints about the Prophet Mohammed's marriage to a
nine-year-old
and such like, the Evangelicals have trouble explaining why they
dislike
Islam...
-----
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Wed, 05 May 2004 16:28:45 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: OH Schools Draft Prayer Policy/Con Man Hits Miss.
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/5/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: AVOID ABUSE
* REASON #13 TO JOIN CAIR - Lobbying
- Library Project Sponsorships: 7440
* INCITEMENT WATCH: 'EMBARRASS A FEW MUSLIMS'
* CAIR-DC: VA RESIDENTS URGED TO OPPOSE PATRIOT ACT
* CAIR-MD HOLDS RECEPTION FOR REGIONAL OFFICIALS
* CAIR-OH: SCHOOLS DRAFT PRAYER POLICY (Columbus Disp)
- MI: Tensions Over Muslims' Call to Prayer (NY Times)
- FL: Spreading Tolerance in Schools (SP Times)
* CON ARTIST TARGETS MUSLIMS IN MISSISSIPPI
* DOES TALK HOST EVEN CARE WHAT'S TRUE? (Boston Globe)
- Background on the Jay Severin Controversy
* BUSH PROMISES JUSTICE AFTER IRAQ ABUSE (Reuters)
* CONGRESS ASKED TO PROBE ABU GHRAIB (UPI)
- Canadian Tells of Torture in IRAQ (AP)
- Iraqi Cameraman Recounts Ordeal (Drudge Report)
- Prisoner Abuse: One Iraqi's Story (MSNBC)
- No Plan to Hurt 9/11 Detainees (NY Times)
- Troops 'Have Been Abusing Iraqis for a Year' (SMH)
- Visiting a Changed Fallujah (SF Chronicle)
* VIOLENCE, BIAS AGAINST MUSLIMS UP NEARLY 70% (Balt Sun)
- Group Cites Rising Violence (Seattle Times)
* REF STEPS ASIDE AFTER ASKING PLAYER TO REMOVE HIJAB (AP)
* NIGERIAN MUSLIMS SAY 300 KILLED IN 'GENOCIDE'(Reuters)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: AVOID ABUSE
A person once asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to offer
some
advice. The Prophet said: "Do not abuse anyone...And if someone abuses
and
shames you for something that he finds in you, then do not shame him
for
something that you find in him."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 1889
-----
REASON #13 TO JOIN CAIR - Lobbying
CAIR regularly meets with elected officials to ensure your concerns are
represented and communicated properly.
In our new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member at
a
Time," CAIR intends (God Willing) to sign up 25,000 new members by its
10th
year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
Students Click here!
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=33172&page=NB
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7440 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: 'EMBARRASS A FEW MUSLIMS'
Muslims' indignities far more egregious
Fred Budin, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/4/04
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/0504/05letters.html
I am sick of all the concern and worry about what the Arab Muslim world
will think about what a handful of U.S. soldiers did. What was so bad,
anyway?
They embarrassed some Muslim Arabs. Who cares? They are the same people
who
place bombs in schoolhouses, who danced in the streets on Sept. 11, who
want all Christians and Jews dead. Their humiliation pales next to what
they have been doing to non-Muslims for 50 years. Muslim clerics have
called for our destruction in front of cheering throngs.
What those soldiers did may be wrong; I would not do what they did. But
this is a war we must win, and if we have to embarrass a few Muslims to
save American lives, it's a good trade-off.
SEND POLITE COMMENTS TO:
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/letters/sendletter.html
COPY TO: cair@cair-net.org
-----
VA RESIDENTS URGED TO OPPOSE PATRIOT ACT
CAIR is urging Muslims and other people of conscience in Fairfax County
Virginia to support a resolution in opposition to the USA PATRIOT Act.
Fairfax County Supervisors will be making a decision on this issue
soon. GO
TO the Fairfax County Bill of Rights Coalition website
http://home.comcast.net/~fairfaxfree and select "Write Your
Supervisor."
Please make sure you type in your full name and address so the
supervisor
knows that you are a constituent. If you do not know who your
supervisor
is, click on the State Board of Elections link, type in your address
and
find the corresponding precinct code listed on the FCBORC web site.
For more information, contact hmansori@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR-MD HOLDS RECEPTION FOR REGIONAL OFFICIALS
(BETHESDA, MD, 5/5/04) - The Maryland office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MD) recently held a reception for
regional
law enforcement authorities and elected officials designed to encourage
cooperation and build bridges of understanding with the Muslim
community.
More than 70 sheriffs, police chiefs, delegates, and other officials
attended the April 23rd event in Bethesda, Md.
"We thank all those officials and members of the Maryland and Virginia
Muslim communities who helped make the reception a success," said
CAIR-MD
Executive Director Seyed Rizwan Mowlana. "It is through such efforts
that
Muslims can make their voices heard and hear from those who have an
important role in making our area a wonderful place to live."
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: CONTACT: CAIR-MD, Rizwan Mowlana at 301-986-1900,
301-672-9355;
Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org
-----
SCHOOLS DRAFT RELIGION POLICY
Jennifer Smith Richards, Columbus Dispatch, 5/4/04
http://www.dispatch.com/
A new religion policy for Columbus Public Schools might clear up
confusion
that's prevented some students from praying on campuses.
The policy, still in draft stages, makes clear that school staff
members
can't lead or encourage prayer, but students may pray when not in
class. It
also sets guidelines for religious clubs, prohibits students from being
penalized for missing school on religious holidays, and reinforces the
need
to accommodate students whose religion prohibits certain foods.
"While prayer in classes may not be approved, a specific area within
the
school building may be designated for student prayer when not in use,"
the
draft reads. "Any student requests for devotional areas outside of the
school day may be honored by the building administration."
The school board's legal, policy and personnel committee has reviewed
the
new measure and sent it to local clergy and community members for
comment.
Only the Catholic Diocese of Columbus has responded.
"The policy does a good job of balancing the religious values of
parents
and students with the responsibilities of the Columbus Public Schools,"
said Lucia McQuaide, schools superintendent for the diocese, in a
statement.
Jad Humeidan, executive director of the Ohio chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, said his group plans to spend several days
taking a critical look at the language.
The need for such a policy is great, Humeidan said, adding that it's
something his group has advocated for some time.
"Some schools are allowing students to pray during breaks, during
lunch,
and before and after school. Some schools are refusing to allow any
sort of
prayer," he said. "It's creating a lot of tension and a lot of problems
for
students."
Those problems are especially evident during Ramadan, the Islamic holy
month of reflection, fasting and diligent prayer, Humeidan said. This
year
Ramadan falls in October...
ALSO SEE:
TENSION IN A MICHIGAN CITY OVER MUSLIMS' CALL TO PRAYER
John Leland, New York Times, 5/5/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/05/national/05PRAY.html
HAMTRAMCK, Mich. - To hear people in this blue-collar city tell it,
things
were fine until the al-Islah Islamic Center petitioned to broadcast its
call to prayer, or azan, over an outdoor loudspeaker.
Masud Khan, the mosque's secretary, sat on the carpeted floor on
Wednesday
and reflected on what he had learned about some of his neighbors in the
last few months. "How much they hate us," he said softly.
Jackie Rutherford, a librarian and youth-care worker, sat on her front
stoop watching three men in Islamic shirt-dresses and tupi caps at the
house across the street. "I don't know what's going to happen to our
little
town," said Ms. Rutherford, 39.
"I used to say I wasn't prejudiced against anyone, but then I realized
I
had a problem with them putting Allah above everyone else," she said,
of
the plan to amplify the call to prayer, which mosques announce five
times a
day. "It's throwing salt in a wound. I feel they've come to our
country,
infiltrated it, and they sit there looking at us, laughing, calling us
fools."
For the population of Hamtramck, a city of 23,000 surrounded by
Detroit,
the battle of the loudspeaker, which the City Council approved on
Tuesday,
has revealed a crossfire of religious, ethnic and lifestyle grievances,
aggravated by the lingering memories of Sept. 11, 2001, which left many
Muslims here feeling they were under suspicion.
Once an enclave of Polish immigrants, Hamtramck has since the 1990's
become
a haven for immigrants from Bangladesh, Yemen, Pakistan, Bosnia and
other
countries, including a large Muslim population. In the 2000 census, 41
percent of the city's population was born outside the United States.
On spring afternoons the sidewalks of Joseph Campau Avenue echo
snatches of
Polish, Bengali, Arabic and hip hop, punctuated by the sound of bells
from
several Catholic churches. Three mosques have opened in the last few
years,
increasing in size while the congregations at neighboring Roman
Catholic
churches dwindle.
Yet for all this churn, the ethnic populations coexisted with little
overt
friction...
Abdul Latef, the imam at Masjid Al-Falah, a mosque in Detroit, asked
the
community to be patient.
"You can make history," Mr. Al-Falah said. "This is part of our
religion.
If it is too noisy, then you can complain, and they will stop it
forever."
Council members emphasized that there was nothing technically
preventing
the mosque from amplifying its call to prayer, even without amending
the
city's noise ordinance, and compared the amplification to the chiming
of
church bells. The amendment just gave government officials leverage to
limit the volume and hours of the broadcasts, said Councilman Scott
Klein...
---
SPREADING MESSAGE OF TOLERANCE IN THE SCHOOLS
Ernest Hooper, St. Petersburg Times, 5/5/04
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/05/Columns/Spreading_message_of_.shtml
Wake Up Whitie.
If the title on the flier didn't grab the attention of students, the
assorted messages of hate beneath it certainly did. Those who found the
bright red bulletin espousing bigotry toward minorities had mixed
reactions. Some were amused and coupled the disparaging remarks about
Muslims with their own offensive statements.
Others were outraged, angry and even fearful. Two students vowed
revenge
against whoever was spreading the hate. A teacher, however, dismissed
the
flier and told the students the issue would blow over.
Instead, it blew up.
One student took the message to heart, smashing the windshield of a
Muslim
student's car. Suddenly, intolerance was escalating.
IT'S A FICTIONAL ACCOUNT, but one that could happen on any campus. The
story is part of a new CD-ROM that will soon be distributed to high
schools
and middle schools to promote discussion of intolerance. About Face:
Turning Away From Hate is a collaborative effort between the office of
Paul
Perez, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, the FDLE, the
FBI,
the Hate Crimes Working Group and the Florida Regional Community
Policing
Institute at St. Petersburg College.
The fact that a lot of folks are sharing credit for this innovation
just
means it's going to be easier for them to share the kudos. It's that
good...
-----
CON ARTIST TARGETS MUSLIMS IN MISSISSIPPI
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
is
warning Muslims in Mississippi about a con artist who seeks money by
impersonating well-known personalities in the Muslim world. (Muslims in
a
number of other states have also been targeted recently.)
The con artist calls Muslim individuals and groups pretending to be
with a
respected Islamic institution. He claims that he and others are coming
to
visit the United States. Later, he calls back, claiming to have lost
his
money, tickets or passport and asks for emergency cash to be wired to
him
at Western Union or a similar facility.
A person using this same con game was arrested in Canada two years ago
(see
alert below), but was later released. NOTE: The impostor may use many
variations of this scam.
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS REQUESTED:
1. Please ANNOUNCE AT JUMA'A and other functions - several hundred
Muslims
have been targeted in the past.
2. DO NOT wire money to anyone claiming to be stranded in an airport.
3. REPORT requests for money to CAIR, the local office of the FBI (ask
for
a fraud investigator) and to local police. Obtain a copy of the
complaint.
4. If you have already been a victim, send copies of wire transfer
documents to CAIR so that a case can be built against this man. (FAX:
202-488-0833)
FOR BACKGROUND, SEE THE FOLLOWING 2002 ARTICLE AND CAIR ALERT:
CON-ARTIST WHO DEFRAUDED MUSLIMS CAUGHT
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=125&page=AA
-----
DOES TALK HOST SEVERIN EVEN CARE WHAT'S TRUE?
Scot Lehigh, Boston Globe, 5/5/04
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/05/05/does_talk_host_severin_even_care_whats_true/
How can it be, they demand, that in my Friday column I said I
occasionally
listen to "Extreme Games" on WTKK when on Thursday's show, host Jay
Severin
said I had admitted to him that I don't listen to his program?
The answer is, it cannot be. Which is why Jay owes me a correction.
At the beginning of our conversation on Thursday, I told Jay I was an
occasional listener to his show. (On those nights when I leave work
before
7, I often tune in on my way home.) Jay thanked me, clearly
acknowledging
my comment.
So why just a couple of hours later would Jay go on the air and claim
that
I said I don't listen to his show? (Although I considered our
conversation
civil, Jay also told his listeners it was one of the rudest encounters
he
had ever experienced; that, however, I'm willing to chalk up to
sensibilities rendered overly delicate by the courtly Victorian manners
of
talk radio.)
Well, there are two primary possibilities. One is that Jay doesn't
understand what words mean. Indeed, one could argue that that's exactly
what has landed him in the current brouhaha about seemingly advocating
the
killing of Muslims living in the United States.
Or it could be that Jay simply has no regard for the truth. Now, I know
that possibility will prove hard for some of his listeners to
contemplate.
Judging from my Friday e-mail, a certain percentage consider Jay an
intellectual mentor who has taught them to think. And if the word
"think"
has come to encompass, among its various meanings, "to fling
semiliterate
insults," then Jay can rightly claim to have done that.
Yet Jay isn't fooling all his listeners. A significant number who
e-mailed
me sensed that he was skittering about like a waterbug in a windstorm
as he
tried to dodge the real issue. Jay was at it again on Monday. A caller
said
my Friday column critical of Jay "was really 100 percent right on." Jay
retorted that "the Globe has twice printed that I didn't say what I was
accused of saying," and quickly moved to the next caller.
What Jay ignored in his reply is what he actually did say about Muslims
back on April 22. To recap: A caller had recommended that we befriend
Muslims living in the United States. Jay said that, as far as he was
concerned, "the vast majority" of those Muslims are not loyal to the
United
States and are ready, when the time comes, to take over this country.
Jay asked several times: "Do you think we should befriend them?" The
caller
said yes. Jay then said that he had an alternative viewpoint: "You
think we
should befriend them. I think we should kill them..."
SEE ALSO:
SEVERIN FAILS TO OWN UP TO HIS WORDS
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/04/30/severin_fails_to_own_up_to_his_words/
CAIR RENEWS CALL FOR RADIO HOST'S FIRING
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=167&page=AA
RADIO HOST SAYS REMARKS MISCONSTRUED
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/04/27/radio_host_says_remarks_misconstrued/
-----
BUSH PROMISES JUSTICE AFTER IRAQ ABUSE
Steve Holland and Alastair Macdonald, Reuters, 5/5/04
WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD, May 5 (Reuters) - President George W. Bush sought
to
repair America's image among Iraqis on Wednesday by making a personal
pledge on Arab television that soldiers who murdered and abused Iraqi
prisoners would be punished.
"In a democracy everything is not perfect. Mistakes are made. But in a
democracy as well those mistakes will be investigated and people will
be
brought to justice," he told the U.S.-funded Alhurra channel.
He also spoke to Dubai-based Al-Arabiya and called the abuse
"abhorrent."
"It's a matter that reflects badly on my country. Our citizens in
America
are appalled by what they saw, just like people in the Middle East are
appalled," he said.
A week after pictures were published of grinning soldiers abusing naked
Iraqis at a prison once used by Saddam Hussein's torturers, the U.S.
army
revealed that 25 prisoners have died in Iraq and Afghanistan in U.S.
custody, including two Iraqi prisoners murdered by Americans and one
ruled
a justifiable homicide.
Twelve of the prisoners were found to have died by natural or
undetermined
causes and 10 are still being investigated. The CIA also said on
Wednesday
it was investigating the deaths of three prisoners who were
interrogated by
agency personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan but it did not say if these
three
deaths were among the 25 already revealed by the Army.
Two top Bush allies on Capitol Hill, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist,
a
Tennessee Republican, and Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John
Warner of Virginia, said they were appalled by the prisoner abuse.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who knew about abuse allegations in
January, was asked to testify at a Senate Armed Services Committee
hearing
tentatively set for Thursday…
-----
CONGRESS ASKED TO PROBE ABU GHRAIB
United Press International, 5/4/04
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040504-065858-5289r.htm
Washington, DC - A U.S. Islamic civil rights group called Tuesday for a
congressional investigation into allegations of abuses against Iraqis
held
in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations says the alleged abuses, and
the
relative leniency shown to the handful of soldiers involved,
"demonstrate
that military authorities are incapable of dealing with an issue that
may
have already caused irreparable harm to America's image in the Muslim
world.
"Instead of getting a slap on the wrist, everyone who took part in or
permitted these horrific acts needs to serve time in prison," CAIR's
Nihad
Awad said.
CAIR is calling on the U.S. Congress to investigate whether prisoners
were
tortured by American military personnel in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison
and
is also urging teams of international inspectors be permitted to
examine
conditions in other U.S. detention facilities in Iraq, Afghanistan and
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
ALSO SEE:
CANADIAN TELLS OF TORTURE IN IRAQ BY U.S. SOLDIERS
Associated Press, 5/4/04
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040504.wabusemain0504/BNStory/Front/
Portland, Ore. - A Canadian civilian says in a lawsuit that he was
tortured
by U.S. troops in Iraq and saw Iraqi prisoners suffer even worse
mistreatment - the latest allegations of human rights abuses to surface
against coalition soldiers.
Hossam Shaltout, 57, claims in a suit filed with the U.S. Army Claims
Office on April 30 that he was beaten after being taken to the Camp
Bucca
detention centre shortly after the launch of the U.S.-led invasion.
"I saw Iraqis tortured more than I was. They did unspeakable things to
Iraqis," Mr. Shaltout said Monday in a telephone interview with The
Associated Press from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The allegations coincide with a larger scandal involving alleged
mistreatment of prisoners in Iraq. Photos made public last week showed
U.S.
soldiers humiliating Iraqis at the U.S. Army-run Abu Ghraib prison near
Baghdad.
Repeated calls to Army public affairs officials seeking comment were
not
immediately returned Monday. U.S. President George W. Bush has asked
military officials to investigate any alleged prisoner abuse, and to
punish
those soldiers responsible.
In his complaint, Mr. Shaltout, a Los Angeles resident, claims one of
his
tormenters is among a group of reservists who have already been
discharged
after being accused of abusing prisoners at Camp Bucca.
According to the complaint, Mr. Shaltout had gone to Iraq before the
war on
behalf of a group called Rights and Freedom International, hoping to
persuade Iraqi leaders to step down...
---
IRAQI CAMERAMAN RECOUNTS ORDEAL IN US DETENTION
Drudge Report, 5/4/04
http://www.drudgereport.com/flash2.htm
The US interrogater yanked the 24-year-old Iraqi male's hair and peeled
back his eyelids.
"'Do not ever imagine you will manage to get out of this. Forget about
your
Jazeera; forget about your future; the only future you will enjoy is in
Guantanamo,'" the American shouted, according to Al-Jazeera television
cameraman Suhaib Badraddin Baz who spent two-months in US custody.
Baz's story is just one of many told by Iraqis about beatings at the
hands
of US prison guards, allegations which sparked international outrage
last
week when images of abuse were published in the US media.
The coalition has vowed to bring all offenders to justice and has
already
suspended 17 US military personnel from their duties.
But Baz, who was detained twice last year by US forces, said he no
longer
believed in America's commitment to human rights or freedom.
"It was night, 10:00 pm (1800 GMT). The American officer came and said
to
me 'Maybe there are some guys who respect the media, I respect no
one',"
Baz recalled of his first night in US custody after his second arrest.
"It was only after three hours I spent standing hooded that I was
admitted
to a room and they started interrogating me."
He said the interrogator accused him of collaborating with insurgents
fighting US forces and demanded to know why Al-Jazeera, an Arab station
which is heavily criticized by US officials, appeared to know about
attacks
before they occurred...
---
PRISONER ABUSE: ONE IRAQI'S STORY
Richard Engel, MSNBC, 5/4/04
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4900337/
Heidar Abed, one of the men photographed at Abu Ghraib prison, the
continuing shame is worse than the beating and humiliation he suffered.
Abed is mentioned in the United States' military's internal
investigation
report. He's described as a credible witness. He's also a devout
Muslim.
"They told us to take off our clothing," he said. "And we refused,
saying
it's against Islam. Then they started punching us."
It wasn't altogether new. He'd already been tortured under then-Iraqi
President Saddam Hussein, in 1997. For three months he was whipped and
hung
from a ceiling fan - arrested after his cousin was linked to the
assassination attempt of Saddam's son, Uday.
"But this time what happened wasn't torture. It was pornography -
totally
rejected by Islam," said Abed. "A disgrace. It's better to die."
It is worse, Abed says, because he shouldn't have been in jail. He was
stopped in July at a U.S. checkpoint - a passenger in a taxi that
turned
out to be a stolen car.
He and the driver were both arrested and taken to Abu Ghraib prison,
where
he was not mistreated or interrogated - apparently forgotten about.
"Until
that moment the Americans' behavior was good," according to Abed...
---
IRAQI RECOUNTS HOURS OF ABUSE BY U.S. TROOPS
Ian Fisher, New York Times, 5/4/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/05/international/middleeast/05INMA.html
BAGHDAD, Iraq- The shame is so deep that Hayder Sabbar Abd says he
feels
that he cannot move back to his old neighborhood. He would prefer not
even
to stay in Iraq. But now the entire world has seen the pictures, which
Mr.
Abd looked at yet again on Tuesday, pointing out the key figures,
starting
with three American soldiers wearing big smiles for the camera.
"That is Joiner," he said, pointing to one male soldier in glasses, a
black
hat and blue rubber gloves. His arms were crossed over a stack of naked
and
hooded Iraqi prisoners.
"That is Miss Maya," he said, pointing to a young woman's fresh face
poking
up over the same pile.
He gazed down at another picture. In it, a second female soldier
flashed a
"thumbs up" and pointed with her other hand at the genitals of a man
wearing nothing but a black hood, his fingers laced on top of his head.
He
did not know her name. But the small scars on the torso left little
doubt
about the identity of the naked prisoner.
"That is me," he said, and he tapped his own hooded, slightly hunched
image...
---
TROOPS 'HAVE BEEN ABUSING IRAQIS FOR A YEAR'
Marian Wilkinson, Sydney Morning Herald, 5/5/04
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/04/1083635134533.html
At least four Iraqi detainees have died in British custody in the past
year, one as a result of torture, says the human rights group Amnesty
International, while the CIA admits it is investigating the death of a
prisoner under interrogation.
As the scandal over the abuses at Abu Ghraib jail, near Baghdad,
widened,
President George Bush pointedly called his Secretary of Defence, Donald
Rumsfeld, to ensure that "those responsible for these shameful,
appalling
acts" are held "fully accountable".
In Australia, the Federal Opposition condemned the Government for an
"immoral disinterest" in the treatment of Iraqi prisoners and warned it
had
a legal responsibility to them.
A CIA officer told the Herald that "one prisoner . . . who we were
talking
to did die". And the former US officer responsible for the jail,
Brigadier-General Janis Karpinski, reiterated that the cell blocks
where
the abuses took place were under the control of military intelligence
when
the prisoners were subjected to beating, rape, sexually humiliation and
torture...
Six military police officers photographed abusing prisoners are facing
criminal action.
General Karpinski has been accused of failing to prevent the MPs from
abusing prisoners, but told the US ABC network they were given separate
instructions by US intelligence officers "on what they needed to do"...
---
VISITING A CHANGED FALLUJAH
Colin Freeman, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/4/04
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/05/04/MNGN06FAMR1.DTL
Fallujah, Iraq -- The Fallujah Sports Club was once one of the few
places
where locals could forget about taking on the U.S. military and
concentrate
on more innocent contests.
Now, after nearly a month of intense fighting, the club's dusty
basketball
court has become the starkest testimony to the ferocity of the city's
opposition. Stretching from one broken basketball hoop to the other are
neat rows of shallow graves, which hold hundreds of residents killed in
the
street battles that have raged outside.
The headstones identify "martyrs" of two types -- resistance fighters
and
civilians picked off by U.S. snipers as they fled the city. One grave,
however, is not awarded that designation.
"That is the grave of Ghazi al Turkiye, a spy who gave information to
the
coalition forces," snarled one man. "Some muqawama (resistance
fighters)
arrested him and killed him a few days ago.
"Put your nose close to his grave, then go to one of the others. You
see
how it is the only one that smells bad? That is because he was a
traitor."
Many locals took the smell test Monday, and most went away nodding in
grim
conviction. It probably had more to do with the hastily dug nature of
al
Turkiye's final resting place than anything else, but one thing did
seem
certain: if some Fallujans opposed the insurgency in the past, it
seemed
now that hardly any did...
---
WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER SECRET U.S. PRISONS?
Reed Brody, International Herald Tribune, 5/3/04
http://www.iht.com/articles/518058.html
NEW YORK - We must all, like President George W. Bush, share a "deep
disgust" at the pictures of U.S. military personnel subjecting Iraqi
detainees to humiliating treatment. The problem, however, is that this
does
not appear to be an isolated incident.
Across the world, the United States is holding detainees in offshore
and
foreign prisons where allegations of mistreatment cannot be monitored.
It
has also been accused of sending terror suspects to countries where
information has been beaten out of them.
The classic case, of course, has been Guant�namo, Cuba, which the Bush
administration deliberately chose as a detention facility for more than
700
detainees from 44 countries in an attempt to put them beyond the reach
of
the U.S. courts - and of any courts, for that matter. The U.S.
government
has argued that U.S. courts would not have jurisdiction over these
detainees even if it they were being tortured or summarily executed.
But Guant�namo may not be the worst problem; indeed, it may even be a
diversion from more extreme situations. Perhaps out of concern that
Guant�namo will eventually be monitored by the U.S. courts, the Bush
administration does not hold its most sensitive and high-profile
detainees
there. Terrorism suspects like Ramzi bin al-Shibh and Khalid Shaikh
Mohammed are detained instead in undisclosed locations outside the
United
States, with no access to Red Cross or other visits.
In Iraq, we now have pictures of American soldiers degrading captives.
The
brazenness with which the soldiers conducted themselves, snapping
photographs and flashing the "thumbs-up" sign as they abused prisoners,
suggests they felt they had nothing to hide from their superiors.
Indeed,
there are now reports that their higher-ups in military intelligence
urged
such behavior to create better conditions for interrogation...
-----
VIOLENCE, BIAS AGAINST MUSLIMS UP NEARLY 70%
Frank Langfitt, Baltimore Sun, 5/4/04
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.nat04may04,0,7312606.story
Two teen-agers set a small cross on fire last July on the lawn of an
Islamic school and mosque in College Park. That act was among more than
a
thousand reported incidents of harassment, violence and discrimination
against Muslims nationwide in the past year - an increase of nearly 70
percent over 2002, according to the nation's largest Muslim civil
rights group.
In a report released yesterday, the Council on American-Islamic
Relations
(CAIR) said that reported hate crimes against Muslims in the United
States
more than doubled in the past year from 42 to 93. At the same time,
overall
complaints of harassment, violence and discrimination, including hate
crimes, leapt from 602 to 1019, CAIR said.
Maryland accounted for 40 of the 1019 cases.
The report attributed the overall increase in incidents to a lingering
atmosphere of fear from the 9/11 attacks, hostility driven by Iraq war
rhetoric, what CAIR called abuse of the USA Patriot Act and an increase
in
CAIR offices nationwide.
"It shows that there is a growing problem here and that it's getting
worse
and worse," said Mohamed Nimer, CAIR's director of research and the
author
of the report, "Unpatriotic Acts."
"It boils down to a logic of prejudice that is holding Muslims -
because of
real or perceived religious and ethnic background - responsible for
whatever other Muslims do," he said...
ALSO SEE:
GROUP CITES RISING VIOLENCE, HARASSMENT DIRECTED AT MUSLIMS
Lornet Turnbull, Seattle Times, 5/4/04
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001919062_muslim04m.html
A national report released yesterday suggests that harassment and
violence
against Muslims are on the rise, fueled by pro-war attitudes,
religion-based anti-Muslim rhetoric and lingering fears from the Sept.
11
terrorist attacks.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said it received
reports
of 1,019 anti-Muslim incidents during 2003 a nearly 70 percent increase
from the previous year and the highest number of civil-rights
complaints
from those of the Islamic faith in the nine years the group has been
tracking them.
According to the report, titled "Unpatriotic Acts," hate crimes against
Muslims jumped 121 percent that same year, although CAIR acknowledged
that
it had opened more offices nationwide, which could have contributed to
an
increase in reporting.
In response to the recent surge in anti-Muslim incidents, CAIR said it
launched a "Hate Hurts America" campaign designed to counter
Islam-bashing
on some radio talk shows.
The Puget Sound region is home to an estimated 40,000 to 50,000
Muslims.
"We've seen a continuation of discrimination, particularly in the
workplace
and bullying in schools," said Pramila Jayapal, executive director of
Hate
Free Zone, a leading advocate for victims of discrimination...
-----
REFEREE STEPS ASIDE AFTER ASKING MUSLIM PLAYER TO REMOVE HEADSCARF
Associated Press, 5/5/04
http://www.canada.com/sports/soccer/story.html?id=446D01BE-4DD2-4613-8D4B-C77F3D96CBC8
MELBOURNE, Australia - A soccer referee who ordered a Muslim player to
remove her headscarf, or hijab, during a match has stepped aside while
the
ruling federation investigates the incident.
Victorian Soccer Federation chief executive Damien Bown said Wednesday
the
referee, Michael Hatzikonstantinos, voluntarily stepped aside following
the
April 25 incident.
Afifa Saad, 21, plays for the South Melbourne Women's Soccer Club
wearing a
headscarf and long track pants, in accordance with her religion.
At a match between the South Melbourne and Keilor Park women's soccer
clubs, Hatzikonstantinos asked her to remove her scarf. Saad refused,
and
the game was postponed after a delay.
"He has made what I believe is a courageous and correct decision to
voluntarily offer to stand aside from active refereeing until this
issue is
resolved," Bown said.
A replay of the game was held Tuesday night. Keilor Park won the match
4-1,
with Saad scoring South Melbourne's only goal.
-----
NIGERIAN MUSLIM LEADER SAYS 300 KILLED IN 'GENOCIDE'
Tom Ashby, Reuters, 5/4/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5044718
LAGOS - Nigeria's top Muslim leader said on Wednesday that 300 people,
mostly Muslims, were killed in Sunday's attacks by Christian militia in
the
town of Yelwa in the central Plateau state.
Justice Abdulkadir Orire, secretary general of the Jama'atu Nasril
Islam,
described the killings in the remote farming town as "genocide" and
said
they took the death toll from three months of ethnic violence there to
at
least 700-800 people.
"The information we have is that 300 people died and they are mostly
Muslims. We call it a genocide because they are killing women and
children," Orire told Reuters in a telephone interview from his Kaduna
headquarters.
The conflict between the Christian Tarok tribe and Muslim Fulani is
rooted
in competing claims over the fertile farmlands at the heart of Africa's
most populous nation, and it is fueled by religious and ethnic
differences
between the groups.
Orire said Christian militia used machine guns in the attacks which
left
most of Yelwa's buildings including a mosque destroyed, and criticized
the
Plateau state governor for apparently inciting violence.
He said police stationed in Yelwa had been withdrawn four days before
the
attack, despite complaints from local Muslims that they were surrounded
by
Taroks and tensions were rising.
"It seems the governor is supporting the move. We heard that the
government
said non-indigenes should move out of the area," Orire said. "That is
very
bad. He should look after everyone in the state and not just his own
tribe."
Nigerian is the world's seventh largest oil exporter. Ethnic fighting
has
hit the OPEC country's oil production in the past, but Yelwa is
hundreds of
miles from any oilfields.
-----
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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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Thu, 06 May 2004 16:04:58 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Call for Rumsfeld's Resignation
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
U.S. MUSLIMS CALL FOR RUMSFELD'S RESIGNATION
CAIR says defense secretary should put nation's interests first
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/6/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today called on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to
"put
America's interests first" by resigning over his handling of the
growing
prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq.
That request by the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic
Relations
(CAIR) came following further revelations of mistreatment of Iraqi
prisoners held by American military personnel.
SEE: "NEW PRISON IMAGES EMERGE"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5623-2004May5.html
In its statement, CAIR said:
"As Secretary of Defense, Mr. Rumsfeld bears ultimate responsibility
for
the brutal and humiliating actions of American troops and for the poor
handling of the scandal by the military establishment. He must also
take
responsibility for fostering an atmosphere in which the traditional
rules
of war and norms of international law are treated as excess baggage.
"With responsibility comes accountability. Secretary Rumsfeld and his
entire management team must put America's interests first by resigning
their posts. If he and his top advisors do not resign, they should be
removed by President Bush. No other action could possibly help mitigate
the
devastating impact this scandal has had on our nation's image
worldwide."
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) also said today that
Rumsfeld
must go. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) issued a statement that said: "For the
good
of our country, the safety of our troops, and our image around the
globe
Secretary Rumsfeld should resign. If he does not resign forthwith, the
president should fire him." Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-MI) today said
Rumsfeld should resign because of "his role in the utter mismanagement
of
the war in Iraq."
Earlier this week, CAIR demanded a congressional investigation to
determine
the true extent of the prisoner abuses and to learn whether they were
in
fact part of a widespread pattern of human rights violations in U.S.
detention facilities worldwide. Rumsfeld is scheduled to appear before
a
Senate committee on Friday.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 26 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Thu, 06 May 2004 17:11:19 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
ISLAM-INFONET: TX Teens Get Probation for Mosque Vandalism
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/6/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: A CURE FOR EVERY DISEASE
* TX TEENS GETS PROBATION FOR MOSQUE VANDALISM (AP)
- Islamic Center Rebuilds after Arson Fire (AP)
* ‘YOU DAMN TALIBAN’ (Creative Loafing)
* MUSLIM CALL TO PRAYER STIRS A MIDWEST TOWN (LA Times)
- Her Private War (Boston Globe)
* FL: ANTI-MUSLIM AGITATION A THREAT TO FREEDOM (FL Today)
- Graphic Photos May Be More Evidence of Abuse (Wash Post)
- Ex-Detainee Tells Of Anguishing Treatment (Wash Post)
- Detainees' Abuse Called Illegal, Immoral (Miami Herald)
- U.S. Troops Said To Mistreat Elder Iraqi (Ap)
- 'I Was Tortured For Days...’ (New Ind Press)
- Conyers’ Letter Calling for Rumsfeld’s Resignation
- NCC Expresses Sadness, Indignation at Death, Chaos in Iraq
* BUSH BACKS OFF FROM CONCESSIONS TO ISRAEL (AP)
- Bush to Appear On Christian TV for Prayer Day (Wash Post)
- Bush Push for Patriot Act Provokes Unease (IPS)
* FAITH SPROUTS IN ARID SOIL OF CHINA (NY Times)
- Religions at War in Nigeria (Reuters)
* MUSLIM WORKER IN TEXAS DENIED FRENCH VISA OVER HEAD SCARF
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: A CURE FOR EVERY DISEASE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “There is no disease
that
God created, except that He also created its cure.”
Sahih Bukhari, Volume 7, Hadith 582
-----
TEENS WHO VANDALIZED MOSQUE MUST PAY $12,000
Associated Press, 5/5/04
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2551430
LUBBOCK -- Two of four teenagers who desecrated a mosque in this West
Texas
city have been sentenced to probation and will pay a portion of $12,000
in
restitution to the Islamic Center of the South Plains.
The boys, 14 and 15, are considered the least culpable suspects, said
Matt
Powell, Lubbock County's assistant district attorney.
Intruders ransacked the center and stole equipment and cash. They wrote
pro-American and anti-Muslim slogans on the walls.
Authorities initially considered the case a potential hate crime. But
investigators later determined the crime was not committed because of
political, personal or religious bias.
The pair sentenced Tuesday will serve intensive supervision probation
as
well as pay some of the damages sustained at the mosque March 7.
The mosque's spiritual leader, Mohamed El-Moctar, said he's satisfied.
"I believe they are too young for punishment," he said. "I hope they
will
benefit from probation..."
ALSO SEE:
ISLAMIC CENTER REBUILDS AFTER ARSON FIRE
Associated Press, 5/5/04
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/politics/8595293.htm
SAVANNAH, Ga. - Two signs have hung in front of the Islamic Center of
Savannah since a fire destroyed the building last August with an
optimistic
message for the community: "God Bless America. We will rebuild."
And members of the mosque have been working hard to do that and also
rebound from reports that an arsonist was responsible for setting their
worship center ablaze. No one was hurt, but a rare handwritten copy of
the
Quran was destroyed in the fire.
The mosque got approval from the Savannah Metropolitan Planning
Commission
on Tuesday to build a new 10,550 square foot building with seating for
300
- bigger and better than the previous two-bedroom house that had been
converted into worship space.
Since August, worshippers were temporarily displaced to an outdoor
tent,
where they would pray five times a day, before moving into a small
temporary building that often spilled over with people.
"It's sort of cramped, but we make do," said Mohammad Masroor,
president of
the center.
Members have been raising the $1 million needed to build the new
center,
with the help of contributions from the local community, Masroor said.
Meanwhile, investigators continue to puzzle over the fire.
The FBI lists the case as pending, said Bill Kirkconnell, a senior
agent in
Savannah. He would not say if there were any suspects.
Members of the mosque say they were being targeted because of their
faith,
though authorities have stopped short of calling the fire a hate
crime...
-----
'YOU DAMN TALIBAN!'
Michael Wall, Atlanta Creative Loafing, 5/6/04
http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/news_feature2.html
Before new police officers are qualified to make arrests, their
supervising
officer shoots pepper spray into their face. Part of the reason they do
this is so arresting officers understand what their subjects are going
through.
It's also a kind of induction ritual for grunts, and it usually brings
out
a crowd.
When it was Mohamed Hyath's turn to get dosed for his initiation into
the
Decatur police force in July 2002, a couple dozen police officers and
firemen were there to watch.
His supervisor, Lt. W.S. Richards, called Hyath, a Muslim of Mauritian
origin, to step forward. Hyath did, and he was hit with bursts of
pepper
spray for three to five seconds.
After that, Richards said to Hyath, "That's what you get for bombing
us,
you damn Taliban!" according to a lawsuit Hyath has filed against the
city
of Decatur, Richards and two other police officers.
Hyath is suing the city and his former supervisors for harassing him
because of his religion, race and national origin. The lawsuit, filed
April
26 in Atlanta U.S. District Court, states his supervisor repeatedly
called
him "a Taliban." And they ridiculed him, the lawsuit states, for not
eating
pork, an Islamic custom, and because some Muslim women cover
themselves.
Muslims across the country experienced 1,019 incidents of alleged
discrimination, violence and racial harassment in 2003 -- a 70 percent
increase over the previous year -- according to the Council on
American-Islamic Relations.
The increase, and the kind of persecution Hyath endured, is linked to
the
wars in Iraq, and the Sept. 11 attacks, according to CAIR. America is
waging a war against terrorism; in some American minds, that equates to
a
war against Muslims.
The study says that, of the incidents aimed at Muslims, 93 were hate
crimes
and 163 were job-related discriminations...
-----
MUSLIM CALL TO PRAYER STIRS A MIDWEST TOWN
Stephanie Simon, Los Angeles Times, 4/5/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-mosque6may06,1,4014143.story
HAMTRAMCK, Mich. — These are the sounds of Caniff Street on a windy
spring
afternoon:
Shrieks and giggles from children bouncing a playground ball. Chimes
from
the St. Ladislaus Catholic Church bell. The thump of rap music. The
rumble
of a Doritos delivery truck. The shrill of a teacher's whistle, calling
kids in from recess.
Later this month, another sound will join the Caniff Street cacophony:
The
azan, or Muslim call to prayer, will echo five times a day from the
scuffed
beige building across from the church.
"Allahu Akbar," the mosque's president will intone. Allah is the
greatest.
"Ashhadu allailaha illallah," he will sing into the loudspeaker. There
is
no other God but Allah.
The City Council in this community of 23,000 last week approved the
mosque's request to amplify the traditional call to prayer. The imam
says
the chant, which lasts about a minute and a half, will be heard for a
block
or two at most.
"It's beautiful music, really, a very good rhythm, and the meaning is
good," said Abusayed Mahfuz, a member of the mosque. "I don't see why
there
should be a problem."
But the council's unanimous decision has touched off anger, and fear,
in
this historically Polish Catholic town.
"With so much going on in the world with terrorism, people are afraid
maybe
they'll be saying things [in Arabic] that we don't understand," said
Marti
Sharp, 47, a bakery manager.
"If they're going to say it out loud, at least they should say it in
English," added co-worker Kathy Trusick, 60.
Circulating a petition to overturn the council's vote, some residents
insist their sole objection is the noise. Others raise more fundamental
concerns: It's not right, they say, for a patriotic Midwest city to
ring
with praise for Allah.
In the last two decades, however, new immigrants have flooded
Hamtramck.
They're drawn by the location — five miles from downtown Detroit — and
by
the inexpensive real estate. The houses are weathered and packed so
close
together, there's barely room for a few inches of grass between
neighbors.
But they're solidly built with inviting porches, and they're often
priced
at less than $75,000.
By the 2000 census, just 23% of residents indicated Polish ancestry.
Nearly
10% said they were of Arabic origin. Another 10% are Asian — half of
them
Indian — and 15% are black.
Many in the city have worked hard to accommodate and integrate the new
arrivals. King Video now stocks rows of DVDs in Albanian, Arabic,
Polish
and other languages. The public library carries the children's fable
"The
Giant Turnip" in Bengali, Polish, Arabic and Serbo-Croatian. A poster
for
subsidized preschool is translated into nine languages...
ALSO SEE:
HER PRIVATE WAR
Tim Townsend, Boston Globe, 5/2/04
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2004/05/02/her_private_war/
She's a 43-year-old wife and mother from Quincy, but Major Shareda
Hosein
is also on the brink of becoming a 4-foot-10, fatigue-clad symbol of
all
the tension between the Middle East and America. She's been in the Army
for
24 years, either on active duty or serving in the reserves. Her jobs
have
mostly been administrative; she served, for instance, as a
transportation
officer, making sure units were ready to be mobilized. But then a few
years
ago, she decided she wanted something different from the Army, and
since
last fall, she had been looking forward to February, not just because
she
would be travelling to Mecca to perform hajj for the first time, but
because she was to hear the Army's decision on her application to
become
the first female Muslim chaplain in the history of the US military.
For a woman to have any religious authority in conservative Islamic
cultures is extraordinarily rare, especially when it's authority over
Muslim men. This is why some people familiar with Hosein's case are
speculating that if the Army does make her a chaplain, it could be seen
as
an attempt by the US government to push Islam in a more moderate
direction.
"There is a concern that by making me a chaplain, the Army would be
telling
the conservative Islamic world that the US is trying to change Islam
from
the inside out," Hosein says. "Some Muslims wouldn't understand my role
as
a chaplain, but many others will."
The Army won't talk about Hosein's chaplaincy. But two decision dates
on
Hosein's application have come and gone, and the Army won't say why --
or
tell her when a decision will be made.
Six days after Hosein returned home to Quincy in February from her
pilgrimage, she got a call from a personnel officer at the 94th
Regional
Readiness Command at Fort Devens. Her reserve unit was being activated,
and
she was to report to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. Hosein, who had just
traveled to Mecca to do her duty as a devout Muslim, was about to
return to
the Middle East -- this time as a soldier. "I had 10 days to close out
one
life and begin another," said Hosein as she packed the gear next to her
bunk into green canvas duffels at Fort Bliss. The following day --
March 6
-- Hosein left for Kuwait.
Hosein's job in Kuwait mostly involves personnel management. This, she
says, makes her year-and-a-half deployment a little easier for her
husband,
a mortgage broker in Quincy who converted to Islam to marry her, and
her
daughter, a college student in New York City. But for Hosein, the
deployment only prolongs her anticipation of the Army's final decision.
Some think the Pentagon will tell her she's too old to be an
active-duty
chaplain (she argues that, because of the shortage of priests, the
military
takes Roman Catholic chaplains regardless of their age)...
-----
ANTI-MUSLIM AGITATION A THREAT TO FREEDOM
Parvez Ahmed, Florida Today, 5/6/04
http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/opedstory0504WLETTERS.htm
A democracy that is not mindful of the rights and dignity of its
minorities
can easily descend to being a tyranny of its majority.
Since the ill-fated day of 9-11, Muslims, who are just as American as
anyone else, have been the unfortunate victims of a terrible and
misguided
backlash. Anti-Muslim incidents have been rising at double-digit rates
during the last three years.
U.S. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., claimed American Muslim leaders are "an
enemy
living amongst us" and that "no (American) Muslims" cooperate in the
war on
terror. Recently, Boston radio talk show host Jay Severin urged the
killing
of American Muslims and called them the "fifth column" in America.
These are not isolated exercises in free speech but are part of the
rising
anti-Muslim rhetoric that has received very little repudiation from our
opinion leaders. As a consequence, hate crimes against Muslims continue
to
rise at alarming rates.
The fight against terrorism should be legitimately directed against
those
who seek to terrorize. Guilt by association and vilification of the
faith
of many for the misguided acts of few is un-American and un-patriotic.
Parvez Ahmed is Chairman of Board for the Council on America-Islamic
Relations, Florida.
ALSO SEE:
GRAPHIC PHOTOS MAY BE MORE EVIDENCE OF ABUSE
Christian Davenport, Washington Post, 5/6/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5623-2004May5.html
The collection of photographs begins like a travelogue from Iraq. Here
are
U.S. soldiers posing in front of a mosque. Here is a soldier riding a
camel
in the desert. And then: a soldier holding a leash tied around a man's
neck
in an Iraqi prison. He is naked, grimacing and lying on the floor.
Mixed in with more than 1,000 digital pictures obtained by The
Washington
Post are photographs of naked men, apparently prisoners, sprawled on
top of
one another while soldiers stand around them. There is another
photograph
of a naked man with a dark hood over his head, handcuffed to a cell
door.
And another of a naked man handcuffed to a bunk bed, his arms splayed
so
wide that his back is arched. A pair of women's underwear covers his
head
and face.
The graphic images, passed around among military police who served at
the
Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad, are a new batch of photographs similar to
those broadcast a week ago on CBS's "60 Minutes II" and published by
the
New Yorker magazine. They appear to provide further visual evidence of
the
chaos and unprofessionalism at the prison detailed in a report by Army
Maj.
Gen. Antonio M. Taguba. His report, which relied in part on the
photographs, found "numerous incidents of sadistic, blatant, and wanton
criminal abuses" that were inflicted on detainees.
This group of photographs, taken from the summer of 2003 through the
winter, ranges widely, from mundane images of everyday military life to
pictures showing crude simulations of sex among soldiers. The new
pictures
appear to show American soldiers abusing prisoners, many of whom wear
ID
bands, but The Post could not eliminate the possibility that some of
them
were staged...
---
EX-DETAINEE TELLS OF ANGUISHING TREATMENT AT IRAQ PRISON
Scott Wilson, Washington Post, 5/6/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5673-2004May5.html
BAGHDAD - Hasham Mohsen Lazim traded used tires for a living in the
Shiite
slum of Sadr City. He had been in trouble only once in his life, he
said, a
desperate time six years ago when he deserted Saddam Hussein's army to
support his wife and four small children.
Then on one warm night in August, a taxi ride home ended in a U.S. Army
holding cell, the first stop in what he described as a hellish
four-month
journey through the U.S. military prison system in Iraq. His experience
veered between anguish and confusion, abuse and fury, before
culminating in
a series of pictures, broadcast worldwide in recent days, that
memorialized
his 24-day stay in the grimmest precincts of Abu Ghraib prison.
"Something awful happened to me," Lazim said during a two-hour
interview
broken by long pauses of silent despair. "I will never forget it until
the
day I die."
Lazim, 34, was prisoner No. 15227, according to his release papers. He
said
he was one of the hooded men in the photographs taken inside an Abu
Ghraib
cellblock that have generated worldwide revulsion. Although his
identity
could not be confirmed from the photographs, his account was supported
by a
friend from the prison, Hayder Sabbar Abd, who said he experienced the
same
treatment and could identify both himself and American guards from the
photos. Lazim's papers show that he was in Abu Ghraib when the abuses
occurred late last year.
Now, months later, Lazim has completed a course in Jordan to become an
officer in the new U.S.-sponsored Iraqi police force. His uniform hangs
at
home as he awaits orders for where to report. He will be joining a
force
the U.S. occupation authority is counting on to help stabilize the
country.
Lazim said he was arrested last August after a taxi, in which he and a
neighbor were riding, broke down on Canal Street in Baghdad, just a few
blocks from the off-ramp that would have taken them home. U.S. soldiers
approached and searched the taxi. In the trunk, they discovered a
pistol
and other weapons that Lazim said he could not see.
Soldiers placed hoods and handcuffs on the men, then took them to a
former
cigarette factory being used as a military base. When asked by a U.S.
soldier -- through an interpreter with Syrian-accented Arabic -- who
owned
the guns, the taxi driver acknowledged that they were his, Lazim said.
He
said he was expecting a speedy release...
---
DETAINEES' ABUSE CALLED ILLEGAL, IMMORAL
Amy Driscoll and Daniel de Vise, Miami Herald, 5/5/04
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/nation/8600838.htm
Iraqi detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison don't fall under the rules
that
apply to prisoners of war, but the abuse from U.S. troops still
violates
the most basic rules of international law and military engagement,
experts
said Wednesday.
''This stuff crossed the line -- it's both immoral and illegal,'' said
Robert K. Goldman, professor of law at American University in
Washington, D.C.
''If these are peaceable civilians -- and I understand most of them are
--
they are entitled to protection under the Geneva Conventions,'' he
said.
``Even if they were part of the resistance, they are protected. You
can't
beat them up, you can't humiliate them. You're not supposed to torture,
no
matter what.''
Labeled Wednesday as ''abhorrent'' by President Bush, treatment of the
prisoners became the subject of international outrage after the first
pictures of the abuse surfaced a week ago. The photos, showing American
GIs
grinning over nude prisoners, sparked calls for a Senate resolution to
condemn the abuses...
---
U.S. TROOPS SAID TO MISTREAT ELDER IRAQI
Sue Leeman, Associated Press, 5/5/04
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=518&u=/ap/20040505/ap_on_re_eu/britain_iraq_us_prisoner_abuse&printer=1
LONDON - U.S. soldiers who detained an elderly Iraqi woman last year
placed
a harness on her, made her crawl on all fours and rode her like a
donkey,
Prime Minister Tony Blair's personal human rights envoy to Iraq (news -
web
sites) said Wednesday.
The envoy, legislator Ann Clwyd, said she had investigated the claims
of
the woman in her 70s and believed they were true.
During five visits to Iraq in the last 18 months, Clwyd said, she
stopped
at British and U.S. jails, including Abu Ghraib, and questioned
everyone
she could about the woman's claims. But she did not say whether the
people
questioned included U.S. forces or commanders.
Asked for details, Clwyd said during a telephone interview with The
Associated Press that she "didn't want to harp on the case because as
far
as I'm concerned it's been resolved."
Clwyd, 67, is a veteran politician of the governing Labour Party and a
strong Blair supporter who regularly visits Iraq and reports back on
issues
such as human rights, the delivery of food and medical supplies to
Iraqis,
and Iraq's Kurdish minority. Her job as Blair's human rights envoy is
unpaid and advisory.
Clwyd said the Iraqi woman was arrested in Iraq in July and accused of
having links to a former member of Saddam Hussein's regime — a charge
she
denied.
The abuse occurred last year in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison and at
another
coalition detention center, Clwyd said...
---
'I WAS TORTURED FOR DAYS BY AMERICAN SOLDIERS'
New Ind Press, 5/5/04
http://www.newindpress.com/Newsitems.asp?ID=IEH20040504132640&Title=Top%2BStories&Topic=0&Full%7EStory
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 32-year-old Indian butcher is finally back home,
after slaving away for nine months in a US military camp in Iraq where
he
ended up although travel agents had promised him a job in Kuwait.
Aliyarkunju Faizal is today grateful to god for saving him from what he
says was a nightmarish experience from which he feared he would never
be
able to escape.
Faizal told IANS in a telephonic interview that he was kicked and
beaten by
American soldiers who forced him to work for long hours daily and made
him
cook pork in violation of his Islamic beliefs.
Stung by the charges, the US embassy in New Delhi promised to
investigate
the allegations of torture and illegal detention of Indian workers by
the
US military in Iraq.
"We are looking into them," an embassy spokesman told IANS. "We take
all
reports of abuse seriously and all allegations of mistreatment are
investigated.
"We are committed to treating all persons under coalition authority
with
dignity, respect and humanity."
But the embassy's comments are no relief to Faisal, whose story began
some
10 months ago when he left for Kuwait after paying Rs.75,000 for a
visa. It
was a princely sum he raised by selling his wife's jewellery in the
hope of
making a decent income in Kuwait. But once Faizal, who hails from
Chathanoor near Kollam, reached Kuwait he was told that he would have
to
work in Iraq.
"I had no option but to listen to what my employer told me. I was not
alone; there were three other youths from my village too...
---
CONYERS LETTER TO BUSH CALLING FOR RUMSFELD’S RESIGNATION
Dear Mr. President:
I write to request that you immediately ask Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld for his resignation for his role in the utter mismanagement of
the
war in Iraq. At the outset, I must stress that the Defense Secretary's
resignation will not in any way discount your own potential culpability
in
this matter. You have not been reluctant to burnish you credentials as
Commander-in-Chief, or the uniform of the military, when it has been to
your political benefit to do so. Now, when accountability is needed,
the
responsibility for the conduct of this war lays squarely on your
shoulders. It is apparent that the conduct of the Department of
Defense
in managing the situation in Iraq since the fall of Bagdad exceeds
incompetence and is a complete failure of leadership. It is also
evident
that there was little if any post war planning on the part of Secretary
Rumsfeld and the Pentagon. This failure is morally reprehensible as it
which continues to cost the lives of American soldiers and innocent
Iraqis.
The most recent instance of incompetence was Secretary Rumfeld's
knowledge
of these allegations of abuse since January and his refusal to make
Congress or the President aware of these horrendous abuses until last
week. It is my opinion that the American public is being ill-served by
Secretary Rusted and the Pentagon. Moreover, it has recently come to
light that Pentagon officials are investigating 35 possible instances
of
abuse by US personnel, and the Los Angeles Times has reported 25 Iraqi
and
Afghan prisoners have died in US Custody in the last 17 months. In
addition, I believe it is imperative that a full inquiry into the abuse
take place. We must not stop with only the actual perpetrators of
these
horrendous events, it is imperative that bring actions against those
military leaders who allowed this culture of abuse to continue.
It is clear that months ago, senior military and Bush administration
officials were warned that immediate action was needed to address the
treatment of captives and enemy soldiers at prisons like Abu Ghraib in
Iraq and nothing was done. This failure has placed our troops at
greater
risk as the horrific images of Abu Gharib have produced greater
antipathy
toward our troops and threaten to incite even greater violence in the
region.
In less than three years, your administration has managed to destroy
all of
the good will that was extended to our nation in the wake of the
tragedy of
the September 11th attacks. To the people of Iraq, we are seen as
occupiers. To the people of the Arab world, we are no longer a beacon
of
hope. To people of Arab heritage in this country, we have changed what
we
represent as a nation.
In the 2000 Presidential campaign, you swore you would restore "honor
and
dignity" to the White House. The honor and dignity of our nation, and
its
standing in the world, dictate that you take immediate action.
Secretary
Rumsfeld has failed the American public, our military and the world and
he
must tender his resignation.
---
NCC Expresses Sadness, Indignation at Mounting Death Toll, Chaos in
Iraq
5/5/04
New York City -- The National Council of Churches USA is watching with
growing sadness and indignation the devolution of the crisis in Iraq
into
increasing chaos. This chaos is marked by a mounting death toll of
United
States soldiers, Iraqi civilians, and others; the continuing civil
unrest
throughout Iraq; uncertainty as to Iraqi leadership after the
transition on
June 30; little and only begrudging change in posture on the part of
the
United States with regard to the international community’s role in
Iraq;
and now the devastating report of the humiliation and torture of Iraqi
prisoners by U.S. military personnel.
The United States ostensibly went to war in Iraq as a part of its war
on
terror. No matter what one thinks of the war on terror as the guiding
principle of U.S. foreign policy, its primary goal of eradicating
terrorism
as an imminent threat against people of goodwill throughout the world
requires the cooperation of most, if not all, countries in the world.
How can Americans expect such cooperation when our actions can only be
met
with revulsion? Indeed, our actions have resulted, not only in the
squandering of the universal goodwill enjoyed by the U.S. in the wake
of
the 9/11 attacks, but also in the alienation of many around the world
who
once saw American democracy as something to be emulated. How else to
assess
the damage done by the unilateral invasion of Iraq, the deprival of due
process for more than 600 people imprisoned at Guantanamo, the closing
down
of an Iraqi newspaper, the appalling mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners?
The common cause that all countries should share in the war against
terror
is overtaken by resentment against the United States for what is seen
as a
betrayal of its own ideals. Unfortunately, the photographic emblem of
this
war will not be the tearing down of Saddam Hussein’s statue by
Americans
and Iraqis in joint celebration; it will be the pyramid of naked Iraqi
prisoners being taunted by U.S. soldiers in a moment of moral
bankruptcy...
Media Contact: Carol Fouke, 212-870-2252; cfouke@ncccusa.org
-----
BUSH BACKS OFF FROM CONCESSIONS TO ISRAEL
Barry Schweid, Associated Press, 5/6/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4061226,00.html
WASHINGTON - President Bush, responding to complaints in the Arab
world,
urged Israel on Thursday to withdraw from the territory it captured in
the
1967 Mideast war.
After meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, Bush did not repeat the
assurances he gave Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon last month that
he
supports Israel's retention of some settlements on the West Bank as
part of
an overall agreement with the Palestinians.
Bush said at a joint news conference with the king that all such issues
must be negotiated against the backdrop of U.N. Security Council
resolutions from 1967 and 1973 that called on Israel to withdraw from
captured land.
``The United States will not prejudice the outcome of those
negotiations,''
Bush said. Only a few weeks, the president publicly supported Israel's
retention of some population clusters on the West Bank and opposition
of
the settlement of Palestinian refugees in Israel.
Abdullah said Israel must withdraw to the borders it held before the
1967
war. Jordan lost the West Bank and East Jerusalem while Egypt lost Gaza
during that conflict.
``All final status issues should be a matter for the parties to
decide,''
Abdullah said.
ALSO SEE:
BUSH TO APPEAR ON CHRISTIAN TV FOR PRAYER DAY;
Alan Cooperman, Washington Post, 5/6/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5572-2004May5.html
President Bush's participation in a National Day of Prayer ceremony
with
evangelical Christian leaders at the White House will be shown tonight,
for
the first time in prime-time viewing hours, on Christian cable and
satellite TV outlets nationwide.
For Bush, the broadcast is an opportunity to address a sympathetic
evangelical audience without the risk of alienating secular or
non-Christian viewers, because it will not be carried in full by the
major
television networks. Frank Wright, president of the National
Association of
Religious Broadcasters, said more than a million evangelicals are
expected
to see the broadcast.
Some civil liberties groups and religious minorities charged that the
National Day of Prayer has lost its nonpartisan veneer and is being
turned
into a platform for evangelical groups to endorse Bush -- and vice
versa.
"Over the years, the National Day of Prayer has gradually been adopted
more
and more by the religious right, and this year in particular there is
such
an undercurrent of partisanship because for the first time they are
broadcasting Bush's message in an election year," said the Rev. Barry
W.
Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church
and
State.
The event's organizers denied that it amounts to a tacit political
endorsement...
She also made no apologies about the exclusion of Muslims and others
outside of the "Judeao-Christian tradition" from ceremonies planned by
the
task force on Capitol Hill and in state capitals across the country.
"They
are free to have their own national day of prayer if they want to," she
said. "We are a Christian task force."
The White House press office and presidential adviser Karl Rove's
office
did not respond to calls seeking comment on the National Day of Prayer
observances.
Organizers said some Jewish rabbis, Catholic clergy and mainline
Protestants have been invited to the congressional and White House
ceremonies. But the exclusion of religious minorities has led to
protests
in several cities.
In Salt Lake City, Mormons have complained that they are not allowed to
lead prayers during the local observance.
In Oklahoma City, the Rev. W. Bruce Prescott has planned an interfaith
ceremony on the steps of the state Capitol today to protest the
exclusively
Christian ceremony inside the building. "As a Baptist preacher, it's
hard
for me to protest prayer," he said. "What I'd rather do is see if we
can't
find a way to do it right."
---
BUSH PUSH FOR PATRIOT ACT PROVOKES UNEASE
Amantha Perera, International Press Service, 5/6/04
http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=23632
LOS ANGELES - Muslim rights groups in the state of California are
watching
nervously as President George W Bush increasingly talks of renewing the
Patriot Act, a mainstay of his ”war on terrorism”, as he campaigns for
the
November presidential election.
Soon after the 342-page act became law in October 2001, 45 days after
the
Sep. 11 terrorist attacks, Muslim groups across the country complained
of
harassment of their community members as officials began to strictly
enforce a ”special registration procedure” for immigrants.
For instance, Muhammad Bachir, a U.S. permanent resident for 23 years,
was
asked to report for registration in February 2002. But when he showed
up,
Bachir, who is of Palestinian origin, was jailed at the San Pedro
federal
detention centre in Southern California for failure to appear for a
July
2001 interview, although he had informed authorities that he was unable
to
appear for medical reasons.
When he was finally released in New York 18 months later, in August
2003,
Bachir had spent time in 17 detention centres across the country. He
was
never charged with a crime.
”They were obsessed with me. I was outspoken. I called the media and
human
rights organisations, accusing the government of (racial) profiling. I
went
on a hunger strike,” California's Senate Office of Research quotes
Bachir
in a report on the impact of the Patriot Act on the Muslim community.
Bachir was also privately informed by an immigration officer that
authorities were aware of his hospitalisation at the time of the first
missed interview.
”The 'war on terror' is a war, really, on a community that is being
connected to the (9/11) highjackers,” Sireen Sawaf, hate crime
prevention
coordinator of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) in Los Angeles
told
IPS.
The special registration programme ordered immigrants from various
countries to register with authorities. But Muslim community groups say
it
was specifically aimed at Muslims. ”There was a selective enforcement
of
the law,” says Hussan Ayloush executive director of the Council of
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in southern California...
-----
FAITH SPROUTS IN ARID SOIL OF CHINA
Howard W. French, New York Times, 5/6/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/06/international/asia/06chin.html?ex=1084420800&en=00e7279f456860d0&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE
MAJIAZHUANG, China - They gathered under a blazing midday sun, raptly
observing as four men in skullcaps held down the bull in preparation
for
its sacrifice. Little girls stood wide-eyed, while boys tried to appear
unfazed, and the wizened grandmothers who, having seen such things
countless times, were abuzz instead about the rare appearance of
foreigners
in their hamlet.
The guest of honor, the sheik, or spiritual leader for a large Muslim
population concentrated here in the arid, landlocked region of Ningxia,
glanced anxiously at his watch, hoping the butcher would arrive so that
he
could get on with his busy schedule.
The butcher arrived, and within minutes his deed was done, his red
blade
thrust into the soil as the bull's life drained into a shallow pit. The
sacrifice of a sheep followed. Moments later, as all were seated for a
feast in memory of an elder who had died, the sheik whispered to a
visitor:
"Don't eat too much. There will be a feast in the next village, too."
Asked as he piled into his chauffeur-driven, four-wheel-drive vehicle
if he
presided at ceremonies like this every weekend, the 39-year-old Muslim
leader who bears the title sheik, but prefers to go by his name, Hong
Yang,
issued a world-weary sigh. "I do it every day," he said. Then he drove
off.
As the leader of the Kufiya sect, more than a million strong, Mr. Hong
is
responsible for adjudicating local disputes, charity, patronage and, of
course, matters of the faith. Communist ideology holds that religion
would
wither, but as a precaution, under Mao's rule it was actively
suppressed.
These days, signs of religious revival abound in China, perhaps nowhere
more than among the country's largest Muslim minority, the Hui, who are
historically centered in this area of north-central China, where
Persians
and Arabs migrated in the seventh century, intermarrying with local
populations. But the limits on Islam and other faiths enforced by the
government remain strict and carefully observed...
ALSO SEE:
RELIGIONS AT WAR IN NIGERIA - CHRISTIAN LEADER
Tom Ashby, Reuters, 5/6/04
LAGOS - A Nigerian Christian leader said on Thursday the killing of
hundreds of Muslims by Christian militia in the town of Yelwa on Sunday
was
the product of "a state of war" between the two faiths in Africa's most
populous nation.
The conflict between the Christian Tarok and the Muslim Fulani is
patently
about their competing claims over the fertile farmlands of Plateau
state in
central Nigeria, but religious leaders and academics said it fed an
already
strong trend of religious hatred in the impoverished oil exporting
country.
"What we have is a state of war," said Sam Kujiyat, head of the
Christian
Association of Nigeria in the northern city of Kaduna.
The West African country is a battleground for the world's two main
religions, which share roughly equally its population of 130 million
people.
Religious violence has killed at least 5,000 people since 2000, when 12
northern states predominantly inhabited by Muslims established Islamic
Sharia law.
On Sunday, hundreds of Christian Tarok militia invaded the town of
Yelwa,
sealed off roads to town with felled trees, and killed hundreds of
Fulaniwith machine guns and machetes.
A Muslim community leader said 630 bodies had been buried in teh town.
Abdullahi D. Abdullahi showed a Reuters correspondent a foul-smelling
area
of freshly turned earth where he said the bodies had been buried.
-----
MUSLIM WORKER IN TEXAS DENIED FRENCH VISA OVER HEAD SCARF
Islamic civil rights groups calls visa policy 'discriminatory'
(HOUSTON, TX, 5/06/2004) - The Houston office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston) today called on the French
Consulate in that city to reverse its refusal to grant a visa to a
Muslim
woman who wears a religiously-mandated head scarf.
A consulate official told CAIR-Houston it is "against French law" for
the
Bangladeshi Muslim woman who works in Texas to wear an Islamic head
scarf
in her visa photograph. (The website of the consulate only mentions a
"passport size photograph" of visa applicants and does not specify or
prohibit any type of attire.) The French government recently passed
legislation that prohibits Muslim students from wearing Islamic head
scarves in public schools, but the law made no mention of official
photographs.
"We now see that France's discriminatory policies are reaching beyond
national boards to impact the religious rights of Muslims worldwide,"
said
CAIR-Houston Communications Director Najat Elsayed. "This policy would
in
effect ban any Muslim woman who wears Islamic attire from entering
France
for any reason."
Elsayed called on consulate officials to reverse their refusal to grant
the
woman's visa and to clarify France's official position on the issue.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ms. Najat Elsayed, 713-838-2247 or 832-814-5554, E-Mail:
cair@cairhouston.org or Najat.Elsayed@cairhouston.org
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/islam-infonet/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Thu, 06 May 2004 17:12:53 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: TX Teens Get Probation for Mosque Vandalism
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/6/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: A CURE FOR EVERY DISEASE
* REASON #14 TO JOIN CAIR – Research
- Library Project Sponsorships: 7445
* TX TEENS GETS PROBATION FOR MOSQUE VANDALISM (AP)
- Islamic Center Rebuilds after Arson Fire (AP)
* ‘YOU DAMN TALIBAN’ (Creative Loafing)
* MUSLIM CALL TO PRAYER STIRS A MIDWEST TOWN (LA Times)
- Her Private War (Boston Globe)
* FL: ANTI-MUSLIM AGITATION A THREAT TO FREEDOM (FL Today)
- Graphic Photos May Be More Evidence of Abuse (Wash Post)
- Ex-Detainee Tells Of Anguishing Treatment (Wash Post)
- Detainees' Abuse Called Illegal, Immoral (Miami Herald)
- U.S. Troops Said To Mistreat Elder Iraqi (Ap)
- 'I Was Tortured For Days...’ (New Ind Press)
- Conyers’ Letter Calling for Rumsfeld’s Resignation
- NCC Expresses Sadness, Indignation at Death, Chaos in Iraq
* BUSH BACKS OFF FROM CONCESSIONS TO ISRAEL (AP)
- Bush to Appear On Christian TV for Prayer Day (Wash Post)
- Bush Push for Patriot Act Provokes Unease (IPS)
* FAITH SPROUTS IN ARID SOIL OF CHINA (NY Times)
- Religions at War in Nigeria (Reuters)
* MUSLIM WORKER IN TEXAS DENIED FRENCH VISA OVER HEAD SCARF
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: A CURE FOR EVERY DISEASE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “There is no disease
that
God created, except that He also created its cure.”
Sahih Bukhari, Volume 7, Hadith 582
-----
REASON #14 TO JOIN CAIR – Research
CAIR makes statistics, surveys and research material -- not often found
elsewhere -- available and accessible to media and public officials.
In our new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member at
a
Time," CAIR intends (God Willing) to sign up 25,000 new members by its
10th
year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
Students Click here!
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=33172&page=NB
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7445 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
-----
TEENS WHO VANDALIZED MOSQUE MUST PAY $12,000
Associated Press, 5/5/04
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2551430
LUBBOCK -- Two of four teenagers who desecrated a mosque in this West
Texas
city have been sentenced to probation and will pay a portion of $12,000
in
restitution to the Islamic Center of the South Plains.
The boys, 14 and 15, are considered the least culpable suspects, said
Matt
Powell, Lubbock County's assistant district attorney.
Intruders ransacked the center and stole equipment and cash. They wrote
pro-American and anti-Muslim slogans on the walls.
Authorities initially considered the case a potential hate crime. But
investigators later determined the crime was not committed because of
political, personal or religious bias.
The pair sentenced Tuesday will serve intensive supervision probation
as
well as pay some of the damages sustained at the mosque March 7.
The mosque's spiritual leader, Mohamed El-Moctar, said he's satisfied.
"I believe they are too young for punishment," he said. "I hope they
will
benefit from probation..."
ALSO SEE:
ISLAMIC CENTER REBUILDS AFTER ARSON FIRE
Associated Press, 5/5/04
http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/politics/8595293.htm
SAVANNAH, Ga. - Two signs have hung in front of the Islamic Center of
Savannah since a fire destroyed the building last August with an
optimistic
message for the community: "God Bless America. We will rebuild."
And members of the mosque have been working hard to do that and also
rebound from reports that an arsonist was responsible for setting their
worship center ablaze. No one was hurt, but a rare handwritten copy of
the
Quran was destroyed in the fire.
The mosque got approval from the Savannah Metropolitan Planning
Commission
on Tuesday to build a new 10,550 square foot building with seating for
300
- bigger and better than the previous two-bedroom house that had been
converted into worship space.
Since August, worshippers were temporarily displaced to an outdoor
tent,
where they would pray five times a day, before moving into a small
temporary building that often spilled over with people.
"It's sort of cramped, but we make do," said Mohammad Masroor,
president of
the center.
Members have been raising the $1 million needed to build the new
center,
with the help of contributions from the local community, Masroor said.
Meanwhile, investigators continue to puzzle over the fire.
The FBI lists the case as pending, said Bill Kirkconnell, a senior
agent in
Savannah. He would not say if there were any suspects.
Members of the mosque say they were being targeted because of their
faith,
though authorities have stopped short of calling the fire a hate
crime...
-----
'YOU DAMN TALIBAN!'
Michael Wall, Atlanta Creative Loafing, 5/6/04
http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/news_feature2.html
Before new police officers are qualified to make arrests, their
supervising
officer shoots pepper spray into their face. Part of the reason they do
this is so arresting officers understand what their subjects are going
through.
It's also a kind of induction ritual for grunts, and it usually brings
out
a crowd.
When it was Mohamed Hyath's turn to get dosed for his initiation into
the
Decatur police force in July 2002, a couple dozen police officers and
firemen were there to watch.
His supervisor, Lt. W.S. Richards, called Hyath, a Muslim of Mauritian
origin, to step forward. Hyath did, and he was hit with bursts of
pepper
spray for three to five seconds.
After that, Richards said to Hyath, "That's what you get for bombing
us,
you damn Taliban!" according to a lawsuit Hyath has filed against the
city
of Decatur, Richards and two other police officers.
Hyath is suing the city and his former supervisors for harassing him
because of his religion, race and national origin. The lawsuit, filed
April
26 in Atlanta U.S. District Court, states his supervisor repeatedly
called
him "a Taliban." And they ridiculed him, the lawsuit states, for not
eating
pork, an Islamic custom, and because some Muslim women cover
themselves.
Muslims across the country experienced 1,019 incidents of alleged
discrimination, violence and racial harassment in 2003 -- a 70 percent
increase over the previous year -- according to the Council on
American-Islamic Relations.
The increase, and the kind of persecution Hyath endured, is linked to
the
wars in Iraq, and the Sept. 11 attacks, according to CAIR. America is
waging a war against terrorism; in some American minds, that equates to
a
war against Muslims.
The study says that, of the incidents aimed at Muslims, 93 were hate
crimes
and 163 were job-related discriminations...
-----
MUSLIM CALL TO PRAYER STIRS A MIDWEST TOWN
Stephanie Simon, Los Angeles Times, 4/5/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-mosque6may06,1,4014143.story
HAMTRAMCK, Mich. — These are the sounds of Caniff Street on a windy
spring
afternoon:
Shrieks and giggles from children bouncing a playground ball. Chimes
from
the St. Ladislaus Catholic Church bell. The thump of rap music. The
rumble
of a Doritos delivery truck. The shrill of a teacher's whistle, calling
kids in from recess.
Later this month, another sound will join the Caniff Street cacophony:
The
azan, or Muslim call to prayer, will echo five times a day from the
scuffed
beige building across from the church.
"Allahu Akbar," the mosque's president will intone. Allah is the
greatest.
"Ashhadu allailaha illallah," he will sing into the loudspeaker. There
is
no other God but Allah.
The City Council in this community of 23,000 last week approved the
mosque's request to amplify the traditional call to prayer. The imam
says
the chant, which lasts about a minute and a half, will be heard for a
block
or two at most.
"It's beautiful music, really, a very good rhythm, and the meaning is
good," said Abusayed Mahfuz, a member of the mosque. "I don't see why
there
should be a problem."
But the council's unanimous decision has touched off anger, and fear,
in
this historically Polish Catholic town.
"With so much going on in the world with terrorism, people are afraid
maybe
they'll be saying things [in Arabic] that we don't understand," said
Marti
Sharp, 47, a bakery manager.
"If they're going to say it out loud, at least they should say it in
English," added co-worker Kathy Trusick, 60.
Circulating a petition to overturn the council's vote, some residents
insist their sole objection is the noise. Others raise more fundamental
concerns: It's not right, they say, for a patriotic Midwest city to
ring
with praise for Allah.
In the last two decades, however, new immigrants have flooded
Hamtramck.
They're drawn by the location — five miles from downtown Detroit — and
by
the inexpensive real estate. The houses are weathered and packed so
close
together, there's barely room for a few inches of grass between
neighbors.
But they're solidly built with inviting porches, and they're often
priced
at less than $75,000.
By the 2000 census, just 23% of residents indicated Polish ancestry.
Nearly
10% said they were of Arabic origin. Another 10% are Asian — half of
them
Indian — and 15% are black.
Many in the city have worked hard to accommodate and integrate the new
arrivals. King Video now stocks rows of DVDs in Albanian, Arabic,
Polish
and other languages. The public library carries the children's fable
"The
Giant Turnip" in Bengali, Polish, Arabic and Serbo-Croatian. A poster
for
subsidized preschool is translated into nine languages...
ALSO SEE:
HER PRIVATE WAR
Tim Townsend, Boston Globe, 5/2/04
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2004/05/02/her_private_war/
She's a 43-year-old wife and mother from Quincy, but Major Shareda
Hosein
is also on the brink of becoming a 4-foot-10, fatigue-clad symbol of
all
the tension between the Middle East and America. She's been in the Army
for
24 years, either on active duty or serving in the reserves. Her jobs
have
mostly been administrative; she served, for instance, as a
transportation
officer, making sure units were ready to be mobilized. But then a few
years
ago, she decided she wanted something different from the Army, and
since
last fall, she had been looking forward to February, not just because
she
would be travelling to Mecca to perform hajj for the first time, but
because she was to hear the Army's decision on her application to
become
the first female Muslim chaplain in the history of the US military.
For a woman to have any religious authority in conservative Islamic
cultures is extraordinarily rare, especially when it's authority over
Muslim men. This is why some people familiar with Hosein's case are
speculating that if the Army does make her a chaplain, it could be seen
as
an attempt by the US government to push Islam in a more moderate
direction.
"There is a concern that by making me a chaplain, the Army would be
telling
the conservative Islamic world that the US is trying to change Islam
from
the inside out," Hosein says. "Some Muslims wouldn't understand my role
as
a chaplain, but many others will."
The Army won't talk about Hosein's chaplaincy. But two decision dates
on
Hosein's application have come and gone, and the Army won't say why --
or
tell her when a decision will be made.
Six days after Hosein returned home to Quincy in February from her
pilgrimage, she got a call from a personnel officer at the 94th
Regional
Readiness Command at Fort Devens. Her reserve unit was being activated,
and
she was to report to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. Hosein, who had just
traveled to Mecca to do her duty as a devout Muslim, was about to
return to
the Middle East -- this time as a soldier. "I had 10 days to close out
one
life and begin another," said Hosein as she packed the gear next to her
bunk into green canvas duffels at Fort Bliss. The following day --
March 6
-- Hosein left for Kuwait.
Hosein's job in Kuwait mostly involves personnel management. This, she
says, makes her year-and-a-half deployment a little easier for her
husband,
a mortgage broker in Quincy who converted to Islam to marry her, and
her
daughter, a college student in New York City. But for Hosein, the
deployment only prolongs her anticipation of the Army's final decision.
Some think the Pentagon will tell her she's too old to be an
active-duty
chaplain (she argues that, because of the shortage of priests, the
military
takes Roman Catholic chaplains regardless of their age)...
-----
ANTI-MUSLIM AGITATION A THREAT TO FREEDOM
Parvez Ahmed, Florida Today, 5/6/04
http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/opedstory0504WLETTERS.htm
A democracy that is not mindful of the rights and dignity of its
minorities
can easily descend to being a tyranny of its majority.
Since the ill-fated day of 9-11, Muslims, who are just as American as
anyone else, have been the unfortunate victims of a terrible and
misguided
backlash. Anti-Muslim incidents have been rising at double-digit rates
during the last three years.
U.S. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., claimed American Muslim leaders are "an
enemy
living amongst us" and that "no (American) Muslims" cooperate in the
war on
terror. Recently, Boston radio talk show host Jay Severin urged the
killing
of American Muslims and called them the "fifth column" in America.
These are not isolated exercises in free speech but are part of the
rising
anti-Muslim rhetoric that has received very little repudiation from our
opinion leaders. As a consequence, hate crimes against Muslims continue
to
rise at alarming rates.
The fight against terrorism should be legitimately directed against
those
who seek to terrorize. Guilt by association and vilification of the
faith
of many for the misguided acts of few is un-American and un-patriotic.
Parvez Ahmed is Chairman of Board for the Council on America-Islamic
Relations, Florida.
ALSO SEE:
GRAPHIC PHOTOS MAY BE MORE EVIDENCE OF ABUSE
Christian Davenport, Washington Post, 5/6/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5623-2004May5.html
The collection of photographs begins like a travelogue from Iraq. Here
are
U.S. soldiers posing in front of a mosque. Here is a soldier riding a
camel
in the desert. And then: a soldier holding a leash tied around a man's
neck
in an Iraqi prison. He is naked, grimacing and lying on the floor.
Mixed in with more than 1,000 digital pictures obtained by The
Washington
Post are photographs of naked men, apparently prisoners, sprawled on
top of
one another while soldiers stand around them. There is another
photograph
of a naked man with a dark hood over his head, handcuffed to a cell
door.
And another of a naked man handcuffed to a bunk bed, his arms splayed
so
wide that his back is arched. A pair of women's underwear covers his
head
and face.
The graphic images, passed around among military police who served at
the
Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad, are a new batch of photographs similar to
those broadcast a week ago on CBS's "60 Minutes II" and published by
the
New Yorker magazine. They appear to provide further visual evidence of
the
chaos and unprofessionalism at the prison detailed in a report by Army
Maj.
Gen. Antonio M. Taguba. His report, which relied in part on the
photographs, found "numerous incidents of sadistic, blatant, and wanton
criminal abuses" that were inflicted on detainees.
This group of photographs, taken from the summer of 2003 through the
winter, ranges widely, from mundane images of everyday military life to
pictures showing crude simulations of sex among soldiers. The new
pictures
appear to show American soldiers abusing prisoners, many of whom wear
ID
bands, but The Post could not eliminate the possibility that some of
them
were staged...
---
EX-DETAINEE TELLS OF ANGUISHING TREATMENT AT IRAQ PRISON
Scott Wilson, Washington Post, 5/6/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5673-2004May5.html
BAGHDAD - Hasham Mohsen Lazim traded used tires for a living in the
Shiite
slum of Sadr City. He had been in trouble only once in his life, he
said, a
desperate time six years ago when he deserted Saddam Hussein's army to
support his wife and four small children.
Then on one warm night in August, a taxi ride home ended in a U.S. Army
holding cell, the first stop in what he described as a hellish
four-month
journey through the U.S. military prison system in Iraq. His experience
veered between anguish and confusion, abuse and fury, before
culminating in
a series of pictures, broadcast worldwide in recent days, that
memorialized
his 24-day stay in the grimmest precincts of Abu Ghraib prison.
"Something awful happened to me," Lazim said during a two-hour
interview
broken by long pauses of silent despair. "I will never forget it until
the
day I die."
Lazim, 34, was prisoner No. 15227, according to his release papers. He
said
he was one of the hooded men in the photographs taken inside an Abu
Ghraib
cellblock that have generated worldwide revulsion. Although his
identity
could not be confirmed from the photographs, his account was supported
by a
friend from the prison, Hayder Sabbar Abd, who said he experienced the
same
treatment and could identify both himself and American guards from the
photos. Lazim's papers show that he was in Abu Ghraib when the abuses
occurred late last year.
Now, months later, Lazim has completed a course in Jordan to become an
officer in the new U.S.-sponsored Iraqi police force. His uniform hangs
at
home as he awaits orders for where to report. He will be joining a
force
the U.S. occupation authority is counting on to help stabilize the
country.
Lazim said he was arrested last August after a taxi, in which he and a
neighbor were riding, broke down on Canal Street in Baghdad, just a few
blocks from the off-ramp that would have taken them home. U.S. soldiers
approached and searched the taxi. In the trunk, they discovered a
pistol
and other weapons that Lazim said he could not see.
Soldiers placed hoods and handcuffs on the men, then took them to a
former
cigarette factory being used as a military base. When asked by a U.S.
soldier -- through an interpreter with Syrian-accented Arabic -- who
owned
the guns, the taxi driver acknowledged that they were his, Lazim said.
He
said he was expecting a speedy release...
---
DETAINEES' ABUSE CALLED ILLEGAL, IMMORAL
Amy Driscoll and Daniel de Vise, Miami Herald, 5/5/04
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/nation/8600838.htm
Iraqi detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison don't fall under the rules
that
apply to prisoners of war, but the abuse from U.S. troops still
violates
the most basic rules of international law and military engagement,
experts
said Wednesday.
''This stuff crossed the line -- it's both immoral and illegal,'' said
Robert K. Goldman, professor of law at American University in
Washington, D.C.
''If these are peaceable civilians -- and I understand most of them are
--
they are entitled to protection under the Geneva Conventions,'' he
said.
``Even if they were part of the resistance, they are protected. You
can't
beat them up, you can't humiliate them. You're not supposed to torture,
no
matter what.''
Labeled Wednesday as ''abhorrent'' by President Bush, treatment of the
prisoners became the subject of international outrage after the first
pictures of the abuse surfaced a week ago. The photos, showing American
GIs
grinning over nude prisoners, sparked calls for a Senate resolution to
condemn the abuses...
---
U.S. TROOPS SAID TO MISTREAT ELDER IRAQI
Sue Leeman, Associated Press, 5/5/04
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=518&u=/ap/20040505/ap_on_re_eu/britain_iraq_us_prisoner_abuse&printer=1
LONDON - U.S. soldiers who detained an elderly Iraqi woman last year
placed
a harness on her, made her crawl on all fours and rode her like a
donkey,
Prime Minister Tony Blair's personal human rights envoy to Iraq (news -
web
sites) said Wednesday.
The envoy, legislator Ann Clwyd, said she had investigated the claims
of
the woman in her 70s and believed they were true.
During five visits to Iraq in the last 18 months, Clwyd said, she
stopped
at British and U.S. jails, including Abu Ghraib, and questioned
everyone
she could about the woman's claims. But she did not say whether the
people
questioned included U.S. forces or commanders.
Asked for details, Clwyd said during a telephone interview with The
Associated Press that she "didn't want to harp on the case because as
far
as I'm concerned it's been resolved."
Clwyd, 67, is a veteran politician of the governing Labour Party and a
strong Blair supporter who regularly visits Iraq and reports back on
issues
such as human rights, the delivery of food and medical supplies to
Iraqis,
and Iraq's Kurdish minority. Her job as Blair's human rights envoy is
unpaid and advisory.
Clwyd said the Iraqi woman was arrested in Iraq in July and accused of
having links to a former member of Saddam Hussein's regime — a charge
she
denied.
The abuse occurred last year in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison and at
another
coalition detention center, Clwyd said...
---
'I WAS TORTURED FOR DAYS BY AMERICAN SOLDIERS'
New Ind Press, 5/5/04
http://www.newindpress.com/Newsitems.asp?ID=IEH20040504132640&Title=Top%2BStories&Topic=0&Full%7EStory
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 32-year-old Indian butcher is finally back home,
after slaving away for nine months in a US military camp in Iraq where
he
ended up although travel agents had promised him a job in Kuwait.
Aliyarkunju Faizal is today grateful to god for saving him from what he
says was a nightmarish experience from which he feared he would never
be
able to escape.
Faizal told IANS in a telephonic interview that he was kicked and
beaten by
American soldiers who forced him to work for long hours daily and made
him
cook pork in violation of his Islamic beliefs.
Stung by the charges, the US embassy in New Delhi promised to
investigate
the allegations of torture and illegal detention of Indian workers by
the
US military in Iraq.
"We are looking into them," an embassy spokesman told IANS. "We take
all
reports of abuse seriously and all allegations of mistreatment are
investigated.
"We are committed to treating all persons under coalition authority
with
dignity, respect and humanity."
But the embassy's comments are no relief to Faisal, whose story began
some
10 months ago when he left for Kuwait after paying Rs.75,000 for a
visa. It
was a princely sum he raised by selling his wife's jewellery in the
hope of
making a decent income in Kuwait. But once Faizal, who hails from
Chathanoor near Kollam, reached Kuwait he was told that he would have
to
work in Iraq.
"I had no option but to listen to what my employer told me. I was not
alone; there were three other youths from my village too...
---
CONYERS LETTER TO BUSH CALLING FOR RUMSFELD’S RESIGNATION
Dear Mr. President:
I write to request that you immediately ask Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld for his resignation for his role in the utter mismanagement of
the
war in Iraq. At the outset, I must stress that the Defense Secretary's
resignation will not in any way discount your own potential culpability
in
this matter. You have not been reluctant to burnish you credentials as
Commander-in-Chief, or the uniform of the military, when it has been to
your political benefit to do so. Now, when accountability is needed,
the
responsibility for the conduct of this war lays squarely on your
shoulders. It is apparent that the conduct of the Department of
Defense
in managing the situation in Iraq since the fall of Bagdad exceeds
incompetence and is a complete failure of leadership. It is also
evident
that there was little if any post war planning on the part of Secretary
Rumsfeld and the Pentagon. This failure is morally reprehensible as it
which continues to cost the lives of American soldiers and innocent
Iraqis.
The most recent instance of incompetence was Secretary Rumfeld's
knowledge
of these allegations of abuse since January and his refusal to make
Congress or the President aware of these horrendous abuses until last
week. It is my opinion that the American public is being ill-served by
Secretary Rusted and the Pentagon. Moreover, it has recently come to
light that Pentagon officials are investigating 35 possible instances
of
abuse by US personnel, and the Los Angeles Times has reported 25 Iraqi
and
Afghan prisoners have died in US Custody in the last 17 months. In
addition, I believe it is imperative that a full inquiry into the abuse
take place. We must not stop with only the actual perpetrators of
these
horrendous events, it is imperative that bring actions against those
military leaders who allowed this culture of abuse to continue.
It is clear that months ago, senior military and Bush administration
officials were warned that immediate action was needed to address the
treatment of captives and enemy soldiers at prisons like Abu Ghraib in
Iraq and nothing was done. This failure has placed our troops at
greater
risk as the horrific images of Abu Gharib have produced greater
antipathy
toward our troops and threaten to incite even greater violence in the
region.
In less than three years, your administration has managed to destroy
all of
the good will that was extended to our nation in the wake of the
tragedy of
the September 11th attacks. To the people of Iraq, we are seen as
occupiers. To the people of the Arab world, we are no longer a beacon
of
hope. To people of Arab heritage in this country, we have changed what
we
represent as a nation.
In the 2000 Presidential campaign, you swore you would restore "honor
and
dignity" to the White House. The honor and dignity of our nation, and
its
standing in the world, dictate that you take immediate action.
Secretary
Rumsfeld has failed the American public, our military and the world and
he
must tender his resignation.
---
NCC Expresses Sadness, Indignation at Mounting Death Toll, Chaos in
Iraq
5/5/04
New York City -- The National Council of Churches USA is watching with
growing sadness and indignation the devolution of the crisis in Iraq
into
increasing chaos. This chaos is marked by a mounting death toll of
United
States soldiers, Iraqi civilians, and others; the continuing civil
unrest
throughout Iraq; uncertainty as to Iraqi leadership after the
transition on
June 30; little and only begrudging change in posture on the part of
the
United States with regard to the international community’s role in
Iraq;
and now the devastating report of the humiliation and torture of Iraqi
prisoners by U.S. military personnel.
The United States ostensibly went to war in Iraq as a part of its war
on
terror. No matter what one thinks of the war on terror as the guiding
principle of U.S. foreign policy, its primary goal of eradicating
terrorism
as an imminent threat against people of goodwill throughout the world
requires the cooperation of most, if not all, countries in the world.
How can Americans expect such cooperation when our actions can only be
met
with revulsion? Indeed, our actions have resulted, not only in the
squandering of the universal goodwill enjoyed by the U.S. in the wake
of
the 9/11 attacks, but also in the alienation of many around the world
who
once saw American democracy as something to be emulated. How else to
assess
the damage done by the unilateral invasion of Iraq, the deprival of due
process for more than 600 people imprisoned at Guantanamo, the closing
down
of an Iraqi newspaper, the appalling mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners?
The common cause that all countries should share in the war against
terror
is overtaken by resentment against the United States for what is seen
as a
betrayal of its own ideals. Unfortunately, the photographic emblem of
this
war will not be the tearing down of Saddam Hussein’s statue by
Americans
and Iraqis in joint celebration; it will be the pyramid of naked Iraqi
prisoners being taunted by U.S. soldiers in a moment of moral
bankruptcy...
Media Contact: Carol Fouke, 212-870-2252; cfouke@ncccusa.org
-----
BUSH BACKS OFF FROM CONCESSIONS TO ISRAEL
Barry Schweid, Associated Press, 5/6/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4061226,00.html
WASHINGTON - President Bush, responding to complaints in the Arab
world,
urged Israel on Thursday to withdraw from the territory it captured in
the
1967 Mideast war.
After meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, Bush did not repeat the
assurances he gave Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon last month that
he
supports Israel's retention of some settlements on the West Bank as
part of
an overall agreement with the Palestinians.
Bush said at a joint news conference with the king that all such issues
must be negotiated against the backdrop of U.N. Security Council
resolutions from 1967 and 1973 that called on Israel to withdraw from
captured land.
``The United States will not prejudice the outcome of those
negotiations,''
Bush said. Only a few weeks, the president publicly supported Israel's
retention of some population clusters on the West Bank and opposition
of
the settlement of Palestinian refugees in Israel.
Abdullah said Israel must withdraw to the borders it held before the
1967
war. Jordan lost the West Bank and East Jerusalem while Egypt lost Gaza
during that conflict.
``All final status issues should be a matter for the parties to
decide,''
Abdullah said.
ALSO SEE:
BUSH TO APPEAR ON CHRISTIAN TV FOR PRAYER DAY;
Alan Cooperman, Washington Post, 5/6/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5572-2004May5.html
President Bush's participation in a National Day of Prayer ceremony
with
evangelical Christian leaders at the White House will be shown tonight,
for
the first time in prime-time viewing hours, on Christian cable and
satellite TV outlets nationwide.
For Bush, the broadcast is an opportunity to address a sympathetic
evangelical audience without the risk of alienating secular or
non-Christian viewers, because it will not be carried in full by the
major
television networks. Frank Wright, president of the National
Association of
Religious Broadcasters, said more than a million evangelicals are
expected
to see the broadcast.
Some civil liberties groups and religious minorities charged that the
National Day of Prayer has lost its nonpartisan veneer and is being
turned
into a platform for evangelical groups to endorse Bush -- and vice
versa.
"Over the years, the National Day of Prayer has gradually been adopted
more
and more by the religious right, and this year in particular there is
such
an undercurrent of partisanship because for the first time they are
broadcasting Bush's message in an election year," said the Rev. Barry
W.
Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church
and
State.
The event's organizers denied that it amounts to a tacit political
endorsement...
She also made no apologies about the exclusion of Muslims and others
outside of the "Judeao-Christian tradition" from ceremonies planned by
the
task force on Capitol Hill and in state capitals across the country.
"They
are free to have their own national day of prayer if they want to," she
said. "We are a Christian task force."
The White House press office and presidential adviser Karl Rove's
office
did not respond to calls seeking comment on the National Day of Prayer
observances.
Organizers said some Jewish rabbis, Catholic clergy and mainline
Protestants have been invited to the congressional and White House
ceremonies. But the exclusion of religious minorities has led to
protests
in several cities.
In Salt Lake City, Mormons have complained that they are not allowed to
lead prayers during the local observance.
In Oklahoma City, the Rev. W. Bruce Prescott has planned an interfaith
ceremony on the steps of the state Capitol today to protest the
exclusively
Christian ceremony inside the building. "As a Baptist preacher, it's
hard
for me to protest prayer," he said. "What I'd rather do is see if we
can't
find a way to do it right."
---
BUSH PUSH FOR PATRIOT ACT PROVOKES UNEASE
Amantha Perera, International Press Service, 5/6/04
http://www.ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=23632
LOS ANGELES - Muslim rights groups in the state of California are
watching
nervously as President George W Bush increasingly talks of renewing the
Patriot Act, a mainstay of his ”war on terrorism”, as he campaigns for
the
November presidential election.
Soon after the 342-page act became law in October 2001, 45 days after
the
Sep. 11 terrorist attacks, Muslim groups across the country complained
of
harassment of their community members as officials began to strictly
enforce a ”special registration procedure” for immigrants.
For instance, Muhammad Bachir, a U.S. permanent resident for 23 years,
was
asked to report for registration in February 2002. But when he showed
up,
Bachir, who is of Palestinian origin, was jailed at the San Pedro
federal
detention centre in Southern California for failure to appear for a
July
2001 interview, although he had informed authorities that he was unable
to
appear for medical reasons.
When he was finally released in New York 18 months later, in August
2003,
Bachir had spent time in 17 detention centres across the country. He
was
never charged with a crime.
”They were obsessed with me. I was outspoken. I called the media and
human
rights organisations, accusing the government of (racial) profiling. I
went
on a hunger strike,” California's Senate Office of Research quotes
Bachir
in a report on the impact of the Patriot Act on the Muslim community.
Bachir was also privately informed by an immigration officer that
authorities were aware of his hospitalisation at the time of the first
missed interview.
”The 'war on terror' is a war, really, on a community that is being
connected to the (9/11) highjackers,” Sireen Sawaf, hate crime
prevention
coordinator of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) in Los Angeles
told
IPS.
The special registration programme ordered immigrants from various
countries to register with authorities. But Muslim community groups say
it
was specifically aimed at Muslims. ”There was a selective enforcement
of
the law,” says Hussan Ayloush executive director of the Council of
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in southern California...
-----
FAITH SPROUTS IN ARID SOIL OF CHINA
Howard W. French, New York Times, 5/6/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/06/international/asia/06chin.html?ex=1084420800&en=00e7279f456860d0&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE
MAJIAZHUANG, China - They gathered under a blazing midday sun, raptly
observing as four men in skullcaps held down the bull in preparation
for
its sacrifice. Little girls stood wide-eyed, while boys tried to appear
unfazed, and the wizened grandmothers who, having seen such things
countless times, were abuzz instead about the rare appearance of
foreigners
in their hamlet.
The guest of honor, the sheik, or spiritual leader for a large Muslim
population concentrated here in the arid, landlocked region of Ningxia,
glanced anxiously at his watch, hoping the butcher would arrive so that
he
could get on with his busy schedule.
The butcher arrived, and within minutes his deed was done, his red
blade
thrust into the soil as the bull's life drained into a shallow pit. The
sacrifice of a sheep followed. Moments later, as all were seated for a
feast in memory of an elder who had died, the sheik whispered to a
visitor:
"Don't eat too much. There will be a feast in the next village, too."
Asked as he piled into his chauffeur-driven, four-wheel-drive vehicle
if he
presided at ceremonies like this every weekend, the 39-year-old Muslim
leader who bears the title sheik, but prefers to go by his name, Hong
Yang,
issued a world-weary sigh. "I do it every day," he said. Then he drove
off.
As the leader of the Kufiya sect, more than a million strong, Mr. Hong
is
responsible for adjudicating local disputes, charity, patronage and, of
course, matters of the faith. Communist ideology holds that religion
would
wither, but as a precaution, under Mao's rule it was actively
suppressed.
These days, signs of religious revival abound in China, perhaps nowhere
more than among the country's largest Muslim minority, the Hui, who are
historically centered in this area of north-central China, where
Persians
and Arabs migrated in the seventh century, intermarrying with local
populations. But the limits on Islam and other faiths enforced by the
government remain strict and carefully observed...
ALSO SEE:
RELIGIONS AT WAR IN NIGERIA - CHRISTIAN LEADER
Tom Ashby, Reuters, 5/6/04
LAGOS - A Nigerian Christian leader said on Thursday the killing of
hundreds of Muslims by Christian militia in the town of Yelwa on Sunday
was
the product of "a state of war" between the two faiths in Africa's most
populous nation.
The conflict between the Christian Tarok and the Muslim Fulani is
patently
about their competing claims over the fertile farmlands of Plateau
state in
central Nigeria, but religious leaders and academics said it fed an
already
strong trend of religious hatred in the impoverished oil exporting
country.
"What we have is a state of war," said Sam Kujiyat, head of the
Christian
Association of Nigeria in the northern city of Kaduna.
The West African country is a battleground for the world's two main
religions, which share roughly equally its population of 130 million
people.
Religious violence has killed at least 5,000 people since 2000, when 12
northern states predominantly inhabited by Muslims established Islamic
Sharia law.
On Sunday, hundreds of Christian Tarok militia invaded the town of
Yelwa,
sealed off roads to town with felled trees, and killed hundreds of
Fulaniwith machine guns and machetes.
A Muslim community leader said 630 bodies had been buried in teh town.
Abdullahi D. Abdullahi showed a Reuters correspondent a foul-smelling
area
of freshly turned earth where he said the bodies had been buried.
-----
MUSLIM WORKER IN TEXAS DENIED FRENCH VISA OVER HEAD SCARF
Islamic civil rights groups calls visa policy 'discriminatory'
(HOUSTON, TX, 5/06/2004) - The Houston office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston) today called on the French
Consulate in that city to reverse its refusal to grant a visa to a
Muslim
woman who wears a religiously-mandated head scarf.
A consulate official told CAIR-Houston it is "against French law" for
the
Bangladeshi Muslim woman who works in Texas to wear an Islamic head
scarf
in her visa photograph. (The website of the consulate only mentions a
"passport size photograph" of visa applicants and does not specify or
prohibit any type of attire.) The French government recently passed
legislation that prohibits Muslim students from wearing Islamic head
scarves in public schools, but the law made no mention of official
photographs.
"We now see that France's discriminatory policies are reaching beyond
national boards to impact the religious rights of Muslims worldwide,"
said
CAIR-Houston Communications Director Najat Elsayed. "This policy would
in
effect ban any Muslim woman who wears Islamic attire from entering
France
for any reason."
Elsayed called on consulate officials to reverse their refusal to grant
the
woman's visa and to clarify France's official position on the issue.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ms. Najat Elsayed, 713-838-2247 or 832-814-5554, E-Mail:
cair@cairhouston.org or Najat.Elsayed@cairhouston.org
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Fri, 07 May 2004 15:49:17 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Muslim Rapper/Islam and Test-Tube Babies
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/7/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: PRAYER RESTRAINS INJUSTICE
* REASON #15 TO JOIN CAIR - CAIR Documents History
- Library Project Sponsorships: 7450
* CAIR-SFBA RECEIVES AWARD FROM NAACP
- CAIR-NY: Muslim Unity Forum 5/13
* MUSLIM RAPPER: HOLY RIVAL ROLLER (Rocky Mountain Bullhorn)
* THE ISLAMICALLY CORRECT TEST-TUBE BABY (Beliefnet)
* OFFICER ACCUSED OF NY DETAINEE ABUSE PART OF '97 SCANDAL
* TX: MUSLIMS QUESTIONS DENIAL OF VISA OVER HEADSCARF (AP)
- French Deny Visa Over Scarf (Houston Chronicle)
* MORE PHOTOS, VIDEOS COMING IN IRAQ ABUSE SCANDAL (Reuters)
* CAIR REP DISCUSSES IRAQ ABUSE SCANDAL (CNBC)
- Rush: MPs Just 'Blowing Off Steam' (CBS)
- Donald Rumsfeld Should Go (NY Times)
- Rep. Pelosi Calls on Rumsfeld to Resign
- The Military Archipelago (NY Times)
- CAIR-NCA: Abuse Undermines Religious Rhetoric (SF Chron)
- CAIR-FL: Abuse Called Illegal, Immoral (Miami Herald)
- Photos Undermine Bush's Rhetoric (SF Chronicle)
- Iraqi-Americans, Split on Prospects (NY Times)
* UK PAPER PRINTS MORE CLAIMS OF PRISONER ABUSE (AP)
- Red Cross Saw "Widespread Abuse" In Iraq (Reuters)
- Soldiers Back in U.S. Tell of More Iraq Abuses (Reuters)
- Prisoner Abuse Assaults Muslim Values (Newhouse)
* CRESCENT CONCERNS: PROBLEMS FOR U.S. MUSLIMS (Economist)
* DEMOCRACY IS NO CURE-ALL, CAN'T BE IMPOSED (Ottawa Citizen)
* A LOOK AT ISLAM'S PAST FOR BRIGHTER FUTURE (UPI)
- CA: Speaker Discusses Islam Values (Mercury-Register)
* THOUSANDS OF MUSLIMS FLEE NIGERIA TOWN (Reuters)
- Christian Leaders Press Bush on Problems for Holy Land
* TUTWILER'S MISSION IMPOSSIBLE (Wash Times)
* VA MUSLIM KIDS CELEBRATE EARTH DAY
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: PRAYER RESTRAINS INJUSTICE
Prayer restrains [mankind] from shameful and unjust deeds, and
remembrance
of God is the greatest of all deeds.
The Holy Quran, 29:45
------
REASON #15 TO JOIN CAIR - CAIR Documents History
Through our full time research center, CAIR documents the Muslim
experience
in the United States and Canada.
In our new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member at
a
Time," CAIR intends (God Willing) to sign up 25,000 new members by its
10th
year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
Students Click here!
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=33172&page=NB
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7450 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
-----
CAIR-SFBA RECEIVES CIRCLE OF FRIENDS AWARD FROM NAACP
http://www.sanjosenaacp.org/events.html
On Saturday, May 1, the San Jose chapter of the NAACP celebrated the
50th
Anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education in their 52nd Annual
Freedom
and Friendship Gala. For the past century, the Bay Area's NAACP has
been
providing strong leadership in ensuring civil rights for everyone. The
NAACP, America's oldest and largest civil rights organization, has time
and
time again demonstrated their ability to endure through countless
trials
and tribulations.
Today, American Muslims stand in solidarity with the African American
community. In building bridges of unity and understanding, the
NAACP/San
Jose chapter paid tribute to the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of CAIR
(CAIR-SFBA) with a Circle of Friends Award. The NAACP award recognizes
and
honors CAIR's commitment to building a better community for all people.
This is one of many efforts between the two organizations to not only
encourage but strengthen the bonds of inter-community relations.
CONTACT: CAIR-SFBA, 408-986-9874, nocal@cair.com
-----
NY MUSLIM UNITY FORUM
*Muslim Participation In American Society
*Immigrant Employment Rights
*Citizenship and Naturalization
*Your Right to City Services
Health * Education * Public Safety * Social Services
WHEN: May 13, 2004, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
WHERE: Muslim American Society, 1933 Bath Avenue - Brooklyn, NY
LIGHT REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Abdelhafid Djemil - (718) 232-5905
Imman Robin - (718) 643-8000
Mohammed Razvi - (718) 434-3266
Monica Tarazi - (212) 480-2955 NYC
CAIR-NY - (212) 870-2002
CHR, Brooklyn Community Service Center - (718) 722-3130
SPONSORS:
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
American Muslim Law Enforcement Officers Association
Council of Pakistan Organization
Islamic Society of the New York City Fire Department
Muslim American Society
NYC Commission on Human Rights
NY Area Muslim Bar Association
The Arab-American Family Support Center
Council on American Islamic Relations - NY
-----
THE HOLY RIVAL ROLLER
John Hult, Rocky Mountain Bullhorn, 5/7/04
http://www.rockymountainbullhorn.com/Week_35_2004/Music.html
"Islam is not dogmatic," Minneapolis rapper and dedicated Muslim
Brother
Ali says from a cell phone in Los Angeles.
On the surface, that may sound strange. The Islamic faithful are called
upon to follow five distinct pillars: submission to God, charity,
fasting,
a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca and five daily prayers. The
fasting
and charity (Zikat) happen during the month of Ramadan; the prayers are
generally said at the same time each day and usually use the same
words.
Ali, like many Muslims, is happy to explain that it isn't that simple.
"Muslims do not eat pork, but it says in the Qur'an that if you're in a
situation where your life depends on it, then do it-don't die," Ali
says.
As far as fasting goes, pregnant women, the elderly, young children and
the
ill don't fast. When he's on tour, he catches up on days when he
couldn't
fast throughout the year.
"Every single one of those things is in the same verse. God didn't do
this
to put a burden on you," he says.
On the surface, it would seem just as easy to put Brother Ali the
rapper
into a box as it is to wrap Islam in a simple package. But the newest
star
on Atmosphere's Minneapolis-based Rhymesayers label is harder to pin
down
than he ought to be...
-----
THE ISLAMICALLY CORRECT TEST-TUBE BABY
Julia C. Keller, Beliefnet.com, 5/7/04
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/145/story_14537_1.html
Though the President's Council on Bioethics is just beginning to
reevaluate
infertility techniques in the United States, scientists and clerics in
the
Middle East have been on top of the issue ever since the first
"test-tube"
baby was born 25 years ago.
At the annual meeting for the American Association for the Advancement
of
Science in Seattle, Marcia Inhorn, a medical anthropologist from the
University of Michigan, described how, in Middle Eastern countries,
religious edicts (fatwas) rule the reproductive lives of Shiite and
Sunni
Muslim couples who, she said, literally want to make their "test-tube
babies in a religiously correct fashion."
In the conference's topical lecture series, Inhorn, also the director
of
the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies, discussed how
Islamic religious beliefs strictly outline reproductive dos and don'ts,
especially when it comes to in vitro fertilization, or IVF.
Not long after the birth of Louise Brown, the first baby born using IVF
technology, the Grand Sheikh of Egypt's Al-Azhar University issued the
first fatwa concerning assisted reproductive technology. Inhorn said
the
fatwa issued in 1980 "has proved to be truly authoritative and enduring
in
all its main points for most of the Middle Eastern region."
Dr. Gamal Serour, joint founder of Egypt's first IVF clinic that opened
in
1986, outlined the importance of infertility techniques in an e-mail.
"This
technology has been so integral in the Middle East," he wrote.
"Procreation
and continuity of human life is considered of great importance to the
people living in the area."
However, the technology was strictly regulated. Essentially, Inhorn
said in
an interview, the fatwa stated: "IVF was OK to do as long as you were
using
gametes from husband and wife and the embryos were transferred back to
the
same wife..."
-----
OFFICER ACCUSED OF DETAINEE MISTREATMENT WAS IMPLICATED IN 1997
'BADFELLAS'
SCANDAL
Associated Press, 5/7/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-ny--attacks-detainees0507may06,0,6458418.story
NEW YORK - A correction officer implicated in the alleged abuse of
Muslim
detainees at a Brooklyn federal prison was also named in a 1997 scandal
that authorities called the worst corruption case in U.S. prison
history.
Raymond Cotton was named in a federal lawsuit filed Monday by two
Muslim
men, Ehab Elmaghraby and Javaid Iqdal, who said they were abused by him
and
other officers while they were detained at the Metropolitan Detention
Center after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
The lawsuit alleges that Cotton denied detainees medical care and phone
calls; in one case, it charges, he "willfully and maliciously pushed a
pencil into Mr. Elmaghraby's anal cavity" during a strip search, The
New
York Times reported Friday.
Cotton, a 15-year employee of the federal system, was named in 1997
along
with two reputed associates of the Luchese crime family and three
inmates
in a Justice Department complaint resulting from an operation dubbed
'Badfellas.'
Cotton was accused of giving organized crime inmates warnings about
prison
searches, helping them hide contraband he had brought them, and hiding
Italian hero sandwiches, pasta, olive oil and garlic in his office. He
denied the charges.
The lead investigator in that case, Stephen Grogan, now retired, wrote
a
70-page report implicating Cotton in corruption, the Times said...
-----
MUSLIM GROUP QUESTIONS DENIAL OF VISA OVER HEAD SCARF
Associated Press, 5/7/04
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/5/7/latest/17270Muslimgro&sec=latest
HOUSTON - The Houston office of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations
challenged France's denial of a visa to a Bangladeshi Muslim woman
because
she refused to remove her head scarf to have her photograph taken.
On Monday the woman reported that she was unable to attend a business
conference in Paris over the weekend because the French Consulate in
Houston wouldn't let her wear her Islamic head scarf in her visa
photograph.
"This policy would in effect ban any Muslim woman who wears Islamic
attire
from entering France for any reason,'' Najat Elsayed, spokeswoman for
the
Houston chapter of the council, said Thursday.
Veronique Lhemenn, spokeswoman for the French Consulate in Houston,
said
French law forbids any attire from obscuring the view of a person in a
photograph for a visa.
The law applies to all visa applicants of any religion, she said.
France recently banned religious apparel, including Muslim head
scarves,
from being worn in its public schools, a controversial decision that
the
French government said was aimed at safeguarding the country's
secularism.
ALSO SEE:
FRENCH DENY MUSLIM VISA OVER SCARF RULE
Edward Hegstrom, Houston Chronicle, 5/7/04
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2554668
As a devout Muslim and international businesswoman, Nashida Subhi has
worn
her head scarf into corporate offices around the world.
But now she has learned she will no longer be welcome in France unless
she
takes her scarf off for a photograph.
The French Consulate in Houston recently denied Subhi's request for a
visa
to visit the country on business, she said. Subhi was told that French
regulations require her to bare her head for an identifying photograph
--
something she is not willing to do. A representative of the French
Consulate could not be reached for comment Thursday evening.
But the consulate told the Associated Press French law forbids anyone
from
wearing anything that obscures the view of the head in a visa photo.
France, a country with an estimated 5 million Muslims, recently passed
a
controversial law forbidding Muslim girls from wearing head scarves in
public schools. French President Jacques Chirac has argued that Muslims
need to accept that France is a secular society.
Subhi said she found it perplexing that she would be required to take
her
scarf off for a photo. Her religion forbids her from being seen in
public
without a scarf covering her hair...
-----
MORE PHOTOS, VIDEOS IN IRAQ ABUSE SCANDAL-RUMSFELD
Reuters, 5/7/04
WASHINGTON, May 7 (Reuters) - The abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib prison
includes more photographs and videos that are potentially worse than
the
photos shown around the world of smiling American soldiers next to
naked
Iraqi prisoners in humiliating positions, U.S. officials said on
Friday.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, at a Senate Armed Services Committee
hearing, said there were many more photos and videotapes that had not
been
published showing cruel and sadistic acts by U.S. personnel.
"I've said today that there are a lot more photographs and videos that
exist. If these are released to the public, obviously it's going to
make
matters worse. That's just a fact," Rumsfeld said…
-----
CAIR REP DISCUSSES ARAB SENTIMENT ABOUT IRAQI ABUSE SCANDAL
CNBC Capitol Report, 5/6/04
http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/CNBCTV/TV_Info/P10094.asp
ALAN MURRAY, co-host: Welcome back to CAPITAL REPORT.
The photos of Iraqi prisoners abused by US soldiers have elicited lots
of
emotional responses from Americans. But is the Arab world reacting, and
how? Joining me now are Raghida Dergham, correspondent for the Arabic
newspaper Al-Hayat and, in Washington, Nihad Awad from the Council on
American-Islamic Relations.
Thank you both for being with me. Raghida, let me start with you. The
president apologized today. Does that soften the blow at all in the
Arab
world?...
MURRAY: Yeah. Nihad Awad, what do you think? The apology--does that
help?
Mr. NIHAD AWAD - It does help, but I think the Arab world is looking
for
action, not just words. And let's remember that the image of the United
States does not depend only on one action. The unlimited support of the
United States to the state of Israel, the failure so far on the Iraqi
arena
and also what they know about even the situation of Muslims in America
and
the anti-Muslim hate speech that's on the right, all these together
make
the US image in the mind of Muslims and Arabs abroad...
MURRAY: Mr. Awad, the pictures first appeared in the media. But the
criminal investigations began in January, not long after the acts were
committed. So there was a full criminal investigation going on. The
pictures are now being aired. You have the Congress of the United
States
clearly upset, calling Mr. Rumsfeld on the carpet. Doesn't that suggest
to
anyone in the Arab world indications of a society that's willing to try
and
clean up its dirty laundry?
Mr. AWAD: Exactly, and that's why a lot of expectations are there in an
American democracy that with responsibility, there's accountability,
including but not limited to resignation or reprimand of the highest
leadership.
MURRAY: So you think it would help to see heads roll, for somebody to
resign, be fired, to take the responsibility?
Mr. AWAD: Well, they would like to see that nobody is immune from
accountability, including Rumsfeld and his top advisers...
ALSO SEE:
RUSH: MPS JUST 'BLOWING OFF STEAM'
Dick Meyer, CBS News, 5/6/04
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/06/opinion/meyer/main616021.shtml
WASHINGTON - There is one proud and satisfied place where the pictures
and
accounts of the abuse endured by some prisoners at Abu Ghraib cause no
consternation and no outrage: Rush Limbaugh's America, pop. 20 million.
Here's Rush's take, from his Website:
"I'm sorry, folks. I'm sorry. Somebody has to provide a little levity
here.
This is not as serious as everybody is making it out to be. My gosh,
we're
all wringing our hands here. We act like, 'Okay let's just die,' you
know?
'Let's just give up. What can we do to make these people feel better?
Let's
just pull out of there, and let's just go. Let's just become a neutral
country. Let's just do that.' I mean, it's ridiculous. It's outrageous
what's happening here, and it's not -- and it's not because I'm out of
touch; it's because I am in touch, folks, that I can understand. This
is a
pure, media-generated story. I'm not saying it didn't happen; I'm [not]
saying the pictures aren't there, but this is being given more life
than
the Waco invasion got. This is being given more life than almost --
it's
almost become an Oklahoma City-type thing. One more Bush sound bite,
and
the president continued explaining how real democracy works here."
Here's Rush's sociological evaluation of what really happened at Abu
Ghraib, as quoted in a piece in The New Republic on Limbaughism:
"This is no different than what happens at the Skull and Bones
initiation,
and we're going to ruin people's lives over it, and we're going to
hamper
our military effort, and then we are going to really hammer them
because
they had a good time. You know, these people are being fired at every
day.
I'm talking about people having a good time, these people, you ever
heard
of emotional release? You [ever] heard of need to blow some steam off?"
Now, don't you feel like a dopey dittohead for letting a little
outbreak of
prisoner sadism bug you? These were just boys and girls blowing off
steam
during a stressful situation. Let's not make an international incident
out
of it, for crying out loud...
---
DONALD RUMSFELD SHOULD GO
New York Times, 5/7/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/07/opinion/07FRI1.html
There was a moment about a year ago, in the days of "Mission
Accomplished,"
when Donald Rumsfeld looked like a brilliant tactician. American troops
-
the lean, mean fighting machine Mr. Rumsfeld assembled - swept into
Baghdad
with a speed that surprised even the most optimistic hawks. It was
crystal
clear that the Defense Department, not State and certainly not the
United
Nations, would control the start of nation-building. Mr. Rumsfeld, with
his
steely grin and tell-it-like-it-is press conferences, was the closest
thing
to a rock star the Bush cabinet would ever see.
That was then.
It is time now for Mr. Rumsfeld to go, and not only because he bears
personal responsibility for the scandal of Abu Ghraib. That would
certainly
have been enough. The United States has been humiliated to a point
where
government officials could not release this year's international human
rights report this week for fear of being scoffed at by the rest of the
world. The reputation of its brave soldiers has been tarred, and the
job of
its diplomats made immeasurably harder because members of the American
military tortured and humiliated Arab prisoners in ways guaranteed to
inflame Muslim hearts everywhere. And this abuse was not an isolated
event,
as we know now and as Mr. Rumsfeld should have known, given the flood
of
complaints and reports directed to his office over the last year...
---
PELOSI CALLS ON DEFENSE SECRETARY RUMSFELD TO RESIGN
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, 5/6/04
http://democraticleader.house.gov
Washington, D.C. - House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the
following statement today calling for the resignation of Secretary of
Defense Donald Rumsfeld:
"Secretary Rumsfeld's leadership of the Pentagon has unnecessarily
jeopardized the safety of American troops, and it has seriously
undermined
our ability to prosecute the war on terrorism. He has been dismissive
of
international law, of world opinion, and of the Congress. The Pentagon
Secretary Rumsfeld oversees has become an island of unaccountability,
ignoring the Geneva Conventions, our allies, and common sense.
"Most recently, under Secretary Rumsfeld's leadership, Iraqi prisoners
have
been abused by U.S. soldiers and possibly by civilian contractors.
These
abuses -- which have perhaps irreparably undermined our standing in the
Arab world and have indisputably set back the war on terrorism --
occurred
because soldiers were put in situations they were not trained for and
because they did not have proper supervision.
"Secretary Rumsfeld has known about these incidents for months and has
intentionally withheld them from the Congress. He must be held
responsible
for any cover-up. Secretary Rumsfeld says that he still has not read
the
report into the abuses, confirming that stopping them is simply not a
top
priority for him. The sad fact is that the abuses could have been
prevented with proper leadership at the top of the chain of command.
"The Iraq war was planned and conducted by the Department of Defense.
The
DOD insisted on managing postwar Iraq and has failed miserably thus far
at
bringing security and stability to that country because of its failure
to
plan adequately. As a result, our troops still do not have the crucial
equipment and training they need. Tragically, up to 25 percent of
casualties in Iraq could have been prevented if our troops had been
properly equipped, according to a recent report commissioned by
Secretary
Rumsfeld's own Pentagon.
"Secretary Rumsfeld has been and is in denial about Iraq. Today, U.S.
soldiers are suffering great casualties and injuries, and American
taxpayers are paying an enormous price because Donald Rumsfeld has done
a
poor job as Secretary of Defense. Secretary Rumsfeld must resign."
---
THE MILITARY ARCHIPELAGO
New York Times, 5/7/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/07/opinion/07FRI2.html
The road to Abu Ghraib began, in some ways, in 2002 at Guant�namo Bay.
It
was there that the Bush administration began building up a worldwide
military detention system, deliberately located on bases outside
American
soil and sheltered from public visibility and judicial review. The
administration shunned the scrutiny of independent rights monitors like
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. It presumed that
suspected
agents of terrorism did not deserve normal legal protections, and it
presumed that American officials could always tell a terrorist from an
innocent bystander.
So far as we know, the psycho-sexual humiliations that military jailers
inflicted on Iraqi detainees last year at Abu Ghraib have no parallels
in
American-run prisons elsewhere. Nevertheless, accounts from former
prisoners at other military detention sites - including smaller holding
centers in Iraq, the main Afghan prison at Bagram Air Base near Kabul,
and
Guant�namo itself - suggest there has been systemic, gratuitous
brutality
against people who in many cases are not clearly guilty of any crimes.
In
one chilling indication of the extent of the problem, the Pentagon said
this week that 25 Iraqi and Afghan war detainees had died in American
custody in the past 17 months.
The interrogation and detention methods that the Pentagon acknowledges
having regularly used include forms of physical and psychological abuse
that violate American values, international standards of human dignity
and
the lawful rules of war. These include sleep deprivation and forcing
prisoners' bodies into "stress positions" for hours at a time. Until
recently, detainees were commonly interrogated with hoods over their
heads.
Stripping them naked was permitted so long as a general signed off on
the
request. Judging from the photos, that wasn't much of a barrier.
Accounts of sickening abuses have been published in the pages of this
and
other newspapers for months, largely based on the testimony of
detainees
who were ultimately found to pose no threat and were released.
Reputable
international human rights groups have issued reports pointing to
unacceptable treatment of detainees.
President Bush said he had been kept in the dark about the pictures of
the
Abu Ghraib abuse until they were broadcast on CBS last week. But if Mr.
Bush was unaware, it was only of the fact that there were pictures. We
now
know that that he and senior administration officials were told months
ago
of concerns about the severe mistreatment of detainees in Iraq. The
administration has shown little interest in addressing these problems,
and
there has been little political will elsewhere to pressure the Pentagon
to
clean up its act. That must now change...
---
ABUSE PHOTOS UNDERMINE BUSH'S RELIGIOUS RHETORIC
Don Lattin, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/7/04
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/05/07/MNGV66H4IU1.DTL
The abuse of Iraqi prisoners by some U.S. soldiers points to the danger
of
President Bush describing the occupation of Iraq and the war on terror
as
battles between forces of good and the "evildoers" of the world,
religious
leaders say.
Even before compromising photos of nude and hooded prisoners surfaced
in
the news media, some mainline Protestant and American Muslim leaders
had
criticized the president for a series of speeches that appeared to say
that
God was on the side of America.
"We question that kind of theology -- putting 'good' on us and 'evil'
on
the other," said Antonios Kireopoulous, the associate general secretary
for
international affairs at the National Council of Churches, the major
ecumenical agency in the United States.
"Seeing these photos of prisoner abuse puts the lie to that," he said
in an
interview Thursday. "It shows the crack in that kind of thinking."
In his remarks Thursday marking the annual National Day of Prayer,
President Bush showed new caution in his use of religious language.
"God is
not on the side of any nation," he said during the White House
gathering.
"He finds his children within every culture and every tribe," the
president
added...
The most controversial comments about God's role in the Iraq war have
come
from Army Lt. Gen. William Boykin, the president's deputy
undersecretary
for intelligence.
Referring to an encounter he had with a Muslim general in Somalia,
Boykin
said, "I knew that my God was a real God, and his was an idol."
As for the war on terror, the general told a church group, "We are an
army
of God raised up for such a time as this."
The comments offended many Muslims, including Helal Omeira, the
Northern
California director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Omeira also has been shocked by the abusive photos coming out of Iraq
in
the past week, but has urged his fellow Muslims not to overreact.
"Blaming Americans for the actions of a few soldiers," he said, "is the
same as blaming all Muslims for 9/11..."
---
DETAINEES' ABUSE CALLED ILLEGAL, IMMORAL
Amy Driscoll and Danile de Vise, Miami Herald, 5/6/04
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/world/8604609.htm
Iraqi detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison don't fall under the rules
that
apply to prisoners of war, but the abuse from U.S. troops still
violates
the most basic rules of international law and military engagement,
experts
said Wednesday.
''This stuff crossed the line -- it's both immoral and illegal,'' said
Robert K. Goldman, professor of law at American University in
Washington, D.C.
''If these are peaceable civilians -- and I understand most of them are
--
they are entitled to protection under the Geneva Conventions,'' he
said.
''Even if they were part of the resistance, they are protected. You
can't
beat them up, you can't humiliate them. You're not supposed to torture,
no
matter what.''
Labeled Wednesday as ''abhorrent'' by President Bush, treatment of the
prisoners became the subject of international outrage after the first
pictures of the abuse surfaced a week ago. The photos, showing American
GIs
grinning over nude prisoners, sparked calls for a Senate resolution to
condemn the abuses...
Ahmed allows that this violation of Muslim and Arab standards by the
American soldiers may have resulted from ''gross ignorance or prejudice
or
stupidity.'' But the more common view, among several Islamic scholars
interviewed Wednesday, was that the soldiers and their overseers knew
the
symbolic meaning of the sexual acts and meant to exploit it, presumably
to
''break'' the captives so that they would talk.
''American soldiers are well-versed,'' said Altaf Ali, Florida
spokesman
for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. ''They are well-trained.
They have been in Iraq for over a year now. They understand the Muslim
religion...''
---
IRAQI-AMERICANS, SPLIT ON PROSPECTS, SEE LITTLE PROGRESS BACK HOME
John M. Broder, New York Times, 5/7/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/07/national/07VOIC.html
ALHAMBRA, Calif. - The pictures of American troops sexually humiliating
and
physically abusing Iraqi prisoners at a Baghdad prison left Hanaa
al-Wardi
shaking in fury and disgust.
Mrs. al-Wardi, a microbiologist and artist who left Iraq in the early
1970's and now lives in Southern California, said she held President
Bush
to blame not only for the horrors at Abu Ghraib prison, but also for
the
failure to restore stability and basic services in Iraq, where many of
her
relatives live. She wishes the same humiliation on the president that
was
visited upon the Iraqi prisoners.
"The only way this feeling is going to be calmed is when I see Bush,
Cheney
and Wolfowitz naked with bags on their heads," she said. "You might
think
this is really harsh, but they deserve it. To treat the Iraqi people as
totally subhuman, that's not right. Especially if you go in on the
pretext
that you are going to liberate them, give them a better life, give them
freedom."
Mrs. al-Wardi, one of an estimated 50,000 Iraqis in the United States,
is
not alone in her anger and revulsion. Even some who supported the war
and
still hope the occupation can lead to a free and democratic Iraq share
her
views. Interviews with a dozen Iraqi-Americans in Los Angeles and
Detroit,
two of the nation's largest Iraqi emigre communities, show a split on
long-range prospects for Iraq. But there was virtual unanimity among
those
interviewed that the Bush administration had badly botched the job
since
the fall of Baghdad a little more than a year ago...
-----
PAPER PRINTS MORE CLAIMS OF PRISONER ABUSE
Beth Gardiner, Associated Press, 5/7/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4063666,00.html
LONDON - In the latest report of abuse of Iraqi prisoners, a tabloid
newspaper said Friday that British soldiers punched and kicked Iraqi
prisoners and one corporal poked a detainee's eyes until the man
screamed.
The Daily Mirror quoted an unidentified British soldier as saying he
saw
four brutal beatings of prisoners during his deployment in southern
Iraq.
The man reportedly said British troops regularly placed sandbags over
captives' heads and hit their faces, and that officers sanctioned such
actions.
British authorities are investigating photos published in the Daily
Mirror
last week allegedly showing British soldiers threatening and urinating
on
prisoners in Iraq. The authenticity of those photographs has been
questioned, but the newspaper insists they are genuine.
Those photos come amid a major scandal over photos of U.S. troops
tormenting and humiliating their prisoners at the notorious Abu Ghraib
prison outside Baghdad.
The Ministry of Defense said Thursday that it was questioning the man,
whom
the Daily Mirror identified only as ``Soldier C...''
ALSO SEE:
RED CROSS SAW "WIDESPREAD ABUSE" IN IRAQ-WSJ
Reuters, 5/7/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5073940
GENEVA - The Red Cross discovered "serious violations" of the rights of
Iraqi prisoners, with abuse so widespread it may be considered to have
been
tolerated by the U.S.-led coalition, the Wall Street Journal said on
Friday.
In a confidential 24-page document, which was seen by the financial
newspaper, the International Committee of the Red Cross said treatment
in
some cases was "tantamount to torture," particularly when interrogators
were seeking information or confessions.
An official at the Geneva-based ICRC said the document, covering the
period
March-November 2003, was genuine, adding that the leak was a "major
breakdown in confidentiality."
In a rare break with its normal practice, the ICRC said that it would
release the full text at a 1400 GMT news conference.
The use of ill-treatment "went beyond exceptional cases and might be
considered a practice tolerated" by coalition forces, the newspaper
quoted
the ICRC as saying.
That differs sharply from the view of senior officials in the
administration of U.S. President George W. Bush that military
higher-ups
had not condoned abuse, the newspaper said.
In the report, the ICRC said prisoners at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison
were
held in empty cells naked and beaten by soldiers. Three former military
policemen at the prison told Reuters on Thursday that abuse was
commonplace.
The aid group also said coalition forces fired on unarmed prisoners
from
watchtowers and killed some of them, as well as committing "serious
violations" of the Geneva Conventions governing treatment of war
prisoners,
the Journal said...
---
SOLDIERS BACK IN U.S. TELL OF MORE IRAQ ABUSES
Adam Tanner, Reuters, 5/6/04
http://www.maconareaonline.com/news.asp?id=6761
ANTIOCH, California - Three U.S. military policemen who served at
Baghdad's
Abu Ghraib prison said on Thursday they had witnessed unreported cases
of
prisoner abuse and that the practice against Iraqis was commonplace.
"It is a common thing to abuse prisoners," said Sgt. Mike Sindar, 25,
of
the Army National Guard's 870th Military Police Company based in the
San
Francisco Bay area. "I saw beatings all the time.
"A lot of people had so much pent-up anger, so much aggression," he
said.
Sindar and the other military policemen, who have returned to
California
from Iraq, spoke in interviews with Reuters.
U.S. treatment of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib has stirred wide
international condemnation after the publication of photos in recent
days
showing Americans sexually humiliating prisoners. Six soldiers in Iraq
have
been charged in the case and President George W. Bush apologized
publicly
on Thursday.
Although public attention has focused on the dehumanizing photos, some
members of the 870th MP unit say the faces in those images were not the
only ones engaged in cruel behavior.
"It was not just these six people," said Sindar, the group's nuclear,
biological and chemical weapons specialist. "Yes, the beatings happen,
yes,
all the time..."
---
PRISONER ABUSE ASSAULTS MUSLIM VALUES
Mark O'Keefe, Newhouse News Service, 5/7/04
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1083922320105080.xml
As soon as Ingrid Mattson saw the photo of the smiling American woman
soldier pointing at the genitals of a hooded, naked Iraqi prisoner, she
knew it would touch a deep, inner chord in Muslims, no matter where
they were.
That image and others like it assault on a visceral level core Islamic
values such as modesty and dignity while evoking feelings of
humiliation
that non-Muslims may not fully understand, according to Mattson and
other
scholars of Islam.
"This is definitely symbolic," said Mattson, a professor of Islamic
studies
at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. "This soldier is symbolic of
American
force and the prisoner is symbolic of Muslim peoples. For the broader
Muslim public, this will be a symbol of the subjugation and rape of
Muslim
lands."
"That picture will become the recruiting poster of radicals trying to
attack the West," said Akbar Ahmed, a professor of Islamic studies at
American University in Washington, D.C. "If Osama bin Laden had come to
Madison Avenue and asked for an advertising image to help him recruit,
this
would be it."
In the United States, the full power of the images are only beginning
to be
realized, said Ahmed, an anthropologist trained in semiotics, the study
of
signs and symbols, and author of "Islam Under Siege: Living Dangerously
in
a Post-Honor World..."
-----
CRESCENT CONCERNS: PROBLEMS FOR MUSLIMS IN AMERICA
Economist, 5/6/04
http://www.economist.com/
AMID all the accusations about America's human-rights record in Iraq
and
Guant�namo Bay, defenders of the administration have often pointed to
the
general lack of discrimination against Muslims at home. After September
11th, George Bush went out of his way to defend American Muslims. Yet
complaints about harassment and discrimination in America are growing.
The latest evidence comes from the Council on American-Islamic
Relations
(CAIR). Last year, that civil-rights group received 1,019 "credible"
reports of anti-Muslim discrimination-compared with just 602 in 2002.
The
incidents, detailed in a report released this week, range from
religious
slurs and refusals by schools and employers to allow women to wear the
hejab headscarf, to people vandalizing mosques and physical attacks on
Muslims. A third of the complaints cited government agencies, such as
the
police, as the offending party, and almost a quarter of the reports
came
from California.
The increase is partly due to CAIR's expanded monitoring of such
complaints. But Mohamed Nimer, the organization's research director,
thinks
the rise is largely attributable to other factors, including the war in
Iraq and anti-Muslim rhetoric, particularly from the religious right
and on
talk radio. The report also criticizes the USA Patriot Act, the Bush
administration's main anti-terrorism law, which many Muslims claim is
discriminatory...
-----
DEMOCRACY IS NO CURE-ALL, AND CAN'T BE IMPOSED BY FORCE
Gamal Solaiman, Ottawa Citizen, 5/7/04
http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/index.html
In a recent column ("East is East," April 25), David Warren asked for a
"well-informed imam" to buttress several points he has raised in his
premise that democracy and Islam are at loggerheads. I shall try to do
the
best I can.
While I do not possess the broad and in-depth knowledge that Mr. Warren
has
attained and expresses well in his columns of late about Islam, I can
only
explain my narrow parochial view gained through researching my
doctorate in
Islamic jurisprudence at the University of Exeter in England.
The Islamic court system is what Mr. Warren thinks is a stumbling block
to
democracy in the Muslim World. Shariah has its roots in the Covenant
Patriarch Abraham made with God. Even the word Canon is derived from
the
Arabic word for law, Qanun.
Shariah, the law, is inherent principles of Islam and should not be
confused with Fiqh, the Islamic jurisprudence or the humane application
of
Shariah justice -- no eye for an eye in Islam. If a starving person
steals
to quell pangs of hunger, he or she cannot be punished under Fiqh.
If Shariah were that bad, why then in some Muslim countries do minority
Christians opt for it as being fairer than a civil code available to
them
exclusively for relief and redress?
Contrarily, the premise that Muslims cannot accept non-Muslim civil
authority is also erroneous. There are more than 60 million Muslims in
China, and 150 million in India where some hold high positions in
politics,
government and the military, unlike in the democratic West...
-----
A LOOK AT ISLAM'S PAST FOR BRIGHTER FUTURE
Claude Salhani, United Press International, 5/7/04
WASHINGTON- At a time of great turmoil in the Arab world, the wives of
Arab
ambassadors in Washington have undertaken an offensive of culture and
charm
in order to project a more positive image of their turbulent part of
the world.
Before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, most Americans knew very little of
the
Arab world. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, they got to know
mostly
its negative side. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the
continuing war on terrorism and its repercussions both in the United
States
and abroad did not much help Arab-American or Muslim-American
relations.
The Arab ambassadors' wives would now like to try and change that
downbeat
view of the Arab world by promoting a month-long series of cultural
activities, showing a very different face of Islam and the Middle East
to
America. The ladies make it very clear, however, that they want to stay
away from politics, focusing purely on the cultural aspect of the
event.
With a smile, they say they want to leave the politics to their
husbands,
the ambassadors.
Drawing on past history of Islam's golden era of Al-Andalus, which
thrived
in Moorish Spain from the 8th to the 15th century, the Arab
ambassadors'
wives want to show how the three Abrahamic faiths -- Judaism,
Christianity
and Islam -- that once lived in peace, can again "live together and
coexist
in perfect harmony," explains Nermin Fahmy, the wife of the Egyptian
ambassador.
The Andalus period was a time of great Islamic learning, culture, and
trade
between Muslims and the Judeo-Christian West. "This is part of our
history
which is overlooked," explains Fahmi. "Coexistence and tolerance are
always
beneficial," chimes in Rim Abboud, the Lebanese Ambassador's spouse.
In fact, the Mosaic Foundation, a non-profit group run by the Arab
diplomatic women, chose to name this year's month-long festival
"Al-Andalus," after that golden age of peaceful coexistence. The event
will
include an exhibit titled "Caliphs and Kings: The Art and Influence of
Islamic Spain," which will run at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in
Washington. It will bring for the first time to Washington nearly 90
objects from the collection of the Hispanic Society of America in New
York.
This exhibit will run from May 8-17.
The festival will include, among other events, a one-day symposium --
on
May 13 -- at the Center for Muslim Christian Understanding at
Georgetown
University's Intercultural Center Auditorium that will explore Muslim,
Christian and Jewish relations during the Andalus period of Spain...
ALSO SEE:
CA: SPEAKER DISCUSSES ISLAM VALUES
Mary Weston, Mercury Register, 5/7/04
http://www.orovillemr.com/Stories/0,1413,157~26686~2133113,00.html
After 9/11, Rabina Khan wanted to tell people the values of Islam
aren't
always what you hear in the news.
"Sometimes people use Islam to vent their own angers," Khan said.
Khan said the prophet Mohammed prohibited killing women, children and
workers during wars or attacks. "We condemn what happened in 9/11."
However, groups such as the Taliban and Al Qaeda twist the
interpretations
of the Koran, she said.
A representative of the American Moslem alliance of Northern
California,
Khan spoke of Islam traditions toward women at a Sons of Retirement
luncheon Thursday.
Khan was driving home with her son after 9/11, when a person on the
radio
said all Muslims should be wiped out, so there could be world peace.
"My son's jaw dropped," Khan said. He asked her to take him to Barnes &
Noble where he looked for books on Islam. After reading about the
religion,
he told his mom she should help people understand the religion since
she
was involved in politics and other groups...
-----
THOUSANDS OF MUSLIMS FLEE NIGERIA TOWN AFTER ATTACK
Tume Ahemba, Reuters, 5/7/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5074881
LAFIA, Nigeria - Thousands of Nigerian Muslims fled the town of Yelwa
Friday after an attack by Christian militia killed hundreds of their
townsfolk Sunday.
Dirty and exhausted, the refugees sought police escorts to take them to
neighboring Bauchi and Nassarawa states fearing that Christians in
surrounding villages would try to kill them as they left, a Red Cross
worker said.
"Thousands of displaced people have crossed into Bauchi from Yelwa and
the
surrounding area," said Umar Mairiga, who led a Red Cross team to the
area
Thursday.
"They are using police escorts to take them out of the area completely
because militant Christians have mounted roadblocks on the roads," he
added.
The origin of the conflict between the Christian Tarok and the Muslim
Fulani is rooted in their competing claims over the fertile farmlands
of
Plateau state in central Nigeria.
But it has been stoked religious hatred and the sense among the
Christian
population that Muslims are outsiders in Plateau.
Survivors of the Yelwa massacre said they had buried 630 corpses in
several
mass graves around the remote market town after Sunday's attack. It was
not
possible to confirm the figure independently, but a senior policeman
spoke
of "hundreds" dead.
Presidential spokeswoman Remi Oyo said 630 dead was an exaggeration,
but
offered no further information.
The Yelwa attack was the latest in a three-month-long conflict between
Muslim and Christian groups vying for control of Plateau state.
Before Sunday, the fighting had already killed at least 350 people on
both
sides, according to witnesses, military and Red Cross sources. The
government routinely does not confirm death tolls in religious fighting
for
fear of reprisal attacks by those sympathetic to the victims.
Nigeria's population of 130 million is split roughly equally between
Muslims and Christians...
ALSO SEE:
U.S. CHURCH LEADERS PRESS PRESIDENT BUSH ON PROBLEMS FACING HOLY LAND
CHRISTIANS
US Newswire, 5/7/04
http://www.usnewswire.com
WASHINGTON - Fifty leaders of evangelical and mainline Protestant,
Catholic, and Orthodox churches and church-related organizations in the
U.S. today delivered a letter to President Bush asking for a full
understanding of "the crisis in the Holy Land confronting Christian
Palestinians, Christian institutions, and those who wish to visit the
birthplace of Christianity."
Stating that the "churches have directed their concerns to the Israeli
government but to little avail," the church leaders appealed for the
President's intervention to help restore the normal functioning of
Christian institutions in Israel and the Occupied Territories and
claimed
that "it is generally acknowledged that relations of the churches and
these
institutions with the Israeli government may be the worst they have
ever been."
The letter addressed the church leaders' concerns specifically
regarding
the effects of the separation barrier being constructed by Israel,
taxation
issues that may force some church institutions to close due to the
removal
of their longstanding tax-exempt status, and "the denial and delay of
visas, by Israel, for clergy and church personnel result(ing) in
understaffed seminaries, churches, hospitals, education and other
institutions."
Speaking as one of the diverse group of signers, the Most Rev. Frank
T.
Griswold, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, USA, said, "Our
churches, hospitals, schools, and other institutions are important
visible
expressions of our faith's concern for humanity. While they serve
Christians and non-Christians alike, they are also expressions of our
Christian heritage and its many contributions to the region."
Another signer, Brother Robert Schieler, Provincial for the De La
Salle
Christian Brothers who administer Bethlehem University, emphasized the
destructive effects of the separation barrier on Christian and
Palestinian
populations: "Even if the barrier is intended for security, it has had
the
very real effects of separating students and faculty from their
classrooms, families from one another, farmers from their fields, and
Christian worshippers from their churches."
In the letter to President Bush, the church leaders observe, "We find
it
difficult to be assured by your description on April 14 of the barrier
as
'temporary' in light of Israel's plans to extend the barrier far beyond
the
1967 Green Line, encompassing on the Israeli side those large West Bank
settlements that you implied would remain part of Israel..."
Contact: Jim Wetekam of the Churches for Middle East Peace,
202-543-4150
or jim@cmep.org
-----
TUTWILER'S MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times, 5/6/04
http://www.washingtontimes.com/commentary/20040506-085117-7996r.htm
Israel's leading newspaper Ha'aretz delivered the knockout punch to the
Bush administration's image problem when Orit Shohat wrote, under the
headline "Remember Fallujah," that the U.S. was now guilty of "war
crimes."
During the first two weeks of April, the Ha'aretz story said, "the
American
Army committed war crimes in Fallujah on a scale unprecedented for this
war. ... The sight of decapitated children, the rows of dead women and
the
shocking pictures of the soccer stadium that was turned into a
temporary
grave for hundreds of the slain - all were broadcast to the world only
by
the Al Jazeera network. During the operation in Fallujah, according to
the
organization 'Doctors Without Borders,' U.S. Marines even occupied the
hospitals and prevented hundreds of the wounded from receiving medical
treatment. Snipers fired from rooftops at anyone who tried to
approach."
The article in Israel's equivalent of the New York Times said, "The
only
conclusion that has been drawn thus far from the indiscriminate killing
in
Fallujah is the expulsion of Al Jazeera from the city. Since the start
of
the war, the Americans have persecuted the network's journalists, not
because they report lies, but because they are virtually the only ones
who
manage to report the truth. The Bush administration, in cooperation
with
the American media, is trying to hide the sights of war from the world,
and
particularly from American voters."
The Israeli news report has been widely circulated in the Arab world -
and
denials, however convincing, carry no weight. The coercive utopians in
Washington, from the neo-cons to the Christian Right, misled, among
others,
Ambassador Tutwiler. Exit Queen Tut, as she was fondly known. Her
mission
was indeed impossible.
Arnaud de Borchgrave is editor at large of The Washington Times and of
United Press International.
-----
HERNDON'S EARTH DAY-ARBOR DAY ANNUAL CELEBRATION
WHAT: Join Al Fatih Academy students at Runnymede Park in Herndon to
celebrate Earth Day - Arbor Day with the Town of Herndon. Students will
be
presenting their plan to clean up Sugarland Run located behind the
ADAMS
Center. They will also display models of habitats they built. The
school
was invited again this year to be a part of this exciting and important
event
WHEN: Saturday, May 8 10:00am-2:00pm
WHERE: Runnymede Park - On Herndon Parkway in Herndon
For more info please contact the school at (703) 437-9382 or
www.alfatih.org
-----
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
Forwarded Message
From:
"cair@cair-net.org" <cair@cair-net.org>
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Muslims Form Airman Halabi Justice Committee
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/9/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: CHOOSE GOD’S PROTECTION
* CAIR-LA: MUSLIMS FORM AIRMAN HALABI JUSTICE COMMITTEE
* CAIR-SEATTLE: MORE THAN 300 MUSLIMS GATHER FOR BANQUET
- CAIR-SC: Muslims Still Feel Targeted (The State)
- CAIR-OHIO: Amina Silmi’s Children Left Behind (Buzz)
* CAIR-DC: DON'T CONDEMN ALL MUSLIMS (Detroit Free Press)
* DC: ART EXHIBIT SHOWS COOPERATION IN MEDIEVAL SPAIN (AP)
- Islam Thrives In Quebec (Montreal Gazette)
* LA: MUSLIM GROUP SET TO BUILD NEW MOSQUE (Times-Picayune)
- Halal Alcohol Free Soft Drinks
* PHOTOS SHOW DOG ATTACKING A NAKED IRAQI DETAINEE (DR)
- Military Confirms Horrific Pictures, Video (Indep)
- Unit's Role Was To Break Down Prisoners (Wash Post)
- Pentagon Approved Tougher Interrogations (Wash Post)
- Perspectives Separated By Miles in Florida (Wash Post)
- Muslims Were Outraged; So Were Christians (NY Times)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: CHOOSE GOD’S PROTECTION
The parable of those who choose protectors other than God is that of
the
spider that builds (itself) a dwelling. But truly, the flimsiest of
dwellings is that of the spider.
The Holy Quran, 29:41
-----
CAIR-LA: MUSLIMS FORM AIRMAN HALABI JUSTICE COMMITTEE
Group aims to raise awareness and legal funds for case
(LOS ANGELES, CA) - A group of concerned American Muslims has announced
formation of the Airman Halabi Justice Committee (AHJC) in response to
what
the group calls "a witch-hunt against Muslim servicemen."
Airman Halabi is now facing multiple charges, including espionage and
mishandling classified documents. Other charges such as providing
detainees
with baklava, a popular sweet Middle Eastern pastry, and "aiding the
enemy", a capital offense, were dropped. Halabi maintains his
innocence.
SEE: TRANSLATOR'S LAWYERS CITE CONTRADICTIONS
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37734-2004Apr23.html
AHJC seeks to inform the public about the Halabi case and to raise
funds to
help pay for his legal defense. The committee is organized in Michigan
and
California. His family cannot afford the legal bills of $50,000.
The AHJC contends that military officials have consistently hampered
Halabi's ability to receive a fair trial, including blocking his access
to
potential witnesses and needed evidence.
To DONATE online or to learn more about this case, visit:
www.halabijustice.org (Donations are tax-deductible)
CHECKS CAN BE SENT TO:
CAIR Civil Rights Fund (CCRF)
2180 W. Crescent Ave., Suite F
Anaheim, CA 92801
CONTACTS: AHJC: Shereen Sabet, E-MAIL: ssabet@halabijustice.org;
CCRF: Sabiha Khan, 714-776-1847 or E-MAIL: socal@cair.com
-----
CAIR-SEATTLE: MORE THAN 300 MUSLIMS GATHER FOR SEATTLE BANQUET
Dominic Gates, Seattle Times, 5/9/04
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001923905_cair09.html
American Muslims mingling in a ballroom at the Washington State
Convention
and Trade Center in downtown Seattle last night showed no outward sign
of
the pressure many are feeling.
At the annual banquet for the Seattle chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the issues of war abroad and civil
rights at home surfaced at the podium, and participants were ready with
opinions when asked.
Yet this formal gathering of more than 300 people breathed the warmth
and
intimacy of a close-knit community.
Children dressed in their best filled the room with a family feeling.
Men from Africa, the Middle East and Malaysia greeted each other with
broad
smiles, tight bear hugs and soft kisses to the cheek.
Young women mostly wore headscarves, and a few had their faces veiled.
One overt political note was sounded as U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott,
D-Seattle,
was introduced and given CAIR's public-official-of-the-year award for
his
support of the Muslim community.
Before giving McDermott his plaque, Samia El-Moslimany, CAIR vice
chair,
announced "tremendous news."
She told the crowd that the King County Democratic Party, meeting
earlier
in the day elsewhere within the Convention Center, had voted into its
platform a commitment to "withhold U.S. tax dollars from Israel while
it is
in violation of international law."
"This is a memorable day," said El-Moslimany...
-----
CAIR-SC: MUSLIMS STILL FEEL TARGETED
Rick Brundett, The State, 5/9/04
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/8624352.htm
The rights of American Muslims have been under attack since the
terrorist
attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, several speakers said Saturday at a Columbia
meeting of the S.C. chapter of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations.
"The FBI is targeting mosques," said Denyse Williams, who heads the
state
chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. "The FBI is seeking
lists of
law-abiding American Muslims."
Williams said racial profiling and other forms of discrimination
against
Muslims have stemmed largely from a "climate of fear that comes down
from
the attorney general of the United States."
The national ACLU has filed a class-action lawsuit seeking to stop what
it
claims are discriminatory searches of passengers at U.S. airports.
The federal Transportation Security Administration, which handles
security
at U.S. airports, maintains that searches are done randomly. But
Williams
pointed out that of 1,262 plaintiffs who have signed up so far for the
suit, 740, or about 59 percent, identified themselves as Muslims.
One woman in the audience, wearing the traditional Muslim head covering
known as a hajib, said during a question-and-answer session that she
recently was taken to a room in an airport and searched by two female
security officers - for no apparent legitimate reason...
ALSO SEE:
CAIR-OHIO: U.S. DEPORTS AMINA SILMI, HER CHILDREN REMAIN BEHIND...
Wendy A. Hoke, Lakewood Buzz, 5/9/04
http://lakewoodbuzz.com/Stories/AminaSilma040404.html
So many people - immigration advocates, national victims rights groups,
Muslim supporters, segments of the Catholic church, Trinity Lutheran
Church, two U.S. senators and a U.S. congressman - worked hard to make
sure
that Amina Silmi remained in the United States with her three
American-born
citizen children. But in the end, it wasn't enough to convince
immigration
officials at the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration &
Customs
Enforcement (ICE).
Amina, a Muslim-born native of Venezuela, was flown to Caracas on March
31st in the late afternoon from a federal detention facility in
Beaumont,
Texas, where she had been detained for several days. She left the
country
by herself, leaving her three children - Haiat Awad, 12; Fida Salti, 6;
and
Belal Salti, 5 - to stay in their native America with family. Amina
spoke
by phone about her situation in Venezuela and her children back home.
"This place is not for my kids," said Silmi from the home of a friend
of
her brother in a city outside of Caracas. "These people here are
hungry
and poor. I can't support my kids here. I sacrificed my kids and I'm
missing them so much. The government broke three hearts by sending me
away," she said, although it's clear from her voice that her heart also
is
broken.
Amina worries about her children constantly.
"Haiat is supposed to be playing with girls, not worrying about her
mother," she said. Her days are filled with unending depression and
she
talks about how much she longs to see her children. "I believe in God
and I
hope that he can do something," she said.
Her case involved a series of stops and starts over the past six months
that ended just as her family and supporters hoped it would not - with
a
deportation...
"So many times, an official or a judge could have exercised discretion
and
ruled in Amina's favor, but chose not to," said Julia Shearson,
executive
director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)-Ohio
Chapter.
CAIR-Ohio and the Greater Cleveland Immigration Support Network teamed
with
Trinity Lutheran and the Congregation of Sisters of St. Joseph on Rocky
River Drive in Cleveland, spending countless hours advocating on behalf
of
Amina and her family, and hosting prayer vigils. It's a role each
organization felt compelled to fill...
Amina Silmi Family Fund
c/o Jamila Jabr
P. O Box 44
North Olmsted, OH 44070
-----
IN TERROR FIGHT, DON'T CONDEMN ALL MUSLIMS
Arsalan T. Iftikhar, Detroit Free Press, 5/9/04
http://www.freep.com/voices/letters/epoint9_20040509.htm
(Arsalan T. Iftikhar, Director of legal affairs, Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Washington, D.C.)
In an 1829 address to the Virginia Convention, President James Madison
perceptively noted that, in a republic, the great danger is that the
majority may not sufficiently respect the rights of the minority.
Keeping
that in mind, most of us were not alive when German-Americans were
portrayed as bloodthirsty Huns during the first World War. Only some of
our
elders remember President Franklin Roosevelt signing the order that
confined 120,000 Japanese Americans to internment camps for the
duration of
World War II.
Now it is American Muslims sharing the legacy of minority groups who
have
been needlessly vilified because they share the ethnic, racial or
religious
parameters of people with whom we are at war.
Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 states that: "No
person
may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed."
The basic principle behind this hallmark of international law is that
no
person or group can or should be held responsible for the criminal
offenses
of a small portion of that population. It would logically follow that
no
loyal Japanese Americans should have been stuck in camps for close to 4
years for the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Similarly, American Muslims and Arabs have been the bull's-eye on the
political and legal target of the United States since the 9/11 attacks.
The
Washington Post recently reported that Muslims in the United States
experienced more than 1,000 incidents of alleged harassment, violence
and
discriminatory treatment in 2003, a jump of 70 percent over the
previous
year.
These acts of searing hatred are not based on any criminal guilt on the
part of these lawful and loyal Americans; rather, the only common
denominator was the fact that each one of these reported victims was
solely
guilty of being a Muslim or Arab.
This guilt by association can most easily be paralleled to the recent
discovery of photographs of the torture of Iraqi prisoners by American
armed forces.
President George W. Bush expressed his disgust and sought to portray
these
perverted embarrassments as isolated, not indicative of American
sentiment
toward Iraqis or the Muslim world. Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, said "a handful of people" were to blame and
they
should not be used to tar the image of all American armed forces in
Iraq.
To people of reason across the globe, the revolting pictures should not
reflect negatively on every individual serving in the U.S. armed
forces.
Likewise, we must be consistent in not holding peaceful American
Muslims as
somehow responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks…
-----
SMITHSONIAN ART EXHIBIT SHOWS MUSLIMS, CHRISTIANS, JEWS COOPERATING IN
MEDIEVAL SPAIN
Carl Hartman, Associated Press, 5/7/04
WASHINGTON - Once upon a time - a time that lasted for centuries -
Christians and Jews worked productively under Islamic rule in a large
corner of southwestern Europe. Christian kings often wore Muslim robes
and
Jews sometimes ran governments for Muslim monarchs.
A Smithsonian exhibit of art from that era, called ``Caliphs and
Kings,''
opens Saturday at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery. It is part of a
program of
the Mosaic Foundation, organized by wives of ambassadors in Washington
from
Muslim countries.
This year, the program celebrates the time beginning almost 1,300 years
ago
when Islamic forces occupied most of Spain, Portugal and a large piece
of
southern France. They called their territory ``al-Andalus.''
Some of its rulers felt their importance was such that they assumed the
title of ``caliph,'' meaning they were successors to Mohammed with
spiritual and political authority over all the faithful. But given the
difficulties of travel over the huge territory of medieval Islam, their
power was mostly limited to the lands under their control. The name of
that
realm survives in the popular term for eight southern provinces of
Spain,
Andalusia.
Though much admired by other Europeans of a thousand years ago as a
kind of
earthly paradise, al-Andalus had its share of war and brutal
expulsions. El
Cid, a Spanish national hero for his battles against Islam, spent
nearly a
decade of his early career in the service of Muslim rulers.
Often there was little friction between Islam and Christianity in
al-Andalus...
“Caliphs and Kings” will be on show through Oct. 17. Admission is free.
ALSO SEE:
ISLAM THRIVES IN QUEBEC: CATHOLICISM TOPS
Harvey Shepherd, Montreal Gazette, 5/7/04
http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/features/onlineextras/story.h
tml?id=97b22fcc-8a7f-4d87-abc2-dc3de8a33a72
Islam has become the No. 1 non-Christian faith in Quebec, as in Canada
as a
whole.
Swollen by immigration from south Asia, north Africa and the Middle
East,
the number of Quebec Muslims increased by almost 11/2 times in the 10
years
between 1991 and 2001.
This pushed them past Jewish Quebecers.
Salaam Elmenyawi, chairperson of the Muslim Council of Montreal, said
he
hopes the Muslim growth will help defuse East-West polarization.
"Now Islam is going to be a Western religion and we look forward to
making
a positive contribution," said Elmenyawi, a chaplain at Concordia
University.
"We hope that this will help to bring the world closer together."
Data from the 2001 Canadian census made public by Statistics Canada
yesterday show that the 108,620 Muslims in Quebec were up by 141.8 per
cent
from a decade earlier.
The Jewish figure slipped by eight per cent, to 89,915. Elmenyawi said
there might actually be more than 150,000 Muslims in Quebec. Quite a
few
Muslim residents of Montreal had not become Canadian citizens when
census
data were collected...
-----
LA: MUSLIM GROUP SET TO BUILD NEW MOSQUE
Christine L. Bordelon, Times-Picayune, 5/9/04
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1084094857180320.xml
A new, larger mosque in Kenner will soon be a reality for the nonprofit
Jefferson Muslim Association.
On Saturday, ground will be broken on a seven-acre site at 25th and
Iowa
Streets in Kenner that will house a new school, mosque and gymnasium.
"Now, we are building a primary school up to fifth grade, a bigger
mosque
and a gymnasium in phase one," said Rahman Bhatti, director of the
association. As money becomes available, the association will proceed
with
phase two: building a middle school.
The new mosque will accommodate 1,500 people: 1,000 men downstairs and
500
women upstairs.
"In Kenner we will have two mosques," Bhatti said. "This will be a
larger
one."
Growth of the association, which built its first mosque at Power
Boulevard
and David Drive in 1986, prompted the expansion. Bhatti said members
saved
money and bought the Kenner property from the Jefferson Parish School
Board
in 1997.
The association plans to relocate students in kindergarten through
fourth
grade from a school on Maine Avenue in Kenner to the new school once it
is
completed. The old school building then will be sold.
The project architect is Walli and Associates, a Houston company that
specializes in Muslim architecture, Bhatti said. Bhatti's company,
Rahman
and Associates, will provide engineering on job....
ALSO SEE:
HALAL ALCOHOL FREE SOFT DRINKS - SALAAM COLA
http://www.ifanca.org
The Islamic Food And Nutrition Council (IFANCA) is pleased to announce
that
Salaam Cola has been certified Halal by IFANCA. Manufactured by
American
Delight, Inc. of San Mateo, California, USA, Salaam Cola currently
comes in
three flavors: Cola, Lemon-Lime and Orange. It is currently available
in
California and will be expanding to the entire United States.
Dr. Muhammad M. Chaudry, President of IFANCA, said: "Salaam Cola is an
excellent addition to the IFANCA family of Halal certified products and
should be well received by the Halal consumer. Most soft drinks contain
some alcohol, up to 0.2%. The Salaam soft drink line does not contain
any
alcohol. It should be popular with those Halal consumers that want to
enjoy
a soft drink without consuming any alcohol."
Ibrahim Reyhanoglu, founder of Salaam-Cola, explains the purpose behind
introducing this new product. "We are pleased to make available a
unique
product in the marketplace. Our product contains no alcohol so Muslim
and
other quality conscious consumers can enjoy a soft drink without being
concerned about consuming any alcohol. We also wanted to promote
religious
understanding and will do that by donating 15% of the net proceeds to
educational programs. Consumers that are interested in promoting
religious
understanding but don't know where to start now have a way, by
consuming
Salaam Cola. We also want to encourage people of conscience to empower
their buying power for something that contributes to peace while
enjoying a
good drink." For more information visit the Salaam Cola website at
www.salaam-cola.com.
-----
PHOTOS SHOW DOG ATTACKING A NAKED IRAQI DETAINEE
Drudge Report, 5/9/04
http://www.drudgereport.com/flash.htm
In "Chain of Command," in the May 17, 2004, issue of The New Yorker,
Seymour M. Hersh describes new photos he has obtained of a dog
attacking a
naked Iraqi detainee at Abu Ghraib prison on December 12, 2003. The
photos,
which had been in the possession of a member of the 320th Military
Police
Battalion, show the Iraqi with his hands clasped behind his back,
"leaning
against the door to a cell, contorted with terror, as the dogs bark a
few
feet away," Hersh reports. In another photo, taken a few minutes later,
"the Iraqi is lying on the ground, writhing in pain, with a soldier
sitting
on top of him, knee pressed to his back. Blood is streaming from the
inmate's leg." Retired Major General Charles Hines, who was commandant
of
the Army's military police school during a twenty-eight year career in
military-law enforcement, tells Hersh, "I would never have authorized
it
for interrogating or coercing prisoners. If I had, I'd have been put in
jail or kicked out of the Army."
• Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Marine General Peter Pace,
Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, insisted last week that the
investigation into Abu Ghraib had moved routinely through the chain of
command, but retired and active-duty officers and Pentagon officials
say
that the "the system had not worked," Hersh reports...
• Hersh also reveals that it was Major General Geoffrey Miller, the new
head of prison operations in Iraq, who first recommended, when he was
commander of the task force in charge of the prison at Guantanamo, that
Army prisons "be geared, first and foremost, to interrogations and the
gathering of information needed for the war effort..."
• "Investigators have become increasingly concerned with the role
played
not only by military and intelligence officials but also by C.I.A.
agents
and private-contract employees," Hersh reports...
ALSO SEE:
US MILITARY CONFIRMS EXISTENCE OF HORRIFIC PICTURES AND VIDEO
Andrew Buncombe, Independent, 5/9/04
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=519448
The Bush administration was bracing itself last night for the release
of
new pictures and video footage from Abu Ghraib which show US soldiers
having sex with an Iraqi woman prisoner, troops almost beating a
prisoner
to death, and the rape of young boys by Iraqi guards at the jail.
Senior officials have warned that the new images and details of the
abuse
and torture at the prison west of Baghdad will be even more shocking
than
those already released. They will undoubtedly place even more pressure
on
President George Bush and his beleaguered Defence Secretary, Donald
Rumsfeld, as they desperately try to limit the political damage from
the
growing scandal.
NBC News has quoted military officials as saying that the new
photographs
also show US soldiers "acting inappropriately with a dead body". This
may
refer to a picture, which The Washington Post described but did not
publish, of Sabrina Harman, one of seven reservists charged with
abuses,
posing with thumbs up next to a decaying corpse.
NBC also reported that the rape of young boys by Iraqi guards,
apparently
in a special section of the prison, had been filmed by US soldiers.
There are even suggestions that the murder of a prisoner has been
recorded.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina questioned Mr
Rumsfeld on Friday about why the abuse had not been detected earlier.
"The
American public needs to understand we're talking about rape and murder
here. We're not just talking about giving people a humiliating
experience."
The new images will further rock the Bush administration, suffering its
worst crisis yet after photographs showing US army reservists abusing
and
sexually humiliating prisoners caused international revulsion and
outrage.
But the knowledge that the abuse was much more widespread, and that
there
are more shocking images to come, is threatening even more problems for
Mr
Bush as he prepares to hand over sovereignty to an Iraqi government on
30
June...
---
SOLDIER: UNIT'S ROLE WAS TO BREAK DOWN PRISONERS
Jackie Spinner, Washington Post, 5/8/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9130-2004May7.html
There were no rules, by her account, and there was little training. But
the
mission was clear. Spec. Sabrina D. Harman, a military police officer
who
has been charged with abusing detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in
Iraq,
said she was assigned to break down prisoners for interrogation.
"They would bring in one to several prisoners at a time already hooded
and
cuffed," Harman said by e-mail this week from Baghdad. "The job of the
MP
was to keep them awake, make it hell so they would talk."
Harman, one of seven military police reservists charged in the abuse of
detainees at the prison, is the second of those soldiers to speak
publicly
about her time at Abu Ghraib, and her comments echo findings of the
Army's
investigation into prisoner abuse there. That probe documented the
maltreatment of detainees and found the prison was chaotically run,
that
there were no apparent rules governing interrogations and that Harman's
military police unit was ill trained for the job it was asked to
perform.
Harman, a 26-year-old Army reservist from Alexandria, said members of
her
military police unit took direction from Army military intelligence
officers, from CIA operatives and from civilian contractors who
conducted
interrogations. She did not discuss abusive treatment of prisoners or
clarify who specifically ordered such treatment, and she referred
questions
about the charges against her to her attorney, who declined to comment.
Her face is now famous as belonging to one of two soldiers posing in
the
widely published photograph of naked Iraqi detainees stacked in a
pyramid.
The picture is one of several that have inflamed the Arab world and
brought
condemnation from President Bush and other U.S. political and military
leaders...
---
PENTAGON APPROVED TOUGHER INTERROGATIONS
Dana Priest and Joe Stephens, Washington Post, 5/9/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A11017-2004May8?language=printer
In April 2003, the Defense Department approved interrogation techniques
for
use at the Guantanamo Bay prison that permit reversing the normal sleep
patterns of detainees and exposing them to heat, cold and "sensory
assault," including loud music and bright lights, according to defense
officials.
The classified list of about 20 techniques was approved at the highest
levels of the Pentagon and the Justice Department, and represents the
first
publicly known documentation of an official policy permitting
interrogators
to use physically and psychologically stressful methods during
questioning.
The use of any of these techniques requires the approval of senior
Pentagon
officials -- and in some cases, of the defense secretary. Interrogators
must justify that the harshest treatment is "militarily necessary,"
according to the document, as cited by one official. Once approved, the
harsher treatment must be accompanied by "appropriate medical
monitoring."
"We wanted to find a legal way to jack up the pressure," said one
lawyer
who helped write the guidelines. "We wanted a little more freedom than
in a
U.S. prison, but not torture..."
It could not be learned whether similar guidelines were in effect at
the
U.S.-run Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad, which has been the focus of
controversy in recent days. But lawmakers have said they want to know
whether the misconduct reported at Abu Ghraib -- which included sexual
humiliation -- was an aberration or whether it reflected an aggressive
policy taken to inhumane extremes...
---
PERSPECTIVES ON ABUSE SEPARATED BY MILES IN FLORIDA
Manuel Roig-Franzia, Washington Post, 5/9/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11394-2004May8.html
MOUNT DORA, Fla. - Just a few dozen miles of shrinking orange groves
and
relentless sprawl separate the Village Barber Shop in this dot on the
central Florida map from the creamy plates of hummus at Cedars
Restaurant
on the boomtown fringe of Orlando. Both are distinctly American
locales:
one, a barbershop of Norman Rockwell hues; the other, an immigrant's
dream
in a nation of immigrants.
But in a country squarely divided on so much, it only follows that the
conversations in these two American places would sound profoundly
different
in these days when pictures of U.S. soldiers peering at piles of naked
Iraqi prisoners and snapshots of detainees leashed like dogs are
everywhere. At the Village barbershop, the men harrumph about
"do-gooders"
who do not understand the rough rites of war, about a nation unwilling
to
support its leaders, about a news media obsessed with splash over
substance. At Cedars, the talk is of shame on a global scale, of a
president who has lost his way, of a media that will not ask the tough
questions.
As the cable news stations repeatedly show footage of the prison
pictures,
the men are lining up at the Village barbershop for Eddie Ricci to cut
their hair with the skills he learned while a teenager on an aircraft
carrier during the Korean War. Ricci, who escaped the New York winters
years ago for a life in Florida, stubbornly sets his jaw when criticism
of
the abuse scandal comes up.
"Treat 'em well?" Ricci, 64, says, pulling back his scissors and
directing
his gaze away from the soft, gray hair beneath him. "Well, when those
people were jumping out of buildings [Sept. 11., 2001] nobody was
saying
treat 'em better."
Lloyd Wilkey, 68, stiffens in the chair. He has been down this road
before.
"You think those Iraqis had anything to do with September 11th? Wilkey,
a
Korean War veteran, says. "No way."
But, for all his skepticism about linking Iraq to the terrorist
assaults in
the United States as a justification for war, Wilkey is adamant that
America -- and especially critics of the campaign against terrorism --
are
all wrong when they lambaste the soldiers photographed humiliating
Iraqi
prisoners...
---
MUSLIMS WERE OUTRAGED; SO WERE CHRISTIANS
New York Times, 5/9/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/09/weekinreview/09cell.html
THE whole world was outraged by the photographs of Iraqis being
tortured
and mistreated at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. But were there
religious
and cultural differences that made Muslims and Arabs particularly
outraged
by this treatment, as many commentators stated?
The Week in Review asked the opinion of Michael A. Sells, a professor
of
comparative religions at Haverford College and the author of "The New
Crusades: Constructing the Muslim Enemy" and "Approaching the Koran."
Q. Did Iraqis read those pictures differently from Americans?
A. American commentators have said the prisoners were shamed and that
Iraqis are sensitive to shame. True, but no one anywhere wants to be
sexually shamed. Iraqis recoil at the images of sexual abuse and
humiliation for the same reasons as we do.
Q. But what about the fact that a woman was in the photo?
A. Many Americans think that in the Middle East, the belief is that men
should be dominant, but people in that area have diverse views about
the
roles of men and women. Some are quite sensitive to public portrayals
of
women dominating men.
In Abu Ghraib, the fact that a woman was there - and that one gender
was
being exposed naked to both genders - outraged not just Iraqis but
everyone
in the region, not just Muslims but Christians as well.
Q. So, the outrage is based on cultural, not religious, grounds?
A. Certainly, a central aspect of the Koran is dignity and privacy. But
where to draw the boundary between religion and culture? Ask 10 Muslims
you
might get several different views; ask 10 scholars of Islam, the same
diversity applies.
People in the Middle East react with the same feeling of revulsion at
these
images that we have, but for them the images also connect powerfully to
something many Americans simply don't understand: the profound sense of
being violated in other ways by American policies and American power...
-----
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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
-----
--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .
Forwarded Message
Date:
Mon, 10 May 2004 18:08:16 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
ISLAM-INFONET: FL Muslim Families File Legal Notice in Bus Case
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/10/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THREE TRUTHS
* FL MUSLIM FAMILIES FILE LEGAL NOTICE IN BUS CASE
* CAIR-FL: HATE HURTS AMERICA (Orlando Sentinel)
* DISGRACEFUL ACTS AGAINST MUSLIMS (Indystar)
- Abuse Costs U.S. Its Moral Authority (Balt. Sun)
- Picturing Defeat in War of Ideas (Balt. Sun)
- Losing the Moral High Ground (The State)
* FIRST SOLDIER TO GO ON TRIAL NEXT WEEK (Boston Globe)
- Congress to Get New Photos of Iraqi Inmates (LA Times)
* MI: DETROITER NAMED GOVERNOR OF NAJAF IN IRAQ (Free Press)
* AILING MAN FACES DEPORTATION (Newsday)
* MI: NO-INTEREST LOANS OFFERED TO MUSLIMS (American Banker)
* EVENTS PUSH MOSQUE LEADER INTO SPOTLIGHT (Oregonian)
* HIJAB BAN: RACIST HYPOCRISY (Logic)
* EXPERTS FIND NEW MASS GRAVE IN BOSNIA (AP)
* APPROXIMATELY ONE MILLION PEOPLE DISPLACED IN SUDAN
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THREE TRUTHS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Three things that I
swear
to be true are that a man’s property does not become less on account of
(giving) charity; that when a man is wronged and bears it patiently,
God
will give him greater honor on that account; and that when a man (begs
without dire need), God opens for him a door toward poverty.”
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1397
------
FL MUSLIM FAMILIES FILE LEGAL NOTICE IN BUS CASE
Notice preserves right of victims to file suit in the future
(Jacksonville, FL, 5/10/04) - The Florida office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) announced today that nine families
(representing 15 students), have filed a 'Notice of Claim' against the
City
of Jacksonville, Duval County School Board, Fort Caroline Middle School
and
First Student, Inc., for their part in alleged acts of discrimination
that
occurred during the fall of 2003.
In late October 2003, a Jacksonville bus driver allegedly ordered
Muslim
children off her bus for "talking loudly." Some of the children, who
are
recent immigrants from Iraq and Afghanistan, had to walk five miles to
get
home. On another incident the same group of students say they were
denied
the right to board a school bus on their way to school.
SEE: "MIDDLE EASTERN CHILDREN ALLEGEDLY KICKED OFF BUS"
http://www.news4jax.com/news/2597802/detail.html
At this point no lawsuit has been filed, however the families are
keeping
all options open.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 offices and chapters nationwide and in
Canada.
- END -
Contact: Ahmed Bedier, Communications Director, 813-731-9506, Email:
abedier@cair-florida.org; Altaf Ali, Executive Director, 954-298-8214,
altaf@cair-florida.org
-----
CAIR-FL: HATE HURTS AMERICA
Parvez Ahmed, Orlando Sentinel, 5/10/04
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-edpahmed10051004may10,1,5529247.story?coll=orl-opinion-headlines
Removing Saddam. Good.
Failure to win the peace. Bad.
Torture in prison. Ugly.
The now-infamous pictures of Iraqi prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib by U.S.
soldiers have perhaps caused irreparable damage to America's image not
just
in the Arab world but all across the globe. They have also likely
undermined the just cause of eradicating terrorism.
President Bush's damage control on Arabic-language TV and his apology
during a press conference with King Abdullah of Jordan, although both
heartfelt, may be too little, too late. The fact that abuse took place
in
the Abu Ghraib prison, a place notorious for Saddam Hussein's brutal
torture of his own people, is an irony not lost on anyone.
Perhaps more disturbing than the pictures are reports citing 25
prisoner
deaths under U.S. custody. Are these systemic abuses, as one internal
Army
report claims, or are these acts of overzealous soldiers?
Prisoner abuse during war is not uncommon. But what makes the Iraqi
prisoner story troubling is its occurrence during relative peace. The
abuses happened well before the current "insurgencies" in Fallujah and
Najaf. Also troubling is the Pentagon's belated attention to the
initial
reports of abuse. Had not the gruesome pictures surfaced in the news
media,
the abuses would perhaps been relegated to a footnote in history.
The pictures and the accounts confirm our worst fears. Our troops were
rushed into a war with inadequate training to win the peace. Even the
most
anti-war demonstrator had no doubts that U.S. armed forces would
overwhelm
Saddam's goons. The misgivings were always about the security and
geopolitical consequences of an ill-conceived war...
Parvez Ahmed is a board member for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR) and chairs the board for CAIR's Florida chapter.
------
DISGRACEFUL ACTS AGAINST MUSLIMS
Indystar.com, 5/10/04
http://www.indystar.com/articles/3/145059-8013-021.html
Our position is: Discrimination against Muslims is wrong and
self-defeating.
Acts of alleged violence, harassment or discrimination against Muslims
living in the United States increased nearly 70 percent last year,
according to a report recently issued by the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations, a Muslim civil rights group.
The group said it received 1,019 complaints about such acts in 2003, up
from 602 the year before. It attributed the increase to lingering fear
from
the 9/11 attacks, hostility driven by war rhetoric and abuses of the
Patriot Act.
In Indiana, where an estimated 250,000 Muslims live, mostly native-born
citizens, 13 incidents were reported. None involved violence, although
one
involved serious threats and another an interrupted break-in at the
Bloomington Islamic Center.
Domestic discrimination is not unheard of during times of war. Many
Americans of German descent changed their names during the two world
wars
because of fear. Hysteria against Japanese Americans during World War
II
led to innocent families being put in internment camps.
Such discrimination is wrong...
ALSO SEE:
ABUSE COSTS U.S. ITS MORAL AUTHORITY
Daniel Hurt, Baltimore Sun, 5/10/04
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-ed.le.10mmay10,0,5238399.story
As someone who opposed this war in Iraq from the beginning, I was
surprised
at how surprised I was when instances of abuse of Iraqi prisoner came
to
light ("Bush tries to quell Muslim uproar," May 7). I think I still
believed that, despite the misguided policy aspects of this war, our
troops
would do the most professional and humane job they could under the
circumstances.
And perhaps the one statement of President Bush's that I believed was
that
the Iraqis are better off without Saddam Hussein. Now I have my doubts
about that, too.
This is not to say that most of our troops are not basically good
people.
But, as in Vietnam, when you place a soldier in a dangerous place with
an
unclear mission, reviled by the population, unsure of who the enemy is
and
when he or she will return home, the soldier's humanity is gradually
whittled away.
I cannot imagine how the United States will ever recover its
credibility
and moral authority after this prison abuse scandal.
---
PICTURING DEFEAT IN WAR OF IDEAS
Scott Shane, Baltimore Sun, 5/10/04
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.crisis10may10,0,2153764.story?coll=bal-nationworld-headlines
The accusations of gross misconduct directed at a handful of U.S.
soldiers
guarding prisoners in Iraq have thrown the administration into a graver
political crisis than the deaths of more than 760 of their fellow
troops in
the war.
On the face of it, that seems extraordinary. But as the Bush
administration
and Congress came to understand last week, the stark photos from Abu
Ghraib
prison threaten the United States with defeat in the war of ideas that
underlies the war on terrorism.
During a campaign stop in Iowa on Thursday, President Bush adjusted his
stump speech for a slightly awkward moment, struggling to hold on to
the
moral high ground he has claimed unwaveringly since Sept. 11, 2001.
"The abhorrent pictures on our TV screens have stained our honor," Bush
said. "They do not reflect the nature of the men and women we have sent
overseas," he assured the audience. "We've sent decent, compassioned,
honorable, sacrificing citizens."
He did not address the mystery that has disturbed many Americans over
the
past 10 days: how such decent citizens came to produce the sadistic
pornography of the photos flashing on their television screens.
"Insofar as we have portrayed those we're fighting as evil, we've cast
ourselves as good," says Lawrence M. Hinman, professor of philosophy
and
director of the Values Institute at the University of San Diego. "That
makes us extraordinarily vulnerable to the charge that these pictures
show
that - albeit on a much, much smaller scale - we are capable of the
same
kind of wrong as our enemy. So that line between us and them becomes
much
less clearly drawn..."
---
LOSING THE MORAL HIGH GROUND
Leonard Pitts, Jr., The State, 5/10/04
http://www.thestate.com/mld/state/news/opinion/8630009.htm
So much for winning the hearts and minds of the Muslim world.
Bad enough we invaded a nation that had not attacked us. Bad enough our
core rationalization for that attack was apparently wrong.
Could anything be less likely to convince Muslims of our benevolence
than
the revelations now pouring out of Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad? Osama
bin
Laden himself could not have created a more effective recruiting tool
for
al Qaeda.
That's because the series of photos that first came to public attention
through CBS News' "60 Minutes II" represents more than Iraqi prisoners
being abused at the hands of U.S. soldiers. No, what you see in those
images is a calculated cultural provocation, the equivalent of America
spitting on Islam.
Each image is more sickening than the last. You go from a group of
detainees stripped nude and forced to pile atop one another to a
chained
man with a woman's panties on his head to a naked man grimacing on the
floor at the end of a leash held by a female Army private. There are
also
reportedly pictures of male prisoners forced to simulate sex acts with
one
another.
Given fundamentalist Islam's attitudes toward nudity, homosexuality and
women, one can only imagine how humiliating this is. It's no
endorsement of
those attitudes to say that using them in this way amounts to nothing
less
than psychological brutality.
Then, hard on the heels of that scandal comes a new one: an
investigation
into the deaths of prisoners reportedly abused while in U.S. custody...
------
FIRST SOLDIER TO GO ON TRIAL NEXT WEEK
Vivienne Walt, Boston Globe, 5/10/04
http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2004/05/10/first_soldier_to_go_on_trial_next_week
BAGHDAD - The first court-martial of a soldier accused in the Abu
Ghraib
abuses will be held in central Baghdad next week under the full glare
of
international media coverage, US officials announced yesterday as they
moved quickly to try to contain the prison scandal that has rocked
Washington and inflamed the Arab world.
Specialist Jeremy C. Sivits, 24, a member of the 372d Military Police
Company, will stand trial May 19, in the first of six expected
courts-martial.
Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, deputy chief of US military operations
in
Iraq, said that in an effort to stop the scandal from further
mobilizing
Iraqi insurgents, all the trials will be "as transparent as possible,"
with
US officials organizing maximum access for the news media. "They must
be
truly open," he said.
In what is sure to be a major media event, closed-circuit television
monitors also will relay the proceedings to journalists in overflow
rooms,
he said..
ALSO SEE:
CONGRESS TO GET NEW PHOTOS OF IRAQI INMATES;
Jonathan Peterson, Los Angeles Times, 5/10/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-congress10may10,1,153256.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
WASHINGTON - Military officials are preparing to give Congress
additional
photographs from their investigation into the abusive treatment of
Iraqi
prisoners at the hands of U.S. soldiers, the chairman of the Senate
Armed
Services Committee said Sunday.
Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.) said the military had agreed to give the
armed
services panel classified discs containing unreleased digital images.
"I
was assured yesterday that all the new photos are being reviewed by the
lawyers and so forth and will be forthcoming to Congress," he said on
NBC's
"Meet the Press."
The evidence will be shared with members of Congress, Warner added, but
"when that will be released to the public remains to be seen."
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said during congressional
testimony
Friday that additional photographs and videos exist of physical
violence
toward prisoners under U.S. control, some of them showing "acts that
can
only be described as blatantly sadistic, cruel and inhuman."
-----
DETROITER NAMED GOVERNOR OF NAJAF IN IRAQ
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 5/10/04
http://www.freep.com/news/locway/adnan10_20040510.htm
A Detroit man who once was jailed and tortured under Saddam Hussein's
regime has become the governor of the Iraq province of Najaf.
Adnan Alzurufi, a native of Najaf, was appointed last week by the
Pentagon
at a time when the United States is struggling to take control of the
strategically important region and city of the same name. The southern
city
of Najaf is considered holy by Shi'ite Muslims.
In Detroit, Alzurufi's wife and children said Friday they were glad to
hear
of his appointment.
"I feel very proud," said his son Montadar, 16, one of Alzurufi's seven
children. "But I do worry about" his safety.
Alzurufi said that during the 1980s as a student in his homeland, he
organized anti-Hussein groups in opposition to the Iran-Iraq war. The
ruling Baath Party jailed him for five years in Najaf and Baghdad,
where he
said his captors whipped him and used electrical shocks on his leg and
groin.
In 1991, he escaped and took part in an uprising against Hussein after
the
U.S. invasion of Iraq during the first Persian Gulf War.
Alzurufi fled Iraq for Detroit in 1994, part of a large number of Iraqi
Shi'ite Muslims who came to Michigan after Hussein crushed the
uprising. In
1997, Alzurufi formed the Iraqi Uprising Committee to mobilize local
Iraqis. In April 2003, he was one of a dozen exiles flown by the
Pentagon
to Iraq as part of rebuilding efforts.
-----
AILING MAN FACES DEPORTATION
Robert Polner, Newsday, 5/10/04
www.newsday.com
A heart patient, Malik Muhummad Akbar says he's willing to be deported
if
the U.S. government continues to insist on it. But if he is sent
thousands
of miles from his wife, children and medical care in New York, "it will
result in my death," he says.
"I am not a politician," Akbar, 66, said at his family's Bronx home,
gasping to speak above a whisper and unable to walk much without
tiring. "I
can't take a political stance. I am a straightforward person." Akbar, a
retired poultry farmer from Pakistan, takes 40 pills a day for
heart-,kidney- and diabetes-related ailments. His medical problems were
diagnosed, he said, only after his arrival in this country as a visitor
in
2000. He has undergone heart surgery twice, that year and last year.
On March 24, an immigration judge at 26 Federal Plaza ordered Akbar
deported within three months. At the time, a year had passed since he
had
complied with a post-9/11 government program known as special
registration,
in which men from Arab countries were required to report and
periodically
check in with the Department of Homeland Security. Akbar's visa had
expired, but he had stayed here because of his poor health. The level
of
specialized care at Jacobi Medical Center - paid for with his own
savings
and that of his family's - would not be available to him in Pakistan,
he said.
If deported in June for having out-of-date papers, he will become one
of
13,000 Muslim men forced to leave under special registration. Begun in
October 2002, the program was expanded to cover immigrants from
Pakistan
and other Muslim-majority nations in January 2003. It was halted in
December amid criticism it represented racial profiling and did not
detect
terrorists. The government contends the program was a first step in
improving national security and was suspended after it boosted
enforcement
of immigration laws...
-----
NO-INTEREST LOAN PRODUCT OFFERED TO MUSLIMS IN MICH
Ben Jackson, American Banker, 5/10/04
http://www.americanbanker.com/
A small bank in suburban Detroit says it has found the formula for
attracting the region's hundreds of thousands of devout Muslims.
Serving the nation's growing Muslim population poses a challenge for
mainstream banks, because Islamic law forbids the receipt or payment of
interest. The issue is particularly important in southeastern Michigan,
which is home to the nation's biggest Arab-American community.
University Bancorp Inc., which is based in Ann Arbor, began offering a
no-interest mortgage product last year. Last week it hired a mortgage
officer whose sole job is to sell the product, the Mortgage Alternative
Loan Transaction, or Malt.
Adnan Mirza, the new loan officer, said the $43.4 million-asset
University
has had limited success with Malt since introducing it last summer. To
date
University has closed $3 million of Malts.
How does a bank make money on a no-interest loan?
University creates a special trust for the property the borrower is
seeking
to buy. The borrower then leases the property in a rent-to-own
arrangement
and promises to take ownership at the end of the agreement's lifespan,
typically 30 years. The bank gets a return from the rental payments...
-----
EVENTS PUSH MOSQUE LEADER INTO SPOTLIGHT
Jill Smith, Oregonian, 5/10/04
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1084190134254120.xml
BEAVERTON -- The question took Shahriar Ahmed by surprise.
The president of Bilal Mosque in Beaverton was looking for an elevator
at
Providence St. Vincent Medical Center when a security guard approached
him:
"Aren't you the guy who was disinvited from the prayer breakfast?"
A week earlier, organizers of the Mayors' Prayer Breakfast of
Washington
County had pulled Ahmed from the program because he is Muslim. Most
mayors
bowed out of the May 5 breakfast, which was subsequently canceled. But
the
incident upset many.
"Tears came to his eyes," Ahmed remembers. "He shook my hand and said,
'I
am so sorry.' "
And then the 5-foot Ahmed -- in his brown, knee-length kurta shirt --
and
the security guard shared a hug.
The prayer-breakfast snub signaled for Ahmed -- a passionate and
media-friendly spokesman for local Muslims since the Sept. 11, 2001,
attacks -- a return to the news.
The attention didn't end there. On Thursday, he spoke for a shocked
Muslim
community about the detention of Brandon Mayfield, an Aloha lawyer
being
questioned in connection with the March train bombings in Spain.
Since the 2001 terrorist attacks, the mosque or some of its 250 members
have been host to or part of 167 interfaith gatherings. Most often,
Ahmed
is the main speaker.
People from varied faiths come to learn about Islam but leave with
Ahmed's
praise warming their hearts -- praise for their love, their tolerance,
their concern. Over and over in his low, gentle, slightly accented
voice,
Ahmed thanks them and tells them, "You are the best America has to
offer."
"Some people are gifted. Shahriar is one of them," said Mohammed Haque,
one
of five men and three women who also have represented the mosque. "I
have
seen non-Muslims crying at Shahriar's speeches."
Ahmed's is a soothing message for the war-stressed who want to believe
that
markedly different people can get along.
But it is a message complicated when members of the local Muslim
community
raise suspicions. Last year, it was Maher "Mike" Hawash, a respected
Hillsboro engineer who pleaded guilty to aiding the Taliban.
Ahmed "really was horrified by that incident because he knew that this
man
-- who had all kinds of people backing him -- made it kosher for people
to
suspect all Muslims," says Rabbi Daniel Isaak, who knows Ahmed through
an
interfaith group of Muslims, Jews and Arab Christians.
An eloquent, self-deprecating extrovert who describes himself as
"vertically challenged and laterally endowed," Ahmed serves as the
antidote
to any alarm raised by those incidents.
"It's good for people to meet a Muslim who is a funny, likable, normal
family man rather than a Shiite imam rallying a bunch of Muslims
against
the United States," says Tom Manning, a Jesuit High School religion
teacher
who has invited Ahmed to speak to his students...
-----
HIJAB BAN: RACIST HYPOCRISY
Sharon Smith, Axis of Logic, 5/10/04
http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_7455.shtml
ON MARCH 3, the French Senate passed a law banning female students from
wearing the hijab, the head covering worn by many Muslim women and
girls,
in public schools starting in September 2004. The new French law
prohibits
not just the hijab, but all "signs and dress that ostensibly denote the
religious belonging of students." It also bans beards and bandanas that
denote Islamic affiliation, the Jewish yarmulka, or skullcap, and
"conspicuous" Christian crosses. Nevertheless, few in France, where the
press has dubbed the ban "the law against the veil," believe the target
is
anything but the hijab.
The French ban has inspired lawmakers in Belgium and Germany to
consider
following suit. On April 1, the conservative state of Baden-Wurttemberg
in
Germany banned Muslim public school teachers from wearing headscarves.
The
anti-hijab trend has even extended to the United States, where a
sixth-grade student in the Muskogee, Oklahoma public school district
was
suspended twice last year for wearing her hijab.
France’s move to ban the hijab has generated heated
controversy–dividing
leftists, anti-racists, feminists, and even some Muslims. A founder of
the
French anti-racist organization SOS-Racisme resigned after it came out
in
support of the ban. Respected feminist Fadela Amara, president of Ni
Putes
Ni Soumises (Neither Whores Nor Downtrodden), an advocate group for
North
African women, supports the law.
Some feminists oppose the law on the grounds that it will strengthen
Islamic fundamentalism. In December 2003, Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi,
grand
sheikh of al-Azhar University in Cairo, publicly declared that Muslims
living in non-Muslim countries are obliged to obey that country’s laws,
including a ban on wearing the hijab. But other high-ranking Islamic
clerics strongly dispute this assertion, and argue that banning the
hijab
is a direct attack on Islam...
But whatever the rationale among progressives for supporting the hijab
ban,
it cannot be judged apart from its role in the rising tide of racism
against Muslim populations throughout Europe, and indeed, around the
world.
In this campaign, as Middle East Report editorial committee member Paul
Silverstein argues, "Law-and-order right-wingers, including [French
Interior Minister Nicolas] Sarkozy, view the law as an important weapon
in
their ongoing "war on terror..."
-----
EXPERTS START UNEARTHING BODIES FROM NEW MASS GRAVE FOUND IN BOSNIA
Associated Press, 5/10/04
ZAKLOPACA, Bosnia-Herzegovina - Forensic experts on Monday unearthed
the
first remains and clothing of victims from a newly found mass grave
expected to contain the bodies of 72 Muslims killed in eastern Bosnia
during the 1992-95 war.
"We expect to find the remains of 72 victims, at least of them 16 of
children," Murat Hurtic, a regional head of the Commission for Missing
Persons, told The Associated Press.
The excavation site, about the size of a tennis court, was opened on
Friday
in the village of Zaklopaca, near the border with Serbia about 80
kilometers (50 miles) northeast of Sarajevo.
It is believed to contain the remains of Muslims killed by Bosnian Serb
forces at the beginning of the country's war. Forensic experts will be
digging as deep as 3.5 meters (12 feet) in some sections to find the
remains, some of them dismembered.
Work at the site is expected to last at least a month because the
exhumation of the grave site is difficult because several tons of
stones
were dumped on top of it from a nearby stone pit in an attempt to hide
the
location, Hurtic said.
The remains will be taken to a lab in the northern town of Tuzla for
DNA
analysis in an attempt to identify them.
Most of the remains are believed to be those of Muslims from Zaklopaca
killed in May 1992 at the beginning of the war. The site is a so-called
secondary grave, where bodies initially buried elsewhere were dumped,
Hurtic said...
ALSO SEE:
APPROXIMATELY ONE MILLION PEOPLE DISPLACED IN DARFUR IN THE “WORST
HUMANITARAN AND HUMAN RIGHTS CATASTROPHE IN THE WORLD.”
Islamic Relief, 5/10/04
DARFUR, Sudan – Islamic Relief Worldwide staff is monitoring the
humanitarian crisis in the western Sudanese region of Darfur. According
to
the United Nations, the crisis in the western Sudanese region of Darfur
is
currently the worst humanitarian and human rights catastrophe in the
world.
The U.N. has estimated that, out of a pre-conflict population in Darfur
of
6.5 million, approximately 1 million people have been internally
displaced
within Sudan and more than 110,000 people have fled across the border
into
neighboring Chad as a result of this conflict.
Because of the unstable security situation on the ground, delivery of
humanitarian assistance to the conflict-affected populations has been
severely impeded. On April 8th the government of Sudan and the
opposition
Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement
(JEM)
signed a 45-day renewable ceasefire agreement which includes a pledge
to
guarantee safe passage of humanitarian aid to Darfur.
Islamic Relief Worldwide recently sent a delegation from its U.S.,
U.K.,
and France offices to monitor the situation. Two Islamic Relief USA
representatives, Anwar Khan and Arif Shaikh returned from Sudan this
week.
According to Shaikh, “The living conditions of the displaced people are
simply shocking. Thousands of people have been living in huts made of 4
pieces of straw for several months. As the rainy season approaches,
their
situation will only get worse, as their current shelter will not be
able to
withstand the rain. Due to the poor living conditions, there are also
very
serious health problems in the region, including a meningitis
epidemic.”
Islamic Relief Worldwide has been working in Sudan for 20 years, and
has 5
field offices located throughout the country. Islamic Relief Worldwide
has
already set up some camps for the displaced population, and plans to
set up
more camps, which will be able to withstand the rainy season.
Media Contacts:
Los Angeles:
Arif Shaikh, Islamic Relief USA
arif@irw.org
(818) 238-9520 phone
(818) 238-9521 fax
-----
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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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Mon, 10 May 2004 18:02:37 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: FL Muslim Families File Legal Notice in Bus Case
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/10/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THREE TRUTHS
* REASON #16 TO JOIN CAIR – Professional Staff
- Library Project Sponsorships: 7450
* FL MUSLIM FAMILIES FILE LEGAL NOTICE IN BUS CASE
* CAIR-FL: HATE HURTS AMERICA (Orlando Sentinel)
* DISGRACEFUL ACTS AGAINST MUSLIMS (Indystar)
- Abuse Costs U.S. Its Moral Authority (Balt. Sun)
- Picturing Defeat in War of Ideas (Balt. Sun)
- Losing the Moral High Ground (The State)
* FIRST SOLDIER TO GO ON TRIAL NEXT WEEK (Boston Globe)
- Congress to Get New Photos of Iraqi Inmates (LA Times)
* MI: DETROITER NAMED GOVERNOR OF NAJAF IN IRAQ (Free Press)
* AILING MAN FACES DEPORTATION (Newsday)
* MI: NO-INTEREST LOANS OFFERED TO MUSLIMS (American Banker)
* EVENTS PUSH MOSQUE LEADER INTO SPOTLIGHT (Oregonian)
* HIJAB BAN: RACIST HYPOCRISY (Logic)
* EXPERTS FIND NEW MASS GRAVE IN BOSNIA (AP)
- Approximately 1 Million People Displaced in Sudan
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THREE TRUTHS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Three things that I
swear
to be true are that a man’s property does not become less on account of
(giving) charity; that when a man is wronged and bears it patiently,
God
will give him greater honor on that account; and that when a man (begs
without dire need), God opens for him a door toward poverty.”
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1397
------
REASON #16 TO JOIN CAIR – PROFESSIONAL STAFF
CAIR employs qualified full time staffers, experts, and consultants to
handle both short term and long term tasks and projects.
In our new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member at
a
Time," CAIR intends (God Willing) to sign up 25,000 new members by its
10th
year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
Students Click here!
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=33172&page=NB
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7450 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
-----
FL MUSLIM FAMILIES FILE LEGAL NOTICE IN BUS CASE
Notice preserves right of victims to file suit in the future
(Jacksonville, FL, 5/10/04) - The Florida office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) announced today that nine families
(representing 15 students), have filed a 'Notice of Claim' against the
City
of Jacksonville, Duval County School Board, Fort Caroline Middle School
and
First Student, Inc., for their part in alleged acts of discrimination
that
occurred during the fall of 2003.
In late October 2003, a Jacksonville bus driver allegedly ordered
Muslim
children off her bus for "talking loudly." Some of the children, who
are
recent immigrants from Iraq and Afghanistan, had to walk five miles to
get
home. On another incident the same group of students say they were
denied
the right to board a school bus on their way to school.
SEE: "MIDDLE EASTERN CHILDREN ALLEGEDLY KICKED OFF BUS"
http://www.news4jax.com/news/2597802/detail.html
At this point no lawsuit has been filed, however the families are
keeping
all options open.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 offices and chapters nationwide and in
Canada.
- END -
Contact: Ahmed Bedier, Communications Director, 813-731-9506, Email:
abedier@cair-florida.org; Altaf Ali, Executive Director, 954-298-8214,
altaf@cair-florida.org
-----
CAIR-FL: HATE HURTS AMERICA
Parvez Ahmed, Orlando Sentinel, 5/10/04
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/orl-edpahmed10051004may10,1,5529247.story?coll=orl-opinion-headlines
Removing Saddam. Good.
Failure to win the peace. Bad.
Torture in prison. Ugly.
The now-infamous pictures of Iraqi prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib by U.S.
soldiers have perhaps caused irreparable damage to America's image not
just
in the Arab world but all across the globe. They have also likely
undermined the just cause of eradicating terrorism.
President Bush's damage control on Arabic-language TV and his apology
during a press conference with King Abdullah of Jordan, although both
heartfelt, may be too little, too late. The fact that abuse took place
in
the Abu Ghraib prison, a place notorious for Saddam Hussein's brutal
torture of his own people, is an irony not lost on anyone.
Perhaps more disturbing than the pictures are reports citing 25
prisoner
deaths under U.S. custody. Are these systemic abuses, as one internal
Army
report claims, or are these acts of overzealous soldiers?
Prisoner abuse during war is not uncommon. But what makes the Iraqi
prisoner story troubling is its occurrence during relative peace. The
abuses happened well before the current "insurgencies" in Fallujah and
Najaf. Also troubling is the Pentagon's belated attention to the
initial
reports of abuse. Had not the gruesome pictures surfaced in the news
media,
the abuses would perhaps been relegated to a footnote in history.
The pictures and the accounts confirm our worst fears. Our troops were
rushed into a war with inadequate training to win the peace. Even the
most
anti-war demonstrator had no doubts that U.S. armed forces would
overwhelm
Saddam's goons. The misgivings were always about the security and
geopolitical consequences of an ill-conceived war...
Parvez Ahmed is a board member for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR) and chairs the board for CAIR's Florida chapter.
------
DISGRACEFUL ACTS AGAINST MUSLIMS
Indystar.com, 5/10/04
http://www.indystar.com/articles/3/145059-8013-021.html
Our position is: Discrimination against Muslims is wrong and
self-defeating.
Acts of alleged violence, harassment or discrimination against Muslims
living in the United States increased nearly 70 percent last year,
according to a report recently issued by the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations, a Muslim civil rights group.
The group said it received 1,019 complaints about such acts in 2003, up
from 602 the year before. It attributed the increase to lingering fear
from
the 9/11 attacks, hostility driven by war rhetoric and abuses of the
Patriot Act.
In Indiana, where an estimated 250,000 Muslims live, mostly native-born
citizens, 13 incidents were reported. None involved violence, although
one
involved serious threats and another an interrupted break-in at the
Bloomington Islamic Center.
Domestic discrimination is not unheard of during times of war. Many
Americans of German descent changed their names during the two world
wars
because of fear. Hysteria against Japanese Americans during World War
II
led to innocent families being put in internment camps.
Such discrimination is wrong...
ALSO SEE:
ABUSE COSTS U.S. ITS MORAL AUTHORITY
Daniel Hurt, Baltimore Sun, 5/10/04
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-ed.le.10mmay10,0,5238399.story
As someone who opposed this war in Iraq from the beginning, I was
surprised
at how surprised I was when instances of abuse of Iraqi prisoner came
to
light ("Bush tries to quell Muslim uproar," May 7). I think I still
believed that, despite the misguided policy aspects of this war, our
troops
would do the most professional and humane job they could under the
circumstances.
And perhaps the one statement of President Bush's that I believed was
that
the Iraqis are better off without Saddam Hussein. Now I have my doubts
about that, too.
This is not to say that most of our troops are not basically good
people.
But, as in Vietnam, when you place a soldier in a dangerous place with
an
unclear mission, reviled by the population, unsure of who the enemy is
and
when he or she will return home, the soldier's humanity is gradually
whittled away.
I cannot imagine how the United States will ever recover its
credibility
and moral authority after this prison abuse scandal.
---
PICTURING DEFEAT IN WAR OF IDEAS
Scott Shane, Baltimore Sun, 5/10/04
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.crisis10may10,0,2153764.story?coll=bal-nationworld-headlines
The accusations of gross misconduct directed at a handful of U.S.
soldiers
guarding prisoners in Iraq have thrown the administration into a graver
political crisis than the deaths of more than 760 of their fellow
troops in
the war.
On the face of it, that seems extraordinary. But as the Bush
administration
and Congress came to understand last week, the stark photos from Abu
Ghraib
prison threaten the United States with defeat in the war of ideas that
underlies the war on terrorism.
During a campaign stop in Iowa on Thursday, President Bush adjusted his
stump speech for a slightly awkward moment, struggling to hold on to
the
moral high ground he has claimed unwaveringly since Sept. 11, 2001.
"The abhorrent pictures on our TV screens have stained our honor," Bush
said. "They do not reflect the nature of the men and women we have sent
overseas," he assured the audience. "We've sent decent, compassioned,
honorable, sacrificing citizens."
He did not address the mystery that has disturbed many Americans over
the
past 10 days: how such decent citizens came to produce the sadistic
pornography of the photos flashing on their television screens.
"Insofar as we have portrayed those we're fighting as evil, we've cast
ourselves as good," says Lawrence M. Hinman, professor of philosophy
and
director of the Values Institute at the University of San Diego. "That
makes us extraordinarily vulnerable to the charge that these pictures
show
that - albeit on a much, much smaller scale - we are capable of the
same
kind of wrong as our enemy. So that line between us and them becomes
much
less clearly drawn..."
---
LOSING THE MORAL HIGH GROUND
Leonard Pitts, Jr., The State, 5/10/04
http://www.thestate.com/mld/state/news/opinion/8630009.htm
So much for winning the hearts and minds of the Muslim world.
Bad enough we invaded a nation that had not attacked us. Bad enough our
core rationalization for that attack was apparently wrong.
Could anything be less likely to convince Muslims of our benevolence
than
the revelations now pouring out of Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad? Osama
bin
Laden himself could not have created a more effective recruiting tool
for
al Qaeda.
That's because the series of photos that first came to public attention
through CBS News' "60 Minutes II" represents more than Iraqi prisoners
being abused at the hands of U.S. soldiers. No, what you see in those
images is a calculated cultural provocation, the equivalent of America
spitting on Islam.
Each image is more sickening than the last. You go from a group of
detainees stripped nude and forced to pile atop one another to a
chained
man with a woman's panties on his head to a naked man grimacing on the
floor at the end of a leash held by a female Army private. There are
also
reportedly pictures of male prisoners forced to simulate sex acts with
one
another.
Given fundamentalist Islam's attitudes toward nudity, homosexuality and
women, one can only imagine how humiliating this is. It's no
endorsement of
those attitudes to say that using them in this way amounts to nothing
less
than psychological brutality.
Then, hard on the heels of that scandal comes a new one: an
investigation
into the deaths of prisoners reportedly abused while in U.S. custody...
------
FIRST SOLDIER TO GO ON TRIAL NEXT WEEK
Vivienne Walt, Boston Globe, 5/10/04
http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2004/05/10/first_soldier_to_go_on_trial_next_week
BAGHDAD - The first court-martial of a soldier accused in the Abu
Ghraib
abuses will be held in central Baghdad next week under the full glare
of
international media coverage, US officials announced yesterday as they
moved quickly to try to contain the prison scandal that has rocked
Washington and inflamed the Arab world.
Specialist Jeremy C. Sivits, 24, a member of the 372d Military Police
Company, will stand trial May 19, in the first of six expected
courts-martial.
Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, deputy chief of US military operations
in
Iraq, said that in an effort to stop the scandal from further
mobilizing
Iraqi insurgents, all the trials will be "as transparent as possible,"
with
US officials organizing maximum access for the news media. "They must
be
truly open," he said.
In what is sure to be a major media event, closed-circuit television
monitors also will relay the proceedings to journalists in overflow
rooms,
he said...
ALSO SEE:
CONGRESS TO GET NEW PHOTOS OF IRAQI INMATES;
Jonathan Peterson, Los Angeles Times, 5/10/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-congress10may10,1,153256.story?coll=la-headlines-nation
WASHINGTON - Military officials are preparing to give Congress
additional
photographs from their investigation into the abusive treatment of
Iraqi
prisoners at the hands of U.S. soldiers, the chairman of the Senate
Armed
Services Committee said Sunday.
Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.) said the military had agreed to give the
armed
services panel classified discs containing unreleased digital images.
"I
was assured yesterday that all the new photos are being reviewed by the
lawyers and so forth and will be forthcoming to Congress," he said on
NBC's
"Meet the Press."
The evidence will be shared with members of Congress, Warner added, but
"when that will be released to the public remains to be seen."
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said during congressional
testimony
Friday that additional photographs and videos exist of physical
violence
toward prisoners under U.S. control, some of them showing "acts that
can
only be described as blatantly sadistic, cruel and inhuman."
-----
DETROITER NAMED GOVERNOR OF NAJAF IN IRAQ
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 5/10/04
http://www.freep.com/news/locway/adnan10_20040510.htm
A Detroit man who once was jailed and tortured under Saddam Hussein's
regime has become the governor of the Iraq province of Najaf.
Adnan Alzurufi, a native of Najaf, was appointed last week by the
Pentagon
at a time when the United States is struggling to take control of the
strategically important region and city of the same name. The southern
city
of Najaf is considered holy by Shi'ite Muslims.
In Detroit, Alzurufi's wife and children said Friday they were glad to
hear
of his appointment.
"I feel very proud," said his son Montadar, 16, one of Alzurufi's seven
children. "But I do worry about" his safety.
Alzurufi said that during the 1980s as a student in his homeland, he
organized anti-Hussein groups in opposition to the Iran-Iraq war. The
ruling Baath Party jailed him for five years in Najaf and Baghdad,
where he
said his captors whipped him and used electrical shocks on his leg and
groin.
In 1991, he escaped and took part in an uprising against Hussein after
the
U.S. invasion of Iraq during the first Persian Gulf War.
Alzurufi fled Iraq for Detroit in 1994, part of a large number of Iraqi
Shi'ite Muslims who came to Michigan after Hussein crushed the
uprising. In
1997, Alzurufi formed the Iraqi Uprising Committee to mobilize local
Iraqis. In April 2003, he was one of a dozen exiles flown by the
Pentagon
to Iraq as part of rebuilding efforts.
-----
AILING MAN FACES DEPORTATION
Robert Polner, Newsday, 5/10/04
www.newsday.com
A heart patient, Malik Muhummad Akbar says he's willing to be deported
if
the U.S. government continues to insist on it. But if he is sent
thousands
of miles from his wife, children and medical care in New York, "it will
result in my death," he says.
"I am not a politician," Akbar, 66, said at his family's Bronx home,
gasping to speak above a whisper and unable to walk much without
tiring. "I
can't take a political stance. I am a straightforward person." Akbar, a
retired poultry farmer from Pakistan, takes 40 pills a day for
heart-,kidney- and diabetes-related ailments. His medical problems were
diagnosed, he said, only after his arrival in this country as a visitor
in
2000. He has undergone heart surgery twice, that year and last year.
On March 24, an immigration judge at 26 Federal Plaza ordered Akbar
deported within three months. At the time, a year had passed since he
had
complied with a post-9/11 government program known as special
registration,
in which men from Arab countries were required to report and
periodically
check in with the Department of Homeland Security. Akbar's visa had
expired, but he had stayed here because of his poor health. The level
of
specialized care at Jacobi Medical Center - paid for with his own
savings
and that of his family's - would not be available to him in Pakistan,
he said.
If deported in June for having out-of-date papers, he will become one
of
13,000 Muslim men forced to leave under special registration. Begun in
October 2002, the program was expanded to cover immigrants from
Pakistan
and other Muslim-majority nations in January 2003. It was halted in
December amid criticism it represented racial profiling and did not
detect
terrorists. The government contends the program was a first step in
improving national security and was suspended after it boosted
enforcement
of immigration laws...
-----
NO-INTEREST LOAN PRODUCT OFFERED TO MUSLIMS IN MICH
Ben Jackson, American Banker, 5/10/04
http://www.americanbanker.com/
A small bank in suburban Detroit says it has found the formula for
attracting the region's hundreds of thousands of devout Muslims.
Serving the nation's growing Muslim population poses a challenge for
mainstream banks, because Islamic law forbids the receipt or payment of
interest. The issue is particularly important in southeastern Michigan,
which is home to the nation's biggest Arab-American community.
University Bancorp Inc., which is based in Ann Arbor, began offering a
no-interest mortgage product last year. Last week it hired a mortgage
officer whose sole job is to sell the product, the Mortgage Alternative
Loan Transaction, or Malt.
Adnan Mirza, the new loan officer, said the $43.4 million-asset
University
has had limited success with Malt since introducing it last summer. To
date
University has closed $3 million of Malts.
How does a bank make money on a no-interest loan?
University creates a special trust for the property the borrower is
seeking
to buy. The borrower then leases the property in a rent-to-own
arrangement
and promises to take ownership at the end of the agreement's lifespan,
typically 30 years. The bank gets a return from the rental payments...
-----
EVENTS PUSH MOSQUE LEADER INTO SPOTLIGHT
Jill Smith, Oregonian, 5/10/04
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1084190134254120.xml
BEAVERTON -- The question took Shahriar Ahmed by surprise.
The president of Bilal Mosque in Beaverton was looking for an elevator
at
Providence St. Vincent Medical Center when a security guard approached
him:
"Aren't you the guy who was disinvited from the prayer breakfast?"
A week earlier, organizers of the Mayors' Prayer Breakfast of
Washington
County had pulled Ahmed from the program because he is Muslim. Most
mayors
bowed out of the May 5 breakfast, which was subsequently canceled. But
the
incident upset many.
"Tears came to his eyes," Ahmed remembers. "He shook my hand and said,
'I
am so sorry.' "
And then the 5-foot Ahmed -- in his brown, knee-length kurta shirt --
and
the security guard shared a hug.
The prayer-breakfast snub signaled for Ahmed -- a passionate and
media-friendly spokesman for local Muslims since the Sept. 11, 2001,
attacks -- a return to the news.
The attention didn't end there. On Thursday, he spoke for a shocked
Muslim
community about the detention of Brandon Mayfield, an Aloha lawyer
being
questioned in connection with the March train bombings in Spain.
Since the 2001 terrorist attacks, the mosque or some of its 250 members
have been host to or part of 167 interfaith gatherings. Most often,
Ahmed
is the main speaker.
People from varied faiths come to learn about Islam but leave with
Ahmed's
praise warming their hearts -- praise for their love, their tolerance,
their concern. Over and over in his low, gentle, slightly accented
voice,
Ahmed thanks them and tells them, "You are the best America has to
offer."
"Some people are gifted. Shahriar is one of them," said Mohammed Haque,
one
of five men and three women who also have represented the mosque. "I
have
seen non-Muslims crying at Shahriar's speeches."
Ahmed's is a soothing message for the war-stressed who want to believe
that
markedly different people can get along.
But it is a message complicated when members of the local Muslim
community
raise suspicions. Last year, it was Maher "Mike" Hawash, a respected
Hillsboro engineer who pleaded guilty to aiding the Taliban.
Ahmed "really was horrified by that incident because he knew that this
man
-- who had all kinds of people backing him -- made it kosher for people
to
suspect all Muslims," says Rabbi Daniel Isaak, who knows Ahmed through
an
interfaith group of Muslims, Jews and Arab Christians.
An eloquent, self-deprecating extrovert who describes himself as
"vertically challenged and laterally endowed," Ahmed serves as the
antidote
to any alarm raised by those incidents.
"It's good for people to meet a Muslim who is a funny, likable, normal
family man rather than a Shiite imam rallying a bunch of Muslims
against
the United States," says Tom Manning, a Jesuit High School religion
teacher
who has invited Ahmed to speak to his students...
-----
HIJAB BAN: RACIST HYPOCRISY
Sharon Smith, Axis of Logic, 5/10/04
http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_7455.shtml
ON MARCH 3, the French Senate passed a law banning female students from
wearing the hijab, the head covering worn by many Muslim women and
girls,
in public schools starting in September 2004. The new French law
prohibits
not just the hijab, but all "signs and dress that ostensibly denote the
religious belonging of students." It also bans beards and bandanas that
denote Islamic affiliation, the Jewish yarmulka, or skullcap, and
"conspicuous" Christian crosses. Nevertheless, few in France, where the
press has dubbed the ban "the law against the veil," believe the target
is
anything but the hijab.
The French ban has inspired lawmakers in Belgium and Germany to
consider
following suit. On April 1, the conservative state of Baden-Wurttemberg
in
Germany banned Muslim public school teachers from wearing headscarves.
The
anti-hijab trend has even extended to the United States, where a
sixth-grade student in the Muskogee, Oklahoma public school district
was
suspended twice last year for wearing her hijab.
France’s move to ban the hijab has generated heated
controversy–dividing
leftists, anti-racists, feminists, and even some Muslims. A founder of
the
French anti-racist organization SOS-Racisme resigned after it came out
in
support of the ban. Respected feminist Fadela Amara, president of Ni
Putes
Ni Soumises (Neither Whores Nor Downtrodden), an advocate group for
North
African women, supports the law.
Some feminists oppose the law on the grounds that it will strengthen
Islamic fundamentalism. In December 2003, Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi,
grand
sheikh of al-Azhar University in Cairo, publicly declared that Muslims
living in non-Muslim countries are obliged to obey that country’s laws,
including a ban on wearing the hijab. But other high-ranking Islamic
clerics strongly dispute this assertion, and argue that banning the
hijab
is a direct attack on Islam...
But whatever the rationale among progressives for supporting the hijab
ban,
it cannot be judged apart from its role in the rising tide of racism
against Muslim populations throughout Europe, and indeed, around the
world.
In this campaign, as Middle East Report editorial committee member Paul
Silverstein argues, "Law-and-order right-wingers, including [French
Interior Minister Nicolas] Sarkozy, view the law as an important weapon
in
their ongoing "war on terror..."
-----
EXPERTS START UNEARTHING BODIES FROM NEW MASS GRAVE FOUND IN BOSNIA
Associated Press, 5/10/04
ZAKLOPACA, Bosnia-Herzegovina - Forensic experts on Monday unearthed
the
first remains and clothing of victims from a newly found mass grave
expected to contain the bodies of 72 Muslims killed in eastern Bosnia
during the 1992-95 war.
"We expect to find the remains of 72 victims, at least of them 16 of
children," Murat Hurtic, a regional head of the Commission for Missing
Persons, told The Associated Press.
The excavation site, about the size of a tennis court, was opened on
Friday
in the village of Zaklopaca, near the border with Serbia about 80
kilometers (50 miles) northeast of Sarajevo.
It is believed to contain the remains of Muslims killed by Bosnian Serb
forces at the beginning of the country's war. Forensic experts will be
digging as deep as 3.5 meters (12 feet) in some sections to find the
remains, some of them dismembered.
Work at the site is expected to last at least a month because the
exhumation of the grave site is difficult because several tons of
stones
were dumped on top of it from a nearby stone pit in an attempt to hide
the
location, Hurtic said.
The remains will be taken to a lab in the northern town of Tuzla for
DNA
analysis in an attempt to identify them.
Most of the remains are believed to be those of Muslims from Zaklopaca
killed in May 1992 at the beginning of the war. The site is a so-called
secondary grave, where bodies initially buried elsewhere were dumped,
Hurtic said...
ALSO SEE:
APPROXIMATELY ONE MILLION PEOPLE DISPLACED IN DARFUR IN THE “WORST
HUMANITARAN AND HUMAN RIGHTS CATASTROPHE IN THE WORLD.”
Islamic Relief, 5/10/04
DARFUR, Sudan – Islamic Relief Worldwide staff is monitoring the
humanitarian crisis in the western Sudanese region of Darfur. According
to
the United Nations, the crisis in the western Sudanese region of Darfur
is
currently the worst humanitarian and human rights catastrophe in the
world.
The U.N. has estimated that, out of a pre-conflict population in Darfur
of
6.5 million, approximately 1 million people have been internally
displaced
within Sudan and more than 110,000 people have fled across the border
into
neighboring Chad as a result of this conflict.
Because of the unstable security situation on the ground, delivery of
humanitarian assistance to the conflict-affected populations has been
severely impeded. On April 8th the government of Sudan and the
opposition
Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement
(JEM)
signed a 45-day renewable ceasefire agreement which includes a pledge
to
guarantee safe passage of humanitarian aid to Darfur.
Islamic Relief Worldwide recently sent a delegation from its U.S.,
U.K.,
and France offices to monitor the situation. Two Islamic Relief USA
representatives, Anwar Khan and Arif Shaikh returned from Sudan this
week.
According to Shaikh, “The living conditions of the displaced people are
simply shocking. Thousands of people have been living in huts made of 4
pieces of straw for several months. As the rainy season approaches,
their
situation will only get worse, as their current shelter will not be
able to
withstand the rain. Due to the poor living conditions, there are also
very
serious health problems in the region, including a meningitis
epidemic.”
Islamic Relief Worldwide has been working in Sudan for 20 years, and
has 5
field offices located throughout the country. Islamic Relief Worldwide
has
already set up some camps for the displaced population, and plans to
set up
more camps, which will be able to withstand the rainy season.
Media Contacts:
Arif Shaikh, Islamic Relief USA
arif@irw.org
(818) 238-9520 phone
(818) 238-9521 fax
-----
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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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Tue, 11 May 2004 15:26:05 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: CAIR Condemns Murder of American in Iraq
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/11/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THE WORST SINS
* CAIR CONDEMNS MURDER OF AMERICAN IN IRAQ
* HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE THIS MONTH
- Library Project Sponsorships: 7450
* CAIR-CLEVELAND TO HOLD ANNUAL BANQUET MAY 22
- CAIR-OHIO: Muslim Rights Violations on the Rise
* CAIR-CAN: FACING NEW IDENTITIES
* CAIR-FL: MUSLIMS TO SUE IN SCHOOL BUS INCIDENT (Times Union)
* RABBIS CRITICIZE EVANGELICAL SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL (AP)
* THE ISRAELI TORTURE TEMPLATE (Counterpunch)
- Israel Imprisons, Abuses Palestinian Youths (AP)
* SECRET WORLD OF U.S. INTERROGATION (Wash Post)
- Amnesty Accuses UK of Killing Iraqi Civilians (Reuters)
- Failure of Leadership at Highest Levels (Asia Times)
- Mistreatment of Detainees Went Beyond Abuse (Wash Post)
* MD: MUSLIM FAMILY DAYS AT SIX FLAGS
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THE WORST SINS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The worst sins are to
join
others as partners in worship with God, to murder a human being, to be
undutiful to one's parents, or to bear false witness."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Hadith 10
-----
CAIR CONDEMNS MURDER OF AMERICAN IN IRAQ
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/11/04) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) today condemned the murder of an American civilian in Iraq by a
group claiming links to Al-Qaeda.
A video posted on an Internet web site shows the beheading of a
Philadelphia man working as a contractor in Iraq whose body was found
on a
highway overpass in Baghdad on Saturday. The group that carried out the
killing said it was in retaliation for the ongoing Iraq prison abuse
scandal.
In its statement, the Washington-based Islamic civil rights and
advocacy
group said:
"We condemn this cold-blooded murder and repudiate all those who commit
such acts of mindless violence in the name of religion. We call on
people
of all faiths and cultures to work together for peace and
reconciliation,
not war and destruction."
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 26 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
------
HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE THIS MONTH
CAIR has launched a new drive to raise $80,000 online each month. To
help
us reach that goal, go to: https://www.cair-net.org/asp/donate.asp
Through a new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member
at
a Time," CAIR also intends (God willing) to sign up 25,000 new members
by
its 10th year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
Students Click here!
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=33172&page=NB
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7450 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
-----
CAIR-CLEVELAND TO HOLD ANNUAL BANQUET MAY 22
(CLEVELAND, OHIO) - On May 22, the Cleveland office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Cleveland) will host its 2nd annual
dinner
and fundraiser, titled "Muslims in America: A Defining Moment." Dr.
David
Cole, a prominent constitutional scholar, award-winning author, and
immigrants' rights attorney from Georgetown University Law Center will
deliver the keynote address on security and civil rights in America.
WHEN: Saturday, May 22, 2004 from 5:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.
WHERE: Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, 24 Public Square, Downtown
Cleveland
The banquet program will highlight the accomplishments of the new
CAIR-Cleveland office and CAIR's future plans at the local, state and
national levels. In addition, the first annual CAIR-Cleveland Awards
will
be presented to outstanding area Muslims and supporters of civil rights
from the community at large. Special awards will be given to public
officials and members of the media.
Tickets are $50 and should be purchased in advance by calling the CAIR
office.
CAIR is America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, with 26
regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
CONTACT: CAIR-Cleveland, Director, Julia A. Shearson 216-830-2247,
216-440.2247, E-Mail Julia@cair-ohio.com
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-OHIO: MUSLIM RIGHTS VIOLATIONS ON THE RISE
http://www.onnnews.com/global/video/popup/pop_playerLaunch.asp?clipid1=204993&at1=News&vt1=v&h1=Rights+Violations+Against+Muslims+On+The+Rise&d1=173400
-----
CAIR-CAN: FACING NEW IDENTITIES
Sheema Khan, Globe and Mail, 5/10/04
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040510/COSHEEMA10/TPComment/TopStories
(Sheema Khan is the Chair of CAIR-CAN)
At one level, it seems like an absurd sketch featuring Mary Walsh and
Cathy
Jones from This Hour Has 22 Minutes: normally placid Canadians forced
to
confront their fuzzy notions of identity by two outspoken Muslim women.
Stereotypes are turned on their heads as Canadians wax passionately
about
citizenship and passports, while each woman, speaking in her own name,
discards the cloak of submissiveness too often associated with her
religion. If only reality were as simple as fiction.
The Muslim women are Maha Elsamnah and Monia Mazigh -- two very
different
individuals whose public ordeals have forced Canadians to reflect on
fundamental values of this nation. They also represent two faces (among
many) of Muslim participation in Western democracies, giving rise to a
long
overdue reflection on an ethic of citizenship.
Ms. Elsamnah has raised the ire of many Canadians. Some have called for
the
revocation of her citizenship. The anger is fuelled by her support of
Osama
bin Laden and the al-Qaeda mass murder of Sept. 11, 2001, her contempt
for
Canada's social environment as a place to raise her children, and her
gall
in using the very system she professes to hate.
It has been pointed out that however objectionable her views, our laws
do
not strip individuals of citizenship for holding repugnant opinions.
While
it may seem galling to abuse the many privileges of citizenship
(passports,
access to health care, etc.), Ms. Elsamnah is certainly not alone in
claiming these privileges as a matter of convenience. The list includes
business investors and Florida snowbirds.
In contrast, Monia Mazigh has won widespread admiration for her
tireless,
dignified campaign to have her husband returned from Syria. She has
made
good use of democratic institutions to achieve justice, so that her
children would not grow up bitter about their father's ordeal.
Against insurmountable odds, she fought for basic democratic principles
such as the rule of law and government accountability...
-----
CAIR-FL: MUSLIM STUDENTS' FAMILIES TO SUE IN SCHOOL BUS INCIDENT
Paul Pinkham, Times-Union, 5/11/04
http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/051104/met_15574965.shtml
The families of 14 Muslim middle school students removed from a school
bus
in October have notified the Duval County School Board they intend to
sue,
alleging religious discrimination.
In a letter to the School Board last week, lawyers for the families and
the
Council on American-Islamic Relations said the Fort Caroline Middle
School
students were discriminated against because of their religious beliefs
and
their race.
"The bus driver was hostile, intimidating and made religious slurs,"
says
the intent-to-sue letter filed at City Hall by attorney Omar Mohammedi
of
New York. It was supplemented with sworn statements from the students.
Florida law requires six months notice before suing a public agency.
City
Hall attorneys represent the school system in such actions.
Superintendent John Fryer said Monday the school system and First
Student
bus company investigated the incident, but he wouldn't discuss the
results.
"Now it's up [to] the lawyers," he said.
The 12- to 14-year-old students, recent emigrants from the Middle East
and
Central Asia, were removed from the First Student bus Oct. 29 by a
driver
who said they were insubordinate and verbally abusive. The case
received
national attention after the Council on American-Islamic Relations
reported
they had to walk 5 miles home.
"The bus driver exposed these children to dangerous, hazardous,
improper
and unsafe conditions," Mohammedi said. His letter said the families
also
plan to sue First Student.
He said the incident was compounded two days later when another First
Student driver refused to pick up the students at their bus stop at
Atlantic Boulevard and Caravan Trail. The bus company said the students
weren't complying with a change in bus stop locations made because of
safety reasons, but Mohammedi said the drivers sought to punish his
clients
"because of their religion, national origin and race."
Ahmed Bedier, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations
in
Florida, said he is "dismayed" school and bus company officials haven't
apologized for the incidents.
"These students' rights were violated," Bedier said. "We and the
parents
gave plenty of opportunity for the school district and the bus company
to
do an investigation, and they really haven't been forthcoming with
their
findings."
The incidents prompted a civil rights investigation by the Florida
Attorney
General's Office. A spokeswoman there didn't return a phone call about
the
status of that probe.
Bedier said a complaint also has been filed recently with the U.S.
Department of Education's civil rights office, which is investigating.
-----
RABBIS EXPRESS UNPRECEDENTED CRITICISM OF AMERICAN EVANGELICAL SUPPORT
FOR
ISRAEL
Josef Federman, Associated Press, 5/10/04
http://cbsnewyork.com/international/Israel-Evangelicals-ai/resources_news_html
JERUSALEM - Prominent Israeli rabbis are for the first time speaking
out
against Israel's profitable alliance with evangelical Christians in the
United States who have funneled tens of millions of dollars to the
Jewish
state.
The rabbis fear the Christians' real intent is to convert Jews, their
aides
said Monday. Others are concerned about the evangelicals' support for
Israel's extreme right-wing, opposing any compromise with the
Palestinians.
The dispute touches on an increasingly sensitive issue in Israel: the
country's dependence, both economically and politically, on
conservative
American Christians.
Besides contributing tidy sums to projects in Israel, some evangelical
Christians have lobbied in support of the Israeli government in
Washington.
Troubling to Israelis is the fact that one influential group of
evangelicals believes in a final, apocalyptic battle between good and
evil
in which Jesus returns and Jews either accept him or perish a vision
that
causes obvious discomfort among Jews.
"I'm worried as a Jew," said Mina Fenton, a Jerusalem City Council
member
from an Orthodox Jewish party, who has led opposition to the
evangelical
groups. "I don't want my people to be assassinated, sacrificed, killed
or
slaughtered because of their beliefs."
Concern has been bubbling under the surface for some time, and although
leading rabbis had stayed in the background, their worries emerged
Monday
in the Israeli media.
The focus of the latest criticism has been the International Fellowship
of
Christians and Jews, a Chicago-based group that has raised tens of
millions
of dollars from Christian supporters of Israel...
-----
THE ISRAELI TORTURE TEMPLATE
Wayne Madsen, Counterpunch, 5/10/04
http://www.counterpunch.org/madsen05102004.html
With mounting evidence that a shadowy group of former Israeli Defense
Force
and General Security Service (Shin Bet) Arabic-speaking interrogators
were
hired by the Pentagon under a classified "carve out" sub-contract to
brutally interrogate Iraqi prisoners at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison,
one
only needs to examine the record of abuse of Palestinian and Lebanese
prisoners in Israel to understand what Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld
meant, when referring to new, yet to be released photos and videos, he
said, "if these images are released to the public, obviously its going
to
make matters worse."
According to a political appointee within the Bush administration and
U.S.
intelligence sources, the interrogators at Abu Ghraib included a number
of
Arabic-speaking Israelis who also helped U.S. interrogators develop the
"R2I" (Resistance to Interrogation) techniques. Many of the torture
methods
were developed by the Israelis over many years of interrogating Arab
prisoners on the occupied West Bank and in Israel itself.
Clues about worse photos and videos of abuse may be found in Israeli
files
about similar abuse of Palestinian and other Arab prisoners. In March
2000,
a lawyer for a Lebanese prisoner kidnapped in 1994 by the Israelis in
Lebanon claimed that his client had been subjected to torture,
including
rape. The type of compensation offered by Rumsfeld in his testimony has
its
roots in cases of Israeli torture of Arabs. In the case of the Lebanese
man, said to have been raped by his Israeli captors, his lawyer
demanded
compensation of $1.47 million. The Public Committee Against Torture in
Israel documented the types of torture meted out on Arab prisoners.
Many of
the tactics coincide with those contained in the Taguba report:
beatings
and prolonged periods handcuffed to furniture. In an article in the
December 1998 issue of The Progressive, Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb reported on
the
treatment given to a 23-year old Palestinian held on "administrative
detention." The prisoner was "cuffed behind a chair 17 hours a day for
120
days . . . [he] had his head covered with a sack, which was often
dipped in
urine or feces. Guards played loud music right next to his ears and
frequently taunted him with threats of physical and sexual violence."
If
additional photos and videos document such practices, the Bush
administration and the American people have, indeed, "seen nothing
yet..."
ALSO SEE:
ISRAEL IMPRISONS, ABUSES PALESTINIAN YOUTHS
Associated Press, 5/10/04
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/425849.html
More than 300 Palestinian teens are routinely subjected to physical and
psychological abuse in Israeli prisons now, two human rights groups
charged
Monday.
The Israel Defense Forces denied the allegations.
The Geneva-based Defense for Children International and Save the
Children,
headquartered in Sweden, said that as of May 2004, 373 Palestinians
under
18 were being held in Israeli detention centers and prisons. At least
three
of the detainees are under 14, they said.
The groups charged that the treatment of Palestinian child prisoners by
Israeli authorities amounts to a pattern of violence that has gone
unchecked for years.
"The children are physically and mentally abused, and they are deprived
of
their family and an education," said Tov Myhrman, a program adviser
based
in Jerusalem for Save the Children-Sweden...
On Monday, both groups released reports that document hundreds of cases
of
Palestinian children, all under 18, who have been arrested and
imprisoned
in Israeli jails. In the reports, many of them describe abuse...
-----
SECRET WORLD OF U.S. INTERROGATION
Dana Priest and Joe Stephens, Washington Post, 5/11/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15981-2004May10.html
In Afghanistan, the CIA's secret U.S. interrogation center in Kabul is
known as "The Pit," named for its despairing conditions. In Iraq, the
most
important prisoners are kept in a huge hangar near the runway at
Baghdad
International Airport, say U.S. government officials, counterterrorism
experts and others. In Qatar, U.S. forces have been ferrying some Iraqi
prisoners to a remote jail on the gigantic U.S. air base in the desert.
The Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, where a unit of U.S. soldiers abused
prisoners, is just the largest and suddenly most notorious in a
worldwide
constellation of detention centers -- many of them secret and all
off-limits to public scrutiny -- that the U.S. military and CIA have
operated in the name of counterterrorism or counterinsurgency
operations
since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
These prisons and jails are sometimes as small as shipping containers
and
as large as the sprawling Guantanamo Bay complex in Cuba. They are part
of
an elaborate CIA and military infrastructure whose purpose is to hold
suspected terrorists or insurgents for interrogation and safekeeping
while
avoiding U.S. or international court systems, where proceedings and
evidence against the accused would be aired in public. Some are even
held
by foreign governments at the informal request of the United States...
The largely hidden array includes three systems that only rarely
overlap:
the Pentagon-run network of prisons, jails and holding facilities in
Iraq,
Afghanistan, Guantanamo and elsewhere; small and secret CIA-run
facilities
where top al Qaeda and other figures are kept; and interrogation rooms
of
foreign intelligence services -- some with documented records of
torture --
to which the U.S. government delivers or "renders" mid- or low-level
terrorism suspects for questioning...
ALSO SEE:
AMNESTY ACCUSES UK OF KILLING IRAQI CIVILIANS
Kate Kelland, Reuters, 5/11/04
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1084280423369_7/?hub=World
LONDON - Amnesty International accused British soldiers in Iraq on
Tuesday
of killing civilians, including an eight-year-old girl and a wedding
guest,
when they posed no apparent threat.
The human rights group said Britain was undermining the rule of law in
Iraq
by failing to investigate properly the suspected unlawful killings.
In a report released amid a storm of allegations about the mistreatment
of
Iraqi prisoners by American and British forces, Amnesty said the
British
troops' actions had breached international human rights standards.
"The British Army's response to suspected unlawful killing of civilians
has
undermined, rather than upheld, the rule of law," it said.
"It has failed to conduct investigations into all killings of
civilians,
and the investigations that have been carried out have failed to ensure
that justice was done and seen to be done in the eyes of the victims'
families."
Amnesty said that in total, UK troops had been involved in the killings
of
at least 37 civilians since May 1 2003, when the war to topple Saddam
Hussein officially ended...
---
A FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS
Army Times, 5/10/04
http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2903288.php
Around the halls of the Pentagon, a term of caustic derision has
emerged
for the enlisted soldiers at the heart of the furor over the Abu Ghraib
prison scandal: the six morons who lost the war.
Indeed, the damage done to the U.S. military and the nation as a whole
by
the horrifying photographs of U.S. soldiers abusing Iraqi detainees at
the
notorious prison is incalculable.
But the folks in the Pentagon are talking about the wrong morons.
There is no excuse for the behavior displayed by soldiers in the
now-infamous pictures and an even more damning report by Army Maj. Gen.
Antonio Taguba. Every soldier involved should be ashamed.
But while responsibility begins with the six soldiers facing criminal
charges, it extends all the way up the chain of command to the highest
reaches of the military hierarchy and its civilian leadership.
The entire affair is a failure of leadership from start to finish. From
the
moment they are captured, prisoners are hooded, shackled and isolated.
The
message to the troops: Anything goes...
---
MISTREATMENT OF DETAINEES WENT BEYOND GUARDS' ABUSE
Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Scott Wilson, Washington Post, 5/10/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15492-2004May10.html
BAGHDAD - Problems in the U.S.-run detention system in Iraq extended
beyond
physical mistreatment in prison cellblocks, involving thousands of
arrests
without evidence of wrongdoing and abuse of suspects starting from the
moment of detention, according to former prisoners, Iraqi lawyers,
human
rights advocates and the International Committee for the Red Cross.
U.S.-led forces routinely rounded up Iraqis and then denied or
restricted
their rights under the Geneva Conventions during months of confinement,
including rights to legal representation and family visits, the sources
said.
In a report in February, the Red Cross stated that some military
intelligence officers estimated that 70 percent to 90 percent of "the
persons deprived of their liberty in Iraq had been arrested by
mistake." Of
the 43,000 Iraqis who have been imprisoned at some point during the
occupation, only about 600 have been referred to Iraqi authorities for
prosecution, according to U.S. officials.
The Red Cross study, posted Monday on the Wall Street Journal's Web
site,
concludes that the arrest and detention practices employed by U.S.-led
forces in Iraq "are prohibited under International Humanitarian Law."
Now, facing international outcry over photographs of prisoner abuse
less
than two months before the planned handover of sovereignty to an
interim
Iraqi government on June 30, U.S. officials plan to dramatically reduce
the
number of Iraqis in military custody, from more than 8,000 to fewer
than
2,000, according to people with knowledge of the issue. The release
will
send legions of prisoners, many of them angry and hardened by their
incarceration, home to Sunni Muslim-dominated parts of north-central
Iraq
where resistance to the U.S. occupation has been fiercest...
-----
MD: MUSLIM FAMILY DAYS AT SIX FLAGS
WHAT: The Muslim Community Center (MCC) is pleased to announce that
negotiated favorable deals with two of the area's most popular
amusement parks:
WHEN: Muslim Family Day at the Six Flags on Saturday, July 10, 2004:
(Tickets are @ $20 each. Any Muslim organization that buys 50 or more
tickets will receive a discount of $0.50 per ticket. The Park
Management
will reserve prayer areas and MCC will arrange for a Halal food vendor
for
this occasion.)
Muslim Family Day at the King s Dominion on Saturday, August 14, 2004:
(You will be able to buy these tickets at a deep discounted price of
$23
each. We are offering $0.50 per ticket additional discount for our
Muslim
organization that order 50 or more tickets from us. Since this is our
first
year at this park, we will not be able to provide special prayer area
nor
Halal foods. You will, however, be able to use picnic area for prayers
and
will have choice of various non-meat food items.)
Please note that these tickets will only be valid for the above dates.
Usual park rules for 'rain days' will apply. Both parks will also be
open
to the general public.
You are encouraged to bring your non-Muslim friends along so that they
can
get acquainted with other Muslim families. The purpose of Muslim Family
Day
celebration is to bring non-Muslim families closer to our families and
make
them feel comfortable around us.
To buy tickets online, please visit our Website http://www.mccmd.org/
and
click on the desired park. You may also buy tickets in person or by
calling
us at 301-384-3454 during normal business hours. If you do not live in
MCC
area, please ask your Islamic Centers to contact MCC and order tickets
in
bulk to receive additional discount.
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/12/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: WITH EVERY HARDSHIP COMES EASE
* HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE THIS MONTH
- Library Project Sponsorships: 7452
* GEN. BOYKIN TIED TO IRAQ ABUSE CASE (Reuters)
- 'Anti-Islam' Gen. Under Fire (NY Post)
- Action Alert: Boykin Linked To Iraqi Prisoner Abuse
* ENGLAND: SUPERIORS GAVE IRAQ ABUSE ORDERS (AP)
- Images Change Perception of the War (SF Chronicle)
- Rumsfeld Backs Iraq Interrogation Methods (AP)
* CAIR-FL: LEADERS TO CONDEMN CYCLE OF VIOLENCE IN IRAQ
- Scholars Denounce Berg's Beheading (Islamonline)
- American Muslims Denounce Beheading In Iraq (AP)
- Local Muslims React to Nick Berg's Death (CBS)
- High Desert Muslims Denounce 'Revenge' (V Daily)
- Charlotte Muslims Condemn Murder of American in Iraq
- UK: Muslims Condemn Reprehensible Nick Berg Killing
* TN: TWO ISRAELIS ARRESTED AFTER HIGH-SPEED CHASE (AP)
* IL: MOSQUE WINS CONTESTED VOTE (Chicago Trib)
* PRES PUSH FAILS TO QUELL GOP FEAR OF PATRIOT ACT (Hill)
* U.S. MUSLIM GROUP CLAIMS BIAS IN AL HALABI CASE (MC Times)
* US PANEL: FRANCE SHOULD 'REASSESS' SCHOOL BAN ON HIJAB
* PRESIDENT IMPOSES SANCTIONS ON SYRIA (Wash Post)
* CHRISTIAN GROUPS SAY TIES WITH ISRAEL "WORST" EVER (Reuters)
- Group: Bush's Foreign Policy 'Dangerous' (AP)
* SALT LAKE CITY UTAH MUSLIM CULTURAL FESTIVAL
* DC: SYMPOSIUM ON THE LEGACY OF ISLAMIC SPAIN
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: WITH EVERY HARDSHIP COMES EASE
And behold, with every hardship comes ease. Verily, with every hardship
comes ease! So when thou art freed [from distress], remain steadfast,
and
unto thy Sustainer turn with love.
The Holy Quran, Chapter 94, Verses 5-8
-----
HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE THIS MONTH
CAIR has launched a new drive to raise $80,000 online each month. To
help
us reach that goal, go to: https://www.cair-net.org/asp/donate.asp
Through a new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member
at
a Time," CAIR also intends (God willing) to sign up 25,000 new members
by
its 10th year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
Students Click here!
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=33172&page=NB
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7452 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
-----
GENERAL WHO MADE ANTI-ISLAM REMARK TIED TO POW CASE
Andrea Shalal-Esa, Reuters, 5/11/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5109973
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Army general under investigation for anti-Islamic
remarks has been linked by U.S. officials to the Iraqi prisoner abuse
scandal, which experts warned could touch off new outrage overseas.
A Senate hearing into the abuse of Iraqi prisoners was told on Tuesday
that
Lt. Gen. William Boykin, an evangelical Christian under review for
saying
his God was superior to that of the Muslims, briefed a top Pentagon
civilian official last summer on recommendations on ways military
interrogators could gain more intelligence from Iraqi prisoners.
Critics have suggested those recommendations amounted to a senior-level
go-ahead for the sexual and physical abuse of prisoners, possibly to
"soften up" detainees before interrogation -- a charge the Pentagon
denies.
Congressional aides and Arab-American and Muslim groups said any
involvement by Boykin could spark new concern among Arabs and Muslims
overseas the U.S. war on terrorism is in fact a war on Islam.
"This will be taken as proof that what happened at Abu Ghraib (prison)
is
evidence of a broader culture of dehumanizing Arabs and Muslims, based
on
the American understanding of the innate superiority of Christendom,"
said
Chris Toensing, editor of Middle East Report, a U.S.-based quarterly
magazine.
One Senate aide, who asked not to be identified, said any involvement
by
Boykin could be explosive. "Even if he knew about the abuse, that would
be
a big deal," he said.
Boykin has declined comment, and defense officials could not say what
the
extent of his involvement or knowledge about the mistreatment of Iraqi
prisoners might have been...
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American Islamic
Relations,
chided the Pentagon for not acting promptly to discipline Boykin and
the
delayed engagement of top military leaders on the prisoner abuse
scandal.
"It creates a climate in which ... the perpetrators believe they're
carrying out the policies of those above them, whether those policies
are
explicit or not," Hooper said.
ALSO SEE:
'ANTI-ISLAM' GEN. UNDER FIRE
New York Post, 5/12/04
http://www.nypost.com/news/worldnews/20687.htm
WASHINGTON - The Army general under investigation for anti-Islamic
remarks
has been linked by officials to the Iraqi prisoner-abuse scandal.
A Senate hearing into the abuse of Iraqi prisoners was told yesterday
that
Lt. Gen. William Boykin, an evangelical Christian under review for
saying
his God was superior to Allah, briefed a top Pentagon civilian official
last summer on ways interrogators could gain more intelligence from
Iraqi
prisoners.
Critics have suggested those recommendations amounted to a senior-level
go-ahead for the sexual and physical abuse of prisoners.
Congressional aides and Muslim groups said any involvement by Boykin
could
spark new rage among Arabs and Muslims overseas.
One Senate aide, who asked not to be identified, said any involvement
by
Boykin could be explosive. "Even if he knew about the abuse, that would
be
a big deal," he said. Post Wire Services
---
ACTION ALERT: GENERAL BOYKIN LINKED TO IRAQI PRISONER ABUSE
Demand that Congress Condemn Abuse by Cleaning Out Islamophobic
Atmosphere
CAIR is urging members of the American Muslim community and other
people of
conscience to contact their elected representatives and ask that they
co-sponsor H. Res. 419, the Boykin resolution, which condemns
religiously
intolerant remarks and calls on the President to clearly censure and
reassign Lieutenant General Boykin for his religiously intolerant
remarks
against Muslims.
Recently, it was revealed in Senate hearings that General Boykin may
have
recommended ways that military investigators could "soften up"
detainees
before interrogation. According to Reuters, "critics have suggested
those
recommendations amounted to a senior-level go-ahead for sexual and
physical
abuse of prisoners." Boykin's prejudice against Muslims may well have
influenced the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners held by American
military
personnel. If this is the case, no amount of political pressure should
excuse General Boykin's incompetence.
H. Res. 419 was introduced by Rep. John Conyers and expresses the sense
of
the House of Representatives that-(a) General Boykin has made a number
of
intolerant remarks against Muslims during public addresses while
wearing
his military uniform; (b) Islam is a monotheistic faith whose followers
are
an integral part of the social fabric of America and many other
countries;
(c) General Boykin must interact routinely with Muslims all over the
world
with the position he currently holds; (d) General Boykin has failed to
retract his controversial statements or issue a full apology; (e)
General
Boykin's remarks have impaired the image of the United States worldwide
and
threaten to endanger U.S. troops in Muslim-dominated countries; (f)
General
Boykin's remarks insult American Muslims, including those in the U.S.
Armed
Forces, and Muslim allies of the United States.
The amount of damage the Iraqi prisoner scandal and General Boykin's
intolerant remarks has caused the U.S. image in the Muslim world is
immeasurable. General Boykin must go.
Contact your representative today and ask him or her to support this
resolution. Original cosponsors to the resolution include: Rep. Bill
Pascrell (D-NJ), Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee
(D-TX), Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH), Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY),
Rep.
Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL), Rep. Jim McDermott
(D-WA),
Rep. Betty McCullom (D-MN), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Rep. Barbara Lee
(D-CA), Rep. Michael Honda (D-CA), Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA).
TO CONTACT ELECTED OFFICIALS, GO TO: http://capwiz.com/cair/home/
-----
ENGLAND: SUPERIORS GAVE IRAQ ABUSE ORDERS
Estes Thompson, Associated Press, 5/12/04
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040512/D82H29D80.html
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - The Army private facing a court-martial for being
photographed with naked Iraqi prisoners says she was following orders
to
create psychological pressure on them.
Pfc. Lynndie England told KCNC-TV in Denver on Tuesday that her
superiors
gave her specific instructions on how to pose for the photos. Asked who
gave the orders, she would say only, "Persons in my chain of command."
In photographs that have been shown worldwide, England, 21, is seen
smiling, cigarette in her mouth, as she leans forward and points at the
genitals of a naked, hooded Iraqi. Another photo taken at Baghdad's Abu
Ghraib prison shows her holding a leash that encircles the neck of a
naked
Iraqi man lying on his side.
"I was instructed by persons in higher rank to 'stand there, hold this
leash, look at the camera,' and they took picture for PsyOps
(psychological
operations)," she told the station.
"I didn't really, I mean, want to be in any pictures," she said. She
also
said she thought "it was kind of weird."
The interview with England, a military reservist from West Virginia,
was
taped Tuesday in North Carolina. England, who is now at Fort Bragg,
also
met Tuesday with one of a team of Denver lawyers who have volunteered
to
take her case...
ALSO SEE:
AWFUL IMAGES CHANGE PERCEPTION OF THE WAR
Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/12/04
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/05/12/MNGMO6K22R1.DTL
The video of a U.S. civilian being beheaded by Iraqi extremists
represents
a profound and disturbing shift in the Iraq conflict: Graphic images
are
humanizing the toll of the war, heightening emotions on both sides, say
experts.
The gruesome display is the latest in a series of pictures that
directly
show abuse, mutilation and killing. The effect is to intensify the way
both
Americans and Iraqis perceive the conflict.
"These are images of death at an individual level," said Richard K.
Herrmann, a political science professor at Ohio State University. "The
vividness of a single person being mistreated is going to have a much
bigger emotional impact than pictures of lots of people, or
statistics."
By making the war more vivid, "you make it much more potent
emotionally,"
Herrmann said. "The Pentagon has understood this for decades. It's why
they
talk about 'collateral damage.' What's happening in the past couple of
weeks is that we're starting to focus on individual (tragedies)."
The Arab world has seen the Iraq conflict through much starker images
from
the beginning, as Al-Jazeera and other Arab networks highlighted images
of
disfigured Iraqi bodies -- especially those of civilians...
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for Council on American-Islamic Relations
in
Washington, said the organization got a flurry of e-mails Tuesday
blaming
Islam for Berg's beheading.
"We've always warned of a downward spiral of mutual hostility and
distrust," said Hooper, whose organization condemned the killing.
"These
images, whether it's the beheading or the images coming out of the
Baghdad
prison, create further hostility. It's the kind of hate we really
didn't
even see after the 9/11 terror attacks...''
---
RUMSFELD BACKS IRAQ INTERROGATION METHODS
Ken Guggenheim, Associated Press, 5/12/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4082650,00.html
WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld defended military
interrogation techniques in Iraq on Wednesday, rejecting complaints
that
they violate international rules and may endanger Americans taken
prisoner.
Rumsfeld told a Senate committee that Pentagon lawyers had approved
methods
such as sleep deprivation and dietary changes as well as rules
permitting
prisoners to be made to assume stress positions.
Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also noted
that
the rules require prisoners to be treated humanely at all times.
But Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill. said some of the approved techniques
``go
far beyond the Geneva Convention,'' a reference to international rules
governing the treatment of prisoners of war.
Rumsfeld spoke after two weeks of controversy provoked by photographs
of
American military personnel abusing prisoners in Iraq. An American was
beheaded in a videotaped execution posted to a militant Islamic web
site on
Tuesday - a killing that captors said was revenge for the abuse of
Iraqis
in the Abu Ghraib prison...
-----
CAIR-FL: LEADERS TO CONDEMN CYCLE OF VIOLENCE AND ABUSE IN IRAQ
(TAMPA, FL 5/12/04) The Florida office of the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-FL) and the National Conference for Community and
Justice
(NCCJ) announced today their plans to hold several press conferences
across
Florida to address recent events of torture, abuse, and senseless
killings
in Iraq.
CONTACT: (Tampa) Ahmed Bedier, 813-731-9506, Email:
abedier@cair-florida.org; (South FL) Altaf Ali, 954-298-8214, Email:
altaf@cair-florida.org;
ALSO SEE:
AL-AZHAR SCHOLARS DENOUNCE BERG'S BEHEADING
Sobhy Mujahid, Islamonline, 5/12/04
http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2004-05/12/article08.shtml
CAIRO - Several scholars from Al-Azhar, the world's highest Sunni
religious
authority, condemned the decapitation of an American civilian by
unknown
people in Iraq, saying Islam stands against such acts.
"Islam respects the human being, dead or alive, and cutting off the
American's head was an act of mutilation forbidden by Islam," Ibrahim
Al-Fayoumi, a member of Al-Azhar's Islamic Research Academy, told
IslamOnline.net.
He cited a number of verses from the holy Qur'an which affirm giving
due
respect to dead people regardless of their race or religion.
However, Fayoumi suspected the whole episode was "an American
propaganda to
divert attention from the scandal of the U.S. military abuse of Iraqi
detainees".
A video put on a website linked to Al-Qaeda shows the beheading of
Nicholas
Berg with his executioners saying it came in revenge for the abuse of
Iraqi
prisoners by U.S. troops.
Under the title "The moment of revenge," The Independent likened the
horrific incident to the Iraqi prisoner scandal as "cruel image for
cruel
image..."
Mahmoud Emara, another member of the Academy, slammed the decapitation,
saying it would harm the image of Islam.
"The mutilation even of enemies is rejected by Islam. A mistake could
not
justify another," he underlined.
The scholar cited the respect Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had paid to
bodies in
the battle of Badr when he ordered the burial of the dead irrespective
of
their religion.
The Prophet urged his Companions on the day of Badr to be kind to their
captives and treat them with clemency...
---
AMERICAN MUSLIMS DENOUNCE BEHEADING IN IRAQ
Associated Press, 5/12/04
http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=1859800
Washington -- A Washington-based Muslim advocacy group is condemning
the
beheading of an American businessman in Iraq as a "cold-blooded
murder".
Rabiah Ahmed (RAH-bee-uh AM'-id) of the Council for American-Islamic
Relations says Muslims are especially horrified that Nick Berg's
killers
shouted "God is great!" and claimed to be acting in the name of Islam.
The militants are shown on the Internet declaring that "the dignity of
the
Muslim men and women" abused by U-S troops in an Iraqi prison cannot be
"redeemed except by blood and souls."
Ahmed says Berg's beheading was "in opposition with what Islam stands
for."
She adds that American Muslims wish to extend their prayers,
condolences
and support to Berg's family.
---
HIGH DESERT MUSLIMS DENOUNCE 'REVENGE'
James Ramage, Victorville Daily Press, 5/12/04
http://www.vvdailypress.com/cgi-bin/newspro/viewnews.cgi?newsid1084367780,1743,
VICTORVILLE - Cold-blooded murder and revenge on innocent victims have
no
place in Islam, said Southern California Islamic organizations who
strongly
condemned the beheading of an American civilian Tuesday.
"The Quran says that killing an innocent person is like killing all of
humanity," said Muzammil Siddiqi, president of the Islamic Shura
Council of
Southern California. "(The executioners) are acting in an inhuman way.
The
crime has no justification."
Siddiqi said that Muslims in Iraq who are upset about the recent abuse
of
Iraqi prisoners at the hands of American soldiers should protest
strongly,
but should never take revenge on innocent westerners and Americans, as
some
have.
Sabiha Khan, spokeswoman for the Southern California office of the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations, agreed. She added that the acts of a few
should not be representative of a much larger group, referring to both
a
religion of 1.2 billion followers, as well as U.S. armed forces.
"What happened is totally against Islam," Khan said. "We call on all
people
of all faiths and cultures to work for peace and reconciliation, not
war
and destruction."
Khan said that though the Quran condemns such acts of violence, people
have
always twisted religious teachings...
---
LOCAL MUSLIMS REACT TO NICK BERG'S DEATH
CBS 10, 5/12/04
http://www.cbs10kztv.com/news/headlines/767412.html
Those who are of Muslim faith and live here, describe those Iraqi's who
tortured Nick Berg to death as an inhuman act of terrorists.
For those who pray and put their Islamic faith into practice say the
translation of the word Islam means peace.
The integrity of the word is shared by millions of practicing Muslims
all
over the world. Ahmed el Kassagy tells CBS 10 News the Iraqis who
murdered
Nick Berg were taking the integrity and the peaceful practice of the
Muslim
faith and twisting it into their own terroristic view.
Kassagy says he's American born, of Egyptian decent and appreciates
what
opportunities the United States has been able to afford him, which is
the
freedom to express himself through his faith.
It's unfortunate, Ahmed says, that some Iraqis are hiding behind this
religion as a means for their violent gain.
---
CHARLOTTE MUSLIMS CONDEMN MURDER OF AMERICAN IN IRAQ
What: Local Muslim leaders will hold a news conference at the Islamic
Center of Charlotte. The press conference was prompted by the recent
beheading of an American contractor in Iraq.
Local Muslims today condemned the murder of an American contractor in
Iraq
by a group claiming links to Al-Qaeda. A video posted on an Internet
web
site shows the beheading of a Philadelphia man working as a contractor
in
Iraq whose body was found on a highway overpass in Baghdad on
Saturday. The group that carried out the killing said it was in
retaliation for the ongoing Iraq prison abuse scandal.
WHEN: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 @ 5:15 p.m.
WHERE: Islamic Center of Charlotte, 1700 Progress Lane, Charlotte,
NC 28205.
Contact: Call ICC Spokesperson, Mujahid Idlibi, at (980) 721-6625.
---
UK: MUSLIMS CONDEMN REPREHENSIBLE NICK BERG KILLING
The Muslim Council of Britain expresses its disgust and condemnation of
the
indefensible murder in Iraq of the US civilian Nick Berg who was shown
being beheaded on yet another allegedly 'Islamic' website video
released
yesterday.
"This is not just a heinous act, it is also utterly repugnant to the
Islamic rules of war. The appalling abuses that are known to have
occurred
at the Abu Ghurayb prison in Baghdad cannot be used as a justification
for
this killing," said Iqbal Sacranie, Secretary-General of the Muslim
Council
of Britain.
The US-led 'coalition' is facing mounting condemnation from all across
the
world for the disastrous and increasingly chaotic aftermath of
launching
its ill-conceived war against Iraq. The killing of hostages like Mr
Berg
can only aid those warmongers who believe that the Iraqis need
'civilising'.
-----
MOSQUE WINS CONTESTED VOTE
Rick Jervis, Chicago Tribune, 5/12/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0405120311may12,1,741307.story
Over the strong objections of some residents, the Orland Park Plan
Commission on Tuesday voted 6-1 to recommend that a special-use permit
be
granted for a golden-domed mosque proposed near the village.
A handful of local doctors who want a closer place to pray than
Bridgeview
or Frankfort proposed the 22,000-square-foot Orland Park Prayer Center
at
16530 S. 104th Ave. The 5-acre site, part of which was donated by a
local
dentist, is in unincorporated Orland Township and would need to be
annexed
by the village.
A crowd of about 200 listened to the plans, with the speakers evenly
split
between supporters and opponents. Those against the proposal, some of
whom
have begun circulating petitions, cited concerns over increased
traffic,
lower property values, who is funding the facility and the kind of
worshipers it would draw.
"I've spoken to a lot of people and there's a lot of hesitancy from the
community," said resident Valerie Jadin. "The world is a different
place.
We need a sense of security and a sense of confidence before we accept
this
project."
But organizers said those fears were unfounded.
"We have no connection to any other organizations," said Mohamed Krad,
the
dentist donating land. "We are faithful, God-loving people who want to
pray
to God like anyone else..."
-----
TWO MEN ARRESTED AFTER HIGH-SPEED CHASE IN TENNESSEE
Associated Press, 5/12/04
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/8627949.htm?1c
ERWIN, Tenn. - Two Israeli men who led the Unicoi County sheriff on a
high-speed chase in a rented moving truck were placed under arrest and
are
being investigated by the FBI, local officials said.
Shmuel Dahan and Almaliach Naor, both from Israel, were being held
without
bond Sunday afternoon at the Unicoi County Jail. The truck, rented from
a
Ryder office in Mars Hills, N.C., was being held in the county garage
pending an FBI investigation, officials said.
Dahan is charged with reckless driving, littering, false identification
and
evading arrest, while Naor faces charges of false identification and
evading arrest, an officer with the Unicoi County Sheriff's Department
who
would not give his name said Sunday.
An investigation by the FBI is ongoing and more charges are possible,
he
said. A woman who answered the phone at the FBI's Knoxville office said
there was no one available to answer questions about the arrest.
The incident began late Saturday afternoon when Sheriff Kent Harris
noticed
a rental truck traveling at a high speed along former U.S. Highway 23,
a
lightly-traveled highway near the North Carolina state line...
Harris said he saw the men throw something from the truck while they
were
being pursued. Officers scouring the area later found a vial containing
an
unknown substance along the roadway, he said.
Once the men were apprehended, officers also found a "Learn to Fly"
brochure in the truck, leading Harris and others to express concern
about
security at the Nuclear Fuel Services plant in Erwin...
-----
PRESIDENTIAL PUSH FAILS TO QUELL GOP FEAR OF PATRIOT ACT
Alexander Bolton, Hill News, 5/12/04
http://www.hillnews.com/news/051204/patriot.aspx
A group of libertarian-minded Republicans in Congress is blocking
President
Bush's effort to strengthen domestic counterterrorism laws and
reauthorize
the USA Patriot Act, which the president has made one of his top
domestic
priorities this year.
As a result of this opposition, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), the
chairman of the Judiciary Committee, was forced last week to cancel
panel
consideration of legislation that would have given law-enforcement
officials more tools to pursue suspected terrorists.
As other administration policy initiatives - such as a manned mission
to
Mars - have languished in Congress, Bush has emphasized the importance
of
renewing the Patriot Act this year, even though provisions of the law
don't
expire until the end of next year.
Late last month, Bush launched a national tour to press Congress to
reauthorize the controversial law immediately. Many Democrats and some
conservatives have criticized the law as overly broad and intrusive.
Jeff Lungren, a spokesman for the Judiciary Committee, said work on the
Sensenbrenner bill was canceled last week because committee Democrats
had
demanded more time to examine it. Lungren emphasized that it was not
related to the Patriot Act.
But a group of lawmakers, including some Republicans, saw it
differently...
------
U.S. MUSLIM GROUP CLAIMS BIAS IN AL HALABI CASE
Nicole Gaudiano, Marine Corps Times, 5/11/04
http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2907259.php
As the next court-martial session for spy suspect Senior Airman Ahmad
I. Al
Halabi convenes today at Travis Air Force Base, Calif., a group of
American
Muslims is working to fight what they call the military's "biased
treatment" of him.
On its Web site, halabijustice.org the Airman Halabi Justice Committee
states Al Halabi was detained on espionage charges "in an orchestrated
anti-Muslim witch-hunt that is turning out to be a hoax."
The group seeks to raise $50,000 through the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations Civil Rights Fund to help pay for his legal defense and to
educate the public about "the unfairness of Halabi's treatment." The
site
provides background on the case, talking points, fliers for
distribution
and a place to give donations.
The Air Force responded to the Web site with a general statement,
defending
court-martial proceedings and the purpose of military law, which is to
"promote justice."
"An accused military member is considered innocent until proven guilty
beyond a reasonable doubt," wrote Lt. Col. Jennifer Cassidy, an Air
Force
spokeswoman. "Military members who face court-martial have at least as
many, if not more, due process rights than defendants have in the
civilian
criminal justice system. A military accused's extensive rights to legal
counsel and protection against self incrimination are broader than
those
provided to a civilian defendant."
Al Halabi was on temporary duty at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for nine
months
serving as an Arabic translator when the alleged offenses occurred.
Arrested on July 23 as he returned to the United States, he is accused
of
attempting to deliver notes from detainees and secret documents
concerning
U.S. intelligence gathering to a citizen of a foreign government by
carrying them to Syria. On his computer, 180 detainees' notes were
found
when he was arrested, the charges say...
-----
US PANEL SAYS FRANCE SHOULD 'REASSESS' SCHOOL BAN ON RELIGIOUS GARB
Agence France Presse, 5/12/04
WASHINGTON - A semi-official US religious freedom watchdog on Wednesday
rebuked France and said it should "reassess" a controversial law
banning
certain religious garb in public schools, particularly Muslim
headscarves.
The rebuke featured in the annual report of the United States
Commission on
International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which advises the US
government.
France was the only country in western Europe that received a chapter
in
this year's report.
In February, the religious watchdog had urged the administration of US
President George W. Bush to express opposition to Paris on the law
which
was approved by a large majority of France's National Assembly and the
French Senate in February and March.
"The French government and legislature should be urged to reassess this
initiative in light of its international obligations to ensure that
every
person in France is guaranteed the freedom to manifest his or her
religion
or belief in public, or not to do so," the panel's report underlined.
The panel is concerned that other European states might follow France
in
implementing such laws, and said that Belgium and certain German
regions
are already weighing similar moves...
-----
PRESIDENT IMPOSES SANCTIONS ON SYRIA
Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, 5/12/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19087-2004May11.html
The White House said the sanctions include banning U.S. exports to
Syria
except for food and medicine, prohibiting Syrian aircraft from flying
to
and from the United States, freezing certain Syrian assets and cutting
off
relations with a Syrian bank because of money laundering concerns.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Bush administration
has
wavered about how tough its policy should be toward Syria. Some
administration officials have been deeply suspicious of Damascus,
believing
its support of terrorism and development of weapons of mass destruction
make it a potential candidate for the "axis of evil" that Bush had said
consisted of North Korea, Iran and the former government of Iraq. But
others have argued that Syria has been helpful in the war on terrorism,
specifically in providing intelligence that helped thwart at least one
potential attack.
Indeed, the Bush administration had been unenthusiastic about the
Syrian
Accountability Act, which was approved five months ago by huge margins
in
the House and the Senate, and had repeatedly delayed implementing it
for
fear of adding to tensions in the Middle East. But, facing a deadline
next
month for choosing from a menu of sanctions, the president finally
acted.
"Despite many months of diplomatic efforts to convince the Government
of
Syria to change its behavior, Syria has not taken significant, concrete
steps to address the full range of U.S. concerns," Bush said in a
message
to Congress. He declared a "national emergency" to address the "unusual
and
extraordinary threat" posed by Syria.
The United States rarely imposes economic sanctions on other countries
because they rile the business community, which yesterday expressed
dismay
at the administration's actions. The Bush administration last levied
sanctions almost a year ago, on Burma...
------
CHRISTIAN GROUPS SAY TIES WITH ISRAEL "WORST" EVER
Cynthia Johnston, Reuters, 5/12/04
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/426759.html
JERUSALEM - Christian organisations in the Holy Land say ties with the
Israeli government are the worst ever and have accused the Jewish state
of
denying visas to some clergy -- making them unwelcome in the place of
Jesus' birth.
A group of 50 Christian leaders sent a letter to U.S. President George
W.
Bush asking him to help solve a "crisis" that left some institutions
without sufficient staff.
"Relations of the churches and these institutions with the Israeli
government may be the worst they have ever been," said the letter, sent
to
Bush last week and signed by Protestant, Catholic and evangelical
leaders.
"Those of us with religious institutions in Israel and the Occupied
Territories are no longer able to function normally."
Some groups said they felt Israel was singling out Christians --
particularly Arabs -- for increasingly harsh treatment amid Israeli
efforts
to quell a 3 1/2-year-old Palestinian revolt emanating from the West
Bank
and Gaza Strip.
Others thought they were targeted for appearing too sympathetic to the
Palestinians.
Israeli officials said there was no policy of discrimination against
Christians despite church complaints that visas for their staff and
clergy
were regularly denied or delayed.
The letter noted a West Bank barrier Israel is building in what it says
is
an effort to stop suicide bombers also impinges on pilgrims: "It
separates...Bethlehem from Jerusalem. For Christians worldwide, this
structure is cutting off access to holy sites..."
ALSO SEE:
GROUP: BUSH'S FOREIGN POLICY 'DANGEROUS'
Rachel Zoll, Associated Press, 5/12/04
http://www.cbn.com/CBNNews/Wire/040512f.asp
A national religious group representing 36 Protestant and Orthodox
denominations said Tuesday that U.S. foreign policy is ``dangerous''
and
urged President Bush to turn over authority in Iraq to the United
Nations.
The National Council of Churches, which has been highly critical of the
war, acknowledged that Christians disagree on the issue, but said that
giving control to the U.N. was the only way to create ``lasting
peace...''
Also Tuesday, the United Methodist Church said its Council of Bishops
``laments the continued warfare by the United States and coalition
forces''
and said the U.S. premises for the war - alleged Iraqi links with
al-Qaeda
and a buildup of weapons of mass destruction - ``have not been
verified.''
The 8.3 million-member denomination, which counts President Bush and
Vice
President Dick Cheney as members, is the third-largest in the nation...
The statements came as the furor over photos of Iraqi prisoner
mistreatment
by American soldiers intensified...
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a civil rights group based
in
Washington, has demanded that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his
top
advisers step down, saying ``no other action'' could restore the image
of
the United States...
-----
SALT LAKE CITY UTAH AMERICAN MUSLIM CULTURAL FESTIVAL
WHAT: The Muslim community of Salt Lake City will be hosting its
American
Muslim cultural Festival. Festival will be opened by the Utah State
Attorney General Mark Shurtleff.
WHERE: Downtown Gallivan Center festival grounds
WHEN: Sat July 31, 2004 at the same place and it will be inaugurated by
For more information, call Ghulam H. Hasnain at (801) 523-8266 or email
ghhasnain@hotmail.com
-----
SYMPOSIUM ON THE LEGACY AND LESSONS OF ISLAMIC SPAIN
WHAT: Georgetown University's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding
is
holding a symposium, "Al-Andalus: The Legacy and Lessons of Islamic
Spain."
WHEN: May 13, 2004
WHERE: Georgetown University, Intercultural Building, 37th and O
Streets
NW, ICC Auditorium, Washington, D.C.
CONTACT: Audrey Hoffer, 202-296-2426
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Thu, 13 May 2004 12:54:30 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Sign CAIR's 'Not in the Name of Islam' Petition
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR ACTION ALERT #425
SIGN CAIR'S 'NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM' PETITION
Online petition seeks to disassociate Islam from terrorism
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/13/04) - CAIR today launched an online petition
drive
designed to disassociate the faith of Islam from the violent acts of a
few
Muslims.
The petition on CAIR's web site (www.cair-net.org), called "Not in the
Name
of Islam," allows Muslims around the world to help correct
misperceptions
of Islam and the Islamic stance on religiously-motivated terror.
The "Not in the Name of Islam" petition states:
"We, the undersigned Muslims, wish to state clearly that those who
commit
acts of terror, murder and cruelty in the name of Islam are not only
destroying innocent lives, but are also betraying the values of the
faith
they claim to represent. No injustice done to Muslims can ever justify
the
massacre of innocent people, and no act of terror will ever serve the
cause
of Islam. We repudiate and dissociate ourselves from any Muslim group
or
individual who commits such brutal and un-Islamic acts. We refuse to
allow
our faith to be held hostage by the criminal actions of a tiny minority
acting outside the teachings of both the Quran and the Prophet
Muhammad,
peace be upon him.
"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)
CAIR's petition drive comes following the videotaped beheading of an
American civilian in Iraq that shocked television viewers worldwide. A
CAIR
commentary published today in a number of newspapers nationwide
reinforces
the point that Islam should not be associated with terrorism.
SEE: "JUDGE US NOT BY UN-ISLAMIC ACTS OF FEW"
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/editorial/outlook/2566136
"We hope this effort will demonstrate once and for all that Muslims in
America and throughout the Islamic world reject violence committed in
the
name of Islam," said CAIR Board Chairman Omar Ahmad. "People of all
faiths
must do whatever they can to help end the downward spiral of mutual
hostility and hatred that is engulfing our world."
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUESTED:
1) Encourage local mosques and Islamic organizations to endorse the
"Not in
the Name of Islam" petition and have their members go online to sign.
2) Promote the petition in Friday khutbas and other gatherings.
3) Send statements endorsing the petition to local media through
letters to
the editor or editorials. (Local communities could even hold news
conference. Ask CAIR for advice.)
4) Distribute the petition action alert to friends, relatives and
co-workers through personal e-mail lists.
5) Encouraging Muslim websites to link to the petition.
6) Publish the petition action alert in Muslim media outlets.
CAIR MEMBERSHIP FORM
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donating/becoming
a member. Memberships are $10/year. Any amount may be donated. Enclosed
is
my check, payable to CAIR, in the amount of: $______________
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Method of Payment: ___Check ___VISA ___MasterCard ___Discover ___Money
Order
Credit Card Number:
Exp. Date:
Name as on Card:
Signature: ________________________________________________
FAX FORM TO: 202-488-0833
E-MAIL: iabusway@cair-net.org
MAIL TO: CAIR Membership Campaign, 453 New Jersey Avenue S.E.,
Washington,
D.C., 20003
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/13/04
* HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE THIS MONTH
- Library Project Sponsorships: 7452
* TWO FLORIDA ISLAMIC CENTERS VANDALIZED
- CAIR-FL: Leaders Condemn Violence, Abuse in Iraq
* CAIR-AZ: ARIZONA MUSLIMS RALLY TO CONDEMN TERROR
* MALKIN MISSTATED THE FACTS ON CAIR (Times-Union)
* MUSLIM AMERICANS LAUNCH PR CAMPAIGN (VOA)
- Bridging Religious Differences (Deseret Morning)
* JUDGE US NOT BY UN-ISLAMIC ACTS OF FEW (Houston Chron)
- OH: Local Muslims React to Beheading (Ohio News)
- TX: North Texas Muslim Leaders Joint Statement on Iraq
* BEHEADING FUELS BACKLASH ON TALK RADIO (WFAA-TV)
- OK: Muslims Fear Retaliation (KTOK)
- AZ: Holier-Than-Thou Raise Heck Over Unholy War (AZ Rep)
* HARSH METHODS CITED IN TOP QAEDA INTERROGATIONS (NY Times)
- Lawmakers Say New Abuse Photos Disturbing (AP)
- Secret US Jails Hold 10,000 (NZ Herald)
- Accounts of Atrocities Emerge From Iraq (Antiwar)
- Is This a War with Islam? (Daily Tribune)
- Time to Stop 'Stress and Duress' (Wash Post)
* CA: JUDGE RELEASES AIRMAN ACCUSED OF SPYING (AP)
-----
TWO FLORIDA ISLAMIC CENTERS VANDALIZED
Nazi swastika scrawled at one center, property damaged at another
(MIAMI, FL, 5/13/2004) - The Florida office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) will hold a news conference today
to
call for FBI involvement in the investigation of vandalism at two
Islamic
centers in Miami.
WHAT: Miami Mosque Vandalism Press Conference
WHERE: Islamic School of Miami, 11699 SW 147th Ave, Miami, FL
WHEN: Thursday, May 13, 4 p.m.
CONTACT: Altaf Ali, 954-298-8214, Ahmed Bedier, 813-731-9506
CAIR-FL said worshipers at the Islamic School of Miami discovered
obscene
and racist graffiti last night on the school's sign. Vandals wrote
"f**k"
and scrawled a Nazi swastika on the exterior sign of the center. Law
enforcement authorities have been notified of the incident.
SEE PHOTO: http://www.cair-florida.org/images/ISM.JPG
CAIR-FL is also investigating reports of vandalism at another Miami
Islamic
center. Officials with Masjid Al-Ihsan say their mosque was broken into
and
damaged.
SEE: PHOTO: http://www.cair-florida.org/images/ihsan-damage1.JPG
Representatives of a third Islamic center in Hollywood, Fla., reported
to
CAIR that they received an anti-Muslim note in the center's mailbox.
The
leader of the mosque told CAIR the note read: "Kill them all in the
name of
Allah."
"With the recent increase of violence and abuse in Iraq, the Islamic
community in Florida is concerned about a possible anti-Muslim
backlash,"
said CAIR-FL Executive Director Altaf Ali.
Incidents targeting mosques and Islamic centers have occurred recently
across America. For example, a man was arrested for threatening an El
Paso,
Texas, Islamic center. Also in Texas, an arson suspect was arrested at
the
scene of a fire at a Muslim business in San Antonio and vandals
scrawled
racist graffiti on the interior of a Lubbock mosque. Vandals also
targeted
the Islamic Center of Ocean County in Toms River, N.J.
There are an estimated 40,000 Muslims in the Miami area.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Altaf Ali, 954-298-8214, altaf@cair-florida.org; Ahmed Bedier,
813-731-9506, abedier@cair-florida.org; Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or
202-744-7726, E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-FL: COMMUNITY LEADERS CONDEMN CYCLE OF VIOLENCE AND ABUSE IN IRAQ
(TAMPA, FL 5/13/04)- The Florida office of the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-FL) and the National Conference for Community and
Justice
(NCCJ) today held several press conferences across Florida to address
recent events of torture, abuse, and senseless killings in Iraq.
"The endless cycle of violence and retribution must come to an end for
the
sake of sanity and peace. Acts of terrorism or torture carried out in
the
name of any cause, religious or secular, must be repudiated in the
strongest possible terms," said Parvez Ahmed, Chairman of Board,
CAIR-FL.
"As a country, we must stand together against any atrocities that would
undermine the cause of justice for all people. We must also recognize
that
the quest for freedom should never be pursued at the sacrifice of
decency
and order. The preservation of humanity must remain our focus and we
must
remember, as many have admonished before us, as long as one people are
not
free, we all shall live in bondage." Claud Myers, executive director,
the
National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ)
CONTACT: CAIR-FL, Ahmed Bedier, Communications Director, 813-731-9506,
Email:
abedier@cair-florida.org; Altaf Ali, Executive Director, 954-298-8214,
altaf@cair-florida.org; Claud Myers (NCCJ), 904-306-6225, Email:
nccj22@bellsouth.net
-----
AZ MUSLIMS RALLY TO CONDEMN TERROR AND ABUSE
(PHOENIX, AZ, 5/13/04) - On Friday, May 14, the Arizona office of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-AZ), community leaders,
local
Muslims, and other Arizonans will hold a rally to condemn the recent
events
of torture, abuse and senseless killings in Iraq and around the world.
WHAT: American Muslims Stand for Human Rights and Dignity Rally
WHEN: Friday, May 14, 6 p.m.
WHERE: NW Corner of University and Mill Ave, Tempe, AZ
CONTACT: Deedra Abboud (CAIR-AZ), 602-262-2247
"This endless cycle of violence and retribution must come to an end for
the
sake of humanity and peace," said Deedra Abboud, Executive Director of
CAIR-AZ. "Acts of terrorism or torture carried out in the name of any
cause, religious or secular, must be repudiated in the strongest
possible
terms."
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Deedra Abboud (CAIR-AZ), 602-262-2247, Email:
director@cairaz.org;
Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org
-----
CAIR-DC: MALKIN MISSTATED THE FACTS ON CAIR
Arsalan Iftikhar, Times-Union, 5/13/04
http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/051304/opl_15591957.shtml
In her May 8 column ("Even mild dissent spurs CAIR into attack mode"),
conservative commentator Michelle Malkin makes a number of false claims
about the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Her first false accusation is that CAIR "won't condemn Muslim
fanatics." In
fact, CAIR has consistently condemned acts of terror by those who carry
out
acts of violence in the name of Islam.
We condemned the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks within hours on that
terrible day. We have also condemned suicide bombings, church bombings
in
Pakistan, the killing of U.S. medical personnel in Yemen, bombings in
Istanbul and Madrid, and other attacks on civilians, regardless of
whether
they were perpetrated by individuals, groups or states.
Malkin also falsely claims that CAIR fabricates quotes. She offers as
evidence a recent controversy over anti-Muslim remarks by a Boston
radio
talk show host. By highlighting a quote offered to CAIR by the
station's
general manager, and by avoiding mention of what the host actually
said,
Malkin twists reality to serve her own biased agenda.
According to a Boston Globe reporter who obtained a tape of the
program,
host Jay Severin said: "I believe that Muslims in this country are a
fifth
column … The vast majority of Muslims in this country are very
obviously
loyal, not to the United States, but to their religion ... the reason
they
are here is to take over our culture and eventually take over our
country."
Severin asked a caller: "Do you think we should befriend them?" "Yes,"
the
caller said. Then, introducing another caller, Severin said: "I have an
alternative viewpoint. It's slightly different than yours. You think we
should befriend them; I think we should kill them."
When challenged about this incitement to violence, Severin, like
Malkin,
chose to focus on the original paraphrase of his remarks from the
general
manager, rather than on his actual words.
Here's what Boston Globe columnist Scot Lehigh had to say about
Severin's
sleight-of-hand denial of what he really said about American Muslims:
"Severin has played the charlatan, hiding behind a Clintonesque denial
and
trying to fool his audience into thinking he has won a great victory in
the
small correction of his quote. He hasn't been vindicated, and his faux
populist palaver is complete intellectual dishonesty." (Anyone
interested
in the truth about the controversy may go to www.boston.com and enter
"Severin" as a search term...)
-----
MUSLIM AMERICANS LAUNCH PR CAMPAIGN
Alex Cohen, Voice of America News, 5/12/04
http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=81873177-074C-48AB-A86690DEA3B1B3E5
Muslims and non-Muslims may have more in common than you think. That's
the
theme of an ad campaign sponsored by the Council on American Islamic
Relations. One of the ads that's appeared in California newspapers
appeals
to Christians by explaining the role of Jesus in the Islamic tradition,
but
as Alexandra Cohen reports, it's received mixed reviews from religious
leaders.
The nationwide campaign called "Muslims in America" shows Muslims
participating in many facets of American life. The Council on American
Islamic Relations began the outreach effort last year, in response to
increasing public misinformation about Islam and hostility toward
Muslims.
The campaign has included billboard signs, print ads and radio
announcements like this one, which aired earlier this year, during the
Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
"This is the Adan, or holy call to prayer. This call also marks the
time
for breaking the fast for millions of Muslims in the United States and
over
one billion Muslims worldwide who are currently observing the holy
month of
Ramadan..."
Across the country, local chapters of CAIR are placing the ads on local
radio stations and in community newspapers and some are coming up with
ads
of their own. California is home to more than one million Muslims and
since
September 11, many have felt the need to present themselves in a
positive
light to clear up misunderstandings about their community. Sabiha Khan
is
communications director for the southern California chapter of the
Council
on American Islamic Relations.
"Some people are able to interact with a Muslim school teacher or a
Muslim
doctor, but there are still a lot of Americans who are not able to,"
she
said. "What we want to do is make it comfortable for people to ask us
questions and what better way to do that is to outreach first..."
ALSO SEE:
BRIDGING RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES
Deborah Bulkeley, Deseret Morning News, 5/13/04
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595062821,00.html
J.B. Singh's pet peeve is being associated with Osama bin Laden because
of
his beard and turban. Apart from the fact he's not a terrorist, Singh
is
also a Sikh, not a Muslim.
Muslim Suzanne Montgomery says she's sometimes treated like she's
unintelligent, just because she chooses to dress in traditional modest
clothing, covering every body part except her face and hands.
Singh and Montgomery were on hand Wednesday in a discussion aimed at
raising cultural awareness among law enforcement and improving their
understanding of Muslim, Sikh and Arab communities.
Terrorists, anti-American, angry and oppressive to women were a few
stereotypes discussed at the session sponsored by the U.S. Attorney's
Office, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Utah Office of Asian
Affairs
and the Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake.
"We tend, I think, to lump people together when we don't understand,"
said
Paul M. Warner of the U.S. Attorney's Office. "We in law enforcement
need
to work together to build bridges in the community."
From respecting the religious modesty reason behind some Muslim
women's
choice to wear a head covering, or understanding a Sikh man's and
(sometimes woman's) turban is more meaningful than a piece of cloth,
the
seminar served as a crash course in culture. The discussion included
some
of the differences between Sikhism, a 500-year-old monotheistic
religion
originating in India, and Islam, a belief in one God and the prophet
Muhammad...
-----
MUSLIMS: JUDGE US NOT BY UN-ISLAMIC ACTS OF FEW
Parvez Ahmed and Arsalan Iftikhar, Houston Chronicle, 5/12/04
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/editorial/outlook/2566136
>From the Abu Ghraib prison torture scandal by American soldiers to
the
brutal beheading of Nicholas Berg in Iraq, it would be a gross
understatement to say that the situation in Iraq is spiraling out of
control. As time progresses, any silver lining to the Iraqi saga slowly
wanes away. The "shock and awe" of the battlefield has now given way to
the
"shock and awe" of gut-wrenching pictures and videos that will resonate
in
global memory for time immemorial.
Were it not for the powerful photographic archives of both atrocities,
they
would have probably been relegated to footnotes in history books.
However,
this war could now be perpetually defined by the despicable footage of
humiliating torture and cold-blooded murderous executions. Each side
may be
tempted to use the others' injustices to justify their own barbaric
actions
and only continue the cycle of violence.
For obvious reasons, the Abu Ghraib torture is inflaming Muslim
passions
around the world. The passions are being inflamed domestically as more
Americans are viewing the gruesome, despicable and everlasting images
of
Berg's execution on Internet video feeds. The potential for continued
misunderstanding between the Muslim world and America is reaching
troubling
proportions.
Just as a handful of American soldiers committing torturous war crimes
do
not represent the sense and sensibilities of the vast majority of
Americans, it is important to judge Muslims by the same standards. Just
as
America cannot be judged through the lens of its often misguided
foreign
policy or torturous acts of American soldiers, the world of Islam
should
not be held accountable for the un-Islamic and barbaric deeds of a
minuscule minority of more than a billion Muslims...
Ahmed is a national board member for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR). Iftikhar is the director of legal affairs for CAIR in
Washington, D.C.
ALSO SEE
LOCAL MUSLIMS REACT TO BEHEADING
Ohio News Now, 5/12/04
http://www.onnnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=1862842&nav=LQlCN4yv
There were some strong words on the murder of Nick Berg from the
Council on
American Islamic Relations Wednesday.
Central Ohio Muslims issued a statement condemning those responsible,
and
they weren't alone.
The grisly video tape is the talk of the nation's airwaves with some
saying, "Americans are outraged."
There is outcry over the headlines. "Killing is totally against the
teaching of Islam."
There is also anger on the streets. One local resident said, "It just
makes
you gasp." Another said, "I think it's obviously disgusting"
For Westerville's Mahamoud El-Yosseph, a proud Arab-American, the
beheading
of American Nick Berg has left him in disbelief.
"To evoke the name of god while you're killing him. God is great in
Arabic;
it's beyond imagination. It's uncalled for," he says.
This father of six is urging Muslims to speak out against the war
crime. He
argues true Muslims promote peace not violence...
---
NORTH TEXAS MUSLIM LEADERS JOINT STATEMENT ON IRAQ
DALLAS -- The Muslim community leaders and Imams (religious heads) of
various Islamic organizations in the Dallas Fort Worth area will hold a
Press conference and issue a joint statement on the current situation
in
Iraq including the killing of innocent American civilian Nicholas Berg
on
Thursday, May 13th 2004 at 12:30PM sharp at Dallas Central Mosque
located
at 840 Abrams Road, Richardson, TX 75081. For any further assistance
please feel free to contact Azhar Azeez at 214-769-0922 or via e-mail
at
azhar-azeez2@hotmail.com.
-----
BEHEADING FUELS BACKLASH ON TALK RADIO
Rebecca Rodriguez, WFAA-TV, 5/13/04
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/wfaa040512_am_bergreax.1b661594c.html
The beheading of an American hostage in Iraq is the subject of outrage
and
fear here in North Texas.
At issue is whether the video of Nick Berg's murder should be widely
shown.
Wednesday, people flooded radio talk shows with opinions - and some
Muslims
say they're already feeling the backlash.
"I'm ready to rant and rave today," one caller told WBAP's Mark Davis.
"I cannot believe we are dealing with such barbarians," said another.
"We
are dealing with people with absolutely no conscience."
Those who have chosen to see the execution videotape on the Internet
have
expressed anger and disgust. Talk show host Davis said Berg's execution
has
opened the floodgates, and for one reason: it is not the first atrocity
against an American, but it is the first committed to videotape and
posted
for the world to see.
"It is one of the most unsettling things you will ever see, and I urge
you
to see it," Davis said. ..
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is condemning the execution
of
Nick Berg, and as more and more people view the images of his murder,
there
is fear that it will unleash a backlash and new wave of hate crimes
against
Muslims.
"We've been reading a lot of hate email, faxes, because of what people
are
seeing," said the council's Amina-Marisol Rojas. "People are seeing it,
and
it gets them aroused in an angry way to where they're saying, 'this is
Islam, this is what you do in the name of Islam.' No, this is not what
we
do in the name of Islam."
The hate messages began arriving this morning, one calling Islam a
"cancer", and another expressing hate. The council said since 9-11,
hate
crimes against Muslims have increased significantly - and once again
they
are on the defensive.
"What this group of people is doing doesn't represent Islam, just like
(what) the group of soldiers did doesn't represent America," Rojas
said...
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIMS FEAR RETALIATION
KTOK, 5/12/04
http://www.ktok.com/cc-common/feeds/view.php?feed_id=135&feed=/local.html&instance=1&article_id=2930
Some local Muslims say the beheading of American civilian Nick Berg in
Iraq
is an atrocity, and not in-line with the teachings of Islam.
Saad Mohammad's the Information Director with the Islamic Society of
Greater Oklahoma City. He says it's definitely a concern that someone
will
see or hear about the video-taped beheading of Nick Berg. Mohammad
says
he's especially worried about the women and children of Islam.
"What happened with the beheading of this American is very unfortunate,
just like the abuse of Iraqi prisoners was unfortunate, and this is not
with the tenants of Islam." said Mohammad.
"We do fear that someone out there, with radical thoughts, may
retaliate
thinking that this is the agenda of all Muslims, and it isn't."
Mohammad says women are easily identifiable because of their dress and
head
scarves and he worries that they might become the victims of hate
crimes as
a result. However, Mohammad also says afer 9-11 Oklahomans were very
understanding and there only minor incidents of retaliation cited, and
he
hopes and prays the reaction will be similar this time around.
---
HOLIER-THAN-THOU RAISE HOLY HECK OVER UNHOLY WAR
Arizona Central, 5/13/04
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0513montini13.html
Since news broke of the gruesome beheading in Iraq, I'd guess that just
about everyone who has questioned the wisdom or conduct of the war has
heard from someone like "The Doberman," a reader whose real name - what
he
would call his "Christian" name - is John.
He e-mailed to say:
"I had to write you about the American who had his head cut off. I
guess
you and Leibowitz from 620 KTAR are happy now. They got even because
the
girl had a rope or whatever around that Muslim's neck. You don't think
this
got Americans (angered). Now how much do you stick up for them and say
we
did so much wrong? They should put every one of those Muslims in a
pigpen
then (kill and mutilate) them . . . There are about 10 of us wondering
if
you're going to answer this e-mail."
I cleaned up his language a little, fiddled with the grammar and
removed
his rather vivid description of the type of mutilation and death he
proposed, but you get the idea. What Doberman didn't quite figure, I'd
suppose, is that I agree with him. I do. I'd like the men behind the
savage
killing of Nicholas Berg to get worse than they gave, to be captured
and
then put to a horrible death. But that's not how we do things. Not the
best
of us, anyway.
The most solid justification we had for going to war with Iraq was to
remove an evil dictator known worldwide for his sadistic cruelty and to
demonstrate that there are governments that treat people with dignity
rather than terror and who respect individual rights. Even the rights
of
their enemies. Especially them.
I'm wondering if Doberman or his nine pals actually believe that we can
accomplish such a goal by killing and mutilating "the Muslims," as he
calls
them. And by Muslims, I'm wondering if he means all Muslims? Including
those who live in countries with whom we are not at war? Canada. Great
Britain. Much of Asia. Africa. Latin America. Even Australia...
-----
HARSH C.I.A. METHODS CITED IN TOP QAEDA INTERROGATIONS
James Risen, David Johnston, Neil A. Lewis, New York Times, 5/13/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/13/politics/13DETA.html
WASHINGTON, - The Central Intelligence Agency has used coercive
interrogation methods against a select group of high-level leaders and
operatives of Al Qaeda that have produced growing concerns inside the
agency about abuses, according to current and former counterterrorism
officials.
At least one agency employee has been disciplined for threatening a
detainee with a gun during questioning, they said.
In the case of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, a high-level detainee who is
believed to have helped plan the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, C.I.A.
interrogators used graduated levels of force, including a technique
known
as "water boarding," in which a prisoner is strapped down, forcibly
pushed
under water and made to believe he might drown.
These techniques were authorized by a set of secret rules for the
interrogation of high-level Qaeda prisoners, none known to be housed in
Iraq, that were endorsed by the Justice Department and the C.I.A. The
rules
were among the first adopted by the Bush administration after the Sept.
11
attacks for handling detainees and may have helped establish a new
understanding throughout the government that officials would have
greater
freedom to deal harshly with detainees.
Defenders of the operation said the methods stopped short of torture,
did
not violate American anti-torture statutes, and were necessary to fight
a
war against a nebulous enemy whose strength and intentions could only
be
gleaned by extracting information from often uncooperative detainees.
Interrogators were trying to find out whether there might be another
attack
planned against the United States.
The methods employed by the C.I.A. are so severe that senior officials
of
the Federal Bureau of Investigation have directed its agents to stay
out of
many of the interviews of the high-level detainees, counterterrorism
officials said. The F.B.I. officials have advised the bureau's
director,
Robert S. Mueller III, that the interrogation techniques, which would
be
prohibited in criminal cases, could compromise their agents in future
criminal cases, the counterterrorism officials said...
---
LAWMAKERS SAY NEW ABUSE PHOTOS DISTURBING
Ken Guggenheim, Associated Press, 5/12/04
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=542&u=/ap/20040512/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_prisoner_abuse_43&printer=1
WASHINGTON - Members of Congress viewed fresh photos and videos of
Iraqi
prisoner abuse on Wednesday, and said they included disturbing images
of
torture and humiliation.
"The whole thing is disgusting and it's hard to believe that this
actually
is taking place in a military facility," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein,
D-Calif.
"I expected that these pictures would be very hard on the stomach
lining
and it was significantly worse than anything that I had anticipated,"
said
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. "Take the worse case and multiply it several
times
over."
Several senators, speaking on condition of anonymity, said photos of
sexual
intercourse were among the images that Pentagon (news - web sites)
officials screened for lawmakers in a top-secret room in the Capitol.
At
least some of them appeared to depict consensual sex involving U.S.
military personnel, they added.
Others showed military dogs snarling at cowering prisoners, as well as
shots of Iraqi women commanded to expose their breasts, these senators
said.
The private screening marked the latest turn in a scandal that has
rocked
the Bush administration and apparently led to the beheading of an
American
in Iraq (news - web sites) by Islamic militants who said they were
avenging
the abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison.
"I don't know how the hell these people got into our army," said Ben
Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., after viewing the images...
---
SECRET US JAILS HOLD 10,000
Andrew Buncombe and Kim Sengupta, New Zealand Herald, 5/12/04
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3566058&thesection=news&thesubsection=world&thesecondsubsection=&reportID=61564
WASHINGTON - Almost 10,000 prisoners from President George W. Bush's
so-called war on terror are being held around the world in secretive
American-run jails and interrogation centers similar to the notorious
Abu
Ghraib Prison.
Some of these detention centers are so sensitive that even the most
senior
members of the United States Congress have no idea where they are.
>From Iraq to Afghanistan to Cuba, this American gulag is driven by
the
pressure to obtain "actionable" intelligence from prisoners captured by
US
forces.
The systematic practice of holding prisoners without access to lawyers
or
their families, together with a willingness to use "coercive
interrogation"
techniques, suggests the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib now shocking
the
world could be widespread.
Iraq has become a holding pen for America's prisoners from 21
countries,
according to a report from the international campaign group Human
Rights
Watch.
The US military is keeping prisoners at 10 centres, most of which were
used
by Saddam Hussein's regime. The total in January was 8968, and is
thought
to have increased.
Prisoners are being held from, among other countries, Algeria, Egypt,
India, Iran, Iraq, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya,
Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Sweden, Tunisia,
Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and Yemen...
---
IS THIS A WAR WITH ISLAM
Sandy Shanks, Daily Tribune, 5/12/04
http://www.hibbingmn.com/placed/index.php?sect_rank=4&story_id=172990
The answer is an emphatic NO. However, the waters get a little murky
when
the mind conjures up images of Iraq and Afghanistan. Recent photos of
the
goings on in Abu Ghraib Prison exacerbated matters.
Unfortunately, Bush isn't helping. Articles in this column on April
20th
and April 30th, for reasons suggesting an ominous agenda, stated that
Bush
seemed to be going out of his way to anger Arab nations (they can be
reviewed on the Tribune Web site). He made matters worse on May 5th. In
the
aftermath of the disclosure of the despicable actions of a few soldiers
at
Abu Ghraib, Bush appeared before an Arab television audience and failed
to
say the obvious, "I'm sorry." The following day, before an American
television audience, the President said those two fateful words.
With this as a backdrop it appears as though some Americans are
following
the President's lead. I received a hate-filled e-mail message the other
day. In and of itself, that is not vitally important, but what the
message
portended was a horrible nightmare - a religious war. Because of the
self-righteous nature of such wars, they can be brutal, and should, at
all
costs, be avoided.
The message tells us that the postal service has put out stamps that
commemorate two Muslim holidays, or eids. Then, in shrieking font size
and
color, it reminds us of "Muslim bombings" from Flight 103 to 9/11, and
there were seven such reminders. The message screeched in e-mail
fashion
that we should boycott these stamps and "pass this along to every
patriotic
AMERICAN you know." Obviously, I did not do that.
The reasons are patently obvious why I didn't. The USPS is innocent of
all
charges, and the message originator is wrong. We are not at war with
Muslims. We are at war with Islamic terrorists who have perverted Islam
for
their own evil gain. Terrorists are criminals, and it is self-evident
that
the vast majority of Muslims are not criminals. So why should they be
persecuted as this supremacist suggests? They are not the enemy...
-----
ACCOUNTS OF ATROCITIES EMERGE FROM THE RUBBLE OF FALLUJAH
Dahr Jamail, antiwar.com, 5/12/04
http://www.antiwar.com/orig/jamail.php?articleid=2563
Yesterday at the General Hospital of Fallujah, doctors spoke of
atrocities
that occurred during the month-long siege of the city in April.
Dr. Abdul Jabbar, an Orthopedic Surgeon, said that it was difficult to
keep
track of the number of people they treated, as well as the number of
dead,
due to the lack of documentation. This was caused, primarily, by the
fact
that the main hospital, which is located on the opposite side of the
Euphrates as the city, was sealed off by U.S. Marines for the majority
of
April.
Another Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Rashid, said that during the first 10
days
of fighting, the U.S. military did not allow any evacuations at all. He
said, "Even transferring patients in the city was impossible, you can
see
our ambulances outside. They also shot into the main doors with snipers
of
one of our centers."
In the parking lot of the hospital several ambulances are parked. Two
of
them have bullet holes in the windshields; one of these is riddled with
bullet holes, and the tires had been shot out as well.
Ambulance in the parking lot of Fallujah General Hospital, shot several
times by U.S. snipers.
Ambulance in the parking lot of Fallujah General Hospital, shot several
times by U.S. snipers. Both doctors said they had not been contacted by
the
U.S. military, nor was any aid delivered to them from the military. Dr.
Rashid said, "They send only bombs, not medicine..."
---
TIME TO STOP 'STRESS AND DURESS'
Kenneth Roth, Washington Post, 5/13/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22623-2004May12.html
The sexual humiliation of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison is so shocking
that it risks overshadowing other U.S. interrogation practices that are
also reprehensible. And unlike the sexual abuse, these other practices
have
been sanctioned by the highest levels of government and are probably
more
widespread.
The Abu Ghraib outrages are not simply the product of a small group of
sick
and misguided soldiers. They are the predictable result of the Bush
administration's policy of permitting "stress and duress" interrogation
techniques. The sexual abuse of prisoners, despicable as it is, is a
logical consequence of a system put in place after Sept. 11, 2001, to
ratchet up the pain, discomfort and humiliation of prisoners under
interrogation.
The Defense Department has adopted a 72-point "matrix" of types of
stress
to which detainees can be subjected. These include stripping detainees
naked, depriving them of sleep, subjecting them to bright lights or
blaring
noise, hooding them, exposing them to heat and cold, and binding them
in
uncomfortable positions. The more stressful techniques must be approved
by
senior commanders, but all are permitted. And nearly all are being
used,
according to testimony taken by Human Rights Watch from post-Sept. 11
detainees released from U.S. custody.
None of these techniques is legal. Treaties ratified by the United
States,
including the Geneva Conventions and the U.N. Convention Against
Torture,
prohibit not only torture but also "cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment
or punishment." In ratifying the Convention Against Torture, the U.S.
government interpreted this provision to prohibit the same practices as
those proscribed by the U.S. Constitution. The Bush administration
reiterated that understanding last June.
In other words, just as U.S. courts repeatedly have found it
unconstitutional for interrogators in American police stations to use
these
third-degree methods, it is illegal under international law for U.S.
interrogators in Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay or elsewhere to
employ
them. U.S. military manuals ban these "stress and duress" techniques,
and
federal law condemns them as war crimes. Yet the Bush administration
has
authorized them...
---
JUDGE RELEASES AIRMAN ACCUSED OF SPYING
Associated Press, 5/13/04
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - An airman accused of spying while he
worked
at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba was ordered released
from
military jail Wednesday.
The judge, Air Force Col. Barbara Brand, said Senior Airman Ahmad Al
Halabi
was not a flight risk and that ``lesser forms of restraint are
available.''
His civilian lawyer, Donald G. Rehkopf, said he most likely will be
restricted to Travis Air Force Base until his court-martial begins
there.
``It feels great,'' Al Halabi said as he left the hearing. His military
lawyer, Maj. James Key, said Al Halabi would go back to his job as a
supply
clerk ``unless his commander comes up with some bizarre plan.''
Al Halabi, 25, had been locked up since he was arrested in July,
shortly
before he was to leave for Syria, where he planned to marry his
girlfriend.
He faces 17 criminal counts including espionage, lying and misconduct.
The Syrian-born U.S. citizen is accused of attempting to deliver more
than
180 e-mail messages to Syria from detainees at Guantanamo Bay, where
the
U.S. government is holding suspected terrorists. Al Halabi also is
charged
with mishandling classified material and repeatedly lying to Air Force
investigators.
If convicted of spying, the most serious of the charges, Al Halabi
could be
sentenced to life in prison. He has not yet entered a plea...
------
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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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/14/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: WORLDLY WEALTH
* NY: MUSLIM TA FIRED FOR SPEAKING ARABIC (News 10)
* SIGN THE 'NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM' PETITION
- US Muslim Petition Rejects Terror (BBC)
- U.S. Islamic Leaders Denounce Terrorism (LA Times)
- Muslim Petition Decries Terror (Washington Post)
* N.J. MUSLIM ORGANIZATIONS CONDEMN BERG'S SLAUGHTER (AP)
* CAIR-LA TO BE HONORED AT INTERFAITH DINNER
* CO: DENVER MOSQUE RECEIVING THREATS (Denver Channel)
- FL: Police Probe Acts Against Mosque (Miami Herald)
- Two Miami Mosques Vandalized, One Threatened (AP)
- Three S. Fl mosques Targeted (Sun-Sentinel)
* OK: SCHOOL HEAD SCARF SUIT SETTLEMENT NEAR (Oklahoman)
- Oklahoma Student Suspended for Wearing Hijab (CAIR)
* INCITEMENT WATCH: ROCK STAR GIVES ISLAM KISS-OFF
* CA: EDUCATE TO COUNTER ANTI-MUSLIM INCIDENTS (VC Star)
- Incidents of Anti-Muslim Bias Jump 70 percent (BP)
* VATICAN WARNS CATHOLICS AGAINST MARRYING MUSLIMS (Reuters)
- Nigerian Muslims Recount Horror of Attack (Reuters)
- 80 Percent of Iraqis Oppose Occupation (Wash Post)
- Israel Takes Bloody Revenge in Gaza (Guardian)
- Iraqi Prisoners Tell of Torture (Agence France Presse)
- Iraqis Tells of U.S. Abuse (NY Times)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: WORLDLY WEALTH
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) told his companions: "I am not
afraid that you will be poor, but I fear that worldly wealth will be
bestowed upon you as it was bestowed upon those before you. (Then) you
will
compete amongst yourselves for it, as they competed for it, and it will
destroy you as it did them."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 5, Hadith 351
-----
[NOTE: This case has been referred to CAIR's Civil Rights Department.]
NY: CONTROVERSY SURROUNDS TA'S FIRING
Bill Carey, News 10, 5/13/04
http://news10now.com/content/all_news/?ArID=18677&SecID=83
Teaching assistant Abdul Mustafa lost his job at HW Smith Elementary
School
for speaking Arabic and bringing a copy of the Muslim holy book, the
Koran,
into the classroom.
But is this a case of the District enforcing the separation of Church
and
State, or of it punishing a worker for their religion?
Paperwork associated with the firing shows Mustafa was warned against
speaking Arabic in the classroom.
He says the use of Arabic was minimal.
"Me using the term, or responding to the term, 'Asalam malekum,' which
means, 'Peace be upon you'…when the children would come into school,
they
would say, 'Asalam malekum, Mr. Mustafa' and I would respond to them,
'Wa
malekum asalam,' which means, 'Peace be upon you.' That's the extent of
it," he said.
There were also warnings against bringing a copy of the Koran into
class.
The Syracuse School District says it has no policy that bars employees
from
being a devout member of any religious group, but that an employee
crosses
the line when that religion is brought into the classroom.
"Whether it's the Bible. Whether it's the Koran. Whether it's the
Torah.
Excluding historical or literary value, they cannot be used for
religious
proselytizing and this is basically the Constitution. Not so much a
District policy, but the separation of Church and State in the public
school system," said Syracuse School District spokesperson Neil
Driscoll.
An evaluation of Mustafa by Principal Sharon Birnkrant shows a majority
of
good or excellent grades, with the exception of unsatisfactory findings
in
areas covering his receptiveness to supervision and respect for
confidentiality.
On the same form, when asked if she would recommend his continued
service
at the school, Birnkrant marked "No."
Mustafa says he thinks much of the problem stems from the events of
September 11th, a subject he says the Principal cautioned him about.
"People in America are very sensitive to anything that has anything to
do
with Islam, and that she has to be very sensitive to their
perceptions," he
said.
The District maintains that Mustafa is not being penalized for his
religion. HW Smith, they say, has a long history of honoring many
cultures.
But Mustafa believes his firing is a manifestation of anti-Muslim
sentiment, and says he turns to his religion to find meaning in the
events
of recent days.
"I'm a Muslim and I believe that nothing happens unless God allows it
and I
believe that, in any situation that appears to be negative, there is
more
good in it than bad..."
ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE and RESPECTFUL.)
CONTACT the Syracuse City School District to ask that Abdul Mustafa be
reinstated as a teaching assistant and that his religious rights be
protected.
CONTACT:
Mr. Stephen C. Jones
Superintendent of Schools
725 Harrison St.
Syracuse, NY 13210
Phone: (315) 435-4161
Fax: (315) 435-4015
E-Mail: sjones17@scsd.us, cdrisc96@scsd.us, jblack45@scsd.us
COPY TO: cair@cair-net.org
-----
SIGN THE 'NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM' PETITION
CAIR has launched an online petition drive designed to disassociate the
faith of Islam from the violent acts of a few Muslims. The petition on
CAIR's web site (www.cair-net.org), called "Not in the Name of Islam,"
allows Muslims around the world to help correct misperceptions of Islam
and
the Islamic stance on religiously-motivated terror.
TO SIGN THE PETITION, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org
TO READ THE PETITION ACTION ALERT, GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=169&page=AA
SEE ALSO:
US MUSLIM PETITION REJECTS TERROR
Jane Little, BBC, 5/14/04
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3713625.stm
A leading Islamic advocacy group in the US has launched an online
petition
designed to dissociate Islam from the violent acts committed under its
banner.
The Council on American Islamic Relations' petition, called "Not in my
Name", follows the beheading in Iraq of a US hostage by a group said to
be
linked to Al Qaeda.
American Muslims have come under pressure to denounce extremism
The move reflects a growing defensiveness among American Muslims who
feel
they are being forced to prove their patriotism.
The message could not be clearer: "We hope this effort will demonstrate
once and for all that Muslims in America and throughout the Islamic
world
reject violence committed in the name of Islam."
The tone, bordering on exasperation, betrays the deep sense of unease
among
American Muslims who have increasingly felt alienated by what they feel
is
a "with us or against us" mood that has deepened after the beheading of
US
hostage Nicholas Berg…
---
U.S. ISLAMIC LEADERS CALL ON FAITHFUL TO DENOUNCE TERRORISM
Larry B. Stammer, Los Angeles Times, 5/14/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-muslim14may14,1,7435762.story
Alarmed by resurgent anti-Muslim rhetoric in the aftermath of the
beheading
of an American in Iraq, U.S. Muslim leaders launched a new campaign
Thursday to disassociate their faith from terrorism.
In Washington, the Council on American-Islamic Relations called on the
nation's Muslims to sign an online petition to declare that terrorism
betrays Islam and that American Muslims abhor it…
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations,
and others said Muslims were being painted with a broad brush on radio
talk
shows and on Internet sites. Hooper said talk-show callers were asking
why
Muslims were not condemning the brutality.
The new American Muslim campaign, "Not in the Name of Islam," is "one
way
we can get that word out," Hooper said of the online petition drive…
---
MUSLIM PETITION DECRIES TERROR
Caryle Murphy, Washington Post, 5/15/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25782-2004May13.html
A national Muslim advocacy group announced yesterday that it is asking
Muslims around the world to sign an online petition condemning
terrorism as
"un-Islamic" and a betrayal of their faith.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations said that
its
petition, titled "Not in the Name of Islam," is "designed to
disassociate
the faith of Islam from the violent acts of a few Muslims."
CAIR noted that its initiative was announced two days after a videotape
showing the decapitation of an American in Iraq "shocked television
viewers
worldwide." The tape showed Nicholas Berg's masked assailant shouting
"God
is great…"
The online petition, posted at CAIR's Web site -- www.cair-net.org --
is a
way for Muslims to demonstrate how they feel about Berg's killing, Awad
added.
The petition states that "no injustice done to Muslims can ever justify
the
massacre of innocent people, and no act of terror will ever serve the
cause
of Islam…"
-----
N.J. MUSLIM ORGANIZATIONS CONDEMN BERG'S SLAUGHTER
WAYNE PARRY, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 5/14/04
NEWARK - Muslim groups in New Jersey condemned the beheading of an
American
in Iraq, saying his captors violated Islamic law and human decency.
Nicholas Berg, 26, a telecommunications businessman from suburban
Philadelphia, was killed this month. His beheading was shown in a video
broadcast on an al-Qaeda-linked Web site, which claimed it was done in
retribution for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. troops.
"I see no religious, moral, or legal justification for the brutal
killing
of a human being," said Sohail Mohammed, a lawyer for the American
Muslim
Union, based in Paterson. "We condemn the killing. These types of acts
have
no place in Islam."
The Majlis Ash-Shura of New Jersey, the state's council of mosques,
said
the killing was an abomination.
"I've seen things in the past that have shocked me, and as time goes
by,
you get less shocked, but this shocked me," said the group's chairman,
Yaser El-Menshawy.
"[Berg] had some background and understanding of Muslim culture. He
wasn't
there to spy. It made no sense. There were no grounds, no
justification.
"You put that next to what's going on in the prisons, and it seems like
this whole world has gone upside down," he said. "It's a bad situation
that
just got a whole lot worse…"
-----
CAIR-LA TO BE HONORED AT INTERFAITH DINNER
The Interfaith Council of Garden Grove, Westminster and Stanton's
Eighth
Annual Unity Banquet will present the Spirit in Action Awards for
outstanding community service to Hussam Ayloush for his work in
education,
combating discrimination as Executive Director of CAIR. Two other
community
activists and leaders will be honored as well.
WHEN: Friday, May 14, 2004 at 6 p.m.
WHERE: Garden Grove Community Center 11300, Stanford Avenue, Garden
Grove,
CA 92842 (714) 741-5262
TICKETS: $15.00
CONTACT: Ann Nguyen, (714) 890-5203 or Barbara George, (714) 943-2290
-----
DENVER MOSQUE RECEIVING THREATS
Caller Upset About Death Of Nicholas Berg
Denver Channel, 5/13/04
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/3301210/detail.html
The president of the Colorado Muslim Society said the mosque on Parker
Road
received a threatening phone call Wednesday from a man who was upset
about
the death of 26-year-old Nicholas Berg, an American civilian working in
Iraq.
The caller reportedly said Islam was a barbaric religion and that
Muslims
shouldn't be in the United States.
The society president said the mosque has received such calls
periodically
since the 2001 terrorist attacks.
The mosque has also received bomb threats, and authorities have been
keeping a close eye on the building.
A video posted on a Web site linked to al-Qaida showed Berg beheaded by
a
group that said it was to avenge the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by
American
soldiers.
SEE ALSO:
POLICE INVESTIGATE ACTS AGAINST ISLAMIC SITES
Miami Herald, 5/14/04
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/8662302.htm
Local police are investigating a threatening letter sent to an Islamic
center and recent incidents of vandalism, calling the incidents
''criminal
mischief.''
But Muslim officials say it's much more than that and they want the FBI
to
get involved.
"Whenever this happens at a synagogue, it's automatically handled as a
hate
crime," said Altaf Ali, executive director of the Florida chapter of
the
Council on American-Islamic Relations.
On Tuesday at Masjid Al-Ihsan mosque, the front door and windows were
broken, telephone and electrical lines were cut and the alarm system
was
destroyed, Ali said.
On Wednesday, vandals wrote curse words and scrawled a swastika on the
sign
of the Islamic School of Miami, he said.
Thursday morning, a letter that read "Kill them all in the name of
Allah,"
was found at the Darul Uloom mosque, Ali said.
The recent incidents were likely fueled by anger over the beheading of
American civilian contractor Nicholas Berg in Iraq, Ali said…
Miami-Dade police, which are investigating two of the cases, said they
would present their information to the state attorney's office to see
whether the cases could be classified as hate crimes, which carry
heftier
criminal penalties than acts of vandalism and criminal mischief.
---
TWO MIAMI MOSQUES VANDALIZED, ONE THREATENED
Associated Press, 5/14/04
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Florida/03FloridaSTAT06051404.htm
MIAMI -- Muslim officials want the FBI to investigate three recent
incidents of vandalism or threats at local mosques.
In the past three days, obscene graffiti was written on the sign of a
center in Miami, another mosque in Miami had severe damage both inside
and
out and a threatening letter was left at a mosque in Hollywood in
Broward
County, said Altaf Ali, Florida director of the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations.
The letter, which read "Kill them all in the name of Allah," was found
at
the Darul Uloom mosque Thursday morning, Ali said.
On Tuesday at Masjid Al-Ihsan mosque, the front door and windows were
broken, telephone and electrical lines were cut and the alarm system
was
destroyed, Ali said. Vandals wrote curse words and scrawled a swastika
on
the sign of the Islamic School of Miami on Wednesday night, he said.
Police reports have been filed for all the incidents, he said...
Miami-Dade County police officials would not discuss security plans
Thursday. Hollywood police did not return a phone call.
---
THREE S. FLORIDA MOSQUES VANDALIZED AS IRAQ EVENTS FUEL BACKLASH ON
MUSLIMS
Tanya Weinberg, Sun-Sentinel, 5/14/04
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-fvandals14may14,0,4128001.story
Three South Florida Islamic institutions have reported vandalism and
threats in recent days as Muslims nationwide are experiencing a
backlash to
recent events in Iraq.
In the two days after the public revelation of Nicholas Berg's
beheading by
masked men, dozens of calls have poured into the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, national spokeswoman Rabiah Ahmed said.
"Centers and mosques are saying they have been threatened that if they
don't condemn these terrorist attacks, that we will face the kind of
fate
that Nick Berg did," she said.
Not two hours after he condemned the brutal murder in a television news
interview Wednesday, the religious leader of the Darul Uloom Institute
said
he returned to the Pembroke Pines school and mosque to learn of a
letter
left posted on the mailbox there.
"It said `Kill them all in the name of Allah,'" Maulana Shafayat
Mohamed said.
Mohamed said he already had planned to focus his weekly sermon today on
condemning both Berg's murder and the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S.
forces, for which Berg's captors said they were retaliating.
"I'm not going to talk about this because of backlash, but because it
was
wrong," he said.
"They may be soldiers, but what they did is not the voice of America.
Similarly, the guys who beheaded Berg, they may be Muslims, but they do
not
represent Islam and the voice of all Muslims."
Pembroke Pines Police Department spokesman Captain David Golt said
detectives are trying to find out who left the letter at the mosque.
"If we determine there are any crimes, we'll take appropriate action,"
he
said, and encouraged anyone with information to call the department.
Monday morning, a worker discovered a break-in and vandalism at the
Al-Ihasan mosque in Perrine. Nothing was stolen, a mosque leader said.
Then, Wednesday afternoon, the caretaker of the Islamic School of Miami
discovered an expletive and a reverse swastika spray-painted on the
school's sign in Kendall.
"People are angry, and they're also scared, like, what's coming next,"
said
Tasnim Uddin, chairman of the school board…
-----
OK: HEAD SCARF SUIT SETTLEMENT NEAR
Sheila K. Stogsdill, Oklahoman, 5/14/04
http://www.newsok.com/cgi-bin/show_article?ID=1238720
MUSKOGEE - A settlement on a lawsuit involving a Muslim girl suspended
twice for wearing a head scarf awaits approval of the Muskogee School
Board, court records reflected Thursday.
Nashala Hearn, an 11-year-old sixth-grader at Ben Franklin Science
Academy,
was suspended twice in October for wearing the religious scarf, or
hijab,
to school…
Court records in the U.S. Eastern District of Oklahoma show the
agreement
is pending approval of the school board and the matter should be
resolved
in about seven days.
Attorneys for the girl's family and the district met until 9:30 p.m.
Wednesday before reaching the agreement, said D.D. Hayes, the school's
attorney.
Both sides were ordered by U.S. District Court Magistrate Kimberly West
not
to discuss the case, Hayes said.
The lawsuit asked the school to revise its rules to accommodate
religious
dress and to expunge the girl's two suspensions.
The U.S. Justice Department joined the dispute in April when it said
the
school policy against religious headwear violated the U.S.
Constitution…
SEE ALSO:
2003 CAIR ACTION ALERT: OKLAHOMA STUDENT SUSPENDED FOR WEARING HIJAB
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=152&page=AA
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: ROCK STAR GIVES ISLAM KISS-OFF
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1527060,00.html
Melbourne, Australia - Australia's Muslim community reacted with
outrage
Friday following an attack on Islam by rock star Gene Simmons, front
man of
the American band KISS, who are currently touring Australia.
In an interview with the Melbourne radio station 3AW on Thursday, he
described Islam as a "vile culture" which he said treated women worse
than
dogs, forcing them to walk behind their men and forbidding them to be
educated or to own property.
"Your dog, however, can walk side by side, your dog is allowed to have
its
own dog house... you can send your dog to school to learn tricks, sit,
beg,
do all that stuff," he said.
"None of the women have that advantage," added Simmons, who has
famously
boasted of sleeping with more than 4 600 women.
The Israeli-born bass guitarist went on to say the west was under
threat
from Islamic terrorists…
"This is a vile culture and if you think for a second that it's going
to
just live in the sands of God's armpit you've got another thing coming…
-----
EDUCATION NEEDED TO COUNTER GROWING INCIDENTS
Frank Moraga, Ventura County Star, 5/14/04
http://www.venturacountystar.com/vcs/opinion_columnists/article/0,1375,VCS_223_2884928,00.html
In an overfilled classroom at Moorpark College recently, the names the
lecturer put up on the screen sounded awfully familiar: Basra, Kufa and
Baghdad.
While the ongoing war in Iraq first came to mind, Ebraheem Fontaine
cited
those cities as being the birthplaces or centers of learning of
individuals
who have contributed to the world in the areas of culture, science and
medicine…
Why is it important to understand that there is more to the region than
what can be seen on Headline News?
Given the recent statistics on hate crimes and incidents of
discrimination
against U.S. Muslims, we could all benefit from a deeper understanding
of
other cultures worldwide.
"Learning something in school about the historical and intellectual
contributions of Islam to the world would perhaps make a difference to
school-age children and allow them to give that different perspective
to
their parents," said Fontaine, who presented the session "Islamic
Contributions to Civilization" during Moorpark College's annual
Multicultural Day held last month.
A total of 221 complaints were filed in California in 2003, up 233
percent
over the prior year. As a result, the so-called Golden State
outdistanced
New York (191), Virginia (69) and Texas (57) in the number of
discrimination complaints filed last year with the Council on
American-Islamic Relations which compiled the report "The Status of
Muslims
Civil Rights in California: 2004."
Besides improved reporting by community members, the rise in acts of
harassment at work, schools and communities was also attributed by the
council to residual feelings from the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the war
in
Iraq, ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, negative media portrayals
of
Muslims and anti-immigration legislation.
While fewer incidents of discrimination were reported in 2003 at
California
airports, housing developments, shopping centers and courts compared to
the
prior year, government agencies accounted for 41 percent of allegations
of
discrimination. Reports of police mistreatment, workplace and school
discrimination also rose…
Recommendations by the council to fight hate crimes include providing
sensitivity/diversity training to government employees, law
enforcement,
teachers and companies that hire Muslims and welcoming/encouraging
Muslim
representation on community boards, public agencies and organizations
serving the interest of the community at large…
---
INCIDENTS OF ANTI-MUSLIM BIAS JUMP BY 70 PERCENT
Robert Marus, ABP, 5/14/04
http://www.baptiststandard.com/postnuke/index.php?module=htmlpages&func=display&pid=1704
WASHINGTON (ABP)--Incidents of anti-Muslim bias in 2003 jumped 70
percent
over the previous year, a study by an Islamic civil rights group says.
In its 9th annual civil rights report, the Council on American-Islamic
Relations--which calls itself the nation's "largest Islamic civil
liberties
group"--said Muslims in the United States reported 1,019 incidents of
discrimination or violence in 2003.
-----
WA: ISLAM 101 DISPELS MYTHS
Tom Christiansen, The Daily, 5/13/04
http://thedaily.washington.edu/news.lasso?-database=DailyWebSQL&-table=Articles&-response=newspage.lasso&-keyField=__Record_ID__&-keyValue=9508&-search
Muslims on and off campus view any event that can confirm truth and
resolve
misunderstandings about Islam as essential, said Irmina Haq, the public
relations and advertising officer for the Muslim Student Association.
With that goal in mind, HUB 108 was the site of the group's forum,
"Islam
101: You Have Questions, We Have Answers," last night from 6 until 8:30
p.m. This event intended to dispel myths on a primarily non-Muslim
campus.
Amar Khalifa, a teacher of Islamic law and the speaker for the first
half
of the forum, formally established the welcoming atmosphere by greeting
the
crowd of about 100 in Arabic with: "I greet you with a greeting of
peace."
The way speakers were chosen was meant to dispel the idea that only
Islamic
men are knowledgeable about the religion.
Ayesha Akbar, a Microsoft engineer, was chosen to speak alongside
Khalifa
and Ahmed Mohammed, a scholar of comparative religion, during the
question-and-answer section.
The event was meant to eradicate misunderstanding, illustrate Jewish
and
Christian ties to Islam and allow the campus community to come into
contact
with the Muslim community.
Most of the topics covered related to the structure and basis of Islam.
Most questions regarded Islam's interpretation and view of other
religions
as well as the theological boundaries of Islam.
Khalifa and Mohammed continually centered their answers on Islam as a
religion in which faith and worship dictate many common actions…
-----
VATICAN WARNS CATHOLICS AGAINST MARRYING MUSLIMS
Shasta Darlington, Reuters, 5/14/04
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican warned Catholic women Friday to
think
hard before marrying a Muslim and urged Muslims to show more respect
for
human rights, gender equality and democracy.
Calling women "the least protected member of the Muslim family," it
spoke
of the "bitter experience" western Catholics had with Muslim husbands,
especially if they married outside the Islamic world and later moved to
his
country of origin.
The comments in a document about migrants around the world were
preceded by
remarks about points of agreement between Christians and Muslims but
they
seemed likely to fuel mistrust between the world's two largest
religions.
The document said the Vatican hoped Muslims would show "a growing
awareness
that fundamental liberties, the inviolable rights of the person, the
equal
dignity of man and woman, the democratic principle of government and
the
healthy lay character of the state are principles that cannot be
surrendered."
When a Catholic woman and Muslim man wanted to marry, it said, "bitter
experience teaches us that a particularly careful and in-depth
preparation
is called for."
It said one possible problem was with Muslim in-laws and advised future
mothers that they must insist on Church policy that children born of a
mixed marriage be baptized and brought up as Catholics.
If the marriage is registered in the consulate of a Muslim country, the
document said, the Catholic must be careful not to sign a document or
swear
an oath including the shahada, the Islamic profession of faith, which
would
amount to converting.
The document highlighted the contrasting approaches the Vatican has
taken
in recent years toward Islam, which has emerged as a strong rival for
souls, especially in Africa.
Pope John Paul II has broken ground in dialogue with Muslims and even
prayed in a mosque in Damascus. He won praise in the Muslim world for
strongly opposing the Iraq war.
But Vatican officials and leading Catholic prelates have expressed
increasingly critical views about the spread of Islam and the challenge
this poses for Catholicism.
The Vatican's top theologian, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, said earlier
this
week the West "no longer loves itself" and so was unable to respond to
the
challenge of Islam, which was growing because it expressed "greater
spiritual energy…"
SEE ALSO:
NIGERIAN MUSLIMS RECOUNT HORROR OF ATTACK
Tume Ahemba, Reuters, 5/14/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=ourWorldNews&storyID=5147267
YELWA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Hafsat Garba wept as she recounted how
heavily
armed Christian militiamen, stripped to the waist and wearing charms on
their arms, invaded her home town.
The 36-year-old mother of two was one of hundreds of Muslim women
abducted
by the warriors during a two-day assault on the central Nigerian town
of
Yelwa in which hundreds were killed.
"At the town center, they separated women and children from the men,"
Hafsat said, trembling uncontrollably as she sat at a military
checkpoint
near the town. "They killed our men and took the women and children
away."
The attack on Yelwa 225 miles east of the capital Abuja, was the latest
fighting between Christian tribes and the Muslim Hausa-Fulani people
which
first broke out in 2001 when about 1,000 people were killed in the
Plateau
state capital of Jos.
At least another 1,000 have been killed in the last three months in
small
towns and villages across the southern part of Plateau state.
The conflict is rooted in competing claims over land, property and
political rights, as well as religion.
The Tarok and other predominantly Christian indigenous tribes say the
semi-nomadic Fulani are foreign to the area and that their large herds
of
cattle destroy crops. The Fulani say they have been grazing their
livestock
there for centuries…
---
80% IN IRAQ DISTRUST OCCUPATION AUTHORITY
Thomas E. Ricks, Washington Post, 5/13/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A22403-2004May12.html
WASHINGTON - Four out of five Iraqis report holding a negative view of
the
U.S. occupation authority and of coalition forces, according to a new
poll
conducted for the occupation authority. 82 percent of Iraqis oppose
U.S.
occupation
In the poll, 80 percent of Iraqis surveyed reported a lack of
confidence in
the Coalition Provisional Authority, and 82 percent said they
disapprove of
the United States and allied militaries in Iraq.
Although comparative numbers from previous polls are not available,
"generally speaking, the trend is downward," said Donald Hamilton, a
senior
counselor to civilian administrator L. Paul Bremer. The occupation
authority has been commissioning such surveys in Iraq since late last
year,
he said. This one was taken in Baghdad and several other Iraqi cities
in
late March and early last month, before the surge in anti-coalition
violence and the detainee-abuse scandal.
The findings appeared consistent with a poll taken about the same time
by
USA Today, CNN and Gallup, which found that 57 percent of Iraqis wanted
foreign troops to leave immediately…
---
ISRAEL TAKES BLOODY REVENGE IN GAZA FOR KILLING OF SOLDIERS
Conal Urquhart in Gaza City, Guardian, 5/14/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1216300,00.html
Israeli forces yesterday left a trail of destruction in the Zeitoun
neighbourhood of Gaza City, blowing up homes and streets as they
retreated
following an agreement to recover the body parts of six soldiers killed
earlier this week.
In the Rafah refugee camp, at the southern end of the Gaza Strip, at
least
12 Palestinians were killed and scores wounded as troops searched for
the
remains of five soldiers blown up by Palestinian fighters. The bodies
were
ripped apart and spread across a wide area.
Israel closed internal checkpoints, leaving thousands of Palestinians
stranded and making it impossible for aid workers and journalists in
Gaza
to assess the effect of the Israeli incursion in Rafah. Journalists
were
refused permission to enter the Gaza Strip.
The remains of six soldiers killed in Gaza City on Tuesday were
returned to
Israel under an agreement brokered by Egypt.
For the first time in two days, the residents of Zeitoun were able to
leave
their homes and survey the damage caused by two days of fighting.
Four hundred metres of dual carriageway had been systematically blown
up.
All the street furniture - lamp posts, electricity poles, telephone
booths,
trees and water tanks - had been knocked down. The street was lined
with
burned out cars, walls had been punched out with explosives and only
shards
of glass hung from window frames.
However, despite the destruction, many Palestinians considered the
Israeli
withdrawal from the area to be a victory.
One man negotiating mounds of ploughed-up tarmac and pools of mud and
water
said: "They came here. We did not go to them.
"We want nothing from them. This is a great victory for the resistance.
"Our people were just defending themselves. We have no intention of
being
terrorists…"
---
PRISONERS TELL OF TORTURE AFTER RELEASE FROM NOTORIOUS ABU GHRAIB
PRISON
MARWAN NAAMANI, Agence France Presse, 5/14/04
Prisoners released from Iraq's infamous Abu Ghraib prison Friday
complained
of being hung by their hands from walls for hours and humiliated by
grinning American guards.
One prisoner said two American soldiers had sex in front of him in the
complex's hospital wing and another said he saw wires attached to the
tongue and genitals of a cousin who was also being held.
The former inmates were part of a batch of 293 prisoners freed from the
jail at the centre of the prisoner abuse scandal, a day after a visit
by US
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld…
Speaking to reporters after he got off of the bus at Al-Amiriya, Abu
Mustafa, 24, said he was arrested 10 months ago by US forces who
accused
him of being a leader of a terrorist group.
"They kept me in solitary confinement for six days," he said. "They
hung me
by my hands from the wall for five hours.
"One day when I was in the hospital, a soldier came in and asked if I
was a
Muslim and then started having sex with another (female) soldier right
in
front of me."
Mohammed Zadian, 45, said he was detained for four months and also hung
from a wall by his hands for hours while he was "asked to confess that
I
attacked the American forces".
He added: "I saw them attach electric wires to the tongue and the
genitals
of my cousin. They also used to give me a box of food and made me carry
it
around for six hours without putting it down."
Mohammed Khazal Al-Moussawi, 31, who was held for eight months, said he
went into the prison weighing 117 kilos (257 pounds), and came out more
than 30 kilos (66 pounds) lighter.
"One of the soldiers told the prisoners that if it was in his hands, he
would kill all the Iraqis," he said.
Another man, Muthani Mahmoud Salim, 25, from Baghdad, said they would
target sheikhs being held. "They used to dress them like woman and tour
the
prison and the soldiers used to laugh and joke at them," he said.
---
IRAQI TELLS OF U.S. ABUSE, FROM RIDICULE TO RAPE THREAT
IAN FISHER, New York Times, 5/14/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/14/international/middleeast/14PRIS.html
The rough road to confession began with the ridicule of the naked and
hooded prisoner's name: Saddam.
The now-former prisoner, Saddam Saleh Aboud, 29, said that escalated
into a
threat of rape by an American soldier named Ivan in the 1-A block of
Abu
Ghraib prison. Then, he said, he was chained in a sitting position to
the
bars of a cell for 23 hours in a day. Loud music thumped, he said. He
urinated where he sat.
Every few days, he said, he was uncuffed for other treatments: douses
of
cold water, barking dogs, something called ''the scorpion,'' in which
his
arms were cuffed to his legs, behind his back.
Fellow prisoners, he said, told him later it lasted 18 days. He said he
did
not know, and that it did not matter. He was ready to talk...
-----
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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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Mon, 17 May 2004 00:36:09 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: AZ Muslim Family Police Fair/NJ Muslim Teen Attacked
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of community service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/16/04
* CAIR-OHIO REP ENTERS LEADERSHIP HALL OF FAME
- CAIR-MD Head Joins ACLU Board
* CAIR-AZ: MUSLIM FAMILY POLICE FAIR A SUCCESS
* CAIR-AZ: MUSLIMS RALLY FOR PEACE (Arizona Trib)
- AZ: Police Panel Gives Voice to Muslims (AZ Republic)
- UT: Muslims Rally for Anti-Terror Petition (Star Trib)
* SIGN THE 'NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM' PETITION
* CAIR-TX: MUSLIM PETITION DECRIES TERROR (Express-News)
- CAIR-GA: Beheading Angers Local Muslim (Atlanta Journal)
- CAIR-FL: Beheading of American Condemned (Sun Sentinel)
- CAIR-FL: Muslims Condemn Execution (Tampa Tribune)
- CAIR-LA: Petition Says Terrorists Betray Faith (OC Register)
* NJ: MUSLIM TEEN ATTACKED WHILE ATTENDING PRAYERS (Pak Trib)
* CAIR-DC: BEHEADING CHANGES DEBATE OVER PRISONER ABUSE (NNS)
* CAIR-FL: ISLAMIC LEADERS GET FBI HELP (MIAMI HERALD)
* OKLAHOMA MINORITIES: MUSLIM-AMERICANS
- FL MUSLIMS: The Roots of a New Beginning (SP Times)
- LA Muslims to Build School and Mosque (Times-Picayune)
* RUMSFELD BACKED HARSH TACTICS (NY Times)
- Secret Pentagon Program Came to Abu Ghraib (New Yorker)
* CANADA: A COMEDIAN AND A MUSLIM (The Star)
* CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES IN IRAQ (Washington Post)
* AL-ARIAN NOT PERMITTED TO ATTEND HEARING (TBCJP)
-----
CAIR-OHIO REP ENTERS LEADERSHIP HALL OF FAME
Ahmad Al-Akhras, head of CAIR-OHIO, has been inducted into the first
Hall
of Fame for Leadership Columbus (www.leadershipcolumbus.org), which
began
in 1974 as a program that trains future leaders in Columbus. The
program
takes people that are highly motivated and immerses them in civic and
community projects to help shape them into future leaders.
CAIR-MD HEAD JOINS ACLU BOARD
Rizwan Mowlana, executive director of CAIR Maryland & Virginia was
nominated and accepted as a member of the ACLU of Maryland's Board of
Governors. His nomination was confirmed at an ACLU nominating committee
meeting.
-----
CAIR-AZ: MUSLIM FAMILY POLICE FAIR A SUCCESS
(PHOENIX, AZ) - The Arizona offices of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-AZ) said Saturday's "First Arizona Muslim Family Police
Fair" was a great success. Some 300 Muslims from all over Maricopa
County
attended the fair, which was sponsored by CAIR-AZ, the Phoenix Muslim
Advisory Board, the Phoenix Police Department, and the Islamic
Community
Center of Phoenix (ICCP).
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and newly appointed Phoenix Chief of Police
Jack
Harris visited the fair to spend time talking to adult attendees and
playing games with the children.
CAIR-AZ also held a voter registration drive and passed out flyers for
its
October 2nd Annual Banquet as well as information about CAIR and its
programs. The event ended with pizza and other refreshments, followed
by
the noon prayer.
"It was an exciting day for adults and children alike," said Deedra
Abboud,
Executive Director of CAIR-AZ. "Events like this help to break barriers
of
distrust and fear that may exist on both sides. We look forward to
establishing Muslim community advisory boards across the state to build
mutual respect and understanding between our community and city police
departments."
There are an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 Muslims in Arizona, with the
majority residing in Maricopa County.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
CONTACT: Deedra Abboud, 602-262-2247; E-MAIL: director@cairaz.org
SEE ALSO:
POLICE PANEL IN PHOENIX GIVES VOICE TO MUSLIMS
Yvonne Wingett, The Arizona Republic, 5/15/04
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0515muslimpolice.html
Threats because of 9/11, the war in Iraq and a growing community have
prompted the Phoenix Police Department to create a board to hear Muslim
concerns.
The Muslim Community Advisory Board, believed to be the first in
Arizona,
will open communication between authorities and the Muslim community,
police and board members said.
Muslims and police will gather today for a fair at the Islamic
Community
Center of Phoenix to support cooperation and communication.
"A lot of times the victims aren't comfortable coming forward, and
immigrants don't really feel comfortable going to authorities," said
Deedra
Abboud, executive director of the Arizona office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations. "The police advisory board would give them
an
opportunity to make them feel more comfortable to (come forward)."
The panel will help guide police policy that affects the Muslim
community,
similar to the Hispanic Advisory Board. Members could address hate
crimes,
threats and workplace discrimination…
-----
MUSLIMS RALLY FOR PEACE
Kristina Davis, Arizona Tribune, 5/15/04
http://www.aztrib.com/index.php?sty=21637
In a show of solidarity, the Valley's Muslim community rallied Friday
on
Mill Avenue, condemning the highly publicized abuse of Iraqi prisoners
and
beheading of an American last week.
About 150 children, teens and adults lined the corners of Mill Avenue
and
University Drive in downtown Tempe with signs denouncing violence and
called for peace.
Hundreds of drivers honked, smiled and waved as they passed the
demonstrators who held signs that read "Honk for Peace."
"We want to let people know what happened with Nick Berg is not of us,"
said Deedra Abboud, executive director of the local chapter of the
Council
of American-Islamic Relations. "We don't condone it, we condemn it. We
want
people to know how we feel instead of other people speaking for us."
Hani Rahal, 49, of Chandler, said the Muslim community condemns the
violence against Iraqis and Americans.
"They are ignorant extremists who think they are doing the right thing
but
what they are doing is wrong," said Rahal, vice chairman of the Al
Mahdi
Foundation mosque at 1016 S. River Road in Tempe…
-----
SIGN THE 'NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM' PETITION
CAIR has launched an online petition drive designed to disassociate the
faith of Islam from the violent acts of a few Muslims. The petition on
CAIR's web site (www.cair-net.org), called "Not in the Name of Islam,"
allows Muslims around the world to help correct misperceptions of Islam
and
the Islamic stance on religiously-motivated terror.
TO SIGN THE PETITION, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org
TO READ THE PETITION ACTION ALERT, GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=169&page=AA
SEE ALSO:
UT: MUSLIMS RALLY FOR GLOBAL ANTI-TERRORISM PETITION
Casper Star Tribune, 5/16/04
http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2004/05/16/news/regional/4e35207983a7cc2a87256e96000842d8.txt
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah -- A group of Utah Muslims are supporting a
global
Internet petition called "Not in the Name of Islam" that condemns acts
of
terrorism.
The petition by the Council on American-Islamic Relations was started
in
response to the beheading in Iraq of American civilian Nick Berg in
retaliation for the treatment of Iraqis detained by Americans at Abu
Ghraib
prison.
Nora Abu-Dan, 11, wants peace in the world and feels that it's her duty
as
a Muslim to speak out against war and terrorism.
"You have to stand up," said Nora, a fifth-grader at Stansbury
Elementary
School. "Maybe one person can make a difference."
Islam means "peace," her father, Deeb Abu-Dan, said following a prayer
service and sermon at West Valley's Khadeeja mosque on the Quran's call
to
treat prisoners of war "as if they are part of your family."
The petition by the Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy
group reads, in part: "No injustice done to Muslims can ever justify
the
massacre of innocent people, and no act of terror will ever serve the
cause
of Islam."
While no official tally of signatures was immediately available,
Muslims
from 45 countries had signed the petition since it started Thursday,
council spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said Friday.
Council on American-Islamic Relations spokeswoman Rabiah Ahmed said the
petition is a symbolic action to help dispel complaints her
organization
receives that Muslims don't speak out against terrorism.
"This is one way people will be able to see Muslims from around the
world,
not just in America, joining hands and condemning these types of acts,"
she
said…
---
MUSLIM PETITION DECRIES TERROR
J. Michael Parker, Express-News, 5/15/04
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA051504.5B.Muslim_petition.c8a1cb9a.html
An Islamic advocacy group is asking area believers to join a national
effort to say they disagree with violence committed by Muslims.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations began a petition Thursday in
the
wake of terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's beheading of American
contractor
Nicholas Berg in Iraq.
San Antonio CAIR chairwoman Sarwat Husain said local Muslims are being
asked to add their signatures to the petition either in writing at one
of
the mosques or by going online at the national CAIR Web site,
www.cair-net.org.
"We hope that many will sign the petition," she said. "Many people know
that we as Muslims don't promote violence in the name of Islam, but
certain
people have been misleading the community. We have repeatedly
disassociated
ourselves from acts of violence."
The petition, "Not in the Name of Islam," says:
"We, the undersigned Muslims, wish to state clearly that those who
commit
acts of terror, murder and cruelty in the name of Islam are not only
destroying innocent lives, but are also betraying the values of the
faith
they claim to represent.
"No injustice done to Muslims can ever justify the massacre of innocent
people, and no act of terror will ever serve the cause of Islam.
"We repudiate and dissociate ourselves from any Muslim group or
individual
who commits such brutal and un-Islamic acts."
The petition cites a verse in the Koran, 4:135, to support their view.
But Husain said the petition might not be enough for some people.
"They look for anything they can to blame Islam," Husain said. "We
condemn
all acts of violence, whether by Muslims or anybody else. But often
people
haven't seen this and have said we haven't apologized enough…"
---
BEHEADING ANGERS LOCAL MUSLIM MAN
Rick Badie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/16/04
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/opinion/badie/051604.html
You have to speak out when someone beheads an American civilian in the
name
of your God and your religion.
So be prepared for some serious conversation if you run into Mohammad
Inamullah. He's on a mission to disassociate his Islamic faith from the
violence practiced by a few who claim it's for religion's sake.
The recent decapitation in Bagdad serves as an example.
A group with ties to al-Qaida videotaped the killing of Nicholas Berg,
a
self-employed telecommunications engineer from Pennsylvania. The
killers
shouted "God is great!" after they put a knife to Berg's neck.
Then, they held his head up to the camera.
But Inamullah, said God had nothing to do with it.
"When I see something like that, it disturbs me on three levels," the
43-year-old businessman said. "It hurts me as a human being to see
other
humans act worse than animals. I am an American, so to see something
like
that happen to one of my countrymen hurts and frustrates me.
"Finally, I mingle with the Muslim community on a daily basis, and I
travel
to the Middle East and all over the world. I don't know of a single
Muslim
capable of doing, or even thinking of doing, something like that."
Since Sept. 11, a criticism of moderate American Muslims has been their
muted response to the terroristic acts of Islamic militants.
Conservative
radio talk show hosts, especially, have pressed for moderate Muslims to
denounce the extremists, to be allies in the war on terrorism.
Inamullah blames some of the silence on the inherently insular nature
of
Muslim communities. He realizes that in the battle for the soul of
Islam,
the majority must speak up…
The northeast Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations
issued a news release condemning last week's decapitation.
"We haven't organized it yet, but we have been discussing a nationwide
protest of all the violence going on in Iraq," said Yusof Burke, a
Lilburn
man who oversees the Georgia chapter of CAIR. "We have to get people to
understand that the insurgents do not represent what Islam stands for.
We've got to get that message out."
---
BEHEADING OF AMERICAN CIVILIAN CONDEMNED IN S. FLORIDA MOSQUES
James D. Davis, Sun-Sentinel, 5/15/04
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-imam15may15,0,5004115.story
The grisly on-screen beheading of an American civilian in Iraq drew
condemnations on Friday from American Muslims, nationally and in South
Florida.
While criticizing the abuse of inmates in Iraq by American forces, they
said nothing justified the kidnap and killing of Nicholas Berg by
Islamic
militants.
"It was cold-blooded murder," said Maulana Shafayat Mohamed in his
Friday
sermon at Darul Uloom mosque in Pembroke Pines. "You can't punish an
innocent civilian for what a few soldiers did."
The sentiments were echoed by Imam Ayman Shabana, who preached on the
killing during Friday prayers at the West Palm Beach mosque.
"We condemned it as heinous and brutal," Shabana said. "So have Muslim
scholars around the world. Any normal human being feels the same."
An Islamic militant group said it kidnapped and killed Berg, of West
Chester, Pa., as revenge for American humiliation of inmates at Abu
Ghraib
prison. A videotape of the murder recorded militants crying, "God is
great."
In his Friday sermon, Shabana took care to separate the prison and
beheading incidents.
"The killers [of Berg] said it was revenge for the dignity and honor of
the
Iraqi people, but Islamic teachings do not approve that," he said.
"Only
the people who fight you are the ones you should fight. And Berg was
there
only for business…"
On Thursday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an advocacy
group,
reported dozens of threats and acts of vandalism, including acts
against
three Islamic institutions in South Florida. Darul Uloom had a threat
taped
to its front door on Wednesday, Mohamed said.
Also on Thursday, CAIR posted a petition on its Web site, denouncing
terrorism committed in the name of Islam. Terrorists, the petition
said,
"are not only destroying innocent lives, but are also betraying the
values
of the faith they claim to represent. ... No act of terror will ever
serve
the cause of Islam."
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for CAIR, said numbers hadn't been totaled
yet,
but the petition had already gained signatures from 45 countries.
Hooper said CAIR had considered a dual petition, on the prisons and the
terrorists, but decided against it.
"It might have looked like we were linking the two," he said…
---
MUSLIMS CONDEMN EXECUTION
Michael Dunn, Tampa Tribune, 5/14/04
http://tampatrib.com/News/MGA0D85U7UD.html
TAMPA - Muslims gathered across the country Thursday to condemn the
slaying
of U.S. businessman Nick Berg, who was beheaded by Islamic militants
last
week.
In Tampa, the Council on American-Islamic Relations issued a statement
calling the act a sin against Islam and saying it does not represent
the
attitudes and beliefs of Muslims throughout the world.
"We join the millions of fellow Americans in condemning the beheading
of
the American civilian in Iraq. No cause can be served by such
injustices,"
CAIR spokesman Ahmed Bedier said.
"Those who committed this gruesome murder do not represent Islam any
more
than those Americans who abused the Iraqi prisoners. The world of Islam
should not be held accountable for the un-Islamic and barbaric deeds of
a
minority."
The Florida chapter of CAIR, formed in 1994, has offices in Tampa and
Fort
Lauderdale. About 40,000 Muslims live in the Tampa Bay area, Bedier
said.
Bedier said there has been backlash against Muslims. In the past three
days, he said, two mosques have been vandalized in Miami, and a
threatening
letter was received at a mosque in Hollywood, Fla.
"We anticipate there could be a backlash [in the Tampa Bay area] in
response to the footage," Bedier said…
---
MUSLIM PETITION SAYS TERRORISTS BETRAY FAITH
ANN PEPPER, Orange County Register, 5/15/04
http://www.ocregister.com/
A national Muslim advocacy group this week launched an online petition
drive to give Muslims worldwide an opportunity to disassociate their
faith
from acts of terrorism.
Called "Not in the Name of Islam," the initiative was announced by the
Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington in response to the
decapitation of an American in Iraq by masked assailants shouting "God
is
Great."
The petition, posted on CAIR's Web site at www.cair-net.org, states "no
injustice done to Muslims can ever justify the massacre of innocent
people
and no act of terror will ever serve the cause of Islam."
"This is an opportunity for our community to let neighbors and
co-workers
know how we feel about the maligning of our religion by these people
who do
horrific things in the name of Islam," said Sabiha Khan, spokeswoman
for
Islamic council's Anaheim office.
-----
YOUNG MUSLIM ATTACKED IN US WHILE ATTENDING PRAYERS
http://paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=65017
JERSEY CITY, NJ, May 15 (Online): Raza Muhammad, a young Muslim was
attacked by two unidentified teenagers while on his way to the Masjid
for
Maghrib Prayers. Raza Muhammad who is a student of Ferris High School
in
Jersey City, regularly goes to Masjid at Chopin Ct, was approached by
two
unidentified teenagers and was asked for the time, when he looked at
his
watch on his wrist one of the teens punched him on his face causing his
lip
to bleed and shaking front teeth. The other teen started harassing him
and
cursing him and his faith.
In the mean time some passer-by yelled on them causing the two
teenagers to
flee. The police was informed about the incident and they responded
positively and came to the Muslim federation and discussed the problems
in
the community. Muslim federation president Arshad Chatta, Hafiz Safdar,
and
Qari Saif un Nabi briefed the police about the incident. Jersey City
police
officials assured the Muslim community that security will be beefed up,
and
police will be present at the Islamic centers and make sure their are
visible attendance to prevent any further hate crimes.
-----
BEHEADING CHANGES DEBATE OVER PRISONER ABUSE IN IRAQ
Mark O'Keefe, Newhouse News Service, 5/15/04
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1084701424102200.xml
For some Americans, the moral equation of the U.S. missteps in Iraq
changed
this week with the videotaped beheading of a contractor from West
Chester, Pa.
"There is too much media attention being given to our prisoner abuse,"
said
Joe Kincaid, who runs a cleaning business in Yorktown, Va. "When
compared
to Saddam and the so-called peaceful Muslim religion, it seems pale."
On conservative talk radio, the Internet and some cable television
outlets,
the point being made was this: While the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by
U.S.
soldiers was wrong, it should be judged in light of the execution of
Nicholas Berg.
Just as passionate is another view, that another wrong does not make
U.S.
actions right.
"To quote Shakespeare, 'Comparisons are odorous,' " said Anthony Mora,
owner of a public relations company in Los Angeles."As long as we're
less
bad than the terrorists, does that mean we're OK? Or if they do it, we
can
do it just as cruelly?"
Said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations: "When you start torturing people, start abusing people,
start
denying people their rights, it's a slippery slope that leads you down
to
the level of terrorists. Fighting fire with fire only gets everybody
burned…"
-----
ISLAMIC LEADERS GET FBI HELP
Hilary Wasch, Miami Herald, 5/15/04
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/broward_county/8671588.htm
Islamic officials have asked the FBI to assist in the investigation of
three recent vandalism and threats against Islamic institutions in
South
Florida.
Recent incidents of vandalism and threats against South Florida's
Islamic
community have prompted the FBI to get involved.
Altaf Ali, executive director of the Florida Chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, asked the FBI to step in after three
incidents
at Islamic institutions in Miami-Dade County and Pembroke Pines.
An FBI spokeswoman said the bureau has agreed to step in.
Last weekend in Miami-Dade, the Masjid Ihsaan mosque at 10180 SW 168th
St.
in Perrine was broken into and ransacked.
On Wednesday, a swastika and curse words were spray-painted at the
Islamic
School of Miami at 11699 SW 147th Ave.
And on Thursday, a note was found at the Darul Uloom Institute, an
Islamic
Center at 7050 Pines Blvd. in Pembroke Pines. The note read, ``Kill
them
all in the name of Allah.''
These crimes follow the recent beheading of American Nicholas Berg and
the
revelation of abuses of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers…
-----
OKLAHOMA MINORITIES: MUSLIM-AMERICANS
Jennifer Pierce, NEWS 9, 5/15/04
http://www.newsok.com/cgi-bin/show_article?ID=1239425&TP=getarticle
Their roots are in the Middle East, but the place they call home is
Oklahoma.
It's a home they have found is not always understanding of their race
and
religion, especially since 9/11 and even in the past few weeks.
Jennifer Pierce introduces us to three very different Middle Eastern
Oklahomans.
When you think of the Middle East, these are the images Americans see
every
day: Fighting, war, and bloodshed.
But there is so much more about their race and religion that we don't
know.
While these pictures seem a world away, the Middle East is actually
closer
than we think -- and not so different.
Meet Houda Elyazgi and her sister Ameara, both University of Oklahoma
students and native Oklahomans.
A big part of Houda's life is her devotion to Islam. Her decision to
wear a
head scarf, or hijab, came at an early age.
It is now part of who she is: Pakistani and Muslim.
At work, in public -- everywhere -- Warda Ahmad says she stands out,
but
it's not always bad.
Despite her Middle Eastern roots, Nadia Albahadily doesn't consider
herself
a minority even though she is one of only two Muslims at her school.
Nadia's family came from Iraq and settled in Edmond.
Nadia says she can't remember a time when she was not accepted in the
community.
And says for the most part people are very respectful of her culture.
It was a day that changed the lives of Americans forever.
After Sept. 1, Arab-Americans became the targets of hate crimes.
Concerned for her safety, Houda's parents kept her home from school for
several days.
The atrocity affected Houda in a profound way. She even visited ground
zero, but it wasn't a warm welcome.
Sept. 11 encouraged Houda to get politically involved, to teach others
about what Islam really stands for…
SEE ALSO:
THE ROOTS OF A NEW BEGINNING
Robert King, St. Petersburg Times, 5/16/04
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/16/Hernando/The_roots_of_a_new_be.shtml
For 25 years, Muslims in Hernando County have gone about the quiet
business
of building their community and becoming pillars in the county's health
care system.
Nazir and Nada Hamoui became the first Muslim family to settle in
Hernando
in 1979. Nazir was a physician trained in urology, a specialty that
didn't
exist in the county at the time. Soon, other doctors followed with
their
families.
Now the Muslim community in Hernando County numbers at least 50
families
and more than 200 people.
Despite their prosperity, local Muslims are worried that their American
dreams may be threatened. The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and
the
subsequent war on terror have cast Islam in a negative light. Those
events
brought changes in America that local Muslims find unsettling.
Over the past year, the Times has researched the story of Hernando's
Muslim
community. The newspaper has interviewed more than 90 people and
attended
30 weekly prayer services at the local mosque. This six-part series is
the
result of that research and shows how, through it all, local Muslims
remain
united by faith…
The American flag on the mailbox had always been a source of pride for
Tarek Elmansoury.
But a few days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Tarek,
who
was 5 at the time, came home from school to find his American flag
gone.
A neighbor had seen four men drive by the Elmansoury home in Lake in
the
Woods, rip down the flag and drive off shouting "Death to foreigners."
All night, Tarek kept asking his parents - Muslims born in Egypt - the
same
question: "How could they take my flag?"
Like so many other Americans, Tarek Elmansoury cried in the wake of
9/11.
Like the rest of America, something had been taken from him, and he
wasn't
sure why.
The hijackers who struck at America's heart called themselves Muslims
and
said they were acting in the name of Allah. And they died for their
cause.
Left behind to live with the repercussions were millions of
Muslim-Americans, including a small community in Hernando County that
includes the Elmansoury family.
Muslim doctors, including Tarek's father, cardiologist Nasser
Elmansoury,
had for years busied themselves with seeing patients and establishing
themselves as an important pillar of Hernando County's medical
community.
But they had done little to define their Muslim faith and culture to
the
larger community.
On Sept. 11, the hijackers defined it for them…
---
JEFF MUSLIMS TO BUILD SCHOOL AND MOSQUE
Bruce Nolan, Times-Picayune, 5/15/04
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-0/108460263530270.xml
Fifteen years after moving into their first newly built mosque, East
Jefferson's Muslim community today will break ground in Kenner for
construction of a larger place of worship -- and first, a new Islamic
school for their children.
Construction of the school and its gymnasium should begin this summer
and
take about a year, said Furqan H. Siddiqui, president of the school's
board
of directors.
Perhaps soon thereafter construction may begin on the new mosque. It
will
be about three times the size of Masjid Abu Bakr al Siddiq, where 250
to
300 families currently worship at the corner of David Drive and West
Esplanade Avenue.
The work of the Jefferson Muslim Association, the new construction will
be
financed by about $2 million in cash or pledges already in hand, said
Rahman Bhatti, the association's vice president.
The work has to proceed on a cash basis; the Quran forbids charging and
paying interest -- a dictate that prohibits the kind of construction
loan
that would be the norm for other kinds of congregations, Bhatti said.
The mosque and school will be on a site bounded by Illinois and Iowa
avenues and 23rd and 25th streets. The association acquired the
7.5-acre
site seven years ago for $751,000. To help raise money, the association
subdivided 1.5 acres into 10 lots, which were purchased by member
families
for $350,000, far above market value, Bhatti said…
------
RUMSFELD AND AIDE BACKED HARSH TACTICS, ARTICLE SAYS
David Johnston and Tim Golden, New York Times, 5/16/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/16/international/middleeast/16ABUS.html
WASHINGTON- Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and one of his top
aides authorized the expansion of a secret program that permitted harsh
interrogations of detained members of Al Qaeda, allowing these methods
to
be used against prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, according
to an
article in The New Yorker.
The article, by Seymour M. Hersh, reported that Mr. Rumsfeld and
Stephen A.
Cambone, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, approved the
use
of the tougher interrogation techniques in Iraq in 2003 to extract
better
information from Iraqi prisoners to counter the growing insurgency
threat
in the country.
Mr. Hersh's account, to be published in the May 24 issue of the
magazine,
said that the expansion of the "special access program" allowed
authorities
in charge of Abu Ghraib to engage in degrading and sexually humiliating
practices. It was posted on Saturday on The New Yorker's Web site.
"According to interviews with several past and present American
intelligence officials," Mr. Hersh wrote, "the Pentagon's operation,
known
inside the intelligence community by several code words, including
Copper
Green, encouraged physical coercion and sexual humiliation of Iraqi
prisoners in an effort to generate more intelligence about the growing
insurgency in Iraq."
Mr. Hersh's reporting focuses new attention on an important question in
the
prisoner abuse scandal - whether senior military or civilian officials
ordered the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners. Mr. Rumsfeld, who has
apologized for the abuses, has said that they were carried out by
lower-level forces without the approval of senior commanders.
The article suggested that Mr. Rumsfeld and Mr. Cambone had, in effect,
shifted the blame for the abuses away from top civilians at the
Pentagon to
lower-level military police guards who are facing disciplinary
proceedings
in military courts…
SEE ALSO:
HOW A SECRET PENTAGON PROGRAM CAME TO ABU GHRAIB
Seymour M. Hersh, New Yorker, 5/24/04
http://newyorker.com/printable/?fact/040524fa_fact
The roots of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal lie not in the criminal
inclinations of a few Army reservists but in a decision, approved last
year
by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, to expand a highly secret
operation, which had been focussed on the hunt for Al Qaeda, to the
interrogation of prisoners in Iraq. Rumsfeld's decision embittered the
American intelligence community, damaged the effectiveness of �lite
combat
units, and hurt America's prospects in the war on terror.
According to interviews with several past and present American
intelligence
officials, the Pentagon's operation, known inside the intelligence
community by several code words, including Copper Green, encouraged
physical coercion and sexual humiliation of Iraqi prisoners in an
effort to
generate more intelligence about the growing insurgency in Iraq. A
senior
C.I.A. official, in confirming the details of this account last week,
said
that the operation stemmed from Rumsfeld's long-standing desire to
wrest
control of America's clandestine and paramilitary operations from the
C.I.A…
-----
ISLAM'S SPANISH EYES
Blake Gopnik, Washington Post, 5/16/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?node=entertainment/profile&id=1094149
"Caliphs and Kings: The Art and Influence of Islamic Spain," a new show
at
the Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery, has a few exquisite objects in it.
An ornamental silk brocade, covered in geometric patterns, is one of
the
most gorgeous textiles I have ever seen. It was woven by hand 600 years
ago
in the last years of the Muslim enclave of Granada. It is so pristine
and
perfect, however, that it looks like it was made yesterday on the
latest in
computer looms.
A carved ivory perfume box, about as big around as a coffee tin, was
made
400 years before that, when Cordoba's Muslim caliphate controlled
almost
all of Spain. Its domed lid is hinged in ornate silver and luxuriant
foliage crawls across its entire surface. It seems to celebrate the
good
things in life. A lovely bit of Arabic verse runs under the half-sphere
of
its top, letting the box speak for itself: "The sight that I offer is
the
fairest of sights, the still firm breast of a lovely young woman. . .
."
Despite these and a few other gems, however, this exhibition isn't
really
about art. It is about history. Guest curator Heather Ecker uses its
objects to open a small window onto a patch of the European past most
of us
have barely glimpsed…
CALIPHS AND KINGS: THE ART AND INFLUENCE OF ISLAMIC SPAIN -- Through
Oct.
17 at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW.
202-633-1000 or www.asia.si.edu. Metro: Smithsonian. Open daily
10-5:30.
-----
A COMEDIAN AND A MUSLIM
Martin Knelman, The Star, 5/16/04
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1084572619917&call_pageid=968867495754&col=969483191630
Bryan "Preacher" Moss, the imported headliner for next week's Muslim
comedy
festival at Yuk Yuk's, likes to think of himself as "a pre-9/11"
comedian.
"Even back then I had issues with society about being a Muslim," he
recalls, speaking from his mother's home outside Washington, D.C., in a
phone interview. "And I had issues with my government about how Muslims
were treated."
Preacher - a devout Muslim who prays five times a day and eschews the
kind
of blue material considered normal at comedy clubs - has been compared
to
Dick Gregory, the veteran black comedian who emerged more than 40 years
ago
as a leading civil rights activist and social satirist.
"Dick Gregory is my hero," says the 37-year-old Moss. "He represented
something that's missing now in comedy."
For the past four years, Moss has been touring the U.S., playing 100
college campuses annually and turning racial tensions into comedy in
the
tradition Gregory pioneered before Moss was born.
Moss, too, has a social mission - using comedy as a means of ending
racism.
According to George Lopez, star of his eponymous TV series (on which
Moss
has appeared), "Preacher is not just a comedian for the Muslim
community
but a teacher for the world."
Moreover, he inadvertently gave birth to the Muslim Comedy Festival,
just
by sending a sample of his work to Yuk Yuk's czar Mark Breslin…
-----
CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES BATTLE FOR HEARTS AND MINDS IN IRAQ
Ariana Eunjung Cha, Washington Post, 5/16/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30001-2004May15.html
There's no sign on the rickety white storefront in central Baghdad, but
for
Iraqis who live nearby it is already a familiar landmark. Word spread
quickly that those who enter the 1,500-square-foot expanse full of
clothes
and toiletries donated from overseas can expect to find bargains -- as
well
as answers to their questions about faith from the Christian staffers
manning the counters.
"We want to be respectful to the local religion," said the Rev. Sekyu
Chang, 45, of Light Global Mission Church in Vienna, who helped set up
the
charity thrift store. "There is nothing outwardly Christian about the
shop,
but most of the workers are Christian. They are going to share their
personal faith when there are occasions."
With a population estimated to be more than 95 percent Muslim and
outbreaks
of violence in the name of Islam occurring on an almost daily basis,
Iraq
is not a place where Christian missionaries can openly evangelize on
street
corners, hold community prayer meetings or hand out stacks of Bibles.
Many
say they entered the country as businessmen or aid workers, roles that
let
them establish relationships with Iraqis about something other than
religion.
Over the past year, Christian aid groups have played a significant, if
unofficial, role in the reconstruction, helping with various projects:
repairing water purification facilities, building a book-bag factory to
create employment and holding classes to teach people English. And some
have drawn criticism that they endanger the lives of secular aid
workers
and the military because insurgents may associate Christianity with
Western
domination, or because they disguise their intentions…
-----
Tampa Bay Coalition for Justice and Peace
5/16/2004
CONTACT: tampabayjustice@yahoo.com
DR. AL-ARIAN NOT PERMITTED TO ATTEND HEARING, HARSH CONDITIONS
CONTINUE
On Friday, Dr. Sami Al-Arian and his attorneys learned that he would
not be
permitted to attend a hearing in his case taking place this Monday, May
17.
Dr. Al-Arian was denied the right to attend the hearing even though in
a
previous hearing on March 11, the magistrate judge overseeing the case
stated that he would be brought back to Tampa within two months.
In fact, since his detention on February 20, 2003, Dr. Al-Arian has not
been allowed to attend most of the hearings in his case. So long as he
is
not in Tampa, Dr. Al-Arian cannot examine the evidence located there in
the
government's possession. Even though the judge has stressed publicly
that
Dr. Al-Arian should be able to examine all of the evidence in a timely
manner, this has clearly not been the case. By repeatedly denying
requests
by attorneys to bring both Dr. Al-Arian and Sameeh Hammoudeh to Tampa
to
attend hearings and review evidence, Magistrate Thomas McCoun has
placed
tremendous stress on the defendants, their attorneys, and their
families.
Dr. Al-Arian has had to wait for over a year to receive summaries and
transcripts of phone calls and other evidence which have been in the
government's possession for years. He was given over 20,000 pages of
documents that were in no logical order, chronological or otherwise,
all of
which will require at least a month just to organize. This systemic
inefficiency, along with the time it takes for the government to hand
over
evidence in the case, is psychologically straining and debilitating to
Dr.
Al-Arian.
It is part of a longstanding policy by the judge and the government to
keep
Dr. Al-Arian from participating in his own defense and to isolate him
from
his family, attorneys and evidence located in Tampa.
Moreover, recently the inhumane conditions in Coleman Federal
Penitentiary,
75 miles away from Tampa, under which Dr. Al-Arian has been held have
been
exacerbated. When he is granted a phone call with his attorneys,
usually
after much pleading, his hands are cuffed and more recently, shackled
to
his waist. This obviously makes it extremely difficult for him to hold
the
receiver, let alone take notes. This action is especially unreasonable
and
harsh considering he is locked in the room alone at the time, posing
danger
to no one. Such conditions can only be described as physically
torturous,
humiliating, and gratuitously punitive.
Although Dr. Al-Arian and his co-defendant Sameeh Hammoudeh are the
only
pre-trial detainees in the entire facility, they are held under much
harsher conditions than the other detainees. Since March 27, 2003,
they
have been held in the Special Housing Unit (SHU), a section of the
prison
reserved to temporarily house convicted inmates who misbehave. While
the
legal limit of placing regular inmates in the SHU is one year, Dr.
Al-Arian
and Mr. Hammoudeh have been there for 14 months. The stark discrepancy
in
treatment undoubtedly demonstrates that the men are being discriminated
against…
-----
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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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Mon, 17 May 2004 15:55:19 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Ordeal of Chaplain Yee/Remarks Hound Gen. Boykin
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/17/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: DON'T HARM OTHERS
* CAIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY PICNIC 6/13 IN VA
* SIGN THE 'NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM' PETITION
- CAIR-FL: Repel Evil With Good (Orlando Sentinel)
- PA: ICGP Condemns Berg Murder (Post-Gazette)
* CAIR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
- Chapter Coordinator
- Director of Governmental Relations
* THE ORDEAL OF CHAPLAIN YEE (USA Today)
* RELIGIOUS REMARKS HOUND GENERAL (St. Pete Times)
* TN: CLASS ON ISLAM FILLS VOID IN CURRICULUM (Free Press)
* FL: A CALL FOR UNDERSTANDING (St. Pete Times)
- Understanding Islam (St. Pete Times)
* ISRAEL TO DESTROY HUNDREDS MORE HOMES (Independent)
- Israel Steps Up Gaza Demolitions (CS Monitor)
* FRENCH HIJAB LAW BANS SIKH TURBANS (AP)
- Muslims Demand Headscarf Right (Austria Today)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: DON'T HARM OTHERS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If anyone harms
(others),
God will harm him, and if anyone shows hostility to others, God will
show
hostility to him."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 1625
-----
MARK YOUR CALENDAR:
CAIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY PICNIC 6/13 IN VA
CAIR invites you and your family to our 10th anniversary community
picnic
to be held on Sunday, June 13, at Lake Accotink Park in Springfield,
Va.
(http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/parks/accotink) Registration is required.
For
more details, or to register, please e-mail irahman@cair-net.org or
call
202-488-8787, ext 6050
-----
SIGN THE 'NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM' PETITION
CAIR has launched an online petition drive designed to disassociate the
faith of Islam from the violent acts of a few Muslims. The petition on
CAIR's web site (www.cair-net.org), called "Not in the Name of Islam,"
allows Muslims around the world to help correct misperceptions of Islam
and
the Islamic stance on religiously-motivated terror.
TO SIGN THE PETITION, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org
TO READ THE PETITION ACTION ALERT, GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=169&page=AA
SEE ALSO:
REPEAL EVIL WITH GOOD
Orlando Sentinel (Florida), 5/16/04
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/letters/orl-edple16051604may16,1,3608032.story
I join the millions of my fellow Americans in unequivocally condemning
the
beheading of an American civilian in Iraq. No cause can be served by
such
injustices…
The murderers who killed Nick Berg claimed to be retaliating for prison
abuses and torture in Abu Ghraib and took God's name in vain while
committing their atrocities. But how can one claim to be doing God's
work
and yet violate his commands of justice, fairness, compassion and
mercy?
The images of torture of Iraqis in prison and the killings or
mutilations
of Americans will haunt us for a very long time. However, the
difficulty of
the moment cannot discourage us from remaining optimistic that in the
long
run the essential goodness in human beings will overcome the evils that
we
face today. Repeal evil with good is the not just the teachings of the
Quran but also of all other faiths.
Ahmed Bedier
Communications Director
Council on American-Islamic Relations
---
A CONDEMNATION
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 5/17/04
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04138/317389.stm
The Islamic Council of Greater Pittsburgh (an upper umbrella to five
mosques and Islamic Centers in the greater Pittsburgh area) condemns
the
murder of Nick Berg in Iraq. We condemn this and all acts of
cold-blooded
murder and mindless violence in the name of religion, or for any other
cause. We call on people of all faiths to work for a quick and peaceful
end
to the conflict in Iraq.
This statement echoes similar condemnations made by Islamic authorities
in
the United States and around the world, including the Council on
American
Islamic Relations, the largest Islamic civil rights organization in the
United States; Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, the leading
religious
authority in Sunni Islam; as well as both Sunni and Shiite Iraqi
religious
scholars.
We also call on all people to refrain from blaming an entire group
because
of the actions of a few misguided individuals, whether it's condemning
all
Americans because of the torture and murder of detainees at the hands
of
U.S. military personal, or condemning all Muslims because of the murder
of
Nick Berg at the hands of extremists.
DALIA MOGAHED
Outreach Director
Islamic Center of Pittsburgh
Oakland
-----
CAIR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
CHAPTER COORDINATOR
CAIR has an immediate opening for an experienced dynamic person to fill
the
position of Chapter Coordinator. This position will be based in CAIR's
national headquarters in Washington DC. The successful candidate will
be
responsible for developing, coordinating and supporting CAIR chapters
nationwide.
QUALIFICATIONS: The ideal candidate should have substantive (3-5 years)
organizational and supervisory skills. Experience in working with
non-profit organizations and Muslim groups is desirable. The candidate
should be a, self-motivated, self-starter and demonstrate the ability
to
learn in a self-directed manner. The ideal candidate will possess
excellent
oral communications skills in English, the ability to work well under
pressure and a commitment to serving the community. Good public
speaking
and communication skills are a must. A college degree in management or
related field is preferred. Must be willing to travel as required.
SALARY AND BENEFITS: Negotiable, depending on experience. CAIR offers
an
excellent package of benefits, including employer-paid medical, dental
and
life insurance.
APPLY by sending a resume, references, unedited writing sample, and
cover
letter (no calls, please) to: hr@cair-net.org. Please mark "Chapter
Coordinator" in the subject of the e-mail.
All those interested and eligible to work in US (Citizens or proper
work
visa holders) are encouraged to apply in confidence via email to:
hr@cair-net.org, or by fax 202 488 0833. No phone calls please.
---
DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS
CAIR has an immediate opening for the position of Director of
Governmental
Affairs. This position will be based in Washington DC. The successful
candidate will work with local CAIR offices and coalition partners to
bring
CAIR's civil rights concerns to the attention of policymakers at the
federal, state and local levels. In addition to meeting regularly with
government officials, the director will represent CAIR with coalition
partners.
QUALIFICATIONS: The ideal candidate will be a creative, self-motivated,
strategic thinker with advocacy experience and familiarity with civil
rights issues in America. Direct experience in government or in
nongovernmental organizations working to influence government policy is
highly desirable. The ideal candidate will possess excellent oral and
written communications skills in English, the ability to work well
under
pressure, and a commitment to civil rights and international human
rights.
A degree in law or the political or social sciences is desirable. Must
be
eligible to work in US.
SALARY AND BENEFITS: Negotiable, depending on experience. CAIR offers
an
excellent package of benefits, including employer-paid medical, dental
and
life insurance.
APPLY by sending a resume, references, unedited writing sample, and
cover
letter (no calls, please) to: hr@cair-net.org. Please mark "Director of
Governmental Relations" in the subject of the e-mail.
-----
THE ORDEAL OF CHAPLAIN YEE
Laura Parker, USA TODAY, 5/17/04
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-05-16-yee-cover_x.htm
Last fall, he was the Muslim chaplain who had betrayed America.
Accused of espionage, Army Capt. James Yee saw his notoriety bloom
overnight. He was vilified on the airwaves and on the Internet as an
operative in a supposed spy ring that aimed to pass secrets to al-Qaeda
from suspected terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where Yee
ministered to them. After his arrest, Yee was blindfolded, placed in
manacles and taken to a Navy brig, where he spent 76 days in solitary
confinement.
Eight months later, all the criminal charges against the 36-year-old
West
Point graduate have melted away. A subsequent reprimand has been
removed
from his record. And while many legal analysts are questioning whether
a
security-conscious military over-reached in its investigation, Yee is
back
home at Fort Lewis, Wash., pondering what remains of his military
career.
Military officials involved in the case won't say what they thought
they
had on Yee, or why they pursued him with such zeal. Prosecutions are
proceeding against three other men - two Arabic translators and an Army
Reserve colonel - who worked at Guantanamo, where the military is
holding
nearly 600 suspected al-Qaeda and Taliban operatives captured in
Afghanistan and elsewhere.
The decision to jail Yee was made by Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, then
commander of Guantanamo's detention camp. He oversaw the espionage
investigations of all four men. He has since been transferred to Iraq,
where he is now engulfed in the controversy involving prisoner abuse at
Abu
Ghraib.
When the Army dropped six criminal counts against Yee in March,
military
officials said they did so to avoid making sensitive information public
-
not because he was innocent. An Army general stressed that again in
April,
when he took the unusual step of removing the case from Yee's permanent
military record.
But a growing number of critics say the Yee case demands further
examination. The critics, who include former military judges and
prosecutors well-versed in military law, say the case offers a chilling
glimpse into military anxiety at a time of heightened concern about
terrorism.
"This is a case that's so obviously wrong that (even) people who don't
know
military law are, if not outraged, then very concerned about what
happened," says Kevin Barry, a retired Coast Guard judge. "There
apparently
was no evidence. If they had the goods, they would have prosecuted…"
-----
RELIGIOUS REMARKS HOUND GENERAL
SUSAN TAYLOR MARTIN, St. Petersburg Times, 5/17/04
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/17/Worldandnation/Religious_remarks_hou.shtml
He said terrorists are trying to destroy the United States because,
"We're
a Christian nation." He told a Muslim warlord, "My God was a real God,
and
his was an idol."
In speeches and comments, Lt. Gen. William Boykin has shown what
critics
say is a clear disdain for the Islamic faith. Now Boykin, a top
intelligence official in the Defense Department, has been linked to
controversial recommendations for prying more information out of Muslim
detainees at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison.
At last week's hearing on prisoner abuse, a Senate panel learned Boykin
had
briefed his boss on a report that said military police should help set
conditions for the "successful exploitation" of detainees.
Some senators and others say the report could have fostered a climate
that
encouraged subsequent acts of physical and sexual abuse.
"It's all part of this treatment of fellow man that has been part of
the
abuse issue from Guantanamo to Afghanistan to Iraq," said William Nash,
a
retired major general and now a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign
Relations.
"Boykin's episode, while not conclusive by any means, certainly doesn't
lessen any of those charges of mistreatment or an arrogant view of
Arabs
and Muslims."
The fundamentalist Christian, who is deputy undersecretary of defense
for
intelligence, should have been removed from his post after his
religious
views came to light last fall, an expert on Christian-Muslim relations
says.
"I'm amazed, given that we have such horrible press overseas and are
spending hundreds of millions of dollars for propaganda, that President
Bush would keep somebody who is definitely anti-Muslim and who possibly
is
in charge of interrogations," said Yvonne Haddad, a professor at
Georgetown
University.
In the chain of command, Boykin ranks above military intelligence
officers
in Iraq, some of whom have been implicated in the abuse scandal. His
name
briefly surfaced at Tuesday's hearing when discussion turned to a
report by
Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller on ways to improve intelligence-gathering at
Abu
Ghraib.
The report recommended that military police work closely with military
intelligence officers in getting information from detainees that could
be
used to fight the anti-American insurgency. MPs should be "actively
engaged
in setting the conditions for successful interrogation and
exploitation" of
prisoners, the report said.
Dr. Stephen Cambone, undersecretary of defense for intelligence, said
Boykin had briefed him on the report. Cambone went on to say that
neither
he, Miller, nor Boykin thought the report was "tantamount" to asking
MPs to
engaged in abusive behavior.
Boykin's name was not mentioned again in the hearing, which lasted
several
hours. Cambone could not be reached for comment, and Boykin has
declined
all interviews since the Defense Department's inspector general began
investigating him last year.
The IG's report, expected to be released within a month, will focus on
speaking engagements in which Boykin repeatedly said God had chosen
President Bush to lead the fight against Satan.
According to the Los Angeles Times and NBC, Boykin told a group of
Baptists
in Florida last year about a victory over a Muslim warlord in Somalia,
who
had boasted Allah would protect him. "I knew my God was bigger than
his,"
Boykin said.
In June 2003, he told an Oregon congregation that America could not
ignore
its Judeo-Christian roots. "Our religion came from Judaism," he said,
"and
therefore (Islamic) radicals will hate us forever."
The remarks were embarrassing to the Bush administration, given the
president's oft-stated view that Islam is a "peaceful religion" and
that
the war against terror is not a war against religion...
-----
UTC'S FIRST CLASS ON ISLAMIC RELIGION HELPS FILL VOID IN CURRICULUM
Yolanda Putman, Chattanooga Times Free Press, 5/17/04
http://www.timesfreepress.com/
Local Muslims have been trying to get a class about their religion
taught
at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for two years. This year
they
were successful.
"It's not a choice but a necessity," said Khalid Hashmi, spokesperson
for
the Masjid Annour Mosque. "It should be our priority to teach Islam
from a
historic and economic point of view so we can achieve harmony in the
society."
Steve Eskildsen, a UC Foundation associate professor of philosophy and
religion, studied Islam so he could teach the class this spring
semester.
Twelve students took the course, which was a disappointing turnout,
said
Dr. William Harman, head of the philosophy and religion department. He
said
he hopes enrollment will improve when the course is taught again, most
likely next spring.
Dr. Eskildsen said he taught the class to fill a need. "It's
under-represented in our curriculum," he said.
School officials said they had no funding for a full-time Islamic
professor. The department had taught Hinduism, Buddhism and minor
Chinese
religions, but not Islam, Mr. Hashmi said.
"Students who only know the bad things they've heard about Muslims need
to
know what is real," he said. "Crimes against Muslims (in the United
States)
were 70 percent higher in 2003 than they were in 2002."
-----
A CALL FOR UNDERSTANDING
ROBERT KING, St. Petersburg Times, 5/17/04
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/17/Hernando/A_call_for_understand.shtml
In the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the subject of
what
it means to be a Muslim is being asked more frequently than ever. The
underlying concern - not always voiced - is whether the hijackers of
9/11
were crazed fanatics or whether Islam contains some sort of hidden
justification for their actions.
Some local Muslims welcome the questions; some despise them. Others are
too
fearful to discuss it. Regardless of where they stand, their faith is
being
tested.
The mosque on Barclay Avenue - like the people who worship within it -
does
little to attract attention. About a mile south of Brookridge, it is a
modest structure that easily could be confused with any of a million
beige-colored, block homes in Florida.
Unlike the ornate mosques of the Middle East, it has no gold domes, no
towering minarets. Inside, there are no archways and no tapestries; it
is
basically empty.
Upon arriving at the mosque, worshipers take off their shoes.
They leave them in racks or piles just inside the door. The idea is to
leave the filth of the world outside, away from a place where they come
and
place their foreheads on the floor in submission to a God who is pure.
Purity is a recurring theme for Muslims...
Men sit in the front of the mosque; women in the back.
The geography is strongly emblematic of the Muslim concept of modesty.
Men
and women go to great lengths to remain separate when mingling outside
their immediate families. It is a practice observed at picnics and
banquets. And never do Muslim adults swim with people of the opposite
sex
who are outside their family.
Part of it goes to the belief that when an unmarried man and a woman
are
alone in the same room, only the devil is there with them.
It also is a pragmatic way of acknowledging how Muslims pray - on their
knees, their foreheads on the floor and their posteriors in the air. In
such a position, it would be distracting to the men if the women were
praying in front of them.
"It has nothing to do with superiority," said Ghada Eldin, a Spring
Hill
mother of three. "It's just kind of a respect to the woman's body…"
SEE ALSO:
UNDERSTANDING ISLAM
Times Staff, St. Petersburg Times, 5/17/04
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/17/Hernando/Undersanding_Islam.shtml
The Arabic word "Islam" simply means "submission" and is derived from a
word meaning "peace." In a religious context it means complete
submission
to the will of God. "Mohammedanism" is thus a misnomer because it
suggests
that Muslims worship Mohammed rather than God.
Sunnis and Shiites
Islam has two major divisions - Sunnis and Shiites - based not on major
fundamental issues of belief, but rather on who was the rightful
successor
to the prophet Mohammed.
Sunnis hold that Mohammed designated no one to be the caliphate, or
leader,
of the Muslim people. Shiites, a large number of whom live in Iraq,
hold
that Mohammed designated his cousin and son-in-law - a man named Ali -
as
his successor.
Most of the world's Muslims are Sunnis, including those who attend the
mosque in Hernando County. Only about 10 percent of the world's Muslims
are
Shiites.
Five Pillars of Islam
1. The declaration of faith: Muslims must declare that: "There is no
deity
but God, and Mohammed is the messenger of God."
2. Prayer: Muslims must perform five prayers each day facing in the
direction of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, just before dawn, at noon, at mid
afternoon, just after sunset, and later in the evening. If, for some
reason, a Muslim is unable to pray one of the five prayers, he is
obligated
to make it up later.
3. Zakat, or charitable giving: Based on the idea that all things
belong to
God and that wealth is held in trust by human beings, Muslims give the
needy 21/2 percent of their standing capital each year.
4. Fasting: Every year in the Islamic lunar month of Ramadan, Muslims
fast
from first light until sunset as a means of self-purification. The
daily
fasts are broken each day with feasts just after sunset, often held in
large community gatherings.
5. Pilgrimage, or hajj: Muslims who are physically or financially able
are
supposed to journey to Mecca at least once in their lives. A number of
rituals must be performed during the hajj, including walking in a
circular
path around the Kaaba, animal sacrifices, casting stones at pillars
that
represent the devil and spending a night in the desert.
The Kaaba
The Kaaba is the cube-like structure in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to which
all
Muslims direct their daily prayers. During their pilgrimages to Mecca,
Muslims walk in a circular pattern around the Kaaba. The structure's
significance comes from the belief that it is the place of worship that
God
commanded Abraham and Ishmael to build more than 4,000 years ago. The
building was constructed of stone on what many believe was the original
site of a sanctuary established by Adam.
Mohammed
Mohammed was born in Mecca in the year 570. His father died before his
birth, and his mother shortly afterward, so he was raised by his uncle.
Muslims believe that, at age 40, while engaged in a meditative retreat,
Mohammed received his first revelation from God through the angel
Gabriel.
This revelation, which continued for 23 years, is known as the Koran.
Mohammed died at age 63.
The Koran
The holy book of Islam, Muslims believe the Koran is a record of the
exact
words of God revealed through the angel Gabriel to the prophet
Mohammed.
They believe Mohammed memorized it and then dictated it to his
companions.
There are translations of the Koran in various languages, but Muslims
believe the essential Koran can be understood only if read in Arabic.
The
Koran is divided into 114 chapters, or surahs…
Other sacred sources
The practices and examples of Mohammed, known as the Sunna, are
considered
a second authority for Muslims. Hadiths are a collection of things
Mohammed
said, did or approved that are frequently referred to by Muslims.
Belief in
the Sunna is part of the Islamic faith.
Sources: Council on American-Islamic Relations; www.alim.org The
Concise
Encyclopedia of Islam, by Suzanne Haneef; The Oxford History of Islam,
and
Interpretation of the Meaning of The Glorious Qur'an, by Syed Vickar
Ahamed.
-----
ISRAELI ARMY TO DESTROY HUNDREDS MORE HOMES
Donald Macintyre, Independent, 5/17/04
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=522045
The Israeli cabinet vowed yesterday to step up military operations in
Gaza,
18 hours after the largest anti-war demonstration in four years backed
withdrawal from the occupied strip of land and a return to the
negotiating
table.
Shaul Mofaz, the Defence Minister, told ministers that the army would
create a "different reality" along the Gaza-Egypt border to prevent
arms
smuggling. The Israeli High Court also lifted a ban yesterday on the
army's
programme of house demolitions in Rafah, the town on the border.
SEE ALSO:
ISRAEL STEPS UP GAZA DEMOLITIONS
Ben Lynfield, Christian Science Monitor, 5/17/04
http://csmonitor.com/2004/0517/p06s01-wome.html
RAFAH REFUGEE CAMP, GAZA STRIP - Mahmoud Abu Anzeh's house is in the
wrong
place, as far as Israel is concerned.
Last Wednesday, Mr. Anzeh had fled with his two wives and seven
children
amid fire from Israeli helicopter gunships. Upon returning Saturday, he
found his house pockmarked and six homes of relatives directly across
the
alley turned into rubble by army bulldozers.
Coming on the heels of one of the deadliest weeks for Israeli troops in
two
years, it marks the start of what Israeli officials say will be the
largest
demolition operation during 3-1/2 years of fighting. Sunday, Israel's
Supreme Court cleared the way for more demolitions to take place if
they
are aimed at rooting out Palestinian militants…
-----
FRENCH LAW BANNING RELIGIOUS ATTIRE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS MEANS SIKHS
CANNOT
WEAR TURBANS, BUT BANDANNAS MAY BE ALLOWABLE
ELAINE GANLEY, Associated Press, 5/17/04
PARIS (AP) - Sikhs must take off their turbans when a new law banning
religious apparel in France's public schools takes effect in September,
Education Minister Francois Fillon said Monday. Muslim girls can only
wear
bandannas in schools that accept discreet head coverings.
Fillon spoke after education officials adopted -- with some misgivings
-- a
set of guidelines to help school officials apply the law enacted in
March
after a marathon parliament debate.
The law forbids conspicuous religious symbols and attire in the
classroom
such as the Jewish skull cap and large Christian crosses, but it is
chiefly
aimed at the Muslim head scarf.
The High Council for Education voted for the guidelines, which had been
adjusted two times. While 26 members voted for the latest language --
enough to get the guidelines adopted -- 25 refused to vote at all and
six
others abstained. Eight voted against the language…
Boys in France's small Sikh community that numbers between 5,000 and
7,000
would have to remove their turbans, the minister told The Associated
Press.
The turbans were never really an issue in the heated debate over the
legislation banning religious symbols.
However, officials had said the issue would be dealt with.
"We've come up with an arrangement," Fillon said. "They accept wearing
a
hair net. It's less aggressive, less showy."
The newly adopted guidelines are likely to disconcert some members of
the
Muslim community, who sought a mediating role in disputed cases.
But Fillon said religious organizations would not be part of the
process.
The powerful Union of Islamic Organizations of France, an umbrella
group of
fundamentalist associations, had pressed to be allowed to intervene in
cases in which young girls risked expulsion because they refused to
remove
their head scarves…
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIMS DEMAND HEADSCARF RIGHT
Austria Today, 5/17/03
www.austriatoday.at
Anas Schakfeh, the chairman of the Austrian Society of Islamic
Believers,
is quoted in Monday's edition of "Neue Volksblatt" as demanding a
guarantee
from Education Minister Elisabeth Gehrer of Austrian Muslims' right to
wear
headscarves as an exercise of freedom of religion. The pretext for his
interview was a dispute in a Linz school about headscarves. One Muslim
girl
was forbidden to wear one to class, but provincial school council
president
Fritz Enzenhofer countermanded the order. Schakfeh is satisfied by
Enzenhofer's action but wants "a clarification that we won't have to
repeat
this experience."
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Tue, 18 May 2004 16:28:12 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Brooklyn's Abu Ghraib?/CAIR-FL Meets FBI on Hate
Crimes
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/18/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: FORGIVE INJURIES
* HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE THIS MONTH
- CAIR'S 10th Anniversary Community Picnic 6/13
- CAIR Library Project Sponsorships: 7459
- Sign the 'Not In The Name Of Islam' Petition
* CAIR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
- Chapter Coordinator
- Director of Governmental Relations
* CAIR-FL MEETS WITH FBI ON HATE CRIMES
- FL Muslims Find Strength in Faith (SP Times)
* REFORM URGED TO STEM RISE OF HATE CRIMES (Tucson Citizen)
- Group Launches `Not In The Name Of Islam' Drive (RNS)
* BROOKLYN'S VERSION OF ABU GHRAIB? (Newsweek)
- Iraq-Born Swede Asks $100,000 for Torture (NY Times)
- Death of Prisoner Detailed In Testimony (LA Times)
- MPs Received Orders to Strip Iraqi Detainees (NY Times)
- 'I Killed Innocent People for Our Government' (Sac Bee)
- Abuse Photos Upset Muslims (Fresno Bee)
* WHY CAPT. YEE WAS CHARGED REMAINS MYSTERY (Olympian Bee)
- Pop Culture Fostering Arab Discrimination (AP)
* A GIFT OF COURAGE (Orlando Sentinel)
* ISRAEL RAZED 3,000 HOMES SINCE INTIFADA (Reuters)
- Amnesty Criticizes Israel (AP)
- 20 Palestinians Killed in Gaza Camp (AP)
* RAFAH RESIDENTS NOW REFUGEES IN THEIR OWN CAMP (Globe/Mail)
- Not All Displaced Palestinians Are Muslims (AC)
* NICWJ VOTER REGISTRATION INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: FORGIVE INJURIES
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
-----
HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE THIS MONTH
CAIR has launched a new drive to raise $80,000 online each month. To
help
us reach that goal, go to: https://www.cair-net.org/asp/donate.asp
Through a new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member
at
a Time," CAIR also intends (God willing) to sign up 25,000 new members
by
its 10th year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
Students Click here!
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=33172&page=NB
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: CAIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY PICNIC 6/13 IN VA
CAIR invites you and your family to our 10th anniversary community
picnic
to be held on Sunday, June 13, at Lake Accotink Park in Springfield,
Va.
(http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/parks/accotink). Admission is free but
registration is required. Food will be provided.
For more details, or to register, please e-mail irahman@cair-net.org or
call 202-488-8787, ext 6050
---
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7452 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
---
SIGN THE 'NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM' PETITION
CAIR has launched an online petition drive designed to disassociate the
faith of Islam from the violent acts of a few Muslims. The petition on
CAIR's web site (www.cair-net.org), called "Not in the Name of Islam,"
allows Muslims around the world to help correct misperceptions of Islam
and
the Islamic stance on religiously-motivated terror.
TO SIGN THE PETITION, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org
TO READ THE PETITION ACTION ALERT, GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=169&page=AA
-----
CAIR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
CHAPTER COORDINATOR
CAIR has an immediate opening for an experienced dynamic person to fill
the
position of Chapter Coordinator. This position will be based in CAIR's
national headquarters in Washington DC. The successful candidate will
be
responsible for developing, coordinating and supporting CAIR chapters
nationwide.
QUALIFICATIONS: The ideal candidate should have substantive (3-5 years)
organizational and supervisory skills. Experience in working with
non-profit organizations and Muslim groups is desirable. The candidate
should be a, self-motivated, self-starter and demonstrate the ability
to
learn in a self-directed manner. The ideal candidate will possess
excellent
oral communications skills in English, the ability to work well under
pressure and a commitment to serving the community. Good public
speaking
and communication skills are a must. A college degree in management or
related field is preferred. Must be willing to travel as required.
SALARY AND BENEFITS: Negotiable, depending on experience. CAIR offers
an
excellent package of benefits, including employer-paid medical, dental
and
life insurance.
APPLY by sending a resume, references, unedited writing sample, and
cover
letter (no calls, please) to: hr@cair-net.org. Please mark "Chapter
Coordinator" in the subject of the e-mail.
All those interested and eligible to work in US (Citizens or proper
work
visa holders) are encouraged to apply in confidence via email to:
hr@cair-net.org, or by fax 202 488 0833. No phone calls please.
---
DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS
CAIR has an immediate opening for the position of Director of
Governmental
Affairs. This position will be based in Washington DC. The successful
candidate will work with local CAIR offices and coalition partners to
bring
CAIR's civil rights concerns to the attention of policymakers at the
federal, state and local levels. In addition to meeting regularly with
government officials, the director will represent CAIR with coalition
partners.
QUALIFICATIONS: The ideal candidate will be a creative, self-motivated,
strategic thinker with advocacy experience and familiarity with civil
rights issues in America. Direct experience in government or in
nongovernmental organizations working to influence government policy is
highly desirable. The ideal candidate will possess excellent oral and
written communications skills in English, the ability to work well
under
pressure, and a commitment to civil rights and international human
rights.
A degree in law or the political or social sciences is desirable. Must
be
eligible to work in US.
SALARY AND BENEFITS: Negotiable, depending on experience. CAIR offers
an
excellent package of benefits, including employer-paid medical, dental
and
life insurance.
APPLY by sending a resume, references, unedited writing sample, and
cover
letter (no calls, please) to: hr@cair-net.org. Please mark "Director of
Governmental Relations" in the subject of the e-mail.
-----
CAIR-FL MEETS WITH FBI ON HATE CRIMES
(MIAMI, FL, 5/18/04) - The Florida office of the Council on American
Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) today met with several top officials within
the
Miami Division of the FBI to discuss the recent vandalism at two
Islamic
centers in South Florida.
Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Solomon told CAIR-FL that his office
will
not tolerate any hate crimes and is aggressively investigating the
reported
incidents of vandalism and a hate message against Islamic Centers in
Miami.
ISLAMIC LEADERS GET FBI HELP SEE:
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/broward_county/8671588.htm
"We welcome the positive sentiments expressed by FBI officials about
protecting the civil rights of Florida's Muslims," said CAIR-FL
Executive
Director Altaf Ali.
- END -
CONTACT: Altaf Ali, 954-298-8214, altaf@cair-florida.org; Ahmed Bedier,
813-731-9506, abedier@cair-florida.org
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIMS FIND STRENGTH IN FAITH, FRUSTRATION IN POLITICS
Robert King, St Petersburg Times, 5/18/04
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/18/Hernando/Muslims_find_strength.shtml
The men in the Hernando County mosque had just finished wishing peace
to
the Muslim brothers next to them after the Friday prayer when Ayman
Joud
stood to speak.
Joud, a doctor of internal medicine, wanted to issue an invitation to a
political fundraiser the next day at the home of urologist Nazir
Hamoui.
The candidate has been "very fair" in her views, Joud said, and
everyone
who comes should bring his checkbook. The blatantly political
announcement
caused not a one of the 46 men in the mosque to bat an eye. And more
than a
dozen raised their hands to say they would attend.
The candidate Cynthia McKinney of Georgia is someone the men in the
mosque
will probably never get a chance to vote for. The congressional seat
she
seeks - and held until two years ago - serves a district 400 miles away
in
suburban Atlanta.
As the men began to exit the mosque, Joud handed them a flier about
McKinney. It praised her willingness to speak for the rights of
Arab-Americans and American Muslims, and her willingness to speak
against
"the dehumanization of Palestinians and Iraqis."
Unmentioned on the flier was the stance McKinney is best known for: her
declaration two years ago that the Bush administration knew the
terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, were coming but took no action so his
friends
could reap profits from a war.
McKinney's comments - made just six months after the attacks - created
a
storm of controversy. Even a prominent fellow Democrat called her
"loony."
And McKinney lost the congressional seat she had held for a decade.
But recent questions about what the Bush administration knew prior to
9/11
and why it went into Iraq have struck a chord with many local Muslims,
who
see McKinney as a woman unafraid to speak the truth. And two years
after
her defeat, they are lining up to support her political revival...
Those are just examples of the strong sense of alienation that local
Muslims feel when it comes to the present course of American foreign
policy.
For a community of immigrants who explain their original vision of
America
in Ellis Island terms - a beacon of liberty, a land of opportunity -
these
are difficult days.
Until recently, America had been as good as advertised. Muslims found
prosperity and freedom of movement unimaginable in the countries they
left.
Then came 9/11 and the war on terrorism...
-----
REFORM URGED TO STEM RISE OF HATE CRIMES VS. MUSLIMS
Siraj Mufti, Tucson Citizen, 5/18/04
http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.php?page=opinion&story_id=051804b5_guest_muslims
Anti-Muslim acts increased by an unprecedented 70 percent last year
compared with 2002, the Washington Post reported May 3.
But Arizona's increase was the worst, at 584 percent.
Nationwide, 1,019 complaints of discrimination or violence were
received,
up from 602 a year earlier, reported the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, a prominent civil rights group.
These included 93 hate crimes, more than double the 2002 count.
Most complaints concerned religious and ethnic profiling and denial of
religious accommodation, along with the workplace discrimination.
"There are a number of factors, including government policies targeting
Muslims and pro-war rhetoric in the beginning of 2003, that we believe
led
to this disturbing increase in Muslim civil rights complaints," said
Dr.
Mohamed Nimer, the CAIR research director who wrote the "Unpatriotic
Acts"
report.
Other contributing factors listed are a lingering atmosphere of
post-9/11
fear, abuses associated with implementation of the Patriot Act and a
disturbing increase in Muslim-bashing on radio talk shows. Also, in
many
cases, laws allegedly were applied more harshly because of ethnic or
religious background.
In view of this, CAIR on April 17 launched a campaign, "Hate Hurts
America," based on the conviction that increased attacks on Islam by
conservative talk show hosts is not only offensive to Muslims and other
people of conscience, but also to America itself.
The government blurred the clear distinction between immigrant
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIM GROUP LAUNCHES `NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM' PETITION DRIVE
Holly Lebowitz Rossi, Religion News Service, 5/14/04
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/145/story_14598_1.html
A national Muslim civil rights and advocacy group has launched an
online
petition drive that aims to distinguish between the violent deeds of
terrorists who act in the name of Islam and the tenets of the faith
itself.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations announced "Not in the Name of
Islam" Thursday (May 13) as its latest effort to combat what it calls
"misperceptions of Islam and that faith's stance on religiously
motivated
terror."
"Those who commit acts of terror, murder and cruelty in the name of
Islam
are not only destroying innocent lives, but are also betraying the
values
of the faith they claim to represent," the petition says.
It continues, "We repudiate and dissociate ourselves from any Muslim
group
or individual who commits such brutal and un-Islamic acts."
Particularly in the wake of the videotaped beheading of American
contractor
Nick Berg by militants linked to al-Qaida, CAIR believes current events
demand that Muslims communicate to the world that they do not condone
violence.
"We hope this effort will demonstrate once and for all that Muslims in
America and throughout the Islamic world reject violence committed in
the
name of Islam," said Omar Ahmad, CAIR's board chairman...
-----
BROOKLYN'S VERSION OF ABU GHRAIB?
Michael Isikoff, Newsweek, 5/24/04
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4987614/
Even as the Pentagon seeks to quell the furor over Abu Ghraib, the
Justice
Department is trying to make sure a similar scandal doesn't erupt
closer to
home. At issue: more than 300 hours of secret videotapes from a U.S.
prison
facility in Brooklyn, N.Y., where many Arab and Muslim detainees were
incarcerated in the months after 9/11. On the tapes, according to a
report
by federal investigators, prison guards slam inmates into walls, twist
their arms and wrists and subject them to humiliating strip searches in
which, in some cases, male prisoners were forced to stand naked in the
presence of female guards; in others, prison guards "laughed, exchanged
suggestive looks and made funny noises."
The existence of the tapes was first disclosed late last year in a
blistering report on conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center in
Brooklyn by the Justice Department's inspector general. But the tapes
got
little attention at the time, in part because only a handful of blurry
stills from the videos were released. But now attorneys in two lawsuits
filed against top Justice officials on behalf of former inmates tell
NEWSWEEK they plan to push for full release of the videos, arguing
that, as
with Abu Ghraib, the visual evidence can make the case far more
powerfully
than mere allegations from prisoners. "There are clear parallels here,"
says Nancy Chang, a lawyer for the Center for Constitutional Rights,
which
has brought one of the cases. So far, Justice has refused to release
any of
the tapes. One reason, says Bureau of Prisons spokesman Dan Dunne, is
that
disclosure could violate the "privacy" rights of the prison guards,
about a
dozen of whom are being investigated for possible disciplinary
action...
The allegations of mistreatment date back to the Justice Department's
post-9/11 round-up of more than 1,200 foreign nationals largely on
minor
immigration violations. None was ever charged with any terror-related
crimes. In response to complaints, the Justice I.G. launched an
investigation into the handling of the inmates at the Brooklyn
facility.
Prison officials first denied any mistreatment; one official insisted
staff
members were "very polite" with the detainees. Then investigators
discovered the videotapes hidden in a storage locker. Among the most
egregious of the abuses documented on the tapes, investigators found,
were
repeated and degrading strip searches that were used "to intimidate and
punish detainees."
ALSO SEE:
IRAQ-BORN SWEDE ASKS $100,000, CLAIMING TORTURE AT ABU GHRAIB
Danny Hakim, New York Times, 5/18/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/18/national/18SWED.html
An Iraqi-born Swedish citizen claiming to have been tortured at Abu
Ghraib
prison is seeking more than $100,000 from the American military.
A Michigan lawyer filed a claim with the Army last Wednesday on behalf
of
the man, identified in the filing only as Mr. Saleh.
"Hopefully we'll reach an amicable settlement, and if not we'll seek
relief
in federal court," said the lawyer, Shereef H. Akeel.
Mr. Akeel said Mr. Saleh, 42, whose mother is identified in the filing
as
an American citizen, was now staying with relatives in Dearborn, Mich.,
while seeking repayment of tens of thousands of dollars he says was
confiscated by the military, as well as damages for emotional distress.
Mr. Saleh gave his account over the weekend to CNN and the Swedish
Broadcasting Corporation but, Mr. Akeel said, is no longer speaking to
the
news media because the matter is too painful. The lawyer said he was
withholding Mr. Saleh's first name to protect his privacy, but did
provide
his prisoner number.
An operator at the military's press desk in Baghdad said late Monday
afternoon, Eastern time, that no one was available to evaluate the
claim
because it was the middle of the night there.
Contacted in the evening, Capt. David Romley, a marine at the
Pentagon's
press office, said that "any allegations of mistreatment are pursued
vigorously through the appropriate command channels."
---
DEATH OF PRISONER DETAILED IN TESTIMONY
Richard A. Serrano, Los Angeles Times, 5/18/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/la-fg-prison18may18,0,560334,print.story
WASHINGTON - When CIA officers took the Iraqi detainee to Abu Ghraib
prison, his head was covered with an empty sandbag and Army guards were
ordered to take him directly to a shower room that served as a
makeshift
interrogation center at the overcrowded, shell-damaged facility outside
Baghdad.
An hour later, during intensive questioning by intelligence officers,
the
prisoner collapsed and died. Only then did interrogators remove the
hood to
reveal severe head wounds that had not been treated.
The dead prisoner, whose identity has not been made public, would
become
famous around the world through a photograph of a body wrapped in
plastic
sheeting and packed in ice - among the most indelible images yet made
public in the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal.
An account of his final hours, and of the failure to provide medical
attention to a severely wounded prisoner, is contained in sworn
statements
provided to Army investigators by military police guards at Abu Ghraib.
After the man died, the documents say, officials argued over who was
responsible for the body. Eventually, the body deteriorated to the
point
that it had to be disposed of.
The official documents describing the episode, obtained Monday, were
based
on testimony at a secret military court hearing last month on the
charges
against Sgt. Javal S. Davis, one of seven members of the 372nd Military
Police Company accused of beating and humiliating Iraqi detainees...
---
M.P.'S RECEIVED ORDERS TO STRIP IRAQI DETAINEES
Eric Schmitt and Douglas Jehl, New York Times, 5/18/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/18/politics/18ABUS.html
WASHINGTON - The American officer who was in charge of interrogations
at
the Abu Ghraib prison has told a senior Army investigator that
intelligence
officers sometimes instructed the military police to force Iraqi
detainees
to strip naked and to shackle them before questioning them. But he said
those measures were not imposed "unless there is some good reason."
The officer, Col. Thomas M. Pappas, commander of the 205th Military
Intelligence Brigade, also told the investigator, Maj. Gen. Antonio M.
Taguba, that his unit had "no formal system in place" to monitor
instructions they had given to military guards, who worked closely with
interrogators to prepare detainees for interviews. Colonel Pappas said
he
"should have asked more questions, admittedly" about abuses committed
or
encouraged by his subordinates.
The statements by Colonel Pappas, contained in the transcript of a Feb.
11
interview that is part of General Taguba's 6,000-page classified
report,
offer the highest-level confirmation so far that military intelligence
soldiers directed military guards in preparing for interrogations. They
also provide the first insights by the senior intelligence officer at
the
prison into the relationship between his troops and the military
police.
Portions of Colonel Pappas's sworn statements were read to The New York
Times by a government official who had read the transcript.
Testimony from guards and detainees at a preliminary hearing for a
soldier
accused of abuse said that orders from interrogators at Abu Ghraib had
stopped short of the graphic abuse seen in the photographs at the
center of
the prison scandal...
---
'I KILLED INNOCENT PEOPLE FOR OUR GOVERNMENT'
Paul Rockwell, Sacramento Bee, 5/16/04
http://www.sacbee.com/content/opinion/story/9316830p-10241546c.html
For nearly 12 years, Staff Sgt. Jimmy Massey was a hard-core, some say
gung-ho, Marine. For three years he trained fellow Marines in one of
the
most grueling indoctrination rituals in military life - Marine boot
camp.
The Iraq war changed Massey. The brutality, the sheer carnage of the
U.S.
invasion, touched his conscience and transformed him forever. He was
honorably discharged with full severance last Dec. 31 and is now back
in
his hometown, Waynsville, N.C.
When I talked with Massey last week, he expressed his remorse at the
civilian loss of life in incidents in which he himself was involved.
Q: You spent 12 years in the Marines. When were you sent to Iraq?
A: I went to Kuwait around Jan. 17. I was in Iraq from the get-go. And
I
was involved in the initial invasion.
Q: What does the public need to know about your experiences as a
Marine?
A: The cause of the Iraqi revolt against the American occupation. What
they
need to know is we killed a lot of innocent people. I think at first
the
Iraqis had the understanding that casualties are a part of war. But
over
the course of time, the occupation hurt the Iraqis. And I didn't see
any
humanitarian support...
---
ABUSE PHOTOS UPSET MUSLIMS VALLEY RESIDENTS ARE TORN AFTER SEEING
TREATMENT
OF IRAQI PRISONERS
Vanessa Colon, Fresno Bee, 5/17/04
Muslims in Fresno say they are torn between cultures after seeing
photos of
Iraqi prisoners forced to expose their naked bodies or wear women's
underwear on their heads.
Throughout the United States, the abuse depicted in the photos provoked
feelings of outrage. For Muslims, the images cut a deeper wound.
"We feel torn. We are Americans and are also Iraqi. We have ties to
that
country personally. I was for the liberation of Iraq," Mazin Al-Ali
said.
"As an American, it's a disgrace. It makes the GIs look bad. A lot of
them
want to do good."
Muslims follow a strict code of modesty reflected in the way males and
females dress and behave. Women are supposed to cover their bodies down
to
their ankles except for their hands, according to the Quran, said Osman
Ghada, professor of Arabic language and culture at San Diego State
University.
Men are supposed to cover their bodies from the navel to the knee,
according to the Quran, she said. Muslim men and women must lower their
gaze when walking in front of someone of the opposite sex, she said.
So the prisoner abuse was especially hurtful
"It matches close to being raped," Al-Ali said. "This is the utmost
crime."
The families of the victims might have a tough time coping with the
abuse
of their relatives, said Hussam Ayloush, executive director for the
Southern California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations.
He says that being forced to be nude is viewed "as a shameful act for
the
victim and the whole tribe."
About 7 million Muslims live in the United States. There are almost
2,000
mosques, Islamic schools and centers in the country, according to the
Council on American-Islamic Relations...
---
U.S. TROOPS ALLEGEDLY ABUSED REUTERS' IRAQI STAFF
Kyodo News Service, 5/18/04
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3726675.stm
BAGHDAD - U.S. troops allegedly tortured and humiliated three Iraqis
working for Reuters during their detention in a military camp near
Fallujah
in January, the British news agency reported Tuesday.
The three told Reuters Tuesday that they decided to make the case
public
when the U.S. military said there was no evidence the they had been
abused.
Lt. Gen. Richardo Sanchez, commander of ground forces in Iraq, said in
a
March 5 letter received by Reuters on Monday that he was confident the
U.S.
investigation had been ''thorough and objective'' and its findings were
sound, according to Reuters.
The allegations of mistreatment against the Reuters staffers came after
the
disclosure of widely reported massive abuse of Iraqi detainees by U.S.
soldiers at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad...
-----
WHY CAPT. YEE WAS CHARGED REMAINS MYSTERY
Laura Parker, The Olympian, 5/17/04
http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20040517/topstories/51828.shtml
Last fall, he was dubbed by many as the Muslim chaplain who betrayed
America.
Accused of espionage, Army Capt. James Yee saw his notoriety bloom
overnight. He was vilified on the airwaves and on the Internet as an
operative in a supposed spy ring that aimed to pass secrets to al-Qaida
from alleged terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where Yee
ministered
to them. After his arrest, Yee was blindfolded, placed in manacles and
taken to a Navy brig, where he spent 76 days in solitary confinement.
Eight months later, all the criminal charges against the 36-year-old
West
Point graduate have melted away. A subsequent reprimand has been
removed
from his record. And while many legal analysts are questioning whether
a
security-conscious military over-reached in its investigation, Yee is
back
home in Olympia, pondering what remains of his military career.
Military officials involved in the case won't say what they thought
they
had on Yee, or why they pursued him with such zeal. Prosecutions are
proceeding against three other men -- two Arabic translators and an
Army
Reserve colonel -- who worked at Guantanamo, where the military is
holding
nearly 600 suspected al-Qaida and Taliban operatives captured in
Afghanistan and elsewhere.
The decision to jail Yee was made by Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, then
commander of Guantanamo's detention camp. He oversaw the espionage
investigations of all four men. He has since been transferred to Iraq,
where he is now engulfed in the controversy involving prisoner abuse at
Abu
Ghraib.
When the Army dropped six criminal counts against Yee in March,
military
officials said they did so to avoid making sensitive information public
--
not because he was innocent. An Army general stressed that again in
April,
when he took the unusual step of removing the case from Yee's permanent
military record.
But a growing number of critics say the Yee case demands further
examination. The critics, who include former military judges and
prosecutors well-versed in military law, say the case offers a chilling
glimpse into military anxiety at a time of heightened concern about
terrorism...
ALSO SEE:
POP CULTURE FOSTERING ARAB DISCRIMINATION
Mary C. Curtis, Knight Ridder, 5/14/04
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/living/8686584.htm
If it's true military police in Iraq were softening up prisoners for
interrogation, our brains were softened up long before by images in
popular
culture, images of generic Arab villains.
Surely some of the excess is an attempt to get back at "them" for what
they
did to "us." But it helps when the line between us and them has already
been drawn.
Think "True Lies," the 1994 James Cameron movie for Arnold
Schwarzenegger.
The Arab terrorists were portrayed as bloodthirsty and stupid. They
forget
to refresh the batteries before videotaping threats and shoot
themselves
those few times the good guys miss.
Objections by rights groups got lost in the box office payoff.
In the video version of its popular 1992 cartoon "Aladdin," Disney
changed
the lyrics after some people didn't see the humor in: "Oh, I come from
a
land, from a faraway place, where the caravan camels roam/Where they
cut
off your ear if they don't like your face/It's barbaric, but hey, it's
home."
Seldom do I see distinctions between Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iran
or
other Middle Eastern nations, their governments or politics in popular
entertainment.
Why get bogged down in details when all Arabs are alike? No nation or
people should be immune from retaliation for barbaric acts. But shoving
any
people or religion into a common, reviled heap sows tragedy as well as
confusion...
-----
A GIFT OF COURAGE
Pamela J. Johnson, Orlando Sentinel, 5/17/04
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-asecamputee17051704may17,1,27723.story
Eyes closed, the bearded Muslim sits still and prays silently, moving
his lips.
A double amputee with prosthetic legs, he can't kneel and pray like the
co-worker next to him. Frustrated, the young Afghan covers his eyes
with
the heels of his palms. If he cries his prayers won't count. But he
can't
stop the tears.
In the past two years, Inayatullah Ahmadzai has endured such physical
and
emotional pain that he has considered suicide more than once.
"I really don't want to be in this situation," Ahmadzai said later,
sitting
in a lawn chair in his dimly lit, nearly empty Orlando apartment. "One
way
to get out is to die. . . . I miss my family. I miss my legs. I miss my
country."
Nearly 2 1/2 years ago, Ahmadzai left his family to fight alongside
American troops against the Taliban and al-Qaeda in his homeland of
Afghanistan. During Operation Anaconda, the biggest battle of the
Afghan
campaign, he lost his legs when a grenade was thrown into a truck he
was
driving.
He spent months in military hospitals where he was fitted with
state-of-the-art prosthetic legs. Fearing for his life if he returned
to
Afghanistan, he sought and was granted asylum in the United States.
Now 25, Ahmadzai has found his calling. He has decided to devote his
life
to making prosthetic legs similar to the ones he wears...
-----
ISRAEL RAZED 3,000 HOMES SINCE INTIFADA - AMNESTY
Reuters, 5/18/04
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/428773.html
JERUSALEM - Amnesty International accused Israel on Tuesday of
destroying
more than 3,000 Palestinian houses since an uprising began
three-and-a-half
years ago and demanded the army stop razing civilian homes. Amnesty
called
on Israel's military to halt demolitions of Palestinian buildings
"without
absolute military necessity" in a report issued amidst Israeli threats
to
raze hundreds of houses in southern Gaza in an assault on militant
strongholds.
The rights group, which frequently issues reports critical of Israel,
said
in its 65 page document that most of the house demolitions were
"punitive"
measures against innocent civilians.
"House demolitions are usually carried out without warning, often at
night,
and the occupants are forcibly evicted with no time to salvage their
belongings," Amnesty said in its report. Responding to the dossier,
Israel's Foreign Ministry said the army only demolished Palestinian
buildings used by militants to fire on troops or hide weapons smuggling
tunnels. It blamed militants for using civilian homes as cover for
their
attacks. "When terrorists fire from within civilian structures or
activate
roadside charges from trees and fields, military necessity dictates the
demolition of these locations," it said.
"Under international law, these structures are considered legitimate
military targets. Therefore, in the midst of combat, when dictated by
operational necessity, Israeli security forces may lawfully destroy
structures used by terrorists," it said...
ALSO SEE:
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CRITICIZES ISRAEL
Lara Sukhtian, Associated Press, 5/19/04
JERUSALEM - Israel is guilty of war crimes in its destruction of
thousands
of Palestinian homes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the human rights
group Amnesty International charged in a report Tuesday.
Release of the report coincided with an Israeli operation in the Rafah
refugee camp on the Israel-Egypt border, where Israel was poised to
knock
down more houses to widen a buffer zone in its battle against
weapons-smuggling tunnels.
The report said the demolition and destruction are ``grave breaches of
the
Fourth Geneva Convention and are war crimes,'' calling on Israel to
halt
the practices immediately. Amnesty also said the house demolitions are
linked to Israeli intentions to take over West Bank and Gaza land.
According to the report, Israel has destroyed more than 3,000
Palestinian
homes, most of them in the Gaza Strip, since Palestinian Israeli
fighting
broke out more than three years ago. The report also found that 10
percent
of Gaza's agricultural land has been destroyed and more than 226,000
trees
uprooted there in 2002 and 2003.
Israeli officials were not immediately available for comment but have
stated in the past that house demolitions are necessary for security
reasons. The Israeli army says that Palestinian militants often use
Palestinian homes and agricultural land as cover to launch attacks.
Also,
they have discovered tunnel entrances under Rafah structures...
---
20 PALESTINIANS KILLED IN GAZA CAMP
KEVIN FRAYER, Associated Press, 5/18/04
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) - Under heavy cover fire from helicopters,
Israeli
troops combed this refugee camp for weapons and gunmen Tuesday in the
biggest Gaza offensive in years. Twenty Palestinians were killed,
including
two teenagers shot as they gathered laundry.
International condemnation mounted of the operation, and the United
States
said it was asking Israel for ``clarification.'' The United Nations and
European Union demanded an end to the incursion, which Israeli security
officials said would last at least a week.
In Rafah, a crowded camp of 90,000 people near the Egyptian border,
Palestinian families sought refuge from the rocket and machine-gun fire
in
the innermost rooms of their homes.
Electrician Khaled Al-Assar, 38, said he sat with his wife and five
children in one room of their house as gunfire rattled all around and a
missile landed nearby, shattering windows.
``The kids were terrified, there was very loud boom, they started
screaming
and crying,'' he said.
Not everyone stayed inside, and the consequences could be deadly. Ahmed
Mughayer, 13, and his sister Asma, 16, were killed by Israeli fire when
they ventured onto the roof of their three-story apartment building to
bring in laundry, their father Mohammed said.
Mughayer said his wife had told Asma not to go out because of the
shooting.
``Asma said, 'Don't worry, I'll be careful,''' he said.
The Israeli army said the aim of ``Operation Rainbow'' was to destroy
weapons-smuggling tunnels and arrest Palestinian militants. It said it
did
not intend to demolish large numbers of Palestinian homes. Troops tore
down
four homes Tuesday, witnesses said.
Last week, Israel destroyed about 100 houses, making more than 1,000
Palestinians homeless…
-----
RAFAH RESIDENTS NOW REFUGEES IN THEIR OWN REFUGEE CAMP
Mark MacKinnon, Globe and Mail, 5/18/04
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040518/ISRAEL18/TPInternational/Africa
For 40 people, it was a modest collection of belongings.
Piled on the back of a white Volvo trailer as it bumped and rumbled
through
the refugee camp were two aged refrigerators, piles of thin mattresses
and
a wildly coloured assortment of carpets. There were pots and pans,
blankets
and detergents, jars of olives and bags of flour. Hanging from the
edge,
almost falling off the truck as it navigated Rafah's destroyed roads,
was a
child's tricycle.
These were the material possessions of five Palestinian families,
refugees
within their own refugee camp last night as the Israeli army moved in
with
the stated intention of demolishing homes at the southern edge of
Rafah, a
densely populated outpost at the border between Egypt and the Gaza
Strip.
As the truck came to a dusty stop in front of her new home, Hedaya
el-Aydee
could not conceal her disappointment. Whereas each of the five families
previously had their own apartment, they would now be crowded together
in a
single concrete room, four by seven metres, that is part of an
unfinished
house. The room had no glass on its windows and a single sink for the
10
adults and 30 children who would have to crowd in. Surveying their new
home, Ms. el-Aydee decided that many of the children would have to
sleep
outside.
"There is not enough space for the furniture, let alone the human
beings,"
the 35-year-old woman said with rising exasperation in her voice, as an
assembly line of children moved boxes off the truck and dumped them
unceremoniously in the centre of the room. "The house we were in
before,
some people called it bad housing, but it was still a home..."
ALSO SEE:
FORGOTTEN CHRISTIANS: NOT ALL DISPLACED PALESTINIANS ARE MUSLIMS
Anders Strindberg, American Conservative, 5/24/04
http://amconmag.com/2004_05_24/article.html
Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" is playing to full houses in
the
Syrian capital Damascus. Watching it here turns out to be much the same
as
watching it on opening night in New York-customarily rowdy moviegoers
observe a reverent silence, the usual sound of candy wrappers is
replaced
by sobbing and gasping, and, at the end of it all, the audience files
out
of the theater in silence and contemplation. Many of those watching the
movie on this occasion are Palestinian Christian refugees whose parents
or
grandparents were purged from their homeland-the land of Christ-at the
foundation of Israel in 1948. For them the movie has an underlying
symbolic
meaning not easily perceived in the West: not only is it a depiction of
the
trial, scourging, and death of Jesus, it is also a symbolic depiction
of
the fate of the Palestinian people. "This is how we feel," says Zaki, a
27-year old Palestinian Christian whose family hails from Haifa. "We
take
beating after beating at the hands of the world, they crucify our
people,
they insult us, but we refuse to surrender."
At the time of the creation of the Israeli state in 1948, it is
estimated
that the Christians of Palestine numbered some 350,000. Almost 20
percent
of the total population at the time, they constituted a vibrant and
ancient
community; their forbears had listened to St. Peter in Jerusalem as he
preached at the first Pentecost. Yet Zionist doctrine held that
Palestine
was "a land without a people for a people without a land." Of the
750,000
Palestinians that were forced from their homes in 1948, some 50,000
were
Christians-7 percent of the total number of refugees and 35 percent of
the
total number of Christians living in Palestine at the time.
In the process of "Judaizing" Palestine, numerous convents, hospices,
seminaries, and churches were either destroyed or cleared of their
Christian owners and custodians. In one of the most spectacular attacks
on
a Christian target, on May 17, 1948, the Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate
was
shelled with about 100 mortar rounds-launched by Zionist forces from
the
already occupied monastery of the Benedictine Fathers on Mount Zion.
The
bombardment also damaged St. Jacob's Convent, the Archangel's Convent,
and
their appended churches, their two elementary and seminary schools, as
well
as their libraries, killing eight people and wounding 120.
Today it is believed that the number of Christians in Israel and
occupied
Palestine number some 175,000, just over 2 percent of the entire
population, but the numbers are rapidly dwindling due to mass
emigration.
Of those who have remained in the region, most live in Lebanon, where
they
share in the same bottomless misery as all other refugees, confined to
camps where schools are under-funded and overcrowded, where housing is
ramshackle, and sanitary conditions are appalling. Most, however, have
fled
the region altogether. No reliable figures are available, but it is
estimated that between 100,000 and 300,000 Palestinian Christians
currently
live in the U.S...
-----
NICWJ VOTER REGISTRATION INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
The National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice (NICWJ) has
launched a
program called the Faithful Citizenship Project (FCP) is an interfaith,
non-partisan voter registration drive. We are attempting to do voter
registration in six different sites (Chicago, Syracuse/Elmira NY,
Kansas
City, Tulsa/Oklahoma City, Portland OR, and the Twin Cities), mainly
within
the communities of low-wage workers associated with various religious
congregations and faith-based organizations. The FCP offers a paid 10
week
summer internship for undergraduate students who don't mind traveling
to
one of these sites to do voter registration.
Applications are due Wednesday, May 26 to Charese L. Jordan, Faithful
Citizenship Project Director, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. 4th Floor, Chicago
IL
60660, V: 773-728-8400 x37, F: 773-728-8409, cjordan@nicwj.org. Check
out
our website for more info by visiting http://www.nicwj.org/ and
clicking on
Faithful Citizenship Project."
-----
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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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Wed, 19 May 2004 13:55:32 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Urge President Bush to Condemn Israeli War Crimes
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
NEWS CONFERENCE IN REACTION TO MASSACRE OF PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS
CAIR will hold a news conference today in Washington, D.C., in reaction
to
the massacre of Palestinian protesters. WHEN: May 19, 3 p.m. WHERE:
CAIR
Headquarters, 453 New Jersey Avenue S.E., Washington, D.C. CONTACT:
Rabiah
Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441
-----
CAIR ACTION ALERT #426
URGE PRESIDENT BUSH TO CONDEMN ISRAELI WAR CRIMES
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/19/2004) - CAIR is calling on American Muslims and
other people of conscience to urge President Bush and other elected
officials to end the United States' "servile stance toward Israel's war
crimes" in the Gaza Strip after at least 10 unarmed Palestinian
protesters,
all children and teenagers, were massacred on Wednesday according to
various media reports.
CAIR said the president's uncritical support for Israeli brutality in
Gaza
sends the message that his repeated demands for democracy and the
protection of human rights in the Middle East are disingenuous.
In a statement issued today, CAIR said:
"In his speech this week before the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee (AIPAC), President Bush devoted just one sentence to Israel's
ongoing destruction of Palestinian lives and property in Gaza. He
called
Israeli home demolitions and the killing of civilians 'troubling.'
Amnesty
International used another more appropriate term: 'war crimes.'
"But such lukewarm American reaction to Israeli brutality is no longer
news
to people in Europe, the Middle East or the Muslim world. For decades,
they
have seen America subordinate its own international interests to the
political whims of a foreign government engaged in a devastating
military
occupation of another people.
"Our servile stance toward Israel's war crimes contradicts repeated
claims
that America is the defender of human rights, democracy and freedom in
the
Muslim world. How can we claim to promote freedom in the Middle East
when
we deny it to the Palestinian people? How can we claim to demand
respect
for human rights around the world when we turn a blind eye to Israeli
rights violations? How can we claim to fight all forms of terrorism
when we
give tacit approval to Israeli state terror?
"America's image in the Muslim world will never improve until we put
forward foreign policies that apply one standard of justice for all
nations, not just for those that have a powerful domestic lobby."
ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE.)
1. Contact the White House at 202-456-1414 or 202-456-1111 to demand
that
the president condemn Israeli's war crimes in Gaza.
2. Contact the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign
Relations
Committee and House International Relations Committee.
Senate: Chairman Richard Lugar (R-IN) (202) 224-4651
Ranking Joseph Biden (D-DE) (202) 224-3953
House: Chairman Henry Hyde (R-IL) (202) 225-5021
Ranking Tom Lantos (D-CA) (202) 225-6735
3. Go to http://capwiz.com/cair/dbq/officials/ to e-mail the president
and
your elected representatives.
Copy messages to Secretary of State Colin Powell:
http://contact-us.state.gov/ask_form_cat/ask_form_secretary.html
4. Write editorials and letters to your local newspaper using the
talking
points provided in this alert.
5. Encourage other civic and interfaith organizations to condemn the
war
crimes committed by Israel's government via press statements or joint
press
conferences.
- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -
-----
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http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@cair-net.org
-----
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Wed, 19 May 2004 17:57:49 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Muslim CEOs Fight Terror/OK Hijab Case Settled
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/19/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: REPEL EVIL WITH GOOD
* BREAKING NEWS: U.S. KILLS 40 IN IRAQ VILLAGE RAID
- Contact Your Elected Representatives
* HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE THIS MONTH
- CAIR'S 10th Anniversary Community Picnic 6/13
- CAIR Library Project Sponsorships: 7459
* CAIR-CLEVELAND: ISLAMIC GROUP MARKS ANNIVERSARY
- CAIR-FL: Not In God's Name
- CAIR-AZ: Muslims Repudiate Murder of Berg (AZ Tribune)
* INCITEMENT WATCH: EDITORIAL CARTOONIST SMEARS MUSLIMS
* INCITEMENT WATCH: DEMOLISH AMERICAN MUSLIM HOMES LIKE ISRAEL
* U.S., OKLA. SETTLE MUSLIM HEAD SCARF CASE (AP)
- Holding of School Functions in Churches Questioned (AJC)
- MI: Opponents of Call to Prayer Present Petitions (AP)
* MUSLIM CEOS OF U.S. FIRMS FIGHT TERRORISM, 'STOP EVIL' (USA Today)
* CAIR-AZ: POLICE MUSLIM BOARD TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION (AZ Trib)
* R.I.: MUSLIMS SAY THEY WON'T MISJUDGE AMERICANS (Pro Jo)
* ARMY CONCEALED INVOLVEMENT IN ABUSE SCANDAL (ABC News)
- U.S. Faces Growing Fears of Failure
- What Does America Offer The World? (Antiwar.Com)
- Iraqi Prisoners 'Forced To Crawl Over Glass' (Herald)
- The Prisoner-Abuse Scandal at Home (Salon.Com)
- Iraqi Wedding Party Bombed By US (Reuters)
* BUSH BACKS ISRAEL'S DEFENSE (Wash Post)
- Bush Declines to Condemn Israeli Attack (AP)
- Bush Checked With Rapture Christians before Israel Move (VV)
* AMNESTY SAYS MYANMAR ABUSING MUSLIM MINORITY (AFP)
* AIR FORCE INVESTIGATORS OVERZEALOUS IN AL HALABI CASE (AP)
- Conyers Asks Justice Dept If They Lied To the Court
- Skepticism on Spy Case Is Reported (SAC BEE)
* AL-ARIAN'S LAWYER: TRANSLATIONS 'SLOPPY' (SP TIMES)
* CALL IN DAY FOR ANSAR MAHMOOD
- Pizza Deliveryman Hopes To Stay In U.S. (AP)
* MCC WELCOMES NEW AMERICANS "SOMALI BANTUS"
* DOJ: ARAB, MUSLIM & SIKH TRAINING IN THE SEATTLE AREA
-----
REPEL OF THE DAY: REPEL EVIL WITH GOOD
"[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, Chapter 41, Verse 34
-----
US SAYS KILLED 40 IN RAID ON IRAQ FOREIGN FIGHTERS
Luke Baker and Alastair Macdonald, Reuters, 5/19/04
BAGHDAD, May 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said it killed around 40
people in an attack on suspected foreign fighters in Iraq near the
Syrian
border on Wednesday, but disputed reports the victims were members of a
wedding party.
The attack occurred on a day when a U.S. soldier was sentenced to one
year
in jail for abusing Iraqi prisoners and President George W. Bush
prepared
to deliver a keynote speech next week to stem slipping support at home
and
abroad over Iraq.
"We conducted an operation...against suspected foreign fighters in a
safe
house. We took ground fire and we returned fire," said Brigadier
General
Mark Kimmitt, top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq.
Kimmitt said the attack 25 km (15 miles) from the Syrian border had
been
carried out within the military's rules of engagement and that Syrian
passports, satellite communications equipment and a large amount of
money
had been found afterwards.
Dubai-based Al Arabiya television quoted witnesses as saying U.S.
warplanes
had bombarded the village of Makr al-Deeb near the Syrian border while
families were attending a wedding party, killing 41 people.
Arabiya said casualties included women and children and showed pictures
of
several shrouded bodies lined up on a dirt road. Men were shown digging
graves and lowering bodies, one of a child, into the pits while
relatives wept.
"The U.S. planes dropped more than 100 bombs on us," an unidentified
man,
who said he was from the village, told the television station.
"They hit two homes where the wedding was being held and then they
levelled
the whole village. No bullets were fired by us, nothing was happening,"
he
said…
ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE.)
Contact state and national elected representatives to express your
concerns
about our nation's actions in Iraq and throughout the Middle East.
GO TO: http://capwiz.com/cair/home/
-----
HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE THIS MONTH
CAIR has launched a new drive to raise $80,000 online each month. To
help
us reach that goal, go to: https://www.cair-net.org/asp/donate.asp
Through a new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member
at
a Time," CAIR also intends (God willing) to sign up 25,000 new members
by
its 10th year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
Students Click here!
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=33172&page=NB
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: CAIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY PICNIC 6/13 IN VA
CAIR invites you and your family to our 10th anniversary community
picnic
to be held on Sunday, June 13, at Lake Accotink Park in Springfield,
Va.
(http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/parks/accotink). Admission is free but
registration is required. Food will be provided.
For more details, or to register, please e-mail irahman@cair-net.org or
call 202-488-8787, ext 6050
---
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7452 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
-----
CAIR-CLEVELAND: ISLAMIC GROUP MARKS ANNIVERSARY
Cleveland.com, 5/18/04
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1084959133154466.xml
America's largest Islamic civil liberties group will celebrate its
second
year in Cleveland with an awards dinner from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday at
the
Renaissance Cleveland Hotel. Outstanding Muslims from the area will be
honored and David Cole, a constitutional scholar at Georgetown
University,
will give the keynote speech, "Muslims in America: A Defining Moment."
The
dinner is a fund-raiser for the Cleveland office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations. Tickets are $50. Baby-sitting and
entertainment
for children will be provided. For information and reservations, call
216-830-2247 or 216-440-2247.
---
CAIR-FL: NOT IN GOD'S NAME
Ahmed Bedier, Tampa Tribune, 5/19/04
http://tampatrib.com/News/MGAL4B8LEUD.html
Shortly after arriving to work on May 11, I started receiving call
after
call from media outlets looking for reaction for the beheading of an
American civilian in Iraq. Even without viewing the videos, I
unequivocally
condemned this killing.
The people who committed this atrocious act claim to be Muslims acting
in
the name of God. This is hypocrisy, as in the Quran, God asks us to
``enjoin in the good and forbid the evil'' (3:114). While God in the
Quran
tells us that ``no one will be accountable for the sins of others''
(35:18), it is still my duty to speak up against injustices committed
by
others in the name of my religion.
The abuse or killing of captives is not only against international law,
but
also against Islamic law. Prophet Muhammad instructed his followers to
treat prisoners with compassion, to not kill them and to not mutilate
any
dead bodies.
The murderers who killed Nick Berg claimed to be retaliating for prison
abuses and torture in Abu Ghraib. But how can one claim to be doing
God's
work and yet violate his commands?
While viewing the ghastly footage of the beheading, as well as the
torture
of Iraqi prisoners, I felt shame, guilt, anger and, eventually,
sadness.
How could human beings descend to this level of animal behavior? These
images will haunt me for a very long time. As an American and a Muslim,
I
just hope I can do my part in bridging the ever-widening
misunderstandings
between the Muslim world and America.
The writer is Florida communications director of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations.
---
MUSLIMS REPUDIATE MURDER OF BERG
Arizona Tribune, 5/18/04
http://epaper.aztrib.com/Repository/ml.asp?Issue=EVT/2004/05/18&ID=Ar02900&Mode=HTML
On behalf of the thousands of Muslims in Arizona, the Arizona Chapter
of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations unequivocally condemns,
without
any reservations, the cold blooded murder of Nick Berg and repudiates
any
and all persons who commit such acts of mindless violence in the name
of
religion.
These actions are despicable and violate the fundamental truth that all
life is sacred.
Muslims are bound by a hallmark ethical and moral code. A Muslim who
violates the commandments of God in the Qur'an or those of the prophet
Muhammad must also be held accountable. When outlining the rules of
engagement for wartime, the Prophet Muhammad said on numerous
occasions:
"Do not kill any old person, any child or any woman;" "Do not kill the
people who are sitting in places of worship;" "Do not attack a wounded
person;" and "No prisoner should be put to the sword." Prophet Muhammad
prohibited the killing of anyone who is in captivity and ordered people
not
to pillage residential areas or cultivated fields during war. He also
outlawed the mutilating of the corpses.
Islamic scholars assert that war in Islam is purely defensive in
nature. In
addition, the Qur'an advocates kindness to people of other faiths who
do
not have open hostilities with Muslims. These clear and concise
statements
make any violation of these edicts a clear violation of core Islamic
principles.
Despite such clear injunctions, some Muslims who claim to be killing in
the
name of Islam are, in fact, completely defiling its essence. The
extremists
and militants who attempt to hide behind the veneer of Islam are, in
reality, openly violating many of its core teachings.
Just as the sexual exploitation and "leashing" of the Iraqi detainees
has
been universally condemned by people of all faiths, the overwhelming
majority of Muslims worldwide condemn the horrific death of Nick Berg
as
against all teachings of Islam and universally deplored by all
spiritual,
caring and decent human beings.
Unspeakable and appalling acts carried out in the name of any cause,
religious or secular, must be repudiated in the strongest possible
terms.
The endless cycle of violence and retribution must come to an end for
the
sake of sanity and peace.
DEEDRA ABBOUD
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CAIR-AZ
PHOENIX
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: EDITORIAL CARTOONIST SMEARS MUSLIMS/ARABS
SEE: http://www.ucomics.com/glennmccoy
McCoy's work appeared today in the Press-Enterprise
Meet Glenn McCoy: http://www.ucomics.com/glennmccoy/bio.phtml
ACTION REQUESTED: (As always, be POLITE.)
E-MAIL POLITE COMMENTS TO: gammons@pe.com (Editor of the Editorial Page
for
the Press-Enterprise), letters@pe.com, glenn@glennmccoy.com,
content@uclick.com
COPY TO: socal@cair.com
TALKING POINTS:
- This cartoon is offensive to Muslims in that it is based on false
stereotypes that Muslim men abuse women and that Muslim women are
oppressed.
- Islam values the role of women and protects their rights
- Generalizations like these serve to dehumanize Muslims and Arabs and
reinforce incorrect, negative stereotypes.
- Mistreatment of women is an unfortunate and un-acceptable practice
that
exists all over the world and which must be combated. It exists in all
societies and among all races and followers of all religions. Singling
out
Muslims is nothing short of bigotry and Islamophobia.
- Spreading racism and hatred against one group should not be confused
with
the protected right for freedom of speech
-----
---
INCITEMENT WATCH: DEMOLISH AMERICAN MUSLIM HOMES LIKE ISRAEL
http://michnews.com/artman/publish/article_3723.shtml
(Please do not contact the editor of this publication. It is a waste of
time and they have a history of using hostile comments to further
defame
Islam and Muslims.)
-----
MUSLIM CEOS OF U.S. FIRMS FIGHT TERRORISM, 'STOP EVIL'
Del Jones, USA Today, 5/18/04
http://www.usatoday.com/money/2004-05-18-muslim-ceos_x.htm
ROCKVILLE, Md. - Those who go to sleep at night with the threat of
terrorism on their minds might be surprised to learn that Muslim CEOs
are
running companies that watch over our safety.
Fuad El-Hibri is CEO of BioPort, the only U.S. maker of anthrax
vaccine.
o Houssam Salloum is CEO of Axiolog, a Detroit firm developing a
high-tech
system for tracking international cargo into vulnerable U.S. ports.
o Nafa Khalaf is CEO of Detroit Contracting, which after the Sept. 11
attacks in 2001 secured the five major treatment plants that supply
water
to 4.5 million residents of the Detroit area. Khalaf, 50, emigrated
from
Iraq in 1986, and his company is now working to protect water plants in
Iraq.
o Ahmad Mesdaq, owner of businesses in San Diego including a coffee
lounge
and cigar factory, this summer will launch an auto registration system
in
his native Afghanistan that will help authorities stop widespread
shipments
of explosives and drugs by warlords. Getting Afghanistan back on its
feet
brings security to the USA, he says.
The past three years have shown the war on terror is complicated. Just
as
sides can't be drawn up by national boundaries, neither can the good
guys
and bad guys be identified based on their religion or national
origin...
-----
U.S., OKLA. SETTLE MUSLIM HEAD SCARF CASE
Curt Anderson, Associated Press, 5/19/04
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/politics/8704102.htm
WASHINGTON - A sixth-grade Muslim girl in Oklahoma can wear a head
scarf to
school under a settlement between the school district and the
Justice Department, officials announced Wednesday.
The six-year agreement, filed in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma, also
requires the Muskogee Public School District to change its dress code
to
allow exceptions for religious reasons.
``This settlement reaffirms the principle that public schools cannot
require students to check their faith at the schoolhouse door,'' said
R.
Alexander Acosta, assistant attorney general for civil rights.
The government filed suit in March on behalf of 11-year-old Nashala
Hearn.
She had been suspended twice by the district for wearing a head scarf,
or
hijab, to class. School officials said her clothing violated a dress
code
banning hats and other head coverings.
Hearn and her family said she wore the scarf as part of her observance
of
Islam. The department's complaint charged with the district with
religious
discrimination.
Acosta told reporters that school officials raised their initial
objections
on Sept. 11, 2003 - exactly two years after the terrorist attacks in
New
York and Washington - even though Hearn had worn the scarf for several
weeks. The officials, Acosta said, told her that other students were
``frightened'' by her scarf.
"It is un-American to fear and to hate," Acosta said.
The settlement requires the district to put in place a training program
for
all teachers and administrators about the new dress code and to
publicize
the change...
ALSO SEE:
HOLDING OF SCHOOL FUNCTIONS IN CHURCHES QUESTIONED
Bridget Gutierrez, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/18/04
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/gwinnett/0504/19grad.html
Keisha Taylor may miss her daughter's fifth-grade promotion ceremony
next
week, not because of illness or distance, but because of religion.
Her daughter Keiyotta Cooper's school, Nesbit Elementary in southwest
Gwinnett, is holding the ceremony in a Baptist church, and Taylor is a
practicing Muslim.
"Although they're not going to be preaching anything at the ceremony .
. .
I feel ultimately, somehow, they are mixing religion with education,"
said
Taylor, who moved to Norcross from Philadelphia last year. "I heard one
parent last year kept their child out because they held it in a church.
I
don't think that's right."
Holding promotion ceremonies and other events in area churches is a
fairly
common practice in Gwinnett County Public Schools, where a burgeoning
student enrollment has led to a plethora of classroom trailers and
little
space to hold events on campus.
But as the state's largest school system becomes more diverse with an
influx of families from across the world, it's a practice that's
starting
to be questioned.
Yusof Burke, a member of the local chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, said the tradition could be seen as
promoting
one religion over another. "For some people, it is a sensitive issue,"
he
said. "And not just for Muslims, but people of other religions as
well..."
---
MI: OPPONENTS OF MOSQUE'S CALL TO PRAYER OVER LOUDSPEAKERS PRESENT
PETITIONS
Associated Press, 5/19/04
http://www.freep.com/news/statewire/sw98050_20040519.htm
HAMTRAMCK, Mich. - Residents of this Detroit enclave turned in
petitions
aimed at preventing a mosque from carrying the Islamic call to prayer
over
a loudspeaker.
Petitioners submitted 632 signatures to the city clerk's office Tuesday
and
"there will be more coming," said Robert Zwolak, one of the organizers
of
the campaign.
Only 552 signatures were needed to force the City Council to reverse
its
unanimous April 27 decision to amend the local noise ordinance to allow
the
Bangladeshi al-Islah mosque to carry the call to prayer five times a
day,
between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
The signatures must be certified and the council notified of the
certification by May 25 or the law automatically becomes effective May
26,
City Clerk Genevieve Bukoski told the Detroit Free Press.
If the council chooses not to rescind the ordinance, then it is
automatically suspended and must be placed on the ballot for voters to
decide. A vote could be held in August or earlier.
The prayer call issue has sparked much debate in this blue-collar city
of
23,000 that once was overwhelmingly Polish and Roman Catholic. Some
Muslims
say the call is the equivalent of church bells. Opponents say allowing
the
Islamic call gives that religion preferential treatment.
-----
POLICE ADD MUSLIM BOARD TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION
Doug Murphy, Arizona Tribune, 5/19/04
http://www.ahwatukee.com/afn/community/articles/040519d.html
In an effort to enhance communication with a growing segment of the
city's
population, the Phoenix Police Department has formed a Muslim Community
Board.
"The main purpose of all of our advisory boards is predominantly as a
communication tool," said Detective Harry Sexton, a liaison with the
Muslim
Community Advisory Board.
Sexton said that in the past four to five years, refugees relocating to
Phoenix have been primarily from Muslim countries, prompting the
department
to establish the advisory board.
Established six months ago, the board is one of several the Phoenix
police
have established since the mid-1980s.
The board meets about once a month and is made up of Muslim leaders in
the
city, including an Imam, and representatives from the Council on
American
Islamic Relations and the Nation of Islam.
The advisory board allows for the establishment of face-to-face
relationships between the Muslim community and the Phoenix police, "So
when
an issue arises, the community feels like it has a direct voice to the
hierarchy of the city and the police department and vice versa," Sexton
said...
-----
IN R.I., MUSLIMS SAY THEY WON'T MISJUDGE AMERICANS
Jennifer Levitz, Providence Journal, 5/19/04
http://www.projo.com/news/content/projo_20040519_mus19.1aa089.html
This is not America. This is not how they are. I live with Americans. I
blame whoever was in charge.
At Masjid Al-Islam, a gold-domed mosque in North Smithfield, there are
rules intended to keep minds on Allah. Once inside the sanctuary,
worshipers must refrain from discussing politics.
That is fine with Nasreen Ahmed, who arrives for Friday's prayer
service
draped in a dupatta, a long scarf, of fine cotton. Since the war in
Iraq
began, Ahmed has not wished to discuss politics in any setting.
Eight years ago, Ahmed, who is 50, moved from Pakistan to the thriving
Muslim community in Pawtucket, where she and her husband own a gas
station.
She has found it depressing to talk about Iraq with her Arab friends
and
divisive to talk about Iraq with her American friends.
But the unfolding scandal at the Abu Ghraib prison is changing her
conversations.
When she talks about that with her American friends, she feels united
with
them -- united in abhorrence.
The news of the prison scandal and the beheading of a young American
entrepreneur is so outrageous that it's strengthening the relationships
between some Arabs and Americans...
-----
FORMER ABU GHRAIB INTEL STAFFER SAYS ARMY CONCEALED INVOLVEMENT IN
ABUSE
SCANDAL
Brian Ross and Alexandra Salomon, ABC News, 5/18/04
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/WNT/Investigation/abu_ghraib_cover_up_040518-1.html
Dozens of soldiers - other than the seven military police reservists
who
have been charged - were involved in the abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib
prison,
and there is an effort under way in the Army to hide it, a key witness
in
the investigation told ABCNEWS.
"There's definitely a cover-up," the witness, Sgt. Samuel Provance,
said.
"People are either telling themselves or being told to be quiet."
Provance, 30, was part of the 302nd Military Intelligence Battalion
stationed at Abu Ghraib last September. He spoke to ABCNEWS despite
orders
from his commanders not to.
"What I was surprised at was the silence," said Provance. "The
collective
silence by so many people that had to be involved, that had to have
seen
something or heard something."
Provance, now stationed in Germany, ran the top secret computer network
used by military intelligence at the prison.
He said that while he did not see the actual abuse take place, the
interrogators with whom he worked freely admitted they directed the
MPs'
rough treatment of prisoners...
ALSO SEE:
U.S. FACES GROWING FEARS OF FAILURE
Robin Wright and Thomas E. Ricks, Washington Post, 5/19/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37745-2004May18.html
The Bush administration is struggling to counter growing sentiment --
among
U.S. lawmakers, Iraqis and even some of its own officials -- that the
occupation of Iraq is verging on failure, forcing a top Pentagon
official
yesterday to concede serious mistakes over the past year.
Under tough questioning from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,
Deputy
Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz, a leading administration advocate
of
the Iraq intervention, acknowledged miscalculating that Iraqis would
tolerate a long occupation. A central flaw in planning, he added, was
the
premise that U.S. forces would be creating a peace, not fighting a war,
after the ouster of Saddam Hussein.
"We had a plan that anticipated, I think, that we could proceed with an
occupation regime for much longer than it turned out the Iraqis would
have
patience for. We had a plan that assumed we'd have basically more
stable
security conditions than we've encountered," Wolfowitz told the
senators.
The testy hearing reflected growing anxieties with only six weeks left
before political power is to be handed over to Iraqis. The United
States is
now so deeply immersed in damage control -- combating security problems
and
recriminations from the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and making a third
attempt at crafting an interim government in Baghdad -- that lawmakers
and
others say Iraq faces greater uncertainty about the future than it did
when
the occupation began with great expectations a year ago...
---
WHAT DOES AMERICA OFFER THE WORLD?
Patrick J. Buchanan, Antiwar.com, 5/19/04
http://www.antiwar.com/pat/?articleid=2599
"So, how do we advance the cause of female emancipation in the Muslim
world?" asks Richard Perle in An End to Evil. He replies, "We need to
remind the women of Islam ceaselessly: Our enemies are the same as
theirs;
our victory will be theirs as well."
Well, the neoconservative cause "of female emancipation in the Muslim
world" was probably set back a bit by the photo shoot of Pfc. Lynndie
England and the "Girls Gone Wild" of Abu Ghraib prison.
Indeed, the filmed orgies among U.S. military police outside the cells
of
Iraqi prisoners, the S&M humiliation of Muslim men, and the sexual
torment
of Muslim women raise a question. Exactly what are the "values" the
West
has to teach the Islamic world?
"This war ... is about - deeply about - sex," declaims neocon Charles
Krauthammer. Militant Islam is "threatened by the West because of our
twin
doctrines of equality and sexual liberation."
But whose "twin doctrines" is Krauthammer talking about? The sexual
liberation he calls "our" doctrine belongs to a '60s revolution that
devout
Christians, Jews and Muslims have been resisting for years.
What does Krauthammer mean by sexual liberation? The right of "tweens"
and
teenage girls to dress and behave like Britney Spears? Their right to
condoms in junior high? Their right to abortion without parental
consent? ...
---
IRAQI PRISONERS 'FORCED TO CRAWL OVER GLASS'
William Tinning, The Herald, 5/19/04
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/16380.html
IRAQI prisoners were forced to crawl through broken glass and wear
women's
sanitary products, according to the female soldier at the centre of the
Baghdad jail abuse scandal.
Private Lynndie England, pictured pointing at a naked Iraqi prisoner
and
holding another by a leash, also reportedly told investigators inmates
at
the Abu Ghraib prison, near Baghdad, were beaten and had wounds
stitched by
untrained guards with needle and thread.
Other former guards at the jail told how a hooded detainee died after
being
taken to a shower room for interrogation by the CIA.
Details of the damning statement given to investigators emerged on the
eve
of the first court martial of seven soldiers charged over abuses at the
jail.
Specialist Jeremy Sivits, 24, is expected to appear before a special
court
martial in Baghdad today and plead guilty after telling investigators
the
abuse was the work of rogue soldiers and not ordered from above. Most
of
the other soldiers implicated in the scandal claim they were told by
military intelligence officers to "soften up" prisoners for
interrogation.
The US military, which faced international outrage earlier this month
after
photographs showed US soldiers humiliating and abusing Iraqi detainees
at
Abu Ghraib, has maintained the abuse was carried out by a small number
of
soldiers and that all allegations of abuse are promptly and thoroughly
investigated.
However, in a statement by investigators, obtained by the Los Angeles
Times, Private England, said "everyone in the company from the
commander
down" knew what was going on. She said guards forced detainees to crawl
on
their hands and knees on broken glass, threw a heavy ball at handcuffed
prisoners and forced male detainees to wear women's "maxi pads"...
---
THE PRISONER-ABUSE SCANDAL AT HOME
Michelle Goldberg, Salon.com, 5/19/04
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/05/19/maddy/
The American guards took Mohamed Maddy's glasses before they slammed
him
into the wall. A portly middle-aged father of two, Maddy was crying,
trying
to move his shoulder in front of him so it would take the blow, but
they
kept smashing him into the concrete, leaving him with dark purple
bruises.
Then they told him to strip, and when he balked at removing his
underwear
-- "I am Muslim, I can't do it," he said -- they screamed, "Fucking
Muslim!
Take them off!"
They made him bend over and said, "Take your hand and open your ass."
He
sobbed harder as they performed a cavity search. Afterward, they told
him
to get dressed and put him in handcuffs and leg irons connected by a
chain
to his waist. They ordered him to run and then stepped on his leg chain
so
he'd fall down, only to be yanked back up and forced to run again, over
and
over. Without his glasses, Maddy couldn't see where he was going, but
he
thinks he was running in circles.
Finally he was thrown in a cell. For the first month, the light was
left on
24 hours a day. If he tried to shield his eyes and snatch a moment of
sleep, the guards would kick the doors. On the rare occasions when he
was
taken out, he was strip-searched, often twice in the same day, even if
he
hadn't been out of the guards' sight. Sometimes they did the searches
in
public. Sometimes they laughed and jeered. An official report later
concluded that many of these searches had nothing to do with safety --
they
were about punishment and humiliation.
Stories like Maddy's have lately been pouring out of Iraq and
Afghanistan,
but he's never been to those countries. Maddy's ordeal took place at
the
Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where 84 of the 762 Muslim
immigrants who were detained after Sept. 11 were held. The torture
there
wasn't nearly as severe as it was at Abu Ghraib, and, according to
recent
reports, at Guantanamo in Cuba. But there are striking similarities,
suggesting that what happened in Iraq may be an escalation of a pattern
of
human rights violations that began almost as soon as the World Trade
Center
crumbled...
-----
BUSH BACKS ISRAEL'S DEFENSE
Dana Milbank and Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, 5/19/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37610-2004May18.html
President Bush told the nation's pro-Israel lobby yesterday that the
Jewish
state "has every right to defend itself from terror," as the
administration
softened its opposition to an Israeli incursion into Gaza that has
killed a
score of Palestinians.
The president, whose speech to the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee
(AIPAC) was interrupted 67 times by applause and chants of "Four more
years," delivered mild criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza. "The
unfolding violence in the Gaza Strip is troubling and underscores the
need
for all parties to seize every opportunity for peace," he said.
Bush's statement was an indirect mention of the events in Rafah, in the
Gaza Strip, where Israeli forces moved troops, helicopters and tanks
yesterday into a densely populated Gaza refugee camp. The operation,
which
a Palestinian hospital official said killed 19 Palestinians, was one of
the
deadliest in the occupied territories in years.
Bush's description of Israel's actions was at odds with the position
taken
by Secretary of State Colin L. Powell. Speaking in Jordan on Sunday,
Powell
said: "We know that Israel has a right for self-defense, but the kind
of
actions that they are taking in Rafah -- the destruction of Palestinian
homes -- we oppose." He said "we don't think that is productive" and
emphasized that "the United States is anxious to do everything that it
can
to stop this cycle..."
ALSO SEE:
BUSH DECLINES TO CONDEMN ISRAELI ATTACK
Barry Schweid, Associated Press, 5/19/04
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush on Wednesday declined to condemn the
deadly attack on Palestinian demonstrators by Israeli military forces,
saying he had not yet spoken to Israeli leaders. The president urged
``restraint'' by both Israel and Palestinians.
``I continue to urge restraint,'' Bush told reporters following a
Cabinet
meeting in the Roosevelt Room. ``It is essential that people respect
innocent life in order for us to achieve peace.''
The demonstrators in Rafah, Gaza Strip, were protesting against the
Israeli
invasion of a neighboring refugee camp. Hospital officials say at least
10
Palestinians - all children and teens - were killed.
Israel's military acknowledged that soldiers fired four tank shells, a
missile and machine guns to stop 3,000 Palestinian demonstrators it
said
were heading toward a battle zone in the Gaza Strip.
Bush pointedly refused to criticize the attack.
``We'll get clarification from the government,'' Bush said more than
five
hours after the attack. ``I haven't had a chance to speak to the
government.''
Bush said he expected to be briefed on the attack, but he insisted:
``I'll
continue to speak out about the need for all parties to respect
innocent
life in the Middle East.''
---
BUSH WHITE HOUSE CHECKED WITH RAPTURE CHRISTIANS BEFORE LATEST ISRAEL
MOVE
Rick Perlstein, Village Voice, 5/18/04
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0420/perlstein.php
It was an e-mail we weren't meant to see. Not for our eyes were the
notes
that showed White House staffers taking two-hour meetings with
Christian
fundamentalists, where they passed off bogus social science on gay
marriage
as if it were holy writ and issued fiery warnings that "the Presidents
[sic] Administration and current Government is engaged in cultural,
economical, and social struggle on every level"-this to a group whose
representative in Israel believed herself to have been attacked by
witchcraft unleashed by proximity to a volume of Harry Potter. Most of
all,
apparently, we're not supposed to know the National Security Council's
top
Middle East aide consults with apocalyptic Christians eager to ensure
American policy on Israel conforms with their sectarian doomsday
scenarios.
But now we know.
"Everything that you're discussing is information you're not supposed
to
have," barked Pentecostal minister Robert G. Upton when asked about the
off-the-record briefing his delegation received on March 25. Details of
that meeting appear in a confidential memo signed by Upton and obtained
by
the Voice.
The e-mailed meeting summary reveals NSC Near East and North African
Affairs director Elliott Abrams sitting down with the Apostolic
Congress
and massaging their theological concerns. Claiming to be "the Christian
Voice in the Nation's Capital," the members vociferously oppose the
idea of
a Palestinian state. They fear an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza might
enable
just that, and they object on the grounds that all of Old Testament
Israel
belongs to the Jews. Until Israel is intact and David's temple rebuilt,
they believe, Christ won't come back to earth.
Abrams attempted to assuage their concerns by stating that "the Gaza
Strip
had no significant Biblical influence such as Joseph's tomb or Rachel's
tomb and therefore is a piece of land that can be sacrificed for the
cause
of peace."
Three weeks after the confab, President George W. Bush reversed
long-standing U.S. policy, endorsing Israeli sovereignty over parts of
the
West Bank in exchange for Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip.
In an interview with the Voice, Upton denied having written the
document,
though it was sent out from an e-mail account of one of his staffers
and
bears the organization's seal, which is nearly identical to the Great
Seal
of the United States. Its idiosyncratic grammar and punctuation tics
also
closely match those of texts on the Apostolic Congress's website, and
Upton
verified key details it recounted, including the number of participants
in
the meeting ("45 ministers including wives") and its conclusion "with a
heart-moving send-off of the President in his Presidential
helicopter..."
-----
AMNESTY SAYS MYANMAR ABUSING MUSLIM MINORITY
Agence France Presse, 5/19/04
BANGKOK - Human rights watchdog Amnesty International accused Myanmar's
military junta Wednesday of severe rights abuses against the nation's
Muslim minority including eviction from ancestral land and forced
labour.
The Muslims -- who mostly live in Rakhine State in northwest Myanmar
and
are generally known as the Rohingyas -- are often forced to work on
roads
and at military camps, Amnesty said in a statement.
"They are also subjected to forced eviction and house destruction, land
confiscation and various forms of extortion and arbitrary taxation
including financial restrictions on marriage," the rights group said.
Amnesty called on the junta to ease its discrimination against the
group,
including harsh citizenship laws which exclude many Rohingyas from
being
naturalised even though their ancestors have reportedly lived in the
country for generations.
"The vast majority of Rohingyas are effectively denied Myanmar
citizenship,
rendering them stateless," Amnesty said.
"Rohingyas are often unable to seek employment outside their village or
trade goods and produce unless they have official permission and obtain
a
pass which they must pay for and often cannot afford," Amnesty said,
adding
the curbs hit the group hard as about half of them were poor day
labourers.
As the junta does not recognise the Rohingyas as an ethnic group, they
have
not been invited to the national convention currently underway in
Myanmar
aimed at forging a new constitution ahead of potential elections...
-----
LINGUIST: AIR FORCE INVESTIGATORS OVERZEALOUS IN AL HALABI CASE
Kim Curtis, Associated Press, 5/19/04
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20040519-0018-ca-guantanamointerpreter.html
SAN FRANCISCO - U.S. Air Force investigators were overzealous in their
pursuit of an airman who worked as a translator at Guantanamo Bay and
is
now accused of spying, according to an Arabic linguist who briefly
worked
on the case against Senior Airman Ahmad Al Halabi.
Suzan Sultan, a former Arabic linguist who left the military in
December,
called the Air Force's efforts at gathering evidence "unorganized, at
best," and said investigators only wanted to hear what fit into their
preconception of Al Halabi's guilt.
"Justice is supposed to work. It's supposed to be fair," Sultan said
during
a 1-1/2 hourlong deposition to defense lawyers April 27. "People
conducting
the investigation are supposed to be there to ... bring out the truth."
Instead, Air Force investigators at Travis Air Force Base only heard
what
they wanted to hear, Sultan said.
Al Halabi, 25, is a Syrian-born U.S. citizen accused of attempting to
deliver more than 180 e-mail messages to Syria from detainees at
Guantanamo
Bay, where the U.S. government is holding suspected terrorists. Al
Halabi
also is charged with mishandling classified material and repeatedly
lying
to Air Force investigators.
If convicted of spying, the most serious of the charges, Al Halabi
could be
sentenced to life in prison. He has not yet entered a plea during his
court-martial pretrial hearings...
ALSO SEE:
SKEPTICISM ON SPY CASE IS REPORTED
Sam Stanton and Denny Walsh, Sacramento Bee, 5/18/04
http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/9336751p-10261490c.html
Military investigators repeatedly ignored warnings that they were
overstating their evidence against espionage suspect Ahmad I. Al
Halabi,
instead pushing forward at all costs to prove the Travis airman was "a
little fish" in an al-Qaida ring based at Guant�namo Bay, Cuba.
The claim comes from a former member of the Air Force intelligence team
that led the probe of Al Halabi, and is contained in a 74-page sworn
statement, obtained by The Bee, that she gave defense attorneys last
month.
"My conscience was kind of bothering me," former Air Force interpreter
Suzan Sultan said in the statement. "I encountered situations while I
was
working with the (Office of Special Investigations) agents that I
didn't
feel were right. I saw things that I knew weren't right."
Sultan's statement played a role in a military judge's decision last
week
to free Al Halabi from confinement pending trial, and could result in
new
hearings questioning the truthfulness of military investigators and
lawyers. The defense has asked that all charges be thrown out as a
result
of Sultan's claims and other evidence.
Air Force prosecutors have denied wrongdoing, and have said the defense
claims are moot because they involve charges that have since been
dropped.
Al Halabi, a 25-year-old Syrian native and naturalized American
citizen,
was arrested last July after serving as an Arabic interpreter at
Guant�namo, where the Navy has incarcerated 660 suspected Taliban and
al-Qaida terrorists...
---
CONYERS ASKS JUSTICE DEPARTMENT IF THEY LIED TO THE SUPREME COURT
Representative John Conyers, Jr., the Ranking Member, on the House
Judiciary Committee sent the following letter to House Judiciary
Committee
Chairman, F. James Sensenbrenner, calling for a congressional
investigation
into whether the Justice Department communicated false and misleading
information to the United States Supreme Court at oral argument in the
Padilla and Hamdi cases:
Dear Chairman Sensenbrenner:
I write to request a congressional investigation into recent press
reports
which strongly indicate that the Justice Department, through the office
of
the Solicitor General, may have knowingly or recklessly communicated
false
and misleading information to the United States Supreme Court at oral
argument in the Padilla and Hamdi cases. It is of paramount importance
to
our system of justice and the rule of law that all parties appearing
before
any court fulfill their duty of candor toward the court. When the
Executive, through the Department of Justice, deceives the United
States
Supreme Court, our nation's highest court, it is a grave matter that
cries
out for congressional oversight.
The allegations levied against the Justice Department stem from recent
exchanges occurring between Deputy Solicitor General Paul Clement and
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Justice John Paul Stevens during last
month's oral arguments in the Padilla and Hamdi cases.
As part of those exchanges Justices Ginsberg and Stevens expressed
concern
over the risk that military detainees might be abused at the hands of
their
American captors.
In responding to these concerns, Deputy Solicitor General Clement made
three important assertions. First, he contended that the executive
branch
should be trusted to, "make the kind of quintessential military
judgments
that are involved in things like that."
Second, in responding to a question from Justice Stevens about whether
there are legal constraints on the methods of interrogating enemy
combatants, Mr. Clement said that "the last thing you want to do is
torture
somebody or try to do something along those lines."
Finally, in response to a seemingly unconvinced Justice Ginsburg's
declaration that some governments do engage in "mild torture" to get
information, Clement replied by stating, "Well, our executive doesn't."
This latter assertion lies at the center of the current controversy.
Just
hours later, the first photographs of abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu
Ghraib were published.
At a minimum, it is disturbing that the Solicitor General's office
provided
information that was clearly false, and others in the Justice
Department
knew to be false. More disturbing is the possibility that these
remarks
may have been part of a deliberate effort on the part of the Justice
Department to mislead the Justices in cases that will undoubtedly be
among
the most important decided in out lifetimes. This is also an apparent
violation of a fundamental tenet of legal ethics - the duty of candor
toward the court. After all, at the time of Clement's comments, many
officials within the Bush administration were well aware that the
Defense
Department was investigating grave abuses at Abu Ghraib, the Brigadier
General in charge of the prison had already been removed from her post,
and, according to The New York Times, some of Clement's colleagues at
the
Justice Department were aware that the Bush administration had
instituted
policies that allowed the Central Intelligence Agency to use "severe"
interrogation techniques on certain al-Qaida members.
Given the Judiciary Committee's primary oversight responsibilities over
the
Justice Department, it is imperative that our Committee take the lead
in
investigating these disturbing allegations. In addition to
ascertaining
the merits of such assertions, an investigation could also shed light
on
what information other officials within the Justice Department knew,
and
whether any information was intentionally withheld from the Solicitor
General's office.
---
AL-ARIAN'S LAWYER: TRANSLATIONS 'SLOPPY'
Graham Brink, St. Petersburg Times, 5/18/04
http://www.sptimes.com/
TAMPA - Sami Al-Arian's attorney told a judge Monday that he has found
numerous discrepancies in the translations of secretly taped
conversations
prosecutors used to indict his client on terrorism charges.
Even some of the government's own versions of particular conversations
do
not match, Bill Moffitt said.
"It becomes clear that the government was very sloppy in making this
indictment," he said.
Federal agents arrested Al-Arian, a former University of South Florida
professor, and three other men in February 2003 on charges that they
supported and raised funds for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a
terrorist
group.
Agents had taped thousands of telephone conversations over the past
decade
- most of them in Arabic - while Al-Arian was under surveillance.
Moffitt's allegations arose Monday as he asked U.S. Magistrate Judge
Thomas
McCoun to order prosecutors to turn over the names of the translators
who
listened to the conversations. Moffitt said he feels he should be able
to
question the translators at Al-Arian's trial - scheduled for next
January -
about how they arrived at their translations.
As an example, Moffitt pointed to one paragraph from the indictment
that
states Al-Arian "sarcastically" chided fellow defendant Hatem Fariz in
2002
for sounding upset about a suicide bombing that was in the news.
Moffitt
said that the government's own transcript reveals that the conversation
was
not sarcastic, and that the two men were not even talking about the
suicide
bombing...
-----
CALL IN DAY FOR ANSAR MAHMOOD
WHAT: Call on Thursday, May 20 from 2 pm to 4 pm in order to stop the
unjust deportation of Ansar Mahmood.
Ansar Mahmood, a young Pakistani man caught in the post 9/11 dragnet,
is a
victim of circumstance. Before being detained he was living and
delivering
pizza in Hudson, NY. Shortly after September 11, 2001 he was arrested
for
taking pictures of a valley that included a water resevoir. No
terrorism
was ever alleged or charged. He was taking pictures to send home to
his
family.
Mr. Mahmood's case has the support of elected officials including
Congressmen Rangel and Hinchey, and Senators Schumer and Clinton. The
Washington Post, the Guardian, and NBC are among the dozens of domestic
and
international media outlets that have spoken out against the detention
and
deportation of this young Pakistani man who was caught in the post 9/11
dragnet. We have collected hundreds of letters of support, asking
Homeland
Security to free Ansar. Now we need to step up the pressure - one last
time.
ACTION REQUESTED:
Call Victor Cerda, Detention & Removal Office, 202.305.2734 or
202.514.4922
Call Bill Cleary, Buffalo Immigration & Customs Enforcement,
716.551.4741 x
2530
For more information on how to support this campaign, contact:
Ansar Mahmood Defense Committee: Susan Davies @ 518.392.9477 or Bob
Elmendorf @ 518.766.2992
Families for Freedom: Aarti Shahani @ 212.898.4121
Also see www.chathampeace.org
ALSO SEE:
PIZZA DELIVERYMAN HOPES TO STAY IN U.S.
Michael Hill, Associated Press, 5/19/04
HUDSON, N.Y. - Ansar Mahmood has dropped his long-shot deportation
challenge and is leaving his fate in the hands of federal immigration
officials. In what his lawyer calls a "last gasp" move, he is asking to
return to his old life in upstate New York under supervision instead of
being deported to Pakistan.
Mahmood's legal troubles started when he decided to take a snapshot
near a
picturesque reservoir during the jittery weeks after the 2001 terror
attacks.
A suspicious guard posted at the water supply called police. The young
pizza deliveryman from Pakistan was eventually charged - not as a
terrorist, but on an immigration law violation.
Mahmood's resulting detention and fight against deportation has
attracted
national attention and roused neighbors around his adopted Hudson
Valley
hometown into activism. His fight has become a symbol to critics who
believe federal authorities overreacted after the terror attacks.
Now that fight appears to be near an end...
-----
DOJ ARAB, MUSLIM & SIKH TRAINING IN THE SEATTLE AREA
WHAT: The US Department of Justice Community Relations Services along
with
the US Attorney for the Western District of Washington and the Seattle
Police Department are extending invitations to attend an awareness and
protocol seminar for law enforcement officers, service workers, local
officials and community leaders from the Pacific Northwest. The
Seminar
will focus on Arab, Muslim and Sikh awareness. The morning session is
followed by a more specialized Training of Trainers for specific
participants that would be utilized for training in other local police
departments
WHEN: Thursday, June 3, 2004 at 8:30 AM
WHERE: Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center in Burien,
Washington, 19010 1st S Avenue South in room C151.
For specific information on this presentation, contact should be made
with
Rosa Melendex, Director of the CRS Northwest Region at 206-220-6700.
-----
MCC WELCOMES NEW AMERICANS "SOMALI BANTUS"
Please join us in welcoming "New Americans" to our Center on Sunday,
May 23
at 2:00 pm. Since we will be cooking Halal beefburgers, franks, and
other
food items for this occasion, why not plan to have lunch at the MCC
along
with your family and friends. All proceeds will be donated to Somali
refugees.
You can also bring a gift of your choice to personally deliver to our
brothers and sisters from Somalia. Any help you can extend to them will
be
greatly appreciated. They need books, clothing for adults and children,
furniture, rent assistance, and other household items to start their
lives
in the USA. Thank you.
Who are the Somali Bantus?
(For more information, please logon to www.somalibantu.com)
Most Somali Bantu arrived in Somalia Thousands of years ago as
migratory
agriculturists from center and southern Africa and settled in arable
regions characterized by high rainfall and extensive river systems.
Others
were brought to Somali through the slave trade in the 1800s, and to
provide
a workforce for the Italian and British colonial powers.
Religion
The major religion is Islam; however some Bantu converted to
Christianity
while in refugee camps and some start practicing other religions. We,
as
Muslims, must extend our arms for these refugees and do all we can to
make
them valuable citizens of our country.
Sponsors:
Muslim Community Center (301-384-3454)
African Community Center (202-483-0780)
MCC - Redefining Community Service
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
Forwarded Message
Date:
Thu, 20 May 2004 16:45:37 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Michael Savage - 'America's Laziest Fascist'
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/20/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: GOOD COMES FROM HARDSHIP
* HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE THIS MONTH
- CAIR'S 10th Anniversary Community Picnic 6/13
- CAIR Library Project Sponsorships: 7459
- Sign the 'Not In The Name Of Islam' Petition
* CAIR-HOUSTON MEETS WITH POLICE CHIEF
* MICHAEL SAVAGE: AMERICA'S LAZIEST FASCIST (Salon.com)
* JOINT STATEMENT ON GAZA VIOLENCE
* FL MUSLIMS: HEALING HANDS REACH OUT (SP Times)
- NC: 2nd Islamic School to Open in Fall (CO)
* AZ: AIRPORT INSTALLS CLEANUP STATION FOR MUSLIM CABBIES (AP)
- Washing Area at Sky Harbor Helps Muslims (AZ Republic)
* GEN BOYKIN: SMITING THE INFIDELS (Salon.com)
* NEARLY 9 OUT OF 10 IRAQIS SEE U.S. AS "OCCUPIERS" (Reuters)
- Iraq's Rebel Cleric Gains Surge in Popularity (FT)
- A Corrupted Culture (Wash Post)
- ABC Airs Troops Posing With Body Photos (AP)
* THE GAZA QUAGMIRE (NY Times)
- An Old Refrain that Stabs at the Heart (Haaretz)
- Hollings Defends Statements on Israel (Beaufort Gazette)
- Israeli Guards Rape Palestinian Women (IOL)
- LA Times Political Cartoon on Rafah Massacre (LA Times)
* ISRAELI, U.S. ATTACKS BOOST VIEW OF WAR AGAINST ISLAM (Phil Inq.)
- Arab Media Condemn U.S. For Air Strike (AP)
- Carelessness 'Defies Belief' in Wedding Attack (Scotsman)
- Mourners Say Musicians Among Dead at Wedding (Reuters)
* INMATES AT NOTORIOUS AFGHAN PRISON SAY ALSO ABUSED (Reuters)
* DATABASE MEASURED 'TERRORISM QUOTIENT' (AP)
* HELP REQUESTED FOR DOCUMENTARY ON LATINO MUSLIMS
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: GOOD COMES FROM HARDSHIP
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "When God wants to be
good
to someone, He tries him with hardship."
The Prophet also said: "For every misfortune, illness, anxiety, grief,
or
hurt that afflicts a believer - even the pain caused by the pricking of
a
thorn - God removes some of his sins."
Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 4, Number 1
-----
HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE THIS MONTH
CAIR has launched a new drive to raise $80,000 online each month. To
help
us reach that goal, go to: https://www.cair-net.org/asp/donate.asp
Through a new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member
at
a Time," CAIR also intends (God willing) to sign up 25,000 new members
by
its 10th year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
Students Click here!
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=33172&page=NB
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: CAIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY PICNIC 6/13 IN VA
CAIR invites you and your family to our 10th anniversary community
picnic
to be held on Sunday, June 13, at Lake Accotink Park in Springfield,
Va.
(http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/parks/accotink). Admission is free but
registration is required. Food will be provided.
For more details, or to register, please e-mail irahman@cair-net.org or
call 202-488-8787, ext 6050
---
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7452 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
---
SIGN THE 'NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM' PETITION
CAIR has launched an online petition drive designed to disassociate the
faith of Islam from the violent acts of a few Muslims. The petition on
CAIR's web site (www.cair-net.org), called "Not in the Name of Islam,"
allows Muslims around the world to help correct misperceptions of Islam
and
the Islamic stance on religiously-motivated terror.
TO SIGN THE PETITION, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org
TO READ THE PETITION ACTION ALERT, GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=169&page=AA
-----
CAIR-HOUSTON MEETS WITH POLICE CHIEF HAROLD HURTT
(HOUSTON, TX,) The Houston office of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-Houston) met Wednesday with Houston Police Department
(HPD)
Chief Harold Hurtt. The meeting focused on opening lines of
communication
between the Houston Muslim community and HPD.
At the meeting, CAIR-Houston Board President and Chairman Dr. Tarek
Hussein
outlined the mission and goals of CAIR-Houston, while Board Vice
President
Ali Khalili explained how Islamic values promote active citizenship.
Chief Hurtt, a long-time advocate of community involvement, emphasized
the
importance of education and supported the need for effective community
outreach. CAIR-Houston Executive Director Iesa Galloway asked for HPD
to
support several CAIR projects and offered assistance in recruiting
volunteers for the department.
Galloway proposed the formation of a quick response network to protect
Houstonians from hate crimes, developing future community resources
through
internships and educating citizens with a series of town hall meetings.
CONTACT CAIR-HOUSTON: 713-838-2247, info@cairhouston.org
-----
HATE HURTS AMERICA
CAIR recently announced a new campaign designed to counter anti-Muslim
hate
on radio talk shows. The campaign, called "Hate Hurts America," is
based on
the premise that the increasing attacks on Islam by talk show hosts
harm
the United States by creating a downward spiral of interfaith mistrust
and
hostility. A recent spike in anti-Muslim incidents nationwide has been
blamed at least in part on the increase in Islamophobic rhetoric in
America.
MICHAEL SAVAGE: AMERICA'S LAZIEST FASCIST
Dave Gilson, Salon.com, 5/20/04
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/05/20/savage/index_np.html
Michael Savage doesn't get out much. The hardcore conservative radio
host
of "The Savage Nation" has always been a relatively reclusive figure.
He
doesn't do book tours or publicity stunts. He's not exactly
approachable,
either: He claims to carry a gun with him at all times, and he doesn't
like
nosy journalists asking for interviews.
Not that he's the shy, retiring type. Lately, as the Iraq torture
scandal
has dominated the headlines, he has taken to calling Arabs "non-humans"
and
has called for the U.S. to kill "thousands" of Iraqi prisoners and nuke
a
random Arab capital. Deciding whether to pay attention to Savage has
always
been tricky, though...
Like everyone else these days, Savage was fixated on Iraq and the Abu
Ghraib prison abuse scandal. He managed to combine the two dominant
conservative takes: The first being Rush Limbaugh's insistence that
what
happened in Abu Ghraib was a harmless prank; the other being Oklahoma
Sen.
James Inhofe's assertion that the prisoners got what they deserved.
"These are tough interrogations?" Savage asked. "My father put me
through
tougher interrogations when I was 16!" He portrayed now-infamous Abu
Ghraib
prison guard Lynndie England as a poster girl for the war on terrorism
--
an embodiment of the idea that kicking Muslim ass can be fun…
Savage moved on to another of his favorite topics: bombing the bejeezus
out
of Iraq. Just a few days before the Uncensored event, he'd been ranting
on
the radio about dropping fiery death on civilians throughout Iraq and
the
Middle East. "I don't give a damn if they hide behind their women's
skirts," he foamed. "Wipe the women out with them! Because it's our
women
who got killed on 9/11! And it's our women who are gonna get killed
tomorrow unless we get rid of the bugs who are destroying us!" Tonight,
Savage continued to elaborate on this disturbing vision of how to win
the
war in Iraq. He said he fantasized of being woken up by the sound of
B-1
and B-52 bombers flying over his house on their way to the Middle East.
Imagining bombers overhead at 4 a.m., he gushed about these nocturnal
missions, "It's better than an orgasm -- it is an orgasm!"
Savage continued the psychological striptease, peeling off more layers
of
mainstream conservatism to expose his raging right-wing id. Though he
has
long billed himself as the original "compassionate conservative," his
brand
of conservatism does not share George W. Bush's pretense of caring
about
Muslim hearts and minds, much less lives. It appears that for Savage,
the
war in Iraq has nothing to do with spreading democracy or respecting
human
rights. It is about asserting American power by any means necessary,
and
screw what anyone else thinks. Predictably, and sadly, this notion went
over well with the audience. When Savage blurted out, "Does anyone in
this
crowd give a shit about the Iraqis?" he was answered with a deafening
"NO!"…
Luckily, the finale lasted all of 15 seconds. From the wings, Savage,
obviously thinking he was off-mic, barked, "Play the Arab music!" A
Middle
Eastern tune blared as his red Cadillac lurched onto the stage. Savage
was
perched on the back seat, dressed in white robes and sunglasses,
looking
like a costume-party sheik. As the car disappeared off stage, he waved
to
the crowd, "Goodbye, infidels! I'll see you in hell!" And with that,
"Savage Uncensored" slouched to its perplexing though somehow fitting
conclusion…
-----
JOINT MUSLIM/ARAB-AMERICAN STATEMENT ON GAZA VIOLENCE
We, the undersigned organizations, strongly condemn Israel’s recent
indiscriminate killings of innocent Palestinians, including many
children.
In particular, we cite the May 19, 2004 Israeli strike on peaceful
demonstrators resulting in the death of at least 20 innocent
Palestinians.
In addition, we denounce the demolition of Palestinian homes in Gaza’s
Rafah refugee camp.
As a result of Israeli’s demolition policy, dozens of homes have been
bulldozed, forcing Palestinians into homelessness at a rate of one
every
five minutes, totaling 1,000 in the past four days. This represents a
2500%
increase in home demolitions since late 2000, when, according to the
United
Nations, on average, a Palestinian was forced into homelessness every
2.5
hours.
Both the Bush Administration and the European Union have objected to
the
home demolitions. Amnesty International declared that the "extensive
destruction of homes and properties throughout the West Bank and Gaza,"
by
the Israeli Army over the past three and a half years "is not justified
by
military necessity," and that "Some of these acts of destruction amount
to
grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention and are war crimes."
Despite these objections, and the fact that 59% of Israelis support
withdrawal from Gaza, the Sharon government continues to carry out
counterproductive measures and promises, according Israeli Army Chief
Moshe
Yaalon, the further destruction of "hundreds of houses."
These measures will do nothing but perpetuate the already devastating
cycle
of violence that has resulted in the death and destruction of far too
many
Palestinian and Israeli lives. Destroying the homes of innocent
Palestinians serves only the purposes of extremists on both sides, to
whom
peace is anathema.
As Secretary of State Colin Powell has already noted, the United
States'
desire to, "do everything that it can to stop this cycle of strike and
counterstrike that has resulted in the loss of so many lives within the
last week" we call on the Administration to condemn the Israeli
government’s illegal behavior and demand that they cease and desist.
American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee
American Muslims for Jerusalem
American Task Force for Lebanon
American Task Force on Palestine
Arab American Institute
Council on American-Islamic Relations
Muslim Public Affairs Council
TO TAKE ACTION, GO TO: http://www.capwiz.com/cair/home/
-----
HEALING HANDS REACH OUT
Robert King, St. Petersburg Times, 5/20/04
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/20/Hernando/Healing_hands_reach_o.shtml
For 25 years, Muslims in Hernando County have gone about the quiet
business
of building their community and becoming pillars in the county's health
care system. But they are worried that their American dreams may be
threatened by the fallout from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001,
and
the subsequent war on terror.
Over the past year, the Times has researched the story of Hernando's
Muslim
community. The newspaper has interviewed more than 90 people and
attended
30 weekly prayer services at the local mosque. This six-part series is
the
result of that research and shows how, through it all, local Muslims
remain
united by faith.
Neurologist Mohamad Saleh helps people beat back the creeping fog of
Alzheimer's disease and plots ways to kill their brain tumors. In the
past
12 years, he has treated 50,000 patients.
Gastroenterologist Husam Shuayb probes into the deepest recesses of the
human body to seek out hidden cancers in the digestive tract. He has
performed 25,000 procedures in the past 24 years.
Obstetrician and gynecologist Samir Shakfeh performs the most intimate
medical care women ever receive. Equally important, women trust him to
deliver their babies. And in the past 12 years, he has delivered 3,000
Hernando County children, enough to fill three schools.
Although there are only about 200 Muslims in Hernando County - a
fraction
of 1 percent of the county's population - they account for 15 to 20
percent
of the physicians, depending on how one counts. Of the roughly 50
Muslim
families here, more than 30 have a doctor in the house.
They hold prominent positions: Ghiath Mahmaljy, one of the spiritual
leaders of the Muslim community, is the chief of medicine at Oak Hill
Hospital. Ayman Osman is the acting chief of staff at Brooksville
Regional
and Spring Hill Regional hospitals.
Trained in more than a dozen specialty areas, the county's Muslim
doctors
treat arthritis and ulcers. They prevent heart attacks and help people
breathe easier. They treat allergies and toothaches, even erectile
dysfunction.
"From head to toe, they've got you covered," said Shakfeh's wife,
Samar,
who manages her husband's practice...
ALSO SEE:
NC: 2ND ISLAMIC SCHOOL TO OPEN IN FALL
Christina Breen Bolling, Charlotte Observer, 5/18/04
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/local/8691522.htm?1c
Charlotte's only Islamic school now operates in a building owned by a
Presbyterian church.
It's been there since April, when it moved from the Islamic Center of
Charlotte after a disagreement over who should control religious
education
and other aspects of the school.
Now, the center plans to open a new school this fall. It will be called
Al-Huda, which in Arabic means "The Guidance."
But the center's plans raise the question: Are there enough students
and
money in Charlotte's Islamic community to support two schools?
Charlotte Islamic School, which opened six years ago with an enrollment
of
about 40, has grown to 101 students in prekindergarten through eighth
grade.
Ask what led to the school's departure from the mosque, and each side
has a
different answer.
Muhammad Banawan, who is leading efforts for the new mosque school,
said
center leaders disagreed with the school over who should oversee the
teaching of the Quran. They believed that was the role of the imam.
"When they wanted to make decisions in regards to Arabic and Islamic
studies, they gave the final decision to the principal," Banawan said.
"We
wanted to make sure that the school's fundamentals with regard to
Islamic
education were preserved. We're responsible for the students and their
education in those issues."
And, Banawan said, he and other mosque leaders wanted more oversight
over
the school's finances because the school often appealed to the mosque
community for money...
-----
SKY HARBOR INSTALLS CLEANUP STATION TO MUSLIM TAXI, LIMO DRIVERS
Associated Press, 5/20/04
PHOENIX- Sky Harbor International Airport has installed a cleanup
station
to help Muslim taxi and limo drivers meet their religious needs.
Two faucets located two feet above the ground enable the drivers to
conduct
ritual cleansing, including washing of the feet, before they pray.
They are situated as part of washroom facilities in a fenced-off
parking
lot on the west side of the airport, where taxi drivers gather, waiting
to
be called forward to the terminals for fares.
"The cab drivers were asking for more washroom facilities as a group,
and a
majority of them wanted some place to wash before they pray," said
Deborah
Ostreicher, public information officer for the airport.
"Sometimes there are as many as 400 drivers waiting, and they can be
there
for hours at a time. This is a way we thought we could reach out as a
customer service."
The facility was funded through airport user fees, she said, not
taxpayer
dollars.
Observant Muslims pray five times a day: at dawn, noon, midafternoon,
sunset and evening.
SEE ALSO:
WASHING AREA AT SKY HARBOR HELPS MUSLIMS
Michael Clancy, Arizona Republic, 5/20/04
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0520ablution20.html
When limousine driver Jihad Manfoukh needs a place to clean up before
praying, he heads to the taxi and limo holding lot at Sky Harbor
International Airport.
There, on a blacktop expanse, airport authorities have installed a
cleanup
station to help Manfoukh and other Muslim drivers meet their religious
needs. Two faucets, two feet above the ground, enable the drivers to
conduct ritual cleansing, including washing of the feet, before they
pray.
They are situated as part of washroom facilities in a fenced-off
parking
lot on the west side of the airport, where taxi drivers gather, waiting
to
be called forward to the terminals for fares.
"The cab drivers were asking for more washroom facilities as a group,
and a
majority of them wanted some place to wash before they pray," said
Deborah
Ostreicher, public information officer for the airport. "Sometimes
there
are as many as 400 drivers waiting, and they can be there for hours at
a time…
Imam Abdur-Rahim Shamsid-Deen, spiritual leader of Masjid
Jauharatul-Islam
in south Phoenix, said the station might be the first in the United
States
for Muslim drivers. He said the drivers include many refugees,
including
large contingents of Somalis and Pakistanis.
The cleansing, called ablution, is symbolic of purification,
Shamsid-Deen
said. The hands, washed three times, represent actions, and the feet,
also
washed three times, represent a solid foundation and a means of travel.
"We are preparing to communicate with the creator," Shamsid-Deen said.
"We
need to be clean."
Manfoukh, a Chandler resident who was born in Lebanon, said Muslim
drivers
have been asking for a place to wash their feet for about a year.
He estimates that 80 to 90 percent of drivers at the airport practice
Islam, adding that the group gets together and prays in a shaded area
beside the washrooms…
-----
GEN BOYKIN: SMITING THE INFIDELS
Sidney Blumenthal, Salon.com, 5/20/04
http://www.salon.com/opinion/blumenthal/2004/05/20/boykin/index.html
Saving Gen. William "Jerry" Boykin seemed like a strange sideshow last
October. After it was revealed that the deputy undersecretary of
defense
for intelligence had been regularly appearing at evangelical revivals,
preaching that the United States was in a holy war as a "Christian
nation"
battling "Satan," the furor was quickly calmed. Defense Secretary
Donald
Rumsfeld explained that Boykin was exercising his rights as a citizen:
"We're a free people." President Bush declared that Boykin "doesn't
reflect
my point of view or the point of view of this administration." Bush's
commission on public diplomacy had reported that in nine Muslim
countries,
just 12 percent of people believed that "Americans respect Arab/Islamic
values." The Pentagon announced that its inspector general would
investigate, though he has yet to report.
Boykin was not removed or transferred. At that moment, in fact, he was
at
the center of the secret operation to "Gitmo-ize" Iraq's Abu Ghraib
prison.
He had flown to Guant�namo (known as "Gitmo") in Cuba, where he met
with
the commandant of Camp X-Ray, Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller, ordering him
to
extend his methods to the Iraq prison system, orders that had come from
Rumsfeld. While Boykin weathered his public storm, he remained the
operational officer overseeing Miller's new assignment.
-----
NEARLY 9 OUT OF 10 IRAQIS SEE U.S. AS "OCCUPIERS"
Reuters, 5/20/04
LONDON - Opinion poll results to be released next week show nearly nine
out
of 10 Iraqis see U.S. forces as occupiers rather than liberators or
peacekeepers, the British newspaper The Financial Times reported on
Thursday.
It quoted the Iraq Center for Research and Strategic Studies as saying
more
than half of 1,600 Iraqis polled wanted the troops of the U.S.-led
coalition to leave Iraq, compared with about 20 percent in an October
survey.
The poll was conducted before photos showing abuse of Iraqi prisoners
by
U.S. troops were made public. The newspaper said the center was
considered
reliable enough by U.S. officials that they had submitted questions to
be
used in the poll.
"Iraqis always contrast American actions with American promises and
there's
now a wide gap in credibility," the newspaper quoted the head of the
center, Saadoun Duleimi, as saying.
ALSO SEE:
IRAQ'S REBEL CLERIC GAINS SURGE IN POPULARITY
Roula Khalaf, Financial Times, 5/19/04
http://www.ft.com
An Iraqi poll to be released next week shows a surge in the popularity
of
Moqtada al-Sadr, the radical young Shia cleric fighting coalition
forces,
and suggests nearly nine out of 10 Iraqis see US troops as occupiers
and
not liberators or peacekeepers.
The poll was conducted by the one-year-old Iraq Center for Research and
Strategic Studies, which is considered reliable enough for the US-led
Coalition Provisional Authority to have submitted questions to be
included
in the study.
Although the results of any poll in Iraq's traumatised society should
be
taken with caution, the survey highlights the difficulties facing the
US
authorities in Baghdad as they confront Mr Sadr, who launched an
insurgency
against the US-led occupation last month...
---
A CORRUPTED CULTURE
Washington Post, 5/20/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41341-2004May19.html
SENIOR U.S. COMMANDERS in Iraq insist that they never approved harsh
interrogation techniques for Iraqi prisoners. Yet those same commanders
now
acknowledge that abusive practices were employed against detainees all
over
Iraq -- not just at Abu Ghraib prison -- and in Afghanistan. The
International Red Cross has reported scores of incidents, and Gen. John
P.
Abizaid, the head of U.S. Central Command, said in a Senate hearing
yesterday that 75 abuse cases have been investigated, as well as a
number
of deaths. Some of the methods that the commanders say were never
sanctioned in Iraq -- and that, most experts believe, violate the
Geneva
Conventions -- were nevertheless listed on a sign posted at Abu Ghraib
under the heading "Interrogation Rules of Engagement."
How could this massive breakdown of order and discipline have occurred?
The
Bush administration still tries to blame a few low-ranking reservists
who
served at Abu Ghraib. But a more convincing answer can be found in a
memo
submitted to President Bush by White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales
in
January 2002. In the memo, which was first disclosed by Newsweek
magazine,
Mr. Gonzales explained why he believed Mr. Bush should ignore State
Department objections to his decision to exclude Afghanistan detainees
from
the Geneva Conventions. The presidential counsel derided the
conventions as
"quaint" and "obsolete" and claimed that setting them aside would,
among
other things, make it harder for prosecutors to charge Americans under
U.S.
law for alleged crimes against prisoners -- something he presented as a
"positive." Such contempt for the rule of law pervaded his argument --
and
was endorsed by Mr. Bush.
Mr. Gonzales did, however, point out several risks. Among them, he
said,
was the danger that "a determination that [Geneva] does not apply to al
Qaeda and the Taliban could undermine U.S. military culture which
emphasizes maintaining the highest standards of conduct in combat, and
could introduce an element of uncertainty in the status of
adversaries..."
---
ABC AIRS TROOPS POSING WITH BODY PHOTOS
Associated Press, 5/20/04
NEW YORK - Photos of two American soldiers posing with thumbs up near a
body packed in ice at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison were shown on ABC-TV.
The photos showed Army Sgt. Charles A. Graner Jr. and Spc. Sabrina
Harman,
both of whom have already been charged in the prisoner abuse scandal.
They also were shown Thursday on the Arabic TV station Al-Arabiya.
The detainee, whose badly bruised corpse was in a body bag packed with
ice,
died in the prison's showers while being interrogurated by the CIA or
other
civilian agents, ABC reported Wednesday. It said the Justice Department
is
investigating the death.
In an account published Monday, the Los Angeles Times reported that the
victim had been brought to the prison with his head covered by an empty
sandbag. It said he died in the midst of intensive questioning in the
shower by military intelligence officials. After he collapsed, the
interrogators removed the bag and then saw severe head wounds that had
not
been treated.
-----
THE GAZA QUAGMIRE
New York Times, 5/20/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/20/opinion/20THU3.html
While the world waits for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to make his next
political move, after the Likud Party rejected his plan to unilaterally
withdraw Israeli troops and settlements from the Gaza Strip, the
Israeli
Army is engaged in what looks like a plan to unilaterally destroy the
Palestinian territory.
In some of the heaviest fighting in years, 13 Israeli soldiers and
dozens
of Palestinians have been killed since the Likud Party referendum on
May 2.
Yesterday brought horrifying scenes of death as an Israeli tank and
helicopter opened fire on a group of Palestinian demonstrators,
including
children, in the Rafah refugee camp. Also, despite widespread
international
condemnation, Israel persists with its policy of demolishing hundreds
of
Palestinian dwellings in what looks like a heavy-handed form of
collective
punishment.
Israel indisputably faces a threat from Hamas cells within Gaza, but it
is
hard to see how these sorts of attacks on Palestinians will do anything
other than serve as a recruiting campaign for Hamas.
A political miscalculation is partly to blame for Mr. Sharon's
obsession
with appearing characteristically tough, lest his desire to withdraw be
taken for a sign of weakness. He should never have entrusted his
withdrawal
plan to a narrow sliver of the electorate, the one most susceptible to
pressure from the extremist settlers. If he had wanted to force the
issue
and deliver on his promise to President Bush, a better way would have
been
to call for a national referendum or merely a parliamentary vote. Polls
consistently show that more than two-thirds of Israelis favor
retreating
from Gaza, a sentiment expressed at an impressive peace rally in Tel
Aviv
held last Saturday. Even Mr. Sharon's defense minister calls the Gaza
occupation a "historical mistake."
Mr. Sharon's broader miscalculation was his belief that Israel alone
can
determine the terms of its withdrawal and the outlines of a long-term
accommodation with the Palestinians. Unfortunately, President Bush
helped
enable this fantasy by telling the prime minister in Washington last
month
that if Israel withdrew its settlements from Gaza, it could decide in
advance that it would keep some of its West Bank settlements and would
deny
Palestinian refugees the right to return to their old homes without
even
putting the issue on the table.
ALSO SEE:
AN OLD REFRAIN THAT STABS AT THE HEART
Meron Benvenisti, Haaretz, 5/20/04
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/429704.html
The sights of Rafah are too difficult to bear - trails of refugees
alongside carts laden with bedding and the meager contents of their
homes;
children dragging suitcases larger than themselves; women draped in
black
kneeling in mourning on piles of rubble. And in the memories of some of
us,
whose number if dwindling, arise similar scenes that have been a part
of
our lives, as a sort of refrain that stabs at the heart and gnaws at
the
conscience, time after time, for over half a century - the procession
of
refugees from Lod to Ramallah in the heat of July 1948; the convoys of
banished residents of Yalu and Beit Nuba, Emmaus and Qalqilyah in June
1967; the refugees of Jericho climbing on the ruins of the Allenby
Bridge
after the Six-Day War.
And perhaps the most shocking of all, the grandfathers and fathers of
the
Rafah refugees, abandoning the houses in Yibna in which they were born,
in
fear of the approaching Israeli army on June 5, 1948. "At dawn,"
reported
the AP correspondent, "it was possible to see the civilians fleeing
from
the town [Yibna] in the direction of the coast, without the
intervention of
the Israeli attackers."
Some 56 years have passed, and they are again fleeing in fear of the
Israeli attackers.
And the attackers adopt the same tactics, spread rumors and fire
warning
shots; and when the residents flee out of fear, they claim that they
are
not responsible for the flight, but then destroy the homes, for "after
all,
they are empty and deserted..."
---
HOLLINGS DEFENDS STATEMENTS ON ISRAEL
Beaufort Gazette, 5/19/04
http://www.beaufortgazette.com/state_news/regional/v-print/story/3596233p-3197542c.html
COLUMBIA, S.C. - U.S. Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings is defending
statements
he made in a newspaper opinion article he wrote that President Bush
went to
war with Iraq to protect Israel and appease American Jews.
The South Carolina Democrat would not grant an interview with The
(Columbia) State on Tuesday, but his office released a letter the
retiring
senator sent to a constituent as a statement. In his letter, Hollings
wrote
that he could provide quotes from Jewish leaders both in the United
States
and Israel to support his position.
He said characterizations of his comments as "anti-Jewish stereotyping
or
scapegoating is ridiculous."
In his column that appeared in three South Carolina newspapers earlier
this
month, Hollings wrote: "With Iraq no threat, why invade a sovereign
country? The answer: President Bush's policy to secure Israel."
He said Bush "came to office with one thought - re-election. Bush felt
tax
cuts would hold his crowd together, and spreading democracy in the
Mideast
to secure Israel would take the Jewish vote from the Democrats..."
---
ISRAELI GUARDS RAPE PALESTINIAN WOMEN � FREED DETAINEE
Samer Khuwayera & Hanadi Dwaikat, Islam-online, 5/20/04
http://www.islam-online.net/English/News/2004-05/20/article03.shtml
NABLUS � A Palestinian female freed from Israeli detention said more
than
15 fellow Palestinian women were raped by Israeli interrogators to
force
them to confess to charges leveled against them and collaborate with
the
Israeli intelligence.
"Israeli investigators and intelligence officers keep video tapes of
the
raping to blackmail the female detainees," she told IslamOnline.net,
requesting anonymity.
"I have been sexually abused and photographed. When I tried to travel
to Jordan after my release and Israeli intelligence officer dumfounded
my
with the humiliating photos."
She asserted that this techniques has been used for years by the
Israeli
interrogators against Palestinian detainees.
"They have used this raping techniques before my detention and continue
to
use it until today," said the Palestinian woman who spent nine years of
her
life in Israeli detention...
---
POLITICAL CARTOON ON RAFAH MASSACRE
http://www.latimes.com/includes/ramirez/today_ramirez_20040520.gif
-----
ISRAELI AND U.S. ATTACKS ON THE SAME DAY ONLY BOOST MUSLIMS' VIEW OF A
WAR
AGAINST ISLAM
Warren P. Strobel and Jonathan S. Landay, Philadelphia Inquirer,
5/20/04
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/8707579.htm
WASHINGTON - In a single, awful day in the Middle East yesterday,
Israeli
forces killed unarmed Palestinian protesters and Arab news reports said
that a U.S. Army helicopter killed more than 40 people at a wedding
party
in Iraq.
Other than the calendar, there was no connection between the two
events,
and the facts of the second one are very much in dispute. U.S.
officials
acknowledge that about 40 people died near Iraq's border with Syria but
said American forces had attacked suspected foreign fighters, not a
wedding
party.
In much of the Islamic world, however, three facts may help transform
two
incidents into the "clash of civilizations" so desired by Osama bin
Laden
and other Islamic terrorists: Christian or Jewish troops killed Arabs,
they
used American-made weapons, and the attacks were reported on
television.
As a result, many ordinary Arabs are likely to see the events in Gaza
and
Iraq as one, helping fuel perceptions that Islam is under attack from
the
West, Middle East experts said.
The United States took the rare step yesterday of not vetoing a U.N.
Security Council resolution condemning Israel's tactics in Gaza, and
President Bush has said repeatedly that the "global war on terrorism"
is
not a war against Muslims.
Nevertheless, the failure of the U.S. occupation to bring stability to
Iraq, the Iraq prison-abuse scandal, and Bush's past support for
Israel's
tactics against Palestinians have led many Arabs to question that...
---
ARAB MEDIA CONDEMN U.S. FOR AIR STRIKE
Donna Bryson, Associated Press, 5/20/04
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/8712389.htm
CAIRO, Egypt - Arab media gave little credence Thursday to U.S.
military
claims that a devastating air strike near the border with Syria - in
which
more than 40 people were reported killed - targeted a safehouse for
foreign
fighters.
The newspapers instead cast the attack as another example of an
American
campaign against Arabs and universally backed Iraqi claims that a
helicopter had attacked a wedding party.
Al-Arabiya, a popular Arabic satellite station, quoted witnesses as
saying
40 Iraqis were killed ``in shelling that hit a wedding party.''
``At 3 a.m. yesterday, they dropped more than 100 bombs,'' an unnamed
man
identified as a witness told Al-Arabiya. He was shown standing with a
crowd
of other villagers.
``A whole house, the man and all his guests, 41 or more, children, most
of
them are children and women'' were killed, the man said.
Associated Press Television News footage from the area near the Syrian
border showed a truck containing bloodied bodies, many wrapped in
blankets,
piled one atop the other. Several were children, one of whom was
decapitated. The body of a girl who appeared to be less than 5 years of
age
lay in a white sheet, her legs riddled with wounds and her dress soaked
in
blood...
---
CARELESSNESS 'DEFIES BELIEF' IN US ATTACK ON IRAQI WEDDING
John Innes, News Scotsman, 5/20/04
http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=573492004
THE reported United States attack on Iraqis celebrating a wedding will
undermine coalition attempts to win back support amid the growing
prisoner
abuse scandal, according to Sir Menzies Campbell, the Lib Dem foreign
affairs spokesman.
"The carelessness of American forces in attacking a wedding party
simply
defies belief," Sir Menzies said. "It is hardly surprising that they
find
our protestations of regret unconvincing."
Alice Mahon, a Labour MP and veteran anti-war campaigner, said the
incident
was proof that the US mission to stabilise and pacify Iraq is doomed,
because a military force will never win the support of an occupied
people.
"This atrocity just shows that the American policy is just a disaster,"
she
said. "They must learn that they can never hope to win the hearts of
the
Iraqi people through force. The occupying forces should leave now, and
the
UN should take over the transfer to civilian rule."
The slaughter in Iraq is "the last thing we need right now," said one
minister last night. "It's like a nightmare - every time you think it
can't
get any worse, the Americans come up with another disaster."
There are fears the incident will further radicalise Muslim opinion
against
the coalition. In Iran yesterday, tens of thousands of demonstrators,
some
throwing stones and petrol bombs at the British Embassy, protested
about
damage suffered by Shiite Muslim shrines in fighting between US troops
and
militiamen swearing allegiance to radical cleric, Muqtatda al-Sadr...
---
MOURNERS SAY MUSICIANS AMONG DEAD AT IRAQI WEDDING
Reuters, 5/20/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=5205136
BAGHDAD- An Iraqi wedding singer and his musician brother were among
dozens
killed by U.S. aircraft in an attack on a wedding party, Iraqis said as
the
two men were buried on Thursday.
The U.S. military says it attacked "a suspected foreign fighter safe
house"
near the Syrian border in the early hours of Wednesday, killing about
40
people, but denies killing civilians.
A cousin of Hussein al-Ali, a well-known singer from Baghdad, and of
his
musician brother Mohaned told Reuters they had been killed while
sleeping
after the wedding, at which they had performed.
"America is the enemy of God," mourners chanted as they carried the two
men's coffins in their funeral procession in the capital. Some fired
guns
into the air and others hoisted the Saddam Hussein-era Iraqi flag above
their heads.
The brothers' bodies had first been brought from the site of the
incident
near Qaim to the regional capital Ramadi, in the desert 110 km (70
miles)
west of Baghdad...
-----
INMATES AT NOTORIOUS AFGHAN PRISON SAY ALSO ABUSED
Mike Collett-White, Reuters, 5/20/04
Afghanistan - Inmates at the imposing Pul-i-Charki jail east of Kabul
may
wonder what all the fuss is about when they hear of the international
outcry over U.S. military abuses at prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Most of the 1,244 men at the fortress-like prison have just been moved
from
Shiberghan jail in the north belonging to General Abdul Rashid Dostum,
a
presidential adviser and key ally of U.S. forces during the war against
the
Taliban in 2001.
There they were beaten and undernourished, slept 26 to a cell and
cooped up
for months, and suffered tuberculosis caused by the overcrowding,
prisoners
at Pul-i-Charki interviewed by Reuters said on Thursday.
"For the first four months at Shiberghan we were not allowed outside,"
said
Shah Akbar, a Pakistani who was fighting with the Taliban when they
surrendered to Dostum's U.S.-backed forces near Kunduz, in the north,
late
in 2001.
"There were 26 of us in a small cell, sleeping on our sides on the bare
floor. I was beaten several times with a chain," said the skull-capped,
bearded 25-year-old from Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi. He
suffers from tuberculosis.
None of the 849 prisoners moved from Shiberghan has been formally
charged,
and none is considered to be a major security threat by the U.S.
military,
which questioned them there...
-----
DATABASE MEASURED 'TERRORISM QUOTIENT'
Brian Bergstein, Associated Press, 5/20/04
http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040520.gtseseintmay20/BNStory/Technolog/
NEW YORK - Before helping to launch the criminal information project
known
as Matrix, a database contractor gave U.S. and Florida authorities the
names of 120,000 people who showed a statistical likelihood of being
terrorists - sparking some investigations and arrests.
The "high terrorism factor" scoring system also became a key selling
point
for the involvement of the database company, Seisint Inc., in the
Matrix
project.
Public records obtained by The Associated Press from several states
show
that Justice Department officials cited the scoring technology in
appointing Seisint sole contractor on the federally funded, $12 million
project.
Seisint and the law enforcement officials who oversee Matrix insist
that
the terrorism scoring system ultimately was kept out of the project,
largely because of privacy concerns.
However, new details about Seisint's development of the "terrorism
quotient," including the revelation that authorities apparently acted
on
the list of 120,000, are renewing privacy activists' suspicions about
Matrix's potential power...
-----
HELP REQUESTED FOR DOCUMENTARY ON LATINO MUSLIMS
A graduate student at Boston University, studying broadcast journalism,
is
working on a short documentary film on Latino Muslims in the United
States
for her thesis.
Anyone interested in being interviewed or contributing research should
email: janemaaz@yahoo.com
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
Forwarded Message
Date:
Fri, 21 May 2004 16:09:17 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: NY Univ. Marks Eids/OR Muslim Released/More Abuse
Photos
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/21/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: A FAIR JUDGE IS REWARDED
* HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE - ONLY 9 DAYS LEFT!
- CAIR'S 10th Anniversary Community Picnic 6/13
- CAIR Library Project Sponsorships: 7471
- Sign the 'Not in the Name Of Islam' Petition
* CAIR-NY: UNIVERSITY SUSPENDS CLASSES FOR EIDS
- CAIR-Seattle Supports Habitat for Humanity
- CAIR-Cleveland to Hold Annual Banquet
- CAIR-St. Louis Voter Drive Needs Volunteers
* NEVADA MAN INDICTED FOR THREATENING DC MUSLIM GROUP
* U.S. RELEASES MAN QUESTIONED FOR MADRID BOMBINGS (Reuters)
* NEW DETAILS OF PRISON ABUSE EMERGE (Wash. Post)
- Memos Explained How to Skip Prisoner Rights (NY Times)
- Videos Amplify Picture of Violence (Wash Post)
- Link to Iraq Abuse Video (Wash Post)
- 'Gooks' to 'Hajis' (NY Times)
- Forty Dead. Two Stories. What Really Happened? (Indep)
- GI: Boy Mistreated To Get Dad to Talk (Greenwich Time)
- 'US Soldiers Started To Shoot Us, One By One' (Guardian)
* RABBI: KILLING INNOCENT IS ALLOWED IF SAVES LIVES (Maariv)
- Hollings is Right: It's All about Israel (Antiwar.Com)
- More Carnage in Gaza as US Mutters Disapproval (Guardian)
* CA: HATE CRIMES AT PRE-9/11 LEVELS IN O.C. (LA Times)
- CAIR on Increasing Number of Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes (CNN)
- Muslim Immigrants Feel Targeted by War on Terror (VOA)
* FL: LIVING, LEARNING THEIR WAY (SP Times)
- PA: A Test of Her Faith (York Daily Record)
* WV: MUSLIMS DECIDE AGAINST SITE FOR MOSQUE (Herald Disp)
- IL: More Traffic by Mosque? No Problem (Daily Southtown)
- AZ: Mosque Work Will Begin Soon In Scottsdale (AZ Trib)
- NY: CB 2 Oks Mosque, Zoning Fix (Astoria Times)
* MD: THE FIRST ANNUAL WALK FOR JUSTICE
* MI: CELEBRATION HONORS MUSLIM GIRLS DONNING HIJAB (AP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: A FAIR JUDGE IS REWARDED
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If a judge gives a
verdict
according to the best of his knowledge and his verdict is correct, he
will
receive a double reward. If he gives a verdict according to the best of
his
knowledge and his verdict is wrong, even then he will receive a
reward."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Hadith 450
-----
HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE - ONLY 9 DAYS LEFT!
There are only nine days left in May to help CAIR reach its online
fundraising goal of $80,000. We encourage every member of CAIR-NET to
donate at least $10 to the campaign. To help us reach our goal, go to:
https://www.cair-net.org/asp/donate.asp
Through a new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member
at
a Time," CAIR also intends (God willing) to sign up 25,000 new members
by
its 10th year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
Students Click here!
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=33172&page=NB
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: CAIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY PICNIC 6/13 IN VA
CAIR invites you and your family to our 10th anniversary community
picnic
to be held on Sunday, June 13, at Lake Accotink Park in Springfield,
Va.
(http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/parks/accotink). Admission is free but
registration is required. Food will be provided.
For more details, or to register, please e-mail irahman@cair-net.org or
call 202-488-8787, ext 6050
---
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7471 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
---
SIGN THE 'NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM' PETITION
CAIR has launched an online petition drive designed to disassociate the
faith of Islam from the violent acts of a few Muslims. The petition on
CAIR's web site (www.cair-net.org), called "Not in the Name of Islam,"
allows Muslims around the world to help correct misperceptions of Islam
and
the Islamic stance on religiously-motivated terror.
TO SIGN THE PETITION, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org
TO READ THE PETITION ACTION ALERT, GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=169&page=AA
-----
CAIR-NY: UNIVERSITY SUSPENDS CLASSES FOR MUSLIM HOLIDAYS
(NEW YORK, NY � 5/21/04)- The New York office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today applauded Albany University
for
its decision to suspend classes on two major Muslim holidays, Eid
al-Adha
at the end of the pilgrimage and Eid Al-Fitr at the end of the fast of
Ramadan. The vote by the university senate came after an effort
initiated
by Albany University's Muslim Student Association.
"Albany University has shown its commitment to diversity and we hope
that
other schools in New York will consider such inclusive policies," said
Firdos Abdul-Munim, CAIR-NY's Civil Rights Coordinator.
CONTACT: CAIR-NY, Firdos Abdul-Munim, 212-870-2002, 347-277-4061
ALSO SEE:
CAIR-SEATTLE SUPPORTS HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
WHAT: The Seattle office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR-Seattle) and Together We Build a World Community (TWB), a
Bellevue-based interfaith organization, will take part in a benefit for
Habitat for Humanity East King County with the theme of "Bringing
Together…Building Hope." The event features a keynote address by Dr.
Arun
Ghandi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and President of the M.K. Gandhi
Institute for Non-Violence.
The benefit will raise funds to continue the work of Habitat for
Humanity
East King County. Fifty-three families now enjoy the stability that
comes
from home ownership thanks to generous donations. Habitat builds hope
and
changes lives, one house at a time.
"The vision of Habitat, to make it possible for all people to live in
decent affordable housing, giving a hand-up, not a handout is an
integral
part of 'Faith in Action,' for Muslims and for people of all faiths,"
said
of CAIR-Seattle spokesperson Samia El-Moslimany.
WHEN: On Friday, May 21, 2004, Press Conference - 10:30 am, Luncheon -
noon
WHERE: Meydenbauer Center, 11100 NE 6th Street, Bellevue, Washington
Representatives from the media are invited to attend. For more
information,
contact: CAIR-Seattle, Samia El-Moslimany, 206-409-3407, E-MAIL:
samia@cair-seattle.org or TWB, Laura Capestani, 206-571-3047, E-MAIL:
lcapestani@aol.com
---
CAIR-CLEVELAND TO HOLD ANNUAL BANQUET
(CLEVELAND, OHIO, 5/21/04) On Saturday, May 22, the Ohio office of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) will host its 2nd
annual
dinner and fundraiser for its Cleveland office titled, "Muslims in
America:
A Defining Moment." Speakers will include Dr. David Cole, prominent
constitutional scholar and award-winning author, and CAIR's national
Executive Director Nihad Awad.
The banquet program will highlight the accomplishments of the new
Cleveland
office of CAIR-Ohio and CAIR's future plans at the local, state and
national levels. In addition, awards will be presented to outstanding
area
Muslims and supporters of civil rights from the community at large.
Special
awards will be given to public officials and members of the media.
WHEN: Saturday, May 22, 2004 from 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm
WHERE: Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, 24 Public Square, Downtown
Cleveland
Tickets are $50 and should be purchased in advance by calling the CAIR
office.
CONTACT: CAIR-Cleveland, Director, Julia A. Shearson 216-830-2247,
216-440.2247, E-mail Julia@cair-ohio.com.
---
CAIR-ST. LOUIS VOTER DRIVE NEEDS VOLUNTEERS
Starting today, CAIR-St. Louis will place representatives at five area
mosques to help register Muslims to vote.
The Missouri primary is July 7, 2004, and our goal is to register 250
new
Muslim voters before the primary. We need your help by volunteering for
15
minutes before and after Friday prayer services. CAIR-St. Louis will
provide the voter registration forms and all other necessary materials.
Please sign up TODAY to help with this important endeavor!
To sign-up, or for more information, just send your name and phone
number
to Khaled Abdel-Hamid (khaled_hamid@yahoo.com) or Zaki Mahmood
(zmahmoodus@yahoo.com) or call the CAIR office at 636-207-8882.
-----
NEVADA MAN INDICTED FOR THREATENING DC MUSLIM GROUP
New threat gives deadline for Muslim denunciation of 'jihad'
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/21/04) - A Nevada man has been indicted for
allegedly
threatening a prominent Washington-based Islamic civil rights and
advocacy
group, while a new threat received by that same organization targets
Muslim
religious leaders in America.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) received the first
e-mailed threat last September from an insurance broker in Reno, Nev.
The
e-mail stated: "We can deal with you easily especially because you are
on
our soil. You have taught us much about terrorism so get ready to be
the
receiver." If convicted on the one count of transmitting a threat in
interstate commerce, the sender faces up to 5 years in prison and a
$250,000 fine. Trial is set for July 13 in Reno.
Yesterday, CAIR received another threatening e-mail demanding that
"American Muslim Clerics" denounce "Jihad no later than 72 hours from
now."
The message went on to state: "It is to be done on National Television,
all
major networks. There can be a Jihad here as well you know. Act
quickly...the clock ticks." The message has been turned over to the FBI
for
investigation.
A person using the same e-mail address sent CAIR an obscene anti-Muslim
rant in April. That message stated in part: "I will fight you to the
death
and f**k and burn your woman!!!"
Also in April, the son of a Texas military chaplain who served in Iraq
was
charged with sending a threatening message to an El Paso Islamic
center.
Several Muslim businesses and mosques in Texas have recently been the
targets of bias-related incidents.
"American Muslim institutions and leaders face a growing number of
threats
and attacks from individuals fed a constant diet of anti-Muslim
invective,"
said CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "We appreciate the
fact
that federal law enforcement authorities are taking these incidents
seriously and acting accordingly."
Hooper said CAIR recently announced a new campaign designed to counter
anti-Muslim hate on radio talk shows. The campaign, called "Hate Hurts
America," is based on the premise that the increasing attacks on Islam
by
conservative talk show hosts harms the United States by creating a
downward
spiral of interfaith mistrust and hostility.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
-----
U.S. RELEASES MAN QUESTIONED FOR MADRID BOMBINGS
Chris Stetkiewicz, Reuters, 5/20/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5218376
SEATTLE - A Muslim U.S. lawyer, jailed for two weeks for questioning
over
the deadly Madrid train bombings, was freed on Thursday after a
fingerprint
said to link him to the attacks was found to belong to another man.
Brandon Mayfield, a former Army officer who converted to Islam, was
detained in Portland, Oregon, based on a single fingerprint of poor
quality.
The print was found on a plastic bag containing detonators that was
recovered near the station where the bombers boarded the trains on the
morning of March 11. Ten bombs exploded on four commuter trains,
killing
191 people and wounding 1,900.
Spanish officials blame Muslim extremists operating in the name of al
Qaeda. A judge has accused 19 people, including 15 Moroccans, of
involvement.
"I just want to say, thank God, everyone who was praying for me when I
was
in the Multnomah County Detention Center ... through what I'll call a
harrowing ordeal," Mayfield told an impromptu news conference.
Flanked by his Egyptian wife, Mona, and holding the Koran and prayer
mat
provided to him by authorities, Mayfield spoke several phrases in
Arabic
and English offering praise to God.
Earlier, Spanish police said fingerprints found on the bag of
detonators
were those of Ouhnane Daoud, an Algerian man, whom they said took part
in
the attacks.
A Spanish police statement did not make a link with the Mayfield case,
but
sources close to the investigation said U.S. investigators mistakenly
interpreted one Daoud fingerprint as belonging to Mayfield....
-----
NEW DETAILS OF PRISON ABUSE EMERGE
Scott Higham and Joe Stephens, Washington Post, 5/21/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43783-2004May20.html
Previously secret sworn statements by detainees at the Abu Ghraib
prison in
Iraq describe in raw detail abuse that goes well beyond what has been
made
public, adding allegations of prisoners being ridden like animals,
sexually
fondled by female soldiers and forced to retrieve their food from
toilets.
The fresh allegations of prison abuse are contained in statements taken
from 13 detainees shortly after a soldier reported the incidents to
military investigators in mid-January. The detainees said they were
savagely beaten and repeatedly humiliated sexually by American soldiers
working on the night shift at Tier 1A in Abu Ghraib during the holy
month
of Ramadan, according to copies of the statements obtained by The
Washington Post.
The statements provide the most detailed picture yet of what took place
on
the cellblock. Some of the detainees described being abused as
punishment
or discipline after they were caught fighting or with a prohibited
item.
Some said they were pressed to denounce Islam or were force-fed pork
and
liquor. Many provided graphic details of how they were sexually
humiliated
and assaulted, threatened with rape, and forced to masturbate in front
of
female soldiers.
"They forced us to walk like dogs on our hands and knees," said Hiadar
Sabar Abed Miktub al-Aboodi, detainee No. 13077. "And we had to bark
like a
dog, and if we didn't do that they started hitting us hard on our face
and
chest with no mercy. After that, they took us to our cells, took the
mattresses out and dropped water on the floor and they made us sleep on
our
stomachs on the floor with the bags on our head and they took pictures
of
everything."
The prisoners also provided accounts of how some of the now-famous
photographs were staged, including the pyramid of hooded, naked
prisoners.
Eight of the detainees identified by name one particular soldier at the
center of the abuse investigation, Spec. Charles A. Graner Jr., a
member of
the 372nd Military Police Company from Cresaptown, Md. Five others
described abuse at the hands of a solider who matches Graner's
description...
ALSO SEE:
JUSTICE MEMOS EXPLAINED HOW TO SKIP PRISONER RIGHTS
Neil Lewis, New York Times, 5/21/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/21/politics/21MEMO.html
WASHINGTON - A series of Justice Department memorandums written in late
2001 and the first few months of 2002 were crucial in building a legal
framework for United States officials to avoid complying with
international
laws and treaties on handling prisoners, lawyers and former officials
say.
The confidential memorandums, several of which were written or
co-written
by John C. Yoo, a University of California law professor who was
serving in
the department, provided arguments to keep United States officials from
being charged with war crimes for the way prisoners were detained and
interrogated. They were endorsed by top lawyers in the White House, the
Pentagon and the vice president's office but drew dissents from the
State
Department.
The memorandums provide legal arguments to support administration
officials' assertions that the Geneva Conventions did not apply to
detainees from the Afghanistan war. They also suggested how officials
could
inoculate themselves from liability by claiming that abused prisoners
were
in some other nation's custody.
The methods of detention and interrogation used in the Afghanistan
conflict, in which the United States operated outside the Geneva
Conventions, is at the heart of an investigation into prisoner abuse in
Iraq in recent months. Human rights lawyers have said that in showing
disrespect for international law in the Afghanistan conflict, the stage
was
set for harsh treatment in Iraq.
One of the memorandums written by Mr. Yoo along with Robert J.
Delahunty,
another Justice Department lawyer, was prepared on Jan. 9, 2002, four
months after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. The
42-page
memorandum, entitled, "Application of treaties and laws to Al Qaeda and
Taliban detainees," provided several legal arguments for avoiding the
jurisdiction of the Geneva Conventions...
---
VIDEOS AMPLIFY PICTURE OF VIOLENCE
Josh White, Christian Davenport and Scott Higham, Washington Post,
5/21/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A43785-2004May20
The video begins with three soldiers huddled around a naked detainee,
his
thin frame backed against a wall. With a snap of his wrist, one of the
soldiers slaps the man across his left cheek so hard that the
prisoner's
knees buckle. Another detainee, handcuffed and on his back, is dragged
across the prison floor.
Then, the human pyramid begins to take shape. Soldiers force hooded and
naked prisoners into crouches on the floor, one by one, side by side, a
soldier pointing to where the next ones should go. The video stops. But
there is more.
In a collection of hundreds of so-far-unreleased photographs and short
digital videos obtained by The Washington Post, U.S. soldiers are shown
physically and emotionally abusing detainees last fall in the Abu
Ghraib
prison on the outskirts of Baghdad.
The new pictures and videos go beyond the photos previously released to
the
public in several ways, amplifying the overt violence against detainees
and
displaying a variety of abusive techniques previously unseen. They show
a
group of apparently cavalier soldiers assaulting prisoners, forcing
detainees to masturbate, and standing over a naked prisoner while
holding a
shotgun. Some of the videos echo scenes in previously released still
photographs -- such as the stacking of naked detainees -- but the video
images render the incidents more vividly.
Defense Department spokesman Lawrence T. DiRita said the photographs,
by
description, sounded like those the Pentagon has exhibited to members
of
Congress and that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld had warned might
yet
become public. "There are a series of investigations going on as a
result
of the disclosure of the activities depicted on photos," DiRita said
last
night.
The new images do not shed light on who directed the abuse, a question
central to the court cases of the 372nd Military Police Company
soldiers
charged in the abuse scandal. But the pictures do show soldiers
appearing
to delight in the abuses, and they starkly reveal several detainees
cowering in fear...
ALSO SEE:
LINK TO VIDEO
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/mmedia/nation/052104-1vv.htm
The edited video excerpt is from a collection of short digital video
files
obtained by The Washington Post. The videos appear to show U.S.
soldiers
abusing detainees last fall in Abu Ghraib prison.
In this video, soldiers are shown apparently attempting to arrange a
human
pyramid with naked Iraqi prisoners -- a scene similar to those also
shown
in previously obtained photographs.
The video, which was originally recorded sideways, has been edited to
display vertically here and certain body parts have been obscured. The
brightness of the video, which appeared to have been recorded in low
light,
was increased as well.
---
'GOOKS' TO 'HAJIS'
Bob Herbert, New York Times, 5/21/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/21/opinion/21HERB.html
The hapless Jeremy Sivits got the headlines yesterday. A mechanic whose
job
was to service gasoline-powered generators, Specialist Sivits was
sentenced
to a year in prison and thrown out of the Army for accepting an
invitation
to take part in the sadistic treatment of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib
prison.
But there's another soldier in serious trouble to whom we should be
paying
even closer attention. His case doesn't just call into question the
treatment of prisoners by U.S. forces. It calls into question this
entire
abominable war.
Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia is a 28-year-old member of the Florida National
Guard who served six harrowing months in Iraq, went home to Miami on a
furlough last October, and then refused to return to his unit when the
furlough ended.
Sergeant Mejia has been charged with desertion. His court-martial at
Fort
Stewart, Ga., began Wednesday, the same day that Specialist Sivits
pleaded
guilty to the charges against him. If Sergeant Mejia is convicted, he
will
face a similar punishment, a year in prison and a bad-conduct
discharge.
Sergeant Mejia told me in a long telephone interview this week that he
had
qualms about the war from the beginning but he followed his orders and
went
to Iraq in April 2003. He led an infantry squad and saw plenty of
action.
But the more he thought about the war - including the slaughter of
Iraqi
civilians, the mistreatment of prisoners (which he personally
witnessed),
the killing of children, the cruel deaths of American G.I.'s (some of
whom
are the targets of bounty hunters in search of a reported $2,000 per
head),
the ineptitude of inexperienced, glory-hunting military officers who at
times are needlessly putting U.S. troops in even greater danger, and
the
growing rage among coalition troops against all Iraqis (known
derisively as
"hajis," the way the Vietnamese were known as "gooks") - the more he
thought about these things, the more he felt that this war could not be
justified, and that he could no longer be part of it...
---
ONE INCIDENT. FORTY DEAD. TWO STORIES. WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?
Justin Huggler in Baghdad, Independent, 5/21/04
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=523356
A tiny bundle of blankets is unwrapped; inside is the body of a baby,
its
limbs smeared with dried blood. Then the mourners peel back the blanket
further to reveal a second dead baby.
Another blanket is opened; inside are the bodies of a mother and child.
The
child, six or seven years old, is lying against his or her mother, as
if
seeking comfort. But the child has no head.
These are the images that American forces in Iraq had no answer to
yesterday. They come from video footage of the burials of 41 men, women
and
children. The Iraqis say they died when American planes launched air
strikes on a wedding party near the Syrian border on Wednesday.
US forces insist that the attack was on a safe house used by foreign
fighters entering Iraq from Syria. They do not dispute that they killed
about 40 people, but claim American forces were returning fire and the
dead
were all foreign fighters. For the video footage that shows dead women
and
children they have no explanation.
So potentially damaging is the video to the US occupation that American
officials have demanded that the Dubai-based al-Arabiya television news
network, which obtained the footage, give them the name of the
cameraman
who took it. Al-Arabiya has refused.
In the footage men weep and cling to the bodies of their loved ones
before
they are buried. There are dozens of bundles wrapped in
flower-patterned
blankets. Some of these images were shown on Western television news
yesterday, but not the most disturbing: the bodies themselves...
---
GI: BOY MISTREATED TO GET DAD TO TALK SAYS 16-YEAR-OLD WAS STRIPPED
NAKED
Mike Dorning, Greenwich Time, 5/21/04
http://www.greenwichtime.com/news/nationworld/chi-0405200268may20,0,6170712.story
WASHINGTON -- A military intelligence analyst who recently completed
duty
at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq said Wednesday that the 16-year-old son of
a
detainee there was abused by U.S. soldiers to break his father's
resistance
to interrogators.
The analyst said the teenager was stripped naked, thrown in the back of
an
open truck, driven around in the cold night air, splattered with mud
and
then presented to his father at Abu Ghraib, the prison at the center of
the
scandal over abuse of Iraqi detainees.
Upon seeing his frail and frightened son, the prisoner broke down and
cried
and told interrogators he would tell them whatever they wanted, the
analyst
said.
The new account of mistreatment came as Army Spec. Jeremy Sivits was
sentenced in Iraq to a year in prison Wednesday and a bad-conduct
discharge
after pleading guilty in the first court-martial stemming from the
abuses
at Abu Ghraib.
In Washington, top commanders for U.S. forces in Iraq told senators
they
never approved abusive techniques for interrogating prisoners. But they
also promised that investigators would scrutinize everyone in the chain
of
command, including the generals themselves.
Sgt. Samuel Provance, who maintained the 302nd Military Intelligence
Battalion's top-secret computer system at Abu Ghraib prison, gave the
account of abuse of the teenager in a telephone interview from Germany,
where he is now stationed. He said he also has described the incident
to
Army investigators.
Provance's account of mistreatment of a prisoner's son is consistent
with
concerns raised by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which
had
received reports that interrogators were threatening reprisals against
detainees' family members.
Provance already has been deemed a credible witness by Maj. Gen.
Antonio
Taguba, who included the Army sergeant in a list of witnesses whose
statements he relied on to make his findings of prisoner mistreatment
at
Abu Ghraib...
---
'US SOLDIERS STARTED TO SHOOT US, ONE BY ONE'
Rory McCarthy in Ramadi, Guardian, 5/21/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1221658,00.html
The wedding feast was finished and the women had just led the young
bride
and groom away to their marriage tent for the night when Haleema Shihab
heard the first sounds of the fighter jets screeching through the sky
above.
It was 10.30pm in the remote village of Mukaradeeb by the Syrian border
and
the guests hurried back to their homes as the party ended. As
sister-in-law
of the groom, Mrs Shihab, 30, was to sleep with her husband and
children in
the house of the wedding party, the Rakat family villa. She was one of
the
few in the house who survived the night.
"The bombing started at 3am," she said yesterday from her bed in the
emergency ward at Ramadi general hospital, 60 miles west of Baghdad.
"We
went out of the house and the American soldiers started to shoot us.
They
were shooting low on the ground and targeting us one by one," she said.
She
ran with her youngest child in her arms and her two young boys, Ali and
Hamza, close behind. As she crossed the fields a shell exploded close
to
her, fracturing her legs and knocking her to the ground.
She lay there and a second round hit her on the right arm. By then her
two
boys lay dead. "I left them because they were dead," she said. One, she
saw, had been decapitated by a shell.
"I fell into the mud and an American soldier came and kicked me. I
pretended to be dead so he wouldn't kill me. My youngest child was
alive
next to me."
Mrs Shibab's description, backed by other witnesses, of an attack on a
sleeping village is at odds with the American claim that they came
under
fire while targeting a suspected foreign fighter safe house.
She described how in the hours before dawn she watched as American
troops
destroyed the Rakat villa and the house next door, reducing the
buildings
to rubble.
Another relative carried Mrs Shihab and her surviving child to
hospital.
There she was told her husband Mohammed, the eldest of the Rakat sons,
had
also died.
As Mrs Shihab spoke she gestured with hands still daubed red-brown with
the
henna the women had used to decorate themselves for the wedding.
Alongside
her in the ward yesterday were three badly injured girls from the Rakat
family: Khalood Mohammed, aged just a year and struggling for breath,
Moaza
Rakat, 12, and Iqbal Rakat, 15, whose right foot doctors had already
amputated...
-----
SETTLER RABBI: KILLING INNOCENT PEOPLE IN WAR IS ALLOWED IF SAVES LIVES
Uri Glickman, Maariv, 5/20/04
http://www.maarivintl.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=article&articleID=7626
The IDF are allowed to hurt so called innocent civilians during
warfare,
Chairman of the Yesha rabbinical council (Judea, Samaria and Gaza
Strip),
Rabbi Dov Lior, said in a Halachic (Jewish law) ruling made public
Wednesday.
"The law of our Torah is to have mercy on our soldiers and to save
them.
This is the real moral behind Israel's Torah and we must not feel
guilty
due to foreign morals," Lior said.
Sources close to the Rabbi explained that Lior made the remarks Tuesday
night and they had nothing to do with Wednesday's events in Gaza. The
IDF
is allowed to use all means at its disposal to defeat terrorism "even
if it
means 'innocent' people are killed", the sources said.
The religious community did not publicly condemn Rabbi Lior's ruling
but
warned against its implications. "It is a dangerous step that could
test
all religious IDF commanders taking part in the current fighting",
sources
in the Yesha community told Maariv.
ALSO SEE:
SENATOR HOLLINGS IS RIGHT IT'S ALL ABOUT ISRAEL
Justin Raimondo, Antiwar.com, 5/21/04
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/
Isn't it funny how politicians have to wait until just before going
into
retirement to say what they really think about Israel and its influence
over Washington policymakers?
Congressman Lee Hamilton (D-Illinois), formerly the senior Democrat on
the
House International Relations Committee, waited until after announcing
his
departure from Congress to attend a symposium on the Middle East where
he
noted that his congressional colleagues are "not even-handed" when it
comes
to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict "for political reasons." Rep.
Hamilton
went on to say:
"Israeli leaders understand our system very, very well [and] because
they
understand our system they can exploit it."
Rep. Sonny Callahan (R-Alabama) earned the ire of Tel Aviv's lobby by
opposing "emergency aid" to Israel. In a speech on the House floor, a
clearly angered Callahan lashed out at the Amen Corner:
"I am going to offer amendments as we go through the bill to strike all
of
the aid to Israel that was included here without any request from
Israel,
without any request from the administration, without any requests from
anybody. But someone within this beltway decided since we were going to
have a supplemental bill, they were going to get some pork in it for
Israel."
Please note that Callahan did this only after announcing his retirement
plans. Now Senator Ernest Hollings, whose legendary disdain for
political
correctness has gotten him in trouble before, has joined the ranks of
the
belatedly honest, and said what a few others - such as Michael Kinsley,
Pat
Buchanan, and myself - have said all along. In an op-ed piece first
published in the Charleston Post and Courier, the senator, having just
announced his retirement, took up the question of why are we in Iraq,
and
came up with this answer...
---
MORE CARNAGE IN GAZA AS THE US MUTTERS ITS DISAPPROVAL
Jonathan Steele, Guardian, 5/21/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/comment/0,10551,1221619,00.html
Israel's latest outrages in Gaza have produced a rare but tiny hint of
American disapproval. For the first time since the Israeli assault on
West
Bank cities two years ago, the United States has abstained on a
critical UN
resolution rather than vetoing it. Colin Powell, the secretary of
state,
said Israel's actions "have caused a problem and worsened the
situation".
James Cunningham, representing the US at the UN, said the Israeli
behaviour
has "not enhanced Israeli security".
But if Israeli forces pull back shortly, as many Israeli commentators
assume, it will not be because the prime minister, Ariel Sharon, is
listening to Washington. It is more likely to be out of fear that more
Israeli soldiers will die. Thirteen have been killed by the
Palestinians'
armed resistance in the Gaza Strip over the last three weeks. In spite
of
the Israeli army's vastly superior fire-power and its ruthless
willingness
to use it even in crowded city streets, it cannot avoid casualties on
its
own side.
The Israeli propaganda machine is trying to blur the circumstances
surrounding the deaths of Palestinians during the Gaza incursions as
well
as the nature of the struggle. Avi Pazner, a government spokesman,
says:
"This is a fight against terrorism. We are extremely careful not to
hurt or
damage in any way the civilian populations. We target the terrorists."
Israel's UN ambassador, Dan Gillerman, bizarrely links the issue of
Gaza to
that of missiles, as though this wretched and poverty-stricken corner
of
the illegally occupied territories is on a par with Saddam Hussein's
Iraq
and the notorious 45-minute claim.
Using the argument that Israel's army had gone in to root out workshops
making rockets, he declared: "The whole of Gaza, and Rafah in
particular,
is on the verge of becoming a missile base aimed at Israel's cities and
civilians. What would the international community have Israel do? Just
sit
back and wait for this horrific scenario to materialize...?"
-----
CA: HATE CRIMES AT PRE-9/11 LEVELS IN O.C.
Mai Tran, Los Angeles Times, 5/21/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-hatecrime21may21,1,417477.story
Jews are still the primary targets, but incidents aimed at Middle
Easterners are increasing, a human relations report says.
The number of people in Orange County reporting hate crimes and
incidents
of bigotry seems to be driven by everything from violence in Iraq to
"The
Passion of the Christ," human relations officials said Thursday.
Hate crimes and incidents aimed at those of Middle Eastern descent
increased last year, and the number of reported incidents targeting
Jews
remained the highest of any group, according to an annual report
compiled
by the Orange County Human Relations Commission.
Still, the report showed, the number of incidents in which people have
reported being victims of hate incidents to police or outreach groups
has
returned to levels seen before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
There were 128 alleged hate incidents and crimes reported last year in
Orange County, compared with 124 in 2002, the report stated.
In 2001, the number of reported incidents was 181, propelled by a
dramatic
spike in reports filed by Middle Easterners.
The annual report, which dates back to 1991, is a compilation of
reports
made to police and groups such as the Anti-Defamation League and the
Council of American Islamic Relations.
Though last year's rise was small, officials said, some of the
incidents
were particularly incendiary: A cross was burned on the front lawn of a
house belonging to an African American family; a Muslim was beaten by a
group of youths chanting "white power"; a Latino father and his young
son
were confronted outside a hamburger stand by a man clutching a metal
pipe
and shouting racial slurs.
ALSO SEE:
CAIR ON INCREASING NUMBER OF ANTI-MUSLIM HATE CRIMES
CNN WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, 5/20/04
CNN's Sean Callebs has the story of one woman, a United States citizen,
who
represents a different kind of victim in this conflict.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For Michelle Rothstein,
an
American Muslim, a routine shopping trip in suburban Washington took an
ugly turn.
MICHELLE ROTHSTEIN, VICTIM: I felt a punch. It took my breath away and
somebody yelling terrorist pig. I fell in and on my knees. It just
happened
so fast.
CALLEBS: That punch was a 3-inch deep stab wound. Rothstein was born
Jewish, raised Catholic and converted to Islam in 1988. Local police
say
they're investigating the attack by a teenage suspect as a hate crime.
ROTHSTEIN: Isn't this supposed to be a safe place where people tolerate
what you believe in or how you want to dress or how you want to look?
CALLEBS: Since 9/11, the Justice Department has investigated more than
560
bias crimes against Muslims.
ALEX ACOSTA, ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL: The fear does not justify
violating someone's religious liberties.
CALLEBS: Now the Council on American-Islamic Relations says the problem
is
getting worse, partly because of the war in Iraq. It says last year it
received twice as many reports of hate attacks against Muslims as the
year
before. The group blames ignorance about Islam and misinformation.
ARSALAN IFTIKHAR, CAIR LEGAL DIRECTOR: I think that that has led to the
exacerbation of the anti-Muslim discrimination, the hate crimes that
we've
seen an increase of. And I think that only through education, I think
only
through outreach and dialogue are we going to be able to ameliorate
this...
---
MUSLIM IMMIGRANTS FEEL TARGETED BY THE WAR ON TERROR
Brent Hurd, Voice Of America, 5/18/04
http://www.voanews.com/Focus/article.cfm?objectID=FC9690C2-496A-4B5B-B7B06C3D4C698FD6&
As the US government takes actions designed to root out terrorism that
include personal surveillance, detentions and scrutiny of financial
records, the American Muslim community has reacted with some
foreboding.
VOA's Brent Hurd recently visited one of the largest mosques in the
United
States and reports a mood of anxiety.
A young boy calls for the afternoon prayers at the Dar Al-Hijrah
mosque, in
Falls Church, northern Virginia. By the end of the day, thousands of
Muslim
will have bowed toward Mecca in this open, serene mosque located just
off
the busy highways of the metropolitan Washington area.
The Dar Al-Hijrah mosque attracts thousands of worshippers each day
from
the Washington Metropolitan area Imam Johari Abdul-Malik completes the
prayer and poses a question to the worshipers: "How many of you know
someone who has been negatively affected by the Patriot Act and the
immigrant registration, anybody here? Raise your hand if you know
someone
who has been affected. Either you or someone that you know? Hmmm? You
are
looking at me as though this is like a test."
A few men cautiously raise their hands… then a few more.
Imam Johari Abdul-Malik says a climate of trepidation pervades the
community. Many are reluctant to talk. "The perception is larger than
reality. There is a feeling of fear and intimidation. I sense that
Muslims,
both immigrants and citizens, feel that they have been stripped of
their
fundamental civil rights. There is a fear, and many people have stories
of
being visited by federal agents asking questions. They feel afraid to
answer them. They feel afraid not to answer them..."
-----
LIVING, LEARNING THEIR WAY
Robert King, St Petersburg Times, 5/21/04
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/21/Hernando/Living__learning_thei.shtml
TAMPA - As school assemblies go, this one has its share of giggling and
commotion.
The children, neatly attired in their uniforms, file outside under a
giant
oak tree and take a seat on the basketball court.
There is banter and jostling until the principal walks out in his
stocking
feet. Soon he begins chanting - in Arabic.
Welcome to the afternoon prayer at Universal Academy of Florida, a
school
in Tampa founded by Hernando County Muslims.
Situated on Sligh Avenue, just down the street from the region's
largest
mosque, the academy is a school with Hernando fingerprints all over it.
Of the 320-plus students in prekindergarten through Grade 12, nearly 60
come from Hernando...
ALSO SEE:
A TEST OF HER FAITH
Shawn Ledington, York Daily Record, 5/21/04
http://ydr.com/story/main/25918/
For Eilina Al-Hakimi, home is Aden, a city on the southwest coast of
Yemen,
near where the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean connect. That's where
her
mother, father and two older sisters live. It's where she was born and
raised. It's where she learned about Islam and being Muslim and wearing
the
hijab, which covers her hair and ears.
Since September, 17-year-old Eilina has lived in York.
Over the past several months, she's learned to speak and understand
English, learned about Christianity and intensely studied the Bible,
all
while attending her final year of high school at the Christian School
of York.
Along the way, she's questioned her own faith, searched for answers to
her
many questions about Christianity and read as much as she can get her
hands on.
Now, as she prepares to return to Yemen in early June, she has realized
one
thing.
"I'm so lucky to be a Muslim," she said. "Even if I am odd girl in the
scarf." � Experiencing America
Eilina is one of 170 Muslim teenagers visiting the United States this
school year as part of the YES exchange program for secondary-school
students sponsored by the U.S. state department. The program is
intended to
improve communication between Americans and countries with a
predominately
Muslim population and to promote understanding and respect, according
to
the Department of State's Web site.
Eilina's hosts are Judy and Jeff Strausbaugh, two evangelical
Christians
who live in York. They sent her to the Christian School of York, where
she
struggled to keep up in her first semester, getting A's and B's. She
ended
the school year with all A's.
Because English isn't her native language - she speaks Arabic - Eilina
felt
the workload was heavy.
Meanwhile, it was tempting for the Strausbaughs, whom she calls Mom and
Dad, to show Eilina what they believe is the American, Christian way.
Judy
Strausbaugh said Americans think they have the best country in the
world
and, often in exchange-student programs, host families are eager to
show
students everything America has to offer.
At first, they tried taking her many places, such as Hershey Park and
tent
camping at Assateague Island...
-----
MUSLIMS DECIDE AGAINST BETHEL ROAD FOR MOSQUE
Bryan Chambers, Herald-Dispatch, 5/19/04
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/2004/May/19/LNtop1.htm
HUNTINGTON -- The Muslim Association of Huntington has decided not to
build
a mosque in the Beverly Hills area of Huntington because of concerns
about
unmarked graves on the property.
The Huntington Board of Zoning Appeals also voted unanimously Tuesday
to
overturn an earlier decision by the city Planning Commission to grant a
special permit allowing the Muslim Association to build the mosque off
of
Bethel Road, a residential zone. Board members also expressed worries
about
unmarked graves on the property.
"At this point, there are so many unanswered questions," BZA member Ray
Browning said. "To allow this to go on would be a mistake."
The Muslim Association proposed to build the mosque on a seven-acre
tract
of land above Bethel Road. While most of the land is vacant, a small
portion consists of the abandoned Bethel Cemetery, which at one time
was
the only cemetery in Huntington where blacks could be buried.
The debate about the property has centered on whether there are
unmarked
graves on the vacant part of the land where the Muslim Association was
wanting to build the mosque.
Muslim Association spokesman Dr. Jamil Chaudri said earlier this week
that
the Muslim Association would only build the mosque on the property if
Remax
Realty agents could guarantee that there are no unmarked graves on it.
Jim
Weiler, a sales agent for Remax, said Tuesday that's a guarantee he
can't
make.
"As a broker, there is no way we could guarantee that there are
unmarked
graves there," Weiler said.
The Muslim Association will now look for another location to build a
mosque, Chaudri said. In addition to concerns about unmarked graves,
Chaudri said the Muslim Association is strapped for time to find a new
location. The association currently uses a house in the 1600 block of
13th
Avenue for prayer sermons. It recently sold the house to Cabell
Huntington
Hospital so the hospital can build the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer
Center...
ALSO SEE:
MORE TRAFFIC BY MOSQUE? NO PROBLEM
Dan Lavoie, Daily Southtown, 5/16/04
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/yrtwn/south/161syt1.htm
A proposal for Orland Park's first mosque seemed sure to ignite
religious
and political passions.
But at Tuesday's public unveiling of the plans, a standing-room-only
crowd
of more than 200 focused largely on something more banal: traffic.
Several residents of the southwest section of the village said the
proposed
mosque site, 16530 104th Ave., would inevitably cause the clogging of
the
narrow, two-lane roads nearby.
But Cook County's top traffic engineer said the 150 or so extra cars
the
mosque may draw likely won't have a noticeable impact on traffic in the
area.
"An extra 100, 150 cars? No, I can't see it making any difference,"
said
Scott Vanderaa, chief engineer of the Cook County Highway Department,
which
has jurisdiction over 104th Avenue and 167th Street.
The 22,000-square-foot Orland Park Prayer Center is expected to draw
100 to
150 worshippers during peak weekly prayers at 1 p.m. Friday and only
about
a dozen for each of five daily prayer services during the other days.
During holiday seasons, such as Ramadan, the building may have as many
as
500 worshippers, mosque organizers said...
---
MOSQUE WORK WILL BEGIN SOON IN SCOTTSDALE
Chris Rasmussen, Arizona Tribune, 5/21/04
http://www.aztrib.com/index.php?sty=21837
Residents living near the site of a proposed mosque will soon see
activity
on the property.
Scottsdale issued construction permits last week for the Islamic Center
of
the Northeast Valley at 122nd Street and Via Linda.
"In the next couple of weeks we will begin to salvage the existing
trees
and start construction soon after that," project manager Tarif Jaber
said.
Plans call for a 16,000-square-foot center with 113 parking spaces for
the
social hall, worship hall, dwelling unit for a caretaker and future
religious education classroom buildings.
The social hall is set for 28 feet at its highest point, and the
worship
hall is proposed for 31 feet.
Scottsdale's Development Review Board, which originally approved plans
for
the Islamic Community of the Northeast Valley in January 2002,
stipulated
nine changes before the building permits could be issued.
"We are very pleased," said Naser Ahmad, founding president of the
center's
board of trustees. "It has been one long road, and we have waited long
enough. We complied with everything possible. "
Revisions included changing the building's color to match surrounding
homes, creating a larger buffer zone between homes, reducing the height
of
the dome from 35 to 31 feet and removing a driveway from 122nd Street.
Construction will be completed in two phases, Jaber said.
---
CB 2 OKS MOSQUE, ZONING FIX
Astoria Times, 5/21/04
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=11643760&
Community Board 2 voted last Thursday narrowly to approve proposed
changes
to the city zoning laws that would require newly built community
facilities, such as churches and doctors' offices, to provide parking
based
on their actual capacity in order to be granted a permit.
The current legislation sets parking requirements based on fixed or
permanent seating and not on actual capacity. Supporters of changing
the
law said community facilities could exploit the loophole by using
folding
chairs.
The plan, which the City Planning Commission referred to local
community
boards for comment, was approved 22-14 with two abstentions after some
questioned other changes including reducing the required distance
between
adult entertainment spots and religious institutions. Others worried
that
new restrictions on such facilities in residential areas would drive
them
to locate in neighborhoods zoned for heavier development such as
Woodside.
Earlier, CB 8 members voted the plan down, calling it too restrictive.
The
Queens Civic Congress rejected the plan because it was considered to
not be
stringent enough.
In other news, CB 2, which covers Woodside, Sunnyside and Long Island
City,
voted almost unanimously to approve a land-use variance for the
construction of a mosque at 57-14 37th Ave., which is zoned for
industrial
uses only.
The mosque, which is to be built on a lot directly adjacent to a
residential zone where religious facilities are normally permitted,
will
provide a place to worship for up to 250 area Muslims who for more than
15
years have gathered in a decrepit one-family home, said Don Weston, an
engineer representing the Islamic Center of Queens.
Several members of the congregation, which also held meetings in a
basement
adjacent to the one-family home, came to the meeting, asking for the
community's support.
The one dissenting vote came from CB 2 member Aida Bartolome, who said
she
lived two blocks from the site and was concerned about traffic and
noise
from the religious center.
-----
THE FIRST ANNUAL WALK FOR JUSTICE A FAMILY EVENT
WHAT: Join MAC and ICM for a refreshing walk around the grounds of the
Islamic Center of Maryland to show your support for our endless pursuit
of
justice for our Muslim Brothers and sisters in our area and all around
the
world. Come and show your solidarity.
T-shirt and Food will be sold to raise money for the Legal Fund.
WHEN: Sunday, May 23rd 2004
Walk - 4:00pm - 5:15 pm
Prayer - 5:30pm - 5:45 pm
Food, Fun, Learn - 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
WHERE: Islamic Center of Maryland (ICM)
19401 Woodfield Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20879
-----
CELEBRATION HONORS YOUNG MUSLIM GIRLS DONNING THE VEIL
Associated Press, 5/21/04
http://www.freep.com/news/statewire/sw98203_20040521.htm
DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP) -- Instead of just enjoying her cake and
presents, 9-year-old Marwa's stuck with making a decision she feels may
be
too hard for someone her age: Should she don the hijab, or veil, as her
teacher suggested?
"I would have to change all my dresses! That's too hard to do! And, I'm
too
young," Marwa tells the teacher.
As if the choice isn't hard enough, in a fitful night of sleep, she is
visited by devils who tell her the veil is "old fashioned," and that
she's
too pretty to cover her beauty. Then, the angels come. "What's
important is
you soul, not your body," they urge.
"How long is this path?" she wonders, as she wanders down a road that
she
hopes will lead to the answers. "Is this life? How could this be life
when
we don't know where we're going."
Marwa's symbolic struggle is presented in a play entitled "The Path."
Like
any other play, her decision is predetermined. But at a recent
celebration
organized by the Muslim Scouts of Michigan at the Islamic House of
Wisdom,
43 girls ages 8 to 11 followed in Marwa's footsteps with no script.
Watching the play, they knew how Marwa felt. It's the traditional
battle of
secularism versus religion, fought in the minds of prepubescent girls.
The celebration, known as a Takleef festival, marks their entry into
spiritual adulthood, a stage where they have accepted the
responsibility of
the veil…
-----
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Sat, 22 May 2004 09:32:16 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Pro-Palestinian Display Torched at Calif. University
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRO-PALESTINIAN DISPLAY TORCHED AT UC-IRVINE
CAIR-LA asks that incident be treated as hate crime
(ANAHEIM, CA - 5/22/2004) - The Southern California office of the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today called on local and
national
law enforcement authorities to treat an arson attack on a
pro-Palestinian
university display as a possible hate crime.
University of California-Irvine (UCI) students reported to CAIR-LA that
the
display challenging the wall Israel is building on Palestinian land was
torched late Thursday or early Friday morning. The display, made of
cardboard boxes and built by the Society of Arab Students (SAS), was a
replica of Israel's new wall.
Display sponsors say the symbolic wall was built to demonstrate the
negative impact Israel's barrier has on the daily live of Palestinians
and
on prospects for peace in the Middle East. The display was one of a
number
of activities during a Palestine awareness week organized by the Muslim
Student Union (MSU).
"Because of the ethnic and religious nature of the display and its
sponsors, we urge campus police and the FBI to investigate this attack
as a
possible hate crime," said CAIR-LA Public Relations Director Ra'id
Faraj.
"Muslim and Arab students should feel safe in exercising their First
Amendment rights, free of intimidation or harassment."
On Thursday, the Orange County Human Relations Commission released its
2003
annual report that showed a 50 percent increase in hate incidents
directed
at members of the Muslim and Arab-American community. (UCI is located
in
Orange County.) In April, CAIR's own annual report on the status of
American Muslim civil rights showed a 70 percent increase in
anti-Muslim
incidents nationwide in 2003.
There are an estimated 600,000 Muslims in Southern California. CAIR,
America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACTS: CAIR-LA, Sabiha Khan, 714-390-0334, 714-776-1847; E-Mail:
socal@cair.com; Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Sun, 23 May 2004 22:10:44 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Muslims Challenged to Stand Tall/Mosque Foes' Fear
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/23/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: NO RACIAL SUPERIORITY
* CAIR-OHIO: MUSLIMS CHALLENGED TO STAND TALL
- CAIR-LA: Fire Destroys Wall at UC Irvine (AP)
- CAIR-DC: Reno Insurance Man Indicted for Threat (AP)
- Texas Man Indicted Over Threat to Mosque (AFP)
* CAIR-CAN: CANADA'S MUSLIMS REJECT TERRORISM (Ottawa Citizen)
* IL: MOSQUE FOES' FEAR IS CLEAR (Daily Southtown)
- Call to Prayer Unsettling in Hamtramck (Detroit News)
* CA: SPYING SUSPECT SAYS EVIDENCE IN CASE TAINTED (USA Today)
- Airman Halabi Justice Committee
* FL: MUSLIM SUES OVER DISNEY'S DRESS CODE (Orlando Sentinel)
* ORE. LAWYER RELEASED, BUT STILL NOT FREE (AP)
- Oregon Jailing Shows Abuse of Law (Chicago Tribune)
- Critics Galvanized by Oregon Lawyer's Case (LA Times)
* PA: MUSLIM GIRL REFLECTS ON STUDYING CHRISTIANITY (Daily Record)
* FL: PRIDE OF PATRIOT COEXISTS WITH PIETY OF PROPHET (SP Times)
- Spotlight: The Burgesses (SP Times)
* MORGUE RECORDS SHOW 5,500 IRAQIS KILLED (AP)
* IRAQ DESERT BOMBING VIDEO SHOWS CARNAGE (AP)
- The Wedding Party Massacre (Sunday Herald)
- 'We Killed 30 Civilians in Six Weeks' (Independent)
- Stereotyping Softens Up Abusers (Charlotte Observer)
* OFFICIAL COMPARES ISRAELI ACTION TO NAZIS' (AP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: NO RACIAL SUPERIORITY
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said to a companion: "You are
not
better than people (of other races) unless you excel them in piety."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1361
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said in his final sermon: "No
one
has superiority over another except by piety and good action."
-----
CAIR-OHIO: MUSLIMS CHALLENGED TO STAND TALL
Robert L. Smith, Cleveland Plain Dealer, 5/23/04
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1085304796315960.xml
Hate speech mocks them from talk radio, job discrimination finds them
at
work. Muslims in Greater Cleveland never felt so prominent - nor so
misunderstood.
They could hide from the harsh light of suspicion. Or, as speakers
urged
Saturday night, they could rise and shine. It's the patriotic thing to
do.
"We're bearing the brunt of the abuses of civil rights" in a post-9/11
world, said Nihad Awad, a Palestinian-American. "We're the latest
community
to suffer discrimination, to fight it, and therefore defend the
Constitution of the United States."
Awad is the national director of CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, which some call the Muslim NAACP. He was in Cleveland
Saturday
to raise funds for the local CAIR chapter and to support a crusade.
Suspected and disrespected in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks,
American Muslims need to stand tall and show their true faith, he and
other
speakers said…
About 400 people joined him in a ballroom of the Renaissance Cleveland
Hotel to support the group's efforts, which range from pro-Islam
advertising to monitoring incidents of anti-Muslim discrimination to
circulating petitions condemning terrorism…
CAIR-Ohio opened in Columbus in 1998. Last September, it spun off a
Cleveland branch, partly through the efforts of Isam Zaiem, a medical
technologist at the Cleveland Clinic and a member of the state group's
board of directors.
Zaiem, of Westlake, said he saw a dire need to help the region's
growing
Muslim community get along with the non-Muslim community.
CAIR's Cleveland chapter quickly earned a high profile under an
energetic
director, Julia Shearson.
Raised Catholic in Ashtabula County, Shearson converted to Islam two
years
ago after earning an advanced degree in Middle East cultures from
Harvard
University.
Most famously, Shearson took up the cause of Amina Silmi, a Palestinian
woman in Lakewood deported for immigration violations despite being the
mother of three American-born children.
SEE ALSO:
FIRE DESTROYS PROTEST WALL AT UC IRVINE
Associated Press, 5/22/04
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/ap/ap_story.html/National/AP.V0194.AP-Wall-Burning.html
IRVINE, Calif. (AP)--A protest wall erected by Arab students at the
University of California-Irvine was burned down, and a Muslim group is
calling for a hate crime investigation.
Campus police were investigating Thursday's incident as arson, but no
arrests were made.
"Because of the ethnic and religious nature of the display and its
sponsors, we urge campus police and the FBI to investigate this attack
as a
possible hate crime," said the Southern California office of the
Council on
American-Islamic Relations.
The 6-by-8-foot wall of cardboard boxes went up in flames after
standing
all week in the university's main quad, UCI spokesman Tom Vasich said.
No
injuries were reported.
The FBI had not received a formal request but the agency may
investigate,
bureau spokesman Matthew McLaughlin said.
"Once we're aware of a possible hate crime, we will investigate," he
said.
There had not been any threats or complaints about the campus wall,
Vasich
said.
---
GRAND JURY INDICTS RENO INSURANCE MAN FOR ALLEGED ISLAMIC THREAT
SCOTT SONNER, ASSOCIATED PRESS, 5/21/04
RENO, Nev. (AP) - A federal grand jury has indicted a Nevada insurance
broker on charges he threatened to harm members of an Islamic civil
rights
group in retaliation for terrorist attacks on Americans.
Dale T. Ehrgott of Reno is accused of sending a threatening e-mail last
August to the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington D.C.,
warning "You have taught us much about terrorism so get ready to be the
receiver."
Ehrgott said he meant no harm.
"It wasn't a threat, just a nasty e-mail," Ehrgott told The Associated
Press in a brief telephone interview...
A federal grand jury in Reno indicted Ehrgott on March 3 on a charge of
transmitting a threat in interstate commerce, U.S. Attorney Daniel
Bogden
said.
Bogden confirmed the indictment Friday after the council disclosed it
in a
statement from its Washington office earlier in the day.
Ehrgott does business as Advanced Insurance Consulting and has been a
licensed insurance broker in Nevada since 1988, according to state
insurance records.
He is scheduled to go to trial July 13 in U.S. District Court in Reno,
Bogden said. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a
$250,000 fine.
The indictment signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Pugliese said the
e-mail "contained a threat to injure members of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations."
"We accept you(r) holy war," the e-mail said, according to the
indictment.
"Looking forward to it very much. We can deal with you easily
especially
since you are on our soil."
Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations, said the group is glad federal prosecutors "are taking these
incidents seriously and acting accordingly."
"American Muslim institutions and leaders face a growing number of
threats
and attacks from individuals fed a constant diet of anti-Muslim
invective,"
he said.
The group recently announced a new campaign designed to counter
anti-Muslim
hate on radio talk shows, Hooper said.
The campaign, "Hate Hurts America," is based on the premise that "the
increasing attacks on Islam by conservative talk show hosts harms the
United States by creating a downward spiral of interfaith mistrust and
hostility," Hooper said…
---
TEXAS MAN INDICTED OVER VIOLENT THREAT TO MOSQUE
Agence France Presse, 5/22/04
A 30-year-old Texas man was indicted Friday by a US grand jury for
obstructing and threatening Muslim worshippers in his home state, the
US
Justice Department said.
US prosecutors said Jared Bjarnason threatened in an April 18 e-mail to
burn the Islamic Center of El Paso, Texas, to the ground if foreign
hostages held in Iraq were not freed within three days.
Bjarnason could face up to 20 years in jail and a 250,000-dollar fine.
Since the September 11, 2001, attacks, US authorities have investigated
about 560 incidents of alleged bias-motivated crimes against
individuals
perceived to be of Middle Eastern origin, the Justice Department said.
Criminal charges have been filed in at least 138 of those cases.
-----
CANADA'S MUSLIMS REJECT TERRORISM
Riad Saloojee, Ottawa Citizen, 5/22/04
http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/index.html
Riad Saloojee is the executive director of the Canadian Council on
American-Islamic Relations.
With the recent beheading of U.S. civilian Nicholas Berg in Iraq,
Canadian
Muslims are once more called upon to speak up and speak out against
abuses
occurring in the name of Islam ("An affront to Islam," May 13).
In one sense, such demands are justified. Canadian Muslims must provide
their own lived narrative of Islam or risk having their faith hijacked
by a
band of violent, narrow-minded bigots. And extremism and violence are
not
the only topics to be tackled. Other pressing issues, such as civic
citizenship, social activism, anti-Semitism, spiritual malaise and lack
of
women's participation must be also be addressed squarely and sincerely.
In many communities, this debate has already begun -- too fast for
some,
too slow for others. Like any young immigrant community that is slowly
emerging from its chrysalis of recent arrival, introspection and
self-criticism are not high on the internal agenda.
Canadian Muslims are not homogenous and do not speak with one voice.
They
are fragmented, comprising a bewildering number of ethnicities.
Furthermore, they do not have established institutional voices as found
in
other communities.
At times, the perceived silence is a function of these social
realities. As
well, like other communities, there is a reluctance to deal with
uncomfortable realities. There is, however, an emerging recognition
among
Canadian Muslims that introspection is critical to change, growth and
vitality.
Most Canadian Muslims do feel the weight of this responsibility,
especially
after the mass murder of Sept. 11. Some are overwhelmed by it, while
others
struggle to present Islam's often-overlooked normative dimensions. For
what
is normative in Islam -- its values, its ethos, its universal constants
of
justice and mercy -- is relatively unknown in the West, unlike the case
with Christianity and Judaism.
Many Canadian Muslims, especially the younger generation, see this
struggle
as a natural imperative. The Koran, after all, commands Muslims to
stand
for justice, even if it is against their own selves, their family or
other
associations. The universal constant of justice must trump every
allegiance.
For Canadian Muslims, ensuring safety, security and peace must not be
only
a secular responsibility of citizenship, but must be a sacred call of
duty.
Many Canadian Muslims are realizing that apathy and complacency are
contrary to Islam's emphasis on individual responsibility. When
individual
responsibility is compromised, so is collective responsibility.
Canadian Muslims have tied their lives to Canada since 1850. Muslims
have
integrated seamlessly -- without any "clash of civilizations" -- as
ordinary, hardworking citizens of this country. For many, there is no
dichotomy in being both Canadian and Muslim.
Many sanctimonious "speak-up" requests are insincere precisely because
they
reiterate serious stereotypes against Canadian Muslims. One such theme
has
become increasingly common after Sept. 11. Even though Canadian Muslims
unequivocally condemned the killing of innocents in the name of Islam
-- a
fact that was prolifically covered in the Canadian press from coast to
coast -- a number of media outlets levied unfounded charges of a
complicit
silence against Canadian Muslims.
This was further compounded by linking this imaginary "silence" with a
lack
of commitment to human values shared by all Canadians. Canadian Muslims
were held to a more rigorous standard than their compatriots -- and
found
to come up short. They faced, as one commentator suggested, a "stiffer
test
of patriotism" than their fellow Canadians. And even when the prolific
condemnation was acknowledged, the same cynics questioned its
sincerity.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
The blame game still continues. Many "speak-up" requests are so harsh,
so
venomous, that no amount of condemnation will ever suffice. We are
witnessing, instead, the politics of one-upmanship that asserts a quota
on
morality but, in reality, corners the market when it comes to moral
chauvinism.
Notice the asymmetry. When were Canadian Christians ever called upon to
show their moral repudiation of residential-school abuse? Or Canadian
Jews
called upon to condemn Israel's violation of international law?
And notice the subjectivity. Who defines when exactly enough
condemnation
suffices? Regarding the recent torture of Iraqi prisoners by American
soldiers and the nonchalant response by the U.S. administration --
whose
motto, says famed New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, continues to
be
"just trust us" -- are we to conclude that Americans as a whole give
the
thumbs-up to such breaches of international law?
And closer to home: Did enough Canadians condemn the racist torture and
murder of 16-year-old Somali Shidane Arone to exonerate our nation?...
-----
MOSQUE FOES' FEAR IS CLEAR
Dan Lavoie, Daily Southtown, 5/23/04
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/yrtwn/south/231syt5.htm
The congregation needed a place to pray and found it on a long-vacant
property in Orland Park's fast-growing southwest area.
It was a perfect fit. They drew up plans for a 20,000-square-foot house
of
worship with enough room for a congregation of about 500.
But this isn't the plan for a proposed mosque that has created some
controversy among local residents in recent weeks. It was the 2000
proposal
for Parkview Christian Church, which wanted to move from Tinley Park
into a
bigger church at 183rd Street and Wolf Road.
Parkview's plan passed with nary an objection from nearby homeowners.
Nor
have neighbors complained as Parkview moves ahead with plans to expand
to
accommodate up to 1,400 worshippers - making it one of the Southland's
largest churches.
The church, which is about two miles southwest of the proposed mosque
site,
was originally similar to the mosque in square footage and congregation
size. Large subdivisions are near both properties.
The concerns of some about the mosque, planned for 16530 104th Ave., is
a
prime example of the hardships faced by American Muslims since the
September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, religious experts and observers
said.
They said many Americans still know little or nothing about Islam.
Though
there are no official statistics, the Council for American-Islamic
Relations says backlashes against new or enlarged mosques are becoming
increasingly common.
"Sometimes people don't even realize the concerns they have are fueled
by
prejudices," said Rabiha Ahmed, spokeswoman for the council. "But you
can't
(defeat a mosque plan) if you're openly racist. So, they come up with
issues like noise and traffic and parking to hide their real issues."
"Sometimes people look at what they think will be perceived as their
best
argument, even if that may not be their real argument," Orland Park
Trustee
Patricia Gira said.
Aminah McCloud, director of DePaul University's Islamic World Studies
program, said a lack of knowledge about the Muslim community makes it
harder to break through people's prejudices.
"Churches and synagogues don't have to do a PR campaign to build their
houses of worship," she said. "(But) to judge by the media coverage,
you
would think there's a Muslim terrorist around every corner..."
"My feeling is they (mosque opponents) were tip-toeing around their
real
issues," said Khalid Mozaffar, co-chairman of the Southwest Interfaith
Team
and a mosque supporter. "If you stood out in the hallway after (the
plan
commission meeting), it was all about Muslims coming to town, not about
traffic…"
SEE ALSO:
CALL TO PRAYER IS UNSETTLING IN HAMTRAMCK
Ron French, Detroit News, 5/23/04
http://www.detnews.com/2004/religion/0405/23/b03-160686.htm
Here's what's at stake Tuesday when the Hamtramck City Council meets at
7
p.m. at City Hall:
* The right for Al-Islah Islamic Center to broadcast daily calls to
prayer
over loudspeakers and the right of the city to regulate the time,
length
and volume of religious messages.
* The right of predominantly Christian Hamtramck residents to not have
to
hear the Islamic call to prayer in public, and the right to have a
full-city vote on the noise ordinance.
HAMTRAMCK - A controversial noise ordinance allowing a mosque to
broadcast
daily Islamic calls to prayer over loud speakers is set to go into
effect
Wednesday.
But it probably won't go into effect because of a petition protesting
the
ordinance.
But it probably won't matter because the mosque plans to broadcast the
calls to prayer anyway.
Confused? The Hamtramck City Council will try to sort through the mess
Tuesday in the latest round of what is becoming a lesson in democracy,
freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
Leaders of the Al-Islah Islamic Center asked the council for permission
to
broadcast calls to prayer - a centuries-old tradition in Islam. A
prayer is
sung five times a day to invite Muslims to pray. They're often
broadcast by
loud speaker in predominantly Muslim countries, but are seldom
broadcast in
the United States.
The council wrote and approved an amendment to the city's noise
ordinance,
sparking waves of outrage from Christian groups across the country that
claimed Hamtramck was giving special rights to Muslims.
Last week, citizens turned in petitions with an estimated 630
signatures
asking that the noise ordinance amendment be suspended. If 552 of the
signatures are certified by the city clerk's office, then the council
Tuesday will be required to reconsider the amendment.
The council could vote down the amendment - which seems unlikely -
because
the amendment has passed unanimously several times.
If the council votes to approve the amendment, it still doesn't go into
effect. Instead, the amendment would be put on hold until it can be put
on
a ballot for city voters to consider.
All the political gyrations may not matter.
Masud Kahn, the associate imam of the mosque, said the mosque will
begin
the calls to prayer Friday, as planned, no matter what happens with the
petition and the council.
Kahn and council President Karen Majewski say the mosque didn't need
the
city's permission to broadcast the calls to prayer in the first place.
Because the mosque is a religious institution and because it is
broadcasting from its own property, the city has no control over the
calls
to prayer beyond regulations contained in the noise ordinance…
-----
SPYING SUSPECT SAYS EVIDENCE IN CASE TAINTED
Laura Parker, USA TODAY, 5/21/04
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-05-20-gitmo-evidence_x.htm
The criminal case against a U.S. airman accused of attempted espionage
for
his dealings with terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been
complicated by allegations that military investigators mishandled
evidence,
then tried to cover up their mistakes.
The alleged lapses helped to persuade a military judge overseeing the
upcoming court-martial of Ahmad Al Halabi, 25, to release him from jail
last week. Al Halabi had been held at a base in California since his
arrest
last July.
Don Rehkopf, Al Halabi's civilian attorney, has told the judge that he
intends to ask for dismissal of the charges against Al Halabi, who
could
face life in prison if convicted of attempted espionage.
"The nature and extent of the misconduct has polluted and tainted the
entire process," he says…
During a hearing in California last week, military prosecutors denied
any
wrongdoing in the Al Halabi case. But defense attorneys presented a
73-page
deposition from Suzan Sultan, a former Air Force investigator who had
been
an Arabic translator in the Al Halabi probe. She said she had contacted
defense attorneys because "I saw things I knew weren't right."
Sultan said in the deposition she felt "pressured to come up with
translations" to help make a case against Al Halabi. She also said she
saw
agents mishandle a box of Al Halabi's possessions that he had mailed
from
Guantanamo to Travis Air Force Base, his permanent station in central
California. Sultan said she saw investigators open the box without
wearing
gloves, remove the contents and then celebrate by drinking beer. She
said
the box contained clothing, personal items and a document that other
investigators said was secret.
After the investigators looked at the items, they put them back in the
box,
closed it, put on gloves and reopened it, Sultan said. They took photos
of
the box being opened again, and later claimed that they showed the box
being opened for the first time, she said.
When the FBI wanted to check the box for fingerprints, military
investigators declined, Sultan said. She added that a military official
told her that they "didn't want the FBI agents to know they had
mishandled
the evidence."
An Air Force spokesman declined to comment. Al Halabi is confined to
the
Travis base until his court-martial, now set for mid-July.
SEE ALSO:
AIRMAN HALABI JUSTICE COMMITTEE
http://www.4law.co.il/hal4.htm
-----
MUSLIM SUES OVER DISNEY'S DRESS CODE
Her civil-rights suit claims the company fired her because of her
religious
head scarf.
Henry Pierson Curtis, Orlando Sentinel, 5/22/04
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/custom/tourism/orl-asecdisneysuit22052204may22,1,6892900.story
Wearing a hijab has meant not being able to work at Walt Disney World,
according to a former employee who claims she lost her job because she
refused to remove her Muslim head scarf.
Aicha Baha's civil-rights suit, served this week on Disney, may be the
first-ever challenge of the employee dress code at the Central Florida
attraction.
"To stop you from working for practicing your religion doesn't seem
right
to me," the Morocco-born Kissimmee resident said Friday. "There is a
family
here that is almost out on the street because of Disney."
The hijab is a head scarf that some Muslim women choose to wear as a
sign
of modesty. Disney policy prohibits the wearing of anything but
Disney-issued hats and visors.
"We don't discriminate," Disney spokeswoman Veronica Clemons said,
saying
exceptions to the dress code for religious reasons are made on a
case-by-case basis. "We do have cast members who have attire
significant to
their religions…"
Any form of discrimination over religious beliefs is prohibited by the
1964
Civil Rights Act. The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
requires employers to accommodate workers' religious beliefs, "unless
doing
so would impose an undue hardship."
Baha, 32, worked at Walt Disney World from 1997 until mid-August 2002
and
wore uniforms, referred to as "costumes," in her jobs as a bellhop and
a
sales clerk at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, according to interviews
and
the lawsuit she filed last week in federal court in Orlando.
She did not wear the hijab during that time.
But when she took maternity leave in 2002, her faith grew and she
decided
to wear the hijab when she returned to work in August.
"It wasn't something just for fun," she said. "It's like God is asking
you
to do it."
When Baha returned to her two jobs, she wore the scarf.
One was a part-time position as a bellhop. The other was a full-time
sales
job with commissions in The Pearl Factory, a franchise gift shop in the
resort that requires employees to follow Disney's dress code, the
lawsuit
states.
Her supervisors, she said, would not let her continue working either
job.
Disney offered to accommodate her religious attire with a "backstage"
job
out of the public view, the lawsuit states.
The Pearl Factory allowed Baha to continue wearing her scarf but
transferred her away from Disney property, where the dress codes didn't
apply. Her sales commissions fell from $400 to $700 a week to $40 a
week at
the new shop in the Old Town tourist attraction on U.S. Highway 192,
she said.
She quit the Old Town job because of the drop in pay; Disney fired her
from
the part-time post because she refused to remove the scarf, according
to
the lawsuit.
"Plaintiff refused to work without her religious scarf as it is part of
her
religious beliefs and refused to be humiliated and downgraded by
accepting
the less favorable position in the backstage," the lawsuit states. "She
was
therefore terminated."
Baha's lawyer, Frank T. Allen of Orlando, described his client as an
ideal
employee who had embodied multicultural diversity and tolerance that
Disney
appears to champion through its worldwide marketing.
"This is totally contradictory to what they're portraying," he said…
"What is a surprise in this particular case, if these allegations are
indeed true, are Walt Disney's response to them," said Rabiah Ahmed, a
spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in
Washington,
D.C. "It being such a huge corporation, you would think they would be
more
sensitive to its employees' needs and diversity."
-----
ORE. LAWYER RELEASED, BUT STILL NOT FREE
RUKMINI CALLIMACHI, Associated Press, 5/22/04
ALOHA, Ore. (AP) - An American lawyer freed two weeks after his arrest
in
connection with the terror attacks in Spain still cannot leave Oregon
and
must ask officials' permission to leave his house, his relatives said
Friday.
Brandon Mayfield, 37, released from custody Thursday after a detention
hearing, has been placed on the restrictions pending a possible grand
jury
hearing, relatives said.
``I was assuming this is over. But it's not over,'' said Kent Mayfield,
the
attorney's brother.
Mayfield was released soon after Spanish officials said fingerprints
found
on a bag near the bombing site were those of an Algerian. U.S.
authorities
had previously said the prints were Mayfield's…
Mayfield, a convert to Islam, asked not to be interviewed at his home
in
this Portland suburb because of a court's gag order. His brother,
however,
was livid at the restrictions.
``He is still under surveillance. The FBI is still listening to every
word
we are speaking now,'' Kent Mayfield charged. ``We are still having our
rights of privacy invaded. Even after the fingerprints have been proven
false.''
Brandon Mayfield remains a material witness and is under supervision,
the
U.S. District Court said on its Web site. His lawyer, Steve Wax, said
the
court can impose some 14 restrictions when a material witness is
released.
SEE ALSO:
CRITICS SAY OREGON JAILING SHOWS U.S. ABUSE OF LAW
Colleen Mastony, Chicago Tribune, 5/22/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0405220275may22,1,5394374.story
The release this week of an Oregon attorney held two weeks by federal
authorities without being charged with a crime has raised new questions
about the controversial statute used to detain him.
The Justice Department has portrayed the material witness statute as a
powerful tool in the war against terrorism, giving authorities the
right to
jail suspects who they say might otherwise flee the country and
allowing
investigators valuable time to gather evidence.
But civil rights groups say authorities have abused the statute and
bent it
for use beyond its intention, resulting in civil rights violations and
people being jailed wrongly.
The case of Brandon Mayfield, who was arrested May 6 in connection with
the
Madrid train bombings in March and freed Thursday after a fingerprint
attributed to him was matched to another person, is an example, civil
rights advocates say.
Mayfield's case is significant in part because civil liberties
advocates
believe similar cases have been kept secret under federal grand jury
proceedings, making it difficult to know how many people have been or
are
being held.
"You have a statute being used to jail people where there is no
evidence of
wrongdoing," said Robert Precht, assistant dean for public service at
the
University of Michigan Law School.
"The fundamental principle in American law is that we don't jail people
on
the basis of mere suspicion," he said. "This statute allows prosecutors
to
make an end run around the Constitution..."
---
CRITICS GALVANIZED BY OREGON LAWYER'S CASE
Tomas Alex Tizon, Los Angeles Times, 5/22/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-mayfield22may22,1,4749959.story
A federal judge's decision to release Muslim lawyer Brandon Mayfield
rallied critics of the Justice Department on Friday, who decried his
jailing in Oregon on dubious fingerprint evidence as a new example of
government disregard for civil liberties.
The decision by U.S. District Judge Robert Jones in Portland coincided
with
Spanish authorities' determination that the print linked to the March
11
train bombings in Madrid belonged to an Algerian suspect.
Federal authorities still consider Mayfield, a former Army lieutenant,
a
"material witness," according to a website administered by the judge
overseeing the case.
The sudden turn in the case is "a huge embarrassment" for federal
investigators, said Michael Greenberger, a former senior Justice
Department
official who heads the University of Maryland's Center for Health and
Homeland Security. He and other critics contend the government's
approach
to the case was legally flawed.
The developments also widened a rift between the FBI and Spanish
authorities over the strength of fingerprint evidence that purportedly
linked Mayfield to the train bombings that killed 191 people.
Questions about the case linger, compounded by Jones' decision to
continue
a gag order that prevents lawyers and Mayfield from talking publicly.
Jones
did not indicate how long the order would remain in effect. Some people
close to the case said they expected it to stay in place until the
government could secure the testimony of Mayfield before a federal
grand
jury...
-----
MUSLIM GIRL REFLECTS ON STUDYING CHRISTIANITY
SHAWN LEDINGTON, York Daily Record, 5/23/04
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1078&dept_id=151021&newsid=11775704&PAG=461&rfi=9
YORK, Pa. - For Eilina Al-Hakimi, home is Aden, a city on the southwest
coast of Yemen, near where the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean
connect.
That's where her mother, father and two older sisters live. It's where
she
was born and raised. It's where she learned about Islam and being
Muslim
and wearing the hijab, which covers her hair and ears.
Since September, 17-year-old Eilina has lived in York.
Over the past several months, she's learned to speak and understand
English, learned about Christianity and intensely studied the Bible,
all
while attending her final year of high school at the Christian School
of York.
Along the way, she's questioned her own faith, searched for answers to
her
many questions about Christianity and read as much as she can get her
hands on.
Now, as she prepares to return to Yemen in early June, she has realized
one
thing.
"I'm so lucky to be a Muslim," she said. "Even if I am odd girl in the
scarf."
Eilina is one of 170 Muslim teenagers visiting the United States this
school year as part of the YES exchange program for secondary-school
students sponsored by the U.S. state department. The program is
intended to
improve communication between Americans and countries with a
predominantly
Muslim population and to promote understanding and respect, according
to
the Department of State's Web site.
Eilina's hosts are Judy and Jeff Strausbaugh, two evangelical
Christians
who live in York. They sent her to the Christian School of York, where
she
struggled to keep up in her first semester, getting A's and B's. She
ended
the school year with all A's.
Because English isn't her native language - she speaks Arabic - Eilina
felt
the workload was heavy.
Meanwhile, it was tempting for the Strausbaughs, whom she calls Mom and
Dad, to show Eilina what they believe is the American, Christian way.
Judy
Strausbaugh said Americans think they have the best country in the
world
and, often in exchange-student programs, host families are eager to
show
students everything America has to offer.
At first, they tried taking her many places, such as HersheyPark and
tent
camping at Assateague Island.
They soon learned, however, that that kind of American living wasn't
really
what interested Eilina. She wanted to learn about the real America -
and
that meant staying home, going to church and living a modest life.
There have, however, been hurdles. Eilina said she sensed that many
Americans have an ingrained perception about her and her country:
"Yemenis
are so awful; America is so perfect, and I should be like them," she
said.
Still, the teenager has learned a lot about Americans, especially
Christians and Jews.
Until she came here, Eilina always thought Christians were people who
smoked cigarettes, drank alcohol and had a lot of sex _ all images
she's
collected in her mind over the years while watching American movies.
Those images, she said, proved Christians - therefore, Americans _ were
immoral people.
"The drinking, the cigarettes, how they dress ... they are so rude,"
she
thought.
She's learned, however, that those images aren't necessarily true for
all
Americans…
Jeff Strausbaugh said the scarf his new daughter wore worried him. He
was
afraid she would be in harm's way - not just physically, but
emotionally -
for wearing it.
But, in the several months she's been in York County, Eilina has never
felt
she was out of place for wearing it.
But Judy Strausbaugh noticed people staring at Eilina all the time.
"She's so confident, she doesn't notice," Judy Strausbaugh said.
The Strausbaughs and Eilina have all had their faiths tested by the
student
exchange program.
Even though they don't believe the same things, Judy Strausbaugh said
Eilina's strong sense of faith is something she's proud to witness.
"I wish some Christian students could embrace their faith like she
has,"
she said…
Despite the similarities Eilina and the Strausbaughs have found, both
find
their faiths to be the best.
Judy Strausbaugh said she would love it if Eilina suddenly declared, "I
believe, Mom."
But, she said, "It's up to God."
Eilina, on the other hand, wishes her host Mom and Dad would believe in
Islam.
"Only God can decide," she said.
Since being in the United States, and while studying other religions
such
as Christianity and Judaism, Eilina has learned that her religion
offers
her values she wants in life - such as modesty and love of God.
She has read the Bible and has found it to be full of great teachings,
many
of which are similar to Islam, she said. For instance, she interpreted
a
section to mean women should cover their heads, and another signified
that
people shouldn't eat pork.
Yet, she said, Christians do not follow the Bible as Muslims follow the
Quran and that leaves her confused.
"If the Bible says it is so, then it is so," she said. "The Bible is
law."
Yet, many students she talks to at the Christian School of York tell
her
the Bible is an old book, and they don't have to follow all of its
teachings.
"God is not a limited person," Eilina said. "He is not for a limited
time."
Muslims would never call the Quran an old book or say they don't have
to
follow God's word. Instead, she said, they would blame themselves for
not
following the religion.
Eilina believes God brought her to America.
"I've never appreciated Islam as much as I appreciate Islam in the
United
States," she said.
-----
THE PRIDE OF THE PATRIOT COEXISTS WITH THE PIETY OF THE PROPHET
ROBERT KING, St. Petersburg Times, 5/23/04
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/23/Hernando/Where_two_cultures_li.shtml
For 25 years, Muslims in Hernando County have gone about the quiet
business
of building their community and becoming pillars in the county's health
care system. But they are worried that their American dreams may be
threatened by the fallout from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001,
and
the subsequent war on terror.
Over the past year, the Times has researched the story of Hernando's
Muslim
community. The newspaper has interviewed more than 90 people and
attended
30 weekly prayer services at the local mosque. This six-part series is
the
result of that research and shows how, through it all, local Muslims
remain
united by faith.
---
It is Saturday morning in the Eldin household, and the family is
running
late for a soccer doubleheader that will begin in a few minutes at
Anderson-Snow Park.
The breakfast table is heavy laden with bagels, scrambled eggs, fried
potatoes, cheese slices and bologna. Dr. Adel Eldin pauses to pray with
his
three young daughters.
"Allah, bless us for what you have provided and save us from hellfire,"
Eldin says.
His two oldest daughters - Sarah, 7, and Nora, 5 - recite these words
with
him while dressed in their soccer uniforms. Little 2-year-old Dalia,
who
nearly died from an allergic reaction to fish the day before, sits
quietly
nearby. With the blessing said, Eldin turns to a visitor and begins a
day
of running commentary about the ways of Islam.
"In all situations, we thank him," he said.
Eldin and his wife, Ghada, are eager ambassadors of their faith. And
aside
from this atypical willingness to open up to outsiders, the Eldins in
many
ways are representative of most Muslim families in Hernando County…
SEE ALSO:
SPOTLIGHT: THE BURGESSES
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/23/Hernando/Spotlight__The_Burges.shtml
Family members: Rashid, 31; Fe, 24; Charlston, 7; and Aishah, 23
months.
Native countries: Rashid is a native Floridian; Fe is originally from
the
Philippines.
Occupations: Rashid is a lawn care worker; Fe is a homemaker.
Arrival in Hernando County: Rashid came here in 1993; Fe in 2001.
Rashid was raised in the Florida Keys and born to the name Lee Burgess.
As
a child, his mother took him to protestant and Catholic churches. But
when
clergy members couldn't answer his nagging questions, he began his own
search for truth. Eventually he found Islam. When he converted six
years
ago, he took the Muslim name Rashid, which he says means "righteous
one."
He met Fe, who grew up Catholic in the Philippines, through a pen pal
club.
When they met, Fe already had Charlston. They exchanged letters for two
years before he visited her in the Philippines. After a month together,
they were engaged, marrying in the United States in 2001. Fe was
introduced
to Islam by Rashid, but she too began researching the faith. "I just
feel
like before, when I was Catholic, I was empty. I was looking for
something.
When I started studying the Koran, it made sense." Aishah, their first
child together, is named after the second wife of the prophet Mohammed.
-----
MORGUE RECORDS SHOW 5,500 IRAQIS KILLED
DANIEL COONEY, Associated Press, 5/23/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ats-ap_top10may23,1,7966918.story
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- More than 5,500 Iraqis died violently in just Baghdad
and
three provinces in the first 12 months of the occupation, an Associated
Press survey found. The toll from both criminal and political violence
ran
dramatically higher than violent deaths before the war, according to
statistics from morgues.
There are no reliable figures for places like Fallujah and Najaf that
have
seen surges in fighting since early April.
Indeed, there is no precise count for Iraq as a whole on how many
people
have been killed, nor is there a breakdown of deaths caused by the
different sorts of attacks. The U.S. military, the occupation authority
and
Iraqi government agencies say they don't have the ability to track
civilian
deaths.
But the AP survey of morgues in Baghdad and the provinces of Karbala,
Kirkuk and Tikrit found 5,558 violent deaths recorded from May 1, 2003,
when President Bush declared an end to major combat operations, to
April
30. Officials at morgues for three more of Iraq's 18 provinces either
didn't have numbers or declined to release them.
The AP's survey was not a comprehensive compilation of the nationwide
death
toll, but was a sampling intended to assess the levels of violence.
Figures
for violent deaths in the months before the war showed a far lower
rate.
That doesn't mean Iraq is a more dangerous place than during Saddam
Hussein's regime. At least 300,000 people were murdered by security
forces
and buried in mass graves during the dictator's 23-year rule, U.S.
officials say, and human rights workers put the number closer to
500,000.
"We cannot compare the situation now with how it was before," Nouri
Jaber
al-Nouri, inspector general of the Interior Ministry, said recently.
"Iraqis used to fear everything. ... But now, despite all that is
happening, we feel safe."
Still, the morgue figures, which exclude trauma deaths from accidents
like
car wrecks and falls, highlight the insecurity Iraqis feel from the
high
level of criminal and political violence, and underline the challenges
that
coalition and Iraqi forces face in trying to bring peace.
In Baghdad, a city of about 5.6 million, 4,279 people were recorded
killed
in the 12 months through April 30, according to figures provided by
Kais
Hassan, director of statistics at Baghdad's Medicolegal Institute,
which
administers the city's morgues.
"Before the war, there was a strong government, strong security. There
were
a lot of police on the streets and there were no illegal weapons," he
said
during an AP reporter's visit to the morgue. "Now there are few
controls.
There is crime, revenge killings, so much violence."
The figure does not include most people killed in big terrorist
bombings,
Hassan said. The cause of death in such cases is obvious so bodies are
usually not taken to the morgue, but given directly to victims'
families.
Also, the bodies of killed fighters from groups like the al-Mahdi Army
are
rarely taken to morgues.
Morgue records do not document the circumstances surrounding the 4,279
deaths -- whether killed by insurgents, occupation forces, criminals or
others. The records list only the cause of a death, such as gunshot or
explosion, Hassan said.
It is the police's responsibility to determine why a person dies. But
al-Nouri, the official at the Interior Ministry, which oversees police,
said the agency lacks the resources to investigate all killings or keep
track of causes of death.
U.S. forces have records for the numbers of claims for compensation
from
Iraqis for personal injury, deaths of family members, or for property
damage caused by U.S. military action in "non-combat" situations. Some
$3
million has been paid to about 5,000 claimants, American officials said
last month. About 8,000 claims had been rejected and 3,000 were
pending,
they said.
The officials declined to provide a breakdown of the figures to show
how
many claims were for deaths. They also said a single incident involving
U.S. forces could lead to multiple compensation claims.
Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the U.S. military's deputy director of
operations,
said U.S. forces do not have the capacity to track Iraqi civilian
casualties. To highlight the complexity of the task, he pointed to the
March 17 bombing of the Mount Lebanon Hotel in Baghdad where a
U.S.-announced death toll dropped from an initial 27 to 17 and later to
just seven.
"There are always discrepancies any time you have a situation as
chaotic as
the aftermath of a bombing," he said.
The death toll recorded by the Baghdad morgue was an average of 357
violent
deaths each month from May through April. That contrasts with an
average of
14 a month for 2002, Hassan's documents showed.
The toll translates into an annual homicide rate of about 76 killings
for
every 100,000 people.
By comparison, Bogota, Colombia, reported 39 homicides per 100,000
people
in 2002, while New York City had about 7.5 per 100,000 last year.
Iraq's
neighbor Jordan, a country with a population a little less than
Baghdad's,
recorded about 2.4 homicides per 100,000 in 2003.
Other Iraqi morgues visited by AP reporters also reported big increases
in
violent deaths.
In Karbala, a province of 1.5 million people 60 miles south of Baghdad,
663
people were killed from May through April, or an average of 55 a month,
said Ali Alardawi, deputy administrator of Alhuien Hospital, which runs
the
morgue in the provincial capital, Karbala. That compares with an
average of
one violent death a month in 2002, he said.
Tikrit, a province of 650,000 people 90 miles north of Baghdad,
recorded
205 people killed from May through April, or an average of 17 a month,
said
Najat Khorshid Sa'id, statistics director at the morgue in the
provincial
capital, Tikrit, which was Saddam's hometown. He said no one died from
violence in 2002.
In Kirkuk, a northern province of 1.5 million people, 401 people were
killed from May through April, or an average of 34 a month, said
Fadhillah
Ahmed Rasheed, head of the morgue in the provincial capital, Kirkuk.
The
province averaged three violent deaths a month in 2002, he said.
Officials at the main morgue in Najaf city, the capital of southern
Najaf
province, said they didn't have casualty figures. Officials in Baqouba,
the
capital of northwest Diyala province, and Ramadi, the capital of
western
Anbar province, declined to release their numbers.
In Fallujah, where U.S. Marines launched an offensive against Sunni
militants on April 4, the city's hospital director, Rafie al-Issawi,
reported 731 people killed during the month. However, the Iraqi health
minister, Khudayer Abbas, had called Issawi's numbers highly
exaggerated.
The human rights organization Amnesty International, based in London,
estimated in March that more than 10,000 Iraqi civilians had been
killed
"as a direct result of military intervention in Iraq, either during the
war
or during the subsequent occupation."
"This figure is an estimate as the authorities are unwilling or unable
to
catalogue killings," the group said in a statement.
There are no precise estimates for deaths during last year's invasion.
The Associated Press conducted a major investigation of wartime
civilian
casualties, documenting the deaths of 3,240 civilians from March 20 to
April 20, 2003. That investigation, conducted last May and June, was
based
on a survey of about half of Iraq's hospitals, and counted only those
deaths for which hospitals had good documentation. The report concluded
the
real number of civilian deaths was sure to be much higher.
The deaths of foreign soldiers in Iraq are documented.
As of May 17, 783 U.S. military personnel had died since the beginning
of
military operations in Iraq last year, according to the Department of
Defense. Of those, 571 died as a result of hostile action and 212 died
of
non-hostile causes.
The Pentagon says 645 of the deaths have occurred since May 1, 2003 --
462
as a result of hostile action and 183 from non-hostile causes, such as
accidents or illness.
The British military has reported 58 deaths; Italy, 20; Spain, eight;
Bulgaria, six; Ukraine, five; Thailand, two; Denmark, El Salvador,
Estonia
and Poland, one each.
The Brookings Institution counts 84 non-Iraqi civilian deaths since the
occupation began through May 14, a figure that includes non-military
employees of the U.S. government.
-----
IRAQ DESERT BOMBING VIDEO SHOWS CARNAGE
SCHEHEREZADE FARAMARZI, Associated Press, 5/21/04
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/news/local/8727203.htm
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Fragments of musical instruments, tufts of women's
hair,
and a large blood stain are among the scenes in Associated Press
Television
News film of a destroyed house that survivors say U.S. planes bombed
during
a wedding party.
It is the first known footage from the site of Wednesday's attack,
which
killed up to 45 people, mostly women and children from the Bou Fahad
tribe
in Mogr el-Deeb, a desert village on the Syrian border.
The U.S. military has said the target was a suspected safehouse for
foreign
fighters from Syria and denied Friday that children were killed in the
airstrikes.
Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt told reporters in Baghdad that U.S. troops who
reported back from the operation "told us they did not shoot women and
children."
"There were a number of woman, a handful of women, I think the number
was
four to six, caught up in the engagement. They may have died from some
of
the fire that came from the aircraft," Kimmitt said.
But an Associated Press reporter in the Ramadi area, at least 275 miles
east of Mogr el-Deeb, was able to identify at least 10 of the bodies as
those of children.
At the Bou Fahad cemetery outside Ramadi, where the tribe is based,
each of
the 28 fresh graves contain one to three corpses, mostly of mothers and
their young children.
Relatives said they include those of 2-year-old Kholood and 1-year-old
Anoud, daughters of Amal Rikad, who was killed; of 2-year-old Raad and
1-year-old Ra'ed - whose headless body was found near his house - sons
of
Fatima Madhi, who was killed; of Saad, 10, Faisal, 7, Anoud, 6, Fasila,
5,
Kholood, 4, and Inad, 3 - children of Mohammed and Morifa Rikad, who
were
killed.
There also are photo images of dead children, but it was not possible
to
determine if those victims were already accounted for by relatives.
In Washington, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers told
Congress that "we feel at this point very confident that this was a
legitimate target, probably foreign fighters" who may have ties to Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian wanted for allegedly organizing attacks
on
U.S. troops in Iraq on behalf of al-Qaida…
The first bomb hit the huge goat-hair tent - where male guests were
said to
be sleeping - at about 2:45 a.m. Wednesday. The barrage didn't stop
until
sunrise, witnesses said. Women and children were in an adjacent
one-story
house and the men went to their nearby homes, they said.
After the first missile, Hamdan Khalaf ran in panic and hid in a grassy
area.
"In the morning, we went back to the hill and saw people torn apart,
attacked by the plane," Khalaf, who was not wounded, told APTN.
"We pulled them out of here," another man told APTN, standing on a pile
of
stones as he picked up a stained green cloth that looked like part of a
young man's shirt. A severed arm lay in the rubble. "We took them to
hospital - straight to the fridge," the unidentified man said.
An angry voice in the background of the tape denounced President Bush.
"This is his terrorism," the voice said.
The body of what survivors said was the wedding's cameraman was pulled
out
of the debris Thursday.
The footage also showed women in colorful clothes sifting through the
wreckage and carrying away blankets and other goods. Pieces of rockets
and
bullet casings were strewn across the sandy plain, as were pots and
pans
and a satellite dish. Partly charred pickup trucks and a water tanker
stood
in the desert.
The attack left few survivors. About a dozen wounded were taken to the
town
of Qaem, about 140 miles northwest of Ramadi and 130 miles north of
Mogr
el-Deeb.
Witnesses, interviewed Thursday by AP in Ramadi, said revelers at the
wedding party began worrying when they heard aircraft overhead at about
9
p.m. Tuesday. Then came military vehicles, which stopped about two
miles
away from the village and switched off their headlights. The planes
were
still overhead at 11 p.m, so the hosts told the band to stop playing
and
everyone went to bed.
About four hours later, airstrikes began and continued until dawn when
two
helicopters landed and about 40 soldiers searched the house where the
women
had stayed and a second, vacant house. Soon after, the two houses were
blown up. Some witnesses said the houses were attacked by helicopters;
others said Americans detonated them with explosives.
SEE ALSO:
THE WEDDING PARTY MASSACRE
Neil Mackay, Sunday Herald, 5/23/04
http://www.sundayherald.com/42229
THE bombing started at 3am on Wednesday. The villagers from the tiny
desert
community of Makr al-Deeb were fast asleep, exhausted after a day spent
celebrating a wedding. By the time the bombing had stopped and the
advancing GIs had finished marauding and shooting their way through the
remains of the village, the Americans had killed at least 42 innocent
people.
Among the dead were 27 members of the Rakat family who were celebrating
a
double family wedding. Many of their guests died as well, as did the
band
of musicians who played throughout the wedding and one of Iraq's most
popular singers, Hussein al-Ali from Ramadi.
One of the few people to live through the night was Haleema Shihab, the
sister-in-law of the groom. She described to reporters from her
hospital
bed how she was sleeping in bed with her husband and children in the
Rakat
family villa when the bombs started to fall.
"We went out of the house and American soldiers started to shoot at
us,"
she said. "They were shooting low on the ground and targeting us one by
one."
Picking up her youngest child in her arms, with two of her sons running
at
her side, she was hit by shrapnel from a shell that landed nearby
fracturing her legs.
Her two boys were dead on the ground beside her and as she lay next to
them
she was wounded again when another round hit her in the arm. One of her
children had been decapitated.
"I fell into the mud and an American soldier came and kicked me," she
said.
"I pretended to be dead so he wouldn't kill me. My youngest child was
alive
next to me."
Not long before daybreak, Shihab saw GIs reduce the home of the Rakat
family and the house next door to a pile of rubble. When a relative
carried
her and her surviving child to hospital, she learned that her husband
Mohammed, had also died. Mohammed was the eldest son of the Rakat
family.
One witness, Dahham Harraj, said: "This was a wedding and the planes
came
and attacked the people at a house. Is this the democracy and freedom
that
Bush has brought us?"
An unnamed witness said that bombs fell on the village one after
another
and three houses with the guests inside were hit. "They fired as if
there
were an armoured brigade inside not a wedding party."
A third witness said: "The US military planes came and started killing
everyone in the house." One of the causes for the mass killings is
likely
to have been the failure by US forces to understand Iraqi culture...
"I saw something that nobody ever saw in this world," Nawaf went on.
"There
were children's bodies cut into pieces, women cut into pieces, men cut
into
pieces."
Nawaf found his grandson dead in his daughter's arms. "The other boy
was
lying beside her," he said. "I found only his head. The Americans call
these people foreign fighters. It is a lie. I just want one piece of
evidence of what they are saying."
In the al-Qaim general hospital, Dr Hamdi Noor al-Alusi said 11 of the
dead
were women and 14 were children. "I want to know why the Americans
targeted
this small village. These people are my patients. I know each one of
them.
What has caused this disaster?"
In the face of such overwhelming evidence that they had killed innocent
revellers, the US stubbornly insisted that the raid was against a
"suspected foreign fighter safe house". A statement even claimed that
"during the operation, coalition forces came under hostile fire and
close
air support was provided."
Brigadier Mark Kimmitt, deputy director of operations for the US
military
in Iraq, said: "We took ground fire and we returned fire. We estimate
that
around 40 were killed. But we operated within our rules of engagement."
Television footage showed a truck filled with bodies killed in the
attack.
Men were seen lifting the bodies from the truck, wrapped in blankets,
and
taking them to the desert for burial in deep pits. The corpse of a
little
girl of six was seen wrapped in a white shawl. Other bodies were shown
with
horrific injuries.
Showing an astonishing arrogance and lack of understanding for the
culture
or geography of the country his men are occupying, Major-General James
Mattis, commander of the 1st Marine Division, mocked anyone who claimed
his
troops had massacred innocent Iraqis.
"How many people go into the middle of desert to hold a wedding 80
miles
from the nearest civilisation?" he said. "These were more than two
dozen
military-aged males."
Makr al-Deeb has been a village for a long time. Before the attack it
had
around two dozen homes. When Mattis was asked about TV images of a dead
child, he said he had not seen the pictures and did not have to justify
the
actions of his men.
Deputy police chief Lieutenant Colonel Ziyad al-Jbouri said American
helicopters attacked the village at around 2.45am on Wednesday morning.
The wedding party was the biggest celebration in the village for years.
It
marked the moment when two local families - the Rakats and Sabahs -
came
together with the long-negotiated marriage of Ashad Rakat and his
cousin
Rutba Sabah. There was also a second ceremony this time between a Rakat
girl and a Sabah man. Much of the party took place under canvas in the
gardens of the Rakat villa. The leader of the musicians was Hamid
Abdullah,
who runs the Music of Arts recording studio in Ramadi, the nearest big
town…
---
'WE KILLED 30 CIVILIANS IN SIX WEEKS. I FELT WE WERE COMMITTING
GENOCIDE'
Natasha Saulnier, Independent, 5/23/04
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=523992
During 12 years in the US Marines, including three years putting new
recruits through boot camp, Staff Sergeant Jimmy Massey hardly
questioned
his role. But what he saw in Iraq changed that.
"In a month and a half my platoon and I killed more than 30 civilians,"
Mr
Massey said. He saw bodies being desecrated and robbed, and wounded
civilians being dumped by the roadside without medical treatment. After
he
told his commanding officer that he felt "we were committing genocide",
he
was called a "wimp".
Mr Massey, who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress and depression,
left the Marines in November. Back home in the Smoky Mountains of North
Carolina, he says the cause of the uprising in Iraq is that "we killed
a
lot of innocent people"…
The incident that haunts him most took place early in April, near an
Iraqi
military compound five miles from Baghdad's airport. "There were
approximately 10 demonstrators near a tank," he said. "We heard a shot
in
the distance and we started shooting at them. They all died except for
one.
We left the bodies there.
"We noticed that there were some RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades] about
200
metres away from them - they might have come from the military
compound.
The demonstrators had the ability to fire at us or at the tank, but
they
didn't. The survivor was hiding behind a column about 150 metres away
from
us. I pointed at him and waved my weapon to tell him to get away. Half
of
his foot had been cut off. He went away dragging his foot. We were all
laughing and cheering.
"Then an 18-wheeler [truck] came speeding around. We shot at it. One of
the
guys jumped out. He was on fire. The driver was dead. Then a Toyota
Corolla
came. We killed the driver, the other guy came out with his hands up.
We
shot him too.
"A gunny from Lima Company came running and said to us: 'Hey, you just
shot
that guy, but he had his hands up.' My unit, my commander and me were
relieved of our command for the rest of the day. Not more than five
minutes
later, the Lima Company took up our position and shot a car with one
woman
and two children. They all died…"
---
STEREOTYPING SOFTENS UP THE ABUSERS
MARY C. CURTIS, Charlotte Observer, 5/23/04
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/living/8735887.htm
It may be true that military police in Iraq were softening up prisoners
for
interrogation, but our brains were softened up long before by images in
popular culture, images of generic Arab villains.
Surely some of the excess is an attempt to get back at "them" for what
they
did to "us." But it helps when the line between us and them has already
been drawn.
Think "True Lies," the 1994 James Cameron movie for Arnold
Schwarzenegger.
The Arab terrorists were portrayed as bloodthirsty and stupid. They
forget
to refresh the batteries before videotaping threats and shoot
themselves
those few times the good guys miss.
In the video version of its popular 1992 cartoon "Aladdin," Disney
changed
the lyrics after some people didn't see the humor in: "Oh, I come from
a
land, from a faraway place, where the caravan camels roam/ Where they
cut
off your ear if they don't like your face/ It's barbaric, but hey, it's
home."
Seldom do I see distinctions between Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iran
or
other Middle Eastern nations, their governments or politics in popular
entertainment.
Why get bogged down in details when all Arabs are alike? No nation or
people should be immune from retaliation for barbaric acts. But shoving
any
people or religion into a common, reviled heap sows tragedy as well as
confusion.
It's partly because of lazy stereotypes that many Americans still
connect
Saddam Hussein and Sept. 11, long after President Bush has stopped
doing
so. It's why the prisoners in Abu Ghraib are called terrorists and
assassins though military officials have said, "Most of the people
picked
up were the wrong ones…"
Recently, someone offered the 1915 film "Birth of a Nation" as proof to
me
of the heroism of the Ku Klux Klan. For decades, one-sided film images
of
savage Indians spun American history on its head. The sympathetic and
oh-so-handsome Cary Grant gives a speech in 1943's "Destination Tokyo"
about how the Japanese don't love their wives and children the way we
do.
How far a step is it to being comfortable with shipping Japanese
Americans
off to internment camps?
As other ethnic groups became untouchable, it was still OK to ridicule
Arabs and equate Islam with terrorism. After the Oklahoma City
bombings,
victimized American Muslims hardly got an "Oops, I'm sorry" when it was
discovered the terrorist was a homegrown all-American.
Every atrocity by "them" becomes an excuse for "us" to discard
morality.
Young soldiers -- whether on their own or following orders, whether out
of
cruelty or boredom -- fall back on what they think they know.
In life or the movies, when you treat someone as less than human,
that's
what you become.
-----
OFFICIAL COMPARES ISRAELI ACTION TO NAZIS'
Associated Press, 5/23/04
JERUSALEM (AP) - An Israeli Cabinet minister on Sunday said the army's
demolition of Palestinian homes in the Gaza Strip reminded him of
actions
the Nazis took against his family during World War II and called for a
halt
to the policy of destroying homes.
The remarks by Justice Minister Yosef Lapid, a Holocaust survivor,
sparked
an uproar at the weekly Cabinet meeting, officials at the meeting said.
The ministers were discussing Israel's demolition of homes in the Rafah
refugee camp. Dozens of homes have been destroyed or damaged during an
ongoing offensive along the Gaza-Egypt border.
Lapid was quoted by officials at the meeting as saying a picture of an
old
Palestinian woman on the rubble of her home reminded him "of my
grandmother
in the Holocaust."
-----
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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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/24/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE
* HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE - ONLY 7 DAYS LEFT!
- CAIR'S 10th Anniversary Community Picnic 6/13
- CAIR Library Project Sponsorships: 7471
- Sign the 'Not in the Name Of Islam' Petition
* RALPH NADER TO SPEAK AT CAIR-MD BANQUET
* NJ: MUSLIMS SET TO FLEX POLITICAL MUSCLES (THNT)
- MD: Rep. Wynn Explains War Vote to Muslims (Wash. Post)
* NM: ISLAMIC SHOPPERS CLAIM POLICE HARASSMENT (AP)
- Mall Case Angers City Muslims (Albuquerque Trib)
* CAIR-CAN: MUSLIMS URGED TO GET CONNECTED (Toronto Star)
* DANIEL PIPES PROMOTES 'NEO-NAZI BESTSELLER'? (Guardian)
- Let's Get Past the Stereotypes (The Record)
* THE WARS THROUGH ARAB EYES (Newsweek)
- Hospital Filled with Rage After Strike (Reuters)
- Wedding Film Captures Revelers Dancing, Singing (AP)
* IRAQ FAILURE NOW MAY BE AN OPTION (Newsweek)
- White House Rebuffs General's Criticism (Reuters)
* PALESTINIANS PICK UP LIVES AFTER ISRAELI RAID (Reuters)
- Victims of Raid Pile Up In a Storeroom (Telegraph)
* GA: ISRAELIS QUESTIONED AT NAVAL BASE (Times-Union)
* VA LECTURE: ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE ON ORGAN DONATIONS
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "He who spends the day
in
safety, in good health and with (at least) one day's provision of food
is
like someone upon whom the world and all it contains has been
bestowed."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 185
-----
HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE - ONLY 7 DAYS LEFT!
There are only seven days left in May to help CAIR reach its online
fundraising goal of $80,000. We encourage every member of CAIR-NET to
donate at least $10 to the campaign. To help us reach our goal, go to:
https://www.cair-net.org/asp/donate.asp
Through a new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member
at
a Time," CAIR also intends (God willing) to sign up 25,000 new members
by
its 10th year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
Students Click here!
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=33172&page=NB
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: CAIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY PICNIC 6/13 IN VA
CAIR invites you and your family to our 10th anniversary community
picnic
to be held on Sunday, June 13, at Lake Accotink Park in Springfield,
Va.
(http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/parks/accotink). Admission is free but
registration is required. Food will be provided.
For more details, or to register, please e-mail irahman@cair-net.org or
call 202-488-8787, ext 6050
---
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7471 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
---
SIGN THE 'NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM' PETITION
CAIR has launched an online petition drive designed to disassociate the
faith of Islam from the violent acts of a few Muslims. The petition on
CAIR's web site (www.cair-net.org), called "Not in the Name of Islam,"
allows Muslims around the world to help correct misperceptions of Islam
and
the Islamic stance on religiously-motivated terror.
TO SIGN THE PETITION, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org
TO READ THE PETITION ACTION ALERT, GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=169&page=AA
-----
RALPH NADER TO SPEAK AT CAIR-MD BANQUET
WHAT: On June 5, CAIR Maryland & Virginia will hold its Annual
Fundraising
Banquet with the theme "Muslims Empowering America." Keynote speakers
include presidential candidate Ralph Nader and Dr. Umar Faruq
Abd-Allah.
WHEN: June 5, 5 p.m.
WHERE: Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, Maryland.
Tickets are $55/individual and $85/couple, but act soon! All CAIR
events
previously have been sold out, so reserve your seats in advance!
For more information or to purchase tickets please visit us online at
http://www.cairmd.org or call 301-986-1900.
-----
MUSLIMS SET TO FLEX POLITICAL MUSCLES
Michael Sahn, Homes News Tribune, 5/24/04
http://www.thnt.com/thnt/story/0,21282,969670,00.html
At the Muslim Center of Middlesex County in Piscataway, mosque leaders
are
encouraging their members to cast a ballot in the November elections.
At the Islamic Society of Central Jersey in South Brunswick, the
administrator said he plans to vote for Democrats, while a member of
the
board of overseers said she did not yet want to say who she would
support,
but planned to look at the presidential candidates' stance on issues
such
as economics and civil rights.
And the chairman of the Islamic Council of New Jersey is not sure who
he
will be voting for in November, but the Perth Amboy man said he knows
it
will not be President Bush.
Yet, Kausar Iqbal Bajwa of Hamilton Township, N.J., is a member of a
very
select, albeit informal, club.
While some of the Muslim world believe President Bush is waging war on
them, and at a time when the country is awash in images of American
soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners, some U.S. Muslims are publicly
declaring
their support for the President...
But pro-Bush Muslims are a distinct minority. While no comprehensive
surveys of American Muslims have been done recently, information that
has
been gathered shows Bush can expect dismal backing from a group that
overwhelmingly supported him in 2000, according to exit polls at the
time...
"I think President Bush is going to have a hard time making his case to
the
American Muslim community," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations. "It's not good from what we're
hearing..."
ALSO SEE:
WYNN EXPLAINS WAR VOTE AT MUSLIM COMMUNITY FORUM
Amy Argetsinger, Washington Post, 5/24/04
http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0504/148811.html
U.S. Rep. Albert R. Wynn (D-Md.) faced tough questions about his 2002
vote
on the war in Iraq during a forum yesterday evening at one of the
region's
largest Muslim community centers.
Early in his comments at the Islamic Center of Maryland, Wynn explained
why
he supported the resolution authorizing military force. He said
intelligence presented to members of Congress at the time suggested
that
Iraq had the capacity to use weapons of mass destruction against U.S.
citizens.
His explanation, however, did not end the challenges from the audience.
"Is it not true you voted for a major international crime in which
thousands of innocent lives were lost?" asked one man.
"I'm not willing to say I voted for a crime," Wynn responded. "That
resolution was predicated on intelligence information . . . [but] that
information was wrong. It was inaccurate, it was overstated."
Although Wynn later told the group that "some things are better
post-Saddam," he said he believes the resolution was a mistake. "I
regret
that vote based on what I know now," he said.
Wynn -- one of two Maryland Democratic representatives to support the
war
resolution -- was invited to speak by the Gaithersburg center, which is
outside his district but draws some members from it.
He told the audience of about 100 that he is concerned about the
potential
of the USA Patriot Act to infringe on privacy rights and that he wants
to
see Israel and a Palestinian state coexist...
-----
MUSLIMS URGED TO GET CONNECTED
Leslie Scrivener, Toronto Star, 5/23/04
http://www.thestar.com
Canada's Muslim communities are often new, inward-looking and still in
"survival" mode, but it's time for Muslims to move into unfamiliar
territory and expand political, community and social contacts in their
new
land, says a speaker at conference on Islam in the West, which began
yesterday.
"A lot of us live our lives on an island, in a bubble, thinking and
feeling
disconnected and separated," says Riad Saloojee, executive director of
the
Council on American-Islamic Relations (Canada), a speaker at the 30th
Islamic Society of North America convention at the Toronto Congress
Centre
on Dixon Rd. Up to 5,000 people were expected to attend some of the 50
presentations over the weekend.
Many Muslims are still preoccupied by immigrant concerns - getting
work,
establishing homes and their children's education - Saloojee said in an
interview. Census data from 2001 shows the Muslim population of the
GTA,
254,000, grew by 140 per cent in the previous decade. The median age in
that religious community, 28, is young compared, say, with local
Lutherans,
whose median age is 48.
"The Muslim community is still young; many of us are in survival mode
... I
think there is a concern that we aren't living fully in Canada, that we
are
living in a no man's land and don't see ourselves as fully entrenched
here.
But we need to pop our bubbles and see ourselves as direct participants
in
Canadian society. This is home."
He urged Muslims to join community centres, reading groups and school
councils, run for office, widen their social sphere to include
non-Muslims,
and enter the "unfamiliar territory of inter-community dialogue..."
-----
DANIEL PIPES PROMOTES 'NEO-NAZI BESTSELLER'?
FAR RIGHT OR FAR OFF?
Illegal Immigrants Swamping Europe, Turning Churches Into Mosques -
It's
The Perfect Plot For A Neo-Nazi Bestseller
John Sutherland, Guardian, 5/24/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,1223131,00.html
The bestseller list was invented in 1895. Nowadays (so many novels, so
little time) we couldn't live without them. Most tastes are catered
for,
but I don't recall a neo-nazi chart, or "these you have loved,
skinhead".
Chaps with stubble hair, big boots and swastika tattoos tend not to be
bookish. But, on the shelf with the Wehrmacht memorabilia, Did Six
Million
Die? and the collected works of David Irving, you may find the odd
example
of light reading.
Still popular in far-right reading groups is William Pierce's The
Turner
Diaries, the novel the FBI called "The Bible of the Racist Right" and
which
gave Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh his big idea. Pierce's other
novel, Hunter (Aryan vigilante cleans up Washington), ranks at No 2 in
the
"all-time favourites" list. That thriller inspired Larry Shoemake to
gun
down eight black Mississippians in 1996. "Hunter was like an eye-opener
for
him," Mrs Shoemake fondly recalled. "There was a distinct difference in
him." Jeanette Winterson should be so lucky.
Other novels beloved by neo-nazis are Randolph D Calverhall's Serpent's
Walk (SS unit survives the war and sets up a Fourth Reich); OT
Gunnarsson's
Hear the Cradle Song (miscegenation, political correctness and Jewish
conspiracy versus an Odin- worshipping Aryan United Front); and Ward
Kendall's Hold Back This Day (last white people on Earth escape to
Mars,
where they can set up a racially clean civilisation without mongrels,
mud
people, and liberal newspaper columnists).
The book currently generating the most chatter is Jean Raspail's Camp
of
Saints. First published in 1973, in France, no British publisher (a
gutless
crew) has been brave enough to take it on. In America, publication was
sponsored, in 1985, by the ultra-right (ultra-wrong), anti-immigration
Laurel Foundation, under whose aegis it now sells like hot cakes.
Camp of Saints foretells an imminent "swamping" of Europe by illegals
from
the orient. Forget passports or border controls: they just hijack
tankers
and come, an armada of subcontinental sub-humanity: a brown tsunami.
Europe
is so enervated by liberalism and postcolonial guilt and depopulated by
"family planning" that the alien tide ("with a stench of latrines")
just
laps over the continent. A small resistance band (the "Saints") is
liquidated - by the French government. The immigrants come, they
settle,
they rape, they steal. Above all, they breed. Raspail calls it "the
Calcutta solution" - genocide by stealth. Europe becomes a Dark
Continent...
Raspail's loathsome novel has recently achieved something like
respectability. The author has a website and has been hailed "the
Frantz
Fanon of the White Race". Camp of Saints articulates a western
nightmare
fashionable among neo-conservatives. Civilisations won't "clash". The
developed world (and in the Middle East, Israel) will simply be
outspawned
into extinction…
The book has also found a powerful advocate in Daniel Pipes. A leading
neo-conservative and Middle East expert, he was appointed last August
to
the US Institute of Peace (a "non-partisan federal institution"
dedicated
to the "prevention, management and resolution of international
conflicts")
by George Bush.
Pipes sees "post-Christian" Europe as "hollowed out" by "anaemic
birthrate", ageing population and ineffective immigration laws. In a
widely
syndicated article two weeks ago, Pipes proclaimed the Camp of Saints
to be
true prophecy. Chartres, Westminster and Cologne cathedrals, he
foresees,
will, in the not too distant future, become mosques. Or possibly, he
muses,
a "Taliban-style regime will blow them up". He (like Raspail) has seen
the
future, and it is brown.
Someone should tell the Daily Express - the serial rights are up for
grabs...
SEE ALSO:
OF ARABS AND MUSLIMS; LET'S GET PAST THE STEREOTYPES
The Record, 5/24/04
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkxNCZmZ2JlbDdmN3ZxZWVFRXl5NjUzMTUxMQ==
The atrocious death of Nick Berg, beheaded by Islamic terrorists, gave
rise
to outrage and condemnation around the world - not least from the
Islamic
community itself.
This may come as a surprise to many Americans. All too often, we make
the
lazy and false association of "Islam" with "terrorism," blending both
into
a single, amorphous, sinister mass, almost always represented by an
Arab -
even though many Islamic extremists, such as the Taliban, are not Arabs
at
all, and many Arabs are not Muslims.
Yet this erroneous equation persists in the minds of many, a stereotype
that leads to dangerously false assumptions, including the idea that
Iraqis, being for the most part Arab, had something to do with the
Sept. 11
terrorist attacks. Although President Bush has said otherwise, polls
show
that almost 50 percent of Americans still believe Iraq was connected to
the
attacks, while many U.S. soldiers in Iraq speak of "payback for 9/11"
when
citing reasons for the war.
Some politicians and pundits have likewise tried to excuse the U.S.
prison
abuses in Iraq by claiming that the prisoners were all "terrorists" out
to
destroy America. They decry Islam as monolithic, without any internal
divisions, complexities, or nuances - a culture without moderates,
modernists, democrats, or dissidents.
In fact, a range of Muslim leaders, in government and religious
circles,
has denounced terrorism. So have untold numbers of ordinary private
citizens. The Berg killing was no exception, although Secretary of
State
Colin Powell has criticized Arab leaders for showing insufficient
outrage
over the atrocity...
ACTION REQUESTED:
Send letters of appreciation to the Record at:
letterstotheeditor@northjersey.com
COPY TO: cair@cair-net.org
-----
ISLAMIC SHOPPERS CLAIM POLICE HARASSMENT AT MALL
Associated Press, 5/24/04
ALBUQUERQUE- When an Islamic family went shopping May 16 at Coronado
mall,
that group claims police handcuffed one of them for no reason and kept
him
sitting on the floor for nearly two hours.
They say officers also detained his cousin, brother and five other
Arabs
without explanation. They contend police were guilty of racial
profiling in
the way Essa Dalloul was treated.
Police Chief Gilbert Gallegos said he believes his officers acted
properly
in responding to a mall security report of a suspicious person - but is
willing to hear other viewpoints.
"Mall security asked APD to respond, and we did. In these days of
heightened security," Gallegos said, "malls are especially vulnerable.
He
(Dalloul) was not charged, he was not abused. We detained him and let
him
go. It did not take two hours."
Tasha Banat, a member of the Mayor's Task Force on Racial Profiling and
the
Washington, D.C.-based American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee,
suggested extra security shouldn't be an excuse.
"From the minute Essa was stopped and questioned, the police were
already
profiling him," Banat said. "The people who were detained were all
Arabs
and Muslims. It's the only reason they were stopped."
Dalloul, a Kansas-born U.S. citizen and recent University of New Mexico
graduate, says he feels "embarrassed and humiliated..."
SEE ALSO:
MALL CASE ANGERS CITY MUSLIMS
Sue Vorenberg, Albuquerque Tribune, 5/22/04
http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/news04/052204_news_profile.shtml
Allegations of racial profiling by Albuquerque police at Coronado Mall
has
inflamed Albuquerque's Arab and Muslim community.
Essa Dalloul, 20, says he was detained by Albuquerque Police Department
officers and mall security at Coronado Mall at 6 p.m. Sunday,
handcuffed
and made to sit on the floor in a public area for almost two hours.
While he was there, police also detained his cousin, brother and five
other
Arabs and Arab Americans without telling them what the charges were or
why
they were being held, said Ahmad Assed, Dalloul's attorney…
Albuquerque police were called by mall security to investigate what
they
thought to be a suspicious individual. Albuquerque Police Department
officers detained Dalloul, checked him out and then let him go,
Albuquerque
Police Chief Gilbert Gallegos said Friday.
"Mall security asked APD to respond and we did," Gallegos said. "In
these
days of heightened security, malls are especially vulnerable. He was
not
charged, he was not abused. We detained him and let him go. It did not
take
two hours."
Members of the New Mexico Islamic community say they are convinced the
incident involved racial profiling. Assed said he plans to meet with
police, the mayor and other officials to discuss the issue and the
details
of why Dalloul was detained.
Dalloul has not yet decided if he will take legal action, Assed said.
"I feel kind of embarrassed and humiliated," Dalloul said. "I just went
shopping and found myself on the floor with handcuffs. People were
looking
at me as if I were some kind of thief or something…"
His cousin, Hassam Issa, also an American citizen, went to the mall to
help
Dalloul after friends called him to tell him what was happening. Police
took his identification, were rude to him and made him wait, he said.
"I asked them for my ID back because I wanted to leave," Issa said.
"The
officer said `I've been given information that I have a bunch of
terrorists
here, so you better sit down…'"
-----
THE WARS THROUGH ARAB EYES
Joshua Hammer, Richard Wolffe and Christopher Dickey, Newsweek, 5/31/04
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5040834/
The images were searing, and strikingly similar. Last Wednesday
afternoon,
as a thousand unarmed Palestinian protesters marched toward Israeli
troops
bulldozing houses at the southern end of the Gaza Strip, two Israeli
tank
shells and a helicopter missile exploded around them, killing eight
people,
half of them children. No sooner had the world absorbed pictures of the
tragedy-ambulances shrieking through the streets of Rafah,
shrapnel-ridden
bodies-than news broke of new carnage a few hundred miles away. U.S.
Apache
helicopters fired on what locals said was a wedding party in an Iraqi
village near the Syrian border, killing as many as 45 people. The
American
military said the target was a nest of insurgents, yet women, a
well-known
wedding singer and several members of his band were among the victims.
For the Arab world, the twin scenes of occupying armies wreaking havoc
were
a painful indication of American foreign policy in disarray. "Every day
we
see these terrible parallels-American tanks facing Iraqis, Israeli
tanks
facing Palestinians," says Jihad Al Khazen, a columnist and the former
editor in chief of Al Hayat, the Arabic-language daily in London. "For
peace, for the future of the region, there is a sense among Arabs that
everything has been brought to a dead end [by the White House]."
Last year's invasion of Iraq and toppling of Saddam Hussein were
supposed
to bring prosperity and stability to the Middle East. "The road to
Jerusalem," the mantra went, led through Baghdad. Neoconservatives and
other hawks within the Bush administration expected that the United
States
would win respect in the Arab world through a massive show of force,
and
that Israel would be more comfortable making peace with the
Palestinians
once Saddam was gone. Instead, the region now seems to be growing more
violent-and America's image in the Arab world has been badly tarnished.
"Not only have we validated and emboldened our enemies, but we have
shamed
our friends," says an embittered U.S. State Department official. "Arab
moderates who trusted our ideals feel betrayed and abandoned..."
ALSO SEE:
IRAQ HOSPITAL FILLED WITH ANTI-US RAGE AFTER STRIKE
Michael Georgy, Reuters, 5/24/04
RAMADI, Iraq - Five days after a U.S. air strike in the Iraqi desert,
survivors lay groaning in hospital, crying out for relatives they said
had
died attending a wedding and boiling with resentment at Americans.
The U.S. military again insisted Monday it attacked a safe house for
foreign guerrillas, killing about 40 people, and that troops who went
in
after the bombing found no sign of a wedding in the ruins at the remote
hamlet of Mogr al-Deeb.
For all the confusion, one thing was clear at the main hospital in
Ramadi,
capital of the western Anbar province -- Iraqi survivors and their
relatives blame the Americans for their agony.
"We had all gone to sleep -- the men in the wedding tent and the women
in a
house. Then the American planes fired on us," Osfook Nawaf told Reuters
as
he visited injured relatives.
"The next morning the Americans showed up in five armored vehicles.
When we
tried to reach the bodies of our relatives and other people at the
wedding
they fired on us..."
It was impossible to verify the accounts of the events of May 18 and
the
early hours of May 19. Relayed on Arab television channels, such
witness
statements and a video of the festivities broadcast Monday have
heightened
dismay at U.S. tactics...
---
VIDEO FILM OF WEDDING PARTY CAPTURES REVELERS DANCING, SINGING
Scheherezade Faramarzi, Associated Press, 5/24/04
http://news.bostonherald.com/international/view.bg?articleid=29153
RAMADI, Iraq - The bride arrives in a white pickup truck and is quickly
ushered into a house by a group of women. Outside, men recline on
brightly
colored silk pillows, relaxing on the carpeted floor of a large
goat-hair
tent as boys dance to tribal songs.
The videotape obtained Sunday by Associated Press Television News
captures
a wedding party that survivors say was later attacked by U.S. planes
early
Wednesday, killing up to 45 people. The dead included the cameraman,
Yasser
Shawkat Abdullah, hired to record the festivities, which ended Tuesday
night before the planes struck.
The U.S. military says it is investigating the attack, which took place
in
the village of Mogr el-Deeb about eight kilometers (five miles) from
the
Syrian border, but that all evidence so far indicates the target was a
safehouse for foreign fighters.
``There was no evidence of a wedding: no decorations, no musical
instruments found, no large quantities of food or leftover servings one
would expect from a wedding celebration,'' Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the
chief U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, said Saturday. ``There may have
been
some kind of celebration. Bad people have celebrations, too.''
But video that APTN shot a day after the attack shows fragments of
musical
instruments, pots and pans, and brightly colored beddings used for
celebrations, scattered around the bombed out tent.
The wedding videotape shows a dozen white pickup trucks speeding
through
the desert escorting the bridal car - decorated with colorful ribbons.
The
bride wears a Western-style white bridal dress and veil. The camera
captures her stepping out of the car but does not show a close-up.
An AP reporter and photographer, who interviewed more than a dozen
survivors a day after the bombing, were able to identify many of them
on
the wedding party video - which runs for several hours...
-----
FAILURE NOW MAY BE AN OPTION
Timothy M. Phelps, Newsday, 5/24/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-fail0523,0,7723060.story
WASHINGTON -- Since the invasion of Iraq 14 months ago, a favorite
mantra
in political Washington has been that "failure is not an option."
But after the repeated disasters of recent weeks, warnings of the
possibility -- if not the inevitability -- of "failure" or "defeat" are
beginning to echo through the marble halls of Congress and the ornate
conference rooms of Washington think tanks.
"We need a fast turnaround and we need it right away," retired Gen.
Joseph
Hoar, a former commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, told the
Senate
Foreign Relations Committee last week. "We're about on the brink of
failure."
Anthony Cordesman, a leading Iraq expert and early supporter of the
war,
wrote in a recent report that while the United States is not yet
defeated
in Iraq militarily or politically, there is now the threat of "a
serious
strategic defeat."
"It may not be possible to avoid some form of defeat, but the U.S. must
make every effort to do so," wrote Cordesman, of the Center for
Strategic
and International Studies here. Army Maj. Gen. Charles H. Swannack Jr.
commands the 82nd Airborne Division, which has done considerable
fighting
in Iraq, and told The Washington Post that he believes the United
States is
losing the war at the strategic level. In other words, it is winning
the
battles but losing the larger effort to transform Iraq.
Some prominent analysts, such as Brookings Institution security expert
Michael O'Hanlon and retired Gen. William Odom, are urging the United
States to set a date for withdrawal or to at least pull out all its
troops
as quickly as possible.
President George W. Bush is still talking about Iraq as if nothing had
changed, but even his most zealous Pentagon aides -- Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy, Paul Wolfowitz -- admit serious
mistakes
for the first time and concede that victory is not necessarily
assured...
SEE ALSO:
WHITE HOUSE REBUFFS CRITICISM FROM EX-CENTCOM CHIEF
Reuters, 5/24/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=5239629
WASHINGTON - The White House on Monday brushed aside charges by retired
Marine Gen. Anthony Zinni, former chief of U.S. Central Command, that
U.S.
policies in Iraq have been a failure.
Zinni told CBS' "60 Minutes" it was time to change course in Iraq. "The
course is headed over Niagara Falls. I think it's time to change course
a
little bit or at least hold somebody responsible for putting you on
this
course. Because it's been a failure," he said on Sunday.
The White House dismissed the criticism, saying President George W.
Bush
does not look for advice from Zinni, who served as commander-in-chief
of
U.S. Central Command from 1997 to 2000.
"I recognize he's a retired general who certainly stated his position,"
White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters. "But the
president
looks to those active commanders who are working to implement our
policies
and build a safer world to make America more secure."
Before his retirement, Zinni drew up invasion plans that called for
deploying 300,000 troops, more than double the roughly 140,000 now in
Iraq.
Zinni's scathing critique of the Pentagon and its handling of the war
in
Iraq are included in a new book about his career, co-written by Tom
Clancy,
called "Battle Ready."
-----
PALESTINIANS PICK UP LIVES AFTER ISRAELI RAID
Nidal al-Mughrabi, Reuters, 5/24/04
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=123&art_id=qw1085390101788B253&set_id=1
RAFAH, Gaza Strip - "Water" was on the lips of Palestinians thirsting
for a
return to normality on Monday after Israeli forces ended a siege of a
battered Gaza refugee camp neighbourhood.
Emerging from their homes as Israeli armour left in a cloud of dust,
men,
women and children in the Tel Sultan area of Rafah approached
journalists
in the street to voice one message: "We want water."
The only thing running in the neighbourhood in the immediate aftermath
of
the pullout was sewage in streets torn up by tank tracks.
Ahmed Toubas said water supplies had been cut for the past six days,
since
Israeli troops pushed into Rafah camp to search for weapons smuggling
tunnels from nearby Egypt and militants.
"I had a container on the roof and we used the water twice, recyling
it,"
said the father of nine. "I watched every child who sipped water. I had
to
tell my children to stop drinking water."
Municipal workers moved into Tel Sultan to repair the water pipes,
restore
power and pile sand on pools of sewage once the Israeli forces
withdrew.
For beekeeper Naeem Hejazi, the damage could not be undone.
He said Israeli army bulldozers that levelled a citrus grove about one
km
(one-half mile) from the Jewish settlement of Rafiah Yam crushed his
cash
crop -- 350 boxes of bees that produced about two tonnes of honey a
year...
ALSO SEE:
VICTIMS OF ISRAELI RAID PILE UP IN A FLOWER STOREROOM
Inigo Gilmore in Rafah, Telegraph, 5/23/04
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/05/23/wmid23.xml
Fragrant red carnations bound for the flower auctions of Holland
usually
fill the refrigerators of this market garden in Gaza. Today, its owner,
Dr
Manar Idhair, levers open the vast coolroom doors to emit the sickly
sweet
smell of Rafah's dead.
Outside, workers are tending the rows of flower beds. Inside, three
rows of
bodies, each wrapped in a white shroud, are lined up side by side,
identified with handwritten tags.
A Palestinian boy among the dead who cannot yet be buried because of an
Israeli curfew.
In this makeshift morgue, the bodies are laid out on flattened,
bloodstained cardboard boxes with "Flowers for Export" written on the
side.
There are 17 victims, most of them from the Tel Sultan area of the
Rafah
refugee camp near the border with Egypt. Their relatives remain sealed
off
in their houses by the Israeli Defence Force, and cannot claim them.
The
youngest victim was just 13.
More than 40 Palestinians have died and about 1,600 made homeless in
Operation Rainbow, Israel's biggest raid in Gaza for many years, now in
its
sixth day.
The bodies were brought to the farm because the morgue at Rafah's small
hospital was overflowing. "We usually have flowers and vegetables in
here,
but now there are just corpses," says Dr Idhair, 32. He looks down at
the
face of a young, bearded man whose open eyes stare back...
-----
SECURITY SCARE SHUTS KINGS BAY
Liz Hampton, Times-Union, 5/22/04
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/052204/geo_15672724.shtml
ST. MARYS, Ga. -- Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base was locked down for
security reasons Friday after two Israelis were detained for
questioning.
Base spokesman Ed Buczek said two Israeli men attempted to enter the
base
about 10:30 a.m. They were hired by a moving-and-storage company to
pick up
some household goods in base housing, he said.
One occupant of the vehicle was unable to provide base security
personnel
with proper credentials after arriving at the Franklin Gate entrance,
Buczek said.
Base personnel then inspected the van. Military dogs trained to detect
bombs were called in.
"The military dogs were alerted to a scent in the cab of the truck,"
Buczek
said. "Guards closed access to the base and notified the Georgia Bureau
of
Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Naval
Criminal
Investigative Service."
St. Marys police closed access to an area one-half mile out surrounding
the
base, and a bomb squad was called in, Buczek said. A briefcase was
removed
from the vehicle with a remote control robot, but nothing was found in
it.
"The dogs were called in again for a second pass of the vehicle, and
they
didn't pick up anything," he said.
The two men, whose names were not released, were detained and later
taken
into custody by federal immigration officers in Savannah for possible
deportation, Buczek said.
-----
VA LECTURE: ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE ON ORGAN DONATIONS
WHAT: Lecture about the Islamic perspective on organ donor programs and
a
fundraiser for Brother Jamil Abdullah Amin (Morris Days) who requires a
lung transplant. Shiekh Esaam Tawfiq and Shiekh Jaffar Idris will
speak.
There will also be a buffet dinner and free blood pressure screenings
WHERE: Reston Community Center at Lake Anne in the Gallery, Reston,
Virginia
WHEN: Wednesday, June 2, 5-9 p.m.
COST: $20
For information, contact: 703-709-0947, 703-598-3572, 703-599-6492
(Direct
bank donations are available for those who cannot attend the dinner.)
-----
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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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Tue, 25 May 2004 15:52:00 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Cleared Man Says FBI Targeted Him as Muslim
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/25/04
* VERSES OF THE DAY: BOTH MEN AND WOMEN
- Hadith of the Day: Marriage Increases Love
* HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE - ONLY 6 DAYS LEFT!
- CAIR'S 10th Anniversary Community Picnic 6/13
- CAIR Library Project Sponsorships: 7471
- Sign the 'Not in the Name Of Islam' Petition
- CAIR-SOCAL Annual Banquet on 9/18
* CLEARED MAN SAYS FBI TARGETED HIM AS MUSLIM (AP)
- FBI Apologizes To Man Linked To Madrid Bombing (Reuters)
* TONIGHT, PETITIONS COULD STALL MUSLIM PRAYER CALL (Free Press)
- Q&A on Muslim Call to Prayer (Free Press)
* QUESTIONING 9/11 ARRESTS AND THE PATRIOT ACT (NPR)
* CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS, JEWS TOLD SPIRITUALITY IS KEY (SF Chron)
- `Reputation of Islam is on the Line' (Sun-Sentinel)
* SECOND EXPULSION FOR VEILED SCHOOLGIRL IN FRANCE (Reuters)
* FAMILY IN RAFAH DETAILS KILLING OF 13-YEAR-OLD (Wash Post)
- Homeless and Angry, Palestinians Call For Justice (Indep)
* SOLDIERS' DOUBTS BUILD AS DUTIES SHIFT (Wash Post)
- Iraqis Accuse US Troops of Theft in House Raids (Reuters)
- Israelis Believed Involved in Abu Ghraib (NewsMax)
- Gen. Boykin: Religious Warrior of Abu Ghraib (Guardian)
* GEN. MILLER: 'GAPS AND DISCREPANCIES' (Newsweek)
- Ex-Inmate Alleges U.S. Abuse at Guantanamo (LA Times)
* INCITEMENT WATCH: PIPES CALLS MUSLIM WIVES 'SERVANTS'
-----
VERSES OF THE DAY: BOTH MEN AND WOMEN
The believers, both men and women, are protectors one of another. They
enjoin what is just and forbid what is evil. They observe regular
prayers,
practice regular charity and obey God and His messenger. On them will
God
pour His mercy...But best of all, they will have the good pleasure of
God.
Now that is the supreme triumph.
The Holy Quran, 9:71-72
And among His Signs is this that He created for you mates from among
yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them, and He placed
mutual love and kindness in your hearts. Surely there are signs in this
for
those who reflect.
The Holy Quran, 30:21
ALSO SEE:
HADITH OF THE DAY: MARRIAGE INCREASES LOVE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "(There is) nothing like
marriage for increasing the love between two people."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 921
The Prophet's wife Aisha reported that he used to patch sandals, sew
clothing, milk sheep, and do other household chores.
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1530
-----
HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE - ONLY 6 DAYS LEFT!
There are only six days left in May to help CAIR reach its online
fundraising goal of $80,000. We encourage every member of CAIR-NET to
donate at least $10 to the campaign. To help us reach our goal, go to:
https://www.cair-net.org/asp/donate.asp
Through a new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member
at
a Time," CAIR also intends (God willing) to sign up 25,000 new members
by
its 10th year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
Students Click here!
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=33172&page=NB
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: CAIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY PICNIC 6/13 IN VA
CAIR invites you and your family to our 10th anniversary community
picnic
to be held on Sunday, June 13, at Lake Accotink Park in Springfield,
Va.
(http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/parks/accotink). Admission is free but
registration is required. Food will be provided.
For more details, or to register, please e-mail irahman@cair-net.org or
call 202-488-8787, ext 6050
---
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7471 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
---
SIGN THE 'NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM' PETITION
CAIR has launched an online petition drive designed to disassociate the
faith of Islam from the violent acts of a few Muslims. The petition on
CAIR's web site (www.cair-net.org), called "Not in the Name of Islam,"
allows Muslims around the world to help correct misperceptions of Islam
and
the Islamic stance on religiously-motivated terror.
TO SIGN THE PETITION, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org
TO READ THE PETITION ACTION ALERT, GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=169&page=AA
---
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: CAIR-SOCAL ANNUAL BANQUET ON 09/18
SPECIAL GUEST: Professor David Cole of Georgetown University
The Council on American-Islamic Relations cordially invites you to
attend
its tenth Annual Fundraising Banquet.
WHEN: Saturday, September 18th, 2004
WHERE: The Santa Clara Marriott, 2700 Mission College Blvd., Santa
Clara,
CA 95054
-----
CLEARED MAN SAYS FBI TARGETED HIM AS MUSLIM
Associated Press, 5/25/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usfbi253818338may25,0,3826500.story
PORTLAND, Ore. - A federal court yesterday threw out the case against
an
Oregon lawyer arrested in connection with the Madrid train bombings,
citing
a fingerprint-identification error by the FBI.
Brandon Mayfield, a convert to Islam, called his time behind bars
"humiliating" and "embarrassing" and said he was targeted because of
his faith.
"I am a Muslim, an American, and an ex-officer of the U.S. military,"
he
said at a news conference. "I believe I was singled out and
discriminated
against, I feel as a Muslim."
Mayfield, 37, was released from custody last week, but not altogether
cleared then. The government said he remained a "material witness" and
restricted his movements. The restrictions were lifted yesterday.
"Due to the misidentification by the FBI of a fingerprint, the court
orders
the material witness proceeding dismissed," read a statement posted on
the
U.S. District Court's Web site. "The court orders all property seized
to be
returned to the material witness."
Mayfield, a former Army lieutenant, was arrested May 6 after FBI agents
raided his Oregon home. FBI officials said his fingerprint matched one
found on a bag of detonators near the train station in Madrid in the
March
11 bombing, which killed 191 people and injured 2,000 others. But last
week
Spanish authorities said the fingerprints of an Algerian man were on
the bag...
The bombings have been blamed on Islamic militants with possible links
to
al-Qaida…
Steven Wax, the public defender who represented Mayfield, said that an
FBI
computer likely returned a number of possible fingerprint matches, and
that
his client could have been singled out because he is Muslim. "It's a
major
civil rights issue," he said...
ALSO SEE:
FBI APOLOGIZES TO MAN LINKED TO MADRID BOMBING
Teresea Carson, Reuters, 5/24/04
http://news.myway.com/top/article/id/404560|top|05-24-2004::20:51|reuters.html
PORTLAND - A Muslim attorney from Oregon, held for two weeks, often
manacled and chained, as a material witness in the March 11 train
bombing
in Spain, was cleared on Monday with an apology from the U.S. Federal
Bureau of Investigation.
"Hamdullilah, thank God I'm here," 37 year-old Brandon Mayfield told a
packed press conference.
Mayfield, who was released on Friday, had been held under the 1984
material
witness law because Spanish authorities and the Federal Bureau of
Investigation had thought that a single fingerprint on a bag with
detonators found near a Madrid train station matched his print.
But the Federal District Court said on Monday that "he was the victim
of a
misidentification by the FBI" and at a separate FBI press conference,
Robert Jordan, the FBI agent in charge of the Oregon office, apologized
to
Mayfield and his family for the hardships his detention has caused.
"We are not investigating Brandon Mayfield at this point," Jordan said.
Surrounded by his wife and three children, Mayfield described his
imprisonment as "humiliating and embarrassing."
People held under the material witness act should not be thrown in with
convicted criminals awaiting sentencing and people arrested for
probable
cause of committing crimes, he said.
"During my incarceration I was often manacled and chained," he said. He
declined to say if FBI agents became physical with him when he was
arrested.
"People should wake up. We need to start protecting our civil
liberties,"
Mayfield said, also blasting the Patriot Act. "The material witness
statute
obviously gives the government too much power and must be amended, if
not
repealed," he said...
-----
TONIGHT, PETITIONS COULD STALL MUSLIM PRAYER CALL
Cecil Angel, Detroit Free Press, 5/25/04
http://www.freep.com/news/locway/call25_20040525.htm
The installation is simple, but the issues surrounding it have grown
far
more complex than anyone expected.
They have thrust a city known for its Polish Catholic heritage into a
nasty
war of words over religious rights and the standing of Islam in
America.
The controversy mushroomed from a local squabble over a mosque's simple
desire to broadcast the call to prayer to one that has captured
headlines
around the world. Newspapers in the Middle East, Europe and Asia have
run
reports. Hamtramck City Council members have been pelted with e-mails
from
across the United States and abroad.
People from all over metro Detroit -- from pastors and imams to lawyers
and
white supremacists -- also have joined the fray. A noise ordinance
amendment allowing the broadcasts passed unanimously last month, but
the
furor over the issue could come to a head again tonight.
That's when opponents will have their last chance to persuade the City
Council to rescind the amendment. But the council isn't likely to
reconsider its earlier vote, and so the debate -- for the moment -- may
be
moot.
The ordinance was to take effect Wednesday, but a petition drive may
have
stopped it. Acting City Clerk Genevieve Bukoski said she will notify
the
council today that the petitions have been certified.
Under the city charter, if the council declines to rescind the
amendment
after receiving the petitions, the ordinance is automatically put on
hold
and becomes a ballot initiative. Voters will decide at a special
election
or in August, the next scheduled election.
"I haven't seen any indication from anyone on the council that they're
changing," City Council President Karen Majewski said Monday...
ALSO SEE:
Q&A ON MUSLIM CALL TO PRAYER
Detroit Free Press, 5/25/04
http://www.freep.com/news/locway/cside25_20040525.htm
QUESTION: What does the amendment to Hamtramck's noise ordinance
permitting
call to prayer broadcasts say?
RELATED CONTENT
Tonight, petitions could stall Muslim prayer call
ANSWER: "The City shall permit 'call to prayer,' 'church bells' and
other
reasonable means of announcing religious meetings to be amplified
between
the hours of 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. for a duration not to exceed 5
minutes."
Q: When are the call-to-prayer broadcasts scheduled to begin?
A: The ordinance takes effect Wednesday. The Al-Islah Islamic Center
intended to start broadcasts on Friday. But a local petition drive to
put
the issue before voters likely will stall implementation. Tonight, the
City
Council could vote to rescind the ordinance -- considered unlikely
because
it passed unanimously -- or do nothing, which would suspend the issue
until
a citywide vote.
Q: What is the call to prayer?
A: It's a summons for Muslims to pray. An English translation of the
Arabic, according to Georgetown University professor John Esposito,
author
of "What Everyone Needs to Know about Islam":
"God is most great" (repeated four times). Each of the following
phrases is
repeated twice: "I witness that there is no god but God. I witness that
Muhammad is the messenger of God. Come to prayer. Come to prosperity!
God
is most great." Repeated once: "There is no god but God."
Q: How long will the call last?
A: About 2 minutes.
Q: How often will it be heard?
A: Each day, Muslims are called to pray five times, but the times vary
based on sunrise and sunset. The Al-Islah center plans to make only
three
calls to prayer outside, skipping the day's earliest and latest.
Q: How loud will the broadcast be?
A: Mosque officials expect the call will be heard one or two blocks
away.
The City Council has the authority to set the decibel level if it gets
complaints.
Q: Do mosques in other metro Detroit cities broadcast the call?
A: Most do so within the mosque, but one mosque in Dearborn and several
in
Detroit broadcast externally.
-----
QUESTIONING SEPT. 11 ARRESTS AND THE PATRIOT ACT
NPR, 5/24/04
http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1907823
In the wake of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, thousands of
arrests have been made -- but many detainees have been found to be
either
innocent, or charged with crimes unrelated to terrorism. Two cases
stand
out: the story of Muslim attorney Brandon Mayfield, who was released
from
prison in Portland, Ore., Friday after evidence pointed to another
suspect
in the Madrid train bombings; and the case of Army Chaplain James Yee,
whose espionage case in Guantanamo was dropped due to lack of evidence.
NPR's Tavis Smiley talks to legal experts David Cole and John Eastman.
-----
CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS, JEWS TOLD SPIRITUALITY, NOT RELIGION, IS KEY
Don Lattin, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/25/04
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/05/25/BAGMH6R5LI1.DTL
U.S. troops attacked a mosque in Iraq, Muslim militants blew up a bus
in
Kashmir, and Israeli security forces ravaged a Palestinian refugee camp
in
the Gaza Strip.
In other news, nearly 100 Christians, Muslims and Jews sat down
together in
San Francisco, shared a meal, and tried to figure out why religion
seems to
be the problem rather than the solution.
They gathered at a dozen round tables Sunday evening at the new Jewish
Community Center in San Francisco and listened to three experts -- a
Muslim, a Christian and a Jew -- tell them that the essence of all
three
religions is love.
Are there any questions?
No hands were raised. No one wanted to go first. Then the ice broke,
and
the questions came forth.
Is it true that Islamic law oppresses women?
As a rabbi, do you feel like you have to defend the actions of the
Israeli
government?
Why is it that the more religious people become, they more they seem to
fight? Shouldn't it be the opposite?...
ALSO SEE:
`THE REPUTATION OF ISLAM IS ON THE LINE.'
Tal Abbady, Sun-Sentinel, 5/24/04
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-piraqi25may25,0,7733588.story
Boca Raton - A young Californian entered the Shiite city of Karbala,
Iraq,
and amid the shrines, squalid dwellings and the embrace of strangers,
found
that he belonged.
"I started crying. I felt like I was home," said Sayed Mohammad Jawad
Qazwini of his first trip to Iraq last July.
He has traveled to his ancestral homeland three times since the war
started
to witness the re-establishment of his family's religious leadership in
Karbala, where the al-Qazwinis were once prominent Shiite clerics whose
lineage dates back generations. Persecuted under Saddam Hussein, the
family
fled to Iran and eventually California, founding schools and becoming
active in the Iraqi exile community.
Qazwini, 22, hopes to help rehabilitate Islam's reputation in the wake
of
the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks through his own center, the Assadiq Islamic
Educational Foundation, which he opened four months ago after moving to
Boca Raton from California. He came here at the suggestion of friends
familiar with his family's schools in California. Those friends felt
South
Florida needed a center focused on spirituality, community service and
education for Muslim children.
Unlike traditional services such as those held by the Islamic Center of
Boca Raton, prayers at the Assadiq Foundation are in English. The
worship,
conducted in a converted office in a strip mall along Federal Highway,
draws in its youngest members through question-and-answer sessions for
children at every service...
The 500-family Islamic Center of Boca Raton has thus far been the
religious
nucleus of the Muslim community in southern Palm Beach County. The
Center's
Sunni-influenced services include prayers in Arabic, and it is host to
after-school activities for children, lectures and other events,
spokesman
Daniel McBride said.
But "as long as everything is modeled on the correct Islamic
principles, we
would encourage it," McBride said of the Shiite-influenced Assadiq
Foundation's arrival. "The key is to keep an open mind..."
-----
SECOND EXPULSION FOR VEILED SCHOOLGIRL IN FRANCE
Reuters, 5/25/04
STRASBOURG, France - A Muslim girl who refuses to remove her headscarf
was
expelled on Tuesday from French state schools for the second time in
six
months, education authorities said.
Hilal, a 12-year-old of Turkish origin, was shut out of a school in the
eastern town of Thann in November for refusing to uncover her hair.
Another
school there took her in on condition that she wear a bandana instead
of
the full headscarf.
But Hilal went back to the full headscarf after only a few days of
wearing
the bandana, sparking off a day-long strike by teachers in March
demanding
that she conform to the rule banning overt signs of religious
affiliation.
"The agreement was never clearly put into practice, despite the
contacts
the principal had with her and her parents," said Philippe Hemez, a
local
school board official.
France has passed a ban on pupils wearing religious garb in school,
judging
it a violation of the constitutional separation of church and state,
and
plans to implement it in September.
The new law leaves some flexibility for compromise solutions such as
bandanas, as Muslim leaders have proposed, but the full
head-and-shoulders
scarf that Hilal wears would not be allowed.
-----
SOLDIERS' DOUBTS BUILD AS DUTIES SHIFT
Daniel Williams, Washington Post, 5/24/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52971-2004May24.html
KARBALA, Iraq -- When the Army's 1st Armored Division arrived in Iraq
13
months ago, its job was to close out Iraq's past by wiping out remnants
of
former president Saddam Hussein's armed base of support. Now several of
its
units are confronting a new threat, Moqtada Sadr, a Shiite cleric who
is
leading an armed revolt in defiance of U.S. plans to sideline him in a
new
Iraq.
This shift in responsibility is hitting hard at soldiers who moved into
this area south of Baghdad last Wednesday for a short mission to fight
Sadr's militia. In the view of many troops in Company A of the
division's
Task Force 1-36, the old battle, though filled with hardship, was
imbued
with the optimism of liberation. The new one is tinted by pessimism.
Soldiers feel themselves mired in an effort to navigate the
indecipherable
intricacies of Iraqi politics.
"I just think it's a lost cause," said Spec. Will Bromley, a gunner who
sits inside the turret of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle and mans a 25mm
cannon
whose rounds can blast walls to pieces. "This has become harder than we
thought. Getting rid of Saddam Hussein, that's one thing. Getting
Iraqis to
do what we want is another. It's like we want to give them McDonald's
and
they might not want McDonald's. They have to want it or we can't give
it to
them."
Sgt. Jerry Sapiens, a specialist in nuclear, biological and chemical
warfare, suggested there was no end in sight. "We're in the
baby-sitting
phase and my question is, how long can we baby-sit for the Iraqis? We
want
the Iraqis to change, to be like us, and to do this we will have to be
here
forever."
"The enemy is not the same as before," said Spec. Matthew Aissen, a
medic.
"I fear that people who use religion as a power point are taking over
the
place. It's a power struggle. Our weak point is they think we are evil
and
we're not so popular, so we become part of the mess."
The 1st Armored Division was supposed to be out of the powdery sand,
100-degree heat and explosive danger of Iraq a month ago. After a year
in
the country, they were scheduled to be back in green and placid
Germany,
their home base...
ALSO SEE:
IRAQIS ACCUSE US TROOPS OF THEFT IN HOUSE RAIDS
Luke Baker, Reuters, 5/25/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5252519
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqis accuse U.S. troops of stealing money and
other
property during what they say are aggressive and even destructive
American
raids on homes that can devastate families socially and financially.
"It's a huge problem. Almost everyone has something to say about gold,
money and other valuables going missing and they don't believe they'll
ever
get them back," said Adel Alami, a lawyer with Iraq's Human Rights
Organization.
Over the past 14 months of occupation, U.S. forces have carried out
thousands of raids on homes across the country in which money, jewelry
and
other property have been seized from Iraqis suspected of
"anti-coalition
activities."
The U.S. military says items are generally confiscated on suspicion
they
could be used to finance attacks against U.S.-led forces, and that this
has
led to some success in cutting off funding for guerrillas.
A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said he was aware of Iraqi
complaints of theft during raids and that some U.S. soldiers had been
disciplined for "inappropriate conduct." But he said the problem was
"very
rare, extremely rare…"
Last year, Wajiha Daoud, an 80-year-old widow, had her house in a
middle-class neighborhood of Baghdad raided by U.S. troops who said
they
had "high-level intelligence" that the home was a safe house for Saddam
Hussein loyalists.
During the raid, which lasted around 30 minutes, the woman and her
family,
who live across the street, were kept outside.
"When we went back in, the house was half-destroyed," said her son
Musadaq
Younis, an English-speaking computer technician.
"All the furniture was slashed with knives, tables and chairs were
broken
and the windows smashed. They didn't need to break down the front door
-- I
told them I had the key."
But that was not the worst. When Younis' sister arrived she immediately
rushed upstairs to a small cabinet and found it empty -- $5,000 in
cash,
gold and other jewelry, including her wedding ring, were missing. "She
went
white," said Younis.
The family filed a claim against the U.S. military -- a complex process
that took nearly three months to get a reply. In response, the military
said the raid was justified and no compensation was owed. The officer
who
commanded the raid told Younis: "My soldiers aren't thieves."
Being comfortably well off and employed the impact of the loss on the
family was not too great, but for other Iraqi families raids on their
homes
can prove devastating.
"Confiscation and theft during raids is rampant," said Stewart
Vriesinga, a
coordinator for Christian Peacemaker Teams, a non-profit group that
documents abuses in Iraq…
---
ISRAELI AGENTS BELIEVED INVOLVED IN ABU GHRAIB
Newsmax.com, 5/24/04
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/5/24/131401.shtml
Diplomatic sources in Washington tell NewsMax's U.N. correspondent Stew
Stogel that Israeli nationals are believed to be involved in the Iraq
prison controversy.
"Israelis have been to Abu Ghraib and other prisons [in Iraq]," says
one
source familiar with the U.S. operations.
It was explained that the Israelis involved have been assigned as
"civilian
contractors" to work with Coalition forces in interrogating Iraqi POWs.
The "contractors" are said to be veterans of Israel's domestic
intelligence
unit, Shin Bet, as well as the more famous international intelligence
agency, the Mossad.
"Who has better experience in dealing with the Arabs than Israel?" one
source asked.
It was explained that several of the "interrogation" techniques used by
U.S. forces in Iraq have in fact been used by Israel "for years."
The technique of stripping Arab prisoners naked, to embarrass and
humiliate
them, has been used by Israelis, according to Arab diplomats at the
U.N.
It should be noted, however, that torture and mutilation are common
techniques used by Arab countries on their prisoners.
Word in NYC diplomatic circles is that some of the "civilians" seen in
recent Iraq prison photos are in fact Israeli nationals "advising" U.S.
forces
Neither U.S. nor Iraqi diplomatic officials in NYC or Washington were
available for comment...
---
THE RELIGIOUS WARRIOR OF ABU GHRAIB
Sidney Blumenthal, Guardian, 5/20/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1220622,00.html
Saving General Boykin seemed like a strange sideshow last October.
After it
was revealed that the deputy undersecretary of defence for intelligence
had
been regularly appearing at evangelical revivals preaching that the US
was
in a holy war as a "Christian nation" battling "Satan", the furore was
quickly calmed.
Donald Rumsfeld, the defence secretary, explained that Boykin was
exercising his rights as a citizen: "We're a free people." President
Bush
declared that Boykin "doesn't reflect my point of view or the point of
view
of this administration". Bush's commission on public diplomacy had
reported
that in nine Muslim countries, just 12% believed that "Americans
respect
Arab/Islamic values". The Pentagon announced that its inspector general
would investigate Boykin, though he has yet to report.
Boykin was not removed or transferred. At that moment, he was at the
heart
of a secret operation to "Gitmoize" (Guant�namo is known in the US as
Gitmo) the Abu Ghraib prison. He had flown to Guant�namo, where he met
Major General Geoffrey Miller, in charge of Camp X-Ray. Boykin ordered
Miller to fly to Iraq and extend X-Ray methods to the prison system
there,
on Rumsfeld's orders.
Boykin was recommended to his position by his record in the elite Delta
forces: he was a commander in the failed effort to rescue US hostages
in
Iran, had tracked drug lord Pablo Escobar in Colombia, had advised the
gas
attack on barricaded cultists at Waco, Texas, and had lost 18 men in
Somalia trying to capture a warlord in the notorious Black Hawk Down
fiasco
of 1993.
Boykin told an evangelical gathering last year how this fostered his
spiritual crisis. "There is no God," he said. "If there was a God, he
would
have been here to protect my soldiers." But he was thunderstruck by the
insight that his battle with the warlord was between good and evil,
between
the true God and the false one. "I knew that my God was bigger than
his. I
knew that my God was a real God and his was an idol..."
-----
FAMILY IN RAFAH DETAILS KILLING OF 13-YEAR-OLD
Robin Shulman, Washington Post, 5/25/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52966-2004May24.html
RAFAH REFUGEE CAMP, Gaza -- On the same day that Israeli tank fire
killed
eight Palestinian protesters in an incident that dominated
international
broadcasts and headlines last week, another young Palestinian died a
private, quiet death just a few hundred yards away.
Thirteen-year-old Saber Abu Libdeh was killed by an Israeli sniper last
Wednesday while trying to fetch drinking water for his family in the
sealed-off neighborhood of Tel Sultan, his parents and siblings said.
There
were no headlines and no news stories. Even some of his relatives and
neighbors, locked in their houses under military curfew, didn't know
what
had happened to him until days later, they said.
As Israeli tanks, armored bulldozers and soldiers began pulling out of
Rafah Monday morning and military officials said they had suspended a
seven-day offensive, the Abu Libdeh family emerged from seven days of
fear
to bury their son and tell the story of his death. It was a story that
in
many ways captured the suffering felt by about 25,000 Palestinians in a
residential area transformed into a fighting field.
About 10,000 Palestinians attended a mass funeral for Saber Abu Libdeh
and
15 other Tel Sultan residents on Monday, just hours after the army
withdrew. But before the ceremony, dozens of distraught relatives and
neighbors crammed into the front room of the boy's house in a ritual of
grief, kissing his face and hugging his tightly wrapped body. His
sister
Asma fainted.
"See his blood? See my son's blood?" said the father, pointing at the
wall.
"He was 13 years old!"
At least 42 Palestinians were killed in the weeklong offensive here
that
Israeli military officials called Operation Rainbow. The officials said
the
offensive had targeted Palestinian guerrillas and uncovered three
tunnels
used for smuggling weapons and ammunition across the nearby border with
Egypt. Palestinian officials said more than a thousand people have been
rendered homeless by Israeli demolitions, and many more have fled
attacks
on residential neighborhoods.
The army came to Saber's neighborhood of concrete houses, narrow
alleyways
and wide streets before dawn last Tuesday morning, Saber's mother
recalled.
An Apache helicopter gunship fired missiles at men coming out of the
Bilal
mosque directly across from the house, killing several people,
according to
the mother, Hanim, and other relatives...
ALSO SEE:
HOMELESS AND ANGRY, PALESTINIANS CALL FOR JUSTICE
Donald Macintyre, Independent, 5/25/04
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=524642
As an Israeli bulldozer began to destroy his house in Rafah's Brazil
neighbourhood, Ibrahim abu Hamad, 40, was still in it. He was talking
on
his mobile phone to his employer - the Israeli boss of a construction
company in Tel Aviv. Meir Grimstein, who has known Mr abu Hamad for 15
years and who did his own military service in Gaza, had telephoned to
ask
how his employee was doing. "When I told him the bulldozer had started
to
demolish my house, he said: 'I don't believe you. I know where your
house
is. It isn't near the border.'"
But when Mr abu Hamad persuaded him otherwise, "he said 'how can I help
you?' I told him: 'You can't help me. The bulldozer is already here.
It's
too late.'" For by now Mr abu Hamad, his wife and seven children had
fled
to the back of the house as the bulldozer rumbled on through the front,
lumbering to a halt within five metres of the rear wall to leave them
room
to escape while waving a white cloth in the hope that it would stop the
tanks shooting at the sand around their feet.
Mr abu Hamad, like other Palestinian migrant workers, has not been able
to
leave Gaza since March. But contacted by telephone in Tel Aviv
yesterday,
Mr Grimstein said he still hoped that Mr abu Hamad would be able to
return
to work.
He wasn't on the spot, he said, so he wasn't in a position to express a
view about the demolitions in general, but no, he didn't think it was
fair
in Mr abu Hamad's case. The supreme irony of losing his home in a
painfully
short few minutes during the height of the army's incursion into Brazil
camp last week was not lost on Mr abu Hamad. "I build houses in Israel
and
the Israelis destroy my house here," he said.
The story is illustrative. The army was very slow to admit the
destruction
was happening at all. Now it has said that houses would not have been
demolished were it not for the activities of Palestinian militants -
including the killing of five Israeli soldiers 12 days ago. But the
question, as last week's Amnesty International report highlighted, is
whether the scale of demolitions is remotely proportionate to the
security
needs routinely cited by the military...
---
'GAPS AND DISCREPANCIES'
Michael Hirsh, Newsweek, 5/24/04
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5052743/site/newsweek/
Things may be heating up in the prison abuse scandal for Maj. Gen.
Geoffrey
Miller, the former Guantanamo Bay commander who is now in charge of
detainees in Iraq. In a harshly worded letter, the senior Democrat on
the
House Intelligence committee questioned the "candor and accuracy" of
Miller's responses in a classified briefing to the committee last week.
The May 21 letter to Miller from Rep. Jane Harman, the ranking minority
member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence,
chastises
the general for "gaps and discrepancies in your presentation" and for
selectively withholding information. "If information is only provided
in
response to a question that is phrased in precisely the right way, it
is
virtually impossible for Congress to fulfill its constitutional
oversight
responsibility," Harman writes.
In her letter, Harman refers to new details about interrogation
policies at
the Gitmo detention facility that became public less than 24 hours
after
Miller's May 20 testimony. "I am dismayed that information emerging
immediately after your briefing raises questions about the candor and
accuracy of your statements," she says. A copy of the letter was
obtained
by NEWSWEEK...
ALSO SEE:
EX-INMATE ALLEGES U.S. ABUSE AT GUANTANAMO
Sebastian Rotella, Los Angeles Times, 5/25/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-gitmo25may25,1,2082561.story
MANCHESTER, England - A Briton who spent two years in the U.S. prison
at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, accused his American captors of subjecting him
and
other inmates to a catalog of brutality: beatings, forced injections,
sleep
deprivation and shackling in painful positions.
Jamal Harith, 37, described how he endured a beating in which a guard
jumped up and down on his legs when he resisted an injection of an
unknown
drug, one of 10 such injections that left him feeling woozy and
disoriented. He said interrogators forced him to spend long periods in
painful positions on his knees or bound in chains that cut into his
skin.
On some days, according to his account, guards chained him to the floor
for
up to 15 hours in an interrogation room with cold air blowing in,
forcing
him to urinate on himself.
Harith said he witnessed dozens of beatings inflicted by a team of
guards
known as the Extreme Reaction Force. A guard with a video camera often
taped the incidents, he said. Inmates suffered broken arms and legs,
and
bloodied and swollen faces, he said.
Harith's account of conditions at Guantanamo echoed some of the reports
of
abuse at U.S. detention facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan. He spoke
with
The Times last week in one of his first interviews with a U.S.
newspaper.
Harith's detailed description of captivity in the secretive facility is
difficult to confirm. But he said the evidence of wrongdoing in Iraq --
depicted in now-infamous photographs -- makes it harder to dismiss
allegations that similar misconduct by U.S. prison guards occurs at
Guantanamo.
"It's just like what was happening in Iraq. They'd say the same thing:
'Oh,
yeah, really,'" Harith said.
"But the fact that you've seen pictures, then you can believe it,
relate to
it. All I can say is I have spoken to the people this has happened to.
I
have seen the effects. I have seen people beat up -- the swollen faces,
the
limping back or being dragged back. I've seen the effects of it. I
cannot
produce pictures. All I can say is what happened..."
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: PIPES CALLS MUSLIM WIVES 'SERVANTS'
FEMALE DESIRE AND ISLAMIC TRAUMA
Daniel Pipes, CNSNews.com, 5/25/04
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCommentary.asp?Page=%5CCommentary%5Carchive%5C200405%5CCOM20040525a.html
"The entire Muslim social structure can be understood as containing
female
sexuality…Even married couples should not get too attached; to insure
that
a man does not become so consumed with passion for his wife that he
neglects his duties to God, Muslim family life restricts contact
between
the spouses by dividing their interests and duties, imbalancing their
power
relationship (she is more his servant than his companion)…"
NOTE: President Bush used a recess appointment to place Daniel Pipes on
the
board of the United States Institute of Peace.
-----
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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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Wed, 26 May 2004 12:54:04 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Publish Ad Denouncing Terror, Bigotry
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
U.S. MUSLIMS PUBLISH AD DENOUNCING TERROR, BIGOTRY
Effort part of CAIR 'Not in the Name of Islam' campaign
(ANAHEIM, CA, 5/26/04) - The Southern California office of the Council
on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today published a full-page
advertisement in the Los Angeles Times denouncing all forms of terror
carried out in the name of religion.
TO VIEW THE AD, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/downloads/cair-la-ad.pdf
The ad, headlined "NO TO TERRORISM, NO TO BIGOTRY," reads:
"Over the last few weeks, Americans of all faiths have been horrified
by
images of violence in the Middle East. The Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal
does not represent America or Christianity. The Israeli missile that
killed
innocent Palestinian children in Gaza does not represent Judaism. And
the
beheading of an innocent American man, Nicholas Berg, does not
represent Islam.
"Islam, Christianity and Judaism share the basic values necessary to
create
a world in which tolerance and peace prevail. We have an opportunity to
build bridges between our faiths and to challenge those who attempt to
divide humanity along religious and ethnic lines.
"American Muslims condemn all acts of terrorism and are as outraged as
their fellow Americans by atrocities committed in the name of God and
their
faith. Two weeks ago, we invited Muslims in America and all over the
world
to support our stance against terrorism by signing the "Not in the Name
of
Islam" online petition posted on our web site: www.cair-net.org. So
far,
individuals and organizations representing more than 500,000 Muslims
are
signatories to this petition.
"We now call on our fellow Americans of all faiths to join us in
opposing
those who promote hatred, violence and bigotry. Let us all say 'not in
our
name.'"
The CAIR ad appears today in the main "A" section of the Los Angeles
Times.
It will also be published in five Orange County, Los Angeles-area and
Northern California community newspapers as part of the ongoing "Islam
in
America" advertising campaign. SEE: http://www.americanmuslims.info
[Anyone who would like to publish the ad in a local newspaper should
contact CAIR-LA at 714-776-1847 or socal@cair.com.]
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-LA, Sabiha Khan, 714-776-1847, 714-390-0334, E-Mail:
socal@cair.com; Alia Aboul-Nasr, 714-776-1847, E-Mail: aliaa@cair.com;
CAIR-National, Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Wed, 26 May 2004 16:57:30 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Treatment of FL Muslim Detainees Condemned
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/26/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: A CURE FOR EVERY DISEASE
* TREATMENT OF FL MUSLIM DETAINEES CONDEMNED
- Friday Prayers Accomodated at VA Prison
* CAIR-HOUSTON: ARABIC LANGUAGE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
- CAIR-NY Hosts Indonesian Journalists
* LA: POLICE ARREST 4 AT GRADUATION (Times Picayune)
- NV: Muslim Student Harassed (Reno Gazette-Journal)
* NY: U.S. IS OUSTING A RETIREE TOO ILL TO TRAVEL (Village Voice)
* MA: ISLAMIC CENTER PLANS EXPANSION (Metrowest Daily)
- TX: Graduation Marks Islamic School's Growth (Chronicle)
* MI: MOSQUE'S DEBUT WILL COINCIDE MUSEUM OPENING (Det. News)
- MI: Call to Prayer to Go to Voters (Free Press)
- CA: Arab Students at UCI Plan Protest (LA Times)
* AZ: GROUP CELEBRATES ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF MUSLIM WOMEN (AZ Rep)
* MAYFIELD CASE: THE FBI MESSES UP (NY Times)
- CA: Feds Release Former Student in 9-11 Probe (AP)
- OH: Ex-Judge Who Misbehaved Facing Loss of License
- Government Must Explain Itself in Yee Case (Dallas News)
* SPAIN HAD DOUBTS BEFORE U.S. HELD LAWYER (NY Times)
- What Happened To Mayfield Could Happen To Anybody (Antiwar)
* INCITEMENT WATCH: DEPORT AMERICAN MUSLIMS
* ARMY SURVEY: ABUSE OF CAPTIVES MORE WIDESPREAD (NY Times)
- Bush and Kerry Tilt to Sharon (NY Times)
- Iraq May Survive, But the Dream Is Dead (Ny Times)
- Gen. Zinni Says Neo-Cons Who Started War Should Go (CBS)
- General is said to Have Urged Use of Dogs (Wash Post)
- U.S.-Led Terror War "Bereft Of Principle" (Reuters)
* TURKEY: NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ISRAEL, TERRORISTS (Haaretz)
- Palestinians Claim Israel Dumped Toxic Waste (Maariv)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: A CURE FOR EVERY DISEASE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was once asked about the
advisability of medical treatment. He replied: "Make use of medical
treatment, for God has not made a disease without making a cure for it,
with the exception of one disease, namely old age."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 1755
-----
TREATMENT OF FL MUSLIM DETAINEES CONDEMNED
(TAMPA, FL, 5/26/04) - On Thursday, May 27, the Florida office of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) will hold a news
conference
in Tampa to address the harsh prison conditions of two Muslim detainees
in
that state, Dr. Sami Al-Arian and Sameeh Hammoudeh.
WHEN: Thursday, May 27, 1 p.m.
WHERE: Tampa U.S. Federal Courthouse, 801 North Florida Ave., Tampa, FL
CONTACT: CAIR-FL, Ahmed Bedier, 813-731-9506, 813-514-1414
The Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group says its
representatives were today denied the right to visit Al-Arian to check
on
his physical and psychological condition. That denial was in response
to a
formal request submitted earlier in the week.
Al-Arian, a Florida college professor, was arrested last year for
allegedly
having ties to a terrorist group. According to his family and
attorneys, he
and his co-defendant Sameeh Hammoudeh are being held under much harsher
conditions than other pre-trial detainees.
Both men are held in the Special Housing Unit of the Coleman Federal
Correctional Complex, a facility designed to temporarily house
convicted
felons who have attacked guards or other inmates. Al-Arian and
Hammoudeh
have been in the unit for 14 months, despite a legal limit of one year.
SEE: http://www.freesamialarian.com/home.htm
In a letter to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Amnesty International
(AI)
called Al-Arian's detention "gratuitously punitive." AI cited 23-hour
lockdowns, strip searches, use of chains and shackles, severely limited
recreation, lack of access to any religious service and denial of a
watch
or clock in a windowless cell where the artificial light is never
turned off.
The AI letter stated: "The prolonged cellular confinement, lack of
exercise, frequent shackling and other deprivations imposed on Dr.
Al-Arian
are inconsistent with international standards and treaties which
require
that all persons deprived of their liberty must be treated humanely
with
respect for their inherent human dignity." (Palm Beach Post, 8/3/03)
In an editorial, the St. Petersburg Times wrote: "This is no way to win
a
conviction or treat an accused person, not even an alleged terrorist."
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 26 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-FL, Ahmed Bedier 813-731-9506, abedier@cair-florida.org;
Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org
SEE ALSO:
FRIDAY PRAYERS ACCOMMODATED AT VA PRISON
The Virginia Department of Corrections will now allow Muslim inmates to
pray Friday services (Jumah) during their lunch break at the
Greensville
Work Center. Previously, the work center had offered prayer services
only
in the late evening.
The decision came after CAIR's civil rights department contacted the
department informing them of the Muslim practice of praying Friday
services
during mid-afternoon.
-----
CAIR-HOUSTON: ARABIC LANGUAGE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
CAIR-Houston is calling on all parents with children in 6th, 7th, 8th,
and
9th grades to join the Join CAIR-Houston Project "Iqrah."
This is a project that can help encourage public school districts to
introduce Arabic classes into the curriculum. The Islamic Society of
Greater Houston Southeast Zone community is already working toward this
goal, now you can learn from their experience.
Contact CAIR-Houston at 713-838-2247 or cair@cairhouston.org to learn
how
to help.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-NY HOSTS INDONESIAN JOURNALISTS
The New York office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR-NY)
today welcomed a visiting delegation of 10 Indonesian journalists
sponsored by
the U.S. State Department. The journalists, who are are touring the
United
States to learn more about American society, represented a number of
regions
and ethnic groups in that South East Asian nation.
CONTACT: Firdos Abdul-Munim (212) 870-2002
-----
POLICE ARREST 4 AT GRADUATION
Rob Nelson, Times-Picayune, 5/24/04
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-1/108546837599780.xml
Four people, including one who police said was trying to use a fake
ticket
to enter the West Jefferson High School graduation, were arrested
Saturday
at the Alario Center near Westwego after a scuffle with police and
center
officials.
A local Muslim organization, however, contends the suspects were
targeted
because of their religious beliefs.
According to police reports, Maha Askar, 26, 220 Wall Blvd., Terrytown,
refused to leave the building after Alario Center General Manager Greg
Guthrie told police to remove her because she was using a forged
ticket.
Askar, who was at the center with three cousins to see her brother
graduate, "started screaming at the top of her lungs" and told the
officer
that she had waited an hour outside to attend the event, according to
the
police reports.
When she refused to leave, the officer tried to handcuff Askar for a
second
time, Mohammad Sarsour, 18, 150 Cameron Drive, Gretna, pushed the
officer
in his chest and told him to leave her alone, the police reports said.
The officer then used a nonlethal Taser X26 stun gun against Sarsour, a
device that delivers electric volts to suspects, typically immobilizing
them.
Askar was booked with "remaining after forbidden" and resisting an
officer.
Sarsour and Mohammad Judeh, 17, 5100 St. Bernard Ave., New Orleans,
were
booked with interfering with police and resisting an officer.
A fourth person also was arrested, but police would only say that the
suspect is a juvenile.
All the suspects were quickly released on bail...
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIM STUDENT JUST ONE OF MANY REPORTED HARASSMENTS AT AREA SCHOOLS
Geralda Miller, Reno Gazette-Journal, 5/26/04
http://www.rgj.com/news/stories/html/2004/05/26/71611.php
Jana Elhifny came to Reno from Egypt with her family a year ago seeking
the
freedoms promised to all Americans. Instead the 16-year-old Muslim girl
who
wears a scarf as a symbol of her religion faced a death threat and
harassment at North Valleys High School.
She said she was so frightened of continued mistreatment that in
December
she stopped going to school.
"I'm so scared of going back to high school," Elhifny said. "I don't
want
to do it all over again. I don't want to try. I can't have it 24/7. I
can't."
Mahmoud Hendi, president of the Northern Nevada Muslim Community of
about
2,000 members, said school officials have told him about isolated
similar
incidents in other schools.
But being bullied or harassed transcends cultural, religious and ethnic
lines.
To date, there have been 865 reported incidents of harassment in the
Washoe
County School District this school year. The incidents include
bullying,
hazing and verbal disturbance, according to numbers provided by the
district.
North Valleys has the highest number reported with 185 incidents. Reed
High
School, with 149, and Spanish Springs High School, with 136, also
reported
a high number of incidents.
-----
U.S. IS OUSTING A RETIREE TOO ILL TO TRAVEL
Alisa Solomon, Village Voice, 5/24/04
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0421/solomon.php
Malik Muhammad Akbar's doctor has warned him not to travel. The
66-year-old
retired poultry farmer had heart surgery at Jacobi Medical Center in
November and has also been diagnosed with chronic kidney failure and
diabetes. The 18-hour flight to his native Pakistan would probably kill
him, he says. That hasn't stopped the Bureau of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) from insisting on deporting him.
Like some 14,000 other undocumented immigrants, Akbar was ordered
deported
after he complied last year with "special registration," which required
that men from 25 predominantly Muslim countries come to immigration
offices
for interviews and fingerprinting. After 15 months of what critics call
large-scale racial profiling that tore families apart without
uncovering a
single terrorist, the government suspended the program last December,
asserting that it had achieved its aim of more strictly enforcing
immigration laws.
The repercussions are still being felt. A recent report presented to
the
9-11 Commission by the Special Registrants Action Network (SRAN)-a
coalition of immigrant-advocacy and community groups-reveals families
and
whole communities struggling to cope with what the activists call the
"devastating consequences" of the program.
Recent legislation proposed by congressional Democrats to enable
millions
of undocumented workers to become permanent residents or citizens makes
no
recommendations for reforming the draconian mandatory-detention and
deportation laws imposed in 1996.
Akbar and his wife came to New York City in 2000 to visit their son and
other relatives who live here legally. They had a six-month tourist
visa, a
five-month open-return ticket, and every intention of going back to
Rawalpindi. "I was a healthy man when I came here," Akbar says, in the
soft
rasp of a man constantly short of energy and breath.
Akbar remembers how thrilled he was to see snow for the first time
shortly
after his arrival, but the New York winter was too much for him. A
month
into his visit, he contracted pneumonia and suffered a small heart
attack.
The treatment regimen involved frequent checkups and special
medications,
and his doctor said traveling was out of the question, so Akbar and his
wife settled into a floor of a three-family house near relatives in the
east Bronx. After eight months, he developed a kidney problem that
required
surgery...
-----
ISLAMIC CENTER PLANS EXPANSION IN HOPKINTON
David McLaughlin, MetroWest Daily News, 5/25/04
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=69180
HOPKINTON -- A mosque and Islamic center on Wood Street is looking to
level
its building and replace it with a larger one that would include
apartments
and worship space.
The president of the Islamic Masumeen Center of New England appeared
before
the Planning Board last night with preliminary plans for expanding the
building, which was once a restaurant and later a topless bar called
Jokers 4.
"We're running out of room, and the facility is just simply tired,"
said
the center's president, Mahmud Jafri, before the meeting. "Ideally we
would
have liked to have done a facelift and renovation, but because of the
age
of the building, I think it's better we start fresh."
The center's plans call for a two-story, 9,000-square-foot building to
replace the 5,000-square-foot site that sits near the Rte. 495 overpass
on
Wood Street. The new building will include space for worship
ceremonies,
conferences and religious school for children. There will also be four
apartments for clergymen, a custodian, the school's principal and
visiting
professors and scholars.
The apartments are considered an accessory use that is allowed,
Building
Inspector Mike Shepard told board members.
Jafri, who estimated about 75 families worship at the center, hopes the
building project is finished in about two years.
"We also hope that once we have a nicer center we would like to reach
out
to the community and be involved and get them involved with our
community.
Right now we just don't have the infrastructure or facilities to do
that,"
said Jafri, who described the building as having a "pretty checkered
history..."
ALSO SEE:
FIRST-EVER GRADUATION CEREMONY MARKS ISLAMIC SCHOOL'S GROWTH
Jo Ann Zuniga, Houston Chronicle, 5/25/04
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2591756
While thousands of Houston high school students graduate this month,
the
only two seniors at Al-Hadi School of Accelerative Learning will
receive
their diplomas Thursday in the school's first-ever graduation.
The ceremony at this small religious school in southwest Houston is a
milestone for the students and is another sign of the city's growing
Islamic community, which numbers an estimated 200,000 people, according
to
the Islamic Society of Greater Houston.
"We are setting the tone for other Islamic schools," said Al-Hadi
Principal
Sami Hijazi, adding that the school's goal is " to graduate students to
be
assets not just to the Islamic community but the community at large."
When Al-Hadi opened in 1996, it began with fewer than 10 students and
was
one of only four Islamic schools in the Houston area. Today, the school
has
more than 220 students and is one of the largest of seven such schools
with
a total enrollment of about 700 students.
Experts say religious schools have become more attractive to parents
since
9/11 and the conflict with Iraq. Nationally, at least 2,000 schools are
providing Muslims an alternative to the public school system, where
problems such as disputes over the hijab, or head scarf, are prevalent.
Last week, an Oklahoma public school district agreed to allow a Muslim
girl
to wear her head covering in a lawsuit settlement. The school had
initially
suspended her.
Considering such disputes, Yvonne Haddad, a professor of history at
Georgetown University's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding in
Washington, D.C., said it's no surprise some families are turning to
private schools.
"They are part of America and want the right to maintain their faith,"
she
said. "They are following the Jewish and Christians' (communities) in
creating their own schools."
The potential for misunderstanding has only increased since 9/11 and
the
war with Iraq, she added.
-----
DEARBORN MOSQUE'S DEBUT WILL COINCIDE WITH ARAB-AMERICAN MUSEUM OPENING
Shante� Woodards, Detroit News, 5/25/04
http://www.detnews.com/2004/religion/0405/25/d01-162836.htm
DEARBORN - Metro Detroit's significant Muslim population will soon have
a
mosque befitting its size.
Once completed this fall, the Islamic Center of America - which will be
among the largest in the country - will have a 120,000-square-foot
complex
that includes the mosque, the Muslim American Youth Academy, an
auditorium
and library. Currently, the school is open, and the other phases of the
project will begin after the mosque is operational.
But the mosque is one of the highlights of the $12 million project
because
it will provide the Islamic Center's 3,000 members with more room to
worship and have community activities. Its current facility in Detroit
-
which the group has occupied for about 40 years - is too cramped to
meet
all their needs.
Zana Macki said she feels as if she has watched the mosque being built
from
the ground up, from the pillars up to the dome that was added earlier
this
year. Macki, an Arab-American activist, said she found it significant
that
the mosque is going to be near Armenian and other Christian churches.
"(The new mosque) is very much needed. This is a steppingstone," said
Macki, a Dearborn Heights resident. "Where else but in America can you
have
the freedom to have different religions right next to each other and
practicing their religions freely ... and not having any fear of
government?"
There are about 500,000 Arab-Americans living in Metro Detroit. About
30,000 Dearborn residents - about one-third of the city's population -
are
of Arab descent. Arab immigrants have brought the cultures of more than
20
nations to the Detroit area.
The opening of the mosque will be coupled with that of the Arab
American
National Museum, scheduled for October in Dearborn. The
36,000-square-foot
museum is being modeled after the Japanese-American National Museum in
Los
Angeles and will be the first of its kind.
The Islamic Center's existing mosque in Detroit began as the Islamic
Center
of Detroit in 1963. Imam Mohammad Jawad Chirri founded the
17,000-square-foot facility after rallying the local Arab community and
his
contacts throughout the Middle East.
The opening of the mosque will represent phase two of a construction
project that began in 1997 with the opening of the Muslim American
Youth
Academy. The school, which is on the old YMCA site in Dearborn, opened
in
time for the 1997-98 school year with 35 students. Now about 170
students
attend the school, which goes from kindergarten to sixth grade.
ALSO SEE:
CALL TO PRAYER TO GO TO VOTERS; NOISE ORDINANCE STILL HAS SUPPORT OF
COUNCIL
Cecil Angel, Detroit Free Press, 5/26/04
http://www.freep.com/news/latestnews/pm19973_20040525.htm
It's now up to voters.
The decision that has split Hamtramck -- City Council approval of a
noise
ordinance that would have allowed the Muslim call to prayer to be
broadcast
on loudspeakers from the Al-Islah Islamic Center -- was affirmed by a
5-0
vote Tuesday night.
Because the council didn't rescind the ordinance, the issue will go
before
voters, as required by the city charter. Until then, the city must put
the
ordinance on hold because residents filed petitions to stop it from
going
into law today.
The issue could be on the ballot as early as July in a special election
or
in August, the next regular election.
Even though the ordinance is in limbo, the Al-Islah mosque's leaders
said
Tuesday night they will begin broadcasting the call to prayer in Arabic
at
1:30 p.m. Friday.
Masud Khan, secretary of the Al-Islah Islamic Center, said the mosque
has a
constitutional right to broadcast the call to prayer, adding that it is
already being done in Detroit and Dearborn.
"If Detroit can do it, why can't we?" he asked. "We have religious
freedom.
We can express our religion."
The mosque wouldn't be breaking any laws if it does, said Councilman
Shahab
Ahmed. He said the Islamic center was just being a good neighbor when
it
asked for the city's permission in January to begin broadcasting. It
won't
be penalized for using its loudspeakers to broadcast the call to prayer
with or without the ordinance, he said...
---
ARAB STUDENTS AT UCI PLAN PROTEST
Susan Anasagasti, Los Angeles Times, 5/26/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-hate26may26,1,2669649.story?coll=la-headlines-california
Arab students at UCI plan to hold a rally Thursday to promote free
speech
and protest the destruction of a campus display they say was intended
to
promote peace.
Members of the Society of Arab Students hope the demonstration will
show
that the group, as well as the campus community, will not tolerate
hatred
and intolerance.
Officials said an arson fire early Friday destroyed the display, --
which
depicted what the students called the suffering of Palestinians. By the
time the UCI Police Department and the Irvine Fire Department arrived,
the
display, a cardboard wall, was in flames.
The display, erected last week in the campus' Free Speech Zone, was
supposed to portray a controversial security barrier built to keep
Palestinian suicide bombers out of Israel. SAS built the display with
help
from the Muslim Student Union.
"This incident was an attack on our identity and on who we are
ethnically,"
said Vanessa Zuabi, vice president of SAS. "We realize that in order to
not
be silenced we need to work together and keep a strong presence on this
campus..."
-----
GROUP CELEBRATES ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF MUSLIM WOMEN
Peter Ortiz, Arizona Republic, 5/24/04
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0524muslimwomen24.html
Behind guarded doors on the Arizona State University campus, Huda
Shrourou
and 350 girls and women walked across a red carpet and partied in a way
unknown to most outside Muslim circles.
In public, Shrourou wears a hijab, or head scarf, that frames her face
and
modest clothes that cover her body as prescribed by her Islamic faith.
But
this month, the 16-year-old Tempe McClintock High School junior put on
makeup and jewelry, did her hair and donned a bluish-purple ball gown
in an
event that honored the accomplishments, independence and strength of
Muslim
women.
"A big misconception is that we just stay at home," Shrourou said. "I
think
this does show we do have fun."
No men, including Muslims and fathers of the women, were permitted to
the
10th-annual Al-Mu'minah Graduation Reception and Ball, providing a
comfortable place for the women to dress liberally. Shrourou disagrees
with
the many non-Muslims who may see the traditional dress style for women
as a
symbol of oppression. In contrast, she and others say the mission of
Al-Mu'minah, which translates to "the believing woman," is to
strengthen
and enrich the young Muslim woman.
Aneesah Nadir, a professor at ASU West and founder of Al-Mu'minah,
described the group as a Muslim version of the Girl Scouts. The group
held
its first celebration in Nadir's back yard with 30 girls and women in
1994
and continued to grow as the Valley's Muslim population increased...
-----
THE F.B.I. MESSES UP
New York Times, 5/26/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/26/opinion/26WED2.html
The Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation ought to
hang their heads in shame over the mistaken arrest and jailing of a
Muslim
lawyer in Oregon who was supposed to be a material witness in the
Madrid
train bombing case. The arrest turned out to be based on a faulty
fingerprint identification by F.B.I. "experts." That finding was
ultimately
retracted when more careful Spanish investigators concluded that the
fingerprint had actually been left by a different man. Federal
authorities
apologized for the error and the unjustified jail time, but they still
have
a lot of explaining to do. The case smacks of a rush to judgment based
on
flimsy evidence. Clearly fingerprint analysis is not the gold standard
it
is cracked up to be. The method itself is not foolproof, and the
analysts
who provide the final judgment sometimes make the wrong call.
The fiasco started when the Spanish police sent the F.B.I. digital
photographic images of some partial latent fingerprints taken from a
plastic bag found in a van linked to the Madrid bombings. An automated
searching system compared the images with millions of prints on file
and
came up with possible matches. F.B.I. analysts made the final judgment
that
a print submitted from Spain was identical to prints on file for
Brandon
Mayfield. Three F.B.I. examiners considered the match to be a "100
percent
identification" of Mr. Mayfield. A court-appointed examiner agreed.
Shortly thereafter, the Spanish authorities cast doubt on that
judgment,
but the Justice Department sought Mr. Mayfield's detention anyway,
based on
the F.B.I.'s insistence that it had identified the right man.
Investigators
offered other evidence that appeared to cast suspicion on Mr. Mayfield.
He
had represented a man in a custody dispute who later pleaded guilty to
conspiring to help Al Qaeda fight American forces in Afghanistan. He
had
attended a local mosque and placed ads for his law practice in a
publication whose owner was linked to terrorists. A phone call was made
between his home and the number of the local director of an Islamic
charity
who was suspected of terrorist ties abroad. All that now looks
coincidental.
The F.B.I. blames its error on an image of substandard quality sent by
the
Spanish police. But it is shocking that the F.B.I. would initially
express
certitude based on one partial print. The United States attorney in
Portland insists that religion had nothing to do with the investigation
because Mr. Mayfield was not under suspicion when the F.B.I. first
analyzed
the prints. But the decision to lock up Mr. Mayfield was clearly
influenced
by his Muslim ties. It is sobering evidence that the current legal
crackdown on suspected terrorists can yield injustice for those who are
innocent.
ALSO SEE:
FEDS RELEASE FORMER STUDENT IN 9-11 PROBE
Associated Press, 5/25/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-attacks-detainee-released,0,1750336.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines
SAN DIEGO - A former San Diego State student from Yemen whom
authorities at
one time suspected of helping three Sept. 11 hijackers has been
deported
after almost three years in jail.
Mohdar Abdullah, 26, among the first Muslim immigrants in the nation to
be
detained after the 2001 attacks, was sent to Yemen on Friday, said
Lauren
Mack, spokeswoman for the immigration division of the Homeland Security
Department.
Abdullah's lawyer, Randall B. Hamud, said the government of Yemen twice
refused to admit Abdullah, and agreed to accept him only because of
intense
pressure from the United States.
Hamud said he discovered Abdullah had been deported when he called the
jail
to arrange a visit. ``I haven't heard from my client since he's been
deported and I'm very worried about him,'' Hamud said.
After his arrest, investigators had said Abdullah was a friend of
Khalid
Almihdhar, Nawaf Alhazmi and Hani Hanjour, who crashed American
Airlines
Flight 77 into the Pentagon.
Those allegations were not addressed when Abdullah pleaded guilty to
lying
to a U.S. immigration officer and received a six-month sentence. He
admitted filing an asylum application in which he falsely claimed he
was
from Somalia and was a member of a minority group that faced
persecution there.
Abdullah and his friend and former cellmate, Omar Bakarbashat, were
among
the first Muslim immigrants in the nation to be detained after Sept.
11.
Bakarbashat, also a former college student, was deported to Yemen on
Oct. 24.
---
EX-JUDGE WHO MISBEHAVED FACING LOSS OF LAW LICENSE
Columbus Dispatch, 5/25/04
http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2004/05/25/20040525-B1
-04.html
Former Municipal Court Judge Bruce Jenkins, center, confers with
attorneys
William R. Meeks, left, and Samuel Shamansky. Jenkins apologized for
his
courtroom behavior in incidents that occurred two years ago.
A retired Franklin County judge has agreed to forfeit his law license
for
at least six months as punishment for some inappropriate courtroom
behavior.
Bruce Jenkins, the longest-serving judge in the county, took the
witness
stand yesterday in his own disciplinary hearing and apologized for what
occurred two years ago when he served in Municipal Court.
Jenkins will likely be disciplined for forcing two men to remove
religious
head coverings, repeatedly refusing to allow people to represent
themselves
and questioning the citizenship of a man using an interpreter.
"I have no malice toward anyone," Jenkins said yesterday. "I'm sorry it
happened, and I'm sorry to have wasted your time."
Jenkins was a sitting judge for 41 years. Though the deal reached
likely
will be his punishment, a three-member panel representing the Ohio
Supreme
Court's Board of Grievances and Discipline still must issue a formal
recommendation.
The full 28-member board then votes on the recommendation.
The panel was told Jenkins has admitted to almost all of the eight
allegations filed against him a year ago by a grievance committee...
---
WITCH HUNT?: GOVERNMENT MUST EXPLAIN ITSELF IN YEE CASE
Dallas News, 5/26/04
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/052604dnediyee.c222.html
There was a time in this country when it was accepted as a sacred
underpinning of our legal system that it was better for 10 guilty men
to go
free than for just one innocent man to be falsely imprisoned.
Regrettably,
those days are gone.
Nowhere is that more in evidence than in the government's scandalous
treatment of Capt. James Yee. After the 36-year-old Chinese-American
Army
chaplain was accused in September of espionage - specifically planning
to
give al-Qaeda information about prisoners to which he ministered at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - Capt. Yee was arrested, blindfolded, thrown in
leg
irons and dumped in solitary confinement for 76 days.
The government never has confirmed that the reason the West Point
graduate
was treated this way had anything to do with the fact that he was
Muslim,
that he ministered to Muslims or that he was known to meet and pray
privately with Muslim workers. But it's plausible to think those things
had
to play a role.
In fact, the military won't say two words about the case - what
evidence it
had or why it treated a U.S. citizen and commissioned officer so
egregiously. The Army also won't explain why it dropped all charges
against
Capt. Yee and wiped the case from his record.
In a chilling article in USA Today, former military judges and
prosecutors
dissected the government's case against Capt. Yee and insisted that the
evidence was flimsy from the beginning. Why the government pressed the
matter so hard with so little to go on is anyone's guess.
And don't expect any answers from Capt. Yee, whom the Army has ordered
not
to discuss his ordeal in any way critical of the military.
That sounds familiar. Brandon Mayfield, an Oregon lawyer and convert to
Islam, also was ordered not to talk about his case, though that order
was
lifted Monday. Mr. Mayfield was jailed for two weeks and branded as a
terrorist on the basis of a mismatched fingerprint from Spain. Even
though
Spanish police quickly matched the fingerprint to another man, Mr.
Mayfield
said he was "often manacled and chained" while held as a material
witness
in the Spanish train bombings. At least the FBI has formally apologized
to
Mr. Mayfield.
The Army hasn't apologized to Capt. Yee, although it should. It also
should
lift the gag order and permit him to speak about his case...
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: HOW TO DEFEAT JIHAD IN AMERICA
Lawrence Auster, FrontPageMagazine.com, 5/26/04
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=13532
In his new monograph on immigration and terrorism, Bearers of Global
Jihad,
Robert S. Leiken of the Nixon Center says something that is painfully
self-evident, yet rarely expressed so plainly: The sole source of the
growth of jihadism and terrorism in the West is Moslem immigration.
Leiken
emphasizes the European sources of the Moslem terrorists entering
America. He recommends greater caution toward visitors and immigrants
from
Europe and more careful screening for possible sleeper cells and hit
squads. But preceding these practical suggestions, Leiken's first
recommendation, as Daniel Pipes summarizes it in the New York Sun, is
as
follows:
"Assimilating indigenous Muslim populations is critical to the West's
long-term security."
It is discouraging to see writers such as Leiken and Pipes-who are
hardly
politically correct on the subject of Moslem immigration-resorting to
the
assimilationist mantra. Ever since immigration and multiculturalism
became
hot national topics in the late 1980s and early 1990s, open-borders
conservatives have endlessly assured us that the cure for any and all
immigration-related problems is assimilation, a procedure which they
seemed
to assume was as easy and automatic as the democratization of a Moslem
country. Yet during those same years, the numbers and social
pathologies
of non-assimilating immigrants (including rampant anti-Americanism)
have
continued to increase, while the multicultural ideology (which is the
political expression of the non-assimilating groups) has continued to
gain
power. None of this has had any effect on the open-borders optimists.
As
soon as any troublesome aspect of immigration is mentioned, they come
out
once again with the same old assimilationist clich�s, as though they
hadn't
been saying exactly the same thing for the last 15 years and losing our
country for us in the process...
These conservatives can't give up their hope in assimilation, because
for
them it is tied so intimately to the American Creed. To assimilate
means
to make similar or the same; and the American Creed teaches us that all
people in the world are basically the same as us, or can readily be
made
the same as us. The problem, of course, is that Moslems by and large
are
not the same as us, nor can they be made the same as us, for the simple
reason that they adhere to a religion and a set of beliefs that are
radically incompatible with-and indeed hostile to-our culture and our
very
being as Westerners. Which means that most Moslems cannot be
assimilated
in any real sense, no matter what we do…
Short of shutting down their schools, removing them from their homes
and
communities, placing them in non-Moslem homes and communities, and
converting them to Christianity, what can we actually do that would
make
them become the same as non-Moslem Americans?
Why we live in fear of domestic terrorism
In addition to the U.S. Moslems who support jihad and sympathize with
terrorists, there are, of course, the terrorists themselves. Over a
period
of a few days this past January, commercial airline flights from London
to
Washington were repeatedly canceled after authorities received
intelligence
that Al Qaeda agents might be planning to seize control of a plane en
route
and crash it into the U.S. Capitol building. Such an attempt should
have
been no surprise, since Al Qaeda had tried and failed to destroy the
Capitol on 9/11, and it was inevitable that they would keep on trying
until
they succeeded, just as they had with the World Trade Center. As
reported
in today's Washington Post, federal officials are saying that al Qaeda
has
operatives in the U.S. preparing a large-scale terrorist attack between
now
and Labor Day, focusing on targets such as airlines and ships and
aiming to
kill large numbers of people, all in the hope of throwing the
presidential
election in their favor, as they did in Spain.
Of course, tough-minded conservatives like to opine that we're in a war
with "militant Islam," not just with "terror," yet those same
conservatives
seem to believe that we can win this war on militant Islam while
leaving in
our midst a large and expanding population of Moslems, a major portion
of
whom are pro-jihadist and anti-American. According to even the most
hard-boiled thinkers among us, our domestic safety rests on two
foundations: assimilation of U.S. Moslems, and security measures
against
terrorism. But the successful assimilation of all U.S. Moslems is a
pipe
dream, and our vaunted security measures only add up to managing the
intolerable threat of domestic terrorism, not ending it.
The simple fact we must face is that we will continue living under the
ever-present fear and reality of domestic terrorism as long as Wahhabi
and
fundamentalist Moslems continue to reside and move around freely in the
United States and other Western countries. Therefore, if we want to
eliminate the threat of domestic terrorism, and not just keep dancing
around the problem, we must stop talking about assimilating Moslems and
start talking about excluding and deporting them instead.
When I say this, I am not advocating the universal exclusion and
deportation of all Moslem immigrants from this country. I am not
seeking
to set up a spy service to find out if a native American has converted
to
Islam. Nor am I saying that if an American becomes a Moslem he would
lose
his job or get deported.
What I am talking about is stopping and then reversing the
Islamicization
of America.
Here are five steps by which this can be accomplished...
(Lawrence Auster is the author of Erasing America: The Politics of the
Borderless Nation. He runs the weblog View from the Right.)
-----
SPAIN HAD DOUBTS BEFORE U.S. HELD LAWYER IN MADRID BLASTS
Sarah Kershaw and Eric Lichtblau, New York Times, 5/26/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/26/national/26OREG.html
PORTLAND, Ore. - Days after the train bombings in Madrid last March
killed
191 people, the Spanish authorities, unable to find a match with a set
of
fingerprints found on a plastic bag full of detonators, sent the
Federal
Bureau of Investigation a digital copy, hoping the bureau could find
what
they could not.
The F.B.I. quickly and confidently found a match to a Portland-area
lawyer,
setting in motion a chain of events that led the authorities in the
United
States to link the wrong man to those fingerprints, tie him to Islamic
terrorists, arrest him on a material-witness warrant, jail him for 14
days,
drop the entire case on Monday and then face withering questions about
how
the investigation could have gone so wrong.
Court records unsealed Tuesday showed that the Spanish authorities had
raised questions about the F.B.I.'s fingerprint match to the lawyer,
Brandon Mayfield, 37, weeks before his May 6 arrest. Yet F.B.I.
officials
were so confident of a match they described as "100 percent," the court
papers show, that they never bothered to look at the original print
while
they were in Madrid on April 21, meeting with Spanish investigators.
The F.B.I. was relying on the digital copy that was sent to them after
the
bombings, returning to view the original last weekend only after the
Spaniards had linked the print to an Algerian national. The F.B.I. then
aggressively pursued its case against Mr. Mayfield.
F.B.I. officials could not provide an estimate of how often digital
matching of fingerprints was used, but they said it was not a rarity.
The April 21 meeting was held after "it became apparent that the
preliminary findings of the forensic science division of the Spanish
National Police concluded that the fingerprints were not consistent
with
those of the F.B.I. laboratory," according to an affidavit in support
of
the arrest warrant.
At the end of the meeting, F.B.I. officials concluded, the Spaniards
"felt
satisfied" with the F.B.I.'s analysis...
In making their case to a federal judge in Portland for arresting Mr.
Mayfield, a Muslim convert, F.B.I. investigators said their reasoning
for
the arrest went beyond the fingerprint match, according to the
affidavit.
Mr. Mayfield had represented a terrorism defendant in a custody case,
telephone records showed a "telephonic contact" on Sept. 11, 2002,
between
his home and a phone number assigned to Pete Seda, the director of a
local
Islamic Charity, the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation, who is on a
federal
terrorism watch list.
The Mayfields denied having any contact with Mr. Seda, Mr. Mayfield's
lawyers said, and said they had never heard of him. The affidavit also
said
that Mr. Mayfield's law firm, a family and immigration law practice in
Beaverton, Ore., advertised in a "Muslim yellow page directory," which
was
produced by a man who had business dealings with Osama bin Laden's
former
personal secretary. The yellow pages directory was administered by
"Jerusalem Enterprises, Inc.," which was registered to Farid Adlouni, a
Portland resident whom the documents said was "directly linked in
business
dealings" with Wadih El Hage, the former bin Laden secretary who was
convicted by a New York federal court of conspiring to murder U.S.
citizens.
And finally, the affidavit said, Mr. Mayfield was seen driving from his
home to the Bilal mosque, his regular place of worship. That mosque,
said
officials with the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, had been
under
surveillance, but the F.B.I.'s mention of his attendance at the mosque
as a
justification for his arrest infuriated Muslim groups.
"I'd be surprised if there's a mosque in the country that hasn't come
under
scrutiny these days," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on
American-Islamic Relations in Washington. "It becomes the whole Kevin
Bacon
game - no Muslim is more than six degrees away from terrorism..."
ALSO SEE:
WHAT HAPPENED TO BRANDON MAYFIELD COULD HAPPEN TO ANYBODY
Justin Raimondo, Antiwar.com, 5/25/04
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/
The first time they allowed Brandon Mayfield any visitors, he reached
out
toward the heavy glass partition and spoke into the telephone, trying
to
reassure his wife and mother:
"Even after the FBI had searched his house, carried away belongings and
confiscated credit cards and checkbooks - without charging him with a
crime
- Mayfield told his family that he had faith in the system.
"'He said he believes in this system. He said it is the best system in
the
world,' AvNell Mayfield, 63, recalled. 'He knows he will be exonerated.
He
said no matter what transpires, just be patient, reassure the children
and
don't let the waiting get to you. He said, `This will all turn out
alright.'"
And so it did - but not until John Ashcroft's Justice Department had
done
everything to keep him jailed, defenseless, and smeared as a
"terrorist" in
the eyes of the world.
Two weeks after the March 11 Madrid terrorist bombings, the FBI started
watching the 37-year-old lawyer and Muslim convert 24/7. The ostensible
reason was that a computer search matching up fingerprints found at the
scene of the bombing matched his - along with 15 others. The FBI
narrowed
it down to three, and homed in on Mayfield because of his religion, his
associations, and his political views. This is what one FBI official
later
described as "an absolutely incontrovertible match."
Using the power granted them by the "PATRIOT" Act, FBI agents broke
into
his house and conducted a search in his absence, rifling through his
kids'
Spanish homework, and leaving the doors double-bolted - which
immediately
alerted the Mayfield family that someone had been on the premises.
Mayfield
called 911 when it happened a second time, and he found a man's
footprint
on the rug. They couldn't pick up the phone without hearing an odd
clicking. When the FBI finally swooped down on the Mayfield's home in a
quiet suburb of Portland, Oregon, they burst in the door, trashed the
place, and trundled him off in handcuffs without a word. He was jailed
for
weeks without charges: Ashcroft's goons told the media he was being
held as
a "material witness" to the Madrid bombings...
-----
ABUSE OF CAPTIVES MORE WIDESPREAD, SAYS ARMY SURVEY
Douglas Jehl, Steven Lee Myers, Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 5/26/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/26/politics/26ABUS.html?hp
Maj. Gen. Abed Hamed Mowhoush, shown with his grandson in a family
photo,
died last November in American custody in Iraq.
WASHINGTON - An Army summary of deaths and mistreatment involving
prisoners
in American custody in Iraq and Afghanistan shows a widespread pattern
of
abuse involving more military units than previously known.
The cases from Iraq date back to April 15, 2003, a few days after
Saddam
Hussein's statue was toppled in a Baghdad square, and they extend up to
last month, when a prisoner detained by Navy commandos died in a
suspected
case of homicide blamed on "blunt force trauma to the torso and
positional
asphyxia."
Among previously unknown incidents are the abuse of detainees by Army
interrogators from a National Guard unit attached to the Third Infantry
Division, who are described in a document obtained by The New York
Times as
having "forced into asphyxiation numerous detainees in an attempt to
obtain
information" during a 10-week period last spring.
The document, dated May 5, is a synopsis prepared by the Criminal
Investigation Command at the request of Army officials grappling with
intense scrutiny prompted by the circulation the preceding week of
photographs of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. It lists the status of
investigations into three dozen cases, including the continuing
investigation into the notorious abuses at Abu Ghraib.
In one of the oldest cases, involving the death of a prisoner in
Afghanistan in December 2002, enlisted personnel from an active-duty
military intelligence unit at Fort Bragg, N.C., and an Army Reserve
military-police unit from Ohio are believed to have been "involved at
various times in assaulting and mistreating the detainee."
The Army summary is consistent with recent public statements by senior
military officials, who have said the Army is actively investigating
nine
suspected homicides of prisoners held by Americans in Iraq and
Afghanistan
in late 2002.
But the details paint a broad picture of misconduct, and show that in
many
cases among the 37 prisoners who have died in American custody in Iraq
and
Afghanistan, the Army did not conduct autopsies and says it cannot
determine the causes of the deaths...
ALSO SEE:
THE BUSH AND KERRY TILT
Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times, 5/26/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/26/opinion/26KRIS.html
George Bush and John Kerry disagree on almost every issue, with one
crucial
exception: they compete to support a myopic policy that is unjust, that
damages our credibility around the world and that severely undermines
our
efforts in Iraq.
It's our Israel-Palestine policy, which has become so unbalanced that
it's
now little more than an embrace of the right-wing jingoist whom Mr.
Bush
unforgettably labeled a "man of peace": Ariel Sharon.
American presidents have always tried to be honest brokers in the
Middle
East. Truman, Johnson and Reagan were a bit more pro-Israeli, while
Eisenhower, Carter and George H. W. Bush were a bit cooler, but all
aimed
for balance.
President Bush tossed all that out the window as he snuggled up to Mr.
Sharon. Mr. Bush gazes admiringly as Mr. Sharon responds to terrorist
attacks by sending troops to bulldoze Palestinian homes and shoot
protesters, and he dropped President Clinton's intensive efforts to
reach a
peace deal. Prof. Michael Hudson of Georgetown University describes
present
Middle East policy as "a bumbling incompetence, running here or there
but
doing nothing consistently."
Our embrace of Mr. Sharon hobbles us in Iraq even more than those
photos
from Abu Ghraib. Iraqis (in contrast with, say, Kuwaitis) genuinely
sympathize with the Palestinians, and everywhere I've been in Iraq
ordinary
people have asked me why Americans provide the weapons Mr. Sharon uses
to
kill Palestinians.
One lofty aim of the Iraq war was to achieve a Middle East peace. But
as
retired Gen. Anthony Zinni told the Center for Defense Information this
month: "I couldn't believe what I was hearing about the benefits of
this
strategic move - that the road to Jerusalem led through Baghdad, when
just
the opposite is true, the road to Baghdad led through Jerusalem. You
solve
the Middle East peace process, you'd be surprised what kinds of other
things will work out."
As for Mr. Kerry, he has generally been sensible on the Middle East.
But in
recent months he has zigged and zagged away from his record (he used to
oppose the Middle East fence, for example) to plant his own wet kisses
on
Mr. Sharon. It's too bad he doesn't have the leadership to acknowledge
what
50 former U.S. diplomats wrote in an open letter to President Bush last
month...
---
IRAQ MAY SURVIVE, BUT THE DREAM IS DEAD
Fouad Ajami, New York Times, 5/26/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/26/opinion/26AJAM.html
It was high time President Bush spoke to the nation of the war in Iraq.
A
year or so ago, it was our war, and we claimed it proudly. To be sure,
there was a minority that never bought into the expedition and
genuinely
believed that it would come to grief. But most of us recognized that a
culture of terror had taken root in the Arab world. We struck, first at
Afghanistan and then at the Iraqi regime, out of a broader
determination to
purge Arab radicalism.
No wonder President Bush, in the most intensely felt passage of Monday
night's speech, returned to Sept. 11 and its terrors. "In the last 32
months, history has placed great demands on our country," he said. "We
did
not seek this war on terror. But this is the world as we find it."
Instinctively, an embattled leader fell back on a time of relative
national
consensus.
But gone is the hubris. Let's face it: Iraq is not going to be
America's
showcase in the Arab-Muslim world. The president's insistence that he
had
sent American troops to Iraq to make its people free, "not to make them
American" is now - painfully - beside the point. The unspoken message
of
the speech was that no great American project is being hatched in Iraq.
If
some of the war's planners had thought that Iraq would be an ideal base
for
American primacy in the Persian Gulf, a beacon from which to spread
democracy and reason throughout the Arab world, that notion has clearly
been set aside.
We are strangers in Iraq, and we didn't know the place. We had
struggled
against radical Shiism in Iran and Lebanon in recent decades, but we
expected a fairly secular society in Iraq (I myself wrote in that vein
at
the time). Yet it turned out that the radical faith - among the Sunnis
as
well as the Shiites - rose to fill the void left by the collapse of the
old
despotism.
In the decade that preceded the Iraq expedition, we had had our fill
with
the Arab anger in the streets of Ramallah and Cairo and Amman. We had
wearied of the willful anti-Americanism. Now we find that anger, at
even
greater intensity, in the streets of Falluja. Iraqis had been muzzled
for
more than three decades. Suddenly they found themselves, dangerously
and
radically, free. Meanwhile, behind concrete walls and concertina wire,
American soldiers and administrators hunkered down in an increasingly
hostile land...
---
FIVE POINTS OF REALITY THAT BUSH OVERLOOKED
Jim Hoagland, Washington Post, 5/25/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55958-2004May25.html
Dear Mr. President:
Your speech Monday night carried stirring visions of the change you
want to
bring to Iraq and the Middle East. What it lacked was more important: a
clear recognition of the ever-widening gap between those uplifting
visions
and the explosive conditions produced in Iraq by what has become a
self-defeating U.S. occupation policy. Your words lacked the minimal
dose
of honesty a leader owes his nation in times of crisis.
I write as someone who has supported regime change in Iraq far longer
than
you or your aides. I have given your policies the benefit of the doubt
in
some measure because of my long-standing opposition to the genocidal
rule
of Saddam Hussein and my sympathy for the broader reform goals you
enunciate for the region. The lack of realism in Monday's speech and in
the
draft U.N. Security Council resolution on Iraq that your administration
presented a few hours earlier make such agnosticism next to impossible
now.
Both documents betray a willingness to see the world as you would like
it
to be rather than as it is, and a readiness to hope that the gap goes
unnoticed or unexamined. With all respect, sir, that is not leadership.
Leaders address inconvenient reality and then seek explicit and
reasoned
support from the nation for dealing with it.
Your recent vacillation on policies -- unilateralist one day,
U.N.-centered
the next -- suggests you are letting yourself be pulled in different
directions by putative allies and your aides in daily, desperate
improvisation. By letting King Abdullah of Jordan and other Sunni
leaders
poison your view of what Shiite rule in Iraq would mean, you leave the
impression that you had not thought through your promise of democracy
for
Iraq before going to war.
This steadily wavering image is at the core of the decline in your
approval
ratings. Americans stop supporting wars not because of body counts
alone
but because they become convinced their leaders do not know what they
are
doing. They then stop supporting the leaders...
---
ESCALATION VS. EXIT: THE COSTS OF BOTH
Patrick J. Buchanan, Antiwar.com, 5/26/04
http://www.antiwar.com/pat/?articleid=2661
"Nitwit pundits and Sunday morning television sages, with that faked
look
of thoughtfulness which is their trademark, talk about an exit strategy
-
as if it were just one more Mapquest printout. But any such exit
strategy
will lead us only on a short path to hell."
So writes Tony Blankley, editorial editor at The Washington Times,
adding,
"The essential strategic element in war is to defeat the enemy's will
to
win, and accepting anything less than triumph in Iraq will
catastrophically
embolden the terrorists."
Blankley raises valid and grave questions. He is saying that, no matter
where one stood on going to war, we went. Now, anyone who thinks we can
swiftly exit Iraq without paying a hellish price is a nitwit.
Blankley is right. Should America pull out now, our enemies across the
Islamic world will indeed be emboldened. The perception of American
defeat
could produce a domino effect running down through the sheikdoms of the
Gulf into Saudi Arabia and spreading across the region. Iraq could
dissolve
into chaos and civil war.
All this is possible. Indeed, the possibility that Iraq could become a
giant Lebanon for the United States was among the reasons some of us
implored the president not to send our Army up the Euphrates Valley to
occupy a city that was the seat of the caliphate for 500 years.
But if there are risks to a too-rapid transfer of sovereignty to
Iraqis,
there are risks to escalating this war. Query: When Osama sees Sunnis
rising up to fight Americans from Fallujah to Baghdad, and Shi'ites
taking
up arms in Karbala and Najaf and marching against America in Beirut in
the
hundreds of thousands, is he not rejoicing that we took the bait and
invaded Iraq? Has not the invasion enlarged the recruiting pool for
anti-American terrorism?...
---
GEN. ZINNI SAYS NEO-CONS WHO STARTED WAR SHOULD GO
CBS News, 5/21/04
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/21/60minutes/main618896.shtml
Adds Zinni: "If you charge me with the responsibility of taking this
nation
to war, if you charge me with implementing that policy with creating
the
strategy which convinces me to go to war, and I fail you, then I ought
to go."
Who specifically is he talking about?
"Well, it starts with at the top. If you're the secretary of defense
and
you're responsible for that. If you're responsible for that planning
and
that execution on the ground. If you've assumed responsibility for the
other elements, non-military, non-security, political, economic, social
and
everything else, then you bear responsibility," says Zinni. "Certainly
those in your ranks that foisted this strategy on us that is flawed.
Certainly they ought to be gone and replaced."
Zinni is talking about a group of policymakers within the
administration
known as "the neo-conservatives" who saw the invasion of Iraq as a way
to
stabilize American interests in the region and strengthen the position
of
Israel. They include Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz;
Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith; Former Defense Policy Board
member
Richard Perle; National Security Council member Eliot Abrams; and Vice
President Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby.
Zinni believes they are political ideologues who have hijacked American
policy in Iraq.
"I think it's the worst kept secret in Washington. That everybody -
everybody I talk to in Washington has known and fully knows what their
agenda was and what they were trying to do," says Zinni.
"And one article, because I mentioned the neo-conservatives who
describe
themselves as neo-conservatives, I was called anti-Semitic. I mean, you
know, unbelievable that that's the kind of personal attacks that are
run
when you criticize a strategy and those who propose it. I certainly
didn't
criticize who they were. I certainly don't know what their ethnic
religious
backgrounds are. And I'm not interested."
Adds Zinni: "I know what strategy they promoted. And openly. And for a
number of years. And what they have convinced the president and the
secretary to do. And I don't believe there is any serious political
leader,
military leader, diplomat in Washington that doesn't know where it came
from."
Zinni said he believed their strategy was to change the Middle East and
bring it into the 21st century.
"All sounds very good, all very noble. The trouble is the way they saw
to
go about this is unilateral aggressive intervention by the United
States -
the take down of Iraq as a priority," adds Zinni. "And what we have
become
now in the United States, how we're viewed in this region is not an
entity
that's promising positive change. We are now being viewed as the modern
crusaders, as the modern colonial power in this part of the world..."
---
GENERAL IS SAID TO HAVE URGED USE OF DOGS
R. Jeffrey Smith, Washington Post, 5/26/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A55703-2004May25
A U.S. Army general dispatched by senior Pentagon officials to bolster
the
collection of intelligence from prisoners in Iraq last fall inspired
and
promoted the use of guard dogs there to frighten the Iraqis, according
to
sworn testimony by the top U.S. intelligence officer at the Abu Ghraib
prison.
According to the officer, Col. Thomas Pappas, the idea came from Maj.
Gen.
Geoffrey D. Miller, who at the time commanded the U.S. military
detention
center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and was implemented under a policy
approved
by Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, the top U.S. military official in Iraq.
"It was a technique I had personally discussed with General Miller,
when he
was here" visiting the prison, testified Pappas, head of the 205th
Military
Intelligence Brigade and the officer placed in charge of the cellblocks
at
Abu Ghraib prison where abuses occurred in the wake of Miller's visit
to
Baghdad between Aug. 30 and Sept. 9, 2003.
"He said that they used military working dogs at Gitmo [the nickname
for
Guantanamo Bay], and that they were effective in setting the atmosphere
for
which, you know, you could get information" from the prisoners, Pappas
told
the Army investigator, Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba, according to a
transcript provided to The Washington Post.
Pappas, who was under pressure from Taguba to justify the legality and
appropriateness of using guard dogs to frighten detainees, said at two
separate points in the Feb. 9 interview that Miller gave him the idea.
He
also said Miller had indicated the use of the dogs "with or without a
muzzle" was "okay" in booths where prisoners were taken for
interrogation.
But Miller, whom the Bush administration appointed as the new head of
Abu
Ghraib this month, denied through a spokesman that the conversation
took
place...
---
U.S.-LED TERROR WAR "BEREFT OF PRINCIPLE"
Andrew Cawthorne, Reuters, 5/26/04
http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=869798&tw=wn_wire_story
LONDON - Washington's global anti-terror policies are "bankrupt of
vision"
as human rights become sacrificed in the blind pursuit of security, a
leading human rights group charged on Wednesday.
Amnesty International also rapped partners across the world in the
United
States' self-declared "war on terror" for jailing suspects unfairly,
stamping on legitimate political and religious dissent, and squeezing
asylum-seekers.
"The global security agenda promoted by the U.S. administration is
bankrupt
of vision and bereft of principle," Amnesty head Irene Khan said,
launching
its annual report.
"Violating rights at home, turning a blind eye to abuses abroad and
using
pre-emptive military force where and when it chooses has damaged
justice
and freedom, and made the world a more dangerous place."
Specifically, Amnesty lashed Washington for unlawful killings of Iraqi
civilians; questionable arrest and mistreatment of prisoners in Iraq,
Guantanamo Bay and Afghanistan; and opposition to a new global criminal
court.
"The world is crying out for principled leadership," Khan added, saying
the
negative effects of U.S.-led anti-terror policies had spread far and
wide.
"Governments are losing their moral compass, sacrificing the global
values
of human rights in a blind pursuit of security."
In Europe and Asia, Amnesty criticised regressive anti-terror
legislation,
attacks on refugee protection and restrictions on freedom of
association
and expression...
-----
TURKEY: NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACTIONS OF ISRAEL, TERRORISTS
Reuters and Haaretz Service, 5/29/04
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/431877.html
ANKARA - Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday criticized
Israel's Rafah operation, saying that although Turkey also suffered
from
terrorism and was fighting it, he did not see a difference between what
terrorists were doing and Israel's demolition of homes and the damage
it
was bringing to civilians.
Erdogan met with National Infrastructure Minister Yosef Paritzky, who
said
that the Turkish PM renewed offers to mediate between Israel and both
the
Palestinians and Syria.
Paritzky said the Turkish leader had been forthright in his criticism
of
Israel's assassination of two Hamas leaders and a recent huge raid on
the
Gaza Strip.
"The prime minister was very unhappy, to say the least," Paritzky told
a
small group of reporters.
"He claimed that the activities of the State of Israel do not promote
peace...[But] he is willing to offer his services to mediate, negotiate
and
bring peace to the area."
Muslim but firmly secular Turkey has close economic and security ties
with
Israel, which regards Ankara as a valuable ally in the region, but has
also
traditionally supported Palestinian aspirations to statehood.
Erdogan, who had previously offered to mediate in the Middle East
conflict,
accused Israel in March of "terrorism" after the killing of Hamas
leader
Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.
Speaking in a newspaper interview, he said then that the assassination
had
seriously damaged peace efforts and there was "nothing left to
mediate".
"We shall be delighted for anyone - and of course Turkey - to be a
power
that will bring if not peace, at least some tranquillity to the area,"
Paritzky said.
"If the government of Turkey is willing to offer its good services...
I'm
certain we would be happy to accept."
Paritzky said Erdogan had also conveyed the message that Syria's
President
Bashar Assad, who made a landmark visit to Turkey in January, wanted
peace
with Israel.
Erdogan said in December that Turkey would like to help mediate between
the
two hostile neighbors, which held sporadic but fruitless peace
negotiations
until 2000.
Ankara's own relations with Damascus have recently thawed after years
of
frostiness related to rows over territory, water resources and Syrian
support for Kurdish separatists in Turkey.
But Turkish diplomats said neither Israel nor Syria seemed very
interested
in the offer, and in February Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
specifically ruled out any mediation role.
Paritzky said Erdogan renewed his mediation offer. "He told me...he's
willing to try to do it again if it will bring any results," he said.
Paritzky said Syria would have to do more to show it was serious about
peace before Israel was convinced.
"If it is true that President Assad does indeed want peace and it's not
just lip-service to the Western world...if indeed he's willing to go
into
this long and hard process of negotiating for peace, he will find us as
partners," he said.
-----
PALESTINIANS CLAIM ISRAEL DUMPED TOXIC WASTE IN WEST BANK
Maarivintl,
http://maarivintl.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=article&articleID=7810
The Arabic language newspaper Al-Quds al-Arabi, published in London,
reported Monday that Israel is exporting toxic chemical waste into
areas
under Palestinian Authority control.
Palestinian sources told the paper that quantities of toxic chemical
waste
were discovered in the northern part of the West Bank. The sources
claim
that the waste originated in Israel and that it is an environmental and
health hazard.
According to the report, Palestinians discovered the waste after
"nauseating and choking" odors spread around the area of the Tulkarm
refugee camp.
Tulkarm Municipality medical teams and representatives from the
Palestinian
Authority's health ministry rushed to the scene and found barrels of
chemical waste. The Palestinians took samples of the waste for
examination
and to help determine the scope of damage it could have caused.
The Palestinian ministry of the environment's district manager, Atsam
Kassem told the paper that the barrels contained sulfur and other
dangerous
chemicals.
-----
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To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Thu, 27 May 2004 16:40:32 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: AZ Muslim Sues Intel/Muslim Attacked in California
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/27/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: A CHEERFUL FACE
* HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE
- CAIR'S 10th Anniversary Community Picnic 6/13
- CAIR Library Project Sponsorships: 7471
- Sign the 'Not in the Name Of Islam' Petition
- CAIR-LA: Fundraiser for Ahmad Al-Halabi (AHJC)
* CALIF. MOSQUE TO ADDRESS ISSUE OF FBI SUSPECT GADAHN
* CAIR-AZ: MUSLIM EMPLOYEE FILES DISCRIMINATION SUIT
- CAIR-AZ Director Profiled (Arizona Republic)
* CA: MUSLIM ATTACKED IN CALIFORNIA (SJ Mercury)
* REPORT INFORMATION ON SUSPECTS TO FBI
* NEW FBI SWEEP FOR TERROR CLUES WORRIES MUSLIMS (Free Press)
- CA: Muslims Suffer Reaction to Terror Threats (SF Chron)
* PENTAGON SAYS PROBE OF GEN. BOYKIN NEARING ITS END (Reuters)
- MAYFIELD CASE: Apology Is Not Enough (Wash Post)
* THE PRISONER-ABUSE SCANDAL AT HOME (Salon.Com)
- U.S. Using Some Iraqis as Bargaining Chips (Newsday)
* CA: MAN HELD AS A MATERIAL WITNESS DEPORTED (U-T)
- IL Muslim Waits to See if SCOTUS Will Hear Case
* DC: CSID FIFTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
* CA: DEMONSTRATION AGAINST HATE CRIMES AND RACISM (UCI)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: A CHEERFUL FACE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Do not abuse
anyone...Do
not look down upon any good work, and when you speak to your brother,
show
him a cheerful face."
Sunan of Abu-Dawood, Hadith 1889
-----
HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE - ONLY 4 DAYS LEFT!
There are only six days left in May to help CAIR reach its online
fundraising goal of $80,000. We encourage every member of CAIR-NET to
donate at least $10 to the campaign. To help us reach our goal, go to:
https://www.cair-net.org/asp/donate.asp
Through a new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member
at
a Time," CAIR also intends (God willing) to sign up 25,000 new members
by
its 10th year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
Students Click here!
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=33172&page=NB
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: CAIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY PICNIC 6/13 IN VA
CAIR invites you and your family to our 10th anniversary community
picnic
to be held on Sunday, June 13, at Lake Accotink Park in Springfield,
Va.
(http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/parks/accotink). Admission is free but
registration is required. Food will be provided.
For more details, or to register, please e-mail irahman@cair-net.org or
call 202-488-8787, ext 6050
---
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7471 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
---
SIGN THE 'NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM' PETITION
CAIR has launched an online petition drive designed to disassociate the
faith of Islam from the violent acts of a few Muslims. The petition on
CAIR's web site (www.cair-net.org), called "Not in the Name of Islam,"
allows Muslims around the world to help correct misperceptions of Islam
and
the Islamic stance on religiously-motivated terror.
TO SIGN THE PETITION, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org
TO READ THE PETITION ACTION ALERT, GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=169&page=AA
---
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: CAIR-SOCAL ANNUAL BANQUET ON 09/18
SPECIAL GUEST: Professor David Cole of Georgetown University
The Council on American-Islamic Relations cordially invites you to
attend
its tenth Annual Fundraising Banquet.
WHEN: Saturday, September 18th, 2004
WHERE: The Santa Clara Marriott, 2700 Mission College Blvd., Santa
Clara,
CA 95054
---
CAIR-LA: EMERGENCY FUNDRAISER FOR AHMAD AL-HALABI (AHJC)
www.halabijustice.org
WHAT: MSU-UCI, MSA-Cal State Long Beach, MSA-Cal Poly Pomona in
conjunction
with the Airman Halabi Justice Committee (AHJC) Present an emergency
fundraiser for Ahmad Al-Halabi. Ahmad Al-Halabi, a 25 year-old airman,
is
facing multiple charges in what seems to be an anti-Muslim witch hunt
against Muslim U.S. Servicemen who served in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
WHEN: Sunday, June 6th, 2004 at 6:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
WHERE: Anaheim Park Hotel (Formerly known as the Radisson Hotel), 222
W.
Houston Ave., Fullerton, CA 92832 (714)992-1700
CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:
Hussam Ayloush, Executive Director of CAIR-LA
Dr. Ahmad Sakr, Director of Islamic Education Center
Donald G. Rehkopf, Jr., Esq, Defense Attorney
Tickets: $25. Babysitting will be available
Make checks payable to: CAIR Civil Rights Fund
CAIR Southern California
2180 Crescent Ave., Suite F
Anaheim, CA 92801
(714) 776-1847
socal@cair.com
Donations are tax-deductible. For more information, to purchase
tickets,
donate or volunteer, contact: AHJC at (714) 293-2974,
ssabet@halabijustice.org or visit www.halabijustice.org
-----
CALIF. MOSQUE TO ADDRESS ISSUE OF FBI SUSPECT GADAHN
WHAT: The Islamic Society of Orange County (ISOC) in Garden Grove will
hold
a press conference today to reaffirm its stance denouncing extremism
and
address the recent news about Adam Gadahn.
According to the FBI, "Adam Yahiye Gadahn is being sought in connection
with possible terrorist threats against the United States. Although the
FBI
has no information indicating this individual is connected to any
specific
terrorist activities, the FBI would like to locate and question this
person."
It was reported that Gadahn once lived in Garden Grove and attended
services at ISOC.
WHEN: Today, May 27, 2004 at 2:30 pm
WHERE: Islamic Society of Orange County (ISOC), 9752 W. 13th. St. (One
Al-Rahman Plaza), Garden Grove, CA 92644
- END -
CONTACTS: Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, Director of ISOC, 714-531-1722;
CAIR-LA,
Sabiha Khan, 714-776-1847 or 714-390-0334, E-MAIL: socal@cair.com;
-----
AZ MUSLIM EMPLOYEE FILES DISCRIMINATION SUIT
Former Intel worker alleges religious discrimination
(PHOENIX, AZ, 5/27/04) - The Arizona office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-AZ) today announced that a Muslim
ex-employee of Intel Corporation has filed a religious discrimination
lawsuit against the California-based computer chip giant.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona,
alleges that the Muslim employee faced national origin and religious
harassment, discrimination and retaliation following the 9/11 terror
attacks.
According to papers filed with the court: "Since September 11, 2001,
[the
plaintiff's] supervisor began making derogatory remarks…which included,
but
not limited to, 'Why [do] your people want to kill Americans?' and 'Why
do
the Islamic groups from the Middle East want to destroy the Western
Civilization?'"
In 2002, the plaintiff filed an internal complaint of discrimination.
Despite that complaint, the employee claims that harassment
intensified,
forcing him out of his job. The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory
and
punitive damages.
"Employees of all faiths should be offered a workplace environment free
of
racial or religious discrimination and harassment," said CAIR-AZ
Executive
Director Deedra Abboud.
Abboud said workplace discrimination is one of the largest categories
of
cases CAIR deals with on the national level. She added that CAIR
publishes
a booklet, called "An Employer's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices,"
designed to help prevent such incidents. (To obtain a copy of the
booklet,
e-mail: pubs@cair-net.org)
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 26 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-AZ, Deedra Abboud 602-262-CAIR (2247), E-Mail:
director@cairaz.org
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-AZ DIRECTOR PROFILED
WEARING VEIL OF MODESTY, LIFTING VEIL OF MYSTERY
Arizona Central, 5/27/04
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0527montini27.html
People expect Deedra Abboud to talk funny. In public she wears a
traditional Muslim head scarf, a hijab and dresses in the modest
fashion
dictated by her faith, so when she goes out and interacts with store
clerks
or salesmen or waiters, she can tell from how they look at her that
they
expect her to have an accent. They just don't expect her to sound like
Bill
Clinton.
"It's the Arkansas in me," she says. "One of the first things people
ask me
is, 'Where are you from?' So I tell them Arkansas and they ask, 'Then
where
are your parents from?' And I say, 'Oklahoma.' Then they want to know
if
I'm married to an Arab man. And I say, 'Yes, but I was a Muslim before
I
met him.' Actually, I'm glad to have the conversation. It takes away
some
of the mystery. Some of the mistrust. The confusion. It allows people
to
see people like me, a Muslim, as regular people. As an American."
Getting people to see her as an American Muslim has become a full-time
job
for Abboud. It has become her career. She is the executive director of
the
Arizona chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a
national
organization with its headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The job is most difficult on days like Wednesday, when the U.S.
attorney
general warns of terror attacks and asks Americans to be on the lookout
for
suspicious individuals who may be working for the al-Qaida terror
network.
Abboud's CAIR organization took out an ad in the Los Angeles Times
Wednesday stating, among other things: "American Muslims condemn all
acts
of terrorism and are as outraged as their fellow Americans by
atrocities
committed in the name of God and their faith." The organization's Web
site
posted an online petition condemning terrorism that it says has been
signed
by more than 500,000 Muslims.
"There are extremists who want to cause havoc and do harm," Abboud
says.
"But they are a small minority. After September 11, some of my friends,
people I knew well, told me that I have to decide whether I'm American
or
Muslim first. They knew me and still because I was Muslim my patriotism
was
put into question. I believe Muslims ourselves are responsible for some
of
this. We have kept to ourselves too much. We did not get to know our
neighbors. It's our responsibility to allow people to know us. I don't
try
to correct all misconceptions. I can't. There are too many. But at
least if
they see us as human..."
-----
CA: THREE SOUGHT IN FREMONT ATTACK ON MAN
San Jose Mercury News, 5/27/04
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/8771874.htm?1c
Fremont police are searching for three men who allegedly chased and
then
attacked a 28-year-old man with a wrench and a mallet in front of his
wife
and 2-year-old son Saturday.
The man, a Santa Clara resident who asked that his identity be withheld
because his family fears retaliation, said his cheekbone was fractured
in
the confrontation that began near Lake Elizabeth inside Central Park, a
popular recreation spot.
His wife was watching her son play in a sandbox about 6:30 p.m. when a
boy
approached her and told her to move out of his way and then began
yelling
offensive comments, including derogatory remarks about her head scarf.
The
couple are Muslim.
The husband, who was in a public restroom at the time, confronted the
boy
after learning what had happened and the boy ran away. As the family
left
the park they noticed that three men and the boy had jumped into a
white
truck and were pursuing them, the man said.
The driver of the truck managed to corner the family's car in the
parking
lot of an apartment complex. The Santa Clara man said he was attacked
after
he stepped out of his car.
Anyone with information is asked to call Fremont police at (510)
790-6900.
-----
REPORT INFORMATION ON SUSPECTS TO FBI
CAIR urges members of the American Muslim community to view the
photographs
at the link below and report any information on the whereabouts of the
suspects to the nearest office of the FBI.
TO VIEW THE PHOTOGRAPHS, GO TO: http://www.fbi.gov
FBI OFFICES: http://www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm
-----
NEW FBI SWEEP FOR TERROR CLUES WORRIES MUSLIMS
U.S. renews manhunt for Al Qaeda suspects
Shannon Mccaffrey, Detroit Free Press, 5/27/04
http://www.freep.com/news/nw/terr27_20040527.htm
WASHINGTON -- Warning that Al Qaeda is plotting a deadly attack this
summer
on U.S. soil, the FBI reinvigorated a manhunt Wednesday for seven
terrorism
suspects and launched a massive canvass likely to target Muslims in the
United States in the hopes of gathering intelligence.
A steady stream of credible new information from multiple sources
suggests
that Al Qaeda is nearly ready to attack the United States again,
Attorney
General John Ashcroft said Wednesday at a news conference with FBI
Director
Robert Mueller.
"This disturbing intelligence indicates Al Qaeda's specific intention
to
hit the United States hard."
The threat information does not contain specific details about a time,
place or method of attack, and Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge
said
there are no plans to raise the nation's threat level, which is yellow,
or
elevated.
The FBI will begin interviews nationwide. Such sweeps in the past have
focused on Muslim and Arab communities, and officials did not dispute
that
a large number of the interviews will again take place there. Mueller
and
Ashcroft declined to say which communities the interviews would focus
on,
saying only that they will be driven by intelligence.
Detroit FBI spokesman David Brooks said his office had no other details
on
the plans...
"It's part of the 'round up the usual suspects' mentality," said
Ibrahim
Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington.
"When
you don't have any other leads, you gather up the Muslims."
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIMS IN U.S. SUFFER REACTION TO TERROR THREATS
Cicero A. Estrella, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/27/04
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/05/27/MNGKU6SF4C1.DTL
The racial epithets don't surprise Maher Martha anymore. He most often
hears the anti-Muslim rhetoric when he stands outside the San Francisco
electronics store where he works. He says the hatred intensified after
the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and worsens every time the government
increases
the terrorist alert level.
Martha, a Christian who is originally from the Palestinian territories,
says those who discriminate don't bother to look beyond his physical
features. Shortly after war broke out between the United States and
Iraq, a
passer-by told Martha: "We've taken over your country, now we're going
to
take over your women."
"To them, Middle Eastern is Middle Eastern," said the Rohnert Park
resident. "We're all alike."
Martha is expecting heightened tensions after Attorney General John
Ashcroft warned the nation that al Qaeda is planning an attack on U.S.
soil
in the next few months. On Wednesday, Ashcroft released photos of seven
suspected al Qaeda operatives that the FBI has been pursuing for
months.
"Every time there's a threat, people start to act differently," said
Martha. "They see a Middle Eastern guy and start thinking maybe he's
the one."
Helal Olmeira, executive director for the Bay Area chapter of the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations, based in Washington, says high-profile
events such as Ashcroft's warning are often catalysts for heightened
anti-Muslim sentiments.
"It comes in spurts," said Olmeira. "It's been especially difficult in
the
last three months as more of our sons and daughters have come home dead
from Iraq."
Olmeira said his organization was barraged with hate mail after the
U.S.
invasion, as fighting intensified earlier this year and following the
videotaped decapitation of civilian Nicholas Berg.
"It's often one-liners like 'Go home' or 'Get the hell out of my
country,'
" he said...
Olmeira says the solution is more outreach.
"There's been a lot of stress put on the Muslim community in dealing
with
these issues," he said. "The way to turn the tide is through education.
Ninety-nine percent of the issues we deal with are about ignorance, and
not
ignorance in the pejorative sense. People just don't know anything
about us."
-----
PENTAGON SAYS PROBE OF GEN. BOYKIN NEARING ITS END
Will Dunham, Reuters, 5/26/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=5266980
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has made preliminary conclusions in its
investigation of speeches by an evangelical Christian U.S. general who
suggested Muslims do not worship "a real God," but has allowed him to
respond before issuing its findings, an official said on Wednesday.
The Defense Department's inspector general's office last October
launched
an investigation into whether the speeches given to church groups by
Army
Lt. Gen. William Boykin, a senior Pentagon intelligence official, broke
any
rules.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita said the inspector general's
office made "preliminary conclusions," gave them to Boykin and allowed
him
to make formal responses. Di Rita did not reveal the preliminary
findings,
and did not say when the final report would be issued.
"General Boykin has the opportunity to make his own assertions prior to
the
final conclusion of the report," Di Rita told a Pentagon briefing.
Boykin, donning his military uniform, used speeches at churches and
prayer
breakfasts to portray the U.S. battle with Islamic radicals as a fight
with
"Satan," saying they sought to destroy America "because we're a
Christian
nation."
In one speech, Boykin recalled a Muslim fighter in Somalia who said
U.S.
forces would never get him because Allah would give him protection.
"Well,
you know what I knew, that my God was bigger than his. I knew that my
God
was a real God, and his was an idol," Boykin told his audience.
The probe is nearing an end at the same time that the Pentagon is being
asked to clarify what role Boykin may have played in creating U.S.
military
interrogation policy. This comes amid a scandal over the abuse of
prisoners
in Iraq and criticism by human rights groups of operations at a prison
for
foreign terrorism suspects at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba...
ALSO SEE:
APOLOGY IS NOT ENOUGH
Washington Post, 5/27/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59014-2004May26.html
THE FBI has graciously, and properly, apologized to Oregon lawyer
Brandon
Mayfield. Mr. Mayfield, a convert to Islam, was detained for two weeks
as a
material witness in connection with the March 11 Madrid bombings. He
was
released and exonerated when the FBI conceded that a fingerprint
analysis
linking him to a bag of detonators found by Spanish authorities was
wrong.
In complex investigations, mistakes happen, and in this case not only
the
FBI erred. Court records released this week indicate that a
court-appointed
fingerprint expert paid for by the defense concurred with the bureau's
judgment that Mr. Mayfield's prints matched the one on the bag. It also
is
clear that the FBI did not initially take seriously enough the
reservations
of Spanish police about its analysis. It has announced that it is
reexamining its procedures -- as it should.
But neither the bureau's apology nor its self-examination speak to the
fundamental issue of how the government is using the material-witness
law.
Mr. Mayfield was never charged with a crime, nor would any reasonable
prosecutor have brought charges based on what the government knew -- or
thought it knew -- about him. Rather, like many people since Sept. 11,
2001, he was held under a law that permits the detention, under court
supervision, of people with evidence relevant to a court proceeding or
grand jury inquiry who might flee if left at large. The law is not new,
but
its aggressive use at the investigative stage of high-profile cases is.
In
some instances, the Justice Department's use of it has smacked of
preventive detention. The secrecy surrounding these cases makes a
thorough
assessment impossible. In Mr. Mayfield's case, the government's use of
the
law allowed the detention and public smearing of a man against whom the
government was not prepared to make a case and whom it now concedes to
be
innocent...
-----
THE PRISONER-ABUSE SCANDAL AT HOME
Michelle Goldberg, Salon.com, 5/19/04
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/05/19/maddy/index_np.html
BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- The American guards took Mohamed Maddy's glasses
before
they slammed him into the wall. A portly middle-aged father of two,
Maddy
was crying, trying to move his shoulder in front of him so it would
take
the blow, but they kept smashing him into the concrete, leaving him
with
dark purple bruises. Then they told him to strip, and when he balked at
removing his underwear -- "I am Muslim, I can't do it," he said -- they
screamed, "Fucking Muslim! Take them off!"
They made him bend over and said, "Take your hand and open your ass."
He
sobbed harder as they performed a cavity search. Afterward, they told
him
to get dressed and put him in handcuffs and leg irons connected by a
chain
to his waist. They ordered him to run and then stepped on his leg chain
so
he'd fall down, only to be yanked back up and forced to run again, over
and
over. Without his glasses, Maddy couldn't see where he was going, but
he
thinks he was running in circles.
Finally he was thrown in a cell. For the first month, the light was
left on
24 hours a day. If he tried to shield his eyes and snatch a moment of
sleep, the guards would kick the doors. On the rare occasions when he
was
taken out, he was strip-searched, often twice in the same day, even if
he
hadn't been out of the guards' sight. Sometimes they did the searches
in
public. Sometimes they laughed and jeered. An official report later
concluded that many of these searches had nothing to do with safety --
they
were about punishment and humiliation.
Stories like Maddy's have lately been pouring out of Iraq and
Afghanistan,
but he's never been to those countries. Maddy's ordeal took place at
the
Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where 84 of the 762 Muslim
immigrants who were detained after Sept. 11 were held. The torture
there
wasn't nearly as severe as it was at Abu Ghraib, and, according to
recent
reports, at Guant�namo in Cuba. But there are striking similarities,
suggesting that what happened in Iraq may be an escalation of a pattern
of
human rights violations that began almost as soon as the World Trade
Center
crumbled...
ALSO SEE:
U.S. USING SOME IRAQIS AS BARGAINING CHIPS
Mohamad Bazzi, Newsday, 5/26/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-woabus263819545may26,0,4004730.story
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- U.S. troops wanted Jeanan Moayad's father. When they
couldn't find him, they took her husband in his place.
Dhafir Ibrahim has been in U.S. custody for nearly four months. Moayad
insists he is being held as a bargaining chip, and military officials
have
told her he will be released when her father surrenders. Her father is
a
scientist and former Baath party member who fled to Jordan soon after
the
fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.
"My husband is a hostage," said Moayad, 35, an architect who carries a
small portrait of Ibrahim in her purse. "He didn't commit any crime."
In a little-noticed development amid Iraq's prison abuse scandal, the
U.S.
military is holding dozens of Iraqis as bargaining chips to put
pressure on
their wanted relatives to surrender, according to human rights groups.
These detainees are not accused of any crimes, and experts say their
detention violates the Geneva Conventions and other international laws.
The
practice also risks associating the United States with the tactics of
countries it has long criticized for arbitrary arrests...
-----
MAN HELD AS A MATERIAL WITNESS IN 9/11 PROBE DEPORTED TO YEMEN
Kelly Thornton, Union-Tribune, 5/26/04
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20040526-9999-7m26deport.html
Mohdar Abdullah, a former San Diego State student and material witness
in
the 9/11 terror investigation, was quietly deported to Yemen on Friday
after spending almost three years in New York and San Diego County
jails.
Abdullah and his friend and former cellmate, Omar Bakarbashat, were
among
the first Muslim immigrants in the nation to be detained after Sept.
11,
2001, and are two of the last to be released. Bakarbashat was deported
to
Yemen on Oct. 24.
"After lengthy negotiations, the government of Yemen issued a travel
document for Abdullah and we were able to remove him back to that
country,"
said Lauren Mack, spokeswoman for the Immigration and Customs
Enforcement
division of the Homeland Security Department.
"He had been initially identified as a close associate of two of the
deceased hijackers from San Diego, Nawaf Alhazmi and Khalid al-Midhar,"
Mack said.
Abdullah's lawyer, Randall B. Hamud, said the government of Yemen twice
refused to admit Abdullah, and agreed to accept him only because of
intense
pressure from the U.S. State Department. Two federal agents escorted
him on
the flight to the Middle East.
"I'm very, very worried about his personal safety," Hamud said
yesterday...
ALSO SEE:
SAMIRAH WAITS TO SEE IF CASE WILL BE HEARD
Orland Park exile has petition before Supreme Court
Allison Hantschel, Daily Southtown, 5/26/04
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/yrtwn/swest/263swyt1.htm
The legal battle over an Orland Park man's exile from the United States
reaches a critical point this week as his appeal moves to the U.S.
Supreme
Court.
This week, the nine Supreme Court justices will meet to review cases
and
decide which merit a full hearing. Sabri Samirah's attempt to get an
immigration hearing could be among them.
More than 7,000 petitions are filed with the Supreme Court each term.
Law
clerks sort them and present the cases briefly to the justices, who
then
meet to decide which to consider in the coming term.
If four justices agree on a case's merits, they "grant cert," meaning
the
case will be heard.
Samirah, a Muslim community leader who lived in Orland Park with his
wife
and three children, traveled to Jordan in December 2002 to visit his
mother.
Because he was not yet a citizen, he obtained permission from
authorities
to travel. On his way home in January 2003, immigration officials
stopped
him and told him he could not re-enter the country. Samirah was deemed
a
"national security risk," but government officials refuse to say why.
Samirah sued to obtain an immigration hearing to consider the evidence
against him, and a circuit judge agreed. A federal appeals court
overturned
that ruling and refused Samirah's request to reconsider.
His attorney Mark Flessner has lashed out at federal authorities' claim
that Samirah let his citizenship appeals lapse. Samirah was protesting
the
government's denial of permanent residency when he was exiled.
The U.S. solicitor general's office asserted that Samirah was "out of
status," or illegally living here at that time and had no rights to the
legal system.
"There is nothing in the record to support the government's
accusations,"
Flessner wrote. "These misstatements demonstrate the dangers facing
millions of legal immigrants who cannot rely on the rule of law as set
forth by Congress..."
-----
CSID FIFTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
WHAT: The Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy (CSID) invites
you to
attend its Fifth Annual Conference in Washington DC. This not-to-missed
event will explore the theme "Defining and Establishing Justice in
Muslim
Societies," and will feature presentations from the country's top
academics, policy makers and Muslim democrats from many countries.
CSID is also proud to announce it will be hosting an Ambassador's forum
on
Friday afternoon in which Ambassadors from Turkey, Morocco, and Jordan
will
be addressing the topic, "Islam and Democracy: The Challenge for the
21st
Century."
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS include:
1. Alina L. Romanowski, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of
Near
Eastern Affairs, Department of State
2. Carl Gershman, President of the National Endowment for Democracy
3. Abdolkarim Soroush, University of Tehran, Iran
4. Akbar Ahmed, American University, Washington DC
5. John Esposito, Director, Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding
6. Ali Mazrui, Director of the Institute of Global Cultural Studies at
Binghamton University, New York
WHEN: Friday, May 28 and Saturday, May 29, 2004.
WHERE: Wyndham Washington DC Hotel on 1400 M Street.
To review the program and register online at
http://www.islam-democracy.org/5th_Annual_Conference__announcement.asp
Members of the press are invited to attend, and the reg. fee will be
waived
upon presentation of credentials. However, they must pre-register by
sending an e-mail (with name and affiliation) to:
zahir@islam-democracy.org
-----
DEMONSTRATION AGAINST HATE CRIMES AND RACISM (UCI)
WHAT: Society of Arab Students are organizing a Demonstration Against
Hate
Crimes and Racism. Expected speakers include a representative from the
UCI
Office of the Chancellor, American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee
(ADC), The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Act Now to
Stop
War and End Racism (ANSWER Coalition)
WHEN: 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 27, 2004
WHERE: UC Irvine's Flagpole Adjacent to the Administration Building
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
Forwarded Message
From:
"cair@cair-net.org" <cair@cair-net.org>
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
Subject:
CAIR-NET: NJ Schools to Recognize Islamic Holidays
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/28/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: TRUST IN GOD
* HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE
- CAIR'S 10th Anniversary Community Picnic 6/13
- CAIR Library Project Sponsorships: 7471
- Sign the 'Not in the Name Of Islam' Petition
* NJ: SCHOOLS TO RECOGNIZE ISLAMIC HOLIDAYS (Newsday)
- Turkish President Vetoes Bill on Religious Schools (AFP)
* NY: WHEN NO MOSQUE IS NEAR (NY Times)
* MI: IMMIGRANTS CREATE MESSY DEMOCRACY (Detroit News)
- MI: Call to Prayer Spurs Angry Noise (Free Press)
* IL: MOSQUE PLANS BACKED AMID PROTESTS (Chicago Trib)
- Mosque Moves Forward (Daily Southtown)
* FL: GROUP PROTESTS CONDITIONS OF AL-ARIAN CONFINEMENT (AP)
- Group Denied Prison Visit with Al-Arian (SP Times)
- Group Criticizes Al-Arian's Prison Conditions (Tampa Trib)
* MORE MUSLIMS NOW SEE U.S., ISRAEL THE SAME WAY (Newsday)
- Israel: Now You See It, Now You Don't (P-I)
- Zinni Charges Neocons Pushed Iraq War for Israel (Forward)
* OR: AFFIDAVIT RAISES RELIGIOUS ISSUE (Portland Tribune)
* NY: MUSLIMS JOIN OTHER FAITHS IN DENOUNCING TERRORISM (Poughkeepsie)
- SC: Interfaith Memorial at Mosque Remembers Fallen (Herald Trib)
- DC: Muslims Begin PR Campaign Denouncing Terrorism (Wash Post)
* CA: UCI ANTI-HATE RALLY FOLLOWS SYMBOL'S TORCHING (LA Times)
- Kiss Bassist Simmons Denies Slamming Muslims (AP)
* FEMALE DETAINEES SUFFER CULTURAL STIGMA OF RAPE (Nashville City)
- U.S. Allies Also Accused in Prison Abuse (AP)
* AHEAD OF DEPLOYMENT, 37 KOREAN TROOPS CONVERT TO ISLAM (Chosun Ilbo)
- Korean Soldiers Convert to Islam (Reuters)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: TRUST IN GOD
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once took the hand of a man
suffering from leprosy and placed it along with his own in a dish of
food.
The Prophet then said: "Eat with confidence in God and trust in Him."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1198
-----
HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE - ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT!
There are only three days left in May to help CAIR reach its online
fundraising goal of $80,000. We encourage every member of CAIR-NET to
donate at least $10 to the campaign. To help us reach our goal, go to:
https://www.cair-net.org/asp/donate.asp
Through a new membership drive, "Building a Better America...One Member
at
a Time," CAIR also intends (God willing) to sign up 25,000 new members
by
its 10th year anniversary celebration scheduled for June 12, 2004.
TO JOIN, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
Students Click here!
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=33172&page=NB
If you have any problems signing up as a CAIR member through the web
site,
please call 202-488-8787 and ask for "membership," or e-mail:
iabusway@cair-net.org
ALSO SEE:
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: CAIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY PICNIC 6/13 IN VA
CAIR invites you and your family to our 10th anniversary community
picnic
to be held on Sunday, June 13, at Lake Accotink Park in Springfield,
Va.
(http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/parks/accotink). Admission is free but
registration is required. Halal meat will be provided by Midamar.
For more details, or to register, please e-mail irahman@cair-net.org or
call 202-488-8787, ext 6050
---
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7471 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
---
SIGN THE 'NOT IN THE NAME OF ISLAM' PETITION
CAIR has launched an online petition drive designed to disassociate the
faith of Islam from the violent acts of a few Muslims. The petition on
CAIR's web site (www.cair-net.org), called "Not in the Name of Islam,"
allows Muslims around the world to help correct misperceptions of Islam
and
the Islamic stance on religiously-motivated terror.
TO SIGN THE PETITION, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org
TO READ THE PETITION ACTION ALERT, GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=169&page=AA
-----
NJ: ATLANTIC CITY SCHOOLS TO RECOGNIZE ISLAMIC HOLIDAYS
Associated Press, 5/28/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-nj--muslimholidays0528may28,0,7
838157.story
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - Atlantic City has become the fourth school
district
in New Jersey to recognize Muslim holidays.
The city's board of education approved districtwide days off for Eid
al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, two sacred Islamic holidays, for the upcoming
school year.
Previously, under state law Muslim students and teachers were allowed
to
take off Islamic holidays without being penalized. According to
Superintendent Fredrick P. Nickles, about 560 of the city's 7,800
children
are Muslim.
Board member Cornell Davis, who is Muslim, called the decision
"courageous"
in light of current tensions between Americans and Islamic extremists.
"It shows a lot of character about us as Americans," Davis told The
Press
of Atlantic City.
Eid al-Fitr, a festival celebrating the breaking of the fast of
Ramadan,
will be observed on Nov. 15. Eid al-Adha, a festival of sacrifice and
pilgrimage, will be observed on Jan. 21.
To fit the two holidays into the school calendar, officials reduced the
number of days schools can take off for emergencies from six to four.
That
means if schools close for snow or other emergencies more than four
days,
the days would have to be made up during spring recess or on Saturdays
in
June, Nickles said.
School districts in Trenton, Paterson and Irvington already recognize
Islamic holidays.
ALSO SEE:
TURKISH PRESIDENT VETOES CONTROVERSIAL BILL ON RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS
Agence France Presse, 5/28/04
ANKARA) - Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer on Friday vetoed a
controversial education reform bill on the grounds that it promoted
religious schools and infringed on the secular principles of the Muslim
nation.
The government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which has its
roots
in a banned Islamist movement, backed the law in parliament earlier
this
month despite a public outcry and objections from the influential army.
The bill was designed to make it easier for graduates of religious
vocational schools to obtain university degrees other than in divinity
studies, thus opening the way for them to hold public office.
Sezer, a staunch secularist, rejected four key articles of the
legislation,
saying that "the real aim" of the bill was to encourage youths to
attend
religious schools…
-----
WHEN NO MOSQUE IS NEAR
Daniel J. Wakin, New York Times, 5/28/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/28/nyregion/28pray.html
You drive a cab, wafted across the city on the whims of your fares. But
you
are Muslim, and must pray five times a day - which involves ablutions,
facing east and a series of prostrations in submission to God.
What to do?
With the age-old ingenuity of immigrants adapting to a new world,
Muslim
cabbies in New York - by one estimate, half of the city's 40,000 taxi
drivers - have devised a jury-rigged system.
The drivers congregate in South Asian restaurants that provide prayer
space
in basements or back rooms. They have an imprint of the city's mosques
in
their brains, at the ready wherever a fare may take them as prayer time
closes in. Using a small carpet kept in the trunk, they pray in the
back
seat, or even on the side of the road.
"Wherever we be, in the city, there is a place to pray," said Amar
Abdemula, 42, a Sudanese cabdriver who lives in Flatbush.
Keeping the faith, however, is not always easy for these men. (And
that's
pretty much who they are, given the profession.) The biggest obstacles
are
parking, timing and cleanliness. Muslims are required to wash before
praying, and the place itself must be clean. The ritual generally lasts
10
to 45 minutes, depending on the circumstances.
Some drivers say the threat of bias attacks after Sept. 11 has made
them
too fearful to prostrate themselves in the streets, but not Mr.
Abdemula.
"I pray any place, because protection is from God," he said.
Mr. Abdemula spoke at La Guardia Airport. He was one of a steady stream
of
South Asian, Arab and African men who made their way to a nook beneath
an
overpass near the Delta Airlines terminal that has become an informal
prayer space...
-----
MI: HAMTRAMCK IMMIGRANTS CREATE MESSY DEMOCRACY
Ron French, Detroit News, 5/28/04
http://www.detnews.com/2004/metro/0405/28/d01-166954.htm
HAMTRAMCK — Masud Khan came looking for America, and found it in a city
where many do not speak English.
Polish grandmothers in babushkas and Pakistani teens in burkas stroll
along
the sidewalk outside the Al-Islah Islamic Center where Khan, a
Bangladeshi,
is secretary. Perched above them, on the roof of the mosque, are three
shiny silver loudspeakers. The speakers, and what Kahn plans to
broadcast
over them beginning today, have spawned petitions, political recalls,
death
threats and computer viruses.
“They have a right to do what they want,” Kahn says quietly. “And we
have a
right to do what we want. It’s America.”
For almost a century, immigrants and the sons of immigrants have
learned
what it is to be American on the gritty streets of Hamtramck. They
learned
about freedom of religion and freedom of speech, and that sometimes
messy
thing called democracy.
Few places celebrate democracy, or make it seem as messy, as this
blue-collar enclave inside the borders of Detroit. Today, immigrants
seeking the American dream clash with immigrants who have come before
them;
city government brims with community activists, but is paralyzed by a
cycle
of petitions and recall elections.
Today, those tensions will focus on a former chiropractor’s office,
where
daily Islamic calls to prayer may begin broadcasting onto public
streets.
The broadcast is sure to further inflame a controversy splitting the
city’s
Polish and Muslim communities.
In other words, it’s a pretty typical day in Hamtramck.
“Everything here gets magnified,” said local historian and author Greg
Kowalski. “I tell people if it’s not a problem, it’s not Hamtramck...”
ALSO SEE:
CALL TO PRAYER SPURS ANGRY NOISE
David Crumm, Detroit Free Press, 5/28/04
http://www.freep.com/news/religion/call28_20040528.htm
When the call to prayer finally issues from the loudspeakers atop the
little mosque in Hamtramck today, the sound is likely to be drowned out
not
so much by organized opposition as by the noise of the city itself.
The collision of cultures in the 2.1-square-mile city jammed with shops
and
homes has already turned the busy cross streets of Caniff and Jos.
Campau
-- steps from the mosque -- into a deafening echo chamber.
Church bells ring out hymns. Trains whistle. Trucks roar and squeal
their
breaks. Seagulls scream as they vie for litter. Hip-hop booms from
cars.
Janis Joplin belts out rock tunes from the door of the Record
Graveyard, a
trendy secondhand music shop. Boys under a basketball hoop in St.
Ladislaus
Catholic Church's parking lot yell, "Shoot! Shoot!"
And Wednesday, a vanload of tough-looking men who had driven more than
five
hours from southern Ohio spilled onto Caniff outside the Al-Islah
Islamic
Center to protest the mosque's plan to broadcast the call to prayer for
the
first time today.
"Lord Jesus, we ask that you would move powerfully upon this city!"
shouted
the Rev. James Marquis of New Covenant Worship Center in Wellston,
Ohio, as
he marched with his men in front of the mosque.
Most of the 10 men were big and broad-shouldered, with sternly furrowed
brows. They moved quickly and shouted prayers spontaneously, using
phrases
like "David's Mighty Men" and "spiritual warriors" to describe
themselves.
One had a black eye...
-----
IL: MOSQUE PLANS BACKED AMID PROTESTS
Margie Ritchie, Chicago Tribune, 5/28/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0405280072may28,1,52117
76.story
The shouts of "Sept. 11" from opponents of a proposed mosque in Orland
Park
were countered by those who said they just wanted a place to pray.
After two hours with a crowd of nearly 300 crammed into a Village Hall
boardroom Wednesday night, the Planning and Economic Development
Committee
of the Village Board voted unanimously to endorse the golden-domed
mosque.
The proposal for the Orland Park Prayer Center now moves to the full
board,
which could vote as soon as June 21.
The mosque was proposed by Muslims in the community who want to worship
in
their hometown instead of having to travel to Bridgeview or Frankfort.
Though admonished by Trustee Brad O'Halloran to keep the dialogue
civil,
the crowd at the raucous meeting embarrassed some officials and
residents.
"This is not a reality TV event. Please be respectful of others,"
O'Halloran said.
Trustee Edward Schussler, who has been involved in village government
since
the 1970s, said after the meeting, "This is the most disturbing thing I
have seen in my time here."
Some of the more rowdy participants were escorted out by police. Others
invoked memories of the 2001 airline hijackings that led to the deaths
of
nearly 3,000 people at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in
Pennsylvania.
Other opponents argued that the 22,000-square-foot mosque's location,
at
16530 S. 104th Ave. in unincorporated Orland Township, would cost
traffic
snarls in the area. The village would have to annex the 5-acre
property...
Patricia Boldt, who lives near the site, said she feared that the
estimated
50 cars for prayer services would be about 500 instead.
ALSO SEE:
MOSQUE MOVES FORWARD
Dan Lavoie, Daily Southtown, 5/27/04
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/yrtwn/seast/272seyt3.htm
In front of crowd of more than 300 people on the brink of eruption,
Orland
Park's first mosque cleared its second-to-last hurdle Wednesday night.
After a 3-to-0 vote, it now heads for consideration by the full village
board June 21.
The overflow crowd laid their emotions and motivations bare.
About a half-hour into the two-hour meeting, some men in the crowd
scuffled
after one man screamed "September 11."
Police escorted that man out of the building, though police at the
scene
said there is no ongoing investigation into the incident.
The exchange was one of the more emotionally charged moments of an
emotionally charged night.
Opponents of the mosque, who made up about two-thirds of the crowd,
repeatedly said they feared Islamic extremists would bring violence to
the
community.
"Please do not use our U.S. Constitution and our freedoms against us,"
protester Arlene Reed said. "Don't tell me to embrace the enemy, bring
the
asp to my chest, tell me I have to welcome a group here that makes me
feel
unsafe."
Muslim backers of the mosque said they were disappointed they are not
being
accepted in the community many of them have called home for years...
-----
ISLAMIC GROUP PROTESTS CONDITIONS OF AL-ARIAN CONFINEMENT
Vickie Chachere, Associated Press, 5/27/04
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/8776740.htm
TAMPA, Fla. - A national Islamic civil rights organization said
Thursday
the conditions under which former university professor Sami Al-Arian is
being held are inhumane, while his wife compared his treatment to the
abuse
of Iraqi prisoners.
Al-Arian has been held for 14 months at the Coleman Federal
Penitentiary on
charges that he used an Islamic think-tank and a charity he founded to
raise money for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Al-Arian, a former
University of South Florida professor, is being held in a unit designed
to
house disruptive prisoners, though he has not been convicted of a
crime.
Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on Islamic-American
Relations, and Al-Arian's wife Nahla, said he is held 23 hours a day in
a
small cell, continues to be strip-searched despite a judge's order that
such searches stop and has been denied access to religious services.
Al-Arian is only allowed one 15-minute telephone call a month, they
said.
"Maybe my husband is not tortured physically, but mentally and
emotionally," Nahla Al-Arian said. "I want this nightmare to end."
CAIR said it had sought access to Al-Arian to inspect the conditions
under
which he is being held, but were denied by the warden, who cited
security
reasons.
A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office declined comment.
Al-Arian's attorneys have raised issue in court several times during
the
months he has been confined and continue to complain to District Judge
Thomas McCoun.
McCoun has upheld the Justice Department's decision to keep Al-Arian at
the
prison rather than the local jail, where most people awaiting federal
trial
are held...
Awad said in one of the more recent incidents, Al-Arian and Hammoudeh
were
stripped searched in front of other prisoners following a videotaped
court
conference earlier this month...
ALSO SEE:
GROUP DENIED PRISON VISIT WITH AL-ARIAN
Graham Brink, St. Petersburg Times, 5/28/04
http://www.sptimes.com/
TAMPA - The Council on American-Islamic Relations was denied a request
this
week to visit Sami Al-Arian to check on his physical and psychological
condition.
Officials with the group said federal corrections officials did not
give
them a specific reason for the denial.
CAIR spokesman Ahmed Bedier said the group has received numerous
complaints
about conditions at the federal prison where Al-Arian and fellow
defendant
Sameeh Hammoudeh are being held. Bedier described the confinement as
"un-American."
"We don't want any special treatment for Muslim detainees," Bedier said
at
press conference outside the federal courthouse in Tampa on Thursday.
"We
want equal treatment."
Federal agents arrested Al-Arian, Hammoudeh and two other men in
February
2003 on charges that they supported and raised funds for the
Palestinian
Islamic Jihad, a terrorist group.
The two other men were released on bail. Al-Arian, a former University
of
South Florida professor, and Hammoudeh were sent to the Coleman Federal
Correctional Complex in Sumter County, which normally houses only
inmates
who have been convicted, not people awaiting trial...
CAIR's executive director Nihad Awad said the conditions are set up to
wear
the defendants down. He said the two men are still strip-searched, at
times
even when they have not come in contact with any people from outside
the
prison.
"It sends a message that it's a deliberate act to break him down," Awad
said...
---
GROUP CRITICIZES AL-ARIAN'S PRISON CONDITIONS
Elaine Silverstrini, Tampa Tribune, 5/28/04
http://www.tampatrib.com/
TAMPA - A Muslim civil rights group complained Thursday about what it
says
are inhumane prison conditions for Sami Al-Arian and his co-defendant
Sameeh Hammoudeh.
Officials from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which
describes
itself as the nation's largest Islamic civil rights group, said they
were
denied access to the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex where
Al-Arian
and Hammoudeh are being held pending their trial on terrorism-related
charges.
Nihad Awad, executive director of CAIR, spoke at a news conference in
front
of the U.S. District Courthouse in Tampa. He said members of his group
received complaints and asked for permission to interview the prisoners
and
inspect the facility.
On Thursday, federal authorities denied their request, said Ahmed
Bedier,
the Florida communications director for CAIR.
Awad said there are complaints that the men frequently are
strip-searched
and otherwise humiliated...
-----
MORE MUSLIMS NOW SEE U.S., ISRAEL THE SAME WAY
Wayne Parry, Associated Press, 5/28/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-nj--prisonerabuse-mus0528may28,
0,7404700.story
PATERSON, N.J. -- Israel's dealings with the Palestinians have long
been
the top grievance of many Muslims and Arab-Americans when they think
about
the Middle East.
But the prisoner abuse case and America's other setbacks in Iraq are
increasingly linking the United States with Israel in the minds of many
Muslims, who now equate American treatment of Iraqis with Israel
treatment
of Palestinians _ surely one of the last things President Bush hoped
for
when he authorized the war in Iraq.
"The more you look at Iraq, the more you see a replica of what is
happening
in the West Bank," said Hani Awadallah, president of the Arab-American
Civic Organization in Paterson. "The story is no longer that we are
there
for liberation. It is clear to everybody that we are there as
conquerors..."
Televised images of American troops battling insurgents in Iraq _ and
graphic footage of wounded and dead civilians _ resonate among a Muslim
community long used to seeing similar pictures beamed from Palestinian
refugee camps.
At the Islamic Center of Passaic County, one of New Jersey's most
influential mosques, many worshippers express concern.
"The same thing is happening in Iraq and in Palestine: One force has
all
the power and the other side is trying to defend itself and find its
liberty," said Nabil Abbassi, the center's president.
"The whole reason we went to Iraq was to liberate it," he said. "What
is
going on is not liberation. All the problems of the people in the jail
and
the animosity toward the U.S. doesn't help us. It's definitely heading
in
the wrong direction. We're getting ourselves deeper and deeper into a
quicksand situation."
Ahmed Shedeed, director of the Islamic Center of Jersey City, put it
more
succinctly: "An occupation is an occupation…"
SEE ALSO:
ISRAEL: NOW YOU SEE IT, NOW YOU DON'T
Robert L. Jamieson, Jr., Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 5/29/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/jamieson/175412_robert28.html
King County Democrats just pulled off a nifty magic trick.
They made Israel disappear.
Not the country, mind you, but the word -- as it had appeared in
proposed
language for the party's 2004 county platform.
The plank called for the United States to stop sending aid to Israel
unless
it treats the Palestinian people with dignity and respect. But when
county
Democrats, preparing for the big state convention, ironed out the final
wrinkles of the platform Tuesday, "Israel" vanished.
Poof.
The whole thing makes me wonder if the "party of the people" is open to
all
so long as influential toes are not stepped on. Do that, and the
Democrats
suddenly become "the party of select folks who must be tip-toed
around."
I'm talking, of course, about supporters of Israel.
This tale of abracadabra began May 8, when the King County Democratic
Party
gathered for a convention in Seattle. It was a time when thinking
people
could put forth thoughtful planks for the platform.
Naseem Tuffaha, a Seattle businessman and a voice of consciousness in
the
Arab American community, offered this: "We believe our tax dollars
should
not be sent to Israel while it is in violation of international law..."
---
ZINNI CHARGES NEOCONS PUSHED IRAQ WAR TO BENEFIT ISRAEL
Ori Nir And Ami Eden, Forward, 5/28/04
http://forward.com/main/article.php?ref=eden200405271245
The simmering debate over the role of Jewish neoconservatives in
drawing
America into war in Iraq erupted with new fury this week. One of
America's
most respected ex-generals took to the airwaves to charge on CBS News'
"60
Minutes" that the war had been fought for Israel's benefit, just days
after
a similar charge was leveled on the floor of the U.S. Senate.
The retired general, Anthony Zinni, a past chief of the U.S. Central
Command and President Bush's former Middle East special envoy, told "60
Minutes" on Sunday that the neoconservatives' role in pushing the war
for
Israel's benefit was "the worst-kept secret in Washington." Three days
earlier, Senator Ernest "Fritz" Hollings, a South Carolina Democrat,
rose
on the Senate floor to defend a newspaper essay he had written earlier
in
the month making the same charge. Both men complained that they had
been
unfairly labeled antisemitic for speaking out.
Their comments come just weeks after the United Nations' special envoy
to
Iraq, Lakhdar Brahimi, called Israel a "poison in the region" and said
that
American support for Israeli policies was making his job more
difficult.
In the face of these mounting criticisms, a leading Jewish Democrat on
Capitol Hill, Rep. Nita Lowey of New York, told the Forward that the
president's policies were increasing the danger to Jews across the
world...
-----
AFFIDAVIT RAISES RELIGIOUS ISSUE
Ben Jacklet, Portland tribune, 5/28/04
http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=24584
The FBI found 15 potential matches for the fingerprint found near the
scene
of the terrorist train bombings in Spain.
But the bureau only arrested one man — local attorney Brandon Mayfield,
a
convert to Islam.
FBI officials and government prosecutors have not explained how they
whittled the 15 potential matches down to one false positive. They
repeatedly have denied that Mayfield was targeted for surveillance and
jailed without charges in part because of his faith. But their own
documents contradict those statements, as do quotes from the unnamed
officials who started the media frenzy in the first place.
Mayfield was exonerated Monday after being detained for two weeks as a
material witness in the investigation of the March 11 train bombings in
Madrid. The FBI has issued a full apology to Mayfield, but the apology
does
not address the issue of profiling, stating instead that the match was
determined “using standard protocols and methodologies” that are now
under
review.
U.S. Attorney Karin Immergut and Portland FBI spokeswoman Beth Anne
Steele
both insisted this week that Mayfield was not targeted because of his
faith.
“That really had nothing to do with it,” Steele said. “It was based on
a
computer analysis. The computer had no idea whether he was Muslim. (The
fingerprint) was looked at by fingerprint examiners who had no idea he
was
Muslim. It was sent to us, and we had no idea who he was, much less the
fact that he was Muslim.”
However, the FBI affidavit used by the government to justify arresting
Mayfield, rather than simply questioning him, contains more information
about Mayfield’s Muslim connections than it does about the fingerprint
found in Spain.
Three paragraphs in the document focus on the fingerprint, including
skepticism from the Spanish National Police as to whether the FBI’s
“100
percent identification” was valid. Eight paragraphs, meanwhile, examine
Mayfield’s associations as a Muslim...
Such hints of profiling infuriate American Muslims such as Ibrahim
Hooper,
spokesman for the Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic
Relations. “The majority of Muslims nationwide had a gut feeling that
there
was something wrong with the Mayfield case from the beginning,” Hooper
said. “And it turned out that our gut feeling was correct.
“The attitude seems to be that Muslims are guilty until proven
innocent. We
hate to see it come to that in America...”
-----
MUSLIMS JOIN OTHER FAITHS IN DENOUNCING TERRORISM
Poughkeepsie Journal, 5/28/04
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/today/opinion/stories/op052804s3.shtml
Over the last few weeks, Americans of all faiths have been horrified by
images of violence in the Middle East. The Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal
does not represent America or Christianity. The Israeli missile that
killed
innocent Palestinian children in Gaza does not represent Judaism. And
the
beheading of an innocent American man, Nicholas Berg, does not
represent
Islam.
Islam, Christianity and Judaism share the basic values necessary to
create
a world in which tolerance and peace prevail. We have an opportunity to
build bridges between our faiths and to challenge those who attempt to
divide humanity along religious and ethnic lines.
American Muslims condemn all acts of terrorism and are as outraged as
their
fellow Americans by atrocities committed in the name of God and their
faith.
About two weeks ago, Mid-Hudson Islamic Association supported the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations' invitation to Muslims in America and all
over the world to support their stance against terrorism by signing the
''Not in the Name of Islam'' online petition posted on their Web site:
www.cair-net.org . So far, individuals and organizations representing
more
than 500,000 Muslims are signatories to this petition.
We all now call on our fellow Americans of all faiths to join in
opposing
those who promote hatred, violence and bigotry. Let us all say ''not in
our
name.''
ALSO SEE:
INTERFAITH MEMORIAL AT MOSQUE REMEMBERS FALLEN SOLDIERS
Jenny Burns, Associated Press, Herald Tribune, 5/28/04
http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040527/APN/4052711
86
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Members of eight different faiths took off their
shoes
and entered a mosque Thursday night to remember those killed in the
Iraq
war and pray for peace.
Interfaith memorial services were held Thursday night across the
country,
but Columbia's service was the only one in the nation held in a mosque,
said Carl Evans, chair of the religious studies department at the
University of South Carolina.
"We're not making any political statement, we're trying to affirm core
values of all religions when we pray together," Evans said.
The faithful sat and knelt inside Masjid as-Salaam as each faith
tradition
prayed "Om, Peace, Peace, Peace," and listened to words from the Quran,
the
Beatitudes of the New Testament and a Native American blessing. Leaders
from the Muslim, Unitarian Universalist, Bahai Faith, Buddhist, Jewish,
Christian, Hindu and Native American traditions read prayers.
The names of 19 people from or stationed in South Carolina who were
killed
in the war with Iraq were read as participants took turns placing white
roses in a vase.
Eyes showed tears as about 200 people of all colors - some with heads
covered and traditional dress, others with street clothes - remembered
the
800 Americans killed in the war, the 100 others from eleven nations
killed
and what organizers said were more than 11,000 Iraqi civilians killed
in
the conflict...
---
MUSLIMS IN U.S. BEGIN PR CAMPAIGN DENOUNCING TERRORISM
Alan Cooperman and Caryle Muprhy, Washington Post, 5/27/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61654-2004May27.html
Amid warnings of another al Qaeda attack on the United States, American
Muslims have launched a public relations campaign stressing that they
condemn terrorism and should not be blamed for violence committed in
the
name of Islam.
The loosely coordinated campaign by Muslim organizations includes
newspaper
advertisements, a petition drive and public commitments to work hand in
hand with law enforcement agencies, including a joint effort to begin
today
with FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III.
"We want to debunk the myth that American Muslims are not concerned
with
securing our homeland," said Salam Al-Marayati, executive director of
the
Muslim Public Affairs Council, which will announce a "grass-roots
Muslim
initiative against terrorism" with Mueller at a Los Angeles mosque.
Al-Marayati said the council will work with the FBI to denounce
terrorism,
control "belligerence" at mosques and improve communication between
Muslims
and U.S. law enforcement agencies.
Other national Muslim organizations are engaged in similar efforts. In
the
past two weeks, individuals and groups representing more than 500,000
U.S.
Muslims have signed a petition against terrorism on the Web site of the
Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, according to
CAIR
spokesman Ibrahim Hooper. "No injustice done to Muslims can ever
justify
the massacre of innocent people, and no act of terror will ever serve
the
cause of Islam," the online petition states.
On Wednesday, CAIR also published a full-page advertisement in the Los
Angeles Times titled "No to terrorism, No to bigotry." Citing the
online
petition, it said: "American Muslims condemn all acts of terrorism and
are
outraged as their fellow Americans by atrocities committed in the name
of
God and their faith."
Hussam Ayloush, head of CAIR's Southern California office, declined to
reveal the cost of the ad but said five Los Angeles-area Muslim
businessmen
paid for it. Fundraising for similar advertisements is underway in
other
cities, including New York, Houston and St. Louis, he said...
"Unfortunately, the most frequent criticism that's tossed at the
American
Muslim community is, 'You never denounce terrorism,' ignoring the fact
that
we've denounced terrorism every which way from Sunday," he said. "I
don't
know what more we can do, and that is part of why we launched these
initiatives."
-----
FEMALE DETAINEES SUFFER CULTURAL STIGMA OF RAPE
Susan Estrich, Nashville City Paper, 5/27/04
http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=40&screen=news&news_i
d=33406
There are also women involved in the Iraqi prison scandal, not only as
guards or commanders, but also as prisoners. The story is just coming
out.
Women are reluctant to speak, for obvious reasons.
Rape has a stigma in Iraqi society far beyond what it has here. To be
raped
by an American would, according to experts, carry an unbearable shame
for
an Iraqi woman.
The rumors and the reports suggest that women in detention have been
forced
to strip and humiliated by American men in the name of interrogation.
Techniques designed for hardened terrorists were applied to women who
had
slept with men we were looking for. There weren't many women detainees
at
Abu Ghraib, but there were some, mostly there not because of who they
were,
much less what they'd done, but because of who they were married to or
lived with.
There was an Iraqi woman in her 70s who was harnessed and ridden like a
donkey, according to English press reports. It has been reported that
she
is now dead.
Professor Huda Shaker al-Nuaimi, a political scientist at Baghdad
University who is researching the subject for Amnesty International, is
investigating what happened to one woman who she believes was raped and
left pregnant by a U.S. guard, and may have been killed after her
release
from Abu Ghraib.
Then there was the letter, last December, smuggled out of Abu Ghraib,
written by another woman known as "Noor," claiming that women detainees
had
been raped and that a number were pregnant by their U.S. guards. Even
some
Iraqi lawyers did not believe it at first.
Reports of the abuse of Iraqi women have provoked outrage among Iraqi
men.
No one wants to do anything that puts American soldiers in greater
danger.
That is, no doubt, why pictures being shown to senators are not being
shown
to us...
ALSO SEE:
U.S. ALLIES ALSO ACCUSED IN PRISON ABUSE
Lara Jakes Jordan and Matt Kelley, Associated Press, 5/28/04
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/florida/MGBWPCEKRUD.html
WASHINGTON - Troops from Poland and other countries in the U.S.-led
coalition in Iraq also are accused of abusing prisoners, witnesses told
Army investigators.
Witness statements obtained by The Associated Press include other new
details about the involvement of U.S. military intelligence soldiers in
Iraq, including a civilian interpreter's claim that an Army
interrogator
forced a prisoner to walk naked through Abu Ghraib prison.
Such information is likely to become part of the defense of six
soldiers
charged with beating and sexually humiliating prisoners at Abu Ghraib.
The
soldiers facing military charges — plus one who has pleaded guilty —
are
all enlisted military police who worked as guards at the sprawling
prison
outside Baghdad.
Most of the accused soldiers say military and civilian intelligence
operatives encouraged them to beat and humiliate Iraqi prisoners to
make
them more pliable during interrogations. Top Army brass have said they
never condoned any abuse.
The records of interviews by Army Criminal Investigation Division
agents
obtained by The Associated Press include new allegations that coalition
forces had beaten prisoners before turning them over to the Americans.
Sgt. Antonio Monserrate, an Army interrogator, told investigators that
two
detainees had been "injured by the Polish Army." Monserrate referred to
the
inmates by their prison identification numbers but did not provide any
further details...
-----
CA: UCI ANTI-HATE RALLY FOLLOWS SYMBOL'S TORCHING
Susan Anasagasti, Los Angeles Times, 5/28/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/state/la-me-rally28may28,1,2581382.story?c
oll=la-news-state
They came waving colorful posters and singing Bob Dylan songs. They
were
Arabs, Armenians and Latinos, all chanting, "Hate crimes will not
silence
us."
Hundreds of students gathered Thursday at UC Irvine's Free Speech Zone
to
protest last week's destruction of a campus display depicting
Palestinian
suffering in Israel.
"We are here today to say 'no' to hatred and bigotry," said Preston
Wood, a
member of the antiwar ANSWER Coalition. "An injury to one is an injury
toward us all."
Students, administrators and speakers from human rights coalitions
exhorted
the crowd of 250 to support their fight against hatred and intolerance.
Not present at the demonstration, however, were members of Anteaters
for
Israel. Merav Ceren, president of the campus Israeli students group,
said a
request to speak at the event, made to the Society of Arab Students,
was
denied. "We're sorry they felt our presence wouldn't be conducive to
the
rally," said Ceren, 20, of Irvine. "But we empathize with them
completely."
Vanessa Zuabi, the vice president of the Arab students society who
helped
organize the rally, said the group wanted the demonstration to focus on
the
fight against hatred...
"We need to learn how to interact in an atmosphere of mutual respect,"
said
Ra'id Faraj of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "The burning
[of
the display] is an intolerable act done to [keep] students from
discussing
topics that are not popular.''
ALSO SEE:
KISS BASSIST GENE SIMMONS DENIES COMMENTS SLAMMING MUSLIMS
Associated Press, 5/28/04
TOKYO - Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, who sparked outrage in Australia
after
making comments seen as anti-Muslim, said Friday he was speaking only
of
``extremists'' and that his remarks were taken out of context.
``I was asked about extremists,'' he said in an interview with The
Associated Press. ``And that's what I was talking about - only
extremists.''
Simmons sparked outrage when Kiss toured Australia earlier this month
with
comments seen as attacking Islam.
``This is a vile culture and if you think for a second that it's
willing to
just live in the sands of God's armpit you've got another thing
coming,''
Simmons said during an interview on Melbourne's 3AW radio. ``They want
to
come and live right where you live and they think that you're evil.''
He also hit Islam as sexist, saying its culture treated women worse
than
dogs.
``You can send your dog to school to learn tricks, sit, beg, do all
that
stuff - none of the women have that advantage,'' the 54-year-old said.
Angry Muslims flooded the radio station with calls, furious over
Simmons'
comments...
-----
AHEAD OF IRAQ DEPLOYMENT, 37 KOREAN TROOPS CONVERT TO ISLAM
Chosun Ilbo, 5/28/04
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200405/200405280041.html
"I became a Muslim because I felt Islam was more humanistic and
peaceful
than other religions. And if you can religiously connect with the
locals, I
think it could be a big help in carrying out our peace reconstruction
mission." So said on Friday those Korean soldiers who converted to
Islam
ahead of their late July deployment to the Kurdish city of Irbil in
northern Iraq.
At noon Friday, 37 members of the Iraq-bound "Zaitun Unit," including
Lieutenant Son Hyeon-ju of the Special Forces 11th Brigade, made their
way
to a mosque in Hannam-dong, Seoul and held a conversion ceremony.
Captain Son Jin-gu from Zaitoon Unit recites an oath at ceremony to
mark
his conversion to Islam at a mosque in Hannam-dong, Seoul on Friday.
/Yonhap
The soldiers, who cleansed their entire bodies in accordance with
Islamic
tradition, made their conversion during the Friday group prayers at the
mosque, with the assistance of the "imam," or prayer leader.
With the exception of the imam, all the Muslims and the Korean soldiers
stood in a straight line to symbolize how all are equal before God and
took
a profession on faith.
They had memorized the Arabic confession, "Ashadu an La ilaha il Allah,
Muhammad-ur-Rasool-Allah," which means, "I testify that there is no god
but
God (Arabic: Allah), and Muhammad is the Messenger of God..."
ALSO SEE:
S. KOREAN SOLDIERS CONVERT TO ISLAM BEFORE IRAQ TOUR
Kim Kyoung-hoon and Choi Yoon-sang, Reuters, 5/28/04
SEOUL - South Korea's 35,000-strong Muslim community gained 37 new
converts
on Friday when officers and enlisted soldiers destined for a tour of
duty
in Iraq were admitted to the faith in a ceremony at Seoul's main
mosque.
South Korea, where Buddhism is the most common religion and
Christianity
has grown rapidly, has pledged to send 3,000 troops to help
reconstruction
in Iraq. About 650 South Korean army medics and engineers have served
in
the country for a year.
"You are reborn as believers and believers are true human beings,"
Sulaiman
Lee Haeng-lae Imam told the new converts at the Seoul mosque, one of
five
in a country of 48 million people.
Sulaiman, a South Korean leading the congregation in Seoul, said the
men's
decision to convert to Islam will go a long way towards helping their
3,000-strong contingent become accepted by Iraqis once it is deployed.
"The Iraqis could become your friends for eternity," Sulaiman told the
new
converts after he received oaths from the soldiers.
A public affairs officer attached to the unit, Captain Lee Yun-se, said
many of the 37 new converts had some background in Arab culture,
including
Arabic language study in college and travel to the Middle East.
All 3,000 soldiers in the contingent took courses on Arabic culture and
customs to help them fit in in Iraq...
-----
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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
-----
--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .
Forwarded Message
Date:
Mon, 31 May 2004 12:47:05 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Officers Learn Muslim Culture/U.S. Shia Share
Concerns
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 5/31/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: MAKE THINGS EASY
* CAIR-SACRAMENTO: OFFICERS LEARN MUSLIM CULTURE
- MO: Officers Get Training on Arabs, Muslims, Sikhs (PD)
* CAIR-FL HELPS PROMPT SERIES ON AREA MUSLIMS (SP Times)
* DC: AT U.S. CONFERENCE, SHIITES SHARE CONCERNS (LA Times)
* IL: MUSLIM OFFICER SUES CITY, POLICE OVER BIAS (Chicago Trib)
- TX: Assault on Iranian-American Ruled a Hate Crime (DMN)
- DC: Muslims Express Concerns About Hate Crimes (AP)
* CA: MUSLIM CARTOONIST HAS A DIFFERENT SLANT (SF Chronicle)
* CA: GALLERY OWNER ATTACKED OVER IRAQ ABUSE PAINTING (AP)
* MI: VALUES DEMAND JUSTICE FOR PALESTINIANS (Detroit News)
- MI Muslims Begin Weekly Protest of Iraq War (AP)
- MI: Prayer Call Low-Key, Supported (Detroit Free Press)
* WA: FREED CHAPLAIN YEE SPEAKS ON ISLAM (News Tribune)
- Mayfield Case Shows Need to Fix Witness Law (News Trib)
* ATHEISTS, MUSLIMS TO ECLIPSE CHRISTIANS IN CANADA (OC)
* VATICAN RAISES ISSUE OF INTERFAITH MARRIAGE (Post-Dispatch)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: MAKE THINGS EASY
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "God did not send me to
be
harsh, or cause harm, but He sent me to teach and make things easy."
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 707
-----
OFFICERS LEARN MUSLIM CULTURE
Sandy Louey, Sacramento Bee, 5/28/04
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/9453469p-10377510c.html
During a traffic stop, the driver avoids eye contact with the police
officer. If the person is Muslim, the gesture isn't necessarily a sign
of
evasion or deceit. The person could be following religious teachings
about
modesty when dealing with someone of the opposite sex.
"It's a sign of respect," said Tamer Ahmed, an executive committee
member
of the Sacramento Valley chapter of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations.
Such information was relayed during a presentation on American Muslims
and
Islam that CAIR, a Muslim civil rights organization, provided to Elk
Grove
police supervisors Thursday afternoon.
Elk Grove is the first law enforcement agency in the Sacramento region
to
which the Sacramento Valley chapter has provided diversity training.
The
training is scheduled to be given to the Sacramento Police Department's
graduating recruits next month. There also is discussion about having
patrol officers in the Sacramento and Elk Grove police departments go
through the seminar.
With more than 50,000 Muslims living in the greater Sacramento area,
law
enforcement needs to be aware and sensitive to what Islam is, and to
the
beliefs and customs. The information can help police when they interact
with Muslims, Ahmed said…
The Muslim community needs law enforcement to protect them from the
backlash, while police officials want the cooperation of the community
in
its investigations, said Rabiah Ahmed, a spokeswoman at CAIR's national
headquarters. Outreach efforts need to be happening from both sides,
she said.
"In order to build trust, you need to show sincere efforts to learn
about
the community," she said…
SEE ALSO:
LAW OFFICERS GET TRAINING ON ARABS, MUSLIMS, SIKHS
By Tim Townsend, Post-Dispatch, 5/29/04
http://www.stltoday.com/
About 150 people in law enforcement and others who are not gathered in
six
locations in Missouri and Nebraska on Friday to take part in an Arab,
Muslim and Sikh sensitivity-training program.
The program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice's Community
Relations Service and the Islamic Society of North America, taught
participants the basics of Arab culture, Islam and Sikhism. Organizers
said
the goal was to "reduce tensions, conflicts and misunderstandings"
between
law enforcement officers and members of cultures that may not be
familiar
to many Americans. The backlash against members of minority religious
cultures in the United States, especially those originating in the
Middle
East and Asia, has not completely abated in the aftermath of the
terrorist
attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, according to Lobna Ismail, the Muslim
moderator.
The four-hour seminar was born out of similar meetings organized by the
Community Relations Service after the terrorist attacks. It is part of
a
wider program of training sessions throughout the country and was
broadcast
from the campus of the University of Missouri at St. Louis and patched
in
via video conference to locations in downtown St. Louis, Kansas City,
Springfield, Columbia and Lincoln, Neb.
Pointing out that Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mary all appear in the
Quran,
for instance, moderators used similarities between Judeo-Christian
beliefs
and those of Islam and Sikhism to show participants how much they
probably
already know about these cultures.
There were also practical recommendations, specifically for law
enforcement
officers: Don't throw, write on or place something on top of a Quran.
Don't
place a Quran on the floor. Allow Muslim women to remove their head
scarves
in private. Remove your shoes if you have to enter the place of prayer
in a
mosque or home. Don't forcibly remove a Sikh's turban. Participants
also
were shown demonstrations of how Muslims pray and how Sikhs create a
turban
each morning from 18 feet of cloth…
-----
ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL IN THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY
Robert King, St Petersburg Times, 5/30/04
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/30/Hernando/One_size_does_not_fit.shtml
My education in the ways of Hernando County's Muslim community began at
the
front door of their mosque. By the pile of shoes left on the floor near
the
entrance, it became immediately clear that this is a place where you
are
expected to go barefoot.
That seems so long ago. A year after I took that first delicate step
out of
my shoes and onto the rug at the mosque on Barclay Avenue, I could
write a
book about the Muslims of Hernando County.
Actually, I did write a book. It just hasn't been published in
hardback.
Instead, it appeared here as a series of stories in the Hernando Times.
We
called it "United By Faith."
If somehow you missed it - you were on vacation, your paper was stolen
six
times in one week, you somehow didn't notice the huge pictures and
large
chunks of text - you can still find it on the Internet at
www.sptimes.com/united This whole project - what led me to step out of
my
shoes at the mosque - began in the spring of 2003 with a shouting match
on
the second floor of the Times building here on Cortez Boulevard.
In one corner was my editor, Mike Konrad. In the other was Ahmed
Bedier, a
spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations for the Tampa
Bay area.
Bedier was incensed because he considered our stories about the ties
between local Muslims and a school run by Sami Al-Arian - in jail on
terrorist fundraising charges - to be one-sided. He felt they made
local
Muslims look guilty by association.
We agreed with him. And the reason for that was why Konrad was shouting
-
we had been pleading with local Muslims to tell us their side of the
story.
All we got was silence.
Cooler heads prevailed, and Bedier agreed to see if he could get local
Muslims to start answering our questions - to tell their story. The
result
- after an arduous year of working with people who didn't fully trust
us -
was "United By Faith."
The great irony is that the Muslim community has been pleased with the
end
result. Their education from all this: If you don't tell your story,
someone else will tell it for you...
-----
AT U.S. CONFERENCE, SHIITES SHARE CONCERNS
Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 5/31/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-muslim31may31,1,160128.story
New Jersey cardiologist Syed M. Rizvi has long been a loyal Republican,
drawn by the party's socially conservative platform, which reflects his
Islamic faith and traditional Indian culture. But this year, he
suspended
his party membership and is now rethinking his support of President
Bush
for one reason -- Iraq.
Although Rizvi applauded the ouster of Saddam Hussein, he fears his
fellow
Shiite Muslims in Iraq are unduly suffering from the postwar chaos,
carnage
and what he sees as too much American say over the country's policies.
"They are not letting Shias take control," said Rizvi, who Sunday was
among
3,000 Shiites gathered here for their second annual convention. "I am
really disappointed."
Rizvi's views seemed to reflect a larger turnabout in a constituency
that
once counted itself as staunch supporters of U.S. policies in Iraq.
Most
American Shiites were jubilant over the overthrow of Hussein, who
brutally
persecuted Iraq's Shiite majority, and anticipated that the ensuing
Democratic government would lead to the world's first Arab Shiite
state.
But much of that optimism has evaporated.
"Almost 100% of Shias are disillusioned. They say we traded one
occupation
for another," said Robert Crane, a Shiite Muslim convert who heads the
Center for Policy Research, an Islamic think tank in Washington. Crane
is a
lifelong Republican who contributed to Bush's campaign and voted for
him in
the last presidential election but now is reconsidering his support…
-----
MUSLIM OFFICER SUES CITY, POLICE OVER BIAS
Matt O'Connor, Chicago Tribune, 5/29/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/nearnorthwest/chi-0405290031may29,1,1839627.story
A Chicago police officer who is a Muslim and Palestinian-American
alleged
in a federal lawsuit Friday that he had been repeatedly ridiculed and
discriminated against by officers and superiors because of his heritage
and
religion.
The suit by Nail Majid, an officer since November 1999, said the
discrimination increased dramatically after the Sept. 11, 2001,
terrorist
attacks.
Majid, a tactical officer in the Wentworth District beginning in April
2001, said the hostility grew so bad he feared for his safety at work
because he was skeptical other officers would back him up in
potentially
life-threatening situations…
The suit seeks unspecified damages from the city, the Police Department
and
a former supervisor and a partner of Majid's.
The suit alleged members of Majid's tactical unit made offensive and
derogatory comments to him daily, often in front of supervisory
officers
who took no corrective action…
SEE ALSO:
ASSAULT ON IRANIAN-AMERICAN RULED A HATE CRIME
Matt Stiles and Jason Trahan, Dallas Morning News, 5/27/04
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/052804dnmethatecrime.18ce7.html
A federal grand jury has indicted a Dallas man who prosecutors say
assaulted an Iranian-American at a fast-food restaurant because of his
ethnicity.
The indictment, made public Thursday, alleges that Curtis William
Murillo,
37, attacked and injured the man in 2002 because of his "race, color
and
national origin."
Mr. Murillo, according to federal authorities, assaulted the man at a
McDonald's on 13105 Montfort Drive in Far North Dallas.
The man, who is 53, declined to comment Thursday about the incident,
saying
it was "over now" - and that he wanted to put it behind him.
Mr. Murillo, who was released on a personal recognizance bond pending a
hearing next week, could not be reached for comment.
A Dallas police report taken after the incident said that an
Iranian-American driver encountered Mr. Murillo early one Sunday
morning at
the McDonald's drive-through window. The report says the man got out of
his
car and yelled when Mr. Murillo, who was waiting in his car behind him,
honked his horn.
Mr. Murillo then yelled, "Why don't you [expletive] people go back to
your
own [expletive] country," according to the report.
With both men out of their vehicles, the man, who is smaller than Mr.
Murillo, displayed a fire extinguisher and said, "now come at me,"
according to the report.
The report says Mr. Murillo then pulled a tire jack from his trunk and
hit
the other man several times through his driver's side window. Mr.
Murillo
continued yelling that the man, who suffered bruising and swelling on
his
arm, elbow and shoulder and an abrasion on his face, should leave the
country if he didn't like it, the report states…
---
SOME MUSLIM AMERICANS EXPRESS CONCERN ABOUT HATE CRIMES THIS SUMMER
Associated Press, 5/2/04
http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=1903959
Washington - Some American Muslims say they're concerned for their
safety
this summer, since U-S authorities have warned there's an increased
threat
of terrorism.
They say new warnings heighten an atmosphere in which Muslims can
become
targets.
One scholar who's in Washington for a conference on democracy says
there's
a long way to go before all Americans understand that all Muslims
aren't
terrorists. But he says things have improved since Nine-Eleven.
A Muslim American college student who wears a hijab (hee-JAHB'), or
Islamic
headscarf, says women often bear the brunt of anti-Muslim
discrimination,
because their attire makes them stand out. She says she feels a
responsibility to educate those around her that there's nothing to be
afraid of.
-----
MUSLIM CARTOONIST HAS A DIFFERENT SLANT
Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/30/04
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/05/30/INGGT6PUM11.DTL
Scores of U.S. editorial cartoonists have examined the Abu Ghraib
prison
controversy, but none of them has matched the biting, almost risque
commentary of Khalil Bendib.
In a panel titled "Chain of Command at Abu Ghraib or ... Where Does the
S&M
Buck Stop?" Bendib portrays Dick Cheney as a slave master who holds
President Bush and Donald Rumsfeld in neck chains. Rumsfeld, in turn,
keeps
in bondage a female U.S. soldier who has a leash around a naked Iraqi
prisoner. (Condoleezza Rice is seen as a dominatrix, while a hand from
Halliburton has a grip on Cheney, whose name is spelled "Chainy." God
and
Jerry Falwell, meanwhile, have neck chains around Bush.)
Bendib knows his humor is not for everyone. He thinks of himself as a
social activist with a pen, and is the only prominent Arab and Muslim
editorial cartoonist in the United States. Born in Paris and raised in
Algeria and Morocco, Bendib, 46, has lived in California since 1977. He
now
lives in Berkeley
"Eventually, I hope to see legions of Arab American smart alecks like
myself," says Bendib, whose work is distributed to 1,700 small- and
medium-size papers around the United States.
At a time when the Arab and Muslim world is so much in the news, Bendib
is
awash in ideas. Within weeks of the Abu Ghraib controversy, Bendib drew
the
"Chain of Command" cartoon and four others that slammed Washington's
policies in Iraq. Like other liberal thinkers after the Sept. 11
attacks,
Bendib has found himself getting angrier every day about the state of
the
world ("Abu Ghraib is one of the things, among many others, that are
bothering me right now," he says), and his anger is registering with
more
people…
-----
SF GALLERY OWNER BECOMES TARGET AFTER
SHOWCASING PAINTING OF IRAQI PRISONER ABUSE
Lisa Leef, Associated Press, 5/29/04
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/05/29/state1749EDT0067.DTL
SAN FRANCISCO - After displaying a painting of U.S. soldiers torturing
Iraqi prisoners, a San Francisco gallery owner bears a painful reminder
of
the nation's unresolved anguish over the incidents at Abu Ghraib -- a
black
eye and bloodied brow delivered by an unknown assailant who apparently
objected to the art work.
The assault outside the Capobianco gallery in the city's North Beach
district Thursday night was the worst, but only the latest in a string
of
verbal and physical attacks that have been directed at owner Lori Haigh
since the painting, titled "Abuse," was installed there on May 16.
Last Wednesday, concerned for the safety of her two children, ages 14
and
4, who often accompanied her to work, Haigh decided to close the
gallery
indefinitely.
Painted by Berkeley artist Guy Colwell, "Abuse," the painting at the
center
of the controversy, depicts three U.S. soldiers leering at a group of
naked
men in hoods with wires connected to their bodies. The one in the
foreground has a blood-spattered American flag patch on his uniform. In
the
background, a soldier in sunglasses guards a blindfolded woman.
The painting was part of a larger show of Colwell's work that mostly
featured pastel-colored abstracts.
Two days after the painting went up in a front window, someone threw
eggs
and dumped trash on the doorstep. Haigh said she didn't think to
connect it
to the black-and-white interpretation of the events at Baghdad's
notorious
prison until people started leaving nasty messages and threats on her
business answering machine.
"I think you need to get your gallery out of this neighborhood before
you
get hurt," one caller said…
-----
FAITH AND VALUES DEMAND JUSTICE FOR PALESTINIANS
Imam Mohammad Ali Elahi, Detroit News, 5/29/04
http://www.detnews.com/2004/editorial/0405/29/d08-167359.htm
"God is not on the side of any nation. He is on the side of justice."
These
wonderful words were expressed by President George W. Bush on the
National
Day of Prayer.
Every human being, regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender
and
belief system, deserves to be protected and treated with justice. Our
fundamental national values have their roots in our religious
traditions.
When we examine the Abrahamic scriptures, we find justice is the main
force
and focus of the ministry of Moses, Jesus and Mohammad, peace be upon
them.
In the Old Testament: "The Lord is known by his justice." (Psalms 9:16)
In the New Testment: "I judge and my judgment is just, because I seek
to do
not my own will, but the will of him who sent me." (John 5:30)
In the Koran: "We sent aforetime our messengers with clear signs and
sent
down with them the Book and the Balance (of right and wrong), that men
may
stand forth in Justice." (57:25)
"Be just: that is next to piety and fear Allah for He is
well-acquainted
with all that ye do." (5:8)
In light of these traditions, one wonders whether in dealing with other
nations our political leaders set the best example of justice, peace
and
prosperity for all.
As a community of faith privileged to live in a democracy, we are
responsible for promoting peace and justice not by wonderful words, but
wonderful works and actions. The disgraceful scenes of brutality and
humiliation in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison have made a powerful explosive
weapon of mass destruction whose main victim was the image of our
country
around the world.
Arrogant acts mixed with strategic mistakes resulted in losing the
hearts
and minds of the Iraqis. Last May the president declared the end of the
war, and this May he declared the beginning of the war without
predicting
its end. For some reason, the president has decided to put the Israeli
agenda above American security.
The tragedy of Rafah refugee camp is another story that the White House
and
the Congress need to hear about. Any time I write about the events in
the
occupied territories, I face floods of phone calls, faxes and e-mails
criticizing my views.
I am not anti-Jewish; I am anti-injustice. I joined the interfaith
"Walk as
One" parade in Detroit to be one nation under one Lord. I wish I heard
more
courageous voices from the faithful within the Jewish community
condemning
the atrocities of the Israeli soldiers in Gaza…
SEE ALSO:
DEARBORN MUSLIMS BEGIN WHAT LEADER SAYS
WILL BE WEEKLY PROTEST OF U.S. IN IRAQ
Associated Press, 5/28/04
http://www.freep.com/news/statewire/sw98603_20040528.htm
DEARBORN, Mich. -- Chanting "Get out of Najaf, Get out of Karbala,"
about
200 Muslims protested the American occupation of Iraq on Friday with
signs,
as drivers honked their support along a main street in the heart of the
city.
The protesters in this heavily Arab suburb of Detroit said they are
angry
about the destruction of holy sites in Iraq and the ongoing violence
against its people.
"It's about time for President Bush to admit the mistakes he's been
making," said Imam Husham Al-Husainy, director of the Karbalaa Islamic
Education Center. Husainy supported the war to oust Saddam Hussein when
it
started.
Just more than a year ago, Iraqis in America were cheering in the same
streets when the statue of Saddam Hussein fell. Now some of the same
people
are calling for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops.
At least four mosques participated in the protest. Husainy said the
protests will continue weekly until the troops leave…
---
PRAYER CALL LOW-KEY AND SUPPORTED
David Crumm, Detroit Free Press, 5/29/04
http://www.freep.com/news/locway/call29_20040529.htm
The call to prayer from the Al-Islah Islamic Center in Hamtramck at
1:35
p.m. Friday could barely be heard across the street, but it echoed
around
the world.
Mosque leaders deliberately toned down their amplifier Friday in an
effort
to show how little the hotly contested broadcast will affect the
neighborhood around Caniff and Jos. Campau. The low volume left radio
and
TV reporters straining to raise their microphones toward the speakers
on
the mosque's roof.
Robert Zwolak, a major critic of broadcasting the call to prayer,
listened
on the sidewalk, then complained, "They were just being diplomatic
today in
toning it down. This is still going to be a noise problem."
But Zwolak was the lone critic outside the mosque.
Inside, joining in an hour-long celebration with nearly 400 Bangladeshi
Muslims, was a broad array of Hamtramck's leadership, including all
five
members of the City Council and school board president Camille
Colatosti as
well as Catholic, Protestant and Muslim clergy from other neighboring
houses of worship.
"This issue, in some ways, has torn the city apart and, in some ways,
it's
bringing us together," said councilman Chuck Cirgenski...
-----
FREED CHAPLAIN YEE SPEAKS ON ISLAM
Rob Tucker, News Tribune, 5/30/04
http://www.tribnet.com/news/local/story/5136819p-5065896c.html
Capt. James Yee, a Muslim U.S. Army chaplain who was jailed for 76 days
by
his government on suspicion of espionage before he was cleared, stood
with
his prayer cap on Saturday evening and explained some basics of Islam
to an
audience at the Washington State History Museum.
"I'm here today as James Yee - your brother in humanity," he told the
audience at a program by the The Bill of Rights Defense Committee -
Tacoma.
"Today's special for people who have a passion for justice and
diversity.
Islam is relevant and all over the news. We must understand each other.
I'm
wearing my prayer cap tonight."
More than 75 people heard his talk on the tenets of Islam and expressed
appreciation for his presence. They filled a hat full of money to help
with
his legal bills after being told they were substantial. Afterward,
people
came up to shake his hand, get his autograph, give him more money, and
ask
forgiveness.
"I apologize as an American," one man said as he shook Yee's hand. Yee
smiled and thanked the man…
SEE ALSO:
MAYFIELD CASE SHOWS NEED TO FIX WITNESS LAW
News Tribune, 5/30/04
http://www.tribnet.com/opinion/story/5136525p-5065697c.html
The nightmare that befell Portland attorney Brandon Mayfield shouldn't
happen to any American citizen.
Mayfield, who was a suspect in the terrorist bombings in Spain earlier
this
year, was detained for two weeks as a material witness. FBI officials
claimed that a fingerprint on a bag of detonators belonged to him.
The only problem was that Mayfield was innocent. Spanish authorities
later
determined that fingerprints on the bag were those of an Algerian
suspect.
The FBI issued a rare apology to Mayfield for erroneously linking him
to
the attack. The agency plans to reexamine how its process of
identifying
fingerprints went wrong. Both are steps in the right direction.
Federal officials should also look into the possibility that Mayfield
was
targeted because of his religion. Mayfield, a former Army officer, is a
convert to Islam.
Congress should also take a hard look at the root of the problem - the
vague material witness statute itself. The 1984 law gives federal
prosecutors authority to hold witnesses considered flight risks in
order to
have them testify before a grand jury.
Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, prosecutors have used the law to
round up and hold people suspected of terrorism. Many of the detainees
were
never even called to testify before a grand jury or charged with a
crime
because the evidence was either flimsy or nonexistent. It's even hard
to
tell how many people are currently in custody because the Justice
Department typically doesn't reveal the names or number of detainees…
-----
ATHEISTS, MUSLIMS TO ECLIPSE CHRISTIANS IN CANADA: STUDY
Bob Harvey, Ottawa Citizen, 5/30/04
http://www.canada.com/search/story.html?id=57c913b9-ccc2-41e6-ae4e-cdb99cd4c6bc
WINNIPEG - The religious face of Canada is changing rapidly from a past
dominated by Catholics and Protestants to a future in which
non-believers
and Muslims could some day be the dominant groups.
Laurence Nixon, a professor at Dawson College in Montreal, said that
between 1991 and 2001, Statistics Canada figures show Canada's historic
Protestant denominations all declined in numbers, led by the
Presbyterians
with its 36-per-cent drop in numbers in the census.
And while Roman Catholic numbers grew by five per cent, the number of
that
church's adherents still did not keep up with the 10-per-cent growth in
population during the '90s.
Those Canadians reporting "no religion" are now the third largest
"religious" group.
Attendance at churches has also been dropping steadily, from 43 per
cent of
Canadians who reported going to church at least once a month in 1986,
to 34
per cent in 1998.
In a seminar at the annual Congress of Humanity, Mr. Nixon said that,
on
the other hand, the number of Canadians reporting no religion grew by
44
per cent, and not only are the Muslims growing in number, but they are
also
among the youngest believers in Canada.
The median age of Muslims is 28.1, the lowest of any of Canada's major
faiths. The median ages of the Christian denominations range from 46
among
Presbyterians, and 44 among United Church members to 37.3 among Roman
Catholics…
-----
VATICAN DOCUMENT ON MIGRANTS RAISES ISSUE OF INTERFAITH MARRIAGE
Tim Townsend, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 5/30/04
http://www.stltoday.com/
Barb Hassan was brought up in a Catholic family that frequently prayed
at
home and attended church "more than the average Catholic family." This
strict religious rearing resulted in a devout young woman who, in her
20s,
was drawn to a man she met at work who was equally devout.
"We were both extremely religious," said Hassan, 47, of Chesterfield.
"I
was looking for someone with the same ideals I was brought up with."
The problem, as many of their friends and relatives saw it, was that he
was
a Muslim. But to Barb, Abdul's faith, which she knew nearly nothing
about,
was attractive. "It was harder than my religion," she said, "and so I
thought it had to be better." Eventually, the two married. They left
work
during their lunch hour, said their vows at the courthouse and went
back to
their desks.
"No one wanted us to marry. Everyone was against it. We were completely
alone," said Barb, spokesperson for the couple, who have two children.
She
notes, somewhat defiantly, that she and Abdul are about to celebrate
their
19th anniversary.
For mixed-faith couples like the Hassans, love trumps pronouncements
from
religious leaders like one made by Vatican officials earlier this month
titled, "The love of Christ towards migrants."
The 80-page document sends a clear message about marriage to Roman
Catholics around the world: They should marry other Catholics. Or at
least
other
Christians.
The timing of the Vatican pronouncement is especially provocative
because
it brings to the surface the notion that, even as the world is getting
smaller and global cultures are increasingly blending together, we all
might be better off marrying and having children within our own faiths.
But not everyone is convinced that strict intrafaith marriage should be
an
ideal, or is even a possibility...
-----
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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
-----
Update # 6: June 01 2004 Iraq and National Security
President George W. Bush
(R) Bush’s
May 24th speech on Iraq There are five steps in our plan to help
Iraq achieve democracy and freedom. We will hand over
authority to a sovereign Iraqi government, help establish
security, continue rebuilding Iraq's infrastructure, encourage
more international support, and move toward a national
election that will bring forward new leaders empowered by the
Iraqi people. Official Site: http://www.georgewbush.com
Senator John Kerry
(D) Kerry
Calls for a New National Security Policy Kerry said it is time for a new national
security policy guided by four new imperatives: build and lead
a new era of alliances; modernize the world’s most powerful
military; make full use of our diplomatic, intelligence and
economic power; and free America from its dangerous dependence
on Mideast oil Official Website: http://www.johnkerry.com/
Ralph Nader Nader
calls for Iraq withdrawal Ralph Nader delivered a strong call
Monday night for America to withdraw from Iraq by the end of
this year, a stand that threatens to lure anti-war voters to
his independent presidential campaign and away from Democrat
John Kerry. Official Website: http://www.votenader.org
Perspectives: Iraq and National
Security Kerry's Iraq views
are much like Bush's They both support the June 30 deadline for the
beginning of the transition to civilian power. They both say they
would support an increase in U.S. troop strength, if necessary.
Neither have supported a deadline for removing U.S. troops. Spending on
Wars U.S.
Has So Far Provided $191B for Wars The numbers show that since the Sept. 11
attacks, lawmakers have provided $61 billion for U.S. military and
reconstruction activity in Afghanistan, $119 billion for operations
in Iraq, $10 billion for domestic military steps and $1 billion for
other expenses such as rebuilding the damaged Pentagon. Spending on Domestic
Programs 2006
Cuts In Domestic Spending On Table The White House put government agencies on
notice this month that if President Bush is reelected, his budget
for 2006 may include spending cuts for virtually all agencies in
charge of domestic programs, including education, homeland security
and others that the president backed in this campaign year. Kerry:
Bush 'Willful' in Breaking Education Vow Democratic challenger John Kerry on Thursday
accused President Bush of willfully breaking his promise on
education so he could give tax cuts to the richest
Americans.
Health
Care
Kerry
stresses universal health care John Kerry promised that his
administration would provide health insurance to all children
and allow people from 55 to 64 years old to buy into the
Medicare program early. The candidate said he would give 50
percent tax credits to help those who are self-employed or own
small businesses to reduce health care costs. Kerry also said
he would lower health care premiums by having the federal
government take over high-cost catastrophic cases.
Bush
Highlights Agenda for Expanding Community Health
Centers Bush promised to open or expand 1,200
Community Health Centers to serve an additional 6.1 million
Americans by 2006. The President's budget for FY 2005
continues to fulfill this promise with a request of $1.8
billion for Community Health Centers -- a 57% increase since
2001 -- enabling the program to serve an additional 1.6
million individuals and open or expand over 330 more health
centers. Bush
advocates electronic medical record-keeping Bush wants a computerized nationwide
system of patient records that links hospitals, pharmacies and
other medical providers. He said the system would improve
health care, reduce errors and lower costs.
Jobs Radio
address: Bush says key election states are hiring President Bush is pointing at "Help Wanted"
signs in key election states as evidence that "America's jobs engine
is running strong." Gasoline Prices Candidates
Argue Over Escalating Gasoline Prices President Bush and challenger John F. Kerry
sparred Saturday over the spike in gasoline prices, with the
Republican incumbent calling for increased energy exploration in
Alaska and the Democrat arguing for new attention to alternative
fuels.
About Election 2004
Updates CAIR's weekly
Election 2004 Updates are designed to promote the political
empowerment of the American Muslim community. Updates focus on
issues of importance to the American Muslim community and the
candidates' positions on those issues. How can I help? It is
critical that all eligible American Muslims are registered to vote.
CAIR is leading the drive to ensure that all Muslim citizens of the
US over the age of 18 know their rights as a voter and exercise
those rights to their fullest come November 5th, 2004. To register to vote, Click
Here. Why should I vote? The Muslim
community must work to enjoin the good and forbid the evil. Voting
plays an essential role in doing this. Deciding to support or oppose
a candidate based upon his or her opinions or actions can have a
tremendous impact on the formulation of government policy at all
levels. Subscribe to this
newsletter If you have been forwarded
this email and wish to receive it regularly then click here to
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removed from this Newsletter please click here. Contact Information 453 New Jersey Avenue,
SE Washington, DC 20003 Tel:
202-488-8787 Fax: 202-488-0833 Email:cair@cair-net.org URL:http://www.cair-net.org
Community
Activism
Nader
Speaks to Arab Students Nader began his talk on a somber note, saying
these are "very troubled times for the Arab-American and
Muslim-American communities." Rep.
Wynn Tells Muslims he regrets vote on Iraq war Rep. Albert Wynn (D-MD) told a Muslim group
over the weekend that a congressional resolution authorizing the use
of military force against Iraq, a measure he voted for, was a
mistake. Muslims
set to flex political muscles At the Islamic Society of Central Jersey in
South Brunswick, the administrator said he plans to vote for
Democrats, while a member of the board of overseers said she did not
yet want to say who she would support, but planned to look at the
presidential candidates' stance on issues such as economics and
civil rights. Crowd
at NCSU demands Iraq pullout, Rumsfeld's ouster More than 100 American Muslims and peace
activists protested Saturday in Raleigh against U.S. military
activity in Iraq. At
U.S. Conference, Shiites Share Concerns 'Almost 100% of Shias are disillusioned' with
Bush's occupation of Iraq, says one attendee
National, State &
Local
Sen.
Lugar Rips Bush on Iraq, Terrorism Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R- IN), chairman of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the United States isn't
doing enough to stave off terrorism and criticized President Bush
for failing to offer solid plans for Iraq's future. Warner
Bucks GOP Right on Probe of Prison Abuse Warner says his committee has a "solemn
responsibility" to discover what went wrong and to "make sure it
never, never happens again." But some conservatives are angry about
the high-profile televised hearings. Candidates
on Israel: Salazar Cites Support; Miles Urges U.S. Take a Broader
Interest "We in the U.S. need to be much more mindful
that there are interests that are involved (in the peace process)
that include more than Israel's interest," Miles said, "and that
dealing with those interests ... especially of the Palestinians, is
going to help Israel with its security."
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS – 6/1/04
* HADITH/VERSE OF THE DAY: GOOD AND BAD ARE NOT EQUAL
* CAIR TURNS TEN TODAY - SHOW YOUR SUPPORT
* PAKISTANI-AMERICANS TO LOBBY CONGRESS ON CIVIL RIGHTS
* CAIR-FL: DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR (SP Times)
- FL: Muslims Offer Reactions to Abuse Photos (Naples)
- 3rd of Detainees Who Died Were Assaulted (USA Today)
- Embedded With the Resistance (Wash. Post)
* IL: ISLAMIC STUDY RISES A LEVEL AT DEPAUL (Chicago Trib)
- Resource: Islamophobia and Race Relations in UK
* CANADA: HOLDING EGYPTIAN FOR FOUR YEARS IS CRUEL (CP)
* KERRY'S SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL REPELS ARAB VOTERS (Daily Star)
- IDF Razes 20 More Palestinian Homes in Raid (Haaretz)
- India Says Values Ties With Israel, Muslim World (Reuters)
* “ALLAH MADE ME FUNNY” MUSLIM COMEDY TOUR IN D.C.
-----
HADITH/VERSE OF THE DAY: GOOD AND BAD ARE NOT EQUAL
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Doing good is having
good
manners. Doing evil is what troubles you inside and what you would not
like
others to know about."
Imam Bukhari's Book of Muslim Morals and Manners
"Bad and good are not equal, even though the abundance of the bad may
dazzle you; so fear God, O people of understanding, that you may
prosper!"
The Holy Quran, Chapter 5, Verse 100
-----
CAIR TURNS 10 TODAY
Show your support by becoming a member or making a donation
CAIR first opened its doors ten years ago today with just two employees
in
a small Washington, D.C., office. In the past decade, CAIR
(alhamdulillah,
praise be to God) has grown to become North America’s largest Islamic
civil
liberties group with 26 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
To show your support, and to help us continue our work, we ask that you
become a member, renew your membership or make a generous donation.
To become a member, go to: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/membercamp.asp
To make a donation, go to: https://www.cair-net.org/asp/donate.asp
We appreciate words of support, but resources are needed to carry out
our
mission of empowering American Muslims, defending civil rights and
offering
an accurate portrayal of Islam.
Please do your part today.
-----
PAKISTANI-AMERICAN DOCTORS TO LOBBY CONGRESS
APPNA "Day on the Hill" will focus on protection of civil rights
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/06-01
-2004/0002184931&EDATE=
(WASHINGTON, DC, 6/1/04) - On Thursday, June 10, the Association of
Pakistani Physicians of North America (APPNA) will hold a "Day on the
Hill"
lobbying effort in Washington, D.C., focused on the defense of civil
rights. The event, organized in cooperation with the Pakistani American
Public Affairs Committee (PAKPAC) and Muslim civil rights
organizations, is
a key component of APPNA's 27th annual meeting June 9-13 in the
nation's
capital. SEE: http://www.appna.org/asm2004/
APPNA's "Day on the Hill" will begin with a two-hour "Effective
Advocacy at
the Capitol by Physicians" information and training session from 7:30
to
9:30 a.m. at the Wardman Park Marriott Hotel. Training session
participants
will learn lobbying tips from congressional staffers and from groups
such
as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
At 9:30 a.m., buses will leave the hotel for Capitol Hill. From 10 a.m.
to
noon, APPNA members and other concerned Pakistani-Americans will meet
their
elected representatives. Each member of Congress will be asked to sign
a
letter to President Bush addressing delays in security clearance for
issuance of J 1 visas to physicians in training. Elected officials will
also be asked to support both the Civil Liberties Restoration Act
(CLRA)
and the Security and Freedom Ensured Act (SAFE). Following the lobbying
meetings, APPNA will honor a number of elected officials at a noon to 2
p.m. reception in the U.S. Capitol Building's Mansfield Room.
On June 12, APPNA will host a Civil Rights Forum featuring speakers
from
the ACLU, NAACP, CAIR, and the National Immigration Forum. (10
a.m.-noon)
"This important event offers a unique opportunity for
Pakistani-Americans
to visit and interact with their elected representatives and to stress
the
importance of maintaining civil liberties in these trying times," said
APPNA President Dr. Omar T. Atiq. "Our nation needs the active
participation of all its citizens if we are to preserve the American
dream
for ourselves and for our children."
APPNA is a non-partisan social, educational and charitable organization
for
physicians of Pakistani heritage.
- END -
CONTACT: APPNA, Tel: 630-968-8585, E-Mail: Omar Atiq, E-Mail:
atiq@dnamail.com, Saud Anwar, E-Mail: info@pakpac.net, Nasir Gondal,
E-Mail: nmgondal@aol.com, 917-860-0808, Hasan Mansori, 202-488-8787,
E-Mail: hmansori@cair-net.org, Web: http://www.appna.org/
-----
DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR
Sharon Tubbs, St. Petersburg Times, 6/1/04
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/06/01/Floridian/Death_before_dishonor.shtml
As bad as the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison appeared to most Americans,
some
Muslims say Islamic beliefs and cultural taboos in the Middle East
likely
made the situation worse than people in the West can fathom.
"Death would be more merciful than doing this to them," said Ahmed
Bedier,
a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Florida.
"I
would rather die."
One photograph that sticks in his mind shows Pfc. Lynndie England with
a
naked inmate on a leash. As Bedier saw it, England was saying, "You are
my
animal. I control you and there's nothing you can do about it."
Hassan Sultan, 20, president of the University of South Florida's
Muslim
Student Association, thinks he would fight prison guards and endure the
consequences of rebellion rather than face such treatment. "We're
humans,
and to be treated as animals..."
Muslims and experts in Islamic studies say societal values and Islamic
rules for living add a deeper dimension to the abuse.
But as cogent as such arguments may be, some Muslims disagree. They say
such arguments tend to further marginalize Muslims. Any man - Iraqi,
American or European - would be equally humiliated if put in the same
position.
"It's humiliating to any human being, to anyone who has standards,"
Sultan
said...
But some Muslims say the Middle Eastern concept of honor has as much to
do
with the prisoners' humiliation as anything else.
"The idea of shame or saving face is very much part of the society,"
Bedier
said. "That's why, for some of these individuals, they would have
rather
been killed than for their integrity, their honor to be exposed like
that..."
ALSO SEE:
FL: LOCAL MUSLIMS OFFER THEIR REACTIONS TO ABUSE PHOTOS
Kristen Zambo, Naples Daily News, 5/30/04
http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/news/article/0,2071,NPDN_14940_2925149,00.htm
l
Sue Itayem was at work on Marco Island when she first saw the
now-famous
photos of apparent prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq.
The pictures sickened her when she saw them in the newspaper. Not just
because they portrayed American soldiers forcing their captives into
violent, sexually humiliating poses while themselves smiling for the
cameras, but because Itayem and her husband, Safwat, are devout Muslims
who
emigrated from the Middle East decades ago.
"It doesn't matter if they're Muslim or Arab," said Marco Island
resident
Sue Itayem, 40, whose given name is Sana. "The reason that we (American
troops) went there was to free them from that abuse. To do the same
thing —
that hurt the worst."
The photos, many of which have become public, show American soldiers
serving as prison guards at Abu Ghraib making male prisoners expose
their
genitals and forcing Iraqi women to reveal their breasts.
Sue Itayem and her husband, who is nicknamed Steve, describe themselves
as
modern Muslims. Both Palestinians, Sue was born in Jerusalem and Steve
in
Ramallah. Steve moved to Chicago from the Middle East in 1978. When Sue
was
3 years old, she and her family moved to Cleveland. She then returned
for a
decade to the Middle East before settling in Florida in 1978, where she
met
her husband.
Their five children — Freddy, a junior at Florida State University;
Fida,
18; Hawa, 15; Mohammad, 11; and Sereen, 2 — are first-generation
Palestinian-Americans.
Viewing the photographs turned her stomach, and her first thought was
to
call Steve at work. Then she realized a side effect of these
photographs...
---
3RD OF DETAINEES WHO DIED WERE ASSAULTED
Tom Squitieri and Dave Moniz, USA Today, 5/31/04
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-05-31-prison-abuse_x.htm
WASHINGTON — More than a third of the prisoners who died in U.S.
custody in
Iraq and Afghanistan were shot, strangled or beaten by U.S. personnel
before they died, according to death certificates and a high-ranking
U.S.
military official.
The military official, who has direct knowledge of ongoing Pentagon
investigations of the deaths, said that 15 of 37 prisoners who have
died
since December 2002 appear to have been killed or put in grave danger
by
U.S. troops or interrogators. In some cases, the immediate cause of
death
was listed as a heart attack, but that was in turn caused by a beating.
Some of the cases have been cleared. Four of the 15 deaths occurred
when
guards shot detainees in Iraq during a prison riot at Abu Ghraib prison
in
November 2003; the shootings have been ruled justifiable homicides.
In another case, a guard who shot a prisoner to death for throwing
rocks at
him was demoted and dishonorably discharged.
But other cases remain in limbo. The military is investigating eight
deaths
as "suspicious." The numbers don't appear to add up, but the Pentagon
has
not yet provided a detailed list of all the cases. Many of the deaths
that
don't seem to have been caused directly by U.S. personnel have been
attributed by medical examiners to natural causes...
---
EMBEDDED WITH THE RESISTANCE
Peter Carlson, Washington Post, 6/1/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5158-2004May31.html
When reporter Patrick Graham asked his Iraqi friend Mohammed why he was
fighting against the Americans, Mohammed said he was inspired by the
Mel
Gibson movie "Braveheart."
"Did you see 'Braveheart'?" he asked Graham. "They throw out the
British
and the corrupt nobles. It is about hope. The people in the movie want
freedom and so do we."
Graham's article -- "Beyond Fallujah: A Year With the Iraqi
Resistance," in
the June issue of Harper's magazine -- is the most nuanced portrait
I've
yet read about the men who are fighting us in Iraq. They are, Graham
reveals, more complex and more human than you'd gather from media
oversimplifications about "terrorists" and "Saddam loyalists."
Graham, a Canadian freelance journalist and former foreign
correspondent
for Canada's National Post, covered the Iraq war for the London
Observer.
In March 2003, before Baghdad fell to American troops, Graham
befriended
the sheik of a village near Fallujah. In August, when Fallujah had
become
famous as a hotbed of anti-American resistance, Graham asked the sheik
to
introduce him to resistance fighters.
"I had expected to be taken to some undisclosed location where paranoid
men, their faces hidden behind scarves, would deliver a 10-minute rant
against Zionists and the infidels," he writes. "I didn't anticipate . .
.
Mohammed, with a child sleeping in his lap, telling me that he didn't
think
Osama bin Laden was a good Muslim."
Mohammed and his friend Abu Ali are two respectable, middle-class Sunni
men, building contractors with wives and engineering degrees. But they
also
attack Americans with roadside bombs and rocket-propelled grenades.
Why?
Not out of love for Saddam Hussein or al Qaeda -- they detest both --
but
because they're angry that American troops killed civilians in Fallujah
and
because they believe the Koran requires Muslims to fight non-Muslim
invaders.
"When we see the U.S. soldiers in our cities with guns, it is a
challenge
to us," says Mohammed. "Bush wants to win the next election -- that's
why
he is lying to the American people, saying that the resistance is al
Qaeda."
Mohammed's group is armed with sophisticated weapons -- including
Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles -- that they say they obtained by
looting a former Iraqi army base last summer while American soldiers
watched...
-----
IL: ISLAMIC STUDY RISES A LEVEL AT DEPAUL
Geneive Abdo, Chicago Tribune, 6/1/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0406010174jun01,1,4935621.story
When Aminah McCloud plies the halls of DePaul University's religious
studies department, her curly gray hair hidden beneath a colorful cap,
there are no clues the professor is a Muslim. So students feel free to
speak their minds about Islam--and they often do.
"In one class, a student said, `You know Islams are not very
friendly,'"
recalled McCloud, 56, who prefers caps to traditional Islamic head
scarves.
"Students think there are Christians and Christianity and Jews and
Judaism,
so there must be Islams in Islam. Some don't know the term Muslim."
Concerned over the ignorance among Americans about the Islamic world in
a
time of rising tensions, McCloud is helping DePaul launch a
groundbreaking
Islamic studies department.
Arabic-language courses have boomed in universities since Sept. 11,
2001,
and many universities now offer courses in Islamic studies as part of
Middle East or other liberal arts departments. But experts say DePaul
is
the first in the United States to carve out a separate faculty for a
program allowing undergraduates to earn a degree.
Beginning in September, students can enroll in a range of courses, from
Islamic civilization to history and culture. The Islamic World Studies
program will aim to teach the distinctions among Islamic countries and
sects, and familiarize students with the Muslim community at home...
ALSO SEE:
ISLAMOPHOBIA AND RACE RELATIONS
http://www.insted.co.uk/islam.html#reporthttp://www.insted.co.uk/relations.html
Summary
This paper notes that Islamophobia has been present in western culture
for
many centuries. It has taken different forms, however, at different
times
and in different contexts. The current context in Britain includes the
international situation, concerns about asylum and refugees, and
widespread
scepticism and agnosticism in relation to all religious beliefs. The
paper
then discusses the arguments for seeing Islamophobia as a form of
racism
and notes that most race equality organisations have not yet adequately
responded to the challenges that Islamophobia poses. It closes by
discussing the concept of institutional Islamophobia. At the end, there
are
notes on the soures of quotations.
-----
HOLDING EGYPTIAN AS SECURITY RISK FOR FOUR YEARS IS CRUEL: LAWYERS
Guelph Mercury, Canadian Press, 6/1/04
http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=883d72f0-6107
-4d37-8258-35532b8130bd
Keeping an Egyptian refugee in jail for almost four years without
charge or
trial constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, his lawyers said
Monday.
Mohammad Mahjoub was arrested in June 2000 and has been held at the
Toronto
West Detention Centre, a jail that normally houses short-term inmates
and
has been dubbed Canada's Guantanamo Bay after the U.S. military prison
in
Cuba.
"He should be released," John Norris, one of his lawyers, said as
Mahjoub's
week-long bail hearing kicked off.
Canadian security officials argue Mahjoub, 44, is linked to the
Vanguards
of Conquest, Muslim extremists with ties to the terrorist group
al-Jihad.
The evidence has been kept secret, even from his lawyers, and any proof
of
his terrorism links has not been tested in a Canadian court.
Accepted as a refugee in Canada in 1996, Mahjoub denies any terrorist
ties
and is fighting deportation on the grounds he would again face torture
if
returned to Egypt, where he was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in
absentia for links to terrorism.
Mahjoub has admitted having met Osama bin Laden several times. However,
he
says it was while he worked at an agricultural plant in Sudan in 1992
that
was owned by the al-Qaida leader, who at the time was an American ally.
Among Monday's witnesses was his wife of eight years, Mona Elfouli, who
described the impact his detention has had on her and their two young
children.
Almost all their contract since Mahjoub was snatched by security agents
as
he headed to work has been through a Plexiglas screen by telephone...
-----
KERRY'S SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL REPELS ARAB VOTERS
Ashraf Fahim, Daily Star, 6/1/04
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=
4729
NEW YORK - The battle for the hearts and minds of Arab-American voters
has
taken a decidedly negative turn for presumptive Democratic presidential
nominee, Senator John Kerry.
A raft of statements by Kerry lauding President George W. Bush's
unequivocal support of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has
alienated
some in a community that, though relatively small, is strategically
situated in certain states expected to be closely contested in the
November
election.
Kerry has recently endorsed Sharon's Gaza disengagement plan as well as
Bush's April 14 commitment to Sharon, acquiescing to Israel's retention
of
large West Bank settlements, and the denial of Palestinian refugees'
right
of return. Previously, Kerry has expressed support for Israel's
assassinations of Palestinian leaders, the construction of its
separation
barrier and the isolation of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.
Kerry has only been too willing to criticize Bush for his "lack of
engagement" in the peace process, and failure to dispatch a high-level
mediator to the region, something the senator says he would do
immediately
upon assuming office.
While there is widespread dissatisfaction with the Bush administration
among Arab-Americans on issues like Iraq and civil liberties, Kerry's
support for Sharon is leading some to draw back from him for the time
being...
ALSO SEE:
IDF RAZES 20 ADDITIONAL PALESTINIAN HOMES IN RAFAH RAID
Arnon Regular, Haaretz, 6/1/04
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/433163.html
Israel Defense Forces troops razed some 20 Palestinian houses adjacent
to
the Phildelphi route in the southern Gaza Strip in a pre-dawn raid
along
the Israeli-Egyptian border Sunday, Palestinian sources said.
Residents of the demolished homes joined hundreds of other refugees
living
in makeshift tents, schools and mosques in Rafah in south Gaza.
The IDF spokesman confirmed that it demolished some houses but refused
to
give details, saying only, "The IDF destroyed several houses in Rafah."
Since the beginning of this month's IDF Operation Rainbow aimed at
uncovering arms-smuggling tunnels in south Gaza, a total of some 80
houses
have been demolished in the Tel Sultan and Brazil neighborhoods of the
Rafah refugee camp.
Dozens of IDF tanks, armored personnel carriers and bulldozers, aided
by
helicopters, entered an area of the refugee camp known as Block G after
2
A.M. Sunday, Palestinian sources said. The sources said some of the
demolished homes were one-story buildings and some were several stories
high.
The homes were apparently demolished after residents ran away from
gunfire
in the area, allowing the army to say it was destroying vacant houses
used
for terrorist purposes.
---
INDIA SAYS VALUES TIES WITH ISRAEL, MUSLIM WORLD
Reuters, 6/1/04
NEW DELHI - India's new government values ties with
Israel but will not be pursue them at the expense of relations with the
Palestinians and the rest of the Muslim world, Foreign Minister Natwar
Singh said on Tuesday.
Singh said it was unacceptable the U.S.-backed peace "road map" for
Israelis and Palestinians was stalled and that it was unrealistic to
expect
a solution without involving Palestinian President Yassar Arafat.
The new Congress-led government, which won power in a general election
last
month, laid a "very high importance on its relations" with the Muslim
world, Singh told a news conference.
"We value our relations with Israel," he said. "But our relations with
Israel will not be at the expense of sacrificing the legitimate rights
and
aspirations of the Palestinian people."
The outgoing government of Atal Behari Vajpayee fostered ties with
Israel,
which has become the second largest supplier of military hardware to
India
after Russia.
But the Congress party, which ruled India for most of the first four
decades after independence from Britain in 1947, has traditionally been
more distant with Israel.
"All we are saying, and even the friends of Israel are saying, the
United
States is saying, that is what is happening now is unacceptable because
the
road map...has got stalled," Singh said.
"And to expect that you can find a solution for Palestine without Mr
Arafat
in our judgment is unrealistic."
-----
'ALLAH MADE ME FUNNY - THE OFFICIAL MUSLIM COMEDY TOUR' KICKS OFF
NATIONAL
TOUR IN WASHINGTON D.C.
PLEASE NOTE: To accommodate Muslim practices and laws, the D.C. Improv
will
not be serving alcohol for the shows’; however the menu will remain in
place.
WASHINGTON - 6/1/2004 - The "Allah Made Me Funny - The Official Muslim
Comedy Tour" will launch its first-ever U.S. tour in Washington D.C.,
on
June 7 and 8 at the D.C. Improv, announced Preacher Moss (Washington
D.C.
native), Producer of the Allah Made Me Funny Comedy Tour, and former
writer
for George Lopez, The George Lopez Show, and Saturday Night Live's
Darryl
Hammond.
The first of its kind in the U.S., the Muslim Comedy Tour will showcase
some of America's top Muslim comics including Azhar Usman, Preacher
Moss
and Azeem.
According to Preacher Moss, "The purpose of my comedy reflects my
Islamic
beliefs that say we, as Muslims, cannot be isolationist. My choice of
dialogue is laughter, with a message of overall commitment to improving
society as a whole."
The tour, which starts in Washington D.C., will hit a number of cities
throughout the U.S. including Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas,
Charlotte, Seattle, Pittsburgh, Boston, Philadelphia, St. Louis,
Detroit
and Kansas City. More cities will be announced over the coming months.
According to George Lopez from ABC television's hit series, The George
Lopez Show, "Preacher Moss is not just a comedian for the Muslim
community,
but a teacher for the world."
"Our goal for this tour is simple," said Moss, "it is to break down
racial
and cultural stereotypes while educating both Muslims and non-Muslims
about
tolerance and acceptance through the vehicle of comedy."
The Muslim Comedy Tour will also encourage local comedy club owners to
enlist local Muslim comics in each city to participate in the tour by
appearing on the venue's bill.
-----
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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
-----
--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/2/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: ALL CREATURES DEPEND ON GOD
* VA: CAIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY PICNIC 6/13
- CAIR-MD/VA Fundraising Banquet 6/5
* CAIR-CAN PUBLISHES "ELECTION 2004 RESOURCE GUIDE"
* MUSLIM DETAINED AT BEHEST OF CANADIAN INTELLIGENCE (WRMEA)
- Video Disproved Police Claim (Toronto Star)
- Report Finds Islamophobia Rising in Britain (AP)
* NV: MUSLIMS REACH OUT TO AUTHORITIES (Las Vegas Sun)
* US TREASURY NAMES ISLAMIC FINANCE ADVISER (Reuter)
* BUSH UNDERSTANDS IRAQI OPPOSITION (AP)
* ISRAELI POLICEMEN INDICTED FOR ABUSING PALESTINIANS (Reuters)
* DC: 2ND ANNUAL MUSLIM CIVIL RIGHTS LAW CONFERENCE
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: ALL CREATURES DEPEND ON GOD
"On Him depend all creatures in the heavens and on earth; (and) every
day
He manifests Himself in yet another (wondrous) way."
The Holy Quran, Chapter 55, Verse 29
-----
CAIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY PICNIC 6/13 IN VA
CAIR invites you and your family to our 10th anniversary community
picnic
to be held on Sunday, June 13, at Lake Accotink Park in Springfield,
Va.
(SEE: http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/parks/accotink)
ADMISSION IS FREE BUT REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. HALAL MEAT WILL BE
PROVIDED
BY MIDAMAR.
For more details, or to register, please e-mail irahman@cair-net.org or
call 202-488-8787, ext 6050
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-MD/VA FUNDRAISING BANQUET
WHAT: The Maryland & Virginia chapter of CAIR will hold its annual
fundraising banquet Saturday, June 5, with the theme, "Muslims
Empowering
America."
Keynote speakers include Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader and Dr.
Umar
Faruq Abd-Allah. There will also be a performance by the group Native
Deen.
WHEN: June 5th 2004 at 5 p.m.
WHERE: Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, Crystal Ballroom, One Bethesda Metro
Center
Tickets are $55/individual and $85/couple. But act soon, all previous
events have been sold out.
For more information or to purchase tickets please visit us online at
www.cairmd.org, call 301-986-1900, or email info@cairmd.org
------
CAIR-CAN PUBLISHES "ELECTION 2004 RESOURCE GUIDE"
(OTTAWA, CANADA - 2/6/2004) - The Canadian Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-CAN) today announced that it has published the first
installment of its "Election 2004 Resource Guide" for Canadian Muslims.
The guide, which has been developed to educate Canadian Muslims about
the
Canadian election system and to encourage them to vote, is available at
www.caircan.ca. The first installment includes a section on "Why Should
I
Vote?" and discusses the essentials of the Canadian election system.
CAIR-CAN also plans to publish a weekly "Election Watch" which will
summarize important articles that deal with the election campaign from
media outlets across the country. The election watch is intended to
keep
potential voters informed and educated.
An excerpt of the "Why Should I Vote?" reads:
"It is your sacred duty to participate and make your society better. As
a
Canadian Muslim, you have made your home in Canada and you benefit from
the
many rights and privileges of Canadian citizenship. It is time to give
back
to your community and your country. Your vote demonstrates that you are
committed to making Canada a better place for all Canadians.
"Voting plays a tremendous role in the making of government policy at
all
levels - both locally and internationally. Voting is your chance to
choose
a representative who best expresses your values and opinions as a
Canadian
Muslim.
"Complacency, apathy and a mindset of victimization are your greatest
enemy. If you bury your head in the sand, you will harm no one but
yourself. If you are not vigilant about your rights and freedoms, you
will
lose them. If you don't speak up, no one will speak up on your behalf.
"The issues that affect you, your family and your community are too
numerous to mention. They include health care, education, childcare,
employment, immigration, national security, discrimination, racial
profiling and taxes...."
There are approximately 600 000 Muslims in Canada and 1.2 billion
worldwide.
CONTACT: Riad Saloojee at 613-254-9704; E-mail: Canada@cair-net.org
-----
MUSLIM CANADIANS DETAINED ABROAD AT BEHEST OF CANADIAN INTELLIGENCE
Faisal Kutty, WRMEA, 6/2/04
http://www.wrmea.com/archives/June_2004/0406046.html
"We do not target specific communities," said a Canadian intelligence
officer, parroting the official line. "We [including Canadian Muslims]
are
all on the same team in the war on terror."
The agent, who was questioning one of my clients, was attempting to
assuage
the growing insecurity gripping the Canadian-Muslim community.
Showing up at homes and workplaces unannounced; speaking with
employers;
offering money and favors for "information"; intimidating and
threatening
newcomers; questioning about specific institutions and individuals;
inquiring about a person's religiosity; and discouraging people from
engaging lawyers are some of the recurring themes I have heard from
clients. The problem is so severe that the Council on American-Islamic
Relations (Canada) has distributed almost 30,000 Know Your Rights
guides
and organized 27 workshops across the country on dealing with the
Canadian
Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police
(RCMP).
Now, allegations are growing of Canadian intelligence cooperating with
foreign governments to detain and question citizens abroad.
Most recently, a 62-year-old academic, Dr. Mahboob Khawaja, told the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) that "the [Saudi] police
officer
told me they had no reason to arrest me. There were no charges against
me
here in the kingdom (of Saudi Arabia). They arrested me on a request
from
Canada."
Dr. Khawaja, a Canadian citizen currently employed at a Saudi
government-run college in the port city of Yanbu, was picked up shortly
after the arrest in Ottawa of his son, Momin, on terrorism charges. The
24-year-old software programmer's March 29 arrest was the first under
Canada's hastily drafted anti-terror laws. Saudi intelligence released
the
elder Khawaja after two weeks without filing any charges.
Unlike Maher Arar-the Canadian citizen detained by U.S. officials
during a
September 2002 transit stop in New York and deported to Syria, where he
allegedly was tortured-Dr. Khawaja says he was not mistreated by the
Saudis. But his claim that he was detained at Canada's request is
consistent with Arar's allegation of Canadian complicity. Dr. Khawaja's
eldest son, Qasim, got it right when he told the press, "This is a very
disturbing fact, that the RCMP would go about…asking a foreign
government
to apprehend a Canadian on foreign soil."
ALSO SEE:
VIDEO DISPROVED POLICE CLAIM THAT MAN PUNCHED OFFICER
Betsy Powell, The Star, 6/2/04
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1086041409248&call_pageid=968350130169&col=969483202845
A punch caught on amateur videotape has led to an assault charge
against a
rookie Toronto police constable, but a lawyer involved in the case says
more action should be taken.
The man who was punched in the face, Said Jama Jama, 21, was originally
charged with assaulting a police officer. He was cleared in February
after
a prosecutor viewed the videotape, made by tourists from Ottawa, of the
Aug. 4 incident. A disturbance charge laid against Jama Jama was also
withdrawn.
Constable Roy Preston was one of several officers responding to a
complaint
about a pre-dawn fight in a coffee shop parking lot in the Albion Rd.
and
Highway 27 area, "when he approached Mr. Jama Jama and struck him in
the
face," said a news release from the police professional standards
branch.
Preston, who had been a Toronto police officer for two years at the
time of
the incident, is to appear in court July 12.
Jama Jama did not lay a complaint, so internal affairs did not begin to
investigate until ordered to do so by Chief Julian Fantino after a
video
clip aired on newscasts last Dec. 10, the release said. "This was the
first
indication that possible officer misconduct might exist with respect to
the
August 4 incident."
"I promised the investigation would be thorough and we would take
whatever
action was necessary," Fantino said in the release. "The investigation
has
now been completed and a police officer has been charged. It is now for
the
courts to deal with this matter."
But Jama Jama's lawyer, Andrew Vaughan, said yesterday he is
disappointed
Preston was charged only with assault and not the more serious assault
causing bodily harm. Pictures of Jama Jama, which he said were taken
Aug.
5, show him with a badly bruised face, swollen lip and missing tooth.
In his notes, copies of which Vaughan obtained through disclosure and
gave
to reporters, Preston said Jama Jama apologized for hitting him but
makes
no mention of punching the man. Nor was there any mention of Preston
punching Jama Jama in the notes of the other officers who were at the
scene. Their notes confirmed Preston's version, suggesting it was Jama
Jama
who struck the officer...
-----
REPORT FINDS THAT ISLAMOPHOBIA RISING IN BRITAIN
Associated Press, 6/2/04
LONDON - Persistent and unchecked Islamophobia in Britain could lead to
a
backlash of riots and extremism, a national commission warned
Wednesday.
The report by the commission on Islam in Britain found life has become
more
difficult for Muslims following the Sept. 11, 2002 attacks in the
United
States. It criticized public bodies for failing to address
institutional
Islamophobia.
The Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia said there has been
an
upsurge in attacks on individuals and mosques around the country.
The report said that many Muslims, particularly the young, feel they do
not
belong in Britain and warned that such resentment represents a
time-bomb.
"There is now renewed talk of a clash of civilizations and mounting
concern
that the already fragile foothold gained by Muslim communities in
Britain
is threatened by ignorance and intolerance," said Richard Stone, the
commission's chairman.
Stone said that many of the 60 recommendations made in a 1997 report on
the
same issue by the commission had not been implemented.
-----
MUSLIMS REACH OUT TO AUTHORITIES, EACH OTHER
Timothy Pratt, Las Vegas Sun, 6/1/04
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sun/2004/jun/01/516947268.html
On one side of the Las Vegas Valley, not too far from the glitter and
hum
of Boulder Highway's casinos, U.S. Attorney Sharon Lever recently
learned
the hard way -- by being scolded in front of several hundred Muslim men
--
that if she is going to stand at the podium of a mosque, she should
cover
her head and legs.
Meanwhile, in another part of the valley, in the Islamic Information
Center
on Maryland Parkway, Mustafa Yunus is putting the finishing touches on
pamphlets he hopes to distribute at casinos. The fliers are aimed at
informing the Muslims that may be among the 36 million tourists who
pass
through Las Vegas each year where to seek help in an emergency or where
to
pray.
In different ways, the ongoing war on terrorism, including recently
stepped-up federal alerts, is leading thousands of Muslims in Southern
Nevada to reach out to authorities and each other.
In both cases, the valley's Muslim community, estimated at about
10,000,
has certain characteristics that make it a laboratory of sorts in what
are
fast-changing, often challenging, times for followers of Islam in
America,
said Aslam Abdullah, editor in chief of two Muslim publications: the
Minaret, of Los Angeles, and Muslim Observer, of Detroit.
"It has leadership that is taking the initiative in responding to the
war
against terrorism, is very diverse, and then there is the fact that it
is a
tourist destination and that makes it a target of sorts," Abdullah said
in
the lobby of the mosque. Minutes earlier American Muslims, Africans,
Pakistanis, Afghanis and Iranians had filed into the parking lot
outside,
as the afternoon sun hit its zenith following the 1 p.m. sermon and
prayers.
The editor said that Las Vegas was the first of six cities where
federal
authorities have been invited to address worshippers. The idea is to
link
those communities to authorities in the wake of last week's terrorism
alerts announced by U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI
Director
Robert Mueller. The other cities are Miami, Atlanta, Boston, New York
and
Los Angeles.
Abdullah delivered the guest sermon at the Jamia Masjid mosque at 4730
E.
Desert Inn Road Friday, followed by Lever, FBI joint terrorism task
force
supervisor Al Pisterzi and Las Vegas Metro Police Homeland Security
Bureau
Officer Kenneth Lindsay.
The sermon's message was simple, yet forceful...
-----
US TREASURY NAMES ISLAMIC FINANCE METHODS ADVISER
Reuters, 6/2/04
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Treasury said on Wednesday it had appointed
Mahmoud
el-Gamal as the first Islamic Finance Scholar-In-Residence in a bid to
boost U.S. government understanding of Islamic financial practices.
Gamal, an economics professor at Rice University in Texas, will serve
as
principal adviser to senior Treasury officials and liaise with
international groups seeking to monitor and create standards for
Islamic
finance, Treasury said.
"With the recent growth of the Islamic finance industry, deeper
understanding of Islamic finance is a priority for this
administration,"
Treasury Undersecretary for International Affairs John Taylor said in a
statement.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the U.S. Treasury has sought to dry
up
the sources of terrorism funding, moving to block the assets of more
than
300 groups and people believed to have committed, threatened or
supported
terrorism.
The United States, along with other governments, has also pushed to
register informal money brokers called "hawalas" that it believes may
also
be a conduit for moving terrorist funds around the world without a
paper trail.
Many Muslim groups feel they have been singled out for scrutiny by U.S.
officials, including the Treasury, since the Sept. 11 attacks, and some
charities have accused the government of staging a "witch hunt" against
them.
The Treasury denies such accusations, and says it has reached out to
the
Muslim community to ensure better understanding and cooperation.
-----
REPORT: BUSH UNDERSTANDS IRAQI OPPOSITION
Associated Press, 6/2/04
PARIS - President Bush said in a published interview that Iraqis
fighting
American troops weren't all terrorists and insisted he can understand
their
distaste for occupation.
In an interview with Paris Match magazine, that will go on sale
Thursday,
Bush said ``no one would want to be in the place'' of Iraqis under
occupation.
``They are not all terrorists,'' Bush said in the interview, conducted
last
week in the Oval Office. ``The suicide bombers are, but other fighters
aren't. They can't stand being occupied.''
``That's why we are giving them back their sovereignty,'' he added, a
reference to U.S. plans to give control of the country to an interim
Iraqi
government on June 30. Bush said ``complete sovereignty'' would be
given to
the Iraqi leadership.
The Associated Press received an advance copy of the interview, and
translated Bush's remarks from French to English.
Bush is to arrive Saturday in France for commemorations of the 60th
anniversary of the World War II D-Day landing. The June 6, 1944
invasion on
the Normandy coast, led by U.S. forces, marked the beginning of the end
of
Nazi rule over France and much of Europe.
In a theme he is likely to bring up Sunday in an address in Normandy,
Bush
raised parallels between the U.S. intervention in World War II and the
Iraq
campaign.
-----
BORDER POLICEMEN INDICTED FOR ABUSING PALESTINIANS
Reuters, 6/2/04
JERUSALEM - Three Israeli policemen were charged Wednesday with abusing
two
Palestinian youths who complained of being beaten up and forced to eat
gravel.
The indictment came a day after Israeli media broadcast photographs of
the
youths, whose backs were crisscrossed with welts caused by beatings
said to
have been inflicted by the three paramilitary officers from a border
police
unit.
The border police commander suspended all operations for two hours
Wednesday and ordered the unit's 4,000 troops to attend lectures on
civil
rights and how to treat civilians.
The three indicted policemen were accused of pummeling the Palestinians
with fists and batons, then forcing them to eat gravel and kiss their
shoes, a particularly severe insult in the Arab world, media reports
said,
adding all three officers had confessed.
Nine other border policemen have been arrested on suspicion of lesser
charges such as theft, the Justice Ministry said.
The three men, who were indicted by an Israeli court on Wednesday, face
a
maximum 14-year prison sentence.
-----
2ND ANNUAL MUSLIM CIVIL RIGHTS LAW CONFERENCE
WHAT: The Muslim Legal Defense & Education Fund (MLDEF) will host its
2nd
annual Muslim Civil Rights Law Conference titled, "Walking the Straight
Path."
WHEN: June 18-June 20, 2004
WHERE: Kick-Off Jum'aah and Reception on Capitol Hill
Rm HC-6 (Independence and New Jersey Ave, SE side)
All other Events At
Howard University School of Law
2900 Van Ness Street, NW
Washington D.C. 20008
Registration Fees:
Senior Lawyers & Muslim Leaders: $40
Young Lawyers (30 & below): $20
Students & Community Members: $10
Enjoy Important Information, Food, and Free Parking
To Register, Volunteer and/or Get Info Contact:
Attorney Talib Bin Karim, MLDEF Board Member - (202) 466-3830 Kesha R.
Abdul-Mateen, MLDEF Public Relations Director - (301) 213-5474
www.MLDEF.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
-----
Forwarded Message
From:
"cair@cair-net.org" <cair@cair-net.org>
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Texas Muslims Meet with Majority Leader DeLay
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/3/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: PATIENCE IS A GIFT
* TEXAS MUSLIMS MEET WITH MAJORITY LEADER DELAY
* CAIR-LA: LA TIMES ANTI-TERROR AD FEEDBACK
- CAIR Rep Appears on MSNBC's 'Scarborough Country'
* OR: COMBAT HATRED WITH POWER OF LOVE (Oregonian)
* CAIR-FL: TERROR TALK STIRS MUSLIM UNEASE (SP Times)
- NM: Officers Detain Mall-Praying Muslims (Albq Trib)
- LA: Highway Robbery? (Times-Picayune)
* VA: CHARITY SAYS VOLUNTEER WRONGLY CHARGED (NBC4)
- Padilla Case: It's Not the American Way (Wash Post)
- CA: Muslim Acquitted of Lying on Documents (Union-Trib)
- Canadian Held 4 Years Without Charge (CP)
* IL: PROTESTERS WANT VOTE ON MOSQUE (Daily Southtown)
* MD MUSLIMS SPONSOR HEALTH FAIR (AP)
- NY Hospital Loses Muslim Autopsy Case (NY Post)
* VA: MUSLIM WILL PREPARATION WORKSHOP
* "ISLAM AND MUSLIMS IN AMERICA" FOR JOURNALISTS
* PA: ISLAMIC FESTIVAL TO PREMIERE ISLAMIC MUSEUM
* CIVIL LIBERTIES RESTORATION ACT TO BE INTRODUCED
- NY: Ailing Immigrant Can Stay (Newsday)
* IRAQ: TO MANY, MISSION NOT ACCOMPLISHED (Wash Post)
- Bush Edits Out 'Crusade' Quoting Eisenhower (Reuters)
- Nobel Laureate: Democracy Can't Be Imposed (AP)
- Rep. Conyers Call for Release of Abuse Documents
* MORE MUSLIMS SEE U.S., ISRAEL THE SAME WAY (AP)
* ISRAEL TROOPS EXHIBIT TELLS OF HARASSMENT (AP)
- Anti-Arab Racism in Israel (Jerusalem Post)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: PATIENCE IS A GIFT
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "There is no gift better
and
more vast (that you may be given) than patience."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith 8:477
-----
TEXAS MUSLIMS MEET WITH MAJORITY LEADER DELAY
(SUGAR LAND, TEXAS) - Representatives of several American Muslim groups
met
recently with House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) to begin a
dialogue
with the growing Islamic community in his district. SEE:
http://tomdelay.house.gov/
Groups participating in the meeting included the Muslim American
Republican
Caucus, Pakistan American congress, Islamic Society of Greater Houston,
Pakistan Council of Texas, and the Houston office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston). Houston City Councilman M.J.
Khan, Sugar Land City Council Member Russell Jones, Fort Bend County
Commissioner Andy Meyers, Spirit of Freedom Club President Debra Ross,
and
former Fort Bend School Trustee Naomi Lam also took part in the
meeting.
"Congressman DeLay allocated ample time for an open dialogue and was
attentive to the many viewpoints presented, allowing for a productive
first
meeting," said CAIR-Houston Executive Director Iesa Galloway.
Galloway said DeLay expressed interest in attending future local Muslim
events.
CONTACT:
CAIR - Houston
5821 Southwest Frwy
Houston, TX 77057
TEL: 713-838-2247, 832-656-0449
WEB: http://www.cairhouston.org
-----
CAIR-LA: LOS ANGELES TIMES ANTI-TERROR AD FEEDBACK
http://www.cair-net.org/downloads/cair-la-ad.pdf
On Wednesday, May 26, 2004, CAIR-LA published a full-page advertisement
in
the Los Angeles Times denouncing all forms of terror carried out in the
name of religion. The ad will also be published in five Orange County,
Los
Angeles-area and Northern California community newspapers as part of
the
ongoing "Islam in America" advertising campaign.
SEE: U.S. MUSLIMS PUBLISH AD DENOUNCING TERROR, BIGOTRY
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=1072&page=NR
In response we received a very large number of responses, almost all
positive from the community. Below are a few examples:
Hi! I'm a fundamentalist born-again Christian raised in a Christian
home
and active in Christian churches all my life. I was moved to tears by
your
full page ad in the LA Times today. I totally believe that the Spirit
of
God Almighty is taking part in your reach out to others of faith within
our
communities...God bless you. Shalom; I wish I knew how to say "Aalaam
Allukum", you know what I'm trying to say. Ok, God bless! - Tim J.
As an American Christian, or perhaps more properly, simply a
'monotheist',
I was heartened to read your LA Times presentation in the May 26, 2004
issue on disavowing any support of terrorists and terrorism,
particularly,
those perpetrated in the name of Islam. This is the first public
announcement of this type from a Muslim organization that has come to
my
attention. I'm sure there may have been others that I did not see. -
Philip
K.
As a Jewish person, I was touched by the ad and it nearly brought tears
to
my eyes... - Roberta L.
-----
CAIR REP APPEARS ON MSNBC'S 'SCARBOROUGH COUNTRY'
2 June 2004, MSNBC: Scarborough Country
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036789/
PAT BUCHANAN, GUEST HOST: Saudi Arabia says they`ve taken more steps to
crack down on al Qaeda today, but are they doing enough to help us win
the
war on terror?...
BUCHANAN: Hi. I`m Pat Buchanan, in for Joe Scarborough, who`s in
Normandy
for the 60th anniversary of D-Day.
Tonight, is Saudi Arabia a friend or foe?...
BUCHANAN: Let me ask you, Ibrahim Hooper, what is your take on the
Islamic
world`s attitude toward the United States, I mean, overall among the
masses
of the people?
IBRAHIM HOOPER, COUNCIL ON AMERICAN-ISLAMIC RELATIONS: I think we`re at
a
real low level, probably the lowest we`ve ever seen in terms of
hostility
towards American foreign policy.
And it`s hard to see how we`re going to come back from that. We have to
deal with the question of Palestine. We have to get that resolved.
Otherwise, that`s an open wound that`s just going to breed resentment
and
hostility for decades to come.
BUCHANAN: All right, Palestine is a real problem for the Israelis, but
isn`t the American problem now the perception that we are invaders and
occupiers in Iraq, and that we`re there for oil and it`s not for
liberation?
HOOPER: Yes, I think we`ve so bungled what we`ve done in Iraq that
we`ve
completely alienated even those who were our friends in the Muslim
world.
And even in Europe, you`re seeing people turning against the United
States
who were very pro-American around the world.
Once you make that first mistake of going into Iraq, there`s really no
good
direction…
BUCHANAN: You give me in one sentence or two sentences an answer to the
question, why do they hate us? The reason I ask you this, you see polls
where 64 percent of the Saudis and 64 percent of the Iranians despise
the
United States. They hate President Bush.
HOOPER: The truth is the people in the Muslim world don`t want to hate
America. They generally love the values that America stands for. But
when
they see those values violated when it comes to policies that impact
their
region or their nation, they see a double standard.
BUCHANAN: What policies?
HOOPER: When you say you`re going in to liberate Iraq and you have the
torture scandal, when you say you`re going in to bring freedom and you
shut
down newspapers because they say things that you don`t like, when you
start
rounding up people, rousting people in their homes, mistreating them,
stealing their jewelry and cash...
BUCHANAN: Look, I understand the Israeli thing. This isn`t about the
Israeli thing.
HOOPER: It all goes back to the Israel-Palestine conflict. When you say
Iraq has to be free, why not the Palestinian people?...
HOOPER: Even if you stay in the region, at least apply the standards
that
you claim to uphold. When you say you`re for freedom and justice, apply
freedom and justice. Don`t say one thing and do another.
-----
TO COMBAT HATRED, WE NEED POWER OF MULTIPLIED LOVE
Oregon Live, 6/3/04
http://www.oregonlive.com/metrowest/oregonian/beaverton/index.ssf?/base/metr
o_west_news/10858320659300.xml
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) advised, "Make it a habit to greet
one
another with Assalam, o Alaikum," which means "Peace and blessing be
upon
you." The other person responds, "Walakum Assalam," meaning "Peace and
blessings be upon you, too." What a beautiful greeting.
A hadith (a compilation of what the Prophet Muhammad did and said)
says,
"None of you will have faith until you love for your brother what you
love
for yourself."
Islam envisions a peaceful world and demands the observance of values
to
bring peace and justice to all. It is not a religion of mere rituals
but
one whose goal is to lead a well-balanced life in peace and harmony. To
attain peace of mind, body and soul, one has to submit to the will of
God.
Once that is done, the journey is easy and straight.
Arabic is a very rich language. The word "Insan" is used for human
being,
and the root word is "Nisa," which means one who forgets. We humans are
forgetful. We need to be reminded again and again of our origin. We not
only forget what our relationship is to each other, but we keep
forgetting
how to thank Allah (God) day and night for all the bounties He has
bestowed
upon us. God created the universe, and then He created Adam and Eve.
Adam
is our father of the forefathers. We are a big family on this Earth. We
are
sisters and brothers. So we must love each other like a family.
The Quran 49:13 says, "O, Mankind, we have created you from a male and
a
female and made you in nations and tribes so you may recognize each
other,
not to despise each other."
Belonging to a different race, or being a different color or
nationality
does not change our ancestry. We are still a big family. The language
of
love has no borders or limitations. It is a universal language. It wins
hearts and souls. A man asked a pious person, "I have 10 kids. How do I
divide my love among them?" The person smiled and said, "You don't
divide
your love, you multiply it."
In this time and age, we need to multiply our love for humanity, as
there
is too much arrogance, hate and anger. Arrogance triggers hate, which
triggers anger and boils down to hurt and violence. A heart filled with
love is a source of peace and tranquility. Love begets love. It is
contagious. A simple smile sends a signal of calmness and sobriety...
-----
TERROR TALK STIRS MUSLIM UNEASE
Robert Kink, St Petersburg Times, 6/3/04
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/06/03/Tampabay/Terror_talk_stirs_Mus.shtml
Gliding through the aisles of a Wal-Mart Supercenter, Elizabeth
Shuayb's
white head scarf and ankle-length black robe seem to announce her
Muslim
faith.
Yet as she plucks Pepperidge Farm cookies and boxes of yellow cake mix
from
the shelves, no one gives her a second look. With the exception of a
few
dark days after Sept. 11, 2001, Shuayb says no one gives her trouble.
While reports of harassment against Muslims have been on the rise
nationally, many Muslims in Hernando County say they move effortlessly
through the community. Shuayb knows the people behind the meat counter
at
Publix. Out on errands, she frequently runs into friends.
Even so, announcements such as the one made last week in Washington -
that
the FBI will be canvassing Muslim communities for information about
terrorist threats - has created varying degrees of unease among
Muslims.
"We don't want to be viewed as potential suspects, and as the enemy
within," said Ahmed Bedier, a spokesman for the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations in Tampa.
Bedier estimates 30,000 to 40,000 Muslims live in the Tampa Bay area,
and
they are just as concerned about terrorist threats as anyone.
But when a similar terrorist threat occurred a year ago, the FBI came
to
Muslim leaders and asked for help in seeking information. Bedier said
Muslims appreciated being involved as partners.
"This time around it was just a surprise to everybody. I think the
community sees itself as a suspect and as a target," Bedier said.
It's no wonder, Shuayb says, that some Muslims feel uncomfortable...
ALSO SEE:
OFFICERS SO EDGY SINCE 9-11 THAT THEY DETAIN MALL-PRAYING MUSLIMS
Hal Rhodes, Albuquerque Tribune, 6/2/04
http://www.abqtrib.com/archives/opinions04/060204_opinions_hal.shtml
Last month in Albuquerque, two men of Middle Eastern origins were
observed
in prayer on a lawn outside a large shopping mall.
It was sundown, and devout Muslims engage in prayer five times a day,
so
Muslims at prayer was hardly surprising. They had planned some
shopping,
but before it was over, Albuquerque police had detained no less than
eight
people for two hours, one of whom spent that time handcuffed on the
mall
floor.
Eventually they were released, convinced they were victims of racial
profiling. Police Chief Gil Gallegos denies it, but said, "Doing
anything
less would have been a disservice since 9-11."
Police chiefs have to say something in situations like this. Still,
it's
hard to imagine a group of fair-skinned evangelicals of one or another
denomination in handcuffs after being caught praying outside a mall.
There
may have been some stares, but hardly detention and handcuffs.
It's another measure of how dicey things are today. Nor does it help
that
every time presidential polls head south, the White House spin machine
goes
into overtime, and those in charge of domestic security throw us a
fresh
terrorist alert.
What are we to think when they tell us the war on terror has been a
huge
success but that the focus of that war, al-Qaida, remains vigorously
able
to unleash an attack on us this summer?
For that matter, what are we to think when they swear our law
enforcement
agencies have never been better prepared to protect us but nonetheless
need
our help in apprehending a half-dozen "suspected terrorists," whom
they,
themselves, haven't been able to locate for months? They don't say what
these "suspects" are poised to do, when or where. But they're bent on
scaring us witless...
---
LA: HIGHWAY ROBBERY?
Jeffrey Meitrodt, Times-Picayune, 6/2/04
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-1/1086159411327130.xml
When Atiya Saleh saw the flashing lights of a squad car pull up behind
his
Ford sedan on Interstate 55 near Brookhaven, Miss., he didn't think
twice
about the $27,000 in cash in a plastic grocery bag in the trunk.
He and his business partner, fellow Palestinian immigrant Shareef
Quattom,
had received the money that morning from a Jackson merchant as a down
payment for their corner grocery store in New Orleans. The men were
traveling to Jackson with the buyer, Jordanian immigrant Majed Atta, to
help him move some of his belongings to New Orleans. Saleh didn't think
there was anything strange -- or illegal -- about carrying that much
money
in his car.
But Mississippi officials did.
Though Saleh and his partner carried papers documenting the business
deal
that required the $27,000 and though all three men are in compliance
with
U.S. work and residency rules, they were held for seven hours during
which
they were subjected to a strip search, drug-sniffing dogs and
interrogation
by local and federal officials.
But what Saleh and Quattom deemed the most outrageous indignity took
place
upon their release, at 5 a.m. the next day: Although the sheriff's
department found no drugs or any other basis to charge them with a
crime,
officials told the partners they were going to keep their money anyway
in
case they could link it to illegal activity. The only offense any of
the
men was booked with that night: careless driving.
"They know it is not drug money, they know it is not terrorist money,"
Saleh said. "They know that in their hearts. But they want to hurt us
the
worst way they can, legally, because we are Arabs."
Nearly three months after they were detained in Mississippi, Saleh and
Quattom have yet to be charged with any crime. But to their mounting
anger
and dismay, their $27,000 is still in Lincoln County.
Capt. Dustin Bairfield, the deputy in charge of the investigation, said
he
can't release the money unless federal officials inform him that they
are
not pursuing charges against any of the three men. Even if the feds
pass on
the case, he said, local officials still might convene a grand jury and
seek a state indictment for money laundering.
Bairfield denied the incident has anything to do with racial
profiling...
Saleh and Quattom aren't the only immigrants to run into problems when
transporting large sums of money across Mississippi, according to civil
rights advocates and defense attorneys...
-----
MUSLIM CHARITY SAYS VOLUNTEER WRONGLY CHARGED
NBC4, 6/2/04
http://www.nbc4.com/news/3375364/detail.html
ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The U.S. branch of a controversial Saudi-based
charity
said Wednesday that the arrest of one of its volunteers last week on
immigration charges is unfounded.
Federal agents on Friday raided the offices of the World Assembly of
Muslim
Youth in Alexandria as part of its investigation into immigration
charges
against Ibrahim Abdullah, an Alexandria resident and Saudi citizen who
last
month earned his doctorate from George Mason University.
Abdullah allegedly violated his student visa by accepting "wages or
other
compensation" from WAMY since 1999.
Fadel Soliman, executive manager of WAMY's U.S. branch, said Abdullah
was a
volunteer board member for WAMY and was never paid. He also said
Abdullah
had been prepared to return this week to Saudi Arabia and would have
been a
goodwill ambassador there for the United States.
"This is so bad. ... I am sad because we are harming ourselves,"
Soliman
said of the treatment by the U.S. government of Abdullah and other
Muslims
living in America.
Asim Ghafoor, a spokesman for WAMY, said the federal agents who
conducted
the raid were not targeting WAMY, but were looking for information
related
to Abdullah.
"To WAMY's knowledge there is no terrorism investigation," Ghafoor
said.
"If this raid and arrest was in fact part of a terrorism investigation,
then the government has made false statements and the arrest is purely
pretext."
Ghafoor also said authorities searched Abdullah's home without a
warrant.
Dean Boyd, a spokesman for the Department of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, said Wednesday that the department still had Abdullah in
custody and that no hearing had yet been scheduled in immigration
court. He
declined to comment on the specifics of the case...
ALSO SEE:
PADILLA CASE: IT'S NOT THE AMERICAN WAY
Richard Cohen, Washington Post, 6/3/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11253-2004Jun2.html
I am obligated as a journalist to use the word "alleged" when writing
about
Jose Padilla, the former Chicago gangbanger the government says turned
terrorist. He allegedly received terrorist training in Afghanistan. He
returned to the United States as an alleged al Qaeda operative. He
allegedly planned to detonate a dirty bomb and also allegedly hoped to
use
natural gas to bring down some apartment buildings in New York or
another
city. There, I have done my journalistic duty.
The government, on the other hand, is not similarly constrained.
Although
it has locked up Padilla for two years, although for a long time he was
held in isolation and not allowed to see a lawyer or anyone else, he
has
never been charged with a crime or found guilty in a court of law. The
worst I can do is libel the man. The government, though, has cast him
into
the contemporary version of a dungeon.
This is not to say that Padilla is innocent. The government not only
maintains he is a dangerous terrorist but now says he has confessed to
much
of the above -- and, if it matters any, I believe the feds. But while I
accept the government's case, I cannot accept the insistence that it
can,
when it so chooses, keep a U.S. citizen -- and Padilla is one --
detained
for as long as it sees fit. If the man committed a crime, then try him.
It's the American way.
The Bush administration takes the position that it can hold Padilla,
and
others it designates as enemy combatants, for as long as it wants,
where it
wants and, within reason, how it wants. Torture and summary execution
are
out of the question, the government conceded in April when it argued
its
case before the Supreme Court -- but not what could amount to life in
prison without trial. In fact, until March, Padilla was not even able
to
see a lawyer...
---
MAN WAS ACCUSED OF LYING ON IMMIGRATION DOCUMENTS
Kelly Thornton, Union-Tribune, 6/2/04
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20040602-9999-7m2somali.html
Somali war refugee Abdullahi Jama Amir, one of more than a dozen people
prosecuted for immigration crimes discovered during the local terror
probe,
has become the first to beat the rap.
Amir, a 64-year-old father of eight and a naturalized U.S. citizen, was
acquitted Friday of conspiring to lie on immigration documents for
Mohdar
Abdullah, a man who would later be held as a material witness in the
probe
of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Mahir Sharif, Amir's lawyer, said the verdict is evidence that American
attitudes toward Muslims have softened in the wake of prisoner-abuse
scandals in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
"I think that's what the jury did; the jury said to the government,
'We're
not going to accept every theory you're going to throw at us about
Muslims
anymore. If you don't prove your case, we're going to find them not
guilty,'" Sharif said.
The government did prove its case against Amir's co-defendant, Ahmed
Sharif
Aliwe, 42, another Somali refugee who was days away from taking the
oath of
citizenship when he was arrested and indicted by a federal grand jury.
Aliwe was convicted of one count of conspiring to make false statements
to
immigration officials and faces up to five years in prison and possible
deportation. Sentencing was set for Aug. 23.
Prosecutors said they saw no broader meaning in the jury's verdict.
"Based on my conversation with the jurors after the case, it was clear
to
me they carefully and conscientiously looked through all of the
evidence
and made their decision based on the evidence," said Assistant U.S.
Attorney John Parmley. "They weren't sending a message to anybody."
Amir, Aliwe and a third man who is a fugitive, Ali Said Dawaleh, were
charged in June 2002. They were accused of signing documents in support
of
Abdullah's immigration applications, in which he claimed to be a Somali
fleeing the civil war. It is typical for Somali refugees to have no
documents when they flee their homeland...
---
HELD 4 YEARS WITHOUT CHARGE, MAN SOBS WHILE DESCRIBING REPEATED
STRIP-SEARCHES
Colin Perkel, Canadian Press, 6/3/04
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2004/06/02/483416-cp.html
TORONTO - An Egyptian refugee who has spent four years in jail without
charge as a national security risk sobbed uncontrollably yesterday as
he
testified about being strip-searched on scores of occasions.
Mohammad Mahjoub is seeking release on bail, arguing that keeping him
in a
jail amounts to cruel and unusual punishment.
"As a Muslim, a strip-search is considered as an attack on my manhood,"
Mahjoub told Federal Court through an interpreter.
"I have no option. If I refuse, I would be beaten."
He said his protests at the "immoral" procedure, which often occurred
twice
a day when he went to court and once with a female guard nearby, were
met
with the rebuttal, "This is jail policy. This is Canada." A senior jail
official confirmed the searches are standard practice.
Since his arrest in June 2000, Mahjoub has spent almost all his time at
the
crowded Toronto West Detention Centre, usually reserved for those
awaiting
trial. About one year of that time has been in solitary confinement.
Mahjoub was ordered deported to Egypt last July after Justice Eleanor
Dawson upheld the security certificate that deems him a threat to
public
safety. Neither he nor his lawyers know what evidence the federal
government has. However, he is fighting the decision on the basis he
would
be tortured if returned to Egypt...
-----
IL: PROTESTERS WANT VOTE ON MOSQUE
Dan Lavoie, Daily Southtown, 6/2/04
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/yrtwn/south/021syt4.htm
Opponents of a planned Orland Park mosque want village trustees to
delay a
final decision until after a non-binding referendum on the issue in
November.
An organized petition drive for a referendum has not yet begun, but
mosque
foes contend that trustees have not heeded the concerns of many
residents
who have attended two public meetings. The village board is scheduled
to
discuss, and possibly vote on, the mosque at its June 21 meeting.
"It's a joke. They're not listening," resident Sam Lyons said of
village
officials. "They don't care. I'm not talking about a small circle of
concerned citizens. There is widespread opposition (to the mosque)
throughout the village."
Opponents must collect about 1,750 signatures by Aug. 16 to place a
referendum question on the Nov. 2 ballot, according to the Cook County
clerk's office.
Malik Ali, an Orland Park resident and businessman and a key organizer
of
the mosque, said many opponents' ethnic and religious bias underscores
how
much Orland Park needs the diversity of opinion that the mosque would
bring.
"It's a free country," Ali said of the push for a referendum. "I'm just
hoping out of this will come some understanding, some tolerance."
Mosque supporters hope trustees proceed with a vote on the issue this
month...
-----
MD: MUSLIMS SPONSOR HEALTH FAIR
Washington Post, 6/3/04
A health fair for uninsured and underprivileged Howard residents will
be
held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at the Columbia Medical Center, 11055
Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia. More than 25 physicians will be
available
to provide mammograms, blood chemistry tests, liver function and lipid
profiles for free or at reduced costs. Free screenings for hearing,
vision
and dental needs also will be available. The event is sponsored by the
Howard County Muslim Council.
SEE ALSO:
HOSP. LOSES AUTOPSY CASE
Denise Buffa, New York Post, 6/3/04
http://www.nypost.com/
A judge has found New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens liable for
an
unauthorized autopsy that was performed on a Muslim man after he died
of a
heart attack at the facility - contrary to his religious beliefs.
Damages have yet to be decided in the case of Elmaz Juseinoski, who
died
Sept. 1, 1996.
His family told hospital personnel they were Muslim and wanted to take
the
body to a mosque, according to the suit. Instead, the body was sent to
the
medical examiner's office, where an autopsy was performed.
Although the hospital maintained that by law it had to give the medical
examiner's office the body, Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Lawrence
Knipel
found it was also required to get the family's written consent for an
autopsy.
-----
VA: WILL PREPARATION WORKSHOP
WHAT: Dar Al-Hijrah Educational Committee, The Fairfax Institute, and
Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) Washington Metro Unit present a
Will
(Wassiyah) preparation workshop. Topics will include preparation of
will,
guardianship of minor children and issues surrounding living will.
WHEN: Saturday, June 19th, 2004 after Salat-az-Zhuhr (1:30 p.m. to 7:00
p.m.)
WHERE: Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center
3159 Row Street, Falls Church, VA 22044
(703) 536-1030
Distinguished Speakers will include Dr. Mohammed Adam Al-Sheikh, Imam
of
Dar Al-Hijrah; Dr. M. Yaqub Mirza, The Fairfax Institute; Dr. Abdul
Munim,
Physician.
For registration email to dc_icna_tarbiyah@ yahoo.com or provide name,
address, telephone number to Dar Al-Hijrah Office.
-----
SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL INSTITUTE ON `ISLAM AND MUSLIMS IN
AMERICA'
AND NEW YORK TIMES AND WESTERN KNIGHT CENTER JOURNALISM FELLOWSHIPS
http://www.religionnews.com/press02/PR060304.html
A five-day institute for journalists on "Islam and Muslims in America"
will
take place September 27-October 1, 2004 in New York City, with
sponsorship
from the New York Times Company Foundation and the Western Knight
Center
for Specialized Journalism Training. Journalists with a particular
interest
or responsibility for covering issues relating to Islam and Muslims in
America are encouraged to apply. The deadline for applications is July
22,
2004. Awardees will be notified by July 31, 2004.
Participants will be provided New York Times/Western Knight Center
Journalism Fellowships, which will cover all local expenses in New York
City including accommodations, meals, and other expenses of
participation.
One-half of travel expenses, up to $300, will be covered.
The institute will be comprised of lectures, seminars, and workshops
for
fifteen fellows. Leading scholars, representatives of Muslim
organizations,
and experienced journalists will lead discussions, offer background
information, and elaborate on contexts for understanding the diverse
and
evolving worlds of Muslims in the United States. Four principal areas
will
be addressed:
- Muslims' social, cultural, and political diversity and relations
within
American society
- American Muslims' institutional, ethnic, and religious ties abroad
- Religious faith and participation in American civic and political
affairs
- Coping after 9/11: war, security, and fear
Participating experts will focus on key issues, raise debates, provide
alternative perspectives, and share their observations on the problems
and
opportunities of reporting on these and other issues pertaining to
Islam
and Muslims in America. The day-long sessions will give the fellows
hands-on engagement with specific questions and with the challenges of
investigating and writing about the issues. Difficulties encountered in
reporting -- cultural, linguistic, and legal hurdles; particular
transnational dimensions of Islam; access to sources; impacts of
terrorism
and security; and other problems -- will be addressed as they relate to
the
framing of news stories meaningful to various audiences. By the end of
the
institute, participants will have acquired a much richer understanding
of
American Muslim life, new networks of specialists and community
contacts,
and expertise to explore the many issues of Islam and Muslims in
America
that face contemporary journalists.
Eligibility:
Applicants must be currently employed as reporters or editors by news
organizations (print, television, radio, or Internet) and have been
similarly employed for at least the past three years.
We seek participants of diverse social and geographic backgrounds.
Application procedure:
All applicants must submit the following: a resume, a letter that
describes
the applicant's interest, experience, and goals related to issues of
Islam
and Muslims in America. This statement should not exceed 500 words, a
letter of endorsement from the applicant's employer explaining benefits
expected for that news organization, two samples of published work (or
transcripts in the case of television and radio).
Applications may be submitted in either paper form by surface mail, or
through use of the internet, at http://applications.ssrc.org. The
online
application form will be posted at 5pm, Friday, May 28th, and will be
available for use until 5pm Eastern Time, July 22, 2004. Faxed
applications
are not acceptable.
Please address mailed applications to:
Institute on Islam and Muslims in America
Social Science Research Council
810 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10019
For Further Information or Questions:
Email: islaminamerica@ssrc.org
Phone: (212) 377-2700, extension 604
Web: http://www.ssrc.org/programs/intmigration/
Deadlines: All application materials must arrive at the SSRC no later
then
5pm Eastern Time, July 22, 2004. Applicants will be informed of
decisions
by July 31, 2004.
-----
2004 ISLAMIC FESTIVAL TO PREMIERE ISLAMIC MUSEUM
http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/news_releases.mhtml?d=58539
PHILADELPHIA-- Celebrate Islamic Heritage with the debut of a unique
traveling Islamic Museum at the Islamic Festival, presented by the
Islamic
Cultural Preservation and Information Council (ICPIC) as part of PECO
Energy Multicultural Series. This FREE event will take place on the
Great
Plaza at Penn's Landing, Columbus Boulevard and Chestnut Street on June
12,
2004 from Noon-8:00 p.m. Independence Blue Cross is the presenting
sponsor
of the 2004 Summer Season.
A one of a kind traveling Islamic museum will be on display this year
which
exhibits the history of Islam in America through the eye-catching
photographs of early Muslim American personalities as well as
contemporary
figures. The exhibit includes three galleries: `Through Muslim Eyes
"Discover Islam" Exhibit,' `Muslims in Antebellum America' and `ICPIC
New
Africa Hall of Fame.'
-----
NEW LEGISLATION TO RESTORE CIVIL LIBERTIES UNDERMINED BY POST-911
POLICIES
WHAT: A new coalition of human rights, civil liberties, civil rights,
and
immigration advocacy groups will hold a series of events around the
country
on June 8th, including a national telephonic press conference,
announcing
the introduction of the Civil Liberties Restoration Act (CLRA).
The bill will be introduced the same day in Washington, D.C. by
Senators
Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Jon Corzine (D-NJ), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Russ
Feingold (D-WI), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Congressmen Howard
Berman
(D-CA) and William Delahunt (D-MA). The CLRA would roll back some of
the
most egregious post-911 policies and ensure respect for basic rights
and
fair treatment under the law. Specifically, the bill redresses
troubling
new policies such as arbitrary and indefinite detentions, secret
hearings,
severe restrictions on due process, and violations of privacy and First
Amendment rights.
WHEN: The national telephonic press conference will take place at 1:00
p.m.
ET Tuesday, June 8th on 800-362- 0571, Conference ID: CLRA. In
addition,
local groups across the country will hold events to call attention to
the
steady undermining of civil rights in their communities.
Telephonic Press Briefing: 1:00 p.m. ET 800-362-0571
Call Dane VandenBerg at 202-466-9633 or Doug Rivlin at 202-383-5989 to
arrange advance interviews or for more information.)
SEE ALSO:
AILING IMMIGRANT CAN STAY
ROBERT POLNER, Newsday, 6/3/04
http://www.newsday.com/mynews/ny-nypak033830574jun03,0,737971.story
The Department of Homeland Security has ruled that a Pakistani man with
a
weak heart can stay in the city after all.
Malik Akbar, 66, who had faced a June 24 deportation order after
overstepping his visa's time limit, can remain with his large family in
the
Bronx in light of his precarious health, a department official decided.
The May 27 decision from the New York field office of Homeland Security
addressed the case of an individual who has drawn support from
advocates
for immigrants and elected officials and who was the focus of a story
more
than two weeks earlier in Newsday.
The terse decision from Edward McElroy of the Detention and Removal
section
is known as a "deferred action." It must be reviewed every two years to
determine whether Akbar should be deported.
"Basically he gets to stay," said Sin Yen Ling, a lawyer with the
Asian-American Legal Defense and Education Fund who assisted Akbar. "He
is
just another person who was ensnared by the government's Special
Registration Program, which has yet to find anyone linked to terrorist
activities."
Akbar was ordered deported after complying with the post-Sept. 11
program
in which men from Arab countries were required to check in with
Homeland
Security. The program, which was phased out in January 2003, required
about
13,000 Muslim men to leave, affecting households and even entire
immigrant-infused neighborhoods in the New York City area and
elsewhere.
Akbar's visa had expired at the time he checked in, but he says that
because his heart problems and other serious maladies had been
diagnosed at
Jacobi Medical Center, and he twice underwent surgery there, a return
to
Pakistan might kill him.
The level of specialized care he has been receiving at Jacobi - paid
for
with his own savings as a former poultry farmer and that of his family,
he
emphasizes - would be unavailable to him in Pakistan, and his doctors
have
warned him not to fly.
-----
IRAQ: TO MANY, MISSION NOT ACCOMPLISHED
Edward Cody, Washington Post, 6/3/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10960-2004Jun2.html
BAQUBAH -- Stately in the black turban and flowing robes that marked
him as
a senior Shiite Muslim cleric, Ali Abdul Kareem Madani received
petitioners
sitting cross-legged on a fine carpet. One after the other, they
streamed
in all day to tell him their woes and their needs.
Two factotums, standing on either flank of the soft-spoken dignitary,
waved
straw fans to keep him cool in the oppressive heat. The electric
ceiling
fan just above his head was motionless, as the power was out again in
this
fruit-growing farming hub 30 miles northeast of Baghdad.
"We blame the coalition forces for the lack of electricity," Madani
said
solemnly, as if handing down a religious interpretation. "After one
year of
occupation, a great country like the United States is not able to set
up a
big generator to give this city electricity?"
For many Iraqis, the 13-month-old U.S. occupation has failed to live up
to
its billing as an exercise in reconstruction and democracy-building.
Like
Madani, they are glad that former president Saddam Hussein has been
overthrown and a new interim government has been installed in Baghdad.
But
most of Baqubah's approximately 250,000 people -- and most Iraqis
around
the country -- have experienced the U.S. presence here mainly at the
wrong
end of a gun. It is that, and not the news from Baghdad's heavily
fortified
Green Zone, that informs their views.
"We don't see any civilians," Madani complained. "All we see are
soldiers."
A relentless campaign of bombings and ambushes by insurgents determined
to
drive out the U.S. occupation has forced the military to continue a
battle
that soldiers thought was finished more than a year ago, when President
Bush announced the end of major combat operations. The result has been
persistent clashes, nighttime raids, armored patrols and detentions --
the
blunt instruments of war -- that have led many Iraqis of different
political and religious persuasions to resent the occupation they once
welcomed.
Insurgents have organized into coherent guerrilla groups and forced
U.S.
authorities to deal with them as such in Fallujah, 35 miles west of
Baghdad, and around Najaf, 90 miles south of the capital. In countless
other locations, including Baghdad and around Baqubah, they have
remained
underground. But in either case, the struggle has pushed U.S. soldiers
into
an aggressive military role that is the face of the occupation for most
Iraqis...
ALSO SEE:
BUSH EDITS OUT 'CRUSADE' IN QUOTING EISENHOWER
Reuters, 6/2/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=5328235
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - President Bush on Wednesday quoted the famous
D-Day words of Gen. Dwight Eisenhower -- all but one of them,
"crusade."
In a speech in which he likened the war on terror to the Allied
struggle
against the Nazis in World War II, Bush cited Eisenhower's message to
U.S.
troops 60 years ago but skipped a word that would have been sure to
spark
controversy in the Muslim world.
Entitled the "Great Crusade," Eisenhower's message urged on the troops
as
they prepared to storm the Normandy coast in the first Allied landing
in
Nazi-occupied France.
The original version went: "Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied
Expeditionary Forces: You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade,
toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world
are
upon you. The hopes and prayers of a liberty-loving people everywhere
march
with you."
Speaking at the U.S. Air Force Academy commencement on Wednesday, Bush
quoted the initial salutation and the second and third sentences but
left
out the part about embarking on a great crusade.
Days after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on America, Bush described the
U.S.
intent to retaliate as a "crusade" -- a reference that deeply offended
Muslims who associate it with the Christian crusades against Islam in
the
Middle Ages.
---
NOBEL LAUREATE: DEMOCRACY CAN'T BE IMPOSED
Kim Gamel, Associated Press, 6/3/04
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/93-06032004-310562.html
UNITED NATIONS - Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi said Wednesday
that
democracy cannot be imposed on the Middle East and Iraq's new interim
government will have to earn the confidence of its people.
"Democracy is not a present to offer a nation. Democracy cannot be
imposed
on people by dropping bombs on them," the 57-year-old human rights
activist
said. "The only way to go about it is through the United Nations."
Ebadi, who last year became first Iranian and the first Muslim woman to
win
the Nobel Peace Prize, also rebuked the United States for not signing
an
international treaty on children's' rights and for the abuse of Iraqi
prisoners by U.S. forces at the Abu Ghraib prison west of Baghdad.
"The United States has always claimed to be willing to help and respect
human rights," she said. "America is a civilized society and I ask
myself
... how can it tolerate these actions and justify them?"
Ebadi welcomed the inclusion of six women in Iraq's 33-member interim
government, but said they also will be judged by their performance, not
their gender.
"The presence of women in the government of Iraq is a good message for
human rights," Ebadi said. "The mere existence of a woman in the
cabinet
does not mean anything positive. It's the performance that we have to
watch
out for."
The government, which was announced Tuesday by U.N. envoy Lakhdar
Brahimi,
takes power from the U.S.-led coalition on June 30 and will rule Iraq
until
new elections due by Jan. 31...
---
CONYERS AND OTHER RANKING MEMBERS CALL FOR THE RELEASE OF IRAQI
PRISONER
ABUSE DOCUMENTS
Congressman John Conyers, Jr. issued the following statement at a press
conference today to request documents relating to the Iraqi prisoner
abuse
issues from the Bush Administration:
"The manner and extent to which the Iraq prison abuse scandal is
investigated represents nothing less than a test of the functioning of
our
constitutional form of government and its system of checks and
balances.
On the one hand, we have what is clearly one of the most serious
charges of
human rights abuses in our nation's history. In Iraq, Afghanistan and
Guantanamo, it now appears that our nation's military engaged in
physical,
psychological, and sexual abuse on a widespread basis. Scores of
detainees
were murdered. Numerous warnings were ignored. The vast majority of
the
detainees appear to have been imprisoned without cause. There is
credible
evidence that the scandal can be traced to decisions by the highest
levels
of the Administration, up to and including Secretary Rumsfield and the
President.
On the other hand, we have the misfortune of living under a Republican
Administration and Congress that act as if oversight was a dirty word.
Our
executive branch has spent most of its time and effort developing novel
legal theories to circumvent the Geneva Convention. The reviews
initiated
by the Army are little more than a fig leaf.
Congress has been nothing less than derelict in its oversight
responsibilities. They have rejected and rebuffed each and every one
of
our attempts to review these serious charges on a bipartisan basis. At
the
same time, House Republicans have challenged the patriotism of anyone
who
dares to question these embarrassing abuses.
We Democrats are left with no choice but to conduct our own
investigation.
Our document request gives the Administration one last chance to allow
a
meaningful outside investigation. The President can either choose to
cooperate with us or continue to ignore the American people and their
elected representatives."
Congressman John Conyers, Jr.
Fourteenth District, Michigan
Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary
Dean, Congressional Black Caucus
CONTACT: Dena Graziano, 202-226-6888
-----
PROBLEMS IN IRAQ LEAD MORE MUSLIMS TO SEE U.S., ISRAEL THE SAME WAY
WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press, 6/3/04
PATERSON, N.J. (AP) - In the view of many American Muslims, the United
States and Israel are so tight that Israel is practically the "51st
state."
Now the prisoner abuse scandal and other American setbacks in Iraq have
caused even more Muslims to see the United States and Israel the same
way.
They are equating American treatment of Iraqis with Israel's treatment
of
Palestinians.
"The more you look at Iraq, the more you see a replica of what is
happening
in the West Bank," said Hani Awadallah, president of the Arab-American
Civic Organization in Paterson. "The story is no longer that we are
there
for liberation. It is clear to everybody that we are there as
conquerors..."
Televised images of American troops battling insurgents in Iraq -- and
graphic footage of wounded and dead civilians -- resonate among a
Muslim
community long used to seeing similar pictures beamed from Palestinian
refugee camps. Muslims say photos of American troops humiliating Iraqi
prisoners has only increased their animosity.
"The same thing is happening in Iraq and in Palestine: One force has
all
the power and the other side is trying to defend itself and find its
liberty," Nabil Abbassi, president of The Islamic Center of Passaic
County,
one of New Jersey's most influential mosques.
Sabiha Khan, a spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations'
Southern California, said the perceived similarities between attacks in
Iraq and those in Gaza is something that could hurt the United States
for a
long time.
"We were already at rock bottom in world opinion with the occupation,"
she
said. "Abu Ghraib just confirmed what people felt. I don't know how
much
credibility we had to begin with in terms of human rights, but now it's
near zero. Now even China says, `Don't even try to talk to us.'"
-----
ISRAEL TROOPS EXHIBIT TELLS OF HARASSMENT
Gavin Rabinowitz, Associated Press, 6/3/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slu
g=Israel%20Soldiers'%20Regrets
TEL AVIV, Israel - The Israeli soldiers speak with embarrassment about
throwing stun grenades at Palestinian children for fun, harassing a
bride
and groom, and standing by as Jewish settlers vandalize Palestinians'
property.
Their photos and stark testimonials are the heart of a new exhibit that
tells a story of the intertwined and violent lives of the military,
Palestinians and Jewish settlers in the West Bank city of Hebron.
After completing their three years of compulsory military service, a
group
of infantry soldiers decided Israel needed to know about what they call
``the crazy reality'' of their experiences in Hebron - a city where
about
500 settlers live in three enclaves surrounded by 130,000 Palestinians.
The Hebron settlers include some of the most extreme among the 200,000
Israelis in the West Bank and often rampage through the city. The
Palestinians of Hebron, who insist that all the settlers must leave,
are
also known for their extremism, targeting settlers and soldiers in
shooting
and bombing attacks.
More than 80 soldiers who served in Hebron got together to create the
exhibit of photographs and video testimony, called ``Breaking the
Silence.''
Organizers said the idea of the exhibit was both to come to terms with
their own actions and to serve as a warning to others...
ALSO SEE:
REPORT OUTLINES ANTI-ARAB RACISM IN ISRAEL
Hilary Leila Krieger, Jerusalem Post, 6/2/04
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid
=1086058010816&p=1006688055060
An Israeli Arab rights center released a scathing report Tuesday
documenting hundreds of instances of discrimination, hate speech, and
racially motivated violence perpetrated by Jews against Arabs in the
past
four years. It blasted the government for apathy and called for
immediate
action to stem the growing tide of anti-Arab racism.
There have been 15 Arab deaths at the hands of Israeli security forces
since the riots of October 2000, in which 12 Israeli Arabs were killed,
with only two indictments filed, according to the Mossawa Advocacy
Center
for Arab Citizens of Israel report. At the same time, leading Israeli
politicians and well-known personalities are recorded as having made 15
inciteful statements, while racist graffiti and soccer chants of "Kill
the
Arabs!" are the most common forms of harassment.
In addition, the report cites 10 laws, such as the one preventing
family
reunification of Arabs who marry Palestinians, which legally enshrine
discrimination and Haifa University studies showing that 70 percent of
the
Jewish public considers Arab citizens a threat to state security and
that
59% of Jews wouldn't accept an Arab boss.
The publication is the first of its kind and is intended to be an
annual
survey. It used the same standards to assess racism and violence as the
recent European report on anti-Semitism.
"We think there's a potential for confrontation between Jewish citizens
and
Arab citizens," said Mossawa director Jafar Farah. "This should be a
signal
that if we don't want to have civil confrontation - if not war -
between
both, we have to act."
To that end, Mossawa has several recommendations, including the
immediate
and full implementation of the Or Report, which found institutionalized
discrimination in the wake of the October riots, the outlawing of
parties
that advocate the forced transfer of Arab citizens out of Israel, and
for
Jews and Arabs to work together to battle this problem...
-----
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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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Subject:
CAIR-NET: American Muslim Swimmers Go to Olympic Trials
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/4/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: ALWAYS REMEMBER GOD
* VA: CAIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY PICNIC 6/13
- CAIR-MD/VA Fundraising Banquet 6/5
* AMERICAN MUSLIM SWIMMERS GO TO OLYMPIC TRIALS
* AZ: ISLAMIC FAITHFUL AWAIT NEW MOSQUE (Ariz Republic)
- CA: Must Address the Issue of Hate Crimes (CC Times)
* UN SAYS U.S.-LED FORCES VIOLATED RIGHTS IN IRAQ (Reuters)
- 'They Have No Humanity' (The Guardian)
* UN: FRENCH BAN MUST NOT PUSH GIRLS OUT OF SCHOOL (AFP)
* CAN: DETAINED MAN TO SEE KIDS AFTER FOUR YEARS (Toronto Star)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: ALWAYS REMEMBER GOD
A person once asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who is the
best of mankind. The Prophet replied: "He whose life is long and whose
deeds are good." The Prophet was then asked which deed is best. He
responded by saying: "That you should leave this world with the mention
of
God fresh on your tongue."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 716
-----
CAIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY PICNIC 6/13 IN VA
CAIR invites you and your family to our 10th anniversary community
picnic
to be held on Sunday, June 13, at Lake Accotink Park in Springfield,
Va.
SEE: http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/parks/accotink
ADMISSION IS FREE BUT REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. HALAL MEAT PROVIDED BY
MIDAMAR.
For more details, or to register, please e-mail irahman@cair-net.org or
call 202-488-8787, ext. 6050.
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-MD/VA FUNDRAISING BANQUET
WHAT: The Maryland & Virginia chapter of CAIR will hold its annual
fundraising banquet Saturday, June 5, with the theme, "Muslims
Empowering
America."
Keynote speakers include Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader and Dr.
Umar
Faruq Abd-Allah. There will also be a performance by the group Native
Deen.
WHEN: June 5th 2004 at 5 p.m.
WHERE: Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, Crystal Ballroom, One Bethesda Metro
Center
Tickets are $55/individual and $85/couple. But act soon, all previous
events have been sold out.
For more information or to purchase tickets please visit us online at
www.cairmd.org, call 301-986-1900, or email info@cairmd.org
-----
AMERICAN MUSLIM SWIMMERS GO TO OLYMPIC TRIALS
W.D. Mohammed High School
(ATLANTA, GA, 6/4/04) - For the first time in the history of United
States
Swimming, two American Muslim athletes will be compete at the U.S.
Olympic
Swimming Trials July 7 to 14 in Long Beach, Calif.
Sabir K. Muhammad II and Mujahid El-Amin, both graduates of W.D.
Mohammed
High School (WDMH) in Atlanta, Ga., are the first Muslims from the
same
school, city and swim club to compete at the Olympic trials.
Sabir, one of the top-ranked swimmers in the world, is a 1994 graduate
of
WDMH and a 1998 graduate of Stanford University. He is the first Muslim
to
hold an American swimming record. He currently holds the American
record in
the 50 meter butterfly. SEE: http://sabirswims.com/
Mujahid, a 2004 graduate of WDMH will attend Florida A&M University on
a
swimming scholarship. He has been voted the top age group swimmer in
the
state of Georgia for the past three years. Mujahid represented the U.S.
in
at the Junior Olympics held in Australia earlier this year and was the
top
point scorer for the American team.
CONTACT: Sabir K. Muhammad, Sr. (404) 438-1378
-----
ISLAMIC FAITHFUL AWAIT NEW MOSQUE
Sarah Anchors, Arizona Republic, 6/4/04
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/northeastvalley/articles/0604islami
c0604Z7.html
The West Valley's largest mosque meets in a former church building and
is
so crowded that people often pray outside in the heat and women pray in
the
basement.
The Islamic Community Center of Phoenix says it's time for a bigger
space.
A real mosque.
Last month, city officials gave preliminary approval for a new building
at
the southwestern corner of Orangewood Avenue and the access road to the
Black Canyon Freeway, across from the current meeting place on the
north
side of Orangewood Avenue.
Construction isn't expected to begin for about two years as the
community
designs the building and raises money.
The Islamic Community Center started in 1984 with about 10 families,
community treasurer Mounib Shaaban said. In 1998, the center moved to
its
current quarters and now serves about 400 people, mostly from Phoenix
and
the West Valley.
The growth shows no sign of stopping, with new worshippers coming from
out
of state and from Bosnia, Somalia, Sudan and Afghanistan, community
board
chairman Usama Shami said.
The community could double to 800 worshipers, he said...
-----
MUST ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF HATE CRIMES
Brianna Penna, Contra Costa Times, 6/4/04
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/editorial/letters/8836683.h
tm
This is in response to your May 3 article "Anti-Muslim hate crimes
triples
in '03."
The increasing rate of Muslim hate-crimes is an issue that must be
addressed and it is vital that a solution is found.
The year 2003 had the highest number of reported hate crimes against
Muslims, three times as many as in 2001 after Sept. 11.
This proves that these hate crimes are an escalating problem that are
going
to continue to tear apart American citizens who should be bonding
together
during this time of war.
Ignorance gives way to hate, and most Americans are uneducated about
the
true nature of the Islam faith.
The media show the radical views that only a small percentage of the
Muslim
people believe.
American-Muslims are being stereotyped as violent, hate-filled people,
when
in truth the very meaning of the "Islam" is "peace."
The measures to protect American Muslims are apparently not working, so
it
is essential that our country's resolve is strengthened to combat this
increasing prejudice.
-----
UN SAYS U.S.-LED FORCES VIOLATED RIGHTS IN IRAQ
Robert Evans, Reuters, 6/4/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5346907
GENEVA - The top U.N. human rights official said Friday U.S.-led
occupation
forces had mistreated many ordinary Iraqis and called for appointment
of an
international ombudsman to monitor their behavior.
Acting High Commissioner for Human Rights Bertrand Ramcharand also
suggested in a new report that U.S. soldiers accused of gross abuses at
Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison could be guilty of war crimes.
There had been "serious violations of human rights" under the Coalition
Provisional Authority, including jailing of large numbers of people
"without anyone knowing how many, for what reasons ... and how they
were
being treated," he said.
His report, for the U.N. Human Rights Commission, cited Iraqis
interviewed
by a team from his Geneva office as speaking of "arbitrary arrests and
detention as an ongoing phenomenon" since U.S.-led forces invaded Iraq
in
March 2003.
In a clear reference to the Abu Ghraib incidents, Ramcharan said
"willful
killing, torture or inhuman treatment" of detainees was a grave breach
of
international law. Several U.S. soldiers have been detained over the
incident...
---
'THEY HAVE NO HUMANITY. THEY DIDN'T EVEN GIVE US TWO MINUTES TO GET
OUT'
Chris McGreal, Guardian, 6/4/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,1231056,00.html
Last month, Israeli troops swept into the Rafah refugee camp in Gaza,
bulldozing hundreds of homes and leaving around 60 dead. Israel says it
was
looking for terrorists, but by the time the army withdrew, 1,600 people
were homeless. What happens to the people whose houses are destroyed?
The Al-Akhras family
There is nothing left of the Akhras' family's home. Even the cloths
blowing
in the breeze above their heads, providing a pathetic, makeshift tent
to
the once nomadic Bedouin family, are borrowed from luckier neighbours.
A
large round metal bowl is all that they recovered from the rubble of
their
house after it was bulldozed by the Israeli army.
"There were 10 rooms here," says the 50-year-old patriarch, Ghazi.
"Thirty-three people lived in the house. There was me, my wife, my
seven
brothers and their wives, and all our sons and daughters."
It was 10pm when the bulldozers came. "All the people were fleeing
their
houses, but one of my brothers is handicapped and was trapped in the
house.
We had to carry him out as the bulldozer was hitting the building."
All that remains of the house is a mound of concrete and dirt. The
destruction by the bulldozer was so complete that some of the walls
have
been ground to a rubble reminiscent of the rocky desert beyond the
fence.
Like many other families in Rafah, the Akhras family has been made
homeless
before. Ghazi came from Yibna after the Israeli army, under the command
of
Ariel Sharon, then military governor of Gaza, bulldozed his home in
1971.
"We bought the house here from the Israelis. We had the documents to
show
it. We saved nothing, not even the documents," he says. "This is more
than
the catastrophe of 1948 for us. In 1948 there were no Apaches shooting
at
us..."
-----
UN SAYS FRANCE MUST ENSURE HEADSCARF BAN DOES NOT PUSH GIRLS OUT OF
SCHOOL
Agence France Presse, 6/4/04
GENEVA - The United Nations's Committee on the Rights of the Child on
Friday urged France to ensure its ban on the wearing of Islamic
headscarves
and other religious insignia in schools does not unintentionally lead
to
young girls being pushed out of the education system.
The committee said in a report that France should ensure individual
rights
were not violated and children were not excluded from schools as a
result
of the new law.
"The committee recommends that the (French) state ... consider
alternative
means, including mediation, of ensuring the secular character of public
schools, while guaranteeing that individual rights are not infringed
upon
and that children are not excluded or marginalised from the school
system
and other settings as a result of such legislation," it said in its
recommendations to Paris.
"(The law) may be counterproductive, by neglecting the principle of the
best interest of the child and the right of the child to access to
education, and not achieve the expected results," the group of 18
independent experts continued.
France's Minister for the Family Marie-Josee Roig told the committee on
Wednesday the aim of the ban was to preserve total neutrality and
equality
in schools.
On Wednesday members of the committee sharply criticised the French
law,
which was adopted on March 14 and is due to come into force in
September,
and told Roig it was intolerant to Muslims...
-----
DETAINED MAN TO SEE KIDS
Michelle Shephard, Toronto Star, 6/4/04
http://www.thestar.com/
Mohamed Zeki Mahjoub, accused of having ties to an Egyptian terrorist
organization, will be allowed to meet with his two young Canadian-born
children today for the first time in four years.
The 44-year-old Egyptian refugee is kept under tight security at all
times,
with at least six RCMP officers watching him as he testifies in court.
But
during a court break today, his 4- and 6-year-old sons will be
permitted to
visit without being separated from dad by a pane of glass.
Mahjoub has been detained in Toronto since a national security
certificate
was signed in June, 2000, ordering him deported to Egypt. He is arguing
that his four-year detainment in the absence of charges is
unconstitutional
and amounts to "cruel and unusual" punishment.
The court has heard this week that he has undergone numerous strip
searches
while in custody, tested positive for the blood-transferred virus
Hepatitis
C, and does not now want to leave segregation since being attacked by
two
inmates in March.
Being a Muslim man in custody is particularly onerous, the court has
heard,
since Mahjoub's religion does not permit men to be naked in front of
other
men, and forces him while in segregation to perform his daily prayers
facing his cell toilet...
-----
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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, 07 Jun 2004 17:44:00 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: TX Muslims Accused of Terror, Then Focus Changed
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/7/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: RELIGION IS EASY
* 650 TURN OUT FOR CAIR-MD/VA BANQUET
- VA: CAIR 10th Anniversary Picnic June 13th
* CAIR-NJ SUPPORTS CIVIL LIBERTIES RESTORATION ACT
* VA: 8TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY TOMORROW
* TX MUSLIMS ACCUSED OF TERROR, THEN FOCUS CHANGED (DMN)
- Spain, US at Odds over Terror Arrest (NY Times)
- MD: Federal Agents Stop, Search Amtrak Train (Balt. Sun)
- High Court Rejects Muslim Leader's Case (AP)
* FOR MUSLIMS, COURTSHIP ENABLED BY THE INTERNET (Wash Post)
- IN: Faith in the Workplace (Indy Star)
- CA: My Hijab, My Self (News & Review)
* OH: WOMAN DEPORTED TO VENEZUELA FINDS SUPPORT (AP)
- Welcome to America (Guardian)
- Disappearing Muslims (The Nation)
* IL: PLANS FOR MOSQUE BACKED AMID PROTESTS (Chicago Trib)
- IL: Aldermen Question Mosque's Location (RM Review)
- MA: Muslims Lease Site for School (Boston Globe)
* CAIR-CAN: CHOICES FOR CANADA'S MUSLIMS (Ottawa Citizen)
- CAIR-CAN: Blurring the Line on Civil Rights (Van. Sun)
- CA: Muslims and Arabs Seek New Profile (LA Times)
* THE DOG DAYS OF THE ANTI-WAR PARTY (Antiwar.com)
* DESPITE AGREEMENT, INSURGENTS RULE FALLUJAH (Wash Post)
- Iraqis Paying 5 Cents A Gallon for Gas (AP)
* WI: MUSLIMS TAKE A STAND AGAINST TERROR (Madison.com)
* MOSQUE AND STATE IN TURKEY (NY Times)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: RELIGION IS EASY
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Religion is very easy,
and
whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to
continue in
that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to
perfection
and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Hadith 38
-----
650 TURN OUT FOR CAIR-MD/VA BANQUET
More than $250,000 raised for civil rights work
(BETHESDA, MD) - The Maryland and Virginia office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MD/VA) said some 650 people turned out
on
Saturday for the group's annual fundraising banquet in Bethesda, Md.
The
standing-room-only event topped CAIR-MD/VA's fundraising goal of
$250,000.
At the dinner, presidential candidate Ralph Nader encouraged America
Muslims to continue challenging bigotry and to support civil liberties.
Representatives of the John Kerry presidential campaign and the offices
of
a number of state and national elected officials, along with
representatives from the FBI, NAACP and ACLU, also attended the dinner.
CONTACT: CONTACT: CAIR-MD, Rizwan Mowlana at 301-986-1900, 301-672-9355
SEE ALSO:
CAIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY PICNIC 6/13 IN VA
CAIR invites you and your family to our 10th anniversary community
picnic
to be held on Sunday, June 13, at Lake Accotink Park in Springfield,
Va.
SEE: http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/parks/accotink
ADMISSION IS FREE BUT REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. HALAL MEAT PROVIDED BY
MIDAMAR.
For more details, or to register, please e-mail irahman@cair-net.org or
call 202-488-8787, ext. 6050.
-----
CAIR-NJ SUPPORTS CIVIL LIBERTIES RESTORATION ACT
WHAT: On Tuesday, June 8, the Council on American-Islamic Relations-New
Jersey (CAIR-NJ) will join a coalition of human rights, civil liberties
and
immigration advocacy groups to welcome the introduction of the Civil
Liberties Restoration Act (CLRA).
The CLRA will be introduced June 8, 2004, in Washington D.C., by Sens.
Jon
Corzine (D-NJ), Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Russ
Feingold
(D-WI) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and Reps. Howard Berman (D-CA) and
William
Delahunt (D-MA).
WHEN: Tuesday, June 8, 2004, 11 a.m.
WHERE: Office of the New Jersey Immigration Policy Network, 972 Broad
St,
8th Floor, Newark, NJ.
The CLRA would roll back some of the most egregious post-9/11 policies
and
ensure respect for basic rights and due process under the law. The
coalition will issue a joint statement, which reads in part:
"The CLRA restores credibility to our Immigration Court system and
provides
redress to recent actions taken by the government in the wake of
September
11, and in the name of national security. Many of these measures,
however,
have violated basic liberties, including the right to be free from
detention, and the right to due process."
Co-signers of the above statement include: ACECCOM (Ecuadorian Costa
Rican
Civic Association of Mercer County), American-Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee-NJ Chapter, American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey,
American Friends Service Committee, Council on American Islamic
Relations-NJ Chapter, Coalition for Peace Action, Princeton, NJ,
Hispanic
Directors Association of New Jersey, Human Rights Education and Law
Project, Immigrants' Public Advocacy Coalition of Trenton (ImmPACT),
International Institute of New Jersey, Mayflower, New Jersey Bill of
Rights
Defenders, New Jersey Immigration Policy Network, Princeton Peace
Network,
Peace & Justice Taskforce-NJ Chapter of the National Association of
Social
Workers, People for the Revitalization of the South Ward (Trenton, NJ),
and
United Sikhs.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-NJ, Faiza Ali, 908-868-4885, 908-964-0657, E-Mail:
fali@cair-nj.org
-----
VA 8TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY TOMORROW
CAIR urges all eligible voters in Virginia's 8th Congressional District
to
vote in the Democratic primary on Tuesday June 8, 2004, from 6 a.m. to
7 p.m.
The incumbent is seventh term Congressman Jim Moran (www.jimmoran.org).
Moran is facing challenger Andrew Rosenberg
(www.andyrosenbergforcongress.com), a former congressional staffer and
lobbyist on Capitol Hill.
By law, Virginia does not register voters by political party, so all
registered voters in the district (regardless of party affiliation) are
eligible to cast ballots in tomorrow's primary.
-----
FIVE BROTHERS HAD BEEN ACCUSED OF AIDING TERROR, BUT FOCUS HAS CHANGED
Steve McGonigle, Dallas Morning News, 6/6/04
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/dallas/stories/060604dnmetterrortrial.e82f.html
WASHINGTON DC- Eighteen months ago, Attorney General John Ashcroft
hailed
the indictments of five brothers and their Richardson computer services
company as a milestone in the Bush administration's efforts to
eliminate
sources of terrorist financing.
"Terrorist money men should know this," Mr. Ashcroft said during a
nationally televised news conference from Justice Department
headquarters.
"We are hunting down the murderers you support, and we will hunt you
down."
But the case set to go to trial Monday in a Dallas federal court bears
only
a passing resemblance to the grandiose scheme outlined by Mr. Ashcroft.
It
is more about corrupt business practices than providing support for
terrorism.
Ghassan Elashi and his brothers, Bayan, Basman, Hazim and Ihsan, are
accused of making illegal shipments of computer goods from their
company,
InfoCom Corp., to Libya and Syria, two nations the U.S. government has
deemed sponsors of terrorism.
The trial is likely to center on voluminous documentary evidence.
Testimony
could begin by Wednesday, and the trial is expected to last at least
two
weeks.
The Elashis are part of a large Palestinian family well-known for
active
involvement in the local Muslim community, including the now-closed
Holy
Land Foundation for Relief and Development. They have pleaded not
guilty to
all charges.
Their attorneys, who are being paid through a legal defense fund
established by fellow Muslims, contend the prosecution is unfair and
tainted by political motivations...
SEE ALSO:
SPAIN AND US AT ODDS OVER MISTAKEN TERROR ARREST
Sarah Kershaw, New York Times, 6/5/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/05/national/05LAWY.html
PORTLAND, Ore. - Two weeks after United States authorities cleared a
Portland-area lawyer of any connection to the deadly terrorist bombing
in
Madrid, high-level Spanish law enforcement officials who were also
involved
in the investigation are challenging key aspects of the United States'
version of events in the case, touching off a muddy dispute between the
two
allies and painting a portrait of F.B.I. officials who repeatedly
rejected
evidence that they had the wrong man.
Much of the disagreement between the two countries continues to center
on
the fingerprints lifted from a blue plastic bag discovered near the
scene
of the March 11 bombing, which killed 191 people and left 2,000 injured
in
the deadliest terrorist attack in Europe since World War II. F.B.I.
officials once maintained the prints matched those of the American
lawyer,
Brandon Mayfield, who was jailed for two weeks, and the F.B.I. at one
point
told federal prosecutors that Spanish officials were "satisfied" with
their
conclusion.
But in interviews this week, Spanish officials vehemently denied ever
backing up that assessment, saying they had told American law
enforcement
officials from the start, after their own tests, that the match was
negative. The Spanish officials said their American counterparts
relentlessly pressed their case anyway, explaining away stark proof of
a
flawed link - including what the Spanish described as tell-tale
forensic
signs - and seemingly refusing to accept the notion that they were
mistaken.
"They had a justification for everything," said Pedro Luis Melida
Lledo,
head of the fingerprint unit for the Spanish National Police, whose
team
analyzed the prints in question and met with the Americans on April 21.
"But I just couldn't see it..."
---
MD: FEDERAL AGENTS STOP, SEARCH AMTRAK TRAIN
Lynn Anderson, Baltimore Sun, 6/7/04
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.train07jun07,0,4505888.story
A Washington-bound Amtrak train was stopped in Cumberland yesterday as
federal agents questioned two male passengers said to be of Middle
Eastern
descent who were acting suspiciously, officials said.
The men, who live in the Baltimore-Washington region, were detained for
several hours after another passenger noticed one of them with a bulky
item
under his shirt, said Barry Maddox, a spokesman for the FBI's Baltimore
field office.
The object - which Maddox would not identify for fear of discouraging
reports of suspicious behavior - turned out to be inconsequential. No
charges were filed against the men - who were not identified by name or
nationality - and they were released, Maddox said.
Maddox said that a military officer on the train noticed the men and
warned
Amtrak officials, who in turn called Cumberland police.
Amtrak officials stopped the Capitol Limited, which was carrying about
230
passengers, at a station in Cumberland about noon after the report of
suspicious activity, said Dan Stessel, an Amtrak spokesman. Later, the
train was moved to a CSX rail yard four miles south of town for safety
reasons.
---
HIGH COURT REJECTS MUSLIM LEADER'S CASE
Associated Press, 6/7/04
http://news.ibn.net/newsgen.asp?url=remuleaca
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court refused Monday to hear an appeal from a
longtime Muslim leader in Chicago who was labeled a security risk and
barred from re-entering the United States last year.
Sabri Samirah, head of the United Muslim American Association, wanted
the
high court to allow him to return from his native Jordan, at least
temporarily. Samirah is contesting U.S. authorities' decision to turn
him
away as he attempted to return to the country after a visit to his
ailing
mother.
Samirah had lived in the United States for 15 years before he was
barred
from entering in January 2003. He is a Jordanian citizen whose wife is
employed in the United States, and the couple have three children who
are
U.S. citizens.
Federal officials have not specified why they consider Samirah a
threat,
but Samirah has pointed to his work to increase Muslim political
participation. Neither his court filing nor one filed by the Bush
administration detailed the alleged security threat or linked it to the
Sept. 11, 2001 terrorists attacks and the increased scrutiny of Middle
Easterners that followed.
The Bush administration argued in a court filing that Samirah had
violated
immigration laws and that a lower court correctly ruled that he could
not
challenge his treatment in the federal court system.
Samirah's lawyer argued that his client is being denied a way to fight
unfair treatment.
-----
FOR MUSLIMS, COURTSHIP ENABLED BY THE INTERNET
David Cho, Washington Post, 6/6/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18646-2004Jun5.html
WASHINGTON DC- Mukarram Shah wants to get married, but finding a spouse
has
been a challenge.
Like many Washington area singles, the 32-year-old Gaithersburg
resident
has a demanding job that leaves him with little time to socialize -- he
works 60 hours a week as a computer database engineer.
But the biggest obstacle to meeting eligible women is his religion. As
a
Muslim, Shah is not allowed to date. Islamic law forbids any kind of
physical intimacy between a man and a woman before marriage, as well as
any
rendezvous that could lead to such contact.
So how will he find love? Shah is pinning his hopes on Zawaj.com.
The Web site is one of dozens offering matchmaking services to Muslim
men
and women. For a monthly fee, the sites provide chat rooms where Muslim
singles can get to know each other without violating the teachings of
their
faith.
"Without these Web sites, what are my chances of meeting people? None,"
Shah said. "It's just a way to come across people with the [same]
religion
and culture. . . . It makes it easier. And obviously, you are not going
to
do any physical stuff."
Like other online dating services, the Muslim Web sites ask their
members
to post photos, biographical profiles and descriptions of what they are
looking for in a spouse. But instead of moving quickly to the dating
stage,
the user of a Muslim site typically spends weeks or months exchanging
comments online with a potential mate before deciding whether to seek a
meeting.
The next step is for the couple to meet in the presence of family
members,
friends or the leader of a mosque. If that goes well, they will set up
other chaperoned meetings that could lead to an engagement. They are
not
allowed to be alone together until after they are engaged…
ALSO SEE:
FAITH IN THE WORKPLACE
John J. Shaughnessy, Indianapolis Star, 6/5/04
http://www.indystar.com/articles/9/152398-3719-047.html
INDIANAPOLIS- Indianapolis firefighter Michael Saahir prays five times
a
day at work, finding quiet time by his bed at the fire station.
Bernie Lacy's family printing business hires a chaplain to talk to
employees about their lives.
Rachel McDuffee tries to follow Christ's way of caring for others in
her
treatment of employees at her Broad Ripple hair salon.
Then there is the unusual reminder of serving God that an Indianapolis
business owner created for himself: He pledged to give away more than
half
of the money he earned last year to charity, a commitment he kept by
donating about $900,000 for humanitarian projects.
"I've become increasingly aware that I need to serve Christ in all
areas of
my life, including my business," says the benefactor, who asked to
remain
anonymous. "I'm looking at the big picture down the road."
The four Indianapolis residents are part of a growing number of
Americans
from different religious backgrounds who are trying to make the faith
they
get on the weekend a constant part of their work lives through the
week.
"One way or another, people express their values through their work,"
says
Ray Hilbert, president of Truth@Work, a nonprofit Indianapolis
organization
that uses seminars, conferences and monthly programs to train employers
and
employees about keeping a Christian focus in the business world.
"Some will express their values through money, power, prestige and
control.
Others have this pent-up feeling of wanting to make the world a better
place and helping people focus on what's really important in life…"
Not everyone shares that belief...
---
MY HIJAB, MY SELF
Chrisanne Beckner, News & Review, 6-3-04
http://www.newsreview.com/issues/sacto/2004-06-03/News.asp
Muslim women are viewed in one of two ways, said a panelist at UC
Davis'
Muslim Women's Panel: They're considered oppressed and depressed, she
said,
or they're considered, especially by men in the West, to be sexually
exotic, "hiding unusual, bizarre sexual fantasies."
Neither assessment, argued the panelist, is accurate, and yet both
persist.
Dina El-Nakhal, a UC Davis graduate with degrees in civil engineering,
gave
an example she thought would illustrate all that is wrong with the way
Americans still view Muslim women who choose to cover their hair, their
necks and their chests with scarves, known as "hijabs," as a sign of
modesty.
In a political cartoon (responding to the photographs showing American
abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib), a bearded Muslim man sat on
his
couch reading a newspaper that had on its front page a picture of a
female
American soldier dragging a male Iraqi prisoner. The Muslim reading the
newspaper rested his feet on the back of a veiled woman on all fours
before
him. A thought bubble over this woman's head showed that she was
imagining
herself holding the leash and dragging her husband.
This, said El-Nakhal, herself veiled in a white hijab, was wrong in
many
ways. The cartoon assumed that Muslim men treated their women "like
doormats," said El-Nakhal. "Not true." Secondly, the cartoon assumed
that
Western women had the freedom to dominate men, a position the
cartoonist
assumed Muslim women would like to emulate. El-Nakhal found this
arrogant.
Finally, the cartoon seemed to suggest that it was OK to abuse Muslim
men
because they abused their women. That was dangerous...
The CAIR-California office recently released a report called "The
Status of
Muslim Civil Rights in California 2004," which claimed there were 221
complaints of discrimination against Muslims in California in 2003, a
233-percent increase over the previous year. The report included
"improved
reporting by community members" as a reason for the increase, along
with
the Iraq war and a "noticeable increase in anti-Muslim rhetoric."
Though few incidents were reported to the newly established Sacramento
office of CAIR, a list of representative incidents statewide included a
case from the Bay Area in which a school coach reportedly barred a
young
woman from a badminton team for wearing a hijab. Other incidents
include a
Muslim man who was severely beaten, threats to shoot Muslims scrawled
on
college campus walls, hate speech and vandalism...
-----
WOMAN DEPORTED TO VENEZUELA FINDS SUPPORT
Alexandra Olson, Associated Press, 6/5/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/aplatin_story.asp?category=1102&slug=Venezuela%20Deported%20Woman
VALENCIA- Two months after she was deported from the United States,
Amina
Silmi can't stop thinking about her three young children and wondering
whether she will ever see them again.
Rather than take the American-born children with her into a life of
almost
certain poverty in Venezuela, a place they have never been, Silmi chose
to
leave them in the care of her sister in Ohio.
"Each day I get more desperate," Silmi said in an interview with The
Associated Press at her lawyer's office.
"I go to sleep thinking of my kids and I wake up thinking of them," she
said, dissolving into tears.
U.S. immigration officials say Simli's deportation was justified
because
she had long been an illegal resident. But the case outraged the Muslim
community in Cleveland, the city she considers her home.
Now Venezuelans are also taking up her cause, agreeing with her that an
inflexible application of immigration laws broke up a family.
A local attorney has donated time to her case. Strangers have given her
a
place to stay in this drab industrial city. And the Roman Catholic
archbishop of Valencia is lobbying the U.S. government to reconsider.
All this in a country she hasn't called home for years...
CONTACT: CAIR, Cleveland Office, Julia A. Shearson, Director,
216-440-2247
or 216-830-2247
DONATIONS MAY BE SENT TO:
Amina Silmi Family Fund
c/o Jamila Jabr
P.O. Box 892
North Olmsted, OH 44070
Notify CAIR-Cleveland of any donations. E-mail: julia@cair-ohio.com
ALSO SEE:
WELCOME TO AMERICA
Guardian, 5/5/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1231089,00.html
When writer Elena Lappin flew to LA, she dreamed of a sunkissed,
laid-back
city. But that was before airport officials decided to detain her as a
threat to security...
Somewhere in central Los Angeles, about 20 miles from LAX airport,
there is
a nondescript building housing a detention facility for foreigners who
have
violated US immigration and customs laws. I was driven there around
11pm on
May 3, my hands painfully handcuffed behind my back as I sat crammed in
one
of several small, locked cages inside a security van. I saw glimpses of
night-time urban LA through the metal bars as we drove, and shadowy
figures
of armed security officers when we arrived, two of whom took me inside.
The
handcuffs came off just before I was locked in a cell behind a thick
glass
wall and a heavy door. No bed, no chair, only two steel benches about a
foot wide. There was a toilet in full view of anyone passing by, and of
the
video camera watching my every move. No pillow or blanket. A permanent
fluorescent light and a television in one corner of the ceiling. It
stayed
on all night, tuned into a shopping channel.
After 10 minutes in the hot, barely breathable air, I panicked. I don't
suffer from claustrophobia, but this enclosure triggered it. There was
no
guard in sight and no way of calling for help. I banged on the door and
the
glass wall. A male security officer finally approached and gave the
newly
arrived detainee a disinterested look. Our shouting voices were barely
audible through the thick door. "What do you want?" he yelled. I said I
didn't feel well. He walked away. I forced myself to calm down. I
forced
myself to use that toilet. I figured out a way of sleeping on the
bench, on
my side, for five minutes at a time, until the pain became unbearable,
then
resting in a sitting position and sleeping for another five minutes. I
told
myself it was for only one night.
As it turned out, I was to spend 26 hours in detention. My crime: I had
flown in earlier that day to research an innocuous freelance assignment
for
the Guardian, but did not have a journalist's visa.
Since September 11 2001, any traveller to the US is treated as a
potential
security risk. The Patriot Act, introduced 45 days after 9/11, contains
a
chapter on Protecting The Border, with a detailed section on Enhanced
Immigration Provision, in which the paragraph on Visa Security ...
---
DISAPPEARING MUSLIMS
Stuart Klawans, The Nation, 6/3/04
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=18860
When you go to the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, you
expect the screen to be a window onto the world. Feature-length
documentaries will outnumber fiction films - the ratio this year is 16
to 3
- and even in the latter category, fact will predominate over artifice.
You
will get glimpses into Israel and Palestine (Paradise Lost, One Shot),
Peru
(What the Eye Doesn't See), the two Koreas (Repatriation), India and
Pakistan (Born Into Brothels, For a Place Under the Heavens), Africa
(Liberia: An Uncivil War) or Iran (Leila); and however maddening,
disquieting, bracing or astonishing these views might be, you look
forward
to seeing them directly, as if through nothing more than a sheet of
glass.
What you might not expect - although you get it anyway in this
seventeenth
annual edition of the festival - is a riddle: When is a window not a
window?
The answer: When it's in Persons of Interest by Alison Maclean and
Tobias
Perse.
Persons of Interest addresses the cases of about a dozen of the Muslim
men
in the United States who were imprisoned after September 11, 2001, on
slight charges, if any at all, and held without trial for a year or
more.
You already know, of course, that our authorities shut away many people
back then for nothing more than being named Muhammad. You also know,
without believing a word of it, Attorney General Ashcroft's claim that
he
was rounding up only terrorists, or those who knew terrorists, or maybe
lived down the block from somebody whose second cousin knew someone.
But
unless you belonged to the family or legal team of a detainee, you
probably
do not know the name and face of anyone who was locked away, nor could
you
readily get such information on your own. Our government prefers not to
say
who, or how many, it held. (Human Rights Watch estimates the number at
more
than 5,000.) So Maclean and Perse have done us a valuable service by
showing some of these people and their families and letting us hear
their
stories. Window metaphors suggest themselves: The filmmakers have shone
a
light on the situation, or let in fresh air. And, sure enough, the
interviews take place in a bare room with whitewashed walls, with a
glowing
window niche at the left...
-----
PLANS FOR ORLANDO PARK MOSQUE BACKED AMID PROTESTS
Margie Ritchie, Chicago Tribune, 6/5/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/realestate/newhomes/chi-0406050223jun05,1,5781009.story
The shouts of "Sept. 11" from opponents of a proposed mosque in Orland
Park
were countered by those who said they just wanted a place to pray.
After two hours with a crowd of nearly 300 crammed into a Village Hall
boardroom late last month, the Planning and Economic Development
Committee
of the Village Board voted unanimously to endorse the golden-domed
mosque.
The proposal for the Orland Park Prayer Center now moves to the full
board,
which could vote as soon as June 21.
The mosque was proposed by Muslims in the community who want to worship
in
their hometown instead of having to travel to Bridgeview or Frankfort.
Though admonished by Trustee Brad O'Halloran to keep the dialogue
civil,
the crowd at the raucous meeting embarrassed some officials and
residents.
"This is not a reality TV event. Please be respectful of others,"
O'Halloran said.
Trustee Edward Schussler, who has been involved in village government
since
the 1970s, said after the meeting, "This is the most disturbing thing I
have seen in my time here."
Some of the more rowdy participants were escorted out by police. Others
invoked memories of the 2001 airline hijackings that led to the deaths
of
nearly 3,000 people at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in
Pennsylvania…
ALSO SEE:
ALDERMEN QUESTION MOSQUE'S LOCATION
Jorge Ribas, Pioneer Local, 6/3/04
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-story/localnews/current/rm/06-03-04-307157.html
For the time being, the future location of the Islamic Society of the
Northwest Suburbs remains unclear.
The group's proposed move from its present home at 3890 Industrial Ave.
in
Rolling Meadows to a larger location just down the street looks shaky
despite a positive recommendation from the city's Plan Commission.
During the May 25 Rolling Meadows City Council meeting, several
aldermen
expressed disapproval of a proposed ordinance that would allow the
society,
which was established in 1983, to move to and operate at 3950
Industrial
Ave. within an M1 manufacturing district.
By a 4-3 council vote, aldermen added an amendment to the society's
request
that would allow places of worship to operate in a manufacturing
district,
but the council has not made a final decision about the mosque's
request.
Alderman Tom Rooney, 4th Ward, said that while he would love to help
the
group, he did not think the City Council should amend the zoning text
for
manufacturing districts to allow the society, as well as other faith
groups, to move into manufacturing districts.
"Allowing the group to move into an M1 district is not something the
council should be doing," he said. "We should be doing what we can to
help
these groups within what the law says."
Earlier in May, the Plan Commission conducted a public hearing and
recommended to the City Council that the Islamic group be granted a
special
use permit to operate in a manufacturing district. The society is
already
located within a manufacturing district, but city officials said
allowing
the mosque to operate in the district apparently resulted from a
misunderstanding that needs to be corrected if the society moves...
---
MA: MUSLIMS LEASE SITE IN CAMBRIDGE FOR SCHOOL
Angelica Medaglia, Boston Globe, 6/3/04
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/06/03/muslims_lease_site_in_cambridge_for_school/
An Islamic school is expected to open next school year in the Boston
area,
but not in Medford, one of the sites that had been considered for the
school.
The Muslim American Society, which had proposed converting the former
Hervey School in Medford into a pre-kindergarten through Grade 6
school,
has leased a two-floor office building on Prospect Street in Cambridge
and
hopes to start with preschool and kindergarten programs this fall.
The building is much smaller than the former Hervey School. ''It's not
our
first choice," said Christina Tobias-Nahi, one of the parents involved.
''But we don't have a choice, and we want to get started."
With less than four months to prepare the new school, Tobias-Nahi and
others are working to hire a director and teachers, including someone
who
can teach Arabic to the children. They also have to obtain permits from
Cambridge's Building Department and the state's Department of Education
to
open the preschool.
The new school will be called Al-Bustan, which means ''the garden" in
Arabic, and would become the ninth private school for Muslim children
in
the state. In Greater Boston, it would be the second, after the Boston
Islamic School in Roxbury. Northwest of Boston, the closest other
school is
the Islamic Academy for Peace in Methuen.
The organizers' attempt to create a school in Medford triggered intense
debate over the use of the former school. The building was sold last
month
to a condominium developer...
-----
A TYRANNY OF CHOICE FOR CANADA'S MUSLIMS
Riad Saloojee, Ottawa Citizen, 6/7/04
http://www.canada.com/search/story.html?id=41de9810-5150-4320-9c30-8e5cd59424d8
OTTAWA - For as long as I can remember, the choice between political
candidates and parties has never been this confusing. Even though
candidates will likely try to be everything to everyone in the coming
weeks, this election poses a real dilemma for Canadian Muslims and what
seems to be their newfound political consciousness.
Welcome to Election 2004 and, for some, a tyranny of choice.
Comprising over 44 different ethnicities and hailing from diverse
social,
cultural and political communities, Canadian Muslims are a complex and
class-divided demographic. Landed and professional communities have
historically gravitated toward the Liberals, seen as
immigrant-friendly,
committed to multiculturalism, and the poster party for stability and
middle-of-the-road politics. But in this election, a number of issues
are
stirring in the political pot.
Post-9/11 has been a catalyst for many Canadian Muslims. There is an
emerging realization among them that complacency, apathy and a mindset
of
victimization are their greatest enemies. If they do not speak up, no
one
will speak up on their behalf. And, like many Canadians, they are
concerned
about issues such as health care, education, child care, employment,
immigration and taxes. It is vitally important that Canadian Muslims
not
become fixated, as in the past, on international issues only.
Canadian Muslims have been directly affected by security legislation
and,
as such, can contribute toward the evolution of social justice by
demanding
safeguards against abuses carried out in the name of security. Many
ethnic
groups have gone through similar trials in Canada and, by fighting
discrimination, each has emerged with its role further entrenched in
the
Canadian mosaic.
Riad Saloojee is the executive director of the Canadian Council on
American-Islamic Relations...
CAIR-CAN
Council on American-Islamic Relations CANADA
P.O. Box 13219, Ottawa, ONT, K2K 1X4
Tel: 1-866-524-0004
Fax: 613-254-9810
URL: www.caircan.ca
ALSO SEE:
BLURRING THE LINE BETWEEN SECURITY AND CIVIL RIGHTS
Jeff Lee, Vancouver Sun, 6/4/04
http://www.canada.com/search/story.html?id=7dbc0684-6916-4f51-b4ce-137e22fcd68f
VANCOUVER- This month the judge heading the public inquiry into the
federal
government's handling of the Maher Arar case will get a taste of just
where
the line is between public security and an individual's civil rights.
What Judge Dennis O'Connor is likely to discover is that the line in
these
post 9/11 days is a lot more blurred to security forces such as the
Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the RCMP than it is to
people
like Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian who claims he was tortured in a
Syrian
jail after being deported there by U.S. authorities.
Why Arar was not turned over to Canadian officials when he was stopped
by
U.S. border officials in New York in 2002 after a vacation to Tunisia
has
never been adequately answered. That is the subject of O'Connor's
inquiry
and a $400-million lawsuit by Arar.
What the Arar case does throw into sharp relief once again is the
frailty
of Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the civil liberties
Canadians believe they enjoy.
Roy Miki knows a lot about just how tenuous Canadians' civil rights
really are…
"Given Sept. 11 and the gutting of fundamental rights and freedoms by
the
anti-terrorism bill, and the instances of racial profiling that have
arisen
since then, most notably the Maher Arar case, that's created a climate
of
anxiety among Canadian Muslims," Saloojee said in an interview from
Ottawa.
"It's safe to say that many Canadian Muslims live and work in the
shadow of
Maher Arar and people are generally fearful that what happened to him
might
well happen to them…"
---
MUSLIMS AND ARABS SEEK NEW PROFILE
Stanley Allison, Los Angeles Times, 6/6/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ocarab6jun06,1,5532624.story
ANAHEIM- Saying that they have been ignored or smeared by stereotypical
images for years, more than 50 leaders in Anaheim's Arab American and
American Muslim communities met Saturday to promote their contributions
to
the city's diversity.
"The city has done a poor job of reaching out to ethnic groups," said
City
Councilman Richard Chavez, who sponsored the gathering.
"There wasn't the political will to learn about their culture and the
benefit they bring to the city."
Saturday's exchange, he said, could be a step toward changing that.
"This is a start," Chavez said. "These meetings will empower the
community
itself to take a leadership role."
The gathering was organized by Nahla Kayali, founding director of
Access
California Services, a resource center that serves Anaheim's Arabs and
Muslims. She and others said they were encouraged that Chavez, Orange
County Supervisor Chris Norby, and Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Anaheim)
stopped
by to offer support…
Both Arabs and Muslims must "get involved in the American way of life,"
said Nadia Saad Bettendorf, an educator and a commissioner with the
Orange
County Human Relations Commission….
"If we don't build coalitions, we are not going to succeed," she said.
"If
we don't talk about ourselves, we are not going to succeed.
"We have to stop ... saying they are against us…"
-----
THE DOG DAYS OF THE WAR PARTY
Patrick J. Buchanan, Antiwar.com, 6/7/04
http://www.antiwar.com/pat/?articleid=2759
WASHINGTON DC- Fourteen months ago, after the 3rd Infantry Division and
Marines swept into Baghdad, Washington was at the feet of the
neoconservatives who had been plotting and propagandizing for an
invasion
for years.
A celebratory breakfast was held at the American Enterprise Institute
think
tank, where William Kristol, Richard Perle and Michael Ledeen held
forth in
a spirit of joyous anticipation of wars and victories to come. At a
dinner
party at the vice president's mansion, Kenneth ("Cakewalk") Adelman,
Lewis
I. "Scooter" Libby, Cheney's chief of staff, and Paul Wolfowitz toasted
one
another and the president. As the '60s song went, "Those were the days,
my
friend, we thought they'd never end."
Now, enmeshed in a guerrilla war, Americans are demanding to know who
told
us we would be welcomed with garlands of flowers. Who said our troops
would
come home in a year? Who said democracy would flourish across the Arab
world? Who misled us about the weapons of mass destruction? Who lied us
into war?
But the neocons may be facing problems more serious than entering the
history books alongside the Whiz Kids of the McNamara era who got it
wrong
in Vietnam and left 58,000 behind. Some War Party leaders may see
careers
cashiered and reputations ruined.
According to The New York Times, U.S. intelligence officials claim that
Ahmad Chalabi informed the top Iranian agent in Baghdad that the
Americans
had broken their top secret code and were reading their messages to
Tehran.
Chalabi reportedly told his Iranian contact he got this intel from a
high
American official who was drunk.
According to writer Sidney Blumenthal, the FBI is now visiting AEI to
interrogate scholars in residence to learn who leaked word we had
broken
the Iranian code - to Chalabi, who is emerging as the Alger Hiss of the
neoconservatives…
-----
DESPITE AGREEMENT, INSURGENTS RULE FALLUJAH
Daniel Williams, Washington Post Foreign Service, 6/7/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20761-2004Jun6.html
FALLUJAH - The travelers entered Fallujah first through a checkpoint
operated by the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, a U.S.-trained paramilitary
unit
meant to add muscle to the American-led occupation. The men in black
berets
distractedly waved cars past, onto the city's main street.
Then it became apparent who was really in charge. A few yards in,
wild-eyed
young men in masks pulled cars over at will, searched them and demanded
identification documents. No one could leave or enter without passing
muster. Other groups of fighters in masks roamed side streets and
alleys,
brandishing rifles at all sorts of angles.
It was not supposed to be like this. Under an agreement made last month
with U.S. Marine commanders, a new force called the Fallujah Brigade,
led
by former officers from Saddam Hussein's demobilized army, was to
safeguard
the city. The unruly gunmen -- many of them insurgents who battled the
Marines through most of April -- were supposed to give way to Iraqi
police
and civil defense units.
Instead, the brigade stays outside of town in tents, the police cower
in
their patrol cars and the civil defense force nominally occupies
checkpoints on the city's fringes but exerts no influence over the
masked
insurgents who operate only a few yards away…
ALSO SEE:
IRAQIS PAYING 5 CENTS A GALLON FOR GAS
Jim Krane, Associated Press, 6/5/04
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040606/ap_on_bi_ge/iraq_cheap_gas_4
BAGHDAD- While Americans are shelling out record prices for fuel,
Iraqis
pay only about 5 cents a gallon for gasoline - a benefit of hundreds of
millions of dollars subsidies bankrolled by American taxpayers.
Before the war, forecasters predicted that by invading Iraq (news - web
sites) and ousting Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), America would
benefit
from increased exports of oil from Iraq, which has the world's second
largest petroleum reserves.
That would mean cheap gas for American motorists and a boost for the
oil-dependent American economy.
More than a year after the invasion, that logic has been flipped on its
head. Now the average price for gasoline in the United States is
running
$2.05 a gallon - 50 cents more than the pre-invasion price.
Instead, the only people getting cheap gas as a result of the invasion
are
the Iraqis…
-----
MUSLIMS HERE TAKE A STAND AGAINST TERROR
Amelia Buragas, Madison.com, 6/5/04
http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=tct:2004:06:05:374829:METRO
MADISON- Madison Muslims spoke out Friday evening against terrorism.
Salih Erschen of the Madison Muslim Dawa Circle read from an
"anti-terror
pact" put out by the group and the Muslim Student Association. Erschen
said
he was prompted to write the pact because he is frequently asked why
Muslims aren't more vocal against terrorism.
The statement said that terrorism is forbidden in Islam, and Erschen
says
he hopes this will ease any anxiety caused by the government's recent
announcement of an "imminent act of terror."
"We hope we will reach into the households of people who have anxiety
right
now," Erschen said. "We are trying to get out and offer an
understanding of
Islam, help them understand that they are not in harm's way."
Sitting next to Erschen was Khalil York, who represents the growing
Muslim
population in Madison. York converted to Islam from Christianity last
September, after discovering the religion in prison. He said he was
looking
for something to change his life, and after researching and studying
the
faith, he converted.
"It's had a very big impact on my family," York said. "It has brought
us
closer together."
But York said being a Muslim also comes with difficulties. People joke
he
has a bomb in his briefcase. He said this happened two or three times
and
is "definitely enough to make you uncomfortable."
When York told his mother, Ricayo Starks, he had changed faiths from
Christianity to Islam, she say she thought it was a phase.
"Honestly, at first I was like yeah, whatever," Starks said. "I didn't
think it would actually bring the family back together."
But York said she noticed the change in her son - he stopped drinking
and
doing drugs and stayed out of trouble…
-----
MOSQUE AND STATE IN TURKEY
New York Times, 6/7/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/06/opinion/06SUN3.html
When looking for hopeful signs that Islam and democracy can indeed
coexist,
the international community turns to Turkey. So it was a disappointment
recently when Turkey's president vetoed a law that would grant
graduates of
religious high schools equal access to the nation's secular
universities.
The veto is a setback to religious freedom and equal opportunity in
Turkey,
preconditions for a flourishing democracy. That said, the debate over
education reform is itself encouraging as it engages the central
problem of
Turkish democracy -- how to build an inclusive secular state when the
majority's religion, as interpreted and practiced in much of the world,
does not recognize a separation of mosque and state.
The education bill was passed by the conservative, Islamist-leaning
majority in Turkey's Parliament, in power since 2002. It was opposed by
Turkey's staunchly secular elite, a group that includes the military
and
has long dominated virtually all walks of Turkish life.
This elite fears that religiously trained university graduates may
become a
farm team for conservative, even fundamentalist, political parties. But
in
their fear, they run the risk of undermining Turkey's democracy. More
secular education, not less, is the best protection from
fundamentalism.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who graduated from a religious
school
himself and supports the education reform, assumed office in 2003 on a
wave
of popular support but under a cloud of suspicion for his Islamist
roots.
Those fears have proved unfounded. Mr. Erdogan has worked hard to
prepare
Turkey for talks on joining the European Union, and displayed skillful
diplomacy on Cyprus.
When the education reform was passed in May, Turkish financial markets
dropped on fears that the military might intervene to defend the
secular
order. The worst didn't happen. The president vetoed the bill on
legalistic
grounds and the ruling party plans to redraft the proposal.
The issue needs addressing. Turkey's 536 religious schools are
coeducational and, with the exception of Koran study, teach the same
curriculum as nonreligious schools. Their 64,500 students are as much
Turkey's future as are the sons and daughters of the secular elite.
-----
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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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION SURVEY - JUNE 2004
As-salaamu alaykum: (peace be with you)
ACTION REQUESTED: National Islamic organizations need community
feedback to
accurately reflect Muslim views and concerns in the 2004 elections.
Please
take a few minutes to fill out the survey below. (All responses are
confidential.) Please print out this form for distribution in your
local
Islamic center or organization. Also post it on Muslim e-mail lists and
forward to personal e-mail addresses of Muslim friends and associates.
(NOTE: As a tax-exempt organization, CAIR does not endorse candidates,
but
does encourage voter registration and voting.)
May Allah bless you for your time and effort.
-----
RETURN TO:
E-MAIL: survey@cair-net.org
FAX: 202-488-0833
MAIL: CAIR Survey, 453 New Jersey Avenue, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20003
-----
1. Are you Muslim?
___ Yes
___ No
2. Are you an American citizen eligible to vote?
___ Yes
___ No
3. Are you registered to vote or will you register in time for the
November
election?
___ Yes
___ No
4. Do you plan to vote in the November election?
___ Yes
___ No
___ Not sure
5. If you voted today, which presidential candidate would you most
likely
vote for?
___ George Bush
___ John Kerry
___ Ralph Nader
___ Not sure
___ Other - Specify: ________________
6. Which political party most closely reflects your views on public
policy
issues?
___ Republican Party
___ Democratic Party
___ Green Party
___ Reform Party
___ Libertarian
___ None of the above
___ Other - Specify: _______________
7. Did you vote in the 2000 presidential election?
___ Yes
___ No
8. Who did you vote for?
___ George Bush
___ Al Gore
___ Ralph Nader
___ Other - Specify: ________________
9. Have you ever voted in state or local elections? (Excluding
presidential
and congressional races.)
___ Yes
___ No
10. Which DOMESTIC issue is most important to you in determining who to
vote for in the presidential election? __________________________
11. Which INTERNATIONAL issue is most important to you in determining
who
to vote for in the presidential election? __________________________
12. Do you feel more or less secure as a result of America’s invasion
of
Iraq?
___ More secure
___ Less secure
___ Don’t know
13. Are you better off now than you were four years ago?
___ Yes
___ No
___ Not sure
14. What is the single most important thing any PRESIDENT could do to
improve America’s image in the Muslim world?
_____________________________________________
15. What is the single most important thing AMERICAN MUSLIMS can do to
improve Islam’s image in the United States?
_____________________________________________
16. What is your ethnic heritage?
___ African-American
___ Arabic speaking world
___ South Asian (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc.)
___ East Asian (Malaysia, Indonesia, etc.)
___ Sub Saharan/East African (Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, etc.)
___ West African (Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, etc.)
___ Central Asian (Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, etc.)
___ European-American
___ Hispanic/Latino
___ Turkish
___ Iranian
___ Other - Specify: ___________________________
17. In which state do you live? _________________
18. You are:
___ Male
___ Female
19. How often do you attend a mosque?
___ More than once a week
___ Once a week
___ Infrequently
___ Not at all
20. In the last year, have you experienced anti-Muslim bias or
discrimination?
___ Yes
___ No
21. Living in America, do you feel free to practice your faith?
___ Yes
___ No
22. On a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is poor performance and 10 is
excellent performance, you would rate CAIR's performance as: ______
23. The thing you like most about CAIR's work is:
24. The area of CAIR's work that needs improvement is:
PLEASE FORWARD A BLANK COPY OF THIS SURVEY TO FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES.
-----
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http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .
Forwarded Message
Date:
Tue, 08 Jun 2004 16:06:36 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Bans on Torture Didn't Bind Bush/Bias Alleged at BK
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/8/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: BE A KEY FOR GOOD
* VA: CAIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY PICNIC 6/13
- Library Project Sponsorships: 7530
* LAWYERS DECIDED BANS ON TORTURE DIDN'T BIND BUSH (NY Times)
- Nudity Is Seen As a Pervasive Pattern (NY Times)
* NY: 4 ALLEGE BIAS AT NY BURGER KING (Poughkeepsie News)
- AZ: Mid-East Enrollment Plunges at ASU (State Press)
- MN: Somalis Turned Away From Taxi Driving Jobs (MPR)
- NY: Sikh Begins Work at Subway Yard (Newsday)
* CAIR RESPONDS TO DANIEL PIPES (CNS News)
* MI: TERROR TRIAL PROSECUTOR FACES PROBE (Detroit News)
- CA: 4 Iranians Challenge Detention (LA Times)
- IL: Muslim Leader's Appeal Is Denied (Chicago Trib)
- OH: Judge Invalidates Search of Iman's Home (News 5)
- OH: Damra Didn't Promote Violence (Plain Dealer)
* STARK REALITY OF ISRAELI 'APARTHEID STATE' (KC Star)
- NY: Imam Devotes Himself to Building Bridges (Newsday)
* CITIES SAY NO TO THE PATRIOT ACT (Wired News)
* TURKEY RECALLS AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL (AP)
* SENEGALESE VOCALIST EXPLORES ISLAM (AJC)
* GENITAL CUTTING LOSING FAVOR IN AFRICA (NY Times)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: BE A KEY FOR GOOD
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Wealth consists of
various
kinds of treasures, and those treasures (all) have keys. Blessed is the
man
whom God has made a key for good and a lock for evil."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1366
-----
CAIR 10TH ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY PICNIC 6/13 IN VA
CAIR invites you and your family to our 10th anniversary community
picnic
to be held on Sunday, June 13, at Lake Accotink Park in Springfield,
Va.
SEE: http://www.co.fairfax.va.us/parks/accotink
ADMISSION IS FREE BUT REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. HALAL MEAT PROVIDED BY
MIDAMAR.
For more details, or to register, please e-mail irahman@cair-net.org or
call 202-488-8787, ext. 6050.
ALSO SEE:
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7530 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
-----
LAWYERS DECIDED BANS ON TORTURE DIDN'T BIND BUSH
Neil A. Lewis and Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 6/8/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/08/politics/08ABUS.html
WASHINGTON - A team of administration lawyers concluded in a March 2003
legal memorandum that President Bush was not bound by either an
international treaty prohibiting torture or by a federal antitorture
law
because he had the authority as commander in chief to approve any
technique
needed to protect the nation's security.
The memo, prepared for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, also said
that
any executive branch officials, including those in the military, could
be
immune from domestic and international prohibitions against torture for
a
variety of reasons.
One reason, the lawyers said, would be if military personnel believed
that
they were acting on orders from superiors "except where the conduct
goes so
far as to be patently unlawful."
"In order to respect the president's inherent constitutional authority
to
manage a military campaign," the lawyers wrote in the 56-page
confidential
memorandum, the prohibition against torture "must be construed as
inapplicable to interrogation undertaken pursuant to his
commander-in-chief
authority..."
ALSO SEE:
FORCED NUDITY OF IRAQI PRISONERS IS SEEN AS A PERVASIVE PATTERN
Kate Zernike and David Rohde, New York Times, 6/8/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/08/international/middleeast/08NAKE.html
In the weeks since photographs of naked detainees set off the abuse
scandal
at Abu Ghraib, military officials have portrayed the sexual humiliation
captured in the images as the isolated acts of a rogue night shift.
But forced nudity of prisoners was pervasive in the military
intelligence
unit of Abu Ghraib, so much so that soldiers later said they had not
seen
"the whole nudity thing," as one captain called it, as abusive or out
of
the ordinary.
While there have been reports of forced nakedness at detention
facilities
in Afghanistan and at Guant�namo Bay, Cuba, the practice was apparently
far
more aggressive at Abu Ghraib, according to interviews, reports from
human
rights groups and sworn statements from detainees and soldiers. The
detainees said leaving prisoners naked started as far back as last
July,
three months before the seven soldiers now charged and their military
police company arrived at the prison. It bred a culture, some soldiers
say,
where the abuse captured on film could happen.
Detainees were paraded naked past other prisoners and guards; some were
ordered to do jumping jacks and sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in the
nude, according to a several witnesses. Also, a father and his grown
son
were stripped, then forced to stand and stare at each other. The
International Committee of the Red Cross, visiting in October, found
prisoners left naked in their cells for days, modestly trying to shield
themselves behind cardboard from meals-ready-to-eat boxes.
It is not clear how the practice emerged and, if it was official
policy,
exactly who authorized it. Col. Thomas M. Pappas, the military
intelligence
officer in charge of interrogations at the prison, told Army
investigators
that detainees might be stripped and shackled for questioning, but not
without "good reason." When Red Cross monitors expressed alarm about
prisoners being left in their cells or forced to move about naked, they
said military intelligence officials "confirmed that it was part of the
military intelligence process…"
-----
NY: 4 ALLEGE BIAS AT FISHKILL BURGER KING
Craig Wolf, Poughkeepsie Journal, 6/7/04
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/today/business/stories/bu060804s1.shtml
POUGHKEEPSIE- Daniel Fakhoury and his daughter, Laila, stand by their
restaurant, Woodstock Kitchen, recently in the Town of Poughkeepsie.
Daniel
Fakhoury claims bias by a supervisor at his previous job.
Daniel Fakhoury's stimulus for buying his own fast-food restaurant was
an
unusual one. He got fired, after a long career of managing restaurants
owned by others, and bought the Woodstock Kitchen in the Town of
Poughkeepsie.
His side of the story: It all started after Sept. 11, 2001, when
relations
chilled with his boss of 13 years. There were some disputes over
policy.
And one day in October 2002 at the Fishkill Burger King, Fakhoury says,
his
boss screamed at him and said, ''You're cheating me, you're stealing
from
me, you're all (expletive) Arabs! Get out of here!''
This led to a lawsuit filed on behalf of him and three other employees
by
the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission at the end of
March.
The commission alleges their former employers violated the Civil Rights
Act
of 1964 by discriminating on the basis of national origin, that being
Arabic or Middle Eastern. Burger King itself is not involved in the
suit.
The defendants Quick Quality Restaurant Inc. of Edison, N.J., and Candu
Management Inc. of Lake Carmel, Putnam County, have yet to reply to the
commission's complaint, but their attorney Ken Nowak of Newark, N.J.,
said
they deny the charge. Nowak declined further comment.
David Sutz, the manager whom Fakhoury says fired the four, could not be
reached Monday...
ALSO SEE:
AZ: MIDDLE EASTERN ENROLLMENT PLUNGES AT ASU
Christian Palmer, State Press, 6/8/04
http://www.statepress.com/news/2004/06/08/SpecialReports/Middle.Eastern.Enrollment.Plunges.At.Asu-684792.shtml
Previous President of the Muslim Student Association Hassan al-Rafae
says
he and his three roommates awoke early on April 15, 2003, to find FBI
agents who asked to search their apartment for suspected firearms. No
arrests were made, and no firearms were found
The number of students from Middle Eastern countries attending ASU has
dropped significantly since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade
Center
and the Pentagon almost three years ago.
Students are having more difficulty obtaining visas to study in the
United
States, and those who are admitted face greater scrutiny, students and
officials say.
Members of ASU's Muslim Student Association say the scrutiny, which
ranges
from long waits to enter the country to visits by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, has produced a sense of fear.
"There is a general sense of apprehension and paranoia," said Nazeefe
Ebrahim, former president of the Muslim Student Association…
---
ST. CLOUD SOMALIS TURNED AWAY FROM TAXI DRIVING JOBS
Annie Baxter, Minnesota Public Radio, 6/7/04
http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2004/06/07_baxtera_somalitaxi/
ST. CLOUD- If anyone was born to drive taxis, it was Mohamoud Mohamed.
He's
a neatly dressed man with a goatee and wire-rimmed glasses. Over a
coffee
at a popular Somali hangout in St. Cloud, he speaks of his "calling" to
the
profession…
Mohamed drove taxis while he attended a university in Mogadishu. He
went on
to work as an accountant at one of the largest sugar cane companies in
Africa. When war broke out in Somalia, Mohamed fled to Minnesota. He
eventually began his current work as a liaison to Somali refugees…
But all his driving experience didn't seem to impress St. Cloud's
Yellow
Cab company. Mohamed applied there for a job to make some extra money.
He
says he followed up on his application several times. Eventually he was
told it just wasn't a good time to hire him.
He says the hiring manager didn't invoke any city ordinances, like the
one
forbidding immigrants from driving taxis.
"I cannot say why I couldn't get it," he asserts. "I can read the map,
I
can challenge to show that I know as much as the people who are born
here.
But they did not give me that chance…"
---
NY: SIKH BEGINS WORK AT SUBWAY YARD
Joshua Robin, Newsday, 6/8/04
http://www.newsday.com/mynews/ny-nysikh083840660jun08,0,5940581.story
A Sikh subway operator recently reassigned after refusing to remove his
turban began work yesterday at a train yard.
"It seems like I'm second class," said Kevin Harrington, a former No. 4
train driver who was told by a supervisor earlier this month that
wearing a
turban violates NYC Transit policy on uniforms.
"It's as though I'm the house leper," Harrington said.
Harrington, 53, of the Bronx, became a Sikh more than 25 years ago
after a
Roman Catholic childhood. The religion requires adherents to wear a
turban
and refrain from shaving or cutting one's hair.
Over Harrington's objections, the supervisor moved the 25-year NYC
Transit
veteran to detail in subway yards, which offers less money in overtime
and
is considered less prestigious. The supervisor would not tell him why,
but
he suspects NYC Transit brass want him out of passengers' sight.
"Because of my religion, they don't want anyone to see me," Harrington
said
from a pay phone at the Mosholu Yard in the Bronx, where he spent the
day
readying trains for service.
He and officials with Local 100 of the Transport Workers Union are
considering a lawsuit to get his old job back.
-----
CAIR RESPONDS TO DANIEL PIPES
CNS News, 6/7/04
http://www.cnsnews.com/letterstotheeditor/letters_archive/2004/letters20040607.asp
(Scroll Down.)
"Daniel Pipes' embarrassingly transparent attempt to mislead readers
about
my views demonstrates once again the fundamental dishonesty of his
approach
to debate and disagreement. In a recent commentary on the detention of
an
Oregon Muslim who has been cleared of accusations that he was involved
in
the Madrid bombings, Pipes wrote: 'Even Ibrahim Hooper of the Council
on
American-Islamic Relations admits that 'no Muslim is more than six
degrees
away from terrorism.'("'If You Are Muslim, You Are Suspect,'" June 1)
SEE: 'If You Are Muslim, You Are Suspect'
http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewCommentary.asp?Page=\Commentary\archive\200406\COM20040601a.html
This demonstrable lie is so easily refuted that one has to wonder why
Pipes
would feel the need to employ it as part of his argument in favor of
profiling American Muslims. Here is how the New York Times actually
quoted
me in a May 26 article about the mistaken arrest of Brandon Mayfield:
'... the (FBI) affidavit said, Mr. Mayfield was seen driving from his
home
to the Bilal mosque, his regular place of worship. That mosque, said
officials with the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, had been
under
surveillance, but the FBI's mention of his attendance at the mosque as
a
justification for his arrest infuriated Muslim groups.
'I'd be surprised if there's a mosque in the country that hasn't come
under
scrutiny these days," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on
American-Islamic Relations in Washington. 'It becomes the whole Kevin
Bacon
game - no Muslim is more than six degrees away from terrorism."
For the uninitiated, the popular parlor game referenced in the New York
Times quote attempts to link otherwise unconnected individuals with the
actor Kevin Bacon. Its entire premise is that the people mentioned in
the
beginning of the game have no actual connection to the actor.
Perhaps Pipes' willingness to distort the truth so brazenly is just
another
indication of both the emptiness of his arguments and the sad state of
his
personal ethics."
Ibrahim Hooper
National communications director for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, Washington, D.C.
-----
TERROR TRIAL PROSECUTOR FACES CRIMINAL PROBE
David Shepardson, Detroit News, 6/8/04
http://www.detnews.com/2004/metro/0406/08/a01-177034.htm
DETROIT - The U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal
investigation
of the lead prosecutor in the 2003 Detroit terrorism trial.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard G. Convertino is the subject of the
3-month-old probe by the department's public integrity section. It
stems
from a court-ordered review of all documents in the case that led to
the
conviction of two men on terror charges…
Convertino's lawyer, William Sullivan, predicted the review will turn
up
nothing.
"I am confident that no investigative avenue to be pursued by the
public
integrity section will lead in any way toward Mr. Convertino, except to
verify that he was a responsible prosecutor pursuing the cause of
justice,"
Sullivan said.
A federal judge is considering whether to toss out the verdicts in the
nation's first post-September 11 terrorism trial, due to misconduct by
the
prosecution. That would be a serious blow to the Bush administration,
which
touted the verdicts.
In June 2003, two North African immigrants, Karim Koubriti and
Abdel-ilah
Elmardoudi, were convicted of providing material support to terrorists,
stemming from a raid of a southwest Detroit apartment Sept. 17, 2001.
Agents found three men with phony IDs, expired airport security badges
and
a day planner with a sketch of what the government said were potential
targets.
The criminal inquiry involving Convertino is one of two separate
investigations into the terrorism trial.
In December, U.S. District Judge Gerald E. Rosen criticized Convertino
for
failing to turn over two pieces of evidence to defense lawyers,
including a
letter from a convicted drug dealer who raised questions about a key
witness's credibility.
As a result, Rosen ordered government prosecutors to conduct a thorough
review of all documents in the terror case, to ensure that defense
lawyers
got all material to which they were entitled. On March 28, The Detroit
News
reported the government had turned over more than 100 documents to
Rosen,
including many relating to key witness Youssef Hmimssa. Since then,
additional documents have been turned over…
Convertino, in turn, filed a lawsuit against U.S. Attorney General John
Ashcroft and Collins on Feb. 9, accusing the pair and other government
lawyers of "gross mismanagement" of the war on terrorism and illegally
leaking the internal investigation and the name of a confidential FBI
informant…
ALSO SEE:
4 IRANIANS CHALLENGE DETENTION
H.G. Reza, Los Angeles Times, 6/7/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/los_angeles_metro/la-me-detain7jun07,1,2463167.story
LOS ANGELES - Locked up more than two years as a security threat and
accused of supporting terrorists, four Iranian brothers are challenging
Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft's decision to hold them without bail in a case
their attorney said stemmed from "post-9/11 hysteria."
The Mirmehdi brothers - Mohammed, Mostafa, Mohsen and Mojtaba, who once
worked as real estate agents in the San Fernando Valley - have been in
custody since Oct. 2, 2001. U.S. officials wanted to deport them, but
immigration judges intervened, finding that they would be persecuted if
forced to return.
An immigration appeals court ruled that they were subject to mandatory
detention under a provision of the Patriot Act, though they have not
been
charged with terrorism...
Immigration authorities arrested the Mirmehdis after the FBI
investigated a
MEK cell in Los Angeles. The only witness at their detention hearing
was an
FBI agent who testified by telephone that informants told him the
Mirmehdis
were supporters of MEK, according to court records.
Federal investigators have not produced any evidence to show the
Mirmehdis
were MEK members, not even after a government informant testified that
he
recorded between 200 and 300 conversations with cell members, according
to
court records and attorney Marc Van Der Hout, who is representing the
brothers.
---
MUSLIM LEADER'S APPEAL IS DENIED
Jon Yates, Chicago Tribune, 6/8/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0406080029jun08,1,6850181.story
More than a year after the federal government barred local Muslim
leader
Sabri Samirah from re-entering the country for security reasons, the
Supreme Court has refused to hear his appeal, effectively ending his
fight
to return to the United States.
Samirah, head of the United Muslim American Association in Palos
Heights,
had traveled to his home country of Jordan to visit his sick mother.
When
he tried to return to the U.S. in January 2003, immigration officials
refused to let him come back, saying he posed a threat.
Samirah, 37, said Monday that the Supreme Court's decision not to hear
his
case is an example of the Muslim community being oppressed by the
justice
system.
"I challenge the government to bring any proof of any real threat that
I am
against the national security," Samirah said in a telephone interview.
"If
the government had any shred of evidence against me, they would have
used
it..."
---
OH: JUDGE INVALIDATES SEARCH OF INDICTED IMAN'S HOME
News Channel 5, 6/8/04
http://www.newsnet5.com/news/3395534/detail.html
CLEVELAND -- It's a setback for the government in the federal case
against
an Islamic cleric in Cleveland.
A judge has ruled that FBI agents illegally searched the home of Imam
Fawaz
Mohammed Damra in Strongsville last January.
The judge says items seized in their search cannot be used at his trial
beginning next week in Akron. Damra is charged with concealing alleged
terrorist ties from his citizenship application.
Prosecutor James Moroney says no decision has been made on whether to
appeal the judge's ruling.
---
DAMRA DIDN'T PROMOTE VIOLENCE, DEFENSE EXPERT SAYS AT HEARING
John Caniglia, Plain Dealer, 6/8/04
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1086687048191652.xml
A defense expert for Fawaz Damra says the indicted imam did not try to
incite violence in the early 1990s when he screamed at fund-raisers to
destroy Jews.
Instead, Damra simply wanted to support the resistance to Israel's
occupation of land claimed by Palestinians, the expert said.
Scott Alexander's testimony provided the first hint Monday of Damra's
defense to charges of lying on his immigration forms because of his
past
ties to terrorism. Damra is to go on trial next week in a case that
appears
to focus on several tapes made of his speeches.
If convicted, the leader of the Islamic Center of Greater Cleveland
could
face a maximum of five years in prison and deportation.
Federal prosecutors James Moroney and Cherie Krigsman say the videos
that
captured Damra's words show he was a radical Islamic militant who
sought
donors for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad before he obtained citizenship
in
April 1994.
Alexander, a Chicago researcher in Mideast studies, disagrees. A judge
will
decide whether his testimony will be permitted at trial...
-----
CHRISTIANS SHOULD FOCUS ON PEACE
Dick Phalen, Kansas City Star, 6/8/04
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/8863916.htm
I recently joined Christians from 31 countries at a conference in
Jerusalem
sponsored by Sabeel, an ecumenical Christian organization dedicated to
a
just peace in the Holy Land. The topic of the conference was Christian
Zionism.
Some Christian Zionists believe the state of Israel must exist for the
Apocalypse to arrive, a prospect they welcome. They are fervent
supporters
of the far right in Israel and oppose peace between Palestinians and
Israelis, which they fear would delay approaching Armageddon.
Sabeel warns that "the theology of Christian Zionism is leading to the
moral justification of empire, colonization, apartheid and oppression."
Sabeel is supported by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and conference speakers
included the Rev. Naim Ateek, its Christian Palestinian founder, and
Elias
Chacour, who poignantly described his life as a follower of Jesus in
conditions of oppression.
It is disturbing how much Christian Zionists are influencing U.S.
policy on
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and how seldom mainstream churches
stand
against this. It is anything but Christian to support perpetual war and
the
displacement of the indigenous population rather than the gospel of
redemption and reconciliation taught by Jesus.
This was my first trip to Israel, and I was unprepared for the stark
reality of an apartheid state with Palestinians trapped behind walls,
barbed wire and military checkpoints.
But the humanness of the people was overwhelming. I was invited to
share
their unbounded hospitality despite their knowledge that I came from a
land
largely responsible for their oppression.
My Jewish contacts also seemed overwhelmed by the immensity of the
tragedy.
Notwithstanding common misconceptions, Christian Palestinians and
Muslims
support each other in their suffering and call for an end to the
Israeli
occupation.
The fate of their children is particularly heart-rending...
ALSO SEE:
SINCE 9/11, IMAM HAS DEVOTED HIMSELF TO RAPPROCHEMENT
Carol Eisenberg, Newsday, 6/8/04
http://www.newsday.com/mynews/ny-p2two3836988jun08,0,3013322.story
No sooner had Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf set foot in CNN's studios in
Manhattan
than he heard the news flash from Iraq: A young American contractor
named
Nick Berg had been beheaded by Islamic extremists seeking to avenge the
torture of Iraqi prisoners. Rauf was nauseated. He was to scheduled to
go
on the air momentarily with anchor Paula Zahn to discuss his new book,
"What's Right With Islam: A New Vision for Muslims and the West." But
as a
veteran of ceaseless media appearances since 9/11, Rauf knew that would
not
be the topic now.
Sure enough, as soon as a microphone was pinned to his jacket, he was
shown
photos of Berg kneeling before five hooded men. "The first question I
was
asked was, 'Why would they do that?'" a weary-sounding Rauf recalled
later.
"It was emotionally gut-wrenching."
So began another day, another attempt to douse the flames of hatred and
violence in a world that seemed to be spinning out of control. Today,
the
story was Nick Berg. Yesterday, it was the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by
American soldiers. The day before, it was Israeli tanks razing homes in
the
Gaza Strip.
As always, Rauf, the soft-spoken leader of al-Farah mosque 12 blocks
north
of the World Trade Center, was the man in the middle, struggling to
stay on
message in the face of unrelenting bad news.
"He's trying to talk about a big idea, about creating a paradigm shift
in
the relationship between the Islamic and Western worlds," said his
wife,
Daisy Khan, an interfaith advocate in her own right. "But the events on
the
ground are not even letting him do that."
If Rauf won few converts that day to his plan for rapprochement between
the
Islamic world and the West - called the Cordoba Initiative after the
golden
age of Muslim civilization - his ideas have been capturing the
attention of
leaders such as Rabbi David Rosen, international director of
interreligious
affairs for the American Jewish Committee; the Rev. George Carey,
former
archbishop of Canterbury, who chairs an international West-Islam
dialogue
group; and Queen Noor of Jordan.
Where are the moderates?
"One frequently hears the refrain: 'Where are the moderate Muslim
leaders?
Why aren't they speaking out more loudly about world issues?'" said
John
Bennett, former president of the Aspen Institute, an international
relations think tank, where he first met Rauf, and now a cofounder of
the
Cordoba Initiative. "And here is a man who has the courage to do so and
who
is speaking out with great eloquence and feeling."
Rauf has done little else since the terrorist attacks that pulled him
from
his mahogany pulpit in the shadow of Ground Zero. At the outset, he
categorically condemned suicide bombers and, in fact, any violence
committed in the name of religion. He also said that American policies
"were an accessory to the crime that happened" since they had armed a
generation of jihadists to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan.
-----
CITIES SAY NO TO THE PATRIOT ACT
Kim Zetter, Wired News, 6/7/04
http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,63702,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1
Forget drug-free and nuclear-free zones. A growing grassroots movement
seeks to make the United States a Patriot Act-free zone, one city at a
time.
Or, at the very least, the people behind the movement hope to make
their
cities constitutional safe zones.
In the past two years, more than 300 cities and four states have passed
resolutions calling on Congress to repeal or change parts of the USA
Patriot Act that, activists say, violate constitutional rights such as
free
speech and freedom from unreasonable search and seizure.
Barring that, the resolutions declare that their communities will
uphold
the constitutional rights of their residents should federal law
enforcement
agents come knocking on the door of local authorities for assistance in
tracking residents. This means local authorities will insist on
complying
with federal orders only in ways that do not violate constitutional
rights.
The resolutions are not binding, however, and do not affect the federal
government's actions…
Two years later, 322 municipalities and four states -- Alaska, Hawaii,
Maine and Vermont -- have Patriot Act resolutions.
Congress passed the USA Patriot Act swiftly in October 2001, 45 days
after
the Sept. 11 attacks, easing restrictions on the government's ability
to
dig up personal information about citizens and non-citizens, and obtain
wiretaps and search warrants. Only one senator, Russ Feingold
(D-Wisconsin), and 61 House of Representative members voted against the
legislation...
-----
TURKEY RECALLS AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL
Peter Enav, Associated Press, 6/7/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slug=Israel%20Turkey
JERUSALEM - Turkey has recalled two senior diplomats from Israel, a
move
that comes amid signs of tension between the two countries over
Israel's
actions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Israeli media reported Tuesday that Turkey's ambassador in Tel Aviv,
Feridun Sinirlioglu, and Jerusalem Consul General Huseyin Bicakli had
been
summoned home to protest Israeli policies.
A Turkish official in Ankara, who declined to be named, confirmed the
diplomats would be returning to Turkey for ``regular consultations''
lasting only a few days. He declined to say whether the decision was in
response to Israeli policies...
Turkey is one of Israel's few friends in the Muslim world and the two
countries have close economic and military ties. But tensions have
risen in
recent weeks, especially following an Israeli offensive into Gaza that
killed more than 40 Palestinians...
-----
NEW MUSIC RELEASES: SENEGALESE VOCALIST EXPLORES ISLAM
Nick Marino, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 6/8/04
http://www.accessatlanta.com/music/content/music/index.html
Long one of world music's biggest stars, the Senegalese vocalist
Youssou
N'Dour has now embraced the role of spiritual ambassador, making a
breathtaking new album about Islam. The question, after hearing it, is
not
who else would've done something so ambitious so well, but who else
could
have? N'Dour, the best kind of crossover artist, understands the
balance
between serving his audience and expanding it. And with "Egypt," he
should
be able to do both.
For such a weighty and topical theme, "Egypt" feels celebratory. The
music
is by turns witty ("Cheikh Ibra Fall") and delicate ("Bamba the Poet"),
and
it has moments of conversation-stopping sweep. N'Dour provides his
reassuring tenor, but much of the magic comes from the Fathy Salama
Orchestra, a rich ensemble that makes use of hand drums, the kawala (a
flute) and violins...
The lyrics are all about tolerance and compassion and forgiveness and
praise, and it's tempting to quote them here. But lyrics alone don't
sufficiently encapsulate the spirit of this music. You have to hear
it...
-----
GENITAL CUTTING SHOWS SIGNS OF LOSING FAVOR IN AFRICA
Mark Lacey, New York Times, 6/8/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/08/international/africa/08cutt.html
NAIROBI, Kenya- Isnino Shuriye still remembers the pride she felt years
ago
when she leaned over each of her three daughters, knife in hand, and
sliced
into their genitals.
Each time, as the blood started to flow, she quickly dropped the knife
and
picked up a needle and thread. Quickly, expertly, she sewed her
daughters'
vaginas almost shut.
"I was full of pride," she recalled recently. "I felt like I was doing
the
right thing in the eyes of God. I was preparing them for marriage by
sealing their vaginas."
Now she feels like a butcher, a sinner, a mother who harmed her own
flesh
and blood, not to mention the thousands of other girls she says she
circumcised in the last quarter-century as part of a traditional rite
still
common in Africa.
Slowly, genital cutting is losing favor. Parliaments are passing laws
forbidding the practice, which causes widespread death and
disfigurement.
Girls are fleeing their homes to keep their vaginas intact. And the
women
who have been carrying out the cutting, and who have been revered by
their
communities for doing so, are beginning to lay down their knives…
-----
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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
-----
Bush Skips Eisenhower ‘Crusade'
Reference President Bush deleted the word "crusade"
- considered an inflammatory reference by Muslims - on
Wednesday as he recalled Gen. Dwight Eisenhower's message to
Allied troops before the D-Day invasion at Normandy, France,
60 years ago.
Evangelicals and conservative Catholics have
forged an alliance that is reshaping American politics and
culture. Iraq and National
Security
Kerry Says Bush's Focus on Iraq Has Made U.S.
'Less Safe' Kerry said that Bush's "almost myopic"
focus on Iraq had made Americans "less safe" by giving North
Korea and Iran the time and opportunity to speed toward the
construction of nuclear weapons.
Civil Rights Team Bush Pushes Patriot Act on the
Hustings President Bush's re-election campaign pushed
the Patriot Act this week, calling on governors and state attorneys
general to speak in its behalf and questioning Democratic rival John
Kerry's willingness to do what it takes to protect the
homeland.
Kerry has barely mentioned the Patriot Act in
recent days, however, even though most of his time the past week has
been devoted to national security. When the issue has arisen, Kerry
has acknowledged that, while it requires tinkering, 95 percent of
its 140 provisions should remain intact. And he agrees that the act
provided law enforcement with important new tools. Government
Reform Nader Advocates the Rights of Third-Party
Candidates Nader lashed out at Democrats and Republicans
yesterday for denying the rights of third-party candidates and
either ignoring or purposely suppressing their issues in favor of
corporate interests. Mr. Nader added that 95 percent of U.S. House
seats are deemed noncompetitive, and 40 percent of state and local
elections this year have incumbents facing no opposition. Economy Bush Aides Tout Job Growth, But Kerry
Critical Republicans seized on improving employment
numbers on Friday as proof of President George W. Bush's strong
economic leadership and launched an ad touting the job growth, but
Democrats said the claims showed Bush was out of touch. Bush, Kerry Chasing Oil Impossible
Dream?
Both Bush and Sen. Kerry (Mass.) have proposed
comprehensive energy plans that have more in common than their
allies like to acknowledge: tax credits to stimulate oil, natural
gas and alternative energy production; tax incentives for the
purchase of high-mileage vehicles and electricity conservation;
federally funded hydrogen research; tax incentives to construct a
natural gas pipeline from the north slope of Alaska to the lower 48
states; and a major push to boost "clean coal" technologies. There
are also significant differences.
About Election 2004 Updates CAIR's weekly
Election 2004 Updates are designed to promote the political
empowerment of the American Muslim community. Updates focus on
issues of importance to the American Muslim community and the
candidates' positions on those issues. How can I help? It is
critical that all eligible American Muslims are registered to vote.
CAIR is leading the drive to ensure that all Muslim citizens of the
US over the age of 18 know their rights as a voter and exercise
those rights to their fullest come November 5th, 2004. To register to vote, Click
Here. Why should I vote? The Muslim
community must work to enjoin the good and forbid the evil. Voting
plays an essential role in doing this. Deciding to support or oppose
a candidate based upon his or her opinions or actions can have a
tremendous impact on the formulation of government policy at all
levels. Subscribe to this
newsletter If you have been forwarded
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SE Washington, DC 20003 Tel:
202-488-8787 Fax: 202-488-0833 Email:cair@cair-net.org URL:http://www.cair-net.org
Community
Activism
US Treasury Appoints Adviser on Islamic
Finance Mahmoud el-Gamal, an economics professor at
Rice University in Texas, would be the principal adviser on Islamic
finance to senior Treasury officials and liaise with international
groups seeking to monitor and create standards for Islamic
finance. U.S. Muslims Disillusioned by Iraq Policy Now the prisoner abuse scandal and other
American setbacks in Iraq have caused even more Muslims to see the
United States and Israel the same way. They are equating American
treatment of Iraqis with Israel's treatment of Palestinians. Kerry's Support for Israel Repels Arab
Voters While there is widespread dissatisfaction with
the Bush administration among Arab-Americans on issues like Iraq and
civil liberties, Kerry's support for Sharon is leading some to draw
back from him for the time being.
Recent
Events
MD: Nader and Kerry Representative Speak at a Muslim
Event Ralph Nader encouraged American Muslims to
continue challenging bigotry and to support civil liberties.
Representatives of the John Kerry presidential campaign and the
offices of a number of state and national elected officials, along
with representatives from the FBI, NAACP and ACLU, also attended the
dinner. TX: Muslim American Republican Caucus (MARC) Hosts Tom
Delay Congressman DeLay noted that he would take a
public stand in support of all peoples of faith who come under
verbal attack. He stated that there are those who want to push
people of faith back inside their churches, mosques, and temples but
position should be opposed by Muslims getting involved in various
grassroots movements. Anti-War Protests Held in D.C., L.A. Congressman DeLay noted that he would take a
public stand in support of all peoples of faith who come under
verbal attack. He stated that there are those who want to push
people of faith back inside their churches, mosques, and temples but
position should be opposed by Muslims getting involved in various
grassroots movements.
Upcoming
Events
Pakistani-American Doctors to Lobby
Congress On Thursday, June 10, the Association of
Pakistani Physicians of North America (APPNA) will hold a "Day on
the Hill" lobbying effort in Washington, D.C., focused on the
defense of civil rights.
National, State &
Local
Some Republicans Fear Iraq Will Color
Campaigns As Bush struggles to reverse the lowest
approval ratings of his presidency, vulnerable Republicans in
competitive districts like Simmons' are starting to worry. Senator Rejects 'Blank Check' for Iraq Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK), the chairman of the
Senate Appropriations Committee, rejected his administration's
request for broad leeway on a $25 billion reserve fund it wants for
Iraq and said on Wednesday he intends to limit how the money can be
used. PA: Bethlehem First Valley City to Oppose Patriot
Act? Bethlehem is on track to become the first city
in the Lehigh Valley to consider opposing the much debated USA
Patriot Act that, critics argue, tramples the Bill of
Rights.
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/9/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: FORGIVE INJURIES
* MEXICAN MUSLIM ALLOWED TO WEAR HIJAB IN PASSPORT PHOTO
- Oklahoma Girl Testifies on Head Scarf Issue (AP)
* MUSLIM KID BASHED AT NY SCHOOL (NY Post)
* MORTON GROVE, MUSLIM GROUP OK MOSQUE DEAL (Chicago Trib)
- MD: School Board Excludes Muslim Holidays (Balt. Sun)
* GA: SAVANNAH'S MUSLIMS GIVE LEADERS ADVICE (AJC)
* YEE: GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT (Post Dispatch)
* MS: SHERIFF RETURNS SEIZED MONEY TO MUSLIM MEN (Times Picayune)
* US BANS CLERIC FROM IRAQ ELECTIONS (Guardian)
* THE ROOTS OF ABU GHRAIB (NY Times)
- Iraq Leader Helped In 90's Attacks (NY Times)
* ASHCROFT REFUSES TO RELEASE '02 MEMO (Wash Post)
- Memo on Torture Draws Focus to Bush (Wash Post)
- Legalizing Torture (Wash Post)
- White House Requested Data from Abu Ghraib (Wash Post)
* ARTISTS EXPRESS IRAQIS’ ANGER IN EXHIBIT (Wash Post)
* PALESTINIANS TELL OF HARASSMENT BY ISRAELI TROOPS (AFP)
* VA: SPECIAL COMMUNITY MEETING WITH THE FBI
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: FORGIVE INJURIES
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
-----
MEXICAN MUSLIM ALLOWED TO WEAR HIJAB IN PASSPORT PHOTO
Following intervention by CAIR, a Muslim woman who is a Mexican citizen
and
resident of Illinois, will now be allowed to wear a
religiously-mandated
head scarf, or hijab, in her passport photo.
The woman was prevented from taking her photo when officials said that
Mexican policy prohibited the covering of ears in passport photos.
After CAIR sent letters to the Mexico Ambassador in Washington and the
consulate in Illinois, the Muslim woman was allowed to obtain her
passport
with hijab.
SEE ALSO:
OKLAHOMA GIRL TESTIFIES ON HEAD SCARF ISSUE
Associated Press, 6/9/04
http://www.kotv.com/main/home/stories.asp?whichpage=1&id=63591
OKLAHOMA CITY - A 12-year-old Muskogee girl who was suspended from
school
for wearing a religious head scarf described to U.S. senators her
feelings
of depression and humiliation over the incident.
Nashala Hearn, a Muslim, appeared Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary
subcommittee, The Oklahoman reported from its Washington bureau.
She said her insistence on wearing the head scarf set off a "battle
between
being obedient to God by wearing my hijab to be modest in Islam versus
the
school dress code policy."
Hearn's testimony came during a hearing focused on the issue of
"hostility
to religious expression in the public square."
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, chairman of the subcommittee on the
Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights, organized the hearing
and
said Tuesday that hostility to religion in public places is "pervasive"
and
wrong.
"The constitution nowhere requires government to expel expressions of
faith
from the public square," Cornyn said.
Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., a member of the subcommittee, said the
first
amendment to the U.S. Constitution allowed religious freedom to
flourish...
-----
MUSLIM KID BASHED AT S.I. SCHOOL
Jamie Schram, New York Post, 6/9/04
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/22639.htm
A 12-year-old student was beaten and subjected to anti-Muslim slurs in
a
Staten Island school, authorities said yesterday.
The boy, who was not seriously hurt, was accosted by another
12-year-old at
is 49 on Friday.
The attacker, believed to be a fellow student there, kicked and punched
the
boy, made the comments and fled. The attack was reported to cops
Monday.
-----
MORTON GROVE, MUSLIM GROUP OK MOSQUE DEAL
Amanda Vogt and Rachel Osterman, Chicago Tribune, 6/9/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi0406090309jun09,1,2506204.story
MORTON GROVE- Ending months of negotiation, Morton Grove has reached
agreement with a Muslim group that will allow it to build a mosque,
village
officials said Tuesday.
The agreement, reached with help from the U.S. Department of Justice,
will
allow the Muslim Community Center to request a special-use permit to
build
a mosque for 525 worshipers, expand its education facility and include
parking for up to 224 vehicles.
The agreement still faces procedural hurdles. A majority of trustees
must
authorize the mayor to sign it, and after that, the Planning Commission
has
to approve it.
But if the agreement passes without significant changes, community
center
officials say they will drop a federal lawsuit against the village.
"It's a reasonable compromise," said Mohammed Kaiseruddin, president of
the
center.
Nonetheless, legal battles remain. A group of neighbors that opposes
the
mosque says it will pursue its federal suit against Morton Grove…
ALSO SEE:
SCHOOL BOARD EXCLUDES MUSLIM HOLIDAYS FROM BALTO. COUNTY'S 2005-2006
CALENDAR
Laurie Willis, Baltimore Sun, 6/9/04
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.board09jun09,0,4016240.sto
ry
Ignoring pleas from members of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee, the Baltimore County school board unanimously approved last
night a 2005-2006 school year calendar that excludes two important
Muslim
holidays.
Several board members who spoke before the vote said they realized the
county's population is multicultural, but they would not vote to change
the
calendar.
"More than usual, this year has been a great learning experience for
this
board," said member Jean M.H. Jung. "I look forward to the process that
has, very fortunately, begun this year."
Member Donald L. Arnold said the board has been presented with "many
challenges" in dealing with religious holidays. He said Jewish holidays
were approved several years ago as a result of a spike in student and
teacher absences during those times.
Michael P. Kennedy, another member, said he hoped Baltimore County
school
officials would "continue to remind teachers of how important it is for
us
to be sensitive to different holidays."
At issue are Muslim holidays Eid al-Fitr, which celebrates the end of
Ramadan, a month of daytime fasting and reflection, and Eid al-Adha, or
feast of sacrifice, marking the Quranic account of God letting Abraham
sacrifice a sheep instead of his son.
School officials established holidays for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur
in
1995. They said schools were forced to close on those days because
classrooms were so empty that the district risked state sanctions for
low
attendance, and they could not get enough substitute teachers.
But Bash Pharoan, president of the Baltimore County Muslim Council,
said
after last night's vote that he is tired of hearing excuses.
"The school system needs to either celebrate all other minority
holidays or
not celebrate any of them," Pharoan said. "We can't stop there and give
excuses and give this reason and that reason..."
-----
SAVANNAH'S MUSLIMS GIVE LEADERS ADVICE
Moni Basu, Atlantic Journal-Constitution, 6/8/04
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/g8/0604/09islamic.html
SAVANNAH — The only evidence of last summer's tragedy are the charred
trunks of tall Southern pines and patches of blackened soil that lie
below
the foundation.
Almost a year ago, a fire in the middle of the night gutted the
Savannah
Islamic Center, one of two mosques in the area. Police called it arson,
though the mosque's 350 members still wonder whether it was a hate
crime.
The investigation is ongoing.
Now, in the shadow cast by leaders of the wealthiest nations meeting in
Sea
Island, the center's followers are ready to rebuild their house of
worship.
A few miles way, President Bush, too, will talk of construction — of
progressive and democratic governments in the troubled native lands of
many
of Savannah's Muslim community.
On the table today at the G-8 summit is Bush's "Broader Middle East and
North Africa Initiative," a plan that seeks to promote free elections
and
human rights in a swath of territory that stretches from the sand dunes
of
the Sahara to the Himalayan peaks of Pakistan…
-----
JUSTICE: GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT
Eric Mink, SL Post-Dispatch, 6/8/04
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/Columnists.nsf/Eric+Mink/289ACD79F3BBF
E0E86256EAE003828B9?OpenDocument&Headline=JUSTICE%3A+Guilty+until+proven+inn
ocent
A reckless investigation drags an Army chaplain through the mud.
Who is going to give Capt. James Yee's life back to him?
Not the U.S. Army, which arrested the American citizen and West Point
graduate, smeared him, threw him in solitary confinement for two and a
half
months, humiliated him at a pre-court-martial hearing and then,
finally,
dropped all charges and sanctions against him and put him back on
active
duty as a military chaplain at Fort Lewis near Tacoma, Wash. - as if
nothing had happened.
Yee's nightmare began last September and ended - officially, at least -
seven months later. To date, his government has neither apologized nor
admitted any wrongdoing. But it did take the precaution, as reported by
ABC
News' Jake Tapper, of essentially slapping a gag order on Yee that
keeps
him from talking about what happened.
Yee was taken into custody Sept. 10, 2003, during a customs inspection
at
the Naval Air Station at Jacksonville, Fla., as he headed home to
Washington for a week of leave from his assignment as a Muslim chaplain
at
the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.
Ten days later, with Yee now confined at a naval brig in Charleston,
S.C.,
word of his arrest was leaked to the press. In an inflammatory story
that
soon was widely cited on the Internet, cable news channels and in
conservative columns, the Washington Times reported that "the army has
charged Capt. Yee with five offenses: sedition, aiding the enemy,
spying,
espionage and failure to obey a general order." The paper cited an
unnamed
"law-enforcement source..."
-----
MISS. SHERIFF RETURNS SEIZED MONEY TO MEN
Jeffrey Meitrodt, Times Picayune, 6/9/04
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/index.ssf?/base/news-2/108676598354780.xml
It took three months, but New Orleans grocers Shareef Quattom and Atiya
Saleh have finally recovered the $27,000 that was seized from the trunk
of
their car by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department in Mississippi.
They got a check for the full amount Tuesday morning in the office of
their
New Orleans attorney, Tony Dunbar. It came in the mail with a
one-paragraph
letter from Capt. Dustin Bairfield, the Lincoln County deputy in charge
of
the investigation, who neither apologized nor admitted a mistake for
seizing the cash during a routine traffic stop on Interstate 55 on
March 10.
"I can't explain how happy I am," Quattom, 27, said. "It is so
wonderful.
All the people say you are not going to get the money back because this
is
Mississippi, but I say I never give up."
Saleh, 35, was stopped for careless driving in Lincoln County on the
same
day he and his partner sold their Congress Street grocery store to a
merchant from Jackson, Miss. They didn't put the money in the bank
because
they planned to use it the next morning as a down payment for a
convenience
store on Franklin Avenue. They were driving to Jackson to help the
buyer
move some of his belongings to New Orleans.
After discovering the cash in the trunk of Saleh's car, deputies held
the
men for several hours during which they were subjected to a strip
search,
drug-sniffing dogs and interrogation by local and federal officials.
Lincoln County officials took the money under a Mississippi statute
that
allows for such seizures, provided the law enforcement agency can prove
that the cash was generated through unlawful activity, such as drug
trafficking...
-----
US BANS CLERIC FROM IRAQ ELECTIONS
Jonathan Steele and Patrick Wintour, Guardian, 6/8/04
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12956,1233652,00.html
BAGHDAD- Moqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shia leader whose militiamen have
been fighting the US occupation forces in several Iraqi cities, was
banned
yesterday from standing in Iraq's forthcoming democratic elections.
Paul Bremer, the US administrator in Iraq, signed an order stating
that,
with immediate effect, members of illegal militias "will be barred from
holding political office for three years after leaving their illegal
organization.”
Even if Mr Sadr disbanded his Mahdi Army in the next few weeks it would
be
too late for him to join Iraq's political process and contest the
elections, due in January.
The armed uprising which he began in April has polarised the Shia
community
but has a large following of the young and unemployed. He could have
expected a substantial vote for a seat in the new parliament.
The ban came as Britain and the US called for a UN security council
vote
today on the new draft resolution defining the division of power after
sovereignty is returned to Iraq…
-----
THE ROOTS OF ABU GHRAIB
New York Times, 6/9/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/09/opinion/09WED1.html
In response to the outrages at Abu Ghraib, the Bush administration has
repeatedly assured Americans that the president and his top officials
did
not say or do anything that could possibly be seen as approving the
abuse
or outright torture of prisoners. But disturbing disclosures keep
coming.
This week it's a legal argument by government lawyers who said the
president was not bound by laws or treaties prohibiting torture.
Each new revelation makes it more clear that the inhumanity at Abu
Ghraib
grew out of a morally dubious culture of legal expediency and a
disregard
for normal behavior fostered at the top of this administration. It is
part
of the price the nation must pay for President Bush's decision to take
the
extraordinary mandate to fight terrorism that he was granted by a
grieving
nation after 9/11 and apply it without justification to Iraq.
Since the Abu Ghraib scandal broke into public view, the administration
has
contended that a few sadistic guards acted on their own to commit the
crimes we've all seen in pictures and videos. At times, the White House
has
denied that any senior official was aware of the situation, as it did
with
Red Cross reports documenting a pattern of prisoner abuse in Iraq. In
response to a rising pile of documents proving otherwise, the
administration has mounted a "Wizard of Oz" defense, urging Americans
not
to pay attention to inconvenient evidence…
ALSO SEE:
EX-C.I.A. AIDES SAY IRAQ LEADER HELPED AGENCY IN 90'S ATTACKS
Joel Brinkley, New York Times, 6/9/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/09/politics/09ALLA.html
WASHINGTON— Iyad Allawi, now the designated prime minister of Iraq, ran
an
exile organization intent on deposing Saddam Hussein that sent agents
into
Baghdad in the early 1990's to plant bombs and sabotage government
facilities under the direction of the C.I.A., several former
intelligence
officials say.
Dr. Allawi's group, the Iraqi National Accord, used car bombs and other
explosive devices smuggled into Baghdad from northern Iraq, the
officials
said. Evaluations of the effectiveness of the bombing campaign varied,
although the former officials interviewed agreed that it never
threatened
Saddam Hussein's rule.
No public records of the bombing campaign exist, and the former
officials
said their recollections were in many cases sketchy, and in some cases
contradictory. They could not even recall exactly when it occurred,
though
the interviews made it clear it was between 1992 and 1995.
The Iraqi government at the time claimed that the bombs, including one
it
said exploded in a movie theater, resulted in many civilian casualties.
But
whether the bombings actually killed any civilians could not be
confirmed
because, as a former C.I.A. official said, the United States had no
significant intelligence sources in Iraq then.
One former Central Intelligence Agency officer who was based in the
region,
Robert Baer, recalled that a bombing during that period "blew up a
school
bus; schoolchildren were killed." Mr. Baer, a critic of the Iraq war,
said
he did not recall which resistance group might have set off that bomb.
Other former intelligence officials said Dr. Allawi's organization was
the
only resistance group involved in bombings and sabotage at that time…
-----
ASHCROFT REFUSES TO RELEASE '02 MEMO
Susan Schmidt, Washington Post, 6/9/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24867-2004Jun8.html
Attorney General John D. Ashcroft told Congress yesterday that he would
not
release a 2002 policy memo on the degree of pain and suffering legally
permitted during enemy interrogations, but said he knows of no
presidential
order that would allow al Qaeda suspects to be tortured by U.S.
personnel.
Angry Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee called on Ashcroft to
provide the document. They said portions that have appeared in news
reports
suggest the Bush administration is reinterpreting U.S. law and the
Geneva
Conventions prohibiting torture.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said the memo on interrogation
techniques
permissible for the CIA to use on suspected al Qaeda operatives
"appears to
be an effort to redefine torture and narrow prohibitions against it."
The
document was prepared by the Justice Department's office of legal
counsel
for the CIA and addressed to White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales.
The 50-page Justice Department memo said inflicting physical or
psychological pain might be justified in the war on terrorism "to
prevent
further attacks on the United States by the al Qaeda terrorist
network." It
added that "necessity and self defense could provide justifications
that
would eliminate any criminal liability."
The Bush administration has said that the discussion in the memo
notwithstanding, al Qaeda and Taliban detainees, including those held
at
Guantanamo Bay, have been treated in accord with international
conventions
prohibiting torture.
The memo and a second written by Pentagon lawyers surfaced in news
reports
this week amid the ongoing abuse scandal at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.
The
documents reflect discussions on the legality of softening prohibitions
against inflicting pain on al Qaeda suspects abroad, saying the
practice
may sometimes be justified...
ALSO SEE:
MEMO ON TORTURE DRAWS FOCUS TO BUSH
Mike Allen and Dana Priest, Washington Post, 6/9/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26401-2004Jun8.html
The disclosure that the Justice Department advised the White House in
2002
that the torture of al Qaeda terrorist suspects might be legally
defensible
has focused new attention on the role President Bush played in setting
the
rules for interrogations in the war on terrorism.
White House press secretary Scott McClellan said yesterday that Bush
set
broad guidelines, rather than dealing with specific techniques. "While
we
will seek to gather intelligence from al Qaeda terrorists who seek to
inflict mass harm on the American people, the president expects that we
do
so in a way that is consistent with our laws," McClellan said.
White House Counsel Alberto R. Gonzales said in a May 21 interview with
The
Washington Post: "Anytime a discussion came up about interrogations
with
the president... the directive was, 'Make sure it is lawful. Make sure
it
meets all of our obligations under the Constitution, U.S. federal
statutes
and applicable treaties.' "
An Aug. 1, 2002, memo from the Justice Department's Office of Legal
Counsel, addressed to Gonzales, said that torturing suspected al Qaeda
members abroad "may be justified" and that international laws against
torture "may be unconstitutional if applied to interrogation" conducted
against suspected terrorists.
The document provided legal guidance for the CIA, which crafted new,
more
aggressive techniques for its operatives in the field. McClellan called
the
memo a historic or scholarly review of laws and conventions concerning
torture. "The memo was not prepared to provide advice on specific
methods
or techniques," he said. "It was analytical..."
---
LEGALIZING TORTURE
Washington Post, 6/9/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26602-2004Jun8.html
THE BUSH administration assures the country, and the world, that it is
complying with U.S. and international laws banning torture and
maltreatment
of prisoners. But, breaking with a practice of openness that had lasted
for
decades, it has classified as secret and refused to disclose the
techniques
of interrogation it is using on foreign detainees at U.S. prisons at
Guantanamo Bay and in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is a matter of grave
concern because the use of some of the methods that have been reported
in
the press is regarded by independent experts as well as some of the
Pentagon's legal professionals as illegal. The administration has
responded
that its civilian lawyers have certified its methods as proper -- but
it
has refused to disclose, or even provide to Congress, the justifying
opinions and memos.
This week, thanks again to an independent press, we have begun to learn
the
deeply disturbing truth about the legal opinions that the Pentagon and
the
Justice Department seek to keep secret. According to copies leaked to
several newspapers, they lay out a shocking and immoral set of
justifications for torture. In a paper prepared last year under the
direction of the Defense Department's chief counsel, and first
disclosed by
the Wall Street Journal, the president of the United States was
declared
empowered to disregard U.S. and international law and order the torture
of
foreign prisoners. Moreover, interrogators following the president's
orders
were declared immune from punishment. Torture itself was narrowly
redefined, so that techniques that inflict pain and mental suffering
could
be deemed legal. All this was done as a prelude to the designation of
24
interrogation methods for foreign prisoners -- the same techniques, now
in
use, that President Bush says are humane but refuses to disclose.
There is no justification, legal or moral, for the judgments made by
Mr.
Bush's political appointees at the Justice and Defense departments.
Theirs
is the logic of criminal regimes, of dictatorships around the world
that
sanction torture on grounds of "national security..."
---
WHITE HOUSE STAFF REQUESTED DATA FROM ABU GHRAIB
R. Jeffrey Smith, Washington Post, 6/9/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26814-2004Jun9.html
The head of the interrogation center at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq
told
an Army investigator in February that he understood some of the
information
being collected from prisoners there had been requested by "White House
staff," according to an account of his statement obtained by The
Washington
Post.
Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan, an Army reservist who took control of the
Joint
Interrogation and Debriefing Center on Sept. 17, 2003, said a superior
military intelligence officer told him the requested information
concerned
"any anti-coalition issues, foreign fighters, and terrorist issues."
The Army investigator, Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba, asked Jordan
whether it
concerned "sensitive issues," and Jordan said, "Very sensitive. Yes,
sir,"
according to the account, which was provided by a government official.
The reference by Jordan to a White House link with the military's
scandal-plagued intelligence-gathering effort at the prison was not
explored further by Taguba, whose primary goal at that time was to
assess
the scope of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib. The White House was unable
to
provide an immediate explanation.
During the period in question, the last quarter of 2003, virtually
every
senior military officer in Iraq, as well as at the Pentagon, was
intensely
interested in determining who was behind the rising insurgency in Iraq
and
using that information to squelch it. But no reference has previously
been
made in the publicly available Abu Ghraib investigative documents to a
special interest by White House staff...
-----
ARTISTS EXPRESS IRAQIS' ANGER IN EXHIBIT
Edward Cody, Washington Post, 6/9/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26251-2004Jun8.html
BAGHDAD -- The life-size human figure lay prone, its contours shaped to
depict a woman under a head-to-toe shroud of virginal white. The only
color
was a ragged stain of bright red around the pelvis. That was the mark
of
rape, the artist said, the message of shame that he said he heard from
U.S.
soldiers.
The artist, Qasim Sabti, said he created the figure because that is
what he
wanted to say to fellow Iraqis and the world about the Americans'
conduct
at Abu Ghraib, the 280-acre prison complex 20 miles west of Baghdad
where
prisoners held by U.S. occupation troops were subjected to physical and
sexual abuse.
Sabti and other Baghdad artists for the first time have begun to speak
out,
through their art, about the scandal at Abu Ghraib and, more generally,
about the 13-month U.S. occupation of their country. Judging by an
exhibition by 25 Iraqi artists at Sabti's Dialogue Gallery in a
middle-class neighborhood of northern Baghdad, they have formed a very
unflattering idea of the American soldiers and civilian administrators
sent
here to get rid of Saddam Hussein and make a better Iraq.
The artists have not made careers of art with a political theme. Under
Hussein, some painters and sculptors spent their time creating heroic
depictions of the Iraqi leader, but most stuck to nonpolitical or
abstract
forms, Sabti said. Critical artistic comment could have landed them in
jail
or worse. Times have changed, however, and so has the willingness of
Baghdad artists to vent strong feelings against the prevailing power --
the
United States -- in their canvases and sculptures...
-----
PALESTINIAN FAMILY TELLS OF CAMPAIGN OF HARASSMENT BY ISRAELI TROOPS
Agence France Presse, 6/8/04
http://www.spacewar.com/2004/040608154519.u40ih53g.html
HEBRON, West Bank - Recent revelations of army brutality toward
Palestinians may have shocked some Israelis but residents of this West
Bank
town say such abuse is part of the daily pattern of life.
The army has launched an official investigation into the testimony
given by
soldiers in an ongoing exhibition in Tel Aviv that they regularly
dished
out violence to residents in Hebron during a recent tour of duty.
"The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) educates its soldiers to act
according to
high moral standards and will continue to investigate and take serious
measures in exceptional incidents," said a statement.
But the experience of the Abu Omar family seems to indicate that random
harassment and brutality are often par for the course.
Thirty-five family members live in a four-storey apartment block,
situated
some 150 meters (yards) from the Beit Hadassa checkpoint in the
southern
West Bank town.
Nearly all have a tale of how they suffered at the hands of Israeli
troops
in recent months...
-----
VA: SPECIAL COMMUNITY MEETING WITH THE FBI
WHEN: Thursday, June 9, 2004 from 6:45 p.m. to 8:25 p.m.
WHERE: Dar Al-Hijrah Court Yard, 3159 Row Street, Falls Church, VA
22044
For more information, call (703) 536-1030
-----
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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:
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To:
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Subject:
CAIR-NET: FL Man Alleges Bias for Support to Palestinians
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/10/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THE BEST AMONG YOU
* NATIONAL JOURNAL NAMES CAIR HEAD AS POLICY EXPERT (BP)
* NOT IN GOD'S NAME (Dallas Morning News)
* FL: MAN ALLEGES DISCRIMINATION FOR SUPPORT TO PALESTINIANS (AP)
- NE: Pool Dress Code Changes after Lawsuit (World-Herald)
* NE: MAN CHARGED WITH THREATS TO ISLAMIC CENTER (AP)
- IL: Neighborhood Group to Pursue Lawsuit (Pioneer Press)
- Private Islamic School Opens In Des Moines (AP)
* HE BUILDS BRIDGES OF FAITH, HOPE (NY Daily News)
* MUSLIMS, ARABS IN DC TO LOBBY FOR CIVIL RIGHTS (Free Press)
- NJ: Patterson Challenges the Patriot Act (Star Ledger)
- Frenchman Sues U.S. Over Detention (AFP)
* DETAINEES' MEDICAL FILES SHARED (Wash. Post)
* BATTLING PHANTOMS ON SHARIA LAW (Toronto Star)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THE BEST AMONG YOU
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Shall I tell you who
are
the best among you?...The best of you are those who when seen are a
means
of God Being brought to mind."
AL-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1302
-----
NATIONAL JOURNAL NAMES CAIR HEAD AS POLICY EXPERT
Dwayne Hastings, SBC Baptist Press, 6/9/04
http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?ID=18441
WASHINGTON-No matter who is in the Oval Office after this year's
election,
the editors of the National Journal believe there is a core of experts
who
will "help shape the debates" in some burgeoning policy areas facing
the
nation.
In the magazine's May 22 edition, staffers identified 113 Americans who
will help the policy wonks in Washington plot the country's course in
10
critical areas: intelligence reform; workforce quality; Social
Security;
China; same-sex "marriage"; global warming; drug pricing; weapons
threat;
church and state; and bioengineering. The National Journal, which is
widely
read on Capitol Hill, is a weekly national magazine that addresses
matters
of politics, policy and government...
In the introduction to the magazine, the National Journal's publisher
and
editor noted that the individuals tapped for the magazine's focus piece
were from a wide range of vocations, but they all had in common the
fact
that "their know-how makes them important..."
Within the church and state issue area, the magazine also features
Christopher Anders, legislative counsel for the American Civil
Liberties
Union; Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations; Stanley Carlson-Thies, a fellow with the Center for Public
Justice; Mark Chopko, general counsel for the U.S. Conference of
Catholic
Bishops; Robert Franklin, professor of social ethics at Emory
University;
Ira (Chip) Lupu and Robert Tuttle, co-directors of the Project on Law
and
Religious Institutions and Legal Tracking Project of the Roundtable on
Religion and Social Welfare; Melissa Rogers, visiting professor of
Religion
and Public Policy at Wake Forest University; Laurie Rubenstein,
minority
chief counsel for the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee; Marc
Stern,
assistance executive director of the American Jewish Congress; and Eric
Treene, special counsel for religious Discrimination in the Civil
Rights
Division of the U.S. Justice Department...
-----
NOT IN GOD'S NAME
M.A. Khalili, Dallas Morning News, 6/10/04
http://www.dallasnews.com/
Our faiths may be our only solution. People of all faiths have been
horrified by the violence in the Middle East. The abuse of Iraqi
prisoners
at the hands of a few Americans does not represent America or
Christianity.
The Israeli killing of innocent Palestinian children does not represent
Judaism. And the beheading of an innocent American man or the tragic
events
of 9-11 do not represent Islam.
Islam, Christianity and Judaism share the basic values necessary to
create
a world in which tolerance and peace prevail. We have an opportunity to
build bridges between our faiths and to challenge those who attempt to
divide humanity along religious and ethnic lines.
American Muslims condemn all acts of terrorism and are as outraged as
their
fellow Americans by atrocities committed in the name of God and their
faith.
Now we call on Americans of all faiths to join in opposing those who
promote hatred, violence and bigotry by signing the "Not in the Name of
Islam" online petition posted on the Council on American-Islamic
Relations
Web site: www.cair-net.org. So far, more than 500,000 Muslims are
signatories to this petition.
-----
FL BUSINESSMAN: I AM BEING PROSECUTED FOR SUPPORTING PALESTINIANS
Mike Schneider, Associated Press, 6/10/04
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/8883161.htm
ORLANDO - A prominent Palestinian-American businessman accused of using
illegal workers at his stores asked a federal judge Wednesday to
dismiss
his case. He said he was being selectively prosecuted because of his
support for Palestinian charities.
Attorneys for Jesse Issa Maali also argued that the government
prosecution
violated his First Amendment rights of association and expression. They
also said that not one other case of harboring illegal workers in the
Middle District of Florida had been criminally prosecuted since those
cases
traditionally result only in civil fines, a contention disputed by a
federal prosecutor.
Maali's attorneys asked U.S. District Judge John Antoon for an
evidentiary
hearing that would let them question federal agents about their motives
if
the judge decides not to dismiss the case.
"The vast majority of these cases aren't criminally prosecuted," said
attorney H. Eugene Lindsey III. "If the government's case was affected
by
Mr. Maali's free speech activity, his charitable contributions, then
you
have an improper motive."
But assistant U.S. Attorney Cynthia Hawkins argued that the defense
attorneys had been unable to show another case where an employer had
not
been prosecuted for the same offense Maali is accused of committing.
"From our position, prominent Muslim individuals are being targeted
selectively by the government," said Ahmed Bedier, Florida
communications
director for the Council on American Islamic Relations. "The
allegations
are overstated and Muslims are facing a double standard..."
ALSO SEE:
OMAHA CHANGES POOL DRESS CODE AFTER MUSLIM FILES LAWSUIT
Jeffrey Robb, World-Herald, 6/8/04
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_np=0&u_pg=1636&u_sid=1118035
OMAHA- A Muslim woman's complaint last summer that she couldn't wear
clothes required by her religion at an Omaha pool has prompted changes
in
the city's dress code for its public pools.
Whether the changes go far enough could be decided in federal
court. Wednesday, attorneys for Lubna Hussein of Omaha filed a civil
rights lawsuit, alleging that the City of Omaha discriminated against
her
by barring her entrance because she was dressed in accordance with her
Muslim beliefs.
On two separate occasions last summer, Hussein wanted to go to the Deer
Ridge Pool wearing modest clothes - jeans, a long sleeve shirt and head
scarf. But employees said Hussein needed to wear swimwear to enter the
pool
area, although she just wanted to accompany her three daughters, not
swim.
Spurred by Hussein's situation, the city revised its pool dress code to
allow exemptions for religious, physical or medical purposes, City
Attorney
Paul Kratz said Wednesday. This is the first summer for the new
policy...
Hussein's complaints stem from incidents in June and August 2003 at
Deer
Ridge Pool, near 126th and Pacific Streets. Her lawsuit, filed in U.S.
District Court in Lincoln, alleges that Hussein faced an impossible
choice
of violating her Muslim beliefs or standing outside a fence while her
children played in the pool.
On both occasions, though, Hussein said she saw other people inside
Deer
Ridge wearing street clothes...
-----
NE: MAN CHARGED WITH THREATS TO ISLAMIC CENTER
Courtney Lowery, Associated Press, 6/9/04
http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/lateststories/index.ssf?/base/national-25/1086838440263770.xml
OMAHA- A man charged with leaving threatening messages at an Islamic
center
said Wednesday he made the calls in anger after learning last month
that
Islamic terrorists beheaded an American in Iraq.
"I just lost my temper over Michael Berg being beheaded," George M.
Doyle
II said in an interview. "It just hurt so bad."
Doyle, who appeared in U.S. District Court on Wednesday, is charged
with
obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs. The charge carries
a
maximum one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Doyle did not enter a
plea
during his appearance.
In the interview, Doyle said he made two phone calls to the Islamic
Center
of Omaha on May 11, not long after the media reported the beheading.
The charging document says Doyle made derogatory remarks about Allah
and
Islam, and threats such as "they better watch themselves."
Center members called the FBI after playing the messages. FBI spokesman
Jeff Tarpinian said agents were able to track the caller through phone
records and a tip from one of Doyle's relatives...
ALSO SEE:
IL: NEIGHBORHOOD GROUP TO PURSUE LAWSUIT
Nick Katz, Pioneer Press, 6/10/04
http://www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-story/localnews/current/mg/06-10-04-315279.html
MORTON GROVE- While the agreement between the village and Muslim
Community
Center will resolve that suit, the Morton Grove Organization, a
neighborhood group, plans to pursue its own lawsuit filed in September
seeking to prevent the MCC from holding services in the school. It also
alleges a conspiracy between village officials and the MCC to violate
neighbors' civil rights.
Village and MCC representatives began meeting with the mediator
provided by
the Community Relations Service of the U.S. Department of Justice in
January. Although MGO representatives were invited to take part in the
talks, after attending two sessions the group decided to pull out,
calling
an agreement a "done deal."
"We've said from the beginning this was a done deal, that it was the
intent
of this administration to roll over and acquiesce and in no way to
stand up
for the rest of the residents of Morton Grove," Kansoer said. "It was a
done deal before we ever were invited."
But Village Administrator Ralph Czerwinski said the agreement, and
involvement of community members in reaching it, proves that charge is
not
true...
Kansoer said Village officials have addressed the concerns of neighbors
in
the agreement, tackling issues such as parking, the size of the project
and
number of services that will be held. The agreement requires the MCC to
hold at least two services on Fridays to accommodate its members
without
causing parking problems in the neighborhood...
The Morton Grove Organization has no intention of dropping its suit...
---
PRIVATE ISLAMIC SCHOOL OPENS IN DES MOINES
Associated Press, 6/10/04
http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2004/06/10/news/breaking_news/5ad7d8ff7e558bcc86256eaf003ca145.txt
DES MOINES- A new private elementary school will open in Des Moines in
the
fall, featuring Islamic teachings.
"We want the kids to learn more about Islam, the way to practice Islam
and
the way to read the Quran," said board member Iqbal Kapadia. "It's for
people who want good teaching for their children."
Organizers said the New Horizons School, at the Islamic Center of Des
Moines, will serve about 20 kindergartners through second-graders this
fall. Kapadia said the school, which will be open to all students, will
fill a void in the Muslim community.
The New Horizons School's curricula will be similar to that of public
schools, but students will also spend about an hour each day learning
about
the principles of Islam, Kapadia said.
He said the school will open with a certified teacher and an associate,
and
mosque officials are searching for a principal.
Kapadia said the school will seek accreditation from the Iowa
Department of
Education...
-----
HE BUILDS BRIDGES OF FAITH, HOPE
Bill Farrell, New York Daily News, 6/10/04
http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/story/201310p-173736c.html
For Faruq Wadud, the next few days will be eventful ones.
Tonight, Wadud will be among the leaders of an interfaith peace march
from
a Park Slope synagogue to the Kensington mosque he helped establish.
And next week, he will become the first Bangladeshi to take a seat on a
community board in New York City.
Wadud and other organizers of tonight's march, like Rabbi Ellen
Lippmann,
are hoping to be joined by several hundred Christians, Muslims and
Jews.
"After what happened on Sept. 11, we have been doing these interfaith
events," Wadud said. "People were so polarized, it's important that we
gather together as people."
The march will start at Lippmann's Kolot Chayeinu Synagogue at 10th St.
and
Eighth Ave. and proceed to the mosque and community center founded by
Wadud
on McDonald Ave. and Avenue C.
His appointment to Community Board 12, which encompasses Borough Park,
Midwood and Kensington, is in response to Kensington's growing
Bangladeshi
population. Borough President Marty Markowitz named Wadud to the board
at
the request of City Councilman Bill De Blasio (D-Kensington).
"I have been very impressed with Faruq's interfaith work, building
coalitions with other communities. And that kind of energy is always
welcome on the community board," De Blasio said.
Wadud, 48, a graduate of City College, taught math and science at
Sheepshead Bay High School before taking a position as an electrical
engineer with the Transit Authority in 1990.
Married and the father of three, Wadud has been an active force in
Kensington since he moved to the neighborhood from Coney Island a
decade ago...
-----
MICHIGAN RESIDENTS PUSH CIVIL RIGHTS BILL
Niraj Warikoo, Free Press, 6/10/04
http://www.freep.com/news/mich/lobby10_20040610.htm
WASHINGTON DC-As an emergency room doctor at Henry Ford Hospital, Zahid
Sheikh spends much of his time thinking about how to take care of
patients.
But this weekend, the Pakistani-American physician will ponder another
issue: civil rights.
Sheikh will join hundreds of other Pakistani immigrants, Muslims and
Arab
Americans on Capitol Hill today to lobby lawmakers. Their goal:
convince
legislators that Muslims and Arabs are being unfairly targeted.
"America is the greatest country in the world," said Sheikh of Sterling
Heights. "But we should not give blanket power to the government.
Otherwise
there would be no difference between us and Third World countries."
Sheikh will be in Washington with the Association of Pakistani
Physicians
of North America, which was founded in Michigan. The group will work
with
the American Civil Liberties Union and the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, whose Michigan chapter is sending members to Washington this
weekend as well.
Also on Capitol Hill today will be members of the American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee, which is holding its annual convention
this
weekend. It's the largest gathering of Arab Americans in the country.
The
committee's Michigan chapter will be sending more guests than any other
state.
The groups have different makeups, but all will be asking legislators
to
pass the Civil Liberties Restoration Act, a bill that would ensure
certain
rights. The bill would limit the government's power to close
immigration
deportation hearings to the public by requiring a hearing in front of a
judge before a case can be closed off. The bill also would require that
anyone detained on immigration violations be charged within 48 hours
and
given the right to a fair bond hearing...
ALSO SEE:
NJ: PATERSON CHALLENGES THE PATRIOT ACT
Ana M. Alaya, Star Ledger, 6/10/04
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1086850366281450.xml
In the months following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Arabs and
Muslims
in Paterson shuttered themselves indoors as law enforcement questioned
and
detained hundreds of suspects in the North Jersey city.
Last night, as Paterson became the ninth New Jersey town to pass a
resolution opposing portions of the USA Patriot Act on the grounds that
they are unconstitutional, scores of Arabs and Muslims stood in City
Hall
to applaud the largely symbolic move.
"Paterson, with its 150,000 residents and unique ethnic and religious
composition, must rise to claim its rightful place as a defender of the
civil and political rights of citizens," said Aref Assaf, president of
the
New Jersey chapter of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee,
which spearheaded the measure.
The Paterson City Council's resolution, approved last night with one
abstention, challenges parts of the Patriot Act and calls for a
revision of
provisions that critics say threaten civil liberties.
The act, passed shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, expands the
government's power to investigate suspected terrorists by broadening
the
circumstances in which surveillance and wiretaps and other methods can
be
used. Many of the act's sections are set to expire in 2005, though
President Bush and other Republicans support making them permanent.
Paterson joins 311 towns and cities, as well as four state Legislatures
-
Alaska, Hawaii, Vermont and Maine - that have passed similar
resolutions
seeking to roll back what some see as the most repressive sections.
In New Jersey, measures opposing portions of the act have been passed
in
Willingboro, Princeton, Highland Park, Ewing, Mullica, Montclair,
Franklin
and Phillipsburg.
---
FRENCHMAN SUES US OVER DETENTION
Agence France Press, 6/10/04
http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,9799927%255E1702,00.html
A FRENCHMAN of Pakistani origin who was detained in New York for five
months without charge after the September 11, 2001 attacks is suing US
authorities, a French newspaper reported today.
Asif Safi, a 40-year-old from France's Indian Ocean island of Reunion,
said
a visa problem led to him being arrested as a suspected terrorist on
September 30, 2001 while returning from a trip to Canada, the Quotidien
de
la Reunion newspaper said.
He claims to suffer emotional and psychological trauma from the
episode,
which saw him locked up with other suspects of Arab or Muslim
background in
a Brooklyn jail, where he said he suffered physical and verbal abuse
according to the lawsuit prepared by a US group, the Centre for
Constitutional Rights (CCR).
The document claimed FBI agents stomped on Safi's feet, twisted his
thumbs,
beat him and threw him so violently against a wall he lost
consciousness,
the newspaper said...
-----
DETAINEES' MEDICAL FILES SHARED
Peter Slevin and Joe Stephens, Washington Post, 6/10/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29649-2004Jun9.html
GUANTANAMO BAY - Military interrogators at the U.S. detention facility
at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been given access to the medical records of
individual prisoners, a breach of patient confidentiality that
ethicists
describe as a violation of international medical standards designed to
protect captives from inhumane treatment.
The files, which contain individual medical histories and other
personal
information about prisoners, have been made available to interrogators
despite continued objections from the International Committee of the
Red
Cross, according to interviews and documents obtained by The Washington
Post. After discovering the practice in mid-2003, the Red Cross refused
to
send medical monitoring teams to the facility for more than six months,
sources said.
There is no universally established international law governing medical
confidentiality. But ethics experts said international medical
standards
bar sharing such information with interrogators to ensure it is not
used to
pressure prisoners to talk by withholding medicine or by using personal
information to torment a detainee.
"I don't think any American medical worker, doctor, nurse should go
along
with this," said Arthur L. Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics
at
the University of Pennsylvania. "The role of health care workers in any
facility should be solely looking after the health of patients; anybody
who
is not involved in that should not have access to medical records."
How military interrogators used the information is unknown. But a
previously undisclosed Defense Department memo dated Oct. 9 cites Red
Cross
complaints that the medical files "are being used by interrogators to
gain
information in developing an interrogation plan." Maj. Gen. Geoffrey
Miller, the commander of the facility at the time, denied the
allegations,
according to the memo...
-----
BATTLING PHANTOMS ON SHARIA LAW
Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star, 6/10/04
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1086819009712&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795
Reading, hearing and watching the debate on the ostensible introduction
of
sharia law in Ontario has been instructive - not about the proposed
code,
for there isn't one yet, but rather about the media debate on it and
what
it says about our collective values.
No cliche is being left unturned and no prejudice unmined - not merely
in
editorials and opinionated commentary but in supposedly neutral news
copy
and radio-TV scripts.
The spectre has been raised of Muslim women being subjugated even more
than
they already might be, or, worse, being stoned to death or killed in
some
other unspecified ways, right here on the sacred secular soil of
Canada.
That the prospect of such murders here are less than zero has not
deterred
those predicting them or the journalists broadcasting them
breathlessly.
Anti-Islamic zealots have also been having a field day.
I do not question the right of those who are worried to be worried.
These
include Muslims and non-Muslims.
But all Canadians should worry about being dragged down the slippery
slope
of blithely accepting one standard of public debate for Muslim
Canadians
and another for adherents of other religions.
That's what the largely unchallenged hostile narrative on the subject
suggests.
It puts us in the direction of discriminating against Muslims as a
group in
order to avoid potential discrimination against individuals. It also
suggests that Queen's Park deny Muslim Ontarians the right to religious
arbitration, while encouraging it for others...
-----
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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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Fri, 11 Jun 2004 15:53:54 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: CAIR Opens New Chapters in Kentucky, New York
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR OPENS NEW CHAPTERS IN KENTUCKY, NEW YORK
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/11/04) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil liberties group, announced
today
that it has opened new chapters in Lexington, Kentucky, and Albany, New
York.
Both CAIR-Kentucky and CAIR-Albany will assist local Muslim communities
in
dealing with issues related to political participation, civil rights
and
interfaith dialogue. They join 26 other regional offices and chapters
that
the Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group has
nationwide
and in Canada.
CAIR-Albany will address the needs of the upper New York state Muslim
community. It will also help lighten the load of civil rights cases
currently handled by CAIR-NY. "With the addition of a second chapter,
we
will be better able to serve the Muslim community throughout the state
of
New York and to deal with the growing number of civil rights cases
reported
to our office each year," said Mohammed Mohammed, president of CAIR-NY.
Mohammed said the number of such cases tripled in just the past year.
CAIR-Kentucky is the first chapter established in that state. "The
founding
of CAIR-Kentucky will help the Muslim community in our great state
promote
religious tolerance and respect for civil rights," said CAIR-Kentucky
Chairman Abdul Quayyum.
"CAIR's steady growth shows that we have the support of the Islamic
community and are tackling those issues that make a difference in the
lives
of ordinary American Muslims," said CAIR Board Chairman Omar Ahmad.
Ahmad
added that CAIR plans to open other offices around the country over the
next year.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-Kentucky, Abdul Quayyum, 859-221-9081; CAIR-NY, Feroze
Abdul-Munim, 212-870-2002; CAIR-Albany, Nizar Yaghi, 518-527-4335;
CAIR-National, Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-MAIL:
cair@cair-net.org; Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726,
E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Fri, 11 Jun 2004 16:51:30 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Evangelical Works to Cool Anti-Muslim Rhetoric
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/11/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: PARTNERS AND HELPERS
* EVANGELICAL WORKS TO COOL ANTI-MUSLIM RHETORIC (SF Chron)
* U.S. MUSLIM SOLDIER DIES TRYING TO STOP BOMBER (NBC4)
* USE OF DOGS TO SCARE PRISONERS WAS AUTHORIZED (Wash Post)
- Religious Group to Condemn Abuse in TV Ad (AP)
- Bush Says He Doesn't Recall Seeing Torture Memo (AP)
- Dane Witnessed Afghan Abuse (AP)
* GOING TO WAR NOT WORTH IT, MORE VOTERS SAY (LA Times)
- Longer Wait for Citizenship and the Ballot (NY Times)
* ACCUSED U.S. SPY CRITICIZED GUANTANAMO CONDITIONS (Reuters)
- Army Now Says G.I. Was Beaten In Role (AP)
* SAUDI CLEARED OF TERROR CHARGES IN IDAHO (AP)
* BRIGITTE BARDOT FINED FOR INCITING RACIAL HATRED (Wash Post)
- Savage Indeed (Daily Times)
* MUSLIM STUDENTS REFLECT ON A YEAR IN AMERICA (VOA)
- IL: Mosque Backers Paint American Tale (Star)
* VA: PRISON GROOMING CASE TO PROCEED (Times Dispatch)
* TANK LANES BUILT BETWEEN NEW JENIN HOMES (Reuters)
* SERB REPORT ADMITS THOUSANDS KILLED IN SREBRENICA (Reuters)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: PARTNERS AND HELPERS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said in his last sermon:
"Treat
women well and be kind to them, for they are your partners and
committed
helpers."
-----
EVANGELICAL WORKS TO COOL CHRISTIAN RHETORIC ON ISLAM
Don Lattin, San Francisco Chronicle, 6/11/04
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/06/11/MNGBA74CR51.DTL
The Rev. Richard Cizik spends a lot of time apologizing for what
better-known evangelicals say about Islam.
Tonight, for example, he'll be representing the National Association of
Evangelicals at an event at the Moroccan Embassy in Washington, D.C.,
where
he'll no doubt be asked about comments such as one by the Rev. Franklin
Graham, Billy Graham's son and heir apparent, calling Islam "a very
evil
and wicked religion."
Cizik, the vice president for governmental affairs for the evangelical
group, says conservative Protestants should stifle the rhetoric and
stop
demonizing Muslims.
Not the 'evil empire'
"Do we worship the same God? No, I don't believe we do," Cizik said.
"But
also I don't believe Islam is the new 'evil empire,' and it is wrong
for us
to construe it as such."
Since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, some of President Bush's
key
supporters on the religious right -- including the Revs. Pat Robertson
and
Jerry Falwell -- have made disparaging remarks about the Muslim faith,
complicating the administration's efforts to convince the Arab world
that
it wants to spread democracy in Iraq and the rest of the Middle East,
not
suppress Islam.
Bush got a big boost this week when the U.N. Security Council approved
the
U.S. plan to transfer sovereignty in Iraq to a caretaker government.
But
many Muslim leaders still are suspicious of the presidential agenda.
Those suspicions are not surprising, given that many evangelicals at
home
have strayed from Bush's line that Islam is a "religion of peace."
Dennis Hoover, vice president for research at the Institute for Global
Engagement, an evangelical Protestant think tank, said a "sizable
swath" of
the Christian right "is rallying to the cause of anti-Islam…"
-----
VA: LOCAL SOLDIER DIES IN IRAQ
Tried To Intercept Suicide Bomber
NBC News, 6/10/04
http://www.nbc4.com/news/3405344/detail.html
His family says Capt. Humayun Khan, a Muslim and an American, loved his
country and the military. He also believed strongly that peace would be
the
ultimate outcome of the war in Iraq.
Khan did not live to see that outcome.
The Department of Defense announced the 27-year-old was killed Tuesday
in
Baquabah, Iraq. It happened when suicide bombers drove into an American
compound while Khan was inspecting soldiers on guard duty.
Khan, who lived in Bristow, is the 20th Virginian to die in Iraq.
"Instead of running, he stood foward to the oncoming taxi to prevent it
from going inside," said Shahrayar Khan, who is 11 months older than
his
brother. "Even being in Iraq, surrounded by moral peril, I knew he
would do
the right thing. That he was there to protect and to save lives."
Flowers and condolences have been arriving at Khan's family home since
Wednesday.
The family says Khan was originally scheduled to be home by now, but
his
stay in Iraq was extended by the military's stop loss program. He last
spoke with his mother on May 10, Mother's Day.
"I told him, 'Be safe, please be safe for me.' He said, 'Mother, I am
safe.
I just have a responsibility for my soldiers,'" said Gazala Khan,
Humayun's
mother.
Born in the United Arab Emirates, Khan grew up in Silver Spring, Md.,
and
graduated from Kennedy High School in 1996. His family says he joined
the
ROTC to pay for law school.
His youngest brother describes Khan as a gregarious man who loved
basketball.
Being both American and Muslim, his family says Humayun was well liked
in
Iraq, where he was seen as a bridge between two cultures at war.
Khan's body is at Dover Air Force Base. His family says he will be
buried
next week at Arlington National Cemetery.
-----
USE OF DOGS TO SCARE PRISONERS WAS AUTHORIZED
Josh White and Scott Higham, Washington Post, 6/11/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32776-2004Jun10.html
U.S. intelligence personnel ordered military dog handlers at the Abu
Ghraib
prison in Iraq to use unmuzzled dogs to frighten and intimidate
detainees
during interrogations late last year, a plan approved by the
highest-ranking military intelligence officer at the facility,
according to
sworn statements the handlers provided to military investigators.
A military intelligence interrogator also told investigators that two
dog
handlers at Abu Ghraib were "having a contest" to see how many
detainees
they could make involuntarily urinate out of fear of the dogs,
according to
the previously undisclosed statements obtained by The Washington Post.
The statements by the dog handlers provide the clearest indication yet
that
military intelligence personnel were deeply involved in tactics later
deemed by a U.S. Army general to be "sadistic, blatant and wanton
criminal
abuses."
President Bush and top Pentagon officials have said the criminal abuse
at
Abu Ghraib was confined to a small group of rogue military police
soldiers
who stripped detainees naked, beat them and photographed them in
humiliating sexual poses. An Army investigation into the abuse
condemned
the MPs for those practices, but also included the use of unmuzzled
dogs to
frighten detainees among the "intentional abuse."
So far, the only charges to emerge have been against seven MPs and do
not
include any dog incidents, even though such use of dogs is an apparent
violation of the Geneva Conventions and the Army's field manual. The
military intelligence officer in charge of Abu Ghraib later told
investigators that the use of unmuzzled dogs in interrogation sessions
was
recommended by a two-star general and that it was "okay..."
ALSO SEE:
RELIGIOUS GROUP TO CONDEMN ABUSE IN TV AD
Liz Sidoti, Associated Press, 6/11/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Prison%20Abuse%20Ad
WASHINGTON - Religious leaders will condemn the alleged abuse of Iraqi
prisoners by U.S. soldiers in a new television commercial set to begin
running on Arab networks next Tuesday.
The ad, in English with Arabic subtitles, is sponsored by
FaithfulAmerica.org, which bills itself as ``an online wing of a
powerful
new progressive faith movement.''
The ad expresses ``deep sorrow'' at alleged abuses committed by
American
soldiers at Abu Ghraib prison.
``We stand in solidarity with all those in Iraq and everywhere who
demand
justice and human dignity. We condemn the sinful and systemic abuses
committed in our name, and pledge to work to right these wrongs,'' the
ad says.
The 30-second commercial is a compilation of phrases spoken by several
people: the Rev. Don Shriver, president of the Union Theological
Seminary
in New York; Imam Feisal Abdur Rauf, president of the American Sufi
Muslim
Association; Sister Betty Obal, a nun with the Sisters of Loretto; and
Rabbi Arthur Waskow, director of the Shalom Center in Philadelphia.
The ad will air on the Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya networks in a modest
$20,000 buy. How long it runs depends on how much money the group
raises.
Participating in political activities is still illegal for charities,
churches and other nonprofit institutions, the Internal Revenue Service
says...
---
BUSH SAYS HE DOESN'T RECALL SEEING MEMO ON CONDITIONS OF TORTURE
The Associated Press, 6/11/04
http://www.klrt.com/news/national/story.aspx?content_id=C9A65AFD-AAB3-480F-BBD0-361EC2E34345
SEA ISLAND - Addressing advice the White House got suggesting torture
might
be allowed for some terrorist interrogations, President Bush said
Friday he
ordered U.S. officials to act consistent with law and international
treaties.
"What I authorized was staying within U.S. law," Bush said at the
conclusion of the G-8 summit meeting here. The president said he
doesn't
recall seeing Justice Department advice about the conditions for such
torture.
Asked repeatedly about it, Bush sidestepped a question about whether he
thought torture was immoral, saying that his instructions were "to
adhere
to law. ... We're a nation of law" and "you might look at those laws."
The direction he provided was to "conform to U.S. law" and to act
consistent with international treaty obligations, Bush said.
Administration officials say confidential Justice Department memos
criticized by Democrats as laying the legal foundation for Iraqi
prisoner
abuses were aimed mainly at showing that international treaties banning
torture do not apply to al-Qaida and Taliban prisoners.
Ashcroft refused earlier this week to release those memos to members of
Congress...
---
DANE CLAIMS HE WITNESSED AFGHAN ABUSE
Jan Olsen, The Associated Press, 6/10/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug=Denmark%20Afghanistan%20Prisoner%20Abuse
COPENHAGEN - Denmark said Thursday it opened an investigation into
claims
by a translator for Danish and U.S. troops in Afghanistan (news - web
sites) that he witnessed incidents of torture and killing of prisoners
in
American custody two years ago.
Denmark's military prosecutors will determine whether the claims can be
substantiated, said Cmdr. Torben Martinsen, a spokesman for the Defense
Command, the country's top military authority.
Martinsen refused to release details about the Danish translators
claims,
including the number of alleged victims. The man was not identified by
name
nor was it known if he was a military man or civilian working with the
100
Danish soldiers on assignment in Afghanistan in 2002.
The allegation came days after the U.S. government ordered a snap
review of
its military's handling of prisoners in Afghanistan. The scandal over
abuse
of Iraqi prisoners has drawn new attention to allegations of
mistreatment
in Afghanistan, including the deaths of three prisoners in custody.
The translator worked in Kandahar, the main U.S. military base in
southern
Afghanistan, where he "assisted the Americans' questioning of
prisoners,"
Danish Defense Minister Soeren Gade said.
The U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen declined to comment on the report.
In May, a Danish medic working in Iraq (news - web sites) claimed that
British troops in September 2003 had beaten two Iraqis during a field
interrogation, including one who allegedly died.
Gade said Britain's Royal Military Police will send an investigator to
Denmark to gather information as part of a British probe. Denmark's
nearly
500 troops in southern Iraq are under British command.
-----
GOING TO WAR NOT WORTH IT, MORE VOTERS SAY
Ronald Brownsetin, Los Angeles Times, 6/10/04
http://ktla.trb.com/news/nationworld/world/ktla-na-iraqpoll11jun11-lat,0,9566.story
Most U.S. voters now say it was not worth going to war in Iraq, but an
overwhelming majority reject the idea of setting a deadline to withdraw
all
U.S. forces from the country, according to a Times poll.
Though the survey found voters increasingly worried that America was
becoming ensnarled in Iraq and pessimistic that a democratic government
would take root, less than one in five said America should withdraw all
its
forces within weeks. And less than one in four endorsed the idea
advanced
by some Democratic-leaning foreign policy experts and liberal groups to
establish a specific date for withdrawal.
"I never thought we should go to war in Iraq," said Anne Wardwell, a
retired museum curator in Cleveland who responded to the poll. "But I
think
we have to see it through, because if we don't it is going to be a
disaster
in the region."
The survey also showed widespread concern that the war had damaged
America's image in the world, a strong desire to see NATO take the lead
in
managing the conflict, and deep division over whether President Bush
could
rally more international support for the rebuilding effort.
The Times Poll, supervised by polling director Susan Pinkus, surveyed
1,230
registered voters from Saturday through Tuesday. It has a margin of
sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Anxiety over the war's direction and reluctance to abandon the cause in
Iraq radiated through the responses.
Most voters retained faith that the U.S. could control the military
situation in the country. About half of those polled -- 52% -- said
they
thought the U.S. was winning the war; 24% said the insurgents were
winning.
But voters were uncertain about the prospects of achieving broader
goals in
Iraq. Just 35% said the U.S. was "making good progress in Iraq," while
61%
said they thought the U.S. was "getting bogged down." Three-fifths of
independents and more than four-fifths of Democrats shared the sense
that
the effort was stalling...
ALSO SEE:
A LONGER WAIT FOR CITIZENSHIP AND THE BALLOT
Nina Bernstein, New York Times, 6/11/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/11/nyregion/11CITI.html
New York, long the doorway for immigrants seeking entry into American
society, now has one of the nation's longest backlogs of newcomers
awaiting
answers to their citizenship applications. It now typically takes
triple
the time to become a United States citizen in New York as in San
Antonio --
a year and a half compared with six months.
The backlog of pending citizenship cases in New York exceeds 100,000,
more
than in any other district in the country. The waiting list is likely
to
prevent a large number of would-be citizens from voting in the November
election, frustrating voter registration drives and raising questions
among
advocates about why federal offices in some cities have fallen so far
behind others in processing applications.
''There are many people who should be able to vote now, but because of
the
backlog, they're stuck, they won't be able to register,'' said Dan
Smulian,
training and legal services director for the New York Immigration
Coalition, an umbrella advocacy group for more than 200 groups that
work
with newcomers.
Immigrants eligible to apply for citizenship are heavily concentrated
in
six voter-rich states: California, New York, Texas, Florida, New Jersey
and
Illinois. A growing number live in states like Arizona and Washington
whose
immigrant populations soared in the 1990's. Yet while application
delays
are shrinking in Seattle, Phoenix, El Paso and even in Los Angeles,
government figures show, New York is one of many areas where deep
backlogs
rule.
Applications in West Palm Beach take 19 months to handle, more than
twice
as long as the seven months in Seattle, unpublicized government figures
obtained by The New York Times show. Applications in Detroit take more
than
two and a half times as long as they do in Phoenix. One of the longest
waits is in Cleveland: more than three years from application to oath
of
allegiance.
Such are the new mysteries of a federal battle against a growing
naturalization backlog, one that President Bush pledged to eliminate in
the
last campaign...
-----
ACCUSED U.S. SPY CRITICIZED GUANTANAMO CONDITIONS
Adam Tanner, Reuters, 6/11/04
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=527244§ion=news
SAN FRANCISCO - A Syrian-American airman accused of espionage
complained
about prisoner treatment at the U.S. base in Guantanamo, Cuba,
conditions
his lawyer said Thursday he would gladly detail after the Iraq abuse
scandal.
Airman Ahmad Al Halabi, 25, faces charges of spying and misusing
classified
information while serving as a translator at Guantanamo Bay, where the
United States has imprisoned suspected al Qaeda and Taliban fighters.
In an interview, his military attorney, Maj. James Key, said Halabi
criticized the prison conditions at the base after his arrest in
Florida a
year ago, remarks that the prosecution had earlier alleged showed an
anti-American bent.
"Airman Al Halabi had told someone else down there that the detainees
did
not deserve to be treated the way they were being treated, that he
thought
some of them were innocent and did not belong there," Key said from
Travis
Air Force base north of San Francisco. "He thought their living
conditions
were terrible."
The military prosecution has since dropped a related charge of
anti-American statements, but said it intends to use the statements in
the
trial as evidence, Key said.
Raising that issue could prove thorny for U.S. prosecutors in the wake
of
the scandal around the Abu Ghraib, where U.S. torture of Iraqi
prisoners
has shocked the world.
Halabi, who was in Guantanamo on temporary duty as an Arabic
translator, is
one of three men, including another translator and an officer in the
unit
interrogating prisoners, charged in connection with their work at
Guantanamo.
"Especially in light of things going on in Iraq saying that prisoners
did
not deserve to be treated that way probably is a very reasonable
position
to take," Key said. "It's definitely not an anti-American position to
stand
up and say you don't think the treatment these prisoners is getting is
appropriate."
"I don't think to government wants to hear what airman Al Halabi knows
about the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay or any of the other
people we'll be calling as witnesses..."
ALSO SEE:
ARMY NOW SAYS G.I. WAS BEATEN IN ROLE
The Associated Press, 6/8/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/09/international/09SOLD.html
LOUISVILLE - Reversing itself, the Army said Tuesday that a G.I. was
discharged partly because of a head injury he suffered while posing as
an
uncooperative detainee during a training exercise at Guant�namo Bay,
Cuba.
The Army had previously said Specialist Sean Baker's medical discharge
in
April was unrelated to the injury he received last year at the
detention
center, where the United States holds suspected terrorists.
Mr. Baker, 37, a former member of the 438th Military Police Company,
said
he played the role of an uncooperative prisoner and was beaten so badly
by
four American soldiers that he suffered a traumatic brain injury and
seizures. He said the soldiers only stopped beating him when they
realized
he might be American.
Bruce Simpson, Mr. Baker's lawyer, said his client is considering a
lawsuit.
-----
SAUDI CLEARED OF TERROR CHARGES IN IDAHO
Bob Fick, Associated Press, 6/11/04
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/nation/8892523.htm?1c
BOISE - In a case that pitted the Constitution against the Patriot Act,
a
Saudi graduate student was acquitted of charges he used his computer
expertise to help Muslim terrorists raise money and recruit followers.
A jury deliberated nearly seven days before handing down its verdict
Thursday in favor of Sami Omar Al-Hussayen, a 34-year-old Ph.D.
candidate
in computer science student at the University of Idaho.
``The message is that the First Amendment is important and meaningful
in
this country,'' said David Nevin, lead attorney for Al-Hussayen. ``The
system worked.''
The case against Al-Hussayen was seen as an important test of a
provision
of the Patriot Act that makes it a crime to provide expert advice or
assistance to terrorists. The act, passed in response to the Sept. 11,
2001, terrorist attacks, also expanded the government's surveillance
and
detention powers.
Al-Hussayen set up and ran Web sites that prosecutors said were used to
recruit terrorists, raise money and disseminate inflammatory rhetoric.
They
said the sites included religious edicts justifying suicide bombings
and an
invitation to contribute financially to the militant Palestinian
organization Hamas.
Al-Hussayen's attorneys argued that he had little to do with the
creation
of the material posted. And they said the material was protected by the
First Amendment right to freedom of expression and was not designed to
raise money or recruit extremists...
-----
BRIGITTE BARDOT FINED FOR INCITING RACIAL HATRED
Reuters, Washington Post, 6/10/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30957-2004Jun10.html
PARIS - French actress-turned-animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot
was
convicted Thursday of inciting racial hatred and ordered to pay $6,000
--
the fourth such fine for the former sex symbol since 1997.
The Paris court sentenced Bardot, 69, for remarks in her book "A Scream
in
the Silence," an outspoken attack on gays, immigrants and the jobless
that
shocked France last year.
In the book, she laments the "Islamization of France" and the
"underground
and dangerous infiltration of Islam."
"Mme. Bardot presents Muslims as barbaric and cruel invaders,
responsible
for terrorist acts and eager to dominate the French to the extent of
wanting to exterminate them," the court said.
France's 5-million-member Muslim community is the largest in Europe.
Bardot, who was not present for the verdict, denied the charges in a
tearful court appearance last month, saying her book did not target
Islam
or people from North Africa.
She told the court France was going through a period of decadence and
said
she opposed interracial marriage...
ALSO SEE:
SAVAGE INDEED
Akbar S. Ahmed, Daily Times, 6/9/04
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_11-6-2004_pg3_3
The social and cultural climate in the US is becoming unpleasantly
aggressive towards Muslims and it is linked to the actions of Americans
in
positions of authority
Radio talk show personality Michael Savage, host of 'The Savage
Nation,'
has been reported as saying he believes that Arabs and Muslims are
'nonhumans' and has called for the United States to "kill thousands of
Iraqi prisoners and nuke a random Arab capital".
There is, I believe, a link, however indirect, between these
sentiments,
which create a climate of opinion in the United States, and the scandal
of
the prison abuse emerging from places like Abu Ghraib in Iraq. A
correlation exists between the barbarous acts at Abu Ghraib and the
climate
of hate and violence against Muslims that has been created in the last
few
years in the United States...
Even before September 11, a climate of hostility and intimidation had
been
building against Muslims in the United States. Hollywood films and
media
commentators were depicting Muslims - especially Arabs - negatively as
extremist or violent and intrinsically hostile to the US. After that
terrible and tragic day the hatred and violence grew dramatically.
Since
the war in Iraq it has become even worse.
According to the Council for American Islamic Relations, attacks on
Muslim
girls wearing the hijab, on mosques and on Muslims generally have
spiked
dramatically. The graph seems to be moving upwards in a dramatic and
dangerous manner. The signs are there for all to see...
-----
MUSLIM STUDENTS REFLECT ON A YEAR IN AMERICA
Deborah Tate, Voice of America, 6/10/04
http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=EB96D360-00D7-4A2D-A503F2846FF60308
A group of students from Islamic countries has spent the past year in
the
United States as part of a new U.S. program to forge understanding
between
the Muslim world and America. It has been a learning experience for
both sides.
One Pakistani student says, "It has cleared up so many
misunderstandings
between us and Americans."
This Pakistani student is one of 150 who has lived in the United States
over the past year as part of the Partnerships for Learning Youth
Exchange
and Study Program, established last year by the State Department's
Bureau
of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Many of the students attended a reception on Capitol Hill as they
prepare
to return to their home countries.
They had an opportunity to meet with U.S. lawmakers, including Senator
Richard Lugar, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Senator Lugar, an Indiana Republican, played a key role in the creation
of
the program after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the
United
States. He spoke at the reception.
"The United States, if you ask people in many of your countries, is not
well-thought of. Sometimes people respond, 'Well, we like Americans,
but we
do not like the American government,' or some distinction is made. But
sometimes, none of the above, there is just an alienation that is
profound.
That really will not work very well for any of us in the world, but it
requires somebody to form some bridges," Senator Lugar said.
The program aims to expose visiting students to American principles of
democracy, free market economy, civil society, and community service...
ALSO SEE:
MOSQUE BACKERS PAINT AMERICAN TALE
Jef Riestma, Star, 6/10/04
http://www.starnewspapers.com/star/spnews/news/10-sp3.htm
Mohamed Krad is an outdoorsman. He loves to garden and fish, and his
favorite meal is a hamburger, fries and Diet Coke.
Malik Ali is a movie buff. He takes his kids on vacation to Disney
World,
loves the Beatles and has a weakness for Burger King.
Ali Kutom shops at Jewel, works out regularly at Lifetime Fitness
Center
and is involved in his children's Orland Youth Association soccer and
baseball teams.
Krad and Kutom are doctors; Ali is a successful Orland Park
businessman.
All three live in upscale houses and drive nice cars.
"We bleed, we laugh, we cry ... I mean, we're really no different than
the
next guy," the 51-year-old Ali said. "We are U.S. citizens, and we have
more in common with the general population in Orland Park than people
might
think."
Their religion and their support for an effort to build a mosque in
Orland
Park, however, have put Krad, Ali and Kutom in the spotlight.
"Suddenly," Ali said, "through the eyes of many we are seen not as
friends,
neighbors and upstanding citizens, but as a threat to the community."
The three are the main backers behind a proposal to build a mosque in
the
16500 block of 104th Avenue.
Their plan has generated an unprecedented degree of controversy in a
typically quiet and harmonious community.
Hundreds of people opposed to the mosque proposal flooded a May village
plan commission meeting. An equal number showed up at the village's May
26
planning committee meeting...
-----
PRISON GROOMING CASE TO PROCEED
Scott Goldstein, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 6/11/04
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031775996086&path=!news&s=1045855934842
RICHMOND- An American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit that challenges the
Virginia Department of Corrections policy restricting inmate grooming
can
proceed, a U.S. District Court judge ruled yesterday.
The state attorney general's office had hoped to get the case
dismissed,
arguing that the statute upon which the ACLU based its challenge is
unconstitutional.
Solicitor General William Thro's arguments focused on the federal
Religious
Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, which says any agency
receiving
federal money cannot restrict the free practice of religion.
Thro argued that the statute is unconstitutional because Congress does
not
have the right to dictate religious policies in state prisons...
The inmates are Muslims who say they cannot cut their beards and
Rastafarians who say they must let their hair grow according to their
religious beliefs.
"Congress clearly states its intentions that when a state accepts
federal
money, it must abide by these interests," Glenberg said. "This is a
spending clause statute that is very similar to spending clause
statutes
that are enforced everyday."
The grooming policy, enacted in 1999, bars facial hair and sideburns
below
the middle of the ear. It states that men must have their hair "cut
above
the shirt collar and around the ears" and women must have hair
shoulder-length or shorter.
The state also maintains that even if the statute is constitutional,
the
grooming policy is necessary to clearly identify prisoners and prevent
them
from transferring objects such as weapons in their hair...
-----
TANK LANES BUILT BETWEEN NEW JENIN HOMES
Gideon Levy, Haaretz News, 6/10/04
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/437313.html
The residents of Jenin refugee camp have begun returning to homes
destroyed
during Operation Defensive Shield. The homes are being rebuilt by UNRWA
with a $29 million grant from the United Arab Emirates.
Construction of 100 of the 530 housing units destroyed by the IDF in
April
2002 has been completed, and 70 families have returned to their homes,
which are better designed than the previous buildings. UNRWA officials
say
they hope the entire camp will be rebuilt by the end of the summer.
UNRWA decided, after a debate on the issue, to take 15 percent of the
original area of each destroyed house and use the area to widen roads
so
that in the future it would be possible for Israeli tanks to pass more
easily.
Many residents opposed this, saying it should be made more not less
difficult for Israeli tanks to enter the camp. UN officials decided it
would be wiser to leave wider roads so that the houses would not be
destroyed again.
In addition, UNRWA moved 100 families to a new area on the outskirts of
the
camp where new houses were built for them, once again in anticipation
of
the necessity to leave more space for tanks.
"We have lost the right of return," said one of the camp's committee
members this week when he saw the new homes.
Around 1,000 workers are employed on the project. Buildings on "ground
zero," the area that was completely destroyed, have been painted a
cream
color, while the new quarter has been painted white.
About 100 families in the camp managed to get contributions from Iraq's
Saddam Hussein before he was deposed. Each family that lost its home
received $25,000, which they used to refurbish the interior and add
furniture and equipment of a higher standard than previously seen in
the
camp.
-----
SERB REPORT ADMITS THOUSANDS KILLED IN SREBRENICA
Nedim Dervisbegovic, Reuters, 6/11/04
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/06/fce1b006-0499-42a3-93d1-0093bcb3c767.html
SARAJEVO - A Bosnian Serb government commission admitted clearly on
Friday
that Serb forces murdered thousands of Muslims in Srebrenica in 1995 --
a
massacre the government has always denied.
But the commission's report, published on Friday, failed to call the
atrocity a genocide, which was established earlier this year in a
ruling by
The Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia
(ICTY), which prosecutes war crimes committed in the Balkans in 1990s.
"This report will have a historic character. We have reached historic
perceptions and we will have to face ourselves," said Milan Bogdanic,
head
of the Bosnian Serb Republic's government commission which compiled the
report on Srebrenica.
About 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed by rampaging Serb forces
led by
indicted war criminal Ratko Mladic, as U.N. Dutch peacekeepers who were
deployed to protect the U.N. "safe area" stood by helplessly.
The commission, in the report obtained by Reuters, said it "established
that in the period from July 10-19, 1995 several thousand Bosniaks
(Muslims) were liquidated in a way that represents heavy breaches of
international humanitarian law and that the executor, among other
things,
undertook activities to cover up the crime by relocating bodies."
"Accepting and facing the fact that some members of the Serb people
committed crimes in Srebrenica in July 1995" could help investigate
other
crimes in Bosnia and punish those responsible, it said.
The United Nations and the Dutch government took blame for their own
failures but the Serb Republic until now had failed to admit to what
happened in Srebrenica, even after several ICTY convictions.
The top suspects for the Srebrenica massacre, Bosnian Serb wartime
president Radovan Karadzic and Mladic, are still at large. Both were
twice
indicted for genocide, for Srebrenica and for the 43-month Serb siege
of
Sarajevo.
-----
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cair-net@cair.biglist.com
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Muslim Group Decries Terror/Matchmakers for Muslims
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/12/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: A CHANGE OF HEART
* TEXAS NEWSPAPER PROFILES CAIR-SAN ANTONIO
- TX Muslim Leader Claims Profiling (Houston Chron)
- TX Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes Near Pre-9/11 levels (AP)
* PA MUSLIMS SAY FEDS DEFILED MOSQUE DURING RAID (AP)
* CANADA: MATCHMAKER FOR MUSLIMS (The Record)
- Canadian Bank Recognizes Needs of Muslim Investors
* OK: SCHOOL DISTRICT REVISES DRESS CODE ON HIJAB (AP)
* PA: MUSLIM TRADITION PROMOTES REFLECTION (Centre Daily)
* IRAQIS PUT CONTEMPT FOR TROOPS ON DISPLAY (Wash. Post)
- General Granted Latitude At Prison (Wash. Post)
- Iraq Stance Prompts Blair's Party Drubbing (WP)
* DC: MLDEF HOLDS CIVIL RIGHTS LAW CONFERENCE
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: A CHANGE OF HEART
"God does not change the condition of a people until they (first)
change
that which is in their hearts."
The Holy Quran, 13:11
-----
TEXAS NEWSPAPER PROFILES CAIR-SAN ANTONIO
LOCAL ISLAMIC GROUP DECRIES TERRORISM
Sonja Garza, San Antonio Express-News, 6/12/04
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA061204.4B.CAIR.1591361b0.
html
After an American civilian was kidnapped and beheaded in Iraq last
month, a
local Islamic civil liberties group quickly joined a national effort,
"Not
in the Name of Islam," to publicly decry terrorism and violence.
"The Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal does not represent America or
Christianity," read an advertisement by the Council on American-Islamic
Relations, or CAIR. "The Israeli missile that killed innocent
Palestinian
children in Gaza does not represent Judaism. And the beheading of an
innocent American man, Nicholas Berg, does not represent Islam."
Attached to the national newspaper ad was a petition that said: "We,
the
undersigned Muslims, wish to state clearly that those who commit acts
of
terror, murder and cruelty in the name of Islam are not only destroying
innocent lives, but are also betraying the values of the faith they
claim
to represent."
The petition drive and ad campaign were launched by CAIR, the nation's
largest Islamic advocacy and civil rights group. The San Antonio
chapter of
CAIR was created in October and has about 500 members.
The group's area chairwoman, Sarwat Husain, wants to make it clear: "We
denounce the bigotry. We denounce the terrorism. We are Americans. We
work
for justice."
With 28 chapters nationwide and in Canada, CAIR is celebrating its
10-year
anniversary.
"I think that anytime you merge with a national group, we know in
numbers
there's strength," said Imam Omar Shakir of Masjid Bilal, a San Antonio
mosque.
Shakir said he began his religious experience as a Baptist and embraced
Islam in 1975. He is now a CAIR board member…
SEE ALSO:
MUSLIM LEADER CLAIMS PROFILING
DALE LEZON, Houston Chronicle, 6/11/04
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2623201
Mohammed Zaki Alswij, a Houston Muslim leader who fled Saddam Hussein's
Iraq nearly 30 years ago, wears his cleric's robes proudly as symbols
of
his religious stature and beliefs.
But he believes those robes may have been the reason Canadian
immigration
officials saw him as a potential danger and refused to let him into the
country to visit his son and grandson.
Alswij, who said he moved here in 1987 after surviving an assassination
attempt ordered by Saddam, said he and his wife and daughter were
detained
for two days last weekend after officials at the Vancouver airport told
him
he was considered a security threat.
"This wouldn't happen to (just) anyone," he said this week. "But
because I
am a Muslim, I was stopped."
Nancy Bray, Citizenship and Immigration Canada spokeswoman, said
privacy
laws prevent her from discussing individual cases.
But, she said, "We do not do racial profiling in Canada."
People can be denied entry for reasons including lack of proper
identification or having a criminal record indicating a possible danger
to
public safety, Bray said. They can be detained if officials are unsure
of
their identity, if there are criminal or security concerns or if there
is a
risk that they won't appear for immigration proceedings.
Alswij, 53, said he has no criminal record.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a nonprofit Muslim advocacy
group in the United States and Canada, plans to ask the U.S. State
Department and Canadian authorities to investigate the incident, said
Ali
Khalili, council vice president.
Alswij, a naturalized U.S. citizen, has lived in Houston for 17 years.
He
is a Shiite scholar and an imam, or priest, and said he has lectured
about
Islam at universities worldwide, including Canada in the late 1980s.
He said he understood the need for tighter security after the terror
attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, but had never had problems while traveling
until
Saturday...
The interrogation lasted about two hours, he said, and the officials
were
rude and disrespectful. Seeing on his passport that he had traveled to
Iraq
soon after Saddam was toppled last year, they asked why.
Alswij said he told them he had visited his parents, who live in Basra,
and
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani, the country's top Shiite
leader.
They questioned him about his political associations and beliefs.
"I have no political connections," he said. "I'm not political in any
way."
The agents said they had information indicating he could be a threat to
Canada, Alswij said, but they refused to elaborate. Nothing suspicious
was
found in the family's luggage, he added.
Alswij said he and his family were locked in a small room in a
detention
center at the airport. They slept two nights on sofalike beds, he said,
and
finally returned to Houston when a flight became available on Monday.
Although Canadian officials did not tell him to stay away, Alswij said
he
won't risk going back. He said he doesn't condemn the entire nation
because
of his experience, however.
"Everywhere you go, you can find a bad guy," he said. "But they don't
represent the whole country..."
---
HATE CRIMES AGAINST ARABS NEAR PRE-SEPT. 11 LEVELS IN TEXAS
Associated Press, 6/12/04
FORT WORTH, Texas - The number of reports of hate crimes committed
against
Arabs and Muslims have nearly returned to pre-Sept. 11 levels in Texas,
according to the Department of Public Safety…
Nationally, anti-Islamic hate crimes increased 121 percent last year,
according to a report issued by the Council on American-Islamic
Relations
in Washington, D.C.
The downward trend in Texas surprised some Arab and Muslim leaders, who
said they had feared the fighting in Iraq would incite violence here.
"There was a lot of tension among Arabs and Muslims last year when the
war
started," Mouffa Nahaas, president of the Dar el-Islam Center in
Arlington,
said in Saturday's edition of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Civil liberties advocates argued that hate crimes are more numerous
than
the numbers suggest.
"These communities are so underground and intimidated by the way the
federal government is treating them that they are less likely to report
their victimization than ever before," American Civil Liberties Union
spokesman Will Harrell said. "We get complaints from these folks all
the
time, but they don't want us to take action for fear of retribution."
-----
MUSLIM PROTESTERS SAY FEDS DEFILED MOSQUE DURING RAID
Associated Press, 6/12/04
PHILADELPHIA - Federal agents desecrated a mosque when they detained an
imam during a raid two weeks ago, leaders of local mosques said Friday.
The 150 federal agents defiled the Ansaar Allah Islamic Society when
they
entered the mosque with weapons drawn and dogs, said Isa Abdulmateen of
the
Majlis Ash-Shura of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, an umbrella
group
of local mosques.
"They defiled our house of worship on this bogus pretense of
terrorism,"
Abdulmateen said.
About 100 people protested the raid outside the Philadelphia federal
building, many shouting "Allahu Akbar!" meaning "God is great" in
Arabic.
Protesters waved signs reading "Stop state terrorism of Muslims" and
"Mosques are the house of Allah, not dogs..."
Local imams said the raid was meant to intimidate and antagonize
Muslims,
and federal officials should have handled the situation more
sensitively.
"It is a disrespect to Muslims all over America that you (federal
agents)
would bring your dogs into our house of worship - and without taking
your
shoes off," Imam Shahdeed Baiian said.
Internal Revenue Service agents searched the mosque and an adjacent
home in
the city's Bridesburg section, plus a third home in Northeast
Philadelphia
on May 27. No one was arrested on criminal charges, but immigration
authorities detained Egyptian cleric Mohamed Ghorab, the imam of the
small
mosque.
-----
MATCHMAKER FOR MUSLIMS
NAOMI POWELL, The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario), 6/12/04
http://www.therecord.com/
It was a chance meeting befitting a pair of future matchmakers.
On a cold December night, eight years ago, the man who would become
Ambareen Syed's husband knocked on her family's door.
The young man, who introduced himself respectfully as Arif, was tagging
along with a relative who had been invited for dinner.
Ambareen, her hair hidden under a maroon headscarf, was immediately
smitten. She laughed at his jokes and admired the way he spoke of his
community and family.
"He was really sweet," says Ambareen, now 25. "He seemed very
principled,
sort of noble and dignified."
Two days later, Ambareen and Arif Syed were engaged to be married.
Such whirlwind romances are not uncommon among Muslim couples -- the
Islamic faith does not allow men and women to date.
But chance meetings like the one the Syeds experienced are rare.
That's why the couple has started a matchmaking service for local
Muslims
looking to tie the knot.
For the past year and a half, the Waterloo couple have devoted a
considerable amount of their spare time to an organization called
Uniting
Muslims in Marriage Association, or UMMA -- the Arabic word for the
community of believers in Islam.
They've developed application forms, conducted screening interviews and
arranged meetings between applicants -- often in their own home.
And they do it all out of a sense of duty to their community and to the
Islamic faith.
"We consider marriage a fundamental part of our faith," says Ambareen,
a
social worker by profession.
"A healthy community comes from strong stable families…"
For more information on the Uniting Muslims in Marriage Association
visit:
www.angelfire.com/rings/umma
SEE ALSO:
ROYAL BANK OF CANADA RECOGNISES NEEDS OF MUSLIM INVESTORS
Middle East Company News, 6/12/04
http://www.ameinfo.com/news/Detailed/41018.html
The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) has announced a new investment
opportunity
tailored specifically to meet the special requirements of Muslims.
Available to Muslim-Canadian customers, the RBC Shariah-Compliant
Equity-Linked Note has been introduced after an extensive period of
research and consultation, and is supported by a fatwah, confirming its
suitability, issued by three prominent Islamic scholars.
The note, which matures in approximately five and a half years, is the
first of its kind in Canada, and is designed to provide a competitive
investment opportunity compatible with the precepts of Islamic law. RBC
protects the capital investment if the note is held to maturity, with
potential returns calculated using the percentage change in value of
the
underlying equity basket.
"Stocks are selected from the Dow Jones Islamic Market Index, avoiding
all
haram (forbidden) sectors, such as arms, alcohol and pornography," said
Andrew Tice, Middle East regional director of the Royal Bank of Canada.
"Until now, Islamic investors had few attractive investment
opportunities
due to the absence of low-risk investments following Shariah
guidelines.
With the RBC Shariah-Compliant Equity-Linked Note, they have a
capital-secured, Shariah-compliant opportunity with a high growth
potential."
The Shariah Finance Group at RBC Capital Markets developed the
initiative,
which has been approved by three independent Shariah scholars. These
experts - Shaykh Nizam Yakuby from Bahrain, Shaykh Yusuf Talal
DeLorenzo
from the United States, and Shaykh Dr Mohd Daud Bakar from Malaysia -
are
internationally recognised as authorities on Islamic finance, and
between
them advise many banks, governments and other institutions. All three
are
on the Shariah Supervisory Board of the Dow Jones Islamic Market Index…
-----
SCHOOL DISTRICT REVISES DRESS CODE TO COMPLY WITH LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT
Associated Press, 6/12/04
MUSKOGEE (AP) - The Muskogee School Board has approved a dress code
change
that will allow students to wear religious headgear.
The school district settled a lawsuit, filed on behalf of a Muslim
student
who wanted to wear her religious head covering, or hijab. The
settlement,
approved last month by a federal judge, required the change in dress
code.
Starting in the fall, students will be able to wear head coverings for
religious reasons if they apply and have their requests approved by the
school board.
Superintendent Eldon Gleichman said last month that students will also
have
to have "a serious belief" in the religion the headgear observes and
each
have a witness vouch for that belief…
Muskogee schools had suspended Nashala Hearn twice in October for
wearing a
head scarf to Benjamin Franklin Science Academy. School officials
believed
the scarf violated the district's dress code.
The rule was meant to curb gang-related activity; it banned hats, caps,
bandanas and other headgear…
Hearn appeared before the U.S. Senate Judiciary subcommittee Tuesday.
She
said the debate over the dress code set off a "battle between being
obedient to God by wearing my hijab to be modest in Islam versus the
school
dress code policy..."
-----
MUSLIM TRADITION SHOWS DEATH PROMOTES HEALTHY REFLECTION OF SPIRITUAL
LIFE
Mumina Kowalski, Centre Daily, 6/12/04
http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/living/8907920.htm
The recent passing of former President Ronald Reagan has caused many of
us
to think twice about our own life -- and death. In the Muslim
tradition,
contemplating your own death can be a spiritual exercise that can help
you
to get serious about reforming your life. Far from being a morbid or
pessimistic preoccupation, visualizing the preparation of your own body
for
burial and imagining it being lowered into the grave actually can
provide
the necessary focus needed to reaffirm your faith in God and your
belief in
the hereafter.
Numerous Qur'anic verses remind us to prepare conscientiously for death
and
for the Day of Judgment: "Everyone shall taste death. And only on the
day
of resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is
removed away from the fire and admitted to paradise, this person is
indeed
successful. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception."
(Qur'an 3:185)…
Almost 1,000 years ago, the great Muslim scholar Abu Hamid al-Ghazali
wrote
about this universal theme in one of the most widely read books in
Islam,
"The Revival of the Religious Sciences." A renowned professor of
religion
and philosophy at Nizamiyah University in Baghdad, he left the
university
in 1095, gave up his material possessions and became a wandering
ascetic.
He devoted himself to Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam, and
traveled to
Mecca, Syria and Jerusalem before returning to Nishapur, his home in
present-day Iran. In the final section of his 40-volume work, titled
"The
Remembrance of Death and the Afterlife," he expounds on the human
tendency
toward forgetfulness (ghafla) of death and the hereafter.
"Know that the heart of the man who is engrossed in this world and is
given
over to its vanities and harbors love for its appetites must certainly
be
neglectful of the remembrance of death. Thus failing to recall it, when
reminded of it he finds it odious and shies away. Such are the people
of
whom God has said: 'Say: The death that you flee will indeed meet you,
and
you will then be returned to the Knower of the unseen and the seen, and
He
will inform you of that which you had been doing' " (Qur'an 62:8).
Death is present all around us. We hear of the death of someone almost
every day. The death of a friend, parent, child, an international
figure or
even a beloved pet causes us to stop and think about the loss, often
reflecting deeply on our lives. The deaths of well-known individuals
can
alter our thinking and perspectives significantly for a short time, yet
we
often lapse again into complacency and forget the fact that one day we
too
will die. The practice of conscious reflection on one's own death is a
valuable tool for heightening awareness of the brevity and fragility of
life in this world and for prompting us to improve our behavior and to
do
good.
-----
IRAQIS PUT CONTEMPT FOR TROOPS ON DISPLAY
Edward Cody, Washington Post, 6/12/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35558-2004Jun11.html
BAGHDAD, June 11 -- A pair of AH-64 Apache helicopter gunships thumped
back
and forth overhead, scouring residential streets for insurgents.
Dun-colored Bradley Fighting Vehicles snorted and wheeled around, their
tracks gouging holes in the tarmac. A dozen Humvees stood sentry,
closing
off the four-lane avenue to Iraqi cars, while nervous American soldiers
with M-16 automatic rifles forbade local residents from approaching.
"Look at this," said Ghassan Abu Ahmed, raising his hand in a sweeping
gesture toward the tableau of military might. "This is freedom? It is
crazy…"
"What Saddam did was awful, but what the Americans are doing is worse,"
said Abu Ahmed, a laborer who lives with his wife and four sons in a
government-built apartment house flanking the road. "They say they are
bringing us freedom. But this is what they bring."
Since U.S. forces drove to Baghdad and overthrew President Saddam
Hussein
in April 2003, the 138,000 American soldiers stationed here have lost
their
status as liberators in the eyes of most Iraqis. Polling by the
U.S.-led
Coalition Provisional Authority has chronicled a steady souring of
opinion,
with the most recent surveys showing about 80 percent of Iraqis with an
unfavorable opinion of U.S. troops…
"It was discovered that the freedom in this land is not ours. It is the
freedom of the occupying soldiers in doing what they like, such as
arresting, carrying out raids, killing at random or stealing money,"
Sheik
Mohammed Bashir declared in his sermon Friday at Um al-Oura, a Sunni
Muslim
mosque in the middle-class Ghazaliya neighborhood.
"No one can ask them what they are doing, because they are protected by
their freedom," he continued. "No one can punish them, whether in our
country or their country. The worst thing is what was discovered in the
course of time: abusing women, children, men, and the old men and women
whom they arrested randomly and without any guilt. They expressed the
freedom of rape, the freedom of nudity and the freedom of humiliation…"
SEE ALSO:
GENERAL GRANTED LATITUDE AT PRISON
By R. Jeffrey Smith and Josh White, Washington Post, 6/12/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35612-2004Jun11.html
Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, the senior U.S. military officer in Iraq,
borrowed heavily from a list of high-pressure interrogation tactics
used at
the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and approved letting
senior officials at a Baghdad jail use military dogs, temperature
extremes,
reversed sleep patterns, sensory deprivation, and diets of bread and
water
on detainees whenever they wished, according to newly obtained
documents.
The U.S. policy, details of which have not been previously disclosed,
was
approved in early September, shortly after an Army general sent from
Washington completed his inspection of the Abu Ghraib jail and then
returned to brief Pentagon officials on his ideas for using military
police
there to help implement the new high-pressure methods.
The documents obtained by The Washington Post spell out in greater
detail
than previously known the interrogation tactics Sanchez authorized, and
make clear for the first time that, before last October, they could be
imposed without first seeking the approval of anyone outside the
prison.
That gave officers at Abu Ghraib wide latitude in handling detainees.
Unnamed officials at the Florida headquarters of the U.S. Central
Command,
which has overall military responsibility for Iraq, objected to some of
the
32 interrogation tactics approved by Sanchez in September, including
the
more severe methods that he had said could be used at any time in Abu
Ghraib with the consent of the interrogation officer in charge…
---
BLAIR'S PARTY TAKES A DRUBBING AT POLLS
Labor's Third-Place Showing in Local Vote Seen as Disaffection With
Iraq
War
Glenn Frankel, Washington Post, 6/12/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35288-2004Jun11.html
LONDON, June 11 -- Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labor Party suffered its
worst defeat in the modern history of local council elections across
Britain in results announced Friday, a performance that analysts and
politicians said in large part reflected popular disaffection with his
support for the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
As the count continued, the BBC projected that Labor would finish a
distant
third with 26 percent of the vote nationwide, compared with 38 percent
for
the opposition Conservatives and 29 percent for the third-party Liberal
Democrats. That would be the first time a party in power has finished
third
in these elections.
The party lost its hold on city councils in two former strongholds,
Newcastle and Leeds in northeastern England, Labor's traditional
heartland.
British voters traditionally use off-year local elections to send a
protest
message to the governing party, and Labor loyalists took heart from the
fact that although their party was roundly defeated, the Conservative
total
was not large enough to suggest it would win the next general election,
expected to take place in a year.
Paradoxically, some Laborites also took comfort from the fact that Iraq
was
a key factor, saying they hoped that by next year the issue will have
faded.
Still, Labor leaders acknowledged the defeat was larger than they had
expected. David Blunkett, one of Blair's senior cabinet ministers,
pronounced himself "mortified" by the results and blamed them squarely
on
Iraq. "Some people felt it was the wrong policy," he told the BBC. "It
split families, it split the Labor Party, it split friends…"
-----
DC: MLDEF HOLDS CIVIL RIGHTS LAW CONFERENCE
The Muslim Legal Defense and Education Fund hold its annual Muslim
Civil
Rights Law conference on "Walking the Straight Path," June 18-20.
AGENDA: Highlights:
-- 12:15 p.m. - Kick-off reception, HC-6, U.S. Capital
-- 1:30 p.m. - Awards Reception
DATE: June 18, 2004
LOCATION: Howard University School of Law, 2900 Van Ness Street NW,
Washington, D.C. or as noted above
CONTACT: Talib Bin Karim, 202-466-3830;
http://www.mldef.org/conference04.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
-----
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Forwarded Message
Date:
Mon, 14 Jun 2004 17:13:34 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Still Waiting for Boykin Report/Bilingual Caregivers
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/14/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: DO GOOD CONTINUOUSLY
* CAIR-NJ JOB OPENING: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
* STILL WAITING FOR BOYKIN REPORT (Wash. Post)
* THE PENTAGON - SPYING IN AMERICA? (Newsweek)
- Based On Hollywood, Would You Trust America? (CSM)
* ABUSES 'APPROVED AT HIGHEST LEVELS' (Telegraph)
- Memo Says Torture 'May Be Justified' (Wash Post)
- Secret World of U.S. Jails (Observer)
- US to Keep 5,000 Prisoners after June 30 (AFP)
- Four British Soldiers Charged with Abuse
* REP. HONDA DEMANDS PROBE OF YEE CASE
- IL: Mayfield and Wife to Speak at Mosque
* MUSLIM TEENS A BRIDGE TO PEACE (Boston Globe)
- Seeing Arranged Marriages Differently (News Tribune)
* DETROIT-AREA BILINGUAL CAREGIVERS A HIT (Free Press)
- CAIR Health Care Providers Guide to Islamic Practices
* DIGNITARIES FAULT BUSH ADMINISTRATION (Wash Post)
* IL: FEAR DOESN'T ALWAYS PREVAIL (Chicago Trib)
- IL: Bridgeview Courts Arab Understanding (Daily Southtown)
- Neo-Nazi Graffiti Sprayed On Graves in France (AFP)
* DESPITE U.S. DEAL, ISRAEL STARTS FENCE (Haaretz)
- Israel and Eugenics (Haaretz)
- Israel Confiscates Swaths of West Bank (AP)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: DO GOOD CONTINUOUSLY
Narrated Masruq: "I asked (the Prophet Muhammad's wife) Aisha which
(good)
deed was most loved by the Prophet. She said: 'A deed done
continuously.'"
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Hadith 232
-----
CAIR-NJ JOB OPENING: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CAIR's New Jersey office has an opening for the position of Executive
Director. Please click below
http://cair-nj.org/ExecutiveDirector-Job.pdf
for a full description.
-----
STILL WAITING FOR BOYKIN REPORT
REWINDING THE TAPE
Al Kamen, Washington Post, 6/14/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39088-2004Jun13_2.html
Still no word on that Pentagon inspector general's report on some
controversial anti-Muslim statements, caught on videotape, made by Lt.
Gen.
William G. "Jerry" Boykin, deputy undersecretary of defense for
intelligence.
It's been more than seven months since the Pentagon announced the
investigation after Boykin, in uniform, talked about the war on
terrorism
as a "spiritual battle" and made comments disparaging of Islam. Muslims
went ballistic…
Let's see, Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba did his investigation into Abu
Ghraib prison in a couple of months or so, beginning in January and
finishing in March. Is it that he types faster than others? Or is the
speed
of the investigation proportional to the rank of the suspect? Lower the
rank, shorter the investigation. (Even better when it's a bunch of
reservists.) What is that old military expression? Different spanks for
different ranks?
-----
THE PENTAGON-SPYING IN AMERICA?
Michael Isikoff, Newsweek, 6/14/04
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5197014/site/newsweek/
Last February, two Army counterintelligence agents showed up at the
University of Texas law school and demanded to see the roster from a
conference on Islamic law held a few days earlier. Their reason: they
were
trying to track down students who the agents claimed had been asking
"suspicious" questions. "I felt like I was in 'Law & Order'," said one
student after being grilled by one of the agents. The incident provoked
a
brief campus uproar, and the Army later admitted the agents had
exceeded
their authority. But if the Pentagon has its way, the Army may not have
to
make such amends in the future. Without any public hearing or debate,
NEWSWEEK has learned, Defense officials recently slipped a provision
into a
bill before Congress that could vastly expand the Pentagon's ability to
gather intelligence inside the United States, including recruiting
citizens
as informants.
Ever since the 1970s, when Army intel agents were caught snooping on
antiwar protesters, military intel agencies have operated under tight
restrictions inside the United States. But the new provision, approved
in
closed session last month by the Senate Intelligence Committee, would
eliminate one big restriction: that they comply with the Privacy Act, a
Watergate-era law that requires government officials seeking
information
from a resident to disclose who they are and what they want the
information
for. The CIA always has been exempt-although by law it isn't supposed
to
operate inside the United States. The new provision would now extend
the
same exemption to Pentagon agencies such as the Defense Intelligence
Agency-so they can help track terrorists. A report by the Senate
Intelligence Committee says the provision would allow military intel
agents
to "approach potential sources and collect personal information from
them"
without disclosing they work for the government. The justification:
"Current counterterrorism operations," the report explains, which
require
"greater latitude ... both overseas and within the United States…
ALSO SEE:
BASED ON HOLLYWOOD IMAGE, WOULD YOU TRUST AMERICA?
Ron Kraybill, Christian Science Monitor, 6/14/04
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0614/p09s02-coop.html
How many Americans are aware that the most sophisticated tools of
modern
communication are being used on a daily basis in a vast program of
disinformation about this country and its people that is beamed into
almost
every country on Earth?
Every time I travel abroad I see this at work and witness its results.
"I am so grateful for this opportunity to get to know you and your
family,"
a Muslim Indian woman told me in 2000. "We thought that Americans have
no
values, that they are materialistic, and care only about themselves. We
thought there is no commitment to children and families, that everyone
lives in immorality. It is so wonderful to see that these things are
not
true!"
Where does this image of America come from? If someone had set out to
create a powerful propaganda strategy to completely discredit America,
they
could not have come up with anything more effective than the Hollywood
product shown daily to billions of people.
American soap operas and reality shows are beamed daily into the slums
of
Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town, Nairobi, Bangkok, and even the far reaches
of
Siberia. A friend has described to me her amazement at observing
indigenous
people in northern Siberia rushing home at midday to watch a favored
California soap opera, a rebroadcast of the same show they'd already
seen
the night before! Foreign distribution of these shows is a huge source
of
profit for Hollywood.
While US soldiers sacrifice their lives to go after people who consider
Americans evil, Hollywood blithely peddles filth that confirms the
worst
fears of our global neighbors. Given that US security is at risk, every
American should be concerned.
Americans themselves are cheapened by such viewing. But at least most
know
that neither they nor their neighbors live in glistening mansions
filled
with sexy people looking for the next liaison. Unfortunately, people
abroad
don't know this about Americans. Do others really think that what they
see
on their TVs is in fact real life in America?…
-----
INTERROGATION ABUSES WERE 'APPROVED AT HIGHEST LEVELS'
Julian Coman, Telegraph News, 6/13/04
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/06/13/wguan13.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/06/13/ixworld.html
WASHINGTON - New evidence that the physical abuse of detainees in Iraq
and
at Guantanamo Bay was authorised at the top of the Bush administration
will
emerge in Washington this week, adding further to pressure on the White
House.
The Telegraph understands that four confidential Red Cross documents
implicating senior Pentagon civilians in the Abu Ghraib scandal have
been
passed to an American television network, which is preparing to make
them
public shortly.
According to lawyers familiar with the Red Cross reports, they will
contradict previous testimony by senior Pentagon officials who have
claimed
that the abuse in the Abu Ghraib prison was an isolated incident.
"There are some extremely damaging documents around, which link senior
figures to the abuses," said Scott Horton, the former chairman of the
New
York Bar Association, who has been advising Pentagon lawyers unhappy at
the
administration's approach. "The biggest bombs in this case have yet to
be
dropped."
A string of leaked government memos over the past few days has revealed
that President George W Bush was advised by Justice Department
officials
and the White House lawyer, Alberto Gonzalez, that Geneva Conventions
on
torture did not apply to "unlawful combatants", captured during the war
on
terror.
Members of Congress are now demanding access to all White House memos
on
interrogation techniques, a request so far refused by the United States
attorney-general, John Ashcroft…
ALSO SEE:
JUSTICE DEPT. MEMO SAYS TORTURE 'MAY BE JUSTIFIED'
Dana Priest, Washington Post, 6/13/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A38894-2004Jun13?language=printer
Today washingtonpost.com is posting a copy of the Aug. 1, 2002,
memorandum
"Re: Standards of Conduct for Interrogation under 18 U.S.C.
2340-2340A,"
from the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel for Alberto R.
Gonzales, counsel to President Bush…
The memo was written at the request of the CIA. The CIA wanted
authority to
conduct more aggressive interrogations than were permitted prior to the
terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The interrogations were of
suspected
al Qaeda members whom the CIA had apprehended outside the United
States.
The CIA asked the White House for legal guidance. The White House asked
the
Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel for its legal opinion on
the
standards of conduct under the Convention Against Torture and Other
Cruel,
Inhumane and Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
The Office of Legal Counsel is the federal government's ultimate legal
adviser. The most significant and sensitive topics that the federal
government considers are often given to the OLC for review. In this
case,
the memorandum was signed by Jay S. Bybee, the head of the office at
the
time. Bybee's signature gives the document additional authority, making
it
akin to a binding legal opinion on government policy on interrogations.
Bybee has since become a judge on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals.
Another memorandum, dated March 6, 2003, from a Defense Department
working
group convened by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to come up with
new
interrogation guidelines for detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,
incorporated much, but not all, of the legal thinking from the OLC
memo.
The Wall Street Journal first published the March memo...
---
SECRET WORLD OF US JAILS
Jason Burke, Observer, 6/13/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/alqaida/story/0,12469,1237650,00.html
The United States government, in conjunction with key allies, is
running
an 'invisible' network of prisons and detention centres into which
thousands of suspects have disappeared without trace since the 'war on
terror' began.
In the past three years, thousands of alleged militants have been
transferred around the world by American, Arab and Far Eastern security
services, often in secret operations that by-pass extradition laws. The
astonishing traffic has seen many, including British citizens, sent
from
the West to countries where they can be tortured to extract
information.
Anything learnt is passed on to the US and, in some cases, reaches
British
intelligence.
The disclosure of the shadowy system will increase pressure on the Bush
administration over its 'cavalier' approach to human rights and will
embarrass Tony Blair, a staunch ally of President George Bush.
The practice of 'renditions' - when suspects are handed directly into
the
custody of another state without due process - has sparked particular
anger. At least 70 such transfers have occurred, according to CIA
sources.
Many involve men who have been freed by the courts and are thus legally
innocent. Renditions are often used when American interrogators believe
that harsh treatment - banned in their own country - would produce
results.
The Observer has obtained details of two incidents in which men have
been
detained by the US despite being found innocent by courts in their own
country. In one, a British businessman called Wahab al-Rami, an Iraqi
living in the UK and a Palestinian seeking asylum were arrested by US
and
local officers in Gambia in November 2002 as they stepped off a flight
from
London…
---
US TO KEEP 4,000-5,000 PRISONERS AFTER JUNE 30
Agence France Presse, 6/13/04
BAGHDAD - The US-led coalition plans to hold on to between 4,000 and
5,000
people after Iraq (news - web sites) receives sovereignty on June 30
and to
free or hand over to the Iraqi authorities 1,400 prisoners, a military
officer told AFP.
"Currently, there are approximately 6,400 detainees," said Lieutenant
Colonel Barry Johnson, a spokesman for detention operations in Iraq.
"At this time, we estimate there will be approximately 4,000-5,000
detainees after June 30, keeping in mind that anti-Coalition activities
occur every day, resulting in further detentions."
About 200 prisoners held at Camp Bucca, a detention camp located by the
southern port of Umm al-Qasr, will be transferred to the Iraqi
authorities,
Johnson said.
The coalition will also shut down one of its three main nationwide
prison
centres, Camp Cropper, located at the Baghdad airport, Johnson said.
"Currently, there are three theater-level detention facilities in Iraq:
Camp Redemption at Abu Ghraib, Camp Bucca near Umm Qasr, and Camp
Cropper...
---
FOUR BRITISH SOLDIERS CHARGED WITH ABUSE
Associated Press, 6/14/04
LONDON - Four British soldiers will face courts-martial on charges of
abusing prisoners in Iraq, Attorney General Lord Goldsmith said Monday.
He said the charges include allegations of ``assault, indecent assault
which apparently involves making the victims engage in sexual activity
between themselves, and a military charge of prejudicing good order and
military discipline.''
In a written statement to the House of Lords, he did not name the
defendants or give the date of the alleged offenses, but said there was
``photographic evidence'' pertinent to the case.
The government said last week that military police are investigating 30
cases of alleged abuse, civilian deaths and injuries in Iraq.
Thirty-seven
probes have already been completed and no further action was being
taken…
-----
REP. HONDA DEMANDS INVESTIGATION INTO CHAPLAIN YEE CASE
Calls on Army to Demonstrate Due Process
http://www.house.gov/honda/
Washington, DC - US Rep. Mike Honda (D-San Jose) has formally requested
an
investigation into the US Army's court martial of Chaplain James Yee, a
commissioned officer of Islamic faith who was held in solitary
confinement
for 76 days on a variety of charges ranging from treason to mishandling
classified documents. Ultimately, the Army dropped all criminal
charges.
On June 4, Rep. Honda submitted a letter to Joseph Schmitz, Inspector
General of the Department of Defense, formally requesting the
investigation
into the Army's criminal probe and court marital of Captain Yee. Rep.
Honda authored the letter in conjunction with House Armed Services
Committee Ranking Member Ike Skelton (D-MO), House Armed Services Total
Force Subcommittee Ranking Member Vic Snyder (D-AR), and Armed Services
Committee member Adam Smith (D-WA).
The following is the text of the June 4 letter:
Dear Mr. Schmitz:
We write to formally request that your office investigate the U.S.
Army's
criminal probe and court martial of Army Chaplain, Captain James Yee.
The
Army's decision to drop all charges against Captain Yee raises
important
questions about the strength and legitimacy of initial assertions by
Army
officials that Captain Yee had engaged in espionage and treasonous
conduct
at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
As you know, Captain James Yee was arrested on September 10, 2003, on
suspicion of sedition, espionage, treason, and aiding the enemy.
However,
none of the original accusations appeared in the formal charges brought
by
the Army on October 10, 2003. Instead, Captain Yee was charged with
mishandling classified material and two counts of failing to obey an
order.
After 76 days in solitary confinement, Captain Yee was released on
November
25, 2003. However, the Army then filed three new charges against him:
making a false official statement, adultery, and conduct unbecoming an
officer. The Army later dropped all criminal charges to pursue a
non-judicial punishment. In March of 2004, Captain Yee successfully
appealed the non-judicial punishment and was reinstated.
Press reports alleged that while confined, Captain Yee, a commissioned
officer of the United States Army, was not afforded the military
courtesies
commiserate with his rank and that he was unduly targeted because of
his
religious affiliation with Islam...
SEE ALSO:
BRANDON MAYFIELD AND WIFE TO SPEAK AT THE IL MOSQUE
Muslim Civil Rights Center
WHAT: Based solely on the faulty fingerprint match, authorities jailed
Brandon Mayfield without charges, leaked false information linking him
to
the bombings, and confused and terrified him and his family. His ordeal
ended only after Spanish authorities determined the print matched those
of
an Algerian man, not Mayfield.
Mayfield, an Oregon lawyer, was arrested on May 6 and held for fourteen
days, when FBI matched his fingerprint to one found on a bag of
detonators
used in the March 11th bombing in Madrid, Spain.
Brandon and his wife, Mona Mayfield, will speak at the Mosque
Foundation,
Bridgeview about their ordeal.
WHEN: Saturday June 19, 2004
8:30 p.m. (after Maghrib prayer)
WHERE: Mosque Foundation, 7360 West 93rd Street, Bridgeview, IL 60455
This free-of-cost event is open to the public and media.
For more information, please call Muslim Civil Rights Center at (708)
598-6640 or email to info@mcrcnet.org
-----
IN MUSLIM TEENS, US SEES BRIDGE TO PEACE
Bryan Bender, Boston Globe, 6/13/04
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/06/13/in_muslim_teens_us_sees_bridge_to_peace/
WASHINGTON -- There is no easy way to reverse the growing distrust
between
the United States and the Islamic world, but for 16-year-old
Palestinian
Sami Qarmout and other young Muslims who spent the past year in
America,
it's time to get started.
''We broke some of the myths," said Qarmout, who is returning to his
family
in the Gaza Strip after participating in the first US government
program to
bring young Muslims to the United States. ''Americans are not all
rich,"
said Qarmout, who lived with a family in Albuquerque. ''I learned that
13
million live in poverty."
To sponsors of the Cultural Bridges program -- established by Senator
Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, and Senator Richard G.
Lugar,
Republican of Indiana, after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 -- it is
young
people like Qarmout who are America's best hope for winning what many
say
is a generational battle against Islamic extremism.
''Our job is to go back and tell our people about the United States,"
said
Hazem Torfah, 17, who is returning to his native Syria after a year in
Ephrata, Wash. ''We have different education systems. Here you get to
choose what you want to study. It's hard to do that in Syria. But a mix
of
both systems would be great."
''Each time you do, you'll be sending forth a new ripple of hope..."
ALSO SEE:
AMERICANS MOSTLY VIEW ARRANGED MARRIAGES AS OPPRESSIVE, BUT MANY WHO'VE
DONE IT SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY
Debbie Cafazzo, News Tribune, 6/14/04
http://www.tribnet.com/news/story/5187548p-5120395c.html
Muslims dislike the term "arranged marriage," according to Michaela
Corning, a convert to Islam and member of the Seattle chapter of the
Council on American Islamic Relations.
"People don't sort out what is Islam and what is culture," she said.
Arranging marriages or forcing young people into marriage is not a
Muslim
practice, she says. In fact, she says, Islam forbids forcing a woman
into
marriage.
But part of the confusion arises, Corning explains, because "in Islamic
culture, we don't have dating."
The faith forbids intimacy between men and women before marriage. So
parents may forbid American-style dating in an effort to prevent it.
Corning, who has traveled in countries where Islam is prevalent, says
the
usual story is of a mother, aunts and family friends talking together:
"My
son wants a wife. My daughter is looking for a husband."
They may obtain a photograph of the potential partner; they look into
the
person's educational background…
When potential mates meet, it is in a chaperoned setting.
As in Indian culture, some Muslims are turning to the Internet to meet
others of their faith. But most often, parents or relatives are
involved in
approving a final match.
"The Muslim perspective is that my parents are more experienced," says
Corning. "They know things I don't. They want what's in my best
interest."
She adds: "For young Muslim teens or young adults, it comes down to two
things: your belief in Islam and your cultural ties or your perspective
on
family life. Those things are very integrated, whether you grew up here
or
in another country."
-----
DETROIT-AREA BILINGUAL CAREGIVERS A HIT
Shantee Woodards, Associated Press, 6/14/04
DEARBORN, Mich. - Zihra Saad didn't know that as a diabetic, she needed
to
monitor how often she ate meals and snacked.
It wasn't unusual for the 72-year-old Dearborn Heights resident to eat
breakfast and not eat again until dinner. Her blood sugar sometimes
dropped
as low as 48, far below the normal range of 70-100.
That was before she joined the Transcultural Home Health Care Program,
which provided her with a nurse who spoke her native language and a
dietitian.
"They showed me what to eat and the amount and all that brought my
sugar to
almost regular," said Saad, who is Lebanese.
"Doctors don't do that. They just don't have a lot of time. They just
give
you a book and think you're going to read it and understand."
Started in May, Transcultural Home Health Care employs about 20
bilingual
caregivers to visit patients who may have health problems stemming from
their difficulty with English or cultural differences.
The program is targeting the Muslim and Arab-American community now,
but
plans to branch out to American-Indian, Latino and African-American
communities. Bilingual caregivers from those ethnic groups are being
recruited.
SEE ALSO:
HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS GUIDE TO ISLAMIC PRACTICES
CAIR publishes a booklet, called a "Health Care Providers Guide to
Islamic
Religious Practices," designed to educate health care workers about
Islamic
beliefs. Copies of the booklet may be obtained by e-mailing:
pubs@cair-net.org, or by calling 202-488-8787 and asking for the
publications department.
-----
GROUP SEEKS CHANGE IN SECURITY POLICY: DIGNITARIES FAULT BUSH
ADMINISTRATION
Peter Slevin, Washington Post, 6/12/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37557-2004Jun12.html
Angered by President Bush's conduct of foreign policy and dismayed
about
America's diminished reputation abroad, more than two dozen former top
diplomats and military leaders will release a statement this week
calling
for a change in U.S. national security policy.
Members of the group -- a mix of Republicans and Democrats -- have
served
in capitals from Moscow to Tel Aviv and Lima to Kinshasa. The list
includes
a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a former head of U.S.
Central Command, a former CIA director and a decorated array of former
ambassadors and assistant secretaries of state and defense.
"We all have this extremely strong feeling that this administration has
failed in its responsibilities to the nation," H. Allen Holmes, former
assistant secretary of defense for special operations, said yesterday.
"We
have never been so isolated in the world, and feared. It's incredible
that
the United States should be in that position."
As a group, they are the latest and most prominent collection of former
national security figures to complain about the direction of Bush
administration foreign policy. They came together at a moment of
growing
public doubt about Bush's handling of foreign affairs and the war in
Iraq...
-----
FEAR DOESN'T ALWAYS PREVAIL OVER FAIRNESS
Dawn Turner Trice, Chicago Tribune, 6/14/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/site/premium/access-registered.intercept
Given the natural fears seeded by the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, I
would expect that fearmongers wanting to make all Muslims out to be
terrorists would begin with a campaign to sow hatred.
Such a campaign has been under way in southwest suburban Orland Park,
where
an anonymous group recently sent a flier to village residents.
It was to alert "concerned citizens" about last Monday's Village Board
meeting, during which the flier reported officials were to make a
decision
on a proposal to build a mosque in Orland Park. The proposal, submitted
earlier this year, wasn't even on the agenda that night. But that was a
technicality.
The flier gave all kinds of reasons why building a mosque in Orland
Park
was a bad idea. It said the proposed size of the mosque had grown from
6,000 square feet to 22,000 square feet. It said roads would have to be
widened. It said the village was offering water and sewer to an
unincorporated area, which was definitely a no-no.
The final reason the mosque is a bad idea? "They are coming from the
[nearby] Bridgeview mosque that has had many allegations of terrorist
ties
from the federal government."
The flier--which officials said was filled with misinformation--joins
other
strange missives, including one sent to the Tribune, about the
mosque...
ALSO SEE:
BRIDGEVIEW COURTS ARAB UNDERSTANDING
James G. Muhammad, Daily Southtown, 6/14/04
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dsnews/145nd1.ht/m
With the Arab population growing in the area served by the Bridgeview
courthouse, court officials embarked on a program to educate legal
professionals about Arab customs and culture, and to educate area
residents
from Arab-speaking countries about the courts.Judges, attorneys, police
officers and family service providers gathered at a forum Thursday,
sponsored by the Family Violence Prevention Coordinating Council of the
Fifth Municipal District.
The discussion consisted of breaking down stereotypes, familiarizing
participants with Arabic phrases and customs, and personal reflections
of
growing up Arab in American society. It was titled, "Arab-American
Culture
and Community Services Networking with the Bridgeview Court System."
"It's important for us to have a dialogue with the Arab-American
community," presiding Judge Anthony S. Montelione said. "The court is
available to the community but they're not using it to the extent they
should be. Maybe it's because they're not knowledgeable or, quite
frankly,
because they're afraid of the court even though they may have a need."
Montelione said the forum is the first of many because of the large
number
of Arab-Americans - more than 100,000 - in his district, which covers
34
towns and villages in southwest Cook County.
Nareman Taha, co-executive director of the Arab-American Family
Services,
presented some basic facts about Muslims and Arabs...
---
NEO-NAZI GRAFFITI SPRAYED ON MUSLIM GRAVES IN EASTERN FRANCE
Agence France Presse, 6/14/04
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200406/s1131687.htm
A Muslim cemetery and a village in eastern France were painted with
Neo-Nazi slogans and swastikas over the weekend, prompting Interior
Minister Dominique de Villepin to head to the region to speak with
officials and religious representatives.
More than 50 Muslim graves in a Strasbourg cemetery were covered with
black
swastikas and, in some cases, "HH" (for Heil Hitler) and the neo-Nazi
characters "88", which refer to the letter H being the 8th letter in
the
alphabet.
A wall nearby was inscribed with threats against the heads of the
regional
Muslim council and the regional assembly as well as the phrases "Sieg
Heil", "White Race", "White Power" and "Adolf".
In the village of Wittersdorf, 80 kilometres to the south, similar
graffiti
was sprayed on walls, bus shelters and along streets on Saturday night.
Insults were also written against the town's mayor and "Attention: the
Jews
are back" was painted on the outside of a Jewish person's home.
Police were investigating both acts of vandalism.
Mr De Villepin will discuss those and other racist incidents with local
Muslim and Jewish leaders.
-----
DESPITE U.S. DEAL, ISRAEL STARTS ARIEL FENCE
Arnon Reguar, Haaretz, 6/14/04
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/438675.html
Israel has started preparations for the construction of the separation
fence east of the West Bank Jewish town of Ariel, and also the Kedumim
and
Immanuel settlements. Two weeks ago, Defense Ministry officials sent
Palestinian residents of the Salfit town, south of Ariel, preliminary
appropriation orders for land upon which the fence is to be built.
This land appropriation move is at variance with the U.S.
government's
understanding that such steps would not be taken in the foreseeable
future,
and that the separation fence project in these West Bank areas would be
deferred.
Yet the move upholds a promise given by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to
Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu which clinched the latter's support
for
the disengagement plan: Sharon indicated to Netanyahu that the
separation
fence in the Ariel area would be completed before the withdrawal from
the
Gaza Strip is finished.
Netzah Mashiah, who heads the Defense Ministry's seam area authority,
told
Haaretz on Sunday that plans call for the completion of the separation
fence east of Ariel, Immanuel and Kedumim by May 2005.
About two weeks ago, civil administration officials in this West Bank
region met with Palestinian Authority delegates and presented the land
appropriation orders, along with a map of the precise area slated for
the
fence - the area is 3.5 kilometers long, and 100 meters wide, and runs
between Ariel and Salfit.
Appropriation orders for the Immanuel and Kedumim areas will be
released in
coming weeks. After these orders are issued, construction of the
separation
fence in the heart of the West Bank will begin…
ALSO SEE:
ISRAEL AND EUGENICS
`DO NOT HAVE CHILDREN IF THEY WON'T BE HEALTHY!'
Tamara Traubmann, Haaretz, 6/14/04
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/437879.html
A shocking new study reveals how key figures in the pre-state Zionist
establishment proposed castrating the mentally ill, sterilizing the
poor
and doing everything possible to ensure reproduction only among the
`best
of people.'
Castrating the mentally ill, encouraging reproduction among families
"numbered among the intelligentsia" and limiting the size of "families
of
Eastern origin" and "preventing ... lives that are lacking in purpose"
-
these proposals are not from some program of the Third Reich but rather
were brought up by key figures in the Zionist establishment of the Land
of
Israel during the period of the British Mandate. It turns out there was
a
great deal of enthusiasm here for the improvement of the hereditary
characteristics of a particular race (eugenics). This support, which
has
been kept under wraps for many years, is revealed in a study that
examines
the ideological and intellectual roots at the basis of the
establishment of
the health system in Israel.
In the Yishuv (pre-state Jewish community) in the 1930s there were
"consultation stations" operating on a Viennese model of advice centers
for
couples that wished to marry and become parents. In Austria, with the
Nazis' rise to power, they served for forced treatment. Here the
stations
were aimed at "giving advice on matters of sex and marriage, especially
in
the matter of preventing pregnancy in certain cases." They distributed
birth-control devices for free to the penniless and at reduced prices
to
those of limited means. In Tel Aviv the advice stations were opened in
centers of immigrant populations: Ajami in Jaffa, the Hatikvah Quarter
and
Neveh Sha'anan.
These are some of the findings of a doctoral thesis written by Sachlav
Stoler-Liss about the history of the health services in the 1950s,
under
the supervision of Prof....
---
ISRAEL CONFISCATES SWATHS OF WEST BANK
MARK LAVIE, Associated Press, 6/14/04
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel has expropriated thousands of acres of
Palestinian
farmland deep in the West Bank for the most controversial segment of
its
separation barrier, Palestinian officials said Monday.
The military, meanwhile, said it is taking down a few of the roadblocks
that have disrupted West Bank life for more than three years - though
the
main obstacles to Palestinian travel remain in place.
In violence Monday, an Israeli helicopter fired a missile into a car in
the
West Bank refugee camp of Balata, killing two Palestinians, including
Khalil Marshoud, a local leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a
violent
group loosely linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah
faction.
Israel began building the barrier last year, to keep out Palestinian
militants who have killed hundreds of Israelis since the outbreak of
fighting in 2000. In some areas, the trenches, walls and fences run
near
Israel's old frontier with the West Bank, but elsewhere dip deep into
the
territory claimed by the Palestinians for a future state.
The latest land seizures are part of construction of a barrier segment
near
the Israeli settlement of Ariel, in the heart of the West Bank.
Palestinians charge that the barrier project is meant to swallow up
large
parts of the West Bank, pointing to the Ariel sector as a prime
example.
If Israel builds the barrier to include Ariel on the ``Israeli'' side,
it
would mean cutting a wedge halfway through the northern part of the
territory, because Ariel is in the middle.
With 18,000 residents, Ariel is the second-largest West Bank
settlement.
Maale Adumim, east of Jerusalem, has 26,000.
The United States is opposed to adding Ariel to Israel by means of the
barrier, and Israel has so far avoided making a clear decision.
Asaf Shariv, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's spokesman, said that for now
only an east-west section of the barrier is being built, leaving the
option
of encircling Ariel separately - a concept the Americans apparently do
not
oppose.
A U.S. official said there are ongoing consultations about the Ariel
issue.
The Ariel barrier project is already causing hardships for
Palestinians.
Residents of the nearby Palestinian village of Azawiya were informed
that
4,500 acres of land are being expropriated for a 2-mile stretch of
barrier,
said Annan Elashkar, a Palestinian liaison officer with Israel.
-----
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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
-----
Forwarded Message
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"cair@cair-net.org" <cair@cair-net.org>
To:
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Subject:
CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims to Launch National PSA Campaign
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
- MEDIA ADVISORY -
U.S. MUSLIMS TO LAUNCH NATIONAL PSA CAMPAIGN
Spots celebrate diversity, challenge anti-Muslim discrimination
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/15/04) - On Wednesday, June 16, the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will hold a news conference in
Washington, D.C., to launch a nationwide television and radio public
service announcement (PSA) campaign, called "I am an American Muslim,"
highlighting the Muslim community's support for religious diversity and
service to the nation. The spots are part of CAIR's ongoing efforts to
challenge anti-Muslim discrimination and intolerance.
WHAT: PSA Campaign Launch News Conference
WHEN: Wednesday, June 16, 10:30 a.m.
WHERE: CAIR's Capitol Hill Headquarters, 453 New Jersey Avenue S.E.,
Washington, D.C.
SATELLITE DISTRIBUTION: The PSAs will be distributed by satellite on
Wednesday, June 16, at 2:15 p.m.-2:30 p.m. ET (11:15 a.m. -11:30 a.m.
PT),
on C-BAND, Intelsat Americas (IA) 6, Transponder 15, D/L: 4000 V. They
will
also be available on CAIR's web site (www.cair-net.org) following
Wednesday's news conference.
At the Capitol Hill news conference, CAIR will present 30 and 60-second
PSAs featuring American Muslims of European, African-American,
Hispanic,
and Native American heritage. Each person in the PSAs states how they
and
their families have served America and ends by saying, "I am an
American
Muslim." VHS and BETA copies of the PSAs, produced by West Glen
Communications, will be available at the news conference.
The PSA launch comes following release of CAIR's annual report on the
status of American Muslim civil rights that revealed a disturbing 70
percent increase in anti-Muslim incidents nationwide during 2003. That
report blamed Islamophobic stereotyping for much of the sharp jump in
discrimination cases. SEE:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=1069&page=NR
"American Muslims celebrate our nation's rich ethnic and religious
heritage
and its tradition of service," said CAIR Board Chairman Omar Ahmad. "We
believe Islamophobic stereotyping and bias will decrease when ordinary
Americans of all faiths learn more about their American Muslim
neighbors."
Ahmad said that the PSA campaign ties into CAIR's recent "Not in the
Name
of Islam" online petition drive designed to disassociate the faith of
Islam
from the violent acts of a few Muslims. SEE:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=1071&page=NR
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 28 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
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
-----
--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .
Forwarded Message
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To:
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Subject:
CAIR-NET: Ohio Muslims React to Arrest of Terror Suspect
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/15/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: JUSTICE REWARDED
* CAIR JOB OPENINGS: CHAPTER COORDINATOR, GOV RELATIONS
* OHIO MUSLIMS REACT TO ARREST OF TERROR SUSPECT
- OH: Somalis Say Their Rights Are Under Attack
* CAIR ELECTION 2004 UPDATE: EMPLOYMENT
* CAIR-NJ: COALITION TO SUPPORT ROLL-BACK OF PATRIOT ACT
- The Son of Patriot Act Also Rises (Wired News)
* CAIR-SV GETS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
* OH: MUSLIM ORDERED TO REMOVE SCARF, SUES (Plain Dealer)
- CA: Prom Is Exclusive Celebration for Girls (NBC News)
* IL: DEBATE OVER MOSQUE HEATS UP (ABC News)
* SPECIAL CHECKS ON MUSLIMS AT END (Wash Times)
- Living with Fear, Mistrust (Houston Chronicle)
* OH: COMMUNITIES TO WATCH IMAM’S TRIAL CLOSELY (AP)
- Language Restricted In Cleric's Trial (Akron Beacon)
* SUBJECTIVE PROSECUTIONS (Daytona Beach News)
- CA: Judge Voids Plea Deal for Jewish Militant (Reuters)
* HALABI: AIRMAN'S LAWYERS ATTACK EVIDENCE (Sac Bee)
- Help Halabi Defense Reach Its Goal
* SO, BEING THE GOOD GUYS MEANS WE CAN TORTURE? (Pimental Rep)
- Britain Says Probing New Iraq Claim (Reuters)
* SETTLEMENTS THAT SETTLE NOTHING (Wash Post)
- Israel Weighs Major West Bank Expansion (AP)
- A Nightmare Come True (antiwar.com)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: JUSTICE REWARDED
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "For every day on which
the
sun rises, there is a (reward) for the one who establishes justice
among
people."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Hadith 870
-----
CAIR JOB OPENINGS: CHAPTER COORDINATOR, GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS
http://www.cair-net.org/default.asp?Page=Jobs
-----
OHIO MUSLIMS REACT TO ARREST OF TERROR SUSPECT
(COLUMBUS, OH, 6/15/04) - On Wednesday, June 16, the Ohio office of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) will hold a news
conference in reaction to the arrest of Nuradin Abdi, a Columbus Muslim
who
was indicted Monday on four counts of conspiring to provide support for
Al-Qaeda.
The news conference will take place following the conclusion of
Nuradin's
bond hearing on Wednesday afternoon at the U.S. Federal Courthouse in
Columbus, Ohio.
WHERE: U.S. Federal Courthouse, 85 Marconi Blvd., Columbus, Ohio
WHEN: Following conclusion of bond hearing
“Given previous cases involving American Muslims in which evidence
proved
to be faulty or non-existent, we are concerned about the strength of
the
charges against Mr. Abdi,” said CAIR-Ohio Executive Director Jad
Humeidan.
Humeidan cited the cases of Army Chaplain James Yee and Oregon attorney
Brandon Mayfield. Both men were cleared of all charges following
extensive
damage to their reputations.
There are an estimated 150,000 Muslims in Ohio. CAIR, America's largest
Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered in Washington, D.C.,
and
has 28 regional offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Jad Humeidan, Executive Director, CAIR-OH, 614-451-3232 or
614-571-2770; E-Mail: Jad@cair-ohio.com; Ahmad Al-Akhras, President,
CAIR-Ohio, 614-989-5916
SEE ALSO:
---
SOMALIS BELIEVE THEIR CIVIL RIGHTS ARE UNDER ATTACK
Encarnacion Pyle, Columbus Dispatch, 6/15/04
http://www.columbusdispatch.com
Local and national Somali leaders say they worry the federal government
is
using post-Sept. 11 fears to justify trampling on the civil rights of
Muslims suspected of terrorism.
"The government should be ashamed of itself for conducting a terrorist
investigation of Nuradin Abdi secretly -- in the cloak of darkness --
where
it can act heavy-handedly, free from scrutiny,'' said Omar Jamal,
executive
director of the Somali Justice Advocate Center in Minneapolis.
Abdi, a Somali native who moved to Columbus in January 1999, was
indicted
yesterday on terrorism charges, including conspiring to blow up a
shopping
mall in the city.
Jamal, an outspoken advocate for Somalis, said Abdi's family contacted
him
months ago because of concerns that the FBI and Bureau of Immigration
and
Customs Enforcement were using the sensitive nature of the
investigation to
violate Abdi's rights. After being arrested Nov. 28, Abdi was moved to
several Ohio jails, and his family had trouble keeping track of him.
"I fear there will be many innocent victims of the war on terrorism if
the
government doesn't stop hiding behind the Patriot Act and homeland
security
to justify these secret investigations,'' said Jamal, who has been
charged
with violating immigration rules.
The activist faces criminal charges for allegedly lying to the
government
to get into the country and could face deportation or imprisonment if
found
guilty.
Others say the community should remember that Abdi is innocent until
proven
guilty...
-----
CAIR ELECTION 2004 UPDATE: EMPLOYMENT
http://www.cair-net.org/muslimvote2004/jun152004.html
CAIR's weekly Election 2004 Updates are designed to promote the
political
empowerment of the American Muslim community. Updates focus on issues
of
importance to the American Muslim community and the candidates'
positions
on those issues.
-----
CAIR-NJ: DIVERSE COALITION TO SUPPORT ROLL-BACK OF USA PATRIOT ACT
WHAT: On Wednesday, June 16, the Council on American-Islamic Relations
-
New Jersey (CAIR-NJ) will join a coalition of human rights, civil
liberties, civil rights, and immigration advocacy groups to welcome the
introduction of the Civil Liberties Restoration Act (CLRA).
This local press conference will tie-in with the formal introduction of
the
CLRA on June 16, 2004, in Washington D.C. by Senators Jon Corzine
(D-NJ),
Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Russ Feingold (D-WI) and
Patrick Leahy (D-VT), and House Representatives Howard Berman (D-CA)
and
William Delahunt (D-MA).
WHEN: Wednesday, June 16, 2004, 10:30 a.m.
WHERE: Office of the New Jersey Immigration Policy Network, 972 Broad
St,
8th Floor, Newark, NJ.
CONTACT: Faiza Ali, Director, CAIR-NJ, 908-209-7440, EMAIL:
fail@cair-nj.org; Amy Gottlieb, American Friends Service Committee,
973-643-1924, ext. 13; Parastou Hassouri, American Civil Liberties
Union of
New Jersey, 973-642-2086, ext. 11
ALSO SEE:
THE SON OF PATRIOT ACT ALSO RISES
Kim Zetter, Wired News, 6/15/04
http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,63800,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1
While activists and politicians work to repeal or change parts of the
Patriot Act that they say violate constitutional rights, Patriot Act II
legislation -- which caused a stir when it came to light last year --
is
rearing its head again in a new bill making its way through Congress.
The bill would strengthen laws that let the FBI demand that businesses
hand
over confidential records about patrons by assigning stiff penalties
(up to
five years in prison) to anyone who discloses that the FBI made the
demand.
The bill would also let the FBI compel businesses to cooperate with
record
requests, and it would expand the government's secret surveillance
powers
over noncitizens in the United States…
-----
CAIR-SV GETS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CAIR’s Sacramento Valley office (CAIR-SV) is pleased to announce the
appointment of Basim Elkarra as its new executive director. Elkarra, a
San
Francisco native and a leader in the Muslim American community, holds a
B.S. in Political Science from the University of California at
Berkeley.
Elkarra brings more than 7 years of leadership experience to this
position.
He has worked on various levels, including work with non-profit
organizations, the City and County of San Francisco, Congressional
campaigns, inter-faith dialogues, as well as extensive work within the
Muslim community on an educational and organizational level. As
Executive
Director, Basim Elkarra will lead CAIR's efforts in the Sacramento
Valley
area to serve as a voice to its diverse and vibrant Muslim community.
“Basim brings the experience and knowledge necessary to succeed in the
position of Executive Director,” CAIR-SV President Rashid Ahmad said.
“With
his strong expertise on dealing with issues facing Muslim Americans,
Basim,
will be an asset to the Muslim community in the Sacramento Valley.
Under
his leadership and vision, the organization will continue to grow.”
CONTACT: CAIR-Sacramento, Rashid Ahmad, 916-825-0027
-----
MUSLIM ORDERED TO REMOVE SCARF SUES COUNTY
Robert L. Smith, Plain Dealer, 6/15/04
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/108729194
340180.xml
CLEVELAND- A Muslim woman who said she was humiliated in a Cuyahoga
County
court by being forced to remove her head scarf is suing the county and
the
Sheriff's Office for violating her civil rights.
Aisha Samad filed a lawsuit in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court
Monday
arguing that her right to exercise her religious beliefs was ignored
there
two years ago. She is seeking $125,000 in damages and a judge's order
recognizing the right of female Muslims to cover their heads in court.
Samad's lawyer, Rufus Sims, announced the lawsuit on the steps of the
Justice Center Monday afternoon, accompanied by Samad and supporters
from
the Muslim community.
Samad, a 49-year-old nurse, stepped to a microphone wearing a head
scarf
called a hajib.
"I ask all of you to take a stand and say my right to cover is equal to
your right not to cover," she said softly.
She was compelled to appear in Common Pleas Court in June 2002 on
charges
stemming from a child custody feud, charges that were dismissed. She
said
court officers refused her request to wear a scarf in court despite her
pleadings...
ALSO SEE:
SOUTH BAY PROM IS EXCLUSIVE CELEBRATION FOR GIRLS
NBC News, 6/14/04
http://www.nbc11.com/news/3418410/detail.html
SAN JOSE- For most teenage girls, going to the prom is all about who is
your date and what are you wearing. However, one prom in the South Bay
has
one of those elements, but the other is totally forbidden, NBC11's Lisa
Kim
reported.
"Tonight is girls night out or girls prom 2004," said Saleha Pirzada, a
Girls Night Out Organizer.
The party is run by four Muslim students from San Jose High Academy.
This
prom has only one rule.
"Men are not allowed," Pirzada said.
That's because the girls are going to let their hair down and bare
their
legs.
"Guys are not allowed because they are not allowed to see us without
our
scarves on," Pirzada said.
"The whole concept of our scarves is to protect our modesty and to
protect
ourselves as women so we don't show off our bodies," said Taqwa
Abdallah, a
Girls Night Out Organizer.
-----
DEBATE OVER PLANNED MOSQUE IN MORTON GROVE HEATS UP
Leah Hope, ABC News, 6/14/04
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/news/061404_ns_mosque.html
MORTON GROVE— The debate over a mosque proposal has people taking sides
in
a north suburban Morton Grove. The village board will meet to talk
about
zoning for the mosque, which the Muslim Community Center wants the
mosque
built near its Islamic school on Menard.
With the help of a federal mediator, an agreement with The Muslin
Community
Center and the village has been forged to expand the school, adding a
mosque and more parking spaces. Some say they weren't included in the
proposed agreement.
"No matter how much the mayor calls this agreement a silk purse it's
truly
a sow's ear," said Patrick Kansoer, Morton Grove Organization. That
group
is using pigs to symbolize their protest. Despite changes from the
original
plan, those opposed are most upset to lose any green space and the
possibility of increasing traffic…
The mayor of Morton Grove -- who's recovering from a serious illness --
said there is a small but vocal group opposed but after months of
meetings
he's happy with the agreement.
"Made some small concessions to the Muslim people and they made some
small
concessions to us. Now I think we are in the absolutely best spot,"
said
Mayor Dan Scanlon...
-----
SPECIAL CHECKS ON MUSLIMS AT BORDER TO END
UPI, Washington Times, 6/13/04
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040613-062948-9537r.htm
WASHINGTON DC- The Bush administration has pledged to stop special
security
checks imposed on adult males entering the United States from mainly
Muslim
countries.
Those targeted are mostly from countries considered a risk for
terrorism.
"Our long term goal", senior homeland security official Asa Hutchinson
told
Arab civil rights leaders Friday, "is to treat (all visitors) the same
way,
and not based on where you come from…”
Under the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System or NSEERS,
introduced in November 2002, male visa-holders coming to the United
States
from any one of 25 listed nations have had to undergo special
screening,
including being fingerprinted, photographed and interviewed at ports of
entry…
ALSO SEE:
LIVING WITH FEAR, MISTRUST
Edward Hegstrom, Houston Chronicle, 6/13/04
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/2625360
HOUSTON- As the government began to crack down on Arab and Muslim
illegal
immigrants in the months after 9/11, dramatic reports emerged out of
Brooklyn, N.Y., where whole families of Pakistanis scrambled to pack
their
belongings, close their businesses and flee to Canada.
At the time, sources in Houston assured that nothing similar was
happening
here.
But evidence has emerged showing that this was not entirely true.
Though
there was nothing on the scale of what happened in New York, some South
Asian families did scramble to flee the country, according to Selina
Rahman, chair of the Bangladesh Association of Houston.
"I personally know of more than 20 who left," Rahman said in an
interview
last week at her Friendswood home. She suspects there are many more.
Particularly compelling was the story of the couple who sold their
belongings, took their daughter out of school and drove to the Canadian
border. When Canadian immigration officials looked at the father
skeptically and told him to come back the next day, he got scared and
brought his family back to Houston, where they now live underground,
Rahman
said.
The subject of the crackdown on South Asians was raised recently by the
Immigration Policy Center, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group that
released a report last month. The report, which used Rahman as a
source,
argued that the "lingering effects" of the program known as special
registration are still causing mistrust among Arabs and Muslims…
-----
ISLAMIC, JEWISH COMMUNITIES TO WATCH IMAM'S TRIAL CLOSELY
Thomas J. Sheeran, Associated Press, 6/14/04
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/8922149.htm
CLEVELAND - The Islamic and Jewish communities will be watching the
trial
of an Islamic cleric charged with lying about alleged terrorist ties
when
he applied for U.S. citizenship.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations will be alert to any sign of
ethnic stereotyping, said spokesman Ibrahim Hooper.
"Of course we're concerned that all of his due process is maintained
and
evidence be free of religious or ethnic stereotyping," Hooper said.
The federal trial is to begin Tuesday in Akron for Imam Fawaz Damra,
41,
who leads the Islamic Center of Cleveland, Ohio's largest mosque
community.
He could face up to five years in prison and deportation if convicted.
"We're always concerned when prominent leaders of the American Islamic
community are charged, or detained or harassed," Hooper said.
The Jewish community in Cleveland, which was shocked by a 10-year-old
Damra
video in which he inveighed against Jews as "the sons of monkeys and
pigs,"
will monitor the trial, according to Bettysue Feuer, Cleveland regional
director of the Anti-Defamation League.
She said the disclosure of the video shortly after the 2001 terrorist
attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon "was a punch in the
stomach," for the Jewish community. "It was really devastating," she
said.
Damra, who has shunned interviews since his arrest at his suburban
Strongsville home on Jan. 13, didn't respond to a request for an
interview
or comment from another mosque leader. He has denied having ties to
terrorist groups…
ALSO SEE:
LANGUAGE RESTRICTED IN CLERIC'S TRIAL
Stephen Dyer, Akron Beacon Journal, 6/15/04
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/local/states/ohio/counties/summit
_county/8925814.htm
A federal judge ruled Monday that the government can't mention the
names of
Osama bin Laden or his al-Qaeda terror network in the trial of Fawaz
Damra,
which starts today. Nor can prosecution witnesses characterize him as a
''radical Islamic militant'' or as one of many ''dangerous global
jihadists.''
Those words and names would unfairly prejudice jurors against Damra,
U.S.
District Judge James S. Gwin ruled in Akron.
Damra, clearly relieved, took a deep breath, closed his eyes and bowed
his
head after the rulings.
The two allegations were perhaps the most inflammatory the government
has
tried to use against the 41-year-oldCleveland-area cleric. Gwin ruled
on
those and several other motions before the trial.
Prosecutors and Damra's lawyers declined to comment about the rulings.
Damra is charged with lying on immigration documents and in interviews
about his ties with alleged terrorist organizations when he went
through
his U.S. naturalization between Oct. 18, 1993, and April 29, 1994.
If Damra is convicted, the Strongsville resident could be sentenced to
five
years in prison, fined $5,000 and lose his citizenship.
Damra's defense team has tried to limit the evidence the government can
present about his alleged ties to terror. The government alleges he has
connections to a Brooklyn group that recruited people to fight Soviet
occupation in Afghanistan -- a group that later morphed into bin
Laden's
al-Qaeda network.
They also allege that he is connected with high-level members of the
Palestinian Islamic Jihad and with Sami Al-Arian, a former professor at
the
University of South Florida who faces a 50-count federal indictment of
his
own. Al-Arian allegedly founded the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's
American
arm…
---
SUBJECTIVE PROSECUTIONS: WHEN CIVIL LIBERTIES GIVE WAY TO PREJUDICE
Daytona Beach News Journal, 6/14/04
http://www.newsjournalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/Opinion/Editorials/03OpOP
02061404.htm
Sami Al-Hussayen is a candidate for a Ph.D. thesis in computer science
at
the University of Idaho. He's also Muslim, Saudi Arabian and bearded, a
three-strikes profile that apparently triggered the snooping of federal
agents.
In February 2003, he was arrested and charged with aiding terrorists.
The
evidence: A Web site he ran as a volunteer for the Islamic Assembly of
North America -- a legal Web site then and now by a legal organization
based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Federal prosecutors claimed that the Assembly was used as a terrorist
recruitment tool for Palestinians and Chechens. They claimed that
because
Al-Hussayen maintained the organization's Web sites and posted to them,
he
was providing aid to terrorist groups. First, the government imprisoned
him
on visa technicalities for 10 months. Then, a federal grand jury
indicted
him on the terrorism charges, under a provision of law that forbids
providing "expert advice or assistance" to terrorists, compliments of
the
2001 USA PATRIOT Act. Then, prosecutors got to work connecting the dots
for
their case. He wasn't himself recruiting terrorists, telling them how
to do
what they might or sending them money; he was, the government argued,
facilitating the kind of Internet network that would make recruiting
and
fund-raising possible. It was a flimsy connection from the start…
The legal provision that made the case against Al-Hussayen possible is
still very much on the books. Among the USA PATRIOT Act's many
travesties
of the Constitution, the "expert advice or assistance" clause is not
well-known. Nor has Congress, which approved it, grasped the
consequences
of the patently subjective clause, whose biggest danger is in its
selective
application…
ALSO SEE:
CALIF. JUDGE VOIDS PLEA DEAL FOR JEWISH MILITANT
Reuters, 6/14/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=5418918
LOS ANGELES- A militant Jewish activist must stand trial after all over
a
2001 plot to bomb a Los Angeles area mosque and other Muslim targets
after
a judge on Monday voided a plea deal.
Earl Krugel, 61, a member of the Jewish Defense League, had previously
agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to violate the civil rights of
worshipers at the mosque and to a weapons charge linked to explosives
that
prosecutors said were meant for the Los Angeles office of
Lebanese-American
Congressman Darrell Issa. The bomb plot was never carried out.
Krugel and the Jewish Defense League chairman Irv Rubin were charged in
December 2001 with conspiracy to destroy the mosque but Rubin committed
suicide in jail a year later while awaiting trial…
-----
AIRMAN'S LAWYERS ATTACK EVIDENCE
Sam Stanton and Denny Walsh, Sacramento Bee, 6/13/03
http://www.sacbee.com/content/politics/story/9640618p-10563997c.html\
Allegations of a military cover-up, lying and an illegal search have
raised
serious questions about the spy case against Ahmad I. Al
Halabi, and his lawyers now say much of the evidence used against him
was
seized unlawfully.
The case, which is being watched closely by the White House,
Pentagon and U.S. Justice Department, already has been rocked by claims
that the lead Air Force investigator misled the judge overseeing the
court-martial.
Now, defense attorneys have filed new documents claiming that same
agent
seized Al Halabi's mail - the heart of the government's case - in an
illegal search.
The revelations are designed to bolster defense efforts to get the
charges
against the 25-year-old Arabic translator dismissed. And there are
concerns
among government officials that the judge overseeing Al Halabi's
court-martial at Travis Air Force Base may dismiss some or all of the
espionage charges, sources said.
The military already has seen one high-profile case against a
serviceman at
Guant�namo Bay, Cuba, collapse...
ALSO SEE:
HELP HALABI DEFENSE REACH ITS GOAL (AHJC)
Only $12,000 left to raise
http://www.halabijustice.org
An update from the Airman Halabi Justice Committee (AHJC):
By the help of God through the community's generosity, the Airman
Halabi
Justice Committee has successfully raised over $38,000 via the CAIR-LA
Civil Rights Fund to help pay for Ahmad al-Halabi's legal fees.
Halabi is the Senior Airman accused of spying for Syria; but since his
arrest, the Air Force prosecution was forced to drop half of the
initial
charges against him, and more charges may be dropped in the near
future!
There have been public reports of prosecutorial misconduct and
deception
which seem to show that Halabi has been targeted and treated unequally
simply because he is Muslim.
It is our community's responsibility to aid the innocent from wrongful
accusations and to help those in need. We are only $12,000 short of our
$50,000 goal, Alhamdulillah (Praise be to God) , and insha'Allah (God
willing) with the continued support of the community, we will reach our
goal.
If you have donated before, we ask that you please consider donating
just a
little bit more, or encourage a friend or family member who has not
donated
to please give generously to the CAIR Civil Rights Fund.
If you have not donated yet, now is your chance to add your support to
this
worthwhile cause. A little bit goes a long way, so please consider
donating
$100, $50, $25, or even $10.
Thank you again for your generosity, continued support, and your dua'a
(prayers).
Make checks payable to:
CAIR Civil Rights Fund
CAIR Southern California
2180 Crescent Ave., Suite F
Anaheim, CA 92801
(714) 776-1847
socal@cair.com
-----
SO, BEING THE GOOD GUYS MEANS WE CAN TORTURE?
O. Ricardo, Pimental Republic, 6/15/04
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0615pimentel15.ht
ml
Maybe this notion of moral relativism is just a bit too abstract for
me. I
struggled through the single philosophy class I took in college.
But as I read of government memos that seem to sanction U.S. torture,
maybe
it comes down to this:
Moral relativism means that, because we're the good guys, it's not
really
torture if we do it. It's only torture if, say, despots and terrorists
do
it.
Please correct me if I'm wrong. But it seems to me that, although
Clinton
made infamous the statement, "Depends on what the definition of the
word
'is' is," the Bush administration is nominating its own phrase for the
hall
of infamy: "Depends on what the definition of torture is." And they get
to
tell us what that definition is - when they get good and ready.
It appears, however, that there are some ground rules.
We cannot torture people to death, although there's a distinct
possibility
that we already have.
We can inflict some pain but not enough to cause permanent damage.
Death is
pretty permanent.
We can force detainees into torturous "stress positions" but only for
specified periods.
We can deprive detainees of sleep but not enough to cause them to go
totally bonkers.
We can put them on bread and water, but depriving them of nutrition is
somehow not viewed as abusive.
You know, just because you put some rules to abuse or torture doesn't
mean
that you're then playing patty-cake. In any case, torture-lite is a lot
like being a little pregnant. There may be degrees of torture, but it's
still torture even if you're not ripping out fingernails or using hot
pokers...
ALSO SEE:
BRITAIN SAYS PROBING NEW IRAQ PRISONER ABUSE CLAIM
Reuters, 6/15/04
http://www.reuters.com
LONDON - Britain said on Tuesday it was investigating new allegations
of
abuse of prisoners after receiving a complaint from the Red Cross.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said a complaint had been received from
the
International Committee of the Red Cross about the treatment of
prisoners
captured after a battle on May 14 in southern Iraq.
"We can confirm that a complaint has been received from the ICRC in
relation to the way internees were treated between the point of arrest
and
arrival at the internment facility," he said…
-----
SETTLEMENTS THAT SETTLE NOTHING
Richard Cohen, Washington Post, 6/15/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42031-2004Jun14.html
Fortunately for Jeffrey Goldberg, he not only once lived in Israel but
served in its army. Without those credentials he almost certainly would
be
denounced as an anti-Semite or a self-hating Jew. After all, Goldberg
had
the consummate gall and utter chutzpah to say the obvious: Israel's
West
Bank and Gaza settlements have to go.
Actually, Goldberg went even further. In nearly 16,000 words in the May
31
issue of the New Yorker, this Washington-based journalist wrote that in
some ways, the Jewish zealots who have established settlements in the
heart
of overwhelmingly Palestinian areas are as great -- or greater -- a
danger
to Israel as their counterparts among the Islamic extremists, Hamas and
Islamic Jihad. His article was titled "Among The Settlers; Will They
Destroy Israel?"
For raising that question, he has come under unaccustomed attack.
Goldberg
has spent the past several years reporting and writing about Islamic
radicalism and the threat it posed. This made him the darling of the
neocons. But now he's asking similar questions about Jewish zealotry,
and
for that his integrity, if not his very sanity, has been questioned by
the
usual American guardians of Israeli security. Among the slings and
arrows
sent his way was one from Andrea Levin, the head of a media watchdog
group,
published in the English-language Jerusalem Post. She called Goldberg's
piece "distorted and sloppy with facts." I read it quite differently:
on
the nose.
But what really matters is not this or that fact -- although I could
find
nothing wrong in Goldberg's piece -- but his overall point. It is that
not
only has Israel gotten itself into a demographic and geographic trap
with
its settlements in Palestinian lands, but it has allowed the most
reactionary, belligerent and racist elements in Judaism to establish
some
of the most provocative settlements. God might want these settlements,
as
the settlers themselves insist, but it is conscripts, mostly secular
Jews,
who have to guard them…
ALSO SEE:
ISRAEL WEIGHS MAJOR WEST BANK EXPANSION
Mark Lavie, Associated Press, 6/15/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4207348,00.html
JERUSALEM - Israel is considering building thousands more homes in
West Bank settlements, in line with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan
to
keep large chunks of the territory but give up the Gaza Strip, security
officials said Tuesday...
Sharon's plan of ``unilateral disengagement'' calls for a withdrawal
from
all of Gaza and four West Bank settlements by September 2005. Sharon
has
said that in exchange, he wants to keep and expand several large
settlement
blocs in the West Bank - a demand that has won tacit support from
President
Bush.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has asked the military to draw up plans
within
three months for building thousands of homes in three of the settlement
blocs - Gush Etzion, Maale Adumim and Ariel, the Israeli daily Maariv
reported Tuesday.
Mofaz met Monday with settler leaders in Gush Etzion, and security
officials said he told them he would consider their request to
authorize
between 1,000 and 2,000 new homes in the area. Mofaz told settlers he
would
make a decision within three months, the officials said on condition of
anonymity.
Shaul Goldstein, the deputy head of the Yesha Council, the settlers'
umbrella group, confirmed that he spoke to Mofaz about new building in
settlements but said no specific numbers were discussed.
---
A NIGHTMARE COME TRUE
Uri Avnery, antiwar.com, 6/15/04
http://www.antiwar.com/orig/avnery.php?articleid=2814
I thought it was terrible. I was wrong. It is far, far worse! These
words
sum up my feelings at that moment.
I was standing on a hill overlooking the infamous Kalandia checkpoint.
Below me was a narrow road, packed with Palestinians in the blazing
sun, 30
degrees centigrade (86 F) in the shade (but there was no shade)
trudging
toward the checkpoint. Very soon this road will be transformed. It will
be
widened to three lanes and be reserved for Israelis: on both sides of
it,
8-meter (25-ft.) high walls will spring up. It will allow the settlers
of
the Jordan valley to reach Tel-Aviv in about an hour. The Palestinians
living on either side will be cut off from each other.
This is a small part of the new reality that is rapidly being created
on
the West Bank and that is changing the country we knew and loved beyond
recognition.
I was standing near the edge of a-Ram. Once this was a small village on
the
outskirts of Jerusalem, on the road north to Ramallah. Since successive
Israeli governments have prevented the Palestinians in East Jerusalem
from
building new homes, the severe overcrowding has forced a mass exodus to
a-Ram, which has grown into a town of 60,000 inhabitants. Most of them
are
officially still Jerusalem residents, carrying the blue identity cards
of
inhabitants of Israel. This allows them to come to Jerusalem, a drive
of 10
minutes, work there, tend to their businesses, go to the hospitals and
the
universities there.
This is about to stop. Along the age-old road from Jerusalem to
Ramallah
(leading on to Nablus, Damascus and beyond) construction of the 8-meter
wall is due to start any minute now – not across the road, but along
the
middle of the road, the full length of it. The inhabitants of a-Ram,
east
of the wall, will not only be completely cut off from Jerusalem, but
also
from all the townships and villages to their west – their relatives,
the
schools which thousands of their children attend, their cemetery and
their
places of work. A small part of a-Ram remains outside the wall and will
be
cut off from the main part of the town in which they live.
-----
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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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Subject:
CAIR-NET: View CAIR Public Service Announcements Online
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR LAUNCHES 'I AM AN AMERICAN MUSLIM' CAMPAIGN
PSAs part of ongoing effort to reduce anti-Muslim stereotyping
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/16/04) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) today launched a nationwide television and radio public service
announcement (PSA) campaign, called "I am an American Muslim," designed
to
help reduce anti-Muslim discrimination and stereotyping.
To view the PSAs, GO TO: http://www.cair-net.org/
CAIR's 30 and 60-second PSAs feature American Muslims of European,
African-American, Hispanic, and Native American heritage. Each person
in
the spots states how they and their families have served America and
ends
by saying, "I am an American Muslim."
Both PSAs will be distributed by satellite to television public service
directors this afternoon from 2:15 p.m.-2:30 p.m. ET (11:15 a.m. -11:30
a.m. PT), on C-BAND, Intelsat Americas (IA) 6, Transponder 15, D/L:
4000 V.
"Our experience shows that Islamophobic stereotyping and bias are most
often based on ignorance and unfamiliarity with the American Muslim
community," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "Tolerance and
mutual
respect will flourish if Americans of all faiths get to know each other
as
real human beings, not as religious or ethnic stereotypes."
Awad said the PSAs are a result of growing demand for accurate and
objective information about Islam and Muslims in America. Other CAIR
projects designed to meet that demand include sending Islam-related
materials to public libraries (www.cair-net.org/libraryproject) and
publishing ads in newspapers nationwide (www.americanmuslims.info).
Today's PSA campaign kick-off also ties into CAIR's recent "Not in the
Name
of Islam" online petition drive designed to disassociate the faith of
Islam
from the violent acts of a few Muslims. SEE:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=1071&page=NR
The PSA launch comes following release of CAIR's annual report on the
status of American Muslim civil rights that revealed a disturbing 70
percent increase in anti-Muslim incidents nationwide during 2003. That
report blamed Islamophobic stereotyping for much of the sharp jump in
discrimination cases. SEE:
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=1069&page=NR
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 28 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
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
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To:
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Subject:
CAIR-NET: CAIR Calls VA Paintball Sentencing 'Draconian'
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/16/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: GREED DESTROYS FAITH
* CAIR-CA TOWN HALL FORUM ON ELECTION 2004
- CAIR-St. Louis Participates in PBS Telethon
- U.S. Muslims Open National Ad Campaign (AP)
* CAIR CALLS VA PAINTBALL SENTENCING 'DRACONIAN'
* COMPETENCY EVALUATION ORDERED FOR SUSPECT IN MALL PLOT (AP)
- Somali Justice Advocacy Center Comments on Abdi Case
* DAVID COLE: NO MORE ROUNDUPS (Wash Post)
- Alleged Mall Terror Plot Was Vague (CBS News)
- Saudi’s Acquittal a Victory for Constitution (IME)
* CONYERS SEEKS INQUIRY INTO DOJ MISCONDUCT IN MAYFIELD CASE
* INVESTIGATOR IN GUANTANAMO CASE FACES OWN CHARGES (Sac Bee)
- Espionage Case against Airman Takes a Blow (NY Sun)
- Judge Denies Motion to Dismiss Spy Case (Reuters)
* MD: A 'PEACEMAKER' IS LAID TO REST (Wash Post)
* PHILA. RABBI APPEARS IN TV AD DENOUNCING ABUSE (Phil Inq)
- Torture Policy (Wash Post)
- So Torture Is Legal? (Wash Post)
* POLL OF IRAQIS REVEALS ANGER TOWARD U.S. (AP)
* NY: TEACHER SPEWS ETHNIC SLURS AT MUSLIM STUDENT (NY Post)
- Hijab Makes Australian Muslims Target of Attacks (AFP)
- IL: Muslims Seek Permit for Services (Chicago Trib)
* AFTER SPUTNIK, RUSSIAN; AFTER 9/11, ARABIC? (NY Times)
* BODIES OF BOSNIAN MUSLIMS FOUND IN MASS GRAVE (AP)
* PRISON TACTICS A LONGTIME DILEMMA FOR ISRAEL (Wash Post)
- US Bulldozer Firm In Mid-East Row (BBC)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: GREED DESTROYS FAITH
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Two hungry wolves let
loose
among sheep are not more destructive to them than a man's greed for
property and self-aggrandizement are to his faith."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1345
-----
CAIR-SFBA TOWN HALL FORUM ON ELECTION 2004
WHAT: CAIR-San Francisco Bay Area dialogue with Rep. Zoe Lofgren, CA
Democratic Chairman Sen. Art Torres (retd.), Mayor Ron Gonzales,
Representatives from the Kerry and Bush campaigns, presidential
candidate
Ralph Nader, and local elected officials.
WHEN: Saturday, June 19, 2-5 p.m.
WHERE: San Jose Marriott Hotel (Not Santa Clara Marriott), 301 South
Market
St., San Jose, CA
Let your voice be heard. Admission is FREE
This is not a fundraiser Seating is limited!
Attendance by RSVP only by contacting CAIR-SFBA. Call (408) 986-9874 or
e-mail: dahlia@cair.com
ALSO SEE:
CAIR-ST. LOUIS TO PARTICIPATE IN FUNDRAISING FOR PBS
CAIR-St. Louis will answer phone calls during the KETC/Channel 9
fundraising drive tonight, Wednesday, June 16, between 6:00 and 10:30
pm.
KETC/Channel 9 is the local affiliate of PBS which brings us excellent
programming such as the Daily News Hour, News from BBC, etc.
In recent years, PBS has produced wonderful programs on Islam such as
Legacy of Prophet Muhammad, Islam: Empire of Faith. Please be sure to
watch
CAIR-St. Louis on Channel 9 tonight. Pledges may be made by calling
314-512-9090 or 1-800-568-9099 or on the web at www.ketc.org.
---
U.S. MUSLIMS OPENS NATIONAL AD CAMPAIGN
Associated Press, 6/15/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Mus
lim%20Ads
WASHINGTON - An American Muslim civil rights group is opening a
nationwide
radio and TV campaign Wednesday highlighting Muslims' support for
religious
diversity and service to the nation.
"We believe Islamophobic stereotyping and bias will decrease when
ordinary
Americans of all faiths learn more about their American Muslim
neighbors,"
Omar Ahmad, chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said
in
a statement announcing his group's campaign.
The "I am an American Muslim" campaign consists of 30- and 60-second
public
service announcements showcasing diversity within the American Muslim
community, said council spokeswoman Rabiah Ahmed.
The spots focus on American Muslims who have served their country,
including members of the U.S. military, she said. They feature Muslims
of
European, African-American, Hispanic and Native American heritage.
The campaign was created in part to address the growing number of hate
crimes against American Muslims, said Ahmed. There was a 70 percent
increase in anti-Muslim incidents nationwide last year, according to
the
council's latest annual report on the status of American Muslim civil
rights.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is the largest Islamic civil
rights group in the United States, with 28 regional offices and
chapters in
the United States and Canada.
TO VIEW THE PSA, GO TO: www.cair-net.org
-----
CAIR CALLS VA PAINTBALL SENTENCING 'DRACONIAN'
Islamic rights group says defendants faced selective prosecution
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/16/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today called the harsh sentencing in the Virginia
"paintball
Jihad" case "draconian" and said the Muslim defendants faced selective
prosecution.
Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema sentenced one of
three
Muslim defendants to life in prison and imposed an 85-year term on
another
for conspiring to aid an Islamic group in conflict with India. Judge
Brinkema told those in the courtroom that the sentences, mandated under
federal sentencing guidelines, were "sticking in my craw" and that
there
are murderers who have "served far less time." One of the defense
attorneys
called the sentences "the greatest miscarriage of justice I have ever
been
involved in."
SEE: "Strict Sentences Meted in Va. Jihad Case"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44628-2004Jun15.html
In a statement, the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic
Relations
(CAIR) said:
"It is the near universal perception in the Islamic community that
these
men would never have been charged had they not been Muslims, and that
once
convicted, prosecutors would never have sought such draconian
sentences.
"American Muslims reject terrorism or any other form of criminal
activity,
and wish to preserve the security of the United States and its
citizens.
But we cannot help but compare the prosecution and sentencing in this
case
to that in the case of a non-Muslim Florida terrorist who had bombs
ready
to attack 50 Islamic institutions and got just 12 years in prison, or
that
of a non-Muslim Illinois terrorist sentenced to probation and anger
management classes for blowing up a Muslim family's van.
"In other cases involving Muslims, we saw initial leaks and allegations
against defendants turn out to be nothing more than public relations
hype
or wishful thinking on the part of prosecutors. Where does Army
Chaplain
James Yee go to get his reputation back after being accused of crimes
that
could have resulted in the death penalty? Where does Oregon attorney
Brandon Mayfield go to regain his good name? How does Sami al-Hussayen
resume a normal life with his family after being falsely accused of
aiding
terrorists?
"Under the current administration, we are quickly approaching a state
of
affairs in which there is a two-tier prosecutorial system in America;
one
system for Muslims, and one for all other Americans. This disturbing
trend
should be of concern to everyone who values America's centuries-long
tradition of equal justice under the law. We call on Congress to
conduct
hearings into the selective prosecution of Muslims since the 9/11
terror
attacks."
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, and has 28
offices
and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
-----
MAGISTRATE ORDERS COMPETENCY EVALUATION FOR SUSPECT IN SHOPPING MALL
PLOT
Carrie Spencer, Associated Press, 6/16/04
http://www.onnnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=1946940
COLUMBUS, Ohio - A federal magistrate on Wednesday ordered a man
charged
with plotting to blow up a shopping mall to be transferred to a federal
psychiatric facility to determine if he is mentally competent.
The evidence Magistrate Mark Abel used to determine why Nuradin Abdi
should
be sent to the facility has been sealed.
Authorities have accused Abdi, 32, of plotting to blow up a mall with
admitted al-Qaida member Iyman Faris, who is now imprisoned for
never-acted-on plans to sabotage the Brooklyn Bridge.
The indictment against Abdi, a Somali national, was unsealed on Monday.
More than 100 supporters gathered outside the courthouse, and family
and
friends planned to talk to reporters about the charges against Abdi
after
the detention hearing.
Authorities have a third suspect under surveillance and are trying to
determine how many others might have been involved, U.S. Attorney
Gregory
Lockhart said.
"I don't know that we know at this point know who all the people he
(Abdi)
was associated with are," Lockhart said. "There are people that we are
proactively doing things with as we speak that are short of charging
them."
The Joint Terrorism Task Force searched the Columbus apartment last
week of
the third suspect, The Columbus Dispatch reported Wednesday, citing
unidentified federal sources. The man shared the apartment with Faris,
the
newspaper said. Federal officials have refused to say what they were
seeking.
Abdi is charged with providing material support to al-Qaida, conspiracy
and
document fraud. If convicted, he could get up to 80 years in prison.
"What we know about him is unlike how he is portrayed," said Ahmad
Al-Akhras, president of the Ohio office of the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations.
The group's leaders questioned the evidence and the timing of the
announcement of charges against Abdi, noting that the FBI has dropped
charges accusing others of terrorism...
ALSO SEE:
SOMALI JUSTICE ADVOCACY CENTER COMMENTS ON ABDI CASE
Somali Justice Advocacy Center is seriously concerned about the
possible
torture and excessive use of force by Feds against Mr. Nuradin Abdi
during
his imprisonment in Ohio and therefore asks for an independent
investigation.
Minneapolis, MN June 16, 2004 on behalf of the Somali community in the
United States, the office of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center and the
family of Mr. Nuradin Abdi have secured attorney Mahir Sherif from San
Diego to represent Nuradin Abdi. The Somali Justice Advocacy Center has
thus far sent letters and communicated with amnesty International and
Red
Cross to help the community to arrange medical experts to visit Mr.
Nuradin
Abdi, and examine his medical condition.
We, the Center are deeply concerned about the possible use of excessive
force and torture against Mr. Abdi, and believe that it is against his
constitutional rights. The Center believes that the state of Mr.
Nuradin’s
health is due to that unconstitutional use of excessive force.
For More Information, Contact Omar Jama, Executive Director at
612-715-1221
-----
NO MORE ROUNDUPS
David Cole, Washington Post, 6/16/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44875-2004Jun15.html
"The delirium caused by the bombings turned in the direction of a
deportation crusade with the spontaneity of water seeking out the
course of
least resistance." So wrote Louis F. Post about the Palmer Raids of
1919-20, when the federal government responded to a series of terrorist
bombings by rounding up thousands of foreigners, not for their
connection
to the bombings but for technical immigration violations and
association
with various factions of the Communist Party.
Post's description equally captures the Bush administration's response
to
the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Once again the government
pursued
"the course of least resistance," rounding up thousands of foreigners,
not
for terrorist activity but for technical immigration violations. Many
were
arrested in secret, held without charges, denied access to lawyers,
presumed guilty until proven innocent, tried in secret, and kept locked
up
long after their cases were fully resolved. In the name of "preventing
terrorism," the government has locked up more than 5,000 foreigners who
had
nothing to do with terrorism.
For 2 1/2 years, little has been done to rectify this situation. But
today
several senators and representatives plan to introduce the Civil
Liberties
Restoration Act of 2004, a bill that seeks to ensure that the next time
we
suffer a terrorist attack, we will hold fast to basic principles of
fairness, due process and human rights, especially in our treatment of
foreign nationals.
The act would bar the practice of blanket secret trials, reserving
secrecy
for cases in which the government can demonstrate a specific need. It
would
require that when the government locks someone up, it must inform him
of
the charges within 48 hours, and bring him before a judge within three
days. It would limit preventive detention to situations in which the
government actually has evidence that an individual poses a risk of
flight
or a danger to the community. And it would end "special registration,"
which selectively targeted men from Arab and Muslim countries for
fingerprints, photographs and interrogations...
---
ALLEGED MALL TERROR PLOT WAS VAGUE
CBS News, 6/15/04
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/14/terror/main622950.shtml
"He was another good American."
Jamilla Hassan, 39, a cousin of Abdi's Iyman Faris, already serving
prison
time for supporting terrorism.
The 4-count indictment charges that Nuradin Abdi conspired to detonate
a
bomb at an unidentified shopping mall after he obtained military-style
training in Ethiopia.
Abdi was arrested on immigration charges and has been held since Nov.
28,
2003. The U.S. is now requesting that Abdi be further detained pending
trial.
Federal investigators say Nuradin Abdi bragged that blowing up an Ohio
shopping center was his goal.
But no specific mall was targeted. No explosives were in hand. And it
is
unclear that the alleged terrorist had the wherewithal to do it.
Abdi's family says he didn't have the will.
A four-count indictment, returned by a grand jury in Columbus, Ohio,
charges that Abdi, a 32-year-old Somali native, conspired with admitted
al
Qaeda member Iyman Faris and others to detonate a bomb at the
unidentified
shopping mall after he obtained military-style training in Ethiopia.
"The American heartland was targeted for death and destruction by an al
Qaeda cell which allegedly included a Somali immigrant who will now
face
justice," Attorney General John Ashcroft said...
---
SAUDI’S ACQUITTAL A VICTORY FOR CONSTITUTION
Pat Murphy, Idaho Mountain Express, 6/16/04
http://www.mtexpress.com/2004/04-06-16/04-06-16murphy.htm
Americans who e-mail outrageous political hate material about their
government should thank Saudi Arabian student Sami Omar al-Hussayen for
helping guard their First Amendment rights to speak scurrilously of
their
country.
How ironic—a Saudi acquitted of conspiring to aid terrorists should be
more
of a champion of free speech than U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft,
who
took an oath to protect the Constitution and implicitly the right to
free
speech?
Ashcroft should never have ordered al-Hussayen tried in Boise federal
court. A student at the University of Idaho, al-Hussayen was found not
guilty, having done nothing more than post hate-filled polemics of
Muslims
on his Web site—much as angry members of U.S. militias use the Internet
to
threaten to seize the U.S. government or condemn the FBI for its bloody
assault on Branch Davidian at Waco.
Lawyers, including a former prosecutor, tell me they believe Ashcroft
personally ordered al-Hussayen’s trial for political reasons: the
beleaguered Ashcroft needed a victory to silence critics and calculated
that a jury in good ol’ reliably Republican Idaho would convict a
Muslim
for spreading anti-U.S. material.
But even Idaho isn’t totally lacking in common sense.
Although Ashcroft is a mediocre legal mind, he’s a menace: a limited
understanding of law combined with fierce religious zealotry blinds
Ashcroft to jurisprudential decency...
-----
CONYERS SEEKS INVESTIGATION INTO DOJ's MISCONDUCT IN BRANDON MAYFIELD'S
ARREST AND DETENTION
Congressman John Conyers, Jr.
Fourteenth District, Michigan
Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary
Dean, Congressional Black Caucus
Congressman John Conyers Jr., the Ranking Member on the House Judiciary
Committee joined Congressman Robert C. Scott, Ranking Member of the
Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, and Senator
Russell
D. Feingold, in sending this letter requesting an investigation by the
Department of Justice Inspector General into the FBI misidentification
of
Portland Attorney Brandon Mayfield through fingerprint analysis and his
consequent arrest and detention in connection with the recent Madrid,
Spain
bombings:
Dear Mr. Inspector General:
We write to ask the Office of the Inspector General ("OIG") to
investigate
the multitude of errors that led to the arrest and two-week detention
of
Portland, Oregon attorney Brandon Mayfield in connection with the
investigation of the Madrid terrorist bombing in March 2004. The
misidentification of Mr. Mayfield's fingerprints and the decision to
arrest
him as a material witness raises troubling concerns, particularly in
such a
high profile case. It is critically important to expeditiously review
the
process of the FBI's fingerprint analysis, its systems for reviewing
its
analysis both in the first instance and when contrary conclusions are
presented, and the use of the material witness statute.
In this regard, you should also investigate the accuracy of press
reports
regarding when the Spanish authorities alerted the FBI about the
misidentification and how the FBI and Department responded to that
information. This issue goes to the crux of representations made to
the
U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. In addition, these
events
raise questions about the FBI's procedures for coordinating analysis
with
foreign countries and integrating conflicting conclusions about
evidence
into their review and approval procedures.
Finally, upon review of the affidavit presented to the Court in the
Mayfield case, issues about inappropriate or illegal racial profiling
should also be investigated by your office. We are concerned, for
example,
about the prominent mention of Mr. Mayfield's religious practices in
the
material witness warrant to support probable cause to arrest him.
In your investigation, we hope that you will address the following
questions:
1. When and how was the misidentification made and when and how did the
FBI
re-review the fingerprint analysis after the Spanish authorities
questioned
the identification?
2. What exactly was known and by whom within the FBI, the Department of
Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office about doubts regarding the
fingerprint identification at the time the material witness was sought?
3. What role did senior officials at the FBI, the Department of Justice
and
the White House play in shaping this investigation and who, ultimately,
decided to seek a material witness warrant for Mr. Mayfield and
reviewed it
prior to submission to the Court?
4. Was the material witness statute used appropriately to seek the
detention of Mr. Mayfield and were any laws, ethical guidelines,
employee
rules or procedures violated by anyone at the Department of Justice in
the
pursuit of the warrant or in the investigation?
5. Did Mr. Mayfield's religious affiliation and practices influence the
decision to investigate him and seek his arrest and detention? If so,
how
and were any laws or regulations violated?
6. In addition to questions raised by the Spanish authorities about the
fingerprint analysis, were any federal authorities aware of any other
exculpatory information regarding Mr. Mayfield and, if so, what was
that
information, who in the government was aware of it and was it presented
to
the Court at the time the material witness warrant was sought?
7. Some press reports suggest that Mr. Mayfield was also the target of
a
search warrant subject to "delayed notification", also known as a
"sneak
and peak" warrant. Was such a warrant obtained and, if so, what was
the
basis for the delayed notification warrant?
An investigation and report by your office will play an important role
in
illuminating policies and procedures we must address to ensure that
innocent people are not deprived of their liberty. A thorough
investigation and objective findings are owed to Brandon Mayfield, his
family and to the American people regarding this matter.
-----
INVESTIGATOR IN GUANTANAMO INTERPRETER CASE NOW FACES OWN CHARGES
Sacramento Bee, 6/15/04
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/9660859p-10584214c.htm
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, CALIFORNIA - A key investigator in the case
against
former Guantanamo interpreter Ahmad Al Halabi now faces criminal
charges
himself, including rape, sodomy, fondling girls and mishandling
classified
material, the Air Force acknowledged on Tuesday.
Tech. Sgt. Marc Palmosina, who assisted the lead investigator in Al
Halabi's case, was charged May 26 with the crimes near Travis and near
Kadena Air Base in Japan as long ago as 1998. It is unclear how many
victims were involved, said an Air Force spokeswoman, Lt. Col. Jennifer
Cassidy.
Palmosina also is accused of mishandling classified documents in 2001
and
2003. Cassidy said the investigation into these crimes is ongoing, and
that
the charges have nothing to do with the case against Al Halabi, a
senior
airman.
The charges against Palmosina were revealed Tuesday outside court by Al
Halabi's civilian defense lawyer, Donald Rehkopf Jr., who has accused
the
Air Force of sloppy investigative work that resulted in unfair and
unwarranted charges against his client. The Air Force later released a
document outlining the charges against the investigator.
"The case was poorly investigated from the beginning," Rehkopf said
during
a court break. "The more we dig into it, the less evidence there is."
Rehkopf spoke to reporters before a military hearing on a motion he
filed
in May asking for the dismissal of all charges against Al Halabi, who
faces
17 criminal counts including attempted espionage, lying and misconduct.
If
convicted of the most serious charges, he could be sentenced to life in
a
military prison.
Al Halabi, 25, was a supply clerk at the Travis base until the
military's
demand for Arabic speakers increased sharply as a result of the war on
terror and he was sent to Guantanamo as a translator. He was arrested
in
July as he prepared to leave for Syria, where he said he planned to
marry
his girlfriend...
ALSO SEE:
ESPIONAGE CASE AGAINST AIRMAN TAKES A BLOW
Josh Gerstein, New York Sun, 6/16/04
www.nysun.com
The prosecution of an Air Force translator for attempted espionage
suffered
repeated blows yesterday from a defense witness who testified that
evidence
in the case was mishandled and that a prosecutor ordered her not to
tell
lawyers about inaccurate testimony at an earlier session.
The testimony came at what a military judge said was a final hearing in
advance of Airman Ahmad Al Halabi's court-martial on various charges,
including claims that he smuggled classified documents out of
Guantanamo
Bay to give them to enemies of America.
The bulk of the hearing centered on a motion by the airman's lawyers to
have the charges against him dismissed on account of the alleged
misconduct.
The star witness for Airman Al Halabi was a linguist who worked closely
with investigators as they crafted the case last fall. The linguist,
Suzan
Sultan, was an Air Force staff sergeant who left the service last
December
after a six-year tour.
Ms. Sultan, 26, testified she was present when agents on the case
opened a
box Airman Al Halabi apparently mailed to himself before leaving
Guantanamo. She said the agents did not use gloves the first time they
opened the box and removed some of its contents. "Nobody was wearing
gloves," Ms. Sultan said.
Ms. Sultan said the investigators later repacked the box, put on
gloves,
and photographed snorkeling gear. The linguist said some of the agents
were
drinking beer as they handled and cataloged the items.
"In my opinion, it didn't seem professional," she said...
---
JUDGE DENIES MOTION TO DISMISS GUANTANAMO SPY CASE
Reuters, 6/16/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5440011
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - A U.S. military judge on Wednesday
refused
to dismiss charges in an espionage case against an accused
Syrian-American
airman, but said the behavior of prosecutors in the case should be
reviewed
by a professional standards board.
Military Judge Col. Barbara Brand criticized certain aspects of the
government's case against Senior Airman Ahmad Al Halabi, who is accused
of
carrying prison maps, letters and other documents from the U.S. base in
Guantanamo, Cuba.
Halabi worked as an Arabic language translator at the base, where
suspected
al Qaeda and Taliban fighters are held.
Brand cited one instance where a prosecutor told an Arabic language
translator not to correct a mistake of a translation of a key word in a
document and to not disclose the error to Halabi's defense team.
"This may not have been the best way to handle the situation," Brand
said.
Brand also criticized how investigators handled a box holding Halabi's
possessions. They did not wear gloves when they opened the box and
drank
alcoholic beverages as they looked through its contents.
"There was beer drinking at some time," Brand said.
However, Brand said the conduct would not justify dismissing the case
against Halabi.
-----
A 'PEACEMAKER' IS LAID TO REST
Michele Clock, Washington Post, 6/16/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44563-2004Jun15.html
Army Capt. Humayun Khan tried to reassure his parents in Prince William
County that he was safe -- even though attacks on his base in Baquba,
Iraq,
were almost constant.
"Whenever I talked to him, I started to cry," said his mother, Ghazala
Khan, 52. "He always said to me, 'Don't worry. I'm safe.' "
The last time she spoke to her 27-year-old son was Mother's Day, May 9.
Yesterday, under the hot midday sun, she and her husband, Khizr M.
Khan,
53, watched as their middle son was laid to rest at Arlington National
Cemetery.
Khan's was the 66th casualty of the Iraq war to be buried on the
cemetery's
lush, manicured hills. His flag-draped wood coffin was placed at the
end of
a row of marble headstones.
On June 8, Khan died in a suicide car bombing at the main gates of his
base. Khan, an ordnance officer with the Germany-based 201st Forward
Support Battalion, 1st Infantry Division, had watched as several of his
soldiers prepared to do a routine vehicle inspection. His unit was
charged
with the day-to-day security and maintenance of the camp...
-----
PHILA. RABBI APPEARS IN TV AD DENOUNCING IRAQ PRISON ABUSE
Tirdad Derakhshani, Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/16/04
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/8931909.htm?1c
A month after President Bush appeared on Arabic television to express
regret for the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, a U.S. interfaith
group
yesterday began running an independent ad on the Al-Jazeera and
Al-Arabiyya
TV stations condemning "the sinful and systemic abuses committed in our
name."
The 30-second ad features four religious progressives including Rabbi
Arthur Waskow, a longtime activist who heads the Shalom Center, a small
Jewish peace center in Philadelphia's Mount Airy section.
Waskow, 70, said in an interview yesterday that "the words sinful and
systemic were crucial" to the ad's message. The goal, he said, is for
"Arab-speaking people to understand the horror so many Americans and so
many members of American religious communities feel about the torture."
And, he said, to understand that many "view the abuses as systemic,"
not
limited to "just five or six bad apples" as the administration has
said.
The ad was produced by FaithfulAmerica.org, an online "new progressive
faith movement." The three others who appear are the Rev. Don Shriver,
president of the Union Theological Seminary in New York; Imam Feisal
Abdur
Rauf, president of the American Sufi Muslim Association; and Sister
Betty
Obal, a nun with the Sisters of Loretto.
As written Arabic translations appear, the four read a statement
expressing
"deep sorrow" for the prison abuses. "We condemn the sinful and
systemic
abuses committed in our name," they state, "and pledge to work to right
these wrongs."
Also, they say, "We stand in solidarity with all those in Iraq and
everywhere who demand justice and human dignity."
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations
in
Washington, hasn't seen the ad but said it's "like chicken soup. It
couldn't hurt."...
ALSO SEE:
TORTURE POLICY
Washington Post, 6/16/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44849-2004Jun15.html
SLOWLY, AND IN spite of systematic stonewalling by the Bush
administration,
it is becoming clearer why a group of military guards at Abu Ghraib
prison
tortured Iraqis in the ways depicted in those infamous photographs.
President Bush and his spokesmen shamefully cling to the myth that the
guards were rogues acting on their own. Yet over the past month we have
learned that much of what the guards did -- from threatening prisoners
with
dogs, to stripping them naked, to forcing them to wear women's
underwear --
had been practiced at U.S. military prisons elsewhere in the world.
Moreover, most of these techniques were sanctioned by senior U.S.
officials, including Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and the Iraqi
theater command under Lt. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez. Many were imported
to
Iraq by another senior officer, Maj. Gen. Geoffrey D. Miller.
In December 2002, Mr. Rumsfeld approved a series of harsh questioning
methods for use at the Guantanamo Bay base. According to the Wall
Street
Journal, these included the removal of clothing, the use of "stress
positions," hooding, "fear of dogs," and "mild non-injurious physical
contact." Even before that, the Journal reported, interrogators at
Guantanamo forced prisoners to wear women's underwear on their heads. A
year later, when some of the same treatment was publicized through the
Abu
Ghraib photographs, Mr. Rumsfeld described it as "grievous and brutal
abuse
and cruelty."
Administration officials have said that tougher techniques are
available at
Guantanamo, where the Geneva Conventions are considered inapplicable,
than
in Iraq, where they unquestionably apply. Yet through much of the past
year, the opposite appears to have been the case. After strenuous
protests
from legal professionals inside the military, Mr. Rumsfeld ordered a
review
of interrogation techniques in early 2003 that led, in April that year,
to
the dropping of a number of methods at Guantanamo that he had earlier
approved, including the use of dogs, stress positions and nudity...
---
SO TORTURE IS LEGAL?
Anne Applebaum, Washington Post, 6/16/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44874-2004Jun15.html
To understand the magnitude of what may have gone on in America's
secret
prisons, you don't need special security clearance or inside
information.
Anyone who wants to connect the dots can do it. To see what I mean,
review
the content of a few items now easily found on the Internet.
Item 1: The "torture memo." Written in August 2002 by the Justice
Department's Office of Legal Counsel, at the request of the CIA and
then
the White House, this memo argues that it "may be justified" to torture
al
Qaeda suspects. The memo, posted last weekend on The Post's Web site,
also
speculates that international law, which categorically prohibits
torture,
"may be unconstitutional."
Item 2: The "Rumsfeld memo." This document, unearthed by the Wall
Street
Journal, was written in March 2003 by a Pentagon working group. It
declared
not only that the American president has the power to evade
international
law and torture foreign prisoners but that interrogators who follow the
president's commands can, in addition, be held immune from prosecution.
Item 3: The Abu Ghraib photographs. Remember what they show: not just
torture but guards who appear absolutely certain of their legal and
moral
right to torture, as well as a large number of unidentified personnel,
standing around and watching.
Item 4: The "dog testimony." Two Army dog handlers assigned to Abu
Ghraib
have submitted sworn statements, again obtained by The Post, asserting
that
military intelligence officers told them to use dogs to frighten
prisoners.
The Army had said that any use of dogs in interrogations would have
needed
approval from the U.S. military commander in Iraq.
As I say, connect the dots: They lead from the White House to the
Pentagon
to Abu Ghraib, and from Abu Ghraib back to military intelligence and
thus
to the Pentagon and the White House...
-----
POLL OF IRAQIS REVEALS ANGER TOWARD U.S.
Associated Press, 6/14/04
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/politics/8930942.htm
WASHINGTON - President Bush is fond of telling Americans they have
liberated Iraq and that the country's future generations will be
thankful.
The current generation, however, overwhelmingly views U.S. forces as
occupiers and wishes they would just leave, according to a poll
commissioned by the administration.
The poll, requested by the Coalition Provisional Authority last month
but
not released to the American public, found more than half of Iraqis
surveyed believed both that they'd be safer without U.S. forces and
that
all Americans behave like the military prison guards pictured in the
Abu
Ghraib abuse photos.
The survey, obtained by The Associated Press, also found radical cleric
Muqtada al-Sadr is surging in popularity as he leads an insurrection
against U.S.-led forces, but would still be a distant finisher in an
election for Iraqi president.
``If you are sitting here as part of the coalition, it (the poll) is
pretty
grim,'' said Donald Hamilton, a career foreign service officer who is
working for Ambassador Paul Bremer's interim government and helps
oversee
the CPA's polling of Iraqis.
``While you have to be saddened that our intentions have been
misunderstood
by a lot of Iraqis, the truth of the matter is they have a strong
inclination toward the things that have the potential to bring
democracy
here,'' he said in a telephone interview Tuesday from Baghdad.
Hamilton noted the poll found 63 percent of Iraqis believed conditions
will
improve when an Iraqi interim government takes over June 30, and 62
percent
believed it was ``very likely'' the Iraqi police and Army will maintain
security without U.S. forces...
-----
FOUL-MOUTHED TEACH DUO FACE F - FOR FIRED
Carl Campanile and Lorena Mongelli, New York Post, 6/16/04
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/23130.htm
School investigators want the city to fire two romantically linked,
foul-mouthed teachers — after one of them allegedly subjected her
students
to profanity-laced tirades and the other spewed ethnic and sexual slurs
at
his colleagues and a Muslim youngster, The Post has learned.
Music teacher Jennifer Livingston and social studies instructor Steven
Centonzo, both of whom teach at Staten Island's New Dorp HS, engaged in
steamy "intimate contact" in classrooms and other areas of the building
in
front of students and staff, according to a report by Special Schools
Investigator Richard Condon.
Then the two teachers interfered with Condon's probe by contacting
students
to rally around them, the report said.
Condon said he acted on complaints from students, parents and staffers.
Livingston would spew the "F" word to humiliate students, as in "f - -
-
ing idiots, morons, retards" and an order for kids to "get the f - - -
out
of my classroom," the report charged.
She also called students "pieces of s - - -," witnesses told
investigators.
Livingston once called girls on the dance team a "bunch of sluts" who
are
"too fat to be dressed in those outfits" and "lowlifes," investigators
said...
ALSO SEE:
HIJAB MAKES MUSLIM WOMEN TARGET OF RACE ATTACKS, AUSTRALIAN STUDY FINDS
Agence France Presse, 6/16/04
SYDNEY - Ninety percent of Muslim woman have suffered form of racist
abuse
or violence in Australia since the September 11 attacks in the United
States, a new report revealed here Wednesday.
The report, by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, found
that while most Arabs and Muslims had experienced some form of racist
abuse
in recent years, women were at the frontline because of their wearing
of
the traditional headscarf, the hijab.
"We listened to stories of women, mostly Muslim women wearing the hijab
anxious to walk their children to school in fear of being spat on,
abused
or ridiculed," acting discrimination commissioner William Jonas said at
the
release of the report.
"We listened to the stories of women and girls who said they'd been
abused
or had objects thrown at them from moving cars, sometimes causing
injury."
The report, called "Isma", Arabic for "listen", focused on the
experiences
of some 1,400 Arab and Muslim Australians in 69 focus groups held
across
Australia last year.
It was launched by Jonas before a meeting of about 300 members of
Sydney's
Arab and Muslim community, including Australia's Mufti, Sheik Taj Aldin
Alhilali...
---
MUSLIMS SEEK PERMIT FOR SERVICES; MORTON GROVE RATIFIES AGREEMENT
Maria Neels, Chicago Tribune, 6/16/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/nearnorthwest/chi-0406160156jun16,1
,5116434.story
With a construction agreement for a new mosque in hand, officials of
the
Muslim Community Center in Morton Grove are expected this week to ask
for a
permit to hold services.
Morton Grove trustees heard from nearly 30 speakers about the mosque
and
then voted 5-1 Monday to sign off on the mediated agreement between the
center and the village.
The vote does not guarantee that the mosque will be built on the
center's
existing site; the Planning Commission still has to approve the plan.
However, it does solidify support for the controversial proposal among
Morton Grove's elected leaders and makes the final approval appear
likely.
-----
AFTER SPUTNIK, IT WAS RUSSIAN; AFTER 9/11, SHOULD IT BE ARABIC?
Samuel G. Freedman, New York Times, 6/16/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/16/education/16education.html
WASHINGTON, D.C. - LESS than a year after the Soviet Union launched a
satellite named Sputnik in October 1957, America answered with a
counterstrike. It was a piece of legislation, the National Defense
Education Act, which aimed at harnessing brain power rather than
weaponry
for the cold war.
Mostly, the statute poured federal money into stimulating the study of
mathematics and science, disciplines most relevant to the arms race,
but a
portion provided incentives for universities to develop skilled
speakers of
strategic languages, especially Russian.
Over more than three decades, as the support for language study was
written
into other federal laws, a steady stream of 30,000 or more American
university students took Russian courses each year.
They became not only the translators, cryptologists and intelligence
agents
required for what Arthur Schlesinger Jr. famously called the "long
twilight
struggle" between Communism and the West but also the scholars,
diplomats
and sundry Sovietologists who in many ways enacted the policy of
d�tente
and assisted in the peaceful resolution of the cold war.
Now, nearly three years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks by Al
Qaeda
and amid a turbulent occupation of Iraq, Congress and the Bush
administration have failed to endorse and endow a similar cohort of
civilian experts in the languages of the Muslim world.
While the administration has given priority to training more linguists
within the military and the national-security apparatus, legislation
modeled on the National Defense Education Act and offered repeatedly
over
several years by Congressional Democrats has not even made it out
committee.
Meanwhile, of more than 1.8 million graduates of American colleges and
universities in 2003, exactly 22 took degrees in Arabic, according to
Department of Education statistics...
-----
BODIES OF SLAIN MUSLIMS FOUND IN MASS GRAVE
Radul Radovanovic, Associated Press, 6/16/04
SANDICI, Bosnia-Herzegovina - The bodies of 10 Bosnian Muslims killed
in a
wartime massacre were unearthed from one of the first mass graves
located
with information provided by Bosnian Serbs, a Muslim official said
Wednesday.
A Bosnian Serb government commission researching the Srebrenica
massacre
submitted a report last week that, among other information, contained
locations of 31 mass graves believed to hold victims' remains.
Excavations began Tuesday at one of the graves, in the eastern Bosnian
village of Sandici, where workers uncovered the 10 bodies.
Workers expected to find at least 10 more bodies, Amor Masovic, the
head of
Bosnian Muslim Commission for the Search for Missing Persons, told The
Associated Press.
But the excavations were abruptly halted Wednesday after unexploded
ordnance was found at the site and mine removal experts moved in to
clear
the entire location.
Sandici is near Srebrenica, where in 1995 Bosnian Serb troops overran a
U.N.-declared safe zone, killing up to 8,000 Muslim men and boys...
-----
PRISON TACTICS A LONGTIME DILEMMA FOR ISRAEL
Glenn Frankel, Washington Post, 6/16/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44664-2004Jun15.html
NABLUS, WEST BANK - The accounts of physical abuse of Iraqis by
American
guards at Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad sounded achingly familiar
to
Anan Labadeh. The casual beatings, the humiliations, the trophy photos
taken by both male and female guards were experiences he said he
underwent
as a Palestinian security detainee at an Israeli military camp in March
of
last year.
There was, he added, a significant difference: The Israelis have rules,
he
said, and their techniques for breaking down prisoners are far more
sophisticated. "What the Israelis do is much more effective than
beatings,"
he said. "Three days without food and without sleep and you're eager to
tell them anything. It just shows us the Americans are amateurs. They
should have taken lessons from the Israelis."
Many of the questions raised by the Abu Ghraib scandal, and by the
United
States's self-declared war on terrorism, are the kinds that Israel has
been
wrestling with for decades. Where is the line in a democracy between
coercion and torture? What kinds of interrogation techniques are
morally
acceptable when dealing with a suspect who may have knowledge of a
"ticking
bomb" -- an imminent attack? And what about the damage those techniques
inflict on relations between an occupying power and its subjects?
"Unfortunately, when you're fighting a war against terror there are
many
difficult issues you face every day," said a senior Israeli government
lawyer who defended Israel's policy on interrogating suspects. "Maybe
the
United States is beginning to discover what Israel has had to deal with
for
a long time."
Although its officials never use the word "torture," Israel is perhaps
the
only Western-style democracy that has acknowledged sanctioning
mistreatment
of prisoners in interrogation. In 1987, following a long debate in
legal
and security circles, a state commission established a set of secret
guidelines for interrogators using what the panel called "moderate
physical
and psychological pressure" against detainees. In 1999, Israel's
Supreme
Court struck down those guidelines, ruling that torture was illegal
under
any circumstances...
ALSO SEE:
US BULLDOZER FIRM IN MID-EAST ROW
BBC News, 6/15/04
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3805677.stm
Thousands of Palestinians have had homes and livelihoods demolished
A leading UN official has warned US manufacturer Caterpillar that it
may be
complicit in human rights violations in the West Bank and Gaza.
The company supplies armoured bulldozers to the Israeli army that are
used
to demolish Palestinian homes.
Human rights official Jean Ziegler expressed "deep concern" over the
sales,
in a letter to Caterpillar.
The company says it shares world concern over the Middle East but it
cannot
police the use of its equipment.
Human rights groups estimate that around 3,000 Palestinian homes have
been
demolished since 2000.
Israel says the demolitions are necessary on security grounds...
-----
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Subject:
CAIR-NET: U.S. Muslims Meet with Powell on Foreign Policy
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
U.S. MUSLIMS MEET WITH POWELL ON FOREIGN POLICY
Secretary of State offers briefing on issues, solicits Muslim input
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/17/04) - Representatives of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and several other Muslim and
Arab-American groups met today with Secretary of State Colin Powell to
discuss issues related to American foreign policy.
The discussion focused on topics such as the Middle East peace process,
the
war in Iraq, efforts to promote democratization and reform, America's
image
in the Muslim world, and the role American Muslims can play in helping
to
formulate polices that will improve that image.
"We appreciate Secretary Powell's willingness to hear what American
Muslims
have to say about foreign policy issues and to learn more about how we
can
serve as a bridge of understanding to the Islamic world," said CAIR
Executive Director Nihad Awad, who participated in the meeting.
"America's
international image can only benefit from public dialogue with American
Muslims and from the implementation of domestic policies that protect
civil
liberties."
Muslim groups represented at the meeting included the Center for the
Study
of Islam & Democracy (CSID), the Islamic Society of North America
(ISNA)
and the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC).
Along with Secretary Powell, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs
Richard
Boucher and Assistant Secretary William Burns also took part in the
meeting.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 28 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
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
-----
--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .
Forwarded Message
From:
"cair@cair-net.org" <cair@cair-net.org>
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Detention of American in Saudi Arabia Protested
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/17/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THE PROPHET’S SUPPLICATION
* DETENTION OF AMERICAN IN SAUDI ARABIA PROTESTED (AFP)
- CAIR Delivers Letter on Abu-Ali Case to Powell
* SAUDI FRIEND ASKS CAPTORS TO FREE AMERICAN (CNN)
* IDAHO ACQUITTAL BODES WELL FOR NY MUSLIM DOCTOR (AP)
* PANEL FINDS NO QAEDA-IRAQ TIE (NY Times)
- The Plain Truth (NY Times)
* RUMSFELD ISSUED AN ORDER TO HIDE DETAINEE (NY Times)
- Judiciary Committee Dems Request Torture Info
- US Officer Charged with Murder of Sadr Follower (AFP)
* RAUCOUS BAR SCENE EMERGES IN BAGHDAD'S GREEN ZONE (AP)
* AMERICA, ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST (The Nation)
* MUSLIM COMEDIANS: GOOD HUMOR (New Republic)
* CANADA: JEWISH AWARD FOR MUSLIM STUDENTS (Waterloo)
* MUSLIM-JEWISH DAY OF FRIENDSHIP IN MD
* RALLY SEEKS END TO IMMIGRANT CURBS (Chicago Trib)
- Muslims Encounter Resistance to Move (Chicago Trib)
* ISRAELI FAN CONVICTED FOR RACIST TAUNT (Haaretz)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THE PROPHET’S SUPPLICATION
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "O God, I seek refuge in
You
from knowledge that does not benefit anyone, a heart that is not
submissive, a soul that is dissatisfied, and a prayer that is not
heard."
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1260
-----
US MUSLIM GROUP PROTESTS DETENTION OF AMERICAN IN SAUDI ARABIA
Agence France Presse, 6/17/04
WASHINGTON, June 17 (AFP) - A US Muslim group on Thursday protested the
detention of a US national who has been held in Saudi Arabia for more
than
a year, saying he had been jailed at Washington's request and could be
tortured.
Dozens of people took part in the Muslim American Society's
demonstration
in front of the State Department and sent letters to President George
W.
Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell to explain their concern for
Ahmed
Abu-Ali, 23, who was born in the United States and is an American
citizen.
The group said in a statement that, according to Saudi officials,
Abu-Ali
was being held at US authorities' request, without formal charges...
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters that
Washington
was aware of the detention and indicated that US consular officials in
Riyadh made regular visits to the prisoner…
SEE ALSO:
CAIR DELIVERS LETTER ON ABU-ALI CASE TO SECRETARY POWELL
CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad today delivered the following letter
to
State Department officials following a meeting with Secretary of State
Powell:
Honorable Colin L. Powell
Secretary of State
United States Department of State
2201 C St., NW, Washington, DC 20520
June 17, 2004
Dear Secretary Powell:
Thank you for meeting with us today at the State Department. I
appreciate
the opportunity.
I am writing to you on behalf of America’s largest Muslim advocacy and
civil rights organization with regard to the case of Ahmed Abu Ali, an
American citizen held in Saudi Arabia. I hope to secure your
intervention
in this case in order to obtain the immediate release of Ahmed, who has
been held in al-Ha’ir prison in Riyadh for nearly a year without charge
and
without access to a lawyer.
As you may know, Ahmed, 22, was arrested by Saudi authorities on June
11,
2003, while taking one of his final exams at Medina University, where
he
was studying on a scholarship. According to his family, Ahmed was
interrogated by Saudi police and the FBI extensively in the past year.
According to the U.S. consul visiting Ahmed, at one point the FBI
threatened to designate him an “enemy combatant”.
Matthew Gillen, Director of Consular Affairs in Saudi Arabia at the
State
Department, recently agreed to meet with Ahmed’s family, two lawyers,
and a
small delegation from CAIR. Mr. Gillen confirmed that Ahmed has not
been
charged by Saudi Arabia or the U.S., and that Saudi authorities are no
longer investigating him. At the same time, it was relayed to the
family’s
former lawyer that the FBI is no longer investigating Ahmed and does
not
have any plans to charge him if he is released by Saudi authorities.
Mr. Gillen shared an email sent to him by Mr. Glatz, the U.S. Consul
appointed to Ahmed’s case, which stated the following, “SBU Col
Al-Qahtani
commented to Conoff that he understood that Abu-Ali could be rendered
to
American authorities at anytime if the USG made a formal request. He
added
that he understood that if Abu-Ali were deported from Saudi Arabia he
would
not want to return to the U.S. but has been thinking of traveling to
Sweden.” When asked whether the State Department would send a “formal
request” to Saudi Authorities, Mr. Gillen responded that he will be
filing
a letter of protest that will go through your good office in Saudi
Arabia
to the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When Ahmed’s family
asked
him whether he wanted to travel to Sweden, Ahmed told them that he had
never said such a thing.
Ahmed Abu Ali has not been afforded his due process rights as a U.S.
citizen. He has not been charged with a crime, permitted to see a
lawyer,
or given a trial. He has been in detention for almost a year. Ahmed now
refuses to see his consular officer, Mr. Glatz, because he has lost all
faith in him to ensure his rights and safety. According to Mr. Gillen,
a
new consular officer cannot be provided for Ahmed. We hope this is not
the
case.
The State Department’s role is to monitor the health and well-being of
a
detainee, acknowledge and stop mistreatment, provide a list of
attorneys,
and generally maintain due process. Unfortunately, it has been
unreliable
on all these fronts. When Ahmed was first arrested, the family’s
unrelenting requests to the agency to send a consul to check on Ahmed’s
conditions were ignored until a lawyer threatened to sue the State
Department for failure to ensure the safety and protection of a U.S.
citizen abroad. It took a month after his arrest for a U.S. consul to
visit
Ahmed.
The family’s own investigation showed that Ahmed experienced various
forms
of mistreatment during this time. In the past year, Ahmed informed his
parents that he had lost a tremendous amount of weight and considered
going
on a hunger strike. When Ahmed’s family brought up these concerns to
the
U.S. Embassy, they were automatically dismissed. Indeed, there are
troubling parallels between Ahmed’s case and the case of Maher Arrar,
the
Canadian citizen who was deported to Syria and is now suing the
Canadian
and U.S. government for allegedly subjecting him to torture. All that
Ahmed’s family desires is their son’s safe return.
I strongly urge you to intervene in securing the immediate release of
Ahmed. In the interest of preserving human rights, ensuring justice,
and
maintaining good diplomatic relations, we trust you will find a
positive
resolution to this case.
I look forward to hearing from you on this important and timely matter.
Sincerely yours,
Nihad Awad
National Executive Director
---
SAUDI FRIEND ASKS CAPTORS TO FREE AMERICAN
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/06/17/saudi.kidnap/
(CNN) -- A Saudi colleague of abducted U.S. citizen Paul Johnson Jr.
urged
kidnappers Thursday to free the hostage, arguing that the victim is
under
his protection as a Muslim and killing him would break Islamic law.
"I declare that I pledged to protect this man," said Saad al-Mu'men, a
pseudonym for the colleague, who wrote a letter that appeared on
radical
Islamist Web sites.
The letter -- and an interview with him --was posted later on the Al
Arabiya news channel's Web site.
In his letter, al-Mu'men told the kidnappers that if Johnson is harmed,
"I
will never forgive you. I will curse you in all my prayers."
He cited the prophet Mohammed in his letter: "If they were granted
(Muslim)
protection, then killing or taking their money or harming them is
forbidden."
In the interview, al-Mu'men said, "I addressed the letter to the
kidnappers, and I told them that I have earned him holy protection. I
asked
them to follow the teachings of Islam and God's law rather than their
own
personal interests.
"If they are true believers, they will release him after reading my
letter.
Especially that Paul, who works with me, has started learning about
Islam
after I gave him Islamic books and a translation of the holy Quran."
Johnson, a 49-year-old Lockheed Martin employee, was kidnapped Saturday
in
the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Tuesday, in a video posted on an Islamist
Web
site, his captors threatened to kill him within 72 hours unless the
Saudi
government releases al Qaeda prisoners and Westerners leave the Arabian
peninsula.
-----
IDAHO ACQUITTAL BODES WELL FOR JAILED MUSLIM DOCTOR
WILLIAM KATES, Associated Press, 6/17/04
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - An Idaho jury's acquittal of a Saudi graduate
student
charged with helping raise money for terrorists is "encouraging" for a
Muslim doctor facing similar charges here, his defense attorney said
Thursday.
However, attorney Deveraux Cannick said if it appears a fair and
impartial
jury cannot be seated in Syracuse, he'll seek a change of venue for the
trial of Dr. Rafil Dhafir, which is scheduled to begin Sept. 27.
Cannick said the June 10 acquittal of Sami Omar Al-Hussayen has renewed
his
confidence that Dhafir could get a fair trial.
Hussayen, a 34-year-old Ph.D. candidate in computer science at the
University of Idaho, was charged with using his expertise to help
Muslim
terrorists set up and run Web sites to raise money and attract
recruits.
The government failed to provide any "clear-cut evidence" to support
the
terrorism charges against Hussayen, a juror said.
Cannick said the Idaho acquittal shows anti-Arab fervor in the United
States has lessened. The attorney added that Dhafir -- arrested when
the
country was poised for war with Iraq and anti-Arab sentiment was high
--
has probably benefited by his trial being delayed.
Dhafir, of Fayetteville, and three other men were charged in February
2003
with conspiring to violate a U.S. embargo against Iraq through a
Syracuse-based charity called Help the Needy. Dhafir said the money was
used to help the poor and needy in Iraq. Prosecutors said Help The
Needy
raised nearly $5 million from 1994 until February 2003, and at least
$160,000 wound up in Iraq.
A U.S. citizen born in Iraq, Dhafir has not been charged with terrorism
crimes, although prosecutors continue to investigate him for possible
links
to terrorist groups. He has been denied bail four times and remains in
jail
while awaiting trial. Cannick has appealed Dhafir's detention to the
U.S.
2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. A hearing is scheduled for early July…
Cannick has argued the government is discriminating against Dhafir
because
he is Muslim and Iraqi, and has unjustly held him in jail on charges
that
-- if true -- would make the doctor nothing more than a white-collar
criminal…
-----
PANEL FINDS NO QAEDA-IRAQ TIE
Philip Shenon and Christopher Marquis, New York Times, 6/17/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/17/politics/17panel.html
WASHINGTON - The staff of the commission investigating the Sept. 11
attacks
sharply contradicted one of President Bush's central justifications for
the
Iraq war, reporting on Wednesday that there did not appear to have been
a
"collaborative relationship" between Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. The
assertion came in staff reports that offer a chilling, richly detailed
chronology of the Sept. 11 plot and rewrite much of the history of the
attacks.
The chronology, based on the panel's review of highly classified
accounts
of interrogations of captured Qaeda leaders, shows that Osama bin Laden
was
far more intimately involved in the planning of the attacks than
previously
known and approved the selection of each of the 19 hijackers. It also
shows
that the original plot called for attacks that would have been even
larger
and more deadly.
The commission's investigators said in a pair of reports released at a
public hearing that Mr. bin Laden and his deputies discussed target
lists
as early as 1999 that would have included the White House, the Capitol,
C.I.A. and F.B.I. headquarters, nuclear power plants and skyscrapers in
California and Washington State. The plot involved hijacking 10 jets
instead of 4 and, the commission's staff said, originally included a
plan
for simultaneous hijackings of American passenger planes in Southeast
Asia...
ALSO SEE:
THE PLAIN TRUTH
New York Times, 6/17/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/17/opinion/17THU1.html
It's hard to imagine how the commission investigating the 2001
terrorist
attacks could have put it more clearly yesterday: there was never any
evidence of a link between Iraq and Al Qaeda, between Saddam Hussein
and
Sept. 11.
Now President Bush should apologize to the American people, who were
led to
believe something different.
Of all the ways Mr. Bush persuaded Americans to back the invasion of
Iraq
last year, the most plainly dishonest was his effort to link his war of
choice with the battle against terrorists worldwide. While it's
possible
that Mr. Bush and his top advisers really believed that there were
chemical, biological and nuclear weapons in Iraq, they should have
known
all along that there was no link between Iraq and Al Qaeda. No serious
intelligence analyst believed the connection existed; Richard Clarke,
the
former antiterrorism chief, wrote in his book that Mr. Bush had been
told
just that.
Nevertheless, the Bush administration convinced a substantial majority
of
Americans before the war that Saddam Hussein was somehow linked to
9/11.
And since the invasion, administration officials, especially Vice
President
Dick Cheney, have continued to declare such a connection. Last
September,
Mr. Bush had to grudgingly correct Mr. Cheney for going too far in
spinning
a Hussein-bin Laden conspiracy. But the claim has crept back into view
as
the president has made the war on terror a centerpiece of his
re-election
campaign.
On Monday, Mr. Cheney said Mr. Hussein "had long-established ties with
Al
Qaeda." Mr. Bush later backed up Mr. Cheney, claiming that Abu Musab
al-Zarqawi, a terrorist who may be operating in Baghdad, is "the best
evidence" of a Qaeda link. This was particularly astonishing because
the
director of central intelligence, George Tenet, told the Senate earlier
this year that Mr. Zarqawi did not work with the Hussein regime.
The staff report issued by the 9/11 panel says that Sudan's government,
which sheltered Osama bin Laden in the early 1990's, tried to hook him
up
with Mr. Hussein, but that nothing came of it.
This is not just a matter of the president's diminishing credibility,
although that's disturbing enough. The war on terror has actually
suffered
as the conflict in Iraq has diverted military and intelligence
resources
from places like Afghanistan, where there could really be Qaeda forces,
including Mr. bin Laden…
-----
RUMSFELD ISSUED AN ORDER TO HIDE DETAINEE IN IRAQ
Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker, New York Times, 6/17/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/17/politics/17abuse.html
WASHINGTON, June 16 - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, acting at
the
request of George J. Tenet, the director of central intelligence,
ordered
military officials in Iraq last November to hold a man suspected of
being a
senior Iraqi terrorist at a high-level detention center there but not
list
him on the prison's rolls, senior Pentagon and intelligence officials
said
Wednesday.
This prisoner and other "ghost detainees" were hidden largely to
prevent
the International Committee of the Red Cross from monitoring their
treatment, and to avoid disclosing their location to an enemy,
officials
said.
Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba, the Army officer who in February
investigated
abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison, criticized the practice of allowing
ghost
detainees there and at other detention centers as "deceptive, contrary
to
Army doctrine, and in violation of international law."
This prisoner, who has not been named, is believed to be the first to
have
been kept off the books at the orders of Mr. Rumsfeld and Mr. Tenet. He
was
not held at Abu Ghraib, but at another prison, Camp Cropper, on the
outskirts of Baghdad International Airport, officials said.
Pentagon and intelligence officials said the decision to hold the
detainee
without registering him - at least initially - was in keeping with the
administration's legal opinion about the status of those viewed as an
active threat in wartime…
ALSO SEE:
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE DEMS REQUEST TORTURE INFO
Today, all 16 Democratic Members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee
have
asked that Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., make a formal
Committee
request to the Bush Administration for all torture-related memoranda,
orders, and rules. The text of the letter and a link to the pdf of the
letter are pasted below. For further information, please contact Sampak
Garg with the Committee staff at (202) 225-1609.
http://www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/torturedocsreqstltr61704.pdf
---
US ARMY OFFICER CHARGED FOR MURDER OF SADR FOLLOWER
Agence France Presse, 6/17/04
BAGHDAD, June 17 (AFP) - A US army officer has been charged over the
murder
of an Iraqi follower of Shiite Muslim radical cleric Moqtada Sadr, the
US
military said Thursday.
"A Task Force 1st Armored Division commissioned officer was formally
charged... with the murder of an Iraqi man," the military said in a
statement.
"The charge stems from a May 21 incident which took place near Kufa.
Soldiers conducted a high-speed chase with a vehicle that they believed
to
be carrying suspected members of Moqtada Sadr's militia," it said.
"During their pursuit, soldiers fired at the vehicle, wounding the
driver
and passenger. Shortly afterward, the driver was shot and killed at
close
range…"
-----
RAUCOUS BAR SCENE EMERGES IN BAGHDAD'S GREEN ZONE
Jim Krane, Associated Press, 6/16/04
http://www.boston.com/dailynews/168/world/Raucous_bar_scene_emerges_in_BP.sh
tml
BAGHDAD - The job of occupying Iraq means hardship and long hours and
sometimes a game of Risk over a hookah and a few beers.
In a city where few people drink, Baghdad's sealed-off green zone
counts at
least seven bars, including a Thursday night disco, a sports bar, a
British
pub, a rooftop bar run by General Electric, and a bare-bones
trailer-tavern
operated by the contractor Bechtel.
Only employees of the occupation are welcome in most of them. U.S.
troops
ejected a reporter from the basement sports bar a few months ago, at
the
instance of Coalition Provisional Authority employees drinking inside.
The plushest tavern is the CIA's rattan furnished watering hole, known
as
the ''OGA bar.'' OGA stands for ''Other Government Agency,'' the CIA's
low-key moniker.
The OGA bar has a dance floor with a revolving mirrored disco ball and
a
game room. It is open to outsiders by invitation only. Disgruntled CPA
employees who haven't wangled invites complain that the CIA favors
women
guests...
-----
AMERICA, ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST
Don Atapattu, The Nation, 6/16/04
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml%3Fi=20040628&s=attapatu
Avi Shlaim is a fellow of St. Antony's College and a professor of
international relations at the University of Oxford. He was born in
Baghdad
on October 31, 1945, and grew up in Israel, where he did national
service
in 1964-66. He read history at Cambridge University in Britain, and has
remained in that country ever since, holding dual Israeli and British
citizenship. Professor Shlaim is the author of numerous books, most
notably
The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World, and is a regular contributor
to
The Guardian, the leading liberal British broadsheet. He is widely
regarded
as one of the world's leading authorities on the Israeli-Arab
conflict...
Recently the Canadian anticonsumerism magazine Adbusters created an
uproar
when it pointed out that most of the intellectual architects of the
Iraq
war were Jewish, with a history of pro-Israel activity. Daniel Pipes, a
Zionist militant and one of the "outed" neocons, said the article was
absurd "because of the implication that religion defines politics."
Pipes
himself has campaigned for years to have American Muslims put under
government surveillance because of their religion, saying that within
the
United States "all Muslims, unfortunately, are suspect." Do you think
it is
right that Jewish--and Muslim, for that matter--policy-makers and
intellectuals should be held to account if there is a suspicion of dual
loyalty, or do you think the horrors of the Nazi Holocaust should give
Jewish groups and individuals a degree of absolution from such charges?
I think it is inaccurate to claim that American Jews were the principal
force behind the war in Iraq. It is true that some of the
neoconservatives
happen to be Jewish, but not all of them. Vice President Cheney and
Defense
Secretary Rumsfeld are not. I would divide the proponents of the Iraq
war
into two groups: One would be the Jewish neoconservatives to whom the
security of Israel is paramount--their thinking was that by destroying
the
Baath regime in Baghdad they would cut off a major source of support
for
Palestinian militants and create a new environment that would be much
more
conducive to peace between Israel and the Palestinians on Israel's
terms.
The other group, led by Cheney and Rumsfeld, I would label the American
nationalists, who after 9/11 felt that a very strong response was
called
for; they wanted to use US military power to strike at America's
opponents.
The nationalists wanted to assert American supremacy and insure
American
domination globally, and in the Middle East in particular. So there are
two
agendas here: the nationalists' and the Jewish neocons'. Both
nationalists
and Jewish neocons support Israel's occupation of the West Bank. One
can
argue that the occupation of the West Bank is in Israel's interest; but
no
logical argument has ever been made that the occupation serves any
American
interest. My conclusion is that the neocon agenda for the new Middle
East
incorporates a right-wing Likud agenda, and the link with Israel
deepens
hostility to American actions in Iraq.
Daniel Pipes is also the founder of Campus Watch (accused by some of
modern-day McCarthyism), which monitors and exposes Middle East
academics
for alleged anti-Israel activity. Recently he and his friends have
managed
to get a bill proposed in Congress that would prohibit government funds
from university programs critical of American and Israeli policies in
the
Middle East. Can you see the range of academic debate available on
Middle
Eastern studies dramatically contracting in the near future?...
-----
GOOD HUMOR
Neil A. Shah, New Republic, 6/17/04
http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=online&s=shah061704
After September 11, President Bush moved swiftly to prevent a violent
backlash against Muslim-Americans. The president insisted publicly that
the
terrorists responsible for the attacks were not faithful followers of
Islam
but murderers using the religion to legitimize their political ends.
Unfortunately, the Muslim-American community has benefited little from
this
distinction. The facile notion of a "clash of civilizations" is
stifling a
great deal of necessary discussion. Even though many contemporary acts
of
terror are perpetrated in the name of Islam, most Muslim-Americans
think
Islam and terrorism are oil and water.
Deeply rooted in the American imagination is a profound suspicion that
something is fundamentally violent about Islam. The Koran does in fact
condone religious violence in specific situations; but so do the Old
Testament and the Vedas. Irfan Omar, a professor of theology at
Marquette
University, suggests that Islam is relatively realistic in that it
acknowledges that violence will happen and tries to regulate it. Omar
and
other scholars have worked for years to de-legitimize terrorist
activity by
revealing the full truth about the Koran's attitude toward violence.
But
their efforts have remained obscure, lacking an outlet into mainstream
culture. What could get so critical a project into the public eye?
The unlikely answer is, jokes. A growing number of Muslim-American
artists
are using the power of comedy to redefine what it means to be Muslim in
America. At the forefront of this movement is Muslim stand-up comic
Azhar
Usman, a 28-year old lawyer and business consultant whose comedy show,
"Allah Made Me Funny,” recently kicked off its national tour in
Washington,
DC. The show, organized by former "Saturday Night Live" writer and
fellow
Muslim comic Preacher Moss and featuring Azeem Muhammad, will spread
the
word to 30 other cities over the next few months. "We're trying to make
people laugh and think at the same time," Usman says. But there are
rules,
of course. This is a Muslim show: no sex, no foul language, and no
lying.
Or alcohol. None of which is stopping audiences from coming in droves.
Usman and his crew drew more than three hundred fans to the DC Improv
June
7 and sold out the following night as well. The crowd--Middle-Eastern
Muslim-American, black and white, female and male, young and old,
traditional and modern--was effusive in its support for the show. A few
jokes into his act, Usman, dressed in all black and wearing a black
skullcap, told the crowd, "I should have started out more
appropriately, As
Salaamu Alaikum. Which means, I'm going to kill you."
-----
JEWISH AWARD FOR MUSLIM STUDENTS
Barbara Elve, University of Waterloo, 3/26/04
http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/bulletin/2004/mar/26fr.html
The top academic award in the Jewish studies program has been awarded
to a
fourth-year philosophy student who happens to be Muslim.
Bilal Ibrahim (left) has been named the recipient of the Hadassah-WIZO
Scholarship in Jewish Studies in Honour of Professor Paul Socken. The
one-time award for academic excellence was established three years ago
by
Hadassah-WIZO -- a Jewish charitable organization known for its support
of
educational projects -- to recognize the work of Socken, a UW French
professor, in establishing the Jewish studies program at Waterloo.
The award was presented to Ibrahim, along with a cheque for $500, for
his
achievements in the Jewish Philosophy and Mysticism course taught by
Jewish
studies professor Jim Diamond.
"Bilal achieved the highest grade in any Jewish studies course during
my
three and a half years at Waterloo," says Diamond. "He wrote an
interesting
paper focusing on Maimonides (a twelfth-century Jewish scholar) and
always
asked penetrating questions during class. The award is based on
academic
performance alone and is, of course, blind to any ethnic or religious
distinctions.
"However, it's a hopeful sign that a Muslim student has been granted
this
award in Jewish studies in an age which is so rife with religious
polarization," he adds, pointing to the latest spate of swastikas
sprayed
on homes in a Jewish neighborhood in Toronto, Mel Gibson's 'Passion'
"stirring up old libels against Jews," Middle East tensions, and
France's
banning of religious symbols in schools…
-----
MUSLIM-JEWISH DAY OF FRIENDSHIP IN MD
WHAT: All members of the Montgomery County's Muslim and Jewish
communities
are encourage to join the Montgomery County Muslim Council, Temple
Shalom
(Chevy Chase), Adat Shalom (Bethesda) for a clean up for The Button
Farm.
This is the future site of The Menare Foundation's living history farm.
Volunteers will help with site cleanup, landscaping, gardening and
trash
removal. Please bring work clothes, (long pants, not shorts) and shoes
or
boots that can get muddy or wet.
If you have a favorite tool please bring it. We will put you to work
doing
what you do best.
WHEN: June 27 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
WHERE: The Button Farm, 16820 Black Rock Road, Germantown, MD 20874
For more information, please contact S. Saqib Ali at (240) 426-1985
-----
RALLY SEEKS END TO IMMIGRANT CURBS
Tara Deering, Chicago Tribune, 6/17/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0406170247jun17,1,16091
0.story
When Taby Faiz-Mohammad and her husband, Khalid, reported last year for
special registration at the Immigration and Naturalization Service's
office
in Chicago they thought they would resubmit their contact information
and
fingerprints and be on their way.
To Faiz-Mohammad's horror, immigration officials denied her husband's
pending application, detained him for four months and then deported him
back to Pakistan after he had lived and worked in the Chicago area for
15
years.
Not only did Faiz-Mohammad's 12-year-old daughter lose a father, but
the
family also lost its new home in Glendale Heights and the taxicab
Khalid
had worked so hard to own.
"The United States should be about uniting families, not separating
them,"
said Faiz-Mohammad, 35, during a Wednesday morning rally held by
immigrant
and civil rights advocates in the Federal Plaza.
Members of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights say
they
hope a bill introduced Wednesday in Congress will rectify policies,
such as
the special registration program and arbitrary detentions, which the
government instituted after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. They
said the policies unfairly target Arab, Muslim, South Asian and other
immigrant communities.
"These policies have resulted in thousands of deportations, wrecked
many
families and communities and undermined our basic sense of fairness and
justice," said Fred Tsao, the coalition's policy director.
The bill, titled the Civil Liberties Restoration Act, would end the
special
registration program, which in large part was suspended in December
2003,
and provide relief for immigrants who face deportation as a result of
the
program...
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIMS ENCOUNTER RESISTANCE TO MOVE
Jamey Fry, Chicago Tribune, 6/17/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/northwest/chi-0406170369jun17,1,594
0826.story
A request for a permit that would allow a growing Islamic community
center
to relocate within the manufacturing district where it has been located
for
20 years has some Rolling Meadows aldermen concerned about setting a
precedent.
The Islamic Society of Northwest Suburbs of Chicago, with about 200
members, says it has outgrown its 5,000-square-foot location at 3890
Industrial Ave. Members want to buy a 15,000-square-foot facility two
doors
down at 3950 Industrial Ave. to use as a mosque.
At a May 5 meeting the Plan Commission recommended approving the
permit,
but city staff members have recommended rejecting it, arguing that
zoning
regulations do not allow places of worship in a manufacturing district.
The topic was discussed at the City Council's committee of the whole
meeting Tuesday night. The council is expected to take a formal vote
next
week.
Ald. Tom Rooney said he is eager to keep the Islamic Society in Rolling
Meadows, but echoed the staff's position.
"I want you to stay a part of the community. I want you to grow,"
Rooney
told society members. "But I have to be able to do it in a way that I
am
not changing the way the law is written to fit the situation."
Ald. Merton Staley, in whose district the community center is located,
favors approving the permit because the group has been in there for two
decades, but he does not want to set a precedent allowing new uses...
-----
SOCCER FAN CONVICTED FOR RACIST TAUNT
Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz News, 6/16/04
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/439966.html
Jerusalem Magistrate's Court Wednesday handed down the first ever
conviction on a soccer fan for incitement to racism, for shouting
"death to
Arabs" during a December 2001 match in the capital.
Yosef Cohen, 33, shouted the insults with numerous other soccer fans at
the
end of a minute of silence marking the death a few days earlier of a
Beitar
fan in a terror attack. The incident took place at Teddy Stadium before
the
start of a match between Beitar Jerusalem and Ironi Ashdod.
Cohen in a statement to police said: "I said death to the Arabs because
that's what I felt at the time." In court he said, "there was nothing
to
it, just like you shout 'go Beitar' you shout 'death to the Arabs,'
there's
no contradiction between the two."
The judge ruled that Cohen's words constituted incitement to racism
since
"a man who testifies that he shouted 'death to the Arabs' as part of a
crowd, because that's what he thought, in his own words, is saying that
Arabs deserve to die because they are Arabs."
The Jerusalem District Prosecution two weeks ago announced that it
would
step up the fight against racist behavior at soccer games. Last week
indictments were filed against six Beitar Jerusalem fans, also charged
with
shouting "death to the Arabs."…
-----
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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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To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
Subject:
CAIR-NET: CAIR Condemns Murder of American in Saudi Arabia
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR CONDEMNS MURDER OF AMERICAN IN SAUDI ARABIA
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/18/04) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) today condemned the murder of American civilian Paul Johnson Jr.
in
Saudi Arabia who had been held since last week by kidnappers linked to
Al-Qaeda.
In its statement, the Washington-based Islamic civil rights and
advocacy
group said:
“We condemn this act of senseless violence and repudiate all those who
believe such murderous behavior benefits the faith of Islam or the
Muslim
people. We call for the swift apprehension and prosecution of the
perpetrators.”
CAIR recently launched an online petition drive, called “Not in the
Name of
Islam,” designed to disassociate Islam from the violent acts of a few
Muslims. Individuals and organizations representing more than 600,000
Muslims worldwide have already signed the CAIR petition.
SEE: http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=1071&page=NR
The “Not in the Name of Islam” petition states:
“We, the undersigned Muslims, wish to state clearly that those who
commit
acts of terror, murder and cruelty in the name of Islam are not only
destroying innocent lives, but are also betraying the values of the
faith
they claim to represent. No injustice done to Muslims can ever justify
the
massacre of innocent people, and no act of terror will ever serve the
cause
of Islam. We repudiate and dissociate ourselves from any Muslim group
or
individual who commits such brutal and un-Islamic acts. We refuse to
allow
our faith to be held hostage by the criminal actions of a tiny minority
acting outside the teachings of both the Quran and the Prophet
Muhammad,
peace be upon him.”
To sign the petition, go to: www.cair-net.org
CAIR, America’s largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
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
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To:
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Subject:
CAIR-NET: CAIR-LA Says Jewish Group Endangers Muslim Students
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 years of Community Service
MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/18/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THE PROPHET'S ORDERS
* LIBRARY PROJECT: 7546 Sponsorships
- CAIR-GA Job Opening: Dir. of Operations & Admin.
* CAIR-LA SAYS JEWISH GROUP ENDANGERS MUSLIM STUDENTS
- Graduation Stoles Raise Tensions (OC Register)
* CAIR-CAN: FOREIGN POLICY IS NO POLITICAL FOOTBALL (G&M)
* VA: PROTESTORS SEEK RELEASE OF SAUDI PRISONER (Wash. Post)
- Protesters Decry Detention of US Citizen (Reuters)
* US HAS SECRET DETENTION CENTERS (Reuters)
- Arar Inquiry Seeks Help over Arar (The Star)
- Dismissal Denied In Espionage Case (USA Today)
* US MUSLIMS DISCUSS FOREIGN POLICY WITH POWELL (CNS News)
- Muslims Buy Ads to Urge Tolerance (My San Antonio)
* MI: DEVELOPMENT IN DEARBORN (Free Press)
* THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS WITH AL JAZEERA (LA Times)
* WORLDS COLLIDE IN TAXICAB (Chicago Tribune)
* 75% OF MUSLIMS FEAR POLICE WILL LABEL THEM AS TERRORISTS
- Liberal Mp on Defensive (Toronto Star)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THE PROPHET'S ORDERS
Abu Sufyan said that a foreign ruler once asked him: "What does [the
Prophet Muhammad] order you to do?" Abu Sufyan replied: "He orders us
to
offer prayers, to give charity, to be chaste, and to keep good
relations
with our relatives."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume, 8, Hadith 10
-----
CAIR LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7546 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org.
ALSO SEE:
CAIR-GA JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS & ADMINISTRATION
CAIR’s North Georgia Chapter (CAIR-NGA) has an immediate opening for a
Director of Operations & Administration. The Director will be
responsible
for providing administrative support and project management for all
chapter
operations.
Major responsibilities include database maintenance, facilitation of
member
communication, fundraising/development and volunteer coordination.
Occasional after-hours activities and travel will be required.
Those interested should send a cover letter explaining their interest
and
vision for the position along with a resume (CV) to CAIR-North Georgia
at:
cair@cair-northgeorgia.org Address: 3920 N. Peachtree Rd. Suite 205
Atlanta GA 30341 Fax: 770-220-2799
-----
CAIR-LA SAYS JEWISH GROUP ENDANGERS MUSLIM STUDENTS
Islamic civil rights group says AJC smears Islamic declaration of faith
(ANAHEIM, CA, 6/18/04) - The Southern California office of the Council
on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) said today that a prominent
national
Jewish organization has endangered the lives of Muslim students at the
University of California, Irvine (UCI) by spreading false rumors about
a
stole the students plan to wear at graduation ceremonies.
The Orange County Register newspaper today reported that the American
Jewish Congress (AJC) is one of the groups falsely claiming that the
Muslim
students will wear stoles at graduation indicating their alleged
support
for terrorism. As the paper reports, the stoles actually say in Arabic:
“God, increase my knowledge” and the “shahada.” The “shahada” is the
Islamic declaration of faith repeated daily by all observant Muslims,
which
states: “There is no God but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God.”
SEE: “GRADUATION STOLE RAISES TENSIONS”
http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2004/06/18/sections/local/local/article_139066
.php
In a statement, CAIR-LA said:
“It is unconscionable that a group claiming to promote civil rights and
tolerance would spread false rumors claiming that the most basic
Islamic
beliefs in the oneness of God and the message of the Prophet Muhammad
are
somehow related to terrorism. The despicable actions of the American
Jewish
Congress only serve to harm interfaith relations and to endanger the
lives
of the Muslim graduates.”
CAIR-LA also expressed appreciation for the university’s stance on the
issue. UCI Chancellor Ralph Cicerone issued a letter to the campus on
the
controversy, which stated: “UCI is a public university with people from
diverse backgrounds who enjoy the rights and protection of the First
Amendment…Our history includes the free and peaceful expression of
political and nonpolitical ideas…”
Just last month, unknown arsonists torched a UCI student display set up
to
challenge the wall Israel is building on Palestinian land. The Orange
County Human Relations Commission recently released its 2003 annual
report
that showed a 50 percent increase in hate incidents directed at members
of
the Muslim and Arab-American community. (UCI is located in Orange
County.)
In April, CAIR’s own annual report on the status of American Muslim
civil
rights showed a 70 percent increase in anti-Muslim incidents nationwide
in
2003, with the largest increase occurring in California.
There are an estimated 600,000 Muslims in Southern California. CAIR,
America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered in
Washington, D.C., and has 28 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-LA, Sabiha Khan, 714-776-1847, 714-390-0334, E-Mail:
socal@cair.com; CAIR-National, Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or
202-744-7726, E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or
202-439-1441, E-Mail: rahmed@cair-net.org.
SEE ALSO:
GRADUATION STOLE RAISES TENSIONS
Marla Jo Fisher, Orange County Register, 6/18/04
http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2004/06/18/sections/local/local/article_139066
.php
IRVINE – A green stole that some Muslim students plan to wear around
their
necks at this weekend's University of California, Irvine, graduation
ceremonies has become symbolic of the tensions on campus this year
between
Jewish and Muslim student groups.
At last count, 11 members of UCI's Muslim Student Union were planning
to
wear stoles bearing religious slogans over their gowns - the same
slogans
that students say were worn last year at three UC campuses without
incident.
This year, however - after incidents that included the mysterious
burning
down of a cardboard wall erected by pro-Palestinian students and Jewish
complaints over anti-Zionist speakers invited by Muslim groups - the
words
seem to have new meaning.
The controversy began after rumors began circulating on campus that
Muslim
students planned to wear Hamas armbands to graduation - an allegation
that
they vigorously deny. Hamas is a pro-Palestinian group that promotes
suicide attacks.
Jewish students and outside groups began to vigorously protest to
campus
officials about the Hamas armbands - reports of which even surfaced
Wednesday night on "The O'Reilly Factor," a Fox television show.
A very different truth soon surfaced, though. Although no one was
wearing
armbands, a handful of Muslim students did plan to wear stoles over
their
gowns, - as do many other graduates who want to commemorate groups they
have ties to.
On one side, the stoles say "God, increase my knowledge."
On the other side, they have the word "shahada" written in Arabic...
-----
CAIR-CAN: FOREIGN POLICY IS NO POLITICAL FOOTBALL
Sheema Khan, Globe and Mail, 6/17/04
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040618/COSH
EE18/TPComment/TopStories
(Sheema Khan is chair of CAIR-Canada.)
During the current election campaign, very little attention has been
given
to the foreign-policy issues of the various parties. Voters are
naturally
more concerned about promises made (and broken) on the domestic front.
Yet
Canada's role in an increasingly volatile world will have repercussions
at
home with respect to issues of security and immigration. In particular,
Canada's relations with the Muslim world will be key to its foreign
policy.
In March, a parliamentary committee issued policy recommendations on
this
very subject, emphasizing the need to engage with Muslims throughout
the
world. In particular, it advised charting a distinctly Canadian path,
one
not too closely associated with U.S. foreign policy. In fact, a Pew
Research poll (taken before the revelations of prison abuse at Abu
Ghraib)
showed plunging support among Muslims for the United States. According
to
analysts, it will take at least a generation for the antipathy within
the
Muslim world to dissipate.
More ominously, many are convinced that the U.S. neo-conservative
movement
has set Islam squarely in its crosshairs. The loathsome photos from Abu
Ghraib reveal a systematic attempt to humiliate Muslims, with full
knowledge of the taboos associated with nudity in Muslim culture. The
Washington Post further reports that U.S. prison guards forced Muslim
prisoners to curse their faith, eat pork and drink alcohol (both
prohibited
by Islam). Sexual assault of female Muslim prisoners has been used as a
weapon of occupation. Coincidentally, the Serbs used the similar
techniques
of rape and religious humiliation during their ethnic cleansing
campaign of
Bosnian Muslims. Visual images of the more inflammatory abuses at Abu
Ghraib have not been released for reasons of public safety. Senator
Dianne
Feinstein told The New York Times, “They're disgusting. . . .If
somebody
wanted to plan a clash of civilizations, this is how they'd do it.
These
pictures play into every stereotype of America that Arabs have: America
as
debauched, America as hypocrites...”
The prison abuse is the last nail in the coffin for many in the Muslim
world. During the past year, they have seen the administration of
George W.
Bush appoint Islamophobe Daniel Pipes to the board of the U.S.
Institute of
Peace, call Ariel Sharon a “man of peace,” imprison hundreds of Muslims
without due process and shamelessly invade Iraq on the pretext of lies.
-----
VA: PROTESTERS SEEK RELEASE OF SAUDI PRISONER
Caryle Murphy, Washington Post, 6/18/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50975-2004Jun17.html
Relatives and other supporters of a Northern Virginia man held in a
Saudi
Arabian prison for more than a year demanded his release yesterday
during a
demonstration outside the State Department.
Ahmed Abu Ali, 23, a U.S. citizen who grew up in Falls Church and
enrolled
at a Saudi university, has been imprisoned since June 11, 2003.
Although an
FBI agent testified later last year that Abu Ali had links to the
defendants in the so-called Virginia jihad network, no public charges
have
been filed against him, and Saudi and U.S. authorities have not offered
any
explanation for his detention.
Last week, an FBI official told members of the Falls Church mosque
where
Abu Ali worshipped that he did not know why the student was still in
jail.
"Our hearts knew from Day One that he was wrongly targeted," and yet he
"is
still held hostage in a Saudi prison," his sister, Tasneem Abu Ali,
said at
yesterday's rally.
Behind her, supporters waved signs that said "Stop Playing Political
Ping-Pong with Ahmed" and "Stop Farming Out Torture."
Ahmed Abu Ali's family, which gave interviews last fall about the case,
has
argued that he should be brought home to face trial in a U.S. court if
he
has done something wrong. Yet the family has been told repeatedly by
FBI
agents and federal prosecutors that they have no reason to file charges
against him, his sister said...
ALSO SEE:
PROTESTERS DECRY SAUDI DETENTION OF U.S. CITIZEN
Reuters, 6/17/04
http://www.reuters.com/
WASHINGTON DC- About 50 people protested outside the State Department
on
Thursday against the detention of a U.S. citizen they said has been
held by
Saudi Arabia for more than a year without charges.
Supporters said the man, Ahmed Abu-Ali, was being held by Saudi Arabia
at
the request of the U.S. government and demanded his release, saying
they
feared he might have been tortured.
"Innocent but behind bars," "Torture is un-American," and "Those who
sacrifice liberty for security will have neither," read posters held by
the
protesters, who also accused the U.S. government of not respecting the
civil rights of U.S. Muslims.
According to a Washington Post report in November, an FBI agent
testified
that Abu-Ali had told Saudi interrogators he had joined an al Qaeda
cell in
Saudi Arabia and aspired to be a planner like Sept. 11, 2001, hijacker
Mohammed Atta.
Mahdi Bray of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation told
reporters
he believed Abu-Ali was innocent, accused the State Department of
"foot-dragging" and said Riyadh was willing to release Abu-Ali if
Washington asked it to.
"The U.S. government knows Saudi Arabia is holding him ... why we are
holding him and if the U.S. government makes an extradition request,
Saudi
Arabia will act on that request," Adel al-Jubeir, a foreign policy
adviser
to Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, said in a statement read by a
spokesman.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher confirmed that Abu-Ali had
been
held in Saudi Arabia since June 2003 and said U.S. diplomats in the
kingdom
had visited him regularly...
-----
U.S. HAS ‘SECRET’ DETENTION CENTERS
Sue Pleming, Reuters, 6/17/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=5450783
WASHINGTON DC- The United States is holding terrorism suspects in more
than
two dozen detention centers worldwide and about half of these operate
in
total secrecy, said a human rights report released on Thursday.
Human Rights First, formerly known as the Lawyers Committee for Human
Rights, said in a report that secrecy surrounding these facilities made
"inappropriate detention and abuse not only likely but inevitable."
"The abuses at Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib cannot be addressed in
isolation," said Deborah Pearlstein, director of the group's U.S. Law
and
Security program, referring to the U.S. Naval base prison in Cuba and
Abu
Ghraib prison in Iraq where abuses are being investigated.
"This is all about secrecy, accountability and the law," Pearlstein
told a
news conference.
The report coincided with news that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
ordered military officials to hold a suspect in a prison near Baghdad
without telling the Red Cross. Pearlstein said this would be a
violation of
the Geneva Conventions and Defense Department directives...
ALSO SEE:
ARAR INQUIRY SEEKS HELP OVER ARAR
The Star, 6/17/04
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Artic
le_Type1&c=Article&cid=1087467109068&call_pageid=968332188774&col=9683501164
67
OTTAWA - The Maher Arar inquiry has asked Syria, Jordan and the United
States to help the commission piece together how and why the Ottawa man
was
deported and imprisoned.
Formal letters are winging their way to the three countries by
diplomatic
pouch and all "will have been received by the foreign states shortly,"
said
Kimberly Phillips, a spokeswoman for the Foreign Affairs Department.
The requests come as the commission of inquiry begins its work in
earnest,
with the release Thursday of opening submissions from Arar and several
other key parties.
Commission counsel Paul Cavalluzzo said he is hopeful the countries
will
hand over useful material about Arar's deportation from the United
States
on suspicions of terrorism, his brief stay in Jordan and a subsequent
10-month ordeal in a tiny Syrian prison cell.
"We're hoping that they will co-operate because they can supply us with
information that will certainly be very important to our mandate. And
that
is, how Mr. Arar was treated by Canadian officials while he was in the
United States and Jordan and Syria," Cavalluzzo said in an interview...
... Muslims and Arabs across the country identify with Arar because his
account parallels those of families, friends and neighbours who have
suffered arbitrary abuses, the Canadian Council on American-Islamic
Relations and the Canadian Arab Council said in a joint submission...
---
DISMISSAL DENIED IN ESPIONAGE CASE AIR FORCE JUDGE FINDS 'MISTAKES' BUT
NOT
MALICE
Laura Parker, USA Today, 7/18/04
www.usatoday.com
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- New questions emerged this week about
the
military's investigation of a so-called spy ring at Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba,
as the Air Force moved ahead to a court-martial of an airman accused of
attempted espionage.
Several issues -- from allegations of prosecutorial misconduct to
accusations of mishandling evidence -- were raised at a three-day
hearing
in the case of Senior Airman Ahmad Al Halabi. The hearing ended
Thursday.
Al Halabi, a Syrian-born U.S. citizen, worked as a translator at the
U.S.
prison camp at Guantanamo where as many as 600 suspected al-Qaeda and
Taliban operatives are being held. He is accused of trying to deliver
secret messages from prisoners to unknown foreigners in Syria. He is
also
charged with lying to investigators and disobeying orders.
The concerns didn't stop the judge in the case from denying a defense
motion to drop the 17 criminal charges against Al Halabi, and he is
scheduled for court-martial Sept. 14. But they do raise questions about
the
case against Halabi and about suspected espionage at the prison camp.
The government already has dropped charges against Army Capt. James
Yee, a
former Muslim chaplain at Guantanamo who was a target of the espionage
investigation. Prosecutors never produced any evidence that Yee was a
spy,
and retired military legal officers accused the Army of overreaching in
his
case. Prosecutors said they couldn't press charges against Yee without
divulging national secrets.
A civilian translator who worked at Guantanamo also has been charged
with
possessing secret material.
-----
US MUSLIMS DISCUSS FOREIGN POLICY WITH SECRETARY OF STATE
Susan Jones, CNSNews.com, 6/18/04
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=%5CNation%5Carchive%5C200406%5CNA
T20040618c.html
WASHINGTON DC- Muslim and Arab-American groups are thanking Secretary
of
State Colin Powell for taking the time to meet with them to discuss
issues
related to American foreign policy.
According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the
discussion with Powell "focused on topics such as the Middle East peace
process, the war in Iraq, efforts to promote democratization and
reform,
America's image in the Muslim world, and the role American Muslims can
play
in helping to formulate polices that will improve that image."
Secretary Powell briefed Muslims on various issues and solicited their
input, CAIR said in a press release.
Muslim groups represented at the meeting on Thursday included CAIR; the
Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy; the Islamic Society of North
America; and the Muslim Public Affairs Council. They met with Secretary
Powell, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Richard Boucher and
Assistant Secretary William Burns...
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIMS BUY ADS TO URGE TOLERANCE
My San Antonio, 6/17/04
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA0617.02B._roundup.b224484
.html
In an effort to lessen anti-Muslim discrimination and intolerance, the
Council on American-Islamic Relations launched a national television
and
radio public service announcement campaign Wednesday.
Titled "I am an American Muslim," the campaign features 30-second and
60-second spots showing American Muslims of European, African American,
Hispanic and Native American descent, according to CAIR.
"Each person in the spots states how they and their families have
served
America and ends by saying, 'I am an American Muslim,'" according to
the
group's Web site.
The announcements will be aired locally on KTSA Radio and WOAI-TV, said
Sarwat Husain, chairwoman of the local CAIR chapter.
To view the announcements, go to www.cair-net.org.
-----
DEVELOPMENT IN DEARBORN
Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 6/18/04
http://www.freep.com/news/locway/shati18_20040618.htm
Riad Shatila had a unique product: Middle Eastern sweets handmade in
the
United States. But no customers.
So one day in 1976, Shatila got a bunch of phone books from across the
country and started calling anyone with an Arabic-sounding last name.
"Would you like to try my pastries?" he asked. Those who said yes were
mailed a sample. They tasted, were hooked and spread the word.
That type of hard work and ingenuity has made Shatila the owner of one
of
the biggest sweet shops in Michigan and a symbol of the success of
Arab-American businesses. Last week, Shatila opened a stylish new store
on
Warren Avenue in Dearborn that features a waterfall, 25-foot-tall
atrium
and glass windows stained with the image of palm trees. When it's
sunny,
shadows shaped like palm trees are cast inside.
It's a striking new addition to a street that has been transformed
during
the past decade into a thriving new business district, the main
commercial
strip for Arab Americans in metro Detroit. After years of neglect,
business
started to build again in the early 1980s, as Lebanese fled their
war-torn
homeland for the streets of Dearborn.
But in the past decade, the business owners have gone a step further.
They're building bigger stores. They're building mini-plazas, many with
a
Mediterranean-style architecture that's more common in San Diego than
Detroit. And they're opening business after business.
It's an ethnic enclave that is similar to Canal Street in New York
City's
Chinatown or to Detroit's Monroe street that runs through Detroit's
Greektown...
-----
CONTROL ROOM: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS WITH AL JAZEERA
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times, 6/18/04
http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/turan/cl-et-control18jun18,2,7095286.stor
y
Think of "Control Room" as a through-the-looking-glass movie. Like
Lewis
Carroll's Alice, viewers of this remarkable documentary will be
disconcerted by a glimpse of a world where everything is reversed,
where
our most cherished preconceptions are called into question and reality
proves to be a more complex business than we imagined.
The control room in question belongs to Al Jazeera, the satellite news
organization based in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar that, with 40
million
viewers, is easily the most popular channel in the Arab world. It is
also
the channel that has been relentlessly demonized by Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld, who's called it everything from "vicious, inaccurate
and
inexcusable" to "the mouthpiece of Osama bin Laden" to an outfit
dedicated
to "pounding people day after day with things that are not true."
"Control Room" director Jehane Noujaim decided she wanted to see this
place
for herself. An Egyptian American who divided her childhood between
Cairo
and the United States, Noujaim has documentary experience -- she
co-directed the excellent "Startup.com" -- and she has the tireless
curiosity essential to getting a job like this done.
Getting access to Al Jazeera was not automatic, but Noujaim, who's
called
her profession "kind of like being a glorified spy," managed to get
inside
beginning a month before the invasion of Iraq and lasting through the
brunt
of the battle for Baghdad. Working with a digital camera and almost no
crew, she skillfully alternates classic fly-on-the-wall journalism with
interviews with the station's reporters and producers. Though Noujaim
is
obviously not in a position to vouch for the journalistic integrity of
each
and every employee, what emerges is a portrait that is different than
the
one we likely have.
For even if we've discounted a portion of what Rumsfeld has said, let
alone
believed it all, watching "Control Room" leads to the conclusion that
we
have not discounted enough. Al Jazeera personnel turn out to be not the
wild-eyed fanatics the Pentagon would have us imagine but articulate,
sophisticated, Westernized men and women, often BBC trained, who take
their
professional integrity fully as seriously as their American
counterparts.
More than that, Al Jazeera claims as one of its missions educating the
Arab
world about democracy. In fact its desire to, as one of its senior
producers says, "shake up these rigid societies, awaken them," has
gotten
it banned in several especially repressive countries...
-----
WORLDS COLLIDE IN A CHICAGO TAXICAB
Ruben Rosario, Chicago Tribune, 6/17/04
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/columnists/8941556.htm?1c
CHICAGO-“Any good news for the Mexicans?'' the news-savvy cabdriver
asked
after picking me up in front of the Mexican Consulate on Wednesday
afternoon.
The large motorcade carrying Mexican President Vicente Fox had just
pulled
out, and local cops were taking off the security barricades and opening
South Ashland Avenue and West Adams Street to a swelling rush hour in
the
city's near West Side neighborhood. Fox is scheduled to make a
first-ever
visit to Minnesota and the Twin Cities on Friday.
Given his appearance and distinct East Indian accent, if not his name,
Muhammad's question caught me by surprise.
"Oh, more of the same,'' I said, trying to summarize the content of the
hourlong meeting Fox had just held in the consulate's third-floor suite
with a small group of U.S. and Mexican media executives and one humble
scribe from St. Paul who wormed his way into the affair.
"I pray for the Mexicans every day,'' Muhammad said as he recounted
life as
an undocumented resident who works 14 hours a day, seven days a week,
and
hasn't seen his wife or only son in five years.
"Why? Because if things good happen to them, it may be good for me and
others like me, too,'' he said...
-----
75% OF MUSLIMS FEAR POLICE WILL LABEL THEM AS TERRORISTS, SURVEY SHOWS
Kate Jaimet, Ottawa Citizen, 6/18/04
http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/index.html
Nearly three-quarters of Ottawa-area Muslims believe they may be under
surveillance by police or intelligence services, suggests a survey by
the
Muslim Community Council of Ottawa-Gatineau.
The survey of 404 Muslims, done last month, found that 73 per cent
thought
their phones might be tapped, while 75 per cent felt they could easily
be
labelled as terrorists by the RCMP, CSIS or the police. Eighty-two per
cent
of those surveyed felt they do not have the same freedoms, rights and
privileges as other Canadians.
Syed Mumtaz Akhtar, chairman of the council, said apprehension has
grown
among Muslims because of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, new
security laws and practices, and the imprisonment in Syria of
Ottawa-area
Muslims Maher Arar and Abdullah Almalki.
"All these things have caused accumulated fear," said Mr. Akhtar. "Now
every Muslim fears they could be next."
The survey was conducted by questionnaires distributed at mosques,
community centres and community events. The council has submitted it to
the
Arar inquiry, headed by Dennis O'Connor.
"We wanted to show the commission that Maher Arar is not the only
victim,"
Mr. Akhtar said.
He said he does not believe that 75 per cent of Ottawa Muslims really
are
under surveillance, but he said the fear has spread through the
community
to such an extent that many people think they might be targets.
Mr. Akhtar believes more than 100 people in the Ottawa area's
50,000-member
Muslim community have been interrogated since Sept. 11.
"If they knock at your door, then you are under suspicion. They usually
call you or knock at your door in the late hours of the night," he
said.
"Now, we recommend to all these people who are contacted to say: Yes,
we
will come (with the authorities), but we will bring legal counsel."
Ottawa police Deputy Chief Larry Hill said the force is not involved in
any
surveillance of the city's Muslim community.
"There's a lot of fear in the community," he said. "I think a lot of it
has
to do with the media, because of certain terminology used." He cited
the
term "Islamic terrorists," as well as "Islamic fundamentalists," being
equated with terrorists. "That kind of terminology becomes pervasive."
He
said some city police officers were involved in the RCMP-led
investigation
of Mr. Arar, but that was not a blanket surveillance.
"The Muslim community is law-abiding and they contribute to our society
...
We do not survey them...
ALSO SEE:
LIBERAL MP ON DEFENSIVE
Angus Loten, Toronto Star, 6/18/04
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Artic
le_Type1&c=Article&cid=1087510210801&call_pageid=968350130169&col=9694832028
45
It should have been an easy all-candidates debate for Roy Cullen.
The Liberal incumbent in Etobicoke North was the only candidate in the
riding to show up at a Rexdale Blvd. mosque last night.
Still, Cullen found himself defending the Liberals' anti-terrorism act
to
hundreds of local Muslims angered by what they see as "racial
stereotyping."
"National security is a daily fact of life for Muslims in this
country,"
said Khalid Baksh of the Muslim Lawyers Association.
Asma Warsi, an ESL teacher, wanted to know if the Liberals would amend
the
anti-terrorism legislation "to end the abuses" faced by Muslims. She
pointed to the Maher Arar case.
"Racial profiling exists," said Janet Hagan, a 40-year-old teacher at
Seneca College who is running for the NDP in Markham Unionville. Hagan
sat
in for the local NDP candidate.
She called legislation, often referred to as C-36, an "emotional
response"
to widespread fear following 9/11.
"I understand that fear but it is up to the government to show
leadership..."
-----
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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
-----
--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .
Forwarded Message
Date:
Sat, 19 Jun 2004 08:15:48 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Muslims Demand Apology for ADL's 'Hate-Filled
Rhetoric'
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MUSLIMS DEMAND APOLOGY FOR ADL'S 'HATE-FILLED RHETORIC'
Jewish group calls Islamic declaration of faith a 'message of hate'
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/19/04) - The Southern California office of the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) today demanded that a prominent
national Jewish advocacy group apologize to Muslims for "hate-filled
Islamophobic rhetoric" distributed by one of its California offices.
A news release distributed Friday by the Orange County/Long Beach
Regional
Office of the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith (ADL) referred to
the
Islamic declaration of faith, or shahada, as an "expression of hate"
that
is "closely identified" with terrorism and is "offensive to Jewish
Students." The release also said the color green, commonly associated
with
the faith of Islam, "is the color of Hamas."
The shahada, "There is no god but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of
God," is the core Muslim belief in the oneness of God and is one of the
"five pillars," of Islam. No person can be a Muslim without believing
in
the shahada. (Ironically, the Jewish declaration of faith, the Shema
Yisrael similarly states: "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is
One.")
The ADL made its bigoted statements in reference to a controversy
started
by right-wing and pro-Israel groups over the decision by Muslim
students at
the University of California, Irvine (UCI) to wear stoles bearing the
shahada at weekend graduation ceremonies. The stoles in question also
say
in Arabic: "God, increase my knowledge." Opponents falsely claim that
the
stoles are an expression of support for terrorism.
SEE: "GRADUATION STOLE RAISES TENSIONS"
http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2004/06/18/sections/local/local/article_139066.php
"UCI GRADUATION CONTROVERSY IS OVERBLOWN, MUSLIM STUDENTS SAY"
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-me-stoles19jun19,1,1389155.story
"The ADL's hate-filled Islamophobic rhetoric labels all Muslims as
terrorists, because every Muslim believes in the declaration of faith
as
the essence of Islam," said CAIR-LA Communications Director Sabiha
Khan.
"It is truly sad that an organization that once fought for religious
tolerance has sunk to exploiting anti-Muslim ignorance and prejudice to
advance the brutal agenda of a foreign nation."
Just last month, unknown arsonists torched a UCI student display set up
to
challenge the wall Israel is building on Palestinian land. The Orange
County Human Relations Commission recently released its 2003 annual
report
that showed a 50 percent increase in hate incidents directed at members
of
the Muslim and Arab-American community. (UCI is located in Orange
County.)
In April, CAIR's own annual report on the status of American Muslim
civil
rights showed a 70 percent increase in anti-Muslim incidents nationwide
in
2003, with the largest number of incidents occurring in California.
There are an estimated 600,000 Muslims in Southern California. CAIR,
America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered in
Washington, D.C., and has 28 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-LA, Sabiha Khan, 714-776-1847, 714-390-0334, E-Mail:
socal@cair.com; CAIR-National, Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or
202-744-7726, E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or
202-439-1441, E-Mail: rahmed@cair-net.org.
-----
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Sat, 19 Jun 2004 14:23:44 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: 'Kill All Muslims' Scrawled on Florida Islamic Center
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
VANDALS SCRAWL 'KILL ALL MUSLIMS' ON TAMPA ISLAMIC CENTER
FBI asked to investigate incident as possible hate crime
(TAMPA, FL, 6/19/2004) - The Florida office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL) today called on the FBI to
investigate
an attack on a Tampa-area Islamic center as a possible hate crime.
Officials of the Islamic Community Center in the Tampa suburb of Lutz,
Fla., told CAIR-FL that vandals wrote "Kill all Muslims" and "F**k
Allah"
on the interior walls of the center. They also broke windows and
damaged or
destroyed other items in the facility. Local law enforcement
authorities
have begun an investigation of the incident. Community members
discovered
the graffiti and other vandalism on Friday.
"We call on the FBI to investigate this attack as a possible hate crime
and
ask local law enforcement authorities to step up patrols near Islamic
institutions in Florida," said CAIR-FL Communications Director Ahmed
Bedier. He noted that just last month, three Miami Islamic centers were
vandalized.
"With the recent increase of violence in Iraq and the killing of an
American civilian in Saudi Arabia, the Islamic community in Florida is
concerned about a possible anti-Muslim backlash," said CAIR-FL
Executive
Director Altaf Ali. Ali added that the rising level of Islamophobic
rhetoric in American society can lead to attacks on Muslims.
Incidents targeting mosques and Islamic centers have occurred recently
across America. For example, a man was arrested recently for
threatening an
El Paso, Texas, Islamic center. Also in Texas, an arson suspect was
arrested at the scene of a fire at a Muslim business in San Antonio and
vandals scrawled racist graffiti on the interior of a Lubbock mosque.
There are an estimated 35,000 Muslims in the Tampa Bay are, mainly
professionals, business owners or students at area universities or
colleges.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 28 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ahmed Bedier 813-731-9506, abedier@cair-florida.org; Altaf
Ali,
954-298-8214, altaf@cair-florida.org; Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or
202-744-7726, E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Sat, 19 Jun 2004 22:38:36 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Second FL Muslim Community Targeted by Hate
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
* SECOND FL MUSLIM COMMUNITY TARGETED BY HATE
- FBI Investigating Mosque Threats (Sun-Herald)
- Threatening Our Mosque is Terrorism (Sun-Herald)
- Islamic Center Near Tampa Vandalized (AP)
- VIDEO: Islamic Center Near Tampa Vandalized (WTSP-TV)
* CAIR MUSLIM COMMUNITY SAFETY KIT
- Reacting to Incidents of Anti-Muslim Hate
- CAIR Mosque Security Guidelines
- Responding to Bomb threats
- Cautionary Notes
-----
CONTACT: Ahmed Bedier 813-731-9506, abedier@cair-florida.org; Altaf
Ali,
954-298-8214, altaf@cair-florida.org; Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or
202-744-7726, E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org
SECOND FL MUSLIM COMMUNITY TARGETED BY HATE
FBI INVESTIGATING MOSQUE THREATS
CHRISTY ARNOLD, Sun-Herald, 6/19/04
http://www.charlotte-sun.com/NewsArchive2/061904/tp6ew3.htm
CHARLOTTE HARBOR -- Local Muslims are being terrorized.
In addition to the recent vandalism defacing the sign outside the
Islamic
Community of Southwest Florida building on Harborview Road, someone has
been leaving threatening phone messages targeting Muslim worshippers.
The FBI is now investigating the threats, said Hasan Hammami, adviser
to
the Board of Directors for the Islamic Community.
FBI Special Agent Sara Oates confirmed Friday they are looking into the
matter.
"We are aware of the situation and we will coordinate our investigation
with our local partners ... to determine if a hate crime, which may
fall
under the FBI's jurisdiction, was committed," Oates said…
"It's not going to be tolerated," said Charlotte County Sheriff's Maj.
John
Davenport.
Davenport referred to the vandalism and threats against members of the
Islamic Community of Southwest Florida as terrorism.
"I believe it is terrorism," he said. "They are terrorizing them."
And this isn't the first time the Islamic Community of Southwest
Florida
has been terrorized.
A week after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, someone set fire to the sign
outside the mosque.
Due to this week's threatening messages some worshippers are nervous
about
attending early morning and late night services at the mosque, Hammami
said.
Many Muslims came to America so they could practice their religion
freely
-- and safely, said member Samar Jarrah.
"Now I have to look over my shoulder," she said.
Hammami is recommending that worshippers attend services -- especially
the
early morning and night ones -- in groups. Anyone going to the mosque,
traveling in the area or living in the neighborhood is asked to call
the
Sheriff's Office if anything suspicious or out of the ordinary is
noticed
near the Harborview Road center…
SEE ALSO:
THREATENING OUR MOSQUE IS TERRORISM
Jim Gouvellis, Sun-Herald, 6/19/04
http://www.sun-herald.com/NewsArchive2/061904/cl1.htm
There are terrorists living in Charlotte County.
Not the kind you see wearing masks and killing innocent people over in
Baghdad or Saudi Arabia.
These terrorists are Americans who think their cause is just and they
are
willing to scare, intimidate and possibly harm innocent, God-fearing
people.
Right down the street from our newspaper sits the Islamic mosque. The
sign
on the building reads Islamic Community of Southwest Florida. It is
where
area Muslims go to pray. This week, terrorists have been at work
intimidating and threatening the law-abiding Americans who pray there.
Terrorists.
That's who the folks who defaced the sign in front of the mosque are.
They
intimidate, threaten and otherwise try to get what they want by
cowardly
acts of terror.
Besides defacing the sign, the local Islamic worshippers found a phone
message on the mosque answering machine threatening retribution against
local Muslims because of the violence inflicted on Americans by
al-Qaida
terrorists overseas.
The logic involved in blaming Americans for the acts of foreign
terrorists
is bizarre and misguided.
The terrorists who killed Americans Nick Berg and Paul Johnson are
Muslims.
They are a type of religious fanatic that has very little to do with
the
true meaning of their faith.
I would guess that the majority of the Ku Klux Klan members who beat,
raped
and lynched black Americans not so long ago were probably Baptists.
Does
that make Jimmy Carter a Klan member? I think not…
Two of the active members of the Islamic Community visited our
newspaper
Friday and they were shaken up a bit by the latest threats. It is easy
for
some folks who listen to the news and hear about car bombings,
beheadings
and kidnappings to worry that the terrorist enemies of America are
plotting
still more tragedy within our nation's borders.
But the folks who worship at the Islamic center are doctors, mothers,
teachers and citizens just like the rest of us. They pay their taxes,
send
their children to the same schools and shop in the same stores as we
all
do. They are a part of Charlotte County. Intimidating a minority based
on
what religion they practice is wrong. It diminishes us all when we
allow it
to continue…
---
ISLAMIC CENTER NEAR TAMPA VANDALIZED
Associated Press, 6/19/04
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/8965413.htm
LUTZ, Fla. - Vandals broke windows of an Islamic center in a Tampa
suburb
and then scrawled the words "Kill All Muslims" on the walls inside,
Islamic
officials said Saturday.
The vandalism at the Community Education Center in Lutz was discovered
Friday, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations. The
graffiti, written in marker and crayon, also included a derogatory
message
about Allah.
Locked donation boxes and locked file cabinets were also broken into or
damaged, CAIR-Florida spokesman Ahmed Bedier said.
He said the damage was not extensive, but the messages were
intimidating to
people who use the community center.
"They're afraid. They're concerned. They're intimidated," Bedier said.
"They don't want to be victims of hate crimes, they don't have anything
to
do with things that are happening overseas."
The FBI has been asked to investigate the vandalism as a possible hate
crime, he said. The FBI didn't return a phone message Saturday...
---
VIDEO: ISLAMIC CENTER NEAR TAMPA VANDALIZED
http://www.tampabays10.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=8721
-----
CAIR MUSLIM COMMUNITY SAFETY KIT
In response to attacks on and threats against American Muslim
individuals
and communities, CAIR has published a "Muslim Community Safety Kit."
The
kit contains information designed to equip local Islamic leaders and
activists with the knowledge necessary to protect against anti-Muslim
bigotry or attacks.
The safety kit, excerpts of which are provided below, may be obtained
by
e-mailing pubs@cair-net.org, or by calling 202-488-8787 and asking for
the
"Publications Department."
---
EXCERPTS FROM CAIR'S MUSLIM COMMUNITY SAFETY KIT:
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 times of crisis.
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 about
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.
BUILD 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: cair@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.
CAUTIONARY NOTES
A. Do not approach or challenge a suspicious person or vehicle.
B. Do not pursue vehicles or suspects.
C. Observe and report. You have no police powers.
D. Conduct watch patrols in pairs.
E. Conduct watches in a random fashion.
-----
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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
-----
Forwarded Message
From:
"cair@cair-net.org" <cair@cair-net.org>
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
Subject:
CAIR-NET: 'Stamp Out Islam'/Muslims Condemn Beheading
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/21/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: KINDNESS
* NJ ‘STAMP OUT ISLAM’ SIGN TELLS OF HATE (AP)
* NORTH AMERICAN MUSLIMS CONDEMN BEHEADING
- CAIR-KY: Muslims Reject Violence, Terror (Lex. Herald)
- Koran Doesn’t Call for Beheadings (USA Today)
- CAN: Islamic Society Condemns Killing (Toronto Star)
- TX Muslims Denounce Killing of American (TM Telegraph)
- Muslims in W.Va. Condemn Slaying (Charleston Gazette)
- TX Muslims Express Outrage (Houston Chronicle)
- IL Muslims Denounce Johnson Murder
- NJ Muslims, Arabs Condemn Beheading (Star Ledger)
- IL: Mosque Foundation Condemns Beheading
- IN: ISNA Condemns Beheading
* FL MUSLIMS WANT PROBE OF VANDALISM (Bay News)
* CA: POLITICAL YET PEACEFUL GRADUATION AT UC IRVINE (LA Times)
- O'Reilly Compares Shahada to Swastika (Fox)
- O'Reilly: Iraqi People are "Primitive” (Media Matters)
* IL: JUDGE OKS DOWRY PLEDGED IN MUSLIM LAW (Sun-Times)
- IL: US is Monitoring Proposal for Mosque (Chicago Trib)
* MI: ARAB FESTIVAL TOUTS VOTER REGISTRATION (Detroit News)
* NO FATHER’S DAY FOR SOME DADS (Newsday)
- Proposed Law Protects Rights in Wartime (Miami Herald)
* NEOCONS THRILLED BY BOMBED ARABS (Antiwar.com)
- Fallujah Brigade Officer Disputes Air Strike Target (AP)
- OH Iraqis Concerned for Future of Homeland (Dispatch)
* TORTURE POLICY (Wash Post)
- UK Troops Accused Of Mutilating Iraqi Bodies (Guardian)
- Allegations of Mistreatment of Female Detainees (Time)
* U.S. SAID TO OVERSTATE VALUE OF GUANT�NAMO DETAINEES (NY Times)
* ISRAEL OPERATING HUNDREDS OF AGENTS IN NORTHERN IRAQ (Haaretz)
- Changing Fortunes Lead Jews from Israel to Russia (CBC)
- Israel Looks to the Kurds (New Yorker)
- Israel Training Kurdish Commandos in Iraq (Reuters)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: KINDNESS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Kindness includes
meeting
your brother with a cheerful face."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 593
-----
N.J. SIGNS TELL OF HATE, RAGE OVER BEHEADING
Associated Press, 6/21/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0406210198jun21,1,1195704
.story
EAGLESWOOD TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- Backlash over the beheading of a U.S.
contractor in Saudi Arabia was as clear as a sign in the town where he
was
born.
"Stamp out Islam" read a cardboard sign that also depicted a hand-drawn
boot over a crescent and star. Phil Galasso posted it on a utility pole
near his house in Eagleswood Township.
"I'm getting a little fed up with the mindless violence against
civilians
who had nothing to do with the war in the Middle East," Galasso said
Sunday. He called Islam a "vile, bigoted faith" that subjugates women
and
uses force to spread its message.
Authorities had not received any reports of violence against the area's
small Muslim population since Paul Johnson was killed by Muslim
extremists
Friday, but anger in the community was evident.
"Last night I wasn't a racist but today I feel racism towards Islamic
beliefs" read a sign hung on the mailbox of the house next to that of
Johnson's sister, Donna Mayeux, just south of Eagleswood Township in
Little
Egg Harbor Township...
A minister at the church where Mayeux worships urged tolerance Sunday.
Pastor Gene Huber noted Johnson's family's grief and struggle in the
face
of cruelty but said turning to faith would "enable them to become
champions
of grace in a world of wickedness."
-----
MUSLIMS CONDEMN MURDER OF AMERICAN IN SAUDI ARABIA
CAIR-KY: TRUE MUSLIMS REJECT VIOLENCE AND TERROR
Adbdul Quayym, Lexington Herald-Ledger, 6/20/04
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/editorial/letters/8965695.htm
The American Muslims in Kentucky want to state clearly that those who
commit acts of terror, murder and cruelty in the name of Islam are not
only
destroying innocent lives but also betraying the values of the faith
they
claim to represent.
No injustice done to Muslims can ever justify the massacre of innocent
people, and no act of terror will ever serve the cause of Islam. We
repudiate and dissociate ourselves from any Muslim group or individual
who
commits such brutal and un-Islamic acts. We refuse to allow our faith
to be
held hostage by the criminal actions of a tiny minority acting outside
the
teachings of the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
The Quran (4:135) states: "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."
We hope this effort will demonstrate once and for all that Muslims in
America and throughout the Islamic world reject violence committed in
the
name of Islam. People of all faiths must do whatever they can to help
end
the downward spiral of mutual hostility and hatred that is engulfing
our
world.
Abdul Quayyum is the Kentucky chapter chairman of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations.
---
KORAN DOESN’T CALL FOR BEHEADINGS
Peronet Despeignes, USA Today, 6/20/04
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-06-20-koran-beheadings_x.htm
WASHINGTON - The Islamic militants who beheaded two American hostages
in
the past two months justify their actions in part as an expression of
their
faith, but Muslim religious authorities say nothing in the Koran or
Islamic
law specifically calls for beheading or gives it any special
significance.
Instead, it appears to be aimed simply at terrifying Americans, driving
them out of the Middle East and destabilizing U.S. allies there.
Photos posted on a militant Islamic Web site Friday showed grisly
scenes of
the beheading of American technician Paul Johnson in Saudi Arabia by
al-Qaeda militants, who referred to him as a non-Muslim "infidel." That
followed the videotaped beheading of American businessman Nick Berg by
al-Qaeda militants in Iraq in May. Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel
Pearl was photographed being beheaded by his captors in Pakistan in
2002.
According to some Muslim religious leaders and other experts, the Koran
and
Islamic law state that murderers, not innocents, can be sentenced to
death,
but only after a proper trial including testimony from valid witnesses.
And
the Koran doesn't specify the means of execution. During the early days
of
Islam — the seventh century — the most effective execution was death by
the
sword.
"But beheadings are not mentioned in the Koran at all," says Imam
Mohamad
Adam El-Sheikh, co-founder and chief cleric at the Dar Al Hijrah mosque
in
Falls Church, Va. "According to Islamic penal law, killers will be
sentenced to death, but the means of execution are not mentioned."
Much of what the Koran has to say on the subject is open to
interpretation,
he says. The most direct reference to capital punishment is Chapter 7,
verse 48, which starts with a call for retribution similar to the Old
Testament verse of "eye for an eye."
But it later urges that the "pain of the sentence be less than the pain
inflicted by the murderer upon his victim," El-Sheikh says. He adds the
section strongly implies that mercy will be granted to merciful
prosecutors
and judges if and when they face their own day of judgment…
---
ISLAMIC SOCIETY CONDEMNS KILLING
Meesum Ashraf, Toronto Star, 6/21/04
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Artic
le_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1087769408372
Members of the Islamic Society of Toronto strongly condemn the murder
of
American hostage Paul Johnson in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at the hands of
terrorists.
Johnson's killing is an affront to Islam and to Muslims in Canada and
abroad. It is in no way a reflection of Islamic teachings, which advise
Muslims to preserve and protect life.
No injustice done to Muslims can ever justify the massacre of innocent
people, and no act of terror will ever serve the cause of Islam. We
repudiate and dissociate ourselves from any Muslim group or individual
who
commits such brutal and un-Islamic acts. We offer our sincerest
condolences
and prayers to Johnson's family at this time of great sorrow and
distress.
---
TX MUSLIMS DENOUNCE AL-QAIDA'S KILLING OF AMERICAN
Tyler Morning Telegraph, 6/18/04
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12014681&BRD=1994&PAG=461&dept_id=
341384&rfi=6
American Paul M. Johnson, Jr., an engineer working in Saudi Arabia, was
kidnapped last weekend and murdered on Friday by terrorists who claimed
to
be members of al-Qaida. The reputed leader of the group in Saudi,
Abdulaziz
al-Moqrin, was killed hours after Johnson's death by members of Saudi
security forces.
Johnson worked on Apache attack helicopter systems for Lockheed Martin.
His
severed head was shown on a Web site on Friday.
"To the Americans and whoever is their ally ... in the war against
Islam,
this action is punishment to them," said a statement from al-Qaida.
Reaction from local Muslim leaders was immediate. A statement released
by
the East Texas Islamic Society spokesman, Tyler businessman Anwar
Khalifa,
denounced the beheading and the terrorists who carried it out in the
name
of Islam.
"We Muslims wish to state clearly that those who commit acts of terror,
murder and cruelty in the name of Islam are not only destroying
innocent
lives, but are also betraying the values of the faith they claim to
represent. No injustice done to Muslims can ever justify the massacre
of
innocent people like Nicholas Berg and Paul Johnson, and no act of
terror
will ever serve the cause of Islam.
"We repudiate and disassociate ourselves from any Muslim group or
individual who commits such brutal and un-Islamic acts. We refuse to
allow
our faith to be held hostage by the criminal actions of a tiny minority
acting outside the teachings of both the Quran and Prophet Mohammed,
Peace
be upon him…
---
MUSLIMS IN W.VA. CONDEMN SLAYING
Jamie Henline, Charleston Gazette, 6/21/04
http://www.wvgazette.com/section/News/2004062024
Dirar Ahmad thinks Islamic terrorists in the Middle East might need a
dictionary.
Ahmad, president of the Islamic Association of West Virginia, said the
terrorists must not understand their holy book very well because there
is
nothing in the Quran that advocates murder.
“I don’t know what Quran they are reading, but it’s not the same one I
grew
up with and cherished,” Ahmad said.
Over the weekend, the Islamic Association of West Virginia condemned
the
execution-style slaying of American civilian Paul Johnson Jr., who had
been
held hostage in Saudi Arabia since last week by Muslim extremists
linked to
al-Qaida.
“We repudiate and dissociate ourselves from any Muslim group or
individual
who commits such brutal and un-Islamic acts,” the group said in a
prepared
statement. “We refuse to allow our faith to be held hostage by the
criminal
actions of a tiny minority acting outside the teachings of both the
Quran
and the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.”
The statement also called for swift capture and prosecution of the
terrorists…
---
MUSLIMS HERE EXPRESS OUTRAGE
Rhea Davis and Joe Stinebaker, Houston Chronicle, 6/19/04
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/2635696
Hours after an al-Qaida group announced the killing of American hostage
Paul Johnson on Friday, Muslims expressed outrage locally at the second
beheading linked to the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
Muslim Democrats from around the state were in a caucus at the Texas
Democratic Party's convention in Houston when the news broke of
Johnson's
beheading.
Dr. Inayat Lalani, a retired surgeon from Fort Worth and the head of
the
caucus, said he and other members "absolutely, categorically and
vehemently
denounce" the killing.
"This was the act of some brutal people who have nothing to do with
decency. We completely repudiate that. That is not Islam," he said.
The remains of the 49-year-old Johnson, an electronics engineer who
worked
for Lockheed Martin Corp., were found north of Saudi Arabia's capital
city
of Riyadh on Friday. Photos of his bloody body were shown on an Islamic
Web
site.
Hours later, Saudi authorities announced they had surrounded and killed
the
men responsible for Johnson's death, including the reputed ringleader
of
the al-Qaida cell that kidnapped him.
At a small shopping center along Hillcroft in southwest Houston that
caters
to Indian and Pakistani communities, Muslims expressed a similar
sentiment.
"What's going on in Saudi Arabia is horrible," said Mushtaq Qureshi, a
48-year-old Houston resident who came to the United States from
Pakistan 15
years ago. "We don't like the Taliban or the terrorists who are doing
this.
We just want to live in peace and love…"
---
CHICAGO MUSLIMS DENOUNCE JOHNSON MURDER
6/18/04
The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, an umbrella
organization serving over 400,000 Muslims throughout Chicagoland, joins
fellow Americans and national Muslim organizations in strongly
condemning
and sharing grief over the gruesome and inhumane murder of Paul
Johnson,
Jr., an innocent American employee of Lockheed Martin in Saudi Arabia.
Expressing personal regrets and strong revulsion, Chairman Kareem Irfan
stated: “This beheading is a horrific act of senseless brutality that
no
cause or twisted religious grounds may justify. It is despicable that
the
group committing this revolting killing actually professes to be
defending,
and speaking in the name of, Islam. These actions run counter to the
most
fundamental of Islamic ethics, religious principles and moral
teachings.
The Council and Chicago’s Muslim community offer deepest condolences to
Mr.
Johnson’s grieving wife, family, friends and all those suffering the
pain
of his brutal death.”
Mr. Irfan cautioned against broadly attributing this grossly inhumane
act
to the Saudis, Arabs or Muslims in general. “We Americans must not
permit
these murderous acts of a misguided few to broadly tarnish our views of
millions of Muslims in the U.S. and abroad who remain steadfast on
Islam’s
core mandates of respect, compassion, and mercy for fellow humans.
These
difficult times demand more than ever before that people of faith and
moral
conscience come together in peace to counter extremism and bloodshed by
understanding and reconciliation...”
---
N.J. MUSLIMS, ARABS CONDEMN BEHEADING
Catherine Jun, Star-Ledger, 6/20/04
http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/jersey/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1087747808194053
.xml
Muslim and Arab leaders from northern New Jersey joined yesterday to
denounce the killing of Paul M. Johnson Jr. by his terrorist captors in
Saudi Arabia, insisting the murder did not represent the tenets of
Islam.
"We wish to collectively express our outrage over the senseless murder
of
Mr. Johnson," said Huma Hasan of the New Jersey Outreach Group, an
association of churches, mosques and synagogues in Passaic and Bergen
counties.
"We further categorically reject the killers' claim that their
repulsive
act represents Islam and Muslims," she added, reading a statement
endorsed
by nine Muslim-American organizations, including the New Jersey
chapters of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the American Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee.
Johnson, an electronics engineer for Lockheed Martin in Saudi Arabia,
was
killed Friday after he was abducted days earlier in the capital city,
Riyadh, by captors who identified themselves as al Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula. Grisly photographs of his beheaded body were posted on a
radical
Islamist Web site.
Yesterday, at a park on Paterson's Main Street, with Arabic letters on
nearby shop awnings as a backdrop, Muslim leaders stood shoulder to
shoulder and offered condolences to the Johnson family...
---
BRIDGEVIEW MOSQUE FOUNDATION CONDEMNS BEHEADING
6/18/04
BRIDGEVIEW - The leaders of the Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview condemn
in
the strongest possible terms the horrific murder of American engineer
Paul
M. Johnson by terrorists linked to al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia.
We offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to Mr. Johnson’ s family
and
friends, and we pray that God will grant them comfort and solace in
their
time of grief.
The terrorists’ actions in kidnapping and beheading Mr. Johnson are
despicable and cowardly, and they do not represent Islam nor the
beliefs
and desires of the world’s 1.2 billion peace-loving Muslims.
There is not one word in the Holy Quran or one example in the tradition
of
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, that would encourage, support or
condone Mr. Johnson’ s murder. In fact, the opposite is true: The Quran
says to kill one innocent life is the same as killing all of humanity,
and
to save one life is the same as saving all of humanity.
Even in their deepest sorrow, Mr. Johnson’s family has said the
terrorists
and their actions do not reflect the goodness of the Saudi people.
Likewise, we ask our fellow Americans to remember that al-Qaeda does
not
represent Islam or the values of Muslims.
The Mosque Foundation in Bridgeview joins together with all of America
in
grief and sorrow over Mr. Johnson’ s death, and the senseless acts of
violence being wreaked upon innocents across the globe.
We join all Americans in calling for peace and an end to senseless
conflict
and strife.
---
ISLAMIC SOCIETY BASED IN INDIANA CONDEMNS BEHEADING
Associated Press, 6/20/04
PLAINFIELD, Ind. - The Islamic Society of North America has condemned
the
beheading of American engineer Paul M. Johnson Jr., saying the act is
not
in keeping with its religion's practices and teachings.
The society, representing several million people from 300 mosques and
Muslim organizations, is based in the Indianapolis suburb of
Plainfield.
"Mr. Johnson was not a warrior but engaged by a contractor for the
Saudi
Arabian government," a new release from the organization stated. "We
share
the grief of the Johnson family, who have suffered so much."
Johnson was killed by al-Qaida-linked militants in Saudi Arabia Friday.
The
militants had kidnapped him and demanded that the kingdom release its
al-Qaida prisoners, which it did not.
An al-Qaida group claiming responsibility posted an Internet message
that
showed photographs of a beheaded body...
-----
BAY AREA MUSLIMS WANT THOROUGH INVESTIGATION
Bay News 9, 6/20/04
http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2004/6/20/46185.html
The vandals wrote 'kill the Muslims' on the wall. Bay area Muslims are
calling for protection after profane and slang graffiti was discovered
on
the walls at an Islamic Community Center in Lutz Friday.
Ahmed Bedier with CAIR-Florida, a Muslim civil liberties group, said
he's
concerned about how investigators are classifying the case.
"As of last we checked, the sheriff's office has the case classified as
a
burglary, not a hate crime," he said.
In a statement released by CAIR-Florida after the break-in,
administrators
said, "We call on the FBI to investigate this attack as a possible hate
crime and ask local law enforcement to step up patrols near Islamic
institutions in Florida."
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Sgt. Alan Hill said investigators don't
have
enough information to consider the damage a hate crime.
He said deputy patrols wouldn't be stepped up around religious
facilities
because patrols were already increased after 9/11.
"You can't jump to those conclusions. You have to have the facts and
evidence to back those charges up. Right now, because we are so early
on in
this investigation, we have a lot of things to look at first," Hill
said…
-----
POLITICAL YET PEACEFUL GRADUATION AT UC IRVINE
Stanley Allison, Los Angeles Times, 6/20/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/orange/lameucigrad20jun20,1,6213510.story
Students, friends and family members celebrated graduation at UC Irvine
on
Saturday amid heightened security and moments of disagreement about the
meaning of stoles worn over the robes of a handful of Muslim graduates.
The broad strips of green cloth have been the focus of a heated debate
between Muslim and Jewish students for several days.
Muslim student leaders said about 30 graduates wore the stoles --
double
the number predicted on Friday -- as an expression of their faith.
Each stole bore Arabic lettering on one side reading, "There is no God
but
Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger," and on the other was a symbol
meaning, "God, increase my knowledge."
Critics say the stoles signify support for the militant Hamas movement
and
are part of a campus campaign to intimidate Jewish students.
"Just as other organizations wear sashes for honors awards or clubs, so
the
same way [Muslim students] show their club and religious affiliation by
wearing" the stoles, said Osman Umarji, president of the group. "It's
completely a nonissue," he said.
Student Omar Sharif, who was wearing one of the stoles, said it was
merely
an expression of his faith and suggested that critics are appealing to
unfair stereotypes.
"The Muslim community here is nothing but doctors and lawyers and
engineers. They're living the American dream," said Sharif, who said he
was
qualified to participate in the ceremony although he will not complete
his
course work until this summer...
ALSO SEE:
O’REILLY COMPARES SHAHADA TO SWASTIKA
O’Reilly Factor, Fox News, 6/18/04
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,123274,00.html
O'REILLY: Thanks for staying with us. I'm Bill O'Reilly. In the "Factor
Follow Up" segment tonight, the dean of students at the University of
California-Irvine held an emergency meeting after we reported that some
Muslim students wanted to wear a sash, apparently honoring Hamas at
tomorrow's graduation ceremony. Dean Sally Peterson also told "The Los
Angeles Times" that she had sent us a statement about the situation. We
received no such statement and frankly, we believe the administration
is
not being up front about the controversy. So a Factor producer showed
up on
campus today…
So we've got a problem here, because Jewish students -- and you're a
Jewish
merican, some Jewish students -- most Jewish students, feel that this
is
absolutely an outrage at the graduation, being sympathetic for Hamas.
Now I
don't want to get involved in a micro on this, but we've done the
history
of these Muslim students and there is no question that they brought in
speakers who are anti-Zionist and pro-al Qaeda. What say you,
Professor?
MARK LEVINE: Well, there are several issues here. The first issue
really is
the context. I think the context, when Muslim students want to wear a
sash
that says -- that has the Shahada (ph), testifying to the faith, to
make an
assumption, which I think you have done and which someone on your show
last
night did, that wearing that means you support terrorism and support
Hamas,
is basically like saying 1.4 billion Muslims, all the Muslims in the
world
and Islam itself is a terrorist religion. It's like saying...
O'REILLY: All right. Let me stop you here. I want to deal with facts
here.
All right?
LEVINE: Well, this is...
O'REILLY: Well, the Jewish organization got a hold of one of these arm
bands and they had it analyzed. And they say that the calligraphy on
the
arm band is the same that is used on the Hamas Web site. Do you dispute
that?
LEVINE: First of all, all I've seen is a sash, a stole, that you had
mentioned, that was pictured in the "Orange County Register." I've not
seen
an arm band. I have seen -- I've been to enough Hamas demonstrations,
covering them. I've been to demonstrations in Baghdad where people were
chanting "death to Jews." So I know exactly the kinds of things that
are
worn when people are trying to engage in this kind of rhetoric,
Palestinians or other Muslims. This stole in no way resembles that.
O'REILLY: All right, so you feel...
LEVINE: And the fact that some Muslims -- let me just finish, the fact
that
some Muslims use this declaration of faith to mean something negative
or
even to endorse violence cannot be used to say that all Muslims use
this to
mean violence. It's like saying that any Jew who use the Shama (ph),
"here
o Israel, the lord is God, the lord is one," just because some Jews
engage
in violence against Arabs or Palestinians, it's like saying Judaism
is...
O'REILLY: But there are certain symbols that stand for certain things.
But
I'll get to that in a moment. So you believe that these sashes that
some
Muslims students are going to wear, and these are all Muslim activists,
by
the way, are signifying what, their faith in Islam, their faith in
Allah?
LEVINE: Well, first of all, I haven't spoken to any of the students, so
I
cannot speak for them. What I can say -- here's way think the biggest
problem is. Since I haven't spoken to them, and to my knowledge, there
is
absolutely no evidence that any of them is wearing this in any way as a
symbol for support for terrorism. And in fact, the chancellor -- they
spoke
with the chancellor and other university officials, and all of them
said
very adamantly this is not what it's about. We are doing this to
signify
our belief in God…
O'REILLY: I've got a specific question. Say I show up at U.C. Irvine
graduation, I'm a student. I've got a swastika on my arm. And you,
rightly
so, go, hey, you're not wearing that swastika, it's offensive. It
symbolizes evil and it's totally inappropriate. I say that's not really
what you think it is, Professor, that's a Native American sign, all
right,
for nature. As you know, that's the derivative of the swastika. This is
the
game you're playing, and I think you're getting con...
---
O'REILLY: IRAQI PEOPLE ARE "PRIMITIVE," "PREHISTORIC GROUP"
G.W., Media Matters for America, 6/18/04
http://mediamatters.org/ (Scroll Down.)
Radio host and FOX News Channel host Bill O'Reilly told listeners that
he
has "no respect for" the Iraqi people; that he thinks "they're a
prehistoric group"; that they are "primitive"; and that the lesson from
the
Iraq war is that "we cannot intervene in the Muslim world ever again.
What
we can do is bomb the living daylights out of them." His remarks on the
June 17 broadcast of The Radio Factor came during a discussion of a
recent
poll -- commissioned by the Coalition Provisional Authority and
obtained by
the Associated Press -- that found that only 2 percent of Iraqis view
U.S.
troops as liberators and 55 percent would feel safer if U.S. troops
left
the country immediately.
From the June 17 broadcast of The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly:
O'REILLY: Because look ... when 2 percent of the population feels that
you're doing them a favor, just forget it, you're not going to win.
You're
not going to win. And I don't have any respect by and large for the
Iraqi
people at all. I have no respect for them. I think that they're a
prehistoric group that is -- yeah, there's excuses.
Sure, they're terrorized, they've never known freedom, all of that.
There's
excuses. I understand. But I don't have to respect them because you
know
when you have Americans dying trying to you know institute some kind of
democracy there, and 2 percent of the people appreciate it, you know,
it's
time to -- time to wise up.
And this teaches us a big lesson that we cannot intervene in the Muslim
world ever again. What we can do is bomb the living daylights out of
them,
just like we did in the Balkans. Just as we did in the Balkans. Bomb
the
living daylights out of them. But no more ground troops, no more hearts
and
minds, ain't going to work.
[...]They're just people who are primitive.
— G.W.
O'Reilly also said: "Problems continue for the U.S. Military in
Fallujah.
Why doesn't the U.S. Military just go ahead and level it?"
TO CONTACT BILL O’REILLY, E-MAIL: Oreilly@foxnews.com
COPY TO: cair@cair-net.org
-----
WILL COUNTY JUDGE OKs DOWRY PLEDGED IN MUSLIM LAW
Dave Newbart, Sun Times, 6/20/04
http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-muslim20.html
WILL COUNTY- An attorney for a Will County woman is optimistic that
Jordan
courts will uphold a rare legal victory granting her client the right
to a
deferred dowry under Muslim religious law.
Attorney Reem Odeh said Saturday that her client, Mae Sallal, of
Frankfort,
should be able to collect her $15,000 dowry, pending a court ruling in
Jordan expected soon.
"They have respect for the American judicial system,'' Odeh said.
Sallal won what Odeh thinks is a virtually unprecedented legal victory
last
month before Will County Circuit Court Judge Robert Baron. He ruled
that an
Islamic marriage contract -- known as an Aqed Zawage -- could be
enforced
in the United States. In the past, Odeh said, judges have been
reluctant to
uphold religious contracts as binding law.
In that contract, which the couple signed in Jordan where they were
married
eight years ago, husband Rami Sallal agreed to pay $10,000 Jordanian
dinars
as a Muacher, or deferred dowry, if the couple split up. He also agreed
to
give her gold and other jewelry at her wedding as a dowry. In Muslim
culture, dowries are given from males to females, said Mae Sallal, who
is
Palestinian. Rami Sallal is from Jordan.
After they moved to the United States, where he worked as a
stockbroker,
they parted. He filed for divorce in February, after he moved back to
Jordan.
The judge agreed that the contract appeared to resemble a pre-nuptial
agreement and ordered Rami Sallal to pay both the dowry and the
deferred
dowry. He also awarded Mae Sallal, 28, custody of the couple's 1-1/2
year
old daughter, their home in Frankfort and two cars...
ALSO SEE:
US IS MONITORING PROPOSAL FOR MOSQUE
Chicago Tribune, 6/19/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/nearnorthwest/chi0406190176jun19,1,
196641.story
ORLAND PARK - Orland Park residents and village officials are not the
only
ones closely following a proposal to build a mosque in the southwest
suburb.
In a letter mailed this week, Mayor Daniel McLaughlin advised residents
that the federal Justice Department is monitoring the issue to make
sure no
U.S. laws are breached.
Village Board members are scheduled to vote Monday on a proposal to
build a
22,000-square-foot, gold-domed mosque that has been ardently opposed by
some residents who say they fear it may create traffic snarls and
attract
worshipers tied to terrorist groups…
-----
DEARBORN ARAB FESTIVAL TOUTS VOTER REGISTRATION
Shantee Woodards, Detroit News, 6/20/04
http://www.detnews.com/2004/metro/0406/20/b01-188913.htm
DEARBORN — The city’s east end was the place to be Saturday as
thousands of
people gathered for the ninth annual Dearborn Arab International
Festival.
While the festival offered plenty of food and fun, it also offered this
message: Get out and vote.
The focus of this year’s festival was voter registration, and there
were
many people on hand helping event-goers do just that. This fall will be
the
first election since the September 11 attacks, and many Arab-Americans
say
it will be an important one, particularly because of the proposed CLEAR
Act, which would give police the authority to detain illegal aliens.
The American Arab-Anti Discrimination Committee started its voter
registration drive in January and plans to continue until election day
on
Nov. 2.
“This festival is not about falafel, hummus and tabbouleh,” said Imad
Hamad, director of the ADC. “It’s unfortunate that so many people are
unable to register. (This election) will pave the way for all of our
futures.”
But the festival wasn’t all politics, either. There were about 30
international food booths, an international stage, a children’s
carnival,
bread-making and arts and crafts...
-----
NO FATHER’S DAY FOR SOME DADS
Nia-Malika Henderson, Newsday, 6/18/04
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/queens/nyc-dads0619,0,2859450.story
NEW YORK- Arif Mahmood came to New York in November 2000 on a tourist
visa.
He reunited with an old friend from his Pakistani neighborhood and they
quickly fell in love and married. It was, he said, "a love marriage,"
not a
traditional arranged marriage.
Now, along with 13,800 other men and teenagers who registered with the
federal government post-Sept. 11, he is facing deportation. His wife,
Usme
Roohi, 22, is seventh months pregnant. The Coney Island couple have a
2-year-old daughter, Kaynat.
Friday, at a news conference held by The New York Immigration
Coalition,
Mahmood, 33, made a direct plea to immigration officials to expedite
his
wife's application for citizenship and his application for a green
card.
Otherwise, he said, he will have to return to Pakistan and to a
community
that frowns on non-arranged marriages.
"I would request to immigration to allow me here," he said. "Don't
separate
me from my family. I want to stay here and protect my family. I want to
see
a good future," he said, holding his daughter.
According to Chung-Wha Hong, advocacy director for the coalition, the
registration requirement threatens to separate many families. Of the
200
men facing deportation that her organization has data on, half have
families, she said...
ALSO SEE:
PROPOSED LAW PROTECTS RIGHTS IN WARTIME
David Cole, Miami Herald, 6/20/04
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/8958402.htm
''The delirium caused by the bombings turned in the direction of a
deportation crusade with the spontaneity of water seeking out the
course of
least resistance.'' So wrote Louis Post about the Palmer Raids of
1919-20,
when the federal government responded to a series of terrorist bombings
by
rounding up thousands of foreigners, not for their connection to the
bombings but for technical immigration violations and association with
various factions of the Communist Party.
Post's description equally captures the Bush administration's response
to
the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Once again the government
pursued
''the course of least resistance,'' rounding up thousands of foreigners
not
for terrorist activity but for technical immigration violations. Many
were
arrested in secret, held without charges, denied access to lawyers,
presumed guilty until proven innocent, tried in secret and kept locked
up
long after their cases were resolved. In the name of ''preventing
terrorism,'' the government has locked up more than 5,000 foreigners
who
had nothing to do with terrorism.
For 2 1/2 years, little has been done to rectify this situation. But
now
several senators and representatives have introduced the Civil
Liberties
Restoration Act of 2004, which seeks to ensure that, the next time we
suffer a terrorist attack, we will hold fast to basic principles of
fairness, due process and human rights, especially in our treatment of
foreign nationals.
The act would bar the practice of blanket secret trials, reserving
secrecy
for cases in which the government can demonstrate a specific need. It
would
require that when the government locks someone up, it must inform him
of
the charges within 48 hours and bring him before a judge within three
days.
It would limit preventive detention to situations in which the
government
actually has evidence that an individual poses a risk of flight or a
danger
to the community. And it would end ''special registration,'' which
selectively targeted men from Arab and Muslim countries for
fingerprints,
photographs and interrogations...
-----
NEOCONS THRILLED BY BOMBED ARABS
http://www.antiwar.com/blog/index.php?id=P1066
When are the Americans going to stop acting on their bad intelligence?
Just
as their garbage intelligence led them to bomb a wedding party in their
last foray against imaginary "foreign fighters", so have they now
killed
over 20 Iraqis by dropping huge bombs on a neighborhood in Fallujah
and, as
usual, failed to accomplish anything but killing more Iraqis, women and
children included.
A senior officer of the U.S.-backed Fallujah Brigade on Sunday disputed
U.S. claims that an American airstrike had hit a safehouse of terrorist
Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi's network.
The Health Ministry said at least 16 people were killed in the attack
Saturday; witnesses put the number of dead at least 20, including women
and
children.
Col. Mohammed Awad said members of the Fallujah Brigade had
investigated
the site and "affirmed to us that the inhabitants of the houses were
ordinary families including women, children and elders."
"There was no sign that foreigners have lived in the house," Awad said.
Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, coalition deputy operations chief, told
reporters
Saturday that multiple intelligence sources reported that the house was
used by the al-Zarqawi network, which U.S. officials believe operates
in
Fallujah.
Even if they were able to take out "Zarqawi" in the midst of this
carnage,
what gives them the right to slaughter indiscriminately all these
people?
Every one of these dead Iraqis had a name, a family, people who loved
them.
How many new resistance fighters were created in this stupid strike? It
isn't just Fallujans who will now take up arms, either, it will be
Iraqis
from across the country who are outraged and furious over this
indiscriminate slaughter…
ALSO SEE:
SENIOR OFFICER OF FALLUJAH BRIGADE DISPUTES U.S. AIRSTRIKE TARGET
Associated Press, USA Today, 6/20/04
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-06-20-iraq-airstrike_x.htm
FALLUJAH- A senior officer of the U.S.-backed Fallujah Brigade on
Sunday
disputed U.S. claims that an American airstrike had hit a safehouse of
terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's network. The Health Ministry said at
least
16 people were killed in the attack Saturday; witnesses put the number
of
dead at least 20, including women and children.
Col. Mohammed Awad said members of the Fallujah Brigade had
investigated
the site and "affirmed to us that the inhabitants of the houses were
ordinary families including women, children and elders."
"There was no sign that foreigners have lived in the house," Awad said.
Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, coalition deputy operations chief, told
reporters
Saturday that multiple intelligence sources reported that the house was
used by the al-Zarqawi network, which U.S. officials believe operates
in
Fallujah.
The discrepant versions of the attack could strain relations between
the
Americans and the Iraqi force established last month to take
responsibility
for law and order in Fallujah after the end of the three-week Marine
siege…
---
COLUMBUS' IRAQIS CONCERNED FOR FUTURE OF HOMELAND
Rasha Aly, Columbus Dispatch, 6/20/04
http://www.dispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2004/06/20/20040620-A4
-00.html
The countdown is still on for those back home in Baghdad, Basra and
Fallujah: 10 days until Iraqis receive control of their government from
the
U.S.-led coalition.
While their countrymen are waiting for the transfer, Iraqis living in
Columbus have mixed feelings of how the new government will benefit
their
homeland.
"I am optimistic," said Ayser Hamoudi. Mrs. Hamoudi, a Shiite Muslim,
and
her husband, Ala Hamoudi, a Sunni Muslim, are physicians who own a
family
practice in Grandview Heights.
Mrs. Hamoudi said she is concerned whether the government will survive
because the new prime minister, Iyad Allawi, is a former member of
Saddam
Hussein's Baath Party, which has a violent past. Allawi, a leading
Shiite,
had a falling out with Saddam and Iraqi secret police wounded him
during an
1978 assassination attempt in London, where he was studying medicine...
---
SHOOTING DEATH ANGERS IRAQI FAMILY US TACTICS IN RAID RAISE CONCERNS
Thanassis Cambanis, Boston Globe, 6/21/04
http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2004/06/21/shooting_death_angers_i
raqi_family
BAGHDAD - American soldiers stormed into Sajid Kadhum Bouri al- Bawi's
house three hours after midnight on May 17, breaking two doors and
rousing
the dozen children who live there.
An hour later, family members recalled, the soldiers led a hooded man
from
the house and told the family they were arresting Bawi. Only after the
soldiers left with what appeared to be a prisoner did Bawi's brother
find
his bloodied body, shot five times and stuffed behind a refrigerator
underneath a pile of mattresses.
The US Army is investigating the shooting, and admits that Bawi was
shot
and killed by an American when, according to the soldiers involved, he
tried to seize a soldier's weapon.
Bawi's slaying during the kind of routine night raid that is the
military's
bread-and-butter counterinsurgency tactic raises questions about the
control and supervision of soldiers on those raids, and the reliability
of
the local informants whose tips are often behind the arrest lists.
The events described by family members are chilling: They say Bawi was
killed in his mother's bedroom during an interrogation, while soldiers
banged on metal doors to dull the sound of the shots...
-----
TORTURE POLICY
Washington Post, 6/21/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56753-2004Jun20.html
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE Donald H. Rumsfeld expressed dismay on Thursday
about
editorials in which "the implication is that the United States
government
has, in one way or another, ordered, authorized, permitted, tolerated
torture." Such reports, he said, raised questions among U.S. troops in
Iraq, reduced the willingness of people in Iraq and Afghanistan to
cooperate with the United States, and could be used by others as an
excuse
to torture U.S. soldiers or civilians. This was wrong, he said, because
"I
have not seen anything that suggests that a senior civilian or military
official of the United States of America . . . could be characterized
as
ordering or authorizing or permitting torture or acts that are
inconsistent
with our international treaty obligations or our laws or our values as
a
country."
Since Mr. Rumsfeld referred directly to The Post, we believe we owe him
a
response. We agree that the country is at war and that we all must
weigh
our words accordingly. We also agree that the consequences of the
revelations of prisoner abuse are grave. As supporters of the missions
in
Iraq and Afghanistan, we have been particularly concerned about the
ways
that the scandal -- and the administration's continuing failure to come
to
terms with it -- could undermine the chances for success. We also have
warned about the uses that might be made of it by captors of Americans.
What strikes us as extraordinary is that Mr. Rumsfeld would suggest
that
this damage would be caused by newspaper editorials rather than by his
own
actions and decisions and those of other senior administration
officials.
What might lead us to describe Mr. Rumsfeld or some other "senior
civilian
or military official" as "ordering or authorizing or permitting"
torture or
violation of international treaties and U.S. law?...
Did senior officials order torture?...
ALSO SEE:
UK TROOPS ACCUSED OF MUTILATING IRAQI BODIES
Michael Howard and Richard Norton-Taylor, Guardian, 6/21/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1243712,00.html
Military police are investigating claims that British soldiers
mutilated
the bodies of Iraqi insurgents after a firefight last month near the
southern Iraqi town of Majar al Kabir.
The allegations are contained in official death certificates seen by
the
Guardian written by Dr Adel Salid Majid, the director of the hospital
in
Majar al Kabir, on May 15, the day after the battle.
Seven of the certificates state that corpses handed over to hospital
authorities by British troops showed signs of "mutilation" and
"torture".
Dr Majid's conclusions have been questioned by a senior doctor at the
Amara
general hospital, 25km to the north. Speaking anonymously to the
Guardian,
he disputed his colleague's claims after examining one of the seven
corpses
in question.
The military police are studying photographs of the bodies, the
original
death certificates and part of a video film taken at Amara hospital by
the
relatives of the dead.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: "The military police are
looking at the evidence. They have yet to commence a formal
investigation."
A British army spokesman in Basra dismissed the allegations of
mutilation
as "absurd".
"Such claims are an insult to the whole British army and an attempt to
stain the image of men who are putting their lives at risk every day to
secure Iraq for the Iraqis," he said.
The Guardian has seen 28 death certificates, which were completed by
doctors at Majar al Kabir hospital on May 14 and 15. A 29th victim of
the
firefight, a shepherd, died of his wounds later...
---
ALLEGATIONS OF MISTREATMENT OF FEMALE DETAINEES
Viveca Novak and Douglas Waller, Time, 6/20/04
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101040628-655389,00.html
Could the abuse of prisoners in Iraq have gone beyond the beatings and
sexual humiliation already alleged? Unreleased, classified parts of the
report on prison abuse from Major General Anthony Taguba, which were
read
to TIME, contain indications of mistreatment of female prisoners. In a
Feb.
21 statement to Taguba, Lieut. Colonel Steven L. Jordan, former head of
the
Abu Ghraib interrogation center, said he had received reports "that
there
were members of the MI [Military Intelligence] community that had come
over
and done a late-night interrogation of two female detainees" last
October.
According to a statement by Jordan's boss, Colonel Thomas Pappas, three
interrogators were later cited for violations of military law in their
handling of the two females, ages 17 and 18. Senate Armed Services
Committee investigators are probing whether the two women were sexually
abused. The Pentagon declined to comment.
Meanwhile, a class action filed in California on behalf of former
detainees
raises the specter of brutal physical abuse…
-----
U.S. SAID TO OVERSTATE VALUE OF GUANT�NAMO DETAINEES
Tim Golden and Don Van Natta Jr, New York Times, 6/21/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/21/politics/21GITM.html?hp
GUANT�NAMO BAY- For nearly two and a half years, American officials
have
maintained that locked within the steel-mesh cells of the military
prison
here are some of the world's most dangerous terrorists — "the worst of
a
very bad lot," Vice President Dick Cheney has called them.
The officials say information gleaned from the detainees has exposed
terrorist cells, thwarted planned attacks and revealed vital
intelligence
about Al Qaeda. The secrets they hold and the threats they pose justify
holding them indefinitely without charge, Bush administration officials
have said.
But as the Supreme Court prepares to rule on the legal status of the
595
men imprisoned here, an examination by The New York Times has found
that
government and military officials have repeatedly exaggerated both the
danger the detainees posed and the intelligence they have provided.
In interviews, dozens of high-level military, intelligence and
law-enforcement officials in the United States, Europe and the Middle
East
said that contrary to the repeated assertions of senior administration
officials, none of the detainees at the United States Naval Base at
Guant�namo Bay ranked as leaders or senior operatives of Al Qaeda. They
said only a relative handful — some put the number at about a dozen,
others
more than two dozen — were sworn Qaeda members or other militants able
to
elucidate the organization's inner workings.
While some Guant�namo intelligence has aided terrorism investigations,
none
of it has enabled intelligence or law-enforcement services to foil
imminent
attacks, the officials said. Compared with the higher-profile Qaeda
operatives held elsewhere by the C.I.A., the Guant�namo detainees have
provided only a trickle of intelligence with current value, the
officials
said. Because nearly all of that intelligence is classified, most of
the
officials would discuss it only on the condition of anonymity.
"When you have the overall mosaic of all the intelligence picked up all
over the world, Guant�namo provided a very small piece of that mosaic,"
said a senior American official who has reviewed the intelligence in
detail. "It's been helpful and valuable in certain areas. Was it the
mother
lode of intelligence? No…"
-----
ISRAEL OPERATING HUNDREDS OF AGENTS IN NORTHERN IRAQ
Nathan Guttman, Haaretz, 6/21/04
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=441208
WASHINGTON - Israel operates hundreds of agents in the Kurdish areas in
northern Iraq, according to a report published in the upcoming issue of
The
New Yorker magazine.
In an interview to CNN on Sunday, reporter Seymour Hersh said that
hundreds
of Israelis, some of them Mossad agents, are operating in the region in
order to collect information on Iran's nuclear program and monitor
events
in Syria.
According to the report, Israel in the past has had many ties with the
Kurds, which with the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime are currently
being
renewed…
ALSO SEE:
CHANGING FORTUNES LEAD SOVIET JEWS FROM ISRAEL TO RUSSIA
CBC News Online, 6/20/04
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/06/20/world/russianjews040620
MOSCOW - Thousands of the Soviet Jews who fled to Israel when the
Soviet
Union collapsed are beginning to return to Russia.
Slowly but surely, the synagogues of Moscow are filling up again. In
the
late 1980s and early 1990s close to one million Soviet Jews emigrated
to
Israel. The Soviet Union was collapsing, Russia was in economic and
social
chaos and anti-Semitism was rampant.
"When they left they were cursing this country saying, 'My feet will
never
set foot on this soil again,' such hatred and unhappiness. But we must
admit things have changed," said Berl Lazar, Russia's chief rabbi.
The Russian economy that was on the verge of collapse is now booming,
while
the Israeli economy is sinking under the weight of the intefadeh.
Israelis live in a state of siege. And in spite of bloody exceptions,
such
as the recent Moscow subway bombing, Russians feel their security
problems
are confined to faraway Chechnya. Moreover, says Rabbi Lazar,
anti-Semitism
in Russia is declining...
---
AS JUNE 30th APPROACHES, ISRAEL LOOKS TO THE KURDS
Seymour M. Hersh, New Yorker, 6/21/04
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040628fa_fact
In July, 2003, two months after President Bush declared victory in
Iraq,
the war, far from winding down, reached a critical point. Israel, which
had
been among the war’s most enthusiastic supporters, began warning the
Administration that the American-led occupation would face a heightened
insurgency—a campaign of bombings and assassinations—later that summer.
Israeli intelligence assets in Iraq were reporting that the insurgents
had
the support of Iranian intelligence operatives and other foreign
fighters,
who were crossing the unprotected border between Iran and Iraq at will.
The
Israelis urged the United States to seal the nine-hundred-mile-long
border,
at whatever cost.
The border stayed open, however. “The Administration wasn’t ignoring
the
Israeli intelligence about Iran,” Patrick Clawson, who is the deputy
director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and has close
ties to the White House, explained. “There’s no question that we took
no
steps last summer to close the border, but our attitude was that it was
more useful for Iraqis to have contacts with ordinary Iranians coming
across the border, and thousands were coming across every day—for
instance,
to make pilgrimages.” He added, “The questions we confronted were ‘Is
the
trade-off worth it? Do we want to isolate the Iraqis?’ Our answer was
that
as long as the Iranians were not picking up guns and shooting at us, it
was
worth the price...”
---
ISRAEL TRAINING KURDISH COMMANDOS IN IRAQ - REPORT
Reuters, 6/21/04
NEW YORK, June 21 (Reuters) - Israel has operatives training commando
units
in Kurdish areas of U.S.-occupied Iraq, an alignment with the Kurds
that
gives Israel "eyes and ears" in Iraq, Iran and Syria, The New Yorker
magazine reported on Monday.
The article by award-winning reporter Seymour Hersh, who earlier this
year
exposed the extent of prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, quoted a CIA
official
as saying the Israeli presence is widely known in the U.S. intelligence
community.
The report quoted a spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington as
saying, "The story is simply untrue."
The report, quoting current and former intelligence officials in the
United
States, the Middle East and Europe, said one of Israel's main
objectives is
to increase Kurdish military strength to balance that of Shiite
militias.
"Look, Israel has always supported the Kurds in a Machiavellian way as
balance against Saddam," the magazine quotes a former Israeli
intelligence
official as saying. "It's Realpolitik. By aligning with the Kurds,
Israel
gains eyes and ears in Iran, Iraq, and Syria."
The report also said Israeli operatives had crossed into Iran with
Kurdish
commandos to install sensors and other sensitive devices to spy on
Iran's
suspected nuclear facilities.
Hersh wrote that by the end of last year, Israel concluded the
administration of U.S. President George W. Bush "would not be able to
bring
stability or democracy to Iraq, and that Israel needed other options."
But the move to align with separatist Kurds could be damaging to
Israel's
relations with Turkey and undermine efforts to create a stable Iraq,
the
report said…
-----
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In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/22/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: CHARITY GROWS
* CAIR ELECTION 2004 UPDATE: THE ECONOMY
* INCITEMENT: UNLV LECTURER SAYS ISLAM CREATES TERROR
* CAIR-SV MEETS WITH DOJ OFFICIAL
- CAIR-NY: James Yee Celebration Banquet
* CAIR-FL: MUSLIM LEADERS DENOUNCE BEHEADING (Sun-Sentinel)
- Muslims Deplore Hostage's Killing (Miami Herald)
- Mayor Supports CAIR-FL Efforts
- OR: Terrorism doesn't serve Islam (Oregonian)
* CAIR SENDS CONDOLENCES TO KOREAN AMBASSADOR
* CAIR: TV ADS CHALLENGE ISLAMOPHOBIA IN AMERICA (Daily Star)
* CT: GAS STATION ATTENDANT KILLED IN PRESTON (The Day)
* DC: AFRAID IN AMERICA (WTOP)
- Noonday in the Shade (NY Times)
- Delta Settles Ethnic Profiling Lawsuit (Free Press)
* ID: FORMER FOOTBALL PLAYER RELEASED FROM RESTRICTIONS (AP)
- Rep. Conyers Welcomes Decision to Probe Mayfield's Arrest
* MOSQUE OPPONENTS CALL PRAYER CENTER 'SECURITY RISK' (NBC 5)
- Orland Park Officials OK Mosque (Chicago Trib)
- Muslim Center Sign Agreement (Chicago Trib)
* AN AMERICAN MUSLIM OPENS WINDOW TO ISLAM (Sun Times)
- Think Tank Meets to Energize Electorate (Daily Calif)
* CA: STUDENTS SAY THEY'LL DON STOLES EVERY YEAR (Daily Pilot)
- INCITEMENT WATCH: AJC Condemns ‘Shahida’ (sic)
* SURVEY: MOST ISRAELI JEWS WANT ARABS OUT
* MOST AMERICANS REJECT IRAQ WAR: POLL (ABC)
- Al Qaeda Link May Be Confusion Over Names (Wash. Post)
- Neocon Lay Low, Hope for Iraqi Democracy (Reuters)
- Flurry of Suicide Attempts at Guantanamo (AP)
* HIJAB IS ABOUT FREEDOM (Times Colonist)
* MD: MAC FLEA MARKET AND BAKE SALE
- CA: MAS 4TH Annual Conference
* MALI MAKES DEMOCRACY WORK (Wall Street Journal)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: CHARITY GROWS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "If anyone gives in
charity
something equal to (as little as) a date from his honestly earned money
--
for nothing ascends to God except what is good -- God will take it in
His
Right (Hand) and bring it up for its owner as anyone of you brings up a
baby horse, until it becomes like a mountain."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Hadith 525B
-----
CAIR ELECTION 2004 UPDATE: THE ECONOMY
Alert: This Week’s issue of CAIR 2004 election update is now available
online. To read the full updates, please visit:
http://www.cair-net.org/muslimvote2004/jun222004.html
Table of contents:
1) RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE
Economy:
- Kerry Supports Minimum Wage Increase to $7 an Hour by 2007
- Bush: State Jobs Numbers Show Large Growth
- Bush Defends Economic Policies
Family
- Bush Promotes Marriage Initiative as Part of Compassionate Agenda
- Kerry’s Plan for Working Families
Health Care:
- Bush Highlights his Stands on Health Care
- Kerry Campaign Statement on New Families USA Report
Education:
- Bush Highlights his Stands on Education
- Nader Criticizes Over-emphasis on Standardized Testing
Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Middle East:
- Bush Gets Boost from McCain on Iraq
- Nader Criticizes US Bias to Israel
- Bush Outlines New Afghanistan Initiatives
Stem Cell Research:
- Kerry: Bush Puts Ideology before Science
Government Reform:
- Nader Criticizes Debate Commission
Ethnic Outreach:
- Bush Asks Senator to Court Loyal Jewish Democratic Voting Bloc
2) COMMUNITY ACTIVISM
- Rights Groups Push New Bill to Protect Civil Liberties, Immigrants
- Berman Would Relax Patriot Act: Bill Would Cut Anti-Muslim Provisions
- U.S. Muslims Meet with Powell on Foreign Policy
Upcoming Events:
To announce your upcoming local Muslim political event, please email:
politics@cair-net.org
Recent Events:
- Dearborn Arab Festival Touts Voter Registration
3) NATIONAL, STATE & LOCAL POLITICS
- FBI Wanted to Use the Most Controversial Provision of the Patriot Act
- Patriot Act Squeezes Banks, Customers with Paperwork
- TX: Democrats Challenge Patriot Act, Principles
- Patriot Act Used to Prosecute CIA Contractor Accused of Abusing a
Prisoner in Afghanistan
- MA: Sen. Kennedy Sidesteps Impeachment of Bush over Prisoner Abuse
- Fuel Prices a Concern for Many
- Proposal Warns Evangelicals on Politics
- Senate to Take Up Gay Marriage Amendment in July
About the Updates: CAIR's weekly Election 2004 Updates are designed to
promote the political empowerment of the American Muslim community.
Updates
focus on issues of importance to the American Muslim community and the
candidates' positions on those issues.
To send local news stories, feedback, and comments please e-mail:
politics@cair-net.org
-----
INCITEMENT WATCH: LECTURER SAYS ISLAM HELPS CREATE TERROR
K.C. Howard, Review Journal, 6/21/04
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Jun-21-Mon-2004/news/24089978.ht
ml
Patrick Boylan, a member of the state's board of education, brought out
the
Quran before 19 of the state's highest emergency responders.
"It says it right here. Do not take the infidels as your friends," he
said,
citing Sura 5:51. "I'm making statements straight from the Quran and
these
are what terrorists are using to justify terrorism."
The topic of his lecture, "The terrorist mind-set, why do they hate
us?"
was part of a federally funded pilot master's degree program at the
University of Nevada, Las Vegas' Institute of Security Studies.
Its students, Bechtel Nevada employees, police officers and
firefighters,
are working to obtain an executive master of science in crisis and
emergency management degree.
"I have studied the Quran for this very purpose to understand why they
behave the way they do," said Boylan, an Irish Catholic, who grew up in
Pakistan. "There is going to be a war on terrorism that is never going
to
stop, and Islam is behind it."
Boylan's lecture made more than a few students in the classroom shift
in
their seats as he said the Islamic religion advocates killing
Christians
and Jews.
"I have a little bit of a different opinion," Sheriff Bill Young said
during a class break. "Historically, Muslims, particularly in our
country,
are good citizens."
Retired U.S. Army Col. Lee Van Arsdale, the institute's director, stood
up
during the class to offer a legal disclaimer that Boylan's views do not
represent those of UNLV.
Boylan knows his views are controversial. He resided in Pakistan for
the
first 26 years of his life, where he said he saw firsthand
discrimination
and violence against non-Muslims.
"Non-Muslims have been discriminated against all over the world," he
said.
"We are in a battle of religion right now."
In Pakistan and other countries of Islamic rule, Christians are treated
as
second-class citizens and cannot obtain high-level positions in
government,
he told students.
"There are no non-Muslims that hold significant positions of power," he
said...
-----
CAIR-SACRAMENTO VALLEY MEETS WITH DOJ OFFICIAL
(SACRAMENTO, CA) - CAIR-Sacramento Vally (CAIR-SV) recently took part
in a
Department of Justice, Office of Civil Rights Limited English
Proficiency
(LEP) compliance review of the Sacramento Police Department (SPD). An
LEP
individual is a person whose first language is not English and who has
a
limited ability to speak, read, write, or understand English.
Community groups represented at the meeting included CAIR-SV, the
Sacramento Area Congregations Together (A.C.T), the Korean American
Community Association of Greater Sacramento, and the Catholic Diocese
of
Sacramento.
CONTACT: CAIR-Sacramento, Rashid Ahmad, 916-825-0027
ALSO SEE:
CAIR-NY: JAMES YEE CELEBRATION BANQUET
WHAT: Hear from James Yee’s family, council member John Liu and other
invited guests. The event, sponsored by the Justice for James Yee Ad
Hoc
Committee (East Coast), will discuss the unjust persecution and
prolonged
detention James Yee had to face.
WHEN: Friday, June 25 2004, 6:30PM – 10PM
WHERE: Grand Harmony Restaurant, 98 Mott Street, New York, N.Y.
(Chinatown,
Off Canal Street)
CONTACT: Wayne (347) 400-1656
Sin -Yen, sling@aaldelf.org
Kwong, Kwong_Eng@yahoo.com
Sponsored by the Justice for James Yee Ad Hoc Committee (East Coast),
APALA- AFL-CIO, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
(AALDEF),
the David Wong Support Committee, the Organization of Chinese American
(OCA-LI & OCA-NY), Flushing Greens, the Blue Triangle Network, Refuse &
Resist, and Council on American-Islamic Relations-NY
-----
CAIR-FL: MUSLIM LEADERS DENOUNCE BEHEADING
Tanya Weinberg, Sun-Sentinel, 6/22/04
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-cislam22jun22,0,1515676.s
tory
Several Muslim community leaders gathered Monday to condemn the murder
of
American Paul Johnson in Saudi Arabia and to draw a line between their
religion and violence committed in its name.
Islamic leaders participated in similar announcements after the
beheading
of Nicholas Berg in Iraq last month and the terrorist attacks of Sept.
11,
2001. Monday some leaders said they continue to confront the public
perception that American Muslims have not done enough to repudiate
terrorism.
"We want to carry this message, that those that are committing this
kind of
senseless, merciless act, they do not represent Islam, they do not
represent the value of Islam, they do not represent the peace of
Islam,"
said Ahmed Kabani, president of the Pakistan American Chamber of
Commerce
in Miami.
The anti-Muslim backlash that tends to follow terrorism abroad already
may
have reached Florida. Altaf Ali, Florida director of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, said in recent days his group received
reports
from two Tampa-area mosques of anti-Muslim graffiti and vandalism. The
FBI
is investigating two local incidents that followed the Berg beheading.
A
hateful letter was left at Darul Uloom Institute in Pembroke Pines, and
an
Islamic school's sign was defaced in Kendall.
On Monday, Ali called on all Muslims to sign his group's online
petition
condemning acts of terror committed in the name of Islam. He said
700,000
have done so already. He also called on the public not to target
American
Muslims.
"They should not be held accountable for those few individuals who are
committing crimes in the name of Islam," Ali said...
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIMS DEPLORE HOSTAGE'S KILLING
Kristen Bolt, Miami Herald, 6/22/04
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/8980328.htm
South Florida Muslim leaders on Monday condemned the beheading of
engineer
Paul Johnson Jr. in Saudi Arabia and offered condolences to his family
and
friends.
''Such acts of senseless violence do not help anyone, and they
victimize
innocent people and terribly hurt their families,'' Dr. Moiez A. Tapia,
chairman of the Institute of Islamic Education and Research at the
University of Miami, said at a press conference. ''It also distorts the
image of Islam.''
Altaf Ali, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic
Relations,
called on Muslims worldwide to participate in an online petition drive
--
''Not in the Name of Islam'' at www.cair-florida.org
Speakers at the press conference, held at the Radisson Miami Hotel on
Biscayne Boulevard in Miami, said ''peace, tolerance and brotherhood''
were
central tenets of Islam.
Citing the vandalizing of two Central Florida Muslim centers after
Johnson's killing, speakers called on everyone to understand that
violence
against their Muslim neighbors promotes more misunderstanding. They
also
called for a national debate about the root causes of terrorism...
---
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA
ALEX PENELAS
MAYOR
June 21, 2004
MAYOR PENELAS SUPPORTS EFFORTS OF MUSLIM COMMUNITIES OF SOUTH FLORIDA
AS
THEY PROMOTE AND BUILD UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR RELIGION
Mayor Penelas commends the Council on American-Islamic Relations and
Muslim
Communities of South Florida for their outreach efforts in promoting
understanding of their religion. He also asks residents to respect one
another.
“We are a diverse people – a microcosm of this great nation,” said
Mayor
Penelas. “Our Islamic neighbors are part of our grand mosaic, of which
we
are so proud. They are valuable and respected members of our community.
They are members of a faith that honors peace. They are fellow
Americans
and they deserve our respect. The people who export terror pervert
their
faith to justify their wicked intent. Hate crimes and discrimination –
and
such as vandalism of Islamic centers – will not be tolerated by my
administration. If we use our fear to harass, attack or frighten our
fellow
Americans – our neighbors -- we become the tool of the terrorist.”
---
TERRORISM DOESN'T SERVE ISLAM
Oregonian, 6/22/04
http://www.oregonlive.com/letters/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/108790
5880262361.xml
I was just horrified when I saw on the news that another American, Paul
M.
Johnson Jr., had been kidnapped and murdered. Oh, not again, and not in
the
so-called name of Islam.
I want to say for myself, family and the majority of the Muslims around
the
world that we condemn this act of senseless violence and repudiate all
those who believe such murderous behavior benefits the faith of Islam
or
the Muslim people.
Those who commit acts of terror, murder and cruelty in the name of
Islam
are not only destroying innocent lives, but are also betraying the
values
of the faith they claim to represent. No injustice done to Muslims can
ever
justify the massacre of innocent people, and no act of terror will ever
serve the cause of Islam.
We repudiate and disassociate ourselves from any Muslim group or
individual
who commits such brutal and unIslamic acts. We refuse to allow our
faith to
be held hostage by the criminal actions of a tiny minority acting
outside
the teachings of both the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon
him.
JENNIFER LYNN DWYER Bend
-----
CAIR SENDS CONDOLENCES TO KOREAN AMBASSADOR
June 22, 2004
H.E. Ambassador Sung Joo Han
Embassy of South Korea
2450 Massachusetts Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
Your Excellency:
On behalf of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the
nation’s
largest Islamic civil rights organization, I offer my deepest
condolences
on the news of the brutal murder in Iraq of South Korean national, Mr.
Kim
Sun-il.
As American Muslims and people of conscience, we condemn this latest
act of
murder in the strongest terms possible and hope that the perpetrators
are
swiftly brought to justice.
Again, on behalf of our organization, I would like to extend our
heartfelt
condolences to the victim's family and to your nation.
Most sincerely,
Arsalan Iftikhar
Director of Legal Affairs
-----
TELEVISION ADS CHALLENGE ISLAMOPHOBIA IN AMERICA
Ashraf Fahim, Daily Star, 6/22/04
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=
5516
NEW YORK: A native-American journalist, an African-American veteran, a
Hispanic-American girl scout troop leader and a European-American with
an
ancestor who fought at Gettysburg are not the kinds of Muslims that
Americans are accustomed to seeing on their television sets - which is
exactly the reason they feature in a series of ads created by a
prominent
Islamic advocacy group and designed to counter the preponderance of
negative images of Islam on US airwaves. After recounting a brief
personal
story, each signs off by proudly declaring, "I am an American Muslim."
The series of television and radio public service announcements (PSAs),
which the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) made available
to
broadcasters on June 1, are intended to combat what the groups says is
rising anti-Muslim sentiment caused by a storm of hostile rhetoric and
unfavorable imagery since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks - from coverage
of
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to unflattering depictions of Muslims
in
film, to remarks disparaging Islam from members of the media, public
officials and religious leaders.
"To combat some of the negative perceptions and the negative rhetoric,"
says CAIR spokesperson Rabiah Ahmed, "we're trying to promote a more
positive, accurate image of the American Muslim community and Islam."
It's an uphill battle. A report released by CAIR in May noted a 70
percent
rise in harassment, violence and discriminatory treatment against
Muslim-Americans in 2003. And the magnitude of the challenge Muslims
face
in recasting their tarnished image became apparent two days after the
PSAs
were released; when Paul Johnson, a US military contractor living in
Saudi
Arabia, was beheaded by a group claiming Al-Qaeda affiliation. CAIR was
immediately inundated with media inquiries, briefly overshadowing their
other initiatives...
"When anti-Muslim rhetoric goes unpunished," says Ahmed, "it gives the
US
public a sense that it's legitimate, that you can say or do whatever
you
want to the American-Muslim community..."
-----
GAS STATION ATTENDANT IS KILLED IN PRESTON
Andrew Ryan, The Day, 6/19/04
http://www.theday.com/eng/web/news/re.aspx?re=3316f5bc-a29b-4f76-82c6-f82134
9defae
Preston –– An immigrant who sent his wages back home to his mother was
slain Thursday while working the night shift at a gas station on Route
2,
police and friends said. The Pakistani man died alone, bleeding on the
floor behind the counter from a single gunshot wound to his chest.
Police haven't caught the killer.
Just before 9:07 p.m., a customer walked into the Citgo Gas Station
less
than a mile south of the Norwich city line. The customer, whom police
did
not identify, found the man, Sahibzada Ali, 26, bleeding, police said.
The customer's wife entered the gas station moments later and called
911.
An ambulance rushed Ali to The William W. Backus Hospital but doctors
pronounced him dead when he arrived at 9:45 p.m., a hospital spokesman
said.
It was unclear if the killing was a random robbery gone wrong or a
targeted
killing, said police, who were trying to determine if anything had been
stolen from the store.
By 11:20 p.m., the major crime squad had arrived at the scene. At
midnight,
police set up a roadblock, stopping drivers on the busy stretch of
highway,
hoping somebody saw something.
“We have developed significant leads,” Sgt. J. Paul Vance, the state
police
spokesman, said Friday morning. Investigators removed forensic and
physical
evidence from the gas station at 37 Route 2, Vance said, and were
looking
to talk to any motorists who may have driven the highway between 8 and
9:15
p.m.
After an autopsy Friday, the state medical examiner ruled Ali's death a
homicide...
-----
AFRAID IN AMERICA
Derek Williams, WTOP, 6/22/04
http://www.wtopnews.com/?sid=215314&nid=226
Since the Sept. 11 attacks and the subsequent war on terror, many
Muslim-Americans report they've been victims of harassment and
discrimination, violence and vandalism.
We explore their fears in a six-part series entitled, "Afraid in
America."
Part 1: Sikh-Americans describe in graphic terms slurs often directed
at
them on the street presumably because of their Middle Eastern
appearance.
Part 2: Are hate crimes on the rise? A new report from the Council on
American-Islamic Relations says yes. The report's author outlines his
findings, which Muslim-American community leaders describe as
"disturbing."
Part 3: "Flying While Muslim." The ACLU discusses lawsuits it has
brought
on behalf of airline passengers who claim they were "profiled" by
security
personnel on planes. ACLU claims U.S. security measures go too far and
civil liberties are "under attack."
Part 4: The FBI dismisses allegations, saying it doesn't profile and
has in
fact successfully prosecuted a number of hate crimes. FBI says airline
passengers are questioned or detained because of suspicious behavior,
not
simply because they are Muslim.
Part 5: Conservative groups deny an anti-Muslim bias. They defend the
Bush
Administration's war on terror and dismiss Muslim complaints that
conservative radio talk show hosts fuel hatred with anti-Muslim
rhetoric.
Part 6: Muslim-American community leaders are pushing for passage of a
bill
pending in Congress. Republicans think the "End Racial Profiling Act"
is
unnecessary; Democrats who support it proclaim it dead as a doornail.
ALSO SEE:
NOONDAY IN THE SHADE
Paul Krugman, New York Times, 6/22/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/22/opinion/22KRUG.html
In April 2003, John Ashcroft's Justice Department disrupted what
appears to
have been a horrifying terrorist plot. In the small town of Noonday,
Tex.,
F.B.I. agents discovered a weapons cache containing fully automatic
machine
guns, remote-controlled explosive devices disguised as briefcases, 60
pipe
bombs and a chemical weapon — a cyanide bomb — big enough to kill
everyone
in a 30,000-square-foot building.
Strangely, though, the attorney general didn't call a press conference
to
announce the discovery of the weapons cache, or the arrest of William
Krar,
its owner. He didn't even issue a press release. This was, to say the
least, out of character. Jose Padilla, the accused "dirty bomber,"
didn't
have any bomb-making material or even a plausible way to acquire such
material, yet Mr. Ashcroft put him on front pages around the world. Mr.
Krar was caught with an actual chemical bomb, yet Mr. Ashcroft acted as
if
nothing had happened.
Incidentally, if Mr. Ashcroft's intention was to keep the case
low-profile,
the media have been highly cooperative. To this day, the Noonday
conspiracy
has received little national coverage.
At this point, I have the usual problem. Writing about John Ashcroft
poses
the same difficulties as writing about the Bush administration in
general,
only more so: the truth about his malfeasance is so extreme that it's
hard
to avoid sounding shrill.
In this case, it sounds over the top to accuse Mr. Ashcroft of trying
to
bury news about terrorists who don't fit his preferred story line. Yet
it's
hard to believe that William Krar wouldn't have become a household name
if
he had been a Muslim, or even a leftist. Was Mr. Ashcroft, who once
gave an
interview with Southern Partisan magazine in which he praised "Southern
patriots" like Jefferson Davis, reluctant to publicize the case of a
terrorist who happened to be a white supremacist?
More important, is Mr. Ashcroft neglecting real threats to the public
because of his ideological biases?...
---
DELTA SETTLES ETHNIC PROFILING LAWSUIT
Detroit Free Press, 6/22/04
http://www.freep.com/money/business/delta22e_20040622.htm
Delta Air Lines Inc. agreed to spend $900,000 for worker civil rights
training after U.S. regulators found the carrier improperly kept off
flights some travelers perceived as Arab, Middle Eastern, Southeast
Asian
or Muslim.
The settlement is the fourth by a U.S. airline regarding passenger
treatment after 9/11, the Transportation Department said in a
statement.
Atlanta-based Delta must spend the money within two years for training
of
pilots, flight attendants and customer service agents.
"Some passengers were denied boarding or removed from flights" because
of
their ethnicity, the department's consent order said, without saying
how
many. Since November, The United States has also announced settlements
with
American Airlines and United Airlines for $1.5 million each in training
and
with Continental Airlines Inc. for $500,000.
Delta, the third-largest U.S. airline, said it didn't discriminate and
"strenuously denies" it violated federal law, according to the
department's
order. "Delta is already firmly committed to the objectives of the
civil
rights laws," Peggy Estes, an airline spokeswoman, said in an e-mailed
statement.
The airline told the department that its employees involved in the
incidents acted out of safety and security concerns, according to the
consent order.
The settlement signals a commitment by Delta to deal with the problem,
said
Reginald Shuford, senior staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties
Union in New York. "The Department of Transportation is serious about
this
issue and is trying to hold airlines accountable," he said...
-----
FORMER IDAHO FOOTBALL PLAYER RELEASED FROM TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS
BOB FICK, Associated Press, 6/22/04
BOISE, Idaho (AP) - A former University of Idaho football player who
was
detained as a material witness but never called to testify during the
terrorism-support trial of Sami Omar Al-Hussayen has been released from
travel restrictions.
U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge lifted the 15-month-old restrictions
earlier this month on Abdulla Al-Kidd, known as Lavoni T. Kidd when he
led
the Vandals in rushing his senior season in 1995. The move came even as
federal prosecutors assessed the possibility of retrying Al-Hussayen on
immigration charges.
A jury acquitted Al-Hussayen of using his computer skills to foster
terrorism and of three immigration violations in an eight-week trial.
It
deadlocked on eight other immigration charges that the government could
bring to trial again.
Al-Hussayen, the 34-year-old Saudi national pursuing a doctorate in
computer science at the University of Idaho before his arrest on Feb.
26,
2003, remained in the Canyon County Jail pending a decision whether he
should be retired.
He is also under a deportation order, which is being appealed.
Al-Hussayen
was only months from finishing his doctorate and has done some work on
it
from his cell. But his wife and three sons returned to Saudi Arabia in
January rather than fight government efforts to deport them…
Al-Kidd was arrested three weeks after Al-Hussayen last year and was
jailed
for two before he was released to the custody of his wife in Las Vegas
and
prohibited from traveling anywhere but California, Nevada, Washington
and
Idaho, where he has family. He had been a counselor for homeless teens
in
Seattle the previous year.
He was at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., when he was
taken into custody on March 16, 2003, heading for Saudi Arabia to begin
studying Islam on a four-year scholarship.
Federal prosecutors maintained then that Al-Kidd had testimony crucial
to
their case against Al-Hussayen and if permitted to go to Saudi Arabia
was
unlikely to return for the trial. They claimed Al-Kidd or his wife,
Nadine
Zegura, received thousands of dollars from Al-Hussayen and his
associates
in 2000 and 2001 -- money Al-Kidd claimed was paid for compiling a
newsletter.
But he was never called during the trial, and his federal public
defenders
said the government's action not only cost Al-Kidd the scholarship but
employment opportunities as well.
SEE ALSO:
Congressman John Conyers, Jr.
Fourteenth District, Michigan
Ranking Member, Committee on the Judiciary
Dean, Congressional Black Caucus
CONYERS WELCOMES DOJ INSPECTOR GENERAL'S DECISION TO INVESTIGATE
BRANDON
MAYFIELD'S ERRONEOUS ARREST AND DETENTION
Congressman John Conyers Jr., the Ranking Member on the House Judiciary
Committee, welcomes Department of Justice Inspector General Glenn
Fine's
decision to investigate the misidentification of Portland Attorney
Brandon
Mayfield. Mr. Fine's decision follows a June 16, 2004 request for an
investigation by Congressman Conyers, Congressman Robert C. Scott,
Ranking
Member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security,
and
Senator Russell D. Feingold.
Congressman Conyers issued the following statement regarding the
decision:
"The FBI's identification of Mr. Mayfield through fingerprints found on
evidence near the Madrid bombings never made sense. Although there was
no
evidence that Mr. Mayfield had been to Spain, or had any connection
with al
Qaeda terrorists involved in that attack, he is a Muslim, and that may
have
unfortunately skewed the FBI's thinking. The Department of Justice's
decision to pursue him by arresting him as a material witness rather
than
seeking to interview him about the attacks was part and parcel of
Attorney
General Ashcroft's misguided tactics in the war on terror.
I look forward to the Inspector General's report. I hope his office can
clarify why the FBI botched the fingerprint identification, why the
Department decided to arrest and detain Mayfield for two weeks and
whether
Mr. Mayfield's religion influenced the Department's decision to
vigorously
pursue him. The report will play an important role in ensuring that
innocent people are not needlessly locked up like this again."
-----
MOSQUE OPPONENTS CALL PRAYER CENTER 'SECURITY RISK'
NBC 5, 6/21/04
http://www.nbc5.com/news/3444512/detail.html
ORLAND PARK, Ill. -- Emotions are clashing in Orland Park over plans to
build the very first mosque in that suburb.
Hundreds of people have sent city officials letters voicing their
concerns,
NBC5's Anna Davlantes reported. Others have signed a petition against
the
prayer center.
A Muslim-American doctor donated the site of the planned mosque, 16530
104th Ave., to the local Muslim community. Opponents believe the mosque
would create a security issue in the community. They call the proposed
mosque a breeding ground for extremism.
"I know many of us have fears about our changing world affairs,
however,
this prayer center is a proposal by Orland Park residents who deserve a
place to worship closer to home, like all of us," said Orland Park
Mayor
Daniel McLaughlin in a statement.
Several hundred residents were expected at the Orland Park village
meeting
Monday night. Five of six trustees have already expressed support for
the
planned mosque.
ALSO SEE:
ORLAND PARK OFFICIALS OK MOSQUE
Stanley Ziemba, Chicago Tribune, 6/22/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0406220040jun22,1,3887043.story
After hours of heated and emotional debate in which opponents expressed
fears that a proposed mosque would foster terrorism, the Orland Park
Village Board voted unanimously Monday night to annex the mosque site
and
allow construction to begin.
Although speakers at the Orland Park Civic Center were about evenly
divided
between supporters and opponents, catcalls and boos reverberated around
the
room when a supporter said it was wrong to fear the Muslim house of
worship.
Veronica Mattera, a village resident, reminded the more than 400 people
in
attendance that the meeting had started with the Pledge of Allegiance,
which ends with the phrase "liberty and justice for all."
"Under the Constitution, everyone has a right to a place of worship,"
she
said.
But several people, starting with Rev. Vernon C. Lyons, pastor of the
Ashburn Baptist Church, said they feared the mosque would attract
Islamic
extremists and violence to their community.
"As a Christian, a Baptist and an American, I am a firm believer in
religious freedom, but when any group jeopardizes our national security
and
liberty, they are not deserving of our tolerance," Lyons said.
While some also reiterated concerns that the mosque would create
traffic
problems and cause property values to decline, most, like Lyons,
expressed
fears about extremists--a fear that has gripped communities with
mosques
since the Sept. 11 attacks...
---
MORTON GROVE, MUSLIM CENTER SIGN AGREEMENT
Chicago Tribune, 6/2/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/northwest/chi-0406220160jun22,1,660
0768.story
To the click and flash of cameras, Morton Grove and Muslim leaders
signed a
mediated agreement Monday that could allow the suburb's Muslim
Community
Center to build a mosque.
"This is a first step ... toward healing our community," Mayor Dan
Scanlon
said.
The agreement, reached this month with the help of the U.S. Department
of
Justice, paves the way for the Muslim center to request a permit to
build a
mosque for 525 worshipers and make space for up to 224 parking spots.
Last week, village trustees voted 5-1 to allow the mayor to sign the
agreement. But before ground is broken, the Planning Commission must
agree
to the conditions.
The proposal for a mosque has been controversial from the start. In
April
2003, the center, which has been holding Friday prayer services for 15
years, requested a permit to build a worship site, which the village
rejected.
Some residents opposed to the plan, citing noise and traffic
congestion,
have sued the village in federal court...
-----
AN AMERICAN MUSLIM OPENS WINDOW TO ISLAM
Cathleen Falsani, Sun Times, 6/22/04
http://www.suntimes.com/output/religion/cst-nws-koran22.html
Don't be fooled by the cheeky title and the cartoon illustrations. The
Koran for Dummies is a serious book.
And its author, 23-year-old Sohaib Sultan of Villa Park, is a serious
scholar.
In his book, Sohaib -- a North Carolina native who spent middle school
and
most of high school in Saudi Arabia, where his father was a professor
at
the University of Umm-ul-Qura -- explains the history, structure and
basic
theology of Islam's holy book in everyday language geared toward a
non-Muslim audience.
While he might have studied with some of the leading Islamic scholars
in
the world, Sultan didn't want his book to read like an academic thesis.
"The purpose of the Dummies series is to simplify things," the
soft-spoken,
bespectacled young author said last week, sitting at his parents'
dining
room table where he spent much of the last year at his laptop computer
writing the book a few feet away from bookshelves crowded with Islamic
texts and commentaries on the Quran. "Scholars 50 years older than I
have
been writing very philosophically and theologically about the Quran.
This
is an opportunity for me to basically simplify their works for the
average
Joe."
"I wanted to provide a complete picture of the Quran and how
classically
Muslims have viewed it," Sultan said, adding that he wanted to change
people's "psychological point of reference" about Islamic Scripture. "I
wanted to take it from what people hear on the news in really quick
sound
bites. Especially after Sept. 11, people will come on and quote one
verse
out of the Quran out of context and say, 'Look, the Quran advocates
violence...'
ALSO SEE:
YOUTH THINK TANK MEETS TO ENERGIZE MUSLIM ELECTORATE
Lisa Humes-Schulz, Daily Californian, 6/21/04
http://www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=15498
BERKELEY, Calif. - With this fall's election rapidly approaching,
Muslim
political leaders are scrambling to develop an election strategy -- one
that gets more Muslim citizens out to vote.
The American Muslim Alliance Youth Think Tank met this weekend at the
University of California-Berkeley's Wheeler Hall to rally the
Muslim-youth
vote, which speakers said is often ignored by candidates.
"This year we have to decide what America is going to be in the 21st
century," said Dr. Agha Saeed, national chairperson of the association
and
UC Berkeley visiting lecturer. "Are we going to lead on the rights of
due
process, as a liberator and friend of all nations in the world, or lead
as
a colonizer and occupier?"
In the last presidential election, much of the Muslim community voted
as a
bloc, sending their votes to President Bush.
Bush's public stance against the 1996 Antiterrorism and Effective Death
Penalty Act, also known as the Secret Evidence Act, which allowed the
government to use "secret" evidence against a suspect in cases
regarding
national security, earned him the Muslim vote in 2000, Saeed said.
An estimated 78 percent of Muslim voters cast a Republican ballot,
according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations...
-----
[EDITOR’S NOTE: The stoles mentioned below did not in fact bear the
word
“shahada,” they bore the shahada itself. They also bore the Arabic
phrase,
"God, increase my knowledge." The shahada, "There is no god but God and
Muhammad is the Messenger of God," is the core Muslim belief in the
oneness
of God and is one of the "five pillars" of Islam.]
STUDENTS SAY THEY'LL DON STOLES EVERY YEAR
Deepa Bharath, Daily Pilot, 6/22/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/pilot/news/la-dpt-uci22jun22,1,117543.stor
y
UC IRVINE — Muslim students at UC Irvine will wear green stoles at
graduation as a campus tradition to express their faith, a student
representative said on Monday.
Osman Umarji, president of UCI's Muslim Student Union, said Saturday's
graduation was peaceful and that about 20 students wore the
controversial
stoles, which were seen by Jewish students on campus as an endorsement
of
Islamic terrorist groups, who wear them to justify their cause.
"Students wore it at last year's graduation, too," he said. "No one
even
noticed it."
The Zionist Organization of America, a pro-Israeli group based in New
York,
sent a letter to UCI Chancellor Ralph Cicerone, demanding he reconsider
his
decision to allow the stoles into the ceremonies, calling them
"propagandist" symbols.
In the center of this controversy was one word — "shahada" — which
could be
translated to mean either a person's staunch faith in Islam or in the
verb
form could mean to die in the name of Islam.
The university did not see the stoles as racist slurs or as an
expression
of anti-Semitism, said Randy Lewis, UCI's executive associate dean of
students.
"It is significant to realize that there were a tremendous number of
colorful displays on Saturday," he said. "It was quite a potpourri of
festive regalia."
Students were wearing leis, U.S. Marine Corps sashes and medallions,
Lewis
said.
"One young woman was even wearing an image of the Lady of Guadalupe,"
he
said. "[The stoles] were probably lost in the crowd."
Expression of one's faith and beliefs "has always been OK" at UCI,
Lewis
said...
ALSO SEE:
INCITEMENT WATCH:
AMERICAN JEWISH CONGRESS EXPRESSES OUTRAGE AND SAFETY CONCERNS OVER UCI
MUSLIM STUDENT UNION CALL TO DISPLAY HAMAS "SHAHID" (MARTYR) SLOGAN AND
COLORS ON THEIR CLOTHES AT SATURDAY'S GRADUATION
AJCongress.org, 6/18/04
http://www.ajcongress.org/pages/RELS2004/JUN_2004/jun04_06.htm
The American Jewish Congress today expressed grave concern over the
report
that the Muslim Student Union at The University of Califonia, Irvine
(UCI)
were calling on students to come to graduation displaying green Hamas
sashes embroidered with the word "shahida" or suicide bomber at the
graduation this Saturday.
Gary Ratner, AJCongress Pacific Southwest Regional Director, said,
"This
outrageous demonstration in favor of terrorists and murderers is
evidence
of the moral bankruptcy of those who do so. It is a blatant attempt to
stir
anger on campus, and poses potential danger for students in
attendance."
On June 16th representatives of the AJCongress met with the UCI
administration to protest the MSU proposed actions and to explore
possible
options to avoid a confrontation on campus. UCI officials asserted that
they too were concerned about order on campus but that Constitutional
guarantees of speech and UCI's own regulations prohibit hate speech
against
individuals but not against groups.
"The American Jewish Congress has always supported free speech, but the
UCI
Administration also has a responsibility to prevent violence on campus.
One
step that is constitutionally acceptable and that may be needed to
prevent
future confrontations on campus is the imposition of a strict dress
code
and ban on all political displays at graduation ceremonies. Imposing
such a
code may sound like a severe imposition on graduating college students,
but
that is the consequence of dangerously provocative behavior by an
irresponsible few," Ratner said.
The American Jewish Congress, founded in 1918 and headquartered in New
York
City, has counted among its founders and leaders former Supreme Court
Justices Louis Brandeis and Felix Frankfurter. It has offices in the
U.S.,
Europe and Israel.
SEE: "GRADUATION STOLE RAISES TENSIONS"
http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2004/06/18/sections/local/local/article_139066
.php
"UCI GRADUATION CONTROVERSY IS OVERBLOWN, MUSLIM STUDENTS SAY"
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-me-stoles19jun19,1,1389155.story
MUSLIMS DEMAND APOLOGY FOR ADL'S 'HATE-FILLED RHETORIC
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=1085&page=NR
-----
SURVEY: MOST ISRAELI JEWS WANT ARABS OUT
Associated Press, 6/21/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slu
g=Israel%20Poll
JERUSALEM - A majority of Israeli Jews think Israeli Arabs are a threat
to
security and believe they should be encouraged to leave the country,
according to a new survey.
The author of the wide-ranging survey said Tuesday that the numbers
were
the result of nearly four years of Israeli-Palestinian violence.
Israeli Arabs constitute about 20 percent of Israel's population of 6.8
million. They enjoy full civil and political rights - unlike their
Palestinian counterparts in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip - but
suffer
from economic and social discrimination.
Professor Gavriel Ben Dor of the University of Haifa said the survey of
1,016 Israelis found that 64 percent of Jewish respondents believe the
government should encourage Israeli Arabs to leave the country, and 55
percent think they constitute a threat to Israeli security.
He said the two responses were connected. ``If you believe that someone
is
a threat to your country, you're inclined to want him leave,'' he said.
The survey also found that 46 percent of Israeli Jews believe that
Israeli
Arabs should lose their right to vote and not be allowed to sit in
parliament, Ben Dor said...
-----
MOST AMERICANS REJECT IRAQ WAR: POLL
ABC, 6/21/04
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200406/s1137455.htm
Fifty-two per cent of Americans believe the Iraq war was not worth
fighting
in what amounts to a repudiation of President George W Bush's argument
that
winning in Iraq is key to prevailing in the war on terror, according to
a
new opinion poll.
The joint survey by ABC News and the Washington Post also indicated
that
seven in 10 Americans found US casualties were "unacceptable," while
the
number of those confident the war has enhanced long-term US security
has
slid 11 points this year, to 51 per cent.
The findings follow a report by a bipartisan commission investigating
the
September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States that found that,
contrary
by the administration's claim, there were no cooperative ties between
the
former Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda.
Mr Bush and other administration officials had also insisted Baghdad
had a
massive arsenal of weapons of mass destruction.
No such weapons have ever been found.
The poll also found that 76 per cent of Americans now believe the Iraq
war
has damaged the US image in the rest of the world, 13 points up from
last
summer.
Another 63 per cent said it has caused long-term harm to US relations
with
countries that opposed the war.
As a result, approval of the President's handling of the US campaign
against terrorism has fallen to 50 per cent, according to the poll...
ALSO SEE:
AL QAEDA LINK TO IRAQ MAY BE CONFUSION OVER NAMES
Walter Pincus and Dan Eggen, Washington Post, 6/22/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58899-2004Jun21.html
An allegation that a high-ranking al Qaeda member was an officer in
Saddam
Hussein's private militia may have resulted from confusion over Iraqi
names, a senior administration official said yesterday.
Former Navy secretary John Lehman, a Republican member of the
commission
investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, said Sunday that documents
found
in Iraq "indicate that there is at least one officer of Saddam's
Fedayeen,
a lieutenant colonel, who was a very prominent member of al Qaeda."
Although he said the identity "still has to be confirmed," Lehman
introduced the information on NBC's "Meet the Press" to counter a
commission staff report that said there were contacts between Iraq and
al
Qaeda but no "collaborative relationship."
Yesterday, the senior administration official said Lehman had probably
confused two people who have similar-sounding names.
One of them is Ahmad Hikmat Shakir Azzawi, identified as an al Qaeda
"fixer" in Malaysia. Officials say he served as an airport greeter for
al
Qaeda in January 2000 in Kuala Lumpur, at a gathering for members who
were
to be involved in the attacks on the USS Cole, the World Trade Center
and
the Pentagon...
---
NEOCONSERVATIVES LAY LOW, HOPE FOR IRAQI DEMOCRACY
Alan Elsner, Reuters, 6/21/04
WASHINGTON - The neoconservative architects of the U.S. invasion of
Iraq
are anxiously watching events there, aware that failure could prevent
the
United States from aggressively confronting other states such as Iran,
analysts said on Monday.
The so-called neoconservatives argue that U.S. interests and values are
best pursued, especially in the Middle East, through "regime change" in
certain countries and the establishment of pro-U.S. democracies in
their
stead.
Several analysts said one clear way of gauging the influence of the
neoconservatives will be by watching U.S. policy toward Iran. At the
moment, Washington is working with the International Atomic Energy
Agency
to try to control Tehran's nuclear program and bring it under effective
outside monitoring.
"If the neoconservatives have their way, you will see more
confrontation
(with Iran) and the United States backing away from a willingness to
work
through international organizations," said Jonathan Clarke of the
conservative Cato Institute, co-author of a recent book on the
neoconservative movement.
Arguments for a confrontational approach have lost some of their appeal
in
Washington after U.S. troops were not welcomed in Iraq as liberators,
as
leading neoconservatives had predicted. The U.S. casualty toll has also
mounted in the year since the invasion, while the prospects of
achieving
Western-style democracy are uncertain at best.
---
FLURRY OF SUICIDE ATTEMPTS AT GUANTANAMO
Matt Kelley, Associated Press, 6/22/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apwashington_story.asp?category=1152&
slug=Guantanamo%20Suicide%20Attempts
WASHINGTON - Three months after a get-tough general took command of the
Guantanamo Bay prison for terror suspects, prisoners began a flurry of
suicide attempts, according to military records.
Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller took over as commander at Guantanamo in
November
2002 after interrogators criticized his predecessor for being too
solicitous for the detainees' welfare.
Between January and March 2003, 14 prisoners at Guantanamo tried to
kill
themselves, according to Pentagon figures. That's more than 40 percent
of
the 34 suicide attempts by 21 inmates since the prison was opened in
January 2002.
Miller is now in charge of all military-run U.S. prisons in Iraq, a job
he
took after news broke of beatings and sexual humiliations last fall at
the
Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad.
Miller had visited Abu Ghraib in August and September and recommended
interrogation techniques that military lawyers said had to be modified
to
comply with the Geneva Conventions on treating prisoners of war.
Human rights groups say the suicide attempts at Guantanamo Bay may be
evidence that conditions there amounted to torture.
The Bush administration calls the men "enemy combatants," similar to
traditional prisoners of war but not subject to the guarantees of the
Geneva Conventions against torture and other abuses. The administration
contends their treatment nevertheless is in compliance with the
conventions...
-----
MANY MUSLIM WOMEN SAY THE DECISION TO WEAR A HIJAB ISN'T ABOUT
OPPRESSION,
IT'S ABOUT FREEDOM
Caroline Skelton, Times Colonist, 6/22/04
http://www.canada.com/victoria/timescolonist/index.html
Leila El-Kassaby never has bad hair days. The hair tucked under her
rose-petaled headscarf, she says, is gray, but the average onlooker
wouldn't be able to tell. And frankly, that's the way the 48-year-old
mother of two likes it.
"I would personally prefer to be judged on my intellect, on my
personality,
rather than my physical appearance."
Hijab -- the Islamic practice for women to cover their bodies with
loose
clothing, excepting only their face and hands -- is only one aspect of
a
wider mandate that both sexes dress and behave with modesty.
For El-Kassaby, who emigrated to Victoria from Egypt 25 years ago,
dressing
hijab is a choice that she is proud of.
But she senses much of the Western world doesn't understand. She has
put
herself on a media diet, too angry over the prototypical Muslim woman
in
the news -- a polar opposite of all Muslim women she knows.
"She has no rights. She's kept like an animal in her home, her husband
has
other wives, and he beats her every day and she's not educated. And
nothing
could be further from the truth…"
In Victoria, where only about 550 Muslim women live among a majority of
55,595 secular women (2001 Census), the hijab stands to be a
misunderstood
symbol.
Yet El-Kassaby says she has received almost universal kindness and
understanding here.
"I got more smiles after 9/11 than I ever did," she said. Concerned
neighbors even laid flowers at the doorstep of her mosque...
-----
MAC FLEA MARKET AND BAKE SALE
WHAT: MAC Flea Market and Bake Sale. All proceeds of table rentals will
go
to MAC Legal Fund
WHEN: Saturday, June 26, 2004 from to 10:00 A.M.- 4:00 P.M. (RAIN OR
SHINE)
WHERE: Islamic Center of Maryland (ICM), 19401 Woodfield Road,
Gaithersburg, MD 20879
To rent a table to sell your goods, (NO FOOD OR BEVERAGE SALES PLEASE),
contact Laurie Jaghlit 571-217-1436 BY JUNE 20TH TABLES $25.00 EACH
ALSO SEE:
MAS 4TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE
WHAT: Muslim American Society (MAS) Southern California will be hosting
its
4th annual all-day conference titled, "Together For A Better America."
Speakers: include: Dr. Jamal Badawi, Dr. Hassan Hathout, Imam Sadiq
Safir,
Dr. Ahmad Sakr, Sh. Alaa Mansour Ramadan, Sh. Safwat Morsi, Dr. Souheil
Ghannouchi, Br. Mehdi Bray.
WHEN: Sunday, July 4th 2004
WHERE: Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 South Figueroa Street, Los
Angeles, CA 90015
Admissions: $15 students- $20 Adults, $80 Family (4 or more members)
Registration starts at 8:30 a.m.
-----
ISLAMIC DEMOCRACY? MALI FINDS A WAY TO MAKE IT WORK
Yaroslav Trofimov, Wall Street Journal, 6/22/04
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
TIMBUKTU, Mali -- As the sun sank over the Sahara, Mohammed Cisse
straightened his pristine white robe and fired up the voters. "We'll
build
you good schools, letting your children study instead of becoming
delinquents," he bellowed. On cue, women in brightly colored bou-bous
rose
up from straw mats to cheer to the beat of a drum.
The same day, sitting near an ancient mosque built of mud, a rival
campaigner said the schools had only gotten worse under Mr. Cisse,
Timbuktu's mayor for most of the past five years. The challenger's
pitch
drew equally thunderous applause from a throng jamming a sandy square
that
on other days is traversed by donkeys and camels.
All over Mali last month, the boisterous pursuit of votes unfolded with
hardly a hitch. Candidates focused on everyday issues like garbage
removal
and roads. Their lively campaigns showcased something highly unusual in
the
Muslim world: a thriving democracy.
Islam and democracy haven't had a good record together, especially
where
mixed with deep poverty such as that of this sprawling West African
country. While much of the world has moved away from authoritarian
rule,
the New York think tank Freedom House ranks just two of the globe's 47
Muslim-majority nations fully "free." They are Mali, a democracy since
1992, and neighboring Senegal. Mali's rare success thus stands as both
a
hopeful sign and a measure of the task the U.S. faces in seeking to
seed
democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Some of the Muslim world's religious leaders say Western-style
democracy --
rule by the people under man-made laws -- is incompatible with Islam,
which
has its own detailed laws and rules of behavior, regarded as God-given
and
immutable. In addition, dictatorial regimes in the Middle East have
long
claimed democracy was a luxury the region couldn't afford because
Muslims
needed to unite in confrontation with Israel.
Democracy might seem to face particularly long odds in Mali. The former
French colony sits astride one of the world's most violent
neighborhoods.
To the north is Algeria, wracked by a lethal Islamist insurgency, and
to
the south the Ivory Coast, rent by ethnic civil war.
Mali -- bigger than Texas and California combined, with 12 million
people
-- is a hodgepodge of ethnic groups. Listening to Mr. Cisse campaign
were
black Songhay farmers in Muslim skullcaps, Arab traders with goatees,
Peul
cattlemen in conical leather hats, and olive-skinned Tuareg nomads
whose
full-face turbans left only sunglasses exposed. The diversity reflects
Timbuktu's past as a caravan crossroads where the Sahara meets a bend
in
the muddy Niger River.
What Mali has going for it, though, is an ancient tradition of getting
along, helped immeasurably by recent leaders who embraced the
democratic
ideal. For a thousand years, before a French conquest in the 1890s,
much of
the land that's now Mali was united under a series of multiethnic
empires
that usually respected religious freedom. This history, glorified in
folk
songs and epic tales, imbued Malians with a sense of common nationhood
that
transcends ethnic divisions and isn't common in either Africa or the
Mideast.
The pre-colonial habit of coexistence, Malians say, has spared them the
twin traps of Islamic radicalism and tribal strife that derail so many
democratic experiments in the developing world. And the common history
means that unlike in much of the Muslim world, democracy is seen here
as an
outgrowth of hallowed local traditions, not an alien innovation.
"We are carrying out a unique, original experiment -- building a
democracy
according to our own values, according to the way we Malians are,
committed
to solidarity, to consensus and to dialogue," says Mali's president,
Amadou
Toumani Toure. "What we have here is an Islam that is very ancient,
tolerant and enlightened. We see nothing in our religion that would
prevent
us from being democratic..."
-----
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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
-----
--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
BREAKING NEWS:
* FEDS PROBE MISSOURI MOSQUE VANDALISM (AP)
* CAIR MUSLIM COMMUNITY SAFETY KIT
- Reacting to Incidents of Anti-Muslim Hate
- CAIR Mosque Security Guidelines
- Responding to Bomb threats
- Cautionary Notes
-----
CONTACT: CAIR-St. Louis, Kamal Yassin, Tel: 314-477-8407, Jim Hacking,
314-602-3794, 636-207-8882, E-Mail: admin@cair-stl.org
-----
BALLWIN MOSQUE VANDALIZED
Swastikas Painted on the Walls
Associated Press, 6/22/04
http://www.kmox.com/news/article.php?id=13534
(Ballwin-AP) -- Federal investigators are looking (at) a case of
vandalism
of a suburban St. Louis mosque.
Someone reportedly painted a swastika and the word "die" on the wall of
the
Daar-Ool-Islam mosque in Ballwin.
Mosque leaders say they are working closely with police, trying to find
the
vandals.
-----
CAIR MUSLIM COMMUNITY SAFETY KIT
In response to attacks on and threats against American Muslim
individuals
and communities, CAIR has published a "Muslim Community Safety Kit."
The
kit contains information designed to equip local Islamic leaders and
activists with the knowledge necessary to protect against anti-Muslim
bigotry or attacks.
The safety kit, excerpts of which are provided below, may be obtained
by
e-mailing pubs@cair-net.org, or by calling 202-488-8787 and asking for
the
"Publications Department."
---
EXCERPTS FROM CAIR'S MUSLIM COMMUNITY SAFETY KIT:
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 times of crisis.
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 about
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.
BUILD 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: cair@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.
CAUTIONARY NOTES
A. Do not approach or challenge a suspicious person or vehicle.
B. Do not pursue vehicles or suspects.
C. Observe and report. You have no police powers.
D. Conduct watch patrols in pairs.
E. Conduct watches in a random fashion.
-----
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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
-----
Forwarded Message
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Subject:
CAIR-NET: ADL Apologizes to Muslims/TX, NJ Mosques Targeted
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
* MOSQUES TARGETED IN TEXAS AND NEW JERSEY
* ADL ISSUES APOLOGY FOR 'SHAHADA' COMMENTS
-----
MOSQUES TARGETED IN TEXAS AND NEW JERSEY
FBI asked to probe incidents for possible bias motive
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/23/04) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR) today urged the FBI to investigate two incidents targeting
mosques
in Texas and New Jersey for possible bias motives.
Worshipers at the Champions Masjid under construction in Spring, Texas,
told CAIR that a number of dead fish were dumped near the entrance and
sign
for the mosque sometime Saturday evening. Mosque members report verbal
harassment in the past. (Champions Masjid is part of the Islamic
Society of
Greater Houston. [www.isgh.org])
A similar incident on Tuesday in which liquor bottles were thrown on
the
grounds of the Islamic Educational Center of North Hudson in Union
City,
N.J., is being treated as a possible bias crime by law enforcement
authorities. Center officials tell CAIR's New Jersey office that
incidents
of rock-throwing have occurred in the recent past.
The Texas and New Jersey incidents come following a string of attacks
on
and threats against mosques nationwide.
In Florida, vandals wrote "Kill all Muslims" inside the Islamic
Community
Center in the Tampa suburb of Lutz. The FBI is investigating vandalism
and
threatening messages targeting the Islamic Community of Southwest
Florida
in Charlotte Harbor. And in Missouri, vandals painted a Nazi swastika
and
the word "die" on an addition under construction at the Islamic
Foundation
of Greater St. Louis. Last month, three Miami Islamic centers were
vandalized.
CAIR believes the most recent incidents targeting Islamic institutions
in
America are backlash from the beheadings of American and Korean
civilians
in Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
"Our nation's leaders need to speak out against Islamophobic bigotry
just
as the American Muslim community has spoken out clearly against the
recent
killings in the Middle East," said CAIR Communications Director Ibrahim
Hooper.
Hooper said his group noted a spike in anti-Muslim hate messages
following
the killings. One message received by CAIR today suggested it may be
time
to "take muslims (sic) hostage here in America" and said, "I believe
the
time is coming when muslims will not be safe inside the US borders."
In response to attacks on and threats against American Muslim
individuals
and communities, CAIR has published a "Muslim Community Safety Kit."
That
kit contains information designed to equip local Islamic leaders and
activists with the knowledge necessary to protect against anti-Muslim
bigotry or attacks. The safety kit may be obtained by e-mailing
pubs@cair-net.org, or by calling 202-488-8787 and asking for the
"Publications Department."
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-Houston, 713-838-2247; CAIR-NJ, Faiza Ali, 908-209-7440;
Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org;
Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail: rahmed@cair-net.org
-----
ADL ISSUES APOLOGY FOR 'SHAHADA' COMMENTS
Jewish advocacy group says it is 'respectful of Shahada'
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/23/04) - A prominent national Jewish advocacy
group
has issued an apology for remarks in a news release that seemed to link
the
Islamic declaration of faith, or "shahada," with terrorism.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) made its apology yesterday in a news
release that stated: "(The ADL) is respectful of the Shahada, the
Muslim
Declaration of Faith, which is expressed by millions of Muslims around
the
world…It was never our intent to offend anyone and we apologize to
those
who took offense."
On Saturday, the Southern California office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA) demanded that the ADL apologize to
Muslims for "hate-filled Islamophobic rhetoric" distributed by one of
its
California offices.
A news release distributed by the ADL's Orange County/Long Beach
Regional
Office referred to the Islamic declaration of faith, or shahada, as an
"expression of hate" that is "closely identified" with terrorism and is
"offensive to Jewish Students."
The shahada, "There is no god but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of
God," is the core Muslim belief in the oneness of God and is one of the
"five pillars" of Islam. No person can be a Muslim without believing in
the
shahada.
The ADL made its original offensive statements in reference to a
controversy started by right-wing and pro-Israel groups over the
decision
by Muslim students at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) to
wear
stoles bearing the shahada at weekend graduation ceremonies. The stoles
in
question also said in Arabic: "God, increase my knowledge." Opponents
falsely claimed that the stoles are an expression of support for
terrorism.
SEE: "GRADUATION STOLE RAISES TENSIONS"
http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2004/06/18/sections/local/local/article_139066
.php
"UCI GRADUATION CONTROVERSY IS OVERBLOWN, MUSLIM STUDENTS SAY"
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/orange/la-me-stoles19jun19,1,1389155.story
"We hope this apology represents a change of heart on the part of the
ADL
and will lead to a genuine attitude of respect and constructive
interaction," said CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush. Ayloush
said
his group would be willing to offer Islamic sensitivity training for
ADL
staffers.
Just last month, unknown arsonists torched a UCI student display set up
to
challenge the wall Israel is building on Palestinian land.
There are an estimated 600,000 Muslims in Southern California. CAIR,
America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered in
Washington, D.C., and has 28 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-LA, Sabiha Khan, 714-776-1847, 714-390-0334, E-Mail:
socal@cair.com; CAIR-National, Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or
202-744-7726, E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or
202-439-1441, E-Mail: rahmed@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
-----
--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .
Forwarded Message
From:
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To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Muslim Civil Rights Group Marks 10 Yrs of Advocacy
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/23/04
* VERSE OF THE DAY: GOD’S PROMISE IS TRUE
* LIBRARY PROJECT: 7547 Sponsorships
* MUSLIM CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP MARKS 10 YEARS OF ADVOCACY (RNS)
* MO: VANDAL PAINTS SWASTIKA ON ISLAMIC CENTER (SL Dispatch)
- NJ Monitors Johnson's Hometown for Backlash (Newsday)
* TN: FIRED MUSLIM TRUCK DRIVER SUES EMPLOYER (Tennessean)
- Referee Suspended for Questioning Headscarf (Australian)
- NY: Border Crossings in Brooklyn (Salon.com)
- CAIR-OHIO: Anti-Discrimination Conference (Columbus Disp)
* OH: NOT IN ISLAM’S NAME (Canton Rep)
- TX Muslims Decries Recent Beheadings (El Paso Times)
- FL: Savagery Puts All Muslims on Defensive (Sentinel)
* A MUSLIM IN THE MIDDLE HOPES AGAINST HOPE (NY Times)
- CA: Commence By Talking (LA Times)
* CIA OFFICER SAYS U.S. LOSING FIGHT AGAINST TERROR (NY Times)
* CONYERS CALLS FOR FULL DISCLOSURE OF PRISONER ABUSE
- PELOSI: Congress Must Investigate Abuse Allegations
- Afghan Detainees Tortured, Humiliated By Troops (Guardian)
* BREAKING SILENCE OVER THE HORRORS OF HEBRON (Indep. News)
* ISRAEL PLAYS THE KURDISH CARD, U.S. IN CROSSFIRE (antiwar.com)
- Israeli Army Investigating Reserve Troops (AP)
- NADER: US Should Disengage From Israel (Jerusalem Post)
* ISLAM IS GROWING IN LATIN AMERICA
* DC: PAKISTANI AMERICAN CONGRESS SUMMIT
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: GOD’S PROMISE IS TRUE
“Remain patient in adversity - for God’s promise always comes true.”
The Holy Quran, 40:55
-----
CAIR PUBLIC LIBRARY PROJECT UPDATE: 7547 SPONSORSHIPS
The goal of CAIR's library project is to send accurate and objective
information about Islam to America's 16,000 public libraries.
For only $150, Muslim individuals and groups may sponsor 18-item
packages
about Islam and Muslims, which are then distributed to the library of
their
choice.
To sponsor a library call, 1-800-392-7876, ext. 320, or visit:
www.libraryproject.org
-----
MUSLIM CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP MARKS 10 YEARS OF ADVOCACY
Holly Lebowitz Rossi, Religion News Service, Undated
http://www.religionnews.com
For the full text of the article, media outlets may e-mail:
info@religionnews.com
(UNDATED) Well before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 put American
Muslims in
the center of a political and religious melee, two men opened a small
office in Washington, D.C. Their mission was to advocate for civil and
political liberties for the nation's Muslim community. Founded 10 years
ago
June 1, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has become the
leading Muslim civil liberties and advocacy group in the nation.
With 26 regional offices in Florida, New Jersey, California, Arizona,
Kentucky, Texas and Ohio, among other states, and a D.C-based staff of
25,
the group is in a unique position to track discrimination against Arabs
and
Muslims, and educate the American public about the world's
second-largest
religion. When a major event happens that involves the Muslim
community,
from terrorism to an impingement on religious freedom, the
40,000-member
CAIR is there with action alerts, media releases, public service
announcements and a public-relations style that aims to get the word
out.
Among the group's first activities, says Ibrahim Hooper, who is CAIR's
spokesman and was one of the two founding employees, was to stage
protests
of the Arnold Schwarzenegger film "True Lies," which CAIR said
contained
insulting depictions of Muslims.
Soon afterward, CAIR sponsored demonstrations outside card stores to
protest a Hallmark card that contained a derogatory wordplay involving
the
Shiite Muslim sect. The card was taken off the shelves. CAIR later rose
to
national prominence when it protested a Nike sneaker that featured a
logo
that resembled the Arabic word "Allah."
"We believe that you use one success to go to the next," said Hooper.
"We saw a need -- there was no organized effort to defend Muslim civil
rights and empower the Muslim community in political and social terms."
Beginning with the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in
Oklahoma City -- which many people initially and incorrectly attributed
to
Arab terrorists -- CAIR began to track the number of reported instances
of
discrimination or violence against American Muslims and Arabs…
CAIR attempts to reach this population and encourage Muslims to
participate in the political process by voting -- CAIR has held voter
registration drives -- and running for office…
In addition to political action, the group seeks to mitigate the
American Muslim role in post-Sept. 11 America. The group recently
launched a
"Not in the Name of Islam" campaign, which is a petition that denounces
terrorism as un-Islamic. More than 650,000 signatures now appear on the
petition…
Hooper expressed frustration with what he sees as the public's
unwillingness to hear what CAIR is saying to terrorists through public
statements, full-page ads in newspapers and initiatives like "Not in
the
Name of Islam."
"Other than having a condemnation of terrorism stamped on the foreheads
of every Muslim in America, I don't know what else we can do," he said…
Other American Muslim scholars note, however, that CAIR has made a
significant difference because of its rigorous activity on behalf of
Muslims
who experience discrimination.
"It has reduced the ability to attack Muslims in America," said
Muqtedar
Khan, who is the chair of political science at Adrian College in
Michigan
and a non-resident fellow at the Brookings Institution…
-----
VANDAL PAINTS SWASTIKA ON BUILDING UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT ISLAMIC CENTER
Heather Ratcliffe, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 6/22/04
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/search.nsf/sitesearchresults?openview&type=
1&ch=Home&query=VANDAL+PAINTS+SWASTIKA+ON+BUILDING+UNDER+CONSTRUCTION+AT+ISL
AMIC+CENTER
Police were called Monday to investigate a hate message that was first
noticed almost a week ago, painted on the wall of a mosque and Islamic
community center in west St. Louis County.
A vandal used materials on hand to paint a swastika and the word "die"
on
an addition still being built at the Islamic Foundation of Greater St.
Louis, at 517 Weidman Road.
A construction worker first saw it Wednesday but didn't report it to
his
supervisor until Friday. On Monday, the builder notified officials at
the
religious center, who called police.
St. Louis County police said they have no suspects. Investigators
reviewed
surveillance camera tapes and canvassed the neighborhood for witnesses.
The Islamic community here has received more support than trouble in
the
wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, said Aisha Wilawan, the center's
office manager…
James Hacking of the Council on American-Islamic Relations of St. Louis
said Monday that he believes that attack was fueled by anti-Islamic
sentiment that targeted another faith by mistake.
Hacking said such acts have a demoralizing effect on peace-loving
Muslims
in America. "They are being targeted only because they practice the
same
religion of terrorists who claim to be Islamic," Hacking lamented…
ALSO SEE:
NJ MONITORS JOHNSON'S HOMETOWN FOR BACKLASH
Jeff Linkous, Newsday, 6/22/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-nj--saudihostage-bias0622jun22,
0,3308079.story?coll=ny-ap-regional-wire
TRENTON, N.J. - State bias crimes investigators were monitoring the
Ocean
County hometown of Paul M. Johnson Jr., where an anti-Muslim sign went
up
following his slaying by extremists in Saudi Arabia.
State authorities said no acts of retaliation have been reported in
Eagleswood, where Johnson grew up; in Little Egg Harbor Township, where
the
Lockheed Martin engineer's sister lives, or in the neighboring town of
Tuckerton.
John R. Hagerty, a state Division of Criminal Justice spokesman, said
investigators from the state Attorney General's Office were sent to the
area on Saturday, a day after a terrorist group with ties to al-Qaida
said
it had beheaded Johnson, 49, and posted images of his body on a Web
site.
Investigators remained in Ocean County's southern end on Tuesday,
Hagerty
said. Attorney General Peter C. Harvey has coordinated with the
region's
police departments and state troopers who patrol Eagleswood, where
there is
no local police department...
-----
FIRED MUSLIM TRUCK DRIVER SUES EMPLOYER
Anita Wadhwani, Tennessean, 6/23/04
http://www.tennessean.com/local/archives/04/06/53237088.shtml?Element_ID=532
37088
A local Muslim truck driver says he was fired for refusing to pick up a
load of Budweiser beer after telling supervisors that transporting
alcohol
violated his religious beliefs.
Ibrahim Barzinji, a Nashville resident who is Kurdish, filed suit in
federal court this week against his former employer, the Arkansas-based
J.B. Hunt Transport Inc., after getting permission from the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission. That permission is the first step
required of anyone filing suit under the Civil Rights Act.
Staff at the Arkansas-based company — the largest publicly held truck
and
train company in the country — said company policy precludes comment on
all
lawsuits.
Barzinji, 42, said he had just trucked a load of auto parts from
Clarksville to St. Louis on June 26 last year when he was asked to pick
up
a return load at the Anheuser-Busch plant.
''When I saw it was a beer company, I called my dispatcher and said, 'I
can't do this. It's against my religion,' '' Barzinji said yesterday.
Barzinji, who had been working for the company for a few months, was
told
to speak to a higher-level supervisor who, he said, ''told me, choose
between my job and this load.''…
Dealing with alcohol in any way — drinking it, selling it, buying it,
transporting it — is against Islamic law, and practicing Muslims would
avoid any interactions with it, said Amir Arain, spokesman for the
Islamic
Center of Nashville.
Muslim cab drivers at the Minneapolis airport several years ago began
refusing to pick up passengers who carried duty-free alcohol, said
Ibrahim
Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a
Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group…
ALSO SEE:
SOCCER REFEREE SUSPENDED AFTER QUESTIONING MUSLIM PLAYER'S HEADSCARF
The Australian, 6/23/04
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,9932760%255E17
02,00.html
A soccer referee who asked a 14-year-old Muslim player to remove her
headscarf, or hijab, during a match has been suspended, soccer
officials
said Wednesday.
The incident comes after another Muslim player, 21-year-old Afifa Saad,
was
told in early May she could not play for her team unless she removed
her
headscarf. The referee in that match voluntarily stepped aside
afterward.
The Victorian Soccer Federation said Wednesday it had suspended the
referee
in the most recent case. It said it will investigate reports he
questioned
Fatma Saad about her hijab during an under-16 match between Ashburton
Soccer Club and Brunswick Zebras Soccer Club on Sunday.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the VSF said it had informed umpires
that
a hijab was allowed to be worn during games. It said the umpire had
attended a meeting last month where a "clear directive" was given that
hijabs could be worn.
"The fact that the hijab was questioned after all the recent publicity
is
disconcerting and brings into question the referee's judgment for
raising
the issue at all," the federation said...
---
BORDER CROSSINGS IN BROOKLYN
Michelle Goldberg, Salon.com, 6/22/04
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2004/06/22/heroes_copo/index_np.html
When fathers and sons started disappearing in Brooklyn's Little
Pakistan
after Sept. 11, their distraught relatives, not knowing where else to
go,
appealed to local businessmen. Until then, Mohammed Razvi, a business
developer in his early 30s with four children, a trim beard and a
Brooklyn
accent, hadn't thought much about social work. He wanted to make money,
not
change lives. But he also couldn't turn away the immigrants, many of
them
poor, illegal and unable to speak English, who were searching for the
men
who'd been caught in the FBI's frantic and indiscriminate roundup.
The neighborhood's Business Merchants Association arranged a meeting
with
the FBI and local politicians, but they were told that if they wanted
to
find the men who'd been detained, they'd have to fill out Freedom of
Information Act requests. Razvi knew the detainees' relatives would
never
be able to do that alone, so he decided to take time off work to help…
---
CAIR-OHIO: ANTI-DISCRIMINATION CONFERENCE
Rasha Aly, Columbus Dispatch, 6/23/04
www.columbusdispatch.com
A conference yesterday for immigrant workers and those who employ them
was
missing something: immigrant workers.
The daylong conference was designed to educate the community on how to
eliminate employment discrimination in immigrant communities. Although
employees might have benefited from the topic, none showed up.
The cost could have been one reason, said Nikki Jenkins, an equal
opportunity officer for the city's Community Relations Commission,
which
hosted the one-day conference at the Columbus Marriott North Hotel.
Each participant had to pay a $75 fee, which covered the cost of lunch
and
rental of the building, Jenkins said. Immigrant workers might have been
unable to afford the fee, but scholarships were available, she said.
Fliers about the conference were mailed to more than 1,500 businesses
and
also to several nonprofit agencies, Jenkins said. They were asked to
encourage their immigrant employees to attend.
"It was sad that not a lot of people heard the information presented,''
she
said.”We can only ask them to come, not force them to come.''
Most of the 20 organizations that showed up for the conference were not
private businesses but rather government and nonprofit agencies, said
Theresa Pribanic, a Volunteers in Service to America job developer who
is
working with the Community Refugee & Immigrant Services.
Pribanic and Traci Jines, another VISTA job developer with refugee and
immigrant services, said they learned much from the conference's guest
speakers, including how to use different resources to help immigrant
workers.
Topics included how to accommodate immigrants so they can observe the
various religious holidays, and how to deal with language barriers.
Speakers included representatives from the Ohio Hispanic Coalition, the
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the U.S. Department of
Justice,
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Council on
American-Islamic Relations.
-----
NOT IN ISLAM’S NAME
Cantonrep.com, 6/23/04
http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?Category=3&ID=168543&r=0
After terrorists beheaded American Paul M. Johnson Jr. last week in
Saudi
Arabia, the Council on American-Islamic Relations launched a petition
drive. The petition, headed “Not in the name of Islam,” begins: “We,
the
undersigned, wish to state clearly that those who commit acts of terror
and
murder in the name of Islam are not only destroying innocent lives, but
are
also devastating the image of the faith they claim to represent.”
The civilized world is repulsed and outraged by the wave of beheadings
that
began with the killing of American Nicholas E. Berg last month… The
civilized world includes the vast majority of Muslims. Americans should
remember that, rather than letting terrorists succeed in sowing
irrational
hatred.
ALSO SEE:
EP MUSLIM GROUP DECRIES RECENT BEHEADINGS IN IRAQ
Leonard Martinez, El Paso Times, 6/23/04
http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20040623-133973.shtml
El Paso Muslims on Tuesday called for justice for the three murdered
civilians who were beheaded at the hands of Iraqi militants.
Officials of the Islamic Center of El Paso condemned the recent murders
of
American civilian Paul Johnson Jr. in Saudi Arabia and South Korean
civilian Kim Sun-il in Iraq. American Nicholas Berg was beheaded
allegedly
by the same group last month.
"We support the swift apprehension and prosecution of the perpetrators
of
these barbaric crimes," Mario Omar Hernandez, Islamic Center of El Paso
president, said in a statement. "No injustice done to Muslims can ever
justify the massacre of innocent people, and no act of terror will ever
serve the cause of Islam."
The Islamic Center of El Paso said the actions taken by the militant
groups
were not Islamic actions.
"We dissociate ourselves from any Muslim group or individual who
commits
such brutal and un-Islamic acts. We refuse to allow our faith to be
held
hostage by the criminal actions of a small minority acting outside the
teachings of the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him."
How the beheadings will affect public opinion is difficult to gauge,
said
David Levin, a specialist in foreign policy and public opinion at the
University of Texas at El Paso…
---
SAVAGERY PUTS ALL MUSLIMS ON DEFENSIVE
Jeff Kunerth, Orlando Sentinel, 6/23/04
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-asecislamic23062304jun2
3,1,561196.story
Areej Zufari was in her office Tuesday afternoon, agonizing over the
beheading in Iraq of a South Korean by Muslim militants. As spokeswoman
for
the Islamic Society of Central Florida, she debated whether to issue a
news
release denouncing the decapitation as contrary to Islamic beliefs.
Does every atrocity in the name of Islam demand a statement of outrage
by
the Central Florida Muslim community? Or would a lack of response be
interpreted as condoning violence?
"We keep hearing from people, 'Why aren't American Muslims speaking
up?'
'Why aren't American Muslims denouncing terrorism and these brutal
Muslims?'" Zufari said. "We are, over and over again."
Later, she issued a statement that, much like the ones before it
denouncing
the beheadings of Nick Berg and Paul M. Johnson Jr., said, "The Central
Florida Muslim Community emphatically condemns the brutal, evil murder
of
South Korean, Kim Sun-il. . . . Terrorism and murder are expressly
forbidden by God in Islam."
Every act of terrorism, every barbaric brutality, that happens in the
Middle East sends tremors through the lives of the estimated 35,000
Muslims
living in Central Florida. They brace for the anger, frustration and
ugliness that spews from people who mistake them for the enemy instead
of
fellow Americans…
-----
A MUSLIM IN THE MIDDLE HOPES AGAINST HOPE
Chris Hedges, New York Times, 6/23/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/23/nyregion/23profile.html
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf had a nightmare recently that has unsettled his
days. He dreamed that Islamic terrorists had exploded a weapon of mass
destruction in the United States and that Washington had made a
retaliatory
strike in the Muslim world. As he explained the dream, he used his
index
fingers to trace the paths of the arcing missiles.
"I have been worried," he said. "I told everyone in my mosque to pray
more
fervently for peace and the protection of our country."
"Our country" is America. And Imam Feisal, 55, a Columbia University
graduate and the leader of the Masjid al-Farah mosque 12 blocks north
of
the World Trade Center site, is a man increasingly caught in the
middle. He
preaches a moderate Islam, one that embraces the values of Western
democracy, carries within it a love of America and calls on Muslims to
respect other faiths.
He condemns suicide bombings and all violence carried out in the name
of
religion. He meets regularly with Christian and Jewish leaders, not
only to
forge a common front but also to explain his belief that Islamic
terrorists
do not come from another moral universe - that they arise from
oppressive
societies that he feels Washington had a hand in creating.
Last week, Imam Feisal joined three other American clerics of various
faiths in a 30-second advertisement, broadcast on Arabic television, in
which they apologized for the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison. He said that
he
had no hesitation when a rabbi asked him to participate and that
reaction
among his friends and colleagues had been "universally positive."
"I see myself as a kind of marriage counselor," he said. "I am not here
to
condemn one side or the other, but to tell Muslims what they must do
differently and tell Christians and Jews what they must do differently.
I
want people to understand the things that have fueled this violence
against
us - not to excuse it, but to work to find ways to stop it...”
ALSO SEE:
COMMENCE BY TALKING
Los Angeles Times, 6/23/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-muslim23jun23,1,331252.story
There's no question that Muslim students at UC Irvine had the right to
appear at commencement ceremonies wearing a long band of green fabric
over
their shoulders lettered with two Islamic sayings. The only real
question
is whether Jewish and Arab students learned anything from the resulting
conflict about the lifelong worth of approaching sensitive issues with
scholarly inquiry and a willingness to talk -- especially with the
people
with whom they have the least in common.
Some Jewish students called the stoles a sign of support for Arab
terrorism, saying the color and the sayings on them resembled armbands
worn
by Hamas members. In fact, the words reiterated the basic Islamic tenet
that "there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger," and,
fittingly, the prayer, "God, increase my knowledge." Only Muslims were
called on to explain or defend their symbols, though students at the
Irvine
commencement commonly wear all manner of costumes and sashes, some with
deep cultural meaning, others meant for a laugh.
But relations between Jewish and Muslim students have been no laughing
matter at the suburban campus. Bad feeling grew into open rancor this
year,
especially after a Muslim student group sponsored an anti-Zionism week
with
speakers whose oral histories of the Middle East were one-sided at
best.
Too bad that during four years of what was supposed to be intellectual
discovery, students in both groups clung instead to the worst traits of
popular culture -- a tendency to simplify matters into jingoism and to
articulate slogans instead of reasoned debate…
-----
BOOK BY C.I.A. OFFICER SAYS U.S. IS LOSING FIGHT AGAINST TERROR
Douglas Jehl, New York Times, 6/23/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/23/politics/23INTE.html
WASHINGTON - A new book by the senior Central Intelligence Agency
officer
who headed a special office to track Osama bin Laden and his followers
warns that the United States is losing the war against radical Islam
and
that the invasion of Iraq has only played into the enemy's hands.
In the book, ''Imperial Hubris,'' the author is identified only as
''Anonymous,'' but former intelligence officials identified him as a
22-year veteran of the C.I.A. who is still serving in a senior
counterterrorism post at the agency and headed the bin Laden station
from
1996 to 1999.
The 309-page book, obtained by The New York Times, provides an unusual
glimpse into a school of thought inside the C.I.A., and includes harsh
criticism of both the Clinton and Bush administrations...
-----
CONYERS CALLS FOR FULL DISCLOSURE OF IRAQI PRISONER ABUSE DOCUMENTS
Congressman John Conyers, Jr., issued the following statement at a
press
conference today to introduce two resolutions relating to the Iraqi
prison
abuse scandal:
"Two weeks ago, we publicly requested that the White House release all
documents concerning the growing Iraq prison abuse scandal. We were
ignored, so today we are (1) offering a Resolution of Inquiry which
formally requests that the White House to release the documents, and
(2)
calling upon the Speaker to appoint a select committee to review the
ever
growing prison abuse scandal.
We are in the midst of one of the most serious incidents of human
rights
abuses in our nation's history. In Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo,
it is
increasingly clear that our nation's military and civilian contractors
- at
the behest of the very highest officials in the Administration -
engaged in
physical, psychological and sexual abuse on a widespread basis. Scores
of
detainees were murdered. Numerous warnings were ignored. The Justice
Department provided the legal cover necessary to justify torture.
The resolution I am offering today will ensure that the Administration
no
longer picks and chooses what information it will share with us. The
Select Committee will guarantee that a Republican majority cannot
prevent
members from asking the hard questions and getting real answers. These
are
common sense steps that I hope all of our colleagues will support.
The prison scandal is a stain on our nation and an impediment to the
prosecution of the war against terror. If this Congress can't find the
will to investigate an abuse of this magnitude, it calls into question
our
entire constitutional system of checks and balances.
We've given the President and the Republican Majority every opportunity
to
participate in what any decent society demands-accountability for
inhuman
and degrading acts committed in our name. If they won't help us get to
the
bottom of why these atrocities happened, we'll do it without them."
ALSO SEE:
PELOSI: CONGRESS MUST INVESTIGATE PRISONER ABUSE ALLEGATIONS
Washington, D.C. -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and the
Ranking
Members of key committees held a press conference today calling for a
Select Committee and a Resolution of Inquiry to investigate the scandal
at
Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and elsewhere. Below are Pelosi's remarks:
"During the previous Administration, Republicans in Congress were quick
to
exercise what they viewed as their oversight role. More than 1,000
subpoenas from Committee chairmen were issued to the Clinton
Administration, and it appeared that no matter was too small to pursue.
Today, however, issues of the greatest consequence routinely fester
without
investigation or inquiry from the Republicans in Congress.
"The Abu Ghraib prison scandal must be investigated by Congress. It
has
serious implications for our effort in Iraq, our foreign policy, and
our
Constitution.
"The House has been negligent in its responsibilities. There have been
closed sessions of the Intelligence Committee and two Armed Services
hearings, but there is no ongoing public investigation by a House
committee
with a plan to acquire the necessary documents and testimony.
"Time and again, Democrats have diligently attempted to have the House
carry out its responsibilities, but time and again, Republicans have
failed
to conduct any credible investigations.
"The issue grows more urgent each day, as new revelations suggest
possible
authorization and involvement up the chain of command at the Pentagon
and
at the White House. And memos from the Department of Justice --
written at
the request of the President's counsel -- and the Department of Defense
articulate a breathtaking sweep of the President's powers without any
restraints.
"It is imperative that Congress independently investigate the
underlying
facts, and to examine the Administration's policies and legal theories
that
may have led - either directly or indirectly -- to the acts at Abu
Ghraib
and elsewhere.
"The resolutions -- to be introduced today by Mr. Waxman for a Select
Committee to fully investigate the allegations and Mr. Conyers for a
Resolution of Inquiry to obtain documents -- are both necessary for the
House to exercise its constitutional oversight responsibilities. It is
long past time for us to carry out our responsibilities."
-----
AFGHAN DETAINEES ROUTINELY TORTURED AND HUMILIATED BY US TROOPS
Duncan Campbell and Suzanne Goldenberg, Guardian, 6/23/04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,1284,1245236,00.html
Detainees held in Afghanistan by American troops have been routinely
tortured and humiliated as part of the interrogation process, in the
same
way as those in Iraq, a Guardian investigation has found.
Five detainees have died in custody, three of them in suspicious
circumstances, and survivors have told stories of beatings, strippings,
hoodings and sleep deprivation.
The nature of the alleged abuse indicates that what happened at Abu
Ghraib
prison in Iraq was part of a pattern of interrogation that has been
common
practice since the US invasion of Afghanistan.
Yesterday, in an attempt to stem charges that senior officials in the
Bush
administration condoned the use of torture in the war on terror, the
White
House released hundreds of pages of documents outlining its internal
deliberations on interrogation.
The memos, which originated at the Pentagon, the White House and the
justice department and date from January 2002 to April last year, were
intended to show that the president and his aides insisted that
detainees
at Guant�namo Bay should be treated humanely.
But one such memo leaked earlier this month said that Mr Bush had the
legal
authority to allow torture, giving new impetus to a campaign by human
rights organizations and Democrats…
-----
BREAKING SILENCE OVER THE HORRORS OF HEBRON
Independent News, 6/23/04
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=534226
Even if you didn't know who had taken the pictures, it would be a
remarkable exhibition. A record of two short periods in Hebron, the
images
linger obstinately in the mind's eye long after you have turned away:
the
comradely group portrait of the smiling, hopeful, young men, 18 and 19
mostly, in an Israeli army unit; the Palestinians blindfolded by the
side
of a deserted street at night; the grim-faced Jewish settler with a
Galil
assault rifle slung casually over his shoulder; the stone memorial to
Shalhevet Pass, a 10-month-old baby killed in a shooting attack in
March
2001 by Palestinian militants, with an epitaph that reads: "Here the
innocent baby Shalhevet was murdered. God will avenge her blood"; the
white-painted sign scrawled on a wall which says - in English - "Arabs
to
the gas chambers"; the Palestinian children playing a game in which one
pair are Israeli soldiers lining the others up against a wall, just as
they
have seen their fathers and brothers lined up.
But what makes the exhibition Breaking the Silence, on show at a
college in
Tel Aviv, so out of the ordinary is that it is the work not of
professional
photographers but of soldiers. It is a work that has stirred concerns
and
drawn admiration at the highest levels of Israeli society.
Yesterday military police raided the exhibition, confiscating items
from
it. An army spokesman insisted that the raid was not to stop the
exhibition
or to punish the soldiers for going public, but to see if there is a
case
for court-martialling soldiers who mistreated Arabs.
On Sunday the exhibition will move to the Knesset at the invitation of
Ilan
Shalgi, chairman of the parliamentary education and culture committee.
Forty photographs will be on show there, with full approval by the
parliamentary authorities, until 5 July.
The pictures were taken by young Israeli conscripts as they conducted
daily, dangerous patrols of Hebron. Five hundred Jewish settlers, some
of
the most extreme in the West Bank, live in three enclaves in the city,
surrounded by 130,000 Palestinians in a relationship of mutual hatred
and
frequent violence. They look to the army for protection…
-----
ISRAEL PLAYS THE KURDISH CARD – AND AMERICANS ARE CAUGHT IN THE
CROSSFIRE
Justin Raimondo, Antiwar, 6/23/04
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/
The victors in the Iraq war are now moving rapidly to consolidate their
gains, and carry out the second phrase of their operation. No, I don't
mean
the June 30 American handover of pseudo-"sovereignty" to a puppet
regime,
but the ongoing invasion of Kurdistan by Israeli operatives trying to
spark
a war of secession. Thanks – once again – to the indispensable Seymour
Hersh, the truth about what is happening in Iraq – and why – is coming
out,
as the real victors help themselves to the spoils of war. While
American
troops are fighting and dying to maintain the independence and unity of
the
Iraqi state, the Israelis, operating behind our backs and in the
shadows,
are working to split the country up:
"In a series of interviews in Europe, the Middle East, and the United
States, officials told me that by the end of last year Israel had
concluded
that the Bush Administration would not be able to bring stability or
democracy to Iraq, and that Israel needed other options. Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon's government decided, I was told, to minimize the damage
that
the war was causing to Israel's strategic position by expanding its
long-standing relationship with Iraq's Kurds and establishing a
significant
presence on the ground in the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan.
Several
officials depicted Sharon's decision, which involves a heavy financial
commitment, as a potentially reckless move that could create even more
chaos and violence as the insurgency in Iraq continues to grow."
Gee, I thought Israel had nothing to do with this war, and that anyone
who
said otherwise was merely spreading anti-Semitic canards. Why, in that
case, does Israel need "other options," or, indeed, any options at all?
This war was always about enhancing Israel's strategic position, and
nothing else: not oil, not democracy, not WMD. The goal was to extend
Israeli's sphere of influence, and that is precisely what is occurring.
To
the victor goes the spoils, and Hersh's revelations highlight the
Israelis
as real winners of this war...
ALSO SEE:
ISRAELI ARMY INVESTIGATING RESERVE TROOPS
The Associated Press, 6/23/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apmideast_story.asp?category=1107&slu
g=Israel%20Army%20Exhibit
JERUSALEM - The Israeli army said Wednesday it was investigating a
group of
reserve soldiers who set up a photo exhibit giving vivid accounts of
abuse
and harassment of Palestinians in Hebron.
The ``Breaking the Silence'' exhibit - put on display at a film school
in
Tel Aviv earlier this month - has photos and stark testimonials of
soldiers
who tell of harassing a bride and groom, throwing stun grenades at
Palestinian children for fun and other details of their time in the
West
Bank city.
After completing three years of compulsory service, the group of more
than
80 infantry soldiers - who currently serve in reserve units - decided
to
give their account of what they called the ``crazy reality'' of Hebron,
where about 500 Jewish settlers live in enclaves surrounded by 130,000
Palestinians.
The army said it summoned the soldiers for questioning and issued a
court
order Wednesday that they hand over any material that could assist the
investigation.
``They are trying to frighten us and other soldiers who have expressed
readiness to take part in the project,'' Micha Kurtz, one of the
exhibit's
organizers, told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
According to Haaretz, military police raided the exhibit late Tuesday
and
confiscated a file of newspaper clippings and a videotape with the
accounts
of 70 soldiers.
``The army teaches its soldiers to act morally even in complex
situations,'' the army said. It refused to confirm Tuesday's raid.
Those who put together the exhibit allegedly committed the crimes while
soldiers and therefore fall under the auspices of the military court
system, a military official said. The investigation is based on
``testimony
of those involved and eyewitnesses.''…
---
NADER: US SHOULD DISENGAGE FROM ISRAEL
Menachem Pritzker, Jerusalem Post, 6/22/04
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid
=1087891958064&p=1006688055060
No diplomatic plan can be acceptable unless it allows for the right of
return for Palestinian refugees and a full Israeli withdrawal to 1967
borders, a spokesman for US Presidential candidate Ralph Nader told the
Jerusalem Post.
Nader, an independent presidential candidate, also disagrees with
Israel's
construction of the security fence, its targeted killings of terrorist
leaders, and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Gaza disengagement plan, his
spokesman said.
"Too often the United States walks lockstep with the Israelis; it needs
to
think for itself," Nader's spokesman added.
On Saturday, Nader called on the Bush Administration to stop backing
Israel's policies regarding the Palestinians. In a statement to the
Emirate
al-Khalij newspaper, Nader said that Israeli officials "control" the
White
House, and coerce American leaders to supply them with billions of
dollars
in arms and support…
-----
ISLAM IS GROWING IN LATIN AMERICA
Michael Odza, New Mexican, 6/21/04
http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/998.html
According to Arquitecto Muhammad Yusuf Hallar, the Secretary General of
the
Islamic Organization for Latin America, there are roughly four million
Muslims in Latin America.
Here are some links:
Latino American Dawah Organization
Islamic Paths
LATINOS REVERT TO ISLAM:
What's Old is New Again (Book project by Samantha Sanchez and Juan
Galvan)
-----
PAC 12TH ANNUAL FRIENDSHIP SUMMIT
http://www.pacus.org
WHAT: Pakistani American Congress (PAC) will be hosting its 12th annual
Friendship Summit from Wednesday-Thursday, 23-24 June 2004 on Capitol
Hill,
Washington, DC, USA.
The PAC Congressional Forum will feature Chief Guest & Keynote Speaker,
Mr.
Mohammadmian Soomro, Chairman, Pakistan Senate
WHEN: WEDNESDAY, 23 JUNE 2004
2 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
WHERE:
Room No. 2322 (House Energy & Commerce Committee Room)
The Rayburn House Office Building
United States House of Representatives
Independence Avenue, South Capitol St., C St. SW, First St. SW
Capitol Hill, Washington, DC 20515 USA
http://www.pacus.org/latest.asp
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .
Forwarded Message
From:
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To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Muslim 'Stripped of Identity'/Jewish Groups and Shahada
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/24/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: AN ENVIABLE FRIEND
* JEWISH GROUPS JUMP ON ANTI-MUSLIM BANDWAGON (LA Times)
- Local Commentary Might Sound Like Hate
- Shahada Not Support for Terror (OC Register)
* CAIR-SFBA: MUSLIMS HOLD ELECTION TOWN HALL MEETING
- CA: Muslims Growing Politically (Metro Active)
* CAIR-OHIO ANNUAL DINNER JUNE 27
* CANADIAN PARTY LEADERS ASKED TO CLARIFY HIJAB POLICY
* CAIR-OHIO: TREATMENT IN CUSTODY IS SUSPICIOUS (Columbus Disp)
- Ohio Muslim 'Stripped of Identity' in Jail (AP)
* U.S. SAYS FOREIGNERS MUST LEAVE TO RENEW VISAS (Reuters)
* CITY TO VOTE IN JULY ON MOSQUE PROPOSAL (Daily Herald)
- MA: Center Plans To Grow (Boston Globe)
* NJ: ISLAMIC ED CENTER REPORTS VANDALISM (News Journal)
- Muslim Graves Vandalized In France (AFP)
- Australian Prayer Hall Vandalized With Pigs' Heads (AFP)
* BRUTAL TERROR TACTICS (CSM)
- MO: Muslims Here Condemn Killings (St. Louis Today)
- Scholars Decry Ghastly Tactic (Newsday)
- NY: Muslims Outraged at Recent Beheadings (Journal News)
* RESULTS PROMISED IF GITMO PLAN USED AT ABU GHRAIB (USA Today)
- 'Breaking the Silence' on West Bank Abuse (Wash Post)
- Soldiers Face Charges in Iraqi General's Death (Reuters)
* SIKHS TURBANED KIDS FACE DILEMMA IN FRANCE (AP)
----
HADITH OF THE DAY: AN ENVIABLE FRIEND
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The most enviable of my
friends is a believer with little property who finds pleasure in
prayer,
who worships his Lord well, who obeys Him in secret, who is obscure
among
men, who is not pointed out by people, and whose provision is a bare
sufficiency with which he is content."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1352
The Prophet once slept on a reed mat and got up with the marks of it on
his
body. His companions saw the marks and expressed concern that they
should
have made him more comfortable. The Prophet replied: "What have I to do
with this world? In relation to this world, I am like a rider who
shades
himself under a tree and then (continues on his way)."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1351
-----
JEWISH GROUPS JUMP ON ANTI-MUSLIM BANDWAGON
UCI INCIDENT SHOWCASES DANGERS OF RAMPANT RUMORS
SABIHA KHAN, Los Angeles Times/Daily Pilot, 6/24/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/pilot/news/opinion/la-dpt-mailbag24jun24,1
,146360.story
EDITOR'S NOTE: Sabiha Khan is the communications director for the
Southern
California office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
The most disturbing aspect of the pseudo-controversy over graduation
stoles
worn by Muslim students at the UCI was seeing the nation's leading
Jewish
advocacy groups morph into purveyors of anti-Muslim hate and shills for
right-wing extremists.
California Muslims were dismayed when the American Jewish Congress
falsely
claimed that the Islamic graduates planned to wear stoles indicating
support for terrorism. We were sickened when the Anti-Defamation League
distributed a news release referring to the Islamic declaration of
faith,
or "shahada," as an "expression of hate" that is "offensive to Jewish
Students."
The shahada, "there is no god but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of
God," is the core Muslim belief in the oneness of God and is one of the
"five pillars" of Islam. No person can be a Muslim without believing in
the
shahada. When someone accepts Islam, we say they "take shahada."
(Ironically, the Jewish declaration of faith, the Shema Yisrael,
similarly
states: "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.")
This particular conspiracy theory began, as most do, with a lie spread
on
the Internet. Earlier this month, right-wing extremists began claiming
that
Muslim students at UCI planned to wear stoles bearing the word
"shahada."
They mistranslated "shahada" as the Arabic word for suicide bomber.
As the controversy spread from Internet hate sites to right-wing media
outlets, few Islam-bashers bothered to mention that the stoles did not
in
fact bear the word shahada, they bore the shahada itself. They also
forgot
to mention that, along with the declaration of faith, the stoles bore
the
Arabic phrase, "God, increase my knowledge."
The Jewish leaders pounced on the issue when it hit the legitimate
media.
Anti-Defamation League representatives handed out their news release
attacking the shahada at a press conference held by the Muslim
graduates to
say their stoles were an expression of pride in Islam and had nothing
to do
with Palestinian suicide bombers.
Five members of American Jewish Congress confronted, some would say
intimidated, Muslim students at the UCI graduation ceremonies. (Imagine
if
a Muslim group sent its members to confront Jewish graduates who wore
yarmulkes or stoles bearing the Shema Yisrael.)
Perhaps the leaders of both groups should read about other events that
took
place as they were demonizing the linguistic essence of Islam.
On Friday, Muslims in the Tampa suburb of Lutz, Fla., found the words
"Kill
all Muslims" scrawled on the interior of their vandalized community
center.
On Saturday, a Florida newspaper reported that the FBI is investigating
threats against a Charlotte Harbor mosque. Last month, three Miami
Islamic
centers were vandalized.
Incidents targeting mosques and Islamic centers have occurred recently
across America. For example, a man was arrested for threatening an El
Paso,
Texas, Islamic center. Also in Texas, an arson suspect was arrested at
the
scene of a fire at a Muslim business in San Antonio, and vandals
scrawled
racist graffiti on the interior of a Lubbock mosque.
In May, unknown arsonists torched a UCI student display set up to
challenge
the wall Israel is building on Palestinian land. The Orange County
Human
Relations Commission recently released its 2003 annual report that
showed a
50% increase in hate incidents directed at members of the Muslim and
Arab-American community. In April, CAIR's own annual report on the
status
of American Muslim civil rights showed a 70% increase in anti-Muslim
incidents nationwide in 2003, with the largest number occurring in
California.
This is the battle that all of us, Muslims, Christians and Jews, need
to
fight. Instead of seeking ways to demonize one another in a zero-sum
game
of political and religious "gotcha," let us all work together to
challenge
intolerance and to build a better America for ourselves and for our
children.
---
LOCAL COMMENTARY MIGHT SOUND LIKE HATE
Michael Glueck didn't like it when Muslim students wore stoles of
religious
significance to a recent graduation ceremony at UCI. He didn't like it
so
much that he has demanded that UCI administrators apologize to the
community. He even wrote a commentary about how much he didn't like it
("UC
Irvive makes an unjustifiable and dangerous decision" in Tuesday's
Daily
Pilot). Is it reasonable to guess, from what he's written, that Glueck
isn't a Muslim? And, if he isn't, then what makes Glueck think he can
dictate to those whose faith he may not share, or demand that they not
be
allowed to reasonably express their faith as they see fit? Did someone
appoint Glueck our supreme leader when we weren't looking?
Of course, most of what Glueck writes is just factually incorrect. To
bolster his opinion that Muslim students shouldn't be allowed to
profess
their faith by wearing a religious symbol that is meaningful to them,
he
misinterprets what separation of church and state actually means and
implicitly suggests that if someone (if that someone is a Muslim,
apparently) wears a religious symbol that can be seen by others, and if
one
attends a state-supported school, that this amounts to a breach of the
principle of a separation of church and state. This is, of course,
nonsense.
Such twisted logic could eventually lead to a situation where people of
various religions, who believe they should display their faith, would
be
barred from attending state-supported schools that their taxes support
unless they hid the expressions of their religious feelings.
Wouldn't that be a little like Jews having to hide that they were Jews
in
Germany in 1938? Glueck also indicates that wearing the stoles might
have
been an attempt to "polarize the community," and that the students were
allowed to "provoke rather than pacify." What Glueck writes could have
been
written in Germany against the Jews. Thus, we might have read in 1938
that
Jews were polarizing the community by wearing Stars of David or
yarmulkes,
and they were trying to provoke rather than pacify.
Now, there must be an element of reasonableness and consistency in all
this. It would not be acceptable for someone to justify tearing down a
religious display put up by people of another religion (as was
apparently
also done at UCI) or to show up at graduation nailed to a cross because
the
person believes his religious faith demands that. But, in the case at
UCI,
what got Glueck all worked up was nothing more than a piece of cloth
around
a student's neck.
Perhaps the best way to address Glueck and what appears to me to be his
implicit intolerance for an outward expression of some religious
feelings
that he seems to not be in agreement with, is to turn the situation
around:
Will Glueck demand that UCI stop Jewish students from wearing
yarmulkes? If
not, why not? And, even if he does so demand, Glueck, as far as I know,
hasn't been given the authority to demand that others believe as he
believes or that they express themselves in ways that he finds
acceptable.
Of course, in his misguided commentary, Glueck attempts to find cover
for
what appear to be intolerant views when he makes a ridiculous
comparison
between the simple wearing of stoles and "bring(ing) in gladiators and
horses and start(ing) World War IV."
Glueck's commentary isn't the stuff born of reasoned, even-handed,
fair-minded thinking. To Muslims, it probably sounds like hate. Freedom
does not mean that we must all be homogenized and "Stepfordized" into
plain-wrap Americans, consistent with Glueck's views, but that we may
all
live our lives and worship as we each see fit with a minimum of
intrusion
by those of different views and religions.
When people of one religion can force people of another religion to not
wear their religious symbols, we've entered a dark day for American
notions
of freedom. If Glueck doesn't like looking at the Muslim stoles, then
he
should look in the other direction, not demand that they not be worn.
If
Muslims don't like looking at whatever expressions of faith, or lack
thereof, that Mr. Glueck chooses to show to the world, then they, too,
can
simply look in the other direction.
It's called freedom of expression. Glueck should go back and read the
1st
Amendment and try to understand why the founders of this nation made it
No.
1 on their list.
M. H. MILLARD
SEE ALSO:
A PROFESSION OF FAITH, NOT SUPPORT FOR TERRORISM
Orange County Register, 6/24/04
http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2004/06/24/sections/commentary/article_144758.
php
In her June 22 letter, Jacqueline Menter of the American Jewish
Congress
implies that Muslim students at the University of California, Irvine,
supported terrorism by wearing green stoles embroidered with the
"Shahada"
["Muslim students showed their true colors," June 22]. The students
were
simply proclaiming their pride in their faith by wearing stoles with
the
single most important phrase in the Islamic faith, one that is repeated
daily by all Muslims: "There is no God but God; Mohammad is the
messenger
of God." How the Islamic proclamation of faith implies support for
terrorism, I fail to recognize.
Menter also implies that the students picked the color green knowing
that
it is also the color used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Green is also the
color worn on St. Patrick's Day - what blatant support for terrorism!
Baraa Kahf
Anaheim
FOR MORE BACKGROUND, SEE: "ADL ISSUES APOLOGY FOR 'SHAHADA' COMMENTS"
http://www.cair-net.org/asp/article.asp?id=1089&page=NR
-----
CAIR-SFBA: MUSLIMS HOLD ELECTION TOWN HALL MEETING
(SAN JOSE, CA) - Some 200 members of the American Muslim and
Arab-American
communities recently attended an Elections 2004 Town Hall Meeting in
San
Jose, Calif., organized by the San Francisco Bay Area office Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA). Attendees heard from, and asked
questions of, federal, state and local elected officials.
All major presidential campaigns participated, including California
Democratic Chairman Sen. Art Torres, representing the John Kerry
campaign,
Grover Norquist representing the Bush/Cheney campaign and presidential
candidate Ralph Nader.
Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales, Council Member
David Cortese, and Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Ron Del
Pozzo
all emphasized that all voices are needed in our political system and
urged
the community to continue playing an important role and to challenge
attempts at exclusion.
Among the issues that were of most interest to the audience were the
Patriot Act, prisoner abuse in Iraq and Mr. Nader's inclusion in the
2004
Presidential election.
CONTACT: CAIR-SFBA Director of Governmental Relations, Dahlia Eltoumi,
(408) 986-9874, dahlia@cair.com
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIMS ARE GROWING POLITICALLY IN AMERICA BUT IN WHAT DIRECTION?
Najeeb Hasan, Metro Active, 6/24/04
http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/06.23.04/muslims-0426.html
LAST SATURDAY, in a San Jose Convention Center meeting room, about 150
members of the South Bay's Muslim community gathered expectantly for a
South Bay-wide Muslim town-hall meeting. The meeting, sponsored by the
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), would be one of 40 such
meetings scheduled in major cities across the nation by the American
Muslim
Task Force, an umbrella group of nine American Muslim political
organizations.
The nation's 7 million American Muslims, still undeniably nascent in
their
political identity, are perhaps best known politically for their bloc
vote
in the 2000 presidential elections, when some polls showed that an
overwhelming 72 percent of Muslim Americans voted for George W. Bush.
Four
years and two wars later, Muslim political organizers have found
themselves
frantically organizing another bloc vote, this time with the specific
intention to unseat the administration they helped vote in four years
ago.
CAIR organizers brought in a heavyweight political cast, including Zoe
Lofgren, Art Torres, Ralph Nader, Grover Norquist (via telephone) and
San
Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales, to greet the Muslim audience Saturday
afternoon.
The meeting, according to activist Agha Saeed, would help answer one of
the
more puzzling questions for political observers: Other than the obvious
foreign policy and civil rights issues, what, exactly, are American
Muslim
political issues?
The eventual answer to that question will help distinguish whether
American
Muslim organizers intend to steer their community toward a narrow,
issue-centric political identity--a trap that other religious
communities
have certainly fallen into--or a broader, issues-centric identity. As
it
stands, the rest of America can guess fairly accurately the Muslim take
on
the Israel-Palestine question, the occupation of Iraq and the Patriot
Act,
but few would have the slightest idea about what Muslims think about
the
budget deficit, gun control, urban planning, health care or any number
of
other issues.
"I think the community as a whole is not very sophisticated
politically,"
says Umar Faruq Abd-Allah, a Chicago-based academic. "Political action
that
is more effective is based on municipal and local politics, bottom to
top,
instead of working from the top to the bottom. Muslims have this
preoccupation with foreign policy issues, issues many Americans have
had a
preoccupation with before. But you have to be involved with internal
politics before your voice becomes credible on that stage."
CAIR chairman Omar Ahmad opened Saturday's proceedings by listing the
most
important American Muslim issues; among them, he cited Muslim inclusion
in
the political process, civil rights, a balanced foreign policy in the
Middle East and the need for the United States to have a better
relationship with the Muslim world. The issues were straightforward,
predictable (but certainly necessary) and, in some senses, narrow--two
involved foreign policy and a third was a reaction to bad
legislation...
-----
CAIR-OHIO 7TH ANNUAL DINNER
WHAT: The Council on American-Islamic Relations Ohio Chapter cordially
invites you and your family to attend its 7th Annual Fundraising Dinner
titled, "Promoting Civil Rights and Harmony for a Better America."
WHEN: Sunday, June 27, 2004
5:00-9:00 PM
WHERE: The Columbus Marriott North
6500 Doubletree Ave.
Columbus, OH, PH: 614-885-1885
Guest Speakers Include:
Edward Peck, Former US Ambassador to Iraq
Omar Ahmad, Founder & Chairman of CAIR-National
Shanta Premawardhana, Associate Gen. Sec, National Council of Churches
For tickets or more information, please contact CAIR Ohio at (614)
451-3232
or ohio@cair-net.org
PRICE: $35 now and $50 at the door
-----
CANADIAN PARTY LEADERS ASKED TO CLARIFY HIJAB POLICY
Women asked to remove Islamic scarves by immigration officials
(OTTAWA, CANADA - 24/6/2004) - The Canadian Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-CAN) today called on all national party leaders to
clarify
their position on accommodating the right of Muslim women to wear the
hijab, or Islamic headscarf.
That request came after two Muslim women told CAIR-CAN that Canadian
immigration officials at Montreal's Dorval airport ordered them to
remove
their religiously-mandated head scarves for permanent resident card
photographs. CAIR-CAN also learned of two other women who were
similarly
asked to remove their head scarves at Dorval airport.
In a letter sent yesterday to the Minister of Citizenship and
Immigration,
Judy Sgro, CAIR-CAN asked that an immediate apology be offered to the
Muslim women, that Canada's policy on religious accommodation for
permanent
resident cards be clarified and disseminated to officials at Dorval
airport
and that immediate arrangements be made for the women to be
re-photographed.
In letters to Prime Minister Paul Martin, Stephen Harper and Jack
Layton
asking for clarification of their position on this matter, CAIR-CAN
wrote:
"These cases raise the worrying concern of a systemic policy of
discrimination against women immigrants who wear the hijab.
"As you may well know, many Muslim women choose to cover their hair and
ears in fulfillment of an Islamic requirement of modesty. For many, it
is
an important spiritual act and an integral part of their identity. Many
of
the women, who entered Canada for the first time, were shocked and
profoundly hurt when they were told to remove their hijab, either
completely or partially.
"We are deeply concerned about the implications of this lack of
religious
accommodation for other Muslim immigrants. We are calling on you to
clarify
your party's position regarding this issue and to affirm your
commitment to
the values of equality, respect and fundamental human rights."
There are approximately 600 000 Canadian Muslims.
- END -
CONTACT: Riad Saloojee at 613-254-9704, 613-795-2012; E-mail:
Canada@cair-net.org
CAIR-CAN
Council on American-Islamic Relations CANADA
P.O. Box 13219, Ottawa, ONT, K2K 1X4
Tel: 1-866-524-0004
Fax: 613-254-9810
URL: www.caircan.ca
-----
LOCAL MUSLIM'S TREATMENT IN U.S. CUSTODY IS SUSPICIOUS
Asma Mobin-uddin, Columbus Dispatch, 6/24/04
http://www.dispatch.com/editorials-story.php?story=dispatch/2004/06/24/20040
624-A11-00.html
[Asma Mobin-Uddin is a Columbus pediatrician and vice president of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations' Ohio chapter.]
While in federal custody for seven months, Nuradin Abdi changed from a
normal person to a damaged human being for whom the court ordered a
psychiatric evaluation. Taken into custody on an immigration charge at
the
end of November 2003 in Columbus, Abdi later was accused of plotting to
blow up an Ohio shopping mall in an indictment unsealed on June 14.
Abdi's
mental state in court and the manner in which the accusations against
him
were made public raise troubling questions.
Those who knew Abdi before he was taken into custody describe him as a
friendly community member who was helpful to others around him. After
seeing him in court in June, they were shocked at how different he was
and
described him twitching, laughing inappropriately, banging his head
against
the table, making noises, speaking to himself and staring strangely
into
space.
As a physician, I am extremely concerned that his behaviors might
indicate
mental and possibly physical abuse during his detention, and that his
mental injuries may be permanent.
In America, we used to believe that people were innocent until proven
guilty, that everyone deserved due process, and that people should be
found
guilty in a court of law before they are punished.
We considered the use of torture unacceptable in civilized society. Has
the
war on terror changed our nation's values? In light of the abuses
committed
at the Abu Ghraib prison, such questions are inevitable.
As an American-born Muslim who has lived in Ohio for the past 30 years,
I
abhor and condemn terrorism in all its forms. The safety and prosperity
of
my family and community are of great importance to me. If Abdi is
guilty of
plotting a terrorist attack, he must be brought to justice.
But the Justice Department has wrongly accused Muslims in America of
terrorism before. In September 2003, Army Capt. James Yee, a Muslim
chaplain at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was arrested and accused of
espionage,
mutiny, sedition and aiding the enemy. He spent 76 days in solitary
confinement. Eventually, all charges against him were dropped and his
record was cleared...
SEE ALSO:
ATTORNEY FOR MAN CHARGED IN TERRORISM PLOT SAYS HE WAS 'STRIPPED OF
IDENTITY' Sara Thorson, Associated Press, 6/24/04
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/8996935.htm
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The attorney for a man charged with plotting to bomb a
shopping mall said his client was "stripped of his identity" while in
federal custody.
Attorney Mahir Sherif said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that
after
Nuradin Abdi's arrest last November, he was booked into an immigration
jail
under the name "John Doe."
"His jailers addressed him as John Doe and any correspondence he
received
was addressed to John Doe," Sherif said. "His family ... and all other
relatives were not allowed to see or visit with him despite their
efforts
to do so."
Authorities accuse Abdi, a Somali refugee, of plotting with admitted
al-Qaida member Iyman Faris to blow up a shopping mall. He was indicted
earlier this month on charges including providing material support to
al-Qaida, conspiracy and document fraud. If convicted, he could get up
to
80 years in prison.
Sherif said he did not know who directed that Abdi be booked as John
Doe or
prohibited his family from visiting him. Authorities say Abdi is in the
custody of the U.S. Marshals.
Messages were left seeking comment late Wednesday with a spokesman for
the
U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio...
-----
U.S. SAYS MANY FOREIGNERS MUST LEAVE TO RENEW VISAS
Reuters, 6/23/04
http://news.myway.com/top/article/id/377404|top|06-23-2004::19:07|reuters.ht
ml
WASHINGTON - Thousands of foreigners who work in the United States will
have to go to U.S. embassies abroad to be interviewed and fingerprinted
when they need to renew their visas under a U.S. policy announced on
Wednesday.
Previously the people, who include entertainers, athletes, journalists,
investors, executives and skilled and unskilled temporary workers, were
allowed to renew their visas by mail.
The State Department said it would stop accepting applications for mail
renewals of the visas on July 16.
The State Department said the new policy, part of the U.S. effort to
tighten border controls after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, was to
ensure
that people applying for visas to the United States are interviewed and
fingerprinted.
The State Department said the new requirement will apply to holders of
"E,"
"H," "I," "O," "L," and "P," visas. It will not apply to foreign
diplomats
or people who work at international organizations like the United
Nations.
The U.S. policy of fingerprinting most foreigners who visit the United
States has prompted protests from some countries and the new policy on
visa
renewals could annoy companies who may have to pay for their employees
to
go abroad to be processed.
U.S. officials said they did not have statistics on how many foreigners
work on such visas or how many of their family members live with them
but
it amounts to hundreds of thousands of people. In fiscal 2001, which
ended
on Sept. 30, 2001, more than 500,000 such visas were issued, one U.S.
official said.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the department
processed
more than 50,000 such renewal applications last year. The vast majority
of
people who filed those -- all but diplomats and workers at
international
organizations -- will now have to go abroad for processing, although
not to
their home countries.
Boucher said those who come to the United States on such visas may stay
as
long as is determined by Homeland Security officials at their point of
entry and, in many cases, indefinitely...
-----
CITY TO VOTE IN JULY ON MOSQUE PROPOSAL
Erin Holmes, Daily Herald, 6/23/04
http://www.dailyherald.com/search/main_story.asp?intid=3816127
A final decision on whether to grant a Rolling Meadows mosque
permission to
move two doors down - into an area now off-limits to religious
institutions
- will wait until July.
Aldermen on Tuesday agreed to postpone further discussion and a vote on
the
issue until their next meeting, as requested by members of the Islamic
Society of Northwest Suburbs. Between now and then, city and society
officials will meet to discuss more specifics of the mosque's move.
Among the issues that will be discussed: parking concerns at the new
site,
a city request that the mosque have walkways leading from off-site
parking
areas to the mosque itself, and the future use of the building the
mosque
currently is using.
City officials thus far have recommended against the move for myriad
reasons, a position several city council members also have taken, but
Islamic group members say they're remaining hopeful.
"I feel optimistic about it, because I don't think the alternative
(potential litigation) is good for the city or good for us" said
Mohammad
Salam, the Islamic group's president. "It behooves us both to sit
across
the table and resolve this amicably."
The mosque has been in the city for 20 years, operating in a
manufacturing
area at 3890 Industrial Ave. Now, amid a growing membership, the church
is
asking to move two doors down to 3950 Industrial Ave., a vacant
building
three times the size of the site they use now.
The problem: In the 20 years since the mosque moved in, zoning rules
have
changed to prohibit religious institutions from manufacturing
districts...
ALSO SEE:
SHI'ITE CENTER PLANS TO GROW AND TEACH ABOUT FAITH, CULTURE
Eun Lee Koh, Boston Globe, 6/24/04
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/06/24/getting_to_know_the_nei
ghbors/
On a recent afternoon, Mahmud Jafri, a founder of the only Shi'ite
Muslim
center in New England, was mingling with Jewish leaders and fellow
Muslims
under a canopy of trees at his Dover home. His wife, Zeba, refilled the
salad greens. Guests sipped icewater and nibbled on grilled meats. It
was
just another Sunday barbecue.
But in this charged political climate, Jafri said, the get-together
also
spoke to the evolving role that he and other members of the center are
playing in the region. With the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the war in Iraq, they are no longer
just
Shi'ite Muslims loyal to their faith; they're ambassadors for Islam.
Evidence of this shift can be found in the ambitious expansion plans at
the
Islamic Ma'sumeen Center in Hopkinton. The preliminary proposal, which
Jafri introduced to town officials last month, calls primarily for more
worship space to accommodate the current membership, some 100 families
from
across New England.
There are also plans, however, to build an education center where they
can
host lectures and interfaith events for the larger community, so the
expansion is as much cultural as it is physical.
''The world has changed," Jafri said. ''We feel it. We sense it. A
handful
of people have hijacked our faith, and the rest of us . . . are left to
defend it. That's why we are doing this. These are big steps for us."
It is a role more complex than they imagined a decade ago, Jafri said,
when
his and six other families pooled money to purchase an unassuming white
building on Wood Street near Interstate 495. The building that now
houses
the center had been a restaurant, topless bar, and a church. In 1995 it
became their place of worship...
-----
ISLAMIC ED CENTER REPORTS VANDALISM
Ken Thorbourne, News Journal, 6/24/04
http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1088068533320070.xml
Beer and whisky bottles crashed into the parking lot of the North
Hudson
Islamic Educational Center in Union City on Tuesday night - tossed from
the
rooftop of a nearby apartment building, according to police and center
officials.
The bottles just missed a car and didn't hit any people, though there
was a
crowd of roughly 20 outside the Cottage Place mosque. Another 200
people
were inside attending a wake, said Yousef Abdallah, a spokesman for the
center.
It was the fourth such incident the center has noted in the past
several
months, Abdallah said.
Last month, bottles were thrown from the same rooftop - two doors down
-
and nearly hit a member of the center, Abdallah said.
Two months ago, a rock thrown from a passing car broke a window on the
11-year-old center's ground floor. That came three weeks after another
rock
was thrown from a car, causing no damage.
"We called the police, but they didn't really investigate it," Abdallah
said about last month's incident. "This time they seem to be serious
about
it."
The incident Tuesday occurred at roughly 8:40 p.m., Abdallah said. Some
children saw the bottles being thrown from the roof of the apartment
building, he said.
Police, he added, took 50 minutes to arrive after the incident was
called
in.
Union City Police Chief Charles Everett said he's looking into the
charge
of slow response time.
"I'm looking into that aspect of it," Everett said. "We have developed
a
good rapport with the Islamic Center, and we are looking to keep
that..."
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIM GRAVES VANDALISED IN FRANCE
Agence France Presse, 6/24/04
STRASBOURG - The graves of some 50 Muslim soldiers were vandalised
overnight at a military cemetery in eastern France, police said
Thursday.
However, they did not say in what way the graves at the Haguenau
cemetery
were attacked.
There has been a series of acts of vandalism targetting both the Muslim
and
Jewish communities in north and eastern France in recent weeks.
ALSO SEE:
AUSTRALIAN MUSLIM PRAYER HALL SITE VANDALIZED WITH PIGS' HEADS
Agence France Presse, 6/24/04
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2004/June
/theworld_June465.xml§ion=theworld
SYDNEY - The site of a controversial Muslim prayer hall was vandalized
Thursday with pigs' heads skewered on stakes and pork offal smeared
throughout the building.
Developer Abbas Aly said builders renovating the hall at Annangrove
discovered the vandalism when they arrived at work on Thursday morning.
"Everyone's mostly upset, it's a very un-Australian thing to happen,"
he
said. "But this won't put us off."
The prayer hall attracted fierce opposition when it was first proposed
in
2002, with the local Baulkham Hills Council receiving an unprecedented
5,000 letters from residents who did not want the building.
The council rejected a development application for the house of
worship,
saying it would impact on the rural-residential character of the area
and
cause social unrest and anti-social behaviour.
But the New South Wales Land and Environment Court overturned the
decision
and said it was the right of all Australians to practise their
religious
beliefs.
Aly said the attack was the first racist incident since the prayer hall
opened 12 months ago...
-----
BRUTAL TERROR TACTICS
Peter Grier, Christian Science Monitor, 6/24/04
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0624/p03s01-usfp.html
They're meant to be shocking, and they are. The decapitation murders of
hostages in Iraq and Saudi Arabia represent an escalation of tactics by
Al
Qaeda-linked groups in their campaign to sow fear and helplessness
among
their opponents.
But it may be important to remember that the motivation for these
brutal
acts is modern. There is nothing Islamic, or traditionally Middle
Eastern,
about beheadings, say experts. Instead, they represent another
adaptation
by a cruelly imaginative terrorist movement, the next new thing from
people
who pioneered the use of hijacked airliners as weapons.
"There's nothing particularly religious about this," says Asma
Afsaruddin,
associate professor of Arabic and Islamic studies at the University of
Notre Dame. "It's absolutely morally reprehensible."
It's true that Saudi Arabia employs public decapitation as its means of
capital punishment. Last year the Saudis executed 53 criminals
convicted of
everything from murder to lesser crimes such as drug offenses. And
Islamist
terrorists have employed the technique in the recent past. Chechen
rebels
have videotaped some beheadings. During Algeria's long war against
French
occupation, one Muslim rebel leader even wrote a pamphlet trying to
justify
his group's use of beheadings in religious terms.
But throughout history many cultures have employed decapitations as
punishment at one point or another. The wives of Henry VIII and Marie
Antoinette were among past famous victims.
More recently, the Japanese subjected some prisoners to beheading
during
World War II, though the extent of Japan's use of the practice remains
unclear. France last used the guillotine in 1977.
While Al Qaeda and its allies may claim religious justification for
their
actions, there is nothing in the Koran justifying beheadings. Indeed,
there
is nothing in the literature of mainstream Islam that justifies the
killing
of innocents in any form, say experts.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, based in Washington, has
called
the recent trend of brutal violence "senseless." A statement from the
group
says it repudiates "all those who believe such murderous behavior
benefits
the faith of Islam or the Muslim people..."
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIMS HERE CONDEMN KILLINGS
Kamal Yasin, St. Louis Today, 6/24/04
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/News/Editorial+%2F+Comment
ary/AB73721EDF44BB3386256EBD00398972?OpenDocument&Headline=LETTERS%3A+We're+
not+safer%3B+killings+are+condemned%3B+jobs+up+or
On behalf of the St. Louis Muslim community, the Council on
American-Islamic Relations condemns the murder of our fellow American,
Paul
M. Johnson, in Saudi Arabia on Friday, as well as the killing of Kim
Sun-il
of South Korea on Tuesday at the hands of terrorists.
The senseless violence in the region is in no way, shape or form
reflective
of the teachings of Islam. We repudiate all acts of violence and
dissociate
ourselves from any group or individual who commits such brutal and
un-Islamic acts, even if they call themselves Muslims.
This murder was committed by severely misguided individuals who acted
outside the teachings of both the Quran and the Prophet Mohammed.
Nothing
can ever justify the massacre of innocent people, and no act of terror
will
ever serve the cause of Islam.
We offer condolences and prayers to the families of both victims.
Kamal Yassin is with the St. Louis Chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations.
---
SCHOLARS DECRY GHASTLY TACTIC
Mohamad Bazzi, Newsday, 6/24/04
http://www.nynewsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-wohead243865339jun24,0,57
16711.story
BAGHDAD, Iraq - It has become a terrifying spectacle disseminated by
videotape: masked men calmly reading statements and then beheading
their
hostages.
The speeches are mostly political; occasionally they have invoked vague
religious justifications for the killings. But there is little
precedent in
Islamic holy texts and tradition for carrying out decapitations,
scholars
say. Islam's holy book, the Quran, provides clear prohibitions against
killing civilians and bans mistreatment of prisoners.
"There is absolutely nothing in Islam that justifies cutting off a
person's
head," said Yvonne Haddad, a professor at the Center for
Muslim-Christian
Understanding at Georgetown University. "In fact, Islam was the first
major
religion to set guidelines for the treatment of prisoners and the
conduct
of war."
By beheading their victims and distributing the tapes on the Internet
and
to Arab television networks, Islamic militants have hit on a new
strategy
to gain worldwide attention.
"This is clearly designed to spread terror," said Diaa Rashwan, a
leading
expert on Islamic militants at Cairo's Al-Ahram Center for Political
and
Strategic Studies. "Suicide bombings no longer receive as much
attention as
they used to, but these beheadings terrify people all over the world."
Rashwan noted that unlike most statements from Islamic militants, which
are
peppered with religious imagery and anecdotes, the speeches that
accompanied the beheadings of U.S. businessman Nicholas Berg and South
Korean translator Kim Sun-il mostly focused on political themes...
---
REGION'S MUSLIMS EXPRESS OUTRAGE AT RECENT BEHEADINGS
Ernie Garcia and Khurram Saeed, Journal News, 6/24/04
http://www.nyjournalnews.com/newsroom/062404/a03w24killings.html
Ardsley resident Irfan Rahman thinks residents of the northern suburbs
are
fairly tolerant of their Muslim neighbors, but recent grisly accounts
of
beheadings in Iraq and Saudi Arabia by extremists stir memories of the
attitudes he and his friends encountered after the Sept. 11 attacks.
"It's not as bad as it used to be," said Rahman, 19, a student at
Westchester Community College and a cell phone salesman, "but we still
get
this feeling that they don't want us here."
As details of Tuesday's beheading of South Korean interpreter Kim
Sun-il in
Iraq emerged yesterday, some local Muslims denounced the killings,
calling
them un-Islamic and criminal.
"What upsets me is that this is just a small number of people who feel
and
act this way," Rahman said of the extremists. "We're supposed to be
good
human beings and try to be role models. They're giving everybody a bad
name."
The murder of Kim, along with last month's beheading of American
Nicholas
Berg in Iraq and the beheading of American Paul Johnson Sr. last week
in
Saudi Arabia, have sparked conversations in mosques.
"We always talk about it and what is going on there in terms of
innocent
people," said Ahmed Goma, the spiritual leader of the Upper Westchester
Muslim Society. "Our group ... denounces this barbarity and all of
these
actions. It has nothing to do with Islam."
Goma, an accounting professor at Manhattan College in Riverdale and a
Hawthorne resident, said beheadings are permitted under Islamic law,
but
not under the circumstances surrounding the South Korean's and
Americans'
killings. For example, Saudi Arabia still beheads scores of people in
public each year for crimes including murder, rape, armed robbery and
drug
trafficking...
-----
GENERAL PROMISED QUICK RESULTS IF GITMO PLAN USED AT ABU GHRAIB
Blake Morrison and Peter Eisler, USA Today, 6/23/04
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usatoday/generalpromisedquick
resultsifgitmoplanusedatabughraib
The general who pushed for more aggressive interrogation tactics at
Iraq
(news - web sites)'s Abu Ghraib prison predicted better intelligence
within
a month if his strategies were adopted, according to a copy of his
classified plan obtained by USA TODAY.
In the plan, sent in early September to top military officials in Iraq,
Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Miller promised that "a significant improvement in
actionable intelligence will be realized within 30 days." His strategy
involved having military police acting as prison guards "setting the
conditions to exploit internees to respond to questions."
The recommendations in Miller's 12-page report were based on the
interrogation operation he supervised at the U.S. Naval Base at
Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba, where suspected members of al-Qaeda are held. The report
lists a
roster of the 17-person team culled entirely from the Guantanamo
operation.
The team spent 10 days at Abu Ghraib with Miller in late summer, before
he
submitted the plan. Several interrogation teams from Guantanamo
subsequently trained those at Abu Ghraib.
By Oct. 12, the Army moved ahead with Miller's strategy to team guards
and
interrogators, an approach at odds with long-established military
doctrine.
But commanders were slow to implement other aspects of Miller's plan
that
might have helped prevent misconduct.
Those recommendations called for increasing the number of guards and
interrogators, improving their training and assigning a legal adviser
to
Abu Ghraib who was dedicated to monitoring the intelligence-gathering
operation...
ALSO SEE:
'BREAKING THE SILENCE' ON WEST BANK ABUSE
Molly Moore, Washington Post, 6/24/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A766-2004Jun23.html
TEL AVIV -- Military police on Wednesday interrogated three Israeli
reserve
soldiers who organized an exhibit of photographs and videotapes
chronicling
mistreatment of Palestinians by troops and Jewish settlers.
A statement issued by the military said the three men were ordered to
provide testimony as part of an investigation into the "allegedly
violent
crimes against Palestinians and damage to Palestinian property"
depicted in
the show.
"The army wants to keep us quiet and scare us away," Micha Kurz, 22,
said
after what he described as seven hours of questioning by investigators.
"They're not going to shut us up, because we have a lot to say, and
they're
not going to scare us off."
Soldiers said police raided the exhibit at Tel Aviv College late
Tuesday
and confiscated a videotape in which young troops expressed anguish
over
their behavior.
Kurz, Yehuda Shaul and Yonatan Baumfeld, who finished their mandatory
three
years of active duty three months ago, assembled more than 80
provocative
photographs taken by troops assigned to the volatile West Bank city of
Hebron and created a video of soldiers describing humiliation and
abuses
suffered by Palestinian civilians at their hands, as well as those of
Jewish settlers.
The exhibition, called "Breaking the Silence," is the most graphic
example
yet of concerns being voiced by influential Israeli soldiers and
officers
over the tactics and techniques of the armed forces' occupation of the
West
Bank and Gaza Strip. Last year, reservists from the military's top
commando
unit, respected pilots, four former chiefs of Israel's powerful
domestic
security service and hundreds of other soldiers went public with
concerns
over the military's ethics...
---
US SOLDIERS TO BE CHARGED IN IRAQI GENERAL'S DEATH
Reuters, 6/24/04
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5506040
DENVER - The U.S. Army plans to file charges against two military
intelligence officers in the suffocation death of an Iraqi general
during
questioning in Iraq in November, The Denver Post reported on Thursday.
The newspaper said negligent homicide and manslaughter charges were
being
brought against two warrant officers over the death of Iraqi Maj. Gen.
Abed
Hamed Mowhoush, commander of Saddam Hussein's air forces.
Chief Warrant Officer Lewis Welshofer, based at Fort Carson, Colorado
and a
member of the 66th Military Intelligence Group, is accused of
suffocating
the general in a sleeping bag while sitting on his chest and covering
his
mouth, according to Pentagon documents obtained by the newspaper.
The other soldier, Chief Warrant Officer Jeff Williams, was involved in
the
interrogation at a U.S. military facility at Qaim, Iraq, the newspaper
said.
The general's death was among more than 30 prisoner deaths in Iraq and
Afghanistan that the Pentagon said last month it was investigating.
The treatment of prisoners came under scrutiny after photographs of
physical and sexual abuse of Iraqi inmates at the Abu Ghraib prison
outside
Baghdad emerged earlier this year...
-----
SIKHS TURBANED KIDS FACE DILEMMA IN FRANCE
Elaine Ganley, Associated Press, 6/23/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug
=France%20Sikhs'%20Dilemma
BOBIGNY, France -- The Sikhs of the Paris region are at prayer, their
blue,
red and gold turbans resembling a field of flowers as they sit barefoot
and
cross-legged around their sacred book.
But these days, many Sikhs worry that the world they embrace may reject
their children and, come September, close the school door on boys
wearing
turbans to cover their unshorn hair.
Two months before the start of the new academic year, it remains
unclear
whether Sikh turbans, considered articles of faith, will be forbidden
by a
new law banning religious symbols in public schools.
To critics, the confusion over where the Sikhs fit into the new law
reflects its folly. But the legislation has strong support in a France
increasingly rattled by a potential challenge to its traditions, and it
appears headed for implementation.
The Sikhs, whose faith preaches religious tolerance and universal
brotherhood, feel their plight underscores what critics at home and
abroad
suggest is an injustice of the law - seen by some as an anachronism in
today's multicultural France.
Education Minister Francois Fillon told The Associated Press in May
that
Sikh boys with long tresses would wear hairnets to school to meet the
law's
requirements.
Sikh elders were horrified, and the ministry appears to have backed
off.
Now there are rumblings that Paris-area Sikhs could be grouped in a
single
school, turbans untouched.
"Something grave is happening," said Kudrat Singh, who teaches yoga at
the
Sikh temple in this northeast Paris suburb. "The identity of a human
being
should be left to his own determination..."
-----
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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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Subject:
CAIR-NET: Muslim Suffers Brain Damage in TX Immigration Center
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MUSLIM SUFFERS BRAIN DAMAGE IN TX IMMIGRATION CENTER
CAIR seeks Justice Department investigation of 'mysterious incident'
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/25/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today called on the Department of Justice to investigate
an
incident at a Texas immigration facility that left a Jordanian Muslim
detainee in critical condition following a "mysterious" injury to his
head.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said
Khalfan Omari, 25, is recovering from brain surgery following what
media
reports call "a mysterious incident" at El Paso's immigration detention
center. Omari's brother sent CAIR post-operative photographs of the
injury
that show a 7-inch scar in his scalp. SEE:
http://www.cair-net.org/images/khalfan-Omari-prison-incident.jpg
Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman Leticia Zamarripa told
the
El Paso Times that Omari said he had "fallen from his seat and hit his
head."
SEE: "Jordanian Immigrant Suffers Unknown Brain Injury at El Paso
Center"
http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20040625-135010.shtml
Jihad "Jordan" Omari says his brother is a permanent resident of the
United
States and that he recently faced discriminatory treatment by
authorities
because of his religion and ethnicity. He was allegedly harassed
because he
has a tattoo of the word "Jihad" with a heart on his shoulder. The
tattoo
apparently refers to his love for his brother.
"A thorough investigation is warranted whenever someone suffers
'mysterious' injuries while in the custody of federal authorities,"
said
CAIR Civil Rights Attorney Engy Abdelkader. "The need for an
investigation
is made even more urgent when there are allegations of past
discriminatory
behavior." She noted that CAIR's office in Ohio is also seeking an
investigation in the case of Nuradin Abdi, the man charged with
plotting to
bomb a shopping mall in that state.
In an editorial published yesterday in the Columbus Dispatch, a
CAIR-Ohio
spokeswoman wrote: "While in federal custody for seven months, Nuradin
Abdi
changed from a normal person to a damaged human being for whom the
court
ordered a psychiatric evaluation."
SEE: "Local Muslim's Treatment in U.S. Custody is Suspicious"
http://www.dispatch.com/editorials-story.php?story=dispatch/2004/06/24/20040
624-A11-00.html
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: CAIR-Houston, Iesa Galloway, 713-838-2247, 832-656-0449;
Ibrahim
Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail: cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah
Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail: rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
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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Subject:
CAIR-NET: Slurs Painted on Muslim Home in New Jersey
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/25/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: THE FIRST TO GOD'S SHADE
* INCITEMENT WATCH: GENERAL LECTURES ON 'OLD WAYS OF ISLAM'
* CAIR-FL: DON'T JUDGE BY BARBARIC ACTS OF A FEW
- CAIR-AZ: Beheadings have AZ Muslims on Alert (AZ Rep)
- CAIR-FL on Airlines Sharing Data with Government
- CAIR-Ohio Advocates for Workers' Rights
- CAIR and CNI Forum on Muslim Vote 2004
- CAIR-CAN: Women Want Apology for Hijab Slight (CBC)
* NJ: BEHEADINGS FUEL BACKLASH AGAINST MUSLIMS (AP)
- Ethnic Slurs Painted on Egg Harbor Home (Courier-Post)
- Family Victimized by Hate Crime (ABC)
- Home Found Covered with Ethnic Slurs (KYW)
* AUSTRALIA POLICE SUSPECT ARSON IN MOSQUE FIRE (AP)
* MUSLIMS REJECT TERROR IN NAME OF ISLAM (WSJ)
* WA: ISLAMIC SCHOOL MARKS JEWISH COUPLE'S ANNIVERSARY (PI)
- MA: Muslims, Jews Share Common History (Boston Globe)
* CA: CANDIDATE REACHES OUT TO MUSLIMS (Daily Pilot)
* CA: STIGMA SCARS LOCAL ARABS (Orange County Register)
* NC: MUSLIM TEENS SAVE FAMILY FROM FIRE (Charlotte Observer)
* NJ: ISLAMIC SCHOOL SAYS FAREWELL TO GRADUATES (SB Post)
- IL: Mosque Foes Say They'll Drive Board from Office
* POLL: 54 PERCENT SAY IRAQ WAR A MISTAKE (AP)
- Army Told Not to Use Israeli Bullets in Iraq (Reuters)
* TX: PROSECUTORS DEALT SETBACK IN TRIAL (AP)
* AZERBAIJAN: AUTHORITIES STRIVE TO CONTROL ISLAM (RFE)
* U.S. SHOULD NIX SHARON'S 'PEACE' (US Catholic)
- Issa Critical of Israel Measure (The Hill)
* CA: MUSLIM YOUTH SUMMER FEST
* MD: ISB SUMMER FESTIVAL
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: THE FIRST TO GOD'S SHADE
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once said to his companions:
"Do
you know who will go first on the Day of Resurrection to the shade of
God?
(It will be) those who when given what is right accept it, when asked
for
something give freely and who judge in favor of others as they do for
themselves."
Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1042
-----
GENERAL LECTURES ON TERROR WAR
Global threat hits home for Idaho economy
MATT FURBER, Idaho Mountain Express, 6/25/04
http://www.mtexpress.com/2004/04-06-25/04-06-25generalkane.htm
Idaho Adjutant Gen. John Kane was in Sun Valley this week making a case
for
sending Idaho's National Guard troops to fight in Iraq, just as the
U.S.
mission shifts from occupying force to support units for the new
interim
government.
Beyond Iraq, Kane said the lecture was intended to explain why Guard
troops
are needed for the global war on terror.
Speaking in the Limelight Room at Sun Valley Lodge Wednesday, June 23,
Kane
made a three-part presentation describing the economic impact of the
National Guard for Idaho and how the Guard fits into the structure of
the
U.S. Army. In the third part of his presentation Kane lectured the
audience-who had come to an Idaho Association of Commerce & Industry
conference-about the Islamic Caliphate and why Muslim extremists are
such a
menacing adversary.
Originally the term Caliphate referred to the political entity that
filled
the void in the Muslim world after the death of Muhammad in A.D. 632.
The Caliphate comprised relatives and followers of Muhammad, today
those
who believe in the "old ways of Islam" are struggling to hold on to
their
position in the world, Kane said. Extremists are driving the message,
he
said…
Some listening to Kane's justification for the war on terrorism
expressed
discomfort with his descriptions of how some Muslims hate the U.S.
Kane said the extremist threat to the West comes from those Muslims who
would see total sovereignty of the Caliphate, which is in opposition to
the
worldwide trend toward globalization.
As the world becomes a more homogeneous economic culture-Kane called it
the
"McWorld syndrome"-Muslim countries are threatened by diminished
economic
sovereignty.
"The Caliphate doesn't like McDonald's because it represents everything
that's bad in the world."
Kane said some people find the strong language he uses to describe the
motives of would be Muslim terrorists inflammatory. For that reason he
does
not distribute copies of his slide presentation, which is a discourse
on
why some Muslims hate Western industrialized countries…
-----
CAIR-FL: DON'T JUDGE BY BARBARIC ACTS OF A FEW
Parvez Ahmed, 6/25/04
http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/062504/opl_15946114.shtml
[Parvez Ahmed is board chairman, Florida Chapter of Council on
American-Islamic Relations, Jacksonville.]
The brutal beheadings of Nicholas Berg, Paul Johnson and Kim Sun-il are
being been erroneously described as acts of "Islamic militancy."
Certainly they are the actions of terrorists or militants, but they are
not
acts of Islam.
The world of Islam should not be held accountable for the un-Islamic
and
barbaric deeds of a minuscule minority of more than a billion Muslims.
Muslims have repeatedly condemned terrorism in all its forms. Recently,
America's largest Muslim advocacy group, The Council on
American-Islamic
Relations, launched an online petition drive titled "Not in the Name of
Islam."
The petition in part reads, "… those who commit acts of terror, murder
and
cruelty in the name of Islam are not only destroying innocent lives,
but
are also betraying the values of the faith they claim to represent. No
injustice done to Muslims can ever justify the massacre of innocent
people,
and no act of terror will ever serve the cause of Islam. We repudiate
and
dissociate ourselves from any Muslim group or individual who commits
such
brutal and un-Islamic acts."
To date the petition has been signed by nearly 700,000 people
representing
individuals and members of signatory organizations.
When outlining the rules of engagement for wartime, the Prophet
Muhammad
said on numerous occasions: "Do not kill any old person, any child or
any
woman;" "Do not kill the monks in monasteries;" "Do not kill the people
who
are sitting in places of worship;" "Do not attack a wounded person;"
and
"No prisoner should be put to the sword."
He also prohibited the killing of anyone who is in captivity. He also
outlawed the mutilating of the corpses of enemies. These clear and
concise
statements make any violation of these edicts during wartime a clear
violation of core Islamic principles.
Passions are soaring as more people view the gruesome images of the
executions on the Internet and as irresponsible media reports keep
associating these acts of terror with the peaceful religion of Islam.
In
Florida alone, six Islamic centers have been vandalized or issued death
threats in the past six weeks.
Unspeakable and appalling acts perpetrated by followers of any religion
should be unanimously condemned as fundamentally irreligious deeds and
unpatriotic crimes.
ALSO SEE:
BEHEADINGS IN MIDEAST HAVE LOCAL MUSLIMS ON HIGH ALERT
Michael Clancy, Arizona Republic, 6/25/04
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/centralphoenix/articles/0626muslim2
6Z4.html
Incidents of anti-Muslim activity have been few and far between since
the
beheadings of two Americans and a South Korean in Iraq, but Muslims
around
the country have been asked to remain alert and to continue working
toward
understanding.
"This weekend, we sent out e-mails condemning the murders and including
copies of our Muslim safety kit," said Deedra Abboud, director of the
local
chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "Phoenix police
had
contacted us, feeling the atmosphere was negative."
Other than isolated reports, including vandalism at a mosque in Tampa,
the
Council of American-Islamic Relations, which tracks anti-Muslim
incidents,
has reported no incidents that it could tie directly to backlash from
the
beheadings.
The safety kit sent out by the Council on American-Islamic Relations
includes information about building relationships with law enforcement
agencies, working with interfaith groups and basic civil rights…
---
CAIR-FL ON AIRLINES SHARING INFO WITH GOVERNMENT
CAIR-FL Rep. appeared on Tampa Cable news station Baynews9 to offer
reaction on Airlines passing personal passenger records, including meal
selections that could identify religious affiliation, to the
government.
Broadband:
http://www.cair-florida.org/video/04-06-23_baynews9_reaction_to_pax_list_hi.
wmv
Dial-up
http://www.cair-florida.org/video/04-06-23_baynews9_reaction_to_pax_list_lo.
wmv
---
CAIR-OHIO JOINS INTERFAITH GROUPS IN ADVOCATING FOR WORKERS' RIGHTS
(CINCINNATI, OHIO) - The Cincinnati office of CAIR-Ohio (CAIR-OH)
joined
other interfaith groups in defending the rights of workers to have
adequate
pay, a safe working environment and the right to organize at a press
conference in downtown Cincinnati.
The press conference took place in response to the release of a report,
titled "Airing Dirty Laundry," by the National Interfaith Committee for
Worker Justice (NICWJ). The NICWJ report highlighted alleged cases of
mistreatment of workers and pollution of the environment by the U.S.'s
largest commercial laundry and uniform manufacturer, Cintas Corp.,
headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Those present at the press conference included National Director of
NICWJ,
Vice President of NICWJ, Issues & Action Director of NICWJ, Director of
the
Cincinnati Interfaith Committee on Worker Justice along with
representatives of many faith groups from around the country.
---
CAIR AND CNI FORUM ON THE MUSLIM VOTE IN ELECTION 2004
WHAT: The Council for the National Interest (CNI) and the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) are co-sponsoring a forum on the
Muslim
Vote for the 2004 elections on Capitol Hill.
Panelists include:
The Muslim Vote in 2000: Eugene Bird, President, CNI
Current polling of American Muslims: Nihad Awad, Executive Director,
CAIR
Ralph Nader, Candidate for U.S. President (tentative)
Evaluation of the candidates: Amb. Edward Peck, Foreign Service
International
*The Kerry campaign and the Bush campaign have both been invited to
send a
representative.
WHEN: Tuesday, June 29, 2004 at 10:00 AM
WHERE: Gold Room (Room 2168) of Rayburn House Office Building
Seating is limited, registered attendees given priority. For more
information or to register online, visit
http://www.cnionline.org/hearings/muslims/signup.html or call
202-863-2951.
---
MUSLIM WOMEN WANT APOLOGY FOR HEAD SCARF SLIGHT
CBC, 6/25/04
http://ottawa.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=ot_hijab20040625
MONTREAL - A Canadian Islamic advocacy group wants federal Immigration
Minister Judy Sgro to apologize for the treatment of several Muslim
women
at Montreal's Trudeau Airport.
At least four Muslim women immigrating to Canada were told they had to
remove their hijabs to have a photograph taken for their permanent
residency card, even though the cloth covered only their hair and ears,
leaving faces plainly visible.
"I was really very annoyed and I came out in tears," said Reem
al-Salus,
who moved to Ottawa from Jordan a few weeks ago after marrying a
Canadian
abroad. "The hijab for me is an act of choice. It's an act of devotion.
It's not just a custom that I can take off."
Canada's Council on American-Islamic Relations said the head covering
has
never been an issue before.
"It appears that the rules have been re-interpreted or new rules
issued,"
said executive director Riad Saloojee. "So people are now being asked
to
take it off entirely or partially."
But the federal government says nothing has changed. Immigration Canada
says hijabs don't have to be removed and the department will look into
the
allegation.
Saloojee has asked Sgro to clarify the Canadian law and is calling on
party
leaders to express their views on the issue during the election
campaign.
-----
BEHEADINGS FUEL FRESH BACKLASH AGAINST MUSLIMS
Wayne Parry, Associated Press, 6/24/04
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ny-bc-nj--beheadings-muslim0625jun25,
0,705050.story
EAGLESWOOD TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- The recent beheadings of two American
businessmen in the Middle East have increased an already strong
backlash
against Arab-Americans and Muslims, who have been persecuted since the
9/11
attacks.
The murder of former New Jerseyan Paul Johnson has prompted hate mail,
verbal attacks and anti-Islam signs and graffiti in New Jersey.
Elsewhere
in the country, Muslims have received death threats and mosques have
been
vandalized in the days after Johnson's killing.
"Since 9/11, every time there is an incident overseas attributed to
Muslims
or Arabs, we go on orange alert ourselves," said Sohail Mohammed, a
Clifton
immigration lawyer. "With the death of Paul Johnson, we were extremely
concerned that what happened overseas would have an impact here. There
are
individuals here who are off the wall, who think that every woman who
wears
a hijab or every man named Mohammed is out to blow things up."
In the days after Johnson's killing, anti-Islam signs surfaced in and
around the rural, south Jersey neighborhood where he used to live. One
read
"Stamp Out Islam" next to a drawing of a boot over a crescent and star.
Another, hung on a mailbox next door to Johnson's sister's home, was
more
detailed.
"Last night I wasn't a racist but today I feel racism towards Islamic
beliefs," it read. "Last night Islamics had a chance to speak up for
Paul
Johnson, but today it's too late. Islamics better wake up and start
thinking about tomorrow."
New Jersey Attorney General Peter C. Harvey sent bias crimes
investigators
to the area, along with stepped-up State Police patrols. The signs are
gone
now, replaced with hand-lettered placards on utility poles that say
"Our
Prayers Are With the Johnson Family." Yellow ribbons festoon fences,
road
signs, stores and homes, the hope they had for Johnson transferred now
to
the American troops and civilians still in harm's way.
On Thursday, however, more anti-Muslim graffiti appeared on a Muslim
man's
home in Egg Harbor Township.
"It's really our fear coming true," said Faiza Ali of the New Jersey
chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "It indicates a
hatred that could turn into something violent..."
ALSO SEE:
ETHNIC SLURS PAINTED ON EGG HARBOR HOME
Jim Walsh, Courier-Post, 6/25/04
http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/m062504p.htm
Police on Thursday reported an apparent bias crime in this township,
which
is near the former home of a man beheaded last week by al-Qaida
terrorists.
"Ethnic slurs directed at persons of Middle Eastern descent" were
spray-painted on a resident's house, police said.
Khalib Bano, 46, of Pembroke Drive, noticed the graffiti when he
returned
home at about 2 a.m. Thursday, police said. Bano could not be reached
for
comment.
A spokeswoman for a group representing New Jersey Muslims expressed
fear
that the incident was spurred by last week's slaying of Paul M. Johnson
Jr.
Johnson, 49, was an area native who formerly lived in nearby Little Egg
Harbor. Johnson worked in Saudi Arabia, where he was abducted and
killed by
Islamic extremists.
"It's really shocking and disturbing," said Faiza Ali of the New Jersey
chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
"It's really our fear coming true," said Ali, whose group decried
Johnson's
murder. "It indicates a hatred that could turn into something violent."
Her group has asked the FBI to investigate an incident in Union City on
Tuesday where liquor bottles were thrown onto the grounds of a mosque.
Anyone with information about the graffiti incident can call Crime
Stoppers
at (609) 652-1234.
---
FAMILY VICTIMIZED BY HATE CRIME
ABC, 6/24/04
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/news/062404_nw_hatecrime.html
June 24, 2004 - The search is on for the vandals responsible for an
ugly
hate crime in Egg Harbor Township. Police say what happened Thursday
morning is a hate crime.
Not only were racial slurs and obscenities spray painted on the home of
a
Pakistani-American family, they scribbled fluorescent green graffiti
all
around the rest of the outside of the house. The air conditioning unit,
the
electric meter and around the front the garage doors, the owner tried
to
wash off with gasoline. He's going to have to hire professionals to get
it
all off.
Chaudhery Khaled says he made the discovery when he got home from his
job
as a limo driver for Borgata about 2:30 am. His house spray painted
with
racial slurs and obscenities which he washed off after police took pics
because he was too embarrassed for his neighbors to see them. The rest
of
the house was scribbled in fluorescent green graffiti.
And that's not all they did.
The hate crime had not yet occurred when his neighbor arrived home at
11pm,
or when his sister-in-law came to visit at 12:30am. For Khaled it is
not a
big deal, but his wife and friends worry.
The incident comes less than a week since a native of nearby Little Egg
Harbor, Paul Johnson, was beheaded by al Qaida terrorists in Saudi
Arabia.
Khaled, who moved to this country 18 years ago, says perhaps the
perpetrator doesn't realize his native country of Pakistan is an ally
of
the U.S. and has long been assisting in the battle against al Qaida...
---
HOME FOUND COVERED WITH ETHNIC SLURS
KYW, 6/24/04
http://kyw.com/Local%20News/local_story_176203840.html
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. - Messages of hate were found sprayed on the
home
of a family of Middle-Eastern descent Thursday in Egg Harbor Township,
New
Jersey.
The incident occurred in the early morning hours and was discovered by
Chaudhary Khalid when he was returning home from work.
The messages look like random spots of green paint however Khalid says
he
can clearly make out ethnic slurs: "I saw "F" words on my garage doors
and
then started looking at the house and I saw it all over the house.
There
were words on the side like towel-head."
Originally from Pakistan, Khalid is Muslim and has been in the United
States for 18-years. He is saddened by the recent escalation of
violence in
the Middle East.
He does not understand why his home was targeted and says that his
religion
by no means endorses hatred or any kinds of evil: "They are
interpreting
the Muslim religion very differently because that is not the religion."
Neighbor Steve Eissler was shocked about the threatening graffiti and
feels
it is completely wrong: "Nobody should take out frustrations on these
people because they are hard working people just like everyone else
that
lives here and it's a shame that had to happen."
Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime...
-----
POLICE SUSPECT ARSON IN MOSQUE FIRE, A DAY AFTER PORK BLOOD SMEARED ON
MUSLIM PRAYER HALL
Associated Press, 6/25/04
MELBOURNE, Australia - Police suspect arsonists were responsible for a
fire
at a mosque that sent worshippers running from the building Friday, a
day
after vandals desecrated a Muslim prayer hall, smearing blood on its
walls
and leaving pigs' heads impaled on stakes.
More than 500 people were in the mosque in Melbourne when the fire
broke
out in the kitchen area. No one was injured, police said.
"We were scared and had to make a run for it," said Mohammed Hackim.
"Some
people started screaming and we looked around and saw heavy smoke."
Fire department officials suspect arsonists were behind the blaze and
estimated the cost of the damage at 100,000 Australian dollars
(US$70,000).
The mosque was to be officially opened on the weekend, Hackim said. It
was
also supposed to serve as the imam's residence.
"We think that we have no enemies around us and hope this is the case,"
he
said.
The attack on the prayer hall Thursday was in Sydney. In addition to
the
blood-smeared walls and pig heads on stakes, pork offal was strewn
across
the hall.
Pork and related products are forbidden for Muslims under religious
law.
-----
HOUSES OF WORSHIP: IN ALLAH'S NAME?
Naomi Schaefer Riley, Wall Street Journal, 6/25/04
http://online.wsj.com/public/us
"At best, it's vigilantism. At worst it's anarchy. Islam is against
both."
That was the reaction of Daniel McBride to the recent beheadings of
South
Korean Kim Sun Il and Americans Paul Johnson and Nicholas Berg. Mr.
McBride, a spokesman for the Islamic Center of Boca Raton, Fla., wants
to
make clear that "for these radicals to even imply that what they're
doing
is Islamically correct is wrong."
Many Muslims are disturbed that such acts of terrorism are being
committed
in the name of their religion. The Council on American-Islamic
Relations
launched a petition a few weeks ago that notes: "We, the undersigned
Muslims wish to state clearly that those who commit acts of terror,
murder,
and cruelty in the name of Islam are not only destroying innocent
lives,
but also betraying the values of the faith they claim to represent."
Mohammad Tariq Sherwani, the director of the Muslim Center in Flushing,
N.Y., signed the petition because he was concerned that "lots of times,
Muslims don't speak up against violence." He expressed special sadness
about the death of Paul Johnson. "That gentleman in Saudi Arabia. He
was so
honest. He lived there for years. He trusted the people. He was killed
by
the people he trusted."
Kareem Irfan, chairman of the Council of Islamic Organizations in
Greater
Chicago, cites the "strong traditions of the prophet Muhammad, which
require dealings based on compassion, tolerance and mercy, even with
military engagement." He emphasizes: "With civilians, there is no
possible
justification [for mistreatment] in the Koran or the actions of the
Prophet..."
-----
ISLAMIC SCHOOL HELPS MARK JEWISH COUPLE'S ANNIVERSARY
Vanessa Ho, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 6/25/04
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/179445_vcenter25.html
Sixty-two years ago, Alice Siegal wore a powder-blue wool suit, a
pillbox
hat and a veil and married her sweetheart, Arthur, in the gymnasium of
the
Seattle Talmud Torah, a Jewish day school in the Central District.
Tomorrow, she and her husband will celebrate their anniversary in the
same
brick-faced building. It looks pretty much the same, except for one
thing:
An Arabic verse from the Quran now hangs over the Star of David near
the
front door.
The building now houses the Islamic School of Seattle, which doesn't
bother
the Siegals one bit. In fact, they're thrilled.
"I'm just really very touched," said Alice Siegal, who is 80. "I think
anything we can do to get to know each other better is wonderful."
In May, Arthur Siegal, who is 85, organized a volunteer group from the
couple's synagogue to do a mitzvah, or a good deed, at the school. The
school needed to refill its playground, and Siegal offered a crew from
Temple De Hirsch Sinai to distribute 100 yards of wood chips.
While he was there, he casually mentioned to a school director that he
was
married in the building.
"We just got all excited about it," said Ann El-Moslimany, another
director
at the school. So the school invited the Siegals for an anniversary
celebration with cake and refreshments.
"Muslims and Jews have always gotten along until recently with the
state of
Israel," El-Moslimany said. "But as far as the religion and what we
believe
in, we're both people of faith, and we both believe in one God. ... I
think
it's great they're coming."
The Jewish school was built in 1935, but the building became a welfare
office and had other purposes after a number of Jewish families moved
away.
The Islamic School bought the building in 1981...
ALSO SEE:
YOUNG MUSLIMS AND JEWS SHARE THEIR COMMON SPIRITUAL HISTORY
Matt Gunderson, Boston Globe, 6/24/04
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/06/24/young_mus
lims_and_jews_share_their_common_spiritual_history/
In Arabic, they spell it salaam. In Hebrew, they spell it shalom. But
both
words mean the same thing: peace.
With crayons in hand last week, Syifa Rahmanianputri and Naomi
Eisenberg
were scribbling the words on a piece of colored paper, learning that
their
cultures are not as different as events in the Middle East might lead
them
to believe.
Both second-graders, Rahmanianputri is a Muslim from the Islamic
Al-Hamra
Academy in Shrewsbury, while Eisenberg comes from Rashi School, a
Jewish
day school in Newton.
Over a half-hour period, both students, side by side, crafted a small
''dictionary" at Hamra, comparing the etymological similarities between
their ancestral languages.
Part of a program designed to bridge racial divides between Muslims and
Jews, second-graders from the schools have met each year for the last
three
years, swapping common traits between their ethnic groups through a pen
pal
system. At the end of the year, they finally meet their pen pals in
person.
For the first two years, Hamra students have gone to Rashi. On June 15,
for
the first time, Rashi students went to Hamra.
The program was started by Rashi second-grade teacher Sara Ledewitz in
response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Ledewitz said she
got
the idea for the program a few weeks after the attacks as she watched
some
of her students reconstructing the Twin Towers with their play blocks.
At first, she wanted to establish a pen pal exchange with students in
Palestine but decided on contacting an Islamic school in the area.
''I wanted to promote peace, but I wanted to create something real and
tangible for [the children]," she said. ''And I thought: What better
way to
do that than to have them meet their neighbors?..."
-----
CANDIDATE REACHES OUT TO MUSLIMS
Alicia Robinson, Daily Pilot, 6/24/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/pilot/news/la-dpt-pollandscape24jun24,1,72
21972.story
In a bid to boost Libertarian Party ranks, Judge Jim Gray of Newport
Beach
visited with the Islamic Society of Corona/Norco at the Embassy Suites
hotel in Garden Grove on Sunday.
Gray, the Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate, urged those in
attendance
to help present a positive image of Muslims by getting involved in the
political process.
"They are people - good hearted, family-oriented people," Gray said in
a
written statement. "And they are being unjustly used as a scapegoat for
people who use terror in the name of peace."
The effort to reach out to Muslim voters is part of a larger strategy
to
add grass roots and minority organizations to the Libertarian Party.
Gray
will continue those efforts Sunday, when he speaks at the Anaheim
Convention Center at an event honoring Indian spiritual leader Pramukh
Swami Maharaj.
Gray will face incumbent Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer and Republican
Challenger Bill Jones in the November election.
-----
STIGMA SCARS LOCAL ARABS
Vik Jolly, Orange County Register, 6/25/04
http://www.ocregister.com/ocr/2004/06/25/sections/news/in_time_of_war/articl
e_146703.php
For most Americans, the Sept. 11 attacks have meant increased
vigilance,
long lines at airports and color-coded alerts. Many have relatives
fighting
in Iraq or Afghanistan.
For Arab-Americans, however, there have been additional challenges.
Some
have shied from public view, while others have chosen to speak out
about
what it means to be an Arab-American in time of war.
Here are excerpts of a conversation with four members of Society of
Arab Students at University of California, Irvine: Ramy Ballout,
Vanessa
Zuabi, Osama Abuljebain and Nabil Atalla.
Register: How has your life changed since 9/11?
Osama: It's not easy for someone named Osama to live in American
society.
Right after the World Trade Center attacks happened, for three (to)
four
months my family and I stayed home. A neighbor (made) comments like
'Bin
laden won't protect you; go back to your country, you're not wanted
here...'
-----
MUSLIM TEENS SAVE FAMILY FROM HOUSE FIRE
Charlotte Observer, 6/24/04
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/
It was 5:30 a.m., and Murad Maithalouni woke for fajr, the predawn
prayer
practiced in the Muslim religion.
But on that recent Sunday morning, the 14-year-old smelled something
strange when he arose.
He went to the window and saw smoke streaming from his next-door
neighbors'
house. So Murad dashed to his neighbors' house and rang the doorbell
seven
times to wake the family of five. His 18-year-old sister, Maram,
immediately called 911.
The northeast Charlotte house's attic and roof burned, but the family
escaped safely.
Murad and Maram and their family were honored June 15 during a news
conference at the Islamic Center of Charlotte. The Muslim Community of
Charlotte recognized the two last week for their June 13 heroism.
Charlotte fire Capt. Rob Brisley said the fire started after hot ashes
from
a charcoal cooker ignited the deck. Since the fire started outside,
smoke
detectors inside the house did not trigger.
"This was a fast-traveling fire that could have easily trapped the
family,"
he said. He also commended the teens June 13 with patches from the
Charlotte Fire Department.
"We felt it was imperative to recognize them," said center spokesperson
Mujahid Idlibi. "It really defines heroism and bravery."
------
ISLAMIC SCHOOL SAYS FAREWELL TO FIRST EVER GRADUATES
Sharlee Joy DiMenichi, South Brunswick Post, 6/24/04
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12082548&BRD=1091&PAG=461&dept_id=
425716&rfi=6
The Noor-ul-Iman Islamic school is getting ready to send its first
graduates into the world Saturday.
And members of the graduating class said their Muslim education will
give
them an edge. They said the school's religion program, ethnic diversity
and
small classes offered them a solid education that prepared them to
contribute to society as Muslims.
"In these classes you learn about your faith as opposed to public
school,
where you have your just basic academic classes," said graduating
senior
Asim Hussain, who plans to study biomedical engineering at the New
Jersey
Institute of Technology before studying dentistry at the University of
Medicine and Dentistry.
Asim is one of four Noor-ul-Iman students slated to graduate Saturday
in a
ceremony in Trayes Hall at Rutgers University's Douglass College. The
others include Ibrahim Mansour, Sarah Mobarak and Nermeen Shehab.
The Route 1 Noor-ul-Iman School, affiliated with the Islamic Society of
Central Jersey, was founded in 1993 with 27 students, said Principal
Janet
Nazif. It now serves 325 students in kindergarten through grade 12.
Ibrahim said that attending school with students and faculty from such
varied countries such as Pakistan, Bosnia, Senegal, Turkey and Ecuador
has
taught him more than just tolerance.
"I think it's an understatement to say tolerance. There's a genuine
appreciation and respect for other cultures," Ibrahim said.
Ibrahim said that while participating in Model United Nations, the team
from Noor-ul-Iman excelled, defying the common stereotype that students
from Islamic schools are isolated...
ALSO SEE:
MOSQUE OPPONENTS SAY THEY'LL DRIVE BOARD MEMBERS FROM OFFICE
Jef Rietsma, The Star, 6/24/04
http://www.starnewspapers.com/star/spnews/news/24-sp1.htm
If opponents of a proposed Orland Park mosque follow through on their
promise, Mayor Dan McLaughlin and village trustees put their political
careers in jeopardy Monday.
About three-quarters of a vocal crowd - which police estimated to be
close
to 700 people - voiced objections to the development Monday and vowed
to
next year vote out of office McLaughlin and three trustees up for
re-election.
Apparently unfazed by the threat and acknowledging it must vote in
accordance with state and federal laws, the board unanimously approved
a
special use permit for development of Orland Park's first mosque.
The proposal was perhaps the most contentious the board has faced
during
McLaughlin's 11-year administration.
Opponents of the plan said the presence of a Muslim prayer center in
Orland
Park puts the community in jeopardy because of the people who will
patronize the facility...
-----
POLL: 54 PERCENT SAY IRAQ WAR A MISTAKE
Associated Press, 6/25/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/ats-ap_us12jun25,1,28828
02.story
WASHINGTON - For the first time, a majority of Americans say they think
the
United States made a mistake sending troops to Iraq, according to a
poll
released Thursday.
The CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll found that 54 percent of people say the
war
was a mistake, up from 41 percent who felt that way in early June.
The poll also found that more than half say the Iraq war has made the
United States less safe from terrorism. Only a third said it made this
country safer.
The finding that more than half now think the Iraq war was a mistake
recalls the disillusionment of Americans in 1968 with the Vietnam War.
The
first time a majority said that was a mistake was in August 1968.
In the Persian Gulf War more than a decade ago, the highest that level
of
concern got was three in 10.
The negative findings on the Iraq war come as the United States
prepares to
turn over sovereignty of the country to Iraqis. But there are few signs
that American troops will be leaving anytime soon, with violence from
insurgents on the rise.
As of Thursday, 842 U.S. service members have died since the beginning
of
military operations in Iraq last year, according to the Defense
Department.
Insurgents in Iraq set off car bombs and seized police stations
Thursday in
an offensive that killed more than 100 people.
The poll of 1,005 adults was taken June 21-23 and has a margin of
sampling
error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
ALSO USE:
ARMY TOLD NOT TO USE ISRAELI BULLETS IN IRAQ
Reuters, 6/24/04
http://news.myway.com/top/article/id/411289|top|06-24-2004::18:06|reuters.ht
ml
WASHINGTON - Israeli-made bullets bought by the U.S. Army to plug a
shortfall should be used for training only, not to fight Muslim
guerrillas
in Iraq and Afghanistan, U.S. lawmakers told Army generals on Thursday.
Since the Army has other stockpiled ammunition, "by no means, under any
circumstances should a round (from Israel) be utilized," said Rep. Neil
Abercrombie of Hawaii, the top Democrat on a House of Representatives
Armed
Services subcommittee with jurisdiction over land forces.
The Army contracted with Israel Military Industries Ltd. in December
for
$70 million in small-caliber ammunition.
The Israeli firm was one of only two worldwide that could meet U.S.
technical specifications and delivery needs, said Brig. Gen. Paul Izzo,
the
Army's program executive officer for ammunition. The other was East
Alton,
Illinois-based Winchester Ammunition, which also received a $70 million
contract.
Although the Army should not have to worry about "political
correctness,"
Abercrombie was making a valid point about the propaganda pitfalls of
using
Israeli rounds in the U.S.-declared war on terror, said Rep. Curt
Weldon,
the Pennsylvania Republican who chairs the subcommittee on tactical air
and
land forces.
"There's a sensitivity that I think all of us recognize," Weldon told
the
Army witnesses, including Maj. Gen. Buford Blount, who led the U.S.
Third
Infantry Division that captured Baghdad in April 2003.
-----
PROSECUTORS DEALT SETBACK IN TRIAL OF MEN ACCUSED OF HAMAS TIES
David Koeing, Associated Press, 6/24/04
http://www.dfw.com/mld/startelegram/news/state/9005062.htm
DALLAS - A federal judge on Thursday blocked testimony by a key
prosecution
witness in the case against five brothers accused of illegal computer
shipments to countries that supported terrorism.
The witness told the FBI that one of the brothers - who also face
charges
of helping the terrorist group Hamas - tried to order 300 computer
modems
to ship to Libya in 1997 or 1998, which would have been illegal.
The witness, Kenna Nevill, said she was a sales representative for a
telecommunications company when Hazim Elashi tried to place the order.
Questioned by the judge and lawyers while the jury was out of the room,
Nevill conceded that she couldn't be sure that she spoke to Elashi. She
said she got his name by reviewing old records after the FBI
interviewed
her the first time in 2001.
U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay said the woman's testimony was
hearsay
and too vague to let the jury hear it.
Prosecutor James T. Jacks protested strenuously, saying the jury should
hear Nevill's testimony and decide whether to believe it.
"This witness is crucial," he said.
Jacks asked for permission to present a written case for allowing the
testimony, which the judge approved, setting a Monday deadline.
Lindsay,
however, indicated he was unlikely to change his ruling...
-----
AZERBAIJAN: AUTHORITIES STRIVE TO KEEP ISLAM UNDER CONTROL
Jean-Christophe Peuch, Radio Free Europe, 6/24/04
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/6/3C2886C3-0E03-411B-9A03-23B0C2F5
F7E1.html
Prague-- Even before the collapse of the Soviet Union, religious groups
from Turkey and Iran began flourishing in Azerbaijan.
In addition to its geographic proximity, Azerbaijan's historical and
cultural ties to both Turkey and Iran provided fertile ground for both
Sunni religious endowments and Shi'a mullahs to develop missionary
activities.
Turkish and Iranian religious groups were later joined by Saudi Salafi
missionaries already established in the Northern Caucasus. Their
relatively
simple interpretation of the Koran initially appealed to many
Azerbaijanis
amid the overall post-Soviet spiritual vacuum.
Today, Azerbaijan is the only former Soviet republic where the Turkish,
Iranian, and Saudi brands of Islam are equally present, even though
they do
not enjoy the same level of influence.
Bayram Balci of the Istanbul-based French Institute of Anatolian
Studies
researches Turkish Islamic groups in Central Asia and the Caucasus. He
told
RFE/RL that being a predominantly Shi'a country, Turkic Azerbaijan is a
special case in the former Soviet Union. "Azerbaijan offers believers
greater opportunities to practice their religion and, at the same time,
offers all these movements [comparatively] greater opportunities to
proselytize."
"What is extremely difficult for the Azerbaijanis is that, religiously,
they are very close to the Iranians in that they profess the same
duodeciman (Twelver Imam) Shi'ism," Balci said. "But culturally and
historically they are much closer to Turkey. In any case, given the
international context, they would like to get much closer to Turkey
than to
Iran, first because Turkey represents a sort of window on Europe,
second
because Turkey much better corresponds to the kind of state they see
for
themselves; i.e., a kind of secular state."
Balci argued that this explains in part why Azerbaijani authorities
have
been generally more lenient toward Turkish missionaries than toward
Iranian
mullahs.
Equally crucial, experts say, is the generally secular orientation of
most
Turkish groups...
-----
THE U.S. CAN BE A REAL FRIEND TO ISRAEL BY NIXING SHARON'S SEPARATING
"PEACE."
Kevin Clarke, US Catholic, 6/24/04
http://www.uscatholic.org/2004/07/mn0407.htm
It was a shocking turnabout of 30 years of official policy in April
when
President Bush abruptly embraced Ariel Sharon's "plan" for peace in the
Middle East. The Israeli prime minister proposes to evacuate
settlements in
the Gaza Strip at the same time he reinforces other settlements on the
West
Bank. The plan also removes the right of return or compensation for
Palestinian refugees from the Mideast negotiating table and represents
a
substantial sacrifice of the already tiny area cordoned off for a
Palestinian state.
A president who argued that Iraq's alleged indifference to U.N.
resolutions
demanded the harshest of responses has essentially acquiesced to the
"facts
on the ground" strategy of various Likud leaders, a campaign of decades
of
defiance to U.N. resolutions on the status of the West Bank. This
ultimate
triumph of Sharonism comes during a period of unprecedented turmoil
Sharon
himself first stirred up by his defiant stroll to the Dome of the Rock
in
2000. Now he proposes himself a realist and moderate seeking
"compromise"
by abandoning untenable colonial settlements in Gaza for a larger land
grab
behind the West Bank's great wall of denial.
It has been the longtime position of the United States that these
settlements are a barrier to peace and that they must be removed before
a
viable Palestinian state and a lasting peace in the region can finally
be
established. But now the Bush administration basically argues that it's
time for folks to grow up and recognize those facts on the ground-that
these settlements are home to 200,000 Israelis who won't be moved and
that
Palestinians are engaging in a historical mass delusion if they believe
they can ever return to the villages and community life they abandoned
or
were driven from in 1948 and 1967.
If they are delusional, the Palestinians are in good company with Bush
and
Sharon, who apparently believe that the capitulation they require from
the
Palestinians will somehow lead to peace. But perhaps these two are not
quite that deluded, perhaps all they actually anticipate is the
occasionally gore-splattered maintenance of the region's awful status
quo.
If that's true, then there are two nonviable states to worry about
here,
for as surely as a cantonized and politically and economically degraded
West Bank cannot mature into anything approaching statehood, with this
proposal, Israel is consigning its own democratic experiment to the ash
heap of history. The demographics speak for themselves...
ALSO SEE:
ISSA CRITICAL OF ISRAEL MEASURE
Jonathan E. Kaplan, The Hill, 6/24/04
http://www.thehill.com/news/062404/issa.aspx
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), a Lebanese American, yesterday criticized
a
bipartisan resolution supporting President Bush and Prime Minister
Ariel
Sharon's unilateral peace initiative.
The bill, H. Con. Res. 460, passed the House yesterday 407- 9. Issa
reluctantly voted for the resolution.
At yesterday morning's Republican conference meeting, Issa, who
spearheaded
the successful effort to recall then-California Gov. Gray Davis (D)
last
year, complained that the resolution did not include language
supporting a
Palestinian state.
He complained that there was no mention of a Palestinian state in the
resolution, according to a Republican lawmaker who spoke on the
condition
of anonymity. The legislator added, "He did not like that stronger
language
was left out. But nobody said anything about it."
Issa told The Hill, "It mischaracterizes President Bush's position. He
is
clearly committed to a two-state solution that is all about justice for
both sides … Partition is not a one-way street."
"No bill is perfectly good or perfectly bad," he said when asked why he
did
not oppose it.
As part of Republican efforts to sway Jewish Americans who vote for and
contribute money disproportionately to Democratic candidates, House
Republican leaders considered introducing a resolution supporting
Bush's
policies in the Middle East when Israel celebrated its independence day
May
14...
-----
MUSLIM YOUTH SUMMER FEST
www.mysummerfest.com
WHAT: Muslim artists from all over California will converge in So-Cal
for
an all day summer festival of Spoken Word Poetry, Hip Hop, Jazz and
Traditional Arabic & Islamic sounds on Saturday July 3, 2004.
This groundbreaking event is presented by the OCIF Youth Group and the
Muslim Youth Group at ISOC. The festival will serve both as a
fundraiser
for future youth and community service projects, as well as a way to
bring
together thousands of young Muslims from all over southern California
in a
show of unity and solidarity that has been previously unseen in our
community. This is an all ages event with activities and entertainment
for
children as well as adults.
Confirmed Artists for the event:
AMAN, Kumasi,11:59, Sidi Yasser, Tyson , Rima Chaudry, Mark Gonzales,
Kathy
Espinoza ~ Umaya, Haero Dizaye, Knock Out Brothers: DJ Kid Dragon ~
Muhammed Zaki & DJ Omego ~ Omar Qureshi, Napolean of the Outlawz,
Khalil
Shaheed's New Jazz Band. Calligraphy of Thought Poetry Collective,
Tekanolon, Preacher Moss, La Paz, & Firqat Al-Noor, Surprise Guest.
WHEN: Saturday July 3, 2004, 12 pm - 8pm
WHERE: Hidden Valley Park, 8800 Irvine Center Dr., Irvine, CA 92618
Tickets: $15 through June 30th, $20 at the door, Children under 6 free
For tickets, vendor tables or if you or your organization would like to
help sponsor this event, please visit us at www.mysummerfest.com
(Tickets are $15 online through June 30th, and $20 at the door) This is
a
youth fundraising event, please support the local OCIF & ISOC youth
groups
buy buying your tickets online before the event.
Children 6 & under Free
For questions/comments/concerns:
E-Mail - mysummerfest@cox.net
Aamir Syed (949) 306-1266
Tarek Shawky (949) 510-8203
www.mysummerfest.com
-----
ISB SUMMER FESTIVAL
WHAT: The Islamic Society of Baltimore and the Muslim Kids Club are
jointly
sponsoring their third annual Summer Festival. This family-oriented
event
will include carnival rides, pony rides, a Grand Barbecue, a Vendor
Bazaar,
Dunk Tank, and a Health fair. In addition, the spotlight feature will
be a
special entertainment session for all ages including internationally
recognized Muslim group NATIVE DEEN, Martial Arts, Skits and Plays, and
Youth Comedy.
WHERE: Masjid Al-Rahmah in Baltimore
WHERE: Saturday July 17th from 11am to 6pm.
All vendors interested in participating in the Bazaar should contact
Musaa
AbdurRahman at 410.499.7869.
We are also accepting sponsors for this event. For all other inquiries,
please contact Samer Atiya at 410.579.2636 or visit:
http://isb.org/directions.htm
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web - Check your email from the web at
http://mail2web.com/ .
Forwarded Message
Date:
Mon, 28 Jun 2004 13:34:43 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: CAIR Applauds Rulings on Detainees' Access to Courts
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CAIR APPLAUDS RULINGS ON DETAINEES' ACCESS TO COURTS
Muslim group calls high court's decisions a 'victory for due process'
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/28/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today applauded two U.S. Supreme Court rulings granting
those captured in the war on terrorism access to American courts. The
Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) called
the
decisions a "victory for due process."
A ruling in the case of American citizen Yaser Esam Hamdi gave
President
Bush the power to hold Hamdi without charges or trial, but said he has
the
constitutional right to challenge his detention in court. Hamdi has
been
detained more than two years and was only recently allowed to see a
lawyer.
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote for the court: "(Hamdi)
unquestionably
has the right to access to counsel…a state of war is not a blank check
for
the president when it comes to the rights of the nation's citizens."
In another ruling, the court said that some 600 men held at Guantanamo
Bay,
Cuba, can use American courts to contest their captivity and treatment.
CAIR's statement in reaction to the court's decisions stated:
"Today's rulings are a victory for due process and a confirmation that
the
executive branch of government does have limitations on how it can
sidestep
constitutional civil liberties guarantees. The ability to be
represented by
an attorney and to present evidence in open court is the hallmark of a
just
society and must be preserved, even in times of crisis."
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Mon, 28 Jun 2004 15:13:05 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Muslim Group to Release Voter Survey Results
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 6/28/04
- MEDIA ADVISORY -
MUSLIM GROUP TO RELEASE VOTER SURVEY RESULTS
CAIR poll shows Islamic presidential preferences, voting patterns
WHAT: On Tuesday, June 29, the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR)
will release the results of its latest survey of American Muslim
political
opinion at a Capitol Hill public hearing on the impact of the Islamic
vote
in the 2004 election.
WHEN: Tuesday, June 29, 10 a.m. - Noon
WHERE: Room 2168, Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC
Survey results indicate which presidential candidates Muslim voters
favor
in the November election, which party is thought to best represent
American
Muslim interests, how likely respondents are to vote in November, which
domestic and international issues are most important to Muslim voters,
and
in which states Muslims may constitute a significant voting bloc.
Speakers at the Tuesday hearing include CAIR Executive Director Nihad
Awad,
who will outline the results of the survey, presidential candidate
Ralph
Nader, former Iraq Chief of Mission Edward Peck, as well as
representatives
from the Muslim Public Affairs Council, the Minaret of Freedom
Institute,
and the Council for the National Interest (CNI), the event's
co-sponsor.
CNI President Eugene Bird will moderate the discussion.
SEE: "THE MUSLIM VOTE IN ELECTION 2004"
http://www.cnionline.org/hearings/muslims/signup.html
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Mon, 28 Jun 2004 17:13:47 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Mosque Opponent Used Aliases/Attack Follows
Anti-Muslim Slur
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/28/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: 99 PARTS OF MERCY
* 400 TURN OUT FOR CAIR-OHIO DINNER
* IL: MOSQUE OPPONENT USED ALIASES (Daily South Town)
* MI: YOUNG MUSLIMS EMBRACE OLD WAYS (Detroit News)
* IL: MUSLIM POLICE OFFICERS FILE BIAS LAWSUIT (Chicago Trib)
- CAIR-CAN: Hijab Hassle Haunts Airport (Gazette)
* NY MAN STRUCK AFTER ANTI-MUSLIM SLUR (WNBC)
* TX: GROUP WANTS PROBE OF JORDANIAN'S INJURY (AP)
- Detained Immigrant Beaten (KVIA)
* PELOSI STATEMENT ON RIGHTS OF DETAINEES RULING
* CAIR-DC: DANGEROUS TIMES FOR AMERICAN MUSLIMS (Daily Star)
* VA: ISLAM ABHORS KILLING OF INNOCENTS (Daily Press)
- MN: Leaders Denounce Those Who Are Violent (Star Tribune)
- TX: The Muslim Minority (American-Statesman)
- IL: Don't Blame All Muslims for Terrorism (Pantagraph)
- PA: Group Sees Beheading As Barbaric (Times Leader)
- SC: Terrorism and Islam (Times and Democrat)
* CHAPLAIN FREED IN SPY PROBE THANKS BACKERS (AP)
- Chaplain in Public Again After Exoneration (AP)
* MAYFIELD RECALLS 'DARK NIGHTS' AS FBI WITNESS (Oregon Live)
* BOOK: U.S. HAS MISJUDGED MUSLIMS' CONCERNS (Wash Post)
* A STATE THAT'S NOT A STATE (Los Angeles Times)
- Indians Carry Horror Tales from US Camps (Rediff)
- U.S. Edicts Curb Power of Iraq's Leadership (Wash Post)
- A Chance to Build Bridges in Iraq (The Star)
- Reagan Aide Slams Neo-Con Policies (UPI)
* DC: 22ND ANNUAL RIYADA
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: 99 PARTS OF MERCY
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "God created Mercy (and)
divided it into one hundred parts. He kept ninety-nine parts (of that
Mercy) and sent one part to all His creatures. Had the non-believer
known
of all the Mercy that is in the Hands of God, he would not lose hope of
entering Paradise. And had the believer known of all the punishment
that is
present with God, he would not consider himself safe from Hell-Fire."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 8, Hadith 476
-----
400 TURN OUT FOR CAIR-OHIO DINNER
(COLUMBUS, OHIO) - Some 400 people turned out on Sunday for the annual
fundraising dinner of CAIR-Ohio in Columbus.
During the dinner, awards were presented to four individuals whose
actions
exemplify the pursuit of civil rights and harmony for all, the night's
theme. Awards went to Dr. Mouhamed Nabih Tarazi, president of the
Islamic
Foundation of Central Ohio; peace activists Connie Hammond and Dr.
Leslie
Stansbery; and Kamal Ansari, principal of the Columbus Africentric
Secondary School.
There are more than 150,000 Muslims in Ohio. CAIR-Ohio was founded in
Columbus in 1998 and includes offices in Dayton, Cleveland, and
Cincinnati.
-----
MOSQUE PETITION LEADER REVEALED
Dan Lavoie, Daily South Town, 6/27/04
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/yrtwn/seast/277seyt1.htm
The leader of a mysterious petition drive against a planned Orland Park
mosque has been identified as an Orland Park woman who has used at
least
four aliases during the contentious public debate.
The woman has told newspapers, television stations, village officials
and
even some of her fellow mosque foes at different times that her name is
Mary Nolan, Mary Redmond, Mary Smith and Colleen Nolan.
In fact, she is Colleen Lanigan, 45, a mother of two who lives in a
stately
home in the Mallard Landings subdivision about a mile from the planned
mosque, 16530 104th Ave.
"Nothing really surprises me any more," said Malik Ali, one of the
mosque's
key organizers and an Orland Park resident. "Why some people would lie
and
spend so much time to hurt someone who lives in their community, I
don't
understand it."
No one answered the phone or door at Lanigan's house this week. She
also
did not return e-mails for comment...
-----
YOUNG MUSLIMS EMBRACE OLD WAYS
Gregg Krupa, Detroit News, 6/28/04
http://www.detnews.com/2004/religion/0406/28/a01-196679.htm
DEARBORN - Mona Safiedine says she was the typical American girl,
indistinguishable from thousands of others in southeastern Michigan.
Smart
and sociable, she wore the latest fashions and did not give it a second
thought.
"I was a normal teenager, you know?" Safiedine says. "Going out,
dressing
was never an issue."
Now 24, Safiedine this year began wearing the veil and long, obscuring
robes that, for many, are integral to Muslim beliefs about piety and
acceptance of the faith. Her decision is part of her personal
development
and the spiritual journey of a young life.
And it is an increasingly well-traveled path.
Among Muslims in Michigan, and in other states with large Muslim
populations, more young adults are committing to Islam in a way that
their
parents did not.
The younger generation is picking up what, in many cases, their
immigrant
parents were comfortable leaving behind. Spurred by their spiritual
yearning and feeling increasingly comfortable in places like Dearborn,
Los
Angeles and Chicago, observers say young adults are in the vanguard as
Islam extends roots firmly into the United States...
Experts and clerics say that little has been done to survey the trend.
But
there is clear anecdotal evidence.
At the Islamic Center of America, in Dearborn and Detroit, a group of
six
or seven teenagers and young adults began meeting with Imam Sayed
Hassan
Al-Qazwini in 1997. The Young Muslim Association now has 700 members.
Annual surveys by the Council on American-Islamic Relations revealed
that
the number of Muslims who say they attend a mosque less than once a
week
declined from 35 percent of respondents in 2003 to 29 percent in
2004...
------
MUSLIM POLICE OFFICERS FILE BIAS LAWSUIT
Jon Yates, Chicago Tribune, 6/28/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi0406280172jun28,1,2965182.story
CHICAGO- One is a tactical officer with the Chicago Police Department
who
says he was called a "rock thrower," a "terrorist" and words much
worse.
The other was an officer in Decatur, Ga., who claims his superiors
called
him "Taliban" and once distributed his picture at roll call on a wanted
poster, his face superimposed over that of a World Trade Center
terrorist.
Now, Nail Majid and Mohamed Hyath are suing their respective police
departments, claiming discrimination based on the fact they are Muslims
and, in Majid's case, also Arab-American.
Those who track Muslims and Arab-Americans in law enforcement say the
cases, if proven, are isolated incidents, and say there is no evidence
of
widespread discrimination against such officers in U.S. police
stations.
Still, the two cases, along with five other harassment complaints filed
with the Justice Department on behalf of federal law enforcement
employees,
are enough to cause concern, according to civil rights activists and
law
enforcement officers. They come as Muslims across the nation are making
an
increasing number of complaints to the Council on American-Islamic
Relations and other Arab and Muslim civil rights groups...
ALSO SEE:
HIJAB HASSLE HAUNTS AIRPORT: COMPLAINT FILED
Kazi Stastna, Gazette, 6/26/04
http://www.canada.com/national/index.html
Reem Al Salus had been in Canada for less than an hour when she was
asked
to reveal a part of her only her close relatives have seen.
Upon arriving at Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport on June 13, the
21-year-old
Muslim student was asked to remove her head scarf, or hijab, so she
could
be photographed for her immigration application.
Al Salus had arrived from Jordan with her Canadian husband and was
applying
for the permanent resident card required of all new immigrants and
permanent residents as of Dec. 31, 2003.
Everything was going smoothly until a female immigration officer asked
her
to take off the hijab.
"A head scarf for a Muslim woman is an act of devotion, a faith
requirement. I feel it's a part of me. I can't show my hair, my beauty,
to
a stranger," Al Salus said yesterday from her husband's Ottawa home.
Al Salus would have no problem removing the head cover in private
before a
female official to prove her identity, she said. Appearing without it
on an
identification card that could be seen by anyone, however, would be
unacceptable. Under Islamic conventions, the hijab is removed only
among
family and other women.
Al Salus refused to remove the scarf but volunteered to loosen it to
reveal
the front of her hair. The officer took the photo but warned her that
it
might not be accepted, in which case she would have to be
rephotographed
for an additional $50 fee.
A spokesperson for Citizenship and Immigration Canada said that head
coverings do not have to be completely removed for photographs but that
all
facial features must be visible. Ears and hair do not qualify as facial
features, said Jean-Pierre Morin. CIC policy includes allowances for
"practitioners of religious faiths that prohibit the removal of a head
covering," he said.
The incident is one of several that indicate officials at Trudeau
airport
are being overzealous in their interpretation of immigration policy,
according to the Canadian wing of the Council on American Islamic
Relations, or CAIR.
The Muslim advocacy group has had four complaints since January from
women
who were asked to reveal ears and hair or to remove hijabs completely
by
officials at the Montreal airport...
-----
COPS: MAN ATTACKED WITH ANTI-MUSLIM SLUR, THEN STRUCK
WNBC, 6/28/04
http://www.wnbc.com/news/3467728/detail.html
NEW YORK -- A 32-year-old man was the victim of a racial attack in
Queens
Sunday.
The incident took place at about 5:30 p.m. on the corner of 46th Street
and
Queens Boulevard.
Police said a white male approached an Asian male, spat an anti-Muslim
slur
at him, then struck him in the face, causing a minor injury.
The man then ran away on 46th Street. The victim refused medical
attention
at the scene of the assault. Police are investigating the incident as a
possible bias attack.
The incident comes amid rising reports of attacks aimed at Muslims in
the
wake of the killings of American hostages in Iraq.
-----
GROUP WANTS PROBE OF JORDANIAN'S INJURY
Associated Press, 6/26/04
http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20040626-135483.shtml
EL PASO, Texas - An Islamic group called Friday for a federal
investigation
into an incident at a federal holding facility that left a Jordanian
man
with a critical head injury.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations said the case of Khalfan
Omari,
25, deserves an immediate investigation by the Justice Department. He
was
being held at a processing center while awaiting deportation to Jordan
when
he was injured on June 20.
``A thorough investigation is warranted whenever someone suffers
mysterious
injuries while in the custody of federal authorities,'' said Engy
Abdelkader, an attorney for the council.
Injuries to Omari's head later required brain surgery and he has not
been
able to communicate since. Officials did not release details of his
current
condition.
Leticia Zamarripa, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman,
said
her agency is investigating. She said there was no indication Omari was
abused by guards...
ALSO SEE:
DETAINED IMMIGRANT BEATEN
KVIA.com,6/26/04
http://www.kvia.com/Global/story.asp?S=1965214&nav=AbC0O9tk
25-year-old Khaflan Omari is at Thomason Hospital in critical, but
stable
condition after an incident at Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(I.C.E.)
detention facility. He has a crushed skull, which caused internal
bleeding
requiring surgery, and half of his body is paralyzed. His brother,
Jordan
Omari tells ABC-7 that he found out about his brother's injuries on
Sunday,
from ICE Detention facility officials. He says they told him Khaflan
apparently "fell" and was in the hospital.
Khaflan had recently arrived at the El Paso I.C.E. processing facility
after serving a six-month prison sentence for claiming he was a U.S.
citizen at a checkpoint this past December. According to his brother,
he
has only legal resident status. But lying is a very serious crime and
I.C.E. Officials say Omari had been convicted of a felony false claim
and
was in the process of being deported.
Letty Zamarripa, I.C.E Spokesperson said, "There is a pending
investigation, we are looking into all the facts of this case because
the
detention and removal program is very concerned, is deeply concerned
about
these injuries and certainly about the health and well-being of all the
detainees that are housed here."
-----
News From House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi
H-204, The Capitol, Washington D.C. 20515
http://democraticleader.house.gov
Monday, June 28, 2004
PELOSI STATEMENT ON SUPREME COURT DECISIONS ON THE RIGHTS OF DETAINEES
Washington, D.C. -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the
following statement today on the U.S. Supreme Court's decisions
upholding
the rule of law in the cases involving American-born detainee Yaser
Esam
Hamdi and the detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba:
"The Supreme Court's decisions in the Hamdi case and the case involving
the
Guantanamo detainees are triumphs for the rule of law. The notion that
the
President has the unchallengeable authority to define the circumstances
of
a person's detention, especially that of a United States citizen, is
contrary to our nation's history and experience.
"The right to counsel and the right to contest government actions in
court
are among our most cherished liberties. We cannot, and we must not,
allow
our civil liberties contained in the Constitution to become a casualty
in
the war on terrorism.
"The Supreme Court's decisions today are a timely reminder of the
constant
need to evaluate actions taken in the name of national security, no
matter
how well-intentioned those actions may be."
-----
DANGEROUS TIMES FOR AMERICAN MUSLIMS: AN INTERVIEW WITH CAIR
Ron Chepesiuk, Daily Star, 6/28/04
http://www.thedailystar.net/2004/06/28/d406281501121.htm
Founded in 1994, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) is a
US-based non-profit, grassroots membership organization, with
headquarters
in Washington, DC and chapters across America. CAIR was established to
promote an accurate image of Islam and Muslims in America and to
present an
Islamic presence on issues of importance to the American public.
CAIR pursues its mission by working closely with the media, sponsoring
conferences and seminars, issuing publications and sending action
alerts to
its constituency.
On its web site CAIR states: "We believe misrepresentations of Islam
are
most often the result of ignorance on the part of non-Muslims and
reluctance on the part of Muslims to articulate their case."
Recently, Daily Star columnist Ron Chepesiuk talked with Rabiah Ahmed,
CAIR's communications coordinator, about a range of issues of concern
to
Muslim Americans. Here are some highlights from that interview.
The Daily Star (DS): Do you work with groups in the
Bangladeshi-American
community?
Rabiah Ahmed (RA): Yes. We call on Muslim-American communities to join
us
whenever we have shared concern. We ask their members to come to our
press
conferences and 9-11 vigils. In this dangerous time, it is more
important
than ever that the Muslim-Americans show solidarity.
DS: American Paul Johnson was beheaded a few days ago in Saudi Arabia.
What
impact do these type of incidents have on the Muslim-American
community?
RA: Whenever a terrorist act occurs in the Middle East, we American
Muslims
brace ourselves for the inevitable backlash. This past week, for
instance,
a mosque in Florida was vandalised almost as soon as the press reported
Johnson's death. Hate messages were written all over the Mosque...
DS: Are incidents of hate crimes against the Muslim-American community
still rising?
RA: Yes, our 2004 report, which covers the period from January 20003 to
December 2003, shows a 70 percent increase in the number of complaints
filed. Clearly, the situation for Muslim-Americans is not improving...
-----
ISLAM ABHORS KILLING OF INNOCENTS
Ahmed Noor, Daily Press, 6/28/04
http://www.dailypress.com/news/opinion/dp-34044sy0jun28,0,6921443.story
The murder of the American engineer Paul Johnson is a depraved act,
which
is outside the purview of Islamic practice and teachings.
Johnson was not a warrior but engaged by a contractor for the Saudi
Arabian
government. We, the Muslims in the local area, share the grief of the
Johnson family, which has suffered so much. Like so many other
expatriates
and Americans, Johnson was striving to support his family, working in
partnership with Saudi authorities who valued his skill and his
contribution to building their country. He came to appreciate Saudi
Arabia,
its people and the religion of Islam. Those who kidnapped and murdered
Johnson in this most gruesome manner have borne upon themselves the
unforgivable crime of murdering an innocent person, which in Islam is
akin
to killing the whole of humanity.
The Muslims in the local area join Muslim Americans, and all practicing
Muslims, in condemning this act of senseless violence and repudiates
all
those who believe such murderous behavior benefits the faith of Islam,
the
Muslim people or their cause. We call for the swift apprehension and
prosecution of the perpetrators. Those who commit acts of terror,
murder
and cruelty in the name of Islam are not only destroying innocent
lives,
but are also betraying the values and fundamental principles of the
faith
they claim to represent. No injustice done to Muslims can ever justify
the
massacre of innocent people, and no act of terror will ever serve the
cause
of Islam.
This murder is a criminal action of those who act outside the teachings
of
both the Quran and the prophet Muhammad. Our local Muslim community
thanks
all those who have made the distinction between Islam and such acts of
terrorism, and for reporting the outrage of all practicing Muslims in
response to this terrible event. We pray that sanity may prevail.
Ahmed Noor is Trustee, Mosque and Islamic Center of Hampton Roads,
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIM LEADERS DENOUNCE THOSE WHO ARE VIOLENT
Allie Shah, Star Tribune, 6/28/04
http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4849645.html
Call it a battle for hearts and minds.
A growing number of American Muslim leaders are publicly denouncing the
violence committed by religious extremists and are trying to take
control
of defining their faith.
Through news releases, public forums and petitions, Muslim groups in
Minnesota and across the country have gone on record condemning the
recent
beheadings of Americans Nick Berg and Paul M. Johnson Jr. and South
Korean
Kim Sun-il.
"We wish to state clearly that those who commit acts of terror, murder
and
cruelty in the name of Islam are not only destroying innocent lives,
but
are also betraying the values of the faith they claim to represent,"
read a
statement by the Twin Cities-based Islamic Resource Group on the day
news
broke of Johnson's murder.
Hundreds of thousands of Muslims have signed an online petition
condemning
terrorist acts since it was posted last month by the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, a national Muslim civil rights group in
Washington, D.C.
The public denunciations are part of a broader effort to show Americans
that the masked individuals who spew hateful rhetoric in grisly
videotape
messages do not represent the majority of the 1.2 billion Muslims
worldwide.
"A lot of people now are realizing that taking a passive stance is not
a
good stance," said Hesham Hussein, president of the Muslim American
Society's Minnesota chapter. "We have to speak out and we have to let
people know who we are and not let others define who we are."
His organization has sent letters of condolence to the families of the
slain kidnap victims and has called on religious leaders in the mosques
to
clearly address the issue. "We cannot and must not be silent about this
deviant conduct," a statement from the Muslim American Society says.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Muslim leaders have faced
criticism that they have not expressed sufficient outrage about
violence
committed by Islamic radicals, leaving an impression that perhaps some
Muslims tacitly support such behavior. Hussein and other Muslim leaders
insist that they have made their objections known but that their words
often do not reach the masses.
"There is a clear outrage and clear speaking out against it. The
problem is
there is a buffer between us and the general public," he said. "The
media
chooses which part to show and which part to highlight. Unfortunately,
showing a crime is very attractive but showing the response to the
crime is
not so attractive. We have not been silent…"
---
THE MUSLIM MINORITY
Aisha Rashid, Austin American-Statesman (Texas), 6/26/04
http://www.statesman.com/
I've read countless articles and letters asking for moderate American
Muslims to speak up and condemn terrorism. We are speaking up, but who
is
listening? Muslims in America are a minority. That small minority is
trying
its best through their everyday lives to make sure that an accurate and
true picture of Islam is portrayed. The sad truth is that the media are
never fair in representing Muslims -- bad news always overshadows the
good.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), other Islamic
organizations and mosques around the country and world have always
condemned the injustice being done in the name of Islam. CAIR has set
up an
online petition, "Not in the Name of Islam," to separate those acts
from
true Islam (www.cair-net.org). Instead of the media and others being so
critical of our efforts, they should come to our aid. Change does not
happen overnight, but make no mistake that Muslims are stepping up to
the
plate.
---
DON'T BLAME ALL MUSLIMS FOR HORRIBLE TERRORIST ACTS
Pantagraph, 6/26/04
http://www.pantagraph.com/stories/062604/opi_20040626002.shtml
With the addition of beheadings to the repertoire of groups tied to
al-Qaida, the terrorist tactics have taken a sick and despicable turn.
However, it remains important not to give in to these terrorist acts.
Giving them what they want will just encourage more terrorism, not
less.
It is also important not to let intensified anger against these radical
Islamic groups cause people to think of all Muslims as supporters of
such
behavior.
Judging from comments by some people objecting to construction of a
large
mosque in a Chicago suburb and from anti-Muslim signs that have popped
up
elsewhere, such stereotyping is already happening.
A common complaint goes along the lines of: "Why don't they condemn the
actions of the terrorists instead of just criticizing the United
States?"
The truth is that Arab nations and Muslim organizations have condemned
the
recent killings, including the beheading of U.S. contractor Paul
Johnson.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, based in Washington, D.C.,
has
collected more than 600,000 names of Muslims on an online petition that
says, "those who commit acts of terror, murder and cruelty in the name
of
Islam are not only destroying innocent lives, but are also betraying
the
values of the faith they claim to represent. No injustice done to
Muslims
can ever justify the massacre of innocent people, and no act of terror
will
ever serve the cause of Islam."
Those are sentiments with which anyone -- Muslim or not -- should be
able
to agree.
---
LOCAL ISLAMIC GROUP SEES BEHEADING AS BARBARIC, A BETRAYAL
Mamoun M. Bader, Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, 6/27/04
http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/8994352.htm
The Islamic Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania (IANEPA) condemns
in
the strongest possible terms the barbaric murder of American hostage
Paul
M. Johnson Jr. in Saudi Arabia on June 18.
Such outrageous and despicable behavior can not be justified in the
name of
Islam, and we continue to categorically reject any assertion by
al-Qaida
that its terrorism is sanctioned or in any way supported by Islam or
the
vast majority of Muslims. We have always condemned these acts, but we
also
feel the majority of our fellow citizens in the area do not know that,
hence this message. We hope that we get better at communicating our
deep
sense of anger and strong resentment of terrorist acts in the name of
our
faith.
IANEPA thanks various media outlets that have made the distinction
between
Islam and these barbaric acts of terrorism, and for reporting the
outrage
of the American Muslim community here and all over the country, and
indeed
that of the majority of Muslims all over the world in response to this
terrible event.
IANEPA sends its heartfelt and most sincere condolences to Paul M.
Johnson's family and friends.
Mamoun M. Bader is the Spokesperson of the IANEPA
---
TERRORISM AND ISLAM
Times and Democrat, 6/27/04
http://www.timesanddemocrat.com/articles/2004/06/27/opinion/opinion1.txt
"Whoseover killeth a human being for other than manslaughter or
corruption
in earth, it shall be as if he had killed all humanity, and whoso
saveth
the life of one human being, it shall be as if he had saved the life of
all
humanity." (The Qur'an 5:32)
Muslim organizations in the United States are stressing again that
killing
and terrorism are not part of their faith. As worldwide television
audiences watch the beheadings of Americans and other partners of the
coalition in Iraq, there is justifiable fear among Muslims here and
abroad
that perceptions of Islam as a whole are growing more bleak.
Even before this past week's killing of a South Korean by extremists in
Iraq, The Friends of Charities Association, a Saudi organization based
in
the United States and devoted to "transparency in faith-based
charitable
giving" to fund worldwide relief efforts, was condemning the beheading
of
American hostage Paul Johnson.
In a statement accompanying the text of a letter to Johnson's family,
the
organization denounced and condemned the killing of Johnson. "We are
disgusted by this wicked act and extend a hand of compassion and
understanding to the family of Paul Johnson and all families of victims
of
terrorism."
The letter to the family expresses disgust and notes, "We, FOCA, as
Saudis,
Muslims - indeed human beings - denounce and condemn his murder." The
Qur'an verse with which we began is cited...
-----
MUSLIM CHAPLAIN FREED IN SPY PROBE THANKS BACKERS AT A FUNDRAISER
Madison J. Gray, Associated Press, 6/27/04
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20040627/1017401.asp
NEW YORK - At his first public appearance since his exoneration on
espionage charges, Army Capt. James Yee, a Muslim chaplain, thanked his
supporters but steered clear of speaking about his case.
Yee, who was arrested last year in a probe of suspected espionage at
the
U.S. military's detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was
imprisoned
for 76 days before all charges against him were dropped.
Lee, restricted by a gag order limiting his ability to talk about the
case
or criticize the Army, appeared Friday night at a Chinatown benefit to
raise money to help him cover his legal bills.
"I'm not here tonight to talk about my case, but to thank those who
stand
in support of civil liberties," Yee said. "I thank everyone for their
patience, and, God willing, they'll be able to hear my story."
Yee, 35, ministered to prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, where the military
is
holding suspected Muslim terrorists. He was arrested last September
carrying what authorities said were classified documents.
In March, Army officials dismissed all criminal charges against him,
saying
national security concerns prevented them from seeking a court-martial
in
open court.
Yee then was found guilty of the noncriminal Army charges of adultery
and
downloading pornography. The reprimand he received was thrown out by an
Army general a month later.
Yee has garnered nationwide support, particularly among the
Asian-American
and Muslim-American communities…
ALSO SEE:
CHAPLAIN IN PUBLIC AGAIN AFTER EXONERATION
Madison J. Gray, Associated Press, 6/26/04
http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2004/06/26/chaplain/
NEW YORK - In the first public appearance since his exoneration, a
Muslim
Army chaplain who had been suspected of espionage thanked supporters of
civil liberties.
James Yee was arrested last year in a probe of suspected espionage at
the
U.S. military's detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He was
imprisoned for 76 days before all charges against him were dropped.
He appeared Friday night at a Chinatown benefit to raise money for his
legal bills, although a gag order limited his ability to talk about the
case.
``I'm not here tonight to talk about my case, but to thank those who
stand
in support of civil liberties,'' Yee said. ``I thank everyone for their
patience, and God willing, they'll be able to hear my story.''
Yee, 35, ministered to prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, where the military
is
holding suspected Muslim terrorists. He was arrested in September
carrying
what authorities said were classified documents.
In March, Army officials dismissed all criminal charges against him,
saying
national security concerns prevented them from seeking a court-martial
in
open court.
Yee was then found guilty of the non-criminal Army charges of adultery
and
downloading pornography. The reprimand he received was thrown out by an
Army general a month later.
Yee's case has garnered nationwide support, particularly among the
Asian-American and Muslim-American communities.
``James Yee would not have been targeted if it were not for this
heightened
hysteria against Muslims,'' said Wayne Lum, an Asian-American community
activist...
-----
MAYFIELD RECALLS 'DARK NIGHTS' AS FBI WITNESS
Noelle Crombie, Oregon Live, 6/26/04
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1088251334108331.xml
OREGON- He wanted to know whether he could be prosecuted in Spain. And
if
he was successfully prosecuted in the United States, he asked them
whether
he could be put to death.
To each of his questions, Mayfield's lawyers answered yes.
"These are the kinds of things I had to think about," Mayfield said
Friday.
"When you are in jail, and there are dark nights, these are the things
that
weigh on your heart and soul."
Mayfield, 37, spoke to the Portland City Club about his experience as a
federal material witness in the March 11 terror attack in Madrid.
Mayfield
spent two weeks in jail last month before authorities realized a
fingerprint found near the bombing scene had been mismatched to
Mayfield.
The FBI apologized to him for its mistake.
Mayfield addressed the City Club with one of his attorneys, Steven Wax,
the
federal public defender for Oregon. City Club officials said U.S.
Attorney
Karin Immergut and a representative of the FBI were invited to the
forum,
but they declined.
Immergut, in a letter that a City Club representative read aloud before
Friday's forum, cited the secrecy of grand jury proceedings and
potential
civil litigation by Mayfield against the government as reasons for
declining the invitation.
Since his release, Mayfield, a father of three from Aloha, has become a
spokesman of sorts about civil liberties and the potential perils of
the
nation's war on terrorism. A quiet man who converted to Islam, Mayfield
said he's spoken to immigration and Muslim groups in Chicago and has
been
approached by supportive strangers in Portland...
-----
NEW BOOK SAYS U.S. HAS MISJUDGED MUSLIMS' CONCERNS AND INTENTIONS
Walter Pincus, Washington Post, 6/26/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6669-2004Jun25.html
A new book by a senior CIA analyst who headed the agency's task force
on
Osama bin Laden sharply attacks the Bush administration's approach to
Islamic terrorists, sternly criticizes the decision to invade Iraq and
chides officials for trying to create a Western-style democracy in
Afghanistan.
The author, who writes under the name "Anonymous," argues it is not
dislike
of freedom, democracy and Western culture that led bin Laden to wage
war
against America, but rather his disdain for U.S. policies and actions
in
the Muslim world, particularly America's relationship with Israel.
Senior U.S. leaders, the book argues, mistakenly urge Americans to
believe
that the Islamic world is offended by the nation's philosophical
emphasis
on personal rights and liberties, and "that Muslims hate and attack us
for
what we are and think, rather than for what we do."
"The focused and lethal threat posed to U.S. national security arises
not
from Muslims being offended by what America is, but rather from their
plausible perception that the things they most love and value -- God,
Islam, their brethren and Muslim lands -- are being attacked by
America,"
he writes in "Imperial Hubris: Why the West Is Losing the War on
Terror,"
which was just published by Brassey's.
The book contends that bin Laden has rallied support among Muslims by
convincing them that Islam is under attack from the United States and
that
it is their responsibility to defend their faith: "Once Islam is
attacked,
each Muslim knows his personal duty is to fight."
The author's solution to the problem and forecast for the future are
grim,
based partly on his view that training camps have turned out not
thousands
of terrorists but perhaps "a hundred thousand or more insurgents."
"As long as unchanged U.S. policies motivate Muslims to become
insurgents,"
he writes, the United States will have to "kill many thousands of these
fighters in what is a barely started war."
The book's author is a 22-year veteran of the CIA who occupies a senior
position in counterterrorism. He did not publish the book under his
name
because of his role at the agency, and has asked news organizations not
to
reveal his name for security reasons.
He served as chief of the bin Laden station from 1996 to 1999, a time
when,
he complains, senior leaders "downplayed intelligence" and "ignored
repeated warnings" about the dangers approaching from Islamic
terrorists...
------
A STATE THAT'S NOT A STATE
Adam Hochschild, Los Angeles Times, 6/28/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oehochschild28jun28,1,4336099.story
About 15 years ago I traveled through one of the nominally independent
"homelands" of apartheid-era South Africa. The white regime had come up
with this control mechanism in a country where whites were vastly
outnumbered. These homelands -- or Bantustans -- made up about 13% of
the
nation's land and were for the most part rural slums where blacks long
had
been crowded into eroded or less fertile areas that the white farmers
didn't want.
I was driving across miles of veldt where farmers were trying to
scratch a
living out of unyielding land, interspersed with masses of shantytown
shacks. Then suddenly, looming up out of this desolate landscape, was a
huge office building, perhaps four or five stories high and 150 yards
long,
with a large sign saying "South African Embassy."
I remembered this building the other day when reading about the U.S.
Embassy that will open in Baghdad this week, the largest in the world,
with
a staff of more than 1,700 people. In much the same way that the new
U.S.
Embassy will be considerably more than an embassy, the Iraqi state that
will officially come into being Wednesday will, like the old South
African
homelands, be considerably less than a state.
The reality is that with nearly 140,000 American troops on Iraqi soil,
most
military power will not be in Iraqi hands. Nor, with Washington largely
paying the bills, will the budget. Furthermore, American administrator
L.
Paul Bremer III has already appointed a number of people to crucial
watchdog and regulatory commissions for five-year terms.
If the Iraq-to-be is not a state, what is it? We do not really have a
word
for the government of a country where most real power is in the hands
of
someone else. Pseudo-state, perhaps. From Afghanistan to the
Palestinian
Authority, Bosnia to Congo, pseudo-states are now spread out around the
globe. Some of them will even be exchanging ambassadors with Iraq...
ALSO SEE:
INDIANS CARRY HORROR TALES FROM US CAMPS
George Iype, refiff.com, 6/25/04
http://us.rediff.com/news/2004/jun/25iype.htm
More Indian workers are returning from Iraq with distressing tales of
torture and human rights violations in the military camps of the United
States.
"It is slavery there in the American camp. We are being treated worse
than
animals," Peter Thomas, a native of Mavelikkara in Kerala, who did odd
jobs
such as cleaning and laundry works in an American army camp, told
rediff.com
Thomas along with two of his friends Anil Kumar and Justin C Antony
reached
Kerala this week, after the Indian government intervened to rescue them
in
the wake of escalating tension and violence in Iraq.
Thomas said that he was recruited for a cook's job in Jordan through a
Kochi-Mumbai-based manpower agency. "But as soon I reached Jordan, I
was
taken to Iraq by road. I was not alone. There were at least 60 Indians
who
were with me. We were taken to different American camps," he said.
Thomas said he was not 'worried working in Iraq' initially as his only
motive was to work hard and earn some money. "I was not against working
in
an American army camp. But when my first salary came, I was shattered.
It
was just $165," Thomas said.
The average monthly salary of an Indian worker in Iraq is $250,
including
daily overtime of four hours, Thomas pointed out. But the Americans
deduct
from this salary the cost of our food and accommodation. An Indian
worker
finally gets only $165 in hand.
"I had paid Rs 60,000 to the Kerala travel agent to go to the Gulf. I
have
been in Iraq for six months now. But I have come back empty-handed
without
earning much," Thomas said.
He said when the Indian workers protested against the 'low salary',
many of
them were bashed up by their employer Dawood and Partner, a Jordanian
firm...
---
U.S. EDICTS CURB POWER OF IRAQ'S LEADERSHIP
Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Walter Pincus, Washington Post, 6/27/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8665-2004Jun26.html
BAGHDAD -- U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer has issued a raft of
edicts
revising Iraq's legal code and has appointed at least two dozen Iraqis
to
government jobs with multi-year terms in an attempt to promote his
concepts
of governance long after the planned handover of political authority on
Wednesday.
Some of the orders signed by Bremer, which will remain in effect unless
overturned by Iraq's interim government, restrict the power of the
interim
government and impose U.S.-crafted rules for the country's democratic
transition. Among the most controversial orders is the enactment of an
elections law that gives a seven-member commission the power to
disqualify
political parties and any of the candidates they support.
The effect of other regulations could last much longer. Bremer has
ordered
that the national security adviser and the national intelligence chief
chosen by the interim prime minister he selected, Ayad Allawi, be given
five-year terms, imposing Allawi's choices on the elected government
that
is to take over next year.
Bremer also has appointed Iraqis handpicked by his aides to influential
positions in the interim government. He has installed
inspectors-general
for five-year terms in every ministry. He has formed and filled
commissions
to regulate communications, public broadcasting and securities markets.
He
named a public-integrity commissioner who will have the power to refer
corrupt government officials for prosecution.
Some Iraqi officials condemn Bremer's edicts and appointments as an
effort
to exert U.S. control over the country after the transfer of political
authority. "They have established a system to meddle in our affairs,"
said
Mahmoud Othman, a member of the Governing Council, a recently dissolved
body that advised Bremer for the past year. "Iraqis should decide many
of
these issues."
---
NEW MOSQUE A CHANCE TO BUILD BRIDGES IN IRAQ
Mitch Potter, The Star, 6/25/04
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1088287810016&call_pageid=968332188854&col=968350060724
CAMP COOKE, TAJI, IRAq-Iraq may be home to thousands of mosques, but
none
are quite like its newest house of Muslim worship. Masjid ul-Mu'
Mineen, or
Mosque of the Believers, is a wholly American undertaking, replete with
an
imam who wears a flak jacket and the United States flag on his right
arm.
Launched nine days ago in the heart of the U.S. army's Camp Cooke,
north of
Baghdad, the project stands as a testament to the substantial effort
the
army is making to embrace moderate Islam, even as it chases down
extremists
who trade terror in the name of religion.
It also stands testament to the perseverance of Maj. Abdul Rashid
Mohammed,
the U.S. Army's first-ever Muslim chaplain, and the man who gave first
prayers when the mosque was opened June 17.
Mohammed, stationed for a year at Camp Cooke as a 1st Cavalry Division
chaplain, helped choose the building from several badly looted mosques
that
once served Iraqi airmen at this site, formerly the Saddam era's
largest
air force facility.
The army was persuaded to pump an estimated $50,000 into reviving the
mosque, hiring local Iraqis from the town of Taji to replace wiring,
plumbing, doors and windows and landscaping the spacious courtyard.
The result is an attractive but humble place Maj. Mohammed hopes will
help
Iraqis and Americans alike in better understanding each other.
"We're open to all Muslims, both those in the American forces and the
local
Iraqis working at Camp Cooke.
"The opportunity is here to build bridges," said Mohammed.
"I feel Allah has blessed me with a chance to help Iraqis understand
America, and to help Americans understand Islam..."
---
REAGAN AIDE SLAMS NEO-CON POLICIES
Hannah K. Strange, United Press International, 6/25/04
http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20040625-035014-6662r.htm
Washington, DC - The Iraq war has demonstrated the limits of American
power, not the capabilities, according Stefan Halper, a policy aide
under
Ronald Reagan's presidency.
This is "what people around the world see," said Halper, and "that's a
very
frightening development."
Halper, who served under Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and
Reagan
in the White House and State Department, made the comments at the New
America Foundation, a bipartisan think tank that hosted the
presentation of
his book, "America Alone: The Neo-Conservatives and the Global Order"
in
Washington Wednesday.
He described the policies of the neo-conservatives as not reflecting
"the
best course for the country or for the Republican Party."
Along with co-author Jonathan Clarke, a research fellow at the Cato
Institute and former career diplomat in the British Diplomatic Service,
Halper advanced the view that the United States should return to
working
multilaterally with allies and to a more realistic approach to
international diplomacy.
No one would disagree, he said, with the "forward strategy" of
advancing
democracy and opposing tyranny. However, Clarke added, "bringing about
democracy is something which has got to be handled with a great deal
more
subtlety than the neo-conservatives seem to be capable of."
Clarke attacked the neo-cons for casting themselves as
"neo-Reaganites,"
when in fact, he said, Reagan's approach was "a much more nuance and
balanced way of conducting international affairs, drawing on the
military
only when absolutely necessary." In contrast, the neo-cons "see the
main
instrument of carrying out policy as being top-down military force..."
-----
22ND ANNUAL RIYADA IN DC
WHAT: The Riyada, which began over 20 years ago as a basketball
tournament
in Atlanta, has grown to a 3-day event featuring many indoor and
outdoor
sports, workshops, lectures, a Sisters Pamper Party, Bazaar, Banquet,
and
other events.
Friday evening's youth entertainment event will feature local and
nationally known Muslim hip-hop artists.
WHERE: Roosevelt High School in Washington DC
WHEN: Friday July 16 to Sunday July 18,
All vendors interested in participating in the Bazaar should contact
Hodari
Ali at vendors@riyada.org or 301-728-8949
For general information see our web site: www.riyada.org
-----
To SUBSCRIBE to or UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, go to:
http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
POLL: MUSLIM VOTERS FAVOR KERRY, NADER
(WASHINGTON, DC - 6/29/2004) - American Muslim voters favored
presidential
candidates John Kerry and Ralph Nader in a survey released today by a
prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
reported
that 54 percent of eligible Muslim voters said they would vote for
Kerry,
while 26 percent favored Nader. A sizable 14 percent of Muslim voters
said
they are still undecided. (Fifty-five percent of the respondents said
they
voted for President Bush in the 2000 election.)
According to CAIR's survey of 1161 individuals taken this month, 34
percent
of respondents said the Democratic Party best represents American
Muslim
interests, closely followed by the Green Party at 24 percent. Almost
one-quarter (22 percent) of the respondents said no party reflected
their
views.
On other issues, only 11 percent of respondents said they are better
off
now than they were four years ago. Forty-five percent said they
experienced
some form of anti-Muslim discrimination or bias in the past year and 87
percent felt less secure since the invasion of Iraq. However, 81
percent
said they feel free to practice their faith in America.
When asked to list the most important domestic issue they will use to
determine a presidential choice, almost 40 percent of respondents cited
civil rights, followed by the economy at 25 percent. More than 90
percent
said American policy in the Middle East is the most important
international
issue.
Muslims from 43 states responded to the survey, with the most responses
coming from California (17 percent), Texas (8 percent), Virginia (8
percent), New York (4 percent), Florida (4 percent), Illinois (7
percent),
Michigan (5 percent), Ohio (5 percent), Maryland (5 percent), and New
Jersey (4 percent).
The two largest ethnic groups listed in the survey were South Asian (37
percent) and those from an Arabic-speaking background (28 percent).
Thirty-five percent of respondents said they visit a mosque once a
week,
while a similar number go to mosques more frequently. Six percent said
they
do not go to a mosque at all. Almost all of the respondents said they
are
registered to vote or plan to vote in November.
(All figures are based on responses provided by eligible Muslim voters.
Surveys were faxed and e-mailed to Muslim individuals and organizations
nationwide.)
"This survey shows that presidential candidates will have to address
issues
of importance to Muslims if they wish to garner and maintain support in
the
Islamic community," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. Awad added
that Muslims may be swing voters in politically-important states such
as
Michigan, Ohio and Florida.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 regional
offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a window to the
American
Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called CAIR-NET, receive
news
releases and other materials dealing with American Muslim positions on
issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to CAIR-NET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Tue, 29 Jun 2004 16:27:41 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: CA Cadets Learn About Islam/Easy to Spot 'Islamics'
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/29/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: NEIGHBORLINESS
* QUOTE OF THE DAY: EASY TO SPOT 'ISLAMICS' (Time)
- President Bush Critical of Muslim-Bashers (AP)
* CAIR-SACRAMENTO: CALIFORNIA POLICE CADETS LEARN ABOUT ISLAM
* MI: HABITAT HOME UNITES RELIGIONS (Detroit News)
- Tater Tot Hotdish and Tolerance (Pioneer Press)
* CAIR-HOUSTON REACTS TO TRANSFER OF POWER IN IRAQ (News24)
- Utahns Pray For Captive Marine (Deseret Morning)
- To Win Hearts and Minds, U.S. Must Leave (SJ Mercury)
* TX: MAN ALLEGEDLY ABUSED BECAUSE OF 'JIHAD' TATTOO (CNSNews)
- CAIR Protests Removal of Injured Jordanian (El Paso Times)
* REAFFIRMING THE RULE OF LAW (NY Times)
- Supreme Rebuke (Wash Post)
* GOOD NEWS: NY MUSLIM ALLOWED HIJAB AT WORK
- NE: Muslim Scarves Oft-Misunderstood (World-Herald)
- Headscarf Ban Stifles Academic Freedom in Turkey (HRW)
- Euro Court Backs Hijab Ban, Muslims Protest (Reuters)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: NEIGHBORLINESS
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "He will not enter
Paradise
whose neighbor is not secure from his wrongful conduct."
Sahih Muslim, Hadith 15
-----
QUOTE OF THE DAY: EASY TO SPOT 'ISLAMICS'
EYES AND EARS ON THE NATION
Amanda Ripley, Time, 6/5/04
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101040705-658321,00.html
The truckers, who haul hazardous material across 48 states, explained
how
easy it is to spot "Islamics" on the road: just look for their turbans.
Quite a few of them are truck drivers, says William Westfall of Van
Buren,
Ark. "I'll be honest. They know they're not welcome at truck stops.
There's
still a lot of animosity toward Islamics."
Eddie Dean of Fort Smith, Ark., also has little doubt about his ability
to
identify Muslims: You can tell where they're from. You can hear their
accents. They're not real clean people."
ALSO SEE:
PRESIDENT BUSH CRITICAL OF MUSLIM-BASHERS
BUSH SEEKS DEMOCRATIC REFORM IN MIDEAST
Deb Riechmann, Associated Press,
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20040629_407.html
Bush said: "When some in my country speak in an ill-informed and
insulting
manner about the Muslim faith, their words are heard abroad, and do
great
harm to our cause in the Middle East."
-----
CALIFORNIA POLICE CADETS LEARN ABOUT ISLAM
CAIR-Sacramento offers presentation on Muslim beliefs and practices
(SACRAMENTO, CA, 6/29/04) - On Monday, June 28, the Sacramento Valley
office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Sacramento)
conducted diversity training for more than 30 graduating cadets at the
Sacramento Police Department Academy.
CAIR-Sacramento representatives offered a PowerPoint presentation
designed
to make the cadets aware of issues that they may face when dealing with
the
diverse Muslim community in Sacramento.
Issues addressed in the presentation included the basic tenets of
Islam,
the status of Muslim women, the diversity of the American Muslim
community,
and ways in which area Muslims can have better relations with law
enforcement authorities. A question-and-answer session followed the
presentation.
CAIR-Sacramento also distributed a booklet, called "A Law Enforcement
Official's Guide to Islamic Religious Practices." The booklet covers
issues
such as religiously-sensitive techniques for body searches, proper
etiquette for entering Muslim homes and advice on outreach to the
Islamic
community.
"With more than 50,000 Muslims living in the greater Sacramento area,
law
enforcement officials need to be aware of issues related to the Islamic
community, particularly the disturbing growth in bias-related
incidents,"
said CAIR-Sacramento Executive Director Basim Elkarra.
"It is important to keep the lines of communication open between law
enforcement officials and the Muslim community," said CAIR-Sacramento
Executive Committee member Maren Shawesh. "Many cadets thanked us for
coming and said they found the presentation to be very informative."
She
said more diversity workshops are planned in the next few months.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 28 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Basim ElKarra, 916-441-6269, 916-289-3748
-----
HABITAT HOME UNITES RELIGIONS
Jennifer Chambers, Detroit News, 6/28/04
http://www.detnews.com/2004/metro/0406/28/b01-196473.htm
DETROIT - The buzz of a circular saw and the din of pounding hammers
echoed
throughout a southwest Detroit neighborhood invaded by volunteers for
Habitat for Humanity.
But a closer look at this group of do-gooders that came together Sunday
to
build three new homes for low-income Detroit families revealed
something more.
Side by side, more than 35 Muslims, Jews and Christians worked as one,
climbing ladders to nail siding, slicing wood to frame windows and
doors
and offering a hand of support during the third annual "Interfaith
build,"
organized by the National Conference for Community Justice.
Victor Begg, who is Muslim, said different faiths need to do more than
just
pray together. They need to work together and build trust.
"When two people are trying to put a window frame together, we are
concerned about each other" making sure you aren't nailing a thumb
down,"
Begg said with a smile.
Volunteers spent the day working on the houses on 25th Avenue between
Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Michigan Avenue in an area known
as
Tri-Centennial Village, where Habitat for Humanity has built around 30
homes and has plans for several more...
ALSO SEE:
TATER TOT HOTDISH AND TOLERANCE
Cynthia Boyd, Pioneer Press, 6/29/04
http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/living/education/9034864.htm
When Seray Serol returns to her home in Turkey this week, she will take
with her a recipe for Tater Tot casserole, the memory of the "coolest
moment" in her life and a story of how she brought a better
understanding
of Islam to a speaker at a Catholic church in Minnesota.
Eating like the locals, being introduced to the Minnesota Legislature
and
advancing understanding between peoples are simple illustrations of the
idea behind Youth Exchange and Study. Dubbed YES, and created by the
U.S.
Department of State in response to 9/11, the program brings teens from
predominantly Muslim countries to the United States for a year of
school
and American family life.
Serol was one of 25 high school students to come to the United States
and
one of four in Minnesota.
"Its goal is to promote mutual understanding by building on the
personal
and cultural values we hold in common with Muslim societies,'' said
Sarah
Morari, who lives in Brooklyn Park and is the local YES coordinator.
The
idea is that today's young people are tomorrow's leaders, and they will
help build bridges between nations and religions.
Nancy Albrecht of Richfield, who hosted a student from Egypt, sees the
program as a way of promoting peace. "As more people get to know other
people and families from other cultures, our preconceived ideas and
stereotypes dissolve," she said.
-----
HOUSTONIANS REACT TO EARLY TRANSFER OF POWER IN IRAQ
Tucker Wilson, News 24, 6/28/04
http://www.news24houston.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=31588
Najet Elsayed says she's like most Muslims when it comes to the
transfer of
power back to the Iraqis.
"Most of the Muslim community is going to take a 'we'll see' approach.
And
in that 'we'll see' approach, we're going to just wait and see if it is
a
genuine turnover or if it's just a continuation of the actual
occupation,"
said Elsayed, spokesperson for the Council on American-Islamic
Relations
(CAIR).
At a local popular Middle Eastern restaurant, opinions varied.
"They had to take over power sooner or later, so might as well go ahead
and
do it now and get the ball rolling," said patron Jamie Dye.
"The point is that they need to have their own country, learn to run
their
own country. And I do think the Americans do need to keep a presence
over
there for the time being, kind of wean them off from one government to
the
next," said Laura Veane.
Some even had opinions about why the transfer was done two days earlier
than planned.
"They transitioned power maybe to sidestep any attacks that might've
been
planned, which was probably a good thing, because of course there were
probably attacks planned. But on the other hand, this new government --
this interim government -- is sort of stepping into a vacuum, so
there's no
real international support behind them yet," said Matt Wilson...
ALSO SEE:
UTAHNS PRAY FOR CAPTIVE MARINE
Geoffrey Fattah and Joe Bauman, Deseret Morning News, 6/29/04
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595073877,00.html
WEST VALLEY CITY - Fellow Muslims - as well as Utahns of other faiths -
united in prayer Monday for the safe return of Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun,
the
Marine from West Jordan threatened with decapitation after he was
seized by
terrorists in Iraq.
Members of the Khadeeja mosque in West Valley City pray Monday for the
safe
return of Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, the Marine who was captured by
terrorists in Iraq.
At the Khadeeja mosque here, a group of about 30 Muslim men gathered in
a
circle before sunset prayers, offering a special prayer for the safe
return
of one of their own. Men bowed their heads in concentration and remorse
as
Imam Shuaib-Ud Din read passages from the Quran, the faith's holy book.
Some kept vigil by taking turns reading sections from the Quran,
planning
to read it in its entirety.
"Allah, forgive our sins," said Shuaib. "Allah, we ask for his release
and
his safe return." Shuaib prayed for the release of all captives, peace
on
Earth and the end of all wars. He prayed for all Muslims, and all of
humanity, to be relieved of all of the burdens of their making.
Earlier in the day, Utahns of other faiths gathered on the steps of the
Capitol to pray for the well-being of the young Marine, who lived in
Lebanon as a child and then moved to West Jordan...
---
TO WIN ARAB HEARTS AND MINDS, AMERICA MUST LEAVE
Pat Buchanan, San Jose Mercury News, 6/29/04
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/9037233.htm
The transition to Iraq sovereignty on Monday, two days earlier than
scheduled, was a good time to attempt to draw up an interim
profit-and-loss
statement of what President Bush has accomplished in what he calls the
''War on Terror.'' Who is winning this war?
To answer that question, we must first ask and answer antecedent
questions.
What is the war about? What are we fighting for? Who, exactly, is the
enemy
in this war? What is he fighting for?
Since 9/11, the president's objectives have been to exact retribution
for
the massacre, overthrow the Taliban enablers of Osama, run Al-Qaida out
of
Afghanistan, remove Saddam Hussein, disarm Iraq and defend America. He
has
attained them all. Yet, 54 percent of Americans believe invading Iraq
was a
mistake. The nation understands that something has gone wrong.
The nation is right. For what this war is really about is who shall
rule in
the Islamic world. Will it be the men who share our views and values?
Or
will it be True Believers who will purge that world of what they see as
our
odious and corrupt presence?
What our enemies seek in the great Sunni Triangle from Rabat to
Chechnya to
Mindanao is what the Iranian Revolution achieved: to be rid of the
Americans and of rulers that they view as vile puppets of the United
States, to purify their societies and to unite their world against the
West...
-----
JORDANIAN MAN ALLEGEDLY ABUSED BECAUSE OF 'JIHAD' TATTOO, BROTHER SAYS
Sarah Junk, CNSNews.com, 6/28/04
http://www.cnsnews.com/Nation/archive/200406/NAT20040628e.html
A Jordanian man suffered a serious head injury while being held at a
Texas
immigration facility and his brother wants answers.
Jihad "Jordan" Omari wants to know how his younger brother, Khalfan,
ended
up hospitalized with a broken skull that left the 25-year-old man with
a
7-inch scar on his head. Omari doesn't believe the reports from
immigration
officials.
"The gentleman came to us and said he had been hurt," said Manny
Vanpelt,
spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "He said that
he
had fallen."
According to Omari, his brother is still incapable of communicating,
thus
unable to confirm the origins of his injuries.
The ICE is conducting an investigation, and the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations is calling on the Department of Justice to also investigate
the
situation.
"His left side is not working right," said Omari. "It's a very bad
situation. He's in the hospital, and I need justice."
Omari believes his brother was targeted for abuse because of a tattoo
on
his shoulder that was a sign of brotherly love - a heart with the word
'jihad...'
SEE ALSO:
JORDANIAN IMMIGRANT RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL
http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20040629-136729.shtml
Khalfan Omari, the 25-year-old Jordanian immigrant who underwent
emergency
brain surgery at Thomason Hospital last week, woke up and was returned
to
the El Paso immigration detention center Monday to resume deportation
proceedings, officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.
Omari's brother, Jordan Omari, and the Council on American-Islamic
Relations in Washington, D.C., have protested the move. The cause of
Omari's injuries is being investigated.
-----
REAFFIRMING THE RULE OF LAW
New York Times, 6/29/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/29/opinion/29TUE1.html
Part of the "new normal" that the Bush administration ushered in after
Sept. 11 was a radically broader view of the government's power to
detain
people. The administration claimed the right to hold foreign terrorism
suspects in an indefinite legal limbo in Guant�namo, and to designate
American citizens as "enemy combatants" and hold them for years without
access to lawyers. Yesterday, the Supreme Court delivered a stinging
rebuke
to these policies. In a pair of landmark decisions, the court made it
clear
that even during the war on terror, the government must adhere to the
rule
of law.
The Guant�namo case was brought by 14 of the more than 600 detainees
being
held at the American naval base at Guant�namo Bay, Cuba. The detainees
insist that they did not engage in combat or terrorism against the
United
States, but were wrongly picked up in the fog of war in Afghanistan.
The
Bush administration responded that, guilty or innocent, they have no
right
to be heard. In its view, non-citizens held outside the United States
cannot turn to American courts to challenge their confinement. A
federal
district court and an appeals court both agreed, and dismissed the
lawsuit.
The Supreme Court reversed that decision on a 6-to-3 vote. The court
rightly looked beyond the legal fiction that the government relied on,
that
the base in Guant�namo is not part of the United States. For more than
100
years, the court observed, Guant�namo has been under America's
"complete
jurisdiction and control," and it will remain so for the foreseeable
future. As a legal matter, there is no difference between being held in
Guant�namo and being held in the United States. The court also noted
that
habeas corpus, a venerable doctrine that allows prisoners to challenge
their confinement, applies not to the prisoner, but to the one doing
the
imprisoning - in this case, the Defense Department. By this logic, the
location where the prisoner is being held should not matter.
The court did not rule on the detainees' actual claims of being wrongly
confined. But it held that they have a right to have the claims heard
in
federal court, and it sent the case back down to the district court
with
instructions to start considering them. The ruling reaffirms a core
principle of American law: anyone behind bars has a right to challenge
that
imprisonment in court...
ALSO SEE:
SUPREME REBUKE
Washington Post, 6/29/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13561-2004Jun28.html
SINCE THE OUTSET of the war on terrorism, the Bush administration,
across a
wide range of issues, has had a simple message for the federal
judiciary:
Trust us and don't interfere. Yesterday, in a pair of much-awaited
rulings,
the court delivered its response. First, the justices declared that
U.S.
citizens designated as enemy fighters are entitled to a "fair
opportunity"
to challenge their detentions and "unquestionably [have] the right to
access to counsel" in doing so. Then the justices held that federal
courts
have jurisdiction to hear challenges to the detentions of noncitizens
held
at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Trust, even during wartime, has limits.
The most important decision of the day came in the case of Yaser Esam
Hamdi, the Louisiana-born Saudi man who has been held in a military
brig
for the past two years after being captured in Afghanistan. The
decision is
more historic still for transcending the court's frequent ideological
divide. Eight justices rejected the government's contention that Mr.
Hamdi
could be locked up indefinitely, incommunicado, on the strength of a
two-page, hearsay affidavit and without any opportunity to respond to
the
government's allegations.
The justices did not agree on the proper resolution of the case: A
four-member plurality led by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor held -- as we
have
argued -- that an American who fights with the enemy may be detained as
an
enemy fighter but must have a meaningful opportunity to contest the
designation. Justices David H. Souter and Ruth Bader Ginsburg argued
that
Congress's authorization of the use of force did not include the
authority
to detain Americans. Justices Antonin Scalia and John Paul Stevens
argued
that Mr. Hamdi was entitled either to be tried or freed. Only Justice
Clarence Thomas would have affirmed the government's position.
Consequently, the case not only guarantees that Mr. Hamdi will get to
tell
the courts his side of the story but also sends a powerful message that
Americans cannot just disappear at the hands of their government. Even
during wartime, the government must be held to account -- albeit not
necessarily in a full-fledged criminal trial -- before an American can
be
locked up. That's important not just for Mr. Hamdi but for liberty
generally. And it means that the other American held as an enemy
combatant,
Jose Padilla, will at last get a hearing as well. The court dismissed
Mr.
Padilla's case, finding that it had been filed in the wrong court. But
the
decision in Hamdi means that in any renewed litigation, more than the
government's say-so will be needed to keep Mr. Padilla behind bars...
-----
GOOD NEWS: NY MUSLIM ALLOWED HIJAB AT WORK
Following intervention by CAIR, a Muslim woman in Melville, N.Y., will
now
be allowed to wear Islamic attire to any job offered by her temporary
staffing agency.
The Muslim worker was first asked by the agency to remove her head
scarf
and loose-fitting outer garment in order to start work. When informed
that
she wore both for religious reasons, the agency allowed her to wear the
head scarf. She was further instructed to leave the premises if she did
not
remove her outer garment. The Muslim woman refused and left the site.
After CAIR sent a letter to the staffing agency expressing concern over
the
violation of her right to reasonable religious accommodation, an
investigation was initiated to determine the facts of the case.
It was later agreed that the Muslim woman would be able to work with
all of
her religious attire.
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIM SCARVES OFT-MISUNDERSTOOD SIGNS OF FAITH
Angie Brunkow, Omaha World-Herald, 6/28/04
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=57&u_sid=1133603
For Lubna Hussein, wearing traditional Muslim garb is a statement of
faith.
But in the Western world, where the fashion of the day calls for bare
midriffs, and the culture doesn't always understand Muslim tradition,
it
also can be a statement of courage.
"I admire the women who wear the head scarf, especially in a country
that
is not Muslim," said Fatima Khan, an Omaha artist who is Muslim. "I
personally don't have the strength yet."
In the Muslim faith, men and women are required to dress modestly in
public. Women who follow this tradition in America, however, sometimes
risk
suspicion, misunderstanding and outright discrimination.
Hussein, an Omaha Public Schools teacher's aide, was barred from a city
pool because employees considered her outfit - jeans, a long-sleeve
shirt
and head scarf - street clothes. Earlier this month, she filed a
federal
lawsuit against the City of Omaha, which has prompted the city to allow
exceptions to its dress code for city pools.
Some Muslim women elsewhere have been ordered to remove their head
scarves
for driver's license photos, school or work.
"It's the most common form of discrimination American Muslims have
faced in
the last decade," said Rabiah Ahmed, spokeswoman for the Council on
American-Islamic Relations in Washington, D.C.
The tradition for modest dress among Muslims is rooted in faith. The
Koran
says that "believing women should lower their gaze and guard their
modesty." It instructs women to keep their beauty hidden except from
their
husbands and fathers.
"The majority of scholars have interpreted this as covering your hair
as
well as your neck and ears and your whole body except your hands and
feet,"
Ahmed said.
Some women take the modesty directive a step further and wear a veil.
Men, too, must dress modestly and simply, avoiding such things as
flashy
colors, silk and gold chains, she said...
--
HEADSCARF BAN STIFLES ACADEMIC FREEDOM IN TURKEY
European Court of Human Rights to Rule on Turkish Students' Headscarf
Cases
http://www.realitymacedonia.org.mk/web/news_page.asp?nid=3386
(New York, June 29, 2004)-The Turkish government's heavy-handed
interference in universities, coupled with a strict ban on headscarves
for
students and teachers, inhibits academic freedom, Human Rights Watch
said
in a report issued today. The European Court of Human Rights is
scheduled
today to rule on two Turkish cases concerning women excluded from
higher
education for wearing the headscarf.
The 46-page report analyses the state-imposed ban on the wearing of the
headscarf in Turkish universities. It also details the domineering role
of
the Higher Education Council (Yuksek Ogretim Kurulu, or Y?K), created
by
the military after the 1980 coup in Turkey.
Despite the welcome removal of the military's nominee from the Council
as
part of constitutional changes in May, the military continues to
express
strong public views about education policy and oppose any threat to the
Council's firm hold over the university system.
"The Turkish government has still not dispelled the coercion and
self-censorship that pervade academic life," said Rachel Denber.
"Professors continue to be disciplined for challenging state
practices."
The most recent example was the removal of Professor ?ebnem Korur
Fincanci
from her post as head of Istanbul University's Forensic Medicine
Department
in April because she had made comments questioning the state Forensic
Medicine Institute's determination to combat torture.
The report examines the state-imposed headscarf ban that has excluded
thousands of women from higher education. Hundreds of others have been
suspended or discharged from teaching posts as a result.
Implementation of the ban has intensified since 1997 when the military
delivered an ultimatum to the government of the day. Supporters of the
ruling Justice and Development Party would like the government to lift
the
ban, but it dares not defy the military on this sensitive matter, which
the
military sees as a touchstone of modern Turkey's secular identity.
The Human Rights Watch report looks at the historical, social and
political
context of the headscarf issue. The subject is of even greater
contention
in Turkey than elsewhere in Europe. Many of Turkey's secularists
believe
that the religious parties plan to eliminate secularism bit by bit, and
that the headscarf is the first step.
Human Rights Watch believes the headscarf prohibition is an unwarranted
infringement on the right to religious practice. Moreover, the
restriction
of women's dress is discriminatory and violates their right to
education,
their right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and their
right
to privacy...
To read Human Rights Watch's report, please see:
http://hrw.org/backgrounder/eca/turkey/2004/
---
EURO COURT BACKS HEADSCARF BAN, MUSLIMS PROTEST
Gilbert Reilhac, Reuters, 6/29/04
STRASBOURG, France, June 29 (Reuters) - Banning Muslim headscarves in
state
schools does not violate the freedom of religion and is a valid way to
counter Islamic fundamentalism, the European Court of Human Rights said
on
Tuesday.
In what could be a precedent-setting decision, the Strasbourg-based
court
rejected appeals by a Turkish student barred from attending Istanbul
University medical school in 1998 because her headscarf violated the
official dress code.
The court decision, which takes precedence over national court rulings,
could help the French government face court cases it expects to be
filed in
September against a disputed headscarf ban it plans to impose in state
high
schools.
The influential Union of French Islamic Organisations (UOIF) denounced
the
ruling as politicised justice and said Muslims would consider it a form
of
persecution.
In its ruling, the court said: "Measures taken in universities to
prevent
certain fundamentalist religious movements from pressuring students who
do
not practise the religion in question or those belonging to another
religion can be justified."
Bans issued in the name of the separation of church and state could
therefore be considered "necessary in a democratic society," said the
court, which is part of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe whose 45
members include Turkey.
The ruling was a victory for Turkey, an overwhelmingly Muslim society
which
has imposed a rigidly secular system since the 1920s and faces growing
scrutiny about Islam as it inches towards hoped for membership of the
European Union.
The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which has Islamist
roots,
has considered trying to end the ban but backed off after stiff
opposition
from the fiercely secular military.
The ruling also supports Paris's argument that its headscarf ban
counters
possible pressure on unveiled Muslim schoolgirls to join a religious
revival evident among a minority of France's five million Muslims, the
largest Islamic minority in Europe.
"The courts are starting to follow the politicians," protested UOIF
President Lhaj Thami Breze, who argues that freedom of religion allows
Muslim schoolgirls to wear scarves.
"I'm afraid this will set a precedent that will be applied to girls who
are
excluded from French schools," he told Reuters.
The decision could also effect cases in Germany where Muslim teachers
are
appealing against laws in several federal states barring them from
covering
their heads at work…
-----
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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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
CAIR ELECTION 2004 UPDATE #10: IRAQ AND FOREIGN POLICY
The latest issue of CAIR's ELECTION 2004 UPDATE is now available
online.
CAIR's election updates are designed to promote American Muslim
political
empowerment. Updates focus on issues of importance to the American
Muslim
community and outline the candidates' positions on those issues.
TO READ THE FULL UPDATE, GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/muslimvote2004/jun292004.asp
Table of contents:
1) RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE
Iraq and Foreign Policy
- Bush: 'We Have Kept Our Word'
- Kerry on the Transfer of Sovereignty in Iraq
- Kerry Alleges Bush Foreign Policy Failures
- Nader: US should disengage from Israel
Perspectives
- Iraq Occupation Erodes Bush Doctrine
- Hand-Over Is Political Gamble for Bush
- Dean: Most Americans Now Say U.S. War in Iraq Isn't Worth Fighting
Economy
- Bush: Rising Spending, Income, Wages and Salaries
- Bush: Record New Home Sales
- Kerry: New Plan will Expand Opportunity through Education
- Kerry Pledges to Fight for Jobs across the Country
Perspectives
- Job Market Prods Consumer Spending
- Hiring Up, But Many Jobless not Looking
Ethnic Outreach
- Bush's Liaison to Conservatives
- Kerry Endorsed by the Committee for Hispanic Causes BOLD PAC
- Kerry Urged to Do More to Get Black Votes
Education
- Kerry and Bush on School Vouchers
Gasoline Prices
- Gasoline Prices Retreat as Oil Costs Moderate
2) Community Activism
- U.S. Muslims Favor Kerry and Nader
- CA: Muslims are growing politically in America but in what direction?
- CA: Libertarian Candidate for US Senate Reaches Out to Muslims
- CA: Youth Think Tank Meets to Energize Muslim Electorate
- House Committee Confirms Establishment of Congressional Pakistan
Caucus
Recent Events:
- The Muslim Vote in Election 2004
- CA: Muslims Hold Election Town Hall Meeting
3) National, State & Local Politics
- US Supreme Court Says Terror Suspects May Challenge Detention
- U.S. Says Many Foreigners Must Leave to Renew Visas
- Lawmakers Welcome Transition in Iraq But Remain Uneasy
- LA: Vitter Aligns Himself Firmly with Bush on Iraq
- FL: Political Committee Attacks Castor over Al-Arian
- VA: Fairfax County Won't Condemn Patriot Act
- WV: Candidates Disagree on Expansion of Gambling
- In Politics, the Rise of Small Donors
To send local news stories, feedback, and comments please email:
politics@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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Wed, 30 Jun 2004 17:16:07 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: Muslims Assaulted in Illinois, California
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MUSLIMS ASSAULTED IN ILLINOIS, CALIFORNIA
Perpetrators allegedly shout racist, anti-Muslim slurs
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 6/30/04) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights
and
advocacy group today urged state and federal law enforcement
authorities to
treat attacks on a Muslim woman driver in Illinois and on a Muslim
shopper
in California as hate crimes.
The driver in Illinois, a Muslim convert who wears an Islamic head
scarf,
told the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
that
she was attacked June 26 after being approached by a group of two women
and
one man at a stop sign in Freeport, Ill. She said the attackers began
kicking her car and shouting anti-Muslim slurs after asking for a
"light."
One of the attackers allegedly shouted: "Stupid Muslims…F***ing
Muslims…Go
back to your country." When the victim got out of her car, she was
allegedly punched a number of times, resulting in trauma to her head.
Her
head scarf was also torn off during the assault.
One of the female attackers was charged with misdemeanor battery, but
law
enforcement authorities tell CAIR that the charge may be upgraded to a
felony based on the allegations of a bias motive.
Early this morning in California, a Muslim shopper of Middle Eastern
descent was assaulted outside a San Diego grocery store. The
perpetrator
allegedly shouted racist slurs before striking the victim in the face
and
knocking out his front tooth. Slurs allegedly included: "You f***ing
Arab…Get out of my country."
"Given the apparent bias motives of the perpetrators in both cases, it
is
imperative that these attacks be treated as hate crimes and that
current or
potential charges be upgraded accordingly," said CAIR Communications
Director Ibrahim Hooper. Hooper added that these incidents come
following a
string of attacks on and threats against Islamic institutions and
individuals nationwide.
In Florida, vandals wrote "Kill all Muslims" inside the Islamic
Community
Center in the Tampa suburb of Lutz. The FBI is investigating vandalism
and
threatening messages targeting the Islamic Community of Southwest
Florida
in Charlotte Harbor. In New Jersey, liquor bottles were thrown on the
grounds of the Islamic Educational Center of North Hudson in Union
City.
And in Missouri, vandals painted a Nazi swastika and the word "die" on
an
addition under construction at the Islamic Foundation of Greater St.
Louis.
Last month, three Miami Islamic centers were vandalized. Similar
incidents
have been reported in other states.
In response to attacks on and threats against American Muslim
individuals
and communities, CAIR has published a "Muslim Community Safety Kit."
The
safety kit may be obtained by e-mailing pubs@cair-net.org, or by
calling
202-488-8787 and asking for the "Publications Department." CAIR,
America's
largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 regional offices and
chapters
nationwide and in Canada.
- END -
CONTACT: Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, E-Mail:
cair@cair-net.org; Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441, E-Mail:
rahmed@cair-net.org
NOTE: CAIR offers an e-mail list designed to be a journalist's window
to
the American Muslim community. Subscribers to the list, called
ISLAM-INFONET, receive news releases and other materials dealing with
American Muslim positions on issues of importance to our society.
To SUBSCRIBE to ISLAM-INFONET, go to: http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
-----
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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Wed, 30 Jun 2004 18:06:00 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: IL Bias Claim Filed/OSU Hijab/Pakistanis Targeted
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 6/30/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: TEACH WISDOM
* CAIR-CHICAGO: MUSLIMS FILE BIAS CLAIM AGAINST THEATER
- CAIR-OH: OSU Medial Center Accommodates Hijab
* U.S. CUSTOMS TARGETING PAKISTANIS (CNN)
* DETAINEE TO BE DEPORTED (Wash Post)
- Members of Congress Sign 'Free Ansar Mahmood' Letter
* IL: MUSLIM RAP FINDS ITS VOICE (Chicago Trib)
* THE MUSLIM VOTE IN ELECTION 2004 (C-Span) - ONLINE
- Poll: Muslim Support for Bush Eroding (Beliefnet)
- Muslims Support Kerry, Nader; Oppose Bush (AP)
- Bush Trails Badly In Muslim Voters Survey (PE)
- Muslim Voters Turn Away From Bush (SF Chronicle)
- U.S. Muslims Favor Kerry and Nader (UPI)
* FRONT-RUNNERS FOR KERRY VP ARE STRONG ON ISRAEL (JTA)
* CAN: SHIFT TO RIGHT MOTIVATED MUSLIM VOTERS (Record)
* DEL. MUSLIMS SPEAK UP FOR THEIR FAITH (Delaware Online)
- PA: Local Muslims Reject Killings (Intelligencer)
- CA: Activist Plans Faith-Based Peace Panel (Argus)
- Canada: Islam's View of Violence (Leader Post)
* MI: EMBRACING MUSLIM PRAYER PAYS DIVIDENDS (Det News)
* ABU GHRAIB, STONEWALLED (NY Times)
* TWO-FACED CHECHNYA POLICY (Wash Post)
* THE JEWISH DIVIDE ON ISRAEL (The Nation)
- A Clean Break for Israel (Asia Times)
- Rabbi: Those Who Removes Settlements May be Killed
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: TEACH WISDOM
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "There are two (kinds
of)
people worth envying: Someone whom God has made rich and who spends his
money righteously; and someone whom God has given wisdom and who acts
according to it and teaches it to others."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Hadith 255
-----
MUSLIMS FILE BIAS CLAIM AGAINST ILLINOIS MOVIE THEATER
Security guards mocked Arabic conversation and joked about bomb
(HICKORY HILLS, IL, 6/30/2004) - The Muslim Civil Rights Center (MCRC)
and
the Chicago office of the Council on American Islamic Relations
(CAIR-Chicago) today announced that three Muslim men of Palestinian
heritage filed a complaint against a Chicago-area theater over
allegations
of religious and national-origin discrimination.
The complaint, filed with the Illinois Department of Human Rights
against
Loews Cineplex in Crestwood, Ill., alleges that the men were evicted
from a
screening of Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ" in February of this
year.
The theater security guards allegedly mocked the Arabic spoken by the
men
and told them to speak English because "this is America." The guards
also
reportedly joked that the Muslim moviegoers might have a bomb.
"Under Illinois and federal law, theaters and other places of public
accommodation must treat all customers equally," said CAIR-Chicago
board
member Kamran Memon, who is also legal representative for the men. "We
expect Loews to train its employees to ensure that customers do not
face
such harassment, regardless of their religion, ethnicity or national
origin."
"What these men endured is unacceptable and must be addressed by
theater
management," said MCRC's Community Outreach Coordinator Ahmad Tansheet.
Tansheet said there should be zero tolerance for anti-Muslim bigotry in
our
society.
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, is headquartered
in
Washington, D.C., and has 28 regional offices and chapters nationwide
and
in Canada.
MCRC, an Islamic civil and human rights group based in Illinois,
creates
awareness about civil and human rights among American Muslims and
provides
legal assistance to victims of rights violations.
- END -
CONTACT: MCRC, Ahmad Tansheet, 708-598-6640, E-mail:
atansheet@mcrcnet.org;
CAIR-Chicago, Kamran Memon, 312-961-2354, E-mail:
discrimination@hotmail.com
SEE ALSO:
CAIR-OH: OSU MEDICAL CENTER ACCOMMODATES HIJAB
(COLUMBUS, OH, 6/30/2004) - The Ohio office of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Ohio) today announced that Muslim
women
who work at the Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus will
maintain their right to wear their religiously-mandated head scarves,
or
hijab. Their jobs had recently been threatened by an attempt to more
strictly enforce a dress code that would have banned head scarves.
In discussions with CAIR-Ohio, the University Hospitals Office of
Facilities Services agreed that Muslim women will be allowed to work
and
wear their head scarves, providing they are white in color. In
addition,
CAIR-Ohio has been asked to conduct Islamic awareness training for
medical
center staff.
"We are very encouraged by the willingness of the Ohio State University
Medical Center to accommodate the religious needs of its workers," said
Ahmad Al-Akhras, president of CAIR-Ohio.
There are more than 150,000 Muslims in Ohio. CAIR, America's largest
Islamic civil liberties group, has 28 regional offices and chapters
nationwide and in Canada. CAIR-Ohio was founded in 1998.
- END -
CONTACT: Jad Humeidan, CAIR-Ohio Executive Director,
ExecDir@ohio-net.org,
614-571-2770; Ahmad Al-Akhras, 614-989-5916
-----
U.S. CUSTOMS TARGETING PAKISTANIS
CNN, 6/30/04
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/US/06/29/customs.pakistanis/
WASHINGTON -- A bulletin from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection
department asks inspectors at the country's major airports to closely
examine all passengers of Pakistani descent for injuries that may have
been
incurred in terrorist training camps, a U.S. official has confirmed to
CNN.
A two-page "action" bulletin, dated June 17, says recent intelligence
from
Pakistan and elsewhere indicates that people of Pakistani descent "are
increasingly being identified with" extremist activities, "including
supporting [and] protecting the operations of terrorist training camps
in
Pakistan."
The document says U.S. officials believe "many of the individuals
trained
in the Pakistani camps are destined to commit illegal activities in the
United States."
However, a U.S. official told CNN there is no specific information to
suggest such individuals are headed to the United States.
The official also said that the department of Customs and Border
Protection
does "not target anyone based on race," but it does pay close attention
to
areas where terrorists are known to operate.
"We can't discuss intelligence operations or information," the official
said.
In the bulletin, airport inspectors are advised to closely look at
people
of Pakistani descent who have taken short trips to Pakistan that were
not
related to family or business reasons and examine them for injuries
like
"rope burns ... unusual bruises ... [and] scars," -- injuries that may
have
come from training in terror camps.
-----
DETAINEE TO BE DEPORTED ON IMMIGRATION CHARGES
Michelle Garcia, Washington Post, 6/30/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16136-2004Jun29.html
NEW YORK -- A Pakistani immigrant detained almost three years ago after
taking autumn photographs near an Upstate New York reservoir lost a
final
appeal on Tuesday and faces deportation.
In the end, dozens of members of Congress, an international circle of
supporters and a flurry of petitions could not stop the Bureau of
Immigration and Customs Enforcement from issuing a deportation order
for
Ansar Mahmood, 27. A pizza deliveryman, Mahmood is one of the
longest-held
detainees from a roundup of Arab and Muslim men in the days after the
Sept.
11, 2001, attacks.
Federal officials took Mahmood into custody in October 2001, not long
after
he asked a stranger to shoot his photo as the sun dipped behind the
Catskills Mountains. Federal officials feared that he might be a
terrorist
scouting the reservoir, which was in the background of the photo, for a
possible attack. They later cleared Mahmood of any such suspicions.
But when federal agents searched Mahmood's house, they found evidence
that
he had co-signed for an apartment and registered a car as a favor to
two
illegal immigrants. That was a deportable crime, federal immigration
officials said.
William Cleary, an immigration field director in Buffalo, wrote to
Mahmood:
"You received extraordinary benefit under this country's generous
immigration system and immediately set out to violate and undermine
that
very system."
Mahmood's lawyer said the government is being vindictive. This ruling
"just
shows a lack of compassion by the current administration," Rolando
Velasquez said. "Ansar's case highlights just how draconian those
[immigration law] changes really are..."
ALSO SEE:
TWENTY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SIGN 'FREE ANSAR MAHMOOD' LETTER
Led by Reps. Michael Honda (D-CA) and Charles Rangel (D-NY), 20 members
of
Congress sent a letter to the DHS Secretary Tom Ridge asking for the
release of Ansar Mahmood, a lawful permanent resident alien from
Pakistan
who has been detained for over two years even though law enforcement
officials cleared Mahmood of any criminal wrongdoing.
Before his detention, Ansar Mahmood worked up to 14 hours a day as a
pizza
deliveryman and used his earnings to help his impoverished family in
Pakistan. He was detained in October 2001 and quickly cleared of any
criminal wrongdoing. However, because he co-signed a lease for another
Muslim couple who he did not know had overstayed their visa, Mahmood
has
been incarcerated for more than two years and scheduled for deportation
proceedings.
Along with Reps. Honda and Rangel, signatories asking for the release
of
Mahmood include: Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Rep. John Conyers (D-MI),
Rep.
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), Rep. Eni
Faleomavaega (US Samoa), Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Rep. Raul
Grijalva
(D-AZ), Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL), Rep.
Donald
Payne (D-NJ), Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-NY), Rep. Luis Guttierez (D-IL),
Rep.
Fortney Stark (D-CA), Rep. Major Owens (D-NY), Rep. Jim McDermott
(D-WA),
Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Rep. Xavier
Becerra
(D-CA).
-----
MUSLIM RAP FINDS ITS VOICE
Geneive Abdo, Chicago Tribune, 6/30/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0406300266jun30,1,7622603.story
The three tough guys in baggy trousers and oversize T-shirts strutted
across the stage to a hip-hop beat, swinging their microphones from
side to
side.
Then, as a ball of fire flashed across a screen on stage, the tough
guys
began to rap. "Forgive us our sins and protect us from the fires of
hell,"
they chanted, along with the Arabic profession of faith for Muslims:
"La
ilaha illalah" (There is no god but God).
That night at DePaul University, rap music and Islam merged in the form
of
MPAC, a Muslim hip-hop band from the South Side. The group, one of
several
in the United States, is part of a growing movement with ambitious
goals.
"We try to have lyrics to uplift Muslim youth," said band member Luqman
Rashad. "We want them to know that Islam can be strong and cool."
Muslim hip-hop is but one sign of a new and evolving American Muslim
identity. Across the United States, Muslims are bringing their religion
to
Latinos and African-Americans, who are converting to Islam in greater
numbers.
In return, they are learning creative ways to fuse Islam with other
cultures and traditions.
"It is our goal to bring races together," said Jameel Karim, another
MPAC
musician. "Music is so powerful and universal."
While Muslim hip-hop bands have achieved varying degrees of success,
they
have one thing in common: The lyrics remain true to Islamic beliefs...
But in the mid-1990s, Sunni Muslims began creating their own music.
This
form of hip-hop, produced largely with a Muslim audience in mind, is
becoming popular in several cities, fans say, with the better-known
groups
including Native Deen of Washington, D.C., and California's Jurassic
5....
-----
THE MUSLIM VOTE IN ELECTION 2004 - ONLINE
C-Span, 6/29/04
http://www.c-span.org/videoarchives.asp?CatCodePairs=,&ArchiveDays=100
(Scroll through pages until you find the link.)
The Council for the National Interest holds a forum titled, "The Muslim
Vote in Election 2004." Speakers include Ralph Nader, Independent
Presidential Candidate; Amb. Edward Peck, Fmr. Iraq Chief of Mission;
Eugene Bird, President, Council for the National Interest; and others.
ALSO SEE:
POLL SHOWS MUSLIM SUPPORT FOR BUSH ERODING FAST
Jonah D. King, Beliefnet, 6/26/04
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/88/story_8891_1.html
WASHINGTON- A new poll by a prominent civil rights group suggests that
support for President Bush among Muslim voters has eroded so swiftly
that
Muslim votes for Sen. John Kerry could swing the presidential election
in
key battleground states.
Of the nearly 1,200 Muslim voters surveyed in June by the Council for
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), 55 percent said they had voted for
Bush
in 2000, but only 3 percent of those same voters would vote to re-elect
him.
A full 54 percent of those surveyed said they would vote for Sen. John
Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee, and 26 percent said they
would
vote for independent Ralph Nader.
The drop in Muslim support for the president is dramatic-exit polls in
the
2000 election indicated that Bush carried between 70 percent and 80
percent
of the Muslim vote.
Muslim activists say their community may carry enough weight in key
states
like Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania to swing the vote for Kerry. CAIR
has
launched voter registration drives in California, Florida, Ohio and
Texas,
hoping to have 1.5 million Muslims registered to vote in November.
Eugene Bird, president of the Council for the National Interest, a
Middle
East watchdog group, said Bush won Florida-a state that was decided by
537
votes-with 64,000 more Muslim votes than Democrat Al Gore.
Nihad Awad, CAIR's executive director, said the nation's 5 million to 7
million Muslims have mainstream views on domestic issues, but have been
turned away by the Bush administration's war on terrorism.
"What makes them different than most of the voters in this society is
because they have been the prime target of certain practices of the
government, they feel that their civil liberties have been sacrificed,"
Awad said.
---
MUSLIM-AMERICANS SUPPORT KERRY, NADER; OPPOSE BUSH
Associated Press, 6/29/04
http://www.news8austin.com/content/headlines/?ArID=111483&SecID=2
WASHINGTON -- A poll of Muslim-American voters -- conducted by an
Islamic
civil rights group -- finds more than half of those surveyed support
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.
According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, 26 percent said
they favor independent candidate Ralph Nader, and just two percent said
they plan to vote for President Bush.
Another 14 percent are undecided.
The surveys were faxed and e-mailed to Muslim individuals and
organizations.
The Council's Nihad Awad said Bush has alienated Muslim Americans with
the
Patriot Act and with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He said Nader has courted Muslim Americans and addressed their
concerns.
Nader spoke at the Capitol Hill forum where the poll results were
announced. He said Islam shouldn't be blamed for terrorism any more
than
Christianity should be blamed for the Crusades.
---
BUSH TRAILS BADLY IN MUSLIM VOTERS SURVEY
Douglas Quan, Press Enterprise, 6/29/04
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_islam30.f26a.html
Support for President Bush among American-Muslim voters has taken a
nosedive since the last election, according to the results of a survey
released Tuesday by the Council on American-Islamic Relations in
Washington, D.C.
The national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group reported that of
1,161
individuals surveyed, 54 percent said they would vote for Massachusetts
Sen. John Kerry, while 26 percent said they would vote for independent
Ralph Nader. Fourteen percent said they were undecided.
Only 2 percent said they would vote for Bush, a dramatic drop from the
55
percent who said they voted for him in the 2000 election, the council
reported.
Officials with the Bush campaign said the survey was not a scientific
poll
and does not reflect voter sentiment among the American-Muslim
population.
"We don't feel this poll accurately characterizes the breadth of
support
President Bush received from the American-Muslim community and that he
receives now," said Tracey Schmitt, a spokeswoman for the Bush
campaign.
The council says it faxed and e-mailed Muslim individuals and
organizations
across the country to get the results. While the results may not be
scientific, it does accurately reflect broad discontent among
American-Muslims with the current administration, council officials
said.
"We just want to be treated the way they treat the Latino,
Asian-American
and African-American community," said Hussam Ayloush, executive
director
for the council's Southern California chapter. "Listen to our issues
and
concerns. Include us in the decision-making process. We are being
ignored."
Asked to name the most important domestic issue, nearly 40 percent of
respondents cited civil rights. Twenty-five percent said the economy.
"The policies (of the Bush administration) have affected the
American-Muslim community in a deep way starting with the civil rights
violations connected to the Patriot Act and detentions of Muslims
without
charges," said Sabiha Khan, the chapter's communications director...
---
MUSLIM VOTERS TURN AWAY FROM BUSH, SURVEY FINDS
Don Lattin, San Francisco Chronicle, 6/29/04
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/06/30/MNG557E4K71.DTL
Four years ago, presidential candidate George W. Bush reached out to
American Muslim voters, gathering several key endorsements from U.S.
Islamic leaders.
That, of course, was before the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the
passage of the USA Patriot Act, the detention and deportation of
thousands
of Muslims, the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq, and
the
Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal.
"People in our mosque voted overwhelmingly for Bush," said Souleiman
Ghali,
the president of the Islamic Society of San Francisco. "I don't know
anyone
who is voting for him this time."
If that sounds like an overstatement, consider the results of an
admittedly
unscientific survey released Tuesday from the Council on
American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR). The Washington D.C.-based nonprofit organization sent
out
questionnaires by fax and e-mail to thousands of American Muslims,
mosques
and other Islamic organizations.
Out of the 1,161 responses it received from eligible voters, 54 percent
said they were voting for Democrat John Kerry, 26 percent backed Ralph
Nader, and only 2 percent said they were voting for President Bush. The
rest were undecided.
Fifty-five percent of those same Muslim American voters said they had
cast
ballots for Bush in 2000.
Muslims from 43 states responded to the survey, with the most responses
coming from California (17 percent).
Four years ago, a post-election CAIR survey of 1,774 American Muslims
found
that 72 percent voted for Bush, 19 percent for Ralph Nader and 8
percent
for Democrat Al Gore.
"This is not a Bush-bashing crowd," said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman
for
the council, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy group with 28 regional
offices across the United States. "They voted for him last time."
Hooper said the major reasons for the sharp drop in support for Bush
appeared to be the war in Iraq and the administration's broader
policies in
the Middle East...
---
U.S. MUSLIMS FAVOR KERRY AND NADER
United Press International, 6/29/04
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040629-025401-9314r.htm
Washington, DC -- Muslim voters favor U.S. presidential candidates John
Kerry and Ralph Nader, according to a survey released Tuesday by an
Islamic
civil rights and advocacy group.
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations reported 54
percent of eligible Muslim voters said they would vote for Kerry, while
26
percent favored Nader.
Fourteen percent of the 1,161 Muslim voters questioned said they were
still
undecided, while 55 percent of the respondents said they voted for
President Bush in the 2000 election. In the current survey, only 2
percent
said they would re-elect President George W. Bush.
CAIR's survey said 34 percent thought the Democratic Party best
represents
U.S. Muslim interests, closely followed by the Green Party at 24
percent.
Nearly one-quarter, or 22 percent, said no party reflected their views.
-----
FRONT-RUNNERS FOR KERRY TICKET ARE STRONG ON ISRAEL AND JEWISH ISSUES
Ron Kampeas and Matthew E. Berger, JTA, 6/29/04
http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?strwebhead=Kerry+considers+running+mates&intcategoryid=3&SearchOptimize=Jewish+News
WASHINGTON, June 29 (JTA) - It's hunting season in Washington, and the
prey
wins the prize: second place on the Democratic Party ticket. The
excitement
of the chase belongs to the Democrats in 2004, since
President Bush has said he will keep Vice President Dick Cheney on his
ticket.
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the presumptive Democratic presidential
candidate, has played his cards close to his chest, reportedly because
he
learned from a leak to the press in 2000 that he had been dropped from
presidential candidate Al Gore's short list of running mates, and he
wants
to spare others the same humiliation.
Not everything can be kept secret, however, and repeat meetings with
Kerry,
along with the appearance of Kerry's background checkers at small-town
libraries across the country, have suggested three front-runners: Sen.
John
Edwards (D-N.C.), Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) and Iowa Gov. Tom
Vilsack.
A number of other dark-horse candidates remain in the pool; each has
had
interactions with the Jewish communities in their states.
Following are profiles of Kerry's potential running mates, in
alphabetical
order...
-----
CAN: FEAR OF SHIFT TO RIGHT MOTIVATED MUSLIM VOTERS, CONGRESS FINDS
Mirko Petricevic, The Record, 6/30/04
http://www.therecord.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=record/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=1024322398726&c=Article&cid=1088547025963
While just over 60 per cent of eligible Canadian voters cast ballots in
the
federal election, the Canadian Islamic Congress estimates that more
than 80
per cent of eligible Muslim voters did.
"I'm not really surprised it is a big majority," said Mohamed Elmasry,
president of the Waterloo-based congress. "Some of them actually never
voted in their lives."
The congress estimated fewer than 50 per cent voted in the 2000 federal
election.
Elmasry said he's confident his 2004 estimate is accurate because he
spoke
to thousands of Muslims in the weeks leading up to the election.
Muslims
were galvanized by concerns about a Conservative government led by
Stephen
Harper, he said.
"They're really, really scared to death that Canada will have a (George
W.)
Bush-like Conservative party."
Elmasry made his estimate from an online poll of 1,353 people.
Three per cent of those who said they voted supported Conservative,
Green
Party or independent candidates. Seventy-one per cent said they voted
Liberal, 23 per cent supported the New Democratic Party and three per
cent
voted for the Bloc Quebecois.
Elmasry estimated the voter turnout after 89 per cent cent of
respondents
to the online poll said they cast ballots. He reduced his estimate to
80
per cent, arguing that Canadian Muslims who didn't vote probably
wouldn't
have participated in the poll...
-----
DEL. MUSLIMS SPEAK UP FOR THEIR FAITH
Murali Balaji, Delaware Online, 6/30/04
http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2004/06/30delmuslimsspeak.html
University of Delaware sophomore Sadaf Zahra once stayed quiet when the
subject of Islam was brought up. But she no longer can.
She said the past few months of conflict in the Middle East -
gruesomely
emphasized by the recent beheadings of two Americans and a South Korean
-
have made her speak out more in defense of her faith.
"We have to understand that there are good and bad people in every
religion," said Zahra, 21, a Pakistani-American who grew up in
Delaware.
"These people who call themselves Muslim aren't really Muslim because
they
are breaking every tenet of the faith."
Zahra is not alone in her efforts to dispel stereotypes. Educators in
colleges and high schools also are trying to present a more balanced
view
of Islam, blaming media reports and ignorance for fueling an image of
Muslims as terrorists and extremists.
They've done so by allowing their students to read the Quran and
compare it
to the Bible, by taking non-Muslims to a local mosque and bringing
Muslim
speakers to the classrooms for discussions.
UD material science professor Ismat Shah, an adviser to the Muslim
Students
Association, said he has taken groups of non-Muslims to the Islamic
Society
of Delaware to get a close look at prayer services and engage in
discussions...
ALSO SEE:
PA: LOCAL MUSLIMS REJECT KILLINGS
Marion Callahan, Intelligencer, 6/29/04
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/113-06292004-323881.html
Images of captives - businessmen, foreigners, now a Marine - bandages
tightly wrapped around their eyes, have become a chilling and harrowing
reality in recent weeks.
The hooded captors say they do it in the name of revenge, but more
disconcerting to local Muslims is that these captors tie such violent
acts
to Islam.
"They are not real Muslims," said Abdul Molla, who was at North Penn
Mosque
with hundreds of area Muslims taking part in Friday afternoon services
last
week. "True Muslims would never support this type of killing."
While the recent beheadings of two American businessmen in the Middle
East
have sparked a backlash against Muslims in some parts of the nation, no
anti-Islam signs have been reported in this area.
Nationwide, the murders of Paul Johnson and Nicholas Berg triggered a
surge
of hate mail and vandalism in the last month, said Ibrahim Hooper,
spokesman for the Council on Islamic-American Relations.
"Every day, we get more anti-Muslim hate mail, and we see it spike
whenever
these kind of incidents occur," said Hooper, of the Washington,
D.C.-based
organization. "It gets more vicious, when something like this happens.
The
level of hatred goes way up. There is a visceral reaction. It provokes
those who already hold hostilities."
Two mosques in Florida were vandalized in the days after Johnson's
killing.
In a St. Louis suburb, vandals painted a swastika and the word "Die" on
the
wall of a mosque. In Texas, dead fish were dumped near the entrance
sign to
a mosque...
---
CA: ACTIVIST PLANS FAITH-BASED PEACE PANEL
Melissa Evans, Argus, 6/28/04
http://www.theargusonline.com/Stories/0,1413,83~1971~2239700,00.html
FREMONT - A Fremont activist is organizing a panel discussion Tuesday
to
explore whether people of faith can work together for a peaceful end to
the
occupations of Iraq and Palestinian territories in the Middle East.
Larry Swaim, founder of the Interfaith Freedom Foundation, concedes
that
the Jewish, Christian and Muslim panelists aren't likely to disagree
widely
on the issues at stake.
They include two members of the Council on American-Islamic Relations,
a
Fremont Muslim activist, the executive director of an organization that
helps Palestinian children affected by the Middle East conflict, a
Christian pastor and social justice activist and two members of A
Jewish
Voice for Peace -- a group described by some as a minority voice in the
Jewish community.
The discussion is partly intended to bring Muslim leaders in contact
with
more progressive Jewish activists, said Swaim, whose organization seeks
to
promote interfaith dialogue.
The panelists will discuss the possibility of a new alliance between
Muslims, progressive Jews and Christian social justice activists...
Others include Omar Ahmad, one of the founders of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations; Helal Omeira, executive director of CAIR's
Northern California office; Barbara Lubin, executive director of the
Middle
East Children's Alliance; and the Rev. Phil Lawson, a Christian social
justice activist.
---
ISLAM'S VIEW OF VIOLENCE
Zeba Hashmi, The Leader-Post, 6/30/04
http://www.canada.com/regina/leaderpost/news/letters/story.html?id=287618b0-d852-4377-97d1-8a7f469b76f7
Thank you for the June 24 commentary entitled "Muslims condemn
beheadings".
It is a relief for Muslims to finally be acknowledged for condemning
brutal
behaviour. Muslims cringe every time they read of any horrible deed
conducted in the name of Islam. These kind of actions appall us and, at
the
same time, hinder our existence.
With the amount of violence taking place in the world -- which, I might
add, is being conducted by all kinds of people -- it's extremely
difficult
to send statements and letters denouncing every cruel action, although
we
condemn these actions in our hearts. Hence, the Council for
American-Islamic Relations has launched a "Not in the Name of Islam"
petition that disassociates Muslims from any act of terror, murder or
cruelty in the name of Islam.
As it states in the Quran, "Oh you who believe, stand up firmly for
justice, as witness to God, even if it be against yourselves, or your
parents, or your kin, and whether it be against rich or poor; for God
best
protect both. Do not allow 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)
-----
ABU GHRAIB, STONEWALLED
New York Times, 6/30/4
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/30/opinion/30WED1.html
While piously declaring its determination to unearth the truth about
Abu
Ghraib, the Bush administration has spent nearly two months obstructing
investigations by the Army and members of Congress. It has dragged out
the
Army's inquiry, withheld crucial government documents from a Senate
committee and stonewalled senators over dozens of Red Cross reports
that
document the horrible mistreatment of Iraqis at American military
prisons.
Even last week's document dump from the White House, which included
those
cynical legal road maps around treaties and laws against torturing
prisoners, seemed part of this stonewalling campaign. Nothing in those
hundreds of pages explained what orders had been issued to the military
and
C.I.A. jailers in Iraq, and by whom.
It took the Pentagon more than two weeks to appoint a replacement for
Maj.
Gen. George Fay, who had to be relieved of the task of investigating
the
military intelligence units at Abu Ghraib because he was not senior
enough
to question Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the commander in Iraq. The
process
underscored the inability of the military to investigate itself at this
level. The Pentagon named someone of high enough rank - just barely.
That
officer is a three-star general, as is General Sanchez. He will have to
get
up to speed before questioning General Sanchez, and the Pentagon will
undoubtedly stall again when the new investigating general, inevitably,
needs to go yet higher.
The Pentagon has also not turned over to the Senate the full report by
Maj.
Gen. Antonio Taguba, who conducted the Army's biggest investigation so
far
into abuses at Abu Ghraib. The Pentagon has still not accounted for the
2,000 pages missing from his 6,000-page file when it was given to the
Senate Armed Services Committee more than a month ago; the missing
pages
include draft documents on interrogation techniques for Iraq. The
committee's chairman, Senator John Warner, said last week that
Secretary of
Defense Donald Rumsfeld had assured him that he was working on the
problem.
Mr. Warner's faith seems deeply misplaced...
-----
EMBRACING MUSLIM PRAYER PAYS DIVIDENDS
Thomas Bray, Detroit News, 6/30/04
http://www.detnews.com/2004/editorial/0406/30/a11-198796.htm
The voters of Hamtramck will go to the polls on July 20 to decide
whether
to overturn a recently enacted ordinance allowing the city's mosques to
broadcast their call to prayer over loudspeakers.
The dispute appears to raise a number of fundamental issues - among
them
whether Americans believe they can come to terms with Islam in the
wider
world or whether a "clash of civilizations," in Harvard political
scientist
Samuel Huntington's famous term, is inevitable. There also are many who
believe Islam is incompatible with the democratic traditions of what
the
U.S. Supreme Court in 1892 called a "Christian nation." Coming on the
heels
of the September 11 attacks, Muslim calls to prayer in Hamtramck strike
some residents as calls to religious battle.
On the facts, though, the Hamtramck situation would seem eminently
manageable. The town's existing noise ordinance, which is still in
effect
until the referendum takes place, flatly bans any form of public
amplification without a permit. But at least one church in Hamtramck
has
long used a recording in place of church bells, and even the City
Council's
new ordinance permits regulation of the noise level and duration of the
calls to prayer.
But the City Council's action nevertheless triggered an immediate
backlash.
City Council meetings devolved into shouting matches; Christian
activists
from other states showed up to march in protest. A petition drive
quickly
succeeded in rounding of enough signatures to force a referendum.
"When you call to prayer, you are proselytizing, and as a citizen of
the
United States I don't want to hear it," 68-year-old resident Bob Golen
was
quoting as saying.
But nothing in either the U.S. Constitution or American tradition
prohibits
proselytizing. Indeed, the free exercise of religion includes the
freedom
to try to persuade others through lawful means to join your particular
brand of religion. As many observers have noted, such competition tends
to
strengthen a religion, not weaken it. Nor is there any threat of Arab
jihadists overrunning the United States...
-----
TWO-FACED CHECHNYA POLICY
Anne Applebaum, Washington Post, 6/30/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16175-2004Jun29.html
Who runs U.S. foreign policy? In a week of historic court cases,
international summits and the imperial spectacle of an American viceroy
handing over sovereignty, it seems an easy question. Foreign policy, as
we
all know, is controlled by what the British call the Great and the
Good:
senior judges and top ambassadors, senators and presidents, and famous
names and famous faces.
Yet if you dig beneath the front-page stories, the answer is different.
Look at the puzzling question of who controls U.S. policy toward
Chechnya,
an admittedly lesser but not entirely insignificant place. After all,
the
Chechen war is among the bloodiest ethnic conflicts in Europe: Civilian
deaths are approaching the level of Cambodian deaths under the Khmer
Rouge.
Chechnya is also a breeding ground for Islamic terrorists and has
contributed to the weakening of democracy in Russia. The Russian
president,
Vladimir Putin, came to power on a wave of anti-Chechen Russian
nationalism.
Theoretically, U.S. policy toward Chechnya is clear enough. Although we
consider Chechnya to be "an internal Russian matter," we do say that we
want the war to end by negotiation, and we do believe that there is
someone
for the Russians to negotiate with. Indeed, when the Great and the Good
speak about Chechnya, which isn't often, they usually sound like Steven
Pifer, deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian
affairs. In 2003, for example, Pifer told the Congressional Commission
on
Security and Cooperation in Europe that "we do not share the Russian
assessment that the Chechen conflict is simply and solely a
counterterrorism effort. . . . While there are terrorist elements
fighting
in Chechnya, we do not agree that all separatists can be equated as
terrorists..."
-----
THE JEWISH DIVIDE ON ISRAEL
Esther Kaplan, The Nation, 6/28/04
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20040712&s=kaplan
For a glimpse of how Israel plays out in an American election year,
recall
the day in September when then-Democratic presidential frontrunner
Howard
Dean told reporters he would like to see the United States take an
"even-handed" approach to Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Thirty-four
Congressional Democrats responded by sending Dean a harsh letter
questioning whether he shared their "unequivocal support for Israel's
right
to exist," and anonymous e-mails inundated Jewish listservs, accusing
him
of abandoning Israel. Dean promptly appeared on CNN to defend Israel's
assassinations of Palestinian militants.
Or consider the day in February when John Kerry sat down in New York to
discuss issues with a group of Jewish leaders hand-selected by the
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Hannah
Rosenthal, executive director of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs
and
one of the few liberals invited, said she had her hand in the air,
ready to
ask questions about civil rights, poverty and the erosion of the
church/state divide, but she was avoided by the facilitators, and the
meeting shaped up as a single-agenda affair. "The central issue, no
matter
how they came at it, was, 'Are you going to be there for Israel in
these
difficult times?'" Rosenthal recalls. "It was, 'We're putting you on
notice
that this is our number-one concern.'" Kerry took his cue...
Or consider May 18, when the hawkish American Israel Public Affairs
Committee (AIPAC) held its annual conference in Washington. House
majority
leader Tom DeLay showed up to speak, along with two assistant
secretaries
of state, an assistant secretary of defense and the President himself.
Bush's speech was regularly interrupted by cheering and chants of "Four
more years!" The meeting of the Jewish community's most prominent voice
on
Capitol Hill may as well have been a Republican political rally.
These events reveal a stubborn political fact: that AIPAC and the
Conference of Presidents, along with their powerful fellow travelers,
Christian Zionists, have forged a bipartisan consensus in Washington
that
Middle East policy must privilege the "special relationship" between
the
United States and Israel...
ALSO SEE:
A CLEAN BREAK FOR ISRAEL
Sadi Baig, Asia Times, 6/27/04
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FF30Ak07.html
Israeli involvement with the Kurds is not a new phenomenon. In its
search
for non-Arab allies in the region, Israel has supported Kurdish
militancy
in Iraq since the 1960s. In 1980, Israeli premier Menachem Begin
publicly
acknowledged that besides humanitarian aid, Israel had secretly
provided
military aid to Kurds in the form of weapons and advisers. Later on,
that
relationship was kept low profile due to Washington's alliances in the
region; first with Iran during the Shah's monarchy, and then with
Saddam
Hussein's Iraq when he fought Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's Iran.
Israel's
partnership with Turkey that was founded mainly to counter threats from
Iran, Syria and Iraq, was also a factor.
Israel and the Kurds also share a common bond through the Kurdish Jews
in
Israel, who number close to 50,000. Prominent among them is Itzhak
Mordechai, an Iraqi Kurd who was defense minister during Benjamin
Netanyahu's last term as prime minister.
Israeli-Kurd relationships soured a bit in February of 1999, when the
Kurds
accused the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad of providing information
that led to the arrest of Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader
Abdullah Ocalan in Kenya. Kurdish protestors attacked the Israeli
embassy
in Berlin, resulting in the shooting deaths of three protestors by
Israeli
security forces. In an unprecedented public denial, the then Mossad
chief
Efraim Halevy dissociated Israel from Ocalan's capture. Despite such
bumps
and its alliance with Turkey, Israel succeeded in keeping its
relationship
with the Iraqi Kurds intact, by keeping a safe distance from the PKK,
which
is primarily a Turkish Kurd entity, and not becoming a party to the
bloody
infighting between the various Turkish and Iraqi Kurdish groups.
However, Israel does have a favorite - the Barzani family-dominated
Kurdish
Democratic Party (KDP), whose current head, Massoud Barzani, inherited
the
mantle from his father, the legendary Mullah Mustafa Barzani. Israeli
television has in the past broadcast photographs from the 1960s showing
father Barzani embracing the then Israeli defense minister Moshe Dayan.
In
alliance with its erstwhile rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
(PUK)
party, the KDP in post-Saddam Iraq commands the largest and most
formidable
of the Iraqi militias, the Peshmerga, with estimates of anywhere from
50,000 to 75,000 battle-hardened fighters. In contrast, the next in
line of
militias is the Iranian-sponsored Shi'ite political party, the Supreme
Council for the Islamic Revolution (SCIRI), with no more than 15,000
fighters...
---
RABBI DENOUNCES DISMANTLING SETTLEMENTS
LAURIE COPANS, Associated Press, 6/30/04
JERUSALEM (AP) - An eminent rabbi has told colleagues that anyone who
removes Jewish settlements from the West Bank and Gaza Strip would be
subject to the death penalty under biblical Jewish law.
Rabbi Avigdor Neventzal did not mention Prime Minister Ariel Sharon by
name
in his remarks, broadcast Wednesday on Israeli TV. Sharon is determined
to
withdraw troops and 7,500 Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip in 2005,
as
part of a ``unilateral disengagement'' from the Palestinians...
-----
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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
-----
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR ACTION ALERT #428
CAIR LAUNCHES ANTI-TORTURE CAMPAIGN
Send a postcard urging Congress to hold hearings
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/1/2004) - CAIR is calling on American Muslims and
other people of conscience to help prevent the use of torture or
inhumane
treatment of prisoners or detainees. A CAIR postcard urging the House
of
Representatives to conduct hearings into allegations of detainee abuse
by
American military personnel is now online on CAIR's web site. (The site
also contains links to news articles related to the issue of torture.)
The front of the CAIR postcard has a photograph of an Iraqi prisoner
being
abused in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison. Text on the back of the card,
under
the headline "Please Work to End Torture," reads:
"I write to you today to ask that the House of Representatives conduct
hearings into allegations of recent widespread torture by American
armed
forces. We must re-establish our moral and legal obligations to respect
basic human rights in the midst of the war on terror.
"We must also make it clear to the rest of the world that America will
not
abandon its traditional commitment to human rights at a time when
reports
of torture have called our good faith into question.
"Please prove to the world that Americans of all backgrounds condemn
the
horrifying practice of torture. There should be no country on Earth
that
tortures prisoners."
IMMEDIATE ACTIONS REQUESTED:
1. Go to: http://www.cair-net.org/default.asp?Page=postcardjun2004
2. Click the "Send the Postcard" button.
3. Fill out your contact information.
4. Click the "Send Message" button.
5. Educate yourself and your community about the issue of torture using
the
resources below.
ANTI-TORTURE RESOURCES:
Amnesty International's "Stop Torture" Web Site
http://www.amnestyusa.org/stoptorture/index.do
World Organization Against Torture
http://www.omct.org
U.N. Convention Against Torture
http://www.hrweb.org/legal/cat.html
International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims
http://www.irct.org/usr/irct/home.nsf/
- PLEASE ANNOUNCE, POST AND DISTRIBUTE -
-----
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http://cair.biglist.com/cair-net/
To reach the list moderator, send a message to: cair@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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Thu, 01 Jul 2004 18:04:39 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: 5 Detained for Seeking Directions to Fishing Hole
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/1/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: PATIENTLY PERSEVERE
* HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE THIS MONTH
- CAIR-FL 10 Year Anniversary Picnic on July 4th
* PA: 5 DETAINED FOR SEEKING DIRECTIONS TO FISHING HOLE
- ID: Gov't Drops Charges Against Student (AP)
* CA: MUSLIM BEATEN BY MAN YELLING RACIAL SLURS (SF Gate)
- Muslim Man Attacked In Apparent Hate Crime (NBC News)
- Muslim Beaten; Hate Crime Claimed (Union-Trib)
- Beating May Be Investigated As Hate Crime (News 10)
* IL: BEATEN FOR HER FAITH? (Journal Standard)
* TX: JORDANIAN'S INJURIES SPARK FEDERAL PROBE (Express-News)
* IL: CRESTWOOD THEATER IS ACCUSED OF BIAS (Chicago Tribune)
- CA: Students Get ADL Apology Over 'Shahada' (Forward)
- GA: Professor Says He Was Fired Because He Is Muslim (AP)
* CANADIANS TOLERANT - WELL, MOSTLY (Globe and Mail)
* NM: CAMP TEACHES MUSLIM YOUTH (AP)
- In Utah, Two Faiths and One Prayer (NY Times)
* UT: MUSLIM IS ENVOY FOR HER RELIGION (Deseret Morning)
- WA: United By Love (Seattle Star)
- Youssou N'dour's World of Harmony (Wash Post)
* MD: MUSLIMS, JEWS UNITE FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE (Gazette)
- Muslims, Jews Work to Save Boy from Afghanistan (AP)
* SURVEY SHOWS BUSH SUPPORT DROPS AMONG MUSLIM VOTERS
- Political Faith (Mother Jones)
* NADER: WHITE HOUSE IS ISRAEL'S PUPPET (Jerusalem Post)
* 'WOMEN OF ISLAM' OUT TO SHATTER STEREOTYPES (Rocky Mount News)
- Women Should Rethink Displays of Sexuality (Daily Herald)
* EURO COURT'S HIJAB RULING DISCRIMINATES AGAINST MUSLIMS (MCB)
-----
VERSE OF THE DAY: PATIENTLY PERSEVERE
Those who patiently persevere seeking the countenance their Lord,
establish
regular prayers, spend secretly and openly out of (the gifts) We have
bestowed for their sustenance, and repel evil with good - they are the
ones
for whom there is the home of the hereafter.
The Holy Quran, 13:22
-----
HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE THIS MONTH
CAIR has launched a new drive to raise $80,000 online each month. To
help
us reach that goal, go to: https://www.cair-net.org/asp/donate.asp
SEE ALSO:
ATTEND THE CAIR-FL 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY COMMUNITY PICNIC
Mark you calendar and join us in Tampa or Miami
The Florida office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations invites
you
and your family to the CAIR 10 Year Anniversary Community Picnic. Join
us
in the celebration which includes:
* BBQ Food and Refreshments
* Voter Registration Drive
* Muslim Bazaar (contact us for booth)
* Free Rides/Games for Kids
* Muslim Entertainment/Performance
* 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament
TAMPA DETAILS:
WHAT: CAIR 10 Year Community Picnic, w/ Muslim Nasheed & Hip-Hop Show
Featuring Muslim hip-hop group "Iron Triangle" and Nasheed by Radwan
WHEN: Sunday 7/4/2004 @ 2:00 - 8:00 pm
WHERE: ISTABA (Sligh Masjid) 7326 E. Sligh Ave, Tampa, FL
CONTACT: Tel: 813-514-1414, E-Mail: tampa@cair-florida.org
SOUTH FL DETAILS:
WHEN: Sunday 7/4/2004 @ 5:00 pm
WHERE: Miami Gardens Masjid, 4305 NW 183rd Street, Miami, FL
CONTACT: Tel 954-916-5661, E-Mail: info@cair-florida.org
-----
5 DETAINED NEAR SALEM NUCLEAR PLANT
Heidi E. Ruckno, Citizens' Voice, 6/30/04
http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12149167&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=455154&rfi=8
Federal and state authorities reported Tuesday that several men of
Middle
Eastern descent were driving around the Berwick and Shickshinny areas
Tuesday looking for the nuclear power plant in Salem Township.
The five men, four from Bangladesh and another of Pakistani descent,
were
reportedly seen at the Delaware Water Gap rest area along Interstate 80
around 8:20 a.m. They were also spotted in Bloomsburg, Columbia County.
State police said they were asking directions to the river near the
plant
because they wanted to go fishing. Their minivan was pulled over by
state
police in Shickshinny around 11 a.m. on U.S. Route 11 in Salem
Township,
four miles south of the Susquehanna Steam and Electric Power Plant.
According to federal and state authorities, the Federal Bureau of
Investigation was notified. Because of visa issues, two of the five men
were detained by immigration authorities.
"We did stop and detain five individuals, who were believed to be of
Middle
Eastern descent, because of suspicious activity," FBI special agent
Jerri
Williams said.
Their van was searched Tuesday and authorities did not find anything
illegal…
ALSO SEE:
GOVERNMENT AGREES TO DROP IMMIGRATION CHARGES AGAINST IDAHO GRADUATE
STUDENT
Associated Press, 7/1/04
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2004/07/01/build/nation/82-id-student.inc
BOISE - The government agreed Wednesday to throw out all remaining
charges
against a Saudi graduate student whose terrorism case was seen as an
important confrontation between free speech and the war on terror.
The government agreed to dismiss the immigration charges against Sami
Omar
Al-Hussayen in return his dropping an appeal of a deportation order.
"He's going back to Saudi Arabia," defense attorney David Nevin said.
Al-Hussayen, a 34-year-old University of Idaho computer science
student,
was acquitted in June of using his computer skills to support
terrorism.
But the federal jury deadlocked on eight other charges - all of which
were
dropped Wednesday.
Al-Hussayen was accused under provisions of the Patriot Act of lending
his
expertise to support terrorism by turning Web sites of the Islamic
Assembly
of North America into the foundation of an Internet network that
financed
and recruited terrorists.
But defense attorneys claimed Al-Hussayen, a father of three and a
devoted
Muslim, was only volunteering his ability to maintain Web sites that
were
promoting Islam. Any radical material on the sites did not reflect
Al-Hussayen's views and was protected by the Constitution, Nevin said…
-----
MUSLIM BEATEN IN SAN DIEGO BY MAN YELLING RACIAL SLURS
San Francisco Gate, 6/30/04
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/06/30/state1927EDT0139.DTL
SAN DIEGO - A Muslim man out buying milk for his children told police
he
was beaten early Wednesday in a supermarket parking lot by an attacker
who
screamed racial slurs.
Abdulwahab Alsheikh said he was making a shopping run when the
attacker, a
white male with close-cropped hair, yelled at him and picked a fight at
1
a.m. outside of a Ralph's supermarket.
Alsheikh, a 36-year-old full-time student, was struck in the face. The
blow
shattered his tooth, cutting his lips. Thinking quickly, Alsheikh said
he
told his assailant, "You're assaulting a cop." The attacker relented
and
drove off.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington, D.C., issued a
news release on the San Diego incident and a similar one Saturday in
Freeport, Ill. The council urged police and the FBI in both cities to
treat
the attacks as hate crimes.
"We get a definite uptick in reported incidents whenever there's an
attack
in Fallujah or a beheading," spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said.
Police in San Diego said they were investigating the incident, but had
not
yet determined whether it would be treated as a hate crime. A Ralph's
employee on a cigarette break witnessed the incident, but refused to
discuss it with police…
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIM MAN ATTACKED IN APPARENT HATE CRIME
NBC News, 6/30/04
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/3480562/detail.html
SAN DIEGO -- A Washington, D.C., advocacy group said a Muslim man
reported
being attacked outside a Mira Mesa grocery store Wednesday by a man who
screamed racial slurs.
According to the alleged victim, the assailant jumped him outside a
Ralphs
around 1 a.m., punching him in the face and knocking out a front tooth,
reported the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
A CAIR news release said that during the attack, the aggressor shouted
threats and epithets, at one point saying, "You (expletive) Arab ...
get
out of my country."
CAIR officials, who did not release the Muslim man's name, said they
are
urging San Diego police and the FBI to investigate the incident as a
hate
crime…
---
MUSLIM BEATEN; HATE CRIME CLAIMED
Pauline Repard, Union-Tribune, 7/1/04
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20040701/news_1m1hate.html
MIRA MESA - A white man yelled racial slurs and punched a Muslim man in
the
face early yesterday in a grocery store parking lot, police and an
Islamic
rights group said.
The Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations has
asked
San Diego police and the FBI to investigate the assault as a hate
crime.
The victim called police about 1:45 a.m. from the Ralph's parking lot
on
Mira Mesa Boulevard about an incident stemming from a hate crime and
road
rage, according to a police report.
The victim said a white man, 25 to 30, had been driving recklessly and
pulled up next to him in the lot. The man shouted slurs, telling the
"Arab"
to "get out of my country." Then the man punched the victim in the face
several times, cutting the victim's lip and breaking a tooth, the
report says.
"We're concerned this is part of a pattern we're seeing recently:
attacks
on Muslims or people perceived as Muslims," said Ibrahim Hooper, of the
Council on American-Islamic Relations. He said the victim is of Middle
Eastern descent.
"We tend to see spikes in these kinds of incidents when there are
violent
incidents overseas, like the beheading in Fallujah. It brings out the
worst
in people. Bigots aren't brain surgeons."
Hooper said his council has contacted the FBI and the San Diego police
chief's office.
"We will follow up on the case and do what we can to assist the
investigation," Hooper said. "A lot of times these guys will brag to
their
friends about what they did and eventually get caught..."
---
GROCERY STORE BEATING MAY BE INVESTIGATED AS HATE CRIME
San Diego Channel 10, 7/1/04
http://www.thesandiegochannel.com/news/3481735/detail.html
SAN DIEGO -- A Muslim man reported being attacked outside a Mira Mesa
supermarket by a man who beat him while screaming racial slurs,
according
to 10News.
Abdul Wahab Al-Sheikh said the assailant jumped him outside a Ralphs
grocery store located at 9440 Mira Mesa Blvd. about 1:45 a.m.
Wednesday,
punched him in the face and knocked out a front tooth.
The incident reportedly stemmed from a case of road rage, and the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations officials said they are asking police and
the
FBI to investigate the assault as a hate crime.
A white man in his mid- to late 20s was driving recklessly and pulled
up
next to the victim in the grocery store's parking lot, according to a
CAIR
news release.
During the attack, the aggressor shouted threats and epithets, at one
point
saying, "You (expletive) Arab ... get out of my country," according to
the
organization's news release.
-----
BEATEN FOR HER FAITH?
Travis Morse, Journal-Standard, 6/30/04
http://www.journalstandard.com/articles/2004/06/30/local_news/news21.txt
FREEPORT - After allegedly being attacked Saturday by a group she says
were
intolerant of her religious faith, the 32-year-old Freeport resident,
who
recently converted to Islam, is hoping to see her attackers charged
with a
felony hate crime…
Such an incident is especially disturbing to many Muslims, as it comes
amid
heightened fear nationwide that recent terrorist killings abroad will
foment hatred for Muslims in the United States…
Upon approaching the stop sign at the corner, Montes-Vivas said three
people came up to her car, asking her for a "light." She indicated to
them
she did not have a light. Then, she said, one of the alleged assailants
began shouting anti-Muslim insults at her and kicking her car.
The suspects, Montes-Vivas said, likely knew she was Muslim because she
was
wearing her Hijab at the time, which is a piece of Muslim clothing that
covers the head…
Montes-Vivas said she has filed a complaint regarding this most recent
incident with a Washington D.C.-based advocacy group known as the
Council
on American-Islamic Relations. Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the
council,
said his group is contacting the local State's Attorney's Office and
the
local FBI office to ask them to treat this as a hate crime.
The group also issued a press release late Wednesday detailing
Montes-Vivas' case, along with other alleged crimes against Muslim
Americans.
"It (should) be treated as a hate crime, not a simple battery, a
misdemeanor," Hooper said.
With recent violent incidents in the Middle East, such as beheadings
and
others, the council has noted an increase in anti-Muslim crimes in the
United States, such as vandalism to mosques and other crimes, Hooper
said.
This makes aggressive enforcement of hate crime laws all the more
important, he said…
-----
JORDANIAN'S INJURIES SPARK FEDERAL PROBE
San Antonio Express-News, 7/1/04
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA070104.2B.roundup.1af6ff73.html
An internal federal watchdog is investigating the case of a Jordanian
immigrant who suffered a serious head injury while in federal detention
in
El Paso.
Officials said Khlfan Omari, 26, fell and hit his head last week.
He faces deportation after serving six months in a county jail for
lying
about being a U.S. citizen, immigration officials said.
How Omari was injured remained unclear.
Omari's brother, who lives in Houston, said he does believe the injury
was
an accident. He has no evidence of wrongdoing, but he asked for an
investigation.
The Council of American-Islamic Relations, a national advocacy group,
also
has called for an inquiry…
-----
IL: CRESTWOOD THEATER IS ACCUSED OF BIAS
Rick Jervis, Chicago Tribune, 7/1/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/southsouthwest/chi-0407010383jul01,1,1577515.story
Three Arab men who were ejected from a Crestwood movie theater this
year
filed a complaint Wednesday with the Illinois Department of Human
Rights.
The men, all of Palestinian descent, said they were unfairly targeted
and
discriminated against when security guards at Loews Cineplex ushered
them
out of an evening showing of "The Passion of the Christ" on Feb. 28,
according to the complaint…
The men--Ahmad Hasan, 20, and Ali Abed, 16, both of Alsip, and Ahmad
Allan,
24, of Justice--are asking Loews for an apology as well as sensitivity
training for the security guards involved, said their lawyer, Kamran
Memon.
They also may ask Loews for an undisclosed amount of damages, Memon
said…
The men arrived at the multiplex about 7:30 p.m. and bought tickets to
the
9 p.m. showing of the Mel Gibson movie, but could not find three seats
together, according to the complaint.
A woman sitting next to three empty seats said the seats were occupied.
But Allan told her they would sit there and leave if someone showed up
to
claim the seats, the complaint said.
"I came at her very politely but she became very profane," Allan said.
The woman left and returned with two theater security guards who
grabbed
Allan's arm and escorted him and his friends into the theater's lobby,
the
complaint said. As Hasan spoke to Allan in Arabic, one of the guards
told
them to speak English because "this is America," according to the
document.
One guard mocked the men's accent and another suggested the three might
be
carrying a bomb, it said. They were forced to leave without seeing the
rest
of the movie, the complaint said…
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIM STUDENTS GET APOLOGY IN A TIFF OVER 'SHAHADA' SCARF
Ori Nir, Forward, 7/1/04
http://www.forward.com/main/article.php?ref=nir20040701248
WASHINGTON - The Anti-Defamation League last week issued an unusual
retraction and apology for suggesting that Islam's declaration of
faith,
the Shahada, is an "expression of hate" that is "closely identified"
with
terrorism.
Other Jewish groups that issued condemnations for Irvine's Muslim
students
declined to retract the condemnations, although staffers at these
organizations acknowledged privately that the denunciations were based
on
wrong information and on a misunderstanding of a basic tenet of Islam.
The dispute, which followed a year of strained relations between Jewish
and
Muslim students on campus, erupted after Jewish students learned that
UCI
Muslim students were planning on wearing green stoles with the Shahada
in
the graduation processional. The Jewish students apparently thought
that
their Muslim colleagues were planning on wearing sashes that glorify
suicide bombers. Alarmed, they asked the university's administration to
intervene.
UCI's administration, after an investigation, was satisfied that the
stoles
carried no message of hate. A dozen out of some 4,000 graduates wore
the
stoles to the graduation ceremony.
The controversial stoles - similar to ones worn by hundreds of Muslim
students in graduation ceremonies in American universities in recent
years
- in fact bore no text or symbol that glorifies terrorists. They had,
on
one side, a decorative, star-shaped Arabic calligraphy saying: "God,
increase my knowledge." On the other side, they had the text of the
Muslim
Shahada, the "testimony," which is known as the first tenet of Islam,
and
says: "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is Allah's prophet."
Every
Muslim is obligated to repeat that testimony many times a day in order
to
express and strengthen his or her belief…
The Jewish groups' reaction to the stoles incident was denunciated by
the
Council on American-Islamic Relations. A spokesman for CAIR, Ibrahim
Hooper, said that because of "ignorance and haste," Jewish groups
"found
themselves with egg on their face."..
---
PROFESSOR SAYS HE WAS FIRED BECAUSE HE IS MUSLIM
Associated Press, 7/1/04
http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/ap_newfullstory.asp?ID=41031
AMERICUS, Ga. - A former Georgia Southwestern State University
professor is
suing the school, saying he was wrongfully terminated because he is
Muslim.
Mohammed Saheb, a computer technology professor, says he endured racism
while working at the university. He filed suit last month in federal
court
in Atlanta.
Saheb said he was forced to deal with derogatory comments about
Iranians
and Muslims, forced to fabricate grades for students, excluded from
faculty
and academic committees and denied contract renewal because
requirements
were manipulated to exclude him.
He also claims that the dean of the School of Computer and Information
Science, Boris Peltsverger, threatened to fire him when Saheb caught
Peltsverger's son-in-law cheating.
Saheb became a part-time instructor at GSW in fall 1999, later was
appointed associate professor and filed a discrimination complaint with
the
Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity in March 2003 after his
contract
was not renewed.
University officials would not comment on Saheb's claims, saying they
do
not talk about pending litigation.
A court date in the case is not expected for about a year.
-----
CANADIANS TOLERANT - WELL, MOSTLY
Michael Valpy, Globe & Mail, 7/1/04
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040701.wxcanada01/BNStory/National/
On their nation's birthday today, Canadians can assure themselves
they're
more supportive of same-sex marriage than ever before. They're
overwhelmingly opposed to banning religious symbols and dress in
schools.
They almost universally approve of their children growing up in a
multiethnic, multicultural society.
But ask them if they'd vote for a political leader who is Muslim, and
nearly a third would say: "Not likely." And almost half of all
Canadians -
45 per cent - think that anti-Muslim sentiment is increasing among
people
they know.
Those and other views are revealed in a survey conducted during the
election campaign by the Centre for Research and Information on Canada
and
timed for release on the national holiday. The results mirror CRIC's
findings a year ago, when it conducted a values survey for The Globe
and
Mail's New Canada series.
The New Canada poll showed a strongly accepting, inclusive society,
especially among young Canadians, but it also revealed what CRIC's
director
of research, Andrew Parkin, described yesterday as not really
anti-Islamicism, but a shadow of reticence and cautiousness about
Muslims
and Islam.
"It's more about different values than different ethnicity," he said.
"It's
cautiousness about the unknown." It is kept alive, Dr. Parkin said, by
the
persistence of security issues in the global media and political
agendas,
and by violent events in the Middle East…
"Still, in general," said Riad Saloojie, executive director of the
Ottawa-based Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations, "Canada is
seen to be a very free and open space for religious expression by
Muslim
immigrants."
-----
CAMP TEACHES MUSLIM YOUTH
Martin Salazar, Associated Press, 7/1/04
ABIQUIU, N.M. - Arabic chants spill out into the fresh pre-dawn air as
several boys hurry across the compound to the white-domed mosque for
morning prayer just after 5 a.m.
The prayer is already being recited by a spiritual leader. The boys
walk
into a washroom toward the back of the mosque and, three at a time,
hurriedly cleanse themselves as they've been taught.
They then take their places on straw mats. Women and girls, all wearing
head scarves, follow the prayer in a separate space in back.
Welcome to summer camp at Dar al Islam, a 1,600-acre ranch in the
middle of
Georgia O'Keeffe country. The weeklong summer camp, attended by about
30
Muslim youths this year, ended June 26.
''It's good to have the opportunity to meet Muslim youth from
throughout
the country,'' said Thomas Howard, a 17-year-old camper from Arkansas.
The Muslim youth camp has been held for three years. It strives to
reinforce Islamic teachings and to teach participants that Islam and
nature
are inseparable, said Imam Dawood Ya-Sin, one of the camp's spiritual
leaders from Connecticut.
In the Islamic faith, prayers are recited five times a day; each prayer
is
to Allah, or God, and asks for guidance to the right path. Participants
also received daily lessons in archery, were taught survival techniques
while on hikes in the mountains and were taken swimming at a nearby
lake.
Spiritual and art lessons were also part of the program.
Participants came from as far as Ontario, Canada. All but four were
male...
ALSO SEE:
IN UTAH, TWO FAITHS AND ONE PRAYER
Nick Madigan and Melissa Sanford, New York Times, 7/01/04
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/01/national/01enclave.html
SALT LAKE CITY - The men, all Muslims, kneeled in unison at evening
prayers
in the Khadeeja mosque, their incantations laced with anxiety over the
fate
of one of their spiritual brothers, a marine held captive on the other
side
of the world.
"Oh, Allah, we read the Koran to pray for the release of our brother
Hassoun," the voice of the mosque's religious leader boomed over
speakers
around the white-walled room, referring to Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, 24,
whose family worships at the mosque.
At Salt Lake City's three mosques - two Sunni and one Shia - such
supplications have become standard since Sunday, when news came of
Corporal
Hassoun's capture in Iraq.
Given its overwhelmingly Mormon population, Utah might seem an unlikely
place for Muslim immigrants from Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo,
Indonesia,
Sudan and Pakistan. But the Muslim population of Utah has grown
rapidly, to
about 25,000, most of whom arrived in the last decade in the wake of
conflicts around the world that in some cases involved ethnic
cleansing.
The Iraqi community alone, its size swelled by the Persian Gulf War,
numbers about 3,000. Many of the men are taxicab drivers here in Salt
Lake
City, where the street grid is designed around the location of Temple
Square, the home of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Though far outnumbered by Mormons, some Muslims here point out how well
the
two faiths coexist, and have marveled at the way Mormons came forward
to
offer comfort not only after the attacks of Sept. 11 - in which about
500
Muslims are believed to have died - but also in the last few days…
---
MUSLIM IS ENVOY FOR HER RELIGION
Cathy Free, Deseret Morning News, 7/1/04
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595074320,00.html
The knock came on the door shortly after the cover blew off the sign
for
the Iqra Academy of Utah - the state's only Muslim school.
When Maysa Kergaye opened the door, a middle-aged man confronted her,
his
eyes flashing in anger. "You guys are behind Sept. 11th; it's all your
fault," he said, motioning to the sign. "What are you doing in my
neighborhood?"
The man eventually calmed down and took Maysa up on her offer to tour
the
school, but his outburst was exactly why the sign had been covered in
the
first place. After terrorists brought down the World Trade Center
towers on
Sept. 11, 2001, Maysa knew there would be those who assumed that Islam
was
a religion of violence.
"The big question I got after Sept. 11 from (non-Muslim) kids was, 'Do
you
know Osama bin Laden?'" says Maysa, 31, who was principal of the Iqra
school and now runs the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Utah. "I knew we had
a
lot of work to do."
Almost three years later, Maysa is still answering similar questions
from
children - and adults - who haven't met many members of the Muslim
faith.
"No matter how off-the-wall the questions are, I don't mind," she says,
over a Free Lunch of seafood and salad at Salt Lake City's Red Lobster.
"I
look forward to discussions. It's important that people know what we're
really all about."
Too many Americans have bought into the Hollywood stereotype of the
Muslim
terrorist who kills in the name of God and has a harem of wives, says
Maysa. News clips from the war in Iraq haven't helped matters much,
"because you don't see a fair representation in the media," she says…
---
UNITED BY LOVE
Amber Campbell, Seattle Star, 6/30/04
http://www.theseattlestar.com/index.asp?page=/issues/June.30.2004/daycare.html
I recently overheard a California man describing his cardiologist-an
apparently brilliant doctor who had saved his life-as a Muslim, quickly
following up with the insistence that "It's all right," because "he's a
good Muslim."
Despite sharing remarkably similar religious roots and issues of faith,
Christians and Muslims have spent centuries warring in the name of
religion
and personal values. Many uneducated Americans tend to misunderstand
and
even malign Islam as the next global threat this side of Communism,
just as
many Arabs are convinced that American greed, lust and consumerism will
bring modern civilization to its knees.
Few people know or care to examine the many similarities our cultures
share. For instance, Christians and Muslims both believe in one central
god. Jesus is a significant figure in Islam and Christianity; both
religions value peace, mercy and forgiveness as central tenets and both
believe in an ultimate day of judgment and the importance of individual
accountability.
According to the Center for Islamic Relations, reports of harassment,
violence and discriminatory treatment against Muslims increased nearly
70
percent in the year after 9/11 and incidents of hate crimes have more
than
doubled. Our quirky little peace-love-and-recycle city is no exception.
Just two days after the terror attacks, a Snohomish man shot up the
parking
lot of the Islamic Idriss Mosque near Northgate.
While the Arab-American conflict certainly isn't a new one, recent
events
such as the World Trade Center attacks, the U.S.S. Cole bombing, the
torture of Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib, the war in Iraq and shady
ramifications of the USA Patriot Act have helped make a bad situation
worse.
---
YOUSSOU N'DOUR'S WORLD OF HARMONY
Alona Wartofsky, Washington Post, 6/1/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19419-2004Jun30.html
NEW YORK - A few years back, Senegalese music star Youssou N'Dour
composed
a series of songs celebrating his Islamic faith. He originally wrote
the
devotional music for his family and friends to listen to during Ramadan
but
then decided to release it as an album.
The events of Sept. 11, 2001, and their aftermath changed his mind.
The album "started when the world was doing a little better, and I
refused
to issue it when the world was going very, very badly," N'Dour says,
speaking through a translator in the midtown Manhattan offices of
Nonesuch,
his U.S. record label.
Now N'Dour believes the time is right for the world to hear the
collection,
titled "Egypt" for its U.S. release. "People have started to learn so
many
things," he says carefully. "They are starting to respect a little more
diversity."
Released last month, "Egypt" has been greeted with rapturous reviews.
The
album was recorded in Cairo, where N'Dour collaborated with bandleader
Fathy Salama, fusing Senegalese and Egyptian musical elements. N'Dour
sings
in Wolof, one of many languages spoken in Senegal, but translations are
provided, revealing that the songs extoll Senegal's revered Sufi saints
and
spiritual leaders. In the liner notes, N'Dour is quoted as saying that
the
album "praises the tolerance of my religion."
For N'Dour, "Egypt" is not necessarily political. "Politics is
something
very different," he says. "It is perhaps in everything, but it's mostly
about the interest of the politicians."
But N'Dour has made political statements before. In the spring of 2003,
he
canceled what would have been his biggest U.S. tour yet to protest the
invasion of Iraq. "Even though I am conscious that I am not somebody
like
Bruce Springsteen in this country, it was a way of saying that I am
against
the war," he says now...
-----
MD: MUSLIMS, JEWS UNITE FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE
Alicia McGee, The Gazette, 6/30/04
http://www.gazette.net/200427/germantown/news/223893-1.html
Nearly 50 county residents of differing faiths volunteered their time
to
clean up a historic Underground Railroad stop in Germantown Sunday as
part
of the first Muslim-Jewish Day of Friendship.
Event organizers and friends Saqib Ali of North Potomac and Jeff
Waldstreicher of Bethesda planned the project in an effort to create
relationships between the Muslim and Jewish communities throughout
Montgomery County.
Ali, a member of the Montgomery County Muslim Council, said he hopes
Sunday's program will allow people to start lasting friendships and
show
the ability of these groups to come together for a common good.
Ali said the similarities between Muslims and Jews are far greater than
their differences, yet the groups rarely come together.
"In Montgomery County, Muslims and Jews share the same neighborhoods,
schools, playgrounds and workplaces," he said. "I believe that we can
be a
model showing that these two communities are eager to get along, in
spite
of world events. We want to show that we are friends and that we want
to
work together to improve our community."
Waldstreicher said he and Ali wanted to create an opportunity to
introduce
members of both groups in a way that would be most comfortable for
those in
attendance. Political discussions were discouraged...
ALSO SEE:
MUSLIMS, JEWS WORK TO SAVE BOY FROM AFGHANISTAN
Joe Friesen and Kim Lunman, Globe and Mail, 7/1/04
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040701/AFGHBOY01/TPHealth/
TORONTO and OTTAWA - Javid Mirza and Lorne Finkelstein met while
serving on
a committee created to combat racism in Hamilton after the Sept. 11,
2001,
terrorist attacks.
Now, they've come together again to help bring a dying boy to Canada
from
Afghanistan.
Mr. Mirza, president of the Muslim Association of Hamilton, and Dr.
Finkelstein, a prominent member of the Jewish community, have been
helping
Hamilton resident Saddique Khan in his bid to get medical treatment for
nine-year-old Djamshid Djan Popal.
Dr. Finkelstein said he was eager to foster understanding between the
Muslim and Jewish communities by joining forces to find treatment for
Djamshid, who has a rare heart condition.
"Everyone should be there to help each other," he said. "Leave your
politics, your despair, your negative feelings about what goes on
elsewhere
in the world, over there."
"I hope together we can save this little kid," Mr. Mirza, a father of
two,
said yesterday. "It's truly inspiring. We're just parents, right?
People
get very emotional."
Dr. Finkelstein, a cardiologist, said his efforts to have the boy
treated
in Israel two weeks ago were rebuffed, in large part because he lives
in an
area of Afghanistan still under Taliban influence. Getting treatment
from
Israeli doctors could put Djamshid in danger once he returned.
The compromise that was reached, to send Djamshid to the Children's
Hospital of Eastern Ontario, in Ottawa, is not without complications.
He
will have to travel a long way, and once he arrives, he may need
surgery
and extensive follow-up care for a long time, which won't be possible
in
remote Afghanistan.
-----
SURVEY SHOWS BUSH SUPPORT DROPS AMONG MUSLIM VOTERS
PolitInfo, 6/30/04
http://www.politinfo.com/articles/article_2004_06_30_3032.html
WASHINGTON - The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, says
78-percent of Muslims who voted in the 2000 presidential election voted
for
George Bush.
In key states like Florida, where Mr. Bush defeated Democrat Al Gore by
just 537 votes, CAIR says Muslims in that state preferred the president
over his opponent by 64-thousand votes.
According to a recent informal survey released by the council of more
than
one-thousand Muslim voters, the level of support for Mr. Bush has
changed
dramatically in the period since the president took office.
The poll says about half of those surveyed (54%) support the presumed
Democratic nominee John Kerry, 26-percent would vote for independent
candidate Ralph Nader, while only two-percent would support President
Bush.
The group's executive director is Nihad Awad.
"Definitely there is a feeling that the Muslim community, Muslim voters
are
not satisfied with the performance of the administration on domestic
issues, including civil rights or foreign policy issues like peace in
the
Middle East, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan."
[According to the survey 87-percent of the Muslims surveyed say they
feel
less secure after the war in Iraq, while just nine-percent say they
feel
more secure…
ALSO SEE:
POLITICAL FAITH
MotherJones.com, 6/1/04
http://www.motherjones.com/news/dailymojo/2004/07/07_801.html
Muslim voters overwhelmingly backed George Bush four years ago, to the
point that some conservative commentators cited that support as a key
reason Bush is sitting in the White House. But as a new poll of Muslim
voters further confirms, the landscape hasradically shifted.
Tuesday's poll, conducted by the Council on American-Islamic Relations
in
Washington, shows Bush running a distant third behind both John Kerry
and
Ralph Nader. A very distant third. Bush gets the support of only 2
percent
of those surveyed, compared to 54 percent for Kerry and 26 percent for
Nader.
By comparison, a CAIR study shortly after the 2000 election found 72
percent of Muslims voted for Bush, and only 8 percent for Al Gore
(Nader,
who is of Lebanese descent and has spoken Arabic since childhood, got
19
percent). More than half of the 1161 individuals who responded to the
new
poll said they voted for Bush in 2000.
But this is just the latest example of Bush's declining popularity
among a
voting bloc he once dominated. In April, a Zogby poll of Arab-American
voters in the four key battleground states (Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania
and
Michigan) showed Bush trailing Kerry among all Arab-Americans in each
states and faring even worse with Muslims. Only 10 percent of Muslims
supported Bush, with both Kerry and Nader well ahead.
As Souleiman Ghali, president of the Islamic Society of San Francisco,
told
the San Francisco Chronicle:
People in our mosque voted overwhelmingly for Bush. I don't know anyone
who
is voting for him this time...
-----
NADER: WHITE HOUSE IS ISRAEL'S PUPPET
Janine Zacharia, Jerusalem Post, 6/30/04
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1088566594744
WASHINGTON - Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader, who many
Democrats blame for spoiling Al Gore's bid for the White House in 2000,
has
launched a scathing attack on the US-Israel alliance, describing the
White
House as being manipulated by Israel like a puppet.
"What has been happening over the years is a predictable routine of
foreign
visitation from the head of the Israeli government," Nader said. "The
Israeli puppeteer travels to Washington. The Israeli puppeteer meets
with
the puppet in the White House, and then moves down Pennsylvania Avenue,
and
meets with the puppets in Congress. And then takes back billions of
taxpayer dollars. It is time for the Washington puppet show to be
replaced
by the Washington peace show."
Nader spoke Tuesday in Washington at the release of a survey of
American
Muslim voter opinion, commissioned by the Council on American-Islamic
Relations. The survey of 1,161 voters this month showed that the
majority
of voters, 56 percent, supported the presumptive Democratic nominee
Sen.
John Kerry, and 26% favored Nader, more than five times the percentage
Nader has received in nationwide and statewide polls.
Strikingly, only 2% said they would vote for President George W. Bush,
even
though 55% of those polled said they had cast their vote for him in
2000.
Fourteen percent remained undecided. CAIR said it had no estimate of
the
number of Muslim voters nationwide…
Nader, a frequent critic of Israel who has campaigned largely on the
notion
that the Bush administration has eroded civil liberties since September
11,
is struggling to get on state ballots ahead of the November election
after
the Green Party, who backed him in 2000, decided he would not be their
nominee. Nader made the puppet analogy in several other forums this
month…
-----
'WOMEN OF ISLAM' OUT TO SHATTER STEREOTYPES
Dolores Derrickson, Rocky Mountain News, 7/1/04
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/books/article/0,1299,DRMN_63_3001996,00.html
In her new book, The Scimitar and the Veil: Extraordinary Women of
Islam,
author Jennifer Heath sketches more than 30 profiles of Muslim women
who
lived from the time of Mohammad's birth in A.D. 570 through the dynamic
years of the 19th century.
The author says these largely overlooked women include prophets,
scholars,
warriors, free concubines, tradeswomen and even queen mothers.
Heath is a journalist who lives in Colorado. She grew up as the
daughter of
an American diplomat and lived for a time in Afghanistan.
Her experiences have given her the background to shine a light on
Islam,
but cumbersome chapters, too much detail and redundant ideas sometimes
make
it difficult to plow through a 431-page book.
Still, The Scimitar and the Veil often sparkles, and Heath presents
insightful information and sometimes surprising facts.
Throughout the history of the world, women of all cultures have
participated fully on the battlefield, Heath says, and Muslim women
have
been among the best.
Popular literature for Muslim women today is often filled with true
stories
about female warriors, women who were "clever, armored, sword-slashing,
arrow-shooting, acrobatic women who more often than not best their men
(and
if it comes to it, there's nothing like baring a breast to toss a
fellow
completely off his guard)."
Heath consistently attempts to smash the stereotypes of Muslim women as
second-class citizens. She points out that they've been spies, scouts,
couriers, bandits, pirates and, in at least one case, governor of an
agricultural center in the 16th century.
Towering high among various Islamic women of interest are those who
engaged
in buying and selling real estate and used their wealth for building
projects.
ALSO SEE:
WOMEN SHOULD RETHINK DISPLAYS OF OVERT SEXUALITY
Susan Goodwin, Oregon Daily Herald, 6/1/04
http://www.dailyemerald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/07/01/40e41add943d5
I have been thinking lately about skin and the enormous amount of it on
campus. In particular, what it does to our respect for ourselves and
from
others as well as our place in American society. These thoughts were
enlightened by a lecture I attended -- "Women & Human Rights in Islam"
--
presented by the Muslim Student Association.
A significant portion of the audience was Muslim women, who displayed
little skin. Their lack of displayed skin made me notice both my own
and
other Western women's attire. We wore tighter, smaller, shorter and
skimpier clothes. The line of skin that peaks out from the bottom of my
shirt to the top of my pants had never been more on the front of my
mind. I
like to think I am not a provocative dresser, but in comparison to the
Muslim women, I definitely was less dressed.
Western cultures have evolved into rather sexually open societies where
exposed skin is common. Western women epitomize this openness in our
clothing: painted-on jeans, impossibly tiny tank-tops and skirts that
stop
two inches below our behinds. We see these clothes everyday on women in
our
classrooms, acting on TV, walking down the street, sitting on our
couch,
looking back at us in the mirror.
The Muslim women at the lecture made this pervasive sexiness even more
apparent with their opinions. The topic of oppression and head scarves
came
up. In Western media, head scarves often symbolize Islamic oppression
of
women. However, the Muslim women felt otherwise. One felt liberated by
her
modest apparel because she has the freedom to choose the man who sees
her
body, rather than displaying it for any man on the street. She said
Western
style of female dress is oppressive because it forces women to display
as
much skin as possible, to be sexual objects. Further, Western activists
will come to Muslim countries and decry the "oppressive burqa," but
will
not question their provocative clothing as a form of cultural
oppression.
It's an interesting point: Revealing our skin is a way to keep women
subservient, as beings whose primary value is sex and how much we
exhibit it.
This sexiness is, of course, defined by our culture and expressed
through
the media...
-----
EUROPEAN COURT'S ANTI-HIJAB RULING DISCRIMINATES AGAINST MUSLIM
CITIZENS
The Muslim Council of Britain disagrees strongly with Tuesday's ruling
by
the European Court of Human Rights, Strasbourg, in the case of Leyla
Sahin
v Turkey. The international court, whose decisions also have effect in
the
UK Courts, ruled that the prohibition of the Islamic headscarf (hijab)
by
the Turkish government in universities did not violate Article 9 of the
European Convention of Human Rights.
"It is worrying that the European Court of Human Rights has made the
surreptitious claim that a Muslim woman trying to follow the Qur'anic
injunction to dress modestly presents a public order problem in
Universities. It is further bewildering to consider the Court's denial
of a
woman's freedom to dress as she chooses to be in pursuance of gender
equality," said Iqbal Sacranie, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council
of
Britain.
While the military-guided Turkish political system is still struggling
with
necessary democratic reforms, this ruling of the European Court of
Human
Rights will have the effect of importing a restrictive and draconian
practice into our democratic and pluralist European environment.
Indeed, the ECHR's ruling is all the more perplexing as it had
previously
ruled that: "Freedom of thought, conscience and religion is one of the
foundations of a 'democratic society' within the meaning of the
Convention
... The pluralism indissociable from a democratic society, which has
been
dearly won over the centuries, depends on it." (Kokkinakis v. Greece
(1993).
The Muslim Council of Britain calls on the Council of Europe to now
remove
this serious lacuna in EU human rights law. Europe today needs to pay
more
than lip service to our human rights and come out of its past mentality
where these rights existed only for a certain section of Europeans.
For further information please contact: The Muslim Council of Britain,
Boardman House, 64 Broadway, Stratford, London E15 1NT, Tel: 07708 065
150
or 0208 432 0585/6, Fax: 0208 432 0587 Email:
mailto:media@mcb.org.uk>media@mcb.org.uk Website:
http://www.mcb.org.uk>http://www.mcb.org.uk
-----
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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
-----
Forwarded Message
Date:
Fri, 02 Jul 2004 14:00:44 -0400
To:
cair-net@cair.biglist.com
From:
"CAIR" <cair@cair-net.org>
Subject:
CAIR-NET: IL Mayor Bows Out of Rally Over Mosque Comments
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
CAIR: Celebrating 10 Years of Community Service
AMERICAN MUSLIM NEWS BRIEFS - 7/2/04
* HADITH OF THE DAY: PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH
* HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE THIS MONTH
- CAIR Launches Anti-Torture Campaign
* IL MAYOR BOWS OUT OF RALLY OVER MOSQUE COMMENTS (Chicago Trib)
* CA: MUSLIMS WIN LEGAL FIGHT OVER PRISON REGULATIONS (Sac Bee)
* VA: FEDS RAID SAUDI-BASED INSTITUTE IN VA (AP)
- OH: Impact of Conviction Spreads Beyond Court (AP)
- TX: Quiet End to Muslim Brothers' Trial (LA Times)
- NY: Judge Says Immigrant Can Stay (Newsday)
- Lawsuit: Lawyer-Client Talks Were Taped (AP)
* AN ISRAELI JAIL THAT SPECIALIZES IN NIGHTMARES (Newsweek)
- Kerry Position Paper Outlines Support for Israel (Haaretz)
- Israel Will Ignore World Court Barrier Ruling (Reuters)
* LAWYERS SEEK ACCESS TO 53 AT GUANTANAMO (Washington Post)
- Four U.S. Soldiers Charged in Death (Reuters)
- UK Soldier Charged with Shooting Boy in Iraq (Reuters)
* SEEING ISLAM THROUGH A LENS OF U.S. HUBRIS (Los Angeles Times)
-----
HADITH OF THE DAY: PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) quoted a person who will face
severe punishment on Judgment day as saying: "I enjoined others to do
good,
but did not do it myself, and I forbade them to do evil, but did it
myself."
Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 9, Hadith 218
-----
HELP CAIR RAISE $80K ONLINE THIS MONTH
CAIR has launched a new drive to raise $80,000 online each month. To
help
us reach that goal, go to: https://www.cair-net.org/asp/donate.asp
SEE ALSO:
CAIR LAUNCHES ANTI-TORTURE CAMPAIGN
CAIR is calling on American Muslims and other people of conscience to
help
prevent the use of torture or inhumane treatment of prisoners or
detainees.
A CAIR postcard urging the House of Representatives to conduct hearings
into allegations of detainee abuse by American military personnel is
now
online on CAIR's web site. (The site also contains links to news
articles
related to the issue of torture.)
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN, GO TO:
http://www.cair-net.org/default.asp?Page=postcardjun2004
-----
OFFENDED MAYOR BOWS OUT OF RALLY AT CHURCH
Stanley Ziemba, Chicago Tribune, 7/2/04
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/southsouthwest/chi-0407020317jul02,1,660010.story
The mayor of Orland Park had planned to read about tolerance from
Abraham
Lincoln's second inaugural address at a church's 4th of July rally, but
has
backed out because he found objectionable comments made by the pastor
about
a proposed mosque.
Ashburn Baptist Church issued a news release Thursday announcing that
Mayor
Daniel McLaughlin, who joined in the unanimous approval of the Muslim
house
of worship last week, had withdrawn from the Patriotic Rally on Sunday.
In a letter to Rev. Vernon Lyons, pastor of the church at 153rd and
Wolf
Road, McLaughlin said it would be disingenuous of him to participate
because of Lyons' stand against "the free exercise of individual
religious
beliefs."
"My belief in the Bill of Rights, including the freedom to worship in
our
own way, stands in stark contrast to that which you advocate,"
McLaughlin
wrote. "I believe that to advocate in any way the prohibition of the
free
exercise of individual religious beliefs undermines the value of all
our
other freedoms."
Lyons was out of the country Thursday and unavailable for comment. His
son,
Rev. Sam Lyons, said McLaughlin's decision was "real disappointing…"
Lyons said opposition to the mosque was not an attack on religious
freedom,
but was based on the notion that many in the community are not
convinced
the project petitioners are not in some way tied to terrorism. The
mosque
was approved over the objections of hundreds of residents at the
meeting.
"We simply had a difference of opinion with the mayor and expressed
that
difference in a town hall setting," he said. "It was nothing personal.
Freedom of speech is not a crime. You may disagree with a person's
opinion
but still come together for a barbecue."
But McLaughlin said Thursday that he found Vernon Lyons' testimony
against
the mosque particularly divisive.
"I have a problem with the comments he made and, therefore, I feel that
it
would not be proper for me to be [at the rally]," McLaughlin said.
Lyons had told board members that while he believes in religious
liberty,
"no group that jeopardizes our personal safety or our national security
is
deserving of our tolerance."
ACTION REQUESTED:
Send a note of appreciation to Mayor Daniel McLaughlin for his
courageous
stance in support of the Muslim community and American values of
justice
and religious diversity. E-Mail: officials@orland-park.il.us Copy to:
cair@cair-net.org
TEL: (708) 403-6100
-----
MUSLIMS WIN LEGAL FIGHT OVER PRISON REGULATIONS
Denny Walsh, Sacramento Bee, 7/1/04
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/9846642p-10769015c.html
SACRAMENTO- California prison officials have been barred by a
Sacramento
federal judge from imposing discipline or denying sentence reductions
based
on Muslim inmates' half-inch beards and attendance at religious
services.
In a 35-page order that ends the long-running class-action lawsuit,
U.S.
District Judge Lawrence K. Karlton on Friday granted summary judgment
in
favor of the inmates and issued a permanent injunction against the
Department of Corrections.
He found the two actions necessary to protect the rights of Muslim
inmates
under a 2000 federal statute "enacted to prevent correctional
institutions
from restricting religious liberty."
Karlton also ordered attorneys for inmates and prison officials to come
up
with a plan within 30 days to locate and expunge past disciplinary
actions
based on the beards and worship.
The inmates' attorney, Susan Christian, said Wednesday she has mixed
feelings now that the protracted legal struggle is over.
"I'm happy now to finally have this ruling, and I hope it at least
gives
the department pause in contemplating the accommodation of other state
prisoners' exercise of religion," Christian said…
-----
FEDS RAID SAUDI-BASED INSTITUTE IN VA.
Associated Press, 7/2/04
http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/ap/ap_story.html/National/AP.V7865.AP-Islamic-Institu.html
FAIRFAX- Federal agents Thursday raided the Fairfax offices of a
Saudi-based institute that served as a meeting point for men convicted
of
conspiring to support terrorism.
A task force of federal agents, including the FBI, carried out boxes
but
made no arrests in the raid of the Institute of Islamic and Arabic
Sciences…
The institute was a meeting point for a group of Islamic men who played
paintball games in 2000 and 2001 as preparation for holy war, according
to
prosecutors. Nine of the 11 men charged in what prosecutors called a
"Virginia jihad network" were convicted in federal court for their
roles in
the group…
Lawyers for the Council on American-Islamic Relations observed the
raid.
"We're concerned that this may be perceived in the Muslim community as
a
fishing expedition," council spokesman Ibrahim Hooper said.
Hooper pointed out that a variety of Muslim businesses and charities
were
raided more than two years ago as part of a broad investigation into
alleged terrorist financing, but that no charges have been filed
against
those charities.
SEE ALSO:
IMPACT OF IMAM CONVICTION SPREADS BEYOND COURT
Associated Press, 7/2/04
http://www.onnnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=1984261
CLEVELAND -- The impact of a mosque leader being convicted of hiding
terrorist ties is stretching beyond the courtroom.
The American Civil Liberties Union may join the appeal by imam Fawaz
Damra
to overturn his conviction on a charge of lying to obtain U.S.
citizenship
in 1994. The ACLU says civil rights advocates believe the case may be
just
the start of super secret proceedings involving terrorism charges.
The government has said the Damra conviction was a win in the war on
terror. Muslims say the case has made their community feel targeted.
"The community is generally fearful on a number of different levels.
All of
their activities are being scrutinized fairly deeply," said Laila
Al-Qatami, communications director of the American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination
Committee.
The Palestinian-born Damra, leader of the Islamic Center of Cleveland,
the
state's largest mosque, was convicted June 17 and is to be sentenced
Sept.
9. The 41-year-old could be sentenced to up to five years in prison and
face deportation.
The governing board of the ACLU in Ohio will consider whether to help
in
his appeal, said Chris Link, executive director of the state chapter…
---
QUIET END TO MUSLIM BROTHERS' TRIAL
Scott Gold, Los Angeles Times, 7/2/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-brothers2jul02,1,3553124.story
A federal jury could decide as early as today whether five Muslim
brothers
in Texas violated export regulations when they shipped computer parts
to
Libya and Syria, countries that have been labeled state sponsors of
terrorism.
But the three-week-long trial is wrapping up with considerably less
fanfare
than the case began with, leading to renewed accusations that President
Bush's war on terror often targets domestic politics as much as
international terrorism.
Federal officials have accused the brothers of laundering money for
Hamas,
a Palestinian militant group, using their now-defunct computer company.
Bush has alleged that a Texas-based charity connected to the brothers
was
also a front for Hamas and was used, among other things, to route money
to
the families of suicide bombers.
But while U.S. Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft once labeled the brothers
"terrorist moneymen," charges specifically related to terrorism have
been
dropped from the trial and are tentatively scheduled to be heard in a
second proceeding this fall.
What's left for now are allegations that the brothers improperly
shipped
computer parts to customers in Libya and Syria -- not to the
governments
themselves.
The customers included a Toyota dealer and a bookstore. Prosecutors
have
yet to utter the word "Hamas" in court.
And while Justice Department lawyers have said the hardware could have
been
used for military purposes, the brothers' representatives insist that
most
of it was so dated that it couldn't even have been used to play the
latest
computer games.
Some legal experts have said this is the latest example of the Bush
administration overreaching in its prosecution of the war on terror --
and
tossing aside civil liberties in the process.
"This is exactly what the Founding Fathers were thinking about when
they
enacted the Bill of Rights," said David Nevin, a defense lawyer in
Boise,
Idaho. "The Bill of Rights wouldn't be there if it wasn't the tendency
of
government to reach out and take all the power it can to try to do the
things it wants to do…"
---
APPLAUSE IN COURTROOM: JUDGE SAYS IMMIGRANT CAN STAY
Robert Polner, Newsday, 7/2/04
http://www.newsday.com/mynews/ny-nyimmi023877915jul02,0,3122529.story
More than 6 feet tall and broad-shouldered, Faisal Ulvie was a minor
sensation as a kickboxer in Pakistan in the late 1990s. So when a
national
team was assembled to compete in Atlanta, Ulvie was on it.
None of that mattered, though, when federal agents knocked down the
door to
the three-story Brooklyn building in which Ulvie lived in an apartment
with
his wife and three children early on a chilly November morning in 2002.
Having resolved to live in America, but carrying a long-expired visa,
he
was carted off to a New Jersey jail. He learned much later that he had
been
ordered to appear for a deportation hearing, a letter he says must have
been sent to an old address because he never got it.
Three weeks after he was taken out of his Bushwick home, a white bus
carted
Ulvie to a jet scheduled to take him and 150 other Pakistani detainees
back
to their homeland. Ulvie had not been allowed to see a judge or lawyer,
and
did not know why he was being deported. He called his wife, Nadine
Young-Ulvie, a Brooklyn-born U.S. citizen, and pleaded for her to get
immediate help.
"I thought I would never see my children again," he said.
In the end, Ulvie, 28, was lucky compared to thousands of Muslims who
were
detained, deported or who otherwise left the United States during the
Bush
administration's terrorism-related immigration dragnet in
Muslim-infused
neighborhoods.
With a half-hour to spare before the plane left, Ulvie's lawyer,
Elizabeth
OuYang, persuaded an immigration judge in Manhattan to make a cell
phone
call resulting in the prisoner's return to jail. OuYang got him
released,
conditionally, a month later.
Yesterday, in a brief hearing at 26 Federal Plaza, Ulvie was permitted
by
the same judge, Patricia A. Rohan, to remain in this country legally to
apply for permanent residency. The government prosecutor raised no
objections at the hearing.
When Rohan issued her decision, Ulvie's relatives and friends
applauded,
and OuYang wiped her tears. Ulvie's wife wept. "Thank you, your honor,
thank you," she said, corraling her children, Shaheen, 3, Brittanie, 8,
and
Devon, 11.
---
LAWSUIT: LAWYER-CLIENT TALKS WERE TAPED
MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN, Associated Press, 7/2/04
NEW YORK (AP) - A group of Legal Aid lawyers has filed a lawsuit
accusing a
former federal warden and prison officers of secretly videotaping the
lawyers' conversations with Arab and Muslim immigrants detained after
the
Sept. 11 attacks.
The attorneys claim that they noticed video cameras in the areas where
they
visited clients at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn in the
fall of 2001, but that prison officials told them they were turned off.
The meetings between detainees and their lawyers were in fact recorded,
according to a December report by the Justice Department's inspector
general that found more than 40 instances of taped visits.
``We're all pretty distressed and disturbed by the fact that the
government
was listening in on attorney-client conferences,'' Legal Aid attorney
Bryan
Lonegan said Friday. ``The government can't be listening in. It's just
so
fundamental to our constitutional liberties.''
------
AN ISRAELI JAIL THAT SPECIALIZES IN NIGHTMARES
Dan Ephron, Newsweek, 6/28/04
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5251751/
Sometimes a country's darkest secrets have a way of surfacing in the
most
offhanded manner. Gad Kroizer, an Israeli historian, was researching
old
British police buildings when he stumbled on a 70-year-old map drawn by
a
government architect. The map showed the location of 62 police
compounds
built by the British in Palestine in the late 1930s and early 1940s
where
both Arabs and Jews who agitated against Britain's occupation were
interrogated. What caught Kroizer's eye was a camp called Meretz, which
he
had not seen on any contemporary Israeli map or read about in any
modern
writing on security compounds in the Jewish state. "There was a
discrepancy
between the map I had and the lists I'd been looking at," says Kroizer,
who
lives in Jerusalem and teaches at Bar-Ilan University. "I started
putting
two and two together."
What Kroizer had discovered and later footnoted in an academic paper
(published in the March 2004 issue of Cathedra, circulation: 1,500) was
the
location of an ultrasecret jail where Israel has held Arabs in total
seclusion for years, barred visits by the Red Cross and allegedly
tortured
inmates. Known as 1391, the facility is used as an interrogation center
by
a storied unit of Israel's military intelligence, whose members-all
Arabic
speakers-are trained to wring confessions from the toughest militants.
According to Arabs who've been imprisoned in 1391, some of the methods
are
reminiscent of Abu Ghraib: nudity as a humiliation tactic, compromising
photographs, sleep deprivation. In a few cases, at least, interrogators
at
1391 appear to have gone beyond Israel's own hair-splitting distinction
between torture and what a state commission referred to in 1987 as
"moderate physical pressure."
But the nightmare for those in 1391 is the isolation and the fear that
no
one knows where you are, say Arabs who've been held there as well as an
Israeli who's been inside the prison. The location of the compound is
so
hush-hush that a court this year banned a visit by an Israeli
legislator.
Prisoners describe being hooded everywhere at the facility except in
their
cells. Jailers often tell them they're on the moon or in another
country
(in fact, the compound is less than an hour's drive from Tel Aviv).
"This
can be devastating emotionally," says Dalia Kerstein, whose Israeli
human-rights group, HaMoked, has petitioned the High Court of Justice
to
close down 1391. "We've seen that psychological pressure in certain
instances can be even harder on inmates than physical pressure..."
Israeli officials deny torturing inmates at 1391 or any other facility.
But
Gideon Ezra, the former deputy head of Israel's Shabak security
service,
says psychological pressure is one of the most effective tools
interrogators have in the war against terrorism. Ezra, now a member of
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud Party and his cabinet, says 1391
was
actually set up as an interrogation center for non-Palestinian Arabs
who
entered Israel illegally. (Ezra says the number 1391 corresponds to the
adjacent military base and has no particular significance.) "In cases
like
that, you need to find out very quickly who this person is and how he
might
harm you..."
SEE ALSO:
KERRY POSITION PAPER OUTLINES SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL
Nathan Guttman, Haaretz, 7/2/04
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/446429.html
WASHINGTON - In a position paper outlining his stance on Israel,
Democratic
presidential candidate John Kerry promises not to negotiate with Yasser
Arafat and expresses support for Israel's right to defend itself by
attacking terrorist organizations.
The paper, entitled "John Kerry: Strengthening Israel's Security and
Bolstering the U.S.-Israel Special Relationship," was sent in mid-June
to a
group of people in the Jewish community as part of the Kerry attempt to
maintain contact with Jewish supporters in the United States and to
clarify
his positions on Israel.
Kerry, who previously spoke against the separation fence at a gathering
of
the Arab-American Institute, is now seeking to correct that impression:
"The security fence is a legitimate act of self-defense erected in
response
to the wave of terror attacks against Israeli citizens."
The presumptive Democratic nominee also declares his opposition to
transferring debate on the fence to international forums. The paper
shows
consistent support for Israel on all the issues at hand: Kerry backs
Israel's disengagement plan and also the two central points in
President
Bush's letter to Prime Minister Sharon - the resettlement of
Palestinian
refugees in the Palestinian state, not within Israel, and recognition
of
Jewish population concentrations in the West Bank when establishing the
permanent borders. "In light of demographic realities, a number of
settlement blocs will likely become a part of Israel," Kerry wrote his
supporters…
---
ISRAEL WILL IGNORE WORLD COURT BARRIER RULING
Reuters, 7/2/04
WASHINGTON, July 2 (Reuters) - Israel's foreign minister said on Friday
his
government would not accept a World Court ruling on the legality of its
West Bank barrier and pressed for U.S. support to block any U.N. action
against the Jewish state.
The International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, will
render its judgment in a public hearing on July 9, one of the most
high-profile rulings in its 58-year history.
"We believe that Israel can deal with this issue by itself," Israeli
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said at the White House after talks with
U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza Rice. "We can't accept any
external involvement from the International Court of Justice..."
-----
LAWYERS SEEK ACCESS TO 53 AT GUANTANAMO
Josh White, Washington Post, 7/2/04
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21841-2004Jul1.html
A group of lawyers who represent 53 detainees at the U.S. military
prison
in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, demanded yesterday that the Pentagon grant
them
unfettered access to their clients, saying that a U.S. Supreme Court
decision this week leaves no doubt that the detainees have that right.
Lawyers with the Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents two
of
the detainees involved in the Supreme Court case, made the demand in a
letter faxed to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld yesterday
afternoon.
They asked for access "as expeditiously as possible," contending that
under
the Supreme Court's ruling in Rasul v. Bush "there is no question of
the
right of each of them to file petitions for habeas corpus and to have
access to counsel in order to do so."
The center's legal director, Jeffrey E. Fogel, said yesterday that its
lawyers have never been allowed contact with the more than four dozen
captives they represent at Guantanamo Bay and that such contact is
vital to
representing their rights in court.
In the letter, Fogel also asked Rumsfeld to allow a delegation of
lawyers
into Guantanamo Bay to inform the detainees about the Supreme Court
decisions, which granted the alleged al Qaeda and Taliban fighters held
there access to U.S. courts to contest their detentions.
Pentagon officials said yesterday that they have made no decisions on
the
impact of the Supreme Court rulings and that there is no plan for
informing
the nearly 600 detainees about their new rights. Lawrence DiRita, the
top
Pentagon spokesman, also said that there has been no decision to grant
lawyers access to the detainees…
SEE ALSO:
FOUR U.S. SOLDIERS CHARGED IN TIGRIS RIVER DEATH
Reuters, 7/2/04
DENVER, July 2 (Reuters) - Four U.S. soldiers have been charged in the
drowning death of an Iraqi man forced to jump off a bridge into the
Tigris
River, according to newspaper reports on Friday.
The soldiers were part of a patrol that detained two Iraqi men for a
late-night curfew violation, then ordered them to jump off the bridge
in
the northern Iraqi town of Samarra on Jan. 3, according to the Rocky
Mountain News. One swam ashore, but the other drowned…
It is the second prisoner death case involving Fort Carson soldiers,
the
Denver Post said. The newspaper reported last month that two military
intelligence officers at Fort Carson face in the fatal smothering of an
Iraqi general in November…
---
UK SOLDIER CHARGED WITH SHOOTING BOY IN IRAQ
Reuters, 7/2/04
LONDON (Reuters) - A British soldier will stand trial over the shooting
of
a 13-year-old boy in Iraq, Britain's top legal officer said Friday.
The soldier faces a charge of unlawful wounding over the nonfatal
shooting
of the boy last September, Attorney General Lord Goldsmith said in a
statement.
He could face an alternative charge of negligent handling of a weapon,
the
statement added.
The shooting took place in al-Uzayr, south of Iraq's southeastern city
of
Amarah.
Pvt. Alexander Johnston of the 1st Battalion, King's Own Scottish
Borderers
will appear before a British military court but the location of the
court
martial has yet to be decided.
It could be held in Britain, Iraq or at any convenient military base,
said
a Ministry of Defense spokesman. No date has been set.
Johnston is the fifth British soldier to be charged over events in
Iraq,
where British troops took control of the southern region of the country
after the ousting of Saddam Hussein.
-----
SEEING ISLAM THROUGH A LENS OF U.S. HUBRIS
Anonymous, Los Angeles Times, 7/2/04
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-anonymous2jul02,1,1846957.story
Our political leaders contend that America's astoundingly low approval
ratings in polls taken in major Islamic countries do not reflect our
unquestioning support of Israel and, as such, its "targeted killings"
and
other lethal high jinks. Nor, they say, are the ratings due to our
relentless support for tyrannical and corrupt Islamic regimes that are
systematically dissipating the Islamic world's energy resources for
family
fun and profit, while imprisoning, torturing and executing domestic
dissenters. The low approval ratings, we are confident, have nothing to
do
with our refusal to apply nuclear nonproliferation rules with anything
close to an even hand; a situation that makes Israeli and Indian
nuclear
weapons acceptable - each is a democracy, after all - while Pakistan's
weapons are intolerable, perhaps because they are held by Muslims. And
surely, if we can just drive and manage an Islamic Reformation that
makes
Muslims secular like us, all this unfortunate talk about religious war
will
end.
Thus, because of the pervasive imperial hubris that dominates the minds
of
our political, academic, social, media and military elites, America is
able
and content to believe that the Islamic world fails to understand the
benign intent of U.S. foreign policy. This mind-set holds that America
does
not need to reevaluate its policies, let alone change them; it merely
needs
to better explain the wholesomeness of its views and the purity of its
purposes to the uncomprehending Islamic world. What could be more
American
in the early 21st century, after all, then to re-identify a casus belli
as
a communication problem, and then call on Madison Avenue to package and
hawk a remedy called
"Democracy-Secularism-and-Capitalism-are-good-for-Muslims" to an
Islamic
world that has, to date, violently refused to purchase?
This is meant neither to ridicule my countrymen's intellectual
abilities
nor to be supportive of Bin Laden and his interpretation of Islam, but
to
say that most of the world outside North America is not, does not want
to
be and probably will never be just like us. And let me be clear, I am
not
talking about America's political freedoms, personal liberties or
respect
for education and human rights; the same polls showing that Muslims
hate
Americans for their actions find broad support for the ideas and
beliefs
that make us who we are. Pew Trust polls in 2003, for instance, found
that
although Muslims believed it "necessary to believe in God to be moral,"
they also favored what were termed "democratic values."
I'm saying that when Americans - the leaders and the led - process
incoming
information to make it intelligible in American terms, many not only
fail
to clearly understand what is going on abroad but, more ominous, fail
to
accurately gauge the severity of the danger that these foreign events,
organizations, attitudes and personalities pose to U.S. national
security
and our society's welfare and lifestyle…
The author is a senior counterintelligence official at the CIA who
served
from 1996 to 1999 as head of a special unit tracking Osama bin Laden.
The
CIA allowed publication of his forthcoming book, "Imperial Hubris"
(Brassey's, 2004), in which the author is identified as "Anonymous."
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